bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Equitable psychiatry, telehealth, and the COVID-19 pandemic: Analysis of national data
Authors: Yeatman Thomas , Enticott Joanne , Lakra Vinay , Meadows Graham
Published: March 2023

Background

At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, it was foreseen that the number of face-to-face psychiatry consultations would suffer a reduction. In order to compensate, the Australian Government introduced new Medicare-subsidized telephone and video-linked consultations. This study investigates how these developments affected the pre-existing inequity of psychiatry service delivery in Australia.

Methods

The study analyses five and a half years of national Medicare data listing all subsidized psychiatry consultation consumption aggregated to areas defined as Statistical Area level 3 (SA3s; which have population sizes of 30 k−300 k). Face-to-face, video-linked and telephone consultations are considered separately. The analysis consists of presenting rates of consumption, concentration graphs, and concentration indices to quantify inequity, using Socio Economic Indexes for Areas (SEIFA) scores to rank the SA3 areas according to socio-economic disadvantage.

Results

There is a 22% drop in the rate of face-to-face psychiatry consultation consumption across Australia in the final study period compared with the last study period predating the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the loss is made up by the introduction of the new subsidized telephone and video-linked consultations. Referring to the same time periods, there is a reduction in the inequity of the distribution of face-to-face consultations, where the concentration index reduces from 0.166 to 0.129. The new subsidized video-linked consultations are distributed with severe inequity in the great majority of subpopulations studied. Australia-wide, video-linked consultations are also distributed with gross inequity, with a concentration index of 0.356 in the final study period. The effect of this upon overall inequity was to cancel out the reduction of inequity resulting from the reduction of face-to face appointments.

Conclusion

Australian subsidized video-linked psychiatry consultations have been distributed with gross inequity and have been a significant exacerbator of the overall inequity of psychiatric service provision. Future policy decisions wishing to reduce this inequity should take care to reduce the risk posed by expanding telepsychiatry.
Job security among healthcare workers in Guangdong, China
Authors: He Qingxia , Martins Luís M. Dias , Wang Shibin , Zhan Qishan , Yu Xiao , Ba Zhiqiong , Li Wangjiu , Huang Huigen
Published: March 2023

Objective

The objective of this study was to explore the sense of job security and its influencing factors among healthcare workers in Guangdong, China.

Methods

This cross-sectional study used stratified random sampling to enroll healthcare workers employed by hospitals across Guangdong province between September 2020 and October 2020.

Results

A total of 4,173 questionnaires were distributed, and 4,076 were returned for an effective recovery rate of 97.68%. The overall score for the sense of security was 64.85 ± 20.09, and the item means score was 2.95 ± 0.91. Multiple-linear regression analysis showed that work experience (years), education level, job position, specialty unit, employment type, marital status, job satisfaction, WPV frequency, daily sleep duration, weekly overtime hours, average monthly earnings (RMB), hospital level, and region were significantly associated with senses of poor security among healthcare workers (all P < 0.05).

Conclusions

Hospital workers in Guangdong reported relatively low levels of job security. Levels of job security were significantly associated with multiple factors which could be addressed by hospital practices to improve the sense of job security among healthcare workers.
Expansion in speech time can restore comprehension in a simultaneously speaking bilingual robot
Authors: Pourfannan Hamed , Mahzoon Hamed , Yoshikawa Yuichiro , Ishiguro Hiroshi
Published: March 2023

Introduction: In this study, the development of a social robot, capable of giving speech simultaneously in more than one language was in mind. However, the negative effect of background noise on speech comprehension is well-documented in previous works. This deteriorating effect is more highlighted when the background noise has speech-like properties. Hence, the presence of speech as the background noise in a simultaneously speaking bilingual robot can be fatal for the speech comprehension of each person listening to the robot.

Methods: To improve speech comprehension and consequently, user experience in the intended bilingual robot, the effect of time expansion on speech comprehension in a multi-talker speech scenario was investigated. Sentence recognition, speech comprehension, and subjective evaluation tasks were implemented in the study.

Results: The obtained results suggest that a reduced speech rate, leading to an expansion in the speech time, in addition to increased pause duration in both the target and background speeches can lead to statistically significant improvement in both sentence recognition, and speech comprehension of participants. More interestingly, participants got a higher score in the time-expanded multi-talker speech than in the standard-speed single-talker speech in the speech comprehension and, in the sentence recognition task. However, this positive effect could not be attributed merely to the time expansion, as we could not repeat the same positive effect in a time-expanded single-talker speech.

Discussion: The results obtained in this study suggest a facilitating effect of the presence of the background speech in a simultaneously speaking bilingual robot provided that both languages are presented in a time-expanded manner. The implications of such a simultaneously speaking robot are discussed.
Proposal and validation of a new classification for trochanteric fractures based on medial buttress and lateral cortical integrity
Authors: Zhang Yiran , Zhang Fengshi , Li Ci , Zhang Meng , Zhang Peixun
Published: March 2023

Background

Trochanteric fractures usually require surgical treatment. The currently used classification system, such as AO classification, cannot cover all variant types, and is poor in reliability, causing confusion in surgical decision making. This study describes a simple, well-covered, re-liable, accurate, and clinically useful classification.

