bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Common Educational Teleoperation Platform for Robotics Utilizing Digital Twins
Authors: Kaarlela Tero , Arnarson Halldor , Pitkäaho Tomi , Shu Beibei , Solvang Bjørn , Pieskä Sakari
Published: July 2022

The erratic modern world introduces challenges to all sectors of societies and potentially introduces additional inequality. One possibility to decrease the educational inequality is to provide remote access to facilities that enable learning and training. A similar approach of remote resource usage can be utilized in resource-poor situations where the required equipment is available at other premises. The concept of Industry 5.0 (i5.0) focuses on a human-centric approach, enabling technologies to concentrate on human–machine interaction and emphasizing the importance of societal values. This paper introduces a novel robotics teleoperation platform supported by the i5.0. The platform reduces inequality and allows usage and learning of robotics remotely independently of time and location. The platform is based on digital twins with bi-directional data transmission between the physical and digital counterparts. The proposed system allows teleoperation, remote programming, and near real-time monitoring of controlled robots, robot time scheduling, and social interaction between users. The system design and implementation are described in detail, followed by experimental results.
Dynamic Properties of Chain Drive in a Scraper Conveyor under Various Working Conditions
Authors: Jiang Shoubo , Huang Shuan , Mao Qinghua , Zeng Qingliang , Gao Kuidong , Lv Jinwang
Published: July 2022

A scraper conveyor is important in coal mining. During operation, its working performance is affected by chain speed fluctuations, terrain fluctuations, and load changes. Thus, evaluating the influence of these factors on the dynamic properties of a scraper conveyor is important. This study first built a dynamic property test bench. Then, the vibration signals of the reducer output shaft were measured under various chain speed, terrain, and load conditions. Finally, the dynamic properties of a scraper conveyor were evaluated by conducting a frequency domain analysis of the measured vibration signals. The results show that the output shaft of the motor, the second shaft, and the second-stage meshing gear of the reducer are sensitive to external factors. Under the terrain conditions of “horizontal + vertical” bending, the middle chute was the most sensitive to the meshing frequency of the sprocket chain. This type of condition had a significant influence on the scraping phenomenon of the scraper and the middle chute. Under various load conditions, the amplitude of each shaft of the reducer decreased, especially the amplitude of the motor output shaft, but the scraping amplitude of the scraper and middle chute greatly increased. This study is of great significance for improving the dynamic properties and structural optimization of scraper conveyors.
Design Issues of Heavy Fuel APUs Derived from Automotive Turbochargers Part III: Combustor Design Improvement
Authors: Piancastelli Luca , Sali Merve , Leon-Cardenas Christian
Published: July 2022

Heavy fuel combustion problems with startup and operation may significantly reduce the microturbine efficiency in small APUs (Auxiliary Power Units). The use of commercial automotive-derived turbochargers solves the design problems of compressors and turbines but introduces large issues with combustors. The radial combustor proved to be the best design. Unfortunately, high-pressure injection is not practical for small units. For this reason, primary air and low-pressure fuel spray are heated and mixed. In any case, a high air swirl must achieve a satisfactory combustion efficiency. This swirl should be almost eliminated at the turbine intake. CFD analysis of the combustor design was, therefore, performed with several different geometries and design solutions. In the end, a large offset of the fresh pipe from the compressor proved to be the best solution for a high swirl in the combustion region. The combustion tends to eliminate the swirl, but an undesired tumble motion at the turbine intake takes place. To eliminate the tumble, two small fins were added to straighten the flow to the turbine.
The Effects of Unpowered Soft Exoskeletons on Preferred Gait Features and Resonant Walking
Authors: Zhang Zhengyan , Wang Houcheng , Guo Shijie , Wang Jing , Zhao Yungang , Tian Qiang
Published: July 2022

Resonant walking with preferred gait features is a self-optimized consequence of long-term human locomotion. Minimal energy expenditure can be achieved in this resonant condition. This unpowered multi-joint soft exoskeleton is designed to test whether: (1) there is an obvious improvement in preferred speed and other gait features; (2) resonant walking still exists with exoskeleton assistance. Healthy participants (N = 7) were asked to perform the following trials: (1) walking at 1.25 m/s without assistance (normal condition); (2) walking at 1.25 m/s with assistance (general condition); (3) walking at preferred speed with assistance (preferred condition); (4) walking at the speed in trial (3) without assistance (comparison condition). Participants walked at the preferred frequency and ±10% of it. An average 21% increase in preferred speed was observed. The U-shaped oxygen consumption and lower limb muscle activity curve with the minimum at preferred frequency indicated that the resonant condition existed under the preferred condition. Average metabolic reductions of 4.53% and 7.65% were found in the preferred condition compared to the general and comparison condition, respectively. These results demonstrate that the resonant condition in assisted walking could benefit energy expenditure and provide a new perspective for exoskeleton design and evaluation.
Validation of a New Telenursing Questionnaire: Testing the Test
Authors: Marco-Franco Julio Emilio , Reis-Santos Margarida , Barrachina-Martínez Isabel , González-de-Julián Silvia , Camaño-Puig Ramón
Published: July 2022

