bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Women's Work-Life Balance in Hospitality: Examining Its Impact on Organizational Commitment
Authors: Liu Ting , Gao Jie , Zhu Mingfang , Jin Shenglang
Published: February 2021

Women account for a large proportion of the hotel industry. Work-life conflict has become one of the main obstacles to the organizational commitment of women. Thus, this study investigates the relationship for women between work-life balance, as an independent variable, and organizational commitment, as a dependent variable. Specifically, we examine women's work-life balance in the hospitality industry and compare women's organizational commitment under different levels of work-life balance. Then, we assess whether women's work-life balance and organizational commitment are associated with their sociodemographic characteristics (i.e., age, education, working years, and position level). Data were collected from 525 women employees in China. Multiple linear regression analyses were conducted to identify the relationship between work-life balance and organizational commitment. The results showed that work-life balance had a significant effect on organizational commitment. There was also a significant relationship between women's sociodemographic characteristics, work-life balance, and organizational commitment.
Prevalence of Intimate Partner Violence Among Intimate Partners During the Perinatal Period: A Narrative Literature Review
Authors: Mojahed Amera , Alaidarous Nada , Kopp Marie , Pogarell Anneke , Thiel Freya , Garthus-Niegel Susan
Published: February 2021

Intimate partner violence (IPV) affects individuals and families from all backgrounds, regardless of their ethnicity, socio-economic status, sexual orientation, or religion. Pregnancy and childbirth could be a time of vulnerability to violence because of changes in physical, emotional, social, and economic demands and needs. Prevalence of IPV against women during the perinatal period is increasingly researched and documented. However, evidence on IPV prevalence among intimate partners as well as on the course of IPV over the perinatal period is scarce. The purpose of this review was to provide a narrative synthesis of the existing literature regarding the prevalence estimates of IPV among intimate partners over the perinatal period. Through this review, we also gained better insight into associated factors, as well as the various forms of IPV. Of the 766 studies assessing prevalence estimates identified, 86 were included, where 80 studies focused on unidirectional IPV (i.e., perpetrated by men against women) and six studies investigated bidirectional IPV (i.e., IPV perpetrated by both partners). Most of the included studies reported lower overall prevalence rates for unidirectional IPV postpartum (range: 2–58%) compared to pregnancy (range: 1.5–66.9%). Psychological violence was found to be the most prevalent form of violence during the entire perinatal period. Studies on bidirectional IPV mostly reported women's perpetration to be almost as high as that of their partner or even higher, yet their findings need to be interpreted with caution. In addition, our results also highlighted the associated factors of IPV among partners, in which they were assimilated into a multi-level ecological model and were analyzed through an intersectional framework. Based on our findings, IPV is found to be highly prevalent during the entire perinatal period and in populations suffering from social inequalities. Further research exploring not only the occurrence, but also the motivations and the context of the bidirectionality of IPV during the perinatal period may facilitate better understanding of the detrimental consequences on partners and their families, as well as the development of effective intervention strategies. Public health prevention approaches intervening at optimal times during the perinatal period are also needed.
Adding Enzalutamide to First-Line Treatment for Metastatic Hormone-Sensitive Prostate Cancer: A Cost-Effectiveness Analysis
Authors: Zhang Peng-Fei , Xie Dan , Li Qiu
Published: February 2021

Background: The aim of this study is to evaluate the pharmacoeconomic profile of adding enzalutamide to first-line treatment for metastatic, hormone-sensitive prostate cancer (mHSPC) from the US and Chinese payers' perspectives.

Materials and Methods: A Markov model with three health states: progression-free survival (PFS), progressive disease (PD), and death, was constructed. All patients were assumed to enter the model in the PFS state and transit according to the transition structure. Efficacy data were derived from the ENZAMET trial and Weibull distribution curves were modeled to fit the survival curves. Costs in the model included cost of drugs, best-supportive care (BSC), follow-up, tests, and adverse events (AEs)-related treatments. The primary endpoint of the study was incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER). In addition, the impact of several key parameters on the results of the cost-effectiveness analysis was tested with one-way sensitivity analyses and probabilistic sensitivity analyses.

Results: Overall, ICERs were $430,933.95/QALY and $225,444.74/QALY of addition of enzalutamide to androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) vs. ADT from the US and Chinese payers' perspective, respectively. The most influential factors were the utility for the PFS state and the cost of enzalutamide. At the willingness-to-pay (WTP) thresholds of $100,000.00/QALY in the US and $28,988.40/QALY in China, the probability of adding enzalutamide to first-line treatment being a cost-effective option for mHSPC was 0%.

