bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Facing Disruptive Changes With Informal Workplace Learning Strategies: The Experience of European Companies
Authors: Amenduni Francesca , Ryymin Essi , Maetoloa Katja , Cattaneo Alberto
Published: May 2022

Industries are currently experiencing several kinds of disruptive changes, including digital transformation and environmental and health emergencies. Despite intense discussion about disruptive changes in companies, the impact of such changes on workplace learning is still underexplored. In this study, we investigated the impact of disruptive changes on informal learning practices according to the perspectives of employers, employees and adult educators. Informal learning was operationalised along a continuum between organised informal learning (led by an instructor and intentional) and everyday informal learning (led by contextual factors, accidental, and unintentional). Fifty-five companies’ representatives (average age = 43.2 years; SD = 11) from three European countries (Finland, Switzerland, and Italy) and four industrial fields (bioeconomy, tourism, textile and building sectors) were interviewed. The interviews were further triangulated with questionnaires collected by employees from the same companies (N = 141; average age = 40.2 years, SD = 17.8). Questionnaire data were used to collect detailed information on individual informal workplace learning (IWL) strategies and digital technologies adopted in organised informal learning. The interview data were analysed using qualitative content analysis. A coding scheme was developed with five macro-categories organised into 23 sub-categories. Occurrence and co-occurrence analysis were performed to identify which individual and organisational factors and approaches support most learning, according to interviewees. Interviewees reported the possibility of interacting with colleagues and being autonomous as the main sources of everyday informal learning processes. Employees from the same companies reported model learning, vicarious feedback, and applying someone’s own ideas as the most frequent IWL strategies. Organised informal learning was mainly based on knowledge transfer, which reflects passive cognitive engagement by employees. Specifically, digital technologies in organised informal learning were poorly used for supporting reflection, constructive processes, and collaborative knowledge construction. The results suggest that participants believed that higher forms of cognitive engagement are possible only within face-to-face organised informal training or in everyday informal learning. Possible explanations of the results and practical implications are discussed.
Rhythm May Be Key to Linking Language and Cognition in Young Infants: Evidence From Machine Learning
Authors: Lau Joseph C. Y. , Fyshe Alona , Waxman Sandra R.
Published: May 2022

Rhythm is key to language acquisition. Across languages, rhythmic features highlight fundamental linguistic elements of the sound stream and structural relations among them. A sensitivity to rhythmic features, which begins in utero, is evident at birth. What is less clear is whether rhythm supports infants' earliest links between language and cognition. Prior evidence has documented that for infants as young as 3 and 4 months, listening to their native language (English) supports the core cognitive capacity of object categorization. This precocious link is initially part of a broader template: listening to a non-native language from the same rhythmic class as (e.g., German, but not Cantonese) and to vocalizations of non-human primates (e.g., lemur, Eulemur macaco flavifrons, but not birds e.g., zebra-finches, Taeniopygia guttata) provide English-acquiring infants the same cognitive advantage as does listening to their native language. Here, we implement a machine-learning (ML) approach to ask whether there are acoustic properties, available on the surface of these vocalizations, that permit infants' to identify which vocalizations are candidate links to cognition. We provided the model with a robust sample of vocalizations that, from the vantage point of English-acquiring 4-month-olds, either support object categorization (English, German, lemur vocalizations) or fail to do so (Cantonese, zebra-finch vocalizations). We assess (a) whether supervised ML classification models can distinguish those vocalizations that support cognition from those that do not, and (b) which class(es) of acoustic features (including rhythmic, spectral envelope, and pitch features) best support that classification. Our analysis reveals that principal components derived from rhythm-relevant acoustic features were among the most robust in supporting the classification. Classifications performed using temporal envelope components were also robust. These new findings provide in principle evidence that infants' earliest links between vocalizations and cognition may be subserved by their perceptual sensitivity to rhythmic and spectral elements available on the surface of these vocalizations, and that these may guide infants' identification of candidate links to cognition.
Digital Transformation and Corporate Social Performance: How Do Board Independence and Institutional Ownership Matter?
Authors: Meng Shuang , Su Huiwen , Yu Jiajie
Published: May 2022

This study addresses a gap in the literature on corporate governance and corporate social responsibility (CSR) by investigating whether and how board independence and institutional ownership moderate the relationship between digital transformation and corporate social performance (CSP). We find that digital transformation increases CSP using a panel dataset of Chinese publicly listed firms between 2014 and 2018. Moreover, we show that this positive impact is more pronounced when firms have higher proportions of independent directors on the board and institutional owners. These findings contribute to a better understanding of CSR dynamics, supporting the formulation and implementation of efficient CSR strategies in the digital era.
The Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Psychiatric Emergencies in Two Different Settings: Emergency Room and Community Mental Health Service
Authors: Di Lorenzo Rosaria , Pinelli Margherita , Bertani Davide , Cutino Anna , Dragone Diego , Elia Claudia , Farina Riccardo , Fiore Gianluca , Luisi Filippa , Panico Sofia , Valeo Laura , Rovesti Sergio , Ferri Paola
Published: May 2022

Background

The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic caused a public health emergency with profound consequences on physical and mental health of individuals. Emergency Rooms (ER) and Community Mental Health Services (CMHS) played a key role in the management of psychiatric emergencies during the pandemic. The purpose of the study was to evaluate urgent psychiatric consultations (UPCs) in the ERs of the General Hospitals and in the CMHS of a Northern Italian town during the pandemic period.

