bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
New Bounds on the Triple Roman Domination Number of Graphs
Authors: Hajjari M. , Ahangar H. Abdollahzadeh , Khoeilar R. , Shao Z. , Sheikholeslami S. M.
Published: January 2022

In this paper, we derive sharp upper and lower bounds on the sum and product , where is the complement of graph G. We also show that for each tree T of order n ≥ 2, γ[3R](T) ≤ 3n + s(T)/2 and γ[3R](T) ≥ ⌈4(n(T) + 2 − ℓ(T))/3⌉, where s(T) and ℓ(T) are the number of support vertices and leaves of T.
Antiangiogenesis: Vessel Regression, Vessel Normalization, or Both?
Authors: Augustin Hellmut G. , Koh Gou Young
Published: January 2022

The concepts of antiangiogenic tumor therapy were pioneered on the assumption that the inhibition of tumor angiogenesis should lead to the complete regression of the tumor-associated vasculature and thereby hold the tumor in an avascular dormant state. Yet, clinical trials revealed limited efficacy of angiogenesis inhibitors when used as monotherapy. Instead, antiangiogenic drugs proved effective to extend overall survival when used in combination with chemotherapy. This counterintuitive observation—inhibition of tumor vascularization should lead to less and not more delivery of chemotherapy to the tumor—led to the concepts of “vessel normalization.” This refers to the notion that antiangiogenic drugs prune the most immature tumor vessels and spare mature vessels, thereby resulting in a more normal-appearing vasculature that leads to better access of chemotherapy to the tumor. The concepts of vessel normalization were first laid out in a landmark publication in Cancer Research in 2004. More than 600 studies on different aspects of vessel normalization have been published since then. Nevertheless, it is to this day less clear than ever to what extent vessel regression (leading to tumor starvation) and vessel normalization (facilitating chemotherapy) contribute to the clinical efficacy of antiangiogenic tumor therapy. This “Landmark Commentary” puts the concepts of tumor vessel normalization in historical context and develops thereupon some of the most burning questions in the field of translational angiogenesis research that need to be answered to further advance the application of tumor vascular stroma reprogramming therapies.

See related article by Tong and colleagues, Cancer Res 2004;64:3731–6.
Micropower system optimization for the telecommunication towers based on various renewable energy sources
Authors: Abdulmula Ahmed , Sopian Kamaruzzaman , Ludin Norasikin Ahmad , Haw Lim Chin , Elbreki Abdelnaser , Aldawi Fayez , Moria Hazim
Published: January 2022

This study investigates the technical and cost-effective performance of options renewable energy sources to develop a green off-grid telecommunication tower to replace diesel generators in Malaysia. For this purpose, the solar, wind, pico-hydro energy, along with diesel generators, were examined to compare. In addition, the modeling of hybrid powering systems was conducted using hybrid optimization model for energy (HOMER) simulation based on techno-economic analysis to determine the optimal economically feasible system. The optimization findings showed that the hybrid high-efficiency fixed photovoltaic (PV) system with battery followed by 2 kW pico-hydropower and battery are the optimal configurations for powering off-grid telecommunication towers in Malaysia with the lowest net present cost (NPC) and cost of energy (COE). These costs of NPC and COE are more down than diesel generator costs with battery by 17.45%, 16.45%, 15.9%, and 15.5%, respectively. Furthermore, the economic evaluation of the high-efficiency solar fixed PV panels system annual cash flow compared to the diesel generator with the battery system indicated a ten-year payback period.
An enhanced control strategy based imaginary swapping instant for induction motor drives
Authors: Rkik Iliass , El Khayat Mohamed , Ed-Dahhak Abdelali , Guerbaoui Mohammed , Lachhab Abdeslam
Published: January 2022

The main aim of this paper is to present a novel control approach of an induction machine (IM) using an improved space vector modulation based direct torque control (SVM-DTC) on the basis of imaginary swapping instant technique. The improved control strategy is presented to surmount the drawbacks of the classical direct torque control (DTC) and to enhance the dynamic performance of the induction motor. This method requires neither angle identification nor sector determination; the imaginary swapping instant vector is used to fix the effective period in which the power is transferred to the IM. Both the classical DTC method and the suggested adaptive DTC techniques have been carried out in MATLAB/SimulinkTM. Simulation results shows the effectiveness of the enhanced control strategy and demonstrate that torque and flux ripples are massively diminished compared to the conventional DTC (CDTC) which gives a better performance. Finally, the system will also be tested for its robustness against variations in the IM parameters.
Enhanced dynamic performance of grid feeding distributed generation under variable grid inductance
Authors: Harasis Salman , Albatran Saher , Almaita Eyad , Alzaareer Khaled , Salem Qusay , Alghaythi Mamdouh , Arifur Rahman Mohammad
Published: January 2022