Conclusions: Based on the data from the ENZAMET trial and the current price of enzalutamide, adding enzalutamide to first-line treatment is not cost-effective for patients with mHSPC from the US and Chinse payers' perspectives.
Optimal Clustering in Stable Instances Using Combinations of Exact and Noisy Ordinal Queries
Authors: Bianchi Enrico , Penna Paolo
Published: February 2021

This work studies clustering algorithms which operates with ordinal or comparison-based queries (operations), a situation that arises in many active-learning applications where “dissimilarities” between data points are evaluated by humans. Typically, exact answers are costly (or difficult to obtain in large amounts) while possibly erroneous answers have low cost. Motivated by these considerations, we study algorithms with non-trivial trade-offs between the number of exact (high-cost) operations and noisy (low-cost) operations with provable performance guarantees. Specifically, we study a class of polynomial-time graph-based clustering algorithms (termed Single-Linkage) which are widely used in practice and that guarantee exact solutions for stable instances in several clustering problems (these problems are NP-hard in the worst case). We provide several variants of these algorithms using ordinal operations and, in particular, non-trivial trade-offs between the number of high-cost and low-cost operations that are used. Our algorithms still guarantee exact solutions for stable instances of k-medoids clustering, and they use a rather small number of high-cost operations, without increasing the low-cost operations too much.
Sensuator: A Hybrid Sensor–Actuator Approach to Soft Robotic Proprioception Using Recurrent Neural Networks
Authors: Preechayasomboon Pornthep , Rombokas Eric
Published: February 2021

Soft robotic actuators are now being used in practical applications; however, they are often limited to open-loop control that relies on the inherent compliance of the actuator. Achieving human-like manipulation and grasping with soft robotic actuators requires at least some form of sensing, which often comes at the cost of complex fabrication and purposefully built sensor structures. In this paper, we utilize the actuating fluid itself as a sensing medium to achieve high-fidelity proprioception in a soft actuator. As our sensors are somewhat unstructured, their readings are difficult to interpret using linear models. We therefore present a proof of concept of a method for deriving the pose of the soft actuator using recurrent neural networks. We present the experimental setup and our learned state estimator to show that our method is viable for achieving proprioception and is also robust to common sensor failures.
Diets, Food Choices and Environmental Impacts across an Urban-Rural Interface in Northern Vietnam
Authors: Trinh Huong Thi , Linderhof Vincent , Vuong Vy Thao , Esaryk Erin E. , Heller Martin , Dijkxhoorn Youri , Nguyen Trang Mai , Huynh Tuyen Thi Thanh , Hernandez Ricardo , Duong Thanh Thi , Luu Van Thi , Jones Andrew D. , Talsma Elise F. , Truong Mai Tuyet , Achterbosch Thom , de Haan Stef
Published: February 2021

Human diets and their associated environmental impacts differ across segments of the population. There is evidence that consumer choices of food intake can also affect the overall environmental impacts of a food system. This paper analyzes the environmental impact of diets and food choices across a rural–urban transect in Northern Vietnam by using mixed survey data from 619 adult respondents. The average greenhouse gas emissions (GHGE) resulting from producing the daily food intake of adults in the urban and peri-urban districts were similar, while the average in the rural district was lower. Although starchy staples contributed the most to energy intake, pork and beef were the largest contributors to GHGE. Metrics of blue water use were higher for diets of males than those of females in all three districts. Interestingly, the difference in mean diet diversity score between urban and rural households was significant, and females’ diets were more diverse than those of males. As expected, urban households were more likely to buy food, while rural households often produced their own foods. Urban households reported prioritizing personal health and the natural content of food and would increase seafood and fruits if their income were to increase. In rural regions, interventions aimed at reducing undernutrition should address improving diet quality without significant increases to diet-related environmental impacts.
Exploring the Preferences of Consumers’ Organic Products in Aspects of Sustainable Consumption: The Case of the Polish Consumer
Authors: Wojciechowska-Solis Julia , Barska Anetta
Published: February 2021

The dynamically developing trend of sustainable consumption is manifested, among others, by the growing interest in organic products on the part of consumers. The aim of this article was to identify the behavior of Polish consumers in the market of organic products and to establish a link between their environmental awareness and willingness to buy organic products. The authors hypothesized that there is a relationship between consumer awareness of the concept of sustainable consumption and the consumption of organic products. Consumer awareness means making conscious choices based on the knowledge expressed in the attitudes and, sometimes, preferences of the food brand. The research was conducted using a proprietary survey questionnaire. A total of 1067 respondents participated. A statistical analysis was performed by using Statistica 13.1 PL software, which includes descriptive statistics, the discriminant function analysis, and regression analysis. Motives were identified that are of crucial importance to the consumer deciding to purchase organic products. These include: beneficial health effects, contents of nutrients, no additional substances used in food production, taste, and others. A statistical relationship was established between environmental awareness and the tendency to buy organic products. Among the organic products, eggs, fresh fruit and vegetables, honey, cow’s milk and its derivatives, as well as cereal products, are the most preferred by consumers of both genders. The proposed model, which outlines the relationship between environmental awareness and the tendency to buy organic products, includes the following variables: care for the environment and animal welfare, no harmful substances used in food production, low level of processing, short shelf life.
Safety and Efficacy of Daptomycin in Neonates with Coagulase-Negative Staphylococci: Case Series Analysis
Authors: Mohzari Yahya , Aljobair Fahad , Alrashed Ahmed , Asdaq Syed Mohammed Basheeruddin , Alshuraim Renad Abdullah , Asfour Suzan Suhail , Al-Mouqdad Mountasser Mohammad , Bamogaddam Reem F. , Al-Anazi Deemah , Zeilinger Catherine E. , Alamer Ahmad , Alhassan Batool Mohammed , Sreeharsha Nagaraja
Published: February 2021

