bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effects of red blood cells with reduced deformability on cerebral blood flow and vascular water transport: measurements in rats using time-resolved pulsed arterial spin labelling at 9.4 T
Authors: Bibic Adnan , Sordia Tea , Henningsson Erik , Knutsson Linda , Ståhlberg Freddy , Wirestam Ronnie
Published: December 2021

Background

Our aim was to introduce damaged red blood cells (RBCs) as a tool for haemodynamic provocation in rats, hypothesised to cause decreased cerebral blood flow (CBF) and prolonged water capillary transfer time (CTT), and to investigate whether expected changes in CBF could be observed and if haemodynamic alterations were reflected by the CTT metric.

Methods

Damaged RBCs exhibiting a mildly reduced deformability were injected to cause aggregation of RBCs. Arterial spin labelling (ASL) magnetic resonance imaging experiments were performed at 9.4 T. Six datasets (baseline plus five datasets after injection) were acquired for each animal in a study group and a control group (13 and 10 female adult Wistar rats, respectively). For each dataset, ASL images at ten different inversion times were acquired. The CTT model was adapted to the use of a measured arterial input function, implying the use of a realistic labelling profile. Repeated measures ANOVA was used (alpha error = 0.05).

Results

After injection, significant differences between the study group and control group were observed for relative CBF in white matter (up to 20 percentage points) and putamen (up to 18–20 percentage points) and for relative CTT in putamen (up to 35–40 percentage points).

Conclusions

Haemodynamic changes caused by injection of damaged RBCs were observed by ASL-based CBF and CTT measurements. Damaged RBCs can be used as a tool for test and validation of perfusion imaging modalities. CTT model fitting was challenging to stabilise at experimental signal-to-noise ratio levels, and the number of free parameters was minimised.
Environmental applications of Effective Microorganisms: a review of current knowledge and recommendations for future directions
Authors: Safwat Safwat M. , Matta Minerva E.
Published: December 2021

Nowadays, beneficial microorganisms are getting wider applicability. One example is referred to as Effective Microorganisms (EM) having its composition kept a secret. EM is a product in liquid form, which consists of a variety of not only effective and beneficial microorganisms but also nonpathogenic ones, with admirable coexistence between aerobic and anaerobic types of microorganisms. The aim of this narrative review is to provide a summary of the different uses and applications of EM, their applications, their benefits, and the expected results when using them in different applications. This is the first review to focus on the uses of EM in environmental engineering systems and processes such as wastewater treatment processes. Originally, EM was manufactured to be utilized in organic farming, but at the moment, this substance is getting wider applications such as in medicine, environment, livestock sector, forestry, and agriculture. When it comes to the protection of the environment, EM helps in waste deodorization, eutrophication control, and wastewater. Investigation on EM use in water quality restoration, wastewater treatment, the treatment of sludge, and composting has been undertaken by researchers. This review provides an overview of the current situation of environmental application of EM in various fields including water quality, wastewater treatment, sludge treatment, and composting.
Multivariate analysis and characterization of low impact crime in Mexico City
Authors: Pambabay-Calero Johny , Bauz-Olvera Sergio , Flores-González Rubén , Piña-García Carlos
Published: December 2021

Background: Multivariate analysis is fast becoming a key instrument that can be used to address crimes or incidents. It may be helpful to assess government policies on crime prevention.

Methods: To distinguish between the 25 official crime categories reported in Mexico City (Jan 2019 - Jun 2019), principal coordinates analysis was used to determine the quality of a characteristic in this context. This study used cluster analysis via K-means and Biplot based on time and location in terms of crime occurrence.

Results: The results obtained from this preliminary analysis indicates that around 70% of crime occurrence is shown in the following boroughs: Cuauhtémoc, Iztapalapa, Gustavo A. Madero, Benito Juárez, Álvaro Obregón, Coyoacán, and Miguel Hidalgo.

