bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Molecular Advances to Combat Different Biotic and Abiotic Stresses in Linseed (Linum usitatissimum L.): A Comprehensive Review
Authors: Paliwal Shruti , Tripathi Manoj , Tiwari Sushma , Tripathi Niraj , Payasi Devendra , Tiwari Prakash , Singh Kirti , Yadav Rakesh , Asati Ruchi , Chauhan Shailja
Published: July 2023

Flax, or linseed, is considered a “superfood”, which means that it is a food with diverse health benefits and potentially useful bioactive ingredients. It is a multi-purpose crop that is prized for its seed oil, fibre, nutraceutical, and probiotic qualities. It is suited to various habitats and agro-ecological conditions. Numerous abiotic and biotic stressors that can either have a direct or indirect impact on plant health are experienced by flax plants as a result of changing environmental circumstances. Research on the impact of various stresses and their possible ameliorators is prompted by such expectations. By inducing the loss of specific alleles and using a limited number of selected varieties, modern breeding techniques have decreased the overall genetic variability required for climate-smart agriculture. However, gene banks have well-managed collectionns of landraces, wild linseed accessions, and auxiliary Linum species that serve as an important source of novel alleles. In the past, flax-breeding techniques were prioritised, preserving high yield with other essential traits. Applications of molecular markers in modern breeding have made it easy to identify quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for various agronomic characteristics. The genetic diversity of linseed species and the evaluation of their tolerance to abiotic stresses, including drought, salinity, heavy metal tolerance, and temperature, as well as resistance to biotic stress factors, viz., rust, wilt, powdery mildew, and alternaria blight, despite addressing various morphotypes and the value of linseed as a supplement, are the primary topics of this review.
Romantic Attachment, Relationship Satisfaction, Internalized Sexual Stigma, and Motives for Parenthood in Italian Lesbian Women and Gay Men
Authors: Sommantico Massimiliano , Lacatena Marina , Ramaglia Ferdinando
Published: July 2023

This study examines romantic attachment, internalized sexual stigma, relationship satisfaction, and motives for parenthood in a sample of 313 Italian lesbian women (47.9%) and gay men (52.1%) aged 18–71 years (M = 36.2; SD = 11.9) and in same-sex relationships. The following hypotheses were tested: that romantic attachment is positively correlated with internalized stigma and motives to not have children, while it is negatively correlated with relationship satisfaction; that relationship satisfaction is negatively correlated with internalized stigma and motives for parenthood; that internalized stigma is negatively correlated with motives for parenthood; and that relationship satisfaction mediates the relationships between romantic attachment and motives for parenthood and between internalized stigma and motives for parenthood. The results strongly support the hypotheses. Furthermore, the results indicate that the lesbian participants reported lower levels of avoidance and internalized stigma and higher levels of relationship satisfaction and motives to not have children, and the participants in civil unions reported lower levels of anxiety and internalized stigma and higher levels of relationship satisfaction and motives to not have children. Taken together, our findings contribute to the growing body of research on LG parenthood and may inform social policy and psychological support for LG individuals pursuing parenthood.
Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Mental Health among the Population in Jordan
Authors: Salameh Ghaith , Marais Debbi , Khoury Rawan
Published: July 2023

Background: Mental health is a key indicator for public health measures. Jordan is one of the countries that has a high prevalence of mental illness and disorders. The COVID-19 pandemic has affected all health services in the country with a high refugee population. The aim of this review is to assess the impact of the pandemic on mental health in Jordan and identify key factors affecting it, in addition to addressing lessons learned from the pandemic. Methods: A systematic search was conducted on Medline Plus, Embase, Web of Science, EBSCOHost Psycinfo and Cinhal, following the PRISMA guidelines. Articles were selected based on predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria. Data were extracted and synthesized using narrative descriptive analysis. Results: The pandemic had a significant impact on PTSD, psychological distress, anxiety, depression and stress. Predictors of a higher impact on mental health were related to gender, socio-economic status and comorbidities. The healthcare workers group was the most affected by mental disorders. Conclusions: The COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on mental health was associated with high levels of PTSD, anxiety, depression and stress. In a country with a high prevalence of mental disorders, prompt and quick measures are needed to support the health system to absorb the effect of the pandemic and be responsive to dealing with the existing high prevalence.
Psychometric Properties and Refinement of the ATT-IPV Scale to Measure Attitudes about Intimate Partner Violence among Married Adolescents and Their Husbands in Niger
Authors: Fonseka Ruvani W. , Challa Sneha , Silverman Jay G.
Published: July 2023

(1) Background: This study sought to assess the appropriateness of a five-item scale to measure attitudes towards IPV (ATT-IPV) among married adolescent girls and their husbands in Niger, a population in which this scale has not yet been tested. (2) Methods: Using data collected from 1100 pairs of married adolescents, aged 13–19 years old, and their husbands across 48 villages in rural Niger, we performed classical test theory reliability and exploratory factor analysis, followed by item response theory (IRT) analyses and testing differential item functioning (DIF) by gender. (3) Results: The ATT-IPV scale was found to be internally consistent (alpha = 0.8) and unidimensional in this population, with all items loading onto one factor. We found differential item functioning of the following item: “In your opinion, is a husband justified in hitting or beating his wife in the following situations: If she burns his food?” by gender, suggesting that in order to have a scale that performs similarly in men and women, that item should be removed. (4) Conclusions: The ATT-IPV scale is useful as a measure of attitudes towards IPV among married adolescents and their husbands in Niger. However, it may need to be updated to reflect additional forms of violence and to eliminate gender-differential responses in order to be a more effective measure.
Cyanocobalamin-Modified Colistin–Hyaluronan Conjugates: Synthesis and Bioactivity
Authors: Dubashynskaya Natallia V. , Bokatyi Anton N. , Sall Tatiana S. , Egorova Tatiana S. , Nashchekina Yuliya A. , Dubrovskii Yaroslav A. , Murashko Ekaterina A. , Vlasova Elena N. , Demyanova Elena V. , Skorik Yury A.
Published: July 2023