Methods

We retrospectively reviewed the records of 907 patients with trochanteric fractures treated by us from 1,999 to 2019 and proposed a new classification according to radiographs. Then, 50 records randomly selected in proportion were examined by 10 observers (5 experienced and 5 inexperienced) independently according to AO and the new classification. After a 2-week interval, repeat evaluation was completed. The Kappa coefficient was used to investigate the intra-observer reliability, inter-observer reliability and the agreement between the observers and the “reference standard”.

Results

The new classification system includes 12 types composed of 3 medial groups and 4 lateral groups. According to the medial buttress, the fractures are divided into group I (intact lesser trochanter, adequate but-tress), group II (incomplete lesser trochanter, effective cortical buttress after reduction) and group III (huge defect of the medial cortex). According to the penetration region of the lateral fracture line, the fractures are divided into group A (intact lateral cortex), group B (incomplete lateral cortex), group C (subtrochanteric fractures) and group D (multiple lateral fracture lines). All of the included cases can be classified according to the new classification, of which 34 (3.75%) cases are unclassifiable by the AO classification. Intra-observer: The experienced achieved substantial agreement using both AO [k = 0.61 (95% confidence interval 0.46–0.76)] and new classification [k = 0.65 (0.55–0.76)]. The inexperienced reached moderate agreement using both AO [k = 0.48 (0.33–0.62)] and new classification [k = 0.60 (0.50–0.71)]. Inter-observer: The overall reliabilities for AO [k = 0.51 (0.49–0.53)] and for new classification [k = 0.57 (0.55–0.58)] were both moderate. The agreement between the experienced and the reference standard according to AO [k = 0.61 (0.49–0.74)] and new classification [k = 0.63 (0.54–0.72)] were both substantial. The agreement between the inexperienced and the reference standard according to AO [k = 0.48 (0.45–0.50)] and the new classification [k = 0.48 (0.41–0.54)] were both moderate.

Conclusion

Compared with AO classification, our new classification is better in coverage, reliability and accuracy, and has the feasibility of clinical verification and promotion.
SARS-CoV-2 infects multiple species of North American deer mice and causes clinical disease in the California mouse
Authors: Lewis Juliette , Zhan Shijun , Vilander Allison C. , Fagre Anna C. , Aboellail Tawfik A. , Kiaris Hippokratis , Schountz Tony
Published: March 2023

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus that causes coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19), emerged in late 2019 in Wuhan, China and its rapid global spread has resulted in millions of deaths. An important public health consideration is the potential for SARS-CoV-2 to establish endemicity in secondary animal reservoirs outside of Asia or acquire adaptations that result in new variants with the ability to evade the immune response and reinfect the human population. Previous work has shown that North American deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus) are susceptible and can transmit SARS-CoV-2 to naïve conspecifics, indicating its potential to serve as a wildlife reservoir for SARS-CoV-2 in North America. In this study, we report experimental SARS-CoV-2 susceptibility of two additional subspecies of the North American deer mouse and two additional deer mouse species, with infectious virus and viral RNA present in oral swabs and lung tissue of infected deer mice and neutralizing antibodies present at 15 days post-challenge. Moreover, some of one species, the California mouse (P. californicus) developed clinical disease, including one that required humane euthanasia. California mice often develop spontaneous liver disease, which may serve as a comorbidity for SARS-CoV-2 severity. The results of this study suggest broad susceptibility of rodents in the genus Peromyscus and further emphasize the potential of SARS-CoV-2 to infect a wide array of North American rodents.
Satisfaction With Governmental Risk Communication Both Increases and Decreases COVID-19 Mitigation Behaviours
Authors: Evensen Darrick , Warren George , Bouder Frederic
Published: March 2023

Objectives: Over 3 years of the COVID-19 pandemic, and intense societal and governmental response, a wealth of research has examined risk perceptions and public risk mitigation behaviours. The vast majority of this inquiry has focused on health risks. Nevertheless, as a “total social fact” influencing nearly every aspect of quotidian life, the pandemic engenders a wide range of risk perceptions.

Methods:Via a survey (N = 4,206) of representative samples of the general public in five European countries (Germany, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom), we explore perceptions of a range of personal/public health, economic, and societal risks. We also investigate the effects of perceptions of official governmental risk communication in one’s country on risk perceptions and risk mitigation behaviours.

Results: Structural equation modelling reveals that whilst perceptions of effective risk communication directly increase behaviours that mitigate COVID-19 health risks, these same perceptions indirectly decrease behaviour frequency via a mediated relationship with societal risk perceptions.

