bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
EFFECTS OF FULL IMMERSION VIRTUAL REALITY TRAINING ON BALANCE AND KNEE FUNCTION IN TOTAL KNEE REPLACEMENT PATIENTS: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED STUDY
Authors: YOON SAMWON , SON HOHEE
Published: September 2020

Background: Recently, new methods have emerged that encourage voluntary participation by allowing patients to perform tasks, including exercises or treatments, in a virtual reality (VR) environment. Aim: This study aimed to examine the effects of full immersion virtual reality training on balance and knee function in patients who had undergone total knee replacement. Design: Single blind randomized controlled trial. Setting: Department of Physical Therapy in a rehabilitation center. Population: A total of 30 elderly patients ([Formula: see text]65 years old) who had undergone total knee replacement. Methods: Participants were randomly allocated to an experimental group ([Formula: see text]) and a control group ([Formula: see text]). The experimental group received with a continuous passive motion machine, exercise therapy, and a full immersion VR training program; the control group received only with a continuous passive motion machine and exercise therapy. Biorescue was used to test static and dynamic balance ability, and the Timed Up and Go and Western Ontario and McMaster Universities tests were used to assess knee function. Paired [Formula: see text]-tests were used to examine differences by time in each group, and independent [Formula: see text]-tests were used to examine differences between the groups. Results: In terms of within-group differences by time, both the experimental group and the control group showed significant changes in the anterior, and posterior limits of stability in both sides; static balance; and knee function. In the between-groups comparison, among static balance tests, there was a significant difference in center of mass path length in the standing position with eyes open ([Formula: see text]); among dynamic balance tests, there were significant differences in left, right, anterior, and posterior limits of stability ([Formula: see text]). Conclusions: VR training produced better early balance ability and knee function than what was seen in the control group. We believe that VR training in initial post-operative rehabilitation of total knee replacement patients may increase the rate of recovery. Clinical Rehabilitation Impact: VR exercise programs are effective in early rehabilitation after total knee replacement, and have clinical value as inexpensive methods that can promote active participation.
NEURO-FUZZY SYSTEM FOR DETECTING PD PATIENTS BASED ON EUCLID DISTANCE, FFT, AND PCA
Authors: JANG SEOK-WOO , LEE SANG-HONG
Published: September 2020

This study proposes a method to distinguish between healthy people and Parkinson’s disease patients using sole pressure sensor data, neural network with weighted fuzzy membership (NEWFM), and preprocessing techniques. The preprocessing techniques include fast Fourier transform (FFT), Euclidean distance, and principal component analysis (PCA), to remove noise in the data for performance enhancement. To make the features usable as inputs for NEWFM, the Euclidean distances between the left and right sole pressure sensor data were used at the first step. In the second step, the frequency scales of the Euclidean distances extracted in the first step were divided into individual scales by the FFT using the Hamming method. In the final step, 1–15 dimensions were extracted as the features of NEWFM from the individual scales by the FFT extracted in the second step by the PCA. An accuracy of 75.90% was acquired from the eight dimensions as the inputs of NEWFM.
EVALUATION OF LEFT VENTRICULAR FILLING PRESSURE USING NUMERICAL MODELING
Authors: BENFOULA A. , HAMZA CHERIF L. , HAKKOUM K. N.
Published: September 2020

The main objective of this work is to study the effect of blood pressure and viscosity on flow in a pathological and healthy anatomy. The method chosen for this project is the numerical simulation of fluid dynamics. First, a radiological database from Tlemcen hospital was studied in order to select a patient whose aortic anatomy is representative of the pathology studied in this research project. The left ventricle was segmented using SolidWork software. The exported data made it possible to model this geometry on Comsol software. The geometry has been idealized to make it comparable to a given healthy left ventricle geometry and present the main parameters which influence the ventricular hemodynamics. A first series of numerical simulations made it possible to highlight the hemodynamic disturbances associated with the pathology of interest and described extensively in the literature. A second series of numerical simulations made it possible to model the effect of blood viscosity on flow. All the results obtained, the modeling of the left ventricle, must be valid experimentally. This study therefore does not completely justify the treatment of ventricular dilation with a flow modulator but constitutes an important first step towards a proof of concept.
The Social Neuroscience of Prejudice
Authors: Amodio David M. , Cikara Mina
Published: September 2020

The social neuroscience approach to prejudice investigates the psychology of intergroup bias by integrating models and methods of neuroscience with the social psychology of prejudice, stereotyping, and discrimination. Here, we review major contemporary lines of inquiry, including current accounts of group-based categorization; formation and updating of prejudice and stereotypes; effects of prejudice on perception, emotion, and decision making; and the self-regulation of prejudice. In each section, we discuss key social neuroscience findings, consider interpretational challenges and connections with the behavioral literature, and highlight how they advance psychological theories of prejudice. We conclude by discussing the next-generation questions that will continue to guide the social neuroscience approach toward addressing major societal issues of prejudice and discrimination.
Environmental Stability of Polymer Tantalum Capacitors
Authors: Tarekegn E. N. , Harrell W. R. , Luzinov I. , Lessner P. , Freeman Y.
Published: September 2020

