bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Challenges to Promoting Attachment for Hospitalised Infants with NAS
Authors: Shannon Jaylene , Peters Kath , Blythe Stacy
Published: February 2021

The postnatal period is crucial for infants in establishing a connection with and security in primary caregivers and can have enduring effects on attachment patterns. However, due to the need for symptom management, many infants diagnosed with neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) may be separated from primary caregivers and cared for in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) or special care nursery (SCN) soon after birth. Research has shown that substance-exposed infants are more likely to experience insecure attachment patterns with their primary caregivers and that mothers with a history of substance abuse are less sensitive to their infants’ cues. Therefore, the aim of this research was to explore nurses’ and midwives’ experiences in promoting the attachment relationship for infants admitted to an NICU/SCN with NAS. A qualitative research design was used to gather data on the experiences of nine nurses/midwives from various NICU and SCN settings in Australia. Individual, semi-structured interviews were conducted, and transcribed interviews were coded using thematic analysis. While nurses/midwives valued the attachment relationship for infants with NAS, facilitation of the attachment relationship was mainly promoted when the mother was present. However, parents were often reported to be absent from the nursery. Difficulties in promoting an attachment relationship were also identified when an infant had child protection involvement. This research identifies areas in need of innovative change regarding the approach taken to promote the attachment relationship for infants with NAS when they are admitted to an NICU/SCN.
Effect of Annealing on the Characteristics of CoFeBY Thin Films
Authors: Liu Wen-Jen , Chang Yung-Huang , Chen Yuan-Tsung , Chiang Yi-Chen , Tsai Ding-Yang , Wu Te-Ho , Chi Po-Wei
Published: February 2021

In this study, the addition of Y to CoFeB alloy can refine the grain size to study the magnetic, adhesion and optical properties of as-deposited and annealed CoFeB alloy. XRD analysis shows that CoFeB(110) has a BCC CoFeB (110) nanocrystalline structure with a thickness of 10–50 nm under four heat-treatment conditions, and a CoFeB(110) peak at 44° (2θ). The measurements of saturation magnetization (MS) and low frequency alternate-current magnetic susceptibility (χac) revealed a thickness effect owed to exchange coupling. The maximum MS of the 300 °C annealed CoFeBY film with a thickness of 50 nm was 925 emu/cm3 (9.25 × 105 A/m). The maximum χac value of the 300 °C annealed CoFeBY nanofilms with a thickness of 50 nm was 0.165 at 50 Hz. After annealing at 300 °C, CoFeBY nanofilms exhibited the highest surface energy of 31.07 mJ/mm2, where the thickness of the nanofilms was 40 nm. Compared with the as-deposited CoFeBY nanofilms, due to the smaller average grain size after annealing, the transmittance of the annealed nanofilms increased. Importantly, when a CoFeB seed or buffer layer was replaced by a CoFeBY nanofilm, the thermal stability of the CoFeBY nanofilms was improved, promoting themselves on the practical MTJ applications.
Metal Surfaces
Authors: Kaciulis Saulius , Montanari Roberto
Published: February 2021

Surface phenomena such as corrosion, wear, heterogeneous catalysis, segregation, etc [...]
Synthesis and Frost Suppression Performance of PDMS-SiO2/PFA Hybrid Coating
Authors: Jia Li , Sun Jun , Li Xiaoxiao , Zhang Xian , Chen Lin , Tian Xinyou
Published: February 2021

In this article, a simple synthesis method was applied to form a branch and tendril structure using hydroxyl-terminated silicone sol modified silica nanoparticles at high temperature, followed by mixing with fluoro-containing polyacrylate emulsion (PFA) to obtained a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)-SiO2/PFA hybrid coating. The hydrophobic performance of the PDMS-SiO2/PFA coating was further enhanced through the synergistic action of Si-O and F group. The obtained coating has a similar surface structure of lotus leaf and the contact angle can reach 142.2 ± 2.4°. The PDMS-SiO2/PFA coating could delay the formation of frost crystal and the growth of frost layer. The defrosting droplets were difficult to adhere on the coating and could be easily rolled off for long frosting and defrosting cycles, which indicates the potential application of this coating in the field of frost suppression.
Prediction of Neutralization Depth of R.C. Bridges Using Machine Learning Methods
Authors: Duan Kangkang , Cao Shuangyin , Li Jinbao , Xu Chongfa
Published: February 2021

Machine learning techniques have become a popular solution to prediction problems. These approaches show excellent performance without being explicitly programmed. In this paper, 448 sets of data were collected to predict the neutralization depth of concrete bridges in China. Random forest was used for parameter selection. Besides this, four machine learning methods, such as support vector machine (SVM), k-nearest neighbor (KNN) and XGBoost, were adopted to develop models. The results show that machine learning models obtain a high accuracy (>80%) and an acceptable macro recall rate (>80%) even with only four parameters. For SVM models, the radial basis function has a better performance than other kernel functions. The radial basis kernel SVM method has the highest verification accuracy (91%) and the highest macro recall rate (86%). Besides this, the preference of different methods is revealed in this study.
Biodiesel Purification via Ultrasonic-Assisted Solvent-Aided Crystallization
Authors: Ahmad Mohd. Afnan , Samsuri Shafirah
Published: February 2021

