bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Antimicrobial Resistance and Virulence Factors Assessment in Escherichia coli Isolated from Swine in Italy from 2017 to 2021
Authors: Bassi Patrizia , Bosco Claudia , Bonilauri Paolo , Luppi Andrea , Fontana Maria Cristina , Fiorentini Laura , Rugna Gianluca
Published: January 2023

Prudent antibiotic use in pigs is critical to ensuring animal health and preventing the development of critical resistance. We evaluated the antimicrobial resistance (AMR) pattern in commensal and enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) isolates obtained in 2017–2021 from pigs suffering from enteric disorders. Overall, the selected 826 E. coli isolates showed the highest level of resistance to ampicillin (95.9%), tetracycline (89.7%), cefazolin (79.3%), and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (74.8%). The resistance rates of the isolates to ampicillin increased (p < 0.05), reaching 99.2% of resistant strains in 2021. Regarding isolates harboring virulence genes, ETEC F18+ were significantly more resistant to florfenicol, gentamicin, kanamycin, and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole than ETEC F4+ strains. E. coli lacking virulence factor genes were more resistant to amoxicillin with clavulanic acid and cefazolin, but less resistant to gentamicin (p < 0.01) than isolates harboring virulence factors. Throughout the study period, a significant number of ETEC F18+ isolates developed resistance to florfenicol, gentamicin, and kanamycin. Finally, ETEC 18+ significantly (p < 0.05) increased resistance to all the tested antibiotics. In conclusion, AMR varied for E. coli over time and showed high levels for molecules widely administered in the swine industry, emphasizing the need for continuous surveillance. The observed differences in AMR between commensal and ETEC isolates may lead to the hypothesis that plasmids carrying virulence genes are also responsible for AMR in E. coli, suggesting more research on genetic variation between pathogenic and nonpathogenic E. coli.
Momordica cochinchinensis (Gấc) Seed Extracts Induce Apoptosis and Necrosis in Melanoma Cells
Authors: Nguyen Dao , Holien Jessica , Dekiwadia Chaitali , Thrimawithana Thilini , Piva Terrence , Huynh Tien
Published: January 2023

Momordica cochinchinensis is a herbal medicine used throughout Asia and this study investigated the antimelanoma potentials and molecular mechanisms of M. cochinchinensis seed with emphasis on extraction to optimise bioactivity. Overall, the aqueous extract was superior, with a wider diversity and higher concentration of proteins and peptides that was more cytotoxic to the melanoma cells than other extraction solvents. The IC50 of the aqueous extract on melanoma cells were similar to treatment with current anticancer drugs, vemurafenib and cisplatin. This cytotoxicity was cancer-specific with lower cytotoxic effects on HaCaT epidermal keratinocytes. Cytotoxicity correlated with MAPK signalling pathways leading to apoptosis and necrosis induced by triggering tumour necrosis factor receptor-1 (TNFR1), reducing the expression of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-kB), and suppression of BRAF/MEK. This efficacy of M. cochinchinensis seed extracts on melanoma cells provides a platform for future clinical trials as potent adjunctive therapy for metastatic melanoma.
Antileishmanial Activity of Clinanthus milagroanthus S. Leiva & Meerow (Amaryllidaceae) Collected in Peru
Authors: Soto-Vásquez Marilú Roxana , Alvarado-García Paul Alan Arkin , Osorio Edison H. , Tallini Luciana R. , Bastida Jaume
Published: January 2023

Leishmaniasis is a worldwide infectious parasitic disease caused by different species of protozoa of the genus Leishmania, which are transmitted to animals and humans through the bite of insects of the Psychodidae family. In the present work, the antileishmanial activity of an alkaloid extract of the bulbs of Clinanthus milagroanthus S. Leiva & Meerow (Amaryllidaceae) was evaluated in vitro, in vivo, and in silico against the parasite Leishmania braziliensis, and the chemical profile of the sample was determined by GC-MS analysis. At concentrations of 1, 10, and 100 µg·mL−1, the alkaloid extract presented inhibition percentages of 8.7%, 23.1%, and 98.8%, respectively, against L. braziliensis with a p < 0.05, and IC50 values of 18.5 ± 0.3 µg·mL−1. Furthermore, at a dose of 1.0 mg·kg−1, a greater decrease in lesion size was observed (90%) for in vivo assays, as well as a decrease in infection (96%), finding no significant differences (p > 0.05) in comparison with amphotericin B (92% and 98%, respectively). Eleven alkaloids were identified in C. milagroanthus bulbs: galanthamine, vittatine/crinine, 8-O-demethylmaritidine, anhydrolycorine, 11,12-dehydroanhydrolycorine, hippamine, lycorine, 2-hydroxyanhydrolycorine, 7-hydroxyclivonine, 2α-hydroxyhomolycorine, and 7-hydroxyclivonine isomer. A molecular model of Leishmania braziliensis trypanothione reductase (TRLb) was built using computational experiments to evaluate in silico the potential of the Amaryllidaceae alkaloid identified in C. milagroanthus toward this enzyme. The structures galanthamine, 7-hydroxyclivonine isomer, and crinine showed better estimated free energy of binding than the reference compound, amphotericin B. In conclusion, this is the first in vitro, in vivo, and in silico report about the antileishmanial potential and alkaloid profiling of the extract of C. milagroanthus bulbs, which could become an interesting source of bioactive molecules.
Effects of Post-UV-Curing on the Flexural and Absorptive Behaviour of FDM-3D-Printed Poly(lactic acid) Parts
Authors: Akderya Tarkan
Published: January 2023

