bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Impaired perceptual phonetic plasticity in Parkinson's disease
Authors: Heffner Christopher C. , Myers Emily B. , Gracco Vincent L.
Published: July 2022

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative condition primarily associated with its motor consequences. Although much of the focus within the speech domain has focused on PD's consequences for production, people with PD have been shown to differ in the perception of emotional prosody, loudness, and speech rate from age-matched controls. The current study targeted the effect of PD on perceptual phonetic plasticity, defined as the ability to learn and adjust to novel phonetic input, both in second language and native language contexts. People with PD were compared to age-matched controls (and, for three of the studies, a younger control population) in tasks of explicit non-native speech learning and adaptation to variation in native speech (compressed rate, accent, and the use of timing information within a sentence to parse ambiguities). The participants with PD showed significantly worse performance on the task of compressed rate and used the duration of an ambiguous fricative to segment speech to a lesser degree than age-matched controls, indicating impaired speech perceptual abilities. Exploratory comparisons also showed people with PD who were on medication performed significantly worse than their peers off medication on those two tasks and the task of explicit non-native learning.
Evaluating the Use of Communication and Technology by High School Athletic Directors to Navigate the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Ratts Tyler , Norris Braden , Mancuso Brian
Published: July 2022

High school athletics represents a major segment of the sport industry and is regarded as an important component in youth development in the United States. With the rise of the COVID-19 pandemic, challenges emerged that forced athletic directors to provide essential information to key stakeholders, keep people safe, and identify new ways to bring events to fans. To further understand these experiences, this commentary aimed to evaluate the use of communication and technology by high school athletic directors to address challenges, develop new strategies, adapt to day-to-day changes, and manage the long-term impacts of COVID-19 on interscholastic athletics. Through in-depth interviews with athletic directors, responses demonstrated how enhanced communication with key stakeholders (i.e., athletic programs and fellow athletic directors) and a reliance on technologies (i.e., digital ticketing and online live streaming) helped these leaders successfully navigate the pandemic and develop new strategies that will persist into the future.
The Glycan-Binding Trait of the Sarbecovirus Spike N-Terminal Domain Reveals an Evolutionary Footprint
Authors: Guo Hua , Li Ang , Lin Hao-Feng , Liu Mei-Qin , Chen Jing , Jiang Ting-Ting , Li Bei , Wang Yi , Letko Michael C. , Peng Wenjie , Shi Zheng-Li
Published: July 2022

Spike N-terminal domains (S-NTD) of sarbecoviruses are highly diverse; however, their function remains largely understudied compared with the receptor-binding domains (RBD). Here, we show that sarbecovirus S-NTD can be phylogenetically clustered into five clades and exhibit various levels of glycan binding
in vitro
.
Small-Molecule-Induced Activation of Cellular Respiration Inhibits Biofilm Formation and Triggers Metabolic Remodeling in Staphylococcus aureus
Authors: Okuda Ken-ichi , Yamada-Ueno Satomi , Yoshii Yutaka , Nagano Tetsuo , Okabe Takayoshi , Kojima Hirotatsu , Mizunoe Yoshimitsu , Kinjo Yuki
Published: July 2022

Chronic infections caused by
Staphylococcus aureus
are characterized by biofilm formation, suggesting that methods to control biofilm formation may be of therapeutic value. The small compound JBD1 showed biofilm inhibitory activity and increased sensitivity to aminoglycosides and respiratory activity of
S. aureus
.
Importance of subfoveal fluid height on visual outcome in macula-off retinal detachments
Authors: Baumann Carmen , Almarzooqi Ahmed , Johannigmann-Malek Navid , Maier Mathias , Kaye Stephen
Published: July 2022

Aims

To investigate the effect of subfoveal fluid height (SFFH) on visual outcome after macula-off retinal detachment (RD) repair.

Methods

Prospective interventional case series of consecutive patients undergoing pars plana vitrectomy with gas tamponade (PPV) for primary macula-off RD with duration of symptomatic loss of central vision (LCV) of ≤1 week. Preoperative SFFH was measured on two occasions an hour apart using optical coherence tomography (OCT) by two independent observers. Postoperative best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was measured at 3 months.

Results

Sixty-one patients were included. All patients were pseudophakic after RD repair. The mean preoperative and postoperative BCVA (logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution) at 3 months was 1.41 (±0.71) and 0.15 (±0.12, range 0.00–0.70). Twenty-six patients with SFFH of ≤1500 µm were available for repeat OCT measurements. The variation in SFFH was proportional to the SFFH and showed a logarithmic (base 2) association (r=0.50, p=0.01). Patients were therefore grouped according to their SFFH as group 1: 1–100 µm, group 2: 101–300 µm, group 3: 301–700 µm, group 4: 701–1500 µm and group 5: 1501–3100 µm. BCVA at 3 months significantly reduced with increasing SFFH from 0.04 (±0.03) in group 1 to 0.28 (±0.15) in group 5 (p<0.001) but was not associated with age (p=0.77), preoperative BCVA (p=0.39), duration of LCV (p=0.63) or use of perfluorocarbon liquids (p=0.88). Forty-five patients had SFFH ≤1500 µm and achieved 0.10 (±0.07, range 0.00–0.30) logMAR.

