bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The burdens of poverty during the COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: Petersen Julia , Hettich Nora , Baumkötter Rieke , Wild Philipp S. , Pfeiffer Norbert , Münzel Thomas , König Jochem , Lackner Karl J. , Beutel Manfred E.
Published: November 2022

Background

Individuals living at-risk-of-poverty have an increased risk of poor mental health. The pandemic and its societal impacts might have negative effects especially on this group widening the gap between rich and poor and also exacerbate gender gaps, which in turn might impact social cohesion.

Aim

The objective of this longitudinal study was to determine if people living at-risk-of-poverty were more vulnerable to economic and psychosocial impacts of the pandemic and showed poorer mental health. Moreover, gender differences were analyzed.

Method

We drew data from a sample of N = 10,250 respondents of two time points (T1 starting from October 2020, T2 starting from March 2021) of the Gutenberg COVID-19 Study. We tested for differences between people living at-risk-of-poverty and more affluent respondents regarding economic impacts, psychosocial stressors, as well as depressiveness, anxiety and loneliness, by comparing mean and distributional differences. To test for significant discrepancy, we opted for chi-square- and t-tests.

Results

The analysis sample compromised N = 8,100 individuals of which 4,2% could be classified as living at-risk-of-poverty. 23% of respondents living at-risk-of-poverty had a decrease in income since the beginning of the pandemic–twice as many as those not living at-risk-of-poverty, who reported more often an increase in income. Less affluent individuals reported a decrease in working hours, while more affluent people reported an increase. Between our survey time points, we found a significant decrease in these economic impacts. Gender differences for economic changes were only found for more affluent women who worked more hours with no change in income. Less affluent respondents were more impacted by psychosocial stressors, depressiveness, anxiety, and loneliness. Gender differences were found particularly with regard to care responsibilities.

Discussion

Our results indicate a widening in the gap between the rich and the poor at the beginning of the pandemic. Gender differences concerning economic changes affect more affluent women, but women in both income groups are more burdened by care responsibilities, which might indicate a heightened resurgence of gender role in times of crisis. This increase in inequality might have impacted social cohesion.
The impact of multi-enzyme fortification on growth performance, intestinal morphology, nutrient digestibility, and meat quality of broiler chickens fed a standard or low-density diet
Authors: Attia Youssef A. , Al-Khalaifah Hanan S. , Alqhtani Abdulmohsen H. , Abd El-Hamid Hatem S. , Alyileili Salem R. , El-Hamid Abd El-Hamid E. Abd , Bovera Fulvia , El-Shafey Ali A.
Published: November 2022

This research aimed to study the impact of supplementation of three multi-enzyme levels (0, 0.1, and 0.2% of feed) and two levels of dietary treatments [standard diet (SD) and low-density diet (LDD)] on growth performance, carcass traits, digestibility, and meat quality of broilers from 1 to 38 days of age. A total of 216 1-day-old Arbor Acres broiler chicks were randomly assigned to a factorial experiment (2 × 3) comprising six dietary treatments, each with six replicates and each replicate with six chickens. The results showed that the LDD significantly reduced body weight gain by 5.0%, compared with the SD. Multi-enzymes significantly improved body weight gain and the production index (PI) relative to the SD. The feed conversion ratio was significantly enhanced with increased multi-enzymes from 1 to 21 days. A significant relation between the multi-enzyme concentration and type of dietary treatment was observed in body weight gain and feed conversion ratio from 1 to 21 days of age. Nitrogen-free extract digestibility was significantly increased by using the SD diet compared with using the LDD. Multi-enzyme supplementation improved the digestibility of dry matter, crude protein, crude fiber, and nitrogen-free extract in the LDD. A significant relationship was found between the multi-enzyme concentration and type of dietary treatment on the pancreas, liver, and intestinal length percentages. The meat dry matter concentration was significantly higher in the LDD group than in the SD group. The low-density diet significantly reduced the total revenue compared with the SD, whereas broilers fed the SD recorded significantly higher total revenue and economic efficiency than those fed the LDD. The low-density diet significantly increased economic efficiency compared with the SD. Multi-enzymes significantly increased the total revenue, net revenue, and economic efficiency than the standard set. In conclusion, using multi-enzymes in broiler diets improved body weight gain. The LDD with multi-enzymes showed enhanced body weight gain compared with the SD without multi-enzymes.
Farmland Obstacle Detection from the Perspective of UAVs Based on Non-local Deformable DETR
Authors: Wang Dashuai , Li Zhuolin , Du Xiaoqiang , Ma Zenghong , Liu Xiaoguang
Published: November 2022

