bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Interfacial Surface Properties of Compression Moulded Hydrolysed Polyvinyl Acetate (PVAc) Using Different Release Materials
Authors: Whitehead Kathryn A. , Amin Mohsin , Deisenroth Ted , Liauw Christopher M. , Verran Joanna
Published: October 2022

Understanding the effect surface production has on polymer properties is important in the design of advanced materials. The aim of this study was to determine how the moulding process affected the rate of hydrolysis and the topography, chemistry and physicochemistry of PVAc moulded, hydrolysed surfaces. Three different mould surface materials were used to produce compression moulded PVAc sheets which were treated with aqueous NaOH at a range of concentrations. The Textile moulded sheet demonstrated the best hydrolysis results. The topography of the moulded sheets was transferred to the surfaces and the Kapton release sheet was visually smooth at lower magnification and demonstrated some pitting at higher magnification. The Teflon surface had features transferred from the coated stainless steel at lower magnifications and linear features at higher magnifications and the textile surface had a wrinkled appearance and irregularly spaced peaks. The release sheet used to mould the PVAc surfaces, affected the physicochemical parameters. The Kapton moulded surface demonstrated the most polar attributes and the Teflon surface the most dispersive. It was clear that the selection of the mould material had an influence on surface properties and hydrolysis of moulded PVAc. Such information is important for engineering design in industrial processes.
Rapid Geometric Screening of Low-Energy Surfaces in Crystals
Authors: Liu Helena , van de Walle Axel
Published: October 2022

A high-throughput approach to determine the equilibrium shape of a crystal by brute force is impractical due to the vast number of density functional theory (DFT) calculations required along just a single crystallographic direction. We propose a screening method that allows the bypass of performing DFT calculations for each candidate surface. Using a series of physically-motivated simplifications, we are able to consider the relative surface energy of each of the large number of candidate surfaces required to solve the surface energy minimization problem in 3 dimensions. Application of this technique to calculate the surface energy landscapes of a set of well-known crystal structures demonstrates high accuracy in the prediction of stable planes and validates its potential as a valuable tool in ab initio determination of equilibrium crystal shapes.
Modification of Brain Functional Connectivity in Adolescent Thoracic Idiopathic Scoliosis by Lower Extremities Position
Authors: Chaloupka Richard , Mikl Michal , Nováková Marie , Repko Martin , Rektor Ivan
Published: October 2022

The involvement of the brain motor system in idiopathic scoliosis remains unclear. In this paper, we question whether the functional connectivity (FC) of the central motor circuitry is abnormal in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) and whether it can be modified by flexion of the lower extremities. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in 18 patients with a right thoracic idiopathic curve greater than 30° (mean angle 49.4°, mean age 15.3 years, 4 males) and 22 healthy controls (mean age 18.2 years, 4 males) was explored using a 3T MR scanner. We measured their resting-state fMRI: (a) with extended lower extremities; (b) with semiflexion of the left lower extremity and extended right lower extremity, with hip abduction. Decreased FC between the secondary motor area (SMA) and postcentral cortex, pallidum and cuneus, postcentral gyrus and cerebellum, putamen and temporal lateral neocortex was observed in AIS. This pathological connectivity was reversed by lower extremity semiflexion. The FC between cortical and subcortical motor structures is significantly decreased in AIS. The decreased FC of the SMA, basal ganglia, cuneus (a hub structure), and cerebellum indicates the functional impairment of structures involved in regulating muscular tone. FC impairment in patients with AIS appears to be a reaction to the pathological condition. This pathological pattern flexibly reacts to changes in the positioning of the lower extremities, showing that the functional impairment of brain motor circuitry in AIS is reversible. We suggest that the reactivity of cerebral activity leading to brain activity normalization could be used for a rehabilitation program for patients with AIS.
The Relationship between Symmetry and Specific Properties of Supramolecular Systems
Authors: Gorovoy Yuriy
Published: October 2022

Released agent is a supramolecular system formed around nanobubbles in highly diluted solutions of substances subjected to technological processing. Released agent retains the structure and symmetry of the supramolecular system of the dissolved substance. It has two specific properties: (1) when combined with the original substance, it modifies its effect on an organism; (2) and it could cause an atypical pathological reaction in some individuals. These properties could be due to the transmission of symmetry from released agent to the receptor in the molecular recognition reaction by deforming the receptor structure. A theoretical analysis of these properties was carried out using methods of statistical thermodynamics of complex systems, chemical thermodynamics of supramolecular systems, and analytical mechanics. The released agent’s modifying effect is a phenomenon of the receptor pre-organization in the molecular recognition reaction. The selective ability and free energy of complex formation of released agent (from highly diluted antibodies to the beta-subunit of the insulin receptor) with the insulin receptor was evaluated. The atypical pathological reaction of some individuals to released agents resembles a resonance phenomenon that occurs when the symmetries (structures) of released agent and the receptor coincide. The obtained results show a possibility to investigate released agents’ properties not only empirically, but also using the methods of theoretical physics.
[3 + 2] Cycloadditions in Asymmetric Synthesis of Spirooxindole Hybrids Linked to Triazole and Ferrocene Units: X-ray Crystal Structure and MEDT Study of the Reaction Mechanism
Authors: Al-Rasheed Hessa H. , Al-Majid Abdullah Mohammed , Ali M. , Haukka Matti , Ramadan Sherif , Soliman Saied M. , El-Faham Ayman , Domingo Luis R. , Barakat Assem
Published: October 2022

