bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Manure Source and Cropping System Affect Nutrient Uptake by Cactus (Nopalea cochenillifera Salm Dyck)
Authors: Saraiva Felipe Martins , Dubeux José Carlos Batista , Cunha Márcio Vieira da , Menezes Rômulo Simões Cezar , Santos Mércia Virginia Ferreira dos , Camelo Dayanne , Ferraz Ivan
Published: July 2021

Forage cactus responds positively to organic fertilization. However, little is known about the mineralization dynamics of the various sources of existing organic fertilizers. Thus, the objective was to evaluate the release of nutrients from different manure types and the nutrient accumulation in forage cactus across different cropping systems. Different manure sources (cattle, goat, sheep, and broiler litter) were evaluated for the following cropping systems: (i) Gliricidia sepium intercropped with cactus cv. IPA-Sertânia; (ii) Leucaena leucocephala intercropped with cactus cv. IPA-Sertânia; and (iii) Cactus cv. IPA-Sertânia in monoculture, in the tropical semiarid region of Brazil. The rate of decomposition and release of N, P, and K from manure was determined by incubating a litterbag, evaluated in different periods (0, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128, and 256 days). Broiler litter released the greatest amount of N and P. Sheep manure released the greatest amounts of K. The greatest accumulations of N, P, and K in cactus biomass occurred when broiler litter was applied. Cactus monoculture accumulated less N over 256 days, indicating that the presence of tree legumes favors the accumulation of N in cactus. Broiler litter promoted the best synchronism between N release and N uptake in different cropping systems.
Spermidine Pretreatments Mitigate the Effects of Saline Stress by Improving Growth and Saline Excretion in Frankenia pulverulenta
Authors: Bueno Milagros , Cordovilla María del Pilar
Published: July 2021

Climatic change, ecosystem imbalance, and soil salinization and desertification are serious obstacles to the restoration of degraded landscapes. Halophyte cultivation could constitute a way of mitigating these problems. Frankenia pulverulenta is used in the remediation and revegetation of areas affected by salinity and as an ornamental plant on saline soils since it can tolerate salt concentrations up to 200 mM NaCl. To increase saline tolerance, different plant growth regulators (auxins, cytokinins, gibberellins, spermidine, and salicylic acid) were tested in hydroponic conditions before the addition of NaCl (300 mM). At 52 days, growth, proline, saline excretion, free polyamines, and ethylene were determined under both saline and non-saline conditions. All growth regulators improved growth in the salt-free pretreatment; however, under conditions of salinity, pretreatment with spermidine (0.5 mM) and then salicylic acid (0.5 mM) were efficient at reversing the inhibitory effect of salt and improved saline excretion in F. pulverulenta. A strong positive correlation of polyamines and proline, and a negative correlation with ethylene, indicate that pretreatments that increase endogenous polyamine content and osmolytes are the most effective in improving salt tolerance of F. pulverulenta and could be used in the technical guidance of the cultivation of this halophyte.
Methods of Topical Administration of Drugs and Biological Active Substances for Dental Implants—A Narrative Review
Authors: Wychowański Piotr , Starzyńska Anna , Adamska Paulina , Słupecka-Ziemilska Monika , Sobocki Bartosz Kamil , Chmielewska Agnieszka , Wysocki Bartłomiej , Alterio Daniela , Marvaso Giulia , Jereczek-Fossa Barbara Alicja , Kowalski Jan
Published: July 2021

Dental implants are, nowadays, established surgical devices for the restoration of lost teeth. Considered as an alternative for traditional prosthetic appliances, dental implants surpass them in reliability and patient feedback. Local drug delivery around the implants promotes osseointegration and reduces peri-implantitis. However, there are currently no methods of a multiple, precise topical administration of drugs to the implant area. Engineering coatings on the implants, drug application on carriers during implantation, or gingival pockets do not meet all requirements of dental surgeons. Therefore, there is a need to create porous implants and other medical devices that will allow a multiple drug delivery at a controlled dose and release profile without traumatic treatment. Due to the growing demand for the use of biologically active agents to support dental implant treatment at its various stages (implant placement, long-term use of dental superstructures, treatment of the peri-implant conditions) and due to the proven effectiveness of the topical application of pharmacological biologically active agents to the implant area, the authors would like to present a review and show the methods and devices that can be used by clinicians for local drug administration to facilitate dental implant treatment. Our review concludes that there is a need for research in the field of inventions such as new medical devices or implants with gradient solid–porous structures. These devices, in the future, will enable to perform repeatable, controllable, atraumatic, and repeatable injections of active factors that may affect the improvement of osteointegration and the longer survival of implants, as well as the treatment of peri-implantitis.
Catalase Mediates the Inhibitory Actions of PPARδ against Angiotensin II-Triggered Hypertrophy in H9c2 Cardiomyocytes
Authors: Hwang Jung Seok , Hur Jinwoo , Lee Won Jin , Won Jun Pil , Lee Hyuk Gyoon , Lim Dae-Seog , Kim Eunsu , Seo Han Geuk
Published: July 2021

