bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Multitumor Case Series of Germline BRCA1, BRCA2 and CHEK2-Mutated Patients Responding Favorably on Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors
Authors: Kinget Lisa , Bechter Oliver , Punie Kevin , Debruyne Philip R. , Brems Hilde , Clement Paul , Roussel Eduard , Van Herck Yannick , Albersen Maarten , Baldewijns Marcella , Schöffski Patrick , Beuselinck Benoit
Published: August 2021

In recent years, immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICPI) have become widely used for multiple solid malignancies. Reliable predictive biomarkers for selection of patients who would benefit most are lacking. Several tumor types with somatic or germline alterations in genes involved in the DNA damage response (DDR) pathway harbor a higher tumor mutational burden, possibly associated with an increased tumoral neoantigen load. These neoantigens are thought to lead to stronger immune activation and enhanced response to ICPIs. We present a series of seven patients with different malignancies with germline disease-associated variants in DDR genes (BRCA1, BRCA2, CHEK2) responding favorably to ICPIs.
High Inter-Rater Reliability of Manual Segmentation and Volume-Based Tractography in Healthy and Dystrophic Human Calf Muscle
Authors: Forsting Johannes , Rohm Marlena , Froeling Martijn , Güttsches Anne-Katrin , Vorgerd Matthias , Schlaffke Lara , Rehmann Robert
Published: August 2021

Background: Muscle diffusion tensor imaging (mDTI) is a promising surrogate biomarker in the evaluation of muscular injuries and neuromuscular diseases. Since mDTI metrics are known to vary between different muscles, separation of different muscles is essential to achieve muscle-specific diffusion parameters. The commonly used technique to assess DTI metrics is parameter maps based on manual segmentation (MSB). Other techniques comprise tract-based approaches, which can be performed in a previously defined volume. This so-called volume-based tractography (VBT) may offer a more robust assessment of diffusion metrics and additional information about muscle architecture through tract properties. The purpose of this study was to assess DTI metrics of human calf muscles calculated with two segmentation techniques—MSB and VBT—regarding their inter-rater reliability in healthy and dystrophic calf muscles. Methods: 20 healthy controls and 18 individuals with different neuromuscular diseases underwent an MRI examination in a 3T scanner using a 16-channel Torso XL coil. DTI metrics were assessed in seven calf muscles using MSB and VBT. Coefficients of variation (CV) were calculated for both techniques. MSB and VBT were performed by two independent raters to assess inter-rater reliability by ICC analysis and Bland-Altman plots. Next to analysis of DTI metrics, the same assessments were also performed for tract properties extracted with VBT. Results: For both techniques, low CV were found for healthy controls (≤13%) and neuromuscular diseases (≤17%). Significant differences between methods were found for all diffusion metrics except for λ1. High inter-rater reliability was found for both MSB and VBT (ICC ≥ 0.972). Assessment of tract properties revealed high inter-rater reliability (ICC ≥ 0.974). Conclusions: Both segmentation techniques can be used in the evaluation of DTI metrics in healthy controls and different NMD with low rater dependency and high precision but differ significantly from each other. Our findings underline that the same segmentation protocol must be used to ensure comparability of mDTI data.
Do Maternal Stress and Depressive Symptoms in Perinatal Period Predict the Lactation Mastitis Occurrence? A Retrospective Longitudinal Study in Greek Women
Authors: Dagla Maria , Dagla Calliope , Mrvoljak-Theodoropoulou Irina , Sotiropoulou Dimitra , Kavakou Aikaterini-Taxiarchoula , Kontiza Eleni , Antoniou Evangelia
Published: August 2021

Background: The aim of this study is to investigate whether symptoms of anxiety and depression disorders in women during the perinatal period predict the occurrence of lactation mastitis. Methods: This is a retrospective longitudinal study of 622 Greek women who were monitored from pregnancy until the first year postpartum (during the period January 2015–May 2018). The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) and the Perinatal Anxiety Screening Scale (PASS) were administered at four time points: (a) 24th–28th gestation week, (b) 34th–38th gestation week, (c) 6 weeks postpartum, and (d) 12 months postpartum. Multivariate binary logistic regression analyses were performed. Results: Results showed that (a) increased EPDS (p < 0.02) and PASS (p < 0.05) scores during the last period before birth, (b) increased EPDS score at 6 weeks postpartum (p < 0.02), (c) PMS symptoms (p < 0.03), (d) traumatic life events during the last year (p < 0.03), and (e) the existence of a history of psychotherapy (before pregnancy) (p = 0.050) appear to be the psycho-emotional factors that can predict the possible occurrence of lactation mastitis in a breastfeeding mother. Conclusions: The association between women’s poor mental health and the occurrence of a physical health problem, such as lactation mastitis, is recognized. This study highlights the important role of early and timely detection of perinatal mental health disorders.
Blood-Based Biomarkers of Neuroinflammation in Alzheimer’s Disease: A Central Role for Periphery?
Authors: Angiulli Federica , Conti Elisa , Zoia Chiara Paola , Da Re Fulvio , Appollonio Ildebrando , Ferrarese Carlo , Tremolizzo Lucio
Published: August 2021

