bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Shame Mediates the Relationship Between Pain Invalidation and Depression
Authors: Boring Brandon L. , Walsh Kaitlyn T. , Nanavaty Namrata , Mathur Vani A.
Published: December 2021

The experience of pain is subjective, yet many people have their pain invalidated or not believed. Pain invalidation is associated with poor mental health, including depression and lower well-being. Qualitative investigations of invalidating experiences identify themes of depression, but also social withdrawal, self-criticism, and lower self-worth, all of which are core components of shame. Despite this, no studies have quantitatively assessed the interrelationship between pain invalidation, shame, and depression. To explore this relationship, participants recounted the frequency of experienced pain invalidation from family, friends, and medical professionals, as well as their feelings of internalized shame and depressive symptoms. As shame has been shown to be a precursor for depression, we further explored the role of shame as a mediator between pain invalidation and depressive symptoms. All sources of pain invalidation were positively associated with shame and depressive symptoms, and shame fully mediated the relationship between each source of pain invalidation and depression. Relative to other sources, pain invalidation from family was most closely tied to shame and depression. Overall, findings indicate that one mechanism by which pain invalidation may facilitate depression is via the experience of shame. Future research may explore shame as a potential upstream precursor to depression in the context of pain. Findings provide more insight into the harmful influence of pain invalidation on mental health and highlight the impact of interpersonal treatment on the experiences of people in pain.
The Impact of Coping Skills in Post-traumatic Growth of Healthcare Providers: When Mental Health Is Deteriorating Due to COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Prekazi Lulejete , Hajrullahu Vjosa , Bahtiri Shegë , Kryeziu Blerta , Hyseni Blertë , Taganoviq Besarta , Gallopeni Florim
Published: December 2021

Background:Frontline healthcare providers are consistently exposed to potentially traumatic events while assisting patients with COVID-19. Post-traumatic growth (PTG) happens when a person can transform trauma and use adversity in one’s advantage. In response to limited studies on positive outcomes that may occur from the pandemic; this study aimed to elucidate the positive impact of coping with COVID-19 outbreak on mental health, such as PTG.

Methodology:The study comprised a sample of 691 healthcare providers 59% female, including physicians (n= 138) and nurses (n= 550), working in public health facilities in Kosovo, with an average age of 41.6 years (SD= 10.79). They were asked to complete a questionnaire with four parts: Socio-demographic, GHQ-28, COPE and PTGI. A deterioration of mental health with somatic symptoms leading to the escalation due to COVID-19 outbreak was found.

Results:Female healthcare providers reported more clinical symptoms as well as higher coping skills scores than men. The domains in which positive changes were most frequently observed were Relating to Others, New Possibilities and Personal Strength. There was no significant direct effect of mental health on PTG in the mediation model, though a significant indirect effect was observed for coping skills.

Conclusion:The results suggest that levels of mental health exacerbation do not play a conclusive role in determining levels of PTG, as long coping mechanisms are in place. The development and implementation of interventions to minimize COVID-19-related mental health consequences, by fostering PTG among healthcare providers could be highly beneficial in pandemic response work.
Left Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex Glx/tCr Predicts Efficacy of High Frequency 4- to 6-Week rTMS Treatment and Is Associated With Symptom Improvement in Adults With Major Depressive Disorder: Findings From a Pilot Study
Authors: Bhattacharyya Pallab , Anand Amit , Lin Jian , Altinay Murat
Published: December 2021

About 20–40% of estimated 121 million patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) are not adequately responsive to medication treatment. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), a non-invasive, non-convulsive neuromodulation/neurostimulation method, has gained popularity in treatment of MDD. Because of the high cost involved in rTMS therapy, ability to predict the therapy effectiveness is both clinically and cost wise significant. This study seeks an imaging biomarker to predict efficacy of rTMS treatment using a standard high frequency 10-Hz 4- to 6-week protocol in adult population. Given the significance of excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmitters glutamate (Glu) and gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA) in the pathophysiology of MDD, and the involvement of the site of rTMS application, left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (lDLPFC), in MDD, we explored lDLPFC Glx (Glu + glutamine) and GABA levels, measured by single voxel magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) with total creatine (tCr; sum of creatine and phosphocreatine) as reference, as possible biomarkers of rTMS response prediction. Mescher-Garwood point-resolved spectroscopy (MEGA-PRESS) MRS data from 7 patients (40–74 y) were used in the study; 6 of these patients were scanned before and after 6 weeks of rTMS therapy. Findings from this study show inverse correlation between pretreatment lDLPFC Glx/tCr and (i) posttreatment depression score and (ii) change in depression score, suggesting higher Glx/tCr as a predictor of treatment efficacy. In addition association was observed between changes in depression scores and changes in Glx/tCr ratio. The preliminary findings did not show any such association between GABA/tCr and depression score.
Anxiety and Insomnia Among Urban Slum Dwellers in Bangladesh: The Role of COVID-19 and Its Associated Factors
Authors: Koly Kamrun Nahar , Khanam Mosammat Ivylata , Islam Md. Saiful , Mahmood Shehrin Shaila , Hanifi Syed Manzoor Ahmed , Reidpath Daniel D. , Khatun Fatema , Rasheed Sabrina
Published: December 2021

Background: Although mental health is an important part of health and wellbeing, very little is known about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of marginalized communities like urban slum dwellers. Our study estimated the prevalence of generalized anxiety disorder and insomnia among the residents of the informal settlements of Dhaka, Bangladesh, during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: A cross-sectional phone-based survey was conducted from October to November 2020 among adult residents of five informal settlements of Dhaka city randomly chosen from an existing Urban Health and Demographic Surveillance Systems (UHDSS) run by icddr,b. Data on Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) and Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) were collected. A multinomial logistic regression was performed to assess the associated factors of anxiety and insomnia.

