bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Detection Method of Cow Estrus Behavior in Natural Scenes Based on Improved YOLOv5
Authors: Wang Rong , Gao Zongzhi , Li Qifeng , Zhao Chunjiang , Gao Ronghua , Zhang Hongming , Li Shuqin , Feng Lu
Published: August 2022

Natural breeding scenes have the characteristics of a large number of cows, complex lighting, and a complex background environment, which presents great difficulties for the detection of dairy cow estrus behavior. However, the existing research on cow estrus behavior detection works well in ideal environments with a small number of cows and has a low inference speed and accuracy in natural scenes. To improve the inference speed and accuracy of cow estrus behavior in natural scenes, this paper proposes a cow estrus behavior detection method based on the improved YOLOv5. By improving the YOLOv5 model, it has stronger detection ability for complex environments and multi-scale objects. First, the atrous spatial pyramid pooling (ASPP) module is employed to optimize the YOLOv5l network at multiple scales, which improves the model’s receptive field and ability to perceive global contextual multiscale information. Second, a cow estrus behavior detection model is constructed by combining the channel-attention mechanism and a deep-asymmetric-bottleneck module. Last, K-means clustering is performed to obtain new anchors and complete intersection over union (CIoU) is used to introduce the relative ratio between the predicted box of the cow mounting and the true box of the cow mounting to the regression box prediction function to improve the scale invariance of the model. Multiple cameras were installed in a natural breeding scene containing 200 cows to capture videos of cows mounting. A total of 2668 images were obtained from 115 videos of cow mounting events from the training set, and 675 images were obtained from 29 videos of cow mounting events from the test set. The training set is augmented by the mosaic method to increase the diversity of the dataset. The experimental results show that the average accuracy of the improved model was 94.3%, that the precision was 97.0%, and that the recall was 89.5%, which were higher than those of mainstream models such as YOLOv5, YOLOv3, and Faster R-CNN. The results of the ablation experiments show that ASPP, new anchors, C3SAB, and C3DAB designed in this study can improve the accuracy of the model by 5.9%. Furthermore, when the ASPP dilated convolution was set to (1,5,9,13) and the loss function was set to CIoU, the model had the highest accuracy. The class activation map function was utilized to visualize the model’s feature extraction results and to explain the model’s region of interest for cow images in natural scenes, which demonstrates the effectiveness of the model. Therefore, the model proposed in this study can improve the accuracy of the model for detecting cow estrus events. Additionally, the model’s inference speed was 71 frames per second (fps), which meets the requirements of fast and accurate detection of cow estrus events in natural scenes and all-weather conditions.
Response of Natural Enemies toward Selective Chemical Insecticides; Used for the Integrated Management of Insect Pests in Cotton Field Plots
Authors: Nadeem Amir , Tahir Hafiz Muhammad , Khan Azhar Abbas , Idrees Atif , Shahzad Muhammad Faisal , Qadir Ziyad Abdul , Akhtar Naveed , Khan Arif Muhammad , Afzal Ayesha , Li Jun
Published: August 2022

Sucking pests of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.), such as thrips, or Thrips tabaci Lindeman, and jassid, or Amrasca biguttula Ishida, are among the most threatening insect pests to young cotton plants in Pakistan. New chemical insecticides have been trialed to control their damage in commercial fields. Formulations that show good suppression of these pest’s populations, while sparing bio-controlling agents, are always preferred for obtaining better crop yield. Six different commercially available insecticides, namely Fountain® (fipronil and imidacloprid), Movento Energy® (spirotetramat and imidacloprid), Oshin® (dinotefuran), Concept Plus® (pyriproxyfen, fenpyroximate, and acephate), Maximal® (nitenpyram), and Radiant® (spinetoram) were evaluated in the present study to shortlist the best available insecticide against targeted pests. Harmful impacts of selected insecticides were also evaluated against naturally occurring predators, such as spiders and green lacewings (Chrysoperla carnea). Radiant® (spinetoram) and Movento Energy®, respectively, were best at controlling thrips (with 61% and 56% mortality, respectively) and jassid (62% and 57% mortality, respectively) populations during 2018 and 2019. Radiant® proved itself as the best option and showed minimal harmful effects on both major arthropod predators of cotton fields i.e., spiders (with 8–9% mortality) and green lacewings (with 12–16% mortality). Movento Energy® also showed comparatively less harmful effects (with 15–18% mortality) towards natural predatory fauna of cotton crops, as compared to other selective insecticides used in the study. The findings of current study suggest that the judicious use of target-oriented insecticides can be an efficient and predator-friendly management module in cotton fields. However, the impact of these chemicals is also depended on their timely application, keeping in consideration the ETL of pests and the population of beneficial arthropods.
Genetic Diversity and Relationships of Opium Poppy Accessions Based on SSR Markers
Authors: György Zsuzsanna , Alam Sameena , Priyanka Priyanka , Zámboriné Németh Éva
Published: August 2022