Neuroinflammation represents a central feature in the development of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The resident innate immune cells of the brain are the principal players in neuroinflammation, and their activation leads to a defensive response aimed at promoting β-amyloid (Aβ) clearance. However, it is now widely accepted that the peripheral immune system—by virtue of a dysfunctional blood–brain barrier (BBB)—is involved in the pathogenesis and progression of AD; microglial and astrocytic activation leads to the release of chemokines able to recruit peripheral immune cells into the central nervous system (CNS); at the same time, cytokines released by peripheral cells are able to cross the BBB and act upon glial cells, modifying their phenotype. To successfully fight this neurodegenerative disorder, accurate and sensitive biomarkers are required to be used for implementing an early diagnosis, monitoring the disease progression and treatment effectiveness. Interestingly, as a result of the bidirectional communication between the brain and the periphery, the blood compartment ends up reflecting several pathological changes occurring in the AD brain and can represent an accessible source for such biomarkers. In this review, we provide an overview on some of the most promising peripheral biomarkers of neuroinflammation, discussing their pathogenic role in AD.
Non-Equilibrium Entropy and Irreversibility in Generalized Stochastic Loewner Evolution from an Information-Theoretic Perspective
Authors: Shibasaki Yusuke , Saito Minoru
Published: August 2021

In this study, we theoretically investigated a generalized stochastic Loewner evolution (SLE) driven by reversible Langevin dynamics in the context of non-equilibrium statistical mechanics. Using the ability of Loewner evolution, which enables encoding of non-equilibrium systems into equilibrium systems, we formulated the encoding mechanism of the SLE by Gibbs entropy-based information-theoretic approaches to discuss its advantages as a means to better describe non-equilibrium systems. After deriving entropy production and flux for the 2D trajectories of the generalized SLE curves, we reformulated the system’s entropic properties in terms of the Kullback–Leibler (KL) divergence. We demonstrate that this operation leads to alternative expressions of the Jarzynski equality and the second law of thermodynamics, which are consistent with the previously suggested theory of information thermodynamics. The irreversibility of the 2D trajectories is similarly discussed by decomposing the entropy into additive and non-additive parts. We numerically verified the non-equilibrium property of our model by simulating the long-time behavior of the entropic measure suggested by our formulation, referred to as the relative Loewner entropy.
Inference for Inverse Power Lomax Distribution with Progressive First-Failure Censoring
Authors: Shi Xiaolin , Shi Yimin
Published: August 2021

This paper investigates the statistical inference of inverse power Lomax distribution parameters under progressive first-failure censored samples. The maximum likelihood estimates (MLEs) and the asymptotic confidence intervals are derived based on the iterative procedure and asymptotic normality theory of MLEs, respectively. Bayesian estimates of the parameters under squared error loss and generalized entropy loss function are obtained using independent gamma priors. For Bayesian computation, Tierney–Kadane’s approximation method is used. In addition, the highest posterior credible intervals of the parameters are constructed based on the importance sampling procedure. A Monte Carlo simulation study is carried out to compare the behavior of various estimates developed in this paper. Finally, a real data set is analyzed for illustration purposes.
Multi-Scale Permutation Entropy: A Potential Measure for the Impact of Sleep Medication on Brain Dynamics of Patients with Insomnia
Authors: Guo Yanping , Chen Yingying , Yang Qianru , Hou Fengzhen , Liu Xinyu , Ma Yan
Published: August 2021

Insomnia is a common sleep disorder that is closely associated with the occurrence and deterioration of cardiovascular disease, depression and other diseases. The evaluation of pharmacological treatments for insomnia brings significant clinical implications. In this study, a total of 20 patients with mild insomnia and 75 healthy subjects as controls (HC) were included to explore alterations of electroencephalogram (EEG) complexity associated with insomnia and its pharmacological treatment by using multi-scale permutation entropy (MPE). All participants were recorded for two nights of polysomnography (PSG). The patients with mild insomnia received a placebo on the first night (Placebo) and temazepam on the second night (Temazepam), while the HCs had no sleep-related medication intake for either night. EEG recordings from each night were extracted and analyzed using MPE. The results showed that MPE decreased significantly from pre-lights-off to the period during sleep transition and then to the period after sleep onset, and also during the deepening of sleep stage in the HC group. Furthermore, results from the insomnia subjects showed that MPE values were significantly lower for the Temazepam night compared to MPE values for the Placebo night. Moreover, MPE values for the Temazepam night showed no correlation with age or gender. Our results indicated that EEG complexity, measured by MPE, may be utilized as an alternative approach to measure the impact of sleep medication on brain dynamics.
Bibliometric Analysis of Scientific Production on Nursing Research in the Web of Science
Authors: Alcalá-Albert Gregorio Jesús , Parra-González María Elena
Published: August 2021

