bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effects of Clostridium butyricum as an Antibiotic Alternative on Growth Performance, Intestinal Morphology, Serum Biochemical Response, and Immunity of Broilers
Authors: Yang Tiantian , Du Mengsi , Zhang Jing , Ahmad Baseer , Cheng Qiang , Wang Xiaobing , Abbas Zaheer , Tong Yucui , Li Jinzhuan , Zhou Yichen , Zhang Rijun , Si Dayong
Published: February 2023

The current study aimed to investigate the effects of Clostridium butyiricum on growth performance, intestinal morphology, serum biochemical response, and immunity in broiler chickens. A total of 330 commercial one-day-old, mixed-sex Ross 308 broilers were randomly divided into five treatment groups with six replicates per group. The broilers were fed the basal diet (CON), the basal diet with 150 mg/kg of aureomycin (AM), the basal diet with C. butyricum at 2 × 108 CFU/kg (CBL), the basal diet with C. butyricum at 4 × 108 CFU/kg (CBM), and the basal diet with C. butyricum at 8 × 108 CFU/kg (CBH). Results showed that the final body weight (BW) (p < 0.01; p < 0.05), ADG from day 22 to 39 (p < 0.05), and ADG from day 1 to 39 (p < 0.01; p < 0.05) were improved in a linear and quadratic response with the inclusion of C. butyricum. There were no differences in feed conversion rate (FCR) among all groups (p > 0.05). Supplementation with C. butyricum quadratically reduced the crypt depth at day 21 (p < 0.01), linearly improved the villus height in the jejunum at day 39 (p < 0.001), and linearly and quadratically increased the villus height to crypt depth (V/C) ratio in the jejunum at day 21 (p < 0.01) and day 39 (p < 0.01; p < 0.001). Dietary C. butyricum affected the thymus index at day 21 and day 39 (linear, p < 0.01), and the bursa of Fabricius index at day 39 (quadratic, p < 0.05). Compared to the AM group, the serum urea contents were decreased (p < 0.05) but the IgG contents were increased in the CBL and CBH groups at day 21 (p < 0.01); in addition, serum albumin (ALB) concentrations in all the C. butyricum-supplemented groups (p < 0.01) and IgG concentrations in the CBM group were augmented at day 39 (p < 0.05). In conclusion, dietary C. butyricum could enhance growth performance by improving jejunal morphology and stimulating immunity organ development in broilers, and could be an alternative to antibiotics in poultry feeds.
Non-Toxigenic Clostridioides difficile Strain E4 (NTCD-E4) Prevents Establishment of Primary C. difficile Infection by Epidemic PCR Ribotype 027 in an In Vitro Human Gut Model
Authors: Etifa Perezimor , Rodríguez César , Harmanus Céline , Sanders Ingrid M. J. G. , Sidorov Igor A. , Mohammed Olufunmilayo A. , Savage Emily , Timms Andrew R. , Freeman Jane , Smits Wiep Klaas , Wilcox Mark H. , Baines Simon D.
Published: February 2023

Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) remains a significant healthcare burden. Non-toxigenic C. difficile (NTCD) strains have shown a benefit in preventing porcine enteritis and in human recurrent CDI. In this study, we evaluated the efficacy of metronidazole-resistant NTCD-E4 in preventing CDI facilitated by a range of antimicrobials in an in vitro human gut model. NTCD-E4 spores (at a dose of 107) were instilled 7 days before a clinical ribotype (RT) 027 (at the same dose) strain (210). In separate experiments, four different antimicrobials were used to perturb gut microbiotas; bacterial populations and cytotoxin production were determined using viable counting and Vero cell cytotoxicity, respectively. RT027 and NTCD-E4 proliferated in the in vitro model when inoculated singly, with RT027 demonstrating high-level cytotoxin (3-5-log10-relative units) production. In experiments where the gut model was pre-inoculated with NTCD-E4, RT027 was remained quiescent and failed to produce cytotoxins. NTCD-E4 showed mutations in hsmA and a gene homologous to CD196-1331, previously linked to medium-dependent metronidazole resistance, but lacked other metronidazole resistance determinants. This study showed that RT027 was unable to elicit simulated infection in the presence of NTCD-E4 following stimulation by four different antimicrobials. These data complement animal and clinical studies in suggesting NTCD offer prophylactic potential in the management of human CDI.
Pilot Study on the Action of Thymus vulgaris Essential Oil in Treating the Most Common Bacterial Contaminants and Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica Serovar Derby in Poultry Litter
Authors: Galgano Michela , Pellegrini Francesco , Fracchiolla Giuseppe , Mrenoshki Daniela , Zarea Aya Attia Koraney , Bianco Angelica , Del Sambro Laura , Capozzi Loredana , Schiavone Antonella , Saleh Medhat S. , Camero Michele , Tempesta Maria , Cirone Francesco , Buonavoglia Domenico , Pratelli Annamaria , Buonavoglia Alessio
Published: February 2023

