bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Linkage between Angiogenesis and Inflammation in Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration
Authors: Heloterä Hanna , Kaarniranta Kai
Published: November 2022

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of visual impairment in the aging population with a limited understanding of its pathogenesis and the number of patients are all the time increasing. AMD is classified into two main forms: dry and neovascular AMD (nAMD). Dry AMD is the most prevalent form (80–90%) of AMD cases. Neovascular AMD (10–20% of AMD cases) is treated with monthly or more sparsely given intravitreal anti-vascular endothelial growth factor inhibitors, but unfortunately, not all patients respond to the current treatments. A clinical hallmark of nAMD is choroidal neovascularization. The progression of AMD is initially characterized by atrophic alterations in the retinal pigment epithelium, as well as the formation of lysosomal lipofuscin and extracellular drusen deposits. Cellular damage caused by chronic oxidative stress, protein aggregation and inflammatory processes may lead to advanced geographic atrophy and/or choroidal neovascularization and fibrosis. Currently, it is not fully known why different AMD phenotypes develop. In this review, we connect angiogenesis and inflammatory regulators in the development of nAMD and discuss therapy challenges and hopes.
Bracing Interventions Can Help Adolescents with Idiopathic Scoliosis with Surgical Indication: A Systematic Review
Authors: Zaina Fabio , Cordani Claudio , Donzelli Sabrina , Lazzarini Stefano Giuseppe , Arienti Chiara , Del Furia Matteo Johann , Negrini Stefano
Published: November 2022

There is a common agreement that bracing is appropriate for curves between 20 and 40° for the Cobb angle during growth, but for larger curves, the experts’ opinions are not consistent. We designed this systematic review to report the updated evidence about the effectiveness of bracing in scoliosis patients with curves ≥40° and a residual growth period. We included randomized controlled trials, non-randomized controlled trials, prospective and retrospective observational studies, and case series addressing the effect of bracing in patients with idiopathic scoliosis during growth with curves ≥40° for the Cobb angle, published from 2000 onwards. Outcome: The percentage of patients with surgery, curves above 45° or 50°, and a Cobb angle change are all included in the study. Nine papers (563 patients, average worst curve of 44.8°) are included: four are retrospective case series, two are retrospective and two are prospective cohort studies, and one is a prospective controlled study. The overall quality was good, with respect to the type of design. A total of 32% of the patients improved, 26% were stable, and 42% worsened. The rate of improvement ranged from 11% to 78%; the rate of worsening ranged from 4% to 64%. There are some studies suggesting the use of bracing even in the case of severe curves when patients are motivated by trying to avoid surgery. More and better-quality research with coherent outcome criteria is needed.
Impact of Drinking Water Source and Sanitation Facility on Malnutrition Prevalence in Children under Three: A Gender-Disaggregated Analysis Using PDHS 2017–18
Authors: Saheed Rafit , Shahid Muhammad , Wang Jun , Qureshi Madeeha Gohar , Sun Xiaoke , Bibi Asma , Zia Sidra , Tang Kun
Published: November 2022

Objectives: The proposed research studied the determinants of male and female child malnutrition in Pakistan. More specifically, it observed the role of the sanitation facility and drinking water source as important determinants of malnutrition in a gender analysis. Methods: Novel data of 1010 children under three years of age from PDHS 2017–18 were used. A CIAF (Cumulative Index for Anthropometric Failure) was established to assess malnourishment in the children. Discrete-choice logistic methodology was applied in this empirical research to study the likelihood of malnourishment in children. Results: The logistic regression results depicted that factors such as a child belonging to a deprived area, the status of home wealth, and the education of the mother were common determinants of malnutrition in children. Factors such as a child having diarrhea (OR = 1.55, CI = 0.96–2.50) and the drinking water source (OR = 0.62, CI = 0.37–1.03) were separate prominent predictors of malnutrition in male children whereas the sanitation facility was the main determinant of malnutrition in female children (OR = 0.64, CI = 0.43–0.95). Conclusion: This study concludes that important links exist between the drinking water source and male child malnutrition and between sanitation facilities and female child malnutrition.
The Development of an Enhanced Recovery Protocol for Kasai Portoenterostomy
Authors: Vogt Peggy , Tolly Renee , Clifton Matt , Austin Tom , Karlik Joelle
Published: November 2022

Balancing post-operative adequate pain control, respiratory depression, and return of bowel function can be particularly challenging in infants receiving the Kasai procedure (hepatoportoenterostomy). We performed a retrospective chart review of all patients who underwent the Kasai procedure from a single surgeon at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta from 1 January 2018, to 1 September 2022. 12 patients received the Kasai procedure within the study period. Average weight was 4.47 kg and average age was 7.4 weeks. Most patients received multimodal pain management including dexmedetomidine and/or ketorolac along with intravenous opioids. A balance of colloid and crystalloids were used for all patients; 57% received blood products as well. All patients were extubated in the OR and transferred to the general surgical floor without complications. Return of bowel function occurred in all patients by POD2, and enteral feeds were started by POD3. One patient had a presumed opioid overdose while admitted requiring a rapid response and brief oxygen supplementation. Simultaneously optimizing pain control, respiratory safety, and bowel function is possible in infants receiving the Kasai procedure. Based on our experience and the current pediatric literature, we propose an enhanced recovery protocol to improve patient outcomes in this fragile population. Larger, prospective studies implementing an enhanced recovery protocol in the Kasai population are required for stronger evidence and recommendations.
Social, Academic and Health Status Impact of Long COVID on Children and Young People: An Observational, Descriptive, and Longitudinal Cohort Study
Authors: Gonzalez-Aumatell Alba , Bovo Maria Victoria , Carreras-Abad Clara , Cuso-Perez Sara , Domènech Marsal Èlia , Coll-Fernández Roser , Goicoechea Calvo Aroia , Giralt-López Maria , Enseñat Cantallops Antonia , Moron-Lopez Sara , Martinez-Picado Javier , Sol Ventura Paula , Rodrigo Carlos , Méndez Hernández Maria
Published: November 2022