In this study, the effects of the post-ultraviolet-curing process on the flexural, absorptive, and morphological properties of poly(lactic acid) specimens produced using a fused deposition modelling technique 3D printer were experimentally investigated. In this direction, 15, 30, 45, and 60 min post-UV-curing processes were applied to poly(lactic acid) three-point bending and absorption specimens produced at 190 and 200 °C. Three-point bending tests and morphological analyses were applied after the post-ultraviolet-curing process, and absorption tests were applied by immersing the post-ultraviolet-cured specimens in a distilled water bath for 1-, 3-day, and 1-, 2-, and 4-week exposure times. The changes in flexural strain properties for each experimental parameter were also simulated by the computer-aided finite element analysis and compared with the experimental results. It was observed that the post-ultraviolet-curing process increased the flexural strength of the poly(lactic acid) specimens produced at both 190 and 200 °C with the same increasing trend up to 30 min of exposure, and the most significant increase was determined in the specimens that were subjected to post-ultraviolet-curing for 30 min. Although the flexural strengths of the post-ultraviolet-cured specimens were higher than the non-cured specimens in all conditions, it was detected that they tended to decrease after 30 min.
Lumped-Element Circuit Modeling for Composite Scaffold with Nano-Hydroxyapatite and Wangi Rice Starch
Authors: Tan Xiao Jian , Cheng Ee Meng , Mohd Nasir Nashrul Fazli , Abdul Majid Mohd Shukry , Mohd Jamir Mohd Ridzuan , Khor Shing Fhan , Lee Kim Yee , You Kok Yeow , Mohamad Che Wan Sharifah Robiah
Published: January 2023

Mechanistic studies of the interaction of electromagnetic (EM) fields with biomaterials has motivated a growing need for accurate models to describe the EM behavior of biomaterials exposed to these fields. In this paper, biodegradable bone scaffolds were fabricated using Wangi rice starch and nano-hydroxyapatite (nHA). The effects of porosity and composition on the fabricated scaffold were discussed via electrical impedance spectroscopy analysis. The fabricated scaffold was subjected to an electromagnetic field within the X-band and Ku-band (microwave spectrum) during impedance/dielectric measurement. The impedance spectra were analyzed with lumped-element models. The impedance spectra of the scaffold can be embodied in equivalent circuit models composed of passive components of the circuit, i.e., resistors, inductors and capacitors. It represents the morphological, structural and chemical characteristics of the bone scaffold. The developed models describe the impedance characteristics of plant tissue. In this study, it was found that the ε′ and ε″ of scaffold composites exhibited up and down trends over frequencies for both X-band and Ku-band. The circuit models presented the lowest mean percentage errors of Z′ and Z″, i.e., 3.60% and 13.80%, respectively.
Thermal and Gluing Properties of Phenol-Based Resin with Lignin for Potential Application in Structural Composites
Authors: Galdino Danilo Soares , Kondo Marcel Yuzo , De Araujo Victor Almeida , Ferrufino Gretta Larisa Aurora Arce , Faustino Emerson , Santos Herisson Ferreira dos , Christoforo André Luis , Luna Carlos Manuel Romero , Campos Cristiane Inácio de
Published: January 2023

Using Kraft lignin, bio-based adhesives have been increasingly studied to replace those petrochemical-based solutions, due to low cost, easy availability and the potential for biodegradability of this biomaterial. In this study, lignin-based phenol-formaldehyde (LPF) resins were synthesized using commercial Eucalypt Kraft Lignin (EKL), purified at 95%, as a phenol substitute in different proportions of 10%, 20%, 30% and 50%. The properties of bio-based phenol formaldehyde (BPF) synthesized resin were compared with phenol-formaldehyde resin (PF) used for control sampling. The results indicated that viscosity, gel time and solid contents increased with the addition of pure EKL. The shear strength test of glue line was studied according to American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM), and BPF-based results were superior to samples bonded with the PF as a control sample, being suitable for structural purposes. Changes in the curing behavior of different resins were analyzed by Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC), and sample comparison indicated that the curing of the LPF resin occurred at lower temperatures than the PF. The addition of EKL in PF reduced its thermal stability compared to traditional resin formulation, resulting in a lower decomposition temperature and a smaller amount of carbonaceous residues.
Fabrication of Phytic Acid/Urea Co-Modified Bamboo Biochar and Its Application as Green Flame Retardant for Polylactic Acid Resins
Authors: Zhong Jinhuan , Wang Enfu , Sun Yi , Yin Ningning , Tian Shuo , Ying Weijun , Li Wenzhu , Zhang Wenbiao
Published: January 2023

