bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Research on the Mechanical Properties and Stretch Forming Simulation of Triaxial Geogrid with Different Pre-Punched Hole Diameters
Authors: Ren Xinbo , Zhao Xinhai , Zheng Chao , Song Libin , Liu Ji , Si Zhiyuan
Published: June 2022

In this paper, the tensile behavior of industrial polypropylene triaxial geogrid with different pre-punched hole diameters was studied by experiment and numerical analysis. The industrial polypropylene sheets with different diameters of circular holes were stretched at elevated temperature and then the tensile properties of triaxial geogrids at room temperature were evaluated. It was found that the pre-punched hole diameter of triaxial geogrid had a very close relationship with the mechanical properties. With the increase of the pre-punched hole diameter, the tensile strength of triaxial geogrid shows a trend of first increasing and then decreasing. Combined with numerical simulation, the optimal pre-punched hole diameter can be accurately obtained, and the distribution law of the width, thickness, stress, and strain of triaxial geogrid can be obtained. Under the condition of a stretching ratio of 3 and node spacing of 3 mm, it was found that the mechanical properties of industrial polypropylene triaxial geogrid was the best when the pre-punched hole diameter was 2.6 mm.
A Two-Dimensional Variational Scheme for Merging Multiple Satellite Altimetry Data and Eddy Analysis
Authors: Jiang Xingliang , Liu Lei , Li Zhijin , Liu Lingxiao , Lim Kam Sian Kenny T. C. , Dong Changming
Published: June 2022

With the increasing number of satellite altimeters in orbit, the effective resolution of merged multiple satellite altimetry data can be improved. We implement a two-dimensional variational (2-DVar) method to merge multiple satellite altimetry data and produce a daily gridded absolute dynamic topography (ADT) dataset with a grid size of 0.08 degrees. We conduct an observing system simulation experiment (OSSE), and the results show that the merged ADT dataset has an effective resolution of about 210 km. Compared with an independent sea surface temperature (SST) data, fine-scale structures can also be observed in the geostrophic flow of the new dataset. A relationship between effective resolution and the radius of a detected eddy is established and used for eddy analysis in the East China Sea (ECS) region. We observe that eddies in the open ocean are more numerous, have larger radii and live longer than those in other areas.
ELULC-10, a 10 m European Land Use and Land Cover Map Using Sentinel and Landsat Data in Google Earth Engine
Authors: Mirmazloumi S. Mohammad , Kakooei Mohammad , Mohseni Farzane , Ghorbanian Arsalan , Amani Meisam , Crosetto Michele , Monserrat Oriol
Published: June 2022

Land Use/Land Cover (LULC) maps can be effectively produced by cost-effective and frequent satellite observations. Powerful cloud computing platforms are emerging as a growing trend in the high utilization of freely accessible remotely sensed data for LULC mapping over large-scale regions using big geodata. This study proposes a workflow to generate a 10 m LULC map of Europe with nine classes, ELULC-10, using European Sentinel-1/-2 and Landsat-8 images, as well as the LUCAS reference samples. More than 200 K and 300 K of in situ surveys and images, respectively, were employed as inputs in the Google Earth Engine (GEE) cloud computing platform to perform classification by an object-based segmentation algorithm and an Artificial Neural Network (ANN). A novel ANN-based data preparation was also presented to remove noisy reference samples from the LUCAS dataset. Additionally, the map was improved using several rule-based post-processing steps. The overall accuracy and kappa coefficient of 2021 ELULC-10 were 95.38% and 0.94, respectively. A detailed report of the classification accuracies was also provided, demonstrating an accurate classification of different classes, such as Woodland and Cropland. Furthermore, rule-based post processing improved LULC class identifications when compared with current studies. The workflow could also supply seasonal, yearly, and change maps considering the proposed integration of complex machine learning algorithms and large satellite and survey data.
Prob-POS: A Framework for Improving Visual Explanations from Convolutional Neural Networks for Remote Sensing Image Classification
Authors: Guo Xianpeng , Hou Biao , Wu Zitong , Ren Bo , Wang Shuang , Jiao Licheng
Published: June 2022

During the past decades, convolutional neural network (CNN)-based models have achieved notable success in remote sensing image classification due to their powerful feature representation ability. However, the lack of explainability during the decision-making process is a common criticism of these high-capacity networks. Local explanation methods that provide visual saliency maps have attracted increasing attention as a means to surmount the barrier of explainability. However, the vast majority of research is conducted on the last convolutional layer, where the salient regions are unintelligible for partial remote sensing images, especially scenes that contain plentiful small targets or are similar to the texture image. To address these issues, we propose a novel framework called Prob-POS, which consists of the class-activation map based on the probe network (Prob-CAM) and the weighted probability of occlusion (wPO) selection strategy. The proposed probe network is a simple but effective architecture to generate elaborate explanation maps and can be applied to any layer of CNNs. The wPO is a quantified metric to evaluate the explanation effectiveness of each layer for different categories to automatically pick out the optimal explanation layer. Variational weights are taken into account to highlight the high-scoring regions in the explanation map. Experimental results on two publicly available datasets and three prevalent networks demonstrate that Prob-POS improves the faithfulness and explainability of CNNs on remote sensing images.
3D Rock Structure Digital Characterization Using Airborne LiDAR and Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Techniques for Stability Analysis of a Blocky Rock Mass Slope
Authors: Xu Qiang , Ye Zhen , Liu Qian , Dong Xiujun , Li Weile , Fang Shanao , Guo Chen
Published: June 2022

