bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Genome Annotations of Two
Bacillus
Phages, Tomato and BaseballField
Authors: Duperier Julie , Bulpitt Maikah , Bispo Felipe , Greguske Elizabeth
Published: January 2021

Tomato and Baseball Field are
Bacillus
bacteriophages that were isolated and annotated by students in the Howard Hughes Medical Institute Phage Hunters program. Tomato has a unique truncation of the tape measure gene that is not found in other closely related C1
Bacillus
phages. Baseball Field is a strictly lytic phage with a compact genome of 26 kb.
Novel Recombinant Foot-and-Mouth Disease Virus Circulating in Vietnam
Authors: Bertram Miranda R. , Brito Barbara , Palinski Rachel M. , Fish Ian H. , Pauszek Steven J. , Hartwig Ethan J. , Smoliga George R. , Vu Le T. , Hoang Bui H. , Phuong Nguyen T. , Hung Vo V. , Vu Pham P. , Dung Nguyen K. , Tien Nguyen N. , Dong Pham V. , Dung Do H. , Arzt Jonathan
Published: January 2021

We report the genome sequences of 12 recombinant foot-and-mouth disease virus isolates from Vietnam. The recombinant strain has a capsid region from an A/Sea-97 strain and a nonstructural segment from an O/ME-SA/PanAsia strain. The isolates were obtained from two outbreak samples collected in June 2017 and 10 subclinical samples collected between 2017 and 2019.
Draft Genome Sequence and Secondary Metabolite Biosynthetic Potential of the Lysobacter niastensis Type Strain DSM 18481
Authors: Turrini Paolo , Artuso Irene , Tescari Marco , Lugli Gabriele Andrea , Frangipani Emanuela , Ventura Marco , Visca Paolo
Published: January 2021

Lysobacter niastensis
belongs to a group of bacterial predators that produce a number of bioactive small molecules endowed with lytic properties toward other microorganisms. Here, we report the draft genome sequence of the type strain DSM 18481 and the identification of gene clusters implicated in the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites.
Complete Genome Sequences of Two Mycobacterium smegmatis Bacteriophages
Authors: Sanchez Darlenys , Acosta Anna , Skoumpourdis Nicole ,   Dominican College SEA-PHAGES Annotators, Alvarez Regina , Connors Bernadette J.
Published: January 2021

Mycobacterium smegmatis
, an acid-fast bacterial species in the phylum
Actinobacteria
, has often been used as a substitute for pathogenic mycobacteria in research. Here, we describe the isolation and characterization of two
M. smegmatis
bacteriophages, Penelope2018 and Miniwave.
Complete Genome Sequence of
Streptomyces
Phage Shaeky
Authors: Shodrock Shae , Higbee Tyler , Clark James , Hernandez Isla , Liu Mei , Burrowes Ben
Published: January 2021

Here, we present the genome of siphophage Shaeky, infecting the Gram-positive bacterium
Streptomyces
sp. strain Mg1. Shaeky has very low sequence identity to other phages, with phage phiC31 being the most closely related in the NCBI database. The Shaeky genome is 45,617 bp with 77 protein-coding genes and 16 tRNAs.
Complete Genome Sequence of
Streptomyces
Siphophage Sycamore
Authors: Zhang Xing-Han , Marquez Alejandra , Clark James , Hernandez Isla , Rivera Madeline , Liu Mei , Burrowes Ben
Published: January 2021

Streptomyces
sp. strain Mg1 is a competitive soil-dwelling bacterium that secretes antibiotics that inhibit growth of
Bacillus subtilis
. Here, we present the genome sequence of Sycamore, a 44,694-bp
Streptomyces
sp. Mg1 siphophage with 66 predicted protein-coding genes, that is similar to phage genome sequences in the
Lomovskayavirus
genus.
Supplemental Material: Revisiting Ediacaran sulfur isotope chemostratigraphy with in situ nanoSIMS analysis of sedimentary pyrite
Authors: Wang Wei , al. et
Published: January 2021

Geological background, analytical methods and results.
Austrian syndrome, ceftriaxone-induced agranulocytosis and COVID-19
Authors: McCulloch James Edward , Miller Alexandra , Borcea Marius , Reid Jeremy
Published: January 2021

We present a case of a 75-year-old woman with Austrian syndrome: pneumonia, meningitis and endocarditis all due toStreptococcus pneumoniae. Transoesophageal echocardiogram demonstrated a large mitral valve vegetation with severe mitral regurgitation. She was treated with intravenous ceftriaxone and listed for surgical repair of her mitral valve. Preoperatively, she developed an idiosyncratic drug-induced agranulocytosis secondary to ceftriaxone, which resolved on cessation of the medication. However, while awaiting neutrophil recovery, she developed an acute deterioration, becoming critically unwell. This deterioration was multifactorial, with acute decompensated heart failure alongside COVID-19. After multidisciplinary discussion, she was considered too unwell for surgery and palliated.
It is time to rewrite state youth sports concussion laws
Authors: Howland Jonathan , Hackman Holly , Torres Alcy , Campbell Julia , Olshaker Jonathan
Published: January 2021