Wet washing is a widely used method for biodiesel purification. However, this technique generates a large amount of wastewater that needs to be treated afterward, which is costly and time-consuming. Thus, solvent-aided crystallization (SAC) with ultrasonic irradiation as solution movement assistance was introduced. This technique is based on the addition of 1-butanol to biodiesel to enhance purification via crystallization. During crystallization, two phases are formed, where glycerol solidifies (solid phase) and pure biodiesel remains (liquid phase). Technically, the implementation of ultrasonic technology can optimize laboratory work by saving time, as no cleaning or washing of the propeller is needed. Biodiesel purity was analyzed using gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy (GC-MS), where a purity of 99% was achieved. The optimum parameters in achieving higher purity fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) were a 1-butanol concentration of 1 wt.%, a coolant temperature of 9 °C, and a crystallization time of 40 min.
Photocatalytic Decolorization of Methyl Red on Nanoporous Anodic ZrO2 of Different Crystal Structures
Authors: Wierzbicka Ewa , Syrek Karolina , Mączka Klaudia , Sulka Grzegorz D.
Published: February 2021

High surface area, self-organized nanoporous ZrO2 arrays with perfect adhesion to the Zr substrate were synthesized by anodization in an aqueous electrolyte containing (NH4)2SO4 and NH4F. The obtained semiconductor materials were tested as photocatalysts for decolorization of the methyl red (MR) as a model azo dye pollutant. It was demonstrated that as-synthesized anodic ZrO2 anodic layers are already crystalline and, therefore, do not require further thermal treatment to provide a high photocatalytic performance. However, photocatalytic efficiency could be improved by annealing at a relatively low-temperature of 350 °C. Higher annealing temperatures caused a gradual drop of photocatalytic activity. The photocatalytic behavior was correlated with the crystal phase transformation in anodic ZrO2. It was found that higher photocatalytic activity was observed for the tetragonal phase over the monoclinic phase (predominant at elevated temperatures). It results from the optimal and complex electronic structure of annealed ZrO2 with three different energy states having absorption edges at 2.0, 4.01 and 5.28 eV.
Characterization of Failure Strain In Fiber Reinforced Composites: Under On-Axis and Off-Axis Loading
Authors: Khalid Muhammad Yasir , Rashid Ans Al , Arif Zia Ullah , Akram Naveed , Arshad Hassan , García Márquez Fausto Pedro
Published: February 2021

Metals are known for high ductility and have, been used to design and fabricate structural components for many years. However, composite materials are taking over traditional materials owing to their significant mechanical properties. Fiber-reinforced composites exhibit lower ductility and failure strain, resulting in brittle failure, limiting their application where high ductility is desired. In this study, an effort has been made to design, fabricate, and test continuous fiber-reinforced composites with improved ductility. A comparative analysis was performed for optimizing the failure strain of different woven fiber-reinforced composite materials under both on-axis (0°/90°) and off-axis (±45°) loading. The materials include carbon/epoxy, E-glass/epoxy, and jute/epoxy composite. The tests were performed according to ASTM D3039 standard. The strength of all tested composites in on-axis and off-axis loading was obtained from tensile test results. But failure strain was limited in on-axis loading. Interestingly, glass/epoxy composite showed improved failure strain, by 90%, without much loss in tensile strength in off-axis loading than on-axis loading. The jute fiber revealed limited tensile strength and failure strain in both loading conditions.
Monitoring Brazilian Cavefish: Ecology and Conservation of Four Threatened Catfish of Genus Ituglanis (Siluriformes: Trichomycteridae) from Central Brazil
Authors: Bichuette Maria Elina , Trajano Eleonora
Published: February 2021

We investigated population parameters using the capture-mark-recapture method (Ituglanis passensis and I. bambui) and visual censuses (I. epikasrticus and I. ramiroi). The four species are regionally threatened (Brazilian Red List) and occur in caves of Terra Ronca State Park, São Domingos region, Central Brazil. We conducted seven fieldtrips across three years of dry seasons. For the capture-mark-recapture method, a 400 m long stream inside Passa Três cave, where I. passensis occurs and a 300 m long reach of an upper tributary where I. bambui occurs inside Angélica cave were divided into 20 and 17 study sections, respectively. Catfishes were hand-netted, measured (standard length), weighed, marked by subcutaneous injection of biocompatible pigments, and released. The four species show medium-to-low mean population densities (0.03 ind/m2 0.7 ind/m2). Capture-mark-recapture data pointed to a relatively small population size for I. passensis, restricted to a 1600 m long stream inside Passa Três cave (N = 719) and for I. bambui (N = 246; 300 m of epikarstic drainage). Ituglanis passensis and I. bambui move along relatively small areas with a restricted home range. We observed recruitment patterns and a trend of decrease in condition factor during the dry seasons for I. bambui but not for I. passensis, suggesting that epikarstic waters are probably more limiting concerning food input. Ituglanis passensis and I. bambui showed low growth and consequently high longevity, corroborated by captivity data (20 years). We suggest urgent actions and long-term monitoring projects to effectively protect this unique and endemic ichthyofauna.
MB-AI-His: Histopathological Diagnosis of Pediatric Medulloblastoma and its Subtypes via AI
Authors: Attallah Omneya
Published: February 2021

