bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Influence of Frequent Freeze–Thaw Cycles on Performance of Asphalt Pavement in High-Cold and High-Altitude Areas
Authors: Cao Haibo , Chen Tuanjie , Zhu Hongzhou , Ren Haisheng
Published: May 2022

This study explores the temperature changes and freeze–thaw cycles in certain typical high-altitude areas, finding that these areas encounter more than 120, or even more than 200, freeze–thaw cycles per year. Such frequent freeze–thaw cycles deliver significant impact on the performance of asphalt pavements, with cracks becoming a typical problem in high-altitude areas. Such factors as cold weather, large temperature differences, and frequent freeze–thaw cycles have adverse effects on the stress of asphalt pavement materials, resulting in cracks in pavements. By simulating the conditions of such frequent freeze–thaw cycles, this study explores the law of changes in the performance of roads made from asphalt and asphalt mixtures, as well as the low-temperature crack resistance properties of asphalt and asphalt mixtures in frequent freeze–thaw cycles. It is found that the performance of the three different types of asphalt binders used in the test shows basically no change after 50 freeze–thaw cycles, and the asphalt types have a significant effect on the low-temperature performance of asphalt mixtures. The modified asphalt shows a higher viscosity than the matrix asphalt, with better toughness than that of the matrix asphalt at low temperature. Frequent freeze–thaw cycles significantly influence the low-temperature splitting tensile strength and water stability of asphalt mixtures; with increased freeze–thaw cycles, the splitting strength and freeze–thaw splitting tensile strength ratio will gradually decrease to a significant level. The freeze–thaw conditions are found delivering remarkable influence on the low-temperature splitting tensile strength and water stability of asphalt mixtures. The research results of this study provide a basis for the selection of asphalt pavement materials as well as the optimal design of mixtures in high-altitude area like the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.
Can We Trust Edge Computing Simulations? An Experimental Assessment
Authors: Carvalho Gonçalo , Magalhães Filipe , Cabral Bruno , Pereira Vasco , Bernardino Jorge
Published: May 2022

Simulators allow for the simulation of real-world environments that would otherwise be financially costly and difficult to implement at a technical level. Thus, a simulation environment facilitates the implementation and development of use cases, rendering such development cost-effective and faster, and it can be used in several scenarios. There are some works about simulation environments in Edge Computing (EC), but there is a gap of studies that state the validity of these simulators. This paper compares the execution of the EdgeBench benchmark in a real-world environment and in a simulation environment using FogComputingSim, an EC simulator. Overall, the simulated environment was 0.2% faster than the real world, thus allowing for us to state that we can trust EC simulations, and to conclude that it is possible to implement and validate proofs of concept with FogComputingSim.
Locating Side Channel Leakage in Time through Matched Filters
Authors: Barenghi Alessandro , Falcetti Gioele , Pelosi Gerardo
Published: May 2022

Side channel attacks provide an effective way to extract secret information from the execution of cryptographic algorithms run on a variety of computing devices. One of the crucial steps for a side channel attack to succeed is the capability to locate the time instant in which the cryptographic primitive being attacked is effectively leaking information on the side channel itself, and synchronize the data obtained from the measurements on that instant. In this work, we propose an efficient and effective solution relying on the digital signal processing technique known as matched filters. We derive our matched filter with a small amount of profiling information which can be obtained from a device matching the one under attack. Our technique reliably identifies the cryptographic operation being computed, even when system interrupts or software multithreading are enabled on our target platform. We validate our approach through a successful attack against an unprotected AES implementation running on a Cortex-M4-based microcontroller.
Motion Tracking Algorithms Based on Wearable Inertial Sensor: A Focus on Shoulder
Authors: Longo Umile Giuseppe , De Salvatore Sergio , Sassi Martina , Carnevale Arianna , De Luca Giovanna , Denaro Vincenzo
Published: May 2022

Shoulder Range of Motion (ROM) has been studied with several devices and methods in recent years. Accurate tracking and assessment of shoulder movements could help us to understand the pathogenetic mechanism of specific conditions in quantifying the improvements after rehabilitation. The assessment methods can be classified as subjective and objective. However, self-reported methods are not accurate, and they do not allow the collection of specific information. Therefore, developing measurement devices that provide quantitative and objective data on shoulder function and range of motion is important. A comprehensive search of PubMed and IEEE Xplore was conducted. The sensor fusion algorithm used to analyze shoulder kinematics was described in all studies involving wearable inertial sensors. Eleven articles were included. The Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies-2 was used to assess the risk of bias (QUADAS-2). The finding showed that the Kalman filter and its variants UKF and EKF are used in the majority of studies. Alternatives based on complementary filters and gradient descent algorithms have been reported as being more computationally efficient. Many approaches and algorithms have been developed to solve this problem. It is useful to fuse data from different sensors to obtain a more accurate estimation of the 3D position and 3D orientation of a body segment. The sensor fusion technique makes this integration reliable. This systematic review aims to redact an overview of the literature on the sensor fusion algorithms used for shoulder motion tracking.
Control of Photovoltaic Plants Interconnected via VSC to Improve Power Oscillations in a Power System
Authors: Medina-Quesada Ángeles , Gil-González Walter , Montoya Oscar Danilo , Molina-Cabrera Alexander , Hernández Jesus C.
Published: May 2022

