bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Salt Stress-Related Mechanisms in Leaves of the Wild Barley Hordeum spontaneum Generated from RNA-Seq Datasets
Authors: Barqawi Aminah A. , Abulfaraj Aala A.
Published: June 2023

This study aims to detect salt stress-related genes and mechanisms of the wild barley Hordeum spontaneum. Among the generated RNA-Seq datasets, several regulated transcripts are influenced by levels of cellular carbon, nitrogen and oxygen. Some of the regulated genes act on photorespiration and ubiquitination processes, as well as promoting plant growth and development under salt stress. One of the genes, encoding alanine:glyoxylate aminotransferase (AGT), participates in signaling transduction and proline biosynthesis, while the gene encoding asparagine synthetase (ASN) influences nitrogen storage and transport in plants under stress. Meanwhile, the gene encoding glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH) promotes shoot and root biomass production as well as nitrate assimilation. The upregulated genes encoding alpha-aminoadipic semialdehyde synthase (AASAS) and small auxin-up RNA 40 (SAUR40) participate in the production of proline and signaling compounds, respectively, while the gene encoding E3 ubiquitin-protein ligase regulates the carbon/nitrogen-nutrient response and pathogen resistance, in addition to some physiological processes under biotic and abiotic stresses via signal transduction. The gene encoding the tetratricopeptide repeat (TPR)-domain suppressor of STIMPY (TSS) negatively regulates the carbon level in the cell. In conclusion, this study sheds light on possible molecular mechanisms underlying salt stress tolerance in wild barley that can be utilized further in genomics-based breeding programs of cultivated species.
Genome Editing and Improvement of Abiotic Stress Tolerance in Crop Plants
Authors: Yadav Rakesh Kumar , Tripathi Manoj Kumar , Tiwari Sushma , Tripathi Niraj , Asati Ruchi , Chauhan Shailja , Tiwari Prakash Narayan , Payasi Devendra K.
Published: June 2023

Genome editing aims to revolutionise plant breeding and could assist in safeguarding the global food supply. The inclusion of a 12–40 bp recognition site makes mega nucleases the first tools utilized for genome editing and first generation gene-editing tools. Zinc finger nucleases (ZFNs) are the second gene-editing technique, and because they create double-stranded breaks, they are more dependable and effective. ZFNs were the original designed nuclease-based approach of genome editing. The Cys2-His2 zinc finger domain’s discovery made this technique possible. Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) are utilized to improve genetics, boost biomass production, increase nutrient usage efficiency, and develop disease resistance. Plant genomes can be effectively modified using genome-editing technologies to enhance characteristics without introducing foreign DNA into the genome. Next-generation plant breeding will soon be defined by these exact breeding methods. There is abroad promise that genome-edited crops will be essential in the years to come for improving the sustainability and climate-change resilience of food systems. This method also has great potential for enhancing crops’ resistance to various abiotic stressors. In this review paper, we summarize the most recent findings about the mechanism of abiotic stress response in crop plants and the use of the CRISPR/Cas mediated gene-editing systems to improve tolerance to stresses including drought, salinity, cold, heat, and heavy metals.
Scaled Model Tests Investigating Deformation Characteristics of Geosynthetic Reinforced Soil (GRS) Abutments under Vertical Loads
Authors: Xu Chao , Wang Qingming , Shen Panpan , Li Geye , Wang Qiushen , Zhang Xiao , Zhao Chongxi
Published: June 2023

This study conducted plane-strain scaled model tests to investigate the deformation characteristics of geosynthetic reinforced soil (GRS) abutments subjected to vertical loads. Setback distance, i.e., the distance between the back of the abutment facing and the front of the loading plate, was chosen as the investigated influencing factor since it is one of the most frequently used variables by engineers for the design of GRS abutments. This study analyzed the settlements at the top of the abutment, the lateral displacements of the abutment facing, and the volumetric deformations of the abutment under the applied vertical loads. Test results showed that increasing the setback distance could effectively reduce the deformations of the GRS abutment. There existed an optimum setback distance and further increasing the setback distance beyond this optimum value did not have a significant effect on reducing the abutment deformations. The vertical, lateral, and total volumetric deformations of the GRS abutment showed an approximately linear increase with the increase of the applied vertical loads. The lateral volumetric deformations of the GRS abutment were larger than its vertical volumetric deformations and therefore the total volumetric strains of the GRS abutment were not zero based on the test results. However, the theory of zero volume change may still be suitable for the deformation calculation of the GRS abutment since the values of the volumetric strains were minimal. The measured maximum lateral facing displacements were compared with the calculated values using the US Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) method, which assumes zero volume change of the GRS abutment under vertical loads. Comparison results indicated that the FHWA method overestimated the maximum lateral facing displacements of the GRS abutment under vertical loads. An improved method was proposed in this study to calculate the maximum lateral facing displacements under vertical loads based on the theory of zero volume change and a revised distribution of the settlements at the top of the GRS abutment. Results showed that the improved method could better predict the maximum lateral facing displacements as compared to the FHWA method.
Preparation and Properties of Low-Carbon Foamed Lightweight Soil with High Resistance to Sulphate Erosion Environments
Authors: Wang Yongsheng , Wan Huiwen , Liu Hao , Zhang Gaoke , Xu Xiaoyang , Shen Cong
Published: June 2023