It is of great significance to develop green, sustainable additives to improve the thermal stability and flame retardancy of biopolymers. In this work, a synergistic modification of P/N elements to bamboo biochar (mBC) was successfully achieved by grafting a reaction of phytic acid and urea with preoxidized bamboo biochar. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, nuclear magnetic resonance and scanning electron microscope determinations of the mBC demonstrated a successive grafting of phytic acid and urea to the originally porous surface. The ground mBC was blended with polylactic acid (PLA) to prepare mBC/PLA composites by extrusion and hot pressing. Mechanical strength studies showed a compromise in rigidity, which might originate from the mBC overdose and its limited miscibility with the resin. The thermogravimetric results supported the fact that the enhancement of thermal stability and flame retardancy of the composites with the mBC dosage, which showed that the mBC dosage in the PLA composites was not only lower than that of the conventional flame retardants, but also outperformed the counterparts using BC modified by inorganic phosphoric acid and urea. The mBC was prone to accelerate the earlier decomposition of the composites (30 °C lower in decomposition) and generate a continuous, dense residual carbon layer, which provides an effective shield resisting the mass and heat transfer between the combustion area and the underlying composite matrix. Only 10 wt% of mBC dosage could achieve a V-0 rating (UL94) for the composite, with a higher limiting oxygen index up to 28.3% compared to 20.7% for that of the virgin PLA; the cone colorimetric results also suggested that the flame retardancy had been greatly improved for all composites. In this work, biobased P-/N-containing bamboo biochar would be expected as a nontoxic biochar-based flame retardant that serves as green filler in polymer composites.
Investigation of the Influence of the Mixing Process on the Powder Characteristics for Cyclic Reuse in Selective Laser Sintering
Authors: Eggers Tom , Rackl Hendrik , von Lacroix Frank
Published: January 2023

Selective laser sintering (SLS) with polymers is currently at the transition to the production of functional components and thus holds great potential to revolutionize conventional production processes. Nevertheless, the application capability is confronted by newly defined requirements regarding reliability and reproducibility. In order to fulfil the requirements and to increase the process stability, the ageing mechanisms in polymers are compensated by recycling strategies. This involves fraction-based mixing of a defined ratio of new powder with recycled powder. Basically, fraction-based mixing must be preceded by the selection of suitable mixing parameters. The work focused on the influence of the mixing process on the powder characteristics for cyclic reuse in SLS. With regard to the powder characteristics, the particle shape and particle size distribution as well as the bulk and tap density of the powder were investigated. The authors found an influence of the mixing process with increasing mixing time on the powder characteristics of a black polyamide 12 sintering material. A mixing time of 1 h and a mixing intensity of 15 rpm proved to be potentially effective for achieving a gentle and homogeneous mixing of the powders.
Ecclesiastical Museums and the Pontifical Letter on Its Pastoral Functions
Authors: Roque Maria Isabel
Published: January 2023

The Catholic Church arrogates a long tradition of protecting and using heritage to complement its evangelisation ministry from the medieval ecclesiastical treasures included in museology proto-history. While these treasures have adopted museographic features, other typologies of ecclesiastical museums have appeared, demanding regulations that could orient their activities. After the Second Vatican Council, the Church became increasingly focused on guaranteeing a worthy destination for the objects left over from worship. In 2001, the Pontifical Commission for the Cultural Heritage of the Church published the Circular Letter The pastoral function of ecclesiastical museums, establishing that the ecclesiastical museum is an adequate solution for these objects, keeping them close to the cultural group of origin and providing continuity to its original catechetical function. Two decades later, a critical analysis of the Letter is proposed in the theoretical frame of museum studies. Considering the recovery object’s original meaning in the museum discourse, the connection to territory, and the interaction with the plural and heterogeneous audience, the conformity of the Letter with the museum theory is underlined. With a focus on its general accuracy, the aim of this study is to evaluate how the Letter remains actualised and adapted to contemporaneity in addition to the challenges and transformations now faced by museums.
Discrimination among Climate, Human Activities, and Ecosystem Functional-Induced Land Degradation in Southern Africa
Authors: Li Zidong , Li Changjia , Gao Dexin , Wang Shuai
Published: January 2023

Land degradation threatens ecosystems and socio-economic development of Southern Africa. Evaluation of land degradation is widely conducted using a remote-sensed indicator to provide key information for alleviating degradation. However, the commonly used single indicator cannot reveal complex degradation processes. In this study, we conducted an integrated evaluation by utilizing linear regression, residual trend analysis, and sequential regression methods to detect visible, potential human-induced, and functional land degradation in Southern Africa. The results showed that visible, potential, and functional land degradation accounted for 8%, 9.6%, and 21.9% of the entire study area, respectively. In total, 34% (171.96 × 104 km2) of the region exhibited one or more forms of land degradation; 28.9% (146.01 × 104 km2) of the land experienced a single land degradation type, whereas 5.1% (25.95 × 104 km2) exhibited intensified degradation by two or three forms. Land degradation was more severe in South Africa, Angola, Botswana, and Mozambique. Potential degradation (11.76%) and functional degradation (56.88%) may co-exist with vegetation greening. This study suggests that a single indicator assessment underestimates the overall land degradation, and thus integrated indicators and methods are better for a comprehensive assessment. Spatial pattern and degradation process analyses are useful for the formulation of land restoration policies in Southern Africa.
Early Detection of Dendroctonus valens Infestation at Tree Level with a Hyperspectral UAV Image
Authors: Gao Bingtao , Yu Linfeng , Ren Lili , Zhan Zhongyi , Luo Youqing
Published: January 2023

