bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Monte Carlo Tree Search for Multi-Robot Task Allocation
Authors: Kartal Bilal , Nunes Ernesto , Godoy Julio , Gini Maria
Published: June 2022

Multi-robot teams are useful in a variety of task allocation domains such as warehouse automation and surveillance. Robots in such domains perform tasks at given locations and specific times, and are allocated tasks to optimize given team objectives. We propose an efficient, satisficing and centralized Monte Carlo TreeSearch based algorithm exploiting branch and bound paradigm to solve the multi-robot task allocation problem with spatial, temporal and other side constraints. Unlike previous heuristics proposed for this problem, our approach offers theoretical guarantees and finds optimal solutions for some non-trivial data sets.
Weighted A* Algorithms for Unsupervised Feature Selection with Provable Bounds on Suboptimality
Authors: Arai Hiromasa , Xu Ke , Maung Crystal , Schweitzer Haim
Published: June 2022

Identifying a small number of features that can represent the data is believed to be NP-hard. Previous approaches exploit algebraic structure and use randomization. We propose an algorithm based on ideas similar to the Weighted A* algorithm in heuristic search. Our experiments show this new algorithm to be more accurate than the current state of the art.
Conquering Adversary Behavioral Uncertainty in Security Games: An Efficient Modeling Robust Based Algorithm
Authors: Nguyen Thanh , Sinha Arunesh , Tambe Milind
Published: June 2022

Stackelberg Security Games (SSG) have been widely applied for solving real-world security problems—with a significant research emphasis on modeling attackers’ behaviors to handle their bounded rationality. However, access to real-world data (used for learning an accurate behavioral model) is often limited, leading to uncertainty in attacker’s behaviors while modeling. This paper therefore focuses on addressing behavioral uncertainty in SSG with the following main contributions: 1) we present a new uncertainty game model that integrates uncertainty intervals into a behavioral model to capture behavioral uncertainty; 2) based on this game model, we propose a novel robust algorithm that approximately computes the defender’s optimal strategy in the worst-case scenario of uncertainty—with a bound guarantee on its solution quality.
Human-Robot Trust and Cooperation Through a Game Theoretic Framework
Authors: Paeng Erin , Wu Jane , Boerkoel James
Published: June 2022

Trust and cooperation are fundamental to human interactions. How much we trust other people directly influences the decisions we make and our willingness to cooperate. It thus seems natural that trust be equally important in successful human-robot interaction (HRI), since how much a human trusts a robot affects how they might interact with it. We propose using a coin entrustment game, a variant of prisoner’s dilemma, to measure trust and cooperation as separate phenomenon between human and robot agents. With this game, we test the following hypotheses: (1) Humans will achieve and maintain higher levels of trust when interacting with what they believe to be a robot than with another human; and (2) humans will cooperate more readily with robots and will maintain a higher level of cooperation. This work contributes an experimental paradigm that uses the coin entrustment game as a way to test our hypotheses. Our empirical analysis shows that humans tend to trust robots to a greater degree than other humans, while cooperating equally well in both.
Deploying nEmesis: Preventing Foodborne Illness by Data Mining Social Media
Authors: Sadilek Adam , Kautz Henry , DiPrete Lauren , Labus Brian , Portman Eric , Teitel Jack , Silenzio Vincent
Published: June 2022

Foodborne illness afflicts 48 million people annually in the U.S. alone. Over 128,000 are hospitalized and 3,000 die from the infection. While preventable with proper food safety practices, the traditional restaurant inspection process has limited impact given the predictability and low frequency of inspections, and the dynamic nature of the kitchen environment. Despite this reality, the inspection process has remained largely unchanged for decades. We apply machine learning to Twitter data and develop a system that automatically detects venues likely to pose a public health hazard. Health professionals subsequently inspect individual flagged venues in a double blind experiment spanning the entire Las Vegas metropolitan area over three months. By contrast, previous research in this domain has been limited to indirect correlative validation using only aggregate statistics. We show that adaptive inspection process is 63% more effective at identifying problematic venues than the current state of the art. The live deployment shows that if every inspection in Las Vegas became adaptive, we can prevent over 9,000 cases of foodborne illness and 557 hospitalizations annually. Additionally, adaptive inspections result in unexpected benefits, including the identification of venues lacking permits, contagious kitchen staff, and fewer customer complaints filed with the Las Vegas health department.
UbuntuWorld 1.0 LTS — A Platform for Automated Problem Solving and Troubleshooting in the Ubuntu OS
Authors: Chakraborti Tathagata , Talamadupula Kartik , Fadnis Kshitij , Campbell Murray , Kambhampati Subbarao
Published: June 2022

In this paper we present UbuntuWorld 1.0 LTS — a platform for developing automated technical support agents in the Ubuntu operating system. Specifically, we propose to use the Bash terminal as a simulator of the Ubuntu environment for a learning-based agent, and demonstrate the usefulness of adopting reinforcement learning (RL) techniques for basic problem solving and troubleshooting in this environment. We provide a plug-and-play interface to the simulator as a python package where different types of agents can be plugged in and evaluated, and provide pathways for integrating data from online support forums like Ask Ubuntu into an automated agent’s learning process. Finally, we show that the use of this data significantly improves the agent’s learning efficiency. We believe that this platform can be adopted as a real-world test bed for research on automated technical support.
Using Deep and Convolutional Neural Networks for Accurate Emotion Classification on DEAP Data
Authors: Tripathi Samarth , Acharya Shrinivas , Sharma Ranti , Mittal Sudhanshi , Bhattacharya Samit
Published: June 2022