Hypertrophy of myocytes has been implicated in cardiac dysfunctions affecting wall stress and patterns of gene expression. However, molecular targets potentially preventing cardiac hypertrophy have not been fully elucidated. In the present study, we demonstrate that upregulation of catalase by peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor δ (PPARδ) is involved in the anti-hypertrophic activity of PPARδ in angiotensin II (Ang II)-treated H9c2 cardiomyocytes. Activation of PPARδ by a specific ligand GW501516 significantly inhibited Ang II-induced hypertrophy and the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in H9c2 cardiomyocytes. These effects of GW501516 were almost completely abolished in cells stably expressing small hairpin (sh)RNA targeting PPARδ, indicating that PPARδ mediates these effects. Significant concentration and time-dependent increases in catalase at both mRNA and protein levels were observed in GW501516-treated H9c2 cardiomyocytes. In addition, GW501516-activated PPARδ significantly enhanced catalase promoter activity and protein expression, even in the presence of Ang II. GW501516-activated PPARδ also inhibited the expression of atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) and B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP), which are both marker proteins for hypertrophy. The effects of GW501516 on the expression of ANP and BNP were reversed by 3-amino-1,2,4-triazole (3-AT), a catalase inhibitor. Inhibition or downregulation of catalase by 3-AT or small interfering (si)RNA, respectively, abrogated the effects of PPARδ on Ang II-induced hypertrophy and ROS generation, indicating that these effects of PPARδ are mediated through catalase induction. Furthermore, GW501516-activated PPARδ exerted catalase-dependent inhibitory effects on Ang II-induced hypertrophy by blocking p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase. Taken together, these results indicate that the anti-hypertrophic activity of PPARδ may be achieved, at least in part, by sequestering ROS through fine-tuning the expression of catalase in cardiomyocytes.
Dual-Arm Peg-in-Hole Assembly Using DNN with Double Force/Torque Sensor
Authors: Ortega-Aranda David , Jimenez-Vielma Julio Fernando , Saha Baidya Nath , Lopez-Juarez Ismael
Published: July 2021

Assembly tasks executed by a robot have been studied broadly. Robot assembly applications in industry are achievable by a well-structured environment, where the parts to be assembled are located in the working space by fixtures. Recent changes in manufacturing requirements, due to unpredictable demanded products, push the factories to seek new smart solutions that can autonomously recover from failure conditions. In this way, new dual arm robot systems have been studied to design and explore applications based on its dexterity. It promises the possibility to get rid of fixtures in assembly tasks, but using less fixtures increases the uncertainty on the location of the components in the working space. It also increases the possibility of collisions during the assembly sequence. Under these considerations, adding perception such as force/torque sensors have been done to produce useful data to perform control actions. Unfortunately, the interaction forces between mating parts produced non-linear behavior. Consequently, machine learning algorithms have been considered an alternative tool to avoid the non-linearity. In this work we introduce an assembly strategy for an industrial dual arm robot based on the combination of a discrete event controller and Deep Neural Networks (DNN) to solve the peg-in-hole assembly. Our results show the difference between the use of DNN with one and with two force/torque sensors during the assembly task and demonstrate a 30% increase in the assembly success ratio when using a double force/torque sensor.
Detecting the Absence of Lung Sliding in Lung Ultrasounds Using Deep Learning
Authors: Jaščur Miroslav , Bundzel Marek , Malík Marek , Dzian Anton , Ferenčík Norbert , Babič František
Published: July 2021

Certain post-thoracic surgery complications are monitored in a standard manner using methods that employ ionising radiation. A need to automatise the diagnostic procedure has now arisen following the clinical trial of a novel lung ultrasound examination procedure that can replace X-rays. Deep learning was used as a powerful tool for lung ultrasound analysis. We present a novel deep-learning method, automated M-mode classification, to detect the absence of lung sliding motion in lung ultrasound. Automated M-mode classification leverages semantic segmentation to select 2D slices across the temporal dimension of the video recording. These 2D slices are the input for a convolutional neural network, and the output of the neural network indicates the presence or absence of lung sliding in the given time slot. We aggregate the partial predictions over the entire video recording to determine whether the subject has developed post-surgery complications. With a 64-frame version of this architecture, we detected lung sliding on average with a balanced accuracy of 89%, sensitivity of 82%, and specificity of 92%. Automated M-mode classification is suitable for lung sliding detection from clinical lung ultrasound videos. Furthermore, in lung ultrasound videos, we recommend using time windows between 0.53 and 2.13 s for the classification of lung sliding motion followed by aggregation.
Numerical Study of the Improvement in Stability and Performance by Use of a Partial Vaned Diffuser for a Centrifugal Compressor Stage
Authors: Li Shuai , Liu Yan , Li Hongkun , Omidi Mohammad
Published: July 2021

