bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A New Few-Shot Learning Method of Bacterial Colony Counting Based on the Edge Computing Device
Authors: Zhang Beini , Zhou Zhentao , Cao Wenbin , Qi Xirui , Xu Chen , Wen Weijia
Published: January 2022

Bacterial colony counting is a time consuming but important task for many fields, such as food quality testing and pathogen detection, which own the high demand for accurate on-site testing. However, bacterial colonies are often overlapped, adherent with each other, and difficult to precisely process by traditional algorithms. The development of deep learning has brought new possibilities for bacterial colony counting, but deep learning networks usually require a large amount of training data and highly configured test equipment. The culture and annotation time of bacteria are costly, and professional deep learning workstations are too expensive and large to meet portable requirements. To solve these problems, we propose a lightweight improved YOLOv3 network based on the few-shot learning strategy, which is able to accomplish high detection accuracy with only five raw images and be deployed on a low-cost edge device. Compared with the traditional methods, our method improved the average accuracy from 64.3% to 97.4% and decreased the False Negative Rate from 32.1% to 1.5%. Our method could greatly improve the detection accuracy, realize the portability for on-site testing, and significantly save the cost of data collection and annotation over 80%, which brings more potential for bacterial colony counting.
Enhancing the In Vitro Biological Activity of Degraded Silk Sericin and Its Analog Metabolites
Authors: Wei Zhen-Zhen , Weng Yu-Jie , Zhang Yu-Qing
Published: January 2022

Two sericins of high and low molecular weight (HS and LS) were prepared from commercial silkworm cocoon silk with a boiling water and Ca(OH)2 solution with ultrasonic treatments, respectively. This study first investigated the release concentration of the two abovementioned sericins in simulated saliva, gastric juice, and intestinal juice (pH 6.8, 2.0, and 7.4, respectively) within 10 h. The results showed that the order of sericin release rate and its amount in the simulated environment was gastric juice > saliva > intestinal juice. Second, the molecular weights of both sericin metabolites formed by in vitro enzymatic degradation were lower than 15 kDa. The α-glucosidase inhibitory activities of both sericins and their analog metabolites were positively correlated with their concentrations. The IC50 values of the HS- and LS-derived metabolites were 1.02 ± 0.12 mg/mL and 0.91 ± 0.15 mg/mL, respectively, which were five to seven times lower than those of both original sericins. The total antioxidant capacities and hydroxyl radical scavenging capacities of both metabolites were enhanced by one- to three-fold compared with HS and LS. These results indicate that both sericins, regardless of molecular size, have significantly enhanced antioxidant, superoxide free radical scavenging, and glycosidase inhibitory activities after simulated metabolism, and that LS is better than HS regardless of simulated digestion. These results confirm that sericin is important in the sustainable development and utilization of silk resources, especially the reduction in environmental pollution, and provides new ideas for the development of adjuvant treatments for diabetes and the development of foods with anti-hyperglycemic functions.
Immuno-Dipstick for Colletotrichum gloeosporioides Detection: Towards On-Farm Application
Authors: Oussou-Azo Fifame Auriane , Futagami Taiki , Vestergaard Mun’delanji Catherine M.
Published: January 2022

Early and quick detection of pathogens are crucial for managing the spread of infections in the biomedical, biosafety, food, and agricultural fields. While molecular diagnostics can offer the specificity and reliability in acute infectious diseases, detection of pathogens is often slowed down by the current benchtop molecular diagnoses, which are time consuming, labor intensive, and lack the mobility for application at the point-of-need. In this work, we developed a complete on-farm use detection protocol for the plant-devastating anthracnose agent: Colletotrichum gloeosporioides. Our methods combined a simplified DNA extraction on paper that is compatible with loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP), coupled with paper-based immunoassay lateral flow sensing. Our results offer simple, quick, easy, and a minimally instrumented toolkit for Colletotrichum gloeosporioides detection. This scalable and adaptable platform is a valuable alternative to traditional sensing systems towards on-the-go pathogen detection in food and agriculture, biomedical, and other fields.
Paving the Way for a Green Transition in the Design of Sensors and Biosensors for the Detection of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs)
Authors: Cova Camilla Maria , Rincón Esther , Espinosa Eduardo , Serrano Luis , Zuliani Alessio
Published: January 2022

The efficient and selective detection of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) provides key information for various purposes ranging from the toxicological analysis of indoor/outdoor environments to the diagnosis of diseases or to the investigation of biological processes. In the last decade, different sensors and biosensors providing reliable, rapid, and economic responses in the detection of VOCs have been successfully conceived and applied in numerous practical cases; however, the global necessity of a sustainable development, has driven the design of devices for the detection of VOCs to greener methods. In this review, the most recent and innovative VOC sensors and biosensors with sustainable features are presented. The sensors are grouped into three of the main industrial sectors of daily life, including environmental analysis, highly important for toxicity issues, food packaging tools, especially aimed at avoiding the spoilage of meat and fish, and the diagnosis of diseases, crucial for the early detection of relevant pathological conditions such as cancer and diabetes. The research outcomes presented in the review underly the necessity of preparing sensors with higher efficiency, lower detection limits, improved selectivity, and enhanced sustainable characteristics to fully address the sustainable manufacturing of VOC sensors and biosensors.
Musical Performance in Adolescents with ADHD, ADD and Dyslexia—Behavioral and Neurophysiological Aspects
Authors: Groß Christine , Serrallach Bettina L. , Möhler Eva , Pousson Jachin E. , Schneider Peter , Christiner Markus , Bernhofs Valdis
Published: January 2022

