bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Identification and Biocontrol Potential of Entomopathogenic Nematodes and Their Endosymbiotic Bacteria in Apple Orchards against the Codling Moth, Cydia pomonella (L.) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae)
Authors: Gümüşsoy Asım , Yüksel Ebubekir , Özer Göksel , İmren Mustafa , Canhilal Ramazan , Amer Mohammed , Dababat Abdelfattah A.
Published: November 2022

The codling moth, Cydia pomonella (L.) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), is one of the major pests in pome fruit production worldwide. Heavy treatment of the larvae of C. pomonella with insecticides triggered the development of resistance to many groups of insecticides. In addition, the increasing concern about the adverse effects of synthetic insecticides on human health and the environment has led to the development of sustainable and eco-friendly control practices for C. pomonella. The entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs) (Steinernema and Heterorhabditis spp.) and their endosymbionts (Xenorhabdus and Photorhabdus spp.) represent a newly emerging approach to controlling a wide range of insect pests. In the present study, field surveys were conducted in apple orchards to isolate and identify EPNs and their endosymbionts and evaluate their insecticidal efficacy on the larvae of C. pomonella. EPNs were isolated from 12 of 100 soil samples (12%). Seven samples were identified as Steinernema feltiae (Filipjev, 1934) (Rhabditida: Steinernematidae), whereas five samples were assigned to Heterorhabditis bacteriophora (Poinar, 1976) (Rhabditida: Heterorhabditidae). The pathogenicity of the EPN species/isolates was screened on the last instar larvae of G. mellonella. The two most pathogenic isolates from each EPN species were tested against fifth instar larvae of C. pomonella under controlled conditions. The maximum mortality (100%) was achieved by all EPN species/isolates at a concentration of 100 IJs/larva 96 h after treatment. The endosymbionts of selected H. bacteriophora and S. feltiae species were identified as Photorhabdus luminescens subsp. kayaii and Xenorhabdus bovienii, respectively. The mortality rates ranged between 25 and 62% when the fifth larval instar larvae of C. pomonella were exposed to the treatment of cell-free supernatants of symbiotic bacteria. In essence, the present survey indicated that EPNs and their symbiotic bacteria have good potential for biological control of C. pomonella.
Ten Questions and Some Reflections about Palliative Care in Advanced Heart Failure Patients
Authors: Romano’ Massimo
Published: November 2022

Heart failure is a clinical syndrome with increasing prevalence, high morbidity and mortality. It is characterized by high symptom burden, poor quality of life and high economic costs. This implies that the heart failure (HF) patients who receive palliative care (PC) have needs similar to cancer patients, but which are often unmet. This paper analyzes the main unresolved issues regarding the relationship between HF patients and the referral to an early PC program. These issues are presented as ten questions related to which patients should be admitted to PC and at what stage of their disease. Furthermore, the barriers opposing to referral to PC, the role of cardiologists and PC physicians within the care team, the gap between the scientific societies’ suggestions and the real world, the right time to promote patients’ awareness and shared decision making, regarding prognosis, end of life wishes and choices, with reference also to cardiac implantable devices’ deactivation, are discussed. These unresolved questions support the need to reevaluate programs and specific models in achieving equal access to palliative care interventions for HF patients, which is still mainly offered to patients with cancer.
Treatment of Chronic Kidney Disease: Moving Forward
Authors: Garibotto Giacomo , Picciotto Daniela , Esposito Pasquale
Published: November 2022

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) affects ~10% of the adult population [...]
Rapid and Automated Approach for Early Crop Mapping Using Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 on Google Earth Engine; A Case of a Highly Heterogeneous and Fragmented Agricultural Region
Authors: Saad El Imanni Hajar , El Harti Abderrazak , Hssaisoune Mohammed , Velastegui-Montoya Andrés , Elbouzidi Amine , Addi Mohamed , El Iysaouy Lahcen , El Hachimi Jaouad
Published: November 2022

Accurate and rapid crop type mapping is critical for agricultural sustainability. The growing trend of cloud-based geospatial platforms provides rapid processing tools and cloud storage for remote sensing data. In particular, a variety of remote sensing applications have made use of publicly accessible data from the Sentinel missions of the European Space Agency (ESA). However, few studies have employed these data to evaluate the effectiveness of Sentinel-1, and Sentinel-2 spectral bands and Machine Learning (ML) techniques in challenging highly heterogeneous and fragmented agricultural landscapes using the Google Earth Engine (GEE) cloud computing platform. This work aims to map, accurately and early, the crop types in a highly heterogeneous and fragmented agricultural region of the Tadla Irrigated Perimeter (TIP) as a case study using the high spatiotemporal resolution of Sentinel-1, Sentinel-2, and a Random Forest (RF) classifier implemented on GEE. More specifically, five experiments were performed to assess the optical band reflectance values, vegetation indices, and SAR backscattering coefficients on the accuracy of crop classification. Besides, two scenarios were used to assess the monthly temporal windows on classification accuracy. The findings of this study show that the fusion of Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 data can accurately produce the early crop mapping of the studied area with an Overall Accuracy (OA) reaching 95.02%. The scenarios prove that the monthly time series perform better in terms of classification accuracy than single monthly windows images. Red-edge and shortwave infrared bands can improve the accuracy of crop classification by 1.72% when compared to only using traditional bands (i.e., visible and near-infrared bands). The inclusion of two common vegetation indices (The Normalized Vegetation Index (NDVI), the Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI)) and Sentinel-1 backscattering coefficients to the crop classification enhanced the overall classification accuracy by 0.02% and 2.94%, respectively, compared to using the Sentinel-2 reflectance bands alone. The monthly windows analysis indicated that the improvement in the accuracy of crop classification is the greatest when the March images are accessible, with an OA higher than 80%.
Forecasting Liquefied Natural Gas Bunker Prices Using Artificial Neural Network for Procurement Management
Authors: Kim Kyunghwan , Lim Sangseop , Lee Chang-hee , Lee Won-Ju , Jeon Hyeonmin , Jung Jinwon , Jung Dongho
Published: November 2022

