bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Co-Expression Networks for Causal Gene Identification Based on RNA-Seq Data of Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis
Authors: Franco Edian F. , Rana Pratip , Queiroz Cavalcante Ana Lidia , da Silva Artur Luiz , Cybelle Pinto Gomide Anne , Carneiro Folador Adriana R. , Azevedo Vasco , Ghosh Preetam , T. J. Ramos Rommel
Published: July 2020

Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis is a Gram-positive bacterium that causes caseous lymphadenitis, a disease that predominantly affects sheep, goat, cattle, buffalo, and horses, but has also been recognized in other animals. This bacterium generates a severe economic impact on countries producing meat. Gene expression studies using RNA-Seq are one of the most commonly used techniques to perform transcriptional experiments. Computational analysis of such data through reverse-engineering algorithms leads to a better understanding of the genome-wide complexity of gene interactomes, enabling the identification of genes having the most significant functions inferred by the activated stress response pathways. In this study, we identified the influential or causal genes from four RNA-Seq datasets from different stress conditions (high iron, low iron, acid, osmosis, and PH) in C. pseudotuberculosis, using a consensus-based network inference algorithm called miRsigand next identified the causal genes in the network using the miRinfluence tool, which is based on the influence diffusion model. We found that over 50% of the genes identified as influential had some essential cellular functions in the genomes. In the strains analyzed, most of the causal genes had crucial roles or participated in processes associated with the response to extracellular stresses, pathogenicity, membrane components, and essential genes. This research brings new insight into the understanding of virulence and infection by C. pseudotuberculosis.
How Do We Define Climate Change? Considering the Temporal Resolution of Niveo-Meteorological Data
Authors: Fassnacht Steven R. , Patterson Glenn G. , Venable Niah B.H. , Cherry Mikaela L. , Pfohl Anna K.D. , Sanow Jessica E. , Tedesche Molly E.
Published: July 2020

Historically, snowpack trends have been assessed using one fixed date to represent peak snow accumulation prior to the onset of melt. Subsequent trend analyses have considered the peak snow water equivalent (SWE), but the date of peak SWE can vary by several months due to inter-annual variability in snow accumulation and melt patterns. A 2018 assessment evaluated monthly SWE trends. However, since the month is a societal construct, this current work examines daily trends in SWE, cumulative precipitation, and temperature. The method was applied to 13 snow telemetry stations in Northern Colorado, USA for the period from 1981 to 2018. Temperature trends were consistent among all the stations; warming trends occurred 63% of the time from 1 October through 24 May, with the trends oscillating from warming to cooling over about a 10-day period. From 25 May to 30 September, a similar oscillation was observed, but warming trends occurred 86% of the time. SWE and precipitation trends illustrate temporal patterns that are scaled based on location. Specifically, lower elevations stations are tending to record more snowfall while higher elevation stations are recording less. The largest SWE, cumulative precipitation, and temperature trends were +30 to −70 mm/decade, +30 to −30 mm/decade, and +4 to −2.8 °C/decade, respectively. Trends were statistically significance an average of 25.8, 4.5, and 29.4% of the days for SWE, cumulative precipitation, and temperature, respectively. The trend in precipitation as snow ranged from +/−2%/decade, but was not significant at any station.
GEO-CWB: GIS-Based Algorithms for Parametrising the Responses of Catchment Dynamic Water Balance Regarding Climate and Land Use Changes
Authors: Gharbia Salem S. , Gill Laurence , Johnston Paul , Pilla Francesco
Published: July 2020

Parametrising the spatially distributed dynamic catchment water balance is a critical factor in studying the hydrological system responses to climate and land use changes. This study presents the development of a geographic information system (GIS)-based set of algorithms (geographical spatially distributed water balance model (GEO-CWB)), which is developed from integrating physical, statistical, and machine learning models. The GEO-CWB tool has been developed to simulate and predict future spatially distributed dynamic water balance using GIS environment at the catchment scale in response to the future changes in climate variables and land use through a user-friendly interface. The tool helps in bridging the gap in quantifying the high-resolution dynamic water balance components for the large catchments by reducing the computational costs. Also, this paper presents the application and validation of GEO-CWB on the Shannon catchment in Ireland as an example of a large and complicated hydrological system. It can be concluded that climate and land use changes have significant effects on the spatial and temporal patterns of the different water balance components of the catchment.
Evaluation of MERRA-2 Precipitation Products Using Gauge Observation in Nepal
Authors: Hamal Kalpana , Sharma Shankar , Khadka Nitesh , Baniya Binod , Ali Munawar , Shrestha Mandira Singh , Xu Tianli , Shrestha Dibas , Dawadi Binod
Published: July 2020

