bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Quadratus lumborum blocks for abdominal transplant surgeries at UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh—A five year experience
Authors: Hernandez Maria A. , Licata Scott , Damian Daniela , Ganoza Armando , Visoiu Mihaela
Published: April 2022

Background

Adequate perioperative analgesia for pediatric abdominal transplant surgery is essential for patient recovery. However, the risks of commonly used medications such as hepatotoxicity, nephrotoxicity, bleeding concerns, and poor graft results with opioids limit pain management in this population. Thoracic epidural, continuous erector spinae plane, and type‐1 quadratus lumborum blocks (QLBs) have been described and utilized in the adult population in this setting. The safety and benefits of regional anesthetic techniques in pediatrics have been widely documented for different types of procedures except pediatric abdominal transplantation, where data remains scarce. Our primary goal was to determine if QLBs provided adequate perioperative analgesia when part of a multimodal approach. Secondary objectives were to examine complications and effects on the intensive care unit (ICU) and hospital stay.

Methods

We performed a retrospective, observational study of pediatric patients who underwent abdominal transplant surgeries at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh from January 2015 to July 2021 and received a single injection QLB for pain control. Data collected included: demographics, nerve block characteristics, perioperative opioid consumption, use of non‐opioid analgesia, daily pain scores, and hospital and ICU stay.

Results

Forty‐two patients met the inclusion criteria for our study. Our results suggest that QLBs decrease opioid consumption, facilitate early extubation, prevent reintubation in the ICU, and reduce ICU and hospital stay.

Conclusions

QLB is feasible and can be used as a multimodal approach for postoperative pain control in pediatric solid organ transplantation.
Predictors of portal vein complications after pediatric liver transplantation: A German center experience
Authors: Badawy Amr , Brunner Stefan M. , Knoppke Birgit , Völkl Melanie , Junger Henrik , Loss Martin , Sinner Barbara , Huf Veronika , Grothues Dirk , Melter Michael , Schlitt Hans J.
Published: April 2022

Background

Portal vein complications (PVCs) after pediatric liver transplantation (LT) are sometimes asymptomatic, especially in the early phase, and can threaten both the graft and patient's survival. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to analyze the risk factors for portal vein thrombosis (PVT) and portal vein stenosis (PVS) after pediatric LT.

Methods

All pediatric patients (n = 115) who underwent primary LT at Regensburg University Hospital between January 2010 and April 2017 were included in this study. The pre‐, intra‐, and postoperative parameters of all patients were retrospectively reviewed and risk factors for both PVT and PVS were analyzed.

Results

Of the 115 patients, living donor LT was performed on 57 (49.5%) patients, and biliary atresia was the primary diagnosis in 65 patients (56%). After pediatric LT, 9% of patients developed PVT, and 16.5% developed PVS. Patient weight ≤7 kg [odds ratio (OR) 9.35, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.03–84.9, p = .04] and GRWR >3% (OR 15.4, 95% CI 1.98–129.5, p = .01) were the independent risk factors for the development of PVT and PVS, respectively upon multivariate analysis. The overall patient survival rates at 1, 3, and 5 years were 91%, 90%, and 89%, respectively, and there was no difference in patient survival among those with and without PVCs.

Conclusions

Pediatric patients with body weight <7 kg and/or receiving a graft with GRWR >3% may develop PVCs and so require certain surgical modifications, close follow‐up, and prophylactic anticoagulant therapy following transplant.
The intra‐session reliability of functional connectivity during naturalistic viewing conditions
Authors: Hlinka Jaroslav , Děchtěrenko Filip , Rydlo Jan , Androvičová Renáta , Vejmelka Martin , Jajcay Lucia , Tintěra Jaroslav , Lukavský Jiří , Horáček Jiří
Published: April 2022

Functional connectivity analysis is a common approach to the characterization of brain function. While studies of functional connectivity have predominantly focused on resting‐state fMRI, naturalistic paradigms, such as movie watching, are increasingly being used. This ecologically valid, yet relatively unconstrained acquisition state has been shown to improve subject compliance and, potentially, enhance individual differences. However, unlike the reliability of resting‐state functional connectivity, the reliability of functional connectivity during naturalistic viewing has not yet been fully established. The current study investigates the intra‐session reliability of functional connectivity during naturalistic viewing sessions to extend its understanding. Using fMRI data of 24 subjects measured at rest as well as during six naturalistic viewing conditions, we quantified the split‐half reliability of each condition, as well as cross‐condition reliabilities. We find that intra‐session reliability is relatively high for all conditions. While cross‐condition reliabilities are higher for pairings of two naturalistic viewing conditions, split‐half reliability is highest for the resting state. Potential sources of variability across the conditions, as well as the strengths and limitations of using intra‐session reliability as a measure in naturalistic viewing, are discussed.
Endometrial area of the blood flow as a marker of endometritis in equine
Authors: Da Silva‐Álvarez Eva , Gómez‐Arrones Vanessa , Martín‐Cano Francisco Eduardo , Gaitskell‐Phillips Gemma , Ortiz‐Rodríguez Jose Manuel , Carrasco Juan Jesús , Gil Maria Cruz , Peña Vega Fernando J. , Ortega Ferrusola Cristina
Published: April 2022

