bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Change in Interpersonal and Metacognitive Skills During Treatment With Cognitive Behavioral Analysis System of Psychotherapy and Metacognitive Therapy: Results From an Observational Study
Authors: Sürig Svenja , Ohm Katharina , Grave Ulrike , Glanert Sarah , Herzog Philipp , Fassbinder Eva , Borgwardt Stefan , Klein Jan Philipp
Published: August 2021

Background: Interpersonal skills deficits and dysfunctional metacognitive beliefs have been implicated in the etiology and maintenance of depression. This study aimed to investigate the association between changes in these skills deficits and change in depressive symptoms over the course of treatment with Cognitive Behavioral Analysis System of Psychotherapy (CBASP) and Metacognitive Therapy (MCT).

Methods: In this prospective, parallel group observational study, data was collected at baseline and after 8 weeks of an intensive day clinic psychotherapy program. Based on a shared decision between patients and clinicians, patients received either CBASP or MCT. Ninety patients were included in the analyses (CBASP: age M = 38.7, 40.5% female, MCT: age M = 44.7, 43.3% female). Interpersonal deficits were assessed with the short-form of the Luebeck Questionnaire for Recording Preoperational Thinking (LQPT-SF) and the Impact Message Inventory (IMI-R). Metacognitive beliefs were assessed with the Metacognition Questionnaire-30 (MCQ-30). The Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology (QIDS-SR16) was utilized to assess depressive symptoms. A regression analysis was conducted to assess variables associated with outcome. ANCOVAs were utilized to investigate whether improvement in skills deficits is dependent on type of treatment received.

Results: Improvements in preoperational thinking and increases in friendly-dominant behavior were associated with change in depressive symptoms. There was no association between reductions in dysfunctional metacognitive beliefs and a decrease in depressive symptoms. While both treatment groups showed significant improvements in interpersonal and metacognitive skills, there was no significant between-group difference in the change scores for either of these skills.

Conclusion: Our findings suggest that changes in interpersonal skills seem to be of particular relevance in the treatment of depression. These results have to be replicated in a randomized-controlled design before firm conclusions can be drawn.
Metabolomic Biomarkers Are Associated With Area of the Pons in Fragile X Premutation Carriers at Risk for Developing FXTAS
Authors: Zafarullah Marwa , Durbin-Johnson Blythe , Fourie Emily S. , Hessl David R. , Rivera Susan M. , Tassone Flora
Published: August 2021

Fragile X-associated tremor/ataxia syndrome (FXTAS) is a late adult-onset neurodegenerative disorder that affects movement and cognition in male and female carriers of a premutation allele (55–200 CGG repeats; PM) in the fragile X mental retardation (FMR1) gene. It is currently unknown how the observed brain changes are associated with metabolic signatures in individuals who develop the disorder over time. The primary objective of this study was to investigate the correlation between longitudinal changes in the brain (area of the pons, midbrain, and MCP width) and the changes in the expression level of metabolic biomarkers of early diagnosis and progression of FXTAS in PM who, as part of an ongoing longitudinal study, emerged into two distinct categories. These included those who developed symptoms of FXTAS (converters, CON) at subsequent visits and those who did not meet the criteria of diagnosis (non-converters, NCON) and were compared to age-matched healthy controls (HC). We assessed CGG repeat allele size by Southern Blot and PCR analysis. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRIs) acquisition was obtained on a 3T Siemens Trio scanner and metabolomic profile was obtained by ultra-performance liquid chromatography, accurate mass spectrometer, and an Orbitrap mass analyzer. Our findings indicate that differential metabolite levels are linked with the area of the pons between healthy control and premutation groups. More specifically, we observed a significant association of ceramides and mannonate metabolites with a decreased area of the pons, both at visit 1 (V1) and visit 2 (V2) only in the CON as compared to the NCON group suggesting their potential role in the development of the disorder. In addition, we found a significant correlation of these metabolic signatures with the FXTAS stage at V2 indicating their contribution to the progression and pathogenesis of FXTAS. Interestingly, these metabolites, as part of lipid and sphingolipid lipids pathways, provide evidence of the role that their dysregulation plays in the development of FXTAS and inform us as potential targets for personalized therapeutic development.
A Bayesian Model to Analyze the Association of Rheumatoid Arthritis With Risk Factors and Their Interactions
Authors: Lufkin Leon , Budišić Marko , Mondal Sumona , Sur Shantanu
Published: August 2021

