bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Towards Enhancing the Robustness of Scale-Free IoT Networks by an Intelligent Rewiring Mechanism
Authors: Abbas Syed Minhal , Javaid Nadeem , Azar Ahmad Taher , Qasim Umar , Khan Zahoor Ali , Aslam Sheraz
Published: March 2022

The enhancement of Robustness (R) has gained significant importance in Scale-Free Networks (SFNs) over the past few years. SFNs are resilient to Random Attacks (RAs). However, these networks are prone to Malicious Attacks (MAs). This study aims to construct a robust network against MAs. An Intelligent Rewiring (INTR) mechanism is proposed to optimize the network R against MAs. In this mechanism, edge rewiring is performed between the high and low degree nodes to make a robust network. The Closeness Centrality (CC) measure is utilized to determine the central nodes in the network. Based on the measure, MAs are performed on nodes to damage the network. Therefore, the connections of the neighboring nodes in the network are greatly affected by removing the central nodes. To analyze the network connectivity against the removal of nodes, the performance of CC is found to be more efficient in terms of computational time as compared to Betweenness Centrality (BC) and Eigenvector Centrality (EC). In addition, the Recalculated High Degree based Link Attacks (RHDLA) and the High Degree based Link Attacks (HDLA) are performed to affect the network connectivity. Using the local information of SFN, these attacks damage the vital portion of the network. The INTR outperforms Simulated Annealing (SA) and ROSE in terms of R by 17.8% and 10.7%, respectively. During the rewiring mechanism, the distribution of nodes’ degrees remains constant.
A Fast Space-Time Adaptive Processing Algorithm Based on Sparse Bayesian Learning for Airborne Radar
Authors: Liu Cheng , Wang Tong , Zhang Shuguang , Ren Bing
Published: March 2022

Space-time adaptive processing (STAP) plays an essential role in clutter suppression and moving target detection in airborne radar systems. The main difficulty is that independent and identically distributed (i.i.d) training samples may not be sufficient to guarantee the performance in the heterogeneous clutter environment. Currently, most sparse recovery/representation (SR) techniques to reduce the requirement of training samples still suffer from high computational complexities. To remedy this problem, a fast group sparse Bayesian learning approach is proposed. Instead of employing all the dictionary atoms, the proposed algorithm identifies the support space of the data and then employs the support space in the sparse Bayesian learning (SBL) algorithm. Moreover, to extend the modified hierarchical model, which can only apply to real-valued signals, the real and imaginary components of the complex-valued signals are treated as two independent real-valued variables. The efficiency of the proposed algorithm is demonstrated both with the simulated and measured data.
Device for Torsional Fatigue Strength Assessment Adapted for Pulsating Testing Machines
Authors: Goanta Viorel
Published: March 2022

The torsional fatigue test determines the fatigue limit for a certain asymmetry coefficient of the cycle. The assessment of fatigue tests is performed on specialized machines. There are two types of torsion testing machines: universal machines that have the torsion component and specialized machines only for torsion testing. Nevertheless, no matter which proposed option we choose, the purchase prices for these testing machines or the values spent for self-management are quite high. This paper presented a device used for torsion fatigue testing, adaptable to a universal pulsating testing machine, designed to determine the torsion fatigue limit for different materials. The built device is simple and reliable, and therefore inexpensive. By using this device, we can determine the limit of the torsional fatigue after any stress cycle and we can use the parameters obtained from the universal machine to which it was attached. The torque and twisting angle of the test specimen during the test can be determined by calculation. The paper also presented an experimental method for determining shear strains based on calibration experiment, using a specimen on which strain gauges were mounted. The values taken from this calibration experiment were compared with those obtained from the theoretical calculation.
Events Detection of Anticipatory Postural Adjustments through a Wearable Accelerometer Sensor Is Comparable to That Measured by the Force Platform in Subjects with Parkinson’s Disease
Authors: Lencioni Tiziana , Meloni Mario , Bowman Thomas , Marzegan Alberto , Caronni Antonio , Carpinella Ilaria , Castagna Anna , Gower Valerio , Ferrarin Maurizio , Pelosin Elisa
Published: March 2022

Out-of-the-lab instrumented gait testing focuses on steady-state gait and usually does not include gait initiation (GI) measures. GI involves Anticipatory Postural Adjustments (APAs), which propel the center of mass (COM) forward and laterally before the first step. These movements are impaired in persons with Parkinson’s disease (PD), contributing to their pathological gait. The use of a simple GI testing system, outside the lab, would allow improving gait rehabilitation of PD patients. Here, we evaluated the metrological quality of using a single inertial measurement unit for APA detection as compared with the use of a gold-standard system, i.e., the force platforms. Twenty-five PD and eight elderly subjects (ELD) were asked to initiate gait in response to auditory stimuli while wearing an IMU on the trunk. Temporal parameters (APA-Onset, Time-to-Toe-Off, Time-to-Heel-Strike, APA-Duration, Swing-Duration) extracted from the accelerometric data and force platforms were significantly correlated (mean(SD), r: 0.99(0.01), slope: 0.97(0.02)) showing a good level of agreement (LOA [s]: 0.04(0.01), CV [%]: 2.9(1.7)). PD showed longer APA-Duration compared to ELD ([s] 0.81(0.17) vs. 0.59(0.09) p < 0.01). APA parameters showed moderate correlation with the MDS-UPDRS Rigidity, Characterizing-FOG questionnaire and FAB-2 planning. The single IMU-based reconstruction algorithm was effective in measuring APAs timings in PD. The current work sets the stage for future developments of tele-rehabilitation and home-based exercises.
Robust Quantum State Tomography Method for Quantum Sensing
Authors: Farooq Ahmad , Khalid Uman , ur Rehman Junaid , Shin Hyundong
Published: March 2022

