Heavy Damage Research Articles

Quantitative strong motion simulations at three locations in downtown Mashiki during the 2016 Kumamoto Earthquake (Mw 7.0) based on the nonlinear ground response analyses with soil liquefaction

The mainshock of the 2016 Kumamoto Earthquake (Mw 7.0) caused extensive damage to buildings in downtown Mashiki, Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan. The heavy building damage in the area was associated with both strong ground motion and building response characteristics. Fortunately, there were two strong motion stations in the area and the observed records during the mainshock were distributed, showing peak ground velocities exceeding 100 cm/s on the surface. The level of shaking would be sufficient to make soft surface sediments nonlinear. To reproduce observed ground motions quantitatively, one-dimensional nonlinear effective-stress time-history analyses were conducted at three locations in downtown Mashiki. The input wave was employed as either the observed underground wave or simulated outcrop input motion based on the diffuse field theory. The main purpose of the study was twofold: to investigate the proper soil constitutive relationship and its nonlinear parameters based on the limited amount of in situ information, and to validate the method of input motion evaluation at the seismological bedrock level based on diffuse field theory. The nonlinear time history analyses using the on-site boring survey and the outcrop wave based on diffuse field theory showed that the waveform of the mainshock observed on the ground surface was explained with sufficient accuracy. In addition, the results of the effective stress analysis indicated that soil liquefaction might have occurred in the area with thick surface layers along the Akitsu River where the water table was considered to be quite shallow.Graphical

Optimization of production parameters of novel hybrid fiber-reinforced geopolymer mortar: Application in masonry walls

Earthquakes cause heavy damages to occur in masonry walls, largely due to the use of low-strength mortar. The scope of this study aimed to produce a new mortar with higher strength, which does not use cement as a binder, instead of the mortars currently used as a binder. In the first stage, geopolymer mortar samples were prepared and the sample that gave the optimum results selected as the reference mix for fiber mixes. The highest compressive strength value was obtained in mixtures with Na2SiO3/NaOH (10 M) = 2 at mixing ratios. Then, seven different combinations were created for three different fiber types (carbon, glass and PP fiber). Among these mixtures, subjected to compression and flexural test with fiber combination in the produced samples, the mixture with the highest mechanical properties was used in masonry wall production. The compressive and flexural strength values of optimum fiber-reinforced KR2 geopolymer mortar mixture under ambient conditions were obtained as 44.1 and 8.1 MPa, respectively. Significant increases were obtained in the compressive and flexural strengths with the increase in carbon fiber content in hybrid fiber ratios. Then, a uniaxial compression and diagonal test was applied to the walls produced with both normal mortar and geopolymer mortar. When the results are examined, the masonry wall prepared with fiber-reinforced geopolymer mortar (GPM) carried a load of 550 kN under vertical loading system, while the wall prepared with normal mortar carried a load of 147 kN under diagonal test. Through the experiments, it was determined that the walls produced using fiber-reinforced geopolymer mortar have higher shear and compressive strength values than the walls prepared with standard cementitious mortar. While the wall samples produced with cement-based standard mortar collapsed under the uniaxial compression test, the wall samples produced with fiber-reinforced geopolymer mortar showed ductile behavior and no sudden failures occurred under diagonal loading tests.

Candidate odorant-binding protein and chemosensory protein genes in the turnip aphid Lipaphis erysimi.

The turnip aphid, Lipaphis erysimi Kaltenbach, inflicts heavy damage on cruciferous crops worldwide. In these insects, olfactory perception is crucial for mating, host location, and oviposition. Both odorant-binding proteins (OBPs) and chemosensory proteins (CSPs) are responsible for the delivery of host odorants and pheromones during initial molecular interactions. In this study, antennal and body transcriptomes of L. erysimi were generated through the deep sequencing of RNA libraries. A dataset of 11 LeryOBP and four LeryCSP transcripts was identified among assembled unigenes and subjected to sequence analysis. Phylogenetic analysis found a one-to-one orthologous relationship between LeryOBP/LeryCSP and its corresponding homologs from other aphid species. Further quantitative real-time PCR analyses across developmental stages and tissues showed that five LeryOBP genes (i.e., LeryGOBP, LeryOBP6, LeryOBP7, LeryOBP9, and LeryOBP13) and LeryCSP10 were specifically or significantly elevated in the antennae compared with other tissues. Moreover, two transcripts (i.e., LeryGOBP and LeryOBP6) exhibited remarkably higher expression levels in alate aphids, implying their potentially functional role in the perception of new host plant locations. These results present the identification and expression of OBP/CSP genes in L. erysimi, providing valuable insights into their putative role in olfactory signal transduction.