There has been an increase in the prevalence of gram-positive bacteremia in neonates in the last two decades. However, as a consequence of better care, there has been an increase in the survival of premature neonates. Coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS) is the most prevalent bacteria, responsible for up to 60% of late-onset sepsis (LOS). Daptomycin, a lipopeptide antimicrobial agent, is active against CoNS. This was an observational, retrospective case series study carried out in the Pediatric Hospital of King Saud Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The medical records of 21 neonates, aged 0–28 days, who were treated in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) with intravenous daptomycin as monotherapy or combination therapy for at least 4 days for proven gram-positive infection between June 2019 to July 2020, were included. The median gestational and chronological age were 27 weeks and 5 days, respectively. The most frequent diagnosis in neonates was infective endocarditis (42.9%). Of the 21 patients who received daptomycin therapy, 13 (62%) recovered and 8 died. The clinical cure rate was higher in Staphylococcus hominis (100%) and in patients who received 6 mg/kg/dose twice daily (62.5%). The mean of aspartate aminotransferase significantly elevated after starting daptomycin (p = 0.048). However, no muscular or neurological toxicity of daptomycin was documented in any of the cases. Overall, daptomycin was well tolerated, even with long-term treatment.
In-Water Antibiotic Dosing Practices on Pig Farms
Authors: Little Stephen , Woodward Andrew , Browning Glenn , Billman-Jacobe Helen
Published: February 2021

Pigs reared on many farms are mass-medicated for short periods with antibiotics through their drinking water to control bacterial pathogen loads and, if a disease outbreak occurs, to treat pigs until clinical signs are eliminated. Farm managers are responsible for conducting in-water antibiotic dosing events, but little is known about their dosing practices. We surveyed managers of 25 medium to large single-site and multi-site pig farming enterprises across eastern and southern Australia, using a mixed methods approach (online questionnaire followed by a one-on-one semi-structured interview). We found wide variation in the antibiotics administered, the choice and use of dosing equipment, the methods for performing dosing calculations and preparing antibiotic stock solutions, the commencement time and duration of each daily dosing event, and the frequency of administration of metaphylaxis. Farm managers lacked data on pigs’ daily water usage patterns and wastage and the understanding of pharmacology and population pharmacometrics necessary to optimize in-water dosing calculations and regimens and control major sources of between-animal variability in systemic exposure of pigs to antibiotics. There is considerable scope to increase the effectiveness of in-water dosing and reduce antibiotic use (and cost) on pig farms by providing farm managers with measurement systems, technical guidelines, and training programs.
Oxidative Stress Compromises Lymphocyte Function in Neonatal Dairy Calves
Authors: Cuervo Wilmer , Sordillo Lorraine M. , Abuelo Angel
Published: February 2021

Dairy calves are unable to mount an effective immune response during their first weeks of life, which contributes to increased disease susceptibility during this period. Oxidative stress (OS) diminishes the immune cell capabilities of humans and adult cows, and dairy calves also experience OS during their first month of life. However, the impact that OS may have on neonatal calf immunity remains unexplored. Thus, we aimed to evaluate the impact of OS on newborn calf lymphocyte functions. For this, we conducted two experiments. First, we assessed the association of OS status throughout the first month of age and the circulating concentrations of the cytokines interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) and interleukin (IL) 4, as well as the expression of cytokine-encoding genes IFNG, IL2, IL4, and IL10 in peripheral mononuclear blood cells (PBMCs) of 12 calves. Subsequently, we isolated PBMCs from another 6 neonatal calves to investigate in vitro the effect of OS on immune responses in terms of activation of lymphocytes, cytokine expression, and antibody production following stimulation with phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate or bovine herpesvirus-1. The results were compared statistically through mixed models. Calves exposed to high OS status in their first month of age showed higher concentrations of IL-4 and expression of IL4 and IL10 and lower concentrations of IFN-γ and expression of IFNG and IL2 than calves exposed to lower OS. In vitro, OS reduced lymphocyte activation, production of antibodies, and protein and gene expression of key cytokines. Collectively, our results demonstrate that OS can compromise some immune responses of newborn calves. Hence, further studies are needed to explore the mechanisms of how OS affects the different lymphocyte subsets and the potential of ameliorating OS in newborn calves as a strategy to augment the functional capacity of calf immune cells, as well as enhance calves’ resistance to infections.
Human Paraoxonase-2 (PON2): Protein Functions and Modulation
Authors: Manco Giuseppe , Porzio Elena , Carusone Teresa Maria
Published: February 2021

