bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Structural Prediction Analysis of Cross-Sea Cable-Stayed Bridges during Operation Based on Existing Traffic Volumes
Authors: Xin Song , Wang Ziyi , Su Huifeng , Shang Liuhong , Meng Kun , Wang Xiang , Zhou Zhiyong , Zhao Zhongxiao , Zhang Pengfei
Published: November 2022

In order to study the safety state of the structure of a cross-sea cable-stayed bridge during its operation period, this paper proposes a combined long-term traffic prediction model based on the XGBoost (eXtreme Gradient Boosting) model and LSTM (Long Short Term Memory) model in the context of a cross-sea cable-stayed bridge in Qingdao. XGBoost is an optimized distributed gradient enhancement library. LSTM is a neural network for processing long sequence data. The LSTM model and the XGBoost model were first built separately, and then a genetic algorithm was used to select the optimal weight parameters to combine the two models for prediction. Based on the traffic prediction results of the combined LSTM-XGBoost model, a finite element model was established using numerical analysis. The effect of different traffic volumes on the deflection and stresses in the span of the main beam and the stresses in the diagonal cables was analyzed using the time course analysis method. From the point of view of structural safety, the maximum of future traffic limits and more reasonable average traffic speeds are given to provide a basis for the later management of the bridge.
Differential Metabolomics Reveals Pathogenesis of Pestalotiopsis kenyana Causing Leaf Spot Disease of Zanthoxylum schinifolium
Authors: Liu Chang , Guo Haiyao , Liu Han , Yu Jiawen , Li Shuying , Zhu Tianhui , Owusu Adjei Mark , Li Shujiang
Published: November 2022

Pepper leaf spot is a common disease of Zanthoxylum schinifolium. When it is serious, it directly affects the growth of Z. schinifolium, making the plant unable to blossom and bear fruit, which seriously restricts the development of the Z. schinifolium industry. Therefore, the pathogenic mechanism of leaf spots should be explored to provide a basis for a comprehensive understanding of the disease. Using liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC–MS) technology combined with the data-dependent acquisition, the full spectrum analysis of pathogen mycelium samples was carried out. Partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) was used to reveal the differences in metabolic patterns among different groups. Hierarchical clustering analysis (HCA) and PLS-DA were used to reveal the relationship between samples and metabolites, which reflected the metabolomics changes of Pestalotiopsis kenyana in the logarithmic growth phase of mycelia, the stable growth phase of mycelia, the massive spore stage, the induction culture conditions of PDA and Z. schinifolium leaves, and the possible pathogenic substances were selected for pathogenicity detection. PLS-DA had a strong predictive ability, indicating a clear analysis trend between different groups. The results of the metabolomics analysis showed that the differential metabolites of pathogenic bacteria were abundant at different stages and under different medium conditions, and the content of metabolites changed significantly. There were 3922 differential metabolites in nine groups under positive and negative ion modes, including lipids and lipid molecules, organic acids and their derivatives, organic heterocyclic compounds, organic oxygen compounds, carbohydrate polyketides, nucleosides, nucleotides, and analogs. The results of the pathogenicity test showed that the leaves treated with 3,5-dimethoxy benzoic acid, S-(5-adenosy)-l-homocysteine, 2-(1H-indol-3-yl) acetic acid, l-glutamic acid, and 2-(2-acetyl-3,5-dihydroxy phenyl) acetic acid showed different degrees of yellowish-brown lesions. This indicated that these substances may be related to the pathogenicity of P. kenyana, and the incidence was more serious when treated with 3,5-dimethoxybenzoic acid and S-(5-adenosy)- l -homocysteine. This study provides a basis for further analysis of differential metabolites and provides a theoretical reference for the prevention and treatment of Z. schinifolium leaf spot.
Variation in Community Structure of the Root-Associated Fungi of Cinnamomum camphora Forest
Authors: Chen Deqiang , Zeng Jiaoyan , Wan Xiaohui , Wang Yonglong , Lan Siren , Zou Shuangquan , Qian Xin
Published: November 2022

Plant-associated microbial communities play essential roles in the vegetative cycle, growth, and development of plants. Cinnamomum camphora is an evergreen tree species of the Lauraceae family with high ornamental, medicinal, and economic values. The present study analyzed the composition, diversity, and functions of the fungal communities in the bulk soil, rhizosphere, and root endosphere of C. camphora at different slope positions by high-throughput sequencing. The results showed that the alpha diversity of the fungal communities in the bulk soil and rhizosphere of the downhill plots was relatively higher than those uphill. A further analysis revealed that Mucoromycota, the dominant fungus at the phylum level, was positively correlated with soil bulk density, total soil porosity, mass water content, alkaline-hydrolyzable nitrogen, maximum field capacity, and least field capacity. Meanwhile, the prevalent fungus at the class level, Mortierellomycetes, was positively correlated with total phosphorus and available and total potassium, but negatively with alkaline-hydrolyzable nitrogen. Finally, the assignment of the functional guilds to the fungal operational taxonomic units (OTUs) revealed that the OTUs highly enriched in the downhill samples compared with the uphill samples, which were saprotrophs. Thus, this study is the first to report differences in the fungal community among the different soil/root samples and between C. camphora forests grown at different slope positions. We also identified the factors favoring the root-associated beneficial fungi in these forests, providing theoretical guidance for managing C. camphora forests.
Spatial Differentiation, Influencing Factors, and Development Paths of Rural Tourism Resources in Guangdong Province
Authors: Liao Chenmei , Zuo Yifan , Law Rob , Wang Yingying , Zhang Mu
Published: November 2022