Stability of Polymer Tantalum capacitors with pre-polymerized PEDOT (slurry PEDOT) cathodes were investigated under different environmental conditions. Capacitance dependence on temperature, frequency, and dc bias voltage were investigated in humid and dry capacitors with different dielectric thicknesses. Electrical measurements and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were used to characterize the capacitors. Humid capacitors were observed to have higher capacitance than dry capacitors for all dielectric thicknesses. The capacitance for all dielectric thicknesses was observed to increase with temperature in both humid and dry capacitors. Humid capacitors showed a strong temperature dependence at lower temperatures while dry capacitors showed a strong temperature dependence at higher temperatures. These temperature effects were more pronounced in thinner dielectric capacitors, and the results were explained by the integrity of the dielectric-polymer interface. The capacitance for all dielectric thicknesses was also observed to decrease with an increase in frequency, both in humid and dry capacitors. The frequency effect was more pronounced in humid capacitors with thinner dielectrics. These results were explained by a distributed capacitance model, secondary transitions of the polar segments of the polymer cathode, and lower reactance and lower self-resonance frequency of the thinner dielectric capacitors. The technological principles of improving environmental stability of Polymer Tantalum capacitors are also discussed.
The “Generalized Skettrup Model” and Lattice Thermal Capacity of Graphene, h-BN, MoS2, and WS2 Flakes
Authors: Ligatchev Valeri
Published: September 2020

Temperature dependencies of both harmonic (including contributions from the “flexural” modes) and anharmonic components of the isobaric lattice thermal capacity of square flakes of graphene, hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) as well as of those of disulphides of molybdenum (MoS2) and tungsten (WS2) are simulated based on the many-body formalism denoted formerly as the “Generalized Skettrup Model” (GSM). This formalism (initially developed for the “first-principles” simulations on the essential features of electronic and optical bandtails of 3-dimensional (3D) polycrystalline and spatially non-homogeneous amorphous semi-conductors and insulators) had been refined herein for appropriate evaluations on the lattice thermal capacity of two-dimensional (2D) semiconductors. Obtained 2D GSM simulation results are discussed comparison with predictions of some other simulation approaches and results of appropriate experiments.
Ipsilateral Lymphatic and Venous Malformations Affecting the Midface Area
Authors: Bekdemir Şükran , Gündüz Ahmet Kaan , Ataoğlu Ömür
Published: September 2020

A 22-year-old woman presented with progressive swelling of the nasal conjunctiva in the left eye. Anterior segment examination revealed a diffuse cystic appearance to the inferonasal bulbar conjunctiva and plica semilunaris. Anterior segment swept-source optical coherence tomography (OCT) revealed clear hyporeflective spaces demarcated by hyperreflective septae in the affected conjunctiva, consistent with the diagnosis of lymphatic malformation (LM). Magnetic resonance imaging revealed a well circumscribed intraconal mass located inferonasally in the left orbit. Systemic examination revealed a lesion similar to LM on the left hard palate. The left conjunctival mass was excised subtotally. Subsequently, a transconjunctival anterior orbitotomy was performed and the left orbital mass was completely removed intact. Histopathologically, the conjunctival mass was diagnosed as LM and the orbital mass as venous malformation (VM). This case represents a rare coexistence of histopathologically proven conjunctival LM and orbital VM as well as a presumed LM of the hard palate, all 3 lesions occurring in the ipsilateral midface area.
Change in the Mechanic Properties and Electrical Resistivity of High Water Backfill Material under Electrochemical Treatment
Authors: Chen Dongdong , Sun Yaohui , Xie Shengrong , Wang En , Wu Xiaoyu , Qi Pengyu
Published: September 2020

To modify the mechanic properties of high water backfill material (HWBM) for its engineering application in mining backfill, a series of experiments were performed to investigate the effects of electrochemical treatment on the mechanic properties and electrical resistivity of the HWBM at the early age. Meanwhile, the effects of the potential gradient, power‐on time, and water–cement ratio (W/C) on electrochemical modification efficiency were investigated. The results show that the uniaxial compression strength (UCS), elastic modulus, and deformation modulus of the HWBM all first increased and then decreased after electrochemical treatment with the increasing of the potential gradient and power‐on time. However, for the HWBM with different W/C, the UCS and electrical resistivity both increased the HWBM except when the W/C was 3 : 1. The elastic modulus and deformation modulus of the samples both increased after electrochemical modification except when the W/C was 4 : 1. Additionally, there is a positive correlation between the UCS and electrical resistivity in HWBM samples. Therefore, it is proved that the electrochemical technology is a potential method for improving the physicochemical properties of the HWBM.
Pain in the Prehospital Setting in Rwanda: Results of a Mixed-Methods Quality Improvement Project
Authors: Rosenberg A. , Uwitonze E. , Dworkin M. , Guidry J. P. D. , Cyuzuzo T. , Banerjee D. , McIntyre K. , Carlyle K. , Uwitonze J. M. , Kabagema I. , Dushime T. , Jayaraman S.
Published: September 2020