The influence of different diffuser configurations on the flow stability and aerodynamic performance of a centrifugal compressor stage with a mass flow coefficient of 0.196 is numerically investigated. Research results show that the performance of a traditional full-height vaned diffuser (TVD) deteriorates rapidly, and a shroud-side partial vaned diffuser (SVD) displays better adaptability in off-design conditions. SVD can suppress the development of vortices generating at the diffuser leading-edge. Therefore, it can reduce the flow loss inside the stage and improve the flow stability of the stage at low mass flow rates. The unsteady analysis for TVD and SVD shows that the stall cell propagates at about 35.7% of impeller rotational speed in the semi-vaneless space and diffuser passages. Furthermore, the internal flow in TVD and SVD is studied by employing the proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) and dynamic mode decomposition (DMD) methods. The flow loss and instability mechanism in the stage are consequently revealed more comprehensively.
Effects in the Optical and Structural Properties Caused by Mg or Zn Doping of GaN Films Grown via Radio-Frequency Magnetron Sputtering Using Laboratory-Prepared Targets
Authors: Gastellóu Erick , García Godofredo , Herrera Ana María , Morales Crisoforo , García Rafael , Hirata Gustavo Alonso , Rosendo Enrique , Luna José Alberto , Robles Mario , Rodríguez Jorge Alberto , Ramírez Yani Dallane
Published: July 2021

GaN films doped with Mg or Zn were obtained via radio-frequency magnetron sputtering on silicon substrates at room temperature and used laboratory-prepared targets with Mg-doped or Zn-doped GaN powders. X-ray diffraction patterns showed broadening peaks, which could have been related to the appearance of nano-crystallites with an average of 7 nm. Scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy showed good adherence to silicon non-native substrate, as well as homogeneity, with a grain size average of 0.14 µm, and 0.16 µm for the GaN films doped with Zn or Mg, respectively. X-ray photo-electron spectroscopy demonstrated the presence of a very small amount of magnesium (2.10 mol%), and zinc (1.15 mol%) with binding energies of 1303.18, and 1024.76 eV, respectively. Photoluminescence spectrum for the Zn-doped GaN films had an emission range from 2.89 to 3.0 eV (429.23–413.50 nm), while Mg-doped GaN films had an energy emission in a blue-violet band with a range from 2.80 to 3.16 eV (443.03–392.56 nm). Raman spectra showed the classical vibration modes A1(TO), E1(TO), and E2(High) for the hexagonal structure of GaN.
On a Certain Research Gap in Big Data Mining for Customer Insights
Authors: Mach-Król Maria , Hadasik Bartłomiej
Published: July 2021

The main purpose of this paper is to provide a theoretically grounded discussion on big data mining for customer insights, as well as to identify and describe a research gap due to the shortcomings in the use of the temporal approach in big data analyzes in scientific literature sources. This article adopts two research methods. The first method is the systematic search in bibliographic repositories aimed at identifying the concepts of big data mining for customer insights. This method has been conducted in four steps: search, selection, analysis, and synthesis. The second research method is the bibliographic verification of the obtained results. The verification consisted of querying the Scopus database with previously identified key phrases and then performing trend analysis on the revealed Scopus results. The main contributions of this study are: (1) to organize knowledge on the role of advanced big data analytics (BDA), mainly big data mining in understanding customer behavior; (2) to indicate the importance of the temporal dimension of customer behavior; and (3) to identify an interesting research gap: mining of temporal big data for a complete picture of customers.
SDN-OpenFlow Topology Discovery: An Overview of Performance Issues
Authors: Wazirali Raniyah , Ahmad Rami , Alhiyari Suheib
Published: July 2021

Software-defined networking (SDN) is an innovative architecture that separates the control plane from the data plane to simplify and speed up the management of large networks. This means the control logic has been moved from the network hardware level to the centralized control management level. Therefore, the use of the OpenFlow Discovery Protocol (OFDP) is one of the most common protocols used to discover the network topology in a data plane and then transmit it to the control plane for management. However, OFDP has various shortcomings in its performance such as exchanging too many messages between both levels (control and data), which in turn increases the load on the SDN-Controller. Additionally, since the application layer depends entirely on the network topologies plotted in the control plane, it is very important to obtain accurate network topology information from data plane. Therefore, after providing background on topology discovery protocols to the reader, we will concentrate on performance issues. The present study identifies and discuss the primary concerns involved in the complex query process, infrastructure, influencing factors, and challenges for the topology discovery process. Furthermore, this paper will present several recent studies that have overcome and enhanced these issues. In addition, open discussion and future work concerning these issues are also discussed.
Numerical Study on Thermal Damage Behavior and Heat Insulation Protection in a High-Temperature Tunnel
Authors: Kang Fangchao , Li Yingchun , Tang Chun’an , Li Tianjiao , Wang Kaikai
Published: July 2021