Rural tourism resources are the core carriers of rural tourism. It is, therefore, beneficial to further optimize the layout of rural tourism and to explore the spatial differentiation of rural tourism resources and their influencing factors. Taking 4670 rural tourism resources in Guangdong Province in China as the research object, this study explores the spatial distribution patterns of rural tourism resources through the nearest neighbor index, grid dimension analysis, kernel density analysis, and standard deviation ellipse method. Geodetectors are used to identify the influencing factors of the spatial heterogeneity of these resources in Guangdong Province. The findings reveal the following: (1) The distribution of rural tourism resources in Guangdong Province shows a tendency of agglomeration along the Tropic of Cancer, and the spatial distribution is unbalanced. The hot and cold spots show a “northeast-southwest” distribution trend. Furthermore, most of the hotspots form three high-density core areas, the sub-dense stretch zones connect into a w-shaped belt, and the sub-cold areas and sub-hot areas show a large expansion trend, thus forming five radiation areas. (2) The distribution of rural tourism resources in Guangdong Province is affected by multiple factors. In particular, the force of agricultural resource endowment, tourism resource endowment and transportation location are relatively strong, and social economy and tourist source market are the weak factors.
Bacterial Microbiota and Soil Fertility of Crocus sativus L. Rhizosphere in the Presence and Absence of Fusarium spp.
Authors: Farda Beatrice , Djebaili Rihab , Bernardi Matteo , Pace Loretta , Del Gallo Maddalena , Pellegrini Marika
Published: November 2022

Intensive agricultural practices have led to intense soil degradation and soil fertility losses. Many soil-borne diseases affect these intensive agricultural soils, worsening the physical-chemical and fertility imbalances. Among the numerous pathogens, the genus Fusarium includes members that destroy many crops, including Crocus sativus L., which also impairs the composition and functions of the microbial communities. This work aimed to investigate, for the first time, the bacterial communities of the rhizosphere of saffron in the presence and absence of fusariosis. The rhizosphere of the saffron fields in the territory of L’Aquila (Italy) with and without fusariosis was sampled and subjected to a microbiological analysis. Culture-dependent methods characterized the fusariosis. The dehydrogenase activity assay was estimated. The metabarcoding of the 16S rRNA gene, a metagenome functioning prediction, and a network analysis were also carried out. The results showed that fusariosis, when it is linked to intensive agricultural practices, causes alterations in the microbial communities of the rhizosphere. The culture-dependent and independent approaches have shown changes in the bacterial community in the presence of fusariosis, with functional and enzymatic imbalances. The samples showed a prevalence of uncultured and unknown taxa. Most of the known Amplicon Sequence Variants (ASVs) were associated with the Pseudomonadoa (syn. Proteobacteria) lineage. The composition and richness of this phylum were significantly altered by the presence of Fusarium. Moreover, pathogenesis appeared to improve the ASVs interconnections. The metagenome functions were also modified in the presence of fusariosis.
Coupling and Coordination Relationship between Livelihood Capital and Livelihood Stability of Farmers in Different Agricultural Regions
Authors: Yang Aoxi , Ye Jingqiao , Wang Yahui
Published: November 2022

Sustainable livelihood of farmers is the key to rural revitalization. The purpose of this study was to establish livelihood capital cultivation models suitable for farmers in different agricultural regions and to enhance the sustainability of farmers’ livelihoods by selecting four agricultural regions (suburban agriculture, intensive agriculture, plain field agriculture, and mountain agriculture) and 1025 rural households and employing Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) to systematically analyze the characteristics of livelihood capital and livelihood stability of farmers in different agricultural regions and the coupling coordination relationship between them based on a Sustainable Livelihood Framework (SLF). The results show that: (1) The average household livelihood capital is highest in intensive agricultural regions and lowest in mountain agricultural regions. (2) Farmers in suburban agricultural regions have a variety of sources of income; thus, the livelihood stability is the highest. while it is lowest in intensive agricultural regions. (3) The coupling coordination degree of livelihood capital and livelihood stability in suburban agricultural regions and plain field agricultural regions is primary coordination, while in intensive agricultural regions and mountain agricultural regions, livelihood capital and stability are slightly out of balance.
Altered Serum Uric Acid Levels in Kidney Disorders
Authors: Kim Gheun-Ho , Jun Jae-Bum
Published: November 2022

