bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Multifactorial approaches to study bilingualism in the aging population: Past, present, future
Authors: Dash Tanya , Joanette Yves , Ansaldo Ana Inés
Published: July 2022

A better understanding and more reliable classification of bilinguals has been progressively achieved through the fine-tuning methodology and simultaneously optimizing the measurement tools. However, the current understanding is far from generalization to a larger population varying in different measures of bilingualism—L2 Age of acquisition (L2 AOA), L2 usage and exposure, and L2 proficiency. More recent studies have highlighted the importance of modeling bilingualism as a continuous variable. An in-depth look at the role of bilingualism, comparing groups, may be considered a reductionist approach, i.e., grouping based on one measure of bilingualism (e.g., L2 AOA) may not account for variability in other measures of bilingualism (L2 exposure, L2 use or L2 proficiency, amongst others) within and between groups. Similarly, a multifactorial dimension is associated with cognitive performance, where not all domains of cognition and subcomponents are equally influenced by bilingualism. In addition, socio-cultural and demographical factors may add another dimension to the impact of bilingualism on cognitive performance, especially in older adults. Nevertheless, not many studies have controlled or used the multiple socio-cultural and demographical factors as a covariate to understand the role of different aspects of bilingualism that may influence cognitive performance differently. Such an approach would fail to generalize the research findings to a larger group of bilinguals. In the present review paper, we illustrate that considering a multifactorial approach to different dimensions of bilingual study may lead to a better understanding of the role of bilingualism on cognitive performance. With the evolution of various fine-tuned methodological approaches, there is a greater need to study variability in bilingual profiles that can help generalize the result universally.
Application of Educational Psychology Based on Improved SPBO Optimization Algorithm in English Learning
Authors: Peng Yingying
Published: July 2022

It is an inevitable process of current social development to apply the motivational theory of educational psychology in the field of English teaching. The current method is to start with the introduction of new language teaching projects by teachers, and then use excellent training to make students master the knowledge they have learned. The flaw is that such teaching is simplistic in the present. In order to solve these problems, this paper proposes an improved SPOB optimization algorithm, aiming to study the application of motivation theory in educational psychology to current English teaching. By using the formula definition for the excellent and poor students in the improved SPBO optimization algorithm and the criterion function in the cluster analysis, the application process of motivational design model in oral English teaching is explored through the application of SPBO algorithm. And through the investigation and analysis of the experimental process of the application of incentive design model in oral English teaching, the results showed that 77.2% of teachers chose interest incentives, 34.8% of teachers chose cooperation-competition incentives, and 32.6% of teachers chose emotional incentives.
Communicative deficits associated with maladaptive behavior in individuals with deafness and special needs
Authors: Fellinger Johannes , Dall Magdalena , Weber Christoph , Holzinger Daniel
Published: July 2022

Background

At least one in three individuals who are prelingually deaf has special needs, most commonly due to intellectual disabilities. The scant literature on challenging behavior in this population, however, suggests high rates of prevalence and an important need to better understand the contributing factors.

Aim

We sought to analyze the prevalence of maladaptive behavior and its association with intellectual functioning, adaptive skills, language skills, and social communication in a population of adults with deafness and special needs.

Methods

Participants were 61 individuals from three therapeutic living communities established for people with deafness and special needs. The participants had a mean age of 54.7 years, 64% were male. Intellectual functioning was measured with two versions of the Snijders–Oomen Non-verbal Intelligence Scale. The Vineland-II Scales were used to assess adaptive and maladaptive behavior. Language skills were measured with instruments specifically adapted for this population, including the Reynell Developmental Language Comprehension Scale, the comprehension scale of the Child Development Inventory, and the Profile of Multiple Language Proficiencies. Due to high correlations between instruments, a composite language score was used. A specific questionnaire to measure social communication in adults with intellectual disabilities was also utilized.

Results

The mean nonverbal developmental reference age was 6.5 years, whereas the equivalent for the language measures was about 3.5 years. The prevalence rate of elevated maladaptive behavior was 41% (v-scale score ≥18) and 18% of the participants had a clinically significant score (v-scale score ≥21). Regression analyses showed that only language and social communication skills were significantly associated with maladaptive behavior, while intellectual functioning and adaptive skills were not.

Conclusion

These findings emphasize the importance of the constant promotion of communicative skills, as those people with better language and social communication skills demonstrate lower levels of maladaptive behavior.
Magnitude and factors associated with postoperative depression among adult orthopedics patients during COVID-19 pandemics: A multi-center cross-sectional study
Authors: Seid Tegegne Shimelis , Fentie Alle Yewlsew
Published: July 2022

Background

Postoperative depression is one of the devastating problems and important health concerns in adult orthopedics surgical patients. It is often under-diagnosed and appropriate perioperative management of patients is recommended. This study aimed to determine the magnitude and factors associated with postoperative depression among orthopedics patients in Ethiopia.

