bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Surgical Implications of Advanced Low-Grade Serous Ovarian Cancer: Analysis of the Database of the Tumeurs Malignes Rares Gynécologiques Network
Authors: Bonsang-Kitzis Hélène , Panchbhaya Nabilah , Bats Anne-Sophie , Pujade-Lauraine Eric , Pautier Patricia , Ngô Charlotte , Le Frère-Belda Marie-Aude , Kalbacher Elsa , Floquet Anne , Berton-Rigaud Dominique , Lefeuvre-Plesse Claudia , Fabbro Michel , Ray-Coquard Isabelle , Lécuru Fabrice
Published: May 2022

The surgical specificities of advanced low-grade serous ovarian carcinoma (LGSOC) have been little investigated. Our objective was to describe surgical procedures/complications in primary (PDS) compared to interval debulking surgery (neoadjuvant chemotherapy and interval debulking surgery, NACT-IDS) and to assess the survival (progression-free (PFS) and overall survival (OS)) in patients with advanced LGSOC. We retrospectively analyzed advanced LGSOC from a nationwide registry (January 2000 to July 2017). A total of 127 patients were included (48% PDS and 35% NACT-IDS). Peritoneal carcinomatosis was more severe (p = 0.01 to 0.0001, according to sites), surgery more complex (p = 0.03) and late postoperative morbidity more frequent (p = 0.03) and more severe in the NACT-IDS group. PFS and OS were similar in patients with CC0 and CC1 residual disease after PDS or IDS. Prognosis was poorest for NACT-IDS patients with CC2/CC3 resection (PFS: HR = 2.31, IC95% (1.3–4.58); p = 0.005; OS: HR = 4.98, IC95% (1.59–15.61); p = 0.006). NACT has no benefit in terms of surgical outputs in patients with advanced LGSOC. Patients with complete resection or minimal residual disease (CC0 and CC1) have similar prognoses. On the other hand, patients with CC2 and more residual disease have similar survival rates compared to nonoperated patients. Primary cytoreduction with complete or with minimal residuals should be preferred when feasible.
Cell-Surface Programmed Death Ligand-1 Expression Identifies a Sub-Population of Distal Epithelial Cells Enriched in Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis
Authors: Ahmadvand Negah , Carraro Gianni , Jones Matthew R. , Shalashova Irina , Noori Afshin , Wilhelm Jochen , Baal Nelli , Khosravi Farhad , Chen Chengshui , Zhang Jin-San , Ruppert Clemens , Guenther Andreas , Wasnick Roxana M. , Bellusci Saverio
Published: May 2022

Idiopathic lung fibrosis (IPF) is a fatal lung disease characterized by chronic epithelial injury and exhausted repair capacity of the alveolar compartment, associated with the expansion of cells with intermediate alveolar epithelial cell (AT2) characteristics. Using SftpcCreERT2/+: tdTomatoflox/flox mice, we previously identified a lung population of quiescent injury-activated alveolar epithelial progenitors (IAAPs), marked by low expression of the AT2 lineage trace marker tdTomato (Tomlow) and characterized by high levels of Pd-l1 (Cd274) expression. This led us to hypothesize that a population with similar properties exists in the human lung. To that end, we used flow cytometry to characterize the CD274 cell-surface expression in lung epithelial cells isolated from donor and end-stage IPF lungs. The identity and functional behavior of these cells were further characterized by qPCR analysis, in vitro organoid formation, and ex vivo precision-cut lung slices (PCLSs). Our analysis led to the identification of a population of CD274pos cells expressing intermediate levels of SFTPC, which was expanded in IPF lungs. While donor CD274pos cells initiated clone formation, they did not expand significantly in 3D organoids in AT2-supportive conditions. However, an increased number of CD274pos cells was found in cultured PCLS. In conclusion, we demonstrate that, similar to IAAPs in the mouse lung, a population of CD274-expressing cells exists in the normal human lung, and this population is expanded in the IPF lung and in an ex vivo PCLS assay, suggestive of progenitor cell behavior. CD274 function in these cells as a checkpoint inhibitor may be crucial for their progenitor function, suggesting that CD274 inhibition, unless specifically targeted, might further injure the already precarious lung epithelial compartment in IPF.
P-Coumaric Acid Reverses Depression-Like Behavior and Memory Deficit Via Inhibiting AGE-RAGE-Mediated Neuroinflammation
Authors: Yu Xu-Dong , Zhang Dan , Xiao Chu-Li , Zhou Yu , Li Xing , Wang Le , He Zhiming , Reilly James , Xiao Zhi-Yong , Shu Xinhua
Published: May 2022

