bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Validation of an Equine Smart Textile System for Heart Rate Variability: A Preliminary Study
Authors: McCrae Persephone , Spong Hannah , Golestani Nadia , Mahnam Amin , Bashura Yana , Pearson Wendy
Published: February 2023

Electrocardiograms (ECGs), and associated heart rate (HR) and heart rate variability (HRV) measurements, are essential in assessing equine cardiovascular health and fitness. Smart textiles have gained popularity, but limited validation work has been conducted. Therefore, the objective of this study was to compare HR and HRV data obtained using a smart textile system (Myant) to the gold-standard telemetric device (Televet). Simultaneous ECGs were obtained using both systems in seven horses at rest and during a submaximal exercise test. Bland–Altman tests were used to assess agreement between the two devices. Strong to perfect correlations without significant differences between the two devices were observed for all metrics assessed. During exercise, mean biases of 0.31 bpm (95% limits of agreement: −1.99 to 2.61) for HR, 1.43 ms (−11.48 to 14.33) for standard deviation of R-R intervals (SDRR), and 0.04 (−2.30 to 2.38) for the HRV triangular index (TI) were observed. A very strong correlation was found between the two devices for HR (r = 0.9993, p < 0.0001) and for HRV parameters (SDRR r = 0.8765, p < 0.0001; TI r = 0.8712, p < 0.0001). This study demonstrates that a smart textile system is reliable for assessment of HR and HRV of horses at rest and during submaximal exercise.
Combined Oxygen-Ozone Therapy for Mesh Skin Graft in a Cat with a Hindlimb Extensive Wound
Authors: Oros Nicuşor-Valentin , Repciuc Călin , Ober Ciprian , Mihai Mihaela , Oana Liviu-Ioan
Published: February 2023

This case report describes a new therapeutic approach for a domestic shorthaired female cat, who has an extensive posttraumatic wound in the right hind limb. After patient stabilization, general anesthesia was started and the wound was cleaned and debrided of devitalized tissues, followed by the application of ozone therapy and bandage. Eight sessions of ozone therapy were performed for 17 days until the application of the skin graft. Three more sessions of ozone therapy were performed every 3 days postoperatively. The bagging method and the perilesional infiltration method were used. The ozone therapy ensured an accelerated recovery of the patient without any complications. According to our knowledge, this is the first case report with the use of ozone therapy to support a free skin graft in a cat. The new therapeutic approach could be used to accelerate healing of the wounds with a significant lack of substance, by supporting pre- and post-operative skin grafts.
Antimicrobial Management of Skin and Soft Tissue Infections among Surgical Wards in South Africa: Findings and Implications
Authors: Makwela Atlanta B. , Grootboom Wandisile M. , Abraham Veena , Witika Bwalya , Godman Brian , Skosana Phumzile P.
Published: February 2023

Skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs) are one of the most common infectious diseases requiring antibiotics. However, complications of SSTIs may lead to the overprescribing of antibiotics and to subsequent antibiotic resistance. Consequently, monitoring the prescribing alignment with the current recommendations from the South African Standard Treatment Guidelines (STG) is necessary in order to improve future care. This study involved reviewing pertinent patients with SSTIs who were prescribed antimicrobials in the surgical ward of a leading South African tertiary public hospital from April to June 2021 using an adapted data collection tool. Sixty-seven patient files were reviewed. Among the patients with SSTIs, hypertension and chronic osteomyelitis were the most frequent co-morbidities at 22.4% and 13.4%, respectively. The most diagnosed SSTIs were surgical site infections (35.1%), wound site infections (23%), and major abscesses (16.2%). Blood cultures were performed on 40.3% of patients, with Staphylococcus aureus (32.7%) and Enterococcus spp. (21.2%) being the most cultured pathogens. Cefazolin was prescribed empirically for 46.3% of patients for their SSTIs. In addition, SSTIs were treated with gentamycin, ciprofloxacin, and rifampicin at 17.5%, 11.3%, and 8.8%, respectively, with treatment fully complying with STG recommendations in 55.2% of cases. Overall, the most common cause of SSTIs was Staphylococcus aureus, and empiric treatment is recommended as the initial management. Subsequently, culture sensitivities should be performed to enhance adherence to STGs and to improve future care.
Development of Antimicrobial Defined Daily Dose (DDD) for the Pediatric Population
Authors: Montecatine-Alonso Elena , Mejías-Trueba Marta , Goycochea-Valdivia Walter Alfredo , Chavarri-Gil Estibaliz , Fernández-Llamazares Cecilia M. , Dolz Elisenda , Gutiérrez-Urbón José María , Gallego-Fernández Carmen , Llorente-Gutiérrez Jesús , Gil-Navarro María Victoria
Published: February 2023