Serum uric acid levels are altered by kidney disorders because the kidneys play a dominant role in uric acid excretion. Here, major kidney disorders which accompany hyperuricemia or hypouricemia, including their pathophysiology, are discussed. Chronic kidney disease (CKD) and hyperuricemia are frequently associated, but recent clinical trials have not supported the pathogenic roles of hyperuricemia in CKD incidence and progression. Diabetes mellitus (DM) is often associated with hyperuricemia, and hyperuricemia may be associated with an increased risk of diabetic kidney disease in patients with type 2 DM. Sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors have a uricosuric effect and can relieve hyperuricemia in DM. Autosomal dominant tubulointerstitial kidney disease (ADTKD) is an important hereditary kidney disease, mainly caused by mutations of uromodulin (UMOD) or mucin-1 (MUC-1). Hyperuricemia and gout are the major clinical manifestations of ADTKD-UMOD and ADTKD-MUC1. Renal hypouricemia is caused by URAT1 or GLUT9 loss-of-function mutations and renders patients susceptible to exercise-induced acute kidney injury, probably because of excessive urinary uric acid excretion. Hypouricemia derived from renal uric acid wasting is a component of Fanconi syndrome, which can be hereditary or acquired. During treatment for human immunodeficiency virus, hepatitis B or cytomegalovirus, tenofovir, adefovir, and cidofovir may cause drug-induced renal Fanconi syndrome. In coronavirus disease 2019, hypouricemia due to proximal tubular injury is related to disease severity, including respiratory failure. Finally, serum uric acid and the fractional excretion of uric acid are indicative of plasma volume status; hyperuricemia caused by the enhanced uric acid reabsorption can be induced by volume depletion, and hypouricemia caused by an increased fractional excretion of uric acid is the characteristic finding in syndromes of inappropriate anti-diuresis, cerebral/renal salt wasting, and thiazide-induced hyponatremia. Molecular mechanisms by which uric acid transport is dysregulated in volume or water balance disorders need to be investigated.
Artificial Intelligence as an Aid in CBCT Airway Analysis: A Systematic Review
Authors: Tsolakis Ioannis A. , Kolokitha Olga-Elpis , Papadopoulou Erofili , Tsolakis Apostolos I. , Kilipiris Evangelos G. , Palomo J. Martin
Published: November 2022

Background: The use of artificial intelligence (AI) in health sciences is becoming increasingly popular among doctors nowadays. This study evaluated the literature regarding the use of AI for CBCT airway analysis. To our knowledge, this is the first systematic review that examines the performance of artificial intelligence in CBCT airway analysis. Methods: Electronic databases and the reference lists of the relevant research papers were searched for published and unpublished literature. Study selection, data extraction, and risk of bias evaluation were all carried out independently and twice. Finally, five articles were chosen. Results: The results suggested a high correlation between the automatic and manual airway measurements indicating that the airway measurements may be automatically and accurately calculated from CBCT images. Conclusions: According to the present literature, automatic airway segmentation can be used for clinical purposes. The main key findings of this systematic review are that the automatic airway segmentation is accurate in the measurement of the airway and, at the same time, appears to be fast and easy to use. However, the present literature is really limited, and more studies in the future providing high-quality evidence are needed.
Improvement in the Sequential Extraction of Phycobiliproteins from Arthrospira platensis Using Green Technologies
Authors: Pan-utai Wanida , Iamtham Siriluck , Boonbumrung Sumitra , Mookdasanit Juta
Published: November 2022

Arthrospira platensis (commercially known as Spirulina) is an excellent source of phycobiliproteins, especially C-phycocyanin. Phycobiliproteins are significant bioactive compounds with useful biological applications. The extraction process plays a significant role in downstream microalga production and utilisation. The important pigments found in A. platensis include chlorophyll and carotenoids as nonpolar pigments and phycobiliproteins as polar pigments. Supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) as a green extraction technology for the high-value metabolites of microalgae has potential for trends in food and human health. The nonpolar bioactive compounds, chlorophyll and carotenoids of A. platensis, were primarily separated using supercritical carbon dioxide (SC-CO2) solvent-free fluid extraction pressure; the temperature and ethanol as cosolvent conditions were compared. The residue from the A. platensis cells was subjected to phycobiliprotein extraction. The phosphate and water extraction of A. platensis SFE residue were compared to evaluate phycobiliprotein extraction. The SFE results exhibited higher pressure (350 bar) and temperature extraction (50 °C) with ethanol-free extraction and increased nonpolar pigment. Phycobiliprotein yield was obtained from A. platensis SFE residue by ethanol-free buffer extraction as a suitable process with antioxidant properties. The C-phycocyanin was isolated and enhanced to 0.7 purity as food grade. This developed method can be used as a guideline and applied as a sustainable process for important pigment extraction from Arthrospira microalgae.
Current Trend of Industry 4.0 in Logistics and Transformation of Logistics Processes Using Digital Technologies: An Empirical Study in the Slovak Republic
Authors: Richnák Patrik
Published: November 2022

Background: The digital transformation towards Industry 4.0 has become a necessity for businesses as it makes them more flexible, agile and responsive. Logistics is no exception, as it is constantly undergoing a significant transformation supported by revolutionary Industry 4.0 technologies that are fundamentally changing logistics processes and operations. Methods: In the construction of the paper, the following classical scientific methods were used: analysis, synthesis, induction, deduction, analogy, specification and comparison. Among the special scientific methods, the method of classification, concretisation, graphical methods, questionnaire survey and statistical methods were used. Results: The analysed enterprises perceive digital transformation in logistics. In the analysed enterprises in Slovakia, the Industry 4.0 strategy is implemented in logistics. Industry 4.0 in logistics has the largest representation in production logistics in each enterprise category. In implementing Industry 4.0 in logistics, enterprises confront the biggest barrier, namely, investment costs. Conclusions: Through one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Pearson’s correlation coefficient, several significant relationships were confirmed. The significant relationship between manufacturing logistics and selected Industry 4.0 technologies was demonstrated. The significant relationship between procurement logistics and selected Industry 4.0 technologies was also demonstrated. The statistical analysis also confirmed a significant relationship between distribution logistics and the selected Industry 4.0 technologies.
Cellular Automaton Mimicking Colliding Bodies for Topology Optimization
Authors: Bochenek Bogdan , Tajs-Zielińska Katarzyna
Published: November 2022