Depression, a mood disorder, affects one in fifteen adults, has multiple risk factors and is associated with complicated underlying pathological mechanisms. P-coumaric acid (p-CA), a phenolic acid, is widely distributed in vegetables, fruits and mushrooms. P-CA has demonstrated a protective role against oxidative stress and inflammation in various diseases, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancer. In the current study, we investigated the protection of p-CA against depression and memory impairment in a corticosterone (CORT)-induced chronic depressive mouse model. CORT administration resulted in depression-like behaviors and memory impairment. P-CA treatment alleviated CORT-induced depression-related behaviors and memory impairment. Network pharmacology predicted that p-CA had multiple targets and mediated various signaling pathways, of which inflammation-associated targets and signaling pathways are predominant. Western blotting showed CORT-induced activation of the advanced glycation end product (AGE)-receptor of AGE (RAGE) (AGE-RAGE) signaling and increased expression of the proinflammatory cytokines interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFα) in the hippocampus, while p-CA treatment inactivated AGE-RAGE signaling and decreased the levels of IL-1β and TNFα, suggesting that protection against depression and memory impairment by p-CA is mediated by the inhibition of inflammation, mainly via the AGE-RAGE signaling pathway. Our data suggest that p-CA treatment will benefit patients with depression.
Thyroid and Corticosteroid Signaling in Amphibian Metamorphosis
Authors: Paul Bidisha , Sterner Zachary R. , Buchholz Daniel R. , Shi Yun-Bo , Sachs Laurent M.
Published: May 2022

In multicellular organisms, development is based in part on the integration of communication systems. Two neuroendocrine axes, the hypothalamic–pituitary–thyroid and the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal/interrenal axes, are central players in orchestrating body morphogenesis. In all vertebrates, the hypothalamic–pituitary–thyroid axis controls thyroid hormone production and release, whereas the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal/interrenal axis regulates the production and release of corticosteroids. One of the most salient effects of thyroid hormones and corticosteroids in post-embryonic developmental processes is their critical role in metamorphosis in anuran amphibians. Metamorphosis involves modifications to the morphological and biochemical characteristics of all larval tissues to enable the transition from one life stage to the next life stage that coincides with an ecological niche switch. This transition in amphibians is an example of a widespread phenomenon among vertebrates, where thyroid hormones and corticosteroids coordinate a post-embryonic developmental transition. The review addresses the functions and interactions of thyroid hormone and corticosteroid signaling in amphibian development (metamorphosis) as well as the developmental roles of these two pathways in vertebrate evolution.
Recent Advances in the Molecular and Cellular Mechanisms of gp120-Mediated Neurotoxicity
Authors: Avdoshina Valeria , Mocchetti Italo
Published: May 2022

Axonal degeneration and loss of synapses are often seen in different brain areas of people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Nevertheless, the underlying causes of the pathological alterations observed in these individuals are poorly comprehended, considering that HIV does not infect neurons. Experimental data have shown that viral proteins, including the envelope protein gp120, cause synaptic pathology followed by neuronal cell death. These neurotoxic effects on synapses could be the result of a variety of mechanisms that decrease synaptic plasticity. In this paper, we will briefly present new emerging concepts connected with the ability of gp120 to promote the degeneration of synapses by either directly damaging the axonal cytoskeleton and/or the indirect activation of the p75 neurotrophin receptor death domain in dendrites.
Parent-Reported Assessment Scores Reflect the ASD Severity Level in 2- to 7-Year-Old Children
Authors: Jagadeesan Priyanka , Kabbani Adam , Vyshedskiy Andrey
Published: May 2022

We investigated the relationship between parent-reported assessments and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) severity level. Parents evaluated 9573 children with ASD on five subscales—combinatorial receptive language, expressive language, sociability, sensory awareness, and health—using the Autism Treatment Evaluation Checklist (ATEC) and Mental Synthesis Evaluation Checklist (MSEC). The scores in every subscale improved with age, and there were clear differences between the three diagnostic categories. The differences between mild and moderate ASD, and moderate and severe ASD reached statistical significance in each subscale and in every age group in children 3 years of age and older. These findings demonstrate a consistent relationship between children’s diagnoses and their assessments and provide evidence in support of the reliability of parent-report evaluations for ASD. Additionally, this is the first investigation of the relationship between ASD severity level and the ATEC/MSEC scores for the age range from 2 to 7 years.
Compliance of Static Stretching and the Effect on Blood Pressure and Arteriosclerosis Index in Hypertensive Patients
Authors: Yamada Etsuko , Sakai Sayuri , Uchiyama Mieko , Abeywickrama Hansani M. , Inoue Masanori , Maeda Kazuo , Kikuchi Yuko , Omatsu Kentaro , Koyama Yu
Published: May 2022

Background: Treatment of high blood pressure is a combination of lifestyle changes and medications, and appropriateexercise therapy is recommended as one of the lifestyle-related changes. Recently, stretching, a low-intensity exercise, was reported to be antihypertensive and effective for improving arteriosclerosis, in addition to aerobic exercise. The present study investigated the short-term effects of continuous stretching and rest-induced rebound on vascular endothelial function in hypertensive patients. Methods: This study was conducted as a single-arm prospective interventional study including patients between 30 and 70 years of age undergoing treatment for hypertension from October 2019 until May 2021. The intervention consisted of six months of daily stretching, one month of rest, and another three months of stretching. We measured arteriosclerosis indices such as cardio ankle vascular index (CAVI), ankle brachial pressure index (ABI) and reactive hyperemia index (RHI), and flexibility at the baseline and one, three, six, seven, and ten months from the baseline. Results: We included a total of ten patients (three males and seven females) with an average age of 60.10 ± 6.05 years. The exercise rate for the entire period was 90% or more, and the anteflexion measurement value improved significantly before and after the intervention (p < 0.001). Blood pressure and CAVI/ABI were well controlled throughout the study period. RHI did not show any significant improvement during the initial six months, and only slightly improved by the third month (p = 0.063). Even after the rest phase and resumption of stretching, RHI remained stable. Conclusions: The compliance of the stretching program we used, evaluated by the exercise implementation rate for the entire period, was 90% or more; therefore, easy to perform and continue by hypertensive patients. However, we did not observe a significant positive effect on arteriosclerosis index or blood pressure in this study.
QoS-Aware Scheduling Algorithm Enabling Video Services in LTE Networks
Authors: Masli Amal Abulgasim , Ahmed Falah Y. H. , Mansoor Ali Mohamed
Published: May 2022