Materials and Methods

This multi-center cross-sectional study was conducted on 443 adult post-orthopedics surgical patients. All the data were entered and analyzed with SPSS version 25. Bivariable and multivariable logistic regression was used to identify the associated factors with the outcome variable. P-values <0.05 were taken as statistically significant with 95% CI. Data were collected after distributing 9-item standard patient health questionnaires and the Oslo-3 item social support scale tool.

Result

Based on our study result, the magnitude of postoperative depression among adult orthopedics surgical patients was 61.8% (95% CI: 56.8–65.7). Using multivariable logistic regression analysis, factors which had an association with postoperative depression were female in gender, Farmer in occupation, having a history of previous substance use, history of anxiety, Patients who had moderate to poor social support, BMI <18.5 kg/m2, and patients who had an open fracture.

Conclusion

The magnitude of postoperative depression was high. Due emphasis needs to be given to screening and treatment of postoperative depression, especially among patients of the female gender, farmer occupation, moderate to poor social support, history of substance use and anxiety, low BMI, and open fracture.
Travel for survive! Identifying the antecedents of vaccine tourists' travel intention: Using a stimulus-organism-response model
Authors: Wang Xue-Bing , Chen Chien-Chao , Ku Gordon Chih Ming , Chen Che-Hsiu , Hsu Chin Hsien , Lee Peng-Yeh
Published: July 2022

The COVID-19 global pandemic and the uneven distribution of vaccines have resulted in alternative medical tourism, vaccine tourism. The purpose of this study is to identify the antecedents of vaccine tourists' travel intention. The Stimulus-organism-response model was used as a framework to understand the relationship between risk perception (stimulus), pandemic prevention attitude (organism), decision making (organism), and travel intention (response) in vaccine tourism. An online questionnaire survey method was adopted to address the purpose of the research. Purposive and snowball sampling were used to select eligible respondents who were over 18 years old and had experience in vaccine tourism. A total of 520 online questionnaires were collected, and description analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, and structural equation modeling were utilized to analyze the collected data. The findings indicated that pandemic prevention attitude is a full mediator between risk perception and travel intention. There is a significant causal relationship between risk perception and pandemic prevention attitude and between pandemic prevention attitude and travel intention. Furthermore, tourists' travel decision-making also significantly influences their travel intention. However, the relationship between tourists' risk perception and travel decision-making has no significant effect. Vaccine tourism was created based on the COVID-19 context. Therefore, in order to avoid vaccine travel becoming an infection control breach, pandemic prevention planning and the medical quality of the destination, and the prevention policies between the countries should be completely assessed and conducted.
Effects of vaccination, new SARS-CoV-2 variants and reinfections on post-COVID-19 complications
Authors: Orendáčová Mária , Kvašňák Eugen
Published: July 2022

Post-COVID-19 complications involve a variety of long-lasting health complications emerging in various body systems. Since the prevalence of post-COVID-19 complications ranges from 8–47% in COVID-19 survivors, it represents a formidable challenge to COVID-19 survivors and the health care system. Post-COVID-19 complications have already been studied in the connection to risk factors linked to their higher probability of occurrence and higher severity, potential mechanisms underlying the pathogenesis of post-COVID-19 complications, and their functional and structural correlates. Vaccination status has been recently revealed to represent efficient prevention from long-term and severe post-COVID-19 complications. However, the exact mechanisms responsible for vaccine-induced protection against severe and long-lasting post-COVID-19 complications remain elusive. Also, to the best of our knowledge, the effects of new SARS-CoV-2 variants and SARS-CoV-2 reinfections on post-COVID-19 complications and their underlying pathogenesis remain to be investigated. This hypothesis article will be dedicated to the potential effects of vaccination status, SARS-CoV-2 reinfections, and new SARS-CoV-2 variants on post-COVID-19 complications and their underlying mechanisms Also, potential prevention strategies against post-COVID complications will be discussed.
Qualitative Research on the Training Experiences and Needs of Intensive Care Unit General Nurses Against the Background of Regular Coronavirus Disease 2019 Prevention and Control
Authors: Zhang Yu , Wang Yan-li , Wang Shu-qin , Zhang Chun-yan , Wan Na , Jia Yan-rui , Gao Feng-li
Published: July 2022

Objective

This study aimed to investigate the training experiences and needs of intensive care unit (ICU) general nurses against a background of regular Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) prevention and control.

Methods

Using the phenomenological method of qualitative research, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 ICU nurses. The interview data were analyzed, sorted, summarized, and refined using the content analysis method.

Results

The following five themes were extracted from the interviews, based on the training experiences of the nurses: 1) broadening their thinking; 2) discovering their personal shortcomings; 3) gaining self-confidence; 4) calmly facing frontline work; 5) experiencing high assessment pressure. The training needs of the nurses could be summarized into the following four themes: 1) increased training time; 2) improving the assessment mechanism; 3) establishing a normal rotating-shift training system; 4) balancing the teaching levels.

