bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Can a Symbolic Mega-Unit of Radiative Forcing (RF) Improve Understanding and Assessment of Global Warming and of Mitigation Methods Using Albedo Enhancement from Algae, Cloud, and Land (AEfACL)?
Authors: Lightburn Kenneth D.
Published: March 2023

By expressing radiative forcing (RF) in a symbolic mega-unit we better communicate, to governing organizations and the public, the extent of global warming (GW) and the potency of mitigation methods while also ‘translating’ different GW measures to better explain their interrelationship. An easily visualized symbol that has been suggested is the net shading, or mega-unit, of RF of a “standard 1 km2 cumulus cloud over one day of −25 W/m2” (ScCd). As defined, ScCd is equal to 600,000 kWh and equivalent to Temporary heat radiation Equivalent Carbon (ThrEC) of 18,400 tons of carbon heat effect, or 67,300 tons of CO2 and an approximately 0.136 albedo increase, over 1 km2. Shading over the whole earth caused by clouds is estimated by NASA as −13 W/m2. The excess of solar radiation or Earth Energy Imbalance (EEI) striking the earth was + 1.12 W/m2 in mid-2019 and has been continually increasing. Offsetting this requires the creation of additional reflective surfaces equivalent to 22.848 million square kilometers of ScCd. Such an increase could be provided by albedo enhancement from algae on the ocean surface, marine cloud brightening (MCB) or new marine cloud creation, or land area use that rejuvenates salt flats and similar locations (AEfACL). These are potentially politically acceptable and eventually could be achieved at large enough scale to be effective globally.
Early Changes in Acute Myocardial Infarction in Pigs: Achieving Early Detection with Wearable Devices
Authors: Li Ke , Morales-Garza Marco , Cardoso Cristiano , Moctezuma-Ramirez Angel , Burman Atandra , Titus Jitto , Elgalad Abdelmotagaly , Perin Emerson
Published: March 2023

We examined the changes in variables that could be recorded on wearable devices during the early stages of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in an animal model. Early diagnosis of AMI is important for prognosis; however, delayed diagnosis is common because of patient hesitation and lack of timely evaluations. Wearable devices are becoming increasingly sophisticated in the ability to track indicators. In this study, we retrospectively reviewed the changes in four variables during AMI in a pig model to assess their ability to help predict AMI onset. AMI was created in 33 pigs by 90-min balloon occlusion of the left anterior descending artery. Blood pressure, EKG, and lactate and cardiac troponin I levels were recorded during the occlusion period. Blood pressure declined significantly within 15 min after balloon inflation (mean arterial pressure, from 61 ± 8 to 50 ± 8 mmHg) and remained at this low level. Within 5 min of balloon inflation, the EKG showed ST-elevation in precordial leads V1–V3. Blood lactate levels increased gradually after occlusion and peaked at 60 min (from 1.48 to 2.53 mmol/L). The continuous transdermal troponin sensor demonstrated a gradual increase in troponin levels over time. Our data suggest that significant changes in key indicators (blood pressure, EKG leads V1–V3, and lactate and troponin levels) occurred at the onset of AMI. Monitoring of these variables could be used to develop an algorithm and alert patients early at the onset of AMI with the help of a wearable device.
Freehand 1.5T MR-Guided Vacuum-Assisted Breast Biopsy (MR-VABB): Contribution of Radiomics to the Differentiation of Benign and Malignant Lesions
Authors: Tagliafico Alberto Stefano , Calabrese Massimo , Brunetti Nicole , Garlaschi Alessandro , Tosto Simona , Rescinito Giuseppe , Zoppoli Gabriele , Piana Michele , Campi Cristina
Published: March 2023

Radiomics and artificial intelligence have been increasingly applied in breast MRI. However, the advantages of using radiomics to evaluate lesions amenable to MR-guided vacuum-assisted breast biopsy (MR-VABB) are unclear. This study includes patients scheduled for MR-VABB, corresponding to subjects with MRI-only visible lesions, i.e., with a negative second-look ultrasound. The first acquisition of the multiphase dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI (DCE-MRI) sequence was selected for image segmentation and radiomics analysis. A total of 80 patients with a mean age of 55.8 years ± 11.8 (SD) were included. The dataset was then split into a training set (50 patients) and a validation set (30 patients). Twenty out of the 30 patients with a positive histology for cancer were in the training set, while the remaining 10 patients with a positive histology were included in the test set. Logistic regression on the training set provided seven features with significant p values (<0.05): (1) ‘AverageIntensity’, (2) ‘Autocorrelation’, (3) ‘Contrast’, (4) ‘Compactness’, (5) ‘StandardDeviation’, (6) ‘MeanAbsoluteDeviation’ and (7) ‘InterquartileRange’. AUC values of 0.86 (95% C.I. 0.73–0.94) for the training set and 0.73 (95% C.I. 0.54–0.87) for the test set were obtained for the radiomics model. Radiological evaluation of the same lesions scheduled for MR-VABB had AUC values of 0.42 (95% C.I. 0.28–0.57) for the training set and 0.4 (0.23–0.59) for the test set. In this study, a radiomics logistic regression model applied to DCE-MRI images increased the diagnostic accuracy of standard radiological evaluation of MRI suspicious findings in women scheduled for MR-VABB. Confirming this performance in large multicentric trials would imply that using radiomics in the assessment of patients scheduled for MR-VABB has the potential to reduce the number of biopsies, in suspicious breast lesions where MR-VABB is required, with clear advantages for patients and healthcare resources.
Motion-Corrected versus Conventional Diffusion-Weighted Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Liver Using Non-Rigid Registration
Authors: Son Je Seung , Park Hee Sun , Park Sungeun , Kim Young Jun , Yu Mi Hye , Jung Sung Il , Paek Munyoung , Nickel Marcel Dominik
Published: March 2023