The LNG price is basically determined based on the oil price, but other than that, it is also determined by the influence of the method of LNG transportation; storage; processes; and political, economic, and geographical instability. Liquefied natural gas (LNG) may not reflect its market value if the destination of the purchase is restricted or the purchase contract includes a take-or-pay clause. Furthermore, it is difficult for the buyer to flexibly manage procurement, resulting in the decoupling of oil and natural gas prices. Therefore, as the LNG bunker price is expected to be more volatile than the marine bunker price in the future, shipping companies need to prepare countermeasures based on scientific forecasting techniques. This study aims to be the first to analyze the forecasting of short-term LNG bunker prices using recurrent neural network (RNN) models suitable for highly volatile data such as time series. Predictive analysis was performed using simple RNN, long short-term memory (LSTM), and gated recurrent unit (GRU) models, which effectively forecast time-series data, and the prediction performance of LSTM among the three models was excellent. LSTM had relatively excellent prediction performance of outliers and beyond. In addition, it was possible to effectively manage ship operating costs with improved forecasting in practice. Furthermore, this study contributes to establishing a systematic strategy for supervisors in global shipping companies, port authorities, and LNG bunkering companies.
Forecasting the Direction of Daily Changes in the India VIX Index Using Machine Learning
Authors: Prasad Akhilesh , Bakhshi Priti
Published: November 2022

Movements in the India VIX are an important gauge of how the market’s risk perception shifts from day to day. This research attempts to forecast movements one day ahead of the India VIX using logistic regression and 11 ensemble learning classifiers. The period of study is from April 2009 to March 2021. To achieve the stated task, classifiers were trained and validated with 90% of the given sample, considering two-fold time-series cross-validation for hyper-tuning. Optimised models were then predicted on an unseen test dataset, representing 10% of the given sample. The results showed that optimal models performed well, and their accuracy scores were similar, with minor variations ranging from 63.33% to 67.67%. The stacking classifier achieved the highest accuracy. Furthermore, CatBoost, Light Gradient Boosted Machine (LightGBM), Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost), voting, stacking, bagging and Random Forest classifiers are the best models with statistically similar performances. Among them, CatBoost, LightGBM, XGBoost and Random Forest classifiers can be recommended for forecasting day-to-day movements of the India VIX because of their inherently optimised structure. This finding is very useful for anticipating risk in the Indian stock market.
Comparison of Hematocrit and Biochemical Analytes among Two Point-of-Care Analyzers (EPOC and i-STAT Alinity v) and a Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory in the African Savanna Elephant (Loxodonta africana) and the Southern White Rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum simum)
Authors: Stratton Hayley S. , Ange-van Heugten Kimberly D. , Minter Larry J.
Published: November 2022

This study compared hematocrit measured with the EPOC and i-STAT Alinity v point-of-care analyzers and manual measurement of packed cell volume in managed African savanna elephants (Loxodonta africana) and southern white rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum simum). Biochemical analytes were also measured with the EPOC, i-STAT Alinity v, and a veterinary diagnostic laboratory in the same animals. Analytes assessed included blood urea nitrogen, chloride, creatinine, glucose, ionized calcium, potassium, and sodium. There were no differences for hematocrit values for African savanna elephants or southern white rhinoceros (p ≤ 0.05). In African savanna elephants, there were no differences between the EPOC and i-STAT Alinity v analyzers for any measured analytes except ionized calcium. When compared to a veterinary diagnostic laboratory, there were differences for a majority of the biochemical analytes measured on the EPOC and i-STAT Alinity v analyzers in African savanna elephants. In southern white rhinoceros, there were differences for a majority of analytes among all three analyzers. While differences existed among the portable analyzers and a veterinary diagnostic laboratory for biochemical analytes in both species, these numerically small differences are unlikely to be clinically significant. For routine health care of African savanna elephants and southern white rhinoceros, these point-of-care analyzers may be a useful alternative to commercial analyzers for the parameters evaluated.
Analysis of the Real Performance of Crumb-Rubber-Modified Asphalt Mixtures
Authors: Sierra-Carrillo de Albornoz Francisco Javier , Moreno-Navarro Fernando , Rubio-Gámez María del Carmen
Published: November 2022