PON1, PON2, and PON3 belong to a family of lactone hydrolyzing enzymes endowed with various substrate specificities. Among PONs, PON2 shows the highest hydrolytic activity toward many acyl-homoserine lactones (acyl-HL) involved in bacterial quorum-sensing signaling. Accordingly, defense against pathogens, such as Brevundimonas aeruginosa (B. aeruginosa), was postulated to be the principal function of PON2. However, recent findings have highlighted the importance of PON2 in oxidative stress control, inhibition of apoptosis, and the progression of various types of malignancies. This review focuses on all of these aspects of PON2.
Syntax-Informed Self-Attention Network for Span-Based Joint Entity and Relation Extraction
Authors: Zhang Haiyang , Zhang Guanqun , Ma Ricardo
Published: February 2021

Current state-of-the-art joint entity and relation extraction framework is based on span-level entity classification and relation identification between pairs of entity mentions. However, while maintaining an efficient exhaustive search on spans, the importance of syntactic features is not taken into consideration. It will lead to a problem that the prediction of a relation between two entities is related based on corresponding entity types, but in fact they are not related in the sentence. In addition, although previous works have proven that extract local context is beneficial for the task, it still lacks in-depth learning of contextual features in local context. In this paper, we propose to incorporate syntax knowledge into multi-head self-attention by employing part of heads to focus on syntactic parents of each token from pruned dependency trees, and we use it to model the global context to fuse syntactic and semantic features. In addition, in order to get richer contextual features from the local context, we apply local focus mechanism on entity pairs and corresponding context. Based on applying the two strategies, we perform joint entity and relation extraction on span-level. Experimental results show that our model achieves significant improvements on both Conll04 and SciERC dataset compared to strong competitors.
Analytical Investigation of a Novel System for Combined Dew Point Cooling and Water Recovery
Authors: Cichoń Aleksandra , Worek William
Published: February 2021

This paper presents the analytical investigation of a novel system for combined Dew Point Cooling and Water Recovery (DPC-WR system). The operating principle of the presented system is to utilize the dew point cooling phenomenon implemented in two stages in order to obtain both air cooling and water recovery. The system performance is described by different indicators, including the coefficient of performance (COP), gained output ratio (GOR), energy utilization factor (EUF), specific energy consumption (SEC) and specific daily water production (SDWP). The performance indicators are calculated for various climatic zones using a validated analytical model based on the convective heat transfer coefficient. By utilizing the dew point cooling phenomenon, it is possible to minimize the heat and electric energy consumption from external sources, which results in the COP and GOR values being an order of magnitude higher than for other cooling and water recovery technologies. The EUF value of the DPC-WR system ranges from 0.76 to 0.96, with an average of 0.90. The SEC value ranges from 0.5 to 2.0 kWh/m3 and the SDWP value ranges from 100 to 600 L/day/(kg/s). In addition, the DPC-WR system is modular, i.e., it can be multiplied as needed to achieve the required cooling or water recovery capacity.
Damage and Technical Wear of Tenement Houses in Fuzzy Set Categories
Authors: Konior Jarosław , Sawicki Marek , Szóstak Mariusz
Published: February 2021

The results and conclusions of the research presented in the article concern the topic of the technical maintenance and wear of traditionally erected residential buildings. The cause and effect relations between the occurrence of damage to the elements of tenement houses, which are treated as an expression of their maintenance conditions, and the size of the technical wear of these elements were determined in a representative and purposefully selected sample of 102 apartment houses built in the second half of the 19th and early 20th centuries in the Wroclaw, Poland downtown district “Srodmiescie”. Recognition of the impact of the maintenance of residential buildings on the level of their technical wear was carried out using quantitative methods from fuzzy set categories, and also with the use of the authors’ own model. The created model, based on the Zadeh function, was created in fuzzy conditions for the purpose of assessing the degree of damage to selected building elements. The treatment of the problem with regard to fuzzy criteria allowed for the synthesis of elementary criteria, which give the greatest approximations at the technical research stage of a residential building, into a global assessment of the degree of the wear of its elements. Moreover, it also significantly reduced the subjective factor of this assessment, which had a significant impact on the results of the research obtained in the case of good, medium and poor conditions of tenement houses. It was proven that the conditions of maintenance and use of buildings determine the amount of technical wear of their elements. The state of exploitation of the examined tenement houses is reflected in the mechanical damage to the internal structure of the elements (determined in fuzzy categories). This damage has a significant frequency and cumulative effects, and is characteristic for buildings with satisfactory and average maintenance.
Comparison of Extragraft Bone Formation after Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion Using Simultaneous and Sequential Algorithms
Authors: Jin Yong Jun , Park Won Man
Published: February 2021