Controlling weak grid-connected systems is very challenging. In transient, frequency and voltage oscillations may lead to voltage and/or frequency stability problems and finally lead to system collapse. During steady-state operation and at the point of common coupling (PCC), voltage degradation and grid voltage background harmonics restrict the inverter's functionality, reduce the power flow capability and cause poor power quality. With weak grid connection, grid impedance variance will contaminate the voltage waveform by harmonics and augment the resonance, destabilizing the inverter operation. In this paper, complete mathematical modeling is carried out and state feedback-plus-integral control is implemented to support the stabilization of the system. The proposed controller is adopted to provide a smooth transient under sudden load change by controlling the injected grid current under different grid inductance values. Furthermore, the proposed control is used to reduce the order and size of the inverter output filter while maintaining system stability. The proposed control has been compared with the conventional proportional integral (PI) controller under different scenarios to validate its effectiveness and to strengthen its implementation as a simple controller for distributed generator applications.
An innovative method of fault detection in power transformers
Authors: Mikhailovich Levin Vladimir , Yahya Ammar Abdulazez
Published: January 2022

The Bayesian classifier is a priori the optimal solution for minimizing the total error in problems of statistical pattern recognition. The article suggests using the classifier as a regular tool to increase the reliability of defect recognition in power oil-filled transformers based on the results of the analysis of gases dissolved in oil. The wide application of the Bayesian method for solving tasks of technical diagnostics of electrical equipment is limited by the problem of the multidimensional distribution of random parameters (features) and the nonlinearity of classification. The application of a generalized feature of a defect in the form of a nonlinear function of the transformer state parameters is proposed. This simultaneously reduces the dimension of the initial space of the controlled parameters and significantly improves the stochastic properties of the random distribution of the generalized feature. A special algorithm has been developed to perform statistical calculations and the procedure for recognizing the current technical condition of the transformer using the generated decision rule. The presented research results illustrate the possibility of the practical application of the developed method in the conditions of real operation of power transformers.
Microgrid energy management system for smart home using multi-agent system
Authors: Jabeur Reda , Boujoudar Youness , Azeroual Mohamed , Aljarbouh Ayman , Ouaaline Najat
Published: January 2022

This paper proposes a multi-agent system for energy management in a microgrid for smart home applications, the microgrid comprises a photovoltaic source, battery energy storage, electrical loads, and an energy management system (EMS) based on smart agents. The microgrid can be connected to the grid or operating in island mode. All distributed sources are implemented using MATLAB/Simulink to simulate a dynamic model of each electrical component. The agent proposed can interact with each other to find the best strategy for energy management using the java agent development framework (JADE) simulator. Furthermore, the proposed agent framework is also validated through a different case study, the efficiency of the proposed approach to schedule local resources and energy management for microgrid is analyzed. The simulation results verify the efficacy of the proposed approach using Simulink/JADE co-simulation.
Renewable energy allocation based on maximum flow modelling within a microgrid
Authors: Lee Junghoon , Park Gyung-Leen
Published: January 2022

This paper designs an energy allocation scheme based on maximum flow modeling for a microgrid containing renewable energy generators and consumer facilities. Basically, the flow graph consists of a set of nodes representing consumers or generators as well as a set of weighted links representing the amount of energy generation, consumer-side demand, and transmission cable capacity. The main idea lies in that a special node is added to account for the interaction with the main grid and that two-pass allocation is executed. In the first pass, the maximum flow solver decides the amount of the insufficiency and thus how much to purchase from the main grid. The second pass runs the flow solver again to fill the energy lack and calculates the surplus of renewable energy generation. The performance measurement result obtained from a prototype implementation shows that the generated energy is stably distributed over multiple consumers until the energy generation reaches the maximum link capacity.
Performance analysis of multi-level high voltage direct current converter
Authors: Shahin Rasha Ghilman , Al-Majali Hussein Diab
Published: January 2022

The conventional three-phase alternating current (AC) to direct current (DC) converter can be modified using two isolated-gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) as by-pass switches connected to tapping points on the secondary side of the transformer. This scheme yields a reduction in both harmonic contents and reactive volt-ampere absorption. This modified converter possibly eliminates the need for an on-load tap-changer on the converter transformer. The modified AC/DC converter is fully analyzed and implemented under balanced conditions using MATLAB-Simulink. The expressions of the output DC voltage are derived for different cases. The supply current harmonic contents, the reactive power absorption and the power factor have been compared for three schemes; the conventional bridge, the modified bridge using one by-pass IGBT valve and the modified bridge with two by-pass IGBT valves. 
Ultra-optical characterization of thin film solar cells materials using core/shell absorber layer
Authors: Thabet Ahmed , Abdelhady Safaa , Mobarak Youssef
Published: January 2022

This paper investigates on new design of heterojunction quantum dot (HJQD) photovoltaics solar cells CdS/PbS that is based on quantum dot metallics PbS core/shell absorber layer and quantum dot window layer. It has been enhanced the performance of traditional HJQD thin film solar cells model based on quantum dot absorber layer and bulk window layer. The new design has been used sub-micro absorber layer thickness to achieve high efficiency with material reduction, low cost, and time. Metallics-semiconductor core/shell absorber layer has been succeeded for improving the optical characteristics such energy band gap and the absorption of absorber layer materials, also enhancing the performance of HJQD ITO/CdS/QDPbS/Au, sub micro thin film solar cells. Finally, it has been formulating the quantum dot (QD) metallic cores concentration effect on the absorption, energy band gap and electron-hole generation rate in absorber layers, external quantum efficiency, energy conversion efficiency, fill factor of the innovative design of HJQD cells.
A face recognition system using convolutional feature extraction with linear collaborative discriminant regression classification
Authors: Hosgurmath Sangamesh , Mallappa Viswanatha Vanjre , Patil Nagaraj B. , Petli Vishwanath
Published: January 2022