Needs and demands of contemporary engineering stimulate continuous and intensive development of design methods. Topology optimization is a modern approach which has been successfully implemented in a daily engineering design practice. Decades of progress resulted in numerous applications of topology optimization to many research and engineering fields. Since the design process starts already at the conceptual stage, innovative, efficient, and versatile topology algorithms play a crucial role. In the present study, the concept of the original heuristic topology generator is proposed. The main idea that stands behind this proposal is to take advantage of the colliding bodies phenomenon and to use the governing laws to derive original Cellular Automata rules which can efficiently perform the process of optimal topologies generation. The derived algorithm has been successfully combined with ANSYS, a commercial finite element software package, to illustrate its versatility and to make a step toward engineering applications. Based on the results of the tests performed, it can be concluded that the proposed concept of the automaton mimicking colliding bodies may be an alternative algorithm to other existing topology generators oriented toward engineering applications.
Phase Transitions and Physical Properties of the Mixed Valence Iron Phosphate Fe3(PO3OH)4(H2O)4
Authors: Poienar Maria , Gutmann Matthias Josef , Pascut Gheorghe Lucian , Petříček Václav , Stenning Gavin , Vlazan Paulina , Sfirloaga Paula , Paulmann Carsten , Tolkiehn Martin , Manuel Pascal , Veber Philippe
Published: November 2022

Iron phosphate materials have attracted a lot of attention due to their potential as cathode materials for lithium-ion rechargeable batteries. It has been shown that lithium insertion or extraction depends on the Fe mixed valence and reduction or oxidation of the Fe ions’ valences. In this paper, we report a new synthesis method for the Fe3(PO3OH)4(H2O)4 mixed valence iron phosphate. In addition, we perform temperature-dependent measurements of structural and physical properties in order to obtain an understanding of electronic–structural interplay in this compound. Scanning electron microscope images show needle-like single crystals of 50 μm to 200 μm length which are stable up to approximately 200 °C, as revealed by thermogravimetric analysis. The crystal structure of Fe3(PO3OH)4(H2O)4 single crystals has been determined in the temperature range of 90 K to 470 K. A monoclinic isostructural phase transition was found at ~213 K, with unit cell volume doubling in the low temperature phase. While the local environment of the Fe2+ ions does not change significantly across the structural phase transition, small antiphase rotations occur for the Fe3+ octahedra, implying some kind of electronic order. These results are corroborated by first principle calculations within density functional theory, which also point to ordering of the electronic degrees of freedom across the transition. The structural phase transition is confirmed by specific heat measurements. Moreover, hints of 3D antiferromagnetic ordering appear below ~11 K in the magnetic susceptibility measurements. Room temperature visible light absorption is consistent with the Fe2+/Fe3+ mixed valence.
Apparent Young’s Modulus of Epoxy Adhesives
Authors: Anasiewicz Kamil , Kuczmaszewski Józef
Published: November 2022

This article presents the results of a study of the properties of epoxy adhesives in an adhesive joint. The study analysed changes in Young’s modulus values as a function of the rigidity of the adhesive and the type of joined material. The values of Young’s modulus values were determined on the thickness of the adhesive joint using the nanoindentation method and in a tensile test of dumbbell shape sample for the adhesive material. The obtained results were analysed in terms of changes to the values of Young’s modulus of the adhesive as a function of the distance from the joined material–adhesive phase boundary and compared to the adhesive material. Zones were distinguished in the layer of the adhesive joint—adjacent to the wall and the core, with different values of Young’s modulus. Conclusions were drawn, indicating the relationship between the adhesive joint thickness and the increase in the value of Young’s modulus. Significant differences were found in the values of Young’s modulus of the adhesive joint compared to Young’s modulus of the adhesive in the form of plastic.
The Typical Damage Form and Mechanism of a Railway Prestressed Concrete Sleeper
Authors: You Ruilin , Wang Jijun , Ning Na , Wang Meng , Zhang Jiashuo
Published: November 2022

Prestressed concrete sleepers are an important track component that is widely used in railway ballast track. Prestressed concrete sleepers have high strength, strong stability, and good durability; thus, their operation and use in railways are beneficial. However, in different countries and regions, certain damage to sleepers typically appears. Existing research on concrete sleepers focuses primarily on the structural design method, the application of new materials, theoretical analysis, and bearing strength test research, while ignoring sleeper damage. There are a few sleeper damage studies, but they look at only one type of damage; thus, there is no comprehensive study of prestressed concrete sleeper damage. The damage forms of prestressed concrete sleeper damage are thus summarized in this study, and the theory of the causes of prestressed concrete sleepers is analyzed based on the limit state method for the first time. The findings indicate that sleeper structure design is the primary cause of its operation and use status, and that special measures should be considered based on sleeper use conditions. In addition to meeting design requirements, materials, curing systems, product inspection, and other factors must be considered during manufacturing to improve the sleepers’ long-term performance. Keeping the track in good condition, including but not limited to the state of fasteners, ballast bed, and track geometry is also an important aspect of preventing sleeper damage. The outcomes of this study provide better insights into the influences of damage to railway prestressed concrete sleepers and can be used to improve track maintenance and inspection criteria.
Anisotropic PDMS/Alumina/Carbon Fiber Composites with a High Thermal Conductivity and an Electromagnetic Interference Shielding Performance
Authors: Zhang Xi , Song Jianan , Meng Jiajia , Zhang Kan
Published: November 2022

