bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
GlyNAC (Glycine and N-Acetylcysteine) Supplementation Improves Impaired Mitochondrial Fuel Oxidation and Lowers Insulin Resistance in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes: Results of a Pilot Study
Authors: Sekhar Rajagopal V.
Published: January 2022

Patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) are known to have mitochondrial dysfunction and increased insulin resistance (IR), but the underlying mechanisms are not well understood. We reported previously that (a) adequacy of the antioxidant glutathione (GSH) is necessary for optimal mitochondrial fatty-acid oxidation (MFO); (b) supplementing the GSH precursors glycine and N-acetylcysteine (GlyNAC) in mice corrected GSH deficiency, reversed impaired MFO, and lowered oxidative stress (OxS) and IR; and (c) supplementing GlyNAC in patients with T2D improved GSH synthesis and concentrations, and lowered OxS. However, the effect of GlyNAC on MFO, MGO (mitochondrial glucose oxidation), IR and plasma FFA (free-fatty acid) concentrations in humans with T2D remains unknown. This manuscript reports the effect of supplementing GlyNAC for 14-days on MFO, MGO, IR and FFA in 10 adults with T2D and 10 unsupplemented non-diabetic controls. Fasted T2D participants had 36% lower MFO (p < 0.001), 106% higher MGO (p < 0.01), 425% higher IR (p < 0.001) and 76% higher plasma FFA (p < 0.05). GlyNAC supplementation significantly improved fasted MFO by 30% (p < 0.001), lowered MGO by 47% (p < 0.01), decreased IR by 22% (p < 0.01) and lowered FFA by 25% (p < 0.01). These results provide proof-of-concept that GlyNAC supplementation could improve mitochondrial dysfunction and IR in patients with T2D, and warrant additional research.
Multi-Robot Formation Control Based on CVT Algorithm and Health Optimization Management
Authors: Cao Kai , Chen Yangquan , Gao Song , Zhang Hang , Dang Haixin
Published: January 2022

In view of the low formation redundancy in the traditional rigid formation algorithm and its difficulty in dynamically adapting to the external environment, this study considers the use of the CVT (centroidal Voronoi tessellation) algorithm to control multiple robots to form the desired formation. This method significantly increases the complexity of the multi-robot system, its structural redundancy, and its internal carrying capacity. First, we used the CVT algorithm to complete the Voronoi division of the global map, and then changed the centroid position of the Voronoi cell by adjusting the density function. When the algorithm converged, it could ensure that the position of the generated point was the centroid of each Voronoi cell and control the robot to track the position of the generated point to form the desired formation. The use of traditional formations requires less consideration of the impact of the actual environment on the health of robots, the overall mission performance of the formation, and the future reliability. We propose a health optimization management algorithm based on minor changes to the original framework to minimize the health loss of robots and reduce the impact of environmental restrictions on formation sites, thereby improving the robustness of the formation system. Simulation and robot formation experiments proved that the CVT algorithm could control the robots to quickly generate formations, easily switch formations dynamically, and solve the formation maintenance problem in obstacle scenarios. Furthermore, the health optimization management algorithm could maximize the life of unhealthy robots, making the formation more robust when performing tasks in different scenarios.
A Broad Overview on Pituitary Adenylate Cyclase-Activating Polypeptide Role in the Eye: Focus on Its Repairing Effect in Cornea
Authors: Maugeri Grazia , D’Amico Agata Grazia , D’Agata Velia
Published: January 2022

Pituitary Adenylate Cyclase-Activating Polypeptide (PACAP) is a neuropeptide with widespread distribution throughout the central and peripheral nervous system as well as in many other peripheral organs. It plays cytoprotective effects mediated mainly through the activation of specific receptors. PACAP is known to play pleiotropic effects on the eye, including the cornea, protecting it against different types of insult. This review firstly provides an overview of the anatomy of the cornea and summarizes data present in literature about PACAP’s role in the eye and, in particular, in the cornea, either in physiological or pathological conditions.
Configuration Design and Trans-Media Control Status of the Hybrid Aerial Underwater Vehicles
Authors: Ma Zongcheng , Chen Danqiang , Li Guoshuai , Jing Xianyong , Xiao Shuchen
Published: January 2022

Hybrid aerial underwater vehicles (HAUV) are newly borne vehicle concepts, which could fly in the air, navigate underwater, and cross the air-water surface repeatedly. Although there are many problems to be solved, the advanced concept, which combines the integrated multidomain locomotion of both water and air mediums is worth exploring. This paper presents the water–air trans-media status of the HAUV from the perspective of the configuration and trans-media control. It shows that the multi-rotor HAUV is relatively mature and has achieved a stable water–air trans-media process repeatedly. The morphing HAUV is still in its exploration stage, and has achieved partial success.
Hybrid Coded Excitation of the Torsional Guided Wave Mode T(0,1) for Oil and Gas Pipeline Inspection
Authors: Fan Zeng , Niu Xudong , Miao Baichun , Meng Hongying
Published: January 2022