Emotion recognition is an important field of research in Brain Computer Interactions. As technology and the understanding of emotions are advancing, there are growing opportunities for automatic emotion recognition systems. Neural networks are a family of statistical learning models inspired by biological neural networks and are used to estimate functions that can depend on a large number of inputs that are generally unknown. In this paper we seek to use this effectiveness of Neural Networks to classify user emotions using EEG signals from the DEAP (Koelstra et al (2012)) dataset which represents the benchmark for Emotion classification research. We explore 2 different Neural Models, a simple Deep Neural Network and a Convolutional Neural Network for classification. Our model provides the state-of-the-art classification accuracy, obtaining 4.51 and 4.96 percentage point improvements over (Rozgic et al (2013)) classification of Valence and Arousal into 2 classes (High and Low) and 13.39 and 6.58 percentage point improvements over (Chung and Yoon(2012)) classification of Valence and Arousal into 3 classes (High, Normal and Low). Moreover our research is a testament that Neural Networks could be robust classifiers for brain signals, even outperforming traditional learning techniques.
The post-COVID stock listing boom
Authors: Dobridge Christine L. , John Rebecca , Palazzo Berardino
Published: June 2022

In the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic, the U.S. equity markets have witnessed a surge in the number of publicly listed companies. Using data for the three major U.S. stock exchanges (AMEX, NYSE, and NASDAQ), we find that the number of publicly traded companies went from 4,144 at the end of August 2020 to 5,301 at the end of December 2021, a staggering increase of about 28 percent.
Caracterización nutricional y fitoquímica de hojas, flor y fruto de Prosopis laevigata
Authors: García-Azpeitia Lilia , Montalvo-González Efigenia , Loza-Cornejo Sofía
Published: June 2022

Antecedentes: Es importante el aprovechamiento sustentable de plantas nativas para consumo humano y para la incorporación como ingrediente en nuevos alimentos. Los frutos de Prosopis laevigata se han utilizado ocasionalmente para consumo humano; sin embargo, pueden constituir una fuente sustentable de nutrientes y metabolitos secundarios.
Preguntas y/o Hipótesis: ¿Cuál es el contenido de nutrientes y la fitoquímica de hojas, flores y frutos de Prosopis leavigata ?
Especies de estudio/Descripción de datos/Modelo matemático: Prosopis laevigata , familia Fabaceae, partes reproductivas (flor y fruto) y parte vegetativa (hoja).
Sitio y años de estudio: Portugalejo de los Romanes, Lagos de Moreno, Jalisco. De 2018-2020
Métodos: Se determinaron los sólidos solubles, pH, acidez e índice de madurez en el fruto. Se evaluó el contenido de nutrientes de la hoja, flor, y fruto; así como los macro y microelementos en hoja, fruto y semilla; mientras que fenoles solubles, taninos condensados, polifenoles hidrolizables y alcaloides totales fueron determinados en hoja, flor y fruto.
Resultados: Hubo diferencias significativas en el contenido de nutrientes entre órganos. El contenido de compuestos fenólicos y alcaloides fue mayor en la flor. Los compuestos fenólicos con mayor concentración en la flor fueron los ácidos 4- hidroxibenzoico, r-coumárico y gálico, en la hoja los ácidos 4- hidroxibenzoico, clorogénico y r-coumárico, y en fruto los ácidos gálico, cinámico y r-coumárico.
Conclusiones: El contenido de nutrientes, minerales y fitoquímicos permite concluir que esta especie puede constituir una fuente de metabolitos primarios, minerales y compuestos funcionales para el consumo humano o animal y para la obtención de subproductos.
Evaluasi Audit Internal Sesuai ISO/IEC 17025/2017 Dalam Memberi Nilai Tambah Organisasi
Authors: Pramukti Septi Rizkine
Published: June 2022

Audit internal menjadi bagian tak terpisahkan dalam penerapan sistem manajemen pada suatu organisasi. Hasil dari audit internal digunakan sebagai saran perbaikan dan pengembangan sehingga dapat memberikan nilai tambah untuk organisasi. Laboratorium Uji dan Kalibrasi PRTBBN telah terakreditasi ISO/IEC 17025/2017 oleh KAN sehingga melakukan audit setiap tahunnya mengacu pada ISO/IEC 17025/2017. Hasil audit internal selama 4 tahun yaitu tahun 2018, 2019, 2020 dan 2021 terdapat temuan dengan porsi terbanyak dan berulang yaitu klausul 6.4 (Peralatan) sebanyak 18,67%, 7.5 (Rekaman Teknis) sebanyak 11,48% dan 8.4 (Pengendalian Rekaman) sebanyak 11,48%. Hasil ini menunjukan bahwa pada klausul-klausul tersebut masih perlu dilakukan perbaikan dan peningkatan. Analisis pada setiap klausul dilakukan dengan diagram fishbone sehingga dapat diketahui akar masalahnya
Kajian Risiko Operasional Pada Pengembangan Sistem Kegempaan Reaktor RSG-GAS
Authors: Satriyo, S.Si Agung , Sukmana Jaja
Published: June 2022

