bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Diosmetin Affects Gene Expression on Human Lung Adenocarcinoma Cells
Authors: Song Changshan , Deng Shunfu , Hu Hui , Zheng Zheng , Shen Bairu , Wu Xuhui , Huang Minqian , Wang Jiaqing , Wang Zhenyu
Published: May 2022

Objective. This study was aimed at investigating the effects of diosmetin (a natural flavonoid) on the gene expression of human lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) cells. Methods. HCC827 and A549 cells were used. MTT and colony formation assay were used to investigate the effects of diosmetin on cell proliferation and colony forming activity. The expression of mRNA, microRNA, and lncRNA in HCC827 and A549 cell lines after diosmetin treatment was measured using DNA microarray, microRNA chromatin immunoprecipitation assay (ChIP), and long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) ChIP. Part of the results were cross-validated by quantitative reverse transcription PCR (RT-qPCR), while some others were analyzed using bioinformatic tools. Results. Diosmetin inhibited proliferation and colony formation of HCC827 and A549 cells. Investigation on gene expression profiles of A549 and HCC827 cells revealed that compared with the control group, diosmetin can up- or downregulated the expression of mRNAs, microRNAs, and lncRNAs. The top three candidates in each RNA category were cross-validated by RT-qPCR, from which single peaks were observed in the melt curves, showing a great specificity. After a comprehensive selection of the results from the mRNA ChIP, we performed GO and KEGG functional clustering analyses on the differentially expressed genes. Conclusion. Diosmetin treatment induced gene expression of A549 and HCC827 cells. Our results will provide guidance for development of new diagnostic and therapeutic targets.
Outcomes of Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy with Image-Guided Left Ventricular Lead Placement at the Site of Latest Mechanical Activation: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Authors: Allen LaPointe Nancy M. , Ali-Ahmed Fatima , Dalgaard Frederik , Kosinski Andrzej S. , Schmidler Gillian Sanders , Al-Khatib Sana M.
Published: May 2022

Aim. To assess evidence for an image-guided approach for cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) that targets left ventricular (LV) lead placement at the segment of latest mechanical activation. Methods. A systematic review of EMBASE and PubMed was performed for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and prospective observational studies from October 2008 through October 2020 that compared an image-guided CRT approach with a non-image-guided approach for LV lead placement. Meta-analyses were performed to assess the association between the image-guided approach and NYHA class improvement or changes in end-systolic volume (LVESV), end-diastolic volume (LVEDV), and ejection fraction (LVEF). Results. From 5897 citations, 5 RCTs including 818 patients (426 image-guided and 392 non-image-guided) were identified. The mean age ranged from 66 to 71 years, 76% were male, and 53% had ischemic cardiomyopathy. Speckle tracking echocardiography was the primary image-guided method in all studies. LV lead placement within the segment of the latest mechanical activation (concordant) was achieved in the image-guided arm in 45% of the evaluable patients. There was a statistically significant improvement in the NYHA class at 6 months (odds ratio 1.66; 95% confidence interval (CI) [1.02, 2.69]) with the image-guided approach, but no statistically significant change in LVESV (MD −7.1%; 95% CI [−16.0, 1.8]), LVEDV (MD −5.2%; 95% CI [−15.8, 5.4]), or LVEF (MD 0.68; 95% CI [−4.36, 5.73]) versus the non-image-guided approach. Conclusion. The image-guided CRT approach was associated with improvement in the NYHA class but not echocardiographic measures, possibly due to the small sample size and a low rate of concordant LV lead placement despite using the image-guided approach. Therefore, our meta-analysis was not able to identify consistent improvement in CRT outcomes with an image-guided approach.
Living Donor Liver Transplantation for Hepatic Venoocclusive Disease/Sinusoidal Obstruction Syndrome Originating from Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation
Authors: Ichimura Kentaro , Kawamura Norio , Goto Ryoichi , Watanabe Masaaki , Ganchiku Yoshikazu , Shimamura Tsuyoshi , Taketomi Akinobu
Published: May 2022

Background. Venoocclusive disease (VOD), also known as sinusoidal obstruction syndrome (SOS), is a life-threatening hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) complication. Cases of mild and moderate VOD/SOS are self-limiting; however, the mortality for severe VOD/SOS has reached 80%. Recently, defibrotide became available and has been used for VOD/SOS; however, the outcome for patients with severe VOD/SOS is not satisfactory, and liver transplantation is attempted in these severe cases. Method. We describe a case of living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) for acute liver failure secondary to VOD/SOS that originates from HSCT. Result. Liver regeneration after LDLT was impaired, and several infections were developed before liver regeneration completion. Our patient suffered sepsis and finally died of multiorgan failure. Conclusion. Severe VOD/SOS originating from HSCT is associated with a very poor prognosis. The liver transplantation outcome for VOD/SOS has not been satisfied, but it may provide long-term survival if successful. We considered liver transplantation as a therapeutic option, especially in cases where sufficient graft volume is secured, considering impaired liver regeneration under bone marrow suppression after HSCT.
Effectiveness of and Patient’s Satisfaction with Dental Emergency Unit in Pitié Salpêtrière Hospital (Paris), Focusing on Pain and Anxiety
Authors: Demeestere Grégoire , Alcabes Maxime , Toledo Rafael , Rodriguez Isabelle , Boucher Yves
Published: May 2022