Opium poppy is one of the most important medicinal plant species cultivated in several regions of the world for pharmaceutical and food purposes. Although it has been bred and used in many countries for centuries, taxonomical studies on the intraspecific variability are still not numerous. In the course of this study, the genetic diversity of 58 opium poppy accessions were assessed with SSR markers. Out of the 25 tested SSR markers, only 19 showed successful amplification and seven were found to reveal polymorphism. These seven markers produced 2–11 alleles within the size range of 144–280 bp. PIC value varied between 0.284 and 0.767, expected heterozygosity was between 0.136 and 1, and observed heterozygosity was between 0.344 and 0.794. Altogether, a low genetic diversity was found, and several accessions have been characterized with the same SSR allele profile. The clustering in the PCoA co-ordinate system indicates four groups, which is confirmed by the STRUCTURE analysis as well and reflects the known relationships of hybrid cultivars in several cases. The landrace taxa clearly deviate from the majority of cultivars selected for industrial purposes. The applied SSR markers were not able to distinguish the genotypes according to their geographic origin or seed color. However, in several cases, the grouping in the PCoA system reflected a diversification connected to alkaloid content and petal color of the accessions. Our results demonstrate the importance of further molecular marker studies focusing on genotypes with different alkaloid content and useful agronomical traits in order to establish more effective breeding.
Control of Multiple-Herbicide-Resistant Green Pigweed (Amaranthus powellii) with Preemergence and Postemergence Herbicides in Ontario Soybean Production
Authors: Aicklen Isabelle K. , Soltani Nader , Tardif François J. , Robinson Darren E. , Laforest Martin , Sikkema Peter H.
Published: August 2022

Green pigweed [Amaranthus powellii S. Wats.] is a competitive, annual, broadleaf weed that can significantly reduce soybean yield due to rapid early growth and biomass production. As a consequence of green pigweed’s high competitiveness with crops, the weed species is generally managed with the use of herbicides; this may, however, lead to the selection of resistance. A green pigweed biotype with resistance to MCPA, mecoprop, dichlorprop-p, aminocyclopyrachlor (synthetic auxins), and imazethapyr (acetolactate synthase-(ALS)-inhibitor) was recently confirmed in Ontario, Canada. Research was conducted to identify alternative effective preemergence (PRE) and postemergence (POST) herbicides for the control of multiple-herbicide-resistant (MHR) green pigweed in Ontario soybean production. Four field trials, two with PRE and two with POST herbicides were conducted near Dresden, Ontario in 2019 and 2020. Visible soybean injury, green pigweed control, density, aboveground biomass, and soybean yield were evaluated following application with 19 PRE herbicide treatments and 12 POST herbicide treatments in separate studies. At 8 wk after application (WAA), pyroxasulfone/flumioxazin applied PRE controlled green pigweed 95% and was the most effective soil-applied herbicide. In the POST study, glyphosate was the most effective herbicide, controlling green pigweed 94% at 8 WAA. Imazethapyr, applied PRE or POST did not control this green pigweed biotype as it is also resistant to ALS-inhibitors. Control with other ALS-inhibiting herbicides as well as with PPO-inhibiting herbicides was variable, and further research is needed to determine the reason for variable control with these herbicides.
Comparative Analysis of the Protein Composition of Goat Milk from French Alpine, Nubian, and Creole Breeds and Holstein Friesian Cow Milk: Implications for Early Infant Nutrition
Authors: Muñoz-Salinas Florencia , Andrade-Montemayor Héctor Mario , De la Torre-Carbot Karina , Duarte-Vázquez Miguel Ángel , Silva-Jarquin Juan Carlos
Published: August 2022

Of the diversity of proteins and high digestibility, goat milk will be a food of significant value for infant nutrition. The genetic polymorphisms of milk proteins play an essential role in the different degrees of allergic reactions. This work aimed to identify the proteins and peptides in the composition of goat milk and compare them to those in cow’s milk. The work was performed with goats French Alpine, Nubian, and Creole breeds and Holstein Friesian milking cows at the Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro, Amazcala. We investigated the relative abundance of goat and cow milk protein fractions by SDS-PAGE resolution and the densitometric analysis of gels. The protein alfa-casein was (17.67 ± 0.46) for Creole, (19.18 ± 0.88) French Alpine, (17.35 ± 0.49) Nubian, and (35.92 ± 1.96) Holstein cows. The relative abundance obtained from alfa-casein was statistically different between goats and cows, and this protein was vital because it is a protein related to allergies. On the other hand, the amino acid in position 67 of the beta-casein from three goat breeds is a Proline, so it is assumed that the beta-casein variant of goat milk is an A2-type. The latter has excellent relevance for infant nutrition and differs from cow milk.
Salinity-Driven Changes in Behavioral Responses of Catadromous Eriocher sinensis
Authors: Shen Chenchen , Wang Ruifang , Feng Guangpeng , Zhao Feng , Zhang Tao , Huang Xiaorong
Published: August 2022

The effects of salinity on behavior are far-reaching, and Eriocheir sinensis showed disparate behaviors under different salinity conditions. Female crabs were more active in saline water, especially low salinity stress, which is beneficial for female crabs to escape from the low-salinity environment quickly. Then, antennal movement indicated that antennae might be the main osmoreceptors in E. sinensis, and 65 min might be a good starting time for salinity stress to analyze osmoregulation in crabs. Interestingly, E. sinensis had obvious behavioral differences in the high and low salinity stress, and behaviors were more intense in a salinity dip from salinity 18 to salinity 0. This study analyzed the osmoregulatory process of catadromous E. sinensis in different salinity from the point of osmoregulatory organ and behavioral response. These results will provide a scientific basis for the osmoregulatory mechanism of E. sinensis, which are conducive to evaluating and analyzing the impact of saltwater intrusion in the Yangtze River estuary on resource fluctuation.
Intrarenal Arterial Transplantation of Dexmedetomidine Preconditioning Adipose Stem-Cell-Derived Microvesicles Confers Further Therapeutic Potential to Attenuate Renal Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury through miR-122-5p/Erythropoietin/Apoptosis Axis
Authors: Cheng Yu-Hsuan , Chen Kuo-Hsin , Sung Yi-Ting , Yang Chih-Ching , Chien Chiang-Ting
Published: August 2022