The fundamental pillars of nursing science—nursing care, management, and teaching and research—are in constant evolution. The adaptation of Spanish nursing to the European Higher Education Area has promoted nursing research. Over the past few years, several institutions have made official statements concerning the difficulty of finding teaching staff for university nursing degrees. This is closely linked to the production of research, given that minimum criteria must be met for university teacher accreditation. The goal of this study is to analyze scientific production in nursing, nursing research and teaching in The Web of Science in order to establish how this is progressing and to gain further insight into the field of academic nursing. A total of 34,497 documents were analyzed using the Bibliometrix software version 4.1.0. The results reveal an increase in nursing research over time. Most of this is published in English and mainly focuses on specific nursing areas, such as oncology or psychiatry. Spain occupies the eighth place worldwide in nursing research. In spite of this position, the data suggest that other factors are blocking the accreditation of university teachers of nursing in Spain. They also reflect the need to encourage nursing research in this setting in the future.
A Systematic Review of the Benefits and Challenges of Mobile Learning during the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Saikat Shahnawaz , Dhillon Jaspaljeet Singh , Wan Ahmad Wan Fatimah , Jamaluddin Robiatul A’dawiah
Published: August 2021

Following the COVID-19 outbreak, teaching and learning have been forced to move fully to the Internet rather than the conventional offline medium. As a result, the use of M-learning has risen dramatically, which was neither expected or anticipated. The challenges and benefits of such widespread usage are beginning to emerge in front of us. Thus, in this paper, we systematically review the benefits and challenges of leveraging M-learning for Science and Technology courses during the COVID-19 pandemic by educators and learners. Related articles were obtained from various databases, namely, IEEE, ACM Digital Library, ScienceDirect, and Springer. In total, 4210 related articles were initially found. Upon executing careful selection criteria, 22 articles were selected for review. After that, the advantages and threats were identified and discussed. As per our findings, it was determined that M-learning has excellent potential to be an effective platform for education provided that the identified shortcomings are resolved. This review will be helpful for education stakeholders and institutions to gauge the impact of leveraging M-learning as the only means for education to proceed. Moreover, it reveals the strengths and shortcomings that would aid in adjusting the relevant policies administered by the institutions. Furthermore, application developers will be able to comprehend the expected features that should be included in novel M-learning platforms.
A Rationale for Teacher Change from a Bodyfulness Paradigm: An Experience in Higher Education
Authors: Rodríguez-Jiménez Rosa-María , Carmona Manuel
Published: August 2021

This article presents an exploratory and interpretative study on the development of self-reflection and self-knowledge in university teachers by an embodied experience. Dance Movement Therapy and Body–Mind Centering share the fundamentals of the paradigm of embodied cognition through a first-person full-body experience. Using these principles, a training program was designed and implemented in a cohort of 22 university teachers. The article offers details of the program and the adaptations necessary to carry it out in a higher-education context. The results of the qualitative analysis that was conducted suggested that the transformative learning paradigm could be useful to explain the process carried out by the participants. With the necessary limitations, the incorporation of awareness and attentive participation in bodily states and actions manifests as a transformative element in the teacher. The participants, despite initial resistance, see possibilities for applying this knowledge in their teaching practice.
Phasor Measurement Unit Assisted Inverter—A Novel Approach for DC Microgrids Performance Enhancement
Authors: Yaqub Raziq
Published: August 2021

DC microgrids are set to change the landscape of future energy markets. However, a wide-scale deployment faces three major issues: initial synchronization of microgrid with the utility grid, slip management during its operation, and mitigation of distortions produced by the inverter. This paper proposes a Phasor Measurement Unit (PMU) Assisted Inverter (PAI) that addresses these three issues in a single solution. The proposed PAI continually receives real-time data from a Phasor Measurement Unit installed in the distribution system of a utility company and keeps constructing a real-time reference signal for the inverter. A well-constructed, real-time reference signal plays a vital role in addressing the above issues. The results show that the proposed PAI is 97.95% efficient.
Aircraft Type Recognition in Remote Sensing Images: Bilinear Discriminative Extreme Learning Machine Framework
Authors: Zhao Baojun , Tang Wei , Pan Yu , Han Yuqi , Wang Wenzheng
Published: August 2021

Small inter-class and massive intra-class changes are important challenges in aircraft model recognition in the field of remote sensing. Although the aircraft model recognition algorithm based on the convolutional neural network (CNN) has excellent recognition performance, it is limited by sample sets and computing resources. To solve the above problems, we propose the bilinear discriminative extreme learning machine (ELM) network (BD-ELMNet), which integrates the advantages of the CNN, autoencoder (AE), and ELM. Specifically, the BD-ELMNet first executes the convolution and pooling operations to form a convolutional ELM (ELMConvNet) to extract shallow features. Furthermore, the manifold regularized ELM-AE (MRELM-AE), which can simultaneously consider the geometrical structure and discriminative information of aircraft data, is developed to extract discriminative features. The bilinear pooling model uses the feature association information for feature fusion to enhance the substantial distinction of features. Compared with the backpropagation (BP) optimization method, BD-ELMNet adopts a layer-by-layer training method without repeated adjustments to effectively learn discriminant features. Experiments involving the application of several methods, including the proposed method, to the MTARSI benchmark demonstrate that the proposed aircraft type recognition method outperforms the state-of-the-art methods.
Denitrification Process Enhancement and Diversity of the Denitrifying Community in the Full Scale Activated Sludge System after Adaptation to Fusel Oil
Authors: Kowal Przemysław , Ciesielski Sławomir , Otieno Jeremiah , Majtacz Joanna Barbara , Czerwionka Krzysztof , Mąkinia Jacek
Published: August 2021