In this study, uterine blood flow area (BFA) has been evaluated for the first time using power Doppler ultrasound (PD) as a marker of endometritis in mares and jennies. The uterine BFA in healthy mares was greater in oestrus than in diestrus (p < .001). However, differences in endometrial blood flow between oestrus and diestrus were not observed in mares with endometritis. The uterine blood flow in healthy jennies is not affected by the oestrus cycle. Both species showed an increase in endometrial BFA in pathological uterine conditions compared to controls. BFA was a good marker of endometritis with an area under curve (AUC) (estrus:0.94 (p < .001) diestrus:0.98 (p < .001) in mares and AUC (0.91 (p < .0001) in jennies. The results of this preliminary study suggest that PD ultrasound in combination with computerized image analysis has the potential to be a very useful tool in the diagnosis of endometritis.
Cardiovascular phenotype of long‐term anabolic‐androgenic steroid abusers compared with strength‐trained athletes
Authors: Fyksen Tea Sætereng , Vanberg Paul , Gjesdal Knut , von Lueder Thomas G. , Bjørnerheim Reidar , Steine Kjetil , Atar Dan , Halvorsen Sigrun
Published: April 2022

Introduction

Abuse of anabolic‐androgenic steroids (AAS) has been linked to a variety of different cardiovascular (CV) side effects, but still the clinical effects of AAS abuse on CV risk are not clear. The aim of this study was to assess the CV phenotype of a large cohort of men with long‐term AAS use compared with strength‐trained athletes without AAS use.

Methods

Fifty one strength‐trained men with ≥3 years of AAS use was compared with twenty one strength‐trained competing athletes. We verified substance abuse and non‐abuse by blood and urine analyses. The participants underwent comprehensive CV evaluation including laboratory analyses, 12‐lead ECG with measurement of QT dispersion, exercise ECG, 24 h ECG with analyses of heart rate variability, signal averaged ECG, basic transthoracic echocardiography, and coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA).

Results

Hemoglobin levels and hematocrit were higher among the AAS users compared with non‐users (16.8 vs. 15.0 g/dl, and 0.50% vs. 0.44%, respectively, both p < 0.01) and HDL cholesterol significantly lower (0.69 vs. 1.25 mmol/L, p < 0.01). Maximal exercise capacity was 270 and 280 W in the AAS and the non‐user group, respectively (p = 0.04). Echocardiography showed thicker intraventricular septum and left ventricular (LV) posterior wall among AAS users (p < 0.01 for both), while LV ejection fraction was lower (50 vs. 54%, p = 0.02). Seven AAS users (17%) had evidence of coronary artery disease on CCTA. There were no differences in ECG measures between the groups.

Conclusions

A divergent CV phenotype dominated by increased CV risk, accelerated coronary artery disease, and concentric myocardial hypertrophy was revealed among the AAS users.
Delineation of nutrient management zones for precise fertilizer management in wheat crop using geo‐statistical techniques
Authors: Ameer Sikander , Cheema Muhammad Jehanzeb Masud , Khan Muhammad Azeem , Amjad Muhammad , Noor Mohsin , Wei Lin
Published: April 2022

Understanding the variability in crop yield in relation to the spatial variations in soil properties can help to more efficiently apply agricultural inputs on a site‐specific basis. This study was designed to characterize and quantify the spatial variation in soil properties and wheat yield and to delineate prescription maps for site‐specific fertilization. A wheat field was selected at the research farm of the University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan, and a grid pattern (30 m * 30 m) was established at the experimental sites to collect soil and crop yield samples at two sampling depths (0–15 & 15–30 cm). The soil samples were analysed for soil nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), pH, electrical conductivity (EC), soil organic matter (SOM) and saturation (S) at both sampling depths. The locations of the sampling points and field boundary were marked with a GPS receiver. Results of classical, geo‐statistical and interpolated maps revealed significant spatial variability in soil properties and crop yield, demanding for site‐specific nutrient management. The cluster analysis was performed to group the soil and yield data into five productivity zones termed as ‘very low’, ‘low’, ‘medium’, ‘high’ and ‘very high’ without prior knowledge of productivity potential with the internal homogeneity and external heterogeneity at a similarity level of greater than 70%. Results of correlation matrix suggested significant relationships among the crop yield and the soil properties. Results of means comparison in different productivity zones indicated that the crop yield and soil properties were significantly different in developed management zones except ‘low’ and ‘very low’ zones. Significant variation of soil nutrients in very low‐to‐very high productivity zones at both sampling depths suggested that the soil nutrients in combination with soil pH and organic matter can be used to develop prescription maps for site‐specific fertilization. Furthermore, the results of this study emphasize the need to predict soil and crop variables using sensors, in future studies, to delineate prescription maps, as soil sampling and analysis is expansive and time consuming. Site‐specific fertilization based on soil and crop needs can improve economic and environmental efficiency.
Modelling the event‐based hydrological response of olive groves on steep slopes and clayey soils under mulching and tillage management using the SCS‐CN, Horton and USLE‐family models
Authors: Bombino Giuseppe , Denisi Pietro , Gómez José Alfonso , Zema Demetrio Antonio , Zimbone Santo Marcello
Published: April 2022

