bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Remote, but Connected
Authors: Shrestha Nischal , Barik Titus , Parnin Chris
Published: April 2021

Data science practitioners face the challenge of continually honing their skills such as data wrangling and visualization. As data scientists seek online spaces to network, learn and share resources with one another, each individual has to employ their own ad-hoc strategy to practice their data science skills. Given these disjointed efforts, it is crucial to ask: how can we build an inclusive, welcoming online community of practice that unites data scientists in their collective efforts to become experts? Daily hashtags on Twitter are used on specific days and have shown promise in forming a community of practice (CoP) in social networking sites like Twitter, but how do they benefit the community and its members? To understand how daily hashtags benefit data scientists and form an online CoP, we conducted a qualitative study on #TidyTuesday---a daily hashtag project for data scientists using R---using the framework of CoP as a lens for analysis. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 26 participants and uncovered motivations behind their participation in #TidyTuesday, how the project benefited them, and how it cultivated an online CoP. Our findings contribute to the CSCW research on community of practices by providing design trade-offs of using daily hashtags on Twitter, and guidelines on growing and sustaining an online community of practice for data scientists.
Belonging There
Authors: Jones Brennan , Zhang Yaying , Wong Priscilla N. Y. , Rintel Sean
Published: April 2021

The world is entering a new normal of hybrid organisations, in which it will be common that some members are co-located and others are remote. Hybridity is rife with asymmetries that affect our sense of belonging in an organisational space. This paper reports a study of an XR Telepresence technology probe to explore how remote workers might present themselves and be perceived as an equal and unique embodied being in a workplace. VROOM (Virtual Robot Overlay for Online Meetings) augments a standard Mobile Robotic Telepresence experience by (1) adding a virtual avatar overlay of the remote person to the local space, viewable through a HoloLens worn by the local user, through which the remote user can gesture and express themselves, and (2) giving the remote user an immersive 360° view of the local space, captured by a 360° camera on the robot, which they can view through a VR headset. We ran a study to understand how pairs of participants (one local and one remote) collaborate using VROOM in a search and word-guessing game. Our findings illustrate that there is much potential for a system like VROOM to support dynamic collaborative activities in which embodiment, gesturing, mobility, spatial awareness, and non-verbal expressions are important. However, there are also challenges to be addressed, specifically around proprioception, the mixing of a physical robot body with a virtual human avatar, uncertainties of others' views and capabilities, fidelity of expressions, and the appearance of the avatar. We conclude with further design suggestions and recommendations for future work.
Delivery Work and the Experience of Social Isolation
Authors: Seetharaman Bhavani , Pal Joyojeet , Hui Julie
Published: April 2021

The isolating nature of platform-based work, particularly gig work involving deliveries, has created unintended consequences over how workers engage with peers, friends, family, and society in general. We performed a qualitative study involving interviews with 21 delivery workers in Bangalore, India to understand how workers experienced and responded to social isolation perpetuated by the nature and daily function of their work. We found that the stigma and individual nature of app-based delivery work restricts access to inter-relational and instrumental support. As a response, workers organized peer networks for both companionship and emergency assistance. We analyze how the cultural context of India heightens these experiences, and offer ideas for mitigating the risks of isolation as a result of gig work.
Moderator Chatbot for Deliberative Discussion
Authors: Kim Soomin , Eun Jinsu , Seering Joseph , Lee Joonhwan
Published: April 2021

Online chat functions as a discussion channel for diverse social issues. However, deliberative discussion and consensus-reaching can be difficult in online chats in part because of the lack of structure. To explore the feasibility of a conversational agent that enables deliberative discussion, we designed and developed DebateBot, a chatbot that structures discussion and encourages reticent participants to contribute. We conducted a 2 (discussion structure: unstructured vs. structured) × 2 (discussant facilitation: unfacilitated vs. facilitated) between-subjects experiment (N = 64, 12 groups). Our findings are as follows: (1) Structured discussion positively affects discussion quality by generating diverse opinions within a group and resulting in a high level of perceived deliberative quality. (2) Facilitation drives a high level of opinion alignment between group consensus and independent individual opinions, resulting in authentic consensus reaching. Facilitation also drives more even contribution and a higher level of task cohesion and communication fairness. Our results suggest that a chatbot agent could partially substitute for a human moderator in deliberative discussions.
Values (Mis)alignment
Authors: DeVito Michael Ann , Walker Ashley Marie , Fernandez Julia R.
Published: April 2021

Social platforms hold great promise for supporting marginalized communities, such as the LGBTQ+ community, yet they are frequently sites of further stigmatization and harm. By engaging a diverse sample of 31 US LGBTQ+ users in five qualitative, design-based value elicitation exercises, we find that misalignments between perceived platform values and the values of the marginalized users they serve are at the heart of this disconnect. We inductively identify two community-based design values for supporting LGBTQ+ users: self-determination and inclusion. These values can be used as design heuristics for both improving existing platforms as well as guiding future new platform development. Based on participant feedback, we provide directions for enacting these values to better align platform values with this marginalized population's needs.
Let's Talk It Out
Authors: Tian Xiaoyi , Risha Zak , Ahmed Ishrat , Lekshmi Narayanan Arun Balajiee , Biehl Jacob
Published: April 2021

