bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Pharmacokinetics and Excretion of Berberine and Its Nine Metabolites in Rats
Authors: Feng Xinchi , Wang Kun , Cao Shijie , Ding Liqin , Qiu Feng
Published: January 2021

Berberine, a well-known alkaloid, has been proved to possess various pharmacological activities. Previous studies demonstrated that berberine could be extensively metabolized and the metabolites also contributed to its therapeutic effects. However, as for berberine’s metabolites, especially phase II metabolites, pharmacokinetics and excretion studies were rarely reported. The objective of this study was to thoroughly investigate the pharmacokinetic and excretion profiles of berberine and its nine metabolites, namely, berberrubine (M1), demethyleneberberine (M2), jatrorrhizine (M3), jatrorrhizine-3-O-β-D-glucuronide (M4), jatrorrhizine-3-O-sulfate (M5), thalfendine-10-O-β-D-glucuronide (M6), berberrubine-9-O-β-D-glucuronide (M7), demethyleneberberine-2-O-sulfate (M8) and demethyleneberberine-2-O-β-D-glucuronide (M9) in rats. An accurate and reliable LC-MS/MS method was developed and validated for the determination of berberine and its nine metabolites in rat biosamples. Pharmacokinetic profiles of berberine and its nine metabolites were obtained after a single intravenous administration (4.0 mg/kg) and oral administration (48.2, 120 or 240 mg/kg) of berberine in rats. For excretion study, rats were intragastrically administered a single dose of 48.2 mg/kg berberine. Our results showed that berberine could be metabolized rapidly and all the nine metabolites could be detected in vivo. The absolute bioavailability of berberine was 0.37 ± 0.11%. As for the AUC0–48 h values, phase II metabolites were much higher than those of phase I metabolites, suggesting that phase II metabolites were the major metabolites exist in blood circulation. 18.6% of the berberine was excreted in feces as berberrubine (M1). The total recovery of berberine and its nine metabolites from urine, bile and feces was 41.2%. This is the first systematic study about the pharmacokinetics and excretion of berberine and its nine metabolites, which will be beneficial for both better understanding the clinical effects and further development of berberine.
Microscopic Failure Mechanism Analysis of Rock Under Dynamic Brazilian Test Based on Acoustic Emission and Moment Tensor Simulation
Authors: Zhou Zilong , Zhou Jing , Zhao Yuan , Chen Lianjun , Li Chongjin
Published: January 2021

The dynamic tensile failure of rock is a main failure mode in deep underground engineering projects. The microscopic failure mechanism analysis of this failure mode plays a key role in dynamic disaster warning. Moment tensor inversion is a very well-known method used to analyze failure mechanisms. However, an acoustic emission (AE) event cannot be accurately distinguished in rock dynamic experiments at the laboratory scale, because there are hundreds of AE events generated within a few hundred microseconds in one dynamic test. Therefore, moment tensor analysis is rarely applied in rock dynamic tests with laboratory scale. In this paper, AE and moment tensor simulations with the discrete element method (DEM) are introduced to analyze the microscopic failure mechanism of rock under a dynamic Brazilian test. Comparing the simulation results of AE and moment tensor analysis with the simulation results of micro-crack with DEM, the moment tensor discriminant method can obtain the mechanical mechanism and energy level of micro-cracks. Furthermore, R, which is the ratio of isotropic and deviatoric components of the moment tensor, is used to analyze the AE source mechanism. The implosion, shear, and tensile of the AE source mechanism can better explain the evolution process of main axial crack and the shear failure zones of the Brazilian disc specimen under dynamic tensile simulation. These findings contribute to a better understanding of the microscopic failure mechanism of rock under a dynamic tensile test than the statistical types of micro-cracks based on break bonds with DEM.
Exploring the Implicit Link Between Red and Aggressiveness as Well as Blue and Agreeableness
Authors: Geng Lu , Hong Xiaobin , Zhou Yulan
Published: January 2021

Previous studies have found a link between red and aggressive behavior. For example, athletes who wear red uniforms in sports are considered to have a competitive advantage. So far, most previous studies have adopted self-report methods, which have low face validity and were easily influenced by the social expectations. Therefore, the study used two implicit methods to further explore the association between red and aggressiveness. A modified Stroop task was used in Experiment 1 to probe college students’ differences between “congruent” tasks (i.e., red–aggressiveness and blue–agreeableness) and “incongruent” tasks (i.e., red–agreeableness and blue–aggressiveness). Result showed that participants responded more quickly to the congruent tasks than the incongruent tasks. Then, in order to adapt to the competitive context, Experiment 2 used an implicit association test with photos of athletes as the stimulus to college students and athletes to evaluate “congruent” tasks (i.e., red uniform photo-aggressiveness and blue uniform photo-agreeableness) as well as “incongruent” tasks (i.e., red uniform photo-agreeableness and blue uniform photo-aggressiveness), respectively. According to the results, both college students and athletes respond faster to congruent tasks than to incongruent tasks. Besides, athletes’ reactions to the red–aggressiveness association are faster than college students, which may relate to the athletes’ professional experience. The athletes may be more aggressive and impulsive. Overall, the study has attempted to examine the association between red and aggressiveness through implicit methods, but in the future, researches are need to find a deep association from brain mechanism aspect.
Can Worried Parents Predict Effects of Video Games on Their Children? A Case-Control Study of Cognitive Abilities, Addiction Indicators and Wellbeing
Authors: Lieberoth Andreas , Fiskaali Anne
Published: January 2021