There is a lack of evidence of the health impacts due to long COVID among children and young people (CYP). The objective of this study is to determine the main clinical characteristics of long COVID in CYP and to investigate the academic, social, and health status impacts of long COVID in this population. An observational, descriptive, and longitudinal study on CYP who presented COVID-19 symptoms for more than twelve weeks after SARS-CoV-2 infection was performed between December 2020 and May 2021. Fifty CYP were included, with a median age of 14.1 years, 33 (66%) were female, and 17 (34%) had a relative diagnosed with long COVID. Since the initial infection and up to the first visit, CYP had persisting symptoms for a median of 4.1 months, and for 18 (36%) CYP these symptoms persisted for more than 6 months. Fatigue (100%), neurocognitive disorders (74%), muscular weakness (74%), and headache (72%) were the most reported symptoms. A total of 9 (18%) CYP could not attend school, 17 (34%) had a reduced schedule, 33 (66%) showed a decreased school performance, and 68% had stopped extracurricular activities. This preliminary study shows the impact that long COVID has on the health, academic, and social life of CYP.
Association between Harmful and Addictive Perceptions of E-Cigarettes and E-Cigarette Use among Adolescents and Youth—A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Authors: Aly Ameera Syafiqah , Mamikutty Rokiah , Marhazlinda Jamaludin
Published: November 2022

Background: Recognising the association between the perceived risks of e-cigarettes and e-cigarette usage among youth is critical for planning effective prevention and intervention initiatives; thus, a systematic review and meta-analysis were performed. Methods: Fourteen databases were searched for eligible studies from the Inception of database until March 2022 to examine the effect estimates of the association between perceptions of harmfulness and addictiveness and overall e-cigarette usage among adolescents and youth. Results: The meta-analysis showed that in comparison to non-users, young people who were ever e-cigarette users were two times more likely to disagree that e-cigarettes are harmful (OR: 2.20, 95% CI: 1.41–3.43) and perceived e-cigarettes as less harmful than tobacco cigarettes (OR: 2.01, 95% CI 1.47–2.75). Youths who were ever e-cigarette users were also 2.3 and 1.8 times more likely to perceive e-cigarettes as less addictive (OR: 2.28, 95% CI: 1.81–2.88) or perceive e-cigarettes as more addictive (OR: 1.82, 95% CI: 1.22–2.73) than tobacco cigarettes, as compared with non-users. The subgroup analysis reported that adolescents were more likely to believe that e-cigarettes are less harmful than tobacco cigarettes, while youth users perceived otherwise. Conclusion: the risk perceptions of e-cigarettes are associated with e-cigarette use among adolescents and youth and could be the focus of health promotion to prevent and curb the uptake of e-cigarettes among young people.
Risk of Avascular Necrosis with The Modified Dunn Procedure in SCFE Patients: A Meta-Analysis
Authors: Jauregui Julio J. , Shaw Nichole M. , Weir Tristan B. , Barvarz Sherwin A. , McClure Philip K.
Published: November 2022

In situ stabilization is a widely accepted treatment for slipped capital femoral epiphysis (SCFE) despite risks of avascular necrosis (AVN) and femoroacetabular impingement (FAI). The modified Dunn procedure with surgical hip dislocation attempts to maintain epiphyseal perfusion and allows anatomic epiphyseal repositioning, theoretically reducing AVN and FAI risks. We systematically evaluated the literature, elucidating overall and stability-stratified rates of AVN following the modified Dunn procedure, and revision rates in non-AVN patients. Using Ovid and MEDLINE (PubMed), studies involving the modified Dunn procedure were evaluated for age, stability, preoperative slip (Southwick) angle, ROM at follow-up, outcome metrics, and revisions. Utilizing a random effect model of proportions, we determined overall and stability-stratified AVN rates, and revision rates in patients without AVN.673 patients (688 SCFEs) who underwent modified Dunn procedure were included. Overall AVN rate was 14.3% with a 95% Confidence Interval (CI) of 9.3 to 20.2%. AVN rate in stable slips was 10.9% (95% CI: 6.0 to 17.1%) and 19.9% (95% CI: 12.8% to 28.1%) in unstable slips. Revision rate in non-AVN patients was 13.3% (95% CI: 8.3% to 19.2%). Fixation failures occurred following K-wire or small-caliber (<6.5 mm) screw fixation. Overall mean Harris Hip Score (HHS) was excellent (>90 points). Mean HHS was 98.9 points (range of means: 86 to 99 points) in stable cases, and 90.5 points (range of means: 73 to 98 points) in unstable cases. Patients undergoing modified Dunn procedure had excellent clinical outcomes and low incidences of AVN. Further studies are needed to determine if modified Dunn osteotomy with surgical hip dislocation is a viable alternative to in situ pinning for treatment of severe SCFE.
Hybrid Polyurethane/Polypyrrole Composite Coatings on Passivated 316L SS for Surface Protective Action against Corrosion in Saline Medium
Authors: Kumar Arumugam Madhan , Adesina Akeem Yusuf , Veeramani Jothi , Rahman Mohammad Mizanur , Nirmal Ram J. S.
Published: November 2022

