bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
In vitro evaluation of sodium butyrate on the growth of three Salmonella serovars derived from pigs at a mild acidic pH value
Authors: Hollmann Isabell , Lingens Jan Berend , Chuppava Bussarakam , Wilke Volker , Abd El-Wahab Amr , Buch Juhle , Hankel Julia , Ahmed Marwa F. E. , Visscher Christian
Published: July 2022

Foodborne zoonotic diseases can be transferred into the food chain at the stage of livestock farming. As an emerging public health challenge, practicable reduction measures in porcine health management forSalmonellaare constantly being investigated. Thisin vitrostudy aimed to determine the influence of six different sodium butyrate (SB) concentrations (0, 5, 10, 20, 40, and 80 mM) on the growth of three differentSalmonella entericaserovars at a constant pH value of 6.0, corresponding to conditions in the pig's hindgut.S. Derby andS. Typhimurium, isolated from a pig farm, andS. Typhimurium DSM 19587, which served as control, were used. Broth microdilution assay was applied to recordSalmonellagrowth in the presence of different SB-concentrations over six different incubation periods (0, 1, 2, 4, 6, and 24 h). Results were quantified in the log colony-forming units (log10CFU/mL). For 1 h incubation, the addition of SB showed no significant differences in the range of initialSalmonelladose of about 5.7 log10between concentrations (0–80 mM, 5.26 ± 0.10–5.60 ± 0.07 log10,p> 0.05). After 6 h, for SB addition, the range ofSalmonellacounts was significantly lower compared to no addition of SB (5–80 mM,p< 0.05), 6.78 ± 0.84–7.90 ± 0.10 log10for 5 mM, and 7.53 ± 0.04–8.71 ± 0.22 log10for 0 mM. Moreover, for SB concentrations of 40 and 80 mM, no difference in the range ofSalmonellacounts over 6 h was obtained (5.23 ± 0.11–5.38 ± 0.05 log10,p> 0.05), and minorSalmonellagrowth was recorded at the earliest after 24 h incubation. Growth rates for varying SB concentrations and incubation times were confirmed in a similar manner for the three serovars. Obtained results suggest that increasing SB concentrations suppressSalmonellagrowth for concentrations of 5–20 mM over a 6 h incubation period and for 40 and 80 mM over a 24 h incubation period. When transferring thesein vitrofindings to the porcine organism, it may be assumed thatSalmonellareduction can be achieved by increased butyrate content in the chyme of the large intestine.
Dietary licorice flavonoids powder improves serum antioxidant capacity and immune organ inflammatory responses in weaned piglets
Authors: Yin Shenggang , You Ting , Tang Jiayong , Wang Longqiong , Jia Gang , Liu Guangmang , Tian Gang , Chen Xiaoling , Cai Jingyi , Kang Bo , Zhao Hua
Published: July 2022

Weaning often induces oxidative stress and inflammatory response in piglets. This study investigated the effects of dietary licorice flavonoids powder (LFP) supplementation on antioxidant capacity and immunity in weaned piglets. Notably, 96 Landrace × Yorkshire × Duroc (DLY) weaned piglets were randomly allocated to four treatments with 6 replicates (4 animals per replicate) and fed with diet supplementation with 0, 50, 150, and 250 mg/kg LFP, respectively. The trial lasted for 5 weeks. The results showed that dietary LFP supplementation effectively increased the liver index (P< 0.05). In addition, dietary LFP supplementation reduced serum aspartate aminotransferase activity (P< 0.01). Piglets fed with 50 mg/kg LFP decreased total cholesterol and HDL-C content in serum (P< 0.05) and increased serum alkaline phosphatase activity (P< 0.01). Similarly, supplementation with 150 mg/kg LFP elevated the activity of total antioxidant capability (T-AOC) in serum (P< 0.01) and dietary with 150 and 250 mg/kg LFP increased T-AOC activity in spleen (P< 0.01). Moreover, dietary with 150 mg/kg LFP addition enhanced (P< 0.05) the serum IgG content of piglets. Additionally, compared with the control group, dietary 250 mg/kg LFP supplementation upregulated (P< 0.05) the mRNA abundance ofInterleukin(IL)-1β andmonocyte chemoattractant protein 1 (MCP-1)in the spleen. Meanwhile, dietary 150 and 250 mg/kg LFP supplementation downregulated (P< 0.05) mRNA abundance ofIL-10, andMCP-1and 250 mg/kg LFP upregulated (P< 0.05) the expression ofintercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1), IL-1β,IL-6, andtumor necrosis factorα(TNF-α)in the thymus. In conclusion, LFP supplementation improved the immune function of piglets by regulating the activity of serum biochemical enzymes, improving the antioxidant capacity, and alleviating inflammation of immune organs. This study indicated that LFP is potential alternative protection against early weaned stress in piglets.
Pointing Out Opportunities to Increase Grassland Pastures Productivity via Microbial Inoculants: Attending the Society’s Demands for Meat Production with Sustainability
Authors: Guimarães Gabriel Silva , Rondina Artur Berbel Lirio , Santos Mariana Sanches , Nogueira Marco Antonio , Hungria Mariangela
Published: July 2022

