bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Quantitative Assessment of the Contribution of Climate and Underlying Surface Change to Multiscale Runoff Variation in the Jinsha River Basin, China
Authors: Yue Shuaijun , Ji Guangxing , Huang Junchang , Cheng Mingyue , Guo Yulong , Chen Weiqiang
Published: August 2023

Many studies quantify the impact of climate change and human activities on runoff changes on an annual scale, but few studies have examined this on multiple time scales. This paper quantifies the contribution of different factors to the variability of Jinsha River runoff at multiple time scales (annual, seasonal and monthly). First, the trend analysis of Jinsha River runoff is carried out, and the Mann–Kendall mutation test was then applied to the runoff data for mutation analysis. According to the mutation year, the research period is divided into the base period and the mutation period. By constructing an ABCD hydrological model simulation and monthly scale Budyko model, the contribution rate of human and climate factors to the multitime-scale runoff of Jinsha River is calculated. The results showed that: (1) The sudden year of change in the Jinsha River runoff is 1978, and the Nash coefficients of the ABCD hydrological model in the base period and sudden change period were 0.85 and 0.86, respectively. (2) Climate factors were the dominant factor affecting annual runoff changes (98.62%), while human factors were the secondary factor affecting annual runoff changes (1.38%). (3) The contribution rates of climate factors in spring, summer, autumn, and winter to runoff were 91.68%, 74.08%, 95.30%, and 96.15%, respectively. The contribution rates of human factors in spring, summer, autumn, and winter to runoff were 8.32%, 25.92%, 4.70%, and 3.85%, respectively. (4) The contribution rates of climate factors to runoff in May, June, and July were 95.14%, 102.15%, and 87.79%, respectively. The contribution rates of human factors to runoff in May, June, and July were 4.86%, −2.15%, and 12.21%, respectively.
Combinatorial Productivity of Spanish Verbal Periphrases as an Indicator of Their Degree of Grammaticalization
Authors: Garachana Mar , Sansiñena María Sol
Published: August 2023

Studies on the constitution of the Spanish periphrastic system show that there is a great ease with which verbal periphrases admit different lexical items in the second verb slot as they go through their grammaticalization process. However, it has not been sufficiently explored whether the evolution of combinatorial patterns in near-synonymous periphrases follows similar grammaticalization paths. Adopting a constructionist, usage-based approach, we investigate the evolution of the so-called near-synonymous periphrases dejar de + inf and parar de + inf, as in Deja de/Para de gritar, ‘Stop shouting.’ More specifically, we discuss the semantic areas they cover, the functional distribution between the two throughout time, their evolution in terms of collostructional patterns, and their realized and potential productivity, paying special attention to the Aktionsart of the predicates in the Vinf slot. All tokens in the corpus were extracted from CORDE and analyzed in terms of morphosyntactic and semantic-pragmatic parameters, as well as contextual elements. We conduct a distinctive collexeme analysis to investigate which lexemes are strongly attracted or repelled by the Vinf slot in each construction. This analysis shows that the evolution of parar de + inf is not parallel to that of dejar de + inf and that there is a clear distribution of labor between the two constructions.
Preface to the Special Issue on “Hypergroup Theory and Algebrization of Incidence Structures”
Authors: Fasino Dario , Freni Domenico
Published: August 2023

This work contains the accepted papers of a Special Issue of the MDPI journal Mathematics entitled “Hypergroup Theory and Algebrization of Incidence Structure” [...]
An Overview of Kriging and Cokriging Predictors for Functional Random Fields
Authors: Giraldo Ramón , Leiva Víctor , Castro Cecilia
Published: August 2023

This article presents an overview of methodologies for spatial prediction of functional data, focusing on both stationary and non-stationary conditions. A significant aspect of the functional random fields analysis is evaluating stationarity to characterize the stability of statistical properties across the spatial domain. The article explores methodologies from the literature, providing insights into the challenges and advancements in functional geostatistics. This work is relevant from theoretical and practical perspectives, offering an integrated view of methodologies tailored to the specific stationarity conditions of the functional processes under study. The practical implications of our work span across fields like environmental monitoring, geosciences, and biomedical research. This overview encourages advancements in functional geostatistics, paving the way for the development of innovative techniques for analyzing and predicting spatially correlated functional data. It lays the groundwork for future research, enhancing our understanding of spatial statistics and its applications.
Anomaly Detection in the Molecular Structure of Gallium Arsenide Using Convolutional Neural Networks
Authors: Roche Timothy , Wood Aihua , Cho Philip , Johnstone Chancellor
Published: August 2023

This paper concerns the development of a machine learning tool to detect anomalies in the molecular structure of Gallium Arsenide. We employ a combination of a CNN and a PCA reconstruction to create the model, using real images taken with an electron microscope in training and testing. The methodology developed allows for the creation of a defect detection model, without any labeled images of defects being required for training. The model performed well on all tests under the established assumptions, allowing for reliable anomaly detection. To the best of our knowledge, such methods are not currently available in the open literature; thus, this work fills a gap in current capabilities.
Hybrid Attitude Saturation and Fault-Tolerant Control for Rigid Spacecraft without Unwinding
Authors: Ma Jun , Wang Zeng , Wang Chang
Published: August 2023