Results: Of the total 586 participants, the prevalence of mild to severe anxiety and insomnia were 53% and 43%, respectively. As per the multinomial regression analysis, participants with mild anxiety were significantly more likely to be older (>50 years) and afraid of COVID-19 infection. Likewise, participants with moderate/severe anxiety were significantly more likely to share less household facilities (e.g., toilet, kitchen, water) (OR: 2.23; 95% CI: 1.31–3.79), to have difficulties in food availability (OR: 2.76; 95% CI: 1.10–6.93), to be afraid of self (OR: 5.27; 95% CI: 2.82–9.88), and to worry about the family members (OR: 2.26; 95% CI: 1.23–4.17) getting infected. Participants with mild insomnia were significantly more likely to share fewer household facilities and be afraid of being infected with COVID-19 infection. Moreover, participants with moderate/severe insomnia were significantly more likely to be female (OR: 1.90; 95% CI: 1.02–3.56), to receive food aid (OR: 0.50; 95% CI: 0.29–0.88), to be afraid of self (OR: 3.85; 95% CI: 1.81–8.19), and to worry about someone like friends or neighbors (OR: 2.45; 95% CI: 1.07–5.58) getting infected with COVID-19.

Conclusions: We found elevated prevalence of both anxiety and insomnia among the urban poor of Bangladesh in the context of COVID-19. This indicates the importance of integrating mental health in the mitigation and recovery efforts related to similar crises for the urban poor in the future.
Associated Effects of Meaning in Life and Social Adjustment Among Chinese Undergraduate Students With Left-Behind Experiences in the Post-epidemic Period
Authors: Ge Ying , Shuai Mei-Qiong , Luo Jie , Wenger Jay L. , Lu Cun-Yang
Published: December 2021

Background: The outbreak of COVID-19 has brought about radical changes in social life. The study focuses on a special group, Chinese undergraduate students with left-behind experiences. Specifically, the study addresses how such students feel and grasp the meaning in life and how they adapt to the current social environment after experiencing the impermanence of life. The correlation between the meaning in life and social adjustment in the post-epidemic period is evaluated.

Methods: The Meaning in Life Scale and the Social Adjustment Scale were used to test 988 undergraduate students. Multi-factor analysis, correlation, regression, and dominance analysis were performed on the test results.

Results: (1) During the epidemic, Chinese undergraduate students generally had low meaning in life scores, including below-average values for life goals, and middle-range scores for social adjustment. (2) Having or not having left-behind experiences had an important influence on the meaning in life and social adjustment of undergraduates: undergraduates with left-behind experiences performed better than those without left-behind experiences in terms of meaning in life, while their social adjustment was weaker than those without left-behind experiences. (3) The zest for life and freedom of life of undergraduates in both groups negatively predicted social adjustment, and zest for life preferentially influenced social adjustment. Zest for life also had a significant effect on life value in the group without left-behind experiences. Zest for life was a priority factor influencing social adjustment.

Conclusion: The epidemic and left-behind experiences are important factors influencing the relationship between meaning in life and social adjustment among Chinese undergraduate students.
Number of Seclusions in the Netherlands Higher in the 7 Years Since the End of a Nationwide Seclusion-Reduction Program
Authors: Vruwink Fleur J. , Wierdsma André , Noorthoorn Eric O. , Nijman Henk L. I. , Mulder Cornelis L.
Published: December 2021

Introduction: Between 2006 and 2012 the Dutch government funded a nationwide program for reducing the use of seclusion. Although an initial first trend study showed that the reported number of seclusions declined during the program, the objective of a 10% annual decrease was not met. We wished to establish whether the decline had continued after funding ended in 2012.

Method: Using quasi Poisson time series modeling, we retrospectively analyzed the nationally reported numbers of seclusion and involuntary medication between 1998 and 2019, i.e., before, during and after the end of the nationwide program, with and without correction for the number of involuntary admissions.

Results: With and without correction for the number of involuntary admissions, there were more seclusions in the seven years after the nationwide program than during the nationwide program. Although the reported number of involuntary medications also increased, the rate of increase was slower after the end of the nationwide program than before.