Ultrasonic guided wave testing is an essential technique in non-destructive testing for structural integrity of oil and gas pipelines. This technique, based on the pulse-echo method, is often used for the long-range detection of pipelines at any location. However, guided waves suffer from high attenuation when they propagate in attenuative material structures and multiple wave modes due to the excitation, which reduces the power of echo signals and induces corruption caused by coherent noise. In this paper, a developed hybrid coded excitation method that uses the convolution of a Barker code and Golay code pair is proposed and applied for an ultrasonic guided wave testing system to excite the torsional guided wave mode T(0,1) in a steel pipe. The proposed method combines the advantages of these two coding methods and increases the flexibility of code lengths. The performance is evaluated by signal to noise ratio and peak sidelobe level of the processed signal. Both theoretical simulations and experiments have investigated using the proposed codes composed of Barker codes and Golay code pairs of different lengths and combinations. The experimental results show the significant improvement of the signal to noise ratio and the peak sidelobe level due to the proposed hybrid code usage for the excitation of guided waves. The values are further improved to around 32 dB and around −24 dB, respectively. Overall, the proposed hybrid coded method for improving the echo SNR can benefit from guided wave testing to reduce coherent and random noise levels and many other potential applications.
Object-Based Geomorphological Mapping: Application on an Alpine Deep-Seated Gravitational Slope Deformation Contest (Germanasca Valley, Western Alps—Italy)
Authors: Forno Maria Gabriella , Fubelli Giandomenico , Gattiglio Marco , Taddia Glenda , Ghignone Stefano
Published: January 2022

This research reports the use of a new method of geomorphological mapping in GIS environments, using a full-coverage, object-based method, following the guidelines of the new geomorphological legend proposed by ISPRA–AIGEO–CNG. This methodology is applied to a tributary valley of the Germanasca Valley, shaped into calcschist and greenschist, of the Piedmont Zone (Penninic Domain, Western Alps). The investigated sector is extensively affected by dep-seated gravitational slope deformation (DSGSD) that strongly influences the geological setting and the geomorphological features of the area. The mapping of these gravitational landforms in a traditional way creates some difficulties, essentially connected to the high density of information in the same site and the impossibility of specifying the relationships between different elements. The use of the full-coverage, object-based method instead is advantageous in mapping gravitational evidence. In detail, it allows for the representation of various landforms in the same sector, and their relationships, specifying the size of landforms, and with the possibility of multiscale representation in the GIS environment; and, it can progressively be update with the development of knowledge. This research confirms that the use of the full-coverage, object-based method allows for better mapping of the geomorphological features of DSGSD evidence compared to classical representation.
Study on the Non-Steady-State Wear Characteristics and Test of the Flow Passage Components of Deep-Sea Mining Pumps
Authors: Hong Shunjun , Hu Xiaozhou
Published: January 2022

In the process of conveying coarse-grained minerals, the internal flow-through passage components of mining pumps are subject to wear. The flow of coarse particles in such pumps is complex and changes constantly, making it necessary to study the non-steady-state wear characteristics and test the flow passage components. The evolution of the surface wear rate for the flow passage components during one third of a rotation cycle (120°) of a mining pump impeller with small, design, and large flow rates was analyzed in this study based on a discrete phase model (DPM). The flow that occurs during an entire rotation cycle of the impeller was investigated. The wear test was carried out with a small test pump with the same specific speed as and a similar structure to that of the deep-sea mining pump. The test results were compared with the numerical calculation results of the deep-sea mining pump obtained by using the same numerical calculation method and wear model, and the test wear area was found to be more consistent with the numerical calculation wear area. The results show that the numerical calculation method used in this article can more accurately predict the surface wear of the passage components of the mining pump and provides a suitable method for the prediction of the wear characteristics of the mining pump.
Chemical Characterisation, Antioxidant and Antibacterial Activities of Pinus pinaster Ait. and Pinus pinea L. Bark Polar Extracts: Prospecting Forestry By-Products as Renewable Sources of Bioactive Compounds
Authors: Ramos Patrícia A. B. , Pereira Carla , Gomes Ana Peixoto , Neto Rodrigo T. , Almeida Adelaide , Santos Sónia A. O. , Silva Artur M. S. , Silvestre Armando J. D.
Published: January 2022

Agroforestry by-products have gained rising attention in recent years as they represent inexpensive and abundant raw materials that are a source of added-value chemicals, e.g., for food and pharmaceutical applications, as well as for bioenergy generation. Pinus pinaster Ait. bark extracts are consumed worldwide for their cardiovascular benefits, whilst the health potential of Pinus pinea L. bark has not yet been deeply exploited. Therefore, this study highlights the chemical characterisation of Portuguese P. pinaster Ait. and P. pinea L. bark polar extracts, via ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-diode array detection-tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-DAD-MSn) analysis, and their antioxidant and antibacterial activities. Quinic acid, an A-type procyanidin dimer isomer, protocatechuic acid, and quercetin were identified for the first time as P. pinea L. bark components. Moreover, this bark demonstrated a higher total content of identified polar compounds than P. pinaster Ait. bark, with quinic acid being the most abundant compound identified. Regarding antioxidant activity, the pine bark polar extracts exhibited strong reducing power and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2-azinobis-(3-ethyl-benzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS) radical scavenging effects compared to natural antioxidants. Moreover, the bactericidal actions of pine bark extracts were shown against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli at a 3.13–25 mg mL−1 range. Globally, these promising insights can boost the sustainable exploitation of P. pinea L. bark, as already occurs with P. pinaster Ait. bark, for the food and biomedical fields.
Maxillary Sinusitis as a Complication of Zygomatic Implants Placement: A Narrative Review
Authors: Nocini Riccardo , Panozzo Giorgio , Trotolo Alessandro , Sacchetto Luca
Published: January 2022