This paper presents an integrated methodology applied to photovoltaic (PV) plants for improving the dynamic performance of electric power systems. The proposed methodology is based on primary frequency control, which adds an ancillary signal to the voltage reference of the DC-link for the voltage source converter (VSC) in order to reduce power oscillations. This ancillary signal is computed by relating the energy stored in the VSC of the DC-link and the energy stored in the synchronous machine’s shaft. In addition, the methodology considers the operating limits of the VSC, which prioritizes active power over reactive power. Furthermore, the VSC control is assessed with interconnection and damping assignment passivity-based control (IDA-PBC), as well as compared to conventional PI control. IDA-PBC is employed to design a Lyapunov asymptotically stable controller using the Hamiltonian structural properties of the open-loop model of the VSC. A 12-bus test system that considers PV plants is employed to compare the proposed IDA-PBC control with a classical proportional-integral control approach. The impact of the proposed methodology is analyzed in four scenarios with different PV penetration levels (10%, 30%, 50%, and 80%) and four large disturbances in the test power system. In addition, a decrease in the inertia of the synchronous machines from 100 to 25% is analyzed. The time-domain simulation results show that the frequency oscillations are reduced by 16.8%, 38.43%, 37.53%, and 76.94% in comparison with the case where the proposed methodology was not implemented. The simulations were conducted using the SimPowerSystems toolbox of the MATLAB/Simulink software.
Comparison of the Effectiveness of Selected Vibration Signal Analysis Methods in the Rotor Unbalance Detection of PMSM Drive System
Authors: Ewert Pawel , Kowalski Czeslaw T. , Jaworski Michal
Published: May 2022

Mechanical unbalance is a phenomenon that concerns rotating elements, including rotors in electrical machines. An unbalanced rotor generates vibration, which is transferred to the machine body. The vibration contributes to reducing drive system reliability and, as a consequence, leads to frequent downtime. Therefore, from an economic point of view, monitoring the unbalance of rotating elements is justified. In this paper, the rotor unbalance of a drive system with a permanent magnet synchronous motor (PMSM) was physically modelled using a specially developed shield, with five test masses fixed at the motor shaft. The analysed diagnostic signal was mechanical vibration. Unbalance was detected using selected signal analysis methods, such as frequency-domain methods (classical spectrum analysis FFT and a higher-order bispectrum method) and two methods applied in technical diagnostics (order analysis and orbit method). The efficiency of unbalance symptom detection using these four methods was compared for the frequency controlled PMSM. The properties of the analysed diagnostic methods were assessed and compared in terms of their usefulness in rotor unbalance diagnosis, and the basic features characterizing the usefulness of these methods were determined depending on the operating conditions of the drive. This work could have a significant impact on the process of designing diagnostic systems for PMSM drives.
A Cloud Based Optimization Method for Zero-Day Threats Detection Using Genetic Algorithm and Ensemble Learning
Authors: Nkongolo Mike , Van Deventer Jacobus Philippus , Kasongo Sydney Mambwe , Zahra Syeda Rabab , Kipongo Joseph
Published: May 2022

This article presents a cloud-based method to classify 0-day attacks from a novel dataset called UGRansome1819. The primary objective of the research is to classify potential unknown threats using Machine Learning (ML) algorithms and cloud services. Our study contribution uses a novel anomaly detection dataset that carries 0-day attacks to train and test ML algorithms using Amazon Web Services such as S3 bucket and SageMaker. The proposed method used Ensemble Learning with a Genetic Algorithm (GA) optimizer having three ML algorithms such as Naive Bayes (NB), Random Forest (RF), and Support Vector Machine (SVM). These algorithms analyze the dataset by combining each classifier and assessing the classification accuracy of 0-day threats. We have implemented several metrics such as Accuracy, F1-Score, Confusion Matrix, Recall, and Precision to evaluate the performance of the selected algorithms. We have then compared the UGRansome1819 performance complexity with existing datasets using the same optimization settings. The RF implementation (before and after optimization) remains constant on the UGRansome1819 that outperformed the CAIDA and UNSWNB-15 datasets. The optimization technique only improved in Accuracy on the UNSWNB-15 and CAIDA datasets but sufficient performance was achieved in terms of F1-Score with UGRansome1819 using a multi-class classification scheme. The experimental results demonstrate a UGRansome1819 classification ratio of 1% before and after optimization. When compared to the UNSWNB-15 and CAIDA datasets, UGRansome1819 attains the highest accuracy value of 99.6% (prior optimization). The Genetic Algorithm was used as a feature selector and dropped five attributes of the UGRansome1819 causing a decrease in the computational time and over-fitting. The straightforward way to improve the model performance to increase its accuracy after optimization is to add more data samples to the training data. Doing so will add more details to the data and fine-tune the model will result in a more accurate and optimized performance. The experiments demonstrate the instability of single classifiers such as SVM and NB and suggest the proposed optimized validation technique which can aggregate weak classifiers (e.g., SVM and NB) into an ensemble of the genetic optimizer to enhance the classification performance. The UGRansome1819 model’s specificity and sensitivity were estimated to be 100% with three predictors of threatening classes (Signature, Synthetic Signature, and Anomaly). Lastly, the test classification accuracy of the SVM model improved by 6% after optimization.
Dynamic Characteristics Analysis of a 660 MW Ultra-Supercritical Circulating Fluidized Bed Boiler
Authors: Yang Chen , Zhang Zonglong , Wu Haochuang , Deng Kangjie
Published: May 2022