Many parents worry over their children’s gaming habits, but to what extent do such worries match any detrimental effects of excessive gaming? We attempted to answer this question by comparing children of highly concerned parents with other adolescents of the same age. A cohort of parents who identified as highly concerned over their children’s video game habits were recruited for a public study in collaboration with a national television network. Using an online experimental platform in conjunction with surveys of parents’ beliefs and attitudes, we compared their children to age-matched peers in an exploratory case-control study. The scores of children with highly concerned parents on tests of cognitive control (cued task-switching and Iowa Gambling Task) and psychological wellbeing (WHO-5) were statistically similar to controls, suggesting no selective cognitive or psychological detriments from gaming or otherwise in the cases with concerned parents. The case group, however, did spend more time gaming, and scored higher than controls on problem gaming indicators (Gaming Addiction Scale), which also correlated negatively with wellbeing. Within the case group, wellbeing effects seemed mainly to consist in issues of relaxation and sleep, and related to gaming addiction indicators of playing to forget real-world problems, and the feeling of neglecting non-gaming activities. Where most results of research staged for TV never get published, making it difficult to interpret both methods and results, this paper describes findings and participant recruitment in detail. The relationship between parental concern and children’s gaming is discussed, as is the merits and challenges of research conducted with media, such as TV programs and their recruited on-screen participants.
Can Motion Graphic Animation About Snakes Improve Preschoolers’ Detection on Snakes? A Study of Inattentional Blindness
Authors: Fang Jie , Hu Jiangbo , Wang Fen , Yan Congcong , Zhang Hui
Published: January 2021

This study created a motion graphic (MG) animation about the danger of snakes within a story telling structure, which is different from a traditional science animation that relies on explanatory language to explain the scientific concept. The effects of the two types of animations on children’s attentional perception on snakes were compared by an inattentional blindness (IB) task. Three groups of children undertook the IB task with one control group who did not watch the animation and the other two groups who watched the MG and the traditional styled animation, respectively in advance. The results showed that: (1) Children who watched the animation were significantly more likely to detect the unexpected snake images in the IB task than those who did not watch the animation; (2) Children who watched the MG animation showed a higher detection rate on the snake images than those who watched the traditional animation. The findings indicate that the intervention of animation would increase children’s attentional perception on the key concepts significantly. The MG animation has more impact than the traditional animation on children’s attentional perception on the key information. This study demonstrates that MG animation may have a significant value in promoting science education for young children that merits further explorations in depth.
Classifying Alzheimer's Disease Using Audio and Text-Based Representations of Speech
Authors: Haulcy R'mani , Glass James
Published: January 2021

Alzheimer's Disease (AD) is a form of dementia that affects the memory, cognition, and motor skills of patients. Extensive research has been done to develop accessible, cost-effective, and non-invasive techniques for the automatic detection of AD. Previous research has shown that speech can be used to distinguish between healthy patients and afflicted patients. In this paper, the ADReSS dataset, a dataset balanced by gender and age, was used to automatically classify AD from spontaneous speech. The performance of five classifiers, as well as a convolutional neural network and long short-term memory network, was compared when trained on audio features (i-vectors and x-vectors) and text features (word vectors, BERT embeddings, LIWC features, and CLAN features). The same audio and text features were used to train five regression models to predict the Mini-Mental State Examination score for each patient, a score that has a maximum value of 30. The top-performing classification models were the support vector machine and random forest classifiers trained on BERT embeddings, which both achieved an accuracy of 85.4% on the test set. The best-performing regression model was the gradient boosting regression model trained on BERT embeddings and CLAN features, which had a root mean squared error of 4.56 on the test set. The performance on both tasks illustrates the feasibility of using speech to classify AD and predict neuropsychological scores.
Deep Learning-Based Natural Language Processing for Screening Psychiatric Patients
Authors: Dai Hong-Jie , Su Chu-Hsien , Lee You-Qian , Zhang You-Chen , Wang Chen-Kai , Kuo Chian-Jue , Wu Chi-Shin
Published: January 2021

The introduction of pre-trained language models in natural language processing (NLP) based on deep learning and the availability of electronic health records (EHRs) presents a great opportunity to transfer the “knowledge” learned from data in the general domain to enable the analysis of unstructured textual data in clinical domains. This study explored the feasibility of applying NLP to a small EHR dataset to investigate the power of transfer learning to facilitate the process of patient screening in psychiatry. A total of 500 patients were randomly selected from a medical center database. Three annotators with clinical experience reviewed the notes to make diagnoses for major/minor depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and dementia to form a small and highly imbalanced corpus. Several state-of-the-art NLP methods based on deep learning along with pre-trained models based on shallow or deep transfer learning were adapted to develop models to classify the aforementioned diseases. We hypothesized that the models that rely on transferred knowledge would be expected to outperform the models learned from scratch. The experimental results demonstrated that the models with the pre-trained techniques outperformed the models without transferred knowledge by micro-avg. and macro-avg. F-scores of 0.11 and 0.28, respectively. Our results also suggested that the use of the feature dependency strategy to build multi-labeling models instead of problem transformation is superior considering its higher performance and simplicity in the training process.
Contrasting Expression of Rhizobial Phytase in Nodules of Two Soybean Cultivars Grown Under Low Phosphorus Availability
Authors: Cerecetto Victoria , Beyhaut Elena , Amenc Laurie , Trives Carlos , Altier Nora , Drevon Jean-Jacques
Published: January 2021