Aims: The aim of this review is to consider maxillary sinusitis as a complication of zygomatic implants placements. Maxillary sinusitis a common complication but in the literature there are no reviews that focus only on this condition and its possible treatment. This review was carried out with to highlight the main findings of the literature on this topic and to improve knowledge in this field. Methods: The search strategy resulted in 155 papers. After selection of the inclusion criteria only 11 papers were examined. From the papers these, 12.3% patients presented maxillary sinusitis but only four studies evaluated sinusitis (both clinical and radiological evaluation). The most common treatment used by the authors were antibiotics alone or combined with functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS). Results: The literature shows an absence of precise and shared guidelines diagnosis and post-operative follow-up, and of the treatment of maxillary sinusitis following zygomatic implantology. It has not been determined if the surgical placement of ZIs is better than the other techniques for treatment of the onset of maxillary sinusitis in the post-operative period. Conclusion: To date there are no shared protocols for maxillary sinusitis treatment. In our experience, and according to the literature in the presence of risk factors such as age, comorbidities, smoking, nasal septal deviation or other anatomical variants, we suggested that FESS is performed at the same time as placement of zygomatic implants.
Intelligent Educational Evaluation of Research Performance between Digital Library and Open Government Data
Authors: Cheng Tao-Ming , Hou Hsing-Yu
Published: January 2022

This study evaluates institutional research performance in benchmark technological universities in Taiwan through intelligent research databases (SciVal) in digital libraries with Ministry of Education open data to explore the performance of research indicators and the research trend of topic clusters to ascertain accountability for decision makers. The research performance of eight benchmark technological universities in Taiwan is compared in this study. In addition, the trends in research topics in the top 10% of journals are explored. Descriptive statistics, correlation, ANOVA, and the Boston Consulting Group matrix were used in this study. Research personnel, publications, productivity, total citations, number of international collaborations, and academic research income in 2018 significantly positively correlated with each other. From 719 records of research topics, topic clusters and school types are the significant factors in research outputs. Biosensors, electrodes, and voltammetry are the leading topic clusters in the research trend. The topic cluster of decision-making, fuzzy sets, and models has the best growth rate in the SciVal results. This analysis provides useful insights to policymakers to improve institutional administration and research resource allocation.
Evaluation of the Strength Characteristics of Silty-Clayey Soils during Freezing-Thawing Cycles
Authors: Bragar Elena , Pronozin Yakov , Zhussupbekov Askar , Gerber Alexander , Sarsembayeva Assel , Muzdybayeva Tymarkul , Sarabekova Ulbossyn Zhangabilkyzy
Published: January 2022

Destructuring settlements due to frost heave during the structures’ exploitation are often not taken into account at the designing stage, although they are indirectly related to the bearing capacity of the soils. The objective of this research was analyzing the effect of the number of freezing-thawing cycles on the strength characteristics of soils. A paired experiment with various initial parameters (void ratio, initial moisture content, and the number of freezing-thawing cycles) was carried out. According to the experimental results, the cohesion largely depends on the above parameters which might lead to its decrease by up to three times. The angle of internal friction demonstrated an indefinite behavior during the freeze-thaw cycles, which is confirmed by a literature review. Freezing–thawing cycles significantly decrease the soil bearing capacity: up to 44% after 10 freezing-thawing cycles for soil with e=0.55 and  w=16.5%. However, in the case of e=0.75 and w=22.6%, it increased by 33%. A program based on the least-squares method was used to calculate the approximation coefficients of the dependence describing the changes in strength characteristics from the abovementioned parameters. Changes in strength characteristics must be taken into account when designing structures, as they can lead to additional settlement or even subsidence of the foundations.
The Effect of the Addition Turmeric on Selected Quality Characteristics of Duck Burgers Stored under Refrigeration
Authors: Augustyńska-Prejsnar Anna , Topczewska Jadwiga , Ormian Małgorzata , Saletnik Aneta , Sokołowicz Zofia , Lechowska Jadwiga
Published: January 2022