The invasive pest Dendroctonus valens has spread to northeast China, causing serious economic and ecological losses. Early detection and disposal of infested trees is critical to prevent its outbreaks. This study aimed to evaluate the potential of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)-based hyperspectral image for early detection of D. valens infestation at the individual tree level. We compared the spectral characteristics of Pinus tabuliformis in three states (healthy, infested and dead), and established classification models using three groups of features (reflectance, derivatives and spectral vegetation indices) and two algorithms (random forest and convolutional neural network). The spectral features of dead trees were clearly distinct from those of the other two classes, and all models identified them accurately. The spectral changes of infested trees occurred mainly in the visible region, but it was difficult to distinguish infested from healthy trees using random forest classification models based on reflectance and derivatives. The random forest model using spectral vegetation indices and the convolutional neural network model performed better, with an overall accuracy greater than 80% and a recall rate of infested trees reaching 70%. Our results demonstrated the great potential of hyperspectral imaging and deep learning for the early detection of D. valens infestation. The convolutional neural network proposed in this study can provide a reference for the automatic detection of early D. valens infestation using UAV-based multispectral or hyperspectral images in the future.
Gap-Filling Sentinel-1 Offshore Wind Speed Image Time Series Using Multiple-Point Geostatistical Simulation and Reanalysis Data
Authors: Hadjipetrou Stylianos , Mariethoz Gregoire , Kyriakidis Phaedon
Published: January 2023

Offshore wind is expected to play a key role in future energy systems. Wind energy resource studies often call for long-term and spatially consistent datasets to assess the wind potential. Despite the vast amount of available data sources, no current means can provide relevant sub-daily information at a fine spatial scale (~1 km). Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) delivers wind field estimates over the ocean at fine spatial resolution but suffers from partial coverage and irregular revisit times. Physical model outputs, which are the basis of reanalysis products, can be queried at any time step but lack fine-scale spatial variability. To combine the advantages of both, we use the framework of multiple-point geostatistics to realistically reconstruct wind speed patterns at time instances for which satellite information is absent. Synthetic fine-resolution wind speed images are generated conditioned to coregistered regional reanalysis information at a coarser scale. Available simultaneous data sources are used as training data to generate the synthetic image time series. The latter are then evaluated via cross validation and statistical comparison against reference satellite data. Multiple realizations are also generated to assess the uncertainty associated with the simulation outputs. Results show that the proposed methodology can realistically reproduce fine-scale spatiotemporal variability while honoring the wind speed patterns at the coarse scale and thus filling the satellite information gaps in space and time.
The Spatiotemporal Characteristics and Driving Factors of Dust Emissions in East Asia (2000–2021)
Authors: Wang Ning , Chen Jian , Zhang Yuanyuan , Xu Yongming , Yu Wenzheng
Published: January 2023

The climate effect and environmental pollution caused by dust discharged into the atmosphere have attracted much attention. However, the driving factors of dust emissions have not been studied thoroughly. Here, spatiotemporal variations in dust emissions and the relationship between dust emissions and large-scale atmospheric circulation in East Asia from 2000 to 2021 were investigated using Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications version 2, Cloud-Aerosol Lidar Pathfinder Satellite Observations, ERA5 reanalysis data, and climate indices. Results showed that the Taklimakan Desert in the Tarim Basin, the Gurbantonggut Desert in the Junggar Basin, the Turpan Basin, and the Gobi Desert in western Inner Mongolia and southern Mongolia are the main sources of dust emissions in East Asia. The period of strong dust emissions is from March to May, and emissions to the atmosphere were mainly distributed at 0–4 km in the troposphere. In the eastern and southwestern Tarim Basin, northern Junggar Basin, and parts of the Gobi Desert in southern Mongolia, dust emissions have significantly increased over the past 22 years, whereas in the southwestern Tibetan Plateau, southwestern Inner Mongolia, and a small part of the northern Mongolian Gobi Desert there was a significant decreasing trend. The winter North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) and Arctic Oscillation (AO) were significantly negatively correlated with East Asian dust emissions the following spring. The various phases of the AO/NAO coupling have clear different effects on East Asian dust emissions in the spring. When the AO/NAO coupling was negative (positive), the East Asian trough and Siberian High were strengthened (weakened), the frequency of cold air activity increased (weakened), 800 hPa wind speed strengthened (weakened), and East Asian emissions increased (decreased). In AO−/NAO+ years, the Asian polar vortex was stronger to the south and the East Asian trough was stronger to the west. The Lake Baikal trough was in the deepening phase, which caused more polar cold air to move into East Asia, aggravating the intensity of dust activity. In the AO+/NAO− years, the Siberian High and East Asian trough weakened, which was unfavorable to the southward movement of cold air from Siberia. Therefore, the frequency of windy weather in East Asia decreased, partly weakening dust emissions. However, a positive geopotential anomaly in northeast China and a negative geopotential anomaly in South Asia triggered an anomalous enhancement in easterly wind in the tropospheric area over northwest China. Strengthening of the Balkhash trough provides favorable conditions for gale weather in northwest China. The frequency of gale weather increased, and dust emissions were enhanced in northwest China.
Interferometric Fiber Optic Probe for Measurements of Cavitation Bubble Expansion Velocity and Bubble Oscillation Time
Authors: Zubalic Emil , Vella Daniele , Babnik Aleš , Jezeršek Matija
Published: January 2023