Background: Existing surveys on telenursing refer to specific areas of nursing after the implementation of a programme, but telenursing in general has not been fully evaluated from a prospective approach. Aim: Design and statistical validation of a telenursing questionnaire. Methods: A new questionnaire was designed with 18 paired (to avoid leading) questions (Likert-5) plus three dichotomous questions (randomly ordered, inspired by existing validated tests) to analyse the dimensions of: acceptance, usefulness and appropriateness of telenursing from the nursing point of view (7 min test). The questionnaire was validated by classical tests and item response tests (Rasch) using six computer-generated databases with different response profiles (tendency to be positioned against, neutral and positioned in favour) with two degrees of agreement between each pair of responses for each option. Results: Classical testing: Cronbach’s alphas (from 0.8 to 0.95), Kaiser–Meyer–Olkin (KMO) (0.93 to 0.95) and a significant p < 0.0001 for Bartlett’s test of sphericity were obtained. Rasch analysis: Reliability coefficients (0.94). Warm’s mean weighted likelihood estimates (0.94). Extreme infit-t and outfit-t values (+1.61 to −1.98). Conclusions: Both the classical test and the Rasch approaches confirm the usefulness of the new test for assessing nurses’ positioning in relation to telenursing.
On All Symmetric and Nonsymmetric Exceptional Orthogonal X1-Polynomials Generated by a Specific Sturm–Liouville Problem
Authors: Masjed-Jamei Mohammad , Moalemi Zahra , Saad Nasser
Published: July 2022

Exceptional orthogonal X1-polynomials of symmetric and nonsymmetric types can be considered as eigenfunctions of a Sturm–Liouville problem. In this paper, by defining a generic second-order differential equation, a unified classification of all these polynomials is presented, and 10 particular cases of it are then introduced and analyzed.
Contextual Graph Attention Network for Aspect-Level Sentiment Classification
Authors: Miao Yuqing , Luo Ronghai , Zhu Lin , Liu Tonglai , Zhang Wanzhen , Cai Guoyong , Zhou Ming
Published: July 2022

Aspect-level sentiment classification aims to predict the sentiment polarities towards the target aspects given in sentences. To address the issues of insufficient semantic information extraction and high computational complexity of attention mechanisms in existing aspect-level sentiment classification models based on deep learning, a contextual graph attention network (CGAT) is proposed. The proposed model adopts two graph attention networks to aggregate syntactic structure information into target aspects and employs a contextual attention network to extract semantic information in sentence-aspect sequences, aiming to generate aspect-sensitive text features. In addition, a syntactic attention mechanism based on syntactic relative distance is proposed, and the Gaussian function is cleverly introduced as a syntactic weight function, which can reduce computational complexities and effectively highlight the words related to aspects in syntax. Experiments on three public sentiment datasets show that the proposed model can make better use of semantic information and syntactic structure information to improve the accuracy of sentiment classification.
Predicting High-Risk Students Using Learning Behavior
Authors: Liu Tieyuan , Wang Chang , Chang Liang , Gu Tianlong
Published: July 2022

Over the past few years, the growing popularity of online education has enabled there to be a large amount of students’ learning behavior data stored, which brings great opportunities and challenges to the field of educational data mining. Students’ learning performance can be predicted, based on students’ learning behavior data, so as to identify at-risk students who need timely help to complete their studies and improve students’ learning performance and online teaching quality. In order to make full use of these learning behavior data, a new prediction method was designed based on existing research. This method constructs a hybrid deep learning model, which can simultaneously obtain the temporal behavior information and the overall behavior information from the learning behavior data, so that it can more accurately predict the high-risk students. When compared with existing deep learning methods, the experimental results show that the proposed method offers better predicting performance.
3-Hom–Lie Yang–Baxter Equation and 3-Hom–Lie Bialgebras
Authors: Guo Shuangjian , Wang Shengxiang , Zhang Xiaohui
Published: July 2022

In this paper, we first introduce the notion of a 3-Hom–Lie bialgebra and give an equivalent description of the 3-Hom–Lie bialgebras, the matched pairs and the Manin triples of 3-Hom–Lie algebras. In addition, we define O-operators of 3-Hom–Lie algebras and construct solutions of the 3-Hom–Lie Yang–Baxter equation in terms of O-operators and 3-Hom–pre-Lie algebras. Finally, we show that a 3-Hom–Lie algebra has a phase space if and only if it is sub-adjacent to a 3-Hom–pre-Lie algebra.
Data Mining Applied to Decision Support Systems for Power Transformers’ Health Diagnostics
Authors: Khalyasmaa Alexandra I. , Matrenin Pavel V. , Eroshenko Stanislav A. , Manusov Vadim Z. , Bramm Andrey M. , Romanov Alexey M.
Published: July 2022

This manuscript addresses the problem of technical state assessment of power transformers based on data preprocessing and machine learning. The initial dataset contains diagnostics results of the power transformers, which were collected from a variety of different data sources. It leads to dramatic degradation of the quality of the initial dataset, due to a substantial number of missing values. The problems of such real-life datasets are considered together with the performed efforts to find a balance between data quality and quantity. A data preprocessing method is proposed as a two-iteration data mining technology with simultaneous visualization of objects’ observability in a form of an image of the dataset represented by a data area diagram. The visualization improves the decision-making quality in the course of the data preprocessing procedure. On the dataset collected by the authors, the two-iteration data preprocessing technology increased the dataset filling degree from 75% to 94%, thus the number of gaps that had to be filled in with the synthetic values was reduced by 2.5 times. The processed dataset was used to build machine-learning models for power transformers’ technical state classification. A comparative analysis of different machine learning models was carried out. The outperforming efficiency of ensembles of decision trees was validated for the fleet of high-voltage power equipment taken under consideration. The resulting classification-quality metric, namely, F1-score, was estimated to be 83%.
DenSec: Secreted Protein Prediction in Cerebrospinal Fluid Based on DenseNet and Transformer
Authors: Huang Lan , Qu Yanli , He Kai , Wang Yan , Shao Dan
Published: July 2022