Medulloblastoma (MB) is a dangerous malignant pediatric brain tumor that could lead to death. It is considered the most common pediatric cancerous brain tumor. Precise and timely diagnosis of pediatric MB and its four subtypes (defined by the World Health Organization (WHO)) is essential to decide the appropriate follow-up plan and suitable treatments to prevent its progression and reduce mortality rates. Histopathology is the gold standard modality for the diagnosis of MB and its subtypes, but manual diagnosis via a pathologist is very complicated, needs excessive time, and is subjective to the pathologists’ expertise and skills, which may lead to variability in the diagnosis or misdiagnosis. The main purpose of the paper is to propose a time-efficient and reliable computer-aided diagnosis (CADx), namely MB-AI-His, for the automatic diagnosis of pediatric MB and its subtypes from histopathological images. The main challenge in this work is the lack of datasets available for the diagnosis of pediatric MB and its four subtypes and the limited related work. Related studies are based on either textural analysis or deep learning (DL) feature extraction methods. These studies used individual features to perform the classification task. However, MB-AI-His combines the benefits of DL techniques and textural analysis feature extraction methods through a cascaded manner. First, it uses three DL convolutional neural networks (CNNs), including DenseNet-201, MobileNet, and ResNet-50 CNNs to extract spatial DL features. Next, it extracts time-frequency features from the spatial DL features based on the discrete wavelet transform (DWT), which is a textural analysis method. Finally, MB-AI-His fuses the three spatial-time-frequency features generated from the three CNNs and DWT using the discrete cosine transform (DCT) and principal component analysis (PCA) to produce a time-efficient CADx system. MB-AI-His merges the privileges of different CNN architectures. MB-AI-His has a binary classification level for classifying among normal and abnormal MB images, and a multi-classification level to classify among the four subtypes of MB. The results of MB-AI-His show that it is accurate and reliable for both the binary and multi-class classification levels. It is also a time-efficient system as both the PCA and DCT methods have efficiently reduced the training execution time. The performance of MB-AI-His is compared with related CADx systems, and the comparison verified the powerfulness of MB-AI-His and its outperforming results. Therefore, it can support pathologists in the accurate and reliable diagnosis of MB and its subtypes from histopathological images. It can also reduce the time and cost of the diagnosis procedure which will correspondingly lead to lower death rates.
Quality Assessment of Endoscopic Forceps Biopsy Samples under Magnifying Narrow Band Imaging for Histological Diagnosis of Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia: A Feasibility Study
Authors: Uchita Kunihisa , Kobara Hideki , Yorita Kenji , Shigehisa Yuriko , Kuroiwa Chihiro , Nishiyama Noriko , Takahashi Yohei , Kai Yuka , Kunikata Jun , Shimokawa Toshio , Hanaoka Uiko , Kanenishi Kenji , Masaki Tsutomu , Hirano Koki , Uedo Noriya
Published: February 2021

The current standard for diagnosing cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) is colposcopy followed by punch biopsy. We have developed flexible magnifying endoscopy with narrow band imaging (ME-NBI) for the diagnosis of CIN. Here, we investigated the feasibility of targeted endoscopic forceps biopsy (E-Bx) under guidance of ME-NBI for the diagnosis of CIN. We prospectively enrolled 32 consecutive patients with confirmed or suspected high-grade CIN undergoing cervical conization. Next to colposcopy, the same patients underwent ME-NBI just before conization. ME-NBI was performed, and 30 E-Bx samples were taken from lesions suspicious for high-grade CIN and 15 from non-suspicious mucosa. We recalled 82 punch biopsy (P-Bx) specimens taken from lesions suspicious for high-grade CIN under colposcopic examination before enrollment. The proportion of sufficient biopsy samples, which had an entire mucosal layer with subepithelial tissue, for the diagnosis of CIN was evaluated by both methods. Performance of targeted E-Bx for the final diagnosis of at least high-grade CIN was calculated. Seventeen P-Bx specimens were unavailable. The proportion of sufficient samples with E-Bx was 84%, which was similar to that with P-Bx (87%) (p = 0.672). The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of ME-NBI using E-Bx was 92%, 81%, and 88%, respectively. In conclusion, ME-NBI-guided E-Bx samples were feasible for histological diagnoses of CIN, and further investigation of its diagnostic accuracy is warranted.
Diagnosis of SARS-Cov-2 Infection by RT-PCR Using Specimens Other Than Naso- and Oropharyngeal Swabs: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Authors: Moreira Vânia M. , Mascarenhas Paulo , Machado Vanessa , Botelho João , Mendes José João , Taveira Nuno , Almeida M. Gabriela
Published: February 2021