Introduction. Pain is a universal human experience tied to an individual’s health but difficult to understand. It is especially important in health emergencies. We performed a two-step quality improvement project to assess pain management by the SAMU ambulance service in Kigali, Rwanda, examining how pain is assessed and treated by ambulance staff to facilitate development of standardized guidelines of pain management in the prehospital setting, which did not exist at the time of the study. Materials and Methods. Deidentified ambulance service records from December 2012 to May 2016 were analyzed descriptively for patient demographics, emergency conditions, pain assessment, and medications given. Then, anonymized, semistructured interviews of ambulance staff were conducted until thematic saturation was achieved. Data were analyzed using a grounded theory approach. Results. SAMU managed 11,161 patients over the study period, of which 6,168 (55%) were documented as reporting pain and 5,010 (45%) received pain medications. Men had greater odds of receiving pain medications compared to women (OR = 3.8, 95% CI (3.5, 4.1), p < 0.01). Twenty interviews were conducted with SAMU staff. They indicated that patients communicate pain in different ways. They reported using informal ways to measure pain or a standardized granular numeric scale. The SAMU team reviewed these results and developed plans to modify practices. Conclusions. We reviewed the existing quality of pain management in the prehospital setting in Kigali, Rwanda, assessed the SAMU staff’s perceptions of pain, and facilitated standardization of prehospital pain management through context-specific guidelines.
Appropriate Timing of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus Diagnosis in Medium- and Low-Risk Women: Effectiveness of the Italian NHS Recommendations in Preventing Fetal Macrosomia
Authors: Quaresima Paola , Visconti Federica , Chiefari Eusebio , Mirabelli Maria , Borelli Massimo , Caroleo Patrizia , Foti Daniela , Puccio Luigi , Venturella Roberta , Di Carlo Costantino , Brunetti Antonio
Published: September 2020

Background. Screening strategies for gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) earlier than 24-28 weeks of gestation should be considered to prevent adverse pregnancy outcomes. Nonetheless, there is uncertainty about which women would benefit most from early screening and which screening strategies should be offered to women with GDM. The Italian National Healthcare Service (NHS) recommendations on selective screening for GDM at 16-18 weeks of gestation are effective in preventing fetal macrosomia in high-risk (HR) women, but the appropriateness of timing and effectiveness of these recommendations in medium- (MR) and low-risk (LR) women are still controversial. Patients and Methods. We retrospectively enrolled 769 consecutive singleton pregnant women who underwent both anomaly scan at 19-21 weeks of gestation and screening for GDM at 16-18 and/or 24-28 weeks of gestation, in agreement with the NHS recommendations and risk stratification criteria. Comparison of maternal characteristics, fetal biometric parameters at anomaly scan (head circumference (HC), biparietal diameter (BPD), abdominal circumference (AC), femur length (FL), estimated fetal weight (EFW)), and neonatal birth weight (BW) percentile among risk groups was examined. Results. 219 (28.5%) women were diagnosed with GDM, while 550 (71.5%) were normal glucose-tolerant women. Out of 164 HR women, only 62 (37.8%) underwent the recommended early screening for GDM at 16-18 weeks of gestation. AC and EFW percentiles, as well as neonates’ BW percentiles, were significantly higher in HR women diagnosed with GDM at 24-28 weeks of gestation with respect to normal glucose-tolerant women, as well as MR and LR women who tested positive for GDM. Comparative analysis between MR and LR women with GDM and women with normal glucose tolerance revealed significant differences in both AC and EFW percentiles (P<0.05), while there was no significant difference in neonatal BW percentiles. Conclusion. In MR and LR women with GDM, a mild acceleration of fetal growth can be detected at the time of anomaly scan. However, in these at-risk categories, the NHS recommendations for screening and treatment of GDM at 24-28 weeks of gestation are still effective in normalizing BW and preventing fetal macrosomia, thus supporting a risk factor-based selective screening program for GDM.
A Statistical Robust Approach to Design Parallel Transmit Radiofrequency Excitations in MRI
Authors: Gras Vincent , Mauconduit Franck , Boulant Nicolas
Published: September 2020

In MRI, at ultrahigh field, the use of parallel transmit radiofrequency (RF) arrays is very beneficial to better control spin excitation spatially. In that framework, the so-called “universal pulse” technique, proposed recently for head imaging at 7 tesla, gives access to “plug-and-play” nonadiabatic solutions exhibiting good robustness against intersubject variations in the resonant transmit fields. This new type of solution has been defined so far as the result of numerical pulse optimizations performed across a collection of RF field maps acquired on a small population sample (pulse design database). In this work, we investigate an alternative universal pulse design approach in the linear small tip angle regime whereby the database of RF field maps is first transformed into a second-order statistical model and which then exploits a statistical robust design formalism for the optimization of the RF and magnetic field gradient waveforms. Experimental validation with an eightfold transmit RF coil for 7 tesla brain imaging shows that this new approach brings some benefit in terms of computational efficiency. Hence, for a design database composed of 35 maps, the computation time initially of 50 min could be reduced down to 3 min. The proposed statistical approach thus enables integration of large databases, presumably necessary to ensure robust solutions. Finally, it provides means to compute flip angle statistics and, along with it, simple performance metrics for quality assurance (RF pulse performance) or guidance in the optimization of TX array architectures.
Patient‐Reported Outcomes of Arsenic‐Related Skin Lesions in China
Authors: Li Yajia , Jing Danrong , Xiao Yi , Huang Xiaoyan , Shen Minxue
Published: September 2020