Antimicrobial stewardship programs (ASPs) optimize antimicrobial use, improve patient outcomes, and reduce resistance. To assess the effectiveness of ASPs, it is necessary to have indicators that can be widely used. Defined daily dose (DDD) was designed by WHO for the adult population as a consumption indicator. However, there are no DDDs adapted to the pediatric population. The main objective of this study is to establish the most appropriate DDD values in this population. An observational, retrospective, multicenter study was conducted. Antimicrobial prescriptions were collected from pediatric wards of seven Spanish tertiary hospitals for 2 years. The DDDs obtained from the prescriptions were compared with the theoretical DDDs agreed upon in the first stage. To select the optimal DDD, the following were analyzed: power value, magnitude obtained from the differences in the DDD, statistical significance, and degree of agreement in the stipulated doses. A total of 4788 prescriptions were collected. Pediatric DDD was defined for 30 different antimicrobials. A potency >80% was obtained in 24 antibiotics. 51.2% of the selected DDD correspond to Phase I and 39.5% from Phase II. Pediatric DDD of different antimicrobials was obtained, providing an indicator that can be used globally in different hospitals to analyze the consumption and efficacy of ASPs.
Prevalence of Plasmid-Associated Tetracycline Resistance Genes in Multidrug-Resistant Escherichia coli Strains Isolated from Environmental, Animal and Human Samples in Panama
Authors: Ramírez-Bayard I. E. , Mejía F. , Medina-Sánchez J. R. , Cornejo-Reyes H. , Castillo M. , Querol-Audi J. , Martínez-Torres A. O.
Published: February 2023

Antimicrobial resistance bacteria are nowadays ubiquitous. Its presence has been reported in almost every type of source, from water for agricultural and recreative use, water distribution pipes, and wastewater, to food, fomites, and clinical samples. Enterobacteriaceae, especially Escherichia coli, are not the exception, showing an increased resistance to several antibiotics, causing a global health and economic burden. Therefore, the monitoring of fecal microbiota is important because it is present in numerous reservoirs where gene transfer between commensal and virulent bacteria can take place, representing a potential source of resistant E. coli. In this work, antibiotic resistance profiles of 150 E. coli isolates from environmental, animal, and human samples, collected in three rural areas in Panama, were analyzed. A total of 116 isolates were resistant to at least one of the nine antibiotics tested. Remarkably, almost 100% of these exhibited resistance to tetracycline. Plasmid-associated tetA and tetB genes were detected in 42.86% of the isolates analyzed, tetA being the most prevalent. These results suggest that tetracycline resistance would be used as a convenient indicator of genetic horizontal transfer within a community.
Antimicrobial Resistance and Pathogenicity of Aliarcobacter butzleri Isolated from Poultry Meat
Authors: Oliveira Maria Gabriela Xavier de , Cunha Marcos Paulo Vieira , Moreno Luisa Zanolli , Saidenberg André Becker Simões , Vieira Mônica Aparecida Midolli , Gomes Tânia Aparecida Tardelli , Moreno Andrea Micke , Knöbl Terezinha
Published: February 2023

Aliarcobacter butzleri (A. butzleri) is an emergent zoonotic food-related pathogen that can be transmitted through the consumption of poultry meat. Data regarding the pathogenicity and resistance of A. butzleri are still scarce, and the presence of virulent MDR strains of this zoonotic pathogen in poultry meat is an issue of particular concern to public health. This study aimed to characterize the pathogenicity and antimicrobial resistance profiles of A. butzleri strains isolated from poultry meat sold at retail markets in São Paulo, Brazil. The minimum inhibitory concentrations of 27 strains were determined using the broth microdilution method. The results showed that 77.7% of the isolates were resistant to clindamycin, 62.9% to florfenicol, 59.2% to nalidixic acid, 11.1% to azithromycin, 7.4% to ciprofloxacin and telithromycin, and 3.7% to erythromycin and tetracycline, although all were susceptible to gentamicin. Moreover, 55.5% of the virulent isolates were also multidrug-resistant (MDR). Three strains were selected for pathogenicity tests in vitro and in vivo. The tested strains expressed weak/moderate biofilm production and showed a diffuse adhesion pattern (3 h) in HeLa cells and toxicity in Vero cells (24 h). Experimental inoculation in 11-week-old chicks induced a transitory inflammatory enteritis. Intestinal hemorrhage and destruction of the intestinal crypts were observed in the rabbit ileal loop test. Considering the fact that Brazil is a major exporter of poultry meat, the data from this study point to the need of improvement of the diagnostic tools, as well as of the adoption of surveillance guidelines and more specific control strategies to ensure food safety, reducing the presence of pathogenic MDR strains in broilers.
Antimicrobial Activity of Catechol-Containing Biopolymer Poly[3-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)glyceric Acid] from Different Medicinal Plants of Boraginaceae Family
Authors: Barbakadze Vakhtang , Merlani Maia , Gogilashvili Lali , Amiranashvili Lela , Petrou Anthi , Geronikaki Athina , Ćirić Ana , Glamočlija Jasmina , Soković Marina
Published: February 2023

