bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Three-Dimensional Trajectory Construction and Observation of Group Behavior of Wild Bats During Cave Emergence
Authors: Fujioka Emyo , Fukushiro Mika , Ushio Kazusa , Kohyama Kyosuke , Habe Hitoshi , Hiryu Shizuko ,   Organization for Research Initiatives and Development, Doshisha University 1-3 Tatara-miyakodani, Kyotanabe, Kyoto 610-0321, Japan,   Graduate School of Life and Medical Sciences, Doshisha University 1-3 Tatara-miyakodani, Kyotanabe, Kyoto 610-0321, Japan,   Faculty of Life and Medical Sciences, Doshisha University 1-3 Tatara-miyakodani, Kyotanabe, Kyoto 610-0321, Japan,   Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Kindai University 3-4-1 Kowakae, Higashiosaka, Osaka 577-8502, Japan,   Faculty of Science and Engineering, Kindai University 3-4-1 Kowakae, Higashiosaka, Osaka 577-8502, Japan
Published: June 2021

Echolocating bats perceive the surrounding environment by processing echoes of their ultrasound emissions. Echolocation enables bats to avoid colliding with external objects in complete darkness. In this study, we sought to develop a method for measuring the collective behavior of echolocating bats (Miniopterus fuliginosus) emerging from their roost cave using high-sensitivity stereo-camera recording. First, we developed an experimental system to reconstruct the three-dimensional (3D) flight trajectories of bats emerging from the roost for nightly foraging. Next, we developed a method to automatically track the 3D flight paths of individual bats so that quantitative estimation of the population in proportion to the behavioral classification could be conducted. Because the classification of behavior and the estimation of population size are ecologically important indices, the method established in this study will enable quantitative investigation of how individual bats efficiently leave the roost while avoiding colliding with each other during group movement and how the group behavior of bats changes according to weather and environmental conditions. Such high-precision detection and tracking will contribute to the elucidation of the algorithm of group behavior control in creatures that move in groups together in three dimensions, such as birds.
Absence of Jamming Avoidance and Flight Path Similarity in Paired Bent-Winged Bats, Miniopterus Fuliginosus
Authors: Hase Kazuma , Sugihara Saori , Oka Seiya , Hiryu Shizuko ,   Graduate School of Environmental Studies, Nagoya University Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya 464-8601, Japan,   Graduate School of Life and Medical Sciences, Doshisha University 1-3 Tatara-miyakodani, Kyotanabe, Kyoto 610-0321, Japan,   Faculty of Life and Medical Sciences, Doshisha University 1-3 Tatara-miyakodani, Kyotanabe, Kyoto 610-0321, Japan
Published: June 2021

Echolocating bats perceive their surroundings by listening to the echoes of self-generated ultrasound pulses. When multiple conspecifics fly in close proximity to each other, sounds emitted from nearby individuals could mutually interfere with echo reception. Many studies suggest that bats employ frequency shifts to avoid spectral overlap of pulses with other bats. Technical constraints in recording technology have made it challenging to capture subtle changes in the pulse characteristics of bat calls. Therefore, how bats change their behavior to extract their own echoes in the context of acoustic interference remains unclear. Also, to our best knowledge, no studies have investigated whether individual flight paths change when other bats are present, although movements likely reduce acoustic masking. Here, we recorded the echolocation pulses of bats flying alone or in pairs using telemetry microphones. Flight trajectories were also reconstructed using stereo camera recordings. We found no clear tendency to broaden individual differences in the acoustic characteristics of pulses emitted by pairs of bats compared to bats flying alone. However, some bats showed changes in pulse characteristics when in pairs, which suggests that bats can recognize their own calls based on the initial differences in call characteristics between individuals. In addition, we found that the paired bats spend more time flying in the same directions than in the opposite directions. Besides, we found that the flight paths of bats were more similar in “paired flight trials” than in virtual pairs of paired flight trials. Our results suggest that the bats tend to follow the other bat in paired flight. For the following bat, acoustic interference may be reduced, while the opportunity to eavesdrop on other bats’ calls may be increased.
Influence of Labor Conditions and Interaction Among Individuals on Circadian Activity Rhythms in the Ant Camponotus Japonicus
Authors: Shiraishi Masashi , Odan Takumi , Yamanaka Osamu , Nishimori Hiraku ,   Meiji Institute for Advanced Study of Mathematical Sciences, Meiji University 4-21-1 Nakano, Nakano, Tokyo 164-8525, Japan,   Department of Mathematical and Life Sciences, Hiroshima University 1-3-1 Kagamiyama, Higashi-hiroshima, Hiroshima 739-8526, Japan
Published: June 2021

