bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Screening and Identification of Latilactobacillus curvatus Z12 From Rumen Fluid of an Adult Female Sika Deer as a Potential Probiotic for Feed Additives
Authors: Zhang Yan , Liang Shuang , Zhao Meng Di , Yang Xue , Choi Seong Ho , Li Guang Yu
Published: October 2021

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are the main microorganisms used as probiotics against gastrointestinal inflammation. The objective of this study was to evaluate the potential probiotic characteristics (antimicrobial activity, artificial gastrointestinal model resistance, cell surface hydrophobicity, and autoaggregation ability) and safety characteristics (hemolytic activity, antimicrobial resistance, and in vivo safety) of LAB isolated from the rumen fluid of an adult female sika deer. Two isolated strains identified as Latilactobacillus curvatus Z12 and Z19 showed good antimicrobial activity against enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (ATCC25922), Salmonella typhi (ATCC14028), and Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC25923). In addition, L. curvatus Z12 exhibited higher artificial gastrointestinal model resistance, cell surface hydrophobicity and autoaggregation ability than L. curvatus Z19. Therefore, regarding safety characteristics, only L. curvatus Z12 was evaluated. Upon assessment of safety, L. curvatus Z12 was negative for hemolytic activity and susceptible to penicillin G and cefamandole. Furthermore, an in vivo safety assessment showed that high-dose L. curvatus Z12 (109 CFU/mL) supplementation not only had no adverse effects on body weight gain, feed intake, and organ coefficients of treated mice but also played a key role in promoting the immune system maturation of treated mice. This research revealed that L. curvatus Z12 possesses desirable probiotic characteristics and could be used as a potential probiotic feed additive to improve sika deer health.
System-Level Modelling and Simulation of a Multiphysical Kick and Catch Actuator System
Authors: Schütz Arwed , Maeter Sönke , Bechtold Tamara
Published: October 2021

This paper presents a system-level model of a microsystem architecture deploying cooperating microactuators. An assembly of a piezoelectric kick-actuator and an electromagnetic catch-actuator manipulates a structurally unconnected, magnetized micromirror. The absence of mechanical connections allows for large deflections and multistability. Closed-loop feedback control allows this setup to achieve high accuracy, but requires fast and precise system-level models of each component. Such models can be generated directly from large-scale finite element (FE) models via mathematical methods of model order reduction (MOR). A special challenge lies in reducing a nonlinear multiphysical FE model of a piezoelectric kick-actuator and its mechanical contact to a micromirror, which is modeled as a rigid body. We propose to separate the actuator–micromirror system into two single-body systems. This step allows us to apply the contact-induced forces as inputs to each sub-system and, thus, avoid the nonlinear FE model. Rather, we have the linear model with nonlinear input, to which established linear MOR methods can be applied. Comparisons between the reference FE model and the reduced order model demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed methodology. Finally, a system-level simulation of the whole assembly, including two actuators, a micromirror and a simple control circuitry, is presented.
Analysis of Fat and Protein Content in Milk Using Laser Polarimetric Scatterometry
Authors: Shkirin Alexey V. , Ignatenko Dmitry N. , Chirikov Sergey N. , Bunkin Nikolai F. , Astashev Maxim E. , Gudkov Sergey V.
Published: October 2021

Monitoring the composition of milk products is an important factor in the management of dairy farms and industry. Information on the quantitative content of milk components is necessary to control milk quality, as well as to optimize dairy cow nutrition and diagnose their clinical condition. The content of fat and protein is considered the main criterion for determining the market value of milk. Increasing the efficiency of dairy production requires the use of inexpensive and compact devices that are capable of performing multicomponent analysis of milk both directly on the farm and in technological lines. We investigated the possibility of fast simultaneous determination of fat and protein content in milk by laser polarimetric scatterometry. The block-diagonal elements of the scattering matrix were measured for a series of commercially produced milk samples with the indicated fat percentage, which were diluted by volume with water. From the measured scattering matrices, the size distributions of fat droplets and casein aggregates were reconstructed. Using the size histograms, the content of fat and protein and protein-to-fat ratio in the studied milk samples are estimated.
Postharvest Fruit Detachment in Oil Palm Bunches with Ethephon and Ethylene Gas Application
Authors: Balakrishnan Arutchelvam , Zakaria Mohd Ibnur Syawal , Tan Bee Aik , Low Jaime Yoke Sum , Kua Shwu Fun , Lim Chin Ming , Appleton David Ross
Published: October 2021

