bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Consumers’ Preferences for Chicken Fed on Different Processed Animal Proteins: A Best–Worst Analysis in Italy
Authors: Amato Mario , Demartini Eugenio , Gaviglio Anna , Marescotti Maria Elena , Verneau Fabio
Published: April 2023

The increase in meat consumption expected in the next decade will require more and more proteins for animal feeding. The recent amendments to the European “BSE Regulation” allow the use of insects and porcine-based meals in poultry farming, providing novel, sustainable substitutes for vegetable fodder. While the technological and nutritional properties of novel feeds containing processed animal proteins are widely recognized, far less is known about consumers’ acceptance of meat produced by animals fed on animal-based meals. In the present research, a best–worst survey was applied to estimate consumers’ preferences for chicken fed on plants, insects, or porcine-based meals using a sample of 205 Italian consumers. Furthermore, product price, type of farming, and “Free-from” labeling were considered in the analysis to evaluate the relative importance of feed ingredients compared to other important attributes of meats. The results show that the most relevant attributes are type of farming and “Free-from” claims, while type of feed represents the third attribute in order of importance. Notably, both insect and porcine flour are considered as negative characteristics of the product, suggesting that mandatory labeling signaling the use of these feeds would negatively impact on the value of chicken meat.
IgE-Dependent Food Sensitisation and Its Role in Clinical and Laboratory Presentation of Paediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Authors: Buczyńska Anna , Grzybowska-Chlebowczyk Urszula , Pawlicki Krzysztof
Published: April 2023

The rising prevalence of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and food allergies and their partially overlapping mechanisms such as microbiome diversity reduction raise questions about the role of allergies in IBD. While data on their comorbidity are available, analysis of IgE-sensitization’s influence on the clinical presentation of IBD is lacking and is the aim of this study. Histories of 292 children with newly diagnosed IBD (173 cases of ulcerative colitis, 119 cases of Crohn’s disease) were analyzed. Disease age of onset, activity, location, behaviour, and anthropometric and laboratory parameters were tested for its dependence on the presence of chosen IgE sensitization markers. A.o. Chi2, OR and phi coefficient were assessed. In Crohn’s disease (CD), elevated total IgE (tIgE) correlated with weight loss, rectal bleeding, ASCA IgG positivity (φ = 0.19 for all) and negatively correlated with complicated disease behaviour (φ = −0.19). TIgE > 5 × reference range correlated with being underweight (φ = 0.2), ASCA IgG positivity (φ = 0.3), ASCA double (IgA and IgG) positivity (φ = 0.25) and elevated total IgG (φ = 0.18). The presence of specific IgEs (sIgE) correlated with extraintestinal manifestations of IBD (φ = 0.19): Egg white sIgE correlated with upper GI involvement (L4b) (φ = 0.26), severe growth impairment (φ = 0.23) and colonic mucosal eosinophilia (φ = 0.19). In ulcerative colitis, decreased IgA correlated with egg white sIgE (φ = 0.3), as well as the presence of any (φ = 0.25) or multiple sIgEs (φ = 0.2); the latter correlated also with elevated IgG (φ = 0.22), fever (φ = 0.18), abdominal pain (φ = 0.16) and being underweight (φ = 0.15). Cow’s milk sIgE correlated positively with growth impairment (φ = 0.15) and elevated IgG (φ = 0.17) and negatively with extensive colitis (φ = −0.15). Pancolitis correlated negatively with sIgE presence (φ = −0.15). In summary, single moderate and numerous weak but interesting relationships were observed.
Associations of Dietary Patterns and Vitamin D Levels with Iron Status in Pregnant Women: A Cross-Sectional Study in Taiwan
Authors: Das Arpita , Bai Chyi-Huey , Chang Jung-Su , Huang Ya-Li , Wang Fan-Fen , Chen Yi-Chun , Chao Jane C.-J.
Published: April 2023

Vitamin D is involved in the pathophysiology of anemia. This cross-sectional study was conducted using the Nationwide Nutrition and Health Survey in Pregnant Women in Taiwan database. We investigated associations among dietary patterns (DPs), vitamin D, and iron-related biomarkers in pregnant women. The principal component analysis revealed four DPs. Linear and logistic regression analyses were performed to investigate the association of DPs with anemia-related biomarkers. Plant-based, carnivore, and dairy and nondairy alternatives DPs were positively associated with serum vitamin D levels. After adjusting covariates, the pregnant women consuming plant-based DPs at the mid-tertile (T2) were associated with reduced risks of low serum folate and vitamin D levels, and those consuming carnivore DPs at higher tertiles (T2 and/or T3) were correlated with an increased risk of low serum iron levels but decreased risks of low serum transferrin saturation, vitamin B12, and vitamin D levels. The pregnant women consuming dairy and nondairy alternatives DPs at the highest tertile (T3) were associated with reduced risks of low serum folate and vitamin B12 levels. However, the processed food DP was not correlated with anemia-related biomarkers. Thus, plant-based, carnivore, and dairy and nondairy alternatives DPs were associated with the risk of low-serum-anemia-related variables.
Exploration of the Divergent Outcomes for the Nenitzescu Reaction of Piperazinone Enaminoesters
Authors: Hermans Rebecca , Van Hoof Max , Van Meervelt Luc , Dehaen Wim
Published: April 2023