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disorder that commonly manifests as destructive joint inflammation but also affects multiple other organ systems. The pathogenesis of RA is complex where a variety of factors including comorbidities, demographic, and socioeconomic variables are known to associate with RA and influence the progress of the disease. In this work, we used a Bayesian logistic regression model to quantitatively assess how these factors influence the risk of RA, individually and through their interactions. Using cross-sectional data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), a set of 11 well-known RA risk factors such as age, gender, ethnicity, body mass index (BMI), and depression were selected to predict RA. We considered up to third-order interactions between the risk factors and implemented factor analysis of mixed data (FAMD) to account for both the continuous and categorical natures of these variables. The model was further optimized over the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) using a genetic algorithm (GA) with the optimal predictive model having a smoothed AUC of 0.826 (95% CI: 0.801–0.850) on a validation dataset and 0.805 (95% CI: 0.781–0.829) on a holdout test dataset. Apart from corroborating the influence of individual risk factors on RA, our model identified a strong association of RA with multiple second- and third-order interactions, many of which involve age or BMI as one of the factors. This observation suggests a potential role of risk-factor interactions in RA disease mechanism. Furthermore, our findings on the contribution of RA risk factors and their interactions to disease prediction could be useful in developing strategies for early diagnosis of RA.
Adherence and Association of Digital Proximity Tracing App Notifications With Earlier Time to Quarantine: Results From the Zurich SARS-CoV-2 Cohort Study
Authors: Ballouz Tala , Menges Dominik , Aschmann Hélène E. , Domenghino Anja , Fehr Jan S. , Puhan Milo A. , von Wyl Viktor
Published: August 2021

Objectives: We aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the SwissCovid digital proximity tracing (DPT) app in notifying exposed individuals and prompting them to quarantine earlier compared to individuals notified only by manual contact tracing (MCT).

Methods: A population-based sample of cases and close contacts from the Zurich SARS-CoV-2 Cohort was surveyed regarding SwissCovid app use and SARS-CoV-2 exposure. We descriptively analyzed app adherence and effectiveness, and evaluated its effects on the time between exposure and quarantine among contacts using stratified multivariable time-to-event analyses.

Results: We included 393 SARS-CoV-2 infected cases and 261 close contacts. 62% of cases reported using SwissCovid and among those, 88% received and uploaded a notification code. 71% of close contacts were app users, of which 38% received a warning. Non-household contacts notified by SwissCovid started quarantine 1 day earlier and were more likely to quarantine earlier than those not warned by the app (HR 1.53, 95% CI 1.15–2.03).

Conclusion: These findings provide evidence that DPT may reach exposed contacts faster than MCT, with earlier quarantine and potential interruption of SARS-CoV-2 transmission chains.
Coupled Bionic Design Based on Primnoa Mouthpart to Improve the Performance of a Straw Returning Machine
Authors: Zhao Jiale , Wang Xiaogeng , Zhuang Jian , Liu Huili , Wang Yijia , Yu Yajun
Published: August 2021

The high energy consumption and low crushing length qualification rate of traditional straw returning machines in the main maize-growing regions of northeast China make it difficult to promote straw returning operations in the region. The primnoa locust mouthpart is extremely efficient in cutting maize rootstocks. In this paper, it was found that there are significant differences between the primnoa locust mouthpart and the conventional machine, these exist mainly in the cutting edge structure and cutting motion. Thus, this paper develops a coupled bionic design for structural and kinematic coupling elements to develop a bionic straw returning machine. This paper found that the operating performance of the bionic straw returning machine was mainly affected by the blade rotation radius and the output rotation speed of the drive mechanism through DEM (discrete element method) simulation, and the optimal combination of the two parameters was 248 mm rotation radius and 930 r/min output rotation speed. Finally, this paper finds that the most obvious operational performance difference of the bionic straw returning machine compared with the traditional straw returning machine is that it can reduce the cutting power consumption by 9.4–11.7% and improve the crushing length qualification rate by 10.4–14.7% through the operational performance comparison test. Based on the above findings, this paper suggests that in future research and development of straw returning machines, more attention can be focused on finding suitable bionic prototypes and improving bionic design methods.
Microbial Interactions and Roles in Soil Fertility in Seasonal Freeze-Thaw Periods under Different Straw Returning Strategies
Authors: Sun Mengqi , Chen Baoyu , Wang Hongjun , Wang Nan , Ma Taigang , Cui Yingshun , Luan Tianhao , Chun Seongjun , Liu Chunguang , Wang Lichun
Published: August 2021

With the increase of world food demand, the intensity of cultivated land use also increased. To improve soil nutrient concentrations and crop yield, several straw returning techniques have been developed. Studies have shown that straw returning is beneficial to soil, but few studies have focused on the relationship between microbes and fertility in seasonal freeze-thaw periods. A two-year cropland experiment was set up that comprised three different straw return strategies, namely covering tillage with straw return for two years (CS), rotary tillage and straw return for two years (RS), rotary covering tillage with straw return (first year covering and the second year rotary tillage) (CRS), and conventional tillage with no straw return (CK). Illumina Miseq high throughput sequencing of 16S rRNA was applied to assess bacteria community structure. The relationship between bacteria community structure and changes in soil fertility induced by different straw incorporating during seasonal trends was studied. Our results showed that soil bacterial communities varied significantly during the soil seasonal freeze-thaw period in the northwest of Jilin province, China, and were influenced, to some extent, by the different straw returning procedures. Multidimensional analysis revealed that total phosphorus (TP), available nitrogen (AN), and total nitrogen (TN) were the major drivers of bacterial community structure. The co-occurrence network was divided into several modules. Notably, the major bacterial modules varied significantly in different sampling periods and different treatments. These results suggested that specific bacterial groups could contribute to soil fertility in relation to environmental fluctuations. Some bacterial groups (e.g., Pyrinomonadales, Rhizobiales, Sphingomonadales, and Xanthomonadales, in order level) were directly linked with specific environmental factors, indicating the key roles of these groups in soil fertility. In summary, the soil bacterial communities varied significantly during the freeze-thaw period and might play important roles in the degradation of straw. Thus, the straw return could enhance soil fertility.
Common Ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia L.) Causes Severe Yield Losses in Soybean and Impairs Bradyrhizobium japonicum Infection
Authors: Hall Rea Maria , Urban Bernhard , Wagentristl Helmut , Karrer Gerhard , Winter Anna , Czerny Robert , Kaul Hans-Peter
Published: August 2021

