bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Reading Pope's Homer in the 1720s: The Iliad Notes of Philip Doddridge
Authors: Wilson Penelope
Published: June 2020

As a young minister in 1725, Philip Doddridge (1702–1751), later to become one of the most influential figures of eighteenth-century Dissent, embarked on a close reading of Homer's Iliad in Greek alongside Pope's English verse translation of 1715–20. As he read he recorded, in shorthand notes, detailed ‘remarks’ critically comparing the Greek and English texts as works of poetry, with a particular eye to the success or otherwise of Pope's version. The unique manuscript containing the remarks has in part survived, and is held by Dr Williams' Library, London. In this discussion, Doddridge is introduced and his remarks transcribed for the first time. They provide a contemporary reading of Pope's Iliad which in its depth and detail goes well beyond anything else available for private readers, as opposed to the professional critics and scholars whose extensive attacks and defences it elicited.
Genetic analysis of Agronomic Traits of Wheat under Terminal Drought Stress
Authors: Dashtak Mohammad , Bihamta Mohammad R. , Majidi Eslam , Nejad Reza A.
Published: June 2020

Seven wheat genotypes (Sirvan, Zarin, Pishgam, Karim, Baran, Heidary, and Rizhav) were crossed in diallel mating to develop 42 F1's hybrids. The resultant hybrids along with parents were evaluated during cropping season 2015-16 at agriculture and natural resources Pardis of Tehran University, Iran, using RCB design with 3 replications under drought stress and normal field conditions from the booting stage till physiological maturity. General combining ability (GCA) and specific combining ability (SCA) for agronomic traits were determined. The main objective of the research was the identification and proper selection of best-performing wheat parental genotypes and best F1's hybrids, based on GCA and SCA estimates.  Significant differences were observed among the wheat genotypes for all the reported traits in this article. Results for combining ability analysis indicated that mean squares of GCA and SCA effects were significantly high for most of the traits. The estimates of σ2gca and σ2sca and its ratio (σ2gca/σ2sca) indicated that non-additive genetic expression was dominant for most of the traits studied, then the heterosis breading is a useful program, however selection on superior hybrids should be postponed to the next generation for these traits in recombination program. It is concluded that Zarin, and Baran are recommended as the best general combiners for a future wheat breeding program. The maximum values of SCA observed in flag leaf length in normal and peduncle length in drought condition related to crosses of Rizhav with other parents. So, it is suggested these series of crosses can be down to improve these traits at the mentioned condition
Development and Release of Two Mid-Late Maturing Maize Hybrids for the Highland Agro-Ecologies of Uganda
Authors: Kagoda Frank , Kwemoi Daniel B. , Owere Lawrence , Ochwo-Ssemakula Mildred , Asea Godfrey
Published: June 2020

The maize yield in the highland areas of Uganda (1500 to 3000 masl), rarely exceeding 2 t ha-1. The use of unimproved maize genotypes, the prevalence of pests and diseases, and low levels of input use has tremendously contributed to the low grain yields.  Accordingly, we obtained 100 maize inbred lines majorly from CIMMYT in the year 2013. The inbred lines were evaluated for adaptability and those selected were intercrossed to generate 80 single cross hybrids by January 2015. The 80 single cross hybrids were evaluated in preliminary yield trials in three sites namely, Kachwekano, Kalengyere and Buginyanya in 2015a season. The best combiners were crossed with the selected males to obtain 122 three-way cross hybrids. These were evaluated for adaptability in advanced yield trials in 2016a in Kachwekano, Kalengyere and Bukwo, from where the best five hybrids (BH33, BH31, BH27, BH104 and BH38) were selected for National Performance Trials (NPT)  in 2016b and 2017a seasons in Bukwo, Buginyanya, Zombo, Fort portal and Kalengere. Two candidate varieties namely BH31 and BH33 exhibited good agronomic qualities such as earlier maturity, tolerance to MLN and other diseases. The selected hybrids yielded 8.2 t ha-1 and 7.2 t ha-1 for BH31 and BH33, respectively. The two varieties are appropriate for cultivation in major highland and transitional maize growing regions in Uganda and were subsequently released as NAROMAIZE 731 and NAROMAIZE 733, respectively. The newly released varieties are expected to reduce the highland maize cropping season from over six months to five months.
A Dihaploid Approach for the Selection of Forage Quality in Tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.)
Authors: Kindiger Bryan , Moyer Joseph
Published: June 2020