The Long-Term Evolution (LTE) system was a result of the 3rd-Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) to assure Quality-of-Service (QoS) performance pertaining to non-real-time and real-time services. An effective design with regards to resource allocation scheduling involves core challenges to realising a satisfactory service in an LTE system, particularly with the growing demand for network applications. The continuous rise in terms of the number of network users has resulted in impacts on the performance of networks, which also creates resource allocation issues when performing downlink scheduling in an LTE network. This research paper puts forward a review of optimisation pertaining packet scheduling performance through the LTE downlink system by introducing a new downlink-scheduling algorithm for serving video application through LTE culler networks, and also accounts for QoS needs and channel conditions. A comparison of the recommended algorithms’ performances was made with regards to delay, throughput, PLR, and fairness by utilising the LTE-SIM simulator for video flow. On the basis of the outcomes obtained, the algorithms recommended in this research work considerably enhance the efficacy of video streaming compared against familiar LTE algorithms.
COUP-TFII in Kidneys, from Embryos to Sick Adults
Authors: Ishii Sumiyasu , Koibuchi Noriyuki
Published: May 2022

Chicken ovalbumin upstream promoter-transcription factor II (COUP-TFII) is an orphan nuclear hormone receptor of unknown ligands. This molecule has two interesting features: (1) it is a developmental gene, and (2) it is a potential hormone receptor. Here, we describe the possible roles of COUP-TFII in the organogenesis of the kidneys and protection from adult renal diseases, primarily in mouse models. COUP-TFII is highly expressed in embryos, including primordial kidneys, and is essential for the formation of metanephric mesenchyme and the survival of renal precursor cells. Although the expression levels of COUP-TFII are low and its functions are unknown in healthy adults, it serves as a reno-protectant molecule against acute kidney injury. These are good examples of how developmental genes exhibit novel functions in the etiology of adult diseases. We also discuss the ongoing research on the roles of COUP-TFII in podocyte development and diabetic kidney disease. In addition, the identification of potential ligands suggests that COUP-TFII might be a novel therapeutic target for renal diseases in the future.
Streamlining Patient Management of Suspected COVID-19 Patients in the Emergency Department: Incorporation of Pulmonary CT Angiography into the Triaging Algorithm
Authors: Schaarschmidt Benedikt M. , Fistera David , Li Yan , Konik Margarete , Haubold Johannes , Grueneisen Johannes , Witzke Oliver , Forsting Michael , Holzner Carola , Umutlu Lale
Published: May 2022

Purpose: To evaluate the use of pulmonary computed tomography (CT) angiography during initial admission at an emergency department (ED), to identify COVID-19 patients with accompanying pulmonary embolism (PE) and its impact on clinical management. Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis of COVID-19 patients that underwent pulmonary CT angiography at the ED. CT scans were evaluated for the presence and extent of PE and for imaging changes suspicious of COVID-19. Patients were subdivided into two groups: (1) Group A consisted of patients with proven COVID-19 based on real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), and (2) Group B of patients suspected for COVID-19, comprising patients positive on RT-PCR and/or COVID-19-suspicious CT findings. To assess the differences between patients with and without pulmonary embolism, Fisher’s exact test was used. Results: A total of 308 patients were admitted to the ED for diagnostic work-up of dyspnea and suspected COVID-19, and 95 patients underwent pulmonary CT angiography. PE was detected in 13.6% (3/22) of patients in Group A and 20.7% (6/29) in Group B. No significant differences were observed between patients with and without PE concerning hospitalization (Group B: 100% (6/6) vs. 91.3% (21/23)), the necessity of oxygen therapy (Group B: 66% (4/6) vs. 43.5% (10/23)), and death (Group B: 33% (2/6) vs. 4.3% (1/23) p > 0.05, respectively). Conclusions: In 20.7% of COVID-19 patients, PE was detected upon admission to the ED. Although the incorporation of early pulmonary CT angiography in patients suspicious of COVID-19 may be beneficial to identify concomitant PE, further studies are necessary to corroborate these findings.
Sample Buffer Containing Guanidine-Hydrochloride Combines Biological Safety and RNA Preservation for SARS-CoV-2 Molecular Diagnostics
Authors: Weidner Lisa , Laner-Plamberger Sandra , Horner David , Pistorius Charlotte , Jurkin Jennifer , Karbiener Michael , Schistal Elisabeth , Kreil Thomas R. , Jungbauer Christof
Published: May 2022

