bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
An Observational Study of Heart Rate Variability Using Wearable Sensors Provides a Target for Therapeutic Monitoring of Autonomic Dysregulation in Patients with Rett Syndrome
Authors: Singh Jatinder , Ameenpur Shashidhar , Ahmed Ruksana , Basheer Salah , Chishti Samiya , Lawrence Rosie , Fiori Federico , Santosh Paramala
Published: July 2022

Rett Syndrome (RTT) is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder that has multi-system involvement with co-occurring epilepsy, breathing problems and autonomic dysregulation. Autonomic dysregulation can increase the risk of cardiorespiratory vulnerability in this patient group. Assessment of heart rate variability (HRV) provides an overview of autonomic health in RTT and offers insight into how the sympathetic and parasympathetic components of the nervous system function. However, to our knowledge, no study has evaluated HRV in Rett patients to assess how the dynamics of autonomic function vary with age and changes during the day and/or night. Using non-invasive wearable sensors, we measured HRV in 45 patients with RTT and examined the time and frequency domain sympathetic and parasympathetic indices. Among the HRV indices assessed, heart rate decreases with age and is lower in the night across all ages studied. The sympathetic index (SDNN) and the parasympathetic indices (RMSSD and pNN50) are not seen to change with age. Nevertheless, these indices were all higher during the day when compared to the night. Our findings appear to show that Rett patients are less adaptable to autonomic changes during the night. In the clinical setting, this might be more relevant for patients with severe psychopathology.
Mapping the Serum Proteome of COVID-19 Patients; Guidance for Severity Assessment
Authors: Nuñez Estefanía , Orera Irene , Carmona-Rodríguez Lorena , Paño José Ramón , Vázquez Jesús , Corrales Fernando J.
Published: July 2022

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), whose outbreak in 2019 led to an ongoing pandemic with devastating consequences for the global economy and human health. According to the World Health Organization, COVID-19 has affected more than 481 million people worldwide, with 6 million confirmed deaths. The joint efforts of the scientific community have undoubtedly increased the pace of production of COVID-19 vaccines, but there is still so much uncharted ground to cover regarding the mechanisms of SARS-CoV-2 infection, replication and host response. These issues can be approached by proteomics with unprecedented capacity paving the way for the development of more efficient strategies for patient care. In this study, we present a deep proteome analysis that has been performed on a cohort of 72 COVID-19 patients aiming to identify serum proteins assessing the dynamics of the disease at different age ranges. A panel of 53 proteins that participate in several functions such as acute-phase response and inflammation, blood coagulation, cell adhesion, complement cascade, endocytosis, immune response, oxidative stress and tissue injury, have been correlated with patient severity, suggesting a molecular basis for their clinical stratification. Eighteen protein candidates were further validated by targeted proteomics in an independent cohort of 84 patients including a group of individuals that had satisfactorily resolved SARS-CoV-2 infection. Remarkably, all protein alterations were normalized 100 days after leaving the hospital, which further supports the reliability of the selected proteins as hallmarks of COVID-19 progression and grading. The optimized protein panel may prove its value for optimal severity assessment as well as in the follow up of COVID-19 patients.
3D Bioprinting of Multi-Material Decellularized Liver Matrix Hydrogel at Physiological Temperatures
Authors: Khati Vamakshi , Ramachandraiah Harisha , Pati Falguni , Svahn Helene A. , Gaudenzi Giulia , Russom Aman
Published: July 2022

Bioprinting is an acclaimed technique that allows the scaling of 3D architectures in an organized pattern but suffers from a scarcity of appropriate bioinks. Decellularized extracellular matrix (dECM) from xenogeneic species has garnered support as a biomaterial to promote tissue-specific regeneration and repair. The prospect of developing dECM-based 3D artificial tissue is impeded by its inherent low mechanical properties. In recent years, 3D bioprinting of dECM-based bioinks modified with additional scaffolds has advanced the development of load-bearing constructs. However, previous attempts using dECM were limited to low-temperature bioprinting, which is not favorable for a longer print duration with cells. Here, we report the development of a multi-material decellularized liver matrix (dLM) bioink reinforced with gelatin and polyethylene glycol to improve rheology, extrudability, and mechanical stability. This shear-thinning bioink facilitated extrusion-based bioprinting at 37 °C with HepG2 cells into a 3D grid structure with a further enhancement for long-term applications by enzymatic crosslinking with mushroom tyrosinase. The heavily crosslinked structure showed a 16-fold increase in viscosity (2.73 Pa s−1) and a 32-fold increase in storage modulus from the non-crosslinked dLM while retaining high cell viability (85–93%) and liver-specific functions. Our results show that the cytocompatible crosslinking of dLM bioink at physiological temperatures has promising applications for extended 3D-printing procedures.
Interrogation on the Cellular Nano-Interface and Biosafety of Repeated Nano-Electroporation by Nanostraw System
Authors: Zhang Aihua , Fang Jiaru , Wang Ji , Xie Xi , Chen Hui-Jiuan , He Gen
Published: July 2022

