bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Low-Pressure Microwave Plasma Reduction of Iron and Copper Salt Compounds at Low Temperatures for Oxidation State Alteration and Functional Applications
Authors: Weber Mirco , Scheglov Anna , Dörries Wiebke , Meyer Johann Benedikt , Viöl Wolfgang
Published: April 2023

The influence of plasma-reduction treatment on iron and copper compounds at different oxidation states was investigated in this study. For this purpose, reduction experiments were carried out with artificially generated patina on metal sheets and with metal salt crystals of iron(II) sulfate (FeSO4), iron(III) chloride (FeCl3), and copper(II) chloride (CuCl2), as well as with the metal salt thin films of these compounds. All the experiments were carried out under cold low-pressure microwave plasma conditions; the main focus was on plasma reduction at a low pressure in order to evaluate an implementable process in a parylene-coating device. Usually, plasma is used within the parylene-coating process as a supporting tool for adhesion improvement and micro-cleaning efforts. This article offers another useful application for implementing plasma treatment as a reactive medium in order to apply different functionalities by an alteration in the oxidation state. The effect of microwave plasmas on metal surfaces and metal composite materials has been widely studied. In contrast, this work deals with metal salt surfaces generated from a solution and the influence of microwave plasma on metal chlorides and sulfates. While the plasma reduction of metal compounds commonly succeeds with hydrogen-containing plasmas at high temperatures, this study shows a new reduction process that reduces iron salts at temperatures between 30 and 50 °C. A novelty of this study is the alteration in the redox state of the base and noble metal materials within a parylene-coating device with the help of an implemented microwave generator. Another novelty of this study is treating metal salt thin layers for reduction purposes in order to provide the opportunity to include subsequent coating experiments to create parylene metal multilayers. Another new aspect of this study is the adapted reduction process of thin metal salt layers consisting of either noble or base metals, with an air plasma pre-treatment prior to the hydrogen-containing plasma-reduction procedure.
Plasmon-Assisted Trapping of Single Molecules in Nanogap
Authors: Wang Maoning , Zhang Jieyi , Adijiang Adila , Zhao Xueyan , Tan Min , Xu Xiaona , Zhang Surong , Zhang Wei , Zhang Xinyue , Wang Haoyu , Xiang Dong
Published: April 2023

The manipulation of single molecules has attracted extensive attention because of their promising applications in chemical, biological, medical, and materials sciences. Optical trapping of single molecules at room temperature, a critical approach to manipulating the single molecule, still faces great challenges due to the Brownian motions of molecules, weak optical gradient forces of laser, and limited characterization approaches. Here, we put forward localized surface plasmon (LSP)-assisted trapping of single molecules by utilizing scanning tunneling microscope break junction (STM-BJ) techniques, which could provide adjustable plasmonic nanogap and characterize the formation of molecular junction due to plasmonic trapping. We find that the plasmon-assisted trapping of single molecules in the nanogap, revealed by the conductance measurement, strongly depends on the molecular length and the experimental environments, i.e., plasmon could obviously promote the trapping of longer alkane-based molecules but is almost incapable of acting on shorter molecules in solutions. In contrast, the plasmon-assisted trapping of molecules can be ignored when the molecules are self-assembled (SAM) on a substrate independent of the molecular length.
Microstructural, Mechanical, and Tribological Performances of Composites Prepared via Melt Compounding of Polyamide 6, Basalt Fibers, and Styrene–Ethylene–Butylene–Styrene Copolymer
Authors: Zheng Qiaolie , Wang Bin , Li Xiping , Xiao Xiangde , Jin Huimei , Zhang Hongwei , Zhao Yuan
Published: April 2023

Basalt fibers (BFs) are environmentally friendly materials characterized by high strength and good wear resistance, and thus are popular candidates for reinforcing polymers. Herein, polyamide 6 (PA 6), BFs, and the styrene–ethylene–butylene–styrene (SEBS) copolymer were melt compounded sequentially to prepare fiber-reinforced PA 6-based composites. The results showed improved mechanical and tribological performances via the incorporation of BFs and SEBS into PA 6. Compared to neat PA 6, an average 83% increase in notched impact strength was achieved for the PA 6/SEBS/BF composites, which is mainly due to the good miscibility between SEBS and PA 6. The tensile strength of the composites, however, was only increased moderately, since the weak interfacial adhesion was not sufficiently efficient to transfer the load from the PA 6 matrix to the BFs. Interestingly, the wear rates of both the PA 6/SEBS blend and the PA 6/SEBS/BF composites were obviously lower than those of the neat PA 6. The PA 6/SEBS/BF composite with 10 wt.% of the BFs exhibited the lowest wear rate of 2.7 × 10−5 mm3/N·m, which was decreased by 95% compared to that of the neat PA 6. The facilitation of forming tribo-film with SEBS and the naturally good wear resistance of the BFs were responsible for the largely decreased wear rate. Moreover, the incorporation of SEBS and BFs into the PA 6 matrix transformed the wear mechanism from adhesive wear to abrasive wear.
Transient and Steady-State Performance Improvement of IM Drives Based on Dual-Torque Model
Authors: Chen Xinyu , Gong Pingping
Published: April 2023

