bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Case Study on Surrounding Rock Deformation Control Technology of Gob-Side Coal-Rock Roadway in Inclined Coal Seam of a Mine in Guizhou, China
Authors: Liu Pengze , Gao Lin , Zhang Pandong , Wu Guiyi , Wang Chen , Ma Zhenqian , Kong Dezhong , Kang Xiangtao , Han Sen
Published: April 2022

Surrounding rock deformation control of gob-side coal-rock roadway in inclined coal seams (GCRICS) is a major problem in gob-side entry technology application practice. This paper describes a case study of the surrounding rock deformation characteristics and control technology of a typical GCRICS in Guizhou, China. As according to data obtained during a field investigation, the reasons for the deformation and failure of 151509 tailentry and the shortcomings of the original support scheme were analyzed. In combination with existing theory and field experience, the “anchor cable + U-shaped steel + shotcreting + grouting” (CUSG) support method was proposed. The plastic zone distribution, displacement, and stress evolution law of the roadway-surrounding rock under the four support modes were analyzed and compared by numerical simulation. The results show that the supporting effects of several support methods varied from good to poor; CUSG was the best, followed by anchor cable support, U-shaped steel support, and then no support. Based on the previous seepage grouting theory, a slurry diffusion model of hollow grouted anchor cable (HGC) was established and the calculation formulas of slurry diffusion radius and grouting time were deduced, which provided guidance for field construction. Finally, the CUSG surrounding rock control technology was applied to 151509 tailentry subsequent roadway support. Through drill holes, analysis of the surrounding rock of the non-grouting area and the grouting area was conducted. It was found that the surrounding rock of the grouting area was high in integrity and strong in bearing capacity. Throughout the excavation period to the end of roadway mining, the roadway did not have to be repaired. This case study has high practicability, high popularization value, and provides a useful reference for the engineering support design of the GCRICS.
A Study on Flow Field Characteristics and Air Purifier with Barrier Effects
Authors: Liu Yu-Ling , Kuan Yean-Der , Luo Win-Jet
Published: April 2022

An air curtain machine is used in the entrances and exits of public places where air conditioners are used. The high-speed centrifugal or axial fan blows out the air, creating an airflow barrier to prevent air convection inside and outside, reducing air conditioning losses, and maintaining the indoor air quality by preventing dust, insects, and harmful gases from entering the room. Observation of the airflow behavior was conducted using CFD simulation, to explore whether it has a blocking effect, and the air curtain principle was applied to the air purification equipment. It is mainly composed of several rows of arrayed hole air outlets to form a multi-composite air wall. The airflow on the two sides, or below, can be blocked by the composite air wall and integrated into the main airflow, so that the air walls will not affect each other, and form a barrier effect to prevent infection. This research includes the measurement of impedance characteristics for three layers of filters made of different materials. These filters are used as the input characteristic parameters in the simulation analysis. Four scenarios are discussed, including the consultation room, hospital ward, quarantine station, and conference room. From the simulation results, it is known that when there are many people, the equipment can be set to high speed to increase the volume of air, forming a wind wall to effectively block airflow from the people in the chairs, reducing the risk of infection. Note that the rotation speed should not be too high. The air outlet equipment is susceptible to turbulent flow, which will make the airflow deviate from the expected direction and increase the possibility of mutual infection between adjacent people. Partitions can be used to block airflow to reduce the risk of infection.
Power Parametric Optimization of an Electro-Hydraulic Integrated Drive System for Power-Carrying Vehicles Based on the Taguchi Method
Authors: Chen Hao , Zhang Tiezhu , Zhang Hongxin , Tian Guangdong , Liu Ruijun , Yang Jian , Zhang Zhen
Published: April 2022

Focused on the troubles and defects introduced by the traditional single form of electric vehicle transmission, this paper proposes an electro-hydraulic power coupled electric vehicle based on the working principle of an electro-hydraulic power integrated drive system for light-duty cargo vehicles. The integration of the planetary row into the drive system allows the interconversion of mechanical, electrical, and hydraulic energy. By describing the system structure and composition, several working conditions during automobile driving are proposed, and the working principle of every circumstance is introduced. Simultaneously, the article determines the preliminary optimal ratio with the battery’s state of charge (SOC) as the constraint. Then, the orthogonal test matrix of electro-hydraulic ratios and speed thresholds for each operating condition is established according to Taguchi’s method. The impact of each optimized parameter on the motor torque and hydraulic torque as well as the SOC and the proportion of the effect is evaluated by the simulation to obtain the optimal solution. The simulation consequences show that the motor torque and hydraulic torque are reduced, and thus, the vehicle’s acceleration performance and energy recovery efficiency are improved.
The Potential of 3-D Building Height Data to Characterize Socioeconomic Activities: A Case Study from 38 Cities in China
Authors: Yu Guojiang , Xie Zixuan , Li Xuecao , Wang Yixuan , Huang Jianxi , Yao Xiaochuang
Published: April 2022