Cell perforation is a critical step for intracellular drug delivery and real-time biosensing of intracellular signals. In recent years, the nanostraws system has been developed to achieve intracellular drug delivery with minimal invasiveness to the cells. Repeated cell perforation via nano-system could allow delivery of multiple drugs into cells for cell editing, but the biosafety is rarely explored. In this work, a nanostraw-mediated nano-electroporation system was developed, which allowed repeated perforation of the same set of cells in a minimally invasive manner, while the biosafety aspect of this system was investigated. Highly controllable fabrication of Al2O3 nanostraw arrays based on a porous polyethylene terephthalate (PET) membrane was integrated with a microfluidic device to construct the nanostraw-electroporation system. The pulse conditions and intervals of nano-electroporation were systematically optimized to achieve efficient cells perforation and maintain the viability of the cells. The cells proliferation, the early apoptosis activities after nanostraw-electroporation and the changes of gene functions and gene pathways of cells after repeated nano-electroporation were comprehensively analyzed. These results revealed that the repeated nanostraw-electroporation did not induce obvious negative effects on the cells. This work demonstrates the feasibility of repeated nano-electroporation on cells and provides a promising strategy for future biomedical applications.
How the COVID-19 Pandemic Changed Adolescents’ Use of Technologies, Sense of Community, and Loneliness: A Retrospective Perception Analysis
Authors: Guazzini Andrea , Pesce Andrea , Gino Fabiana , Duradoni Mirko
Published: July 2022

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought important changes to how we engage in relationships of any kind. To combat the spread of the virus, schools resorted to remote-learning, and teenagers had to rely on various technologies to meet many of the needs that they used to satisfy offline (e.g., social, informational, and recreational/leisure purposes). This article was written to investigate the changes that the students at an Italian high school went through in terms of use of technologies, loneliness, and sense of community, through a survey focusing on their retrospective perceptions. The study was carried out on 917 students. In general, we have found that the COVID-19 pandemic has greatly increased the perception of loneliness in teenagers (especially in female respondents), as well as their use of technologies for social, informational, and leisure purposes. However, maybe thanks to the opportunities provided by ICTs and remote learning, the sense of community in Italian teenagers was only marginally impacted.
Lateral Impact Response of Concrete-Filled Square Steel Tubes with Local Defects
Authors: Wang Yulin , Gao Shan , Xu Youchun , Li Fangyi
Published: July 2022

A numerical model of 84 high-strength concrete-filled square steel tubular columns (HSCFST) with local defects is developed using ABAQUS. The effects of parameters such as crack angle, crack length, impact surface and impact energy on the impact resistance of HSCFST columns are considered. The results show that under the effect of local corrosion, a model with horizontal cracks will show the phenomenon of crack closure when subjected to the front impact. The impact force platform value is mainly affected by the impact surface, followed by the crack angle, while the increase of the crack length mainly has a greater effect on the model of the rear impact. The impact resistance of the front impact model is better than that of the side and rear impact models. Increasing the crack length and decreasing the crack angle will increase the mid-span deflection of the model, and the mid-span deflection of the front impact model is smaller than that of the side and rear impact models. The energy absorption ratio of the model is proportional to the increase of the crack length and inversely proportional to the increase of the crack angle. Decreasing the crack angle will reduce the increase coefficient (Rd) of the dynamic flexural capacity of the model. A practical calculation method for the increased coefficient of the dynamic flexural capacity of HSCFST columns under local corrosion is proposed.
A Case Study of Mapping the Heating Storage Capacity in a Multifamily Building within a District Heating Network in Mid-Sweden
Authors: Hayati Abolfazl , Akander Jan , Eriksson Martin
Published: July 2022

The building sector accounts for a third of the total energy use in Sweden, and district heating provides half of the heating needs. The peak demand loads within a district heating network occur both regularly and irregularly and impose a burden on the energy company to fulfill the demand, often by using more expensive and less environmentally friendly resources (e.g., fossil fuels) instead of the waste heat from industry or biofuels. Heat storage during hours of less demand and prior to colder periods can be used for load management and sustainable planning of energy supply, as well as reduction of total greenhouse gas emissions. Thus, heat supply to the building can be lowered temporarily during the peak power period to utilize the stored thermal energy within the building thermal inertia. The use of indoor temperature decay and the delivery of heating power to a multifamily building are studied here, and heating storage capacity and thermal inertia are calculated. During the performed decay test, the energy supply was estimated to be reduced by 61% for 5 h, which resulted in only a 0.3 °C temperature decay. Therefore, the suggested method can shave eventual peaks in supplied heat with minimal influence on the thermal comfort.
Excellent Catalytic Performance of Ce–MOF with Abundant Oxygen Vacancies Supported Noble Metal Pt in the Oxidation of Toluene
Authors: Liu Yang , Chen Gongda , Chen Jianjun , Niu Hejingying
Published: July 2022