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) exists in the surrounding spaces of mammalian central nervous systems (CNS); therefore, there are numerous potential protein biomarkers associated with CNS disease in CSF. Currently, approximately 4300 proteins have been identified in CSF by protein profiling. However, due to the diverse modifications, as well as the existing technical limits, large-scale protein identification in CSF is still considered a challenge. Inspired by computational methods, this paper proposes a deep learning framework, named DenSec, for secreted protein prediction in CSF. In the first phase of DenSec, all input proteins are encoded as a matrix with a fixed size of 1000 × 20 by calculating a position-specific score matrix (PSSM) of protein sequences. In the second phase, a dense convolutional network (DenseNet) is adopted to extract the feature from these PSSMs automatically. After that, Transformer with a fully connected dense layer acts as classifier to perform a binary classification in terms of secretion into CSF or not. According to the experiment results, DenSec achieves a mean accuracy of 86.00% in the test dataset and outperforms the state-of-the-art methods.
Symbol-Triple Distance of Repeated-Root Constacyclic Codes of Prime Power Lengths over Fq+uFq+u2Fq
Authors: Dinh Hai Q. , Laaouine Jamal , Boudine Brahim , Yamaka Woraphon
Published: July 2022

Let p be an odd prime, where ϑ and m are positive integers. Let ψ be a nonzero element of the finite field Fq, where q=pm, and R=Fq+uFq+u2Fq(u3=0). In this paper, we determine completely the symbol-triple distances of all ψ-constacyclic codes of length pϑ over R.
Fractality of Borsa Istanbul during the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Balcı Mehmet Ali , Batrancea Larissa M. , Akgüller Ömer , Gaban Lucian , Rus Mircea-Iosif , Tulai Horia
Published: July 2022

Forecasting price changes is very important for the process of estimating and managing market risk in financial markets. Price changes in financial markets may also depend on non-market factors. Considering this situation, the study investigates the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on Borsa Istanbul. It tackles changes in the fractal dimensions of the time series obtained with the daily closing prices of stocks traded on Borsa Istanbul (BIST). According to the results of the sector-based analysis, we found that fractal dimension changes were quite effective in price estimation.
Scar-Free Laparoscopy in BRCA-Mutated Women
Authors: Restaino Stefano , Finelli Angelo , Pellecchia Giulia , Biasioli Anna , Mauro Jessica , Ronsini Carlo , Martina Monica della , Arcieri Martina , Della Corte Luigi , Sorrentino Felice , Driul Lorenza , Vizzielli Giuseppe
Published: July 2022

Background and Objectives: BRCA 1 and 2 mutations have a cumulative risk of developing ovarian cancer at 70 years of 41% and 15%, respectively, while a cumulative risk of breast cancer by 80 years of age was 72% for BRCA1 mutation carriers and 69% for BRCA2 mutation carriers. The NCCN recommends risk-reducing salpingo-oophorectomy (RRSO), typically between 35 and 40 years, and upon completion of childbearing in BRCA1 mutation, while it is reasonable to delay RRSO for management of ovarian cancer risk until age 40–45 years in patients with BRCA2. In recent years there have been two main lines of evolution in laparoscopy. The former concerning the development of a single-site laparoscopic and the latter concerning the miniaturisation of laparoscopic instruments (mini/micro-laparoscopy). Materials and Methods: In this case report, we show our experience in prophylactic adnexectomy, on a mutated-BRCA patient, using the MiniLap® percutaneous surgical system. Results: This type of technique is safe and effective and does not require a particular learning curve compared to single-port laparoscopy. Conclusions: The considerable aesthetic advantage of the scars, we believe, albeit to a lesser extent, is useful to find in these patients burdened by an important stress load.
Association of Clinical Manifestations of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus and Complementary Therapy Use in Taiwanese Female Patients: A Cross-Sectional Study
Authors: Lu Ming-Chi , Hsu Chia-Wen , Lo Hui-Chin , Chang Hsiu-Hua , Koo Malcolm
Published: July 2022