This study reports the antimicrobial activities of the biopolymers poly[3-(3,4-dihydoxyphenyl)glyceric acid] (PDHPGA) and poly[2-methoxycarbonyl-3-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)oxirane] (PMDHPO), extracted from the six plants of Boraginaceae family: Symphytum asperum (SA), S. caucasicum (SC), S. gr and iflorum (SG), Anchusa italica (AI), Cynoglosum officinale (CO), and Borago officinalis (BO) collected in various parts of Georgia. The study revealed that the antibacterial activities were moderate, and biopolymers from only three plants showed activities against all tested bacteria. Biopolymers from CO stems as well as SC and AI did not show any activity except low activity against a resistant P. aeruginosa strain, which was the most resistant among all three resistant strains. On the other hand, the antifungal activity was better compared to the antibacterial activity. Biopolymers from BO stems exhibited the best activities with MIC/MFC at 0.37–1.00 mg/mL and 0.75–1.5 mg/L, respectively, followed by those from SG stems. Biopolymers from SC and AI roots showed antifungal activities against all six fungi, in contrast to the antibacterial activity, while biopolymers from CO stems and SA roots had activities against four fungi and one fungus, respectively. The sugar-based catechol-containing biopolymers from BO stems demonstrated the best activities among all tested biopolymers against T. viride, P. funiculosum, P. cyclpoium var verucosum, and C. albicans (MIC 0.37 mg/mL). In addition, biopolymers from SG stems were half as active against A. fumigatus and T. viride as ketoconazole. Biopolymers from all plant materials except for CO stems showed higher potency than ketoconazole against T. viride. For the first time, it was shown that all plant materials exhibited better activity against C. albicans, one of the most dreadful fungal species.
Antimicrobial Stewardship Techniques for Critically Ill Patients with Pneumonia
Authors: Adams Jenna , Ferguson Kaitlin , Hirschy RaeAnn , Konopka Erica , Meckel Jordan , Benanti Grace , Kuhrau Shannon , Albarillo Fritzie , Chang Kevin , Santarossa Maressa , Sapozhnikov Julia , Hoff Brian , Rech Megan A
Published: February 2023

Pneumonia is common in the intensive care unit (ICU), infecting 27% of all critically ill patients. Given the high prevalence of this disease state in the ICU, optimizing antimicrobial therapy while minimizing toxicities is of utmost importance. Inappropriate antimicrobial use can increase the risk of antimicrobial resistance, Clostridiodes difficile infection, allergic reaction, and other complications from antimicrobial use (e.g., QTc prolongation, thrombocytopenia). This review article aims to discuss methods to optimize antimicrobial treatment in patients with pneumonia, including the following: procalcitonin use, utilization of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus nares testing to determine need for vancomycin therapy, utilization of the Biofire® FilmArray® pneumonia polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and microbiology reporting techniques.
Profiling the Immune Response to Periprosthetic Joint Infection and Non-Infectious Arthroplasty Failure
Authors: Fisher Cody R. , Patel Robin
Published: February 2023

Arthroplasty failure is a major complication of joint replacement surgery. It can be caused by periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) or non-infectious etiologies, and often requires surgical intervention and (in select scenarios) resection and reimplantation of implanted devices. Fast and accurate diagnosis of PJI and non-infectious arthroplasty failure (NIAF) is critical to direct medical and surgical treatment; differentiation of PJI from NIAF may, however, be unclear in some cases. Traditional culture, nucleic acid amplification tests, metagenomic, and metatranscriptomic techniques for microbial detection have had success in differentiating the two entities, although microbiologically negative apparent PJI remains a challenge. Single host biomarkers or, alternatively, more advanced immune response profiling-based approaches may be applied to differentiate PJI from NIAF, overcoming limitations of microbial-based detection methods and possibly, especially with newer approaches, augmenting them. In this review, current approaches to arthroplasty failure diagnosis are briefly overviewed, followed by a review of host-based approaches for differentiation of PJI from NIAF, including exciting futuristic combinational multi-omics methodologies that may both detect pathogens and assess biological responses, illuminating causes of arthroplasty failure.
Association between the Oxidative Balance Score and Incident Chronic Kidney Disease in Adults
Authors: Son Da-Hye , Lee Hye Sun , Seol So-Young , Lee Yong-Jae , Lee Jun-Hyuk
Published: February 2023

Oxidative stress is a novel risk factor for chronic kidney disease (CKD). The oxidative balance score (OBS) was developed to represent the overall oxidative balance based on dietary and lifestyle pro-oxidant and antioxidant components. The aim of this study is to verify the relationship between the OBS and the incidence of CKD. Data from 5795 participants without CKD at the baseline survey of the Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study were analyzed. Participants were classified into sex-specific OBS tertiles. During the mean follow-up period of 13.6 years, 286 men and 382 women newly developed CKD. The Cox proportional hazard spline curve revealed an inverse dose–response association between the OBS and incident CKD in both men and women. Multiple Cox proportional hazard regression analysis revealed that the adjusted hazard ratios (95% confidence intervals) for sex-specific highest (T3) and middle (T2) OBS tertile groups were 0.80 (0.59–1.08) and 0.70 (0.51–0.95), respectively, in men and 0.76 (0.59–0.98) and 0.73 (0.55–0.96), respectively, in women, with the sex-specific lowest OBS tertile group (T1) as the reference. These results suggest that a healthy diet and lifestyle that increases the OBS may help prevent CKD in both men and women.
Fermented Glutinous Rice Extract Mitigates DSS-Induced Ulcerative Colitis by Alleviating Intestinal Barrier Function and Improving Gut Microbiota and Inflammation
Authors: Kim Kwang-Youn , Son Jae Dong , Hwang Su-Jin , Lee Jong Kwang , Park Jae Young , Park Kwang Il , Oh Tae Woo
Published: February 2023