The main goal of this study is to evaluate the field performance of crumb-rubber-modified asphalt mixtures used as a surface layer on high-volume traffic roads. For this purpose, several road sections were constructed under different climate conditions and using control mixtures (manufactured with traditional SBS polymer-modified binders) and crumb-rubber-modified mixtures. After the construction of the different road sections, cores were taken at different periods of their service life (up to 63 months) and they were tested in the laboratory in order to assess the evolution of the density, stiffness and fatigue resistance of the layers. Based on the results obtained from tests, it can be concluded that under real severe traffic and climate conditions, asphalt mixtures manufactured with crumb-rubber-modified bitumen offer ageing and mechanical performance very similar to that offered by asphalt mixtures manufactured with traditional SBS-modified bitumen. Based on these considerations, this application can be an interesting solution to minimize environmental problems caused by end-of-life tires in landfills.
Influence of Sb3+ Cations on the Structural, Magnetic and Electrical Properties of AlFeO3 Multiferroic Perovskite with Humidity Sensors Applicative Characteristics
Authors: Petrila Iulian , Tudorache Florin
Published: November 2022

The effects of Sb3+ cations substitution on the structural, magnetic and electrical properties of Al1−xSbxFeO3 multiferroic perovskite are investigated. The partial or total substitution of Al3+ cations with Sb3+ cations, in stoichiometric composition Al1−xSbxFeO3 (x = 0.00, 0.25, 0.50, 0.75 and 1.00) were made in order to identify composite materials with sensors applicative properties. Multiferroic perovskite samples were prepared following technology of the ceramic solid-state method, and the thermal treatments were performed in air atmosphere at 1100 °C temperature. The X-ray diffraction studies have confirmed the phase composition of samples and scanning electron microscopy the shape of the crystallites has been evidenced. The perovskite material was subjected to representative magnetic investigations in order to highlight substitutions characteristics. Investigations on electrical properties have evidenced the substitution dependence of relative permittivity and electrical resistivity under humidity influence and the characteristics of humidity sensors based on this material. The results are discussed in term of microstructural changes induced by the substitutions degree and its sensor applicative effects.
Disturbance Observer-Based Sliding Mode Controller for Underwater Electro-Hydrostatic Actuator Affected by Seawater Pressure
Authors: Nie Yong , Lao Zhenhua , Liu Jiajia , Huang Yichi , Sun Xiangwei , Tang Jianzhong , Chen Zheng
Published: November 2022

This paper presents a disturbance-observer-based sliding mode control strategy for an underwater electro-hydrostatic actuator, particularly considering that electro-hydrostatic actuators (EHAs) significantly suffer from sea pressure disturbance, which makes it hard to achieve high-precision position control. Therefore, a nonlinear disturbance observer was designed to aim at the matched and mismatched disturbance caused by sea pressure disturbance. Then, a nonlinearities model for an underwater EHA was established, and a related non-singular fast terminal sliding mode (NFTSM) controller was designed by changing the conventional sliding mode surface to further improve the control accuracy. In addition, the backstepping tool was used to guarantee the robust stability of the entire three-order hydraulic dynamic system. Finally, a comparative simulation was conducted with different load forces in AMESim and Simulink, which effectively verified the high tracking performance of the proposed control strategy.
Robotic Manipulator’s Expressive Movements Control Using Kinematic Redundancy
Authors: Hagane Shohei , Venture Gentiane
Published: November 2022

In human–robot interaction (HRI), sharing emotions between the human and robot is one of the most important elements. However, market trends suggest that being able to perform productive tasks is more important than being able to express emotions in order for robots to be more accepted by society. In this study, we introduce a method of conveying emotions through a robot arm while it simultaneously executes main tasks. This method utilizes the null space control scheme to exploit the kinematic redundancy of a robot manipulator. In addition, the concept of manipulability ellipsoid is used to maximize the motion in the kinematic redundancy. The “Nextage-Open” robot was used to implement the proposed method, and HRI was recorded on video. Using these videos, a questionnaire with Pleasure–Arousal–Dominance (PAD) scale was conducted via the internet to evaluate people’s impressions of the robot’s emotions. The results suggested that even when industrial machines perform emotional behaviors within the safety standards set by the ISO/TS 15066, it is difficult to provide enough variety for each emotion to be perceived differently. However, people’s reactions to the unclear movements yielded useful and interesting results, showing the complementary roles of motion features, interaction content, prejudice toward robots, and facial expressions in understanding emotion.
Deterioration Model for Reinforced Concrete Bridge Girders Based on Survival Analysis
Authors: Li Li , Lu Yu , Peng Miaojuan
Published: November 2022