Precipitation is the most important variable in the climate system and the dominant driver of land surface hydrologic conditions. Rain gauge measurement provides precipitation estimates on the ground surface; however, these measurements are sparse, especially in the high-elevation areas of Nepal. Reanalysis datasets are the potential alternative for precipitation measurement, although it must be evaluated and validated before use. This study evaluates the performance of second-generation Modern-ERA Retrospective analysis for Research and Applications (MERRA-2) datasets with the 141-gauge observations from Nepal between 2000 and 2018 on monthly, seasonal, and annual timescales. Different statistical measures based on the Correlation Coefficient (R), Mean Bias (MB), Root-Mean-Square Error (RMSE), and Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency (NSE) were adopted to determine the performance of both MERRA-2 datasets. The results revealed that gauge calibrated (MERRA-C) underestimated, whereas model-only (MERRA-NC) overestimated the observed seasonal cycle of precipitation. However, both datasets were able to reproduce seasonal precipitation cycle with a high correlation (R ≥ 0.95), as revealed by observation. MERRA-C datasets showed a more consistent spatial performance (higher R-value) to the observed datasets than MERRA-NC, while MERRA-NC is more reasonable to estimate precipitation amount (lower MB) across the country. Both MERRA-2 datasets performed better in winter, post-monsoon, and pre-monsoon than in summer monsoon. Moreover, MERRA-NC overestimated the observed precipitation in mid and high-elevation areas, whereas MERRA-C severely underestimated at most of the stations throughout all seasons. Among both datasets, MERRA-C was only able to reproduce the observed elevation dependency pattern. Furthermore, uncertainties in MERRA-2 precipitation products mentioned above are still worthy of attention by data developers and users.
Exploring the Relationship between the Caregiver’s Stress Load and Dementia Patient Behavior: A Case Study of Dementia Specialist Outpatient Data from the Southern Medical Center of Taiwan
Authors: Liu Cheng-Chang , Lee Chang-Franw , Chang Tung , Liao Jing-Jing
Published: July 2020

The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between caregivers’ stress loads and dementia patient behavior, including the correlation of “patient behavior” (severity and frequency), “social care system”, and “stress levels of caregivers”. The research method was based on the analysis of survey data collected at a dementia specialist outpatient clinic of a medical center in southern Taiwan from November 2013 to May 2015. Those surveyed by the center included patients who visited the hospital, and their caregivers completed a questionnaire survey. During the study period, a total of 558 questionnaires for 279 pairs were distributed, and all questionnaires were recovered. According to the survey statistics, the average age of the caregivers interviewed was 53.1 years; women accounted for 61.3% of respondents, and the duration of care exceeded three years. In terms of education, most respondents were college/university graduates. The most common surveyed relationship was that of children acting as the caregiver to a parent, and the average age of the patients was 77.73 years. Most caregivers were found to live with the patients (75.3%). In terms of severity and frequency, the surveyed items with the highest average scores were both the “delusion” item of the “patient behavior” facet, the “mental support”(mean = 1.97; standard deviation, SD = 0.869) item of the “social care system” facet, and the “social life stress” (mean = 2.26, SD = 1.510) item of the “Stress levels of caregivers” facet. The research results show that the “patient behavior” and “Stress levels of caregivers” facets have a significant positive correlation, and the “social care system” and “Stress levels of caregivers” facets have a significant negative correlation. In the future, priority of service planning and implementation of long–term policy should be given to home care, since this is a cultural characteristic of Taiwan. In circumstances where a primary caregiver takes care of family members, the patient’s behavior, length of care, mental support, and social life issues are key items that should be considered in the social welfare control service to alleviate the load of dementia patients on family caregivers.
A Numerical Analysis of the Cooling Performance of a Hybrid Personal Cooling System (HPCS): Effects of Ambient Temperature and Relative Humidity
Authors: Xu Pengjun , Kang Zhanxiao , Wang Faming , Udayraj Udayraj
Published: July 2020

Hybrid personal cooling systems (HPCS) incorporated with ventilation fans and phase change materials (PCMs) have shown its superior capability for mitigating workers’ heat strain while performing heavy labor work in hot environments. In a previous study, the effects of thermal resistance of insulation pads, and latent heat and melting temperature of PCMs on the HPCS’s thermal performance have been investigated. In addition to the aforementioned factors, environmental conditions, i.e., ambient temperature and relative humidity, also significantly affect the thermal performance of the HPCS. In this paper, a numerical parametric study was performed to investigate the effects of the environmental temperature and relative humidity (RH) on the thermal management of the HPCS. Five levels of air temperature under RH = 50% (i.e., 32, 34, 36, 38 and 40 °C) and four levels of environmental RH at two ambient temperatures of 36 and 40 °C were selected (i.e., RH = 30, 50, 70 and 90%) for the numerical analysis. Results show that high environmental temperatures could accelerate the PCM melting process and thereby weaken the cooling performance of HPCS. In the moderately hot environment (36 °C), HPCS presented good cooling performance with the maximum core temperature at around 37.5 °C during excise when the ambient RH ≤ 70%, whereas good cooling performance could be only seen under RH ≤ 50% in the extremely hot environment (40 °C). Thus, it may be concluded that the maximum environmental RH under which the HPCS exhibiting good cooling performance decreases with an increase in the environmental temperature.
The Efficacy of Workplace Interventions on Improving the Dietary, Physical Activity and Sleep Behaviours of School and Childcare Staff: A Systematic Review
Authors: Nathan Nicole , Murawski Beatrice , Hope Kirsty , Young Sarah , Sutherland Rachel , Hodder Rebecca , Booth Debbie , Toomey Elaine , Yoong Sze Lin , Reilly Kathryn , Tzelepis Flora , Taylor Natalie , Wolfenden Luke
Published: July 2020