Within the Festuca-Lolium genome complex, there is a need for modern breeding approaches that can facilitate the rapid development of improved germplasm or cultivars. Traditional recurrent or mass-selection methods for population or synthetic development are labor intensive and time consuming. The recent development of annual ryegrass Lolium multiflorum Lam.) lines, when hybridized by tall fescue [(Festuca arundinacea Schreb. (syn. = Lolium arundinaceum (Schreb.) Darbysh.)], will produce F1 hybrids, that through mitotic genome loss, lose either their ryegrass or tall fescue genome and result in the recovery of ryegrass and tall fescue dihaploid (DH) lines. For breeding and selection purposes regarding forage quality, the ability to select for superior genotypes at the F1 generation, rather than at the subsequent DH generation would improve the efficiency of the technique. The study examined forage quality components of crude protein (CP), acid digestible fiber (ADF), neutral digestible fiber (NDF) and in vitro dry matter digestibility (IVDMD) expression and inheritance in the F1 and their respective recovered DH lines. Results of the study indicate that forage quality genotypes, conferred by the tall fescue gamete, are heritable and selection performed at the F1 generation will be effective in identifying DH genotypes that are not significantly different in forage quality of their respective F1 parents. Though performed only on CP, ADF, NDF and IVDMD forage quality components, the study suggests similar application toward the selection of additional quantitative forage quality or agronomic attributes for tall fescue improvement. The described selection strategy is applicable to tall fescue (L. arundinaceum) and may have application across the Lolium/Festuca genus.
Determinants of Dysmenorrhea Pain Levels of in Adolescents
Authors: Sulistyowati Dwi Wahyu Wulan , Harumi Ani Media
Published: June 2020

Menstrual pain sometimes makes women unable to move normally so that quality deteriorates in their daily lives. Complaints that appear vary in intensity and are different for each person. Some women only feel mild pain, but others feel very severe pain, stomach like squeezing, vomiting, discomfort in the stomach, pain in the breast, even fever and headaches. The design of this study was cross-sectional. The population used in this study were all middle school and vocational high school students who experienced dysmenorrhea every time menstruation in the last 2 months period as many as 190 students and a sample of 130 female students. Sampling used was a simple random technique, namely the determination of samples taken randomly. The dependent variable was dysmenorrhea pain levels, while the independent variable were anxiety, activity, age, and nutritional status. The instrument used was a questionnaire and checklist. The analysis technique used was the multiple linear regression test. From the results of the study, there was a strong influence of anxiety, age, and nutritional status on the dysmenorrhea pain levels. Whereas there was no influence of activity on dysmenorrhea pain levels.

Keywords: dysmenorrhea; pain; anxiety; nutrtional; activity; age
Estimation of Pesticide Residues in Selected Products of Plant Origin from Poland with the Use of the HPLC-MS/MS Technique
Authors: Kowalska Grażyna , Pankiewicz Urszula , Kowalski Radosław
Published: June 2020

The purpose of this work was to compare the content of pesticide residues (250) in unprocessed plant products from farms situated in the eastern part of Poland. The content of pesticide residues in the analysed samples was assayed with the use of the QuEChERS (Quick Easy Cheap Effective Rugged Safe) method combined with HPLC-MS/MS (high performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry) analysis. The analyses revealed that among 160 analysed samples, pesticide residues were detected in 83 samples (approximately 52%), while in 77 samples (approximately 48%), no presence of those substances was noted. In all the samples in which the presence of the sought compounds was identified, their levels did not exceed the Maximum Residue Levels (MRL). The most often identified ones were azoxystrobin—detected in 36 samples (22.5%), linuron—assayed in 33 samples (20.6%), chlorpyrifos and carbendazim—each detected in 13 samples (8.1%), metalaxyl and metalaxyl M—in 11 samples (6.9%), and acetamiprid—in 7 samples (4.4%).
Dicamba Retention in Commercial Sprayers Following Triple Rinse Cleanout Procedures, and Soybean Response to Contamination Concentrations
Authors: Browne Frances B. , Li Xiao , Price Katilyn J , Wang Jianping , Wang Yi , Kruger Greg R , Golus Jeff , Macedo Gabrielle de Castro , Vieira Bruno C. , Sandlin Tyler
Published: June 2020

The commercial launch of dicamba-tolerant (DT) crops has resulted in increased dicamba usage and a high number of dicamba off-target movement complaints on sensitive soybeans (Glycine max L.). Dicamba is a synthetic auxin and low dosages as 0.028 g ae ha−1 can induce injury on sensitive soybean. Tank contamination has been identified as one of the sources for unintended sensitive crop exposure. The labels of new dicamba formulations require a triple rinse cleanout procedure following applications. Cleanout efficacy might vary based on the sprayer type and procedure followed. This study was performed to quantify dicamba retention in commercial sprayers and assess the risk for crop injury from remaining contaminants. The results indicate triple rinse with water was comparable to cleanout procedures utilizing ammonium, commercial tank cleaners, and glyphosate in rinses. Dicamba contaminants in final rinsates resulted in <15% visual injury and no yield response when applied to sensitive soybeans at R1 stage. A survey of 25 agricultural sprayers demonstrated a cleanout efficacy of 99.996% by triple rinsing with water following applications of dicamba at 560 g ae ha−1, with concentrations of less than 1 ug mL−1 detected rinsates from the fourth rinse. A dose response experiment predicted dosages causing 5% visual injury and the yield losses were 0.1185 and 2.8525 g ae ha−1. However, symptomology was observed for all tested dosages, including the rate as low as 0.03 g ae ha−1. The results from this study suggest triple rinsing with sufficient amount of water (≥10% of tank volume) is adequate for the removal of dicamba residues from sprayers to avoid sensitive soybean damage. This study can provide producers with confidence in cleanout procedures following dicamba applications, and aid in minimizing risk for off-target movement through tank contamination.
Characterizing Variation in Nitrogen Use Efficiency in Wheat Genotypes Using Proximal Canopy Sensing for Sustainable Wheat Production
Authors: Naser Mohammed A. , Khosla Raj , Longchamps Louis , Dahal Subash
Published: June 2020