Conclusion: The findings highlight the import of governmental authorities analysing and communicating about the range of risk perceptions citizens might have about a “total social fact” such as COVID-19.
Configuration Design and Dynamic Characteristics Analysis for Space Membrane Mechanism Based on Deployable Booms
Authors: Tang Yuzhen , Guo Hongwei , Zhang Wenyao , Wang Zhiyi , Xie Chao , Liu Rongqiang
Published: March 2023

To meet the requirements of deployable structures in aerospace engineering with light weight and high stiffness, this paper proposes the triangular space membrane deployable mechanism based on deployable booms, then conducts dynamic analysis and multiobjective optimization. The configuration design and mass calculation for the membrane mechanism are carried out, including its unfolding support mechanism and tensioned membrane scheme. With a view to performing the dynamic characteristics analysis and parametric studies, the finite element simulation model of the membrane mechanism, including boom, cable and membrane, is built and validated against test results obtained by Polytec. On the basis of the simulation results, a surrogate model of fundamental frequency is established by adopting the response surface method and applied to multiobjective optimization combined with the mass formula. Then, the optimal dynamic and lightweight design parameters are solved via the genetic algorithm. The results provide an indication to aid with the design and analysis of space membrane deployable mechanisms according to the required properties and space mission requirements.
Business Policy and Competitiveness of Farmers’ Organizations—Empirical Evidence from Taiwan
Authors: Chi Shu-Yi , Hwang Tsorng-Chyi , Chien Li-Hsien
Published: March 2023

Sustainable competitiveness is at the core of effective organizational management. However, the interpretation of the concept of competitiveness is quite divided, especially for organizations that are positioned as social enterprises and must bear profits and losses. In this context, we used the PLS-SEM method to discuss the impact of business policies on organizational resource management and select the Taiwanese farmers’ associations for analysis. According to the resource-dependent model, we selected the corresponding variables from the existing operational competition indicators to represent the four major business sectors of these associations. The main contribution of this study is that through expert opinion, the evaluation indicators of the existing business performance competition can be integrated to define the competitiveness of farmers’ associations. We also used the fuzzy C-means method cluster analysis to effectively divide 279 farmers’ associations into six groups according to “population, land, and industry”. It is possible to evaluate the competitiveness of the departments and business policies of the farmers’ associations in different groups according to the performance of their departments. Presenting the differences in business policies will help the government implement effective counseling services between regions. Competitiveness based on the performance of the main functions significantly affects the business execution, asset allocation, marketing, and sales activities of the farmers’ associations. This article clearly points out that an organization may achieve a competitive business objective by taking stock of its own operating and financial conditions. This is also true for non-profit social enterprises.
Crop Yield Prediction Using Hybrid Machine Learning Approach: A Case Study of Lentil (Lens culinaris Medik.)
Authors: Das Pankaj , Jha Girish Kumar , Lama Achal , Parsad Rajender
Published: March 2023

This paper introduces a novel hybrid approach, combining machine learning algorithms with feature selection, for efficient modelling and forecasting of complex phenomenon governed by multifactorial and nonlinear behaviours, such as crop yield. We have attempted to harness the benefits of the soft computing algorithm multivariate adaptive regression spline (MARS) for feature selection coupled with support vector regression (SVR) and artificial neural network (ANN) for efficiently mapping the relationship between the predictors and predictand variables using the MARS-ANN and MARS-SVR hybrid frameworks. The performances of the algorithms are com-pared on different fit statistics such as RMSE, MAD, MAPE, etc., using numeric agronomic traits of 518 lentil genotypes to predict grain yield. The proposed MARS-based hybrid models outperformed individual models such as MARS, SVR and ANN. This is largely due to the enhanced feature ex-traction capability of the MARS model coupled with the nonlinear adaptive learning ability of ANN and SVR. The superiority of the proposed hybrid models MARS-ANN and MARS-SVM in terms of model building and generalisation ability was demonstrated.
Multi-Modal Late Fusion Rice Seed Variety Classification Based on an Improved Voting Method
Authors: He Xinyi , Cai Qiyang , Zou Xiuguo , Li Hua , Feng Xuebin , Yin Wenqing , Qian Yan
Published: March 2023

Rice seed variety purity, an important index for measuring rice seed quality, has a great impact on the germination rate, yield, and quality of the final agricultural products. To classify rice varieties more efficiently and accurately, this study proposes a multimodal l fusion detection method based on an improved voting method. The experiment collected eight common rice seed types. Raytrix light field cameras were used to collect 2D images and 3D point cloud datasets, with a total of 3194 samples. The training and test sets were divided according to an 8:2 ratio. The experiment improved the traditional voting method. First, multiple models were used to predict the rice seed varieties. Then, the predicted probabilities were used as the late fusion input data. Next, a comprehensive score vector was calculated based on the performance of different models. In late fusion, the predicted probabilities from 2D and 3D were jointly weighted to obtain the final predicted probability. Finally, the predicted value with the highest probability was selected as the final value. In the experimental results, after late fusion of the predicted probabilities, the average accuracy rate reached 97.4%. Compared with the single support vector machine (SVM), k-nearest neighbors (kNN), convolutional neural network (CNN), MobileNet, and PointNet, the accuracy rates increased by 4.9%, 8.3%, 18.1%, 8.3%, and 9%, respectively. Among the eight varieties, the recognition accuracy of two rice varieties, Hannuo35 and Yuanhan35, by applying the voting method improved most significantly, from 73.9% and 77.7% in two dimensions to 92.4% and 96.3%, respectively. Thus, the improved voting method can combine the advantages of different data modalities and significantly improve the final prediction results.
Nutritive Profile, Digestibility, and Carbohydrate Fractionation of Three Sugarcane Genotypes Treated with Calcium Oxide
Authors: de Oliveira Romão Claudio , Tosto Manuela Silva Libânio , Santos Stefanie Alvarenga , Pires Aureliano José Vieira , Ribeiro Ossival Lolato , de Albuquerque Maranhão Camila Maida , de Almeida Rufino Luana Marta , Correia George Soares , Alba Henry Daniel Ruiz , de Carvalho Gleidson Giordano Pinto
Published: March 2023