The Nenitzescu reaction is a condensation reaction between an enamine and a quinone, which can give rise to a wide variety of reaction products depending on the nature of the starting material and the reaction conditions. The most commonly observed products are 5-hydroxyindoles and 5-hydroxybenzofurans. Both classes are of interest since they are known to possess a variety of promising bioactivities. Despite the high chemodivergency for this reaction, it remains an interesting synthetic strategy thanks to the mild reaction conditions, easily accessible starting materials and simple reaction procedures. For these reasons, our research group investigated the Nenitzescu reaction of piperazinone enaminoesters, resulting in the unexpected formation of rearranged 2-imidazolidinone benzofurans. In this work, we aimed to develop reaction conditions that favor the formation of 5-hydroxyindoles via an extensive, multivariate optimization study. This led to valuable insights into the parameters that influence regio- and chemoselectivity. Furthermore, two novel products were obtained, a pyrrolo[2,3-f]indole and a benzofuranone, both of which are rarely reported in the literature.
In Patients Hospitalized for Community-Acquired Pneumonia, SARS-CoV-2 Is Associated with Worse Clinical Outcomes When Compared to Influenza
Authors: Spindel Jeffrey , Furmanek Stephen , Chandler Thomas , Ramirez Julio A. , Cavallazzi Rodrigo
Published: April 2023

SARS-CoV-2 and influenza are primary causes of viral community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). Both pathogens have exhibited high transmissibility and are recognized causes of pandemics. Controversy still exists regarding the clinical outcomes between patients hospitalized with CAP due to these viruses. This secondary analysis identified patients with either influenza or SARS-CoV-2 infections from three cohorts of patients hospitalized for CAP. Clinical outcomes between patients with CAP due to influenza or due to SARS-CoV-2 were evaluated. Primary outcomes included length of stay and in-hospital mortality. To account for population differences between cohorts, each case of influenza CAP was matched to two controls with SARS-CoV-2 CAP. Matching criteria included sex, age, and nursing home residency. Stratified cox-proportional hazards regression or conditional logistic regression were used where appropriate. A total of 259 patients with influenza CAP were matched to two controls with SARS-CoV-2 CAP, totaling to 518 controls. Patients with SARS-CoV-2 CAP were 2.23 times more likely to remain hospitalized at any point in time (95% confidence interval: 1.77–2.80), and had 3.84 times higher odds of dying in-hospital (95% confidence interval: 1.91–7.76) when compared to patients with influenza CAP. After matching and adjusting for confounding variables, patients admitted with SARS-CoV-2 CAP had consistently worse outcomes in comparison to their influenza CAP counterparts. This information can help clinicians decide on the level of care needed for patients with confirmed infections due to these pathogens. Additionally, estimates of disease burden can inform individuals at-risk for poor clinical outcomes, and further highlight the importance of effective preventative strategies.
The Effects of a Blood–Brain Barrier Penetrating Erythropoietin in a Mouse Model of Tauopathy
Authors: Yang Joshua , Ou Weijun , Jagadeesan Nataraj , Simanauskaite Juste , Sun Jiahong , Castellanos Demi , Cribbs David H. , Sumbria Rachita K.
Published: April 2023

Erythropoietin (EPO), a hematopoietic neurotrophin, is a potential therapeutic for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) but has limited blood–brain barrier (BBB) permeability. EPO fused to a chimeric transferrin receptor monoclonal antibody (cTfRMAb) enters the brain via TfR-mediated transcytosis across the BBB. We previously showed that cTfRMAb-EPO is protective in a mouse model of amyloidosis, but its effects on tauopathy are not known. Given that amyloid and tau pathology are characteristics of AD, the effects of cTfRMAb-EPO were studied in a tauopathy mouse model (PS19). Six-month-old PS19 mice were injected intraperitoneally with either saline (PS19-Saline; n = 9) or cTfRMAb-EPO (PS19-cTfRMAb-EPO, 10 mg/kg; n = 10); every two or three days on alternate weeks for 8 weeks. Age-matched, saline-treated, wildtype littermates (WT-Saline; n = 12) were injected using the same protocol. After 8 weeks, locomotion, hyperactivity, and anxiety were assessed via the open-field test, and brains were harvested and sectioned. Cerebral cortex, hippocampus, amygdala, and entorhinal cortex sections were analyzed for phospho-tau (AT8) and microgliosis (Iba1). Hippocampal cellular density (H&E) was also assessed. PS19-Saline mice were hyperactive and less anxious compared to WT-Saline mice, and these behavioral phenotypes were significantly reduced in the PS19-cTfRMAb-EPO mice compared to the PS19-Saline mice. cTfRMAb-EPO significantly reduced AT8 load by ≥50% in all of the brain regions analyzed and microgliosis in the entorhinal cortex and amygdala compared to the PS19-Saline mice. Hippocampal pyramidal and granule cell layer density did not differ significantly between the PS19-cTfRMAb-EPO and PS19-Saline mice. This proof-of-concept study demonstrates the therapeutic effects of the BBB-penetrating cTfRMAb-EPO in PS19 mice.
Epigenetic Targets and Their Inhibitors in Thyroid Cancer Treatment
Authors: Zhang Ke , Wang Junyao , He Ziyan , Qiu Xian , Sa Ri , Chen Libo
Published: April 2023