The COVID-19 pandemic has elicited the need to analyse and store large amounts of infectious samples for laboratory diagnostics. Therefore, there has been a demand for sample storage buffers that effectively inactivate infectious viral particles while simultaneously preserving the viral RNA. Here, we present a storage buffer containing guanidine-hydrochloride that fulfils both requirements. Its ability to preserve RNA stability was confirmed by RT-qPCR, and virus-inactivating properties were tested by tissue culture infectious dose assay. Our data revealed that RNA from samples diluted in this storage buffer was efficiently preserved. Spiking samples with RNase A resulted in RNAse concentrations up to 100 ng/mL being efficiently inhibited, whereas spiking samples with infectious SARS-CoV-2 particles demonstrated rapid virus inactivation. In addition, our buffer demonstrated good compatibility with several commercially available RNA extraction platforms. The presented guanidine-hydrochloride-based storage buffer efficiently inactivates infectious SARS-CoV-2 particles and supports viral RNA stability, leading to a reduced infection risk during sample analysis and an increased period for follow-up analysis, such as sequencing for virus variants. Because the presented buffer is uncomplicated to manufacture and compatible with a variety of commercially available test systems, its application can support and improve SARS-CoV-2 laboratory diagnostics worldwide.
An Up-to-Date Narrative Review on Congenital Heart Disease Percutaneous Treatment in Children Using Contemporary Devices
Authors: Moisa Stefana Maria , Burlacu Alexandru , Brinza Crischentian , Țarcă Elena , Butnariu Lăcrămioara Ionela , Trandafir Laura Mihaela
Published: May 2022

Background: Congenital heart pathology has a significant burden regarding morbidity and mortality in the pediatric population. Several transcatheter interventions and devices have been designed as an alternative to surgical repair. Percutaneous interventions have been proven to yield good results in most cases but with less stress and trauma than that attributed to surgical treatment, especially in frail pediatric patients. We aimed to review the literature and to investigate the feasibility and efficacy of transcatheter interventions and implantable devices for congenital heart disease management in children. Methods: We performed a search in Scopus and MEDLINE databases using prespecified keywords to retrieve clinical studies published between 2000 and 2021. Results: This article provides an up-to-date review regarding the applicability of interventional techniques in simple inter-atrial or inter-ventricular defects, and in challenging congenital defects, such as hypoplastic left heart syndrome, tetralogy of Fallot, or coronary artery fistula. Furthermore, we reviewed recent indications for defibrillator and cardiac resynchronization therapy, and new and promising devices currently being tested. Conclusion: Transcatheter treatment represents a feasible and efficient alternative to surgical repair of congenital heart defects. Novel devices could extend the indications and possibilities of percutaneous interventions in pediatric patients with congenital heart diseases.
Using Digital Tools to Teach Soft Skill-Oriented Subjects to University Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Volkov Aleksandr , Rishko Yury , Kostyukhin Yury , Sidorova Elena , Boboshko Diana , Savinova Darya , Ershova Veronika
Published: May 2022

Radical changes in education occurred in 2020 during the pandemic. The need to fully switch to a distance-learning mode required rethinking the approaches to the organization of the learning process. Despite the fact that Russian universities were already using digital learning tools quite extensively at the beginning of the pandemic—those were seen as auxiliary, supporting tools. Within a short period, online learning made it necessary to design educational programs from a digital-technologies viewpoint, as traditional teaching methods had lost some of their functionality in the distance-learning mode. First of all, the changes affected the disciplines focused on the formation of soft skills, such as communication skills, group interaction, and managing people. Another problem of digitalization of all aspects of our lives is the huge amount of readily available information. In this regard, developing the students’ systemic thinking and augmenting their ability to find and properly use information became an important alternative to acquisition of factual knowledge. This article summarizes the experience of the educational process at one of the leading Russian universities, National University of Science and Technology (NUST) “MISIS” during the COVID-19 pandemic based on the analysis of the degree of application of digital tools in online and hybrid learning. In this article, we present the description of methodology approaches to the use of digital tools for soft skill development, using the example of teaching specific disciplines “Systems Thinking and Theory of Constraints” and “Life Cycle of Corporations and Change Management” in the master’s program in Corporate Finance taught at NUST “MISIS”.
Dual Phase Lock-In Amplifier with Photovoltaic Modules and Quasi-Invariant Common-Mode Signal
Authors: Baranov Pavel , Zatonov Ivan , Duc Bien Bui
Published: May 2022

In measuring small voltage deviations of about 1 µV and lower, it is important to separate useful signals from noise. The measurement of small voltage deviations between the amplitudes of two AC signals in wide frequency and voltage ranges, is performed by using lock-in amplifiers with the differential input as a comparator (null-indicator). The resolution and measurement accuracy of lock-in amplifiers is largely determined by the common-mode rejection ratio in their measuring channel. This work presents a developed differential signal recovery circuit with embedded photovoltaic modules, which allows implementing the dual phase lock-in amplifier with the differential input and quasi-invariant common-mode signal. The obtained metrological parameters of the proposed dual phase analog lock-in amplifier prove its applicability in comparing two signal amplitudes of 10√2 µV to 10√2 V in the frequency range of 20 Hz to 100 kHz with a 10 nV resolution. The proposed dual phase analog lock-in amplifier was characterized by a 130 to 185 dB CMRR in the frequency range up to 100 kHz with 20 nV/√Hz white noise.
Research on the Finite Time Compound Control of Continuous Rotary Motor Electro-Hydraulic Servo System
Authors: Wang Xiao-Jing , Zhang Qi-Zheng , Li Chun-Hui
Published: May 2022