Urban forms are closely related to the urban environment, providing great potential to analyze human socioeconomic activities. However, limited studies have investigated the impacts of three-dimensional (3-D) urban forms on socioeconomic activities across cities. In this paper, we explored the relationship between urban form and socioeconomic activities using 3-D building height data from 38 cities in China. First, we aggregated the building footprint data and calculated three building indicators at the grid scale, based on which the spatial patterns of building height and road density were analyzed. Then, we examined the capacities of two-dimensional (2D)/3D urban forms in characterizing socioeconomic activities using satellite-derived nighttime light (NTL) data. Finally, we analyzed the relationship between road density distributions and building heights across 38 cities in China. Our results suggest that the building height information can improve the correlation between urban form and NTL. Different patterns of road distribution were revealed according to the distribution of road density change from the building hotspots, showing the capacity of 3-D building height data in helping characterize socioeconomic activities. Our study indicates that the 3-D building height information is of great potential to support a variety of studies in urban domains, such as population distribution and carbon emissions, with significantly improved capacities.
Hybrid Network Model: TransConvNet for Oriented Object Detection in Remote Sensing Images
Authors: Liu Xulun , Ma Shiping , He Linyuan , Wang Chen , Chen Zhe
Published: April 2022

The complexity of backgrounds, the diversity of object scale and orientation, and the defects of convolutional neural network (CNN) have always been the challenges of oriented object detection in remote sensing images (RSIs). This paper designs a hybrid network model to meet these challenges and further improve the effect of oriented object detection. The inductive bias of CNN makes the network translation invariant, but it is difficult to adapt to RSIs with arbitrary object direction. Therefore, this paper designs a hybrid network, TransConvNet, which integrates the advantages of CNN and self-attention-based network, pays more attention to the aggregation of global and local information, makes up for the lack of rotation invariability of CNN with strong contextual attention, and adapts to the arbitrariness of the object direction of RSIs. In addition, to resolve the influence of complex backgrounds and multi-scale, an adaptive feature fusion network (AFFN) is designed to improve the information representation ability of feature maps with different resolutions. Finally, the adaptive weight loss function is used to train the network to further improve the effect of object detection. Extensive experimental results on the DOTA, UCASAOD, and VEDAI data sets demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.
High Quality Object Detection for Multiresolution Remote Sensing Imagery Using Cascaded Multi-Stage Detectors
Authors: Wu Binglong , Shen Yuan , Guo Shanxin , Chen Jinsong , Sun Luyi , Li Hongzhong , Ao Yong
Published: April 2022

Deep-learning-based object detectors have substantially improved state-of-the-art object detection in remote sensing images in terms of precision and degree of automation. Nevertheless, the large variation of the object scales makes it difficult to achieve high-quality detection across multiresolution remote sensing images, where the quality is defined by the Intersection over Union (IoU) threshold used in training. In addition, the imbalance between the positive and negative samples across multiresolution images worsens the detection precision. Recently, it was found that a Cascade region-based convolutional neural network (R-CNN) can potentially achieve a higher quality of detection by introducing a cascaded three-stage structure using progressively improved IoU thresholds. However, the performance of Cascade R-CNN degraded when the fourth stage was added. We investigated the cause and found that the mismatch between the ROI features and the classifier could be responsible for the degradation of performance. Herein, we propose a Cascade R-CNN++ structure to address this issue and extend the three-stage architecture to multiple stages for general use. Specifically, for cascaded classification, we propose a new ensemble strategy for the classifier and region of interest (RoI) features to improve classification accuracy at inference. In localization, we modified the loss function of the bounding box regressor to obtain higher sensitivity around zero. Experiments on the DOTA dataset demonstrated that Cascade R-CNN++ outperforms Cascade R-CNN in terms of precision and detection quality. We conducted further analysis on multiresolution remote sensing images to verify model transferability across different object scales.
LiDAR-Inertial-GNSS Fusion Positioning System in Urban Environment: Local Accurate Registration and Global Drift-Free
Authors: He Xuan , Pan Shuguo , Gao Wang , Lu Xinyu
Published: April 2022

Aiming at the insufficient accuracy and accumulated error of the point cloud registration of LiDAR-inertial odometry (LIO) in an urban environment, we propose a LiDAR-inertial-GNSS fusion positioning algorithm based on voxelized accurate registration. Firstly, a voxelized point cloud downsampling method based on curvature segmentation is proposed. Rough classification is carried out by the curvature threshold, and the voxelized point cloud downsampling is performed using HashMap instead of a random sample consensus algorithm. Secondly, a point cloud registration model based on the nearest neighbors of the point and neighborhood point sets is constructed. Furthermore, an iterative termination threshold is set to reduce the probability of the local optimal solution. The registration time of a single frame point cloud is increased by an order of magnitude. Finally, we propose a LIO-GNSS fusion positioning model based on graph optimization that uses GNSS observations weighted by confidence to globally correct local drift. The experimental results show that the average root mean square error of the absolute trajectory error of our algorithm is 1.58m on average in a large-scale outdoor environment, which is approximately 83.5% higher than that of similar algorithms. It is fully proved that our algorithm can realize a more continuous and accurate position and attitude estimation and map reconstruction in urban environments.
Identification of Cultivated Land Quality Grade Using Fused Multi-Source Data and Multi-Temporal Crop Remote Sensing Information
Authors: Li Yinshuai , Chang Chunyan , Wang Zhuoran , Li Tao , Li Jianwei , Zhao Gengxing
Published: April 2022