Conclusion: There are two factors that contribute to the difficulties in crime analysis in Mexico City, namely, the lack of people’s trust in authorities and the insufficiency of tools for data analysis. The latter is an integral part in achieving justice for the victims of crimes because it impedes the process of observing patterns and predicting the perpetrators’ next actions, which may help in solving a number of types of crimes. It is then imperative for law enforcement to utilize data analysis tools that aid in identifying crime patterns and trends, such that the occurrences of crime show a downward trend and consequentially increase the people’s trust in law enforcement agencies.
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) antibody lateral flow assay for antibody prevalence studies following vaccination: a diagnostic accuracy study
Authors: Cann Alexandra , Clarke Candice , Brown Jonathan , Thomson Tina , Prendecki Maria , Moshe Maya , Badhan Anjna , Simmons Bryony , Klaber Bob , Elliott Paul , Darzi Ara , Riley Steven , Ashby Deborah , Martin Paul , Gleeson Sarah , Willicombe Michelle , Kelleher Peter , Ward Helen , Barclay Wendy S. , Cooke Graham S.
Published: December 2021

Background: Lateral flow immunoassays (LFIAs) are able to achieve affordable, large scale antibody testing and provide rapid results without the support of central laboratories. As part of the development of the REACT programme extensive evaluation of LFIA performance was undertaken with individuals following natural infection. Here we assess the performance of the selected LFIA to detect antibody responses in individuals who have received at least one dose of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) vaccine.

Methods: This was a prospective diagnostic accuracy study. Sampling was carried out at renal outpatient clinic and healthcare worker testing sites at Imperial College London NHS Trust. Two cohorts of patients were recruited; the first was a cohort of 108 renal transplant patients attending clinic following two doses of SARS-CoV-2 vaccine, the second cohort comprised 40 healthcare workers attending for first SARS-CoV-2 vaccination and subsequent follow up. During the participants visit, finger-prick blood samples were analysed on LFIA device, while paired venous sampling was sent for serological assessment of antibodies to the spike protein (anti-S) antibodies. Anti-S IgG was detected using the Abbott Architect SARS-CoV-2 IgG Quant II CMIA. A total of 186 paired samples were collected. The accuracy of Fortress LFIA in detecting IgG antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 compared to anti-spike protein detection on Abbott Assay

Results: The LFIA had an estimated sensitivity of 92.0% (114/124; 95% confidence interval [CI] 85.7% to 96.1%) and specificity of 93.6% (58/62; 95% CI 84.3% to 98.2%) using the Abbott assay as reference standard (using the threshold for positivity of 7.10 BAU/ml)

Conclusions: Fortress LFIA performs well in the detection of antibody responses for intended purpose of population level surveillance but does not meet criteria for individual testing.
Incentivising research data sharing: a scoping review
Authors: Woods Helen Buckley , Pinfield Stephen
Published: December 2021

Background: Numerous mechanisms exist to incentivise researchers to share their data. This scoping review aims to identify and summarise evidence of the efficacy of different interventions to promote open data practices and provide an overview of current research.

Methods: This scoping review is based on data identified from Web of Science and LISTA, limited from 2016 to 2021. A total of 1128 papers were screened, with 38 items being included. Items were selected if they focused on designing or evaluating an intervention or presenting an initiative to incentivise sharing. Items comprised a mixture of research papers, opinion pieces and descriptive articles.

Results: Seven major themes in the literature were identified: publisher/journal data sharing policies, metrics, software solutions, research data sharing agreements in general, open science ‘badges’, funder mandates, and initiatives.

