bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Fiber Temperature Sensor Based on Vernier Effect and Optical Time Stretching Method
Authors: Lin Weihao , Liu Yuhui , Liu Yibin , Shum Perry Ping , Vai Mang I
Published: December 2022

A novel method for ultra-sensitive and ultra-fast temperature sensing has been successfully implemented by cascading Saganc rings to generate the Vernier effect and doing the same dispersive fibers to achieve the optical time-stretching effect. This is different from the traditional point fiber sensor demodulated by optical spectrum analyzer (OSA) whose demodulation speed is usually at the second level. The designed system maps the wavelength domain to the time domain through the dispersive fiber, which can realize the ultra-fast temperature monitoring at the nanosecond level. The cascaded Sagnac ring is composed of polarization maintaining fiber (PMF) which is significantly affected by the thermal-optical coefficient. When the temperature changes, the variation is as high as −6.228 nm/°C, which is 8.5 times higher than the sensitivity based on the single Sagnac ring system. Furthermore, through the optical time stretching scheme, the corresponding response sensitivity is increased from 0.997 ns/°C to 7.333 ns/°C, and the magnification is increased 7.4 times with a response speed of 50 MHz.
Flexible Low-Loss Thin Flimsy Stripline for High-Speed Connections
Authors: Lin Jau-Jr , Tsai Yi-Da
Published: December 2022

Increasing numbers of antennas are being placed inside laptop screen bezels. Connections between antennas and laptop bases have become challenging owing to space limitations. Thus, this paper proposes a flexible low-loss thin flimsy stripline structure for high-speed applications. The cable should be sufficiently thin to avoid causing a water ripple effect while under the screen panel. Furthermore, the cable should be sufficiently flexible to traverse the hinges between the laptop screen and base. This study aims to design a cable with a total thickness of less than 0.6 mm and an insertion loss of less than 10 dB/m at a frequency of 6 GHz. Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), a flexible material, can be used to meet these requirements. We simulate the characteristics of various PTFE layer thicknesses. The trend shows a thicker PTFE layer and lower insertion loss. Finally, we fabricate and test two structures with different thicknesses. Both thicknesses are less than 0.6 mm, and the insertion losses are less than 10 dB/m at 6 GHz. We demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed design and fabrication process for these applications through simulations and measurements.
Paleostress Analysis in the Northern Birjand, East of Iran: Insights from Inversion of Fault-Slip Data
Authors: Ezati Maryam , Rashidi Ahmad , Gholami Ebrahim , Mousavi Seyed Morteza , Nemati Majid , Shafieibafti Shahram , Derakhshani Reza
Published: December 2022

This research assessed stress regimes and fields in eastern Iran using fault-slip data and the tectonic events associated with these changes. Our stress analysis of the brittle structures in the Shekarab Mountains revealed significant changes in stress regimes from the late Cretaceous to the Quaternary. Reconstructing stress fields using the age and sense of fault movements showed that during the late Cretaceous, the direction of the maximum horizontal stress axes (σ1) under a compressional stress regime was ~N290°. This stress regime led to the uplifting of ophiolites and peridotites in eastern Iran. During the Eocene, the σ1 direction was NE-SW. The late Eocene and Oligocene stress states showed two distinct transpression and transtension stress regimes. This transition from transpression to transtension in the eastern Shekarab Mountains was the consequence of regional variations in stress regimes. The Quaternary stress state indicates that the tectonic regime in the Quaternary is strike-slip and the σ1 direction is ~N046°, which coincides with the current convergence direction of the Arabia–Eurasia plates. Our paleostress analysis revealed that four distinct stress regimes have been recognized in the area, including compressional, transtensional, transpressional, and strike-slip regimes. Our findings indicated that the diversity of the tectonic regimes was responsible for the formation of a variety of geological structures, including folds with different axes, faults with different mechanisms, and the current configuration of the Sistan suture zone.
MetS Prevalence and Its Association with Dietary Patterns among Chinese Middle-Aged and Elderly Population: Results from a National Cross-Sectional Study
Authors: Song Pengkun , Zhang Xiaona , Li Yuqian , Man Qingqing , Jia Shanshan , Zhang Jian , Ding Gangqiang
Published: December 2022

The prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) increased dramatically over the past years among adults in a separate province in China; little is known about newly diagnosed MetS in middle-aged and above residents nationwide. We investigated the prevalence of MetS and its components, the dietary patterns, and their relationship among the middle-aged and above population of China by using data from a national cross-sectional survey. General information involving lifestyles and health stations was collected, and dietary intake using a 3-day 24 h dietary recall and weighing method for edible oil and condiments was conducted. Height, weight, waist circumference, and blood pressure were measured, and fasting serum lipids and glucose were tested by trained clinical staff. Dietary patterns were derived from 23 food categories by using cluster analysis, and a multivariate logistic regression model was used to evaluate the odd ratio of MetS and its component across obtained dietary patterns. The estimated prevalence of MetS was 37.1% among 40,909 middle-aged and older participants in the study. Participants were classified into diversity pattern, northern pattern, and southern pattern that, respectively, accounted for 9.8%, 47.2%, and 43.0% of the total. Compared with those inclined to the northern pattern, participants prone to the southern pattern decreased the risk of MetS (OR = 0.81, 95%CI: 0.75- 0.87; p < 0.001), central obesity (OR = 0.70, 95%CI: 0.65–0.76; p < 0.001), and HDL-C (OR = 0.82, 95%CI: 0.76–0.89; p < 0.001), and elevated BP (OR = 0.86, 95%CI: 0.79–0.93; p < 0.001) respectively. However, participants of the southern pattern tended to have a higher risk of elevated glucose; the OR (95%CI) was 1.13 (1.05, 1.22; p = 0.002) after adjusting for potential confounding factors. Greater adherence to diverse dietary patterns was negatively related to the risk of central obesity and elevated blood pressure with an OR (95%CI) of 0.82 (0.71, 0.94; p = 0.005) and 0.77 (0.67, 0.88; p < 0.001), respectively. We concluded that dietary improvement and health promotion for MetS should be based on the district-specific nutritional status of the Chinese middle-aged and elderly population.
Sex-Specific Associations of Red Meat and Processed Meat Consumption with Serum Metabolites in the UK Biobank
Authors: Fan Bohan , Zhao Jie
Published: December 2022