Ambrosia artemisiifolia L. (Asteraceae), known as common ragweed, is an annual herbaceous species native to North America that has become one of the most economically important weeds in arable fields throughout Central Europe. Its large ecological amplitude enables the species to become established in several types of environments, and management options to effectively contain its spread are limited due to a lack of efficacy, high cost, or lack of awareness. In the last decade, in particular, soybean fields have been severely affected by common ragweed invasion. However, until now, information on the yield-decreasing effects of the plant has been scarce. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the competition effects of common ragweed on (1) soybean growth (aboveground/belowground), (2) the yield of two different soybean cultivars, and (3) the nodulation potential. Based on a greenhouse and biennial field trial, we found that in plots with the highest common ragweed biomass, the soybean yield loss accounted for 84% compared to the weed-free control, on average. The number of nodules, in addition to the mean nodule weight, which are tightly correlated with soybean yield, were significantly reduced by the presence of common ragweed. Just one common ragweed plant per square meter reduced the number of nodules by 56%, and consequently led to a decrease in yield of 18%. Although it has been reported that the genus Ambrosia produces and releases several types of secondary metabolites, little is known about the influence of these chemical compounds on soybean growth and nodulation. Thus, there is substantial need for research to understand the mechanisms behind the interaction between common ragweed and soybean, with a view to finding new approaches for improved common ragweed control, thereby protecting soybean and other crops against substantial yield losses.
New Unnatural Gallotannins: A Way toward Green Antioxidants, Antimicrobials and Antibiofilm Agents
Authors: Hricovíniová Zuzana , Mascaretti Šárka , Hricovíniová Jana , Čížek Alois , Jampílek Josef
Published: August 2021

Nature has been a source of inspiration for the development of new pharmaceutically active agents. A series of new unnatural gallotannins (GTs), derived from d-lyxose, d-ribose, l-rhamnose, d-mannose, and d-fructose have been designed and synthesized in order to study the protective and antimicrobial effects of synthetic polyphenols that are structurally related to plant-derived products. The structures of the new compounds were confirmed by various spectroscopic methods. Apart from spectral analysis, the antioxidant activity was evaluated by 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical-scavenging and iron reducing power (FRAP) assays. Antibacterial activity of compounds was tested in vitro against Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 29213, Enterococcus faecalis ATCC 29212 (reference and control strains), three methicillin-resistant isolates of S. aureus, and three isolates of vancomycin-resistant E. faecalis. For screening of antimycobacterial effect, a virulent isolate of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and two non-tuberculous mycobacteria were used. Furthermore, antibiofilm activity of structurally different GTs against S. aureus, and their ability to inhibit sortase A, were inspected. Experimental data revealed that the studied GTs are excellent antioxidants and radical-scavenging agents. The compounds exhibited only a moderate antibacterial effect against Gram-positive pathogens S. aureus and E. faecalis and were practically inactive against mycobacteria. However, they were efficient inhibitors and disruptors of S. aureus biofilms in sub-MIC concentrations, and interacted with the quorum-sensing system in Chromobacteriumviolaceum. Overall, these findings suggest that synthetic GTs could be considered as promising candidates for pharmacological, biomedical, consumer products, and for food industry applications.
The Antioxidant Effect of Colombian Berry (Vaccinium meridionale Sw.) Extracts to Prevent Lipid Oxidation during Pork Patties Shelf-Life
Authors: Vargas-Ramella Márcio , Lorenzo José M. , Zamuz Sol , Valdés María Esperanza , Moreno Daniel , Balcázar María C. Guamán , Fernández-Arias José M. , Reyes Jorge F. , Franco Daniel
Published: August 2021