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is an inflammatory bowel disease caused by various factors, including intestinal inflammation and barrier dysfunction. Herein, we determined the effects of fermented glutinous rice (FGR) on the expression of tight junction proteins and levels of inflammation and apoptosis in the dextran sodium sulfate (DSS)-induced acute colitis model. FGR was orally administered once per day to C57BL/6J mice with colitis induced by 5% DSS in drinking water. FGR administration recovered DSS-induced body weight loss and irregularly short colon lengths. FGR inhibited the DSS-induced decrease in FITC-dextran (FD)-4 permeability and myeloperoxidase activity. Moreover, FGR treatment repaired the reduction of zonula occluden-1 (ZO-1) and occludin expression and the increase in claudin-2 expression in colonic tissue relative to that following DSS administration. FGR treatment significantly recovered expression of cytokines, such as tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-6, and IL-1β, in serum or respective mRNA expression in colonic tissue relative to that following DSS administration. FGR regulated levels of oxidative stress-related factors, such as malondialdehyde and glutathione, and the activity of catalase and superoxide dismutase in the colon tissue of the DSS-induced acute colitis mice model. Furthermore, FGR treatment inhibited apoptosis by reducing the activity of caspase-3 and the ratio of Bcl-2 associated X (Bax)/B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2). Collectively, FGR treatment protected the intestinal barrier from dysfunction and inhibited inflammation and apoptosis in DSS-induced colitis. Therefore, FGR may decrease the inflammatory response and be a candidate for treating and prevention inflammatory bowel disease by protecting the intestinal integrity.
Comparative Study of Different H2S Donors as Vasodilators and Attenuators of Superoxide-Induced Endothelial Damage
Authors: Marini Elisabetta , Rolando Barbara , Sodano Federica , Blua Federica , Concina Giulia , Guglielmo Stefano , Lazzarato Loretta , Chegaev Konstantin
Published: February 2023

In the last years, research proofs have confirmed that hydrogen sulfide (H2S) plays an important role in various physio-pathological processes, such as oxidation, inflammation, neurophysiology, and cardiovascular protection; in particular, the protective effects of H2S in cardiovascular diseases were demonstrated. The interest in H2S-donating molecules as tools for biological and pharmacological studies has grown, together with the understanding of H2S importance. Here we performed a comparative study of a series of H2S donor molecules with different chemical scaffolds and H2S release mechanisms. The compounds were tested in human serum for their stability and ability to generate H2S. Their vasorelaxant properties were studied on rat aorta strips, and the capacity of the selected compounds to protect NO-dependent endothelium reactivity in an acute oxidative stress model was tested. H2S donors showed different H2S-releasing kinetic and produced amounts and vasodilating profiles; in particular, compound 6 was able to attenuate the dysfunction of relaxation induced by pyrogallol exposure, showing endothelial protective effects. These results may represent a useful basis for the rational development of promising H2S-releasing agents also conjugated with other pharmacophores.
Solanum dulcamara L. Berries: A Convenient Model System to Study Redox Processes in Relation to Fruit Ripening
Authors: Milutinović Milica , Nakarada Đura , Božunović Jelena , Todorović Miloš , Gašić Uroš , Živković Suzana , Skorić Marijana , Ivković Đurđa , Savić Jelena , Devrnja Nina , Aničić Neda , Banjanac Tijana , Mojović Miloš , Mišić Danijela
Published: February 2023

The present study provides, for the first time, a physicochemical and biochemical characterization of the redox processes associated with the ripening of Solanum dulcamara L. (bittersweet) berries. Electron Paramagnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (EPRS) and Imaging (EPRI) measurements of reactive oxygen species (ROS) were performed in parallel with the tissue-specific metabolic profiling of major antioxidants and assessment of antioxidant enzymes activity. Fruit transition from the mature green (MG) to ripe red (RR) stage involved changes in the qualitative and quantitative content of antioxidants and the associated cellular oxidation and peroxidation processes. The skin of bittersweet berries, which was the major source of antioxidants, exhibited the highest antioxidant potential against DPPH radicals and nitroxyl spin probe 3CP. The efficient enzymatic antioxidant system played a critical protective role against the deleterious effects of progressive oxidative stress during ripening. Here, we present the EPRI methodology to assess the redox status of fruits and to discriminate between the redox states of different tissues. Interestingly, the intracellular reoxidation of cell-permeable nitroxide probe 3CP was observed for the first time in fruits or any other plant tissue, and its intensity is herein proposed as a reliable indicator of oxidative stress during ripening. The described noninvasive EPRI technique has the potential to have broader application in the study of redox processes associated with the development, senescence, and postharvest storage of fruits, as well as other circumstances in which oxidative stress is implicated.
Experimental and Numerical Study on Stress Distribution Characteristics of Traveling Wave Resonance of High-Speed Bevel Gear in Aero-Engine
Authors: Luan Xiaochi , Gao Yuhan , Zhang Zhenpeng , Sha Yundong , Liu Gongmin
Published: February 2023