Hybrid treatments consisting of surface modification and subsequent protective coatings have gained extensive attention among corrosion mitigation approaches for a wide variety of structural metallic materials. This study aims to review the enhancement of the corrosion protection performance of polyurethane (PU) coatings on 316L stainless steel (SS) specimens. This was achieved via a two-step strategic treatment, primarily by electrochemical passivation and subsequent deposition of PU composite coatings with the different feed ratio of synthesized polypyrrole (PPy) nanoparticles. The effect of different applied voltage on the surface features and the corrosion behavior of the passivated SS surfaces was systematically investigated using surface characterization techniques and a potentiodynamic polarization test in a NaCl solution. Surface morphological images revealed the porous structure on the passivated surface. It is inferred from the topographical surface results that homogeneous surface roughness was achieved with the applied voltage of 5 V. Infra-red spectroscopic results validate the formation of PU/PPy composite coatings and the intermolecular chemical interaction between the PU and PPy moieties. Furthermore, corrosion measurements corroborate the improved corrosion resistance of PU/30PPy coatings with higher values of charge transfer resistance, Rct (1.0869 × 107 Ω cm2), and film resistance, Rf (2.258 × 105 Ω cm2), with the lowest values of corrosion, icorr (4.7 × 10−3 µA cm−2) compared to that of the PU/Bare specimen. In conclusion, it is confirmed that the passivated surface enhances the corrosion resistance performance of PU coated SS, and this performance is further increased with the incorporation of PPy particles.
Investigation of the Microstructures and Properties of B-Bearing High-Speed Alloy Steel
Authors: Zhang Jingqiang , Yang Penghui , Wang Rong
Published: November 2022

This work aims to research the influence of boron and quenching temperature on the microstructures and performances of boron-bearing high-speed alloy steel. The results showed that the hardness and wear resistance of boron-bearing high-speed alloy steel were improved after increasing the boron content. The volume fraction of boron-rich carbide gradually decreased, and the hardness increased significantly with the rise in quenching temperature. The highest comprehensive mechanical properties were obtained for samples quenched at 1040 °C. The TEM results showed the boron-rich carbide was M7(C, B)3 with an HCP structure, and the precipitated particles were M23(C, B)6 with an FCC structure after tempering. This work may help improve the wear resistance of materials in the field of surface coatings.
Influence of Dental Implant Surface Modifications on Osseointegration and Biofilm Attachment
Authors: Han Wen , Fang Shuobo , Zhong Qun , Qi Shengcai
Published: November 2022

Dental implants have been widely applied in partially and fully edentulous patients and have shown predictable clinical outcomes, but there are still many cases of implant failures, such as osseointegration failure and peri-implant inflammation. To improve the success rate of implants, especially in improving osseointegration and antibacterial performance, various methods of implant surface modification have been applied. Surface modification methods covered include sandblasting with large-grit corundum and acid etched (SLA), plasma spraying, plasma immersion ion implantation (PIII), sputter-deposition, selective laser melting (SLM), anodic oxidation, microarc oxidation, sol-gel coating, alkaline heat treatment (AH) and Layer-by-Layer (LBL) self-assembly. This review comprehensively summarizes the influence of each method on osseointegration and biofilm attachment. The mechanical, chemical and biological disadvantages of these methods are involved. Besides, the mechanisms behind such techniques as increasing surface roughness to expand superficial area and enhance the adhesion of osteoblastic cells are discussed.
Crystalline Phase Segregation of Quantum-Dots-Passivated CH3NH3PbI3 Film via Argon Plasma Treatment
Authors: Huang Pao-Hsun , Liu Shao-Yu , Liu Chuan-Hsi , Wang Na-Fu , Huang Chien-Jung
Published: November 2022

In this study, a composite perovskite film composed of lead cesium triiodide (CsPbI3) quantum dots (QDs) and methylammonium lead iodide (CH3NH3PbI3; MAPbI3) was proposed. The CsPbI3 QDs prepared by hot-injecting were used as an anti-solvent in precursors to passivate the surface of this composite perovskite film. The further argon (Ar) plasma treatment improves the surface of the film. The effects of the powers from 100 to 200 W on the composite perovskite film structure, chemical element composition, and optical properties were studied. The experimental results demonstrate that the CsPbI3 QDs passivation boosts the ultraviolet light absorption (350–450 nm) and inhibits the formation of the PbI2 phase. Furthermore, Ar plasma treatment effectively improved CsPbI3 QDs passivation on MAPbI3 film. The powers lower than 140 W cause C=O bonds to dissolve and coordination bonds to form between OA carboxyl moieties and undercoordinated Pb2+ ions. At 160 and 140 W, the obvious crystal phase segregation and a decrease in light absorption are observed, respectively. Meanwhile, the strong bombardment of Ar ions at higher than 160 W causes the severe degradation of MAPbI3 film.
Cryptocurrency Price Prediction with Convolutional Neural Network and Stacked Gated Recurrent Unit
Authors: Kang Chuen Yik , Lee Chin Poo , Lim Kian Ming
Published: November 2022