A scarce amount of knowledge about the use of Colombian berry (CB) in meat products is available in the literature. This work studies the impact of the addition of CB extracts (CBE) on pork patties at three different concentrations in the range 250–750 mg/kg. CBE were characterized in terms of their polyphenolic profile and antioxidant activity [1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging capacity, half maximal inhibitory antioxidant concentration (IC50), 2,2′-azino-bis-3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS), ferric reducing antioxidant power assay (FRAP) and oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) tests)]. After pork patties elaboration, instrumental and sensorial colour, as well as lipid oxidation measured as thiobarbituric acid reactive substances assay (TBARS) values, were evaluated for 10 days of refrigerated storage in a modified atmosphere (80% O2–20% CO2). The total anthocyanin composition represented 35% of the polyphenolic substances of the CBE, highlighting high contents in cyanidin derivatives. Additionally, other flavonoids (quercetin and kaempferol compounds) and phenolics acids, substances positively related to antioxidant activity, were identified and quantified. In addition, the incorporation of CBE resulted in improvements in colour and lipid stability of pork patties, especially for the highest concentration used. Our findings demonstrated that CBE could be added to pork patties without impairing their sensorial profile. Overall, our results indicate that the use of CBE as a source of natural antioxidant, natural colourant, or even as a functional ingredient could be promising, but more studies are necessary to confirm it.
Quality Assessment of 2.5D Prints Using 2D Image Quality Metrics
Authors: Kadyrova Altynay , Kitanovski Vlado , Pedersen Marius
Published: August 2021

Quality assessment is an important aspect in a variety of application areas. In this work, the objective quality assessment of 2.5D prints was performed. The work is done on camera captures under both diffuse (single-shot) and directional (multiple-shot) illumination. Current state-of-the-art 2D full-reference image quality metrics were used to predict the quality of 2.5D prints. The results showed that the selected metrics can detect differences between the prints as well as between a print and its 2D reference image. Moreover, the metrics better detected differences in the multiple-shot set-up captures than in the single-shot set-up ones. Although the results are based on a limited number of images, they show existing metrics’ ability to work with 2.5D prints under limited conditions.
Solidification/Stabilization of Contaminated Soil in a South Station of the Khurmala Oil Field in Kurdistan Region, Iraq
Authors: Abdulhamid Sazan Nariman , Hasan Ahmed Mohammed , Aziz Shuokr Qarani
Published: August 2021

Currently, the primary source of pollution is crude oil production. Crude oil production has dramatic consequences for farmlands, communities, and in terms of the construction materials required for earthworks. The main aims of the present study were to reduce the level of pollution caused by oil production in the Khurmala soil and then reuse it as a construction material. Soil remediation using the solidification/stabilization method was applied in the field using Portland limestone cement (CEM II). The performance of using CEM II in the remediation process was then investigated in the laboratory by taking the natural, contaminated, and treated soils from the Khurmala site. Furthermore, the results of the soils were compared with their corresponding soil samples using ordinary Portland cement (OPC). The comparison was performed by investigating the physical, chemical, and mechanical properties of the soils. The discussion was supported using the scanning electron microscopy (SEM) results. Chemical and SEM results revealed that there were fourfold and tenfold decreases in the percentage of oil and grease using OPC and CEM II, respectively, confirming the higher performance of using CEM II over OPC. The values of the coefficient of permeability, shear strength parameters, and California bearing ratio of the treated soils were significantly improved, compared to those of the contaminated soils.
Influence of Environmental Noise on Quality Control of HVAC Devices Based on Convolutional Neural Network
Authors: Sikora Jan , Wagnerová Renata , Landryová Lenka , Šíma Jan , Wrona Stanislaw
Published: August 2021

Testing the quality of manufactured products based on their sound expression is becoming popular nowadays. To maintain low production costs, the testing is processed at the end of the assembly line. Such measurements are affected considerably by the factory noise even though they are performed in anechoic chambers. Before designing the quality control algorithm based on a convolutional neural network, we do not know the influence of the factory noise on the success rate of the algorithm that can potentially be obtained. Therefore, this contribution addresses this problem. The experiments were undertaken on a synthetic dataset of heat, ventilation, and air-conditioning devices. The results show that classification accuracy of the decision-making algorithm declines more rapidly at a high level of environmental noise.
Performance Assessment of an Energy–Based Approximation Method for the Dynamic Capacity of RC Frames Subjected to Sudden Column Removal Scenarios
Authors: Ding Luchuan , Van Coile Ruben , Botte Wouter , Caspeele Robby
Published: August 2021

The alternative load path method is widely used to assess the progressive collapse performance of reinforced concrete structures. As an alternative to an accurate non–linear dynamic analysis, an energy–based method (EBM) can also be adopted to approximately calculate the dynamic load–bearing capacity curve or the dynamic resistance based on a static capacity curve. However, dynamic effects cannot be explicitly taken into account in the EBM. The model uncertainty associated with the use of the EBM for evaluating the dynamic ultimate capacity of structural frames has not yet been quantified. Knowledge of this model uncertainty is however necessary when applying EBM as part of reliability calculations, for example, in relation to structural robustness quantification. Hence, this article focuses on the evaluation of the performance of the EBM and the quantification of its model uncertainty in the context of reliability–based assessments of progressive or disproportionate collapse. The influences of damping effects and different column removal scenarios are investigated. As a result, it is found that damping effects have a limited influence on the performance of the EBM. In the case of an external column removal scenario, the performance of the EBM is lower as the response is not a single deformation mode according to the results in the frequency domain. However, a good performance is found in the case of an internal column removal scenario in which the assumption of a single deformation mode is found to be sufficiently adequate. Probabilistic models for the model uncertainties related to the use of the EBM compared to direct dynamic analyses are proposed in relation to both the resistances and the associated displacements. Overall, the EBM shows to be an adequate approximation, resulting in a small bias and small standard deviation for its associated model uncertainty.
Automatic TV Logo Identification for Advertisement Detection without Prior Data
Authors: Carvalho Pedro , Pereira Américo , Viana Paula
Published: August 2021