Derivatization of spirooxindole having triazole and ferrocene units was achieved by the [3 + 2] cycloaddition (32CA) reaction approach. Reacting the respective azomethine ylide (AY) intermediate generated in situ with the ethylene derivative produced novel asymmetric cycloadducts with four contiguous asymmetric carbons in an overall high chemical yield with excellent regioselectivity and diastereoselectivity. X-Ray single-crystal structure analyses revealed, with no doubt, the success of the synthesis of the target compounds. The 32CA reaction of AY 5b with ferrocene ethylene 1 has been studied within MEDT. This 32CA reaction proceeds via a two-stage one-step mechanism involving a high asynchronous transition state structure, resulting from the nucleophilic attack of AY 5b on the β-conjugated position of ferrocene ethylene 1. The supernucleophilic character of AY 5b and the strong electrophilic character of ferrocene ethylene 1 account for the high polar character of this 32CA reaction. Further, Hirshfeld analyses were used to describe the molecular packing of compounds 4b, 4e, 4h and 4i.
Bivariate Proportional Hazard Models: Structure and Inference
Authors: Arnold Barry C. , Martínez-Flórez Guillermo , Gómez Héctor W.
Published: October 2022

We focus on a variety of bivariate models with proportional hazard components. Models with proportional hazard marginals are described together with a selection of models with propor- tional hazard conditional distributions. The bivariate distributions with marginal proportional hazards distributions are shown to be closely related to certain known bivariate exponential models. Two distinct kinds of conditional specification are investigated. Discussion is provided of cases with hazard function components that are (1) completely unknown, (2) known to belong to given parametric families and (3) completely known. Since the models are designed for use with survival data, it is inevitable that the marginal and conditional distributions will be asymmetric. However, logarithmic transformations in some cases will result in symmetric component distributions.
Solution of Integral Equation with Neutrosophic Rectangular Triple Controlled Metric Spaces
Authors: Mani Gunaseelan , Ramaswamy Rajagopalan , Gnanaprakasam Arul Joseph , Abdelnaby Ola A Ashour , Radojevic Slobodan , Radenović Stojan
Published: October 2022

In this paper, we introduce the notion of neutrosophic rectangular triple-controlled metric space, relaxing the symmetry requirement of neutrosophic metric spaces, by replacing triangular inequalities with rectangular inequalities, and prove fixed point theorems. We have derived several interesting results for contraction mappings supplemented with non-trivial examples. The derived results have been applied to prove the existence of a unique analytical solution as well as a closed form of the unique solution to the integral equation.
Application of Bat Algorithm and Its Modified Form Trained with ANN in Channel Equalization
Authors: Kumar Mohapatra Pradyumna , Kumar Rout Saroja , Kishoro Bisoy Sukant , Kautish Sandeep , Hamzah Muzaffar , Jasser Muhammed Basheer , Mohamed Ali Wagdy
Published: October 2022

The transmission of high-speed data over communication channels is the function of digital communication systems. Due to linear and nonlinear distortions, data transmitted through this process is distorted. In a communication system, the channel is the medium through which signals are transmitted. The useful signal received at the receiver becomes corrupted because it is associated with noise, ISI, CCI, etc. The equalizers function at the front end of the receiver to eliminate these factors, and they are designed to make them work efficiently with proper network topology and parameters. In the case of highly dispersive and nonlinear channels, it is well known that neural network-based equalizers are more effective than linear equalizers, which use finite impulse response filters. An alternative approach to training neural network-based equalizers is to use metaheuristic algorithms. Here, in this work, to develop the symmetry-based efficient channel equalization in wireless communication, this paper proposes a modified form of bat algorithm trained with ANN for channel equalization. It adopts a population-based and local search algorithm to exploit the advantages of bats’ echolocation. The foremost initiative is to boost the flexibility of both the variants of the proposed algorithm and the utilization of proper weight, topology, and the transfer function of ANN in channel equalization. To evaluate the equalizer’s performance, MSE and BER can be calculated by considering popular nonlinear channels and adding nonlinearities. Experimental and statistical analyses show that, in comparison with the bat as well as variants of the bat and state-of-the-art algorithms, the proposed algorithm substantially outperforms them significantly, based on MSE and BER.
Study of Corrections for Anomalous Coupling Limits Due to the Possible Background BSM Contributions
Authors: Semushin Artur E. , Soldatov Evgeny Yu.
Published: October 2022