Metal organic framework (MOF) is a type of porous organic material. In this work, three catalysts loaded with noble metal Pt were prepared by NaBH4 reduction method with three different morphologies of Ce–MOF as carriers. Their physicochemical properties were characterized by XRD, Raman, FTIR, N2 adsorption, SEM, XPS, and TGA. The catalytic performances of different catalysts were evaluated via toluene oxidation and CO2 selectivity. Rod–shaped Pt/MOF–BTC exhibited best catalytic performance compared to Pt/MOF–808 and Pt/UiO–66, its T50 and T90 were 140 °C and 149 °C, respectively. After deducting the effect of specific surface, Pt/MOF–BTC still had the lowest apparent activation energy (62.8 kJ·mol−1), which is due to the abundant atomic Pt and oxygen vacancy content on its surface. After the reaction, the structure of Pt/MOF–BTC may become amorphous according to XRD results. Furthermore, the presence of amorphous structure had no effect on the catalytic activity of the catalyst. In the stability test of Pt/MOF–BTC to toluene oxidation, both toluene conversion and CO2 selectivity remained at 100%, and remained stable for 11 h. Moreover, Pt/MOF–BTC also had better resistance to high weight hourly space velocity (WHSV) or water resistance. The catalyst maintained high catalytic activity for 3 times reusability. This study provides valuable experience for the future work of MOF in the field of VOC catalytic oxidation.
Mechanosensitive Channel PIEZO1 Senses Shear Force to Induce KLF2/4 Expression via CaMKII/MEKK3/ERK5 Axis in Endothelial Cells
Authors: Zheng Qi , Zou Yonggang , Teng Peng , Chen Zhenghua , Wu Yuefeng , Dai Xiaoyi , Li Xiya , Hu Zonghao , Wu Shengjun , Xu Yanhua , Zou Weiguo , Song Hai , Ma Liang
Published: July 2022

Shear stress exerted by the blood stream modulates endothelial functions through altering gene expression. KLF2 and KLF4, the mechanosensitive transcription factors, are promoted by laminar flow to maintain endothelial homeostasis. However, how the expression of KLF2/4 is regulated by shear stress is poorly understood. Here, we showed that the activation of PIEZO1 upregulates the expression of KLF2/4 in endothelial cells. Mice with endothelial-specific deletion of Piezo1 exhibit reduced KLF2/4 expression in thoracic aorta and pulmonary vascular endothelial cells. Mechanistically, shear stress activates PIEZO1, which results in a calcium influx and subsequently activation of CaMKII. CaMKII interacts with and activates MEKK3 to promote MEKK3/MEK5/ERK5 signaling and ultimately induce the transcription of KLF2/4. Our data provide the molecular insight into how endothelial cells sense and convert mechanical stimuli into a biological response to promote KLF2/4 expression for the maintenance of endothelial function and homeostasis.
Digital Health in Children’s Oral and Dental Health: An Overview and a Bibliometric Analysis
Authors: Bastani Peivand , Manchery Nithin , Samadbeik Mahnaz , Ha Diep , Do Loc
Published: July 2022

Digital health technologies can widely increase access to oral health solutions and can make them easier to use and more accessible at all primary, secondary, and tertiary levels. This study aims to present a bibliometric analysis of published literature to identify the content, trends, and context of digital health technology use in children’s oral and dental health. After finalising the research question, the Scopus database was used to search systematically for related keywords from 1997 to 2022. The PRISMA methodology applied for systematic reviews was adopted to refine search results. VOS viewer software was applied to illustrate the topics and trends of digital health technology involved in children’s oral and dental health. An increase in use of the digital technologies was appeared in the index keywords after 2005. Computer-assisted therapy/surgery, computer simulation, computer program, image processing, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) imaging, and audio-visual equipment were more used index keywords in children’s dental care re-search from 2005–2015. Telemedicine, mobile application, virtual reality, and medical information were reported with the index keywords of dental caries, dental procedures, and dental anxiety after 2015. The study also identified a gap in the published literature in applying newer digital technologies, such as the Internet of Things (IoT) and gamification, in oral and dental health research and practice. There is a growing tendency to use digital technologies in children’s oral and dental health in recent years. Although the types and categorisations of the technology are typically diverse during the timeframe and by the area of dental services and oral health, identifying and categorizing these technologies based on oral health services could familiarise oral health policymakers with the application of the technology and help them design technology-based interventions to improve children’s oral health.
A Methodology for Bridging the Gap between Regional- and City-Scale Climate Simulations for the Urban Thermal Environment
Authors: Koutroumanou-Kontosi Konstantina , Cartalis Constantinos , Philippopoulos Kostas , Agathangelidis Ilias , Polydoros Anastasios
Published: July 2022

The main objective of this study is to bridge the gap between regional- and city-scale climate simulations, with the focus given to the thermal environment. A dynamic-statistical downscaling methodology for defining daily maximum (Tmax) and minimum (Tmin) temperatures is developed based on artificial neural networks (ANNs) and multiple linear regression models (MLRs). The approach involves the use of simulations from two EURO-CORDEX regional climate models (RCMs) (at approximately 12 km × 12 km) that are further downscaled to a finer resolution (1 km × 1 km). A feature selection methodology is applied to select the optimum subset of parameters for training the machine learning models. The downscaling methodology is initially applied to two RCMs, driven by the ERA-Interim reanalysis (2008–2011) and high-resolution urban climate model simulations (UrbClims). The performance of the relationships is validated and found to successfully simulate the spatiotemporal distribution of Tmax and Tmin over Athens. Finally, the relationships that were extracted by the models are further used to quantify changes for Tmax and Tmin in high resolution, between the historical period (1971–2000) and mid-century (2041–2071) climate projections for two different representative concentration pathways (RCP4.5 and RCP8.5). Based on the results, both mean Tmax and Tmin are estimated to increase by 1.7 °C and 1.5 °C for RCP4.5 and 2.3 °C and 2.1 °C for RCP8.5, respectively, with distinct spatiotemporal patterns over the study area.
Angular Quasi-Phase-Matching in Periodically Poled Uniaxial and Biaxial Crystals
Authors: Petit Yannick , Peña Alexandra , Joly Simon , Lu Dazhi , Segonds Patricia , Boulanger Benoît
Published: July 2022