Methods

This monocentric observational study collected UPCs carried out in ER from 01/03/2020 to 28/02/2021 (the so called “COVID-19 period”) and the demographic and clinical characteristics of patients who required UPCs in the 12-months period, comparing these data with those collected from 01/03/2019 to 29/02/2020 (the so called “pre-COVID-19 period”). The same variables were collected for UPCs carried out in CMHS from 01/03/2020 to 31/01/2021 and compared with those collected from 01/03/2019 to 31/01/2020. The data, were statistically analyzed through STATA 12-2011.

Results

In ER, we reported a 24% reduction in UPCs during the COVID-19 period (n = 909) in comparison with the pre-COVID-19 period (n = 1,194). Differently, we observed an increase of 4% in UPCs carried out in CMHS during the COVID-19 period (n = 1,214) in comparison with the previous period (n = 1,162). We observed an increase of UPCs in ER required by people who lived in psychiatric facilities or with disability pension whereas more UPCs in CMHS were required by older people or those living in other institutions compared to the previous period. In the COVID-19 period, the most frequent reasons for UPCs in ER were aggressiveness, socio-environmental maladjustment and psychiatric symptoms in organic disorders whereas in CMHS we reported an increase of UPCs for control of psychopharmacology therapy and mixed state/mania.

Conclusion

In light of our findings, we conclude that the most vulnerable people required more frequent attention and care in both ER and CMHS during pandemic, which disrupted individuals’ ability to adapt and induced many stressful reactive symptoms. In order to reduce the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health, psychological support interventions for the general population should be implemented, having particular regard for more psychologically fragile people.
Methods for Improving the Variance Estimator of the Kaplan–Meier Survival Function, When There Is No, Moderate and Heavy Censoring-Applied in Oncological Datasets
Authors: Khan Habib Nawaz , Zaman Qamruz , Azmi Fatima , Shahzada Gulap , Jakovljevic Mihajlo
Published: May 2022

In case of heavy and even moderate censoring, a common problem with the Greenwood and Peto variance estimators of the Kaplan–Meier survival function is that they can underestimate the true variance in the left and right tails of the survival distribution. Here, we introduce a variance estimator for the Kaplan–Meier survival function by assigning weight greater than zero to the censored observation. On the basis of this weight, a modification of the Kaplan–Meier survival function and its variance is proposed. An advantage of this approach is that it gives non-parametric estimates at each point whether the event occurred or not. The performance of the variance of this new method is compared with the Greenwood, Peto, regular, and adjusted hybrid variance estimators. Several combinations of these methods with the new method are examined and compared on three datasets, such as leukemia clinical trial data, thalassaemia data as well as cancer data. Thalassaemia is an inherited blood disease, very common in Pakistan, where our data are derived from.
Leveraging Stakeholder Engagement and Virtual Environments to Develop a Strategy for Implementation of Adolescent Depression Services Integrated Within Primary Care Clinics of Mozambique
Authors: Lovero Kathryn L. , dos Santos Palmira Fortunato , Adam Salma , Bila Carolina , Fernandes Maria Eduarda , Kann Bianca , Rodrigues Teresa , Jumbe Ana Maria , Duarte Cristiane S. , Beidas Rinad S. , Wainberg Milton L.
Published: May 2022

Psychiatric disorders are the number one cause of disability in adolescents worldwide. Yet, in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC), where 90% of adolescents reside, mental health services are extremely limited, and the majority do not have access to treatment. Integration of mental health services within primary care of LMICs has been proposed as an efficient and sustainable way to close the adolescent mental health treatment gap. However, there is limited research on how to effectively implement integrated mental health care in LMIC. In the present study, we employed Implementation Mapping to develop a multilevel strategy for integrating adolescent depression services within primary care clinics of Maputo, Mozambique. Both in-person and virtual approaches for Implementation Mapping activities were used to support an international implementation planning partnership and promote the engagement of multilevel stakeholders. We identified determinants to implementation of mental health services for adolescents in LMIC across all levels of the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research, of which of 25% were unique to adolescent-specific services. Through a series of stakeholder workshops focused on implementation strategy selection, prioritization, and specification, we then developed an implementation plan comprising 33 unique strategies that target determinants at the intervention, patient, provider, policy, and community levels. The implementation plan developed in this study will be evaluated for delivering adolescent depression services in Mozambican primary care and may serve as a model for other low-resource settings.
The WHO-ITU MyopiaEd Programme: A Digital Message Programme Targeting Education on Myopia and Its Prevention
Authors: Keel Stuart , Govender-Poonsamy Pirindha , Cieza Alarcos , Faal Hannah , Flitcroft Ian , Gifford Kate , He Mingguang , Khandekar Rajiv , Naidoo Kovin , Oerding Matt , Ohno-Matsui Kyoko , Mariotti Silvio , Wildsoet Christine , Wolffsohn James S. , Wong Tien Y. , Yoon Sangchul , Mueller Andreas , Dobson Rosie
Published: May 2022