Phosphorus deficiency can be a major limitation to legume growth when plant nitrogen nutrition depends on symbiotic nitrogen fixation. One possible approach to overcome this constraint is the selection of plant and rhizobial genotypes capable of metabolizing complex forms of phosphorus in the nodules. The aim of this research was to study the rhizobial phytase transcript abundance in nodules of two soybean cultivars (Glycine max(L.) Merr.) grown under two different phosphorus conditions in hydroaeroponic conditions. Anin situRT-PCR of a rhizobial phytase was performed in microtome sections of soybean nodules of two cultivars growing under phosphorus sufficiencyvs. phosphorus deficiency. The results showed that the plant cultivar may influence the level of transcript abundance of the bacterial phytase and in consequence affect the phosphorus use efficiency of nitrogen-dependentBradyrhizobiumspp.-soybean symbioses. Thus, the selection of a good combination of plant and rhizobial genotypes should be a priority when breeding for phosphorus deficiency is performed.
The Current and Future Role of Microbial Culture Collections in Food Security Worldwide
Authors: Díaz-Rodríguez Alondra María , Salcedo Gastelum Lilian Alejandra , Félix Pablos Carmen María , Parra-Cota Fannie Isela , Santoyo Gustavo , Puente Mariana Laura , Bhattacharya Dhruba , Mukherjee Joydeep , de los Santos-Villalobos Sergio
Published: January 2021

Food security is the pillar of nutritional wellbeing for food availability, and is necessary to satisfy all physiological needs to thus maintain the general wellbeing of populations. However, global agricultural deficiencies occur due to rapid population growth, causing an increase in competition for resources; such as water, land, and energy, leading to the overexploitation of agro-ecosystems, and the inability to produce a suitable quantity of efficient food. Therefore, the development of sustainable agro-biotechnologies is vital to increase crop yield and quality, reducing the negative impacts caused by intensive non-sustainable agricultural practices. In this way, the genetic and metabolic diversity of soil and plant microbiota in agro-ecosystems are a current and promising alternative to ensure global food security. Microbial communities play an important role in the improvement of soil fertility and plant development by enhancing plant growth and health through several direct and/or indirect mechanisms. Thus, the bio-augmentation of beneficial microbes into agro-ecosystems not only generates an increase in food production but also mitigates the economic, social, and environmental issues of intensive non-sustainable agriculture. In this way, the isolation, characterization, and exploitation of preserved beneficial microbes in microbial culture collections (MCC) is crucial for theex situmaintenance of native soil microbial ecology focused on driving sustainable food production. This review aims to provide a critical analysis of the current and future role of global MCC on sustainable food security, as providers of a large number of beneficial microbial strains with multiple metabolic and genetic traits.
Efficacy of Sinus Tarsal Approach Compared With Conventional L-Shaped Lateral Approach in the Treatment of Calcaneal Fractures: A Meta-Analysis
Authors: Ma Dongmei , Huang Lei , Liu Bin , Liu Zhigang , Xu Xin , Liu Jianfeng , Chu Tianyue , Pan Liming
Published: January 2021

Background: This study aims to compare the efficacy of the sinus tarsal approach (STA) with that of the conventional L-shaped lateral approach (CLSLA) in the treatment of calcaneal fractures by meta-analysis.

Methods: PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, the Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure, and China Wanfang database were searched to collect clinical randomized or non-randomized controlled trials of STA and CLSLA in the treatment of calcaneal fractures from January 2010 to May 2020. The data were analyzed by Stata 15.0 software.

Results: A total of 12 clinical trials were included, all of which were retrospective studies, including 961 patients. The results showed that when STA was compared with CLSLA, there was no difference in operation time with mean difference (MD) = −5.51 [95% confidence interval (CI): −12.57 to 1.55, P > 0.05], less bleeding during operation with MD = −18.49 (95% CI:−23.79 to −13.18), no difference in Böhler angle after an operation with MD = 0.78 (95% CI: −0.09 to 1.65) and in Gissane angle with MD = −0.07 (95% CI: −1.90 to 1.77), no difference in American Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Society score with MD = 2.16 (95% CI: −1.07 to 5.38), higher-excellent and better rate of Maryland food function with relative ratio = 1.12 (95% CI: 1.04 to 1.20), and lower of incidence of postoperative complications with relative ratio = 0.23 (95% CI: 0.14–0.37).