The SCS‐CN, Horton and USLE‐family models are used worldwide, but few examples are available for olive groves on steep and clayey soils under mulching of pruning residues. We evaluate the accuracy in predicting runoff and soil loss of a steep (20%) and clayey olive grove subject to three soil conservation practices: mechanical tillage (MT), mulching with pruning residues (NTR) and standard protection (SP), measured at plot scale in Southern Italy during 30 months under natural rainfall. The models were calibrated by adjusting the Curve Numbers (for the SCS‐CN model) and the C‐factors (MUSLE and USLE‐M); the Horton model was not calibrated. The model performance was assessed by qualitative and quantitative procedures. In all practices, the SCS‐CN was more accurate for runoff predictions (mean difference of 7% compared with corresponding observations) compared with the Horton (mean difference of 30%). For soil erosion, the MUSLE showed better performance in soils subject to MT or total protection (differences lower than 10%), while the USLE‐M was more reliable to simulate soil loss in mulched plots (differences of 8%). A set of Curve Numbers (95 for MT, 70 for SP and 85 for NTR) and C‐factors (0.4 for MT, 0.2 for SP and 0.1 for NTR) are proposed for applications in steep slope and clayey soil olive orchards using the SCS‐CN and USLE proposed models, respectively. Validation exercises in other environmental experimental conditions would enhance the export these models for runoff and erosion control in agricultural soils treated with mulching.
Clay fraction properties and grassland management imprint on soil organic matter composition and stability at molecular level
Authors: Baumann Karen , Eckhardt Kai‐Uwe , Schöning Ingo , Schrumpf Marion , Leinweber Peter
Published: April 2022

The dynamics of soil carbon in grassland are partly determined by soil organic matter (SOM) composition. However, it remains unclear which role grassland management plays in the interplay between SOM composition and carbon dynamics. Using pyrolysis‐field ionization mass spectrometry (Py‐FIMS), we studied the effect of meadow, mown pasture and pasture on the molecular SOM composition in German topsoils. In sandy soils of the Schorfheide‐Chorin region, SOM composition and stability were strongly affected by clay contents and concentrations of crystalline Fe‐oxides. Here, the grassland management type influenced lipid proportions, which accounted for a maximum of 11.1% of the total ion intensity (TII) under mown pasture. In the Hainich‐Dün region, SOM composition was mainly related to the SOM decomposition stage (abundance of potentially recalcitrant compounds) but not to minerals. Compound classes of carbohydrates (4.3% TII), phenols and lignin monomers (8.5% TII), N‐containing compounds (2.2% TII) and peptides (4.6% TII) were highest under meadow, while compound classes of lignin dimers (3.4% TII) and lipids (8.1% TII) were highest under pasture. In the Schwäbische Alb region, the proportion of free fatty acids (1.6 to 2.3% TII) was positively related to the C/N ratio (r = 0.86); SOM stability was positively affected by poorly crystalline Fe‐oxide content (r = 0.85). The results suggest that grassland management is affecting SOM composition and stability and thus influence SOM dynamics in grasslands. However, the proportion and composition (Fe‐oxide content) of the soil clay fraction overrode grassland management effects if soil clay/OC ratios were <10.
The sociolinguistic dynamics of Russian and English in post‐1990 Lithuania
Authors: Vaicekauskienė Loreta
Published: April 2022

The paper describes the sociolinguistic history of English in one of the post‐Soviet Eastern European countries ‐ Lithuania ‐ covering three post‐1990 decades. The aim is to examine the dynamics of the spread of English in relation to the ‘non‐native’ Russian, the main lingua franca and L2 in this region after WWII until 1990. Based on a set of attitudinal, educational and self‐assessment data as well as mixed language use for identity construction, the study shows that English was not accepted as rapidly as is sometimes claimed. With lower English scores and additional Russian, the ‘periphery’ of the Expanding Circle remains noticeably distinct from the European context. In demographic terms, however, the end of the third post‐1990 decade can be considered a turning point in the sociolinguistic development of the community, led by the youth generations born around 1990 and after.
First report and genotyping of Dientamoeba fragilis in pet budgerigars (Melopsittacus undulatus), with zoonotic importance
Authors: Yetismis Gamze , Yildirim Alparslan , Pekmezci Didem , Duzlu Onder , Ciloglu Arif , Onder Zuhal , Simsek Emrah , Ercan Nuri , Pekmezci Gokmen Zafer , Inci Abdullah
Published: April 2022

The protozoan Dientamoeba fragilis is one of the most common parasites in the digestive system of humans worldwide. The host range and transmission routes of D. fragilis, including the role of animals, are still ambiguous with few reports from non‐human primates, sheep, rodents, pigs, a cat and a dog. In this study, we used microscopic and TaqMan qPCR analyses to investigate D. fragilisin 150 faecal samples from pet budgerigars (Melopsittacus undulatus) in the Central Anatolia Region of Turkey. Dientamoeba fragilis DNA was detected in 32 samples, resulting in a mean prevalence of 21.3%. In microscopic examination, trophozoites/cysts of D. fragilis were detected in 13 of 32 qPCR‐positive samples. SSU rRNA sequence analyses of the qPCR‐positive isolates identified genotype 1 of D. fragilis as predominant in budgerigars. Phylogenetic analyses of the SSU rRNA gene region clustered D. fragilis genotypes, as well as other trichomonads, in separate monophyletic clusters with bootstrap values ≥79.0. Our study provides the first evidence for the natural host status of pet budgerigars for D. fragilisand contributes to the knowledge of the epidemiology of this parasite. The high prevalence of genotype 1 of D. fragilis suggests that pet budgerigars are suitable reservoirs for zoonotic transmission. Our findings contribute to an increased awareness and knowledge of D. fragilis infections in the context of a one‐health approach.
Strouhal Number for Vortex-Induced Vibration Excitation of Long Slender Structures
Authors: Potts Douglas A. , Marcollo Hayden , Jayasinghe Kanishka
Published: April 2022