The objective of this paper is to provide an overview of the World Health Organization - International Telecommunication Union MyopiaEd programme - a digital message programme targeting education on myopia and its prevention. The development of the MyopiaEd programme included 4 key steps: (1) Conceptualization and consultation with experts in the field of myopia, mHealth and health behavior change; (2) Creation of SMS message libraries and programme algorithm; (3) Review of the message libraries to ensure relevance to the target audience; and (4) Pre-testing amongst end-user groups to ensure that the design of the programme and the message content were understandable. After reviewing the available evidence and considering input of the experts, the aims, end users and key themes of the programme were finalized. Separate SMS-adapted message libraries were developed, reviewed and pre-tested for four target end-user groups; (1) general population involved in the care of children (2) parents or caregivers of children with myopia; (3) adolescents with myopia; and (4) adults with myopia. The message libraries are part of a comprehensive toolkit, developed through a consultative process with experts in digital health, to support implementation within countries. The development of the MyopiaEd programme aims to provide a basis for Member States and other stakeholders to develop, implement and monitor large-scale mHealth programmes. It is aimed at raising awareness of good eye care behaviors and addressing common reasons for non-compliance to spectacle wear. The next steps will involve adapting and evaluating the MyopiaEd programme in selected settings.
The WEF Nexus Journey
Authors: Mohtar Rabi H.
Published: May 2022

This paper describes the beginning of the WEF Nexus Journey in the classroom and shows how the Nexus emerged into the discipline that it is today. The paper offers definitions, shares some success stories from around the world, reflects on future opportunities, and provides a few concluding remarks.
Survival Impact of Nephroureterectomy for De Novo Stage IV Nonmetastatic and Metastatic Upper Tract Urothelial Carcinoma
Authors: Lin Wei-Yu , Lin Meng-Hung , Yang Yao-Hsu , Chen Wen-Cheng , Huang Cih-En , Chen Miao-Fen , Wu Chun-Te
Published: May 2022

Background

Whether nephroureterectomy (NU) provides survival benefits in patients with stage IV upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) remains unclear. We compared the effect of chemotherapy (CT) alone with that of CT combined with NU (CT + NU) on the overall survival (OS) of patients with stage IV nonmetastatic UTUC (nmUTUC) and metastatic UTUC (mUTUC).

Patients and Methods

This multicenter retrospective cohort study included the data of patients with UTUC undergoing CT alone or CT + NU from the Chang Gung Cancer Database (2002–2015) and followed them until August 2017. OS and hazard ratios (HRs) were assessed using the Kaplan–Meier method and Cox proportional hazards model, respectively.

Results

This study included 308 patients with stage IV UTUC, comprising 139 with nmUTUC and 169 with mUTUC. Moreover, 91 (74.6%) patients with nmUTUC and 31 (25.4%) patients with mUTUC received NU. The CT + NU group had a higher 3-year OS rate (41.0.% vs 16.7%, p < 0.001), longer median OS duration (20.7 vs 9.0 months, p < 0.001), and lower risk of death (HR, 0.48; 95% confidence interval, 0.36–0.66; p < 0.001) than did the CT-alone group. Similarly, patients with mUTUC who underwent CT + NU had a longer median OS duration (25.0 vs 7.8 months, p < 0.001) and lower risk of death (HR, 0.37; 95% confidence interval, 0.23–0.59; p < 0.001) than did those who received CT alone.

Conclusion

Compared with CT alone, NU + CT can provide survival benefits to patients with nonmetastatic and metastatic stage IV UTUC.
Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi and Microbes Interaction in Rice Mycorrhizosphere
Authors: Bao Xiaozhe , Zou Jixiang , Zhang Bin , Wu Longmei , Yang Taotao , Huang Qing
Published: May 2022

Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is the most widely consumed staple crop for approximately half of the world’s population. Many interactions take place in paddy soil, particularly in the rice mycorrhizosphere region. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and soil microbe interactions are among the most important and influential processes that occur, as they significantly influence the plant growth and soil structure properties. Their interactions may be of crucial importance to the sustainable, low-input productivity of paddy ecosystems. In this study, we summarize the major groups of microbial communities interacting with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in the rice mycorrhizosphere, and discuss the mechanisms involved in these arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and microbe interactions. We further highlight the potential application of arbuscular mycorrhizal mutualism in paddy fields, which will be helpful for the production of bioinoculants in the future.
The Dynamics of Lepus granatensis and Oryctolagus cuniculus in a Mediterranean Agrarian Area: Are Hares Segregating from Rabbit Habitats after Disease Impact?
Authors: Prenda José , Rodríguez-Rodríguez Eduardo J. , Negro Juan J. , Muñoz-Pichardo Juan Manuel
Published: May 2022