Foamed lightweight soil (FLS) is a lightweight cementitious material containing a large number of tiny closed pores and has been widely used as a filler in places such as railways, roads and airports. However, there has been little research into the resistance of FLS to sulphate attack in practical engineering applications. The performance of FLS against different sulphate erosion concentrations was studied to elucidate the engineering characteristics of using large volumes of FLS as fill material for the road base in the construction of intelligent networked vehicle test sites. The results showed that the compressive strength of FLS prepared using 30% Portland cement (C), 30% granulated blast furnace slag (GBFS), 40% fly ash (FA) and a small amount of a concrete antiseptic agent (CA) as cementitious materials reached 0.8 and 1.9 MPa at 7 and 28 d, respectively, when the wet density was about 600 kg/m3, which met the design requirements. The FLS prepared via the above-mentioned cementitious system had a low carbon emission, with a CO2 emission reduction rate of up to 70%. It also had excellent sulphate attack resistance: the corrosion resistance coefficient of the cementitious material system reached 0.97, which was considerably better than that of C (0.83). For an erosion medium environment with SO42− concentrations of less than 1000 mg/L (moderate), 40% GBFS or FA can be used to prepare FLS. When the concentration of SO42− is less than 4000 mg/L (severe), 30% C, 30% GBFS and 40% FA can be used as cementitious materials, preferably in combination with an appropriate amount of CA, to prepare FLS.
Research on the Rule of Explosion Shock Wave Propagation in Multi-Stage Cavity Energy-Absorbing Structures
Authors: Chen Shihu , Liu Wei , Mu Chaomin
Published: June 2023

The propagation laws of explosion shock waves and flames in various chambers were explored through a self-built large-scale gas explosion experimental system. The propagation process of shock waves inside the cavity was explored through numerical simulation using Ansys Fluent, and an extended study was conducted on the wave attenuation effect of multiple cavities connected in a series. The findings show that the cavity’s length and diameter influenced the weakening impact of shock waves and explosive flames. By creating a reverse shock wave through complicated superposition, the cavity’s shock wave weakening mechanism worked. By suppressing detonation creation inside the cavity, the explosive flame was weakened by the cavity’s design. The multi-stage cavity exhibited sound-weakening effects on both shock waves and explosive flames, and an expression was established for the relationship between the suppression rate of shock force and the number of cavities. Diffusion cavities 35, 55, 58, and 85 successfully suppressed explosive flames. The multi-stage cavity efficiently reduced the explosion shock wave. The flame suppression rate of the 58-35 diffusion cavity explosion was 93.38%, whereas it was 97.31% for the 58-35-55 cavity explosion. In engineering practice, employing the 58-58 cavity is advised due to the construction area, construction cost, and wave attenuation impact.
Shear Behaviour and Calculation Methods of Bearing-Shear Connectors for Prefabricated Steel–Concrete Composite Beams
Authors: Zheng Zhichao , Zou Yang , Chou Yaling , Qin Fengjiang , Chen Fengmin , Di Jin , Zhang Zhigang
Published: June 2023

The bearing-shear connector (B-SC) is a newly developed connector that exhibits excellent shear behaviour and is easy to process. However, research on the application of B-SCs as substitutes for grouped studs in prefabricated steel–concrete composite beams is rare, and systematically studying their shear behaviour is necessary. Thus, a refined numerical model was developed to study the shear behaviour of the B-SCs. The numerical model, validated by push-out tests, was conducted to analyse the stress of the B-SCs and concrete slab during loading and to explore the failure mechanism of B-SCs. Then, a parametric study was performed to identify the key factors influencing the shear behaviour of the B-SCs. The concrete strength, and the thickness and the tensile strength of the shear plate were found to significantly influence the shear behaviour of B-SCs. According to the experiments and numerical analysis, calculation formulae for the ultimate shear resistance and slip modulus were proposed.
2D Gallium Sulfide-Based 1D Photonic Crystal Biosensor for Glucose Concentration Detection
Authors: Abderrahmane Abdelkader , Senouci Khaled , Hachemi Belkacem , Ko Pil Ju
Published: June 2023

Unidimensional photonic crystal-based biosensors have gained much attention in the area of blood glucose measurement. In this paper, we propose two novel designs based on two-dimensional (2D) Van der Waals materials. The first 1D photonic crystal design consists of multilayers of 2D gallium sulfide and 2D muscovite mica [GaS/Mica]ND[GaS/Mica]N, and the second design consists of multilayers of 2D gallium sulfide [GaS/G]ND[GaS/G]N. We conducted a numerical analysis using the transfer matrix method to investigate the properties of photonic crystals, both with and without defect layers, in order to assess their suitability for biosensing applications. The biosensors’ performances were investigated as a function of glucose concentration, revealing a high sensitivity of 832 nm/RIU, a notable figure-of-merit of 1.46 × 105 RIU−1, a Q-factor exceeding 105, and a minimum limit of detection of 3.4 × 10−7 RIU. Finally, we modified the [GaS/G]ND[GaS/G]Nstructure in order to enhance the sensitivity nearly 5-fold. The proposed biosensors offer the advantage of being label-free, making them promising platforms for the sensitive and reliable detection of blood glucose levels.
Interplay of Magnetic Interaction and Electronic Structure in New Structure RE-12442 Type Hybrid Fe-Based Superconductors
Authors: Pokhriyal Amit , Ghosh Abyay , Sen Smritijit , Ghosh Haranath
Published: June 2023