It is challenging to overcome motion artifacts in diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) of the abdomen. This study aimed to evaluate the image quality of motion-corrected DWI of the liver using non-rigid registration in comparison with conventional DWI (c-DWI) in patients with liver diseases. Eighty-nine patients who underwent 3-T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the liver were retrospectively included. DWI was performed using c-DWI and non-rigid motion-corrected (moco) DWI was performed in addition to c-DWI. The image quality and conspicuity of hepatic focal lesions were scored using a five-point scale by two radiologists and compared between the two DWI image sets. The apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) was measured in three regions of the liver parenchyma and in hepatic focal lesions, and compared between the two DWI image sets. Moco-DWI achieved higher scores in image quality compared to c-DWI in terms of liver edge sharpness and hepatic vessel margin delineation. The conspicuity scores of hepatic focal lesions were higher in moco-DWI. The standard deviation values of ADC of the liver parenchyma were lower in the moco-DWI than in the c-DWI. Moco-DWI using non-rigid registration showed improved overall image quality and provided more reliable ADC measurement, with an equivalent scan time, compared with c-DWI.
Digital Tomosynthesis as a Problem-Solving Technique to Confirm or Exclude Pulmonary Lesions in Hidden Areas of the Chest
Authors: Baratella Elisa , Quaia Emilio , Crimì Filippo , Minelli Pierluca , Cioffi Vincenzo , Ruaro Barbara , Cova Maria Assunta
Published: March 2023

Objectives: To evaluate the capability of digital tomosynthesis (DTS) to characterize suspected pulmonary lesions in the so-called hidden areas at chest X-ray (CXR). Materials and Methods: Among 726 patients with suspected pulmonary lesions at CXR who underwent DTS, 353 patients (201 males, 152 females; age 71.5 ± 10.4 years) revealed suspected pulmonary lesions in the apical, hilar, retrocardiac, or paradiaphragmatic lung zones and were retrospectively included. Two readers analyzed CXR and DTS images and provided a confidence score: 1 or 2 = definitely or probably benign pulmonary or extra-pulmonary lesion, or pulmonary pseudo-lesion deserving no further diagnostic work-up; 3 = indeterminate lesion; 4 or 5 = probably or definitely pulmonary lesion deserving further diagnostic work-up by CT. The nature of DTS findings was proven by CT (n = 108) or CXR during follow-up (n = 245). Results: In 62/353 patients the suspected lung lesions were located in the lung apex, in 92/353 in the hilar region, in 59/353 in the retrocardiac region, and in 140/353 in the paradiaphragmatic region. DTS correctly characterized the CXR findings as benign pulmonary or extrapulmonary lesion (score 1 or 2) in 43/62 patients (69%) in the lung apex region, in 56/92 (61%) in the pulmonary hilar region, in 40/59 (67%) in the retrocardiac region, and in 106/140 (76%) in the paradiaphragmatic region, while correctly recommending CT in the remaining cases due to the presence of true solid pulmonary lesion, with the exception of 22 false negative findings (60 false positive findings). DTS showed a significantly (p < 0.05) increased sensitivity, specificity, and overall diagnostic accuracy and area under ROC curve compared to CXR alone. Conclusions: DTS allowed confirmation or exclusion of the presence of true pulmonary lesions in the hidden areas of the chest.
Analysis of Wind Effect on Drone Relay Communications
Authors: Tajima Yuya , Hiraguri Takefumi , Matsuda Takahiro , Imai Tetsuro , Hirokawa Jiro , Shimizu Hiroyuki , Kimura Tomotaka , Maruta Kazuki
Published: March 2023

In this study, we realized a relay network using drones and analyzed the impact of the sway angle of a drone’s attitude on communication in a windy flight environment. Drones in flight act as radio relay stations and communication among them is performed using radio equipment mounted on board. In a windy environment, a directional antenna is used for relay communication among them to avoid interference caused by the spread of radio waves in space and extend the relay distance. However, when wind occurs during flight, the flying attitude of the drone inclines, which causes the beam of the antenna to sway and the communication link to be disconnected, leading to a decrease in the transmission speed. In this study, we statistically evaluated the pitch, yaw, and roll axes of a drone through wind tunnel experiments. Furthermore, the pattern of the swing angle of the drone with respect to the wind speed was investigated using computer simulations to analyze the fluid dynamics and theoretically analyze the swing of the drone. Based on these results, the transmission speed when using a directional antenna was calculated. When the wind speed was 6.0 m/s, the pitch axis deflection angle of the drone was 13∘ at maximum, and the average transmission speed decreased by 33.3 Mbps. In this study, it was found that in communication between drones due to the wind, the transmission efficiency decreased depending on the sway angle of the aircraft.
Competence Development Strategies after COVID-19: Using PBL in Translation Courses
Authors: Ribeiro Sandra , Tavares Célia , Lopes Cristina , Chorão Graça
Published: March 2023