Airborne light detection and ranging (LiDAR) and unmanned aerial vehicle-structure from motion (UAV-SfM) provide point clouds with unprecedented resolution and accuracy that are well suited for the digital characterization of rock outcrops where direct contact measurements cannot be obtained due to terrain or safety constraints. Today, however, how to better apply these techniques to the practice of geostructural analysis is a topic of research that must be further explored. This study presents a processing procedure for extracting three-dimensional (3D) rock structure parameters directly from point clouds using open-source software and a three-dimensional distinct element code-assisted (3DEC) simulation of slope failure based on carbonate rock cliffs in the Jiuzhaigou Scenic Area. The procedure involves (1) processing point clouds obtained with different remote sensing techniques; (2) using the Hough transform to estimate normals for the hue, saturation, and value (HSV) rendering of unstructured point clouds; (3) automatically clustering and extracting the set-based point clouds; (4) estimating set-based geometric parameters; and (5) performing a subsequent stability analysis based on rock structure parameters. The results show that integrating different remote sensing techniques and rock structure computing can provide a quick way for slope engineers to assess the safety of blocky rock masses.
Investigating the Impact of Using IR Bands on Early Fire Smoke Detection from Landsat Imagery with a Lightweight CNN Model
Authors: Zhao Liang , Liu Jixue , Peters Stefan , Li Jiuyong , Oliver Simon , Mueller Norman
Published: June 2022

Smoke plumes are the first things seen from space when wildfires occur. Thus, fire smoke detection is important for early fire detection. Deep Learning (DL) models have been used to detect fire smoke in satellite imagery for fire detection. However, previous DL-based research only considered lower spatial resolution sensors (e.g., Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS)) and only used the visible (i.e., red, green, blue (RGB)) bands. To contribute towards solutions for early fire smoke detection, we constructed a six-band imagery dataset from Landsat 5 Thematic Mapper (TM) and Landsat 8 Operational Land Imager (OLI) with a 30-metre spatial resolution. The dataset consists of 1836 images in three classes, namely “Smoke”, “Clear”, and “Other_aerosol”. To prepare for potential on-board-of-small-satellite detection, we designed a lightweight Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) model named “Variant Input Bands for Smoke Detection (VIB_SD)”, which achieved competitive accuracy with the state-of-the-art model SAFA, with less than 2% of its number of parameters. We further investigated the impact of using additional Infra-Red (IR) bands on the accuracy of fire smoke detection with VIB_SD by training it with five different band combinations. The results demonstrated that adding the Near-Infra-Red (NIR) band improved prediction accuracy compared with only using the visible bands. Adding both Short-Wave Infra-Red (SWIR) bands can further improve the model performance compared with adding only one SWIR band. The case study showed that the model trained with multispectral bands could effectively detect fire smoke mixed with cloud over small geographic extents.
Lidar- and UAV-Based Vertical Observation of Spring Ozone and Particulate Matter in Nanjing, China
Authors: Qu Yawei , Zhao Ming , Wang Tijian , Li Shu , Li Mengmeng , Xie Min , Zhuang Bingliang
Published: June 2022

The rapid urbanization in China is accompanied by increasingly serious air pollution. Particulate matter and ozone are the main air pollutants, and the study of their vertical distribution and correlation plays an important role in the synergistic air pollution control. In this study, we performed Lidar- and UAV-based observations in spring in Nanjing, China. The average concentrations of surface ozone and PM2.5 during the observation period are 87.78 µg m−3 and 43.48 µg m−3, respectively. Vertically, ozone reaches a maximum in the upper boundary layer, while the aerosol extinction coefficient decreases with height. Generally, ozone and aerosol are negatively correlated below 650 m. The correlation coefficient increases with altitude and reaches a maximum of 0.379 at 1875 m. Within the boundary layer, ozone and aerosols are negatively correlated on days with particulate pollution (PM2.5 > 35 μg m−3), while on clean days they are positively correlated. Above the boundary layer, the correlation coefficient is usually positive, regardless of the presence of particulate pollution. The UAV study compensates for Lidar detections below 500 m. We found that ozone concentration is higher in the upper layers than in the near-surface layers, and that ozone depletion is faster in the near-surface layers after sunset.
Comparative Analysis of Single-View and Multi-View Airborne SAR Positioning Error and Course Planning for Multi-View Airborne SAR Optimal Positioning
Authors: Zhang Ben , Yu Anxi , Chen Xing , Wang Zhengbin , Dong Zhen
Published: June 2022