Conclusions: Rather than continuing to decrease after the end of the nationwide program, the number of seclusions rose. This may mean that interventions intended to reduce the use of seclusion within this program are not properly sustained in daily clinical care without an ongoing national program.
Joint Hypermobility in Paediatric Acute-Onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome—A Preliminary Case-Control Study
Authors: Bejerot Susanne , Hylén Ulrika , Glans Martin , Hesselmark Eva , Humble Mats B.
Published: December 2021

Background: Individuals with generalised joint hypermobility (GJH, present in 10–20% of the general population) are at increased risk of being diagnosed with a range of psychiatric and rheumatological conditions. It is unknown whether Paediatric acute-onset neuropsychiatric syndrome (PANS), characterised by childhood onset obsessive-compulsive disorder or restricted eating and typically associated with several comorbid neuropsychiatric symptoms, is associated with GJH. It is also unknown whether extensive psychiatric comorbidity is associated with GJH.

Method: This is a case-control study including 105 participants. We compared three groups: Individuals with PANS, individuals with other mental disorders and healthy controls. Joint mobility was assessed with the Beighton scoring system, psychiatric comorbidity with the M.I.N.I. or MINI-KID interview and symptoms of PANS with the PsychoNeuroInflammatory related Signs and Symptoms Inventory (PNISSI).

Results: Hypermobility was similar across groups, and high rates of psychiatric comorbidity was not associated with higher Beighton scores.

Conclusion: Although GJH is associated with several psychiatric conditions, such as ADHD and anxiety, this does not seem to be the case for PANS according to this preliminary study.
Humanized Care From the Nurse–Patient Perspective in a Hospital Setting: A Systematic Review of Experiences Disclosed in Spanish and Portuguese Scientific Articles
Authors: Meneses-La-Riva Monica Elisa , Suyo-Vega Josefina Amanda , Fernández-Bedoya Víctor Hugo
Published: December 2021

Nowadays, humanized care is an essential component in the field of health because the professional work of nursing seeks to provide quality services to patients who are suffering and fear illness or the dying process. Nurses recognize the need to incorporate humanized care into their daily work, as supported by Jean Watson, who states that caring entails establishing an adequate nurse–patient therapeutic relationship, where health education is a tool that promotes self-care in the patient, family, and community. The main objective of this work was to find scientific evidence on humanized care from the perspectives of nurses and hospitalized patients. To meet those research objectives, an exploratory systematic review of articles published in high-quality scientific journals from 2016 to 2020 using the PRISMA methodology in the Scopus and Scielo databases was conducted, yielding 26 studies that were analyzed. The findings show that nurses and patients perceive the need to remove the barriers that limit the advancement of humanized care in hospital institutions because they urgently demand that health professionals in all settings, especially critical ones, strengthen their humanizing role by sharing cordial, empathetic health experiences, and respecting their customs and beliefs during the hospitalization process. As a conclusion of the findings, the nurse–patient professionals agree that health personnel training is critical to providing humanized attention with quality in the hospital context, emphasizing that professional training should develop in practice soft skills, communication, safety environment, and human values.
Longitudinal Effects of Stressful Life Events on Problematic Smartphone Use and the Mediating Roles of Mental Health Problems in Chinese Undergraduate Students
Authors: Zhao Chengjia , Ding Nani , Yang Xue , Xu Huihui , Lai Xinyi , Tu Xiaolian , Lv Yijun , Xu Dongwu , Zhang Guohua
Published: December 2021

Background and Aims: This three-wave longitudinal study investigated the effects of stressful life events on problematic smartphone use and the mediating roles of mental health problems (i.e., depressive symptoms, poor sleep quality, and suicidal ideation) in Chinese undergraduate students.

Methods: A total of 197 undergraduate students completed the three-wave surveys. Their severity of stressful life events, mental health problems, and problematic smartphone use were assessed.

Results: Regression analyses revealed that stressful life events at T1 was significantly associated with problematic smartphone use at T3. Mediation analyses showed that mental health problems (i.e., depressive symptoms, poor sleep quality, and suicidal ideation) at T2 fully mediated the association between stressful life events at T1 and problematic smartphone use at T3 (B = 0.042, 0.034, and 0.022, respectively).

Conclusions: The present study revealed that stressful life events and mental health problems (i.e., depressive symptoms, poor sleep quality, and suicidal ideation) are predictors of problematic smartphone use in Chinese college students.
Appropriate Strategies for Reducing the Negative Impact of Online Reports of Suicide and Public Opinion From Social Media in China
Authors: Chu Meijie , Li Hongye , Lin Shengnan , Cai Xinlan , Li Xian , Chen Shih-Han , Zhang Xiaoke , Man Qingli , Lee Chun-Yang , Chiang Yi-Chen
Published: December 2021