Conclusion

Visual acuity following PPV for macula-off RD is related to preoperative SFFH regardless of the duration of symptomatic LCV within the first week.
The use of TASER devices in UK policing: an update for clinicians following the recent introduction of the TASER 7
Authors: Bleetman Anthony , Hepper Alan E , Sheridan Robert D
Published: July 2022

Taser was introduced into UK policing in 2003 to bridge the operational gap between use of incapacitant sprays and firearms. Use of force reporting in the UK indicates that Taser is relatively safe provided that it is used lawfully. Taser use can result in injuries and has been implicated in a small number of deaths. The latest version of the weapon, the TASER 7, has entered UK policing. The TASER 7 uses a novel probe that has implications for the medical community. A review of Taser medical effects and probe removal for TASER 7 are presented.
Clinical utility of breast pathology data: implications for practising pathologists
Authors: Deb Rahul , Tan Puay Hoon
Published: July 2022

In breast cancer, the quality of the pathology services is of paramount importance as inevitably, the pathologist makes the confirmatory diagnosis and provides prognostic and predictive information, informing treatment plans directly. Various national and international organisations provide a pathology reporting minimum dataset (MDS) to ensure consistency in reporting. While the use of MDS promotes clarity, there may be specific areas requiring the pathologist’s input for individual patients and hence pathologists need to be aware of the clinical utility of pathology data to help tailor individualised patient treatment. In this article, we provide numerous examples of the role of pathology data in determining next steps in the patient pathway that are applicable to both the diagnostic and treatment pathways, including neoadjuvant treatment pathways. We also briefly discuss the important role and thereby the clinical utility of pathology data during the COVID-19 pandemic providing a template for the similar scenarios in the future if required.
Natriuretic Peptides, Extracellular Volume, and Subclinical Cardiovascular Changes in Chronic Kidney Disease Stages 1–3: A Pilot Study
Authors: Gregg L Parker , Van Buren Peter N , Ramsey David J , Maydon Amaris , Banerjee Subhash , Walther Carl P , Virani Salim S , Winkelmayer Wolfgang C , Navaneethan Sankar D , Hedayati S Susan
Published: July 2022

Natriuretic peptide levels are elevated in persons with chronic kidney disease (CKD) stages 1–3, but it remains unclear whether this is associated with extracellular volume excess or early cardiovascular changes. We hypothesized that patients with CKD stages 1–3 would have evidence of cardiovascular changes, which would associate with brain natriuretic peptide (BNP), amino-terminal-pro-BNP (NT-pro-BNP), and patient-reported symptoms.

Outpatients with CKD stages 1–3 and non-CKD controls were enrolled. Cardiovascular parameters included extracellular water (ECW) normalized to body weight measured using whole-body multifrequency bioimpedance spectroscopy, and total peripheral resistance index (TPRI) and cardiac index measured by impedance cardiography. Dyspnea, fatigue, depression, and quality of life were quantified using questionnaires.

Among 21 participants (13 with CKD), median (IQR) BNP was 47.0 (28.0–302.5) vs 19.0 (12.3–92.3) pg/mL, p=0.07, and NT-pro-BNP was 245.0 (52.0–976.8) vs 26.0 (14.5–225.8) pg/mL, p=0.08, in the CKD and control groups, respectively. Those with CKD had higher pulse pressure (79 (66–87) vs 64 (49–67) mm Hg, p=0.046) and TPRI (3721 (3283–4278) vs 2933 (2745–3198) dyn×s/cm5/m2, p=0.01) and lower cardiac index (2.28 (2.08–2.78) vs 3.08 (2.43–3.37) L/min/m2, p=0.02). In the overall cohort, natriuretic peptides correlated with pulse pressure (BNP r=0.59; NT-pro-BNP r=0.58), cardiac index (BNP r=−0.76; NT-pro-BNP r=−0.62), and TPRI (BNP r=0.48), p<0.05 for each, but not with ECW/weight. TPRI and blood pressure correlated moderately with symptoms.

Elevated natriuretic peptides may coincide with low cardiac index and elevated peripheral resistance in patients with CKD stages 1–3. The role of these biomarkers to detect subclinical cardiovascular changes needs to be further explored.
Predation patterns on the tundra—genetic barcoding of scats from two sympatric fox species
Authors: Wilkinson Caitlin , Vigués Jan , Angerbjörn Anders , Norén Karin
Published: July 2022

In the Arctic tundra, climate-induced emergence of the red fox ( Vulpes vulpes (Linnaeus, 1758)), a competitor to the Arctic fox ( Vulpes lagopus (Linnaeus, 1758)), is predicted to influence predation patterns of both fox mesopredators. In this study, we (i) identified predator species from scats through an established barcoding approach and (ii) explored the use of a cheap, quick barcoding method of fox feces ( n = 103). We investigated differences in diet between the red fox (predicted generalist predator) and Arctic fox (predicted specialist predator) over 2 years with varying prey abundance. We amplified short DNA fragments (<200 bp) from small rodents, birds and hares. For both predators, there was a high frequency of occurrence of rodents (38%–69%) identifying them as primary prey species and birds as secondary prey species (13%–31%). This demonstrates the strength of a straightforward DNA barcoding method for dietary analyses in sympatric fox predators, with species-level resolution of prey. Barcoding is a promising tool for future dietary studies; however, a few methodological improvements, along with extended sampling, are needed for a more complete assessment of fox predation patterns. Integrating high-resolution dietary analyses have great potential to enhance our understanding of predation patterns in Arctic tundra communities.
Impact of X-rays on fission fragments track etch parameters in Lexan detector as analyzed by FTIR spectroscopy
Authors: Kumar Ashok , Singh M. K. , Jain R. K.
Published: July 2022