This paper tackles the saturation and fault-tolerant attitude tracking problem without unwinding for rigid spacecraft with external disturbances and partial loss of actuator effectiveness faults. A hybrid saturation and fault-tolerant attitude control (HSFC) is proposed. The Lyapunov method is employed to prove that the tracking errors of the spacecraft system tend to the equilibrium point asymptotically with HSFC. The advantages of the HSFC are that it is fault-tolerant, anti-unwinding and explicitly upper bounded a priori which means that both actuator saturation and the unwinding phenomenon can be avoided. Simulations verify the effectiveness of the proposed approach.
New Phocoenamicin and Maklamicin Analogues from Cultures of Three Marine-Derived Micromonospora Strains
Authors: Kokkini Maria , Oves-Costales Daniel , Sánchez Pilar , Melguizo Ángeles , Mackenzie Thomas A. , Pérez-Bonilla Mercedes , Martín Jesús , Giusti Arianna , de Witte Peter , Vicente Francisca , Genilloud Olga , Reyes Fernando
Published: August 2023

Antimicrobial resistance can be considered a hidden global pandemic and research must be reinforced for the discovery of new antibiotics. The spirotetronate class of polyketides, with more than 100 bioactive compounds described to date, has recently grown with the discovery of phocoenamicins, compounds displaying different antibiotic activities. Three marine Micromonospora strains (CA-214671, CA-214658 and CA-218877), identified as phocoenamicins producers, were chosen to scale up their production and LC/HRMS analyses proved that EtOAc extracts from their culture broths produce several structurally related compounds not disclosed before. Herein, we report the production, isolation and structural elucidation of two new phocoenamicins, phocoenamicins D and E (1–2), along with the known phocoenamicin, phocoenamicins B and C (3–5), as well as maklamicin (7) and maklamicin B (6), the latter being reported for the first time as a natural product. All the isolated compounds were tested against various human pathogens and revealed diverse strong to negligible activity against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Ra, Enterococcus faecium and Enterococcus faecalis. Their cell viability was also evaluated against the human liver adenocarcinoma cell line (Hep G2), demonstrating weak or no cytotoxicity. Lastly, the safety of the major compounds obtained, phocoenamicin (3), phocoenamicin B (4) and maklamicin (7), was tested against zebrafish eleuthero embryos and all of them displayed no toxicity up to a concentration of 25 μM.
Lignocellulosic Waste Compounds for Pancreatic Lipase Inhibition: Preliminary Extraction by Freon, Obtaining of Proanthocyanidins and Testing on Lipase Activity
Authors: Andersone Anna , Janceva Sarmite , Lauberte Liga , Krasilnikova Jelena , Zaharova Natalija , Nikolajeva Vizma , Rieksts Gints , Telysheva Galina
Published: August 2023

The twigs of sea buckthorn, blackcurrant, gooseberries, quince, and grapes were evaluated as a promising source of biologically active compounds—proanthocyanidins (PACs). Sea buckthorn twigs had the highest content of PACs (9.2% on dry biomass). Preliminary pretreatment of biomass with freon R134a did not allow an increase in PACs content in the composition of hydrophilic extract but confirmed the value of freon extract as an antibacterial agent against P. aeruginosa and B. cereus. The content of PACs was used as an indicator for assessment of the influence of hydrophilic extracts on pancreatic lipase activity. Under normal physiological conditions, in the presence of bile, the extract, which contained 42.4% of PACs was more effective compared to the extract which contained 17.5% of PACs. At all concentrations (0.2–40 mg of sample/g of pancreatic lipase), it inhibited lipase activity by 33%. Purified PACs were the most effective in inhibiting lipase activity (by 36%). However, in pathological physiological conditions (without bile), the opposite effect on lipase activity was observed. Thus, PACs and extracts can be used as inhibitors of pancreatic lipase only under normal physiological conditions.
Cell Envelope Modifications Generating Resistance to Hop Beta Acids and Collateral Sensitivity to Cationic Antimicrobials in Listeria monocytogenes
Authors: Goedseels Maarten , Michiels Chris W.
Published: August 2023

Hop beta acids (HBAs) are characteristic compounds from the hop plant that are of interest for their strong antimicrobial activity. In this work, we report a resistance mechanism against HBA in the foodborne pathogen Listeria monocytogenes. Using an evolution experiment, we isolated two HBA-resistant mutants with mutations in the mprF gene, which codes for the Multiple Peptide Resistance Factor, an enzyme that confers resistance to cationic peptides and antibiotics in several Gram-positive bacteria by lysinylating membrane phospholipids. Besides the deletion of mprF, the deletion of dltA, which mediates the alanylation of teichoic acids, resulted in increased HBA resistance, suggesting that resistance may be caused by a reduction in positive charges on the cell surface. Additionally, we found that this resistance is maintained at low pH, indicating that the resistance mechanism is not solely based on electrostatic interactions of HBA with the cell surface. Finally, we showed that the HBA-resistant mutants display collateral sensitivity to the cationic antimicrobials polymyxin B and nisin, which may open perspectives for combining antimicrobials to prevent resistance development.
Plant-Waste-Derived Sorbents for Nitazoxanide Adsorption
Authors: Sokołowski Artur , Jędruchniewicz Katarzyna , Kobyłecki Rafał , Zarzycki Robert , Różyło Krzysztof , Wang Haitao , Czech Bożena
Published: August 2023

