bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Physiological and Ultrastructural Alterations Linked to Intrinsic Mastication Inferiority of Segment Membranes in Satsuma Mandarin (Citrus unshiu Marc.) Fruits
Authors: Lian Xuefei , Li Feifei , Chang Yuanyuan , Zhou Tie , Chen Yuewen , Yin Tao , Li Yunsong , Ye Li , Jin Yan , Lu Xiaopeng
Published: December 2021

Chewing texture is important for fresh citrus fruits, and the mastication trait of a segment directly determines chewing texture. Roughing disorder impairs the quality of Satsuma mandarin fruits, and it is typically correlated with intrinsic mastication inferiority (IMI). This study explored the role of segment membranes (SMs) in IMI. Similar to IMI in roughing-disordered fruits, segment shear force significantly enhanced relative to controls (CK); cell layers and cell wall thickness increased also in inferior masticating SMs. The ‘Miyamoto Wase’ cultivar exhibited larger segment shear force and more SM cell layers than ‘Juxiangzao’. In SMs, vessel cells could be divided into outside layers where segments adjoin and inside layers where juice sacs grow from. The inside vessel cell layers in the inferior masticating SMs were denser. Vessels with a length of 200 to 300 μm and a diameter of 5 to 15 μm predominated in SMs. The average vessel diameter enlarged by 13% to 16.5% in inferior masticating SMs, depending on cultivars. Furthermore, there was a decrease in vessels with a diameter <5 μm and an increase in vessels >10 μm in the inferior masticating SMs. Between phenotypes, protopectin increased significantly throughout development of inferior masticating SMs, while water-soluble pectin increased during the later stages of development. In one inferior masticating SM sample, protopectin and water-soluble pectin levels were higher in the inner-ring area than those in the outer-ring area. Correspondingly, expression of CuPME21 which is involved in pectin hydrolysis was consistently upregulated in the inferior masticating SMs throughout fruit development. The findings in this work provide novel insights into citrus SM structure and its IMI.
Use of Conventional and Innovative Technologies for the Production of Food Grade Hop Extracts: Focus on Bioactive Compounds and Antioxidant Activity
Authors: Santarelli Veronica , Neri Lilia , Carbone Katya , Macchioni Valentina , Pittia Paola
Published: December 2021

This study investigated the use of conventional and innovative extraction methods to produce food-grade hop extracts with high antioxidant capacity and content in bioactive compounds. Conventional extractions (CONV) were performed under dynamic maceration at 25 and 60 °C; innovative extractions were performed using two ultrasound systems, a laboratory bath (US) and a high-power ultrasound bath (HPUS), and a high-pressure industrial process. For CONV, US, and HPUS extractions the effect of the extraction time was also tested. Experimental results showed that extraction method, temperature, and time affect to a different extent the phenolic profile and have a significant effect (p < 0.05) on the total phenolic content, total flavonoid content, antiradical capacity (ABTS), chlorophyll α, and total carotenoids content. Overall, US and CONV 60 °C extractions showed the highest extraction efficiency for almost all the investigated compounds, however, the extraction method and time to be used strongly depends on the target compounds to extract.
Foeniculum vulgare Miller, a New Chemotype from Montenegro
Authors: Božović Mijat , Garzoli Stefania , Vujović Svetlana , Sapienza Filippo , Ragno Rino
Published: December 2021

Previous studies relating to prolonged and fractionated distillation procedures highlighted essential oils’ (EOs) chemical composition to be significantly dependent on the extraction duration and harvesting time. As a continuation, a hydrodistillation procedure was applied to ripe fruit material of fennel, Foeniculum vulgare Miller (Apiaceae), collected from three localities in Montenegro (Podgorica, Nikšić, and Kotor) to furnish a total of 12 EOs. Liquid and vapor phases of the samples were analyzed by Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry and Headspace-Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry techniques, and 18 compounds have been identified. Although both quantitative and qualitative differences between the samples were notable, the phenylpropanoids anethole (ANE) and estragole and the monoterpenoids α-terpineol (TER) and fenchone (FEN) could be singled out as the most abundant constituents. The EOs from Podgorica belong to the most common ANE-rich chemotype, while the predominance of the monoterpenoid fraction is characteristic of the samples from Nikšić and Kotor. The latter is particularly rich in TER (up to 56.5%), with significant amounts of FEN and ANE. This chemical profile could represent a new chemotype of fennel EO. Vapor phases contained mainly monoterpenoids, with increased amounts of FEN and TER, while the number of phenylpropanoids was significantly decreased.
Resistance and Not Plant Fruit Traits Determine Root-Associated Bacterial Community Composition along a Domestication Gradient in Tomato
Authors: Smulders Lisanne , Ferrero Victoria , de la Peña Eduardo , Pozo María J. , Díaz Pendón Juan Antonio , Benítez Emilio , López-García Álvaro
Published: December 2021