Intravenous adipose mesenchymal stem cells (ADSCs) attenuate renal ischemia/reperfusion (IR) injury but with major drawbacks, including the lack of a specific homing effect after systemic infusion, cell trapping in the lung, and early cell death in the damaged microenvironment. We examined whether intrarenal arterial transplantation of dexmedetomidine (DEX) preconditioning ADSC-derived microvesicles (DEX-MVs) could promote further therapeutic potential to reduce renal IR injury. We evaluated the effect of DEX-MVs on NRK-52E cells migration, hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R)-induced cell death, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) amount and renal IR model in rats. IR was established by bilateral 45 min ischemia followed by 4 h reperfusion. Intrarenal MVs or DEX-MVs were administered prior to ischemia. Renal oxidative stress, hemodynamics and function, western blot, immunohistochemistry, and tubular injury scores were determined. The miR-122-5p expression in kidneys was analyzed using microarrays and quantitative RT-PCR and its action target was predicted by TargetScan. DEX-MVs were more efficient than MVs to increase migration capability and to further decrease H/R-induced cell death and ROS level in NRK-52E cells. Consistently, DEX-MVs were better than MV in increasing CD44 expression, improving IR-depressed renal hemodynamics and renal erythropoietin expression, inhibiting IR-enhanced renal ROS level, tubular injury score, miR-122-5p expression, pNF-κB expression, Bax/caspase 3/poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP)-mediated apoptosis, blood urea nitrogen, and creatinine levels. The use of NRK-52E cells confirmed that miR-122-5p mimic via inhibiting erythropoietin expression exacerbated Bax-mediated apoptosis, whereas miR-122-5p inhibitor via upregulating erythropoietin and Bcl-2 expression reduced apoptosis. In summary, intrarenal arterial DEX-MV conferred further therapeutic potential to reduce renal IR injury through the miR-122-5p/erythropoietin/apoptosis axis.
Physiological and Molecular Responses of Vitis vinifera cv. Tempranillo Affected by Esca Disease
Authors: García José Antonio , Garrido Inmaculada , Ortega Alfonso , del Moral Jerónimo , Llerena José Luis , Espinosa Francisco
Published: August 2022

Esca is a multi-fungal disease affecting grapevines. The objective of the study was to evaluate the physiological and molecular response of the grapevine cv. Tempranillo to esca disease, carried out in a vineyard under Mediterranean climatic conditions in western Spain. The photosynthetic pigments in the leaves decreased, with a strong decrease in the photosynthetic efficiency. The proline content increased significantly in the early stages of affected leaves, being possibly involved in the maintenance of lipid peroxidation levels in leaves, which do not increase. The phenol, flavonoid, and phenylpropanoid content decreased in esca-affected leaves, as does the total antioxidant capacity (FRAP), while the polyphenol oxidase (PPO) activity suffers a strong increase with the development of the disease. In affected grapes, the lipid peroxidation and the total phenol content decrease, but not the anthocyanin content. The ascorbate pool decreases with the disease and with time. On the other hand, pool GSH + GSSG is lower in affected leaves, but increases with time. These alterations show a clear change in the redox homeostasis. The expression of genes phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL), polyphenol oxidase (PPO), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and chalcone synthase (ChaS1 and ChaS3) become considerably higher in response to esca, being even higher when the infection time increases. The alteration of AsA and GSH levels, phenolic compounds, PPO activity, proline content, and FRAP, together with the increase of the PAL, PPO, SOD,ChaS1, and ChaS3 gene expression, are clearly implicated in the esca response in plants. The expression of these genes, similar to the PPO activity, can be used as markers of state in the development of the disease.
Driver Fatigue and Distracted Driving Detection Using Random Forest and Convolutional Neural Network
Authors: Dong Bing-Ting , Lin Huei-Yung , Chang Chin-Chen
Published: August 2022

Driver fatigue and distracted driving are the two most common causes of major accidents. Thus, the on-board monitoring of driving behaviors is key in the development of intelligent vehicles. In this paper, we propose an approach which detects driver fatigue and distracted driving behaviors using vision-based techniques. For driver fatigue detection, a single shot scale-invariant face detector (S3FD) is first used to detect the face in the image and then the face alignment network (FAN) is utilized to extract facial features. After that, the facial features are used to determine the driver’s yawns, head posture, and the opening or closing of their eyes. Finally, the random forest technique is used to analyze the driving conditions. For distracted driving detection, a convolutional neural network (CNN) is used to classify various distracted driving behaviors. Also, Adam optimizer is used to reinforce optimization performance. Compared with existing methods, our approach is more accurate and efficient. Moreover, distracted driving can be detected in real-time running on the embedded hardware.
Planet Optimization with Deep Convolutional Neural Network for Lightweight Intrusion Detection in Resource-Constrained IoT Networks
Authors: A. Alissa Khalid , S. Alrayes Fatma , Tarmissi Khaled , Yafoz Ayman , Alsini Raed , Alghushairy Omar , Othman Mahmoud , Motwakel Abdelwahed
Published: August 2022