Research has shown study habits and skills to be correlated with academic success, calling for a deeper comprehension of these behaviors and processes to design effective interventions for struggling students. Chatbots have recently been used as a persuasive technology to help support behavioral change, making them an intriguing design space for students' study habits and skills. This paper investigated the feasibility of using chatbots for promoting behavioral change of college students majoring in Computer Science (CS). We conducted semi-structured interviews with CS peer-tutors and surveyed university freshmen to understand students' study habits and identify technical intervention opportunities. Inspired by the findings, we designed StudyBuddy, a chatbot prototype deployed in Slack that periodically sends tips, provides assessments of students' study habits via surveys, helps the students break down assignments, recommends academic resources, and sends reminders. We evaluated the usability of the prototype in-depth with 8 students (both first-year and senior students) and 5 course instructors followed by a large scale evaluative survey (n=117) using video of the prototype. Our research identified important design challenges such as building trust and preserving privacy, limiting interaction costs, and supporting both immediate and long-term sustainable support. Likewise, we proposed design recommendations that demonstrate context awareness, personalize the experience based on user preferences, and adapt over time as students mature and grow.
Declarative Variables in Online Dating
Authors: Pidoux Jessica , Kuntz Pascale , Gatica-Perez Daniel
Published: April 2021

Declarative variables of self-description have a long-standing tradition in matchmaking media. With the advent of online dating platforms and their brand positioning, the volume and semantics of variables vary greatly across apps. However, a variable landscape across multiple platforms, providing an in-depth understanding of the dating structure offered to users, has hitherto been absent in the literature. In this study, more than 300 declarative variables from 22 Anglophone and Francophone dating apps are examined. A mixed-method research design is used, combining hierarchical classification with an interview analysis of nine founders and developers in the industry. We present a new typology of variables in nine categories and a classification of dating apps, which highlights a double mimetic-distinctive mechanism in the variable definition and reflects the dating market. From the interviews, we extract three main factors concerning the economic and sociotechnical framework of coding practices, the actors' personal experience, and the development methodologies including user traces that influence this mechanism. This work, which to our knowledge is the most extensive thus far on dating app declarative variables, provides a new perspective on the analysis of the intersection between developers and users of online dating, which is mediated through variables, among other components.
User-Centered Design of a Mobile App to Support Peer Recovery in a Clinical Setting
Authors: Pater Jessica A. , Phelan Chanda , Cornet Victor P. , Ahmed Ryan , Colletta Sarah , Hess Erik , Kerrigan Connie , Toscos Tammy
Published: April 2021

The use of legal and illegal drugs has grown to such an acute level that it now represents a public health crisis in the United States. To support clinical treatments of substance use disorders (SUDs), formal non-clinical peer recovery support programs pairing coaches with people new to recovery are gaining in popularity. Using a user-centered design approach, we designed a mobile application to support the peer coach recovery program of a health system. The application addresses the needs associated with the coaches' workflows, encompasses social supports for recoverees, and provides a space for fostering the coach-recoveree relationship. Finally, we then evaluated a prototype with recoverees and program coaches. Through this process, we identified tensions between stakeholder needs and translated these tensions into design features and future design considerations.
Challenging Passive Social Media Use
Authors: Brewer Robin N. , Schoenebeck Sarita , Lee Kerry , Suryadevara Haripriya
Published: April 2021

Older adults are often portrayed as passive social media users who consume content rather than actively posting content. However, this binary divide between active and passive social media use overlooks nuanced kinds of engagement online. Via an eye-tracking study of older adults' Facebook use, this work shows how not clicking or commenting on content can involve engaged kinds of social media use even if they are not visible to other users or to the platform. Older adults' decisions to not actively click or comment on social media content---an act which is often associated with non-engagement---can be intentional and relational acts of caregiving. We draw from feminist care theories to draw parallels between the invisibility of care work that older adults do on social media and the invisibility often rendered in their offline lives. We discuss theoretical, methodological, and design implications for supporting older adults as engaged participants in relational and intentional care work.
The Expertise Involved in Deciding which HITs are Worth Doing on Amazon Mechanical Turk
Authors: Hanrahan Benjamin V. , Chen Anita , Ma JiaHua , Ma Ning F. , Squicciarini Anna , Savage Saiph
Published: April 2021

