bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Conversion of forest to cinnamon plantation depletes soil carbon stocks in the top metre of the tropical highlands of Kerinci Regency, Jambi Province, Indonesia
Authors: Antony Dedy , Collins Chris D. , Clark Joanna M. , Sizmur Tom 
Published: October 2023

AbstractThis study aimed to investigate the effect of conversion from natural forest to cinnamon plantation on the top 1 m soil carbon stocks and soil characteristics. The project was conducted on Andosols of Kerinci Regency, Sumatera, Indonesia, sampling the soil profile under natural forests and a chronosequence of cinnamon plantations of different ages (1, 5 and 10 years). SOC stocks were quantified alongside physical properties (bulk density) and chemical properties (carbon, nitrogen, C/N ratio) to investigate the impact of land conversion. SOC stocks increased 1 year after conversion to cinnamon plantations, but then tended to decrease as the plantations got older. The initial increase was observed alongside decreasing bulk density 1 year after forest conversion to cinnamon plantation, likely as a result of the fresh input of (less dense) pyrogenic soil organic matter as a result of slash and burn practices and transport down the soil profile owing to leaching. In older plantations SOC stocks were lower, probably because organic matter had been decomposed or leached out of the profile. The free particulate organic matter (fPOM) was isolated from selected topsoil and subsoil layers and analysed for carbon, nitrogen, and FTIR analysis. FTIR analysis revealed that topsoil fPOM contained more aromatic functional groups than subsoils and had a higher degree of decomposition. Aromatic and carbohydrate functional groups were initially lower in recently converted cinnamon plantation, but the trend was reversed 10 years after conversion. The initial flush of fresh organic matter into soils after slash and burn provides fPOM with a lower degree of decomposition but is short‐lived and fPOM becomes more microbially processed as the cinnamon plantation ages. We conclude that, after a short term increase brought about by slash and burn, forest conversion to cinnamon plantation in Kerinci Regency depletes SOC stocks both in topsoils and subsoils.
Message in a bubble: the translational potential of extracellular vesicles
Authors: Alqurashi H. , Alsharief M. , Perciato M. L. , Raven B. , Ren K. , Lambert D. W. 
Published: October 2023

AbstractExtracellular vesicles (EVs) are small, membrane‐enclosed vesicles released by cells into the extracellular milieu. They are found in all body fluids and contain a variety of functional cargo including DNA, RNA, proteins, glycoproteins and lipids, able to provoke phenotypic responses in cells, both locally and at distant sites. They are implicated in a wide array of physiological and pathological processes and hence have attracted considerable attention in recent years as potential therapeutic targets, drug delivery vehicles and biomarkers of disease. In this review we summarise the major functions of EVs in health and disease and discuss their translational potential, highlighting opportunities of – and challenges to – capitalising on our rapidly increasing understanding of EV biology for patient benefit.
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Development of an Assistive Ankle-Foot Exoskeleton With Sensorized Silicone-Based Insole
Authors: Cheng Tiancheng , Sharifi Mojtaba 
Published: October 2023

Abstract
Millions of people with disabilities, the elderly, and individuals suffering from physical deformities rely on assistive devices to perform basic actions and movements. With the increasing number of these individuals, the lack of available medical equipment/assistive personnel, and the size, bulkiness, and cost of assistive devices found in rehabilitation centers, there has been a growing interest in the research for lighter, portable, and cost-effective personal external assistive devices. In this paper, a new prototype of an ankle-foot exoskeleton was engineered with low-cost printed material that maintains structural integrity while providing appropriate comfort and support for the wearer. This ankle-foot exoskeleton was fabricated using thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) and polylactic acid (PLA), common materials used for three-dimensional printing. The printed pieces were combined with zinc-nickel hinge joints to create a one-degree-of-freedom (DOF) support system. Finite element analysis on both fabricated parts indicates an average safety factor of 4 at applied loads of 700 N and 100 N to the foot and calf sections respectively. A pressure insole system consisting of a silicone-based pressure mold, force-sensitive resistors, and a microcontroller circuit was developed to measure foot pressure experienced during standing and stepping motion. This exoskeleton was also subjected to actuation tests via an external torque motor to obtain ankle trajectory profiles at various walking speeds.
Holographic Terahertz Imaging for Breast Cancer Detection
Authors: Wang Lulu , Al-Rawi Mohammad 
Published: October 2023

