bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
HFpEF and Atrial Fibrillation: The Enigmatic Interplay of Dysmetabolism, Biomarkers, and Vascular Endothelial Dysfunction
Authors: Bosanac Jure , Straus Lara , Novaković Marko , Košuta Daniel , Božič Mijovski Mojca , Tasič Jerneja , Jug Borut
Published: October 2022

Background. Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) has a complex pathophysiology that encompasses systemic proinflammatory state and dysregulated levels of cardiometabolic and oxidative stress biomarkers. The prevalence of both HFpEF and atrial fibrillation (AF) is continuously rising, especially in the elderly. The aim of our study was to explore if there were any differences in biomarker levels and vascular function in the elderly patients with HFpEF with and without AF and to assess interconnections between clinically relevant biomarkers and cardiac and vascular function. Methods. This was a cross-sectional study of

patients
≥
65

years with HFpEF who were divided into 2 groups based on the presence or absence of AF. We have sonographically assessed echocardiographic parameters of left ventricular systolic and diastolic function and the peripheral vascular function parameters, namely, pulse wave velocity (PWV) and flow-mediated dilation (FMD). NT-proBNP, irisin, leptin, adiponectin, insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), and malondialdehyde (MDA) blood levels were determined. Results. Fifty-two patients (mean age

80
±
7

years, 67% females) were included. Patients with HFpEF and AF had significantly lower levels of irisin (median 4.75 vs. 13.5 ng/mL,

p
=
0.007

), leptin (median 9.5 vs. 15.0 ng/L,

p
=
0.023

), and MDA (median 293 vs. 450 ng/mL,

p
=
0.017

) and significantly higher values of NT-proBNP (median 2365 vs. 529 ng/L,

p
<
0.001

) but not vascular function parameters, as compared to HFpEF patients without AF. MDA was significantly correlated with diastolic function (

r
=
0.395

,

p
=
0.007

) and FMD (

r
=
0.394

,

p
=
0.011

), while adiponectin was inversely associated with FMD (

r
=
−
0.325

,

p
=
0.038

) and left ventricular ejection fraction (

r
=
−
0.319

,

p
=
0.029

). Conclusions. Our results have demonstrated that patients with HFpEF and AF have significantly lower leptin, irisin, and MDA levels compared to patients with HFpEF but without AF. These results offer new insights into the complexity of vascular function and cardiometabolic and oxidative stress biomarkers in the context of HFpEF, AF, and aging.
Intralesional Measles, Mumps, Rubella Vaccine versus Tuberculin Purified Protein Derivative Injections in the Treatment of Palmoplantar and Periungual Warts: A Double-Blind Randomized Controlled Trial
Authors: Rutnin Suthinee , Namasondhi Amornrut , Pomsoong Cherrin , Kositkuljorn Chaninan , Anuntrangsee Tanaporn , Thadanipon Kunlawat
Published: October 2022

Background: Palmoplantar and periungual warts tend to be recalcitrant. Intralesional immunotherapy can provide high efficacy with additional benefit to distant warts. However, evidence on comparative effects between intralesional immunotherapy with measles, mumps, rubella vaccine (MMR) and tuberculin purified protein derivative (PPD) and roles of dermoscopy in predicting treatment outcomes in palmoplantar/periungual warts is limited. Objectives: The study aimed to compare efficacy and safety of intralesional MMR and PPD injections in treatment of palmoplantar/periungual warts and explore associations between dermoscopic findings and treatment outcomes. Methods: We conducted a double-blind randomized controlled trial involving 40 patients with palmoplantar/periungual warts who were equally assigned to receive MMR or PPD. Intralesional injection was done every 2 weeks until clearance or maximum of 5 treatments. Results: Complete resolution was higher in MMR than PPD group (90.0% vs. 80.0% in index lesion and 81.3% vs. 54.6% in distant lesions, respectively), although the differences were statistically nonsignificant. Dermoscopic findings were not significantly associated with complete resolution. Local swelling, i.e., the most common adverse event, occurred more frequently in PPD (40.0%) than MMR group (10.0%). Conclusion: This study suggests that intralesional immunotherapy with either MMR or PPD is efficacious in palmoplantar/periungual warts, with MMR showing a trend toward higher clearance and lower adverse events.
Classification of COVID-19 from CT chest images using Convolutional Wavelet Neural Network
Authors: AbdulQader Dina A. , Saadoon Asma T. , Naser Marwa T. , Jabbar Ali Hassan
Published: October 2022

Analyzing X-rays and computed tomography-scan (CT scan) images using a convolutional neural network (CNN) method is a very interesting subject, especially after coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. In this paper, a study is made on 423 patients’ CT scan images from Al-Kadhimiya (Madenat Al Emammain Al Kadhmain) hospital in Baghdad, Iraq, to diagnose if they have COVID or not using CNN. The total data being tested has 15000 CT-scan images chosen in a specific way to give a correct diagnosis. The activation function used in this research is the wavelet function, which differs from CNN activation functions. The convolutional wavelet neural network (CWNN) model proposed in this paper is compared with regular convolutional neural network that uses other activation functions (exponential linear unit (ELU), rectified linear unit (ReLU), Swish, Leaky ReLU, Sigmoid), and the result is that utilizing CWNN gave better results for all performance metrics (accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, precision, and F1-score). The results obtained show that the prediction accuracies of CWNN were 99.97%, 99.9%, 99.97%, and 99.04% when using wavelet filters (rational function with quadratic poles (RASP1), (RASP2), and polynomials windowed (POLYWOG1), superposed logistic function (SLOG1)) as activation function, respectively. Using this algorithm can reduce the time required for the radiologist to detect whether a patient has COVID or not with very high accuracy.
An internet of things enabled framework to monitor the lifecycle of Cordyceps sinensis mushrooms
Authors: Memoria Minakshi , Shah Sanjeev Kumar , Anandaram Harishchander , Ali Anooja , Joshi Kapil , Verma Parag , Singh Rajesh , Gehlot Anita , Akram Shaik Vaseem
Published: October 2022