Conclusions: A number of key messages for data sharing include: the need to build on existing cultures and practices, meeting people where they are and tailoring interventions to support them; the importance of publicising and explaining the policy/service widely; the need to have disciplinary data champions to model good practice and drive cultural change; the requirement to resource interventions properly; and the imperative to provide robust technical infrastructure and protocols, such as labelling of data sets, use of DOIs, data standards and use of data repositories.
The Precarious Future of the “Humanities Enterprise” in the Digital Information Millennium
Authors: Xia Li
Published: December 2021

The Precarious Future of the “Humanities Enterprise” in the Digital Information Millennium
The Universe of the Mind of a Poet: Juhan Liiv’s Philosophy and Poetics
Authors: Talvet Jüri
Published: December 2021

Nations whose cultural tradition due to historical reasons is not large, especially smaller nations, cannot display centuries-old academic traditions which philosophy as a field of knowledge and research would presuppose. Luckily philosophy is not merely a faculty of knowledge but represents the field of perception to which poets have contributed since the oldest times – in parallel with philosophical practice in ancient Greece and long before philosophy became established as a university discipline in Western Europe. It would be too much to expect from poets a rational systematization in developing their thoughts. However, it does not mean at all that their thought would have been incapable of penetrating into life’s darker zones, with which enlightened knowledge has often instinctively kept its distance.
The Reception of Portuguese-language Literatures in Estonia. The Historical Context
Authors: Pesti Mele
Published: December 2021

The Reception of Portuguese-language Literatures in Estonia. The Historical Context
Traducciones entre comunidades interliterarias específicas
Authors: Domínguez Pérez Mónica
Published: December 2021

Traducciones entre comunidades interliterarias específicas
The Syllabic Structure of Estonian Hexameter at the End of the 19th Century – the First Half of the 20th Century
Authors: Lotman Maria-Kristiina
Published: December 2021

The Syllabic Structure of Estonian Hexameter at the End of the 19th Century – the First Half of the 20th Century
On Decadent Europe and the Intellectual Identity of Young Estonia: J. Randvere’s Ruth and Friedebert Tuglas’ Felix Ormusson
Authors: Hinrikus Mirjam
Published: December 2021

On Decadent Europe and the Intellectual Identity of Young Estonia: J. Randvere’s Ruth and Friedebert Tuglas’ Felix Ormusson
Semiotics in Tartu
Authors: Torop Peeter
Published: December 2021

Semiotics in Tartu
The Estonian connection
Authors: Sebeok Thomas A.
Published: December 2021

The Estonian connection
Граница и проволока
Authors: Ponomarjova Galina
Published: December 2021

Border and the barbed wire
Semiotic ecology: different nature in the semiosphere
Authors: Kull Kalevi
Published: December 2021

Semiotic ecology: different nature in the semiosphere
The dynamics of semiotics of culture; its pertinence to anthropology
Authors: Portis-Winner Irene
Published: December 2021

The dynamics of semiotics of culture; its pertinence to anthropology
The problem of titles in painting
Authors: Sarapik Virve
Published: December 2021

The problem of titles in painting
Nabokov's selftranslations: interpretation problems and solutions in Lolita's Russian version
Authors: Osimo Bruno
Published: December 2021

Nabokov's selftranslations: interpretation problems and solutions in Lolita's Russian version
Diachrony and synchrony in writing Russian literary history
Authors: Terras Victor
Published: December 2021

Diachrony and synchrony in writing Russian literary history
Некоторые особенности текстовой функции сказуемого
Authors: Kostandi Jelizaveta
Published: December 2021

On the pecularities of the textual function of predicate
Jerzego Ficowskiego problemy z cenzurą na przykładzie edycji i recepcji cyklu poetyckiego „Odczytanie popiołów”
Authors: Chwiedosik Helena
Published: December 2021

Artykuł jest poświęcony historii edycji i recepcji cyklu Odczytanie popiołów Jerzego Ficowskiego w PRL. Poeta tworzył go przez trzydzieści jeden lat. Stanowi on, w ocenie poety, najważniejszą część jego poetyckiego dorobku. Treść wierszy przynależnych do cyklu, dotycząca problematyki żydowskiej i Zagłady, stanowiła istotną przeszkodę na drodze do ich publikacji. W ich pełnym wydaniu nie pomogło także polityczne zaangażowanie Ficowskiego w latach siedemdziesiątych, skutkujące sporządzeniem na jego osobę i twórczość „zapisu”. W całości, w oficjalnym obiegu, cykl ukazał się dopiero w 1983 roku. Problemy z cenzurą zaważyły także na recepcji cyklu, szczególnie w Polsce, gdzie miał on bardzo elitarny i – ze względu na zapis oraz emigracyjny druk – niepubliczny odbiór.
Veritatem esse quaerendam: Prawda w rzymskim procesie cywilnym
Authors: Sorka Kamil
Published: December 2021