Polymeric drug delivery systems enhance the biopharmaceutical properties of antibiotics by increasing their bioavailability, providing programmable and controlled-release properties, and reducing toxicity. In addition, drug delivery systems are a promising strategy to improve the intestinal permeability of various antimicrobial agents, including colistin (CT). This study describes the modification of conjugates based on CT and hyaluronic acid (HA) with cyanocobalamin (vitamin B12). Vitamin B12 was chosen as a targeting ligand because it has its own absorption pathway in the small intestine. The resulting polysaccharide conjugates contained 95 μg/mg vitamin B12 and the CT content was 335 μg/mg; they consisted of particles of two sizes, 98 and 702 nm, with a ζ-potential of approximately −25 mV. An in vitro release test at pH 7.4 and pH 5.2 showed an ultra-slow release of colistin of approximately 1% after 10 h. The modified B12 conjugates retained their antimicrobial activity at the level of pure CT (minimum inhibitory concentration was 2 μg/mL). The resulting delivery systems also reduced the nephrotoxicity of CT by 30–40% (HEK 293 cell line). In addition, the modification of B12 improved the intestinal permeability of CT, and the apparent permeability coefficient of HA–CT–B12 conjugates was 3.5 × 10−6 cm/s, corresponding to an in vivo intestinal absorption of 50–100%. Thus, vitamin-B12-modified conjugates based on CT and HA may be promising oral delivery systems with improved biopharmaceutical properties.
Conversion of Induced Polarization Data and Their Uncertainty from Time Domain to Frequency Domain Using Debye Decomposition
Authors: Hase Joost , Gurin Grigory , Titov Konstantin , Kemna Andreas
Published: July 2023

The time-domain (TD) induced polarization (IP) method is used as an extension of direct current (DC) resistivity measurements to capture information on the ability of the subsurface to develop electrical polarization. In the TD, the transient voltage decay is measured after the termination of the current injection. To invert tomographic TD IP data sets into frequency-domain (FD) models of complex electrical resistivity, a suitable approach for converting TD IP transients and their corresponding uncertainties into the FD is essential. To apply existing FD inversion algorithms to TD IP measurements, a conversion scheme must transform the measured decay curves into FD impedances and also propagate the corresponding measurement uncertainty from the TD to the FD. Here, we present such an approach based on a Debye decomposition (DD) of the decay curve into a relaxation-time distribution and the calculation of the equivalent spectrum. The corresponding FD data error can be obtained by applying error propagation through all of these steps. To accomplish the DD we implement a non-linear Gauss–Newton inversion scheme. We test the conversion scheme in a synthetic study and demonstrate its application to field data on a tomographic TD IP data set measured on the Maletoyvaemskoie ore field (Kamchatka, Russia). The proposed conversion scheme yields accurate impedance data for relaxation processes, which are resolved by the TD measurements. The error propagation scheme provides a reasonable FD uncertainty estimate, as confirmed by a Monte Carlo analysis of the underlying parameter distributions.
Phenolics Extracted from Jasminum sambac Mitigates Diabetic Cardiomyopathy by Modulating Oxidative Stress, Apoptotic Mediators and the Nfr-2/HO-1 Pathway in Alloxan-Induced Diabetic Rats
Authors: Umar Urooj , Ahmed Sibtain , Iftikhar Asra , Iftikhar Maryam , Majeed Wafa , Liaqat Atika , Shahzad Sana , Abbas Mateen , Mehmood Tahir , Anwar Farooq
Published: July 2023

Diabetes mellitus is a chronic metabolic disorder defined as hyperglycemia and pancreatic β-cell deterioration, leading to other complications such as cardiomyopathy. The current study assessed the therapeutic effects of phenolic acids extracted from Jasminum sambac phenols of leaves (JSP) against diabetes-induced cardiomyopathy in rats. The rats were divided into four groups, with each group consisting of 20 rats. The rats were given intraperitoneal injections of alloxan monohydrate (150 mg/kg) to induce diabetes. The diabetes-induced groups (III and IV) received treatment for six weeks that included 250 and 500 mg/kg of JSP extract, respectively. In the treated rats, the results demonstrated that JSP extract restored fasting glucose, serum glucose, and hyperlipidemia. Alloxan induced cardiomyopathy, promoted oxidative stress, and altered cardiac function biomarkers, including cardiac troponin I, proBNP, CK-MB, LDH, and IMA. The JSP extract-treated rats showed improved cardiac function indicators, apoptosis, and oxidative stress. In diabetic rats, the mRNA expression of caspase-3, BAX, and Bcl-2 was significantly higher, while Bcl-2, Nrf-2, and HO-,1 was significantly lower. In the treated groups, the expression levels of the BAX, Nrf-2, HO-1, Caspase-3, and Bcl-2 genes were dramatically returned to normal level. According to our findings, the JSP extract prevented cardiomyopathy and heart failure in the hyperglycemic rats by improving cardiac biomarkers and lowering the levels of hyperlipidemia, oxidative stress, apoptosis, hyperglycemia, and hyperlipidemia.
Quercitrin Is a Novel Inhibitor of Salmonella enterica Serovar Typhimurium Type III Secretion System
Authors: Li Qingjie , Wang Lianping , Xu Jingwen , Liu Shuang , Song Zeyu , Chen Tingting , Deng Xuming , Wang Jianfeng , Lv Qianghua
Published: July 2023