The increased application of drugs during the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in their increased concentration in wastewater. Conventional wastewater treatment plants do not remove such pollutants effectively. Adsorption is a cheap, effective, and environmentally friendly method that can accomplish this. On the other hand, maintaining organic waste is required. Thus, in this study, plant waste-derived pelletized biochar obtained from different feedstock and pyrolyzed at 600 °C was applied for the adsorption of nitazoxanide, an antiparasitic drug used for the treatment of SARS-CoV-2. The adsorption was fast and enables one to remove the drug in one hour. The highest adsorption capacity was noted for biochar obtained from biogas production (14 mg/g). The process of NTZ adsorption was governed by chemisorption (k2 = 0.2371 g/mg min). The presence of inorganic ions had a detrimental effect on adsorption (Cl−, NO3− in 20–30%) and carbonates were the most effective in hindering the process (60%). The environmentally relevant concentration of DOM (10 mg/L) did not affect the process. The model studies were supported by the results with a real wastewater effluent (15% reduction). Depending on the applied feedstock, various models described nitazoxanide adsorption onto tested biochars. In summary, the application of carbonaceous adsorbents in the pelletized form is effective in nitazoxanide adsorption.
Selenium Nanoparticles Control H1N1 Virus by Inhibiting Inflammatory Response and Cell Apoptosis
Authors: Su Jingyao , Lai Jia , Li Jiali , Li Chuqing , Liu Xia , Wang Chenyang , Zhu Bing , Li Yinghua
Published: August 2023

The treatment of influenza caused by H1N1 has been the focus of much attention. Selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) have been used in many aspects of research in the last two decades. They have shown excellent performance in antiviral, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant functions. Previous anti-H1N1 cell experiments using SeNPs have shown that they have evident antiviral effects and low toxicities. This study focuses on the mechanism of selenium nanoparticles against an H1N1 influenza virus infection in vivo. The results showed that the selenium levels in the body decreased after an H1N1 virus infection, and inflammatory factors in the lung tissues increased abnormally, leading to the onset and aggravation of an inflammatory response. The H1N1 virus infection also led to the excessive activation of apoptotic pathways in the body and induced the apoptosis of tissue cells. In addition, this study found that SeNPs can alleviate this phenomenon. All results showed that SeNPs are promising inhibitors for controlling influenza H1N1 virus infections.
Purification of Coffee Polyphenols Extracted from Coffee Pulps (Coffee arabica L.) Using Aqueous Two-Phase System
Authors: Le Phuong Hong , Ho Linh Thuy Thi , Le Dao Hong Thi , Nguyen Viet
Published: August 2023

Coffee pulp is an abundant residue from the coffee industry, but it still contains large amounts of valuable compounds such as polyphenols. The extraction of polyphenols from coffee pulp by the conventional method is accompanied by contaminated compounds. This study, therefore, applied an aqueous two-phase system consisting of different ratios of ethanol/ammonium sulfate to eliminate impurities from coffee-pulp crude extract. The purification efficiency was evaluated via total polyphenol content, antioxidant activity and two major polyphenols in coffee pulps including chlorogenic acid and caffeic acid. Results showed that phenolic compounds mostly predominated in the alcohol-rich phase in which the antioxidant activity was greatly increased after the purification process. Compared to un-purified crude-coffee extract, the antioxidant activity of the purified samples increased approximately 34%, which was assumed to occur due to the slight increase of chlorogenic acid and caffeic acid. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy supported the effectiveness of the purification process by eliminating some impurities.
Understanding the Anti-Obesity Potential of an Avocado Oil-Rich Cheese through an In Vitro Co-Culture Intestine Cell Model
Authors: Machado Manuela , Costa Eduardo M. , Silva Sara , Rodriguez-Alcalá Luís M. , Gomes Ana Maria , Pintado Manuela
Published: August 2023

Nowadays, with consumers’ requirements shifting towards more natural solutions and the advent of nutraceutical-based approaches, new alternatives for obesity management are being developed. This work aimed to show, for the first time, the potential of avocado oil-fortified cheese as a viable foodstuff for obesity management through complex in vitro cellular models. The results showed that oleic and palmitic acids’ permeability through the Caco-2/HT29-MTX membrane peaked at the 2h mark, with the highest apparent permeability being registered for oleic acid (0.14 cm/s). Additionally, the permeated compounds were capable of modulating the metabolism of adipocytes present in the basal compartment, significantly reducing adipokine (leptin) and cytokine (MPC-1, IL-10, and TNF-α) production. The permeates (containing 3.30 µg/mL of palmitic acid and 2.16 µg/mL of oleic acid) also presented an overall anti-inflammatory activity upon Raw 264.7 macrophages, reducing IL-6 and TNF-α secretion. Despite in vivo assays being required, the data showed the potential of a functional dairy product as a valid food matrix to aid in obesity management.
Simultaneous Determination of Five Iridoids of Picrorhiza scrophulariiflora in Rat Plasma Using UHPLC-ESI-MS/MS
Authors: Wang Zhibin , Shi Xuepeng , Jiang Shuang , Sun Jiahui , Borjigin Gilwa , Li Qi , Mu Yuanqiu , Yang Chunjuan , Wang Zhenyue , Kuang Haixue
Published: August 2023