Conclusion

Against a background of regular epidemic prevention and control, ICU training for general nurses is of high practical significance and value. Thus, active exploration and research should be conducted to establish perfect training and assessment mechanisms for these nurses. Additionally, training methods that are suitable for clinical needs should be formulated and training systematization and standardization must be promoted.
Spread of infection and treatment interruption among Japanese workers during the COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional study
Authors: Akashi Jun , Hino Ayako , Tateishi Seiichiro , Nagata Tomohisa , Tsuji Mayumi , Ogami Akira , Matsuda Shinya , Kataoka Masaharu , Fujino Yoshihisa
Published: July 2022

Background

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in treatment interruption for chronic diseases. The scale of COVID-19 in Japan has varied greatly in terms of the scale of infection and the speed of spread depending on the region. This study aimed to examine the relationship between local infection level and treatment interruption among Japanese workers.

Methods

Cross-sectional internet survey was conducted from December 22 to 26, 2020. Of 33,302 participants, 9,510 (5,392 males and 4,118 females) who responded that they required regular treatment were included in the analysis. The infection level in each participant's prefecture of residence was assessed based on the incidence rate (per 1,000 population) and the number of people infected. Age-sex and multivariate adjusted odds ratios (ORs) of regional infection levels associated with treatment interruption were estimated by multilevel logistic models, nested by prefecture of residence. The multivariate model was adjusted for sex, age, marital status, equivalent household income, educational level, occupation, self-rated health status and anxiety.

Results

The ORs of treatment interruption for the lowest and highest levels of infection in the region were 1.32 [95 % confidence interval (CI) were 1.09–1.59] for the overall morbidity rate (per 1,000) and 1.34 (95 % CI 1.10–1.63) for the overall number of people infected. Higher local infection levels were linked to a greater number of workers experiencing treatment interruption.

Conclusions

Higher local infection levels were linked to more workers experiencing treatment interruption. Our results suggest that apart from individual characteristics such as socioeconomic and health status, treatment interruption during the pandemic is also subject to contextual effects related to regional infection levels. Preventing community spread of COVID-19 may thus protect individuals from indirect effects of the pandemic, such as treatment interruption.
Environmental scan of COVID-19 infection dashboards in the Florida public school system
Authors: Jang Hye Ryeon , Quinones-Marrero Jordan , Hincapie-Castillo Juan M.
Published: July 2022

Public dashboards have been one of the most effective tools to provide critical information about COVID-19 cases during the pandemic. However, dashboards for COVID-19 that have not received a lot of scrutiny are those from the public school system. We conducted an environmental scan of published dashboards that report and track new COVID-19 infections in the Florida public school system. We found that thirty-four percent of counties do not provide any public dashboard, and there was significant heterogeneity in the data quality and framework of existing systems. There were poor interfaces without visual tools to trace the trend of COVID-19 cases in public schools and significant limitations for data extraction. Given these observations, it is impossible to conduct meaningful policy evaluations and proper surveillance. Additional work and oversight are needed to improve public data reported.
Analysis of the impact of the armed conflict in Ukraine on the population of Romania
Authors: Mărcău Flavius Cristian , Peptan Cătălin , Gorun Horaţiu Tiberiu , Băleanu Vlad Dumitru , Gheorman Victor
Published: July 2022

Purpose

The study aims to highlight the behavior of people in a state in the vicinity of a military conflict zone. Specifically, it highlights the psychological behavior of Romanian citizens after the invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation. It was considered appropriate to carry out this study, given the novelty of such a situation, since, after the end of the Second World War, Europe has no longer faced major problems of insecurity caused by armed conflicts of this magnitude.

Methods

The study was based on the questionnaire applied to a number of 1,193 people with permanent residence in Romania and a minimum age of 18 years. The data were collected in the beginning phase of the invasion of Ukraine by the troops of the Russian Federation, i.e. between March 1–17, 2022. The aim was to obtain information that would allow the observation of re-spondents' opinions on the conflict in Ukraine and its potential escalation, and on the other hand, to allow the assessment of quality of life, using the WHQOL-BREEF measurement instrument.

Results

Based on the results of the study, the highest average satisfaction among the four domains of WHOQOL-BREF is represented by the “Psychological” domain, of the category of people with the lowest fear about a potential future war between Romania and the Russian Federation (83.62 ± 17.48). On the contrary, the lowest average is represented by the “Environment” domain, for the category of persons who do not feel protected by the fact that Romania is a NATO member state (61.77 ± 20.96).

Conclusions

The results of the study show that the indices of the quality of life of the people in Romania, as a state in the proximity of a military conflict with the potential to escalate, are negatively influenced by the fears of people who believe that the war in Ukraine will escalate into a regional or global conflict, or that the Russian Federation is going to use its nuclear arsenal against Ukraine or another NATO member state.
Resistance narratives in patients' accounts of a mandatory pre-operative health optimisation scheme: A qualitative study
Authors: Avery-Phipps Isobel , Hynes Catherine , Burton Christopher
Published: July 2022

Background

Pre-operative Health Optimisation is the engagement of patients in health behavior change, such as smoking cessation and weight reduction prior to surgery. Programmes which routinely delay surgery while some patients undergo preoperative optimisation are increasingly used within the UK. Advocates of this approach argue that it reduces perioperative risk and encourages longer term change at a teachable moment. However, critics have argued that mandatory preoperative optimisation schemes may perpetuate or exacerbate inequalities.

