bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Do Breastfeeding History and Diet Quality Predict Inhibitory Control at Preschool Age?
Authors: Willemsen Yvonne , Beijers Roseriet , Arias Vasquez Alejandro , de Weerth Carolina
Published: August 2021

Inhibitory control is the ability to control impulsive behavior. It is associated with a range of mental and physical health outcomes, including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and substance dependence. Breastfeeding and healthy dietary patterns have been associated with better executive functions, of which inhibitory control is part. Additionally, breastfeeding has been associated with healthy dietary patterns. Following our preregistration in the Open Science Framework, we investigated the associations between breastfeeding history and inhibitory control at preschool age, with habitual diet quality as a potential mediating factor. A total of 72 families from a longitudinal study participated at child age 3. Breastfeeding questionnaires were administered at 2, 6, and 12 weeks, and at 12 and 36 months. Six inhibitory control tasks were performed during a home visit, and questionnaires were filled in by both parents. Diet quality at age 3 was assessed via three unannounced 24-h recalls. Structural equation modelling was performed in R. This study did not provide evidence that breastfeeding history is associated with inhibitory control in 3-year-old children. Furthermore, diet quality at age 3 did not mediate the link between breastfeeding history and inhibitory control. Previous studies have investigated broader aspects of inhibitory control, such as executive functions, and used different methods to assess nutritional intake, which might explain our differential findings. Our findings contribute to the growing literature on associations between nutrition and behavior. Future replications with larger and more diverse preschool samples are recommended.
The Association between Coffee Consumption and Risk of Colorectal Cancer in a Korean Population
Authors: Kim Youngyo , Lee Jeonghee , Oh Jae Hwan , Chang Hee Jin , Sohn Dae Kyung , Shin Aesun , Kim Jeongseon
Published: August 2021

This study was performed to investigate the association between coffee consumption and risk of colorectal cancer in a Korean population and examine whether the association can be altered by adjustment for intake of coffee additives. We conducted a case-control study involving 923 colorectal cancer cases and 1846 controls matched by sex and age (within 5 years). A semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire was used to assess coffee intakes. High coffee consumption was associated with lower odds of developing colorectal cancer (≥3 cups/day vs. no drinks, OR = 0.68; 95% CI: 0.49–0.96). When we additionally controlled for consumption of coffee additives including sugar and cream, the inverse association became stronger (≥3 cups/day vs. no drinks, OR = 0.22; 95% CI: 0.14–0.33), and a significant inverse linear trend was shown (Ptrend < 0.0001). The inverse associations were observed for proximal (Ptrend = 0.0001) and distal (Ptrend = 0.0003) colon cancer, and rectal cancer (Ptrend < 0.0001) in the stratified analysis by anatomical sub-sites. Regarding sex, inverse associations between coffee consumption and colorectal cancer were found for men (Ptrend < 0.0001) and women (Ptrend = 0.0021). In the stratified analysis by obese status of subjects, inverse linear trends were observed in both non-obese and obese people (Ptrend < 0.0001). High coffee consumption may be associated with a lower risk of colorectal cancer in the Korean population and the degree of decrease in the odds of developing colorectal cancer changes by adjustment for intake of coffee additives.
Sodium Decanoate Improves Intestinal Epithelial Barrier and Antioxidation via Activating G Protein-Coupled Receptor-43
Authors: Zhao Jinbiao , Hu Jinhua , Ma Xi
Published: August 2021

The study was conducted to explore actions of decanoic acid on regulating intestinal barrier and antioxidant functions in intestinal epithelium cells isolated from porcine jejunum (IPEC-J2) and C57/BL6 mice models. In vitro and vivo assays, mice and IPEC-J2 cells treated by H2O2 were disposed of sodium decanoate and sodium butyrate to determine intestinal barrier and antioxidant functions of the host. Results showed that sodium decanoate upregulated expression of tight junction proteins and improved antioxidant capacity in both IPEC-J2 cells treated by H2O2 and mice models (p < 0.05). Sodium decanoate increased weight gain and ileal villus height of mice compared with control and sodium butyrate treatments (p < 0.05). Sodium decanoate increased α-diversity of ileal microbiota, volatile fatty acids concentration, and G protein-coupled receptor-43 (GPR-43) expression in the ileum and colon of mice (p < 0.05). In conclusion, sodium decanoate improved antioxidant capacity, intestinal morphology, and gut physical barrier of intestinal epithelial cells, resulting in an increase growth performance of mice, which is mediated through activating GPR-43 signaling.
In Vivo and In Vitro Antidiabetic and Anti-Inflammatory Properties of Flax (Linum usitatissimum L.) Seed Polyphenols
Authors: Mechchate Hamza , Es-safi Imane , Conte Raffaele , Hano Christophe , Amaghnouje Amal , Jawhari Fatima Zahra , Radouane Nabil , Bencheikh Noureddine , Grafov Andriy , Bousta Dalila
Published: August 2021

