bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Short Answer Detection for Open Questions: A Sequence Labeling Approach with Deep Learning Models
Authors: González-López Samuel , Montes-Rosales Zeltzyn Guadalupe , López-Monroy Adrián Pastor , López-López Aurelio , García-Gorrostieta Jesús Miguel
Published: June 2022

Evaluating the response to open questions is a complex process since it requires prior knowledge of a specific topic and language. The computational challenge is to analyze the text by learning from a set of correct examples to train a model and then predict unseen cases. Thus, we will be able to capture patterns that characterize answers to open questions. In this work, we used a sequence labeling and deep learning approach to detect if a text segment corresponds to the answer to an open question. We focused our efforts on analyzing the general objective of a thesis according to three methodological questions: Q1: What will be done? Q2: Why is it going to be done? Q3: How is it going to be done? First, we use the Beginning-Inside-Outside (BIO) format to label a corpus of targets with the help of two annotators. Subsequently, we adapted four state-of-the-art architectures to analyze the objective: Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers (BERT-BETO) for Spanish, Code Switching Embeddings from Language Model (CS-ELMo), Multitask Neural Network (MTNN), and Bidirectional Long Short-Term Memory (Bi-LSTM). The results of the F-measure for detection of the answers to the three questions indicate that the BERT-BETO and CS-ELMo architecture obtained the best effectivity. The architecture that obtained the best results was BERT-BETO. BERT was the architecture that obtained more accurate results. The result of a detection analysis for Q1, Q2 and Q3 on a non-annotated corpus at the graduate and undergraduate levels is also reported. We found that for detecting the three questions, only the doctoral academic level reached 100%; that is, the doctoral objectives did contain the answer to the three questions.
Probabilistic Analysis of a Marine Ecological System with Intense Variability
Authors: Sabbar Yassine , Khan Asad , Din Anwarud
Published: June 2022

This work seeks to simulate and examine the complex character of marine predation. By taking into account the interaction between phytoplankton and zooplankton, we present a sophisticated mathematical system with a general functional response describing the ecological competition. This system is disturbed by a novel category of perturbations in the hybrid form which simulates certain unstable climatic and environmental variations. We merge between the higher-order white noise and quadratic jumps to offer an excellent overview of the complexity induced in the ecosystem. Analytically, we offer a surrogate framework to get the sharp sill between stationarity and zooplankton eradication. Our analysis enriches and improves many works by proposing an unfamiliar form of perturbation and unifying the criteria of said asymptotic characteristics. Numerically, we probe the rigor of our sill in a non-standard case: cubic white noise and quadratic leaps. We demonstrate that the increased order of perturbation has a significant effect on the zooplankton living time. This result shows that the sources of intricate fluctuations carry out an active role in the transient dynamics of marine ecological systems.
Uncertain Population Model with Jumps
Authors: Gao Caiwen , Zhang Zhiqiang , Liu Baoliang
Published: June 2022

The uncertain population model (UPM), which has been proposed and studied, is a kind of population model driven by a Liu process that can only deal with continuous uncertain population systems. In reality, however, species systems may be suddenly shaken by earthquakes, tsunamis, epidemics, etc. The drastic changes lead to jumps in the population and make the sample path no longer continuous. In order to model the dramatic drifts embedded in an uncertain dynamic population system, this paper proposes a novel uncertain population model with jumps (UPMJ), which is described by a kind of uncertain differential equation with jumps (UDEJ). Then, the distribution function and the stability of solution for UPMJ are discussed based on uncertainty theory. Finally, a numerical example related to the transmission of Ebola virus is given to illustrate the characteristics of the distribution function and the stability of solution for UPMJ.
Preface to the Special Issue on “Numerical Computation, Data Analysis and Software in Mathematics and Engineering”
Authors: Cheng Yumin
Published: June 2022

In recent years, mathematical models, numerical methods and data analysis have been paid more attention [...]
Mixotrophy in a Local Strain of Nannochloropsis granulata for Renewable High-Value Biomass Production on the West Coast of Sweden
Authors: Villanova Valeria , Galasso Christian , Vitale Giovanni Andrea , Della Sala Gerardo , Engelbrektsson Johan , Strömberg Niklas , Shaikh Kashif Mohd , Andersson Mats X. , Palma Esposito Fortunato , Ekendahl Susanne , De Pascale Donatella , Spetea Cornelia
Published: June 2022

A local strain of Nannochloropsis granulata (Ng) has been reported as the most productive microalgal strain in terms of both biomass yield and lipid content when cultivated in photobioreactors that simulate the light and temperature conditions during the summer on the west coast of Sweden. To further increase the biomass and the biotechnological potential of this strain in these conditions, mixotrophic growth (i.e., the simultaneous use of photosynthesis and respiration) with glycerol as an external carbon source was investigated in this study and compared with phototrophic growth that made use of air enriched with 1–2% CO2. The addition of either glycerol or CO2-enriched air stimulated the growth of Ng and theproduction of high-value long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (EPA) as well as the carotenoid canthaxanthin. Bioassays in human prostate cell lines indicated the highest antitumoral activity for Ng extracts and fractions from mixotrophic conditions. Metabolomics detected betaine lipids specifically in the bioactive fractions, suggesting their involvement in the observed antitumoral effect. Genes related to autophagy were found to be upregulated by the most bioactive fraction, suggesting a possible therapeutic target against prostate cancer progression. Taken together, our results suggest that the local Ng strain can be cultivated mixotrophically in summer conditions on the west coast of Sweden for the production of high-value biomass containing antiproliferative compounds, carotenoids, and EPA.
Effect of Biltong Dried Beef Processing on the Reduction of Listeria monocytogenes, E. coli O157:H7, and Staphylococcus aureus, and the Contribution of the Major Marinade Components
Authors: Gavai Kavya , Karolenko Caitlin , Muriana Peter M.
Published: June 2022