To explore the fast, accurate, and efficient remote sensing identification method of cultivated land quality, this study took Shandong Province as the study area, and used measured data to carry out the soil quality evaluation based on conventional GIS. On this basis, MODIS sequence images were used as remote sensing data sources, and multi-source data such as topography, meteorology, and statistical yearbook were fused. Then, according to the Pressure-State-Response framework, we constructed three kinds of characteristic indicators through distinguishing crop rotation types and fusing remote sensing data. Finally, the soil quality grade was identified by the random forest method, and the accuracy analysis was carried out. The results showed that the NDVI peak values of double-season crops are in mid-April and mid-August, and one-season crops are in mid-August. Through evaluation, soil quality was divided into three categories, with six grades. Through principal component analysis, each soil status indicator contains two to three principal components, and each principal component contains five to eight temporal crop remote sensing information. After distinguishing crop rotation types and fusing remote sensing images, the identification accuracy of soil quality is significantly improved. The overall accuracy is 79.18%, 86.12%, and 93.65%, and the Kappa coefficient is 0.66, 0.77, and 0.90, respectively. This research developed an automatic identification method for cultivated land quality grade, and it proved that distinguishing crop rotation types and fusing multi-temporal crop remote sensing information are effective ways to improve identification accuracy.
Opinion of Residents about the Freight Transport and Its Influence on the Quality of Life: An Analysis for Brasília (Brazil)
Authors: Leite Cesar Eduardo , Granemann Sérgio Ronaldo , Mariano Ari Melo , de Oliveira Leise Kelli
Published: April 2022

Urban Freight Transport (UFT) is responsible for moving goods in urban areas to meet citizens’ demands, which makes it essential for economic development. Simultaneously, UFT contributes to adverse impacts on society and the environment, including congestion and pollution. This paper assesses how the urban infrastructure and UFT externalities influence the residents’ quality of life. Three major assumptions were considered: (i) Public managers are responsible for the urban infrastructure, which is also influenced by businesses; (ii) UFT leads to negative externalities, which are influenced by government actions; and (iii) both infrastructure and externalities influence the residents’ quality of life. The analysis is based on a web-based survey conducted with residents of Brasília, Brazil. Structural Equation Modelling with Partial Least Squares was used to analyze the data. Findings showed that the residents’ quality of life is negatively influenced by UFT externalities and positively influenced by the urban infrastructure. Furthermore, both public and private management have more influence on externalities when compared to urban infrastructure. Finally, road capacity, proper loading and unloading, and supervision should be prioritized to improve citizens’ quality of life in Brasília.
Diverse Planting Density-Driven Nutrient and Yield Enhancement of Sweet Corn by Zinc and Selenium Foliar Application
Authors: Shio Bosco Justin , Guo Shaomin , Zhang Ruifang , Tanveer Sikander Khan , Hai Jiangbo
Published: April 2022

Corn (Zea mays L.) is one of the major cereal crops cultivated worldwide. Zinc and selenium are important nutrients for humans and plants, and their deficiency is a cause for concern in most developing countries. Sweet corn fertilized with zinc and selenium can mitigate this problem. Therefore, the objective of this study was to investigate the effects of fertilization with Zn and Se on the yield and quality of sweet corn varieties under different planting densities. The experimental design used was a split-plot based on a randomized complete block design with three replications. Compared to the control, significant differences were recorded in grain yield, leaf area index, and plant height (i.e., Zn/Se + density + variety) treatments. Non-significant differences in the number of kernels per cob, sugar content and crude protein were recorded under different treatments. Significant differences in grain yield, water-soluble sugar, and zinc and selenium content in grain were recorded. Grain yield was higher in Selenium than in Zinc treatments, with a mean difference of 0.05 t ha−1. We conclude that grain yield and selenium content in grain were influenced by selenium foliar application, while water-soluble sugar and zinc content in grain were influenced by foliar zinc application.
The Landfilling of Municipal Solid Waste and the Sustainability of the Related Transportation Activities
Authors: Cirrincione Laura , La Gennusa Maria , Peri Giorgia , Rizzo Gianfranco , Scaccianoce Gianluca
Published: April 2022

The management of municipal solid waste is a crucial issue to address as we move toward the decarbonization of urban contexts. Not by chance, this sector plays a relevant role in the Covenant of Mayors program, whereby municipalities are called to design their own Sustainable Energy Action Plans (SECAPs). However, despite new regulations strongly pushing the recycling and reuse of materials contained in municipal waste, many cities still use large landfills. As part of the overall environmental pressure exerted by these urban systems, the transport of waste from collection points to landfills or treatment facilities must be considered in order to correctly assess the full environmental burden of waste management. To this aim, in this paper, the Ecological Footprint method is applied to the municipal solid waste management system of the city of Palermo (Sicily). The results show that the impacts produced by the means of transport used, both in the status quo and in the assumed enhanced scenario (with less municipal waste disposed to landfills in favor of recycling), are significant compared to those caused by the other segments of the waste management system. The concept of a “saved footprint” is also introduced here, in order to properly compare the two scenarios.
Improved Perception of Motorcycles by Simulator-Based Driving Education
Authors: Eichberger Arno , Kraut Marianne , Koglbauer Ioana V.
Published: April 2022