Soil bacterial communities are involved in multiple ecosystem services, key in determining plant productivity. Crop domestication and intensive agricultural practices often disrupt species interactions with unknown consequences for rhizosphere microbiomes. This study evaluates whether variation in plant traits along a domestication gradient determines the composition of root-associated bacterial communities; and whether these changes are related to targeted plant traits (e.g., fruit traits) or are side effects of less-often-targeted traits (e.g., resistance) during crop breeding. For this purpose, 18 tomato varieties (wild and modern species) differing in fruit and resistance traits were grown in a field experiment, and their root-associated bacterial communities were characterised. Root-associated bacterial community composition was influenced by plant resistance traits and genotype relatedness. When only considering domesticated tomatoes, the effect of resistance on bacterial OTU composition increases, while the effect due to phylogenetic relatedness decreases. Furthermore, bacterial diversity positively correlated with plant resistance traits. These results suggest that resistance traits not selected during domestication are related to the capacity of tomato varieties to associate with different bacterial groups. Taken together, these results evidence the relationship between plant traits and bacterial communities, pointing out the potential of breeding to affect plant microbiomes.
The Effect of Extrinsic Factors on the Mechanical Behavior and Structure of Elastic Dental Ligatures and Chains
Authors: Csekő Kata , Maróti Péter , Helyes Zsuzsanna , Told Roland , Riegler Fanni , Szalma József , Gurdán Zsuzsanna
Published: December 2021

Force provided by elastomers used in orthodontics can be affected by several factors present in the oral cavity. The aim of our study was to investigate the role of mouthwashes, toothbrushing, and smoking in the force decay of such elastomers. Tensile strength, changes in the force continuously exerted, and force decay of elastic chains (Ortho Organizer and Masel Short Power Chain) and elastic ligatures (Dentaurum and Masel) by two separate manufacturers were measured. Measurements were initially made on untreated elastics, followed by exposure to different environmental factors including cigarette smoke, toothbrushing (mechanical plaque control), and two different mouthwashes (chemical plaque control). Changes on the surface of the elastics were studied with scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Untreated Masel elastic ligature showed lower tensile strength than Dentaurum elastic ligature (2339 cN vs. 3660 cN), while significantly higher tensile strength was measured for Ortho Organizer elastic chains than Masel chains (2639 cN vs. 1324 cN). The decrease in the elastic force of Masel ligature was greater in response to all external factors compared to Dentaurum. Although brushing with toothpaste and toothbrush impacted the force of both Masel and Ortho organizer ligatures negatively, force degradation was more apparent in the case of the Ortho organizer. Surface changes were more visible when applying Curasept mouthrinse, however force decay was higher in the Corsodyl group. Mechanical and chemical plaque control can influence the tensile strength and force decay of orthodontic elastomers, which should be considered by selecting the elastomers or determining their changing interval for the practice.
Utility of Thermal Cross-Linking in Stabilizing Hydrogels with Beta-Tricalcium Phosphate and/or Epigallocatechin Gallate for Use in Bone Regeneration Therapy
Authors: Gao Beiyuan , Honda Yoshitomo , Yamada Yoichi , Tanaka Tomonari , Takeda Yoshihiro , Nambu Takayuki , Baba Shunsuke
Published: December 2021

β-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) granules are commonly used materials in dentistry or orthopedic surgery. However, further improvements are required to raise the operability and bone-forming ability of β-TCP granules in a clinical setting. Recently, we developed epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG)-modified gelatin sponges as a novel biomaterial for bone regeneration. However, there is no study on using the above material for preparing hydrogel incorporating β-TCP granules. Here, we demonstrate that vacuum heating treatment induced thermal cross-linking in gelatin sponges modified with EGCG and incorporating β-TCP granules (vhEc-GS-β) so that the hydrogels prepared from vhEc-GS-β showed high stability, β-TCP granule retention, operability, and cytocompatibility. Additionally, microcomputed tomography morphometry revealed that the hydrogels from vhEc-GS-β had significantly higher bone-forming ability than β-TCP alone. Tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase staining demonstrated that the number of osteoclasts increased at three weeks in defects treated with the hydrogels from vhEc-GS-β compared with that around β-TCP alone. The overall results indicate that thermal cross-linking treatment for the preparation of sponges (precursor of hydrogels) can be a promising process to enhance the bone-forming ability. This insight should provide a basis for the development of novel materials with good operativity and bone-forming ability for bone regenerative medicine.
Study on the Flame Retardancy and Hazard Evaluation of Poly(acrylonitrile-co-vinylidene chloride) Fibers by the Addition of Antimony-Based Flame Retardants
Authors: Kim Hyelim , Kim Ji-Su , Jeong Wonyoung
Published: December 2021