In this study, we investigated the relationship between the activity rhythms of Camponotus japonicus worker ants and their interactions. Specifically, one or two workers collected from either inside or outside the nest in a breeding colony were placed in a measurement system under a constant dark condition, and their activity rhythms were measured for 14 days. We thereby examined the relationship between the activity rhythm in the system and the experimental conditions, which consisted of four different combinations of working locations during breeding (in/outside the nest) and single/double workers (one ant / two ants) in the measurement system, over a total of 96 samples. A large number of the sampled ants (about 90% of the total) showed circadian activity rhythms. The proportion of circadian activity rhythm was lower and the dispersion of the period was larger in the circadian activity rhythm observed in single workers collected from within the nest than in the other three experimental conditions. In all four experimental conditions, the amplitude of the circadian activity rhythm decayed on an approximate 5-day scale. These results provide quantitative evidence that the activity rhythm of ants is determined by the location of labor and individual interactions during breeding.
Osaka University: Komatsu “MIRAI” (Japanese for “Future”) Construction Equipment Cooperative Research Center
Authors: Osuka Koichi , Ohbatake Youjirou ,   Department of Mechanical Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University 2-1 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan,   Komatsu MIRAI Construction Equipment Cooperative Research Center, Osaka University Central Terrace 504, 2-1 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
Published: June 2021

Osaka University and Komatsu Ltd. started a joint research project in 2006 as an industry-academia collaboration activity, and Komatsu established a cooperative research center on Osaka University campus in 2015. The center has conducted joint research to solve the problems of companies as well as independent research on remote and autonomous construction machinery. Since 2017, it has been working on “HENNA” construction equipment (“HENNA” in Japanese means “novel and innovative with unconventional thinking”) as a new research idea that combines the academic nature of Osaka University with the corporate nature of Komatsu. These research initiatives and the concept of the Cooperative Research Center (2017–present) are presented here.
Projection Screen with Wide-FOV and Motion Parallax Display for Teleoperation of Construction Machinery
Authors: Kondo Daisuke ,   Osaka University 2-1 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
Published: June 2021

The teleoperation of construction machinery has been introduced to mines and disaster sites. However, the work efficiency of teleoperations is lower than that of onboard operations owing to limitations in the viewing angle and insufficient depth information. To solve these problems and realize effective teleoperations, the Komatsu MIRAI Construction Equipment Cooperative Research Center is developing the next-generation teleoperation cockpit. In this study, we develop a display for teleoperations with a wide field-of-view, a portable projection screen, and a system that reproduces motion parallax, which is suitable for depth perception in the operating range of construction machinery.
Optimal Muscular Arrangement Using Genetic Algorithm for Musculoskeletal Potential Method with Muscle Viscosity
Authors: Kino Hitoshi , Ochi Hiroaki , Tahara Kenji ,   Department of Mechanical and Systems Engineering, Chukyo University 101-2 Yagoto Honmachi, Showa-ku, Nagoya, Aichi 466-8666, Japan,   Department of Mechanical Engineering, Sanyo-Onoda City University 1-1-1 Daigakudori, Sanyo-Onoda-shi, Yamaguchi 756-0884, Japan,   Department of Mechanical Engineering, Kyushu University 744 Moto-oka, Nishi-ku, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan
Published: June 2021

Muscle contractions (or equivalent mechanical elements) are responsible for joint movement in systems with musculoskeletal structure. Because muscles can only transmit force in the tensile direction in such systems, the internal force exists between the muscles. By utilizing the potential field generated by the internal force, the musculoskeletal potential method makes it possible to control the position without complex real-time calculations or sensory feedback by entering step-inputs of the balanced internal force at the target posture. However, the conditions of convergence to the target posture strongly depend on muscular arrangement. Previous studies have elucidated the mathematical conditions of the muscular arrangement; however, they provide sufficient conditions that must be satisfied by the muscular arrangement to converge to the target posture, which do not necessarily lead to optimal muscular arrangement conditions. This study proposes a method to determine the optimal muscular arrangement of a two-joint six-muscle system, wherein muscle viscosity is considered, that uses a genetic algorithm and an evaluation function considering the motion response time. The effect of the obtained muscular arrangement is verified in a simulation.
Tracking and Visualizing Signs of Degradation for Early Failure Prediction of Rolling Bearings
Authors: Talmoudi Sana , Kanada Tetsuya , Hirata Yasuhisa ,   Department of Robotics, Graduate School of Engineering, Tohoku University 6-6-1 Aramaki Aza Aoba, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8579, Japan,   D’isum Inc. 3-10-18 Takanawa, Minato-ku, Tokyo 108-0074, Japan
Published: June 2021