Crowdworkers depend on Amazon Mechanical Turk (AMT) as an important source of income and it is left to workers to determine which tasks on AMT are fair and worth completing. While there are existing tools that assist workers in making these decisions, workers still spend significant amounts of time finding fair labor. Difficulties in this process may be a contributing factor in the imbalance between the median hourly earnings ($2.00/hour) and what the average requester pays ($11.00/hour). In this paper, we study how novices and experts select what tasks are worth doing. We argue that differences between the two populations likely lead to the wage imbalances. For this purpose, we first look at workers' comments in TurkOpticon (a tool where workers share their experience with requesters on AMT). We use this study to start to unravel what fair labor means for workers. In particular, we identify the characteristics of labor that workers consider is of "good quality'' and labor that is of "poor quality'' (e.g., work that pays too little.) Armed with this knowledge, we then conduct an experiment to study how experts and novices rate tasks that are of both good and poor quality. Through our research we uncover that experts and novices both treat good quality labor in the same way. However, there are significant differences in how experts and novices rate poor quality labor, and whether they believe the poor quality labor is worth doing. This points to several future directions, including machine learning models that support workers in detecting poor quality labor, and paths for educating novice workers on how to make better labor decisions on AMT.
Individually Vulnerable, Collectively Safe
Authors: Murthy Savanthi , Bhat Karthik S. , Das Sauvik , Kumar Neha
Published: April 2021

Older adults are especially vulnerable to online cybersecurity and privacy (SP) threats, such as phishing, ransomware, and targeted misinformation campaigns. Prior work has suggested that this vulnerability may be addressed with the design of social SP interfaces, such that groups of individuals might work together on behalf of one another to manage SP threats collectively. To this end, we present findings from a qualitative inquiry conducted with older adults and members of technology-rich middle-income households in urban India, where technology users have been shown to engage in relatively more social SP practices. Our research examines the collaborative behaviors enacted by different members of the household for protection from SP threats. In particular, we show how self-appointed family technology managers straddle the line between stewardship and paternalism in their efforts to protect older adults from perceived digital threats. We also offer design implications for supporting collaborative cybersecurity within households based on the insights derived from our analysis.
I Want to, but First I Need to
Authors: Rivera Veronica A. , Lee David T.
Published: April 2021

Career development is vital for ensuring a happy and productive workforce, and for maintaining relevance in a rapidly changing economy shaped by technological progress. Yet career development is largely ignored in crowdwork. Crowdwork platforms like Amazon Mechanical Turk (AMT) do not support crowdworkers in reskilling and changing careers. In this paper, we study the career goals of AMT workers and the challenges they face in trying to transition out of crowdwork and into high-skill jobs offline or into specialized freelance work. We performed a qualitative study in which we surveyed 20 AMT workers and interviewed 6 of them about their career goals, how they are currently pursuing them, and the challenges they have faced. We found that crowdworkers aspire to transition out of AMT but face challenges due to lack of career guidance, and limited time and financial resources. Drawing on literature in career studies and organization science, we discuss how crowdworkers' challenges are further aggravated by the enviornment on AMT, and provide implications for future research and design that may better support crowdworkers in making a career change.
Social Media through Voice
Authors: Zhang Lotus , Jiang Lucy , Washington Nicole , Liu Augustina Ao , Shao Jingyao , Fourney Adam , Morris Meredith Ringel , Findlater Leah
Published: April 2021

With advances in expressive speech synthesis and conversational understanding, an ever-increasing amount of digital content---including social and personal content---can be consumed through voice. Voice has long been known to convey personal characteristics and emotional states, both of which are prominent aspects of social media. Yet, no study has investigated voice design requirements for social media platforms. We interviewed 15 active social media users about their preferences on using synthesized voices to represent their profiles. Our findings show that participants want to have control over how a voice delivers their content, such as the personality and emotion with which the voice speaks, because these prosodic variations can impact users' online personas and interfere with impression management. We report motivations behind customizing or not customizing voice characteristics in different scenarios, and uncover key challenges around usability and the potential for stereotyping. We argue that synthesized speech for social media should be evaluated not only on listening experience and voice quality but also on its expressivity, degree of customizability, and ability to adapt to contexts (e.g., social media platforms, groups, individual posts). We discuss how our contribution confirms and extends knowledge of voice technology design and online self-presentation, and offer design considerations for voice personalization related to social interactions.
Jane Jacobs in the Sky
Authors: Scepanovic Sanja , Joglekar Sagar , Law Stephen , Quercia Daniele
Published: April 2021

The presence of people in an urban area throughout the day -- often called 'urban vitality' -- is one of the qualities world-class cities aspire to the most, yet it is one of the hardest to achieve. Back in the 1970s, Jane Jacobs theorized urban vitality and found that there are four conditions required for the promotion of life in cities: diversity of land use, small block sizes, the mix of economic activities, and concentration of people. To build proxies for those four conditions and ultimately test Jane Jacobs's theory at scale, researchers have had to collect both private and public data from a variety of sources, and that took decades. Here we propose the use of one single source of data, which happens to be publicly available: Sentinel-2 satellite imagery. In particular, since the first two conditions (diversity of land use and small block sizes) are visible to the naked eye from satellite imagery, we tested whether we could automatically extract them with a state-of-the-art deep-learning framework and whether, in the end, the extracted features could predict vitality. In six Italian cities for which we had call data records, we found that our framework is able to explain on average 55% of the variance in urban vitality extracted from those records.
Initial Stages of Oxidation Reactions of Ethylene Carbonate and Fluoroethylene Carbonate on LixCoO2 Surfaces: A DFT Study
Authors: Lin Min , Yang Xuerui , Zheng Xi , Zheng Jianming , Cheng Jun , Yang Yong
Published: April 2021