Although biologically targeted therapies based on key oncogenic mutations have made significant progress in the treatment of locally advanced or metastatic thyroid cancer, the challenges of drug resistance are urging us to explore other potentially effective targets. Herein, epigenetic modifications in thyroid cancer, including DNA methylation, histone modifications, non-coding RNAs, chromatin remodeling and RNA alterations, are reviewed and epigenetic therapeutic agents for the treatment of thyroid cancer, such as DNMT (DNA methyltransferase) inhibitors, HDAC (histone deacetylase) inhibitors, BRD4 (bromodomain-containing protein 4) inhibitors, KDM1A (lysine demethylase 1A) inhibitors and EZH2 (enhancer of zeste homolog 2) inhibitors, are updated. We conclude that epigenetics is promising as a therapeutic target in thyroid cancer and further clinical trials are warranted.
Antioxidant Efficacy and “In Vivo” Safety of a Bentonite/Vitamin C Hybrid
Authors: Hernández Dayaris , Montalvo Anaela , Pérez Irela , Charnay Clarence , Sánchez-Espejo Rita , Cerezo Pilar , Viseras César , Riela Serena , Cinà Giuseppe , Rivera Aramis
Published: April 2023

L-ascorbic acid (LAA), commonly known as vitamin C, is an excellent and recognized antioxidant molecule used in pharmaceutical and cosmetic formulations. Several strategies have been developed in order to preserve its chemical stability, connected with its antioxidant power, but there is little research regarding the employment of natural clays as LAA host. A safe bentonite (Bent)—which was verified by in vivo ophthalmic irritability and acute dermal toxicity assays—was used as carrier of LAA. The supramolecular complex between LAA and clay may constitute an excellent alternative, since the molecule integrity does not seem to be affected, at least from the point of view of its antioxidant capacity. The Bent/LAA hybrid was prepared and characterized through ultraviolet (UV) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), infrared (IR) spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis (TG/DTG) and zeta potential measurements. Photostability and antioxidant capacity tests were also performed. The LAA incorporation into Bent clay was demonstrated, as well as the drug stability due to the Bent photoprotective effect onto the LAA molecule. Moreover, the antioxidant capacity of the drug in the Bent/LAA composite was confirmed.
Production, Characterization, and Assessment of Permanently Cationic and Ionizable Lipid Nanoparticles for Use in the Delivery of Self-Amplifying RNA Vaccines
Authors: Kairuz Dylan , Samudh Nazia , Ely Abdullah , Arbuthnot Patrick , Bloom Kristie
Published: April 2023

Africa bears the highest burden of infectious diseases, yet the continent is heavily reliant on First World countries for the development and supply of life-saving vaccines. The COVID-19 pandemic was a stark reminder of Africa’s vaccine dependence and since then great interest has been generated in establishing mRNA vaccine manufacturing capabilities on the African continent. Herein, we explore alphavirus-based self-amplifying RNAs (saRNAs) delivered by lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) as an alternative to the conventional mRNA vaccine platform. The approach is intended to produce dose-sparing vaccines which could assist resource-constrained countries to achieve vaccine independence. Protocols to synthesize high-quality saRNAs were optimized and in vitro expression of reporter proteins encoded by saRNAs was achieved at low doses and observed for an extended period. Permanently cationic or ionizable LNPs (cLNPs and iLNPs, respectively) were successfully produced, incorporating saRNAs either exteriorly (saRNA-Ext-LNPs) or interiorly (saRNA-Int-LNPs). DOTAP and DOTMA saRNA-Ext-cLNPs performed best and were generally below 200 nm with good PDIs (<0.3). DOTAP and DDA saRNA-Int-cLNPs performed optimally, allowing for saRNA amplification. These were slightly larger, with higher PDIs as a result of the method used, which will require further optimization. In both cases, the N:P ratio and lipid molar ratio had a distinct effect on saRNA expression kinetics, and RNA was encapsulated at high percentages of >90%. These LNPs allow the delivery of saRNA with no significant toxicity. The optimization of saRNA production and identification of potential LNP candidates will facilitate saRNA vaccine and therapeutic development. The dose-sparing properties, versatility, and manufacturing simplicity of the saRNA platform will facilitate a rapid response to future pandemics.
Improved Radiation Resistance of Er-Yb Co-Doped Silica Fiber by Pretreating Fibers
Authors: Zhu Yiming , Shao Chongyun , Wang Fan , Wang Meng , Zhang Lei , Dai Ye , Yu Chunlei , Hu Lili
Published: April 2023

In this study, a pretreatment method for improving the radiation resistance of Er-Yb co-doped silica fiber (EYDF) is proposed. EYDF is the object in this method and is processed by two steps, including deuterium loading and pre-irradiation. The effects of pretreatment conditions on the laser performance and radiation resistance of EYDF were systematically studied. An online irradiation experiment setup was utilized to evaluate the radiation resistance of EYDF. The results demonstrate that the pretreatment can significantly improve the radiation resistance of EYDF, with minimal impact on the laser output power and slope efficiency. Specifically, the radiation-induced gain variations in the pristine fiber and the pretreated fiber with a cumulative dose of 240 krad were 3.13 dB and 1.81 dB, respectively. Additionally, the high-vacuum experiments show that the proposed pretreatment method can maintain a long-term stable radiation resistance improvement in the fiber. This study provides a method to improve the radiation resistance of EYDF for space applications.
Delivery of Nearly Diffraction-Limited Picosecond Laser Pulses in the Air-Filled Anti-Resonant Hollow-Core Fiber at 1 μm Wavelength
Authors: Liang Leben , Guan Jingzhao , Zhu Xinyue , Wang Yazhou , Wu Dakun , Yu Fei , Han Ying
Published: April 2023