Transient response performance and steady-state operation performance are the two most important performance indicators of a motor drive system. In order to solve these two problems, this study proposes a new induction motor (IM) model, and then designs a new simplified linearization controller method. First, the tangential force that determines the transient process of the motor is represented by electromagnetic torque, and the radial force is represented by reactive torque. Then, the dual-torque model of IM is derived, which not only accurately shows the rotating air-gap magnetic field through the amplitude and rotating angular frequency, but also visually demonstrates the physical essence of the transient process of IM. Then, this study proposes a simplified feedback linearization method without the analysis of zero dynamic. In addition, a time-scale hierarchical control system is designed to reduce the ripple caused by the coupling of different time-scale variables. The experimental results show that the steady-state torque ripple of the proposed method is 65% lower than that of RFOC, and the torque response speed is 10% higher than that of DTC.
POFCM: A Parallel Fuzzy Clustering Algorithm for Large Datasets
Authors: Pérez-Ortega Joaquín , Rey-Figueroa César David , Roblero-Aguilar Sandra Silvia , Almanza-Ortega Nelva Nely , Zavala-Díaz Crispín , García-Paredes Salomón , Landero-Nájera Vanesa
Published: April 2023

Clustering algorithms have proven to be a useful tool to extract knowledge and support decision making by processing large volumes of data. Hard and fuzzy clustering algorithms have been used successfully to identify patterns and trends in many areas, such as finance, healthcare, and marketing. However, these algorithms significantly increase their solution time as the size of the datasets to be solved increase, making their use unfeasible. In this sense, the parallel processing of algorithms has proven to be an efficient alternative to reduce their solution time. It has been established that the parallel implementation of algorithms requires its redesign to optimise the hardware resources of the platform that will be used. In this article, we propose a new parallel implementation of the Hybrid OK-Means Fuzzy C-Means (HOFCM) algorithm, which is an efficient variant of Fuzzy C-Means, in OpenMP. An advantage of using OpenMP is its scalability. The efficiency of the implementation is compared against the HOFCM algorithm. The experimental results of processing large real and synthetic datasets show that our implementation tends to more efficiently solve instances with a large number of clusters and dimensions. Additionally, the implementation shows excellent results concerning speedup and parallel efficiency metrics. Our main contribution is a Fuzzy clustering algorithm for large datasets that is scalable and not limited to a specific domain.
A Two-Phase Approach to Routing a Mixed Fleet with Intermediate Depots
Authors: Ding Nan , Li Manman , Hao Jianming
Published: April 2023

The adoption of all-electric vehicles (EVs) has grown rapidly in the transportation industry, particularly for urban parcel deliveries. However, the limited driving range of EVs and the high investment cost of establishing charging infrastructures are still the holdbacks to routing these EVs. In this paper, we present the vehicle routing problem of a mixed fleet of EVs and conventional vehicles (CVs) via intermediate depots as an alternative strategy to address the challenges, with CVs delivering parcels from the central depot to intermediate depots and EVs delivering parcels from intermediate depots to customers. In addition, we propose an intelligent dispatching scheme to allow EVs to be used for multiple routes. A two-phase approach is developed to first cluster the customers to the intermediate depots and then route the mixed fleet. The strategy is implemented for both small- and large-sized instances, and the results show that using an intelligent dispatching scheme can significantly reduce the number of EVs used. Furthermore, the use of smaller-range EVs is also investigated., and a discussion of potential implementation issues is provided.
Analysis of Generalized Nonlinear Quadrature for Novel Fractional-Order Chaotic Systems Using Sinc Shape Function
Authors: Mustafa Abdelfattah , Salama Reda S. , Mohamed Mokhtar
Published: April 2023

This paper introduces the generalized fractional differential quadrature method, which is based on the generalized Caputo type and is used for the first time to solve nonlinear fractional differential equations. One of the effective shape functions of this method is the Cardinal Sine shape function, which is used in combination with the fractional operator of the generalized Caputo kind to convert nonlinear fractional differential equations into a nonlinear algebraic system. The nonlinearity problem is then solved using an iterative approach. Numerical results for a variety of chaotic systems are introduced using the MATLAB program and compared with previous theoretical and numerical results to ensure their reliability, convergence, accuracy, and efficiency. The fractional parameters play an effective role in studying the proposed problems. The achieved solutions prove the viability of the presented method and demonstrate that this method is easy to implement, effective, highly accurate, and appropriate for studying fractional differential equations emerging in fields related to chaotic systems and generalized Caputo-type fractional problems in the future.
Redesigning Embedding Layers for Queries, Keys, and Values in Cross-Covariance Image Transformers
Authors: Ahn  Jaesin , Hong Jiuk , Ju Jeongwoo , Jung Heechul
Published: April 2023