Face recognition is one of the important biometric authentication research areas for security purposes in many fields such as pattern recognition and image processing. However, the human face recognitions have the major problem in machine learning and deep learning techniques, since input images vary with poses of people, different lighting conditions, various expressions, ages as well as illumination conditions and it makes the face recognition process poor in accuracy. In the present research, the resolution of the image patches is reduced by the max pooling layer in convolutional neural network (CNN) and also used to make the model robust than other traditional feature extraction technique called local multiple pattern (LMP). The extracted features are fed into the linear collaborative discriminant regression classification (LCDRC) for final face recognition. Due to optimization using CNN in LCDRC, the distance ratio between the classes has maximized and the distance of the features inside the class reduces. The results stated that the CNN-LCDRC achieved 93.10% and 87.60% of mean recognition accuracy, where traditional LCDRC achieved 83.35% and 77.70% of mean recognition accuracy on ORL and YALE databases respectively for the training number 8 (i.e. 80% of training and 20% of testing data).
Robust cepstral feature for bird sound classification
Authors: Ramashini Murugaiya , Abas P. Emeroylariffion , Mohanchandra Kusuma , De Silva Liyanage C.
Published: January 2022

Birds are excellent environmental indicators and may indicate sustainability of the ecosystem; birds may be used to provide provisioning, regulating, and supporting services. Therefore, birdlife conservation-related researches always receive centre stage. Due to the airborne nature of birds and the dense nature of the tropical forest, bird identifications through audio may be a better solution than visual identification. The goal of this study is to find the most appropriate cepstral features that can be used to classify bird sounds more accurately. Fifteen (15) endemic Bornean bird sounds have been selected and segmented using an automated energy-based algorithm. Three (3) types of cepstral features are extracted; linear prediction cepstrum coefficients (LPCC), mel frequency cepstral coefficients (MFCC), gammatone frequency cepstral coefficients (GTCC), and used separately for classification purposes using support vector machine (SVM). Through comparison between their prediction results, it has been demonstrated that model utilising GTCC features, with 93.3% accuracy, outperforms models utilising MFCC and LPCC features. This demonstrates the robustness of GTCC for bird sounds classification. The result is significant for the advancement of bird sound classification research, which has been shown to have many applications such as in eco-tourism and wildlife management.
Transmit power control and data rate enhancement in cognitive radio network using computational intelligence
Authors: Goel Paurav , Singh Avtar , Goel Ashok
Published: January 2022

Underutilized radio frequencies are the chief apprehension in advance radio communication. The radio recourses are sparse and costly and their efficient allocation has become a challenge. Cognitive radio networks are the ray of hope. Cognitive radio networks use dynamic spectrum access technique to opportunistically retrieve and share the licensed spectrum. The licensed users are called primary users and the users that opportunistically access the licensed spectrum all called secondary users. The proposed system is a feedback system that work on demand and supply concept, in which secondary receivers senses the vacant spectrum and shares the information with the secondary transmitters. The secondary transmitters adjust their transmission parameters of transmit power and data rate in such a way that date rate is maximized. Two methods of spectrum access using frequency division multiple access (FDMA) and Time division multiple access (TDMA) are discussed. Interference temperature limit and maximum achievable capacity are the constraints that regulate the entire technique. The aim of the technique is to control the transmitter power according to the data requirements of each secondary user and optimizing the resources like bandwidth, transmit power using machine learning and feed forward back propagation deep neural networks making full use of the network capacity without hampering the operation of primary network.
Performance enhancement of maximum ratio transmission in 5G system with multi-user multiple-input multiple-output
Authors: Ibrahim Sarmad K. , Abdulhussien Saif A.
Published: January 2022

The downlink multi-user precoding of the multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) method includes optimal channel state information at the base station and a variety of linear precoding (LP) schemes. Maximum ratio transmission (MRT) is among the common precoding schemes but does not provide good performance with massive MIMO, such as high bit error rate (BER) and low throughput. The orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) and precoding schemes used in 5G have a flaw in high-speed environments. Given that the Doppler effect induces frequency changes, orthogonality between OFDM subcarriers is disrupted and their throughput output is decreased and BER is decreased. This study focuses on solving this problem by improving the performance of a 5G system with MRT, specifically by using a new design that includes weighted overlap and add (WOLA) with MRT. The current research also compares the standard system MRT with OFDM with the proposed design (WOLA-MRT) to find the best performance on throughput and BER. Improved system results show outstanding performance enhancement over a standard system, and numerous improvements with massive MIMO, such as best BER and throughput. Its approximately 60% more throughput than the traditional systems. Lastly, the proposed system improves BER by approximately 2% compared with the traditional system.
Comparative analysis of Tesseract and Google Cloud Vision for Thai vehicle registration certificate
Authors: Thammarak Karanrat , Kongkla Prateep , Sirisathitkul Yaowarat , Intakosum Sarun
Published: January 2022