Implementation of anaerobic digestion of primary sludge in modern wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) limits the availability of organic carbon for denitrification in conventional nitrification-denitrification (N/DN) systems. In order to ensure efficient denitrification, dosage of the external carbon source is commonly undertaken. However, application of commercial products, such us ethanol or acetate, greatly increases operational costs. As such, inexpensive and efficient alternative carbon sources are strongly desirable. In this study, the use of the fusel oil, a by-product from the distillery industry, was validated in terms of the denitrification process enhancement and impact on the activated sludge bacterial community structure. The experiment was conducted at a full scale biological nutrient removal facility (210,000 PE), in the set of the two technological lines: the experimental line (where fusel oil was introduced at 45 cm3/m3 dose) and the reference line (without an external carbon source addition). During the experimental period of 98 days, conventional nitrate utilization rate (NUR) measurements were carried out on a regular basis in order to assess the biomass adaptation to the fusel oil addition and denitrification process enhancement. While the NURs remained at a stable level in the reference line (1.4 ± 0.1 mg NO3-N/g VSS·h) throughout the entire duration of the experiment, the addition of fusel oil gradually enhanced the denitrification process rate up to 2.7 mg NO3-N/g VSS·h. Moreover, fusel oil contributed to the mitigation of the variability of NO3-N concentrations in the effluent from the anoxic zone. The bacterial community structure, characterized by 16S rRNA PCR—DGGE and the clone libraries of the genes involved in the denitrification process (nirS and nirK), was comparable between the reference and the experimental line during the entire experimental period. In both analyzed lines, the most frequent occurrence of denitrifiers belonging to the genera Acidovorax, Alcaligenes, Azoarcus, Paracoccus and Thauera was noticed. Our results proved that fusel oil would a valuable substrate for denitrification. The addition of fusel oil enhances the process rate and does not reflect a severe selection pressure on the bacterial community at applicable doses. Practical application of fusel oil generates opportunities for the WWTPs to meet effluent standards and reduce operational costs, as well as optimizing waste management for the distillery industry.
Probabilistic Prediction of Multi-Wells Production Based on Production Characteristics Analysis Using Key Factors in Shale Formations
Authors: Shin Hyo-Jin , Lim Jong-Se , Jang Il-Sik
Published: August 2021

In this study, we propose a novel workflow to predict the production of existing and new multi-wells. To perform reliable production forecasting on heterogeneous shale formations, the features of these formations must be analyzed by classifying the formations into various groups; the groups have different production characteristics depending on the key factors that affect the shale formation. In addition, the limited data obtained from nearby existing multi-wells should be used to estimate the production of new wells. The key factors that affect shale formation were derived from the correlation and principal component analysis of available production-related attributes. The production of existing wells was estimated by classifying them into groups based on their production characteristics. These classified groups also identified the relationship between hydraulic fracturing design factors and productivity. To estimate the production of new wells (blind wells), we generated groups with different production characteristics and leveraged their features to estimate the production. Probabilistic values of the group features were entered into the input layer of the artificial neural network model to consider the variation in the production of shale formations. All the estimated productions exhibited less error than the previous analytical results, suggesting the utilization potential of the proposed workflow.
Dynamic Uncertain Causality Graph Applied to the Intelligent Evaluation of a Shale-Gas Sweet Spot
Authors: Yao Quanying , Yang Bo , Zhang Qin
Published: August 2021

Shale-gas sweet-spot evaluation as a critical part of shale-gas exploration and development has always been the focus of experts and scholars in the unconventional oil and gas field. After comprehensively considering geological, engineering, and economic factors affecting the evaluation of shale-gas sweet spots, a dynamic uncertainty causality graph (DUCG) is applied for the first time to shale-gas sweet-spot evaluation. A graphical modeling scheme is presented to reduce the difficulty in model construction. The evaluation model is based on expert knowledge and does not depend on data. Through rigorous and efficient reasoning, it guarantees exact and efficient diagnostic reasoning in the case of incomplete information. Multiple conditional events and weighted graphs are proposed for specific problems in shale-gas sweet-spot evaluation, which is an extension of the DUCG that defines only one conditional event for different weighted function events and relies only on the experience of a single expert. These solutions make the reasoning process and results more objective, credible, and interpretable. The model is verified with both complete data and incomplete data. The results show that compared with other methods, this methodology achieves encouraging diagnostic accuracy and effectiveness. This study provides a promising auxiliary tool for shale-gas sweet spot evaluation.
Performance Improvement of a Low-Power Wind Turbine Using Conical Sections
Authors: Mohanan Janesh N. , Sundaramoorthy Kumaravel , Sankaran Ashok
Published: August 2021