Antimony oxide (ATO) is used mainly as a flame retardant, but it is classified as a hazardous substance. Therefore, regulations on the use of antimony trioxide (ATO(3)) and antimony pentoxide (ATO(5)) in textile products are being developed. Accordingly, there is a need for alternative flame retardants. In this study, antimony tetroxide (ATO(4)), which has higher thermal stability and resistance to acids and alkalis than ATO(3) or ATO(5), was selected to assess its use as an alternative flame retardant. First, ATO(3) or ATO(4) were added to poly(acrylonitrile-co-vinylidene chloride) (PANVDC), and the film and wet-spun fiber were prepared. The PANVDC film with flame retardants was prepared to evaluate the flame retardancy and the mechanism of action of the flame retardants. Flame retardancy analysis showed that a limiting oxygen index of 31.2% was obtained when ATO(4) was added, which was higher than when ATO(3) was used. Subsequently, PANVDC fibers with antimony oxide were manufactured and showed improved mechanical and thermal properties when ATO(4) was used, compared to when ATO(3) was tested. In addition, migration analysis due to antimony in the fiber confirmed that the elution amount was below the acceptable standard when PANVDC fibers with ATO(4) were added. Therefore, based on these results, the flame-retardant and thermal properties of antimony tetroxide were superior to antimony trioxide, and it was confirmed that ATO(4) could be used as an alternative flame retardant to ATO(3).
Techno-Economic Analysis on an Industrial-Scale Production System of Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) from Cheese By-Products by Halophiles
Authors: Wang Ke , Hobby Alex Michael , Chen Yike , Chio Allan , Jenkins Bryan Martin , Zhang Ruihong
Published: December 2021

Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) are a family of biodegradable plastics used as an ecofriendly alternative for conventional plastics in various applications. In this study, an industrial-scale PHA production system was designed and analyzed for the material flows and economics with the use of SuperPro Designer. Haloferax mediterranei was utilized to produce poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV). Byproduct streams from a local cheese plant, with an input of 168.7 metric ton/day (MT/day) lactose, were used as the feedstock. Three scenarios with different processes for the treatments of used enzyme and spent medium were investigated and the major factors that influence the overall economics were identified. The simulated system produces 9700 MT/year PHBV with a yield of 0.2 g PHBV/g lactose and an overall process efficiency of 87%. The breakeven price was found to be more sensitive to the lactose price than enzyme price. The scenario with enzyme reuse and spent medium recycling achieved the lowest breakeven price among others, which can be less than 4 $/kg PHA based on the delactosed permeate (DLP) unit price. The study suggests utilizing dairy derived feedstocks has the potential to make PHA competitive in the bioplastic market, which could be beneficial to both dairy and bioplastic industries.
The Effects of the Acid Treatment of ZrB2 Particles on Their Purity and Aqueous Dispersibility
Authors: Choi Jinuk , An Gye Seok
Published: December 2021

Oxide impurities such as boria (B2O3) and zirconia (ZrO2) on the surfaces of zirconium diboride (ZrB2) particles are known to limit their sinterability. Among the impurities, B2O3 on the surface of ZrB2 particles could be easily removed by methanol or hydrofluoric acid. However, the remaining ZrO2 still gave negative influences on the sinterability. In this study, ZrB2 particles were treated with various acids to remove oxide impurities on their surfaces. The acid treatments were found to vary in efficacy, according to acid type, and affect the crystallinity and morphology of ZrB2 particles to varying degrees, in some cases forming additional impurities. In particular, the change in the oxygen content of the ZrB2 particles induced by acid treatment was found to depend on the type of acid. The results of the acid treatments were compared which revealed that HNO3 treatment optimizes the purity of ZrB2 particles. In addition, the effects of acid treatment on the surface properties of ZrB2 particles were considered. In particular, the correlation between the surface properties of the acid-treated ZrB2 particles and their dispersibility in aqueous solution was investigated.
Methanol Steam Reforming on Bimetallic Catalysts Based on In and Nb Doped Titania or Zirconia: A Support Effect
Authors: Lytkina-Payen Alexandra , Tabachkova Natalya , Yaroslavtsev Andrey
Published: December 2021

Methanol steam reforming (MSR) is considered an effective method for hydrogen storage and to generate high-quality hydrogen for fuel cells. In this work, a comprehensive investigation of the methanol steam reforming process using a bimetallic Pt–Rh and Cu–Ni based on different oxide supports is presented. Highly dispersed titania and zirconia doped with indium and niobium ions were synthesized by sol–gel method. The effect of the nature and quantity of the dopant cation (In, Nb) on the catalytic performance of titania supported metal catalysts was investigated. The conclusions obtained show a significant effect of both the metal alloy and the oxide support nature on the activity and selectivity of the methanol steam reforming process. Pt–Rh alloy catalyst shows higher hydrogen yield, but its selectivity in the MSR process is lower than for the catalysts containing the Cu0.8-Ni0.2 alloy. Heterovalent indium doping of titania leads to the catalytic activity increase. It was suggested that this is due to the defects formation in the oxygen TiO2 sublattice. On the contrary, the use of niobium oxide as a dopant decreases the catalyst activity in the methanol steam reforming process but leads to the selectivity increase in the studied process.
Fundamental Study on Ammonia Low-NOx Combustion Using Two-Stage Combustion by Parallel Air Jets
Authors: Kikuchi Kenta , Murai Ryuichi , Hori Tsukasa , Akamatsu Fumiteru
Published: December 2021