The prediction of bridge service performance is essential for bridge maintenance, operation, and decision making. As a key component of the superstructure, the performance of the main girders is critical to the structural safety of the bridge. This study makes full use of the inspection records from the Bridge Management System (BMS) in Shanghai and performs pre-processing work on a large amount of data. Recent advances in survival analysis were utilized to investigate the inspection records of over 40,000 reinforced concrete bridge main girders over a 14-year period. Survival analysis methods based on the Weibull distribution were used to predict the service performance of the main girders, and, in addition, a COX proportional hazards model was used to analyze the effect of different covariates on the survival of the main girders. The results show that the deterioration rate of main girders increases with age, with an average life of 87 years for main girders in Shanghai. The grade of the road on which the bridge is located and the position of the main girder in the bridge superstructure have a significant impact on the probability of survival of the main girder. It can be concluded that more attention should be paid to the inspection and maintenance of side girders on branch roads to reduce the pressure on bridge management in the future. Furthermore, the analysis in this study found that the deterioration rate of the main girders is faster than the deterioration rate of the whole bridge and superstructure, and, therefore, more attention and necessary preventive maintenance measures should be taken in the maintenance and management of the main girders.
Proximity Effects in Matrix-Inclusion Composites: Elastic Effective Behavior, Phase Moments, and Full-Field Computational Analysis
Authors: Belgrand Louis , Ramière Isabelle , Largenton Rodrigue , Lebon Frédéric
Published: November 2022

This work focuses on the effects of inclusion proximity on the elastic behavior of dilute matrix-inclusion composites. Rigid or soft monodisperse spherical inclusions are considered with moderate volume fractions. To conduct this study, Representative Volume Elements (RVE) with an effective local minimum distance between inclusions varying between the sphere’s radius and one-tenth of the radius are built. Numerical finite element calculations on the RVE are performed. The obtained homogenized elastic properties, as well as the phase stress moments (first and second), are compared to Mori–Tanaka estimates, which are well established for this kind of composite. The behavior of local fields (stresses) in the microstructure with respect to inclusion proximity is also analyzed. It follows that the effective properties and phase stress moments converge asymptotically to the Mori–Tanaka estimates when the minimal distance between spheres increases. The asymptote seems to be reached around a distance equal to the sphere’s radius. Effective and phase behaviors show a deviation that can achieve and even exceed (for the second moments) ten percent when the inclusions are close. The impact of the inclusions’ proximities is even more important on local stress fields. The maximum stress values (hydrostatic or equivalent) can be more than twice as high locally.
Two Approaches to the Traffic Quality Intuitionistic Fuzzy Estimation of Service Compositions
Authors: Poryazov Stoyan , Andonov Velin , Saranova Emiliya , Atanassov Krassimir
Published: November 2022

Recently, intuitionistic fuzzy pairs have been used as uncertainty estimations of the request services in service systems. In the present paper, three intuitionistic fuzzy characterizations of virtual service devices are specified: intuitionistic fuzzy traffic estimation, intuitionistic fuzzy flow estimation and intuitionistic fuzzy estimation about probability. Discussed herein are two approaches to the intuitionistic fuzzy estimation of the uncertainty of compositions of services. One of the approaches is based on the definitions of the intuitionistic fuzzy pairs for one service device. The other approach is based on the aggregation operators over intuitionistic fuzzy pairs. A total of six intuitionistic fuzzy estimations of the uncertainty of comprise service device are proposed. The proposed uncertainty estimations allow for the definition of new Quality of Service (QoS) indicators and can be used to determine the quality of service compositions across a wide range of service systems.
Stieltjes Property of Quasi-Stable Matrix Polynomials
Authors: Zhan Xuzhou , Ban Bohui , Hu Yongjian
Published: November 2022

In this paper, basing on the theory of matricial Hamburger moment problems, we establish the intrinsic connections between the quasi-stability of a monic or comonic matrix polynomial and the Stieltjes property of a rational matrix-valued function built from the even–odd split of the original matrix polynomial. As applications of these connections, we obtain some new criteria for quasi-stable matrix polynomials and Hurwitz stable matrix polynomials, respectively.
A 3D Cuboid Image Encryption Algorithm Based on Controlled Alternate Quantum Walk of Message Coding
Authors: Liu Pai , Zhou Shihua , Yan Wei Qi
Published: November 2022

In order to solve various security risks faced by image privacy protection, we propose a 3D cuboid image encryption scheme based on message-encoded controlled alternate quantum walks. Firstly, we calculated the initial parameters of the quantum system and performed a one-dimensional quantum walk to generate a probability distribution sequence. Secondly, we encoded the sequence into a quaternary message using multiple sets of encoded messages to control the alternate quantum walk model, generating a 3D probability amplitude matrix and 3D probability distribution matrix to obtain the 3D quantum hash sequence through the 3D probability distribution matrix. Then, the image was divided into blocks and integrated into a cuboid. The image cuboid was scrambled between layers using the probability value sequence, and the 3D probability distribution matrix was used to complete the scrambling of the cross-section between layers. Finally, we converted each pixel value of the scrambled cuboid into a binary cube and controlled it to perform the rotation operation through the 3D probability magnitude matrix, then used the 3D quantum hash sequence to XOR the obtained cuboid image and tilted it to obtain the final encrypted image. The simulation results show that the image encryption scheme can resist various typical attacks and has good security performance.
An Inertial Modified S-Algorithm for Convex Minimization Problems with Directed Graphs and Its Applications in Classification Problems
Authors: Janngam Kobkoon , Suantai Suthep
Published: November 2022