Research shows that about half of all motorcycle collisions with other vehicles were caused by the accident opponent, typically a passenger car. This study aimed to assess the effect of simulator training on improving car drivers’ perceptibility of motorcycles and thereby addressing this frequent type of motorcycle accident from the perspective of the initiator. For this purpose, a training program with different methods was conducted and tested in a driving simulator with 80 learner drivers aged between 15 and 27 years, assigned to a control group and three training groups: variable priority, equal priority, and equal priority with warning. The conflict scenarios were determined based on an analysis of motorcycle–car accidents. The variable priority training program resulted in better perceptibility of motorcycles as compared to the equal priority training program and equal priority with warning in two out of four test setups, i.e., urban roads with high contrast between motorcycle and the driving environment and on rural roads with a low contrast. Most participants rated each training method in the driving simulator as useful and would recommend it to other learner drivers. These results are important because they show that simulator training has a positive effect on the motorcycle detection performance of learner drivers. The early perception of motorcycles in car drivers is essential for preventing collisions between cars and motorcycles.
Research of Carbon Emission Reduction Potentials in the Yellow River Basin, Based on Cluster Analysis and the Logarithmic Mean Divisia Index (LMDI) Method
Authors: Li Jingcheng , Li Menggang
Published: April 2022

China has implemented many green transition policies to reach its carbon peak target, some of which do not consider the actual carbon reduction pressures that localities can afford, thus lowering the living standards of residents and economic growth, which makes the green transition process unsustainable. The Yellow River Basin plays an important role in China’s energy, food, manufacturing, and ecological sectors. Thus, the design of green transition policies in the region needs to be modest and efficient. Based on the data of 100 prefecture-level cities in the Yellow River Basin from 2006 to 2017, this paper uses the K-means clustering to divide the carbon reduction potential of cities into four types. Most cities’ carbon reduction potentials are low or medium, unsuitable for adopting a rapid green transition. Based on the logarithmic mean Divisia index (LMDI) decomposition results and the carbon reduction potential, we designed different carbon-control pathways: Shandong and Henan should focus on increasing investment in green technology, especially oxy-combustion technology; Gansu, Ningxia, and Qinghai could partially offset carbon emissions through land use, land-use change and forestry (LULUCF) activities; Sichuan and Inner Mongolia should increase their energy-use efficiency; Shaanxi and Shanxi could use green finance to complete the upgrading of local industries. The above emission-reduction strategies can be actively pursued in cities with high emission reduction potential and should be implemented with caution in cities with low emission reduction potential. This paper provides a new and cost-effective perspective on carbon emission control in the Yellow River Basin.
Influence of Rainfall Intensity and Slope on Runoff and Sediment Reduction Benefits of Fine Mesh Net on Construction Spoil Deposits
Authors: Liu Chao , Wang Kanghong , Gao Linhai , Sun Yarong , Yang Qinxia , Cao Bozhao , Chen Lin , Xue Dong , Wang Jian
Published: April 2022

Fine mesh nets (FMNs) are commonly used as a mulch material to control soil erosion in construction spoil deposits. Here, three rainfall intensities (60–120 mm·h−1) and seven slope gradients (5–35°) were considered in relation to an FMN’s function of reducing soil erosion on spoil deposits. Soil surfaces covered with an FMN (NS) were prepared in 2 m × 0.5 m soil boxes, with a smooth surface (SS) as the control. Runoff and sediment reduction benefits (RRB and SRB, respectively) were used to quantify the role of the FMN in soil erosion reduction. The FMN performed better in controlling the total sediment yield (mean SRB: 35.9%) compared with total runoff (mean RRB: 5.3%). There was a difference in runoff between SS and NS under a low rainfall intensity (60 mm·h−1; p < 0.05). SS and NS on different slopes generated similar runoff, with significantly different sediment yields (p < 0.05). The benefits of the FMN basically decreased with increases in the rainfall intensity and slope, although the RRB fluctuated on different slopes. The results demonstrate that the soil and water conservation benefits of the FMN on spoil deposits were influenced by the rainfall intensity and slope. The effectiveness of FMNs in soil erosion control needs further investigation in the context of local climates.
Aboriginal Community Co-Design and Co-Build—Far More than a House
Authors: Rodd Kristian , Romero Jara , Hunter Victor , Martyn Scott Vladimir
Published: April 2022

There is urgent need for a new model to address the housing crisis in remote Australian Indigenous communities. Decades of major government expenditure have not significantly improved the endemic problems, which include homelessness, overcrowding, substandard dwellings, and unemployment. Between 2017–2020, Foundation for Indigenous Sustainable Health (FISH) worked with the remote Kimberley Aboriginal community, Bawoorrooga, by facilitating the co-design and co-build of a culturally and climatically appropriate home with community members. This housing model incorporates a program of education, health, governance, justice system programs, and land tenure reforms. Build features incorporate sustainable local/recycled materials and earth construction, and ‘Solar Passive Design’. The project faced challenges, including limited funding, extreme climate and remoteness, cultural barriers, and mental health issues. Nevertheless, the program was ultimately successful, producing a house which is culturally designed, climatically/thermally effective, comparatively cheap to build, and efficient to run. The project produced improvements in mental health, schooling outcomes, reduced youth incarceration, and other spheres of community development, including enterprise and community governance. Co-design and co-build projects are slower and more complex than the conventional model of external contracting, but the outcomes can be far superior across broad areas of social and emotional wellbeing, house quality and comfort, energy consumption, long-term maintenance, community physical and mental health, pride, and ownership. These factors are essential in breaking intergenerational cycles of poverty, trauma, and engagement with the justice system. This paper provides a narrative case study of the project and outlines the core principles applied and the lessons learned.
Multisource Data Hiding in Digital Images
Authors: Wang Zichi
Published: April 2022