The purpose was to screen type III secretory system (T3SS) inhibitors of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium) from natural compounds. The pharmacological activities and action mechanisms of candidate compounds in vivo and in vitro were systematically studied and analyzed. Using a SipA-β-lactamase fusion reporting system, we found that quercitrin significantly blocked the translocation of SipA into eukaryotic host cells without affecting the growth of bacteria. Adhesion and invasion assay showed that quercitrin inhibited S. Typhimurium invasion into host cells and reduced S. Typhimurium mediated host cell damage. β-galactosidase activity detection and Western blot analysis showed that quercitrin significantly inhibited the expression of SPI-1 genes (hilA and sopA) and effectors (SipA and SipC). The results of animal experiments showed that quercitrin significantly reduced colony colonization and alleviated the cecum pathological injury of the infected mice. Small molecule inhibitor quercitrin directly inhibited the function of T3SS and provided a potential antibiotic alternative against S. Typhimurium infection. Importance: T3SS plays a crucial role in the bacterial invasion and pathogenesis of S. Typhimurium. Compared with conventional antibiotics, small molecules could inhibit the virulence factors represented by S. Typhimurium T3SS. They have less pressure on bacterial vitality and a lower probability of producing drug resistance. Our results provide strong evidence for the development of novel inhibitors against S. Typhimurium infection.
Self-Aggregation, Antimicrobial Activity and Cytotoxicity of Ester-Bonded Gemini Quaternary Ammonium Salts: The Role of the Spacer
Authors: Liang Yaqin , Li Hui , Ji Jiahui , Wang Jiayu , Ji Yujie
Published: July 2023

Five ester-bonded gemini quaternary ammonium surfactants C12-En-C12 (n = 2, 4, 6), with a flexible spacer group, and C12-Bm-C12 (m = 1, 2), with rigid benzene spacers, were synthesized via a two-step reaction and analyzed. Furthermore, the effects of the spacer structure, spacer length and polymerization degree on the self-aggregation, antimicrobial activity and cytotoxicity of C12-En-C12 and C12-Bm-C12 and their corresponding monomer N-dodecyl-N,N,N-trimethyl ammonium chloride DTAC were investigated. The results showed that C12-En-C12 and C12-Bm-C12 had markedly lower critical micellar concentration (CMC) values and lower surface tension than DTAC. Moreover, the CMC values of C12-En-C12 and C12-Bm-C12 decreased with increasing spacer length. In the case of equivalent chain length, the rigidity and steric hindrance of phenylene and 1,4-benzenediyl resulted in larger CMC values for C12-Bm-C12 than for C12-En-C12. The antibacterial ability of C12-En-C12 and C12-Bm-C12 was assessed using Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus albus (S. aureus) based on minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs). Furthermore, C12-En-C12 and C12-Bm-C12 exhibited higher antimicrobial activity than DTAC and had stronger function toward S. aureus than E. coli. The antimicrobial activity was enhanced by increasing the spacer chain length and decreased with the increased rigidity of the spacers. The cytotoxic effects of C12-En-C12 and C12-Bm-C12 in cultured Hela cells were evaluated by the standard CCK8 method based on half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50). The cytotoxicity of C12-En-C12 and C12-Bm-C12 was significantly lower than alkanediyl-α,ω-bis(dimethyldodecylammonium) bromide surfactants and DTAC. The spacer structure and the spacer length could induce significant cytotoxic effects on Hela cells. These findings indicate that the five ester-bonded GQASs have stronger antibacterial activity and lower toxicity profile, and thus can be used in the pharmaceutical industry.
Semi-Interpenetrating Network Anion Exchange Membranes by Thiol–Ene Coupling Reaction for Alkaline Fuel Cells and Water Electrolyzers
Authors: Jin Zhiyu , Zou Xiuyang , Xu Guodong , Sun Zhe , Yan Feng
Published: July 2023

In this work, a thiol–ene coupling reaction was employed to prepare the semi-interpenetrating polymer network AEMs. The obtained QP-1/2 membrane exhibits high hydroxide conductivity (162.5 mS cm−1 at 80 °C) with a relatively lower swelling ratio, demonstrating its mechanical strength of 42 MPa. This membrane is noteworthy for its improved alkaline stability, as the semi-interpenetrating network effectively limits the attack of hydroxide. Even after being treated in 2 M NaOH at 80 °C for 600 h, 82.5% of the hydroxide conductivity is maintained. The H2/O2 fuel cell with QP-1/2 membrane displays a peak power density of 521 mW cm−2. Alkaline water electrolyzers based on QP-1/2 membrane demonstrated a current density of 1460 mA cm−2 at a cell voltage of 2.00 V using NiCoFe catalysts in the anode. All the results demonstrate that a semi-interpenetrating structure is a promising way to enhance the mechanical property, ionic conductivity, and alkaline stability of AEMs for the application of alkaline fuel cells and water electrolyzers.
Fast and Sensitive Bioanalytical Method for the Determination of Deucravacitinib in Human Plasma Using HPLC-MS/MS: Application and Greenness Evaluation
Authors: Mahesh Pottabattula , Haque M. Akiful , Salman Baher I. , Belal Tarek S. , Ibrahim Adel Ehab , El Deeb Sami
Published: July 2023