A variety of contemporary test data for elastically mounted cylinders, with the freedom to oscillate under one degree-of-freedom (1DOF, i.e., cross-flow) and 2DOF (i.e., cross-flow and in-line) were evaluated and compared against the conventional Strouhal number relationship. It is well established for vortex-induced vibration (VIV) that the eddy-shedding frequency will synchronize with the near-resonant motions of a dynamically oscillating cylinder, such that the resultant bandwidth of lock-in exhibits a wider range of effective Strouhal numbers than that reflected in the narrow-banded relationship about a mean of 0.2. However, whilst cylinders oscillating under 1DOF exhibit a mean Strouhal number of 0.2 consistent with fixed/stationary cylinders, cylinders with 2DOF exhibit a much lower mean Strouhal number of around 0.14–0.15.
Maintenance of Exercise Habit and Its Impact on Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Previously Sedentary People: A 7-Year Follow-Up
Authors: Masotti Sabrina , Menegatti Erica , Zerbini Valentina , Raisi Andrea , Piva Tommaso , Morelli Martina , Lordi Rosario , Grazzi Giovanni , Mazzoni Gianni , Mandini Simona
Published: April 2022

The aim of the study was to assess whether the level of physical activity in daily life in previously sedentary adults had been sustained 7 years beyond a 1-year supervised walking program. One hundred ten participants (63 females, 57.5 ± 8.4 years; 47 males, 66.4 ± 7.9 years) were recalled and assessed for physical activity in daily life, weight, body mass index, blood pressure, and walking speed. Fifty-nine percentage of the participants measured met and exceeded the World Health Organization physical activity guidelines (Group 1), while 41% did not (Group 2). In both groups, we observed a significant decrease of weight (72.0 ± 14.0 kg vs. 69.7  ± 14.0 kg in Group 1; 77.4  ± 19.5 kg vs. 75.4 ± 18.6 kg in Group 2) and body mass index (25.9 ± 3.7 vs. 25.1 ± 3.9 in Group 1; 27.9 ± 5.6 vs. 27.2 ± 5.4 in Group 2). Group 1 showed a significant increase in walking speed (5.8  ± 0.7 km/hr vs. 6.2  ± 0.8 km/hr), while systolic pressure did not change from the baseline. In Group 2, systolic pressure significantly increased (131.3 ± 13.5 mmHg vs. 138.0  ± 15.5  mmHg), while walking speed did not change. A guided walking program seems to have been effective in educating sedentary people to remain physically active over time.
Relationship of Functional Outcome With Sarcopenia and Objectively Measured Physical Activity in Patients With Stroke Undergoing Rehabilitation
Authors: Kanai Masashi , Nozoe Masafumi , Ohtsubo Takuro , Yasumoto Iori , Ueno Katsuhiro
Published: April 2022

This study aimed to investigate the relationship of Functional Independence Measure for motor function (FIM-M) with sarcopenia, and physical activity in patients with stroke undergoing rehabilitation. This cross-sectional study included patients with stroke at a single convalescent rehabilitation hospital. Sarcopenia was diagnosed based on the Asia Working Group for Sarcopenia 2019 criteria. Physical activity was measured as the duration of light-intensity physical activity and moderate to vigorous physical activity using a triaxial accelerometer. Of 80 patients (median age: 72.0 years), 46 (57.5%) were diagnosed with sarcopenia. In multivariate linear regression analysis, FIM-M score was significantly associated with sarcopenia (β = −0.15, p = .043) and light-intensity physical activity (β = 0.55, p < .001). In another model, FIM-M score was significantly associated with moderate to vigorous physical activity (β = 0.27, p = .002) but not with sarcopenia. This study demonstrated that FIM-M was partially associated with sarcopenia and associated with physical activity regardless of intensity in patients with stroke.
Validity of a Novel Algorithm to Detect Bedtime, Wake Time, and Sleep Time in Adults
Authors: Leister Kyle R. , Garay Jessica , Barreira Tiago V.
Published: April 2022

Purpose: To determine accuracy of activPAL Technologies’ CREA algorithm to assess bedtime, wake time, and sleep time. Methods: As part of a larger study, 104 participants recorded nightly sleep logs (LOGs) and wore the activPAL accelerometer at the thigh and ActiGraph accelerometer at the hip for 24 hr/day, for seven consecutive days. For sleep LOGs, participants recorded nightly bed and daily wake times. Previously validated ActiGraph, proprietary activPAL, and the Winkler sleep algorithm were used to compute sleep variables. Eighty-seven participants provided 2+ days of valid data. Pearson correlations, paired samples t tests, and equivalency tests were used to examine relationships and differences between methods (activPAL vs. ActiGraph, activPAL vs. LOG, and activPAL vs. Winkler algorithm). Results: For screened data, moderately high to high correlations but significant mean differences were found between activPAL versus ActiGraph for bedtime (t86 = −6.80, p ≤ .01, r = .84), wake time (t86 = 4.80, p ≤ .01, r = .93), and sleep time (t86 = 7.99, p ≤ .01, r = .88). activPAL versus LOG comparisons also yielded significant mean differences and moderately high to high correlations for bedtime (t86 = −4.68, p ≤ .01, r = .82), wake time (t86 = 8.14, p ≤ .01, r = .93), and sleep time (t86 = 8.60, p ≤ .01, r = .72). Equivalency testing revealed that equivalency could not be claimed between activPAL versus LOG or activPAL versus ActiGraph comparisons, though the activPAL and Winkler algorithm were equivalent. Conclusion: The activPAL algorithm overestimated sleep time by detecting earlier bedtimes and later wake times. Because of the significant differences between algorithms, bedtime, wake time, and sleep time are not interchangeable between methods.
Pulling the Trigger: The Effect of a 5-Minute Slow Diaphragmatic Breathing Intervention on Psychophysiological Stress Responses and Pressurized Pistol Shooting Performance
Authors: Conlon Aodhagán , Arnold Rachel , Preatoni Ezio , Moore Lee J.
Published: April 2022