The processing of oil palm fresh fruit bunches (FFB), together with loose fruits, in the current mill operation contributes to oil loss and high free fatty acids (FFA), affecting crude palm oil quality. Fruit detachment induced by ethephon and ethylene may mitigate the current processing issues. This study shows that a 0.50% (v/v) ethephon application by the evaporation method induced the highest fruit detachment of 30.8 ± 1.1% after 24 h at room temperature, with the FFA content in the extracted crude palm oil at 0.34 ± 0.09%. Ethephon application was effective on bunches between 14 and 28 kg, and fruit detachment was higher in ripe and underripe bunches at 24.1 ± 0.9% and 23.2 ± 0.1%, respectively. A significant fruit detachment of 47.2 ± 2.4% was achieved when the bunches were also stripped mechanically, but the FFA content increased almost 4-fold, from 1.0 ± 0.2% to 3.8 ± 1.2%. The application of ethylene gas at 750 ppm yielded 29.4 ± 1.9% fruit detachment. The findings present the possibility of using ethylene as an indirect method for minimizing oil loss without increasing the FFA content in future crude palm oil production systems.
Correction: El-Sawah et al. Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi and Plant Growth-Promoting Rhizobacteria Enhance Soil Key Enzymes, Plant Growth, Seed Yield, and Qualitative Attributes of Guar. Agriculture 2021, 11, 194
Authors: El-Sawah Ahmed M. , El-Keblawy Ali , Ali Dina Fathi Ismail , Ibrahim Heba M. , El-Sheikh Mohamed A. , Sharma Anket , Alhaj Hamoud Yousef , Shaghaleh Hiba , Brestic Marian , Skalicky Milan , Xiong You-Cai , Sheteiwy Mohamed S.
Published: October 2021

In the original article [...]
The Role of Sequential Cropping and Biogasdoneright™ in Enhancing the Sustainability of Agricultural Systems in Europe
Authors: Magnolo Francesca , Dekker Harmen , Decorte Mieke , Bezzi Guido , Rossi Lorella , Meers Erik , Speelman Stijn
Published: October 2021

Sequential cropping in the Biogasdoneright™ (BDR™) system in Italy has recently gained attention to combine food and renewable energy production in a sustainable way, as well as for carbon sequestration. However, little is known on the potential to expand the practice in other regions of Europe. In this paper, sequential crop calendars were developed for different EU climate regions, and the EU biomethane potential of the anaerobic digestion (AD) of sequential crops was estimated for a Conservative_Scenario and a Maximum_Scenario, assuming different percentages of primary crop land dedicated to the practice and biogas yields. A total EU biomethane potential of 46 bcm/yr and 185 bcm/yr was estimated from the AD of sequential crops in the two scenarios, respectively, and the Continental region registered the highest potential compared to the other regions. The additional benefits of the combination of sequential cropping with other agricultural conservation practices and digestate use included in BDR™ systems were also discussed. In conclusion, the paper shows that with appropriate innovations in crop management, sequential cropping could be applied in different agroclimatic regions of Europe, contributing to climate and renewable energy targets.
Interactive Effects of Drought–Flood Abrupt Alternation on Morpho-Agronomic and Nutrient Use Traits in Rice
Authors: Huang Jie , Wu Fengyan , Hu Tiesong , Liu Luguang , Wang Jing , Wang Xin , Liang Changmei , Liu Jia
Published: October 2021

The frequent occurrence of drought–flood abrupt alternation (DFAA) in Huaibei Plain has shown a great impact on local rice production. Pot experiments were performed in 2016–2018 to investigate the effects of co-occurring drought and flooding stresses on dry weight (DW), grain yield, nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) uptake and use efficiencies (NUE, PUE and KUE) in rice. The results showed that DFAA changed the accumulation of biomass and nutrients among different organs in rice. Compared with control, DFAA significantly reduced the grain yield (−29.8%) and root DW (−30.0%), but increased the DW in stem and leaf (10.2% and 9.7%). The root/shoot ratio and morphological size of the root system in DFAA-treated plants was smaller than those of drought alone and flooding alone. Under DFAA stresses, the specific absorption rate of N, P and K increased significantly (47.9%, 31.8% and 32.8%, respectively), while NUE, PUE and KUE decreased significantly (−27.9%, −10.8% and −19.7%, respectively). The decrease of nutrient use efficiencies was mainly due to the redundant growth of branches and leaves, and the key factor limiting grain yield under DFAA conditions was the effective utilization of N. Compared with the earlier drought, the subsequent flooding might have more influence on rice growth, nutrient utilization and yield formation, but the interaction of the two weakened the cumulative effect of drought and flooding. These findings provide a scientific basis for establishing a nutrient and water management system of rice cultivation under transient soil moisture conditions.
Evaluation of Tear Production as Measured by Schirmer Test I in Dogs after Acepromazine and Acepromazine–Methadone Premedication
Authors: Giannetto Claudia , Macrì Francesco , Falcone Annastella , Giudice Elisabetta , Crupi Rosalia , Cicero Luca , Cassata Giovanni , Staffieri Francesco , Di Pietro Simona
Published: October 2021

The purpose of the current study was to investigate the effects of two commonly used sedation protocols in dogs, acepromazine (ACP) and acepromazine–methadone (ACP–MET) combination, on tear production measured by the Schirmer Tear Test (STT) 1. We hypothesized that both sedation protocols cause a reduction in canine tear production for a variable time. Fifteen client-owned dogs were recruited for the study. Each dog was subjected to sedation twice, 2–3 weeks apart, and they were randomly allocated to one of two groups receiving ACP (0.015 mg kg−1) or ACP–MET (0.010 mg kg−1 and 0.2 mg kg−1) intramuscularly. In both eyes, tear production was measured 15 min before sedation (T0) and 20 min (T20 m), 40 min (T40 m), 1 h (T1), 2 h (T2), 4 h (T4) and 8 h (T8), after drug administration. Two-way repeated measures ANOVA, followed by the Bonferroni post hoc test (p < 0.05), showed a significant effect of time (p < 0.0001) and treatment (p < 0.0001). A significant decrease in tear production at T20 m, T40 m, T1 and T2 compared to T0 was observed in the ACP experimental protocol, while in the ACP + MET protocol, this reduction persisted until T8. Comparing the two experimental protocols, no statistically significant differences were observed at T0 or T20 m, and STT 1 values were statistically lower in the ACP + MET than the ACP protocol at the other data points. In the ACP + MET group, at T40 m, 100% of dogs showed STT 1 readings lower than 15 mm/min. This finding is clinically relevant as it can predispose dogs to corneal injuries. The major reduction in tear production due to the ACP + MET protocol proves the need for adequate corneal hydration, particularly to discourage its use in animals with altered tear production. The data obtained provide important information helping clinicians to better manage the drug’s effects on tear production.
Transcription Regulator YgeK Affects the Virulence of Avian Pathogenic Escherichia coli
Authors: Tu Jian , Fu Dandan , Gu Yi , Shao Ying , Song Xiangjun , Xue Mei , Qi Kezong
Published: October 2021

