bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effects of Dispersant on the Petroleum Hydrocarbon Biodegradation and Microbial Communities in Seawater from the Baltic Sea and Norwegian Sea
Authors: Tonteri Ossi , Reunamo Anna , Nousiainen Aura , Koskinen Laura , Nuutinen Jari , Truu Jaak , Jørgensen Kirsten S.
Published: March 2023

Dispersants have been used in several oil spill accidents, but little information is available on their effectiveness in Baltic Sea conditions with low salinity and cold seawater. This study investigated the effects of dispersant use on petroleum hydrocarbon biodegradation rates and bacterial community structures. Microcosm experiments were conducted at 5 °C for 12 days with North Sea crude oil and dispersant Finasol 51 with open sea Gulf of Bothnia and coastal Gulf of Finland and Norwegian Sea seawater. Petroleum hydrocarbon concentrations were analysed with GC-FID. Bacterial community structures were studied using 16S rDNA gene amplicon sequencing, and the abundance of genes involved in hydrocarbon degradation with quantitative PCR. The highest oil degradation gene abundances and oil removal were observed in microcosms with coastal seawater from the Gulf of Bothnia and Gulf of Finland, respectively, and the lowest in the seawater from the Norwegian Sea. Dispersant usage caused apparent effects on bacterial communities in all treatments; however, the dispersant’s effect on the biodegradation rate was unclear due to uncertainties with chemical analysis and variation in oil concentrations used in the experiments.
Urany-Less Low Voltage Transmission Electron Microscopy: A Powerful Tool for Ultrastructural Studying of Cyanobacterial Cells
Authors: Mrazova Katerina , Bacovsky Jaromir , Sedrlova Zuzana , Slaninova Eva , Obruca Stanislav , Fritz Ines , Krzyzanek Vladislav
Published: March 2023

Sample preparation protocols for conventional high voltage transmission electron microscopy (TEM) heavily rely on the usage of staining agents containing various heavy metals, most commonly uranyl acetate and lead citrate. However high toxicity, rising legal regulations, and problematic waste disposal of uranyl acetate have increased calls for the reduction or even complete replacement of this staining agent. One of the strategies for uranyless imaging is the employment of low-voltage transmission electron microscopy. To investigate the influence of different imaging and staining strategies on the final image of cyanobacterial cells, samples stained by uranyl acetate with lead citrate, as well as unstained samples, were observed using TEM and accelerating voltages of 200 kV or 25 kV. Moreover, to examine the possibilities of reducing chromatic aberration, which often causes issues when imaging using electrons of lower energies, samples were also imaged using a scanning transmission electron microscopy at 15 kV accelerating voltages. The results of this study demonstrate that low-voltage electron microscopy offers great potential for uranyless electron microscopy.
Development and Evaluation of the Properties of Active Films for High-Fat Fruit and Vegetable Packaging
Authors: Muñoz-Shugulí Cristina , Rodríguez-Mercado Francisco , Benbettaieb Nasreddine , Guarda Abel , Galotto María José , Debeaufort Frederic
Published: March 2023

β-cyclodextrin and allyl isothiocyanate inclusion complexes (β-CD:AITC) have been proposed for developing fresh fruit and vegetable packaging materials. Therefore, the aim of this research was to develop active materials based on poly(lactic acid) (PLA) loaded with β-CD:AITC and to assess changes in the material properties during the release of AITC to food simulants. PLA films with 0, 5 and 10 wt.% β-CD:AITC were developed by extrusion. Surface properties were determined from contact angle measurements. Films were immersed in water, aqueous and fatty simulants to assess the absorption capacity and the change in the thermal properties. Moreover, the release of AITC in both simulants was evaluated by UV-spectroscopy and kinetic parameters were determined by data modeling. Results showed that a higher concentration of β-CD:AITC increased the absorption of aqueous simulant of films, favoring the plasticization of PLA. However, the incorporation of β-CD:AITC also avoided the swelling of PLA in fatty simulant. These effects and complex relationships between the polymer, inclusion complexes and food simulant explained the non-systematic behavior in the diffusion coefficient. However, the lower partition coefficient and higher percentage of released AITC to the fatty simulant suggested the potential of these materials for high-fat fruit and vegetable active packaging applications.
Ionic Liquids as Promisingly Multi-Functional Participants for Electrocatalyst of Water Splitting: A Review
Authors: Zhang Chenyun , Qu Puyu , Zhou Mei , Qian Lidong , Bai Te , Jin Jianjiao , Xin Bingwei
Published: March 2023