Research has shown that dyslexia and attention deficit (hyperactivity) disorder (AD(H)D) are characterized by specific neuroanatomical and neurofunctional differences in the auditory cortex. These neurofunctional characteristics in children with ADHD, ADD and dyslexia are linked to distinct differences in music perception. Group-specific differences in the musical performance of patients with ADHD, ADD and dyslexia have not been investigated in detail so far. We investigated the musical performance and neurophysiological correlates of 21 adolescents with dyslexia, 19 with ADHD, 28 with ADD and 28 age-matched, unaffected controls using a music performance assessment scale and magnetoencephalography (MEG). Musical experts independently assessed pitch and rhythmic accuracy, intonation, improvisation skills and musical expression. Compared to dyslexic adolescents, controls as well as adolescents with ADHD and ADD performed better in rhythmic reproduction, rhythmic improvisation and musical expression. Controls were significantly better in rhythmic reproduction than adolescents with ADD and scored higher in rhythmic and pitch improvisation than adolescents with ADHD. Adolescents with ADD and controls scored better in pitch reproduction than dyslexic adolescents. In pitch improvisation, the ADD group performed better than the ADHD group, and controls scored better than dyslexic adolescents. Discriminant analysis revealed that rhythmic improvisation and musical expression discriminate the dyslexic group from controls and adolescents with ADHD and ADD. A second discriminant analysis based on MEG variables showed that absolute P1 latency asynchrony |R-L| distinguishes the control group from the disorder groups best, while P1 and N1 latencies averaged across hemispheres separate the control, ADD and ADHD groups from the dyslexic group. Furthermore, rhythmic improvisation was negatively correlated with auditory-evoked P1 and N1 latencies, pointing in the following direction: the earlier the P1 and N1 latencies (mean), the better the rhythmic improvisation. These findings provide novel insight into the differences between music processing and performance in adolescents with and without neurodevelopmental disorders. A better understanding of these differences may help to develop tailored preventions or therapeutic interventions.
A New Configuration of Roof Photovoltaic System for Limited Area Applications—A Case Study in KSA
Authors: Al-Quraan Ayman , Al-Mahmodi Mohammed , Al-Asemi Taha , Bafleh Abdulqader , Bdour Mathhar , Muhsen Hani , Malkawi Ahmad
Published: January 2022

Increased world energy demand necessitates looking for appropriate alternatives to oil and fossil fuel. Countries encourage institutions and households to create their own photovoltaic (PV) systems to reduce spending money in electricity sectors and address environmental issues. Due to high solar radiation in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), the government urges people and institutions to establish PV systems as the best promising renewable energy resource in the country. This paper presents an optimal and complete design of a 300 kW PV system installed in a limited rooftop area to feed the needs of the Ministry of Electricity building, which has a high energy consumption. The design has been suggested for two scenarios in terms of adjusting the orientation angles. The available rooftop area allowed to be used is insufficient if a tilt angle of 22o is used, suggested by the designer, so the tilt angle has been adjusted from 22o to 15o to accommodate the available area and meet the required demand with a minimum shading effect. The authors of this paper propose a modified scenario “third scenario” which accommodates the available area and provides more energy than the installed “second scenario”. The proposed panel distribution and the estimated energy for all scenarios are presented in the paper. The possibility of changing tilt angles and the extent of energy production variations are also discussed. Finally, a comparative study between measured and simulated energy is included. The results show that August has the lowest percentage error, with a value of 2.7%, while the highest percentage error was noticed in November.
High Metabolic Dependence on Oxidative Phosphorylation Drives Sensitivity to Metformin Treatment in MLL/AF9 Acute Myeloid Leukemia
Authors: Liu Longlong , Patnana Pradeep Kumar , Xie Xiaoqing , Frank Daria , Nimmagadda Subbaiah Chary , Rosemann Annegret , Liebmann Marie , Klotz Luisa , Opalka Bertram , Khandanpour Cyrus
Published: January 2022

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a group of hematological cancers with metabolic heterogeneity. Oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) has been reported to play an important role in the function of leukemic stem cells and chemotherapy-resistant cells and are associated with inferior prognosis in AML patients. However, the relationship between metabolic phenotype and genetic mutations are yet to be explored. In the present study, we demonstrate that AML cell lines have high metabolic heterogeneity, and AML cells with MLL/AF9 have upregulated mitochondrial activity and mainly depend on OXPHOS for energy production. Furthermore, we show that metformin repressed the proliferation of MLL/AF9 AML cells by inhibiting mitochondrial respiration. Together, this study demonstrates that AML cells with an MLL/AF9 genotype have a high dependency on OXPHOS and could be therapeutically targeted by metformin.
Reduction of the Vertebral Bone Mineral Density in Patients with Hodgkin Lymphoma Correlates with Their Age and the Treatment Regimen They Received
Authors: Ofshenko Nadav , Bercovich Eyal , Mashiach Tania , Weiler-Sagie Michal , Militianu Daniela , Dann Eldad J.
Published: January 2022