Conclusion: STA was more effective than CLSLA in the treatment of calcaneal fractures. Moreover, STA had advantages in less intraoperative bleeding, higher-excellent and better rate of Maryland foot function, lower incidence of postoperative complications, and higher safety.
Design and Implementation of a Tensile Testing Machine
Authors: Fábián Hunor , Gergely Attila
Published: January 2021

The aim of this paper is to present the design and manufacturing process of a tensile testing machine capable of measuring the tensile strength of polymeric materials. The structure of the instrument is similar to that used in the industry; however, it is budget friendly. The instrument consists of a frame, and two screws which are driven by two stepper motors. An Arduino is used to control the mechanical part of the instrument and to connect it to the software.
Casting Tool Design and Computer-Aided Manufacturing
Authors: Géresi Zoltán Gergő , Gábora András
Published: January 2021

Designing a casting tool and choosing materials technology parameters calls for special requirements both for workpiece and tool side. After designing the technological steps and procedures I select the cutting tools. Industrial developments take priority in cloud system engineering. I used this system in the casting tool manufacturing process. It is not easy to make a comprehensive and detailed design following technological steps. The allowances and joints were made on the M2L CNC milling machine. The CAM program was made with EdgeCam software. Defining the casting parameters accurately is still a challenge, but in our major it is not the most important. For the future we are planning a most complicated casting tool.
Design of Electron Tube and Semiconductor-Based and Voltage Stabilised Amplifier Circuits
Authors: Hrámcov István , Erdei Timotei István , Décsei Roland , Husi Géza
Published: January 2021

In this project, an electron tube circuit consisting of a voltage stabiliser, preamplifier, and final stage amplifier circuit was designed. One of the main aims was to reuse as many components and materials as possible, thereby decreasing the project’s ecological footprint. The result is a hybrid electron tube amplifier. The function of the circuits was subsequently measured and analysed using various tests.
V4 Security and Defense Policy – National and Allied Challenges in Member States
Authors: Hronyecz Erika
Published: January 2021

Making the common European security and defense policy more effective starts at state level. It is of paramount importance that the member states of the respective federations are able to demonstrate modern forces with a high level of compatibility and qualification and also that the use of these national forces, at allied level, should be possible without major obstacles. In this publication, the author presents the main historical points of the defense policy of the Visegrad Co-operation (V4) countries, and in this context the steps and efforts required of the force in order to respond to new types of security challenge.
Review of State-of-the-Art Green Monopropellants: For Propulsion Systems Analysts and Designers
Authors: Nosseir Ahmed E. S. , Cervone Angelo , Pasini Angelo
Published: January 2021

Current research trends have advanced the use of “green propellants” on a wide scale for spacecraft in various space missions; mainly for environmental sustainability and safety concerns. Small satellites, particularly micro and nanosatellites, evolved from passive planetary-orbiting to being able to perform active orbital operations that may require high-thrust impulsive capabilities. Thus, onboard primary and auxiliary propulsion systems capable of performing such orbital operations are required. Novelty in primary propulsion systems design calls for specific attention to miniaturization, which can be achieved, along the above-mentioned orbital transfer capabilities, by utilizing green monopropellants due to their relative high performance together with simplicity, and better storability when compared to gaseous and bi-propellants, especially for miniaturized systems. Owing to the ongoing rapid research activities in the green-propulsion field, it was necessary to extensively study and collect various data of green monopropellants properties and performance that would further assist analysts and designers in the research and development of liquid propulsion systems. This review traces the history and origins of green monopropellants and after intensive study of physicochemical properties of such propellants it was possible to classify green monopropellants to three main classes: Energetic Ionic Liquids (EILs), Liquid NOx Monopropellants, and Hydrogen Peroxide Aqueous Solutions (HPAS). Further, the tabulated data and performance comparisons will provide substantial assistance in using analysis tools—such as: Rocket Propulsion Analysis (RPA) and NASA CEA—for engineers and scientists dealing with chemical propulsion systems analysis and design. Some applications of green monopropellants were discussed through different propulsion systems configurations such as: multi-mode, dual mode, and combined chemical–electric propulsion. Although the in-space demonstrated EILs (i.e., AF-M315E and LMP-103S) are widely proposed and utilized in many space applications, the investigation transpired that NOx fuel blends possess the highest performance, while HPAS yield the lowest performance even compared to hydrazine.
Could the Content of Soluble Carbohydrates in the Young Shoots of Selected Willow Cultivars Be a Determinant of the Plants’ Attractiveness to Cervids (Cervidae, Mammalia)?
Authors: Budny Maciej , Zalewski Kazimierz , Lahuta Lesław Bernard , Stolarski Mariusz Jerzy , Stryiński Robert , Okorski Adam
Published: January 2021