There are several attempts in vision transformers to reduce quadratic time complexity to linear time complexity according to increases in the number of tokens. Cross-covariance image transformers (XCiT) are also one of the techniques utilized to address the issue. However, despite these efforts, the increase in token dimensions still results in quadratic growth in time complexity, and the dimension is a key parameter for achieving superior generalization performance. In this paper, a novel method is proposed to improve the generalization performances of XCiT models without increasing token dimensions. We redesigned the embedding layers of queries, keys, and values, such as separate non-linear embedding (SNE), partially-shared non-linear embedding (P-SNE), and fully-shared non-linear embedding (F-SNE). Finally, a proposed structure with different model size settings achieved 71.4%,77.8%, and 82.1% on ImageNet-1k compared with 69.9%,77.1%, and 82.0% acquired by the original XCiT models, namely XCiT-N12, XCiT-T12, and XCiT-S12, respectively. Additionally, the proposed model achieved 94.8% in transfer learning experiments, on average, for CIFAR-10, CIFAR-100, Stanford Cars, and STL-10, which is superior to the baseline model of XCiT-S12 (94.5%). In particular, the proposed models demonstrated considerable improvements on the out-of-distribution detection task compared to the original XCiT models.
A Genomic and Transcriptomic Analysis of the C-Type Lectin Gene Family Reveals Highly Expanded and Diversified Repertoires in Bivalves
Authors: Saco Amaro , Suárez Hugo , Novoa Beatriz , Figueras Antonio
Published: April 2023

C-type lectins belong to a widely conserved family of lectins characterized in Metazoa. They show important functional diversity and immune implications, mainly as pathogen recognition receptors. In this work, C-type lectin-like proteins (CTLs) of a set of metazoan species were analyzed, revealing an important expansion in bivalve mollusks, which contrasted with the reduced repertoires of other mollusks, such as cephalopods. Orthology relationships demonstrated that these expanded repertoires consisted of CTL subfamilies conserved within Mollusca or Bivalvia and of lineage-specific subfamilies with orthology only between closely related species. Transcriptomic analyses revealed the importance of the bivalve subfamilies in mucosal immunity, as they were mainly expressed in the digestive gland and gills and modulated with specific stimuli. CTL domain-containing proteins that had additional domains (CTLDcps) were also studied, revealing interesting gene families with different conservation degrees of the CTL domain across orthologs from different taxa. Unique bivalve CTLDcps with specific domain architectures were revealed, corresponding to uncharacterized bivalve proteins with putative immune function according to their transcriptomic modulation, which could constitute interesting targets for functional characterization.
A Need for Improvement in the Definition of Resistant Arterial Hypertension
Authors: Koracevic Goran , Micic Sladjana , Stojanovic Milovan , Zdravkovic Marija
Published: April 2023

With the medical and social importance of resistant arterial hypertension (HTN) in mind, we had three goals in this paper: to study the definitions of resistant HTN in the guidelines on the topic, to analyze them, and to suggest some improvements. We found (at least) eleven insufficiencies in the definition of resistant HTN: (1) different blood pressure (BP) values are used for diagnoses; (2) the number of BP measurements is not specified; (3) the time-frame for the definition is not obtained; (4) it fails to provide normal or target or controlled BP values; (5) secondary HTN is not currently defined as true resistant HTN, but as apparently treatment-resistant HTN; (6) the definition usually directly incorporates BP cut-offs for systolic BP (sBP) and diastolic BP (dBP) making the diagnosis temporary; (7) stress is not included in the exclusion strategy for resistant HTN; (8) there is potentially a need to introduce a category of recovered resistant HTN; (9) to what degree do healthy lifestyle measures have to be fulfilled to consider it as sufficient to change the diagnosis from “apparent treatment-resistant HTN” to the “resistant HTN”; (10) sBP values normal-for-the-age for 61 and 81 year old patients in some guidelines fulfill the criterion for resistant HTN; (11) it probably ought to read “In the absence of contraindications and compelling indications…” in the others. We believe that it is better to use the phrase “above the target BP” for the definition of (treatment) resistant HTN, because the whole story of resistant HTN is related to non-responders to antihypertensive treatment. Therefore, as we treat to target and not to normal values, it is appropriate to define resistant HTN as an insufficiency to reach the target BP values. Moreover, the definition of (treatment) resistant HTN should not be universal for every patient with HTN, but it should be age-related: (treatment) resistant HTN is elevated BP over the target/normal BP values. Using this modification, there will be no need to automatically change the definition of resistant HTN when we change the BP targets in the future.
Binding Behavior between Transforming-Growth-Factor-Beta1 and Its Receptor Reconstituted in Biomimetic Membranes
Authors: Shin Gounhanul , Hadinoto Kunn , Lee Sungmun , Park Jin-Won
Published: April 2023

Transforming growth factor β1 (TGF-β1) is critical to cell differentiation, proliferation, and apoptosis. It is important to understand the binding affinity between TGF-β1 and its receptors. In this study, their binding force was measured using an atomic force microscope. Significant adhesion was induced by the interaction between the TGF-β1 immobilized on the tip and its receptor reconstituted in the bilayer. Rupture and adhesive failure occurred at a specific force around 0.4~0.5 nN. The relationship of the force to loading rate was used to estimate the displacement where the rupture occurred. The binding was also monitored in real time with surface plasmon resonance (SPR) and interpreted with kinetics to acquire the rate constant. Using the Langmuir adsorption, the SPR data were analyzed to estimate equilibrium and association constants to be approximately 107 M−1 and 106 M−1 s−1. These results indicated that the natural release of the binding seldom occurred. Furthermore, the degree of binding dissociation, confirmed by the rupture interpretation, supported that the reverse of the binding hardly happened.
Microstructural and Texture Evolution of Pearlite-Drawn Wires for Flexible Marine Pipelines: Investigating the Effect of Heat Treatments on Mechanical Properties
Authors: Pinheiro Pedro H. , Masoumi Mohammad , Herculano Luís Flávio G. , Xavier João Victor B. , de Lima Samille Kricia B. , Silva Eden S. , Reis Gedeon S. , Rodrigues Samuel F. , de Abreu Hamilton F. Gomes
Published: April 2023