Nowadays, Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) has become highly curable. The young age at diagnosis and long life expectancy emphasize the importance of preventing long-term treatment side effects, including bone mineral density (BMD) loss, in these patients. We aimed to evaluate the effects of first-line therapeutic modalities on BMD dynamics in HL patients, intending to identify individuals at risk for osteopenia. Demographics, HL risk factors, treatment, including cumulative steroid doses, and BMD of 213 newly-diagnosed HL patients (median age 29 years), treated at Rambam between 2008–2016, were analyzed. The main chemotherapy regimens applied were: ABVD (adriamycin, bleomycin, vinblastine, dacarbazine) and escalated BEACOPP (EB; bleomycin, etoposide, adriamycin, cyclophosphamide, oncovin, procarbazine, prednisone). BMD was measured using PET/CT scans. BMD loss >15% was revealed in 48% of patients at therapy completion, with osteopenia prevalence of 4% and 14% at baseline and post-therapy, respectively. Cumulative hydrocortisone equivalent doses >3400 mg/m2 correlated with significant BMD reduction. Multivariate analysis at 6 months post-therapy identified age ≥30 years and EB-regimens as significant risk factors for BMD decrease >15%. Therapy-related BMD loss is common in HL patients. Its persistence is associated with age ≥30 years and EB treatment. Reduction of cumulative steroid doses and switch to non-gonadotoxic drugs should be considered.
Efficient Visible-Light-Responsive Ag3PO4/g-C3N4/Hydroxyapatite Photocatalyst (from Oyster Shells) for the Degradation of Methylene Blue: Preparation, Properties and Mechanism
Authors: Song Cui , Shang Changyu , Li Shuqian , Wang Wenhao , Qi Mingying , Chen Jingdi , Liu Haijun
Published: January 2022

A novel ternary Ag3PO4/g-C3N4/hydroxyapatite photocatalyst was prepared, and its morphology, composition and structure were characterized by X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, and electron spin resonance, etc. The results show that g-C3N4 is evenly dispersed in the interior of hydroxyapatite, forming a homogeneous composite, and significantly improves the band gap structure of the material as a whole. Ag3PO4/g-C3N4/hydroxyapatite has good electron transfer ability and an appropriate energy band structure, which shows that the material has a good degradation effect and stability. Finally, based on the characterization and experimental results, a possible Z-scheme mechanism was proposed, and the active species involved in the reaction are mainly ·O2− and h+.
TiO2-Acetylacetone as an Efficient Source of Superoxide Radicals under Reduced Power Visible Light: Photocatalytic Degradation of Chlorophenol and Tetracycline
Authors: Almeida Lucas A. , Dosen Anja , Viol Juliana , Marinkovic Bojan A.
Published: January 2022

Visible light-sensitive TiO2-based nanomaterials are widely investigated for photocatalytic applications under high power (≥300 W) UV and visible light. The formation of charge transfer complexes (CTCs) between bidentate ligands and nanocrystalline TiO2 promotes visible light absorption and constitutes a promising alternative for environmental remediation under reduced visible light power. However, the efficiency of photodegradation, the volatilization profile of bidentates, and the role of reactive oxidizing species (ROS) are not fully understood. In this study, thermogravimetric analyses coupled with mass spectroscopy (TGA-MS) were performed on TiO2-Acetylacetone (ACAC) CTC. TiO2-ACAC CTC calcined at 300 °C (TiO2-A300) was applied for the photocatalytic degradation of chlorophenol (4-CP) and tetracycline (TC) under low power visible light (26 W). Furthermore, the ROS scavengers isopropanol and benzoquinone were added for studying the photocatalytic role of •OH and •O2− radicals. The TGA-MS showed the release of ACAC fragments, such as ethyl ions and acetone, in the range between 150 °C and 265 °C, while between 300 °C and 450 °C only CO2 and H2O were released during oxidation of ACAC. The photocatalytic abatement of tetracycline (68.6%), performed by TiO2-A300, was ~two times higher than that observed for chlorophenol (31.3%) after 6 h, indicating a distinct participation of ROS in the degradation of these pollutants. The addition of the ROS scavenger revealed •O2− radicals as primarily responsible for the high efficiency of TiO2-ACAC CTC under reduced visible light. On the other hand, the •OH radicals are not efficiently generated in the CTC. Therefore, the development of heterostructures based on TiO2-ACAC CTC can increase the generation of ROS through coupling with semiconductors capable of generating •OH under visible light.
Graded Preparation and Industrial Applications of Large-Ball Polyolefin Catalyst Carriers
Authors: Lv Xinfeng , Du Yuhao , Du Shanjun , Xiang Lan
Published: January 2022