Purpose. Previous studies confirmed that chronic arsenic exposure could lead to pigmentary changes and hyperkeratosis. However, skin health‐related quality of life (HRQoL) among people under lifetime arsenic exposure remains underappreciated. Our study is aimed at investigating several patient‐reported outcomes in a population under chronic arsenic exposure. Patients and Methods. A cross‐sectional study was conducted in communities in Shimen, China. Dermatologists performed skin examinations for participants. Patient‐reported outcomes (PROs) included HRQoL, itch, sleep quality, and symptoms of anxiety and depression. The Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) was used to measure skin HRQoL. The numerical rating scale (NRS) was used to measure the intensity of itching. Sleep disturbance was measured by Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Anxiety and depression were measured by two‐item Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD‐2) and Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ‐2), respectively. Results. A total of 464 participants suffering from arsenic‐related skin lesions finished the assessment of DLQI. Pigmentary changes and arsenical keratosis were not associated with the patient‐reported outcomes except PHQ‐2. Hair arsenic exceeding 1 μg/g was associated with higher itch NRS and DLQI (P < 0.05). Itch NRS (adjusted β = 0.80, 95% CI: 0.70–0.90, P < 0.01) and hair arsenic concentration (adjusted β = 0.12, 95% CI: 0.01–0.24, P < 0.05) were independently associated with the DLQI. Conclusion. HRQoL, sleep quality, and mental wellbeing are impaired in residents under chronic arsenic exposure. Itching and hair arsenic are independent risk factors for impaired HRQoL.
A Modified Dai–Liao Conjugate Gradient Method with a New Parameter for Solving Image Restoration Problems
Authors: Lu Junyu , Li Yong , Pham Hongtruong
Published: September 2020

One adaptive choice for the parameter of the Dai–Liao conjugate gradient method is suggested in this paper, which is obtained with modified quasi–Newton equation. So we get a modified Dai–Liao conjugate gradient method. Some interesting features of the proposed method are introduced: (i) The value of parameter t of the modified Dai–Liao conjugate gradient method takes both the gradient and function value information. (ii) We establish the global convergence property of the modified Dai–Liao conjugate gradient method under some suitable assumptions. (iii) Numerical results show that the modified DL method is effective in practical computation and the image restoration problems.
Exploring Heat-Response Mechanisms of MicroRNAs Based on Microarray Data of Rice Post-meiosis Panicle
Authors: Peng Yan , Zhang Xianwen , Liu Yuewu , Chen Xinbo
Published: September 2020

To explore heat response mechanisms of mircoRNAs (miRNAs) in rice post-meiosis panicle, microarray analysis was performed on RNA isolated from rice post-meiosis panicles which were treated at 40°C for 0 min, 10 min, 20 min, 60 min, and 2 h. By integrating paired differentially expressed (DE) miRNAs and mRNA expression profiles, we found that the expression levels of 29 DE-miRNA families were negatively correlated to their 178 DE-target genes. Further analysis showed that the majority of miRNAs in 29 DE-miRNA families resisted the heat stress by downregulating their target genes and a time lag existed between expression of miRNAs and their target genes. Then, GO-Slim classification and functional identification of these 178 target genes showed that (1) miRNAs were mainly involved in a series of basic biological processes even under heat conditions; (2) some miRNAs might play important roles in the heat resistance (such as osa-miR164, osa-miR166, osa-miR169, osa-miR319, osa-miR390, osa-miR395, and osa-miR399); (3) osa-miR172 might play important roles in protecting the rice panicle under the heat stress, but osa-miR437, osa-miR418, osa-miR164, miR156, and miR529 might negatively affect rice fertility and panicle flower; and (4) osa-miR414 might inhibit the flowering gene expression by downregulation of LOC_Os 05g51830 to delay the heading of rice. Finally, a heat-induced miRNA-PPI (protein-protein interaction) network was constructed, and three miRNA coregulatory modules were discovered.
Determination of Pesticide Residue in Brinjal Sample Using HPTLC and Developing a Cost-Effective Method Alternative to HPLC
Authors: Hussain Muzammil , Aftab Kiran , Iqbal Munawar , Ali Shafaqat , Rizwan Muhammad , Alkahtani Saad , Abdel-Daim Mohamed M.
Published: September 2020