Gear failure caused by traveling wave resonance (TWR) generally occurs quite suddenly and causes catastrophic results in aero-engines. In this study, the TWR characteristics and stress distribution characteristics of a high-speed bevel gear in an aero-engine are analyzed in detail by means of experiments and simulations. Based on the acoustic waveguide system and dynamic stress test system, the TWR fatigue failure monitoring experiment of the central drive bevel gear in an aero-engine is carried out, and the TWR frequency, dangerous speed, dynamic stress and fatigue fracture characteristics of a driven bevel gear are obtained. Based on the transient dynamic analysis method and Hertz contact theory, the stress distribution characteristics of the driven bevel gear, which cannot be obtained in the test under the condition of TWR, are analyzed. The influence of the changes in the working temperature and the thickness of the spoke on the TWR characteristics and the stress distribution characteristics are discussed. The simulation and test results show that the gear has the problem of stress concentration at the root of the tooth and the back of the spoke plate under the 4th node-diameter (ND) TWR, and the stress distribution form is consistent with the fracture form of the test gear, covering 12 teeth. The relationship between the stress at the test monitoring point and the maximum stress at the tooth root is obtained, and the generality of the relationship is verified. Based on this relationship, the maximum stress of tooth root, which is difficult to monitor in the test, is predicted to be 1271.7 MPa. An accurate and convenient means to obtain the maximum stress at the tooth root of the central transmission bevel gear under TWR is obtained so as to provide a basis for failure cause analysis and central transmission bevel gear design and lay the foundation for future research focusing on the propagation of the gear under TWR conditions.
Transformer-Based Subject-Sensitive Hashing for Integrity Authentication of High-Resolution Remote Sensing (HRRS) Images
Authors: Ding Kaimeng , Chen Shiping , Zeng Yue , Wang Yingying , Yan Xinyun
Published: February 2023

The implicit prerequisite for using HRRS images is that the images can be trusted. Otherwise, their value would be greatly reduced. As a new data security technology, subject-sensitive hashing overcomes the shortcomings of existing integrity authentication methods and could realize subject-sensitive authentication of HRRS images. However, shortcomings of the existing algorithm, in terms of robustness, limit its application. For example, the lack of robustness against JPEG compression makes existing algorithms more passive in some applications. To enhance the robustness, we proposed a Transformer-based subject-sensitive hashing algorithm. In this paper, first, we designed a Transformer-based HRRS image feature extraction network by improving Swin-Unet. Next, subject-sensitive features of HRRS images were extracted by this improved Swin-Unet. Then, the hash sequence was generated through a feature coding method that combined mapping mechanisms with principal component analysis (PCA). Our experimental results showed that the robustness of the proposed algorithm was greatly improved in comparison with existing algorithms, especially the robustness against JPEG compression.
Deep Learning Algorithms for Forecasting COVID-19 Cases in Saudi Arabia
Authors: Al-Rashedi Afrah , Al-Hagery Mohammed Abdullah
Published: February 2023

In the recent past, the COVID-19 epidemic has impeded global economic progress and, by extension, all of society. This type of pandemic has spread rapidly, posing a threat to human lives and the economy. Because of the growing scale of COVID-19 cases, employing artificial intelligence for future prediction purposes during this pandemic is crucial. Consequently, the major objective of this research paper is to compare various deep learning forecasting algorithms, including auto-regressive integrated moving average, long short-term memory, and conventional neural network techniques to forecast how COVID-19 would spread in Saudi Arabia in terms of the number of people infected, the number of deaths, and the number of recovered cases. Three different time horizons were used for COVID-19 predictions: short-term forecasting, medium-term forecasting, and long-term forecasting. Data pre-processing and feature extraction steps were performed as an integral part of the analysis work. Six performance measures were applied for comparing the efficacy of the developed models. LSTM and CNN algorithms have shown superior predictive precision with errors of less than 5% measured on available real data sets. The best model to predict the confirmed death cases is LSTM, which has better RMSE and R2 values. Still, CNN has a similar comparative performance to LSTM. LSTM unexpectedly performed badly when predicting the recovered cases, with RMSE and R2 values of 641.3 and 0.313, respectively. This work helps decisionmakers and health authorities reasonably evaluate the status of the pandemic in the country and act accordingly.
Optimal Preservation Effort and Carbon Emission Reduction Decision of Three-Level Cold Chain System with Low-Carbon Advertising Effect
Authors: Wang Wenbo , Zhu Aimin , Wei Hongjiang , Yu Lijuan
Published: February 2023

To solve the problems of the impact of carbon emission reduction and low-carbon advertising on the supply chain of fresh agricultural products, a three-level low-carbon supply chain system composed of a manufacturer, a retailer and a third-party logistics service provider is taken as the research object. The profit functions of each party under the three contracts of the manufacturer bearing, the retailer bearing and the two parties jointly bearing the advertising cost are, respectively, established to solve the optimal pricing, advertising level preservation efforts, service levels and carbon emission reduction decisions. The numerical analysis shows that, with the increase in wholesale price and the decrease in fresh-keeping price coefficient and low-carbon cost coefficient, manufacturers will choose better fresh-keeping effort level and low-carbon service level. When the proportion of advertising cost borne by the supplier increases, the benefits of all parties in the supply chain will decrease; however, when the retailer bears the advertising cost alone, the profit of the supply chain system is the largest.
The Fourth Cervical Vertebra Anterior and Posterior Body Height Projections (Vba) for the Assessment of Pubertal Growth Spurt
Authors: Cameriere Roberto , Velandia Palacio Luz Andrea , Nakaš Enita , Galić Ivan , Brkić Hrvoje , Kalibović Govorko Danijela , Jerković Daniel , Jara Liliana , Ferrante Luigi
Published: February 2023