Optical character recognition (OCR) is a technology to digitize a paper-based document to digital form. This research studies the extraction of the characters from a Thai vehicle registration certificate via a Google Cloud Vision API and a Tesseract OCR. The recognition performance of both OCR APIs is also examined. The 84 color image files comprised three image sizes/resolutions and five image characteristics. For suitable image type comparison, the greyscale and binary image are converted from color images. Furthermore, the three pre-processing techniques, sharpening, contrast adjustment, and brightness adjustment, are also applied to enhance the quality of image before applying the two OCR APIs. The recognition performance was evaluated in terms of accuracy and readability. The results showed that the Google Cloud Vision API works well for the Thai vehicle registration certificate with an accuracy of 84.43%, whereas the Tesseract OCR showed an accuracy of 47.02%. The highest accuracy came from the color image with 1024×768 px, 300dpi, and using sharpening and brightness adjustment as pre-processing techniques. In terms of readability, the Google Cloud Vision API has more readability than the Tesseract. The proposed conditions facilitate the possibility of the implementation for Thai vehicle registration certificate recognition system.
A new approach for solving multi-pantograph type delay differential equations
Authors: Anakira Frede Nidal , Jameel Ali , Hijazi Mohmmad , Alomari Abdel-Kareem , Man Noraziah
Published: January 2022

In this paper, a modified procedure based on the residual power series method (RPSM) was implemented to achieve approximate solution with high degree of accuracy for a system of multi-pantograph type delay differential equations (DDEs). This modified procedure is considered as a hybrid technique used to improve the curacy of the standard RPSM by combining the RPSM, Laplace transform and Pade approximant to be a powerful technique that can be solve the problems directly without large computational work, also even enlarge domain and leads to very accurate solutions or gives the exact solutions which is consider the best advantage of this technique. Some numerical applications are illustrated and numerical results are provided to prove the validity and the ability of this technique for this type of important differential equation that appears in different applications in engineering and control system.
A binary particle swarm optimization approach for power system security enhancement
Authors: Chinda Padmanabha Raju , Dalapati Rao Ragaleela
Published: January 2022

Improvement of power system security manages the errand of making healing move against conceivable system overloads in the framework following the events of contingencies. Generation re-dispatching is answer for the evacuation of line overloads. The issue is the minimization of different goals viz. minimization of fuel cost, minimization of line loadings and minimization of overall severity index. Binary particle swarm optimization (BPSO) method was utilized to take care of optimal power flow issue with different targets under system contingencies. The inspiration to introduce BPSO gets from the way that, in rivalry with other meta-heuristics, BPSO has demonstrated to be a champ by and large, putting a technique as a genuine alternative when one needs to take care of a complex optimization problem. The positioning is assessed utilizing fuzzy logic. Simulation Results on IEEE-14 and IEEE-30 bus systems are presented with different objectives.
New artificial neural network design for Chua chaotic system prediction using FPGA hardware co-simulation
Authors: Al-Musawi Wisal Adnan , A. Wali Wasan , Abd Ali Al-Ibadi Mohammed
Published: January 2022

This study aims to design a new architecture of the artificial neural networks (ANNs) using the Xilinx system generator (XSG) and its hardware co-simulation equivalent model using field programmable gate array (FPGA) to predict the behavior of Chua’s chaotic system and use it in hiding information. The work proposed consists of two main sections. In the first section, MATLAB R2016a was used to build a 3×4×3 feed forward neural network (FFNN). The training results demonstrate that FFNN training in the Bayesian regulation algorithm is sufficiently accurate to directly implement. The second section demonstrates the hardware implementation of the network with the XSG on the Xilinx artix7 xc7a100t-1csg324 chip. Finally, the message was first encrypted using a dynamic Chua system and then decrypted using ANN’s chaotic dynamics. ANN models were developed to implement hardware in the FPGA system using the IEEE 754 Single precision floating-point format. The ANN design method illustrated can be extended to other chaotic systems in general.
Automatic text summarization of konkani texts using pre-trained word embeddings and deep learning
Authors: D’Silva Jovi , Sharma Uzzal
Published: January 2022

Automatic text summarization has gained immense popularity in research. Previously, several methods have been explored for obtaining effective text summarization outcomes. However, most of the work pertains to the most popular languages spoken in the world. Through this paper, we explore the area of extractive automatic text summarization using deep learning approach and apply it to Konkani language, which is a low-resource language as there are limited resources, such as data, tools, speakers and/or experts in Konkani. In the proposed technique, Facebook’s fastText
 pre-trained word embeddings are used to get a vector representation for sentences. Thereafter, deep multi-layer perceptron technique is employed, as a supervised binary classification task for auto-generating summaries using the feature vectors. Using pre-trained fastText word embeddings eliminated the requirement of a large training set and reduced training time. The system generated summaries were evaluated against the ‘gold-standard’ human generated summaries with recall-oriented understudy for gisting evaluation (ROUGE) toolkit. The results thus obtained showed that performance of the proposed system matched closely to the performance of the human annotators in generating summaries.
Incentive mechanism design for citizen reporting application using Stackelberg game
Authors: Sanjaya I Made Ariya , Harso Supangkat Suhono , Sembiring Jaka , Liana Aji Widya
Published: January 2022