Predictive maintenance, which means detection of failure ahead of time, is one of the pillars of Industry 4.0. An effective method for this technique is to track early signs of degradation before failure occurs. This paper presents an innovative failure predictive scheme for machines. The proposed scheme combines the use of the full spectrum of vibration data from the machines and a data visualization technology. This scheme requires no training data and can be started quickly after installation. First, we proposed to use the full spectrum (as high-dimensional data vectors) with no cropping and no complex feature extraction and to visualize the data behavior by mapping the high-dimensional vectors into a two-dimensional (2D) map. This ensures simplicity of the process and less possibility of overlooking important information as well as provide a human-friendly and human-understandable output. Second, we developed a real-time data tracker that can predict failure at an appropriate time with sufficient allowance for maintenance by plotting real-time frequency spectrum data of the target machine on a 2D map created from normal data. Finally, we verified our proposal using vibration data of bearings from real-world test-to-failure measurements obtained from the IMS dataset.
Characteristics of Pneumatic Artificial Rubber Muscle Using Two Shape-Memory Polymer Sheets
Authors: Takashima Kazuto , Iwamoto Daiki , Oshiro Shun , Noritsugu Toshiro , Mukai Toshiharu ,   Graduate School of Life Science and Systems Engineering, Kyushu Institute of Technology 2-4 Hibikino, Wakamatsu-ku, Kitakyushu, Fukuoka 808-0196, Japan,   Mimasaka University 50 Kitazonocho, Tsuyama, Okayama 708-8511, Japan,   Department of Information Engineering, Faculty of Science and Technology, Meijo University 1-501 Shiogamaguchi, Tenpaku-ku, Nagoya, Aichi 468-8502, Japan
Published: June 2021

We have developed a pneumatic artificial rubber muscle having a bending direction that can be changed using two shape-memory polymer (SMP) sheets, the stiffness of which depends on the temperature. In the present study, we attached two SMP sheets with embedded electrical heating wires to both sides of a pneumatic artificial rubber muscle in order to realize multidirectional actuation and evaluated the basic characteristics of the artificial muscle. The actuator is based on the design of a conventional curved-type artificial rubber muscle. Since only a heated SMP sheet becomes soft, the rigid SMP sheet inhibits the extension of the side of the actuator. Therefore, bending motion can be induced when air is supplied to the internal bladder. By controlling the temperature of the SMP sheets, the bending direction of the prototype actuator could be changed. Namely, three kinds of motions, such as two-directional bending and axial extension, became possible. Moreover, we improved the manufacturing method and the structure of the artificial muscle, such as the stitching method and the SMP sheet thickness, and evaluated the characteristics of the two-directional bending and the axial extension motions of the prototype actuator. We also calculated the theoretical values and compared these values with the experimental results. Furthermore, we examined the application of the actuators to a robot hand. Using the two-directional motion of the actuator, the proposed robot hand can grasp either small or large objects. The experimental results conducted using this prototype confirm the feasibility of the newly proposed actuator.
Gap Traversing Motion via a Hexapod Tracked Mobile Robot Based on Gap Width Detection
Authors: Sasaki Taiga ,   Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Tohoku Institute of Technology 35-1 Yagiyama Kasumi-cho, Taihaku-ku, Sendai 982-8577, Japan, Fujita Toyomi
Published: June 2021

The authors developed a hexapod tracked mobile robot: a tracked mobile robot which is equipped with six legs attached to the robot’s body. In a transportation task, this robot can traverse a wide gap by supporting track driving with four front and rear legs while holding the target object with its two middle legs. To realize autonomous actions with this robot, we developed a two-dimensional distance measurement system using an infrared sensor. This system is very simple, with the sensor attached to a servomotor, such that it does not require high computing power for measurement. In addition, the system can be equipped at a lower cost than laser range finders and depth cameras. This paper describes the selection of the gap traversing mode according to gap width detected by the system. In this study, we conducted a gap width detection experiment and an autonomous gap traversing experiment using the hexapod tracked mobile robot with the proposed system. The obtained results confirm the effectiveness of the proposed system and autonomous traversing, which corresponds with the gap width detection.
Carbonatite-Like Rock in a Dike of the Aikhal Kimberlite Pipe: Comparison with Carbonatites of the Nomokhtookh Site (Anabar Area)
Authors: Kostrovitsky S.I. , Yakovlev D.A. , Suvorova L.F. , Demonterova E.I.
Published: June 2021

––A dike of rock similar in composition to carbonatites has been found in the Aikhal diamondiferous pipe of the Alakit–Markha field of the Yakutian kimberlite province (YaKP). The fine-grained rock of essentially carbonate composition (dolomite and calcite) rich in thin-platy phlogopite contains minerals typical of carbonatites: monazite, baddeleyite, and pyrochlore. In the high contents and distribution of incompatible elements the rock differs significantly from kimberlites and is transitional from kimberlites to carbonatites. The content of incompatible elements in this rock is 3–5 times lower than that in carbonatite breccias of the pipes in the Staraya Rechka kimberlite field of the YaKP (Nomokhtookh site). The compositions of accessory trace element minerals from the Aikhal dike rock and the Nomokhtookh carbonatite breccias are compared. An assumption is made that the high contents of incompatible elements in the carbonatite-like rock, which caused the crystallization of accessory minerals, are due to the differentiation of kimberlite melt/fluid. The high Sr isotope ratios indicate that the rock altered during hydrothermal and metasomatic processes. The obtained data on the composition of the carbonatite-like rock cannot serve as an argument for the genetic relationship between the Aikhal kimberlites and typical carbonatites. The genetic relationship between kimberlites and carbonatites in the northern fields of the YaKP remains an open issue.
Vendian Island-Arc Intrusive Magmatism of the Lake Zone of Western Mongolia (Geological, Geochronological, and Petrochemical Data)
Authors: Rudnev S.N. , Gibsher A.S. , Semenova D.V.
Published: June 2021