Global nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) for cereal production is marginal and is estimated to be about 33%. Remote sensing tools have tremendous potential for improving NUE in crops through efficient nitrogen management as well as the identification of high-NUE genotypes. The objectives of this study were (i) to identify and quantify the variation in NUE across 24 winter wheat genotypes (Triticum aestivum L.) and (ii) to determine if the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) could characterize the variability in NUE across wheat genotypes. This study was conducted in 2010 and 2011 in the semi-arid climate of Northeastern Colorado across dryland and irrigated conditions. Our results indicate significant variation in the NUE among genotypes across two irrigation conditions. We observed a strong relationship between the NDVI and NUE—as PFP (partial factor productivity) and PNB (partial nitrogen balance)—across the 24 wheat genotypes under dryland conditions (average R2 for PFP and PNB = 0.84) at Feekes growth stage 11.1, for site year II. However, poor association was observed under irrigated conditions (average R2 for PFP and PNB = 0.29) at Feekes growth stage 3 to 4 for site year II. This study demonstrates the potential and limitations of active canopy sensing to successfully characterize the variability in NUE across wheat genotypes.
Bio-Herbicidal Potential of the Essential Oils from Different Rosmarinus officinalis L. Chemotypes in Laboratory Assays
Authors: El Mahdi Jihane , Tarraf Waed , Ruta Claudia , Piscitelli Lea , Aly Adel , De Mastro Giuseppe
Published: June 2020

The current study aimed to assess the allelopathic effect of Rosmarinus officinalis L. essential oils (EOs) to define the potent effect against weed species, by exploring distinct chemotypes and their main compounds. The EOs from eight accessions were characterized. Their components were identified by gas chromatography, and four chemotypes were defined; C1 (α-pinene), C2 (camphor), C3 (α-pinene/1,8-cineole), and C4 (α-pinene/1,8-cineole/camphor). Four concentrations of the EOs (400, 800, 1200, and 2400 μL/L) and the main compounds of each chemotype were tested in a laboratory assay against Amaranthus retroflexus L. and Lolium perenne L. in pre- and post-germination. The results showed that the EOs significantly affected all the tested parameters (germination, early growth, and physiological and histological parameters of the weeds under study) in a dose, chemotype, and species dependent manner. A. retroflexus was more sensitive than L. perenne at germination level being significantly inhibited at the lowest dose of all the chemotypes. The latter all exhibited significant effects but with a higher potency of C2 (camphor chemotype) and C3 (α-pinene/1,8-cineole chemotype), as well qualitative differences in the induced damage. Our results thus increase knowledge about the role of the monoterpene composition in bio-herbicidal effect, which can help in the development of EO based bio-herbicides.
PGPR Modulation of Secondary Metabolites in Tomato Infested with Spodoptera litura
Authors: Kousar Bani , Bano Asghari , Khan Naeem
Published: June 2020

The preceding climate change demonstrates overwintering of pathogens that lead to increased incidence of insects and pest attack. Integration of ecological and physiological/molecular approaches are imperative to encounter pathogen attack in order to enhance crop yield. The present study aimed to evaluate the effects of two plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (Bacillus endophyticus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa) on the plant physiology and production of the secondary metabolites in tomato plants infested with Spodoptera litura (Fabricius) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae). The surface sterilized seeds of tomato were inoculated with plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) for 3–4 h prior to sowing. Tomato leaves at 6 to 7 branching stage were infested with S. litura at the larval stage of 2nd instar. Identification of secondary metabolites and phytohormones were made from tomato leaves using thin-layer chromatography (TLC) and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Infestation with S. litura significantly decreased plant growth and yield. The PGPR inoculations alleviated the adverse effects of insect infestation on plant growth and fruit yield. An increased level of protein, proline and sugar contents and enhanced activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) was noticed in infected tomato plants associated with PGPR. Moreover, p-kaempferol, rutin, caffeic acid, p-coumaric acid and flavonoid glycoside were also detected in PGPR inoculated infested plants. The FTIR spectra of the infected leaf samples pre-treated with PGPR revealed the presence of aldehyde. Additionally, significant amounts of indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), salicylic acid (SA) and abscisic acid (ABA) were detected in the leaf samples. From the present results, we conclude that PGPR can promote growth and yield of tomatoes under attack and help the host plant to combat infestation via modulation in IAA, SA, ABA and other secondary metabolites.
Molecular Characterization and Functional Analysis of Wheat TtLOX Gene Involved in Aphid Resistance
Authors: Liu Xinlun , Ma Xiaolong , Kou Xudan , Bai Jinfeng , Zhang Hong , Wang Changyou , Wang Yajuan , Zhao Jixin , Tian Zengrong , Ji Wanquan
Published: June 2020