The indiscriminate use of antimicrobials in poultry farms is linked to the increase in multi-resistant bacteria. Accordingly, based on the antimicrobial properties of Thyme Essential Oil (TEO), the present study evaluated the effects of TEO on the reduction of common microbial contaminants and Salmonella on poultry litter. A litter bulk sample was collected in a broiler farm and qualitative/quantitative investigations identified Escherichia coli and Mammaliicoccus lentus. The experimental contamination with Salmonella Derby wild strain was also performed. All pathogens showed phenotypic and genotypic resistance to different classes of antibiotics. The litter, split in different units, was treated with aqueous solutions of TEO at different concentrations (5% to 1.25%), demonstrating its effectiveness in reducing the total number of bacteria. The strongest antibacterial action was observed at the lowest concentration against Enterobacteriaceae, with a growth reduction compared to the positive control of 73.3% and 77.8% against E. coli and Salmonella Derby, respectively, while towards M. lentus the reduction was 50%. Our data confirm the antimicrobial activity of TEO and suggest its possible application for the treatment of poultry litter as an effective and natural approach for the prevention of diseases caused by the most common bacteria that colonize poultry farms, counteracting the onset of antibiotic resistance.
Efficacy of Environmental Cleaning Protocol Featuring Real-Time Feedback with and without PX-UV in Reducing the Contamination of Gram-Negative Microorganisms on High-Touch Surfaces in Four Intensive Care Units in Thailand
Authors: Sathitakorn Ornnicha , Jantarathaneewat Kittiya , Weber David J , Apisarnthanarak Piyaporn , Rutjanawech Sasinuch , Apisarnthanarak Anucha
Published: February 2023

Environmental cleaning and disinfection practices have been shown to reduce microorganism bioburden in the healthcare environment. This study was performed in four intensive care units in Thailand. Five high-touch surfaces were sampled before and after terminal manual cleaning and disinfection, and after pulsed xenon UV (PX-UV). Five nursing station sites were collected on a weekly basis before and after terminal manual cleaning. There were 100 patient rooms—50 rooms in the intervention arm and 50 rooms in the control arm—plus 32 nursing station sites. In the intervention arm, rooms with positive Gram-negative microorganisms were reduced by 50% after terminal manual cleaning and disinfection (p = 0.04) and 100% after PX-UV disinfection (p < 0.001). On five nursing station sites, colony counts of Gram-negative contamination decreased by 100% (p < 0.001) in the intervention arm while decreasing by 65.2% (p = 0.03) in the control arm after terminal manual cleaning and disinfection. The in-room time use was 15.6 min per room. A PX-UV device significantly reduced the level of Gram-negative microorganisms on high-touch surfaces in intensive care units. The application of a PX-UV device was practical a in resource-limited setting without compromising cleaning and disinfection times.
Beta-Lactam Probability of Target Attainment Success: Cefepime as a Case Study
Authors: Selig Daniel J. , Kress Adrian T. , Nadeau Robert J. , DeLuca Jesse P.
Published: February 2023

Introduction: Probability of target attainment (PTA) analysis using Monte Carlo simulations has become a mainstay of dose optimization. We highlight the technical and clinical factors that may affect PTA for beta-lactams. Methods: We performed a mini review in adults to explore factors relating to cefepime PTA success and how researchers incorporate PTA into dosing decisions. In addition, we investigated, via simulations with a population pharmacokinetic (PK) model, factors that may affect cefepime PTA success. Results: The mini review included 14 articles. PTA results were generally consistent, given the differences in patient populations. However, dosing recommendations were more varied and appeared to depend on the definition of pharmacodynamic (PD) target, definition of PTA success and specific clinical considerations. Only 3 of 14 articles performed formal toxicological analysis. Simulations demonstrated that the largest determinants of cefepime PTA were the choice of PD target, continuous vs. intermittent infusion and creatinine clearance. Assumptions for protein binding, steady state vs. first dose, and simulating different sampling schemes may impact PTA success under certain conditions. The choice of one or two compartments had a minimal effect on PTA. Conclusions: PTA results may be similar with different assumptions and techniques. However, dose recommendation may differ significantly based on the selection of PD target, definition of PTA success and considerations specific to a patient population. Demographics and the PK parameters used to simulate time-concentration profiles should be derived from patient data applicable to the purpose of the PTA. There should be strong clinical rationale for dose selection. When possible, safety and toxicity should be considered in addition to PTA success.
Oxidative Stress and Cardiovascular Risk Factors: The Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) Study
Authors: Heravi Amir S. , Zhao Di , Michos Erin D. , Doria De Vasconcellos Henrique , Ambale-Venkatesh Bharath , Lloyd-Jones Donald , Schreiner Pamela J. , Reis Jared P. , Shikany James M. , Lewis Cora E. , Ndumele Chiadi E. , Guallar Eliseo , Ouyang Pamela , Hoogeveen Ron C. , Lima Joao A. C. , Post Wendy S. , Vaidya Dhananjay
Published: February 2023