Between 2009 and 2014, all 50 states and the District of Columbia passed legislation to improve the recognition and management of youth concussed in sports. These laws can include requirements for concussion training for school athletic personnel, concussion education for children and their parents, return-to-play (RTP) procedures, and medical clearance to for RTP. Concussion can impact academic learning and performance in children and adolescents. Postconcussion academic accommodations during recovery can be an important component of secondary prevention for mitigating the sequalae of head injury. Few state youth concussion laws, however, include provision of postconcussion return-to-learn (RTL) accommodations and most of those that do address RTL apply to student athletes only. Concussions may occur in youth who are not participating in organised sports (eg, falls, traffic crashes) and thus may not be subjected to RTL accommodations, even if the state mandates such procedures for athletes. Low income and students of colour may be more likely to have non-sports concussions than their more affluent and white peers, thus potentially creating demographic disparities in the benefits of RTL procedures. State youth sports concussion laws should be revised so that they include RTL provisions that apply to all students, athletes and non-athletes alike.
Skin dendritic cells in melanoma are key for successful checkpoint blockade therapy
Authors: Prokopi Anastasia , Tripp Christoph H , Tummers Bart , Hornsteiner Florian , Spoeck Sarah , Crawford Jeremy Chase , Clements Derek R , Efremova Mirjana , Hutter Katharina , Bellmann Lydia , Cappellano Giuseppe , Cadilha Bruno L , Kobold Sebastian , Boon Louis , Ortner Daniela , Trajanoski Zlatko , Chen Suzie , de Gruijl Tanja D , Idoyaga Juliana , Green Douglas R , Stoitzner Patrizia
Published: January 2021

Background

Immunotherapy with checkpoint inhibitors has shown impressive results in patients with melanoma, but still many do not benefit from this line of treatment. A lack of tumor-infiltrating T cells is a common reason for therapy failure but also a loss of intratumoral dendritic cells (DCs) has been described.

Methods

We used the transgenic tg(Grm1)EPv melanoma mouse strain that develops spontaneous, slow-growing tumors to perform immunological analysis during tumor progression. With flow cytometry, the frequencies of DCs and T cells at different tumor stages and the expression of the inhibitory molecules programmed cell death protein-1 (PD-1) and T-cell immunoglobulin and mucin-domain containing-3 (TIM-3) on T cells were analyzed. This was complemented with RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) and real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) analysis to investigate the immune status of the tumors. To boost DC numbers and function, we administered Fms-related tyrosine 3 ligand (Flt3L) plus an adjuvant mix of polyI:C and anti-CD40. To enhance T cell function, we tested several checkpoint blockade antibodies. Immunological alterations were characterized in tumor and tumor-draining lymph nodes (LNs) by flow cytometry, CyTOF, microarray and RT-qPCR to understand how immune cells can control tumor growth. The specific role of migratory skin DCs was investigated by coculture of sorted DC subsets with melanoma-specific CD8+ T cells.

Results

Our study revealed that tumor progression is characterized by upregulation of checkpoint molecules and a gradual loss of the dermal conventional DC (cDC) 2 subset. Monotherapy with checkpoint blockade could not restore antitumor immunity, whereas boosting DC numbers and activation increased tumor immunogenicity. This was reflected by higher numbers of activated cDC1 and cDC2 as well as CD4+ and CD8+ T cells in treated tumors. At the same time, the DC boost approach reinforced migratory dermal DC subsets to prime gp100-specific CD8+ T cells in tumor-draining LNs that expressed PD-1/TIM-3 and produced interferon γ (IFNγ)/tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα). As a consequence, the combination of the DC boost with antibodies against PD-1 and TIM-3 released the brake from T cells, leading to improved function within the tumors and delayed tumor growth.

Conclusions

Our results set forth the importance of skin DC in cancer immunotherapy, and demonstrates that restoring DC function is key to enhancing tumor immunogenicity and subsequently responsiveness to checkpoint blockade therapy.
Current status of use of high throughput nucleotide sequencing in rheumatology
Authors: Boegel Sebastian , Castle John C , Schwarting Andreas
Published: January 2021

Objective

Here, we assess the usage of high throughput sequencing (HTS) in rheumatic research and the availability of public HTS data of rheumatic samples.

Methods

We performed a semiautomated literature review on PubMed, consisting of an R-script and manual curation as well as a manual search on the Sequence Read Archive for public available HTS data.

Results

Of the 699 identified articles, rheumatoid arthritis (n=182 publications, 26%), systemic lupus erythematous (n=161, 23%) and osteoarthritis (n=152, 22%) are among the rheumatic diseases with the most reported use of HTS assays. The most represented assay is RNA-Seq (n=457, 65%) for the identification of biomarkers in blood or synovial tissue. We also find, that the quality of accompanying clinical characterisation of the sequenced patients differs dramatically and we propose a minimal set of clinical data necessary to accompany rheumatological-relevant HTS data.