Deepening our understanding of temperature and stress evolution in high-temperature tunnels is indispensable for tunnel support and associated disaster prevention as the rock temperature is remarkably high in hot dry rock (HDR) utilization and similar tunnel engineering. In this paper, we established a two-dimensional thermal–mechanical coupling model through RFPA2D-thermal, by which the temperature and stress field of the surrounding rock in a high-temperature tunnel with and without thermal insulation layer (TIL) were studied, followed by the evolution of thermal cracks. The associated sensitivity analysis of the TIL and airflow factors were then carried out. We found that (1) the tunnel rock is unevenly cooled down by the cold airflow, which induces thermal stress and damages the rock element when it exceeds the tensile strength of the rock mass. Those damaged rock elements accumulate and coalesce into visible cracks in the tunnel rock as the ventilation time goes, reducing the tunnel stability. (2) TIL effectively reduces the heat exchange between the airflow and tunnel rock and weakens the cold shock by the airflow, delaying the crack initiation which provides efficient time to adopt engineering measures for tunnel supporting. (3) TIL parameters are of pivotal importance to the long-term cold shock by the airflow. Increasing the TIL thickness and reducing the TIL thermal conductivity both significantly enhance the thermal insulation effect. The results cover the gap in the study of cold shock in high-temperature tunnels, which is helpful in designs to prevent thermal damage in high-temperature tunnels.
Improvement of an InfraRed Pyroelectric Detector Performances in THz Range Using the Terajet Effect
Authors: Minin Oleg V. , Calvo-Gallego Jaime , Meziani Yahya M. , Minin Igor V.
Published: July 2021

An infrared (IR) pyroelectric detector was investigated for terahertz (THz) detection using the principle of the terajet effect, which focuses the beam beyond the diffraction limit. The terahertz beam was coupled to the detector’s optical window through a two-wavelength-dimension dielectric cubic particle-lens based on the terajet effect. We experimentally demonstrate an enhancement of about 6 dB in the sensitivity under excitation of 0.2 THz without degradation of the noise equivalent power value. The results show that the proposed method could be applied to increase the sensitivity of various commercial IR sensors for THz applications that do not require modification of the internal structure, and it may apply also to acoustics and plasmonic detectors.
Three-Dimensional Thematic Map Imaging of the Yacht Port on the Example of the Polish National Sailing Centre Marina in Gdańsk
Authors: Dabrowski Pawel S. , Specht Cezary , Specht Mariusz , Makar Artur
Published: July 2021

The theory of cartographic projections is a tool which can present the convex surface of the Earth on the plane. Of the many types of maps, thematic maps perform an important function due to the wide possibilities of adapting their content to current needs. The limitation of classic maps is their two-dimensional nature. In the era of rapidly growing methods of mass acquisition of spatial data, the use of flat images is often not enough to reveal the level of complexity of certain objects. In this case, it is necessary to use visualization in three-dimensional space. The motivation to conduct the study was the use of cartographic projections methods, spatial transformations, and the possibilities offered by thematic maps to create thematic three-dimensional map imaging (T3DMI). The authors presented a practical verification of the adopted methodology to create a T3DMI visualization of the marina of the National Sailing Centre of the Gdańsk University of Physical Education and Sport (Poland). The profiled characteristics of the object were used to emphasize the key elements of its function. The results confirmed the increase in the interpretative capabilities of the T3DMI method, relative to classic two-dimensional maps. Additionally, the study suggested future research directions of the presented solution.
Flexural Strength and Acoustic Damage Characteristics of Steel Bar Reactive Powder Concrete
Authors: Yi Tingyou , Wang Hua , Xie Juntao , Wang Wensheng
Published: July 2021

In this paper, the steel bar was used to prepare steel bar reactive powder concrete (SBRPC). The three-point bending test was adopted to investigate the effect of the number of steel bars on the flexural strength of SBRPC. The acoustic emission (AE) was used to monitor the fracture process of SBRPC in real time. In addition, the parameter RA and AF ratio (RF) was defined to analyze the distribution of shear cracks and tensile cracks during the fracture process. The experimental results showed that with the increases in the number of the steel bar, the flexural strength of SBRPC gradually increased. The fracture stage of SBRPC can be accurately divided according to the curve slope change in hits and cumulative counts. Moreover, the early warning of SBRPC damage can be realized by observing the amplitude of the AE amplitude value. The dynamic changes in the rising angle (RA) and average frequency (AF) values can be used to determine the cracks mode and fracture mode. Based on the results of RF analysis, adding steel bars will improve the proportion for tensile cracks during its fracture process.
On a Non-Newtonian Calculus of Variations
Authors: Torres Delfim F. M.
Published: July 2021

The calculus of variations is a field of mathematical analysis born in 1687 with Newton’s problem of minimal resistance, which is concerned with the maxima or minima of integral functionals. Finding the solution of such problems leads to solving the associated Euler–Lagrange equations. The subject has found many applications over the centuries, e.g., in physics, economics, engineering and biology. Up to this moment, however, the theory of the calculus of variations has been confined to Newton’s approach to calculus. As in many applications negative values of admissible functions are not physically plausible, we propose here to develop an alternative calculus of variations based on the non-Newtonian approach first introduced by Grossman and Katz in the period between 1967 and 1970, which provides a calculus defined, from the very beginning, for positive real numbers only, and it is based on a (non-Newtonian) derivative that permits one to compare relative changes between a dependent positive variable and an independent variable that is also positive. In this way, the non-Newtonian calculus of variations we introduce here provides a natural framework for problems involving functions with positive images. Our main result is a first-order optimality condition of Euler–Lagrange type. The new calculus of variations complements the standard one in a nontrivial/multiplicative way, guaranteeing that the solution remains in the physically admissible positive range. An illustrative example is given.
Integrated Analysis of lncRNA and mRNA in Subcutaneous Adipose Tissue of Ningxiang Pig
Authors: Gong Yan , He Jun , Li Biao , Xiao Yu , Zeng Qinghua , Xu Kang , Duan Yehui , He Jianhua , Ma Haiming
Published: July 2021