Flexible pipelines connect offshore platforms to subsea production systems due to their high flexibility, applicability, and recycling. Flexible armor layers in flexible pipelines are constructed using the parallel helical wrapping of several rectangular wires. The complex stress modes to which pipelines are subjected provide complex failure modes that are mostly unpredictable, requiring expensive pipeline integrity verification methods. This work investigates texture and microstructure evolution in pearlite-drawn wires due to different heat treatments. The material was subjected to annealing and isothermal heat treatments to obtain changes in its microstructure and texture. The changes were characterized using SEM, XRD, and EBSD techniques. Samples were subjected to tensile testing to evaluate their mechanical properties. This work revealed that annealing and isothermal treatments mainly modify the material microstructure, whereas annealing provides a material with grains with ease of deformation. In contrast, isothermal treatment provides grain growth with high internal energy and more deformation resistance. Annealing increases the intensity of all texture components, while isothermal treatment reduces intensity. These findings provide insights into the relationship between material properties and heat treatments, which can be used to optimize the design and performance of flexible pipelines, thereby reducing the need for expensive integrity verification methods.
Automated Industrial Composite Fiber Orientation Inspection Using Attention-Based Normalized Deep Hough Network
Authors: Xu Yuanye , Zhang Yinlong , Liang Wei
Published: April 2023

Fiber-reinforced composites (FRC) are widely used in various fields due to their excellent mechanical properties. The mechanical properties of FRC are significantly governed by the orientation of fibers in the composite. Automated visual inspection is the most promising method in measuring fiber orientation, which utilizes image processing algorithms to analyze the texture images of FRC. The deep Hough Transform (DHT) is a powerful image processing method for automated visual inspection, as the “line-like” structures of the fiber texture in FRC can be efficiently detected. However, the DHT still suffers from sensitivity to background anomalies and longline segments anomalies, which leads to degraded performance of fiber orientation measurement. To reduce the sensitivity to background anomalies and longline segments anomalies, we introduce the deep Hough normalization. It normalizes the accumulated votes in the deep Hough space by the length of the corresponding line segment, making it easier for DHT to detect short, true “line-like” structures. To reduce the sensitivity to background anomalies, we design an attention-based deep Hough network (DHN) that integrates attention network and Hough network. The network effectively eliminates background anomalies, identifies important fiber regions, and detects their orientations in FRC images. To better investigate the fiber orientation measurement methods of FRC in real-world scenarios with various types of anomalies, three datasets have been established and our proposed method has been evaluated extensively on them. The experimental results and analysis prove that the proposed methods achieve the competitive performance against the state-of-the-art in F-measure, Mean Absolute Error (MAE), Root Mean Squared Error (RMSE).
Near-Field Beam Training in Terahertz Communications with Hybrid Beamforming Architecture
Authors: Xie Yuxin , Ning Boyu , Li Lingxiang , Chen Zhi
Published: April 2023

Terahertz (THz) communication has a large available bandwidth, which is expected to be deployed in future communication networks. As THz wave suffers from severe propagation loss in wireless transmission, we consider a THz near-field scenario where a base station (BS) is equipped with a large-scale antenna array with a low-cost hybrid beamforming architecture to serve mobile users nearby. However, the large-scale array and the user mobility incur difficulty in channel estimation. To tackle this issue, we propose a near-field beam training scheme that can align a beam to the user in a fast way by searching the codebook. Specifically, the BS employs a uniform circular array (UCA), and the radiation pattern of the beams in our proposed codebook appears as ellipsoids. To cover the serving zone with the minimum codebook size, we develop a near-field codebook by tangent arrangement approach (TAA). To reduce the time overhead, we leverage the hybrid beamforming architecture to realize multi-beam training concurrently since each RF chain can enable a codeword whose element has a constant magnitude. Numerical results validate that our proposed UCA near-field codebook achieves less time cost while achieving a comparable coverage performance compared to the conventional near-field codebook.
Creating Stretchable Electronics from Dual Layer Flex-PCB for Soft Robotic Cardiac Mapping Catheters
Authors: Lahcen Abdellatif Ait , Caprio Alexandre , Hsue Weihow , Tschabrunn Cory , Liu Christopher , Mosadegh Bobak , Dunham Simon
Published: April 2023

The authors present in this study the development of a novel method for creating stretchable electronics from dual-layer flex printed circuit boards (flex-PCBs) as a platform for soft robotic sensor arrays (SRSAs) for cardiac voltage mapping applications. There is a crucial need for devices that utilize multiple sensors and provide high performance signal acquisition for cardiac mapping. Previously, our group demonstrated how single-layer flex-PCB can be postprocessed to create a stretchable electronic sensing array. In this work, a detailed fabrication process for creating a dual-layer multielectrode flex-PCB SRSA is presented, along with relevant parameters to achieve optimal postprocessing with a laser cutter. The dual-layer flex-PCB SRSA’s ability to acquire electrical signals is demonstrated both in vitro as well as in vivo on a Leporine cardiac surface. These SRSAs could be extended into full-chamber cardiac mapping catheter applications. Our results show a significant contribution towards the scalable use of dual-layer flex-PCB for stretchable electronics.
Diagnostic Performance of Different Laboratory Methods for the Detection of Extrapulmonary Tuberculosis
Authors: Uddin Mohammad Khaja Mafij , Ather Md. Fahim , Kabir Senjuti , Rahman Arfatur , Choudhury Sabrina , Nasrin Rumana , Rahman Tanjina , Rahman S. M. Mazidur , Ahmed Shahriar , Banu Sayera
Published: April 2023