Ten willow cultivars grown in experimental plots were evaluated for performance, attractiveness to foragers, and the content and composition of soluble carbohydrates. The survival of willow cuttings in a thicket and in browse plots differed subject to cultivar, soil quality, and soil moisture content. The number of stump sprouts varied considerably, from 1.1 shoots in the weakest soils in Słonin, Poland, to 3.43 in the plot in Czempin, Poland. Browse plots were established in 2017. They were cut, and fencing was removed in early spring of 2019. Young shoots (10 cm shoot tip with buds, preferably eaten by animals) were sampled for analyses of soluble carbohydrates as potential attractors for foraging cervids. All willow cultivars contained the same soluble carbohydrates: glucose, fructose, galactose, sucrose, myo-inositol, galactinol, and raffinose. Total carbohydrate content ranged from 21.31 (S. amygdalina 1045) to 69.37 mg/g−1 DM (dry matter) (S. purpurea). Glucose was the predominant soluble sugar in the shoots of all willow cultivars, excluding S. viminalis. The fructose content of the shoots was approximately twice lower than their glucose content in all willow cultivars. Smaller differences were observed in the content of myo-inositol, which ranged from 4.61 (S. amygdalina 1045) to 8.26 mg/g−1 DM (S. fragilis cv. Kamon/Resko). The phloem of all willow species contained small quantities of galactinol and trace amounts of raffinose. Weak negative correlations were noted between total carbohydrate content, the content of glucose, fructose, and galactose vs. the attractiveness of willow shoots to foraging cervids. The remaining carbohydrates that occurred in smaller quantities in willow shoots were not correlated with their attractiveness to cervids.
Genome-Wide Characterization of NLRs in Saccharum spontaneum L. and Their Responses to Leaf Blight in Saccharum
Authors: Wang Zhoutao , Xu Fu , Ren Hui , Lu Guilong , Que Youxiong , Xu Liping
Published: January 2021

Sugarcane is an important sugar and potential energy crop, and the complexity of its genome has led to stagnant progress in genome decipherment and hindered the genome-wide analysis of the nucleotide binding site leucine-rich repeat (NLR) receptor until the genome of Saccharum spontaneum was published. From the genome of S. spontaneum, 724 allelic and non-allelic NLRs were identified and classified into five types (N, NL, CN, CNL, and P) according to domain architectures and integrity and at least 35 genes encoded non-canonical domains. The phylogenetic analysis indicated NLRs containing the coiled-coil (CC) domain separated from those without CC in six Poaceae species, including S. spontaneum. The motif analysis determined the characteristics and potential functions of the 137 representative non-allelic NLRs, especially the core motifs contained in the NBS and LRR domains, which indicated that motifs were regularly distributed among clades. Through transcription factor binding site (TFBS) profiles, we predicted that the most important transcription regulator of NLRs in sugarcane were ERF, MIKC_MADS, and C2H2. In addition, based on three sets of transcriptome data from two sugarcane hybrids and one S. spontaneum clone infected by the necrotrophic fungal pathogen Stagonospora tainanensis causing sugarcane leaf blight (SLB), the expression dynamics of NLRs responding to the infection in three sugarcane clones were compared. The different genetic background led to the significant difference of NLRs response to SLB in different sugarcane clones, and we got an inference of the potential mechanism of SLB resistance. These results provided a basic reference and new insights to further study and utilize the NLRs.
Alternative Lime Pretreatment of Corn Stover for Second-Generation Bioethanol Production
Authors: Fírvida Iria , del Río Pablo G. , Gullón Patricia , Gullón Beatriz , Garrote Gil , Romaní Aloia
Published: January 2021

In this work, a delignification process, using lime (Ca(OH)2) as an alternative alkali, was evaluated to improve enzymatic saccharification of corn stover cellulose, with the final goal of obtaining second-generation bioethanol. For that, an experimental design was conducted in order to assay the effect of temperature, lime loading, and time on the corn stover fractionation and enzymatic susceptibility of cellulose. Under conditions evaluated, lime pretreatment was selective for the recovery of cellulose (average of 91%) and xylan (average of 75.3%) in the solid phase. In addition, operating in mild conditions, a delignification up to 40% was also attained. On the other hand, a maximal cellulose-to-glucose conversion (CGCMAX) of 89.5% was achieved using the solid, resulting from the treatment carried out at 90 °C for 5 h and lime loading of 0.4 g of Ca(OH)2/g of corn stover. Finally, under selected conditions of pretreatment, 28.7 g/L (or 3.6% v/v) of bioethanol was produced (corresponding to 72.4% of ethanol conversion) by simultaneous saccharification and fermentation. Hence, the process, based on an alternative alkali proposed in this work, allowed the successful production of biofuel from the important and abundant agro-industrial residue of corn stover.
Pomegranate Cultivation in Mediterranean Climate: Plant Adaptation and Fruit Quality of ‘Mollar de Elche’ and ‘Wonderful’ Cultivars
Authors: Tinebra Ilenia , Scuderi Dario , Sortino Giuseppe , Mazzaglia Agata , Farina Vittorio
Published: January 2021