The search for anomalous couplings is one of the possible ways to find any deviations from the Standard Model. Effective field theory is used to parameterize the anomalous couplings in the Lagrangian with operators of higher dimensions constructed from the SM fields. In the classical way, the limits on the Wilson coefficients of these operators are set based on beyond the Standard Model contributions induced for the signal process, whereas the ones induced for background processes are assumed to be negligible. This article provides a study of the corrections to the limits on Wilson coefficients by considering beyond the Standard Model contributions induced for background processes. The studies of Z(νν¯)γjj and W(ℓν)γjj productions in pp collisions with s=13 TeV and conditions of the ATLAS experiment at the LHC are used as an example. Cases with integrated luminosity collected during Run II of 139 fb−1 and expected from Run III of 300 fb−1 are considered. The expected 95% CL limits on coefficients fT0/Λ4, fT5/Λ4, fM0/Λ4 and fM2/Λ4 are obtained both in the classical way and in the way, where the corrections from background anomalous contributions are applied. Corrected one-dimensional limits from Z(νν¯)γjj and W(ℓν)γjj productions are up to 9.1% and 4.4% (depending on the operator) tighter than the classical ones, respectively. Corrected combined limits are up to 3.0% (depending on the operator) tighter than the classical ones. Corrections to two-dimensional limits are also obtained. The corrected contours are more stringent compared with the classical ones, and the maximal improvement is 17.2%.
On the Suppression of the Dark Matter-Nucleon Scattering Cross Section in the SE6SSM
Authors: Nevzorov Roman
Published: October 2022

In the E6 inspired U(1)N extension of the minimal supersymmetric (SUSY) standard model (MSSM), a single discrete Z˜2H symmetry permits suppressing rapid proton decay and non-diagonal flavor transitions. If matter parity and Z˜2H symmetry are preserved in this SUSY model (SE6SSM), it may involve two dark matter candidates. In this article, we study a new modification of the SE6SSM in which the cold dark matter is composed of gravitino and the lightest neutral exotic fermion. We argue that, in this case, the dark matter nucleon scattering cross-section can be considerably smaller than the present experimental limit.
Topological Quantization of Fractional Quantum Hall Conductivity
Authors: Miller J. , Zubkov M. A.
Published: October 2022

We derive a novel topological expression for the Hall conductivity. To that degree we consider the quantum Hall effect (QHE) in a system of interacting electrons. Our formalism is valid for systems in the presence of an external magnetic field, as well as for systems with a nontrivial band topology. That is, the expressions for the conductivity derived are valid for both the ordinary QHE and for the intrinsic anomalous QHE. The expression for the conductivity applies to external fields that may vary in an arbitrary way, and takes into account disorder. Properties related to symmetry and topology are revealed in the fractional quantization of the Hall conductivity. It is assumed that the ground state of the system is degenerate. We represent the QHE conductivity as e2h×NK, where K is the degeneracy of the ground state, while N is the topological invariant composed of the Wigner-transformed multi-leg Green functions, which takes discrete values.
Applications of Riemann–Liouville Fractional Integral of q-Hypergeometric Function for Obtaining Fuzzy Differential Sandwich Results
Authors: Alb Lupaş Alina , Oros Georgia Irina
Published: October 2022

Studies regarding the two dual notions are conducted in this paper using Riemann–Liouville fractional integral of q-hypergeometric function for obtaining certain fuzzy differential subordinations and superordinations. Fuzzy best dominants and fuzzy best subordinants are given in the theorems investigating fuzzy differential subordinations and superordinations, respectively. Moreover, corollaries are stated by considering particular functions with known geometric properties as fuzzy best dominant and fuzzy best subordinant in the proved results. The study is completed by stating fuzzy differential sandwich theorems followed by related corollaries combining the results previously established concerning fuzzy differential subordinations and superordinations.
An Efficient Machine Learning-Based Model to Effectively Classify the Type of Noises in QR Code: A Hybrid Approach
Authors: Rasheed Jawad , Wardak Ahmad B. , Abu-Mahfouz Adnan M. , Umer Tariq , Yesiltepe Mirsat , Waziry Sadaf
Published: October 2022

Granting smart device consumers with information, simply and quickly, is what drives quick response (QR) codes and mobile marketing to go hand in hand. It boosts marketing campaigns and objectives and allows one to approach, engage, influence, and transform a wider target audience by connecting from offline to online platforms. However, restricted printing technology and flexibility in surfaces introduce noise while printing QR code images. Moreover, noise is often unavoidable during the gathering and transmission of digital images. Therefore, this paper proposed an automatic and accurate noise detector to identify the type of noise present in QR code images. For this, the paper first generates a new dataset comprising 10,000 original QR code images of varying sizes and later introduces several noises, including salt and pepper, pepper, speckle, Poisson, salt, local var, and Gaussian to form a dataset of 80,000 images. We perform extensive experiments by reshaping the generated images to uniform size for exploiting Convolutional Neural Network (CNN), Support Vector Machine (SVM), and Logistic Regression (LG) to classify the original and noisy images. Later, the analysis is further widened by incorporating histogram density analysis to trace and target highly important features by transforming images of varying sizes to obtain 256 features, followed by SVM, LG, and Artificial Neural Network (ANN) to identify the noise type. Moreover, to understand the impact of symmetry of noises in QR code images, we trained the models with combinations of 3-, 5-, and 7-noise types and analyzed the classification performance. From comparative analyses, it is noted that the Gaussian and Localvar noises possess symmetrical characteristics, as all the classifiers did not perform well to segregate these two noises. The results prove that histogram analysis significantly improves classification accuracy with all exploited models, especially when combined with SVM, it achieved maximum accuracy for 4- and 6-class classification problems.
Computational Study of Some 4’-Aryl-1,2,4-triazol-1-ium-4-R2-phenacylid Derivatives in Vacuum and Dimethylformamide
Authors: Melniciuc Puica Nicoleta , Dimitriu Dan-Gheorghe , Apreotesei Gabriela , Moroșanu Ana Cezarina , Dorohoi Dana-Ortansa
Published: October 2022