The English grain aphid (Sitobion avenae F.) is one of the most important and destructive pests in wheat production worldwide. Lipoxygenase (LOX) is a key rate-limiting enzyme in the bio-synthesis pathway of jasmonate and methyl jasmonate in plants and animals. This enzyme is essential for plant growth and for biotic and abiotic stresses response. In this study, the TtLOX gene from wheat (Triticum turgidum) was isolated and characterized, and its conserved domains, phylogenetic relationship and subcellular localization were investigated. As a 2787-bp open reading frame (ORF) gene, TtLOX was predicted to encode a protein of 928-amino acid. TtLOX transcription was up-regulated in response to aphid feeding; the expression of TtLOX in wheat leaves was significantly higher in Lanmai, an aphid-resistant variety, than in Poland 305, an aphid-sensitive variety. In contrast, TtLOX expression was down-regulated both in individuals treated with methyl-jasmine (MeJA) and in individuals with the TtLOX gene silenced by barley stripe mosaic virus (BSMV). The aphid numbers on the MeJA treated plants and on the TtLOX gene-silenced plants were higher than that on the control plants. These results suggest that the TtLOX gene may have potential as a target gene for controlling Sitobion avenae in wheat.
Colchicine Mutagenesis from Long-term Cultured Adventitious Roots Increases Biomass and Ginsenoside Production in Wild Ginseng (Panax ginseng Mayer)
Authors: Le Kim-Cuong , Ho Thanh-Tam , Lee Jong-Du , Paek Kee-Yoeup , Park So-Young
Published: June 2020

Panax ginseng Mayer is a perennial herb that has been used as a medicinal plant in Eastern Asia for thousands of years. The aim of this study was to enhance root biomass and ginsenoside content in cultured adventitious roots by colchicine mutagenesis. Adventitious P. ginseng roots were treated with colchicine at different concentrations (100, 200, and 300 mg·L−1) and for different durations (1, 2, and 3 days). Genetic variability of mutant lines was assessed using random amplification of polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis. Ginsenoside biosynthesis gene expression, ginsenoside content, enzyme activities, and performance in bioreactor culture were assessed in four mutant lines (100–1-2, 100–1-18, 300–1-16, and 300–2-8). The results showed that ginsenoside productivity was enhanced in all mutant lines, with mutant 100–1-18 exhibiting the most pronounced increase (4.8-fold higher than the control). Expression of some ginsenoside biosynthetic enzymes was elevated in mutant lines. Enzyme activities varied among lines, and lipid peroxidation activity correlated with root biomass. All four lines were suitable for bioreactor cultivation, with mutant 100–1-18 exhibiting the highest biomass after culture scale-up. The results indicated that colchicine mutagenesis of P. ginseng roots increased biomass and ginsenosides production. This technique, and the root lines produced in this study, may be used to increase industrial yields of P. ginseng biomass and ginsenosides.
Study of Neuraminidase-Inhibiting Antibodies in Clinical Trials of Live Influenza Vaccines
Authors: Desheva Yulia , Smolonogina Tatiana , Donina Svetlana , Rudenko Larisa
Published: June 2020

Background: Currently, the immunogenicity of influenza vaccines is assessed by detecting an increase of hemagglutination inhibition (HI) antibodies. As neuraminidase (NA)-based immunity may be significant in protecting against influenza infection, detection of neuraminidase inhibiting (NI) antibodies may improve the assessment of the immunogenicity of influenza vaccines. Methods: We investigated the immune response to NA in people after immunization with live influenza vaccines (LAIVs). A number of A/H7NX or A/H6NX viruses were used to detect NI antibodies, using an enzyme-linked lectin assay (ELLA). Results: Seasonal LAIV immunization stimulated an increase in NI antibodies not only to homologous A/H1N1 influenza, but also to A/H1N1pdm09 and A/H5N1 influenza. After A/17/California/09/38 (H1N1) pdm09 LAIV vaccination, there was no statistical relationship between post-vaccinated antibody seroconversion and two surface glycoproteins in serum samples obtained from the same individuals (p = 0.24). Vaccination with LAIV of H5N2, H2N2, H7N3, and H7N9 subtypes led to 7%–29.6% NI antibody seroconversions in the absence of HI antibody conversions. There was relatively low coordination of hemagglutinin (HA) and NA antibody responses (r = 0.24–0.59). Conclusions: The previously noted autonomy for HI and NI immune responses was confirmed when assessing the immunogenicity of LAIVs. Combining the traditional HI test with the detection of NI antibodies can provide a more complete assessment of LAIV immunogenicity.
Adapting a Phage to Combat Phage Resistance
Authors: Laanto Elina , Mäkelä Kati , Hoikkala Ville , Ravantti Janne J. , Sundberg Lotta-Riina
Published: June 2020