ABSTRAKKAJIAN RISIKO OPERASIONAL PADA PENGEMBANGAN SISTEM KEGEMPAAN REAKTOR RSG-GAS. Sistem pamantauan kegempaan yang terdapat di panel tegak Ruang Kendali Utama reaktor Serba Guna-G.A. Siwabessy berfungsi memberikan peringatan adanya kejadian gempa kepada Supervisor reaktor. Pengambilan keputusan dengan kurangnya indikator yang kurang spesifik, akan mengakibatkan beberapa dampak negatif yang didasari human eror. Hal ini didasari akibat belum adanya perangkat instrumentasi yang dapat menampilkan nilai percepatan tanah secara realtime. Sistem instrumentasi kegempaan di reaktor RSG-GAS berupa indikator lampu yang membagi alarm gempa menjadi dua tingkat, yaitu alarm “seismic recording” (level 1) dan alarm “eathquake” (level 2). Keduanya tidak dapat menghentikan operasi reaktor secara otomatis, namun berfungsi memberikan peringatan kepada Supervisor untuk mengambil keputusan melanjutkan atau menghentikan operasi reaktor. Dengan demikian diperlukan kajian (termasuk kajian risiko) untuk pengembangan sistem instrumentasi kegempaan yang lebih bermanfaat secara teknis. Kajian risiko ini melakukan identifikasi potensi hambatan yang meliputi pengenalan kegiatan dan pengenalan potensi hambatan. Melakukan penilaian risiko sesuai dengan ruang lingkup, sifat, dan waktu untuk memastikan agar bersifat proaktif dan bukan reaktif; dan identifikasi prioritas, serta aplikasi pengendalian yang sesuai. Dari penilaian  risiko operasional yang dilakukan diperoleh peringkat penilaian risiko paling besar adalah 16 dan 15. Hal ini berarti peringkat penilaian risiko mempunyai predikat ‘D’ dengan risiko belum dapat diterima, sehingga perlu dilakukan tindakan pengendalian tambahan yang diprioritaskan. Kata kunci: Gempa bumi, alarm, SSE, risiko.
Performance of 113Sn/113mIn Generator Prototype based on Zirconium Oxide for Radiotracer Applications in Industry
Authors: Setiawan Duyeh , Suherman Ade , Mulyati Titin Sri
Published: June 2022

This paper describes the results of the research of 113Sn/113m radioisotope generator at the Centre for Applied Nuclear Science and Technology - National Nuclear Energy Agency with the aim of making radioisotope generator for radiotracer applications in industry. This research discussed the need of short half-life radiotracer for several material phases such as oil, water, gas and solid. Based on desired physical properties of half life, radiation type and energy, 113mIn radioisotope was selected. Thus, the performance of 113Sn/113mIn generator prototype based on zirconium oxide was determined for this purpose. The final product specification in the form of 113mInCl3 is clear solution, pH 2 with obtained yield of 95 %, radionuclide purity of 95 % and radiochemical purity of 95 %.
The psychosocial effect of the COVID-19 national lockdown on Dentistry and Oral Hygiene students
Authors: Basson Reneda , Smit Dirk , Maart Ronel D , Gordon Natalie
Published: June 2022

The COVID-19 lockdown has had a psychological and social impact on dental students globally. To determine the psychosocial effect on students enrolled in dentistry and oral hygiene courses at UWC. To determine the psychosocial effects (living conditions, levels of anxiety, fear of COVID-19, and food security levels) experienced by students during the lockdown. A descriptive, cross-sectional study using a quantitative approach was used. Methods: A randomised sample (n=250), stratified by sex and academic year group, comprising undergraduate oral hygiene BOH total students = 90 and dentistry BDS total students = 450 (UWC, 2020) was used. Data was gathered via an online survey, (Google Forms). Survey questions included the GAD-7, FCV-19S questionnaire, and Food Security scales. The data were analysed using Epi Info 7. The response rate was 36% (n=90); 69.67% were female; the mean age was 22.34 (SD = 2.66); 91% lived with their parents during lockdown. Students’ main sources of funding were parents (47%), NSFAS or bursary (42%) and self-funded (11%). Substantial psychosocial effects with high anxiety (33%), fear of COVID-19 (47.3 %), and a lesser effect for food insecurity (FI) (5.49%) was reported. The study showed that the COVID-19 pandemic has contributed to psychosocial effects in a discipline that under ‘normal” conditions is experienced as stressful. This requires educational institutions to develop a targeted approach through relevant support systems that would identify vulnerable students at critical times.
Maxillofacial Radiology 199
Authors: Smit Chané , Yakoob Zarah
Published: June 2022

Both patients presented with extensive sclerosis limited to the tooth-bearing regions of the jaws. The areas affected by secondary osteomyelitis show radiolucent zones surrounding the radiopaque lesions (Figure 1). The first patient presented with a jaw fracture following a failed extraction attempt (Figure 1- arrow). Due to the extensive bony sclerosis, associated impacted teeth are common (Figure 2).
Evaluation of feasibility, effectiveness, and sustainability of school-based physical activity “active break” interventions in pre-adolescent and adolescent students: a systematic review
Authors: Masini Alice , Ceciliani Andrea , Dallolio Laura , Gori Davide , Marini Sofia
Published: June 2022

Objective

The present systematic review aimed to investigate the impact of school-based physical activity (PA) interventions of “active breaks” on PA levels, classroom behaviour, cognitive functions, and well-being in pre-adolescents and adolescents attending secondary and high school.

Methods

In March 2021, we performed a systematic research in CINAHL, Cochrane Library, Embase, MedLine, and PsycINFO databases and through grey literature. Quality assessment was performed in accordance with the Cochrane Tool for Quality Assessment for RCTs and the STROBE tool for observational studies. We included studies that investigated classroom PA interventions led by teachers such as active breaks or physically active lessons on PA levels, classroom behaviour, cognitive function, and quality of life in pre-adolescent and adolescent population attending secondary and high school.

Synthesis

Three studies met the inclusion criteria. Two studies showed a positive effect of active breaks on students’ classroom behaviour and quality of life. One study registered a positive effect in the increase in school PA levels; unfortunately, this effect was not found in the overall levels of PA or in the reduction of sedentary behaviour. All three studies showed the feasibility and acceptability of active breaks intervention in secondary and high school settings.