The impacts of ambient ozone pollution on China's wheat yield and forest production from 2010 to 2021

Near-surface ozone causes damages on both crop and forest but their long-term spatiotemporal changes in China have been insufficiently explored, preventing comprehensive policy making with food security and climate targets. Moreover, limitation exists in the current metrics for long-term regional ozone risk assessment, AOT40 (the accumulated hourly ozone over a threshold of 40 ppbv) and PODY (phytotoxic ozone dose over a threshold of Y nmol ozone m−2 PLA s−1), with ignorance of meteorological influence for the former and complicated data collection and calculation procedures for the latter. Here, we developed a new metric for ozone-induced risk on winter wheat, O3MET, which can be easily derived based on ozone concentrations and meteorological variables, and is suitable for long-term assessment of ozone-induced wheat loss at the regional scale. Combining with existing metric for forest (O3RH), we comprehensively quantified the ozone damages on winter wheat yield and forest gross primary production (GPP) for mainland China during 2010–2021, the period with fast growth of ozone level across the country. The annual average losses of wheat yield and forest GPP were estimated at 26.5 Mt and 552.6 TgC, accounting for 17% and 4% of the total yield and GPP without ozone impact, respectively. Heavy dual ozone-induced damages on both wheat and forest were presented in East and South China. The ozone-induced wheat yield loss and forest GPP loss were estimated to increase at a rate of 1.8 Mt/yr and 13.9 TgC/yr for the entire country, respectively, driven mainly by the enhanced ambient ozone level within the research period. Besides ecological impact, the ozone pollution in the developed eastern China resulted in serious health burden as well, thus effective actions on ozone pollution alleviation in the region is crucial for reducing its ecological and health risks simultaneously.

Farmer perception of impacts of fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda J.E. Smith) and transferability of its management practices in Uganda

BackgroundThe Fall armyworm (FAW) Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) is now established across the African continent and is a highly polyphagous and destructive pest of many crops. In Uganda, FAW has become the major maize pest, causing heavy damage especially on shoots and growing points. The objectives of this study were to: (i) document local farming practices that have been useful to manage FAW, (ii) establish farmers’ perspective on the time of FAW’s arrival to their localities, (iii) investigate the economic impact (yield) of FAW to maize farmers, (iv) establish the farmers’ perception on the current status of the FAW, and (v) document alternative practices used to manage the FAW and the perceived efficacies.MethodsA questionnaire survey was undertaken in November 2020 in Kamuli and Namutumba districts of Uganda and 99 farmers were interviewed to understand their profiles and perceptions about the FAW. A descriptive analysis of this data was undertaken to establish the socio-economic profiles and perceptions of the farmers.ResultsFarmers’ education levels in the two districts ranged from basic (completed primary education) to advanced (completed University degree), with most farmers having 10–30 years experience in growing maize (F = 20.8; df = 3,7; P = 0.0067), and with mainly small- and mid-sized production scales (F = 436.2; df = 2,5; P = 0.0002). Famers in Kamuli (98%) and Namutumba (96%) reported 25–50% yield losses due to FAW infestation that negatively impacted their income. We found a significantly higher percentage of farmers (84% and 92% in Kamuli and Namutumba districts, respectively), could correctly identify the FAW by its appearance (P < 0.0001). While FAW was officially reported in Uganda in 2016, farmers confirmed noticing damage symptoms similar to those caused by FAW as early as 2013 and 2014 in Namutumba and Kamuli districts, respectively. 98% of the farmers in Kamuli and 96% of those in Namutumba strongly agreed that FAW infestation reduced their income, while 74% in Kamuli and 86% in Namutumba also strongly considered the FAW as a threat to maize production (P < 0.0001). The majority of farmers (64% in Kamuli, 82% in Namutumba) still considered the FAW to be a very serious challenge to maize production in their localities, six years since officially being reported in Uganda. To manage the FAW, 84% and 90% of Kamuli and Namutumba respondents respectively, predominantly use chemical control methods. Other methods used also included cultural control practices (i.e., by regular weeding and handpicking), while the use of biological extracts (pepper, tobacco, Aloe-vera, Lantana, sisal) was evident though not common. Pheromones and biological control methods to manage FAW were not reported, although a farmer in Kamuli district reportedly observed weaver birds (Ploceus spp.) predating on the FAW in maize. A small number of farmers (ca. 4%) in both districts reportedly took no intentional action against FAW.ConclusionsThe farmers believe they can manage FAW if they have the appropriate and efficacious chemical insecticides as they are able to correctly apply them and follow recommended procedures. The farmers advocated for an area-wide approach as one of the best alternatives to manage this invasive pest.