In this paper, we propose a new accelerated common fixed-point algorithm for two countable families of G-nonexpansive mappings. Weak convergence results are obtained in the context of directed graphs in real Hilbert spaces. As applications, we apply the obtained results to solving some convex minimization problems and employ our proposed algorithm to solve the data classification of Breast Cancer, Heart Diseases and Ionosphere. Moreover, we also compare the performance of our proposed algorithm with other algorithms in the literature and it is shown that our algorithm has a better convergence behavior than the others.
A Large Group Emergency Decision-Making Method Based on Uncertain Linguistic Cloud Similarity Method
Authors: Chen Gang , Wei Lihua , Fu Jiangyue , Li Chengjiang , Zhao Gang
Published: November 2022

In recent years, the consensus-reaching process of large group decision making has attracted much attention in the research society, especially in emergency environment area. However, the decision information is always limited and inaccurate. The trust relationship among decision makers has been proven to exert important impacts on group consensus. In this study, we proposed a novel uncertain linguistic cloud similarity method based on trust update and the opinion interaction mechanism. Firstly, we transformed the linguistic preferences into clouds and used cloud similarity to divide large-scale decision makers into several groups. Secondly, an improved PageRank algorithm based on the trust relationship was developed to calculate the weights of decision makers. A combined weighting method considering the similarity and group size was also presented to calculate the weights of groups. Thirdly, a trust updating mechanism based on cloud similarity, consensus level, and cooperation willingness was developed to speed up the consensus-reaching process, and an opinion interaction mechanism was constructed to measure the consensus level of decision makers. Finally, a numerical experiment effectively illustrated the feasibility of the proposed method. The proposed method was proven to maximally retain the randomness and fuzziness of the decision information during a consensus-reaching process with fast convergent speed and good practicality.
Sleep and Safety among Healthcare Workers: The Effect of Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Sleep Deprivation on Safety
Authors: Shaik Likhita , Cheema Mustafa S. , Subramanian Shyam , Kashyap Rahul , Surani Salim R.
Published: November 2022

Almost one billion people worldwide are affected by Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA). Affected individuals experience disordered breathing patterns during sleep, which results in fatigue, daytime drowsiness, and/or sleep deprivation. Working under the influence of these symptoms significantly impairs work productivity and leads to occupational accidents and errors. This impact is seen in healthcare workers (HCWs) who are not immune to these conditions. However, poorly controlled OSA in this subset of individuals takes a heavy toll on patient care due to the increased risk of medical errors and can also alter the mental and physical well-being of the affected HCW in various ways. OSA and safety issues have been recognized and mitigated among the airline and transport industries; however, the healthcare industry lags in addressing these concerns. This article reviews hypersomnolence and sleep disorder as key clinical features of OSA and their effect on HCW safety.
Osteogenic Potential of Monosodium Urate Crystals in Synovial Mesenchymal Stem Cells
Authors: Martínez-Flores Karina , Plata-Rodríguez Ricardo , Olivos-Meza Anell , López-Macay Ambar , Fernández-Torres Javier , Landa-Solís Carlos , Zamudio-Cuevas Yessica
Published: November 2022

Background and Objectives: Deposits of monosodium urate (MSU) crystals due to increased levels of uric acid (UA) have been associated with bone formation and erosion, mainly in patients with chronic gout. The synovial membrane (SM) comprises several types of cells, including mesenchymal stem cells (SM-MSCs); however, it is unknown whether UA and MSU induce osteogenesis through SM-MSCs. Materials and Methods: Cultures of SM were immunotyped with CD44, CD69, CD90, CD166, CD105, CD34, and CD45 to identify MSCs. CD90+ cells were isolated by immunomagnetic separation (MACS), colony-forming units (CFU) were identified, and the cells were exposed to UA (3, 6.8, and 9 mg/dL) and MSU crystals (1, 5, and 10 μg/mL) for 3 weeks, and cellular morphological changes were evaluated. IL-1β and IL-6 were determined by ELISA, mineralization was assessed by alizarin red, and the expression of Runx2 was assessed by Western blot. Results: Cells derived from SM and after immunomagnetic separation were positive for CD90 (53 ± 8%) and CD105 (52 ± 18%) antigens, with 53 ± 5 CFU identified. Long-term exposure to SM-MSCs by UA and MSU crystals did not cause morphological damage or affect cell viability, nor were indicators of inflammation detected. Mineralization was observed at doses of 6.8 mg/dL UA and 5 μg/mL MSU crystals; however, the differences were not significant with respect to the control. The highest dose of MSU crystals (10 μg/mL) induced significant Runx2 expression with respect to the control (1.4 times greater) and SM-MSCs cultured in the osteogenic medium. Conclusions: MSU crystals may modulate osteogenic differentiation of SM-MSCs through an increase in Runx2.
Prospective Assessment of Risk Factors Influencing Facial Nerve Paresis in Patients after Surgery for Parotid Gland Tumors
Authors: Głuszkiewicz Ewa , Sowa Paweł , Zieliński Maciej , Adamczyk-Sowa Monika , Misiołek Maciej , Ścierski Wojciech
Published: November 2022