In precision agriculture, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are playing an increasingly important role in farmland information acquisition and fine management. However, discrete obstacles in the farmland environment, such as trees and power lines, pose serious threats to the flight safety of UAVs. Real-time detection of the attributes of obstacles is urgently needed to ensure their flight safety. In the wake of rapid development of deep learning, object detection algorithms based on convolutional neural networks (CNN) and transformer architectures have achieved remarkable results. Detection Transformer (DETR) and Deformable DETR combine CNN and transformer to achieve end-to-end object detection. The goal of this work is to use Deformable DETR for the task of farmland obstacle detection from the perspective of UAVs. However, limited by local receptive fields and local self-attention mechanisms, Deformable DETR lacks the ability to capture long-range dependencies to some extent. Inspired by non-local neural networks, we introduce the global modeling capability to the front-end ResNet to further improve the overall performance of Deformable DETR. We refer to the improved version as Non-local Deformable DETR. We evaluate the performance of Non-local Deformable DETR for farmland obstacle detection through comparative experiments on our proposed dataset. The results show that, compared with the original Deformable DETR network, the mAP value of the Non-local Deformable DETR is increased from 71.3% to 78.0%. Additionally, Non-local Deformable DETR also presents great performance for detecting small and slender objects. We hope this work can provide a solution to the flight safety problems encountered by UAVs in unstructured farmland environments.
Fuzzy Adaptive Energy Management Strategy for a Hybrid Agricultural Tractor Equipped with HMCVT
Authors: Zhu Zhen , Zeng Lingxin , Chen Long , Zou Rong , Cai Yingfeng
Published: November 2022

In order to solve the problem of high fuel consumption and poor emission performance in high horsepower tractors, a parallel hybrid tractor system was designed using a dual power source of an engine and motor matched with a hydro-mechanical continuously variable transmission (HMCVT). An equivalent fuel consumption minimization strategy (ECMS) was used for power distribution of this hybrid system. To address the problem of poor adaptability of the equivalence factor to different working cycles in the conventional ECMS, a fuzzy adaptive equivalent fuel consumption minimization strategy (FA-ECMS) was proposed. A fuzzy PI controller based on battery SOC (State of Charge) feedback was designed to adjust the equivalence factor in real time, so as to achieve adaptive control of the equivalence factor. The physical model of the system was built by SimulationX, and the model of the control strategy was built using Matlab/Simulink. Two typical cycles of tractor plowing and road transportation were simulated. Under ECMS, the fuel consumption of the hybrid agricultural tractor was 14.3 L and 1.19 L in one plowing cycle and one transport cycle, respectively, with final battery SOC values of 60.75% and 60.32%, respectively. Under FA-ECMS, the hybrid farm tractor consumed 13.34 L and 1.13 L in one plowing cycle and one transport cycle, respectively, with final battery SOC values of 60.27% and 60.17%, respectively. The results showed that, with the introduction of a fuzzy PI controller to dynamically adjust the equivalence factor, the overall fuel consumption was reduced by 6.71% and 5.04%, respectively, and the battery power maintenance performance was improved. The designed control strategy could achieve a more reasonable power distribution between the engine and motor while maintaining the balance of the battery SOC.
Influence of Pulsed, Scanning and Constant (16- and 24-h) Modes of LED Irradiation on the Physiological, Biochemical and Morphometric Parameters of Lettuce Plants (Lactuca sativa L.) while Cultivated in Vertical Farms
Authors: Smirnov Alexandr A. , Semenova Natalya A. , Dorokhov Alexey S. , Proshkin Yuri A. , Godyaeva Maria M. , Vodeneev Vladimir , Sukhov Vladimir , Panchenko Vladimir , Chilingaryan Narek O.
Published: November 2022

In city farming, when growing green crops, a significant part of the production cost is the cost of electricity for lighting. The physiology, biochemistry, morphology and productivity of plants can be affected by changing irradiation modes and these changes reduce electricity costs. However, the results of studies in the literature are contradictory. In this work, we investigated the effect of impulse (frequency 1000 Hz and duty cycle 67%), scanning (the principle of running lights) and constant 16 h and 24 h modes of operation of white light LED irradiators on the physiological, biochemical and morphometric parameters of lettuce with red and green leaves. The daytime integral of light in all variants remained unchanged ~15.6 mol m−2 day−1. Daily electricity consumption also did not differ significantly. Plants were grown on racks in a climatic chamber up to 35 days of age. For lettuce with red leaves, the most optimal for biomass accumulation and synthesis of anthocyanins was the impulse illumination mode, while for lettuce with green leaves, no statistically significant differences in biomass were observed under different irradiation modes. For red-leaved lettuce, it was found that the highest concentration of carotenoids in the leaf was observed under constant (24 h) and scanning irradiation, which is associated with a more active reaction of the photosynthetic system to prolonged irradiation and increased intensity during scanning irradiation. Also, increased photosynthetic activity was found in both varieties of lettuce at 16 h of operation of LED irradiators, which, however, did not affect their final productivity. The results may be useful for the development of LED illuminators for use in rack growing.
Design and Working Parameter Optimization of Pneumatic Reciprocating Seedling-Picking Device of Automatic Transplanter
Authors: Yue Rencai , Hu Jianping , Liu Yijun , Yao Mengjiao , Zhang Tengfei , Shi Jiawei
Published: November 2022