Phage therapy is becoming a widely recognized alternative for fighting pathogenic bacteria due to increasing antibiotic resistance problems. However, one of the common concerns related to the use of phages is the evolution of bacterial resistance against the phages, putatively disabling the treatment. Experimental adaptation of the phage (phage training) to infect a resistant host has been used to combat this problem. Yet, there is very little information on the trade-offs of phage infectivity and host range. Here we co-cultured a myophage FCV-1 with its host, the fish pathogen Flavobacterium columnare, in lake water and monitored the interaction for a one-month period. Phage resistance was detected within one day of co-culture in the majority of the bacterial isolates (16 out of the 18 co-evolved clones). The primary phage resistance mechanism suggests defense via surface modifications, as the phage numbers rose in the first two days of the experiment and remained stable thereafter. However, one bacterial isolate had acquired a spacer in its CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeat)-Cas locus, indicating that also CRISPR-Cas defense was employed in the phage-host interactions. After a week of co-culture, a phage isolate was obtained that was able to infect 18 out of the 32 otherwise resistant clones isolated during the experiment. Phage genome sequencing revealed several mutations in two open reading frames (ORFs) likely to be involved in the regained infectivity of the evolved phage. Their location in the genome suggests that they encode tail genes. Characterization of this evolved phage, however, showed a direct cost for the ability to infect several otherwise resistant clones—adsorption was significantly lower than in the ancestral phage. This work describes a method for adapting the phage to overcome phage resistance in a fish pathogenic system.
New Synthetic Nitro-Pyrrolomycins as Promising Antibacterial and Anticancer Agents
Authors: Raimondi Maria Valeria , Presentato Alessandro , Li Petri Giovanna , Buttacavoli Miriam , Ribaudo Agnese , De Caro Viviana , Alduina Rosa , Cancemi Patrizia
Published: June 2020

Pyrrolomycins (PMs) are polyhalogenated antibiotics known as powerful biologically active compounds, yet featuring high cytotoxicity. The present study reports the antibacterial and antitumoral properties of new chemically synthesized PMs, where the three positions of the pyrrolic nucleus were replaced by nitro groups, aiming to reduce their cytotoxicity while maintaining or even enhancing the biological activity. Indeed, the presence of the nitro substituent in diverse positions of the pyrrole determined an improvement of the minimal bactericidal concentration (MBC) against Gram-positive (i.e., Staphylococcus aureus) or -negative (i.e., Pseudomonas aeruginosa) pathogen strains as compared to the natural PM-C. Moreover, some new nitro-PMs were as active as or more than PM-C in inhibiting the proliferation of colon (HCT116) and breast (MCF 7) cancer cell lines and were less toxic towards normal epithelial (hTERT RPE-1) cells. Altogether, our findings contribute to increase the knowledge of the mode of action of these promising molecules and provide a basis for their rationale chemical or biological manipulation.
Satureja montana L. and Origanum majorana L. Decoctions: Antimicrobial Activity, Mode of Action and Phenolic Characterization
Authors: Gomes Fernanda , Dias Maria Inês , Lima Ângela , Barros Lillian , Rodrigues Maria Elisa , Ferreira Isabel C.F.R. , Henriques Mariana
Published: June 2020

Medicinal and aromatic plants are known to have a wide range of uses and health benefits, and should be exploited for their bioactivity. Here we evaluated the antimicrobial activity of decoctions of Satureja montana L. and Origanum majorana L. against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria and Candida spp. as well as their mechanism of action and phenolic characterization. The Satureja montana and Origanum majorana extracts were effective against a broad set of species, including the Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecalis, and Streptococcus dysgalactiae and the Gram-negative Klebsiella pneumoniae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Both extracts were found to have rosmarinic acid as the main phenolic compound and to exert their antimicrobial activity at the level of the cell membrane. Membrane perturbations by the extracts impaired cell membrane integrity only a few hours after exposure. This study confirms the bioactive potential of Satureja montana and Origanum majorana decoctions, and supports the development of novel formulations with wide antimicrobial properties based on these medicinal and aromatic herbs.
Reply to Comment on “Differential Effects of MitoVitE, α-Tocopherol and Trolox on Oxidative Stress, Mitochondrial Function and Inflammatory Signalling Pathways in Endothelial Cells Cultured under Conditions Mimicking Sepsis. Antioxidants 2020, 9(3), 195”
Authors: Minter Beverley E. , Lowes Damon A. , Webster Nigel R. , Galley Helen F.
Published: June 2020

We thank Drs Hegarty and Byrne for their interest in our paper and appreciate the opportunity to respond to their insightful comments [...]
A Comprehensive Approach of Eucalyptus globulus Acid Sulfite Pretreatment for Enzymatic Hydrolysis
Authors: D. Costa Vera , Costa Ana , Amaral Maria , S. Simões Rogério
Published: June 2020

The effect of different acid sulfite pretreatment conditions on released components in the hydrolysates and the pretreated solid residues’ response to enzymatic hydrolysis for Eucalyptus globulus chips was investigated. Sodium bisulfite (0–15%), and sulfuric acid (0–5%) were used to pretreat chips at 170 °C and 190 °C, for as long as 30 min. The hydrolysates were analyzed through high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and spectrophotometry. Overall porosity and pores larger than 2.65 nm (size of a typical cellulase) on the solid residues were estimated using glucose and two dextrans with different hydrodynamic radii as probes. The external specific surface area was analyzed by dynamic light scattering. The solid residues underwent enzymatic hydrolysis with an enzymatic cocktail. Very high (84–95%) carbohydrate conversion was achieved for either an extensively delignified biomass or a biomass with very high content of sulfonated residual lignin (23.4%), since internal porosity enables enzymes accessibility. At least 5% sodium bisulfite and 1% sulfuric acid was required to attain a carbohydrate release above 90% in the enzymatic hydrolysis. Results suggest that the presence of sulfonated lignin does not impair the enzymatic hydrolysis rate and extent. The increase of pretreatment temperature had a positive effect mainly on the initial rate of carbohydrates release in the enzymatic hydrolysis. The increase of the wood material dimensions from pins to conventional chips significantly decreased the hemicellulose removal in acid sulfite pretreatment but had a small effect on the enzymatic yield.
On the Security of Practical Mail User Agents against Cache Side-Channel Attacks
Authors: Kim Hodong , Yoon Hyundo , Shin Youngjoo , Hur Junbeom
Published: June 2020