Aiming at the influence of friction, leakage, noise and other nonlinear factors on the performance of the electro-hydraulic servo system of a continuous rotary motor, a finite-time composite controller for the aforementioned servo system is proposed. First, a mathematical model of the electro-hydraulic servo system was analyzed, and the input and output angle data of the motor were collected for system identification. Subsequently, the ARMAX identification model of the continuous rotary motor system was obtained. Then, according to the observed advantages, namely faster capability of the finite-time controller (FTC) to converge the system, and ability of the finite-time observer to reduce the steady-state error of the system, the finite-time controller and finite-time state observer of a continuous rotary electro-hydraulic servo motor were respectively designed. Finally, comparison with PID control simulation shows that the compound controller could effectively improve the control accuracy and performance of the system.
Landslide Displacement Prediction Model Using Time Series Analysis Method and Modified LSTM Model
Authors: Lin Zian , Sun Xiyan , Ji Yuanfa
Published: May 2022

Landslides are serious and complex geological and natural disasters that threaten the safety of people’s health and wealth worldwide. To face this challenge, a landslide displacement prediction model based on time series analysis and modified long short-term memory (LSTM) model is proposed in this paper. Considering that data from different time periods have different time values, the weighted moving average (WMA) method is adopted to decompose the cumulative landslide displacement into the displacement trend and periodic displacement. To predict the displacement trend, we combined the displacement trend of landslides in the early stage with an LSTM model. Considering the repeatability and periodicity of rainfall and reservoir water level in every cycle, a long short-term memory fully connected (LSTM-FC) model was constructed by adding a fully connected layer to the traditional LSTM model to predict periodic displacement. The two predicted displacements were added to obtain the final landslide predicted displacement. In this paper, under the same conditions, we used a polynomial function algorithm to compare and predict the displacement trend with the LSTM model and used the LSTM-FC model to compare and predict the displacement trend with eight other commonly used algorithms. Two prediction results indicate that the modified prediction model is able to effectively predict landslide displacement.
Approximated Backscattered Wave Models of a Lossy Concentric Dielectric Sphere for Fruit Characterization
Authors: Dao Hoang Nam , Phongcharoenpanich Chuwong , Krairiksh Monai
Published: May 2022

Approximated models of electromagnetic waves scattered from a sphere with two different dielectric layers were developed and reported in this paper. We proposed that the dielectric properties of a concentric dielectric sphere object, for example, some types of fruit, could be estimated by this model, from some wave components of the backscattered wave. The models were suitable for lossy objects because only a single bounce of the wave was assumed. In terms of first bounce as well as total backscattered wave results, the reported values agreed well with the values calculated by a commercial software. The measurement results verified the calculated wave components. The dielectric properties determination of real fruits was performed and exhibited the potential in fruit characterization. The main advantage of these models is that they can provide the magnitude and phase information of each backscattered wave component, which makes quality monitoring of fruits to be possible.
A Bus-Scheduling Method Based on Multi-Sensor Data Fusion and Payment Authenticity Verification
Authors: Gong Wenan , Zeng Ting , Song Haina , Su Jiayi , Wang Honggang , Hu Lin , Xiao Jinchao , Liu Xiaosong , Li Ming , Yang Jingfeng
Published: May 2022

It is of great significance to ensure public transportation management capabilities by improving urban public transport services. One method is to solve the problems related to the quality of data submitted for public funding as well as the accuracy and transparency of the supervision and review processes; moreover, improving public-transportation-service systems is a viable method to solve such problems. With technological advancements and the application of new technologies such as automatic driving and multiple payment, it has gradually become difficult for user-data verification systems, based on the original single bus payment method, to cater to these new technologies. Diversified payment and complex management methods have highlighted the need for new verification methods. Firstly, in this paper, we constructed the Origin–Destination (OD) model of bus-passenger flows by using real-time transmission of passenger-multiple-payment data, on-board-video passenger flow detection data and vehicle real-time positioning data. On this basis, the bus waybill data of other intelligent bus systems and the wait data of bus stations were integrated, so as to establish the travel chain theory by matching passenger flow and the temporal and spatial distribution model. Then, an OD analysis of public-transport passenger flows could be carried out, with a detailed analysis of vehicle, station and line-passenger flow, and the travel characteristics of public transport passenger flow could be excavated. Then, according to the means-end chain theory, the spatiotemporal distribution of the passenger flow data was obtained to carry out an OD analysis of the passenger flow, so as to perform a refinement analysis of the vehicle, station, and passenger flow. Thereby, the characteristics of the passenger flow were explored. Subsequently, payment-authenticity-verification models were established for the data-validity assessment, video-data analysis, passenger-flow estimation, and early warnings in order to determine the authenticity of the payment data. Lastly, based on the multi-sensor passenger flow data fusion and the data authenticity verification models, combined with the application of new technologies such as the use of autonomous buses, the test was promoted. That is, by taking intelligent bus scheduling as the scenario, the research method was tested and verified with real-time passenger flow data according to historical data. The results showed that the method accurately predicted the passenger flow, and had a positive role in improving the efficiency of payment-data-authenticity verification. The application of the method can enhance the management and service quality of public transportation.
Efficient Discovery of Partial Periodic Patterns in Large Temporal Databases
Authors: Kiran Rage Uday , Veena Pamalla , Ravikumar Penugonda , Saideep Chennupati , Zettsu Koji , Shang Haichuan , Toyoda Masashi , Kitsuregawa Masaru , Reddy P. Krishna
Published: May 2022