The genera Oryctolagus and Lepus (order Lagomorpha) are essential elements in the trophic chain in the Iberian Peninsula, being the main prey of many predators, including some highly endangered predators such as the Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus). Myxomatosis, a disease producing tumorations in conjunctive tissues, and produced by the Myxoma Virus, has caused mass mortalities in rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) for decades. Recently, the virus has jumped interspecifically from rabbits to hares, and this has created a depletion in hare populations, generating great concern. We analyzed the population dynamics and distribution of both lagomorph species in a Mediterranean agricultural area of the south of Spain since the 1990s with a combination of systematic and non-systematic data. The appearance of the outbreak in the Iberian hare (Lepus granatenis) in 2018 enabled us to undertake an opportunistic analysis of its effects on the spatial structure and assemblages, as well as on the niches of both species using PCA analyses and ordination techniques. Analysis of the mortality effect on daily and seasonal cycles was also conducted, and relations with the temporal dimension was tested using generalized lineal models (GLMs). In our results, in addition to population and temporal patterns, we could observe a restructuring in hare distribution after the mortality event, highlighting that prior to the outbreak, rabbit and hare populations were spatially differentiated, although with some overlaps and niche similarities. However, since the outbreak, hare populations have been excluded from rabbit areas, suggesting that in the absence of rabbits, the virus has more difficulties to infect hares. We also provide an overview of the effect of this population depletion on the ecological and socio-economic dimension of this region, pointing out the importance of this situation for the area.
Correction: Salimiyekta et al. Random Regression Model for Genetic Evaluation and Early Selection in the Iranian Holstein Population. Animals 2021, 11, 3492
Authors: Salimiyekta Yasamin , Vaez-Torshizi Rasoul , Abbasi Mokhtar Ali , Emmamjome-Kashan Nasser , Amin-Afshar Mehdi , Guo Xiangyu , Jensen Just
Published: May 2022

There was an error in the original publication [...]
Numerical Simulation of Mechanical Coupling for Low-Back Booster with a 6-Year-Old Child during a Crash Test
Authors: Cruz-Jaramillo Iván Lenín , Martínez-Sáez Luis , Torres-SanMiguel Christopher René
Published: May 2022

This research assessed a mechanical coupling for the ISOFIX Child Restraint System using the Finite Element Method (FEM) in a critical condition (simultaneous frontal and lateral collision). The mechanism was designed according to the R129 standard, and it consists of a set of springs and dampers that allows displacements in the three Cartesian axes (x, y, z) to dissipate a portion of the energy produced by a traffic accident. Two case studies are presented. The first one evaluates the behavior of the mechanism by applying the equivalent weight of a child and the LBB during a frontal and lateral impact according to the FMVSS 213 standard. The second evaluates the injuries generated in the head, neck, and thorax with a six-year Hybrid III model during a frontal impact when implementing the coupling system. The outcomes show that both axes reach a maximum deceleration of 23 G, and it remains from 17 G to 21 G in 30 ms. After 65 ms, it decreases from 17 G to 0 G. Overall, the injury rates are compared when using mechanical coupling with LBB and only LBB to analyze the system’s efficiency, showing a significant reduction in head and neck injuries, obtaining a 24% variation in the HIC36, and reducing the neck range motion by 19.3°.
Formulas for Uniaxial Capacities of Tetrapod Bucket Foundations Considering Group Effects in Undrained Clay
Authors: Xiao Zhong , Wang Yan , Liu Ying , Tian Yinghui , Wang Rong , Tao Ran , Wei Xian
Published: May 2022

Suction bucket foundation is a novel and cheaper foundation used in marine structures, such as offshore wind turbines, breakwater and oil platforms. Compared with a single bucket foundation, tetrapod bucket foundations can bear larger loads because of the group effects. However, the vertical, horizontal and moment capacity factors of tetrapod bucket foundations have not been presented in existing specifications. A series of three-dimensional finite-element analyses were conducted to investigate the group effects on uniaxial capacities and failure mechanisms of tetrapod bucket foundations in undrained clay considering various foundation separation distance ratios, embedment depth ratios, soil-strength heterogeneity indices and load direction angles. Generalized formulas for undrained uniaxial capacities of tetrapod bucket foundations were proposed in order to establish a bridge connecting the capacities of tetrapod bucket foundations and those of the single bucket foundation, which can provide a reference for industrial designs of capacities of tetrapod bucket foundations. The results show that the vertical group effect factor of tetrapod bucket foundations is basically not affected by the foundation separation distance ratio, embedment depth ratio, soil-strength heterogeneity index and load direction angle, which can adopted 0.9 based on a conservative estimation. The normalized horizontal and moment group effect factors of tetrapod bucket foundations are both affected by the separation distance ratio, embedment depth ratio and soil-strength heterogeneity index, but the moment group effect factor is also obviously affected by the load direction angle. The value of the horizontal and moment capacity factors of tetrapod bucket foundations are about 2.3 and 13.8 times that of a single bucket foundation, respectively, when the separation distance ratio is 3.5, embedment depth ratio is 1.0 and soil-strength heterogeneity index is 10, which have both been significantly enhanced. A value of 3.5 is suggested for the separation distance ratio to attain good capacities and a relatively high global stiffness for the tetrapod bucket foundations.
Solar Energy Potential on Surfaces with Various Inclination Modes in Saudi Arabia: Performance of an Isotropic and an Anisotropic Model
Authors: Farahat Ashraf , Kambezidis Harry D. , Almazroui Mansour , Ramadan Emad
Published: May 2022