The rapid and accurate testing of SARS-CoV-2 infection is still crucial to mitigate, and eventually halt, the spread of this disease. Currently, nasopharyngeal swab (NPS) and oropharyngeal swab (OPS) are the recommended standard sampling techniques, yet, these have some limitations such as the complexity of collection. Hence, several other types of specimens that are easier to obtain are being tested as alternatives to nasal/throat swabs in nucleic acid assays for SARS-CoV-2 detection. This study aims to critically appraise and compare the clinical performance of RT-PCR tests using oral saliva, deep-throat saliva/posterior oropharyngeal saliva (DTS/POS), sputum, urine, feces, and tears/conjunctival swab (CS) against standard specimens (NPS, OPS, or a combination of both). In this systematic review and meta-analysis, five databases (PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, ClinicalTrial.gov and NIPH Clinical Trial) were searched up to the 30th of December, 2020. Case-control and cohort studies on the detection of SARS-CoV-2 were included. The methodological quality was assessed using the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies 2 (QUADAS 2). We identified 1560 entries, 33 of which (1.1%) met all required criteria and were included for the quantitative data analysis. Saliva presented the higher accuracy, 92.1% (95% CI: 70.0–98.3), with an estimated sensitivity of 83.9% (95% CI: 77.4–88.8) and specificity of 96.4% (95% CI: 89.5–98.8). DTS/POS samples had an overall accuracy of 79.7% (95% CI: 43.3–95.3), with an estimated sensitivity of 90.1% (95% CI: 83.3–96.9) and specificity of 63.1% (95% CI: 36.8–89.3). The remaining index specimens could not be adequately assessed given the lack of studies available. Our meta-analysis shows that saliva samples from the oral region provide a high sensitivity and specificity; therefore, these appear to be the best candidates for alternative specimens to NPS/OPS in SARS-CoV-2 detection, with suitable protocols for swab-free sample collection to be determined and validated in the future. The distinction between oral and extra-oral salivary samples will be crucial, since DTS/POS samples may induce a higher rate of false positives. Urine, feces, tears/CS and sputum seem unreliable for diagnosis. Saliva testing may increase testing capacity, ultimately promoting the implementation of truly deployable COVID-19 tests, which could either work at the point-of-care (e.g. hospitals, clinics) or at outbreak control spots (e.g., schools, airports, and nursing homes).
Wnt/β-Catenin Signaling Regulates CXCR4 Expression and [68Ga] Pentixafor Internalization in Neuroendocrine Tumor Cells
Authors: Weich Alexander , Rogoll Dorothee , Gawlas Sophia , Mayer Lars , Weich Wolfgang , Pongracz Judit , Kudlich Theodor , Meining Alexander , Scheurlen Michael
Published: February 2021

Loss of Somatostatin Receptor 2 (SSTR2) expression and rising CXC Chemokine Receptor Type 4 (CXCR4) expression are associated with dedifferentiation in neuroendocrine tumors (NET). In NET, CXCR4 expression is associated with enhanced metastatic and invasive potential and worse prognosis but might be a theragnostic target. Likewise, activation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling may promote a more aggressive phenotype in NET. We hypothesized an interaction of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway with CXCR4 expression and function in NET. The NET cell lines BON-1, QGP-1, and MS-18 were exposed to Wnt inhibitors (5-aza-CdR, quercetin, and niclosamide) or the Wnt activator LiCl. The expressions of Wnt pathway genes and of CXCR4 were studied by qRT-PCR, Western blot, and immunohistochemistry. The effects of Wnt modulators on uptake of the CXCR4 ligand [68Ga] Pentixafor were measured. The Wnt activator LiCl induced upregulation of CXCR4 and Wnt target gene expression. Treatment with the Wnt inhibitors had opposite effects. LiCl significantly increased [68Ga] Pentixafor uptake, while treatment with Wnt inhibitors decreased radiopeptide uptake. Wnt pathway modulation influences CXCR4 expression and function in NET cell lines. Wnt modulation might be a tool to enhance the efficacy of CXCR4-directed therapies in NET or to inhibit CXCR4-dependent proliferative signaling. The underlying mechanisms for the interaction of the Wnt pathway with CXCR4 expression and function have yet to be clarified.
MR-Imaging and Histopathological Diagnostic Work-Up of Patients with Spontaneous Lobar Intracerebral Hemorrhage: Results of an Institutional Prospective Registry Study
Authors: Schuss Patrick , Bode Christian , Borger Valeri , Coch Christoph , Güresir Ági , Hadjiathanasiou Alexis , Hamed Motaz , Kuchelmeister Klaus , Lehmann Felix , Müller Marcus , Schneider Matthias , Solymosi László , Vatter Hartmut , Velten Markus , Güresir Erdem
Published: February 2021

Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is a frequently disabling or fatal disease. The localization of ICH often allows an etiological association. However, in atypical/lobar ICH, the cause of bleeding is less obvious. Therefore, we present prospective histopathological and radiological studies which were conducted within the diagnostic workup to identify causes for lobar ICH other than hypertension. From 2016 to 2018, 198 patients with spontaneous, non-traumatic ICH requiring neurosurgical monitoring were enrolled in an institutional prospective patient registry. Patients with deep-seated ICH and/or hemorrhagically transformed cerebral infarcts were excluded from further analysis. Data to evaluate the source of bleeding based on histopathological and/or radiological workup were prospectively evaluated and analyzed. After applying the inclusion criteria and excluding patients with incomplete diagnostic workup, a total of 52 consecutive patients with lobar ICH were further analyzed. Macrovascular disease was detected in 14 patients with lobar ICH (27%). In 11 patients, diagnostic workup identified cerebral amyloid angiopathy-related ICH (21%). In addition, five patients with tumor-related ICH (10%) and six patients with ICH based on infectious pathologies (11%) were identified. In four patients, the cause of bleeding remained unknown despite extensive diagnostic workup (8%). The present prospective registry study demonstrates a higher probability to identify a cause of bleeding other than hypertension in patients with lobar ICH. Therefore, a thorough diagnostic work-up in patients with ICH is essential to accelerate treatment and further improve outcome or prevent rebleeding.
The Role of Salivary Biomarkers in the Early Diagnosis of Alzheimer’s Disease and Parkinson’s Disease
Authors: Pawlik Patrycja , Błochowiak Katarzyna
Published: February 2021