Background. The Dental Emergency Unit (DEU) of the Pitié Salpêtrière Hospital receives mainly painful emergencies. This study aimed at evaluating the suppression of pain and anxiety as well as the patient’s satisfaction after a visit to the DEU. Patients and Methods. A prospective study was carried out in 2019 (NCT03819036) in adult patients. Data was collected on D0 on site and then on D1, D3, and D7 by phone, during daytime. The main objective and secondary objectives were, respectively, to assess the intensity of pain on D1; the intensity of pain on D3 and D7; the evolution of anxiety on D1, D3, and D7; and the patients’ satisfaction. They were evaluated with a 0–10 numeric scale (NS) on D1, D3 and D7; mean scores were compared with nonparametric statistics (ANOVA, Dunn’s test). Results. 814 patients were contacted and 581 patients included; 87 were lost to follow-up. 376 patients completed all the questionnaires. In the final sample (59% men, 40 ± 16 y.o.), 86% had health insurance. The mean pain scores were as follows: D0: 6.36 ± 0.12; D1: 3.49 ± 0.13; D3: 2.23 ± 0.13; D7: 1.07 ± 0.11—indicating a significant decrease of 45%, 65%, and 93% on D1, D3, and D7, respectively, compared to D0 (p<0.0001) between D0 and D1, D3, D7. The mean NS anxiety scores were as follows: D0: 3.32 ± 0.15; D1: 3.69 ± 0.16; D3: 2.75 ± 0.16; D7: 1.98 ± 0.15. The decrease was significant between D0 and D7 (p<0.0001). The perception of general heath improved between D1 and D7. The overall score of satisfaction was 8.64 ± 0.06. Conclusion. DEU enabled a significant reduction in pain and anxiety with high overall satisfaction.
An English Blended Teaching Model under the Background of Education Informatization
Authors: Wen Xiaomei
Published: May 2022

The continuous development of information technology (IT) has brought great changes in people’s lives and the education sector has also gone through significant reforms because of the advancement of IT, in the recent years. With the improvement of education informatization, the traditional teaching systems cannot fulfill the demands of talent in the modern era. The rapid growth of educational informatization has introduced new requirements for the teaching methods and techniques. The development of new teaching modes that integrates the Internet, big data, and traditional teaching methods has become a major focus of the modern education. Computer system, particularly IT, is playing a key role in the education sector and is very essential for the development of students’ educational and professional careers/skills. At the same time, under the background of education informatization, the development of IT based hybrid teaching modes has attained promising teaching results. Keeping the significance of computer information in the field of education in consideration, this study first analyzes the current situation of English blended teaching in the context of education informatization and then explains the shortcomings of the traditional computer blended teaching models. In this study, I investigate the aims and content of comprehensive English courses using the questionnaire research method to identify the students’ learning requirements. Finally, this paper puts the way forward to implement the English blended teaching model in the context of education informatization and then improve the quality of teaching and promote students’ comprehensive computer ability. According to the results of this study, almost 100% of teachers and students hope that the platform supports the uploading of learning materials and assignments and also has the functions of discussion and communication. The proposed model presents a novel and improved method for the education sector and is expected that the proposed model will help the students and teaching staff to learn/teach in an effective manner.
Application of Intelligent Speech Synthesis Technology Assisted by Mobile Intelligent Terminal in Foreign Language Teaching
Authors: Zhang Zhehua
Published: May 2022

In today’s increasingly frequent international exchanges, language ability has been paid more and more attention. However, the current foreign language teaching in some areas lacks a standard external input environment, and the gap between learners’ own ability and the new requirements has not been effectively solved. At present, intelligent speech synthesis technology is mature. It is found that this technology can play a unique advantage in language teaching. Based on this, this study studies the feasibility of the application of intelligent speech synthesis technology in foreign language teaching from the perspective of technology. On this basis, the application mode of intelligent speech synthesis technology in foreign language teaching is constructed to verify its application effect in foreign language teaching. The main research work of this paper is as follows: firstly, it analyzes the feasibility of using clever speech synthesis technologies to teach foreign languages, and it lists in detail the application conditions of intelligent speech synthesis technology in different teaching activities and course types. Then, it constructs the application mode of intelligent speech synthesis technology in foreign language teaching. Finally, the experimental research on the application mode of intelligent speech synthesis technology in listening teaching is carried out. The experimental results show that intelligent speech synthesis technology has achieved good results in foreign language teaching and laid a foundation for foreign language teaching research.
[Retracted] A Study on Curcumol Influencing Proliferation and Apoptosis of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cells through DJ‐1/PTEN/PI3K/AKT Pathway
Authors: Zhang Rongzhen , Zhong Lu , Sun Kewei , Liu Jiao , Wang Qianna , Mao Dewen , Fang Gang , Long Fuli
Published: May 2022