Irradiation effects of X-rays (45 min and 90 min) on track etch parameters of Lexan polycarbonate detectors have been studied with respect to structural behavior using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) spectroscopy. Pre-exposure and post-exposure of X-rays bring significant changes in track etch parameters (bulk etch rate (BER) and track etch rate (TER)) of Lexan polycarbonate detectors at 55[Formula: see text]C to 75[Formula: see text]C. The energy carried by X-rays results in hardening due to cross-linkage and softening due to chain scission of Lexan polycarbonate detectors. BERs and TERs follow Arrhenius equations, and slopes of graph reveal information about activation energy of BERs and TERs. Bulk activation energies calculated are found to be 0.91 eV (unexposed), 0.94 eV (pre-exposed 45 min), 0.96 eV (pre-exposed 90 min), 0.88 eV (post-exposed 45 min) and 0.86 eV (post-exposed 90 min) and are also found to be in agreement with available literature. Track activation energies (TAEs) calculated are found to be 0.74 eV (unexposed), 0.75 eV (pre-exposed 45 min), 0.77 eV (pre-exposed 90 min), 0.74 eV (post-exposed 45 min) and 0.73 eV (post-exposed 90 min). Post-exposure of X-rays for 90 min on Lexan polycarbonate detectors results in enhancement of sensitivity and recorded highest (12.72) at 65[Formula: see text]C. The critical angle of Lexan polycarbonate detectors is also affected by post-exposure of X-rays for 90 min and found maximum (38.59[Formula: see text] at 75[Formula: see text]C. FTIR spectra confirm cross-linkage in Lexan polycarbonate detector during 3 h exposure of fission fragments (FFs) of [Formula: see text]Cf as compared to 2 h exposure.
A revised hydrogeological conceptual model of the Fell Sandstone aquifer, Northumberland and its impact on the interpretation of long-term nitrate trends
Authors: Dearlove Jeremy P. L. , Swartz Melissa
Published: July 2022

Northumbrian Water abstract groundwater from the Fell Sandstone Formation (part of the Carboniferous Border Group) in north Northumberland, which is a groundwater-only water resource zone providing drinking water to Berwick-upon-Tweed and the surrounding area.

Groundwater in observation and abstraction boreholes shows significant rising nitrate levels derived from agricultural land use, and are predicted to have an impact on groundwater quality by 2030. Northumbrian Water policy is to use catchment management techniques to mitigate rising nitrate levels through influencing land-use practices and reducing nitrate concentration in groundwater recharge. This paper demonstrates how a detailed geological and hydrogeological understanding of the area has been used to identify specific areas where appropriate catchment management techniques may be most effectively applied.

Northumbrian Water and the Environment Agency jointly funded the British Geological Survey to develop a numerical groundwater model of the Fell Sandstone aquifer and to undertake a review of the geology of the Fell Sandstone Formation as part of a Water Industry National Environment Programme (WINEP). Combining the results of these two studies, supported by spatial and temporal field measurements of groundwater nitrate levels, an improved understanding of the potential fate and transport of nitrate in the Fell Sandstone aquifer has emerged. This allows a better prediction of the spatial and temporal impacts of nitrate losses from the soil zone to the aquifer in support of a catchment management approach to mitigating rising nitrate levels.

Thematic collection:
This article is part of the Hydrogeology of Sandstone collection available at:
https://www.lyellcollection.org/cc/hydrogeology-of-sandstone
Teaching Inclusive Design Skills with the CIDER Assumption Elicitation Technique
Authors: Oleson Alannah , Solomon Meron , Perdriau Christopher , Ko Amy
Published: July 2022

Technology should be accessible and inclusive, so designers should learn to consider the needs of different users. Toward this end, we created the theoretically-grounded CIDER assumption elicitation technique, an educational analytical design evaluation method to teach inclusive design skills. CIDER (Critique,Imagine,Design,Expand,Repeat) helps designers recognize and respond to bias using the critical lens ofassumptions about users. Through an 11-week mixed-method case study in an interaction design course with 40 undergraduate students and follow-up interviews, we found that activities based on the CIDER technique may have helped students identify increasingly many types of design bias over time and reflect on their unconscious biases about users. The activities also had lasting impacts, encouraging some students to adopt more inclusive approaches in subsequent design work. We discuss the implications of these findings, namely that educational techniques like CIDER can help designers learn to create equitable technology designs.
Parameter Uncertainty Analysis for Streamflow Simulation Using SWAT Model in Nashe Watershed, Blue Nile River Basin, Ethiopia
Authors: Leta Megersa Kebede , Ebsa Dessalegn Geleta , Regasa Motuma Shiferaw
Published: July 2022