We present detailed first-principles density functional theory-based studies on RbRE2Fe4As4O2 (RE = Sm, Tb, Dy, Ho) hybrid 12442-type iron-based superconducting compounds with particular emphasis on competing magnetic interactions and their effect on possible magneto-structural coupling and electronic structure. The stripe antiferromagnetic (sAFM) pattern across the xy plane emerges as the most favorable spin configuration for all the four compounds, with close competition among the different magnetic orders along the z-axis. The structural parameters, including arsenic heights, Fe-As-Fe angle, and other relevant factors that influence superconducting Tc and properties, closely match the experimental values in stripe antiferromagnetic arrangement of Fe spins. Geometry optimization with inclusion of explicit magnetic ordering predicts a spin–lattice coupling for all the four compounds, where a weak magneto–structural transition, a tetragonal-to-orthorhombic structural transition, takes place in the relaxed stripe antiferromagnetic spin configuration. Absence of any experimental evidence of such structural transition is possibly an indication of nematic transition in RE-12442 compounds. As a result of structural distortion, the lattice contracts (expands) along the direction with parallel (anti-parallel) alignment of Fe spins. Introduction of stripe antiferromagnetic order in Fe sub-lattice reconstructs the low-energy band structure, which results in significantly reduced number of bands crossing the Fermi level. Moreover, the dispersion of bands and their orbital characteristics also are severely modified in the stripe antiferromagnetic phase similar to BaFe2As2. Calculations of exchange parameters were performed for all the four compounds. Exchange coupling along the anti-parallel alignment of Fe spins J1a is larger than that for the parallel aligned spins J1b. A crossover between the super-exchange-driven in-plane next-nearest-neighbor exchange coupling J2 and in-plane exchange coupling J1a due to lanthanide substitution was found. A large super-exchange-driven next-nearest-neighbor exchange interaction is justified using the construction of 32 maximally localized Wannier functions, where the nearest-neighbor Fe-As hopping amplitudes were found to be larger than the nearest- and the next-nearest-neighbor Fe-Fe hopping amplitudes. We compare the hopping parameters in the stripe antiferromagnetic pattern with non-magnetic configuration, and increased hopping amplitude was found along the anti-parallel spin alignment with more majority-spin electrons in Fe dxz and dxy but not in Fe dyz. On the other hand, the hopping amplitudes are increased in stripe antiferromagnetic phase along the parallel spin alignment with more majority-spin electrons in only Fe dyz. This difference in hopping amplitudes in the stripe antiferromagnetic order enables more isotropic hopping.
Research on SVM-Based Bearing Fault Diagnosis Modeling and Multiple Swarm Genetic Algorithm Parameter Identification Method
Authors: Mo Changchun , Han Huizi , Liu Mei , Zhang Qinghua , Yang Tao , Zhang Fei
Published: June 2023

The bearing fault diagnosis of petrochemical rotating machinery faces the problems of large data volume, weak fault feature signal strength and susceptibility to noise interference. To solve these problems, current research presents a combined ICEEMDAN-wavelet threshold joint noise reduction, mutual dimensionless metrics and MPGA-SVM approach for rotating machinery bearing fault diagnosis. Firstly, we propose an improved joint noise-reduction method of an Improved Complete Ensemble Empirical Mode Decomposition with Adaptive Noise (ICEEMDAN) and wavelet thresholding. Moreover, the noise-reduced data are processed by mutual dimensionless processing to construct a mutual dimensionless index sensitive to bearing fault features and complete the fault feature extraction of the bearing signals. Furthermore, we design experiments on faulty bearings of multistage centrifugal fans in petrochemical rotating machinery and processed the input data set according to ICEEMDAN-wavelet threshold joint noise reduction and mutual dimensionless indexes for later validation of the model and algorithm. Finally, a support vector machine model used to effectively identify the bearing failures, and a multi-population genetic algorithm, is studied to optimize the relevant parameters of the support vector machine. The powerful global parallel search capability of the multigroup genetic algorithm is used to search for the penalty factor c and kernel parameter r that affect the classification performance of the support vector machine. The global optimal solutions of c and r are found in a short time to construct a multigroup genetic algorithm-support vector machine bearing fault diagnosis and identification model. The proposed model is verified to have 95.3% accuracy for the bearing fault diagnosis, and the training time is 11.1608 s, while the traditional GA-SVM has only 89.875% accuracy and the training time is 17.4612 s. Meanwhile, to exclude the influence of experimental data on the specificity of our method, the experimental validation of the Western Reserve University bearing failure open-source dataset was added, and the results showed that the accuracy could reach 97.1% with a training time of 14.2735 s, thus proving that the method proposed in our paper can achieve good results in practical applications.
Total Fractional-Order Variation-Based Constraint Image Deblurring Problem
Authors: Saleem Shahid , Ahmad Shahbaz , Kim Junseok
Published: June 2023