This paper examines the performance of conical sections (concentrator and diffuser) to improve the energy-recovery prospects of small-scale wind turbines. Detailed simulation studies of the conical sections with convergence angle viz., concentrator, and divergence angle viz., diffuser were conducted using ANSYS Fluent® software. Using simulation data, a trend analysis was conducted, and the empirical equations were derived for calculating the velocity variation and power variation in terms of the convergence/divergence angles. Working prototype models with optimum angles were fabricated for both the diffuser and concentrator. These models were then augmented with a wind turbine coupled with a 100 W, 24 V DC generator and tested to validate the simulation results. Upon analyzing the simulation data, it was found that a maximum velocity variation of 23.3% was achieved at an angle of 4.5° for the diffuser, whereas a maximum power variation of 65.1% was achieved at an angle of 3.6° for the same diffuser. The aforementioned improvement was achieved by optimizing divergence angle alone. The proposed designs of the diffuser- and concentrator-augmented wind turbine, as well as the empirical equations for calculating the velocity variation and power variation in terms of the divergence and convergence angle, are the major contributions of this article.
Phase-Controlled Thyristor Sub-Synchronous Damper Converter for a Liquefied Natural Gas Plant
Authors: Bongini Lorenzo , Mastromauro Rosa Anna , Sgrò Daniele , Malvaldi Fabrizio
Published: August 2021

In electrified liquefied natural gas (LNG) plants variable frequency drives (VFDs) interact with turbine-generator (TG) units creating torsional vibrations known as sub-synchronous torsional interactions (SSTIs). Torsional vibrations can be dangerous for an LNG plant when they involve torsional instability. The stability of an LNG plant depends on the plant configuration and on the number of TG units and of VFDs. In such peculiar configurations stability cannot be achieved acting of the VFDs control system. Alternatively, dedicated equipment is needed to damp the torsional vibrations. In this paper, a sub-synchronous damper (SSD) converter is used to mitigate the SSTI phenomena. The SSD converter consists of a thyristor H-bridge regulating the phase of the additional torque provided at the TG unit air-gap. A phase control system is proposed and is based on the torsional torque oscillations measurement. An adaptive reference signal is employed, also guaranteeing high performance in island-mode operation. The proposed solution increases the damping of the LNG plant in all the considered configurations. The LNG plant successful operation is validated by comprehensive results.
Stability Criterion for Mass Oscillation in the Surge Tank of a Hydropower Station Considering Velocity Head and Throttle Loss
Authors: Huang Wei , Ma Jiming , Guo Xinlei , Li Huokun , Li Jiazhen , Wang Gang
Published: August 2021

Surge tanks (STs) are important facilities for ensuring the safety of hydropower stations. Reducing the ST size under the premise of ensuring stable mass oscillations within the ST is the main issue. First, according to the basic equations of the mass oscillation for a hydropower station with an ST, a novel expression of the critical stability section of an ST is deduced considering the velocity head and throttle loss. Then, the sensitivity of each influencing factor of the proposed stability criterion is analyzed. Ultimately, through the simulation of small oscillation transients in two case studies, the water level oscillations (WLOs) in an ST based on three stability criteria are compared. The results show that a 20% smaller ST in a hydropower station may result in 10.4% larger oscillations and a 60% smaller ST in a pumped storage power station may result in 14.3% larger oscillations. Compared with the Thoma criterion and the Chinese specification criterion, the stability criterion proposed in this paper can safely reduce the size of the ST since it considers the influence of the velocity head and throttle loss. The proposed stability criterion can provide an important reference for the optimal design of the STs.
Investigation into Yaw Motion Influence of Horizontal-Axis Wind Turbine on Wake Flow Using LBM-LES
Authors: Wu Weimin , Liu Xiongfei , Liu Jingcheng , Zeng Shunpeng , Zhou Chuande , Wang Xiaomei
Published: August 2021

The dynamic yaw motion of the wind turbine will affect the overall aerodynamic performance of the impeller and the corresponding wake flow, but the current research on this issue is inadequate. Thus, it is very necessary to study the complicated near-wake aerodynamic behaviors during the yaw process and the closely related blade aerodynamic characteristics. This work utilized the multi-relaxation time lattice Boltzmann (MRT-LBM) model to investigate the integral aerodynamic performance characteristics of the specified impeller and the dynamic changes in the near wake under a sine yawing process, in which the normalized result is adopted to facilitate data comparison and understanding. Moreover, considering the complexity of the wake flows, the large eddy simulation (LES) and wall-adapting local eddy-viscosity (WALE) model are also used in this investigation. The related results indicate that the degree of stability of tip spiral wake in the dynamic yaw condition is inversely related to the absolute value of the change rate of yaw angular speed. When the wind turbine returns to the position with the yaw angle of 0 (deg) around, the linearized migration of tip vortex is changed, and the speed loss in the wake center is reduced at about the normalized velocity of 0.27, and another transverse expansion appeared. The directional inducing downstream of the impeller sweep surface for tip vortex is clearly reflected on the entering side and the exiting side. Additionally, the features of the static pressure on the blade surface and the overall aerodynamic effects of the impeller are also discussed, respectively.
Transient Analysis of Multiphase Transmission Lines Located above Frequency-Dependent Soils
Authors: Garbelim Pascoalato Tainá Fernanda , Justo de Araújo Anderson Ricardo , Caballero Pablo Torrez , Leon Colqui Jaimis Sajid , Kurokawa Sérgio
Published: August 2021