Cordyceps sinensis is an edible mushroom found in high quantities in the regions of the Himalayas and widely considered in traditional systems of medicine. It is a non-toxic remedy mushroom and has a high measure of clinical medical benefits including cancer restraint, high blood pressure, diabetes, asthma, depression, fatigue, immune disorder, and many infections of the upper respiratory tract. The cultivation of this kind of mushroom is limited to the region of the Sikkim and to cultivate in the other regions of the country, they are need of investigation and prediction of cordyceps sinensis mushroom lifecycle. From the studies, it is concluded that the precision-based agriculture techniques are limitedly explored for the prediction and growth of Cordyceps sinensis mushrooms. In this study, an internet of things (IoT) inspired framework is proposed to predict the lifecycle of Cordyceps sinensis mushrooms and also provide alternate substrate to cultivate Cordyceps sinensis mushrooms in other parts of the country. As a part of lifecycle prediction, a framework is proposed in this study. According to the findings, an IoT sensor-based system with the ideal moisture level of the mushroom rack is required for the growth of Cordyceps sinensis mushrooms.
Early coronavirus disease detection using internet of things smart system
Authors: Abdulhussein Tabarak Ali , Al-Falahi Hamid A. , Ahmed Smait Drai , Alani Sameer , Mahmood Sarmad Nozad , Mustafa Mohammed Sulaiman
Published: October 2022

The internet of things (IoT) is quickly evolving, allowing for the connecting of a wide range of smart devices in a variety of applications including industry, military, education, and health. Coronavirus has recently expanded fast across the world, and there are no particular therapies available at this moment. As a result, it is critical to avoid infection and watch signs like fever and shortness of breath. This research work proposes a smart and robust system that assists patients with influenza symptoms in determining whether or not they are infected with the coronavirus disease (COVID-19). In addition to the diagnostic capabilities of the system, the system aids these patients in obtaining medical care quickly by informing medical authorities via Blynk IoT. Moreover, the global positioning system (GPS) module is used to track patient mobility in order to locate contaminated regions and analyze suspected patient behaviors. Finally, this idea might be useful in medical institutions, quarantine units, airports, and other relevant fields.
Optimized Kalman filters for sensorless vector control induction motor drives
Authors: Hussain Mohammed Khalil , Alshadeedi Bajel Mohammed , Hejeejo Rashid
Published: October 2022

This paper presents the comparison between optimized unscented Kalman filter (UKF) and optimized extended Kalman filter (EKF) for sensorless direct field orientation control induction motor (DFOCIM) drive. The high performance of UKF and EKF depends on the accurate selection of state and noise covariance matrices. For this goal, multi objective function genetic algorithm is used to find the optimal values of state and noise covariance matrices. The main objectives of genetic algorithm to be minimized are the mean square errors (MSE) between actual and estimation of speed, current, and flux. Simulation results show the optimal state and noise covariance matrices can improve the estimation of speed, current, torque, and flux in sensorless DFOCIM drive. Furthermore, optimized UKF present higher performance of state estimation than optimized EKF under different motor operating conditions.
High efficiency multi power source control constant current/constant voltage charger lithium-ion battery based on the buck converter
Authors: Boumedra Ismail , Diani Abdelamin , El Khadiri Karim , Tahiri Ahmed , Ouazzani Jamil Mohammed , Qjidaa Hassan
Published: October 2022

This paper proposes the design and simulation of a constant current/constant voltage (CC/CV) multi-power source lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery charging system based on the Buck typology. The aim of this new design that uses the Buck converter with multiple numbers of sources, is to provide sufficient energy for battery charging, with an analog switch to select the active source that has priority to guarantee the continuity of the charging without interruption. As well as the transition between the charging modes is smooth that is provided by a multiplexed switcher. At the same time is increases the efficiency of the system by using fewer power dissipation components and low output ripple. The obtained results show that the Li-ion battery can be successfully charged without reducing its life cycle. In the global, those technics allow reducing financial costs. This allows such a solution to be well-positioned in the industrial market (electric vehicles (EV) and medical).
Reconfigurable intelligent surface passive beamforming enhancement using unsupervised learning
Authors: AL-Shaeli Intisar , Hburi Lsmail Sharhan , Majeed Ammar A.
Published: October 2022

Reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RIS) is a wireless technology that has the potential to improve cellular communication systems significantly. This paper considers enhancing the RIS beamforming in a RIS-aided multiuser multi-input multi-output (MIMO) system to enhance user throughput in cellular networks. The study offers an unsupervised/deep neural network (U/DNN) that simultaneously optimizes the intelligent surface beamforming with less complexity to overcome the non-convex sum-rate problem difficulty. The numerical outcomes comparing the suggested approach to the near-optimal iterative semi-definite programming strategy indicate that the proposed method retains most performance (more than 95% of optimal throughput value when the number of antennas is 4 and RIS’s elements are 30) while drastically reducing system computing complexity.
Meta-surface (frequency selective surface) loaded high gain directional antenna systems for ultra-wideband applications
Authors: AL-shamili Mohammed Amer Hamed , Sharma Madan Kumar
Published: October 2022

In this work, a meta-surface (frequency selective surface) loaded high gain directional antenna system is presented. The antenna system is developed using ultra-wideband (UWB) antenna element and meta-surface reflector. The UWB antenna element is designed and simulated without meta-surface reflector. The UWB antenna element has poor impedance bandwidth and directivity. A meta-surface is created using unit cell and equal in the size of the antenna substrate. The meta-surface is placed over the UWB antenna element at optimized height (H=30 mm). The impedance bandwidth, directivity and gain of the proposed antenna are improved by the meta-surface reflector. The proposed antenna is fabricated and experimentally validated by the comparison of the simulated and measured results. The antenna has 3 to 6 GHz wide impedance bandwidth, more than 5 dBi gain and maximum 4.6 dBi directivity at 3.5 GHz frequency. Performance of the proposed antenna is also compared with existing carried out work. Comparatively, the proposed antenna with high directivity is most suitable for IEEE 802.15.4a UWB wireless sensor network (WSN) security application.
The effect of changing the formation of multiple input multiple output antennas on the gain
Authors: Dwairi Majed Omar , Soliman Mohamed Salaheldeen , Hendi Amjad Yousef , AL-Qadi Ziad
Published: October 2022

In this paper, different 2×1 and 2×2 multiple input multiple output (MIMO) antennas were investigated with changing substrate shapes and changing the placing of the patches on the substrate, all the investigated antennas based on FR-4 substrate are characterized by , and loss , with a partial ground. The original antenna covered 3.4 to 13.5 GHz. The best simulation results of the proposed 2×1 MIMO antenna received for 2×1 inverted with high ultra-wideband (UWB) with bandwidth up to 40 GHz, the received maximum gain was up to 6.51 dB, with an average gain of more than the original single antenna at about +1.27 dB. The best of eight 2×2 MIMO antennas configurations that give good results were shown. The best-received gain compared with a single antenna gain were at 4.2 GHz about +2.73, +1.17, and +0.92 dB for plus-shaped, loop, and chair-shaped respectively. A comparison between the proposed MIMO antennas and other reported works were done. The proposed MIMO antennas give a good maximum gain and are suitable for different narrow bands within the UWB such as wireless local area network (WLAN), worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX), aeronautical radio navigation (ARN), International Telecommunication Union 8-GHz (ITU-8), and X-Band applications with the ability to give high gain without the need to increase the radiated power of the transmitter antenna.
Forecasting smoked rubber sheets price based on a deep learning model with long short-term memory
Authors: Phoksawat Kornkanok , Phoksawat Eakkarat , Chanakot Benjamin
Published: October 2022

This research aimed to create suitable forecasting models with long-short term memory (LSTM) from time series data, the price of rubber smoked sheets (RSS3) using 2,631 data from the Rubber Authority of Thailand for the past 10 years. The data was divided into two sets: first series 2,105 data points were used to create the LSTM prediction model; second series 526 data points were used to estimate forecasting performance using the root mean square error (RMSE), the mean absolute percentage error (MAPE), and accuracy rate of the model. The results showed that the most suitable forecasting model for time series data, with a total of 9 LSTM layers comprised of 3 primary LSTMs. Each LSTM layer has the number of neurons 100, 150, and 200 to obtain an optimal neural network of the LSTM technique. The number of epochs and iteration was 30, 40, and 50. Dropout layers between each LSTM layer have a probability of 30%. The results of the test to measure the performance of the time series forecasting data showed that the 9-layer model with the LSTM model architecture of LSTM 3 layers gave the best forecast, with RMSE of 2.4121, MAPE of 0.0413 and 95.88% accuracy rate.
Breast cancer detection using machine learning approaches: a comparative study
Authors: Elsadig Muawia A. , Altigani Abdelrahman , Elshoush Huwaida T.
Published: October 2022

As the cause of the breast cancer disease has not yet clearly identified and a method to prevent its occurrence has not yet been developed, its early detection has a significant role in enhancing survival rate. In fact, artificial intelligent approaches have been playing an important role to enhance the diagnosis process of breast cancer. This work has selected eight classification models that are mostly used to predict breast cancer to be under investigation. These classifiers include single and ensemble classifiers. A trusted dataset has been enhanced by applying five different feature selection methods to pick up only weighted features and to neglect others. Accordingly, a dataset of only 17 features has been developed. Based on our experimental work, three classifiers, multi-layer perceptron (MLP), support vector machine (SVM) and stack are competing with each other by attaining high classification accuracy compared to others. However, SVM is ranked on the top by obtaining an accuracy of 97.7% with classification errors of 0.029 false negative (FN) and 0.019 false positive (FP). Therefore, it is noteworthy to mention that SVM is the best classifier and it outperforms even the stack classier.
Movie recommender chatbot based on Dialogflow
Authors: Abdurahman Baizal Zinke , Ikhsan Nurul , Muslim Karo Karo Ichwanul , Kenneth Darmawan Reinaldo , Dwi Hartanto Roby
Published: October 2022