The aim of the study was to evaluate the effects of turmeric supplementation on selected quality features, oxidative stability, and the safety of duck meat burgers. Four burger variants, namely I–control, no additive, II–with turmeric powder, III–with turmeric extract, and IV–with turmeric paste, were tested. The pH, WHC, colour parameters on the CIE L*a*b* scale, finished products’ shear force, TBARS index, and the total number of microorganisms were determined while performing sensory evaluations. Tests were carried out after 24 h, 6, 12, and 18 days of refrigerated storage (4 ± 2 °C). The addition of turmeric powder and paste significantly limited lipid oxidation processes in vacuum-packed duck meat burgers over an 18-day period. Although lipid oxidation processes accelerated after 6 days in all burger variants, burgers with powdered turmeric powder showed the lowest TBARS index values and limited total microorganism increases. Turmeric paste and powder additions resulted in decreased pH, increased water retention, and lighter colouration in refrigerated products. These additives were deemed acceptable during sensory evaluation. The most desirable aroma and taste, including juiciness, were in burgers with turmeric paste addition, while burgers with powdered additions were rated higher for their desired aroma and intensity of taste.
Ultrasound-Based Smart Corrosion Monitoring System for Offshore Wind Turbines
Authors: Thibbotuwa Upeksha Chathurani , Cortés Ainhoa , Irizar Andoni
Published: January 2022

The ultrasound technique is a well-known non-destructive and efficient testing method for on-line corrosion monitoring. Wall thickness loss rate is the major parameter that defines the corrosion process in this approach. This paper presents a smart corrosion monitoring system for offshore wind turbines based on the ultrasound pulse-echo technique. The solution is first developed as an ultrasound testbed with the aim of upgrading it into a low-cost and low-power miniaturized system to be deployed inside offshore wind turbines. This paper discusses different important stages of the presented monitoring system as design methodology, the precision of the measurements, and system performance verification. The obtained results during the testing of a variety of samples show meaningful information about the thickness loss due to corrosion. Furthermore, the developed system allows us to measure the Time-of-Flight (ToF) with high precision on steel samples of different thicknesses and on coated steel samples using the offshore standard coating NORSOK 7A.
Design and Simulation of Manufacturing Organizations Based on a Novel Function-Based Concept
Authors: Winkler Mareike , Gallego-García Sergio , García-García Manuel
Published: January 2022

Historically, researchers and managers have often failed to consider organizations as a sum of functions leading to a set of capabilities that produce a product that can serve society’s needs. Furthermore, functions have increased with the development of industrial revolutions, however, many manufacturing organizations have not realized their full potential. As a result, many industrial organizations do not know why, where, and when the existing functions and projects for implementing new functions fail where tactical and strategic functions of a manufacturing organization are commonly over-seen. Thus, the aim of this research was to propose a holistic approach for manufacturing organizations in order to model their functions enabling the assessment, design, management, and control of operations and performance as well as to identify improvement potentials. For this purpose, a conceptual model was developed based on the evolution of functions along with the industrial revolutions. Moreover, using the conceptual model, manufacturing organizations can be modeled, considering common organizational functions in the respective areas of production, maintenance, and quality, etc., in the three planning horizons—strategic, tactical, and operative. As a result, the model serves as a basis for the integral management and control of manufacturing organizations. Moreover, it can be also used as a basis framework for a digital twin model for organizations. Thus, a system dynamics simulation model based on the conceptual model was developed for a generic organization. The goal of the simulation model is to provide an exemplary digital model of a manufacturing organization in which the different functions are applied with different methods, systems, and/or individuals along the development phases.
Project and Development of a Reinforcement Learning Based Control Algorithm for Hybrid Electric Vehicles
Authors: Maino Claudio , Mastropietro Antonio , Sorrentino Luca , Busto Enrico , Misul Daniela , Spessa Ezio
Published: January 2022

Hybrid electric vehicles are, nowadays, considered as one of the most promising technologies for reducing on-road greenhouse gases and pollutant emissions. Such a goal can be accomplished by developing an intelligent energy management system which could lead the powertrain to exploit its maximum energetic performances under real-world driving conditions. According to the latest research in the field of control algorithms for hybrid electric vehicles, Reinforcement Learning has emerged between several Artificial Intelligence approaches as it has proved to retain the capability of producing near-optimal solutions to the control problem even in real-time conditions. Nevertheless, an accurate design of both agent and environment is needed for this class of algorithms. Within this paper, a detailed plan for the complete project and development of an energy management system based on Q-learning for hybrid powertrains is discussed. An integrated modular software framework for co-simulation has been developed and it is thoroughly described. Finally, results have been presented about a massive testing of the agent aimed at assessing for the change in its performance when different training parameters are considered.
A Single Equation to Depict Bottomhole Pressure Behavior for a Uniform Flux Hydraulic Fractured Well
Authors: Lee Jang Hyun , Shuhili Juhairi Aris Bin Muhamad
Published: January 2022

