bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Digital Divide and Active Aging in China
Authors: Liu Lingchen , Wu Fan , Tong Huiying , Hao Cuihong , Xie Tingting
Published: December 2021

With the rapid development of society, especially the advent of intelligent technology of life services, the ability of the elderly to adapt to modern digital life is getting weaker and weaker, the dilemma of the “digital divide” for the elderly has aroused heated public debate. In the era of aging and information superposition, in-depth study of the multi-dimensional impact of the digital divide on the elderly has become an effective content of China’s active aging strategy. Based on the micro-data of the Chinese General Social Survey in 2017, this paper uses the entropy right method to construct the digital divide index system for the elderly over 60 years of age from the perspective of essential equipment, Internet utilization degree, and Basic Internet usage skills. At the same time, this paper constructs China’s comprehensive index of active aging from three aspects: health, social participation, and guarantee of the elderly, to study the impact of the digital divide on China’s active aging. The following conclusions have been drawn: the digital divide among the elderly significantly inhibits China’s active aging. The digital divide reduces the level of physical and mental health and social participation of older persons and inhibits the level of guarantee of older persons, thus impeding their active aging. In addition, it also reduces the overall life satisfaction of the elderly. The use of the Internet, skills, and other digital technology abilities of the elderly have effectively promoted active aging. The more Internet access devices older people have, the higher their level of social participation. The higher the Internet frequency of the elderly, the healthier the body and mind. Furthermore, the greater the level of physical and mental health and social participation of older groups who use online payments. The digital divide among the elderly inhibits the process of China’s active aging, and the unique course and stage characteristics of the development of the aging of the Chinese population require us to pay full attention to the relationship between the digital divide and active aging and how to construct a “digital-friendly” aging system is an essential issue for China’s social development to consider.
Impact of Longitudinal Social Support and Loneliness Trajectories on Mental Health during the COVID-19 Pandemic in France
Authors: Laham Sandy , Bertuzzi Leticia , Deguen Séverine , Hecker Irwin , Melchior Maria , Patanè Martina , Pinucci Irene , Sijbrandij Marit , van der Waerden Judith
Published: December 2021

(1) Background: Little is known about how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted social support and loneliness over time and how this may predict subsequent mental health problems. This study aims to determine longitudinal trajectories of social support and loneliness in the French general population during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic and study whether variations in these trajectories are associated with symptoms of depression and anxiety; (2) Methods: Analyses were based on data from 681 French participants in the international COVID-19 Mental Health Study (COMET) study, collected at four periods of time between May 2020 and April 2021. Group-based trajectory modelling (GBTM) was used to determine social support and loneliness trajectories. Associations between the identified trajectories and symptoms of depression and anxiety, measured with the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale (GAD-7), were tested through multivariate linear regression models; (3) Results: Social support trajectories revealed four stable groups: ‘poor’ (17.0%), ‘moderate’ (42.4%), ‘strong’ (35.4%) and ‘very strong’ (5.1%). Loneliness trajectories also identified four groups: ‘low stable’ (17.8%), ‘low rising’ (40.2%), ‘moderate stable’ (37.6%) and ‘high rising’ (5.0%). Elevated symptoms of depression were associated with poor social support as well as all identified loneliness trajectories, while high levels of anxiety were associated with moderate stable and high rising loneliness trajectories; (4) Conclusions: High and increasing levels of loneliness are associated with increased symptoms of depression and anxiety during the pandemic. Interventions to address loneliness are essential to prevent common mental health problems during the pandemic and afterwards.
The Exposome Approach in Allergies and Lung Diseases: Is It Time to Define a Preconception Exposome?
Authors: López-Cervantes Juan Pablo , Lønnebotn Marianne , Jogi Nils Oskar , Calciano Lucia , Kuiper Ingrid Nordeide , Darby Matthew G. , Dharmage Shyamali C. , Gómez-Real Francisco , Hammer Barbara , Bertelsen Randi Jacobsen , Johannessen Ane , Würtz Anne Mette Lund , Mørkve Knudsen Toril , Koplin Jennifer , Pape Kathrine , Skulstad Svein Magne , Timm Signe , Tjalvin Gro , Krauss-Etschmann Susanne , Accordini Simone , Schlünssen Vivi , Kirkeleit Jorunn , Svanes Cecilie
Published: December 2021

Emerging research suggests environmental exposures before conception may adversely affect allergies and lung diseases in future generations. Most studies are limited as they have focused on single exposures, not considering that these diseases have a multifactorial origin in which environmental and lifestyle factors are likely to interact. Traditional exposure assessment methods fail to capture the interactions among environmental exposures and their impact on fundamental biological processes, as well as individual and temporal factors. A valid estimation of exposure preconception is difficult since the human reproductive cycle spans decades and the access to germ cells is limited. The exposome is defined as the cumulative measure of external exposures on an organism (external exposome), and the associated biological responses (endogenous exposome) throughout the lifespan, from conception and onwards. An exposome approach implies a targeted or agnostic analysis of the concurrent and temporal multiple exposures, and may, together with recent technological advances, improve the assessment of the environmental contributors to health and disease. This review describes the current knowledge on preconception environmental exposures as related to respiratory health outcomes in offspring. We discuss the usefulness and feasibility of using an exposome approach in this research, advocating for the preconception exposure window to become included in the exposome concept.
Economic Evaluation of Community Tuberculosis Active Case-Finding Approaches in Cambodia: A Quasi-Experimental Study
Authors: Teo Alvin Kuo Jing , Prem Kiesha , Wang Yi , Pande Tripti , Smelyanskaya Marina , Gerstel Lisanne , Chry Monyrath , Tuot Sovannary , Yi Siyan
Published: December 2021