Suicide events may have a negative impact on all of society. The media plays a significant role in suicide prevention. Therefore, the aims of this study are (a) to understand the association between characteristics of suicide events and characteristics of who committed suicide, and event impact indexes (EIIs) of suicide reported on the internet; (b) to analyze violation of recommendations for reporting suicide by Weibo, and (c) to investigate the effect of online reports of suicide on public opinion. We carried out a content analysis of online reports of suicide. This study analyzed 113 suicide events, 300 news reports of suicide, and 2,654 Weibo comments about suicide collected from the WeiboReach between 2015 and 2020. We used a t-test and analysis of variance (ANOVA) to explore the potential factors associated with the EIIs of suicide events. The results found that (a) The suicide events reported on the internet during COVID-19 and those related to celebrities and students tend to have higher EIIs; (b) suicide reports on Weibo frequently violated WHO recommendations for suicide reporting in the media; and (c) public opinion of suicide reporting in the online media was mostly emotional and irrational, which is not beneficial for public mental health and suicide prevention. In conclusion, first, the situation of many people working from home or studying from home and spreading more time online during COVID-19 may lead to suicide events obtain more public attention. Online media could further improve public responsible reporting and daily media-content surveillance, especially taking particular care in those suicide events during COVID-19, and related to celebrities and students, which may have a higher event impact on the internet. Second, health managers should regular assessment of observance of the WHO recommendations for suicide reporting by online social media to prevent suicide. Third, health communication managers should use big data to identify, assess, and manage harmful information about suicide; and track anyone affected by suicide-related reports on social media to reduce the negative impact of public opinion to intervene suicide in the early stage of suicide.
Comparison of Carbapenem-Resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae Strains Causing Intestinal Colonization and Extraintestinal Infections: Clinical, Virulence, and Molecular Epidemiological Characteristics
Authors: Liao Wenli , Huang Na , Zhang Ying , Sun Yao , Chen Tao , Zeng Weiliang , Chen Liqiong , Wen Hong , Cao Jianming , Zhou Tieli
Published: December 2021

Carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumonia (CRKP) infections has become a concerning threat. However, knowledge regarding the characteristics of intestinal CRKP isolates is limited. This study aimed to investigate and compare the clinical, virulence and molecular epidemiological characteristics of intestinal colonization and extraintestinal infections CRKP strains. The clinical characteristics were investigated retrospectively. Polymerase chain reaction was used to investigate the capsular serotype, virulence genes and carbapenemase genes. Capsular polysaccharide quantification assay, serum resistance assay, biofilm formation assay, and infection model of Galleria mellonella larvae were performed to compare the virulence and pathogenicity. Besides, multilocus-sequence-typing (MLST) and pulsed-field-gel-electrophoresis (PFGE) were conducted to explore the homology of intestinal CRKP isolates. A total of 54 intestinal CRKP isolates were included. The main capsular serotypes were K14, K64, and K19. C-reactive protein and the proportion of ICU isolation of the infection group were significantly higher than that of the colonization group (P < 0.05). The carrier rates of various virulence genes of CRKP in the infection group were mostly higher than those in the colonization group, wherein the carrier rates of peg-344 and rmpA were significantly different (P < 0.05). There was no significant difference in capsular polysaccharides, antiserum ability, biofilm formation ability between the two group (P > 0.05), but the lethality of the infection group to Galleria mellonella was significantly higher than that of the colonization group (P < 0.05). The MLST categorized the 54 isolates into 13 different sequence types. PFGE revealed that homology among the 54 CRKP strains was <80%. This study suggested that the CRKP strains in the infection group had higher virulence than those in the colonization group. The development of CRKP isolates colonizing in the intestine should be addressed in future clinical surveillance.
Trustworthy Intrusion Detection in E-Healthcare Systems
Authors: Akram Faiza , Liu Dongsheng , Zhao Peibiao , Kryvinska Natalia , Abbas Sidra , Rizwan Muhammad
Published: December 2021

In Internet of Things (IoT)-based network systems (IoT-net), intrusion detection systems (IDS) play a significant role to maintain patient health records (PHR) in e-healthcare. IoT-net is a massive technology with security threats on the network layer, as it is considered the most common source for communication and data storage platforms. The security of data servers in all sectors (mainly healthcare) has become one of the most crucial challenges for researchers. This paper proposes an approach for effective intrusion detection in the e-healthcare environment to maintain PHR in a safe IoT-net using an adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS). In the proposed security model, the experiments present a security tool that helps to detect malicious network traffic. The practical implementation of the ANFIS model on the MATLAB framework with testing and training results compares the accuracy rate from the previous research in security.
LEADOR: A Method for End-To-End Participatory Design of Autonomous Social Robots
Authors: Winkle Katie , Senft Emmanuel , Lemaignan Séverin
Published: December 2021

Participatory design (PD) has been used to good success in human-robot interaction (HRI) but typically remains limited to the early phases of development, with subsequent robot behaviours then being hardcoded by engineers or utilised in Wizard-of-Oz (WoZ) systems that rarely achieve autonomy. In this article, we present LEADOR (Led-by-Experts Automation and Design Of Robots), an end-to-end PD methodology for domain expert co-design, automation, and evaluation of social robot behaviour. This method starts with typical PD, working with the domain expert(s) to co-design the interaction specifications and state and action space of the robot. It then replaces the traditional offline programming or WoZ phase by an in situ and online teaching phase where the domain expert can live-program or teach the robot how to behave whilst being embedded in the interaction context. We point out that this live teaching phase can be best achieved by adding a learning component to a WoZ setup, which captures implicit knowledge of experts, as they intuitively respond to the dynamics of the situation. The robot then progressively learns an appropriate, expert-approved policy, ultimately leading to full autonomy, even in sensitive and/or ill-defined environments. However, LEADOR is agnostic to the exact technical approach used to facilitate this learning process. The extensive inclusion of the domain expert(s) in robot design represents established responsible innovation practice, lending credibility to the system both during the teaching phase and when operating autonomously. The combination of this expert inclusion with the focus on in situ development also means that LEADOR supports a mutual shaping approach to social robotics. We draw on two previously published, foundational works from which this (generalisable) methodology has been derived to demonstrate the feasibility and worth of this approach, provide concrete examples in its application, and identify limitations and opportunities when applying this framework in new environments.
Rare Malignant Indications for Liver Transplantation: A Collaborative Transplant Study Report
Authors: Houben Philipp , Schimmack Simon , Unterrainer Christian , Döhler Bernd , Mehrabi Arianeb , Süsal Caner
Published: December 2021