To improve the seedling-picking efficiency of the vegetable transplanter and reduce the damage rate of the seedling pot, a reciprocating seedling-picking device driven by full air pressure was designed. In this paper, the structure and working principle of the pneumatic seedling-picking device are introduced. Through the mechanical analysis between the seedling-picking claw and the seedling pot, working parameters such as the stroke and driving force of the pneumatic seedling-picking claw clamping cylinder were determined. According to the action sequence of the seedling-picking mechanism, which is horizontally dispersed and longitudinally conveyed, the pneumatic control scheme of the seedling-picking and -dropping system was formulated. The simulation model for the control loop of the longitudinal cylinder was created with AMESim simulation software, and the simulation analysis was carried out. The Box–Behnken response surface design optimization method was used to determine the best operating parameters of the cylinder. The optimized peak value of shock vibration at the end of the cylinder was optimized from −65.64 mm·s−2 to 35.41 mm·s−2, proving that the optimization of pneumatic working parameters has a positive effect on the success rate of seedling picking. The bench test of the seedling-picking mechanism was conducted on 72-hole plug seedlings with two picking frequencies of 120 plants·min−1 and 144 plants·min−1, respectively, and the average seedling leakage rate, seedling damage rate, and seedling pot damage rate at different picking frequencies were counted. The experimental results show that under the two seedling-picking frequencies, the average success rate of seedling picking and throwing after optimization is increased from 96.4% and 92.4% to 97.9% and 95.3%, respectively. This is in line with the requirements of high-speed seedling picking and confirms the rationality of the seedling-picking mechanism design.
Technical Efficiency of Agriculture in the European Union and Western Balkans: SFA Method
Authors: Đokić Danilo , Novaković Tihomir , Tekić Dragana , Matkovski Bojan , Zekić Stanislav , Milić Dragan
Published: November 2022

Improvements in productivity and efficiency, together with agricultural modernization, are crucial in the process of future sustainable development. As Western Balkan (WB) countries are in the process of integration into the European Union (EU), the importance of agricultural efficiency in an economic and environmental context and the actuality of the problems of the agricultural sector are very important. In that context, the paper’s main goal is to examine agriculture’s technical efficiency in the EU and WB. The additional goal is to group analyzed countries by agricultural performances. A stochastic frontier analysis (SFA) is used to calculate the technical efficiency of agriculture. Results have shown a significant difference in technical efficiency between WB and the EU. Furthermore, the cluster analysis has indicated the connection between overall economic development and agricultural development, partially “deformed” by agri-environmental and climate conditions. The exogenous factors do not have a crucial influence on the overall technical efficiency of agriculture in observed countries, indicating that the endogenous factors must be improved. The paper impacts recommendations for optimizing the use of inputs and improving the educations of farmers in WB countries to achieve economic and environmental goals.
Coupling Sewage Sludge Amendment with Cyanobacterial Inoculation to Enhance Stability and Carbon Gain in Dryland Degraded Soils
Authors: Maggioli Lisa , Chamizo Sonia , Román Raúl , Asensio-Grima Carlos , Cantón Yolanda
Published: November 2022

Sewage sludge (SS) is widely used as a soil conditioner in agricultural soil due to its high content of organic matter and nutrients. In addition, inoculants based on soil microorganisms, such as cyanobacteria, are being applied successfully in soil restoration to improve soil stability and fertility in agriculture. However, the combination of SS and cyanobacteria inoculation is an unexplored application that may be highly beneficial to soil. In this outdoor experiment, we studied the ability of cyanobacteria inoculum to grow on degraded soil amended with different concentrations of composted SS, and examined the effects of both SS concentration and cyanobacteria application on carbon gain and soil stability. We also explored the feasibility of using cyanobacteria for immobilizing salts in SS-amended soil. Our results showed that cyanobacteria growth increased in the soil amended with the lowest SS concentration tested (5 t ha−1, on soil 2 cm deep), as shown by its higher chlorophyll a content and associated deeper spectral absorption peak at 680 nm. At higher SS concentrations, inoculum growth decreased, which was attributed to competition of the inoculated cyanobacteria with the native SS bacterial community. However, SS significantly enhanced soil organic carbon gain and tightly-bound exopolysaccharide content. Cyanobacteria inoculation significantly improved soil stability and reduced soil’s wind erodibility. Moreover, it led to a decrease in the lixiviate electrical conductivity of salt-contaminated soils, indicating its potential for salt immobilization and soil bioremediation. Therefore, cyanobacteria inoculation, along with adequately dosed SS surface application, is an efficient strategy for improving carbon gain and surface stability in dryland agricultural soil.
A Defucosylated Anti-EpCAM Monoclonal Antibody (EpMab-37-mG2a-f) Exerts Antitumor Activity in Xenograft Model
Authors: Asano Teizo , Tanaka Tomohiro , Suzuki Hiroyuki , Li Guanjie , Ohishi Tomokazu , Kawada Manabu , Yoshikawa Takeo , Kaneko Mika K. , Kato Yukinari
Published: November 2022

The epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM) is a stem cell and carcinoma antigen, which mediates cellular adhesion and proliferative signaling by the proteolytic cleavage. In contrast to low expression in normal epithelium, EpCAM is frequently overexpressed in various carcinomas, which correlates with poor prognosis. Therefore, EpCAM has been considered as a promising target for tumor diagnosis and therapy. Using the Cell-Based Immunization and Screening (CBIS) method, we previously established an anti-EpCAM monoclonal antibody (EpMab-37; mouse IgG1, kappa). In this study, we investigated the antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC), complement-dependent cytotoxicity (CDC), and an antitumor activity by a defucosylated mouse IgG2a-type of EpMab-37 (EpMab-37-mG2a-f) against a breast cancer cell line (BT-474) and a pancreatic cancer cell line (Capan-2), both of which express EpCAM. EpMab-37-mG2a-f recognized BT-474 and Capan-2 cells with a moderate binding-affinity [apparent dissociation constant (KD): 2.9 × 10−8 M and 1.8 × 10−8 M, respectively] by flow cytometry. EpMab-37-mG2a-f exhibited ADCC and CDC for both cells by murine splenocytes and complements, respectively. Furthermore, administration of EpMab-37-mG2a-f significantly suppressed the xenograft tumor development compared with the control mouse IgG. These results indicated that EpMab-37-mG2a-f exerts antitumor activities and could provide valuable therapeutic regimen for breast and pancreatic cancers.
Phenolics and Volatile Compounds of Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) Seeds and Their Sprouts Prevent Oxidative DNA Damage and Ameliorates CCl4-Induced Hepatotoxicity and Oxidative Stress in Rats
Authors: Barakat Hassan , Alkabeer Ibrahim Ali , Aljutaily Thamer , Almujaydil Mona S. , Algheshairy Reham M. , Alhomaid Raghad M. , Almutairi Abdulkarim S. , Mohamed Ahmed
Published: November 2022