There is a need for effective interventions that improve the health and wellbeing of school and childcare staff. This review examined the efficacy of workplace interventions to improve the dietary, physical activity and/or sleep behaviours of school and childcare staff. A secondary aim of the review was to assess changes in staff physical/mental health, productivity, and students’ health behaviours. Nine databases were searched for controlled trials including randomised and non-randomised controlled trials and quasi-experimental trials published in English up to October 2019. PRISMA guidelines informed screening and study selection procedures. Data were not suitable for quantitative pooling. Of 12,396 records screened, seven articles (based on six studies) were included. Most studies used multi-component interventions including educational resources, work-based wellness committees and planned group practice (e.g., walking groups). Multiple outcomes were assessed, findings were mixed and on average, there was moderate risk of bias. Between-group differences in dietary and physical activity behaviours (i.e., fruit/vegetable intake, leisure-time physical activity) favoured intervention groups, but were statistically non-significant for most outcomes. Some of the studies also showed differences favouring controls (i.e., nutrient intake, fatty food consumption). Additional robust studies testing the efficacy of workplace interventions to improve the health of educational staff are needed.
Organophosphate Pesticide Exposure and Breast Cancer Risk: A Rapid Review of Human, Animal, and Cell-Based Studies
Authors: Yang Kailynn June , Lee Jennifer , Park Hannah Lui
Published: July 2020

Background: Organophosphate pesticides (OPs) are one of the most commonly used classes of insecticides in the U.S., and metabolites of OPs have been detected in the urine of >75% of the U.S. population. While studies have shown that OP exposure is associated with risk of neurological diseases and some cancers, the relationship between OP exposure and breast cancer risk is not well understood. Methods: The aim of this rapid review was to systematically evaluate published literature on the relationship between OP exposure and breast cancer risk, including both epidemiologic and laboratory studies. Twenty-seven full-text articles were reviewed by searching on Pubmed, EMBASE, and Cochrane databases. Results: Some human studies showed that malathion, terbufos, and chlorpyrifos were positively associated with human breast cancer risk, and some laboratory studies demonstrated that malathion and chlorpyrifos have estrogenic potential and other cancer-promoting properties. However, the human studies were limited in number, mostly included agricultural settings in several geographical areas in the U.S., and did not address cumulative exposure. Conclusions: Given the mixed results found in both human and laboratory studies, more research is needed to further examine the relationship between OP exposure and breast cancer risk, especially in humans in non-agricultural settings.
Effect of Simulated Matches on Post-Exercise Biochemical Parameters in Women’s Indoor and Beach Handball
Authors: Kamińska Joanna , Podgórski Tomasz , Kryściak Jakub , Pawlak Maciej
Published: July 2020

This study assesses the status of hydration and the acid-base balance in female handball players in the Polish Second League before and after simulated matches in both indoor (hall) and beach (outdoor) conditions. The values of biochemical indicators useful for describing water-electrolyte management, such as osmolality, hematocrit, aldosterone, sodium, potassium, calcium, chloride and magnesium, were determined in the players’ fingertip capillary blood. Furthermore, the blood parameters of the acid-base balance were analysed, including pH, standard base excess, lactate and bicarbonate ion concentration. Additionally, the pH and specific gravity of the players’ urine were determined. The level of significance was set at p < 0.05. It was found that both indoor and beach simulated matches caused post-exercise changes in the biochemical profiles of the players’ blood and urine in terms of water-electrolyte and acid-base balance. Interestingly, the location of a simulated match (indoors vs. beach) had a statistically significant effect on only two of the parameters measured post-exercise: concentration of calcium ions (lower indoors) and urine pH (lower on the beach). A single simulated game, regardless of its location, directly affected the acid-base balance and, to a smaller extent, the water-electrolyte balance, depending mostly on the time spent physically active during the match.
The Use of Stem Cell Differentiation Stage Factors (SCDSFs) Taken from Zebrafish Embryos during Organogenesis and Their Role in Regulating the Gene Expression of Normal and Pathological (Stem) Cells
Authors: Biava Pier Mario
Published: July 2020

Studies conducted on Zebrafish embryos in our laboratory have allowed for the identification of precise moments of organogenesis in which a lot of genes are switched on and off, a sign that the genome is undergoing substantial changes in gene expression. Stem cell growth and differentiation stage-factors present in different moments of organogenesis have proven to have different specific functions in gene regulation. The substances present in the first stages of cell differentiation in Zebrafish embryos have demonstrated an ability to counteract the senescence of stem cells, reducing the expression of the beta-galactosidase marker, enhancing the genes Oct-4, Sox-2, c-Myc, TERT, and the transcription of Bmi-1, which act as key telomerase-independent repressors of cell aging. The molecules present in the intermediate to late stages of cell differentiation have proven to be able to reprogram pathological human cells, such as cancer cells and those of the basal layer of the epidermis in psoriasis, which present a higher multiplication rate than normal cells. The factors present in all the stages of cell differentiation are able to counteract neurodegeneration, and to regenerate tissues: It has been possible to regenerate hair follicles in many patients with androgenetic alopecia through transdermal administration of stem cell differentiation stage factors (SCDSFs) by means of cryopass-laser.
Does the Infectious Status of Aphids Influence Their Preference Towards Healthy, Virus-Infected and Endophytically Colonized Plants?
Authors: Fingu-Mabola Junior Corneille , Martin Clément , Bawin Thomas , Verheggen François Jean , Francis Frédéric
Published: July 2020