The present work investigated the performance of an isotropic (Liu–Jordan, L–J) and an anisotropic (Hay) model in assessing the solar energy potential of Saudi Arabia. Three types of solar collectors were considered: with southward fixed-tilt (mode (i)), with fixed-tilt tracking the Sun (mode (ii)), and with varying-tilt tracking the Sun (mode (iii)). This was the first time such a study was conducted for Saudi Arabia. The average annual difference between anisotropic (Hay) and isotropic (L–J) estimates is least ≈38 kWhm−2 year−1 over Saudi Arabia for mode (i), and therefore, the L–J model can be used effectively. In modes (ii) and (iii), the difference is greater (≈197 and ≈226 kWhm−2 year−1, respectively). It is, then, up to the solar energy engineer to decide which model is to be used, but it is recommended that the Hay model be utilised for mode-(iii) solar collectors. These results fill a research gap about the suitability of models in practice. An interesting feature for the ratio of the annual mean solar energy yield of Hay over L–J as function of the latitude, φ, and the ground albedo, ρr, is the formation of a “well” for 29° ≤ φ ≤ 31° and 1.15 ≤ ρr ≤ 1.
Ti6Al4V-ELI Alloy Manufactured via Laser Powder-Bed Fusion and Heat-Treated below and above the β-Transus: Effects of Sample Thickness and Sandblasting Post-Process
Authors: Cerri Emanuela , Ghio Emanuele , Bolelli Giovanni
Published: May 2022

Ti6Al4V-ELI is the most-used lightweight alloy in the aerospace industrial sector thanks to its high mechanical strength and corrosion resistance. The present paper aims, firstly, to evaluate the effects induced by different heat treatments, which were performed above and below the β-transus temperature on Ti6Al4V-ELI samples manufactured via Laser Powder-Bed Fusion in different orientations (XZ, XY, Z and 45°). The first set of tensile samples and bars were heat-treated at 1050 °C × 1 h, while the second and third set were heat-treated at 704 °C × 120′ following the AMS2801 standard specification, and at 740 °C × 130′. These heat treatments were chosen to improve the as-built mechanical properties according to the ASTM F3001 and also ASTM F2924-14 standard specifications. Optical and SEM measurements reveal primary, secondary and tertiary α-laths below the β-transus, while above this temperature, the microstructure varies in relation to the sample’s thickness. Secondly, this work analyzed the results obtained after a sandblasting process, which was performed on half of all the available heat-treated tensile samples, through XRD and Vickers microhardness measurements. XRD analysis also highlighted the presence of α2-Ti3Al and TiAl3 precipitates and the microstructural change in terms of the α-phase.
Column Penetration and Diffusion Mechanism of Bingham Fluid Considering Displacement Effect
Authors: Yang Zhiquan , Zhang Dan , Li Chaoyue , Zhang Zhiwei , Zhu Yingyan , Yang Yi , He Na , Bai Xianfu , Xi Wenfei , He Deming , Ding Yuchi , Zhou Meng
Published: May 2022

The diffusion progress of grout is hindered by groundwater, which means the diffusion distance cannot reach the designed values required in engineering for water plugging or reinforcement. In this study, based on the generalized Darcy’s law and the continuity equation of steady column penetration, a column diffusion mechanism for Bingham fluid, considering the displacement effect of grout on groundwater, is proposed. This diffusion mechanism is then validated by the penetration grouting experiments that have been previously performed. The influences of the grouting pressure, groundwater pressure, water–cement ratio and penetration coefficient of porous media on the diffusion radius are analyzed. Based on the Comsol Multiphysics platform, a three-dimensional numerical simulation program for this mechanism is developed using computer programming technology. Numerical simulations of the penetration and diffusion morphology of Bingham cement grout in porous media are then carried out. The results show that the theoretical calculation values of diffusion radius obtained from this mechanism are closer to the experimental values than those obtained from the column penetration grouting theory of Bingham fluid, without considering the displacement effect. The results of this study can provide theoretical support for practical grouting engineering.
Fast Classification of Thyroid Nodules with Ultrasound Guided-Fine Needle Biopsy Samples and Machine Learning
Authors: Wang Ye , Chen Zhenhe , Zhang Lin , Zhong Dingrong , Di Jinxi , Li Xiaodong , Lei Yajuan , Li Jie , Liu Yao , Jiang Ruiying , Cao Lei
Published: May 2022