Two analytical techniques HPLC (high performance liquid chromatography) and HPTLC (high performance thin layer chromatography) were validated to reveal the quality and quantity of pesticide residues (organophosphorus, organochlorine, and pyrethroids) in brinjal samples collected from a local market of Faisalabad. The HPTLC methods showed linear behavior for standard samples and residue was in the range of 1–130 ng. The organochlorine (α-endosulfan) contaminates the samples at 4, 5, 9, and 10 weeks, and detected quantity was less than MRL (minimum residue level) of the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of United Nations), i.e., 0.5 mg·kg−1. The organophosphorus pesticide (chlorpyriphos, methamidophos, monocrotophos, dichlorvos, carbosulfan, profenophos, and dimethoate) residue contaminated the samples and violated the MRL limit. Pyrethroids (deltamethrin, β-cyhalothrin, and cypermethrin) were present at appreciable levels, in samples of 1, 3, 4, 6, 8, and 9 weeks. The concentration of β-cyhalothrin (0.25 mg·kg−1) and cypermethrin (0.205 mg·kg−1) was significantly higher than that of all detected pesticides. The carbosulfan and deltamethrin contaminated all 10-week samples. The HPLC analysis of samples was carried out to confirm the efficiency of HPTLC as cost-effective method. The concentration of α-endosulfan, chlorpyriphos, dimethoate, monocrotophos, profenophos, deltamethrin, and cypermethrin in brinjal samples through the HPTLC method showed similar residual concentration with HPLC analysis.
Phenolic Content, Antioxidant Activity, Anti-Inflammatory Potential, and Acute Toxicity Study of Thymus leptobotrys Murb. Extracts
Authors: Oubihi Asmaa , Hosni Hanae , Nounah Issmail , Ettouil Abdessamad , Harhar Hicham , Alaoui Katim , Ouhssine Mohammed , Guessous Zineb
Published: September 2020

Thymus leptobotrys is a medicinal plant belonging to the Lamiaceae family, endemic in Morocco, and used in traditional medicine. The present work aims to study the phenolic compounds, the antioxidant activity, the anti-inflammatory effect, and the toxicity of two ethanolic and methanolic extracts of Thymus leptobotrys aerial part. The yield of the methanolic extraction (22.2%) is higher than that of the ethanolic extraction (15.8%) and is characterized by higher contents of polyphenols 243.08 mg/g GAE (mg/g of gallic acid), flavonoids 179.28 mg/g RE (mg/g of rutin), and tannins 39.31 mg/g CE (mg/g of catechin). The in vitro measurement of antioxidant activity with the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical reduction test and Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC) test demonstrates the higher performance of the methanolic extract. The evaluation of the anti-inflammatory effect in vivo on adult Wistar female rats leads to a very significant decrease in the inflammation of the edema compared to the standard drug (indomethacin) and the control group. The toxicity test reveals that both extracts showed no toxicity within an LD50 above 2000 mg/kg body weight of the rats.
Antipenetration Performance of Honeycomb Shelter under Two Repeat Projectile Strikes
Authors: Wang Qifan , Chu Liusheng , Li Jie , Sun Jianhu , Luo Sheng , Mao Lei
Published: September 2020

Antipenetration performance of honeycomb shelter under two repeat projectile strikes is investigated via test and numerical simulation. Among them, there are two kinds of test targets: cylindrical honeycomb structure target and reinforced concrete target; a numerical simulation target is a honeycomb-structure target composed of hexagonal honeycomb unit, and the size of the target is the same as that of the honeycomb-structure target in test. The results show that the damage area of the honeycomb-structure target is smaller than that of the reinforced concrete target under projectile strikes with approximately the same velocity. The damage range of the honeycomb-structure target is limited within the hexagonal cell getting contact with projectile left other cells with no damage. During the two repeat projectile strikes, the first projectile will deflect to some extent just as single projectile strike. The deflection of the second projectile is larger and is related to the distance between the strike points of the two projectiles. The results show that honeycomb shelter performs good under two repeat projectile strikes.
Glycogen Storage Disease Type IX due to a Novel Mutation in PHKA2 Gene
Authors: Khan Hamza Hassan , Parr Lauren , Jay Allison , Raza Saleem , Lyons Hernando , Kumar Sanjay
Published: September 2020

We report a case of a 17-month-old male with a history of developmental delay with poor muscle control, hepatomegaly, and transaminitis. Ultrasound of abdomen revealed hepatomegaly with a liver span of 13 cm, homogeneous parenchyma, and normal spleen size. Liver and muscle biopsies were obtained: the liver biopsy revealed distended hepatocytes with excessive glycogen accumulation and fine septate fibrosis. Biopsy of the right vastus lateralis muscle showed focal swollen glycogen containing mitochondria. For the developmental delay, a chromosomal microrarray was ordered. The chromosomal microarray revealed the patient to have 1q21 duplication syndrome and 16p11.2 deletion syndrome. Given the liver and muscle biopsy findings, a glycogen storage disease panel was sent which identified the patient to be hemizygous for a variant of uncertain significance denoted as p.Gly 131Val, c.392G > T in the PHKA2 gene. PKHA2 gene encodes the alpha subunit of hepatic phosphorylase kinase. This change in the PHKA2 gene was in a highly conserved region and had been reported in another patient with decreased enzymatic activity of the phosphorylase kinase and who had symptoms of GSD IX. Based on this, the patient was started on treatment for GSD IX, and his family met with a dietician.
Optimization of Continuous Berth Scheduling by Taking into Account Double-Line Ship Mooring
Authors: Luo Cheng , Fei Hongying , Sailike Dana , Xu Tingyi , Huang Fuzhi
Published: September 2020