When deblurring an image, ensuring that the restored intensities are strictly non-negative is crucial. However, current numerical techniques often fail to consistently produce favorable results, leading to negative intensities that contribute to significant dark regions in the restored images. To address this, our study proposes a mathematical model for non-blind image deblurring based on total fractional-order variational principles. Our proposed model not only guarantees strictly positive intensity values but also imposes limits on the intensities within a specified range. By removing negative intensities or constraining them within the prescribed range, we can significantly enhance the quality of deblurred images. The key concept in this paper involves converting the constrained total fractional-order variational-based image deblurring problem into an unconstrained one through the introduction of the augmented Lagrangian method. To facilitate this conversion and improve convergence, we describe new numerical algorithms and introduce a novel circulant preconditioned matrix. This matrix effectively overcomes the slow convergence typically encountered when using the conjugate gradient method within the augmented Lagrangian framework. Our proposed approach is validated through computational tests, demonstrating its effectiveness and viability in practical applications.
Pain Assessment and Need for Analgesics after Scaling and Root Planing in Patients with Stage II and Stage III Periodontitis
Authors: Gufran Khalid , Khan Mohammad Shoyab , Alqahtani Abdullah Saad , Alnufaiy Banna
Published: June 2023

Background and Objectives: The most common treatment procedure for periodontitis and gingivitis is scaling and root planing, which is perceived as a painful dental treatment. The current study aimed to assess pain perception and analgesics consumption after scaling and root planing (SRP) in patients with stage II and stage III periodontitis. Materials and Methods: Before starting the SRP, all the periodontal parameters, such as probing depth (PD), bleeding on probing (BOP), and clinical attachment level (CAL), were measured. The anxiety level of the patients was also assessed using the modified dental anxiety scale (MDAS) questionnaire. Pain perception of the patients was recorded with the visual analog scale (VAS) after performing the SRP. Patients were asked to mark their pain level on the VAS sheet after two hours, four hours, eight hours, 24 h, and 48 h after the periodontal treatment. The following cut-off points were used for the pain intensity in the VAS: 0 = no pain, 1–4 = mild pain, 4–6 = moderate pain, and 7–10 = severe pain. Patients were advised to take analgesics if the pain was intolerable. Multivariate logistic regression was performed to conduct the association of all dependent variables and the pain perception of patients. A nonparametric Friedman test was conducted to assess pain perception at different times. Results: A total of 52 patients including 32 males and 20 females participated in the current study, with a mean age of 43.10 ± 12.33 years. Multivariate analyses showed that MDAS and analgesic consumption is significantly associated with pain perception. Other clinical variables are not associated with pain perception. The Friedman test exhibited that pain perception is significantly associated (p < 0.05) with time. Conclusions: Analgesic consumption and anxiety level are significantly associated with pain perception after SRP treatment.
Increasing the Efficiency of Synthetic Iron Production by the Use of New Kit Lining
Authors: Kukartsev Viktor Alekseevich , Trunova Alina Igorevna , Kukartsev Vladislav Viktorovich , Tynchenko Vadim Sergeevich , Kurashkin Sergei Olegovich , Tynchenko Yadviga Aleksandrovna , Vivián Ismael Flores , Bashmur Kirill Aleksandrovich
Published: June 2023

The production of synthetic iron castings in Russia comprises 50% of all alloys produced; therefore, increasing their smelting efficiency is an urgent task in the industry. This process depends primarily on the efficiency of industrial frequency induction crucible furnaces using acid lining. In the present study, the properties of quartzite, which forms the basis of such a lining, were investigated. An analysis of the proposed variants for changing the composition of the acid lining for use at temperatures of 1550–1600 °C was conducted. Following the preliminary temperature treatment of raw quartzite, which was then subjected to a sintering regime, we determined the conditions under which it was possible to obtain a phase state, allowing for the operation of the lining at temperatures above 1450 °C. We determined the use of an electrocorundum of two fractions as an additive to the traditional composition of the acid lining. The industrial testing of a new liner composition for the smelting of synthetic cast iron in an induction crucible melting furnace with a single steel scrap-metal filling was assessed, which required the use of an increased amount of carburizing agent. The positive results obtained can be explained by the study of the spent lining, which withstood 345 smelting methods of genophasic rent analysis. The results of the test are based on the results obtained in a study conducted on the finished coating of the product.
Recovery of Valuable Materials with the RecoDust Process
Authors: Reiter Wolfgang , Rieger Johannes , Raupenstrauch Harald , Cattini Luigi , Maystrenko Nikolay , Kovalev Denis , Alexey Alekseyev , Mitrofanov Artem
Published: June 2023

The RecoDust process is a pyrometallurgical process for treating steel mill dusts that cannot be recycled internally due to their zinc content, providing numerous benefits compared to conventional processes. State-of-the-art processes often face the problem of recycling only zinc, but not iron, which is frequently landfilled and withdrawn from a closed loop. Furthermore, these processes are also often limited to a specific zinc content in the feedstock. Within the described RecoDust smelting campaigns, basic oxygen converter dust with about 15 wt.% zinc was taken as feedstock. After high-temperature treatment of the input material, the RecoDust slag (RDS) has a zinc content of 0.4 wt.% and the crude zinc oxide (CZO) has a ZnO content of up to 80 wt.%. The RDS is suitable for use in the sinter plant as a secondary raw material. To investigate the influence of adding RDS to a common sintering mixture, sintering pot tests followed by RDI (reduction disintegration indices) tests were carried out. The influence of the admixture of RDS on the RDI values is not detectable. The CZO was fed into a soda extraction system for halogen removal. The halogen removal of this two-stage leaching was highly efficient with over 90% for chlorine.
Conocarpus lancifolius (Combretaceae): Pharmacological Effects, LC-ESI-MS/MS Profiling and In Silico Attributes
Authors: Khurm Muhammad , Guo Yuting , Wu Qingqing , Zhang Xinxin , Ghori Muhammad Umer , Rasool Muhammad Fawad , Imran Imran , Saqib Fatima , Wahid Muqeet , Guo Zengjun
Published: June 2023