In this study, we developed an ultra-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray tandem quadrupole mass spectrometry (UHPLC-ESI-MS/MS) method to simultaneously determine Picroside-I, Picroside-II, Picroside-III, minecoside, and sweroside in rat plasma. The chromatographic column was an ACQUITY UHPLC® BEH Amide Column (2.1 × 100 mm, 1.7 µm; Waters, MA, USA), column temperature 40 °C. The mobile phase was 0.1% formic acid aqueous solution–0.1% formic acid acetonitrile solution. The flow rate was 0.4 mL/min. Multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) and negative ion modes were adopted. The results showed that the calibration curves of five compounds in plasma showed good linearity (r > 0.9911) over the studied dose range. The lower limits of quantification (LLOQ) for Picroside-I, Picroside-II, Picroside-III, minecoside, and sweroside were 6.876, 5.193, 5.040, 1.260, and 4.527 ng/mL, respectively. The intra-day and inter-day precision were <15%. The matrix effects ranged from 95.77 to 101.9%. The Tmax were 1.1 ± 0.2, 1.1 ± 0.1, 0.8 ± 0.1, 1.0 ± 0.2, and 2.1 ± 0.1 h. This study will be useful in understanding the behavior of drugs in the body and the body’s effect on drugs. It also offers theoretical underpinnings and highlights the importance of clinical applications and creating novel drugs.
Involvement of NO in V-ATPase Regulation in Cucumber Roots under Control and Cadmium Stress Conditions
Authors: Zboińska Magdalena , Janeczko Anna , Kabała Katarzyna
Published: August 2023

Nitric oxide (NO) is a signaling molecule that participates in plant adaptation to adverse environmental factors. This study aimed to clarify the role of NO in the regulation of vacuolar H+-ATPase (V-ATPase) in the roots of cucumber seedlings grown under control and Cd stress conditions. In addition, the relationship between NO and salicylic acid (SA), as well as their interrelations with hydrogen sulfide (H2S) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), have been verified. The effect of NO on V-ATPase was studied by analyzing two enzyme activities, the expression level of selected VHA genes and the protein level of selected VHA subunits in plants treated with a NO donor (sodium nitroprusside, SNP) and NO biosynthesis inhibitors (tungstate, WO42− and N-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester, L-NAME). Our results indicate that NO functions as a positive regulator of V-ATPase and that this regulation depends on NO generated by nitrate reductase and NOS-like activity. It was found that the mechanism of NO action is not related to changes in the gene expression or protein level of the V-ATPase subunits. The results suggest that in cucumber roots, NO signaling interacts with the SA pathway and, to a lesser extent, with two other known V-ATPase regulators, H2O2 and H2S.
Multiple-Genome-Based Simple Sequence Repeat Is an Efficient and Successful Method in Genotyping and Classifying Different Jujube Germplasm Resources
Authors: Li Bin , Muhammad Noor , Zhang Shufeng , Lan Yunxin , Yang Yihan , Han Shoukun , Liu Mengjun , Yang Meng
Published: August 2023

Jujube (Ziziphus jujuba Mill.) is a commercially important tree native to China, known for its high nutritional value and widespread distribution, as well as its diverse germplasm resources. Being resilient to harsh climatic conditions, the cultivation of jujube could provide a solution to food insecurity and income for people of arid and semi-arid regions in and outside of China. The evaluation of germplasm resources and genetic diversity in jujube necessitates the use of Simple Sequence Repeat (SSR) markers. SSR markers are highly polymorphic and can be used to evaluate the genetic diversity within and between cultivars of Chinese jujube, and are important for conservation biology, breeding programs, and the discovery of important traits for Chinese jujube improvement in China and abroad. However, traditional methods of SSR development are time-consuming and inadequate to meet the growing research demands. To address this issue, we developed a novel approach called Multiple-Genome-Based SSR identification (MGB-SSR), which utilizes the genomes of three jujube cultivars to rapidly screen for polymorphic SSRs in the jujube genome. Through the screening process, we identified 12 pairs of SSR primers, which were then used to successfully classify 249 jujube genotypes. Based on the genotyping results, a digital ID card was established, enabling the complete identification of all 249 jujube plants. The MGB-SSR approach proved efficient in rapidly detecting polymorphic SSRs within the jujube genome. Notably, this study represents the first successful differentiation of jujube germplasm resources using 12 SSR markers, with 4 markers successfully identifying triploid jujube genotypes. These findings offer valuable information for the classification of Chinese jujube germplasm, thereby providing significant assistance to jujube researchers and breeders in identifying unknown jujube germplasm.
Efficient Biosynthesis of Phosphatidylserine in a Biphasic System through Parameter Optimization
Authors: Guo Bishan , Wang Juntan , Zhang Mengxue , Shang Huiyi , Du Rui , Wang Fayun , Wang Hui , Xu Jun , Zhu Haihua
Published: August 2023