Ionic liquids (ILs), as one of the most concerned functional materials in recent decades, have opened up active perspectives for electrocatalysis. In catalyst preparation, ILs act as characteristic active components besides media and templates. Compared with catalysts obtained using ordinary reagents, IL-derived catalysts have a special structure and catalytic performance due to the influence of IL’s special physicochemical properties and structures. This review mainly describes the use of ILs as modifiers and reaction reagents to prepare electrocatalysts for water splitting. The designability of ILs provides opportunities for the ingenious composition of cations or anions. ILs containing heteroatoms (N, O, S, P, etc.) and transition metal anion (FeCl4−, NiCl3−, etc.) can be used to directly prepare metal phosphides, sulfides, carbides and nitrides, and so forth. The special physicochemical properties and supramolecular structures of ILs can provide growth conditions for catalysts that are different from the normal media environment, inducing special structure and high performance. ILs as heteroatom sources are safe, green and easy to operate compared with traditional heteroatom sources. The strategy for using ILs as reagents is expected to realize 100% atomic transformation of reactants, in line with the concept of green chemistry. This review reflects the discovered work with the best findings from the literature. It will offer readers a deeper understanding on the development of IL-derived electrocatalysts and inspire them to ingeniously design high-performance electrocatalysts for water splitting.
Half-Sandwich Type Platinum-Group Metal Complexes of C-Glucosaminyl Azines: Synthesis and Antineoplastic and Antimicrobial Activities
Authors: Kacsir István , Sipos Adrienn , Major Evelin , Bajusz Nikolett , Bényei Attila , Buglyó Péter , Somsák László , Kardos Gábor , Bai Péter , Bokor Éva
Published: March 2023

While platinum-based compounds such as cisplatin form the backbone of chemotherapy, the use of these compounds is limited by resistance and toxicity, driving the development of novel complexes with cytostatic properties. In this study, we synthesized a set of half-sandwich complexes of platinum-group metal ions (Ru(II), Os(II), Ir(III) and Rh(III)) with an N,N-bidentate ligand comprising a C-glucosaminyl group and a heterocycle, such as pyridine, pyridazine, pyrimidine, pyrazine or quinoline. The sugar-containing ligands themselves are unknown compounds and were obtained by nucleophilic additions of lithiated heterocycles to O-perbenzylated 2-nitro-glucal. Reduction of the adducts and, where necessary, subsequent protecting group manipulations furnished the above C-glucosaminyl heterocycles in their O-perbenzylated, O-perbenzoylated and O-unprotected forms. The derived complexes were tested on A2780 ovarian cancer cells. Pyridine, pyrazine and pyridazine-containing complexes proved to be cytostatic and cytotoxic on A2780 cells, while pyrimidine and quinoline derivatives were inactive. The best complexes contained pyridine as the heterocycle. The metal ion with polyhapto arene/arenyl moiety also impacted on the biological activity of the complexes. Ruthenium complexes with p-cymene and iridium complexes with Cp* had the best performance in ovarian cancer cells, followed by osmium complexes with p-cymene and rhodium complexes with Cp*. Finally, the chemical nature of the protective groups on the hydroxyl groups of the carbohydrate moiety were also key determinants of bioactivity; in particular, O-benzyl groups were superior to O-benzoyl groups. The IC50 values of the complexes were in the low micromolar range, and, importantly, the complexes were less active against primary, untransformed human dermal fibroblasts; however, the anticipated therapeutic window is narrow. The bioactive complexes exerted cytostasis on a set of carcinomas such as cell models of glioblastoma, as well as breast and pancreatic cancers. Furthermore, the same complexes exhibited bacteriostatic properties against multiresistant Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus and Enterococcus clinical isolates in the low micromolar range.
Controlling Molecular Orientation of Small Molecular Dopant-Free Hole-Transport Materials: Toward Efficient and Stable Perovskite Solar Cells
Authors: Li Wenhui , Wu Chuanli , Han Xiuxun
Published: March 2023

Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) have great potential for future application. However, the commercialization of PSCs is limited by the prohibitively expensive and doped hole-transport materials (HTMs). In this regard, small molecular dopant-free HTMs are promising alternatives because of their low cost and high efficiency. However, these HTMs still have a lot of space for making further progress in both efficiency and stability. This review firstly provides outlining analyses about the important roles of molecular orientation when further enhancements in device efficiency and stability are concerned. Then, currently studied strategies to control molecular orientation in small molecular HTMs are presented. Finally, we propose an outlook aiming to obtain optimized molecular orientation in a cost-effective way.
Diastereoselective Synthesis of cis-2,6-Disubstituted Dihydropyrane Derivatives through a Competitive Silyl-Prins Cyclization versus Alternative Reaction Pathways
Authors: Peña Laura F. , López Enol , Sánchez-González Ángel , Barbero Asunción
Published: March 2023

A convenient regioselective synthesis of allyl- and vinylsilyl alcohols, from a common precursor, was described, by selecting the appropriate reaction conditions. Allyl- and vinylsilyl alcohols were tested in silyl-Prins cyclizations for the preparation of disubstituted oxygenated heterocycles in a one-pot sequential reaction. The methodology was sensitive to the structure of the starting alkenylsilyl alcohol and reaction conditions, with competitive pathways observed (particularly for allylsilyl alcohols), such as Peterson elimination and oxonia-Cope reactions. However, the use of vinylsilyl alcohols allowed the preparation of differently disubstituted cis-2,6-dihydropyrans in moderate to good yields. Computational studies support the proposed mechanism.
Impact of the Novel CoronaviruS (COVID-19) on Frontline PharmacIsts Roles and ServicEs: INSPIRE Worldwide Survey
Authors: Watson Kaitlyn E. , Lee Dillon H. , Nusair Mohammad B. , Al Hamarneh Yazid N.
Published: March 2023