Plaque psoriasis is a common, long-lasting illness that affects the immune system and causes significant negative impacts on a patient’s physical health, well-being, and ability to work effectively. Deucravacitinib (DEU) is the first oral medication used in the treatment of plaque psoriasis, a chronic skin condition that causes red, scaly patches on the skin. DEU is a type of medication called an oral Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitor, which works by blocking specific enzymes that play a role in the inflammation and immune response associated with psoriasis. Therefore, a quick, easy, novel, reliable, sensitive, and straightforward liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) approach was used to analyze DEU in plasma samples. The LC-MS/MS method for the determination of DEU in human plasma was based on using trimethoprim as an internal standard (IS). The separation of DEU and IS was carried out via liquid–liquid extraction (LLE). The extract was then subjected to the chromatographic system separation using the ACE-C18 column (4.6 × 100 mm, 5 µm). The mobile phase employed consisted of methanol and a solution of 2 mM ammonium formate (80:20 v/v, respectively). The flow rate used was set at 0.9 mL min−1. The creative strategy was performed by running an ABSCIEX API 4000 mass spectrometer with an electron spray ionization source in multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode. The ion transitions m/z 426.3 → 358.2 were used for DEU quantitation, while the ion transitions m/z 291.1 → 261.1 were used for trimethoprim quantitation. The accuracy, precision, linearity, recovery, and selectivity of DEU were deemed acceptable when validated for a concentration range between 0.500 and 601.050 ng/mL, utilizing a weighting factor of 1/x2.
Photoredox-Catalyzed Synthesis of 3-Sulfonylated Pyrrolin-2-ones via a Regioselective Tandem Sulfonylation Cyclization of 1,5-Dienes
Authors: Ding Ran , Li Liang , Yu Ya-Ting , Zhang Bing , Wang Pei-Long
Published: July 2023

A mild, visible-light-induced, regioselective cascade sulfonylation-cyclization of 1,5-dienes with sulfonyl chlorides through the intermolecular radical addition/cyclization of alkenes C(sp2)-H was developed. This procedure proceeds well and affords a mild and efficient route to a range of monosulfonylated pyrrolin-2-ones at room temperatures.
Enhanced Predictive Value of Lipid Accumulation Product for Identifying Metabolic Syndrome in the General Population of China
Authors: Shao Qi , Li Jing , Wu Yiling , Liu Xing , Wang Na , Jiang Yonggen , Zhao Qi , Zhao Genming
Published: July 2023

The purpose of this research was to evaluate the lipid accumulation product (LAP)’s accuracy and predictive value for identifying metabolic syndrome (MS) in the general Chinese population compared with other obesity indicators. Baseline survey information from a population-based cohort study carried out in Shanghai’s Songjiang District was used in this research. Odds ratios (OR) and a 95% confidence interval (CI) were obtained by logistic regression. The ability of each variable to detect MS was assessed using the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC). The optimum cut-off point for each indicator was selected using Youden’s index. The survey involved 35,446 participants in total. In both genders, the prevalence of MS rose as the LAP increased (p < 0.001). The LAP’s AUC was 0.901 (95%CI: 0.895–0.906) in males and 0.898 (95%CI: 0.893–0.902) in females, making it substantially more predictive of MS than other variables (BMI, WC, WHR, WHtR). The optimal cutoff point of the LAP for men and women was 36.04 (Se: 81.91%, Sp: 81.06%) and 34.95 (Se: 80.93%, Sp: 83.04%). The Youden index of the LAP was 0.64 for both sexes. Our findings imply that the LAP, compared to other obesity markers in China, is a more accurate predictor of MS.
Caffeine for Headaches: Helpful or Harmful? A Brief Review of the Literature
Authors: Zduńska Anna , Cegielska Joanna , Zduński Sebastian , Domitrz Izabela
Published: July 2023

Consumption of caffeine in the diet, both daily and occasional, has a significant biological effect on the nervous system. Caffeine, through various and not yet fully investigated mechanisms, affects headaches. This is especially noticeable in migraine. In other headaches such as hypnic headache, post-dural puncture headache and spontaneous intracranial hypotension, caffeine is an important therapeutic agent. In turn, abrupt discontinuation of chronically used caffeine can cause caffeine-withdrawal headache. Caffeine can both relieve and trigger headaches.
Low-Bacterial Diet in Cancer Patients: A Systematic Review
Authors: Matteucci Sofia , De Pasquale Giulia , Pastore Manuela , Morenghi Emanuela , Pipitone Veronica , Soekeland Fanny , Caccialanza Riccardo , Mazzoleni Beatrice , Mancin Stefano
Published: July 2023