This study examined the effect of slow diaphragmatic breathing on psychophysiological stress responses and pressurized performance. Sixty-seven participants (40 female;Mage = 20.17 ± 2.77 years) were randomly assigned to either a diaphragmatic-breathing, paced-breathing, or control group. Participants completed a nonpressurized shooting task and then received instructions about a pressurized version. Next, the diaphragmatic group was told to breathe at 6 breaths/min, the paced group at 12 breaths/min, and the control group received no instructions. Following a 5-min intervention period, participants completed the pressurized task while performance was assessed. Psychophysiological stress responses (e.g., cognitive anxiety, heart rate) were recorded throughout. Results revealed that diaphragmatic breathing had mixed effects on stress responses, with some unaffected (e.g., heart rate) and others reduced (e.g., cognitive anxiety), and little effect on performance. Findings suggested that slow diaphragmatic breathing might not aid pressurized performance but could benefit psychological stress responses.
#TheyareUnited and #TheyWantToPlay: A Critical Discourse Analysis of College Football Player Social Media Activism
Authors: Black Wayne L. , Ofoegbu Ezinne , Foster Sayvon L.
Published: April 2022

This study examined the way college football players used social media to resist, highlight, and address inequity in college football. Employing a critical discourse analysis guided by poststructuralism as a theoretical framework, three public statements were analyzed to explore how the language used in the statements resisted multiple discourses that shape college football players’ experiences. The ways that college football players used discourse to mobilize as activists and exert control over their college athlete experience were considered. These findings highlight three consistent themes and expand research on college athlete activism through social media and language analysis.
Streptococcus pyogenes Hijacks Host Glutathione for Growth and Innate Immune Evasion
Authors: Brouwer Stephan , Jespersen Magnus G. , Ong Cheryl-lynn Y. , De Oliveira David M. P. , Keller Bernhard , Cork Amanda J. , Djoko Karrera Y. , Davies Mark R. , Walker Mark J.
Published: April 2022

During infection, microbes must escape host immune responses and survive exposure to reactive oxygen species produced by immune cells. Here, we identify the ABC transporter substrate binding protein GshT as a key component of the glutathione salvage pathway in glutathione-auxotrophic GAS.
Morganella morganii, an Emerging Cause of Bloodstream Infections
Authors: Laupland Kevin B. , Paterson David L. , Edwards Felicity , Stewart Adam G. , Harris Patrick N. A.
Published: April 2022

Recent reports of extensively antibiotic-resistant strains have highlighted the importance of
Morganella morganii
as an emerging pathogen. Despite its present and evolving importance as an agent of human disease, there is a limited body of literature detailing the epidemiology of serious infections due to
Morganella morganii
.
Diverse and novel soliton structures of coupled nonlinear Schrödinger type equations through two competent techniques
Authors: Islam Md. Tarikul , Akbar Md. Ali , Ahmad Hijaz , Ilhan Onur Alp , Gepreel Khaled A.
Published: April 2022

Nonlinear evolution equations play enormous significant roles to work with complicated physical phenomena located across the nature world. The Schrödinger type equations bearing nonlinearity are important models that flourished with the wide-ranging arena concerning plasma physics, nonlinear optics, fluid flow and the theory of deep-water waves. In this exploration, we retrieve the soliton and other solutions in an appropriate form to the coupled nonlinear Schrödinger equations by means of the improved tanh method and the rational [Formula: see text]-expansion method. The suggested system of nonlinear Schrödinger equations is turned into a differential equation of a single variable through executing some operations. Thereupon, successful implementation of the advised techniques regains the abundant exact traveling wave solutions. The obtained solutions are figured out in the profiles of three-dimensional (3D), two-dimensional (2D) and contour by assigning suitable values of the involved unknown constants. These diverse graphical appearances enable the researchers to understand the underlying mechanisms of intricate phenomena of the leading equations. The individual performances of the employed methods are praiseworthy which deserve further application to unravel any other nonlinear partial differential equations arising in various branches of science.
On lattice confinement and hybrid fusion
Authors: Mendes R. Vilela
Published: April 2022

Positive ions confined in a solid state lattice might be driven to low energy reactions by exploring, through quantum control, the 3-body wave function enhancements of the scar effect.
Accurate Locating and Recognizing of ID Card Information
Authors: Zhong Jingting , Yang Cihui , Xu Xingmiao , Bao Wuzhida , Guo Jianyong
Published: April 2022