This paper aims to propose a statistical model to assess pubertal growth spurt using the ratio of the anterior height projection to the posterior (Vba) of the fourth cervical vertebra body (C4) on cephalograms and to calculate the residual proportion of skeletal maturation and the time for the pubertal growth spurt to end for a given Vba. A sample of 538 cephalograms from healthy-living children aged between 5 and 15 years was analyzed. A segmented regression model was used to explain the different Vba stages relative to the pubertal growth spurt. In addition, the time to achieve skeletal maturation was evaluated for a given Vba between the beginning (Vba1) and the end (Vba2) of the pubertal growth spurt. A longitudinal sample of 25 males and 25 females was analyzed to validate the proposed method. The values of Vba corresponding to higher pubertal development rate ranged from Vba1 = 0.677 (95%CI, 0.644–0.711) to Vba2 = 0.966 (95%CI, 0.905–1.028) and from Vba1 = 0.669 (95%CI, 0.645–0.693) to Vba2 = 1.073 (95%CI, 1.044–1.101) in males and females, respectively. The validation process results showed that our model did not produce any incorrect forecasts. The proposed method estimates the beginning and the end of the pubertal growth spurt together with the residual proportion of skeletal maturation for a given Vba.
Evaluation and Characterization of the Influence of Solar Position Algorithm on the Performance of Parabolic Trough Solar System
Authors: Liu Bowen , Zong Chenggang , Huang Weidong
Published: February 2023

For the open loop control system based on the solar position algorithm (SPA), without sensor correction, the error of SPA will bring the tracking error directly to decrease the efficiency of the solar system. By comparing with SPA proposed by NREL, this paper first evaluates main SPAs with different accuracy and presents the error of SPA on tracking error. Based on the annual average efficiency of the solar trough system, this paper evaluates the impact of the tracking error caused by SPA on the solar trough system, and proposes that the average SPA calculation error can be applied to characterize the impact of SPA on the trough solar system. By making a comparison of solar trough system efficiency calculated with fixed annual average tracking error and normal constantly changing tracking error within a year, respectively, the evaluation results show that for most SPAs, the introduced error is less than 0.05%, and only a few empirical algorithms with large tracking errors introduce larger errors, but they are not suitable for the trough solar system. Therefore, the SPA evaluation method proposed in this paper is applicable to the solar trough system.
Gradient Agreement Hinders the Memorization of Noisy Labels
Authors: Yan Shaotian , Tian Xiang , Jiang Rongxin , Chen Yaowu
Published: February 2023

The performance of deep neural networks (DNNs) critically relies on high-quality annotations, while training DNNs with noisy labels remains challenging owing to their incredible capacity to memorize the entire training set. In this work, we use two synchronously trained networks to reveal that noisy labels may result in more divergent gradients when updating the parameters. To overcome this, we propose a novel co-training framework named gradient agreement learning (GAL). By dynamically evaluating the gradient agreement coefficient of every pair of parameters from two identical DNNs to determine whether to update them in the training process. GAL can effectively hinder the memorization of noisy labels. Furthermore, we utilize the pseudo labels produced by the two DNNs as the supervision for the training of another network, thereby gaining further improvement by correcting some noisy labels while overcoming the confirmation bias. Extensive experiments on various benchmark datasets demonstrate the superiority of the proposed GAL.
Study on Microstructure of Cemented Organic Soil in Dianchi Lake, China
Authors: Huang Siyang , Cao Jing , Song Yunfei , Song Zhigang , Liu Hong , Tian Lin
Published: February 2023

The organic soil in the Dianchi Lake area contains much humic acid (HA), and the impact of HA on cemented soil has attracted much attention. In this study, test soil is prepared based on the actual HA content of the soil in Dianchi Lake, and cement is added to prepare samples. Unconfined compressive strength (UCS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive analysis (EDS), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) tests are conducted on the samples. The strength development and microstructure changes of cemented organic soil are studied. The results show that (1) cemented soil strength decreases with the increase in HA content and increases with the cement mixing ratio; (2) SEM and EDS tests show that with the increase in HA content, the connection between soil particles gradually changed from surface–surface to point–surface, point–edge, or point–point connection. A large overhead structure is inside the cemented soil, and its integrity weakens with increased HA content. However, elements such as Ca, Si, and Al exist in the pores of cemented soil, indicating that cement hydration products are cemented between soil particles. XRD testing shows that with the increase in HA content, the intensity of the diffraction peaks of hydration products in cemented soil gradually decrease. (3) In general, HA will gradually deteriorate the integrity of cemented soil and reduce its strength. When the HA content is more than 15%, the effect of HA on strength is more prominent. However, increasing the cement mixing ratio can effectively weaken HA’s negative effect on cemented soil’s strength. When the cement mixing ratio is between 15% and 25%, the strength of cemented soil with high HA content can be effectively increased. However, this approach is not conducive to the protection of the environment.
Special Issue “Reinforced Concrete: Materials, Physical Properties and Applications”
Authors: Beskopylny Alexey N. , Lavrentyev Anatoly , Shcherban Evgenii M. , Stel’makh Sergey A.
Published: February 2023

The Special Issue is devoted to reinforced concrete in terms of materials used, physical properties and application possibilities [...]
Microstructure and Fatigue Performance of Ti6Al4V Produced by Laser Powder Bed Fusion after Post-Heat Treatment
Authors: Yang Yulong , Zhao Meng , Wang Hong , Zhou Kai , He Yangdong , Mao Yuyi , Xie Deqiao , Lv Fei , Shen Lida
Published: February 2023