Many neurodegenerative diseases present with progressive neuronal degeneration, which can lead to cognitive and motor impairment. Early screening and diagnosis of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and Parkinson’s disease (PD) are necessary to begin treatment before the onset of clinical symptoms and slow down the progression of the disease. Biomarkers have shown great potential as a diagnostic tool in the early diagnosis of many diseases, including AD and PD. However, screening for these biomarkers usually includes invasive, complex and expensive methods such as cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) sampling through a lumbar puncture. Researchers are continuously seeking to find a simpler and more reliable diagnostic tool that would be less invasive than CSF sampling. Saliva has been studied as a potential biological fluid that could be used in the diagnosis and early screening of neurodegenerative diseases. This review aims to provide an insight into the current literature concerning salivary biomarkers used in the diagnosis of AD and PD. The most commonly studied salivary biomarkers in AD are β-amyloid1-42/1-40 and TAU protein, as well as α-synuclein and protein deglycase (DJ-1) in PD. Studies continue to be conducted on this subject and researchers are attempting to find correlations between specific biomarkers and early clinical symptoms, which could be key in creating new treatments for patients before the onset of symptoms.
Drone-Monitoring: Improving the Detectability of Threatened Marine Megafauna
Authors: Barreto Jonathas , Cajaíba Luciano , Teixeira João Batista , Nascimento Lorena , Giacomo Amanda , Barcelos Nelson , Fettermann Ticiana , Martins Agnaldo
Published: February 2021

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs; or drones) are an emerging tool to provide a safer, cheaper, and quieter alternative to traditional methods of studying marine megafauna in a natural environment. The UFES Nectology Laboratory team developed a drone-monitoring to assess the impacts on megafauna related to the Fundão dam mining tailings disaster in the Southeast Brazilian coast. We have developed a systematic pattern to optimize the available resources by covering the largest possible area. The fauna observer can monitor the environment from a privileged angle with virtual reality and subsequently analyzes each video captured in 4k, allowing to deepening behavioral ecology knowledge. Applying the drone-monitoring method, we have observed an increasing detectability by adjusting the camera angle, height, orientation, and speed of the UAV; which saved time and resources for monitoring turtles, sea birds, large fish, and especially small cetaceans efficiently and comparably.
No Change in Fireworks-Related Burn Center Admissions: A 10-Year Analysis of the Admission Rates, Treatment, and Costs
Authors: Van Yperen Daan , Van Baar Margriet , Polinder Suzanne , Van Zuijlen Paul , Beerthuizen Gerard , Lucas Ymke , Van Lieshout Esther , Verhofstad Michael , Van der Vlies Cornelis ,   Dutch Burn Repository Group
Published: February 2021

The aim of this study was to provide insight into the admission rate, treatment, and healthcare costs of patients with fireworks-related burns admitted to a Dutch burn center in the past 10 years. We hypothesized that, like the nationwide number of injuries, the number of patients admitted to a burn center with fireworks-related burn injuries would have decreased during the study period. In this retrospective multicenter cohort study, all patients with fireworks-related burns admitted to a Dutch burn center between 2009 and 2019 were eligible. Patients were identified from a national database and data were obtained regarding admission details, patient and injury characteristics, treatment, and healthcare costs. A total of 133 patients were included. On average, 12 patients were admitted per year. No increase or decrease was observed during the study period. The median total body surface area burned was 1% (P25–P75 0.5–2.5) and 75% of the burns were of partial thickness. Thirteen (10%) patients were admitted to the ICU and 66 (50%) underwent surgical treatment. The mean total healthcare costs across all 133 patients were estimated at €9040 (95% CI €5830 to €12,260) per patient. In contrast to the hypothesis, no increase or decrease was observed in burn center admissions over the past 10 years. Most burns were of small size, but nevertheless, all patients were admitted to a burn center and half of them underwent surgical treatment.
Generation Y’s Perception of Servant Leadership and Job Satisfaction
Authors: Bilge Hurriyet , Virlanuta Florina Oana , Zungun Deniz , Barbuta-Misu Nicoleta , Comuk Pinar , Guven Emine Turkan Ayvaz
Published: February 2021

Generation Y wants to know the reason for everything in their lives, they are curious and most importantly, their characteristic of questioning everything makes them stand out. At the same time, it is hard to influence their characteristic features such as their lack of social skills, little respect for authority, and low level of commitment to their employers when Generation X management tactics are used. The purpose of this study is to better understand Generation Y, to examine their relations with servant leadership practices, and to determine what effects they have on businesses. The field study was made at an established organized industrial zone (OIZ) dating back to 1963. This OIZ is built on an area bigger than 10 million m2 and is divided into 5 subzones. It is currently home to 53,500 employees, has a gross foreign trade volume of $7,200,000,000 and is located in the western Aegean Region of Turkey. The data for the study was collected from 248 participants and scales tested for validity and reliability in Turkish. A model was developed using the data and then it was tested using the confirmatory factor analysis method. The study used Structural Equation Model (SEM) to define the causal relationships between latent variables with a model in the analysis of the data and test its compliance. The result of the analysis reveals that dimensions of accountability and forgiveness from servant leadership practices have a statistically significant effect on personal success, whereas empowerment, accountability, and personal success dimensions have statistically significant effects on job satisfaction. Modesty dimension does not have a significant effect on the personal success and job satisfaction and the dimensions of accountability and forgiveness do not have a significant effect on job satisfaction. In addition, empowerment dimension does not have a meaningful effect on personal success. There is need for more studies to support the accuracy of the result for modesty dimension, since it seems like there is no effect on personal success and job satisfaction. This is a pioneer study since it is an empirical one looking at the application of the servant leadership theory on Generation Y employees.
Do Bilinguals Acquire Similar Words to Monolinguals? An Examination of Word Acquisition and the Similarity Effect in Japanese—English Bilinguals’ Vocabularies
Authors: Kutsuki Aya
Published: February 2021