Cyber security is becoming a challenging issue, because of the growth of the Internet of Things (IoT), in which an immense quantity of tiny smart gadgets push trillions of bytes of data over the Internet. Such gadgets have several security flaws, due to a lack of hardware security support and defense mechanisms, thus, making them prone to cyber-attacks. Moreover, IoT gateways present limited security features for identifying such threats, particularly the absence of intrusion detection techniques powered by deep learning (DL). Certainly, DL methods need higher computational power that exceeds the capability of such gateways. This article focuses on the development of Planet Optimization with a deep convolutional neural network for lightweight intrusion detection (PODCNN-LWID) in a resource-constrained IoT environment. The presented PODCNN-LWID technique primarily aims to identify and categorize intrusions. In the presented PODCNN-LWID model, two major processes are involved, namely, classification and parameter tuning. At the primary stage, the PODCNN-LWID technique applies a DCNN model for the intrusion identification process. Next, in the second stage, the PODCNN-LWID model utilizes the PO algorithm as a hyperparameter tuning process. The experimental validation of the PODCNN-LWID model is carried out on a benchmark dataset, and the results are assessed using varying measures. The comparison study reports the enhancements of the PODCNN-LWID model over other approaches.
The Effect of Repeated Restraint Stress on Neuroglobin-Oligodendrocytes Functions in the CA3 Hippocampal Area and Their Involvements in the Signaling Pathways of the Stress-Induced Anxiety
Authors: Toma Vlad-Alexandru , Dume Bogdan , Trâncă Rareș , Sevastre Bogdan , Barbu Lucian , Filip Gabriela Adriana , Roman Ioana , Sevastre-Berghian Alexandra-Cristina
Published: August 2022

The present work shows the biochemical and structural fundamentals for the stress induced anxiety and stress adjustment response of the CA3 hippocampus area. Adult male Wistar rats were repeatedly exposed to a 3 h day restraint stress, for either 3 or 6 days. The concentration of corticosterone and testosterone in the CA3 hippocampus area was divergent, while oxidative stress was progressively increased during the stress exposure. The mitochondrial lysis in the CA3 neurons confirmed the oxidative stress events. Immunohistochemical findings showed that oligodendrocytes (OCs) proliferation and neuroglobin (Ngb) expression were stimulated, whereas MeCP2 expression was decreased as a balance reaction in stress exposure under corticosterone signaling. Remarkably, ultrastructural changes such as mitochondrial lysis, endoplasmic reticulum swelling, and perivascular lysis with platelets adherence to endothelium in the CA3 area were seen in the 6th day of restraining. The anxiety-like behavior was noticed 6 days later after stress exposure. These results suggest that the duration of the exposure, but not the intensity of the stress, is the key factor in the stress-buffering function by the CA3 hippocampus area via up-regulation of the Ngb-OCs bionome. The imbalance of the Ngb-OCs communication may be involved in the development of CA3-dependent anxious behavior.
Effects of Aft-Body Extension Design on the Fundamental Characteristics of HWB Civil Aircraft
Authors: Wang Yucheng , Liu Gang , Hong Guanxin
Published: August 2022

The extension of aft-body fuselage has become an important trend in the design of Hybrid Wing Body (HWB) civil aircraft due to its improved effect on flight control authority of aircraft. However, it is still unclear how efficient the extension of aft-body will be in improving flight control authority and how it affects other aspects of the flight performance of HWB. To address these problems, this paper evaluated and compared the flight performances of four HWB configurations with different aft-body lengths. A physics-based Multidiscipline Design Optimization (MDO) platform was firstly constructed, and four optimal design works were developed based on this platform, with different static margin constraints. The configurations to be studied came from the results of the four optimization design works, which presented different aft-body lengths under the influence of correspondence between static stability margins and aft-body layout. By investigating these four HWB configurations with the weight, basic takeoff and landing performance, and flight control authority, we can determine the influence of the aft-body extension design on the performances of the HWB civil aircraft and provide advice for the layout design of the HWB aircraft.
Layer Orientation Effect on Fracture Mode and Acoustic Emission Characteristics of Continental Shale
Authors: Wang Xinyao , Gao Quanchen , Li Xiao
Published: August 2022

Based on the Brazilian tests of continental shale with different layer orientations, combined with AE monitoring, the influence of layer orientation on the anisotropy of mechanical properties, fracture mode, and fracture mechanism of continental shale was analyzed. The results show that the tensile strength and deformation at the peak stress decrease with the increase of layer orientation at a constant deformation loading rate of 0.06mm/min, and the splitting modulus decreases first and then increases. The tensile strength was 90° > 60° > 45° > 30° > 0°, and the maximum and minimum tensile strengths were 5.154 MPa and 0.669 MPa, respectively. Under the action of splitting load, the samples with 30°, 45°, and 60° layer orientations mainly undergo shear failure along the layer orientation, while the samples with 0° and 90° layer orientations undergo tensile failure. In addition, the crack propagation in the 0° and 30° samples penetrated the bedding. These characteristics have important reference significance for the study of the mechanism of hydraulic fracture communication, propagation, and activation of structural planes.
Design of a 120 W Electromagnetic Shock Absorber for Motorcycle Applications
Authors: Tran Vu-Khanh , Han Pil-Wan , Chun Yon-Do
Published: August 2022