This paper evaluates the influence of frequency-dependent soil conductivity and permittivity in the transient responses of single- and double-circuit transmission lines including the ground wires subjected to lightning strikes. We use Nakagawa’s approach to compute the ground-return impedance and admittance matrices where the frequency-dependent soil is modeled using Alípio and Visacro’s model. We compare some elements of these matrices with those calculated by Carson’s approach which assumes the frequency constant. Results show that a significant difference can be obtained in high resistive soils for these elements in impedance and admittance matrices. Then, we compute the transient responses for single- and double-circuit lines with ground wires located above soils of 500, 1000, 5000, and 10,000 Ω·m considering the frequency constant and frequency-dependent parameters generated for two lightning strikes (subsequent stroke and Gaussian pulse). We demonstrate that the inclusion of frequency dependence of soil results in an expressive reduction of approximately 26.15% and 42.75% in the generated voltage peaks in single- and double-circuit lines located above a high-resistive soil. These results show the impact of the frequency-dependent soils that must be considered for a precise transient analysis in power systems.
Effect of Adding Emulsifier to Fuel on Work Efficiency and Gas Turbine Emissions
Authors: Niszczota Paweł , Gieras Marian
Published: August 2021

In an effort to reduce the emissivity of transport and energy, numerous studies are being carried out on the impact of the combustion of alternative fuels on the emission and operating parameters of propulsion and energy units. One of the observed trends is the use of emulsion fuels. The addition of an emulsifier to an emulsion fuel reduces the interfacial tension between two liquids, which allows obtaining an emulsion fuel with the expected stability. The research conducted on self-ignition engines and gas turbines (TG) does not give an unambiguous answer as to the influence of the use of fuel-water emulsion on CO emissions. One of the reasons for the discrepancy in the obtained results may be the type and amount of the emulsifier used in the emulsion fuel. Tests were carried out on the GTM-120 gas turbine to compare the operating parameters and emissions between the cases in which TG was supplied with three fuel mixtures—the standard fuel for TG (DF) and DF with 2% and 5% emulsifier addition. It was shown that the addition of 2% of the emulsifier to DF causes an increase in CO emission, with the remaining measured parameters unchanged. On the other hand, increasing the amount of emulsifier in DF to 5% reduces CO emissions to the level observed in the case in which DF was burned reduces NOx emissions and reduces the thermal efficiency of TG.
Trend Prediction of Event Popularity from Microblogs
Authors: Zhao Xujian , Li Wei
Published: August 2021

Owing to rapid development of the Internet and the rise of the big data era, microblog has become the main means for people to spread and obtain information. If people can accurately predict the development trend of a microblog event, it will be of great significance for the government to carry out public relations activities on network event supervision and guide the development of microblog event reasonably for network crisis. This paper presents effective solutions to deal with trend prediction of microblog events’ popularity. Firstly, by selecting the influence factors and quantifying the weight of each factor with an information entropy algorithm, the microblog event popularity is modeled. Secondly, the singular spectrum analysis is carried out to decompose and reconstruct the time series of the popularity of microblog event. Then, the box chart method is used to divide the popularity of microblog event into various trend spaces. In addition, this paper exploits the Bi-LSTM model to deal with trend prediction with a sequence to label model. Finally, the comparative experimental analysis is carried out on two real data sets crawled from Sina Weibo platform. Compared to three comparative methods, the experimental results show that our proposal improves F1-score by up to 39%.
Modeling Softening Kinetics at Cellular Scale and Phytochemicals Extractability in Cauliflower under Different Cooking Treatments
Authors: Nartea Ancuta , Falcone Pasquale Massimiliano , Torri Luisa , Ghanbarzadeh Babak , Frega Natale Giuseppe , Pacetti Deborah
Published: August 2021

The effects induced by heat on Depurple and Cheddar (Brassica oleracea L. var. botrytis) during boiling, steaming, and sous-vide were investigated to elucidate the role of the basic cellular elements in softening and extractability of sterols and tocopherols. With this aim, an elastoplastic mechanical model was conceptualized at a cell scale-size and validated under creep experiments. The total amount of the phytochemicals was used to validate multivariate regression models in forecasting. Boiling was the most effective method to enhance the softening mechanisms causing tissue decompartmentalization through cell wall loosening with respect to those causing cell separation, having no impact on the phytochemical extractability. Sous-vide showed the lowest impact on cell wall integrity, but the highest in terms of cell separation. Steaming showed an intermediate behavior. Tissue of the Depurple cauliflower was the most resistant to the heat, irrespectively to the heating technology. Local heterogeneity in the cell wall and cell membrane, expected as a plant variety-dependent functional property, was proposed as a possible explanation because sterol extractability under lower heat-transfer efficiency, i.e., steaming and sous-vide, decreased in Depurple and increased in Cheddar as well as because the extractability of sterols and tocopherols was greater in Cheddar.
Improving the Storability of Cod Fish-Burgers According to the Zero-Waste Approach
Authors: Dilucia Flavia , Lacivita Valentina , Nobile Matteo Alessandro Del , Conte Amalia
Published: August 2021