Reliable and efficient reconstruction of pure quantum states under the processing of noisy measurement data is a vital tool in fundamental and applied quantum information sciences owing to communication, sensing, and computing. Specifically, the purity of such reconstructed quantum systems is crucial in surpassing the classical shot-noise limit and achieving the Heisenberg limit, regarding the achievable precision in quantum sensing. However, the noisy reconstruction of such resourceful sensing probes limits the quantum advantage in precise quantum sensing. For this, we formulate a pure quantum state reconstruction method through eigenvalue decomposition. We show that the proposed method is robust against the depolarizing noise; it remains unaffected under high strength white noise and achieves quantum state reconstruction accuracy similar to the noiseless case.
Development of a Remote Health Monitoring System to Prevent Frailty in Elderly Home-Care Patients with COPD
Authors: Ohashi Chisato , Akiguchi Shunsuke , Ohira Mineko
Published: March 2022

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the general term used to describe respiratory diseases such as chronic bronchitis or emphysema of the lungs. COPD is known to cause the onset of frailty due to limitations of physical activity (PA) in daily life and undernutrition. Here, we report the development process of a remote health monitoring and support system employing a tablet computer (iPad), that was created to help prevent frailty in elderly home-care patients with COPD, and the results of its use by two elderly home-care COPD patients. There was a significant increase in PA duration in one participant after use of the system, compared to before use (15.2 min (8.9) vs. 24.2 min (7.4), p < 0.001). PA duration also increased in the other participant (39.7 (8.1) vs. 42.9 (12.9) min; 8.1%), although the difference was not statistically significant. The system enabled recognition of patients’ behavior modifications to promote health. It is difficult to obtain quantitative data for health support, such as for respiratory rehabilitation in elderly COPD patients living at home. However, the present results suggest that virtually connecting patients with their support networks via information and communication technology (ICT) equipment provides support for the physical aspect of their care.
Spatial Distribution Analysis of Novel Texture Feature Descriptors for Accurate Breast Density Classification
Authors: Li Haipeng , Mukundan Ramakrishnan , Boyd Shelley
Published: March 2022

Breast density has been recognised as an important biomarker that indicates the risk of developing breast cancer. Accurate classification of breast density plays a crucial role in developing a computer-aided detection (CADe) system for mammogram interpretation. This paper proposes a novel texture descriptor, namely, rotation invariant uniform local quinary patterns (RIU4-LQP), to describe texture patterns in mammograms and to improve the robustness of image features. In conventional processing schemes, image features are obtained by computing histograms from texture patterns. However, such processes ignore very important spatial information related to the texture features. This study designs a new feature vector, namely, K-spectrum, by using Baddeley’s K-inhom function to characterise the spatial distribution information of feature point sets. Texture features extracted by RIU4-LQP and K-spectrum are utilised to classify mammograms into BI-RADS density categories. Three feature selection methods are employed to optimise the feature set. In our experiment, two mammogram datasets, INbreast and MIAS, are used to test the proposed methods, and comparative analyses and statistical tests between different schemes are conducted. Experimental results show that our proposed method outperforms other approaches described in the literature, with the best classification accuracy of 92.76% (INbreast) and 86.96% (MIAS).
A New Weak-Coupling Method with Eccentric Dual Bucking Coils Applied to the PRBS Helicopter TEM System
Authors: Ke Zhen , Liu Lihua , Jiang Longbin , Yan Shichu , Ji Yicai , Liu Xiaojun , Fang Guangyou
Published: March 2022

In the helicopter transient electromagnetic system (HTEM), weak-coupling coils reduce the mutual inductance of the transmitting and receiving coils, which can protect the data acquisition circuit and improve the signal-to-noise of the system. The PRBS HTEM system is a newly proposed multi-receiver EM measurement system, which can effectively identify the system impulse response of the unknown geological model based on the high-precision synchronous recording signal of the PRBS emitted current and induced voltage. However, the standard PRBS current signal is turned on/off very quickly, easily resulting in signal saturation. Concerning this problem, this paper proposes a new weak-coupling structure named eccentric dual bucking coils for the multi-receiver EM system by analyzing the on/off characteristics of PRBS current and the magnetic field distribution of the transmitter–receiver system. It also verifies the feasibility of the proposed structure by Maxwell software simulation. Furthermore, considering the influence of the residual primary field and other factors, the data preprocessing results of the PRBS method and the traditional square wave method are compared by theoretical analysis and data simulation, and the results show that the earlier-time response data can be obtained by PRBS method under the same simulation conditions. Finally, the reliability of the proposed method is verified by ground experiment.
How Networks of Citizen Observatories Can Increase the Quality and Quantity of Citizen-Science-Generated Data Used to Monitor SDG Indicators
Authors: Woods Sasha Marie , Daskolia Maria , Joly Alexis , Bonnet Pierre , Soacha Karen , Liñan Sonia , Woods Tim , Piera Jaume , Ceccaroni Luigi
Published: March 2022