With the development of additive manufacturing (AM), the Ti-6Al-4V alloy manufactured by laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) is becoming more widely studied. Fatigue fracture is the main failure mode of such components. During LPBF processing, porosity defects are unavoidable, which hinders the exploration of the relationship between fatigue performance and microstructure. In this study, a laser remelting method was used to reduce porosity defects inside the Ti-6Al-4V alloy. Three annealing treatments (AT) and three solution-aging treatments (SAT) were used to study the effect of the two-phase zone (α + β) microstructure on fatigue life and fatigue crack growth behavior. Fatigue life and crack growth rate (CGR) curves were obtained, and fatigue fracture surface and crack growth fracture surface were analyzed. The results show that microstructure influences fatigue life but has little effect on CGR. Compared with the as-built specimen, the fatigue life of the AT and SAT specimens increased significantly at 850℃ by 101 and 63.7 times, respectively. The thickness of the α lath and the location of crack nucleation together affect the fatigue life. In the stable growth stage, the layered microstructure of α colonies is the most resistant to crack growth.
Effects of Cheonwangbosim-dan in a Mouse Model of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: Anti-Inflammatory and Anti-Fibrotic Therapy
Authors: Kang Jee Hyun , Jung Eunhye , Hong Eun-Ju , Baek Eun Bok , Lee Mee-Young , Kwun Hyo-Jung
Published: February 2023

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a lung illness, marked by dyspnea, coughing, and sputum production. Cheonwangbosim-dan (CBD) is a traditional East Asian medicine, consisting of a combination of 15 medicinal herbs, which is frequently used to treat arterial/auricular flutter, neuroses, cardiac-malfunction-induced diseases, and insomnia. The present study evaluated the therapeutic effect of CBD (100 or 200 mg/kg) on COPD using a mouse model of COPD induced by cigarette smoke (CS) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS). The increase in inflammatory cell numbers caused by exposure to CS and LPS was significantly reduced by CBD administration. In addition, CBD therapy reduced interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF). In lung tissue, CBD not only reduced the levels of IL-1β (CBD 100: p < 0.001 and CBD 200: p < 0.001), IL-6 (CBD 100: p < 0.001 and CBD 200: p < 0.001), TNF-α (CBD 100: p = 0.005 and CBD 200: p = 0.014), and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1; CBD 100: p = 0.018 and CBD 200: p = 0.003), but also decreased the expression of α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA; CBD 100: p < 0.001 and CBD 200: p < 0.001), transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β; CBD 100: p < 0.001 and CBD 200: p < 0.001), matrix metallopeptidase-7 (MMP-7; CBD 100: p = 0.019 and CBD 200: p < 0.001), MMP-9 (CBD 100: p = 0.015 and CBD 200: p = 0.013), and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 (TIMP-1; CBD 100: p = 0.035 and CBD 200: p = 0.013) compared with the COPD group. CBD was also found to suppress the phosphorylation of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB), extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2), and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinases (p38 MAPK). Taken together, these findings showed that CBD can attenuate respiratory inflammation and airway remodeling induced by exposure to CS and LPS, suggesting that CBD has probable preventive and therapeutic applications in patients with COPD.
Morphological Analysis of a Collapsing Cavitation Bubble near a Solid Wall with Complex Geometry
Authors: Shan Minglei , Shu Fangyong , Yang Yu , Shang Yu , Yin Cheng , Han Qingbang
Published: February 2023

The interaction mechanism between the cavitation bubble and a solid wall is a basic problem in bubble collapse prevention and application. In particular, when bubble collapse occurs near solid walls with arbitrarily complex geometries, it is difficult to efficiently establish a model and quantitatively explore the interaction mechanism between bubbles and solid walls. Based on the advantages of the lattice Boltzmann method, a model for cavitation bubble collapse close to a solid wall was established using the pseudopotential multi-relaxation-time lattice Boltzmann model. Solid walls with arbitrarily complex geometries were introduced in the computational domain, and the fractal dimension was used to quantify the complexity of the solid wall. Furthermore, owing to the lack of periodicity, symmetry, spatial uniformity and obvious correlation in this process, the Minkowski functionals-based morphological analysis method was introduced to quantitatively describe the temporal evolution of collapsing bubble profiles and acquire effective information from the process. The interaction mechanism between the bubble and solid wall was investigated using evolutions of physical fields. In addition, the influences of the solid walls’ surface conditions and the position parameter on collapsing bubbles were discussed. These achievements provide an efficient tool for quantifying the morphological changes of the collapsing bubble.
Tuning Pre-Solution of an Amphiphilic Polymeric Dispersant with Low Acid-Value toward Colored-Ink Preparation
Authors: Asada Masahiko , Tanaka Hisakazu , Suwa Yukie , Irifune Sachiko , Osawa Shigehito , Otsuka Hidenori
Published: February 2023