Objective. To study the mechanism of curcumol affecting the proliferation and apoptosis of liver cancer cells through the DJ‐1/PTEN/PI3K/AKT pathway. Method. HepG2 cells were cultured in vitro, treated with curcumol at concentrations of 10, 30, and 100 μg/mL, and DMSO was used as a control. The levels of cell proliferation and apoptosis were measured by CCK‐8 and flow cytometry, respectively. RT‐PCR and western blot were used to detect PTEN, p‐AKT, DJ‐1, and PI3K gene and protein expression changes. Result. (1) Compared with the DMSO blank control group, the proliferation level of liver cancer cells in the 10 μg/mL curcumol group decreased, and the proportion of apoptosis increased (p <0.05). (2) Compared with the blank control group and the 10 and 30 μg/mL concentration groups, the proliferation level of liver cancer cells in the 100 μg/mL curcumol group was significantly reduced, and the proportion of cell apoptosis was significantly increased (p < 0.05). (3) Curcumol can significantly increase the expression of PTEN gene and protein in liver cancer cells and reduce the expression of DJ‐1 and PI3K genes and protein in liver cancer cells (p < 0.05). Conclusion. Curcumol can regulate DJ‐1, PTEN, PI3K, and AKT signal transduction pathways, inhibit cell proliferation, and cause a significant increase in the proportion of cell apoptosis, and the pharmacodynamic effect of curcumol is dependent on the time and dose of action.
Avoiding the Use of Halogenated Anesthetic Agents for Uterine Relaxation in Open Mid-Gestation Fetal Surgery: A Case Report
Authors: Hoagland Monica A. , Fleming Jamie , Foley Carolyn , Fernandez Patrick , Wood Cristina L.
Published: May 2022

Introduction: Profound uterine relaxation is required for open fetal surgery. This is typically achieved by the administration of high-dose halogenated anesthetic agents. However, this anesthetic technique is associated with adverse cardiovascular effects in the fetus and may have long-term neurocognitive effects as well. Case Presentation: We pre­sent reports for 2 patients in whom uterine relaxation was maintained with nitroglycerin and magnesium infusions without any exposure to halogenated anesthetic agents. There were no adverse fetal or maternal effects from this technique. Discussion/Conclusion: To the best of our knowledge, these are the first reports of open fetal surgery being performed without the use of halogenated anesthetic agents. This has potential short- and long-term benefits for the fetus, particularly as more complex and longer duration minimally invasive procedures are developed.
Design and implementation of prepaid power billing system in smart grid environment
Authors: Rashid Faizan , Rasheed Saim , Farooq Ahsan , Ali Majid , Roben Youel , Jehanzeb Muhammad , Wahab Abdul
Published: May 2022

This paper presents the real-time monitoring of energy consumption utilizing the global system for mobile communication (GSM) via wireless protocols. The power supply company has the authority to change or alter the tariff rates. The method of payment is prepaid, so there will be options for the customer to request the number of units assigned to the particular meter against the money. The customer can monitor the number of units consumed with the help of GSM. If the units are ten percent of the total units, then the system will give a warning message so that the customer can recharge it before cutting off the supply. A GSM-based wireless module has remote access to the usage of electricity. Simulation is done on Proteus while the hardware is implemented using the microcontroller Arduino Uno.
Proportional integral derivative controller based on ant colony optimization for vibration cancellation of horizontal flexible plate structure
Authors: Akmal Zamri Muhammad Izzuddin , Hadi Muhamad Sukri , Syafiqah Shaari Aida Nur , Mokhtar Nadzirah Mohd
Published: May 2022

Flexible plate structure provides many benefits as compared to their rigid counterparts including lower energy consumption, effective, lightweight, and quick response. However, the vibration easily affects the flexible plate structure resulting in structural damage. This study introduces the modelling of a flexible plate structure based on a system identification technique known as ant colony optimization (ACO) algorithm for vibration control. Firstly, the input-output vibration data that represent the actual structure of flexible plate was achieved from the experiment. Next, the acquired vibration data was used to develop a dynamic model of the flexible plate structure. The performances of the ACO algorithm were assess based on mean squared error (MSE), pole-zero plot and correlation test in order to get a precise and reliable outcome. The results show that ACO algorithm achieved the minimum MSE which was 6.7613×10−6, high stability of pole-zero plot and excellent correlation test. Subsequently, the best model of ACO was chosen to create controller based on an active vibration control technique. It was noticed that the controller managed to obtain a 6.19 dB reduction at the first mode vibration in which the percentage of attenuation of the controller was 10.63% for sinusoidal disturbances and 9.64% for multiple sinusoidal disturbances.
Improving multimedia data transmission quality in wireless multimedia sensor networks though priority-based data collection
Authors: Falah Abbood Mohammed , Falih Kadhim Mohammed , Raheem Kadhim Ahmed
Published: May 2022