In this paper, we propose a new data-hiding framework: multisource data hiding, in which multiple senders (multiple sources) are able to transmit different secret data to a receiver via the same cover image symmetrically. We propose two multisource data-hiding schemes, i.e., separable and anonymous, according to different applications. In the separable scheme, the receiver can extract the secret data transmitted by all senders using the symmetrical data-hiding key. A sender is unable to know the content of the secret data that is not transmitted by them (non-source sender). In the anonymous scheme, it is unnecessary to extract all secret data on the receiver side. The content extracted by the receiver is a co-determined result of the secret data transmitted by all senders. Details of the secret data are unknown to the receiver and the non-source senders. In addition, the two proposed schemes achieve multisource data hiding without decreasing the undetectability of data hiding.
A New Analysis Method Based on the Coupling Effect of Saturation and Expansion for the Shallow Stability of Expansive Soil Slopes
Authors: Zhang Bo , Fan Qiuyan , Luo Junhui , Mei Guoxiong
Published: April 2022

Expansive soil is a kind of unsaturated soil that is rich in hydrophilic clay minerals. The shallow slope stability of expansive soil is one of the important research topics in geotechnical engineering. However, there are no suitable methods for analyzing the shallow slope stability of expansive soil. Hence, this paper proposes a new method based on a coupling effect of saturation and expansion for analyzing the shallow slope stability. Especially, the coupling effect of saturation and expansion is introduced in detail, and used to further study the shallow slope stability. With the described coupling effect and the infinite slope, a formula calculating the overlying load of the shallow soil is established by the symmetrical limited expansion along the slope and perpendicular to the plane. Moreover, a calculation model for the factor of safety is presented according to the limit equilibrium method. The experiments are designed to demonstrate the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed analysis method for the shallow stability of newly excavated and newly filled expansive soil slopes by rainfall. In the present study, the moisture content and shear strength of the shallow expansive soil slope are investigated, and the factor of safety is calculated. The results also show that the initial moisture content has an important influence on the shallow stability in terms of the two expansive slopes previously mentioned.
New Brittle Stars (Echinodermata, Ophiuroidea) from the Oligocene of the Mainz Basin, Germany
Authors: Thuy Ben , Nungesser Kai , Numberger-Thuy Lea D.
Published: April 2022

The fossil record of the Ophiuroidea is still patchy, especially in the Cenozoic. Only four species have been described from the entire Oligocene, which is in stark contrast to the present-day diversity counting more than 2000 species. Here, we describe two new species of ophiuroid, Ophiura tankardi sp. nov. and Ophiodoris niersteinensis sp. nov., from the Lower Oligocene of the Mainz Basin. The species are based on microfossils extracted from the sieving residues of bulk sediment samples from a flush drill in Nierstein, Rhineland-Palatinate. The new species belong to extant genera and add to the poor Oligocene fossil record of the class. Based on present-day distributions, the occurrence of Ophiodoris suggests deep sublittoral to shallow bathyal palaeodepths for the Nierstein area of the Mainz Basin.
Contamination, Detection and Control of Mycotoxins in Fruits and Vegetables
Authors: Nan Mina , Xue Huali , Bi Yang
Published: April 2022

Mycotoxins are secondary metabolites produced by pathogenic fungi that colonize fruits and vegetables either during harvesting or during storage. Mycotoxin contamination in fruits and vegetables has been a major problem worldwide, which poses a serious threat to human and animal health through the food chain. This review systematically describes the major mycotoxigenic fungi and the produced mycotoxins in fruits and vegetables, analyzes recent mycotoxin detection technologies including chromatography coupled with detector (i.e., mass, ultraviolet, fluorescence, etc.) technology, electrochemical biosensors technology and immunological techniques, as well as summarizes the degradation and detoxification technologies of mycotoxins in fruits and vegetables, including physical, chemical and biological methods. The future prospect is also proposed to provide an overview and suggestions for future mycotoxin research directions.
Chirohepevirus from Bats: Insights into Hepatitis E Virus Diversity and Evolution
Authors: Wang Bo , Yang Xing-Lou
Published: April 2022