Based on the shock absorber size and power and power density limitations in motorcycle application, a linear permanent magnet machine for a regenerative suspension system that recovers the kinetic energy originating from shock absorber vibration is investigated. To achieve the target power of 120 W, several design parameters were investigated. The eight-slot eight-pole combination was used due to its high power density. A hybrid permanent magnet structure was implemented which was a combination of a classical Halbach array and iron spacers. In addition, the dimensions of the permanent magnet, and stator inner radius were parametrically studied to enhance the air-gap flux density and coil volume, which are the main factors affecting performance. The detailed design generated 124 W of average power under the rated condition, assuming a vibration speed of 0.157 m/s. Despite the satisfaction of the output power and power density, the large magnetic force caused by the interaction between the iron core and permanent magnet is the main drawback of this design, which has a negative impact on driving safety and comfort. To commercialize the suggested device, additional studies will focus on size, electromagnetic reduction, as well as road test performance.
Bridge Modal Parameter Identification from UAV Measurement Based on Empirical Mode Decomposition and Fourier Transform
Authors: Yan Zhaocheng , Teng Shuai , Luo Wenjun , Bassir David , Chen Gongfa
Published: August 2022

This paper proposes two approaches, Empirical Mode Decomposition (EMD) and Fourier Transform (FT), to correct the vibration signals measured by an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), which overcomes the difficulty of selection of reference points used in other correction methods, such as homography transformation and three-dimensional reconstruction. In the method of this paper, a UAV is used to collect the video of a vibrated bridge, and the displacement signal of the bridge is obtained from the video by Kanade–Lucas–Tomasi (KLT) optical flow method, which contains false displacement caused by the ego-motion of the UAV during the measurement. The false displacement can be effectively eliminated by EMD and FT to obtain the real displacement signal. Finally, the displacement signal is processed by the Operational Modal Analysis (OMA) technique to obtain the bridge modal parameters. The performance of correcting vibration signals and extracting bridge modal parameters from the vibration signals based on EMD, FT, and Differential Filtering (DF) are compared by taking the fixed camera measurement as a reference (the accuracy of measuring bridge vibration with fixed cameras has been verified) in this paper, and it is demonstrated that EMD has better reliability in processing signal measured by UAVs, which is mainly due to the absence of random factors and too much noise in the signal processing process of EMD.
Significance of Determination Methods on Shear Modulus Measurements of Fujian Sand in Cyclic Triaxial Testing
Authors: Song Dongsong , Liu Hongshuai , Sun Qiangqiang
Published: August 2022

It has long been known that the hysteresis loops of sand under cyclic loading gradually become asymmetric with the increase of strain amplitudes, but a symmetrical hysteresis loop is widely assumed in current practice. Despite several methods which have been proposed recently to consider the hysteresis loop irregularities, previous research has lacked a quantitative study on the effects of determination methods on the shear modulus G and modulus reduction curve G/Gmax. The primary objective of the current study is to evaluate the uncertainties associated with the shear modulus measurements introduced by four determination methods. Reconstituted sand specimens prepared at three relative densities are tested using strain-controlled cyclic triaxial tests, at various effective confining pressures. The results in terms of G and G/Gmax with increasing shear strain are presented, following by the difference quantification in the calculated G/Gmax caused by the determination methods, the Gmax definition and the cycle number. The results show that the calculated G/Gmax may differ significantly for the same hysteresis loop, with a maximum percentage change of 40~50%. The aggravated influence at low confining pressure highlights that careful consideration of the asymmetrical hysteresis loop at large strains is warranted.
Recent Trends in the Diagnostic and Surgical Management of Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia in the U.S. from 2004 to 2017: Annual Changes in the Selection of Treatment Options and Medical Costs
Authors: Del Giudice Francesco , Oh Jin Kyu , Basran Satvir , Nicaise Edouard , Song Phil Hyun , Kim Wansuk , Kim Sang Youn , Min Gyeong Eun , Yoo Koo Han , Cho Hyuk Jin , Lee Sinyeong , Sciarra Alessandro , Salciccia Stefano , De Berardinis Ettore , Asero Vincenzo , Scornajenghi Carlo Maria , Pradere Benjamin , Krajewski Wojciech , Gallioli Andrea , Ferro Matteo , Crocetto Felice , Pandolfo Savio Domenico , Autorino Riccardo , Belladelli Federico , Mari Andrea , Busetto Gian Maria , Li Shufeng , Crivellaro Simone , Chung Benjamin Inbeh
Published: August 2022