Flaxseed is an oilseed (45–50% oil on a dry-weight basis) crop. Its oil has demonstrated multiple health benefits and industrial applications. The goal of this research was to evaluate the antidiabetic and anti-inflammatory potential of the free polyphenol fraction of flax (Linum usitatissimum L.) seeds (PLU), based on their use in traditional medicine. Mice with alloxan-induced diabetes were used to study the antidiabetic activity of PLU in vivo, with an oral administration of 25 and 50 mg/kg over 28 days. Measurements of body weight and fasting blood glucose (FBG) were carried out weekly, and biochemical parameters were evaluated. An oral glucose tolerance test was also performed. Inhibitory activities of PLU on α-amylase and α-glucosidase activities were evaluated in vitro. The anti-inflammatory was evaluated in vivo in Wistar rats using the paw edema induction Test by carrageenan, and in vitro using the hemolysis ratio test. PLU administration to diabetic mice during the study period improved their body weight and FBG levels remarkably. In vitro inhibitory activity of digestive enzymes indicated that they may be involved in the proposed mode of action of PLU extract. Qualitative results of PLU revealed the presence of 18 polyphenols. These findings support daily consumption of flaxseed for people with diabetes, and suggest that polyphenols in flaxseed may serve as dietary supplements or novel phytomedicines to treat diabetes and its complications.
Spectral Optical Properties of Rabbit Brain Cortex between 200 and 1000 nm
Authors: Gonçalves Tânia M. , Martins Inês S. , Silva Hugo F. , Tuchin Valery V. , Oliveira Luís M.
Published: August 2021

The knowledge of the optical properties of biological tissues in a wide spectral range is highly important for the development of noninvasive diagnostic or treatment procedures. The absorption coefficient is one of those properties, from which various information about tissue components can be retrieved. Using transmittance and reflectance spectral measurements acquired from ex vivo rabbit brain cortex samples allowed to calculate its optical properties in the ultraviolet to the near infrared spectral range. Melanin and lipofuscin, the two pigments that are related to the aging of tissues and cells were identified in the cortex absorption. By subtracting the absorption of these pigments from the absorption of the brain cortex, it was possible to evaluate the true ratios for the DNA/RNA and hemoglobin bands in the cortex—12.33-fold (at 260 nm), 12.02-fold (at 411 nm) and 4.47-fold (at 555 nm). Since melanin and lipofuscin accumulation increases with the aging of the brain tissues and are related to the degeneration of neurons and their death, further studies should be performed to evaluate the evolution of pigment accumulation in the brain, so that new optical methods can be developed to aid in the diagnosis and monitoring of brain diseases.
Luminosity Measurements at the LHC at CERN Using Medipix, Timepix and Timepix3 Devices
Authors: Sopczak André
Published: August 2021

The precise determination of the luminosity is essential for many analyses in physics based on the data from the particle accelerator Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN. There are different types of detectors used for the luminosity measurements. The focus of this review is on luminosity measurements with hybrid-pixel detectors and the progress made over the past decade. The first generations of detectors of the Medipix and Timepix families had frame-based readout, while Timepix3 has a quasi-continuous readout. The applications of the detectors are manifold, and in particular, the detectors have been operated in the harsh environment of the LHC. The excellent performance in detecting high fluxes of elementary particles made these detectors ideal tools to measure the delivered luminosity resulting from proton–proton collisions. Important aspects of this review are the performance improvements in relative luminosity measurements from one detector generation to another, the long-term stability of the measurements, absolute luminosity measurements, material activation (radiation-induced) corrections, and the measurement of luminosity from neutron counting. Rather than bunch-average luminosity provided by previous detector generations, owing to the excellent time-resolution, Timepix3 measured the luminosity of individual proton bunches that are 25 ns apart. This review demonstrates the large progress in the precision of luminosity measurements during LHC Run-1 and Run-2 operations using hybrid-pixel detectors, and thus their importance for luminosity measurements in the future of LHC operations.
Measuring the Complex Permittivities of Plastics in Irregular Shapes
Authors: Chao Hsien-Wen , Chen Hua-Hsuan , Chang Tsun-Hsu
Published: August 2021

This work presents the measurement of the complex permittivities of high density polyethylene (HDPE), linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE), low density polyethylene (LDPE), polypropylene (PP), Nylon, and thermoplastic vulcanizates (TPV) in irregular shapes at the microwave frequency. A Teflon sample holder was employed to pack irregularly shaped plastic materials with various volumetric percentages. The samples were put into a resonant cavity with an enhanced electric field in its center, which is known as the enhanced-field method (EFM). The resonant frequencies and the quality factors at different volumetric percentages were measured by a network analyzer and compared with simulated results using a full-wave simulator (high-frequency structure simulator (HFSS)). Three simulation models, layer, ring, and hybrid, are proposed and compared with the experimental results. It is found that the hybrid model (denoted as Z5R5) with five heights and five radii in the partition is the most suitable. The complex permittivities of six plastic materials were evaluated by the contour maps of the HFSS simulation using the hybrid model. The measured complex permittivities of the irregularly shaped polymers agree well with their counterparts in bulk form.
Is New Testament Theology Still Having an Identity Crisis? A Review of Five Recent Contributions
Authors: Strahan Joshua
Published: August 2021