Homologs of the human hepatitis E virus (HEV) have been identified in more than a dozen animal species. Some of them have been evidenced to cross species barriers and infect humans. Zoonotic HEV infections cause chronic liver diseases as well as a broad range of extrahepatic manifestations, which increasingly become significant clinical problems. Bats comprise approximately one-fifth of all named mammal species and are unique in their distinct immune response to viral infection. Most importantly, they are natural reservoirs of several highly pathogenic viruses, which have induced severe human diseases. Since the first discovery of HEV-related viruses in bats in 2012, multiple genetically divergent HEV variants have been reported in a total of 12 bat species over the last decade, which markedly expanded the host range of the HEV family and shed light on the evolutionary origin of human HEV. Meanwhile, bat-borne HEV also raised critical public health concerns about its zoonotic potential. Bat HEV strains resemble genomic features but exhibit considerable heterogeneity. Due to the close evolutionary relationships, bat HEV altogether has been recently assigned to an independent genus, Chirohepevirus. This review focuses on the current state of bat HEV and provides novel insights into HEV genetic diversity and molecular evolution.
Epipharyngeal Abrasive Therapy (EAT) Has Potential as a Novel Method for Long COVID Treatment
Authors: Imai Kazuaki , Yamano Takafumi , Nishi Soichiro , Nishi Ryushiro , Nishi Tatsuro , Tanaka Hiroaki , Tsunoda Toshiyuki , Yoshimoto Shohei , Tanaka Ayaki , Hiromatsu Kenji , Shirasawa Senji , Nakagawa Takashi , Nishi Kensuke
Published: April 2022

COVID-19 often causes sequelae after initial recovery, referred to collectively as long COVID. Long COVID is considered to be caused by the persistence of chronic inflammation after acute COVID-19 infection. We found that all long COVID patients had residual inflammation in the epipharynx, an important site of coronavirus replication, and some long COVID symptoms are similar to those associated with chronic epipharyngitis. Epipharyngeal abrasive therapy (EAT) is a treatment for chronic epipharyngitis in Japan that involves applying zinc chloride as an anti-inflammatory agent to the epipharyngeal mucosa. In this study, we evaluated the efficacy of EAT for the treatment of long COVID. The subjects in this study were 58 patients with long COVID who were treated with EAT in the outpatient department once a week for one month (mean age = 38.4 ± 12.9 years). The intensities of fatigue, headache, and attention disorder, which are reported as frequent symptoms of long COVID, were assessed before and after EAT using the visual analog scale (VAS). EAT reduced inflammation in the epipharynx and significantly improved the intensity of fatigue, headache, and attention disorder, which may be related to myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). These results suggest that EAT has potential as a novel method for long COVID treatment.
Naturally Acquired Antibodies to Influenza A Virus in Fall-Migrating North American Mallards
Authors: Stallknecht David E. , Fojtik Alinde , Carter Deborah L. , Crum-Bradley Jo Anne , Perez Daniel R. , Poulson Rebecca L.
Published: April 2022

Although waterfowl are the primary reservoir for multiple subtypes of influenza A virus (IAV), our understanding of population immunity in naturally infected waterfowl is poorly understood. Population immunity may be an important driver of seasonal subtype predominance in waterfowl populations and may affect the potential for establishment of introduced IAV such as the Eurasian-like A/Goose/Guangdong/1/1996 lineage in these populations. Here, we examine the prevalence of naturally acquired antibodies to nucleoprotein (NP), hemagglutinin (H3, H4, H5), and neuraminidase (N1, N2, N6, N8) in early migrating mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) sampled in Northwest Minnesota during staging and early fall migration in September 2014, 2015, 2017, and 2018. Serologic results were compared to historic and contemporary virus isolation results from these same study sites. The prevalence of antibodies to NP ranged from 60.8–76.1% in hatch-year (HY) birds and from 86.0–92.7% in after-hatch-year (AHY, >1-year-old) mallards indicating a high level of previous infection with IAV early in the fall migration season. Neutralizing antibodies were detected against H3, H4, and H5 in all years as were antibodies to N1, N2, N6, and N8. A high proportion of NP seropositive ducks tested positive for antibodies to multiple HA and NA subtypes, and this was more common in the AHY age class. Antibody prevalence to the HA and NA subtypes included in this study were consistent with the predominance of H4N6 in these populations during all years and reflected a broadening of the antibody response with age. Additional work is needed to document the longevity of these immune responses, if and how they correlate with protection against IAV transmission, infection, and disease, and if, as detected in this study, they adequately describe the true extent of exposure to IAV or specific HA or NA subtypes.
Long-Term Care Healthcare-Associated Infections in 2021: An Analysis of 17,971 Reports
Authors: Kepner Shawn , Adkins JoAnn , Jones Rebecca
Published: April 2022

Background: The Pennsylvania Patient Safety Reporting System (PA-PSRS) is the largest repository of patient safety data in the United States. In addition to over 4.2 million acute care reports, the PA-PSRS database contains more than 375,000 long-term care (LTC) healthcare-associated infection (HAI) reports.

Methods: LTC HAI data from PA-PSRS were extracted on February 10, 2022. Reports submitted by LTC facilities and specific care areas were included for infection rates each month if resident and device days were also entered in PA-PSRS for the facility and care area.

Results: A total of 17,971 infections were reported in 2021, representing a 31.7% decrease from the prior year. Overall, the reporting rate from LTC facilities decreased notably, from 1.06 in 2020 to 0.78 in 2021, due in large part to a drop in respiratory tract infections, which had an infection rate of 0.431 in 2020 and 0.191 in 2021. The North Central region of the state had the highest overall infection rate, with 0.94 reports per 1,000 resident days, and the Southeast region had the lowest rate at 0.62. The number of reports decreased for all five infection types from 2020 to 2021, with respiratory tract infections decreasing the most, by 58.4%. The number of reports for all infection subtypes decreased as well, with the exception of scabies, which increased by 7.1%. Among all infection subtypes, the number of reports for lower respiratory tract infections decreased the most, with 2,553 fewer reports in 2021 than in 2020. In terms of percentage, influenza-like illness decreased the most, dropping 93.9% from 2020 to 2021. In terms of infection rate, catheter-associated urinary tract infections showed the greatest decrease, and infections involving cellulitis, soft tissue, and wounds showed the greatest increase.