There is a growing acknowledgement that citizen observatories, and other forms of citizen-generated data, have a significant role in tracking progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals. This is evident in the increasing number of Sustainable Development Goals’ indicators for which such data are already being used and in the high-level recognition of the potential role that citizen science can play. In this article, we argue that networks of citizen observatories will help realise this potential. Drawing on the Cos4Cloud project as an example, we highlight how such networks can make citizen-generated data more interoperable and accessible (among other qualities), increasing their impact and usefulness. Furthermore, we highlight other, perhaps overlooked, advantages of citizen observatories and citizen-generated data: educating and informing citizen scientists about the Sustainable Development Goals and co-creating solutions to the global challenges they address.
Flood Resilience and Adaptation in the Built Environment: How Far along Are We?
Authors: Mannucci Simona , Rosso Federica , D’Amico Alessandro , Bernardini Gabriele , Morganti Michele
Published: March 2022

Cities are experiencing an increased rate of climate-related extreme events threats derived from climate change. Floods are one of the most challenging issues to address to reduce damages and losses in urban areas. Building resilience through adaptation to these changing conditions has become a common goal for different disciplines involving planning for the future. Adaptation planning is widely recognized as generally applicable to any field. However, there are current limitations to overcome for architectural and urban planning to switch from theory to practice. This paper proposes a critical overview of literature works on flood mitigative strategies and adaptive approaches considering uncertainties, linking strategies for the Built Environment (BE) to mitigate the effects of floods, and operative frameworks to pursue adaptation under changing environmental conditions. The literature selection accounts for the pivotal components of the BE: open spaces (OSs), buildings, and users. Next, we provide an overview of the most relevant adaptive methodologies that have emerged in literature, and, lastly, the planning strategies are discussed, considering the climate-related uncertainties that might undermine the effectiveness of the designed action. The present paper aimed to provide a contribution to the discussion regarding the necessity of making architectural and urban planning adaptive, providing a base for future studies for operative adaptation.
Small Green Spaces in Dense Cities: An Exploratory Study of Perception and Use in Florence, Italy
Authors: Chiesi Leonardo , Costa Paolo
Published: March 2022

This study investigates human perception and use of Small Green Spaces (SGS) in a dense Western city (Florence, Italy). While there is some work on social dynamics in large urban parks, empirical studies of SGS are fewer. The research adopts an exploratory approach with a mixed methods strategy (observation sessions, 50 in-depth interviews, and 430 questionnaires). The analysis is framed within a tripartite model of interaction between people and space as spontaneous appropriation of space through the body, senses, and mind. The analysis of use patterns, practices, and conflicts in SGS illustrates how continuous use and proximity make SGS persistent scenarios of users’ daily life, differently from large city parks. Sociality and restorative opportunities afforded by natural features define users’ experiences and SGS appreciation across genders and age groups. The discussion illustrates how the theoretical constructs of functional indetermination and non-normativity explain users’ perception of SGS as open-ended settings, spared from the extensive compression of publicness and commodification of other public spaces in contemporary cities. Implications of the study outcomes are discussed in relation to social cohesion in open public spaces and with the declining sense of urbanity in large cities. Some indications on design, planning, and management of SGS are also suggested.
Synthesis and Hydrodynamic Modeling Study of Epoxy/Carbon Nanospheres (Epoxy-CNS) Composite Coatings for Water Filtration Applications
Authors: Espinoza-Márquez Estefanía , Pineda-Delgado José Luis , Menchaca-Rivera Juan Alejandro , Pérez-Bueno José de Jesús , Rodríguez-López Aaron , Soto-Zarazúa Genaro Martín , Pérez-Robles Juan Francisco
Published: March 2022

Coatings for filtration applications based on epoxy resin mixtures with isopropanol were synthesized using the dip-coating technique. The nanomaterials used were carbon nanospheres (CNS) synthesized by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) and commercially obtained Vulcan XC-72 (VC). The permeation flux and permeability of the coatings were determined by vacuum filtration of pure water applying different working pressures obtaining maximum values of 0.5555 cm3/s and 1.19 × 10−9 m2, respectively, for the CNS6 coating at 26,664 Pa. The minimum values obtained for the permeation flux and permeability were 0.0011 cm3/s and 1.21 × 10−11 m2, for the coating CNS3 at 39,996 Pa. This study analyzed the effect of nanomaterials and the addition of isopropanol at different volumes on the permeability of the coatings. The results show that the permeability was influenced by the number of pores present rather than by their diameter. The number of pores were obtained between the ranges 1–12 μm for all the coatings. The study of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) through a free and porous medium, showed that it is possible to accurately determine flow velocities (m/s) through and inside the composite coatings. Understanding the flow behavior is a practical strategy to predict the performance of new nanocomposite coatings.
Optimization of Urban Distribution Centres: A Multi-Stage Dynamic Location Approach
Authors: Yan Liying , Grifoll Manel , Feng Hongxiang , Zheng Pengjun , Zhou Chunliang
Published: March 2022