Aphids (Hemiptera: Aphididae) cause significant damage and transmit viruses to various crop plants. We aimed to evaluate how the infectious status of aphids influences their interaction with potential hosts. Two aphid (Myzus persicae and Rhopalosiphum padi) and plant (Nicotiana tabacum and Triticum aestivum) species were used. The preferences of aphids towards healthy, virus-infected (Potato Leafroll Virus (PLRV) and Barley Yellow Dwarf virus (BYDV)), and endophytic entomopathogenic fungi (EEPF)-inoculated (Beauveria bassiana and Metarhizium acridum) plants were investigated in dual-choice tests. The headspace volatiles of the different plant modalities were also sampled and analyzed. Viruliferous and non-viruliferous aphids were more attracted to EEPF-inoculated plants compared to uninoculated plants. However, viruliferous aphids were more attracted to EEPF-inoculated plants compared to virus-infected plants, while non-viruliferous insects exhibited no preference. Fungal-inoculated plants released higher amounts of aldehydes (i.e., heptanal, octanal, nonanal and decanal) compared to other plants, which might explain why viruliferous and non-viruliferous aphids were more abundant in EEPF-inoculated plants. Our study provides an interesting research perspective on how EEPF are involved in behavior of virus vector, depending on the infectious status of the latter.
Genetic Diversity in Invasive Populations of Argentine Stem Weevil Associated with Adaptation to Biocontrol
Authors: Harrop Thomas W. R. , Le Lec Marissa F. , Jauregui Ruy , Taylor Shannon E. , Inwood Sarah N. , van Stijn Tracey , Henry Hannah , Skelly John , Ganesh Siva , Ashby Rachael L. , Jacobs Jeanne M. E. , Goldson Stephen L. , Dearden Peter K.
Published: July 2020

Modified, agricultural landscapes are susceptible to damage by insect pests. Biological control of pests is typically successful once a control agent has established, but this depends on the agent’s capacity to co-evolve with the host. Theoretical studies have shown that different levels of genetic variation between the host and the control agent will lead to rapid evolution of resistance in the host. Although this has been reported in one instance, the underlying genetics have not been studied. To address this, we measured the genetic variation in New Zealand populations of the pasture pest, Argentine stem weevil (Listronotus bonariensis), which is controlled with declining effectiveness by a parasitoid wasp, Microctonus hyperodae. We constructed a draft reference genome of the weevil, collected samples from a geographical survey of 10 sites around New Zealand, and genotyped them using a modified genotyping-by-sequencing approach. New Zealand populations of Argentine stem weevil have high levels of heterozygosity and low population structure, consistent with a large effective population size and frequent gene flow. This implies that Argentine stem weevils were able to evolve more rapidly than their biocontrol agent, which reproduces asexually. These findings show that monitoring genetic diversity in biocontrol agents and their targets is critical for long-term success of biological control.
Distribution and Habitat Preferences of the Newly Rediscovered Telmatogeton magellanicus (Jacobs, 1900) (Diptera: Chironomidae) on Navarino Island, Chile
Authors: Lorenz Simões Felipe , Contador-Mejías Tamara , Rendoll-Cárcamo Javier , Pérez-Troncoso Carolina , Hayward Scott A. L. , Turner Edgar , Convey Peter
Published: July 2020

The habitat of the intertidal flightless midge Telmatogeton magellanicus (Jacobs, 1900) is described for the first time from the northern coast of Navarino Island, Tierra del Fuego, Chile. Additionally, we report the first observations of adult behaviour in the wild. We delineate the species’ distribution across three tidal zones (high, mid and low), and identify substrate characteristics that favour the presence of the midge. The mid-tide zone was the key habitat utilized by T. magellanicus, with lower densities in the low-tide zone and no presence in the high-tide zone. There was a strong association between the presence of larvae and filamentous algae, especially Bostrychia spp. and, to a lesser extent, Ulva spp., as well as between larvae and the presence of larger, more stable boulders. As a result, the species’ overall distribution was widespread but patchy. We suggest that the main limiting factor is the relative humidity experienced in different habitats. One of the most striking features of the behavioural observations during data collection was the extremely active adults, which suggests high energy expenditure over a very short period of time. This may be due to the limited time available to find mates in a single low-tide period, when adults have about three hours after emerging from the pupa to complete mating and oviposition before inundation by the tide. The data presented here provide a baseline for future studies on this species’ ecology, phenology, physiology and general biology.
Epileptic Seizures in Critically Ill Patients: Diagnosis, Management, and Outcomes
Authors: Holleville Mathilde , Jacq Gwenaëlle , Perier François , Fontaine Candice , Legriel Stephane
Published: July 2020