Currently, the online movie streaming business is growing rapidly, such as Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime Video, HBO, and Apple TV. The recommender system helps customers in getting information about movies that are in accordance with their wishes. Meanwhile, the development of messaging platform technology has made it easier for many people to communicate instantly. Utilizing a messaging platform to build a recommender system for movies, provides special benefits because people often access the messaging platform all the time. In the Indonesian language, there are many slang terms that the system must recognize. In this study, we build a chatbot on a messaging platform which users can interact with the system in natural language (in Indonesian language) and get recommendations. We use rule-based and maximum likelihood as a method in natural language processing (NLP), and content-based filtering for the recommendation process. The recommender system interaction is built through a conversation mechanism that will form a conversational recommender system. The interaction is based on a chatbot which is built using Dialogflow and implemented on the telegram. We use the accuracy of recommendations and user satisfaction to evaluate the system performance. The results obtained from the user study indicate that the NLP approach provides a positive experience for users. In addition, the system also produces an accuracy value of 83%.
Monitoring Indonesian online news for COVID-19 event detection using deep learning
Authors: Khotimah Purnomo Husnul , Arisal Andria , Rozie Andri Fachrur , Nugraheni Ekasari , Riswantini Dianadewi , Suwarningsih Wiwin , Munandar Devi , Purwarianti Ayu
Published: October 2022

Even though coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination has been done, preparedness for the possibility of the next outbreak wave is still needed with new mutations and virus variants. A near real-time surveillance system is required to provide the stakeholders, especially the public, to act in a timely response. Due to the hierarchical structure, epidemic reporting is usually slow particularly when passing jurisdictional borders. This condition could lead to time gaps for public awareness of new and emerging events of infectious diseases. Online news is a potential source for COVID-19 monitoring because it reports almost every infectious disease incident globally. However, the news does not report only about COVID-19 events, but also various information related to COVID-19 topics such as the economic impact, health tips, and others. We developed a framework for online news monitoring and applied sentence classification for news titles using deep learning to distinguish between COVID-19 events and non-event news. The classification results showed that the fine-tuned bidirectional encoder representations from transformers (BERT) trained with Bahasa Indonesia achieved the highest performance (accuracy: 95.16%, precision: 94.71%, recall: 94.32%, F1-score: 94.51%). Interestingly, our framework was able to identify news that reports the new COVID strain from the United Kingdom (UK) as an event news, 13 days before the Indonesian officials closed the border for foreigners.
Q-learning based distributed denial of service detection
Authors: Yaseen Hiba Salah , Al-Saadi Ahmed
Published: October 2022

Distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks the target service providers by sending a huge amount of traffic to prevent legitimate users from getting the service. These attacks become more challenging in the software-defined network paradigm, due to the separation of the control plane from the data plane. Centralized software defined networks are more vulnerable to DDoS attacks that may cause the failure of all networks. In this work, a new approach is proposed based on q-learning to enhance the detection of DDoS attacks and reduce false positives and false negatives. The results of this work are compared with entropy detection in terms of the number of received packets to detect the attack and also the continuity of service for legitimate users. Moreover, these results indicate that the proposed system detects the DDoS attack from flash crowds and redirects the traffic to the edge of the data center. A second controller is used to redirect traffic to a honeypot server that works as a mirror server. This guarantees the continuity of service for both normal and suspected traffic until further analysis is done. The results indicate an increase of up to 50% in the throughput compared to other approaches.
Proposal of a reliable embedded circuit to control a stepper motor using microblaze soft-core processor
Authors: Zemmouri Abdelkarim , Barodi Anass , Satif Amal , Alareqi Mohammed , Elgouri Rachid , Hlou Laamari , Benbrahim Mohammed
Published: October 2022

The vast majority of embedded system designs start with a processor-based system, using a microcontroller or microprocessor as the core element to predict and process the basic control tasks. This paper aims to increase the reliability of controlling a stepper motor by an embedded circuit, which generates four digital signals of pulse width modulation (PWM). The manager of this circuit is an embedded processor licensed from Microblaze, which sits within the FPGA architecture Virtex 5. This processor analyzes the parameters to execute the rotation under the best conditions (energy consumption, speed, precision, reliability). The communication with the PC takes place via the RS232 link to provide feedback. The autonomous processor generates an independent control frequency of the PC. The four digital signals of PWM are simulated on Xilinx's ISim interface and sent to the ULN2803 amplifier circuit to run the stepper motor.
Códigos sanitários municipais e a descentralização da vigilância sanitária no Estado do Rio de Janeiro
Authors: Nobre Patricia Fernandes da Silva , Diniz Rosângela Maria Souza , Leandro Katia Christina , Silva Michele Feitoza
Published: October 2022