The growing utilization of smartphones equipped with various sensors to collect and analyze information around us highlights a paradigm called mobile crowdsensing. To motivate citizens’ participation in crowdsensing and compensate them for their resources, it is necessary to incentivize the participants for their sensing service. There are several studies that used the Stackelberg game to model the incentive mechanism, however, those studies did not include a budget constraint for limited budget case. Another challenge is to optimize crowdsourcer (government) profit in conducting crowdsensing under the limited budget then allocates the budget to several regional working units that are responsible for the specific city problems. We propose an incentive mechanism for mobile crowdsensing based on several identified incentive parameters using the Stackelberg game model and applied the MOOP (multi-objective optimization problem) to the incentive model in which the participant reputation is taken into account. The evaluation of the proposed incentive model is performed through simulations. The simulation indicated that the result appropriately corresponds to the theoretical properties of the model.
Heart disease prediction model with k-nearest neighbor algorithm
Authors: Assegie Tssehay Admassu
Published: January 2022

In this study, the author proposed k-nearest neighbor (KNN) based heart disease prediction model. The author conducted an experiment to evaluate the performance of the proposed model. Moreover, the result of the experimental evaluation of the predictive performance of the proposed model is analyzed. To conduct the study, the author obtained heart disease data from Kaggle machine learning data repository. The dataset consists of 1025 observations of which 499 or 48.68% is heart disease negative and 526 or 51.32% is heart disease positive. Finally, the performance of KNN algorithm is analyzed on the test set. The result of performance analysis on the experimental results on the Kaggle heart disease data repository shows that the accuracy of the KNN is 91.99%
Joyce Sebag e Jean-Pierre Durand, La sociologie filmique. Théories et pratiques
Authors: Beverari Rafael Fermino
Published: January 2022

Resenha de La sociologie filmique. Théories et pratiques. Paris, CNRS Editions, 2020, de Joyce Sebag e Jean-Pierre Durand.
Psicanálise com crianças online? Reflexões sobre um atendimento durante a pandemia
Authors: Nogueira Tiago Sanches
Published: January 2022

O presente artigo examina as vicissitudes de um atendimento clínico realizado com uma criança durante a pandemia. Trata-se de uma análise conduzida de forma online nos primeiros meses de confinamento, que exigiu do psicanalista algumas invenções táticas que pudessem viabilizar o tratamento. O estabelecimento de um ensino sobre como desenhar olhos, bem como o trabalho com fotografias em movimento (stop motion), surgiram como alternativas para o menino dominar o olhar obsceno do Outro. Ao final, a discussão sobre o modo como se dá o trabalho online nos levou à constatação de que, nele, encontramos a ocorrência de uma espécie de sutura daquilo que em teoria cinematográfica é chamado de campo e contracampo.
Paulo Freire e suas marcas no Vale do São Francisco
Authors: Silva Francisco de Assis
Published: January 2022

As contribuições de Paulo Freire para a implantação de um projeto de educação popular na Bahia podem ser verificadas em sua passagem pelo vale do São Francisco. Assim, este artigo mostra as marcas deixadas por Paulo Freire e os membros de sua equipe ao desenvolverem ações de formação continuada na Diocese de Juazeiro da Bahia, em Salvador, administrada pelo redentorista Dom José Rodrigues de Souza, na década de 1980. Objetivou-se analisar a prática e a vivência da política de educação popular e do projeto de comunicação social do bispado de D. José Rodrigues à luz das orientações de Paulo Freire. Os desdobramentos das ações realizadas nesse processo geraram novas possibilidades de construir conhecimentos, como a Educomunicação, que refletem na atualidade em espaços universitários, por exemplo.
Maternal Hypertension Increases Risk of Preeclampsia and Low Fetal Birthweight: Genetic Evidence From a Mendelian Randomization Study
Authors: Ardissino Maddalena , Slob Eric A.W. , Millar Ophelia , Reddy Rohin K. , Lazzari Laura , Patel Kiran Haresh Kumar , Ryan David , Johnson Mark R. , Gill Dipender , Ng Fu Siong
Published: January 2022

Background:

Maternal cardiovascular risk factors have been associated with adverse maternal and fetal outcomes. Given the difficulty in establishing causal relationships using epidemiological data, we applied Mendelian randomization to explore the role of cardiovascular risk factors on risk of developing preeclampsia or eclampsia, and low fetal birthweight.

Methods:

Uncorrelated single-nucleotide polymorphisms associated systolic blood pressure (SBP), body mass index, type 2 diabetes, LDL (low-density lipoprotein) with cholesterol, smoking, urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio, and estimated glomerular filtration rate at genome-wide significance in studies of 298 957 to 1 201 909 European ancestry participants were selected as instrumental variables. A 2-sample Mendelian randomization study was performed with primary outcome of preeclampsia or eclampsia (PET). Risk factors associated with PET were further investigated for their association with low birthweight.