In the process of preparing polyolefin catalyst carrier, the particle size is often unqualified because of the adhesion of smaller particles to each other and the crushing effect of mechanical vibration. To improve the output of target products, reduce loss, and improve yield, a high-precision and high-efficiency carrier particle classification process was developed according to the embedded principle. The hydraulic hydrocyclone equipment designed in this work could eliminate short-circuit flow and achieve good integration of the internal flow field, thereby enhancing the separation accuracy and high separation efficiency. The process was successfully applied to the industry with smooth operation. The large-ball polyolefin catalyst carrier prepared by grading showed a small distribution coefficient, high yield, and excellent polymerization performance, and the average particle size of the graded large ball catalyst support was 65–75 μm with the SPAN < 0.7, which could meet the needs of DQC700 series catalyst products.
Lung Inflammation in STING-Associated Vasculopathy with Onset in Infancy (SAVI)
Authors: David Clémence , Frémond Marie-Louise
Published: January 2022

STING-associated vasculopathy with onset in infancy (SAVI) is a type I interferonopathy caused by gain-of-function mutations in STING1 encoding stimulator of interferon genes (STING) protein. SAVI is characterized by severe inflammatory lung disease, a feature not observed in previously described type I interferonopathies i.e., Mendelian autoinflammatory disorders defined by constitutive activation of the type I interferon (IFN) pathway. Molecular defects in nucleic acid metabolism or sensing are central to the pathophysiology of these diseases, with such defects occurring at any step of the tightly regulated pathway of type I IFN production and signaling (e.g., exonuclease loss of function, RNA-DNA hybrid accumulation, constitutive activation of adaptor proteins such as STING). Among over 30 genotypes, SAVI and COPA syndrome, whose pathophysiology was recently linked to a constitutive activation of STING signaling, are the only type I interferonopathies presenting with predominant lung involvement. Lung disease is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in these two disorders which do not respond to conventional immunosuppressive therapies and only partially to JAK1/2 inhibitors. In human silicosis, STING-dependent sensing of self-DNA following cell death triggered by silica exposure has been found to drive lung inflammation in mice and human models. These recent findings support a key role for STING and nucleic acid sensing in the homeostasis of intrinsic pulmonary inflammation. However, mechanisms by which monogenic defects in the STING pathway lead to pulmonary damages are not yet fully elucidated, and an improved understanding of such mechanisms is fundamental to improved future patient management. Here, we review the recent insights into the pathophysiology of SAVI and outline our current understanding of self-nucleic acid-mediated lung inflammation in humans.
Transcriptional Heterogeneity and the Microbiome of Cutaneous T-Cell Lymphoma
Authors: Licht Philipp , Mailänder Volker
Published: January 2022

Cutaneous T-Cell Lymphomas (CTCL) presents with substantial clinical variability and transcriptional heterogeneity. In the recent years, several studies paved the way to elucidate aetiology and pathogenesis of CTCL using sequencing methods. Several T-cell subtypes were suggested as the source of disease thereby explaining clinical and transcriptional heterogeneity of CTCL entities. Several differentially expressed pathways could explain disease progression. However, exogenous triggers in the skin microenvironment also seem to affect CTCL status. Especially Staphylococcus aureus was shown to contribute to disease progression. Only little is known about the complex microbiome patterns involved in CTCL and how microbial shifts might impact this malignancy. Nevertheless, first hints indicate that the microbiome might at least in part explain transcriptional heterogeneity and that microbial approaches could serve in diagnosis and prognosis. Shaping the microbiome could be a treatment option to maintain stable disease. Here, we review current knowledge of transcriptional heterogeneity of and microbial influences on CTCL. We discuss potential benefits of microbial applications and microbial directed therapies to aid patients with CTCL burden.
Peaches Detection Using a Deep Learning Technique—A Contribution to Yield Estimation, Resources Management, and Circular Economy
Authors: Assunção Eduardo T. , Gaspar Pedro D. , Mesquita Ricardo J. M. , Simões Maria P. , Ramos António , Proença Hugo , Inacio Pedro R. M.
Published: January 2022

Fruit detection is crucial for yield estimation and fruit picking system performance. Many state-of-the-art methods for fruit detection use convolutional neural networks (CNNs). This paper presents the results for peach detection by applying a faster R-CNN framework in images captured from an outdoor orchard. Although this method has been used in other studies to detect fruits, there is no research on peaches. Since the fruit colors, sizes, shapes, tree branches, fruit bunches, and distributions in trees are particular, the development of a fruit detection procedure is specific. The results show great potential in using this method to detect this type of fruit. A detection accuracy of 0.90 using the metric average precision (AP) was achieved for fruit detection. Precision agriculture applications, such as deep neural networks (DNNs), as proposed in this paper, can help to mitigate climate change, due to horticultural activities by accurate product prediction, leading to improved resource management (e.g., irrigation water, nutrients, herbicides, pesticides), and helping to reduce food loss and waste via improved agricultural activity scheduling.
A Survey on Group Signatures and Ring Signatures: Traceability vs. Anonymity
Authors: Perera Maharage Nisansala Sevwandi , Nakamura Toru , Hashimoto Masayuki , Yokoyama Hiroyuki , Cheng Chen-Mou , Sakurai Kouichi
Published: January 2022