Accurate and appropriate extrapulmonary tuberculosis (EPTB) diagnosis remains challenging due to its paucibacillary nature, requirement of invasive collection procedures, and lack of sensitive tests. This study investigated the diagnostic performance of different methods for the diagnosis of EPTB. A total of 1340 EPTB specimens were collected from presumptive EPTB patients from four different hospitals between November 2015 and March 2017. The collected specimens were tested with AFB microscopy, culture, Xpert MTB/RIF assay (Xpert), and MTBDRplus assay. Among the 1340 EPTB specimens, 49 (3.66%), 141 (10.52%), 166 (12.39%), and 154 (11.49%) were positive in AFB microscopy, culture, Xpert MTB/RIF, and MTBDRplus assay, respectively. A total of 194 (14.9%) cases were found positive in at least one of these methods. Using culture as a reference standard, the sensitivity and specificity of AFB microscopy, Xpert MTB/RIF, and MTBDRplus assay were: 27.0%/99.1%, 83.7%/96.0%, and 79.4%/96.5%, respectively. Compared to the composite reference standard, the sensitivity of culture, AFB microscopy, Xpert MTB/RIF, and MTBDRplus assay was 72.7%, 25.3%, 85.6%, and 79.4%, respectively, with a specificity of 100% for all the methods. The Xpert MTB/RIF assay showed the highest sensitivity compared to other methods. Considering the short turnaround time and promising findings, Xpert MTB/RIF assay should be integrated into national TB guidelines as a routine diagnostic test.
Selected Gut Bacteria from Water Monitor Lizard Exhibit Effects against Pathogenic Acanthamoeba castellanii Belonging to the T4 Genotype
Authors: Akbar Noor , Khan Naveed Ahmed , Giddey Alexander D. , Soares Nelson C. , Alharbi Ahmad M. , Alfahemi Hasan , Siddiqui Ruqaiyyah
Published: April 2023

Water monitor lizards (WMLs) reside in unhygienic and challenging ecological surroundings and are routinely exposed to various pathogenic microorganisms. It is possible that their gut microbiota produces substances to counter microbial infections. Here we determine whether selected gut bacteria of water monitor lizards (WMLs) possess anti-amoebic properties using Acanthamoeba castellanii of the T4 genotype. Conditioned media (CM) were prepared from bacteria isolated from WML. The CM were tested using amoebicidal, adhesion, encystation, excystation, cell cytotoxicity and amoeba-mediated host cell cytotoxicity assays in vitro. Amoebicidal assays revealed that CM exhibited anti-amoebic effects. CM inhibited both excystation and encystation in A. castellanii. CM inhibited amoebae binding to and cytotoxicity of host cells. In contrast, CM alone showed limited toxic effects against human cells in vitro. Mass spectrometry revealed several antimicrobials, anticancer, neurotransmitters, anti-depressant and other metabolites with biological functions. Overall, these findings imply that bacteria from unusual places, such as WML gut, produce molecules with anti-acanthamoebic capabilities.
Growth and Decay of Fecal Indicator Bacteria and Changes in the Coliform Composition on the Top Surface Sand of Coastal Beaches during the Rainy Season
Authors: Tamai Soichiro , Shimamoto Hiroshi , Nukazawa Kei , Suzuki Yoshihiro
Published: April 2023

High counts of bacteria are present in beach sand, and human health threats attributable to contact with sand have been reported. In this study, we investigated fecal indicator bacteria in the top surface sand of coastal beaches. Monitoring investigations were performed during a monsoon when rainfall occurs randomly, and the composition of the coliforms was analyzed. The coliform count in the top surface sand (depth < 1 cm) increased by approximately 100 fold (26–2.23 × 103 CFU/100 g) with increasing water content because of precipitation. The composition of the coliforms in the top surface sand changed within 24 h of rainfall, with Enterobacter comprising more than 40% of the coliforms. Estimation of factors that changed the bacterial counts and composition revealed that coliform counts tended to increase with increasing water content in the top surface sand. However, the abundance of Enterobacter was independent of the sand surface temperature and water content. Coliform counts in the top surface sand rapidly increased and the composition showed remarkable variations because of the supply of water to the beach following rainfall. Among them, some bacteria with suspected pathogenicity were present. Controlling bacteria in coastal beaches is important for improving public health for beachgoers.
Characteristics of Seltorexant—Innovative Agent Targeting Orexin System for the Treatment of Depression and Anxiety
Authors: Ziemichód Wojciech , Kurowska Antonina , Grabowska Karolina , Kurowska Michalina , Biała Grażyna
Published: April 2023