Cavitation bubbles are used in medicine as a mechanism to generate shock waves. The study of cavitation bubble dynamics plays a crucial role in understanding and utilizing such phenomena for practical applications and purposes. Since the lifetime of cavitation bubbles is in the range of hundreds of microseconds and the radii are in the millimeter range, the observation of bubble dynamics requires complicated and expensive equipment. High-speed cameras or other optical techniques require transparent containers or at least a transparent optical window to access the region. Fiber optic probe tips are commonly used to monitor water pressure, density, and temperature, but no study has used a fiber tip sensor in an interferometric setup to measure cavitation bubble dynamics. We present how a fiber tip sensor system, originally intended as a hydrophone, can be used to track the expansion and contraction of cavitation bubbles. The measurement is based on interference between light reflected from the fiber tip surface and light reflected from the cavitation bubble itself. We used a continuous-wave laser to generate cavitation bubbles and a high-speed camera to validate our measurements. The shock wave resulting from the collapse of a bubble can also be measured with a delay in the order of 1 µs since the probe tip can be placed less than 1 mm away from the origin of the cavitation bubble. By combining the information on the bubble expansion velocity and the time of bubble collapse, the lifetime of a bubble can be estimated. The bubble expansion velocity is measured with a spatial resolution of 488 nm, half the wavelength of the measuring laser. Our results demonstrate an alternative method for monitoring bubble dynamics without the need for expensive equipment. The method is flexible and can be adapted to different environmental conditions, opening up new perspectives in many application areas.
A Simple Reversed Iontophoresis-Based Sensor to Enable In Vivo Multiplexed Measurement of Plant Biomarkers Using Screen-Printed Electrodes
Authors: Ruiz-Gonzalez Antonio , Kempson Harriet , Haseloff Jim
Published: January 2023

The direct quantification of plant biomarkers in sap is crucial to enhancing crop production. However, current approaches are inaccurate, involving the measurement of non-specific parameters such as colour intensity of leaves, or requiring highly invasive processes for the extraction of sap. In addition, these methods rely on bulky and expensive equipment, and they are time-consuming. The present work reports for the first time a low-cost sensing device that can be used for the simultaneous determination of sap K+ and pH in living plants by means of reverse iontophoresis. A screen-printed electrode was modified by deposition of a K+-selective membrane, achieving a super-Nernstian sensitivity of 70 mV Log[K+]−1 and a limit of detection within the micromolar level. In addition, the cathode material of the reverse iontophoresis device was modified by electrodeposition of RuOx particles. This electrode could be used for the direct extraction of ions from plant leaves and the amperometric determination of pH within the physiological range (pH 3–8), triggered by the selective reaction of RuOx with H+. A portable and low-cost (<£60) microcontroller-based device was additionally designed to enable its use in low-resource settings. The applicability of this system was demonstrated by measuring the changes in concentration of K+ and pH in tomato plants before and after watering with deionised water. These results represent a step forward in the design of affordable and non-invasive devices for the monitoring of key biomarkers in plants, with a plethora of applications in smart farming and precision agriculture among others.
Study on the Performance of Cellulose Triacetate Hollow Fiber Mixed Matrix Membrane Incorporated with Amine-Functionalized NH2-MIL-125(Ti) for CO2 and CH4 Separation
Authors: Sunder Naveen , Fong Yeong-Yin , Bustam Mohamad Azmi , Lau Woei-Jye
Published: January 2023

The increase in the global population has caused an increment in energy demand, and therefore, energy production has to be maximized through various means including the burning of natural gas. However, the purification of natural gas has caused CO2 levels to increase. Hollow fiber membranes offer advantages over other carbon capture technologies mainly due to their large surface-to-volume ratio, smaller footprint, and higher energy efficiency. In this work, hollow fiber mixed matrix membranes (HFMMMs) were fabricated by utilizing cellulose triacetate (CTA) as the polymer and amine-functionalized metal-organic framework (NH2-MIL-125(Ti)) as the filler for CO2 and CH4 gas permeation. CTA and NH2-MIL-125(Ti) are known for exhibiting a high affinity towards CO2. In addition, the utilization of these components as membrane materials for CO2 and CH4 gas permeation is hardly found in the literature. In this work, NH2-MIL-125(Ti)/CTA HFMMMs were spun by varying the air gap ranging from 1 cm to 7 cm. The filler dispersion, crystallinity, and functional groups of the fabricated HFMMMs were examined using EDX mapping, SEM, XRD, and FTIR. From the gas permeation testing, it was found that the NH2-MIL-125(Ti)/CTA HFMMM spun at an air gap of 1 cm demonstrated a CO2/CH4 ideal gas selectivity of 6.87 and a CO2 permeability of 26.46 GPU.
Two-Level Programming Model Based on Cooperative Operation Study of Stakeholders in Hazardous Chemical Storage
Authors: Yao Jiao , Xie Beibei , Wu Xiurong , Zhang Cong
Published: January 2023