Introduction: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is by far the leading malignant indication for liver transplantation (LT). Few other malignancies, including cholangiocellular carcinoma (CCC), metastases from neuroendocrine tumors (NET), and sarcomas of the liver (LSAR), also are commonly accepted indications for LT. However, there is limited information on their outcome after LT.

Methods: Graft and patient survival in 14,623 LTs performed in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma, CCC, NET, and LSAR from 1988 to 2017 and reported to the Collaborative Transplant Study were analyzed.

Results: The study group consisted of 13,862 patients who had HCC (94.8%), 498 (3.4%) who had CCC, 100 (0.7%) who had NET, and 163 (1.1%) who had LSAR. CCC patients showed a 5-year graft survival rate of 32.1%, strikingly lower than the 63.2% rate in HCC, 51.6% rate in NET, and 64.5% rate in LSAR patients (P < 0.001 for all vs. CCC). Multivariable Cox regression analysis revealed a significantly higher risk of graft loss and death due to cancer during the first five post-transplant years in CCC vs. HCC patients (HR 1.77 and 2.56; P < 0.001 for both). The same risks were increased also in NET and LSAR patients but did not reach statistical significance.

Conclusion: Among patients with rare malignant indications for LT, CCC patients showed significantly impaired graft as well as patient survival compared to HCC patients. The observed differences might challenge traditional decision-making processes for LT indication and palliative treatment in specific hepatic malignancies.
Efficacy of Phototherapy With 308-nm Excimer Light for Skin Microbiome Dysbiosis and Skin Barrier Dysfunction in Canine Atopic Dermatitis
Authors: Park Ju-Yong , Kim Seon-Myeong , Kim Jung-Hyun
Published: December 2021

The management of canine atopic dermatitis, an allergic skin disorder, is challenging. To investigate the effect of phototherapy using a 308-nm excimer light as a topical treatment for canine atopic dermatitis, 10 dogs with canine atopic dermatitis and 10 with non-allergic skin were enrolled in this study. Phototherapy was applied every 7 days for a total of 2 months. The skin microbiome, skin barrier function, and clinical outcomes were evaluated after phototherapy. Phototherapy significantly changed the composition of the skin microbiome of dogs with atopic dermatitis and significantly increased the relative abundance of the phyla Actinobacteria and Cyanobacteria. It significantly alleviated the clinical signs of canine atopic dermatitis without serious adverse effects. Transepidermal water loss, as a measure of skin barrier function, significantly decreased after phototherapy. In addition, phototherapy increased microbial diversity and decreased the relative abundance of Staphylococcus pseudintermedius associated with the severity of canine atopic dermatitis. These results suggest that the excimer light therapy is a suitable and safe therapeutic option for canine atopic dermatitis, which is also a spontaneous animal model of atopic dermatitis.
A Method for Aero-Engine Gas Path Anomaly Detection Based on Markov Transition Field and Multi-LSTM
Authors: Cui Langfu , Zhang Chaoqi , Zhang Qingzhen , Wang Junle , Wang Yixuan , Shi Yan , Lin Cong , Jin Yang
Published: December 2021

There are some problems such as uncertain thresholds, high dimension of monitoring parameters and unclear parameter relationships in the anomaly detection of aero-engine gas path. These problems make it difficult for the high accuracy of anomaly detection. In order to improve the accuracy of aero-engine gas path anomaly detection, a method based on Markov Transition Field and LSTM is proposed in this paper. The correlation among high-dimensional QAR data is obtained based on Markov Transition Field and hierarchical clustering. According to the correlation analysis of high-dimensional QAR data, a multi-input and multi-output LSTM network is constructed to realize one-step rolling prediction. A Gaussian mixture model of the residuals between predicted value and true value is constructed. The three-sigma rule is applied to detect outliers based on the Gaussian mixture model of the residuals. The experimental results show that the proposed method has high accuracy for aero-engine gas path anomaly detection.
Influence of Inorganic Metal (Ag, Cu) Nanoparticles on Biological Activity and Biochemical Properties of Brassica napus Rhizosphere Soil
Authors: Kachel Magdalena , Nowak Artur , Jaroszuk-Ściseł Jolanta , Tyśkiewicz Renata , Parafiniuk Stanisław , Rabier Fabienne
Published: December 2021