This survey reviews the two most prominent group-oriented anonymous signature schemes and analyzes the existing approaches for their problem: balancing anonymity against traceability. Group signatures and ring signatures are the two leading competitive signature schemes with a rich body of research. Both group and ring signatures enable user anonymity with group settings. Any group user can produce a signature while hiding his identity in a group. Although group signatures have predefined group settings, ring signatures allow users to form ad-hoc groups. Preserving user identities provided an advantage for group and ring signatures. Thus, presently many applications utilize them. However, standard group signatures enable an authority to freely revoke signers’ anonymity. Thus, the authority might weaken the anonymity of innocent users. On the other hand, traditional ring signatures maintain permanent user anonymity, allowing space for malicious user activities; thus achieving the requirements of privacy-preserved traceability in group signatures and controlled anonymity in ring signatures has become desirable. This paper reviews group and ring signatures and explores the existing approaches that address the identification of malicious user activities. We selected many papers that discuss balancing user tracing and anonymity in group and ring signatures. Since this paper scrutinizes both signatures from their basic idea to obstacles including tracing users, it provides readers a broad synthesis of information about two signature schemes with the knowledge of current approaches to balance excessive traceability in group signatures and extreme anonymity in ring signatures. This paper will also shape the future research directions of two critical signature schemes that require more awareness.
Models of Follow-Up Care and Secondary Prevention Measures for Survivors of Colorectal Cancer: Evidence-Based Guidelines and Systematic Review
Authors: Galica Jacqueline , Zwaal Caroline , Kennedy Erin , Asmis Tim , Cho Charles , Ginty Alexandra , Govindarajan Anand
Published: January 2022

Objective: To provide recommendations for preferred models of follow-up care for stage I-IV colorectal (CRC) cancer survivors in Ontario; to identify signs and symptoms of potential recurrence and when to investigate; and to evaluate patient information and support needs during the post-treatment survivorship period. Methods: Consistent with the Program in Evidence-Based Medicine’s standardized approach, MEDLINE, EMBASE, PubMed, Cochrane Library, and PROSPERO databases were systematically searched. The authors drafted recommendations and revised them based on the comments from internal and external reviewers. Results: Four guidelines, three systematic reviews, three randomized controlled trials, and three cohort studies provided evidence to develop recommendations. Conclusions: Colorectal cancer follow-up care is complex and requires multidisciplinary, coordinated care delivered by the cancer specialist, primary care provider, and allied health professionals. While there is limited evidence to support a shared care model for follow-up, this approach is deemed to be best suited to meet patient needs; however, the roles and responsibilities of care providers need to be clearly defined, and patients need to know when and how to contact them. Although there is insufficient evidence to recommend any individual or combination of signs or symptoms as strong predictor(s) of recurrence, patients should be educated about these and know which care provider to contact if they develop any new or concerning symptoms. Psychosocial support and empathetic, effective, and coordinated communication are most valued by patients for their post-treatment follow-up care. Continuing professional education should emphasize the importance of communication skills and coordination of communication between the patient, family, and healthcare providers.
Improved Chironomid Barcode Database Enhances Identification of Water Mite Dietary Content
Authors: Vasquez Adrian A. , Bonnici Brittany L. , Yusuf Safia Haniya , Cruz Janiel I. , Hudson Patrick L. , Ram Jeffrey L.
Published: January 2022

Chironomids are one of the most biodiverse and abundant members of freshwater ecosystems. They are a food source for many organisms, including fish and water mites. The accurate identification of chironomids is essential for many applications in ecological research, including determining which chironomid species are present in the diets of diverse predators. Larval and adult chironomids from diverse habitats, including lakes, rivers, inland gardens, coastal vegetation, and nearshore habitats of the Great Lakes, were collected from 2012 to 2019. After morphological identification of chironomids, DNA was extracted and cytochrome oxidase I (COI) barcodes were PCR amplified and sequenced. Here we describe an analysis of biodiverse adult and larval chironomids in the Great Lakes region of North America based on new collections to improve chironomid identification by curating a chironomid DNA barcode database, thereby expanding the diversity and taxonomic specificity of DNA reference libraries for the Chironomidae family. In addition to reporting many novel chironomid DNA barcodes, we demonstrate here the use of this chironomid COI barcode database to improve the identification of DNA barcodes of prey in the liquefied diets of water mites. The species identifications of the COI barcodes of chironomids ingested by Lebertia davidcooki and L. quinquemaculosa are more diverse for L. davidcooki and include Parachironomus abortivus, Cryptochironomus ponderosus. Parachironomus tenuicaudatus, Glyptotendipes senilis, Dicrotendipes modestus, Chironomus riparius, Chironomus entis/plumosus, Chironomus maturus, Chironomus crassicaudatus, Endochironomus subtendens, Cricotopus sylvestris, Cricotopus festivellus, Orthocladius obumbratus, Tanypus punctipennis, Rheotanytarsus exiguus gr., and Paratanytarsus nr. bituberculatus.
Lesion Volume Quantification Using Two Convolutional Neural Networks in MRIs of Multiple Sclerosis Patients
Authors: de Oliveira Marcela , Piacenti-Silva Marina , da Rocha Fernando Coronetti Gomes , Santos Jorge Manuel , Cardoso Jaime dos Santos , Lisboa-Filho Paulo Noronha
Published: January 2022

Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a neurologic disease of the central nervous system which affects almost three million people worldwide. MS is characterized by a demyelination process that leads to brain lesions, allowing these affected areas to be visualized with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Deep learning techniques, especially computational algorithms based on convolutional neural networks (CNNs), have become a frequently used algorithm that performs feature self-learning and enables segmentation of structures in the image useful for quantitative analysis of MRIs, including quantitative analysis of MS. To obtain quantitative information about lesion volume, it is important to perform proper image preprocessing and accurate segmentation. Therefore, we propose a method for volumetric quantification of lesions on MRIs of MS patients using automatic segmentation of the brain and lesions by two CNNs. Methods: We used CNNs at two different moments: the first to perform brain extraction, and the second for lesion segmentation. This study includes four independent MRI datasets: one for training the brain segmentation models, two for training the lesion segmentation model, and one for testing. Results: The proposed brain detection architecture using binary cross-entropy as the loss function achieved a 0.9786 Dice coefficient, 0.9969 accuracy, 0.9851 precision, 0.9851 sensitivity, and 0.9985 specificity. In the second proposed framework for brain lesion segmentation, we obtained a 0.8893 Dice coefficient, 0.9996 accuracy, 0.9376 precision, 0.8609 sensitivity, and 0.9999 specificity. After quantifying the lesion volume of all patients from the test group using our proposed method, we obtained a mean value of 17,582 mm3. Conclusions: We concluded that the proposed algorithm achieved accurate lesion detection and segmentation with reproducibility corresponding to state-of-the-art software tools and manual segmentation. We believe that this quantification method can add value to treatment monitoring and routine clinical evaluation of MS patients.
Assessment from a Biopsychosocial Approach of Flight-Related Neck Pain in Fighter Pilots of Spanish Air Force. An Observational Study
Authors: Espejo-Antúnez Luis , Fernández-Morales Carlos , Moreno-Vázquez Juan Manuel , Tabla-Hinojosa Fernando Blas , Cardero-Durán María de los Ángeles , Albornoz-Cabello Manuel
Published: January 2022

Flying on fighter aircraft is the only human activity that exposes the body to acceleration levels for long periods of time. In this sense, the regular exposure to G forces has been related to a high incidence of flight-related neck pain. The aim is to evaluate flight pilots of the Spanish Air Force (instructors vs. students) diagnosed with flight-related neck pain from a biopsychosocial perspective. Eighteen fighter pilots with flight-related neck pain were divided into two groups: instructor fighter pilots (n = 7) and student fighter pilots (n = 11). The Neck Disability Index (NDI), Cervical Range of Motion (CRoM), Pain Pressure Threshold (PPT), cervical repositioning error, and myoelectric activity were evaluated. Cervical flexion, extension and left and right rotation showed a reduced range of motion in both groups with respect to the normative values of the healthy population. There were no statistically significant differences between the groups (p ≥ 05). The correlational analysis showed a strong association between the NDI and CRoM of the left rotation (β =−0.880, p = 0.002). The NDI also had a positive association with the pilot’s age (β = 1.353, p < 0.01) and the number of flight hours (β = 0.805, p = 0.003). In conclusion, the Cervical Range of Motion at the left rotation seems to determine the perceived degree of disability in both the instructors and students. This factor could be influenced by the number of flight hours and accumulated experience as an F-5 fighter pilot.
Clinically Relevant Prenatal Ultrasound Diagnosis of Umbilical Cord Pathology
Authors: Bohîlțea Roxana Elena , Dima Vlad , Ducu Ioniță , Iordache Ana Maria , Mihai Bianca Margareta , Munteanu Octavian , Grigoriu Corina , Veduță Alina , Pelinescu-Onciul Dimitrie , Vlădăreanu Radu
Published: January 2022

Umbilical cord abnormalities are not rare, and are often associated with structural or chromosomal abnormalities, fetal intrauterine growth restriction, and poor pregnancy outcomes; the latter can be a result of prematurity, placentation deficiency or, implicitly, an increased index of cesarean delivery due to the presence of fetal distress, higher admission to neonatal intensive care, and increased prenatal mortality rates. Even if the incidence of velamentous insertion, vasa praevia and umbilical knots is low, these pathologies increase the fetal morbidity and mortality prenatally and intrapartum. There is a vast heterogeneity among societies’ guidelines regarding the umbilical cord examination. We consider the mandatory introduction of placental cord insertion examination in the first and second trimester to practice guidelines for fetal ultrasound scans. Moreover, during the mid-trimester scan, we recommend a transvaginal ultrasound and color Doppler assessment of the internal cervical os for low-lying placentas, marginal or velamentous cord insertion, and the evaluation of umbilical cord entanglement between the insertion sites whenever it is incidentally found. Based on the pathological description and the neonatal outcome reported for each entity, we conclude our descriptive review by establishing a new, clinically relevant classification of these umbilical cord anomalies.
Applications of Explainable Artificial Intelligence in Diagnosis and Surgery
Authors: Zhang Yiming , Weng Ying , Lund Jonathan
Published: January 2022