This study aimed to estimate the costs and incremental cost-effectiveness of two community-based tuberculosis (TB) active case-finding (ACF) strategies in Cambodia. We also assessed the number needed to screen and test to find one TB case. Program and national TB notification data from a quasi-experimental study of a cohort of people with TB in 12 intervention operational districts (ODs) and 12 control ODs between November 2018 and December 2019 were analyzed. Two ACF interventions (ACF seed-and-recruit (ACF SAR) model and one-off roving (one-off) ACF) were implemented concurrently. The matched control sites included PCF only. We estimated costs using the program and published data in Cambodia. The primary outcome was disability-adjusted life years (DALY) averted over 14 months. We considered the gross domestic product per capita of Cambodia in 2018 as the cost-effectiveness threshold. ACF SAR needed to test 7.7 people with presumptive TB to identify one all-forms TB, while one-off ACF needed to test 22.4. The costs to diagnose one all-forms TB were USD 458 (ACF SAR) and USD 191 (one-off ACF). The incremental cost per DALY averted was USD 257 for ACF SAR and USD 204 for one-off ACF. Community-based ACF interventions that targeted key populations for TB in Cambodia were highly cost-effective.
Prevalence, Awareness, Treatment, and Control of Hypertension in the United Arab Emirates: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Authors: Bhagavathula Akshaya Srikanth , Shah Syed Mahboob , Aburawi Elhadi Husein
Published: December 2021

Background: Evidence for the prevalence, awareness, treatment, and control of hypertension in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is limited. A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted to summarize the existing knowledge regarding the prevalence, awareness, treatment, and control of hypertension in the UAE. Methods: We searched PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase, Scopus, and Google Scholar using prespecified medical subject handling (MeSH) terms and text words to identify the relevant published articles from 1 January 1995 to 31 August 2021. Population-based prospective observational studies conducted among healthy adult subjects living in the UAE and that defined hypertension using the guidelines-recommended blood pressure (BP) cut-offs ≥ 130/80 mmHg or ≥ 140/90 mmHg were considered. Results: Of 1038 studies, fifteen cross-sectional studies were included for data extraction involving 139,907 adults with a sample size ranging from 74 to 50,138 and with cases defined as blood pressure ≥ 140/90 mmHg. The pooled prevalence of hypertension was 31% (95% confidence interval (CI): 27–36), and a higher prevalence was observed in Dubai (37%, 95% CI: 28–45) than in the Abu Dhabi region (29%, 95% CI: 24–35) and in multicenter studies (24%, 95% CI: 14–33). The level of awareness was only 29% (95% CI: 17–42), 31% (95% CI: 18–44) for treatment, and 38% (95% CI: 19–57) had controlled BP (< 140/90 mmHg). Conclusion: This study revealed a high prevalence of hypertension with low awareness and suboptimal control of hypertension. Multifaceted approaches that include the systematic measurement of BP, raising awareness, and improving hypertension diagnoses and treatments are needed.
The Dose–Response Relationships of Different Dimensions of Physical Activity with Daily Physical Function and Cognitive Function in Chinese Adults with Hypertension: A Cross-Sectional Study
Authors: Ding Meng , Jia Ningxin , Zhou Yanan , Li Bin
Published: December 2021

Objective: The purpose of this study was to explore the dose–response relationships of different dimensions of physical activity (intensity, time, frequency, capacity, and metabolic equivalent) with daily physical function (DPF) and cognitive function (CF) in Chinese adults with hypertension. Methods: The 6216 hypertensive patients included in this study were from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS), which was conducted in 2015. Physical activity (PA) was divided into vigorous PA (VPA), moderate PA (MPA), and light PA (LPA). Linear regression models and binary logistic regression models were established to assess the associations with indicators. Results: Patients with VPA have a lower probability of impaired DPF; however, patients with VPA had lower CF scores. Patients with nearly all the aspects of MPA have lower rates of impaired DPF and higher CF scores (p < 0.05). Patients with LPA have a lower probability of impaired DPF and higher CF scores. In addition, patients with between 1800 and 2999 MET-minutes per week had the lowest rates of impaired DPF (OR = 0.10, 95% CI 0.02, 0.39) and the highest CF scores (β = 3.28, 95% CI 2.25, 4.31). Conclusions: This study found that patients with hypertension with moderate-intensity physical activity (nearly all aspects) and LPA had better DPF and CF. The best daily physical function and CF was with METs of 1800–2999 min per week. However, VPA should be recommended with caution in Chinese adults with hypertension.
A Hierarchical Spatial Network Index for Arbitrarily Distributed Spatial Objects
Authors: Min Xiangqiang , Pfoser Dieter , Züfle Andreas , Sheng Yehua
Published: December 2021