Background: Pharmacy has been recognized as a vital healthcare profession during the COVID-19 pandemic. The primary objective of the INSPIRE Worldwide survey was to determine the impact of COVID-19 on pharmacy practice and pharmacists’ roles around the world. Methods: A cross-sectional online questionnaire with pharmacists who provided direct patient care during the pandemic. Participants were recruited through social media, with assistance from national and international pharmacy organizations between March 2021–May 2022. The questionnaire was divided into (1) demographics, (2) pharmacists’ roles, (3) communication strategies, and (4) practice challenges. The data were analyzed using SPSS 28, and descriptive statistics were used to report frequencies and percentages. Results: A total of 505 pharmacists practicing in 25 countries participated. The most common role that pharmacists undertook was responding to drug information requests (90%), followed by allaying patients’ fears and anxieties about COVID-19 (82.6%), and addressing misinformation about COVID-19 treatments and vaccinations (80.4%). The most common challenges were increased stress levels (84.7%), followed by medication shortages (73.8%), general supply shortages (71.8%), and inadequate staffing (69.2%). Conclusions: Pharmacists within this study were significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and took on new or adapted roles (e.g., providing COVID-specific information, managing patients’ emotions, and educating on public health measures) to meet the needs of their communities. Despite, the significant challenges (e.g., increased stress, supply chain challenges, addressing misinformation, and staffing shortages) faced by pharmacists, they continued to put their patients’ needs first and to provide pharmacy services.
Changes in Wavefront Error of the Eye for Different Accommodation Targets under the Application of Phenylephrine Hydrochloride
Authors: Mechó-García María , Blanco-Martínez Iñaki , Fernandes Paulo , Macedo-de-Araújo Rute J. , Faria-Ribeiro Miguel , González-Méijome José Manuel
Published: March 2023

Pharmacological dilation of the eye to have a larger pupil diameter may allow a better understanding of the wavefront error changes with accommodation. This work aimed to investigate whether dilation of the pupil with Phenylephrine Hydrochloride (PHCl) application changes the accommodative response and the Zernike coefficient magnitude with accommodative demand when computed to a common pupil size. Sixteen right eyes of healthy young subjects were measured with the commercial Hartmann–Shack aberrometer IRX3 (Imagine Eyes, Orsay, France) 30 min after two drops of 1.0% PHCl were applied. The eye wavefronts for accommodative demands from 0 to 5 D were measured in natural conditions and after pupil dilatation. Statistically significant differences between both conditions were found for the Zernike coefficients C3−1, C31, C40 and C60. Without the effect of PHCl, higher values were found for all higher-order Zernike coefficients (HOA). With increased accommodative response, an increase of C3−1 and a decrease of C31 was observed and the C40 becomes more negative; the change from positive to negative is shown in the accommodative demand of 1.5 D. Conversely, C60 increases with increasing accommodative demand. To conclude, the results demonstrated that the mydriatic effect of PHCl causes changes in the magnitude of HOA when accommodation is stimulated. The trends observed in the different Zernike coefficients were the same reported in previous studies.
The Lush Fucales Underwater Forests off the Cilento Coast: An Overlooked Mediterranean Biodiversity Hotspot
Authors: Rendina Francesco , Falace Annalisa , Alongi Giuseppina , Buia Maria Cristina , Neiva João , Appolloni Luca , Marletta Giuliana , Russo Giovanni Fulvio
Published: March 2023

Fucales (Phaeophyceae) are ecosystem engineers and forest-forming macroalgae whose populations are declining dramatically. In the Mediterranean Sea, Cystoseira sensu lato (s.l.)—encompassing the genera Cystoseira sensu stricto, Ericaria, and Gongolaria—is the most diverse group, and many species have been shown to be locally extinct in many areas, resulting in a shift toward structurally less complex habitats with the consequent loss of ecosystem functions and services. In this study, we report on the extensive occurrence of healthy and dense marine forests formed by Fucales in the Santa Maria di Castellabate Marine Protected Area in Cilento, Italy (Tyrrhenian Sea, Mediterranean). On a total area of 129.45 ha, 10 Cystoseira s.l. taxa were detected using a combined morphological and molecular approach, with an average cover of more than 70%. One of these taxa has been sequenced for the first time. These findings underline the high ecological value of this area as a hotspot of benthic biodiversity and highlight the importance of marine protected area management and regional monitoring programs to ensure the conservation of these valuable yet fragile coastal ecosystems.
Impact of Some Enzymatic Treatments on Acrylamide Content in Biscuits
Authors: El-Sayed Amr A. , Abdelhady Magdy M. , Jaafari Saleh A. , Alanazi Tariq M. , Mohammed Alaa S.
Published: March 2023