The 660 MW ultra-supercritical circulating fluidized bed (CFB) boiler, which is the maximum capacity and largest scale boiler in the world has entered construction stage in China. This study established a full-scale dynamic simulation model of the 660 MW ultra-supercritical at 100% boiler maximum continuous rating (BMCR) condition. The model consists of an air-flue gas system, a water-steam system, and an ash circulation system. The “core-annulus” of the gas-solid two-phase flow structure and “six-equation” model of water-steam two-phase flow were applied to simulate the behaviors of the gas-solid phase and water-steam system, respectively. The model was calibrated and verified at 100% BMCR condition, and the steady-state simulation results presented a high accuracy compared with the designed parameters. A dynamic simulation of three typical conditions were carried out as well, including a 5% feed water decrease, 5% air decrease, and 5% coal decrease, respectively. The results showed that the dynamic simulation model established in this study can simulate the dynamic behaviors of the 660 MW ultra-supercritical CFB boiler reasonably.
Production Simulation of Oil Reservoirs with Complex Fracture Network Using Numerical Simulation
Authors: Ke Xijun , Zhao Yunxiang , Li Jiaqi , Guo Zixi , Kang Yunwei
Published: May 2022

This paper established a numerical simulation model to analyze the pressure transient and rate transient behaviors in reservoir with complex fracture network. Firstly, the fractures are introduced into the coordinate system through the position, angle, and length. Secondly, a mathematical model is established by using unstable seepage model. Thirdly, the central difference method was used to solve the model and local grid refinement method is introduced to describe the network fractures. Finally, we compared the results obtained from this paper’s model with the production data. The results show acceptable and reasonable matches for typical well. Meanwhile, the sensitivity of two properties is discussed. The model solution is verified with an analytical method thoroughly. The novelty of this paper is to introduce each fracture in fracture network into the coordinate system. Then, the grid refinement is achieved according to the fracture information. The presented new model simplifies the analysis of the pressure transient and rate transient of the reservoir with complex fracture network, and it is more efficient than the conventional numerical method. Compared with the analytical methods, the new model describes the fractures system in more detail. However, the new model treats fractures as reservoirs with higher permeability in the central difference method, which is simpler and rougher than traditional numerical methods.
Experimental Study of Digitizers Used in High-Precision Impedance Measurements
Authors: Musioł Krzysztof
Published: May 2022

In the currently used primary impedance measuring systems, there is a need to compare standards with ratios different from 1:1, e.g., in order to transfer the value to multiples or submultiples of the basic quantity. Unfortunately, the commercial PXI sampling systems used to measure the voltage ratio in the impedance bridge, although they provide adequate resolution, show a considerable non-linearity of the measurement. This leads to significant error of the impedance ratio measurement. Experimental studies of commercial PXI digitizers used in primary impedance metrology are presented in the paper. The scope of the work includes presentation of the sampling measurement system hardware used in electronic synchronous impedance bridges and studies of the parameters that affect the applicability of PXI digitizers in high-precision measuring instruments. Nonlinearity errors of digitizers on boards NI PXI-4461 and NI PXI-4462 were measured and appropriate conclusions regarding possible corrections of the errors were drawn.
Homogenization Methods of Lattice Materials
Authors: Somnic Jacobs , Jo Bruce W.
Published: May 2022

The existing methods for analyzing the behaviors of lattice materials require high computational power. The homogenization method is the alternative way to overcome this issue. Homogenization is an analysis to understand the behavior of an area of lattice material from a small portion for rapid analysis and precise approximation. This paper provides a summary of some representative methodologies in homogenization.
Evaluation of the Terrestrial 222Rn Flux from 210Pb Deposition Measurements
Authors: Magnoni Mauro , Bellina Luca , Bertino Stefano , Bellotto Brunella , Chiaberto Enrico
Published: May 2022

The study of the 222Rn terrestrial flux (Bq/(m2·s) or Bq/(m2·h)) is a complex issue involving both radiation-protection and environmental aspects. While the radiation-protection aspects are quite obvious—it has been well known for several decades that soil is the major source of indoor radon—environmental issues such as the correlation with conventional pollutants (PM2.5, PM10, NOX, etc.) and the use of radon for the esmation of the natural component of GHG (CO2) emissions are relatively less discussed in spite of their growing relevance. In this work we present a method for the estimation of the average value of 222Rn flux from HPGe γ-spectrometry 210Pb measurements performed on wet and dry deposition samples gathered monthly in the period 2006–2020. The results obtained with this technique give an average radon flux in the period Φ = 57 ± 27 Bq/(m2·h), the value of which is comparable with those coming from other methods and direct radon flux measurements as well. The method can thus be used to obtain a worldwide map of the radon flux.
Effect of Pretreatment by Freeze Vacuum Drying on Solid-State Anaerobic Digestion of Corn Straw
Authors: Liu Zhen , Huang Jinzhi , Yao Yiqing , Wang Mengyi , Li Anjie
Published: May 2022