The 2019 pandemic had a direct impact on all educational stakeholders. While many teachers and trainers regarded the changes with some scepticism, others embraced the opportunity to integrate technology into their teaching-and-learning methods and resources. As translation trainers, it is essential to follow and understand the translation market. Translators require vast competencies, amongst which is the flexibility to adapt. In translation training, project-based learning (PBL) has been established as an essential teaching-and-learning method, as it has proven to foster the development of essential competencies, since it simulates the translator’s work environment. Thus, the need to implement new strategies within a short timeframe reinforced the practice of PBL. PBL reflects the work of a freelance translator, because it places the student at the centre of the learning process. In these situations, student self-regulation becomes essential, as it is necessary to analyse the market/situation/project received and be flexible enough to adapt to the specific context. As of 2018–2019, ISCAP implemented PBL as the main teaching-and-learning method in its Technical Translation courses. At the same time, on these courses, an ongoing qualitative quasi-experimental study on student self-regulated learning (SRL) began. The purpose is to understand student perception of their self-regulation competence and its development, or lack thereof, after using PBL to complete translation assignments. The study presented in this article aims to examine the possible effects an online-PBL approach may have on a student’s SRL during the pandemic. Students enrolled in the translation courses voluntarily answered a survey on SRL two times: at the beginning and then at the end of the course. The purpose was to analyse and compare each student’s responses before and after using PBL strategies, identifying changes in student perception over a six-month period. Additionally, we compare each group’s results over a period of three years, which includes the lockdown. Statistical analysis showed that a higher level of self confidence in autonomous learning was achieved, but a lower level of belief in the importance and usefulness of the course contents was noted. Additionally, the study revealed that, with the exception of time-management, student SRL increased. Results indicate that PBL is a useful simulation of the translation labour market and that it does enhance essential competencies, amongst which is student SRL.
Towards Effective Feature Selection for IoT Botnet Attack Detection Using a Genetic Algorithm
Authors: Liu Xiangyu , Du Yanhui
Published: March 2023

With the large-scale use of the Internet of Things, security issues have become increasingly prominent. The accurate detection of network attacks in the IoT environment with limited resources is a key problem that urgently needs to be solved. The intrusion detection system based on network traffic characteristics is one of the solutions for IoT security. However, the intrusion detection system has the problem of a large number of traffic features, which makes training and detection slow. Aiming at this problem, this work proposes a feature selection method based on a genetic algorithm. The experiments performed on the Bot-IoT botnet detection dataset show that this method successfully selects 6 features from the original 40 features, with a detection accuracy of 99.98% and an F1-score of 99.63%. Compared with other methods and without feature selection, this method has advantages in training time and detection accuracy.
A Comprehensive Survey of In-Band Control in SDN: Challenges and Opportunities
Authors: Carrascal David , Rojas Elisa , Arco Jose M. , Lopez-Pajares Diego , Alvarez-Horcajo Joaquin , Carral Juan Antonio
Published: March 2023

Software-Defined Networking (SDN) is a thriving networking architecture that has gained popularity in recent years, particularly as an enabling technology to foster paradigms like edge computing. SDN separates the control and data planes, which are later on synchronised via a control protocol such as OpenFlow. In-band control is a type of SDN control plane deployment in which the control and data planes share the same physical network. It poses several challenges, such as security vulnerabilities, network congestion, or data loss. Nevertheless, despite these challenges, in-band control also presents significant opportunities, including improved network flexibility and programmability, reduced costs, and increased reliability. Benefiting from the previous advantages, diverse in-band control designs exist in the literature, with the objective of improving the operation of SDN networks. This paper surveys the different approaches that have been proposed so far towards the advance in in-band SDN control, based on four main categories: automatic routing, fast failure recovery, network bootstrapping, and distributed control. Across these categories, detailed summary tables and comparisons are presented, followed by a discussion on current trends a challenges in the field. Our conclusion is that the use of in-band control in SDN networks is expected to drive innovation and growth in the networking industry, but efforts for holistic and full-fledged proposals are still needed.
An FCS-MPC Strategy for Series APF Based on Deadbeat Direct Compensation
Authors: Wang Guifeng , Gao Xujie , Li Chunjie
Published: March 2023

Aiming at the delay caused by the phase-locked loop (PLL) and harmonic detection in the traditional control of a series active power filter (SAPF), a deadbeat direct control (DBDC)-based finite control set model predictive control (FCS-MPC) strategy for the SAPF is proposed in this work. Firstly, a reference voltage generation mechanism based on direct control is established, which avoids the delay in harmonic detection, thus improving the dynamic response performance of the system. Secondly, the reference current generation mechanism suitable for the SAPF is derived and established using the deadbeat control (DBC) in the αβ coordinate system, based on which the FCS-MPC system is constructed. It eliminates the complex coordinate transformation and PLL and effectively compensates for the full-frequency harmonic voltage. Finally, the proposed control strategy is verified by a simulation and an experiment. The results suggest that the proposed control strategy can effectively compensate for the load voltage and suppress harmonic distortion for the temporary swell and sag of the grid voltage, sudden load changes, and harmonic distortion conditions.
Approaches to the Development of Advanced Alloys Based on Refractory Metals
Authors: Razumovskii Igor , Bokstein Boris , Razumovsky Mikhail
Published: March 2023