This article reviews five recent contributions to the field of New Testament theology. More accurately, three NT theologies will be examined alongside two biblical theologies, given that some regard NT theology as inherently deficient apart from OT theology. These five works are notable not only for their diversity of methodology but also their diversity of cultural perspective—one book by a Finn (Timo Eskola’s A Narrative Theology of the New Testament), one by two Germans (Reinhard Feldmeier’s and Hermann Spieckermann’s God of the Living: A Biblical Theology), one by a Canadian (Thomas R. Hatina’s New Testament Theology and its Quest for Relevance: Ancient Texts and Modern Readers), one by an American (Craig L. Blomberg’s A New Testament Theology), and one by a native Briton (John Goldingay’s Biblical Theology). Along the way, this review article will consider how these works navigate the tricky and contested terrain of NT (or biblical) theology, particularly vis-à-vis matters of history, canon, synthesis and diversity, and contemporary relevance.
Urban Water Extraction with UAV High-Resolution Remote Sensing Data Based on an Improved U-Net Model
Authors: Li Wenning , Li Yi , Gong Jianhua , Feng Quanlong , Zhou Jieping , Sun Jun , Shi Chenhui , Hu Weidong
Published: August 2021

Obtaining water body images quickly and reliably is important to guide human production activities and study urban change. This paper presents a fast and accurate method to identify water bodies in complex environments based on UAV high-resolution images. First, an improved U-Net (SU-Net) model is proposed in this paper. By increasing the number of connections in the middle layer of the neural network, more image features can be retained through S-shaped circular connections. Second, aiming at the interference of mixed ground objects and dark ground objects on water detection, the fusion of a deep learning network and visual features is investigated. We analyse the influence of a wavelet transform and grey level cooccurrence matrix (GLCM) on water extraction. Using a confusion matrix to evaluate accuracy, the following conclusions are drawn: (1) Compared with existing methods, the SU-Net method achieves a significant improvement in accuracy, and the overall accuracy (OA) is 96.25%. The kappa coefficient (KC) is 0.952. (2) SU-Net combined with the GLCM has a higher accuracy (OA is 97.4%) and robustness in distinguishing mixed and dark objects. Based on this method, a distinct water boundary in urban areas, which provides data for urban water vector mapping, can be obtained.
Archaeological Prospection in Wetlands—Experiences and Observations from Ground-Penetrating Radar Surveys in Norwegian Bogs
Authors: Gabler Manuel , Uhnér Claes Olof Johan , Sundet Nils Ole , Hinterleitner Alois , Nymoen Pål , Kristiansen Monica , Trinks Immo
Published: August 2021

Wetlands are of immense importance for archaeological research due to excellent preservation conditions for organic material. However, the detection and registration of archaeological remains in waterlogged areas, such as peatlands, bogs, mires, or lakeshores are very challenging. Alternative methods that can support traditional archaeological registrations and that can help to survey wetlands more efficiently are needed. One goal of the “Arkeologi på nye veier” (Archaeology on new ways) project, initiated by Nye Veier AS, was to develop and test a practical solution for non-invasive geophysical surveys in wetland environments in support of traditional archaeological investigations. For that purpose, a custom GPR system for wetland investigations was assembled, tested and applied at Gausdal (Flekkefjord municipality, Agder county) in Norway within the E39-southwest infrastructure project. The GPR survey resulted in promising data, clearly showing the buried remains of an old road within the investigated area. This case study demonstrated the potential of GPR measurements in peatlands as a valuable asset for archaeological registration projects in such environments. However, despite these first encouraging results, wetlands remain very challenging environments, and realistic expectations, as well as a good understanding of the potential and limitations of this approach are a prerequisite for meaningful surveys.
A Factor-Graph-Based Approach to Vehicle Sideslip Angle Estimation
Authors: Leanza Antonio , Reina Giulio , Blanco-Claraco José-Luis
Published: August 2021

Sideslip angle is an important variable for understanding and monitoring vehicle dynamics, but there is currently no inexpensive method for its direct measurement. Therefore, it is typically estimated from proprioceptive sensors onboard using filtering methods from the family of the Kalman filter. As a novel alternative, this work proposes modeling the problem directly as a graphical model (factor graph), which can then be optimized using a variety of methods, such as whole-dataset batch optimization for offline processing or fixed-lag smoothing for on-line operation. Experimental results on real vehicle datasets validate the proposal, demonstrating a good agreement between estimated and actual sideslip angle, showing similar performance to state-of-the-art methods but with a greater potential for future extensions due to the more flexible mathematical framework. An open-source implementation of the proposed framework has been made available online.
Detection of LFM Radar Signals and Chirp Rate Estimation Based on Time-Frequency Rate Distribution
Authors: Swiercz Ewa , Janczak Dariusz , Konopko Krzysztof
Published: August 2021