Four carbanion monosubstituted 4’-aryl-1,2,4-triazol-1-ium-4-R2-phenacylids, used as precursors in obtaining new heterocyclic compounds, and their corresponding derivatives belonging to the C2v point group of symmetry were studied by computational means in dimethylformamide (DMF) solutions compared with their isolated state. The changes in the computed parameters induced by the solvent compared with those of the isolated molecules were analyzed in this paper. The charge distribution and the molecular energies in the HOMO and LUMO, the electronic states responsible for the visible absorption band of 4’-aryl-1,2,4-triazol-1-ium-4-R2-phenacylids, in their isolated state and in solutions achieved in DMF were computed and compared with the visible electronic absorption spectra. The molecular descriptors of the studied compounds were computed, and the higher reactivity of the carbanion monosubstituted 4’-aryl-1,2,4-triazol-1-ium-4-R2-phenacylids compared with symmetric derivatives was established. The obtained results can help researchers to obtain new heterocycles with applications in the drug industry.
Adaptation of Signal with NOMA and Polar Codes to the Rayleigh Channel
Authors: Pokamestov Dmitriy , Kryukov Yakov , Rogozhnikov Eugeniy , Shalin Georgiy , Shinkevich Artem , Novichkov Serafim
Published: October 2022

Polar codes are one of the most effective methods of error correction coding. Currently, these codes are used in 5G communication systems and are the main candidate for 6G. Symmetry plays an important role in coding and decoding algorithms for polar codes. Modulation and multiple access methods are the basis for a physical layer along with error correction codes. Non-Orthogonal Multiple Access (NOMA) methods are a promising technology for future telecommunication systems. They allow the increase of both spectral efficiency and the quantity of subscribers of a communication system. In this paper, we consider a communication system with polar codes, traditional orthogonal multiple access (OMA), and NOMA. The channel with multipath propagation, which can be defined by the Rayleigh channel model, is especially difficult to transmit. We propose a method for adapting signals with polar codes to a channel state based on the analysis of channel matrix and permutation of logical subchannels. The results obtained demonstrate efficiency compared to classical solutions and do not really increase the computational complexity of signal processing and decoding.
A Novel General Data Envelopment Analysis Based Approach for MCDM Issues of Hydrogen Energy under a Fuzzy Environment
Authors: Chung Hsiang-Yu , Chang Kuei-Hu
Published: October 2022

Multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) issues related to hydrogen energy usually involve weight consideration of evaluation criteria, ambiguous evaluation information provided by experts, and lacking or incomplete evaluation information. Conventionally, the MCDM calculation method cannot effectively and simultaneously process evaluation information. To effectively address this issue, this study proposed a novel general data envelopment analysis (DEA)-based approach for MCDM issues of hydrogen energy under a fuzzy environment. The proposed general DEA-based approach integrates the typical DEA method, analytic hierarchy process (AHP) method, hesitant fuzzy linguistic term set (HFLTS), and the soft set to process the MCDM problems under a fuzzy environment. For the numerical verification, this study used the case of hydrogen energy key technologies ranking, as an important development reference for carbon reduction to further verify the correctness and reasonableness of the proposed approach. The calculation results were also compared with those from the typical DEA method, typical AHP/DEA method, and the fuzzy AHP/DEA method. The numerical verification results show that the proposed method can effectively process the MCDM problems under a fuzzy environment than listing different calculation methods.
Assessing Design Repository Search Effectiveness
Authors: Herrington Daniel , Beery Paul , Giammarco Kristin
Published: October 2022

Reuse of design knowledge in systems engineering (SE) has been identified as a potential way to decrease design cycle times and development costs of engineering projects. Design repositories (DR) have been proposed and demonstrated as a way to store design knowledge in a reusable way. Yet little attention has been devoted specifically to the search methods used to identifying useful information within a DR, or how search method effectiveness can be measured or assessed. This paper demonstrates a method for assessing the effectiveness of search approaches within DR. The use of this method in assessing multiple search algorithms is demonstrated by example. The assessment method presented herein can also be used to identify the characteristics of repository data or intended reuse applications that affect the performance of search methods. These results can be used by engineers to inform selection of search methods based on anticipated future DR use cases.
Resilience Development in Multiple Shocks: Lessons in Mental Health and Well-Being Deterioration during COVID-19
Authors: Zhou Ke , Zhang Mengru
Published: October 2022