Estimates are that land area occupied by grass pasture far exceeds that of other crops; at least half are at some stage of degradation. The use of elite plant-growth-promoting microorganisms (PGPM) as inoculants represents an important strategy to achieve qualitative and quantitative improvements in forage biomass, increasing the productivity and sustainability of livestock production. Several studies have reported the benefits of PGPM in grass pastures, with an emphasis on bacteria of the genera Azospirillum, Pseudomonas, Bacillus, rhizobia, and on arbuscular mycorrhiza fungi (AMF). The main grasses studied are Urocholoa (syn. Brachiaria), Megathyrsus (syn. Panicum), Paspalum, Cynodon, and Agropyron. Several microbial processes associated with improvements in root and shoot growth, nutrient content in biomass, and other benefits have been described. Promotion of plant growth has been associated with the synthesis of phytohormones and enzymes regulating several steps of plant development, nutrient mineralization by release of microbial molecules, biological nitrogen fixation, nutrient uptake facilitation by means of molecules such as exopolysaccharides, amongst others. Outstanding benefits of increased root growth, resulting in higher uptake of water and nutrients, either by phytohormones released by bacteria or by expanding root surface by AMF, have been reported. Biocontrol is another important property of PGPM, by a variety of mechanisms, including the synthesis of antimicrobial molecules, lytic enzymes, siderophores, and the release of specific inhibitory compounds such as hydrogen cyanide. Although improvements in forage management can enhance microbial performance, as shown for AMF, in general, inoculation with elite strains positively impacts growth parameters. Globally, the use of microbial inoculants has significantly increased in the past few years, but their application is still modest on grass pastures, which are generally degraded and would need special use of microbial inoculants for reclamation. Efforts towards increasing the use of PGPM in pastures can have deep positive environmental, economic, and social impacts worldwide.
Influence of External Thermal Conditions on Temperature–Humidity Parameters of Indoor Air in a Czech Dairy Farm during the Summer
Authors: Kic Pavel
Published: July 2022

The aim of this article is to show the relationship between external thermal conditions and the quality of the indoor environment on a dairy farm during the summer. The measurements were carried out on a large dairy farm of Holstein cattle situated in the Czech Republic. The research included the measurement of the cowshed for 440 lactating cows, a milking parlor, a maternity cowshed, a cowshed for dry cows, 69 individual calf hutches, and three outdoor group shelters for calves. The results of the registration measurements of the thermal state parameters outside and inside the buildings were analyzed. The critical and dangerous situations were especially regarding the calves. The highest temperature in the calf hutches was 48 °C with the value of THImax = 90.1, while in the calf group shelters it was 46.9 °C with the value of THImax = 89.4. The research results showed that not only the critical values of temperature and the temperature–humidity index that affect the housed animals are important but also the duration for which the animals are exposed to heat stress. The massive masonry constructions of the milking parlor and also of the cowshed for dry cows dampened the temperature rise in these barns, with good values for the attenuation coefficient.
Vehicle Motion Prediction Algorithm with Driving Intention Classification
Authors: Ma Wenda , Wu Zhihong
Published: July 2022

The future motion prediction of vehicles in the front is widely valued for its great potential to improve a vehicle’s safety, fuel consumption, and efficiency. However, due to the uncertainty of a driver’s driving intentions and vehicle dynamics, future motion prediction faces great challenges. In order to break the bottleneck in the prediction of leading vehicle motion, this paper proposes a prediction idea of decoupling the prediction of leading vehicle motion into vertical vehicle speed prediction based on the Gaussian process regression algorithm and horizontal heading angle prediction based on the long short-term memory method, which combines the predicted vehicle speed and heading angle to derive the future trajectory of the leading vehicle. Moreover, we propose a prediction algorithm of the leading vehicle motion based on the combination of driving intention recognition and multimodel prediction results by the Fuzzy C-means algorithm, which tries to solve the problem of the unclear driving intention of the predicted object and the nonlinearity between the future motion of the vehicle and the environment. Finally, the algorithm is validated using real vehicle data, proving that it has high prediction accuracy.
Deep Transfer Learning-Based Fault Diagnosis Using Wavelet Transform for Limited Data
Authors: Bang Junseong , Di Marco Piergiuseppe , Shin Hyejeon , Park Pangun
Published: July 2022

Although various deep learning techniques have been proposed to diagnose industrial faults, it is still challenging to obtain sufficient training samples to build the fault diagnosis model in practice. This paper presents a framework that combines wavelet transformation and transfer learning (TL) for fault diagnosis with limited target samples. The wavelet transform converts a time-series sample to a time-frequency representative image based on the extracted hidden time and frequency features of various faults. On the other hand, the TL technique leverages the existing neural networks, called GoogLeNet, which were trained using a sufficient source data set for different target tasks. Since the data distributions between the source and the target domains are considerably different in industrial practice, we partially retrain the pre-trained model of the source domain using intermediate samples that are conceptually related to the target domain. We use a reciprocating pump model to generate various combinations of faults with different severity levels and evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed method. The results show that the proposed method provides higher diagnostic accuracy than the support vector machine and the convolutional neural network under wide variations in the training data size and the fault severity. In particular, we show that the severity level of the fault condition heavily affects the diagnostic performance.
Effect of Corrosion on the Hysteretic Behavior of Steel Reinforcing Bars and Corroded RC Columns
Authors: Basdeki Maria , Koulouris Konstantinos , Apostolopoulos Charis
Published: July 2022