Epileptic seizures in critically ill patients represent a major source of concern, because they are associated with significant mortality and morbidity rates. Despite recent advances that have enabled a better understanding of the global epidemiology of this entity, epileptic seizures in critically ill patients remain associated with a high degree of uncertainty and numerous questions remain unanswered. The present Special Issue aims to invite authors to contribute original research articles as well as review articles related to all aspects of epileptic seizures in critically ill patients, diagnosis, management, and outcomes.
Injury of the Tibial Nutrient Artery Canal during External Fixation for Lower Extremity Fractures: A Computed Tomography Study
Authors: Almansour Haidara , Jacoby Johann , Baumgartner Heiko , Reumann Marie K. , Nikolaou Konstantin , Springer Fabian
Published: July 2020

The tibial nutrient artery (TNA) is the major diaphyseal artery of the tibia supplying two thirds of the inner osseous cortex. Hence, iatrogenic injury of the TNA endangers the integrity of the tibial blood supply and may compromise fracture healing. The incidence of its injury in the setting of external fixation for lower limb fractures has not been previously investigated. The aim of this study was to evaluate the incidence of TNA injury in the context of external fixation and to characterize the topography of the fixator pins in relation to the TNA canal (TNAC). Patients who underwent external fixation for distal femoral fractures and for tibial (proximal, shaft, and distal) fractures and had a postoperative computed tomography study were retrospectively included. The following parameters were retrieved: 1) Pin characteristics (orientation and cortical position of the pins), 2) The anatomic relationship between the TNAC and external fixation pin (topography above/below and at the level of the TNAC, and the distance between the pin and medial tibial plateau and/or the medial malleolus), and 3) The incidence of TNAC injury (complete/partial disruption of TNA lumen). A total of 105 patients with 214 tibial pins were analyzed. In 27 patients (26%), the TNAC was completely injured by the pins of the external fixator. In 13 patients (12%), the TNAC was partially injured. Of the 214 analyzed pins, 85 pins (40%) were located at the level of the TNAC (the TNAC and the pin are seen on the same axial slice). Most pins that were applied at the level of the TNAC belonged to a knee-bridging external fixator. Of those, ninety-three percent of the pins were anteromedially applied according to published surgical guidelines. Six percent of the pins were applied through the tibial crest and 1% anterolaterally. Of those 85 pins, 42 pins (49%) injured the TNAC at least partially. Based on the analyzed pins and the incidence of partial and complete injury of the TNAC, we observed that the tibial segment at which the tibial nutrient artery is endangered was located approximately (95% CI: 13–15 cm) from the medial tibia plateau and (95% CI: 22–25 cm) from the medial malleolus. Thus, TNAC injury by external fixation pins in the context of lower limb fractures can be considered common. Almost half of the pins applied at the middle third of the tibia injured the TNA, despite adherence to published surgical guidelines for external fixation. When possible, pin application at the middle third of tibia should be avoided to circumvent iatrogenic injury of the TNA and to safeguard tibial blood supply.
A Discriminative Long Short Term Memory Network with Metric Learning Applied to Multispectral Time Series Classification
Authors: Bozo Merve , Aptoula Erchan , Çataltepe Zehra
Published: July 2020

In this article, we propose an end-to-end deep network for the classification of multi-spectral time series and apply them to crop type mapping. Long short-term memory networks (LSTMs) are well established in this regard, thanks to their capacity to capture both long and short term temporal dependencies. Nevertheless, dealing with high intra-class variance and inter-class similarity still remain significant challenges. To address these issues, we propose a straightforward approach where LSTMs are combined with metric learning. The proposed architecture accommodates three distinct branches with shared weights, each containing a LSTM module, that are merged through a triplet loss. It thus not only minimizes classification error, but enforces the sub-networks to produce more discriminative deep features. It is validated via Breizhcrops, a very recently introduced and challenging time series dataset for crop type mapping.
Polyp Segmentation with Fully Convolutional Deep Neural Networks—Extended Evaluation Study
Authors: Guo Yunbo , Bernal Jorge , J. Matuszewski Bogdan
Published: July 2020

Analysis of colonoscopy images plays a significant role in early detection of colorectal cancer. Automated tissue segmentation can be useful for two of the most relevant clinical target applications—lesion detection and classification, thereby providing important means to make both processes more accurate and robust. To automate video colonoscopy analysis, computer vision and machine learning methods have been utilized and shown to enhance polyp detectability and segmentation objectivity. This paper describes a polyp segmentation algorithm, developed based on fully convolutional network models, that was originally developed for the Endoscopic Vision Gastrointestinal Image Analysis (GIANA) polyp segmentation challenges. The key contribution of the paper is an extended evaluation of the proposed architecture, by comparing it against established image segmentation benchmarks utilizing several metrics with cross-validation on the GIANA training dataset. Different experiments are described, including examination of various network configurations, values of design parameters, data augmentation approaches, and polyp characteristics. The reported results demonstrate the significance of the data augmentation, and careful selection of the method’s design parameters. The proposed method delivers state-of-the-art results with near real-time performance. The described solution was instrumental in securing the top spot for the polyp segmentation sub-challenge at the 2017 GIANA challenge and second place for the standard image resolution segmentation task at the 2018 GIANA challenge.
Electrohydrodynamic Atomization for Minimum Quantity Lubrication (EHDA-MQL) in End Milling Ti6Al4V Titanium Alloy
Authors: De Bartolomeis Andrea , Shokrani Alborz
Published: July 2020