Wireless multimedia sensor networks (WMSNs) are special kinds of wireless sensor networks (WSN) that can send multimedia data such as audio and video streams. Sensors used in WMSNs are smart, tiny, and resource constraint sensor nodes (SNs) distributed in a large area. Typically, multimedia data are large in comparison to other data types. As a result, WMSNs have to deal with high volumes of packet transmission, leading to a high rate of packet loss and network congestion. Network congestion can significantly affect the quality of service and usually lead to high energy consumption. Thus, to improve the quality of service (QoS) and transmission performance, it is necessary to deal with network congestion. In the past, different packet prioritizing methods were proposed to deal with this issue. However, improving QoS usually requires high energy to function correctly. Consequently, using rechargeable sensor nodes to reduce energy consumption is an acute solution. In this research, priority-based data collection is considered to cut down on data distortion and improve the QoS of the multimedia sensor network. Additionally, energy harvesting sensor nodes were used to reduce energy consumption due to the high transmission rate. The simulation result shows a noticeable improvement in the performance of our proposed method in comparison to previous methods.
Detection of urban tree canopy from very high resolution imagery using an object based classification
Authors: Kadu Sujata R. , Hogade Balaji G. , Rizvi Imdad
Published: May 2022

Tree that grows within a town, city and suburban areas, collection of these trees makes the urban forest. These urban forest and urban trees have impact on urban water, pollution and heat. Nowadays we are experiencing drastic climatic changes because of cutting of trees for our growth and increasing population which leads to expansion of roads, towers, and airports. Individual tree crown detection is necessary to map the forest along with feasible planning for urban areas. In this study, using WorldView-2imagery, trees in specific area are detected with object-based image analysis (OBAI) approach. Therefore with improvement in spatial and spectral resolution of an image, extracted from WorldView-2 carried out urban features with better accuracy. The aim of this research is to illustrate how object-based method can be applied to the available data to accurately find out vegetation, which can be further sub-classified to obtain area under tree canopy. The result thus obtained gives area under tree canopy with an accuracy of 92.43 % and a Kappa coefficient of 0.80.
Semantic-based visual emotion recognition in videos-a transfer learning approach
Authors: Sekar Vaijayanthi , Jawaharlalnehru Arunnehru
Published: May 2022

Automatic emotion recognition is active research in analyzing human’s emotional state over the past decades. It is still a challenging task in computer vision and artificial intelligence due to its high intra-class variation. The main advantage of emotion recognition is that a person’s emotion can be recognized even if he is extreme away from the surveillance monitoring since the camera is far away from the human; it is challenging to identify the emotion with facial expression alone. This scenario works better by adding visual body clues (facial actions, hand posture, body gestures). The body posture can powerfully convey the emotional state of a person in this scenario. This paper analyses the frontal view of human body movements, visual expressions, and body gestures to identify the various emotions. Initially, we extract the motion information of the body gesture using dense optical flow models. Later the high-level motion feature frames are transferred to the pre-trained convolutional neural network (CNN) models to recognize the 17 various emotions in Geneva multimodal emotion portrayals (GEMEP) dataset. In the experimental results, AlexNet exhibits the architecture's effectiveness with an overall accuracy rate of 96.63% for the GEMEP dataset is better than raw frames and 94% for visual geometry group-19 VGG-19, and 93.35% for VGG-16 respectively. This shows that the dense optical flow method performs well using transfer learning for recognizing emotions.
Randomized QR-code scanning for a low-cost secured attendance system
Authors: Imanullah Muhammad , Reswan Yuza
Published: May 2022

Human resource management requires good documentation and good data processing. In workspaces such as offices and factories, employee salaries are determined by calculating attendance at each hour of work. Tracking and collecting attendance data for a large number of employees is a difficult thing to do. We need a secure system to facilitate the process of collecting and tracking presence data. We propose an attendance system that uses random quick response code (QR-codes) as one time password (OTP) to improve security. Employees are required to scan the QR-code within ten seconds before it is changed and randomized each time. The proposed attendance system facilitates data collection using employees’ smartphones and Mac-Address as unique identification numbers. The system is able to track employees’ arrival and departure times. We have implemented the system at the local university to collect lecturer attendance data then analyze its security and statistic in all scanning activities. The average time needed by a user to authenticate their presence in the system is 25.8877 seconds. The steps needed to sign in and out from the system are fewer than other previous researches. Those findings tell us that the approach is straightforward and more uncomplicated than other proposed methods. We conclude that randomized QR-code scanning is a relevant scheme to be applied in a secure attendance system.
Joint digital pre-distortion model based on Chebyshev expansion
Authors: Majdinasab Elham , Jannesari Abumoslem
Published: May 2022

In this paper, a new low complexity model is proposed for the joint digital pre-distortion of in-phase/quadrature-phase (I/Q) imbalance, local oscillator (LO) leakage, and power amplifier nonlinearity in direct-conversion transmitters (DCTs). In this structure, we proposed a set of orthogonal basis functions based on Chebyshev expansion to attenuate the problem of numerical instability created during the conventional model identification method. This robust joint digital pre-distortion (DPD) utilized the indirect learning architecture and updated the coefficients vector based on the recursive least square (RLS) algorithm. To verify the operation and efficiency of the proposed model, an extensive simulation in MATLAB was carried out. The results showed a significant reduction in the conditional number and the coefficient dispersion of the observation matrix. Furthermore, the power of the signal in the adjacent channel decreased by more than 16 dB for the orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM), 16 QAM input signal. In comparison to the previous digital pre-distorter models, the proposed DPD builds strong numerical stability with the least coefficients.
Design and characterization of polarization reconfigurable heart shape monopole antenna for 2.4 GHz application
Authors: Murshed Abu Hena , Hossain Md. Azad , Rahman Muhammad Asad , Nishiyama Eisuke , Toyoda Ichihiko
Published: May 2022

