bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Potassium silicate and vinasse enhance biometric characteristics of perennial sweet pepper (Capsicum annuum) under greenhouse conditions
Authors: Rady Mahmoud S. , Ghoneim Ibrahim M. , Feleafel Mostafa N. , Hassan Shimaa M. 
Published: May 2024

AbstractAn effective strategy for enhancing fruit production continuity during extended sweet pepper season involves adopting innovative biostimulants such as potassium silicate (PS) and vinasse. Adjusting PS and vinasse concentrations are crucial for maintaining the balance between vegetative and fruit growth, particularly in sweet pepper with a shallow root system, to sustain fruiting over prolonged season. However, the interaction between PS and vinasse and the underlying physiological mechanisms that extend the sweet pepper season under greenhouse conditions remain unclear. This study aimed to investigate the impact of PS and vinasse treatments on the yield and biochemical constituents of perennial pepper plants cultivated under greenhouse conditions. For two consecutive seasons [2018/2019 and 2019/2020], pepper plants were sprayed with PS (0, 0.5, and 1 g/l) and drenched with vinasse (0, 1, 2, and 3 l/m3). To estimate the impact of PS and vinasse on the growth, yield, and biochemical constituents of pepper plants, fresh and dry biomass, potential fruit yield, and some biochemical constituents were evaluated. Results revealed that PS (0.5 g/l) coupled with vinasse (3 l/m3) generated the most remarkable enhancement, in terms of plant biomass, total leaf area, total yield, and fruit weight during both growing seasons. The implementation of vinasse at 3 l/m3 with PS at 0.5 and 1 g/l demonstrated the most pronounced augmentation in leaf contents (chlorophyll index, nitrogen and potassium), alongside improved fruit quality, including total soluble solid and ascorbic acid contents, of extended sweet pepper season. By implementing the optimal combination of PS and vinasse, growers can significantly enhance the biomass production while maintaining a balance in fruiting, thereby maximizing the prolonged fruit production of superior sweet pepper under greenhouse conditions.
Developing a virtual reality and AI-based framework for advanced digital manufacturing and nearshoring opportunities in Mexico
Authors: Ponce Pedro , Anthony Brian , Bradley Russel , Maldonado-Romo Javier , Méndez Juana Isabel , Montesinos Luis , Molina Arturo 
Published: May 2024

AbstractThe growing expansion of the manufacturing sector, particularly in Mexico, has revealed a spectrum of nearshoring opportunities yet is paralleled by a discernible void in educational tools for various stakeholders, such as engineers, students, and decision-makers. This paper introduces a state-of-the-art framework, incorporating virtual reality (VR) and artificial intelligence (AI) to metamorphose the pedagogy of advanced manufacturing systems. Through a case study focused on the design, production, and evaluation of a robotic platform, the framework endeavors to offer an exhaustive educational experience via an interactive VR environment, encapsulating (1) Robotic platform system design and modeling, enabling users to immerse themselves in the design and simulation of robotic platforms under varied conditions; (2) Virtual manufacturing company, presenting a detailed virtual manufacturing setup to enhance users’ comprehension of manufacturing processes and systems, and problem-solving in realistic settings; and (3) Product evaluation, wherein users employ VR to meticulously assess the robotic platform, ensuring optimal functionality and customer satisfaction. This innovative framework melds theoretical acumen with practical application in advanced manufacturing, preparing entities to navigate Mexico’s manufacturing sector’s vibrant and competitive nearshoring landscape. It creates an immersive environment for understanding modern manufacturing challenges, fostering Mexico’s manufacturing sector growth, and maximizing nearshoring opportunities for stakeholders.
Effect of olfactory stimulation from aromatherapy on the autonomic nervous activity during aerobic exercises
Authors: Okada Katsuki , Shimatani Koji 
Published: May 2024