Twenty-five years have passed since the discovery of the orexin system, during which time we have learned more and more about it. A number of studies have been conducted showing the role of the orexin system in insomnia, as well as its potential use in the treatment of obesity and depression. In this review, we present the role of the orexin system in the development of depressive illness and show the characteristics of seltorexant, a potential drug for the treatment of depression. This review describes the structure and synthesis of the compound as well as its pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics. Pre-clinical and clinical studies are also described, including side effects. There is evidence that the use of seltorexant is considered safe, with no clear or major clinically significant side effects, which makes it a promising candidate for the treatment of depression and anxiety disorders.
Biochemical Profile and In Vitro Therapeutic Properties of Two Euhalophytes, Halocnemum strobilaceum Pall. and Suaeda fruticosa (L.) Forske., Grown in the Sabkha Ecosystem in the Algerian Sahara
Authors: Gheraissa Noura , Chemsa Ahmed Elkhalifa , Cherrada Nezar , Erol Ebru , Elsharkawy Eman Ramadan , Ghemam-Amara Djilani , Zeghoud Soumeia , Rebiai Abdelkrim , Messaoudi Mohammed , Sawicka Barbara , Atanassova Maria , Abdel-Kader Maged S.
Published: April 2023

This study reports the biochemical profile and in vitro biological activities of the aerial part of two shrubs: Halocnemum strobilaceum and Suaeda fruticosa, a halophytes species native to saline habitats. The biomass was evaluated by determining its physiological properties and approximate composition. Hydro-methanolic extracts from Halocnemum strobilaceum and Suaeda fruticosa have been investigated for the inhibition of bacterial growth, the protection of proteins (albumin) from denaturation, and cytotoxicity to hepatocellular carcinomas (Huh-7 and HepG2). Their antioxidant activity was evaluated by five tests, including one that examined their ability to inhibit hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)-induced hemolysis. The profile of their phenolic compounds was also determined. These two euhalophytes had a high moisture content, high levels of photosynthetic pigments, elevated levels of ash and protein, low oxidative damage indices, MDA (Malondialdehyde) and proline, and low lipids levels. Their content was also characterized by a moderate acidity with good electrical conductivity. They contained abundant levels of phytochemicals and varied phenolic contents. Reverse phase high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) analysis revealed the presence of caffeic acid, p-coumaric acid, rutin, and quercetin in both plant extracts. On the pharmaceutical level, the two euhalophytes had anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antioxidant, and cytotoxic properties, and therefore it was recommended to isolate and identify biologically active compounds from these plants and evaluate them in vivo.
Molecular Docking and Simulation-Binding Analysis of Plant Phytochemicals with the Hepatocellular Carcinoma Targets Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor and Caspase-9
Authors: Mustafa Ghulam , Younas Shumaila , Mahrosh Hafiza Salaha , Albeshr Mohammed Fahad , Bhat Eijaz Ahmed
Published: April 2023

Among primary liver cancers, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common forms and it has been categorized as the joint-fourth largest reason of cancer-related deaths globally. Different factors such as alcohol abuse, hepatitis B and C, viral infections, and fatty liver diseases are mainly related to the pathogenesis of HCC. In the current study, 1000 total various plant phytochemicals were docked to proteins involved in HCC. The compounds were docked to the active site amino acids of epidermal growth factor receptor and caspase-9 as receptor proteins in order to explore their inhibiting potential. The top five compounds against each receptor protein were explored as potential drug candidates on the basis of their binding affinity and root-mean square deviation values. The top two compounds against each protein were found to be liquoric acid (S-score −9.8 kcal/mol) and madecassic acid (S-score −9.3 kcal/mol) against EGFR, and limonin (S-score −10.5 kcal/mol) and obamegine (S-score −9.3 kcal/mol) against the caspase-9 protein. The selected phytochemicals were further assessed through drug scanning using Lipinski’s rule of five to explore their molecular properties and druggability. According to the ADMET analysis, the selected phytochemicals were found to be non-toxic and non-carcinogenic. Finally, the molecular dynamics simulation study revealed that liquoric acid and limonin were stabilized within the binding pockets of EGFR and capase-9, respectively, and stayed firmly bound throughout the simulation. In light of the current findings, the phytochemicals reported in this study, especially liquoric acid and limonin, could be used as potential drugs for the treatment of HCC in the future.
Conversion of Waste Cooking Oil into Bio-Fuel via Pyrolysis Using Activated Carbon as a Catalyst
Authors: Banchapattanasakda Warintorn , Asavatesanupap Channarong , Santikunaporn Malee
Published: April 2023

The utilization of activated carbon (AC) as a catalyst for a lab-scale pyrolysis process to convert waste cooking oil (WCO) into more valuable hydrocarbon fuels is described. The pyrolysis process was performed with WCO and AC in an oxygen-free batch reactor at room pressure. The effects of process temperature and activated carbon dosage (the AC to WCO ratio) on the yield and composition are discussed systematically. The direct pyrolysis experimental results showed that WCO pyrolyzed at 425 °C yielded 81.7 wt.% bio-oil. When AC was used as a catalyst, a temperature of 400 °C and 1:40 AC:WCO ratio were the optimum conditions for the maximum hydrocarbon bio-oil yield of 83.5 and diesel-like fuel of 45 wt.%, investigated by boiling point distribution. Compared to bio-diesel and diesel properties, bio-oil has a high calorific value (40.20 kJ/g) and a density of 899 kg/m3, which are within the bio-diesel standard range, thus demonstrating its potential use as a liquid bio-fuel after certain upgradation processes. The study revealed that the optimum AC dosage promoted the thermal cracking of WCO at a reduced process temperature with a higher yield and improved quality compared to noncatalytic bio-oil.
Theoretical–Computational Modeling of CD Spectra of Aqueous Monosaccharides by Means of Molecular Dynamics Simulations and Perturbed Matrix Method
Authors: Aschi Massimiliano , Palombi Laura , Amadei Andrea
Published: April 2023