Aim

To understand patients' experience of a mandatory preoperative optimisation scheme at the time of referral for elective surgery.

Design and setting

Qualitative interview study in one area of the UK.

Method

Participants were recruited through GP practices and participating weight-loss schemes. Data was collected from nine semi-structured face-to-face interviews. Thematic analysis was informed by the concept of narratives of resistance.

Results

Four forms of resistance were found in relation to the programme. Interviewees questioned the way their GPs presented the scheme, suggesting they were acting for the health system rather than their patients. While interviewees accepted personal responsibility for health behaviors, those resisting the scheme emphasized that the wider system carried responsibilities too. Interviewees found referral to the scheme stigmatizing and offset this by distancing themselves from more deviant health behaviors. Finally, interviewees emphasized the logical contradictions between different health promotion messages.

Conclusion

Patients described negative experiences of mandatory pre-operative health optimisation. Framing them as resistance narratives helps understand how patients contest the imposition of optimisation and highlights the risk of unintended consequences.
Is Urology a gender-biased career choice? A survey-based study of the Italian medical students' perception of specialties
Authors: Reale Sofia , Orecchia Luca , Ippoliti Simona , Pletto Simone , Pastore Serena , Germani Stefano , Nardi Alessandra , Miano Roberto
Published: July 2022

Background

Despite the well-established worldwide phenomenon of “the feminisation of medicine,” in Italy, Urology remains a male-dominated field.

Objective

The aims of our work are to assess data on medical students' choice of surgical specialty in Italy to investigate if a gender-biased trend exists and to find the key points that influence the decision-making process when choosing a specialty, with a focus on Urology.

Design

Data about access to residency programs in 2017–2020 were analysed through descriptive statistics. Investigations concerning the decision-making process were carried through distribution of an online anonymous survey to Italian medical students.

Results

Urology was among the specialties with the lowest proportion of female residents in Italy in the last 4 years: 37 (29.4%) in 2017, 27 (21.4%) in 2018, 40 (26.7%) in 2019, and 57 (25.2%) in 2020. The total number of participants of the survey was 1409, of which only 341 declared being keen to pursue a career path in surgery. Out of the 942 students not interested in surgery, 46.2% females and 22.5% males indicated a “sexist environment” as one of the reasons. Overall, the main reason for medical students not choosing Urology is the lack of interest in the specialty. Furthermore, there is a different perception of Urology as a sexist environment between female (23.4%) and male (3.2%, p < 0.001) medical students, which may influence their decision-making process.

Conclusions

In Italy, the prevalence of female medical graduates does not mirror the proportion of female doctors choosing a career in some surgical specialties, including Urology. Our survey results clearly identified that a large proportion of medical graduates are not choosing urology because of the perception of a sexist environment. While the reasons for this phenomenon remain unclear, the presence of a gender-biased perception of a sexist environment represents a possible explanation.
The Impact of Burnout on Police Officers’ Performance and Turnover Intention: The Moderating Role of Compassion Satisfaction
Authors: Gomes Gabriela Pedro , Ribeiro Neuza , Gomes Daniel Roque
Published: July 2022

Burnout should be seen as an important phenomenon influencing the services provided by police forces, due to its high exposure to stressful events. The study sought to examine the impact of burnout on performance and turnover intention of Portuguese police forces, as well as to analyze the moderating effect of compassion satisfaction (CS) on this relationship. Data were collected in 2021 from 1.682 Portuguese police officers, using individual surveys. The results showed that (1) burnout is negatively related to performance; (2) burnout is positively related to turnover intention; (3) CS, although it has a positive effect on performance, does not assume a moderating role, as expected, in the relationship between burnout and performance; (4) CS assumes a moderating role in the relationship between burnout and turnover intention. That is, when a person who still suffers from burnout feels CS, it decreases the intention to leave the organization. The implications and the bearings of this study are discussed and presented regarding the theoretical, empirical and practical perspectives in order to better support both the comprehension of burnout in police officers and offer the best practical recommendations.
Is the Subsurface Drip the Most Sustainable Irrigation System for Almond Orchards in Water-Scarce Areas?
Authors: Montoya Francisco , Sánchez Juan M. , González-Piqueras José , López-Urrea Ramón
Published: July 2022