The low-bacterial diet (LBD) is a widely used dietary regimen to reduce the risk of food-borne infections in patients with neutropenic cancer, but its role is controversial due to its unclear benefits. The purpose of this study was to provide an updated analysis of the available evidence on the efficacy of the LBD to reduce the risk of infections, mortality rates, and quality of life (QoL) in neutropenic patients with cancer. A systematic literature search was conducted in the biomedical databases Cochrane Library, PubMed, CINHAL, and EMBASE. The process of the screening, selection, inclusion of articles, and assessment of risk of bias and methodological quality was conducted by two reviewers. Of the 1985 records identified, 12 were included. The LBD demonstrated heterogeneity in definition, composition, and initiation timing; moreover, the LBD did not demonstrate a reduction in infection and mortality rates compared to a free diet, showing a negative correlation with quality of life. The LBD, in addition to not bringing benefits in terms of reductions in infection and mortality rates, has been shown to worsen the quality of life due to the reduced palatability and limited variety of the food supply, negatively impacting nutritional status.
Chlorogenic Acid Inhibits Ceramide Accumulation to Restrain Hepatic Glucagon Response
Authors: Xiao Na , Zhang Tengfei , Han Mingli , Tian Dan , Liu Jiawei , Li Shan , Yang Lele , Pan Guojun
Published: July 2023

Chlorogenic acid (CGA), a dietary natural phenolic acid, has been widely reported to regulate glucose and lipid metabolism. However, the protective effects and the underlying mechanisms of CGA on glucagon-induced hepatic glucose production remain largely uncharacterized. Herein, we investigated the efficacy of CGA on hepatic gluconeogenesis both in vivo and in vitro. The elevated levels of endogenous glucose production induced by infusion of glucagon or pyruvate were lowered in mice administered with CGA. Furthermore, chronic CGA treatment ameliorated the accumulation of glucose and ceramide in high-fat diet (HFD)-fed mice. CGA also attenuated HFD-fed-induced inflammation response. The protective effect of CGA on glucose production was further confirmed in primary mouse hepatocytes by inhibiting accumulation of ceramide and expression of p38 MAPK. Moreover, CGA administration in HFD-fed mice preserved the decreased phosphorylation of Akt in the liver, resulting in the inhibition of FoxO1 activation and, ultimately, hepatic gluconeogenesis. However, these protective effects were significantly attenuated by the addition of C2 ceramide. These results suggest that CGA inhibits ceramide accumulation to restrain hepatic glucagon response.
Colour Parameters and Changes of Tea-Stained Resin Composite Exposed to Whitening Pen (In Vitro Study)
Authors: Alhotan Abdulaziz , Abdelraouf Rasha M. , Alhijji Saleh , De Vera Merry Angelyn Tan , Sufyan Aref , Matinlinna Jukka P. , Hamdy Tamer M.
Published: July 2023

Background: One of the crucial factors influencing the longevity of anterior aesthetic dental restorations is the colour stability of resin composites. Bleaching and whitening have become popular methods for enhancing dental aesthetics. Home whitening techniques, such as special pens, are widely available commercially. This in vitro study aimed to determine the efficiency of a whitening pen in removing tea stains from resin composite by measuring colour differences (ΔE00). Additionally, the study aimed to evaluate the variations in colour parameters measured by extra-oral and intra-oral spectrophotometers. Methods: A total of 45 disc-shaped resin composite specimens were randomly divided into three groups; Group 1: stored in artificial saliva (control), Group 2: stored in artificial saliva followed by a whitening pen application, and Group 3: stored in tea followed by a whitening pen application. Colour measurements were taken three times for each specimen using two spectrophotometers (extra-oral and intra-oral devices); T1: before storage (baseline), T2: after storage in artificial saliva or tea for 6 days; and T3: after one week of whitening pen application in groups 2 and 3. The data were statistically analyzed using one-way ANOVA followed by the Tukey post hoc test (p ≤ 0.05). The independent sample t-test was also employed. The equation of CIEDE2000 (ΔE00) was used to calculate the colour difference between the dry, as-prepared specimens (baseline), and those after storage or bleaching. The colour changes exceeding the acceptability threshold (∆E00 = 1.8) were considered unacceptable. Results: After whitening, the colour of the specimens stored in brewed tea (Group 3) remained unacceptable, as indicated by both the extra-oral and intra-oral spectrophotometers (ΔE00 = 4 and 2.9, respectively). Groups 1 and 2 exhibited lower ΔE00 values than Group 3 (p = 0.01 *). No significant difference was observed between Group 1 (stored in artificial saliva) and Group 2 (stored in artificial saliva and then bleached) (p = 0.3). Significant differences were consistently observed between the data obtained from the extra-oral spectrophotometer and the intra-oral one. Conclusions: The whitening pen proved ineffective in removing tea stains from resin composites. Although significant differences were found between the values obtained by the two spectrophotometers (extra-oral and intra-oral), both devices confirmed the unacceptable colour of the tea-stained resin composites after whitening.
Discussing the Relationship between Father and Son, Ruler and Subjects in the Xiaojing: Based on the Dunhuang Manuscripts
Authors: Chen Bisheng
Published: July 2023