Pressure transient analysis for a vertically hydraulically fractured well is evaluated using two different equations, which cater for linear flow at the early stage and radial flow in the later stage. However, there are three different stages that take place for an analysis of pressure transient, namely linear, transition and pseudo-radial flow. The transition flow regime is usually studied by numerical, inclusive methods or approximated analytically, for which no specific equation has been built, using the linear and radial equations. Neither of the approaches are fully analytical. The numerical, inclusive approach results in separate calculations for the different flow regimes because the equation cannot cater for all of the regimes, while the analytical approach results in a difficult inversion process to compute well test-derived properties such as permeability. There are two types of flow patterns in the fracture, which are uniform and non-uniform, called infinite conductivity in a high conductivity fracture. The study was conducted by utilizing an analogous study of linear flow equations. Instead of using the conventional error function, the exponential integral with an infinite number of wells was used. The results obtained from the developed analytical solution matched the numerical results, which proved that the equation was representative of the case. In conclusion, the generated analytical equation can be directly used as a substitute for current methods of analyzing uniform flow in a hydraulically fractured well.
Spatio-Temporal Characteristics and Variation Pattern of the Atmospheric Particulate Matter Concentration: A Case Study of the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei Region, China
Authors: Zhai Haoran , Yao Jiaqi , Wang Guanghui , Tang Xinming
Published: January 2022

Based on measurement data from air quality monitoring stations, the spatio-temporal characteristics of the concentrations of particles with aerodynamic equivalent diameters smaller than 2.5 and 10 μm (PM2.5 and PM10, respectively) in the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei (BTH) region from 2015 to 2018 were analysed at yearly, seasonal, monthly, daily and hourly scales. The results indicated that (1) from 2015 to 2018, the annual average values of PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations and the PM2.5/PM10 ratio in the study area decreased each year; (2) the particulate matter (PM) concentration in winter was significantly higher than that in summer, and the PM2.5/PM10 ratio was highest in winter and lowest in spring; (3) the PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations exhibited a pattern of double peaks and valleys throughout the day, reaching peak values at night and in the morning and valleys in the morning and afternoon; and (4) with the use of an improved sine function to simulate the change trend of the monthly mean PM concentration, the fitting R2 values for PM2.5 and PM10 in the whole study area were 0.74 and 0.58, respectively. Moreover, the high-value duration was shorter, the low-value duration was longer, and the concentration decrease rate was slower than the increase rate.
Reduction of NOx Emission from the Cement Industry in South Korea: A Review
Authors: Kim Ji-Hyeon , Kim Jin-Ho , Kim Hyo-Sik , Kim Hyun-Ji , Kang Suk-Hwan , Ryu Jae-Hong , Shim Soon-Seop
Published: January 2022

As climates change around the world, concern regarding environmental pollutants emitted into the atmosphere is increasing. The cement industry consistently produces more than 4000 million metric tons of cement per year. However, the problem of air pollutants being emitted from the calcination process is becoming more critical because their amount increases proportionally with cement production. Each country has established regulatory standards for pollutant emission. Accordingly, the cement industry is equipped with facilities to reduce air pollutants, one of which is the NOx removal process. NOx reduction processes under combustion conditions are modified to minimize NOx generation, and the generated NOx is removed through post-treatment. In terms of NOx removal efficiency, the post-treatment process effectively changes the combustion conditions during calcination. Selective non-catalytic reduction (SNCR) and selective catalytic reduction (SCR) processes are post-treatment environmental facilities for NOx reduction. Accordingly, considering the stringent NOx emission standards in the cement industry, SNCR is essential, and SCR is selectively applied. Therefore, this paper introduces nitrogen oxide among air pollutants emitted from the South Korean cement industry and summarizes the technologies adapted to mitigate the emission of NOx by cement companies in South Korea.
Rapid Diagnosis of Nitrogen Nutrition Status in Summer Maize over Its Life Cycle by a Multi-Index Synergy Model Using Ground Hyperspectral and UAV Multispectral Sensor Data
Authors: Han Nana , Zhang Baozhong , Liu Yu , Peng Zhigong , Zhou Qingyun , Wei Zheng
Published: January 2022

Global climate change and the spread of COVID-19 have caused widespread concerns about food security. The development of smart agriculture could contribute to food security; moreover, the targeted and accurate management of crop nitrogen is a topic of concern in the field of smart agriculture. Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) spectroscopy has demonstrated versatility in the rapid and non-destructive estimation of nitrogen in summer maize. Previous studies focused on the entire growth season or early stages of summer maize; however, systematic studies on the diagnosis of nitrogen that consider the entire life cycle are few. This study aimed to: (1) construct a practical diagnostic model of the nitrogen life cycle of summer maize based on ground hyperspectral data and UAV multispectral sensor data and (2) evaluate this model and express a change in the trend of nitrogen nutrient status at a spatiotemporal scale. Here, a comprehensive data set consisting of a time series of crop biomass, nitrogen concentration, hyperspectral reflectance, and UAV multispectral reflectance from field experiments conducted during the growing seasons of 2017–2019 with summer maize cultivars grown under five different nitrogen fertilization levels in Beijing, China, were considered. The results demonstrated that the entire life cycle of summer maize was divided into four stages, viz., V6 (mean leaf area index (LAI) = 0.67), V10 (mean LAI = 1.94), V12 (mean LAI = 3.61), and VT-R6 (mean LAI = 3.94), respectively; moreover, the multi-index synergy model demonstrated high accuracy and good stability. The best spectral indexes of these four stages were GBNDVI, TCARI, NRI, and MSAVI2, respectively. The thresholds of the spectral index of nitrogen sufficiency in the V6, V10, V12, VT, R1, R2, and R3–R6 stages were 0.83–0.44, −0.22 to −5.23, 0.42–0.35, 0.69–0.87, 0.60–0.75, 0.49–0.61, and 0.42–0.53, respectively. The simulated nitrogen concentration at the various growth stages of summer maize was consistent with the actual spatial distribution.
Relationships between Vertical Temperature Gradients and PM10 Concentrations during Selected Weather Conditions in Upper Silesia (Southern Poland)
Authors: Łupikasza Ewa Bożena , Niedźwiedź Tadeusz
Published: January 2022