Virtual currencies have been declared as one of the financial assets that are widely recognized as exchange currencies. The cryptocurrency trades caught the attention of investors as cryptocurrencies can be considered as highly profitable investments. To optimize the profit of the cryptocurrency investments, accurate price prediction is essential. In view of the fact that the price prediction is a time series task, a hybrid deep learning model is proposed to predict the future price of the cryptocurrency. The hybrid model integrates a 1-dimensional convolutional neural network and stacked gated recurrent unit (1DCNN-GRU). Given the cryptocurrency price data over the time, the 1-dimensional convolutional neural network encodes the data into a high-level discriminative representation. Subsequently, the stacked gated recurrent unit captures the long-range dependencies of the representation. The proposed hybrid model was evaluated on three different cryptocurrency datasets, namely Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Ripple. Experimental results demonstrated that the proposed 1DCNN-GRU model outperformed the existing methods with the lowest RMSE values of 43.933 on the Bitcoin dataset, 3.511 on the Ethereum dataset, and 0.00128 on the Ripple dataset.
Manual Conversion of Sadhukarn to Thai and Western Music Notations and Their Translation into a Rhyme Structure for Music Analysis
Authors: Eambangyung Sumetus , Schwörer-Kohl Gretel , Purahong Witoon
Published: November 2022

Sadhukarn plays an important role as the most sacred music composition in Thai, Cambodian, and Lao music cultural areas. Due to various versions of unverified Sadhukarn main melodies in three different countries, notating melodies in suitable formats with a systematic method is necessary. This work provides a data descriptor for music transcription related to 25 different versions of the Sadhukarn main melody collected in Thailand, Cambodia, and Laos. Furthermore, we introduce a new procedure of music analysis based on rhyme structure. The aims of the study are to (1) provide Thai/Western musical note comprehension in the forms of Western staff and Thai notation, and (2) describe the procedures for translating from musical note to rhyme structure. To generate a rhyme structure, we apply a Thai poetic and linguistic approach as the method establishment. Rhyme structure is composed of melodic structures, the pillar tones Look-Tok, and melodic rhyming outline.
Computational Fluid Dynamics Could Enable Individualized Surgical Treatment of Nasal Obstruction (A Preliminary Study)
Authors: Plášek Marek , Masárová Michaela , Bojko Marián , Komínek Pavel , Matoušek Petr , Formánek Martin
Published: November 2022

Passage of nasal airflow during breathing is crucial in achieving accurate diagnosis and optimal therapy for patients with nasal disorders. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is the dominant method for simulating and studying airflow. The present study aimed to create a CFD nasal airflow model to determine the major routes of airflow through the nasal cavity and thus help with individualization of surgical treatment of nasal disorders. The three-dimensional nasal cavity model was based on computed tomography scans of the nasal cavity of an adult patient without nasal breathing problems. The model showed the main routes of airflow in the inferior meatus and inferior part of the common meatus, but also surprisingly in the middle meatus and in the middle part of the common nasal meatus. It indicates that the lower meatus and the lower part of the common meatus should not be the only consideration in case of surgery for nasal obstruction in our patient. CFD surgical planning could enable individualized precise surgical treatment of nasal disorders. It could be beneficial mainly in challenging cases such as patients with persistent nasal obstruction after surgery, patients with empty nose syndrome, and patients with a significant discrepancy between the clinical findings and subjective complaints.
Serum Mac-2 Binding Protein Glycosylation Isomer to Predict the Severity of Hepatic Fibrosis in Patients with Hepatitis C Virus Infection
Authors: Liu Chen-Hua , Liu Chun-Jen , Su Tung-Hung , Huang Shang-Chin , Tseng Tai-Chung , Wu Jo-Hsuan , Chen Pei-Jer , Kao Jia-Horng
Published: November 2022