Linear frequency-modulated (LFM) signals are the most significant example of waveform used in low probability of intercept (LPI) radars, synthetic aperture radars and modern communication systems. Thus, interception and parameter estimation of the signals is one of the challenges in Electronic Support (ES) systems. The methods, which are widely used to accomplish this task are mainly based on transformations from time to time-frequency domain, which concentrate the energy of signals along an instantaneous frequency (IF) line. The most popular examples of such transforms are the short time Fourier transform (STFT) and Wigner-Ville distribution (WVD). However, for LFM waveforms, methods that concentrate signal energy along a line in the time-frequency rate domain may allow to obtain better detection and estimation performance. This type of transformation can be obtained using the cubic phase (CP) function (CPF). In the paper, the detection of LFM waveform and its chirp rate (CR) parameter estimation based on the extended forms of the standard CPF is proposed. The CPF was originally introduced for instantaneous frequency rate (IFR) estimation for quadratic frequency modulated (QFM) signals i.e., cubic phase signals. Summation or multiplication operations on time cross-sections of the CPF allow to formulate the extended forms of the CPF. Based on these forms, detection test statistics and the estimation procedure of LFM signal parameters have been proposed. The widely known estimation methods assure satisfying accuracy for high SNR levels, but for low SNRs the reliable estimation is a challenge. The proposed approach based on joint analysis of detection and estimation characteristics allows to increase the reliability of chirp rate estimates for low SNRs. The results of Monte-Carlo simulation investigations on LFM signal detection and chirp rate estimation evaluated by the mean squared error (MSE) obtained by the proposed methods with comparisons to the Cramer-Rao lower bound (CRLB) are presented.
A Personalized Computer-Aided Diagnosis System for Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) Using Structural MRI (sMRI)
Authors: El-Gamal Fatma El-Zahraa A. , Elmogy Mohammed , Mahmoud Ali , Shalaby Ahmed , Switala Andrew E. , Ghazal Mohammed , Soliman Hassan , Atwan Ahmed , Alghamdi Norah Saleh , Barnes Gregory Neal , El-Baz Ayman
Published: August 2021

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder that targets the central nervous system (CNS). Statistics show that more than five million people in America face this disease. Several factors hinder diagnosis at an early stage, in particular, the divergence of 10–15 years between the onset of the underlying neuropathological changes and patients becoming symptomatic. This study surveyed patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), who were at risk of conversion to AD, with a local/regional-based computer-aided diagnosis system. The described system allowed for visualization of the disorder’s effect on cerebral cortical regions individually. The CAD system consists of four steps: (1) preprocess the scans and extract the cortex, (2) reconstruct the cortex and extract shape-based features, (3) fuse the extracted features, and (4) perform two levels of diagnosis: cortical region-based followed by global. The experimental results showed an encouraging performance of the proposed system when compared with related work, with a maximum accuracy of 86.30%, specificity 88.33%, and sensitivity 84.88%. Behavioral and cognitive correlations identified brain regions involved in language, executive function/cognition, and memory in MCI subjects, which regions are also involved in the neuropathology of AD.
Deep Learning on Construction Sites: A Case Study of Sparse Data Learning Techniques for Rebar Segmentation
Authors: Cuypers Suzanna , Bassier Maarten , Vergauwen Maarten
Published: August 2021

Recent advances in deep learning models for image interpretation finally made it possible to automate construction site monitoring processes that rely on remote sensing. However, the major drawback of these models is their dependency on large datasets of training images labeled at pixel level, which must be produced manually by skilled personnel. To reduce the need for training data, this study evaluates weakly and semi-supervised semantic segmentation models for construction site imagery to efficiently automate monitoring tasks. As a case study, we compare fully, weakly and semi-supervised methods for the detection of rebar covers, which are useful for quality control. In the experiments, recent models, i.e., IRNet, DeepLabv3+ and the cross-consistency training model are compared for their ability to segment rebar covers from construction site imagery with minimal manual input. The results show that weakly and semi-supervised models can indeed rival with the performance of fully supervised models with the majority of the target objects being properly found. This study provides construction site stakeholders with detailed information on how to leverage deep learning for efficient construction site monitoring and weigh preprocessing, training, and testing efforts against each other in order to decide between fully, weakly and semi-supervised training.
River Basin Cyberinfrastructure in the Big Data Era: An Integrated Observational Data Control System in the Heihe River Basin
Authors: Guo Jianwen , Zhang Minghu , Shang Qingsheng , Liu Feng , Wu Adan , Li Xin
Published: August 2021

River basin cyberinfrastructure with the Internet of Things (IoT) as the core has brought watershed data science into the big data era, greatly improving data acquisition and sharing efficiency. However, challenges in analyzing, processing, and applying very large quantities of observational data remain. Given the observational needs in watershed research, we studied the construction of river basin cyberinfrastructure and developed an integrated observational data control system (IODCS). The IODCS is an important platform for processing large quantities of observational data, including automated collection, storage, analysis, processing, and release. This paper presents various aspects of the IODCS in detail, including the system’s overall design, function realization, big data analysis methods, and integrated models. We took the middle reaches of the Heihe River Basin (HRB) as the application research area to show the performance of the developed system. Since the system began operation, it has automatically received, analyzed, and stored more than 1.4 billion observational data records, with an average of more than 14 million observational data records processed per month and up to 21,011 active users. The demonstrated results show that the IODCS can effectively leverage the processing capability of massive observational data and provide a new perspective for facilitating ecological and hydrological scientific research on the HRB.
Dynamic Simulation of Integrated Cleaner Production Strategies towards High Quality Development in a Heavily Air-Polluted City in China
Authors: Shao Jing , Xiang Nan , Zhang Yutong , Li Xiang , Liang Guihua
Published: August 2021