Two separate forms of application of silver and copper nanoparticles (AgNP and CuNP in a nanocolloidal suspension) to winter oilseed rape seeds were used: (1) seed soaking (S) for 1 h at 20 °C in a NP suspension and (2) additional seed soaking and spraying plants 21-day-old seedlings (SP) with NP. The AgNP and CuNP colloidal suspensions in sterile distilled water were applied in three different NP concentrations (50, 100, 150 mg L−1). However, the changes in the biology and biochemistry of the Brassica napus rhizospheric soil after the application of CuNPs and AgNPs are not considerable, although mostly statistically significant, and the application of CuNPs is more beneficial for this activity than the application of AgNPs. The number of CFUs (colony–forming units) of the tested groups of culturable microorganisms (fungi and copiotrophic, oligotrophic, and siderophore-producing bacteria) indicates the following trend: the abundance of all the tested groups was slightly positively correlated with CuNPs and clearly negatively correlated with AgNPs in each version of application. The soil pH value and tested biochemical soil parameters (IAA: indole-3-acetic acid, PhC: phenolic compounds, FeCC: Fe–chelating compounds) were negatively correlated with AgNPs applied to the seeds (S) at all the tested concentrations and to the seeds and plants (SP) at the concentration of 50 mg L−1. In turn, these parameters were strongly positively correlated with CuNPs applied to the S and SP groups at the concentration of 50 mg L−1 as well as Ag applied to SP at 100 mg L−1. Decrease in dehydrogenase activity (DHA) was lower after the application of CuNPs and AgNPs in S than in the SP way, and the DHA activity was equal to the activity in the control sample after the CuNP application in 100 and 150 mg L−1 concentrations.
Cereal-Legume Value Chain Analysis: A Case of Smallholder Production in Selected Areas of Malawi
Authors: Branca Giacomo , Cacchiarelli Luca , D’Amico Valentina , Dakishoni Laifolo , Lupafya Esther , Magalasi Mufunanji , Perelli Chiara , Sorrentino Alessandro
Published: December 2021

This article analyses the cereal-legume value chain in Malawi through a comprehensive VC Map, a SWOT exercise and a policy analysis. VC participation entails a number of challenges for smallholders. Limited access to land, technology and inputs, inadequate knowledge of market functioning, insufficient access to credit and extension services, combined with more general problems of poor infrastructures, often prevent smallholder farmers from accessing profitable market opportunities. The effectiveness of national policies (e.g., public extension service support, inputs subsidy system) oriented to increase smallholders’ market access is often constrained by inadequate financial capacity, an inefficient public extension services system and limited involvement of privates in the extension services scheme. VC interventions should distinguish between VC-ready farmers, namely those provided with the minimum conditions of external and internal factors, and non-value-chain-ready farmers. Market-based interventions (e.g., enhancing VC coordination) are needed for enhancing market access of value-chain-ready farmers. Conversely, while non-market-based interventions (e.g., investments in basic infrastructure, increasing extension services, credit and inputs access) prove necessary to build the minimum asset thresholds for non-value-chain-ready farmers’ participation in the market. A smallholder-friendly VC development relies on the role played by VC actors and the need to harmonise and improve existing policies to remove inadequacies, conflicts and overlaps in the various institutions charged with implementation.
Insertion of a Clinical Pathway Pop-Up Window into a Computer-Based Prescription System: A Method to Promote Antibiotic Stewardship in Upper Respiratory Tract Infection
Authors: Sribenjalux Wantin , Larbsida Nattawat , Khamsai Sittichai , Panyapornsakul Benjaphol , Deawtrakulchai Phitphiboon , Meesing Atibordee
Published: December 2021

Outpatient antibiotics are most frequently prescribed for upper respiratory tract infection (URI); however, most such prescriptions are inappropriate. We aimed to determine the effect of an electronic clinical pathway on the rates of overall and rational prescription of antibiotics in patients with URI. A pilot quasi-experimental study was conducted in a university hospital and two of its nearby primary care units (PCU) in northeast Thailand from June to September 2020. Clinical pathway pop-up windows were inserted into the hospital’s computer-based prescription system. Care providers were required to check the appropriate boxes before they were able to prescribe amoxicillin or co-amoxiclav. We examined a total of 675 visits to the outpatient department due to URI at three points in time: pre-intervention, immediately post-intervention, and 6 weeks post-intervention. Patients in the latter group tended to be younger and visits were more likely to be general practitioner-related and to the student PCU than in the other two groups. In addition, the rate of antibiotic prescription was significantly lower at 6 weeks after intervention than at either of the other time periods (32.0% vs 53.8% pre-intervention and 46.2% immediately post-intervention; p < 0.001), and the proportion of rational antibiotic prescriptions increased significantly after implementation. Antibiotic prescription rates were lower at the community primary care unit and higher when the physician was a resident or a family doctor. The deployment of an electronic clinical pathway reduced the rate of unnecessary antibiotic prescriptions. The effect was greater at 6 weeks post-implementation. However, discrepancy of patients’ baseline characteristics may have skewed the findings.
A Novel MRE Adaptive Seismic Isolator Using Curvelet Transform Identification
Authors: Altabey Wael A. , Noori Mohammad , Li Zele , Zhao Ying , Aval Seyed Bahram Beheshti , Noroozinejad Farsangi Ehsan , Ghiasi Ramin , Silik Ahmed
Published: December 2021