Conclusion

HTS allows the analysis of a broad spectrum of molecular features in many samples at the same time. It offers enormous potential in novel personalised diagnosis and treatment strategies for patients with rheumatic diseases. Being established in cancer research and in the field of Mendelian diseases, rheumatic diseases are about to become the third disease domain for HTS, especially the RNA-Seq assay. However, we need to start a discussion about reporting of clinical characterisation accompany rheumatological-relevant HTS data to make clinical meaningful use of this data.
On the Connectedness of Random Sets of ℝ
Authors: Salamanca Juan Jesús
Published: January 2021

Random sets arise as distinguished models to study probability under imprecision. This work aims to determine the connectedness of a random set in terms of its capacity functional (the probability of hitting a set). This problem is linked to the celebrated Choquet–Kendall–Matheron theorem, which states that a random closed set is characterized by its capacity functional. Hence, such functional must also characterize any topological property of a random set, such as its connectedness. While the capacity functional of a random closed set operates over the large class of compact sets, we show that the determination of connectedness can be checked only over a simple family of sets.
Fuzzy Type-II Resource Allocation and Target Setting in Data Envelopment Analysis: A Real Case of Gas Refineries
Authors: Sharahi Sarah J. , Khalili-Damghani Kaveh , Abtahi Amir-Reza , Komijan Alireza Rashidi
Published: January 2021

Data envelopment analysis (DEA) is a linear programming method to measure the relative efficiency of a set of decision-making units (DMUs) with multiple inputs and outputs. Some DEA models are used to allocate resources and to set targets. Previous studies in resource allocation and target setting have used deterministic data; however, in real problems resources and targets are not deterministic. In this paper, a type-II fuzzy DEA approach is developed for resource allocation and target setting. A numerical example and a real case study including 11 gas refineries with two inputs and three outputs are provided to illustrate the performance of the proposed approach. The results demonstrate that the proposed method efficiently allocates resources and sets targets in presence of uncertainty. Sensitivity analysis is accomplished based on the variation of the value of targets and resources and the variation of the footprint of uncertainty (FOU) of resources and targets.
Stochastic Periodic Solution and Permanence of a Holling–Leslie Predator-Prey System with Impulsive Effects
Authors: Zhao Jinxing , Shao Yuanfu
Published: January 2021

Considering the environmental effects, a Holling–Leslie predator-prey system with impulsive and stochastic disturbance is proposed in this paper. Firstly, we prove that existence of periodic solution, the mean time boundness of variables is found by integral inequality, and we establish some sufficient conditions assuring the existencle of periodic Markovian process. Secondly, for periodic impulsive differential equation and system, it is different from previous research methods, by defining three restrictive conditions, we study the extinction and permanence in the mean of all species. Thirdly, by stochastic analysis method, we investigate the stochastic permanence of the system. Finally, some numerical simulations are given to illustrate the main results.
The Impact of Aortic Valvular Calcium on Transcatheter Heart Valve Distortion
Authors: Nakajima Akihiro , Naganuma Toru , Yuki Haruhito , Onishi Hirokazu , Amano Tatsuya , Yabushita Hiroto , Kawamoto Hiroyoshi , Mitomo Satoru , Kitanaka Yosuke , Nakao Tatsuya , Kurita Naoyuki , Ishiguro Hisaaki , Tahara Satoko , Okutsu Masaaki , Nakamura Shotaro , Nakamura Sunao
Published: January 2021

Objectives. To investigate the relationship between the eccentric calcification of aortic valve and transcatheter heart valve (THV) distortion and the impact of THV distortion on echo parameters and clinical outcomes. Background. The effects of eccentric calcification of the aortic valve on the THV distortion and the relationship between THV distortion and clinical impact were not fully understood. Methods. Patients with symptomatic severe aortic stenosis who were undergoing THV implantation were enrolled. Patients underwent preprocedural, postprocedural multislice computed tomography (MSCT), and follow-up transthoracic echocardiogram (TTE). Delta calcium score (ΔCS) is defined as the difference between the maximum and minimal calcium scores of the three cusps, while valve distortion score (VDS) is defined as the difference between the longest and shortest stent frame, as obtained using MSCT. Patients were divided into two groups according to ΔCS: “noneccentric calcification group” and “eccentric calcification group.” Results. A total of 118 patients were enrolled (59 patients in noneccentric and 59 in eccentric calcification groups). VDS was significantly lower in the noneccentric calcification group than in the eccentric calcification group (1.31 ± 0.82 mm vs. 1.73 ± 0.76 mm,

p
=
0.004

). VDS was not associated with the degree of paravalvular leak (PVL) and aortic valvular mean pressure gradient (AVPG) at 30-day and 1-year follow-up TTE and the cumulative rates of all-cause death and rehospitalization at 2-year clinical follow-up. Conclusions. Eccentric valvular calcification was associated with longitudinal THV distortion. However, THV distortion was not associated with PVL, AVPG, and adverse clinical events during midterm follow-up.
A Computational Design Analysis of UAV’s Rotor Blade in Low-Temperature Conditions for the Defence Applications
Authors: Chevula Sreenadh , Chillamcharal Sankeerth , Maddula Satya Prasad
Published: January 2021

This paper discusses about the critical situations faced by the Defence operations with drones in the area of Siachen Glacier in the Himalayas. The reasons for the structural failures in drone’s rotor blades and the low-performance efficiency of the drones at low-temperature conditions are highlighted. A possible solution to the above-mentioned problems has been addressed by introducing a new boundary design in the rotor blades and composite materials. The results which are shown in this paper are obtained by the computational analysis facility located at the Department of Aerospace Engineering, School of Technology, GITAM (Deemed to be University), Hyderabad. By mimicking the Siachen Glacier atmosphere conditions, the proposed rotor blade design has been analysed in CFD.
Operación cesárea. Una revisión histórica.
Authors: Sánchez-Torres Damián Ángel , Salazar-Arquero Francisco Javier , Soto-Sánchez Eva María , Martínez-Carrillo Daniela Absara , De la Fuente-Valero Jesús , Hernández-Aguado Juan José
Published: January 2021