This research explored the potential of the zero-waste concept in relation to the storability of fresh food products. In particular, the prickly pear (Opuntia ficus-indica) peel (usually perceived as a by-product) and the pulp were dehydrated, reduced in powder, and used as food additives to slow down the growth of the main spoilage microorganisms of fresh cod fish burgers. The proportion between peel and pulp powder was such as to respect the zero-waste concept. The antibacterial activity of the peel and pulp in proper proportion was first assessed by means of an in vitro test against target microorganisms. Then, the active powder was added at three concentrations (i.e., 2.5 g, 7.5 g, and 12.5 g) to cod fish burgers to assess its effectiveness in slowing down the microbial and sensory quality decay of burgers stored at 4 °C. The results from the in vitro test showed that both the peel and pulp were effective in delaying microbial growth. The subsequent storability test substantially confirmed the in vitro test results. In fact, a significant reduction in growth rate of the main fish spoilage microorganisms (i.e., Pseudomonas spp., psychrotrophic bacteria, and psychrotolerant and heat-labile aerobic bacteria) was observed during 16 days of refrigerated storage. As expected, the antimicrobial effectiveness of powder increased as its concentration increased. Surprisingly, its addition did not affect the sensory quality of fish. Moreover, it was proven that this active powder can improve the fish sensory quality during the storage period.
Is Fresh Produce in Tigray, Ethiopia a Potential Transmission Vehicle for Cryptosporidium and Giardia?
Authors: Kifleyohannes Tsegabirhan , Debenham John James , Robertson Lucy J.
Published: August 2021

In rural Ethiopia, where people often share their homes with their livestock, infections of humans and animals with Cryptosporidium and Giardia are relatively common. One possible transmission route is consumption of contaminated fresh produce; this study investigated the occurrence of Cryptosporidium and Giardia in fresh produce in four districts of rural Tigray in Ethiopia. Fresh produce samples (n = 55) were analysed using standard laboratory procedures. Overall, 15% (8/55) of samples were found to be contaminated. Although contamination levels were mostly low, a few samples had high numbers of Giardia cysts (up to around 70 cysts per 30 g sample). Molecular analyses were largely unsuccessful, but Giardia Assemblage A was identified in one sample. Contamination with these parasites was identified in two of the four districts, but, although a similar pattern has already been described for water contamination, this may be at least partially explained by sampling bias. Nevertheless, we speculate that access to clean water sources may be an important factor for reducing the occurrence of these pathogens. Given the public health and veterinary burden associated with both parasites, the factors which are of importance for their circulation in the communities and environments deserve further investigation.
Susceptibility of Impact Damage to Whole Apples Packaged Inside Molded Fiber and Expanded Polystyrene Trays
Authors: Dunno Kyle , Stoeckley Isabel , Hofmeister Matthew
Published: August 2021

Postharvest damage, leading to loss and waste, continues to be a significant problem in the fresh produce industry. Trays, designed to reduce fruit-to-fruit contact, are utilized by the apple industry to minimize bruising of whole apples. During distribution, packaged apples are subjected to various supply chain hazards, which may lead to bruising damage. Currently, molded fiber (MF) and expanded polystyrene (EPS) trays transport whole apples from the packhouse to the retail outlet. Mechanical shock, by free-fall drop method, was used to evaluate the performance differences between the two trays and quantify the bruising characteristics of the apples. Results showed that the EPS trays provided better shock protection to the apple as compared to the MF tray, reducing the impact acceleration by more than 70%. Additionally, the bruise susceptibility was 40% less for the apples packaged inside the EPS trays, regardless of drop height. However, apples packaged in the middle layer trays were most susceptible to bruising damage, regardless of tray type.
Geomorphologic Recovery of North Captiva Island from the Landfall of Hurricane Charley in 2004
Authors: Kelly Emma Wilson , Jose Felix
Published: August 2021

Hurricane Charley made landfall on the Gulf Coast of Florida on 13 August 2004 as a category 4 hurricane, devastating North Captiva Island. The hurricane caused a breach to occur to the southern end of the island, which naturally healed itself over the course of three years. By 2008, the cut was completely repaired geomorphologically. LiDAR data analysis shows the northern half of the island has been subjected to persistent erosion from 1998–2018, while the southern half experienced accretion since 2004, including the complete closure of the “Charley cut”. The maximum volume of sediment erosion in the northern sector of the island (R71–R73) from 2004–2018 was −85,710.1 m3, which was the source of southern accretion. The breached area of the island (R78b–R79a) obtained 500,163.9 m3 of sediments from 2004–2018 to heal the cut made by Hurricane Charley. Along with LiDAR data analysis, Google Earth Pro historical imageries and SANDS volumetric analysis confirmed the longshore transport of sediments from the northern to the southern end of the island. Winter storms are mainly responsible for this southerly longshore transport and are hypothesized to be the main factor driving the coastal dynamics that restored the breach and helps in widening the southern end of North Captiva Island.
Dietary Supplements—For Whom? The Current State of Knowledge about the Health Effects of Selected Supplement Use
Authors: Wierzejska Regina Ewa
Published: August 2021