Background: Transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) is the gold-standard treatment for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). However, laser surgery techniques (e.g., photoselective vaporization of the prostate (PVP), holmium laser, thulium laser enucleation of the prostate (HoLEP or ThuLEP)), and minimally invasive treatment options (e.g., UroLift) are increasingly replacing TURP. This study seeks to report the annual incidence, management trends, and costs of BPH procedures in the U.S. Methods: Data analyses of U.S. health insurance claims from 2004 to 2017, collected from the de-identified Optum Clinformatics Claims Database, were performed to determine the number of BPH patients and the treatment selected. Results: A total of 51,448 patients underwent BPH procedures from 2004 to 2017. There was a significant increase in the annual rate from 770 in 2004 to 6571 in 2017. The mean patient age (±SD) increased from 67.6 years old (±8.4) in 2004 to 73.4 years old (±8.4) in 2017. More than 60% of patients underwent cystourethroscopy and a post-void residual urine check for workup prior to surgical management. TURP was the most-common, and PVP was the second-most-common BPH procedure. Medical and total treatment costs increased, while the detection rate of prostate cancer after BPH surgery gradually decreased from 19.87% in 2004 to 5.78% in 2017. Conclusions: Our study demonstrates a recent trend in BPH management that replaces the traditional TURP technique with alternative methods. Due to rising costs, future studies should assess whether these newer methods are cost effective over the long term.
RS-YOLOX: A High-Precision Detector for Object Detection in Satellite Remote Sensing Images
Authors: Yang Lei , Yuan Guowu , Zhou Hao , Liu Hongyu , Chen Jian , Wu Hao
Published: August 2022

Automatic object detection by satellite remote sensing images is of great significance for resource exploration and natural disaster assessment. To solve existing problems in remote sensing image detection, this article proposes an improved YOLOX model for satellite remote sensing image automatic detection. This model is named RS-YOLOX. To strengthen the feature learning ability of the network, we used Efficient Channel Attention (ECA) in the backbone network of YOLOX and combined the Adaptively Spatial Feature Fusion (ASFF) with the neck network of YOLOX. To balance the numbers of positive and negative samples in training, we used the Varifocal Loss function. Finally, to obtain a high-performance remote sensing object detector, we combined the trained model with an open-source framework called Slicing Aided Hyper Inference (SAHI). This work evaluated models on three aerial remote sensing datasets (DOTA-v1.5, TGRS-HRRSD, and RSOD). Our comparative experiments demonstrate that our model has the highest accuracy in detecting objects in remote sensing image datasets.
Special Issue on Data Preprocessing in Pattern Recognition: Recent Progress, Trends and Applications
Authors: Sánchez José Salvador , García Vicente
Published: August 2022

The availability of rich data sets from several sources poses new opportunities to develop pattern recognition systems in a diverse array of industry, government, health, and academic areas [...]
Comparative Study between Cost Functions of Genetic Algorithm Used in Direct Torque Control of a Doubly Fed Induction Motor
Authors: Mahfoud Said , Derouich Aziz , El Ouanjli Najib , Mossa Mahmoud , Motahhir Saad , El Mahfoud Mohammed , Al-Sumaiti Ameena
Published: August 2022

The proportional integral derivative (PID) regulator is the most often utilized controller in the industry due to its benefits. It permits linear systems to operate well, but it causes non-linear behavior when the system is subjected to physical variable circumstances, such as temperature and saturation. A PID controller is insufficient in this case. The proportional integral (PI) controller inside the direct torque control (DTC) regulates the speed of the doubly fed induction motor (DFIM). However, the system consisting of DTC and a DFIM is non-linear due to its multivariable parameters, resulting in undesirable overshoots and torque ripples. As a result, several approaches are used to improve the DTC’s robustness. The integration of optimization methods was discovered. These algorithms are used to provide gains that are near-optimal, bringing the system closer to its ideal state in order to accomplish effective torque and speed control. This article focuses on a comparative study of the different objective functions, in order to have very effective DFIM behaviors, by using a genetic algorithm. Agenetic algorithm (GA) is presented in this study for adjusting the optimal PID parameters in DTC to control the DFIM, utilizing objective functions such as integral square error (ISE), integral time absolute error (ITAE), and integral absolute error (IAE), employed independently and in a weighted combination. This article offers a comparison of several objective functions inside the DTC and DFIM, which will be utilized in future research into another optimization technique for this control type. Matlab/Simulink was used to construct the novel hybrid structure based on the GA-DTC intelligent control. The simulation results demonstrated the efficiency of the GA-DTC intelligent control with a weighted combination, providing acceptable performance with respect to rapidity, precision, and stability, as well as an improvement of 14.53% in the rejection time reduction, fewer torque ripples and flux ripples on the stator and rotor by 27.88%, 15.13%, and 4.375%, respectively, and respective increases of 32.45% and 71% in the THDs of the stator and rotor currents, which are acceptable.
Review of Industrial Robot Stiffness Identification and Modelling
Authors: Wu Kai , Li Jiaquan , Zhao Huan , Zhong Yong
Published: August 2022

Due to their high flexibility, large workspace, and high repeatability, industrial robots are widely used in roughing and semifinishing fields. However, their low machining accuracy and low stability limit further development of industrial robots in the machining field, with low stiffness being the most significant factor. The stiffness of industrial robots is affected by the joint deformation, transmission mechanism, friction, environment, and coupling of these factors. Moreover, the stiffness of a robot has a nonlinear distribution throughout the workspace, and external forces during processing cause irregular deviations of the robot, thereby affecting the machining accuracy and surface quality of the workpiece. Many scholars have researched identifying the stiffness of industrial robots and have proposed methods for improving the performance of industrial robots, mainly by optimizing the body structure of the robot and compensating for deformation errors with stiffness models. This paper reviews recent research on the stiffness modelling of industrial robots, which can be broadly classified as finite element analysis (FEA), matrix structure analysis (MSA), and virtual joint modelling (VJM) methods. Each method is studied from three aspects: algorithms, implementation, and limitations. In addition, common measurement techniques have been introduced for measuring deformation. Further research directions are also discussed.
Analysis of a Human Meta-Strategy for Agents with Active and Passive Strategies
Authors: Miyamoto Kensuke , Watanabe Norifumi , Nakamura Osamu , Takefuji Yoshiyasu
Published: August 2022