As an important identification certificate for citizens, ID card plays a significant role in daily life and its information has found its way into almost every aspect. However, traditional ways tend to adopt manual input, which is not only time-consuming and labor-intensive, but also expensive as well as inaccuracy. In this paper, we proposed a novel algorithm to locate and recognize ID card information, in which several fresh strategies are presented to rectify image, detect boundary, and locate information, respectively. To solve the problem of image rotating, the image is rectified by searching the best rotating angle that can lead to the maximum corner point projection peak. Meanwhile, the boundary of ID card is detected by finding the best lines in the predicted boundary area based on the deviation between the predicted boundary and the detected boundary, and the position of information is located by incorporating the prior information and the location relation between the key information. Experimental results show that the proposed algorithm can achieve a state-of-the-art effect for recognizing ID card’s information.
Optimized Convolutional Neural Network for Road Detection with Structured Contour and Spatial Information for Intelligent Vehicle System
Authors: Dewangan Deepak Kumar , Sahu Satya Prakash
Published: April 2022

“Road detection is said to be a major research area in remote sensing analysis and it is usually complex due to the data complexities as it gets varied in appearance with minor inter-class and huge intra-class variations that often cause errors and gaps in the extraction of the road”. Moreover, the majority of supervised learning techniques endure from the high price of manual annotation or inadequate training data. Thereby, this paper intends to introduce a new model for road detection. This work exploits a siamesed fully convolutional network (named as “s-FCN-loc”) based on VGG-net architecture that considers semantic contour, RGB channel and location prior for segmenting road regions precisely. As a major contribution, super pixel segmentation was carried out, where the RGB images are given as input to the FCN network and the road regions of images are set as a target. Further, the segmented outputs are fused using AND operation to attain the final segmented output that detects the road regions accurately. To make the detection more accurate, the convolutional layers of FCN are optimally chosen by a new improved model termed as distance oriented sea lion algorithm (DSLnO) model. The presented DSLnO + FCN model has achieved a minimal value of negative measures and accuracy is 8.2% higher than traditional methods. Finally, the presented method is evaluated on the KITTI road detection dataset, and achieves a better result. The analysis was done with respect to positive measures and negative measures.
LWRN: Light-Weight Residual Network for Edge Detection
Authors: Han Chen , Li Dingyu , Wang Xuanyin
Published: April 2022

Edge detection is one of the most fundamental fields in computer vision. With the rapid development of the combination of Convolutional Neural Network and Multi-Scale Representation of image, significant progress has been made in this field. However, most of them have a huge size, which makes it hard to apply in reality, and a huge number of parameters may lead to waste of computing resources. In this paper, we focus on qualitative analysis of the role of each part in the network, and propose a modified light-weight architecture based on our result and the study of former works. Our new architecture is composed of residual-blocks, max-pooling layers and batch normalization layers. Compared with the previous models, the new architecture performs better in memory, convergence and computation efficiency with similar model size. Moreover, the new architecture can achieve better accuracy with smaller model size. When evaluating our model on the well-known BSDS500 benchmark, we achieve ODS F-measure of 0.769 with parameters less than 0.3[Formula: see text]M, which shows a better property than the state-of-the-art result 0.766 at this level.
A Magnetically Coupled-Inductor Boost Converter with High Bandwidth and Fast Dynamic Response
Authors: Goudarzian Alireza , Adib Ehsan
Published: April 2022

Transient modeling analysis of the traditional DC/DC converters shows their worse effect of nonminimum-phase characteristics due to right-half-plane (RHP) zero existence in their plant transfer function. This RHP zero restricts the bandwidth of the switching converters and, that is the main reason for slower response. The motivation of this paper is to present a new technique for eliminating the RHP zero from the dynamics of a conventional boost converter that can solve the problems associated with the nonminimum phase converters and, to focus on its analysis, design and modeling to achieve a high voltage gain as well as the RHP zero cancellation. The proposed technique uses a transformer combined with switching capacitor cells. The striking feature of the suggested topology is its minimum-phase structure, further enhancement of the voltage gain, switching stress reduction, achievement of an improved frequency response and easiness for the design of a closed-loop control scheme to perform the voltage trajectory tracking task. First, the operation of the proposed converter is identified and then, the corresponding circuit performance is evaluated. By using a suitable design, the control-to-output-voltage transfer function is completely free from the RHP zero. The significant advantages of the proposed converter are established via comparisons. To confirm the design approach and theoretical findings, the simulations are introduced and, numerical experimental results such as Bode diagrams are presented.
Neuron Network with a Synapse of CMOS transistor and Anti-Parallel Memristors for Low power Implementations
Authors: Rai V. Keerthy , Sakthivel R.
Published: April 2022

The bio-mimetic structure of a neuron is taken into account for utilizing the electrophysiological data. These neuron circuits are entertained for the use in digital computers. At the end of Moore’s law, conventional technology is striking different difficulties, such as power consumption, area utilization, and energy efficiency. To conquer these hurdles, a nanoscale, the nonvolatile memristor used in the proposed neuron modified from the refined AH neuron. Synapses are also built using anti-parallel memristors. These neurons and synapse are joined together such that the performance metrics are analyzed the energy consumption is reduced by 89.656%. Besides, power consumption is limited by 37.568% and the spike frequency is measured as 10.263[Formula: see text]kHz when compared with the traditional CMOS synapse connected with the proposed neuron. Moreover, the measured energy per spike is 3.37[Formula: see text]fJ. The implementation of the neuron network is done by 45[Formula: see text]nm technology.
Light deflection angle by superentropic black holes
Authors: Belhaj A. , Belmahi H. , Benali M. , El Moumni H.
Published: April 2022