Ammonia, which has advantages over hydrogen in terms of storage and transportation, is increasingly expected to become a carbon-free fuel. However, the reduction of fuel NOx emitted from ammonia combustion is an unavoidable challenge. There is the report that two-stage combustion with parallel independent jets could achieve Low-NOx combustion under ammonia/methane co-firing conditions. In order to further improve NOx reduction, we experimentally evaluated the effects of secondary air nozzle parameters, such as nozzle diameter and nozzle locations, on combustion characteristics in two-stage combustion of ammonia/natural gas co-firing using parallel independent jets. As a result of the experiments under various secondary air nozzle conditions, it was found that under the conditions where NOx was significantly reduced, the peak temperature in the furnace was observed at 300–500 mm in the axial direction from the burner, and then the temperature decreased toward the downstream of the furnace. We assumed that this temperature distribution reflected the mixing conditions of the fuel and secondary air and estimated the combustion conditions in the furnace. It was confirmed that the two-stage combustion was effective in reducing NOx by forming a fuel rich region near the downstream of the burner, and the lean combustion of the unburned portion of the first stage combustion with secondary air. We confirmed that the low NOx effects could be achieved by two-stage combustion using independent jets from the same wall under appropriate combustion and air nozzle conditions.
Cryoconcentration by Centrifugation–Filtration: A Simultaneous, Efficient and Innovative Method to Increase Thermosensitive Bioactive Compounds of Aqueous Maqui (Aristotelia chilensis (Mol.) Stuntz) Extract
Authors: Bastías-Montes José Miguel , Vidal-San-Martín Carla , Tamarit-Pino Yanara , Muñoz-Fariña Ociel , García-Figueroa Olga , Quevedo-León Roberto , Wei Zhao-Jun , Lv Xingang , Cespedes-Acuña Carlos L.
Published: December 2021

Maqui (Aristotelia chilensis (Mol.) Stuntz) is a Chilean berry rich in antioxidants, which are mostly found in the pulp and skin of the fruit. The objective was to evaluate the cryoconcentration process by centrifugation–filtration as a simultaneous, efficient, and innovative method to increase the content of thermosensitive bioactive compounds of aqueous maqui extract. Cryoconcentration separated the concentrated solute from the aqueous maqui extract with an efficiency of more than 95%; it increased the content of total polyphenols and total anthocyanins and antioxidant capacity by 280%, 573%, and 226%, respectively. Although the concentrates obtained by evaporation at 50, 70, and 80 °C increased the content of bioactive compounds, they did so in a lower percentage than the cryoconcentrate. Furthermore, cyanidin 3,5-diglucoside was degraded at 70 and 80 °C. In conclusion, cryoconcentration by centrifugation–filtration as a simultaneous process efficiently separates the solutes from the frozen matrix of aqueous maqui extract, and it maintains and increases the contents of polyphenols and anthocyanins and antioxidant capacity. This method is recommended for concentrating natural berry extracts with thermosensitive compounds.
Voltammetric Determination of 5-Hydroxymethyl-2-furfural in Processed Cheese Using an Easy-Made and Economic Integrated 3D Graphene-like Electrode
Authors: Li Yuzhen , Zhang Juanhua , Lv Mengxiao , Bai Yihui , Weng Xuexiang , You Chunping , Liu Zhenmin
Published: December 2021

The concentration of 5-hydroxymethyl-2-furfural (HMF) is an important quality-related index in milk and milk products. Fast, cost-effective and environmentally friendly determination of HMF is of great significance in milk products control. In this study, a three-dimensional (3D) graphene-like surface (3DGrls) was successfully prepared within 5 min by an electrochemical amperometric pretreatment on a pencil graphite electrode (PGE). The fast-obtained 3D graphene-like surface increased the electrode surface area and enhanced the electron transfer capability without the addition of any harmful chemicals. The morphology and chemical composition of the obtained electrode were characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Raman spectroscopy and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The results found that the electrochemical response to HMF at the prepared 3DGrls/PGE was 34 times higher than that at PGE. The modified electrode showed a good linear response to HMF in a concentration range of 0.35~116 μM with a low limit of detection (LOD) of 0.099 μM. The integrated electrode also exhibited excellent stability and wonderful antifouling property. Furthermore, the 3DGrls/PGE was successfully applied for the determination of HMF in three processed cheese samples with satisfactory results.
Performance Evaluation of a Voice-Based Depression Assessment System Considering the Number and Type of Input Utterances
Authors: Higuchi Masakazu , Sonota Noriaki , Nakamura Mitsuteru , Miyazaki Kenji , Shinohara Shuji , Omiya Yasuhiro , Takano Takeshi , Mitsuyoshi Shunji , Tokuno Shinichi
Published: December 2021