We demonstrate the damage-free delivery of nearly diffraction-limited picosecond laser pulses at 1064 nm with a maximum peak power of 3.5 MW in a 5 m air-filled anti-resonant hollow-core fiber (AR-HCF). In the air-filled AR-HCF, the transmission efficiency of picosecond pulses is degraded due to stimulated Raman scattering for the incident peak power above 3.59 MW. The temporal compression of pulses is also observed in the air-filled AR-HCF, where the self-phase modulation plays a key role in the anomalous dispersion region. By vacuuming the air in the core, a nearly constant coupling efficiency of 77% is achieved through the 5 m AR-HCF free of nonlinear effects, with M2 of the output beam less than 1.17.
Ligand Installation to Polymeric Micelles for Pediatric Brain Tumor Targeting
Authors: Watanabe Takayoshi , Mizuno Hayato Laurence , Norimatsu Jumpei , Obara Takumi , Cabral Horacio , Tsumoto Kouhei , Nakakido Makoto , Kawauchi Daisuke , Anraku Yasutaka
Published: April 2023

Medulloblastoma is a life-threatening disease with poor therapeutic outcomes. In chemotherapy, low drug accumulation has been a cause of these outcomes. Such inadequate response to treatments has been associated with low drug accumulation, particularly with a limited cellular uptake of drugs. Recently, the conjugation of drugs to ligand molecules with high affinity to tumor cells has attracted much attention for enhancing drug internalization into target cells. Moreover, combining tumor-targeting ligands with nano-scaled drug carriers can potentially improve drug loading capacity and the versatility of the delivery. Herein, we focused on the possibility of targeting CD276/B7-H3, which is highly expressed on the medulloblastoma cell membrane, as a strategy for enhancing the cellular uptake of ligand-installed nanocarriers. Thus, anti-CD276 antibodies were conjugated on the surface of model nanocarriers based on polyion complex micelles (PIC/m) via click chemistry. The results showed that the anti-CD276 antibody-installed PIC/m improved intracellular delivery into CD276-expressing medulloblastoma cells in a CD276-dependent manner. Moreover, increasing the number of antibodies on the surface of micelles improved the cellular uptake efficiency. These observations indicate the potential of anti-CD276 antibody-installed nanocarriers for promoting drug delivery in medulloblastoma.
Polymeric Carriers for Delivery Systems in Biomedical Applications—In Memory of Professor Andrzej Dworak
Authors: Utrata-Wesołek Alicja , Trzebicka Barbara , Polaczek Jerzy , Radecka Iza , Kowalczuk Marek
Published: April 2023

Since the appearance of the first civilizations, various substances have been used to improve human health [...]
Flow-Induced Vibration of a Reversed U-Shaped Jumper Conveying Oil-Gas Two-Phase Flow
Authors: Zhu Hongjun , Tang Tang , Li Quanhua
Published: April 2023

Subsea jumpers connecting the underwater wellhead and nearby manifold commonly undergo flow-induced vibration (FIV) due to the spatially frequent alteration in the flow direction, velocity, pressure and phase volume fraction of the oil–gas two-phase flow, potentially leading to fatigue damage. This paper reports the numerical results of the FIV of a reversed U-shaped jumper excited by gas–liquid two-phase flow, which evolves from the initial slug flow with a fixed gas–liquid ratio of 1:2 when transporting through the jumper. The FIV response and flow pattern evolution are examined with a gas flow rate of Qg = 4–12 kg/s and a liquid flow rate of QL = 96–288 kg/s. When the gas–liquid flow passes through the jumper, the flow regime subsequently presents the slug flow, bubble flow, churn flow and imperfect annular flow. The out-of-plane response frequency coincides with the pressure fluctuation frequency for the four connecting bends, suggesting the fluid–structure interaction (FSI). Nevertheless, the vibration displacement is limited with the maximum value less than 0.0014D (where D is the jumper diameter) in the present considered flow rate range.
Preparation and Magneto-Structural Investigation of High-Ordered (L21 Structure) Co2MnGe Microwires
Authors: Salaheldeen Mohamed , Wederni Asma , Ipatov Mihail , Zhukova Valentina , Zhukov Arcady
Published: April 2023

We used the Taylor–Ulitovsky technique to prepare nanocrystalline Co2MnGe Heusler alloy glass-coated microwires with a metallic nucleus diameter of 18 ± 0.1 µm and a total diameter of 27.2 ± 0.1 µm. Magnetic and structural studies were carried out to determine the fundamental magneto-structural characteristics of Co2MnGe glass-coated microwires. XRD revealed a well-defined nanocrystalline structure with an average grain size of about 63 nm, lattice parameter a = 5.62 and a unique mixture of L21 and B2 phases. The hysteresis loops measured at different temperatures indicated a well-known ferromagnetic behavior for the reduced remanent, where a monotonic increasing in the reduced remanent and saturation magnetization occurs. The coercivity shows anomalous behavior compared to the Co2Mn-based glass-coated microwires. The magnetization curves for field cooling and field heating (FC–FH) demonstrate a considerable dependence on the applied magnetic field, ranging from 50 Oe to 20 kOe. Internal stresses, originated by the production process, resulted in various magnetic phases, which were responsible for the notable difference of FC and FH curves on magnetization dependence versus temperature. Furthermore, the ferromagnetic behavior and expected high Curie temperature, together with high degree of the L21 order, make it a promising candidate for many applications.
Irradiation Temperature Dependence of Shape Elongation of Metal Nanoparticles in Silica: Counterevidence to Ion Hammering Related Scenario
Authors: Amekura Hiroshi , Khan Saif Ahmad , Kulriya Pawan Kumar , Kabiraj Debdulal
Published: April 2023