VERITATEM ESSE QUAERENDAM: TRUTH IN THE ROMAN CIVIL TRIAL The book is an attempt to look at the basic values of court proceedings, taking into account the thought and practice of the Roman civil trial. The main research question underlying the dissertation concerns the meaning of the judiciary knowledge of truth in the perspective of the theory and practice of the Roman civil trial. The question can be reduced to whether the Roman civil trial was governed by the principle of material truth or the principle of formal truth.
Komunikacja językowa w osiemnastowiecznych francuskich wyprawach naukowych do Laponii, Peru i Afryki Południowej
Authors: Chrobak Marzena
Published: December 2021

Interlingual Communication during French Scientific Expeditions to Lappland, Peru and South Africa in the 18th Century

In this paper, I try to outline the image of the interlingual communication during scientific expeditions by detecting and analysing remarks about such instances in the narratives by the expeditions’ commanders. I analyse a narrative of Maupertuis on his geodesic mission to Lappland (1734- 1735), two narratives of La Condamine on his geodesic mission to Peru (1735-1743), and two narratives of Le Vaillant on his travels across South Africa (1781-1784). During his short stay in Lappland, Maupertuis was assisted by a Swedish astronomer and by a Laponian, both speaking French and Finnish. La Condamine and Le Vaillant learned local languages (Spanish, Quechua; Hottentot, Namaqua) in order to eliminate the intermediation of an interpreter. In linguistically fragmented areas, they worked with random natural interpreters. French scientists also made use of the native inhabitants’ familiarity with European languages: official languages of the colonies (Spanish in Peru, Dutch in South Africa) and French, the language of social, cultural and scientific discourse in the 18th century, which they acquired for pleasure.
A Class of Recursive Optimal Stopping Problems with Applications to Stock Trading
Authors: Colaneri Katia , De Angelis Tiziano
Published: December 2021

In this paper, we introduce and solve a class of optimal stopping problems of recursive type. In particular, the stopping payoff depends directly on the value function of the problem itself. In a multidimensional Markovian setting, we show that the problem is well posed in the sense that the value is indeed the unique solution to a fixed point problem in a suitable space of continuous functions, and an optimal stopping time exists. We then apply our class of problems to a model for stock trading in two different market venues, and we determine the optimal stopping rule in that case.
A Review of The Contribution of Gut-Dependent Microbiota Derived Marker, Trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO), in Coronary Artery Disease
Authors: Konda Mohan Vasanth , George Melvin
Published: December 2021