The range query is one of the most important query types in spatial data processing. Geographic information systems use it to find spatial objects within a user-specified range, and it supports data mining tasks, such as density-based clustering. In many applications, ranges are not computed in unrestricted Euclidean space, but on a network. While the majority of access methods cannot trivially be extended to network space, existing network index structures partition the network space without considering the data distribution. This potentially results in inefficiency due to a very skewed node distribution. To improve range query processing on networks, this paper proposes a balanced Hierarchical Network index (HN-tree) to query spatial objects on networks. The main idea is to recursively partition the data on the network such that each partition has a similar number of spatial objects. Leveraging the HN-tree, we present an efficient range query algorithm, which is empirically evaluated using three different road networks and several baselines and state-of-the-art network indices. The experimental evaluation shows that the HN-tree substantially outperforms existing methods.
Identifying Atrial Fibrillation Mechanisms for Personalized Medicine
Authors: Deb Brototo , Ganesan Prasanth , Feng Ruibin , Narayan Sanjiv M.
Published: December 2021

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a major cause of heart failure and stroke. The early maintenance of sinus rhythm has been shown to reduce major cardiovascular endpoints, yet is difficult to achieve. For instance, it is unclear how discoveries at the genetic and cellular level can be used to tailor pharmacotherapy. For non-pharmacologic therapy, pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) remains the cornerstone of rhythm control, yet has suboptimal success. Improving these therapies will likely require a multifaceted approach that personalizes therapy based on mechanisms measured in individuals across biological scales. We review AF mechanisms from cell-to-organ-to-patient from this perspective of personalized medicine, linking them to potential clinical indices and biomarkers, and discuss how these data could influence therapy. We conclude by describing approaches to improve ablation, including the emergence of several mapping systems that are in use today.
Matching the Inhaler to the Patient in COPD
Authors: Peché Rudi , Attar-Zadeh Darush , Scullion Jane , Kocks Janwillem
Published: December 2021

Selecting the most appropriate inhalation device from the wide range available is essential for the successful management of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Although choice is good for healthcare professionals, knowing which inhaler to prescribe is a complex consideration. Among the key factors to consider are quality of disease control, inhaler technique, inhaler resistance and inspiratory flow, inhaler design and mechanisms of drug delivery, insurance and reimbursement restrictions, and environmental impact. In this article, we offer a simple, practical tool that brings together all these factors and includes hyperlinks to other published resources from the United Kingdom, Belgium, and The Netherlands.
Novel Harziane Diterpenes from Deep-Sea Sediment Fungus Trichoderma sp. SCSIOW21 and Their Potential Anti-Inflammatory Effects
Authors: Li Hongxu , Liu Xinyi , Li Xiaofan , Hu Zhangli , Wang Liyan
Published: December 2021

Five undescribed harziane-type diterpene derivatives, namely harzianol K (1), harzianol L (4), harzianol M (5), harzianol N (6), harzianol O (7), along with two known compounds, hazianol J (2) and harzianol A (3) were isolated from the deep-sea sediment-derived fungus Trichoderma sp. SCSIOW21. The relative configurations were determined by meticulous spectroscopic methods including 1D, 2D NMR spectroscopy, and HR-ESI-MS. The absolute configurations were established by the ECD curve calculations and the X-ray crystallographic analysis. These compounds (1, and 4–7) contributed to increasing the diversity of the caged harziane type diterpenes with highly congested skeleton characteristics. Harzianol J (2) exhibited a weak anti-inflammatory effect with 81.8% NO inhibition at 100 µM.
Walker-256 Tumour-Induced Cachexia Altered Liver Metabolomic Profile and Function in Weanling and Adult Rats
Authors: Miyaguti Natália Angelo da Silva , Chiocchetti Gabriela de Matuoka e , Salgado Carla de Moraes , Lopes-Aguiar Leisa , Viana Lais Rosa , Blanchard Lea , Santos Rogério Willians dos , Gomes-Marcondes Maria Cristina Cintra
Published: December 2021

Cancer cachexia occurs in up to 85% of advanced cancer patients, affecting different tissues and organs, mainly the liver, which plays a central role in body metabolism control. However, liver responses to cancer cachexia progression are still poorly understood. Considering the possible different challenges provided by the rodent’s phase of life and the cachexia progression, we evaluated the liver metabolic alterations affected by Walker-256 tumour growth in weanling and young-adult rats. For this, we applied a metabolomics approach associated with protein and gene expression analyses. Higher amino acid levels and impaired glucose metabolism were important features in tumour-bearing animals’ liver tissue. The weanling hosts had more pronounced cachexia, with higher carcass spoliation, liver lipid metabolism and impaired CII and CIV mitochondrial complexes. The liver alterations in young adult tumour-bearing rats were related to energy status and nucleotide metabolites, such as uridine, NAD+, xanthosine, hypoxanthine and inosine. In conclusion, the Walker-256 tumour-induced cachexia impaired liver metabolism, being more severe in the weanling hosts. Further studies are needed to correlate these changes in the preclinical model, which can be correlated to the clinical features of cancer cachexia, allowing for a translational potential involving the liver function and its responses to potential treatments.
Customized versus Standard Epithelium Profiles in Transepithelial Photorefractive Keratectomy
Authors: de Ortueta Diego , von Rüden Dennis , Arba-Mosquera Samuel
Published: December 2021