Mail user agent (MUA) programs provide an integrated interface for email services. Many MUAs support email encryption functionality to ensure the confidentiality of emails. In practice, they encrypt the content of an email using email encryption standards such as OpenPGP or S/MIME, mostly implemented using GnuPG. Despite their widespread deployment, there has been insufficient research on their software structure and the security dependencies among the software components of MUA programs. In order to understand the security implications of the structures and analyze any possible vulnerabilities of MUA programs, we investigated a number of MUAs that support email encryption. As a result, we found severe vulnerabilities in a number of MUAs that allow cache side-channel attacks in virtualized desktop environments. Our analysis reveals that the root cause originates from the lack of verification and control over the third-party cryptographic libraries that they adopt. In order to demonstrate this, we implemented a cache side-channel attack on RSA in GnuPG and then conducted an evaluation of the vulnerability of 13 MUAs that support email encryption in Ubuntu 14.04, 16.04 and 18.04. Based on our experiment, we found that 10 of these MUA programs (representing approximately 77% of existing MUA programs) allow the installation of a vulnerable version of GnuPG, even when the latest version of GnuPG, which is secure against most cache side-channel attacks, is in use. In order to substantiate the importance of the vulnerability we discovered, we conducted a FLUSH+RELOAD attack on these MUA programs and demonstrated that the attack restored 92% of the bits of the 2048-bit RSA private key when the recipients read a single encrypted email.
Resonance-Driven Passive Folding/Unfolding Flapping Wing Actuator
Authors: Ozaki Takashi , Ohta Norikazu , Hamaguchi Kanae
Published: June 2020

The wings of flapping-wing micro aerial vehicles (MAVs) face the risk of breakage. To solve this issue, we propose the use of a biomimetic foldable wing. In this study, a resonant-driven piezoelectric flapping-wing actuator with a passive folding/unfolding mechanism was designed and fabricated, in which the folding/unfolding motion is passively realized by the centrifugal and lift forces due to the stroke motion of the wings. Although the passive folding/unfolding is a known concept, its feasibility and characteristics in combination with a resonant system have not yet been reported. Because the resonant actuation is necessary for extremely small, insect-scale MAVs, research is required to realize such MAVs with a foldable-wing mechanism. Therefore, we first examine and report the performance of the resonant-driven passive folding/unfolding mechanism. We also present a simplified theoretical model demonstrating an interaction between the resonant actuation system and folding/unfolding mechanism. We successfully demonstrate the folding/unfolding motion by the fabricated actuator. In addition, the theoretical model showed good agreement with the experiment.
Review of Plasma-Induced Hall Thruster Erosion
Authors: Brown Nathan P. , Walker Mitchell L. R.
Published: June 2020

The Hall thruster is a high-efficiency spacecraft propulsion device that utilizes plasma to generate thrust. The most common variant of the Hall thruster is the stationary plasma thruster (SPT). Erosion of the SPT discharge chamber wall by plasma sputtering degrades thruster performance and ultimately ends thruster life. Many efforts over the past few decades have endeavored to understand wall erosion so that novel thrusters can be designed to operate for the thousands of hours required by many missions. However, due to the challenges presented by the plasma and material physics associated with erosion, a complete understanding has thus far eluded researchers. Sputtering rates are not well quantified, erosion features remain unexplained, and computational models are not yet predictive. This article reviews the physics of plasma-induced SPT erosion, highlights important experimental findings, provides an overview of modeling efforts, and discusses erosion mitigation strategies.
High-Efficient Micro Reacting Pipe with 3D Internal Structure: Design, Flow Simulation, and Metal Additive Manufacturing
Authors: Chen Xiaomin , Wang Di , Mai Jingming , Chen Xiaojun , Dou Wenhao
Published: June 2020