In folklore medicine, Conocarpus lancifolius is used to treat various illnesses. The main objective of this study was a comprehensive investigation of Conocarpus lancifolius leaf aqueous extract (CLAE) for its antioxidant, cardioprotective, anxiolytic, antidepressant and memory-enhancing capabilities by using different in vitro, in vivo and in silico models. The in vitro experimentation revealed that CLAE consumed an ample amount of total phenolics (67.70 ± 0.15 µg GAE/mg) and flavonoids (47.54 ± 0.45 µg QE/mg) with stronger antiradical effects through DPPH (IC50 = 16.66 ± 0.42 µg/mL), TAC (77.33 ± 0.41 µg AAE/mg) and TRP (79.11 ± 0.67 µg GAE/mg) assays. The extract also displayed suitable acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitory (IC50 = 110.13 ± 1.71 µg/mL) activity through a modified Ellman’s method. The toxicology examination presented no mortality or any signs of clinical toxicity in both single-dose and repeated-dose tests. In line with the cardioprotective study, the pretreatment of CLAE was found to be effective in relieving the isoproterenol (ISO)-induced myocardial injury in rats by normalizing the heart weight index, serum cardiac biomarkers, lipid profile and various histopathological variations. In the noise-stress-induced model for behavior attributes, the results demonstrated that CLAE has the tendency to increase the time spent in the central zone and elevated open arms in the open field and elevated plus maze tests (examined for anxiety assessment), reduced periods of immobility in the forced swimming test (for depression) and improved recognition and working memory in the novel object recognition and Morris water maze tests, respectively. Moreover, the LC-ESI-MS/MS profiling predicted 53 phytocompounds in CLAE. The drug-likeness and ADMET analysis exhibited that the majority of the identified compounds have reasonable physicochemical and pharmacokinetic profiles. The co-expression of molecular docking and network analysis indicated that top-ranked CLAE phytoconstituents act efficiently against the key proteins and target multiple signaling pathways to exert its cardiovascular-protectant, anxiolytic, antidepressant and memory-enhancing activity. Hence, this artifact illustrates that the observed biological properties of CLAE elucidate its significance as a sustainable source of bioactive phytochemicals, which appears to be advantageous for pursuing further studies for the development of new therapeutic agents of desired interest.
Identification of Gentian-Related Species Based on Two-Dimensional Correlation Spectroscopy (2D-COS) Combined with Residual Neural Network (ResNet)
Authors: Wu Xunxun , Yang Xintong , Cheng Zhiyun , Li Suyun , Li Xiaokun , Zhang Haiyun , Diao Yong
Published: June 2023

Gentian is a traditional Chinese herb with heat-clearing, damp-drying, inflammation-alleviating and digestion-promoting effects, which is widely used in clinical practice. However, there are many species of gentian. According to the pharmacopoeia, Gentiana manshurica Kitag, Gentiana scabra Bge, Gentiana triflora Pall and Gentianarigescens Franch are included. Therefore, accurately identifying the species of gentian is important in clinical use. In recent years, with the advantages of low cost, convenience, fast analysis and high sensitivity, infrared spectroscopy (IR) has been extensively used in herbal identification. Unlike one-dimensional spectroscopy, a two-dimensional correlation spectrum (2D-COS) can improve the resolution of the spectrum and better highlight the details that are difficult to detect. In addition, the residual neural network (ResNet) is an important breakthrough in convolutional neural networks (CNNs) for significant advantages related to image recognition. Herein, we propose a new method for identifying gentian-related species using 2D-COS combined with ResNet. A total of 173 gentian samples from seven different species are collected in this study. In order to eliminate a large amount of redundant information and improve the efficiency of machine learning, the extracted feature band method was used to optimize the model. Four feature bands were selected from the infrared spectrum, namely 3500–3000 cm−1, 3000–2750 cm−1, 1750–1100 cm−1 and 1100–400 cm−1, respectively. The one-dimensional spectral data were converted into synchronous 2D-COS images, asynchronous 2D-COS images, and integrative 2D-COS images using Matlab (R2022a). The identification strategy for these three 2D-COS images was based on ResNet, which analyzes 2D-COS images based on single feature bands and full bands as well as fused feature bands. According to the results, (1) compared with the other two 2D-COS images, synchronous 2D-COS images are more suitable for the ResNet model, and (2) after extracting a single feature band 1750–1100 cm−1 to optimize ResNet, the model has the best convergence performance, the accuracy of training, test and external validation is 1 and the loss value is only 0.155. In summary, 2D-COS combined with ResNet is an effective and accurate method to identify gentian-related species.
The Progress on Magnetic Material Thin Films Prepared Using Polymer-Assisted Deposition
Authors: Ren Hongtao , Zhong Jing , Xiang Gang
Published: June 2023