The most promising directions of the development of heat-resistant alloys (HRAs) based on refractory metals are analyzed. The microstructures characteristic of HRAs, which it is advisable to form in promising alloys, are considered. The stability factors of the microstructure with respect to the diffusion coarsening of the hardening phases are discussed. Two groups of alloys are considered as the most promising HRAs based on refractory metals. First, the principles for design of HRAs based on (Pt, Ir)-Sc with heterophase γ-γ’ microstructure, where γ-matrix is a (Pt, Ir) solid solution with a FCC lattice, and γ’ is a strengthening phase with the structure L12 by analogy with Ni-base superalloys, are developed. The resistance of γ-γ’ microstructure in Ni, Pt and Ir alloys against the process of diffusion-limited coarsening is analyzed. It is shown that the diffusion permeability of Pt is several times less than that of Ni, so one should expect that Pt-based HRAs will not be inferior to Ni-based HRAs in terms of structural stability. The second group includes HRAs based on many not noble refractory metals. It is shown that solid solutions of the system (Ti, Zr, Hf, Ta, Nb) with a BCC lattice can be considered as a matrix of advanced refractory HRAs. The results of experimental studies of alloys based on (Ti, Zr, Hf, Ta, Nb) additionally alloyed with elements contributing to the formation of strengthening intermetallic and silicide phases are discussed. The issues of segregation of alloying elements at the grain boundaries of refractory alloys and the effect of segregation on the cohesive strength of the boundaries are considered.
Pathways for the Valorization of Animal and Human Waste to Biofuels, Sustainable Materials, and Value-Added Chemicals
Authors: Okolie Jude A. , Jimoh Toheeb , Akande Olugbenga , Okoye Patrick U. , Ogbaga Chukwuma C. , Adeleke Adekunle A. , Ikubanni Peter P. , Güleç Fatih , Amenaghawon Andrew Nosakhare
Published: March 2023

Human and animal waste, including waste products originating from human or animal digestive systems, such as urine, feces, and animal manure, have constituted a nuisance to the environment. Inappropriate disposal and poor sanitation of human and animal waste often cause negative impacts on human health through contamination of the terrestrial environment, soil, and water bodies. Therefore, it is necessary to convert these wastes into useful resources to mitigate their adverse environmental effect. The present study provides an overview and research progress of different thermochemical and biological conversion pathways for the transformation of human- and animal-derived waste into valuable resources. The physicochemical properties of human and animal waste are meticulously discussed, as well as nutrient recovery strategies. In addition, a bibliometric analysis is provided to identify the trends in research and knowledge gaps. The results reveal that the USA, China, and England are the dominant countries in the research areas related to resource recovery from human or animal waste. In addition, researchers from the University of Illinois, the University of California Davis, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Zhejiang University are front runners in research related to these areas. Future research could be extended to the development of technologies for on-site recovery of resources, exploring integrated resource recovery pathways, and exploring different safe waste processing methods.
Post-Fire Recovery of Plant Biodiversity Changes Depending on Time Intervals since Last Fire in Semiarid Shrublands
Authors: Bashirzadeh Maral , Abedi Mehdi , Shefferson Richard P. , Farzam Mohammad
Published: March 2023

Fire is a key disturbance affecting plant biodiversity patterns and evolution. Although a wide range of studies have shown important impacts of fire on vegetation, most have focused on taxonomic diversity, with less emphasis on other aspects of biodiversity, such as functional and phylogenetic diversity. Therefore, we assessed the recovery of biodiversity facets across different times since the last fire in semiarid shrublands in Northeast Iran. We quantified changes in plant biodiversity facets, including taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic diversity, and the diversity of seven functional traits in five ecologically comparable sites that have experienced wildfire disturbances at short-term (1 and 4 year sites) and long-term (10 and 20 year sites) intervals, in com- parison to an unburnt site. Our results showed significant changes in all biodiversity facets related to the year since the last fire, with a significant increase in biodiversity and diversity of functional traits under long-term rather than short-term conditions, and in comparison to the unburned site. We conclude that wildfire influences the presence of plant species with distant functional and evolutionary relatedness and causes an increase in plant species and diversity of functional traits de- pending on time intervals. Therefore, wildfire can promote positive effects on the recovery of bio- diversity aspects and the evolution of vegetation in semiarid shrublands.
Physicochemical, Structural Structural and Functional Properties of Non-Waxy and Waxy Proso Millet Protein
Authors: Ren Jing , Ma Chao , Li Mengqing , Dang Yueyi , Yu Xiuzhu , Du Shuangkui
Published: March 2023