Ningxiang pigs, a Chinese bred pig known for its tender meat and high quality unsaturated fatty acids. This study discovers the transcription profiles and functional networks in long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) and messenger RNA (mRNA) in subcutaneous adipose tissue. Subcutaneous adipose tissue was collected from piglet, nursery pig, early fattening, and late fattening stage of Ningxiang piglets, and lncRNA and mRNA transcription of each stage was profiled. A total of 339,204,926 (piglet), 315,609,246 (nursery), 266,798,202 (early fattening), and 343,740,308 (late fattening) clean reads were generated, and 2872 novel lncRNAs were identified. Additionally, 10,084 differential mRNAs (DEmRNAs) and 931 differential lncRNAs were determined. Most DEmRNAs were up-regulated in the piglet stage, while they were down-regulated in late fattening stage. A complicated interaction between mRNAs and lncRNAs was identified via STEM and WGCNA, demonstrated that lncRNAs are a significant regulatory component in mRNAs. The findings showed that modules 2 and 5 have a similar mode of transcription for both mRNA and lncRNA, and were mainly participated in steroid biosynthesis, glycosphingolipid biosynthesis, metabolic pathways, and glycerolipid metabolism. The mRNAs and lncRNAs transcription levels of both modules was higher in the early and late fattening stage, which may be due to the active activity of the metabolism in relation to fatty acids, sterols, steroids, and lipids in the subcutaneous adipose tissue during the early and late fattening stage. These findings could be expected to result in further research of the functional properties of lncRNA from subcutaneous adipose tissue at different stages of development in Ningxiang pigs.
Application of Portable Air Purifiers for Mitigating COVID-19 in Large Public Spaces
Authors: Zhai Zhiqiang (John) , Li He , Bahl Robert , Trace Keith
Published: July 2021

This study investigated, using validated computational fluid dynamics techniques, the actual performance of portable air purifiers for reducing the infection risks of airborne respiratory diseases such as COVID-19, by properly installing air purifiers in complicated large public spaces of primary concern, such as restaurants and ballrooms. The research results reveal that portable air purifiers with HEPA filtration provide an effective solution to help mitigate virus-carrying particles/droplets in large spaces where the central air conditioning system with HEPA filtration may not provide adequate dilution and/or effective ventilation. Deploying portable air purifier changes the local flow directions, and thus, reduces the cross-table airflows that may enhance the possibility of cross-infection. A field experiment was further conducted in a restaurant and a ballroom to verify the on-site performance. This study indicates that each space is unique in furniture, occupant and system layouts and capacities, and thus, requires individualized investigation of appropriate purifier number, capacities, and locations. Flexible solutions such as portable air purifiers are important and low-cost supplements to more elaborate solutions installed in central air systems.
Spinal Cord Injury Significantly Alters the Properties of Reticulospinal Neurons: I. Biophysical Properties, Firing Patterns, Excitability, and Synaptic Inputs
Authors: Hough Ryan A. , Pale Timothee , Benes Jessica A. , McClellan Andrew D.
Published: July 2021

Following spinal cord injury (SCI) for larval lampreys, descending axons of reticulospinal (RS) neurons regenerate, and locomotor function gradually recovers. In the present study, the electrophysiological properties of uninjured (left)-injured (right) pairs of large, identified RS neurons were compared following rostral, right spinal cord hemi-transections (HTs). First, changes in firing patterns of injured RS neurons began in as little as 2–3 days following injury, these changes were maximal at ~2–3 weeks (wks), and by 12–16 wks normal firing patterns were restored for the majority of neurons. Second, at ~2–3 wks following spinal cord HTs, injured RS neurons displayed several significant changes in properties compared to uninjured neurons: (a) more hyperpolarized VREST; (b) longer membrane time constant and larger membrane capacitance; (c) increased voltage and current thresholds for action potentials (APs); (d) larger amplitudes and durations for APs; (e) higher slope for the repolarizing phase of APs; (f) virtual absence of some afterpotential components, including the slow afterhyperpolarization (sAHP); (g) altered, injury-type firing patterns; and (h) reduced average and peak firing (spiking) frequencies during applied depolarizing currents. These altered properties, referred to as the “injury phenotype”, reduced excitability and spiking frequencies of injured RS neurons compared to uninjured neurons. Third, artificially injecting a current to add a sAHP waveform following APs for injured neurons or removing the sAHP following APs for uninjured neurons did not convert these neurons to normal firing patterns or injury-type firing patterns, respectively. Fourth, trigeminal sensory-evoked synaptic responses recorded from uninjured and injured pairs of RS neurons were not significantly different. Following SCI, injured lamprey RS neurons displayed several dramatic changes in their biophysical properties that are expected to reduce calcium influx and provide supportive intracellular conditions for axonal regeneration.
Teaching Innovation in the Development of Professional Practices: Use of the Collaborative Blog
Authors: Corujo-Vélez Carmen , Barragán-Sánchez Raquel , Hervás-Gómez Carlos , Palacios-Rodríguez Antonio
Published: July 2021