Red meat consumption has been found to closely related to cardiometabolic health, with sex disparity. However, the specific metabolic factors corresponding to red meat consumption in men and women have not been examined previously. We analyzed the sex-specific associations of meat consumption, with 167 metabolites using multivariable regression, controlling for age, ethnicity, Townsend deprivation index, education, physical activity, smoking, and drinking status among ~79,644 UK Biobank participants. We also compared the sex differences using an established formula. After accounting for multiple testing with false discovery rate < 5% and controlling for confounders, the positive associations of unprocessed red meat consumption with branched-chain amino acids and several lipoproteins, and the inverse association with glycine were stronger in women, while the positive associations with apolipoprotein A1, creatinine, and monounsaturated fatty acids were more obvious in men. For processed meat, the positive associations with branched-chain amino acids, several lipoproteins, tyrosine, lactate, glycoprotein acetyls and inverse associations with glutamine, and glycine were stronger in women than in men. The study suggests that meat consumption has sex-specific associations with several metabolites. This has important implication to provide dietary suggestions for individuals with or at high risk of cardiometabolic disease, with consideration of sex difference.
Virulence Profile, Antibiotic Resistance, and Phylogenetic Relationships among Escherichia coli Strains Isolated from the Feces and Urine of Hospitalized Patients
Authors: Santos-Neto José F. , Santos Ana C. M. , Nascimento Júllia A. S. , Trovão Liana O. , Santos Fernanda F. , Valiatti Tiago B. , Gales Ana C. , Marques Ana L. V. R. , Pinaffi Isabel C. , Vieira Mônica A. M. , Silva Rosa M. , Falsetti Ivan N. , Gomes Tânia A. T.
Published: December 2022

Extra-intestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli (ExPEC) may inhabit the human gut microbiota without causing disease. However, if they reach extra-intestinal sites, common cystitis to bloodstream infections may occur, putting patients at risk. To examine the human gut as a source of endogenous infections, we evaluated the E. coli clonal diversity of 18 inpatients’ guts and their relationship with strains isolated from urinary tract infection (UTI) in the same hospital. Random amplified polymorphic DNA evaluated the clonal diversity, and the antimicrobial susceptibility was determined by disk diffusion. One isolate of each clone detected was sequenced, and their virulome and resistome were determined. Overall, 177 isolates were screened, among which 32 clones were identified (mean of two clones per patient), with ExPEC strains found in over 75% of the inpatients’ guts. Endogenous infection was confirmed in 75% of the cases. ST10, ST59, ST69, ST131, and ST1193 clones and critical mobile drug-resistance encoding genes (blaCTX-M-15, blaOXA-1, blaDHA-1, aac(6′)-lb-cr, mcr-1.26, qnrB4, and qnrB19) were identified in the gut of inpatients. The genomic analysis highlighted the diversity of the fecal strains, colonization by lactose-negative E. coli, the high frequency of ExPEC in the gut of inpatients without infections, and the presence of β-lactamase producing E. coli in the gut of inpatients regardless of the previous antibiotics’ usage. Considering that we found more than one ExPEC clone in the gut of several inpatients, surveillance of inpatients’ fecal pathogens may prevent UTI caused by E. coli in the hospital and dissemination of risk clones.
Survey on Limnic Gastropods: Relationships between Human Health and Conservation
Authors: Coelho Paulo R. S. , Ker Fabricio T. O. , Araujo Amanda D. , Pinto Hudson A. , Negrão-Corrêa Deborah A. , Caldeira Roberta L. , Geiger Stefan M.
Published: December 2022

The present work aimed to study ecological aspects related to the distribution pattern of medically important and native freshwater mollusks, found in a rural municipality in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. Malacological captures were carried out in aquatic environments (lentic and lotic) from 46 locations between October 2018 and September 2019. The collected specimens were subjected to taxonomic identification and evaluation for infection with trematode larvae. Qualitative data were used to analyze the similarity and the odds ratios between the environmental variables. In total, 1125 specimens were sampled, belonging to the following species: Biomphalaria glabrata, B. tenagophila, B. straminea, B. kuhniana, B. cousini, Biomphalaria sp., and Drepanotrema cimex (Planorbidae), Stenophysa marmorata (Physidae), Omalonyx sp. (Succineidae), Pseudosuccinea columella (Lymnaeidae), and Pomacea sp. (Ampullaridae). Echinostome, strigeocercaria, and xiphidiocercaria types of larval trematodes were detected in S. marmorata and D. cimex. Of note was the similarity in the distribution of S. marmorata, a supposedly endangered species, with that of the medically important Biomphalaria species, with the two sharing environments. This complex scenario led us to reflect on and discuss the need for the control of important intermediate hosts, as well as the conservation of endangered species. This relevant issue has not yet been discussed in detail, in Brazil or in other countries that recommend snail control.
Campylobacter fetus Bacteremia Related to Vascular Prosthesis and Pseudoaneurysm Infection: A Case Report and Review
Authors: Dobrović Karolina , Fila Branko , Janeš Andrea , Civljak Rok
Published: December 2022