O presente artigo teve como objetivo mapear, sistematizar e analisar o avanço dos municípios do Estado do Rio de Janeiro na implementação dos parâmetros mínimos de estrutura como parte do processo de descentralização das ações de vigilância sanitária, tomando como referência o código sanitário municipal. Por meio de ofício e formulários, os códigos foram obtidos, analisados e comparados com o designado pelas normas estaduais e com o documento orientativo da Agência Nacional de Vigilância Sanitária para elaboração da Lei do Código Sanitário Municipal. De um total de 92 municípios fluminenses, apenas 33 contavam com o código sanitário. Entre esses 33 municípios, somente quatro apresentava, nos respectivos códigos, os nove capítulos recomendados pela Agência Nacional de Vigilância Sanitária. Por outro lado, 30 municípios contemplaram todas as ações designadas pela Secretaria de Estado de Saúde do Rio de Janeiro. Concluiu-se que, mesmo que os códigos sanitários atendam a suas necessidades, os municípios devem estar atentos a revisões e atualizações preconizadas pela União e pelo estado para que, além de representarem a realidade e especificidade locorregional, contemplem os avanços técnico-científicos e as normativas correntes.
As sombras de Laoximen (fragmento)
Authors: Coelho Andre Leite
Published: October 2022

Este ensaio fotográfico investiga a paisagem contemporânea de grandes centros urbanos chineses, especialmente no que diz respeito à presença de imagens nos espaços públicos e à degradação da visibilidade atmosférica por efeito da poluição. Na série, a fotografia é utilizada para refletir — tanto num sentido conotativo quanto denotativo — sobre o embaçamento dos limites entre realidade e representação na conjuntura atual do capitalismo globalizado.
O teatro del mondo de Aldo Rossi: um convite à fruição proustiana
Authors: Boaventura Carolina Rodrigues
Published: October 2022

O Teatro del Mondo de Aldo Rossi é tido como uma das expressões arquitetônicas mais relevantes da pós-modernidade. Neste artigo, distinto do que foi explorado pela historiografia, abordamos as intenções de Rossi sobre a recepção de suas obras. Para tanto, analisamos a noção de città analoga, presente nos seus procedimentos projetuais e identificamos neles um paralelo à fruição a proustiana.
(Des)controle entre a memória coletiva e a cultura digital
Authors: Ruggiero Amanda Saba
Published: October 2022

A memória coletiva é o elemento de coesão das comunidades em seus valores culturais, éticos, morais e materiais. A cultura digital, nos modos atuais, em intensa disseminação, aderência e propagação de seus meios nos hábitos cotidianos, intensifica cada vez mais a velocidade de consumo, o empobrecimento sensorial, a vigilância dos corpos e a aniquilação da experiência, em um contexto e celeridade sem precedentes. O (des)controle dos corpos e das subjetividades, colocam em risco a capacidade de imaginar outros possíveis futuros, fatalismo que coloca em evidência e ameaça a memória, abalando alicerces estruturadores para a sobrevivência de nossas sociedades.
Crossing the Finish Line but Losing the Race? Socioeconomic Inequalities in the Labor Market Trajectories of Community College Graduates
Authors: Kim Brian Heseung , Bird Kelli A. , Castleman Benjamin L.
Published: October 2022

Despite decades and hundreds of billions of dollars of federal and state investment in policies to promote postsecondary educational attainment as a key lever for increasing the economic mobility of lower income populations, research continues to show large and meaningful differences in the mid-career earnings of students from families in the bottom and top income quintiles. Prior research has not disentangled whether these disparities are due to differential sorting into colleges and majors, or due to barriers that lower socioeconomic status (SES) graduates encounter during the college-to-career transition. Using linked individual-level higher education and Unemployment Insurance records for nearly a decade of students from the Virginia Community College System, we compare the labor market outcomes of higher and lower SES community college graduates within the same college, program, and academic performance level. Our analyses show that, conditional on employment, lower SES graduates earn nearly $500/quarter less than their higher SES peers one year after graduation, relative to higher SES graduate average of $10,846/quarter. The magnitude of this disparity persists through at least three years after graduation. Disparities are concentrated among non-nursing programs, in which gaps persist seven years from graduation. Our results highlight the importance of greater focus on the college-to-career transition.
Stress and Cognitive Performance: Evidence from a South Korean Earthquake
Authors: Cho Hyunkuk , Kim Hwanyeon
Published: October 2022

Studies have identified negative effects of cortisol, a stress hormone, on academic performance. Because natural disasters induce community-wide stress, students who experience natural disasters may subsequently perform worse academically. Our study is the first to examine the immediate effects of close exposure to a natural disaster on academic performance. We examine the impact of the 2017 Pohang earthquake in South Korea on college entrance exam scores. The 5.4 magnitude quake occurred one day before the scheduled nationwide college entrance exam date, necessitating its postponement for one week. Several aftershocks occurred during that postponement period. We find that the earthquake decreased the reading test scores of students in the Pohang area by 0.05 standard deviation but had no effect on math test scores. The reading test was administered earlier in the day than the math test, so these findings suggest that students taking exams in post-traumatic situations might be able to perform better after a warm-up testing period. Finally, male students suffered the largest adverse impacts on their reading test scores, with serious implications given the high-stakes nature of the exams.
Bayesian Optimization for Cascade-Type Multistage Processes
Authors: Kusakawa Shunya , Takeno Shion , Inatsu Yu , Kutsukake Kentaro , Iwazaki Shogo , Nakano Takashi , Ujihara Toru , Karasuyama Masayuki , Takeuchi Ichiro
Published: October 2022