Biltong is a dry beef product that is manufactured without a heat lethality step, raising concerns of whether effective microbial pathogen reduction can occur during biltong processing. Raw beef inoculated with 4-strain cocktails of either E. coli O157:H7, Listeria monocytogenes, or Staphylococcus aureus, and processed with a standard biltong process, were shown to incur a >5-log reduction in 6–8 days after marination by vacuum-tumbling for 30 min in vinegar, salt, spices (coriander, pepper) when dried at 23.9 °C (75 °F) at 55% relative humidity (RH). Pathogenic challenge strains were acid-adapted in media containing 1% glucose to ensure that the process was sufficiently robust to inhibit acid tolerant strains. Internal water activity (Aw) reached < 0.85 at 5-log reduction levels, ensuring that conditions were lower than that which would support bacterial growth, or toxin production by S. aureus should it be internalized during vacuum tumbling. This was further confirmed by ELISA testing for staphylococcal enterotoxins A and B (SEA, SEB) after marination and again after 10 days of drying whereby levels were lower than initial post-marination levels. Comparison of log reduction curves obtained for E. coli O157:H7, L. monocytogenes, S. aureus, and Salmonella (prior study) showed that microbial reduction was not significantly different (p < 0.05) demonstrating that even without a heat lethality step, the biltong process we examined produces a safe beef product according to USDA-FSIS guidelines.
Sedimentation of Fine Arsenopyrite with PEI and the Flotation Significance
Authors: Ming Pingtian , Zou Dan , Li Fei , Xing Qingqing , Wang Zhen
Published: June 2022

The flotation of fine mineral particles is always a difficult problem. The flotation of fine arsenopyrite particles (−20 μm) in a sodium butyl xanthate (SBX) system was studied by using polyethyleneimine (PEI) as a flocculant. The flocculation properties of PEI on fine arsenopyrite were studied using sedimentation tests. The results showed that the optimum pH for the sedimentation of PEI was approximately 7.5; the higher the molecular weight (M.W.) of the flocculant, the better the sedimentation effect. In the flotation experiments, it was found that the flotation recovery of PEI-3 with high M.W. as flocculant was only 57%, while the flotation recovery of PEI-2 with medium M.W. was 90% under respective optimum conditions. The contact angle tests showed that the natural contact angle of arsenopyrite was 37°; the addition of moderate PEI-2 had a slightly negative influence on the hydrophobicity of arsenopyrite in the SBX system. From the size analysis results, the maximum particle size (D100) and median size (D50) of the arsenopyrite increased from 20 and 11 μm to 48 and 28 μm after treatment with 40 mg/L PEI-2, a size more conducive to bubble capture. From the combination of these results, it can be concluded that PEI-2 improved the flotation of fine arsenopyrite mainly by increasing the particle size to a suitable range through flocculation. The XPS results indicated that the adsorption of PEI-2 on the arsenopyrite surface was due to the chemisorption between the imino group and the active Fe/As sites. Applying PEI-2 to a fine disseminated arsenopyrite-type gold ore, a concentrate containing 36 g/t Au with a Au recovery of 88% can be obtained.
A Fluoroponytailed NHC–Silver Complex Formed from Vinylimidazolium/AgNO3 under Aqueous–Ammoniacal Conditions
Authors: Partl Gabriel , Rauter Marcus , Fliri Lukas , Gelbrich Thomas , Kreutz Christoph , Müller Thomas , Kahlenberg Volker , Nerdinger Sven , Schottenberger Herwig
Published: June 2022

3-(1H,1H,2H,2H-Perfluorooctyl)-1-vinylimidazolium chloride [2126844–17–3], a strong fluorosurfactant with remarkably high solubility in water, was expediently converted into the respective doubly NHC-complexed silver salt with nitrate as counter ion in quantitative yield. Due to its vinyl substituents, [bis(3-(1H,1H,2H,2H-perfluorooctyl)-1-vinylimidazol-2-ylidene)silver(I)] nitrate, Ag(FNHC)2NO3, represents a polymerizable N-heterocyclic carbene transfer reagent, thus potentially offering simple and robust access to coordination polymers with crosslinking metal bridges. The compound was characterized by infrared and NMR spectroscopy, mass spectrometry as well as elemental analysis, and supplemented by X-ray single-crystal structure determination. It crystallizes in the monoclinic crystal system in the space group P21/c. With 173.3°, the geometry of the Ag-carbene bridge deviates slightly from linearity. The disordered perfluoroalkyl side chains exhibit a helical conformation.
Synthesis and Properties of Novel Reactive Dyes Comprising Acyl Fluoride Group on Cotton Fabrics
Authors: Zhao Canxing , Shi Rui , Li Shouchun , Li Penghui , Zhang Xiaoxue , Tong Guolin
Published: June 2022