Introduction—Oxidative stress is linked to cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and is suggested to vary by sex. However, few population-level studies have explored these associations and the majority comprise populations with advanced CVD. We assessed urinary isoprostane concentrations, a standard measure of oxidative stress, in a relatively young and healthy cohort, hypothesizing that higher oxidative stress is associated with an adverse cardiometabolic profile and female sex. Methods—Oxidative stress was measured in 475 women and 266 men, aged 48–55 years, from the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) study using urinary 8-isoprostane (IsoP) and 2,3-dinor-8-isoprostane (IsoP-M). Multivariable-adjusted regression was used to evaluate cross-sectional associations. As secondary analysis, previously measured plasma F2-isoprostanes (plasma IsoP) from another CARDIA subset was similarly analyzed. Results—Mean (SD) ages for men and women were 52.1(2.3) and 52.2(2.2) years, respectively (p = 0.46), and 39% of the participants self-identified as Black (vs. White). Before adjustments, female sex was associated with higher median urinary IsoP (880 vs. 704 ng/g creatinine in men; p < 0.01) and IsoP m (1675 vs. 1284 ng/g creatinine in men; p < 0.01). Higher body mass index (BMI), high-density cholesterol (HDL-C), and triglycerides, current smoking, and less physical activity were associated with higher oxidative stress. Diabetes was not associated with urinary IsoP but was associated with lower IsoP m and plasma IsoP. Higher serum creatinine showed diverging associations with higher plasma and lower urinary isoprostane concentrations. Conclusions—Different isoprostane entities exhibit varying association patterns with CVD risk factors, and therefore are complementary, rather than interchangeable, in assessment of oxidative stress. Still, consistently higher isoprostanes among women, smokers, less active persons, and those with higher BMI and plasma triglycerides could reflect higher oxidative stress among these groups. While urinary isoprostanes are indexed to urinary creatinine due to variations in concentration, caution should be exercised when comparing groups with differing serum creatinine.
Advanced Unified Earthquake Catalog for North East India
Authors: Pallavi  , Das Ranjit , Joshi Sandeep , Meneses Claudio , Biswas Tinku
Published: February 2023

Northeast India is one of the world’s most seismically active regions. The event data included in this research for the period 1737–2012 is mostly obtained from worldwide database agencies such as ISC, NEIC, and GCMT. Historical seismicity is collected from published and unpublished documents and some earthquake events are collected from the Indian Meteorological Department Bulletins. As the Mw scale is developed and validated in the southern California region and overestimates the smaller magnitude earthquakes, therefore, recent literature suggested an improved version of the seismic moment magnitude scale (Mwg) applicable for the entire globe considering both long- and short-period frequency-spectra using modern instrumental data. To update the earthquake catalog of Northeast India, we prepared empirical relationships between different magnitudes to Mwg using robust statistical General Orthogonal Regression. A procedure is also suggested for converting different earthquake sizes towards seismic moment scale. The Magnitude of Completeness (Mc) and the Gutenberg–Richter (GR) recurrence parameter values for the declustered homogenized catalog in four time periods, namely 1737–1963, 1964–1990, 1964–2000, and 1964–2012, have been computed. Our analysis suggests that the use of the Mwg scale improves seismicity parameters ‘b’ up to 30%, ‘a’ up to 17%, and ‘Mc’ up to 18% for the Northeast India region. A complete unified earthquake catalog in terms of advanced seismic moment magnitude scale could help understand seismicity and earthquake engineering studies of the region.
Hazard Model: Epidemic-Type Aftershock Sequence (ETAS) Model for Hungary
Authors: Szabó Péter , Tóth László , Cerdà-Belmonte Judith
Published: February 2023

In this article we present a space–time epidemic-type aftershock sequence (ETAS) model for the area of Hungary, motivated by the goal of its application in insurance risk models. High-quality recent instrumental data from the period 1996–2021 are used for model parameterization, including data from the recent nearby Zagreb and Petrinja event sequences. In the earthquake-triggering equations of our ETAS model, we replace the commonly used modified Omori law with the more recently proposed stretched exponential time response form, and a Gaussian space response function is applied with a variance add-on for epicenter error. After this model was tested against the observations, an appropriate overall fit for magnitudes M≥3.0 was found, which is sufficient for insurance applications, although the tests also show deviations at the M=2.5 threshold. Since the data used for parameterization are dominated by Croatian earthquake sequences, we also downscale the model to regional zones via parameter adjustments. In the downscaling older historical data are incorporated for a better representation of the key events within Hungary itself. Comparison of long-term large event numbers in simulated catalogues versus historical data shows that the model fit by zone is improved by the downscaling.
Artificial Intelligence Based Prediction of Diabetic Foot Risk in Patients with Diabetes: A Literature Review
Authors: Gosak Lucija , Svensek Adrijana , Lorber Mateja , Stiglic Gregor
Published: February 2023

Diabetic foot is a prevalent chronic complication of diabetes and increases the risk of lower limb amputation, leading to both an economic and a major societal problem. By detecting the risk of developing diabetic foot sufficiently early, it can be prevented or at least postponed. Using artificial intelligence, delayed diagnosis can be prevented, leading to more intensive preventive treatment of patients. Based on a systematic literature review, we analyzed 14 articles that included the use of artificial intelligence to predict the risk of developing diabetic foot. The articles were highly heterogeneous in terms of data use and showed varying degrees of sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy. The most used machine learning techniques were support vector machine (SVM) (n = 6) and K-Nearest Neighbor (KNN) (n = 5). Future research is recommended on larger samples of participants using different techniques to determine the most effective one.
Porcelain Tile Polishing Residue in Concrete as an Additive or Replacement for Portland Cement
Authors: Santos Humberto Mycael Mota , Jochem Lidiane Fernanda , de Matos Paulo Ricardo , Casagrande Cézar Augusto , Marinho Érika Pinto , Szeląg Maciej , de Nóbrega Ana Cecília Vieira
Published: February 2023