Two pomegranate cultivars, Mollar de Elche, native to Spain, and Wonderful, the most widely cultivated pomegranate variety in the world, were studied in a commercial orchard in Sicily, and their phenological behavior was compared. During the development of the fruit, their dimensional growth was monitored, and after harvest, physicochemical and sensory analyses were carried out to highlight the differences between fruit of the two cultivars. Results showed that Mollar de Elche fruit require less time from flowering to fruit maturity, resulting in an earlier harvest, which was due also to a higher relative growth rate of the fruit’s diameters. On the other hand, physicochemical analyses confirmed that Wonderful is the variety that is most appealing for fresh produce consumers due to its intense coloring. However, Mollar de Elche showed economically desirable characteristics such as a good softness of the seed. Moreover, sensory analysis showed that fruit of the cv. Mollar de Elche was found to have a sweeter taste of both arils and juice.
Effects of Organic Amendments on the Improvement of Soil Nutrients and Crop Yield in Sandy Soils during a 4-Year Field Experiment in Huang-Huai-Hai Plain, Northern China
Authors: Zhao Yingxing , Chen Yuanquan , Dai Hongcui , Cui Jixiao , Wang Lin , Sui Peng
Published: January 2021

To address the low productivity of sandy farmlands, our study aimed to conduct a comparative study on the effects of different organic amendment (OA) inputs for the potential improvement of crop yield and soil quality in sandy alkaline farmlands through the selection of a suitable OA. This study set up straw (ST) returning as control and chemical fertilizer (CF) treatment as a side control, and chose three OAs returning as treatments, including pig manure (PM), biogas residue (BR), and straw biochar (BC), for improving soil fertility, with all amendments having matched doses of nitrogen (N). The experiment was conducted at the Wuqiao Experimental Station (37°41 N, 116°37 E) of China Agricultural University in Hebei Province, China, from October 2012 to September 2016. The cropping rotation was the winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)-summer maize (Zea mays L.) rotation system. Through a consecutive four-year field experiment, the principal results showed that three types of OA application significantly increased soil organic carbon from 1.46 g kg−1 to 8.24 g kg−1, soil total N from 0.21 g kg−1 to 0.64 g kg−1, soil available potassium from 55.85 mg kg−1 to 288.76 mg kg−1, and soil available phosphate from 4.86 mg kg−1 to 65.00 mg kg−1 in the 0–20 cm soil layer. The BR was the most effective in improving soil nutrients as compared with the ST. The PM and BR treatments were more conducive to promoting crop yield by 6–20% than ST, and the BC treatment significantly reduced the yield of winter wheat by 19% and summer maize by 8%. As the BR and PM treatments improved the soil nutrient content and significantly increased crop yield, these were the top choices for transforming the low-yield sandy farmlands.
Insight into the Epidemiology of Leptospirosis: A Review of Leptospira Isolations from “Unconventional” Hosts
Authors: Cilia Giovanni , Bertelloni Fabrizio , Albini Sara , Fratini Filippo
Published: January 2021

Leptospirosis is a re-emerging worldwide zoonotic disease. Even though the primary serological test for diagnosis and surveying is the microscopic agglutination test (MAT), isolation remains the gold-standard test to detect Leptospira infections. The leptospirosis transmission is linked to maintenance and accidental hosts. In the epidemiology of Leptospira some serovar are strictly related to specific maintenance hosts; however, in recent years, the bacterium was isolated from an even wider spectrum of species. The aim of this review is to report the isolation of Leptospira strains in animals which could be recognized as “unconventional” hosts, analyzing studies from 1960 to 2020 that highlighted the Leptospira isolation. This scientific literature aimed to provide evidence of infection in several animal species including of the Carnivora, Didelphimorphia, Rodentia, Cetacea, Cingulata, Afrosoricida, Chiroptera and Primate orders, as well as in Reptilia and Amphibia classes. In conclusion, the spreading of Leptospira is attention-worthy because the infection could occur in all the animal species ranging in a specific area. Further screening and isolations are needed to collect all necessary data to gain a complete understanding of leptospirosis epidemiology and its modifications.
Characteristics and Welfare of Long-Term Shelter Dogs
Authors: Raudies Christina , Waiblinger Susanne , Arhant Christine
Published: January 2021

To identify characteristics that distinguish long-term (LT: stay > 1 year) from short-term shelter dogs (ST: ≤5 months) and to investigate if a long-term stay impairs welfare, we compared ST and LT dogs in Austrian no-kill shelters. Analyses including characteristics such as breed, sex, or age (shelter records), problem behaviour, and personality (questionnaires completed by staff) showed that LT dogs were significantly more often a “dangerous breed”, male, and older when admitted to the shelter. They were rated higher on “aggression” and “high arousal” and lower on the personality dimension “amicability”. A welfare assessment protocol including reaction toward humans (Shelter Quality Protocol), and in-kennel observations were used to assess the effect of the long-term stay. LT dogs tended to show more signs of aggression toward an unfamiliar human, but welfare assessment revealed no difference. During resting periods, LT dogs spent more time resting head up and had more bouts resting head down. Prior to feeding, they stood, vocalised, and yawned more. LT dogs are characterised by specific features such as being aroused easily and having difficulties to relax. Whether this is a result of the long-term stay or personality-associated, consequently causing lower adoption rates, remains to be determined.
Synergistic Effect of Abietic Acid with Oxacillin against Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus pseudintermedius
Authors: Buommino Elisabetta , Vollaro Adriana , Nocera Francesca P. , Lembo Francesca , DellaGreca Marina , De Martino Luisa , Catania Maria R.
Published: January 2021