Large-scale studies to assess the utility of the Mac-2 binding protein glycosylation isomer (M2BPGi) in predicting hepatic fibrosis in patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection are limited. Serum M2BPGi level determination was performed in 1460 patients with HCV who received liver stiffness measurement (LSM) using transient elastography (TE). The correlation of LSM and grade of hepatic fibrosis as staged by TE with M2BPGi was assessed. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were constructed to evaluate the diagnostic power of M2BPGi for fibrosis stages of ≥F2, ≥F3, and F4. The selected M2BPGi cutoff values were chosen based on the maximal Youden index, a positive likelihood ratio (LR) ≥ 10, and a negative LR ≤ 0.1. Serum M2BPGi level was highly correlated with LSM (Pearson correlation coefficient: 0.567, p < 0.001) and hepatic fibrosis stage (Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient: 0.772, p < 0.001). The areas under ROC curves (AUROCs) of M2BPGi for ≥F2, ≥F3, and F4 were 0.865 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.846–0.884), 0.937 (95 % CI: 0.922–0.952), and 0.962 (95% CI: 0.951–0.972). The maximal Youden indices for ≥F2, ≥F3, and F4 were 1.72, 2.65, and 3.93. By selecting M2BPGi cutoff values with a positive LR ≥ 10 and a negative LR ≤ 0.1, clinicians were able to correctly discriminate F2, F3, and F4 in 69.1%, 77.8%, and 90.1% of patients. In conclusion, serum M2BPGi is a good diagnostic tool to predict the severity of hepatic fibrosis in patients with HCV infection.
Monitoring Leishmania infantum Infections in Female Lutzomyia longipalpis by Using DNA Extraction on Cation Exchange Paper and PCR Pool Testing
Authors: Coutinho Tiago Leonetti , Marson Fernando Augusto Lima , Rangel Osias , Giorgio Selma , Silva Kamila Cristina , Levy Carlos Emilio
Published: November 2022

Visceral leishmaniasis remains a serious public health issue, and Brazil was among the seven countries with the highest prevalence of this disease worldwide. The measures to control this disease are not easily developed, and the improvement of its diagnosis, surveillance, and control is still needed. This study aimed to carry out the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) diagnosis of Leishmania infantum in vector samples in some municipalities of the State of São Paulo, which included two municipalities with human disease transmission and two with dog transmission only. Vectors were collected in traps with luminous bait. Next, they were killed at −4 °C and kept in 70% alcohol. Groups of ten female insects (pools) were mashed on cation exchange paper (fine cellulose phosphate with 18 µEq/cm² ionic exchange capacity) for DNA extraction. The PCR was carried out to identify the natural infection of the Leishmania genus in female Lutzomyia longipalpis (Lu. Longipalpis). Out of the 3,880 Lu. longipalpis phlebotomines, 1060 were female and 2820 were male (3:1). The method used to extract the DNA in pools of ten phlebotomines and the PCR resulted in sensitivity, specificity, practicality, and faster analyses when compared to the individual analysis method. The procedure described can be used on a large scale in the leishmaniasis epidemiological surveillance, enabling a higher number of analyses and the optimization of human resources because the traditional diagnostic method is carried out via desiccation of the insect digestive system and microscopic examination, which is time-demanding and there is the need of manual skills.
GGT-YOLO: A Novel Object Detection Algorithm for Drone-Based Maritime Cruising
Authors: Li Yongshuai , Yuan Haiwen , Wang Yanfeng , Xiao Changshi
Published: November 2022

Drones play an important role in the development of remote sensing and intelligent surveillance. Due to limited onboard computational resources, drone-based object detection still faces challenges in actual applications. By studying the balance between detection accuracy and computational cost, we propose a novel object detection algorithm for drone cruising in large-scale maritime scenarios. Transformer is introduced to enhance the feature extraction part and is beneficial to small or occluded object detection. Meanwhile, the computational cost of the algorithm is reduced by replacing the convolution operations with simpler linear transformations. To illustrate the performance of the algorithm, a specialized dataset composed of thousands of images collected by drones in maritime scenarios is given, and quantitative and comparative experiments are conducted. By comparison with other derivatives, the detection precision of the algorithm is increased by 1.4%, the recall is increased by 2.6% and the average precision is increased by 1.9%, while the parameters and floating-point operations are reduced by 11.6% and 7.3%, respectively. These improvements are thought to contribute to the application of drones in maritime and other remote sensing fields.
Reaction Mechanism of CO2 with Choline-Amino Acid Ionic Liquids: A Computational Study
Authors: Ramondo Fabio , Di Muzio Simone
Published: November 2022

Carbon capture and sequestration are the major applied techniques for mitigating CO2 emission. The marked affinity of carbon dioxide to react with amino groups is well known, and the amine scrubbing process is the most widespread technology. Among various compounds and solutions containing amine groups, in biodegradability and biocompatibility perspectives, amino acid ionic liquids (AAILs) are a very promising class of materials having good CO2 absorption capacity. The reaction of amines with CO2 follows a multi-step mechanism where the initial pathway is the formation of the C−N bond between the NH2 group and CO2. The added product has a zwitterionic character and can rearrange to give a carbamic derivative. These steps of the mechanism have been investigated in the present study by quantum mechanical methods by considering three ILs where amino acid anions are coupled with choline cations. Glycinate, L-phenylalanilate and L-prolinate anions have been compared with the aim of examining if different local structural properties of the amine group can affect some fundamental steps of the CO2 absorption mechanism. All reaction pathways have been studied by DFT methods considering, first, isolated anions in a vacuum as well as in a liquid continuum environment. Subsequently, the role of specific interactions of the anion with a choline cation has been investigated, analyzing the mechanism of the amine–CO2 reaction, including different coupling anion–cation structures. The overall reaction is exothermic for the three anions in all models adopted; however, the presence of the solvent, described by a continuum medium as well as by models, including specific cation- -anion interactions, modifies the values of the reaction energies of each step. In particular, both reaction steps, the addition of CO2 to form the zwitterionic complex and its subsequent rearrangement, are affected by the presence of the solvent. The reaction enthalpies for the three systems are indeed found comparable in the models, including solvent effects.
Mother Tongue Instruction: Between Assimilation and Multicultural Incorporation
Authors: Oral Didem , Lund Anna
Published: November 2022