Extragraft bone formation is crucial for obtaining a successful outcome after spinal fusion surgery. However, the cause of bone formation is not well investigated. In this study, it was hypothesised that extragraft bone formation is generated by mechanical stimuli. A preoperative plan for anterior cervical discectomy and fusion was applied to the finite element model of the C5–C6 motion segment. Extragraft bone formations posterior to the interbody cage were simulated using simultaneous and sequential algorithms. While the simultaneous algorithm predicted the formation of extragraft bone bridging under flexion and extension, the bridge was generated only under extension with the sequential algorithm. This was caused by an ill-defined design space in cases where the simultaneous algorithm was used. Our results using the sequential algorithm show how the progress of extragraft bone formation affects spine mechanics, and our results support the hypothesis that a mechanical stimulus is a major factor influencing extragraft bone formation.
Changes in Muscle Activity Imbalance of the Lower Limbs Following 3 Weeks of Supplementary Body-Weight Unilateral Training
Authors: Mrzygłód Sylwia , Pietraszewski Przemysław , Golas Artur , Jarosz Jakub , Matusiński Aleksander , Krzysztofik Michał
Published: February 2021

This study examined the effects of a short-term supplementary body-weight training program on changes in the muscle activity imbalance of the lower limbs during high-speed running in soccer players. Fifteen professional male soccer players took part in the study (age: 25 ± 5 years, body mass: 79.2 ± 10.8 kg, stature: 177 ± 10 cm, training experience: 12 ± 5 years). The evaluations of lower limb muscle activity imbalance via surface electromyography (sEMG) were performed twice (pre- and post-intervention), at a three-week interval. The sEMG was measured bilaterally from the area of quadriceps (Q), hamstrings (H), and gluteal muscles (G) during high-speed running at 18 km/h using sEMG shorts. Between measurements, the athletes performed the supplementary body-weight program of the lower limbs 4 times a week for 3 weeks. The training included six body-weight exercises performed unilaterally. The load progression included an additional set of each exercise in successive weeks of the experiment. The two-way repeated-measures ANOVA indicated a statistically significant main interaction for time × muscle (p = 0.006; F = 6.948; η2 = 0.332). The post-hoc analysis for the interaction effect of time × muscle showed a statistically significant decrease in muscle imbalance for the post-intervention compared to the pre-intervention for the H (p < 0.001; ES = 1.32), G (p = 0.002; ES = 0.92), and T (p < 0.001; ES = 1.54), but not for Q (p = 0.56; ES = 0.14). Moreover, there was a statistically significant greater imbalance between the H, G, and T muscles versus Q (p = 0.043, ES = 1.15; p = 0.006, ES = 1.57; p = 0.001, ES = 1.69, respectively) for the values recorded pre-intervention. Changes in muscle activity after 3 weeks of sports-specific movement patterns were statistically significant. For the gluteal (G) and hamstring (H), the imbalance between the limbs decreased significantly (p = 0.01). The imbalance in the quadriceps muscles (Q), with respect to each limb, did not decrease significantly (p = 0.82) following the training intervention. Conclusions: The results of this study indicate that in-season soccer training supplemented with a body-weight training program successfully decreases gluteal and hamstring imbalance between limbs after 3 weeks of training.
Digital Twin Lean Intralogistics: Research Implications
Authors: Pawlewski Pawel , Kosacka-Olejnik Monika , Werner-Lewandowska Karolina
Published: February 2021

This article presents research implications related to the analysis of current trends occurring in the industry and resulting from the analysis of trends in literature. A new trend is noticeable in the range of computer simulations using digital twin technologies in the optimization of intralogistics processes, the implementation of which is based on Lean philosophy. This article shows the connection of Industry 4.0 with Lean in the context of Digital Twin (simulation) in the area of intralogistics. A three-step methodology of literature research was developed and described. In accordance with the adopted research methodology, research questions were indicated and a detailed list of selection criteria was developed. The research methods included brainstorming and statistical analysis. The research results are presented in three sections: the results of the trend analysis, the results of the quantitative literature research, and the results of the complementary research. The research results confirm the existence of a new trend and form the basis for formulating objectives for further research.
On Attempting to Create a Virtual Laboratory for Application-Oriented Microstructural Optimization of Multi-Phase Materials
Authors: Qayyum Faisal , Guk Sergey , Kawalla Rudolf , Prahl Ulrich
Published: February 2021