It is empirically known that mood changes affect facial expressions and voices. In this study, the authors have focused on the voice to develop a method for estimating depression in individuals from their voices. A short input voice is ideal for applying the proposed method to a wide range of applications. Therefore, we evaluated this method using multiple input utterances while assuming a unit utterance input. The experimental results revealed that depressive states could be estimated with sufficient accuracy using the smallest number of utterances when positive utterances were included in three to four input utterances.
Estimating Water Transport from Short-Term Vessel-Based and Long-Term Bottom-Mounted Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler Measurements in an Arctic Lagoon Connected to the Beaufort Sea
Authors: Li Chunyan , Boswell Kevin Mershon
Published: December 2021

Acoustic Doppler current profilers (ADCP) are quasi-remote sensing instruments widely used in oceanography to measure velocity profiles continuously. One of the applications is the quantification of land–ocean exchange, which plays a key role in the global cycling of water, heat, and materials. This exchange mostly occurs through estuaries, lagoons, and bays. Studies on the subject thus require that observations of total volume or mass transport can be achieved. Alternatively, numerical modeling is needed for the computation of transport, which, however, also requires that the model is validated properly. Since flows across an estuary, lagoon, or bay are usually non-uniform and point measurements will not be sufficient, continuous measurements across a transect are desired but cannot be performed in the long run due to budget constraints. In this paper, we use a combination of short-term transect-based measurements from a vessel-mounted ADCP and relatively long-term point measurements from a moored ADCP at the bottom to obtain regression coefficients between the transport from the vessel-based observations and the depth-averaged velocity from the bottom-based observations. The method is applied to an Arctic lagoon by using an ADCP mounted on a buoyant platform towed by a small inflatable vessel and another ADCP mounted on a bottom deployed metal frame. The vessel-based measurements were performed continuously for nearly 5 h, which was sufficient to derive a linear regression between the datasets with an R2-value of 0.89. The regression coefficients were in turn applied to the entire time for the moored instrument measurements, which are used in the interpretation of the subtidal transport variations.
Cross-Modal Sentiment Sensing with Visual-Augmented Representation and Diverse Decision Fusion
Authors: Zhang Sun , Li Bo , Yin Chunyong
Published: December 2021

The rising use of online media has changed the social customs of the public. Users have become accustomed to sharing daily experiences and publishing personal opinions on social networks. Social data carrying emotion and attitude has provided significant decision support for numerous tasks in sentiment analysis. Conventional methods for sentiment classification only concern textual modality and are vulnerable to the multimodal scenario, while common multimodal approaches only focus on the interactive relationship among modalities without considering unique intra-modal information. A hybrid fusion network is proposed in this paper to capture both inter-modal and intra-modal features. Firstly, in the stage of representation fusion, a multi-head visual attention is proposed to extract accurate semantic and sentimental information from textual contents, with the guidance of visual features. Then, multiple base classifiers are trained to learn independent and diverse discriminative information from different modal representations in the stage of decision fusion. The final decision is determined based on fusing the decision supports from base classifiers via a decision fusion method. To improve the generalization of our hybrid fusion network, a similarity loss is employed to inject decision diversity into the whole model. Empiric results on five multimodal datasets have demonstrated that the proposed model achieves higher accuracy and better generalization capacity for multimodal sentiment analysis.
A Two-Stage STAP Method Based on Fine Doppler Localization and Sparse Bayesian Learning in the Presence of Arbitrary Array Errors
Authors: Liu Kun , Wang Tong , Wu Jianxin , Chen Jinming
Published: December 2021

In the presence of unknown array errors, sparse recovery based space-time adaptive processing (SR-STAP) methods usually directly use the ideal spatial steering vectors without array errors to construct the space-time dictionary; thus, the steering vector mismatch between the dictionary and clutter data will cause a severe performance degradation of SR-STAP methods. To solve this problem, in this paper, we propose a two-stage SR-STAP method for suppressing nonhomogeneous clutter in the presence of arbitrary array errors. In the first stage, utilizing the spatial-temporal coupling property of the ground clutter, a set of spatial steering vectors with array errors are well estimated by fine Doppler localization. In the second stage, firstly, in order to solve the model mismatch problem caused by array errors, we directly use these spatial steering vectors obtained in the first stage to construct the space-time dictionary, and then, the constructed dictionary and multiple measurement vectors sparse Bayesian learning (MSBL) algorithm are combined for space-time adaptive processing (STAP). The proposed SR-STAP method can exhibit superior clutter suppression performance and target detection performance in the presence of arbitrary array errors. Simulation results validate the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Feature-Based Sentimental Analysis on Public Attention towards COVID-19 Using CUDA-SADBM Classification Model
Authors: Pathuri Siva Kumar , Anbazhagan N. , Joshi Gyanendra Prasad , You Jinsang
Published: December 2021