For many students with migrant backgrounds and newly arrived students, their mother tongue is not only a knowledge and a school grade issue, but also a reflection of their identity and a sense of belonging, which are shaped by political structures. In this article, we analyze the role of mother tongue in Swedish policy documents and the way teachers and students see the role mother tongue in two Swedish schools: how do school professionals and students view the importance of mother tongue? What measures are taken to encourage the mother tongues of students with a migration background and newly arrived students? What are the implications of and obstacles to studying one’s mother tongue? We will look at levers of integration where school staff, as well as policy documents, encourage modes of incorporation, but also do identify obstacles concerning the practice of mother tongue instruction. Our article shows that although students long for a double cultural belonging, the policy documents are ambiguous and create an unclear promise for migrant students and their mother tongue teachers concerning multicultural incorporation. In practice, they have little evidence that maintaining their cultural background represents a strong value in Sweden. Ambiguous attitude towards mother tongue can be seen as a symbolic response to Sweden as a country which took a turn regarding its migration policy. The integration of residents with a migrant background is constantly questioned in the media and became a central issue in political debates. The implementation of mother tongue instruction reflects Sweden’s current state of discussing migration concerning integration policies somewhere between recognition and stigmatization. The data are drawn from student interviews, interviews with mother tongue teachers, and field notes in two schools in one of the biggest cities in Sweden.
Mechanism Analysis and Suppression Strategy of Continuous High-Frequency Oscillation in MMC-HVDC System
Authors: Wang Hongbin , Zhou Niancheng , Huang Peng , Duan Xiuchao , Huang Ruiling
Published: November 2022

The continuous high-frequency oscillation phenomenon of the MMC-HVDC system occurs frequently in practical engineering. How to design an effective oscillation suppression strategy based on the essential mechanism of continuous oscillation has not been sufficiently supported by theory. For this reason, this paper firstly analyzes the high-frequency oscillation characteristics of the MMC-HVDC system. On this basis, considering the influence of the control system time delay, the MMC high-frequency impedance model is established based on harmonic linearization. Thirdly, the dynamic interaction between the control system and the harmonic disturbance is analyzed, and the continuous oscillation mechanism of the MMC-HVDC system is revealed. Finally, a high-frequency oscillation suppression strategy is proposed, consisting of adding a nonlinear low-pass filter to the MMC voltage feedforward link and reducing the risk of oscillation in the 0–2000 Hz frequency band. The simplified impedance model and high-frequency oscillation suppression strategy are verified in time simulation.
Research Progress on Vision–Language Multimodal Pretraining Model Technology
Authors: Wang Huansha , Huang Ruiyang , Zhang Jianpeng
Published: November 2022

Because the pretraining model is not limited by the scale of data annotation and can learn general semantic information, it performs well in tasks related to natural language processing and computer vision. In recent years, more and more attention has been paid to research on the multimodal pretraining model. Many vision–language multimodal datasets and related models have been proposed one after another. In order to better summarize and analyze the development status and future trend of vision–language multimodal pretraining model technology, firstly this paper comprehensively combs the category system and related tasks of vision–language multimodal pretraining. Secondly, research progress on vision–language multimodal pretraining is summarized and analyzed from the two dimensions of image–language and video–language models. Finally, problems with and development trends in vision–language multimodal pretraining are discussed.
A Smart ANN-Based Converter for Efficient Bidirectional Power Flow in Hybrid Electric Vehicles
Authors: Sankar R.S.Ravi , Deepika.K Keerthi , Alsharef Mohammad , Alamri Basem
Published: November 2022

Electric vehicles (EV) are promising alternate fuel technologies to curtail vehicular emissions. A modeling framework in a hybrid electric vehicle system with a joint analysis of EV in powering and regenerative braking mode is introduced. Bidirectional DC–DC converters (BDC) are important for widespread voltage matching and effective for recovery of feedback energy. BDC connects the first voltage source (FVS) and second voltage source (SVS), and a DC-bus voltage at various levels is implemented. The main objectives of this work are coordinated control of the DC energy sources of various voltage levels, independent power flow between both the energy sources, and regulation of current flow from the DC-bus to the voltage sources. Optimization of the feedback control in the converter circuit of HEV is designed using an artificial neural network (ANN). Applicability of the EV in bidirectional power flow management is demonstrated. Furthermore, the dual-source low-voltage buck/boost mode enables independent power flow management between the two sources—FVS and SVS. In both modes of operation of the converter, drive performance with an ANN is compared with a conventional proportional–integral control. Simulations executed in MATLAB/Simulink demonstrate low steady-state error, peak overshoot, and settling time with the ANN controller.
Classical and Process Intensification Methods for Acetic Acid Concentration: Technical and Environmental Assessment
Authors: Petrescu Letitia , Cormos Codruta-Maria
Published: November 2022