Resilience describes individuals’ and organizations’ recovery from crises and adaptation to disturbances and adversities. Emerging research shows the deterioration of the population’s mental health and well-being during the multiple waves of the COVID-19 pandemic, suggesting that the resilience developed is insufficient to address the system’s persistent shocks. Drawing on the findings on mental health and well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic and the psychological and organizational resilience theories, we developed a system dynamics theory model exploring how the presence of multiple shocks to the system challenges the population’s health and well-being. We initiated the model with three shocks with the same intensities and durations, and then experimented with scenarios in which the strength of multiple shocks (duration and intensity) was attenuated and amplified. The model showed that temporary environmental adjustments with limited long-term stabilized solutions and a lack of health service provision can increase the accumulative risks of health and well-being deterioration. We highlight the role of essential health service sectors’ resilience and individuals’ and organizations’ tolerance of adversities and disturbances in providing sustainable resilience. We conclude by discussing critical factors in organizational and psychological resilience development in crises with multiple shocks to the system.
Deep Neural Network for Lung Image Segmentation on Chest X-ray
Authors: Chavan Mahesh , Varadarajan Vijayakumar , Gite Shilpa , Kotecha Ketan
Published: October 2022

COVID-19 patients require effective diagnostic methods, which are currently in short supply. In this study, we explained how to accurately identify the lung regions on the X-ray scans of such people’s lungs. Images from X-rays or CT scans are critical in the healthcare business. Image data categorization and segmentation algorithms have been developed to help doctors save time and reduce manual errors during the diagnosis. Over time, CNNs have consistently outperformed other image segmentation algorithms. Various architectures are presently based on CNNs such as ResNet, U-Net, VGG-16, etc. This paper merged the U-Net image segmentation and ResNet feature extraction networks to construct the ResUNet++ network. The paper’s novelty lies in the detailed discussion and implementation of the ResUNet++ architecture in lung image segmentation. In this research paper, we compared the ResUNet++ architecture with two other popular segmentation architectures. The ResNet residual block helps us in lowering the feature reduction issues. ResUNet++ performed well compared with the UNet and ResNet architectures by achieving high evaluation scores with the validation dice coefficient (96.36%), validation mean IoU (94.17%), and validation binary accuracy (98.07%). The novelty of this research paper lies in a detailed discussion of the UNet and ResUNet architectures and the implementation of ResUNet++ in lung images. As per our knowledge, until now, the ResUNet++ architecture has not been performed on lung image segmentation. We ran both the UNet and ResNet models for the same amount of epochs and found that the ResUNet++ architecture achieved higher accuracy with fewer epochs. In addition, the ResUNet model gave us higher accuracy (94%) than the UNet model (92%).
Influence of Knitting and Material Parameters on the Quality and Reliability of Knitted Conductor Tracks
Authors: Rotzler Sigrid , Malzahn Jan , Werft Lukas , von Krshiwoblozki Malte , Eppinger Elisabeth
Published: October 2022

Many electronic textile (e-textile) applications require a stretchable basis, best achieved through knitted textiles. Ideally, conductive structures can be directly integrated during the knitting process. This study evaluates the influence of several knitting and material parameters on the resistance of knitted conductive tracks after the knitting process and after durability testing. The knitting speed proves to be of little influence, while the type of conductive thread used, as well as the knitting pattern both impact the resistance of the knitted threads and their subsequent reliability considerably. The presented research provides novel insights into the knitting process for conductive yarns and possible applications and shows that choosing suitable material and processing methods can improve the quality and robustness of knitted e-textiles.
Monitoring of Surgical Wounds with Purely Textile, Measuring Wound Pads—III: Detection of Bleeding or Seroma Discharge by the Measurement of Wound Weeping
Authors: Pötzschke Harald , Zirk Kai
Published: October 2022

To enable stating a final common sensor design of purely textile, measuring wound pads for the monitoring of surgically provided wounds with regard to tissue temperature, moisture release and stretching (as indicators for the most prominent wound healing disruptions bacterial inflammation, bleeding/seroma discharge, and haematoma/seroma formation), the aim of this investigation was to identify and quantify possible variables practically affecting the detection of water in a systematic study. The textile sensors comprise insulated electrical wires stitched onto a textile backing and parallel wires form a plane sensor structure whose electrical capacitance is increased by water (contained in blood or lymph) in the textiles. Only parallel sensor wires forming double meanders were examined because this structure enables all the parameters of interest to be measured. Surprisingly the results are complex, neither simple nor consistent. The change in electrical capacitance (measuring signal) upon the standardized addition of water was not additive, i.e., it was not found to be correlated to the moistened area of the sensor array, but inversely correlated to the diameter of the sensor wire, mildly pronounced in connection with smaller stitching spacing (stitching loops along the sensor wires). The measuring signal reached a maximum with medium sensor wire spacings and pronounced with a smaller stitching spacing. Without exception, the measuring signal was systematically higher in connection with smaller (compared with larger) stitching spacings. The results presented indicate that the optimization of the capacitive textile sensors cannot be calculated but must instead be carried out empirically.
Effects of Claroideoglomus etunicatum Fungi Inoculation on Arsenic Uptake by Maize and Pteris vittata L.
Authors: Pan Guofei , Wei Yanyan , Zhao Ningning , Gu Minghua , He Bing , Wang Xueli
Published: October 2022