Since its discovery in many heat-treatment foods in 2002, many efforts have been made to reduce acrylamide levels in foods. Methods to reduce acrylamide levels by reducing Maillard reaction products have been considered. However, baking cookies produces acrylamide, a carcinogenic compound. This study aimed to use a new quantitative index and formula for L-asparaginase, glucose oxidase, their 1:1 blending enzymes, baker’s yeast, and green tea powder (0.5 g/kg wheat flour) at a new proposed temperature of 37 °C for 30 min to reduce acrylamide production in biscuits and bakery products using new indicators such as asparagine reduction (%), the asparagine/acrylamide ratio, acrylamide reduction (%), and the asparagine/reducing sugar ratio. The highest acrylamide concentrations were reduced from 865 mg/kg in the blank sample (BT0) to 260 and 215 mg/kg in the mixed enzyme powder (1:1) (BT3)- and BT4-treated samples, respectively. The biscuit samples treated with 0.5 g/kg L-asparaginase reduced the acrylamide levels by approximately 67.63%, while the BT3 samples showed acrylamide levels of 69.94% and asparagine levels of 68.75% and 47%, respectively, compared with percentage in the untreated sample (blank), 95%. This percentage was 54.16% for the BT4 samples. The results showed that acrylamide was formed during baking, and all treatment samples inhibited its formation, making it possible to produce foods with low levels of acrylamide in starchy foods in the food industry at 37 °C for 30 min and preserving the quality and nutritional value of the final product. It can be used as a specialty food or functional food and protects school-agechildren, as well as youth on campus, from approximately 70–80% of their daily intake of acrylamide.
Special Issue “Advance in Machine Learning”
Authors: Demertzis Konstantinos , Iliadis Lazaros , Tziritas Nikos , Kikiras Panayotis
Published: March 2023

Machine learning has increasingly become the bridge between theoretical knowledge and practical applications, transforming countless aspects of modern life [...]
A Study on the Calculation of the Standard Recycling Cost of PVC Profiles and Flooring Waste in Korea
Authors: Kim Do-Wan , Kim Kyung , Baek Choong-Real , Phae Chae-Gun
Published: March 2023

The Voluntary Agreement for Collecting and Recycling Plastic Waste (VA), including polyvinyl chloride (PVC) profiles and flooring materials, will be converted to an Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) system from 2023. The objective of this study is to calculate the standard recycling cost and the recycling market size for preparing the new system. Among the total recycling companies participating in the VA, a cost analysis was conducted for 11 profile businesses (35% of the total businesses) and seven flooring businesses (58% of the total businesses). As a result, the standard recycling cost was calculated as 0.45 USD/kg for PVC profiles and 0.36 USD/kg for PVC flooring materials. As of 2020, the total market size is 1135 million USD (5.86 million USD for PVC profiles and 5.49 million USD for PVC flooring materials). Our research shows that few countries have nationally managed accurate data regarding PVC profiles and flooring waste. Compared to the European Union (EU), the total amount of recycled PVC products in Korea seems lower, but the recycling rate per capita is higher. This study can provide basic data about the recycling industry for the recycling academia and the manufacturing field.
Energy-Aware IoT-Based Method for a Hybrid On-Wrist Fall Detection System Using a Supervised Dictionary Learning Technique
Authors: Othmen Farah , Baklouti Mouna , Lazzaretti André Eugenio , Hamdi Monia
Published: March 2023

In recent decades, falls have posed multiple critical health issues, especially for the older population, with their emerging growth. Recent research has shown that a wrist-based fall detection system offers an accessory-like comfortable solution for Internet of Things (IoT)-based monitoring. Nevertheless, an autonomous device for anywhere-anytime may present an energy consumption concern. Hence, this paper proposes a novel energy-aware IoT-based architecture for Message Queuing Telemetry Transport (MQTT)-based gateway-less monitoring for wearable fall detection. Accordingly, a hybrid double prediction technique based on Supervised Dictionary Learning was implemented to reinforce the detection efficiency of our previous works. A controlled dataset was collected for training (offline), while a real set of measurements of the proposed system was used for validation (online). It achieved a noteworthy offline and online detection performance of 99.8% and 91%, respectively, overpassing most of the related works using only an accelerometer. In the worst case, the system showed a battery consumption optimization by a minimum of 27.32 working hours, significantly higher than other research prototypes. The approach presented here proves to be promising for real applications, which require a reliable and long-term anywhere-anytime solution.
DEMIX: Domain-Enforced Memory Isolation for Embedded System
Authors: Kim Haeyoung , Larasati Harashta Tatimma , Park Jonguk , Kim Howon , Kwon Donghyun
Published: March 2023

Memory isolation is an essential technology for safeguarding the resources of lightweight embedded systems. This technique isolates system resources by constraining the scope of the processor’s accessible memory into distinct units known as domains. Despite the security offered by this approach, the Memory Protection Unit (MPU), the most common memory isolation method provided in most lightweight systems, incurs overheads during domain switching due to the privilege level intervention. However, as IoT environments become increasingly interconnected and more resources become required for protection, the significant overhead associated with domain switching under this constraint is expected to be crucial, making it harder to operate with more granular domains. To mitigate these issues, we propose DEMIX, which supports efficient memory isolation for multiple domains. DEMIX comprises two mainelements—Domain-Enforced Memory Isolation and instruction-level domain isolation—with the primary idea of enabling granular access control for memory by validating the domain state of the processor and the executed instructions. By achieving fine-grained validation of memory regions, our technique safely extends the supported domain capabilities of existing technologies while eliminating the overhead associated with switching between domains. Our implementation of eight user domains shows that our approach yields a hardware overhead of a slight 8% in Ibex Core, a very lightweight RISC-V processor.
A Model for Cognitive Personalization of Microtask Design
Authors: Paulino Dennis , Guimarães Diogo , Correia António , Ribeiro José , Barroso João , Paredes Hugo
Published: March 2023