The physicochemical, structural and functional properties of proso millet protein from waxy and non-waxy proso millet were investigated. The secondary structures of proso millet proteins consisted mainly of a β-sheet and ɑ-helix. The two diffraction peaks of proso millet protein appeared at around 9° and 20°. The solubility of non-waxy proso millet protein was higher than that of waxy proso millet protein at different pH values. Non-waxy proso millet protein had a relatively better emulsion stability index (ESI), whereas waxy proso millet protein had a better emulsification activity index (EAI). Non-waxy proso millet protein showed a higher maximum denaturation temperature (Td) and enthalpy change (ΔH) than its waxy counterpart, indicating a more ordered conformation. Waxy proso millet exhibited higher surface hydrophobicity and oil absorption capacity (OAC) than non-waxy proso millet, suggesting that the former may have potential applications as a functional ingredient in the food industry. There was no significant difference in the intrinsic fluorescence spectra of different waxy and non-waxy proso millet proteins at pH 7.0.
Formulation and Characterization of Ethyl Cellulose-Based Patches Containing Curcumin-Chitosan Nanoparticles for the Possible Management of Inflammation via Skin Delivery
Authors: Nawaz Asif , Latif Muhammad Shahid , Shah Muhammad Khurshid Alam , Elsayed Tarek M. , Ahmad Saeed , Khan Hamid Ali
Published: March 2023

Curcumin, a natural phenolic compound, exhibits poor absorption and extensive first pass metabolism after oral administration. In the present study, curcumin-chitosan nanoparticles (cur-cs-np) were prepared and incorporated into ethyl cellulose patches for the management of inflammation via skin delivery. Ionic gelation method was used for the preparation of nanoparticles. The prepared nanoparticles were evaluated for size, zetapotential, surface morphology, drug content, and % encapsulation efficiency. The nanoparticles were then incorporated into ethyl cellulose-based patches using solvent evaporation technique. ATR-FTIR was used to study/assess incompatibility between drug and excipients. The prepared patches were evaluated physiochemically. The in vitro release, ex vivo permeation, and skin drug retention studies were carried out using Franz diffusion cells and rat skin as permeable membrane. The prepared nanoparticles were spherical, with particle size in the range of 203–229 nm, zetapotential 25–36 mV, and PDI 0.27–0.29 Mw/Mn. The drug content and %EE were 53% and 59%. Nanoparticles incorporated patches are smooth, flexible, and homogenous. The in vitro release and ex vivo permeation of curcumin from nanoparticles were higher than the patches, whereas the skin retention of curcumin was significantly higher in case of patches. The developed patches deliver cur-cs-np into the skin, where nanoparticles interact with skin negative charges and hence result in higher and prolonged retention in the skin. The higher concentration of drug in the skin helps in better management of inflammation. This was shown by anti-inflammatory activity. The inflammation (volume of paw) was significantly reduced when using patches as compared to nanoparticles. It was concluded that the incorporation of cur-cs-np into ethyl cellulose-based patches results in controlled release and hence enhanced anti-inflammatory activity.
Mesoscopic Characterization of the Early Stage of the Glucono-δ-Lactone-Induced Gelation of Milk via Image Analysis Techniques
Authors: Sekiguchi Kento , Tanimoto Morimasa , Fujii Shuji
Published: March 2023

We provide a method for quantifying the kinetics of gelation in milk acidified with glucono-δ-lactone (GDL) using image analysis techniques, particle image velocimetry (PIV), differential variance analysis (DVA) and differential dynamic microscopy (DDM). The gelation of the milk acidified with GDL occurs through the aggregation and subsequent coagulation of the casein micelles as the pH approaches the isoelectric point of the caseins. The gelation of the acidified milk with GDL is an important step in the production of fermented dairy products. PIV qualitatively monitors the average mobility of fat globules during gelation. The gel point estimated by PIV is in good agreement with that obtained by rheological measurement. DVA and DDM methods reveal the relaxation behavior of fat globules during gelation. These two methods make it possible to calculate microscopic viscosity. We also extracted the mean square displacement (MSD) of the fat globules, without following their movement, using the DDM method. The MSD of fat globules shifts to sub-diffusive behavior as gelation progresses. The fat globules used as probes show the change in matrix viscoelasticity caused by the gelling of the casein micelles. Image analysis and rheology can be used complementarily to study the mesoscale dynamics of the milk gel.
Patients Satisfied with Care Report Better Quality of Life and Self-Rated Health—Cross-Sectional Findings Based on Hospital Quality Data
Authors: Baumbach Linda , Frese Marc , Härter Martin , König Hans-Helmut , Hajek André
Published: March 2023

Background: Satisfaction with care is an important indicator of health care quality. However, if this process measure is associated with patients’ outcomes in real-world data is largely unknown. We, therefore, aimed to evaluate if satisfaction with physician- and nurse-related care is associated with quality of life and self-rated health among inpatients at the University Hospital Hamburg-Eppendorf in Germany. Method: We used standard hospital quality survey data of 4925 patients treated at various departments. We used multiple linear regressions to examine an association between satisfaction with staff-related care and quality of life as well as self-rated health, adjusted for age, gender, mother tongue, and treating ward. Patients rated their satisfaction with physician- and nurse-related care from 0 „not at all“ to 9 „very much“. The outcomes regarding quality of life and self-rated health were evaluated on five-point Likert scales ranking from 1 “bad” to 5 “excellent”. Results: We found that satisfaction with physician-related care was positively associated with quality of life (ß = 0.16; p < 0.001) as well as with self-rated health (ß = 0.16; p < 0.001). Similar findings were observed for satisfaction with nurse-related care and the two outcomes (ß = 0.13; p < 0.001 and ß = 0.14; p < 0.001, respectively). Conclusion: We show that patients who are more satisfied with staff-related care report better quality of life and self-rated health than patients less satisfied with care. Thus, patient satisfaction with care, is not only a process measure indicating the quality of care but is also positively associated with patient-reported outcomes.
Tricuspid Valve Regurgitation in Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome: Current Insights and Future Perspectives
Authors: Ross Colton J. , Mir Arshid , Burkhart Harold M. , Holzapfel Gerhard A. , Lee Chung-Hao
Published: March 2023

Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS) is a congenital heart defect that requires a three-stage surgical palliation to create a single ventricle system in the right side of the heart. Of patients undergoing this cardiac palliation series, 25% will develop tricuspid regurgitation (TR), which is associated with an increased mortality risk. Valvular regurgitation in this population has been extensively studied to understand indicators and mechanisms of comorbidity. In this article, we review the current state of research on TR in HLHS, including identified valvular anomalies and geometric properties as the main reasons for the poor prognosis. After this review, we present some suggestions for future TR-related studies to answer the central question: What are the predictors of TR onset during the three palliation stages? These studies involve (i) the use of engineering-based metrics to evaluate valve leaflet strains and predict tissue material properties, (ii) perform multivariate analyses to identify TR predictors, and (iii) develop predictive models, particularly using longitudinally tracked patient cohorts to foretell patient-specific trajectories. Regarded together, these ongoing and future efforts will result in the development of innovative tools that can aid in surgical timing decisions, in prophylactic surgical valve repair, and in the refinement of current intervention techniques.
Gender-Related Outcomes after Surgical Resection and Level of Satisfaction in Patients with Left Atrial Tumors
Authors: Sido Viyan , Volkwein Annika , Hartrumpf Martin , Braun Christian , Kühnel Ralf-Uwe , Ostovar Roya , Schröter Filip , Chopsonidou Sofia , Albes Johannes Maximilian
Published: March 2023

Background: Cardiac tumors are rare, with a low incidence of between 0.0017 and 0.19%. The majority of cardiac tumors are benign and predominantly occur in females. The aim of our study was to examine how outcomes differ between men and women. Methods: From 2015 to 2022, 80 patients diagnosed with suspected myxoma were operated on. In all patients, preoperative, perioperative, and postoperative data were recorded. Such patients were identified and included in a retrospective analysis focused on gender-related differences. Results: Patients were predominantly female (n = 64; 80%). The mean age was 62.76 ± 13.42 years in female patients and 59.65 ± 15.84 years in male patients (p = 0.438). The body mass index (BMI) was comparable in both groups: between 27.36 ± 6.16 in male and 27.09 ± 5.75 (p = 0.945) in female patients. Logistic EuroSCORE (LogES) (female: 5.89 ± 4.6; male: 3.95 ± 3.06; p = 0.017) and EuroSCORE II (ES II) (female: 2.07 ± 2.1; male: 0.94 ± 0.45; p = 0.043), both scores to predict the mortality in cardiac surgery, were significantly higher in female patients. Two patients died early, within 30 days after surgery: one male and one female patient. Late mortality was defined as the 5-year survival rate, which was 94.8%, and 15-year survival rate, which was 85.3% in our cohort. Causes of death were not related to the primary tumor operation. The follow up showed that satisfaction with surgery and long-term outcome was high. Conclusion: Predominately female patients presented with left atrial tumors over a 17-year period. Relevant gender differences aside from that were not evident. Surgery could be performed with excellent early (within 30 days after surgery) and late results (follow up after discharge).
Prospective Evaluation of Two Cohorts of Non-Operatively Treated Patients with Displaced vs. Minimally and Non-Displaced Distal Radius Fractures
Authors: Thorninger Rikke , Wæver Daniel , Tjørnild Michael , Lind Martin , Rölfing Jan Duedal
Published: March 2023

Background: Distal radius fractures (DRFs) in the elderly are common. Recently, the efficacy of operative treatment of displaced DRFs in patients above 65 years of age has been questioned and it has been suggested that non-operative treatment should be the gold standard. However, the complications and functional outcome of displaced vs. minimally and non-displaced DRFs in the elderly has not been evaluated yet. The aim of the present study was to compare non-operatively treated displaced DRFs vs. minimally and non-displaced DRFs in terms of complications, PROMs, grip strength and range of motion (ROM) after 2 weeks, 5 weeks, 6 months and 12 months. Methods: We used a prospective cohort study that compared patients with displaced DRFs (n = 50), i.e., >10 degrees of dorsal angulation after two reduction attempts, with patients with minimally or non-displaced DRFs after reduction. Both cohorts received the same treatment of 5 weeks of dorsal plaster casting. Complications and functional outcomes (quick disabilities of the arm, shoulder and hand (QuickDASH), patient-rated wrist/hand evaluation (PRWHE), grip strength and EQ-5D scores) were assessed after 5 weeks, 6 months and 12 months post-injury. The protocol of the VOLCON RCT and present observational study has been published (PMC6599306; clinicaltrials.gov: NCT03716661). Results: One year after 5 weeks of dorsal below-elbow casting of low-energy DRFs in patients ≥ 65 years old, we found a complication rate of 6.3% (3/48) in minimally or non-displaced DRFs and 16.6% (7/42) in displaced DRFs (p = 0.18). However, no statistically significant difference was observed in functional outcomes in terms of QuickDASH, pain, ROM, grip strength or EQ-5D scores. Discussion: In patients above 65 years of age, non-operative treatment, i.e., closed reduction and dorsal casting for 5 weeks, yielded similar complication rates and functional outcomes after 1 year regardless of whether the initial fracture was non-displaced/minimally displaced or still displaced after closed reduction. While the initial closed reduction should still be attempted in order to restore the anatomy, failure to achieve the stipulated radiological criteria may not be as important as we thought in terms of complications and functional outcome.
Surgically Treated pT2aN0M0 (Stage IB) Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: A 20-Year Single-Center Retrospective Study
Authors: Casiraghi Monica , Petrella Francesco , Bardoni Claudia , Mohamed Shehab , Sedda Giulia , Guarize Juliana , Passaro Antonio , De Marinis Filippo , Maisonneuve Patrick , Spaggiari Lorenzo
Published: March 2023