Conclusions: In 2021, there were notable decreases in both the infection rate and the number of infection reports submitted by Pennsylvania LTC facilities. Currently, it is unknown whether these decreases are reflective of fewer infections in LTC facilities or a lack of identifying and reporting infections, or a combination of both. Patient Safety Authority infection preventionists (IPs) continue to work with LTC IPs to provide support, education, and tools to assist them in their role.
Analisis Kebutuhan Fungsional dan Pemodelan Informasi Ketelusuran Pada Rantai Pasok Beras
Authors: Purwandoko Pradeka Brilyan , Seminar Kudang Boro Seminar , Sutrisno Sutrisno , Sugiyanta Sugiyanta
Published: April 2022

Beras merupakan hasil pertanian yang banyak dikonsumsi oleh seluruh masyarakat di dunia. Di Indonesia, manajemen transparansi rantai pasok masih menjadi masalah utama karena belum tersedianya informasi yang dapat diakses seluruh anggota rantai pasok. Sangat sulit untuk mendapatkan informasi pada setiap aktor untuk keperluan pengawasan dimana hal ini menimbulkan risiko dan ketidakpastian. Ketelusuran menjadi kebutuhan penting untuk memastikan kualitas dan keamanan produk. Paper ini bertujuan untuk mengidentifikasi rantai pasok beras di Indonesia dan mengusulkan pemodelan sistem ketelusuran menggunakan Unified Modeling Language (UML). Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa rantai pasok beras terdiri dari lima aktor yang berperan. Transisi keadaan dalam proses produksi dan informasi ketelusuran telah diidendifikasi melalui Critical Traceability Point (CTP) yang menyajikan informasi produk, kualitas produk, dan semua transformasi. Lebih lanjut, persyaratan kebutuhan fungsional sistem dan kebutuhan informasi disajikan dalam sequence dan uml static diagram. Terakhir, arsitektur sistem diuraikan dalam paper ini untuk mewujudkan transparansi serta pengendalian kualitas dan keamanan produk.
Surto por Acinetobacter Spp como desafio de saúde pública em uma Unidade de Terapia Intensiva de um hospital da Amazônia Ocidental:relato de experiência / Outbreak of Acinetobacter Spp as a public health challenge in an Intensive Care Unit of a hospital in Western Amazon: experience report
Authors: Cruz Gesnaquele Souza da , Souza Loara de Assis , Kapiche Sandry da Silva , Santos Juliana Peixoto dos , Benetti Henrique Aprijo , Dantas Sara , Oliveira Wuelison Lelis de , Pinheiro Paulo Henrik Silva
Published: April 2022

Os Acinetobacter, bactérias Gram negativas, se apresentam na forma coco-bacilos na fase de crescimento e em meios não seletivos, são imóveis, aeróbios, não esporulados, não fermentadores da glicose, oxidase negativos e catalase positivos, se destacam como multirresistentes e são considerados um desafio dentro das unidades clínicas pelo seu potencial de colonização, propagação e infecção, sobretudo em pacientes considerados graves. O estudo objetiva-se em relatar as ações desenvolvidas durante um surto de Acinetobacter Spp em uma Unidade de Terapia Intensiva de um hospital referência em urgência e emergência localizado na macrorregião II do estado de Rondônia. Trata-se de um estudo descritivo exploratório, quantitativo, documental, do tipo relato de experiência. Deste modo, a vivência proporcionou identificar as principais manifestações clínicas decorrentes a infecção por Acinetobacter Spp relacionadas aos procedimentos invasivos.
Os diversos aspectos da imunessenescência: uma revisão sistemática / The various aspects of immunosenescence: a systematic review
Authors: Leal Angélica Seixas , Paoliello Bruno Lemos , Da Silva Felipe Bouzas , Müller Guilherme Martins , Carvalho Igor Costa , Neto José Walter Sampaio , Silva Leonardo Figueiredo Mendes , Da Silva Michele Helena , Prates Sarah Kellen Pereira , Peruzzo Yasmin Luiza , Marçal Pedro Henrique Ferreira
Published: April 2022