Motivated by recent works on light deflection and shadow behaviors on AdS geometries [S. Haroon, M. Jamil, K. Jusufi, K. Lin and R. B. Mann, Phys. Rev. D 99 (2019) 044015, arXiv:1810.04103; A. Belhaj, H. Belmahi and M. Benali, Phys. Lett. B 821 (2021) 136619, arXiv:2110.06771], we investigate the deflection angle of light rays by superentropic black holes. Taking appropriate approximations, we first obtain the involved expression. For large values of the impact parameter, we get a specific value being zero for ordinary black holes without AdS backgrounds. Then, we examine and analyze such an optical quantity by providing graphical discussions in terms of a bounded region of the moduli space required by superentropic black hole conditions. Concretely, we study the deflection angle aspects by varying the black hole mass being fixed in the previous findings.
Effect of nucleon coupling constants on properties of proto neutron star PSR J0740+6620
Authors: Zhao Xian-Feng , Huang Rui , Huo Jian-Li
Published: April 2022

The properties of proto neutron star (PNS) PSR J0740+6620 are studied with the relative mean field theory. In our calculations, we find that five nucleon coupling parameters (DD-MEI, NL1, NL2, TW99 and GM1) can give the mass of the PNS PSR J0740+6620. The radius of PNS PSR J0740+6620 calculated by GM1 is the smallest, [Formula: see text]–[Formula: see text][Formula: see text]km, and that calculated by TW99 is the largest, [Formula: see text]–[Formula: see text][Formula: see text]km. The radius calculated by other nucleon coupling parameters is between the two. We find that properties of PNS PSR J0740+6620 calculated by different nucleon coupling parameters are different. The central baryon density [Formula: see text], the central field strength [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] of mesons [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text], the central energy density [Formula: see text], and the central pressure [Formula: see text] calculated by GM1 are all the largest among the five sets of nucleon coupling parameters. The calculations with DD-MEI, TW99 and GM1 show that eight baryons (n, p, [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text]) appear inside PNS PSR J0740+6620 whereas those with NL1 and NL2 show that hyperon [Formula: see text] does not appear. The relative particle density of baryons inside PNS PSR J0740+6620 is also very different as the PNS is calculated with different nucleon coupling constants.
PERFORMANCE OF THERMALLY SPRAYED HYDROXYAPATITE COATINGS FOR BIOMEDICAL IMPLANTS: A COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW
Authors: PRASHAR GAURAV , VASUDEV HITESH , THAKUR LALIT , BANSAL AMIT
Published: April 2022

Metallic bioimplant are widely used now-a-days to replace a part of human body in a physiologically accepted manner. However, the bio-compatibility of the metallic bioimplant was mainly achieved by the incorporation of a bio-compatible coating on its surface through suitable surface modifications techniques. In surface modifications techniques, the thermal spraying is widely used for modification of metallic bioimplant due to its versatile nature. In thermal spraying, the hydroxyapatite (HAp)-based coatings are mainly preferred because this coating responses to physiochemical environment and adapts itself accordingly. But bulk of the HAp coating give out due to less adhesion strength of the HAp coating and its poor mechanical properties. The properties of HAp-based coatings can be designed as per requirements by reinforcing this coating through hard particulates in suitable proportions. In this paper, the various thermal sprayed (TS) coatings used for performing HAp-based coatings on bioimplant were discussed. The influence of reinforcements on the mechanical and bio-compatible properties of the coatings is also discussed in detail. Lastly, the challenges in the TS HAp coatings along-with the future perspective of TS coating in fabricating of 3D biomedical implants by using cold spray (CS) has also been summarized.
NUMERICAL SIMULATION OF 3D T-SHAPED ELECTROOSMOTIC MICROMIXER
Authors: FENG QIAOYU , CHEN XUEYE
Published: April 2022

We mainly studied the mixing performance of three new T-type electroosmotic micromixers (T-EMs). The three T-EMs are designed as rhomboids with three different shapes of obstructions inside. The rhomboid micromixers utilize the principle of convergence and divergence to improve mixing efficiency. By changing the Reynolds number (Re), the change of mixing efficiency under direct current (DC) voltage 20[Formula: see text]V and alternating current (AC) voltage 2[Formula: see text]mV was observed. We changed the shape of the intermediate obstacles, discussed the shape of the internal barrier on the mixing efficiency of T-EM, and increased the mixing efficiency by increasing the voltage value. The mixing efficiency of T-EM with 150[Formula: see text][Formula: see text]m channel width can reach 97.5% under DC condition and 97.6% with circular barrier under AC condition.
FINITE ELEMENT SPINE MODELS AND SPINAL INSTRUMENTS: A REVIEW
Authors: AKINCI SALIHA ZEYNEB , ARSLAN YUNUS ZIYA
Published: April 2022