Transepithelial photorefractive keratectomy (TransPRK) is an established surface ablation technique used to correct refractive errors. Using anterior segment optical coherence (AS-OCT), it is now possible to measure the epithelium thickness and input these data into the laser platform. In this study, we explore whether better results were obtained in this way. To this end, we retrospectively analyze the results from a low-myopia group treated with a customized epithelium thickness, as measured using AS-OCT, and compare them with the results from a group treated with an optimized standard epithelium thickness. The customized epithelium profile group contains more eyes with vision better than 20/20, and more eyes in this group gain one line of corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA). In conclusion, with the customized epithelium thickness, we obtain superior results using TransPRK in low-myopia corrections.
Potential Applications and Functional Roles of Exosomes in Cardiometabolic Disease
Authors: Ayala-Mar Sergio , Rodríguez-Morales Belén , Chacón-Ponce Pedro , González-Valdez José
Published: December 2021

Despite diagnostic and therapeutic advances, cardiometabolic disease remains the leading cause of death worldwide. Extracellular vesicles (EVs), which include exosomes and microvesicles, have gained particular interest because of their role in metabolic homeostasis and cardiovascular physiology. Indeed, EVs are recognized as critical mediators of intercellular communication in the cardiovascular system. Exosomes are naturally occurring nanocarriers that transfer biological information in the setting of metabolic abnormalities and cardiac dysfunction. The study of these EVs can increase our knowledge on the pathophysiological mechanisms of metabolic disorders and their cardiovascular complications. Because of their inherent properties and composition, exosomes have been proposed as diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers and therapeutics for specific targeting and drug delivery. Emerging fields of study explore the use exosomes as tools for gene therapy and as a cell-free alternative for regenerative medicine. Furthermore, innovative biomaterials can incorporate exosomes to enhance tissue regeneration and engineering. In this work, we summarize the most recent knowledge on the role of exosomes in cardiometabolic pathophysiology while highlighting their potential therapeutic applications.
Pre-Anthesis Cytokinin Applications Increase Table Grape Berry Firmness by Modulating Cell Wall Polysaccharides
Authors: Rojas Bárbara , Suárez-Vega Felipe , Saez-Aguayo Susana , Olmedo Patricio , Zepeda Baltasar , Delgado-Rioseco Joaquín , Defilippi Bruno G. , Pedreschi Romina , Meneses Claudio , Pérez-Donoso Alonso G. , Campos-Vargas Reinaldo
Published: December 2021

The use of plant growth regulators (PGRs) is widespread in commercial table grape vineyards. The synthetic cytokinin CPPU is a PGR that is extensively used to obtain higher quality grapes. However, the effect of CPPU on berry firmness is not clear. The current study investigated the effects of pre-anthesis applications (BBCH15 and BBCH55 stages) of CPPU on ‘Thompson Seedless’ berry firmness at harvest through a combination of cytological, morphological, and biochemical analyses. Ovaries in CPPU-treated plants presented morphological changes related to cell division and cell wall modification at the anthesis stage (BBCH65). Moreover, immunofluorescence analysis with monoclonal antibodies 2F4 and LM15 against pectin and xyloglucan demonstrated that CPPU treatment resulted in cell wall modifications at anthesis. These early changes have major repercussions regarding the hemicellulose and pectin cell wall composition of mature fruits, and are associated with increased calcium content and a higher berry firmness at harvest.
Genome-Wide Identification of the Thaumatin-like Protein Family Genes in Gossypium barbadense and Analysis of Their Responses to Verticillium dahliae Infection
Authors: Zhang Yilin , Chen Wei , Sang Xiaohui , Wang Ting , Gong Haiyan , Zhao Yunlei , Zhao Pei , Wang Hongmei
Published: December 2021

(1) Background: Plants respond to pathogen challenge by activating a defense system involving pathogenesis-related (PR) proteins. The PR-5 family includes thaumatin, thaumatin-like proteins (TLPs), and other related proteins. TLPs play an important role in response to biotic and abiotic stresses. Many TLP-encoding genes have been identified and functionally characterized in the model plant species. (2) Results: We identified a total of 90 TLP genes in the G. barbadense genome. They were phylogenetically classified into 10 subfamilies and distributed across 19 chromosomes and nine scaffolds. The genes were characterized by examining their exon–intron structures, promoter cis-elements, conserved domains, synteny and collinearity, gene family evolution, and gene duplications. Several TLP genes were predicted to be targets of miRNAs. Investigation of expression changes of 21 GbTLPs in a G. barbadense cultivar (Hai7124) resistance to Verticillium dahliae revealed 13 GbTLPs being upregulated in response to V. dahliae infection, suggesting a potential role of these GbTLP genes in disease response. (3) Conclusions: The results of this study allow insight into the GbTLP gene family, identify GbTLP genes responsive to V. dahliae infection, and provide candidate genes for future studies of their roles in disease resistance.
Fabrication of Tizanidine Loaded Patches Using Flaxseed Oil and Coriander Oil as a Penetration Enhancer for Transdermal Delivery
Authors: Akhlaq Muhammad , Azad Abul Kalam , Fuloria Shivkanya , Meenakshi Dhanalekshmi Unnikrishnan , Raza Sajid , Safdar Muhammad , Nawaz Asif , Subramaniyan Vetriselvan , Sekar Mahendran , Sathasivam Kathiresan V. , Wu Yuan Seng , Miret Mireia Mallandrich , Fuloria Neeraj Kumar
Published: December 2021