Human cooperative behavior includes passive action strategies based on others and active action strategies that prioritize one’s own objective. Therefore, for cooperation with humans, it is necessary to realize a robot that uses these strategies to communicate as a human would. In this research, we aim to realize robots that evaluate the actions of their opponents in comparison with their own action strategies. In our previous work, we obtained a Meta-Strategy with two action strategies through the simulation of learning between agents. However, humans’ Meta-Strategies may have different characteristics depending on the individual in question. In this study, we conducted a collision avoidance experiment in a grid space with agents with active and passive strategies for giving way. In addition, we analyzed whether a subject’s action changes when the agent’s strategy changes. The results showed that some subjects changed their actions in response to changes in the agent’s strategy, as well as subjects who behaved in a certain way regardless of the agent’s strategy and subjects who did not divide their actions. We considered that these types could be expressed in terms of differences in Meta-Strategies, such as active or passive Meta-Strategies for estimating an opponent’s strategy. Assuming a human Meta-Strategy, we discuss the action strategies of agents who can switch between active and passive strategies.
The Reaction of HO2 and CH3O2: CH3OOH Formed from the Singlet Electronic State Surface
Authors: Nguyen Thanh Lam , Stanton John F.
Published: August 2022

High-level coupled-cluster calculations in combination with two-dimensional master equation simulations were used to study the HO2 + CH3O2 reaction, which plays an important role in the oxidation of methane and hydrocarbons in the Earth’s atmosphere and low-temperature combustion. The main reaction pathways taking place on the lowest-lying triplet and singlet potential energy surfaces (PES) were characterized. Interestingly, methyl hydroperoxide (CH3OOH), the sole product, could be produced from both the triplet and singlet PESs, with a ratio of roughly 9:1. Formaldehyde is not made as a primary product, but can be formed via secondary chemistry. The formation of methyl tetraoxide (MTO) from the singlet PES is unimportant. The calculated reaction rate coefficients were found to be practically pressure-independent for p ≤ 760 Torr and can be given by k(T)=2.75×10−13×e+1.75 kcal mol−1/RT (in cm3/s), an expression useful for kinetics modeling over the range T = 200–800 K. The rate constant has a slight negative Arrhenius energy dependence of about −1.75 kcal mol–1, falling about a factor of 30 from 200 K to 800 K.
A Multi-Phase Method for Euclidean Traveling Salesman Problems
Authors: Pacheco-Valencia Víctor Hugo , Vakhania Nodari , Hernández-Mira Frank Ángel , Hernández-Aguilar José Alberto
Published: August 2022

The Traveling Salesman Problem (TSP) aims to find the shortest tour for a salesman who starts and ends in the same city and visits the remaining n−1 cities exactly once. There are a number of common generalizations of the problem including the Multiple Traveling Salesman Problem (MTSP), where instead of one salesman, there are k salesmen and the same amount of individual tours are to be constructed. We consider the Euclidean version of the problem where the distances between the cities are calculated in two-dimensional Euclidean space. Both general the TSP and its Euclidean version are strongly NP-hard. Hence, approximation algorithms with a good practical behavior are of primary interest. We describe a general method for the solution of the Euclidean versions of the TSP (including MTSP) that yields approximation algorithms with a favorable practical behavior for large real-life instances. Our method creates special types of convex hulls, which serve as a basis for the constructions of our initial and intermediate partial solutions. Here, we overview three algorithms; one of them is for the bounded version of the MTSP. The proposed novel algorithm for the Euclidean TSP provides close-to-optimal solutions for some real-life instances.
On Relationships between a Linear Matrix Equation and Its Four Reduced Equations
Authors: Jiang Bo , Tian Yongge , Yuan Ruixia
Published: August 2022

Given the linear matrix equation AXB=C, we partition it into the form A1X11B1+A1X12B2+A2X21B1+A2X22B2=C, and then pre- and post-multiply both sides of the equation by the four orthogonal projectors generated from the coefficient matrices A1, A1, B1, and B2 to obtain four reduced linear matrix equations. In this situation, each of the four reduced equations involves just one of the four unknown submatrices X11, X12, X21, and X22, respectively. In this paper, we study the relationships between the general solution of AXB=C and the general solutions of the four reduced equations using some highly selective matrix analysis tools in relation to ranks, ranges, and generalized inverses of matrices.
Almost Contractions under Binary Relations
Authors: Khan Faizan Ahmad
Published: August 2022

After the introduction of almost contraction due to Berinde, the branch of metric fixed point theory has attracted much attention in this direction, and various fixed point results have been proved for almost contractions via different approaches. In this paper, the results on existence and uniqueness of fixed points are proved employing almost contraction conditions in the framework of metric space endowed with binary relation. Finally, some examples are constructed, which substantiate the utility of the newly proved results.
The Biomechanical Profile of an Osseo-Integrated Rectangular Block Implant: A Pilot In Vivo Strain Analysis
Authors: Gazelakis Efthimios , Judge Roy B. , Palamara Joseph E. A. , Nazir Mohsin
Published: August 2022