The electronic circular dichroism (ECD) spectra of aqueous d-glucose and d-galactose were modeled using a theoretical–computational approach combining molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and perturbed matrix method (PMM) calculations, hereafter termed MD-PMM. The experimental spectra were reproduced with a satisfactory accuracy, confirming the good performances of MD-PMM in modeling different spectral features in complex atomic–molecular systems, as already reported in previous studies. The underlying strategy of the method was to perform a preliminary long timescale MD simulation of the chromophore followed by the extraction of the relevant conformations through essential dynamics analysis. On this (limited) number of relevant conformations, the ECD spectrum was calculated via the PMM approach. This study showed that MD-PMM was able to reproduce the essential features of the ECD spectrum (i.e., the position, the intensity, and the shape of the bands) of d-glucose and d-galactose while avoiding the rather computationally expensive aspects, which were demonstrated to be important for the final outcome, such as (i) the use of a large number of chromophore conformations; (ii) the inclusion of quantum vibronic coupling; and (iii) the inclusion of explicit solvent molecules interacting with the chromophore atoms within the chromophore itself (e.g., via hydrogen bonds).
Research Progress on Propylene Preparation by Propane Dehydrogenation
Authors: Zuo Cheng , Su Qian
Published: April 2023

At present, the production of propylene falls short of the demand, and, as the global economy grows, the demand for propylene is anticipated to increase even further. As such, there is an urgent requirement to identify a novel method for producing propylene that is both practical and reliable. The primary approaches for preparing propylene are anaerobic and oxidative dehydrogenation, both of which present issues that are challenging to overcome. In contrast, chemical looping oxidative dehydrogenation circumvents the limitations of the aforementioned methods, and the performance of the oxygen carrier cycle in this method is superior and meets the criteria for industrialization. Consequently, there is considerable potential for the development of propylene production by means of chemical looping oxidative dehydrogenation. This paper provides a review of the catalysts and oxygen carriers employed in anaerobic dehydrogenation, oxidative dehydrogenation, and chemical looping oxidative dehydrogenation. Additionally, it outlines current directions and future opportunities for the advancement of oxygen carriers.
The Isolation and Structure Elucidation of Spirotetronate Lobophorins A, B, and H8 from Streptomyces sp. CB09030 and Their Biosynthetic Gene Cluster
Authors: Shi Jie , Peng Dian , Peng Fei-Fei , Zhang Qing-Bo , Duan Yan-Wen , Huang Yong
Published: April 2023

Lobophorins (LOBs) are a growing family of spirotetronate natural products with significant cytotoxicity, anti-inflammatory, and antibacterial activities. Herein, we report the transwell-based discovery of Streptomyces sp. CB09030 from a panel of 16 in-house Streptomyces strains, which has significant anti-mycobacterial activity and produces LOB A (1), LOB B (2), and LOB H8 (3). Genome sequencing and bioinformatic analyses revealed the potential biosynthetic gene cluster (BGC) for 1–3, which is highly homologous with the reported BGCs for LOBs. However, the glycosyltransferase LobG1 in S. sp. CB09030 has certain point mutations compared to the reported LobG1. Finally, LOB analogue 4 (O-β-D-kijanosyl-(1→17)-kijanolide) was obtained through an acid-catalyzed hydrolysis of 2. Compounds 1–4 showed different antibacterial activities against Mycobacterium smegmatis and Bacillus subtilis, which revealed the varying roles of different sugars in their antibacterial activities.
Comparison of Automated and Traditional Western Blotting Methods
Authors: Sormunen Aino , Koivulehto Emma , Alitalo Kari , Saksela Kalle , Laham-Karam Nihay , Ylä-Herttuala Seppo
Published: April 2023

Traditional Western blotting is one of the most used analytical techniques in biological research. However, it can be time-consuming and suffer from a lack of reproducibility. Consequently, devices with different degrees of automation have been developed. These include semi-automated techniques and fully automated devices that replicate all stages downstream of the sample preparation, including sample size separation, immunoblotting, imaging, and analysis. We directly compared traditional Western blotting with two different automated systems, iBind™ Flex, which is a semi-automated system designed to perform the immunoblotting, and JESS Simple Western™, a fully automated and capillary-based system performing all steps downstream of sample preparation and loading, including imaging and image analysis. We found that a fully automated system can save time and importantly offer valuable sensitivity. This is particularly beneficial for limited sample amounts. The downside of automation is the cost of devices and reagents. Nevertheless, automation can be a good option to increase output and facilitate sensitive protein analyses.
The Enhancing Effect of Stable Oxygen Functional Groups on Porous-Carbon-Supported Pt Catalysts for Alkaline Hydrogen Evolution
Authors: Luo Xianyou , Yuan Ping , Luo Junhui , Xiao Haoming , Li Junyi , Zheng Heng , Du Baodong , Li De , Chen Yong
Published: April 2023