The hydrological model is an important tool in water resource management, allocation, and prediction. However, the hydrological models are subject to the uncertainty resulting from different sources of errors involved in the large number of parameters. The hydrological models in the management of water resources play a very significant role in quantifying uncertainty. Therefore, uncertainty analysis implementation is essential to advance confidence in modeling before performing the hydrological simulation. The purpose of the study was to assess the uncertainty parameters for the streamflow using the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) hydrological model integrated sequential uncertainty fitting (SUFI-2) algorithm to Nashe watershed located in the Northwestern, Upper Blue Nile River Basin. The required input data for this study were digital elevation model, land use, soil map and data, meteorological data (precipitation, minimum and maximum temperature, wind speed, solar radiation, and relative humidity), and streamflow data. The calibration and validation model was computed to simulate the observed streamflow data from 1985 to 2008 including two years of warm-up periods. Model calibration, validation, and analysis of parameter uncertainty were conducted for both daily and monthly observed streamflows at the gauging stations through SUFI-2, which is one of the algorithms of the SWAT-Calibration and Uncertainty Program (SWAT_CUP). The results show that CN_2, GW_DELAY, ALPHA_BNK, CH_N2, and SOL_AWC were the most sensitive parameter for the monthly period and had a great impact on the streamflow simulation. Modeling results indicated that the method provides better results for the monthly time period than the daily time period for both calibration and validation. The result indicated that R2 and NSE were 0.89 and 0.85 and 0.82 and 0.79, respectively, monthly and daily during the calibration. The validation likewise demonstrated a good performance with R2 and NSE results of 0.88 and 0.78 and 0.85 and 0.76, respectively, for monthly and daily time periods. The results of this study provide a scientific reference based on uncertainty analysis to decision-makers to improve the decision support process in river basin management.
Analysis of the Influence of Serum MMP‐2 and vWF Levels on the Predictive Value of Risk Grade and Prognosis of Patients with Acute Myeloid Leukemia
Authors: Liu Min , Yang Qi , Zhang Licui
Published: July 2022

The expression of serum MMP‐2 and von Willebrand factor (vWF) in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) at different risks and their predictive value and prognostic impact were investigated. A total of 105 AML patients admitted to our hospital from February 2020 to February 2022 are divided into group A (32 cases), group B (46 cases), and group C (27 cases) according to risk stratification from low to high. The patients in the three groups are treated with induction chemotherapy according to the risk grade, and the expression of serum matrix metalloproteinase‐2 (MMP‐2) and vWF antigen in the three groups are detected before and after treatment. Pearson correlation is used to analyze the correlation between MMP‐2 and vWF expression and prognosis of AML patients. ROC curve is used to analyze the predictive value of MMP‐2 and vWF expression for risk grading of AML patients. MMP‐2 and vWF are highly expressed in middle and high‐risk patients, had high predictive value for the risk grade of AML patients, and are correlated with the prognosis of AML patients to a certain extent.
Progresses in Fluid Inclusion Synthesis in Quartz
Authors: Du Jun , Chang Honglun , Liu Hongwei
Published: July 2022

High-temperature and high-pressure (HTHP) fluids are one of the most extensive participants in geological events. The representative in situ sampling of the HTHP fluids, which is an essential prerequisite for precisely characterizing the HTHP fluids (including compositional and volumetric properties), has been a vital challenge. The technique of fluid inclusion synthesis (FIS) in quartz is one of the only options. It has experienced an almost 40-year development since the standard fracture healing method was invented. Considerable advances in our understanding of physicochemical properties of geological fluids and their roles in many geological processes have been achieved by the use of the FIS techniques. A set of methodologies for fluid inclusion synthesis have been established. Great progresses have also been made, which includes the various pretreatment FIS techniques, the in situ fracturing FIS technique closely associated with the HTHP apparatus, the in situ fracturing refilled FIS technique for large fluid inclusion synthesis at controlled time under unfavorable conditions, and the novel fluid inclusion synthesis by fused silica capillary. Such great many progresses of the quartz FIS techniques have been scattered in the geochemists’ individual research work, and systematic collection and objective evaluation are missing. Consequently, we synthesize existing research, describe and identify the basic operations, discuss the methodological issues like pros and cons, and highlight the problems and prospects of the quartz FIS techniques. Furthermore, it is suggested that in situ and (or) large volume fluid inclusion synthesis will be an important future direction in view of the growing applications of the FIS techniques in combination with microanalytical techniques, especially the Laser Ablation-Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS). Our review would provide technical guidance to those who wish to investigate HTHP fluids and be beneficial to the future development and applications of the FIS techniques.
Green Synthesis of Ag NPs Using Ustilago maydis as Reducing and Stabilizing Agent
Authors: Cortés-Camargo Stefani , Jiménez-Rosales Angélica , Acuña-Avila Pedro Estanislao
Published: July 2022

Ustilago maydis (UM) is a fungus that grows naturally on Zea mays; it reduces the corn yields, and thus, it represents huge economic loss; however, it can be used as an exotic food, and in the present work, it is successfully used as a reducing and stabilizing agent for the preparation of silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) due to its content of amino acids and biosurfactants. The effects of the concentration of UM aqueous extract, pH, and sunlight on the particle size, surface plasmon resonance, stability, and morphology of Ag NPs obtained by green synthesis were evaluated. A green reduction was observed only in presence of UM, and colloidal Ag NPs were obtained with or without the presence of sunlight; nevertheless, continuous sunlight exposure greatly increased the reaction rate. Ag NPs tend to increase in size from 153 nm to 1400 nm at a higher pH and a greater amount of UM, and also, UM tends to stabilize the Ag NPs preventing their agglomeration according to measurement of zeta potential (−10.75 ± 0.84 mV) and SEM observation; furthermore, surface plasmon resonances were more intense between 400 and 480 nm of wavelength adding greater amount of UM. This study concludes that UM not only reduces AgNO3 but also acts as stabilizer of Ag NPs.
Wear Behavior and FESEM Analysis of LM 25 Alloy MMHCs Reinforced with FE3O4 and Gr by Utilizing Taguchi’s Technique
Authors: Gokilakrishnan G. , Sathishkumar R. , Sivakumar N. S. , Kaliappan S. , Sekar S. , Patil Pravin P. , Subbiah Ram , Yuvaraj K. P. , Tadesse Feleke Worku
Published: July 2022