La operación cesárea que hoy en día realizamos de forma casi rutinaria en la mayoría de centros hospitalarios del mundo es consecuencia de una apasionante búsqueda de mejoras por las generaciones precedentes de obstetras. A lo largo de los años, la cesárea ha experimentado importantes cambios en la técnica quirúrgica, en la frecuencia de su práctica y en sus indicaciones, tanto maternas como fetales. En los siglos XVII, XVIII y XIX implicaba una elevadísima mortalidad materna, por lo que únicamente se realizaba en casos desesperados, con la esperanza del salvar al nasciturus. La introducción de los principios de asepsia-antisepsia por Semmelweis, Koch, Lister y Halsted, la sutura de la herida uterina, la incisión en el segmento uterino inferior y la incisión transversa en el segmento inferior del útero supusieron una importante disminución de la mortalidad materna. En la segunda mitad del siglo XX, el empleo de la antibioticoterapia, la transfusión sanguínea, el perfeccionamiento de la anestesia y de los cuidados perioperatorios, así como la modificación ulterior de algunas técnicas quirúrgicas, ha conseguido reducir ampliamente la morbimortalidad asociada a esta intervención. Todos estos cambios han conseguido que la cesárea haya pasado de ser una operación in extremis que condenaba con gran probabilidad a la paciente, a una técnica que en la actualidad es demandada por algunas mujeres como sustitución del parto vaginal.
Culture-Sensitive Communication in Applied Developmental Research
Authors: Serpell Robert
Published: January 2021

Communication about child development between persons with different cultural preoccupations requires that author and audience agree without coercion on how to connect their perspectives. Western cultural hegemony persists in many international fora under the guise of “globalization,” giving rise to systematically distorted communication in ways that do epistemological violence to indigenous cultural models in Africa. The dominant paradigm of public basic schooling is sustained by institutionalized path dependency and construes educational success as extracting the learner from her community of origin. Consensus-building within a framework of mutually respectful communication involves bridging, coordination or fusion. Societal progress is a different kind of “development” than ontogenesis. A given cultural group’s developmental niche for its children is part of a chronosystem that changes over the course of history. An individual’s transactions with significant others are embedded in a complex and dynamic sociocultural system, to which programming of early childhood education should respond.
Morning Serum Cortisol Level Predicts Central Adrenal Insufficiency Diagnosed by Insulin Tolerance Test
Authors: Gasco Valentina , Bima Chiara , Geranzani Alice , Giannelli Jacopo , Marinelli Lorenzo , Bona Chiara , Cambria Valeria , Berton Alessandro Maria , Prencipe Nunzia , Ghigo Ezio , Maccario Mauro , Grottoli Silvia
Published: January 2021

Introduction: According to guidelines, a morning serum cortisol level <83 nmol/L is diagnostic for central adrenal insufficiency (CAI), a value >414 nmol/L excludes CAI, while values between 83 and 414 nmol/L require stimulation tests. However, there are no currently reliable data on morning serum cortisol for prediction of cortisol response to insulin tolerance test (ITT). Objective: Using the receiver-operating characteristic curve analysis, the purpose of this study was to detect the morning serum cortisol cutoff with a specificity (SP) or a sensitivity (SE) above 95% that identify those patients who should not be tested with ITT. Methods: We included 141 adult patients (83 males) aged 42.7 ± 12.3 (mean ± standard deviation) years old. Based on the serum cortisol response to ITT, patients have been divided into 2 groups: subjects with CAI (peak serum cortisol <500 nmol/L; 65 patients) and subjects with preserved adrenocortical function (peak cortisol >500 nmol/L; 76 patients). Results: The best morning cortisol cutoff, in terms of SE (87.7%) and SP (46.1%), was ≤323.3 nmol/L. The cutoff of morning serum cortisol concentration that best predicted a deficient response to ITT was ≤126.4 nmol/L (SE 13.8%, SP 98.7%). The cutoff of morning serum cortisol concentration that best predicted a normal response to ITT was >444.7 nmol/L (SE 96.9%, SP 14.5%). Conclusions: This is the first study that identifies a morning serum cortisol cutoff that best predict the response to ITT in order to simplify the diagnostic process in patients with suspected CAI. A new diagnostic flow-chart for CAI is proposed.
Classification of vehicles’ types using histogram oriented gradients: comparative study and modification
Authors: El-Sayed Rania Salah , El-Sayed Mohamed Nour
Published: January 2021

This paper proposes an efficient model for recognizing and classifying a vehicle type. The model localizes each object in the image then identifies the vehicle type. The features of an image are extracted using the histogram oriented gradients (HOG) and ant colony optimization (ACO). A vehicle type is determined using different classifiers namely: the k-nearest neighbor (KNN), support vector machine (SVM), random forest (RF), and Softmax classifiers. The model is implemented and operated on two datasets of vehicles' images as test-beds. From the comparative study, the SVM outperforms the other adopted classifiers and is also better using HOG than that using ACO. A modification is done on HOG by adding the Laplacian filter to select the most significant image features. The accuracy of the SVM classifier using modified HOG outperforms that one using the traditional HOG. The proposed model is analyzed and discussed regardless the local geometric and photometric transformations like illumination variations.
Effects of kernels and the proportion of training data on the accuracy of SVM sentiment analysis in lecturer evaluation
Authors: Febrian Sengkey Daniel , Jacobus Agustinus , Johanes Manoppo Fabian
Published: January 2021