—Based on new geochronological data on gabbroid and plagiogranitoid associations (Tavan-Hayrhan, East Bayan Tsagaan, Bayan Tsagaan Uul, Tungalag, Three Hills, and Shutkhuin massifs) located among the Vendian island-arc volcanic complexes of the Lake Zone of Western Mongolia, an independent stage of Vendian island-arc intrusive magmatism (560–542 Ma) is substantiated. Geochronological ages determined by xenogenic zircon from Vendian gabbroids and granitoids (716–559 Ma) indicate a wide time interval of their formation and different natures of the sources. Several such sources are assumed. The source of the first type is rocks of the late Riphean oceanic crust of the Paleoasian Ocean, on which the Vendian island arc of the Lake Zone formed later. This is evidenced by the presence of xenogenic zircon with the ages of ~716, 658–642, 613–611 Ma. The source of the second (probably main) type is rocks of the Vendian island-arc crust of the Lake Zone. This is indicated by the presence of xenogenic zircon with ages of 583–559 Ma, observed in all studied Vendian intrusive associations.
Drawing Monsters with Emil Ferris and Lynda Barry: An Exploration of the Drawing Process as Part of Graphic Medicine
Authors:   Brill Professor Emerita of Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies and English, the Pennsylvania State University, USA. Einstein Visiting Fellow, Freie Universität Berlin, Squier Susan M.
Published: June 2021

This essay explores the role of drawing as a mode of processing intersectional violence, a strategy that I argue links Emil Ferris’s comic, My Favorite Thing is Monsters (2018) to Lynda Barry’s pedagogical graphic narratives What It Is (2008) and Making Comics (2019). I argue that My Favorite Thing is Monsters embodies an enhanced version of graphic medicine that shifts the scale of analysis from the individual to the collective, revealing the health impact of intersectional oppressions. In its titular preoccupation with monsters, especially the Medusa, and its materialization of the protagonist’s sketch book, I further argue that Ferris’s work of fiction recalls Barry’s exercise of drawing monsters. Continuing its exploration of the healing process of drawing, and drawing monsters, the essay concludes with an experiment in ethnographic criticism, reflecting on my own experience of drawing my way through the global pandemic of Covid-19 during the first six months of 2020.
‘Eye of the Beholder’: Psychiatric Medical Reasoning, Narrative Humility, and Graphic Medicine
Authors:   Associate Professor, Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, NIT Trichy, India., Venkatesan Sathyaraj , Suresh Arya ,   Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, NIT Trichy, India.
Published: June 2021

Within health humanities, graphic medicine narrates individual stories of patient experience in its interaction with the system of healthcare and its professionals. These autopathographies give a new perspective to the medicalized accounts of diseases and assign subjectivity to the voice which narrates its sufferings. From a medical perspective, clinical reasoning is an important step in the treatment of any disease and a procedure that determines the course of the upcoming treatment. However, in psychiatry, clinical reasoning is a problematic terrain with its lack of external validating criteria and increased reliance on non-somatic symptoms of the disease. In many instances, the authority of biomedical knowledge takes over clinical reasoning and completely denies the individuality of a mental patient and his or her story. This research article attempts to investigate how individual stories and experiences are undermined in psychiatric clinical reasoning discourses and recognizes the importance of empathy and compassion in medical listening through a close reading of select graphic memoirs on bipolar disorder. Citing certain panels from Rachel Lindsay’s Rx (2018) and Ellen Forney’s Marbles: Mania, Depression, Michelangelo and Me (2012), this study analyses the pitfalls of clinical reasoning in psychiatry and the widening gap of doctor-patient communication in such facilities. Interweaving the theory of Sayantani Das Gupta’s Narrative humility with instances taken from the above mentioned texts this article discusses the imperative need to restore empathy in medical listening.
Pain, Partum and Prayer: The Dis-ease of Motherhood in Early Modern English Literature
Authors:   Associate Professor, Department of English, SRM University, Sikkim., Chaturvedi Namrata
Published: June 2021

This paper is a close study of early modern women’s poetry on childbirth and the imminent circumstances of maternal and foetal/infantile mortality in seventeenth century England. In tracing the development of women’s post-partum mental health from the medieval to the early modern period, this paper argues for a serious investment in literature composed as memoirs, poetry, diaries and funeral sermons as a means of understanding the trajectories and lacunae in women’s mental health in the early modern period. This study also argues for including the religious experience into any consideration of women’s post-partum health and therapeutic interventions. Lastly, it shows how affect studies have proved the recuperative potential in literature of consolation and mourning so that women’s writing begins to get recognized for its interventionist potential rather than a fossilized historical treatment as it has often received.
Parrhesia and Clinical Practice: A Case Study of Dr. Esdaile’s Mesmeric Hospital in Hooghly
Authors:   Assistant Professor, Department of English Studies, Central University of Tamil Nadu., Rajendran Punnya
Published: June 2021