Coronary artery disease (CAD) has a high prevalence and one of the principal drivers of mortality worldwide. Therefore, there is a requirement to develop sensitive diagnostic biomarkers, disease progression control and therapeutic stratification in order to keep a check on the disease rate. Atherosclerosis is a systemic disease, the main cause of heart disease, is associated with hyperlipidemia and lipid oxidation and has always been a common single leading cause of death in well-developed countries. In the attempts to study CAD and the causative agents for the disease, a metabolite circulating in the plasma termed trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO) has been found out to be an independent risk factor that increases CAD risk. The use of a metabolomic approach has proven useful in the recent past, as it can aid in the identification and quantification of several metabolites that play a crucial role for diagnosis and exploring therapeutic targets. TMAO is majorly synthesized by a process which involves the bioconversion of gut microbiota and hepatic flavin monooxygenases (FMOs) from nutrient-containing dietary trimethylamine (TMA). TMA is synthesized by gut bacterial fermentation from the components present in meat such as phosphatidylcholine (PC), betaine, choline, and L-carnitine. It can accentuate the process of atherosclerosis through the novel meta-organismal metabolic pathway. TMAO leads to atherogenesis by increasing vascular inflammation, reducing vascular functions and disrupting cholesterol homeostasis at various levels. This review article attempts to summarize the pool of evidence collected on the microbiota-dependent TMAO and its association with atherosclerosis. We performed literature search with Medline, PubMed, and Google Scholar, on “TMAO in CAD”, “metabolites in CAD” and “TMAO in other diseases” from the year 1990 to 2020. Although the circulatory TMAO has been identified as an independent marker for CAD, there is still no conclusive evidence to justify its role as a routine marker for CAD diagnosis. Future research must clarify the mechanisms which underpin these complex associations to determine if there is a causal link exists between TMAO and CAD.
Food Marketing to Children in Iran: Regulation that Needs Further Regulation
Authors: Omidvar Nasrin , Al-Jawaldeh Ayoub , Amini Maryam , Babashahi Mina , Abdollahi Zahra , Ranjbar Mansour
Published: December 2021

Increased exposure to advertising of unhealthy food products is one of the main risk factors for the increased prevalence of childhood obesity and non-communicable diseases. This scoping review aimed to investigate the characteristics and effects of food advertisements targeted at children in Iran and review the existing regulations on food marketing targeted at children in the country. In this study, we searched Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed, Google, and Google scholar, in addition to Iranian scientific search engines, including Iranian Research Institute for Information Science and Technology (Iran.doc), Scientific Information Database (SID), Iranmedex, Magiran, and Civilica up to December 2020 to find any literature about food marketing to children in Iran and current related regulations and policies in the country. A total of 23 eligible studies were selected for this review. Most of the studies had focused on television as the media to assess. The main food products advertised with reference to children included: Salty snacks, including cheese puffs, chips, cheese fish snacks, puffed corn, and sweet snacks such as ice creams, cakes/biscuits/cookies and candies, beverages/drinks/soft drinks/fruit juices, dried fruits and fruit rolls, and chocolates. Strategies that most commonly used in marketing foods to children in Iran were emotional appeals, misleading messages/claims, use of music and known characters to children, as well as conveying happiness and/or security. The main reported violation of food regulations included using obese children, either as consumers or presenters of the product. In Iran the advertising of unhealthy food products for the general population is banned; however, it is weakly implemented. There are a limited number of regulations that have addressed children explicitly in this regard. The main barriers identified in partial implementation of regulations included weakness in scientific criteria, legal enforcement guarantee, poor intersectoral collaboration, inadequate infrastructures, and poor monitoring. Policies and regulations in food marketing need to clearly address children as an important audience. It is suggested future policies focused on children cover all forms of food marketing and consider all types of persuasive food marketing strategies targeted at children.
Corchorus olitorius L. Leaf Extract Protects Rats from Acrylamide-Induced Hepatic Injury
Authors: Abdulllah Al-Khalifah Bassam Ibrahim , Ahmed Faiyaz
Published: December 2021