Periodic pattern mining is an emerging technique for knowledge discovery. Most previous approaches have aimed to find only those patterns that exhibit full (or perfect) periodic behavior in databases. Consequently, the existing approaches miss interesting patterns that exhibit partial periodic behavior in a database. With this motivation, this paper proposes a novel model for finding partial periodic patterns that may exist in temporal databases. An efficient pattern-growth algorithm, called Partial Periodic Pattern-growth (3P-growth), is also presented, which can effectively find all desired patterns within a database. Substantial experiments on both real-world and synthetic databases showed that our algorithm is not only efficient in terms of memory and runtime, but is also highly scalable. Finally, the effectiveness of our patterns is demonstrated using two case studies. In the first case study, our model was employed to identify the highly polluted areas in Japan. In the second case study, our model was employed to identify the road segments on which people regularly face traffic congestion.
A Data-Driven Model to Forecast Multi-Step Ahead Time Series of Turkish Daily Electricity Load
Authors: Ünlü Kamil Demirberk
Published: May 2022

It is critical to maintain a balance between the supply and the demand for electricity because of its non-storable feature. For power-producing facilities and traders, an electrical load is a piece of fundamental and vital information to have, particularly in terms of production planning, daily operations, and unit obligations, among other things. This study offers a deep learning methodology to model and forecast multistep daily Turkish electricity loads using the data between 5 January 2015, and 26 December 2021. One major reason for the growing popularity of deep learning is the creation of new and creative deep neural network topologies and significant computational advancements. Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM), Gated Recurrent Network, and Convolutional Neural Network are trained and compared to forecast 1 day to 7 days ahead of daily electricity load. Three different performance metrics including coefficient of determination (R2), root mean squared error, and mean absolute error were used to evaluate the performance of the proposed algorithms. The forecasting results on the test set showed that the best performance is achieved by LSTM. The algorithm has an R2 of 0.94 for 1 day ahead forecast, and the metric decreases to 0.73 in 7 days ahead forecast.
Green Infrastructure Network Identification at a Regional Scale: The Case of Nanjing Metropolitan Area, China
Authors: Liu Wei , Xu Hao , Zhang Xiaotong , Jiang Wenqi
Published: May 2022

Clustered urban development has caused increasing fragmentation and islanding of regional ecological spaces. Creating a green infrastructure network (GIN) is a practical method of ensuring regional ecological security. This study proposed a method of GIN identification at the regional scale based on the Nanjing Metropolitan Area as an example. In this method, green hubs were identified using morphological spatial pattern analysis and connectivity indexes, green corridors were simulated based on the least-cost path model, and key optimization nodes were identified using circuit theory. The results indicated that green hubs covered an area of 5042.07 km2, of which, 15.40% were cross-border, and the potential corridors were distributed in a network, with the key ecological nodes primarily narrowly situated. By comparing the hubs with the statutory green space protection area and the urban ecological control line, the identification results were more than 70% accurate, showing that the results were valid and reliable. This method not only made the identification of regional GIN more practical and replicable but also further identified key areas that need priority protection. This study provides a method for constructing regional GIN and serves as a strong guide for ecological and development planning of other urban clustered areas.
Comparison of Effects from Ultrasound Thawing, Vacuum Thawing and Microwave Thawing on the Quality Properties and Oxidation of Porcine Longissimus Lumborum
Authors: Wang Bo , Bai Xue , Du Xin , Pan Nan , Shi Shuo , Xia Xiufang
Published: May 2022

The effects of vacuum thawing (VT), ultrasound thawing (UT) and microwave thawing (MT) on the quality, protein and lipid oxidation, internal temperature distribution and microstructure of porcine longissimus lumborum were compared. The results showed that a significant decrease (p < 0.05) in quality compared with those of fresh meat (FM) occurred for all of the thawing samples, especially for the MT samples. Changes in quality of the VT and UT samples were less significant than those of the MT samples. The increases in carbonyl content and TBARS value indicated that proteins and lipids in the thawing samples were oxidized. The decreases in uniform degrees of internal temperature distributions of muscles from the thawing samples were analysed by infrared thermography. Scanning electron microscopy images showed that the myofibril arrangements of thawing samples were looser than those of the FM samples with compact and ordered structure, which was proven by the obvious increase in the myofibril gap value of the thawing samples.
Effects of Microwave Treatment on Structure, Functional Properties and Antioxidant Activities of Germinated Tartary Buckwheat Protein
Authors: Wang Simeng , Xu Xianmeng , Wang Shunmin , Wang Junzhen , Peng Wenping
Published: May 2022