Due to the uncertainty of risk occurrence and the severity of accident consequences in the process of hazardous chemical storage, there are many stakeholders involved in the management and supervision of hazardous chemical storage, and their interest appeals are different. On the basis of ensuring storage safety, in order to balance the interests of stakeholders and achieve cooperative operation, a two-level programming model considering the maximization of social welfare and the interests of warehousing enterprises was proposed. First, the upper model mainly refers to the regulatory department represented by the government, including the daily supervision cost, risk loss cost, risk compensation cost, and penalty coefficient formulated by combining various indicators. In the lower model, the comprehensive risk level of the warehouse is determined by the warehouse enterprise. Based on this, the supervision coefficient is determined. Combined with the punishment coefficient, the warehousing operation cost, warehousing supervision cost, and the punishment cost when the accident occurs under different risk levels are determined. The relevant case analysis shows that, compared with the evolutionary game model, the social supervision cost of the upper level and the enterprise cost of the lower level can be reduced by 0.49% and 30.43% respectively. Compared with the traditional improved particle swarm optimization algorithm, the proposed algorithm can reduce the supervision cost of the upper society and the lower enterprise by 0.11% and 7.05%, respectively, thus achieving a better supervision effect at a relatively low cost.
Analytical Damage Model for Predicting Coal Failure Stresses by Utilizing Acoustic Emission
Authors: Ali Muhammad , Wang Enyuan , Li Zhonghui , Wang Xiaoran , Khan Naseer Muhammad , Zang Zesheng , Alarifi Saad S. , Fissha Yewuhalashet
Published: January 2023

Overburden collapse and water inrush in mines are primarily caused by rock fractures. Mining safety can be enhanced by monitoring and identifying early signs of coal failure in the mines. This article collected acoustic emission data synchronously throughout a series of uniaxial compression (UC) experiments on natural and water-saturated coal. The influence mechanisms of water, mechanical properties, and acoustic emission signals on the stress–strain curve and the SEM results of water-saturated and dry samples are investigated. As a result, the mechanical properties of coal are not only weakened by water saturation, such as elastic modulus, strain, stress, and compressive strength but also reduced acoustic emissions. In comparison with saturated coal, natural coal has a uniaxial stress of 13.55 MPa and an elastic modulus of 1.245 GPa, while saturated coal has a stress of 8.21 MPa and an elastic modulus of 0.813 GPa. Intergranular fractures are more likely to occur in coal with a high water content, whereas transgranular fractures are less likely to occur in coal with a high water content. An innovative and unique statistical model of coal damage under uniaxial loading has been developed by analyzing the acoustic emission data. Since this technique takes into account the compaction stage, models based on this technique were found to be superior to those based on lognormal or Weibull distributions. A correlation coefficient of greater than 0.956 exists between the piecewise constitutive model and the experimental curve. Statistical damage constitutive models for coal are compatible with this model. Additionally, the model can precisely forecast the stress associated with both natural and saturated coal and can be useful in the prevention of rock-coal disasters in water conditions.
Sustainability of Taiwanese SME Family Businesses in the Succession Decision-Making Agenda
Authors: Lee Cheng-Wen , Chen Hsiao Chuan , Peng Choong Leng , Chen Shu Hui
Published: January 2023

SME family businesses play a vital role in the world economy as a recognized sustainable contributor to economic growth. Aged owners of Taiwan’s family businesses have become the biggest problem; because of the dramatically changing technology and business environment, many family businesses are faced with an inheritance crisis. This study tries to identify what the priority of influential factors is for the leader’s decision-making of succession. Based on the stakeholder, upper echelons, stewardship, and agency theories, we summarized 27 crucial factors derived from four dimensions (individual, interpersonal, organizational, and the environmental) after reviewing the relevant literature. This study was based on multilevel research and a multidisciplinary perspective. After using the Delphi method and decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) method, we applied the importance–performance analysis (IPA) to determine the key factor priority. The results are important for strengthening family business theory and identifying the conditions that best promote the future growth and sustainability of family businesses.
A Textual Data-Oriented Method for Doctor Selection in Online Health Communities
Authors: Du Yinfeng , Chen Zhen-Song , Yang Jie , Morente-Molinera Juan Antonio , Zhang Lu , Herrera-Viedma Enrique
Published: January 2023