This study aims to investigate, from a technical and an environmental perspective, various alternatives for acetic acid concentration for maximizing acetic acid production, its purity, and in the meantime, minimizing the energy usage and the environmental impact. Liquid–liquid extraction followed by azeotropic distillation using different solvents such as: (i) ethyl acetate, (ii) isopropyl acetate, and (iii) a mixture containing isopropyl acetate and isopropanol were first explored, using process flow modeling software. The three cases were compared considering various technical key performance indicators (i.e., acetic acid flow-rate, acetic acid purity, acetic acid recovery, power consumption, thermal energy used, and number of equipment units involved) leading to the conclusion that the usage of the isopropyl acetate—isopropanol mixture leads to better technical results. The isopropanol-isopropyl acetate mixture was furthermore investigated in other two cases where process intensification methods, based on thermally coupled respectively the double-effect distillation process, are proposed. The highest quantity of pure acetic acid (e.g., 136 kmol/h) and the highest recovery rate (e.g., 97.74%) were obtained using the double-effect method. A cradle-to-gate life cycle assessment, involving ReCiPe method, was used to calculate and compare various environmental impact indicators (i.e., climate change, freshwater toxicity potential, human toxicity, etc.). Several steam sources (i.e., hard coal, heavy fuel oil, light fuel oil, natural gas, and biomass) were considered in the environmental evaluation. The results of the life cycle assessment show a reduction, by almost half, in all the environmental impact indicators when the double effect method is compared to the thermally coupled process. The usage of biomass for steam generation lead to lower impacts compared to steam generation using fossil fuels (i.e., hard coal, heavy fuel oil, light fuel oil, natural gas).
Operation Issues and Data-Driven Voltage Control in Agile Power Systems
Authors: Feliachi Ali , Mohammadi Farideh , Vanashi Hessam
Published: November 2022

This paper defines an agile power system as a system in which the physical structure can change due to the connection/disconnection of subsystems, such as microgrids. These systems pose serious difficulties in their operations and control. Some of these challenges are reviewed. One operational issue is the energy balancing or the load frequency control problem when microgrids with a low inertia are connected to the main grid. The paper identifies the need for new rules of operation. Furthermore, in this paper, decentralized and data-driven voltage control designs are proposed, compared and illustrated on a microgrid. They take into consideration the structure and the usage of the large amount of data provided by the proliferation of sensors.
Effect of Starters on Quality Characteristics of Hongsuantang, a Chinese Traditional Sour Soup
Authors: Li Cuiqin , Zhang Qing , Wang Chan , He Laping , Tao Han , Zeng Xuefeng , Dai Yifeng
Published: November 2022

Hongsuantang (HST) is a traditional Chinese and famous sour soup. However, the quality of naturally fermented HST is not controllable. We investigated the effects of different lactic acid bacteria starters on HST acid production, color, antioxidant capacity, total phenols, total carotenoids, organic acids, volatile substances, and sensory properties to determine the most suitable strain for HST production. The results showed that among the seven lactic acid bacteria strains used to inoculate fermented HST, Lactiplantibacillus plantarum SQ-4 exhibited the most excellent fermentation characteristics. SQ-4 rapidly reduced the HST’s pH by 0.77. It significantly increased the HST’s color, organic acids, total phenols, carotenoids, lycopene, and free radical scavenging ability. Lactiplantibacillus plantarum SQ-4 was an excellent starter for preparing HST with good acid production capacity, moderate sourness and spiciness, and good sensory and other characteristics. Each starter produces its distinct flavor components. α-Pinene, myrcene, α-copaene, and guaiol were vital aroma compounds in HST fermentation by the starter. This study laid a foundation for selecting HST starters and potential industrial production.
Privacy-Preserving Object Detection with Secure Convolutional Neural Networks for Vehicular Edge Computing
Authors: Bai Tianyu , Fu Song , Yang Qing
Published: November 2022

With the wider adoption of edge computing services, intelligent edge devices, and high-speed V2X communication, compute-intensive tasks for autonomous vehicles, such as object detection using camera, LiDAR, and/or radar data, can be partially offloaded to road-side edge servers. However, data privacy becomes a major concern for vehicular edge computing, as sensitive sensor data from vehicles can be observed and used by edge servers. We aim to address the privacy problem by protecting both vehicles’ sensor data and the detection results. In this paper, we present vehicle–edge cooperative deep-learning networks with privacy protection for object-detection tasks, named vePOD for short. In vePOD, we leverage the additive secret sharing theory to develop secure functions for every layer in an object-detection convolutional neural network (CNN). A vehicle’s sensor data is split and encrypted into multiple secret shares, each of which is processed on an edge server by going through the secure layers of a detection network. The detection results can only be obtained by combining the partial results from the participating edge servers. We have developed proof-of-concept detection networks with secure layers: vePOD Faster R-CNN (two-stage detection) and vePOD YOLO (single-stage detection). Experimental results on public datasets show that vePOD does not degrade the accuracy of object detection and, most importantly, it protects data privacy for vehicles. The execution of a vePOD object-detection network with secure layers is orders of magnitude faster than the existing approaches for data privacy. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first work that targets privacy protection in object-detection tasks with vehicle–edge cooperative computing.
Burn Severity Drivers in Italian Large Wildfires
Authors: Malandra Francesco , Vitali Alessandro , Morresi Donato , Garbarino Matteo , Foster Daniel E. , Stephens Scott L. , Urbinati Carlo
Published: November 2022