Background and objectives: Facial weakness is the most important complication of parotid gland tumor surgery. The aims of this study are as follows: (1) assessment of the prevalence of postparotidectomy facial nerve dysfunction; (2) clinical and electrophysiological assessment of the facial nerve function before parotidectomy and at 1 and 6 months postoperatively; (3) assessment of the association of postoperative facial palsy with selected risk factors; and (4) assessment of the correlation between the results of clinical and neurophysiological assessments of facial nerve function. Materials and Methods: This study comprised 50 patients (aged 24–75 years) who underwent parotidectomy at the Department of Otolaryngology and Laryngological Oncology in Zabrze, Poland between 2015 and 2017. The evaluation included neurological, clinical and electrophysiological assessments of the facial nerve prior to surgery and at 1 and 6 months postoperatively. Results: No facial palsy was found preoperatively or 6 months postoperatively. Facial nerve dysfunction was found in 74% of patients 1 month postoperatively. In most cases (54%), paresis was mild or moderate (House–Brackmann grades II and III). The results of electrophysiological tests before parotidectomy were either normal or showed some mild abnormalities. We found a statistically significant correlation between the clinical assessment of the facial nerve function (based on the House–Brackmann scale) one month postoperatively and the latency of the CMAP response from the orbicularis oculi and orbicularis oris muscles. In all three studies, a statistically significant correlation was found between the amplitude of the compound muscle action potential (CMAP) of the orbicularis oris muscle and the degree of facial nerve weakness. Conclusions: The factors that may influence the risk of postoperative facial nerve paralysis (prolonged surgical time and the size and location of the tumor other than in the superficial lobe only) may indirectly suggest that surgery-related difficulties and/or surgeon experience could be crucial to surgery safety.
Membrane Applications in Autologous Cell Therapy
Authors: Martin Risto , Lei Rui , Zeng Yida , Zhu Jiachen , Chang Hong , Ye Hua , Cui Zhanfeng
Published: November 2022

Stem cell and cell therapies, particularly autologous cell therapies, are becoming a common practice. However, in order for these technologies to achieve wide-scale clinical application, the prohibitively high cost associated with these therapies must be addressed through creative engineering. Membranes can be a disruptive technology to reshape the bioprocessing and manufacture of cellular products and significantly reduce the cost of autologous cell therapies. Examples of successful membrane applications include expansions of CAR-T cells, various human stem cells, and production of extracellular vesicles (EVs) using hollow fibre membrane bioreactors. Novel membranes with tailored functions and surface properties and novel membrane modules that can accommodate the changing needs for surface area and transport properties are to be developed to fulfil this key role.
A Validated HPLC–Diode Array Detection Method for Therapeutic Drug Monitoring of Thiopurines in Pediatric Patients: From Bench to Bedside
Authors: Franzin Martina , Curci Debora , Lucafò Marianna , Bramuzzo Matteo , Rabusin Marco , Fabretto Antonella , Addobbati Riccardo , Stocco Gabriele , Decorti Giuliana
Published: November 2022

Thiopurine drugs are part of the therapeutic armamentarium for pediatric patients suffering from inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). The therapeutic drug monitoring of these drugs, consisting of measurements of the thiopurine metabolites thioguanine nucleotides (TGN) and methylmercaptopurine nucleotides (MMPN) are used to optimize the effectiveness of treatment and prevent adverse effects. In this context, we developed and validated a high-performance liquid chromatography—diode array detection (HPLC–DAD) method for the simultaneous quantification of thiopurine metabolites according to the most recent International Council for Harmonisation (ICH) guidelines. The calibration curves were built in the clinically relevant range of concentrations for TGN of 300–12,000 nM and for MMPN of 3000–60,000 nM. The limit of detection and the lower limit of quantification were 100 and 300 nM for TGN and 900 and 3000 nM for MMPN, respectively. The percentage of inter-day accuracy and precision (CV%) varied between 85 and 104% and 1.6 and 13.8%. Stability was demonstrated for both of the metabolites for at least 50 days at −20 °C. The proposed HPLC–DAD method showed an appropriate selectivity, specificity, linearity, accuracy, precision and good applicability to samples from patients with IBD and ALL undergoing thiopurine treatment.
The Yield of Cherenkov and Scintillation Radiation Generated by the 2.7 MeV Electron Beam in Plate PMMA Samples
Authors: Alekseev Boris , Tarasenko Viktor , Baksht Evgeniy , Potylitsyn Alexaner , Burachenko Alexander , Shevelev Michail , Uglov Sergey , Vukolov Artem
Published: November 2022

In this paper, we have investigated characteristics of ultraviolet and visible radiation generated by the 2.7 MeV electrons. It is shown that the Cherenkov radiation (ChR) intensity predominates over scintillations including wavelength shifting and cathodoluminescence quenching in pure poly(methylmethacrylate) (PMMA) for such electron energy. To separate ChR and scintillations, we measured emission spectra and orientation dependence of the PMMA samples and compared with GEANT4 model taking into account only ChR mechanism.
Lactobacillus crispatus M247: Characteristics of a Precision Probiotic Instrument for Gynecological and Urinary Well-Being
Authors: Bertuccioli Alexander , Cardinali Marco , Zonzini Giordano , Cazzaniga Massimiliano , Di Pierro Francesco
Published: November 2022