Abstract
Terahertz (THz) imaging is a promising technology that can accurately detect breast tumors during breast-conserving surgery. Researchers have studied THz imaging and spectroscopy techniques to improve breast tumor detection for the past 20 years. This paper presents the recent development of the holographic THz imaging (HTI) method for identifying breast tumors. To evaluate the effectiveness of this new approach, we have developed a numerical system that includes realistic breast models and an imaging processing model. Through various experiments, we have successfully used the proposed holographic THz imaging method to identify breast tumors. Our results have shown that this method can reconstruct high-quality breast images and accurately detect small tumor inclusions, providing the correct size and location information. Based on these promising results, further investigation is warranted to explore the potential of this approach for breast tumor detection in a faster and more cost-effective manner.
Designing Together: Exploring Collaborative Dynamics of Multi-Objective Design Problems in Virtual Environments
Authors: Roy Debrina , Calpin Nicole , Cheng Kathy , Olechowski Alison , Argüelles Andrea P. , Soria Zurita Nicolás F. , Menold Jessica 
Published: October 2023

Abstract
The pace of technological advancements has been rapidly increasing in recent years, with the advent of artificial intelligence, virtual/augmented reality, and other emerging technologies fundamentally changing the way human beings work. The adoption and integration of these advanced technologies necessitate teams with diverse disciplinary expertise, to help teams remain agile in an ever-evolving technological landscape. Significant disciplinary diversity amongst teams, however, can be detrimental to team communication and performance. Additionally, accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, the adoption and use of technologies that enable design teams to collaborate across significant geographical distances have become the norm in today's work environments, further complicating communication and performance issues. Little is known about the way in which technology-mediated communication affects the collaborative processes of design. As a first step toward filling this gap, the current work explores the fundamental ways experts from distinct disciplinary backgrounds collaborate in virtual design environments. Specifically, we explore the conversational dynamics between experts from two complementary yet distinct fields: non-destructive evaluation (NDE) and design for additive manufacturing (DFAM). Using Markov modeling, the study identified distinct communicative patterns that emerged during collaborative design efforts. Our findings suggest that traditional assumptions regarding communication patterns and design dynamics may not be applicable to expert design teams working in virtual environments.
Experimental Analysis of Hydrogen Enrichment in Waste Plastic Oil Blends for Dual-Fuel Common Rail Direct Injection Diesel Engines
Authors: Anand Tushar , Debbarma Sumita 
Published: October 2023

Abstract
Growing global concerns about fossil fuels highlight the importance of alternative fuels for internal combustion engines. Proper management of plastic waste is crucial due to its environmental impact. The pyrolysis oil process offers a sustainable solution to address plastic waste accumulation. This study explores the impact of a hydrogen-waste plastic oil blend on a modern diesel engine. The research delves into plastic oil and diesel blends at 10%, 20%, and 30% concentrations, with hydrogen provided at 8 L/min. Experiments are conducted at various loads, and hydrogen-enriched fuel blends are analyzed for combustion characteristics, performance parameters, and emissions. Higher blended fuel ratios lead to extended ignition delays, decreased thermal efficiency, and increased emissions. Hydrogen enrichment reduces carbon dioxide, hydrocarbon, and carbon monoxide emissions but raises nitrogen oxide emissions due to higher exhaust gas temperatures. The comparative analysis shows significant improvements in brake thermal efficiency and brake-specific fuel consumption under full load conditions. The blend demonstrates notable reductions in hydrocarbon, carbon monoxide, and carbon dioxide emissions but an increase in nitrogen oxide emissions compared to diesel. The findings indicate that integrating hydrogen into diesel engines enhances performance measures and reduces overall emissions.
Design, Performance Analysis, and Experiments of a Soft Robot for Rescue
Authors: Wen Tao , Hu Junfeng , Zhang Jun , Li Xian , Kang Sheng , Zhang Ning 
Published: October 2023