A rapid classification method was developed for the malignant and benign thyroid nodules with ultrasound guided-fine needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) samples. With probe electrospray ionization mass spectrometry, the mass-scan data of FNAB samples were used as datasets for machine learning. The patients were marked as malignant (98 patients), benign (110 patients) or undetermined (42 patients) by experienced doctors in terms of ultrasound, the B-Raf (BRAF) gene, and cytopathology inspections. Pairwise coupling was performed on 163 ions to generate 3630 ion ratios as new features for classifier training. With the new features, the performance of the multilayer perception (MLP) classifier is much better than that with the 163 ions as features directly. After training, the accuracy of the MLP classifier is as high as 92.0%. The accuracy of the single-blind test is 82.4%, which proved the good generalization ability of the MLP classifier. The overall concordance is 73.0% between prediction and six-month follow-up for patients in the undetermined group. Especially, the classifier showed high accuracy for the undetermined patients with suspicious for papillary carcinoma diagnosis (90.9%). In summary, the machine learning method based on FNAB samples has potential for real clinical applications.
New Advances in Fluid–Structure Interaction
Authors: Chen Wenli , Yang Zifeng , Hu Gang , Jing Haiquan , Wang Junlei
Published: May 2022

Fluid–structure interactions (FSI) play a crucial role in the design, construction, service and maintenance of many engineering applications, e [...]
Production Scheduling Methodology, Taking into Account the Influence of the Selection of Production Resources
Authors: Ciepliński Piotr , Golak Sławomir , Blachnik Marcin , Gawryś Katarzyna , Kachel Adam
Published: May 2022

The overwhelming majority of methodologies for the flexible flow shop scheduling problem proposed so far have a common feature, which is the assumption of constant time and cost for the execution of individual technological operations (ignoring an optimal selecting combination of individual employees and tools). Even if the existence of the influence of the selection of production resources on the course of operations is signaled in the available works, the research so far has not focused on the measurable effect of such a solution that takes into account this phenomenon in scheduling. The proposed production scheduling methodology, including the influence of employees and tools, turned out to be more effective in terms of minimizing the maximum completion time and the cost of the production process compared to existing solutions. The efficiency of the new proposed scheduling methodology was assessed using examples of four technological processes. The research was carried out on the basis of a dedicated adaptation of the Monte Carlo optimization algorithm in order to determine the actual effect of the new solution. The algorithm itself is not an integral part of the proposed solution, and the universal methodology developed will ensure significant profit for any optimization algorithm correctly implemented.
Segmentation of Infant Brain Using Nonnegative Matrix Factorization
Authors: Alghamdi Norah Saleh , Taher Fatma , Kandil Heba , Sharafeldeen Ahmed , Elnakib Ahmed , Soliman Ahmed , ElNakieb Yaser , Mahmoud Ali , Ghazal Mohammed , El-Baz Ayman
Published: May 2022

This study develops an atlas-based automated framework for segmenting infants’ brains from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). For the accurate segmentation of different structures of an infant’s brain at the isointense age (6–12 months), our framework integrates features of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) (e.g., the fractional anisotropy (FA)). A brain diffusion tensor (DT) image and its region map are considered samples of a Markov–Gibbs random field (MGRF) that jointly models visual appearance, shape, and spatial homogeneity of a goal structure. The visual appearance is modeled with an empirical distribution of the probability of the DTI features, fused by their nonnegative matrix factorization (NMF) and allocation to data clusters. Projecting an initial high-dimensional feature space onto a low-dimensional space of the significant fused features with the NMF allows for better separation of the goal structure and its background. The cluster centers in the latter space are determined at the training stage by the K-means clustering. In order to adapt to large infant brain inhomogeneities and segment the brain images more accurately, appearance descriptors of both the first-order and second-order are taken into account in the fused NMF feature space. Additionally, a second-order MGRF model is used to describe the appearance based on the voxel intensities and their pairwise spatial dependencies. An adaptive shape prior that is spatially variant is constructed from a training set of co-aligned images, forming an atlas database. Moreover, the spatial homogeneity of the shape is described with a spatially uniform 3D MGRF of the second-order for region labels. In vivo experiments on nine infant datasets showed promising results in terms of the accuracy, which was computed using three metrics: the 95-percentile modified Hausdorff distance (MHD), the Dice similarity coefficient (DSC), and the absolute volume difference (AVD). Both the quantitative and visual assessments confirm that integrating the proposed NMF-fused DTI feature and intensity MGRF models of visual appearance, the adaptive shape prior, and the shape homogeneity MGRF model is promising in segmenting the infant brain DTI.
Waste Reduction Methods Used in Construction Companies with Regards to Selected Building Products
Authors: Białko Marta , Hoła Bożena , Topolski Mariusz , Woźniak Zuzanna
Published: May 2022