Electrolytes based on fluorinated carbonate have been developed for improving the high−voltage performance of lithium ion batteries (LIBs). However, the functioning mechanism of fluorinated carbonate is still controversial. In this work, density functional theory (DFT) calculations are applied to investigate the initial oxidation reaction processes of ethylene carbonate (EC) and fluoroethylene carbonate (FEC) on LixCoO2 (

10

1
¯

4

) (x = 1, and 0.67) surfaces. The spin states of cobalt ions are examined for maintaining the comparability. It is demonstrated for the first time that FEC oxidation is more favorable than EC along with proton transfer thermodynamically and kinetically, which contrasts with the oxidation stability predicted based on isolated molecule model. These results can be attributed to stronger adsorption of fluorinated molecular fragment on the LixCoO2 surfaces. The fluorinated molecular fragment derived from FEC subsequently may facilitate the formation of a more stabilized/protective CEI layer, which contributes to the enhanced cathode interfacial stability and the improved high voltage cycling performance. The fundamental understanding as obtained in this work provides new insight on thinking about the effect of fluorine substitution on the oxidation stability of electrolyte solvents/additives, for developing high voltage, high energy density LIB systems.
Characteristics of Oxygen Electrode Supported Reversible Solid Oxide Cells
Authors: Zhang Shan-Lin , Wang Hongqian , Yang Tianrang , Lu Matthew Y. , Barnett Scott A.
Published: April 2021

Oxygen-electrode-supported solid oxide cells (OESCs) have potential advantages over fuel-electrode-supported cells, including reduced fuel-electrode concentration polarization, better oxygen electrode current collection, and flexibility in the fuel electrode choice. However, there are serious drawbacks including the difficulty of co-firing the oxygen electrode and electrolyte, and oxygen electrode concentration polarization. This paper explores the characteristics of OESCs with La0.8Sr0.2MnO3−δ
-Zr0.92Y0.16O2−δ
(LSM-YSZ) electrode-support enhanced by SrTi0.3Fe0.6Co0.1O3−δ
(STFC) infiltration, thin YSZ electrolyte, and SrTi0.3Fe0.7O3−δ
(STF) fuel electrodes. The STFC infiltration increases fuel cell maximum power density by >1.5 times and electrolysis current density (at 1.3 V) by >2 times. Cell performance in pure oxygen is compared to that in air, exploring a possible reversible solid oxide cell system configuration where oxygen produced during electrolysis is stored and subsequently used during fuel cell operation. The fuel cell maximum power density is increased from 0.88 W cm−2 in air to 1.37 W cm−2 in oxygen, with limiting current increased from 1.7 to >5.6 A cm−2; the electrolysis performance is essentially unchanged, probably because the electrode air becomes enriched with oxygen during electrolysis.
Evaluation of Ionomer Distribution on Electrocatalysts for Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cells by Use of a Low Acceleration Voltage Scanning Electron Microscope
Authors: Kakinuma Katsuyoshi , Kawamoto Masako , Tamoto Kayoko , Yamaguchi Miho , Honmura Satoru , Iiyama Akihiro , Uchida Makoto
Published: April 2021

The qualitative evaluation of the dispersion of prefluorosulfonic ionomer (PFSI) with different ionomer/carbon mixing ratios (I/C) using electron microscopy was carried out without the use of a stain treatment. Both low acceleration voltage transmission electron microscopy (LAV-TEM) and ultralow acceleration voltage scanning electron microscopy with a retarding method (ULV-SEM) use a characteristically low acceleration voltage, which allows the selective examination of the sensitive ionomer morphology. The high-performance charge-coupled device enables one to obtain high contrast ionomer images without the use of lead or cesium staining, which could otherwise result in morphological changes during these pre-treatments. The electrochemically active surface area of the polymer electrolyte fuel cell using Pt/GCB increased with increasing PFSI content and saturated at an ionomer/carbon weight ratio (I/C) of 1.2, where full coverage of the ionomer was detected by LAV-TEM. The ULV-SEM images showed the obvious occlusion of the primary and secondary pores of the Pt/GCB catalyst layers above I/C = 1.2. The nitrogen gas adsorption measurement, carried out by use of quenched solid-density-functional theory analysis, also supported the occlusion of the primary and secondary pores of the Pt/GCB catalyst layers above I/C = 1.2.
DNA Triple Helix Complex-Functionalized Electrochemical Sensor for Sensitive Detection of MicroRNA in Human Serum
Authors: Zhou Hui , Zhao Liming , Hong Yajun , Dou Baoting , Wang Po
Published: April 2021