The objective of this study was to evaluate the use of calcium oxide (CaO) on the nutritive profile, digestibility, and carbohydrate fractionation of three sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum hybrids) genotypes: IAC-862480, SP-791011, and CTC-3. Four CaO levels (0, 1.5, 3.0, and 4.5% on a fresh matter basis) were used in a 3 × 4 factorial scheme, whose factors were the three sugarcane genotypes and the four levels of calcium oxide. The chemical composition, carbohydrate fractionation, total digestible nutrients, and in vitro dry matter digestibility (IVDMD) were evaluated. The chemical composition of the treated sugarcane was affected by the genotype and the use of CaO. The CTC-3 genotype showed lower values of crude protein (CP), ether extract (EE), neutral detergent fiber (NDFap), acid detergent fiber (ADF), and phosphorus (p < 0.01) contents when compared to the IAC-862480 genotype. A decreasing linear effect (p < 0.01) of CP, EE, ADF, lignin, cellulose, non-fibrous carbohydrates, and total digestible nutrients was observed with increasing levels of CaO. A quadratic effect was observed for the contents of DM, organic matter, NDFap, and hemicellulose when the sugarcane was treated with CaO (p < 0.05). The treatment of sugarcane with CaO resulted in the reduction (p < 0.05) in the indigestible fraction of sugarcane. The IAC-862480 and SP-791011 genotypes showed a better nutritional profile compared to the CTC-3 genotype. On the other hand, CaO treatment improved IVDMD and decreased the non-digestible fraction of sugarcane.
Non-Synonymous Variants in Fat QTL Genes among High- and Low-Milk-Yielding Indigenous Breeds
Authors: Topno Neelam A. , Kesarwani Veerbhan , Kushwaha Sandeep Kumar , Azam Sarwar , Kadivella Mohammad , Gandham Ravi Kumar , Majumdar Subeer S.
Published: March 2023

The effect of breed on milk components—fat, protein, lactose, and water—has been observed to be significant. As fat is one of the major price-determining factors for milk, exploring the variations in fat QTLs across breeds would shed light on the variable fat content in their milk. Here, on whole-genome sequencing, 25 differentially expressed hub or bottleneck fat QTLs were explored for variations across indigenous breeds. Out of these, 20 genes were identified as having nonsynonymous substitutions. A fixed SNP pattern in high-milk-yielding breeds in comparison to low-milk-yielding breeds was identified in the genes GHR, TLR4, LPIN1, CACNA1C, ZBTB16, ITGA1, ANK1, and NTG5E and, vice versa, in the genes MFGE8, FGF2, TLR4, LPIN1, NUP98, PTK2, ZTB16, DDIT3, and NT5E. The identified SNPs were ratified by pyrosequencing to prove that key differences exist in fat QTLs between the high- and low-milk-yielding breeds.
Effect of Parental Age, Parity, and Pairing Approach on Reproduction in Strain 13/N Guinea Pigs (Cavia porcellus)
Authors: Genzer Sarah C. , Flietstra Timothy , Coleman-McCray JoAnn D. , Tansey Cassandra , Welch Stephen R. , Spengler Jessica R.
Published: March 2023

Guinea pigs are important animal models for human disease, and both outbred and inbred lines are utilized in biomedical research. The optimal maintenance of guinea pig colonies, commercially and in research settings, relies on robust informed breeding programs, however, breeding data on specialized inbred strains are limited. Here, we investigated the effects of parental age, parity, and pairing approaches on mean total fetus count, percentage of female pups in the litter, and pup survival rate after 10 days in strain 13/N guinea pigs. Our analysis of colony breeding data indicates that the average litter size is 3.3 pups, with a 25.2% stillbirth rate, a failure-to-thrive outcome in 5.1% of pups, and a 10 day survival rate of 69.7%. The only variable to significantly affect the reproductive outcomes examined was parental age (p < 0.05). In comparison to adults, both juvenile and geriatric sows had lower total fetus counts; juvenile boars had a higher percentage of females in litters, and geriatric boars had a lower 10 day survival rate of pups. These studies provide valuable information regarding the reproductive characteristics of strain 13/N guinea pigs, and support a variety of breeding approaches without significant effects on breeding success.
Identification of mcr-1 Genes and Characterization of Resistance Mechanisms to Colistin in Escherichia coli Isolates from Colombian Hospitals
Authors: De La Cadena Elsa , Mahecha Mateo , Velandia Ana María , García-Betancur Juan Carlos , Rojas Laura J. , Porras Jessica , Pallares Christian , Villegas María Virginia
Published: March 2023