Novel reactive dyes with mono- and bi-acyl fluoride reactive groups have been designed and synthesized, which are obtained by using 2-amino-8-naphthol-6-sulfonic acid or 1-amino-8-naphthol-3,6-disulfonicacid as the coupling component and 4-aminobenzoyl fluoride (PABF) as the diazo component. Their structures have been defined by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and ultraviolet–visible spectra (UV—Vis). The novel reactive dyes were evaluated on cotton by using the exhaust dyeing method. The properties were examined in detail, and the results showed that the dye concentration of 4% (o.w.f), pH = 9, and salt-free was the most effective condition. The fixation of the novel reactive dyes on cotton was 60.27% and 64.13%, respectively. The micro-fluorine-containing reactive dyes have favorable dyeing properties owing to the covalent bond formed between the reactive group of dyes and the functional group of cotton fibers, which can achieve salt-free dyeing of cotton.
Discriminating between Parallel, Anti-Parallel and Hybrid G-Quadruplexes: Mechanistic Details on Their Binding to Small Molecules
Authors: Biver Tarita
Published: June 2022

G-quadruplexes (G4) are now extensively recognised as a peculiar non-canonical DNA geometry that plays a prime importance role in processes of biological relevance whose number is increasing continuously. The same is true for the less-studied RNA G4 counterpart. G4s are stable structures; however, their geometrical parameters may be finely tuned not only by the presence of particular sequences of nucleotides but also by the salt content of the medium or by a small molecule that may act as a peculiar topology inducer. As far as the interest in G4s increases and our knowledge of these species deepens, researchers do not only verify the G4s binding by small molecules and the subsequent G4 stabilisation. The most innovative studies now aim to elucidate the mechanistic details of the interaction and the ability of a target species (drug) to bind only to a peculiar G4 geometry. In this focused review, we survey the advances in the studies of the binding of small molecules of medical interest to G4s, with particular attention to the ability of these species to bind differently (intercalation, lateral binding or sitting atop) to different G4 topologies (parallel, anti-parallel or hybrid structures). Some species, given the very high affinity with some peculiar G4 topology, can first bind to a less favourable geometry and then induce its conversion. This aspect is also considered.
Perovskite-Based Memristor with 50-Fold Switchable Photosensitivity for In-Sensor Computing Neural Network
Authors: Chen Qilai , Han Tingting , Zeng Jianmin , He Zhilong , Liu Yulin , Sun Jinglin , Tang Minghua , Zhang Zhang , Gao Pingqi , Liu Gang
Published: June 2022

In-sensor computing can simultaneously output image information and recognition results through in-situ visual signal processing, which can greatly improve the efficiency of machine vision. However, in-sensor computing is challenging due to the requirement to controllably adjust the sensor’s photosensitivity. Herein, it is demonstrated a ternary cationic halide Cs0.05FA0.81MA0.14 Pb(I0.85Br0.15)3 (CsFAMA) perovskite, whose External quantum efficiency (EQE) value is above 80% in the entire visible region (400–750 nm), and peak responsibility value at 750 nm reaches 0.45 A/W. In addition, the device can achieve a 50-fold enhancement of the photoresponsibility under the same illumination by adjusting the internal ion migration and readout voltage. A proof-of-concept visually enhanced neural network system is demonstrated through the switchable photosensitivity of the perovskite sensor array, which can simultaneously optimize imaging and recognition results and improve object recognition accuracy by 17% in low-light environments.
High-Sensitivity Fiber Fault Detection Method Using Feedback-Delay Signature of a Modulated Semiconductor Laser
Authors: Shi Zixiong , Zhao Tong , Wang Yuncai , Wang Anbang
Published: June 2022

We propose a high-sensitivity fiber fault detection method using the feedback-delay signature of a modulated semiconductor laser. The modulated laser is directed to a fiber fault and then receives the fault echo, which, in principle, forms an external cavity feedback laser. The fault location, i.e., the external cavity length, is measured by the feedback-delay signature appearing on the laser modulation response curve. The resonance effect between the modulation frequency and external cavity frequency significantly enhanced the laser sensitivity to feedback light and then led to highly sensitive fault detection. Numerical simulations based on laser rate equations predicted that −118.1 dB sensitivity to fault echo light can be obtained.
Study on the Influence of Random Vibration of Space-Based Payload on Area-Array Camera Frame-by-Frame Imaging
Authors: Yu Ziqi , Jiang Li , Ling Kai , Yao Zhihai
Published: June 2022