The corrosion of steel reinforcement negatively influences the mechanical performance of reinforced concrete (RC) elements reducing both their strength capacity and ductility. Especially in seismic prone areas, the degradation of the cyclic behavior of corroded RC elements is more intense, limiting the service life of structures and leading to premature failures. In the present paper, in order to study the degraded behavior of the embedded (in concrete) steel reinforcement under cyclic loading, laboratory corrosion experiments were performed on embedded steel reinforcing bars. Thereafter, mechanical tests under dynamic loadings with gradually increased deformations were carried out. From the experimental study, hysteretic models of the non-linear behavior of steel bars were extracted in non-corroded and corroded conditions, in the case of both uniform and pitting corrosion. Based on the hysteretic models of steel bars, an analysis of the cyclic response of (non-corroded and corroded) RC columns was performed using the OpenSees code. The outcomes of the present study indicated the negative consequences of corrosion on the hysteretic behavior of steel reinforcing bars, demonstrating mainly the local reduction in their cross-section (pitting corrosion) combined with the loading history and buckling phenomena as the main factors which deviate the mechanical behavior of steel bars from the classic bilinear model of monotonic loading.
Study on Vertical Load-Carrying Capacity of Post-Grouting Bored Piles
Authors: Kong Dezhi , Li Heng , Gan Wensong
Published: July 2022

The relationship between pile side frictional resistance and pile tip resistance and settlement is assumed to be ideal elastic–plastic. The load-transfer method is used to analyze the load-bearing characteristics of bored pile in actual projects, and the results are compared with static load test results to prove the reliability of the analysis method and its parameters, on the basis of which the bored piles are reinforced with grouting, namely, pile tip grouting, pile side grouting, and pile tip pile–side composite grouting, are analyzed. The results show that the pile tip grouting mainly improves pile tip resistance and has almost no effect on pile side frictional resistance; the pile side grouting improves pile tip resistance and pile side frictional resistance more significantly; and pile tip–pile side composite grouting improves pile tip resistance and pile side frictional resistance more significantly than the first two. The ultimate load-carrying capacity of the pile is increased by 19%, 49%, and 53% after the use of pile tip grouting, pile side grouting, and composite grouting respectively.
Development and Characterization of a Low-Fat Mayonnaise Salad Dressing Based on Arthrospira platensis Protein Concentrate and Sodium Alginate
Authors: Metri-Ojeda Jorge , Ramírez-Rodrigues Milena , Rosas-Ordoñez Lizbeth , Baigts-Allende Diana
Published: July 2022

The food industry is constantly reformulating different foods to fulfill the demands of the consumers (natural ingredients and good sensory quality). The present work aimed to produce low-fat mayonnaises using 30.0, 22.5, and 15.0% oil, 1% soy protein isolate (SPI) or spirulina (Arthrospira platensis) protein concentrate (SPC), and 2% sodium alginate. The physical properties (thermal stability, rheological behavior, and particle size), the sensory attributes (appearance, texture, taste, and acceptability), the purchase probability, and amino acid availability (after a simulated digestion) were evaluated. The mayonnaises demonstrated good thermal stability (>90%) using 22.5 and 15% oil, all products showed shear-thinning behavior and a consistency index of 20–66 Pa·s. The reduction of oil from 30 to 15% increased the particle size from 6–9 µm to 10–38 µm. The most acceptable product was the formulated with SPI and 22.5% oil (8.3 of acceptability and 79% of purchase probability). Finally, the addition of proteins improved the total essential amino acids compared to a commercial product (28 and 5 mg/25 g, respectively). In summary, it was possible to obtain well accepted products with high purchase probability using low concentrations of oil and vegetable proteins.
Influence of Weather-Driven Processes on the Performance of UK Transport Infrastructure with Reference to Historic Geostructures
Authors: Walker Christopher , Heitor Ana , Clarke Barry
Published: July 2022

Several factors control the vulnerability of historic geostructures to climate change. These factors are both temporally and spatially variable depending on construction techniques and climatic conditions. This paper provides a review of both the historical construction practices on the UK transport network and recent developments in the understanding of climate change effects, allowing for an assessment of the impact of climate change on existing geostructures. Geostructures in the UK can be split between pre-regulation and post-regulation construction techniques. In general, highways were constructed after the implementation of modern regulations and are therefore less vulnerable to climate change due to formalisation of construction methods. In comparison, the performance of the railway network has shown to be inferior due to historic construction practices including poor or absent compaction, lack of consideration for foundations, or selection of fill materials. Recent findings have shown that the impacts of climate change are also a multiscale problem, influenced not only by regional geology but also the pore structure of soils and its evolution. While the research into these impacts is critical, the limitations of common methods employed to survey these structures and study the behaviour of their constituent materials requires consideration. In this paper, these aspects are examined in detail in a bid to integrate holistically the complexity of the systems involved.
Learning More in Vehicle Re-Identification: Joint Local Blur Transformation and Adversarial Network Optimization
Authors: Chen Yanbing , Ke Wei , Sheng Hao , Xiong Zhang
Published: July 2022