Background and Objectives: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic systemic autoimmune disease that affects predominantly women in the childbearing years. Patients may seek complementary therapies to manage their health and to reduce symptoms. However, to our knowledge, no studies have explored the association between clinical manifestations of SLE and complementary therapies. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the association of complementary therapies with common clinical manifestations in Taiwanese female patients with SLE. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at a regional teaching hospital in southern Taiwan. Outpatients from the rheumatology clinic who met the inclusion criteria were consecutively recruited. Demographic data, clinical manifestations of SLE, and types of complementary therapy use were determined using paper-based questionnaire. Multiple logistic regression analyses were conducted to investigate the use of complementary therapies associated with clinical manifestations of SLE. Results: Of the 317 female patients with SLE, 60.9% were 40 years or older. The five SLE clinical manifestations with the highest prevalence were Raynaud’s phenomenon (61.2%), photosensitivity (50.2%), Sjögren’s syndrome (28.4%), arthralgia and arthritis (22.1%), and renal involvement (14.5%). Multiple logistic regression analyses revealed that Raynaud’s phenomenon was significantly associated with fitness walking or strolling (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 1.77; p = 0.027) and fish oil supplements (aOR 3.55, p < 0.001). Photosensitivity was significantly and inversely associated with the use of probiotics (aOR 0.49; p = 0.019). Renal involvement was significantly associated with the use of probiotics (aOR 2.43; p = 0.026) and visit to the Chinese medicine department in a hospital (aOR 3.14, p = 0.026). Conclusions: We found that different clinical manifestations of SLE were associated with the use of different complementary therapies. Health care providers should have up-to-date knowledge of common complementary therapies and be ready to provide evidence-based advice to patients with SLE.
Liver Stiffness in Obese Hypothyroid Patients Taking Levothyroxine
Authors: Pujia Roberta , Mazza Elisa , Montalcini Tiziana , Arturi Franco , Brunetti Antonio , Aversa Antonio , Romeo Stefano , Perticone Maria , Sciacqua Angela , Pujia Arturo
Published: July 2022

Background and Objectives: Thyroid dysfunction is associated with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, but its role in the progression of liver damage in obese patients remains unclear. In addition, several case reports have suggested the existence of a levothyroxine-induced liver injury, which has been poorly investigated. Our aim was to verify whether a difference in the prevalence of liver fibrosis exists in a population of obese individuals taking Levothyroxine. Materials and Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study on a population of 137 obese individuals, of which 49 were on replacement therapy with Levothyroxine. We excluded those who had hypertriglyceridemia and diabetes mellitus. All participants underwent a liver stiffness assessment by transient elastography as well as biochemical measurements. In subjects with liver fibrosis, other cause of liver fibrosis were ruled out. Results: Participants taking Levothyroxine had a higher prevalence of liver fibrosis than those not taking Levothyroxine (30.6% vs. 2.3%; p < 0.001), and these results were obtained after we made an adjustment for age (Exp(B) = 18.9; 95% CI = 4.1–87.4; p < 0.001). The liver stiffness value differed significantly between groups (6.0 ± 3.6 and 5.1 ± 1.2, p = 0.033). Of those subjects taking Levothyroxine, there were no significant differences in the dose of medication (1.21 ± 0.36 vs. 1.07 ± 0.42; p = 0.240) and treatment duration (13.7 ± 7.43 vs. 11.13 ± 6.23; p = 0.380) between those with and without liver fibrosis. Conclusions: We found, for the first time, a greater prevalence of liver fibrosis in obese individuals taking Levothyroxine than in those not taking this medication. This finding needs to be confirmed by longitudinal population studies as well as by cellular studies.
Reliability of Isometric Muscle Strength Measurement and Its Accuracy Prediction of Maximal Dynamic Force in People with Multiple Sclerosis
Authors: Portilla-Cueto Kora , Medina-Pérez Carlos , Romero-Pérez Ena Monserrat , Hernández-Murúa José Aldo , Vila-Chã Carolina , de Paz José Antonio
Published: July 2022

Background and Objectives: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a disease that manifests with varied neurological symptoms, including muscle weakness, especially in the lower extremities. Strength exercises play an important role in the rehabilitation and functional maintenance of these patients. The individualized prescription of strength exercises is recommended to be based on the maximum force determined by the one-repetition maximum (1RM), although to save time and because it requires less equipment, it is often determined by the maximum voluntary isometric contraction (MVIC). The purpose of this work was to study, in patients with MS (pwMS), the reliability of MVIC and the correlation between the MVIC and 1RM of the knee extensors and to predict the MVIC-based 1RM. Materials and Methods: A total of 328 pwMS participated. The study of the reliability of MVIC included all pwMS, for which MVIC was determined twice in one session. Their 1RM was also evaluated. The sample was randomized by MS type, sex, and neurological disability score into a training group and a testing group for the analysis of the correlation and prediction of MVIC-based 1RM. Results: MVIC repeatability (ICC, 2.1 = 0.973) was determined, along with a minimum detectable change of 13.2 kg. The correlation between MVIC and 1RM was R2 = 0.804, with a standard error estimate of 12.2 kg. The absolute percentage error of 1RM prediction based on MVIC in the test group was 12.7%, independent of MS type and with no correlation with neurological disability score. Conclusions: In patients with MS, MVIC presents very good intrasubject repeatability, and the difference between two measurements of the same subject must differ by 17% to be considered a true change in MVIC. There is a high correlation between MVIC and 1RM, which allows estimation of 1RM once MVIC is known, with an estimation error of about 12%, regardless of sex or type of MS, and regardless of the degree of neurological disability.
Modelling, Test and Practice of Steel Structures
Authors: Chen Zhihua , Ge Hanbin , Chan Siulai
Published: July 2022

Steel structures have been widely used in civil engineering in recent decades across applications such as large spatial structures, high-rise buildings, and bridges [...]
SARS-CoV-2 Amino Acid Mutations Detection in Greek Patients Infected in the First Wave of the Pandemic
Authors: Vassilaki Niki , Papadimitriou Konstantinos , Ioannidis Anastasios , Papandreou Nikos C. , Milona Raphaela S. , Iconomidou Vassiliki A. , Chatzipanagiotou Stylianos
Published: July 2022