Airborne synthetic aperture radar (Airborne SAR) can accurately locate key targets and regions by using the flight parameters of the aircraft and the relative position information between the aircraft and the target which can be obtained from the airborne positioning and orientation system (POS). In the course of flight, the aircraft will deviate from the ideal flight path due to atmospheric turbulence, which results in the calculation deviating from the actual target position. In order to improve the target positioning accuracy, it is necessary to study the influence of aircraft motion error on the target positioning error. This study discusses the positioning accuracy of single-view airborne SAR from the perspective of linear Range-Doppler algorithm (RDA), and deduces the multi-view airborne SAR positioning error transfer model based on the multi-view airborne SAR positioning model. Based on these, we analyze the main factors that affect the positioning accuracy of the two positioning methods in detail and quantitatively reveal the mechanism by which the multi-view airborne SAR positioning method can improve the target positioning accuracy compared with the single-view airborne SAR positioning method; we also solve the problem of course planning for multi-view airborne SAR optimal positioning. The research results can provide theoretical support for the analysis of factors influencing positioning error and the positioning error correction of airborne SAR.
Spatial and Temporal Biomass and Growth for Grain Crops Using NDVI Time Series
Authors: Perry Eileen , Sheffield Kathryn , Crawford Doug , Akpa Stephen , Clancy Alex , Clark Robert
Published: June 2022

Remote sensing from optical radiometers in space offers a nondestructive approach to estimating above ground biomass (AGB) with high spatial and temporal resolution, but the application is challenged by cloud cover and differences in soil background and crop phenology. We present a framework based on Sentinel-2 imagery for relating the adjusted summed NDVI measurements to the AGB. The resulting R2 values for the measured and estimated AGB ranged from 0.79 to 0.98 for individual paddocks, and the R2 from a pooled dataset (multiple crops, years, and locations) was 0.86. Application of the pooled dataset model to a separate validation dataset resulted in an R2 of 0.88; however, there was a bias that resulted in the underestimation of the measured biomass. Analysis of the impacts of the gaps in the time series showed a decrease of 0.43% per gap day for the summed NDVI values. To address the impacts of clouds, we demonstrate the use of active optical and additional satellite imagery to fill the gaps due to clouds in the Sentinel-2 imagery. The framework presented results of the spatial daily estimates of the AGB and crop growth rates.
Vegetation Monitoring for Mountainous Regions Using a New Integrated Topographic Correction (ITC) of the SCS + C Correction and the Shadow-Eliminated Vegetation Index
Authors: Jiang Hong , Chen Ailin , Wu Yongfeng , Zhang Chunying , Chi Zhaohui , Li Mengmeng , Wang Xiaoqin
Published: June 2022

The mountainous vegetation is important to regional sustainable development. However, the topographic effect is the main obstacle to the monitoring of mountainous vegetation using remote sensing. Aiming to retrieve the reflectance of frequently-used red–green–blue and near-infrared (NIR) wavebands of rugged mountains for vegetation mapping, we developed a new integrated topographic correction (ITC) using the SCS + C correction and the shadow-eliminated vegetation index. The ITC procedure consists of image processing, data training, and shadow correction and uses a random forest machine learning algorithm. Our study using the Landsat 8 Operational Land Imager (OLI) multi-spectral images in Fujian province, China, showed that the ITC achieved high performance in topographic correction of regional mountains and in transferability from the sunny area of a scene to the shadow area of three scenes. The ITC-corrected multi-spectral image with an NIR–red–green composite exhibited flat features with impressions of relief and topographic shadow removed. The linear regression of corrected waveband reflectance vs. the cosine of the solar incidence angle showed an inclination that nearly reached the horizontal, and the coefficient of determination decreased to 0.00~0.01. The absolute relative errors of the cast shadow and the self-shadow all dramatically decreased to the range of 0.30~6.37%. In addition, the achieved detection rate of regional vegetation coverage for the three cities of Fuzhou, Putian, and Xiamen using the ITC-corrected images was 0.92~6.14% higher than that using the surface reflectance images and showed a positive relationship with the regional topographic factors, e.g., the elevation and slope. The ITC-corrected multi-spectral images are beneficial for monitoring regional mountainous vegetation. Future improvements can focus on the use of the ITC in higher-resolution imaging.
Novel Insights in Spatial Epidemiology Utilizing Explainable AI (XAI) and Remote Sensing
Authors: Temenos Anastasios , Tzortzis Ioannis N. , Kaselimi Maria , Rallis Ioannis , Doulamis Anastasios , Doulamis Nikolaos
Published: June 2022

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected many aspects of human life around the world, due to its tremendous outcomes on public health and socio-economic activities. Policy makers have tried to develop efficient responses based on technologies and advanced pandemic control methodologies, to limit the wide spreading of the virus in urban areas. However, techniques such as social isolation and lockdown are short-term solutions that minimize the spread of the pandemic in cities and do not invert long-term issues that derive from climate change, air pollution and urban planning challenges that enhance the spreading ability. Thus, it seems crucial to understand what kind of factors assist or prevent the wide spreading of the virus. Although AI frameworks have a very efficient predictive ability as data-driven procedures, they often struggle to identify strong correlations among multidimensional data and provide robust explanations. In this paper, we propose the fusion of a heterogeneous, spatio-temporal dataset that combine data from eight European cities spanning from 1 January 2020 to 31 December 2021 and describe atmospheric, socio-economic, health, mobility and environmental factors all related to potential links with COVID-19. Remote sensing data are the key solution to monitor the availability on public green spaces between cities in the study period. So, we evaluate the benefits of NIR and RED bands of satellite images to calculate the NDVI and locate the percentage in vegetation cover on each city for each week of our 2-year study. This novel dataset is evaluated by a tree-based machine learning algorithm that utilizes ensemble learning and is trained to make robust predictions on daily cases and deaths. Comparisons with other machine learning techniques justify its robustness on the regression metrics RMSE and MAE. Furthermore, the explainable frameworks SHAP and LIME are utilized to locate potential positive or negative influence of the factors on global and local level, with respect to our model’s predictive ability. A variation of SHAP, namely treeSHAP, is utilized for our tree-based algorithm to make fast and accurate explanations.
As-Doped h-BN Monolayer: A High Sensitivity and Short Recovery Time SF6 Decomposition Gas Sensor
Authors: Long Yunfeng , Xia Sheng-Yuan , Guo Liang-Yan , Tan Yaxiong , Huang Zhengyong
Published: June 2022