This article deals with a general description of Angular Quasi-Phase-Matching (AQPM) in uniaxial and biaxial crystals for second-order nonlinear optical interactions. Such an exhaustive and generalized angular-dependent approach of AQPM reveals new directions of propagation with efficient parametric frequency conversion. These AQPM solutions are studied by depicting the corresponding topologies and associated symmetries. The theoretical overview is fully validated and illustrated by measurements. We clearly demonstrate the benefits of such a generalized approach, both in the case of two emblematic periodically poled (PP) crystals: 5%MgO-doped PPLiNbO3 (5%MgO:PPLN) and Rb-doped PPKTiOPO4 (PPRKTP). These developments should stimulate new potential applications in nonlinear frequency conversion.
Annotations of Lung Abnormalities in the Shenzhen Chest X-ray Dataset for Computer-Aided Screening of Pulmonary Diseases
Authors: Yang Feng , Lu Pu Xuan , Deng Min , Wáng Yì Xiáng J. , Rajaraman Sivaramakrishnan , Xue Zhiyun , Folio Les R. , Antani Sameer K. , Jaeger Stefan
Published: July 2022

Developments in deep learning techniques have led to significant advances in automated abnormality detection in radiological images and paved the way for their potential use in computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) systems. However, the development of CAD systems for pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) diagnosis is hampered by the lack of training data that is of good visual and diagnostic quality, of sufficient size, variety, and, where relevant, containing fine-region annotations. This study presents a collection of annotations/segmentations of pulmonary radiological manifestations that are consistent with TB in the publicly available and widely used Shenzhen chest X-ray (CXR) dataset made available by the U.S. National Library of Medicine and obtained via a research collaboration with No. 3. People’s Hospital Shenzhen, China. The goal of releasing these annotations is to advance the state of the art for image segmentation methods toward improving the performance of the fine-grained segmentation of TB-consistent findings in digital chest X-ray images. The annotation collection comprises the following: (1) annotation files in JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) format that indicate locations and shapes of 19 lung pattern abnormalities for 336 TB patients; (2) mask files saved in PNG format for each abnormality per TB patient; and (3) a comma-separated values (CSV) file that summarizes lung abnormality types and numbers per TB patient. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first collection of pixel-level annotations of TB-consistent findings in CXRs.
Implementation of Objective Structured Clinical Examination on Diagnostic Musculoskeletal Ultrasonography Training in Undergraduate Traditional Korean Medicine Education: An Action Research
Authors: Cho Eunbyul , Han Young-Min , Kang Yeonseok , Kim Jae-Hyo , Shin Min-Seop , Oh Myungjin , Cho Nam-Geun , Jung Hyun-Jong , Leem Jungtae
Published: July 2022

This study aimed to report the specific methods and investigate the educational effects of diagnostic musculoskeletal ultrasound training and the Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) for traditional medicine students. Scanning volar wrist and diagnosing carpal tunnel syndrome were selected for musculoskeletal ultrasound to train students to use the basic functions of the ultrasound device and scan various structures including tendons, nerves, and arteries. The students were divided into two groups: one group had 8 weeks of training with mock OSCE experience and received feedback about their scan images, and the other group had 3 weeks of training with flipped learning. The OSCE was implemented on the last day of the training. The subjective learning outcomes were analyzed as students’ evaluation with a 5-point scale, and the objective learning outcomes were analyzed using OSCE scores evaluated with a pre-validated checklist. Of the 111 students, 60 (54.1%) responded to the questionnaire. Overall satisfaction with this ultrasound training was high (4.5 ± 0.60). The average OSCE score in the 8-week group was significantly higher than that in the 3-week group. The students’ self-assessment showed no significant differences between the two groups. Proficiency in using ultrasound is affected by the practice time and feedback. Ultrasound training should be further expanded as a required curriculum to meet students’ needs and achieve learning objectives in the clinical skills education of Korean medicine colleges. Further studies are needed on ultrasound education, especially guided interventions for traditional medicine students.
Digital Entrepreneurship and Creative Industries in Tourism: A Research Agenda
Authors: Varotsis Nikolaos
Published: July 2022

Recently, digital entrepreneurship and creative industries in tourism have been emerging strongly, possibly as a result of the global pandemic of the last two years. Their growth in the last decade has been due to the penetration of technology into the daily life of the tourist and the desire for tours that combine intangible value and a differentiated experience. This paper presents the findings of a research agenda that aims to identify key factors and research dimensions in the adoption of digital entrepreneurship and the creative industries in tourism. The study includes a critical analysis based on a literature review through a filtered search method of statistical information from 20 relevant scientific publications listed in the Scopus and Google Scholar databases. Additionally, this research addresses research gaps and recommends directions for future research. Finally, the conclusions are presented.
Interpretable LSTM Based on Mixture Attention Mechanism for Multi-Step Residential Load Forecasting
Authors: Xu Chongchong , Li Chaojie , Zhou Xiaojun
Published: July 2022