Customer demand is dynamic and changeable; thus, optimality of the enterprise’s initial location cannot be guaranteed throughout the planning period in order to minimize site selection cost and maximize service reliability in the whole operation cycle. The enterprise planning period is divided into different stages, and a static location model is established at the fixed stage. In addition, a multi-stage dynamic location model is established by introducing the transfer cost between adjacent stages. To reduce the difficulty of solving the dynamic location model, first, we determined the optimal site selection and allocation strategy for each stage. Second, we designed a novel method that transforms the multi-stage dynamic location problem into the shortest path problem in graph theory. Finally, the Dijkstra algorithm was used to find the optimal dynamic location sequence so that its cumulative cost was the lowest in the whole planning period. Through a case study in China, we compare the costs of static and dynamic locations and the location cost under different objectives. The results show that this dynamic location generates more income (as it reduces cost) in comparison to the previous static location, and different location objectives have a substantial influence on location results. At the same time, the findings indicate that exploring the problem of enterprise location from a dynamic perspective could help reduce the operating cost and resources from a sustainable development perspective.
A Generative Model for Topic Discovery and Polysemy Embeddings on Directed Attributed Networks
Authors: Chai Bianfang , Ji Xinyu , Guo Jianglin , Ma Lixiao , Zheng Yibo
Published: March 2022

Combining topic discovery with topic-specific word embeddings is a popular, powerful method for text mining in a small collection of documents. However, the existing researches purely modeled on the contents of documents and led to discovering noisy topics. This paper proposes a generative model, the skip-gram topical word-embedding model (simplified as steoLC) on asymmetric document link networks, where nodes correspond to documents and links refer to directed references between documents. It simultaneously improves the performance of topic discovery and polysemous word embeddings. Each skip-gram in a document is generated based on the topic distribution of the document and the two word embeddings in the skip-gram. Each directed link is generated based on the hidden topic distribution of the beginning document node. For a document, the skip-grams and links share a common topic distribution. Parameter estimation is inferred and an algorithm is designed to learn the model parameters by combining the expectation-maximization (EM) algorithm with the negative sampling method. Experimental results show that our method generates more useful topic-specific word embeddings and coherent latent topics than the state-of-the-art models.
An Observational Cross-Sectional Study of Gender and Disability as Determinants of Person-Centered Medicine in Botulinum Neurotoxin Treatment of Upper Motoneuron Syndrome
Authors: Del Prete Cristina Maria , Viva Mattia Giuseppe , De Trane Stefania , Brindisino Fabrizio , Barassi Giovanni , Specchia Alessandro , Di Iorio Angelo , Pellegrino Raffaello
Published: March 2022

The motor behaviour of patients with Upper Motor Neuron Syndrome (UMNS) is characterised by spasticity. The first-line treatment for this clinical condition is Botulinum neurotoxin A (BoNTA), but the number and key locations of muscles which need to be treated is not much discussed in the literature. Cross-sectional analysis of outpatient cohort with UMNS spasticity, who were potential candidates for BoNTA treatment, was performed. Between November 2020 and November 2021, all consecutive adult patients eligible for BoNTA treatment were enrolled. The inclusion criteria encompass UMNS spasticity (onset being ≥6 months), with disabling muscles hypertonia. Patients underwent a clinical evaluation, a comprehensive assessment with the Modified Ashworth Scale, with the Modified Rankin Scale, and a patients’ perception-centred questionnaire. In total, 68 participants were enrolled in the study, among them 40 (58.8%) were male; mean age 57.9 ± 15.1. In women, BoNTA was more frequently required for adductor group muscles, independently from potential confounders (OR = 7.03, 95%CI: 1.90–25.97). According to the pattern of disability, patients with hemiparesis more frequently need to be treated in the upper limb, whereas the diplegia/double-hemiparesis group needed to be treated more frequently at the adductor and crux muscles compared to their counterparts. UMNS spasticity in women could require more attention to be paid to the treatment of adductor muscle spasticity, potentially because the dysfunction of those muscles could influence sphincteric management, required for perineal hygiene and/or sexual life.
Snake Venomics: Fundamentals, Recent Updates, and a Look to the Next Decade
Authors: Tan Choo Hock
Published: March 2022

Venomic research, powered by techniques adapted from proteomics, transcriptomics, and genomics, seeks to unravel the diversity and complexity of venom through which knowledge can be applied in the treatment of envenoming, biodiscovery, and conservation. Snake venom proteomics is most extensively studied, but the methods varied widely, creating a massive amount of information which complicates data comparison and interpretation. Advancement in mass spectrometry technology, accompanied by growing databases and sophisticated bioinformatic tools, has overcome earlier limitations of protein identification. The progress, however, remains challenged by limited accessibility to samples, non-standardized quantitative methods, and biased interpretation of -omic data. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies enable high-throughput venom-gland transcriptomics and genomics, complementing venom proteomics by providing deeper insights into the structural diversity, differential expression, regulation and functional interaction of the toxin genes. Venomic tissue sampling is, however, difficult due to strict regulations on wildlife use and transfer of biological materials in some countries. Limited resources for techniques and funding are among other pertinent issues that impede the progress of venomics, particularly in less developed regions and for neglected species. Genuine collaboration between international researchers, due recognition of regional experts by global organizations (e.g., WHO), and improved distribution of research support, should be embraced.
An Insight into the Molecular Characteristics and Associated Pathology of Chicken Astroviruses
Authors: Raji Abdullahi Abdullahi , Omar Abdul Rahman
Published: March 2022