The development of professional practices during the university stage is a fundamental factor for quality skills development. For many students, it is the first real experience in a professional context, so continuous monitoring by teachers is necessary. This article presents an innovative proposal to develop the follow-up of the professional practices of the degree in Primary Education, and two Masters’ in Psychopedagogy and Special Educational Needs using a learning management system (LMS) (Blackboard). The experience was developed by a team of teachers from the departments of Didactics and Educational Organization and Research Methods and Educational Diagnosis of the University of Seville (Spain). The aspects to be studied are the development of communication, reflection, and collaborative learning processes during the internship period. After an explicit agreement, 24 students (10 from the course “Professional Practices I” in undergraduate students; and the others from the Master’s) committed to periodically using the blog designed ad hoc for this experience. A content analysis of the speeches posted on the blog was carried out, examining the changes, the advantages, and the disadvantages that this model entailed. It allowed observing similarities and differences between both groups of students. As the main conclusion, there were some differences between the two groups of students, regarding the number, type, and contents of interventions; there were no differences in the assessment of the methodology, all the students thought that it was a very positive assessment of the experience for generating information exchange networks among colleagues and teachers. Finally, the relevance of constant monitoring of the academic tutor was highlighted.
MATRIX16: A 16-Channel Low-Power TDC ASIC with 8 ps Time Resolution
Authors: Mauricio Joan , Freixas Lluís , Sanuy Andreu , Gómez Sergio , Manera Rafel , Marín Jesús , Pérez Jose M. , Picatoste Eduardo , Rato Pedro , Sánchez David , Sanmukh Anand , Vela Oscar , Gascon David
Published: July 2021

This paper presents a highly configurable 16-channel TDC ASIC designed in a commercial 180 nm technology with the following features: time-of-flight and time-over-threshold measurements, 8.6 ps LSB, 7.7 ps jitter, 5.6 ps linearity error, up to 5 MHz of sustained input rate per channel, 9.1 mW of power consumption per channel, and an area of 4.57 mm2. The main contributions of this work are the novel design of the clock interpolation circuitry based on a resistive interpolation mesh circuit and the capability to operate at different supply voltages and operating frequencies, thus providing a compromise between TDC resolution and power consumption.
A Multi-Valued Simplified Halpern–Shoham–Moszkowski Logic for Gradable Verifiability in Reasoning about Digital Circuits
Authors: Jobczyk Krystian
Published: July 2021

In 1983, B. Moszkowski introduced a first interval-interpreted temporal logic system, the so-called Interval Temporal Logic (ITL), as a system suitable to express mutual relations inside intervals for reasonings about digital circuits. In 1991, Halpern and Shoham proposed a new temporal system (HS) to describe external relations between intervals. This paper is aimed at proposing a basis-type combination of HS and a simplified ITL end extends it towards a multi-valued system—also capable of rendering a gradable justification of agents in a similar contexts of reasoning about digital circuits. This newly introduced system is semantically interpreted in the so-called fibred semantics.
Therapeutic Exercise Platform for Type-2 Diabetic Mellitus
Authors: Lee Je-Hoon , Park Jai-Chang , Kim Seong-Beom
Published: July 2021

Exercise enables continuous glycemic control for diabetic patients, and it is effective in preventing diabetic complications and maintaining emotional stability. However, it is difficult for diabetic patients to know the appropriate intensity and duration of exercise. Excessive exercise causes sudden hypoglycemia, and patients avoid therapeutic exercise or perform it conservatively owing to the repeated hypoglycemia symptoms. In this paper, we propose a new therapeutic exercise platform that supports type 2 diabetes patients to exercise regularly according to the exercise prescription received from the hospital. The proposed platform includes the following three significant contributions. First, we develop a hardware platform that automatically tracks and records all aerobic exercise performed by a patient indoors or outdoors using a wearable band and aerobic exercise equipment. Second, we devise a patient-specific exercise stress test to know whether the patient is exercising according to his or her usual exercise regimen. Finally, we develop a mobile application that informs patients in real-time whether they are exercising appropriately for their exercise regimen each time they exercise. For platform evaluation and future improvement, we received satisfaction ratings and functional improvements through a questionnaire survey on 10 type 2 diabetes patients and 10 persons without a diabetes diagnosis who had used the proposed platform for more than 3 months. Most users were (1) satisfied with automatic exercise recording, and (2) exercise time increased. Diabetics reported that their fasting blood glucose was dropped, and they were more motivated to exercise. These results prove that exercise must be combined with medication for blood glucose management in chronic diabetic patients. The proposed platform can be helpful for patients to continue their daily exercise according to their exercise prescription.
IoT Device for Sitting Posture Classification Using Artificial Neural Networks
Authors: Luna-Perejón Francisco , Montes-Sánchez Juan Manuel , Durán-López Lourdes , Vazquez-Baeza Alberto , Beasley-Bohórquez Isabel , Sevillano-Ramos José L.
Published: July 2021