Residential load forecasting is of great significance to improve the energy efficiency of smart home services. Deep-learning techniques, i.e., long short-term memory (LSTM) neural networks, can considerably improve the performance of prediction models. However, these black-box networks are generally unexplainable, which creates an obstacle for the customer to deeply understand forecasting results and rapidly respond to uncertain circumstances, as practical engineering requires a high standard of prediction reliability. In this paper, an interpretable deep-learning method is proposed to solve the multi-step residential load forecasting problem which is referred to as explainable artificial intelligence (XAI). An encoder–decoder network architecture based on multi-variable LSTM (MV-LSTM) is developed for the multi-step probabilistic-load forecasting. The mixture attention mechanism is introduced in each prediction time step to better capture the different temporal dynamics of multivariate sequence in an interpretable form. By evaluating the contribution of each variable to the forecast, multi-quantile forecasts at multiple future time steps can be generated. The experiments on the real data set show that the proposed method can achieve good prediction performance while providing valuable explanations for the prediction results. The findings help end users gain insights into the forecasting model, bridging the gap between them and advanced deep-learning techniques.
A Flower-Shaped Miniaturized UWB-MIMO Antenna with High Isolation
Authors: Mu Weidong , Lin Han , Wang Zhonggen , Li Chenlu , Yang Ming , Nie Wenyan , Wu Juan
Published: July 2022

An ultra-wideband (UWB) multiple-input, multiple-output (MIMO) antenna with a reasonably compact size of 30 × 18 × 1.6 mm3 is presented in this paper. The proposed antenna contains two radiating components, each of which is made up of three elliptically shaped patches situated 60 degrees apart, and resembles the shape of a flower. Moreover, the proposed antenna design incorporates a T-like ground branch that functions as a decoupling structure, and is composed of two modified inverted-L branches and an I-shaped stub, offering an isolation of more than 20 dB over the whole operation band (4.3–15.63 GHz). Furthermore, the proposed antenna system was fabricated and tested, and the envelope correlation coefficient (ECC), diversity gain (DG), and total active reflection coefficient (TARC), as well as the radiation characteristics and MIMO performance, were analyzed. The proposed UWB-MIMO antenna may be a suitable candidate for diverse UWB applications, based on the simulated and measured results of this study.
Voltage Ripple Suppression Methods for the Capacitor in Modular Multilevel Converter Submodules Employing a Reversed Pulse Width Modulation-Switching Channel
Authors: Yang Wenguang , Yao Fei , Zhou Yongyang
Published: July 2022

Modular multilevel converters (MMCs) will be widely applied in onboard integrated power systems due to their high levels of electric power output and good-quality sine waveform outputs. However, the capacitor voltage of MMCs fluctuates greatly because the charge–discharge process of the capacitor is continuous when the system is working. In order to reduce voltage ripples efficiently, a capacitor voltage ripple-suppression strategy employing a reversed PWM switching channel is proposed in this paper. For one pair of the upper and lower arm submodules, a switching channel is built. Then, the highest ripple voltage possible can be offset since the voltage fluctuation direction of the upper and the lower arm capacitors would be reversed. In addition, a clamping capacitor is added to the switching channel to further suppress the fluctuation voltage by 78%. Compared to traditional large capacitance suppression methods, only 12% capacitance is used in the proposed method. The reliability and power density of the proposed MMC both increased, and there are no additional losses compared with previous voltage ripple suppression methods. The effectiveness of the proposed voltage ripple suppression strategy is verified by simulation results.
Performance Evaluation of a PET of 7T Bruker Micro-PET/MR Based on NEMA NU 4-2008 Standards
Authors: Doss Kishore , Mion Pei , Kao Yu-Chieh , Kuo Tsung-Ter , Chen Jyh-Cheng
Published: July 2022

Purpose: This study aimed to measure the performance evaluation of the Bruker sequential micro-positron emission tomography/magnetic resonance imaging (PET/MRI) scanner by following National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) NU 4-2008 standards’ protocol. The system consists of a high-performance silicon photomultiplier (SiPM) advanced technology detector and a continuous lutetium-yttrium oxyorthosilicate (LYSO) crystal. Methods: A 22Na (sodium-22) point source was utilized to assess the spatial resolution and system sensitivity, and the Micro-PET scatter phantom measurements were conducted to measure count rate measurements and scatter fractions (SF). A mouse-like Micro-PET image quality (IQ) phantom was utilized as a model to analyze the uniformity, recovery coefficient (RC), and spillover ratio (SOR). A small animal PET/MRI imaging study was performed in a rat. Results: We calculated the spatial resolutions of filtered back-projection (FBP), and used 3D-MLEM to reconstruct PET images at the axial center and ¼ of the axial field of view (FOV) in axial, radial, and tangential directions. The best observed spatial resolutions in both reconstructed images were obtained in the tangential direction, and the values were 0.80 mm in 3D-MLEM and 0.94 mm in FBP. The peak noise equivalent count rate (NECR) in the 358–664 keV energy window was 477.30 kcps at 95.83 MBq and 774.45 kcps at 103.6 MBq for rat and mouse-sized scatter phantoms, respectively. The rat and mouse-sized phantoms scatter fractions (SF) were 14.2% and 6.9%, respectively. Conclusions: According to our results, the performance characteristics of the scanner are high sensitivity, good spatial resolution, low scatter fraction, and good IQ, indicating that it is suitable for preclinical imaging studies.
Emotion Elicitation through Vibrotactile Stimulation as an Alternative for Deaf and Hard of Hearing People: An EEG Study
Authors: García López Álvaro , Cerdán Víctor , Ortiz Tomás , Sánchez Pena José Manuel , Vergaz Ricardo
Published: July 2022