Vehicle re-identification (ReID) tasks are an important part of smart cities and are widely used in public security. It is extremely challenging because vehicles with different identities are generated from a uniform pipeline and cannot be distinguished based only on the subtle differences in their characteristics. To enhance the network’s ability to handle the diversity of samples in order to adapt to the changing external environment, we propose a novel data augmentation method to improve its performance. Our deep learning framework mainly consists of a local blur transformation and a transformation adversarial module. In particular, we first use a random selection algorithm to find a local region of interest in an image sample. Then, the parameter generator network, a lightweight convolutional neural network, is responsible for generating four weights and then as a basis to form a filter matrix for further blur transformations. Finally, an adversarial module is employed to ensure that as much noise information as possible is added to the image sample while preserving the structure of the training datasets. Furthermore, by updating the parameter generator network, the adversarial module can help produce more appropriate and harder training samples and lead to improving the framework’s performance. Extensive experiments on datasets, i.e., VeRi-776, VehicleID, and VERI-Wild, show that our method is superior to the state-of-the-art methods.
Adsorption of Methyl Orange on a Novel Palygorskite/UiO-66 Nanocomposite
Authors: Vasiliadou Ioanna A. , Ioannidou Thaleia , Anagnostopoulou Maria , Polyzotou Antonios , Papoulis Dimitrios , Christoforidis Konstantinos C.
Published: July 2022

Herein, a novel composite material containing UiO-66 and palygorskite (Pal) clay mineral was prepared using a facile one-pot synthesis process. The material was studied using a variety of techniques and applied as did not affect the structure of the metal-organic framework (MOF) part, but induced a small increase in specific surface area. The developed Pal/UiO-66 composite presented excellent adsorption efficiency against MO removal, as evidenced by detailed kinetic and isotherm experiments. An impressive maximum adsorption capacity at equilibrium was evidenced; 340 mg g−1 at pH = 5 and T = 25 °C. This corresponds to a 34.5 % increase compared with pure UiO-66, considering only the MOF content. Furthermore, the Pal/UiO-66 composite was proven stable and highly recyclable, losing less than 9% of the removal capacity after five consecutive cycles. The study highlights the synergistic effect of the coupling of MOF structures with low-cost and abundant clay minerals for the development of advanced absorbents.
The Use of Modern Technologies in Post-COVID-19 Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation
Authors: Andritoi Doru , Luca Catalina , Onu Ilie , Corciova Calin , Fuior Robert , Salceanu Alexandru , Iordan Daniel-Andrei
Published: July 2022

Managing cardiopulmonary rehabilitation in patients with COVID-19 remains a global challenge due to the facets of this virus. The technologies used in the rehabilitation of post-COVID-19 patients fail to keep pace with the global epidemiological developments. The purpose of this article is to review the medical technologies used in post-COVID-19 cardiopulmonary rehabilitation and the innovations that have allowed us to adapt and care for our patients. The pandemic highlighted the need for seismic changes in diagnostic and rehabilitation paradigms. We discuss advances in telemedicine and telemedicine-based rehabilitation, remote patient monitoring and emerging technologies used in cardiopulmonary rehabilitation. The rapid adoption of modern technologies in the practice of post-COVID-19 cardiopulmonary rehabilitation is promising and can improve patients’ access to complex rehabilitation programs with outstanding results.
Open Dataset Recorded by Single Cameras for Multi-Player Tracking in Soccer Scenarios
Authors: Huang Wenbin , He Sailing , Sun Yaoran , Evans Julian , Song Xian , Geng Tongyu , Sun Guanrong , Fu Xubo
Published: July 2022

Multi-player action recognition for automatic analysis in sports is the subject of increasing attention. Trajectory-tracking technology is key for accurate recognition, but little research has focused on this aspect, especially for non-professional matches. Here, we study multi-player tracking in the most popular and complex sport among non-professionals—soccer. In this non-professional soccer player tracking (NPSPT) challenge, single-view-based motion recording systems for continuous data collection were installed in several soccer fields, and a new benchmark dataset was collected. The dataset consists of 17 2-min long super-high-resolution videos with diverse game types consistently labeled across time, covering almost all possible situations for multi-player detection and tracking in real games. A comprehensive evaluation was conducted on the state-of-the-art multi-object-Tracking (MOT) systems, revealing insights into player tracking in real games. Our challenge introduces a new dimension for researchers in the player recognition field and will be beneficial to further studies.
The Antibacterial Effect of Humulus lupulus (Hops) against Mycobacterium bovis BCG: A Promising Alternative in the Fight against Bovine Tuberculosis?
Authors: Blaxland James , Thomas Richard , Baillie Leslie
Published: July 2022