O envelhecimento envolve diversos processos moleculares e celulares e a imunossenescência se evidencia no que concerne à redução generalizada das funções imunológicas. As razões para isso extrapolam a cronologia e apontam para a atuação da medicina preventiva, com o fito de promover qualidade de vida à população idosa que, segundo a tendência mundial, continua a crescer. Considerando aspectos imunológicos gerais, a senescência tem sido resumida à perda progressiva da homeostase, no que diz respeito à capacidade menor e mais lenta dos indivíduos senis quanto às respostas imunológicas, às alterações ambientais e à deterioração de seu funcionamento fisiológico, o que os tornariam mais vulneráveis a uma série de infecções e problemas crônicos. Mediante a isso, o presente estudo tem por objetivos centrais explorar o envelhecimento e discutir sobre suas alterações no organismo, evidenciando a influência de fatores como nutrição, estresse, sono, exercício físico e a Covid-19. Conclui-se, portanto, que tal sistema, atuante na proteção contra diversas doenças, mostra-se, um tanto, suprimido nessas idades, com vias de alta complexidade e ainda não completamente elucidadas. Nesse caso, traçar estratégias para compreender e amenizar a imunossenescência extrapola a perspectiva restrita ao rejuvenescimento e engloba o bem-estar, principalmente pelas doenças infecciosas e inflamatórias às quais o público destacado mostra-se mais susceptível, o que torna o estudo de imensa relevância à sociedade civil e de interesse à comunidade científica, a fim de que os mecanismos envolvidos sejam consolidados e os objetivos mencionados, de fato, atingidos.
Diversified and monoculture, contrasts in some parasitoids community of coffee crop / Monocultura diversificada e monocultura, contrastes em alguns parasitóides da comunidade da cultura do café
Authors: Tomazella Vitor Barrile , Proença Inês Caroline de Lima , De Souza Isadora Gomes Peres , Silveira Luís Cláudio Paterno
Published: April 2022

The diversification of the agriculture is a practice that is getting focus in the last decade, but it always was the natural way. The diversification, being anthropomorphic or natural, brings benefits to the crop, farmer, and the environment. One way possible to restore the diversity of the crop, is planting trees along the culture. Doing this, we can restore the diversification and help to improve ecological function, as pest control. This work was conducted at Fazenda da Lagoa, Santo Antonio do Amparo municipality, Brazil in a coffee plantation diversified with different tree species, being them Avocado, Macadamia, Mangium, Teak and Red Cedar. The insects were collected utilizing yellow plastic pan traps left in the field for a 48h period. Each tree species was sampled separated and a monoculture coffee as control. We found 254 insects in 40 species being 22 species of Braconidae, six species of Eulophidae and 12 Mymaridae species. Our results showed that all tree species had a greater insect richness than Monoculture coffee with Avocado (16), Mangium (18), Cedar (16), Macadamia (19), Teak (16) and Full Sun (10), also we found more abundance of parasitoids at the diversified coffee than in monoculture.
Relevância do conhecimento de protocolos de preparo de exames contrastados para a diminuição de exposições na radiografia médica / Relevance of the knowledge of contrasted exam preparation protocols for the reduction of exposures in medical radiography
Authors: Mendes Ana Maria da Silva , Nogueira Luciana Batista , Fontainha Críssia Carem Paiva , Batista Adriana de Souza Medeiros , Santos Talita de Oliveira
Published: April 2022

A realização de exames contrastados na radiografia médica requer ao paciente em geral preparo antes do procedimento e até mesmo no momento da sua realização. O objetivo deste trabalho foi abordar o preparo do paciente nos estudos radiológicos contrastados para radiografia médica. Na metodologia foram levantados os protocolos dos preparos para exames contrastados de um setor da radiologia. Os dados foram analisados e comparados com referências bibliográficas utilizadas pelos profissionais das técnicas radiológicas. Os resultados mostraram que o serviço de radiologia segue o preparo de pacientes em sua maioria de acordo com as recomendações do autor Bontrager e Lampignano (2015). O serviço de radiologia realiza somente 9 dos 17 exames contrastados para radiologia médica que foram mencionados na literatura, devido a evolução de outros métodos de imagem. Dessa maneira é importante e fundamental o conhecimento dos profissionais das técnicas radiológicas sobre os preparos de pacientes para geração de imagens diagnóstica de qualidade.
O processo de desenvolvimento de produtos de um projeto realizado por equipes virtuais para construir um ventilador pulmonar de baixo custo no contexto do COVID-19 / The product development process of a virtual team project to build a low-cost lung ventilator in the context of COVID-19
Authors: Rosa Roberto Canedo , Barbalho Sanderson César Macêdo , Bestard Guillermo Alvarez , Oliveira Fábio Henrique Monteiro , Evangelista Sérgio Henrique , Llanos Carlos Humberto
Published: April 2022

Os projetos colaborativos entre governo, universidade e empresa privada desempenham um importante papel no gerenciamento de crises, além de serem fundamentais para a implementação de estratégias de inovação. A partir das necessidades geradas pela crise de saúde pública advindas com a Covid-19, este trabalho apresenta uma análise do diagnóstico do processo de desenvolvimento de produto (PDP) de um ventilador pulmonar de baixo custo, desenvolvido em parceria entre pesquisadores da Universidade de Brasília (UNB), da Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCAR), do Instituto Federal de Brasília (IFB), e da Escola Superior de Ciências da Saúde (ESCS). O projeto foi financiado pela Fundação de Apoio à Pesquisa do Distrito Federal, é gerenciado financeiramente pela Fundação de apoio da UNB, e tem parceria com uma empresa privada, com o foco em transferir tecnologia e na produção em escala do equipamento. O diagnóstico do PDP foi realizado a partir da associação de dois modelos amplamente difundidos na literatura, apresentando características peculiares de um projeto materializado em ambiente universitário, com prazos curtos, e atividades desenvolvidas, em grande parte, remotamente. Os resultados apresentados comprovaram uma estrutura similar a projetos do tipo mecatrônico, e com uma alta interação entre os atores do projeto na realização das atividades.