SF6 is a common insulating medium of gas-insulated switchgear (GIS). However, it is inevitable that SF6 will be decomposed due to partial discharge (PD) in GIS, which will cause hidden dangers to the safe and stable operation of equipment. Based on the DFT method, the two-dimensional nano-composite As-doped h-BN (As-BN) monolayer was proposed. By modeling and calculating, the ability of an As-BN monolayer as a specific sensor for SO2F2 (compared with an H2O adsorption system and CO2 adsorption system) was evaluated by parameters such as the binding energy (Eb), adsorption energy (Eads), transfer charge (ΔQ), geometric structure parameters, the total density of states (TDOS), band structure, charge difference density (CDD), electron localization function (ELF), sensitivity (S), and recovery time (τ). The results showed that an As-BN monolayer showed strong adsorption specificity, high sensitivity, and short recovery time for SO2F2 gas molecules. Therefore, the As-BN monolayer sensor has great application potential in the detection of SF6 decomposition gases.
Does Standardisation Ensure a Reliable Assessment of the Performance of Construction Products?
Authors: Szewczak Ewa
Published: June 2022

The implementation of a standard should be preceded by research work aimed at developing the test method, particularly in validation experiments. Is it actually so? Numerous experiences of producers and labs and an increasing number of scientific works prove the opposite. It turns out that some standard methods are very poorly suited to assessing the performance of construction products. This is related both to the specificity of the methods and the tested products. This article presents some product assessment problems and the risk of using test methods that have not been fully validated. The risk seems relatively low if laboratories account for their own uncertainty. However, in some cases, additional components that both laboratories and product manufacturers might fail to consider can significantly increase the risk. This indicates the need for continuous work in the reference area.
Diversification of Villa-Type Neighborhoods and Its Impact on Housing Shortages in a Growing Saudi Arabian City: A Case Study of Jeddah
Authors: Maddah Rahif , Song Junhwan , Deguchi Atsushi
Published: June 2022

During the urbanization process in Jeddah, evidenced by an annual population growth rate of 9.5%, vacant lots have existed in developed residential areas in spite of the housing shortage. This study aimed at investigating the housing shortage problem and suggesting future solutions based on a predictive formula through four tasks: (1) examining the issues induced by population growth; (2) assessing the extent to which articles in the Procedure Manual for Preparation of Residential Land Subdivision (PMPRLS) foster diversity within villa-type neighborhoods; (3) clarifying the extent of the applicability of these articles and the contribution of existing neighborhood patterns to the housing shortage problem; and (4) providing recommendations for developing each kind of villa-type neighborhood to contribute to resolving the housing shortage. The proposed development methods for villa-type neighborhoods were derived from a correlation analysis using PMPRLS-related indicators in all such neighborhoods (103 study sites) in Jeddah and from a predictive regression analysis. This study suggests that each neighborhood class can contribute to resolving the housing shortage problem. In conclusion, diversifying lot areas, population density, and lot widths in current villa-type neighborhoods would have a positive impact on the housing shortage problem.
Quantitative Imaging in Oncology
Authors: Sung Wonmo
Published: June 2022

The Special Issue of Tomography is a collection of articles focused on the quantitative imaging methods in clinical oncology [...]
Influencing Hotel Patrons to Use Reef-Safe Sunscreen
Authors: Bergman Christine , Good Rochelle , Moreo Andrew
Published: June 2022

The health of Hawaiian coral reefs is threatened by sunscreen ingredients (e.g., oxybenzone). This study sought to determine factors leading to the pro-environmental behavior of using reef-safe sunscreen (RSS) and identify practices hoteliers could implement to influence patrons to engage in this behavior. The study applied a framework to model pro-environmental behavior in the hospitality industry. It proposed that attitudes, personal capabilities, and habits are causal variables that influence pro-environmental intention, the predictor of pro-environmental behavior. Contextual factors were proposed as moderating variables for the relationship between pro-environmental intention and pro-environmental behavior. Past Hawaiian hotel patrons (n = 400) were the subjects for this survey. Intention to use RSS and the factors that influenced intention were investigated. Responses were analyzed using multiple linear regression and ANOVA. Results suggested that hotel patrons’ intention to use RSS was primarily influenced by three determinants: attitudes, personal capabilities, and contextual factors. Targeting the development of personal capabilities and employing contextual factors that facilitate the behavior were shown as effective methods to influence RSS use. Findings supported educational campaigns and complimentary RSS programs as practices that Hawaii hotel operators could use to influence patrons’ intention to use RSS.
The Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Inequity in Routine Childhood Vaccination Coverage: A Systematic Review
Authors: Spencer Nicholas , Markham Wolfgang , Johnson Samantha , Arpin Emmanuelle , Nathawad Rita , Gunnlaugsson Geir , Homaira Nusrat , Rubio Maria Lucia Mesa , Trujillo Catalina Jaime
Published: June 2022