Phosphatidylserine (PS) has significant biological and nutritional effects and finds wide applications in the food, pharmaceutical, and chemical industries. To produce high-value PS efficiently, phospholipase D (PLD)-induced transphosphatidylation of low-value phosphatidylcholine (PC) with L-serine has been explored. In this research, we purified recombinant PLD from Streptomyces antibioticus SK-3 using ion exchange chromatography and gel filtration chromatography. Subsequently, we thoroughly characterized the purified enzyme and optimized the transphosphatidylation conditions to identify the most favorable settings for synthesizing PS in a biphasic system. The purified recombinant PLD displayed a robust transphosphatidylation function, facilitating efficient catalysis in the synthesis of PS. Under the optimal conditions (butyl acetate/enzyme solution 1:1, L-serine 160 mg/mL, soybean lecithin 2 mg/mL, and MgCl2 15 mM, at 50 °C for 2.5 h with shaking), we achieved a conversion rate of 91.35% and a productivity of 0.73 g/L/h. These results demonstrate the applicability of the process optimization strategy for using the candidate enzyme in the efficient synthesis of PS. Overall, this study presents a novel and scalable approach for the efficient large-scale synthesis of PS.
Renewable Energy Role in Climate Stabilization and Water Consumption Minimization in Jordan
Authors: Al-Quraan Ayman , Darwish Hiba , Malkawi Ahmad M. A.
Published: August 2023

Climate change is one of the most essential phenomena studied by several researchers in the last few decades. The main reason this phenomenon occurs is greenhouse gases (GHG), chiefly CO2 emissions. About 30% of the created GHG emissions are achieved by electricity generation. This article investigates the role of renewable energy projects in Jordan, specifically wind and solar energy, in mitigating climate change and water consumption reduction using RETScreen software. It was found that the cumulative water consumption reduction from 2017 to 2021 due to the use of wind and solar projects is equal to 6.9491 × 109 gallons. Finally, the results show that the future dependence on renewable energy projects in Jordan to meet the growth in demand by the year 2030 reduces the expected increment in the climate temperature by 1.047 °C by that year.
Hybrid Dynamical Modeling and Control of Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motors: Hardware-in-the-Loop Verification
Authors: Elmorshedy Mahmoud F. , Almakhles Dhafer , Abdelrahim Mahmoud
Published: August 2023

The stabilization of a permanent magnet synchronous motor using digital controllers requires the design of both the feedback law and an appropriate sampling frequency. Moreover, the design approach must be robust against existing uncertainties, such as disturbances and parameter variations. In this paper, we develop a stabilizing state feedback nonlinear control scheme for the permanent magnet synchronous motor. Moreover, we consider the case where the feedback signal is transmitted over a digital platform, and we derive the stabilizing sampling frequency, such that the stability of the closed-loop system is maintained. We design the controller by emulation, where the closed-loop stability is first established in continuous time; we then take into account the effect of sampling. The feedback law consists of two parts: feedback linearization and robust linear quadratic regulator for the linearized mode. The robustness is achieved by augmenting the state space model, with additional states representing the tracking errors of the motor speed and the motor current. Then, to cope with sampling, we estimate the maximally allowable sampling interval to reduce the sampling frequency while preserving the closed-loop stability. The overall system is modeled as a hybrid dynamical system, which allows handling both the continuous-time and discrete-time dynamics. The effectiveness of the proposed technique is illustrated by simulation and verified experimentally using a hardware-in-the-loop setup. Upon implementing the proposed approach, the obtained sampling interval was around 91 ms, making it suitable for digital implementation setups.
Theoretical Basis and Technical Method of Permeability Enhancement of Tectonic Coal Seam by High Intensity Acoustic Wave In Situ
Authors: Li Weidong , Zhang Yongmin , Wang Dalong , Chen Cunqiang , Li Yongyuan , Zhao Youzhi , Zhang Shuo , Ren Jing , Qin Yong
Published: August 2023

Tectonic coal seams are characterized by soft, low permeability and high gas outburst. The traditional gas control method is the intensive drilling and extraction in this seam, which is not only large in engineering quantity, high in cost, difficult to form holes and low in extraction efficiency, but also easy to induce coal and gas outburst, which is a difficult problem for global coal mine gas control. To solve this difficult problem, the controllable shockwave equipment developed by the author’s team and successfully applied in the practice of permeability enhancement of coal seam, combined with the principles of shock vibration sound wave generation and shock wave attenuation and evolution in the rock stratum, a new idea of loading a controllable shock wave in the roof and floor of coal seam is proposed. The shock wave first attenuates and evolves into a high-strength sound wave in the roof and floor rock stratum, and then enters and loads into the coal seam to achieve the purpose of increasing permeability without damaging the physical properties of the tectonic coal seam and facilitating the opening of the original fractures. According to the new technical ideas, the implementation scheme and key parameters of the gas pre-extraction models in tectonic coal seam are designed, including the penetration drilling, roof and floor horizontal holes, shield tunneling and the high-strength acoustic wave of the working face, which provides a new technical approach to solve the problem of high efficiency and low cost gas extraction in the tectonic coal seam.
Making Open Scholarship More Equitable and Inclusive
Authors: Arthur Paul Longley , Hearn Lydia , Ryan John C. , Menon Nirmala , Khumalo Langa
Published: August 2023