This paper seeks to explore the complex negotiation between mesmerism (as unauthorised medical practice) and the State by analyzing the singular example of Dr. James E. Esdaile, a Scottish civil surgeon stationed in Hooghly, Calcutta, in the 1840-50s; one of the few known medical practitioners of mesmerism in colonial India. His diary titled Mesmerism in India, and its Practical Application in Surgery and Medicine contains a record of every patient who walked into Esdaile’s clinic in Hooghly complaining of pain, the subsequent interaction that took place between the doctor and the patient, usually in the form of a simple sequence of questions and answers, and a description of the procedure by which the patient was treated. The documentation of Esdaile’s controversial clinical practice offers several important insights into the practice of parrhesia (a theory of truth-telling proposed by Foucault) in conjunction with the practice of mesmerism as medicine. Within the annals of medical history, clinical egodocuments such as Esdaile’s surgical diary exemplify the emergence of a difficult relationship between the historical subject and the desire to speak the truth. It reveals how a unique moment in colonial medical history becomes emblematic of a negative relationship with the parrhesiastic act.
Dis/embodied Body: Representation of Plague in Thomas Nashe’s “A Litany in Time of Plague” and Thomas Dekker’s London Looke Backe
Authors:   Assistant Professor, Department of English, Dibrugarh University., Ahmed Khandakar Shahin
Published: June 2021

Understanding of disease is not merely confined to the pathological perception of the somatic symptoms. Instead, a society’s understanding and management of disease may necessarily also take recourse to ideas referring outside and beyond the human body. The explanation of the plague in early modern England, an era marked by the rapid recurrence of the epidemic, is a notable event in this regard. The plague-ridden body of the early modern times is located in a state of pre-medicalization of the human body, and in the absence of a medicalized narrative, the understanding of the epidemic is not based on the somatic paradigm. The incipient state of the medical study precipitates the ground for understanding the epidemic in the light of religious discourse. From a reading of Thomas Nashe’s “A Litany in a Time of Plague” and Thomas Dekker’s London Looke Backe it can be deciphered that the plague-infected body is perceived as a site of divine justice. In interpreting the epidemic as vengeful God’s rage inflicted upon the sinful humanity, the early modern explanation disembodies the diseased body from its somatic dimension. In doing so it resurfaces the problematic dichotomies of body and soul, medical science and religion. In taking cognizance of the fact that the understanding of a disease is largely determined by the socio-cultural ‘constructs’ of the disease, this paper, through a reading of the above-mentioned works, attempts to explore how the diseased body is caught in a complex network of contesting ideas and beliefs in early modern England.
Teaching Philippine Literature and Illness: Finding Cure in Humanities
Authors:   Lecturer, Ateneo de Manila University, Quezon City, Philippines. Polytechnic University of the Philippines, Manila, Philippines., Sarce John Paolo
Published: June 2021

Health and illness as themes are uncommonly being touched in literature classrooms. Other than the lack of interdisciplinary studies or specialists in this field in the Philippines, often teachers are also confronted with tons of materials that they are either overwhelmed to teach or find it difficult to deliver on their classes. This is the goal of this paper, help teachers gain confidence and basic knowledge of teaching literature that discusses health and illness especially at this time of history. Helping both teachers and students to understand and appreciate literature as a space for developing empathy while also honing their communicative and critical thinking skills. This paper will execute this goal by providing teachers in high school a guide in teaching literature that tackles health and illness using Philippine literature. I will translate theories and concepts from other studies into easy and clear language that teachers and students will find accessible to learn and use. And to organize this article, I will divide this into three parts the first is backgrounding and developing the framework in teaching literature about health and illness. Second, the application of the framework developed using two Philippine literature texts. And lastly, this paper will demonstrate how to teach Philippine literature that tackles health and illness using an online learning management system like Canvas or Google Classroom.
Epilepsy, Forgetting, and Convalescence in Ondaatje’s Warlight
Authors:   Social Science Unit, Leyte Normal University, Philippines., Kahambing Jan Gresil S.
Published: June 2021

Michael Ondaatje’s Warlight (2018), his latest novel to-date, contains nostalgic elements of strangeness and cartography. In this paper, I short-circuit such themes with health under medical humanities, which heeds a Nietzschean counsel of close reading in literature. To do so, I explore the case of Rachel’s illness, namely her epileptic seizures, as an instance that drives her impetus for active forgetting and eventual convalescence. A close hermeneutical reading of the novel can reveal that both of Nietzsche’s ideas on active forgetting and convalescence provide traction in terms of what this paper constructs as Rachel’s pathography or narration of illness. Shifting the focus from the main narrator, Nathaniel, I argue that it is not the novel’s reliance on memory but the subplot events of Nathaniel’s sister and her epilepsy that form a substantial case of medical or health humanities.
Poetics, Self-Understanding and Health
Authors:   Senior Lecturer, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA, Deming Richard , Clemens Justin ,   Associate Professor, English and Theatre Studies, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia, Vino Valery ,   Northern Rivers, Australia
Published: June 2021