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), a novel virus that belongs to the Coronoviridae family, emerged in December 2019, causing the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. Unlike previous SARS and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) outbreaks, this virus has a higher transmissibility rate, albeit a lower case fatality rate, which results in accumulation of a significant number of mutations and a faster evolution rate. Genomic studies on the mutation rate of the virus, as well as the identification of mutations that prevail and their impact on disease severity, are of great importance for pandemic surveillance and vaccine and drug development. Here, we aim to identify mutations on the SARS-CoV-2 viral genome and their effect on the proteins they are located in, in Greek patients infected in the first wave of the pandemic. To this end, we perform SARS-CoV-2 amplicon-based NGS sequencing on nasopharyngeal swab samples from Greek patients and bioinformatic analysis of the results. Although SARS-CoV-2 is considered genetically stable, we discover a variety of mutations on the viral genome. In detail, 18 mutations are detected in total on 10 SARS-CoV-2 isolates. The mutations are located on ORF1ab, S protein, M protein, ORF3a and ORF7a. Sixteen are also detected in patients from other regions around the world, and two are identified for the first time in the present study. Most of them result in amino acid substitutions. These substitutions are analyzed using computational tools, and the results indicate minor or major impact on the proteins’ structural stability, which could probably affect viral transmissibility and pathogenesis. The correlation of these variations with the viral load levels is examined, and their implication for disease severity and the biology of the virus are discussed.
Host’s Immunity and Candida Species Associated with Denture Stomatitis: A Narrative Review
Authors: Le Bars Pierre , Kouadio Alain Ayepa , Bandiaky Octave Nadile , Le Guéhennec Laurent , de La Cochetière Marie-France
Published: July 2022

Denture-related Candida stomatitis, which has been described clinically in the literature, is either localized or generalized inflammation of the oral mucosa in connection with a removable prosthesis. During this inflammatory process, the mycobacterial biofilm and the host’s immune response play an essential role. Among microorganisms of this mixed biofilm, the Candida species proliferates easily and changes from a commensal to an opportunistic pathogen. In this situation, the relationship between the Candida spp. and the host is influenced by the presence of the denture and conditioned both by the immune response and the oral microbiota. Specifically, this fungus is able to hijack the innate immune system of its host to cause infection. Additionally, older edentulous wearers of dentures may experience an imbalanced and decreased oral microbiome diversity. Under these conditions, the immune deficiency of these aging patients often promotes the spread of commensals and pathogens. The present narrative review aimed to analyze the innate and adaptive immune responses of patients with denture stomatitis and more particularly the involvement of Candida albicans sp. associated with this pathology.
Genetic Diversity of Babesia canis Strains in Dogs in Lithuania
Authors: Radzijevskaja Jana , Mardosaitė-Busaitienė Dalytė , Aleksandravičienė Asta , Karvelienė Birutė , Razgūnaitė Miglė , Stadalienė Inga , Paulauskas Algimantas
Published: July 2022

Canine babesiosis is an emerging and rapidly expanding tick-borne disease in central and northeast Europe. In the last two decades, the endemic area of Babesia canis has expanded from central Europe to the Baltic region. This study aimed to investigate the genetic diversity of B. canis strains isolated from naturally infected dogs in different regions of Lithuania using PCR-RFLP and sequence analyses based on a partial region of 18S rRNA and Bc28.1 genes. Blood samples from 149 dogs suspected of having babesiosis were collected in Lithuania during 2016–2017. Based on PCR-RFLP profiles and two nucleotide substitutions observed in 18S rRNA gene sequences, three B. canis genotypes were identified in Lithuania—18S rRNA-A, 18S rRNA-B and 18S rRNA-A/B—with the A/B genotype predominating (83.9%). Based on the obtained PCR-RFLP profiles of the Bc28.1 gene, four B. canis genotypes were identified: Bc28.1-B (53.8%), Bc28.1-34 (20.8%), Bc28.1-A (17.9%), and Bc28.1-34/A or B (7.5%). Sequence analysis of the partial Bc28.1 gene revealed eighteen polymorphic sites and thirteen sequence variants among the Lithuanian samples. The B. canis genotypes obtained were detected with varying prevalences in different regions of Lithuania.
Time-Dependent Model for Brittle Rocks Considering the Long-Term Strength Determined from Lab Data
Authors: Innocente James , Paraskevopoulou Chrysothemis , Diederichs Mark S.
Published: July 2022

The excavation of tunnels in brittle rocks with high in-situ strengths under large deviatoric stresses has been shown to exhibit brittle failure at the periphery of tunnels parallel to the maximum in-situ stress. This failure can either occur instantaneously or after several hours due to the strength degradation that is implicitly and indirectly considered in typical brittle constitutive models. While these models are powerful tools for engineering analyses, they cannot predict the time at which brittle rupture occurs, but rather, they show a possible failure pattern occurring instantaneously. In this paper, a model referred to as the long-term strength (LTS) model is introduced and implemented into FLAC2D. The model is built as a modified version of the CVISC model, introduced by Itasca, by adding a strength decay function. This function is developed from lab-scale time-to-failure (TTF) data. The LTS model is verified against its corresponding analytical solution using a constant stress creep lab test and implemented into a tunnel-scale model using the geometry, stress, and geologic conditions from the Atomic Energy of Canada Limited Underground Research Laboratory (AECL URL). The results of the LTS tunnel model are then compared to an identical model using the Cohesion Weakening Friction Strengthening (CWFS) approach.
Changes in Chemical Compositions and Antioxidant Activities from Fresh to Fermented Red Mountain-Cultivated Ginseng
Authors: Lee Hee Yul , Lee Jin Hwan , Shin Eui-Cheol , Cho Du Yong , Jung Jea Gack , Kim Min Ju , Jeong Jong Bin , Kang Dawon , Kang Sang Soo , Cho Kye Man
Published: July 2022