Despite technological and accessibility advances, the performing arts and their cultural offerings remain inaccessible to many people. By using vibrotactile stimulation as an alternative channel, we explored a different way to enhance emotional processes produced while watching audiovisual media and, thus, elicit a greater emotional reaction in hearing-impaired people. We recorded the brain activity of 35 participants with normal hearing and 8 participants with severe and total hearing loss. The results showed activation in the same areas both in participants with normal hearing while watching a video, and in hearing-impaired participants while watching the same video with synchronized soft vibrotactile stimulation in both hands, based on a proprietary stimulation glove. These brain areas (bilateral middle frontal orbitofrontal, bilateral superior frontal gyrus, and left cingulum) have been reported as emotional and attentional areas. We conclude that vibrotactile stimulation can elicit the appropriate cortex activation while watching audiovisual media.
Hybrid Precoding Algorithm for Millimeter-Wave Massive MIMO-NOMA Systems
Authors: Sur Samarendra Nath , Kandar Debdatta , Silva Adão , Nguyen Nhan Duc , Nandi Sukumar , Do Dinh-Thuan
Published: July 2022

In this paper, the performance of the millimeter-wave (mmWave) massive multiple-input multiple-output (mMIMO) non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) systems is investigated under multiple user scenarios. The performance of the system has been analyzed in terms of spectral efficiency (SE), energy efficiency (EE), and computational complexity. In the case of the mMIMO system, the linear precoder with matrix inversion becomes less efficient due to its high computational complexity. Therefore, the design of a low-complex hybrid precoder (HP) is the main aim of this paper. Here, the authors have proposed a symmetric successive over-relaxation (SSOR) complex regularized zero-forcing (CRZF) linear precoder. Through simulation, this paper demonstrates that the proposed SSOR-CRZF-HP performs better than the conventional linear precoder with reduced complexity.
Hyperledger for IoT: A Review of Reconstruction Diagrams Perspective
Authors: Leng Zeqi , Wang Kunhao , Zheng Yuefeng , Yin Xiangyu , Ding Tingting
Published: July 2022

The convergence of blockchain with the internet of things (IoT) attracted widespread attention. Blockchain mainly solved the problem of secure storage and trusted transactions. The convergence of these two emerging technologies enhanced the security of smart services. However, there were some technical barriers to the deployment of practical IoT systems. In order to further promote the popularity and application of blockchain in the IoT, Hyperledger became the ideal technology to overcome these obstacles. In recent years, the mainstream application fields of IoT tried to carry out integration with Hyperledger to achieve high security, fine-grained privacy protection, real-time data flow, robustness, and other business requirements. However, there was a lack of literature review on this topic. This study obtained the latest related literature of Hyperledger in IoT from Web of Science, Wordlib, and EBSCO databases. To demonstrate more intuitive differences and provide a technology convergence process, this study proposes a reconstruction diagram analysis method. Reconstruction is the process of fusing the core design and the original architecture diagram in the literature and reconstructing the diagram so that it can show the core ideas of the literature. This approach aims to visualize the core ideas of the literature. Finally, this paper prospected and concluded by proposing four directions for future work, including a low-energy consensus algorithm, intelligent transaction validation, mixed on-chain and off-chain storage, and customized incentives.
Syndemic: A Synergistic Anthropological Approach to the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Calcaterra Giuseppe , Bassareo Pier Paolo , Barilla Francesco , Romeo Francesco , de Gregorio Cesare , Mehta Paulette , Mehta Jawahar L.
Published: July 2022