Acrylamide is a water-soluble compound that forms during the high-temperature cooking of starchy foods and has carcinogenic, neurotoxic, and genotoxic properties. Also, short-term exposure to acrylamide has been shown to cause significant hepatic injury in laboratory animals, along with disruption of antioxidant defense mechanisms due to excessive ROS production. Therefore, dietary antioxidants are believed to be useful in combating the negative effects of acrylamide. Corchorus olitoris L., also known as molokhia in Arabic, is a leafy vegetable which is shown to possess potent antioxidant and organoprotective properties. In this study, rats were administered with an aqueous extract of molokhia leaves to see if it could protect them against acrylamide-induced hepatic damage. Hepatic injury markers included serum total protein, total bilirubin, ALT, AST, and ALP, while oxidative stress markers included MDA, GSH, CAT, and SOD after dosing with three levels of extract (100, 250, and 500 mg/kg) for 21 days. Results indicated that the extracts substantially reduced elevated levels of bilirubin, ALT, AST, ALP, and MDA to normal levels at all doses. The extracts also brought serum protein, GSH, CAT, and SOD levels back to normal. Although the restoration of serum hepatic enzyme levels was dose dependent, no specific dose dependent relationship was found for serum proteins, MDA, GSH, CAT, or SOD activities. The study's findings show that molokhia leaves extract protects against acrylamide-induced hepatic damage by virtue of its good radical scavenging and anti-lipiperoxidative properties conferred by phenolics, flavonoids, and alkaloids.
Sensory Profiles of Chocolate Drinks Made from Commercial Fermented Cocoa Powder and Unfermented Cocoa Beans
Authors: Cempaka Laras , Rahmawati Eva Aulia , Ardiansyah Ardiansyah , David Wahyudi
Published: December 2021

Polyphenols are the major bioactive compounds of cocoa beans. The addition of unfermented cocoa beans powder is used to enhance the functional properties of the chocolate drink. This study aimed to analyze the sensory profile of chocolate drinks made from a mixture of commercial cocoa powder and non-fermented cocoa beans by the projective mapping method. Seventy-five naive panelists tested four types of chocolate drink formulations and one benchmark (BM). The beverage formulations based on commercial cocoa powder consist of Formulations 1 (F1), F2, F3, F4 namely with the addition of 0, 10%, 20%, and 30% unfermented cocoa powder, respectively. The result showed that samples F1, F2, F3, and F4 had the dominant attributes of chocolate aroma, bitter taste, and bitter aftertaste. Whereas, BM has a dominant sensory profile of chocolate aroma, sweet taste, and sweet aftertaste. The highest value elevation (95o) is the benchmark (commercial chocolate powder drink). The next height value is in sample F1 which is located at an altitude of 20o-30o. Samples F2, F3, and F4 are the samples that have the lowest elevation (20o). Thus, the addition of cocoa powder from unfermented cocoa beans has not been accepted by consumers due to its bitter taste and bitter aftertaste.
Fermentation Parameters of Suero Costeño Elaborated with Lactic Acid Bacteria Strains
Authors: Acevedo Diofanor , Montero Castillo Piedad M. , Jaimes Morales José
Published: December 2021

Studying the fermentation parameters of "Suero Costeño" was the focus of this research, considered a traditional product in the Caribbean region of Colombia, inoculated with lactic acid bacteria Lactococcus lactis subsp. Lactis (ATCC29146) and Lactobacillus paracasei subsp. paracasei (ATCC 334). It was found that the percentage of lactose decreased progressively during the hours of fermentation, with a minimum lactose value of 3.1% at 15 h for the samples of Suero Costeño with L. lactis, while for L. paracasei the percentage of lactose was 3.4%. L. paracasei the percentage of lactose was 3.4%; on the other hand, the pH, which is a limiting factor in the fermentation process, was reported to have a considerable reduction in the samples with L. lactis in comparison with L. paracasei, at the end of the fermentation process at 15 h, with values of 4.3 and 4.5, respectively. Finally, the sensory evaluation allowed establishing that the Suero Costeño with L. lactis obtained similar values to that produced in a traditional way, and therefore its use can be recommended in this type of dairy products as a starter culture.
Physical and Nutritional Properties of Local Hawm Gra Dang Ngah Rice Varieties
Authors: Panomwan Pornpen , Temdee Wattana
Published: December 2021