Support vector machine (SVM) is a known method for supervised learning in sentiment analysis and there are many studies about the use of SVM in classifying the sentiments in lecturer evaluation. SVM has various parameters that can be tuned and kernels that can be chosen to improve the classifier accuracy. However, not all options have been explored. Therefore, in this study we compared the four SVM kernels: radial, linear, polynomial, and sigmoid, to discover how each kernel influences the accuracy of the classifier. To make a proper assessment, we used our labeled dataset of students’ evaluations toward the lecturer. The dataset was split, one for training the classifier, and another one for testing the model. As an addition, we also used several different ratios of the training:testing dataset. The split ratios are 0.5 to 0.95, with the increment factor of 0.05. The dataset was split randomly, hence the splitting-training-testing processes were repeated 1,000 times for each kernel and splitting ratio. Therefore, at the end of the experiment, we got 40,000 accuracy data. Later, we applied statistical methods to see whether the differences are significant. Based on the statistical test, we found that in this particular case, the linear kernel significantly has higher accuracy compared to the other kernels. However, there is a tradeoff, where the results are getting more varied with a higher proportion of data used for training.
Automatic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis detection using tunable Q-factor wavelet transform
Authors: Achmamad Abdelouahad , Belkhou Abdelali , Jbari Atman
Published: January 2021

Early diagnosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) based on electromyography (EMG) is crucial. The processing of a non-stationary EMG signal requires powerful multi-resolution methods. Our study analyzes and classifies the EMG signals. In the present work, we introduce a novel flexible method for classification of EMG signals using tunable Q-factor wavelet transform (TQWT). Different sub-bands generated by the TQWT technique were served to extract useful information related to energy and then the calculated features were selected using a filter selection (FS) method. The effectiveness of the feature selection step resulted not only in the improvement of classification performance but also in reducing the computation time of the classification algorithm. The selected feature subsets were used as inputs to multiple classifier algorithms, namely, k-nearest neighbor (k-NN), least squares support vector machine (LS-SVM) and random forest (RF) for automated diagnosis. The experimental results show better classification measures with k-NN classifier compared with LS-SVM and RF. The robustness of the classification task was tested using a ten-fold cross-validation method. The outcomes of our proposed approach can be exploited to aid clinicians in neuromuscular disorders detection.
Automation of the burner of a pirotubular boiler to improve the efficiency in the generation of steam
Authors: Chamorro-Atalaya Omar , Goicochea-Vilela Diego , Arce Santillan Dora , Diaz-Choque Martin , Diaz-Leyva Teodoro
Published: January 2021

The purpose of this article is to describe the automation developed by means of a programmable logic controller for the burner of a fire tube boiler, in order to improve the efficiency in the process of generating steam quantified through the percentage of oxygen generated. The implementation was developed under a control strategy based on the use of servomotors that allow to gradually open or close the solenoid valves that dose the amount of air and fuel; Considering that there are multiple elements, I limited the analysis to one of its main components, called the burner. After developing this automation, it was possible to demonstrate the decrease in the variability of the oxygen percentage in relation to the optimal or desired value in the boiler. The experimentally obtained data of the oxygen percentage, were subjected to a statistical analysis of dispersion, in which the value of the Pearson's correlation coefficient was determined, whose value was equal to 0.298; This result allowed to conclude that the degree of variability of the indicator in analysis with respect to time is very low, which means that the variable maintains a constant value, equal to the desired value, after automating the fire tube boiler.
Blind image watermarking scheme based on lowest energy contourlet transform coefficient and modified arnold cat/ikeda maps
Authors: N. Shehab Jinan , A. Abdulkadhim Hussein , Allbadi Yousif
Published: January 2021

The widespread of global internet has led to the need for developing new methods of protecting multimedia information from exploitation, alteration or forgery, illegal distribution, and manipulation. An attacker is quickly and illegally distributing or changing multimedia information by using various means of computer technology. For detecting this manipulation, this paper suggests blind watermark image inside a host image for observing in the receiver. If the watermark image was retrieved, then the host image was not attacked or manipulated. While if not retrieved, in this case, the image was attacked. The proposed method is depending on a decomposition of the host image using lowest energy sub-bands of Contourlet transform (4-levels), with scrambling by Ikeda map of the watermark image, and selecting new positions by modified Arnold Cat map. This will produce more security and safety, as well as provide more difficulty or prevent hacking. The obtained results confirm the robustness against attacks and more effectiveness of the presented scheme compared with the other similar works. Also, using lowest energy sub-bands will expand area of embedding and this part will be considered in the future works with the color images.
Biometric key generation using crow algorithm
Authors: O. Ahmed Zied , Akram Khorsheed Abbas
Published: January 2021