Researchers recently focused on studying the nutritional and functional qualities of sprouts generated from seeds. The current study investigated the total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoids (TF), total flavonols (TFL), antioxidant activity (AOA), specific phenolic acids, and volatile chemicals in fennel seeds (FS) and fennel seed sprouts (FSS). The oxidative DNA damage prevention activity of selected FS and FSS extracts against DNA was examined. Consequently, the antioxidative stress potential of FS and FSS extracts at 300 and 600 mg kg−1 on CCl4-induced hepatotoxicity and oxidative stress in rats weas investigated. The liver’s functions and oxidative stress biomarkers in rat blood were examined. FSS exhibited rich phytochemical content such as TPC, TF, TFL, and AOA with altered phenolics and volatiles. HPLC identified nineteen compounds of phenolic acids and their derivatives in FS. Thirteen phenolics and six flavonoids were predominantly identified as Vanillic acid and Kaempferol, respectively. GC-MS analysis identified fifty and fifty-one components in FS and FSS, respectively. The predominant component was Benzene, [1-(2-propenyloxy)-3-butenyl] (trans-Anethole) (38.41%), followed by trans-Anethole (Benzene, 1-methoxy-4-(2-propenyl)) (23.65%), Fenchone (11.18%), and 1,7-Octadiene, 2-methyl-6-methylene- Cyclohexene (7.17%). Interestingly, α-Pinene, Fenchone, trans-Anethole (Benzene, 1-methoxy-4-(2-propenyl)), 4-Methoxybenzaldehyde (4-Anisaldehyde), Benzeneacetic acid, α-hydroxy-4-methoxy, and Nonacosane contents were increased. While Dillapiole, 7-Octadecenoic acid, and methyl ester were newly identified and quantified in FSS. The oxidative DNA damage prevention capability of FSS and FS extracts indicated remarkable DNA protection. Administrating FS and FSS extracts at 300 and 600 mg kg−1 ameliorated AST, ALT, and ALP, as well as GSH, CAT, MDA, and SOD, in a dose-dependent manner. The most efficient treatment of FS or FSS was using a dose of 600 mg Kg−1, which recorded an improvement rate of 20.77 and 24.17, 20.36 and 24.92, and 37.49 and 37.90% for ALT, AST, and ALP, respectively. While an improvement rate of 40.08 and 37.87%, 37.17 and 46.52%, 114.56 and 154.13%, and 66.05 and 69.69% for GSH, DMA, CAT, and SOD compared to the CCl4-group, respectively. The observed protection is associated with increased phenolics and volatiles in F. vulgare. Therefore, FS and FSS are recommended as functional foods with bioactive functionality, health-promoting properties, and desired prevention capabilities that may help prevent oxidative stress-related diseases.
Imaging the Permittivity of Thin Film Materials by Using Scanning Capacitance Microscopy
Authors: Luo Yongzhen , Ding Xidong , Chen Tianci , Lin Guocong , Su Tao , Chen Dihu
Published: November 2022

Recently, great advances had been made by using scanning probe microscopy (SPM) to quantify the relative permittivity of thin film materials on a nanometer scale. The imaging techniques of permittivity for thin film materials with SPM, especially for photoelectric materials, have not been fully researched until now. Here, we presented a method to image permittivity of thin film materials by using a scanning capacitance microscope (SCM). This method combined the quantitative measurement by using SCM with the capacitance gradient–distance fitting curve to obtain the two-dimensional (2D) permittivity image at room temperature under atmospheric conditions. For the demonstration, a 2D permittivity image of film of molybdenum oxide (MoO3), a kind of photoelectric material, was acquired. From the image, it could be found that the average values of permittivity of MoO3 film and of MoO3 film-doped NaCl were about 8.0 and 9.5, respectively. The experimental results were quantitatively consistent with other experimental results of the same material. The reported technique here could provide a novel method for imaging the relative permittivity with nanometer resolution and be helpful for the study of photoelectric materials.
Characteristics of Channel Incision Induced by Human Activity in a Wandering Reach in 20 Years
Authors: Li Jie , Zhou Zhehan , Ji Qingfeng , Xiao Baokang
Published: November 2022