Introduction The suitability of adjuvant therapy (AT) in patients with stage IB non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is still under debate considering the cost–benefit ratio between improvement in survival and side effects. We retrospectively evaluated survival and incidence of recurrence in radically resected stage IB NSCLC, to determine whether AT could significantly improve prognosis. Methods Between 1998 and 2020, 4692 consecutive patients underwent lobectomy and systematic lymphadenectomy for NSCLC. Two hundred nineteen patients were pathological T2aN0M0 (>3 and ≤4 cm) NSCLC 8th TNM. None received preoperative or AT. Overall survival (OS), cancer specific survival (CSS) and the cumulative incidence of relapse were plotted and log-rank or Gray’s tests were used to assess the difference in outcome between groups. Results The most frequent histology was adenocarcinoma (66.7%). Median OS was 146 months. The 5-, 10-, and 15-year OS rates were 79%, 60%, and 47%, whereas the 5-, 10-, and 15-year CSS were 88%, 85%, and 83%, respectively. OS was significantly related to age (p < 0.001) and cardiovascular comorbidities (p = 0.04), whereas number of LNs removed was an independent prognostic factor of CSS (p = 0.02). Cumulative incidence of relapse at 5-, 10-, and 15-year were 23%, 31%, and 32%, respectively, and significantly related to the number of LNs removed (p = 0.01). Patients with more than 20 LNs removed and clinical stage I had a significantly lower relapse (p = 0.02). Conclusions Excellent CSS, up to 83% at 15-year, and relatively low risk of recurrence for stage IB NSCLC (8th TNM) patients suggested that AT for those patients could be reserved only for very selected high-risk cases.
Use of Renal Near-Infrared Spectroscopy and Urinary Neutrophil Gelatinase-Associated Lipocalin Monitoring as Indicators of Acute Kidney Injury in Pediatric Cardiac Surgery
Authors: Wakamatsu Yoshihito , Nakanishi Keisuke , Satoh Takanori , Kawasaki Shiori , Amano Atsushi
Published: March 2023

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common complication following cardiac surgery under cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) in children. A prospective study for examining urinary neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) and renal near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) trends during AKI was conducted among pediatric patients undergoing cardiac surgery with CPB. Urinary NGAL showed a significant difference between intensive care unit admission (0 h) and 2 h post-admission (p < 0.001) and remained significant up to 4 h (p < 0.05). The renal NIRS in the AKI group showed a significant rate of decrease and lower values during the intraoperative period (p < 0.05). The cumulative median saturation of renal regional saturation of oxygen (rSO2) during CPB was 1637.5% min in the AKI group and 943.0% min in the non-AKI group. The median renal rSO2 scores at a reduction of 20% and 25% were significantly higher (p < 0.001) in the AKI group. Our results suggest that monitoring renal rSO2 scores and limiting their decline might be useful in preventing AKI. The combination of NGAL, renal rSO2, and renal rSO2 scores might be useful in the early diagnosis of AKI during pediatric cardiac surgery.
Moisture Content and Mechanical Properties of Bio-Waste Pellets for Fuel and/or Water Remediation Applications
Authors: Anisimov Yuriy A. , Steiger Bernd G. K. , Cree Duncan E. , Wilson Lee D.
Published: March 2023

The current research is focused on the mutual comparison (mechanical properties, response to humidity) of agro-waste composite materials. The purpose of this work is directed at the valorization of agro-waste biomass products and to investigate their mechanical stability for transport or other applications (in dry and wet states). Three different types of agro-waste (oat hull (Oh), torrefied wheat straw (S), and spent coffee grounds (SCG)) were blended with kaolinite (K) and chitosan (CHT) at variable weight ratios to yield ternary composites. Mechanical properties were represented by measuring hardness (in compression mode) and elastic modulus (under tension mode). Young’s (elastic) modulus was measured both for dried and hydrated samples. The pelletized materials were prepared in two forms: crosslinked (CL) with epichlorohydrin and non-crosslinked (NCL). The hardness of the Oh pellets was poor (75 N) and decreased by four times with greater agro-waste content, while crosslinking affected the hardness only slightly. S pellets had the highest level of hardness at 40% agro-waste content (160 N), with a concomitant decrease to 120 N upon crosslinking. SCG pellets had the least change in hardness for both CL and NCL specimens (105–120 N). The trends of Young’s modulus were similar to hardness. Hydration caused the elastic modulus to decrease ca. 100-fold. In general, S and SCG composites exhibit the greatest hardness and Young’s modulus compared to Oh composites (CL or NCL) in their dry state.
Sleep Action Recognition Based on Segmentation Strategy
Authors: Zhou Xiang , Cui Yue , Xu Gang , Chen Hongliang , Zeng Jing , Li Yutong , Xiao Jiangjian
Published: March 2023