Advertisements are often inserted in multimedia content, and this is particularly relevant in TV broadcasting as they have a key financial role. In this context, the flexible and efficient processing of TV content to identify advertisement segments is highly desirable as it can benefit different actors, including the broadcaster, the contracting company, and the end user. In this context, detecting the presence of the channel logo has been seen in the state-of-the-art as a good indicator. However, the difficulty of this challenging process increases as less prior data is available to help reduce uncertainty. As a result, the literature proposals that achieve the best results typically rely on prior knowledge or pre-existent databases. This paper proposes a flexible method for processing TV broadcasting content aiming at detecting channel logos, and consequently advertising segments, without using prior data about the channel or content. The final goal is to enable stream segmentation identifying advertisement slices. The proposed method was assessed over available state-of-the-art datasets as well as additional and more challenging stream captures. Results show that the proposed method surpasses the state-of-the-art.
Cu-Doped TiNxOy Thin Film Resistors DC/RF Performance and Reliability
Authors: Shanidze Lev V. , Tarasov Anton S. , Rautskiy Mikhail V. , Zelenov Fyodor V. , Konovalov Stepan O. , Nemtsev Ivan V. , Voloshin Alexander S. , Tarasov Ivan A. , Baron Filipp A. , Volkov Nikita V.
Published: August 2021

We fabricated Cu-doped TiNxOy thin film resistors by using atomic layer deposition, optical lithography, dry etching, Ti/Cu/Ti/Au e-beam evaporation and lift-off processes. The results of the measurements of the resistance temperature dependence, non-linearity, S-parameters at 0.01–26 GHz and details of the breakdown mechanism under high-voltage stress are reported. The devices’ sheet resistance is 220 ± 8 Ω/□ (480 ± 20 µΩ*cm); intrinsic resistance temperature coefficient (TCR) is ~400 ppm/°C in the T-range of 10–300 K; and S-parameters versus frequency are flat up to 2 GHz with maximum variation of 10% at 26 GHz. The resistors can sustain power and current densities up to ~5 kW*cm−2 and ~2 MA*cm−2, above which they switch to high-resistance state with the sheet resistance equal to ~200 kΩ/□ (~0.4 Ω*cm) caused by nitrogen and copper desorption from TiNxOy film. The Cu/Ti/TiNxOy contact is prone to ageing due to gradual titanium oxidation while the TiNxOy resistor body is stable. The resistors have strong potential for applications in high-frequency integrated and hybrid circuits that require small-footprint, medium-range resistors of 0.05–10 kΩ, with small TCR and high-power handling capability.
The Effects of Hyperbaric Oxygenation on Oxidative Stress, Inflammation and Angiogenesis
Authors: De Wolde Silke D. , Hulskes Rick H. , Weenink Robert P. , Hollmann Markus W. , Van Hulst Robert A.
Published: August 2021

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) is commonly used as treatment in several diseases, such as non-healing chronic wounds, late radiation injuries and carbon monoxide poisoning. Ongoing research into HBOT has shown that preconditioning for surgery is a potential new treatment application, which may reduce complication rates and hospital stay. In this review, the effect of HBOT on oxidative stress, inflammation and angiogenesis is investigated to better understand the potential mechanisms underlying preconditioning for surgery using HBOT. A systematic search was conducted to retrieve studies measuring markers of oxidative stress, inflammation, or angiogenesis in humans. Analysis of the included studies showed that HBOT-induced oxidative stress reduces the concentrations of pro-inflammatory acute phase proteins, interleukins and cytokines and increases growth factors and other pro-angiogenesis cytokines. Several articles only noted this surge after the first HBOT session or for a short duration after each session. The anti-inflammatory status following HBOT may be mediated by hyperoxia interfering with NF-κB and IκBα. Further research into the effect of HBOT on inflammation and angiogenesis is needed to determine the implications of these findings for clinical practice.
Initial Study on the Reverberation Time Standard for the Korean Middle and High School Classrooms Using Speech Intelligibility Tests
Authors: Park Chan-Jae , Haan Chan-Hoon
Published: August 2021