Results:

Higher genetically predicted SBP was associated increased risk of PET (odds ratio [OR] per 1-SD SBP increase 1.90 [95% CI=1.45–2.49];
P
=3.23×10
−6
) and reduced birthweight (OR=0.83 [95% CI=0.79–0.86];
P
=3.96×10
−18
), and this was not mediated by PET. Body mass index and type 2 diabetes were also associated with PET (respectively, OR per 1-SD body mass index increase =1.67 [95% CI=1.44–1.94];
P
=7.45×10
−12
; and OR per logOR increase type 2 diabetes =1.11 [95% CI=1.04–1.19];
P
=1.19×10
−3
), but not with reduced birthweight.

Conclusions:

Our results provide evidence for causal effects of SBP, body mass index, and type 2 diabetes on PET and identify that SBP is associated with reduced birthweight independently of PET. The results provide insight into the pathophysiological basis of PET and identify hypertension as a potentially modifiable risk factor amenable to therapeutic intervention.
From Concealment of their Faith to Active Propagation of their Faith
Authors: Emadi Hafizullah
Published: January 2022

Although Afghanistan is predominantly a Muslim country, the Christian faith has found adherents in the country. Prior to building a church the community gathered in a designated house to practice their faith. After a church was established members of the community, Christian expatriates and members of the diplomatic community attended religious services there. The number of Muslim converts grew over time and each had a mission to convert fellow friends to the faith. Muslim converts were careful not to disclose their faith to anyone unless they had full trust in that person knowing that he will not disclose their identity even if they did not embrace the faith. The situation of the Christian community improved somewhat during the constitutional monarchy (1963–1973) as the 1964 Constitution allowed freedom of expression and of association, etc. The community remained quiet and exercised caution in practicing their faith during the republic an regime (1973–1978). Political repression after the establishment of the pro-Soviet regime in April 1978 and subsequent Soviet invasion (December 1979-February 1989) caused a number of Christians to leave to the safety of Pakistan and India trying to seek asylum to countries in the West. In exile, Muslim converts become active in organizing themselves and propagating the faith through translation of Christian literature to the Persian language and making them available to their fellow countrymen.
Bodies in Cinema: Evaluating Operationalisations of Closeness to Movie Characters
Authors: Suckfüll Monika
Published: January 2022

Based on theoretical considerations on embodied affectivity in social life, the feeling of being close is argued to be pivotal for experiencing one-sided interactions with movie characters. Currently, a feasible methodology to be used in order to measure this variable is still missing. A subsample (n = 14) from existing data is used to evaluate three operationalisations of closeness to the main character in two central scenes of the movie Sehnsucht by Valeska Grisebach: (1) Closeness as grades of familiarity is operationalised using a pictorial measure with the participant indicating which of two more or less overlapping circles (one representing the self, one representing the screen character) describes the relationship best. (2) Physical closeness is assessed with recordings of the eye movements which provide a fine-grained measurement of distance to the screen. (3) Closeness as synchronicity could be observed by analysing the facial expressions and movements of the participant in front of the screen simultaneously with the expressions and movements of the movie characters. The results of the study point to limitations of an operationalisation of closeness as familiarity by using a single-item measurement. Furthermore, with synchronicity being rarely observed, this way of being close appears to be a phenomenon of minor relevance for movie reception. The measurement of physical closeness, however, indicates a promising approach due to behavioural patterns being detectable and easily interpretable in accordance with the movie’s content. Ideas for further methodological development of an operationalisation of physical closeness are proposed.
New species, synonymies and records in the genus Rhagovelia Mayr, 1865 (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Veliidae) from Colombia
Authors: GALINDO-MALAGÓN XIMENA ALEJANDRA , MONDRAGÓN-F. SILVIA PATRICIA , MORALES IRINA , MOREIRA FELIPE FERRAZ FIGUEIREDO
Published: January 2022

Rhagovelia medinae sp. nov., of the hambletoni group (angustipes complex), and R. utria sp. nov., of the hirtipes group (robusta complex), are described, illustrated, and compared with similar congeners. Based on the examination of type specimens, six new synonymies are proposed: R. elegans Uhler, 1894 = R. pediformis Padilla-Gil, 2010, syn. nov.; R. cauca Polhemus, 1997 = R. azulita Padilla-Gil, 2009, syn. nov., R. huila Padilla-Gil, 2009, syn. nov., R. oporapa Padilla-Gil, 2009, syn. nov, R. quilichaensis Padilla-Gil, 2011, syn. nov.; and R. gaigei, Drake & Hussey, 1947 = R. victoria Padilla-Gil, 2012 syn. nov. The first record from Colombia is presented for R. trailii (White, 1879), and the distributions of the following species are extended in the country: R. cali Polhemus, 1997, R. castanea Gould, 1931, R. cauca Polhemus, 1997, R. gaigei Drake & Hussey, 1957, R. elegans Uhler, 1894, R. femoralis Champion, 1898, R. malkini Polhemus, 1997, R. perija Polhemus, 1997, R. sinuata Gould, 1931, R. venezuelana Polhemus, 1997, R. williamsi Gould, 1931, and R. zeteki Drake, 1953.
Review of the genus Woznessenskia Gorochov, 2002 (Orthoptera: Gryllacrididae) from China
Authors: SHI FU-MING , ZHU QI-DI , WANG HAI-JIAN
Published: January 2022