The chicken astrovirus (CAstV) is a ubiquitous enteric RNA virus that has been associated mainly with conditions, such as the runting-stunting syndrome, severe kidney disease, visceral gout, and white chick syndrome, in broiler-type chickens worldwide. Sequence analysis of the capsid genes’ amino acids of the strains involved in these conditions reveals a genetic relationship and diversity between and within the CAstV genogroups and subgroups based on phylogenetic analysis, genetic distance (p-dist), and pathogenicity. While the two genogroups (A and B) are demarcated phylogenetically, their pairwise amino acid sequence identity is 39% to 42% at a p-dist of 0.59 to 0.62. Group-A consists of three subgroups (Ai, Aii, and Aiii) with an inter- and intra-subgroup amino acid identity of 78% to 82% and 92% to 100%, respectively, and a p-dist of 0.18 to 0.22. On the other hand, the six subgroups (Bi, Bii, Biii, Biv, Bv, and Bvi) in Group-B, with a p-dist of 0.07 to 0.18, have an inter- and intra-subgroup amino acid identity of 82% to 93% and 93% to 100%, respectively. However, these groupings have little to no effect on determining the type of CAstV-associated pathology in chickens.
Characterization of H9N2 Avian Influenza Viruses Isolated from Poultry Products in a Mouse Model
Authors: Murakami Jurika , Shibata Akihiro , Neumann Gabriele , Imai Masaki , Watanabe Tokiko , Kawaoka Yoshihiro
Published: March 2022

Low pathogenic H9N2 avian influenza viruses have spread in wild birds and poultry worldwide. Recently, the number of human cases of H9N2 virus infection has increased in China and other countries, heightening pandemic concerns. In Japan, H9N2 viruses are not yet enzootic; however, avian influenza viruses, including H5N1, H7N9, H5N6, and H9N2, have been repeatedly detected in raw poultry meat carried by international flight passengers from Asian countries to Japan. Although H9N2 virus-contaminated poultry products intercepted by the animal quarantine service at the Japan border have been characterized in chickens and ducks, the biological properties of those H9N2 viruses in mammals remain unclear. Here, we characterized the biological features of two H9N2 virus isolates [A/chicken/Japan/AQ-HE28-50/2016 (Ck/HE28-50) and A/chicken/Japan/AQ-HE28-57/2016 (Ck/HE28-57)] in a mouse model. We found that these H9N2 viruses replicate well in the respiratory tract of infected mice without adaptation, and that Ck/HE28-57 caused body weight loss in the infected mice. Our results indicate that H9N2 avian influenza viruses isolated from raw chicken meat products illegally brought to Japan can potentially infect and cause disease in mammals.
Pre-Treatment Integrase Inhibitor Resistance and Natural Polymorphisms among HIV-1 Subtype C Infected Patients in Ethiopia
Authors: Arimide Dawit Assefa , Szojka Zsófia Ilona , Zealiyas Kidist , Gebreegziabxier Atsbeha , Adugna Fekadu , Sasinovich Sviataslau , Björkman Per , Medstrand Patrik
Published: March 2022

Dolutegravir-based antiretroviral therapy (ART) has been scaled up in many developing countries, including Ethiopia. However, subtype-dependent polymorphic differences might influence the occurrence of HIV-drug-resistance mutations (HIVDRMs). We analyzed the prevalence of pre-treatment integrase strand transfer inhibitor (INSTI) HIVDRMs and naturally occurring polymorphisms (NOPs) of the integrase gene, using plasma samples collected as part of the national HIVDR survey in Ethiopia in 2017. We included a total of 460 HIV-1 integrase gene sequences from INSTI-naïve (n = 373 ART-naïve and n = 87 ART-experienced) patients. No dolutegravir-associated HIVDRMs were detected, regardless of previous exposure to ART. However, we found E92G in one ART-naïve patient specimen and accessory mutations in 20/460 (4.3%) of the specimens. Moreover, among the 288 integrase amino acid positions of the subtype C, 187/288 (64.9%) were conserved (<1.0% variability). Analysis of the genetic barrier showed that the Q148H/K/R dolutegravir resistance pathway was less selected in subtype C. Docking analysis of the dolutegravir showed that protease- and reverse-transcriptase-associated HIVDRMs did not affect the native structure of the HIV-1 integrase. Our results support the implementation of a wide scale-up of dolutegravir-based regimes. However, the detection of polymorphisms contributing to INSTI warrants the continuous surveillance of INSTI resistance.
Spatiotemporal Variation in Phytoplankton and Physiochemical Factors during Phaeocystis globosa Red-Tide Blooms in the Northern Beibu Gulf of China
Authors: Xu Ming-Ben , Zhang Rong-Can , Jiang Fa-Jun , Pan Hui-Zhu , Li Jie , Yu Ke-Fu , Lai Jun-Xiang
Published: March 2022