Information on the local rice varieties grown in each Tambon (subdistrict), community or part of Thailand is still outdated. The present pilot work aimed to determine physical characteristics (grain dimensions, 1000-grain weight and color parameters) of paddy and dehusked rice in order to enhance the nutritional quality of these varieties. Moreover, it further supports cultivation of local Hawm Gra Dang Ngah (HGDN) rice in Narathiwat to ultimately develop to commercial premium quality. The nutritional values of dehusked rice were also compared among Tambons, as well as between the dehusked rice of local HGDN versus pure line selection HGDN PTNC09002-59. The study analysed rice samples grown locally in 4 Tambons: Bangkhunthong, Phron, Praiwan and Salamai in Takbai Amphoe (district), Narathiwat, Thailand. The main findings in this study revealed that medium and long types of both paddy and dehusked rice were all found in each Tambon. Moreover, local dehusked HGDN grain was darker red-brown color. All Tambons were found to contain comparable nutrient levels. High levels of dietary fiber were detected in all Tambons. Overall, the dehusked HGDN rice grown in Bangkhunthong showed the highest levels of vitamin B2 and calcium. The dehusked HGDN (100 g/dry weight) in Bangkhunthong, Phron, Praiwan and Salamai contains protein; 8.73±0.01, 7.65±0.00, 8.22±0.03 and 6.83±0.03, iron; 8.73±0.01, 7.65±0.00, 8.22±0.03 and 6.83±0.03, ash; 1.19±0.00, 0.75±0.00, 1.10±0.00 and 1.34±0.00. These findings provide new information about local HGDN, and may be utilized to support the agricultural community in Takbai, enabling the selection of optimal HGDN varieties for local commercial use, as well as in breeding programs, to facilitate the promotion of local HGDN in the national Thai rice market.
6G Mobile Communications for Multi-Robot Smart Factory
Authors: Chen Zhenyi , Chen Kwang-Cheng , Dong Chen , Nie Zixiang
Published: December 2021

Private or special-purpose wireless networks present a new technological trend for future mobile communications, while one attractive application scenario is the wireless communication in a smart factory. In addition to wireless technologies, this paper pays special attention to treat a smart factory as the integration of collaborative multi-robot systems for production robots and transportation robots. Multiple aspects of collaborative multi-robot systems enabled by wireless networking have been investigated, dynamic multi-robot task assignment for collaborative production robots and subsequent transportation robots, social learning to enhance precision and robustness of collaborative production robots, and more efficient operation of collaborative transportation robots. Consequently, the technical requirements of 6G mobile communication can be logically highlighted.
Analysis of earthquakes recordings of tidal gravimeters in the period range of 10-1000 s
Authors: Karkowska Kamila
Published: December 2021

The physical properties of tidal gravimetric instruments allow recording, not only tidal effects, but also waves generated by earthquakes. Three gravimetric stations with determined transfer functions and co-located seismic stations from the observatories in Western and Central Europe were selected for analysis. The observatories are equipped with almost all types of sensors available on the market, which allow for thorough analysis of earthquake recordings in the period range of 10–1000 s. In total, over 10,000 traces of worldwide earthquakes were investigated. The saturation levels of gravimeters as well as a correlation between the gravimetric and seismometric signals of an earthquake were carefully analysed. A simple processing scheme of gravimetric signal of earthquakes was adopted thanks to the probabilistic power spectral density analysis of continuous recordings. The detail analysis of transfer function of gravimeters allowed to define a period range when a sensitivity coefficient (calibration factor) and a time lag value only can be used to properly describe the properties of instruments. What’s more, it has been shown based on the calculated group-velocity dispersion curves of fundamental mode of Rayleigh waves, that the Earth’s mantle structure can be determined for greater depths from the recording of tidal gravimeters than from typical broad-band seismometers.
Error analysis of L-PPM modulated MIMO based multi-user NOMA-VLC system
with perfect and imperfect SIC
Authors: Dixit Vipul , Kumar Atul
Published: December 2021

By offering a wide license-free spectrum, visible light communication (VLC) has emerged
as a game-changing technology for networks beyond 5G. In this study,
the multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) technology is combined with
a non-orthogonal multiple access VLC (NOMA-VLC) system to provide a
reliable error-free high data rate network for multi-user scenarios. A
generalized