Complex processes in science and engineering are often formulated as multistage decision-making problems. In this letter, we consider a cascade process, a type of multistage decision-making process. This is a multistage process in which the output of one stage is used as an input for the subsequent stage. When the cost of each stage is expensive, it is difficult to search for the optimal controllable parameters for each stage exhaustively. To address this problem, we formulate the optimization of the cascade process as an extension of the Bayesian optimization framework and propose two types of acquisition functions based on credible intervals and expected improvement. We investigate the theoretical properties of the proposed acquisition functions and demonstrate their effectiveness through numerical experiments. In addition, we consider suspension setting, an extension in which we are allowed to suspend the cascade process at the middle of the multistage decision-making process that often arises in practical problems. We apply the proposed method in a test problem involving a solar cell simulator, the motivation for this study.
What happens when scientists play telephone game? The cautionary tale of “Lippia grandis” and the importance of correct plant identification
Authors: CARDOSO PEDRO HENRIQUE , SANTOS-SILVA FERNANDA
Published: October 2022

Species of Lippia Linnaeus (Verbenaceae) are rich in essential oils and have been subject of ethno- and pharmacological studies. Among several species, numerous publications mention “Lippia grandis” and its medicinal importance. However, this name is not validly published. Considering that accurate taxonomy and nomenclature are vital to reproducibility, lack of concern for both has undermined science. Therefore, we provide here a detailed discussion of the name “L. grandis” to avoid the impact of perpetuating an erroneous nomenclature. We performed a bibliographical search about “L. grandis” to carefully check how identifications were carried out, and whether or not vouchers were presented. We also analyzed herbarium collections and taxonomic literature of Lippia in order to recognize the correct identity of this plant. Unclear identification methods without citation of herbarium vouchers, and lack of taxonomic experts summarize problems related to this erroneous nomenclature. “Lippia grandis” is a nomen nudum with its authorship attributed to Schauer without any scientific rigor. This case clearly exemplifies a taxonomic error in cascade, and is particularly alarming considering the medicinal importance of this taxon. Plants previously treated as “L. grandis” are actually specimens of L. grata Schauer or L. origanoides Kunth, two morphologically similar species that are here further distinguished upon.
Andinodarnis gen. nov., a new treehopper genus from the Andes (Hemiptera: Membracidae: Darninae)
Authors: FLÓREZ-V CAMILO , EVANGELISTA OLIVIA
Published: October 2022

Andinodarnis gen. nov. (Darninae: Darnini) is proposed based on recently collected treehoppers from the Northern Andes. The new genus includes two species, Andinodarnis pectoralis (Stål, 1869) comb. nov. (= Tomogonia pectoralis Stål, 1869) and Andinodarnis atromeris sp. nov. (PNN Tatamá, Cordillera Occidental, Colombia). Identification keys, annotated diagnoses, life history records, illustrations, and distribution maps are provided for both species with new distribution records from Ecuador.
Two new species of Pseudosmittia Edwards, 1932 from India with a key to Oriental species adult males (Diptera: Chironomidae: Orthocladiinae)
Authors: MUKHERJEE TUHAR , SOM DIPAK KUMAR , HAZRA NILADRI
Published: October 2022

In this study, we described and illustrated two new species, Pseudosmittia luna and Pseudosmittia valida based on the adult males from the plains of West Bengal, India. A DNA barcode of Pseudosmittia luna sp. n. compared with selected congeneric sequences from NCBI GenBank, indicates that the species is sister to an unknown species with accession number MG301870. Additionally, we provided a key for the adult males of the Oriental species of the genus.
Larval morphology, life cycle and nutritional values of Lepidostoma abruptum Banks 1931 (Trichoptera: Lepidostomatidae) from Lower-Hill Evergreen Forests of Southern Thailand
Authors: SUWANNARAT NANNAPHAT , LAUDEE PONGSAK
Published: October 2022

The larval morphology, life cycle, and nutritional values of Lepidostoma abruptum Banks 1931 are described and discussed. The larval case is rectangular in cross section, made of rectangular pieces of leaf. The larva of L. abruptum shares the morphological characteristics of other Lepidostoma spp. which have been described from different countries and continents. The head capsule widths of 74 specimens were measured and plotted to determine the instars of the larvae. This species is non-seasonal. In addition, the moisture (68.87%) and dry-weight nutritional values of the specimens were determined: protein (49.08%), total fat (27.13%), total dietary fiber (5.9%), omega-3 (0.15%), omega-6 (6.04%), and omega-9 (11.7%). Larvae of this species live in small debris pools dominated with leaf litter and small branches.
Translation of nurse-initiated protocols to manage fever, hyperglycaemia and swallowing following stroke across Europe (QASC Europe): A pre-test/post-test implementation study
Authors: Middleton Sandy , Dale Simeon , McElduff Benjamin , Coughlan Kelly , McInnes Elizabeth , Mikulik Robert , Fischer Thomas , Van der Merwe Jan , Cadilhac Dominique , D’Este Catherine , Levi Christopher , Grimshaw Jeremy M , Grecu Andreea , Quinn Clare , Cheung Ngai Wah , Koláčná Tereza , Medukhanova Sabina , Sanjuan Menendez Estela , Salselas Susana , Messchendorp Gert , Cassier-Woidasky Anne-Kathrin , Skrzypek-Czerko Marcelina , Slavat-Plana Merce , Antonella Urso , Pfeilschifter Waltraud
Published: October 2022

Introduction:

Poor adoption of stroke guidelines is a problem internationally. The Quality in Acute Stroke Care (QASC) trial demonstrated significant reduction in death and disability with facilitated implementation of nurse-initiated protocols to manage fever, hyperglycaemia and swallowing (FeSS Protocols) following stroke. We aimed to determine real-world effectiveness of supported implementation of the FeSS Protocols across Europe.