The current research is concerned with the production of an LM25‐FE3O4—Gr metal matrix hybrid composites (MMHCs) and the analysis of its dry sliding wear conditions. The hybrid composites were made out of 3 wt% Fe3O4 and 4 wt% Gr particles with a mesh size of 200 meshes and were made using the stir casting method. Wear test on Taguchi’s L9 orthogonal arrays employs three process parameters: load, sliding velocity, and distance, each changed for three levels on a pin‐on‐disc tester position. The wear behavior of hybrid composite was investigated using loads of 20 N, 40 N, and 60 N; velocities of 2 m/s, 4 m/s, and 6 m/s; and distances of 1,000 m, 2,000 m, and 3,000 m. The major parameters were developed utilizing the signal‐to‐noise ratio by selecting “smaller‐is‐better” wear rates and COF features. FESEM was used to look at the worn surfaces of the composite specimen in order to determine the wear mechanism. Wear properties are enhanced in materials having aluminium hybrid metal matrix composites. According to the ANOVA table, the load parameter has the greatest impact on wear resistance and coefficient of friction, with maximum load values of 35.64 N and 5.782 N, respectively.
English Translation Ability for Cultivation Mode Based on Multimodal Auxiliary Scaffolding Teaching Method
Authors: Meng Jie
Published: July 2022

English learning occupies a very important position in college students’ learning, and English translating is a skill that must be mastered to learn English, and translating can be used to measure the comprehensive level of college students’ English learning. However, surveys show that English translation is still a difficult part of the English learning process for college students. Traditional translation teaching only focuses on the result and ignores the process; the classroom atmosphere is dull; students are not highly motivated to write; and students’ knowledge of translating and its skills are lacking. Therefore, translating teaching should combine results and process and explore teaching methods that can improve students’ interest and translating ability. In this paper, scaffolded teaching is the main teaching method, and multimodal teaching is used to support scaffolded teaching in college English translating teaching. This study provides experimental support for the interactive group teaching method. It also provides a feasible teaching method option for college English teachers to implement student-centered teaching practices and helps college English teachers transition from the traditional teacher-oriented indoctrination classroom teaching method to a student-centered teaching method that combines English skill development and skill application. In addition, students in the experimental group were equipped with the ability to self-correct and spontaneously improve on problems that occurred in their language. This study finds that in the group interactive cooperative teaching method, the teacher’s heuristic teaching with questions to promote answers can effectively improve college students’ intrinsic motivation to learn English; students’ cooperative exploration of the questions raised by the teacher in the group is conducive to cultivating students’ autonomy in English learning; in the teaching activities, the use of teaching materials to train students’ skills instead of sentence-by-sentence translation and grammatical analysis of sentence structures can help students master At the same time, the interactive and cooperative group teaching method, which involves students in learning through group activities, can effectively improve students’ English performance.
Entropy and Gaussian Filter-Based Adaptive Active Contour for Segmentation of Skin Lesions
Authors: Mustafa Saleem , Iqbal Muhammad Waseem , Rana Toqir A. , Jaffar Arfan , Shiraz Muhammad , Arif Muhammad , Chelloug Samia Allaoua
Published: July 2022

Malignant melanoma is considered one of the deadliest skin diseases if ignored without treatment. The mortality rate caused by melanoma is more than two times that of other skin malignancy diseases. These facts encourage computer scientists to find automated methods to discover skin cancers. Nowadays, the analysis of skin images is widely used by assistant physicians to discover the first stage of the disease automatically. One of the challenges the computer science researchers faced when developing such a system is the un-clarity of the existing images, such as noise like shadows, low contrast, hairs, and specular reflections, which complicates detecting the skin lesions in that images. This paper proposes the solution to the problem mentioned earlier using the active contour method. Still, seed selection in the dynamic contour method has the main drawback of where it should start the segmentation process. This paper uses Gaussian filter-based maximum entropy and morphological processing methods to find automatic seed points for active contour. By incorporating this, it can segment the lesion from dermoscopic images automatically. Our proposed methodology tested quantitative and qualitative measures on standard dataset dermis and used to test the proposed method’s reliability which shows encouraging results.
Design of Computer Economic Audit System and Intelligent Language Implementation Based on SURF Algorithm
Authors: Ding Ding
Published: July 2022