Avian pathogenic Escherichia coli (APEC) is the responsible pathogen for colibacillosis in poultry, and is a potential gene source for human extraintestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli. Escherichia coli type III secretion system 2 (ETT2) is widely distributed in human and animal ExPEC isolates, and is crucial for the virulence of ExPEC. Transcriptional regulator YgeK, located in the ETT2 gene cluster, was identified as an important regulator of gene expression in enterohemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC). However, the role of YgeK in APEC has not been reported. In this study, we performed amino acid alignment analysis of YgeK among different E. coli strains and generated ygeK mutant strain AE81ΔygeK from clinical APEC strain AE81. Flagellar formation, bacterial motility, serum sensitivity, adhesion, and virulence were all significantly reduced following the inactivation of YgeK in APEC. Then, we performed transcriptome sequencing to analyze the functional pathways involved in the biological processes. Results suggested that ETT2 transcriptional regulator YgeK plays a crucial role in APEC virulence. These findings thus contribute to our understanding of the function of the ETT2 cluster, and clarify the pathogenic mechanism of APEC.
Spatial Ecology and Diel Activity of European Wildcat (Felis silvestris) in a Protected Lowland Area in Northern Greece
Authors: Migli Despina , Astaras Christos , Boutsis George , Diakou Anastasia , Karantanis Nikolaos-Evangelos , Youlatos Dionisios
Published: October 2021

The Balkan populations of the European wildcat are among the least studied. This study reports the first findings on the spatial ecology and activity pattern of the wildcat in Greece and compares them to those of better studied northern populations. We fitted five wildcats (two males, three females) with collars containing GPS and accelerometer loggers (E-obs 1A) and collected data from fall to early summer. All animals moved within a mosaic of lowland agricultural fields, woodland patches, riparian forests and wetlands near the banks of a lake. The trapping rate was the highest reported for the species. The home range sizes, estimated using Brownian bridge movement models, ranged from 0.94 to 3.08 km2 for females and from 1.22 to 4.43 km2 for males. Based on overall dynamic body acceleration (ODBA) values estimated from the accelerometer data, the diel activity of male wildcats followed the species’ typical nocturnal pattern with crepuscular peaks. Female activity varied seasonally, at times being cathemeral. We found only weak effects of environmental variables on wildcat activity, and no significant difference in the activity in open versus forested areas. Our findings suggest that human modified landscapes can play a significant role in the conservation of this typically forest-associated species.
Evaluation of Dietary Curcumin Nanospheres in a Weaned Piglet Model
Authors: Moniruzzaman Mohammad , Kim Hunhwan , Shin Haewon , Kim Hyunsoo , Kim Nayoung , Chin Sungyeon , Karthikeyan Adhimoolam , Choi Hyojick , Kim Gonsup , Min Taesun
Published: October 2021

Curcumin is a polyphenolic compound present in turmeric with extensive uses in cooking foods and biomedical applications. However, due to its hydrophobic nature, it is poorly soluble in water and its bioavailability is very low on oral administration in organisms. In this study, we investigated the dietary curcumin nanospheres in a weaned piglet model based on the growth, serum biochemistry, proteomics, fecal coliform bacteria, and malodors in the feces of piglets. A total of 135 weaned piglets (Duroc × [Yorkshire × Landrace]) with an average initial body weight of 7.0 ± 1.0 kg (28 ± 1 days of age) were randomly distributed in 9 pens (15 pigs in each pen) fed the dietary curcumin nanospheres (CN) at 0 (control), 0.5 (T1), and 1.0 mL (T2) CN/kg of diet in triplicates for 21 days. At the end of the feeding trial, the results showed piglets fed 1.0 mL CN/kg diet had significantly higher growth performance and feed utilization than control diet (without CN). However, there were no significant differences in growth and feed utilization between piglets fed T1 and T2 diets. Serum glucose, gamma-glutamyl transferase, total bilirubin, amylase, and lipase contents were unaffected in piglets fed the experimental diets. Interestingly, piglets fed T1 and T2 diets showed significantly lower total cholesterol levels than control diet. In serum proteomics, a total of 103 differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) were identified in the piglets fed control, T1, and T2 diets, of which 14 DEPs were upregulated and 4 DEPs were downregulated. Fecal coliform bacteria and ammonia gas were significantly reduced in piglets fed T1 and T2 diets. Overall, the results indicated dietary supplementation of CN could enhance the growth, feed utilization, and immunity—and reduce fecal pathogenic bacteria as well as ammonia gas emissions—in weaned piglets.
Heat Stress-Mediated Activation of Immune–Inflammatory Pathways
Authors: Cantet Juan M. , Yu Zhantao , Ríus Agustín G.
Published: October 2021