Polymer-assisted deposition (PAD) has been widely used in the preparation of high-quality oxides and sulfides for basic research and applications. Specifically, diverse PAD-prepared magnetic material thin films such as ZnO, Ga2O3, SrRuO3, LaCoO3, LaMnO3, Y3Fe5O12, MoS2, MoSe2, and ReS2 thin films have been grown, in which thickness-dependent, strain-modulated, doping-mediated, and/or morphology-dependent room-temperature ferromagnetism (RTFM) have been explored. Inspired by the discovery of intrinsic low-temperature FM in two-dimensional (2D) systems prepared using mechanical exfoliation, the search for more convenient methods to prepare 2D ferromagnetic materials with high-temperature FM has seen explosive growth, but with little success. Fortunately, the very recent synthesis of 2D NiO by PAD has shed light on this challenge. Based on these abovementioned developments, the difficulties of PAD when preparing a-few-nanometer single-crystalline materials and the opportunities in PAD for novel materials such as chiral magnetic soliton material Cr1/3NbS2 are discussed.
Development of a Methodology for Determination of Dioxins and Dioxin-like PCBs in Meconium by Gas Chromatography Coupled to High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry (GC-HRMS)
Authors: Lacomba Iñaki , López Antonio , Hervàs-Ayala Raquel , Coscollà Clara
Published: June 2023

An analytical strategy was applied to investigate polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs), polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs), and dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (dl-PCBs) in newborn meconium samples. The methodology includes extraction by selective pressurized liquid extraction (SPLE), followed by a clean-up multicolumn step. The samples were injected by gas chromatography coupled to a high-resolution mass spectrometer (GC-HRMS). The surrogate recoveries ranged from 68% to 95%, and the average of the limit of quantification (LOQ) ranged from 0.03 to 0.08 pg g−1 wet weight (ww) for PCDD/Fs and 0.2 to 0.88 pg g−1 ww for dl-PCBs. The strategy was applied to 10 samples collected in Valencia (Spain) in 2022. In total, 18 out of 29 analysed congeners were detected in at least one sample, whereas 6 of them were detected in all the samples (OCDD, PCB-123, PCB-118, PCB-105, PCB-167, and PCB-156). The levels for the sum of the 17 congeners of PCDD/Fs and 12 congeners of dl-PCBs in the upper-bound (UB), expressed as picograms of toxic equivalency quantity (TEQ) per gram of ww, ranged from 0.19 to 0.31 pg TEQ g−1 ww.
Prediction of miRNA–Disease Associations by Cascade Forest Model Based on Stacked Autoencoder
Authors: Hu Xiang , Yin Zhixiang , Zeng Zhiliang , Peng Yu
Published: June 2023

Numerous pieces of evidence have indicated that microRNA (miRNA) plays a crucial role in a series of significant biological processes and is closely related to complex disease. However, the traditional biological experimental methods used to verify disease-related miRNAs are inefficient and expensive. Thus, it is necessary to design some excellent approaches to improve efficiency. In this work, a novel method (CFSAEMDA) is proposed for the prediction of unknown miRNA–disease associations (MDAs). Specifically, we first capture the interactive features of miRNA and disease by integrating multi-source information. Then, the stacked autoencoder is applied for obtaining the underlying feature representation. Finally, the modified cascade forest model is employed to complete the final prediction. The experimental results present that the AUC value obtained by our method is 97.67%. The performance of CFSAEMDA is superior to several of the latest methods. In addition, case studies conducted on lung neoplasms, breast neoplasms and hepatocellular carcinoma further show that the CFSAEMDA method may be regarded as a utility approach to infer unknown disease–miRNA relationships.
Porous Hierarchical Ni/Mg/Al Layered Double Hydroxide for Adsorption of Methyl Orange from Aqueous Solution
Authors: Waheed Tayyaba , Din Salah ud , Ming Lei , Ahmad Pervaiz , Min Pu , Haq Sirajul , Khandaker Mayeen Uddin , Boukhris Imed , Faruque Mohammad Rashed Iqbal , Rehman Fazal Ur , Din Israf Ud
Published: June 2023