The researchers have been exploring methods to use biometric characteristics of the user as a replacement for using unforgettable pass-word, in an attempt to build robust cryptographic keys, because, human users detect difficulties to call up long cryptographic keys. Biometric recognition provides an authentic solution to the authentication of the user problem in the identity administration systems. With the extensive utilization of biometric methods in different applications, there is growing concern about the confidentiality and security of the biometric technologies. This paper proposes biometric based key recreation scheme. Since human ears are not correlated. Until now, the encryption keys are generated using a swarm intelligence approach. Collective intelligence of simple groups of autonomous agents have been emerged by swarm intelligence. The crow search algorithm which is known as (CSA) is a new meta-intuitive method assembled by the intelligent group behavior of crows. Despite that CSA demonstrates important features, its search approach poses excessive challenges while faced with great multimodal formularization.
Development of arabic sign language dictionary using 3D avatar technologies
Authors: H. Aliwy Ahmed , A. Alethary Ahmed
Published: January 2021

The arabic sign language (ArSL) is the natural language of the deaf community in Arabic countries. ArSL suffers from a lack of resources such as unified dictionaries and corpora. In this work, a dictionary of Arabic language to ArSL has been constructed as a part of a translation system. The Arabic words are converted into hamburg notation system (HamNoSys) using eSign editor Software. HamNoSys was used to create manual parameters (handshape, hand orientation, hand location, and hand movement), while non-manual parameters (facial expressions, shoulder raising, mouthing gesture, head tilting, and body movement) added by using (mouth, face, and limbs) in the eSign editor software. The sign then converted to the sign gesture markup language (SiGML) file, and later 3D avatar interprets the SiGML file scripts to the animated sign. The constructed dictionary has three thousand signs; therefore, it can be adopted for the translation system in which written text can be transformed into sign language and can be utilized for the education of deaf people. The dictionary will be available as a free resource for researchers. It is hard and time-consuming work, but it is an essential step in machine translation of whole Arabic text to ArSL with 3D animations. 
Comparative study of logistic regression and artificial neural networks on predicting breast cancer cytology
Authors: Mohammed Yosra Abdulaziz , Saleh Eman Gadban
Published: January 2021

Currently, breast cancer is one of the most common cancers and a main reason of women death worldwide particularly in developing countries such as Iraq. our work aims to predict the type of tumor whether benign or malignant through models that were built using logistic regression and neural networks and we hope it will help doctors in detecting the type of breast tumor. Four models were set using binary logistic regression and two different types of artificial neural networks namely multilayer perceptron MLP and radial basis function RBF. Evaluation of validated and trained models was done using several performance metrics like accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, and AUC (area under receiver operating characteristic ROC).   Dataset was downloaded from UCI ml repository; it is composed of 9 attributes and 699 samples. The findings are clearly showing that the RBF NN classifier is the best in prediction of the type of breast tumors since it had recorded the highest performance in terms of correct classification rate (accuracy), sensitivity, specificity, and AUC (area under Receiver Operating Characteristic ROC) among all other models.
Recursive least square and control for PUMA robotics
Authors: Jumaa Alkurawy Lafta E.
Published: January 2021

The solution of inverse kinematics system based on recursive least square (RLS) theorem is improved this paper. The task in joints of robotics is inverse kinematics for PUMA robotics. The design the manipulator of robotics is not simple if due to model of algebraic method. I suggested a method of RLS method to get predicts the positions of robot and it is comfortable the applications in real-time. The RLS is used to find the solution of the inverse kinematics for the joints 6-dof of the robotics. This technique is important to compute the joints of each arm space with Cartesian axes in the end-effector. The identification will be in each joint for PUMA by RLS and applied PI controller on each joint to get the response follows the reference input by tuning the values of coefficients of PI.
Physical layer security in DF full-duplex relaying network: performance analysis
Authors: Tin Phu Tran , Nguyen Tan N. , Phan Van-Duc , Tran Minh
Published: January 2021

In this letter, the system performance of the DF full-duplex (FD) Relaying communication network is investigated with Physical Layer Security (PLS). In this system model, the source (S) and the destination (D) communicate via a helping relay (R) in the presence of the Eavesdropper (E). From the system model, we derive the closed-form expressions for Intercept Probability (IP) and secrecy outage probability (SOP). For verifying the correctness of the analytical analysis, the Monte Carlo simulation is conducted. In addition, the influence of the main system parameter on the system performance is investigated. Finally, the results show that the analytical and the simulation values agree well with each other.
Performance evaluation of PV penetration at different locations in a LV distribution network connected with an off-load tap changing transformer
Authors: Almeida Dilini , Pasupuleti Jagadeesh , Ekanayake Janaka
Published: January 2021

Solar photovoltaic (PV) power generation has shown a worldwide remarkable growth in recent years. In order to achieve the increasing energy demand, a large number of residential PV units are connected to the low voltage (LV) distribution networks. However, high integration of solar PV could cause negative impacts on distribution grids leading to violations of limits and standards. The voltage rise has been recognized as one of the major implications of increased PV integration, which could significantly restrict the capacity of the distribution network to support higher PV penetration levels. This study addresses the performance of the off-load tap changing transformer under high solar PV penetration and a detailed analysis has been carried out to examine the maximum allowable PV penetration at discrete tap positions of the transformer. The maximum PV penetration has been determined by ensuring that all nodal voltages adhere to grid voltage statutory limits. The simulation results demonstrate that the first two tap positions could be adopted to control the grid voltage under higher PV penetrations thus facilitating further PV influx into the existing network.
Linguistique intégrationniste et histoire sémiotique des mathématiques
Authors: Herreman Alain
Published: January 2021