In order to solve the problem of long video dependence and the difficulty of fine-grained feature extraction in the video behavior recognition of personnel sleeping at a security-monitored scene, this paper proposes a time-series convolution-network-based sleeping behavior recognition algorithm suitable for monitoring data. ResNet50 is selected as the backbone network, and the self-attention coding layer is used to extract rich contextual semantic information; then, a segment-level feature fusion module is constructed to enhance the effective transmission of important information in the segment feature sequence on the network, and the long-term memory network is used to model the entire video in the time dimension to improve behavior detection ability. This paper constructs a data set of sleeping behavior under security monitoring, and the two behaviors contain about 2800 single-person target videos. The experimental results show that the detection accuracy of the network model in this paper is significantly improved on the sleeping post data set, up to 6.69% higher than the benchmark network. Compared with other network models, the performance of the algorithm in this paper has improved to different degrees and has good application value.
Estimating Fragmentation and Connectivity Patterns of the Temperate Forest in an Avocado-Dominated Landscape to Propose Conservation Strategies
Authors: Latorre-Cárdenas María Camila , González-Rodríguez Antonio , Godínez-Gómez Oscar , Arima Eugenio Y. , Young Kenneth R. , Denvir Audrey , García-Oliva Felipe , Ghilardi Adrián
Published: March 2023

The rapid expansion of avocado cultivation in Michoacán, Mexico, is one of the drivers of deforestation. We assessed the degree of fragmentation and functional connectivity of the remaining temperate forest within the Avocado Belt and prioritized patches that contribute the most to connectivity using a network-based approach and modelling different seed and pollen dispersal scenarios, including two types of patch attributes (size and degree of conservation). As landscape transformation in the region is rapid and ongoing, we updated the land-use and land-cover maps through a supervised classification of Sentinel-2 imagery, improving the reliability of our analyses. Temperate forest is highly fragmented within the region: most patches are small (<30 ha), have a reduced core-area (28%), and irregular shapes. The degree of connectivity is very low (0.06), dropping to 0.019 when the degree of conservation of patches was considered. The top 100 ranked patches of forest that support the connectivity of seeds and pollen have different characteristics (i.e., size and topology) that may be considered for implementing conservation and management strategies. Seed dispersal seems to be more threatened by fragmentation than pollen dispersal, and patches that are important for maintaining seed connectivity are embedded in the denser zone of avocado orchards.
Semantic Segmentation of Digestive Abnormalities from WCE Images by Using AttResU-Net Architecture
Authors: Lafraxo Samira , Souaidi Meryem , El Ansari Mohamed , Koutti Lahcen
Published: March 2023

Colorectal cancer is one of the most common malignancies and the leading cause of cancer death worldwide. Wireless capsule endoscopy is currently the most frequent method for detecting precancerous digestive diseases. Thus, precise and early polyps segmentation has significant clinical value in reducing the probability of cancer development. However, the manual examination is a time-consuming and tedious task for doctors. Therefore, scientists have proposed many computational techniques to automatically segment the anomalies from endoscopic images. In this paper, we present an end-to-end 2D attention residual U-Net architecture (AttResU-Net), which concurrently integrates the attention mechanism and residual units into U-Net for further polyp and bleeding segmentation performance enhancement. To reduce outside areas in an input image while emphasizing salient features, AttResU-Net inserts a sequence of attention units among related downsampling and upsampling steps. On the other hand, the residual block propagates information across layers, allowing for the construction of a deeper neural network capable of solving the vanishing gradient issue in each encoder. This improves the channel interdependencies while lowering the computational cost. Multiple publicly available datasets were employed in this work, to evaluate and verify the proposed method. Our highest-performing model was AttResU-Net, on the MICCAI 2017 WCE dataset, which achieved an accuracy of 99.16%, a Dice coefficient of 94.91%, and a Jaccard index of 90.32%. The experiment findings show that the proposed AttResU-Net overcomes its baselines and provides performance comparable to existing polyp segmentation approaches.
Experimental Investigation of the Flow, Noise, and Vibration Effect on the Construction and Design of Low-Speed Wind Tunnel Structure
Authors: Abdel Aziz Salem S. , Moustafa Essam B. , Salem Said Abdel-Halim Saber
Published: March 2023

A wind tunnel is needed for a lot of research and model testing in the field of engineering design. Commercial wind tunnels are large and expensive, making them unsuitable for small-scale aerodynamic model testing. This work aims to experimentally investigate the effects of flow, noise, and vibration on constructing and designing a low-speed wind tunnel structure. The flow uniformity in the wind tunnel has been tested by measuring the velocity profiles inside the empty test section with a pitot-static tube at various fan frequencies. The experiment results showed a good flow uniformity of more than 90% across the test section area, and the maximum wind velocity achieved was about 25.1 m/s. Due to the stability of the flow near the exit test section, the vibration measurement revealed that the entrance portion has larger vibration fluctuations than the exit part. Furthermore, as the axial fan frequency increases, the noise level increases. At 40 Hz, the noise level enters the hazardous zone, which has an impact on the person who performs the measurement process. The resonance of the wind tunnel structure is an important measurement test that affects vibration measurement.