Background. Campylobacter fetus rarely causes gastrointestinal diseases but shows an affinity for the endovascular epithelium. Methods. We describe a case of C. fetus bacteremia related to vascular prosthesis and pseudoaneurysm infection, with a review of the literature. Results. A 67-year-old male was admitted with a history of fever, weakness and painful swelling of the groin. After unsuccessful treatment with ciprofloxacin, the patient was transferred to our hospital, where he had been previously treated for aortoiliac occlusive disease including a prosthetic aortobifemoral and popliteal bypass with polyester graft placement. An angiography showed a pseudoaneurysm in the groin and, therefore, repair of the pseudoaneurysm, removal of the prosthesis and biologic graft placement were performed. Blood cultures and tissue samples of the vascular prosthesis and pseudoaneurysm yielded C. fetus resistant to ciprofloxacin. The patient was treated with meropenem for four weeks, followed by amoxicillin-clavulanate for another two weeks after discharge. Eight previously published cases of C. fetus bacteremia due to infected cardiovascular prosthetic devices (prosthetic heart valves, implantable cardioverter-defibrillators and a permanent pacemaker) were summarized in the review. Conclusions. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a C. fetus bacteremia related to post-surgical infection of a vascular prosthesis causing a pseudoaneurysm.
Sodium Danshensu Cream Promotes the Healing of Pressure Ulcers in Mice through the Nrf2/HO-1 and NF-κB Pathways
Authors: Yang Fei , Shen Cuizhen
Published: December 2022

On the basis of the mice pressure ulcers (PU) model, the protective effect and potential mechanism of sodium Danshensu (SDSS) cream against PU were investigated. The mice were randomly divided into three groups: the negative control group (cream without 0.5 g SDSS), the SDSS group (cream containing 0.5 g SDSS), and the positive group (0.5 g Hirudoid®). After 7 and 14 days of ointment application, the wound-healing rate of the SDSS and positive groups was significantly higher than that of the control group (p < 0.05). The results of hematoxylin–eosin staining also indicated that SDSS has the potential to promote the healing of PU. In addition, the serum IL-6, IL-1β, TNF-α, and MDA levels decreased significantly (p < 0.01) after 14 days of SDSS treatment, while the SOD, CAT, and GSH-Px activities increased significantly (p < 0.01). In addition, SDSS cream was able to significantly increase the expression of Nrf2, HO-1, GCLM, NQO1, NF-κB p65, NF-κB p50, IKKα, and IKKβ while decreasing the expression of Keap1 and IκBαin the Nrf2/HO-1 and NF-κB pathways. Our research will provide a foundation for the future clinical prevention and treatment of PU with SDSS cream.
A Possible Explanation for the Low Penetrance of Pathogenic KCNE1 Variants in Long QT Syndrome Type 5
Authors: Déri Szilvia , Hartai Teodóra , Virág László , Jost Norbert , Labro Alain J. , Varró András , Baczkó István , Nattel Stanley , Ördög Balázs
Published: December 2022

Long QT syndrome (LQTS) is an inherited cardiac rhythm disorder associated with increased incidence of cardiac arrhythmias and sudden death. LQTS type 5 (LQT5) is caused by dominant mutant variants of KCNE1, a regulatory subunit of the voltage-gated ion channels generating the cardiac potassium current IKs. While mutant LQT5 KCNE1 variants are known to inhibit IKs amplitudes in heterologous expression systems, cardiomyocytes from a transgenic rabbit LQT5 model displayed unchanged IKs amplitudes, pointing towards the critical role of additional factors in the development of the LQT5 phenotype in vivo. In this study, we demonstrate that KCNE3, a candidate regulatory subunit of IKs channels minimizes the inhibitory effects of LQT5 KCNE1 variants on IKs amplitudes, while current deactivation is accelerated. Such changes recapitulate IKs properties observed in LQT5 transgenic rabbits. We show that KCNE3 accomplishes this by displacing the KCNE1 subunit within the IKs ion channel complex, as evidenced by a dedicated biophysical assay. These findings depict KCNE3 as an integral part of the IKs channel complex that regulates IKs function in cardiomyocytes and modifies the development of the LQT5 phenotype.
Facile Entry to Pharmaceutically Important 3-Difluoromethyl-quinoxalin-2-ones Enabled by Visible-Light-Driven Difluoromethylation of Quinoxalin-2-ones
Authors: Fu Kai-Zhong , Chen Xu-Xin , Zhao Ya-Shi , Gu Yuan-Qing , Liu Guo-Kai
Published: December 2022