The female flowers of the Humulus lupulus plant or Hops have been used extensively within the brewing industry for their aroma and bitterness properties. It was also found that beer that contained hops was less likely to spoil, thus revealing the antimicrobial potential of these plants. One species of bacteria, Mycobacterium spp., is of particular interest as it is the causative agent of both human and animal forms of tuberculosis (TB). In this study an aqueous extraction process was employed to analyse the antibacterial properties of 50 hop extracts (45 individual variants); against M. bovis BCG. Using an agar well diffusion assay we found that all hops exhibited a level of inhibitory activity which ranged from 1.2 mm (+/− 0.08 mm) in the case of hop variant; Target, to 15.7 mm (+/− 0.45 mm) in the case of hop variant Citra. The Citra variant had a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) of 16% v/v. This is the first study to analyse a wide range of hops for their antimicrobial potential against M. bovis BCG and recommends that further research focuses on other Mycobacteria spp., the potential for antimicrobial synergy and the antibacterial effect of individual components.
Lipid Readjustment in Yarrowia lipolytica Odd-Chain Fatty Acids Producing Strains
Authors: Abreu Sonia , Park Young-Kyoung , Pires de Souza Camilla , Vidal Lea , Chaminade Pierre , Nicaud Jean-Marc
Published: July 2022

Yarrowia lipolytica is a promising oleaginous yeast for producing unusual lipids, such as odd-chain fatty acids (OCFA). Their diverse applications and low natural production make OCFA particularly interesting. In recent studies, inhibiting the catabolic pathway of precursor, boosting precursor pools, and optimizing substrate combination greatly improved the production of OCFA in Y. lipolytica. We explored the lipid readjustment of OCFA in engineered Y. lipolytica strains. NPLC-Corona-CAD® evidenced a time-dependent overproduction of free fatty acids, diglycerides, and phosphatidylcholine (PC) in obese LP compared to obese L. Phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) and phosphatidylinositol, largely overproduced in obese LP at 72 h compared to obese L, vanished at 216 h. The fatty acyls (FAs) composition of glycero- and glycerophospholipids was determined by NPLC-APPI+-HRMS from in-source generated monoacylglycerol-like fragment ions. C18:1 and C17:1 were predominant acylglycerols in obese L and obese LP, respectively. Phosphatidic acid, PE, and PC exhibited similar FAs composition but differed in their molecular species distributions. Cardiolipin (CL) is known to contain mostly C18:2 FAs corresponding to the composition in obese L, 50% of C18:2, and 35% of C18:1. In obese LP, both FAs dropped to drop to 20%, and C17:1 were predominant, reaching 55%. We hypothesize that CL-modified composition in obese LPs may alter mitochondrial function and limit lipid production.
A New Biorecognition-Element-Free IDμE Sensor for the Identification and Quantification of E. coli
Authors: Lin Yung-Kai , Wu Hsing-Ju , Hieu Nguyen Van , Chu Pei-Yi , Do Thi Vien Thao , Yao Fiona Yan-Dong , Phan Thien Luan , Ching Congo Tak Shing
Published: July 2022

The label-free biosensor has emerged as an effective tool for the purpose of early detection of causative pathogens such as Escherichia coli as a preventive measure. In this study, a biorecognition-element-free interdigitated microelectrode (IDμE) sensor is designed and developed with this in mind, with good reliability and affordability. Results show that the designed sensor can identify E. coli with good selectivity using an impedance and capacitance of 7.69 MHz. At its optimum impedance of 1.3 kHz, the IDμE sensor can reliably quantify E. coli in a range of measurement (103.2~106 cfu/mL), linearity (R2 = 0.97), sensitivity (18.15 kΩ/log (cfu/mL)), and limit of detection (103.2 cfu/mL). In summary, the IDμE sensor developed possesses high potential for industrial and clinical applications.
MSWIBA Formation and Geopolymerisation to Meet the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Climate Mitigation
Authors: Poranek Nikolina , Łaźniewska-Piekarczyk Beata , Czajkowski Adrian , Pikoń Krzysztof
Published: July 2022

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) constitute an action plan for the environment and people. One of the main goals is to limit the increase in global average temperature to 2 °C and aim for a stop at 1.5 °C. The goals of the circular economy (CE) are in line with the SDGs. In the waste management chain, the last CE element is a recovery in the municipal solid waste incineration plant (MSWIP). However, during recovery, municipal solid waste bottom ash (MSWIBA) is created (in about 30% of the bunch). The development of MSWIBA in the construction industry is a possibility of closing the cycle. This article shows the MSWIBA formation process, alkali pre-treatment of MSWIBA, and its geopolymerisation. Studies have determined the mechanical properties of geopolymer with MSWIBA and leachability from crushed and from monolith geopolymer. Alkali pre-treatment improves MSWIBA mechanical properties and upgrades immobilisation. Moreover, geopolymerisation is a better solution than concreting, because of the lack or low consumption of high-emission and energy-intensive cement. A SWOT analysis was carried out for the proposed solution.
Influence of the Heating System on the Indoor Environmental Quality—Case Study
Authors: Nagy Richard , Krídlová Burdová Eva , Harčárová Katarína , Vilčeková Silvia
Published: July 2022