Physiological changes in animals exposed to elevated ambient temperature are characterized by the redistribution of blood toward the periphery to dissipate heat, with a consequent decline in blood flow and oxygen and nutrient supply to splanchnic tissues. Metabolic adaptations and gut dysfunction lead to oxidative stress, translocation of lumen contents, and release of proinflammatory mediators, activating a systemic inflammatory response. This review discusses the activation and development of the inflammatory response in heat-stressed models.
NRF2 Activation and Downstream Effects: Focus on Parkinson’s Disease and Brain Angiotensin
Authors: Parga Juan A. , Rodriguez-Perez Ana I. , Garcia-Garrote Maria , Rodriguez-Pallares Jannette , Labandeira-Garcia Jose L.
Published: October 2021

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are signalling molecules used to regulate cellular metabolism and homeostasis. However, excessive ROS production causes oxidative stress, one of the main mechanisms associated with the origin and progression of neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson’s disease. NRF2 (Nuclear Factor-Erythroid 2 Like 2) is a transcription factor that orchestrates the cellular response to oxidative stress. The regulation of NRF2 signalling has been shown to be a promising strategy to modulate the progression of the neurodegeneration associated to Parkinson’s disease. The NRF2 pathway has been shown to be affected in patients with this disease, and activation of NRF2 has neuroprotective effects in preclinical models, demonstrating the therapeutic potential of this pathway. In this review, we highlight recent advances regarding the regulation of NRF2, including the effect of Angiotensin II as an endogenous signalling molecule able to regulate ROS production and oxidative stress in dopaminergic neurons. The genes regulated and the downstream effects of activation, with special focus on Kruppel Like Factor 9 (KLF9) transcription factor, provide clues about the mechanisms involved in the neurodegenerative process as well as future therapeutic approaches.
Artifact Reduction in Compressed Sensing Averaging Techniques for High-Resolution Magnetic Resonance Images
Authors: Shim Jeong-Min , Kim Young-Bo , Kang Chang-Ki
Published: October 2021

This study aims to introduce a new compressed sensing averaging (CSA) technique for the reduction of blurring and/or ringing artifacts, depending on the k-space sampling ratio. A full k-space dataset and three randomly undersampled datasets were obtained for CSA images in a brain phantom and a healthy subject. An additional simulation was performed to assess the effect of the undersampling ratio on the images and the signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs). The image sharpness, spatial resolution, and contrast between tissues were analyzed and compared with other CSA techniques. Compared to CSA with multiple acquisition (CSAM) at 25%, 35%, and 45% undersampling, the reduction rates of the k-space lines of CSA with keyhole (CSAK) were 10%, 15%, and 22%, respectively, and the acquisition time was reduced by 16%, 23%, and 32%, respectively. In the simulation performed with a full sampling k-space dataset, the SNR decreased to 10.41, 9.80, and 8.86 in the white matter and 9.69, 9.35, and 8.46 in the gray matter, respectively. In addition, the ringing artifacts became substantially more predominant as the number of sampling lines decreased. The 50% modulation transfer functions were 0.38, 0.43, and 0.54 line pairs per millimeter for CSAM, CSAK with high-frequency sharing (CSAKS), and CSAK with high-frequency copying (CSAKC), respectively. In this study, we demonstrated that the smaller the sampling line, the more severe the ringing artifact, and that the CSAKC technique proposed to overcome the artifacts that occur when using CSA techniques did not generate artifacts, while it increased spatiotemporal resolution.
A Novel Approach in Prediction of Crop Production Using Recurrent Cuckoo Search Optimization Neural Networks
Authors: Rajagopal Aghila , Jha Sudan , Khari Manju , Ahmad Sultan , Alouffi Bader , Alharbi Abdullah
Published: October 2021

Data mining is an information exploration methodology with fascinating and understandable patterns and informative models for vast volumes of data. Agricultural productivity growth is the key to poverty alleviation. However, due to a lack of proper technical guidance in the agriculture field, crop yield differs over different years. Mining techniques were implemented in different applications, such as soil classification, rainfall prediction, and weather forecast, separately. It is proposed that an Artificial Intelligence system can combine the mined extracts of various factors such as soil, rainfall, and crop production to predict the market value to be developed. Smart analysis and a comprehensive prediction model in agriculture helps the farmer to yield the right crops at the right time. The main benefits of the proposed system are as follows: Yielding the right crop at the right time, balancing crop production, economy growth, and planning to reduce crop scarcity. Initially, the database is collected, and the input dataset is preprocessed. Feature selection is carried out followed by feature extraction techniques. The best features were then optimized using the recurrent cuckoo search optimization algorithm, then the optimized output can be given as an input for the process of classification. The classification process is conducted using the Discrete DBN-VGGNet classifier. The performance estimation is made to prove the effectiveness of the proposed scheme.
A Conceptual and Systematics for Intelligent Power Management System-Based Cloud Computing: Prospects, and Challenges
Authors: AL-Jumaili Ahmed Hadi Ali , Mashhadany Yousif I. Al , Sulaiman Rossilawati , Alyasseri Zaid Abdi Alkareem
Published: October 2021