Phaeocystis globosa blooms frequently in the Beibu Gulf of China. This species has a distinct life cycle that includes colonies and solitary cells. Colonies are formed during a bloom, while solitary cells are produced between blooms. Information about the abundance of solitary cells and other picophytoplankton in the northern Beibu Gulf is limited. To elucidate phytoplankton variation trends during periods of frequent P. globosa blooms and to determine the main physiochemical factors affecting phytoplankton distribution, four cruises were conducted between November 2018 and April 2019. Seawater was collected, and water temperature, salinity, and nutrient concentrations were simultaneously determined. Redundancy analysis was performed to understand the relationship between environmental factors and phytoplankton assemblages. Seven phytoplankton clusters were present during the cruises. Picophytoplankton abundance (including Synechococcus and Picoeukaryote groups I and II) dominated during the four cruises. Synechococcus abundance was restricted by the low temperatures in winter, decreasing from November to February and increasing in April. Picoeukaryote I abundance was almost unaffected by low temperatures and was mainly affected by nutrient concentration. P. globosa solitary cell abundance increased from November to January and decreased in February and April, and phosphorus was the key factor affecting P. globosa blooms. This is the first study to reveal the abundance and distribution of P. globosa solitary cells in this area.
Assessing the Vulnerability of Water Resources System Using VSD-SD Coupling Model: A Case of Pearl River Delta
Authors: Wei Shuai , Lin Kairong , Huang Liyan , Yao Zeyu , Bai Xiaoyan , Chen Zhihe
Published: March 2022

Water plays an essential role in social and economic sustainable development, and the relationship between socio-economic development and water resources sustainable utilization has been an important issue in water resources management. We aim to propose a water resources vulnerability assessment index with the dimensions of exposure, sensitivity and adaptability, and establish a water resources system model over the Pearl River Delta network river region based on the Vulnerability Scoping Diagram (VSD) framework and System Dynamics (SD) model. The city of Zhongshan, which is located in the Pearl River Delta is used as a case study. The vulnerability of the water resources in Zhongshan from 2021 to 2050 is simulated in four different scenarios (normal, technical innovation, social economic improvement, and comprehensive development models). The results showed that the vulnerability in all four scenarios span three grades in 30 years, including moderately vulnerable, slightly vulnerable, and not vulnerable. Among them, similar trends were found between scenarios 1 and 3, and between scenarios 2 and 4. Furthermore, the vulnerability level in scenarios 2 and 4 was lower than that in scenarios 1 and 3. The vulnerability of both scenarios 2 and 4 decreased first and then increased, with the average values of 24.64 and 27.63, respectively. Scenario 2 experienced 7 years of not vulnerable (2034 to 2040) and 23 years of slightly vulnerable (2021–2033, 204–2050), scenario 4 experienced 5 years of not vulnerable (2032–2036), 21 years of slightly vulnerable (2021–2031, 2037–2046), and 4 years of moderately vulnerable (2047–2050). Although the vulnerability of scenario 4 was slightly worse than scenario 2, its adaptability to economic and social development, water resources, and water environment was much higher than scenario 2. Considering the extent of socio-economic development and the level of adaptability of the local water resources and water environment, the study concluded that the comprehensive development model is more suitable for cities in the network river area. In this scenario, sustainable water use and management can be made possible through policy regulation that encourages higher water efficiency, sewage reuse rate, and centralized sewage treatment rate.
A Treatment Reliability-Based Method for Supporting Infrastructure Asset Management of Wastewater Treatment Plants
Authors: Silva Catarina , Rosa Maria João
Published: March 2022

A simple and consolidated reliability-based method widely used to unveil the real reliability and stability of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) is herein proposed to trigger decision making on operational improvements and asset management for maintaining or improving treatment effectiveness, reliability, and efficiency. Five-year data (2015–2019) from 16 Portuguese activated sludge WWTPs were used. For the 73% of the yearly data which fitted a lognormal distribution, Niku’s coefficient was computed to assess the plant annual reliability for biological oxygen demand (BOD5), chemical oxygen demand (COD), and total suspended solids (TSS). The standard deviation of the annual concentrations was used to characterize the plant stability, and the maximum standard deviations allowed to comply with the European discharge requirements for urban WWTPs were derived. The results demonstrate extended aeration WWTPs were more reliable and stable than conventional aeration WWTPs (0.98 reliability vs. 0.82 for BOD5, 0.97 vs. 0.91 for COD, and 0.94 vs. 0.89 for TSS). Furthermore, the lower reliabilities and stabilities were found for the smaller WWTPs. These results are important for strategic asset management for designing and rehabilitation of the wastewater treatment system. At tactical and operational levels, for resources’ allocation and operating conditions set up, the computed WWTP’s coefficient of variation allows establishing the mean effluent concentrations required for compliance with a given reliability for different scenarios of discharge requirements.
Efficacy and Safety of Ustekinumab in Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Diseases in Real Clinical Practice
Authors:   A.S. Loginov Moscow Clinical Scientific Center, Knyazev O.V. , Nikolskaya K.A. , Chebotareva M.V. , Zhulina E.Yu. , Kagramanova A.V. , Fadeeva N.A. , Parfenov A.I. , Bordin D.S. ,   Ryzhikh National Medical Research Centre for Coloproctology,   Scientific Research Institute of Healthcare and Medical Management of the Moscow City Health Department,   A.I. Yevdokimov Moscow State University of Medicine and Dentistry,   Tver State Medical University
Published: March 2022