This article represented a heart shape reconfigurable monopole antenna with polarization diversity. The proposed antenna is fed by a 50 Ω microstrip feed line that is printed on a flexible FR-4 (εr=4.4) substrate. The antenna comprises a ring-slot, a cross slot and four positive-intrinsic-negative (PIN) diodes that are soldered on ring slot. Four PIN diodes act as a switch and by controlling these PIN diodes effective current direction is changed hence four various states of polarization are achieved. Four states of polarization such as horizontal linear polarization (H-LP), vertical linear polarization (V-LP), right-hand circular polarization (RHCP) and left-hand circular polarization (LHCP) can be switched easily with the help of these PIN diodes and achieved an efficiency of more than 90%. Proposed antenna shows voltage standing wave ratio (VSWR)<2 at all working frequency and -10 dB reflection coefficients (RC) bandwidths (BW) (i.e., S11≤-10 dB) about 32.86% for linear polarization (LP) states while RHCP and LHCP states possess BW of about 31.61% and 31.67% respectively. It also shows axial ratio (AR) BW of 3.41% and 2.44% for RHCP and LHCP, respectively. Besides, the antenna has a well-suited omnidirectional pattern with a positive gain of all working frequency of interest where cross-polarization level is much lower than that of antenna gain.
Improved technique for radar absorbing coatings characterization with rectangular waveguide and numerical modeling
Authors: Ameen Hassan Abdulkadhim , Hameed Saadie Janan
Published: May 2022

For materials characterization, several methods have been developed. Most of them need a sample to be machined prior to testing process. Hence, they are destructive and cannot be used for in-situ radar absorbing coatings testing. This requires employing a suitable measurement technique to extract their electromagnetic properties quickly and accurately. In this paper, the swept frequency of probe reflection technique is proposed for broadband nondestructive radar absorbing coatings characterization using finite flange open-ended rectangular waveguide. The technique is based on the fact that the frequency of measurement is an independent variable of probe’s reflection coefficient by which its data set of selected frequency points can be directly measured in one step by varying the frequency. Finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method was adopted to calculate probe reflection coefficients at different test conditions. Simple interpolation approximation was employed since they are frequency dependent parameters. Error analysis was numerically performed to evaluate the influences of both flange size and coated material thickness on the accuracy of the measurements, which are carried out on several samples of radar absorbing coatings at X-band to verify the proposed technique. Comparing with the existing methods, the proposed technique simplifies and speeds up measurement process and improves its repeatability and accuracy.
Spectral estimator effects on accuracy of speed-over-ground radar
Authors: Mohd Shariff Khairul Khaizi , Zainuddin Suraya , Abdul Aziz Noor Hafizah , Abd Rashid Nur Emileen , Zalina Zakaria Nor Ayu
Published: May 2022

Spectral estimation is a critical signal processing step in speed-over-ground (SoG) radar. It is argued that, for accurate speed estimation, spectral estimation should use low bias and variance estimator. However, there is no evaluation on spectral estimation techniques in terms of estimating mean Doppler frequency to date. In this paper, we evaluate two common spectral estimation techniques, namely periodogram based on Fourier transformation and the autoregressive (AR) based on burg algorithm. These spectral estimators are evaluated in terms of their bias and variance in estimating a mean frequency. For this purpose, the spectral estimators are evaluated with different Doppler signals that varied in mean frequency and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). Results in this study indicates that the periodogram method performs well in most of the tests while the AR method did not perform as well as these but offered a slight improvement over the periodogram in terms of variance.
Data detection method for uplink massive MIMO systems based on the long recurrence enlarged conjugate gradient
Authors: Jawarneh Ahlam , Albataineh Zaid , Kadoch Michel
Published: May 2022

Although the mean square error (MMSE) approach is recognized to be near optimal for uplinking large-scale multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) systems, there are certain difficulties in the procedure related to matrix inversion. The long recurrence enlarged conjugate gradient (LRE-CG) approach is proposed in this study as a way to iteratively realize the MMMS algorithm while avoiding the complications of matrix inversion. In addition, a diagonal-approximate starting solution to the LRE-CG approach was used to speed up the conversion rate and reduce the complications required. It has been discovered that the LRE-CG-based approach has the ability to significantly reduce computational complexity. By comparing simulation results, it is clear that this new methodology surpasses well-established wayslike the Neumann series approximation-based method and the Gauss-Siedel iterative method. With a small number of iterations, the suggested approach achieves near-optimal performance of a standard MMSE algorithm.
Adoption of serious games by teachers: the analysis method of structure, interface and use
Authors: Bouroumane Farida , Saaidi Abderrahim , Abarkan Mustapha
Published: May 2022