This study investigated changes in nutrients (fatty acids, amino acids, and minerals), ginsenosides, and volatile flavors, and antioxidant activities during food processing of mountain-cultivated ginseng (MCG) with the cocktail lactic acid bacteria. Fatty acid content increased, but the free amino acid content decreased, and minerals were practically unaffected during processing. Total phenolic and flavonoid contents and maillard reaction products increased markedly according to processing stage. The total ginsenosides levels increased from 31.25 mg/g (DMCG) to 32.36 mg/g (red MCG, RMCG) and then decreased (27.27 mg/g, at fermented RMCG) during processing. Particularly, the contents of F2 (0.31 → 1.02 → 2.27 mg/g), Rg3 (0.36 → 0.77 → 1.93 mg/g), and compound K (0.5 → 1.68 → 4.13 mg/g) of ginsenosides and β-panasinsene (17.28 → 22.69 → 31.61%), biocycloelemene (0.11 → 0.84 → 0.92%), δ-cadinene (0.39 → 0.5 → 0.94%), and alloaromadendrene (1.64 → 1.39 → 2.6%) of volatile flavor compounds increased during processing, along with to the antioxidant effects (such as DPPH, ABTS, and hydroxyl radical scavenging activities, and FRAP). This study may provide several choices for the use of ginseng in functional foods and functional cosmetics.
Mechanochemical Synthesis of Fluorinated Imines
Authors: Ciesielska Karolina , Hoffmann Marcin , Kubicki Maciej , Pluskota-Karwatka Donata
Published: July 2022

A number of imines, including 12 new compounds, previously not reported in the literature, derived from variously fluorinated benzaldehydes and different anilines or chiral benzylamines were synthesized by a solvent-free mechanochemical method, which was based on the manual grinding of equimolar amounts of the substrates at the room temperature. In a very short reaction time of only 15 min, the method produced the expected products with good-to-excellent yields. The yields were comparable or significantly higher than those reported in the literature for the imines synthesized by other methods. Importantly, the conditions used for the reactions with aniline derivatives also resulted in the high yields of imines obtained from chiral benzylamines, and can be extended to the synthesis with other similar amines. Structures of all imines were confirmed by NMR spectroscopy: 1H, 13C and 19F. For four compounds, X-ray structures were also obtained. The synthetic approach presented in this paper contributes to the prevention of environmental pollution and can be easily extended for larger-scale syntheses. The mechanochemical solvent-free method provides a convenient strategy particularly useful for the preparation of fluorinated imines being versatile intermediates or starting material in the synthesis of drugs and other fine chemicals.
Styrylpyrone Derivative (SPD) Extracted from Goniothalamus umbrosus Binds to Dengue Virus Serotype-2 Envelope Protein and Inhibits Early Stage of Virus Replication
Authors: Abd Wahab Noor Zarina , Ibrahim Nazlina
Published: July 2022

A study was conducted to investigate the anti-viral effect of a styrylpyrone derivative (SPD) called goniothalamin and the effects on the dengue virus serotype 2 (DENV-2) replication cycle. The SPD was prepared from the root of Goniothalamus umbrosus after purification with petroleum ether. The isolated SPD was then subjected to gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) analyses for structure validation. The cytotoxicity of the SPD was evaluated using a cell viability assay, while the anti-viral activity of the SPD towards DENV-2 was confirmed by conducting a foci reduction assay which involved virus yield reduction, time-of-addition, and time removal assays. Transcriptomic analysis via quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) using the DENV-2 E gene was conducted to investigate the level of gene transcript. Immunocytochemistry analysis was used to investigate the effects of SPD treatment on protein E expression. Finally, software molecular docking of the SPD and E protein was also performed. The cytotoxicity assay confirmed that the SPD was not toxic to Vero cells, even at the highest concentration tested. In the time-of-addition assay, more than 80% foci reduction was observed when SPDs were administered at 2 h post-infection (hpi), and the reduction percentage then dropped with the delay of the treatment time, suggesting the inhibition of the early replication cycle. However, the time removal assay showed that more than 80% reduction could only be observed after 96 h post-treatment with the SPD. Treatment with the SPD reduced the progeny infectivity when treated for 24 h and was dose-dependent. The result showed that transcript level of the E gene in infected cells treated with the SPD was reduced compared to infected cells without treatment. In immunocytochemistry analysis, the DENV-2 E protein exhibited similar expression trends, shown by the gene transcription level. Molecular docking showed that the SPD can interact with E protein through hydrogen bonds and other interactions. Overall, this study showed that SPDs have the potential to be anti-DENV-2 via a reduction in viral progeny infectivity and a reduction in the expression of the DENV-2 E gene and protein at different phases of viral replication. SPDs should be further researched to be developed into an effective anti-viral treatment, particularly for early-phase dengue viral infection.
Application of Geopolymer in Stabilization/Solidification of Hazardous Pollutants: A Review
Authors: Tian Quanzhi , Bai Yingchu , Pan Yinhai , Chen Changshuai , Yao Shuo , Sasaki Keiko , Zhang Haijun
Published: July 2022