Conclusion

This systematic review suggests the potential benefit of this type of intervention integrated in the secondary and high school curriculum on classroom behaviour, school PA levels, and well-being.
Öğrenme Analitiklerinin Öğrenme Tasarımı ile Çerçevelendirilmesi Üzerine Bir Derleme Çalışması
Authors: YILDIRIM Denizer
Published: June 2022

Öğrenme Tasarımı, öğrenci hangi aktiviteyi ne zaman, ne kadar sürede ve hangi sırada yaparsa daha iyi öğrenebilir sorusunun yanıtlanması için bir topluluk etkileşimini tanımlamaktadır. Öğrenme tasarımının iyileştirilmesi için öğrenme analitikleri kanıta dayalı olarak içgörü oluşturulması, karar alınması ve eyleme geçilmesi yönünden önemlidir. Bu içgörü, karar ve eylemlerin farklı durumlara transfer edilebilmesi için öğrenme analitiklerin hangi öğrenme tasarımı bağlamında kullanıldığına daha fazla odaklanılması gereksinimi ortaya çıkmaktadır. Bu çalışmada, öğrenme analitikleri sürecinin niçin öğrenme tasarımı ile çevrelenmesi gereksiniminden ve alanyazındaki çerçevelerin sunduğu geniş bakış açılarından yola çıkarak; öğrenme analitiklerine dayalı içgörü, karar ve eylemlerin daha işlevsel olması için, öğrenme analitiklerinin hangi bağlamda ele alındığını kolaylaştıracak çerçeveler özetlenmiş ve daha işlevsel bulunanlar tartışılmıştır. E-öğrenme için öğrenme türleri ve etkinlik tasarımı olarak önerilen öğrenme tasarımı çerçeveleri, Öğrenme Yönetim Sistemi (ÖYS) içerisinde online derslerin tasarımında kolaylıkla kullanılabilecek sınıflamalar içermektedir. Analitik Katmanları Çerçevesi bir öğrenme analitiği uygulamasında hangi analitiklere odaklanılacağı konusunu çok boyutlu bir perspektiften örneklendirmektedir. Tartışılan çerçevelerin gelecekteki çalışmalar için temel alınması, öğrenme tasarımı ve öğrenme analitikleri etkileşiminden doğan içgörü, karar ve eylemlerin farklı bağlamlar için güncellenerek uygulanmasını mümkün hale getirebilir.
Digitaler Zwilling für eine modulare Offshore-Plattform
Authors: Dittler Daniel , Häbig Pascal , Mößner Nikola , Demirel Gökhan , Müller Timo , Jazdi Nasser , Hufendieck Kai , Weyrich Michael
Published: June 2022

Die Produktion von Wasserstoff und Folgeprodukten unter Nutzung erneuerbarer Energien gilt als großer Hoffnungsträger für das Erreichen einer Klimaneutralität. Im Rahmen des Leitprojekts H2Mare soll der Betrieb einer Offshore-Plattform für Power-to-X-Produktionsprozesse erforscht und erprobt werden. Im vorliegenden Beitrag wird zunächst das Projektkonzept einer modularen Offshore-Plattform skizziert. Anschließend werden mit dem Digitalen Zwilling und dem System zur optimalen Betriebsführung zwei Forschungsansätze präsentiert, die zur Effizienzsteigerung dieser Produktionsprozesse  beitragen sollen.
The Problematic of Conceiving Human Rights as Legal Demand-Rights
Authors: Dávila Johnny Antonio
Published: June 2022

Margaret Gilbert’s approach to human rights asserts that these are demand-rights that may be moral or legal. As legal rights, human rights result exclusively from an international practice in which States hold a leading position. This paper offers a critique of Gilbert’s prominent approach to conceptualising human rights as legal demand-rights. I hold here that her state-centric approach does not correctly represent the international practice of human rights and may reinforce the dominant role of States vis-à-vis the individual, which contradicts our contemporary understanding of human rights. If Gilbert’s approach is followed in the way she has proposed, the realisation of these rights could be even more difficult. Such outcome can be avoided by accepting the dual (legal and moral) nature of human rights.
Making Sense of it: Why Democracy (and Feminism) Needs to Go Beyond Binary Citizenship
Authors: Vázquez García Rafael
Published: June 2022

This text assumes and departs from three basic premises: 1) identities are not born but constructed through repeated performative actions that are in turn informed by existing social constructions of gender; 2) analysing and understanding the ways in which gender is shared and historically constructed can lead to a construction of gender that goes beyond the binary system on which heteronormativity depends; 3) feminism is inherently democratic and entails the consolidation of the very conception of ​​democracy. If feminism wants to remain so, it concludes, it cannot but embrace the theoretical framework and action of non-binary citizenship conceived by Queer Theory.
Case Study on Intra-mathematical Connections when Solving Tasks Associated with the Classification of Groups of Prime Order
Authors: Zubillaga-Guerrero Erika , Rodríguez-Vásquez Flor Monserrat , Romero-Valencia Jesús
Published: June 2022

In Abstract Algebra, isomorphism is a difficult concept to understand for undergraduate students. However, Mathematics Education suggests that it is necessary to promote mathematical connections in students to foster their understanding, that is, to help them establish relationships between two or more ideas, concepts, definitions, theorems, procedures, representations, or meanings, with other disciplines and with real life situations. This paper presents some intra-mathematical connections on the classification of groups of prime order that emerged during task solving, which were based on a historical and epistemological analysis of the concept of isomorphic groups. This research is a case study, where an interview was applied for data collection, and qualitative text analysis was performed. As a result, fourteen connections associated with the concepts of group, subgroup, cyclic groups, isomorphism, isomorphic groups, and the Lagrange theorem were identified, involved in the classification of prime order groups. We concluded that the tasks designed with a historical foundation enhance a deep understanding from the connected appreciation of concepts, theorems, methods, and algorithms.
Home Alone: Exploring Childcare Options to Remove Barriers to Second Childbearing in Belarus
Authors: Ishchanova Kamila
Published: June 2022