Democratizing access to information is an enabler for our digital future. It can transform how knowledge is created, preserved, and shared, and strengthen the connection between academics and the communities they serve. Yet, open scholarship is influenced by history and politics. This article explores the foundations underlying open scholarship as a quest for more just, equitable, and inclusive societies. It analyzes the origins of the open scholarship movement and explores how systemic factors have impacted equality and equity of knowledge access and production according to location, nationality, race, age, gender, and socio-economic circumstances. It highlights how the privileges of the global North permeate academic and technical standards, norms, and infrastructures. It also reviews how the collective design of more open and collaborative networks can engage a richer diversity of communities, enabling greater social inclusion, and presents key examples. By fostering dialogue with multiple stakeholders, more effective avenues for knowledge production and representation can be built based on approaches that are accessible, participatory, interactive, ethical, and transparent, and that reach a far broader public. This expansive vision of open science will lead to a more unified knowledge economy.
Designing a Low-Cost System to Monitor the Structural Behavior of Street Lighting Poles in Smart Cities
Authors: Quattrocchi Antonino , Martella Francesco , Lukaj Valeria , De Leo Rocco , Villari Massimo , Montanini Roberto
Published: August 2023

The structural collapse of a street lighting pole represents an aspect that is often underestimated and unpredictable, but of relevant importance for the safety of people and things. These events are complex to evaluate since several sources of damage are involved. In addition, traditional inspection methods are ineffective, do not correctly quantify the residual life of poles, and are inefficient, requiring enormous costs associated with the vastness of elements to be investigated. An advantageous alternative is to adopt a distributed type of Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) technique based on the Internet of Things (IoT). This paper proposes the design of a low-cost system, which is also easy to integrate in current infrastructures, for monitoring the structural behavior of street lighting poles in Smart Cities. At the same time, this device collects previous structural information and offers some secondary functionalities related to its application, such as meteorological information. Furthermore, this paper intends to lay the foundations for the development of a method that is able to avoid the collapse of the poles. Specifically, the implementation phase is described in the aspects concerning low-cost devices and sensors for data acquisition and transmission and the strategies of information technologies (ITs), such as Cloud/Edge approaches, for storing, processing and presenting the achieved measurements. Finally, an experimental evaluation of the metrological performance of the sensing features of this system is reported. The main results highlight that the employment of low-cost equipment and open-source software has a double implication. On one hand, they entail advantages such as limited costs and flexibility to accommodate the specific necessities of the interested user. On the other hand, the used sensors require an indispensable metrological evaluation of their performance due to encountered issues relating to calibration, reliability and uncertainty.
Acoustic Emission-Based Analysis of Damage Mechanisms in Filament Wound Fiber Reinforced Composite Tubes
Authors: Ghahremani Parsa , Najafabadi Mehdi Ahmadi , Alimirzaei Sajad , Fotouhi Mohammad
Published: August 2023

This study investigates the mechanical behavior and damage mechanisms of thin-walled glass/epoxy filament wound tubes under quasi-static lateral loads. The novelty is that the tubes are reinforced in critical areas using strip composite patches to provide a topology-optimized tube, and their damage mechanisms and mechanical performance are compared to that of un-reinforced (reference) tubes. To detect the types of damage mechanisms and their progression, the Acoustic Emission (AE) method is employed, accompanied by data clustering analysis. The loading conditions are simulated using the finite element method, and the results are validated through experimental testing. The findings confirm that the inclusion of reinforcing patches improves the stress distribution, leading to enhanced load carrying capacity, stiffness, and energy absorption. Compared to the reference tubes, the reinforced tubes exhibit a remarkable increase of 23.25% in the load carrying capacity, 33.46% in the tube’s stiffness, and 23.67% in energy absorption. The analysis of the AE results reveals that both the reference and reinforced tubes experience damage mechanisms such as matrix cracking, fiber-matrix debonding, delamination, and fiber fracture. However, after matrix cracking, delamination becomes dominant in the reinforced tubes, while fiber failure prevails in the reference tubes. Moreover, by combining the AE energy and mechanical energy using the Sentry function, it is observed that the reinforced tubes exhibit a lower rate of damage propagation, indicating superior resistance to damage propagation compared to the reference tubes.
1,2,3-Triazoles: Controlled Switches in Logic Gate Applications
Authors: Ghosh Debanjana , Atkinson Austin , Gibson Jaclyn , Subbaiahgari Harini , Ming Weihua , Padgett Clifford , Aiken Karelle S. , Landge Shainaz M.
Published: August 2023