Air-polluted cities, mostly dominated by heavy industries, are facing the dilemma of economic growth and environment deterioration. Tangshan is the largest iron and steel manufacturing city in China, and its air quality rankings belong to the worst 10 among 168 monitored cities of China in a decade. It is extremely important to adopt cleaner production strategies to facilitate high quality development. This study originally created an integrated plan (DOMCLP) to propose feasible pathways to underpin policy making by local authorities and managers from multiple perspectives. These include “Top-Down” measures—financial subsides and environmental efficiency improvement from a macro vision and industrial restructuring from a mezzo vision—and a “Bottom-Up” strategy of optimal technology selection from a micro vision. The DOMCLP simulated the environmental and economic impacts of different cleaner production strategy mixes from 2020 to 2030. Under the cleaner production scenario, which integrates all three measures, the targeted annual economic growth rate can reach 6.56% over the study period without deterioration of the air environment, and air pollutant emissions can be reduced by more than 74%. Meanwhile, the production of the iron and steel industry can achieve a 43% capacity growth, in which the intensity of SO2 and NOx can be reduced by 97 and 87%, respectively. Furthermore, upgrading the optimal air pollutant control technology is proven to be more effective than other incentive measures and calls for systematic optimization and technology choice shift from end treatment to source and process treatment in the long run. This study proves that the integrated cleaner production strategies can realize a strong decoupling effect on the scale of −5.89 to −0.58 to accomplish balanced economic development and environmental improvement in heavily air-polluted cities, which is significant as other industrial cities begin to move toward a high quality development.
Critical Success Factors to Improve the Business Performance of Tea Drink Chains
Authors: Chen Dyi-Cheng , Chen Der-Fa , Huang Shih-Ming , Huang Mu-Jung , Shyr Wen-Jye , Chiou Chien-Fu
Published: August 2021

By determining critical success factors (CSFs), this study intends to identify indicators and offer suggestions for existing owners or operators to improve their critical works in business management, as well as for newcomers interested in investing or studying the chain business. To achieve the purpose of this study, document analysis, expert interviews, and the Delphi technique were used to verify that there are five-dimension indicators to explore the CSFs for tea drink chains. The critical success items in this study are as follows: (1) Regarding “brand image management”, the most critical factors unanimously agreed by the professionals are the certification of raw materials and the guarantee of food safety, which are mainly affected by the recent food safety crisis. (2) Regarding “quality and cost control”, the sub-items of raw material supplier’s stability and timeliness are the most important factors. (3) Regarding the “location of business”, the most important factors are the sub-items of visibility, convergence of people flow, and the structural consumption characteristics of the population in the area. Although these are not considered to be the most important factors in the questionnaires by professionals, the professors considered these sub-items to be the most critical factors in the dimension and should provide valuable references for CSFs. (4) Regarding “personnel training and customer satisfaction”, the sub-item of maintaining hygiene in shop fronts is the most important critical factor, followed by the attitude and affinity of the staff, as well as their clothing, appearance, and cleanliness. (5) Regarding the “marketing mode and promotion mode”, the two important sub-items include new product tasting and the irregular launch of new seasonal products.
An Officious Impact of Financial Innovations and ICT on Economic Evolution in China: Revealing the Substantial Role of BRI
Authors: Shehzad Khurram , Zaman Umer , José Ana Ercília , Koçak Emrah , Ferreira Paulo
Published: August 2021

The Belt and Road Initiative removes regional barriers and brings communities closer together. In addition, ICT and financial innovation have helped transform the world into a big village and promoted economic growth. The study assessed the dynamic impact of ICT, economic globalization, and financial innovation on China’s economic growth. The study used quarterly data from 2000 to 2019 and used the ARDL model to determine long-term and short-term consequences. The results of the study show that ICT has a positive affiliation with economic growth in China. In addition, financial innovation has also shown a direct impact on economic growth. The study shows that China’s One Belt One Road project (economic globalization) has a great positive impact on its GDP. The consequences of the causality test discovered the significant unidirectional causality running from ICT and economic globalization (ECGI) to GDP. The study recommends mandatory policies related to ICT, financial innovation, and economic globalization to achieve long-term and sustainable development in China.
Extraction and Chemical Characterization of Humic Acid from Nitric Acid Treated Lignite and Bituminous Coal Samples
Authors: Fatima Noureen , Jamal Asif , Huang Zaixing , Liaquat Rabia , Ahmad Bashir , Haider Rizwan , Ali Muhammad Ishtiaq , Shoukat Tayyba , ALOthman Zeid A. , Ouladsmane Mohamed , Ali Tariq , Ali Shafqat , Akhtar Naseem , Sillanpää Mika
Published: August 2021