This article presents research that aims to identify waste reduction methods used in the construction industry in relation to the following materials: steel, concrete, masonry products, finishing products (i.e., ceramic, and stone tiles), and wood and the dependence between the use of these methods and the size of the construction company. The research is based on surveys conducted amongst construction site managers in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. In the research, 13 methods of reducing construction waste were analyzed using Pearson’s independence test and the SPSS-26 software. Methods of reducing construction waste were identified. The study determined the frequency with which waste reduction methods in each material group were used, depending on the size of the company. Amongst the 13 methods analyzed, the ones which demonstrate a relationship between frequency of methods and size of the company were identified (for all groups of materials): the use of monitoring systems, reuse of materials within the construction, use of prefabricated elements, adequate storage, and engagement of subcontractors. In the case of the other tested methods, no such relationship was found.
From Modelling Turbulence to General Systems Modelling
Authors: Klimenko Alexander Y.
Published: May 2022

Complex adaptive and evolutionary systems can, at least in principle, be modelled in ways that are similar to modelling of complex mechanical (or physical) systems. While quantitative modelling of turbulent reacting flows has been developed over many decades due to availability of experimental data, modelling of complex evolutionary systems is still in its infancy and has huge potential for further development. This work analyses recent trends, points to the similarity of modelling approaches used in seemingly different areas, and suggests a basic classification for such approaches. Availability of data in the modern computerised world allows us to use tools previously developed in physics and applied mathematics in new domains of scientific inquiry that previously were not amendable by quantitative evaluation and modelling, while raising concerns about the associated ethical and legal issues. While the utility of big data has been repeatedly demonstrated in various practical applications, these applications, as far as we can judge, do not involve the scientific goal of conceptual modelling of emergent collective behaviour in complex evolutionary systems.
General Opial Type Inequality and New Green Functions
Authors: Gudelj Ana , Krulić Himmelreich Kristina , Pečarić Josip
Published: May 2022

In this paper we provide many new results involving Opial type inequalities. We consider two functions—one is convex and the other is concave—and prove a new general inequality on a measure space (Ω,Σ,μ). We give an new result involving four new Green functions. Our results include Grüss and Ostrowski type inequalities related to the generalized Opial type inequality. The obtained inequalities are of Opial type because the integrals contain the function and its integral representation. They are not a direct generalization of the Opial inequality.
The Importance of Energy Theory in Shaping Elevational Species Richness Patterns in Plants
Authors: Jiang Zihan , Liu Qiuyu , Xu Wei , Peng Changhui
Published: May 2022

Many hypotheses have been proposed to explain elevational species richness patterns; however, evaluating their importance remains a challenge, as mountains that are nested within different biogeographic regions have different environmental attributes. Here, we conducted a comparative study for trees, shrubs, herbs, and ferns along the same elevational gradient for 22 mountains worldwide, examining the performance of hypotheses of energy, tolerance, climatic variability, and spatial area to explain the elevational species richness patterns for each plant group. Results show that for trees and shrubs, energy-related factors exhibit greater explanatory power than other factors, whereas the factors that are associated with climatic variability performed better in explaining the elevational species richness patterns of herbs and ferns. For colder mountains, energy-related factors emerged as the main drivers of woody species diversity, whereas in hotter and wetter ecosystems, temperature and precipitation were the most important predictors of species richness along elevational gradients. For herbs and ferns, the variation in species richness was less than that of woody species. These findings provide important evidence concerning the generality of the energy theory for explaining the elevational species richness pattern of plants, highlighting that the underlying mechanisms may change among different growth form groups and regions within which mountains are nested.
Genes Responsible for H2S Production and Metabolism Are Involved in Learning and Memory in Drosophila melanogaster
Authors: Zatsepina Olga G. , Chuvakova Lyubov N. , Nikitina Ekaterina A. , Rezvykh Alexander P. , Zakluta Alexey S. , Sarantseva Svetlana V. , Surina Nina V. , Ksenofontov Alexander L. , Baratova Ludmila A. , Shilova Viktoria Y. , Evgen’ev Michael B.
Published: May 2022

The gasotransmitter hydrogen sulfide (H2S) produced by the transsulfuration pathway (TSP) is an important biological mediator, involved in many physiological and pathological processes in multiple higher organisms, including humans. Cystathionine-β-synthase (CBS) and cystathionine-γ-lyase (CSE) enzymes play a central role in H2S production and metabolism. Here, we investigated the role of H2S in learning and memory processes by exploring several Drosophila melanogaster strains with single and double deletions of CBS and CSE developed by the CRISPR/Cas9 technique. We monitored the learning and memory parameters of these strains using the mating rejection courtship paradigm and demonstrated that the deletion of the CBS gene, which is expressed predominantly in the central nervous system, and double deletions completely block short- and long-term memory formation in fruit flies. On the other hand, the flies with CSE deletion preserve short- and long-term memory but fail to exhibit long-term memory retention. Transcriptome profiling of the heads of the males from the strains with deletions in Gene Ontology terms revealed a strong down-regulation of many genes involved in learning and memory, reproductive behavior, cognition, and the oxidation–reduction process in all strains with CBS deletion, indicating an important role of the hydrogen sulfide production in these vital processes.
Investigation on the Temperature Control Accuracy of a Print Head for Extrusion 3D Printing and Its Improved Design
Authors: Zhang Peng , Gao Qiang , Yu Kaicheng , Yao Yifeng , Lu Lihua
Published: May 2022