The wandering reach of the lower Yellow River has undergone significant channel degradation since the Xiaolangdi Reservoir operation, with a cumulative channel scour volume of 14.1 × 108 m3 in 1999–2018, and severe channel scour has resulted in rapid channel incision in this reach. The annual and cumulative river bed downcutting depths at section- and reach-scales and water stages at low and high flows were calculated to investigate the characteristics of channel incision quantitatively. The results show that the cumulative river bed downcutting depths at sedimentation sections varied significantly, with the magnitude varying between 1.1 m and 4.2 m. The cumulative reach-scale river bed downcutting depth reached up to 2.9 m and water stages at low flows decreased by more than 3.3 m at hydrometric stations. The previous 6-year average fluvial erosion intensity is the major influencing factor controlling channel incision, and empirical functions were established between cumulative river bed downcutting depths and the previous 6-year average fluvial erosion intensity in the wandering reach and three sub-reaches. The data calculated using the proposed equations agreed well with the observed downcutting depths, so these equations can be used to calculate the processes of channel incision in the recent 20 years in the wandering reach.
Improved DeepFM Recommendation Algorithm Incorporating Deep Feature Extraction
Authors: Ma Mengxin , Wang Guozhong , Fan Tao
Published: November 2022

In recent years, deep learning has been applied to the field of recommendation, which can learn complex user interaction features and make better recommendations. However, deep learning only focuses on the interaction of high-order features and neglects the low-order features. The DeepFM model combines the linear FM (Factorization Machines) model and the deep DNN (Deep Neural Network) model to realize the interactive learning of low-order and high-order features, but it does not take into account that user interests will change dynamically with time. When the data sparsity is high, it cannot be effectively recommended. Based on this, an improved DeepFM recommendation algorithm that combines depth feature extraction was proposed, named fDeepFM. Firstly, the word features are transformed into low-dimensional dense vectors through the Embedding layer. Then Doc2Vec is combined to mine item features with context, and the two are stitched together as the input to the FM model and DNN model. Subsequently, user features are input to the GRU (Gated Cyclic Unit) model according to different cycles to mine user features. Finally, the results of the FM model, DNN model, and GRU model are combined by linear stitching as the overall output of the fDeepFM model. Experiments were carried out on Movielens-20M and Amazon data sets. The experimental results showed that MAE, RMSE, F1-score, and AUC on the Movielens-20M data set were optimized by 1.69%, 2.4%, 1.67%, and 2.28%, respectively; On the Amazon dataset, MAE, RMSE, F1-score, and AUC are optimized by 3.2%, 3.86%, 1.63%, and 2.2% respectively compared with DeepFM.
Seventy-Five Years since the Point-Contact Transistor: Germanium Revisited
Authors: Sgourou Efstratia N. , Daskalopulu Aspassia , Tsoukalas Lefteri H. , Stamoulis George , Vovk Ruslan V. , Chroneos Alexander
Published: November 2022

The advent of the point-contact transistor is one of the most significant technological achievements in human history with a profound impact on human civilization during the past 75 years. Although the first transistor was made of germanium it was soon replaced by silicon, a material with lower intrinsic carrier mobilities but with a substantially better native oxide. Interestingly, more than two decades ago, germanium was once again considered as a mainstream microelectronic material, since the introduction of high-k dielectrics allowed the consideration of channel materials irrespective of the quality of their native oxide. After about 50 years of limited studies on the defect processes in germanium, the community once again focused on its applicability for mainstream electronic applications. Nevertheless, there are some bottlenecks that need to be overcome, and it was the aim of the present review to discuss the progress in the understanding of the defect processes of Ge.
UGAVs-MDVR: A Cluster-Based Multicast Routing Protocol for Unmanned Ground and Aerial Vehicles Communication in VANET
Authors: Farooq Waqar , Islam Saif ul , Khan Muazzam Ali , Rehman Saad , Gulzari Usman Ali , Boudjadar Jalil
Published: November 2022

Unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) are becoming the foremost part of rescue teams for protecting human lives from severe disasters and reducing human casualties by informing them about the risks ahead, such as mine detection and clearance. In mine detection, a centralized system is required so that the UGVs can communicate with each other efficiently to disseminate the mine detection messages (MDMs) to incoming vehicles of military and civilians. Therefore, in this piece of research, a novel unmanned ground and aerial vehicle (UGAV)-based mine-detection-vehicle routing (MDVR) protocol has been proposed, mainly for the mine detection and clearance teams using a vehicular ad hoc network (VANET). The protocol disseminates the MDMs using UGVs and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in combination to overcome the limitations of only inter-UGV communication. The proposed protocol performs cluster-based multicast communication in real time using UAVs so that the dynamic mobility of UGVs cannot affect the performance of MDM dissemination. Hence, the proposed scheme is adaptable because any failure in message delivery can cause a high level of destruction. The proposed cluster-based scheme can adapt to any real-time scenario by introducing the level-based cluster-head election scheme (LBCHE), which works concerning its assigned priority for reducing the delay incurred in MDMs dissemination. The simulation of the proposed protocol in the network simulator (NS) shows that the overhead and delay are reduced in MDMs dissemination. At the same time, the throughput, packet delivery ratio, and stability increased compared to the other competing protocols.
State-of-the-Art Survey on Deep Learning-Based Recommender Systems for E-Learning
Authors: Salau Latifat , Hamada Mohamed , Prasad Rajesh , Hassan Mohammed , Mahendran Anand , Watanobe Yutaka
Published: November 2022