AbstractVariations in the autonomic nervous system activity during exercise therapy in patients with cardiovascular diseases may lead to adverse events. Aromatherapy may reduce these adverse events by enhancing parasympathetic nervous activity (PNA). However, the effects of aromatherapy during exercise remain relatively unknown. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of aromatherapy on autonomic nervous activity during exercise and recovery. This randomized crossover study included 20 healthy men subjected to both aroma and placebo conditions which involved rest and moderate-intensity aerobic exercise on a cycle ergometer, followed by recovery. Blood pressure, heart rate variability indices, and SpO2 were measured during the rest, exercise, and recovery phases. Moreover, aroma preferences and emotional changes in response to the aroma were assessed. Under the placebo condition, high frequency (HF), root mean square of successive differences indices, and heart rate showed delayed recovery (P < 0.05). Furthermore, a moderate positive correlation was identified between aroma preference, pleasant emotions induced by aromatherapy, and the HF index (P < 0.05). These results indicate that aromatherapy facilitates the recovery of PNA after exercise. Furthermore, these effects were more pronounced among individuals who exhibited a stronger preference for and more positive emotions toward aromas.
Aspartic protease supplementation enhancing the performance, carcass characteristics, nutrient digestibility and economic viability, without changing blood parameters and salivary cortisol of pigs
Authors: da Cruz Thiago Augusto , Donatelli Muro Bruno Bracco , Machado Costa Lima Eduardo , dos Santos Moreira Valéria , de Carvalho Julio Cesar Carrera , Pospissil Garbossa Cesar Augusto , Batista Costa Leandro 
Published: May 2024

AbstractAiming to study the performance, carcass characteristics, nutrient digestibility, blood parameters, salivary cortisol levels, and economic viability of pigs administered aspartic protease, a total of 135 pigs were housed in pens in a randomized block design, divided into five treatments with nine replications. The experimental diets were positive control (PC), basic diet with a 5.0% reduction in protein and amino acid requirements; negative control (NC) with a 7.5% reduction in protein and amino acid requirements; NC + 100 g/mT of aspartic protease (NC100); NC + 150 g/mT of aspartic protease (NC150); and NC + 200 g/mT of neutral serine protease (NC200). The inclusion of protease, independently of the source and amount, increased the average daily weight gain (P < 0.05) of animals compared with the control treatments (PC and NC), improved feed conversion (P < 0.05) in early stages, and improved diet digestibility (P < 0.05) compared with the PC. Treatment with NC150 and NC200 resulted in greater carcass weights (P < 0.05) than treatment with the PC. NC100 led to a greater carcass yield than PC (P < 0.05), and NC150 resulted in a greater loin eye area than PC (P < 0.05). No differences (P > 0.05) in the blood parameters or salivary cortisol levels were found. Regarding economic viability, proteases increased the profitability, with NC150 leading to the best results. Thus, the use of aspartic proteases is recommended to improve performance and further facilitate pork production.
Research on sound quality of roller chain transmission system based on multi-source transfer learning
Authors: Li Jiabao , An Lichi , Cheng Yabing , Wang Haoxiang 
Published: May 2024

AbstractTo establish the sound quality evaluation model of roller chain transmission system, we collect the running noise under different working conditions. After the noise samples are preprocessed, a group of experienced testers are organized to evaluate them subjectively. Mel frequency cepstral coefficient (MFCC) of each noise sample is calculated, and the MFCC feature map is used as an objective evaluation. Combining with the subjective and objective evaluation results of the roller chain system noise, we can get the original dataset of its sound quality research. However, the number of high-quality noise samples is relatively small. Based on the sound quality research of various chain transmission systems, a novel method called multi-source transfer learning convolutional neural network (MSTL-CNN) is proposed. By transferring knowledge from multiple source tasks to target task, the difficulty of small sample sound quality prediction is solved. Compared with the problem that single source task transfer learning has too much error on some samples, MSTL-CNN can give full play to the advantages of all transfer learning models. The results also show that the MSTL-CNN proposed in this paper is significantly better than the traditional sound quality evaluation methods.
Multi-purpose InSTRument for Astronomy at Low-resolution: MISTRAL at the Observatoire de Haute-Provence
Authors: Schmitt J. , Adami C. , Dennefeld M. , Agneray F. , Basa S. , Brunei J. C. , Buat V. , Burgarella D. , Carvalho C. , Castagnoli G. , Grosso N. , Huppert F. , Moreau C. , Moreau F. , Moreau L. , Muslimov E. , Pascal S. , Perruchot S. , Russeil D. , Beuzit J. L. , Dolon F. , Ferrari M. , Hamelin B. , Le Van Suu A. , Aravind K. , Gotz D. , Jehin E. , LeFloc’h E. , Palmerio J. , Saccardi A. , Schneider B. , Schüssler F. , Turpin D. , Vergani S. D. 
Published: May 2024