CF2H moiety has a significant potential utility in drug design and discovery, and the incorporation of CF2H into biologically active molecules represents an important and efficient strategy for seeking lead compounds and drug candidates. On the other hand, quinoxalin-2-one is of great interest to pharmaceutical chemists as a common skeleton frequently occurring in plenty of natural products and bioactive compounds. Herein, we reported a practical and efficient protocol for the synthesis of 3-CF2H-quinoxalin-2-ones. Thus, in the presence of 3 mol% of photocatalyst and S-(difluoromethyl)sulfonium salt as difluoromethyl radical sources, a wide range of quinoxalin-2-ones readily underwent a visible-light redox-catalyzed difluoromethylation reaction, to deliver structurally diverse 3-difluoromethyl-quinoxalin-2-ones. We believe that this would facilitate increasing chances and possibilities for seeking potential lead compounds and drug candidates and further boost the development of fluorine-containing pharmaceuticals.
Cationic Liposomes with Different Lipid Ratios: Antibacterial Activity, Antibacterial Mechanism, and Cytotoxicity Evaluations
Authors: Lu Pengpeng , Zhang Xinping , Li Feng , Xu Ke-Fei , Li Yan-Hong , Liu Xiaoyang , Yang Jing , Zhu Baofeng , Wu Fu-Gen
Published: December 2022

Due to their strong bacterial binding and bacterial toxicity, cationic liposomes have been utilized as effective antibacterial materials in many studies. However, few researchers have systematically compared their antibacterial activity with their mammalian cell cytotoxicity or have deeply explored their antibacterial and cytotoxicity mechanisms. Here, we prepared a series of cationic liposomes (termed CLs) using dimethyldioctadecylammonium chloride (DODAC) and lecithin at different molar ratios. CLs have the ability to effectively bind with Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria through electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions. Further, the CLs with high molar ratios of DODAC (30 and 40 mol%) can disrupt the bacterial wall/membrane, efficiently inducing the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). More importantly, we carefully compared the antibacterial activity and the mammalian cell cytotoxicity of various CLs differing in DODAC contents and liposomal concentrations and revealed that, whether they are bacterial or mammalian cells, an increasing DODAC content in CLs can lead to an elevated cytotoxicity level. Further, there exists a critical DODAC contents (>20 mol%) in CLs to endow them with effective antibacterial ability. However, the variation in the DODAC content and liposomal concentration of CLs has different degrees of influence on the antibacterial activity or cytotoxicity. For example, CLs at high DODAC content (i.e., CL0.3 and CL0.4) could effectively kill both types of bacterial cells but only cause negligible toxicity to mammalian cells. We believe that a systematic comparison between the antibacterial activity and the cytotoxicity of CLs with different DODAC contents will provide an important reference for the potential clinical applications of cationic liposomes.
Polysaccharide-Based Nanomedicines Targeting Lung Cancer
Authors: Bhat Asif Ahmad , Gupta Gaurav , Alharbi Khalid Saad , Afzal Obaid , Altamimi Abdulmalik S. A. , Almalki Waleed Hassan , Kazmi Imran , Al-Abbasi Fahad A. , Alzarea Sami I. , Chellappan Dinesh Kumar , Singh Sachin Kumar , MacLoughlin Ronan , Oliver Brian G , Dua Kamal
Published: December 2022

A primary illness that accounts for a significant portion of fatalities worldwide is cancer. Among the main malignancies, lung cancer is recognised as the most chronic kind of cancer around the globe. Radiation treatment, surgery, and chemotherapy are some medical procedures used in the traditional care of lung cancer. However, these methods lack selectivity and damage nearby healthy cells. Several polysaccharide-based nanomaterials have been created to transport chemotherapeutics to reduce harmful and adverse side effects and improve response during anti-tumour reactions. To address these drawbacks, a class of naturally occurring polymers called polysaccharides have special physical, chemical, and biological characteristics. They can interact with the immune system to induce a better immunological response. Furthermore, because of the flexibility of their structures, it is possible to create multifunctional nanocomposites with excellent stability and bioavailability for the delivery of medicines to tumour tissues. This study seeks to present new views on the use of polysaccharide-based chemotherapeutics and to highlight current developments in polysaccharide-based nanomedicines for lung cancer.
Natural Products from Mangroves: An Overview of the Anticancer Potential of Avicennia marina
Authors: Cerri Federico , Giustra Marco , Anadol Yaprak , Tomaino Giulia , Galli Paolo , Labra Massimo , Campone Luca , Colombo Miriam
Published: December 2022

Exploring the potential of natural extracts for pharmaceutical applications in the treatment of different diseases is an emerging field of medical research, owing to the tremendous advantages that they can offer. These include compound sustainability due to the natural origin and virtually unlimited availability. In addition, they contribute to promoting the countries in which they are extracted and manufactured. For this reason, wild active compounds derived from plants are attracting increasing interest due to their beneficial properties. Among them, Avicennia marina has been recently recognized as a potential source of natural substances with therapeutic activities for anti-cancer treatment. A. marina beneficially supplies different chemical compounds, including cyclic triterpenoids, flavonoids, iridoids, naphtaquinones, polyphenols, polysaccharides, and steroids, most of them exhibiting potent antitumor activity. The in vivo and in vitro studies on different models of solid tumors demonstrated its dose-dependent activity. Moreover, the possibility to formulate the A. marina extracted molecules in nanoparticles allowed researchers to ameliorate the therapeutic outcome of treatments exploiting improved selectivity toward cancer cells, thus reducing the side effects due to nonspecific spread.
Genome-Wide Identification and Expression Analysis of the 14-3-3 (TFT) Gene Family in Tomato, and the Role of SlTFT4 in Salt Stress
Authors: Jia Chunping , Guo Bin , Wang Baike , Li Xin , Yang Tao , Li Ning , Wang Juan , Yu Qinghui
Published: December 2022