Nowadays, the percentage of time that the population spends sitting has increased substantially due to the use of computers as the main tool for work or leisure and the increase in jobs with a high office workload. As a consequence, it is common to suffer musculoskeletal pain, mainly in the back, which can lead to both temporary and chronic damage. This pain is related to holding a posture during a prolonged period of sitting, usually in front of a computer. This work presents a IoT posture monitoring system while sitting. The system consists of a device equipped with Force Sensitive Resistors (FSR) that, placed on a chair seat, detects the points where the user exerts pressure when sitting. The system is complemented with a Machine Learning model based on Artificial Neural Networks, which was trained to recognize the neutral correct posture as well as the six most frequent postures that involve risk of damage to the locomotor system. In this study, data was collected from 12 participants for each of the seven positions considered, using the developed sensing device. Several neural network models were trained and evaluated in order to improve the classification effectiveness. Hold-Out technique was used to guide the training and evaluation process. The results achieved a mean accuracy of 81% by means of a model consisting of two hidden layers of 128 neurons each. These results demonstrate that is feasible to distinguish different sitting postures using few sensors allocated in the surface of a seat, which implies lower costs and less complexity of the system.
Early Echocardiographic and Cardiac MRI Findings in Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children
Authors: Sirico Domenico , Basso Alessia , Reffo Elena , Cavaliere Annachiara , Castaldi Biagio , Sabatino Jolanda , Meneghel Alessandra , Martini Giorgia , Da Dalt Liviana , Zulian Francesco , Di Salvo Giovanni
Published: July 2021

Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) is a known severe condition affecting children previously exposed to SARS-CoV-2. The aim of our study was to describe the early cardiac abnormalities in patients with MIS-C, evaluated by speckle tracking echocardiography (STE) and cardiac MRI (CMR). Clinical, laboratory and microbiological data were measured for all patients. All children underwent standard transthoracic echocardiography, STE with analysis of left ventricle global longitudinal strain (GLS). Seventeen (75%) of the children were evaluated with CMR. Twenty-three patients (13M, 10F) were recruited, mean age was 8.1 ± 4 years. Cardiovascular symptoms were present in 10 (43.5%). Nine children (39.1%) shared Kawasaki Disease-like symptoms. Four patients (17.4%) needed ICU admission. In-hospital survival was 100%. TnI was elevated in 15 (65.2%) and BNP in 20 (86.9%) patients. The median time to STE evaluation was 8 days and to CMR was 18 days after fever onset. Mean LVEF was 59 ± 10%. Coronary dilation was observed in six (26.1%) patients. STE showed a reduced mean LVGLS (−17 ± 4.3%). LGE with a non-ischemic pattern was evident in six out of seventeen patients (35.2%). The elevation of myocardial necrosis markers, the reduction of LVGLS and the presence of LGE on CMR in about a quarter of MIS-C patients supports the hypothesis of a post-viral immune-mediated myocarditis-like pathogenesis.
Incidence of Adnexal Torsion in the Republic of Korea: A Nationwide Serial Cross-Sectional Study (2009–2018)
Authors: Yuk Jin-Sung , Yang Seung-Woo , Lee Myung-Hwa , Kyung Min-Sun
Published: July 2021

Background: This study aimed to evaluate the incidence and risk factors of adnexal torsion (AT) in the Korean population from 2009 to 2018 (10 years). Methods: We analyzed the 2009−2018 data obtained from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service National Inpatient Sample (HIRA-NIS) database. AT was identified by both diagnosis codes and surgery codes of adnexal surgery. Results: A total of 6,262,910 women were recorded in the database. The incidence of AT was 6 per 100,000 women (95% confidence interval (CI), 6−6). The incidence of AT tended to decrease with age after peaking in the late 20s to early 30s. In the weighted logistic regression analysis, women of childbearing age, especially in their 20s and 30s, had the highest AT incidence. Corpus luteal cyst (p < 0.001) and benign neoplasm (p < 0.001) increased the incidence of AT. Low socioeconomic status (SES), Charlson comorbidity index (CCI), and pregnancy were unrelated to AT. Conclusion: The incidence of AT is 6 per 100,000 women and peaks in the 20s to early 30s.
Analysis of Morphological-Hemodynamic Risk Factors for Aneurysm Rupture Including a Newly Introduced Total Volume Ratio
Authors: Lee Ui Yun , Kwak Hyo Sung
Published: July 2021

The purpose of this study was to evaluate morphological and hemodynamic factors, including the newly developed total volume ratio (TVR), in evaluating rupture risk of cerebral aneurysms using ≥7 mm sized aneurysms. Twenty-three aneurysms (11 unruptured and 12 ruptured) ≥ 7 mm were analyzed from 3-dimensional rotational cerebral angiography and computational fluid dynamics (CFD). Ten morphological and eleven hemodynamic factors of the aneurysms were qualitatively and quantitatively compared. Correlation analysis between morphological and hemodynamic factors was performed, and the relationship among the hemodynamic factors was analyzed. Morphological factors (ostium diameter, ostium area, aspect ratio, and bottleneck ratio) and hemodynamic factors (TVR, minimal wall shear stress of aneurysms, time-averaged wall shear stress of aneurysms, oscillatory shear index, relative residence time, low wall shear stress area, and ratio of low wall stress area) were statistically different between ruptured and unruptured aneurysms (p < 0.05). By simple regression analysis, the morphological factor aspect ratio and the hemodynamic factor TVR were significantly correlated (r2 = 0.602, p = 0.001). Ruptured aneurysms had complex and unstable flow. In ≥7 mm ruptured aneurysms, high aspect ratio, bottleneck ratio, complex flow, unstable flow, low TVR, wall shear stress at aneurysm, high oscillatory shear index, relative resistance time, low wall shear stress area, and ratio of low wall stress area were significant in determining the risk of aneurysm rupture.
A Virtualization Infrastructure Cost Model for 5G Network Slice Provisioning in a Smart Factory
Authors: Walia Jaspreet Singh , Hämmäinen Heikki , Kilkki Kalevi , Flinck Hannu , Yrjölä Seppo , Matinmikko-Blue Marja
Published: July 2021