A basic urea technique was successfully used to synthesize Mg/Al-Layered double hydroxides (Mg/Al LDHs), which were then calcined at 400 °C to form Mg/Al-Layered double oxides (Mg/Al LDOs). To reconstruct LDHs, Mg/Al LDOs were fabricated with different feeding ratios of Ni by the co-precipitation method. After synthesis, the Ni/Mg/Al-layered double hydroxides (NMA-LDHs) with 20% and 30% Ni (S1 and S2) were roasted at 400 °C and transformed into corresponding Ni/Mg/Al-layered double oxides (NMA-LDOs) (S1a and S2b, respectively). The physiochemical properties of synthesized samples were also evaluated by various characterization techniques, such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), and Brunauer, Emmett, and Teller (BET). The adsorption behavior of methyl orange (MO) onto the synthesized samples was evaluated in batch adsorption mode under varying conditions of contact time, adsorbent quantity, and solution pH. As the dosage amount increased from 0.01–0.04 g, the removal percentage of MO dye also increased from 83% to 90% for S1, 84% to 92% for S1a, 77% to 87% for S2, and 93% to 98% for S2b, respectively. For all of the samples, the adsorption kinetics were well described by the pseudo-second-order kinetic model. The equilibrium adsorption data were well fitted to both Langmuir and Freundlich models for methyl orange (MO). Finally, three adsorption-desorption cycles show that NMA-LDHs and NMA-LDOs have greater adsorption and reusability performance for MO dye, signifying that the design and fabrication strategy can facilitate the application of the natural hydrotalcite material in water remediation.
Progress of Nonmetallic Electrocatalysts for Oxygen Reduction Reactions
Authors: Che Zhongmei , Yuan Yanan , Qin Jianxin , Li Peixuan , Chen Yulei , Wu Yue , Ding Meng , Zhang Fei , Cui Min , Guo Yingshu , Wang Shuai
Published: June 2023

As a key role in hindering the large-scale application of fuel cells, oxygen reduction reaction has always been a hot issue and nodus. Aiming to explore state-of-art electrocatalysts, this paper reviews the latest development of nonmetallic catalysts in oxygen reduction reactions, including single atoms doped with carbon materials such as N, B, P or S and multi-doped carbon materials. Afterward, the remaining challenges and research directions of carbon-based nonmetallic catalysts are prospected.
Mediterranean Dietary Pattern and Psychosocial Health Problems in Spanish Adolescents: The EHDLA Study
Authors: Alfaro-González Sofía , Garrido-Miguel Miriam , Martínez-Vizcaíno Vicente , López-Gil José Francisco
Published: June 2023

The aims of the present study were twofold: to determine the association between adherence to the Mediterranean diet (MedDiet) and psychological problems and to assess the relationship between different food groups of the MedDiet and different patterns of psychosocial health problems in a sample of Spanish adolescents from the Valle de Ricote (Region of Murcia, Spain). This cross-sectional study included a representative sample of 700 adolescents (57% girls) between 12 and 17 years of age. Adherence to the MedDiet was assessed by the Mediterranean Diet Quality Index for Children and Teenagers (KIDMED). Psychosocial health problems were measured by the 25-item self-report version of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). ANCOVA models were used to test the mean differences in psychosocial health problems (SDQ subscales) by adherence to MedDiet categories (low, medium, and high). Multiple linear regression was used to determine the association between different food groups of the MedDiet and psychosocial health problems. Adolescents with low adherence to the MedDiet had significantly higher scores in SDQ total difficulties, conduct problems, and hyperactivity problems and lower scores in pro-social behavior (p < 0.05) than their peers with medium and high adherence to the MedDiet. In relation to specific MedDiet food groups, fruit, nut, and legume intake were associated with higher psychosocial health. However, sweets, skipping breakfast, or high consumption of pasta or rice (≥5 weeks) were associated to higher psychosocial health problems. Our results show that adolescents with higher adherence to the MedDiet could benefit from greater psychosocial health. Individually, some patterns of MedDiet, such as fruit, nut, and legume intake, may reduce psychosocial health problems. These cross-sectional results should be confirmed in longitudinal and intervention studies.
Phosphorus May Induce Phenotypic Transdifferentiation of Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells through the Reduction of microRNA-145
Authors: Fernández-Villabrille Sara , Martín-Carro Beatriz , Martín-Vírgala Julia , Alonso-Montes Cristina , Fernández-Fernández Alejandra , Martínez-Salgado Carlos , Fernández-Martín José L. , Naves-Díaz Manuel , Cannata-Andía Jorge B. , Carrillo-López Natalia , Panizo Sara
Published: June 2023

Phosphorus is a vital element for life found in most foods as a natural component, but it is also one of the most used preservatives added during food processing. High serum phosphorus contributes to develop vascular calcification in chronic kidney disease; however, it is not clear its effect in a population without kidney damage. The objective of this in vivo and in vitro study was to investigate the effect of high phosphorus exposure on the aortic and serum levels of miR-145 and its effect on vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMCs) changes towards less contractile phenotypes. The study was performed in aortas and serum from rats fed standard and high-phosphorus diets, and in VSMCs exposed to different concentrations of phosphorus. In addition, miR-145 silencing and overexpression experiments were carried out. In vivo results showed that in rats with normal renal function fed a high P diet, a significant increase in serum phosphorus was observed which was associated to a significant decrease in the aortic α-actin expression which paralleled the decrease in aortic and serum miR-145 levels, with no changes in the osteogenic markers. In vitro results using VSMCs corroborated the in vivo findings. High phosphorus first reduced miR-145, and afterwards α-actin expression. The miR-145 overexpression significantly increased α-actin expression and partially prevented the increase in calcium content. These results suggest that miR-145 could be an early biomarker of vascular calcification, which could give information about the initiation of the transdifferentiation process in VSMCs.
Probiotics and Postbiotics as an Alternative to Antibiotics: An Emphasis on Pigs
Authors: Ali Md. Sekendar , Lee Eon-Bee , Hsu Walter H. , Suk Kyoungho , Sayem Syed Al Jawad , Ullah H. M. Arif , Lee Seung-Jin , Park Seung-Chun
Published: June 2023