This paper studies surface air temperature inversions and their impact on air pollution under the background of meteorological conditions in southern Poland. The relationship of temperature gradients and air quality classes with weather conditions in the most urbanized and polluted part of Poland as represented by the Upper Silesia region (USR) within the administrative boundaries of the Górnośląsko-Zagłębiowska Metropolis (GZM) is presented. Based on probability analysis this study hierarchized the role of the selected weather elements in the development of surface-based temperature inversion (SBI) and air quality (AQ). The thresholds of weather elements for a rapid increase in the probability of oppressive air pollution episodes were distinguished. Although most SBI occurred in summer winter SBIs were of great importance. In that season a bad air quality occurred during >70% of strong inversions and >50% of moderate inversions. Air temperature more strongly triggered AQ than SBI development. Wind speed was critical for SBI and significant for AQ development. A low cloudiness favored SBI occurrence altered air quality in winter and spring during SBI and favored very bad AQ5 (>180 µg/m3) occurrence. The probability of high air pollution enhanced by SBI rapidly increased in winter when the air temperature dropped below −6 °C the wind speed decreased below 1.5 m/s and the sky was cloudless. Changes in the relative humidity did not induce rapid changes in the occurrence of bad AQ events during SBI
The Use of Composite GOES-R Satellite Imagery to Evaluate a TC Intensity and Vortex Structure Forecast by an FV3GFS-Based Hurricane Forecast Model
Authors: Bao Shaowu , Zhang Zhan , Kalina Evan , Liu Bin
Published: January 2022

The HAFS model is an effort under the NGGPS and UFS initiatives to create the next generation of hurricane prediction and analysis system based on FV3-GFS. It has been validated extensively using traditional verification indicators such as tracker error and biases, intensity error and biases, and the radii of gale, damaging and hurricane strength winds. While satellite images have been used to verify hurricane model forecasts, they have not been used on HAFS. The community radiative transfer model CRTM is used to generate model synthetic satellite images from HAFS model forecast state variables. The 24 forecast snapshots in the mature stage of hurricane Dorian in 2019 are used to generate a composite model synthetic GOES-R infrared brightness image. The composite synthetic image is compared to the corresponding composite image generated from the observed GOES-R data, to evaluate the model forecast TC vortex intensity, size, and asymmetric structure. Results show that the HAFS forecast TC Dorian agrees reasonably well with the observation, but the forecast intensity is weaker, its overall vortex size smaller, and the radii of its eye and maximum winds larger than the observed. The evaluation results can be used to further improve the model. While these results are consistent with those obtained by traditional verification methods, evaluations based on composite satellite images provide an additional benefit with richer information because they have near-real-times spatially and temporally continuous high-resolution data with global coverage. Composite satellite infrared images could be used routinely to supplement traditional verification methods in the HAFS and other hurricane model evaluations. Note since this study only evaluated one hurricane, the above conclusions are only applicable to the model behavior of the mature stage of hurricane Dorian in 2019, and caution is needed to extend these conclusions to expect model biases in predicting other TCs. Nevertheless, the consistency between the evaluation using composite satellite images and the traditional metrics, of hurricane Dorian, shows that this method has the potential to be applied to other storms in future studies.
Combining vLAPS and Nudging Data Assimilation
Authors: Reen Brian P. , Cai Huaqing , Dumais Robert E. , Xie Yuanfu , Albers Steve , Raby John W.
Published: January 2022

The combination of techniques that incorporate observational data may improve numerical weather prediction forecasts; thus, in this study, the methodology and potential value of one such combination were investigated. A series of experiments on a single case day was used to explore a 3DVAR-based technique (the variational version of the Local Analysis and Prediction System; vLAPS) in combination with Newtonian relaxation (observation and analysis nudging) for simulating moist convection in the Advanced Research version of the Weather Research and Forecasting model. Experiments were carried out with various combinations of vLAPS and nudging for a series of forecast start times. A limited subjective analysis of reflectivity suggested all experiments generally performed similarly in reproducing the overall convective structures. Objective verification indicated that applying vLAPS analyses without nudging performs best during the 0–2 h forecast in terms of placement of moist convection but worst in the 3–5 h forecast and quickly develops the most substantial overforecast bias. The analyses used for analysis nudging were at much finer temporal and spatial scales than usually used in pre-forecast analysis nudging, and the results suggest that further research is needed on how to best apply analysis nudging of analyses at these scales.
Metallurgical Tests in Endodontics: A Narrative Review
Authors: Zanza Alessio , Seracchiani Marco , Reda Rodolfo , Miccoli Gabriele , Testarelli Luca , Di Nardo Dario
Published: January 2022