In this article, we determine how to facilitate the analysis of serious games so that teachers could effectively integrate them in their teaching. The aim is to identify the mechanisms that would make serious games exploitation useful. We propose a method for the analysis of serious games that is based on the separation of their components along three phases. In addition, we set up a platform based on a data analysis process that is composed of six steps that help to set the basis of a verification procedure that targets the content of a game and thus facilitates the work of teachers through effective implementation of serious games as teaching strategies (TIC). The obtained experimental results show that 82.5% of the study participants expressed that the use of the platform has helped them to change their perspective on the need to use serious games as an educational tool.
Hyperparameter optimization using custom genetic algorithm for classification of benign and malicious traffic on internet of things–23 dataset
Authors: Thavasimani Karthikayini , Kasturirangan Srinath Nuggehalli
Published: May 2022

Hyperparameter optimization is one of the main challenges in deep learning despite its successful exploration in many areas such as image classification, speech recognition, natural language processing, and fraud detections. Hyperparameters are critical as they control the learning rate of a model and should be tuned to improve performance. Tuning the hyperparameters manually with default values is a challenging and time-intensive task. Though the time and efforts spent on tuning the hyperparameters are decreasing, it is always a burden when it comes to a new dataset or solving a new task or improving the existing model. In our paper, we propose a custom genetic algorithm to auto-tune the hyperparameters of the deep learning sequential model to classify benign and malicious traffic from internet of things-23 dataset captured by Czech Technical University, Czech Republic. The dataset is a collection of 30.85 million records of malicious and benign traffic. The experimental results show a promising outcome of 98.9% accuracy.
Automated machine learning: the new data science challenge
Authors: Slimani Ilham , Slimani Nadia , Achchab Said , Saber Mohammed , El Farissi Ilhame , Sbiti Nawal , Amghar Mustapha
Published: May 2022

The world is changing quite rapidly while increasingly tuning into digitalization. However, it is important to note that data science is what most technology is evolving around and data is definitely the future of everything. For industries, adopting a “data science approach” is no longer an option, it becomes an obligation in order to enhance their business rather than survive. This paper offers a roadmap for anyone interested in this research field or getting started with “machine learning” learning while enabling the reader to easily comprehend the key concepts behind. Indeed, it examines the benefits of automated machine learning systems, starting with defining machine learning vocabulary and basic concepts. Then, explaining how to, concretely, build up a machine learning model by highlighting the challenges related to data and algorithms. Finally, exposing a summary of two studies applying machine learning in two different fields, namely transportation for road traffic forecasting and supply chain management for demand prediction where the predictive performance of various models iscompared based on different metrics.
An evaluation of machine learning algorithms coupled to an electronic olfactory system: a study of the mint case
Authors: Amkor Ali , Maaider Kamal , El Barbri Noureddine
Published: May 2022

The aim of this investigatation is to compare the utility of machine learning algorithms in distinguishing between untreated and processed mint beside in predicting the spray day of the insecticide. Within seven days, mint treated samples with the malathion insecticide are collected, and their aromas are Studied using a laboratory-manufactured sensor array system based on commercial metallic semiconductor (MOS) gas sensors. To distinguish the mint type, some results of machine learning algorithms were compared to know the decision trees (DT), Naive Bayes, support vector machines (SVM), and ensemble classifier. Furthermore, to predict the treatment day support vector machines regression (SVMR) and partial least squares regression (PLSR) were compared. Regarding the best results, in the discrimination case, a success rate of 92.9% was achieved by the ensemble classifier while in the prediction case, a correlation coefficient of R=0.82 was reached by the SVMR. Good results are achieved if the right gas sensor array system is designed and realized coupled with a good choice of the appropriate machine learning algorithms.
Risk of Congenital Heart Defects in Offspring of Affected Mothers and Fathers
Authors: Øyen Nina , Boyd Heather A. , Carstensen Lisbeth , Søndergaard Lars , Wohlfahrt Jan , Melbye Mads
Published: May 2022

Background:

Smaller studies have reported a higher offspring risk of congenital heart defects (CHDs) for mothers with CHDs than for fathers with CHDs. In a large population-based study, we investigated whether offspring risk of CHD differed for mothers and fathers with CHDs.

Methods:

All people born in Denmark, 1977 to 2011, with at least 1 registered parent, were included in our cohort (n=2 341 061). Parent-child recurrence of CHDs was evaluated using risk ratios (RRs) comparing risks of CHDs in individuals with and without a parent with a CHD, estimated using log-linear binomial regression.

Results:

The RRs for any CHD in offspring were 5.39 (95% CI, 4.88–5.96) for mothers and 3.04 (95% CI, 2.59–3.57) for fathers affected with any CHD; the ratio of RRs for mothers versus fathers was 1.82 (
P
<0.0001). Recurrence RRs for the same cardiac phenotype in parent and offspring were significantly stronger for mothers than for fathers for conotruncal defects (ratio of RRs, 4.98), left ventricular outlet tract obstruction (ratio of RRs, 4.98), and ventricular septal defects (ratio of RRs, 2.51) but not for atrioventricular septal defects (ratio of RRs, 1.06). Birth rates among people with CHDs, relative to the general population, were 18% higher for women than for men, regardless of parental cardiac phenotype.