Macro-Seismic Assessment for Residential Buildings Constructed in the Soviet Union Era in Almaty, Kazakhstan

Southern and southeastern Kazakhstan is a region of intraplate seismicity characterized by several destructive earthquakes. Almaty, the largest metropolis in this region, has many structures with different construction materials and seismic-resistant systems. Among them, residential buildings constructed in the Soviet Union era (before the 1990s) may possess low seismic resisting capacities due to limited seismic design and detailing provisions. Therefore, it is essential to assess seismic risks for these buildings. This paper collected information from a government agency (i.e., KazNIISA), including construction materials, lateral force-resisting systems, and structural ductility capacities for residential buildings constructed in this era. These buildings were then categorized in terms of their seismic vulnerabilities following the European Macro-seismic Scale (EMS-98). Vulnerability curves and probability of damages were developed under different earthquake intensities and peak ground accelerations. The likelihood of varying levels of damage was established for the design basis and maximum considered earthquakes in the Almaty region. It was found that unreinforced masonry and wood buildings tend to be very heavily damaged and even collapse under the maximum considered earthquake. The reinforced and precast concrete buildings have a high probability of heavy to very heavy damage, which may require further analytical assessment since the structure at this damage level will undergo a significant nonlinear response and has a high uncertainty in the seismic performance.

Magnetic nanoparticle-assisted colonization of synthetic bacteria on plant roots for improved phytoremediation of heavy metals

Phytoremediation is a facile strategy to remove environmental heavy metals by using metal-accumulating plants from the rhizosphere environment. However, its efficiency is frequently compromised by the weak activity of rhizosphere microbiomes. This study developed a magnetic nanoparticle-assisted root colonization technique of synthetic functional bacteria to regulate rhizosphere microbiome composition for enhanced phytoremediation of heavy metals. The iron oxide magnetic nanoparticles with the size of 15–20 nm were synthesized and grafted by chitosan, a natural bacterium-binding polymer. The synthetic Escherichia coli SynEc2, which highly exposed an artificial heavy metal-capturing protein, was then introduced with the magnetic nanoparticles to bind the Eichhornia crassipes plants. Confocal microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and microbiome analysis revealed that the grafted magnetic nanoparticles strongly promoted colonization of the synthetic bacteria on the plant roots, leading to remarkable change of rhizosphere microbiome composition, with the increase in the abundance of Enterobacteriaceae, Moraxellaceae, and Sphingomonadaceae. Histological staining and biochemical analysis further showed that the combination of SynEc2 and the magnetic nanoparticles protected the plants from heavy metal-induced tissue damage, and increased plant weights from 29 g to 40 g. Consequently, the plants with the assistance of synthetic bacteria and the magnetic nanoparticles in combination exhibited much higher heavy metal-removing capacity than the plants treated by the synthetic bacteria or the magnetic nanoparticles alone, leading to the decrease in the heavy metal levels from 3 mg/L to 0.128 mg/L for cadmium, and to 0.032 mg/L for lead. This study provided a novel strategy to remodel rhizosphere microbiome of metal-accumulating plants by integrating synthetic microbes and nanomaterials for improving the efficiency of phytoremediation.

Bolt looseness detection based on Canny edge detection algorithm

SummaryAiming at current serious problems that the bolt looseness can cause heavy damages and the manual bolt looseness detection is ineffective, this study presents a bolt looseness detection method based on Canny edge detector. First, HSV (hue, saturation, value) color space is used to extract the area of mark bar. Then, after expanding, eroding and median filtering the image, Canny edge detector is used to segment the marker area to extract its edge. Last, the fitted slope of edge is used to judge whether the bolt is loose. The experimental results show that the proposed method has F1 score of 88.37%, contributing to the automated detection of bolt looseness.