Previous research has paid much attention to the overall acquisition of vocabularies among bilingual children in comparison to their monolingual counterparts. Much less attention has been paid to the type of words acquired and the possible transfer or cross-linguistic effects of the other language on vocabulary development. Thus, this study aims to explore similarities and dissimilarities in the vocabularies of simultaneous bilinguals and Japanese monolinguals and considers the possible cross-linguistic similarity effect on word acquisition. Six simultaneous Japanese–English bilingual children (mean age = 34.75 months (2.56)) were language–age-matched with six Japanese monolinguals; their productive vocabularies were compared regarding size and categories. Additionally, characteristic acquired words were compared using correspondence analyses. Results showed that, although delayed due to the reduced inputs, young bilinguals have a similar set of vocabularies in terms of word category as monolinguals. However, bilingual children’s vocabularies reflect their unevenly distributed experience with the language. Fewer interactive experiences with language speakers may result in a lower acquisition of interactive words. Furthermore, there is a cross-linguistic effect on acquisition, likely caused by form similarity between Japanese katakana words and English words. Even between languages with great dissimilarities, resources and cues are sought and used to facilitate bilingual vocabulary acquisition.
The Use of Single-Item Ratings Versus Traditional Multiple-Item Questionnaires to Assess Mood and Health
Authors: Verster Joris C. , Sandalova Elena , Garssen Johan , Bruce Gillian
Published: February 2021

Collecting real-world evidence via ‘at home’ assessments in ambulatory patients or healthy volunteers is becoming increasingly important, both for research purposes and in clinical practice. However, given the mobile technology that is frequently used for these assessments, concise assessments are preferred. The current study compared single-item ratings with multiple-item subscale scores of the same construct, by calculating the corresponding Bland and Altman 95% limits of agreement interval. The analysis showed that single-item ratings are usually in good agreement with assessments of their corresponding subscale. In the case of more complex multimodal constructs, single-item assessments were much less often in agreement with multiple-item questionnaire outcomes. The use of single-item assessments is advocated as they more often incorporate assessments of all aspects of a certain construct (including the presence, severity, and impact of the construct under investigation) compared to composite symptom scores.
Parallel Combination of Inner Capacitance and Ionic Capacitance, Apparently Inconsistent with Stern’s Model
Authors: Aoki Koichi Jeremiah , He Ridong , Chen Jingyuan
Published: February 2021

A double layer capacitance (DLC) has mainly been brought about in the Helmholtz layer rather than in the diffuse layer, as was demonstrated with the invariance of DLC to salt concentration, c, less than 0.5 M (M = mol dm−3). The DLC measured here increased with concentrations of KCl and HCl solutions as high as 1 M at a platinum electrode by the ac impedance method. It was represented as a sum of the Helmholtz capacitance and the ionic one which had 0.7 power of the concentrations. The simple addition implies that the Helmholtz contribution and the ionic one should be represented by a parallel combination rather than a series one such as in the Stern model. The disagreement of the experimental values of the DLC with the Gouy–Chapman theory at high concentrations has been conventionally attributed to the effects of packing of ions over their sizes. In this paper, a model of avoiding the packing was introduced, in which ions were distributed in the direction normal to the electrode in the balance of electric motive force and the thermal energy, keeping the uniform distribution on a plane projected to the electrode. The energy balance was taken by using the grand canonical ensemble in statistical mechanics. The ionic contribution had a linear relation with the applied voltage rather than exponential dependence. When a series combination was applied to the Helmholtz capacitance and the ionic one under the condition of difference between the locally anionic DLC and the cationic one, we obtained approximately a parallel combination of the two capacitances because either the anionic or the cationic DLC works predominantly.
Demonstration of Digital Retrodirective Method for Solar Power Satellite
Authors: Raza Mudassir , Tanaka Koji
Published: February 2021

This work presents digital retrodirective method to do microwave power transfer (MPT) for solar power satellite (SPS). Due to space environment, there is concern of antenna deformation, which will affect beam forming. Size of SPS is large and synchronization among antenna modules is difficult. Flexibility regarding frequency selection for MPT is also a requirement for SPS. Digital Retrodirective method determines phase of pilot signal and power signal is transmitted with conjugate phase. Digital Signal Processing (DSP) circuit is used for digital retrodirective method. Experiment is performed without antenna deformation and with antenna deformation cases. Digital retrodirective method performs beam forming without synchronization among antenna modules and corrects effect of antenna deformation successfully. Flexibility for frequency selection is also achieved by the DSP circuit. The presented results confirm that digital retrodirective method is a good candidate for power transfer from SPS.
Bridge Dynamic Cable-Tension Estimation with Interferometric Radar and APES-Based Time-Frequency Analysis
Authors: Wang Jian , Wang Xiang , Fan Chongyi , Li Yueli , Huang Xiaotao
Published: February 2021