The development of polymer-based composites with a high thermal conductivity and electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding performance is crucial to the application of polymer-based composites in electronic equipment. Herein, a novel strategy combining ice-templated assembly and stress-induced orientation was proposed to prepare polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)/alumina/carbon fiber (CF) composites. CF in the composites exhibited a highly oriented structure in the horizontal direction. Alumina was connected to the CF, promoting the formation of thermal conductive pathways in both the horizontal and vertical directions. As the CF content was 27.5 vol% and the alumina content was 14.0 vol%, the PDMS/alumina/CF composite had high thermal conductivities in the horizontal and vertical directions, which were 8.44 and 2.34 W/(m·K), respectively. The thermal conductivity in the horizontal direction was 40.2 times higher than that of PDMS and 5.0 times higher than that of the composite with a randomly distributed filler. The significant enhancement of the thermal conductivity was attributed to the oriented structure of the CF and the bridging effect of alumina. The PDMS/alumina/CF composite exhibited an excellent EMI shielding effectiveness of 40.8 dB which was 2.4 times higher than that of the composite with a randomly distributed filler. The PDMS/alumina/CF composite also exhibited a low reflectivity of the electromagnetic waves. This work could provide a guide for the research of polymer-based composites with a high thermal conductivity and an EMI shielding performance.
A Promising High-Entropy Thermal Barrier Material with the Formula (Y0.2Dy0.2Ho0.2Er0.2Yb0.2)3Al5O12
Authors: Li Zhanqiang , Zheng Junfeng , Zhang Wenjuan , Zheng Yong , Zhao Weijun , Xue Liyan , Yang Fan , Chen Heng
Published: November 2022

YSZ has been widely used as a TBC material, but its phase change at high temperatures limits its development, thus the need for developing new thermal barrier materials resistant to high temperatures. Rare-earth aluminate ceramics with a garnet structure (Yb3Al5O12) have been considered as a potential thermal barrier material. The melting point of Yb3Al5O12 is 2000 °C, which has a potential high temperature application prospect. However, Yb3Al5O12 has lower thermal expansion and higher thermal conductivity than YSZ, which is a widely employed thermal barrier coating (TBC) material. To overcome these obstacles, (Y0.2Dy0.2Ho0.2Er0.2Yb0.2)3Al5O12, a high-entropy ceramic, was prepared by a solid-state reaction and pressureless sintering. The thermal conductivity of the (Y0.2Dy0.2Ho0.2Er0.2Yb0.2)3Al5O12 was 3.48 W/(m·K) at 300 K, approximately 25.48% lower than that of the Yb3Al5O12 (4.67 W/(m·K)). The thermal expansion coefficient of the (Y0.2Dy0.2Ho0.2Er0.2Yb0.2)3Al5O12 was 9.28 × 10−6 K−1 at 673-1273 K, approximately 18.52% higher than that of the Yb3Al5O12 (7.83 × 10−6 K−1, 673-1273 K). When the (Y0.2Dy0.2Ho0.2Er0.2Yb0.2)3Al5O12 was annealed at 1550 °C for 7 days, its average grain size only increased from 0.7 μm to 1.3 μm. Moreover, the (Y0.2Dy0.2Ho0.2Er0.2Yb0.2)3Al5O12 exhibited better chemical stability and a lower grain growth rate than the Yb3Al5O12. This study reveals that (Y0.2Dy0.2Ho0.2Er0.2Yb0.2)3Al5O12 is a promising candidate for the future generation of thermal barrier materials.
The Failure Mechanism of the 316 SS Heat Exchanger Tube in the Geothermal Water Environment
Authors: Yang Jike , Li Chan , Pan Yue , Huang Hui
Published: November 2022

In this work, the intrinsic reason for the premature failure of a 316 stainless steel heat exchanger tube in geothermal water environment is disclosed. The chemical composition of the tube was tested, and the microstructure was examined for material inspection. Fracture morphology and secondary cracks were analyzed, and electron backscattered diffraction was applied to explore the crack propagation mode. The corrosion morphology was observed. The electrochemical behavior was studied with cyclic polarization and double-loop electrochemical potentiokinetic reactivation. It is found that the main failure cause was stress corrosion cracking (SCC). Attacked by chloride ions, the tube is susceptible to SCC under the residual stress as a result of the substandard Mo and Ni content. The SCC mechanism is localized anodic dissolution, and the propagation mode is a mixture of transgranular SCC and intergranular SCC.
Research on an Adaptive Real-Time Scheduling Method of Dynamic Job-Shop Based on Reinforcement Learning
Authors: Zhu Haihua , Tao Shuai , Gui Yong , Cai Qixiang
Published: November 2022