The selective and sensitive monitoring of microRNAs (miRNAs) plays essential roles in cancer diagnosis. Herein, on the basis of DNA triple helix and toehold-mediated strand displacement reaction (TSDR), the construction of a simple electrochemical sensing system is reported for monitoring of let 7a in human serum. The triple helix complex probe (THCP) consisting of signal probe (MB-SP) labeled with methylene blue (MB) and capture probe (CP) is first assembled onto the sensing interface. The presence of target let 7a initiates the disassembly of THCP structure and conformational change of MB-SP. And the hairpin probe (HP) triggers the TSDR amplification and achieves the recycling of target let 7a, thus leading to massive MB-SP turning into molecular beacon structure, which causes the significantly amplified MB signal for monitoring of let 7a down to femtomolar level. In addition, taking advantage of TSDR signal amplification and the high selectivity of the THCP, the selective discrimination of let 7 miRNAs family members and circulating miRNAs detection in human serum are accomplished, which would supply a simple and sensitive monitoring approach for early clinical diagnostics.
Perspective—Application-Driven Industrial-Scale Manufacturing of Li/Na-Ion Battery Cathodes: Current Status and Future Perspective
Authors: Karra Chanakya , Venkatachalam Praneash , Duru Kamala Kumari , Maram Pardha Saradhi , Madhavan Asha Anish , Kalluri Sujith
Published: April 2021

A comprehensive understanding of lithium-ion batteries became an essential aspect of solid-state electrochemical research due to their coalescence with routine. While it exhilarates us with increase in productivity of LIBs due to the emergence of Ni-rich cathode materials, the scope to upscale it according to the industrial needs is yet to be tapped to its full potential. Through this perspective article, the functional differences between LIBs and SIBs, state-of-the-art Single-crystalline NCM cathode, the status of the respective research works, crucial factors for industry scaling of the cathode materials, and the future scope of the research work are elucidated.
Using the physiology of normal aging as a capstone integration exercise in a medical physiology course
Authors: Kibble Jonathan D.
Published: April 2021

As the Baby Boomer generation reaches old age, there has been a significant increase in the number of older adults needing healthcare over the past decade. The physiology of aging is therefore a highly relevant topic for the preclinical medical curriculum. I describe a new capstone unit on the physiology of aging, placed at the end a medical physiology course, to provide a vehicle for integration of prior learning about physiology of each individual body system. Students were provided with online self-study modules as preparation for a mandatory small group case-based learning activity. A detailed case of an elderly female patient being assessed for fall risk was provided. Students were required to document a “Review of Systems” predicting decreased system functions due to senescence and to prepare a group concept map illustrating how physiologic deficits contributed to fall risk in the patient. Students successfully completed the activity and reported generally good satisfaction with the experience. The activity was judged an effective tool for students to consolidate prior learning and to apply physiology to an important medical topic. The lesson also provided several opportunities for curriculum integration with cell biology, biochemistry, anatomy, and clinical skills components.
Effectiveness of Community-Based Soil and Water Conservation in Improving Soil Property in Damota Area, Southern Ethiopia
Authors: Masha Mamush , Yirgu Teshome , Debele Mulugeta , Belayneh Mengie
Published: April 2021

Soil and water conservation (SWC) is being advocated as an integral part of agricultural land management as it not only controls/minimizes soil erosion but also restores/rehabilitates the degraded lands. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of soil and water conservation practices in improving soil fertility in the agricultural landscapes of the Damota area, southern Ethiopia. Forty-eight soil samples (both disturbed and core samples) were collected from the conserved and adjacent nonconserved plots. The significance analysis test was performed using analysis of variance. The result of the study showed that higher mean values of soil physicochemical properties were observed in the conserved plot than its nonconserved counterpart. The mean differences of organic carbon, total nitrogen, cation exchange capacity, and exchangeable K+ and Ca2+ between conserved and nonconserved plots were statistically significant at the

P
<
0.01

level. Besides, available phosphorous and bulk density were significant at

P
<
0.05

, but the effect of SWC practices was not found significant on soil texture, soil pH, and exchangeable Na+ and Mg2+ content of the soil in the Damota area. Community-based soil and water conservation practices have improved the soil fertility in agricultural landscapes, although significant results have been observed in some fertility indicators. Therefore, strengthening the implementation of conservation measures by participating in all stakeholders is recommended. Supporting physical structures by agronomic and vegetative measures and continued maintenance can bring better results.
Prediction of COVID-19 with Computed Tomography Images using Hybrid Learning Techniques
Authors: Perumal Varalakshmi , Narayanan Vasumathi , Rajasekar Sakthi Jaya Sundar
Published: April 2021

Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) used for diagnosing COVID-19 has been found to give low detection rate during early stages of infection. Radiological analysis of CT images has given higher prediction rate when compared to RT-PCR technique. In this paper, hybrid learning models are used to classify COVID-19 CT images, Community-Acquired Pneumonia (CAP) CT images, and normal CT images with high specificity and sensitivity. The proposed system in this paper has been compared with various machine learning classifiers and other deep learning classifiers for better data analysis. The outcome of this study is also compared with other studies which were carried out recently on COVID-19 classification for further analysis. The proposed model has been found to outperform with an accuracy of 96.69%, sensitivity of 96%, and specificity of 98%.
Totally Extraperitoneal Herniorrhaphy (TEP): Lessons Learned from Anatomical Observations
Authors: Zhou Xue-Lu , Luo Jian-Hua , Huang Hai , Wang You-Hua , Zhang Huan-Bin
Published: April 2021