It has long been accepted that the ancient Chinese ruler–subjects relationship was a metaphorical extension of the father–son relationship, where loyalty and family reverence were considered synonymous. The Confucian classic the Xiaojing is taken as a significant piece of evidence supporting this view. However, based on the annotated version of the Xiaojing discovered in Dunhuang, it is evident that during the Han Dynasty and the Six Dynasties period, Confucian scholars made clear distinctions between father–son relationships and ruler–subjects relationships. They also made a clear differentiation between the moral connotations of loyalty and family reverence. The father–son relationship is a bond of blood, while the ruler–subjects relationship is a bond of duty and appropriateness, meaning that the ethical requirements for the father–son relationship and ruler–subjects relationship are fundamentally different. Therefore, expressions such as “service to ruler with family reverence is loyalty” does not mean to unify loyalty and family reverence, but means that the governor should select people who have already cultivated the virtue of family reverence to become officials because they have learnt how to show respect in their family life.
Liberation Theologies and Their Future: Rethinking Categories and Popular Participation in Liberation
Authors: Rieger Joerg , Silva Priscila
Published: July 2023

The first generation of Latin American liberation theologies was marked by the methodological status of the preferential option for the poor. In the following generations, this commitment was further developed in the struggle for a new way of doing theology, even more connected to material life, and disciplines such as history and economics were added. With this, the organizational structures of life in society started to be discussed in more critical, systemic, and prophetic ways. Especially thinking of the Latin American and US contexts, the production of theology derived from this intersectionality seeks not only to highlight and analyze the economic structures that cause exploitation (class), inequalities (gender and sexuality), and racism, but to identify how religion undergirds solidarity movements. The method applied to discuss these themes is bibliographical research. As a broad conclusion, this article indicates that future liberation theologies should discuss what the multiple victims of capitalism (always the majority of the population, never merely a minority) do in order to survive, related to the alternatives they create; discuss solidarity as the foundation that opposes social evil; and discuss the illusions of individualism that cover up both existing relationships of exploitation as well as solidarity.
Unsupervised Low-Light Image Enhancement via Virtual Diffraction Information in Frequency Domain
Authors: Zhang Xupei , Qin Hanlin , Yu Yue , Yan Xiang , Yang Shanglin , Wang Guanghao
Published: July 2023

With the advent of deep learning, significant progress has been made in low-light image enhancement methods. However, deep learning requires enormous paired training data, which is challenging to capture in real-world scenarios. To address this limitation, this paper presents a novel unsupervised low-light image enhancement method, which first introduces the frequency-domain features of images in low-light image enhancement tasks. Our work is inspired by imagining a digital image as a spatially varying metaphoric “field of light”, then subjecting the influence of physical processes such as diffraction and coherent detection back onto the original image space via a frequency-domain to spatial-domain transformation (inverse Fourier transform). However, the mathematical model created by this physical process still requires complex manual tuning of the parameters for different scene conditions to achieve the best adjustment. Therefore, we proposed a dual-branch convolution network to estimate pixel-wise and high-order spatial interactions for dynamic range adjustment of the frequency feature of the given low-light image. Guided by the frequency feature from the “field of light” and parameter estimation networks, our method enables dynamic enhancement of low-light images. Extensive experiments have shown that our method performs well compared to state-of-the-art unsupervised methods, and its performance approximates the level of the state-of-the-art supervised methods qualitatively and quantitatively. At the same time, the light network structure design allows the proposed method to have extremely fast inference speed (near 150 FPS on an NVIDIA 3090 Ti GPU for an image of size 600×400×3). Furthermore, the potential benefits of our method to object detection in the dark are discussed.
An Enhanced Flower Pollination Algorithm with Gaussian Perturbation for Node Location of a WSN
Authors: Zheng Jun , Yuan Ting , Xie Wenwu , Yang Zhihe , Yu Dan
Published: July 2023

Localization is one of the essential problems in internet of things (IoT) and wireless sensor network (WSN) applications. However, most traditional range-free localization algorithms cannot fulfill the practical demand for high localization accuracy. Therefore, a localization algorithm based on an enhanced flower pollination algorithm (FPA) with Gaussian perturbation (EFPA-G) and the DV-Hop method is proposed.FPA is widely applied, but premature convergence still cannot be avoided. How to balance its global exploration and local exploitation capabilities still remains an outstanding problem. Therefore, the following improvement schemes are introduced. A search strategy based on Gaussian perturbation is proposed to solve the imbalance between the global exploration and local exploitation search capabilities. Meanwhile, to fully exploit the variability of population information, an enhanced strategy is proposed based on optimal individual and Lévy flight. Finally, in the experiments with 26 benchmark functions and WSN simulations, the former verifies that the proposed algorithm outperforms other state-of-the-art algorithms in terms of convergence and search capability. In the simulation experiment, the best value for the normalized mean squared error obtained by the most advanced algorithm, RACS, is 20.2650%, and the best value for the mean distance error is 5.07E+00. However, EFPA-G reached 19.5182% and 4.88E+00, respectively. It is superior to existing algorithms in terms of positioning, accuracy, and robustness.
Vertical Network Relationships, Technological Capabilities, and Innovation Performance: The Moderating Role of Strategic Flexibility
Authors: Zhang Meng , Qi Yong
Published: July 2023