In this study, 10–50% of porcelain tile polishing residue (PPR) was used as an additive or as partial replacement of cement in concrete. The cement consumption was kept constant by correcting the amount of sand for each mixture. Concrete workability (slump) was reduced by up to 88.72% when PPR replaced the cement by up to 30%, while it was reduced by only 4.10% when PPR was added to the concrete at the same levels. Compressive strength at 28 days increased up to 92.22% with 50% PPR as additive, reducing the equivalent emission of CO2 per m³ of concrete up to 38.18%. PPR incorporation reduced the water permeability of concrete by up to 30.70% and 17.54% when used in addition and in cement replacement, respectively. Overall, PPR as an additive up to 50% and in cement with substitution levels up to 10–40% presented themselves as viable solutions for developing more resistant and durable concretes than the reference mixture (without incorporation of PPR).
Numerical and Experimental Study of a Large-Scale Natural Circulation Helium Loop
Authors: Knížat Branislav , Vach Matej , Mlkvik Marek , Mlynár Peter , Világi František , Olšiak Róbert , Urban František
Published: February 2023

This paper deals with the one-dimensional unsteady fluid flow model of a natural circulation loop. The governing equations are solved according to both the Euler and Lagrange approaches on two parallel computational grids. The linearization of equations and a semi-implicit discretization scheme are used to enhance the algorithm’s effectiveness. The results of the simulations were verified by using experimental data obtained on an experimental rig that was a scale model of an emergency system for the removal of residual heat after reactor shutdown. The parameters compared were the helium temperature at two locations and the heater outlet pressure. The simulation results generally did not differ from the experimental data by more than 10%. The best agreement was obtained for scenarios in which the helium pressure was highest in combination with slow changes in the input parameters (less than 4%). Conversely, the results differed the most for the scenario with extremely fast device cooling (20%).
Dynamic Compensation of a Fluxgate Magnetometer Based on a Hybrid Optimizing Algorithm
Authors: Chen Zhuo , Wang Zhenxiong , Zhang Qi , Liu Zhongyan , Pan Mengchun , Chen Dixiang , Xu Yujing
Published: February 2023

Under dynamic conditions, when the measured magnetic field is projected onto the sensitive axis of the fluxgate magnetometer, it will show strong dynamic characteristics, resulting in errors or delayed interpretation of the measured physical process. Considering the dynamic characteristics of the three-axis fluxgate magnetometer, this paper proposes a series dynamic compensator based on system identification to carry out system identification and modeling of the dynamic characteristics of the three-axis fluxgate magnetometer and proposes a system parameter calculating method based on hybrid optimization of the genetic algorithm and the simulated annealing algorithm (GA-SA). With these methods, not only can the parameter optimization process effectively avoid falling into the local optimal, but they can also greatly improve the search efficiency and shorten the time of solving the optimal solution. Thus, the full-space search ability of the algorithm is improved, and the accuracy of the dynamic magnetic measurements is improved to the maximum extent. The simulation results of the step signal show that the response time is reduced to 18.22% of the pre-compensation time. The standard signal test results of the step signal and sinusoidal signal, respectively, show that the response time of the step signal is reduced to 5.5% and, in the 0.01–10 Hz frequency band, the maximum attenuation decreases from 0.24% to 0.10%, and the phase difference is less than −0.5°. Moreover, the experimental results of the geomagnetic dynamic measurements show that the dynamic compensated data are mostly close to the real geomagnetic field values. In addition, the standard deviation errors are reduced from 95.30/277.35/108.51 nT to 3.41/2.36/2.75 nT in three geomagnetic vector components. The results of this work show the ability of dynamic measurement accuracy improvement of fluxgate magnetometers and are useful for geomagnetic dynamic measurement and related applications.
A Sector-Matching Probability Hypothesis Density Filter for Radar Multiple Target Tracking
Authors: Yang Jialin , Jiang Defu , Tao Jin , Gao Yiyue , Lu Xingchen , Han Yan , Liu Ming
Published: February 2023

The development of high-tech, dim, small targets, such as drones and cruise missiles, brings great challenges to radar multi-target tracking (MTT), making it necessary to extend the beam dwell time to obtain a high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). In order to solve the problem of radar sampling time variation exacerbated by extending the beam dwell time when detecting weak targets, a sector-matching (SM) PHD filter is proposed, which combines the actual radar system with a PHD filter and quantifies the relationship between the beam dwell time, the false alarm rate and the detection probability. The proposed filter divides the scanning area into small sectors to obtain actual multi-target measurement times and rederives the prediction and update steps based on the actual sampling time. Furthermore, a state correction step is added before state extraction. Applying the SM structure to the basic Gaussian mixture PHD (GM-PHD) filter and labeled GM-PHD filter, the simulation results demonstrate that the proposed structure can improve the accuracy of multi-weak-target state estimation in the dense clutter and can continuously generate explicit trajectories. The overall real-time performance of the proposed filter is similar to that of the PHD filter.
The Influence of Sebum on Directional Reflectance of the Skin
Authors: Banyś Anna , Hartman-Petrycka Magdalena , Kras Katarzyna , Kamińska Magdalena , Krusiec-Świdergoł Beata , Popielski Paweł , Lebiedowska Agata , Wilczyński Sławomir
Published: February 2023