Dynamic cable-tension is an important bridge-health indicator. However, it is difficult to be measured precisely and efficiently. A remote bridge dynamic cable-tension measurement method is proposed. It uses an interferometric radar sensor, a time-frequency analysis technique, and a tension estimation approach based on a string-vibration-equation. One radar can measure the displacements of multiple cables aligned on one side of a bridge, at the same time. By solving the string vibration equation, each cable-tension is calculated from its fundamental frequency, which is obtained by time-frequency analyzing a short section of the cable’s whole displacement vector in an overlapped-piecewise manner. An adaptive amplitude and phase estimation (APES) algorithm is used to solve the frequency resolution deterioration problem due to the short duration. Simulations and field experiments with a K band interferometric radar validate that the proposed method is superior to traditional cable-tension measurements in terms of precision, robustness, and efficiency. The proposed method is of great application value in measuring and monitoring large cable-stayed bridges and cable-suspended bridges.
An Efficient FPGA Implementation of Richardson-Lucy Deconvolution Algorithm for Hyperspectral Images
Authors: Avagian Karine , Orlandić Milica
Published: February 2021

This paper proposes an implementation of a Richardson-Lucy (RL) deconvolution method to reduce the spatial degradation in hyperspectral images during the image acquisition process. The degradation, modeled by convolution with a point spread function (PSF), is reduced by applying both standard and accelerated RLdeconvolution algorithms on the individual images in spectral bands. Boundary conditions are introduced to maintain a constant image size without distorting the estimated image boundaries. The RL deconvolution algorithm is implemented on a field-programmable gate array (FPGA)-based Xilinx Zynq-7020 System-on-Chip (SoC). The proposed architecture is parameterized with respect to the image size and configurable with respect to the algorithm variant, the number of iterations, and the kernel size by setting the dedicated configuration registers. A speed-up by factors of 61 and 21 are reported compared to software-only and FPGA-based state-of-the-art implementations, respectively.
Discrete Time Domain Modeling and Control of a Grid-Connected Four-Wire Split-Link Converter
Authors: De Kooning Jeroen D. M. , Bozalakov Dimitar , Vandevelde Lieven
Published: February 2021

Distributed generation (DG) allows the production of renewable energy where it is consumed, avoiding transport losses. It is envisioned that future DG units will become more intelligent, not just injecting power into the grid but also actively improving the power quality by means of active power filtering techniques. In this manner, voltage and current harmonics, voltage unbalance or over-voltages can be mitigated. To achieve such a smart DG unit, an appropriate multi-functional converter topology is required, with full control over the currents exchanged with the grid, including the neutral-wire current. For this purpose, this article studies the three-phase four-wire split-link converter. A known problem of the split-link converter is voltage unbalance of the bus capacitors. This mid-point can be balanced either by injecting additional zero-sequence currents into the grid, which return through the neutral wire, or by injecting a compensating current into the mid-point with an additional half-bridge chopper. For both methods, this article presents a discrete time domain model to allow controller design and implementation in digital control. Both techniques are validated and compared by means of simulation results and experiments on a test setup.
High-Level Renewable Energy Integrated System Frequency Control with SMES-Based Optimized Fractional Order Controller
Authors: Alam Md. Shafiul , Alotaibi Majed A. , Alam Md Ahsanul , Hossain Md. Alamgir , Shafiullah Md , Al-Ismail Fahad Saleh , Rashid Md. Mamun Ur , Abido Mohammad A.
Published: February 2021

The high-level penetration of renewable energy sources (RESs) is the main reason for shifting the conventional centralized power system control paradigm into distributed power system control. This massive integration of RESs faces two main problems: complex controller structure and reduced inertia. Since the system frequency stability is directly linked to the system’s total inertia, the renewable integrated system frequency control is badly affected. Thus, a fractional order controller (FOC)-based superconducting magnetic energy storage (SMES) is proposed in this work. The detailed modeling of SMES, FOC, wind, and solar systems, along with the power network, is introduced to facilitate analysis. The FOC-based SMES virtually augments the inertia to stabilize the system frequency in generation and load mismatches. Since the tuning of FOC and SMES controller parameters is challenging due to nonlinearities, the whale optimization algorithm (WOA) is used to optimize the parameters. The optimized FOC-based SMES is tested under fluctuating wind and solar powers. The extensive simulations are carried out using MATLAB Simulink environment considering different scenarios, such as light and high load profile variations, multiple load profile variations, and reduced system inertia. It is observed that the proposed FOC-based SMES improves several performance indices, such as settling time, overshoot, undershoot compared to the conventional technique.
Deep Learning-Based Content Caching in the Fog Access Points
Authors: Bhandari Sovit , Ranjan Navin , Khan Pervez , Kim Hoon , Hong Youn-Sik
Published: February 2021