We report the presence of the mcr-1 gene among 880 Escherichia coli clinical isolates collected in 13 hospitals from 12 Colombian cities between 2016 and 2019. Seven (0.8%) isolates were colistin resistant (MIC ≥ 4 µg/mL). These colistin-resistant isolates were screened for the presence of the mcr-1 gene; five carried the gene. These five isolates were subjected to whole genome sequencing (WGS) to identify additional resistomes and their ST. In addition, antimicrobial susceptibility testing revealed that all E. coli isolates carrying mcr-1 were susceptible to third generation-cephalosporin and carbapenems, except one, which carried an extended-spectrum β-lactamase (CTX-M-55), along with the fosfomycin resistance encoding gene, fosA. WGS indicated that these isolates belonged to four distinct sequence types (ST58, ST46, ST393, and a newly described ST14315) and to phylogroups B1, A, and D. In this geographic region, the spread of mcr-1 in E. coli is low and has not been inserted into high-risk clones such as ST131, which has been present in the country longer.
Group B Streptococcus Early-Onset Disease: New Preventive and Diagnostic Tools to Decrease the Burden of Antibiotic Use
Authors: Nusman Charlotte M. , Snoek Linde , van Leeuwen Lisanne M. , Dierikx Thomas H. , van der Weijden Bo M. , Achten Niek B. , Bijlsma Merijn W. , Visser Douwe H. , van Houten Marlies A. , Bekker Vincent , de Meij Tim G. J. , van Rossem Ellen , Felderhof Mariet , Plötz Frans B.
Published: March 2023

The difficulty in recognizing early-onset neonatal sepsis (EONS) in a timely manner due to non-specific symptoms and the limitations of diagnostic tests, combined with the risk of serious consequences if EONS is not treated in a timely manner, has resulted in a low threshold for starting empirical antibiotic treatment. New guideline strategies, such as the neonatal sepsis calculator, have been proven to reduce the antibiotic burden related to EONS, but lack sensitivity for detecting EONS. In this review, the potential of novel, targeted preventive and diagnostic methods for EONS is discussed from three different perspectives: maternal, umbilical cord and newborn perspectives. Promising strategies from the maternal perspective include Group B Streptococcus (GBS) prevention, exploring the virulence factors of GBS, maternal immunization and antepartum biomarkers. The diagnostic methods obtained from the umbilical cord are preliminary but promising. Finally, promising fields from the newborn perspective include biomarkers, new microbiological techniques and clinical prediction and monitoring strategies. Consensus on the definition of EONS and the standardization of research on novel diagnostic biomarkers are crucial for future implementation and to reduce current antibiotic overexposure in newborns.
Prevalence and Predictors of Using Antibiotics without a Prescription in a Pediatric Population in the United States
Authors: Olmeda Kiara , Trautner Barbara W. , Laytner Lindsey , Salinas Juanita , Marton Stephanie , Grigoryan Larissa
Published: March 2023

Non-prescription antibiotic use (using antibiotics without clinical guidance) increases the risk of the development of antibiotic resistance, adverse drug reactions, and other potential patient harm. Few studies have explored non-prescription use in children in the U.S. From January 2021 to April 2022, a diverse sample of caregivers of children under 18 years were surveyed in English and Spanish at two safety net clinics in Texas. We assessed the prevalence of antibiotic use in children in the previous 12 months, storage of antimicrobials, and intended use of non-prescription antibiotics (professed intention for future non-prescription antibiotic use). We also measured sociodemographic factors, types of antibiotics used, and symptoms that trigger non-prescription use. The response rate was 82%, and 17% were surveyed in Spanish. Of 322 participants surveyed, three Spanish-speaking caregivers reported giving non-prescription antibiotics to their child in the previous 12 months. Approximately 21% (n = 69) reported storing antimicrobials at home, specifically amoxicillin (n = 52), clindamycin (n = 10), cephalexin (n = 5), penicillin (n = 3), and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (n = 3). Nearly 15% (n = 46) reported intention to give non-prescription antibiotics to their children. Younger caregiver age was associated with storage and intended use of non-prescription antibiotics. Our findings will guide the development of an educational intervention to decrease non-prescription antibiotic use.
Phytochemicals and Biological Activities of Walnut Septum: A Systematic Review
Authors: Mateș Letiția , Rusu Marius Emil , Popa Daniela-Saveta
Published: March 2023