Cet article propose une présentation et une discussion de la linguistique intégrationniste de Roy Harris. On y rappelle la caractérisation du « mythe du langage », les critiques qui lui ont été adressées et les principes intégrationnistes proposés pour y répondre. Les thèses et les arguments intégrationnistes sont ensuite confrontés aux résultats de plusieurs études d'histoire sémiotique des mathématiques. Un examen du ressort de l'efficacité des critiques intégrationnistes permet de reconsidérer les conséquences qui en ont été tirées.
Epistemologia semiótica e a questão do observador em Peirce e Lotman
Authors: Nakagawa Regiane Miranda de Oliveira , Cardoso Tarcísio de Sá
Published: January 2021

Este artigo discute de que maneira o sujeito gnosiológico do conhecimento, ou observador, pode ser entendido por meio de duas perspectivas semióticas distintas: a do filósofo Charles Sanders Peirce e a do semioticista da Escola de Tártu-Moscou Iuri Lotman, bem como a correlação e o tensionamento entre ambas as abordagens. Em comum, os dois teóricos rompem com a concepção cartesiana acerca da relação dualista entre sujeito e objeto do conhecimento, ao situarem a ação exercida pela mediação no processo de construção do conhecimento. Peirce não privilegia a figura do observador em sua obra, porém, por meio da relação entre signo, objeto e interpretante, pode-se depreender, segundo nossa leitura, uma compreensão eminentemente lógica para a ideia de observador. Lotman, por sua vez, realiza uma série de alusões à figura do observador ao longo de seus escritos, cuja compreensão encontra-se diretamente relacionada à perspectiva epistemológica de estudo da cultura vinculada à semiosfera. Pelo diálogo entre os autores, ou, ainda, pela complementaridade epistemológica entre suas ideias, considerando as aproximações e distanciamentos entre eles, delimitamos os seguintes pontos de contato: a mediação sígnica presente no processo de construção do conhecimento; a constituição do observador em meio à semiose; a validação do saber e, por fim, a objetividade.
Body, Mind, and Spirit in Early Chinese Medicine
Authors: Raphals Lisa
Published: January 2021

Medical texts especially of the Huangdi neijing 黃帝內經 tradition provide an important counterpoint to philosophical debates about the relation of body and mind in early China and in particular to the understanding of the “mind” (xin 心), since medical texts must address the role of the xin-heart as one of the visceral systems. This paper surveys accounts of both “mind” and “spirit” (shen 神) in the Huangdi neijing and proposes a view of a person in which cognitive and affective faculties are decentralized and corporeal, rather than being centered in the mind.
Hippocrate empiriste? Un idolum entre philosophie et praxis médicale (Du régime, I, 4)
Authors: Maselli Mila
Published: January 2021

This paper offers a reconstruction of the fortuna of a Hippocratic formula that has been conspicuously misunderstood since the sixteenth century by physicians and philosophers. For several centuries, and despite the increasing care with which translators and editors have examined classical texts and their circulation, the quote in question by Hippocrates has been expounded as a sentence advocating the primacy of sensory experience as a means of knowledge. This article aims to highlight the philological, cultural, and epistemic circumstances that produced and reinforced this misunderstanding, which persisted until the nineteenth century.
From Paracelsus to Universal Reform
Authors: Žemla Martin
Published: January 2021

This article analyses the content, context, and legacy of an influential collection of texts ascribed to Paracelsus (1493–1541) and Valentin Weigel (1533–1588). Published under the title Philosophia Mystica in 1618, it was one of the earliest printed publications of the theologica of Paracelsus. By combining Paracelsus and Weigel, the volume demonstrated their unified theological approach. Besides, it included two works by the promulgator of the “Theophrastia Sancta,” Adam Haslmayr (1560–1630), as well as a treatise by the alchemist Johann Siebmacher, who might have also been the editor of the whole volume. By using these sources the book indicated that Paracelsianism and Weigelianism were, basically, aiming at universal reform which connected them with the ethos of the Rosicrucian manifestos.
Closing the Gaps in US Rocket Propellant Production, 1940–1945
Authors: Bergman Yoel
Published: January 2021

The article supplements and revises past historiographical explanations on why the US entered World War ii without propellant based engines, for tactical rockets and how that gap was overcome. Short range rockets were used extensively by all sides in the War for various purposes, but in the interwar period (1919–1939), rocket advances were made mostly in Europe with the US lagging behind. The rockets engines were based on solid propellant tubes, but in 1940 there was hardly any US tubes design knowledge and no production facilities. Technological and production gaps had to be closed, and from 1940 were made with a significant help from Britain and under the leadership of the civilian National Defense Research Council (ndrc) agency, merged in 1941 into the Office of Scientific Research and Development (osrd). Due to the pressing needs to equip American forces with rockets, a joint group of ndrc and Army developers modified in early 1942 an existing gun propellant production technology for rocket tubes. Used initially for the Bazooka this adoption was found later to be extremely problematic in production and performance of tubes in the widely-used, Army’s 4.5-inch barrage and fighter plane rockets. Working in parallel, a joint group of ndrc and navy developers was able to construct the more modern tube production process already used abroad, avoiding the main army difficulties and taking the lead. The growing needs for these superior Navy rockets, some of which were used extensively by the Army, led to gaps between supplies and demands by 1943. Two fortunate events, one of them connected with the Soviet Union, helped to relieve the shortage.
“The Enthusiasm Expressed by Our Industry Friends”
Authors: Givens Adam
Published: January 2021