Background. Totally extraperitoneal herniorrhaphy (TEP) is a therapeutic challenge because of its complex anatomical location in inguinal region. The aim of this study was to describe the related surgical anatomy through laparoscopic observation and share the lessons learned from a review of 250 primary inguinal hernia repair procedures performed at our hospital from January 2013 to November 2019. Patients and Methods. There were 245 men and 5 women (median age: 63.2 years). Right hernia (60.2%) was the most common site. Indirect hernia (60.5%) was the most common abnormality. The classification of type II (65.0%) was the most common form. Surgical techniques comprised retromuscular approach using cauterized dissection, management of variations of arcuate line, Retzius space and Bogros space dissection, hernia sac reduction, and mesh positioning. Results. The incidence of peritoneum injury was in 27 (10.1%). No epigastric vessels were injured. There were 8 (3%) hematoma and 18 (6.8%) seroma. No mesh infection, chronic pain, and recurrence were found after follow-up of an average of 35 months. Conclusion. A good understanding of the anatomically complex nature in the inguinal region can make it easier and safer to learn the TEP approach. Early and midterm outcomes after TEP are satisfactory.
Next-Generation Sequencing Identifies Pathogenic Variants in HGF, POU3F4, TECTA, and MYO7A in Consanguineous Pakistani Deaf Families
Authors: Mei Xueshuang , Zhou Yaqi , Amjad Muhammad , Yang Weiqiang , Zhu Rufei , Asif Muhammad , Hussain Hafiz Muhammad Jafar , Yang Tao , Iqbal Furhan , Hu Hongyi
Published: April 2021

Background. Approximately 70% of congenital deafness is attributable to genetic causes. Incidence of congenital deafness is known to be higher in families with consanguineous marriage. In this study, we investigated the genetic causes in three consanguineous Pakistani families segregating with prelingual, severe-to-profound deafness. Results. Through targeted next-generation sequencing of 414 genes known to be associated with deafness, homozygous variants c.536del (p. Leu180Serfs

∗

20) in TECTA, c.3719 G>A (p. Arg1240Gln) in MYO7A, and c.482+1986_1988del in HGF were identified as the pathogenic causes of enrolled families. Interestingly, in one large consanguineous family, an additional c.706G>A (p. Glu236Lys) variant in the X-linked POU3F4 gene was also identified in multiple affected family members causing deafness. Genotype-phenotype cosegregation was confirmed in all participating family members by Sanger sequencing. Conclusions. Our results showed that the genetic causes of deafness are highly heterogeneous. Even within a single family, the affected members with apparently indistinguishable clinical phenotypes may have different pathogenic variants.
Colocolic Intussusception in an Adult Patient Secondary to Caecal Adenocarcinoma
Authors: Elmajdoubi Hicham , Baiss Marouane , El Absi Mohamed , El Alami El Hassan El Faricha , Ouanani Mohamed El , Echarrab El Mahjoub , El Amraoui Mohamed , Errougani Abdelkader
Published: April 2021

Acute intestinal invagination is the pathology of infants and small children. Its occurrence in adults is rare, and it represents 1 to 5% of intestinal occlusions often leading to the discovery of an organic cause that may be tumor. We report the case of a 72-year-old patient admitted to the emergency room of Ibn Sina Rabat, Morocco, for intestinal occlusion. The abdominal CT scan showed a voluminous intestinal invagination on a very probable heterogeneous digestive mass. The treatment was an open right hemicolectomy. The histopathological examination of the surgical specimen concluded a colonic well-differentiated adenocarcinoma with a 30% mucinous component. By review of literature, we discuss diagnostic and therapeutic procedures in emergency.
A Bending Passive RFID Tag as a Sensor for High-Temperature Exposure
Authors: Khan Zahangir , Chen Xiaochen , He Han , Mehmood Adnan , Virkki Johanna
Published: April 2021

This paper introduces a prototype of a low-energy high-temperature exposure sensor, which is a temperature-sensitive passive UHF RFID tag that bends forward when exposed to warm air. This “Bending Tag” design is based on a simple dipole antenna fabricated from an electro-textile material. The antenna has a 3D-printed substrate, which is constructed from a commercial Thermo Reactive Filament that gets soft when exposed to 50°C for 30 seconds, causing the tag to bend forward and curve. The sensor tag initially has a read range of more than 6 meters throughout the global UHF RFID frequency band. After bending, there is a significant decrease in the read range (to around 2–3 meters), which is caused by the changed backscattered power of the sensor tag. In an office environment, the backscattered power changes from −36 dBm to −43 dBm. The change in a sensor tag-reference tag system as dP% is approximately 70%. Based on these initial results, our bending tag can be further developed to work as a cost-effective low-energy sensor for monitoring high-temperature exposure.
Two Atypical Cases of Hantavirus Infection: Experience from a Tertiary Care Unit in Sri Lanka
Authors: Rupasinghe S. , Bowattage S. , Herath L. , Rajaratnam A.
Published: April 2021