This aim of this paper is to explore the specific indoor environmental quality factors under different heating conditions in a meeting room of an administrate building located in Kosice. In terms of thermal comfort, a system with radiant ceiling heating provides more favorable results. Low relative humidity was recorded for both heating systems, which could be due to insufficient air conditioning settings. The results of measuring CO2 concentrations were almost identical for both systems and did not exceed the recommended limit value of 1000 ppm. The increase in CO2 concentrations was mainly related to the presence of employees in the monitored room. On none of the monitoring days, whether in the case of a mechanical heating system or a radiant ceiling heating system, the average 24 h concentration of PM10 did not exceed the legally permissible limit of 50 µg/m3. The presence of selected volatile organic compounds in the room has not been demonstrated due to effective ventilation by air conditioning. The results of the evaluation were comparable and smaller fluctuations in values can be attributed to other factors, such as the presence of persons in the monitoring room or the overall heating as well as ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems.
Research on Bridge Damage Identification Based on WPE-MDS and HTF-SAPSO
Authors: Wu Haoxuan , Huang Minshui , Wan Zihao , Xu Zian
Published: July 2022

In recent decades, structural damage identification based on the wavelet analysis method has been widely developed, but it is still confronted with many difficulties, such as large decomposition error and complex data. In order to overcome the shortcomings of analysis based on wavelet, the wavelet packet analysis method is adopted to decompose the acceleration data into wavelet packets, and the frequency band energy value after wavelet packet decomposition (WPE) is taken as the different dimensions of the Mahalanobis distance squared (MDS) in this study, where the MDS value of the same element between different samples is calculated, and the mean value of 30 groups of MDS values for each element is processed. The change rate between the MDS value of the element that exceeds the MDS value in the healthy state and the MDS mean value in the healthy state as the objective function. The combination of weight coefficient and hyperbolic tangent function is used to improve the simulated annealing particle swarm optimization (SAPSO) algorithm, and the improved hyperbolic tangent function-simulated annealing particle swarm optimization (HTF-SAPSO) is used to iteratively calculate the damage severity. The numerical simulation and vibration testing of a steel beam are conducted to verify the identification performance of damage location and the analysis of damage severity by this method, respectively. The numerical model of the experimental I-beam is established based on the MATLAB modeling platform, and the different damage cases are utilized to illustrate the correctness of this study. The different proportions of noise effects are adopted to the numerical simulation analysis, where the correlations between noise effects and MDS value and damage severity are analyzed. In the numerical simulation, although the MDS value increases to different degrees with the increase of the noise ratio, the damage identification result of the damaged element remains mostly constant, which indicates that the influence is negligible. In conclusion, it is feasible to construct the damage index via the combination of WPE and MDS values, the damage location can be judged from whether the MDS value of the element exceeds the threshold, and the HTF-SAPSO algorithm is more efficient and accurate to be adopted in the quantification of the damage severity.
Stem Cells and Angiogenesis: Implications and Limitations in Enhancing Chronic Diabetic Foot Ulcer Healing
Authors: Rai Vikrant , Moellmer Rebecca , Agrawal Devendra K.
Published: July 2022

Nonhealing diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) are a continuing clinical issue despite the improved treatment with wound debridement, off-loading the ulcer, medication, wound dressings, and preventing infection by keeping the ulcer clean. Wound healing is associated with granulation tissue formation and angiogenesis favoring the wound to enter the resolution phase of healing followed by healing. However, chronic inflammation and reduced angiogenesis in a hyperglycemic environment impair the normal healing cascade and result in chronically non-healing diabetic foot ulcers. Promoting angiogenesis is associated with enhanced wound healing and using vascular endothelial growth factors has been proven beneficial to promote neo-angiogenesis. However, still, nonhealing DFUs persist with increased risks of amputation. Regenerative medicine is an evolving branch applicable in wound healing with the use of stem cells to promote angiogenesis. Various studies have reported promising results, but the associated limitations need in-depth research. This article focuses on summarizing and critically reviewing the published literature since 2021 on the use of stem cells to promote angiogenesis and enhance wound healing in chronic non-healing DFUs.
Online Learning Phenomenon: From the Perspective of Learning Facilities, Curriculum, and Character of Elementary School Students
Authors: Abdurrahmansyah Abdurrahmansyah , Sugilar Hamdan , Ismail Ismail , Warna Dewi
Published: July 2022

This article aimed to describe the online learning phenomenon from the perspective of learning facilities, curriculum, and students’ characters in schools and the correlation among those three variables. This research employed a qualitative descriptive method. The data were collected through interviews, observations, and questionnaires. The research subject was the fifth-grade class of an elementary school in Palembang, which consisted of 19 students’ parents, 8 teachers, and 47 students. The findings showed that almost half of the total number of students experienced limitations in online learning facilities, most elementary school teachers could not develop curriculum and online learning models, and the online learning phenomenon triggered a decline in the students’ characters.
Data Enhancement of Underwater High-Speed Vehicle Echo Signals Based on Improved Generative Adversarial Networks
Authors: Wang Zhong , Liu Liwen , Wang Chenyu , Deng Jianjing , Zhang Kui , Yang Yunchuan , Zhou Jianbo
Published: July 2022