Methods:

This was a multi-country, multi-centre, pre-test/post-test study (2017–2021) comparing post implementation data with historically collected pre-implementation data. Hospital clinical champions, supported by the Angels Initiative conducted multidisciplinary workshops discussing pre-implementation medical record audit results, barriers and facilitators to FeSS Protocol implementation, developed action plans and provided education, with ongoing support co-ordinated remotely from Australia. Prospective audits were conducted 3-month after FeSS Protocol introduction. Pre-to-post analysis and country income classification comparisons were adjusted for clustering by hospital and country controlling for age/sex/stroke severity.

Results:

Data from 64 hospitals in 17 countries (3464 patients pre-implementation and 3257 patients post-implementation) showed improvement pre-to-post implementation in measurement recording of all three FeSS components, all p < 0.0001: fever elements (pre: 17%, post: 51%; absolute difference 33%, 95% CI 30%, 37%); hyperglycaemia elements (pre: 18%, post: 52%; absolute difference 34%; 95% CI 31%, 36%); swallowing elements (pre: 39%, post: 67%; absolute difference 29%, 95% CI 26%, 31%) and thus in overall FeSS Protocol adherence (pre: 3.4%, post: 35%; absolute difference 33%, 95% CI 24%, 42%). In exploratory analysis of FeSS adherence by countries’ economic status, high-income versus middle-income countries improved to a comparable extent.

Discussion and conclusion:

Our collaboration resulted in successful rapid implementation and scale-up of FeSS Protocols into countries with vastly different healthcare systems.
Osteochondritis Dissecans of the Talus: A New Transmalleolar Fixation Technique
Authors: Moisan Philippe , Lamer Stéphanie , Li Orville , Grimard Guy , Nault Marie-Lyne
Published: October 2022

Background:

Conservative management is the first line of treatment in most osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) cases and can be sufficient for small and stable lesions in skeletally immature patients. Unstable lesions commonly require surgical interventions and may need fixation. The standard surgical approach to fix posteromedial lesions of the talus involves an osteotomy of the medial malleolus. This technique is invasive and requires multiple weeks of immobilization after the surgery. In this video, we present a minimally invasive transmalleolar approach used for the fixation of an OCD lesion of the talus.

Indications:

The main indication for this procedure is the failure of conservative management with persistent ankle pain and functional impairment of an unstable osteochondral lesion with poor potential for revascularization.

Technique Description:

There are 3 key steps to this surgery: ankle arthroscopy, retroarticular drilling, and transmalleolar fixation. The transmalleolar approach is achieved by creating a tunnel through the medial malleoli oriented toward the lesion. To do so, the surgeon combines fluoroscopy and ankle arthroscopy to first insert a Kirschner wire (K-wire) through the medial malleoli. Once the correct orientation is confirmed, a 4.5-mm cannulated drill bit is used to create the tunnel. Arthroscopic visualization is used to avoid iatrogenic cartilage damage during drilling. Once the tunnel is created, ankle dorsiflexion and plantar flexion are used to access the entire lesion and insert screws. The malleolar tunnel is then filled with a bone graft and the wound closed. The patient is immobilized for 2 weeks after which gentle range of motion is initiated. The patient remains non-weight-bearing for 2 months and is then allowed to bear weight using a boot.

Results:

Transmalleolar fixation for osteochondritis dissecans of the talus is a minimally invasive procedure that does not require an osteotomy of the medial talus. This approach permits early postoperative range of motion and decreases postoperative pain and edema, but the adequate positioning of the tunnel can prove challenging.

Conclusion:

Transmalleolar approach to the talus is minimally invasive and allows adequate fixation of certain osteochondral lesions. Studies comparing the reoperation and complication rate with the standard malleolar osteotomy are lacking and need to be performed. The author(s) attests that consent has been obtained from any patient(s) appearing in this publication. If the individual may be identifiable, the author(s) has included a statement of release or other written form of approval from the patient(s) with this submission for publication.
Multi-omics reveals the key and specific miRNA-mRNA modules underlying salt tolerance in wild emmer wheat (Triticum dicoccoides L.)
Authors: Yang Guang , Pan Wenqiu , Cao Rui , Guo Qifan , Cheng Yue , Zhao Qinlong , Cui Licao , Nie Xiaojun
Published: October 2022

Background

Salt stress is one of the most destructive environmental factors limiting crop growth and development. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of conserved endogenous small non-coding RNAs, playing the crucial role in regulating salt response and tolerance in plants. However, the miRNAs in wild emmer wheat, especially the key and specific salt-responsive miRNAs are not well studied.