Tartary buckwheat protein (TBP) has promise as a potential source of novel natural nutrient plant protein ingredients. The modulating effects of microwave pretreatment at varying powers and times on the structure, functional properties, and antioxidant activities of germinated TBP were investigated. Compared with native germinated TBP, after microwave pretreatment, the content of free sulfhydryl groups in the germinated TBP increased, and the secondary structure changes showed a significant decrease in α-helix and an increase in random coil contents, and the intensity of the ultraviolet absorption peak increased (p < 0.05). In addition, microwave pretreatment significantly improved the solubility (24.37%), water-holding capacity (38.95%), emulsifying activity index (17.21%), emulsifying stability index (11.22%), foaming capacity (71.43%), and foaming stability (33.60%) of germinated TBP (p < 0.05), and the in vitro protein digestibility (5.56%) and antioxidant activities (DPPH (32.35%), ABTS (41.95%), and FRAP (41.46%)) of germinated TBP have also been improved. Among different treatment levels, a microwave level of 300 W/50 s gave the best results for the studied parameters. Specifically, microwave pretreatment could be a promising approach for modulating other germinated plant protein resources, as well as expanding the application of TBP.
Composition of Phenolic Compounds in South African Schinus molle L. Berries
Authors: Bvenura Callistus , Kambizi Learnmore
Published: May 2022

The Schinus molle tree is notoriously invasive in most parts of the world, and yet as a pseudospice, its berries potentially possess some significant health benefits which need to be explored. Therefore, polar metabolome of seed + husks (SH), husks (H), and de-hulled (DH) berries were profiled and quantified by untargeted metabolomics approach using UPLC-QTOF-MS. A total of 13 gallotannins, three phenolic acids, a phenolic acid glucoside, three phenolic acid esters, an organic acid, a gallotannin derivative, and nine flavonoids were detected and quantified. Phenolic acids ranged between 12.2–295.7; 4.9–77; and 89.7–1613.1 mg/kg in SH, DH seeds and H respectively. Flavonoids ranged between 1.8–267.5; 73.4–80.4; and 124–564.3 mg/kg in SH, DH seeds and H respectively. Gallotannins ranged between 1.1–146.6; 14.8–21.8; and 48.1–664.8 mg/kg in SH, DH seeds and H respectively. Feruloyltartaric A, quercetin 3-O-glucuronide, catechin digalloylshikimic acid B as well as digalloyl quinic acid were some of the dominant secondary metabolites revealed. These results indicate that S. molle berries are a rich source of secondary metabolites with elevated concentrations in the husks, while DH seeds possess lower concentrations to none. These findings open important insights into the potential of S. molle berries as a natural source of antioxidants for the food and pharmaceutical industries.
Construction and Usefulness Verification of Modeling Method of Subsurface Soil Layers for Numerical Analysis of Urban Area Ground Motion
Authors: Motoyama Hiroki , Hori Muneo
Published: May 2022

Estimation of urban seismic damage using numerical simulation needs an automatic modeling method of surface layers and residential buildings. This study focuses on modeling of surface layers and shows a method of constructing models by interpolating boring data. An important property of the modeling method is robustness, that means that the method works for boring data with inconsistent soil layers. To satisfy this, we developed the method using artificial layers. We applied the method to a test site and checked its robustness. This test also showed that the method gave realistic models. Finally, we applied the method to the estimation of urban seismic damage and discussed the usefulness by comparing the result with one obtained by a conventional method.
Reduction in Hospital Admissions for Cardiovascular Diseases (CVDs) during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Pandemic: A Retrospective Study from a Southern Italian Region in the Year 2020
Authors: Cedrone Fabrizio , Di Martino Giuseppe , Di Giovanni Pamela , Greco Emilio , Trebbi Edoardo , Romano Ferdinando , Staniscia Tommaso
Published: May 2022

(1) Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has indirect consequences for healthcare for other diseases, known as collateral damage. This situation heavily affects healthcare systems, causing changes in patterns of hospital admission. During the peak of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, numerous studies reported a reduction in admissions for acute coronary syndrome. The aim of this study was to evaluate the incidence of admissions for cardiovascular diseases in Abruzzo, a region of Southern Italy, in the year 2020 and compare it to the two previous years (2018–2019). (2) Methods: This retrospective study was conducted in Abruzzo, Italy. The monthly number of admissions in the year 2020 was compared to a control period made from the average number of events that occurred in the previous two years (2018–2019). (3) Results: A global reduction in hospital admissions for all the cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) considered was observed. In particular, compared to the control period, in 2020, the number of admissions for ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) was lower by 34 (hospitalization rate ratio, HRR, 0.93; p < 0.001), the number of non-ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarctions (N-STEMI) was lower by 154.5 (HRR 0.89; p < 0.001), the number for acute coronary syndrome (ACS) was 340 lower (HRR 0.90; p < 0.001) and the number for heart failure (HF) was 1424.5 lower than during the control period (HRR 0.73; p < 0.001). (4) Conclusions: The results of this study show the impact of COVID-19 on admissions for CVDs, suggesting the need for strategic measures to overcome the burden of hospitalizations in future years.
Intelligent Real-Time Face-Mask Detection System with Hardware Acceleration for COVID-19 Mitigation
Authors: Sertic Peter , Alahmar Ayman , Akilan Thangarajah , Javorac Marko , Gupta Yash
Published: May 2022