As a common agricultural waste, corn straw (CS) has a refractory structure, which is not conducive to anaerobic digestion (AD). Appropriate pretreatment is crucial for addressing this problem. Thus, freeze vacuum drying (FVD) was proposed. In this study, fresh CS (F-CS) pretreated (5 h, −40 °C) by FVD and naturally dried CS (D-CS) were compared. Differences in substrate surface structure and nutrient composition were first investigated. Results show that a loose and porous structure, crystallinity, and broken chemical bonds, as well as higher proportions of VS, C, N, cellulose, hemicellulose, and crude proteins in F-CS show a potential for methane production. Besides, process performance and stability were also examined in both high (4, VS basis) and low (1, VS basis) S/I ratio AD. A higher degradation ratio of hemicellulose as well as richer dissolved microbial metabolites, coenzymes, tyrosine-like proteins, and hydrolysis rate of particulate organic matter in the F-CS system enhanced the efficiency of methane conversion. The cumulative methane yield increased from 169.66 (D-CS) to 209.97 (F-CS) mL/gVS in the high S/I ratio system (p = 0.02 < 0.05), and 156.97 to 171.89 mL/gVS in the low S/I ratio system. Additionally, 16S-rRNA-gene-based analysis was performed. Interestingly, the coordination of key bacteria (Clostridium_sensu_stricto_1, Bacillus, Terrisporobacter, Clostridium_sensu_stricto_7, Thermoclostrium, UCG-012, and HN-HF0106) was more active. Poorer Methanosarcina and Methanomassiliicoccus as well as richer Methanobrevibacter and Methanoculleus stimulated the co-relationship of key archaea with diverse methanogenesis pathways. This study aims to verify the positive effect of FVD pretreatment on AD of CS, so as to provide a reference for applications in waste management.
Taste Attributes of the “June Hairy Crab” Juveniles of Chinese Mitten Crab (Eriocheir sinensis) in Yangcheng Lake, China—A Pilot Study
Authors: Liu Hongbo , Xue Junren , Tang Jing , Jiang Tao , Chen Xiubao , Yang Jian
Published: May 2022

This is the first report on the use of a taste sensing system to quantitatively evaluate the taste attributes of two groups of native “June hairy crab” juveniles (commonly referred to as “Liu-Yue-Huang”) of the Chinese mitten crab (Eriocheir Sinensis H. Milne Edwards, 1853) from a net enclosure culture area in Yangcheng Lake (lake culture) and aquaculture ponds near the lake (pond culture). We showed that umami was the predominant basic taste of steamed June hairy crabs, followed by bitterness and astringency. The intensity value of saltiness was aberrant and could not be determined using this system. The average values of aftertaste-U reached 8.7 and 10.7 in the male June hairy crabs from the lake and pond cultures, respectively, which was significantly higher than their respective aftertaste-B and aftertaste-A values (p < 0.01). Female crabs did not have aftertaste-B, while their aftertaste-U was significantly higher than aftertaste-A (p < 0.01). Although principal component analysis and linear discriminant analysis were not able to completely distinguish among crabs from different cultures, they could robustly distinguish between male and female crabs.
The Impacts of Different Pea Protein Isolate Levels on Functional, Instrumental and Textural Quality Parameters of Duck Meat Batters
Authors: Zhu Xueshen , Tan Beibei , Li Ke , Liu Shaohua , Gu Ying , Xia Tianlan , Bai Yun , Wang Peng , Wang Renlei
Published: May 2022

This study aimed to investigate the effect of pea protein isolate (PPI) on the functional, instrumental and textural quality parameters of duck meat batters (DMB). Ground duck breast meat was mixed with different concentrations of PPI (0%, 3%, 6% or 9%, w/w) to prepare DMB. The color, cooking yield, water-holding capacity, water distribution and migration, rheological properties and texture profile of the DMB were evaluated. The results showed that the L* value of the gel decreased and the b* value increased with the increasing pea protein addition. The cooking yield and water-holding capacity showed a gradual increase, but the difference was not significant (p > 0.05). Compared with the control, the storage modulus (G′) and loss modulus (G″) were higher at the beginning and at the end and increased with the addition of pea protein, which was in accordance with the Fourier series relationship. The hardness, chewiness and gumminess of the gels gradually increased; on the contrary, the springiness and cohesiveness first increased and then decreased, respectively, reaching a maximum value of 0.96 and 0.81 when the addition amount reached 6%. Adding pea protein to the gels not only increased the area of immobilized water but also decreased the area of free water, thus improving the water-holding capacity of the batters. Therefore, pea protein can promote the formation of a stable and elastic network structure of duck meat batters.
Modern Analytical Methods for the Analysis of Pesticides in Grapes: A Review
Authors: Syrgabek Yerkanat , Alimzhanova Mereke
Published: May 2022