In the last few decades, scientific evidence has stressed the importance of plants in the prevention and/or supportive treatment of a plethora of diseases, many of them chronic, age-associated disorders. Juglans regia L. is a traditional plant that has been integrated into traditional medicine since ancient times. Due to the presence of biologically active compounds, walnut was used in the treatment of various maladies. Recently, investigations have focused on the walnut by-products and waste products, with research on their valuable constituents and active properties. Among these secondary products, walnut septum was analyzed in several studies, its phytochemical profile described, and some of the biological activities examined. However, compared to other walnut by-products, no comprehensive review to gather all the pertinent scientific knowledge was found in the literature. Therefore, the aim of this study was to critically assess the information furnished by peer-reviewed articles regarding the walnut septum chemical composition and the related biological activities, including antioxidant activities, anti-inflammatory effects, antimicrobial properties, antidiabetic activities, anti-tumor properties, and anti-aging potential. In conclusion, as these preclinical studies showed that walnut septum metabolites were responsible for a wide range of preventive and therapeutic uses, further research should confirm the beneficial outcomes in clinical trials.
Enzyme-Digested Edible Bird’s Nest (EBND) Prevents UV and arid Environment-Induced Cellular Oxidative Stress, Cell Death and DNA Damage in Human Skin Keratinocytes and Three-Dimensional Epithelium Equivalents
Authors: Wang Dongliang , Shimamura Naohiro , Mochizuki Mai , Nakahara Taka , Sunada Katsuhisa , Xiao Li
Published: March 2023

The aim of this study is to investigate the repressive effects of enzyme-digested edible bird’s nest (EBND) on the combination of arid environment and UV-induced intracellular oxidative stress, cell death, DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) and inflammatory responses in human HaCaT keratinocytes and three-dimensional (3D) epithelium equivalents. An oxygen radical antioxidant capacity assay showed that EBND exhibited excellent peroxyl radical scavenging activity and significantly increased cellular antioxidant capacity in HaCaT cells. When EBND was administered to HaCaT cells and 3D epitheliums, it exhibited significant preventive effects on air-drying and UVA (Dry-UVA)-induced cell death and apoptosis. Dry-UVA markedly induced intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation in HaCaT cells and 3D epitheliums as quantified by CellROX® Green/Orange reagents. Once HaCaT cells and 3D epitheliums were pretreated with EBND, Dry-UVA-induced intracellular ROS were significantly reduced. The results from anti-γ-H2A.X antibody-based immunostaining showed that EBND significantly inhibited Dry-UVA-induced DSBs in HaCaT keratinocytes. Compared with sialic acid, EBND showed significantly better protection for both keratinocytes and 3D epitheliums against Dry-UVA-induced injuries. ELISA showed that EBND significantly suppressed UVB-induced IL-6 and TNF-α secretion. In conclusion, EBND could decrease arid environments and UV-induced harmful effects and inflammatory responses in human keratinocytes and 3D epithelium equivalents partially through its antioxidant capacity.
A Personalized Multi-Turn Generation-Based Chatbot with Various-Persona-Distribution Data
Authors: Zhu Shihao , Ma Tinghuai , Rong Huan , Al-Nabhan Najla
Published: March 2023

Existing persona-based dialogue generation models focus on the semantic consistency between personas and responses. However, various influential factors can cause persona inconsistency, such as the speaking style in the context. Existing models perform inflexibly in speaking styles on various-persona-distribution datasets, resulting in persona style inconsistency. In this work, we propose a dialogue generation model with persona selection classifier to solve the complex inconsistency problem. The model generates responses in two steps: original response generation and rewriting responses. For training, we employ two auxiliary tasks: (1) a persona selection task to fuse the adapted persona into the original responses; (2) consistency inference to remove inconsistent persona information in the final responses. In our model, the adapted personas are predicted by an NLI-based classifier. We evaluate our model on the persona dialogue dataset with different persona distributions, i.e., the persona-dense PersonaChat dataset and the persona-spare PersonalDialog dataset. The experimental results show that our model outperforms strong models in response quality, persona consistency, and persona distribution consistency.
Supporting Tech Founders—A Needs-Must Approach to the Delivery of Acceleration Programmes for a Post-Pandemic World
Authors: Suárez Tanya , Iborra Andrés , Alonso Diego , Álvarez Bárbara
Published: March 2023

Along with most economic sectors, the COVID-19 crisis has had a strong impact on start-up accelerators, forcing them to seek urgent and imaginative solutions to quickly adapt to a new environment. The enforced change brought challenges that have been exacerbated by the sudden slowdown in economic activity. Despite these difficulties, it has become clear that the accelerated digital transformation that emerged through a needs-must approach to engage with start-ups through remote means has also presented new opportunities for accelerators to improve their programmes. This article analyses the impact of the COVID crisis on the organisation and results obtained by a European accelerator, which delivers programmes for growth stage technology start-ups. For this purpose, two very similar programmes have been analysed and compared: one focused on industrial technologies (delivered in 2019–2020) and another one focused on products and services built on space technologies (2020–2021). The research has been undertaken using observational techniques, reinforced through the collection of primary and secondary data throughout the study duration. The result of the analysis point to a possible post-COVID accelerator model that blends online and remote delivery as a new way of improving the experience of start-ups and optimising the use of scarce resources.
Chemoprotective Effect of Plantago sempervirens Crantz Extract on Ovarian Structure and Folliculogenesis
Authors: Stoica Anca D. , Sevastre Bogdan , Suciu Maria , Pârvu Alina Elena , Pârvu Marcel , Toma Vlad Alexandru , Roman Ioana , Dobre Camelia
Published: March 2023