Recently, a variety of amphiphilic block copolymers for water-based color inks as pigment dispersants have been developed. Although such dispersants require both high adsorption of pigments and dispersion-stability in water, the most crucial issue is the difficulty in controlling the affinity balance of the polymeric dispersants between the pigments and aqueous media. Therefore, it is important to increase the solubility of the hydrophobic polymers with low acid-value for ink design. Amphiphilic block copolymers containing styrene-based blocks as hydrophobic segments and methacrylic acid blocks as hydrophilic segments were prepared. The polymers with low acid-value could not dissolve in the alkaline solution directly. They could dissolve in methyl-ethyl-ketone (MEK) at room temperature and diethylene glycol (DEG), with heating. Polymer aqueous solutions were successfully prepared using polymer solutions in DEG as the pre-solutions. Because they were also unable to dissolve directly even in an alkaline solution containing DEG, the existence of DEG is not important, but the process employing the pre-solution is important. The influence of pre-solution viscosity on solubility in water was evaluated. The result suggests that the high viscosity of the DEG solution would work to slowly disperse the polymers in the alkaline solution, efficiently converting polymers into an aqueous soluble state, owing to there being enough time for the neutralization of the carboxylic acids of the polymers. Note that in the pre-solution of a lower concentration, the aqueous solution did not become clear, and the larger particle sizes were detected. These results showed that the viscosity of the pre-solution is an essential factor in solubilization in water. Using this method, the polymeric dispersants with low hydrophilicity were well dissolved in water, up to a high concentration.
Special Issue on IWPMA (International Workshop on Piezoelectric Materials and Applications in Actuators) 2019
Authors: Lallart Mickael , Wallaschek Jörg , Yang Ying
Published: February 2023

Initially triggered more than a decade ago by a fruitful German–Korean collaboration, the International Workshop on Piezoelectric Materials and Applications in Actuators has rapidly reached international levels thanks to a strong community making the conference series one of the most recognized in the field [...]
Unilateral Condylar Hyperplasia in Surgeons’ Perspective—A Narrative Review
Authors: Nelke Kamil , Łuczak Klaudiusz , Pawlak Wojciech , Janeczek Maciej , Pasicka Edyta , Morawska-Kochman Monika , Błaszczyk Bartłomiej , Błaszczyk Tomasz , Dobrzyński Maciej
Published: February 2023

The following paper focuses on the topic of mandibular unilateral condyle hyperplasia (UCH). This form of mandibular asymmetry (MA) is one of the less common but still known pathologies that requires detailed surgical and orthodontic planning and treatment. Since this pathology is mostly related to a high number of individual dental, bone, and overgrowth factors, until now the treatment methods were individually driven. It seems that the scope of surgical intervention is greatly dependent on the degree of bone overgrowth and the occurrence of asymmetry. Many treatment modalities and possible surgical perspectives are known, yet, so far, no adequate detailed guidelines are known. This detailed review of this type of mandibular asymmetry will focus on diagnostics and treatment plans and outcomes. The following paper underlines the authors’ own clinical experiences in MA and UCH treatment, which are compared with the literature review. The authors intend to investigate what has changed in the treatment and diagnostics of one-sided mandibular condyle and bone overgrowth.
New Frontiers of Laser Welding Technology
Authors: Min Kyung-Eun , Jang Jae-Won , Kim Cheolhee
Published: February 2023

With the advances in power sources and optic technologies, high-power laser welding has been utilized in many applications such as automotive, battery manufacturing, and electronic industries [...]
DLMFCOS: Efficient Dual-Path Lightweight Module for Fully Convolutional Object Detection
Authors: Hwang Beomyeon , Lee Sanghun , Han Hyunho
Published: February 2023

Recent advances in convolutional neural network (CNN)-based object detection have a trade-off between accuracy and computational cost in various industrial tasks and essential consideration. However, the fully convolutional one-stage detector (FCOS) demonstrates low accuracy compared with its computational costs owing to the loss of low-level information. Therefore, we propose a module called a dual-path lightweight module (DLM) that efficiently utilizes low-level information. In addition, we propose a DLMFCOS based on DLM to achieve an optimal trade-off between computational cost and detection accuracy. Our network minimizes feature loss by extracting spatial and channel information in parallel and implementing a bottom-up feature pyramid network that improves low-level information detection. Additionally, the structure of the detection head is improved to minimize the computational cost. The proposed method was trained and evaluated by fine-tuning parameters through experiments and using public datasets PASCAL VOC 07 and MS COCO 2017 datasets. The average precision (AP) metric is used for our quantitative evaluation matrix for detection performance, and our model achieves an average 1.5% accuracy improvement at about 33.85% lower computational cost on each dataset than the conventional method. Finally, the efficiency of the proposed method is verified by comparing the proposed method with the conventional method through an ablation study.
A Logistics UAV Parcel-Receiving Station and Public Air-Route Planning Method Based on Bi-Layer Optimization
Authors: Zhang Honghai , Wang Fei , Feng Dikun , Du Sen , Zhong Gang , Deng Cheng , Zhou Ji
Published: February 2023

The popularity of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) technology has made UAV logistics transportation possible. However, based on the current development status of logistics UAVs, there are difficulties in using UAVs directly for door-to-door logistics transportation. Therefore, it is necessary to establish UAV parcel-receiving stations that can gather logistics needs in a small area. The construction of stations allows the UAVs to transport back and forth between the distribution warehouse and the established stations, enabling customers to send and receive packages at the more convenient stations. Based on the current situation, it is a more appropriate air–ground cooperative transport mode to solve the “last-mile” cargo transportation problem. In this paper, a bi-layer UAV parcel-receiving station and public air-route planning method is proposed to explore the interaction between station location and public route planning, and is solved with a genetic algorithm and max–min ant system (GA-MMAS). The model proposed in this paper can determine the location of the stations and plan the public air routes between the warehouse and stations simultaneously. Simulation results show that the planning results of the bi-layer optimization model proposed in this paper meet the requirements of station location and public air-route planning. Compared with the layered planning results, the cost of the upper-layer model is reduced by 5.12% on average, and the cost of the lower-layer model is reduced by 4.48%.