Currently, research on the determination of pesticides in food products is very popular. Information obtained from research conducted so far mainly concerns the development of a methodology to determine the content of pesticides in food products. However, they do not describe the content of the pesticide used in viticulture in the resulting product. Over the past decade, this study has examined analytical methodologies for assessing pesticide residues in grapes. Scopus, Web of Science, Science Direct, PubMed, and Springer databases were searched for relevant publications. The phrases “pesticides” and “grapes” and their combinations were used to search for articles. The titles and annotations of the extracted articles have been read and studied to ensure that they meet the review criteria. The selected articles were used to compile a systematic review based on scientific research and reliable sources. The need to study the detection of pesticide residues in grapes using advanced analytical methods is confirmed by our systematic review. This review also highlights modern methods of sample preparation, such as QuEChERS, SPME, PLE, dLLME, and ADLL-ME, as well as the most used methods of separation and identification of pesticides in grapes. An overview of the countries where residual grape pesticide amounts are most studied is presented, along with the data on commonly used pesticides to control pests and diseases in grape cultivation. Finally, future possibilities and trends in the analysis of pesticide residues in grapes are discussed by various analytical methods.
Moringa oleifera Seeds Characterization and Potential Uses as Food
Authors: Gautier Adèle , Duarte Carla Margarida , Sousa Isabel
Published: May 2022

Despite the fact Moringa oleifera (MO)-based foods present a very good and nutritionally well-balanced composition, they face some issues related to seed bitterness, which is the most challenging barrier to consumer acceptance. Different processing methods were tested to produce MO toasted seeds, MO-based beverage, and yoghurt-like products which were chemically and rheologically analyzed. The protein content ranged from 3.68% in the beverage, to 14.73% in the yoghurt and 40.21% in MO toasted seeds. A totally debittered beverage could not be accomplished, but the MO yoghurt-like showed a very nice flavor. Nutrition claims for minerals in toasted seeds could be considered for magnesium, phosphorus, iron, copper, zinc, and manganese, which confirms the M. oleifera seed richness in several minerals. The MO beverage presented less extended shear-thinning behavior (17.4 Pa·s) than commercial vegetable beverages and two pulse-based beverages developed in a previous study. The MO yoghurt-like product showed a gel structure similar to the dairy yoghurt, making it a promising new plant-based alternative. Further work must be performed in the future to debitter more efficiently the raw seeds to achieve a more pleasant MO-based beverage. The developed MO seed-based products may settle another font of high protein plant-based food.
Hidden and Coexisting Attractors in a Novel 4D Hyperchaotic System with No Equilibrium Point
Authors: Dong Chengwei , Wang Jiahui
Published: May 2022

The investigation of chaotic systems containing hidden and coexisting attractors has attracted extensive attention. This paper presents a four-dimensional (4D) novel hyperchaotic system, evolved by adding a linear state feedback controller to a 3D chaotic system with two stable node-focus points. The proposed system has no equilibrium point or two lines of equilibria, depending on the value of the constant term. Complex dynamical behaviors such as hidden chaotic and hyperchaotic attractors and five types of coexisting attractors of the simple 4D autonomous system are investigated and discussed, and are numerically verified by analyzing phase diagrams, Poincaré maps, the Lyapunov exponent spectrum, and its bifurcation diagram. The short unstable cycles in the hyperchaotic system are systematically explored via the variational method, and symbol codings of the cycles with four letters are realized based on the topological properties of the trajectory projection on the 2D phase space. The bifurcations of the cycles are explored through a homotopy evolution approach. Finally, the novel 4D system is implemented by an analog electronic circuit and is found to be consistent with the numerical simulation results.
Correlation between the Lymphocyte-To-Monocyte Ratio (LMR) and Child–Pugh and MELD/MELDNa Scores in Vietnamese Patients with Liver Cirrhosis
Authors: Nguyen Diem Thi , Kha Nhan Huu , Thai Nhung Thi Hong , Kha Trang Diem , Bo Phuong Kim , Dang Khoa Tran Dang , Tran Hao Yen , Nguyen Thang
Published: May 2022

Objectives: This study aims to determine cirrhotic patients’ clinical and laboratory characteristics, thereby examining the correlation between lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio and Child–Pugh and MELD/MELDNa scores. Methods: A cross-sectional study with an analysis of 153 patients admitted to the Department of Gastroenterology–Clinical Hematology at Can Tho Central General Hospital. Data were collected via patient interviews and medical records. Results: The included patients were more likely to be male (66.7%) and were ≥60 years old (51.6%). Excessive alcohol consumption and hepatitis B were the dominant causes of cirrhosis (35.3% and 34.0%). The clinical and laboratory characteristics were similar to previous studies in cirrhotic patients. The mean Child score was 9.3 ± 2.1, including 9.8% of patients with Child A, 44.4% for Child B, and 45.8% for Child C. The mean MELD and MELDNa scores were 16.9 ± 7.1 and 19.4 ± 8.1, respectively. The mean lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR) is 2.0 ± 2.2 (from 0.09 to 25.3), being negatively correlated with the other scores (Pearson correlation coefficients were −0.238; −0.211 and −0.245, respectively, all p-values < 0.01). Patients with LMR below 3.31 were more likely to be classified as Child–Pugh B and C. Conclusion: The correlation between LMR with Child–Pugh, MELD, and MELDNa scores was weak and negative.
Intranasal Delivery of Darunavir-Loaded Mucoadhesive In Situ Gel: Experimental Design, In Vitro Evaluation, and Pharmacokinetic Studies
Authors: Nair Anroop B. , Chaudhary Sunita , Shah Hiral , Jacob Shery , Mewada Vivek , Shinu Pottathil , Aldhubiab Bandar , Sreeharsha Nagaraja , Venugopala Katharigatta N. , Attimarad Mahesh , Shah Jigar
Published: May 2022