Currently, conversion of coal into alternative fuel and non-fuel valuable products is in demand and growing interest. In the present study, humic acid was extracted from two different ranks of coal, i.e., low rank and high rank (lignite and bituminous), through chemical pretreatment by nitric acid. Samples of lignite and bituminous coal were subjected to nitric acid oxidation followed by extraction using KOH and NaOH gravimetric techniques. The chemical pretreatment of both types of coal led to enhanced yields of humic acid from 21.15% to 57.8% for lignite low-rank coal and 11.6% to 49.6% bituminous high rank coal. The derived humic acid from native coal and nitric acid treated coal was analyzed using elemental analysis, E4/E6 ratio of absorbance at 465 nm and 665 nm using UV-Visible spectrophotometry and Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy FTIR. The chemical characteristics of coal treated with nitric acid have shown increased molecular weight and improved aromaticity with more oxygen and nitrogen and lower C, H, and sulphur content. The E4/E6 ratio of nitric acid-treated low and high ranks of coal was high. The FTIR spectroscopic data of nitric acid-treated lignite coal indicates an intensive peak of carboxyl group at 2981.84 cm−1, while bituminous coal was shown in cooperation with the N-H group at 2923.04 cm−1. SEM was performed to detect the morphological changes that happen after producing humic acid from HNO3 treatment and native coal. The humic acid produced from HNO3 treated coal had shown clear morphological changes and some deformations on the surface. SEM-EDS detected the major elements, such as nitrogen, in treated humic acid that were absent in raw coal humic acid. Hence, the produced humic acid through HNO3 oxidation showed a more significant number of humic materials with improved efficiency as compared to native coal. This obtained humic acid can be made bioactive for agriculture purposes, i.e., for soil enrichment and improvement in growth conditions of plants and development of green energy solutions.
A Review on the Durability of Recycled Asphalt Mixtures Embraced with Rejuvenators
Authors: Al-Saffar Zaid Hazim , Yaacob Haryati , Katman Herda Yati , Mohd Satar Mohd Khairul Idham , Bilema Munder , Putra Jaya Ramadhansyah , Eltwati Ahmed Salama , Radeef Hassanain Radhi
Published: August 2021

Reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) has received much attention recently due to its increased use in hot mix asphalt (HMA) pavements to enhance pavement sustainability. The use of aged asphalt in RAP, which is highly oxidised and has lost its properties due to exposure to traffic loads and climatic conditions throughout its lifespan, can cause asphalt mixtures to stiffen and embrittle, thus negatively affecting the behaviour of asphalt mixtures. This issue may be resolved by including rejuvenating agents that can restore both physical and rheological properties of aged asphalt by increasing maltene fractions and decreasing asphaltene. However, the high restoration capacity of any kind of rejuvenating agent does not assure the durability of restored aged asphalt. This study explored the performance and durability of rejuvenated asphalt mixtures embedded with several types of rejuvenators identified from the extensive literature review. The study serves as a significant reference to predict future challenges in rejuvenating aged asphalt.
Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Home Range in a Suburban City in the Osaka Metropolitan Area
Authors: Kato Haruka , Takizawa Atsushi , Matsushita Daisuke
Published: August 2021

This study aims to clarify the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on home range. The home range is the area that individuals traverse in conducting their daily activities, such as working and shopping. In Japan, the central government declared the first state of emergency in April 2020. This study analyzed the panel data for mobile phone GPS location history from April 2019 to April 2020 in Ibaraki City, Osaka Metropolitan area. The study applied the minimum convex polygon method to analyze the data. The results show that the home range decreased significantly between April 2019 and April 2020. Specifically, the home range in 2020 decreased to approximately 50% of that in 2019 because of COVID-19 infection control measures, preventing people from traveling far from their homes and only allowing them to step outside for the bare minimum of daily activities and necessities. The results suggest that the emergency reduced people’s home ranges to the neighborhood scale. Therefore, it is necessary to consider designing new walkable neighborhood environments after the COVID-19 pandemic era.
Analysis of Big Game Fishing Catches of Blue Marlin (Makaira nigricans) in the Madeira Archipelago (Eastern Atlantic) and Factors that Affect Its Presence
Authors: Martinez-Escauriaza Roi , Pita Pablo , de Gouveia Maria Lídia Ferreira , Gouveia Nuno Manuel Abreu , Teixeira Eduardo , de Freitas Mafalda , Hermida Margarida
Published: August 2021

The archipelago of Madeira (Portugal) is one of the main European big game fishing locations, where the main target species is the blue marlin (Makaira nigricans). Catch data for these fish were used to analyze their presence over the years, estimate their average weights, and calculate annual fishing success rates. The results showed a marked seasonal effect, with higher average catch rates in summer (June–July), suggesting a migration from the equatorial waters they inhabit at the beginning of the year to northern areas when the waters become warmer. The influences of some environmental factors were analyzed using generalized additive models, and it was observed that the occurrence of blue marlin may be influenced by water temperature, wind, rain, and atmospheric pressure. This fishery did not register a high mortality rate in blue marlin specimens due to the usual practice of catch and release; individuals captured in this fishery can be used as a source of information that allows for follow-up on the status of the blue marlin population in the region.
Implementation of Efficient 5G AKA Protocol for Light-Weight Environment
Authors: Cho Seonghwan , Yeom Cheolmin , Won Yoojae
Published: August 2021