The micro reacting pipe with 3D internal structure, which is a micromixer with the shape of the pipe, has shown great advantages regarding mass transfer and heat transfer. Since the fluid flow is mostly laminar at the micro-scale, which is unfavorable to the diffusion of reactants, it is important to understand the influence of the geometry of the microchannel on the fluid flow for improving the diffusion of the reactants and mixing efficiency. On the other hand, it is a convenient method to manufacture a micro reacting pipe in one piece through metal additive manufacturing without many post-processing processes. In this paper, a basis for the design of a micromixer model was provided by combining the metal additive manufacturing process constraints with computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation. The effects of microchannel structures on fluid flow and mixing efficiency were studied by CFD simulation whose results showed that the internal micro-structure had a significantly positive effect on the mixing efficiency. Based on the simulation results, the splitting-collision mechanism was discussed, and several design rules were obtained. Two different materials were selected for manufacturing with the laser powder bed fusion (L-PBF) technology. After applying pressure tests to evaluate the quality of the formed parts and comparing the corrosion-resistance of the two materials, one material was picked out for the industrial application. Additionally, the chemical experiment was conducted to evaluate the accuracy of the simulation. The experimental results showed that the mixing efficiency of the micro reacting pipe increased by 56.6%, and the optimal determining size of the micro reacting pipe was 0.2 mm. The study can be widely used in the design and manufacture of a micromixer, which can improve efficiency and reacting stability in this field.
An Artificial Intelligence Approach to Prediction of Corn Yields under Extreme Weather Conditions Using Satellite and Meteorological Data
Authors: Kim Nari , Na Sang-Il , Park Chan-Won , Huh Morang , Oh Jaiho , Ha Kyung-Ja , Cho Jaeil , Lee Yang-Won
Published: June 2020

This paper describes the development of an optimized corn yield prediction model under extreme weather conditions for the Midwestern United States (US). We tested six different artificial intelligence (AI) models using satellite images and meteorological data for the dominant growth period. To examine the effects of extreme weather events, we defined the drought and heatwave by considering the characteristics of corn growth and selected the cases for sensitivity tests from a historical database. In particular, we conducted an optimization for the hyperparameters of the deep neural network (DNN) model to ensure the best configuration for accuracy improvement. The result for drought cases showed that our DNN model was approximately 51–98% more accurate than the other five AI models in terms of root mean square error (RMSE). For the heatwave cases, our DNN model showed approximately 30–77% better accuracy in terms of RMSE. The correlation coefficient was 0.954 for drought cases and 0.887–0.914 for heatwave cases. Moreover, the accuracy of our DNN model was very stable, despite the increases in the duration of the heatwave. It indicates that the optimized DNN model can provide robust predictions for corn yield under conditions of extreme weather and can be extended to other prediction models for various crops in future work.
Stability Tests of Agricultural and Operating Machines by Means of an Installation Composed by a Rotating Platform (the “Turntable”) with Four Weighting Quadrants
Authors: Bietresato Marco , Mazzetto Fabrizio
Published: June 2020

The stability of agricultural machines, earth-moving machines, snow-compaction machines and, in general, of all vehicles that may operate on sloping terrains is a very important technical feature and should not be underestimated. In fact, it is correlated, above all, to the safety of the operators, but also to the preservation of the structural integrity of these vehicles, to the prosecution of the activities and to the preservation of the economic investment. Although these facts are well-known, the international legislation and technical standards do not yet have a sufficient level of detail to give an all-inclusive quantification of the stability of the vehicle under examination in all its working conditions, e.g., at different inclination angles of the support surface, at different climbing angles of the vehicle on the slope, with different tires and inflating pressures, and on different terrains. Actual standards limit the stability tests to the experimental measurement of the lateral rollover angle only. Furthermore, the realization of unconventional test equipment able to widen the usually-tested scenarios could not be simple, due to the necessary size that such equipment should have (to perform tests not in scale) and to the related difficulties of handling full-scale vehicles. This work illustrates the applications of a new rig for testing the stability of vehicles, able to address all the above-illustrated issues and of possible future adoption to certify the stability performance of machines and perform homologations. This installation, named “rotating platform” or “turntable”, has the peculiarity of being able to move the machine positioned on it according to two rotational degrees of freedom: (1) overall inclination of the support plane, (2) rotation of the support plane around an axis perpendicular to the plane. The same installation is also designed to record the weight supported by each wheel of the machine placed on it (by means of four sensorized quadrants), both when the platform is motionless and while the above-described movements of tilt and rotation are being carried out, thus locating precisely the spatial position of the vehicle center of gravity. The presented physical-mathematical models highlight the great potential of this facility, anticipate the outcomes of the recordings that the experimenters will have at disposal when the test rig will be effectively active, and help the future understanding of trends of data, thus maximizing the available information content.
An LSTM-Based Method Considering History and Real-Time Data for Passenger Flow Prediction
Authors: Ouyang Qi , Lv Yongbo , Ma Jihui , Li Jing
Published: June 2020

With the development of big data and deep learning, bus passenger flow prediction considering real-time data becomes possible. Real-time traffic flow prediction helps to grasp real-time passenger flow dynamics, provide early warning for a sudden passenger flow and data support for real-time bus plan changes, and improve the stability of urban transportation systems. To solve the problem of passenger flow prediction considering real-time data, this paper proposes a novel passenger flow prediction network model based on long short-term memory (LSTM) networks. The model includes four parts: feature extraction based on Xgboost model, information coding based on historical data, information coding based on real-time data, and decoding based on a multi-layer neural network. In the feature extraction part, the data dimension is increased by fusing bus data and points of interest to improve the number of parameters and model accuracy. In the historical information coding part, we use the date as the index in the LSTM structure to encode historical data and provide relevant information for prediction; in the real-time data coding part, the daily half-hour time interval is used as the index to encode real-time data and provide real-time prediction information; in the decoding part, the passenger flow data for the next two 30 min interval outputs by decoding all the information. To our best knowledge, it is the first time to real-time information has been taken into consideration in passenger flow prediction based on LSTM. The proposed model can achieve better accuracy compared to the LSTM and other baseline methods.
Pd(PPh3)4 Catalyzed Synthesis of Indazole Derivatives as Potent Anticancer Drug
Authors: Saketi Jagan Mohana Rao , Boddapati S. N. Murthy , M. Raghuram , Adil Syed Farooq , Shaik Mohammed Rafi , Alduhaish Osamah , Siddiqui Mohammed Rafiq H. , Bollikolla Hari Babu
Published: June 2020