This study investigates the relationship between childcare usage and parents’ intentions to have a second child in Belarus. Previous research has established that low fertility in Belarus can be primarily explained by falling second birth rates. However, a substantial research gap remains regarding the determinants of the low rate of second childbearing in Belarus. Based on a comprehensive review of hypothesised fertility barriers and family policy options in Belarus, this study leverages data from the Belarusian Generations and Gender Survey (GGS) from 2017 to examine the relationship between formal, informal, and mixed childcare usage and parents’ intention to have a second child. The analysis is based on fertile individuals aged 18–45 who have a partner and one biological child under 11 years old (i.e., up to the age at which children leave primary school). The model controls for sex, age, education, respondents’ economic wellbeing, the employment status of both partners, and the age of their child. Applying logistic regression, the analysis demonstrates that mixed childcare support increases respondents’ intentions to have an additional child. Having a child aged 3–6 years, being below 26 years old and male, are also associated with a higher likelihood of intentions to have a second child. No association was found between economic wellbeing or employment status and second‐parity fertility intentions. The results of this study suggest that gender‐egalitarian family policy instruments that improve institutional childcare and that incentivise men to participate in childcare could reduce barriers to second childbearing in Belarus.
Syndrome of venous compression neuropathy in patients with pelvic varicose veins
Authors: Kapto A. A.
Published: June 2022

The study objective is to investigate the pathogenesis of the development of pelvic symptoms in patients with pelvic varicose veins.

Materials and methods. From 2015 to 2022, 145 men with pelvic varicose veins were examined. The examination included questioning of patients using questionnaires (scales) and instrumental methods: 1) ultrasound examination of the scrotum with color Doppler mapping; 2) transrectal ultrasound examination of the prostate and veins of the periprostatic plexus; 3) magnetic resonance imaging of the inferior vena cava and pelvic vessels or computer (multispiral) tomography of the abdominal organs with contrast; 4) phlebography of the renocaval and ileocaval segments.

Results. The variant anatomy of fibrous and fibro-osseous canals (tunnels) can explain the fact that with equally pronounced expansion of the pelvic veins, some patients have pelvic symptoms due to nerve compression, while the other part does not. This concept is supported by the fact that in those patients who had complaints of pain, dysuria and erectile dysfunction, after surgical treatment of pelvic varicose veins, in most cases they disappeared or decreased.

Conclusion. Pain syndrome (56.6 % of cases), erectile dysfunction (51 % of cases) and dysuria (17.9 % of cases) were noted as clinical manifestations in patients with pelvic varicose veins. Analysis of data after examination and treatment of patients with pelvic varicose veins allowed us to identify “venous compression neuropathy syndrome” as a probable cause of the development of pelvic symptoms in patients with pelvic varicose veins. Depending on the level of localization of nerve compression by varicose veins, we proposed to distinguish three forms of this syndrome: 1) thoracic, 2) lumbar, and 3) sacral form.
Advantages of semen analysis by quantitative kariological analysis of immature germ cells in azoospermic and cryptozoospermic patients
Authors: Shtaut M. I. , Sorokina T. M. , Chernykh V. B. , Kurilo L. F.
Published: June 2022

Introduction. Obtaining spermatozoa in azoospermic men is a relevant objective. Quantitative karyological analysis of immature germ cells (QKA IGCs) allows to characterize the progression of spermatogenesis through different meiotic stages, that present some advantages in comparison with standard semen analysis (SSA) examination and testicular biopsy.

The study objective was to analyze SSA and QKA IGCs for detecting of germ cells in the ejaculate of patients with suspected azoospermia.

Materials and methods. The ejaculate samples of 20 men with suspected azoospermia of various etiology (genetically determined and idiopathic male infertility) were studied. The ejaculate samples were processed in parallel by two methods, SSA performed according to the WHO laboratory manual for the examination and processing of human semen (2010) and QKA IGCs.

Results. Using by the SSA, cryptozoospermia was detected in 1 (5 %) of 20 ejaculate samples. QKA IGCs revealed cryptozoospermia in 10 (50 %) samples, including 53 % of patients (with azoospermia according to SSA). The number of spermatozoa in the ejaculate sediment as a result of QKA IGСs (2.25 ± 4.22) is higher (p = 0.019; U = 113) than the number of spermatozoa as a result of the SSA – 0.25 ± 1.12.

Conclusion. In patients with suspected azoospermia, the effectiveness of detecting cryptozoospermia using the QKA IGCs method is significantly (10 times) higher than the SSA. This method complements SSA and makes it possible to detect non-invasively the meiosis defects, including cases with an extremely low concentration of spermatozoa. The analysis is safe for the patient and can be performed repeatedly to track the dynamics of semen parameters.
Immunophenotypic characteristics of the fibrous component of the blood-testis barrier when using cell therapy for azoospermia treatment
Authors: Epifanova M. V. , Demyashkin G. A. , Kostin A. A. , Gameeva E. V. , Artemenko S. A. , Epifanov A. A.
Published: June 2022

Objective. Immunohistochemistry testicular tissue collagens evaluation in the treatment of azoospermia with platelet-rich plasma (PRP) and extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT).