In recent years, artificial intelligence (AI) has shown great promise in medicine. However, explainability issues make AI applications in clinical usages difficult. Some research has been conducted into explainable artificial intelligence (XAI) to overcome the limitation of the black-box nature of AI methods. Compared with AI techniques such as deep learning, XAI can provide both decision-making and explanations of the model. In this review, we conducted a survey of the recent trends in medical diagnosis and surgical applications using XAI. We have searched articles published between 2019 and 2021 from PubMed, IEEE Xplore, Association for Computing Machinery, and Google Scholar. We included articles which met the selection criteria in the review and then extracted and analyzed relevant information from the studies. Additionally, we provide an experimental showcase on breast cancer diagnosis, and illustrate how XAI can be applied in medical XAI applications. Finally, we summarize the XAI methods utilized in the medical XAI applications, the challenges that the researchers have met, and discuss the future research directions. The survey result indicates that medical XAI is a promising research direction, and this study aims to serve as a reference to medical experts and AI scientists when designing medical XAI applications.
Clinical, Radiological, and Pathological Diagnosis of Fibro-Osseous Lesions of the Oral and Maxillofacial Region: A Retrospective Study
Authors: Pick Ellen , Schäfer Tobias , Al-Haj Husain Adib , Rupp Niels J. , Hingsammer Lukas , Valdec Silvio
Published: January 2022

Background: Fibro-osseous lesions (FOL) of the jaw represent a rare, benign group of lesions that share similar clinical, radiological, and histopathological features and are characterized by progressive, variable replacement of healthy bone tissue by fibrous connective tissue. Methods: This retrospective study aimed to evaluate the incidence of fibro-osseous lesions and to reassess the efficacy of case-specific treatment management from a clinical, radiological, and histopathological perspective based on 14 years of data. Results: Forty-four patients with a radiological and/or histopathological diagnosis of benign FOLs were identified and re-evaluated. Cemento-osseous dysplasia was the most common group of FOLs present in our patient cohort (45%), followed by ossifying fibroma (39%) and fibrous dysplasia (16%). The diagnostic imaging technique of choice was CBCT (68%), followed by PAN (18%), with most patients (95 %) additionally undergoing biopsy. The mean age of the patients at the time of diagnosis was 40.54 ± 13.7 years, with most lesions being located in the mandible (86%), with females being predominantly affected (73%). Conclusion: An interdisciplinary approach that analyzes all case-specific factors, including demographic data, medical history, intraoperative findings, and, most importantly, histopathological and radiological features, is essential for an accurate diagnosis and key to avoiding inappropriate treatment.
Thermodynamic Study of Formamidinium Lead Iodide (CH5N2PbI3) from 5 to 357 K
Authors: Ciccioli Andrea , Latini Alessandro , Luongo Alessio , Smirnova Natalia N. , Markin Alexey V. , Vecchio Ciprioti Stefano
Published: January 2022

In the present study, the molar heat capacity of solid formamidinium lead iodide (CH5N2PbI3) was measured over the temperature range from 5 to 357 K using a precise automated adiabatic calorimeter. In the above temperature interval, three distinct phase transitions were found in ranges from 49 to 56 K, from 110 to 178 K, and from 264 to 277 K. The standard thermodynamic functions of the studied perovskite, namely the heat capacity C°p(T), enthalpy [H0(T) − H0(0)], entropy S0(T), and [G°(T) − H°(0)]/T, were calculated for the temperature range from 0 to 345 K based on the experimental data. Herein, the results are discussed and compared with those available in the literature as measured by nonclassical methods.
Object Selection as a Biometric
Authors: Tlhoolebe Joyce , Dai Bin
Published: January 2022

The use of eye movement as a biometric is a new biometric technology that is now in competition with many other technologies such as the fingerprint, face recognition, ear recognition and many others. Problems encountered with these authentication methods such as passwords and tokens have led to the emergence of biometric authentication techniques. Biometric authentication involves the use of physical or behavioral characteristics to identify people. In biometric authentication, feature extraction is a very vital stage, although some of the extracted features that are not very useful may lead to the degradation of the biometric system performance. Object selection using eye movement as a technique for biometric authentication was proposed for this study. To achieve this, an experiment for collecting eye movement data for biometric purposes was conducted. Eye movement data were measured from twenty participants during choosing and finding of still objects. The eye-tracking equipment used was able to measure eye-movement data. The model proposed in this paper aimed to create a template from these observations that tried to assign a unique binary signature for each enrolled user. Error correction is used in authenticating a user who submits an eye movement sample for enrollment. The XORed Biometric template is further secured by multiplication with an identity matrix of size (n × n). These results show positive feedback on this model as individuals can be uniquely identified by their eye movement features. The use of hamming distance as additional verification helper increased model performance significantly. The proposed scheme has a 37% FRR and a 27% FAR based on the 400 trials, which are very promising results for future improvements.
A Comprehensive Analysis of Hyperbolical Fluids in Modified Gravity
Authors: Yousaf Z. , Bhatti M. Z. , Khlopov Maxim , Asad H.
Published: January 2022