Background: Routine childhood vaccination coverage rates fell in many countries during the COVID-19 pandemic, but the impact of inequity on coverage is unknown. Methods: We synthesised evidence on inequities in routine childhood vaccination coverage (PROSPERO, CRD 42021257431). Studies reporting empirical data on routine vaccination coverage in children 0–18 years old during the COVID-19 pandemic by equity stratifiers were systematically reviewed. Nine electronic databases were searched between 1 January 2020 and 18 January 2022. The risk of bias was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Quality Assessment Tool for Cohort Studies. Overall, 91 of 1453 studies were selected for full paper review, and thirteen met the inclusion criteria. Results: The narrative synthesis found moderate evidence for inequity in reducing the vaccination coverage of children during COVID-19 lockdowns and moderately strong evidence for an increase in inequity compared with pre-pandemic months (before March 2020). Two studies reported higher rates of inequity among children aged less than one year, and one showed higher inequity rates in middle- compared with high-income countries. Conclusions: Evidence from a limited number of studies shows the effect of the pandemic on vaccine coverage inequity. Research from more countries is required to assess the global effect on inequity in coverage.
Knowledge and Attitude on Childhood Vaccination among Healthcare Workers in Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia
Authors: Mukhtar Ahmad Faiq , Abdul Kadir Azidah , Mohd Noor Norhayati , Mohammad Ahmad Hazim
Published: June 2022

(1) Background: Vaccine hesitancy is recognized as an important issue globally and healthcare workers (HCWs) have a powerful influence on the public. Recent studies have reported that there are increasing numbers of vaccine hesitancies among HCWs. This study was conducted to assess the knowledge and attitudes on childhood vaccinations among HCWs in Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia (HUSM). (2) Methods: This is a cross-sectional study conducted among one hundred and ninety-eight HCWs in HUSM, Kubang Kerian, Kelantan who were selected via convenient sampling. Data on their socio-demographic details, working experience, and main source of information regarding childhood vaccination were collected. A validated, Malay version of the knowledge and attitude on childhood vaccination (KACV) questionnaire was used during the study. (3) Results: Female (OR (95% CI):3.15, (1.39, 7.12), p < 0.05) and a higher education level (degree and above) (OR (95% CI): 2.36 (1.14, 4.89), p < 0.05) are significantly associated with good knowledge. Respondents with a history of side effects of the vaccines among their relatives were about 66% less likely to have good knowledge (OR (95% CI): 0.342 (0.16, 0.73), p < 0.05). A positive attitude towards childhood vaccination was significantly associated with a higher level of education participants, who had significantly better knowledge than participants with a lower education level (OR (95% CI): 3.81, (1.92, 7.57), p < 0.001). On the contrary, participants having direct contact with patients were less likely to have a good attitude towards childhood vaccination (OR (95% CI): 0.207 (0.043, 0.10), p < 0.05), and those with a history of severe side effects of the vaccines among their relatives were also significantly associated with a poor attitude towards childhood vaccination (OR (95% CI: 0.342 (0.16, 0.76), p < 0.05).; (4) Conclusions: The survey findings showed a good level of knowledge and a good attitude of participants towards childhood vaccination. Good knowledge is important for the HCWs to have a favourable attitude to educate the general population on childhood vaccination.
Forecasted Trends of the New COVID-19 Epidemic Due to the Omicron Variant in Thailand, 2022
Authors: Suphanchaimat Rapeepong , Teekasap Pard , Nittayasoot Natthaprang , Phaiyarom Mathudara , Cetthakrikul Nisachol
Published: June 2022

Thailand is among many countries severely affected by COVID-19 since the beginning of the global pandemic. Thus, a deliberate planning of health care resource allocation against health care demand in light of the new SARS-CoV-2 variant, Omicron, is crucial. This study aims to forecast the trends in COVID-19 cases and deaths from the Omicron variant in Thailand. We used a compartmental susceptible-exposed-infectious-recovered model combined with a system dynamics model. We developed four scenarios with differing values of the reproduction number (R) and vaccination rates. In the most pessimistic scenario (R = 7.5 and base vaccination rate), the number of incident cases reached a peak of 49,523 (95% CI: 20,599 to 99,362) by day 73, and the peak daily deaths grew to 270 by day 50. The predicted cumulative cases and deaths at the end of the wave were approximately 3.7 million and 22,000, respectively. In the most optimistic assumption (R = 4.5 and speedy vaccination rate), the peak incident cases was about one third the cases in the pessimistic assumption (15,650, 95% CI: 12,688 to 17,603). In the coming months, Thailand may face a new wave of the COVID-19 epidemic due to the Omicron variant. The case toll due to the Omicron wave is likely to outnumber the earlier Delta wave, but the death toll is proportionately lower. Vaccination campaigns for the booster dose should be expedited to prevent severe illnesses and deaths in the population.
Primary Broiler Hepatocytes for Establishment of a Steatosis Model
Authors: Zhang Cai , Meng Sudan , Li Chenxu , Yang Zijun , Wang Guoyong , Wang Xueying , Ma Yanbo
Published: June 2022