The COVID-19 pandemic has spread to almost all countries of the World and affected people both mentally and economically. The primary motivation of this research is to construct a model that takes reviews or evaluations from several people who are affected with COVID-19. As the number of cases has accelerated day by day, people are becoming panicked and concerned about their health. A good model may be helpful to provide accurate statistics in interpreting the actual records about the pandemic. In the proposed work, for sentimental analysis, a unique classifier named the Sentimental DataBase Miner algorithm (SADBM) is used to categorize the opinions and parallel processing, and is applied on the data collected from various online social media websites like Twitter, Facebook, and Linkedin. The accuracy of the proposed model is validated with trained data and compared with basic classifiers, such as logistic regression and decision tree. The proposed algorithm is executed on CPU as well as GPU and calculated the acceleration ratio of the model. The results show that the proposed model provides the best accuracy compared with the other two models, i.e., 96% (GPU).
Intensity-Modulated Polymer Optical Fiber-Based Refractive Index Sensor: A Review
Authors: Teng Chuanxin , Min Rui , Zheng Jie , Deng Shijie , Li Maosen , Hou Li , Yuan Libo
Published: December 2021

The simple and highly sensitive measurement of the refractive index (RI) of liquids is critical for designing the optical instruments and important in biochemical sensing applications. Intensity modulation-based polymer optical fiber (POF) RI sensors have a lot of advantages including low cost, easy fabrication and operation, good flexibility, and working in the visible wavelength. In this review, recent developments of the intensity modulation POF-based RI sensors are summarized. The materials of the POF and the working principle of intensity modulation are introduced briefly. Moreover, the RI sensing performance of POF sensors with different structures including tapered, bent, and side-polished structures, among others, are presented in detail. Finally, the sensing performance for different structures of POF-based RI sensors are compared and discussed.
Accurate Heart Rate and Respiration Rate Detection Based on a Higher-Order Harmonics Peak Selection Method Using Radar Non-Contact Sensors
Authors: Xu Hongqiang , Ebrahim Malikeh P. , Hasan Kareeb , Heydari Fatemeh , Howley Paul , Yuce Mehmet Rasit
Published: December 2021

Vital signs such as heart rate and respiration rate are among the most important physiological signals for health monitoring and medical applications. Impulse radio (IR) ultra-wideband (UWB) radar becomes one of the essential sensors in non-contact vital signs detection. The heart pulse wave is easily corrupted by noise and respiration activity since the heartbeat signal has less power compared with the breathing signal and its harmonics. In this paper, a signal processing technique for a UWB radar system was developed to detect the heart rate and respiration rate. There are four main stages of signal processing: (1) clutter removal to reduce the static random noise from the environment; (2) independent component analysis (ICA) to do dimension reduction and remove noise; (3) using low-pass and high-pass filters to eliminate the out of band noise; (4) modified covariance method for spectrum estimation. Furthermore, higher harmonics of heart rate were used to estimate heart rate and minimize respiration interference. The experiments in this article contain different scenarios including bed angle, body position, as well as interference from the visitor near the bed and away from the bed. The results were compared with the ECG sensor and respiration belt. The average mean absolute error (MAE) of heart rate results is 1.32 for the proposed algorithm.
Optimizing Calibration Procedure to Train a Regression-Based Prediction Model of Actively Generated Lumbar Muscle Moments for Exoskeleton Control
Authors: Tabasi Ali , Lazzaroni Maria , Brouwer Niels P. , Kingma Idsart , van Dijk Wietse , de Looze Michiel P. , Toxiri Stefano , Ortiz Jesús , van Dieën Jaap H.
Published: December 2021

The risk of low-back pain in manual material handling could potentially be reduced by back-support exoskeletons. Preferably, the level of exoskeleton support relates to the required muscular effort, and therefore should be proportional to the moment generated by trunk muscle activities. To this end, a regression-based prediction model of this moment could be implemented in exoskeleton control. Such a model must be calibrated to each user according to subject-specific musculoskeletal properties and lifting technique variability through several calibration tasks. Given that an extensive calibration limits the practical feasibility of implementing this approach in the workspace, we aimed to optimize the calibration for obtaining appropriate predictive accuracy during work-related tasks, i.e., symmetric lifting from the ground, box stacking, lifting from a shelf, and pulling/pushing. The root-mean-square error (RMSE) of prediction for the extensive calibration was 21.9 nm (9% of peak moment) and increased up to 35.0 nm for limited calibrations. The results suggest that a set of three optimally selected calibration trials suffice to approach the extensive calibration accuracy. An optimal calibration set should cover each extreme of the relevant lifting characteristics, i.e., mass lifted, lifting technique, and lifting velocity. The RMSEs for the optimal calibration sets were below 24.8 nm (10% of peak moment), and not substantially different than that of the extensive calibration.
User Experience Estimation in Multi-Service Scenario of Cellular Network
Authors: Zhang Kaisa , Chuai Gang , Maimaiti Saidiwaerdi , Liu Qian
Published: December 2021