The most important function of the classroom is to transmit educational information from teachers to students more accurately and clearly. The acoustical environment of the classroom thus has an important effect on the improvement of students’ learning ability. To provide an appropriate acoustical environment for learning to students, it is necessary to create an acoustical performance standard for classrooms and a guideline for designing classrooms. However, in Korea, there is not an acoustical standard for classrooms; thus, it is difficult to control and manage appropriate acoustical performance when designing and building classrooms. The present study aims to suggest acoustic performance standards for classrooms that are suitable for the Korean language. In order to perform this study, standard classrooms were created by standardizing architectural dimensions of 17 middle and high school classrooms in Cheong-ju. Speech intelligibility tests were conducted using three different languages including Korean, English, and Chinese. Twenty native speakers for each language were used as subjects for the speech intelligibility tests. Finally, auralized sound sources were created with five different conditions of reverberation time (0.47~1.22 s) by changing indoor sound absorption of a real classroom. Listening tests were undertaken by 52 Korean adults with normal hearing, using the auralized sound source. The results proved that the most appropriate reverberation time for learning was above 0.76 s. Based on the research findings, the ideal acoustical performance standard for classrooms in Korea is as follows: background noise is below 35 dBA, and reverberation time is below 0.80 s. It is also necessary that indoor sound absorption should be above 20% without sound absorption on side walls in order to satisfy with the acoustical performance standard.
Thermal Conversion of Flax Shives in Sub- and Supercritical Ethanol in the Presence of Ru/C Catalyst
Authors: Kazachenko Aleksandr S. , Miroshnikova Angelina V. , Tarabanko Valery E. , Skripnikov Andrey M. , Malyar Yuriy N. , Borovkova Valentina S. , Sychev Valentin V. , Taran Oxana P.
Published: August 2021

Thermal conversion of flax shives was studied in sub- and supercritical ethanol medium at 225 and 250 °C in the presence of the bifunctional catalyst 3% Ru/C. The use of 3% Ru/C catalyst in the process of thermal conversion of flax shives in supercritical ethanol was found to increase the conversion of the shives by 27% and the yield of liquid products by 10%. The use of 3% Ru/C catalyst in sub- and supercritical ethanol led to the destruction of both lignin and cellulose. The degree of delignification in the non-catalytic thermal conversion increased upon transition from subcritical (225 °C) to supercritical (250 °C) conditions. Main monomeric products of the thermal conversion process were guaiacylpropene or guaiacylpropane depending on the process temperature. In the presence of Ru/C catalyst, the molecular weight distribution was shifted towards an increase in the content of monomeric compounds in the liquid products.
Organ Crosstalk and the Modulation of Insulin Signaling
Authors: Romero Alejandra , Eckel Juergen
Published: August 2021

A highly complex network of organ communication plays a key role in regulating metabolic homeostasis, specifically due to the modulation of the insulin signaling machinery. As a paradigm, the role of adipose tissue in organ crosstalk has been extensively investigated, but tissues such as muscles and the liver are equally important players in this scenario. Perturbation of organ crosstalk is a hallmark of insulin resistance, emphasizing the importance of crosstalk molecules in the modulation of insulin signaling, potentially leading to defects in insulin action. Classically secreted proteins are major crosstalk molecules and are able to affect insulin signaling in both directions. In this review, we aim to focus on some crosstalk mediators with an impact on the early steps of insulin signaling. In addition, we also summarize the current knowledge on the role of extracellular vesicles in relation to insulin signaling, a more recently discovered additional component of organ crosstalk. Finally, an attempt will be made to identify inter-connections between these two pathways of organ crosstalk and the potential impact on the insulin signaling network.
Content-Based Medical Image Retrieval and Intelligent Interactive Visual Browser for Medical Education, Research and Care
Authors: Sotomayor Camilo G. , Mendoza Marcelo , Castañeda Víctor , Farías Humberto , Molina Gabriel , Pereira Gonzalo , Härtel Steffen , Solar Mauricio , Araya Mauricio
Published: August 2021

Medical imaging is essential nowadays throughout medical education, research, and care. Accordingly, international efforts have been made to set large-scale image repositories for these purposes. Yet, to date, browsing of large-scale medical image repositories has been troublesome, time-consuming, and generally limited by text search engines. A paradigm shift, by means of a query-by-example search engine, would alleviate these constraints and beneficially impact several practical demands throughout the medical field. The current project aims to address this gap in medical imaging consumption by developing a content-based image retrieval (CBIR) system, which combines two image processing architectures based on deep learning. Furthermore, a first-of-its-kind intelligent visual browser was designed that interactively displays a set of imaging examinations with similar visual content on a similarity map, making it possible to search for and efficiently navigate through a large-scale medical imaging repository, even if it has been set with incomplete and curated metadata. Users may, likewise, provide text keywords, in which case the system performs a content- and metadata-based search. The system was fashioned with an anonymizer service and designed to be fully interoperable according to international standards, to stimulate its integration within electronic healthcare systems and its adoption for medical education, research and care. Professionals of the healthcare sector, by means of a self-administered questionnaire, underscored that this CBIR system and intelligent interactive visual browser would be highly useful for these purposes. Further studies are warranted to complete a comprehensive assessment of the performance of the system through case description and protocolized evaluations by medical imaging specialists.
Artificial Intelligence for Alzheimer’s Disease: Promise or Challenge?
Authors: Fabrizio Carlo , Termine Andrea , Caltagirone Carlo , Sancesario Giulia
Published: August 2021