Titanium alloy Ti6Al4V is a difficult-to-machine material which is extensively used in the aerospace and medical industries. Machining titanium is associated with a short tool life and low productivity. In this paper, a new cooling-lubrication system based on electrohydrodynamic atomization was designed, manufactured and tested and the relevant theory was developed. The major novelty of the system lies within the use of electrohydrodynamic atomization (EHDA) and a three-electrode setup for generating lubricant droplets. The system was tested and compared with that of flood, minimum quantity lubrication (MQL) and compressed air machining. The proposed system can extend the tool life by 6 and 22 times when compared with MQL and flood cooling, respectively. This is equivalent to more than 170 min tool life at 120 m/min cutting speed allowing for significant productivity gains in machining Ti6Al4V.
Power Take-Off and Energy Storage System Static Modeling and Sizing for Direct Drive Wave Energy Converter to Support Ocean Sensing Applications
Authors: Zhou Xiang , Abdelkhalik Ossama , Weaver Wayne
Published: July 2020

This paper addresses the sizing and design problem of a permanent magnet electrical machine power take-off system for a two-body wave energy converter, which is designed to support ocean sensing applications with sustained power. The design is based upon ground truth ocean data bi-spectrums (swell and wind waves) from Martha’s Vineyard Coastal Observatory in the year 2015. According to the ground truth ocean data, the paper presents the optimal harvesting power time series of the whole year. The electrical machine and energy storage static modeling are introduced in the paper. The paper uses the ground truth ocean data in March to discuss the model integration of the buoy dynamic model, the power take-off model, and the energy storage model. Electrical machine operation constraints are applied to ensure the designed machine can fulfill the buoy control requirements. The electrical machine and energy storage systems operation status is presented as well. Furthermore, rule-based control strategies are applied to the electrical machine for fulfilling specific design demands, such as improving power generating efficiency and downsizing the electrical machine scale. The corresponding required capacities of the energy storage system are discussed. This paper relates results to the wave data sets (different combinations of significant wave heights and periods of both swell and wind waves). In this way, the power take-off system rule-based control strategy determinations can rely on current ocean wave measurements instead of a large historical ocean wave database.
Is the COVID-19 Pandemic a Good Time to Include Aspergillus Molecular Detection to Categorize Aspergillosis in ICU Patients? A Monocentric Experience
Authors: Gangneux Jean-Pierre , Reizine Florian , Guegan Hélène , Pinceaux Kieran , Le Balch Pierre , Prat Emilie , Pelletier Romain , Belaz Sorya , Le Souhaitier Mathieu , Le Tulzo Yves , Seguin Philippe , Lederlin Mathieu , Tadié Jean-Marc , Robert-Gangneux Florence
Published: July 2020

(1) Background: The diagnosis of invasive aspergillosis (IA) in an intensive care unit (ICU) remains a challenge and the COVID-19 epidemic makes it even harder. Here, we evaluated Aspergillus PCR input to help classifying IA in SARS-CoV-2-infected patients. (2) Methods: 45 COVID-19 patients were prospectively monitored twice weekly for Aspergillus markers and anti-Aspergillus serology. We evaluated the concordance between (I) Aspergillus PCR and culture in respiratory samples, and (II) blood PCR and serum galactomannan. Patients were classified as putative/proven/colonized using AspICU algorithm and two other methods. (3) Results: The concordance of techniques applied on respiratory and blood samples was moderate (kappa = 0.58 and kappa = 0.63, respectively), with a higher sensitivity of PCR. According to AspICU, 9/45 patients were classified as putative IA. When incorporating PCR results, 15 were putative IA because they met all criteria, probably with a lack of specificity in the context of COVID-19. Using a modified AspICU algorithm, eight patients were classified as colonized and seven as putative IA. (4) Conclusion: An appreciation of the fungal burden using PCR and Aspergillus serology was added to propose a modified AspICU algorithm. This proof of concept seemed relevant, as it was in agreement with the outcome of patients, but will need validation in larger cohorts.
A Collaborative Tale of Diagnosing and Treating Chronic Pulmonary Aspergillosis, from the Perspectives of Clinical Microbiologists, Surgical Pathologists, and Infectious Disease Clinicians
Authors: Larkin Paige M. K. , Multani Ashrit , Beaird Omer E. , Dayo Ayrton J. , Fishbein Gregory A. , Yang Shangxin
Published: July 2020