The paper reports four new species of the genus Woznessenskia Gorochov, 2002 and gives supplementary information on Woznessenskia curvicauda (Bey-Bienko, 1962) from China. The specimens examined are deposited in the Museum of Hebei University, Baoding, China.
Turbulent Parameters in the Middle Atmosphere: Theoretical Estimates Deduced from a Gravity Wave–Resolving General Circulation Model
Authors: Avsarkisov Victor , Becker Erich , Renkwitz Toralf
Published: January 2022

We present a scaling analysis for the stratified turbulent and small-scale turbulent regimes of atmospheric flow with emphasis on the mesosphere. We distinguish rotating-stratified macroturbulence turbulence (SMT), stratified turbulence (ST), and small-scale isotropic Kolmogorov turbulence (KT), and we specify the length and time scales and the characteristic velocities for these regimes. It is shown that the buoyancy scale (Lb) and the Ozmidov scale (Lo) are the main parameters that describe the transition from SMT to KT. We employ the buoyancy Reynolds number and horizontal Froude number to characterize ST and KT in the mesosphere. This theory is applied to simulation results from a high-resolution general circulation model with a Smagorinsky-type turbulent diffusion scheme for the subgrid-scale parameterization. The model allows us to derive the turbulent root-mean-square (rms) velocity in the KT regime. It is found that the turbulent RMS velocity has a single maximum in summer and a double maximum in winter months. The secondary maximum in the winter MLT we associate with a secondary gravity wave–breaking phenomenon. The turbulent rms velocity results from the model agree well with full correlation analyses based on MF-radar measurements. A new scaling for the mesoscale horizontal velocity based on the idea of direct energy cascade in mesoscales is proposed. The latter findings for mesoscale and small-scale characteristic velocities support the idea proposed in this research that mesoscale and small-scale dynamics in the mesosphere are governed by SMT, ST, and KT in the statistical average.

Significance Statement

Mesoscale dynamics in the middle atmosphere, which consists of atmospheric turbulence and gravity waves, remains a complex problem for atmospheric physics and climate studies. Due to its high nonlinearity, the mesoscale dynamics together with the small-scale turbulence is the primary source of uncertainties and biases in high-altitude general circulation models (GCM) in the middle atmosphere. We use the stratified turbulence theory and the gravity wave–resolving GCM to characterize different scaling regimes and to define various length, time, and velocity scales, that are relevant for the mesoscale and small-scale dynamical regimes. Our results highlight the importance of stratified turbulence in the mesosphere and lower-thermosphere region.
Vertical Wind Tunnel Experiments and a Theoretical Study on the Microphysics of Melting Low-Density Graupel
Authors: Theis Alexander , Szakáll Miklós , Diehl Karoline , Mitra Subir K. , Zanger Florian , Heymsfield Andrew , Borrmann Stephan
Published: January 2022

Vertical wind tunnel experiments were carried out to investigate the melting of low-density lump graupel while floating at their terminal velocities. The graupel characteristics such as maximum dimension, density, and axis ratio were 0.39 ± 0.06 cm, 0.41 ± 0.07 g cm−3, and 0.89 ± 0.06. The airstream of the wind tunnel was gradually heated simulating lapse rates between 4.5 and 3.21 K km−1. Each experimental run was performed at a constant relative humidity that was varied between 12% and 92% from one experiment to the other. From the image processing of video recordings, variations in minimum and maximum dimension, volume, aspect ratio, density, volume equivalent radius, and ice core radius were obtained. New parameterizations of the terminal velocity prior to melting and during melting were developed. It was found that mass and heat transfer in the dry stage is 2 times as high as that of liquid drops at the same Reynolds number. Based on the experimental results, a model was developed from which the external and internal convective enhancement factors during melting due to surface irregularities and internal motions inside the meltwater were derived using a Monte Carlo approach. The modeled total melting times and distances deviated by 10% from the experimental results. Sensitivity tests with the developed model revealed strong dependencies of the melting process on relative humidity, lapse rate, initial graupel density, and graupel size. In dependence on these parameters, the total melting distance varied between 600 and 1200 m for typical conditions of a falling graupel.