The expansion of irrigated almond orchards in arid and semi-arid areas with scarce water available raises key issues related to the sustainability of the water resources. A 3-year field experiment was conducted on a commercial young almond orchard located in the southeast of Spain to study the effect of two drip irrigation systems (surface, DI and subsurface, SDI) on almond crop growth and their physiological responses under fully-irrigated conditions. Crop evapotranspiration (ETc) and its components (crop transpiration, Tc and soil evaporation, Es) were monitored as well as the irrigation water and nitrogen productivities. To estimate ETc, a simplified two-source energy balance (STSEB) approach was used. Although a lower irrigation water amount was applied in SDI compared to DI (differences between 10% and 13.8%), the almond crop growth and physiological responses as well as the yield components and kernel yield showed no significant differences. The ETc estimates resulted in small differences for spring and fall periods (0.1–0.2 mm day−1) for both treatments, while differences were significant during higher ETo periods (May–August), being 1.0–1.3 mm day−1 higher for the DI treatment than for the SDI treatment. The irrigation water productivity (IWP) was significantly higher in the SDI treatment than in the DI treatment. However, no significant differences between the two treatments were observed for nitrogen productivity. It can be concluded that the SDI system is a suitable strategy for irrigating almond crops, reducing consumptive water use and increasing IWP.
Trend Analyses of Percolation of Atmospheric Precipitation Due to Climate Change: Case Study in Lithuania
Authors: Tripolskaja Liudmila , Kazlauskaitė-Jadzevičė Asta
Published: July 2022

The aim of this paper is to identify the trends of changes in atmospheric precipitation percolation under the changing climate conditions of Lithuania (the East Baltic region) based on long-term lysimeter studies. Data from 1987–2022 research (n = 1296) was used to determine trends in precipitation infiltration changes. Two 10-year periods, 1989–1998 and 2011–2020, were selected from the whole observation period (1987–2022) to assess changes in precipitation infiltration due to climate change. The air temperature has increased significantly in November (+3.4 °C) and December (+3.3 °C), with a +2.2 °C increase in the standard climate normal. The distribution of yearly precipitation has changed, with the annual amount decreasing from 686 to 652 mm. Precipitation increased the most in July and August (10.9 and 22.9 mm). In autumn, the amount of precipitation decreased by 7.9–31.1 mm. The number of rainy days did not change during the year, but the frequency of heavy precipitation increased significantly in August. The annual percolation increased by 14.2% over 2011–2020 compared to 1989–1998. Percolation increased by 19.0, 22.3, and 20.1% during the spring, autumn, and winter, respectively, and decreased by 35.0% in summer. The increase in annual percolation is mostly related to the increase in temperature during the cold season: November and December. During these months, the likelihood of early freeze formation, which interrupts gravitational water percolation in soil, is significantly reduced. In the spring, the increase in average air temperatures in March leads to faster melting of the winter snow in a shorter period, which significantly increases percolation processes. In Lithuania, higher percolation in autumn and winter, when part of the agricultural land is not covered by vegetation, may lead to higher leaching of chemical elements.
Effects of DL and L-Methionine on Growth Rate, Feather Growth, and Hematological Parameters of Tetra-SL Layers from 1–28 Days of Age
Authors: Kachungwa Lugata James , Oláh János , Ozsváth Xénia Erika , Knop Renáta , Angyal Eszter , Szabó Csaba
Published: July 2022

The study was carried out to determine whether sources or levels of methionine (Met) affect the health status of Tetra-SL (TSL) chicks by examining growth performance, feather growth, and hematological parameters. A total of ninety-six (96) day-old (44.2 ± 0.18 g lw) TSL chicks were randomly allotted to six treatment groups (three levels for each DL and L-Met source) with four replicates of four chicks each. Chicks were fed ad libitum diets supplemented with 90, 100, and 110% of methionine requirements for four weeks after hatch. The parameters examined are bodyweight (BW), average daily gain (ADG), feather length (FL), and hematological parameters, including: red blood cell (RBC) count, hemoglobin (Hb) concentration in the blood, hematocrit (Ht; %), number of white blood cells (WBC), platelet count, mean corpuscular volume of red blood cells (MCV), mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH), mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC), lymphocyte (LYM), mid-range (MID), and granulocyte (GRAN). There was no significant effect of Met sources and levels on BW, ADG, and FL of TSL chicks for the first four weeks of rearing. The RBC, Hb, Ht, WBC, LYM, MID, and GRAN values of TSL chicks were statistically influenced by dietary Met sources and Met levels (p < 0.05). Among the treatment groups, the number of white blood cells (WBC) on 90% DL–Met was the lowest. WBC, RBC, Hb, and Ht were higher from chicks that received 100% DL-Met than all other levels, regardless of the Met sources. The MCV, MCH, and MCHC values were not affected by either Met source or levels or their interactions. Met source and level interactively affected the Ht, WBC, LYM %, and GRAN values of TSL chicks (p < 0.05). The platelet number was affected by Met source only (p < 0.05) with chicks receiving L-Met source having more than twofold higher platelet values than DL-Met source. In conclusion, varying Met levels by ±10% of the requirement does not adversely affect the growth performance, feather growth, and hematological parameters of TSL chicks reared for up to four weeks of age. DL-Met increased the body weight and improved the white blood cells, red blood cells, and hematocrit at 28 days after hatch. DL-Met showed similar biological efficacy as L-Met for body weight and feather growth but not for the hematological parameters.
Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Properties of Helichrysum italicum (Roth) G. Don Hydrosol
Authors: Bezek Katja , Kramberger Katja , Barlič-Maganja Darja
Published: July 2022