Geopolymers, as a kind of inorganic polymer, possess excellent properties and have been broadly studied for the stabilization/solidification (S/S) of hazardous pollutants. Even though many reviews about geopolymers have been published, the summary of geopolymer-based S/S for various contaminants has not been well conducted. Therefore, the S/S of hazardous pollutants using geopolymers are comprehensively summarized in this review. Geopolymer-based S/S of typical cations, including Pb, Zn, Cd, Cs, Cu, Sr, Ni, etc., were involved and elucidated. The S/S mechanisms for cationic heavy metals were concluded, mainly including physical encapsulation, sorption, precipitation, and bonding with a silicate structure. In addition, compared to cationic ions, geopolymers have a poor immobilization ability on anions due to the repulsive effect between them, presenting a high leaching percentage. However, some anions, such as Se or As oxyanions, have been proved to exist in geopolymers through electrostatic interaction, which provides a direction to enhance the geopolymer-based S/S for anions. Besides, few reports about geopolymer-based S/S of organic pollutants have been published. Furthermore, the adsorbents of geopolymer-based composites designed and studied for the removal of hazardous pollutants from aqueous conditions are also briefly discussed. On the whole, this review will offer insights into geopolymer-based S/S technology. Furthermore, the challenges to geopolymer-based S/S technology outlined in this work are expected to be of direct relevance to the focus of future research.
Antiviral Activity of Porcine IFN-λ3 and IFN-α against Porcine Rotavirus In Vitro
Authors: Deng Lishuang , Yin Yue , Xu Zhiwen , Li Fengqin , Zhao Jun , Deng Huidan , Jian Zhijie , Lai Siyuan , Sun Xiangang , Zhu Ling
Published: July 2022

Interferons (IFNs) play a major role in the host’s antiviral innate immunity. In response to viral infection, IFNs bind their receptors and initiate a signaling cascade, leading to the accurate transcriptional regulation of hundreds of IFN-stimulated genes (ISGs). Porcine rotavirus (PoRV) belongs to genus Rotavirus of the Reoviridae family; the infection is a global epidemic disease and a major threat to the pig industry. In this study, we found that IFN-λ3 inhibited the replication of PoRV in both MA104 cells and IPEC-J2 cells, and this inhibition was dose-dependent. Furthermore, the antiviral activity of IFN-λ3 was more potent in IPEC-J2 cells than in MA104 cells. Further research showed that IFN-λ3 and IFN-α might inhibit PoRV infection by activating ISGs, i.e., MxA, OASL and ISG15, in IPEC-J2 cells. However, the co-treatment of IFN-λ3 and IFN-α did not enhance the antiviral activity. Our data demonstrated that IFN-λ3 had antiviral activity against PoRV and may serve as a useful antiviral candidate against PoRV, as well as other viruses in swine.
Electrochemical Immunoassay for Tumor Marker CA19-9 Detection Based on Self-Assembled Monolayer
Authors: Wei Zheng , Cai Xiaoping , Cui Weifeng , Zhang Junping
Published: July 2022

A CA19-9 electrochemical immunosensor was constructed using a hybrid self-assembled membrane modified with a gold electrode and applied to detect real samples. Hybrid self-assembled membranes were selected for electrode modification and used to detect antigens. First, the pretreated working electrodes were placed in a 3-mercaptopropionic acid (MPA)/β-mercaptoethanol (ME) mixture for 24 h for self-assembly. The electrodes were then placed in an EDC/NHS mixture for 1 h. Layer modification was performed by stepwise dropwise addition of CA19-9 antibody, BSA, and antigen. Differential pulse voltammetry was used to characterize this immunosensor preparation process. The assembled electrochemical immunosensor enables linear detection in the concentration range of 0.05–500 U/mL of CA19-9, and the detection limit was calculated as 0.01 U/mL. The results of the specificity measurement test showed that the signal change of the interfering substance was much lower than the response value of the detected antigen, indicating that the sensor has good specificity and strong anti-interference ability. The repeatability test results showed that the relative standard deviations were less than 5%, showing good accuracy and precision. The CA19-9 electrochemical immunosensor was used for the actual sample detection, and the experimental results of the standard serum addition method showed that the RSD values of the test concentrations were all less than 10%. The recoveries were 102.4–115.0%, indicating that the assay has high precision, good accuracy, and high potential application value.
Potential Efficacy of β-Amyrin Targeting Mycobacterial Universal Stress Protein by In Vitro and In Silico Approach
Authors: Beg Md Amjad , Shivangi  , Afzal Obaid , Akhtar Md Sayeed , Altamimi Abdulmalik S. A. , Hussain Afzal , Imam Md Ali , Ahmad Mohammad Naiyaz , Chopra Sidharth , Athar Fareeda
Published: July 2022