Based on the SURF algorithm, the PROSAC (Progressive Sample Consensus) algorithm is first used to delete a large number of matching points to improve the accuracy of remote sensing image registration and to improve the speed of the SURF algorithm. Finally, PROSAC geometric verification is used in the study area to achieve accurate image stitching. In the field of computer economic auditing, there is a serious disconnect between theory and practice. As the company’s electronic data becomes more and more abundant, the method of determining its authenticity has become an important issue that auditors need to solve immediately, and special research on the theory of data reliability is needed in the field of computer economic auditing. In this article, we will first introduce the background and practical significance of project development, explain system-related development technology, conduct system analysis and system design of the project, and discuss the effectiveness and economic benefits of project development technology. Detailed analysis and description of system design include system function module processing and system database design. The innovation of this paper is that the system can meet the actual financial and auditing needs of very professional enterprises. In addition, the work documents required for the audit are automatically generated according to the work requirements, which can completely clarify the responsibilities of each department and comprehensively improve the audit efficiency. At the same time, the entire system is safe and orderly, which can ensure the normal operation of the operation. The purpose of this article is to explore database-based natural language query technology. First, after introducing the database intelligent language, we will study the Chinese word segmentation and part-of-speech tagging algorithm based on HMM to explain the details of the continuous field matching algorithm.
Design of Wideband Circular-Slot Antenna for Harvesting RF Energy
Authors: Muhammad Surajo , Smida Amor , Waly Mohamed Ibrahim , Mallat Nazih Khaddaj , Iqbal Amjad , Reza Khan Sadeque , Alibakhshikenari Mohammad
Published: July 2022

The design of a wideband circular-slot antenna for RF signal harvesting is reported in this work. The proposed design frequency range accommodates the leading contributors to the available RF signals accessible by the RFEH node. These widely utilized frequency bands comprise GSM1800, UMTS2100, Wi-Fi2.450, and LTE2600. The antenna geometry comprises circular-ring radiating component filled with two orbital circular and rectangular slots. At the bottom plane, a pair of rectangular and semirectangular-circle slits are integrated. The antenna presented is designed on a double layer of 1.6 mm high FR-4 substrate. The source antenna achieved a simulated and measured impedance bandwidth (BW) of 1.510 and 1.590 GHz, amounting to 68% and 73% fractional BW (FBW), covering -10 dB reflection coefficient (|S11|) between 1.640 to 3.150 GHz and 1.550 to 3.140 GHz, in that order. The wideband circular-slot source antenna realized a maximum measured gain of 1.88, 2.13, 2.81, 3.22, and 4.32 dBi for 1.800, 2.100, 2.450, 2.650, and 3.20 GHz, respectively. The proposed design dimension on the printed board is 0.61

λ

g

 × 0.70

λ

g

. The improved antenna gain is obtained from a circular parasitic patch coupled to the defected ground structure (DGS) for better RF energy harvesting in an ambient environment.
Investigative Study on Convective Heat Transfer inside Compartment during Fire Situation
Authors: Mvogo Philippe Onguene , Zatao Samedi Olivier , Patrice Changement  , Zaida Justin Tégawendé , Nzie Wolfgang , Fouda Henri Ekobena , Mouangue Ruben
Published: July 2022

According to the geometry of compartments, quantities of smokes released during fire tend to accumulate at ceiling so as to form a cloud of hot gases. Heat transfer between these hot gases and walls is decisive for the development of fire. An increase in temperature of these gases could lead to dangerous phenomena such as flashovers and backdrafts. Owing to experiments and numerical simulation, the objective of the present paper is to investigate on the influence of natural ventilation on convective heat transfer between hot gases and walls of a room in fire. So, varying the ventilation level, it was firstly about to carry out fire tests in an experimental room. Secondly, study was focused on the numerical simulation of these tests so as to estimate velocity field of burnt gases near walls during fire. Validation of numerical results has been done by confronting simulated results to experimental results. A full-scale extrapolation of results enabled revealing that while the ventilation level in the room changes, the amplitude of convective heat transfer changes according to the regime of fire. It was shown that for the fuel-controlled fire, the convective heat transfer coefficient strongly increases with the ventilation factor, and for the ventilation-controlled fire, convective heat transfer coefficient weakly decreases with the ventilation factor and remains nevertheless close to value

 
8.75
W
⋅

m

−
2

⋅

K

−
1

.
On the Constant Edge Resolvability of Some Unicyclic and Multicyclic Graphs
Authors: Alrowaili Dalal , Zahid Zohaib , Siddique Imran , Zafar Sohail , Ahsan Muhammad , Sindhu Muhammad Sarwar
Published: July 2022

Assume that G = (V(G), E(G)) is a connected graph. For a set of vertices WE⊆V(G), two edges g1, g2 ∈ E(G) are distinguished by a vertex x1 ∈ WE, if d(x1, g1) ≠ d(x1, g2). WE is termed edge metric generator for G if any vertex of WE distinguishes every two arbitrarily distinct edges of graph G. Furthermore, the edge metric dimension of G, indicated by edim(G), is the cardinality of the smallest WE for G. The edge metric dimensions of the dragon, kayak paddle, cycle with chord, generalized prism, and necklace graphs are calculated in this article.
Diagnosis and Management of a Unique Iatrogenic Biatrial Gerbode Defect
Authors: Shuaib Karim , Scorsese Giacomo , Seiter Christopher , Zabirowicz Eric , Poppers Jeremy
Published: July 2022