Chronic pulmonary aspergillosis (CPA) refers to a spectrum of Aspergillus-mediated disease that is associated with high morbidity and mortality, with its true prevalence vastly underestimated. The diagnosis of CPA includes characteristic radiographical findings in conjunction with persistent and systemic symptoms present for at least three months, and evidence of Aspergillus infection. Traditionally, Aspergillus infection has been confirmed through histopathology and microbiological studies, including fungal culture and serology, but these methodologies have limitations that are discussed in this review. The treatment of CPA requires an individualized approach and consideration of both medical and surgical options. Most Aspergillus species are considered susceptible to mold-active triazoles, echinocandins, and amphotericin B; however, antifungal resistance is emerging and well documented, demonstrating the need for novel therapies and antifungal susceptibility testing that correlates with clinical response. Here, we describe the clinical presentation, diagnosis, and treatment of CPA, with an emphasis on the strengths and pitfalls of diagnostic and treatment approaches, as well as future directions, including whole genome sequencing and metagenomic sequencing. The advancement of molecular technology enables rapid and precise species level identification, and the determination of molecular mechanisms of resistance, bridging the clinical infectious disease, anatomical pathology, microbiology, and molecular biology disciplines.
Soil Bioassay for Detecting Magnaporthiopsis maydis Infestation Using a Hyper Susceptible Maize Hybrid
Authors: Degani Ofir , Regev Danielle , Dor Shlomit , Rabinovitz Onn
Published: July 2020

Magnaporthiopsis maydis is the causal agent of severe maize late wilt disease. Disease outbreak occurs at the maize flowering and fruit development stage, leading to the plugging of the plant’s water vascular system, resulting in dehydration and collapse of the infected host plant. The pathogen is borne by alternative hosts, infected seeds, soil, and plant residues and gradually spreads to new areas and new countries. However, no soil assay is available today that can detect M. maydis infestation and study its prevalence. We recently developed a molecular quantitative Real-Time PCR (qPCR) method enabling the detection of the M. maydis DNA in plant tissues. Despite the technique’s high sensitivity, the direct examination of soil samples can be inconsistent. To face this challenge, the current work demonstrates the use of a soil bioassay involving the cultivation of a hyper-susceptible maize genotype (Megaton cultivar, Hazera Seeds Ltd., Berurim MP Shikmim, Israel) on inspected soils. The use of Megaton cv. may facilitate pathogen establishment and spread inside the plant’s tissues, and ease the isolation and enrichment of the pathogen from the soil. Indeed, this cultivar suffers from severe dehydration sudden death when grown in an infested field. The qPCR method was able to accurately and consistently identify and quantify the pathogen’s DNA in an in vitro seed assay after seven days, and in growth-chamber potted plants at as early as three weeks. These results now enable the use of this highly susceptible testing plant to validate the presence of the maize late wilt pathogen in infested soils and to evaluate the degree of its prevalence.
A Qualitative Approach to the Sustainable Orientation of Generation Z in Retail: The Case of Romania
Authors: Dabija Dan-Cristian , Bejan Brândușa Mariana , Pușcaș Claudiu
Published: July 2020

In order to highlight the extent to which young consumers, or members of Generation Z, are familiar with the sustainability principles implemented by retailers operating in emerging markets, the authors conducted a qualitative empirical research study with the help of a semi-structured in-depth interview guide. Respondents were asked to express their perception of the extent to which their favorite retailers adopted and implemented the social, economic, and environmental dimensions of sustainability. The results show that respondents viewed retailers’ sustainability orientation favorably, specifying concrete measures implemented by their preferred retailers. They seemed to favor those retail networks making a useful and proactive contribution to resource preservation and environmental protection, whilst taking care of employees’ welfare and being involved in their local communities. From a theoretical perspective, the paper makes a clear contribution to enhancing the generational theory-based studies on emerging markets, where market conditions and polyvalent consumer behavior are highly dynamic, and where sustainability principles play a major role in drawing and maintaining their customers. From a management perspective, the paper provides retailers with an overview on the measures, tactics, and actions that allow them to properly target consumers and develop a proper customer approach strategy.
From Big Data to Econophysics and Its Use to Explain Complex Phenomena
Authors: Ferreira Paulo , Pereira Éder J.A.L. , Pereira Hernane B.B.
Published: July 2020

Big data has become a very frequent research topic, due to the increase in data availability. In this introductory paper, we make the linkage between the use of big data and Econophysics, a research field which uses a large amount of data and deals with complex systems. Different approaches such as power laws and complex networks are discussed, as possible frameworks to analyze complex phenomena that could be studied using Econophysics and resorting to big data.
First Human Leucocyte Antigen (HLA) Response and Safety Evaluation of Fibrous Demineralized Bone Matrix in a Critical Size Femoral Defect Model of the Sprague-Dawley Rat
Authors: Söhling Nicolas , Leiblein Maximilian , Schaible Alexander , Janko Maren , Schwäble Joachim , Seidl Christian , Brune Jan C. , Nau Christoph , Marzi Ingo , Henrich Dirk , Verboket René D.
Published: July 2020