Satellite vibration is an important factor that can seriously reduce the image quality of remote sensing imaging. In this paper, the influence of the random vibration of the payload on the frame-by-frame imaging quality of the area-array CMOS camera is studied. Firstly, the mode of the camera’s dynamic frame-by-frame imaging is established; secondly, the curvature mapping function between the ground and camera focal planes is derived based on the invariance of the field of view (FOV). The frequency domain-filtered template of random vibration is constructed. Then, the distortion and degradation images, of single-frame images at different attitude angles, are inversed; finally, the influence of attitude angle, exposure time, and the error of velocity, caused by random vibrations on dynamic frame-by-frame imaging, are analyzed. The simulation results show that the degree of image edge distortion gets larger when the attitude angle increases from 0° to 50°. At the same time, the MTF decreases rapidly with the increase of the error of velocity and the attitude angle. Meanwhile, when the output-image SSIM decreases by 0.1, the MSE increases by 18.5. The experimental results show that the field of view (FOV) of dynamic imaging should be reasonably set, and the error of velocity should be effectively reduced to obtain high-quality remote sensing images.
Conductive PPy@cellulosic Paper Hybrid Electrodes with a Redox Active Dopant for High Capacitance and Cycling Stability
Authors: Yang Shuaishuai , Qian Xueren
Published: June 2022

Polypyrrole@cellulose fibers (PPy@CFs) electrode materials are promising candidates in the energy storage. Various strategies have been pursued to improve their electrochemical performance. However, the poor conductivity, specific capacitance, and cyclic stability still hindered its application. Compared with the previous studies, we selected AQS with electrochemical activity as a dopant to improve these defects. It exhibits a high capacitance of 829.8 F g−1 at a current density of 0.2 A g−1, which is much higher than that of PPy@CFs electrode material (261.9 F g−1). Moreover, the capacitance retention of PPy:AQS/p-PTSA@CFs reaches up to 96.01% after 1000 cycles, indicating superior cyclic stability. Therefore, this work provides an efficient strategy for constructing high-performance electrode materials for energy storage.
Influence of Compound Additives on Sulfur Fixing Performance of Sorbent Based on Steel Slag at High Temperatures
Authors: Zhao Jianbing , Yang Qiaowen , Wen Xin , Li Meihui
Published: June 2022

Steel slag is modified with additives to improve its high-temperature sulfur-fixing performance. The effects of sodium lignosulfonate, NaCl, KNO3 and MnO2 on the sulfur fixing performance of steel slag were explored after the ideal calcium–sulfur ratio of steel slag was established to be 2.5. An orthogonal experiment was used to explore the primary and secondary impacts of different additives on the sulfur fixing efficiency. The optimal factor level combination was identified to be 8% sodium lignosulfonate, 1% NaCl, 5% MnO2, and 7% KNO3, with a maximum sulfur fixing efficiency of 70.81%. According to XRF analysis, the sulfur-fixing effect of steel slag with additives was clearly superior to that of steel slag without additives. According to an XRD analysis, the diffraction peak of sulfur-fixing products of steel slag with additives was significantly improved, resulting in a high-temperature resistant phase that prevented sulfur-fixing products from degrading. According to SEM research, the steel slag with additives produced an interface that was conducive to gas–solid interaction in the sulfur fixation process, and sulfur fixed ash of modified steel slag exhibited the surface morphology of a high temperature resistant phase.
Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles (ZnO NPs), Biosynthesis, Characterization and Evaluation of Their Impact to Improve Shoot Growth and to Reduce Salt Toxicity on Salvia officinalis In Vitro Cultivated
Authors: Alenezi Norah Arrak , Al-Qurainy Fahad , Tarroum Mohamed , Nadeem Mohammad , Khan Salim , Salih Abdalrhaman M. , Shaikhaldein Hassan O. , Alfarraj Norah S. , Gaafar Abdel-Rhman Z. , Al-Hashimi Abdulrahman , Alansi Saleh
Published: June 2022

Green synthesis of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) using plant extracts have recently attracted considerable attention due to their environmental protection benefits and their easy and low cost of fabrication. In the current study, ZnO NPS were synthesized using the aqueous extract of Ochradenus arabicus as a capping and reducing agent. The obtained ZnO NPs were firstly characterized using ultraviolet visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), transmission electron microscope (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy dispersive X-ray absorption (EDX), zeta potential, and zeta size. All these techniques confirmed the characteristic features of the biogenic synthesized ZnO NPs. Then, ZnO NPs were evaluated for their effects on morphological, biochemical, and physiological parameters of Salvia officinalis cultured in Murashige and Skoog medium containing 0, 75, 100, and 150 mM of NaCl. The results showed that ZnO NPs at a dose of 10 mg/L significantly increased the shoot number, shoot fresh weight, and shoot dry weight of Salvia officinalis subjected or not to the salt stress. For the shoot length, a slight increase of 4.3% was recorded in the plant treated by 150 mM NaCl+10 mg/L ZnO NPs compared to the plant treated only with 150 mM of NaCl. On the other hand, without NaCl, the application of both concentrations 10 mg/L and 30 mg/L of ZnO NPs significantly improved the total chlorophyll content by 30.3% and 21.8%, respectively. Under 150 mM of NaCl, the addition of 10 mg/L of ZnO NPs enhanced the total chlorophyll by 1.5 times, whilst a slight decrease of total chlorophyll was recorded in the plants treated by 150 mM NaCl + 30 mg/L ZnO NPs. Additionally, ZnO NPs significantly enhance the proline accumulation and the antioxidative enzyme activities of catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and glutathione reductase (GR) in plants under salinity. Our findings revealed that green synthesized ZnO NPs, especially at a dose of 10 mg/L, play a crucial role in growth enhancement and salt stress mitigation. Hence, this biosynthesized ZnO NPs at a concentration of 10 mg/L can be considered as effective nanofertilizers for the plants grown in salty areas.
Green Chemistry Metrics, A Review
Authors: Martínez Joel , Cortés J. Francisco , Miranda René
Published: June 2022