Decades of experimental and clinical research have contributed to unraveling many mechanisms in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), but the puzzle is still incomplete. Although we can suppose that there is no complete set of puzzle pieces, the recent growth of open data-sharing initiatives collecting lifestyle, clinical, and biological data from AD patients has provided a potentially unlimited amount of information about the disease, far exceeding the human ability to make sense of it. Moreover, integrating Big Data from multi-omics studies provides the potential to explore the pathophysiological mechanisms of the entire biological continuum of AD. In this context, Artificial Intelligence (AI) offers a wide variety of methods to analyze large and complex data in order to improve knowledge in the AD field. In this review, we focus on recent findings and future challenges for AI in AD research. In particular, we discuss the use of Computer-Aided Diagnosis tools for AD diagnosis and the use of AI to potentially support clinical practices for the prediction of individual risk of AD conversion as well as patient stratification in order to finally develop effective and personalized therapies.
Toward Learning Trustworthily from Data Combining Privacy, Fairness, and Explainability: An Application to Face Recognition
Authors: Franco Danilo , Oneto Luca , Navarin Nicolò , Anguita Davide
Published: August 2021

In many decision-making scenarios, ranging from recreational activities to healthcare and policing, the use of artificial intelligence coupled with the ability to learn from historical data is becoming ubiquitous. This widespread adoption of automated systems is accompanied by the increasing concerns regarding their ethical implications. Fundamental rights, such as the ones that require the preservation of privacy, do not discriminate based on sensible attributes (e.g., gender, ethnicity, political/sexual orientation), or require one to provide an explanation for a decision, are daily undermined by the use of increasingly complex and less understandable yet more accurate learning algorithms. For this purpose, in this work, we work toward the development of systems able to ensure trustworthiness by delivering privacy, fairness, and explainability by design. In particular, we show that it is possible to simultaneously learn from data while preserving the privacy of the individuals thanks to the use of Homomorphic Encryption, ensuring fairness by learning a fair representation from the data, and ensuring explainable decisions with local and global explanations without compromising the accuracy of the final models. We test our approach on a widespread but still controversial application, namely face recognition, using the recent FairFace dataset to prove the validity of our approach.
Career Exploration as Social and Emotional Learning: A Collaborative Ethnography with Spanish Children from Low-Income Contexts
Authors: Romero-Rodríguez Soledad , Moreno-Morilla Celia , Muñoz-Villaraviz David , Resurrección-Pérez Marina
Published: August 2021

Children’s career exploration is a critical aspect of career development. Through it, children explore the interplay between their different life roles, including those related to work (in a broad sense), learning, and education. Through career exploration, children can (re)construct the emotions derived from the interactions between personal and contextual factors by giving meaning to life experiences. This process involves cognitive and affective activities. Evidence suggests that children from low-income contexts are more likely to drop out of school and show lower educational aspirations. Providing career exploration interventions introduces an intentional learning that allows children to develop a higher level of career awareness and increase their aspirations for the future. The sample analyzed consisted of students between 6 and 8 years old from a low-income school in Seville (Spain). The data collection methods used have been those of collaborative ethnography (e.g., unstructured interviews, student productions, and photographs). Co-analysis was the chosen method for systematizing the information used in this research. Our results have revealed a system of influences which plays an important role in the different contexts and emotions that the children derive from their interactions with different spaces and socialization agents. In short, through career exploration, children mobilize exploratory behaviors, providing emotional responses. Collaborative ethnography has been shown to be a valid process for research on career exploration as social and emotional learning.
A High-Density Memory Design Based on Self-Aligned Tunneling Window for Large-Capacity Memory Application
Authors: Wang Chen , Zhao Xiuli , Liu Hao , Chao Xin , Zhu Hao , Sun Qingqing
Published: August 2021

Despite the continuous downscaling of complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor (CMOS) devices, various scenarios of technology have also been proposed toward the shrinking of semiconductor memory. In this paper, a high-density memory (HDM) has been proposed on the basis of band-to-band tunneling (BTBT) for low-power, high density, and high-speed memory applications. The geometric structure and electrical properties have been demonstrated by using TCAD tools. Typical memory operations including read, program, and erase have been designed and performed. High operation speed, lower power consumption, as well as good reliability characteristics have been achieved by simulation, which indicates that the HDM may have potential application value as a novel semiconductor memory device.
VLSI Architectures of a Wiener Filter for Video Coding
Authors: Walid Walid , Armanno Giorgio , Di Paola Sandro , Ruo Roch Massimo , Masera Guido , Martina Maurizio
Published: August 2021

In the modern age, the use of video has become fundamental in communication and this has led to its use through an increasing number of devices. The higher resolution required for images and videos leads to more memory space and more efficient data compression, obtained by improving video coding techniques. For this reason, the Alliance for Open Media (AOMedia) developed a new open-source and royalty-free codec, named AOMedia Video 1 (AV1). This work focuses on the Wiener filter, a specific loop restoration tool of the AV1 video coding format, which features a significant amount of computational complexity. A new hardware architecture implementing the separable symmetric normalized Wiener filter is presented. Furthermore, the paper details possible optimizations starting from the basic architecture. These optimizations allow the Wiener filter to achieve a 100× reduction in processing time, compared to existing works, and 5× improvement in megasamples per second.
A Thorough Review of Cooling Concepts and Thermal Management Techniques for Automotive WBG Inverters: Topology, Technology and Integration Level
Authors: Abramushkina Ekaterina , Zhaksylyk Assel , Geury Thomas , El Baghdadi Mohamed , Hegazy Omar
Published: August 2021