The clinical efficacy of antiretroviral therapy in NeuroAIDS is primarily limited by the low perfusion of the drug to the brain. The objective of the current investigation was to design and develop an in situ mucoadhesive gel loaded with darunavir to assess the feasibility of brain targeting through the intranasal route. Preliminary batches (F1–F9) were prepared and evaluated for various pharmaceutical characteristics. A full factorial design of the experiment was applied to optimize and assess the effect of two influencing variables (Carbopol 934P (X1) and Poloxamer 407 (X2)) on the response effects (gelation temperature (Y1) and % drug release (Y2) at 8 h). The data demonstrate that both influencing variables affect the response variables significantly (p < 0.05). The optimized formulation (F7) exhibited favorable rheological properties, adequate mucoadhesion, sustained drug release, and greater permeation across the nasal mucosa. An in vitro ciliotoxicity study confirms the nontoxicity of the optimized in situ gel (D7) on the nasal mucosa. An in vivo pharmacokinetic study in rats was performed to assess drug targeting to the brain following the nasal application of the selected in situ gel (D7). Significantly higher (p < 0.0001) Cmax (~4-fold) and AUC0-α (~3.5-fold) values were noticed in the brain after nasal application, as compared to the intravenous route. However, less systemic exposure to darunavir was noticed with nasal therapy, which confirms the low absorption of the drug into the central compartment. Overall, the data here demonstrate that the optimized in situ mucoadhesive nasal gel is effective in targeting darunavir to the brain by the nasal route and could be a viable option for the treatment of NeuroAIDS.
Transcriptome Analysis of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens Reveals Fructose Addition Effects on Fengycin Synthesis
Authors: Lu Hedong , Xu Hai , Yang Panping , Bilal Muhammad , Zhu Shaohui , Zhong Mengyuan , Zhao Li , Gu Chengyuan , Liu Shuai , Zhao Yuping , Geng Chengxin
Published: May 2022

Fengycin is a lipopeptide produced by Bacillus that has a strong inhibitory effect on filamentous fungi; however, its use is restricted due to poor production and low yield. Previous studies have shown that fengycin biosynthesis in B. amyloliquefaciens was found to be significantly increased after fructose addition. This study investigated the effect of fructose on fengycin production and its regulation mechanism in B. amyloliquefaciens by transcriptome sequencing. According to the RNA sequencing data, 458 genes were upregulated and 879 genes were downregulated. Transcriptome analysis results showed that fructose changed the transcription of amino acid synthesis, fatty acid metabolism, and energy metabolism; alterations in these metabolic pathways contribute to the synthesis of fengycin. In an MLF medium (modified Landy medium with fructose), the expression level of the fengycin operon was two-times higher than in an ML medium (modified Landy medium). After fructose was added to B. amyloliquefaciens, the fengycin-synthesis-associated genes were activated in the process of fengycin synthesis.
SINEs as Credible Signs to Prove Common Ancestry in the Tree of Life: A Brief Review of Pioneering Case Studies in Retroposon Systematics
Authors: Nikaido Masato , Nishihara Hidenori , Okada Norihiro
Published: May 2022

Currently, the insertions of SINEs (and other retrotransposed elements) are regarded as one of the most reliable synapomorphies in molecular systematics. The methodological mainstream of molecular systematics is the calculation of nucleotide (or amino acid) sequence divergences under a suitable substitution model. In contrast, SINE insertion analysis does not require any complex model because SINE insertions are unidirectional and irreversible. This straightforward methodology was named the “SINE method,” which resolved various taxonomic issues that could not be settled by sequence comparison alone. The SINE method has challenged several traditional hypotheses proposed based on the fossil record and anatomy, prompting constructive discussions in the Evo/Devo era. Here, we review our pioneering SINE studies on salmon, cichlids, cetaceans, Afrotherian mammals, and birds. We emphasize the power of the SINE method in detecting incomplete lineage sorting by tracing the genealogy of specific genomic loci with minimal noise. Finally, in the context of the whole-genome era, we discuss how the SINE method can be applied to further our understanding of the tree of life.
Origin and Global Expansion of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Complex Lineage 3
Authors: Shuaib Yassir A. , Utpatel Christian , Kohl Thomas A. , Barilar Ivan , Diricks Margo , Ashraf Nadia , Wieler Lothar H. , Kerubo Glennah , Mesfin Eyob A. , Diallo Awa Ba , Al-Hajoj Sahal , Ndung’u Perpetua , Fitzgibbon Margaret M. , Vaziri Farzam , Sintchenko Vitali , Martinez Elena , Viegas Sofia O. , Zhou Yang , Azmy Aya , Al-Amry Khaled , Godreuil Sylvain , Varma-Basil Mandira , Narang Anshika , Ali Solomon , Beckert Patrick , Dreyer Viola , Kabwe Mwila , Bates Matthew , Hoelscher Michael , Rachow Andrea , Gori Andrea , Tekwu Emmanuel M. , Sidze Larissa K. , Jean-Paul Assam A. , Beng Veronique P. , Ntoumi Francine , Frank Matthias , Diallo Aissatou Gaye , Mboup Souleymane , Tessema Belay , Beyene Dereje , Khan Sadiq N. , Diel Roland , Supply Philip , Maurer Florian P. , Hoffmann Harald , Niemann Stefan , Merker Matthias
Published: May 2022

Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC) Lineage 3 (L3) strains are abundant in world regions with the highest tuberculosis burden. To investigate the population structure and the global diversity of this major lineage, we analyzed a dataset comprising 2682 L3 strains from 38 countries over 5 continents, by employing 24-loci mycobacterial interspersed repetitive unit-variable number of tandem repeats genotyping (MIRU-VNTR) and drug susceptibility testing. We further combined whole-genome sequencing (WGS) and phylogeographic analysis for 373 strains representing the global L3 genetic diversity. Ancestral state reconstruction confirmed that the origin of L3 strains is located in Southern Asia and further revealed multiple independent introduction events into North-East and East Africa. This study provides a systematic understanding of the global diversity of L3 strains and reports phylogenetic variations that could inform clinical trials which evaluate the effectivity of new drugs/regimens or vaccine candidates.
Under-Reporting of Adverse Drug Reactions in Finland and Healthcare Professionals’ Perspectives on How to Improve Reporting
Authors: Sandberg Andreas , Salminen Veera , Heinonen Susanna , Sivén Mia
Published: May 2022

Background: Adverse drug reaction (ADR) reporting has been studied relatively extensively in all the Nordic countries besides Finland, but no definitive solution to decrease under-reporting has been found. Despite many similarities in reporting, the most notable difference compared to other Nordic countries is that ADR reporting is completely voluntary in Finland. Purpose: The purpose was to examine if voluntary reporting influences healthcare professional (HCP) ADR reporting, why HCPs do not report all suspected ADRs, how could reporting be enhanced, and do we need to develop the process for collecting ADR follow-up (F/U) information from HCPs. Methods: An open and anonymous questionnaire was developed and made available online at the e-form portal of the University of Helsinki. Trade and area unions distributed the questionnaire to their respective member physicians, nurses, and pharmacists. Two independent coders performed the content analysis of answers to open-ended questions. Results: A total of 149 responses was received. Two fifths (38%) of the HCPs confirmed that they had not always reported suspected ADRs. The main reason for not reporting was that the ADR was already known. HCPs who had no previous ADR reporting experience did not report ADRs mainly because it was not clear how to report them. Seriousness (chosen by 76%) and unexpectedness of the reaction (chosen by 64%) were the most actuating factors in reporting an ADR. Only 52% of the HCPs had received ADR reporting training and only 16% of the HCPs felt that they had enough information about reporting. Most HCPs felt that ADR F/U requests are justified, and these requests did not affect their ADR reporting willingness. Conclusions: As in other Nordic countries, ADR under-reporting occurs also in Finland despite differences in reporting guidance. ADR reporting rate could be enhanced by organizing recurring training, information campaigns, and including reporting reminders to the patient information systems that HCPs use. Training should primarily aid in recognizing ADRs, educate in how to report, and promote a reporting culture among HCPs.
Evaluating the Effectiveness of Complexity Features of Eye Movement on Computer Activities Detection
Authors: Destyanto Twin Yoshua R. , Lin Ray F.
Published: May 2022

Recently, tools developed for detecting human activities have been quite prominent in contributing to health issue prevention and long-term healthcare. For this occasion, the current study aimed to evaluate the performance of eye-movement complexity features (from multi-scale entropy analysis) compared to eye-movement conventional features (from basic statistical measurements) on detecting daily computer activities, comprising reading an English scientific paper, watching an English movie-trailer video, and typing English sentences. A total of 150 students participated in these computer activities. The participants’ eye movements were captured using a desktop eye-tracker (GP3 HD Gazepoint™ Canada) while performing the experimental tasks. The collected eye-movement data were then processed to obtain 56 conventional and 550 complexity features of eye movement. A statistic test, analysis of variance (ANOVA), was performed to screen these features, which resulted in 45 conventional and 379 complexity features. These eye-movement features with four combinations were used to build 12 AI models using Support Vector Machine, Decision Tree, and Random Forest (RF). The comparisons of the models showed the superiority of complexity features (85.34% of accuracy) compared to conventional features (66.98% of accuracy). Furthermore, screening eye-movement features using ANOVA enhances 2.29% of recognition accuracy. This study proves the superiority of eye-movement complexity features.
The Effectiveness of Intermittent Fasting, Time Restricted Feeding, Caloric Restriction, a Ketogenic Diet and the Mediterranean Diet as Part of the Treatment Plan to Improve Health and Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain: A Systematic Review
Authors: Cuevas-Cervera Maria , Perez-Montilla Jose , Gonzalez-Muñoz Ana , Garcia-Rios Maria , Navarro-Ledesma Santiago
Published: May 2022