Recommender systems (RSs) are increasingly recognized as intelligent software for predicting users’ opinions on specific items. Various RSs have been developed in different domains, such as e-commerce, e-government, e-resource services, e-business, e-library, e-tourism, and e-learning, to make excellent user recommendations. In e-learning technology, RSs are designed to support and improve the learning practices of a student or an organization. This survey aims to examine the different works of literature on RSs that corroborate e-learning and classify and provide statistics of the reviewed articles based on their recommendation goals, recommendation techniques used, the target user, and the application platforms. The survey makes a prominent contribution to the e-learning RSs field by providing an overview of current research and traditional and nontraditional recommendation techniques to provide different recommendations for future e-learning. One of the most significant findings to emerge from this survey is that a substantial number of works followed either deep learning or context-aware recommendation techniques, which are considered more efficient than any traditional methods. Finally, we provided comprehensive observations from the quantitative assessment of publications, which can guide and support researchers in understanding the current development for potential future trends and the direction of deep learning-based RSs in e-learning.
Encapsulated Phytase Produced by Recombinant Yarrowia lipolytica Exhibits High Efficiency on Broiler Chickens in Low Dosage
Authors: Danilova Maria A. , Epova Ekaterina Yu. , Trubnikova Elena V. , Badrutdinov Niyaz V. , Kokoreva Anastasya S. , Pusev Maxim S. , Deryabina Yulia I. , Isakova Elena P.
Published: November 2022

Phytases are the largest group of feed enzymes increasing the accessibility of organic phosphorus for the animals. Feed phytases are usually sold as dried powder of secreting producers, mainly micellar fungi. We proposed a new technology for producing phytase from Obesumbacterium proteus (OPP) in yeast Yarrowia lipolytica as cytosolic protein (encapsulated OPP), where the capsule (yeast cell) protects the enzyme from unfavourable factors (acid medium and active proteolysis in stomachs) and releases it along with the substrate in the duodenum only. Here we report results of testing the encapsulated OPP on the model of a broiler chicken in comparison to a conventional phytase from Aspergillus ficuum. The encapsulated OPP at a dosage of 30 FYT/kg provided the maximum body weight of the chicken in the end of experiment equal or somewhat higher than in the control group, where the available phosphorus deficit was complemented with a mineral phosphorus supply. In contrast, the conventional soluble phytase at a dosage of 100 or 1000 FYT/kg was not able to compensate for the phosphorus deficit in the diet, although chemical analysis demonstrated much phosphorus in the diet in a non-accessible form. The encapsulated OPP decreased the residual Pi in the chicken faeces by 2.1 times in comparison to the control when added to the diet, whereas the conventional phytases negligibly affected this parameter regardless of the dosage.
Special Issue on Advances in Soil Pollution and the Geotechnical Environment
Authors: Bai Bing
Published: November 2022

Soil pollution and disposal technology is currently a hot topic in geo-environmental engineering that involves the interaction mechanisms, migration processes, and treatment measures of various types of pollutants (e [...]
EEG Channel Selection Techniques in Motor Imagery Applications: A Review and New Perspectives
Authors: Abdullah  , Faye Ibrahima , Islam Md Rafiqul
Published: November 2022

Communication, neuro-prosthetics, and environmental control are just a few applications for disabled persons who use robots and manipulators that use brain-computer interface (BCI) systems. The brain’s motor imagery (MI) signal is an essential input for a brain-related task in BCI applications. Due to their noninvasive, portability, and cost-effectiveness, electroencephalography (EEG) signals are the most widely used input in BCI systems. The EEG data are often collected from more than 100 different locations in the brain; channel selection techniques are critical for selecting the optimum channels for a given application. However, when analyzing EEG data, the principal purpose of channel selection is to reduce computational complexity, improve classification accuracy by avoiding overfitting, and reduce setup time. Several channel selection assessment algorithms, both with and without classification-based methods, extracted appropriate channel subsets using defined criteria. Therefore, based on the exhaustive analysis of the EEG channel selection, this manuscript analyses several existing studies to reduce the number of noisy channels and improve system performance. We review several existing works to find the most promising MI-based EEG channel selection algorithms and associated classification methodologies on various datasets. Moreover, we focus on channel selection methods that choose fewer channels with great precision. Finally, our main finding is that a smaller channel set, typically 10–30% of total channels, provided excellent performance compared to other existing studies.
A New Cell Line Derived from the Spleen of the Japanese Flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus) and Its Application in Viral Study
Authors: Yang Yucong , Ren Yuqin , Zhang Yitong , Wang Guixing , He Zhongwei , Liu Yufeng , Cao Wei , Wang Yufen , Chen Songlin , Fu Yuanshuai , Hou Jilun
Published: November 2022

A new cell line Japanese flounder spleen (JFSP) derived from the spleen of Japanese flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus) was established and characterized in this study. The JFSP cells grew rapidly at 29 °C, and the optimum fetal bovine serum concentration in the L-15 medium was 15%. Cells were subcultured for more than 80 passages. The JFSP cells have a diploid chromosome number of 2n = 68, which differs from the chromosome number of normal diploid Japanese flounder. The established cells were susceptible to Bohle virus (BIV), Viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus (VHSV), Hirame rhabdovirus (HIRRV), Infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus (IHNV), and Lymphocystis disease virus (LCDV), as evidenced by varying degrees of cytopathic effects (CPE). Replication of the virus in JFSP cells was confirmed by qRT-PCR and transmission electron microscopy. In addition, the expression of four immune-related genes, TRAF3, IL-1β, TNF-α, and TLR2, was differentially altered following viral infection. The results indicated that the cells underwent an antiviral immune response. JFSP cell line is an ideal tool in vitro for virology. The use of fish cell lines to study the immune genes and immune mechanism of fish and to clarify the immune mechanism of fish has important theoretical significance and practical application value for the fundamental prevention and treatment of fish diseases.
SARS-CoV-2 Delta Variant: Interplay between Individual Mutations and Their Allosteric Synergy
Authors: Chan Kevin C. , Song Yi , Xu Zheng , Shang Chun , Zhou Ruhong
Published: November 2022