This review describes a cloud-based intelligent power management system that uses analytics as a control signal and processes balance achievement pointer, and describes operator acknowledgments that must be shared quickly, accurately, and safely. The current study aims to introduce a conceptual and systematic structure with three main components: demand power (direct current (DC)-device), power mix between renewable energy (RE) and other power sources, and a cloud-based power optimization intelligent system. These methods and techniques monitor demand power (DC-device), load, and power mix between RE and other power sources. Cloud-based power optimization intelligent systems lead to an optimal power distribution solution that reduces power consumption or costs. Data has been collected from reliable sources such as Science Direct, IEEE Xplore, Scopus, Web of Science, Google Scholar, and PubMed. The overall findings of these studies are visually explained in the proposed conceptual framework through the literature that are considered to be cloud computing based on storing and running the intelligent systems of power management and mixing.
Structural-Parametric Synthesis of the RoboMech Class Parallel Mechanism with Two Sliders
Authors: Baigunchekov Zhumadil , Laribi Med Amine , Carbone Giuseppe , Mustafa Azamat , Amanov Bekzat , Zholdassov Yernar
Published: October 2021

This paper addresses the structural-parametric synthesis and kinematic analysis of the RoboMech class of parallel mechanisms (PM) having two sliders. The proposed methods allow the synthesis of a PM with its structure and geometric parameters of the links to obtain the given laws of motions of the input and output links (sliders). The paper outlines a possible application of the proposed approach to design a PM for a cold stamping technological line. The proposed PM is formed by connecting two sliders (input and output objects) using one passive and one negative closing kinematic chain (CKC). The passive CKC does not impose a geometric constraint on the movements of the sliders and the geometric parameters of its links are varied to satisfy the geometric constraint of the negative CKC. The negative CKC imposes one geometric constraint on the movements of the sliders and its geometric parameters are determined on the basis of the Chebyshev and least-square approximations. Problems of positions and analogues of velocities and accelerations of the considered PM are solved to demonstrate the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed formulations and case of study.
Numerical Assessment of an Innovative RC-Framed Skin for Seismic Retrofit Intervention on Existing Buildings
Authors: Talledo Diego Alejandro , Rocca Irene , Pozza Luca , Savoia Marco , Saetta Anna
Published: October 2021

The seismic safety of existing building stock has become a very critical issue in recent years, mainly in earthquake-prone South Europe where most of the buildings were designed before the enforcement of seismic standards. Therefore, the concept, development and testing of efficient and cost-effective seismic retrofitting technologies are nowadays strongly needed, both for the society and for the scientific community. This study deals with the seismic assessment of a new RC-framed skin for retrofit intervention of existing buildings, evaluated through nonlinear static (pushover) analyses. A preliminary description of the proposed technology is provided, then numerical modeling of a typical RC existing building before and after retrofitting intervention is performed within the OpenSees framework. The results revealed that the proposed retrofitting technology improves the seismic performance of the RC building, also modifying the failure mode from a brittle soft-story mechanism to a more ductile one. The presented study, dedicated to the structural aspects of the system, is part of the TIMESAFE research project, where the thermo-hygrometric and acoustic performances achievable by the proposed RC-framed skin are also investigated.
An Investigation of Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering of Different Analytes Adsorbed on Gold Nanoislands
Authors: Pál Petra , Bonyár Attila , Veres Miklós , Juhász Laura , Szalóki Melinda , Csarnovics István
Published: October 2021

In this study, metallic nanoislands were prepared by thermal annealing of gold thin film produced by vacuum evaporation on a glass substrate to investigate the surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) effect on them. The influence of the analyte on the enhancement factor of SERS was studied with riboflavin and rhodamine 6G dye. Two laser excitation sources at 532 and 633 nm wavelengths were used for SERS measurements. We found that the enhancement factors of the gold nanoisland SERS substrates were influenced by the analytes’ adsorption tendency onto their surfaces. The SERS amplification was also found to be dependent on the electronic structure of the molecules; higher enhancement factors were obtained for rhodamine 6G with 532 nm excitation, while for riboflavin the 633 nm source performed better.
Factors Affecting the Yield in Formation of Fat-Derived Fragrance Compounds by Yarrowia lipolytica Yeast
Authors: Małajowicz Jolanta , Kozłowska Mariola
Published: October 2021