The 14-3-3 proteins, which are ubiquitous and highly conserved in eukaryotic cells, play an essential role in various areas of plant growth, development, and physiological processes. The tomato is one of the most valuable vegetable crops on the planet. The main objective of the present study was to perform genome-wide identification and analysis of the tomato 14-3-3 (SlTFT) family to investigate its response to different abiotic stresses and phytohormone treatments in order to provide valuable information for variety improvement. Here, 13 SlTFTs were identified using bioinformatics methods. Characterization showed that they were categorized into ε and non-ε groups with five and eight members, accounting for 38.5% and 61.5%, respectively. All the SlTFTs were hydrophilic, and most of them did not contain transmembrane structural domains. Meanwhile, the phylogeny of the SlTFTs had a strong correlation with the gene structure, conserved domains, and motifs. The SlTFTs showed non-random chromosomal distribution, and the promoter region contained more cis-acting elements related to abiotic stress tolerance and phytohormone responses. The results of the evolutionary analysis showed that the SlTFTs underwent negative purifying selection during evolution. Transcriptional profiling and gene expression pattern analysis showed that the expression levels of the SlTFTs varied considerably in different tissues and periods, and they played a specific role under various abiotic stresses and phytohormone treatments. Meanwhile, the constructed protein-based interaction network systematically broadens our understanding of SlTFTs. Finally, the virus-induced gene silencing of SlTFT4 affected the antioxidant and reactive oxygen species defense systems, increased the degree of cellular damage, and reduced salt resistance in tomatoes.
Effects of Soil Water Shortage on Seedling Shoot and Root Growth of Saragolle Lucana Tetraploid Wheat (Triticum durum Desf.) Landrace
Authors: Bochicchio Rocco , Labella Rosanna , Rossi Roberta , Perniola Michele , Amato Mariana
Published: December 2022

Ancient wheats may be a source of traits that are useful for the tolerance of climate change foreseen conditions of raising temperatures and low water availability. Previous research has shown a fine root system and a high mass of rhizosheath per unit root mass in the italian durum wheat (Triticum durum Desf) landrace Saragolle Lucana, and this may be relevant for successfully facing adverse conditions during seedling establishment. We investigated the effect of soil water shortage in Saragolle seedlings on root architecture, rhizosheath formation and biomass allocation. Pot experiments were conducted by comparing two levels of soil available water content (AWC): WW (100% of AWC) and DS (50% of AWC). Phenology was delayed by eight days in DS and above and belowground traits were measured at Zadoks 1.3 for each treatment. Biometric data collected at the same phenological stage show that DS plants did not reach the levels of biomass, surface area and space occupation of WW even after attaining the same developmental stage. Namely, plant dimensions were lower at low soil water availability, with the exception of rhizosheath production: DS yielded a 50% increase in rhizosheath mass and 32% increase in rhizosheath mass per unit root mass. The proportion of plant mass reduction in DS was 29.7% for aboveground parts and 34.7% for roots, while reductions in leaf and root surface areas exceeded 43%. The root/shoot mass and area ratios were not significantly different between treatments, and a higher impact on aboveground than on belowground traits at reduced available water was shown only by a lower ratio of shoot height to root depth in DS than in WW. Increases in rhizosheath in absolute and relative terms, which were observed in our experiment in spite of smaller root systems in the ancient durum wheat variety Saragolle lucana at DS, may provide an interesting trait for plant performance in conditions of low soil water availability both for water-related issue and for other effects on plant nutrition and relations with the rhizosphere.
Salinity-Induced Physiological Changes in Pea (Pisum sativum L.): Germination Rate, Biomass Accumulation, Relative Water Content, Seedling Vigor and Salt Tolerance Index
Authors: Khan Mohammad Ayub Hossain , Baset Mia Md. Abdul , Quddus Md. Abdul , Sarker Khokan Kumer , Rahman Mohibur , Skalicky Milan , Brestic Marian , Gaber Ahmed , Alsuhaibani Amnah Mohammed , Hossain Akbar
Published: December 2022

Salinity affects and limits the yield potential of pulse crops. Therefore, an experiment was conducted to evaluate the salinity-induced physiological response of field peas by estimating the germination rate (%), accumulation of biomass, relative water content, and seedling vigor and salt tolerance index. The treatments included four salinity levels (NaCl) (i.e., 0 (control), 8, 12, and 16 dS m−1, respectively) and eight field pea genotypes (i.e., BD4175, BD4182, BD4225, BD6944, BD4176, BD4193, BD4493, and BD4496). All treatments were arranged in a factorial completely randomized design and repeated four times. Results indicated that the percentage and rate of germination, percentage reduction of fresh and dry weight, relative water content, seedling vigor index, and salt tolerant index of all genotypes of field peas were influenced significantly by the different levels of salinity. The radicle and plumule of all field pea genotypes were damaged by applying 12 and 16 dS m−1 salt stress. However, among these eight pea genotypes, two genotypes, namely BD4175 and BD4225, performed better under the 8 dS m−1 level of salinity and these two genotypes may be recommended for cultivation in field conditions of saline coastal areas of Bangladesh, and can also be used in future breeding programs for the development of salt-tolerant pea cultivars.
Gene Editing Profiles in 94 CRISPR-Cas9 Expressing T0 Transgenic Tobacco Lines Reveal High Frequencies of Chimeric Editing of the Target Gene
Authors: Song Guo-Qing , Urban Grace , Ryner John T. , Zhong Gan-Yuan
Published: December 2022