Fatty liver hemorrhage syndrome (FLHS) in chickens is characterized by steatosis and bleeding in the liver, which has caused huge losses to the poultry industry. This study aimed to use primary cultured broiler hepatocytes to establish a steatosis model to explore the optimal conditions for inducing steatosis by incubating the cells with a fat emulsion. Primary hepatocytes were isolated from an AA broiler by a modified two-step in situ perfusion method. Hepatocytes were divided into an untreated control group and a fat emulsion group that was incubated with 2.5, 5, 10, or 20% fat emulsion for different times to determine the optimal conditions for inducing steatosis of primary hepatocytes. Incubation of the cells with 10% fat emulsion resulted in cell viability at 48 h of 67%, which was higher than the control group and met the requirements of the model. In the second experiment, steatosis was induced by incubating hepatocytes with 10% fat emulsion for 48 h. In consequence, the apoptosis rate decreased (p > 0.05) and the concentration of ALT (p < 0.001), AST (p < 0.01), and TG (p < 0.05) increased significantly; the expression level of SREBP-1c (p < 0.05) increased, and the expression levels of PPARα (p < 0.001), CPT1 (p < 0.001), and CPT2 (p < 0.05) were lower in the fat emulsion group than in the control group. In conclusion, the induction condition was selected as 10% fat emulsion incubation for 48 h, and we successfully established a fatty liver degeneration model for broilers.
Colonisation Patterns of Nosema ceranae in the Azores Archipelago
Authors: Lopes Ana Rita , Martín-Hernández Raquel , Higes Mariano , Segura Sara Kafafi , Henriques Dora , Pinto Maria Alice
Published: June 2022

Nosema ceranae is a highly prevalent pathogen of Apis mellifera, which is distributed worldwide. However, there may still exist isolated areas that remain free of N. ceranae. Herein, we used molecular tools to survey the Azores to detect N. ceranae and unravel its colonisation patterns. To that end, we sampled 474 colonies from eight islands in 2014/2015 and 91 from four islands in 2020. The findings revealed that N. ceranae was not only present but also the dominant species in the Azores. In 2014/2015, N. apis was rare and N. ceranae prevalence varied between 2.7% in São Jorge and 50.7% in Pico. In 2020, N. ceranae prevalence increased significantly (p < 0.001) in Terceira and São Jorge also showing higher infection levels. The spatiotemporal patterns suggest that N. ceranae colonised the archipelago recently, and it rapidly spread across other islands, where at least two independent introductions might have occurred. Flores and Santa Maria have escaped the N. ceranae invasion, and it is remarkable that Santa Maria is also free of Varroa destructor, which makes it one of the last places in Europe where the honey bee remains naive to these two major biotic stressors.
Гидрохимические характеристики природных и техногенных вод Магаданской области
Authors:   North-East Interdisciplinary Scientific Research Institute n. a. N. A. Shilo, FEB RAS, Magadan, Minyuk P. S. , Pozhidaeva D. K. ,   North-East Interdisciplinary Scientific Research Institute n. a. N. A. Shilo, FEB RAS, Magadan, S. S. Burnatny S. S. ,   North-East Interdisciplinary Scientific Research Institute n. a. N. A. Shilo, FEB RAS, Magadan
Published: June 2022

The hydrochemical characteristics of water objects, including lakes and a number of streams and rivers as well as technogenic sedimentation tanks located in the areas of placer gold mining have been studied. Total dissolved solids, contents of individual ions, total hardness (TH), total suspended solids (TSS), and acidic pH have been determined. Lake water is ultra-fresh with total dissolved solids of 15.08-52.6 mg/l. Increased values of this parameter have been found in lakes located in the Berelekh River valley, where gold placers are being developed. Water bodies from placer mining sites are characterized by increased total dissolved solids (up to 394 mg/l) and total hardness (average = 2.20 mg-eq/l). In some reservoirs, low pH, high levels of ammonia, and iron exceeding ecologically admissible values have been established.
Охраняемые виды сосудистых растений и лишайников побережий и островов Японского моря (Приморский край)
Authors:   Pacific Geographical Institute FEB RAS, Vladivostok, Kiselyova A. G. , Rodnikova I. M. ,   Pacific Geographical Institute FEB RAS, Vladivostok
Published: June 2022