Since there are no reviews of the literature on this theme, the aim of this narrative review is to summarize the metallurgical tests used in endodontics, pointing out their functional use and their pros and cons and giving readers a user-friendly guide to serve as an orientation aid in the plethora of metallurgical tests. With this purpose, a literature search for articles published between January 2001 and December 2021 was conducted, using the electronic database PubMed to collect all published articles regarding the metallurgical tests used in endodontics for the evaluation of NiTi rotary instruments. The search was conducted using the following keywords: “metallurgy”, “differential scanning calorimetry” (DSC), “X-ray diffraction” (XRD), “atomic force microscopy” (AFM), “energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy” (EDS), “focused ion beam analysis” (FIB) and “Auger electron spectroscopy” (AES) combined with the term “endodontics” or “NiTi rotary instruments”. Considering the inclusion and exclusion criteria, of the 248 articles found, only 81 were included in the narrative review. According to the results, more than 50% of the selected articles were published in one of the two most relevant journals in endodontics: International Endodontic Journal (22.2%) and Journal of Endodontics (29.6%). The most popular metallurgical test was DSC, with 43 related articles, followed by EDS (33 articles), AFM (22 articles) and XRD (21 articles). Few studies were conducted using other tests such as FIB (2 articles), micro-Raman spectroscopy (4 articles), metallographic analysis (7 articles) and Auger electron spectroscopy (2 articles).
Maxillary Transverse Deficit: A Retrospective Study of Two Biologically Oriented Devices through a Digital Workflow
Authors: Montaruli Graziano , Virgilio Simona , Laurenziello Michele , Tepedino Michele , Ciavarella Domenico
Published: January 2022

The aim of this retrospective study was to compare the efficiency of two biologically oriented devices in achieving maxillary expansion: Rapid Palatal Expander (RPE) and Nitanium Palatal Expander-2 (NPE-2). Thirty-six subjects, divided in two equal groups, were included in this study. Maxillary dental arches were scanned using Trios 3 shape®, in order to perform a digital analysis of 3D models. The models were analyzed using Autodesk Fusion 360® and Meshmixer®. All data obtained from analysis of pre-treatment and post-treatment models were processed using Prism® software. The anterior arch width, the posterior arch width, the palate height, and palatal surface were measured to evaluate differences between the devices. A D’Agostino–Pearson normality test was done to check the data. A non-parametric t-test was used to compare the anterior and posterior arch width between the two groups, while a parametric t-test was used to compare the palatal height measurements between the two groups. The p-value was calculated. The limit value fixed was 0.05. Palatal width and surface showed a significant increase in both groups, but no significant changes in palatal height were found. The data processed showed that there were no significant differences between the devices (ΔREP−ΔNPE) in variation of anterior arch width, there were no significant differences in variation of posterior arch width and there were no significant differences in variation of palatal height. The comparison between the two groups showed that both methods were equally effective in correcting transverse defect.
A Bioprinted Heart-on-a-Chip with Human Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Cardiomyocytes for Drug Evaluation
Authors: Faulkner-Jones Alan , Zamora Victor , Hortigon-Vinagre Maria P. , Wang Wenxing , Ardron Marcus , Smith Godfrey L. , Shu Wenmiao
Published: January 2022

In this work, we show that valve-based bioprinting induces no measurable detrimental effects on human-induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CMs). The aim of the current study was three-fold: first, to assess the response of hiPSC-CMs to several hydrogel formulations by measuring electrophysiological function; second, to customise a new microvalve-based cell printing mechanism in order to deliver hiPSC-CMs suspensions, and third, to compare the traditional manual pipetting cell-culture method and cardiomyocytes dispensed with the bioprinter. To achieve the first and third objectives, iCell2 (Cellular Dynamics International) hiPSC-CMs were used. The effects of well-known drugs were tested on iCell2 cultured by manual pipetting and bioprinting. Despite the results showing that hydrogels and their cross-linkers significantly reduced the electrophysiological performance of the cells compared with those cultured on fibronectin, the bio-ink droplets containing a liquid suspension of live cardiomyocytes proved to be an alternative to standard manual handling and could reduce the number of cells required for drug testing, with no significant differences in drug-sensitivity between both approaches. These results provide a basis for the development of a novel bioprinter with nanolitre resolution to decrease the required number of cells and to automate the cell plating process.
Microorganismal Cues Involved in Host-Location in Asilidae Parasitoids
Authors: Castelo Marcela K. , Crespo José E.
Published: January 2022