“Double-Line Ship Mooring” (DLSM) mode has been applied as an initiative operation mode for solving berth allocation problems (BAP) in certain giant container terminals in China. In this study, a continuous berth scheduling problem with the DLSM model is illustrated and solved with exact and heuristic methods with an objective to minimize the total operation cost, including both the additional transportation cost for vessels not located at their minimum-cost berthing position and the penalties for vessels not being able to leave as planned. First of all, this problem is formulated as a mixed-integer programming model and solved by the CPLEX solver for small-size instances. Afterwards, a particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm is developed to obtain good quality solutions within reasonable execution time for large-scale problems. Experimental results show that DLSM mode can not only greatly reduce the total operation cost but also significantly improve the efficiency of berth scheduling in comparison with the widely used single-line ship mooring (SLSM) mode. The comparison made between the results obtained by the proposed PSO algorithm and that obtained by the CPLEX solver for both small-size and large-scale instances are also quite encouraging. To sum up, this study can not only validate the effectiveness of DLSM mode for heavy-loaded ports but also provide a powerful decision support tool for the port operators to make good quality berth schedules with the DLSM mode.
Term Infant with Cerebral Venous Sinus Thrombosis
Authors: Jani Sanket , Ariss Ralph , Velumula Pradeep , Altinok Deniz , Chawla Sanjay
Published: September 2020

Hypernatremic dehydration in neonates is a common condition in an exclusively breastfed infant but often underdiagnosed. Any newborn who has lost more than 10% of birthweight should be carefully evaluated and monitored for clinical features of dehydration. Efforts such as frequent follow-up for weight check, and formula supplementation, if needed, should be provided to a neonate at risk of developing complications of dehydration. Adequate lactation consultation, both inpatient and outpatient, should also be provided, especially to the primigravida mother. Here, we present a case of a neonate with severe hypernatremic dehydration caused by inadequate lactation in a primigravida mother, which resulted in cerebral venous sinus thrombosis leading to significant intracerebral hemorrhage. The infant suffered permanent neurologic damage and was sent home on technological devices (tracheostomy and gastrostomy tubes). Further, we provide a brief review of hypernatremic dehydration and sinus venous thrombosis in neonates.
Structural Dynamic Load and Parameter Identification Based on Dummy Measurements of Displacement
Authors: Wang Ting , Wan Zhimin , Zheng Weiguang , He Shuilong
Published: September 2020

Structural load and parameter identification are the essential contents in the field of structural dynamics, and some studies pay attention to the coupled recognition of uncertain structure parameters as well as unacquainted loads. Gillijns and De Moor presented the Kalman-type filter, which was used in the work for coupled identification as the unabbreviated form of GDF. However, it has been demonstrated that it is unstable for the extended GDF (EGDF) method, drifting in the identified unacquainted loads as well as displacement, just like most previous identification methods based on the least-square algorithm. In order to deal with this unstable issue, this paper applied the dummy measurements of displacements on a position level and modifies the EGDF algorithm using the information integration method about the accelerated measurements with dummy measurements. Numerical example of a truss is used for validating the applicability of the method in the work, and an influence of covariance matrices in dummy displacements is also considered.
Is There a Nonlinear Relationship between Serum Uric Acid and Lipids in a Hypertensive Population with eGFR ≥30 ml/min/1.73 m2? Findings from the China Hypertension Registry Study
Authors: Yu Yu , Huang Xiao , Li Minghui , Ding Congcong , Hu Lihua , Zhong Xiao , Zhou Wei , Wang Tao , Zhu Lingjuan , Bao Huihui , Cheng Xiaoshu
Published: September 2020

Background. Evidence regarding the nonlinear relationship between serum uric acid (SUA) and blood lipids in Chinese population with hypertension is limited. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate whether there is a nonlinear association between SUA and lipids in Chinese hypertensive population with an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) ≥30 ml/min/1.73 m2. Methods. A total of 13,355 hypertensive participants with eGFR ≥30 ml/min/1.73 m2 were selected from the Chinese Hypertension Registry Study. Multivariate linear regression was used to examine the linear relationship between SUA and lipids. Smooth curve fitting (penalized spline method) and threshold saturation effects were used to analyze the nonlinear association between SUA and lipids. Results. In the fully adjusted model, the results showed a positive correlation between SUA and TG (β = 0.15; 95% CI: 0.14, 0.16) and LDL-C (β = 0.06; 95% CI: 0.05, 0.07), respectively. However, the relationship between SUA and HDL-C was nonlinear. The inflection point of SUA was 7.24 mg/dL. On the left side of the inflection point (<7.24 mg/dL), SUA was negatively associated with HDL-C (β = −0.02; 95% CI −0.02, −0.01). On the right side of the inflection point (≥7.24 mg/dL), SUA was not related to HDL-C (β = 0.01; 95% CI −0.01, 0.02). Conclusion. After adjusting for all covariates, SUA was positively associated with TG and LDL-C. The relationship between SUA and HDL-C was nonlinear. The negative correlation between SUA and HDL-C only existed when the SUA was less than 7.24 mg/dL in a hypertensive population with eGFR ≥30 ml/min/1.73 m2.
Placental Pathology Findings during and after SARS-CoV-2 Infection: Features of Villitis and Malperfusion
Authors: Menter Thomas , Mertz Kirsten Diana , Jiang Sizun , Chen Han , Monod Cécile , Tzankov Alexandar , Waldvogel Salome , Schulzke Sven M. , Hösli Irene , Bruder Elisabeth
Published: September 2020