Proactive caching of the most popular contents in the cache memory of fog-access points (F-APs) is regarded as a promising solution for the 5G and beyond cellular communication to address latency-related issues caused by the unprecedented demand of multimedia data traffic. However, it is still challenging to correctly predict the user’s content and store it in the cache memory of the F-APs efficiently as the user preference is dynamic. In this article, to solve this issue to some extent, the deep learning-based content caching (DLCC) method is proposed due to recent advances in deep learning. In DLCC, a 2D CNN-based method is exploited to formulate the caching model. The simulation results in terms of deep learning (DL) accuracy, mean square error (MSE), the cache hit ratio, and the overall system delay is displayed to show that the proposed method outperforms the performance of known DL-based caching strategies, as well as transfer learning-based cooperative caching (LECC) strategy, randomized replacement (RR), and the Zipf’s probability distribution.
The Design and Development of the Destiny-Class CyberCANOE Hybrid Reality Environment
Authors: Kobayashi Dylan , Theriot Ryan , Kawano Noel , Lam Jack , Wu Eric , Seto-Mook Tyson , Gonzalez Alberto , Uchida Ken , Guagliardo Andrew , Noe Kari , Leigh Jason
Published: February 2021

The Destiny-class CyberCANOE (Destiny) is a Hybrid Reality environment that provides 20/20 visual acuity in a 13-foot-wide, 320-degree cylindrical structure comprised of tiled passive stereo-capable organic light emitting diode (OLED) displays. Hybrid Reality systems combine surround-screen virtual reality environments with ultra-high-resolution digital project-rooms. They are intended as collaborative environments that enable multiple users to work minimally encumbered for long periods of time in rooms surrounded by data in the form of visualizations that benefit from being displayed at resolutions matching visual acuity and/or in stereoscopic 3D. Destiny is unique in that it is the first Hybrid Reality system to use OLED displays and it uses a real-time GPU-based approach for minimizing stereoscopic crosstalk. This paper chronicles the non-trivial engineering research and attention-to-detail that is required to develop a production quality hybrid-reality environment by providing details about Destiny’s design and construction process. This detailed account of how a Hybrid Reality system is designed and constructed from the ground up will help VR researchers and developers understand the engineering complexity of developing such systems. This paper also discusses a GPU-based crosstalk mitigation technique and evaluation, and the use of Microsoft’s augmented reality headset, the HoloLens, as a design and training aid during construction.
Low-Complexity High-Throughput QC-LDPC Decoder for 5G New Radio Wireless Communication
Authors: Thi Bao Nguyen Tram , Nguyen Tan Tuy , Lee Hanho
Published: February 2021

This paper presents a pipelined layered quasi-cyclic low-density parity-check (QC-LDPC) decoder architecture targeting low-complexity, high-throughput, and efficient use of hardware resources compliant with the specifications of 5G new radio (NR) wireless communication standard. First, a combined min-sum (CMS) decoding algorithm, which is a combination of the offset min-sum and the original min-sum algorithm, is proposed. Then, a low-complexity and high-throughput pipelined layered QC-LDPC decoder architecture for enhanced mobile broadband specifications in 5G NR wireless standards based on CMS algorithm with pipeline layered scheduling is presented. Enhanced versions of check node-based processor architectures are proposed to improve the complexity of the LDPC decoders. An efficient minimum-finder for the check node unit architecture that reduces the hardware required for the computation of the first two minima is introduced. Moreover, a low complexity a posteriori information update unit architecture, which only requires one adder array for their operations, is presented. The proposed architecture shows significant improvements in terms of area and throughput compared to other QC-LDPC decoder architectures available in the literature.
Discontinuous Geochemical Monitoring of the Galleria Italia Circumneutral Waters (Former Hg-Mining Area of Abbadia San Salvatore, Tuscany, Central Italy) Feeding the Fosso Della Chiusa Creek
Authors: Vaselli Orlando , Lazzaroni Marta , Nisi Barbara , Cabassi Jacopo , Tassi Franco , Rappuoli Daniele , Meloni Federica
Published: February 2021

The Galleria Italia waters drain the complex tunnel system of the former Hg-mining area of Abbadia San Salvatore (Tuscany, central Italia) and feed the 2.5 km-long Fosso della Chiusa creek. The mining exploitation was active for more than one century and more than 100,000 tons of liquid mercury were produced by roasting processes of cinnabar (HgS). In this work, a discontinuous geochemical monitoring of the Galleria Italia circumneutral waters was carried out from February 2009 to October 2020, during which the main physicochemical parameters, main and minor dissolved species and trace elements (including Hg) were determined. In the observation period, significant variations in the water chemistry were recorded, particularly when flooding waves, due to intense precipitations, occurred, with the two main events being recorded in February 2009 and January 2010. The chemical composition of the Galleria Italia waters was Ca(Mg)-SO4 and related to congruent dissolution of gypsum/anhydrite at which a contribution from carbonatic and silicatic minerals and partial solubilization of CO2 and and H2S oxidation is to be added. Regarding the trace elements, Al, Mn and Fe were up to 1500, 768 and 39520 μg L−1, with these elements also showing high contents in the sediment precipitating by the Galleria Italia waters. In most cases, dissolved mercury was below the instrumental detection limit (<0.1 μg L−1), although occasionally it reached >1 μg L−1. Considering a mean flow rate of 40 L s−1 of the discharged water, the amount of dissolved mercury released from Galleria Italia was computed, although most mercury was occurring in the sediment (1.2 mg kg−1). A more realistic computation of mercury released from Galleria Italia should involve a sampling network along the Fosso della Chiusa before entering the riverine system of the Tiber basin, into which dissolved and suspended mercury are to be determined along with that occurring in the sediments.