The estimation of user experience in a wireless network has always been a research hotspot, especially for the realization of network automation. In order to solve the problem of user experience estimation in wireless networks, we propose a two-step optimization method for the selection of the kernel function and bandwidth in a naive Bayesian classifier based on kernel density estimation. This optimization method can effectively improve the accuracy of estimation. At present, research on user experience estimation in wireless networks does not include an in-depth analysis of the reasons for the decline of user experience. We established a scheme integrating user experience prediction and network fault diagnosis. Key performance indicator (KPI) data collected from an actual network were divided into five categories, which were used to estimate user experience. The results of these five estimates were counted through the voting mechanism, and the final estimation results could be obtained. At the same time, this voting mechanism can also feed back to us which KPIs lead to the reduction of user experience. In addition, this paper also puts forward the evaluation standard of the multi-service perception capability of cell-level wireless networks. We summarize the user experience estimation for three main services in a cell to obtain a cell-level user experience evaluation. The results showed that the proposed method can accurately estimate user experience and diagnosis abnormal values in a timely manner. This method can improve the efficiency of network management.
The Development and the Validation of a Novel Dissolution Method of Favipiravir Film-Coated Tablets
Authors: Göktuğ Özge , Altaş Ecem , Kayar Gönül , Gökalp Mine
Published: December 2021

The aim of this study was to develop and validate a dissolution test for favipiravir release in a tablet dosage form using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC). The dissolution method was developed by testing the solubility of favipiravir in media with different pH values. The results demonstrated that the best dissolution was achieved in phosphate buffer with a pH of 6.8. The amount of favipiravir that was released was about 100% after 30 min. The UHPLC method presented linearity (R = 1.000) in the concentration range of 0.044–0.44 mg/mL. The recovery parameter that was achieved ranged from 102.5% to 104.2%. The system suitability, repeatability, and intermediate precision RSD% results were found to be 0.36%, 1.99%, and 2.49%, respectively. In addition to these parameters and results, an F-test was performed using the Minitab 18 Statistical Software program for the intermediate precision and repeatability results. The standard and sample solutions were found to be stable for 2 days in their respective dissolution medium. This analytical method was also found to be selective for favipiravir. In conclusion, a simple and feasible dissolution method with a short run time of 2.5 min was developed and validated successfully. The obtained results demonstrated that the dissolution test developed here is adequate for its purpose and can be applied as the dissolution method for favipiravir in film-coated tablets for release analyses.
How Social Identity Affects Entrepreneurs’ Desire for Control
Authors: Vanoorbeek Hans , Lecluyse Laura
Published: December 2021

In order to obtain a better understanding why some entrepreneurs retain more control over their venture than others, this article analyzes the relationship between the social identity of the entrepreneur and her/his desire for control. In fact, entrepreneurs face an important tradeoff between attracting resources required to build company value and retaining decision-making control. Yet, we currently lack insight into whether and how entrepreneurs’ social motivations shape this trade-off. This study draws on social identity theory and a unique sample of 148 buyout entrepreneurs, as this setting confronts aspiring entrepreneurs directly with the value–control tradeoff. In our logistic regression, we find that entrepreneurs with a strong missionary identity, where venture creation revolves around advancing a cause, hold a higher desire for control. We do not observe a significant relationship between entrepreneurs having a Darwinian (driven by economic self-interest) or communitarian (driven by the concern for the community) identity and the desire to control their venture. When adding the moderating role of the portion of personal wealth the entrepreneur is willing to invest in her/his venture, the relationships between having a Darwinian or missionary social identity and the desire for control become significantly positive when the entrepreneur is looking to invest a larger portion of her/his wealth.
Influence of Sociodemographic Factors on Construction Fieldworkers’ Safety Risk Assessments
Authors: Ibrahim Abdullahi , Nnaji Chukwuma , Shakouri Mahmoud
Published: December 2021

Construction operations are hazardous, leading to thousands of accidents, injuries, and fatalities annually. Safety risk assessment (SRA) is a key component necessary to respond to hazards effectively. Individuals have different perceptions of the riskiness of construction hazards, and studies have shown that different sociodemographic factors among employees can alter their SRA skills. However, their role in the US construction industry has been understudied, and this analysis investigates this topic further. Following a detailed systematic review of the relevant literature, quantitative data were collected from 181 construction fieldworkers in the United States using images integrated into an interactive questionnaire survey. Responses on the severity and frequency of seven potential accident causes were captured and analyzed. Findings from the literature review revealed six key sociodemographic factors—age, education, training, gender, ethnicity, and work type—that could impact fieldworkers’ SRA. However, a quantitative analysis suggests that only education is a significant influence, and sociodemographic factors had a statistically significant impact on less than five percent of the assessments. Therefore, the present study proposes that future investigation within the SRA domain should complement sociodemographic factors with critical behavioral factors that are rarely discussed, such as cognitive biases, personality traits, and safety behavior. As a foundational study for safety researchers and practitioners, the results provide information on SRA that can help enhance the safety and workforce sustainability of construction companies with a diverse workforce.
A Mixed-Method Study of Programme Management Resources and Social Enterprise Sustainability: A Developing-Country Context
Authors: Din Arif ud , Shah Syed Mohsin Ali , El-Gohary Hatem , Ur Rahman Raza , Haleem Muhammad , Jehangir Muhammad , Khalil Syed Haider , Sayyam
Published: December 2021