Resin acids are valued in traditional medicine for their antiseptic properties. Among these, abietic acid has been reported to be active against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) strains. In veterinary healthcare, the methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus pseudintermedius (MRSP) strain is an important reservoir of antibiotic resistance genes including mecA. The incidence of MRSP has been increasing, and treatment options in veterinary medicine are partial. Here, we investigated the antimicrobial and antibiofilm properties of abietic acid against three MRSP and two methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus pseudintermedius (MSSP) strains, isolated from diseased pet animals and human wound samples. Abietic acid showed a significant minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) value ranging from 32 to 64 μg/mL (MRSPs) and 8 μg/mL (MSSP). By checkerboard method we demonstrated that abietic acid increased oxacillin susceptibility of MRSP strains, thus showing a synergistic interaction with oxacillin. Abietic acid was also able to contrast the vitality of treated MSSP and MRSP1 biofilms at 20 μg/mL and 40 μg/mL, respectively. Finally, the compound moderately reduced mecA, mecR1 and mec1 gene expression. In conclusion, the results here reported demonstrate the antimicrobial activity of abietic acid against MRSP and support the use of this compound as a potential therapeutic agent to be used in combinatorial antibiotic therapy.
Scenario Optimisation and Sensitivity Analysis for Safe Automated Driving Using Gaussian Processes
Authors: Batsch Felix , Daneshkhah Alireza , Palade Vasile , Cheah Madeline
Published: January 2021

Assuring the safety of automated vehicles is essential for their timely introduction and acceptance by policymakers and the public. To assess their safe design and robust decision making in response to all possible scenarios, new methods that use a scenario-based testing approach are needed, as testing on public roads in normal traffic would require driving millions of kilometres. We make use of the scenario-based testing approach and propose a method to model simulated scenarios using Gaussian Process based models to predict untested scenario outcomes. This enables us to efficiently determine the performance boundary, where the safe and unsafe scenarios can be evidently distinguished from each other. We present an iterative method that optimises the parameter space of a logical scenario towards the most critical scenarios on this performance boundary. Additionally, we conduct a novel probabilistic sensitivity analysis by efficiently computing several variance-based sensitivity indices using the Gaussian Process models and evaluate the relative importance of the scenario input parameters on the scenario outcome. We critically evaluate and investigate the usefulness of the proposed Gaussian Process based approach as a very efficient surrogate model, which can model the logical scenarios effectively in the presence of uncertainty. The proposed approach is applied on an exemplary logical scenario and shows viability in finding concrete critical scenarios. The reported results, derived from the proposed approach, could pave the way to more efficient testing of automated vehicles and instruct further physical tests on the determined critical scenarios.
Optical Code Construction of 2D Spectral/Spatial BIBD Codes for SAC-OCDMA Systems
Authors: Sharma Teena , Chehri Abdellah , Fortier Paul , Yousif Ahmed Hassan , Zeghid Medien , A. Imtiaz Waqas
Published: January 2021

Optical code division multiple access (OCDMA) shows limitations in terms of the inefficient bandwidth utilization and low spectral density with one-dimensional (1D) codes. To overcome these limitations, a novel design is presented using a two dimensional (2D) spectral/spatial multiwavelength coding scheme. The proposed code is constructed using a 1D balanced incomplete block design (BIBD) technique. Theoretical and analytical results indicate that the proposed code provided improvement in the number of simultaneous users, code construction, and cross-correlation and minimized noise. Moreover, the bandwidth requirements can be minimized, and it can provide flexibility in addressing code sequences. Finally, results were compared with existing spectral-spatial 2D codes such as diagonal eigenvalue unity (DEU) and 2D diluted perfect difference (DPD). It was observed that the 2D-BIBD code fulfilled optical transmission needs with minimum effective source power (Psr = −27.5 dBm) when compared to 2D-DEU (−26.5 dBm) and 2D-DPD (−25.5 dBm) codes. Overall, our results suggested that the performance of BER for the proposed code was 72% and 22% higher than the existing 2D-DPD and 2D-DEU codes, respectively.
Surrogate Model for Multi-Component Diffusion of Uranium through Opalinus Clay on the Host Rock Scale
Authors: Hennig Theresa , Kühn Michael
Published: January 2021

Multi-component (MC) diffusion simulations enable a process based and more precise approach to calculate transport and sorption compared to the commonly used single-component (SC) models following Fick’s law. The MC approach takes into account the interaction of chemical species in the porewater with the diffuse double layer (DDL) adhering clay mineral surfaces. We studied the shaly, sandy and carbonate-rich facies of the Opalinus Clay. High clay contents dominate diffusion and sorption of uranium. The MC simulations show shorter diffusion lengths than the SC models due to anion exclusion from the DDL. This hampers diffusion of the predominant species CaUO2(CO3)32−. On the one side, species concentrations and ionic strengths of the porewater and on the other side surface charge of the clay minerals control the composition and behaviour of the DDL. For some instances, it amplifies the diffusion of uranium. We developed a workflow to transfer computationally intensive MC simulations to SC models via calibrated effective diffusion and distribution coefficients. Simulations for one million years depict maximum uranium diffusion lengths between 10 m and 35 m. With respect to the minimum requirement of a thickness of 100 m, the Opalinus Clay seems to be a suitable host rock for nuclear waste repositories.
Operational Modal Analysis for Vibration Control Following Moving Window Locality Preserving Projections for Linear Slow-Time-Varying Structures
Authors: Fu Weihua , Wang Cheng , Chen Jianwei
Published: January 2021