Physics-based and phenomenological crystal plasticity numerical simulations provide an opportunity to develop microstructurally informed models for multi-phase material. The Düsseldorf Advanced Material Simulation Kit (DAMASK) has been developed as a flexible tool for modeling and studying the several deformation mechanisms of such materials at the microscopic and macroscopic scales. In the recent past, several methodologies and techniques were developed for obtaining or constructing microstructural details and calibrating the physics-based model parameters for single-phase and multi-phase materials. Combining and standardizing the devised methods with an appropriate database can help establish a virtual laboratory to analyze the effect of microstructural attributes on the mechanical behavior of multi-phase materials. This article deals with the comprehensive background of the developed techniques and methods for the multi-phase materials class by the current research group. The combinations of different experimental and numerical techniques to validate results are explained along with the advantages and limitations. The ideas of combining the different available tools and the associated challenges are discussed. The article presents some recent work related to the phase parameters identification of the multi-phase materials and detailed insight into the obtained results.
Ultrasonic Imaging of Thick Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymers through Pulse-Compression-Based Phased Array
Authors: Rizwan Muhammad Khalid , Laureti Stefano , Mooshofer Hubert , Goldammer Matthias , Ricci Marco
Published: February 2021

The use of pulse-compression in ultrasonic non-destructive testing has assured, in various applications, a significant improvement in the signal-to-noise ratio. In this work, the technique is combined with linear phased array to improve the sensitivity and resolution in the ultrasonic imaging of highly attenuating and scattering materials. A series of tests were conducted on a 60 mm thick carbon fiber reinforced polymer benchmark sample with known defects using a custom-made pulse-compression-based phased array system. Sector scan and total focusing method images of the sample were obtained with the developed system and were compared with those reconstructed by using a commercial pulse-echo phased array system. While an almost identical sensitivity was found in the near field, the pulse-compression-based system surpassed the standard one in the far-field producing a more accurate imaging of the deepest defects and of the backwall of the sample.
Postural Control Disturbances Induced by Virtual Reality in Stroke Patients
Authors: Morizio Charles , Billot Maxime , Daviet Jean-Christophe , Baudry Stéphane , Barbanchon Christophe , Compagnat Maxence , Perrochon Anaick
Published: February 2021

People who survive a stroke are often left with long-term neurologic deficits that induce, among other impairments, balance disorders. While virtual reality (VR) is growing in popularity for postural control rehabilitation in post-stroke patients, studies on the effect of challenging virtual environments, simulating common daily situations on postural control in post-stroke patients, are scarce. This study is a first step to document the postural response of stroke patients to different challenging virtual environments. Five subacute stroke patients and fifteen age-matched healthy adults were included. All participants underwent posturographic tests in control conditions (open and closed eyes) and virtual environment without (one static condition) and with avatars (four dynamic conditions) using a head-mounted device for VR. In dynamic environments, we modulated the density of the virtual crowd (dense and light crowd) and the avoidance space with the avatars (near or far). Center of pressure velocity was collected by trial throughout randomized 30-s periods. Results showed that more challenging conditions (dynamic condition) induced greater postural disturbances in stroke patients than in healthy counterparts. Our study suggests that virtual reality environments should be adjusted in light of obtaining more or less challenging conditions.
New Evolution of Robotic Radical Prostatectomy: A Single Center Experience with PERUSIA Technique
Authors: Cochetti Giovanni , Del Zingaro Michele , Ciarletti Sara , Paladini Alessio , Felici Graziano , Stivalini Davide , Cellini Valerio , Mearini Ettore
Published: February 2021

Radical prostatectomy (RP) is the standard surgical treatment of organ-confined prostate cancer in patients with a life expectancy of at least 10 years. In a recent prospective study, we described the PERUSIA (Posterior, Extraperitoneal, Robotic, Under Santorini, Intrafascial, Anterograde) technique, which is an extraperitoneal full nerve sparing robotic RP, showing its feasibility and safety. The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate the peri-operative, oncologic, and functional outcomes of the PERUSIA technique. We retrospectively analyzed the data of 454 robotic-assisted radical prostatectomies (RARP) performed using the PERUSIA technique from January 2012 to October 2019. We evaluated perioperative outcomes (operative time, estimated blood loss, catheterization time, complication rate, length of stay), oncological (positive surgical margins and biochemical recurrence), and functional outcomes in terms of urinary continence and sexual potency. The overall complication rate was 16%, positive surgical margins were 8.1%, and biochemical recurrence occurred in 8.6% at median follow-up of 47 months. Urinary continence was achieved in 69% of cases the day after the removal of the catheter, in 92% at 3 months, and in 97% at 12 months after surgery. The average rate of sexual potency was 72% and 82% respectively 3 and 12 months after surgery. Our findings show that the PERUSIA technique is a safe extraperitoneal approach to perform a full nerve sparing technique providing exciting functional outcomes.
An Efficiency Enhancing Methodology for Multiple Autonomous Vehicles in an Urban Network Adopting Deep Reinforcement Learning
Authors: Tran Quang-Duy , Bae Sang-Hoon
Published: February 2021