The altered patterns of a microbial population colonizing an organ are increasingly recognized as a relevant item in human disease pathogenesis. The female urogenital tract is no exception, as some vaginal microbiota patterns, named community state types (CSTs), and urinary tract microbiota patterns, named urotypes (UTs), have been linked to viral, inflammatory, and gestational diseases. Treating these conditions is an issue, as antibiotic therapies alone are not always effective. Lactobacillus crispatus M247 is a strain with good intestinal and vaginal adhesion capability, combined with local antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties; this strain also has proven nontransferable resistance to antibiotics commonly used in female genital tract infections, such as metronidazole. Lactobacillus crispatus M247 could, therefore, be considered as a potential add-on therapy to antibiotics in vaginal tract infections, with the aim to restore a favorable microbiota pattern.
Modelling Bubble Flow Hydrodynamics: Drift-Flux and Molerus Models
Authors: Gomez Cesar O. , Maldonado Miguel
Published: November 2022

Minerals flotation is a widely used process to produce base metal concentrates through the selective capture of particles on the surface of bubbles. The process performance depends on the size distribution of the bubble population generated by gas dispersion, which is characterized by three variables: superficial gas velocity, gas holdup, and bubble size. A literature review revealed that current instrumentation cannot provide reliable on-line measurement of these variables except for gas velocity. There are some promising alternatives for gas holdup, but bubble size measurement will continue to be unavailable. The use of a model that integrates the three gas dispersion variables makes possible the calculation of one of the variables when knowing the values of the other two. Modelling bubble flow has been pursued using two approaches: determining the bubble terminal velocity reduction by the presence of other bubbles and regarding the bubble swarm as a packed bed through which a fluid is allowed to flow. Models based on these approaches (drift-flux and Molerus, respectively) were found in the literature and used to assess their prediction ability. Gas holdup predictions for known values of gas velocity and bubble size showed similar trends for both models; Molerus results were always higher than those obtained with the drift-flux model, and the difference between both predictions increased with bubble size and gas velocity. A relationship between bubble surface area flux and gas holdup was explored (a single line was expected); Molerus values showed a noticeable effect of bubble size, while drift-flux results showed a minor effect of bubble size only for gas holdups below 10%. Model accuracy was established using a data set collected to characterize frother roles in flotation for six commercial frothers, which included values of the three gas dispersion variables measured simultaneously and reported at the same conditions. The results indicate that bubble size predictions obtained from Molerus model are closer to the measured values than those obtained from the drift-flux model. Drift-flux predictions systematically underestimated the measured bubble size, with relative errors between 10 and 30%, while Molerus predictions showed values around the measured size with relative errors not larger than 15% (and in most cases below 10%). The accuracy of the Molerus predictions is acceptable for applications in the control of individual cells and flotation circuits operation. Further testing to assess the performance of Molerus model with data collected in lab and industrial mechanical cells and columns, where conditions in the test volume may not be stable or homogeneous, is recommended.
Study on Mechanical Characteristics of Rock Surrounding the Roadway under Different Section Shapes
Authors: Li Tao , Li Zheng , Liu Fei
Published: November 2022

In order to understand the instability characteristics of surrounding rock during deep roadway excavation, the influence of different section shapes on the stability of surrounding rock was systematically analyzed. Four sections of roadway with circular, rectangular, semicircular arch and three-center arch were studied. Simulation revealed that the maximum principal stress concentration and pressure relief degree of the three-center arch roadway is the highest, the minimum principal stress relief degree of the rectangular roadway is highest, the roof subsidence of the semicircular arch roadway is the lowest, the roof subsidence and left and right side displacement of the rectangular roadway are the highest, the surrounding rock failure areas of the circular roadway are evenly distributed, the surrounding rock failure areas of the other shape roadways are arch-distributed and the surrounding rock failure of the two sides of the rectangular roadway is the deepest. The mining stress environment coefficient is defined according to the stress state of the rock surrounding the roadway, and the range in which the coefficient is greater than 0.2 is defined as the destructive danger area. We found that the stability of the rock surrounding a circular roadway is greater than that of a semicircular arch roadway, a three-center arch roadway and a rectangular roadway.
Editorial for the Special Issue “Electromagnetic Exploration: Theory, Methods and Applications”
Authors: Zhou Binzhong , Yin Changchun , Ren Zhengyong , Wang Xuben
Published: November 2022

Electromagnetic (EM) methods, both airborne and ground, are some of the most widely used geophysical techniques in mineral exploration, in which natural or controlled sources are used to transmit EM waves to the Earth and measure the reflected EM signal [...]
Stepwise Diagnostic Product Ions Filtering Strategy for Rapid Discovery of Diterpenoids in Scutellaria barbata Based on UHPLC-Q-Exactive-Orbitrap-MS
Authors: Zhou Xinhua , Chen Xu , Fan Liping , Dong Huirong , Ren Yan , Chen Xiangming
Published: November 2022