Treatment of large bone defects is one of the great challenges in contemporary orthopedic and traumatic surgery. Grafts are necessary to support bone healing. A well-established allograft is demineralized bone matrix (DBM) prepared from donated human bone tissue. In this study, a fibrous demineralized bone matrix (f-DBM) with a high surface-to-volume ratio has been analyzed for toxicity and immunogenicity. f-DBM was transplanted to a 5-mm, plate-stabilized, femoral critical-size-bone-defect in Sprague-Dawley (SD)-rats. Healthy animals were used as controls. After two months histology, hematological analyses, immunogenicity as well as serum biochemistry were performed. Evaluation of free radical release and hematological and biochemical analyses showed no significant differences between the control group and recipients of f-DBM. Histologically, there was no evidence of damage to liver and kidney and good bone healing was observed in the f-DBM group. Reactivity against human HLA class I and class II antigens was detected with mostly low fluorescence values both in the serum of untreated and treated animals, reflecting rather a background reaction. Taken together, these results provide evidence for no systemic toxicity and the first proof of no basic immunogenic reaction to bone allograft and no sensitization of the recipient.
The Effect of Abrasive Waterjet Machining Parameters on the Condition of Al-Si Alloy
Authors: Kulisz Monika , Zagórski Ireneusz , Korpysa Jarosław
Published: July 2020

This paper analyses the effect of the abrasive waterjet cutting parameters’ modification on the condition of the workpiece surface layer. The post-machined surface of casting aluminium alloys, AlSi10Mg and AlSi21CuNi, was characterised in terms of surface roughness and irregularities, chamfering, and microhardness in order to reveal the effect that variable jet feed rate, abrasive flow rate, and sample height (thickness of the cut material) have on the quality of surface finish. From the analysis of the results, it emerges that the surface roughness remains largely unaffected by changes in the sample height h or the abrasive flow rate ma, whereas it is highly susceptible to the increase in the jet feed rate vf. It has been shown that, in principle, the machining does not produce the strengthening effect, that is, an increase in microhardness. Owing to the irregularities that are typically found on the workpieces cut with higher jet feed rates vf, additional surface finish operations may prove necessary. In addition, chamfering was found to occur throughout the entire range of speeds vf. The statistical significance of individual variables on the 2D surface roughness parameters, Ra/Rz/RSm, was determined using factorial analysis of variance (ANOVA). The results were verified by means of artificial neural network (ANN) modelling (radial basis function and multi-layered perceptron), which was employed to predict the surface roughness parameters under consideration. The obtained correlation coefficients show that ANNs exhibit satisfying predictive capacity, and are thus a suitable tool for the prediction of surface roughness parameters in abrasive waterjet (AWJ) technology.
Anisotropic Vector Hysteresis Simulation of Soft Magnetic Composite Materials Based on a Hybrid Algorithm of PSO–Powell
Authors: Zhao Xiaojun , Xu Huawei , Du Zhenbin , Li Yongjian , Liu Lanrong , Zhao Zhigang
Published: July 2020

To simulate the anisotropic hysteresis characteristics of soft magnetic composite (SMC) materials accurately, an improved vector hysteresis model was proposed and utilized to adjust the shape of hysteresis curves by introducing two parameters. These two parameters are correlated with the amplitude of the vector Everett function and the projection of magnetic flux density along different directions. An experimental platform was built to measure the two-dimensional (2-D) magnetic properties of the SMC material under rotational magnetizations. The scalar and vector Everett functions were constructed by the measured limiting hysteresis loops. A hybrid optimization strategy based on the particle swarm optimization (PSO) and Powell technique was proposed to identify the parameters of the improved model efficiently and precisely, which significantly improved the local optimization ability of the PSO algorithm. The simulated results strongly agree with the measured ones, and thus the effectiveness of the improved vector model and the parameter identification method proposed in this paper was verified.
Thermal Analysis of High Entropy Rare Earth Oxides
Authors: Ushakov Sergey V. , Hayun Shmuel , Gong Weiping , Navrotsky Alexandra
Published: July 2020

Phase transformations in multicomponent rare earth sesquioxides were studied by splat quenching from the melt, high temperature differential thermal analysis and synchrotron X-ray diffraction on laser-heated samples. Three compositions were prepared by the solution combustion method: (La,Sm,Dy,Er,RE)2O3, where all oxides are in equimolar ratios and RE is Nd or Gd or Y. After annealing at 800 °C, all powders contained mainly a phase of C-type bixbyite structure. After laser melting, all samples were quenched in a single-phase monoclinic B-type structure. Thermal analysis indicated three reversible phase transitions in the range 1900–2400 °C, assigned as transformations into A, H, and X rare earth sesquioxides structure types. Unit cell volumes and volume changes on C-B, B-A, and H-X transformations were measured by X-ray diffraction and consistent with the trend in pure rare earth sesquioxides. The formation of single-phase solid solutions was predicted by Calphad calculations. The melting point was determined for the (La,Sm,Dy,Er,Nd)2O3 sample as 2456 ± 12 °C, which is higher than for any of constituent oxides. An increase in melting temperature is probably related to nonideal mixing in the solid and/or the melt and prompts future investigation of the liquidus surface in Sm2O3-Dy2O3, Sm2O3-Er2O3, and Dy2O3-Er2O3 systems.