In the thick of the global plague, Richard, Justin and Valery agreed to hold a conversation on the topic of poetics, self-understanding, and health. An analysis and discussion of this trinity requires love of poetry and philosophy. Both supreme human practices take common root in mythology and religion, and also share a notorious categorical divide, that of reason against affect. Is this Platonic divide indeed categorical, given both practices rely on language and creativity to compose their meaning? Interestingly, the practice of poetics does not have the reputation for boosting one’s health, in the mainstream understanding of that concept. If anything, poetic practice gained notoriety for corrupting one’s mind and, possibly, life. Like philosophy? We touched on these and other classical aporia, on the political struggles in American and Australian poetry. Here is a written record of this encounter, countries and miles apart, three persons simply getting to know one another.
Editorial Introduction
Authors:   Central Institute of Indian Languages, Mysuru., Khan Tariq , Tripathi Priyanka
Published: June 2021

Language and translation are phenomena in which the splendours of human intellect abound and become easily perceptible. Perhaps, that is why language and translation are concomitants even though the symbiotic relationship between the two remains occasionally recognized and often ignored. Both language and translation have been playing an instrumental role in creating and carrying forward the access and advances of knowledge, culture, literature, science and technology. Therefore, it is natural that academic writings concerning the issues of language and translation manifest in variegated forms and gets utilized as a means of and pretext for serving different purposes by writers and translators. This issue of the journal encapsulating eight papers may serve as an example to demonstrate the diverse ways in which scholarly pursuits have engaged language and translation and the relationship of mutualism between the two. Here is a bird’s eye view:
In Vitro and In Silico Studies of Two 1,4-Naphthoquinones and Their Topical Formulation in Bigels
Authors: Khelifi Imen , Tourrette Audrey , Khelifi Daycem , Efferth Thomas , Hayouni El Akrem , Ksouri Riadh , Bouajila Jalloul
Published: June 2021

Background:

1,4-Naphthoquinones (1,4-NQs) are secondary plant metabolites with numerous
biological activities. 1,4-NQs display low water solubility and poor bioavailability. Bigels
are a new technology with great potential, which are designated as drug delivery systems. Biphasic
bigels consisting of solid and liquid components represent suitable formulations improving diffusion
and bioavailability of NQs into the skin.

Objective:

We evaluated the in silico and in vitro activity of 5,8-dihydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinone
(M1) and 2,3-dichloro-5,8-dihydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinone (M2) on elastase and assessed their cytotoxicity
towards COLO38 melanoma cells. The 1,4-NQs were loaded into bigels for topical application.

Methods:

Molecular docking was performed, and cytotoxicity was evaluated on COLO38 cells using
the resazurin assay. M1 and M2 were separately incorporated into bigels consisting of hydrogel
organogel with sweet almond oil as the non-polar solvent and span 65 as an organogelator.
Their rheological behavior and microscopic properties were characterized. The diffusion kinetics
and permeation of 1,4-NQs from bigels were studied by a paddle-over-extraction cell and a “Franz
cell” in vitro permeation model.

Results:

Molecular docking data predicted high interactions between elastase and ligands. Hydrogen
bonds with LYS233 were observed for M1, M2, and phosphoramidon (positive control). The
average binding energies were -8.5 and -9.7 kcal/mol for M1 and M2 and -12.6 kcal/mol for phosphoramidon.
M1 and M2 inhibited the elastase activity by 58.9 and 56.6%, respectively. M1 and
M2 were cytotoxic towards COLO38 cells (IC50 value: 2.6 and 9.8 μM). The M1 release from
bigels was faster and more efficient than that of M2.

Conclusion:

M1 and M2 are promising for skin disease treatment. Biphasic organogel-hydrogel
bigels are efficient and safe formulations to overcome their low bioavailability.
Benzodiazepines and Sleep Architecture: A Systematic Review
Authors: Sousa Martins Silva Anderson , de Mendonça Felipe Maraucci Ribeiro , de Mendonça Giulia Paulo Rossi Ribeiro , Souza Laura Costa , Galvão Lucas Pequeno , Paiva Henrique Soares , de Azevedo Marques Périco Cintia , Torales Julio , Ventriglio Antonio , Maurício Castaldelli-Maia João
Published: June 2021

Background:

Insomnia, defined as a difficulty in initiating or maintaining sleep, is a relevant
medical issue. Benzodiazepines (BZDs) are commonly prescribed to treat insomnia. Two
phases characterize human sleep structure: sleep with Non-Rapid Eye Movement (NREM) and
sleep with Rapid Eye Movement (REM). Physiological sleep includes NREM and REM phases in
a continuous cycle known as “Sleep Architecture.”

Objective:

This systematic review summarizes the studies that have investigated effects of BZDs
on Sleep Architecture.

Methods:

The articles selection included human clinical trials (in English, Portuguese, or Spanish)
only, specifically focused on BZDs effects on sleep architecture. PubMed, BVS, and Google Scholar
databases were searched.

Results:

Findings on BZDs effects on sleep architecture confirm an increase in stage 2 of NREM
sleep and a decrease in time of stages 3 and 4 of NREM sleep with a reduction in time of REM
sleep during the nocturnal sleep.