With the rapid development of modern industrialization in our country and the continuous improvement of people’s living standards, the changing market has put forward new requirements for traditional manufacturing enterprises. The order product demand of many manufacturing enterprises is changing from a single variety, large batch to multiple varieties, small batch. In view of this change, the traditional job-shop scheduling method is far from enough, which greatly affects the efficiency of the production job-shop. In order to solve the above problems, this paper proposes a real-time scheduling method based on reinforcement learning applied in the dynamic job-shop and a new type of neural network is designed at the same time. The neural network is designed with the high-dimensional data in the above problem as input, and a policy-based reinforcement learning algorithm is proposed based on this network. In the process of research, it was found that the reinforcement learning method not only enables the agent to use historical data for learning, but also enables it to explore and learn other possible high-reward actions within a certain range, so as to realize the optimization of production goals under real-time scheduling. The effectiveness of the proposed real-time scheduling method is verified by comparing with other common rule-based scheduling methods in the manufacturing environment.
Robust Object Positioning for Visual Robotics in Automatic Assembly Line under Data-Scarce Environments
Authors: Zhang Yigong , Song Huadong , Guo Xiaoting , Tang Chaoqing
Published: November 2022

Object positioning is a basic need for visual robotics in automatic assembly lines. An assembly line requires fast transfer to new object positioning tasks with few or no training data for deep learning algorithms, and the captured visual images usually suffer from partial missing and cropping and environmental lighting interference. These features call for efficient and robust arbitrary shape positioning algorithms under data-scarce and shape distortion cases. To this end, this paper proposes the Random Verify Generalised Hough Transform (RV-GHT). The RV-GHT builds a much more concise shape dictionary than traditional GHT methods with just a single training image. The location, orientation, and scaling of multiple target objects are given simultaneously during positioning. Experiments were carried out on a dataset in an automatic assembly line with real shape distortions, and the performance was improved greatly compared to the state-of-the art methods. Although the RV-GHT was initially designed for vision robotics in an automatic assembly line, it works for other object positioning mechatronics systems, which can be modelled as shape distortion on a standard reference object.
COVID-19 Genome Sequence Analysis for New Variant Prediction and Generation
Authors: Ullah Amin , Malik Khalid Mahmood , Saudagar Abdul Khader Jilani , Khan Muhammad Badruddin , Hasanat Mozaherul Hoque Abul , AlTameem Abdullah , AlKhathami Mohammed , Sajjad Muhammad
Published: November 2022

The new COVID-19 variants of concern are causing more infections and spreading much faster than their predecessors. Recent cases show that even vaccinated people are highly affected by these new variants. The proactive nucleotide sequence prediction of possible new variants of COVID-19 and developing better healthcare plans to address their spread require a unified framework for variant classification and early prediction. This paper attempts to answer the following research questions: can a convolutional neural network with self-attention by extracting discriminative features from nucleotide sequences be used to classify COVID-19 variants? Second, is it possible to employ uncertainty calculation in the predicted probability distribution to predict new variants? Finally, can synthetic approaches such as variational autoencoder-decoder networks be employed to generate a synthetic new variant from random noise? Experimental results show that the generated sequence is significantly similar to the original coronavirus and its variants, proving that our neural network can learn the mutation patterns from the old variants. Moreover, to our knowledge, we are the first to collect data for all COVID-19 variants for computational analysis. The proposed framework is extensively evaluated for classification, new variant prediction, and new variant generation tasks and achieves better performance for all tasks. Our code, data, and trained models are available on GitHub (https://github.com/Aminullah6264/COVID19, accessed on 16 September 2022).
Effect of Variable Thermal Conductivity and Magnetic Field for the Generated Photo-Thermal Waves on Microelongated Semiconductor
Authors: Saeed Abdulkafi M. , Lotfy Kh. , El-Bary Alaa A.
Published: November 2022

A theoretical analysis of the dynamic impacts of a novel model in the microelongated-stimulated semiconductor medium is investigated. The influence of the magnetic field of the optically excited medium is taken into consideration according to the photothermal transport processes. The governing equations were created during the electronic (ED) and thermoelastic (TED) deformation processes. Thermal conductivity of the semiconductor microelongation medium is taken as temperature dependent. The interaction of thermal, microelongate, plasma, and mechanical waves is examined. Dimensionless formulae are used to solve the main equations in two dimensions (2D) using the harmonic wave method. The physical field equations have complete solutions when some conditions are applied to the semiconductor surface. The theoretical microelongated semiconductor model employed in this experiment was confirmed by comparing it to certain earlier studies. The numerical simulation for the principal physical field distributions is graphically displayed when silicon (Si) material is employed. The topic of the discussion was the impact of several factors, such as the magnetic field, thermal memory, and microelongation, on the propagation of waves for major fields.
Forecasting Day-Ahead Traffic Flow Using Functional Time Series Approach
Authors: Shah Ismail , Muhammad Izhar , Ali Sajid , Ahmed Saira , Almazah Mohammed M. A. , Al-Rezami A. Y.
Published: November 2022