The intercropping of arsenic (As) hyperaccumulator Chinese brake fern (Pterisvittata L.) with maize (Zea mays L.) is being widely utilized to enhance phytoremediation without impeding agricultural production. Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi can regulate the physiological and molecular responses of plants in tolerating heavy metal stress. We studied the effects of inoculation with AM fungi on As uptake by maize and P. vittata grown in soil contaminated with As. The results show that infection with the fungus Claroideoglomus etunicatum (Ce) increased the biomass of maize and P. vittata. Moreover, infection with Ce significantly reduced the accumulation of As and the coefficient for root–shoot transport of As in maize, whereas it enhanced the accumulation of As and coefficient for root–shoot transport of As in P. vittata. Infection with Ce led to a high content of available As in the soil planted with P. vittata, while there was a lower content of available As in the soil planted with maize. The different concentrations of available As in the soils suggest that inoculation with Ce may enhance the secretion of organic acids, particularly citric acid and tartaric acid, by maize roots and promote rhizosphere acidification, which then causes a decrease in As uptake by maize. Inoculation with Ce decreased the secretion of citric acid from P. vittata and promoted rhizosphere alkalization, which then caused an increase in As uptake by P. vittata and maize. Thus, co-combining AM fungi in the intercropping of the hyperaccumulator P. vittata with maize could be a promising approach to improving the efficiency of remediating As-contaminated soil.
Impact of Air Pollution on the Composition and Diversity of Human Gut Microbiota in General and Vulnerable Populations: A Systematic Review
Authors: Filardo Simone , Di Pietro Marisa , Protano Carmela , Antonucci Arianna , Vitali Matteo , Sessa Rosa
Published: October 2022

Recently, growing attention has focused on the impact of air pollution on gut microbiota as a possible mechanism by which air pollutant exposure increased the risk for chronic diseases, as evidenced by in vivo studies demonstrating important exposure-induced alterations in the diversity and relative abundance of gut bacterial taxa. This systematic review provides updated state-of-art findings of studies examining the impact of air pollution on the human gut microbiota. Databases PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science were searched with the following strategy: “air poll*” AND “gut micro*” OR “intestinal micro*”; moreover, a total of 10 studies were included. Overall, there is the evidence that short-term and long-term exposure to air pollutants have the potential to alter the composition and diversity of gut microbiota; some studies also correlated air pollution exposure to adverse health effects (impaired fasting glucose, adverse pregnancy outcomes, and asthma attacks) via alterations in the composition and/or function of the gut microbiota. However, the evidence on this topic is still scarce, and large cohort studies are needed globally.
Pollution Characteristics, Source Apportionment, and Health Risk Assessment of Potentially Toxic Elements (PTEs) in Road Dust Samples in Jiayuguan, Hexi Corridor, China
Authors: Xiao Kai , Yao Xiaoqing , Zhang Xi , Fu Ning , Shi Qiuhong , Meng Xiaorui , Ren Xuechang
Published: October 2022

The sources of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) in road dust are complex and potentially harmful to humans, especially in industrial cities. Jiayuguan is the largest steel-producing city in Northwest China, and this study was the first to conduct a related study on PTEs in road dust in this city, including the pollution characteristics, source apportionment, and health risk assessment of PTEs in road dust. The results showed that the highest concentration of PTEs in the local road dust samples were Mn, Ba, Zn, and Cr. The enrichment factor (EF) of Se was the highest, and it was “Very high enrichment” in areas other than the background area, indicating that the local Se was more affected by human activities. The geoaccumulation index (Igeo) of Se was also the highest, and the pollution level was 5 in all areas except the background area, indicating that the local Se was more polluted and related to coal combustion. The sources of PTEs in local road dust samples mainly included geogenic-industrial sources, coal combustion, traffic sources, and oil combustion. For the non-carcinogenic risk, the hazard index (HI) of each element of children was higher than that of adults, and the sum of the HI of each element was greater than 1, indicating that there was a non-carcinogenic risk under the combined influence of multiple elements, which was especially obvious in industrial areas. For the carcinogenic risk, the cancer risk (CR) of Cr at a certain point in the industrial area exceeded 10−4, which was a carcinogenic risk, and the Cr in this area may be related to the topsoil of the local abandoned chromate plant.
Nanoplastics and Microplastics May Be Damaging Our Livers
Authors: Yin Jianli , Ju Ye , Qian Honghao , Wang Jia , Miao Xiaohan , Zhu Ying , Zhou Liting , Ye Lin
Published: October 2022

Plastics in the environment can be degraded and even broken into pieces under the action of natural factors, and the degraded products with a particle size of less than 5 mm are called microplastics (MPs). MPs exist in a variety of environmental media that come into contact with the human body. It can enter the body through environmental media and food chains. At present, there are many studies investigating the damage of MPs to marine organisms and mammals. The liver is the largest metabolizing organ and plays an important role in the metabolism of MPs in the body. However, there is no available systematic review on the toxic effects of MPs on the liver. This paper summarizes the adverse effects and mechanisms of MPs on the liver, by searching the literature and highlighting the studies that have been published to date, and provides a scenario for the liver toxicity caused by MPs.
Chemical Composition and Chronic Toxicity of Disc-Cultured Antrodia cinnamomea Fruiting Bodies
Authors: Liu Shou-Chou , Wu Tung-Ying , Hsu Tai-Hao , Lai Ming-Nan , Wu Yang-Chang , Ng Lean-Teik
Published: October 2022