Relevance. Therapy of Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) still remains an urgent problem in modern gastroenterology. Unfortunately, currently there are not enough medications to achieve clinical, endoscopic, histological remission of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). The aim is to retrospectively evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of ustekinumab (UST) therapy in patients with moderate and severe CD and UC in real clinical practice. Material and methods. To assess the effectiveness and safety of UST, we included in the study 54 patients with IBD (42 – BC, 12 – UC) who received at least one UST injection from December 2019 to November 2021 at the A.S. Loginov Moscow Clinical Scientific and Practical Center (MCSC). The average age is 35.5 years. Anamnesis of the disease – from 1 to 26 years – 9.5 (95% CI 7.9–11.1). The vast majority (92.6%) of them received previous therapy with genetically engineered biological drugs (GIBD). Results. A rapid clinical response on the third day of treatment, characterized by a decrease in stool frequency, a decrease in the intensity of abdominal pain syndrome and an improvement in general well-being, was observed in 46 (85.2%) of 54 patients. Four months after the first oral injection, 19 patients (CD – 16, UC – 3) underwent a full examination at the A.S. Loginov MCSC. Subsequently, therapy was canceled for three of them for reasons: primary inefficiency, secondary inefficiency, unknown. A decrease in disease activity was noted in all patients during therapy: the initial values of the indices of all patients were from 8 to 11 points, after four months only two patients with CD had a Best index of 9, the rest had an interval from 2 to 5, in three patients with UC the Mayo index was 4 points. The mean baseline value of the CDAI decreased after four months compared to the baseline from 9.31 (95% CI 8.52–10.11) points to 3.81 (95% CI 2.66–4.97) (p < 0.001), the Mayo index – from 9.33 (95% CI 3.6–15.07) to 3.33 (95% CI 0.46–6.2) points (p = 0.11), respectively. In no case has the appearance of adverse events that could cause the withdrawal of the drug been noted. Conclusion. Clinical observation of a group of patients with CD and UC, as well as previous multicenter studies, demonstrated the high effectiveness of UST in induction and maintenance therapy of a cohort of patients with severe and moderate forms of CD and UC resistant to basic drugs and GIBP
Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma on the Background of Multiple Cholangiolithiasis as a Poorly Diagnosed Problem in Clinical Practice
Authors:   Tver Regional Clinical Oncological Dispensary, Sutyagin A.A. , Shchelochenkov S.V. , Shchelochenkova T.D. , Guskova O.N. , Bordin D.S. ,   LLC "Paracelsus",   Tver State Medical University,   A.S. Loginov Moscow Clinical Scientific Center,   A.I. Yevdokimov Moscow State University of Medicine and Dentistry
Published: March 2022

Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICH) is one of the most aggressive malignant neoplasms of the gastrointestinal tract, which accounts for 10–15% of all primary liver tumors. Among the risk factors for ICH in Europe and Russia, diseases accompanied by the formation of concretions in the intrahepatic bile ducts, which include Karoli's disease (KD), are of primary importance. The article presents a clinical observation of HPV that developed against the background of KD, a literature review is conducted.
PENCIPTAAN BUDAYA HIDUP BERSIH PERSPEKTIF ISLAM MASA PANDEMI COVID-19? DI PONDOK MODERN GONTOR PUTRI 1 MANTINGAN
Authors: Fitriana Nur Indah , Qarlina Cerly Dwi
Published: March 2022

AbstractThe Covid-19 pandemic has had a major impact in Indonesia. In addition to the health sector which has been affected by Covid-19, the education sector has also experienced a major impact. Educational institutions throughout Indonesia are experiencing major changes in their teaching and learning processes, which have shifted to online learning. However, this cannot be done by educational institutions with a boarding school system because all learning activities are carried out by gathering and huddling. Therefore, the implementation of health protocols and a healthy life culture is carried out in the Islamic boarding school environment. The purpose of this research is to describe and explain the clean or healthy culture implemented by Pondok Modern Gontor Putri 1 as an effort to prevent the transmission and spread of the covid-19 virus. This study uses a qualitative descriptive method with a case study approach. The results showed that in order to protect the residents in the Pondok Modern Gontor Putri environment, health protocols and a culture of clean or healthy living must be carried out together. It is easy to implement health protocols and tighten hygiene culture because of the disciplined character education that has always been enforced at Pondok Modern Gontor Putri 1 since its inception.  Keywords: Creation of  a clean living culture; Islamic perspective; Covid-19; Islamic boarding school
Quality Function Deployment Sebagai Upaya Peningkatan Kualitas Pelayanan PT KAI Di Era Pandemi Covid19
Authors: Cahya Handy Nur , Windasari Windasari
Published: March 2022

Implementing health protocols during the COVID-19 pandemic is one of the company's efforts to provide services to customers. One of the evaluation services to adapt to customer preferences changes are applying a Quality Function Deployment (QFD). QFD is a method used to know customer needs and formulate how the company determines the priorities for meeting these needs based on company conditions.  Based on this research in Madiun Railway Station, the Quality Function Deployment shows three service attributes are getting on the top priority of customer needs. These are the implementation of health protocols, physical distancing, and hospitality of employees. The three service attributes will be developed and improved based on three out of the sixteen technical responses. These Technical Responses are improving the service and performance of employees, complete the information on social media, and make sure the environment and the toilet are clean.
Impact of an Instructor's Personalized Email Intervention on Completion Rates in a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC)
Authors: Kurtz Gila , Kopolovich Orna , Segev Elad , Sahar-Inbar Limor , Gal Lilach , HAmmer Ronen
Published: March 2022