To reduce the impact of congestion, it is necessary to improve our overall understanding of the influence of the autonomous vehicle. Recently, deep reinforcement learning has become an effective means of solving complex control tasks. Accordingly, we show an advanced deep reinforcement learning that investigates how the leading autonomous vehicles affect the urban network under a mixed-traffic environment. We also suggest a set of hyperparameters for achieving better performance. Firstly, we feed a set of hyperparameters into our deep reinforcement learning agents. Secondly, we investigate the leading autonomous vehicle experiment in the urban network with different autonomous vehicle penetration rates. Thirdly, the advantage of leading autonomous vehicles is evaluated using entire manual vehicle and leading manual vehicle experiments. Finally, the proximal policy optimization with a clipped objective is compared to the proximal policy optimization with an adaptive Kullback–Leibler penalty to verify the superiority of the proposed hyperparameter. We demonstrate that full automation traffic increased the average speed 1.27 times greater compared with the entire manual vehicle experiment. Our proposed method becomes significantly more effective at a higher autonomous vehicle penetration rate. Furthermore, the leading autonomous vehicles could help to mitigate traffic congestion.
A Miniature Flapping Mechanism Using an Origami-Based Spherical Six-Bar Pattern
Authors: Bae Seung-Yong , Koh Je-Sung , Jung Gwang-Pil
Published: February 2021

In this paper, we suggest a novel transmission for the DC motor-based flapping-wing micro aerial vehicles (FWMAVs). Most DC motor-based FWMAVs employ linkage structures, such as a crank-rocker or a crank-slider, which are designed to transmit the motor’s rotating motion to the wing’s flapping motion. These transmitting linkages have shown successful performance; however, they entail the possibility of mechanical wear originating from the friction between relative moving components and require an onerous assembly process owing to several tiny components. To reduce the assembly process and wear problems, we present a geometrically constrained and origami-based spherical six-bar linkage. The origami-based fabrication method reduces the number of the relative moving components by replacing rigid links and pin joints with facets and folding joints, which shortens the assembly process and reduces friction between components. The constrained spherical six-bar linkage enables us to change the motor’s rotating motion to the linear reciprocating motion. Due to the property that every axis passes through a single central point, the motor’s rotating motion is filtered at the spherical linkage and does not transfer to the flapping wing. Only linear motion, therefore, is passed to the flapping wing. To show the feasibility of the idea, a prototype is fabricated and analyzed by measuring the flapping angle, the wing rotation angle and the thrust.
Decontamination of Powdery Foods Using an Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) Device for Practical Application
Authors: Hwang Hee-Jeong , Yee So-Yoon , Chung Myong-Soo
Published: February 2021

Controlling microbial problems when processing seeds and powdered foods is difficult due to their low water activity, irregular surfaces, and opaqueness. Moreover, existing thermal processing can readily cause various undesirable changes in sensory properties. Intense pulsed light (IPL) can be effective in nonthermal processing, and so two xenon lamps were attached to the sides of a self-designed cyclone type of pilot-scale IPL device. Each lamp was connected to its own power supply, and the following treatment conditions were applied to four sample types: lamp DC voltage of 1800–4200 V, pulse width of 0.5–1.0 ms, frequency of 2 Hz, and treatment time of 1–5 min. This device achieved reductions of 0.45, 0.66, and 0.88 log CFU/mL for ground black pepper, red pepper, and embryo buds of rice, respectively, under a total energy fluence of 12.31 J/cm2. Meanwhile, >3-log reductions were achieved for sesame seed samples under a total energy fluence of 11.26 J/cm2. In addition, analyses of color changes, water activity, and moisture content revealed no significant differences between the control and IPL-treated samples. These findings indicate that IPL treatment may be considered a feasible sterilization method for seeds and powdered foods.
Investigation of Mechanical Properties for Group Anchors
Authors: Cao Juncai , Zhang Nong , Wang Shanyong , Wei Qun
Published: February 2021

Prestressed anchor support is one of the most important support methods for coal mine roadways. As the coal mining depth increases, the adaptability of existing prestressed anchor has become weaker and weaker, which is mainly reflected in the current anchor prestress is much smaller than the support resistance required for the stability of the roadways and makes it difficult to effectively control the roadways. In order to solve the problem, a group anchor structure was proposed to realize higher prestressed anchor support technology and improve the support status of deep roadways. For coal mine roadways, group anchor structure is a new technology and new topic, and the design method and theoretical basis of the group anchor support are lacking. Therefore, the paper studied the bearing capacity of the group anchors through physical tests and numerical simulations. Among them, a special set of group anchor drawing tooling was designed and processed to match the physical test. The test results show that the group anchor structure can double the bearing capacity and bearing rigidity compared with traditional anchors, and the group anchor support can further optimize the support parameters to improve the bearing capacity of the surrounding rock. Therefore, the group anchor support is helpful to the stability control of the surrounding rock of the deep roadway.
Wheel Hub Defects Image Recognition Base on Zero-Shot Learning
Authors: Sun Xiaohong , Gu Jinan , Wang Meimei , Meng Yanhua , Shi Huichao
Published: February 2021