Irradiation temperature (IT) dependence of the elongation efficiency of vanadium nanoparticles (NPs) in SiO2 was evaluated: The samples were irradiated with 120 MeV Ag9+ ions to a fluence of 1.0 × 1014 ions/cm2 each at ITs of 300, 433, 515, and 591 K, while the measurements were performed at room temperature. The vanadium was selected for the NP species because of the highest bulk m.p. of 1910 °C (2183 K) among all the species of the elemental metal NPs in which the shape elongation was observed. The highest m.p. could contribute negligible size changes of NPs against inevitable exposure to high temperatures for the IT dependence measurements. The elongation of V NPs was evaluated qualitatively by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and quantitatively by optical linear dichroism (OLD) spectroscopy. The electron microscopy studies showed a pronounced elongation of NPs with ion irradiation at the elevated temperatures. The OLD signal was almost constant, or even slightly increased with increasing the IT from 300 to 591 K. This IT dependence provides a striking contrast to that of the ion hammering (IH) effect, which predicts a steep decrease with increasing IT. Combined with the other two counterevidence previously reported, the IH-related effect is excluded from the origin of the shape elongation of metal NPs in SiO2.
Numerical Modeling of Thermochemical Conversion of Biomass and Tires as Fuels for Cement Clinker Production
Authors: Mungyeko Bisulandu Baby-Jean Robert , Marias Frédéric
Published: April 2023

This article presents the numerical modeling of the thermochemical conversion of biomass and tires as alternative fuels in kilns dedicated to the production of cement. The study seeks to understand and control the phenomena that occur when heavy fuel oil (traditional fuel) is partially replaced by biomass and tires. These are thoroughly mixed with meal at the entrance to the rotary kiln and form the bed of solids. The mathematical model developed takes into account both chemical reactions of meal and alternative fuels. At the entrance, the meal is made up of species such as CaCO3, MgCO3, Al2O3, SiO2, Fe2O3, MgO, CaO, C2S, C3A, C4AF and C3S, some of which form along the kiln. The article focuses specifically on the influence of alternative fuels on the clinker or cement obtained. The properties (moisture, organic matter, composition, energy value, etc.) of the biomass and the tires, which are associated with the operating parameters of the kiln, greatly influence the production of clinker. In order to understand and control the behavior of each material and the operating parameters in the clinker (cement) production process, the mathematical model follows the evolution of each species and parameters step-by-step, until the clinker is obtained. The effect of alternative fuels on clinker production was found for the kiln’s operational parameters, the dynamic angle of the bed (30°), the angle of inclination of the kiln (2°), rotation (2 rpm), the length and the inside diameter, respectively (80 m) and (4 m); the chemical and physical properties (humidity, organic, inorganic matter, C, H, O, N, S, Cl); the lower calorific value, raw material); and the numerical parameters (spatial discretization 30 and 120). Despite the high energy content of tire fuels, the results of the use of biomass give better characteristics of clinker/cement (52.36% C3S and 3.83% CaO).The results found show that biomass pyrolysis is endothermic, with the heat of reaction found to be ∆rHpyro=184.9 kJ/kg, whereas for tires, a heat of reaction of ∆rHpyro=−1296.3 kJ/kg was found, showing that the pyrolysis of this material is exothermic. Char production is higher in the case of tires than in the case of biomass, with rates of 0.261 kg/kgOrg.Mat. and 0.196 kg/kgOrg.Mat., respectively. In both cases, waste conversion was complete (100%). The cement obtained in the different cases meets the requirements of Portland cements (73.06% silicates and 18.76% aluminates), the conversion of alternative fuels is complete (100%), and the specific energy consumption is almost consistent with values from the literature.
Terrain Self-Similarity-Based Transformer for Generating Super Resolution DEMs
Authors: Zheng Xin , Bao Zelun , Yin Qian
Published: April 2023

High-resolution digital elevation models (DEMs) are important for relevant geoscience research and practical applications. Compared with traditional hardware-based methods, super-resolution (SR) reconstruction techniques are currently low-cost and feasible methods used for obtaining high-resolution DEMs. Single-image super-resolution (SISR) techniques have become popular in DEM SR in recent years. However, DEM super-resolution has not yet utilized reference-based image super-resolution (RefSR) techniques. In this paper, we propose a terrain self-similarity-based transformer (SSTrans) to generate super-resolution DEMs. It is a reference-based image super-resolution method that automatically acquires reference images using terrain self-similarity. To verify the proposed model, we conducted experiments on four distinct types of terrain and compared them to the results from the bicubic, SRGAN, and SRCNN approaches. The experimental results show that the SSTrans method performs well in all four terrains and has outstanding advantages in complex and uneven surface terrains.
Lightweight Semantic Architecture Modeling by 3D Feature Line Detection
Authors: Xu Shibiao , Sun Jiaxi , Zhang Jiguang , Meng Weiliang , Zhang Xiaopeng
Published: April 2023