Materials and methods. We used biopsy material of testicular fragments from 14 patients with an established diagnosis of secretory azoospermia before and after the use of PRP plus ESWT (patent granted RU2738543 from 14.12.2020). The mean age was 33.07 ± 4.64 (28–43 years), the mean duration of the disease – 4,1 ± 2,26 years (1–9 years). All participants received 2 therapy sessions per week during 6 weeks. 1st session included ultrasound-guided PRP injections into testicles and spermatic cords, finally PRP was activated with ESWT (Dornier Aries), 2nd session included ESWT per testicles and epididymis. Immunohistochemistry analysis with antibodies to collagen types I, III and IV of patient’s biopsies with azoospermia were completed on 90 days before treatment and 180 days from last PRP-injection.

Results. Before PRP and ESWT therapy: type I collagen was 22.9 ± 4.2 % (p <0.05), type III collagen – 7.3 ± 2.2 % (p <0.05), type IV collagen – 21.4 ± 1.5 % (p <0.05); after combined therapy: type I collagen – 27.3 ± 5.7 % (p <0.05), type III collagen – 7.2 ± 1.5 % (p <0.05), type IV collagen – 32.2 ± 2.6 % (p <0.05).

Conclusion. The production of biologically active substances against the background of PRP and ESWT therapy stimulates the collagen various types synthesis, which promotes to the restoration of the fibrous component of the blood-testicular barrier and improves spermatogenesis.
Loss of penile length following radical prostatectomy
Authors: Osadchinskii A. E. , Kotov S. V.
Published: June 2022

Introduction. The majority of patients who undergo radical prostatectomy, apart from loss of sexual function, note a decrease in penis size which negatively affects their self-esteem. Penile rehabilitation is a set of measures aimed at recovery of sexual function to improve the quality of life.

Objective. To analyze various options for penile rehabilitation in order to choose a method for preventing penis size reduction in patients undergoing nerve-sparing radical prostatectomy.

Materials and methods. Patients who undergo radical prostatectomy (n = 83) at status flaccid and status erect were measured: length, circumference of the base, body and glans penis (mm) at different periods of penile rehabilitation. As a control, the tumescence coefficient was determined using pharmacodopplerography. All results were evaluated before, at the 6th and 12th months after radical prostatectomy.

Results. Depending on the type of restoration of erectile function, the patients were divided into several groups: group 1 – men without penile rehabilitation; group 2 – patients treated with phosphodiesterase inhibitors of type 5; group 3 – using vacuum erection device (VED) and group 4 – taking combined penile rehabilitation. Medians of tumescence coefficient in group 1 on the 6th and 12th months was 2.7 (2.4; 3.1) and 2.6 (1.9; 2.9), in group 2 – 2.8 (2.2; 3.5) and 2.9 (2.2; 3.5), in group 3 – 2.7 (2.3; 3.3) and 2.8 (2.3; 3.3), in group 4 – 3.0 (2.2; 3.2) and 3.1 (2.1; 3.2), respectively (p <0.05).

Conclusion. The determination of the tumescence coefficient in dynamics showed more significant results throughout the entire observation period. Combined penile rehabilitation is an effective method of restoring erectile function and also allows to maintain the size of the penis at all follow-up periods.
Delayed reconstruction of the bladder and rectum after evisceration of the pelvic organs in patients with relapse of malignant neoplasms and radiation injuries (2 clinical observations)
Authors: Korotkov V. A. , Petrov L.  O. , Kasymov M. R. , Pasov V. V. , Skoropad V. Y. , Tivkova L. V. , Yamshchikova A. S. , Gunko I. R. , Naumov N. P. , Kaprin A. D. , Ivanov S. A.
Published: June 2022

The study presents two clinical observations of delayed reconstructive surgeries: 1) in a patient with recto-bladder fistula formed after a course of external beam therapy due to recurrent prostate cancer; 2) in a patient with progressing cervical carcinosarcoma, tumor invasion in the bladder wall, and metastases in the rectoperineal lymph nodes. Absence of standards of care, algorithms of diagnostic and surgical manipulations for this patient category creates a need for personalized approach to the stated problems. An interdisciplinary meeting allows to realize a plan of surgical help for these patients to address oncological process and complications of its treatment. At the reconstructive stage, we used techniques of formation of a new continent heterotopic reservoir from the ileocecal segment and coloanal anastomosis. The presented clinical observations are interesting due to delayed stage of reconstructive interventions which in the absence of progression of the main disease allows to perform correcting operations to improve patients’ quality of life.
Monitoring of Intentional Self-Harm as a Tool to Detect Mental Disorders and Improve Access to Psychiatric Care
Authors: Boev Oleg I. , Bychkova Olga G.
Published: June 2022

BACKGROUND: This article discusses the early diagnosis of mental disorders in connection with non-fatal intentional self-harm and suicide prevention.
AIM: To substantiate the efficacy of an intentional self-harm monitoring system as a tool for detecting mental disorders and improving access to psychiatric care for people who have attempted suicide.
METHODS: A cohort study was performed using materials obtained after the introduction of an intentional self-harm monitoring system and its implementation in the Stavropol Territory. We studied 2738 cases of intentional self-harm reported between 2016 and 2021. Study data were grouped using dual criteria based on a history of psychiatric follow-up, a history of psychiatric counseling, first/recurrent intentional self-harm, psychiatric examination after intentional self-harm, and a diagnosis of a mental disorder on psychiatric examination.
RESULTS: The official suicide attempt registration system was found to identify less than 15% of attempts. The primary incidence of mental disorders in suicide attempters was 61.4 times higher than the primary incidence of mental disorders in the general population of the Stavropol Territory. A supposedly healthy suicide attempter was 169 times more likely to be diagnosed with a mental disorder than a member of the general population. Primary diagnoses of mental disorders were 14.8 times more common in multiple suicide attempters without a diagnosis of a mental disorder at the time of the last attempt than in first-time attempters. Access to psychiatric care increases the mental disorder diagnosis rate in general and in suicide attempters in particular.
CONCLUSION: Monitoring of intentional self-harm is instrumental in the early diagnosis of mental disorders, suicide prevention, and improving access to psychiatric care for suicide attempters, also having an enormous research potential.
Effect of prophylactic beta-glucan use on the incidence of neutropenic fever and survival rates in pediatric patients with sarcoma
Authors: ÖZKAN Ayşe , KÜPELİ Serhan , ÇİL Metin , SEZGİN Gülay , BAYRAM İbrahim
Published: June 2022