Significance Statement

The accuracy of weather forecast models to predict precipitation depends strongly on the representation of cloud processes in those models. Heavy rain events are mostly the result of melting ice particles. Furthermore, melting affects the storm characteristics and its destructive potential. In this study, we investigated the melting of low-density graupel, which constitute an important class of precipitation particles. Our experiments in a vertical wind tunnel under close to atmospheric conditions indicated an increased melting rate of graupel due to surface irregularities. We provided experimentally derived coefficients that supplement present theoretical concepts describing melting in forecast models. In this way, our study contributes to the improvement of current weather forecasts.
The Evolution of Asymmetries in the Tropical Cyclone Boundary Layer Wind Field during Landfall
Authors: Hlywiak James , Nolan David S.
Published: January 2022

The evolution of the tropical cyclone boundary layer (TCBL) wind field before landfall is examined in this study. As noted in previous studies, a typical TCBL wind structure over the ocean features a supergradient boundary layer jet to the left of motion and Earth-relative maximum winds to the right. However, the detailed response of the wind field to frictional convergence at the coastline is less well known. Here, idealized numerical simulations reveal an increase in the offshore radial and vertical velocities beginning once the TC is roughly 200 km offshore. This increase in the radial velocity is attributed to the sudden decrease in frictional stress once the highly agradient flow crosses the offshore coastline. Enhanced advection of angular momentum by the secondary circulation forces a strengthening of the supergradient jet near the top of the TCBL. Sensitivity experiments reveal that the coastal roughness discontinuity dominates the friction asymmetry due to motion. Additionally, increasing the inland roughness through increasing the aerodynamic roughness length enhances the observed asymmetries. Last, a brief analysis of in situ surface wind data collected during the landfall of three Gulf of Mexico hurricanes is provided and compared to the idealized simulations. Despite the limited in situ data, the observations generally support the simulations. The results here imply that assumptions about the TCBL wind field based on observations from over horizontally homogeneous surface types—which have been well documented by previous studies—are inappropriate for use near strong frictional heterogeneity.
Clinical and Socioeconomic Factors that Predict Non-completion of Adjuvant Chemotherapy for Colorectal Cancer in a Rural Cancer Center
Authors: Knotts Chelsea , Van Horn Alexandra , Orminski Krysta , Thompson Stephanie , Minor Jacob , Elmore Michael , Richmond Bryan K.
Published: January 2022

Background

Previous literature demonstrates correlations between comorbidities and failure to complete adjuvant chemotherapy. Frailty and socioeconomic disparities have also been implicated in affecting cancer treatment outcomes. This study examines the effect of demographics, comorbidities, frailty, and socioeconomic status on chemotherapy completion rates in colorectal cancer patients.

Methods

This was an observational case-control study using retrospective data from Stage II and III colorectal cancer patients offered chemotherapy between January 01, 2013 and January 01, 2018. Data was obtained using the cancer registry, supplemented with chart review. Patients were divided based on treatment completion and compared with respect to comorbidities, age, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) score, and insurance status using univariate and multivariate analyses.

Results

228 patients were identified: 53 Stage II and 175 Stage III. Of these, 24.5% of Stage II and 30.3% of Stage III patients did not complete chemotherapy. Neither ECOG status nor any comorbidity predicted failure to complete treatment. Those failing to complete chemotherapy were older (64.4 vs 60.8 years, P = .043). Additionally, those with public assistance or self-pay were less likely to complete chemotherapy than those with private insurance ( P = .049). Both factors (older age/insurance status) remained significant on multivariate analysis (increasing age at diagnosis: OR 1.03, P =.034; public insurance: OR 1.84, P = .07; and self-pay status: OR 4.49, P = .03).

Conclusions

No comorbidity was associated with failure to complete therapy, nor was frailty, as assessed by ECOG score. Though frailty was not significant, increasing age was, possibly reflecting negative attitudes toward chemotherapy in older populations. Insurance status also predicted failure to complete treatment, suggesting disparities in access to treatment, affected by socioeconomic factors.
Prolonged Surgical Interval Following Chemotherapy in a Patient With Idiopathic Subglottic Stenosis (iSGS): Case Report and Brief Review of Literature
Authors: Ospino Rafael , Berges Alexandra , Chen Lena W. , Lina Ioan , Hillel Alexander T.
Published: January 2022

Objective:

To report a case of a patient with idiopathic subglottic stenosis (iSGS) who no longer required surgical intervention for her disease following a chemotherapy regimen of carboplatin and doxorubicin for ovarian cancer. A brief review of the literature and discussion on the possible mechanism of action of chemotherapy agents affecting fibrosis is included.

Methods:

Case report and review of literature.

Results:

A 71-year-old Caucasian woman with iSGS was managed with serial endoscopic excision and dilation (n = 5) from 2013 to 2017 with an average dilation interval of 12.3 months. After a course of doxorubicin and carboplatin to treat her ovarian cancer, we observed that her airway stenosis surprisingly stabilized, and has no longer required a surgical dilation for 45 months, which signifies an increase of 33 months when compared to her averaged dilation interval (12.3 months) prior to her second course of chemotherapy.

Conclusion:

We present an iSGS patient whose fibrosis was arrested following carboplatin/doxorubicin treatment. While a single case, a possible mechanism is carboplatin/doxorubicin’s inhibition of pathologic CD4 lymphocytes that propagate laryngotracheal fibrosis. Further investigation of like mechanisms may allow for translation of local agents with inhibitory effects on CD4+ cells and/or fibroblasts as a novel therapy for airway fibrosis.