Underwater target recognition is currently one of the hottest topics in computational intelligence research. However, underwater target recognition tasks based on deep learning techniques are difficult to conduct due to the shortage of acoustic echo signal samples, which results in poor training performance for existing deep learning models. Generative adversarial networks (GANs) have been widely used in data enhancement and image generation, providing a novel strategy for dealing with challenges in the research field mentioned above. To address the insufficiency of echo signal data for underwater high-speed vehicles, this paper proposes an underwater echo signal data enhancement method that uses an improved GAN based on convolution units for small sample sizes. First, we take pool test data as the training sample input and carry out data standardization, data interception, and copy-related processing work. Secondly, this paper proposes an improved generative adversarial network underwater (IGAN-UW) model to generate underwater echo signals. Finally, a CNN model combines the generated data with the original data to conduct classification training for underwater targets. Experimental results show that the IGAN-UW model is suitable for the generation of highly realistic original echo signals in cases with small sample sizes, providing a new approach to the active detection and recognition of underwater targets.
Twin-Screw Extrusion of Oat: Evolutions of Rheological Behavior, Thermal Properties and Structures of Extruded Oat in Different Extrusion Zones
Authors: Zhou Chengyi , Wu Min , Sun Dongyu , Wei Wenguang , Yu Haoze , Zhang Tong
Published: July 2022

Further investigation of material properties during the extrusion process is essential to achieve precise control of the quality of the extrudate. Whole oat flour was used to produce low moisture puffed samples by a twin-screw extruder. X-ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermal analysis, and rheological experiments were used to deeply characterize changes in the structure and cross-linking of oats in different extrusion zones. Results indicated that the melting region was the main region that changed oat starch, including the major transformation of oat starch crystal morphology and the significant decrease of enthalpy representing the starch pasting peak in the differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) pattern (p < 0.05). Moreover, the unstable structure of the protein increased in the barrel and then decreased significantly (p < 0.05) after being extruded through the die head. The viscosity of oats increased in the cooking zone but decreased after the melting zone. A transformation occurred from elastic-dominant behavior to viscoelastic-dominant behavior for oats in the melting zone and after being extruded. This study provides further theoretical support for the research of the change of materials during extrusion and the development of oat-based food.
Fate of Salmonella enterica Typhimurium and Listeria monocytogenes in Black Soldier Fly (Hermetia illucens) Larvae Reared on Two Artificial Diets
Authors: Grisendi Annalisa , Defilippo Francesco , Lucchetti Chiara , Listorti Valeria , Ottoboni Matteo , Dottori Michele , Serraino Andrea , Pinotti Luciano , Bonilauri Paolo
Published: July 2022

Ensuring food security is one of the main challenges facing the world over the next 30 years. There is, thus, an urgent need to significantly increase the supply of sustainable protein that can be transformed into animal feed. Proteins from insects offer a valuable alternative. This article presents the results of challenge tests conducted to investigate the dynamics of the microbial load of Salmonella enterica Typhimurium and Listeria monocytogenes in black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) larvae grown on contaminated substrates. Four separate challenge tests were performed on two substrates: the Gainesville diet and a homemade diet. The challenge test procedure was carried out in accordance with ISO/DIS 20976-2 (under development). The results of this study show that, when grown on contaminated substrates, BSF larvae do not eliminate Salmonella Typhimurium or L. monocytogenes, but can reduce their microbial load. Sanitation processes downstream of the breeding of BSF larvae are, however, required to reduce the microbiological risks of this novel food.
Characteristic Magnitude and Spatiotemporal Relationships of Aftershocks and Background Earthquakes
Authors: Wu Yi-Hsuan
Published: July 2022

Aftershocks, background earthquakes, and their spatiotemporal parameters have been studied for decades for the purpose of hazard assessment and forecasting. Methods for determining these parameters or seismic attributes are becoming increasingly sophisticated and varied; some optimize the results to fit observations using trial and error, while others do the same by giving prescriptions for a limited region. Here, we propose a method that is potentially useful in general hazard assessment and forecasting applications. We categorized the earthquakes into two groups, aftershocks (triggered events) and background earthquakes, by introducing the network distance, i.e., the shortest distance between two events of equal magnitude within a modified interevent time, into the k-means clustering, which couples the modified interevent time and magnitude hierarchically. Our results show a bimodal distribution consisting of a power law at shorter network distances and a lognormal distribution at longer network distances, implying that earthquakes of magnitudes larger than the characteristic magnitude, found to be 4.5 for Taiwan and 4.3 for California, may be only weakly linked to other same magnitude earthquakes and hence are hard to be triggered even by events of larger size.
An Accelerated Failure Time Cure Model with Shifted Gamma Frailty and Its Application to Epidemiological Research
Authors: Aida Haro , Hayashi Kenichi , Takeuchi Ayano , Sugiyama Daisuke , Okamura Tomonori
Published: July 2022