As doctor–patient interactive platforms, online health communities (OHCs) offer patients massive information including doctor basic information and online patient reviews. However, how to develop a systematic framework for doctor selection in OHCs according to doctor basic information and online patient reviews is a challenged issue, which will be explored in this study. For doctor basic information, we define the quantification method and aggregate them to characterize relative influence of doctors. For online patient reviews, data analysis techniques (i.e., topics extraction and sentiment analysis) are used to mine the core attributes and evaluations. Subsequently, frequency weights and position weights are respectively determined by a frequency-oriented formula and a position score-based formula, which are integrated to obtain the final importance of attributes. Probabilistic linguistic-prospect theory-multiplicative multiobjective optimization by ratio analysis (PL-PT-MULTIMOORA) is proposed to analyze patient satisfactions on doctors. Finally, selection rules are made according to doctor influence and patient satisfactions so as to choose optimal and suboptimal doctors for rational or emotional patients. The designed textual data-driven method is successfully applied to analyze doctors from Haodf.com and some suggestions are given to help patients pick out optimal and suboptimal doctors.
Response of Plant Species Diversity to Flood Irrigation in the Tarim River Basin, Northwest China
Authors: Wang Yonghui , Li Jin , Qian Kaixuan , Ye Mao
Published: January 2023

This study quantitatively analyzes the effects of flooding on the growth and species diversity of riparian forests along the Yarkant River and the Tarim River, Xinjiang, in northwest China, and provides important information for the efficient utilization of water and water resource management in arid regions. Monitoring of species diversity of riparian forests was conducted every year from 2016 to 2019 in the Xiamale forest district in the lower reaches of the Yarkant River, and in the Shaya forest district and the lunnan forest district in the upper and middle reaches of the Tarim River. The Pielou index, Shannon–Wiener index, Simpson index, and importance value were used to analyze the influence of flooding. The results showed the following: (1) After three years of flooding, indices for the lower reaches of the Yarkant River and Tarim River were significantly increased and 11 new plant species appeared. (2) With increasing distance from the river channel, plant density and species diversity decreased. Flooding trends are the main factors affecting the distribution of plant species and water is the main restricting factor that influences plant growth in arid areas; thus, desert riparian forests improved significantly after flooding. (3) Flooding increases the regeneration capacity and species diversity of plant communities in desert riparian forests. In order to maintain the current trend of ecological improvement, flooding irrigation must continue.
Hyperbranched Dithiocarbamate-Modified Biochar: A Promising Adsorbent for Selective Removal of Pb(II) from Wastewater
Authors: Xie Xin , He Jiangtao , Huang Jianhong , Li Jie , Li Yingjie , Tian Senlin
Published: January 2023

Herein, dithiocarbamate-modified biochar (BC-HDTC) was successfully synthesized with nitric acid (HNO3), thionyl chloride (SOCl2), branched PEI and carbon disulfide (CS2). The effective anchoring of amine and dithiocarbamate groups onto the surface of the biochar was proven by SEM, FTIR, XPS, N2 adsorption–desorption experiment. The batch experiments demonstrated BC-HDTC can selectively remove 98% Pb(II) within multi-metals solution when pH = 5, T = 30 °C. The impact of variations on the BC-HDTC were researched (pH, contact duration, Pb(II) original concentration).The sorption kinetics (pseudo-first-order, pseudo-second-order, intra-particle diffusion model) and isotherm modeling (Langmuir, Freundlich, and tempkin models) of Pb(II) on BC-HDTC were investigated. The adsorption process was depicted to attain equilibrium in less than 20 min and to fit the Langmuir isotherms and pseudo-2nd-order kinetics satisfactorily. The complexation of functional groups of HDTC (amine/imine and dithiocarbamate) with Pb(II) as well as the ion exchange between Na(I) and Pb(II) are the main adsorption mechanisms. Pb(II) onto BC-HDTC was endothermic and spontaneous, according to thermodynamic parameters. After 4 consecutive adsorption-desorption cycles, Pb removal efficiency of BC- HDTC remained over 90%. This work revealed the significant potential for Pb(II) contamination of BC-HDTC, a valuable and reusable adsorbent.
Can Preschool Out-of-Kindergarten Tutoring Improve Approaches to Learning for Children? Evidence from China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) 2012 to 2020
Authors: Xue Haiping , Fang Chenchen , Shi Jin , Hu Xiaoqing , Qian Fang
Published: January 2023

Based on data from the China Family Panel Studies in 2012, 2014, 2016, 2018, and 2020, this study used propensity-score matching to investigate whether preschool out-of-kindergarten tutoring impacts children’s approaches to learning. We discovered the following: (1) approximately one sixth of the preschool children in the sample participated in out-of-kindergarten tutoring, and the participation rate increased year on year; (2) preschool children with a higher family socioeconomic status and a higher level of urbanization in their local area participated more in out-of-kindergarten tutoring; and (3) the effect of preschool out-of-kindergarten tutoring on improving children’s approaches to learning was very limited. In particular, participation in subject-based tutoring to prepare for elementary school failed to improve children’s approaches to learning. Based on the above findings, we recommend that parents make rational choices concerning preschool out-of-kindergarten tutoring, based on a comprehensive understanding of their children. In addition, the government should increase the systematic supervision and strict regulation of institutions that provide preschool out-of-kindergarten tutoring, while actively constructing a collaborative parenting system involving home, school, and community to promote children’s healthy comprehensive development.
Recovery of (Z)-13-Docosenamide from Industrial Wastewater and Its Application in the Production of Virgin Polypropylene to Improve the Coefficient of Friction in Film Type Applications
Authors: Hernández-Fernández Joaquín , Puello-Polo Esneyder , López-Martínez Juan
Published: January 2023