Nowadays, short-term traffic flow forecasting has gained increasing attention from researchers due to traffic congestion in many large and medium-sized cities that pose a serious threat to sustainable urban development. To this end, this research examines the forecasting performance of functional time series modeling to forecast traffic flow in the ultra-short term. An appealing feature of the functional approach is that unlike other methods, it provides information over the whole day, and thus, forecasts can be obtained for any time within a day. Within this approach, a Functional AutoRegressive (FAR) model is used to forecast the next-day traffic flow. For empirical analysis, the traffic flow data of Dublin airport link road, Ireland, collected at a fifteen-minute interval from 1 January 2016 to 30 April 2017, are used. The first twelve months are used for model estimation, while the remaining four months are for the one-day-ahead out-of-sample forecast. For comparison purposes, a widely used model, namely AutoRegressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA), is also used to obtain the forecasts. Finally, the models’ performances are compared based on different accuracy statistics. The study results suggested that the functional time series model outperforms the traditional time series models. As the proposed method can produce traffic flow forecasts for the entire next day with satisfactory results, it can be used in decision making by transportation policymakers and city planners.
Liraglutide Effectiveness in Type 2 Diabetes: Insights from a Real-World Cohort of Portuguese Patients
Authors: Silva-Nunes José , Nascimento Edite , Louro Joana , Dores Jorge , Laginha Teresa , Gonçalves-Ferreira Ana , Alves Marta , Souto Selma B. , Cunha Nelson , Pina Elsa , Duarte Rui , Raposo João Filipe
Published: November 2022

Liraglutide is a long-acting glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist prescribed to diabetic patients for glycaemic control. To understand the impact of liraglutide in the real-world setting, this study analysed its effects in a Portuguese cohort of Type 2 diabetes patients. This was an observational, multicentric, and retrospective study that included 191 liraglutide-treated patients with at least 12 months of treatment. Patients’ data were collected and analysed during a 24-month follow-up period. Overall, liraglutide treatment effectively reduced HbA1c levels from 8.3% to around 7.5%, after 6, 12, and 24 months (p < 0.001). In fact, 38.2%, 37.2%, and 44.8% of patients at 6, 12, and 24 months, respectively, experienced an HbA1c reduction of at least 1%. Moreover, a persistent reduction in anthropometric features was also observed, with 44.0%, 47.6%, and 54.4% of patients achieving a weight reduction of at least 3% at 6, 12, and 24 months, respectively. Finally, significant improvements were observed in the HDL-c and LDL-c levels. Our results demonstrate that liraglutide effectively promoted the reduction of HbA1c values during routine clinical practice, which was sustained throughout the study. In addition, there were significant improvements in anthropometric parameters and other cardiovascular risk factors.
In Situ Rumen Degradation Characteristics and Bacterial Colonization of Corn Silages Differing in Ferulic and p-Coumaric Acid Contents
Authors: Wang Yan-Lu , Wang Wei-Kang , Wu Qi-Chao , Zhang Fan , Li Wen-Juan , Li Sheng-Li , Wang Wei , Cao Zhi-Jun , Yang Hong-Jian
Published: November 2022

In plant cell wall, ferulic acid (FA) and p-coumaric acid (pCA) are commonly linked with arabinoxylans and lignin through ester and ether bonds. These linkages were deemed to hinder the access of rumen microbes to cell wall polysaccharides. The attachment of rumen microbes to plant cell wall was believed to have profound effects on the rate and the extent of forage digestion in rumen. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of bound phenolic acid content and their composition in corn silages on the nutrient degradability, and the composition of the attached bacteria. Following an in situ rumen degradation method, eight representative corn silages with different FA and pCA contents were placed into nylon bags and incubated in the rumens of three matured lactating Holstein cows for 0, 6, 12, 24, 36, 48, and 72 h, respectively. Corn silage digestibility was assessed by in situ degradation methods. As a result, the effective degradability of dry matter, neutral detergent fibre, and acid detergent fibre were negatively related to the ether-linked FA and pCA, and their ratio in corn silages, suggesting that not only the content and but also the composition of phenolic acids significantly affected the degradation characteristics of corn silages. After 24 h rumen fermentation, Firmicutes, Actinobacteria, and Bacteroidota were observed as the dominant phyla in the bacterial communities attached to the corn silages. After 72 h rumen fermentation, the rumen degradation of ester-linked FA was much greater than that of ester-linked pCA. The correlation analysis noted that Erysipelotrichaceae_UCG-002, Olsenella, Ruminococcus_gauvreauii_group, Acetitomaculum, and Bifidobacterium were negatively related to the initial ether-linked FA content while Prevotella was positively related to the ether-linked FA content and the ratio of pCA to FA. In summary, the present results suggested that the content of ether-linked phenolic acids in plant cell walls exhibited a more profound effect on the pattern of microbial colonization than the fibre content.
Are Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) the Main Mechanism by Which Copper Ion Treatment Degrades the DNA of Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis Suspended in Milk?
Authors: Villegas Marcela , Tejeda Carlos , Umaña Reydoret , Iranzo Esperanza C. , Salgado Miguel
Published: November 2022