Survival analysis is a set of methods for statistical inference concerning the time until the occurrence of an event. One of the main objectives of survival analysis is to evaluate the effects of different covariates on event time. Although the proportional hazards model is widely used in survival analysis, it assumes that the ratio of the hazard functions is constant over time. This assumption is likely to be violated in practice, leading to erroneous inferences and inappropriate conclusions. The accelerated failure time model is an alternative to the proportional hazards model that does not require such a strong assumption. Moreover, it is sometimes plausible to consider the existence of cured patients or long-term survivors. The survival regression models in such contexts are referred to as cure models. In this study, we consider the accelerated failure time cure model with frailty for uncured patients. Frailty is a latent random variable representing patients’ characteristics that cannot be described by observed covariates. This enables us to flexibly account for individual heterogeneities. Our proposed model assumes a shifted gamma distribution for frailty to represent uncured patients’ heterogeneities. We construct an estimation algorithm for the proposed model, and evaluate its performance via numerical simulations. Furthermore, as an application of the proposed model, we use a real dataset, Specific Health Checkups, concerning the onset of hypertension. Results from a model comparison suggest that the proposed model is superior to existing alternatives.
Association of White Blood Cell Subtypes and Derived Ratios with a Mortality Outcome in Adult Patients with Polytrauma
Authors: Rau Cheng-Shyuan , Wu Shao-Chun , Tsai Ching-Hua , Chou Sheng-En , Su Wei-Ti , Hsu Shiun-Yuan , Hsieh Ching-Hua
Published: July 2022

Background. After trauma, the subtypes of white blood cells (WBCs) in circulation and the derived neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), monocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio (MLR), and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) may undergo relative changes and reflect the patients’ immune-inflammatory status and outcome. This retrospective study was designed to investigate the relationship between these variables and the mortality outcomes in adult patients with polytrauma, which is defined as an abbreviated injury scale (AIS) score ≥ 3 in two or more different body regions. Methods. A comparison of the expression of subtypes of WBCs, NLR, MLR, and PLR upon arrival to the emergency department was performed in selected propensity score-matched patient cohorts created from 479 adult patients with polytrauma between 1 January 2015 and 31 December 2019. A multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to identify the independent risk factors for mortality. Results. There were no significant differences in monocyte, neutrophil, and platelet counts, as well as in MLR, NLR, and PLR, between deceased (n = 118) and surviving (n = 361) patients. In the propensity score-matched patient cohorts, which showed no significant differences in sex, age, comorbidities, and injury severity, deceased patients had significantly higher lymphocyte counts than survivors (2214 ± 1372 vs. 1807 ± 1162 [106/L], respectively, p = 0.036). In addition, the multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that the lymphocyte count (OR, 1.0; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.00–1.06; p = 0.043) was a significant independent risk factor for mortality in these patients. Conclusions. This study revealed that there was no significant difference in the counts of monocytes, neutrophils, and platelets, as well as in MLR, NLR, and PLR, between deceased and surviving patients with polytrauma. However, a significantly higher lymphocyte count may be associated with a worse mortality.
Optical Coherence Tomography and Optical Coherence Tomography with Angiography in Multiple Sclerosis
Authors: Chalkias Ioannis-Nikolaos , Bakirtzis Christos , Pirounides Demetrios , Boziki Marina Kleopatra , Grigoriadis Nikolaos
Published: July 2022

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an inflammatory and neurodegenerative, potentially disabling disease of the central nervous system. OCT (Optical Coherence Tomography) and OCT-A (Optical Coherence Tomography with Angiography) are imaging techniques for the retina and choroid that are used in the diagnosis and monitoring of ophthalmological conditions. Their use has recently expanded the study of several autoimmune disorders, including MS. Although their application in MS remains unclear, the results seem promising. This review aimed to provide insight into the most recent OCT and OCT-A findings in MS and may function as a reference point for future research. According to the current literature, the retinal nerve fibre layer (RNFL) and ganglion cell-inner plexiform complex (GC-IPL) are significantly reduced in people with MS and are inversely correlated with disease duration. The use of OCT might help distinguish between MS and neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders (NMOSD), as the latter presents with more pronounced thinning in both the RNFL and GC-IPL. The OCT-A findings in MS include reduced vessel density in the macula, peripapillary area, or both, and the enlargement of the foveal avascular zone (FAZ) in the setting of optic neuritis. Additionally, OCT-A might be able to detect damage in the very early stages of the disease as well as disease progression in severe cases.
The Chinese Spring Festival Impact on Air Quality in China: A Critical Review
Authors: Wu Guixian , Tian Wenling , Zhang Li , Yang Haiyan
Published: July 2022

It is known that the sharp change of air pollutants affects air quality. Chinese Spring Festival is the most important holiday for Chinese people, and the celebration of the holiday with fireworks and the movement of people all around the country results in significant change in multiple air pollutant emissions of various sources. As many cities and rural areas suffer from the air pollution caused by firework displays and more residential fuel consumption, there is an urgency to examine the impact of the Chinese Spring Festival on air quality. Hence, this paper firstly gives an overall insight into the holiday’s impact on ambient and household air quality in China, both in urban and rural areas. The main findings of this study are: (1) The firework displays affect the air quality of urban and rural atmosphere and household air; (2) the reduction in anthropogenic emissions improves the air quality during the Chinese Spring Festival; (3) the household air in urban areas was affected most by firework burning, while the household air in rural homes was affected most by fuel consumption; and (4) the short-term health impact of air pollution during the holidays also need more concern. Although there have been many publications focused on the holiday’s impact on ambient and household air quality, most of them focused on the measurement of pollutant concentration, while studies on the formation mechanism of air pollution, the influence of meteorological conditions, and the health outcome under the effect of the Chinese Spring Festival are rare. In the future, studies focused on these processes are welcomed.