Parasitoids are organisms that kill their host before completing their development. Typical parasitoids belong to Hymenoptera, whose females search for the hosts. But some atypical Diptera parasitoids also have searching larvae that must orientate toward, encounter, and accept hosts, through cues with different levels of detectability. In this work, the chemical cues involved in the detection of the host by parasitoid larvae of the genus Mallophora are shown with a behavioral approach. Through olfactometry assays, we show that two species of Mallophora orient to different host species and that chemical cues are produced by microorganisms. We also show that treating potential hosts with antibiotics reduces attractiveness on M. ruficauda but not to M. bigoti suggesting that endosymbiotic bacteria responsible for the host cues production should be located in different parts of the host. In fact, we were able to show that M. bigoti is attracted to frass from the most common host. Additionally, we evaluated host orientation under a context of interspecific competence and found that both parasitoid species orient to Cyclocephaala signaticollis showing that host competition could occur in the field. Our work shows how microorganisms mediate orientation to hosts but differences in their activity or location in the host result in differences in the attractiveness of different cues. We show for the first time that M. bigoti behaves similar to M. ruficauda extending and reinforcing that all Mallophora species have adopted a parasitoid lifestyle.
Zinc Supplementation Enhances the Pro-Death Function of UPR in Lymphoma Cells Exposed to Radiation
Authors: Gonnella Roberta , Guttieri Luisa , Gilardini Montani Maria Saveria , Santarelli Roberta , Bassetti Erica , D’Orazi Gabriella , Cirone Mara
Published: January 2022

We have previously shown that Zinc supplementation triggered ER stress/UPR in cancer cells undergoing treatment by genotoxic agents, reactivated wtp53 in cancer cells harboring mutant p53 (mutp53) and potentiated the activity of wtp53 in those carrying wtp53. In this study, we used Zinc chloride alone or in combination with 2 Gy radiation to treat Primary Effusion Lymphoma (PEL) cells, an aggressive B-cell lymphoma associated with KSHV that harbors wt or partially functioning p53. We found that Zinc triggered a mild ER stress/UPR in these lymphoma cells and activated ERK1/2, molecule known to sustain cell survival in the course of UPR activation. In combination with radiations, Zinc triggered a stronger p53 activation that counteracted its mediated ERK1/2 phosphorylation, further upregulating the UPR molecule CHOP and promoting cell death. These data suggest that Zinc supplementation could be a promising strategy to reduce the doses of radiation and possibly of other DNA-damaging agents to obtain an efficient capacity to induce lymphoma cell death.
Mutation of the Conserved Threonine 8 within the Human ARF Tumour Suppressor Protein Regulates Autophagy
Authors: Fontana Rosa , Guidone Daniela , Angrisano Tiziana , Calabrò Viola , Pollice Alessandra , La Mantia Girolama , Vivo Maria
Published: January 2022

Background: The ARF tumour suppressor plays a well-established role as a tumour suppressor, halting cell growth by both p53-dependent and independent pathways in several cellular stress response circuits. However, data collected in recent years challenged the traditional role of this protein as a tumour suppressor. Cancer cells expressing high ARF levels showed that its expression, far from being dispensable, is required to guarantee tumour cell survival. In particular, ARF can promote autophagy, a self-digestion pathway that helps cells cope with stressful growth conditions arising during both physiological and pathological processes. Methods: We previously showed that ARF is regulated through the activation of the protein kinase C (PKC)-dependent pathway and that an ARF phospho-mimetic mutant on the threonine residue 8, ARF-T8D, sustains cell proliferation in HeLa cells. We now explored the role of ARF phosphorylation in both basal and starvation-induced autophagy by analysing autophagic flux in cells transfected with either WT and ARF phosphorylation mutants by immunoblot and immunofluorescence. Results: Here, we show that endogenous ARF expression in HeLa cells is required for starvation-induced autophagy. Further, we provide evidence that the hyper-expression of ARF-T8D appears to inhibit autophagy in both HeLa and lung cancer cells H1299. This effect is due to the cells’ inability to elicit autophagosomes formation upon T8D expression. Conclusions: Our results lead to the hypothesis that ARF phosphorylation could be a mechanism through which the protein promotes or counteracts autophagy. Several observations underline how autophagy could serve a dual role in cancer progression, either protecting healthy cells from damage or aiding cancerous cells to survive. Our results indicate that ARF phosphorylation controls protein’s ability to promote or counteract autophagy, providing evidence of the dual role played by ARF in cancer progression.
Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms in microRNA Genes and Colorectal Cancer Risk and Prognosis
Authors: Radanova Maria , Levkova Mariya , Mihaylova Galya , Manev Rostislav , Maneva Margarita , Hadgiev Rossen , Conev Nikolay , Donev Ivan
Published: January 2022

There is growing interest in single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the genes of microRNAs (miRNAs), which could be associated with susceptibility to colorectal cancer (CRC) and therefore for prognosis of the disease and/or treatment response. Moreover, these miRNAs-SNPs could serve as new, low-invasive biomarkers for early detection of CRC. In the present article, we performed a thorough review of different SNPs, which were investigated for a correlation with the CRC risk, prognosis, and treatment response. We also analyzed the results from different meta-analyses and the possible reasons for reported contradictory findings, especially when different research groups investigated the same SNP in a gene for a particular miRNA. This illustrates the need for more case-control studies involving participants with different ethnic backgrounds. According to our review, three miRNAs-SNPs—miR-146a rs2910164, miR-27a rs895819 and miR-608 rs4919510—appear as promising prognostic, diagnostic and predictive biomarkers for CRC, respectively.