The sebaceous glands are responsible for the secretion of sebum. Its function is to maintain a proper epidermal barrier and participate in metabolic processes within the epidermis. Excessive sebum secretion leads to the development of various seborrheic diseases. The aim of this study was to determine the in vivo correlation between the amount of sebum and the directional reflectance of the skin. Measurements were performed using a Sebumeter (Courage + Khazaka, Germany) and a directional hemispherical reflectometer (Solar 410, SOC, USA). It has been shown that the amount of sebum does not affect the directional reflectance of the skin at a wavelength of 335–380 nm. With an increase in the amount of sebum, the directional reflectance of the skin decreases at wavelengths of 400–540 nm and 480–600 nm. However, with an increase in the amount of sebum, the directional reflectance of the skin increases at wavelengths of 590–720 nm, 700–1100 nm, 1000–1700 nm, and 1700–2500 nm. The closest relationship between amount of sebum and directional reflectance of the skin was observed at a wavelength of 700–1100 nm. Reflecting/scattering radiation from the skin surface, depending on the sebum content, may be clinically significant not only in the context of exposure to solar radiation but also in the context of numerous therapeutic methods based on artificial sources of radiation. In this area, it is desirable for the radiation to penetrate the skin as effectively as possible. The obtained preliminary results confirm that the used method is an interesting alternative to spectroscopic methods.
A Knowledge Graph Embedding Approach for Polypharmacy Side Effects Prediction
Authors: Kim Jinwoo , Shin Miyoung
Published: February 2023

Predicting the side effects caused by drug combinations may facilitate the prescription of multiple medications in a clinical setting. So far, several prediction models of multidrug side effects based on knowledge graphs have been developed, showing good performance under constrained test conditions. However, these models usually focus on relationships between neighboring nodes of constituent drugs rather than whole nodes, and do not fully exploit the information about the occurrence of single drug side effects. The lack of learning the information on such relationships and single drug data may hinder improvement of performance. Moreover, compared with all possible drug combinations, the highly limited range of drug combinations used for model training prevents achieving high generalizability. To handle these problems, we propose a unified embedding-based prediction model using knowledge graph constructed with data of drug–protein and protein–protein interactions. Herein, single or multiple drugs or proteins are mapped into the same embedding space, allowing us to (1) jointly utilize side effect occurrence data associated with single drugs and multidrug combinations to train prediction models and (2) quantify connectivity strengths between drugs and other entities such as proteins. Due to these characteristics, it becomes also possible to utilize the quantified relationships between distant nodes, as well as neighboring nodes, of all possible multidrug combinations to regularize the models. Compared with existing methods, our model showed improved performance, especially in predicting the side effects of new combinations containing novel drugs that have no clinical information on polypharmacy effects. Furthermore, our unified embedding vectors have been shown to provide interpretability, albeit to a limited extent, for proteins highly associated with multidrug side effect.
DEEDP: Document-Level Event Extraction Model Incorporating Dependency Paths
Authors: Li Hui , Zhao Xin , Yu Lin , Zhao Yixin , Zhang Jie
Published: February 2023

Document-level event extraction (DEE) aims at extracting event records from given documents. Existing DEE methods handle troublesome challenges by using multiple encoders and casting the task into a multi-step paradigm. However, most of the previous approaches ignore a missing feature by using mean pooling or max pooling operations in different encoding stages and have not explicitly modeled the interdependency features between input tokens, and thus the long-distance problem cannot be solved effectively. In this study, we propose Document-level Event Extraction Model Incorporating Dependency Paths (DEEDP), which introduces a novel multi-granularity encoder framework to tackle the aforementioned problems. Specifically, we first designed a Transformer-based encoder, Transformer-M, by adding a Syntactic Feature Attention mechanism to the Transformer, which can capture more interdependency information between input tokens and help enhance the semantics for sentence-level representations of entities. We then stacked Transformer-M and Transformer to integrate sentence-level and document-level features; we thus obtained semantic enhanced document-aware representations for each entity and model long-distance dependencies between arguments. Experimental results on the benchmarks MUC-4 and ChFinAnn demonstrate that DEEDP achieves superior performance over the baselines, proving the effectiveness of our proposed methods.
Unraveling the Usage Characteristics of Human Element, Human Factor, and Human Error in Maritime Safety
Authors: Ma Xiao Fei , Shi Guo You , Liu Zheng Jiang
Published: February 2023