Purpose: Some patients with cancer use herbal therapy as an adjunct while receiving conventional cancer treatments. Beta-glucans have direct cytotoxic effects on cancer cells as well as stimulatory effects on the immune system. In this study, a nutritional supplement containing 1,3-1,6 beta-glucan obtained from baker's yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) was used by patients diagnosed with sarcoma, and this study aimed to retrospectively evaluate the effect of beta-glucan use on the incidence of neutropenic fever (NF) and survival rates.

Materials and Methods: Among the patients diagnosed with sarcoma between 2014 and 2017, 27 patients who used beta-glucan were included in the beta-glucan group, and 31 patients who did not use beta-glucan were included in the control group. The clinical records of patients were retrospectively analyzed.

Results: The number of patients who had NF and the mean length of hospital stay due to NF were higher in the beta-glucan group than those in the control group, but the results were not statistically significant. The overall survival rates at 5 years were 83.3% and 52.9% and event-free survival rates at 5 years were 48.1% and 71% in the beta-glucan and control groups, respectively.

Conclusion: The effect of prophylactic beta-glucan use on the incidence of NF and survival rates in pediatric patients with sarcoma should be evaluated more reliably in further prospective studies on a large patient group.
Comparison of inflammation-based parameters and MELD-XI score with 4C mortality score in predicting in-hospital mortality in COVID-19
Authors: ÇELİK Çaşıt Olgun , ÇIFTCI Orçun , ÖZER Nurtaç , MÜDERRİSOĞLU Haldun
Published: June 2022

Purpose: In this study, we compared the roles of inflammatory parameters such as neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet/lymphocyte ratio (PLR), C-reactive protein/lymphocyte ratio (CLR), monocyte/lymphocyte ratio (MLR), neutrophil/platelet ratio (NPR), neutrophil/monocyte ratio (NMR), CRP/albumin ratio (CAR), BUN/albumin ratio (BAR), MELD-XI score and 4C mortality score in predicting in-hospital mortality risk in COVID-19.

Materials and Methods: A total of 117 patients over 18 years old with a PCR-confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19 between June 2020 and February 2021 were retrospectively included. The roles of parameters for independently predicting in-hospital mortality were determined and compared with each other using appropriate statistical methods.

Results: Age, chronic kidney disease, diabetes mellitus, acute kidney injury, and length of hospital stay, urea, creatinine, LDH, AST, ferritin, D-dimer, CRP, albumin, Hb, CLR, BAR, CAR, MELD-XI score, and 4C mortality score were significantly correlated to in-hospital mortality. However, only the 4C mortality score and AST independently predicted in-hospital mortality in COVID-19 [OR 2.08 (%95 CI 1.06-2.36), for 4C mortality score, and OR 1.05 (%95 CI 1.00-1.10), for AST].

Conclusion: Unlike other mortality-related inflammatory parameters, the 4C mortality score and AST were independent and strong predictors of mortality in hospitalized COVID-19 patients.
Uterine leiomyomatosis as a rare cause of tumor thrombus presenting with abnormal uterine bleeding
Authors: ERBAY Gürcan , PEHLİVAN Umur Anıl
Published: June 2022

Uterine leiomyomatosis as a rare cause of tumor thrombus presenting with abnormal uterine bleeding
Predictive value of systemic immune-inflammation index in patients with preterm labor
Authors: SOYKAN SERT Zekiye , BÜLBÜL Ramazan
Published: June 2022

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate whether the systemic immune-inflammatory index (SII) could predict the development of preterm labor in pregnant women.

Materials and Methods: Pregnant women aged 18 years and over who presented to our clinic with spontaneous labor between January 1, 2018, and December 31, 2021, had intact membranes, and had a single living fetus were retrospectively evaluated. The women were divided into two groups, preterm and term delivery, according to the week of delivery. The clinical and laboratory characteristics of the women were assessed. The patients’ platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), and SII (neutrophil count x platelet count/lymphocyte count) were calculated.

Results: The study included 171 women with preterm labor and 173 women with healthy term labor. The PLR, NLR, and SII values were statistically significantly higher in the preterm group than in the term group. The multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that SII (odds ratio [OR]: 3.65, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.21–10.07) was an independent predictor of the development of preterm labor. We found that the power of SII to predict preterm labor (area under the curve [AUC]: 0.792) was higher than that of NLR (AUC: 0.725) or PLR (AUC: 0.716) alone. SII values higher than 789.3 predicted preterm labor with 68.4% sensitivity and 81.5% specificity.