In the wheel hub industry, the quality control of the product surface determines the subsequent processing, which can be realized through the hub defect image recognition based on deep learning. Although the existing methods based on deep learning have reached the level of human beings, they rely on large-scale training sets, however, these models are completely unable to cope with the situation without samples. Therefore, in this paper, a generalized zero-shot learning framework for hub defect image recognition was built. First, a reverse mapping strategy was adopted to reduce the hubness problem, then a domain adaptation measure was employed to alleviate the projection domain shift problem, and finally, a scaling calibration strategy was used to avoid the recognition preference of seen defects. The proposed model was validated using two data sets, VOC2007 and the self-built hub defect data set, and the results showed that the method performed better than the current popular methods.
Dynamic Line Scan Thermography Optimisation Using Response Surfaces Implemented on PVC Flat Bottom Hole Plates
Authors: Verspeek Simon , Gladines Jona , Ribbens Bart , Maldague Xavier , Steenackers Gunther
Published: February 2021

Nowadays, performing dynamic line scan thermography (DLST) is very challenging, and therefore an expert is needed in order to predict the optimal set-up parameters. The parameters are mostly dependent on the material properties of the object to be inspected, but there are also correlations between the parameters themselves. The interrelationship is not always evident even for someone skilled in the art. Therefore, optimisation using response surface can give more insights in the interconnections between parameters, but also between the material properties and the variables. Performing inspections using an optimised parameter set will result in high contrast thermograms showing the size and shape of the defect accurately. Using response surfaces to predict the optimal parameter set enables to perform fast measurements without the need of extensive testing to find adequate measurement parameters. Differing from the optimal parameters will result in contrast loss or detail loss of the size and shape of the detected defect.
Estimation of the Optimum Energy Received by Solar Energy Flat-Plate Convertors in Greece Using Typical Meteorological Years. Part I: South-Oriented Tilt Angles
Authors: Kambezidis Harry D. , Psiloglou Basil E.
Published: February 2021

The optimal solar radiation received on an inclined surface is always critical for energy purposes at a location or in an area. Therefore, many attempts have been made worldwide to calculate the optimum tilt angle for this purpose. The present study gives an answer about the south-oriented inclination or inclinations of solar panels in Greece for maximum efficiency. The analysis shows that an angle of 25° (and 30° in some cases) facing south is the most appropriate. To calculate this, the energy sums received on surfaces with inclination angles of 0–60° with a step of 5°, including φ° (φ being the geographical latitude) facing south at 33 locations in Greece were analyzed monthly, seasonally, and annually. The solar radiation data used in this work comes from corresponding typical meteorological years (TMYs) generated for the above locations. TMYs are used for the first time worldwide for the study of the optimum energy received by solar panels tilted south. Four new energy zones are defined to cover the whole of Greece.
Fit for the Job: Proportion and the Portrayal of Cattle in Egyptian Old and Middle Kingdom Elite Tomb Imagery
Authors: Leary Nicolle
Published: February 2021

Depictions of the natural world are an intrinsic feature of Egyptian visual culture, with the vast array of imagery documenting animals a testimony to the fundamental role they played. Despite the significance of animals in Egypt, an anthropocentric bias still exists in research on the methods used by practitioners during initial scene composition. To help bridge the divide, the author herein undertook an investigation to determine if proportional guides were in place when rendering animal figures in ancient Egyptian elite tomb imagery of the Old and Middle Kingdoms. A notable outcome of the proportional analysis was the identification of two distinct body-types for domestic cattle (Bos taurus taurus). The aim of the current paper is to further examine these proportional differences to explore if variations in physique (namely the distance between the chest floor and withers) were rendered by Egyptian practitioners to reflect the conditions in which they appeared by considering two overarching factors: (1) biological factors and (2) contextual factors. As such, the study will employ proportional analysis to challenge the prevailing perspective of a deregulated approach when illustrating fauna in elite tomb imagery, highlighting the significance of animals within ancient Egypt.
Seasonal Prediction of Arctic Summer Sea Ice Concentration from a Partial Least Squares Regression Model
Authors: Ye Xiaochen , Wu Zhiwei
Published: February 2021

The past decade has witnessed a rapid decline in the Arctic sea ice and therefore has raised a rising demand for sea ice forecasts. In this study, based on an analysis of long-term Arctic summer sea ice concentration (SIC) and global sea surface temperature (SST) datasets, a physical–empirical (PE) partial least squares regression (PLSR) model is presented in order to predict the summer SIC variability around the key areas of the Arctic shipping route. First, the main SST modes closely associated with sea ice anomalies are found by the PLSR method. Then, a prediction model is reasonably established on the basis of these PLSR modes. We investigate the performance of the PE PLSR model by examining its reproducibility of the seasonal SIC variability. Results show that the proposed model turns out promising prediction reliability and accuracy for Arctic summer SIC change, thus providing a reference for the further study of Arctic SIC variability and global climate change.