The Gerbode defect was first described in the late 1950s as a congenital peri-membranous ventricular septal defect (VSD), resulting in a left to right ventriculoatrial shunt. We present a case of a patient with restenosis of a prior bioprosthetic aortic valve (AV) who underwent reoperative AV replacement (AVR), which was complicated by a unique iatrogenic Gerbode defect with concurrent LV-LA communication. Our case highlights the unique complications resulting from ventriculoatrial shunts, with consideration paid to the management of ventriculoatrial defects described.
A Rare Manifestation of Bullous Systemic Lupus Erythematosus in Children: A 10-year Retrospective Study in a Tertiary Care Hospital
Authors: Panombualert Sunee , Techasatian Leelawadee , Uppala Rattapon , Ungareewittaya Piti , Choonhakarn Charoen
Published: July 2022

Bullous systemic lupus erythematosus (BSLE) is an uncommon cutaneous presentation that occurs even less frequent in the pediatric population. A retrospective review was performed from January 2012 to December 2021 in all pediatric patients (aged <18 years) who fulfilled the diagnostic criteria for BSLE to evaluate the clinical characteristics, extracutaneous involvement, histopathologic features, immunofluorescence patterns, serological abnormalities, internal organ involvement, treatments, and outcomes. Among 1,415 patients with SLE, five patients were validated for the diagnosis of BSLE, accounting for 0.35%. The mean age at diagnosis was 12.2 years (standard deviation, 1.92). The clinical features of BSLE in the study population were generalized tense bullae and large extensive vesicles on the lips and perioral and mucosal areas. Pediatric BSLE in the study population revealed high SLE disease activity with multiple organ involvement. Hematologic abnormalities, serositis, and renal involvement were found in all patients, while polyarthritis (40%) and neurological abnormalities (40%) were less frequently observed. Systemic corticosteroids, intravenous immunoglobulin, immunosuppressants, antimalarials, and dapsone were prescribed in the study population. The cutaneous lesions subsided in all patients with a median clearance duration of 14 days (range, 5–56 days). BSLE in the pediatric population has auxiliary manifestations with high disease activity. Multiple organ involvement, especially hematologic abnormalities, serositis, and renal involvement, was frequently found in the study population. Although cutaneous lesions in BSLE subsided in all patients, involvement of other organs, especially renal impairment, required aggressive treatment, and long-term follow-up.
Ecdysoneless Overexpression Drives Mammary Tumorigenesis through Upregulation of C-MYC and Glucose Metabolism
Authors: Mohapatra Bhopal C. , Mirza Sameer , Bele Aditya , Gurumurthy Channabasavaiah B. , Raza Mohsin , Saleem Irfana , Storck Matthew D. , Sarkar Aniruddha , Kollala Sai Sundeep , Shukla Surendra K. , Southekal Siddesh , Wagner Kay-Uwe , Qiu Fang , Lele Subodh M. , Alsaleem Mansour A. , Rakha Emad A. , Guda Chittibabu , Singh Pankaj K. , Cardiff Robert D. , Band Hamid , Band Vimla
Published: July 2022

Ecdysoneless (ECD) protein is essential for embryogenesis, cell-cycle progression, and cellular stress mitigation with an emerging role in mRNA biogenesis. We have previously shown that ECD protein as well as its mRNA are overexpressed in breast cancer and ECD overexpression predicts shorter survival in patients with breast cancer. However, the genetic evidence for an oncogenic role of ECD has not been established. Here, we generated transgenic mice with mammary epithelium-targeted overexpression of an inducible human ECD transgene (ECDTg). Significantly, ECDTg mice develop mammary hyperplasia, preneoplastic lesions, and heterogeneous tumors with occasional lung metastasis. ECDTg tumors exhibit epithelial to mesenchymal transition and cancer stem cell characteristics. Organoid cultures of ECDTg tumors showed ECD dependency for in vitro oncogenic phenotype and in vivo growth when implanted in mice. RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) analysis of ECDTg tumors showed a c-MYC signature, and alterations in ECD levels regulated c-MYC mRNA and protein levels as well as glucose metabolism. ECD knockdown-induced decrease in glucose uptake was rescued by overexpression of mouse ECD as well as c-MYC. Publicly available expression data analyses showed a significant correlation of ECD and c-MYC overexpression in breast cancer, and ECD and c-MYC coexpression exhibits worse survival in patients with breast cancer. Taken together, we establish a novel role of overexpressed ECD as an oncogenesis driver in the mouse mammary gland through upregulation of c-MYC–mediated glucose metabolism.

Implications:

We demonstrate ECD overexpression in the mammary gland of mice led to the development of a tumor progression model through upregulation of c-MYC signaling and glucose metabolism.
Black Hole: Using Black Hole Theory and General Relativity to Create a Data-Driven Light and Sound Sculpture
Authors: Kranidiotis Yiannis
Published: July 2022

Black Hole is a data-driven light and sound sculpture inspired by the theory and the geometry of black holes. The terrifying boundaries of the event horizon, the point of no return, and the unbearable confinement of singularity are marked on the sculpture using an intangible medium, light. Sound translates distant gravitational waves into our humanly detectable domain, allowing us to sense the presence of the black hole. In this article, the artist investigates the inspiration he draws from the philosophical aspect of Einstein’s general relativity theory and black holes and describes the creative process of using the bending of space and time to form a sculpture.
Castles versus Cheerleaders: The Clash of Old and New Power Values and Their Effect on the Role of the Conductor
Authors: Clarke Majella
Published: July 2022