Human-related issues have become a popular topic in maritime safety research, with an increasing number of relevant research articles being published annually. However, a persistent problem in this field is that three terms, namely “human element”, “human factor”, and “human error” are used interchangeably in the literature. This issue poses questions regarding the characteristics of their usage; do these three terms have the same meaning? Herein, we conducted systematic research on the three terms by analyzing official information and published research using a collecting–classifying–summarizing policy. The results show that “human error” is easier to identify than “human element” and “human factor”, while the latter two terms have intersecting contents. These contents prompt the user to decide which term to choose depending on the situation. Herein, we aim to help scholars accurately distinguish these terms.
Optimization of a Breath Analysis Methodology to Potentially Diagnose Transplanted Kidney Rejection: A Preclinic Study
Authors: De Vietro Nicoletta , Aresta Antonella Maria , Picciariello Arcangelo , Altomare Donato Francesco , Lucarelli Giuseppe , Di Gilio Alessia , Palmisani Jolanda , De Gennaro Gianluigi , Zambonin Carlo
Published: February 2023

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) may result in end-stage renal disorder and an increased mortality rate. Presently, kidney transplantation represents the only definitive treatment to restore normal life expectancy. Nevertheless, there is an elevated risk of organ rejection in the short–medium term after surgery. This preclinic study proposes the optimization of an innovative, fast, non-invasive, and cheap thermal desorption-gas chromatograph–mass spectrometry (TD-GC–MS) protocol, which provides simple monitoring of the respiratory profile of CKD-affected patients, before and during the first year after surgery, and aims to preemptively predict the rejection of the transplanted kidney. Twenty volatile organic compounds (VOCs), known as targets and, which are representative of the major classes of molecules discriminating between CKD-affected patients and healthy individuals, were selected from the literature, and employed to optimize the methodology. Calibration curves, linearity concentration ranges, the limit of detection (LOD), and the limit of quantification (LOQ) were estimated for the chosen molecules as well as the intraday and interday reproducibility of the method. The applicability of the TD-GC–MS developed approach was tested by analyzing the breath of healthy and pathological subjects using the ReCIVA® device. Sixty-seven molecules were identified, and between these, thirteen of the twenty selected compounds were quantified and were identified to have high prognostic values.
Water Softener Regeneration Effects on the Operation of Domestic Wastewater Treatment Plants: A Preliminary Study
Authors: Pawlak Maciej , Pilarska Agnieszka A. , Zimnicka Katarzyna , Kujawiak Sebastian , Matz Radosław
Published: February 2023

There has been a large amount of scientific research carried out to date on the impact of salty backwash brine from domestic water softeners (WS) on domestic wastewater treatment plants (DWTPs). Experts and practitioners agree that the impact is harmful and there is still a need to look for new technologies. The study of the effect of an increased sodium chloride (NaCl) concentration after softener regeneration is important from the point of view of the operation of DWTPs and soil properties. This paper presents the results of a field study of the concentration of NaCl at the septic tank (ST) drainage point, into which the grey water from the regeneration of the water softener flowed. During the six-month measurements (recorded every 1 min), an increase in NaCl concentration was observed in the septic tank outflow, from an average NaCl concentration of 1.5 g·L−1—between regenerations—to an average concentration of 4.5 g·L−1—after water softener regeneration. The increased NaCl concentration decreased significantly up to 2 days after the water softener regeneration. Temperature changes in the treated wastewater were also measured—during the winter period, temperature differences of up to 10 °C per day were recorded. In the second part of the study, conducted on a semi-technical scale, the effect of brine from the regeneration of the water softener on the hydraulic conductivity (Ks) of the soil from the infiltration drain of the DWTPs studied was assessed. The Ks was determined by analysing the time it took the water to soak into the soil, using the Van Hoorn equation. The results and statistical analysis indicate an increased salt content in the soil absorbing the brine, which may have been influenced by the reduced absorption and capacity of the drain due to adverse physico-chemical changes.
Aspects Related to the Design and Manufacturing of an Original and Innovative Marker Support System for Use in Clinical Optometry
Authors: Constantin Victor , Besnea Daniel , Gramescu Bogdan , Moraru Edgar
Published: February 2023

The compliant mechanism studied in this paper is used in the structure of an assembly necessary for the temporary mounting of visual markers on glasses frames. Proper correction of vision defects in patients is a field of study in healthcare that has grown in complexity, along with all aspects of technology, over the past decades. As such, along with better lenses and frames, including custom solutions, the devices used to determine the patient’s specific parameters need to be more complex and precise. However, this is only part of the problem: while many devices exist that take measurements such as interpupillary distance with great precision, these come at a very high cost and do not take into account aspects related to real-life usage of the lenses, such as the patient’s position, angle, etc. Given the considerations above, this paper approaches the design, simulation, realization and testing of a working model of a frame used to support markers used in the optometry process. The design proposed in this paper assumes that the system used can be used while the glasses are mounted on the patient’s face, without influencing in any way their position in front of the patient’s eyes. Furthermore, the system must allow assembly and disassembly with minimal effort, to allow the patient to perform some movements without changing the position of the frame, as well as the easy access to the markers mounted on the spectacle frame. The main scope of the paper is to design and choose the correct constructive solution of a compliant mechanism for this important clinical optometric application in terms of geometric parameters, material and technology used to obtain appropriate performances. The authors highlight how the parameters and manufacturing technology for the device were chosen, and a finite element analysis is used to simulate the mechanical behaviour of the mechanism and to choose the optimal variant in terms of the desired displacement between three proposed materials for the given application. After justifying the choice of the constructive solution, several physical models of optometric support markers were realised using Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM), and Polyethylene terephthalate glycol (PETG) or polylactic acid as materials. Furthermore, an electro-pneumatic experimental test stand was developed to simulate and test the functionality of the device and to validate the proposed model.
Performance Analysis of Hybrid PDM-SAC-OCDMA-Enabled FSO Transmission Using ZCC Codes
Authors: Armghan Ammar , Alsharari Meshari , Aliqab Khaled , Singh Mehtab , Abd El-Mottaleb Somia A.
Published: February 2023