Hantaviruses are a large family of enveloped viruses with two medically important families Cricetidae and Muridae which are known to cause rodent-borne diseases worldwide. Some strains cause clinical syndromes with multiorgan involvement in humans such as hantavirus haemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) and hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome (HCPS), which is also known as hantavirus pulmonary syndrome. Clinical differentiation of this infection from other endemic infections in Sri Lanka such as leptospirosis and rickettsial infections is extremely difficult due to overlapping clinical and epidemiologic features such as exposure to rodents and farming. Here, we report two serologically confirmed cases of hantavirus infection from Sri Lanka with different presentation. The first patient had a combination of HCPS and HFRS. The second patient was treated for HPS complicated with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Both had a significant clinical, biochemical, and radiological response with early initiation of corticosteroids. However, further studies are required to assess whether steroids hasten the recovery of severe hantavirus infections. We believe that hantavirus infection is an important emerging disease in the country and should be considered as a differential diagnosis in patients presenting with an acute febrile illness as well as in patients presenting with ARDS. Early diagnosis and prompt treatment improve prognosis.
Ulinastatin Ameliorates IL‐1β‐Induced Cell Dysfunction in Human Nucleus Pulposus Cells via Nrf2/NF‐κB Pathway
Authors: Luo Xi , Huan Le , Lin Feng , Kong Fanqi , Sun Xiaofei , Li Fudong , Zhu Jian , Sun Jingchuan , Xu Ximing , Sun Kaiqiang , Duan Liwei , Shi Jiangang
Published: April 2021

Low back pain (LBP) has been a wide public health concern worldwide. Among the pathogenic factors, intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD) has been one of the primary contributors to LBP. IDD correlates closely with inflammatory response and oxidative stress, involving a variety of inflammation‐related cytokines, such as interleukin 1 beta (IL‐1β), which could result in local inflammatory environment. Ulinastatin (UTI) is a kind of acidic protein extracted from human urine, which inhibits the release of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF‐α) and other inflammatory factors to protect organs from inflammatory damage. However, whether this protective effect of UTI on human nucleus pulposus (NP) exists, and how UTI affects the biological behaviors of human NP cells during IDD remain elusive. In this current study, we revealed that UTI could improve the viability of NP cells and promote the proliferation of NP cells. Additionally, UTI could protect human NP cells via ameliorating IL‐1β‐induced apoptosis, inflammatory response, oxidative stress, and extracellular matrix (ECM) degradation. Molecular mechanism analysis suggested that the protective effect from UTI on IL‐1β‐treated NP cells were through activating nuclear factor‐ (erythroid‐derived 2‐) like 2 (Nrf2)/heme oxygenase‐1 (HO‐1) signaling pathway and the suppression of NF‐κB signaling pathway. Therefore, UTI may be a promising therapeutic medicine to ameliorate IDD.
Seepage in Water-Rich Loess Tunnel Excavating Process and Grouting Control Effect
Authors: Wei Zhengde , Zhu Yanpeng
Published: April 2021

The tunnel passing through the loess stratum with high moisture content can easily lead to the seepage and mud burst accident and the instability and collapse of the tunnel face. Under the condition of high groundwater level, the seepage situation is more complicated, it is difficult to control the groundwater seepage, and the excavation progress is very slow. In order to solve the various disasters when the tunnel passes through the water-rich loess stratum, taking a water-rich loess tunnel in Gansu Province as an example, the method of comprehensive prevention and control of seepage and mud inrushing disaster by basement grouting and curtain grouting was introduced. Firstly, the basic situation of the Yulinzi tunnel is introduced, including site conditions, seepage collapse accident, and its cause analysis. On this basis, the design and construction methods of basement grouting and curtain grouting are introduced, and the effect of grouting reinforcement is evaluated in detail through on-site monitoring. The results show that the basement grouting and curtain grouting can effectively control the deformation of surrounding rock and the surface settlement, the decrease of the deformation of surrounding rock can reach 36%-71%, and the decrease of the surface settlement can reach 55%. After grouting, the deformation of the surface and surrounding rock can be controlled within the allowable value in the code. Grouting plus solid can effectively block the seepage of groundwater and prevent the surface cracks, water gushing, mud gushing, collapse, and other disasters in the process of tunnel excavation. It can be seen that the basement grouting combined with curtain grouting technology has a good reinforcement effect, which has significant engineering value for quickly and efficiently passing through high moisture content loess strata.
New Models for Solving Time-Varying LU Decomposition by Using ZNN Method and ZeaD Formulas
Authors: Ming Liangjie , Zhang Yunong , Guo Jinjin , Liu Xiao , Li Zhonghua
Published: April 2021

In this paper, by employing the Zhang neural network (ZNN) method, an effective continuous-time LU decomposition (CTLUD) model is firstly proposed, analyzed, and investigated for solving the time-varying LU decomposition problem. Then, for the convenience of digital hardware realization, this paper proposes three discrete-time models by using Euler, 4-instant Zhang et al. discretization (ZeaD), and 8-instant ZeaD formulas to discretize the proposed CTLUD model, respectively. Furthermore, the proposed models are used to perform the LU decomposition of three time-varying matrices with different dimensions. Results indicate that the proposed models are effective for solving the time-varying LU decomposition problem, and the 8-instant ZeaD LU decomposition model has the highest precision among the three discrete-time models.
Role of Shear Stress on Renal Proximal Tubular Cells for Nephrotoxicity Assays
Authors: Birdsall Holly H. , Hammond Timothy G.
Published: April 2021