For the extrusion 3D printing process, the printing temperature has a significant impact on the filament formation process because the rheological properties of the printed materials are extremely thermal sensitive, which requires a high temperature control accuracy of the print head. This paper presents a numerical and experimental investigation on the temperature field of a homemade print head. A finite element simulation model for analyzing the temperature field of the print head was established, by which the temperature distribution inside the print head can be acquired. Moreover, to improve the temperature control accuracy, an improved configuration was proposed, and two schemes were compared. The temperature control error dropped from 28% to 6.2% with the improved print head, which was verified experimentally. Furthermore, printing trials were conducted by the optimized print head. The filament diameter could be regulated by changing the temperature of the print head, which validates the feasibility to control the filament diameter during the extrusion process via temperature regulation.
Gene Therapy for Acquired and Genetic Cholestasis
Authors: Martínez-García Javier , Molina Angie , González-Aseguinolaza Gloria , Weber Nicholas D. , Smerdou Cristian
Published: May 2022

Cholestatic diseases can be caused by the dysfunction of transporters involved in hepatobiliary circulation. Although pharmacological treatments constitute the current standard of care for these diseases, none are curative, with liver transplantation being the only long-term solution for severe cholestasis, albeit with many disadvantages. Liver-directed gene therapy has shown promising results in clinical trials for genetic diseases, and it could constitute a potential new therapeutic approach for cholestatic diseases. Many preclinical gene therapy studies have shown positive results in animal models of both acquired and genetic cholestasis. The delivery of genes that reduce apoptosis or fibrosis or improve bile flow has shown therapeutic effects in rodents in which cholestasis was induced by drugs or bile duct ligation. Most studies targeting inherited cholestasis, such as progressive familial intrahepatic cholestasis (PFIC), have focused on supplementing a correct version of a mutated gene to the liver using viral or non-viral vectors in order to achieve expression of the therapeutic protein. These strategies have generated promising results in treating PFIC3 in mouse models of the disease. However, important challenges remain in translating this therapy to the clinic, as well as in developing gene therapy strategies for other types of acquired and genetic cholestasis.
Health Benefits of Dietary Fiber for the Management of Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Authors: Yusuf Kafayat , Saha Subhrajit , Umar Shahid
Published: May 2022

Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC), two components of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), are painful conditions that affect children and adults. Despite substantial research, there is no permanent cure for IBD, and patients face an increased risk of colon cancer. Dietary fiber’s health advantages have been thoroughly investigated, and it is recommended for its enormous health benefits. This review article discusses the importance of appropriate fiber intake in managing IBD, emphasizing how optimal fiber consumption can significantly help IBD patients.
Thrombotic Complications after COVID-19 Vaccination: Diagnosis and Treatment Options
Authors: Guetl Katharina , Raggam Reinhard Bernd , Gary Thomas
Published: May 2022

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines were developed a few months after the emergence of the pandemic. The first cases of vaccine-induced thrombotic complications after the use of adenoviral vector vaccines ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 by AstraZeneca, and Ad26.COV2.S by Johnson & Johnson/Janssen, were announced shortly after the initiation of a global vaccination program. In these cases, the occurrence of thrombotic events at unusual sites—predominantly located in the venous vascular system—in association with concomitant thrombocytopenia were observed. Since this new entity termed vaccine-induced thrombotic thrombocytopenia (VITT) shows similar pathophysiologic mechanisms as heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT), including the presence of antibodies against heparin/platelet factor 4 (PF4), standard routine treatment for thrombotic events—arterial or venous—are not appropriate and may also cause severe harm in affected patients. Thrombotic complications were also rarely documented after vaccination with mRNA vaccines, but a typical VITT phenomenon has, to date, not been established for these vaccines. The aim of this review is to give a concise and feasible overview of diagnostic and therapeutic strategies in COVID-19 vaccine-induced thrombotic complications.
Does Metakaoline Replacement Adversely Affect the Cyclic Behavior of Non-Strengthened and Strengthened RC Beams: An Experimental Investigation
Authors: Elwardany Hytham , Moubarak Ahmed M. R. , Abu el-hassan Khaled , Seleemah Ayman
Published: May 2022

The need to reduce carbon emissions has recently become prevalent in light of concerns related to climate change. Since the cement industry causes approximately 8% of global CO2 emissions, it might be an urgent necessity to include cement replacement materials within the concrete industry. An important question arises about if such replacement negatively affects the cyclic or seismic behavior of reinforced concrete (RC) elements. This research presents an experimental investigation of the effect of using different percentages of metakaolin replacement on the monotonic and cyclic behavior of RC beams. The investigated parameters include the flexural strength, ductility and energy dissipation capacity of the tested beams. The current paper also aims to study the effect of using the CFRP-strengthening technique with 15% metakaolin replacement on the behavior of RC beams under the same loading protocols. The experimental results reveal that metakaolin can be used as a partial substitute for cement up to 20% without negative effect on the concrete behavior under both loading protocols. For cyclic loading, the percentage of replacement did not negatively affect the ductility; rather, it provided some improvement.