The study of data quality in crowdsourcing campaigns is currently a prominent research topic, given the diverse range of participants involved. A potential solution to enhancing data quality processes in crowdsourcing is cognitive personalization, which involves appropriately adapting or assigning tasks based on a crowd worker’s cognitive profile. There are two common methods for assessing a crowd worker’s cognitive profile: administering online cognitive tests, and inferring behavior from task fingerprinting based on user interaction log events. This article presents the findings of a study that investigated the complementarity of both approaches in a microtask scenario, focusing on personalizing task design. The study involved 134 unique crowd workers recruited from a crowdsourcing marketplace. The main objective was to examine how the administration of cognitive ability tests can be used to allocate crowd workers to microtasks with varying levels of difficulty, including the development of a deep learning model. Another goal was to investigate if task fingerprinting can be used to allocate crowd workers to different microtasks in a personalized manner. The results indicated that both objectives were accomplished, validating the usage of cognitive tests and task fingerprinting as effective mechanisms for microtask personalization, including the development of a deep learning model with 95% accuracy in predicting the accuracy of the microtasks. While we achieved an accuracy of 95%, it is important to note that the small dataset size may have limited the model’s performance.
Mushroom Detection and Three Dimensional Pose Estimation from Multi-View Point Clouds
Authors: Retsinas George , Efthymiou Niki , Anagnostopoulou Dafni , Maragos Petros
Published: March 2023

Agricultural robotics is an up and coming field which deals with the development of robotic systems able to tackle a multitude of agricultural tasks efficiently. The case of interest, in this work, is mushroom collection in industrial mushroom farms. Developing such a robot, able to select and out-root a mushroom, requires delicate actions that can only be conducted if a well-performing perception module exists. Specifically, one should accurately detect the 3D pose of a mushroom in order to facilitate the smooth operation of the robotic system. In this work, we develop a vision module for 3D pose estimation of mushrooms from multi-view point clouds using multiple RealSense active–stereo cameras. The main challenge is the lack of annotation data, since 3D annotation is practically infeasible on a large scale. To address this, we developed a novel pipeline for mushroom instance segmentation and template matching, where a 3D model of a mushroom is the only data available. We evaluated, quantitatively, our approach over a synthetic dataset of mushroom scenes, and we, further, validated, qualitatively, the effectiveness of our method over a set of real data, collected by different vision settings.
Identification, 3D-Reconstruction, and Classification of Dangerous Road Cracks
Authors: Sghaier Souhir , Krichen Moez , Ben Dhaou Imed , Elmannai Hela , Alkanhel Reem
Published: March 2023

Advances in semiconductor technology and wireless sensor networks have permitted the development of automated inspection at diverse scales (machine, human, infrastructure, environment, etc.). However, automated identification of road cracks is still in its early stages. This is largely owing to the difficulty obtaining pavement photographs and the tiny size of flaws (cracks). The existence of pavement cracks and potholes reduces the value of the infrastructure, thus the severity of the fracture must be estimated. Annually, operators in many nations must audit thousands of kilometers of road to locate this degradation. This procedure is costly, sluggish, and produces fairly subjective results. The goal of this work is to create an efficient automated system for crack identification, extraction, and 3D reconstruction. The creation of crack-free roads is critical to preventing traffic deaths and saving lives. The proposed method consists of five major stages: detection of flaws after processing the input picture with the Gaussian filter, contrast adjustment, and ultimately, threshold-based segmentation. We created a database of road cracks to assess the efficacy of our proposed method. The result obtained are commendable and outperform previous state-of-the-art studies.
Machine Learning on Prediction of Relative Physical Activity Intensity Using Medical Radar Sensor and 3D Accelerometer
Authors: Biró Attila , Szilágyi Sándor Miklós , Szilágyi László , Martín-Martín Jaime , Cuesta-Vargas Antonio Ignacio
Published: March 2023