Drug-induced nephrotoxicity causes huge morbidity and mortality at massive financial cost. The greatest burden of drug-induced acute kidney injury falls on the proximal tubular cells. To maintain their structure and function, renal proximal tubular cells need the shear stress from tubular fluid flow. Diverse techniques to reintroduce shear stress have been studied in a variety of proximal tubular like cell culture models. These studies often have limited replicates because of the huge cost of equipment and do not report all relevant parameters to allow reproduction and comparison of studies between labs. This review codifies the techniques used to reintroduce shear stress, the cell lines utilized, and the biological outcomes reported. Further, we propose a set of interventions to enhance future cell biology understanding of nephrotoxicity using cell culture models.
Plasma Small Extracellular Vesicle‐Carried miRNA‐501‐5p Promotes Vascular Smooth Muscle Cell Phenotypic Modulation‐Mediated In‐Stent Restenosis
Authors: Gao Xiao-Fei , Wang Zhi-Mei , Chen Ai-Qun , Wang Feng , Luo Shuai , Gu Yue , Kong Xiang-Quan , Zuo Guang-Feng , Jiang Xiao-Min , Ding Guan-Wen , Chen Yan , Ge Zhen , Zhang Jun-Jie , Chen Shao-Liang
Published: April 2021

Vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) phenotypic modulation plays an important role in the occurrence and development of in‐stent restenosis (ISR), the underlying mechanism of which remains a key issue needing to be urgently addressed. This study is designed to investigate the role of plasma small extracellular vesicles (sEV) in VSMC phenotypic modulation. sEV were isolated from the plasma of patients with ISR (ISR‐sEV) or not (Ctl‐sEV) 1 year after coronary stent implantation using differential ultracentrifugation. Plasma sEV in ISR patients are elevated markedly and decrease the expression of VSMC contractile markers α‐SMA and calponin and increase VSMC proliferation. miRNA sequencing and qRT‐PCR validation identified that miRNA‐501‐5p was the highest expressed miRNA in the plasma ISR‐sEV compared with Ctl‐sEV. Then, we found that sEV‐carried miRNA‐501‐5p level was significantly higher in ISR patients, and the level of plasma sEV‐carried miRNA‐501‐5p linearly correlated with the degree of restenosis (R2 = 0.62). Moreover, miRNA‐501‐5p inhibition significantly increased the expression of VSMC contractile markers α‐SMA and calponin and suppressed VSMC proliferation and migration; in vivo inhibition of miRNA‐501‐5p could also blunt carotid artery balloon injury induced VSMC phenotypic modulation in rats. Mechanically, miRNA‐501‐5p promoted plasma sEV‐induced VSMC proliferation by targeting Smad3. Notably, endothelial cells might be the major origins of miRNA‐501‐5p. Collectively, these findings showed that plasma sEV‐carried miRNA‐501‐5p promotes VSMC phenotypic modulation‐mediated ISR through targeting Smad3.
Application of Carbon Nanoparticles in Neck Dissection of Clinically Node‐Negative Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma
Authors: Chen Zhongyan , Zhong Zhiming , Chen Guoqing , Feng Yun
Published: April 2021

Purpose. The purpose of this retrospective study was to evaluate the advantages of carbon nanoparticles in neck dissection and to conclude its application in the treatment of clinically node‐negative papillary thyroid carcinoma (CN0PTC). Methods. As a retrospective cohort study, we divided the enrolled patients into two groups, the carbon nanoparticle (CN) group and the control group according to the usage of CN. In the CN group, CN was applied to reveal drainage lymph nodes and the picked LNs were sent for fast frozen testing. If metastasis exits, modified radical lateral lymph node dissection (LLND) was performed. For both groups, prophylactic central lymph node dissection was routinely done. Finally, the demographic information, tumor characteristics, postoperative pathological results, and laboratory data were collected for analysis. Results. A total of 61 CN0PTC were enrolled in this study, 33 in the CN group and 28 in the control group. The black‐stained rate for CN was 29/40 (72.5%) with a positive prediction rate of 34.5%. The mainly black‐stained region in the lateral neck was level III and possesses the highest lymph node ratio (17.5%). The metastasis that occurred in level VI was 30% and 11.8% in the CN and control groups, respectively (p = 0.058). During the available follow‐up, no one showed recurrence. Statistical analysis showed that the CN suspension can significantly reduce the risk of damage to the parathyroid gland (p = 0.001 for hypocalcemia, <0.05; p = 0.047 for hypoparathyroidism, <0.05). Conclusion. The lateral neck metastasis in patients with papillary thyroid microcarcinoma in clinical stage cT1aN0 is not rare. CN can help surgeons to distinguish the real person who actually needs LLND. In prophylactic CLND, CN acts as a tracer which makes the parathyroid gland more identifiable and avoids risks of injuries to nerves and glands.