A 1,2,3-triazole-based chemosensor is used for selective switching in logic gate operations through colorimetric and fluorometric response mechanisms. The molecular probe synthesized via “click chemistry” resulted in a non-fluorescent 1,4-diaryl-1,2,3-triazole with a phenol moiety (PTP). However, upon sensing fluoride, it TURNS ON the molecule’s fluorescence. The TURN-OFF order occurs through fluorescence quenching of the sensor when metal ions, e.g., Cu2+, and Zn2+, are added to the PTP-fluoride ensemble. A detailed characterization using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy in a sequential titration study substantiated the photophysical characteristics of PTP through UV-Vis absorption and fluorescence profiles. A combination of fluorescence OFF-ON-OFF sequences provides evidence of 1,2,3-triazoles being controlled switches applicable to multimodal logic operations. The “INH” gate was constructed based on the fluorescence output of PTP when the inputs are F− and Zn2+. The “IMP” and “OR” gates were created on the colorimetric output responses using the probe’s absorption with multiple inputs (F− and Zn2+ or Cu2+). The PTP sensor is the best example of the “Write-Read-Erase-Read” mimic.
Period Estimation of Spread Spectrum Codes Based on ResNet
Authors: Gu Han-Qing , Liu Xia-Xia , Xu Lu , Zhang Yi-Jia , Lu Zhe-Ming
Published: August 2023

In order to more effectively monitor and interfere with enemy signals, it is particularly important to accurately and efficiently identify the intercepted signals and estimate their parameters in the increasingly complex electromagnetic environment. Therefore, in non-cooperative situations, it is of great practical significance to study how to accurately detect direct sequence spread spectrum (DSSS) signals in real time and estimate their parameters. The traditional time-delay correlation algorithm encounters the challenges such as peak energy leakage and false peak interference. As an alternative, this paper introduces a Pseudo-Noise (PN) code period estimation method utilizing a one-dimensional (1D) convolutional neural network based on the residual network (CNN-ResNet). This method transforms the problem of spread spectrum code period estimation into a multi-classification problem of spread spectrum code length estimation. Firstly, the In-phase/Quadrature(I/Q) two-way of the received DSSS signals is directly input into the CNN-ResNet model, which will automatically learn the characteristics of the DSSS signal with different PN code lengths and then estimate the PN code length. Simulation experiments are conducted using a data set with DSSS signals ranging from −20 to 10 dB in terms of signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs). Upon training and verifying the model using BPSK modulation, it is then put to the test with QPSK-modulated signals, and the estimation performance was analyzed through metrics such as loss function, accuracy rate, recall rate, and confusion matrix. The results demonstrate that the 1D CNN-ResNet proposed in this paper is capable of effectively estimating the PN code period of the non-cooperative DSSS signal, exhibiting robust generalization abilities.
Characterizing Soil Profile Salinization in Cotton Fields Using Landsat 8 Time-Series Data in Southern Xinjiang, China
Authors: Wang Jiaqiang , Hu Bifeng , Liu Weiyang , Luo Defang , Peng Jie
Published: August 2023

Soil salinization is a major obstacle to land productivity, crop yield and crop quality in arid areas and directly affects food security. Soil profile salt data are key for accurately determining irrigation volumes. To explore the potential for using Landsat 8 time-series data to monitor soil salinization, 172 Landsat 8 images from 2013 to 2019 were obtained from the Alar Reclamation Area of Xinjiang, northwest China. The multiyear extreme dataset was synthesized from the annual maximum or minimum values of 16 vegetation indices, which were combined with the soil conductivity of 540 samples from soil profiles at 0~0.375 m, 0~0.75 m and 0~1.00 m depths in 30 cotton fields with varying degrees of salinization as investigated by EM38-MK2. Three remote sensing monitoring models for soil conductivity at different depths were constructed using the Cubist method, and digital mapping was carried out. The results showed that the Cubist model of soil profile electrical conductivity from 0 to 0.375 m, 0 to 0.75 m and 0 to 1.00 m showed high prediction accuracy, and the determination coefficients of the prediction set were 0.80, 0.74 and 0.72, respectively. Therefore, it is feasible to use a multiyear extreme value for the vegetation index combined with a Cubist modeling method to monitor soil profile salinization at a regional scale.
Ionospheric Weather at Two Starlink Launches during Two-Phase Geomagnetic Storms
Authors: Gulyaeva Tamara , Hernández-Pajares Manuel , Stanislawska Iwona
Published: August 2023

The launch of a series of Starlink internet satellites on 3 February 2022 (S-36), and 7 July 2022 (S-49), coincided with the development of two-phase geomagnetic storms. The first launch S-36 took place in the middle of the moderate two-phase space weather storm, which induced significant technological consequences. After liftoff on 3 February at 18:13 UT, all Starlink satellites reached an initial altitude of 350 km in perigee and had to reach an altitude of ~550 km after the maneuver. However, 38 of 49 launched spacecrafts did not reach the planned altitude, left orbit due to increased drag and reentered the atmosphere on 8 February. A geomagnetic storm on 3–4 February 2022 has increased the density of the neutral atmosphere up to 50%, increasing drag of the satellites and dooming most of them. The second launch of S-49 at 13:11 UT on 7 July 2022 was successful at the peak of the two-phase geomagnetic storm. The global ionospheric maps of the total electron content (GIM-TEC) have been used to produce the ionospheric weather GIM-W index maps and Global Electron Content (GEC). We observed a GEC increment from 10 to 24% for the storm peak after the Starlink launch at both storms, accompanying the neutral density increase identified earlier. GIM-TEC maps are available with a lag (delay) of 1–2 days (real-time GIMs have a lag less than 15 min), so the GIMs forecast is required by the time of the launch. Comparisons of different GIMs forecast techniques are provided including the Center for Orbit Determination in Europe (CODE), Beijing (BADG and CASG) and IZMIRAN (JPRG) 1- and 2-day forecasts, and the Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya (UPC-ionSAT) forecast for 6, 12, 18, 24 and 48 h in advance. We present the results of the analysis of evolution of the ionospheric parameters during both events. The poor correspondence between observed and predicted GIM-TEC and GEC confirms an urgent need for the industry–science awareness of now-casting/forecasting/accessibility of GIM-TECs during the space weather events.
Towards 30% Efficiency by 2030 of Eco-Designed Building Integrated Photovoltaics
Authors: Skandalos Nikolaos , Kapsalis Vasileios , Ma Tao , Karamanis Dimitris
Published: August 2023