Background: One of the most critical topics in sports safety today is the reduction in injury risks through controlled fatigue using non-invasive athlete monitoring. Due to the risk of injuries, it is prohibited to use accelerometer-based smart trackers, activity measurement bracelets, and smart watches for recording health parameters during performance sports activities. This study analyzes the synergy feasibility of medical radar sensors and tri-axial acceleration sensor data to predict physical activity key performance indexes in performance sports by using machine learning (ML). The novelty of this method is that it uses a 24 GHz Doppler radar sensor to detect vital signs such as the heartbeat and breathing without touching the person and to predict the intensity of physical activity, combined with the acceleration data from 3D accelerometers. Methods: This study is based on the data collected from professional athletes and freely available datasets created for research purposes. A combination of sensor data management was used: a medical radar sensor with no-contact remote sensing to measure the heart rate (HR) and 3D acceleration to measure the velocity of the activity. Various advanced ML methods and models were employed on the top of sensors to analyze the vital parameters and predict the health activity key performance indexes. three-axial acceleration, heart rate data, age, as well as activity level variances. Results: The ML models recognized the physical activity intensity and estimated the energy expenditure on a realistic level. Leave-one-out (LOO) cross-validation (CV), as well as out-of-sample testing (OST) methods, have been used to evaluate the level of accuracy in activity intensity prediction. The energy expenditure prediction with three-axial accelerometer sensors by using linear regression provided 97–99% accuracy on selected sports (cycling, running, and soccer). The ML-based RPE results using medical radar sensors on a time-series heart rate (HR) dataset varied between 90 and 96% accuracy. The expected level of accuracy was examined with different models. The average accuracy for all the models (RPE and METs) and setups was higher than 90%. Conclusions: The ML models that classify the rating of the perceived exertion and the metabolic equivalent of tasks perform consistently.
Microwave Frequency Doubler with Improved Stabilization of Output Power
Authors: Kwiatkowski Piotr , Knioła Michał , Szczepaniak Zenon
Published: March 2023

The passive multipliers based on semiconductor diodes, most frequently a Schottky type, should be driven by a certain value of input power, where the conversion losses are optimal. This means that the variation in the input power level causes the change in the output power level. A solution to this issue is the integration of an output power amplifier, which in the state of saturation provides quasi-stabilization of the output power. Practically, this approach gives an unsatisfactory performance: weak stabilization or narrow input power range. This paper comprises a concept of an active frequency multiplier with the use of one FET transistor and a special adaptive bias circuit in order to obtain a very wide input power range when the output power is stable. The principle of the operation, design guidelines, and measurement results have been presented for an example circuit of the frequency doubler. The results show the possibility to obtain up to 10 dB input power range for a 1 dB change in output power level without the use of additional amplifiers.
Contactless Interface Using Exhaled Breath and Thermal Imaging
Authors: Lee Kanghoon , Park Jong-Il
Published: March 2023

A new type of interface using a conduction hot spot reflecting the user’s intention is presented. Conventional methods using fingertips to generate conduction hot points cannot be applied to those who have difficulty using their hands or cold hands. In order to overcome this problem, an exhaling interaction using a hollow rod is proposed and extensively analyzed in this paper. A preliminary study on exhaling interaction demonstrated the possibility of the method. This paper is an attempt to develop and extend the concept and provide the necessary information for properly implementing the interaction method. We have repeatedly performed conduction hot-point-generation experiments on various materials that can replace walls or screens to make wide use of the proposed interfaces. Furthermore, a lot of experiments have been conducted in different seasons, considering that the surface temperature of objects also changes depending on the season. Based on the results of an extensive amount of experiments, we provide key observations on important factors such as material, season, and user condition, which should be considered for realizing contactless exhaling interfaces.
Vision-Autocorrect: A Self-Adapting Approach towards Relieving Eye-Strain Using Facial-Expression Recognition
Authors: Mutanu Leah , Gohil Jeet , Gupta Khushi
Published: March 2023

The last two years have seen a rapid rise in the duration of time that both adults and children spend on screens, driven by the recent COVID-19 health pandemic. A key adverse effect is digital eye strain (DES). Recent trends in human-computer interaction and user experience have proposed voice or gesture-guided designs that present more effective and less intrusive automated solutions. These approaches inspired the design of a solution that uses facial expression recognition (FER) techniques to detect DES and autonomously adapt the application to enhance the user’s experience. This study sourced and adapted popular open FER datasets for DES studies, trained convolutional neural network models for DES expression recognition, and designed a self-adaptive solution as a proof of concept. Initial experimental results yielded a model with an accuracy of 77% and resulted in the adaptation of the user application based on the FER classification results. We also provide the developed application, model source code, and adapted dataset used for further improvements in the area. Future work should focus on detecting posture, ergonomics, or distance from the screen.
Leg Dominance—Surface Stability Interaction: Effects on Postural Control Assessed by Smartphone-Based Accelerometry
Authors: Promsri Arunee , Bangkomdet Kotchakorn , Jindatham Issariya , Jenchang Thananya
Published: March 2023

The preferential use of one leg over another in performing lower-limb motor tasks (i.e., leg dominance) is considered to be one of the internal risk factors for sports-related lower-limb injuries. The current study aimed to investigate the effects of leg dominance on postural control during unipedal balancing on three different support surfaces with increasing levels of instability: a firm surface, a foam pad, and a multiaxial balance board. In addition, the interaction effect between leg dominance and surface stability was also tested. To this end, a tri-axial accelerometer-based smartphone sensor was placed over the lumbar spine (L5) of 22 young adults (21.5 ± 0.6 years) to record postural accelerations. Sample entropy (SampEn) was applied to acceleration data as a measure of postural sway regularity (i.e., postural control complexity). The results show that leg dominance (p < 0.001) and interaction (p < 0.001) effects emerge in all acceleration directions. Specifically, balancing on the dominant (kicking) leg shows more irregular postural acceleration fluctuations (high SampEn), reflecting a higher postural control efficiency or automaticity than balancing on the non-dominant leg. However, the interaction effects suggest that unipedal balancing training on unstable surfaces is recommended to reduce interlimb differences in neuromuscular control for injury prevention and rehabilitation.
Exploration of the Adaptive Capacity of Residents of Remote Mountain Villages
Authors: Chen Shu-Hsun , Tsai Bor-Wen
Published: March 2023