A total of 61 species of protected vascular plants (8.7 % of the coastal marine flora and 30 % of protected flora of Primorsky Krai), belonging to 35 families and 49 genera, and 25 species of protected lichens (6.3 % of the marine coastal lichen flora), belonging to 8 families and 17 genera, occur on the sea coast and islands in Primorsky Krai. The largest numbers of species refer to such families as Orchidaceae (7), Cyperaceae (6), Iridaceae (4), Parmeliaceae (15), and Lobariaceae (3). The most of them are classified as low risk (LR) and vulnerable (VU); most frequently they occur in forests and on coastal rocks. The most common species are Kalopanax septemlobus, Taxus cuspidata, Pyxine sorediata, Parmotrema reticulatum, and Menegazzia terebrata. Fires, recreation, pollution and economic activities are the major causes of plant community transformations. Currently, areas containing protected species should be under close attention to protect endangered species. Protection of vascular plants and lichens should be carried out considering their populations, biological and ecological features of the species as well as their degrees of sensitivity to both natural and anthropogenic impacts.
THE EFFECTS OF AQUATIC REHABILITATION ON POSTURAL BALANCE IN INDIVIDUALS POST-STROKE: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW
Authors:   University of Mississippi Medical Center, School of Health Related Professions,  Department of Physical Therapy, Jackson, MS, USA, Windham Rachel M , Schipper Jacob M. ,   University of Mississippi Medical Center, School of Health Related Professions,  Department of Physical Therapy, Jackson, MS, USA, Pratt Geoffrey L. ,   University of Mississippi Medical Center, School of Health Related Professions,  Department of Physical Therapy, Jackson, MS, USA, Collins Joseph C. ,   University of Mississippi Medical Center, School of Health Related Professions,  Department of Physical Therapy, Jackson, MS, USA, Curbow Wilcox Kim ,   University of Mississippi Medical Center, School of Health Related Professions,  Department of Physical Therapy, Jackson, MS, USA
Published: June 2022

Introduction: Aquatic rehabilitation is a therapeutic intervention performed in water that may incorporate aerobic and strengthening exercises designed to improve physical functioning. Due to the properties of water, aquatic rehabilitation may be an appropriate intervention to address postural and balance deficits following a stroke event. Objective: The purpose of this systematic review was to analyze the quantitative effects of aquatic based therapeutic interventions on postural control and balance in individuals following a stroke. Methods: PubMed and Embase databases were searched, using terms related to aquatic therapy, postural balance, and individuals with stroke. Articles included were limited to publications within the past 10 years, peer-reviewed articles, and articles in the English language. Articles were screened by title, abstract, full text and duplication. Inclusion criteria encompassed human participants at least six months post-stroke, aquatic rehabilitation, balance assessments, and studies obtaining results measuring postural control, balance, or equilibrium. Exclusion criteria included articles in a previous systematic review and meta-analysis. Quality of the articles was assessed using the PEDro Scale. Results: Six articles were selected for the systematic review. The average PEDro score was 6 with a range from 4 to 8. Five articles demonstrated quantitative information showing beneficial effects for balance based on implementation of aquatic therapy interventions as compared to placebo or control-based interventions, while the remaining article showed no statistical difference between the groups. Conclusion: The findings of this systematic review indicate that aquatic rehabilitation may be an effective intervention for individuals experiencing deficits of postural control and balance following stroke. Possible limitations within this review include the small sample sizes and variability in the aquatic therapy interventions utilized within the various studies.
COMPARISON OF FUNCTIONAL TRAINING VS TRADITIONAL TRAINING ON ADL'S IN THE OLDER ADULT: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW
Authors:   Department of Physical Therapy, School of Health Related Professions, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, MS, USA, Boydstun Katie , Ware Megan ,   Department of Physical Therapy, School of Health Related Professions, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, MS, USA, Daughdrill Wesley ,   Department of Physical Therapy, School of Health Related Professions, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, MS, USA, joel Jarrod ,   Department of Physical Therapy, School of Health Related Professions, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, MS, USA, Colson Sherry ,   Department of Physical Therapy, School of Health Related Professions, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, MS, USA
Published: June 2022

Age related loss of muscle strength can impact the older adult’s ability to perform activities of daily living (ADL). Both traditional and functional strength training has shown to improve overall strength in the elderly. The purpose of this systematic review is to investigate whether traditional or functional training has a greater impact on improving ADL performance in older, community dwelling adults. Databases were utilized for article searching. Key search words included: functional training, traditional training, older adults, and ADLs. Results were screened by title, abstract, and full text, respectively. Inclusion criteria consisted of: written in English, publication 2010-2020, participants’ community-dwelling ≥ 65 years old. Studies focusing on participants with medical conditions were excluded. Five articles remained after screening. 722 participants were included in the five studies. One of five studies showed no significant difference in ADL performance between traditional and functional training. Three of five studies indicated a significant difference in favor of functional over traditional training in a least one ADL outcome measure. One study showed significant within group improvements for both traditional and functional training but did not indicate between group differences. The findings indicate while both functional and traditional training improves ADL’s, functional training showed more significant gains.
A MULTI-COMPONENT IMPLANT FOR USE IN TIBIAL OSTEOTOMY TO CORRECT VARUS DEFORMITY IN THE MORBIDLY OBESE
Authors:   Tulane University, Department of Biomedical Engineering, New Orleans, LA, USA, Spillane Derek M. , Harris Chandler S. ,   Tulane University, Department of Biomedical Engineering, New Orleans, LA, USA, Junker Maeve C. ,   Tulane University, Department of Biomedical Engineering, New Orleans, LA, USA, Figel Ana E. ,   Tulane University, Department of Biomedical Engineering, New Orleans, LA, USA, Tallman Madeline G. ,   Tulane University, Department of Biomedical Engineering, New Orleans, LA, USA, Kinney Sarah R. ,   Tulane University, Department of Biomedical Engineering, New Orleans, LA, USA, Anderson Ronald C. ,   Tulane University, Department of Biomedical Engineering, New Orleans, LA, USA, Pontius Uwe R. ,   Tulane University, Department of Biomedical Engineering, New Orleans, LA, USA
Published: June 2022