Chimeric editing is often reported in gene editing. To assess how the general chimeric editing is, we created a transgenic tobacco line carrying a marker, beta-glucuronidase gene (gusA), introduced a CRISPR-Cas9 editing vector into the transgenic tobacco line for knocking out gusA, and then investigated the gusA editing efficiencies in T0 and subsequent generations. The editing vector carried a Cas9 gene, which was driven by the cauliflower mosaic virus 35S promoter, and two guide RNAs, gRNA1 and gRNA2, which were driven by Arabidopsis U6 (AtU6) and U3 (AtU3) promoter, respectively. The two gRNAs were designed to knock out a 42-nucleotide fragment of the coding region of gusA. The editing vector was transformed into gusA-containing tobacco leaves using Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation and hygromycin selection. Hygromycin-resistant, independent T0 transgenic lines were used to evaluate gusA-editing efficiencies through histochemical GUS assays, polymerase chain reactions (PCR), and next-generation sequencing of PCR amplicons. Profiles of targeted sequences of 94 T0 transgenic lines revealed that these lines were regenerated from non-edited cells where subsequent editing occurred and created chimeric-edited cells in these lines during or after regeneration. Two of them had the target fragment of 42 bp pairs of nucleotides removed. Detail analysis showed that on-target mutations at the AtU6-gRNA1 site and the AtU3-gRNA2 site were found in 4.3% and 77.7% of T0 transgenic lines, respectively. To overcome the issue of extremely low editing efficiencies in T0 lines, we conducted a second round of shoot induction from the chimeric line(s) to enhance the success of obtaining lines with all or most cells edited. The mutation profiles in T0 transgenic lines provide valuable information to understand gene editing in plant cells with constitutively expressed CRISPR-Cas9 and gRNAs.
Effect of Different Tillage Practices on Sunflower (Helianthus annuus) Cultivation in a Crop Rotation System with Intercropping Triticosecale-Pisum sativum
Authors: Molla Aikaterini , Charvalas Georgios , Dereka Maria , Skoufogianni Elpiniki
Published: December 2022

The objective of this work was to investigate the effect of different soil tillage practices on sunflower cultivation in a rotation system with intercropping of Triticosecale-Pisum sativum. For this purpose, a two-year experimental field with a 5% slope was established in central Greece. There were four treatments with three replications each. The treatments were as follows: (a) no tillage planting parallel to the contour (NTC-PAC), (b) conventional tillage planting parallel to the contour (CTC-PAC), (c) no tillage planting perpendicular to the contour (NTC-PEC), and (d) conventional tillage planting perpendicular to the contour (CTC-PEC). During the experiment, the plant height, leaf area index, specific leaf area, plants’ total nitrogen, and plants’ proteins were measured. According to the results, the plant height ranged from 64.9 (CTC-PAC) to 85.2 cm (NTC-PEC) for the first year and between 66.5–86.5 cm in for the CTC-PAC and NTC-PEC treatments in the second year. Furthermore, the leaf area index (LAI) and specific leaf area (SLA), plants’ total nitrogen and protein content and N-uptake were affected positively by the no tillage practice. To conclude, sunflower is a promising crop in a rotation system intercropping Triticosecale-Pisum sativum, cultivated under rainfed sloping conditions.
Interaction of Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid and Ca2+ on Phenolic Compounds Bioaccumulation in Soybean Sprouts under NaCl Stress
Authors: Xie Chong , Sun Maomao , Wang Pei , Yang Runqiang
Published: December 2022

NaCl stress can enhance the accumulation of phenolic compounds in soybean during germination. In the present study, effects of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and Ca2+ on the biosynthesis of phenolic compounds in soybean sprouts germinated with NaCl stress were investigated. Results showed that addition of Ca2+ increased the content of total phenolics, phenolic acids, and isoflavonoids in soybean sprouts by ca. 15%, 7%, and 48%, respectively, through enhancing the activities of three key enzymes involved in the biosynthesis. On the other hand, addition of LaCl3, a calcium channel blocker, inhibited the synthesis of phenolic compounds, indicating that Ca2+ plays an important role in the synthesis of these compounds in soybean sprouts. Addition of GABA can increase the content of Ca2+ in soybean sprouts by ca. 20% and alleviate the inhibition of LaCl3 on phenolics biosynthesis in soybean sprouts. Similarly, addition of Ca2+ can reverse the inhibition of 3-mercaptopropionate, an inhibitor of endogenous GABA synthesis, on the biosynthesis of phenolic compounds in soybean sprouts under NaCl stress. To conclude, both GABA and Ca2+ can enhance the biosynthesis of phenolic compounds in soybean sprouts and there was an interaction between their effects on the promotion of phenolic compounds biosynthesis.
Seasonal and Spatial Variability of Phytoplankton Primary Production in a Shallow Temperate Coastal Lagoon (Ria Formosa, Portugal)
Authors: Domingues Rita B.
Published: December 2022