This paper proposes and implements a dedicated hardware accelerated real-time face-mask detection system using deep learning (DL). The proposed face-mask detection model (MaskDetect) was benchmarked on three embedded platforms: Raspberry PI 4B with either Google Coral USB TPU or Intel Neural Compute Stick 2 VPU, and NVIDIA Jetson Nano. The MaskDetect was independently quantised and optimised for each hardware accelerated implementation. An ablation study was carried out on the proposed model and its quantised implementations on the embedded hardware configurations above as a comparison to other popular transfer-learning models, such as VGG16, ResNet-50V2, and InceptionV3, which are compatible with these acceleration hardware platforms. The ablation study revealed that MaskDetect achieved excellent average face-mask detection performance with accuracy above 94% across all embedded platforms except for Coral, which achieved an average accuracy of nearly 90%. With respect to detection performance (accuracy), inference speed (frames per second (FPS)), and product cost, the ablation study revealed that implementation on Jetson Nano is the best choice for real-time face-mask detection. It achieved 94.2% detection accuracy and twice greater FPS when compared to its desktop hardware counterpart.
Semantic Analysis and Topic Modelling of Web-Scrapped COVID-19 Tweet Corpora through Data Mining Methodologies
Authors: Gourisaria Mahendra Kumar , Chandra Satish , Das Himansu , Patra Sudhansu Shekhar , Sahni Manoj , Leon-Castro Ernesto , Singh Vijander , Kumar Sandeep
Published: May 2022

The evolution of the coronavirus (COVID-19) disease took a toll on the social, healthcare, economic, and psychological prosperity of human beings. In the past couple of months, many organizations, individuals, and governments have adopted Twitter to convey their sentiments on COVID-19, the lockdown, the pandemic, and hashtags. This paper aims to analyze the psychological reactions and discourse of Twitter users related to COVID-19. In this experiment, Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) has been used for topic modeling. In addition, a Bidirectional Long Short-Term Memory (BiLSTM) model and various classification techniques such as random forest, support vector machine, logistic regression, naive Bayes, decision tree, logistic regression with stochastic gradient descent optimizer, and majority voting classifier have been adapted for analyzing the polarity of sentiment. The effectiveness of the aforesaid approaches along with LDA modeling has been tested, validated, and compared with several benchmark datasets and on a newly generated dataset for analysis. To achieve better results, a dual dataset approach has been incorporated to determine the frequency of positive and negative tweets and word clouds, which helps to identify the most effective model for analyzing the corpora. The experimental result shows that the BiLSTM approach outperforms the other approaches with an accuracy of 96.7%.
Effects of Regular Low-Level Alcohol Consumption in Healthy Individuals: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Crossover Study
Authors: Oshima Shunji , Shiiya Sachie , Kato Yasuhito
Published: May 2022

The effects of alcohol consumption on health are suggested to depend on the amount of alcohol consumed. We investigated the objective and subjective health effects of the daily consumption of a small amount of alcohol in healthy individuals using a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover study. Accordingly, 15 male and 27 female Japanese adults with average or lower general well-being schedule (GWBS) scores were asked to consume a beverage with 0.5% (v/v) alcohol (~4 g of alcohol a day; test beverage) and a placebo beverage two times daily for 4 weeks each. Regular low-level alcohol consumption significantly decreased the serum liver function indexes (aspartic aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, and lactate dehydrogenase) before and after consumption (p = 0.034, 0.033, and 0.013, respectively). The small amount of alcohol did not affect the participants’ GWBS scores; however, a stratified analysis with poor subjective well-being revealed that these changes differed significantly between low-level alcohol consumption and placebo-treated subjects (16.0 vs. 11.5, p = 0.041). In addition, changes in serum testosterone levels demonstrated a higher trend in the group that received the test beverage compared with the group that received the placebo beverage (p = 0.051). Daily low-level alcohol consumption may have positive effects on liver function and subjective well-being.
Are We Betting on the Wrong Horse? Insignificant Archaeological Leather Fragments Provide the First Evidence for the Exploitation of Horsehide in Renaissance Denmark
Authors: Brandt Luise Ørsted , Lillemark Marie Rathcke , Toftdal Mia , Andersen Vivi Lena , Tøttrup Anders P.
Published: May 2022

Large archaeological, organic materials can be difficult to preserve, conserve, and store in their entirety, which is why prioritisation is often necessary. Priority is generally given to recognisable objects rather than smaller fragments. Nevertheless, for archaeological leather, exactly such insignificant fragments can provide new information on the diversity of species exploited. In this pilot study, we use a Citizen Science approach for the first time to identify archaeological leather fragments using the protein-based method Zooarchaeology by Mass Spectrometry (ZooMS). By inviting the public to participate in archaeological research, the project’s first 52 samples, including both recognisable and unidentifiable objects, were analysed. We show that the participants not only generated good data, but also contributed to current knowledge by identifying two hitherto undescribed animal species for leather in medieval and Renaissance Copenhagen. The finding of deer suggests that Copenhagen citizens now and then had access to game through the nobility and the finding of horse suggests that the unclean status of horses was sometimes overlooked to exploit its hide. Our findings are promising for more identifications and the new knowledge the project will generate. The study calls into question how we prioritise and assign value to cultural heritage materials.