Context. Multi-purpose InSTRument for Astronomy at Low-resolution (MISTRAL) is the new Faint Object Spectroscopic Camera mounted at the folded Cassegrain focus of the 1.93 m telescope of the Haute-Provence Observatory (OHP).
Aims. We describe the design and components of the instrument and give some details about its operation.
Methods. We emphasize in particular the various observing modes and the performance of the detector. A short description of the working environment is also provided. Various types of objects, including stars, nebulae, comets, novae, and galaxies, have been observed during various test phases to evaluate the performance of the instrument.
Results. The instrument covers the range of 4000-8000 Å with the blue setting, or from 6000 to 10 000 Å with the red setting, at an average spectral resolution of 700. Its peak efficiency is about 22% at 6000 Å. In spectroscopy, a limiting magnitude of r ~ 19.5 can be achieved for a point source in one hour with a signal-to-noise ratio of 3 in the continuum (and better when emission lines are present). In imaging mode, limiting magnitudes of 20–21 can be obtained in 10–20 mn (with average seeing conditions of 2.5 arcsec at the OHP). The instrument is very user-friendly and can be put into operations in less than 15 mn (rapid change-over from the other instrument in use) if required by the science (e.g. for gamma-ray bursts). Some first scientific results are described for various types of objects, and in particular, for the follow-up of gamma-ray bursts.
Conclusions. While some further improvements are still under way, in particular, to facilitate the switch from blue to red setting and add more grisms or filters, MISTRAL is ready for the follow-up of transients and other variable objects, in the soon-to-come era of the Space-based multi-band astronomical Variable Objects Monitor satellite and of the Rubin telescope, for instance.
Cell-Mediated Immune Responses May Play Roles in Osteochondral Allograft Transplantation Osteointegration Failures
Authors: Luk Josephine , Bozynski Chantelle C. , Williams Jonathan , Stoker Aaron M. , Stannard James P. , Teixeiro Emma , Cook James L. 
Published: May 2024

AbstractProlonged and incomplete osteochondral allograft (OCA) osteointegration is consistently cited as a major mechanism for OCA treatment failure. Subrejection immune responses may play roles in this mode of failure. Preimplantation OCA preparation techniques, including subchondral bone drilling, thorough irrigation, and autogenous bone marrow aspirate concentrate saturation, may dampen immune responses and improve OCA osteointegration. This study sought to further characterize potential immune system contributions to OCA transplantation treatment failures by analyzing donor–recipient ABO and Rh-factor mismatches and histological and immunohistochemical assessments of transplanted OCA tissues recovered from revision surgeries. Using a dedicated registry, OCA transplant recipients with documented treatment failures who met inclusion criteria (n = 33) as well as age-, body mass index-, and joint-matched patients with successful outcomes (n = 70) were analyzed to compare matched cohorts of patients with successful versus failed OCA transplantation outcomes. Tissues recovered from 18 failed OCA transplants and portions of 7 nonimplanted OCA controls were further analyzed to provide contributing evidence for potential immune response mechanisms. For patients analyzed, no statistically significant differences in proportions for treatment success versus failure based on mismatches for ABO type, Rh factor, or both were noted. Further, no statistically significant differences in proportions for histological immune response presence or absence based on mismatches for ABO type, Rh factor, or both were noted. Twelve (67%) of the failed OCA tissues contained lymphocyte aggregations in the subchondral bone, which were comprised of combinations of CD3 + , CD4 + , CD8 + , and CD20+ lymphocytes. The mechanisms of failure for these 12 OCA transplants involved insufficient OCA osteointegration. Results of this study suggest that T- and B-cell-mediated subrejection immune responses may play roles in OCA transplant treatment failures independent of donor–recipient blood type mismatch effects.
Sensitivity enhancement for moisture content detection using modified microstrip patch antennas
Authors: Khan Muhammad Talha , Lin Xian Qi , Khan Abid Muhammad , Chen Zhe 
Published: May 2024