Medial opening wedge high tibial osteotomy (OWHTO) offers an alternative to total knee arthroplasty (TKA) for patients with varus knee deformity. This report describes a novel, modular implant intended to occupy the wedge osteotomy space via a small medial incision to reduce surgical complications associated with patients having a BMI of 40 or greater (morbidly obese). The wedge-shaped, 3-D laser-sintered titanium alloy implant consists of interlocked components to be assembled in situ. Components were fabricated with a continuous laser-sintered surface lattice structure for bone ingrowth. The sliding resistance of a range of geometrically scaled lattices was assessed to determine the optimal lattice structure for initial implantation. The lattice structure had a 550mm surface opening (150mm internal pore size). Finite element models were created to evaluate three OWHTO scenarios including a medial restraining T-plate and implant combination, a T-plate alone as commonly seen clinically, and a model of only the implant within the osteotomy. Axially loaded models revealed implant stresses to be well below titanium fatigue strength, but the model of the T-plate alone indicated large plate and screw stresses comparable to the fatigue strength. Investigations are ongoing to assess multifunctional loading and experimental strain measurement. These results suggest this modular implant design may provide BMI > 40 patients an effective treatment option to early TKA.
DESIGN, CONSTRUCTION, AND TESTING OF A DIFFERENTIAL RESISTANCE ELLIPTICAL EXERCISE MACHINE (DREEM) TO REDUCE LEG STRENGTH ASYMMETRY POST-STROKE
Authors:   Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA, Easton John D. , Hurt Christopher P. ,   Department of Physical Therapy, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA, Brown David A. ,   School of Health Professions, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA, Eberhardt Alan W. ,   Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
Published: June 2022

Stroke is a primary cause of long-term disability. A common outcome is hemiparesis, an imbalance of muscular strength and poor motor control between the two body sides. Resulting gait abnormalities beget compensatory motor patterns, leading to overuse of the stronger leg resulting in pain and injuries. Emerging research indicates that differential leg resistance during exercise may help reverse these effects; however, the size and expense of existing commercial devices may prohibit home use for many. Elliptical machines show promise due to their inherent mechanical simplicity, compactness, and affordability. Here, we present the design, construction and pilot testing of a novel Differential Resistance Elliptical Exercise Machine (DREEM). Design constraints included motor assistance, “free-wheeling” (allows the user to pedal faster than the motor and encounter resistance), and walker accessibility. It was hypothesized that by altering the crank arm length on one side, differential forces between legs could be achieved and controlled. A device was prototyped with a forward flywheel configuration so that it was compatible with a commercial walker. The device was user tested with load cells coupled to each pedal and a motion capture system. The results indicated that shortening one crank arm increased the mean forces exerted by the associated leg, providing preliminary evidence for an affordable home-based rehabilitative exercise device for those living post-stroke.
The status of shepherds in the novel ‘Keethari’
Authors: P Eswaran
Published: June 2022

The author of the novel 'Keethari' is S. Tamilselvi. The introductory message about the novelist summarizes all the details about education, work, marriage, family, and arrival to the field of writing. In this novel, the shepherds lead a nomadic life due to the occupational system. Due to their sheep herding occupations, nature leads them to live a nomadic life in search of grazing and water. Men and women are engaged in sheep herding without any discrimination. Therefore, the habits of the shepherds change accordingly. The diets of the shepherds' lives are also structured to suit the nomadic life. In that way, the artifacts used by the shepherds are also different from the artifacts of the common people. Some professional beliefs are found among the shepherds when steering sheep. Marriage is one of the major turning points in human life. At such an important juncture in the life of the bridegroom, he has to go to the shepherd. Therefore, in the life of the shepherds, instead of the bridegroom, they perform the wedding rites with the shepherd's crook. The article sets out to explore the rituals, stories, songs, deities worshiped by the shepherds, the blessings bestowed on the shepherds by Parvathi and Lord Shiva, and the manifestation of the shepherds' kindness in their daily troubles of the shepherds.
Guidance to Transcription in Tamil Language with Reference to Tamil Grammar Texts
Authors: T Prabakaran , L Sundaram
Published: June 2022

The mix of foreign words in Tamil is inevitable due to the mix of foreign languages, translation, globalization, scientific and technological development, new discoveries, and passion for English. Other scripts that are not in Tamil are used in some of the words, so they are mixed. When writing Northern language words, including Sanskrit in Classical Tamil, we used the phonetic letters s, j, sh, h, x, and sri, which are called Grantha letters. Later, when writing English and other words in Tamil, it became necessary to write with such letters for sounds that are not in Tamil. Apart from this, Tamil grammar texts have from time to time stated some instructions for transcribing in Tamil script in accordance with the Tamil phonetic system. This article seeks to summarise the grammar of Tamil grammar texts from Tolkappiyam to Tamilkaappu Iyam, published in 2005, and how their grammar is referred to as Northern Translation/Other Translation and their current use.