This research investigates the relationship between enterprise environmental factors (EEFs) and programme management (PgM) resources, and subsequently how PgM resources and sustainability integrate into social enterprise. With a resource-based view (RBV) concept as the theoretical starting point, a systematic literature review identified EEFs relating to PgM resources, and PgM resources relating to sustainability in private and public organisations. A mixed-method research approach was used that is founded on a sequential exploratory strategy. In the preliminary phase, meta qualitative analysis was conducted; in the second phase, 16 semi structured interviews were undertaken to customise and confirm the concepts by using thematic analysis within 4 selected case studies. In the final phase, the model was validated by a survey that returned (n = 302) completed questionnaires from around Pakistan, and the used method of analysis was PLS-SEM. These research findings highlight that PgM resources within social enterprises are highly influential and dependent on external and internal EEFs, and that PgM resources are critical to consider for social enterprise sustainability. In addition, this study highlights that PgM resources positively influence social, economic, and environmental sustainability in SEs. Furthermore, this study developed a validated novel theoretical framework.
Bibliometric Mapping of Research Trends on Financial Behavior for Sustainability
Authors: López-Medina Tania , Mendoza-Ávila Isabel , Contreras-Barraza Nicolás , Salazar-Sepúlveda Guido , Vega-Muñoz Alejandro
Published: December 2021

This article presents a global empirical overview of studies on financial behavior in relation to education, money-saving, and consumption, contributing to research on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) related to social equity in the quality education (4th Sustainable Development Goal) and inequality reduction (10th Sustainable Development Goal) areas. Thus, the data and metadata of 492 articles registered between 1992 and August 2021 were extracted from the Web of Science (Journal Citation Report, JCR) and analyzed with a bibliometric approach, using classical methodological laws and the specialized software VOSviewer. Among the results, we highlight the exponential scientific production growth in the last decades, the concentration in only twelve specific journals indexed in the Journal Citation Report, the global hegemony of US universities in institutional co-authorship networks, and the thematic and temporal segregation of the concepts of financial behavior. We conclude an evolution of two decades in the relevant topics and a concentration in three large blocks: (1) financial education; (2) savings and consumption decisions; (3) financial literacy and investments, which are a temporal evolution that gives for the irruption of diverse visions in the relationship between the evolution of individual financial behavior and the global market. Given it is necessary to know the impact of financial education and financial literacy on personal savings, consumption, and investment behaviors, a larger study on financial behavior could be conducted with this research and an assessment of these results.
A Preliminary Study on Ergonomic Contribution to the Engineering Design Approach of a Wheel Loader Control Lever System
Authors: Choong Shaun Wei Jun , Ng Poh Kiat , Yeo Boon Chin , Draghici Anca , Gaureanu Alin , Ng Yu Jin , Wong Gerry Ming Horng , Selvan Hari Krishnan Tamil
Published: December 2021

Studies show that heavy machinery operators are exposed to risk factors of musculoskeletal diseases. However, there has yet to be a study investigating the grip analysis of heavy machinery control levers. This preliminary study aims to investigate the grip analysis of a system that emulates the push–pull operations, handle shapes, and resistance of wheel loader control lever systems. The system was designed, analysed, and optimised using Autodesk Inventor 2019 before fabrication and testing. It underwent usability testing for estimated and perceived grip force analysis (ergonomics analysis). The tests measured estimated force using a sensor glove, and perceived force using the Borg CR10 scale. The data were analysed using regression and paired t-tests. The findings suggested that pulling and high resistance factors required higher estimated force (339.50 N) and perceived force (5.625) than pushing and low resistance factors in manoeuvring the system (p < 0.05). The cylindrical handle required more estimated force (339.50 N) but less perceived force (4.5) than the spherical handle due to ergonomic design considerations (p < 0.05). Although there were inaccuracies in force measurement methods, the perceived method was still effective for data collection, since it is challenging to measure grip force in a real situation with heavy machinery. While this study was only a simulation, it provided researchers with ideas that may solve problems in the manipulation of heavy machinery control levers.
Eco-Friendly Tourism Decision Making during COVID-19—Sailing Tourism Example
Authors: Łapko Aleksandra , Hącia Ewa , Strulak-Wójcikiewicz Roma , Çınar Kevser , Panai Enrico , Lučić Lovorko
Published: December 2021

In 2020, tourism was highly affected by COVID-19 and its restrictions, such as tourist traffic. Decisions related to trips were made in a state of high risk and uncertainty. This article’s main aim is to present the results of research on decision making by people practising sailing tourism during COVID-19. The survey was conducted in the first quarter of 2021 on 580 sailors from Poland, Germany, Croatia, Italy, France, and Turkey. This is interesting because of the specificity of this form of nautical tourism, which is characterised by high flexibility in the planning and implementation of the cruise. Sailing tourism is also environmentally friendly due to the type of propulsion used and the low noise levels generated. Research has shown that country-specific travel restrictions impact sailing tourism and cruise decisions. The obtained results are important for developing sailing tourism and may contribute to rationalising decisions taken during crises.