Abstract
In the narrow and irregular environment of the ruins, the existing rescue robots are struggling to achieve their performance. Inspired by the process of termite predation by giant anteaters, we propose a soft rescue robot that utilizes motion propulsion similar to gear meshing and the adaptability of a continuum manipulator. The robot, consisting of a soft continuum manipulator and driving equipment, has the characteristics of fast propulsion and adaptation to unstructured environments. The driving device can give the manipulator a maximum speed of 14.67 cm/s and a propulsive force of 19.20 N. With the flexibility of the soft robot, the soft manipulator can adapt to the environment under propulsion to pass obstacles. The experiments of self-adaptability performance tests under different conditions show that the robot can pass over obstacles with an angle of up to 80.57 deg between its axis and the contact surface. In the actual ruin experiment, the robot could penetrate 1.3 m deep in the narrow passage formed by the bricks with the mode. The experiment indicates the presented rescue robot design's feasibility. Our work could contribute to the research on the interaction of soft robots with their environment.
Mineral Composition Effects on Dust Deposition at Realistic Engine Conditions
Authors: Wendel Nathanael J. , Subasic Noah P. , Mizer Andrew E. , Bons Jeffrey P. 
Published: October 2023

Abstract
In this article, the role of mineral composition was assessed for Air Force Research Laboratory Test Dust (AFRL), for deposition in a realistic gas turbine engine environment. Experiments were performed on an effusion cooling test article with a coolant flow temperature of 894 K and surface temperature of 1144 K. Aerosolized dust with a 0–10 µm particle size distribution was delivered to the test article. The mineral recipe of AFRL was altered such that the presence of each of the five components ranged from 0% to 100%, and capture efficiency, hole capture efficiency, blockage per gram, and normalized deposit height were reported. Results are compared to a previous study of the intermineral synergies in an impingement cooling jet at the same temperature conditions. Despite differences in experimental facility flow geometry, overall agreement was found between the trends in the deposition behavior of the dust blends. The strong deposition effects that were observed were shown to be related to adhesion forces of particles, mechanical properties, and chemical properties of the dust minerals. Supplemental testing was performed in a high-temperature (1425–1650 K) impinging jet (200–260 m/s) to evaluate mineral effects at hot gas path conditions. Capture efficiency and morphology of dust deposits are reported. The capture efficiency in this regime was shown to correlate well with temperature, with chemical effects being secondary. An attempt was made to predict capture efficiency using chemical assessments such as a ratio of bases to acids, Ca:Si ratio, and optical basicity with only modest success.
Thermal and Electrical Analysis of N-PVT-FPC Hybrid Active Heating of Biogas Plant
Authors: Tiwari G. N. , Singh Rohit Kumar , Sinha Akhoury Sudhir Kumar 
Published: October 2023

Abstract
In order to increase biogas production during winter months/cold climatic conditions, a self-sustained N-photovoltaic thermal and flat plate collector (PVT-FPC) hybrid active heating biogas plant has been analyzed in terms of thermal energy and electrical energy. A general analytical expression for thermal and electrical energy of the biogas plant has been derived as a function of climatic and design parameters from one order coupled differential equations. Various photovoltaic thermal and flat plate collector (N-PVT-FPC) configurations have been considered for optimizing maximum electrical and thermal energy gain for a given total number of N-PVT-FPC collectors. Based on mathematical computation for Indian cold climatic conditions, it has been found that the N-PVT-FPC combination is always better than the flat plate collector-photovoltaic thermal (N-FPC-PVT) collector for maximum electrical and thermal energy. Overall exergy analysis of hybrid active heating of biogas plants has also been carried out.
Insulin-mediated endothelin signaling is antiviral during West Nile virus infection
Authors: Trammell Chasity E. , Rowe Evelyn H. , Char Aditya B. , Jones Brianne J. , Fawcett Stephen , Ahlers Laura R. H. , Goodman Alan G. 
Published: October 2023