The necessity of affordable and durable building-integrated photovoltaics has gained widespread importance for the renewable energy transition involving electrification and decarbonization in climate-neutral cities that possess many public health co-benefits. Although the PV market is dominated by polycrystalline and monocrystalline silicon solar cells of the first generation, there is an impetus in the research lately for more sophisticated solar cell architectures with higher efficiency, longer lifetime, and less use of raw materials in an eco-design approach. To accelerate building integration of the next generation of photovoltaics and the associated climate change mitigation benefits, we propose in this work a holistic novel approach to the requirements and associated parameters for the emerging and innovative PV structures, spanning from intrinsic cell properties to panels effect in the urban environment. Within this framework, and supported by building simulation, the improvement of cells’ efficiency is revealed as an important parameter for their wider PV building and urban deployment as well as a major improvement in covering the building energy needs with minimized thermal impact in the urban environment. By analyzing the lab-reported values and the timeline of emerging and novel tandem solar cells, we propose the 30% BIPV efficiency of the eco-designed BIPV products as a central milestone to be attained before 2030 for a sustainable urban transformation.
Endogenous Bacteremia Caused by Intestinal Colonization of Carbapenem-Resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) in Immunocompromised Children
Authors: Almasian Tehrani Nasim , Azimi Leila , Armin Shahnaz , Soleimani Neda , Fallah Fatemeh , Karimi Abdollah , Shamsian Bibi Shahin , Nazari Shiva , Alebouyeh Masoud
Published: August 2023

Objective: Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) infection is life-threatening, especially for immunocompromised children. The source tracking of CRE could prevent bacteremia during hospitalization. In this study, the intestinal colonization of CRE and their translocation to blood were investigated. Methods: Stool samples from immunocompromised pediatric patients were collected after admission, and secondary stool and blood samples were collected in case of fever. After CRE phonotypic detection, the OXA-48, NDM-1, VIM, IMP, and KPC genes were detected by PCR. Enterobacterial Repetitive Intergenic Consensus Polymerase Chain Reaction (ERIC-PCR) was used to determine the phylogenic relatedness of the blood and fecal isolates. Results: Bacteremia was recorded in 71.4% of the patients. Enterobacteriaceae spp. were recorded in 100% of the stool samples and 31% of the blood samples. The correlation between the length of stay (LOS), days of fever, chemotherapy regimens, and death rate was significant (p-value ≤ 0.05). OXA-48 was present in all CRE isolates in both the primary and the secondary stool samples and the blood samples. According to the phylogenetic data, 58.33% of the patients with bacteremia had identical blood and stool isolates. The death rate was 24.4% in children with CRE bacteremia. Conclusions: The primary intestinal colonization with CRE in immunocompromised pediatrics and their translocation to blood was established in this study. The implementation of infection control programs and the application of infection prevention strategies for immunocompromised children is necessary.
RNA Vaccines: Yeast as a Novel Antigen Vehicle
Authors: Silva Anna Jéssica Duarte , de Sousa Mylenna Máyra Gois , de Macêdo Larissa Silva , de França Neto Pedro Luiz , de Moura Ingrid Andrêssa , Espinoza Benigno Cristofer Flores , Invenção Maria Da Conceição Viana , de Pinho Samara Sousa , da Gama Marco Antonio Turiah Machado , de Freitas Antonio Carlos
Published: August 2023

In the last decades, technological advances for RNA manipulation enabled and expanded its application in vaccine development. This approach comprises synthetic single-stranded mRNA molecules that direct the translation of the antigen responsible for activating the desired immune response. The success of RNA vaccines depends on the delivery vehicle. Among the systems, yeasts emerge as a new approach, already employed to deliver protein antigens, with efficacy demonstrated through preclinical and clinical trials. β-glucans and mannans in their walls are responsible for the adjuvant property of this system. Yeast β-glucan capsules, microparticles, and nanoparticles can modulate immune responses and have a high capacity to carry nucleic acids, with bioavailability upon oral immunization and targeting to receptors present in antigen-presenting cells (APCs). In addition, yeasts are suitable vehicles for the protection and specific delivery of therapeutic vaccines based on RNAi. Compared to protein antigens, the use of yeast for DNA or RNA vaccine delivery is less established and has fewer studies, most of them in the preclinical phase. Here, we present an overview of the attributes of yeast or its derivatives for the delivery of RNA-based vaccines, discussing the current challenges and prospects of this promising strategy.