The oxygen functionalization of carbon materials has widely been employed to improve the catalytic performance of carbon-supported Pt (Pt/C) catalysts. Hydrochloric acid (HCl) has often been employed to clean carbons during the preparation of carbon materials. However, the effect of oxygen functionalization through a HCl treatment of porous carbon (PC) supports on the performance of the alkaline hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) has rarely been investigated. Herein, the impact of HCl combined with the heat treatment of PC supports on the HER performance of Pt/C catalysts has been comprehensively investigated. The structural characterizations revealed similar structures of pristine and modified PC. Nevertheless, the HCl treatment resulted in abundant hydroxyl and carboxyl groups and the further heat treatment formed thermally stable carbonyl and ether groups. Among the catalysts, Pt loading on the HCl-treated PC followed by a heat treatment at 700 °C (Pt/PC-H-700) exhibited elevated HER activity with a lower overpotential of 50 mV at 10 mA cm−2 when compared to the unmodified Pt/PC (89 mV). Pt/PC-H-700 also exhibited better durability than the Pt/PC. Overall, novel insights into the impact of the surface chemistry properties of porous carbon supports on the HER performance of Pt/C catalysts were provided, which were useful for highlighting the feasible improvement of HER performances by regulating the surface oxygen species of porous carbon supports.
Physical Activity, but Not Glycaemic Load, Is Associated with Lower Real-Time Glycaemic Control in Free-Living Women with Gestational Diabetes Mellitus
Authors: Jardine Isabelle R. , Christie Hannah E. , Oetsch Kate , Sabag Angelo , Kennedy Meredith , Meyer Barbara J. , Francois Monique E.
Published: April 2023

Maintaining blood glucose within the target range is the primary treatment goal for women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). Foods with low glycaemic loads are recommended in clinical practice; however, the relative importance of other key lifestyle variables is unexplored. This pilot study explored the associations of glycaemic load, carbohydrates and physical activity parameters on blood glucose concentrations in free-living women with GDM. Twenty-nine women (28–30 weeks gestation, 34 ± 4 years) with GDM were enrolled. Continuous glucose monitoring, physical activity (ActivPAL inclinometer) and dietary intake and dietary quality were measured concurrently for 3 days. Pearson correlation analyses determined the association between glucose levels and lifestyle variables. Despite all receiving the same nutrition education, only 55% of women were following a low glycaemic load diet with a large range of carbohydrate intakes (97–267 g/day). However, the glycaemic load did not correlate with 3-hr postprandial glucose (r2 = 0.021, p = 0.56) or 24-h glucose iAUC (r2 = 0.021, p = 0.58). A significant relationship between total stepping time and lower 24-h glucose iAUC (r2 = 0.308, p = 0.02) and nocturnal glucose (r2 = 0.224, p = 0.05) was found. In free-living women with diet-controlled GDM, more physical activity, i.e., steps accumulated across the day, may be a simple and effective strategy for improving maternal blood glucose concentrations.
The Association between Dietary Iron Intake, SNP of the MTNR1B rs10830963, and Glucose Metabolism in Chinese Population
Authors: Shen Liping , Wang Zhengyuan , Zang Jiajie , Liu Hong , Lu Ye , He Xin , Wu Chunfeng , Su Jin , Zhu Zhenni
Published: April 2023

Type 2 diabetes is associated with both dietary iron intake and single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) of intronic rs10830963 in melatonin receptor 1B (MTNR1B); however, it is unclear whether they interact. The aim of this study was to examine the associations between dietary iron intake, SNP of rs10830963, and glucose metabolism. Data were obtained from the Shanghai Diet and Health Survey (SDHS) during 2012–2018. Standardized questionnaires were carried out through face-to-face interviews. A 3-day 24 h dietary recall was used to evaluate dietary iron intake. Anthropometric and laboratory measurements were applied. Logistic regression and general line models were used to evaluate the association between dietary iron intake, SNP of the MTNR1B rs10830963, and glucose metabolism. In total, 2951 participants were included in this study. After adjusting for age, sex, region, years of education, physical activity level, intentional physical exercise, smoking status, alcohol use, and total energy, among G allele carriers, dietary iron intake was associated with a risk of elevated fasting glucose, higher fasting glucose, and higher HbA1c, while no significant results were observed among G allele non-carriers. The G allele of intronic rs10830963 in MTNR1B potentially exacerbated unfavorable glucose metabolism with the increasing dietary iron intake, and it was possibly a risk for glucose metabolism homeostasis in the Chinese population.
Advance in the Synthesis of Sulfoxides and Sulfinamides from β-Sulfinyl Esters
Authors: Yin Xianjie , Zhang Qiaoling , Zeng Qingle
Published: April 2023

Sulfoxides and sulfinamides play important roles in the pharmaceutical industry, organic synthesis and fine chemicals. This review will demonstrate that, under catalysis by transition metals, β-sulfinyl esters, as nucleophilic reagents, react with a variety of electrophilic reagents to produce sulfoxides and sulfinamides. The important prospect of the asymmetric catalytic synthesis of chiral sulfur-containing molecules in this field is described.