Existing architecture semantic modeling methods in 3D complex urban scenes continue facing difficulties, such as limited training data, lack of semantic information, and inflexible model processing. Focusing on extracting and adopting accurate semantic information into a modeling process, this work presents a framework for lightweight modeling of buildings that joints point clouds semantic segmentation and 3D feature line detection constrained by geometric and photometric consistency. The main steps are: (1) Extraction of single buildings from point clouds using 2D-3D semi-supervised semantic segmentation under photometric and geometric constraints. (2) Generation of lightweight building models by using 3D plane-constrained multi-view feature line extraction and optimization. (3) Introduction of detailed semantics of building elements into independent 3D building models by using fine-grained segmentation of multi-view images to achieve high-accuracy architecture lightweight modeling with fine-grained semantic information. Experimental results demonstrate that it can perform independent lightweight modeling of each building on point cloud at various scales and scenes, with accurate geometric appearance details and realistic textures. It also enables independent processing and analysis of each building in the scenario, making them more useful in practical applications.
Progressive Context-Aware Aggregation Network Combining Multi-Scale and Multi-Level Dense Reconstruction for Building Change Detection
Authors: Xu Chuan , Ye Zhaoyi , Mei Liye , Yang Wei , Hou Yingying , Shen Sen , Ouyang Wei , Ye Zhiwei
Published: April 2023

Building change detection (BCD) using high-resolution remote sensing images aims to identify change areas during different time periods, which is a significant research focus in urbanization. Deep learning methods are capable of yielding impressive BCD results by correctly extracting change features. However, due to the heterogeneous appearance and large individual differences of buildings, mainstream methods cannot further extract and reconstruct hierarchical and rich feature information. To overcome this problem, we propose a progressive context-aware aggregation network combining multi-scale and multi-level dense reconstruction to identify detailed texture-rich building change information. We design the progressive context-aware aggregation module with a Siamese structure to capture both local and global features. Specifically, we first use deep convolution to obtain superficial local change information of buildings, and then utilize self-attention to further extract global features with high-level semantics based on the local features progressively, which ensures capability of the context awareness of our feature representations. Furthermore, our multi-scale and multi-level dense reconstruction module groups extracted feature information according to pre- and post-temporal sequences. By using multi-level dense reconstruction, the following groups are able to directly learn feature information from the previous groups, enhancing the network’s robustness to pseudo changes. The proposed method outperforms eight state-of-the-art methods on four common BCD datasets, including LEVIR-CD, SYSU-CD, WHU-CD, and S2Looking-CD, both in terms of visual comparison and objective evaluation metrics.
Self Capacitance Mismatch Calibration Technique for Fully-Differential Touch Screen Panel Self Capacitance Sensing System
Authors: Seong Siheon , Lee Sewon , Bae Sunghyun , Lee Minjae
Published: April 2023

This paper presents a fully-differential touch screen panel (TSP) self-capacitance sensing (SCS) system with a self-capacitance mismatch calibration technique. Due to the self-capacitance mismatch of TSP, the analog front-end (AFE) of the receiver (RX) circuit suffers from dynamic range degradation and gain limitations, which lead to the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) loss for the TSP SCS system. The proposed calibration introduces the difference in input resistance and the driving amplifier’s strength between the fully-differential input. Thus, the mismatch effect is efficiently relieved in terms of area and power consumption. The proposed calibration restores the SNR by 19.54 dB even under the worst self-capacitance mismatch case.
CSMOT: Make One-Shot Multi-Object Tracking in Crowded Scenes Great Again
Authors: Hou Haoxiong , Shen Chao , Zhang Ximing , Gao Wei
Published: April 2023

The current popular one-shot multi-object tracking (MOT) algorithms are dominated by the joint detection and embedding paradigm, which have high inference speeds and accuracy, but their tracking performance is unstable in crowded scenes. Not only does the detection branch have difficulty in obtaining the accurate object position, but the ambiguous appearance of features extracted by the re-identification (re-ID) branch also leads to identity switches. Focusing on the above problems, this paper proposes a more robust MOT algorithm, named CSMOT, based on FairMOT. First, on the basis of the encoder–decoder network, a coordinate attention module is designed to enhance the information interaction between channels (horizontal and vertical coordinates), which improves its object-detection abilities. Then, an angle-center loss that effectively maximizes intra-class similarity is proposed to optimize the re-ID branch, and the extracted re-ID features are made more discriminative. We further redesign the re-ID feature dimension to balance the detection and re-ID tasks. Finally, a simple and effective data association mechanism is introduced, which associates each detection instead of just the high-score detections during the tracking process. The experimental results show that our one-shot MOT algorithm achieves excellent tracking performance on multiple public datasets and can be effectively applied to crowded scenes. In particular, CSMOT decreases the number of ID switches by 11.8% and 33.8% on the MOT16 and MOT17 test datasets, respectively, compared to the baseline.
IPDT Model-Based Ziegler–Nichols Tuning Generalized to Controllers with Higher-Order Derivatives
Authors: Bistak Pavol , Huba Mikulas , Vrancic Damir , Chamraz Stefan
Published: April 2023