Yarrowia lipolytica belongs to the group of microorganisms widely used in scientific research for environmentally friendly biotransformation reactions. This yeast produces a number of compounds important from the point of view of the food and cosmetics industries, including flavor and fragrance compounds. The results of selected studies on the possibility of biosynthesis of fat-derived fragrances, namely gamma-decalactone (GDL) and hexanal, are presented in this article. The wild-type Yarrowia yeast strain KKP379 and the LOX/HPL mutant were used in the studies. With the aim of improving the synthesis yield of both aroma compounds, parameters such as concentration of lipid substrate, the type of culture medium, and the addition of surfactants, and, not yet verified in the available literature in this context, the concentration of inoculum, the addition of heptane, and the emulsification of culture medium were analyzed. The research showed that the concentration of the lipid substrate and the degree of emulsification of the medium had a significant influence on the amount of GDL production. The higher the content of castor oil in the medium, the higher the concentration of the synthesized aroma compound, with a significant extension of the reaction time. By varying the concentration of castor oil in the medium in the range of 10–100 g/L, an increase in the lactone concentration was obtained from 1.86 ± 0.15 g/L to 3.06 ± 0.2 g/L, with a simultaneous extension of the reaction from 3 to 7 days. It is noteworthy that the additional application of the emulsification of the medium allowed the efficiency of GDL biosynthesis to be significantly increased by over 2 g/L to a lactone concentration of approximately 5.25 ± 0.10 g/L. This is one of the highest reported concentrations for the production of this biofragrance by the wild strain. In the case of hexanal synthesis, the increase of the concentration of linoleic acid in the culture medium from 25 g/L to 100 g/L resulted in a 5-fold higher concentration of aldehyde in the cell extract. At a higher concentration of the lipid substrate in the medium, the modified whole-cell catalyst showed a higher activity of lipoxygenase.
Faster Post-Earthquake Damage Assessment Based on 1D Convolutional Neural Networks
Authors: Yuan Xinzhe , Tanksley Dustin , Li Liujun , Zhang Haibin , Chen Genda , Wunsch Donald
Published: October 2021

Contemporary deep learning approaches for post-earthquake damage assessments based on 2D convolutional neural networks (CNNs) require encoding of ground motion records to transform their inherent 1D time series to 2D images, thus requiring high computing time and resources. This study develops a 1D CNN model to avoid the costly 2D image encoding. The 1D CNN model is compared with a 2D CNN model with wavelet transform encoding and a feedforward neural network (FNN) model to evaluate prediction performance and computational efficiency. A case study of a benchmark reinforced concrete (r/c) building indicated that the 1D CNN model achieved a prediction accuracy of 81.0%, which was very close to the 81.6% prediction accuracy of the 2D CNN model and much higher than the 70.8% prediction accuracy of the FNN model. At the same time, the 1D CNN model reduced computing time by more than 90% and reduced resources used by more than 69%, as compared to the 2D CNN model. Therefore, the developed 1D CNN model is recommended for rapid and accurate resultant damage assessment after earthquakes.
Social Botomics: A Systematic Ensemble ML Approach for Explainable and Multi-Class Bot Detection
Authors: Dimitriadis Ilias , Georgiou Konstantinos , Vakali Athena
Published: October 2021

OSN platforms are under attack by intruders born and raised within their own ecosystems. These attacks have multiple scopes from mild critiques to violent offences targeting individual or community rights and opinions. Negative publicity on microblogging platforms, such as Twitter, is due to the infamous Twitter bots which highly impact posts’ circulation and virality. A wide and ongoing research effort has been devoted to develop appropriate countermeasures against emerging “armies of bots”. However, the battle against bots is still intense and unfortunately, it seems to lean on the bot-side. Since, in an effort to win any war, it is critical to know your enemy, this work aims to demystify, reveal, and widen inherent characteristics of Twitter bots such that multiple types of bots are recognized and spotted early. More specifically in this work we: (i) extensively analyze the importance and the type of data and features used to generate ML models for bot classification, (ii) address the open problem of multi-class bot detection, identifying new types of bots, and share two new datasets towards this objective, (iii) provide new individual ML models for binary and multi-class bot classification and (iv) utilize explainable methods and provide comprehensive visualizations to clearly demonstrate interpretable results. Finally, we utilize all of the above in an effort to improve the so called Bot-Detective online service. Our experiments demonstrate high accuracy, explainability and scalability, comparable with the state of the art, despite multi-class classification challenges.
A Box-Girder Design Using Metaheuristic Algorithms and Mathematical Test Functions for Comparison
Authors: Jármai Károly , Barcsák Csaba , Marcsák Gábor Zoltán
Published: October 2021

In engineering, metaheuristic algorithms have been used to solve complex optimization problems. This paper investigates and compares various algorithms. On one hand, the study seeks to ascertain the advantages and disadvantages of the newly presented heuristic techniques. The efficiency of the algorithms is highly dependent on the nature of the problem. The ability to change the complexity of the problem and the knowledge of global optimal locations are two advantages of using synthetic test functions for algorithm benchmarking. On the other hand, real-world design issues may frequently give more meaningful information into the effectiveness of optimization strategies. A new synthetic test function generator has been built to examine various optimization techniques. The objective function noisiness increased significantly with different transformations (Euclidean distance-based weighting, Gaussian weighting and Gabor-like weighting), while the positions of the optima remained the same. The test functions were created to assess and compare the performance of the algorithms in preparation for further development. The ideal proportions of the primary girder of an overhead crane have also been discovered. By evaluating the performance of fifteen metaheuristic algorithms, the optimum solution to thirteen mathematical optimization techniques, as well as the box-girder design, is identified. Some conclusions were drawn about the efficiency of the different optimization techniques at the test function and the transformed noisy functions. The overhead travelling crane girder design shows the real-life application.
Air Pollution Affecting Pollen Concentrations through Radiative Feedback in the Atmosphere
Authors: Skjøth Carsten A. , Kurganskiy Alexander , Grundström Maria , Werner Małgorzata , Adams-Groom Beverley
Published: October 2021