This review describes the relationship between the coronavirus-related pandemic and health inequities. The latter are linked to pre-existing social and economic discriminations in terms of access to healthcare for people affected by chronic diseases. We believe that we are living in a “syndemic pandemic”. The term “syndemic” was originally developed by the medical anthropologist Merrill Singer in the 1990s in order to recognize the correlation between HIV/AIDS, illicit drug use, and violence in the United States. This complex interplay exacerbated the burden of the disease and the prognosis of the patient. Similarly, in COVID-19 infection, socio-economic, ethnic, and racial inequities result in higher morbidity and mortality in certain sections of society. Unfortunately, such differences are becoming too common during the COVID-19 pandemic, in terms of the incidence and prevalence of the disease, as well as inequal access to new medical advances and life-saving therapeutics for those with COVID-19, such as vaccines and monoclonal antibody treatment. Lockdown measures, imposed internationally as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic, are causing economic inequities, which complicate the issue even further. An appropriate syndemic anthropological approach is necessary to ensure that this pandemic does not increase health inequities in access to appropriate treatments.
Probiotic and Antioxidant Potential of the Lactobacillus Spp. Isolated from Artisanal Fermented Pickles
Authors: Akmal Urva , Ghori Ifra , Elasbali Abdelbaset Mohamed , Alharbi Bandar , Farid Arshad , Alamri Abdulhakeem S. , Muzammal Muhammad , Asdaq Syed Mohammed Basheeruddin , Naiel Mohammed A. E. , Ghazanfar Shakira
Published: July 2022

The present study was based on bacterial isolation with probiotic potential from artisanal fermented pickles. A total of 36 bacterial strains were isolated from 50 different artisanal fermented pickle samples. Nine isolates with promising probiotic potential (PCR99, PCR100, PCR118, PCR119, PCR121, PCR125, PCR137, PCR140 and PCR141) were selected. The strains showed varied protease, amylase, lipase and cellulase patterns. The isolated strains displayed varied responses towards various antibiotic classes, i.e., PCR140 showed resistance to penicillin G, polymyxin B, Metronidazole and Streptomycin. PCR140 showed highest resistance to bile salt concentrations (0.3% and 0.5%) and acidic conditions (pH 3 and pH 4) when exposed to mimicked gastrointestinal conditions. The cell viability against enzymes produced in stomach and intestines showed different patterns as pepsin was in the range of 94.32–91.22%, pancreatic resistance 97.32–93.11% and lysozyme resistance was detected at 99.12–92.55%. Furthermore, the auto-aggregation capability of isolated strains was in the range of 46.11–33.33% and cell surface hydrophobicity was in the range of 36.55–31.33%. PCR 140 showed maximum antioxidant activity in lyophilized cells as well as probiotic potential. A phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequencing confirmed that PCR140 (NMCC91) with higher in vitro probiotic and antioxidant potential belongs to the genus Lactobacillus with 97% similarity with Lacticaseibacillus paracasei. This work demonstrated that the isolate PCR 140 (NMCC91) is suitable for use in food and medical industries.
Microencapsulation of a Commercial Food-Grade Protease by Spray Drying in Cross-Linked Chitosan Particles
Authors: Busto María D. , González-Temiño Yaiza , Albillos Silvia M. , Ramos-Gómez Sonia , Pilar-Izquierdo María C. , Palacios David , Ortega Natividad
Published: July 2022

In this study, the use of spray-drying technology for encapsulating Flavourzyme® (protease–peptidase complex) was evaluated to overcome the limitations (low encapsulation efficiency and no large-scale production) of other encapsulation processes. To the best of our knowledge, spray drying has not been applied previously for the immobilization of this enzyme. Firstly, bovine serum albumin (BSA), as a model protein, was encapsulated by spray drying in chitosan and tripolyphoshate (TPP) cross-linked-chitosan shell matrices. The results showed that the chitosan–TPP microcapsules provided a high encapsulation efficiency and better protein stability compared to the non-crosslinked chitosan microcapsules. The effect of enzyme concentration and drying temperature were tested during the spray drying of Flavourzyme®. In this regard, an activity yield of 88.0% and encapsulation efficiency of 78.6% were obtained with a concentration of 0.1% (v/v) and an inlet temperature of 130 °C. Flavourzyme®-loaded chitosan microcapsules were also characterized in terms of their size and morphology using scanning electron microscopy and laser diffractometry.
Performance Evaluation of Multiple Pan-Sharpening Techniques on NDVI: A Statistical Framework
Authors: Beene Daniel , Zhang Su , Lippitt Christopher D. , Bogus Susan M.
Published: July 2022

Pan-sharpening is a pixel-level image fusion process whereby a lower-spatial-resolution multispectral image is merged with a higher-spatial-resolution panchromatic one. One of the drawbacks of this process is that it may introduce spectral or radiometric distortion. The degree to which distortion is introduced is dependent on the imaging sensor, the pan-sharpening algorithm employed, and the context of the scene analyzed. Studies that evaluate the quality of pan-sharpening algorithms often fail to account for changes in geographic context and are agnostic to any specific applications of an end user. This research proposes an evaluation framework to assess the effects of six widely used pan-sharpening algorithms on normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) calculation in five contextually diverse geographic locations. Output image quality is assessed by comparing the empirical cumulative density function of NDVI values that are calculated by using pre-sharpened and sharpened imagery. The premise is that an effective algorithm will generate a sharpened multispectral image with a cumulative NDVI distribution that is similar to the pre-sharpened image. Research results revealed that, generally, the Gram–Schmidt algorithm introduces a significant degree of spectral distortion regardless of sensor and spatial context. In addition, higher-spatial-resolution imagery is more susceptible to spectral distortions upon pan-sharpening. Furthermore, variability in cumulative density of spectral information in fused images justifies the application of an analytical framework to assist users in selecting the most effective methods for their intended application.
Addressing Binary Classification over Class Imbalanced Clinical Datasets Using Computationally Intelligent Techniques
Authors: Kumar Vinod , Lalotra Gotam Singh , Sasikala Ponnusamy , Rajput Dharmendra Singh , Kaluri Rajesh , Lakshmanna Kuruva , Shorfuzzaman Mohammad , Alsufyani Abdulmajeed , Uddin Mueen
Published: July 2022