A modified slotted microstrip patch sensor antenna has been developed for sensitivity enhancement to measure the moisture content of leaves. The design incorporates a rectangular slot positioned above the feed of a rectangular patch antenna. The antenna achieves resonant frequency at a lower range than the operating frequency of a traditional patch antenna without slot while maintaining a miniaturized form factor. To evaluate the sensitivity of the proposed modified slotted patch antenna, the variation in the resonant frequency and the reflection coefficient (S11) is observed with the sample under test (SUT), i.e., leaf is placed above the patch. A comparative analysis with regard to sensitivity and shift in frequency is performed between the designed antenna structures. The designed antenna is fabricated on a 0.8 mm F4B substrate in order to resonate within the 2.40–2.80 GHz range under unloaded conditions. The antenna’s sensitivity is tested by performing parametric analysis with respect to the permittivity of the leaf ranging from 20 to 30. The experimental results reveal that the sensitivity of the proposed patch antenna is enhanced by a factor of 1.67 as compared to traditional patch antenna for the four levels of SUT, demonstrating an enhanced sensitivity in detecting the moisture content of leaves.
Capacitive flexible pressure sensor based on porous GR/PDMS composite dielectric layer
Authors: Chen Tong , Wang Ruirong , Li Xiaohong 
Published: May 2024

Capacitive flexible pressure sensors, with the advantages of simple structure, reliable repeatability, and low energy consumption, have been widely used in wearable devices, soft robots, and other fields. This article describes the preparation of a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) sponge dielectric layer with a surface microstructure and dense internal bubbles by adding ammonium bicarbonate to PDMS, using sandpaper as a template, and utilizing the thermal decomposition of ammonium bicarbonate into three gases: ammonia, carbon dioxide, and water vapor (NH3, CO2, and H2O). Meanwhile, the sensitivity of the capacitive flexible pressure sensor using the sandwich structure with PDMS sponge can reach 0.4321 kPa−1 within the range of 0–3 kPa, and it has a fast response time and recovery time, good repeatability, and a wide detection range. The pressure sensor based on a porous graphene/PDMS (GR/PDMS) sponge dielectric layer can achieve human physiological signal detection and has broad application prospects in fields such as robot skin.
Physical treatment and protease or probiotic supplementation and feather meal digestibility by broilers
Authors: Sun Y. M. , Li X. , Zhang D. , Bryden W. L. 
Published: May 2024

Context Improving the utilisation of alternative protein ingredients in livestock production will reduce feeding costs and improve industry sustainability. Feather meal (FM) is an abundant, alternative protein source with a high protein content but poor amino acid (AA) digestibility. Aim This study evaluated strategies for improving AA digestibility of FM. Methods Experiment 1 examined the effects of physical treatment with ultrasound, microwave and autoclaving on FM AA profile and digestibility. Experiment 2 evaluated the dietary addition of a protease (Ronozyme ProAct, 200 and 600 mg/kg; RPA) and a probiotic (BioPlus 400, 1500 mg/kg) on FM AA digestibility. Apparent ileal digestibility was determined by feeding each treatment to four replicate groups of six birds in Experiment 1 and five replicate groups of seven birds in Experiment 2, and then collecting the contents of the lower half of the ileum. Key results None of the physical treatments improved (P > 0.05) the AA profile or ileal AA digestibility of FM. Dietary supplementation with RPA at 200 mg/kg or BioPlus 400 at 1500 mg/kg did not significantly (P > 0.05) influence the apparent ileal AA digestibility of FM. However, the higher concentration of RPA (600 mg/kg) significantly (P < 0.05) increased the apparent ileal AA digestibility of FM. Conclusion The increased digestibility of FM by the protease and numerical increase (P < 0.1) by the probiotic (1500 mg/kg) presumably reflects keratinase activity of both feed supplements. Implications The results of this study indicated that there is scope for further improvement in the nutritive value of FM for broilers.
Effective three-step method for efficient correction of stripe noise and non-uniformity in infrared remote sensing images
Authors: Hamadouche Sid Ahmed 
Published: May 2024

Abstract
The non-uniformity inherent in infrared detectors’ readout circuits often manifests as stripe noise, significantly impacting the interpretability and utility of infrared images in remote sensing applications. This paper introduces a novel three-step approach designed to overcome the challenges posed by stripe noise, offering a balance between real-time performance, detail preservation, and noise suppression. The proposed method involves subtracting the average of image columns from the noisy image, adding the wavelet denoised average signal to the subtraction result, and finally correcting the resulting image using an image-guidance mechanism. This unique three-step process ensures effective noise removal while preserving image details. The incorporation of wavelet transform leverages the sparsity of noise in the wavelet domain, enhancing denoising without introducing blurring. In a further refinement, the third step utilizes an image-guidance mechanism to recover small details with increased precision. This comprehensive approach addresses both stripe noise and non-uniformity, offering an easy, efficient, and fast technique for image correction. A comprehensive set of experiments, which involves comparisons with state-of-the-art algorithms, serves to substantiate the effectiveness and superior performance of the proposed method in real-world remote sensing and infrared images. Various examples, encompassing both real and artificial noise, are presented to showcase the robustness and applicability of our approach.
Kinetic study of adsorption and photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue dye using TiO2 nanoparticles with activated carbon
Authors: Suchak Nidhishree M , Deshpande M P , Mistry Hiral M , Pandya Swati J , Chaki S H , Bhatt Sandip V 
Published: May 2024