The need for a high-speed transmission network has become essential due to the exponential increase in traffic. In this paper, a free-space-optics (FSO) link modelled by integrating two multiplexing techniques, i.e., spectral amplitude coding-optical code division multiple access (SAC-OCDMA) using zero cross correlation (ZCC) codes and polarization division multiplexing (PDM), is proposed. On the X-polarization (XPolar) state, three users with three different ZCC codes are transmitted. In addition, another three users with the same ZCC codes are transmitted on the Y-polarization (YPolar) state. Each user carries 20 Gbps of information. Weather conditions, such as clear, fog, and snowfall, are considered when assessing the efficacy of our suggested model. The results exhibit 120 Gbps transmission at 10 km under clear weather. For foggy weather, the propagation range varies from 1.6 km to 0.76 km according to the density of the fog. Moreover, the system can transport information up to 1.2 km during wet snowfall, though this range decreases to 0.26 km under dry snowfall showing that the highest attenuation is caused by dry snowfall weather conditions. The achieved ranges are obtained with a bit error rate ≤10−9 and Q-factor greater than 6. Consequently, this proposed FSO model is suggested for use in 5G and 6G high speed transmission networks.
The Numerical Identification of Basins of Attraction for the Vibration Response of the Rigid Rotor with Squeeze Film Dampers
Authors: Molčan Michal , Ferfecki Petr , Zapoměl Jaroslav
Published: February 2023

The article deals with the computational study of the rigid rotor coupled with squeeze film dampers. Various techniques such as the method of computation of the synchronous response with a circular centred orbit, the harmonic balance method, and the direct time integration method are used to analyse the nonlinear behaviour of the rotor system. The results indicate that the rotor system can exhibit both a synchronous circular response with a large orbit radius and a nonsynchronous response with a quasiperiodic character. However, both responses are undesirable in rotating machinery and should be avoided. The new results are presented to provide insight into the impact of initial conditions on the vibration response via basins of attraction. The simulations show that: (i) the basins of attraction are more sensitive to the choice of the initial velocities than displacements, (ii) the basins of attraction are noticeably dependent on the rotor speed in the region of a nonsynchronous response, and (iii) the border between the basins of attraction can be smooth or without a clear structure. The research brings clear conditions defined by parameters such as the dimensionless SFD constant, unbalance, and rotational speed for the suppression of undesirable nonlinear phenomena. The results suggest that the damper can effectively improve the vibration response of high-speed rotating machinery, but its design must be chosen appropriately.
(No) Eternal Inflation in the Starobinsky Inflation Corrected by Higher Curvature Invariants
Authors: Chojnacki Jan , Kwapisz Jan Henryk
Published: February 2023

The swampland criteria in string theory assert the no eternal inflation scenario. This work studied the impact of generic gravitational quantum corrections on eternal inflation. In particular, we find that the Starobinsky model of inflation should receive higher-order corrections stemming from quantum gravity. In this work, we studied the effect of the R3/2 and R4 corrections on the eternal inflation conditions for the Starobinsky model.
Enhancing Forecast Skill of Winter Temperature of East Asia Using Teleconnection Patterns Simulated by GloSea5 Seasonal Forecast Model
Authors: Lee Yejin , Kim Ha-Rim , Noh Namkyu , Kim Ki-Young , Kim Baek-Min
Published: February 2023

GloSea5, a seasonal forecast system of the UK Met Office, shows reasonable skill among state-of-the-art operational seasonal forecast systems. However, the average surface temperature (T2m) in winter (December–February) of GloSea5 is particularly low in East Asia. To improve the seasonal forecast skill over East Asia, we focused on the high skill score of global teleconnection patterns simulated by GloSea5. Among the well-predicted teleconnection patterns, we selected those highly correlated with the East Asian T2m: East Atlantic (EA), Polar/Eurasia (PE), East Atlantic/Western Russia (EAWR), and West Pacific (WP) patterns. A multiple linear regression model was constructed using the selected teleconnection indices as predictors. These results are promising. The statistical skill-score evaluation of the constructed linear regression model using the anomaly correlation coefficient (ACC), root mean squared error (RMSE), and mean-squared skill score (MSSS) showed an improvement in the predicted T2m of East Asia, where the values of ACC and MSSS increased by 0.25 and 0.37, respectively, and the RMSE decreased by 0.63 compared to the dynamic forecast model results. These results suggest that a well-designed combined statistical and dynamical approach for seasonal prediction can be beneficial for some regions where the predictability of the dynamic model exhibits a low value.
Charge-State Distributions after Beta Decay of 6He to Form 6Li+
Authors: Bondy Aaron T. , Drake Gordon W. F.
Published: February 2023