Since its first appearance in April 2021, B.1.617.2, also termed variant Delta, catalyzed one major worldwide wave dominating the second year of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Despite its quick disappearance worldwide, the strong virulence caused by a few point mutations remains an unsolved problem largely. Along with the other two sublineages, the Delta variant harbors an accumulation of Spike protein mutations, including the previously identified L452R, E484Q, and the newly emerged T478K on its receptor binding domain (RBD). We used molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, in combination with free energy perturbation (FEP) calculations, to examine the effects of two combinative mutation sets, L452R + E484Q and L452R + T478K. Our dynamic trajectories reveal an enhancement in binding affinity between mutated RBD and the common receptor protein angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) through a net increase in the buried molecular surface area of the binary complex. This enhanced binding, mediated through Gln493, sets the same stage for all three sublineages due to the presence of L452R mutation. The other mutation component, E484Q or T478K, was found to impact the RBD-ACE2 binding and help the variant to evade several monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) in a distinct manner. Especially for L452R + T478K, synergies between mutations are mediated through a complex residual and water interaction network and further enhance its binding to ACE2. Taking together, this study demonstrates that new variants of SARS-CoV-2 accomplish both “attack” (infection) and “defense” (antibody neutralization escape) with the same “polished sword” (mutated Spike RBD).
A Focus on Astrocyte Contribution to Parkinson’s Disease Etiology
Authors: Prunell Giselle , Olivera-Bravo Silvia
Published: November 2022

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is an incurable neurodegenerative disease of high prevalence, characterized by the prominent death of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta, which produces dopamine deficiency, leading to classic motor symptoms. Although PD has traditionally been considered as a neuronal cell autonomous pathology, in which the damage of vulnerable neurons is responsible for the disease, growing evidence strongly suggests that astrocytes might have an active role in the neurodegeneration observed. In the present review, we discuss several studies evidencing astrocyte implications in PD, highlighting the consequences of both the loss of normal homeostatic functions and the gain in toxic functions for the wellbeing of dopaminergic neurons. The revised information provides significant evidence that allows astrocytes to be positioned as crucial players in PD etiology, a factor that needs to be taken into account when considering therapeutic targets for the treatment of the disease.
How Well Do Rodent Models of Parkinson’s Disease Recapitulate Early Non-Motor Phenotypes? A Systematic Review
Authors: Zhang Tracy D. , Kolbe Scott C. , Beauchamp Leah C. , Woodbridge Ella K. , Finkelstein David I. , Burrows Emma L.
Published: November 2022

The prodromal phase of Parkinson’s disease (PD) is characterised by many non-motor symptoms, and these have recently been posited to be predictive of later diagnosis. Genetic rodent models can develop non-motor phenotypes, providing tools to identify mechanisms underlying the early development of PD. However, it is not yet clear how reproducible non-motor phenotypes are amongst genetic PD rodent models, whether phenotypes are age-dependent, and the translatability of these phenotypes has yet to be explored. A systematic literature search was conducted on studies using genetic PD rodent models to investigate non-motor phenotypes; cognition, anxiety/depressive-like behaviour, gastrointestinal (GI) function, olfaction, circadian rhythm, cardiovascular and urinary function. In total, 51 genetic models of PD across 150 studies were identified. We found outcomes of most phenotypes were inconclusive due to inadequate studies, assessment at different ages, or variation in experimental and environmental factors. GI dysfunction was the most reproducible phenotype across all genetic rodent models. The mouse model harbouring mutant A53T, and the wild-type hα-syn overexpression (OE) model recapitulated the majority of phenotypes, albeit did not reliably produce concurrent motor deficits and nigral cell loss. Furthermore, animal models displayed different phenotypic profiles, reflecting the distinct genetic risk factors and heterogeneity of disease mechanisms. Currently, the inconsistent phenotypes within rodent models pose a challenge in the translatability and usefulness for further biomechanistic investigations. This review highlights opportunities to improve phenotype reproducibility with an emphasis on phenotypic assay choice and robust experimental design.
Targeted Next-Generation Sequencing Identifies Additional Mutations Other than BCR∷ABL in Chronic Myeloid Leukemia Patients: A Chinese Monocentric Retrospective Study
Authors: Hu Shiwei , Chen Dan , Xu Xiaofei , Zhang Lan , Wang Shengjie , Jin Keyi , Zheng Yan , Zhu Xiaoqiong , Jin Jie , Huang Jian
Published: November 2022