Alkylating agents such as cyclophosphamide (CPA) are commonly used in cytotoxic or immunosuppressive therapies for different types of diseases. One of the main secondary effects of such therapy is the reduction in follicular reserve, targeting the primordial follicles. The aim of this study was to investigate the antioxidant and protective effects of Plantago sempervirens extract on the follicular pool. The experiment was performed on Wistar female rats, for 21 days. They were divided into five groups according to the treatment they received (Control, CPA (200 mg/kg BW), P. sempervirens extract in three different doses—25/50/100 dw/mL ethanol extract (5 mL/kg BW)). The investigations regarded enzymatic and non-enzymatic nitro-oxidative stress, hormone levels (FSH and estrogen), TEM sections of the ovaries, and oestrus cycle monitorization. CPA strongly increased the oxidative stress (TOS—32.8 mmol H2O2/L; NO—68.60 μmol/L; OSI—6.82), alongside a depletion of FSH and a blockage of the oestrus cycle in the metestrus phase. The follicular pool was strongly depleted during CPA exposure, but FSH concentration and the TEM images of the cells revealed a significant improvement after treatment, as the dose increases (P3). Therefore, these findings reveal that P. sempervirens therapy could have a potential protective effect against CPA-induced acute damages in the ovaries, as well as maintaining a functional oestrus cycle.
Experimental Study on Creep Characteristics of Unloaded Rock Masses for Excavation of Rock Slopes in Cold Areas
Authors: Chen Xingzhou , Jiang Hai , Chen Lili , Du Wei , Gong Sheng
Published: March 2023

Seasonal freeze–thaw environments are one of the key factors that aggravate the mechanical strength decay of excavated and unloaded rock masses on reservoir banks in cold areas. To study the time-dependent mechanical properties of an excavated and unloaded rock mass on a bank slope under freeze–thaw action, triaxial unloading tests were carried out on sandstone, freeze–thaw tests simulating freezing strength were conducted, and triaxial creep tests were implemented with graded incremental loading on unloaded specimens subjected to freeze–thaw action. The test results showed that the total deformation of the unloaded specimens is significantly increased compared with the conventional specimens, and the lateral direction is more likely to produce creep behaviour than the axial direction. The level of confining pressure determines the level of creep deformation of unloaded specimens and affects the variation law of creep rate. The creep behaviour of the unloaded specimens is aggravated by freeze–thaw action and, the longer the freezing period, the larger the creep strain share, and the creep rate increases significantly. The creep damage pattern of the unloaded specimens subjected to freeze–thaw action is mainly manifested as shear damage, and the creep process intensifies the derivation of tension-type cracks in the specimens. The higher the confining pressure of the unloaded specimen, the more obvious the plastic characteristics and the weaker the brittle characteristics during creep failure. The freeze–thaw action significantly reduces the long-term strength of the unloaded specimen, which is approximately 50~55% of the instantaneous strength. The long-term strength decays significantly with an increasing freezing period, and the research results can provide a theoretical reference for the evaluation of the long-term stability of excavated and unloaded rock masses in cold areas.
A General Framework for Reconstructing Full-Sample Continuous Vehicle Trajectories Using Roadside Sensing Data
Authors: Su Guimin , Zeng Zimu , Song Andi , Zhao Cong , Shen Feng , Yuan Liangxiao , Li Xinghua
Published: March 2023

Vehicle trajectory data play an important role in autonomous driving and intelligent traffic control. With the widespread deployment of roadside sensors, such as cameras and millimeter-wave radar, it is possible to obtain full-sample vehicle trajectories for a whole area. This paper proposes a general framework for reconstructing continuous vehicle trajectories using roadside visual sensing data. The framework includes three modules: single-region vehicle trajectory extraction, multi-camera cross-region vehicle trajectory splicing, and missing trajectory completion. Firstly, the vehicle trajectory is extracted from each video by YOLOv5 and DeepSORT multi-target tracking algorithms. The vehicle trajectories in different videos are then spliced by the vehicle re-identification algorithm fused with lane features. Finally, the bidirectional long-short-time memory model (LSTM) based on graph attention is applied to complete the missing trajectory to obtain the continuous vehicle trajectory. Measured data from Donghai Bridge in Shanghai are applied to verify the feasibility and effectiveness of the framework. The results indicate that the vehicle re-identification algorithm with the lane features outperforms the vehicle re-identification algorithm that only considers the visual feature by 1.5% in mAP (mean average precision). Additionally, the bidirectional LSTM based on graph attention performs better than the model that does not consider the interaction between vehicles. The experiment demonstrates that our framework can effectively reconstruct the continuous vehicle trajectories on the expressway.
Research on a Comfort Evaluation Model for High-Speed Trains Based on Variable Weight Theory
Authors: Han Feng , Liu Zelong , Wang Chengxiang
Published: March 2023