Attending both the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (2005–2014) and the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, this review is presented, bearing in mind that green chemistry is essential to contribute to sustainability. This work has compiled all the information relating to green chemistry metrics, so that stakeholders can select an appropriate model, under the Green Chemistry Protocol, to evaluate how much green is a process. The review was organized considering the following convenient sections: the mass valuation, the recognition of the human health and environmental impact, metrics using computational programs (software and spreadsheets), and finally global metrics. This review was developed by consulting the principal databases, since the appearance of the first green chemistry textbook in 1998. A massive number of references were attained involving the keywords proposed below, with six languages observed, highlighted by the English language. It is important to emphasize that the 12 Principles of Green Chemistry are conceptual and offer little quantitative information. In addition, almost all the reported metric green propositions do not consider the 12 principles and few papers offer how to obtain an appropriate evaluation about the greenness of a research. In this sense, it is convenient to note that only in the Spanish literature are there two metrics that consider all the principles. Finally, to our knowledge, and after a deep search in the literature, it is the first review that covers the different features of green chemistry: mass, environment/human health. and in some cases, the use of computational programs.
Self-Supervision and Self-Distillation with Multilayer Feature Contrast for Supervision Collapse in Few-Shot Remote Sensing Scene Classification
Authors: Zhou Haonan , Du Xiaoping , Li Sen
Published: June 2022

Although the means of catching remote sensing images are becoming more effective and more abundant, the samples that can be collected in some specific environments can be quite scarce. When there are limited labeled samples, the methods for analyzing remote sensing images for scene classification perform drastically worse. Methods that classify few-shot remote sensing image scenes are often based on meta-learning algorithms for the handling of sparse data. However, this research shows they will be affected by supervision collapse where features in remote sensing images that help with out-of-distribution classes are discarded, which is harmful for the generation of unseen classes and new tasks. In this work, we wish to remind readers of the existence of supervision collapse in scene classification of few-shot remote sensing images and propose a method named SSMR based on multi-layer feature contrast to overcome supervision collapse. First of all, the method makes use of the label information contained in a finite number of samples for supervision and guides self-supervised learning to train the embedding network with supervision generated by multilayer feature contrast. This can prevent features from losing intra-class variation. Intra-class variation is always useful in classifying unseen data. What is more, the multi-layer feature contrast is merged with self-distillation, and the modified self-distillation is used to encourage the embedding network to extract sufficiently general features that transfer better to unseen classes and new domains. We demonstrate that most of the existing few-shot scene classification methods suffer from supervision collapse and that SSMR overcomes supervision collapse well in the experiments on the new dataset we specially designed for examining the problem, with a 2.4–17.2% increase compared to the available methods. Furthermore, we performed a series of ablation experiments to demonstrate how effective and necessary each structure of the proposed method is and to show how different choices in training impact final performance.
Insulator Umbrella Disc Shedding Detection in Foggy Weather
Authors: Xin Rui , Chen Xi , Wu Junying , Yang Ke , Wang Xinying , Zhai Yongjie
Published: June 2022

The detection of insulator umbrella disc shedding is very important to the stable operation of a transmission line. In order to accomplish the accurate detection of the insulator umbrella disc shedding in foggy weather, a two-stage detection model combined with a defogging algorithm is proposed. In the dehazing stage of insulator images, solving the problem of real hazy image data is difficult; the foggy images are dehazed by the method of synthetic foggy images training and real foggy images fine-tuning. In the detection stage of umbrella disc shedding, a small object detection algorithm named FA-SSD is proposed to solve the problem of the umbrella disc shedding occupying only a small proportion of an aerial image. On the one hand, the shallow feature information and deep feature information are fused to improve the feature extraction ability of small targets; on the other hand, the attention mechanism is introduced to strengthen the feature extraction network’s attention to the details of small targets and improve the model’s ability to detect the umbrella disc shedding. The experimental results show that our model can accurately detect the insulator umbrella disc shedding defect in the foggy image; the accuracy of the defect detection is 0.925, and the recall is 0.841. Compared with the original model, it improved by 5.9% and 8.6%, respectively.
Analysis of the Leap Motion Controller’s Performance in Measuring Wrist Rehabilitation Tasks Using an Industrial Robot Arm Reference
Authors: Gonçalves Rogério S. , Souza Marcus R. S. B. de , Carbone Giuseppe
Published: June 2022

The Leap Motion Controller (LMC) is a low-cost markerless optical sensor that performs measurements of various parameters of the hands that has been investigated for a wide range of different applications. Research attention still needs to focus on the evaluation of its precision and accuracy to fully understand its limitations and widen its range of applications. This paper presents the experimental validation of the LMC device to verify the feasibility of its use in assessing and tailoring wrist rehabilitation therapy for the treatment of physical disabilities through continuous exercises and integration with serious gaming environments. An experimental set up and analysis is proposed using an industrial robot as motion reference. The high repeatability of the selected robot is used for comparisons with the measurements obtained via a leap motion controller while performing the basic movements needed for rehabilitation exercises of the human wrist. Experimental tests are analyzed and discussed to demonstrate the feasibility of using the leap motion controller for wrist rehabilitation.
A Real-Time Recognition System of Driving Propensity Based on AutoNavi Navigation Data
Authors: Wang Xiaoyuan , Chen Longfei , Shi Huili , Han Junyan , Wang Gang , Wang Quanzheng , Zhong Fusheng , Li Hao
Published: June 2022