Innovation is the key driver for companies to maintain sustainable growth. In an open innovation environment, leveraging network relationships is an effective way to obtain the resources required by an enterprise to improve its innovation performance. However, existing studies have not reached a consensus on whether network relationships are favorable to innovation activities. This study aims to fill this gap using resource-based theory and social network theory. It examines the paths through which and the conditions under which vertical network relationships affect innovation performance. The empirical results show that: (1) vertical network relationships have a significant positive effect on innovation performance; (2) strategic flexibility positively regulates vertical network relationships and innovation performance; and (3) technological capabilities have a significant positive effect on innovation performance and play a mediating role between vertical network relationships and innovation performance. This study reveals the intrinsic mechanism whereby network relationships affect innovation performance and provides new ideas for how companies can improve their innovation performance and thus achieve sustainable development.
Short-Term Power Load Forecasting in Three Stages Based on CEEMDAN-TGA Model
Authors: Hong Yan , Wang Ding , Su Jingming , Ren Maowei , Xu Wanqiu , Wei Yuhao , Yang Zhen
Published: July 2023

Short-term load forecasting (STLF) is crucial for intelligent energy and power scheduling. The time series of power load exhibits high volatility and complexity in its components (typically seasonality, trend, and residuals), which makes forecasting a challenge. To reduce the volatility of the power load sequence and fully explore the important information within it, a three-stage short-term power load forecasting model based on CEEMDAN-TGA is proposed in this paper. Firstly, the power load dataset is divided into the following three stages: historical data, prediction data, and the target stage. The CEEMDAN (complete ensemble empirical mode decomposition with adaptive noise) decomposition is applied to the first- and second-stage load sequences, and the reconstructed intrinsic mode functions (IMFs) are classified based on their permutation entropies to obtain the error for the second stage. After that, the TCN (temporal convolutional network), GRU (gated recurrent unit), and attention mechanism are combined in the TGA model to predict the errors for the third stage. The third-stage power load sequence is predicted by employing the TGA model in conjunction with the extracted trend features from the first and second stages, as well as the seasonal impact features. Finally, it is merged with the error term. The experimental results show that the forecast performance of the three-stage forecasting model based on CEEMDAN-TGA is superior to those of the TCN-GRU and TCN-GRU-Attention models, with a reduction of 42.77% in MAE, 46.37% in RMSE, and 45.0% in MAPE. In addition, the R2 could be increased to 0.98. It is evident that utilizing CEEMDAN for load sequence decomposition reduces volatility, and the combination of the TCN and the attention mechanism enhances the ability of GRU to capture important information features and assign them higher weights. The three-stage approach not only predicts the errors in the target load sequence, but also extracts trend features from historical load sequences, resulting in a better overall performance compared to the TCN-GRU and TCN-GRU-Attention models.
Exploring Pre-Service STEM Teachers’ Capacity to Teach Using a Gender-Responsive Approach
Authors: Miralles-Cardona Cristina , Kitta Ioanna , Cardona-Moltó María-Cristina
Published: July 2023

Teachers’ perceived efficacy of their ability to teach using a gender approach is key for future generations to become more gender-sensitive and respectful towards gender inequities. However, little is known about graduate training for gender-responsive STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) teaching. In this study, after exploring the measurement invariance across countries (Greece and Spain) and sexes (male and female) of the TEGEP (Teacher Self-Efficacy for Gender Equality Practice) scale, a total of 222 prospective secondary school STEM teachers (136 Greek, 86 Spanish) from seven public universities were surveyed. Results showed that (1) the TEGEP has acceptable measurement invariance across countries and among sexes allowing comparison between groups and (2) that Greek and Spanish STEM students finish their master studies without sufficient confidence in gender knowledge, skills, and attitudes to practice a gender-sensitive teaching. The ability to teach gender knowledge was significantly higher in Greek than in Spanish students (4.52 vs. 4.03), while the latter felt more competent than the Greek students in conveying values/attitudes in regard to gender (4.54 vs. 4.83). The study calls for reflection, and considering that gender mainstreaming in STEM is anecdotal and not aligned with existing curricula, seeks to raise awareness and institutional compromise in implementing a gender-responsive approach in STEM. The TEGEP could be utilized to assess and monitor the gender competencies required of graduates in order to provide a more equitable and gender-sensitive STEM education in Greece and Spain.
Sustainable Strategies for the Indian Coal Sector: An Econometric Analysis Approach
Authors: Mishra Animesh , Das Niladri , Chhetri Prem
Published: July 2023

Thermal power generation based on coal has been identified as the second largest polluting industry due to the greenhouse gas emissions caused by coal combustion. The pollution caused by this industry is not limited to power generation, but it also manifests itself throughout the use of products. Although a huge emphasis has been placed on replacing coal-based power generation with renewable resources, we showed that Indian power generation will depend on coal for more than fifty percent of its demand in the near future. In our study, we utilized a combination of linear cointegration, non-linear cointegration, ARIMA, and the VECM to forecast the use of coal based on the Indian industrial index and the amount of electricity generated through coal combustion required to meet the demand. Given that pollution and carbon emissions are inherent in the coal usage cycle, we drafted policy implications and recommendations to mitigate the consequences, green the coal usage cycle, and improve the coal supply chain.
Mechanical Properties of Polypropylene Fiber Recycled Brick Aggregate Concrete and Its Influencing Factors by Gray Correlation Analysis
Authors: Gong Shangwei , Bai Lichao , Tan Zhenyu , Xu Lina , Bai Xiaohong , Huang Zhanfang
Published: July 2023