Seismic Damage Scenarios for Existing Masonry Buildings for Educational Use in the Mostaganem City

Mostaganem, in Algeria, has experienced several seismic activities in recent years. It was classified in a zone of high to medium seismic activity according to the actual Algerian earthquake regulation. This ensures the safety of new constructions, however, the code done not include a technical reference for the seismic analysis and protection of existing constructions, in Algeria. The aim of this research is to constitute seismic scenarios of the masonry buildings used for educational purpose; therefore, the realization of seismic scenarios consists in crossing the data resulting from the seismic hazard (intensities) with those resulting from the analysis of the vulnerability. The analyses of the urban system will make it possible to interpret the scenarios in terms of functional damage. Seismic vulnerability of existing buildings was assessed under the RISK-UE method, which was selected to be suitable and applied to Algerian buildings for its convenience and simplicity. As a sample, 29 educational establishments (among of 199 masonry buildings for different use: primary school, middle school, secondary school, universities.) located in the historic city center of Mostaganem were assessed to identify the seismic vulnerability index, to allow to simulate seismic scenarios. The seismic vulnerability index is varied between 0.6 and 1.10 according to the diagnoses of each building carried out in the study area, The data from the vulnerability analysis are combined according to the RISK-UE approach (beta law) with the latter estimate by seismic hazard (seismic intensity), This correlation led to the birth of eight seismic scenarios expressing the results in terms of functional damage. As a result, moderate to heavy damage is expected for vulnerable constructions, significant economic losses are also expected for IEMS-98 >8 intensities. These seismic scenarios were considered and incorporated through a geographic information system (GIS) Guide decision makers estimated the severity and magnitude of the seismic risk for the remaining educational buildings in Mostaganem; or in other cities of the country to implement preventive measures and naturally reduce the risk of disaster by reducing vulnerability. Recommendations can be proposed to the Algerian authorities to simulate and facilitate efforts to take concrete preventive measures to strengthen existing educational buildings in order to reduce the negative effects of future earthquakes.

An Emerging Health Crisis in Turkey and Syria after the Earthquake Disaster on 6 February 2023: Risk Factors, Prevention and Management of Infectious Diseases

On 6 February 2023, Turkey and Syria were hit by two major earthquakes that caused extremely heavy structural damage to buildings and infrastructure in one of the most densely populated areas of Anatolia. The authors visited the devastated area shortly after the earthquakes in the frame of search and rescue and scientific missions in order to check whether the newly formed conditions have the potential to further affect public health. Based on the collected disaster-related field data, it is revealed that risk factors associated with and favoring emergence of infectious diseases are present in the affected residential areas from the first hours of the emergency state. The coexistence and synergy of many collapsed health facilities, cold winter conditions, destruction of lifeline infrastructures, overcrowding in emergency shelters, poor sanitation and adverse socio-economic conditions along with evolving crises and disasters (conflicts, pandemic and epidemics) may further aggravate the already fragile public health situation and cause considerable delays in the recovery process. Efficient disease surveillance at local and regional levels is a crucial requirement for early warning and protection against emerging infectious diseases in the earthquake-affected areas among other proposed measures for prevention and management of infectious diseases.

Effect of restoration interventions on the seismic behavior of historical masonry buildings: The case of Molla Siyah mosque

The protection of historical masonry mosques against earthquakes can be achieved by an accurate assessment of nonlinear behavior, such as heavy damage and collapse. For this reason, historical buildings have been strengthened many times in the past and today. To this end, nonlinear analysis of 3D finite element models of structures is a common and reliable approach. This article examines the seismic performance of historical Molla Siyah Mosques, which are defined as cultural assets by the Ministry of Tourism and Culture of the Republic of Turkey, under the influence of earthquake ground motions. It has been investigated how the concrete vault cover applied to the mosque in previous years affects seismic behavior, force–displacement capacity and collapse mechanism of the structure. The mosque has not been studied before using any advanced numerical simulation method. In addition, no studies have been conducted to determine the damage propagation and collapse mechanisms of the mosque. Detailed finite element model was developed by defining the architectural features of mosque. The finite element model was calibrated in the light of the experimental modal analysis results found in the literature. In order to obtain the seismic behavior and collapse mechanisms of the mosques, nonlinear dynamic analyses were performed using the ground motion records from 1992 Erzincan, 1992 Cape Mendocino and 1995 Kobe earthquakes. An evaluation has been made for concrete cover vault in terms of maximum principal strains, maximum displacements, damage distributions and failure mechanisms of the mosque. It has been determined that the reinforcements applied in historical structures can significantly change the seismic behavior of the structures.