(1) Background: According to the emergence and spread of antibiotic resistance, there is an urge for new promising substances. The purpose of the study was to test the antioxidant, cytotoxic and antimicrobial properties of the Helichrysum italicum (Roth) G. Don essential oil (EO) and hydrosol. (2) Methods: The antioxidant potential was determined using the DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) method. The cytotoxicity for human skin and intestinal cells was tested using primary and immortalized cell line models. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of hydrosol was then determined for six bacterial strains covering four commonly reported food pathogens. Further on, the hydrosol at a concentration of 1/8 MIC was used to test the antiadhesive effect by the crystal violet (CV) staining method. (3) Results: the EO showed a 100-times higher antioxidant and 180- to 25.000-times higher cytotoxic activity, when compared to hydrosol. Nevertheless, all bacterial strains, with the exception of Staphylococcus aureus, were sensitive to hydrosol in the range of 12.5% (V/V) for Campylobacter jejuni, to MIC values of 100% (V/V) for Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The antiadhesive potential of hydrosol was also shown. (4) Conclusions: Even though hydrosols are a by-product of the EO distillation process, they possess valuable biological activities.
Zeolite Waste Characterization and Use as Low-Cost, Ecofriendly, and Sustainable Material for Malachite Green and Methylene Blue Dyes Removal: Box–Behnken Design, Kinetics, and Thermodynamics
Authors: Imessaoudene Ali , Cheikh Sabrina , Bollinger Jean-Claude , Belkhiri Lazhar , Tiri Ammar , Bouzaza Abdelkrim , El Jery Atef , Assadi Aymen , Amrane Abdeltif , Mouni Lotfi
Published: July 2022

This study investigated the potential of 4A zeolite, named4AZW in this work, generated by natural gas dehydration units as solid waste after several treatment cycles, as a low-cost adsorbent to separately remove two cationic dyes, methylene blue (MB) and malachite green (MG), from an aqueous solution within a batch process. The adsorbent material was characterized by N2gas adsorption–desorption, X-ray fluorescence spectrometry, X-ray diffraction, FT-IR spectroscopy, and the determination of its cation exchange capacity and point of zero charge. The influence of key operating parameters, such as the pH, adsorbent dosage, ionic strength, contact time, initial dye concentration, and temperature, was investigated. Three independent variables acting on MB adsorption performance were selected from the Box–Behnken design (BBD) and for process modeling and optimization. An analysis of variance (ANOVA), an F-test, and p-values were used to analyze the main and interaction effects. The experimental data were satisfyingly fitted with quadratic regression with adjusted R2= 0.9961. The pseudo-second-order kinetic model described the adsorption of the dyes on 4AZW. The equilibrium data were well-fitted by the Langmuir model for each adsorption system (MB-4AZW and MG-4AZW) with maximum adsorption capacity (qmax) values of 9.95 and 45.64 mg/g, respectively, at 25 °C. Thermodynamics studies showed that both adsorption systems are spontaneous and endothermic.
Language Bias-Driven Self-Knowledge Distillation with Generalization Uncertainty for Reducing Language Bias in Visual Question Answering
Authors: Yuan Desen , Wang Lei , Wu Qingbo , Meng Fanman , Ngan King Ngi , Xu Linfeng
Published: July 2022

To answer questions, visual question answering systems (VQA) rely on language bias but ignore the information of the images, which has negative information on its generalization. The mainstream debiased methods focus on removing language prior to inferring. However, the image samples are distributed unevenly in the dataset, so the feature sets acquired by the model often cannot cover the features (views) of the tail samples. Therefore, language bias occurs. This paper proposes a language bias-driven self-knowledge distillation framework to implicitly learn the feature sets of multi-views so as to reduce language bias. Moreover, to measure the performance of student models, the authors of this paper use a generalization uncertainty index to help student models learn unbiased visual knowledge and force them to focus more on the questions that cannot be answered based on language bias alone. In addition, the authors of this paper analyze the theory of the proposed method and verify the positive correlation between generalization uncertainty and expected test error. The authors of this paper validate the method’s effectiveness on the VQA-CP v2, VQA-CP v1 and VQA v2 datasets through extensive ablation experiments.
Robust Control of a Bimorph Piezoelectric Robotic Manipulator Considering Ellipsoidal-Type State Restrictions
Authors: Moreno-Guzman Francisco , Salgado Ivan , Cruz-Ortiz David , Chairez Isaac
Published: July 2022