Probiotics are being used as feed/food supplements as an alternative to antibiotics. It has been demonstrated that probiotics provide several health benefits, including preventing diarrhea, irritable bowel syndrome, and immunomodulation. Alongside probiotic bacteria-fermented foods, the different structural components, such as lipoteichoic acids, teichoic acids, peptidoglycans, and surface-layer proteins, offer several advantages. Probiotics can produce different antimicrobial components, enzymes, peptides, vitamins, and exopolysaccharides. Besides live probiotics, there has been growing interest in consuming inactivated probiotics in farm animals, including pigs. Several reports have shown that live and killed probiotics can boost immunity, modulate intestinal microbiota, improve feed efficiency and growth performance, and decrease the incidence of diarrhea, positioning them as an interesting strategy as a potential feed supplement for pigs. Therefore, effective selection and approach to the use of probiotics might provide essential features of using probiotics as an important functional feed for pigs. This review aimed to systematically investigate the potential effects of lactic acid bacteria in their live and inactivated forms on pigs.
Humanized Mice for Studies of HIV-1 Persistence and Elimination
Authors: Zhang Chen , Zaman Lubaba A. , Poluektova Larisa Y. , Gorantla Santhi , Gendelman Howard E. , Dash Prasanta K.
Published: June 2023

A major roadblock to achieving a cure for human immunodeficiency virus type one (HIV-1) is the persistence of latent viral infections in the cells and tissue compartments of an infected human host. Latent HIV-1 proviral DNA persists in resting memory CD4+ T cells and mononuclear phagocytes (MPs; macrophages, microglia, and dendritic cells). Tissue viral reservoirs of both cell types reside in the gut, lymph nodes, bone marrow, spleen, liver, kidney, skin, adipose tissue, reproductive organs, and brain. However, despite the identification of virus-susceptible cells, several limitations persist in identifying broad latent reservoirs in infected persons. The major limitations include their relatively low abundance, the precise identification of latently infected cells, and the lack of biomarkers for identifying latent cells. While primary MP and CD4+ T cells and transformed cell lines are used to interrogate mechanisms of HIV-1 persistence, they often fail to accurately reflect the host cells and tissue environments that carry latent infections. Given the host specificity of HIV-1, there are few animal models that replicate the natural course of viral infection with any precision. These needs underlie the importance of humanized mouse models as both valuable and cost-effective tools for studying viral latency and subsequently identifying means of eliminating it. In this review, we discuss the advantages and limitations of humanized mice for studies of viral persistence and latency with an eye toward using these models to test antiretroviral and excision therapeutics. The goals of this research are to use the models to address how and under which circumstances HIV-1 latency can be detected and eliminated. Targeting latent reservoirs for an ultimate HIV-1 cure is the task at hand.
A Scoping Review and Meta-Analysis of Anti-CGRP Monoclonal Antibodies: Predicting Response
Authors: Hong Ja Bin , Lange Kristin Sophie , Overeem Lucas Hendrik , Triller Paul , Raffaelli Bianca , Reuter Uwe
Published: June 2023

Calcitonin gene-related peptide-targeted monoclonal antibodies (CGRP mAbs) are increasingly being used as preventive treatments for migraine. Their effectiveness and safety were established through numerous randomized placebo-controlled trials and real-world studies, yet a significant proportion of patients do not respond to this treatment, and currently, there is a lack of accepted predictors of response to guide expectations, as data from studies so far are lacking and inconsistent. We searched Embase and MEDLINE databases for studies reporting on predictors of response to CGRP and/or CGRP-receptor (CGRP-R) mAbs, defined as a 30% or 50% reduction in monthly headache or migraine days at varying durations of follow-up. Quantitative synthesis was performed where applicable. We found 38 real-world studies that investigated the association between various predictors and response rates. Based on these studies, good response to triptans and unilateral pain with or without unilateral autonomic symptoms are predictors of a good response to CGRP(-R) mAbs. Conversely, obesity, interictal allodynia, the presence of daily headaches, a higher number of non-successful previous prophylactic medications, and psychiatric comorbidities including depression are predictive of a poor response to CGRP(-R) mAbs. Future studies should confirm these results and help to generate more tailored treatment strategies in patients with migraine.
Biomimetic Cell-Derived Nanoparticles: Emerging Platforms for Cancer Immunotherapy
Authors: Hu Tingting , Huang Yuezhou , Liu Jing , Shen Chao , Wu Fengbo , He Zhiyao
Published: June 2023

Cancer immunotherapy can significantly prevent tumor growth and metastasis by activating the autoimmune system without destroying normal cells. Although cancer immunotherapy has made some achievements in clinical cancer treatment, it is still restricted by systemic immunotoxicity, immune cell dysfunction, cancer heterogeneity, and the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (ITME). Biomimetic cell-derived nanoparticles are attracting considerable interest due to their better biocompatibility and lower immunogenicity. Moreover, biomimetic cell-derived nanoparticles can achieve different preferred biological effects due to their inherent abundant source cell-relevant functions. This review summarizes the latest developments in biomimetic cell-derived nanoparticles for cancer immunotherapy, discusses the applications of each biomimetic system in cancer immunotherapy, and analyzes the challenges for clinical transformation.