There is considerable biomechanics literature on finite element modeling and analysis of the spine. To accurately mimic the biomechanical behavior of the vertebral column, a generated computational model has to include anatomical structures that are consistent with physiological reality. In this review article, we focused on the finite element spine models that have been developed by various approaches in the literature. Firstly, the anatomical features of the spine and the spinal components have been briefly explained. We then focused on the modeling stages of vertebrae, ligaments, facet joints, intervertebral discs, and spinal instruments. With this paper, we expect to provide a comprehensive resource regarding the modeling preferences used in spine modeling.
EFFECTIVE FEATURES ANALYSIS IN PARALLEL DIAGNOSIS OF CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES USING HEART SOUND
Authors: SABOURI ZAHRA , GHADIMI ABBAS , KIANI-SARKALEH AZADEH , ROUDPOSHTI KAMRAD KHOSHHAL
Published: April 2022

Heart sound signal processing is a low-cost, and noninvasive method for the early diagnosis of various types of cardiovascular diseases. In this study, a parallel diagnosing method was proposed to detect various types of heart diseases and healthy heart samples. The proposed system can detect a person who might be simultaneously suffering from two or more heart diseases. Contributing to this line of investigation, effective features were obtained from the morphological and statistical features extracted from five frequency ranges of heart sounds. Applying such features in diagnosing any heart disease acts as a fingerprint specific to that disease. Therefore, the investigation of selected features, especially in each of the frequency ranges of heart sounds and murmurs, provided us with valuable information about the behavior of the diagnostic system in the detection of heart diseases. In addition to using features related to the nature of heart sounds, the proposed method of this study got rid of both the need to apply different filters needed to remove noise and dependence on a specific dataset. With the aid of the effective features in the parallel diagnosis of 15 different types of important and common heart diseases and a healthy class from each other, the diagnostic system of the present study was able to achieve the average accuracy of 97.06%, the average sensitivity of 97.99%, and the average specificity of 96.18% in the shortest possible time. The proposed approach is an important step in the screening and remote monitoring and tracking of disease progression.
ESTIMATION OF KNEE JOINT TORQUE DURING SIT–STAND MOVEMENT BASED ON sEMG SIGNALS USING NEURAL NETWORKS
Authors: AKHIL V. M. , ASHMI M. , JOBIN V. , RAJENDRAKUMAR P. K. , SIVANANDAN K. S.
Published: April 2022

The estimation of knee joint torque is important for the development of powered exoskeletons to achieve ideal gait characteristics. In this study, we proposed three different models to predict the required torque for performing sit-to-stand (STS) and back-to-sit (BTS) movements. The surface electromyography (sEMG) signals were extracted from the biceps femoris and rectus femoris muscles during STS and BTS movements. The time-domain features selected as input to the models for torque prediction are integrated EMG (iEMG), root mean square (RMS), and mean absolute value (MAV). Two-way ANOVA analysis identifies the significance of NN models and EMG features of the muscles in predicting the knee joint torque requirement. The artificial neural network models selected for prediction are the feed-forward back-propagation algorithm, ANFIS, and NARX. The theoretical value of knee joint torque calculated using the Lagrange method was compared with the torque output for each model based on root mean square error (RMSE). The desired torque predicted using the NARX model confirms to have the least average error ([Formula: see text][Formula: see text]Nm), which indicates that NARX can estimate knee joint torque more accurately from sEMG than other models.
Robot Translation Based on Computer Vision for Cultural Psychology of English Culture Education
Authors: Zheng Xue
Published: April 2022

Individuals use language in a wide range of contexts. It is a major part of the culture. Teaching students how to speak English in a different manner requires adopting cultural attitudes and behaviors. This learning style has a tremendous sense of belonging, community, and intent. In addition, it motivates learners to create a difference in their neighborhoods and communities around the world. A simple way to incorporate culture into the curriculum is to use the abilities and narratives of the wider community. Multilingual classrooms present an incredible task for English teachers because of the students’ wide range of linguistic backgrounds. Because they are afraid of committing mistakes, the students in multilingual classrooms lack self-confidence to communicate in English. Therefore, in this paper, Robot Interaction for Social Cultural Education (RI-SCE) method is proposed to overcome the challenges mentioned above. It uses Deep Machine language and Artificial Intelligence to interact with robots-based computer vision for cultural psychology of English cultural education. As a result, the simulation shows the importance of robot translation in performance, accuracy, efficiency, security, and flexibility compared to the other available models. The model proposed here achieves standard accuracy of 95.2%.
Dual Arm Coordination with Coordination Diagram Based on Teleoperation Demonstration
Authors: Zuo Guoyu , Xu Zichen , Huang Gao
Published: April 2022

Efficient and collision-free coordination of two robot arms is increasingly needed in various service-oriented robotic applications. This paper proposes a dual arm coordination algorithm to improve the efficiency of coordination by considering both robot’s actions and operating sequences of the tasks that need to use two arms to complete complex operations. Teleoperation demonstration is first performed to obtain the robot’s human-like motion trajectories, so as to reduce the probability of the collisions between the two arms. The coordination diagram in time domain is then designed to more clearly represent the situations of trajectory collisions and find the collision-free coordination action law. A Coordination Pair Generator (CPG) is designed to reorganize the operating sequences according to the characteristics of input trajectories and the action coordination. The effectiveness and efficiency of our method are verified on the simulation and physical experiments which execute the drug sorting task in nursing homes, respectively, on the ABB YuMi robot model and self-developed robot system. According to the experiment results, the operation time has been reduced by 9% and the collision area has been reduced by 7.5%.