The increase of wildfire incidence in highly populated areas significantly enhances the risk for ecosystems and human lives, activities and infrastructures. In central and southern Italy, recent decades’ fire records indicate that 2007 and 2017 were extreme years in terms of the number of fires and total burned area. Among them, we selected large fire events and explored their features and drivers of burn severity. We used a standardized extraction procedure to identify large wildfires (>100 ha) from the MODIS burned areas database and Landsat multi-spectral images. We mapped burn severity with the Relative Difference Normalized Burn Ratio index and explored the main drivers of severity using topographic, land-cover and anthropogenic predictors. We selected 113 wildfires for a collective total burned area of over 100,000 ha. Large fires were more frequent in the southern than in the central and northern regions, especially in July and August. The average fire size was about 900 ha and occurred mainly in shrublands (30.4%) and broadleaf forests (19.5%). With a random forest model, we observed that the highest severity occurred in conifer plantations and shrublands, in highly populated areas and at lower elevations. Burn severity models, at the landscape or regional scales, can be very useful tools for pre- and post-fire forest management planning.
Development of a Rapid and Sensitive Fluorescence Sensing Method for the Detection of Acetaldehyde in Alcoholic Beverages
Authors: Liu Yisong , Liu Chunfeng , Xu Xin , Niu Chengtuo , Wang Jinjing , Zheng Feiyun , Li Qi
Published: November 2022

Acetaldehyde is regarded as an important flavor compound in alcoholic beverages. With the advantages of rapidity, low cost and high sensitivity, fluorescent probe could be used as a new tool for the detection of acetaldehyde. Here, an effective fluorescence sensing method based on fluorescent probe N1 (FPN1) was established in this study. The function of FPN1 relies on the nucleophile substitution reaction and photoinduced electron transfer (PET), resulting in a fluorescence increase. Remarkably, the pretreatment background removal method (BRM) was successfully applied for removal of the interference of pyruvate and acetal. The linearity range (LR), limit of detection (LOD) and recovery of the fluorescence sensing method with BRM were 0.0053–200 mg/L, 0.0016 mg/L and 94.02–108.12%, respectively, which showed a broader detection range and better performance on sensitivity compared with the traditional quantitation using gas chromatography (GC). Furthermore, successful application of the method in real samples indicated the advantages of low-cost and rapidity for small-scale detection while assuring the accuracy, which provides a new strategy for the detection of acetaldehyde concentration in alcoholic beverages.
Preventive Effects of Different Black and Dark Teas on Obesity and Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease and Modulate Gut Microbiota in High-Fat Diet Fed Mice
Authors: Li Bangyan , Mao Qianqian , Xiong Ruogu , Zhou Dandan , Huang Siyu , Saimaiti Adila , Shang Ao , Luo Min , Li Hangyu , Li Huabin , Li Sha
Published: November 2022

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has emerged as a leading public health challenge and is closely associated with metabolic syndromes, such as obesity. Intestinal microbiota dysbiosis could play a vital role in the pathogenesis and progression of NAFLD. Tea is the second most popular health drink in the world behind water, and exhibits many health-promoting effects. In this study, the protective effects of different black and dark teas on NAFLD induced by long-term high-fat diet (HFD) exposure and their regulation of gut microbiota were evaluated and explored. The results indicated that supplementation with different black and dark tea extracts could significantly suppress the energy intake, alleviate abnormal accumulation of visceral fat, and prevent obesity, hepatic abnormal lipid deposition and liver steatosis in HFD-fed mice at varying degrees. In addition, Dianhong tea and Liupao tea interventions could significantly decrease the ratio of Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes, and selenium-enriched black tea and selenium-enriched dark rea supplementation could remarkably reduce the relative abundance of Actinobacteria compared to the model group. Moreover, these teas could partly shift the relative abundances of Allobaculum, Roseburia and Dubosiella. Taken together, black teas and dark teas could prevent HFD-induced features of obesity and NAFLD, which might partly be due to the modulation of gut microbiota.
Stability Analysis of Fractional-Order Mathieu Equation with Forced Excitation
Authors: Mu Ruihong , Wen Shaofang , Shen Yongjun , Si Chundi
Published: November 2022

The advantage of fractional-order derivative has attracted extensive attention in the field of dynamics. In this paper, we investigated the stability of the fractional-order Mathieu equation under forced excitation, which is based on a model of the pantograph–catenary system. First, we obtained the approximate analytical expressions and periodic solutions of the stability boundaries by the multi-scale method and the perturbation method, and the correctness of these results were verified through numerical analysis by Matlab. In addition, by analyzing the stability of the k’T-periodic solutions in the system, we verified the existence of the unstable k’T-resonance lines through numerical simulation, and visually investigated the effect of the system parameters. The results show that forced excitation with a finite period does not change the position of the stability boundaries, but it can affect the expressions of the periodic solutions. Moreover, by analyzing the properties of the resonant lines, we found that when the points with k’T-periodic solutions were perturbed by the same frequency of forced excitation, these points became unstable due to resonance. Finally, we found that both the damping coefficient and the fractional-order parameters in the system have important influences on the stability boundaries and the resonance lines.