Network slicing is a key enabler for providing new services to industry verticals. In order to enable network slice provisioning, it is important to study the network slice type allocation for different device types in a real industrial case. Furthermore, the costs of the required virtualization infrastructure need to be analyzed for various cloud deployment scenarios. In this paper, a cost model for the virtualization infrastructure needed for network slice provisioning is developed and subsequently applied to a real smart factory. In the model, slice types and devices are mapped such that each factory device is provisioned with one or more slice types, as required. The number of devices to be supported per slice type is forecasted for 2021–2030, and the total costs of ownership, costs per slice type, and costs for every slice type, for each device are calculated. The results are analyzed for three cloud deployment scenarios: local, distributed, and centralized. The centralized scenario was found to have the lowest cost. Moreover, sensitivity analysis is conducted by varying the device growth, the number of factories, the level of isolation between network slices, and resource overbooking. The resulting evaluation and cost breakdown can help stakeholders select a suitable deployment scenario, gauge their investments, and exercise suitable pricing.
Protective Effects of Probiotics on Cognitive and Motor Functions, Anxiety Level, Visceral Sensitivity, Oxidative Stress and Microbiota in Mice with Antibiotic-Induced Dysbiosis
Authors: Arslanova Alisa , Tarasova Aksiniya , Alexandrova Anastasia , Novoselova Vera , Shaidullov Ilnar , Khusnutdinova Dilyara , Grigoryeva Tatiana , Yarullina Dina , Yakovleva Olga , Sitdikova Guzel
Published: July 2021

Accumulating clinical and preclinical data indicate a prominent role of gut microbiota in regulation of physiological functions. The gut-brain axis imbalance due to gut dysbiosis is associated with a range of neurodegenerative diseases. Probiotics were suggested not only to restore intestinal dysbiosis but also modulate stress response and improve mood and anxiety symptoms. In this study, we assessed the effects of probiotic lactobacilli on behavioral reactions, the level of oxidative stress and microbiota content in mice administered to broad-spectrum antibiotics. Our study demonstrates that antibiotic treatment of adolescent mice for two weeks resulted in higher mortality and lower weight gain and induced significant changes in behavior including lower locomotor and exploratory activity, reduced muscle strength, visceral hypersensitivity, higher level of anxiety and impaired cognitive functions compared to the control group. These changes were accompanied by decreased diversity and total amount of bacteria, abundance of Proteobacteria and Verrucomicrobia phyla, and reduced Firmicutes/Bacteroides ratio in the gut microbiota. Moreover, a higher level of oxidative stress was found in brain and skeletal muscle tissues of mice treated with antibiotics. Oral administration of two Lactobacillus strains prevented the observed changes and improved not only microbiota content but also the behavioral alterations, suggesting a neuroprotective and antioxidant role of probiotics.
Threshold Dynamics of a Non-Linear Stochastic Viral Model with Time Delay and CTL Responsiveness
Authors: Sun Jianguo , Gao Miaomiao , Jiang Daqing
Published: July 2021

This article focuses on a stochastic viral model with distributed delay and CTL responsiveness. It is shown that the viral disease will be extinct if the stochastic reproductive ratio is less than one. However, when the stochastic reproductive ratio is more than one, the viral infection system consists of an ergodic stationary distribution. Furthermore, we obtain the existence and uniqueness of the global positive solution by constructing a suitable Lyapunov function. Finally, we illustrate our results by numerical simulation.
Volatile Resistive Switching Characteristics of Pt/HfO2/TaOx/TiN Short-Term Memory Device
Authors: Ryu Hojeong , Kim Sungjun
Published: July 2021

In this work, we study the threshold switching and short-term memory plasticity of a Pt/HfO2/TaOx/TiN resistive memory device for a neuromorphic system. First, we verify the thickness and elemental characterization of the device stack through transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and an energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) line scan. Volatile resistive switching with low compliance current is observed under the DC sweep in a positive bias. Uniform cell-to-cell and cycle-to-cycle DC I-V curves are achieved by means of a repetitive sweep. The mechanism of volatile switching is explained by the temporal generation of traps. Next, we initiate the accumulation of the conductance and a natural decrease in the current by controlling the interval time of the pulses. Finally, we conduct a neuromorphic simulation to calculate the pattern recognition accuracy. These results can be applicable to short-term memory applications such as temporal learning in a neuromorphic system.