The paper extends the earlier work entitled “Making the PI and PID Controller Tuning Inspired by Ziegler and Nichols Precise and Reliable”, to higher-order controllers and a broader range of experiments. The original series PI and PID controllers, based on automatic reset calculated by filtered controller outputs, are now augmented by higher-order output derivatives. This increases the number of degrees of freedom that can be used to modify the resulting dynamics, accelerates transient responses, and increases robustness to unmodeled dynamics and uncertainties. The fourth order noise attenuation filter used in the original work allows for the addition of an acceleration feedback signal, thus resulting in a series PIDA controller or even a jerk feedback that leads to a PIDAJ series controller. Such a design can further use the original process and filter approximation of the step responses through the integral-plus-dead-time (IPDT) model, while allowing experimentation with disturbance and setpoint step responses of the series PI, PID, PIDA and PIDAJ controllers, and thus, evaluating the role of output derivatives and noise attenuation from a broader perspective. All controllers considered are tuned using the Multiple Real Dominant Pole (MRDP) method, which is complemented by a factorization of the controller transfer functions to achieve the smallest possible time constant for automatic reset. The smallest time constant is chosen to improve the constrained transient response of the considered controller types. The obtained excellent performance and robustness allow the proposed controllers to be applied to a wider range of systems with dominant first-order dynamics. The proposed design is illustrated on a real-time speed control of a stable direct-current (DC) motor, which is approximated (together with a noise attenuation filter) by an IPDT model. The transient responses obtained are nearly time-optimal, with control signal limitations active for most setpoint step responses. Four controllers with different degrees of derivative with generalized automatic reset were used for comparison. It was found that controllers with higher-order derivatives may significantly improve the disturbance performance and virtually eliminate overshoots in the setpoint step responses in constrained velocity control.
CF-YOLOX: An Autonomous Driving Detection Model for Multi-Scale Object Detection
Authors: Wu Shuiye , Yan Yunbing , Wang Weiqiang
Published: April 2023

In self-driving cars, object detection algorithms are becoming increasingly important, and the accurate and fast recognition of objects is critical to realize autonomous driving. The existing detection algorithms are not ideal for the detection of small objects. This paper proposes a YOLOX-based network model for multi-scale object detection tasks in complex scenes. This method adds a CBAM-G module to the backbone of the original network, which performs grouping operations on CBAM. It changes the height and width of the convolution kernel of the spatial attention module to 7 × 1 to improve the ability of the model to extract prominent features. We proposed an object-contextual feature fusion module, which can provide more semantic information and improve the perception of multi-scale objects. Finally, we considered the problem of fewer samples and less loss of small objects and introduced a scaling factor that could increase the loss of small objects to improve the detection ability of small objects. We validated the effectiveness of the proposed method on the KITTI dataset, and the mAP value was 2.46% higher than the original model. Experimental comparisons showed that our model achieved superior detection performance compared to other models.
Discrete Element Modeling of Thermally Damaged Sandstone Containing Two Pre-Existing Flaws at High Confining Pressure
Authors: Tang Jinzhou , Yang Shengqi , Yang Ke , Tian Wenling , Liu Guangjian , Duan Minke
Published: April 2023

An underground coal gasification (UCG) process is strongly exothermic, which will cause thermal damage on rock cap. We proposed a new thermal damage numerical model based on a two dimension particle flow code (PFC2D) to analyze the inception and extension of cracks on pre-cracked red sandstone, which were thermally treated at a temperature of 25~1000 °C. The results indicated that: (1) a thermal damage value DT obtained by extracting the thermal crack area of scanning electron microscope (SEM), which can be used as an indicator of the degree of thermal damage of the sandstone; (2) a thermal damage numerical model established by replacing the flat-joint model with the smooth-joint model based on the thermal damage value DT, this approach can properly simulate the mechanical behavior and failure patterns of sandstone; (3) the critical temperature for strength reduction was 750 °C. The peak strength increased as pre-treatment temperature increased from 25 to 750 °C and then decreased. The elastic modulus E1 decreased with the increasing thermal treatment temperature; (4) micro-scale cracks initiate from the tip of the prefabricated fissure, and expand along the direction of prefabricated fissure, finally developing into macroscopic fracture. This approach has the potential to enhance the predictive capability of modeling and presents a reliable model to simulate the mechanical behavior of thermally damaged sandstones, thereby offering a sound scientific basis for the utilization of space after UCG.
Knowledge Retrieval Model Based on a Graph Database for Semantic Search in Equipment Purchase Order Specifications for Steel Plants
Authors: Cha Ho-Jin , Choi So-Won , Lee Eul-Bum , Lee Duk-Man
Published: April 2023

The complexity and age of industrial plants have prompted a rapid increase in equipment maintenance and replacement activities in recent years. Consequently, plant owners are challenged to reduce the process and review time of equipment purchase order (PO) documents. Currently, traditional keyword-based document search technology generates unintentional errors and omissions, which results in inaccurate search results when processing PO documents of equipment suppliers. In this study, a purchase order knowledge retrieval model (POKREM) was designed to apply knowledge graph (KG) technology to PO documents of steel plant equipment. Four data domains were defined and developed in the POKREM: (1) factory hierarchy, (2) document hierarchy, (3) equipment classification hierarchy, and (4) PO data. The information for each domain was created in a graph database through three subprocesses: (a) defined in a hierarchical structure, (b) classified into nodes and relationships, and (c) written in triples. Ten comma-separated value (CSV) files were created and imported into the graph database for data preprocessing to create multiple nodes. Finally, rule-based reasoning technology was applied to enhance the model’s contextual search performance. The POKREM was developed and implemented by converting the Neo4j open-source graph DB into a cloud platform on the web. The accuracy, precision, recall, and F1 score of the POKREM were 99.7%, 91.7%, 100%, and 95.7%, respectively. A validation study showed that the POKREM could retrieve accurate answers to fact-related queries in most cases; some incorrect answers were retrieved for reasoning-related queries. An expert survey of PO practitioners indicated that the PO document review time with the POKREM was reduced by approximately 40% compared with that of the previous manual process. The proposed model can contribute to the work efficiency of engineers by improving document search time and accuracy; moreover, it may be expandable to other plant engineering documents, such as contracts and drawings.
The Effects of Climate Change on Children’s Education Attainment
Authors: Leal Filho Walter , Balasubramanian Muniyandi , Abeldaño Zuñiga Roberto Ariel , Sierra Javier
Published: April 2023