Although Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) are increasing in popularity, they have been subject to criticism due to the high dropout rate. This study examined the impact of an instructor's personalized email intervention on the rate of completion of a nine week course, which included seven weekly quizzes, and the rate of completion of the final exam. The participants, who took an Israeli noncredit academic MOOC on negotiation management, were randomly assigned to two groups. Treatment group participants (N = 576) who did not complete the weekly quiz received a tailored reminder by email from their instructor encouraging them to complete the quiz and offering them assistance in order to deal with the past week’s contents. The control group (N = 608) that did not complete the weekly quiz did not get any emails from the instructor. The impact of the intervention was measured in three different ways: the immediate-impact, the delayed-impact and a cumulative impact. The increase in quiz completion within a week after the instructor's email was defined as an immediate-impact. The increase in the completion of the next quiz was defined as a delayed impact. The increase in the final exam completion rates was defined as a cumulative impact. The results show that the weekly intervention had an immediate impact as well as a cumulative impact on the final exam completion rate. The results suggest that an instructor's acknowledgement and interest might increase learners' commitment to learning in a MOOC. This study aimed to gain insight into learners' propensity to stay active in a MOOC and to increase completion rates. Findings of this study can be useful to MOOC designers and instructors to design and facilitate more effective MOOCs for learners by using email interventions to prevent students from dropping out of courses.
Pengiriman gambar melalui komunikasi radio amatir menggunakan pengkodean Base64
Authors: Basuki Sofyan , Muhammad Nur Adny , Hidayat M. Reza , Yuliana Hajiar
Published: March 2022

Jika infrastruktur jaringan komunikasi modern tidak bekerja atau mengalami kerusakan, maka diperlukan sistem komunikasi alternatif pengiriman data gambar liputan yang memiliki jangkauan yang luas, mudah diperoleh, bebas lisensi, serta berharga murah.  Salah satunya menggunakan teknologi komunikasi radio amatir pada pita frekuensi ultra high frequency (UHF). Pada penelitian ini akan dibuat skema pengiriman gambar melalui komunikasi radio amatir. Prinsip kerjanya gambar diubah menjadi suara pada pengirim menggunakan algoritma pengkodean Base64 dan pada penerima menggunakan spectrogram untuk mengubah sinyal suara menjadi gambar kembali. Pengujian sistem dilakukan dengan mengukur nilai parameter structural similarity index (SSIM), waktu proses encoding-decoding terhadap variabel frekuensi, serta pengaruh jarak antara pengirim-penerima terhadap nilai parameter SSIM. Hasilnya menunjukkan waktu proses encoding dipengaruhi secara signifikan oleh faktor interval pengambilan titik piksel gambar y dan durasi transmisi gambar d. Kenaikan dimensi gambar tiga kali hanya menaikkan waktu proses encoding 40%. Pada  proses decoding, perbedaan kapasitas gambar dan interval pengambilan piksel gambar tidak mengubah waktu proses secara signifikan. Nilai SSIM terbaik dicapai pada pemilihan faktor y, d = 5, 20 dan frekuensi maksimum 6 KHz. Pada sistem yang telah dibuat, pemilihan frekuensi maksimum terbawah 2 KHz dan tertinggi 10 KHz menghasilkan nilai SSIM buruk terutama pada kapasitas gambar yang besar.
Analisis perbandingan algoritma Dijkstra dan Breadth First Search pada packet forwarding arsitektur SDN
Authors: B. Hanafi Usman , Arie M. Anantio Dwika , Fikri Muhammad Rausyi , Irfan Taufik
Published: March 2022

Pengelolaan perangkat jaringan seperti switch, router, dan link menjadi salah satu tantangan dalam memperbaiki Quality of Service (QoS) suatu jaringan yang berskala besar. Sebagai solusi dari permasalahan tersebut, dapat digunakan konsep arsitektur Software Defined Networking (SDN). SDN merupakan sebuah metode dimana perangkat jaringan dibuat secara virtual dengan cara memisahkan antara control plane dengan data plane. Proses packet forwarding pada arsitektur SDN bertujuan untuk mengirimkan data yang merujuk pada tabel forwarding dalam sistem untuk mengukur performansi QoS. Pada penelitian ini dilakukan analisis perbandingan algoritma Dijkstra dan Breadth First Search (BFS) pada packet forwarding dalam arsitektur SDN. Parameter yang diukur adalah average jitter, average delay, dan packet loss. Hasil penelitian dapat disimpulkan bahwa pada packet forwarding di topologi jaringan ring menggunakan IPF-Dijkstra lebih baik performansi QoS-nya daripada IPF-BFS. Sedangkan di topologi jaringan hybrid menunjukkan bahwa nilai performansi QoS saat packet forwarding menggunakan IPF-BFS lebih baik daripada IPF-Dijkstra. Pengukuran ini juga menunjukkan bahwa topologi jaringan dan algoritma routing yang digunakan sangat berpengaruh terhadap performansi QoS. Beberapa parameter yang mempengaruhi performansi QoS yaitu ukuran paket, kuantitas paket, dan protokol yang digunakan pada transport layer saat mengirimkan paket.