ABSTRACT

West Nile virus (WNV) is the most prevalent mosquito-borne virus in the United States with approximately 2,000 cases each year. There are currently no approved human vaccines and a lack of prophylactic and therapeutic treatments. Understanding host responses to infection may reveal potential intervention targets to reduce virus replication and disease progression. The use of
Drosophila melanogaster
as a model organism to understand innate immunity and host antiviral responses is well-established. Previous studies revealed that insulin-mediated signaling regulates WNV infection in invertebrates by regulating canonical antiviral pathways. Because insulin signaling is well-conserved across insect and mammalian species, we sought to determine if results using
D. melanogaster
can be extrapolated for the analysis of orthologous pathways in humans. Here, we identify insulin-mediated endothelin signaling using the
D. melanogaster
model and evaluate an orthologous pathway in human cells during WNV infection. We demonstrate that endothelin signaling reduces WNV replication through the activation of canonical antiviral signaling. Taken together, our findings show that endothelin-mediated antiviral immunity is broadly conserved across species and reduces replication of viruses that can cause severe human disease.

IMPORTANCE

Arboviruses, particularly those transmitted by mosquitoes, pose a significant threat to humans and are an increasing concern because of climate change, human activity, and expanding vector-competent populations. West Nile virus is of significant concern as the most frequent mosquito-borne disease transmitted annually within the continental United States. Here, we identify a previously uncharacterized signaling pathway that impacts West Nile virus infection, namely endothelin signaling. Additionally, we demonstrate that we can successfully translate results obtained from
D. melanogaster
into the more relevant human system. Our results add to the growing field of insulin-mediated antiviral immunity and identify potential biomarkers or intervention targets to better address West Nile virus infection and severe disease.
Full genome sequence of a human rhinovirus A1B, obtained in Kazakhstan
Authors: Strochkov Vitaliy , Beloussov Vyacheslav , Solomadin Maxim , Granica Joanna , Yegorov Sergey , Orkara Shynggys , Sandybayev Nurlan 
Published: October 2023

ABSTRACT
Here, we report the full nucleotide sequence of the RvA1B/KZ/2021/87 rhinovirus, identified through metagenomic sequencing of nasopharyngeal swabs collected from patients exhibiting respiratory symptoms in Kazakhstan during 2021.
Proteome efficiency of metabolic pathways in
Escherichia coli
increases along the nutrient flow
Authors: Hu Xiao-Pan , Schroeder Stefan , Lercher Martin J. 
Published: October 2023

ABSTRACT

Understanding the allocation of the cellular proteome to different cellular processes is central to unraveling the organizing principles of bacterial physiology. Proteome allocation to protein translation itself is maximally efficient, i.e., it represents the minimal allocation of dry mass able to sustain the observed protein production rate. In contrast, recent studies on bacteria have demonstrated that the concentrations of many proteins exceed the minimal level required to support the observed growth rate, indicating some heterogeneity across pathways in their proteome efficiency. Here, we systematically analyze the proteome efficiency of metabolic pathways, which together account for more than half of the
Escherichia coli
proteome during exponential growth. Comparing the predicted minimal and the observed proteome allocation to different metabolic pathways across growth conditions, we find that the protein abundance in the most costly biosynthesis pathways—those for amino acid biosynthesis and cofactor biosynthesis—is regulated for near-optimal efficiency. Overall, proteome efficiency increases along the carbon flow through the metabolic network; proteins involved in pathways of nutrient uptake and central metabolism tend to be highly over-abundant, while proteins involved in anabolic pathways and in protein translation are much closer to the expected minimal abundance across conditions. Our work thus provides a bird’s-eye view of metabolic pathway efficiency, demonstrating systematic deviations from optimal cellular efficiency at the network level.