The current study presents an adaptive control approach to solve the tracking trajectory problem for a robotic manipulator that uses a gripper based on bimorph piezoelectric actuators. The development of an adaptive gain state feedback form that considers the state restrictions is proposed using a novel class of barrier Lyapunov function that drives the effective control of joints and piezoelectric actuators. The proposed method allows for the inclusion of complex combinations of state restrictions in the Lyapunov function, yielding the construction of differential forms for the gains in the controller that can handle the evolution of trajectories of the robotic arm inside the restricted region. The proposed control design successfully tracks reference trajectories for both joints of the robotic arm as well as the motion of the piezoelectric device during several operative scenarios. A comprehensive experimental study evaluates the effect of introducing state-dependent gain considering state restrictions of the ellipsoidal type. The comparison of the mean square error confirms the contributions of the developed control action, showing better tracking quality for less control power with the same evaluation, which is a desirable characteristic in the controlled motion of micromanipulators. The proposed controller solves the tracking trajectory problem for the micromanipulation system, satisfies the motion restrictions, and allows better tracking performance to be enforced. Furthermore, comparison of the obtained trajectories seems to validate the proposed controller’s contribution concerning a feedback form with fixed gains.
Draw-a-Deep Pattern: Drawing Pattern-Based Smartphone User Authentication Based on Temporal Convolutional Neural Network
Authors: Kim Junhong , Kang Pilsung
Published: July 2022

Present-day smartphones provide various conveniences, owing to high-end hardware specifications and advanced network technology. Consequently, people rely heavily on smartphones for a myriad of daily-life tasks, such as work scheduling, financial transactions, and social networking, which require a strong and robust user authentication mechanism to protect personal data and privacy. In this study, we propose draw-a-deep-pattern (DDP)—a deep learning-based end-to-end smartphone user authentication method using sequential data obtained from drawing a character or freestyle pattern on the smartphone touchscreen. In our model, a recurrent neural network (RNN) and a temporal convolution neural network (TCN), both of which are specialized in sequential data processing, are employed. The main advantages of the proposed DDP are (1) it is robust to the threats to which current authentication systems are vulnerable, e.g., shoulder surfing attack and smudge attack, and (2) it requires few parameters for training; therefore, the model can be consistently updated in real-time, whenever new training data are available. To verify the performance of the DDP model, we collected data from 40 participants in one of the most unfavorable environments possible, wherein all potential intruders know how the authorized users draw the characters or symbols (shape, direction, stroke, etc.) of the drawing pattern used for authentication. Of the two proposed DDP models, the TCN-based model yielded excellent authentication performance with average values of 0.99%, 1.41%, and 1.23% in terms of AUROC, FAR, and FRR, respectively. Furthermore, this model exhibited improved authentication performance and higher computational efficiency than the RNN-based model in most cases. To contribute to the research/industrial communities, we made our dataset publicly available, thereby allowing anyone studying or developing a behavioral biometric-based user authentication system to use our data without any restrictions.
Introducing Personal Teaching Environment for Nontraditional Teaching Methods
Authors: El Geddawy Yasser , Mikic-Fonte Fernando A. , Llamas-Nistal Martín , Caeiro-Rodríguez Manuel
Published: July 2022

Students use technology in various ways to learn. The differences in their learning goals and needs make it challenging for teachers to be more engaged in designing educational tasks, assisting, and coping with their students learning. This paper introduces a novel structure of a concept for teaching called Personal Teaching Environment (PTE). This contribution aims to provide teachers with PTE components (tools, connections and activities, and data sources) that can facilitate the fulfillment of their educational tasks for them. The main goal of this study is to define the concept of PTE and its components, as well as to investigate the most popular nontraditional teaching methods and to relate PTEs to these methods with application examples. Therefore, this paper addresses the following questions: (a) What is the structure of PTE, and how does it work? (b) What are nontraditional teaching methods’ advantages, frameworks, and successful implementation stories? and (c) How would you categorize the tool types of nontraditional teaching methods to serve PTE applications? A review was conducted to achieve these goals, and a total of 93 peer-reviewed articles pertaining to the most frequently studied nontraditional teaching methods were comprehensively studied and analyzed. The analysis resulted in practical guidelines, including the benefits and tool types of the five studied nontraditional teaching methods (flipped classroom, problem-based learning, gamification, case study, and social media-centered). Based on the results, the authors established significant examples for teachers who aim to use one or more of those nontraditional teaching methods through the adoption and utilization of the PTE applications.
GAN Training Acceleration Using Fréchet Descriptor-Based Coreset
Authors: Xu Yanzhe , Wu Teresa , Charlton Jennifer R. , Bennett Kevin M.
Published: July 2022

Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs) are a class of deep learning models being applied to image processing. GANs have demonstrated state-of-the-art performance in applications such as image generation and image-to-image translation, just to name a few. However, with this success comes the realization that the training of GANs takes a long time and is often limited by available computing resources. In this research, we propose to construct a Coreset using Fréchet Descriptor Distances (FDD-Coreset) to accelerate the training of GAN for blob identification. We first propose a Fréchet Descriptor Distance (FDD) to measure the difference between each pair of blob images based on the statistics derived from blob distribution. The Coreset is then employed using our proposed FDD metric to select samples from the entire dataset for GAN training. A 3D-simulated dataset of blobs and a 3D MRI dataset of human kidneys are studied. Using computation time and eight performance metrics, the GAN trained on the FDD-Coreset is compared against the model trained on the entire dataset and an Inception and Euclidean Distance-based Coreset (IED-Coreset). We conclude that the FDD-Coreset not only significantly reduces the training time, but also achieves higher denoising performance and maintains approximate performance of blob identification compared with training on the entire dataset.
Influence of Coupling Effects between Gravel Soil Porosity and Cement Grout Weight on Diffusion Laws and Morphologies of Penetration Grouting
Authors: Yang Zhiquan , Liu Yuqing , Chen Mao , Wang Xiangpeng , Ye Changwen , Li Xiaohui , Chen Wentao , Yang Yi , Wang Bojun , Li Chengjin , Wang Juntao
Published: July 2022

The practice and theory of grouting engineering show that both injected medium porosity and grouting fluid weight play an important influence on the diffusion law and morphology of penetration grouting. However, the effects have not been well studied in the context of existing penetration grouting mechanisms. In this paper, the actual diffusion law and morphology of cement grout into the gravel soil are studied on the basis of indoor experiments, mathematical statistics, and theoretical analyses. Then, the three-dimensional space diffusion trajectory equation was quantitatively characterized. The influence of the coupling effect between gravel soil porosity and cement grout weight on diffusion morphologies of penetration grouting was discussed by the definition of the morphological deviation rate. Results show that actual penetration diffusion dimensions of cement grout into the gravel soil differ from that of theoretical values calculated by the penetration grouting mechanism, and its spatial diffusion morphology is approximated as ellipsoid. The coupling effect between gravel soil porosity and cement grout weight have a relatively significant effect on the diffusion morphologies of penetration grouting except for gravel soil with porosity <0.5 infiltrated by Newton-type and <0.4 by power-law-type cement grout, respectively. This influence is particularly significant when Bingham-type cement grout was penetrated into gravel soil with a porosity of >0.5. The research results can provide theoretical support and technical references for the practical grouting engineering of gravel soil.
Study on Nonlinear Aerodynamic Characteristics of a Semi-Closed Box Bridge Deck Based on Coupled Amplitude Variation
Authors: Lu Haoyang , Jia Jie , Zhang Lixin , Dong Lin
Published: July 2022

This paper explores the nonlinear characteristics of the self-excited aerodynamic forces of a semi-closed box deck section to perfect the theory of aeroelastic response analysis. A numerical wind tunnel model was established based on the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) method. The heaving-pitching coupled motion is realized by loading user-defined function (UDF) and dynamic grid technology. The self-excited aerodynamic forces varying with amplitude are identified and analyzed, and the reliability of the aerodynamic results obtained by numerical simulation is verified in the wind tunnel test. In the heaving-pitching coupled motion, the results show that the nonlinear characteristics of aerodynamic forces, especially the aerodynamic moment, are mainly affected by the pitching motion. The phenomenon of high-order harmonic energy transfer is observed with the increase in pitching amplitude, and the main component of high-order harmonic can be determined by the pitching amplitude. The contribution of heaving motion to aerodynamic forces nonlinear components is small, but its influence on nonlinear characteristics is complex. Small amplitude heaving motion plays a positive damping role in heaving-pitching coupled motion, and its scope and effect of positive damping action are affected by pitching motion. The extreme value heaving amplitude of positive damping action is observed in the aerodynamic lift.
CPAP Adherence Assessment via Gaussian Mixture Modeling of Telemonitored Apnea Therapy
Authors: Rodrigues Jose F. , Bailly Sebastien , Pepin Jean-Louis , Goeuriot Lorraine , Spadon Gabriel , Amer-Yahia Sihem
Published: July 2022

Sleep disorders pose serious cardiovascular threats if not treated effectively. However, adherence to Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP), the most recommended therapy, is known to be challenging to monitor. Telemonitored CPAP equipment has improved the follow-up of CPAP adherence (hours of use per night) by producing far larger amounts of data collected daily. The analysis of such data have relied on averaging the entire therapeutic history and interpreting it without a proper reference concerning the level of adherence. By contrast, we contribute with an unsupervised machine-learning methodology that (i) translates the adherence data to a scale of discrete numbers that hold correspondence to the most usual 30-day-long patterns as observed in a real-word database; (ii) avoids the loss of information aggregation problem by creating summaries of the time series that capture the dynamic nature of the everyday-use CPAP. Our experiments have detected eight particular adherence behaviors validated with information-oriented statistical criteria; we successfully applied them to the time series of a French hospital to produce summaries that reflect the adherence of any 30 days of interest. Our method can aid physicians in more precisely evaluating the therapy adherence, as well as fostering systems to alert of problems in the treatment automatically.