Transdermal drug delivery is important to maintain plasma drug concentrations for therapeutic efficacy. The current study reports the design, formulation, and evaluation of tizanidine transdermal patches formulated using chitosan and thiolated chitosan, ethyl cellulose (EC), polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), and Eudragit RL100 in different ratios. The tizanidine patches were formulated using flaxseed oil and coriander oil in the concentrations of 1% v/w, 2% v/w, 3% v/w, 4% v/w, 5% v/w, and 10% v/w. The patches were subjected to characterization of physicochemical property (thickness, weight uniformity, drug content, efficiency, percentage moisture uptake/loss), in vitro drug release and drug permeation, skin irritation, in vivo application, pharmacokinetics analysis, and stability studies. The results indicate that the interaction of thiolated chitosan with the negative charges of the skin opens the tight junctions of the skin, whereas flaxseed and coriander oils change the conformational domain of the skin. The novelty of this study is in the use of flaxseed and coriander oils as skin permeation enhancers for the formulation of tizanidine transdermal patches. The formulations follow non-Fickian drug release kinetics. The FTZNE23, FTZNE36 and FTZNE54, with 5% v/w flaxseed oil loaded formulations, exhibited higher flux through rabbit skin compared with FTZNE30, FTZNE35, FTZNE42, and FTZNE47, formulations loaded with 10% v/w coriander oil. The study concludes that flaxseed oil is a better choice for formulating tizanidine patches, offering optimal plasma concentration and therapeutic efficacy, and recommends the use of flaxseed and coriander oil based patches as a novel transdermal delivery system for tizanidine and related classes of drugs.
Continuous Detection of Forest Loss in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia Using Sentinel-1 Data
Authors: Mermoz Stéphane , Bouvet Alexandre , Koleck Thierry , Ballère Marie , Le Toan Thuy
Published: December 2021

In this study, we demonstrate the ability of a new operational system to detect forest loss at a large scale accurately and in a timely manner. We produced forest loss maps every week over Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos (>750,000 km2 in total) using Sentinel-1 data. To do so, we used the forest loss detection method based on shadow detection. The main advantage of this method is the ability to avoid false alarms, which is relevant in Southeast Asia where the areas of forest disturbance may be very small and scattered and detection is used for alert purposes. The estimated user accuracy of the forest loss map was 0.95 for forest disturbances and 0.99 for intact forest, and the estimated producer’s accuracy was 0.90 for forest disturbances and 0.99 for intact forest, with a minimum mapping unit of 0.1 ha. This represents an important step forward compared to the values achieved by previous studies. We also found that approximately half of forest disturbances in Cambodia from 2018 to 2020 occurred in protected areas, which emphasizes the lack of efficiency in the protection and conservation of natural resources in protected areas. On an annual basis, the forest loss areas detected using our method are found to be similar to the estimations from Global Forest Watch. These results highlight the fact that this method provides not only quick alerts but also reliable detections that can be used to calculate weekly, monthly, or annual forest loss statistics at a national scale.
A New Triangulation Algorithm for Positioning Space Debris
Authors: Chen Long , Liu Chengzhi , Li Zhenwei , Kang Zhe
Published: December 2021

A single electro-optical (EO) sensor used in space debris observation provides angle-only information. However, space debris position can be derived using simultaneous optical measurements obtained from two EO sensors located at two separate observation sites, and this is commonly known as triangulation. In this paper, we propose a new triangulation algorithm to determine space debris position, and its analytical expression of Root-Mean-Square (RMS) position error is presented. The simulation of two-site observation is conducted to compare the RMS positioning error of the proposed triangulation algorithm with traditional triangulation algorithms. The results show that the maximum RMS position error of the proposed triangulation algorithm is not more than 200 m, the proposed triangulation algorithm has higher positioning accuracy than traditional triangulation algorithms, and the RMS position error obtained in the simulation is nearly consistent with the analytical expression of RMS position error. In addition, initial orbit determination (IOD) is carried out by using the triangulation positioning data, and the results show that the IOD accuracy of two-site observation is significantly higher than that of the single-site observation.
Evapotranspiration Components Dynamic of Highland Barley Using PML ET Product in Tibet
Authors: Chen Jilong , Tan Haiyun , Ji Yongyue , Tang Qingqing , Yan Lingyun , Chen Qiao , Tan Daming
Published: December 2021