Driving propensity is the driver’s attitude towards the actual traffic situation and the corresponding decision-making or behavior during the driving process. It is of great significance to improve the accuracy of safety early warning and reduce traffic accidents. In this paper, a real-time identification system of driving propensity based on AutoNavi navigation data is proposed. The main work includes: (1) A dynamic data acquisition method of AutoNavi navigation is proposed to obtain the time, speed and acceleration of the driver during the navigation process. (2) The dynamic data collection method of AutoNavi navigation is analyzed and verified through the dynamic data obtained in the real vehicle experiment. The principal component analysis method is used to process the experimental data to extract the driving propensity characteristics variables. (3) The fruit fly optimization algorithm combined with GRNN (generalized neural network) and the feature variable set are used to build a FOA-GRNN-based model. The results show that the overall accuracy of the model can reach 94.17%. (4) A driving propensity identification system is constructed. The system has been verified through real vehicle test experiments. This paper provides a novel and convenient method for building personalized intelligent driver assistance systems in practical applications.
Impact of Tohoku-Oki 3.11 M9.0 Earthquake on the Fault Slip Potential of the Active Quaternary Faults in Beijing City: New Insights from In Situ Stress Monitoring Data
Authors: Fan Yulu , Feng Chengjun , Zhang Peng , Qi Bangshen , Meng Jing , Tan Chengxuan
Published: June 2022

In order to ascertain the impact of the Tohoku-Oki 3.11 M9.0 earthquake on the stability of the faults in the Beijing Plain, we investigated the adjustment of the in situ stress field of the Beijing Plain after this earthquake based on in situ stress monitoring data. Then, we analyzed the stability of the five main faults in each adjustment stage of the in situ stress field based on the Mohr–Coulomb failure criteria and Byerlee’s law. Finally, we studied the fault slip potential (FSP) of the main faults under the current in situ stress field. The research results show that (1) after the Tohoku-Oki 3.11 M9.0 earthquake, the tectonic environment of the Beijing Plain area changed rapidly from nearly EW extrusion to nearly EW extension, and this state was maintained until June 2012. After this, it began to gradually adjust to the state present before the earthquake. As of September 2019, the tectonic environment has not recovered to the state present before the earthquake. (2) The ratios of shear stress to normal stress on the fault plane of the fault subsections in the three time periods before the Tohoku-Oki 3.11 M9.0 earthquake, 6 June 2012 and 8 September 2019 were 0.1–0.34, 0.28–0.52, and 0.06–0.29, respectively. It shows that the stress accumulation level of faults in the Beijing Plain area increased in a short time after the earthquake and then gradually decreased. (3) Under the current in situ stress field, most of the subsections of the five main faults have a low FSP (<5%). The areas with high FSP are mainly concentrated in the central and southeastern parts of the Beijing Plain, including the Nankou-Sunhe fault, the northern section of the Xiadian fault, and the areas where the five faults intersect.
Ambient and Wearable Sensor Technologies for Energy Expenditure Quantification of Ageing Adults
Authors: Leone Alessandro , Rescio Gabriele , Diraco Giovanni , Manni Andrea , Siciliano Pietro , Caroppo Andrea
Published: June 2022

COVID-19 has affected daily life in unprecedented ways, with dramatic changes in mental health, sleep time and level of physical activity. These changes have been especially relevant in the elderly population, with important health-related consequences. In this work, two different sensor technologies were used to quantify the energy expenditure of ageing adults. To this end, a technological platform based on Raspberry Pi 4, as an elaboration unit, was designed and implemented. It integrates an ambient sensor node, a wearable sensor node and a coordinator node that uses the information provided by the two sensor technologies in a combined manner. Ambient and wearable sensors are used for the real-time recognition of four human postures (standing, sitting, bending and lying down), walking activity and for energy expenditure quantification. An important first aim of this work was to realize a platform with a high level of user acceptability. In fact, through the use of two unobtrusive sensors and a low-cost processing unit, the solution is easily accessible and usable in the domestic environment; moreover, it is versatile since it can be used by end-users who accept being monitored by a specific sensor. Another added value of the platform is the ability to abstract from sensing technologies, as the use of human posture and walking activity for energy expenditure quantification enables the integration of a wide set of devices, provided that they can reproduce the same set of features. The obtained results showed the ability of the proposed platform to automatically quantify energy expenditure, both with each sensing technology and with the combined version. Specifically, for posture and walking activity classification, an average accuracy of 93.8% and 93.3% was obtained, respectively, with the wearable and ambient sensor, whereas an improvement of approximately 4% was reached using data fusion. Consequently, the estimated energy expenditure quantification always had a relative error of less than 3.2% for each end-user involved in the experimentation stage, classifying the high level information (postures and walking activities) with the combined version of the platform, justifying the proposed overall architecture from a hardware and software point of view.
Contrast Enhanced Ultrasound Compared with MRI and CT in the Evaluation of Post-Renal Transplant Complications
Authors: David Emanuele , Del Gaudio Giovanni , Drudi Francesco Maria , Dolcetti Vincenzo , Pacini Patrizia , Granata Antonio , Pretagostini Renzo , Garofalo Manuela , Basile Antonio , Bellini Maria Irene , D’Andrea Vito , Scaglione Mariano , Barr Richard , Cantisani Vito
Published: June 2022