A proportion of patients with somatic variants show resistance or intolerance to TKI therapy, indicating additional mutations other than BCR∷ABL1 may lead to TKI treatment failure or disease progression. We retrospectively evaluated 151 CML patients receiving TKI therapy and performed next-generation sequencing (NGS) analysis of 22 CML patients at diagnosis to explore the mutation spectrum other than BCR∷ABL1 affecting the achievement of molecular responses. The most frequently mutated gene was ASXL1 (40.9%). NOTCH3 and RELN mutations were only carried by subjects failing to achieve a major molecular response (MMR) at 12 months. The distribution frequency of ASXL1 mutations was higher in the group that did not achieve MR4.0 at 36 months (p = 0.023). The achievement of MR4.5 at 12 months was adversely impacted by the presence of >2 gene mutations (p = 0.024). In the analysis of clinical characteristics, hemoglobin concentration (HB) and MMR were independent factors for deep molecular response (DMR), and initial 2GTKI therapy was better than 1GTKI in the achievement of molecular response. For the scoring system, we found the ELTS score was the best for predicting the efficacy of TKI therapy and the Socal score was the best for predicting mutations other than BCR∷ABL.
Clockwise Anterior-to-Posterior—Double Isolation (CAP-DI) Approach for Portal Lymphadenectomy in Biliary Tract Cancer: Technique, Yield, and Outcomes
Authors: Sinnamon Andrew J. , Luo Eric , Xu Aileen , Zhu Sarah , Denbo Jason W. , Fleming Jason B. , Anaya Daniel A.
Published: November 2022

Background: Portal lymphadenectomy (PLND) is the current standard for oncologic resection of biliary tract cancers (BTCs). However, published data show it is performed infrequently and often yields less than the recommended 6 lymph nodes. We sought to identify yield and outcomes using a Clockwise Anterior-to-Posterior technique with Double Isolation of critical structures (CAP-DI) for PLND. Methods: Consecutive patients undergoing complete PLND for BTCs using CAP-DI technique were identified (2015–2021). Lymph node (LN) yield and predictors of LN count were examined. Secondary outcomes included intraoperative and postoperative outcomes, which were compared to patients having hepatectomy without PLND. Results: In total, 534 patients were included; 71 with complete PLND (36 gallbladder cancers, 24 intrahepatic cholangiocarcinomas, 11 perihilar cholangiocarcinomas) and 463 in the control group. The median PLND yield was 5 (IQR 3–8; range 0–17) and 46% had at least 6 nodes retrieved. Older age was associated with lower likelihood of ≥6 node PLND yield (p = 0.032), which remained significant in bivariate analyses with other covariates (p < 0.05). After adjustment for operative factors, performance of complete PLND was independently associated with longer operative time (+46.4 min, p = 0.001), but no differences were observed in intraoperative or postoperative outcomes compared to the control group (p > 0.05). Conclusions: Yield following PLND frequently falls below the recommended minimum threshold of 6 nodes despite a standardized stepwise approach to complete clearance. Older age may be weakly associated with lower PLND yield. While all efforts should be made for complete node retrieval, failure to obtain 6 nodes may be an unrealistic metric of surgical quality.
Prognostic Significance of Cuproptosis-Related Gene Signatures in Breast Cancer Based on Transcriptomic Data Analysis
Authors: Zhou Zizhen , Deng Jinhai , Pan Teng , Zhu Zhengjie , Zhou Xiulan , Lv Chunxin , Li Huanxin , Peng Weixiong , Lin Bihai , Cai Cuidan , Wang Huijuan , Cai Yufeng , Wei Fengxiang , Zhou Guanglin
Published: November 2022

Breast cancer (BRCA) remains a serious threat to women’s health, with the rapidly increasing morbidity and mortality being possibly due to a lack of a sophisticated classification system. To date, no reliable biomarker is available to predict prognosis. Cuproptosis has been recently identified as a new form of programmed cell death, characterized by the accumulation of copper in cells. However, little is known about the role of cuproptosis in breast cancer. In this study, a cuproptosis-related genes (CRGs) risk model was constructed, based on transcriptomic data with corresponding clinical information relating to breast cancer obtained from both the TCGA and GEO databases, to assess the prognosis of breast cancer by comprehensive bioinformatics analyses. The CRGs risk model was constructed and validated based on the expression of four genes (NLRP3, LIPT1, PDHA1 and DLST). BRCA patients were then divided into two subtypes according to the CRGs risk model. Furthermore, our analyses revealed that the application of this risk model was significantly associated with clinical outcome, immune infiltrates and tumor mutation burden (TMB) in breast cancer patients. Additionally, a new clinical nomogram model based on risk score was established and showed great performance in overall survival (OS) prediction, confirming the potential clinical significance of the CRGs risk model. Collectively, our findings revealed that the CRGs risk model can be a useful tool to stratify subtypes and that the cuproptosis-related signature plays an important role in predicting prognosis in BRCA patients.
Current Radiotherapy Considerations for Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma
Authors: Ng Wai Tong , Chow James C. H. , Beitler Jonathan J. , Corry June , Mendenhall William , Lee Anne W. M. , Robbins K Thomas , Nuyts Sandra , Saba Nabil F. , Smee Robert , Stokes William A. , Strojan Primož , Ferlito Alfio
Published: November 2022

Radiotherapy is the primary treatment modality for nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). Successful curative treatment requires optimal radiotherapy planning and precise beam delivery that maximizes locoregional control while minimizing treatment-related side effects. In this article, we highlight considerations in target delineation, radiation dose, and the adoption of technological advances with the aim of optimizing the benefits of radiotherapy in NPC patients.