There is a critical vulnerability in the 5G AKA protocol of the 3GPP. We propose a protocol that compensates for these vulnerabilities and speed up the existing protocol; and the study implements this protocol to experiment with the vulnerabilities. The protocol uses the Light-weight Encryption Algorithm and is expected to be n3 times faster in than with the application of Advanced Encryption Standard algorithms. By using this algorithm, we improve the protocol efficiently, reduced the power consumed.
How Does Channel Integration Affect Consumers’ Selection of Omni-Channel Shopping Methods? An Empirical Study of U.S. Consumers
Authors: Chen Yini , Chi Ting
Published: August 2021

In recent years, fashion brands and retailers have been advancing rapidly to provide U.S. consumers more seamless omni-channel shopping experiences. The pandemic has further accelerated the growth of omni-channel shopping. This study aimed to explore the effects of channel integration in six aspects (i.e., promotion, product and price, transaction information, information access, order fulfillment, and customer service) on the U.S. consumers’ intentions to use three omni-channel shopping methods: buy online pick-up in-store (BOPI), buy online curbside pickup (BOCP), and buy in-store home delivery (BIHD). We proposed a mediation model to test the effects through consumer perceived values (hedonic value, utilitarian value), perceived risk, and perceived behavioral control. Furthermore, this study explored the moderating effect of perceived COVID-19 vulnerability on the relationships between consumers’ internal evaluations of channel integration and their shopping method selection intentions. A total of 516 eligible responses were gathered through a survey of U.S. consumers. Multiple regressions were applied to test the hypotheses. Six types of channel integration showed significant effects on the U.S. consumers’ internal evaluations, which in turn influence their intentions to use certain types of omni-channel shopping methods. Overall, the proposed model exhibits a satisfactory explanatory power.
Impact of COVID-19 on Food and Plastic Waste Generated by Consumers in Bangkok
Authors: Liu Chen , Bunditsakulchai Pongsun , Zhuo Qiannan
Published: August 2021

The crisis ignited by COVID-19 has transformed the volume and composition of waste generation and requires a dynamic response from policy makers. This study selected Bangkok as a case study to semi-quantitatively examine the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on consumer-generated food and plastic waste by examining changes in lifestyles and consumption behaviour through a face-to-face questionnaire survey. Travel bans and diminished economic activity due to COVID-19 have led to a dramatic reduction in waste from the business sector and in the total amount of municipal waste generated. However, the results of the survey showed that both food and plastic waste generated by households in Bangkok increased during COVID-19. The shift from eating out to online food delivery services led to an increase in plastic bags, hot-and-cold food bags, plastic food containers, and food waste. Reasons for the increase in household food waste during COVID-19 varied, with respondents citing excessive amounts of food and unappetising taste, followed by exceeding the expiration date and rotting/foul odours. These reasons may be the result of the inability to predict quantity and quality when ordering online, and inadequate food planning and management by consumers. To achieve more effective food and plastic waste management, home delivery services, consumer food planning and management, and the formation of a circular economy based on localised supply chains may be considered as important intervention points.
First and Second Law Thermodynamic Analyses of Hybrid Nanofluid with Different Particle Shapes in a Microplate Heat Exchanger
Authors: Garud Kunal Sandip , Hwang Seong-Guk , Lim Taek-Kyu , Kim Namwon , Lee Moo-Yeon
Published: August 2021

The improvement in the quantitative and qualitative heat transfer performances of working fluids is trending research in the present time for heat transfer applications. In the present work, the first and second law analyses of a microplate heat exchanger with single-particle and hybrid nanofluids are conducted. The microplate heat exchanger with single-particle and hybrid nanofluids is analyzed using the computational fluid dynamics approach with symmetrical heat transfer and fluid flow analyses. The single-particle Al2O3 nanofluid and the hybrid Al2O3/Cu nanofluid are investigated for different nanoparticles shapes of sphere (Sp), oblate spheroid (OS), prolate spheroid (PS), blade (BL), platelet (PL), cylinder (CY) and brick (BR). The first law characteristics of NTU, effectiveness and performance index and the second characteristics of thermal, friction and total entropy generation rates and Bejan number are compared for Al2O3 and Al2O3/Cu nanofluids with considered different-shaped nanoparticles. The OS- and PL-shaped nanoparticles show superior and worse first and second law characteristics, respectively, for Al2O3 and Al2O3/Cu nanofluids. The hybrid nanofluid presents better first and second law characteristics compared to single-particle nanofluid for all nanoparticle shapes. The Al2O3/Cu nanofluid with OS-shaped nanoparticles depicts maximum values of performance index and Bejan number as 4.07 and 0.913, respectively. The first and second law characteristics of the best combination of the Al2O3/Cu nanofluid with OS-shaped nanoparticles are investigated for various volume fractions, different temperature and mass flow rate conditions of hot and cold fluids. The first and second law characteristics are optimum at higher hot fluid temperature, lower cold fluid temperature, lower hot and cold fluid mass flow rates. In addition, the first and second law characteristics have improved with increase in volume fraction.
Primary Model for Biomass Growth Prediction in Batch Fermentation
Authors: Garcia Blanca , Rodriguez Emmanuel , Salazar Yolocuauhtli , Valle Paul , Flores-Gallegos Adriana , Rutiaga-Quiñones O. , Rodriguez-Herrera Raul
Published: August 2021