Renal transplantation (RT) is the treatment of choice for end-stage renal disease, significantly improving patients’ survival and quality of life. However, approximately 3–23% of patients encounter post-operative complications, and radiology plays a major role for their early detection and treatment or follow-up planning. CT and MRI are excellent imaging modalities to evaluate renal transplant post-operative course; nevertheless, they are both associated with a high cost and low accessibility, as well as some contraindications, making them not feasible for all patients. In particular, gadolinium-based contrast can lead to the rare condition of nephrogenic systemic fibrosis, and iodine-based contrast can lead to contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN). CT also exposes the patients who may require multiple examinations to ionizing radiation. Therefore, considering the overall advantages and disadvantages, contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) is presently considered an effective first-line imaging modality for post-operative early and long-term follow-up in RT, reducing the need for biopsies and providing adequate guidance for drainage procedures. Hence, this paper aims to review the updated knowledge on CEUS compared with CT and MRI for the evaluation of RT renal transplant complications; advantages, limitations, and possible recommendations are provided.
Survey and Analysis of Chemoprophylaxis Policies for Domestic Travel in Malaria-Endemic Countries
Authors: Baird John Kevin , Warsame Marian , Recht Judith
Published: June 2022

The prevention of malaria in travelers with the use of antimalarials often occurs in connection with international travel to areas of significant risk of infection. Although these travelers sometimes cause outbreaks in their malaria-free home countries, the cardinal objective of prescribed chemoprophylaxis is to protect the traveler from patent malaria during travel. Here we consider the chemoprophylaxis of domestic travelers from malaria-free but -receptive areas within malaria-endemic countries. The main objective in this setting is the protection of those areas from reintroduced malaria transmission. In order to better understand policy and practices in this regard, we surveyed malaria prevention and treatment guidelines of 36 malaria-endemic countries and 2 that have recently eliminated malaria (Sri Lanka, China) for recommendations regarding malaria chemoprophylaxis for domestic travel. Among them, just 8 provided specific and positive recommendations, 1 recommended without specific guidance, and 4 advised against the practice. Most nations (25/38; 66%) did not mention chemoprophylaxis for domestic travel, though many of those did offer guidance for international travel. The few positive recommendations for domestic travel were dominated by the suppressive prophylaxis options of daily doxycycline or atovaquone-proguanil or weekly mefloquine. The incomplete protection afforded by these strategies, along with impractical dosing in connection with the typically brief domestic travel, may in part explain the broad lack of policies and practices across malaria-endemic nations regarding chemoprophylaxis.
Pro-Inflammatory and Immunological Profile of Dogs with Myxomatous Mitral Valve Disease
Authors: Piantedosi Diego , Musco Nadia , Palatucci Anna Teresa , Carriero Flavia , Rubino Valentina , Pizzo Francesco , Nasir Saad , Molinaro Giuseppe , Ruggiero Giuseppina , Terrazzano Giuseppe , Lombardi Pietro , Cortese Laura
Published: June 2022

Myxomatous mitral valve disease (MMVD) is a very frequently acquired cardiac disease in dog breeds and is responsible for congestive heart failure (CHF). The involvement of the immune system and pro-inflammatory cytokines in dogs with CHF due to mitral valve disease has not yet been extensively investigated. Here, we investigate the role of pro-inflammatory cytokines and the dysfunction of the immune system in dogs with different stages of severity through the blood assessment of CD4+FoxP3+regulatory T cells (Treg) cells, leptin, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-1β and IL-6 pro-inflammatory cytokines, and immunological and echocardiographic parameters. A total of 36 cardiopathic dogs, 14 females and 22 males, with MMVD were included. Mean age and body weight (BW) at the time of enrollment were 10.7 ± 2.77 years and 10.9 ± 6.69 kg, respectively. For the comparison of the pro-inflammatory and immunological parameters, two groups of healthy dogs were also established. Control group 1 consisted of young animals (n. 11; 6 females and 5 males), whose age and mean weight were 4.1 ± 0.82 years and 13.8 ± 4.30 kg, respectively. Control group 2 consisted of elderly dogs (n. 12; 6 females and 6 males), whose age and BW were 9.6 ± 0.98 years and 14.8 ± 6.15 kg, respectively. Of particular interest, an increase in Treg cells was observed in the cohort of MMVD dogs, as compared to the healthy dogs, as Treg cells are involved in the maintenance of peripheral tolerance, and they are involved in etiopathogenetic and pathophysiological mechanisms in the dog. On the other hand, TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6 significantly increased according to the severity of the disease in MMVD dogs. Furthermore, the positive correlation between IL-6 and the left ventricle diastolic volume suggests that inflammatory activation may be involved in cardiac remodeling associated with the progressive volumetric overload in MMVD.
Similarity and Dissimilarity in Perceptual Organization: On the Complexity of the Gestalt Principle of Similarity
Authors: Pinna Baingio , Porcheddu Daniele , Skilters Jurgis
Published: June 2022