Conclusion:

Variations in NREM and REM sleep may lead to deficits in concentration and working
memory and weight gain. The increase in stage 2 of NREM sleep may lead to a subjective improvement
of sleep quality with no awakenings. BZDz should be prescribed with zeal and professional
judgment. These patients should be closely monitored for possible long-term side effects.
Withdrawal Notice: Effect of Various Twisted Tape and Tube Configura-tions on Thermal Hydraulic Performance in a Roughened Heat Transfer Device: A Comprehensive Review
Authors: Khargotra Rohit , Kumar Raj , Nadda Rahul , Singh Tej
Published: June 2021

The article has been withdrawn by agreement between the editors and publisher of Recent Patents on Engineering. The authors are not responding to the editor’s requests to provide the language-edited version.

Bentham Science apologizes to the readers of the journal for any inconvenience this may have caused.

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Feasibility of Real-time Behavior Monitoring Via Mobile Technology in Czech Adults Aged 50 Years and Above: 12-Week Study With Ecological Momentary Assessment
Authors: Elavsky Steriani , Klocek Adam , Knapova Lenka , Smahelova Martina , Smahel David , Cimler Richard , Kuhnova Jitka
Published: June 2021

Background

Czech older adults have lower rates of physical activity than the average population and lag behind in the use of digital technologies, compared with their peers from other European countries.

Objective

This study aims to assess the feasibility of intensive behavior monitoring through technology in Czech adults aged ≥50 years.

Methods

Participants (N=30; mean age 61.2 years, SD 6.8 years, range 50-74 years; 16/30, 53% male; 7/30, 23% retired) were monitored for 12 weeks while wearing a Fitbit Charge 2 monitor and completed three 8-day bursts of intensive data collection through surveys presented on a custom-made mobile app. Web-based surveys were also completed before and at the end of the 12-week period (along with poststudy focus groups) to evaluate participants’ perceptions of their experience in the study.

Results

All 30 participants completed the study. Across the three 8-day bursts, participants completed 1454 out of 1744 (83% compliance rate) surveys administered 3 times per day on a pseudorandom schedule, 451 out of 559 (81% compliance rate) end-of-day surveys, and 736 episodes of self-reported planned physical activity (with 29/736, 3.9% of the reports initiated but returned without data). The overall rating of using the mobile app and Fitbit was above average (74.5 out of 100 on the System Usability Scale). The majority reported that the Fitbit (27/30, 90%) and mobile app (25/30, 83%) were easy to use and rated their experience positively (25/30, 83%). Focus groups revealed that some surveys were missed owing to notifications not being noticed or that participants needed a longer time window for survey completion. Some found wearing the monitor in hot weather or at night uncomfortable, but overall, participants were highly motivated to complete the surveys and be compliant with the study procedures.

Conclusions

The use of a mobile survey app coupled with a wearable device appears feasible for use among Czech older adults. Participants in this study tolerated the intensive assessment schedule well, but lower compliance may be expected in studies of more diverse groups of older adults. Some difficulties were noted with the pairing and synchronization of devices on some types of smartphones, posing challenges for large-scale studies.
Automated Size Recognition in Pediatric Emergencies Using Machine Learning and Augmented Reality: Within-Group Comparative Study
Authors: Schmucker Michael , Haag Martin
Published: June 2021

Background

Pediatric emergencies involving children are rare events, and the experience of emergency physicians and the results of such emergencies are accordingly poor. Anatomical peculiarities and individual adjustments make treatment during pediatric emergency susceptible to error. Critical mistakes especially occur in the calculation of weight-based drug doses. Accordingly, the need for a ubiquitous assistance service that can, for example, automate dose calculation is high. However, few approaches exist due to the complexity of the problem.

Objective

Technically, an assistance service is possible, among other approaches, with an app that uses a depth camera that is integrated in smartphones or head-mounted displays to provide a 3D understanding of the environment. The goal of this study was to automate this technology as much as possible to develop and statistically evaluate an assistance service that does not have significantly worse measurement performance than an emergency ruler (the state of the art).

Methods

An assistance service was developed that uses machine learning to recognize patients and then automatically determines their size. Based on the size, the weight is automatically derived, and the dosages are calculated and presented to the physician. To evaluate the app, a small within-group design study was conducted with 17 children, who were each measured with the app installed on a smartphone with a built-in depth camera and a state-of-the-art emergency ruler.

Results

According to the statistical results (one-sample t test; P=.42; α=.05), there is no significant difference between the measurement performance of the app and an emergency ruler under the test conditions (indoor, daylight). The newly developed measurement method is thus not technically inferior to the established one in terms of accuracy.

Conclusions

An assistance service with an integrated augmented reality emergency ruler is technically possible, although some groundwork is still needed. The results of this study clear the way for further research, for example, usability testing.
Evaluation of Family Caregivers’ Use of Their Adult Care Recipient’s Patient Portal From the 2019 Health Information National Trends Survey: Secondary Analysis
Authors: Raj Minakshi , Iott Bradley
Published: June 2021

Background

Patient engagement is critical for realizing the value of telehealth modalities such as the patient portal. Family caregiver engagement may also be critical for facilitating the use of the patient portal among adult patients, including older adults.