Dietary supplements are products containing nutrients sold in various medicinal forms, and their widespread use may stem from the conviction that a preparation that looks like a drug must have therapeutic properties. The aim of this scoping review is to present what is known about the effects of using selected dietary supplements in the context of chronic diseases, as well as the risks associated with their use. The literature shows that the taking of vitamin and mineral supplements by healthy people neither lowers their risk of cardiovascular diseases nor prevents the development of malignancies. Many scientific societies recognize that omega-3 fatty acids lower blood triglycerides, but whether taking them prevents heart disease is less clear-cut. Taking weight loss supplements is not an effective method of fighting obesity. Often, some supplements are increasingly sold illegally, which is then also associated with the higher risk that they may be adulterated with banned substances, thus making them even more dangerous and potentially life-threatening. Supplements are necessary in cases of nutrient deficiency; however, even though prescription is not required, their use should be recommended and monitored by a physician.
Work Organization Factors Associated with Health and Work Outcomes among Apprentice Construction Workers: Comparison between the Residential and Commercial Sectors
Authors: Dale Ann Marie , Rohlman Diane S. , Hayibor Lisa , Evanoff Bradley A.
Published: August 2021

There are substantial differences in work organization between residential and commercial construction sectors. This paper examined differences in work factors between construction sectors and examined the association between sector and health behaviors, health outcomes, and work outcomes. We surveyed 929 male construction apprentices (44% residential and 56% commercial) and found that residential apprentices reported fewer workplace safety policies, higher frequency of heavy lifting, and greater likelihood of reporting musculoskeletal pain compared to apprentices in commercial work. Residential apprentices reported higher job strain, lower supervisor support, more lost workdays due to pain or injury, and lower productivity related to health than commercial apprentices. Multivariate Poisson regression models controlling for multiple work factors showed that residential construction work, high job strain, heavy lifting, low coworker support, and low supervisor support were each independently associated with one or more work or health outcomes. These findings suggest that interventions should seek to improve coworker and supervisory supportive behaviors, decrease job strain, and reduce organizational stressors, such as mandatory overtime work. Our study shows disparities in health and safety between construction sectors and highlights the need for interventions tailored to the residential sector.
A Qualitative Exploration of the Needs of Community-Dwelling Patients Living with Moderate Dementia
Authors: Yeh Tzu-Pei , Chen Hsing-Chia , Ma Wei-Fen
Published: August 2021

Few studies have focused on developing a better understanding of the needs of patients with moderate-stage dementia. This study aimed to explore the needs of people living with moderate dementia and receiving home-care services from a local mental hospital. The study adopted a descriptive qualitative approach with purposive sampling to recruit patients with moderate dementia and receiving home-care services. Data were collected by face-to-face interviews and content analysis was used to interpret the experiences in the dialogue data. The results showed that the needs of people living with moderate dementia receiving home-care services contained four themes: the demand for company and care, the wish to recall familiar images, the need of reaffirming life purpose and value through reflection and reminiscence, and the desire for making autonomous end-of-life decisions. In addition to daily care, people living with moderate dementia crave companionship, expect meaningful exchanges of experiences to share their life, and have demands to have a voice in going through the final stage of life. The participants tended to focus more on issues related to the connections between living and dying. The results provide caregivers and home-care service providers with some insights into offering better care for people living with moderate dementia.
Association between Dental Scaling and Reduced Risk of End-Stage Renal Disease: A Nationwide Matched Cohort Study
Authors: Chung Yu-Hsiang , Kuo Hsien-Cheng , Liu Hsin-Yi , Wu Mei-Yi , Chang Wei-Jen , Chen Jui-Tai , Cherng Yih-Giun , Chen Tzeng-Ji , Dai Ying-Xiu , Wu Hsiang-Ling , Liu Wan-Chi , Tai Ying-Hsuan
Published: August 2021

Periodontitis is prevalent in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and is also associated with kidney function decline. It is unclear whether dental scaling treatment prevents the progression of CKD. In a nationwide cohort study, Taiwan’s National Health Insurance Research Database was used to select people with CKD. Propensity score-matching procedures were performed to compare the long-term risk of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) between CKD patients with and without the receipt of dental scaling. A total of 33,637 matched pairs with CKD were included, with 503,373 person-years of follow-up for analyses. Dental scaling was significantly associated with a lower risk of ESRD (adjusted hazard ratio (aHR): 0.83, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.77–0.90). In addition, there was a dose-dependent relationship between the frequency of dental scaling and a reduced risk of ESRD. Dental scaling was also linked to reduced risks of major adverse cardiovascular events (aHR: 0.91, 95% CI: 0.87–0.95), sepsis (aHR: 0.81, 95% CI: 0.77–0.85), and all-cause mortality (aHR: 0.81, 95% CI: 0.76–0.87). Dental scaling was significantly associated with lower risks of progression to ESRD in patients with CKD. Regular dental scaling may serve as a prophylactic measure for kidney function decline.