This article analyzes the groundbreaking 1952 plan by US Army leadership to develop a sizeable cargo helicopter program in the face of interservice opposition. It examines the influence that decision had in the next decade on the Army, the helicopter industry, and vtol technology. The Army’s procurement of large helicopters that could transport soldiers and materiel was neither a fait accompli nor based on short-term needs. Rather, archival records reveal that the decision was based on long-range concerns about the postwar health of the helicopter industry, developing the state of the art, and fostering new doctrinal concepts. The procurement had long-term consequences. Helicopters became central to Army war planning, and the ground service’s needs dictated the next generation of helicopter designs. That technology made possible the revolutionary airmobility concept that the Army took into Vietnam and also led to a flourishing commercial helicopter field.
Mechanical and Microstructural Evolution of the Mg-B Powder/Nb/Cu Cladding Using Hydrostatic Extrusion and Subsequent Drawing Process
Authors: Lee Jongbeom , Park Sangyong , Jeong Haguk
Published: January 2021

The paper introduces the mechanical and microstructural evolution of Mg-B powders/Nb/Cu claddings fabricated using only drawing process and hydrostatic extrusion plus drawing process. We found that the Mg-B powder of the claddings during the latter process was more densified than that
of the former process because of larger reduction rate in the process of hydrostatic extrusion. The claddings created by the latter process exhibited a little higher Vickers hardness values and lower grain size than those of the former process in Nb tubes. The refined microstructure of Nb
tube by the latter process had higher image quality (IQ) value corresponding to lower dislocation density due to higher misorientation angles between grains than that of the former process, thereby demonstrating the broadly distributed (110) fiber texture.
Metal-Organic Framework-Derived Ni–Co@C Catalysts for Urea Oxidation in Urea/H2O2 Fuel Cells
Authors: Tien Nhac Duong , Kim Bo Hyeon , Yun Woo Hyun , Yoon Hyon Hee
Published: January 2021

Low-cost Ni-based catalysts have been widely used for urea oxidation in direct urea fuel cells. However, they suffer from issues such as high overpotential, poor stability, and low activity. Herein, we demonstrate the synthesis of a highly porous nanostructured Ni–Co@C catalyst
for efficient electrooxidation of urea, via the calcination of Co-doped Ni-based metal-organic framework (Ni/Co-MOF). The porosity of the MOF-derived particles is considerably higher than the Ni/Co-MOF precursor. Furthermore, the Co doping at 30 mol% significantly increases the peak current
density and reduces the overpotential of the electro-oxidation of urea. A urea/H2O2 fuel cell with Ni0.7Co0.3@C as the anode exhibits maximum power density of 3.4 and 20.0 mW cm−2 with 0.5 M urea in 5 M KOH as anolyte at 25 and 80
°C, respectively. Thus, this work suggests that the highly porous Ni–Co@C catalysts derived from MOF templates can be used for urea oxidation and as efficient anode materials for urea-based fuel cells.
Development of a Constant Temperature Control Light Emitting Diode Light Cold Mask Reflecting Real-Time Skin Temperature Change
Authors: Kim Chanhee , Chean Minwoo
Published: January 2021

To treat and improve skin condition, photo masks using LEDs have been developed and widely marketed to consumers. However, since the skin condition of the user varies, it is difficult to simulate suitable conditions, because various variables such as light output intensity and irradiation
time must be applied to the mask development. Currently, photo masks on the market were developed considering only the parameters related to light irradiation. Existing products do not consider the burning sensation after skin treatment and skin temperature increase from the use of masks,
which has been causing user inconvenience. In this paper, the LED light cold mask was designed, fabricated, and analyzed for light output characteristics to control wavelength selection and output to maximize the therapeutic effect of various LED lights. Additionally, circulating water was
used to eliminate the burning sensation caused by the use of LED masks. The temperature of the circulating water was lowered below 10 °C using a thermoelectric element and PT100 Ω temperature sensor. An infrared temperature sensor was used to measure the skin temperature in real time.
When the skin temperature increased by 0.5 °C, the water was cooled and circulated. As a result, it was confirmed that the temperature of the skin could be maintained uniformly within the set temperature range.
Numerical Investigation of Light Extraction Efficiency of GaN-based Vertical Blue Micron-Scale Light-Emitting Diode Structures
Authors: Pyo Jeongsang , Ryu Hyun Yeol , Ryu Han-Youl
Published: January 2021

The light extraction efficiency (LEE) of GaN-based vertical blue micron-scale light-emitting diode (μ-LED) structures was investigated numerically using three-dimensional finite-difference timedomain (FDTD) methods. The entire μ-LED chip was included in the FDTD computational
domain to determine the LEE accurately. As the lateral dimensions of μ-LEDs increased from 5 to 30 μm, the LEE decreased gradually because of the increased portion of light trapped inside the LED chip and the increased light absorption in the GaN layers with increasing chip size. The
LEE varied strongly with the p-GaN thickness for the μ-LED with a flattop surface, which could be explained by the strong dependence of the spatial distribution of the emission patterns on the p-GaN thickness. This dependence on the p-GaN thickness decreased when the surface of the μ-LED
chip was patterned. A high LEE of >80% could be achieved in LEDs with properly chosen parameters. The FDTD simulation results presented in this study are expected to be employed advantageously in designing μ-LED structures with a high LEE.