Operational Analysis of the Apron Movement Control (AMC) Unit in Handling Aircraft at Abdulrachman Saleh Airport Apron Malang

Apron Movement Control (AMC) is an airport personnel who has a license and rating to carry out duties as responsible for flight operations, supervision, aircraft movement, vehicle traffic, passengers and cleanliness supervision in the airside area and records flight data on the apron. Supervision carried out by AMC aims to create flight security and safety and create discipline from service users which can affect activities on the air side. The purpose of this study was to find out how the Apron Movement Control (AMC) Unit Standard Operational Procedure is in handling aircraft on the apron and the obstacles faced by the AMC unit at Abdulrachman Saleh Airport Malang. This research is a qualitative research using primary data and secondary data. Data collection techniques used are observation, interviews and documentation. The observation is to conduct a review or direct observation in the working area of the AMC unit. The interviews in this study were AMC officers consisting of the head of the AMC unit and 2 personnel. The documentation is collecting data at the time of observation and interviews, as well as taking pictures during field activities. The results of this study can be concluded that the Standard Operational Procedure unit Apron Movement Control (AMC) in handling aircraft on the apron, namely service and supervision. Services, namely arranging aircraft movements, plotting parking stands, services for emergency aircraft using follow me vehicles. Then the supervision referred to is supervision of vehicle traffic, movement of people/passengers, loading and unloading of goods, routine inspections of FOD, supervision during refueling, and when the engine is running up. The performance of AMC officers is said to be good because they carry out their duties in accordance with the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) from the Ministry of Transportation and UPT. Obstacles in operational activities, namely the determination of parking stands still refers to the Indonesian Air Force and radio communications that often break up between ATC and AMC, AMR's accurate data is delayed in entering ATC and GH/airline units, heavy damage to aprons and taxiways, and airlines are late in delivering flights schedule. The solution to this problem is that the AMC unit holds internal and external meetings with ATC, GH and the Indonesian Air Force, so that the three parties can determine the best solution regarding flight operations.

Development of Heavy Rain Damage Prediction Technique Based on Optimization and Ensemble Method

Korea's early warning system for flood disaster management is starting preparations for flood response by the heavy rain advisory (HRA) of the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA). However, the HRA criterion has a critical limitation in that it considers only consistent rainfall patterns (e.g. 60 mm/3 hrs or 110 mm/12 hrs) without considering the characteristics of heavy rain damage in the region. To address this problem, the present study proposes a heavy rain damage prediction technique based on optimization and ensemble method. To predict damage as accurately as possible, fifteen rainfall variables according to the duration and magnitude are considered. The dataset is divided into a training dataset (70%) and a test dataset (30%) by random extraction. An optimal threshold that the damage can be occurred is derived for each region via optimization method of the training dataset. The area under the receiver operating characteristic (AUROC) curve, F1 score, and F2 score are each considered as objective function, and the F2 score was selected because it is more effective in terms of disaster management. In addition, the method is designed to predict damage probabilistically by applying the ensemble concept. This novel method is defined as a heavy rain damage prediction technique (HDPT). Finally, the HDPT is evaluated using the test dataset and by comparison with the results from the HRA data, and the F2 score of the HDPT is shown to be about 10% higher than that of the HRA. Thus, the proposed methodology is expected to be more effective than the current HRA method for the early warning system and for disaster management.

How the 2018 Japan Floods Impacted Nursing Home Admissions for Older Persons: A Longitudinal Study Using the Long-Term Care Insurance Comprehensive Database.

As disasters become more frequent because of global warming, countries across the world are seeking ways to protect vulnerable older populations. Although these conditions may increase nursing home admission (NHA) rates for older persons, we know of no studies that have directly tested this hypothesis. This was a retrospective cohort study. We analyzed data from long-term care insurance (LTCI) users in 3 Japanese prefectures that incurred heavy damage from the 2018 Japan Floods, which is the largest recorded flooding disaster in national history. Specifically, we extracted NHA data from the LTCI comprehensive database, both for disaster-affected and unaffected individuals. We employed the Cox proportional hazards model to calculate multivariate-adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) for NHAs within a 6-month period following the 2018 Japan Floods, with adjustments for potential confounding factors. Of the 187,861 individuals who used LTCI services during the investigated period, we identified 2156 (1.1%) as disaster affected. The HR for NHA was significantly higher for disaster-affected (vs unaffected) individuals (adjusted HR 3.23: 95% CI 2.88‒3.64), and also higher than the HRs for older age (90-94years vs 65-69years: 2.29, CI 1.93‒2.70), cognitive impairment (severe impairment vs normal: 1.40, CI 1.25‒1.57), and physical function (bedridden vs independent: 2.27, CI 1.83‒2.70). According to our subgroup analyses, the adjusted HR for disaster-affected individuals unable to feed themselves was 6.00 (CI 3.68‒9.79), with a significant interaction between the 2 variables (P= .01). Natural disasters increase the risk of NHA for older persons, especially those who are unable to feed themselves. Health care providers and policymakers should understand and prepare for this emerging risk factor.