Magnetorheological elastomeric (MRE) material is a novel type of material that can adaptively change the rheological property rapidly, continuously, and reversibly when subjected to real-time external magnetic field. These new type of MRE materials can be developed by employing various schemes, for instance by mixing carbon nanotubes or acetone contents during the curing process which produces functionalized multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). In order to study the mechanical and magnetic effects of this material, for potential application in seismic isolation, in this paper, different mathematical models of magnetorheological elastomers are analyzed and modified based on the reported studies on traditional magnetorheological elastomer. In this regard, a new feature identification method, via utilizing curvelet analysis, is proposed to make a multi-scale constituent analysis and subsequently a comparison between magnetorheological elastomer nanocomposite and traditional magnetorheological elastomers in a microscopic level. Furthermore, by using this “smart” material as the laminated core structure of an adaptive base isolation system, magnetic circuit analysis is numerically conducted for both complete and incomplete designs. Magnetic distribution of different laminated magnetorheological layers is discussed when the isolator is under compressive preloading and lateral shear loading. For a proof of concept study, a scaled building structure is established with the proposed isolation device. The dynamic performance of this isolated structure is analyzed by using a newly developed reaching law sliding mode control and Radial Basis Function (RBF) adaptive sliding mode control schemes. Transmissibility of the structural system is evaluated to assess its adaptability, controllability and nonlinearity. As the findings in this study show, it is promising that the structure can achieve its optimal and adaptive performance by designing an isolator with this adaptive material whose magnetic and mechanical properties are functionally enhanced as compared with traditional isolation devices. The adaptive control algorithm presented in this research can transiently suppress and protect the structure against non-stationary disturbances in the real time.
Workflow for Segmentation of Caenorhabditis elegans from Fluorescence Images for the Quantitation of Lipids
Authors: Lehner Theresa , Pum Dietmar , Rollinger Judith M. , Kirchweger Benjamin
Published: December 2021

The small and transparent nematode Caenorhabditis elegans is increasingly employed for phenotypic in vivo chemical screens. The influence of compounds on worm body fat stores can be assayed with Nile red staining and imaging. Segmentation of C. elegans from fluorescence images is hereby a primary task. In this paper, we present an image-processing workflow that includes machine-learning-based segmentation of C. elegans directly from fluorescence images and quantifies their Nile red lipid-derived fluorescence. The segmentation is based on a J48 classifier using pixel entropies and is refined by size-thresholding. The accuracy of segmentation was >90% in our external validation. Binarization with a global threshold set to the brightness of the vehicle control group worms of each experiment allows a robust and reproducible quantification of worm fluorescence. The workflow is available as a script written in the macro language of imageJ, allowing the user additional manual control of classification results and custom specification settings for binarization. Our approach can be easily adapted to the requirements of other fluorescence image-based experiments with C. elegans.
COVID-19 Patient Detection Based on Fusion of Transfer Learning and Fuzzy Ensemble Models Using CXR Images
Authors: Mahanty Chandrakanta , Kumar Raghvendra , Asteris Panagiotis G. , Gandomi Amir H.
Published: December 2021

The COVID-19 pandemic has claimed the lives of millions of people and put a significant strain on healthcare facilities. To combat this disease, it is necessary to monitor affected patients in a timely and cost-effective manner. In this work, CXR images were used to identify COVID-19 patients. We compiled a CXR dataset with equal number of 2313 COVID positive, pneumonia and normal CXR images and utilized various transfer learning models as base classifiers, including VGG16, GoogleNet, and Xception. The proposed methodology combines fuzzy ensemble techniques, such as Majority Voting, Sugeno Integral, and Choquet Fuzzy, and adaptively combines the decision scores of the transfer learning models to identify coronavirus infection from CXR images. The proposed fuzzy ensemble methods outperformed each individual transfer learning technique and several state-of-the-art ensemble techniques in terms of accuracy and prediction. Specifically, VGG16 + Choquet Fuzzy, GoogleNet + Choquet Fuzzy, and Xception + Choquet Fuzzy achieved accuracies of 97.04%, 98.48%, and 99.57%, respectively. The results of this work are intended to help medical practitioners achieve an earlier detection of coronavirus compared to other detection strategies, which can further save millions of lives and advantageously influence society.
From When to When: Evaluating Naturalness of Reaction Time via Viewing Turn around Behaviors
Authors: Kubota Atsumu , Kimoto Mitsuhiko , Iio Takamasa , Shimohara Katsunori , Shiomi Masahiro
Published: December 2021