Abstract
Activated carbon (AC) exhibits limited adsorption capacity for pollutants. Conversely, titanium dioxide (TiO2) demonstrates excellent photocatalytic performance, making it a popular choice for pollutant removal. This study investigates the removal of methylene blue (MB) dye from wastewater using AC, TiO2@AC-2, and TiO2@AC-10 samples via adsorption and photocatalysis. The Energy Dispersive analysis of x-rays (EDAX) has confirmed the presence of Ti, C and O in the prepared samples without any impurities. All the diffraction peaks in x-ray diffractograms indicated the presence of pure anatase TiO2 (tetragonal phase) with no evidence of any other phase. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis identified a peak around 545 cm−1 in the TiO2@AC-2 sample, indicative of O-Ti-O stretching vibrations. This peak shifted to 602 cm−1 in the TiO2@AC-10 sample. Raman spectroscopy confirmed the presence of carbon (D and G bands) at 1310–1347 cm−1 and 1582–1597 cm−1. Additionally, characteristic Raman active bands for anatase TiO2 were observed at 154 cm−1 (Eg), 204 cm−1 (Eg), 398 cm−1 (B1g), 508 cm−1 (A1g), and 628 cm−1 (Eg). N2 adsorption–desorption isotherms revealed a mesoporous structure for all samples (AC, TiO2@AC-2, and TiO2@AC-10) with hysteresis loops, indicating pores ranging from 2 nm to 50 nm in diameter. Reflectance spectra of TiO2@AC-2 and TiO2@AC-10 displayed absorption edges at 368 nm and 385 nm, respectively, corresponding to a direct band gap of approximately 3.22 eV. Subsequently, these prepared samples were effectively employed for the removal of methylene blue (MB) dye from wastewater utilizing both adsorption and photocatalysis method. Under dark conditions, 20 mg L−1 doses of TiO2@AC-2 and TiO2@AC-10 resulted in 60% and 36% dye adsorption within 60 min respectively. In the presence of UV radiation, the degradation of dye was observed to be 74% and 95% by TiO2@AC-2 and TiO2@AC-10 respectively. This observation indicates that TiO2 nanoparticles along with AC leads to enhanced photocatalytic activity. The Langmuir–Hinshelwood model reveals lower rate constants for AC compared to the composite samples. This is likely because AC lacks inherent catalytic activity, requiring UV light to trigger adsorption. Conversely, TiO2@AC-10 exhibits the highest rate constants (K1 = 24.25 × 10−3 min−1 and K2 = 82.71 × 10−3 min−1), aligning with its higher TiO2 content confirmed by EDAX analysis. This suggests a significantly faster photocatalytic rate and superior degradation efficiency, even at a low sample concentration (20 mg L−1).
Chaplygin gas inspired warm inflation and swampland conjectures through various scalar potentials
Authors: Jawad Abdul , Azhar Nadeem , Sadiq Shama , Rani Shamaila 
Published: May 2024

Abstract
In this paper, we analyze inflationary parameters and swampland conjectures in the presence of a scalar field and Chaplygin models. We examine inflationary parameters, such as slow-roll parameters, scalar and tensor power spectra, spectral index, and tensor-to-scalar ratio, in the presence of a scalar field and Chaplygin gas models. We also discuss recently proposed swampland conjectures. We assume that the inflationary expansion is driven by a standard scalar field with a decay ratio Γ that has a generic power-law dependence on the scalar field ϕ and that the temperature of the thermal bath T is given by

, where

is a dimensionless parameter and a is the inflation decay rate. In a scenario where our model operates within a robust dissipative environment

, we analyze both fundamental and perturbative dynamics to extract key inflationary parameters. These include the scalar power spectrum

, dissipative ratio R, scalar spectral index

, tensor-to-scalar ratio r, running of the scalar spectral index

, and generalized ratio of the swampland de-Sitter conjecture

for three different potentials.