It is important to understand how residents in highly vulnerable natural and social environments, e.g., remote mountain villages, adapt to extreme climate shocks. Taking Shenmu Village in Xinyi Township, Nantou County, central Taiwan, as an example, this study examined the adaptive capacity of residents in this remote and mountainous area from the perspective of social capital and institutions. The empirical data for this study were collected from two sources: the Public Participation Geographic Information System Workshop and in-depth interviews with the residents of Shenmu Village. The results of the study reveal that the residents of Shenmu Village adopted agricultural adaptation strategies by switching crop types and utilizing diversified crop production spaces. Their adaptive capacities are based on mutual assistance and reciprocity, networks, local knowledge, mountain area and land management policies, and improvements in transportation and communication infrastructure in central Taiwan. This study can provide a reference for the sustainable development of remote mountain villages.
Architectural, Civil, and Infrastructure Engineering in View of Sustainability: Editor’s Comment
Authors: Kapliński Oleg
Published: March 2023

Sustainability in engineering has been one of the most often discussed topics in recent years and is one of the key factors in the engineering and economics of a sustainable environment [...]
Acute Exposure to Arsenic Affects Pupal Development and Neurological Functions in Drosophila melanogaster
Authors: Anushree  , Ali Md Zeeshan , Bilgrami Anwar L. , Ahsan Jawaid
Published: March 2023

Millions of people in developing countries are affected by arsenic (As) toxicity and its prevalence. Arsenic’s detrimental effects on humans have been amplified by an unacceptable level of exposure to food and drinking water, the ongoing rise in industrial usage, and several other occupational conditions. Due to increased cellular absorption and the ability to cross the blood–brain barrier (BBB), inorganic arsenic (iAs) is extremely hazardous to living organisms in its trivalent form. Arsenic toxicity damages an organism’s tissues and organs, resulting in skin cancer, circulatory system abnormalities, and central nervous system disorders. However, a competent model system is required to investigate the acute effects of arsenic on the brain, cognition ability, and to assess any behavioral impairment. Hence, Drosophila, with its short generation time, genomic similarities with humans, and its availability for robust behavioral paradigms, may be considered an ideal model for studying arsenic toxicity. The present study helps to understand the toxic effects of acute arsenic treatment on the behavior, cognition, and development of Drosophila in a time-dependent manner. We found that the exposure of fruit flies to arsenic significantly affected their locomotor abilities, pupae size, cognitive functions, and neurobehavioral impairment. Hence, providing a better understanding of how arsenic toxicity affects the brain leading to acute behavioral disorders and neurological alterations, this study will lead to a better understanding of the mechanisms.
Dark Energy Is the Cosmological Quantum Vacuum Energy of Light Particles—The Axion and the Lightest Neutrino
Authors: de Vega Héctor J. , Sanchez Norma G.
Published: March 2023

We uncover the general mechanism and the nature of today’s dark energy (DE). This is only based on well-known quantum physics and cosmology. We show that the observed DE today originates from the cosmological quantum vacuum of light particles, which provides a continuous energy distribution able to reproduce the data. Bosons give positive contributions to the DE, while fermions yield negative contributions. As usual in field theory, ultraviolet divergences are subtracted from the physical quantities. The subtractions respect the symmetries of the theory, and we normalize the physical quantities to be zero for the Minkowski vacuum. The resulting finite contributions to the energy density and the pressure from the quantum vacuum grow as loga(t), where a(t) is the scale factor, while the particle contributions dilute as 1/a3(t), as it must be for massive particles. We find the explicit dark energy equation of state of today to be P=w(z)H: it turns to be slightly w(z)<−1 with w(z) asymptotically reaching the value −1 from below. A scalar particle can produce the observed dark energy through its quantum cosmological vacuum provided that (i) its mass is of the order of 10−3 eV = 1 meV, (ii) it is very weakly coupled, and (iii) it is stable on the time scale of the age of the universe. The axion vacuum thus appears as a natural candidate. The neutrino vacuum (especially the lightest mass eigenstate) can give negative contributions to the dark energy. We find that w(z=0) is slightly below −1 by an amount ranging from (−1.5×10−3) to (−8×10−3) and we predict the axion mass to be in the range between 4 and 5 meV. We find that the universe will expand in the future faster than the de Sitter universe as an exponential in the square of the cosmic time. Dark energy today arises from the quantum vacuum of light particles in FRW cosmological space-time in an analogous way to the Casimir vacuum effect of quantum fields in Minkowski space-time with non-trivial boundary conditions.
Use of Computed Tomography and Magnetic Resonance Angiograms Combined with a 3D Surgical Guide in an Elderly Cat with an Occipital Lobe Meningioma
Authors: Byun Pillmoo , Roh Yoonho , Lee Haebeom , Jeong Jaemin
Published: March 2023