Modal parameters can reflect the dynamic characteristics of the structure and can be used to control vibration. To identify the operational modal parameters of linear slow-time-varying structures only from non-stationary vibration response signals, a method based on moving window locality preserving projections (MWLPP) algorithm is proposed. Based on the theory of “time freeze”, the method selects a fixed length window and takes the displacement response signal in each window as a stationary random sequence. The locality preserving projections algorithm is used to identify the transient modal frequency and modal shape of the structure at this window. The low-dimensional embedding of the displacement response data set calculated by locality preserving projections (LPP) corresponds to the modal coordinate response matrix, and the transformation matrix corresponds to the modal shape matrix. The simulation results of the mass slow-time-varying three degree of freedom (DOF) and the density slow-time-varying cantilever beam show that the new method can effectively identify the modal shape and modal natural frequency of the linear slow-time-varying only from the non-stationary vibration response signal, and the performance is better than the moving window principal component analysis (MWPCA).
Error Evaluation and Suitability Assessment of Common Reliability Methods in the Case of Shallow Foundations
Authors: Dodigović Filip , Ivandić Krešo , Kovačević Meho Saša , Soldo Božo
Published: January 2021

A geotechnical structure’s reliability index calculated using identical input parameters and assumptions can significantly vary as a function of the used method. The different approaches to solving the reliability problem could result in an error which depends on many factors. The most important error sources are the complexity of the performance function, the number of random variables, their mutual correlations, and marginal statistical distributions. A review of relevant literature in the field of reliability in geotechnical engineering revealed a lack of information on the errors of individual reliability methods for geotechnical problems and general criteria for assessing their suitability concerning the error size. The paper defines the reliability method error and proposes criteria for assessing the suitability of reliability methods in geotechnical engineering. Based on the proposed criteria, the suitability of common reliability methods was evaluated in the example of a shallow foundation, analysed according to Eurocode 7, DA 3, such that Ed=Rd. It is shown that due to the mathematically complex expression of the reliability integral, methods that are easier to use result in a larger error and are not suitable for a reliability analysis of shallow foundations. Sophisticated methods are more accurate but require specific knowledge and resources that are not often used in daily engineering practice.
A Satellite Incipient Fault Detection Method Based on Local Optimum Projection Vector and Kullback-Leibler Divergence
Authors: Zhang Ge , Yang Qiong , Li Guotong , Leng Jiaxing , Wang Long
Published: January 2021

Timely and effective detection of potential incipient faults in satellites plays an important role in improving their availability and extending their service life. In this paper, the problem of detecting incipient faults using projection vector (PV) and Kullback-Leibler (KL) divergence is studied in the context of detecting incipient faults in satellites. Under the assumption that the variables obey a multidimensional Gaussian distribution and using KL divergence to detect incipient faults, this paper models the optimum PV for detecting incipient faults as an optimization problem. It proves that the PVs obtained by principal component analysis (PCA) are not necessarily the optimum PV for detecting incipient faults. It then compares the on-line probability density function (PDF) with the reference PDF for detecting incipient faults on the local optimum PV. A numerical example and a real satellite fault case were used to assess the validity and superiority of the method proposed in this paper over conventional methods. Since the method takes into account the characteristics of the actual incipient faults, it is more adaptable to various possible incipient faults. Fault detection rates of three simulated faults and the real satellite fault are 98%, 84%, 93% and 92%, respectively.
Workload Stability-Aware Virtual Machine Consolidation Using Adaptive Harmony Search in Cloud Datacenters
Authors: Yun Ho Yeong , Jin Suk Ho , Kim Kyung Sup
Published: January 2021

Owing to the increasing complexity of managing IT infrastructure caused by rapid technological advancements, organizations are transforming their datacenter management environments from on-premises to the cloud. Datacenters operating in the cloud environment have large amounts of IT infrastructure, such as servers, storage devices, and network equipment, and are operational on all days of the year, thus causing power overconsumption problems. However, efforts to reduce power consumption are not the first priority as datacenters seek stable operation to avoid violating their service level agreements. Therefore, a research model that reduces power consumption of the datacenter while enabling stable operation by utilizing virtual machine (VM) consolidation is proposed here. To obtain the optimal solution for the proposed VM consolidation model, an adaptive harmony search methodology is developed, which expends less effort to set the parameters of the model compared to existing harmony search methods. Comparative experiments were conducted to validate the accuracy and performance of the proposed model. As a result, Original harmony search (HS) showed better performance than the existing heuristic algorithm, and novel self-adaptive (NS)-HS showed the best result among Adaptive HS. In addition, when considering workload stability, it showed better results in terms of datacenters (DC) stability than otherwise.