All forms of leadership are currently undergoing change, as digitalization, democratization, and increased transparency have led to a shift in social values and a realignment of influence disassociated from power. Power is shifting in the world; old leadership models are clashing with new leadership models. The article presents an analysis of the role of the conductor using the new power compass framework to discuss the drivers of change in the future of ensemble and orchestral direction and their programming to support diversity and inclusion.
A Strata-Based Approach to Discussing Artistic Data Sonification
Authors: Mardakheh Milad Khosravi , Wilson Scott
Published: July 2022

Much discussion surrounding data sonification for musical and artistic purposes focuses on seeming contradictions that arise from the ways in which this practice differs from that of data sonification as a scientific tool. Over the past 30 years, this debate has become a rabbit hole of questions and arguments regarding the nature of music/sound-art and data sonification, and of their relationships with one another. In the following article, the authors identify three areas/classifications of artistic sonification, using a “strata” metaphor with the hope of bringing clarity to this discussion, as well as enabling reflection on the nature of science-art collaborations using this approach.
A Transdisciplinary Approach in Art: Translating Physical Trauma into a Geographic Map
Authors: Peycheva Aksiniya
Published: July 2022

A transdisciplinary exploration has allowed the author to combine art, hematology, computer science, and geography to attempt the visual translation of physical pain. Research subjects are stray animals that have experienced traumatic events (such as shooting) which have a lasting impact on their lives or, at times, prove to be fatal. By applying different computational geometry methods, the author creates geographic maps, which reveal the scale of the damage to the body. Thus, the application of transdisciplinarity allows a deeper understanding of complex events.
Moving the International Court of Justice from Bilateralism to Serving the Community Interest – A Proposal to Refrain from Being a ‘National Judge’
Authors: Kirchmair Lando
Published: July 2022

Empirical analysis shows that judges at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) tend to vote (85 to 90%) for their country of nationality. In order to outweigh this imbalance – already predicted in 1920 when drafting the Statute of the Permanent Court of International Justice (PCIJ), the predecessor of the ICJ – the decision was taken to allow states which do not have a permanent judge of their nationality on the bench to nominate a judge ad hoc. The nationality bias is an important legitimacy issue for the Court. Inspired by Judge Thomas Buergenthal’s public appeal and along the lines of Judge Bruno Simma’s finding on the shift from ‘bilateralism to community interest in international law’, this article submits that a national judge at the ICJ should refrain from being a national judge by recusing herself when her home country is party to a case. In doing so she could protect herself from this nationality bias, which is a severe threat to (the appearance of) her impartiality and independence. Arguably, some one hundred years after the decision was taken against mandatory recusal on the basis of nationality when the Statute of the PCIJ was drafted, the international community is now demanding that individual judges of the principal judicial organ of the United Nations serve the community interest independently and impartially.
Prolegomena to a New Methodological Approach to the Pagan Divine Man (θεῖος ἀνήρ) in Late Antiquity
Authors: Alviz Fernández Marco
Published: July 2022

With this article I propose a new methodological approach in the field of pagan divine men studies in late antiquity. The “Divine Men” were the last representatives of ancient παιδεία (education) in a context where religion, education, and philosophy were inextricably intertwined. Decades of scholarly claims bring the research path towards a multidisciplinary focus in which I suggest applying the Weberian concept of charisma from a social history perspective. Thus, this preliminary research puts forward a new heuristic and hermeneutical method to better understand the social processes that those communities influenced.
Christmas and Revolution
Authors: Melnychenko Oleh
Published: July 2022

The discourse of the Ukrainian Revolution of Dignity (2013–2014) abundantly adopted religious themes. In my article, I show how the theme of Christmas, with its specific images and vocabulary, has been used in the rhetoric of the participants of the Revolution. In three sections, I demonstrate the three lines in which the protesters, speakers, and commenters drew parallels between the course of the Revolution and the Nativity story. These lines are the birth of Christ, the persecutions of Herod, and the Bethlehem infanticide. Finally, I show how the protesters killed at the end of the Revolution are represented in the post-Maidan discourse as national saints. I devote special attention to the Christmas play called Vertep, performed on the Maidan scene in the winter of 2013–2014, because it most fully embraces the link between these lines and the Revolution. The results of the study are intended to contribute to a better understanding of both phenomena: the Revolution of Dignity as an event, influenced by religion, and the Ukrainian Christmas tradition as a flexible and ever-renewable source for the conceptualization of social reality.
The taxonomic and nomenclatural status of the nomina Salamandra fusca Green, 1818 and Salamandra quadramaculata Holbrook, 1840 (Amphibia, Urodela)
Authors: DUBOIS ALAIN , PYRON R. ALEXANDER , BEAMER DAVID A.
Published: July 2022

We address here a few nomenclatural problems concerning some salamander nomina of the plethodontid genus Desmognathus Baird, 1850: the identification of the scriptores (first users) of aponyms (subsequent spellings) in cases of primary homonymy; the validity of airesies (first reviser actions) in special cases; and the validity of neotype designations. Accordingly, we validate Pyron & Beamer’s (2020) invalid designation of a neotype for Salamandra nigra Green, 1818, and we provide a synonymic and aponymic list for Desmognathus fuscus (Green, 1818).