Results

Here, we performed small RNA, transcriptome, and degradome sequencing of both of salt-tolerance (ST) and salt-sensitive (SS) wild emmer genotypes to identify the miRNA-mRNA modules associating with salt tolerance. Totally, 775 miRNAs, including 361 conserved known miRNAs and 414 novel miRNAs were detected. Differential expression analysis identified 93 salt-responsive miRNAs under salt stress. Combined with RNA-seq and degradome sequencing analysis, 224 miRNA-mRNA modules displayed the complete opposite expression trends between ST and SS genotypes, most of which functionally enriched into ROS homeostasis maintaining, osmotic pressure modulating, and root growth and development. Finally, the qRT-PCR and a large-scale yeast functional screening were also performed to initially validate the expression pattern and function of candidate genes.

Conclusions

This study reported the key and specific miRNA-mRNA modules associated with salt tolerance in wild emmer, which lay the foundation for improving the salt tolerance in cultivated emmer and bread wheat through miRNA engineering approach.
Serum apolipoprotein A-IV levels are associated with flow-mediated dilation in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus
Authors: Li Le-Ying , Chen Shuai , Wang Yi-Xuan , Ji Ri , Ding Feng-Hua , Wang Xiao-Qun , Chen Qiu-Jing , Lu Lin , Dai Yang
Published: October 2022

Background

Endothelial dysfunction is common in diabetes. Apolipoprotein (apo) A-IV functions to antagonize inflammation and oxidative stress. The present study aimed to investigate the relationship between flow-mediated dilation (FMD) and serum apoA-IV level in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients. 

Methods

A total of 84 T2DM patients with chest discomfort were enrolled in this study. Their baseline characteristics and clinical parameters were documented. Endothelial function of the participants was evaluated by examining FMD of brachial artery. The severity of coronary atherosclerosis was determined by quantitative coronary angiography. Serum apoA-IV levels were measured by ELISA.

Results

These diabetic patients were dichotomized into low FMD (n = 42) and high FMD (n = 42) groups. Serum apoA-IV levels were significantly higher in high FMD group than in low FMD group (29.96 ± 13.17 vs 17.69 ± 9.16 mg/dL, P < 0.001). Moreover, the patients were also categorized into three apoA-IV tertile groups. FMD was significantly different across three apoA-IV tertiles (P < 0.001). Serum apoA-IV levels were positively correlated to FMD (r = 0.469, P < 0.001). Logistic regression analysis was performed to determine risk factors for low FMD. apoA-IV levels together with the risk factor hsCRP remained significantly to be independent determinants of low FMD (P < 0.01). Linear regression analysis was performed, and apoA-IV levels together with total-to-HDL cholesterol ratio were independently correlated with FMD (P < 0.01).

Conclusions

Serum apoA-IV levels are associated with FMD, suggesting that apoA-IV protects endothelial function in patients with T2DM.
How to fall into a new routine: factors influencing the implementation of an admission and discharge programme in hospitals and general practices
Authors: Forstner Johanna , Litke Nicola , Weis Aline , Straßner Cornelia , Szecsenyi Joachim , Wensing Michel
Published: October 2022

Introduction

The VESPEERA programme is a multifaceted programme to enhance information transfer between general practice and hospital across the process of hospital admission, stay and discharge. It was implemented in 7 hospitals and 72 general practices in Southern Germany. Uptake was heterogeneous and overall low. A process evaluation aimed at identifying factors associated with the implementation of the VESPEERA programme.

Methods

This was a qualitative study using semi-structured interviews in a purposeful sample of health workers in hospitals and general practices in the VESPEERA programme. Qualitative framework analysis using the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research was performed and revealed the topic of previous and new routines to be protruding. Inductive content analysis was used for in-depth examination of stages in the process of staying in a previous or falling into a new routines.

Results

Thirty-six interviews were conducted with 17 participants from general practices and 19 participants from hospitals. The interviewees were in different stages of the implementation process at the time of the interviews. Four stages were identified: Stage 1,’Previous routine and tension for change’, describes the situation in which VESPEERA was to be implemented and the factors leading to the decision to participate. In stage 2,’Adoption of the VESPEERA programme’, factors that influenced whether individuals decided to employ the innovation are relevant. Stage 3 comprises ‘Determinants for falling into and staying in the new VESPEERA-routine’ relates to actual implementation and finally, in stage 4, the participants reflect on the success of the implementation.

Conclusions

The individuals and organisations participating in the VESPEERA programme were in different stages of a process from the previous to the new routine, which were characterised by different determinants of implementation. In all stages, organisational factors were main determinants of implementation, but different factors emerged in different implementation stages. A low distinction between decision-making power and executive, as well as available resources, were beneficial for the implementation of the innovation.

Trial registration

DRKS00015183 on DRKS / Universal Trial Number (UTN): U1111-1218–0992.
Comments on the paper “Best proximity point results with their consequences and applications”
Authors: Som Sumit , Gabeleh Moosa
Published: October 2022

Very recently Jain et al. (J. Inequal. Appl. 2022:73, 2022) introduced the concept of multivalued F-contraction with altering distance function and investigated the existence of best proximity points for this class of mappings. In this article we prove that the existence of best proximity points for multivalued F-contraction non-self mappings can be obtained from the corresponding fixed point result for multivalued F-contraction self mappings, and so the main conclusion due to Jain et al. is not a real generalization of fixed point theory.