Conclusion: We found that SII was more valuable than NLR and PLR in the early detection of preterm labor. SII can help identify pregnant women at risk of developing preterm labor in the early stages of pregnancy.
Combining Deep Learning and the Source-Scanning Algorithm for Improved Seismic Monitoring
Authors: Dokht Ramin M. H. , Kao Honn , Ghofrani Hadi , Visser Ryan
Published: June 2022

In this study, we develop an integrated framework for simultaneous detection of seismic events and picking phase arrival times, phase association, and locating earthquakes. The proposed model combines the accuracy of convolutional neural networks for classification tasks and the efficiency of waveform-based algorithms for identifying coherent seismic arrivals. We find that our model strongly dominates the classic techniques, especially in identifying small magnitude earthquakes. We apply our model to one month of continuous seismic data recorded in western Canada for monitoring seismic activity associated with fluid injection operations. In comparison with previously developed deep-learning models, our technique reveals a nearly identical performance without human interaction during the entire process of picking the phase arrival times and locating the associated events.
A Consistently Processed Strong-Motion Database for Chilean Earthquakes
Authors: Castro Sebastián , Benavente Roberto , Crempien Jorge G. F. , Candia Gabriel , de la Llera Juan Carlos
Published: June 2022

Since the 1985 M 8.0 central Chile earthquake, national strong-motion seismic networks have recorded ten megathrust earthquakes with magnitudes greater than M 7.5 at the convergent margin, defined by the contact between the Nazca and South American plates. The analysis of these earthquake records have led to improved hazard analyses and design codes for conventional and seismically protected structures. Although strong-motion baseline correction is required for a meaningful interpretation of these records, correction methods have not been applied consistently in time. The inconsistencies between correction methods have been neglected in the practical use of these records in practice. Consequently, this work aims to provide a new strong-motion database for researchers and engineers, which has been processed by traceable and consistent data processing techniques. The record database comes from three uncorrected strong motion Chilean databases. All the records are corrected using a four-step novel methodology, which detects the P-wave arrival and introduces a baseline correction based on the reversible-jump Markov chain Monte Carlo method. The resulting strong motion database has more than 2000 events from 1985 to the date, and it is available to download at the Simulation Based Earthquake Risk and Resilience of Interdependent Systems and Networks (SIBER-RISK) project website.
On Computing Generalized Watershed Boundaries of Polygonal Regions in Digital Elevation Models
Authors:   , Schwartz Daniel Ethan , Shokoufandeh Ali
Published: June 2022

Flow Direction Grids (FDGs) are commonly used to describe the effects of fluvial systems on the watershed or the local stream reach. We propose a novel alternative approach that captures all FDG cells within a surface flow distance that is less than or greater than a user-defined threshold. Existing techniques for identifying constrained watershed boundaries require manual computations that run in quadratic complexity as a function of the number of cells on their boundary. Our research describes a computational model to identify and retrieve watershed boundaries for arbitrary simple geometries where flow can be constrained by a user-defined threshold. Specifically, we propose a linear-time algorithm with respect to the length of the output geometric boundary to identify and retrieve constrained watershed boundaries for any query region. This algorithm leverages a novel data structure, the Constrained Modified Interval Search Tree.
İnsülin direncinin akut pankreatit şiddetine etkisi
Authors: KESKİN Enes , ALTINKAYA Engin
Published: June 2022

Giriş ve Amaç: Akut pankreatit, pankreasın çeşitli nedenlere bağlı inflamasyonudur. Tüm dünyada önemli bir morbidite ve mortalite nedenidir. Metabolik sendromun önemli bir komponenti olan insülin direncinin inflamatuvar bir durum olması nedeniyle akut pankreatit hastalarında hastalık şiddetini etkileyebileceği düşünülmektedir. Çalışmamızda insülin direncinin akut pankreatit şiddeti ile ilişkisini araştırmayı ve diğer prognostik faktörlerle karşılaştırmayı amaçladık. Gereç ve Yöntem: Çalışmamızda klinikte akut pankreatit tanısı ile yatarak tedavi almış 84 hasta değerlendirmeye alınmıştır. Çalışmamız prospektif olarak dizayn edilmiştir. Akut pankreatit şiddetini belirlemek için hastaların laboratuvar ve görüntüleme bulguları kullanılarak Atlanta Sınıflandırması, 'Bedside Index of Severity in Acute Pancreatitis' skoru, Imrie skoru, Ranson skoru, Balthazar skoru belirlenmiştir. Hastalarda insülin direnci değerlendirilmesi için “İnsülin Direncinin Homeostatik Modeli Değerlendirmesi” skoru kullanılmıştır. Buna göre insülin direnci olan ve olmayan gruplar arasında hastalık şiddeti açısından fark olup olmadığı araştırılmıştır. Bulgular: Hastaların %45.2’si insülin direnci olan grupta yer aldı. Atlanta sınıflandırmasına göre 6 hasta (%7.1) şiddetli akut pankreatit olarak sınıflandırıldı. 4 hasta prerenal akut böbrek hasarı gelişmesi ve 2 hasta sepsis ve yoğun bakım gereksinimi olması nedeniyle şiddetli akut pankreatit olarak değerlendirildi. Hastalık şiddeti açısından yapılan Receiver Operating Characteristic analizinde Balthazar ve “Yatak başı akut pankreatit şiddet indeksi” skorunun hastaların prognozunu belirlemede güçlü oldukları görüldü (sırasıyla eğri altındaki alan; 0.955 ve 0.979). İnsülin direnci olan grubun “Yatak başı akut pankreatit şiddet indeksi” ve Balthazar skorları, insülin direnci olmayan grup ile karşılaştırıldığında istatistiksel olarak anlamlı farklılık saptandı (sırasıyla p = 0.019 ve p = 0.013). Sonuç: Çalışmamızda insülin direnci olan akut pankreatit hastalarında “Yatak başı akut pankreatit şiddet indeksi” ve Balthazar skorlarının yüksek saptanması, insülin direnci varlığının akut pankreatitin şiddetli seyretmesi yönünde prognostik bir faktör olarak kullanılabileceğini düşündürmektedir.