The main purpose of this work is to explore the Gestalt principle of similarity and to demonstrate that the use of this term alone is not sufficient to understand the dynamics of grouping fully and correctly. More generally, this work aims to show that the Gestalt principle of similarity alone is not sufficient for a full understanding of perceptual organization occurring both in the classical and mostly in the new phenomena here presented. Limits and incompleteness of the similarity principle have suggested the basic, more general and stronger role of dissimilarity in perceptual grouping under a large variety of conditions. Dissimilarity was shown as a basic principle of figure–ground segregation, as a tool useful to create at will new groups and visual objects within patterns where they are totally invisible, as an attribute that is able to accentuate different shape components within the same object, as a way to distort shapes and create visual illusions, but also to reduce or annul them and, finally, to decompose, ungroup and reshape single objects. The results demonstrated the necessity to introduce a principle of dissimilarity that is complementary to similarity as already studied by Gestalt psychologists.
Occupational stress and burnout syndrome in medical workers during the COVID-19 pandemic (literature review)
Authors:   FSBEI HE «Samara State Medical University» of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, Babanov Sergey A. , Sazonova Olga ,   FSBEI HE «Samara State Medical University» of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, Gavryushin Mikhail Y. ,   FSBEI HE «Samara State Medical University» of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, Ostryakova Natalia A. ,   FSBEI HE «Samara State Medical University» of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, Kuvshinova Natalia Y. ,   FSBEI HE «Samara State Medical University» of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation
Published: June 2022

Introduction. In the face of the risk of occupational infection with COVID-19 through direct contact with the source of the disease, the mental stress of medical workers involved in providing care to patients during the pandemic of a new coronavirus infection has increased. Materials and methods. The paper presents an analysis of the literature on the problem of professional burnout syndrome among medical workers, presented in the Scientific Electronic Library eLibrary, as well as in the English-language text database of medical and biological publications PubMed. The analysis of foreign literature showed the relevance of this problem, primarily for medical workers in the era of the COVID-19 pandemic. Results. The novel coronavirus infection pandemic is associated with many causes and factors that can adversely affect the formation and development of professional burnout among medical workers in the era of the COVID-19 pandemic: high workload, lack and shortage of PPE, threat and risk of contracting a new coronavirus infection, social isolation, insufficiency (at the first stage) of accumulated knowledge about a new little-studied disease.
Risks of developing cardiovascular diseases and modern approaches to their reduction
Authors:   Federal State Budgetary Educational Institution of Higher Education «Rostov State Medical University» of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, Letifov Gadzhi Mutalibovich
Published: June 2022

The risks of developing diseases of the cardiovascular system were analyzed. The causes of cardiovascular risks and arterial hypertension can be diseases of the kidneys, central nervous system, endocrine system, vascular disease. The use of nutrient complexes aimed at the prevention of diseases of the cardiovascular system can be used to regulate metabolic disorders, control body weight, normalize fat metabolism, regulate blood pressure and progression of cardiovascular pathology and improve the quality of life in different age groups.
LONG-COVID-19 syndrome and allergy (literature review)
Authors:   NAO ", Rosenson Rafail Iosifovich ,   Astana Medical University",   , Republic of Kazakhstan, Nur-Sultan
Published: June 2022

The development of long-term complications in the post-COVID-19 infection period has become a new global challenge for the global medical community. Thus, Long-COVID-19 syndrome can be considered as a subject of particular interest for further study. Long-COVID-19 syndrome can be described as a condition that develops after a coronavirus infection in the form of pathological symptoms that persist for more than 4 weeks. Fatigue, shortness of breath, cough, pathological pain, brain fog, anosmia and dysgeusia are the most common symptoms of Long-COVID-19 syndrome. However, there are a number of reports of more diverse manifestations affecting the pulmonary, cardiovascular, cutaneous, musculoskeletal and neuropsychic systems. Due to the fact that in recent decades there has been a steady increase in allergic diseases’ incidence, the study of allergic pathology under the Long-COVID-19 syndrome is one of the most up-to-date issues at present time.
Features of the marketing policy of a pharmaceutical enterprise
Authors:   FSAEI HE Peoples' Friendship University of Russia, Institute of Biochemical Technologies and Nanotechnologies, Korobkin Igor Valerievich
Published: June 2022

Marketing strategies to promote medicines can become illegal if used off-label. Nevertheless, many types of marketing promotion of medicines for diseases not previously described can be approved by pharmaceutical regulatory authorities when these medications are effective and safe.
State of the market for specific prophylaxis against colibacillosis in animals
Authors:   FSBI Russian State Center for Quality and Standardization of Animal Drugs and Feed, Moscow, Galiakbarova A.A.
Published: June 2022

Infectious diseases cause huge damage to the country's agriculture due to a decrease in the productivity of sick animals, the cost of their treatment, as well as the death of young animals. The paper provides a brief description of the disease and the history of the development of vaccines against colibacillosis and analyzes the composition and method of application of domestic and foreign biological products registered for immunization against colibacillosis in the Russian Federation and in the world.