Highland barley is the unique germplasm resource and dominant crop in Tibet with low-level precipitation and a severe shortage of available water resources. Understanding the characteristics and dynamics of evapotranspiration (ET) components (vegetation transpiration (Ec), soil evaporation (Es), and canopy interception evaporation (Ei)) of highland barley can help better optimize water management practices. The seasonal and interannual variations in ET components of highland barley were investigated using the PML-V2 ET product during 2001–2020. The results suggested that Es was the most important ET component and accounted for 77% of total ET for highland barley in Tibet. ET components varied obviously over the altitude, Es, and Es/ET ratio; a decreasing trend was observed with the increase in altitude from 3500 m to 3800 m and then this changed to an increasing trend until reaching the altitude of 4100 m, while Ec, Ei, and their ratios presented an opposite changing pattern to that of Es. Seasonal variation in daily ET components of highland barley displayed a parabolic pattern, peaked in August, while the temporal distributions differed considerably among different ET component ratios. The seasonal variations in ET components were correlated significantly with air temperature, relative humidity, and precipitation, while ET components ratios were more influenced by the environment, irrigation practice, and management rather than meteorological variables. Es and its ratio in highland barley decreased significantly during 2001–2020, while the Ec/ET ratio generally showed an opposite trend to the Es/ET ratio, and Ei and its ratio presented an insignificantly decreasing trend. The interannual variations in ET components were not correlated significantly with meteorological variables, while Ei was more influenced by meteorological variables, especially the precipitation characteristics.
Coordination Conflicts between Urban Resilience and Urban Land Evolution in Chinese Hilly City of Mianyang
Authors: Cao Qi , Huang Yudie , Ran Baisong , Zeng Gang , Van Rompaey Anton , Shi Manjiang
Published: December 2021

Urban resilience, the combinational characteristic of nature and society, that reflects the dynamic accumulation process that is multi-level and multi-dimensional. Particularly, the rational spatial distribution structure of land mixture and compactness is an effective way to improve urban resilience because the evolution of morphology and density of the urban land blocks in the process of land spatial conversion reflect the performance characteristics of complexity, diversity, stability, compactness, and connectivity. Therefore, we evaluated the relationship between urban resilience and land use and land cover (LULC) change, to find the keys to resilient urban development for urban land and space planning. In this study, taking the Chinese hilly city of Mianyang as an example, the results show: (1) the complexity of homogeneous patch shape and heterogeneous patch combination leads to the decrease of urban morphology resilience. (2) the development trend of LULC spatial layout and structure ratio were more rational with the increased of land mixing degree. (3) the speed and intensity of urban expansion were basically coordinated with the development of urban resilience. The research provides the new ideas, approaches, and toolkits for solving the intractable problems of urban spatial planning based on coordinating conflicts between urban resilience and urban land evolution.
A Digital-Simulation Model for a Full-Polarized Microwave Radiometer System and Its Calibration
Authors: Ding Jia , Wang Zhenzhan , Duan Yongqiang , Tong Xiaolin , Lu Hao
Published: December 2021

A digital-correlation full-polarized microwave radiometer is an important passive remote sensor, as it can obtain the amplitude and phase information of an electromagnetic wave at the same time. It is widely used in the measurement of sea surface wind speed and direction. Its configuration is complicated, so the error analysis of the instrument is often difficult. This paper presents a full-polarized radiometer system model that can be used to analyze various errors, which include input signal models and a full-polarized radiometer (receiver) model. The input signal models are generated by WGN (white Gaussian noise), and the full-polarized radiometer model consists of an RF front-end model and digital back-end model. The calibration matrix is obtained by solving the overdetermined equations, and the output voltage is converted into Stokes brightness temperature through the calibration matrix. Then, we use the four Stokes parameters to analyze the sensitivity, linearity, and calibration residuals, from which the simulation model is validated. Finally, two examples of error analysis, including gain imbalance and quantization error, are given through a simulation model. In general, the simulation model proposed in this paper has good accuracy and can play an important role in the error analysis and pre-development of the fully polarized radiometer.
Detection and Characterization of Multiple Discontinuities in Cables with Time-Domain Reflectometry and Convolutional Neural Networks
Authors: Scarpetta Marco , Spadavecchia Maurizio , Adamo Francesco , Ragolia Mattia Alessandro , Giaquinto Nicola
Published: December 2021

In this paper, a convolutional neural network for the detection and characterization of impedance discontinuity points in cables is presented. The neural network analyzes time-domain reflectometry signals and produces a set of estimated discontinuity points, each of them characterized by a class describing the type of discontinuity, a position, and a value quantifying the entity of the impedance discontinuity. The neural network was trained using a great number of simulated signals, obtained with a transmission line simulator. The transmission line model used in simulations was calibrated using data obtained from stepped-frequency waveform reflectometry measurements, following a novel procedure presented in the paper. After the training process, the neural network model was tested on both simulated signals and measured signals, and its detection and accuracy performances were assessed. In experimental tests, where the discontinuity points were capacitive faults, the proposed method was able to correctly identify 100% of the discontinuity points, and to estimate their position and entity with a root-mean-squared error of 13 cm and 14 pF, respectively.
A Pilot Study Quantifying Center of Mass Trajectory during Dynamic Balance Tasks Using an HTC Vive Tracker Fixed to the Pelvis
Authors: van der Veen Susanne M. , Thomas James S.
Published: December 2021