Making construction waste into raw materials for recycled concrete is beneficial for resource conservation and environmental protection. This paper investigated the effects of different recycled brick aggregate (RBA) replacement rates (30%, 50%, 70%, and 100%) and different contents of polypropylene fibers (PPFs) (0.08%, 0.10%, 0.12%, 0.16%, and 0.2%) on the mechanical properties of recycled brick concrete. Gray correlation was also used to analyze the degree of effect factors on the mechanical properties of concrete. The results showed that the mechanical properties decreased when the natural coarse aggregate (NCA) was replaced with RBA, while PPFs could better improve the mechanical properties of RBA concrete. The improvement of compressive and flexural properties was optimal when the PPF content was 0.12%; the improvement of tensile properties was optimal when the PPF content was 0.2%. In addition, PPFs significantly improved the toughness of RBA concrete. The gray correlation degrees between compressive strength (tensile strength, flexural strength) and NCA, RBA, and PPFs were 0.8964 (0.8691, 0.8935), 0.7301 (0.6530, 0.7074), and 0.5873 (0.5870, 0.5840), respectively.
Peach–Potato Aphid Myzus persicae: Current Management Strategies, Challenges, and Proposed Solutions
Authors: Ali Jamin , Bayram Ahmet , Mukarram Mohammad , Zhou Fanrui , Karim Muhammad Fazal , Hafez Mogeda Mohammed Abdel , Mahamood Mohammad , Yusuf Abdullahi Ahmed , King Patricia Jie Hung , Adil Muhammad Faheem , Ma Zhengxin , Shamsi Imran Haider
Published: July 2023

The peach–potato aphid, Myzus persicae (Sulzer), is one of the most important pests of economic crops. It damages the plant directly by consuming nutrients and water and indirectly by transmitting plant viruses. This pest has the unenviable title of having resistance to more insecticides than any other herbivorous insect pest. Due to the development of its resistance to chemical pesticides, it is necessary to find other control options. Consequently, increased efforts worldwide have been undertaken to develop new management approaches for M. persicae. In this review, we highlight the problems associated with the peach–potato aphid, its economic importance, and current management approaches. This review also describes the challenges with current management approaches and their potential solutions, with special focus given to the evolution of insecticidal resistance and sustainable pest management strategies, such as biocontrol agents, entomopathogens, the use of natural plant-derived compounds, and cultural methods. Furthermore, this review provides some successful approaches from the above eco-friendly pest management strategies that show high efficacy against M. persicae.
The Impact Path of Digital Literacy on Farmers’ Entrepreneurial Performance: Based on Survey Data in Jiangsu Province
Authors: Ji Shiyu , Zhuang Jincai
Published: July 2023

In the era of digital economy, digital literacy plays an important role in the process of enabling farmers’ entrepreneurship with digital technology. However, there are few studies in the literature on the impact and mechanism of digital literacy on farmers’ entrepreneurial performance. From the perspective of digital literacy, combining high-level theory and resource-based theory, this paper constructed a chain intermediary model of “digital literacy–entrepreneurial bricolage–entrepreneurial opportunity identification–entrepreneurial performance” based on the logical chain of “resource–opportunity–performance”. A hierarchical regression analysis and bootstrap method were used to analyze 308 samples of effective entrepreneurial farmers. The results show the following: (1) Digital literacy has a significant positive impact on the entrepreneurial performance of rural households. (2) Entrepreneurial bricolage and entrepreneurial opportunity identification play an intermediary role between rural households’ digital literacy and entrepreneurial performance. (3) There is a chain mediating effect of “digital literacy–entrepreneurial bricolage–entrepreneurial opportunity identification–entrepreneurial performance”. The research conclusions can broaden the research on the pre-influencing factors of farmers’ entrepreneurial performance and the driving effect of digital literacy and provide enlightenment on how to promote the improvement of farmers’ entrepreneurial performance and rural social and economic sustainable development.
Choquet Integral-Based Aczel–Alsina Aggregation Operators for Interval-Valued Intuitionistic Fuzzy Information and Their Application to Human Activity Recognition
Authors: Garg Harish , Tehreem  , Nguyen Gia Nhu , Alballa Tmader , Khalifa Hamiden Abd El-Wahed
Published: July 2023

Human activity recognition (HAR) is the process of interpreting human activities with the help of electronic devices such as computer and machine version technology. Humans can be explained or clarified as gestures, behavior, and activities that are recorded by sensors. In this manuscript, we concentrate on studying the problem of HAR; for this, we use the proposed theory of Aczel and Alsina, such as Aczel–Alsina (AA) norms, and the derived theory of Choquet, such as the Choquet integral in the presence of Atanassov interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy (AIVIF) set theory for evaluating the novel concept of AIVIF Choquet integral AA averaging (AIVIFC-IAAA), AIVIF Choquet integral AA ordered averaging (AIVIFC-IAAOA), AIVIF Choquet integral AA hybrid averaging (AIVIFC-IAAHA), AIVIF Choquet integral AA geometric (AIVIFC-IAAG), AIVIF Choquet integral AA ordered geometric (AIVIFC-IAAOG), and AIVIF Choquet integral AA hybrid geometric (AIVIFC-IAAHG) operators. Many essential characteristics of the presented techniques are shown, and we also identify their properties with some results. Additionally, we take advantage of the above techniques to produce a technique to evaluate the HAR multiattribute decision-making complications. We derive a functional model for HAR problems to justify the evaluated approaches and to demonstrate their supremacy and practicality. Finally, we conduct a comparison between the proposed and prevailing techniques for the legitimacy of the invented methodologies.