Food strategies are currently used to improve inflammation and oxidative stress conditions in chronic pain which contributes to a better quality of life for patients. The main purpose of this systematic review is to analyze the effectiveness of different dietary strategies as part of the treatment plan for patients suffering from chronic pain and decreased health. PubMed, Web of Science, ProQuest, Scopus, Cumulative Index to Nursing & Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Cambridge Core, and Oxford Academy databases were used to review and to appraise the literature. Randomized clinical trials (RCT), observational studies, and systematic reviews published within the last 6 years were included. The Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro) scale, the PEDro Internal Validity (PVI), the Standard Quality Assessment Criteria for Evaluating Primary Research Papers from a variety of fields (QUALSYT), and the Quality Assessment Tool of Systematic Reviews scale were used to evaluate the risk of bias of the included studies. A total of 16 articles were included, of which 11 were RCTs and 5 were observational studies. Six of them showed an improvement in pain assessment, while two studies showed the opposite. Inflammation was shown to be decreased in four studies, while one did not show a decrease. The quality of life was shown to have improved in five studies. All of the selected studies obtained good methodological quality in their assessment scales. In the PVI, one RCT showed good internal validity, five RCTs showed moderate internal quality, while five of them were limited. Current research shows that consensus on the effects of an IF diet on pain improvement, in either the short or the long term, is lacking. A caloric restriction diet may be a good long term treatment option for people suffering from pain. Time restricted food and ketogenic diets may improve the quality of life in chronic conditions. However, more studies analyzing the effects of different nutritional strategies, not only in isolation but in combination with other therapies in the short and the long term, are needed.
A Comparative Analysis of Quality of Life in Women Diagnosed with Breast and Ovarian Cancer
Authors: Słoniewski Robert , Dąbrowska-Bender Marta , Religioni Urszula , Fronczak Adam , Staniszewska Anna , Duda-Zalewska Aneta , Milewska Magdalena , Kędzierska Magdalena , Matkowski Rafał Adam , Dykowska Grażyna , Słoniewska Anna , Kupiecka Anna
Published: May 2022

Background: Previous studies showed that cancer significantly reduces the quality of life of patients. The purpose of this study was to analyze changes in the quality of life of women diagnosed with ovarian and breast cancer after surgical treatment followed by adjuvant cancer therapy. Methods: The study covered 220 women diagnosed with ovarian (n = 89) or breast cancer (n = 131) after surgical treatment followed by adjuvant cancer therapy (chemotherapy, radiotherapy, hormone therapy). The tools used to measure the patients’ quality of life were the standardized EORTC QLQ-C30 questionnaire, the QLQ-BR23 module for breast cancer and the QLQ-OV28 module for ovarian cancer. Results: The subjective assessment of the health and quality of life of the women was carried out using the EORTC QLQ-C30 questionnaire and the QLQ-OV28 and QLQ-BR23 modules. Women with breast cancer rated their health higher than women with ovarian cancer. The health assessment performed by the patients was not related to the type of cancer (p > 0.05). They experienced pain, dyspnea and weakness regardless of the cancer location. Moreover, women’s health status had a clinically significant impact on their family and social life, although no statistically significant differences were found between the two groups (p > 0.05). Whilst the patients with breast cancer rated their quality of life and health higher than the patients with ovarian cancer, the differences were not statistically significant (p > 0.05). Conclusions: Changes in the quality of life of women with breast and ovarian cancer concern the physical sphere, hobbies, fatigue/rest, pain, family and social spheres, and material conditions. It is necessary to support specialists at every stage of treatment of these patients, which may improve the results of the treatment and patients’ perception of health and quality of life.
Pro-Environmental Behavior Research: Theoretical Progress and Future Directions
Authors: Tian Hong , Liu Xinyu
Published: May 2022

Realistic environmental problems drive the growth of pro-environment behavior research, among which the most important progress is about the theoretical innovation and development of pro-environmental behavior. Thus, the main purpose of this paper was to review the literature and help researchers to understand the theoretical progress of pro-environmental behavior. This study systematically analyzed 1806 papers published in SCI-EXPANDED and SSCI databases. It presented the research overview of pro-environmental behavior in terms of status of literature publication, research hotspots and topics. On this basis, this paper further focused on key theoretical papers and summarized three paths of theoretical progress for pro-environmental behavior: theoretical development, theoretical exploration and theoretical integration. Along the theoretical development path, studies mainly apply theories of psychology, sociology and economics to analyze and explain the formation and consequences of pro-environmental behavior. In terms of theoretical exploration, existing studies propose and develop value-belief-norm theory, behavioral theories related to contexts and pro-environmental behavior decision models. Theoretical integration is the direction of future research, such as the combination of rationality and sensibility, and the combination of external and internal causes. Therefore, this paper summarized the theoretical progress of pro-environmental behavior and proposed future research directions, which contribute to its theoretical development.