We present a case of occipital lobe meningioma resection in an elderly cat. The surgery was performed with the goal of avoiding major bleeding. An 11-year-old castrated indoor-only male Persian Chinchilla (5.5 kg) was presented with a month-long history of progressive tetraparesis for a left occipital lobe meningioma. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed a T2-weighted heterogeneously hyperintensity and a T1-weighted well-contrast enhancing extradural mass in the left occipital lobe of the brain. Cerebral angiographic data were obtained using magnetic resonance (MRA) and computed tomography angiography (CTA). Advanced angiograms and virtual reconstruction of images revealed that the tumor was surrounded by the caudal parasagittal meningeal vein. A left caudal rostrotentorial craniotomy and en bloc resection of the tumor were performed, and histopathology revealed a meningioma. Complete neurological recovery was achieved within 10 days after surgery. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case report describing CTA and MRA findings and favorable clinical outcomes after surgical management of a brain meningioma without severe perioperative complications.
Association of strong opioids and antibiotics prescribing with GP burnout: a retrospective cross-sectional study
Authors: Hodkinson Alexander , Zghebi Salwa S , Kontopantelis Evangelos , Grigoroglou Christos , Ashcroft Darren M , Hann Mark , Chew-Graham Carolyn A , Payne Rupert A , Little Paul , de Lusignan Simon , Zhou Anli , Esmail Aneez , Panagioti Maria
Published: March 2023

Background

Prescribing of strong opioids and antibiotics impacts patient safety, yet little is known about the effects GP wellness has on overprescribing of both medications in primary care.

Aim

To examine associations between strong opioid and antibiotic prescribing and practice- weighted GP burnout and wellness.

Design and setting

A retrospective cross-sectional study was undertaken using prescription data on strong opioids and antibiotics from the Oxford- Royal College of General Practitioners Research and Surveillance Centre linking to a GP wellbeing survey overlaying the same 4-month period from December 2019 to April 2020.

Method

Patients prescribed strong opioids and antibiotics were the outcomes of interest.

Results

Data for 40 227 patients (13 483 strong opioids and 26 744 antibiotics) were linked to 57 practices and 351 GPs. Greater strong opioid prescribing was associated with increased emotional exhaustion (incidence risk ratio [IRR] 1.19, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.10 to 1.24), depersonalisation (IRR 1.10, 95% CI = 1.01 to 1.16), job dissatisfaction (IRR 1.25, 95% CI = 1.19 to 1.32), diagnostic uncertainty (IRR 1.12, 95% CI = 1.08 to 1.19), and turnover intention (IRR 1.32, 95% CI = 1.27 to 1.37) in GPs. Greater antibiotic prescribing was associated with increased emotional exhaustion (IRR 1.19, 95% CI = 1.05 to 1.37), depersonalisation (IRR 1.24, 95% CI = 1.08 to 1.49), job dissatisfaction (IRR 1.11, 95% CI = 1.04 to 1.19), sickness–presenteeism (IRR 1.18, 95% CI = 1.11 to 1.25), and turnover intention (IRR 1.38, 95% CI = 1.31 to 1.45) in GPs. Increased strong opioid and antibiotic prescribing was also found in GPs working longer hours (IRR 3.95, 95% CI = 3.39 to 4.61; IRR 5.02, 95% CI = 4.07 to 6.19, respectively) and in practices in the north of England (1.96, 95% CI = 1.61 to 2.33; 1.56, 95% CI = 1.12 to 3.70, respectively).

Conclusion

This study found higher rates of prescribing of strong opioids and antibiotics in practices with GPs with more burnout symptoms, greater job dissatisfaction, and turnover intentions; working longer hours; and in practices in the north of England serving more deprived populations.
Symptom appraisal and help seeking in males with symptoms of possible prostate cancer: a qualitative study with an ethnically diverse sample in London
Authors: Shaw Ben , Walter Fiona M , Hamilton William , Martins Tanimola
Published: March 2023

Background

Prostate cancer mortality in Black males is disproportionately high. This problem may be overcome by reducing delays in the pathway to diagnosis, particularly those occurring before initial medical help seeking. A greater understanding of symptom appraisal and help seeking could support the development of targeted interventions for improving early presentation among Black males.

Aim

To provide an in-depth understanding of males' pre-consultation experiences following the onset of symptoms of possible prostate cancer, identifying both general trends as well as potential differences that may exist between Black and White males.

Design and setting

Qualitative study of 18 males (nine Black, nine White) in London, UK, who had recently seen their GP with urinary symptoms, erectile dysfunction, or haematuria.

Method

Semi-structured interviews from a previous multi-methods study of primary care use by males with symptoms of possible prostate cancer were analysed using thematic framework analysis.

Results

Symptoms were often interpreted by patients as unimportant. Most delays occurred due to the absence of reasons to seek help, which, in Black males, often stemmed from poor awareness of prostate cancer. This lack of awareness could have been a consequence of their reluctance to seek health information and discuss health issues with others in their social network. Friends and relatives played an important role in symptom appraisal and help seeking.

Conclusion

Cognitive biases, cultural stigmas, and everyday interpersonal interactions should be important areas at which to target strategies seeking to reduce delays and improve early presentation in males with possible prostate cancer, particularly Black males.