The emergence of drug resistance and the limited number of approved antitubercular drugs prompted identification and development of new antitubercular compounds to cure Tuberculosis (TB). In this work, an attempt was made to identify potential natural compounds that target mycobacterial proteins. Three plant extracts (A. aspera, C. gigantea and C. procera) were investigated. The ethyl acetate fraction of the aerial part of A. aspera and the flower ash of C. gigantea were found to be effective against M. tuberculosis H37Rv. Furthermore, the GC-MS analysis of the plant fractions confirmed the presence of active compounds in the extracts. The Mycobacterium target proteins, i.e., available PDB dataset proteins and proteins classified in virulence, detoxification, and adaptation, were investigated. A total of ten target proteins were shortlisted for further study, identified as follows: BpoC, RipA, MazF4, RipD, TB15.3, VapC15, VapC20, VapC21, TB31.7, and MazF9. Molecular docking studies showed that β-amyrin interacted with most of these proteins and its highest binding affinity was observed with Mycobacterium Rv1636 (TB15.3) protein. The stability of the protein-ligand complex was assessed by molecular dynamic simulation, which confirmed that β-amyrin most firmly interacted with Rv1636 protein. Rv1636 is a universal stress protein, which regulates Mycobacterium growth in different stress conditions and, thus, targeting Rv1636 makes M. tuberculosis vulnerable to host-derived stress conditions.
Enhancing the Activity of Carboxymethyl Cellulase Enzyme Using Highly Stable Selenium Nanoparticles Biosynthesized by Bacillus paralicheniformis Y4
Authors: Wang Yidan , Yu Yonghe , Duan Yuhua , Wang Qin , Cong Xin , He Yi , Gao Chao , Hafeez Muhammad , Jan Saad , Rasheed Syed Majid , Cheng Shuiyuan , Wang Zhangqian
Published: July 2022

The inorganic selenium is absorbed and utilized inefficiently, and the range between toxicity and demand is narrow, so the application is strictly limited. Selenium nanoparticles have higher bioactivity and biosafety properties, including increased antioxidant and anticancer properties. Thus, producing and applying eco-friendly, non-toxic selenium nanoparticles in feed additives is crucial. Bacillus paralicheniformis Y4 was investigated for its potential ability to produce selenium nanoparticles and the activity of carboxymethyl cellulases. The selenium nanoparticles were characterized using zeta potential analyses, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Additionally, evaluations of the anti-α-glucosidase activity and the antioxidant activity of the selenium nanoparticles and the ethyl acetate extracts of Y4 were conducted. B. paralicheniformis Y4 exhibited high selenite tolerance of 400 mM and the selenium nanoparticles had an average particle size of 80 nm with a zeta potential value of −35.8 mV at a pH of 7.0, suggesting that the particles are relatively stable against aggregation. After 72 h of incubation with 5 mM selenite, B. paralicheniformis Y4 was able to reduce it by 76.4%, yielding red spherical bio-derived selenium nanoparticles and increasing the carboxymethyl cellulase activity by 1.49 times to 8.96 U/mL. For the first time, this study reports that the carboxymethyl cellulase activity of Bacillus paralicheniforis was greatly enhanced by selenite. The results also indicated that B. paralicheniformis Y4 could be capable of ecologically removing selenite from contaminated sites and has great potential for producing selenium nanoparticles as feed additives to enhance the added value of agricultural products.
Harvesting Context and Mining Emotions Related to Olfactory Cultural Heritage
Authors: Massri M. Besher , Novalija Inna , Mladenić Dunja , Brank Janez , Graça da Silva Sara , Marrouch Natasza , Murteira Carla , Hürriyetoğlu Ali , Šircelj Beno
Published: July 2022

This paper presents an Artificial Intelligence approach to mining context and emotions related to olfactory cultural heritage narratives, particularly to fairy tales. We provide an overview of the role of smell and emotions in literature, as well as highlight the importance of olfactory experience and emotions from psychology and linguistic perspectives. We introduce a methodology for extracting smells and emotions from text, as well as demonstrate the context-based visualizations related to smells and emotions implemented in a novel smell tracker tool. The evaluation is performed using a collection of fairy tales from Grimm and Andersen. We find out that fairy tales often connect smell with the emotional charge of situations. The experimental results show that we can detect smells and emotions in fairy tales with an F1 score of 91.62 and 79.2, respectively.
Current Status of Regulatory Non-Coding RNAs Research in the Tritryp
Authors: Fort Rafael Sebastián , Chavez Santiago , Trinidad Barnech Juan M. , Oliveira-Rizzo Carolina , Smircich Pablo , Sotelo-Silveira José Roberto , Duhagon María Ana
Published: July 2022

Trypanosomatids are protozoan parasites that cause devastating vector-borne human diseases. Gene expression regulation of these organisms depends on post-transcriptional control in responding to diverse environments while going through multiple developmental stages of their complex life cycles. In this scenario, non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) are excellent candidates for a very efficient, quick, and economic strategy to regulate gene expression. The advent of high throughput RNA sequencing technologies show the presence and deregulation of small RNA fragments derived from canonical ncRNAs. This review seeks to depict the ncRNA landscape in trypanosomatids, focusing on the small RNA fragments derived from functional RNA molecules observed in RNA sequencing studies. Small RNA fragments derived from canonical ncRNAs (tsRNAs, snsRNAs, sdRNAs, and sdrRNAs) were identified in trypanosomatids. Some of these RNAs display changes in their levels associated with different environments and developmental stages, demanding further studies to determine their functional characterization and potential roles. Nevertheless, a comprehensive and detailed ncRNA annotation for most trypanosomatid genomes is still needed, allowing better and more extensive comparative and functional studies.