Coastal lagoons are among the most productive ecosystems in the world, and they provide a wide range of ecosystem services and resources. In the Ria Formosa (southern Portugal), phytoplankton production has rarely been addressed. The main goal of this study is thus to evaluate the variability of phytoplankton production and photosynthetic characteristics over the seasonal cycle and in different locations (landward, urban, intermediate, and seaward boundaries) of the Ria Formosa coastal lagoon, subjected to distinct natural and anthropogenic stressors. Primary production was evaluated using the 14C incorporation technique, and photosynthetic parameters were estimated by fitting photosynthesis-irradiance curves. Primary production showed significant seasonal variations, with higher values in the summer associated with lower euphotic depths, higher water temperatures, and higher nutrient concentrations. No spatial differences were found for primary production or photosynthetic parameters. Primary production values were lower than previous estimates, which reflects an improvement in water quality in the Ria Formosa, but values are higher than primary production estimates for other temperate coastal ecosystems, which reflects the highly productive nature of this coastal lagoon.
Enhancing the Mechanical Properties of Waterborne Polyurethane Paint by Graphene Oxide for Wood Products
Authors: Xu Dandan , Liang Guotao , Qi Yanran , Gong Ruizhi , Zhang Xingquan , Zhang Yumin , Liu Baoxuan , Kong Linglong , Dong Xiaoying , Li Yongfeng
Published: December 2022

Water-based polyurethane paint is widely used for wood furniture by virtue of the eco-friendliness, rich gloss, and flexible tailorability of its mechanical properties. However, its low solution (water or alcohol) resistance and poor hardness and wear resistance limit its application. The emerging graphene oxide has a high specific surface area and abundant functional groups with excellent mechanical properties, endowing it with great potential to modify waterborne polyurethane as a nanofiller. In this study, graphene oxide prepared by Hummers’ method is introduced in the chemosynthetic waterborne polyurethane through physical blending. The testing results demonstrate that the appropriate usage of graphene oxide at 0.1 wt% could obviously improve water absorption resistance and alcohol resistance, significantly enhancing the mechanical properties of waterborne polyurethane paint. The corresponding tensile strength, abrasion resistance, and pendulum hardness of the graphene oxide-modified paint film increase by 62.23%, 14.76%, and 12.7%, respectively, compared with the pristine paint film. Meanwhile, the composite paint film containing graphene oxide possesses superiority, including gloss, abrasion resistance, pendulum hardness, and tensile strength in contrast with the commercial paint. The use of graphene oxide to enhance the waterborne polyurethane possesses strong operability and practical value, and could provide useful reference for the modification of waterborne wood paint.
Comparison of Five Models for Estimating the Water Retention Service of a Typical Alpine Wetland Region in the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau
Authors: Sun Meiling , Hu Jian , Chen Xueling , Lü Yihe , Yang Lixue
Published: December 2022

Model evaluation of water retention (WR) services has been commonly applied for national or global scientific assessment and decision making. However, evaluation results from different models are significantly uncertain, especially on a small regional scale. We compared the spatial–temporal variations and driving factors of the WR service by five models (i.e., the InVEST model (InVEST), precipitation storage model (PRS), water balance model I (WAB I), water balance model II (WAB II), and NPP-based surrogate model (NBS) based on partial correlation analysis and spatial statistics on the Ramsar international alpine wetland region of the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau (QTP). The results showed that the wetland area continued to decrease, and built-up land increased from 2000 to 2015. The average WR volume ranged from 2.50 to 13.65 billion m3·yr−1, with the order from high to low being the PRS, WAB I, WAB II, and InVEST models, and the average total WR capacity was 2.21 × 109 by the NBS model. The WR service followed an increasing trend from north to south by the InVEST, PRS, WAB I, and WAB II models, while the NBS model presented a river network pattern of high values. The WR values were mainly reduced from 2000 to 2010 and increased from 2010 to 2015 in the PRS, WAB I, WAB II, and InVEST models, but the NBS model showed the opposite trend. Precipitation determined the spatial distribution of WR service in the InVEST, PRS, WAB I, and WAB II models. Still, the spatial variation was affected by climate factors, while the NPP data influenced the NBS model. In addition, the InVEST model in estimating WR values in wetlands and the PRS and WAB I models poorly estimate runoff, while the WAB II model might be the most accurate. These findings help clarify the applicability of the WR models in an alpine wetland region and provide a valuable background for improving the effectiveness of model evaluation.
Comparison between Supervised and Unsupervised Learning for Autonomous Delamination Detection Using Impact Echo
Authors: Jafari Faezeh , Dorafshan Sattar
Published: December 2022

Impact echo (IE) is a non-destructive evaluation method commonly used to detect subsurface delamination in reinforced concrete bridge decks. Existing analysis methods are based on frequency domain which can lead to inaccurate assessments of reinforced concrete bridge decks since they do not consider features of the IE signals in the time domain. The authors propose a new method for IE classification by combining features in the time and the frequency domains. The features used in this study included normalized peak values, energy, power, time of peaks, and signal lengths that were extracted from IE signals after they are preprocessed. We used a dataset containing IE data collected from four in-service bridges, annotated using chain dragging. A support vector machine (SVM) classifier was constructed using combined features to classify IE signals. A 1DCNN with unfiltered IE signals and a two-dimensional CNN using wavelet scalograms (2D representations of unfiltered IE signals) were also used to classify IE signals. The SVM model performed significantly better than the other models, with an accuracy rate, true positive rate, and true negative rate of 97%, 92%, and 98%, respectively. The SVM model also generated more accurate defect maps for all investigated bridges. IE data from the Federal Highway Administration’s InfoBridge website were used to investigate the efficacy of the developed models. The investigation yielded promising results for the proposed SVM model when used for a new set of IE data.
Quantitatively Disentangling the Geographical Impacts of Topography on PM2.5 Pollution in China
Authors: Wen Youyue , Xiao Jianneng , Yang Jian , Cai Saoman , Liang Minxuan , Zhou Peng
Published: December 2022

Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) pollution’s passive effects on public health have attracted a great deal of attention. Extensive studies have tried to uncover the impacts of external drivers on PM2.5 pollution variation; however, the topography’s effects on PM2.5 pollution remain poorly understood. Using annual high-resolution concentration estimates for PM2.5, this paper quantitatively disentangled the geographical impacts of topography on the PM2.5 pollution in China and quantified the mountain blocking effects on the PM2.5 pollution dispersion on a macro scale. The results show that, in China, the plains and surrounding platforms and hills tend to suffer from long-term severe PM2.5 pollution. The most polluted topography type is the plains. In comparison, regions such as high-altitude mountains and plateaus are less affected by PM2.5 pollution. Mountains have significant and evident blocking effects on the cross-regional spread of PM2.5 pollution. Generally, Level I mountains (high elevation, density and coverage mountains) provide better blocking effects than Level II (middle elevation, density and coverage mountains) mountains and Level III mountains (low elevation, density and coverage mountains). The mountains’ blocking effects begin to play an efficient role when their altitudes reach a certain value; however, the exact altitude values vary by different mountains with a value of 163 m for all typical mountains with absolute PM2.5 concentration differences between their two sides greater than 10 μg/m3. In heavily polluted areas, PM2.5 pollution may overflow where the surrounding mountains are not high enough or the mountains’ stretch breaks. This study can provide key theoretical support for air pollution modelling and regional air pollution joint prevention and control.
From Modeling to Sensing of Micro-Doppler in Radio Communications
Authors: Morge-Rollet Louis , Le Jeune Denis , Le Roy Frédéric , Canaff Charles , Gautier Roland
Published: December 2022

The Doppler effect in radio systems has been widely explored by the radio communication community. However, these studies have been limited to simple motion such as linear translation. This paper presents a model for the Doppler modulation effect, i.e., the effect of complex movement on the received signal, using a geometrical approach. Particularly, we focused on studying micro-Doppler in radio communications produced by vibrations. Exploiting this phenomenon would allow the performance of passive micro-Doppler effect sensing based on communication. In this paper, we also propose signal processing techniques to detect the presence of the micro-Doppler effect and to estimate its parameters. Then, we present some experiments which highlight the micro-Doppler effect in a radio communication context. Finally, the end of the paper discusses some potential applications that exploit this phenomenon.
Multispectral Characteristics of Glacier Surface Facies (Chandra-Bhaga Basin, Himalaya, and Ny-Ålesund, Svalbard) through Investigations of Pixel and Object-Based Mapping Using Variable Processing Routines
Authors: Jawak Shridhar D. , Wankhede Sagar F. , Luis Alvarinho J. , Balakrishna Keshava
Published: December 2022

Fundamental image processing methods, such as atmospheric corrections and pansharpening, influence the signal of the pixel. This morphs the spectral signature of target features causing a change in both the final spectra and the way different mapping methods may assign thematic classes. In the current study, we aim to identify the variations induced by popular image processing methods in the spectral reflectance and final thematic maps of facies. To this end, we have tested three different atmospheric corrections: (a) Quick Atmospheric Correction (QUAC), (b) Dark Object Subtraction (DOS), and (c) Fast Line-of-Sight Atmospheric Analysis of Hypercubes (FLAASH), and two pansharpening methods: (a) Hyperspherical Color Sharpening (HCS) and (b) Gram–Schmidt (GS). WorldView-2 and WorldView-3 satellite images over Chandra-Bhaga Basin, Himalaya, and Ny-Ålesund, Svalbard are tested via spectral subsets in traditional (BGRN1), unconventional (CYRN2), visible to near-infrared (VNIR), and the complete available spectrum (VNIR_SWIR). Thematic mapping was comparatively performed using 12 pixel-based (PBIA) algorithms and 3 object-based (GEOBIA) rule sets. Thus, we test the impact of varying image processing routines, effectiveness of specific spectral bands, utility of PBIA, and versatility of GEOBIA for mapping facies. Our findings suggest that the image processing routines exert an extreme impact on the end spectral reflectance. DOS delivers the most reliable performance (overall accuracy = 0.64) averaged across all processing schemes. GEOBIA delivers much higher accuracy when the QUAC correction is employed and if the image is enhanced by GS pansharpening (overall accuracy = 0.79). SWIR bands have not enhanced the classification results and VNIR band combination yields superior performance (overall accuracy = 0.59). The maximum likelihood classifier (PBIA) delivers consistent and reliable performance (overall accuracy = 0.61) across all processing schemes and can be used after DOS correction without pansharpening, as it deteriorates spectral information. GEOBIA appears to be robust against modulations in atmospheric corrections but is enhanced by pansharpening. When utilizing GEOBIA, we find that a combination of spatial and spectral object features (rule set 3) delivers the best performance (overall accuracy = 0.86), rather than relying only on spectral (rule set 1) or spatial (rule set 2) object features. The multiresolution segmentation parameters used here may be transferable to other very high resolution (VHR) VNIR mapping of facies as it yielded consistent objects across all processing schemes.