Antrodia cinnamomea (AC) is a popular fungus for use as folk medicine in health maintenance and disease prevention and treatment. Disc culture is a novel technique for producing AC fruiting bodies. This study aimed to investigate the bioactive components and toxicological properties of disc-cultured AC fruiting body powders (ACP) in rats. The HPLC technique was used to quantify the composition of bioactive triterpenoids in ACP. Toxicological properties were evaluated on male and female Sprague-Dawley rats receiving ACP orally at 200, 600, and 1000 mg/kg body weight for 90 days; the control group received only distilled water. The results show that ACP contained seven important AC index compounds, namely antcins A, B, C, K, and H, dehydrosulphurenic acid, and dehydroeburicoic acid. At the tested doses, oral ACP administration for 90 days caused no mortality, adverse effects on general health, body and organ weights, and food intake. Furthermore, no significant variations were observed in hematological and biochemical parameters among either sex of ACP-treated and control animals. An histopathological examination of vital organs showed no significant structural changes in organs, even in high-dose ACP-treated animals. This study indicated that ACP contained the major bioactive triterpenoids of AC fruiting bodies, and its no-observed-adverse-effect level (NOAEL) was 1000 mg/kg/day, about 20 times the recommended daily intake.
Exposure of Midge Larvae (Chironomus riparius) to Graphene Oxide Leads to Development Alterations
Authors: Evariste Lauris , Lagier Laura , Chary Chloé , Mottier Antoine , Cadarsi Stéphanie , Pinelli Eric , Flahaut Emmanuel , Gauthier Laury , Mouchet Florence
Published: October 2022

Despite the fast-growing use and production of graphene-based nanomaterials (GBMs), data concerning their effects on freshwater benthic macroinvertebrates are scarce. This study aims to investigate the effects of graphene oxide (GO) on the midge Chironomus riparius. Mortality, growth inhibition, development delay and teratogenicity, assessed using mentum deformity analysis, were investigated after a 7-day static exposure of the first instar larvae under controlled conditions. The collected data indicated that the survival rate was not impacted by GO, whereas chronic toxicity following a dose-dependent response occurred. Larval growth was affected, leading to a significant reduction in larval length (from 4.4 to 10.1%) in individuals reaching the fourth instar at any of the tested concentrations (from 0.1 to 100 mg/L). However, exposure to GO is not associated with an increased occurrence of mouthpart deformities or seriousness in larvae. These results highlight the suitability of monitoring the larval development of C. riparius as a sensitive marker of GO toxicity. The potential ecological consequences of larval size decrease need to be considered for a complete characterization of the GO-related environmental risk.
Cadmium: A Focus on the Brown Crab (Cancer pagurus) Industry and Potential Human Health Risks
Authors: Lordan Ronan , Zabetakis Ioannis
Published: October 2022

Cadmium is a major health risk globally and is usually associated with pollution and anthropogenic activity. The presence of cadmium in food is monitored to ensure that the health and safety of consumers are maintained. Cadmium is ubiquitous in the Asian and Western diets, with the highest levels present in grains, leafy greens, and shellfish. As part of their natural lifecycle of moulting and shell renewal, all crustaceans—including the brown crab (Cancer pagurus)—bioaccumulate cadmium from their environment in their hepatopancreas. The brown crab is an important species to the crab-fishing industries of many European countries, including Ireland. However, the industry has come under scrutiny in Europe due to the presence of cadmium in the brown crab meat intended for live export to Asia. This review explores evidence regarding the effects of cadmium consumption on human health, with a focus on the brown crab. Differences in cadmium surveillance have given rise to issues in the crab industry, with economic consequences for multiple countries. Currently, evidence suggests that brown crab consumption is safe for humans in moderation, but individuals who consume diets characterised by high levels of cadmium from multiple food groups should be mindful of their dietary choices.
Possible Toxic Mechanisms of Deoxynivalenol (DON) Exposure to Intestinal Barrier Damage and Dysbiosis of the Gut Microbiota in Laying Hens
Authors: Zhai Xiaohu , Qiu Zhi , Wang Lihua , Luo Youwen , He Weihua , Yang Junhua
Published: October 2022

Deoxynivalenol is one the of most common mycotoxins in cereals and grains and causes a serious health threat to poultry and farm animals. Our previous study found that DON decreased the production performance of laying hens. It has been reported that DON could exert significant toxic effects on the intestinal barrier and microbiota. However, whether the decline of laying performance is related to intestinal barrier damage, and the underlying mechanisms of DON induced intestine function injury remain largely unclear in laying hens. In this study, 80 Hy-line brown laying hens at 26 weeks were randomly divided into 0, 1, 5 and 10 mg/kg.bw (body weight) DON daily for 6 weeks. The morphology of the duodenum, the expression of inflammation factors and tight junction proteins, and the diversity and abundance of microbiota were analyzed in different levels of DON treated to laying hens. The results demonstrated that the mucosal detachment and reduction of the villi number were presented in different DON treated groups with a dose-effect manner. Additionally, the genes expression of pro-inflammatory factors IL-1β, IL-8, TNF-α and anti-inflammatory factors IL-10 were increased or decreased at 5 and 10 mg/kg.bw DON groups, respectively. The levels of ZO-1 and claudin-1 expression were significantly decreased in 5 and 10 mg/kg.bw DON groups. Moreover, the alpha diversity including Chao, ACE and Shannon indices were all reduced in DON treated groups. At the phylum level, Firmicutes and Actinobacteria and Bacteroidetes, Proteobacteria, and Spirochaetes were decreased and increased in 10 mg/kg.bw DON group, respectively. At the genus levels, the relative abundance of Clostridium and Lactobacillus in 5 and 10 mg/kg.bw DON groups, and Alkanindiges and Spirochaeta in the 10 mg/kg.bw DON were significantly decreased and increased, respectively. Moreover, there were significant correlation between the expression of tight junction proteins and the relative abundance of Lactobacillus and Succinispira. These results indicated that DON exposure to the laying hens can induce the inflammation and disrupt intestinal tight junctions, suggesting that DON can directly damage barrier function, which may be closely related to the dysbiosis of intestinal microbiota.
A Robust and Sensitive Spectrophotometric Assay for the Enzymatic Activity of Bacterial Adenylate Cyclase Toxins
Authors: Davi Marilyne , Sadi Mirko , Pitard Irene , Chenal Alexandre , Ladant Daniel
Published: October 2022