Nowadays, healthcare is the prime need of every human being in the world, and clinical datasets play an important role in developing an intelligent healthcare system for monitoring the health of people. Mostly, the real-world datasets are inherently class imbalanced, clinical datasets also suffer from this imbalance problem, and the imbalanced class distributions pose several issues in the training of classifiers. Consequently, classifiers suffer from low accuracy, precision, recall, and a high degree of misclassification, etc. We performed a brief literature review on the class imbalanced learning scenario. This study carries the empirical performance evaluation of six classifiers, namely Decision Tree, k-Nearest Neighbor, Logistic regression, Artificial Neural Network, Support Vector Machine, and Gaussian Naïve Bayes, over five imbalanced clinical datasets, Breast Cancer Disease, Coronary Heart Disease, Indian Liver Patient, Pima Indians Diabetes Database, and Coronary Kidney Disease, with respect to seven different class balancing techniques, namely Undersampling, Random oversampling, SMOTE, ADASYN, SVM-SMOTE, SMOTEEN, and SMOTETOMEK. In addition to this, the appropriate explanations for the superiority of the classifiers as well as data-balancing techniques are also explored. Furthermore, we discuss the possible recommendations on how to tackle the class imbalanced datasets while training the different supervised machine learning methods. Result analysis demonstrates that SMOTEEN balancing method often performed better over all the other six data-balancing techniques with all six classifiers and for all five clinical datasets. Except for SMOTEEN, all other six balancing techniques almost had equal performance but moderately lesser performance than SMOTEEN.
Investigation of the Level and Factors Influencing Emergency Department Nurses Fatigue: A Case Study of the Saudi Arabian Context
Authors: Alshammari Bushra , AlEnazy Albandry , Alshammari Farhan , Madkhali Norah , Al-Masaeed Mahmoud
Published: July 2022

Background: Work-related fatigue is a common health problem among nurses which can affect their performance and decision making. Significance and Aim: The study explores the levels of fatigue and its associated factors among emergency department (ED) nurses in Saudi Arabia. Methods: The study was developed through a cross-sectional quantitative study design. This included the collection of primary quantitative data with a questionnaire prepared and published on REDCap. The study questionnaire was adapted from two tools, namely the OFER 15 and the Copenhagen II tools, respectively. Results: The study established that the Saudi Arabian ED nurses have high acute fatigue (OFER 15 score = 81.11), moderate-high chronic fatigue (OFER 15 score = 74.17), and a high inter-shift recovery index (OFER 15 score = 78.01). In terms of the predictor factors, the study established that for the demographic factors, gender has an impact on chronic and acute fatigue, while work experience impacted acute fatigue and the number of dependents impacted on inter-shift recovery index. On the psycho-social factors, chronic fatigue is influenced by emotional demand (which is a variable used to evaluate the levels to which the nurse is invested, gaining education/skills thus increases job satisfaction) (−0.289), influence at work (−0.310), commitment at the workplace (0.376), rewards (−0.187), stress (0.420), and burnout (0.293), respectively. Acute fatigue is influenced by the emotional demands (0.336), role clarity (−0.128), and the nurses’ well-being and health (−0.034). Finally, the inter-shift recovery index is influenced by the ED nurses’ burnout levels (−0.877). Conclusions: The study indicates a high level of nursing fatigue among the Saudi Arabian ED nurses.
Implementing Patient Falls Education in Hospitals: A Mixed-Methods Trial
Authors: Heng Hazel , Kiegaldie Debra , Shaw Louise , Jazayeri Dana , Hill Anne-Marie , Morris Meg E.
Published: July 2022

Patient education is key to preventing hospital falls yet is inconsistently implemented by health professionals. A mixed methods study was conducted involving a ward-based evaluation of patients receiving education from health professionals using a scripted conversation guide with a falls prevention brochure, followed by semi-structured qualitative interviews with a purposive sample of health professionals involved in delivering the intervention. Over five weeks, 37 patients consented to surveys (intervention n = 27; control n = 10). The quantitative evaluation showed that falls prevention education was not systematically implemented in the trial ward. Seven individual interviews were conducted with health professionals to understand the reasons why implementation failed. Perceived barriers included time constraints, limited interprofessional collaboration, and a lack of staff input into designing the research project and patient interventions. Perceived enablers included support from senior staff, consistent reinforcement of falls education by health professionals, and fostering patient empowerment and engagement. Recommended strategies to enhance implementation included ensuring processes were in place supporting health professional accountability, the inclusion of stakeholder input in designing the falls intervention and implementation processes, as well as leadership engagement in falls prevention education. Although health professionals play a key role in delivering evidence-based falls prevention education in hospitals, implementation can be compromised by staff capacity, capability, and opportunities for co-design with patients and researchers. Organisational buy-in to practice change facilitates the implementation of evidence-based falls prevention activities.