Atomistic simulations of defect accumulation and evolution in heavily irradiated titanium for nuclear-powered spacecraft

Titanium alloys are expected to become one of the candidate materials for nuclear-powered spacecraft due to their excellent overall performance. Nevertheless, atomistic mechanisms of the defect accumulation and evolution of the materials due to long-term exposure to irradiation remain scarcely understood by far. Here we investigate the heavy irradiation damage in α-titanium with a dose as high as 4.0 canonical displacements per atom (cDPA) using atomistic simulations of Frenkel pair accumulation. Results show that the content of surviving defects increases sharply before 0.04 cDPA and then decreases slowly to stabilize, exhibiting a strong correlation with the system energy. Under the current simulation conditions, the defect clustering fraction may be not directly dependent on the irradiation dose. Compared to vacancies, interstitials are more likely to form clusters, which may further cause the formation of 1/3<1¯210> interstitial-type dislocation loops extended along the (¯1010) plane. This study provides an important insight into the understanding of the irradiation damage behaviors for titanium.

Studies on the pests of the lac insect host plant Flemingia semialata and Flemingia macrophylla in Kerala

The present study attempted to record the insect pests of lac insect host plants in Kerala Forest Research Institute, Peechi, Thrissur. Hand picking and swiping methods were used to collect the insects for identification. From the observation 26 species of pest insects belonging to 4 orders and 19 families were recorded. It was found that all major parts of Flemingia were heavily infested but significant damage was caused by the defoliators, mostly heterocera. Out of the 26 insect pests, 15 have been recorded as foliage feeders, 9 as sapsuckers, 1 as pod borer and 1 stem borer. During rearing, 3 species of parasites were found, belonging to three families that were collected and identified. Insects belong to the order Lepidoptera were profoundly seen on Flemingia. They cause severe damage to the plant. Hypena rectivittalis belonging to the family Noctuidae was found as a major pest and bag worm Psychids was found to be the minor pest. The study reveals that the most serious sapsuckers belong to the order Hemiptera and majority of them are beetles and bugs. During the months of April-May Iceryasp and white flies (Trialeurodes vaporarium) cause heavy damage in Flemingia. The study thus concludes that the major pests belong to the order Lepidoptera (42%) followed by order Hemiptera (41%). Most Lepidopterans are defoliators and Hemipterans are sapsuckers.

Atomistic simulations of defect clustering evolution in heavily irradiated Ti35 alloy

Ti35 alloy (Ti-6wt.%Ta) has greatly promising applications in nuclear industries due to its excellent overall performance. Nevertheless, atomistic mechanisms of its defect clustering evolution due to long-term exposure to irradiation remain scarcely understood by far. Here we investigate the heavy irradiation damage in Ti35 alloy with a dose of up to 4.0 canonical displacement per atom (cDPA) using atomistic simulations of Frenkel pair accumulation. Results show that defect clustering becomes remarkable before 0.04 cDPA and thereafter tends to be relatively stable, and the fraction is not directly dependent on the irradiation dose. Interstitials exhibit a stronger ability than vacancies to form clusters and especially the Nint>5 clusters may cause the formation of 1/3<1‾210> dislocation loops. Compared to the matrix, Nint≤5 interstitial-type defects show a depletion of Ta atoms, while Nint>5 clusters are Ta-rich. This study provides an important insight into the understanding of the irradiation damage behaviors for Ti35 alloy.

Selenium alleviates endoplasmic reticulum calcium depletion-induced endoplasmic reticulum stress and apoptosis in chicken myocardium after mercuric chloride exposure.