Aim: To load-test the osseo-integrated rectangular block implant (RBI), measure the generated cortical peri-implant strains, and relate these findings to known human physiological parameters. Materials and methods: Two RBIs were placed into the posterior mandibular saddle in a mature greyhound dog and allowed to osseo-integrate. The half mandible (implants in situ) was mounted in a servohydraulic system. Four triple-stacked rosette gauges were placed cortically (mesial, distal, buccal, and lingual). A modified ISO-14801 protocol was used (1000 N, 300, 2 Hz, 1 h) and the generated principal strains (ep, eq) and their angular orientations (F), were calculated. Results: (1) Bucco-lingual “horizontal” dimension: dominant “horizontal” compressive stresses were on the lingual aspect and “horizontal” tensile stresses on the buccal aspect. The buccal cortex was elastically tensile-stretched, while the lingual cortex was elastically compressed. (2) Bucco-lingual “vertical” dimension: dominant vertical torsional stresses were oriented buccally and apically, with an overall buccally inclined torsional effect. This was also evidenced on the lingual aspect, where there remained high torsional rotation elements (high F and e2). (3) Mesio-distal “horizontal” dimension: dominant torsional stresses oriented as a distal-lingual “counter-clockwise” rotation. Conclusions: The applied off-axial loads generated a heterogeneous pattern of bucco-lingual and mesio-distal cortical strains, both vertically and horizontally. The short dimensioned osseo-integrated RBI design appeared to biomechanically withstand the applied loads and to maintain the strains generated to levels that were within physiological limits. More studies and statistical analyses are needed to confirm these findings.
Comparison of Different Dietary Fatty Acids Supplement on the Immune Response of Hybrid Grouper (Epinephelus fuscoguttatus × Epinephelus lanceolatus) Challenged with Vibrio vulnificus
Authors: Natnan Maya Erna , Low Chen Fei , Chong Chou Min , Daud Nur Iwani Nasuha Akiko Ahmad , Om Ahmad Daud , Baharum Syarul Nataqain
Published: August 2022

Aquaculture has been expanding in Malaysia due to the increased demand for fish products. In addition, aquaculture faces challenges in maintaining feed suitability in support of the global growth of fish production. Therefore, improvements in diet formulation are necessary to achieve the optimal requirements and attain a desirable growth efficiency and health performance in fish. Seven weeks of study were conducted to compare the equal amounts of different fatty acids (2%) (oleic acid, stearic acid, palmitic acid, and behenic acid) on the survival, the growth, and the immune response of hybrid grouper (Epinephelus fuscoguttatus × Epinephelus lanceolatus) against V. vulnificus. After six weeks of the feeding trial, fish were challenged with V. vulnificus for 30 min before continuing on the same feeding regime for the next seven days (post-bacterial challenge). Fish supplemented with dietary oleic acid showed significantly (p < 0.05) enhanced immune responses, i.e., lysozyme, respiratory burst, and phagocytic activities compared to the control diet group for both pre-and post-bacterial challenges. Following the Vibrio challenge, no significant effects of supplemented fatty acid diets on survival rate were observed, although dietary oleic acid demonstrated the highest 63.3% survival rate compared to only 43.3% of the control diet group. In addition, there were no significant effects (p > 0.05) on specific growth rate (SGR), white blood cell (WBC), and red blood cell (RBC) counts among all experimental diets. The results from this study suggest that among the tested dietary fatty acids, the oleic acid diet showed promising results in the form of elevated immune responses and increased disease resistance of the hybrid grouper fingerlings challenged with V. vulnificus.
Fossil Biomarkers and Biosignatures Preserved in Coprolites Reveal Carnivorous Diets in the Carboniferous Mazon Creek Ecosystem
Authors: Tripp Madison , Wiemann Jasmina , Brocks Jochen , Mayer Paul , Schwark Lorenz , Grice Kliti
Published: August 2022

The reconstruction of ancient trophic networks is pivotal to our understanding of ecosystem function and change through time. However, inferring dietary relationships in enigmatic ecosystems dominated by organisms without modern analogues, such as the Carboniferous Mazon Creek fauna, has previously been considered challenging: preserved coprolites often do not retain sufficient morphology to identify the dietary composition. Here, we analysed n = 3 Mazon Creek coprolites in concretions for dietary signals in preserved biomarkers, stable carbon isotope data, and macromolecular composition. Cholesteroids, metazoan markers of cholesterol, show an increased abundance in the sampled coprolites (86 to 99% of the total steranes) compared to the surrounding sediment, indicating an endogenous nature of preserved organics. Presence of unaltered 5α-cholestan-3β-ol and coprostanol underline the exceptional molecular preservation of the coprolites, and reveal a carnivorous diet for the coprolite producer. Statistical analyses of in situ Raman spectra targeting coprolite carbonaceous remains support a metazoan affinity of the digested fossil remains, and suggest a high trophic level for the coprolite producer. These currently oldest, intact dietary stanols, combined with exquisitely preserved macromolecular biosignatures in Carboniferous fossils offer a novel source of trophic information. Molecular and biosignature preservation is facilitated by rapid sedimentary encapsulation of the coprolites within days to months after egestion.