Additives play an important role in the production of plastic materials through their application, in which the mechanical, thermal, and physical properties of polymers are improved, making them last longer and be more resistant. During the synthesis of polypropylene resins, the remains of additives that are not absorbed by the resin are removed in the purification stage and end up in the wastewater. In this article, the recovery of (Z)-13-docosenamide from the wastewater from the process, its purification, and its application in the process was carried out. For the extraction of the additive, solid phase extraction (SPE) was used, and to guarantee the purity of (Z)-13-docosenamide, techniques such as high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS), thermogravimetric (TG) coupled with a gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) were used. The recovered erucamide was added to the PP between 0.05 and 0.3% w/w. The effects of the properties of the virgin polypropylene with the recovered additive were also evaluated to determine its effectiveness in improving the properties of the material by measuring the coefficient of friction (CoF) as well as the mechanical properties and wettability through atomic force microscopy (AFM) and the contact angle, respectively. It was discovered that using these techniques, it is possible to recover approximately 95% of the additive present in the water while keeping the material’s properties within the desired limits.
Dynamic Modeling and Analysis of a Virtual Synchronous Generator with Supercapacitor
Authors: Ma Meiling , Zhi Zhiyuan , Han Dong , Fan Yushan
Published: January 2023

With the continuous integration of new energy sources, the power system gradually begins to present the characteristics of a weak power grid. The system’s inertia decreases, leading to problems in the stability of the power grid. In this paper, a virtual synchronous generator model with a supercapacitor is analyzed. The supercapacitor provides additional virtual inertia to the system and suppresses system frequency disturbances more quickly. Bifurcation theory is used to analyze the nonlinear dynamics of the model. The bifurcation diagram of input active power is given in this paper, and the phase portraits and sequence diagrams of the frequency and power angle are presented to verify that, if the initial value of the system falls inside the stability region, the system can remain stable. If the initial value of the system falls outside the stability region, conversely, the system will lose stability. Finally, the simulation verifies the influence of the supercapacitor on the system inertia. The results show that the recovery speed of a small capacitance system is faster than that of a large capacitance system when disturbance occurs. It is concluded that, the smaller the supercapacitor is, the greater the virtual inertia it can provide.
Hybrid Approach for Detecting Propagandistic Community and Core Node on Social Networks
Authors: Khanday Akib Mohi Ud Din , Wani Mudasir Ahmad , Rabani Syed Tanzeel , Khan Qamar Rayees
Published: January 2023

People share their views and daily life experiences on social networks and form a network structure. The information shared on social networks can be unreliable, and detecting such kinds of information may reduce mass panic. Propaganda is a kind of biased or unreliable information that can mislead or intend to promote a political cause. The disseminators involved in spreading such information create a sophisticated network structure. Detecting such communities can lead to a safe and reliable network for the users. In this paper, a Boundary-based Community Detection Approach (BCDA) has been proposed to identify the core nodes in a propagandistic community that detects propagandistic communities from social networks with the help of interior and boundary nodes. The approach consists of two phases, one is to detect the community, and the other is to detect the core member. The approach mines nodes from the boundary as well as from the interior of the community structure. The leader Ranker algorithm is used for mining candidate nodes within the boundary, and the Constraint coefficient is used for mining nodes within the boundary. A novel dataset is generated from Twitter. About six propagandistic communities are detected. The core members of the propagandistic community are a combination of a few nodes. The experiments are conducted on a newly collected Twitter dataset consisting of 16 attributes. From the experimental results, it is clear that the proposed model outperformed other related approaches, including Greedy Approach, Improved Community-based 316 Robust Influence Maximization (ICRIM), Community Based Influence Maximization Approach (CBIMA), etc. It was also observed from the experiments that most of the propagandistic information is being shared during trending events around the globe, for example, at times of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Vehicle Routing Optimization for Vaccine Distribution Considering Reducing Energy Consumption
Authors: Yu Runfeng , Yun Lifen , Chen Chen , Tang Yuanjie , Fan Hongqiang , Qin Yi
Published: January 2023

In recent years, the energy consumption of vehicles has gained widespread attention due to the increasing importance of energy and environmental issues. Coupled with the explosive demand for vaccines that has spawned the massive deployment of refrigerated trucks, energy savings and efficiency improvement are the goals pursued by pharmaceutical logistics companies while getting the vaccine distribution task done. In order to evaluate the fuel consumption of refrigerated trucks during vaccine distribution, in this paper, we construct a mathematical model for the vehicle routing problem with time windows (VRPTW) for vaccine distribution with the aim of minimizing the total cost, including fossil fuel cost and penalty cost. Due to the NP-hardness and nonlinearity of the model, a genetic algorithm with a large neighborhood search operator (GA-LNS) and TSP-split encoding method is customized to address the large-scale problem. Numerical experiments show that the algorithm can obtain a near-optimal solution in an acceptable computational time. In addition, the proposed algorithm is implemented to evaluate a case of vaccine distribution in Haidian, Beijing, China. Insights on the effects of seasonal temperature, vehicle speed, driver working hours, and refrigeration efficiency are also presented.