As a result of the continuous improvement in passengers’ requirements for the quality of train operation, the comfort of high-speed train operation has been paid increasing attention. The evaluation of comfort has gradually changed from the narrow sense of a comfort evaluation model containing only vibration to the generalized evaluation of passengers’ overall satisfaction with the ride environment of specific lines. The factors affecting comfort evaluation include physical, physiological, and psychological aspects. To address the problems that the existing comfort evaluation model has a single index and that the weight determination of some indicators is greatly affected by subjectivity, we built a high-speed train comfort evaluation model based on variable weight theory. Combined with the actual working conditions of the Baolan passenger dedicated line, dynamic detection data and noise monitoring data captured by a track inspection car were combined with a passenger ride comfort questionnaire survey. In addition, the initial weight value of each factor was optimized by constructing an equilibrium function to realize the balance between the various factors, so as to realize the comprehensive fuzzy evaluation of high-speed train comfort. The results show that the comprehensive evaluation result of the comfort degree of the high-speed train on the Tongwei to Lanzhou section of the Baolan passenger dedicated line has a grade of II. The fuzzy scores of the evaluations using variable weights and constant weights were analyzed from the perspective of membership degree. The variable weight optimization avoids the one-sidedness and extremeness of the constant weight calculation. The comprehensive evaluation results are closer to the real situation. The research results can provide a reference for the comfort evaluation of high-speed trains with extreme differences in state values and constant weights and help in the acquisition of more realistic evaluation results.
Large-Scale Identification and Analysis of Factors Impacting Simple Bug Resolution Times in Open Source Software Repositories
Authors: Eiroa-Lledo Elia , Ali Rao Hamza , Pinto Gabriela , Anderson Jillian , Linstead Erik
Published: March 2023

One of the most prominent issues the ever-growing open-source software community faces is the abundance of buggy code. Well-established version control systems and repository hosting services such as GitHub and Maven provide a checks-and-balances structure to minimize the amount of buggy code introduced. Although these platforms are effective in mitigating the problem, it still remains. To further the efforts toward a more effective and quicker response to bugs, we must understand the factors that affect the time it takes to fix one. We apply a custom traversal algorithm to commits made for open source repositories to determine when “simple stupid bugs” were first introduced to projects and explore the factors that drive the time it takes to fix them. Using the commit history from the main development branch, we are able to identify the commit that first introduced 13 different types of simple stupid bugs in 617 of the top Java projects on GitHub. Leveraging a statistical survival model and other non-parametric statistical tests, we found that there were two main categories of categorical variables that affect a bug’s life; Time Factors and Author Factors. We find that bugs are fixed quicker if they are introduced and resolved by the same developer. Further, we discuss how the day of the week and time of day a buggy code was written and fixed affects its resolution time. These findings will provide vital insight to help the open-source community mitigate the abundance of code and can be used in future research to aid in bug-finding programs.
New Materials and Advanced Procedures of Obtaining and Processing—Applied Sciences Insights
Authors: Sandu Andrei Victor
Published: March 2023

The emphasis of this Special Issue is on showcasing the most recent advancements in the field of materials and techniques used in a variety of applications, including medical and civil engineering [...]
Content of Lipids, Fatty Acids, Carbohydrates, and Proteins in Continental Cyanobacteria: A Systematic Analysis and Database Application
Authors: Passos Larissa Souza , de Freitas Paloma Nathane Nunes , Menezes Rafaella Bizo , de Souza Alexander Ossanes , Silva Milena Fernandes da , Converti Attilio , Pinto Ernani
Published: March 2023

The lipid, fatty acid, protein, and carbohydrate contents in cyanobacterial strains and biomass can vary by orders of magnitude. Many publications (thousands of peer-reviewed articles) require more work to extract their precise concentration values (i.e., different units, inaccurate data), which makes them not easily exploitable. For this purpose, tables have been compiled from the literature data, including lipids, fatty acids, proteins, and carbohydrates composition and quantities in cyanobacteria. A lot of data (323) were collected after careful a literature search, according to selected criteria in order to distinguish separately cyanobacteria, and according to categories of genus and species and generate average values of the contents of these cell components. These data are exploited in a first systematic analysis of the content in types of strains. Our database can be a powerful tool for biologists, chemists, and environmental agencies to determine the potential concentration of high-value chemical building blocks directly from low-value bloom biomass, cell cultures, or debris in the sediment, offering the potential to minimize environmental waste and add value to the agro-industrial residues. The database can also support strategies for food manufacturers to develop new products with optimized properties for veterinarian applications.
Free-Form Deformation Parameterization on the Aerodynamic Optimization of Morphing Trailing Edge
Authors: Negahban Mir Hossein , Bashir Musavir , Botez Ruxandra Mihaela
Published: March 2023

Every aerodynamic optimization is proceeded by a parameterization of the studied aerial object, and due to its influence on the final optimization process, careful attention should be made in choosing the appropriate parameterization method. An aerodynamic optimization of a morphing trailing edge is performed using a free-form deformation parameterization technique with the purpose of examining the influence of the initial conditions of the parameterization on the optimization results, namely on the number of control points. High-fidelity gradient-based optimization using the discrete adjoint method is established by the coupling of OpenFOAM and Python within the DAFoam optimization framework. The results indicate that the number of control points has a considerable effect on the optimization process, in particular on the convergence, objective function value, and on the deformation feasibility.