Fall rates are increasing among the aging population and even higher falls rates have been reported in populations with neurological impairments. The Berg Balance Scale is often used to assess balance in older adults and has been validated for use in people with stroke, traumatic brain injury, and Parkinson’s disease. While the Berg Balance Scale (BBS) has been found to be predictive of the length of rehabilitation stay following stroke, a recent review concluded the BBS lacked predictive validity for fall risk. Conversely, sophisticated measures assessing center of mass (COM) displacement have shown to be predictive of falls risk. However, calculating COM displacement is difficult to measure outside a laboratory. Accordingly, we sought to validate COM displacement measurements derived from an HTC Vive tracker secured to the pelvis by comparing it to COM derived from ‘gold’ standard laboratory-based full-body motion capture. Results showed that RMS between the COM calculated from HTC Vive tracker and full body motion capture agree with an average error rate of 2.1 ± 2.6 cm. Therefore, we conclude measurement of COM displacement using an HTC Vive tracker placed on the pelvis is reasonably representative of laboratory-based measurement of COM displacement.
Exploiting Smart Meter Power Consumption Measurements for Human Activity Recognition (HAR) with a Motif-Detection-Based Non-Intrusive Load Monitoring (NILM) Approach
Authors: Wilhelm Sebastian , Kasbauer Jakob
Published: December 2021

Numerous approaches exist for disaggregating power consumption data, referred to as non-intrusive load monitoring (NILM). Whereas NILM is primarily used for energy monitoring, we intend to disaggregate a household’s power consumption to detect human activity in the residence. Therefore, this paper presents a novel approach for NILM, which uses pattern recognition on the raw power waveform of the smart meter measurements to recognize individual household appliance actions. The presented NILM approach is capable of (near) real-time appliance action detection in a streaming setting, using edge computing. It is unique in our approach that we quantify the disaggregating uncertainty using continuous pattern correlation instead of binary device activity states. Further, we outline using the disaggregated appliance activity data for human activity recognition (HAR). To evaluate our approach, we use a dataset collected from actual households. We show that the developed NILM approach works, and the disaggregation quality depends on the pattern selection and the appliance type. In summary, we demonstrate that it is possible to detect human activity within the residence using a motif-detection-based NILM approach applied to smart meter measurements.
Anemia Diagnostic System Based on Impedance Measurement of Red Blood Cells
Authors: Cho Hyuntae , Lee Seung-Ro , Baek Yunju
Published: December 2021

Anemia is a condition in which red blood cells or the hemoglobin in the blood is lower than in healthy people. Red blood cells transport and supply oxygen needed to various organs in the human body. Anemia is caused by hypoxemia due to the lack of red blood cells and causes other serious health problems, such as heart problems, pregnancy complications, severe fatigue, or death. There are many causes of anemia, and it can be diagnosed by measuring hematocrit or hemoglobin levels in the blood. Even though there are various diagnostic devices on the market, these devices are inconvenient because their systems are bulky, heavy, expensive, or inaccurate. This study proposed a new anemia diagnostic system based on the impedance measurement of red blood cells. The proposed system consists of a test strip that collects a blood sample from the finger and a hemoglobin meter that measures the impedance of the blood and converts it into the concentration of hemoglobin. The proposed test strip that does not contain enzymes or reagents was designed in accordance with class 1 approval by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The hemoglobin meter was designed to include a hardware block, an algorithm block and a calibration block through empirical work. We also compared it to reference impedance to prove the accuracy of the hemoglobin meter. The experimental results with human blood indicated the superiority of the anemia diagnostic system. As a result, the overall standard deviation of impedance measurements was less than 1%, and the coefficient of variance of the proposed system was 1.7%, which was better than that of other commercial systems.
Smartphone-Based Device for Colorimetric Detection of MicroRNA Biomarkers Using Nanoparticle-Based Assay
Authors: Krishnan Tushar , Wang Hsin-Neng , Vo-Dinh Tuan
Published: December 2021

The detection of microRNAs (miRNAs) is emerging as a clinically important tool for the non-invasive detection of a wide variety of diseases ranging from cancers and cardiovascular illnesses to infectious diseases. Over the years, miRNA detection schemes have become accessible to clinicians, but they still require sophisticated and bulky laboratory equipment and trained personnel to operate. The exceptional computing ability and ease of use of modern smartphones coupled with fieldable optical detection technologies can provide a useful and portable alternative to these laboratory systems. Herein, we present the development of a smartphone-based device called Krometriks, which is capable of simple and rapid colorimetric detection of microRNA (miRNAs) using a nanoparticle-based assay. The device consists of a smartphone, a 3D printed accessory, and a custom-built dedicated mobile app. We illustrate the utility of Krometriks for the detection of an important miRNA disease biomarker, miR-21, using a nanoplasmonics-based assay developed by our group. We show that Krometriks can detect miRNA down to nanomolar concentrations with detection results comparable to a laboratory-based benchtop spectrophotometer. With slight changes to the accessory design, Krometriks can be made compatible with different types of smartphone models and specifications. Thus, the Krometriks device offers a practical colorimetric platform that has the potential to provide accessible and affordable miRNA diagnostics for point-of-care and field applications in low-resource settings.
Role of Artificial Intelligence in COVID-19 Detection
Authors: Gudigar Anjan , Raghavendra U , Nayak Sneha , Ooi Chui Ping , Chan Wai Yee , Gangavarapu Mokshagna Rohit , Dharmik Chinmay , Samanth Jyothi , Kadri Nahrizul Adib , Hasikin Khairunnisa , Barua Prabal Datta , Chakraborty Subrata , Ciaccio Edward J. , Acharya U. Rajendra
Published: December 2021