It is proven that the consequences of climate change have grater impacts for the most vulnerable populations, and children are one of these social groups in risk of poverty and social exclusion. In this regard, education plays a pivotal role to guarantee the children’s personal and professional development. In this context, there is a need for scientific research on how climate change impacts children’s education attainment. This paper provides an analysis of the extent to which climate change influences education attainment among children and suggests some measures to address the problem. It reports on a literature review complemented by a set of case studies, with the purpose of exploring how child-centred responses to climate change can contribute to building the resilience of households and communities. Based on the findings from the study and bearing in mind the international literature on the topic, the paper outlines some possible areas of intervention in respect to climate literacy and climate education, which may be helpful in raising awareness among children about climate change and its many ramifications.
Audiovisual Competences in Times of COVID-19: The Role of Educational Actors in Media and Digital Learning of Adolescents
Authors: Suing Abel , Arrobo-Agila Juan-Pablo , Coronado-Otavalo Ximena , Galarza-Ligña Viviana , Reascos-Trujillo Amparo
Published: April 2023

This research arises from the need to know the elements that have an impact on the audiovisual competencies of adolescents during the confinements provoked to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The purpose is to diagnose the development of audiovisual communication skills among Ecuadorian adolescents as a contribution to sustainability, based on the intervention of educational actors. The methodology is qualitative, with a descriptive approach. The instruments used were: focus groups with parents, students, and teachers from public and private institutions in Ecuador; semi-structured interviews with experts: and non-participant observation. It can be concluded that adolescents acquire audiovisual skills, processes, and languages autonomously before entering college, but they do so without the social context, ethical values and responsibilities that should be part of complete media learning. The demands of online learning during the pandemic have resulted in the development of skills and attitudes, but they have not led to full media literacy. It is pertinent to provoke innovations and updates in the curricula of higher education, specifically in the careers of social communication, in order to be aware of the technological changes on the basis of deontological principles and in favour of democratic values, tolerance, and responsibility with the sustainability of nature and people.
Evaluation of Annona diversifolia Seed Extract as A Natural Coagulant for Water Treatment
Authors: Tijjani Usman Ibrahim Muntaqa , Lee Foo-Wei , Ho Yeek-Chia , Khaw Han-Ping , Chong Qi-Wen , Kee Yong-Ming , Lim Jun-Wei , Show Pau-Loke
Published: April 2023

The ever-present environmental crises are current research hotspots. Nature-based solutions have been shown to have multiple co-benefits toward solving these crises. Plant-based coagulants are known to be a cost-effective and environmentally friendly approach for coagulation and flocculation processes for drinking-water treatment. In this study, a natural coagulant was extracted from Annona diversifolia seed, and its effectiveness was investigated for turbidity reduction using jar test in kaolin suspension, river water, and evaluation of factors for sludge dewatering. The characterisation studies of Annona diversifolia seed extract were carried out using techniques including Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), zeta potential analyser, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Response surface methodology (RSM) was also performed for the optimisation study. The results from FTIR showed that Annona diversifolia seed extract contains carboxyl and hydroxyl functional groups. The charge density was found to be negative. A web-like structure surface morphology was observed from TEM. The optimum treatment settings were found to be at pH 3 and a dosage of 25 mg/L for water treatment, and 50 mg/L for sludge dewatering, which were comparable to the metal–salts coagulants. Annona diversifolia seed extract has been shown to be a good natural coagulant. Further research can be conducted to modify and enhance its performance.
A Hybrid Optimization Method for Sustainable and Flexible Design of Supply–Production–Distribution Network in the Physical Internet
Authors: Ji Shoufeng , Zhao Pengyun , Ji Tingting
Published: April 2023

The resilience and sustainability of supply chains are facing new challenges due to the increasing complexity of supply chains. Compared to traditional supply chain networks, the Physical Internet (PI) has the potential to address sustainable development challenges and build resilient supply chain networks by providing interconnected and open logistics services. However, the interplay between resilience and sustainability has yet to be thoroughly explored in the PI-enabled supply chain literature. This paper aims to investigate the relationship between resilience and sustainability in PI-enabled supply chains. An innovative hybrid approach that combines the resilient-sustainable performance scoring method with mixed-possibilistic programming is proposed to trade-off and analyze the relationship between the two. Applying the concepts of resilience and sustainability to PI-enabled supply chains involves optimizing costs, sustainable performance, and resilience levels simultaneously. This enables coping with unforeseen disruptions from suppliers, plants, and PI hubs. The results of computational experiments have demonstrated that the PI-enabled supply chain exhibits stronger sustainable and resilience performance in dealing with random disruptions compared to traditional supply chains. The fruitful research yielded important management insights and practical implications, thereby contributing to the reinforcement of the literature on PI.