Episodes with high air pollution and large amounts of aeroallergens expose sensitive individuals to a health damaging cocktail of atmospheric particles. Particulate matter (PM) affects the radiative balance and atmospheric dynamics, hence affecting concentrations of pollutants. The aim of the study is to estimate feedback between meteorology and particles on concentrations of aeroallergens using an extended version of the atmospheric model WRF-Chem. The extension, originally designed for PM and dust, concerns common aeroallergens. We study a birch pollen episode coinciding with an air pollution event containing Saharan dust (late March to early April 2014), using the model results, pollen records from Southern UK and vertical profiles of meteorological observations. During the episode, increased concentrations of birch pollen were calculated over the European continent, causing plumes transported towards the UK. The arrival of these plumes matched well with observations. The lowest parts of the atmospheric boundary layer demonstrate a vertical profile that favours long distance transport, while the pollen record shows pollen types that typically flower at another time. The model calculations show that feedback between meteorology and particles changes pollen concentrations by ±30% and in some cases up to 100%. The atmospheric conditions favoured meteorological feedback mechanisms that changed long distance transport of air pollution and aeroallergens.
A Meta-Analysis for Simultaneously Estimating Individual Means with Shrinkage, Isotonic Regression and Pretests
Authors: Taketomi Nanami , Konno Yoshihiko , Chang Yuan-Tsung , Emura Takeshi
Published: October 2021

Meta-analyses combine the estimators of individual means to estimate the common mean of a population. However, the common mean could be undefined or uninformative in some scenarios where individual means are “ordered” or “sparse”. Hence, assessments of individual means become relevant, rather than the common mean. In this article, we propose simultaneous estimation of individual means using the James–Stein shrinkage estimators, which improve upon individual studies’ estimators. We also propose isotonic regression estimators for ordered means, and pretest estimators for sparse means. We provide theoretical explanations and simulation results demonstrating the superiority of the proposed estimators over the individual studies’ estimators. The proposed methods are illustrated by two datasets: one comes from gastric cancer patients and the other from COVID-19 patients.
The Upper and Lower Solution Method for a Class of Interval Boundary Value Problems
Authors: Yan Yanzong , Xiao Zhiyong , Gong Zengtai
Published: October 2021

In this paper, the upper and lower solution method is proposed in order to solve the second order interval boundary value problem. We study first a class of linear interval boundary value problems and then investigate a class of nonlinear interval boundary value problems by the upper and lower solution method under the gH-derivative, and we prove that there exist at least two solutions.
RAC1 Activation as a Potential Therapeutic Option in Metastatic Cutaneous Melanoma
Authors: Colón-Bolea Paula , García-Gómez Rocío , Casar Berta
Published: October 2021

Metastasis is a complex process by which cancer cells escape from the primary tumor to colonize distant organs. RAC1 is a member of the RHO family of small guanosine triphosphatases that plays an important role in cancer migration, invasion, angiogenesis and metastasis. RAC1 activation has been related to most cancers, such as cutaneous melanoma, breast, lung, and pancreatic cancer. RAC1P29S driver mutation appears in a significant number of cutaneous melanoma cases. Likewise, RAC1 is overexpressed or hyperactivated via signaling through oncogenic cell surface receptors. Thus, targeting RAC1 represents a promising strategy for cutaneous melanoma therapy, as well as for inhibition of other signaling activation that promotes resistance to targeted therapies. In this review, we focus on the role of RAC1 in metastatic cutaneous melanoma emphasizing the anti-metastatic potential of RAC1- targeting drugs.
Ballroom Dance as a Form of Rehabilitation: A Systematic Review
Authors: Wells Meredith , Yang Feng
Published: October 2021

Chronic health problems, such as neurological conditions or long-lasting diseases, impair patients’ physical and mental functions with a subsequent reduction in overall quality of life. The purpose of this systematic review was to summarize how ballroom dance is being investigated as a rehabilitative method in individuals with neurological or medical diseases. A systematic literature search was conducted in databases including MEDLINE, SPORTDiscus, and PubMed. Of 728 articles located and titles and abstracts screened, 12 studies were included in this review. Study groups included Parkinson’s disease (4 studies), multiple sclerosis (2), spinal cord injury (1), stroke (1), dementia (1), cancer (2), and diabetes (1). Ballroom dances utilized included a combination of smooth and rhythm dances. Results revealed that ballroom dance is effective in improving gait functions, balance, and quality of life among various populations living with chronic neurological or medical conditions. In addition, ballroom dance is safe and associated with a low attrition rate (7.7%). There is increasing evidence to support ballroom dance as a feasible and effective intervention for adults with chronic neurological disorders or medical diseases. Further large-scale, randomized controlled trials are needed to examine the mechanisms, effectiveness, retention, and safety of ballroom dance as a rehabilitative intervention.
Increased Lipid Peroxidation May Be Linked to Ferritin Levels Elevation in Adult-Onset Still’s Disease
Authors: Chen Po-Ku , Yeo Kai-Jieh , Huang Po-Hao , Chang Shih-Hsin , Chang Ching-Kun , Lan Joung-Liang , Chen Der-Yuan
Published: October 2021