The global pandemic of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has caused millions of deaths and affected the livelihood of many more people. Early and rapid detection of COVID-19 is a challenging task for the medical community, but it is also crucial in stopping the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Prior substantiation of artificial intelligence (AI) in various fields of science has encouraged researchers to further address this problem. Various medical imaging modalities including X-ray, computed tomography (CT) and ultrasound (US) using AI techniques have greatly helped to curb the COVID-19 outbreak by assisting with early diagnosis. We carried out a systematic review on state-of-the-art AI techniques applied with X-ray, CT, and US images to detect COVID-19. In this paper, we discuss approaches used by various authors and the significance of these research efforts, the potential challenges, and future trends related to the implementation of an AI system for disease detection during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Health and Land-Use Courses of Action for Education for Sustainable Development in Madagascar: Teacher Perspectives on Possibilities for Implementation
Authors: Niens Janna , Bögeholz Susanne
Published: December 2021

Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) plays a key role in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. However, the implementation of ESD in education remains a challenge, particularly for countries such as Madagascar. ESD needs to consider regional realities to be relevant to learners. An expert study identified health and land-use courses of action for regionally relevant ESD in northeast Malagasy primary education. However, what about teacher perspectives on the possibilities for implementing such courses of action? The present think-aloud study with 10 Malagasy primary teachers used the Integrated Behavioral Model for Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (IBM-WASH) to analyze factors that teachers perceive to be relevant for implementing health and also—as an innovation—land-use courses of action. The IBM-WASH model is a tool for identifying opportunities and barriers to a desired health behavior. It turned out that the local school’s surroundings, shared values and attitudes, and existing habits are important for implementing health and land-use courses of action. Therefore, regionally adapted health and land-use teaching should consider community-contextual, community-psychosocial, and habitual-psychosocial factors. Additionally, teachers mentioned the costs and benefits of land-use practices. Thus, land-use teaching should take the individual-technological factor into account. This paper argues for a regionally adapted ESD in teacher and school education.
Spatiotemporal Dynamics of Vegetation Net Primary Productivity and Its Response to Climate Change in Inner Mongolia from 2002 to 2019
Authors: Hao Lei , Wang Shan , Cui Xiuping , Zhai Yongguang
Published: December 2021

Understanding vegetation dynamics and their responses to climate change are essential to enhance the carbon sequestration of the terrestrial ecosystem under global warming. Although some studies have identified that there is a close relationship between vegetation net primary productivity and climate change, it is unclear whether this response exists in ecologically fragile areas, especially in Inner Mongolia, in which multiple ecological ecotones are related to vegetation types. This study uses the Carnegie–Ames–Stanford Approach (CASA) model to estimate vegetation NPP in Inner Mongolia from 2002 to 2019 and focuses on the spatial and temporal changes of NPP of different vegetation types and their responses to three typical climate factors: precipitation, temperature, and solar radiation. The results show that the NPP estimated by the CASA model agrees well with the observed NPP (R2 = 0.66, p < 0.001). The vegetation NPP in Inner Mongolia decreases gradually from northeast to southwest, and the average NPP is 223.50 gC ∙ m−2. From 2002 to 2019, the NPP of all vegetation types trended upward, but exhibiting different rates. The vegetation types, ranked in order of decreasing NPP, are forest, cropland, grassland, and desert. The NPP response of different vegetation types to climate factors possesses significant differences. The cropland NPP and grassland NPP are mainly affected by precipitation, the desert NPP is controlled by both precipitation and solar radiation, and the forest NPP is determined by all three climate factors.
Emotional State and Social Media Experience: A Pandemic Case Study
Authors: Bitkina Olga Vl. , Park Jaehyun
Published: December 2021

The world has been experiencing an unprecedented global pandemic since December 2019. Lockdowns, restrictions in daily life, and social distancing characterize the new environment in which the world population finds itself, with minor variations depending on the country of residence. Television, social media, and other sources of information tend to influence and provide information about COVID-19 with varying tones. This study investigated the impact of alerts, news, and information about COVID-19 from social and mass media on the emotional state of the people a year and a half after the start of the pandemic. A questionnaire was developed and distributed to 63 participants to assess the relationships between factors such as social media experience, perceived hope, worry, anxiety/depression, attentiveness, trust, health care, health risk, health safety, irritability, mental balance, and emotional state/distress. With the resulting information, a four-factor model was developed to demonstrate the relationships between social media experience, perceived hope, worry, and emotional state/distress. Additionally, a short interview was conducted among the participants in order to collect their opinions and qualitatively analyze them. The developed model demonstrates satisfactory performance characteristics and allows assessment of the delayed influence of incoming information on the people during this unprecedented pandemic.