Predictive models may be considered a tool to ensure food quality as they provide insights that support decision making on the design of processes, such as fermentation. Objective: To formulate a mathematical model that describes the growth of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) in batch fermentation. Methodology: Based on real-life experimental data from eight LAB strains, we formulated a primary model in the form of a third-degree polynomial function that successfully describes the four phases observed in LAB growth, i.e., lag, exponential, stationary, and death. Our cubic mathematical model allows us to understand the fundamental nonlinear dynamics of LAB as well as its time-variant dependencies. Parameters of the model are written in terms of initial biomass, maximum biomass, maximum growth rate, and lag phase duration. Further, a statistical analysis was performed to compare our cubic primary model with the ones proposed by Gompertz, Baranyi, and Vázquez-Murado by computing the coefficient of determination R2, the residual sum of squares RSS, and the Akaike Information Criterion AIC. Results: The average statistical results from the cubic model are as follows: R2=0.820 providing a better fit than the other three models, RSS=0.658 and AIC=−6.499, where both values are lower than the other models considered in this study. Conclusion: The cubic primary model formulated in this work describes the behavior of biomass as it accurately represents the four phases of biomass growth in batch fermentation process.
An Invariant Characterization of the Levi-Civita Spacetimes
Authors: Watson Cooper K. , Julius William , Gorban Matthew , McNutt David D. , Davis Eric W. , Cleaver Gerald B.
Published: August 2021

In the years 1917–1919 Tullio Levi-Civita published a number of papers presenting new solutions to Einstein’s equations. This work, while partially translated, remains largely inaccessible to English speaking researchers. In this paper we review these solutions, and present them in a modern readable manner. We will also compute both Cartan–Karlhede and Carminati–Mclenaghan invariants such that these solutions are invariantly characterized by two distinct methods. These methods will allow for these solutions to be totally and invariantly characterized. Because of the variety of solutions considered here, this paper will also be a useful reference for those seeking to learn to apply the Cartan–Karlhede algorithm in practice.
On Metric Invariants of Spherical Harmonics
Authors: Lychagin Valentin
Published: August 2021

The algebraic and differential SO3-invariants of spherical harmonics are studied in this work. The fields of rational algebraic and rational differential invariants and their applications for the description of regular SO3-orbits of spherical harmonics are given.
Symptoms of PTSD and Depression among Central American Immigrant Youth
Authors: Castañeda Ernesto , Jenks Daniel , Chaikof Jessica , Cione Carina , Felton SteVon , Goris Isabella , Buck Lesley , Hershberg Eric
Published: August 2021

The aim of this paper is to explore the mental health challenges that Central American immigrant youth face before and after arriving in the United States. This population is hard to reach, marginalized, and disproportionately exposed to trauma from a young age. This paper investigates the mental health stressors experienced by Central American immigrant youth and asylum seekers, including unaccompanied minors, surveyed in the U.S. in 2017. This mixed methods study uses qualitative data from interviews along with close-ended questions and the validated PHQ-8 Questionnaire and the Child PTSD Symptom Scale (CPSS). These new migrants face numerous challenges to mental health, increased psychopathological risk exacerbated by high levels of violence and low state-capacity in their countries of origin, restrictive immigration policies, the fear of deportation for themselves and their family members, and the pressure to integrate once in the U.S. We find that Central American youth have seen improvements in their self-reported mental health after migrating to the U.S., but remain at risk of further trauma exposure, depression, and PTSD. We find that they exhibit a disproportionate likelihood of having lived through traumatizing experiences that put them at higher risk for psychological distress and disorders that may create obstacles to integration. These can, in turn, create new stressors that exacerbate PTSD, depression, and anxiety. These conditions can be minimized through programs that aid immigrant integration and mental health.
Interaction of Poliovirus Capsid Proteins with the Cellular Autophagy Pathway
Authors: Zimina Anna , Viktorova Ekaterina G. , Moghimi Seyedehmahsa , Nchoutmboube Jules , Belov George A.
Published: August 2021

The capsid precursor P1 constitutes the N-terminal part of the enterovirus polyprotein. It is processed into VP0, VP3, and VP1 by the viral proteases, and VP0 is cleaved autocatalytically into VP4 and VP2. We observed that poliovirus VP0 is recognized by an antibody against a cellular autophagy protein, LC3A. The LC3A-like epitope overlapped the VP4/VP2 cleavage site. Individually expressed VP0-EGFP and P1 strongly colocalized with a marker of selective autophagy, p62/SQSTM1. To assess the role of capsid proteins in autophagy development we infected different cells with poliovirus or encapsidated polio replicon coding for only the replication proteins. We analyzed the processing of LC3B and p62/SQSTM1, markers of the initiation and completion of the autophagy pathway and investigated the association of the viral antigens with these autophagy proteins in infected cells. We observed cell-type-specific development of autophagy upon infection and found that only the virion signal strongly colocalized with p62/SQSTM1 early in infection. Collectively, our data suggest that activation of autophagy is not required for replication, and that capsid proteins contain determinants targeting them to p62/SQSTM1-dependent sequestration. Such a strategy may control the level of capsid proteins so that viral RNAs are not removed from the replication/translation pool prematurely.