Since the outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), there has been a debate whether pregnant women are at a specific risk for COVID-19 and whether it might be vertically transmittable through the placenta. We present a series of five placentas of SARS coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)-positive women who had been diagnosed with mild symptoms of COVID-19 or had been asymptomatic before birth. We provide a detailed histopathologic description of morphological changes accompanied by an analysis of presence of SARS-CoV-2 in the placental tissue. All placentas were term deliveries (40th and 41st gestational weeks). One SARS-CoV-2-positive patient presented with cough and dyspnoea. This placenta showed prominent lymphohistiocytic villitis and intervillositis and signs of maternal and foetal malperfusion. Viral RNA was present in both placenta tissue and the umbilical cord and could be visualized by in situ hybridization in the decidua. SARS-CoV-2 tests were negative at the time of delivery of 3/5 women, and their placentas did not show increased inflammatory infiltrates. Signs of maternal and/or foetal malperfusion were present in 100% and 40% of cases, respectively. There was no transplacental transmission to the infants. In our cohort, we can document different time points regarding SARS-CoV-2 infection. In acute COVID-19, prominent lymphohistiocytic villitis may occur and might potentially be attributable to SARS-CoV-2 infection of the placenta. Furthermore, there are histopathological signs of maternal and foetal malperfusion, which might have a relationship to an altered coagulative or microangiopathic state induced by SARS-CoV-2, yet this cannot be proven considering a plethora of confounding factors.
Fuzzy logic control of hybrid systems including renewable energy in microgrids
Authors: Feddaoui Omar , Toufouti Riad , Jamel Labed , Meziane Salima
Published: September 2020

With a growing demand for more energy from subscribers, a traditional electric grid is unable to meet new challenges, in the remote areas remains the extension of the conventional electric network very hard to do make prohibitively expensive. Therefore, a new advanced generation of traditional electrical is inevitable and indispensable to move toward an efficient, economical, green, clean and self-correcting power system. The most well-known term used to define this next generation power system is Micro Grid (MG) based on renewable energy sources (RES). Since, the energy produced by RES are not constant at all times, a wide range of energy control techniques must be involved to provide a reliable power to consumers. To solve this problem in this paper we present a Fuzzy Logic Control of isolated Hybrid Systems (HRES) Including Renewable Energy in Micro-Grids to maintain a stability in voltage and frequency output especially in the standalone application. The considered HRES combine a wind turbine (WT) and photovoltaic (PV) panels as primary energy sources and an energy storage system (ESS) based on battery as a backup solution. Simulation results obtained from MATLAB/Simulink environment demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm in decreasing the electricity bill of customer.
Performance investigation of stand-alone induction generator based on STATCOM for wind power application
Authors: Ali Ahmed J. , Suliman Mohammed Y. , Khalaf Laith A. , Sultan Nashwan S.
Published: September 2020

Self-Excited induction generators (SEIG) display a low voltage and frequency regulation due to variable applied load and input rotation speed. Current work presents a simulation and performance analysis of a three-phase wind-driven, SEIG connect to a three-phase load. In addition, an investigation of the dynamic operation of the induction generator from starting steady state until no-load operation. It is assumed that the input mechanical power is constant where the rotor of the SEIG rotates at a constant speed. The value of the excitation capacitance which is necessary to the operation of the induction generator also computed to ensure a smooth and self-excitation starting. The output voltage of the generator is adjusted by varying the reactive power injected by STATCOM. A 3-phase IGBT voltage source inverter with a fuel cell input supply is connected as STATCOM which is used to compensate for the reduction in the supply voltage and its frequency due to variation occurred in the applied loads. This work includes introducing a neuro-fuzzyy logic controller to enhance the performance of the SEIG by regulation the generated voltage and frequency The dynamic model of SEIG with STATCOM and loads are implemented using MATLAB/SIMULINK
Power losses reduction of power transmission network using optimal location of low-level generation
Authors: Marei Marwa M. , Nawer Manal H.
Published: September 2020

Due to the growth of demand for electric power, electric power loss reduction takes great attention for the power utility. In this paper, a low-level generation or Distributed Generation (DG) has been used for transmission power losses reduction. Karbala city transmission network (which is the case study) has been represented by using MATLAB m-file to study the load flow and the power loss for it. The paper proposed the Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) technique in order to find the optimal number and allocation of DG with the objective to decrease power losses as possible. The results show the effect of the optimal allocation of DG on power loss reduction.
An efficient method to classify GI tract images from WCE using visual words
Authors: Ponnusamy R. , Sathiamoorthy S. , Visalakshi R.
Published: September 2020