Conclusions:

Recurrence risks of CHDs were significantly greater in the offspring of affected women than in the offspring of affected men. The excess maternal recurrence risks could not be explained by the slightly higher birth rates in women with CHDs.
Study on Preparation and Characteristics of pH-Responsive Films Based on Carrageenan/Nanocellulose/Grape Peel Extract
Authors: Fu Ruimin , Yang Xue , Zhang Hong , Tang Wei , Xia Tieqi , Chen Wuling
Published: May 2022

In this paper, a new functional food packaging film material is successfully prepared from carrageenan (CG)-nanocellulose (NC)-grape peel extract (GPE) by immersion thermo-dry method, and the composite film material (CG-NC-GPE) is characterized and tested by different methods such as
swelling analysis, scanning electron microscope (SEM), pH response detection (PHRD), and so on. The results showed that a functional group of chemical bonds appeared between GPE and NC-CG. With the addition of GPE, the mechanical ability and thermal stability of this composite film has changed.
With excellent antibacterial ability, mechanical properties and pH response capability, the materials prepared in this study can be used to evaluate the deterioration of food and to provide the broad application prospects in food packaging.
Effect of Negative Pressure Irrigation on Dry Matter Accumulation and Nutrient Absorption of Eggplant
Authors: He Xiaolei , Zhang Jingyu , Long Huaiyu , Wang Peng
Published: May 2022

This article explores the effect of negative pressure irrigation on the dry matter accumulation and nutrient absorption of eggplants, which aims to screen out the most suitable soil moisture content for eggplant growth, and provide a reference for eggplant water management. In the greenhouse,
this paper adopted a pot experiment, studied effects of negative pressure irrigation of three different water supply pressure, including −3, −8 and −15 kPa, and irrigation (CK) on the accumulation of dry matter, nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium nutrients of eggplant. The
result showed that with the water pressure supply controlled in the range of −3 kPa to −15 kPa, the dry matter accumulation, nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium nutrients of eggplant organs decreased, with the water supply pressure decreasing. With the pressure of water supply
kept at −3 kPa in the late growth stage of eggplant, the dry matter accumulation of stem organ, fruit dry matter, and nutrients of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium improved 17.42%, 8.06%, 30.37%, 36.93% and 23.65%, contrasted to the other irrigation treatments. There was a quadratic
parabolic relationship between eggplant water consumption and yield and water use efficiency, and when the total water consumption was 59.57 L/plant, the yield reaches at a maximum that was 1479.86 g/plant, and water use efficiency reaches at a maximum that was 24.85 g/L. The negative pressure
irrigation method is adopted in this article, and under the pressure of water supply maintained at −3 kPa, it is beneficial to the growth of eggplant, elevating the yield, nutrient absorption and irrigation efficiency, accomplishing the effects of water-saving.
Mark’s Miraculous Disciples: ἤθελεν παρελθεῖν αὐτούς (Mark 6.48) as Jesus’ Desire for the Disciples to Walk on Water
Authors: Henning Bruce
Published: May 2022

ἤθελεν παρελθεῖν αὐτούς (Mk 6.48) has received a variety of explanations since it is often understood as Jesus wanting to pass by the disciples. This makes for a problematic reading in which Jesus does not intend to offer help to the disciples or only begins to pass but is stopped. Most commentators (e.g., Heil 1981; Marcus 2000) address this difficulty by proposing an allusion to Exod. 33–34 and 1 Kgs 19; however, this does not address the problems regarding the narrative’s progression. A preferable solution sees αὐτούς as the subject of the infinitive παρελθεῖν so that Jesus wants the disciples to come near him on the lake. After establishing the possibility of understanding the syntax and vocabulary this way, the argument is supported by considering Mark’s theme of discipleship as participating in Jesus’ own miraculous ability, as argued by Collins (2007) and Henderson (2006). The link to the feeding of the five thousand at the end of the pericope (Mk 6.52) further supports this proposal. Furthermore, Matthew’s redaction of this account evidences at least one later interpreter that likely understood αὐτούς as the subject of παρελθεῖν inasmuch as he records Peter walking out to Jesus on the lake.
Same habitus in new field? How mobile phone communication reproduces masculinities and gender inequality in intimate relationships in Mwanza, Tanzania
Authors: Mshana Gerry , Malibwa Donati , Aloyce Diana , Peter Esther , Mchome Zaina , Kapiga Saidi , Stöckl Heidi
Published: May 2022

The use of mobile phones and other communication technologies is booming in low-income contexts. Yet there is lack of detailed analyses of their impact to social interactions, including intimate relationships between men and women and gender-based violence. Drawing on Bourdieu’s concepts of habitus and field, we argue that mobile phones reproduce gender inequality and negative masculinities in these relationships. This happens through the diverse use of phones, and the interactive interface of the physical, electronic and social spaces within the broader social and economic context. We analyzed 48 in-depth interviews with men and women in Mwanza, Tanzania to explore how mobile phone use reproduces entrenched masculinities, gender norms, and power struggles in their daily lives and social interactions. Intimate partners navigate these complexities in several ways, including by creating ‘private spaces’ through their phones and concealing their communications. Men draw on negative masculinities to dominate their partner’s phone use, while women engage social recognition and family custodianship to influence their partner’s behaviour. These endeavours redefine concepts such as love and care, trust and faithfulness in the relationships. It is crucial to assess how technological advances are transforming intimate relationships and impacting gender-based violence in low-income countries.
A prospective observational study on the effect of emboli exposure on cerebral autoregulation in cardiac surgery requiring cardiopulmonary bypass
Authors: Jabur Ghazwan NS , Merry Alan F , McGeorge Alastair , Cavadino Alana , Donnelly Joseph , Mitchell Simon J
Published: May 2022

Objective:

Cerebrovascular autoregulation impairment has been associated with stroke risk in cardiac surgery. We hypothesized that greater arterial emboli exposure in open-chamber surgery might promote dysautoreguation.