This paper is devoted to understanding a few characteristics of static irrotational matter content that assumes hyperbolical symmetry. For this purpose, we use metric f(R) gravity to carry out our analysis. It is noticed that the matter distribution cannot fill the region close to the center of symmetry, thereby implying the existence of an empty core. Moreover, the evaluation of the effective energy density reveals that it is inevitably negative, which could have utmost relevance in understanding various quantum field events. To derive the structure scalars, we perform the orthogonal splitting of the Riemann tensor in this modified gravity. Few relationships among matter variables and both Tolman and Misner Sharp are determined. Through two generating functions, some hyperbolically symmetric cosmological models, as well as their physical interpretations, are studied. To delve deeply into the role of f(R) terms, the model of the less-complex relativistic system of Einstein gravity is presented.
Development of Food Competence in Early Childhood Education
Authors: López-Banet Luisa , Miguélez Rosique José Antonio , Martínez-Carmona Marina , Ayuso Fernández Gabriel Enrique
Published: January 2022

The increase in childhood obesity requires the incorporation of nutritional competence into school programs through appropriate activities, starting in the early years. In addition, it is important to promote scientific and cognitive skills during childhood education. The main objective of this study was the implementation of an instructional sequence focused on the learning of skills such as observation, measurement, or interpretation of data related to plants, their germination, and their growth, as well as its relation with the development of food competence. To do so, a set of differentiated activities, organized into several stages, was designed, starting from simple and concrete situations and progressively increasing in complexity and abstraction. The aims were to express ideas about known fruits, vegetables, and legumes in order to expand them by learning new information through student-centered activities, in which children were able to practice and talk about science. The activities were carried out in a class of 24 students aged 4–5 years and data were compared with a control group. The results revealed that the children were motivated in all the activities, which provided an excellent opportunity to initially develop an interest in science and to start to develop food competence in the early years.
Caught between COVID-19, Coup and Conflict—What Future for Myanmar Higher Education Reforms?
Authors: Htut Khaing Phyu , Lall Marie , Kandiko Howson Camille
Published: January 2022

On 1 February 2021, Myanmar military dictators seized power from the elected government and halted the country’s budding reform process. This article explores how Myanmar’s higher education (HE) sector was affected by the coup and COVID-19 and how this has resulted in societal conflict. The article reviews first the history of military coups, then the education reforms in general and what was done in HE, before discussing the effects of COVID-19 and the coup on the sector. Voices from HE teaching staff show the tension in the role of HE as a vehicle for reform and promulgation of those in power. The article argues that the national vision propagated by Myanmar’s HE sector is juxtaposed to that propagated by the Tatmadaw, both claiming to represent Myanmar’s future. This research highlights the dual forces of the COVID-19 pandemic and military coup at a crucial time for HE reforms in a fragile, conflict-affected state, with the future of the reform goals of equity and equality of the sector at stake.
On the Use of Augmented Reality to Reinforce the Learning of Power Electronics for Beginners
Authors: Sandoval Pérez Sergio , Gonzalez Lopez Juan Miguel , Villa Barba Miguel Angel , Jimenez Betancourt Ramon O. , Molinar Solís Jesús Ezequiel , Rosas Ornelas Juan Luis , Riberth García Gustavo Israel , Rodriguez Haro Fernando
Published: January 2022

This study aims to develop and evaluate an Augmented Reality (AR) application to teach power electronics to beginners. For this purpose, two topics were presented: The first was the design of a series-connected Resistance–Inductor–Capacitor (RLC) circuit in AR, the space-state equations of which were analyzed in an interactive way, and its assembly in a virtual protoboard to analyze the voltage and currents as measured by an oscilloscope. The second presented topic in AR was about Bidirectional Direct Current (DC)–DC converters, known as Buck–Boost; the aim was to study their behavior when energy is exchanged between two systems, usually photovoltaic panels, electric vehicles, and storage systems. The attitudes of the students towards the AR application was significantly better than those towards traditional teaching. The measurements of the developed skills indicated better cognitive performance when using AR technology. The designed AR tool was used in an industry course to explore the students’ opinions, who provided valuable feedback.
Characterizing THz Scattering Loss in Nano-Scale SOI Waveguides Exhibiting Stochastic Surface Roughness with Exponential Autocorrelation
Authors: Guiana Brian , Zadehgol Ata
Published: January 2022

Electromagnetic (EM) scattering may be a significant source of degradation in signal and power integrity of high-contrast silicon-on-insulator (SOI) nano-scale interconnects, such as opto-electronic or optical interconnects operating at 100 s of THz where two-dimensional (2D) analytical models of dielectric slab waveguides are often used to approximate scattering loss. In this work, a formulation is presented to relate the scattering (propagation) loss to the scattering parameters (S-parameters) for the smooth waveguide; the results are correlated with results from the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method in 2D space. We propose a normalization factor to the previous 2D analytical formulation for the stochastic scattering loss based on physical parameters of waveguides exhibiting random surface roughness under the exponential autocorrelation function (ACF), and validate the results by comparing against numerical experiments via the 2D FDTD method, through simulation of hundreds of rough waveguides; additionally, results are compared to other 2D analytical and previous 3D experimental results. The FDTD environment is described and validated by comparing results of the smooth waveguide against analytical solutions for wave impedance, propagation constant, and S-parameters. Results show that the FDTD model is in agreement with the analytical solution for the smooth waveguide and is a reasonable approximation of the stochastic scattering loss for the rough waveguide.