Various bacterial pathogens are producing toxins that target the cyclic Nucleotide Monophosphate (cNMPs) signaling pathways in order to facilitate host colonization. Among them, several are exhibiting potent nucleotidyl cyclase activities that are activated by eukaryotic factors, such as the adenylate cyclase (AC) toxin, CyaA, from Bordetella pertussis or the edema factor, EF, from Bacillus anthracis. The characterization of these toxins frequently requires accurate measurements of their enzymatic activity in vitro, in particular for deciphering their structure-to-function relationships by protein engineering and site-directed mutagenesis. Here we describe a simple and robust in vitro assay for AC activity based on the spectrophotometric detection of cyclic AMP (cAMP) after chromatographic separation on aluminum oxide. This assay can accurately detect down to fmol amounts of B. pertussis CyaA and can even be used in complex media, such as cell extracts. The relative advantages and disadvantages of this assay in comparison with other currently available methods are briefly discussed.
Immunization with EmCRT-Induced Protective Immunity against Echinococcus multilocularis Infection in BALB/c Mice
Authors: Chen Lujuan , Cheng Zhe , Xian Siqi , Zhan Bin , Xu Zhijian , Yan Yan , Chen Jianfang , Wang Yanhai , Zhao Limei
Published: October 2022

Alveolar echinococcosis (AE) is a severe parasitic zoonosis caused by the larval stage of Echinococcus multilocularis. The identification of the antigens eliciting acquired immunity during infection is important for vaccine development against Echinococcus infection. Here, we identified that E. multilocularis calreticulin (EmCRT), a ubiquitous protein with a Ca2+-binding ability, could be recognized by the sera of mice infected with E. multilocularis. The native EmCRT was expressed on the surface of E. multilocularis larvae as well as in the secreted products of metacestode vesicles and protoscoleces (PSCs). The coding DNA for EmCRT was cloned from the mRNA of the E. multilocularis metacestode vesicles and a recombinant EmCRT protein (rEmCRT) was expressed in E. coli. Mice immunized with soluble rEmCRT formulated with Freund’s adjuvant (FA) produced a 43.16% larval vesicle weight reduction against the challenge of E. multilocularis PSCs compared to those that received the PBS control associated with a high titer of IgG, IgG1 and IgG2a antibody responses as well as high levels of Th1 cytokines (IFN-γ and IL-2) and Th2 cytokines (IL-4, IL-5 and IL-10), produced by splenocytes. Our results suggest that EmCRT is an immunodominant protein secreted by E. multilocularis larvae and a vaccine candidate that induces partial protective immunity in vaccinated mice against Echinococcus infection.
Characterization of Leishmania spp. Causing Cutaneous Lesions with a Negative Parasitological Diagnosis in Panama
Authors: Reina Adelys M. , Mewa Juan Castillo , Calzada José E. , Saldaña Azael
Published: October 2022

A total of 123 DNA samples from Panamanian patients with cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) lesions were evaluated. These samples were previously confirmed with CL by a specific KDNA-Viannia PCR but had a negative parasitological diagnosis (Group A). Epidemiological variables, such as age, sex, geographic origin, evolution time, and the number and location of the lesions, were analyzed. No significant differences (p < 0.05) were found when these variables were evaluated against a control panel of 123 CL lesion samples from CL patients with positive parasitological diagnoses (Group B). Of the 123 samples (Group A), 67% (82/123) gave positive results when re-analyzed by PCR-hsp70. An analysis of 69 of these samples via PCR-hsp70-RFLP showed that 59.4% (41/69) of the found restriction patterns corresponded to Leishmania (Viannia) panamensis and 40.6% (28/69) to Leishmania (Viannia) guyanensis. Finally, the sequence and phylogenetic analysis of 32 of the samples confirmed the species in 21 (65.6%, 21/32) samples, originally characterized as L. (V.) panamensis. However, 11 samples (34.4%, 11/32), initially identified via RFLP-Hsp70 as L. (V.) guyanensis, matched the sequence of a genetic variant known as Leishmania sp.1. These results point out the species/genetic variants of Leishmania in the case of CL lesions with an apparently low parasite load.