The development of electric vehicles (EVs) is an important step towards clean and green cities. An electric powertrain provides power to the vehicle and consists of a charger, a battery, an inverter, and a motor as the main components. Supplied by a battery pack, the automotive inverter manages the power of the motor. EVs require a highly efficient inverter, which satisfies low cost, size, and weight requirements. One approach to meeting these requirements is to use the new wide-bandgap (WBG) semiconductors, which are being widely investigated in the industry as an alternative to silicon switches. WBG devices have superior intrinsic properties, such as high thermal flux, of up to 120 W/cm2 (on average); junction temperature of 175–200 °C; blocking voltage limit of about 6.5 kV; switching frequency about 20-fold higher than that of Si; and up to 73% lower switching losses with a lower conduction voltage drop. This study presents a review of WBG-based inverter cooling systems to investigate trends in cooling techniques and changes associated with the use of WBG devices. The aim is to consider suitable cooling techniques for WBG inverters at different power levels.
Research Characteristics and Development Trend of Global Low-Carbon Power—Based on Bibliometric Analysis of 1983–2021
Authors: Meng Xin-Cheng , Seong Yeon-Ho , Lee Min-Kyu
Published: August 2021

Achieving Net zero emissions is a common challenge facing all mankind. Low-carbon electricity has always been the main research field of global GHG emission control. The current article aims to use the bibliometric analysis to describe the characteristics and trends of low-carbon electricity publications from 1983 to 2021. We found that: (1) the number of publications in this area has shown an overall increase in the past 33 years. (2) the United States is the most powerful country in this field of research. Moreover, with the exception of major developed countries, more and more emerging economies have also joined the research on low-carbon power systems. (3) co-citation analysis and literature clustering characteristics show that the knowledge base in this field is focused on the decomposition of driving factors for carbon dioxide emissions and the optimization of the operation of renewable energy (RE) in low-carbon power systems. (4) the utilization of RE is a hot topic in low-carbon power research. Through this research, global scholars can be provided with the latest overview of valuable low-carbon energy research trends.
The Effect of a Flexible Blade for Load Alleviation in Wind Turbines
Authors: Castillo Azael Duran , Jauregui-Correa Juan C. , Herbert Francisco , K. Castillo-Villar Krystel , Franco Jesus Alejandro , Hernandez-Escobedo Quetzalcoatl , Perea-Moreno Alberto-Jesus , Alcayde Alfredo
Published: August 2021

This article presents the analysis of the performance of a flexible wind turbine blade. The simulation analysis is based on a 3 m span blade prototype. The blade has a flexible surface and a cam mechanism that modifies the aerodynamic profile and adapts the surface to different configurations. The blade surface was built with a flexible fiberglass composite, and the internal mechanism consists of a flexible structure actuated with an eccentric cam. The cam mechanism deforms five sections of the blade, and the airfoil geometry for each section was measured from zero cam displacement to full cam displacement. The measured data were interpolated to obtain the aerodynamic profiles of the five sections to model the flexible blade in the simulation process. The simulation analysis consisted of determining the different aerodynamic coefficients for different deformed surfaces and a range of wind speeds. The aerodynamic coefficients were calculated with the BEM method (QBlade®); as a result, the data performance of the flexible blade was compared for the different deformation configurations. Finally, a decrease of up to approximately 6% in the mean bending moment suggests that the flexible turbine rotor presented in this article can be used to reduce extreme and fatigue loads on wind turbines.
A Step-by-Step Procedure to Perform Preliminary Designs of Salient-Pole Synchronous Generators
Authors: Bazzo Thiago de Paula Machado , Moura Vinicius de Oliveira , Carlson Renato
Published: August 2021

This paper presents a straightforward step-by-step procedure to design salient-pole synchronous generators, starting with its main specifications and finishing with all necessary data to put it on production. As most of the electricity is generated by synchronous generators, the design of these machines remains an interesting subject, but, although it is important, it is difficult to find a complete step-by-step procedure in the literature. The proposed procedure can be followed by an electrical engineer or student and, distinctively from most papers and books, all steps are presented. Such a procedure is based on analytic calculations, eventually relying on finite element simulation to verify if everything is all right and to adjust some design parameters. All calculations have been chosen to keep the design as simple as possible; otherwise, it would not be possible to present all steps and procedures. Therefore, it can be used for beginners in the art of design-synchronous generators, applied to obtain an initial design, or be adopted by any electrical engineering course, not only aiming to be an introductory electrical machine design course but mainly to enhance the students’ comprehension of synchronous machines. The results have been compared with finite element simulation, presenting very small differences.