Methods:

Forty patients underwent closed or open-chamber surgery. Transcranial Doppler detected emboli and measured bilateral middle cerebral artery flow velocities. Cerebral autoregulation was assessed by averaging the mean velocity index (“Mx,” a continuous moving correlation between cerebral blood flow velocity and mean arterial pressure) over 30 min before and after aortic cross-clamp removal.

Results:

Median (interquartile range) emboli counts were 775 (415, 1211) and 2664 (793, 3734) in the closed-chamber and open-chamber groups. Most appeared after the removal of the aortic cross-clamp (open-chamber 1631 (606, 2296)), (closed-chamber 229 (142, 384)), with emphasis on the right hemisphere (open-chamber: 826 (371, 1622)), (closed-chamber 181 (66, 276)). Linear mixed model analyses of mean velocity index change showed no significant overall effect of group (0.08, 95% CI: −0.04, 0.21; p = 0.19) or side (0.01, 95% CI: −0.03, 0.05; p = 0.74). There was an interaction between group and side ( p = 0.001), manifesting as a greater increase in mean velocity index in the right hemisphere in the open than the closed group (mean difference: 0.15, 95% CI: 0.02, 0.27; p = 0.03).

Conclusions:

Overall, change in mean velocity index before and after cross-clamp removal did not differ between groups. However, most emboli entered the right cerebral hemisphere where this change was significantly greater in the open-chamber group, suggesting a possible association between embolic exposure and dysautoregulation.
Understanding the Influence of Pavement Conditions on Cyclists’ Perception of Safety and Comfort Using Surveys and Eye Tracking
Authors: Gadsby April , Tsai James , Watkins Kari
Published: May 2022

Although infrequently included in studies of cyclists’ perceived safety, pavement condition has an influence on cyclists’ stress and related perceptions of safety. Few studies investigating the influence of pavement condition on cyclists’ perceived safety have developed actionable information for industry professionals. This paper aims to fill that gap by identifying which forms of pavement distress most influence cyclists’ perceived safety and comfort. The study used a combination of online surveys and field experiments. The 181 complete responses to the online survey showed potholes were the most important pavement distress for perceived safety and comfort. Eye-tracking data from 17 field participants were collected and analyzed for the following: whether participants fixated on the distresses; when; and for how long. These results showed that unevenness attracted the most fixations for the longest duration. In mixed traffic scenarios, participants tended to fixate less frequently compared with the separated facility, suggesting a potential safety concern. These findings are compiled into the following recommendations for cyclist-focused maintenance practices: (a) the need to focus on perceived safety, and on the extent, avoidability, and visibility of pavement distresses; (b) shift cyclists to separated facilities; (c) prioritize mixed facilities for routine maintenance; (d) prioritize bicycle lanes for high-cost repairs; (e) shift street-sweeping operations to bicycle lanes; (f) develop new deterioration models and fill mix designs; and (g) determine the appropriate treatment, maintenance activity, and timing. These recommendations can be used by asset management planners and maintenance personnel to improve the perceived safety and comfort of their cycle network.
Students’ Perceptions and Lessons Learned From Virtual APPE Rotations: A Multi-Institutional Perspective
Authors: Maravent Stacey , Steinberg Jennifer G. , Moreau Cynthia , Murzello Andrea , Lendoiro Jessica , Hesly Jennifer
Published: May 2022

Objectives: The COVID-19 pandemic caused disruption in pharmacy experiential learning as clinical practice sites restricted student access to onsite rotations. Therefore, colleges of pharmacy across the country likely included virtual advanced pharmacy practice experiences (APPEs) to fulfill experiential education requirements. The objective of this paper is to evaluate students’ perceptions of virtual APPEs during the 2020-2021 academic year. Methods: Experiential directors and faculty at 3 colleges of pharmacy in the south Florida region developed a survey to assess students’ perceptions of their virtual APPE rotations during the 2020-2021 academic year. Students who took at least one fully virtual APPE rotation were asked about their perceptions of these rotations. Results: A total of 349 students were invited to take the survey and 92 (26.3%) completed the survey. Of these, 77 students (83.7%) completed at least one virtual rotation. These students completed a total of 152 virtual rotations, with elective and ambulatory care rotations being the most frequent. Most students agreed that rotation objectives were clear, and preceptors offered resources needed to be successful during the rotation. Responses regarding engagement during virtual rotations, rotation expectations being met, and rotations expanding students’ knowledge were mixed. Conclusions: Virtual rotations may present unique experiential opportunities for students. Colleges of pharmacy and preceptors can benefit from additional guidance regarding how to incorporate virtual rotations into the experiential curriculum. Best practices for virtual rotations include high frequency of interactions with preceptors, clear objectives and responsibilities, and the use of a rotation calendar.