The digital images made with the Wireless Capsule Endoscopy (WCE) from the patient's gastrointestinal tract are used to forecast abnormalities. The big amount of information from WCE pictures could take 2 hours to review GI tract illnesses per patient to research the digestive system and evaluate them. It is highly time consuming and increases healthcare costs considerably. In order to overcome this problem, the CS-LBP (Center Symmetric Local Binary Pattern) and the ACC (Auto Color Correlogram) were proposed to use a novel method based on a visual bag of features (VBOF). In order to solve this issue, we suggested a Visual Bag of Features(VBOF) method by incorporating Scale Invariant Feature Transform (SIFT), Center-Symmetric Local Binary Pattern (CS-LBP) and Auto Color Correlogram (ACC). This combination of features is able to detect the interest point, texture and color information in an image. Features for each image are calculated to create a descriptor with a large dimension. The proposed feature descriptors are clustered by K- means referred to as visual words, and the Support Vector Machine (SVM) method is used to automatically classify multiple disease abnormalities from the GI tract. Finally, post-processing scheme is applied to deal with final classification results i.e. validated the performance of multi-abnormal disease frame detection.
Recognition of additional myo armband gestures for myoelectric prosthetic applications
Authors: Hussain Jabbar Salman , Al-Khazzar Ahmed , Raheema Mithaq Nama
Published: September 2020

Myoelectric prostheses are a viable solution for people with amputations. The challenge in implementing a usable myoelectric prosthesis lies in accurately recognizing different hand gestures. The current myoelectric devices usually implement very few hand gestures. In order to approximate a real hand functionality, a myoelectric prosthesis should implement a large number of hand and ﬁnger gestures. However, increasing number of gestures can lead to a decrease in recognition accuracy. In this work a Myo arm band device is used to recognize fourteen gestures (ﬁve build in gestures of Myo armband in addition to nine new gestures). The data in this research is collected from three body-able subjects for a period of 7 seconds per gesture. The proposed method uses a pattern recognition technique based on Multi-Layer Perceptron Neural Network (MLPNN). The results show an average accuracy of 90.5% in recognizing the proposed fourteen gestures.
Preliminary process in blast cell morphology identification based on image segmentation methods
Authors: Supriyanti Retno , Wibowo Pangestu F. , Firmanda Fibra R. , Ramadhani Yogi , Siswandari Wahyu
Published: September 2020

The diagnosis of blood disorders in developing countries usually uses the diagnostic procedure Complete Blood Count (CBC). This is due to the limitations of existing health facilities so that examinations use standard microscopes as required in CBC examinations. However, the CBC process still poses a problem, namely that the procedure for manually counting blood cells with a microscope requires a lot of energy and time, and is expensive. This paper will discuss alternative uses of image processing technology in blast cell identification by using microscope images. In this paper, we will discuss in detail the morphological measurements which include the diameter, circumference and area of blast cell cells based on watershed segmentation methods and active contour. As a basis for further development, we compare the performance between the uses of both methods. The results show that the active contour method has an error percentage of 5.15% while the watershed method has an error percentage of 8.25%.
Model predictive control of magnetic levitation system
Authors: Jumaa Alkurawy Lafta E. , Mohammed Khalid G.
Published: September 2020

In this work, we suggest a technique of controller design that applied to systems based on nonlinear. We inform the sufficient conditions for the stability of closed loop system. The asymptotic stability of equilibrium and the nonlinear controller can be applied to improvement the stability of Magnetic Levitation system(MagLev). The MagLev nonlinear nodel can be obtained by state equation based on Lagrange function and Model Predictive Control has been used for MagLev system.
Design and testing of a dynamic reactive signage network towards fire emergency evacuations
Authors: Baidal Christopher S. , Arreaga Nestor X. , Padilla Vladimir Sanchez
Published: September 2020

The loss of several lives happens in events of natural disasters, due to the strength of nature or the static evacuation routes that usually directs towards a unique exit pathway. This paper proposes the integration of technology tools such as servers and open-source sensors into a reactive signage network to provide an updated and dynamical emergency evacuation system focusing specifically on fire situations. This pilot project works using microcontrollers that capture and manages into a server the surrounding information, setting evacuation routes and behaving according to the Dijkstra algorithm allowing the identification of obstacles or possible incidents that occur spontaneously during an evacuation. This process sends updates to the server either the evacuation route keeps the same or if a modification is required based on the information provided by the sensors about different areas, warning the shortest path for evacuation using computer vision support.
Sentiment analysis of comments in social media
Authors: Alrumaih Abdulrahman , Al-Sabbagh Ali , Alsabah Ruaa , Kharrufa Harith , Baldwin James
Published: September 2020

Social media platforms are witnessing a significant growth in both size and purpose. One specific aspect of social media platforms is sentiment analysis, by which insights into the emotions and feelings of a person can be inferred from their posted text. Research related to sentiment analysis is acquiring substantial interest as it is a promising filed that can improve user experience and provide countless personalized services. Twitter is one of the most popular social media platforms, it has users from different regions with a variety of cultures and languages. It can thus provide valuable information for a diverse and large amount of data to be used to improve decision making. In this paper, the sentiment orientation of the textual features and emoji-based components is studied targeting “Tweets” and comments posted in Arabic on Twitter, during the 2018 world cup event. This study also measures the significance of analyzing texts including or excluding emojis. The data is obtained from thousands of extracted tweets, to find the results of sentiment analysis for texts and emojis separately. Results show that emojis support the sentiment orientation of the texts and that texts or emojis cannot separately provide reliable information as they complement each other to give the intended meaning.