This paper addresses the effects of visual reaction times of a turn around behavior toward touch stimulus in the context of perceived naturalness. People essentially prefer a quick and natural reaction time to interaction partners, but appropriate reaction times will change due to the kinds of partners, e.g., humans, computers, and robots. In this study, we investigate two visual reaction times in touch interaction: the time length from the touched timing to the start of a reaction behavior, and the time length of the reaction behavior. We also investigated appropriate reaction times for different beings: three robots (Sota, Nao and Pepper) and humans (male and female). We conducted a web-survey based experiment to investigate natural reaction times for robots and humans, and the results concluded that the best combinations of both reaction times are different between each robot (i.e., among Sota, Nao and Pepper) and the humans (i.e., between male and female). We also compared the effect of using the best combinations for each robot and human to prove the importance of using each appropriate reaction timing for each being. The results suggest that an appropriate reaction time combination investigated from the male model is not ideal for robots, and the combination investigated from the female model is a better choice for robots. Our study also suggests that calibrating parameters for individual robots’ behavior design would enable better performances than using parameters of robot behaviors based on observing human-human interaction, although such an approach is a typical method of robot behavior design.
Chitin and Chitosan in the Alcoholic and Non-Alcoholic Beverage Industry: An Overview
Authors: Cosme Fernanda , Vilela Alice
Published: December 2021

The natural biopolymer chitin and its deacetylated derivative chitosan are abundant in nature. They are obtained from different sources, including the crustacean shells and the cell wall of fungi. Chitin and chitosan have various applications in the beverage industry, such as a flocculent to improve the clarification process, for the reduction of metals and contaminates, and to extend shelf-life. They are also used as material for the immobilization of microorganisms and enzymes, which allows the development of bioprocesses that preserve the quality of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. Therefore, the main purpose of this overview is to consolidate some of the current practical applications of chitin and chitosan in the alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverage industry and to reveal new perspectives.
An Operating Model for an EPB Shield TBM Simulator by the Correlation Analysis of Operational Actions and Mechanical Responses
Authors: Park Byungkwan , Choi Soon-Wook , Lee Chulho , Kang Tae-Ho , Do Seungchul , Lee Woon-Yong , Chang Soo-Ho
Published: December 2021

This study reports on the development of an operating model for an EPB Shield TBM simulator by the correlation between operating parameters. First, four main operating parameters required for excavation are analyzed, then multiple regression analysis estimates their requirements depending on the ground conditions and the TBM’s specifications. Further multiple regression analysis then determines the interactions between six operational actions and ten mechanical responses. Operating procedures are established, and interlock and warning alarm systems are designed for use in the operating model. Lastly, several simulations were tested for the operating model of the TBM simulator under various conditions.
U-SSD: Improved SSD Based on U-Net Architecture for End-to-End Table Detection in Document Images
Authors: Lee Shih-Hsiung , Chen Hung-Chun
Published: December 2021

Tables are an important element in a document and can express more information with fewer words. Due to the different arrangements of tables and texts, as well as the variety of layouts, table detection is a challenge in the field of document analysis. Nowadays, as Optical Character Recognition technology has gradually matured, it can help us to obtain text information quickly, and the ability to accurately detect table structures can improve the efficiency of obtaining text content. The process of document digitization is influenced by the editor’s style on the table layout. In addition, many industries rely on a large number of people to process data, which has high expense, thus, the industry imports artificial intelligence and Robotic Process Automation to handle simple and complicated routine text digitization work. Therefore, this paper proposes an end-to-end table detection model, U-SSD, as based on the object detection method of deep learning, takes the Single Shot MultiBox Detector (SSD) as the basic model architecture, improves it by U-Net, and adds dilated convolution to enhance the feature learning capability of the network. The experiment in this study uses the dataset of accident claim documents, as provided by a Taiwanese Law Firm, and conducts table detection. The experimental results show that the proposed method is effective. In addition, the results of the evaluation on open dataset of TableBank, Github, and ICDAR13 show that the SSD-based network architectures can achieve good performance.
Air Quality Assessment in the Central Mediterranean Sea (Tyrrhenian Sea): Anthropic Impact and Miscellaneous Natural Sources, including Volcanic Contribution, on the Budget of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs)
Authors: Vichi Francesca , Ianniello Antonietta , Frattoni Massimiliano , Imperiali Andrea , Esposito Giulio , Tomasi Scianò Maria Concetta , Perilli Mattia , Cecinato Angelo
Published: December 2021

The results of air pollution assessment during a 2017 cruise of the research ship “Minerva Uno” in the Tyrrhenian Sea are reported. Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), Oxygenated Volatile Organic Compounds (OVOCs), and pollutants such as nitrogen oxides, ozone, and sulphur dioxide were monitored throughout the cruise. The shallow waters at ten sites of the investigated area were also analyzed. Organic compounds such as n-alkanes showed a bimodal distribution with a maximum at C5–C6 and C10–C11 at sites the most affected by anthropic impact, whereas remote sites showed a unimodal distribution with maximum at C10–C11. The most abundant atmospheric OVOC was acetone (3.66 μg/m3), accounting for 38%; formaldehyde (1.23 μg/m3) and acetaldehyde (0.99 μg/m3) made up about 22–29% of the total. The influence of some natural sources as volcanoes, in the southern part of the Tyrrhenian Sea near the Aeolian arc was studied. This source did not induce any noticeable effect on the total amount of hydrocarbons nor on the levels of trace gases such as CFCs, whereas the trends of sulphur dioxide seemed to confirm a possible contribution. The impact of underwater emissions was observed near the Panarea and Vulcano islands, where lower pHs, high levels of Fe and Mn, and diagnostic of vent activity, were measured.