A series of 3-aryl indazoles and 1-methyl-3-aryl indazole derivatives are prepared with exceptional yields by coupling with several arylboronic acids and methylation by two dissimilar approaches. The as-prepared indazole derivatives (3a–3j) and their N-methyl derivatives (5a–5j) are evaluated for in vitro anticancer activity against two cancer cell lines, HCT-116 and MDA-MB-231. The results reveal that the indazole derivatives tested display mild to moderate anticancer activities against the cell lines tested.
Phenological Model Intercomparison for Estimating Grapevine Budbreak Date (Vitis vinifera L.) in Europe
Authors: Leolini Luisa , Costafreda-Aumedes Sergi , A. Santos João , Menz Christoph , Fraga Helder , Molitor Daniel , Merante Paolo , Junk Jürgen , Kartschall Thomas , Destrac-Irvine Agnès , van Leeuwen Cornelis , C. Malheiro Aureliano , Eiras-Dias José , Silvestre José , Dibari Camilla , Bindi Marco , Moriondo Marco
Published: June 2020

Budbreak date in grapevine is strictly dependent on temperature, and the correct simulation of its occurrence is of great interest since it may have major consequences on the final yield and quality. In this study, we evaluated the reliability for budbreak simulation of two modeling approaches, the chilling-forcing (CF), which describes the entire dormancy period (endo- and eco-dormancy) and the forcing approach (F), which only describes the eco-dormancy. For this, we selected six phenological models that apply CF and F in different ways, which were tested on budbreak simulation of eight grapevine varieties cultivated at different latitudes in Europe. Although none of the compared models showed a clear supremacy over the others, models based on CF showed a generally higher estimation accuracy than F where fixed starting dates were adopted. In the latter models, the accurate simulation of budbreak was dependent on the selection of the starting date for forcing accumulation that changes according to the latitude, whereas CF models were independent. Indeed, distinct thermal requirements were found for the grapevine varieties cultivated in Northern and Southern Europe. This implies the need to improve modeling of the dormancy period to avoid under- or over-estimations of budbreak date under different environmental conditions.
Theoretical and Computational Analysis on the Melt Flow Behavior of Polylactic Acid in Material Extrusion Additive Manufacturing under Vibration Field
Authors: Jiang Shijie , Chen Pifeng , Zhan Yang , Zhao Chunyu
Published: June 2020

Material extrusion (ME), an extrusion-based rapid prototyping technique, has been extensively studied to manufacture final functional products, whose forming quality is significantly influenced by the melt flow behavior (MFB) inside the extrusion liquefier. Applied vibration has a great potential to improve the MFB, and thereby promote the forming quality of the built product. To reveal the mechanism, a dynamic model of the melt flow behavior (DMMFB) is established based on fluid dynamics, Tanner nonlinear constitutive equation and Newton’s power law equation. The MFB, i.e., pressure drop, shear stress and apparent viscosity, is investigated without and with different vibration applied. The corresponding finite element analysis (FEA) is then carried out. From the comparison between DMMFB and FEA results, it is concluded that the proposed model is reliable. When vibration is applied onto the extrusion liquefier, the time-domain MFB will change periodically. Its effective value decreases significantly, and further decreases with the increase of vibration frequency or amplitude. This paper provides the theoretical basis to improve the MFB by applied vibration, and thereby to enhance the forming quality of ME products.
A Novel Indoor Localization Method Based on Image Retrieval and Dead Reckoning
Authors: Qian Jiuchao , Cheng Yuhao , Ying Rendong , Liu Peilin
Published: June 2020

Indoor pedestrian localization measurement is a hot topic and is widely used in indoor navigation and unmanned devices. PDR (Pedestrian Dead Reckoning) is a low-cost and independent indoor localization method, estimating position of pedestrians independently and continuously. PDR fuses the accelerometer, gyroscope and magnetometer to calculate relative distance from starting point, which is mainly composed of three modules: step detection, stride length estimation and heading calculation. However, PDR is affected by cumulative error and can only work in two-dimensional planes, which makes it limited in practical applications. In this paper, a novel localization method V-PDR is presented, which combines VPR (Visual Place Recognition) and PDR in a loosely coupled way. When there is error between the localization result of PDR and VPR, the algorithm will correct the localization of PDR, which significantly reduces the cumulative error. In addition, VPR recognizes scenes on different floors to correct floor localization due to vertical movement, which extends application scene of PDR from two-dimensional planes to three-dimensional spaces. Extensive experiments were conducted in our laboratory building to verify the performance of the proposed method. The results demonstrate that the proposed method outperforms general PDR method in accuracy and can work in three-dimensional space.