Background: Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP) is the causal agent of paratuberculosis. This pathogen is able to survive adverse environmental conditions, including the pasteurization process. Copper, a well-studied metal, is considered an important antibacterial tool, since it has been shown to inactivate even MAP in treated milk through unknown mechanisms. The aim of the present study is to show the effect of copper ions, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated in response to oxidative stress, on the damage to MAP DNA when exposed to a copper ion challenge in cow’s milk. Methodology: Spiked milk with different MAP bacterial loads was supplemented with blocking agents. These were either the copper chelators ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) and batocuproin (BCS) or the ROS quenchers D-mannitol, gallic acid and quercetin. The DNA protection, MAP viability and ROS production generated after exposure to a copper challenge were then measured. Results: In a bacterial load of 104 cells mL−1, blocking effects by both the copper chelators and all the ROS quenchers offered significant protection to MAP DNA. In a concentration of 102 cells mL−1, only D-mannitol and a mix of quenchers significantly protected the viability of the bacteria, and only at a concentration of 106 cells mL−1 was there a lower production of ROS when supplementing milk with gallic acid, quercetin and the mix of quenchers. Conclusion: Based on these findings, it may be concluded that MAP DNA damage can be attributed to the combined effect of the direct copper ions and ROS generated. Nevertheless, taking into account the antioxidant environment that milk provides, the direct effect of copper could play a prominent role.
Benzochromenopyrimidines: Synthesis, Antiproliferative Activity against Colorectal Cancer and Physicochemical Properties
Authors: Choura Emna , Elghali Fares , Bernard Paul J. , Msalbi Dhouha , Marco-Contelles José , Aifa Sami , Ismaili Lhassane , Chabchoub Fakher
Published: November 2022

Ten new differently substituted 3-benzyl-5-aryl-3,5-dihydro-4H-benzo[6,7]chromeno[2,3-d]pyrimidin-4,6,11-triones 3 were synthesized by a simple and cost-efficient procedure in a one-pot, three-component reaction from readily available ethyl 2-amino-4-aryl-5,10-dioxo-5,10-dihydro-4H-benzo[g]chromene-3-carboxylates, benzylamine and triethyl orthoformate under solvent- and catalyst-free conditions. All the new compounds were screened for their antiproliferative activity against two colorectal-cancer-cell lines. The results showed that the compounds 3-benzyl-5-phenyl-3,5-dihydro-4H-benzo[6,7]chromeno[2,3-d]pyrimidine-4,6,11-trione (3a) and 3-benzyl-5-(3-hydroxyphenyl)-3,5-dihydro-4H-benzo[6,7]chromeno[2,3-d]pyrimidine-4,6,11-trione (3g) exhibited the most potent balanced inhibitory activity against human LoVo and HCT-116 cancer cells.
Sequence–Activity Relationship of ATCUN Peptides in the Context of Alzheimer’s Disease
Authors: Lefèvre Margot , Malikidogo Kyangwi P. , Esmieu Charlène , Hureau Christelle
Published: November 2022

Amino-terminal CuII and NiII (ATCUN) binding sequences are widespread in the biological world. Here, we report on the study of eight ATCUN peptides aimed at targeting copper ions and stopping the associated formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). This study was actually more focused on Cu(Aβ)-induced ROS production in which the Aβ peptide is the “villain” linked to Alzheimer’s disease. The full characterization of CuII binding to the ATCUN peptides, the CuII extraction from CuII(Aβ), and the ability of the peptides to prevent and/or stop ROS formation are described in the relevant biological conditions. We highlighted in this research that all the ATCUN motifs studied formed the same thermodynamic complex but that the addition of a second histidine in position 1 or 2 allowed for an improvement in the CuII uptake kinetics. This kinetic rate was directly related to the ability of the peptide to stop the CuII(Aβ)-induced production of ROS, with the most efficient motifs being HWHG and HGHW.
Association of ALDH2 Genotypes and Alcohol Intake with Dietary Patterns: The Bunkyo Health Study
Authors: Sugimoto Mari , Tabata Hiroki , Kaga Hideyoshi , Someya Yuki , Kakehi Saori , Abudurezake Abulaiti , Naito Hitoshi , Ito Naoaki , Shi Huicong , Otsuka Hikaru , Umemura Futaba , Yoshizawa Yasuyo , Kawamori Ryuzo , Watada Hirotaka , Tamura Yoshifumi
Published: November 2022

Dietary habits are associated with various diseases and assessed by dietary patterns (DPs). Since the ALDH2 genotype is correlated with alcohol and several food preferences, this genotype is probably associated with DPs. In this cross-sectional study of 1612 elderly adults, we investigated the effects of the ALDH2 genotype on DPs and the mediating role of alcohol intake. We identified the ALDH2 genotype and conducted a dietary history survey, then used principal component analysis to determine DPs for each gender. We performed multiple regression analysis to determine the independent contribution of the ALDH2 genotype and alcohol intake to DP scores. We identified three DPs: the “Japanese side dish type” (DP1), the “Japanese dish with alcohol type” (DP2), and the “Western dish with alcohol type” (DP3). In men, the single nucleotide polymorphism ALDH2 rs671 was significantly associated with all DP scores. When alcohol intake was added as a covariate, ALDH2 rs671 was still significantly correlated with the DP2 score but not with the DP1 or DP3 score, and alcohol intake was significantly correlated with all DP scores. In women, ALDH2 rs671 was significantly associated with the DP2 and DP3 scores; however, after adding alcohol intake as a covariate, these associations disappeared, and alcohol intake significantly correlated with all DP scores. In conclusion, the ALDH2 genotype was associated with several DPs in elderly adults, but most associations were mediated by alcohol intake.