Diterpenoids are considered the major bioactive components in Scutellaria barbata to treat cancer and inflammation, but few comprehensive profiling studies of diterpenoids have been reported. Herein, a stepwise diagnostic product ions (DPIs) filtering strategy for efficient and targeted profiling of diterpenoids in Scutellaria barbata was developed using UHPLC-Q-Exactive-Orbitrap-MS. After UHPLC-HRMS/MS analysis of six diterpenoid reference standards, fragmentation behaviors of these references were studied to provide DPIs. Then, stepwise DPIs filtering aimed to reduce the potential interferences of matrix ions and achieve more chromatographic peaks was conducted to rapidly screen the diterpenoids. The results demonstrated that stepwise DPIs were capable of simplifying the workload in data post-processing and the effective acquisition of low abundance compounds. Subsequently, DPIs and MS/MS fragment patterns were adopted to identify the targeted diterpenoids. As a result, 381 diterpenoids were unambiguously or tentatively identified, while 141 of them with completely new molecular weights were potential new diterpenoids for Scutellaria barbata. These results demonstrate that the developed stepwise DPIs filtering method could be employed as an efficient, reliable, and valuable strategy to screen and identify the diterpenoid profile in Scutellaria barbata. This might accelerate and simplify target constituent profiling from traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) extracts.
Disposable Electrochemical Sensors for Highly Sensitive Detection of Chlorpromazine in Human Whole Blood Based on the Silica Nanochannel Array Modified Screen-Printed Carbon Electrode
Authors: Han Qianqian , Zhang Tongtong , Wang Meifang , Yan Fei , Liu Jiyang
Published: November 2022

Rapid and highly sensitive quantitative analysis of chlorpromazine (CPZ) in human whole blood is of great importance for human health. Herein, we utilize the screen-printed carbon electrodes (SPCE) as the electrode substrates for growth of highly electroactive and antifouling nanocomposite materials consisting of vertically ordered mesoporous silica films (VMSF) and electrochemically reduced graphene oxide (ErGO) nanosheets. The preparation of such VMSF/ErGO/SPCE could be performed by using an electrochemical method in a few seconds and the operation is controllable. Inner ErGO layer converted from graphene oxide (GO) in the growth process of VMSF provides oxygen-containing groups and two-dimensional π-conjugated planar structure for stable fabrication of outer VMSF layer. Owing to the π-π enrichment and excellent electrocatalytic abilities of ErGO, electrostatic preconcentration and antifouling capacities of VMSF, and inherent disposable and miniaturized properties of SPCE, the proposed VMSF/ErGO/SPCE sensor could be applied for quantitative determination of CPZ in human whole blood with high accuracy and sensitivity, good stability, and low sample consumption.
Impact of Gamma Irradiation and Kale Leaf Powder on Amino Acid and Fatty Acid Profiles of Chicken Meat under Different Storage Intervals
Authors: Khalid Waseem , Arshad Muhammad Sajid , Nayik Gulzar Ahmad , Alfarraj Saleh , Ansari Mohammad Javed , Guiné Raquel P. F.
Published: November 2022

The present study was planned to determine the effect of kale leaf powder and gamma rays on variations in the pH, amino acid and fatty acid profiles of chicken meat at different storage intervals. Significant changes (p ≤ 0.05) in the pH, amino acid and fatty acid profiles of chicken meat following different treatments (KLP (1% and 2%) and gamma irradiation (3k Gy)) were reported at 0, 7 and 14 days of storage. The pH value of the chicken meat sample decreased with the addition of kale leaf powder, whereas the value increased following a gamma irradiation dose of 3 kGy and with the passage of time. During different storage intervals, the minimum reduction in the amino acid and fatty acid quantities in the chicken meat samples was reported after gamma irradiation treatment. However, with the addition of KLP, the amount of amino acids and fatty acids in the chicken meat samples increased. Conclusively, the pH was observed to be reduced in the meat following combined treatment (irradiation + KLP), whereas the 2% KLP treatment improved the amino acid and fatty acid profiles of the chicken samples.
Effects of Hydrothermal Processing on Volatile and Fatty Acids Profile of Cowpeas (Vigna unguiculata), Chickpeas (Cicer arietinum) and Kidney Beans (Phaseolus vulgaris)
Authors: Khrisanapant Prit , Kebede Biniam , Leong Sze Ying , Oey Indrawati
Published: November 2022

Legumes are an economical source of protein, starch, dietary fibre, fatty acids, vitamins and minerals. However, they are not as fully utilised, due to volatile compounds contributing to their undesirable odour. The purpose of this work was to understand the processing time’s effect on the legumes’ volatile profile. Hence, this study investigated the effects of hydrothermal processing times on the volatile and fatty acids profiles of cowpeas, chickpeas and kidney beans. All legumes were pre-soaked (16 h) and then hydrothermally processed at 95 °C for 15 to 120 min, using an open system to approximate standard household cooking practices and a closed system to represent industrial processing. Alcohol, aldehyde, acid and ester volatile compounds showed decreasing trends during processing, which can be associated with enzyme inactivation and process-induced degradation. This work showed that processing at 95 °C for 30 min significantly reduced the number of compounds commonly associated with undesirable odour, but showed no significant change in the fatty acid profile. Other volatiles, such as furanic compounds, pyrans and sulphur compounds, showed an increasing trend during processing, which can be related to the Maillard reactions. This observation contributes to the growing knowledge of legume processing and its impact on volatile flavour. It can advise consumers and the industry on selecting processing intensity to maximise legume utilisation.