Lipid peroxidation (LPO) and hyper-ferritinemia are involved in inflammatory responses. Although hyper-ferritinemia is a characteristic of AOSD, its link to LPO remains unclear. We investigated the association between LPO and ferritin expression, and evaluated the relationship between LPO-related metabolites and inflammatory parameters. Mean fluorescence intensity (MFI) of LPO (C11-Biodipy581/591)-expressing PBMCs/monocytes in AOSD patients and healthy control (HC) subjects was determined by flow-cytometry analysis. Expression of ferritin and cytokines on PBMCs/macrophages was examined by immunoblotting. Plasma levels of LPO-related metabolites and cytokines were determined by ELISA and the MULTIPLEX platform, respectively. LPO MFI on PBMCs/monocytes were significantly higher in patients (median 4456 and 9091, respectively) compared with HC (1900, p < 0.05, and 4551, p < 0.01, respectively). Patients had higher ferritin expression on PBMCs (mean fold, 1.02) than HC (0.55, p < 0.05). Their ferritin expression levels on PBMCs stimulated with LPO inducers erastin or RSL3 (2.47 or 1.61, respectively) were higher than HC (0.84, p < 0.05, or 0.74, p < 0.01). Ferritin expression on erastin-treated/IL-1β-treated macrophages from patients were higher than those from HC (p < 0.001). The elevated levels of LPO-related metabolites, including malondialdehyde and 4-hydroxyalkenals, were positively correlated with disease activity scores, suggesting LPO involvement in AOSD pathogenesis. Increased ferritin expression on PBMCs/macrophages stimulated with LPO inducers indicates a link between LPO and elevated ferritin.
Combined Evaluation of MAP1LC3B and SQSTM1 for Biological and Clinical Significance in Ductal Carcinoma of Breast Cancer
Authors: Liu Pei-Feng , Shu Chih-Wen , Yang Hsiu-Chen , Lee Cheng-Hsin , Liou Huei-Han , Ger Luo-Ping , Tzeng Yen-Dun Tony , Wang Wen-Ching
Published: October 2021

Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in women worldwide. The microtubule-associated protein light chain 3B (MAP1LC3B) and adaptor sequestosome 1 (SQSTM1) are two major markers for autophagy. Increased protein levels of MAP1LC3B and SQSTM1 are considered to be causes of autophagy inhibition or activation in various types of cancers. However, the roles of MAP1LC3B and SQSTM1 in breast cancer are still not clear. Using a tissue microarray from 274 breast invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC) patients, we found that tumor tissues showed higher protein levels of MAP1LC3B and cytoplasmic SQSTM1 in comparison to those in adjacent normal tissues. Moreover, high levels of MAP1LC3B were associated with better survival, including disease-specific survival and disease-free survival (DFS) in IDC patients. Furthermore, high co-expression of MAP1LC3B and SQSTM1 was significantly associated with better DFS in IDC patients. Astonishingly, the autophagy inhibitor accumulated the protein levels of MAP1LC3B/SQSTM1 and enhanced the cytotoxic effects of cisplatin and paclitaxel in MCF7 and BT474 breast cancer cell lines, implying that autophagy inhibition might result in poor prognosis and chemosensitivity in IDC. Taken together, high co-expression of MAP1LC3B and SQSTM1 might serve as a potential diagnostic and prognostic biomarker for IDC patients.
Enhanced Anticancer Response of Curcumin- and Piperine-Loaded Lignin-g-p (NIPAM-co-DMAEMA) Gold Nanogels against U-251 MG Glioblastoma Multiforme
Authors: Javed Bilal , Zhao Xinyi , Cui Daxiang , Curtin James , Tian Furong
Published: October 2021

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most aggressive and commonly diagnosed brain cancer and is highly resistant to routine chemotherapeutic drugs. The present study involves the synthesis of Lignin-g-p (NIPAM-co-DMAEMA) gold nanogel, loaded with curcumin and piperine, to treat GBM. The ongoing study has the application potential to (1) overcome the limitations of drugs biodistribution, (2) enhance the toxicity of anticancer drugs against GBM, and (3) identify the drugs uptake pathway. Atom transfer radical polymerization was used to synthesize the Lignin-g-PNIPAM network, crosslinked with the gold nanoparticles (GNPs) to self-assemble into nanogels. The size distribution and morphological analysis confirmed that the drug-loaded gold nanogels are spherical and exist in the size of 180 nm. The single and combinatorial toxicity effects of curcumin- and piperine-loaded Lignin-g-p (NIPAM-co-DMAEMA) gold nanogels were studied against U-251 MG GBM cells. A cytotoxicity analysis displayed anticancer properties. IC50 of curcumin- and piperine-loaded gold nanogels were recorded at 30 μM and 35 μM, respectively. Immunostaining and Western blot analysis confirmed the protein expression of caspase-3 and cleaved caspase-3 in cells treated with drug-loaded nanogels. Kinetic drug release revealed 86% release of hybrid curcumin–piperine from gold nanogel after 250 min at pH 4. Atomic absorption spectroscopic analysis confirmed that the drug-loaded nanogels have better internalization or association with the cancer cells than the GNPs or nano-gels alone. Morphological studies further confirmed that the curcumin and piperine nanogels penetrate the cells via endocytic pathways and induce caspase-3-related apoptosis. The experimental evidence shows the enhanced properties of combinatorial curcumin–piperine gold nanogels (IC50: 21 μM) to overcome the limitations of conventional chemotherapeutic treatments of glioma cells.