IMPORTANCE

Protein translation is the most expensive cellular process in fast-growing bacteria, and efficient proteome usage should thus be under strong natural selection. However, recent studies show that a considerable part of the proteome is unneeded for instantaneous cell growth in
Escherichia coli
. We still lack a systematic understanding of how this excess proteome is distributed across different pathways as a function of the growth conditions. We estimated the minimal required proteome across growth conditions in
E. coli
and compared the predictions with experimental data. We found that the proteome allocated to the most expensive internal pathways, including translation and the synthesis of amino acids and cofactors, is near the minimally required levels. In contrast, transporters and central carbon metabolism show much higher proteome levels than the predicted minimal abundance. Our analyses show that the proteome fraction unneeded for instantaneous cell growth decreases along the nutrient flow in
E. coli
.
‘We don’t get money in our own hands’: evidence from focus group discussions on economic abuse against women in two states of India
Authors: Steinert Janina Isabel , Boehret Ines , Vasumati Satish Rucha , Sharma Sanchita , Chatterji Sangeeta 
Published: October 2023

IntroductionViolence against women is a serious human rights violation. While much attention has been given to the prevalence and prevention of physical, sexual and emotional violence, one crucial dimension is to date less well understood: economic abuse against women. This paper presents rich qualitative data on economic abuse against women in India to improve the understanding of economic abuse in a lower-middle income setting and to assess how economic abuse interacts with socio-cultural factors such as patrilocality, patriarchal gender norms and limited acceptance of female employment.MethodsWe conducted 13 focus group discussions (FGDs) in the states Maharashtra and Rajasthan. FGDs were conducted with married working (for income) and non-working women, husbands and mothers-in-law. Discussions were recorded, transcribed verbatim and translated to English. Transcripts were coded using thematic analysis and emerging themes were discussed among all authors.ResultsWomen suffered from four distinct forms of economic abuse. Economic control emerged as the most prevalent theme, amplified by women’s marginalisation from financial decision-making in the household. Discussions further alluded to employment sabotage, which husbands commonly justified by not wanting their wives to neglect their duties at home. A third category was women’s economic exploitation, expressed by husbands taking their salaries, accumulating debt in their wife’s name, and using their wife’s wedding endowments for own purposes. A last category was husbands’ refusal to financially contribute to necessary household expenses, which hindered investments in children’s education and adequate coping with health emergencies. We identified important linkages with other forms of domestic abuse.ConclusionEconomic abuse has the potential to trap women in abusive relationships. Effective interventions to reduce economic abuse and economically empower women such as financial inclusion programmes are urgently needed. Stricter penalisation of dowry-related violence and spousal abuse is also required.
Physical exercise for treating non-motor symptoms assessed by general Parkinson’s disease scales: systematic review and meta-analysis of clinical trials
Authors: Costa Valton , Suassuna Alice de Oliveira Barreto , Brito Thanielle Souza Silva , Rocha Thalita Frigo da , Gianlorenco Anna Carolyna 
Published: October 2023

IntroductionParkinson’s disease is a movement disorder that also manifests non-motor symptoms (NMS). Physical exercise is a prominent strategy that can have an impact on NMS; however, the evidence is limited. Our aim was to verify the effects of exercise on NMS, as assessed using general NMS scales.MethodsThis study is a systematic review and meta-analysis. Two searches were conducted on the PubMed, Cochrane Library, Scopus, Web of Science, Embase, Science Direct and PEDro databases from September to December 2022. The PEDro scale was used to assess the methodological quality of the studies.ResultsTwenty-three studies were included. The interventions were classified as multimodal, aerobic, resistance, dance, conventional physical therapy and other types. Five studies had high risk of bias. Eight studies were included in the meta-analyses. According to the criteria, four studies compared exercise with non-exercise (n=159), two compared multimodal exercise with cognitive/leisure approaches (n=128), and two compared aerobic with conventional exercise (n=40). No statistical differences were observed between exercise and non-exercise (−0.26 (−0.58 to 0.05)) and between multimodal and cognitive approaches (0.21 (−0.14 to 0.55)). However, trends were observed in the direction of exercise and cognitive approaches. A significant difference was observed favouring aerobic over conventional exercise (−0.72 (−1.36 to −0.08)).ConclusionsOur findings suggest that exercise may have an effect on general NMS compared with non-exercise, although only a trend was observed. It was also observed for cognitive approaches over multimodal exercises. Aerobic exercise showed near-large effects compared with conventional exercise.