Objective

This study aims to analyze the 2019 Health Information National Trends Survey to characterize family caregivers’ use of their care recipient’s patient portal in terms of sociodemographic, health, and caregiving characteristics and caregivers’ use of their own portal.

Methods

We conducted a secondary analysis of cross-sectional data from the National Cancer Institute’s Health Information National Trends Survey 5 Cycle 3. This survey was administered to 5438 US adults between January and May 2019. We analyzed data from 320 respondents who were identified as family caregivers. We created measures to reflect family caregivers’ use of their care recipient’s and their own portal, caregiver demographic and caregiving characteristics, and care recipient health characteristics.

Results

Over half of the caregivers (179/320, 55.9%) reported using their own portal at least once, whereas only one-third (105/320, 32.8%) reported using their care recipient’s record in the previous 12 months. Caregivers using their own portal were significantly more likely to use their care recipient’s portal (odds ratio 11.18; P<.001).

Conclusions

Policies should enable patients to designate family caregivers who can access their patient portal. Providers could screen caregivers for challenges in their caregiving responsibilities that may be addressed through the portal so they can better support their adult relatives. Interventions to support family caregivers, especially older caregivers, in using their own portal may facilitate their use of their care recipient’s portal.
Expanding Video Consultation Services at Pace and Scale in Scotland During the COVID-19 Pandemic: National Mixed Methods Case Study (Preprint)
Authors: Wherton Joseph , Greenhalgh Trisha , Shaw Sara E
Published: June 2021

BACKGROUND

Scotland—a country of 5.5 million people—has a rugged geography with many outlying islands, creating access challenges for many citizens. The government has long sought to mitigate these through a range of measures including an ambitious technology-enabled care program. A strategy to develop a nationwide video consultation service began in 2017. Our mixed methods evaluation was commissioned in mid-2019 and extended to cover the pandemic response in 2020.

OBJECTIVE

To draw lessons from a national evaluation of the introduction, spread, and scale-up of Scotland’s video consultation services both before and during the pandemic.

METHODS

Data sources comprised 223 interviews (with patients, staff, technology providers, and policymakers), 60 hours of ethnographic observation (including in-person visits to remote settings), patient and staff satisfaction surveys (n=20,349), professional and public engagement questionnaires (n=5400), uptake statistics, and local and national documents. Fieldwork during the pandemic was of necessity conducted remotely. Data were analyzed thematically and theorized using the Planning and Evaluating Remote Consultation Services (PERCS) framework which considers multiple influences interacting dynamically and unfolding over time.

RESULTS

By the time the pandemic hit, there had been considerable investment in material and technological infrastructure, staff training, and professional and public engagement. Scotland was thus uniquely well placed to expand its video consultation services at pace and scale. Within 4 months (March-June 2020), the number of video consultations increased from about 330 to 17,000 per week nationally. While not everything went smoothly, video was used for a much wider range of clinical problems, vastly extending the prepandemic focus on outpatient monitoring of chronic stable conditions. The technology was generally considered dependable and easy to use. In most cases (14,677/18,817, 78%), patients reported no technical problems during their postconsultation survey. Health care organizations’ general innovativeness and digital maturity had a strong bearing on their ability to introduce, routinize, and expand video consultation services.

CONCLUSIONS

The national-level groundwork before the pandemic allowed many services to rapidly extend the use of video consultations during the pandemic, supported by a strong strategic vision, a well-resourced quality improvement model, dependable technology, and multiple opportunities for staff to try out the video option. Scotland provides an important national case study from which other countries may learn.
Prevention of Kidneys Failure in Patients with Heart Diseases at Cardiology Institut of Abidjan
Authors: Blanchard ANVOH Koutoua Yves , Valery NIABA Koffi Pierre , Adjoua Kouadio Larissa , Beryl Kouadio Amani Ange
Published: June 2021

The prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) is high and it is gradually increasing. Arterial hypertension accelerates many forms of renal disease and hastens the progression to ESRD. Patients with heart diseases with medication have not enough knowledge about the diet increasing kidney failure risks. Methods: This descriptive study included 42 selected randomly patients with cardiovascular complications with hypercreatininemia. Food frequency questionnaire was used. Creatininemia and clearance of creatininemia measurement were done. Results: The results of food frequency questionnaire shown that patients with higher serum creatinine are those who drink less than 1,5 liters of water a day and/or those have not a good repartition in water consumption. Patients with higher serum creatinine are those who drunk less than 1,5liters of water a day and those (p?0.5%). Then, Meals with frying induced more triglyceride production than meals with sauce (p?0.5). Among beverage, sodas and homemade juices were most consumed respectively at 36.6 and 51.3%. These beverages were associated with higher serum creatininemia. After 3 months of nutritional advises, drop in serum creatininemia were observed. Conclusion: Lowering serum creatinine involved augmentation in water amount consumption and good water consumption establishing. It also recommends Sodas and homemade Juice reducing Sodas should be reduce consumption and promoting water drinking.