The shake-off processes and charge-state fractions of 6Li+, 6Li++, and 6Li3+ were studied following the beta decay of 6He in the 1s21S0, 1s2s1S0, and 1s2s3S1 initial states. The sudden approximation was used, together with fully correlated Hylleraas wave functions and pseudostates. A projection operator method was introduced to separate the charge-state fractions in the positive energy region of overlapping continua. The results show that 6Li++ (single-ionisation) remains dominant, even in the energy range E>0, where the formation of 6Li3+ (double-ionisation) is energetically allowed. The results reduce disagreements with the experiment for the fraction of 6Li3+ by nearly an order of magnitude, but substantial disagreements remain that are inconsistent with the sudden approximation widely used in other similar work.
Mixture of Shanker Distributions: Estimation, Simulation and Application
Authors: Abushal Tahani A. , Sindhu Tabassum Naz , Lone Showkat Ahmad , Hassan Marwa K. H. , Shafiq Anum
Published: February 2023

The Shanker distribution, a one-parameter lifetime distribution with an increasing hazard rate function, is recommended by Shanker for modelling lifespan data. In this study, we examine the theoretical and practical implications of 2-component mixture of Shanker model (2-CMSM). A significant feature of proposed model’s hazard rate function is that it has rising, decreasing, and upside-down bathtub forms. We investigate the statistical characteristics of a mixed model, such as the probability-generating function, the factorial-moment-generating function, cumulants, the characteristic function, the Mills ratio, the mean residual life, and the mean time to failure. There is a graphic representation of density, mean, hazard rate functions, coefficient of variation, skewness, and kurtosis. Our final approach is to estimate the parameters of the mixture model using appropriate approaches such as maximum likelihood, least squares, and weighted least squares. Using a simulation analysis, we examined how the estimates behaved graphically. The simulation results demonstrated that, in the majority of cases, the maximum likelihood estimates have the smallest mean square errors among all other estimates. Finally, we observed that when the sample size rises, the precision measures decrease for all of the estimation techniques, indicating that all of the estimation approaches are consistent. Through two real data analyses, the suggested model’s validity and adaptability are contrasted with those of other models, including the mixture of the exponential distributions and the Lindley distributions .
Modified Gravity Description of Neutron Star in the f(R) Framework
Authors: Das Samprity , Radinschi Irina , Chattopadhyay Surajit
Published: February 2023

The present paper reports a study on neutron stars in the f(R) gravity framework for the Hu–Sawicki model, Starobinsky model, Tsujikawa model, and Exponential Gravity model. First, we have used the TOV equation for the f(R) gravity framework, where we obtained two higher order differential equations for λ and ψ, with both functions depending on the radial coordinate. Furthermore, we have considered the BD theory, which is an equivalent theory of f(R) gravity, and introduced a new scalar field ϕ2 with the scalar potential V(ϕ2). We have observed an increase in the scalar potential with respect to R in each case. Furthermore, our proposed models, namely quadratic form, exponential form, and linear form and the other viable models show a similar type of evolution for the scalar potential V(ϕ2).
Initial Coefficients Estimates and Fekete–Szegö Inequality Problem for a General Subclass of Bi-Univalent Functions Defined by Subordination
Authors: Illafe Mohamed , Yousef Feras , Haji Mohd Maisarah , Supramaniam Shamani
Published: February 2023

In the present work, we aim to introduce and investigate a novel comprehensive subclass of normalized analytic bi-univalent functions involving Gegenbauer polynomials and the zero-truncated Poisson distribution. For functions in the aforementioned class, we find upper estimates of the second and third Taylor–Maclaurin coefficients, and then we solve the Fekete–Szegö functional problem. Moreover, by setting the values of the parameters included in our main results, we obtain several links to some of the earlier known findings.
Deep Clustering-Based Anomaly Detection and Health Monitoring for Satellite Telemetry
Authors: Obied Muhamed Abdulhadi , Ghaleb Fayed F. M. , Hassanien Aboul Ella , Abdelfattah Ahmed M. H. , Zakaria Wael
Published: February 2023

Satellite telemetry data plays an ever-important role in both the safety and the reliability of a satellite. These two factors are extremely significant in the field of space systems and space missions. Since it is challenging to repair space systems in orbit, health monitoring and early anomaly detection approaches are crucial for the success of space missions. A large number of efficient and accurate methods for health monitoring and anomaly detection have been proposed in aerospace systems but without showing enough concern for the patterns that can be mined from normal operational telemetry data. Concerning this, the present paper proposes DCLOP, an intelligent Deep Clustering-based Local Outlier Probabilities approach that aims at detecting anomalies alongside extracting realistic and reasonable patterns from the normal operational telemetry data. The proposed approach combines (i) a new deep clustering method that uses a dynamically weighted loss function with (ii) the adapted version of Local Outlier Probabilities based on the results of deep clustering. The DCLOP approach effectively monitors the health status of a spacecraft and detects the early warnings of its on-orbit failures. Therefore, this approach enhances the validity and accuracy of anomaly detection systems. The performance of the suggested approach is assessed using actual cube satellite telemetry data. The experimental findings prove that the suggested approach is competitive to the currently used techniques in terms of effectiveness, viability, and validity.