Mercury is a highly toxic heavy metal with definite cardiotoxic properties and can affect the health of humans and animals through diet. Selenium (Se) is a heart-healthy trace element and dietary Se has the potential to attenuate heavy metal-induced myocardial damage in humans and animals. This study was designed to explore antagonistic effect of Se on the cardiotoxicity of mercuric chloride (HgCl2) in chickens. Hyline brown hens received a normal diet, a diet containing 250mg/L HgCl2, or a diet containing 250mg/L HgCl2 and 10mg/kg Na2SeO3 for 7weeks, respectively. Histopathological observations demonstrated that Se attenuated HgCl2-induced myocardial injury, which was further confirmed by the results of serum creatine kinase and lactate dehydrogenase levels assay and myocardial tissues oxidative stress indexes assessment. The results showed that Se prevented HgCl2-induced cytoplasmic calcium ion (Ca2+) overload and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) Ca2+ depletion mediated by Ca2+-regulatory dysfunction of ER. Importantly, ER Ca2+ depletion led to unfolded protein response and endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS), resulting in apoptosis of cardiomyocytes via PERK/ATF4/CHOP pathway. In addition, heat shock protein expression was activated by HgCl2 through these stress responses, which was reversed by Se. Moreover, Se supplementation partially eliminated the effects of HgCl2 on the expression of several ER-settled selenoproteins, including selenoprotein K (SELENOK), SELENOM, SELENON, and SELENOS. In conclusion, these results suggested that Se alleviated ER Ca2+ depletion and oxidative stress-induced ERS-dependent apoptosis in chicken myocardium after HgCl2 exposure.

Optimization Enabled Deep Learning-Based DDoS Attack Detection in Cloud Computing

Cloud computing is a vast revolution in information technology (IT) that inhibits scalable and virtualized sources to end users with low infrastructure cost and maintenance. They also have much flexibility and these resources are supervised by various management organizations and provided over the Internet by known standards, formats, and networking protocols. Legacy protocols and underlying technologies consist of vulnerabilities and bugs which open doors for intrusion by network attackers. Attacks as distributed denial of service (DDoS) are one of most frequent attacks, which impose heavy damage and affect performance of the cloud. In this research work, DDoS attack detection is easily identified in an optimized way through a novel algorithm, namely, the proposed gradient hybrid leader optimization (GHLBO) algorithm. This optimized algorithm is responsible to train a deep stacked autoencoder (DSA) that detects the attack in an efficient manner. Here, fusion of features is carried out by deep maxout network (DMN) with an overlap coefficient, and augmentation of data is carried out by the oversampling process. Furthermore, the proposed GHLBO is generated by integrating the gradient descent and hybrid leader-based optimization (HLBO) algorithm. Also, this proposed method is assessed by various performance metrics, such as the true positive rate (TPR), true negative rate (TNR), and testing accuracy with values attained as 0.909, 0.909, and 0.917, accordingly.

Parthenium hysterophorus alleviates wilt stress in tomato plants caused by Ralstonia solanacearum through direct antibacterial effect and indirect upregulation of host resistance.

Heavy damage to tomato crops due to wilt stress caused by the pathogenic bacterium Ralstonia solanacearum and the insufficient availability of management strategies with desired control levels urged the researchers to investigate more reliable control methods to manage this issue in tomato and other horticultural crops. In this study, Parthenium hysterophorus, a locally and freely available herbaceous plant, was successfully used to manage bacterial wilt of tomatoes. The significant growth reduction ability of P. hysterophorus leaf extract was recorded in an agar well diffusion test and its ability to severally damage the bacterial cells was confirmed in SEM analysis. In both greenhouse and field trials, soil amended with P. hysterophorus leaf powder at 25 g/kg soil was found to effectively suppress the pathogen population in soil and significantly reduce the wilt severity on tomato plants, resulting in increased growth and yield of tomato plants. P. hysterophorus leaf powder at concentrations greater than 25 g/kg soil caused phytotoxicity in tomato plants. The results showed that P. hysterophorus powder applied through the mixing of soil for a longer period of time before transplanting tomato plants was more effective than mulching application and a shorter period of transplantation. Finally, the indirect effect of P. hysterophorus powder in managing bacterial wilt stress was evaluated using expression analysis of two resistance-related genes, PR2 and TPX. The upregulation of these two resistance-related genes was recorded by the soil application of P. hysterophorus powder. The findings of this study revealed the direct and indirect action mechanisms of P. hysterophorus powder applied to the soil for the management of bacterial wilting stress in tomato plants and provided the basis for including this technique as a safe and effective management strategy in an integrated disease management package.