L

-PPM modulated MIMO based multi-user
NOMA-VLC system with

M
×
N

line-of-sight connections for each
user is presented. Considering a practical scenario of imperfect
successive interference cancellation, a novel, to the best of our
knowledge, closed form formulation of error probability for the
proposed system is obtained. This study also includes a comprehensive
analysis of two-user and three-user

L

-PPM modulated

2
×
2

MIMO-NOMA-VLC systems, and exact
error probability expressions are derived. With the identical set of
parameters, the

L

-PPM modulated MIMO-NOMA-VLC system
totally outperforms the on–off keying modulated MIMO-NOMA-VLC system.
As the number of photodetectors per user increases, the error
probability of the considered system decreases. An

L

-PPM modulated

2
×
2

MIMO based three-user NOMA-VLC system
offers the best performance at a power allocation co-efficient of

0.3

. The simulation results validate the
derived error probability expressions.
SWIFT: A deep learning approach to prediction of hypoxemic events in critically-Ill patients using SpO2 waveform prediction
Authors: Annapragada Akshaya V. , Greenstein Joseph L. , Bose Sanjukta N. , Winters Bradford D. , Sarma Sridevi V. , Winslow Raimond L.
Published: December 2021

Hypoxemia is a significant driver of mortality and poor clinical outcomes in conditions such as brain injury and cardiac arrest in critically ill patients, including COVID-19 patients. Given the host of negative clinical outcomes attributed to hypoxemia, identifying patients likely to experience hypoxemia would offer valuable opportunities for early and thus more effective intervention. We present SWIFT (SpO2 Waveform ICU Forecasting Technique), a deep learning model that predicts blood oxygen saturation (SpO2) waveforms 5 and 30 minutes in the future using only prior SpO2 values as inputs. When tested on novel data, SWIFT predicts more than 80% and 60% of hypoxemic events in critically ill and COVID-19 patients, respectively. SWIFT also predicts SpO2 waveforms with average MSE below .0007. SWIFT predicts both occurrence and magnitude of potential hypoxemic events 30 minutes in the future, allowing it to be used to inform clinical interventions, patient triaging, and optimal resource allocation. SWIFT may be used in clinical decision support systems to inform the management of critically ill patients during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.
Adverse events following the first dose of Covishield (ChAdOx1 nCoV-19) vaccination among health workers in selected districts of central and western Nepal: A cross-sectional study
Authors: Subedi Prativa , Yadav Gopal Kumar , Paudel Binod , Regmi Anu , Pyakurel Prajjwal
Published: December 2021

Introduction

The study aimed at exploring the adverse events following immunization (AEFI) and their incidences among health workers in three different districts of central and western Nepal following the first dose of Covishield vaccine,. It also aimed at studying the association of AEFI with demographic and clinical characteristics of vaccinees, pre-vaccination anxiety level and prior history of COVID-19 infection (RT- PCR confirmed) status.

Materials and methods

This was a cross-sectional study carried out via face-to-face or telephonic interview among 1006 health workers one week after receiving their first dose of the Covishield vaccine. Incidence of adverse events was calculated in percentage while Chi-square Test was used to check the association of AEFI with independent variables. Logistic regression was used to find out the adjusted odd’s ratio at 95% CI.

Results

Incidence of AEFI was 79.8% with local and systemic AEFI being 68.0% and 59.7% respectively. Injection site tenderness was the commonest manifestation. Local and systemic symptoms resolved in less than one week among 96.8% and 98.7% vaccinees respectively. Females were more likely to develop AEFI than males (AOR = 1.7, 95% CI = 1.2–2.4). Vaccinees aged 45–59 years were 50% less likely to develop AEFI as compared to those aged less than 30 years (AOR 0.5, 95% CI = 0.3–0.8). Most of the vaccinees had not undergone RT-PCR testing for COVID-19 (59.8%). Those who were not tested for COVID-19 prior were 1.5 odds more likely to develop AEFI compared to those who were negative (AOR = 1.5, 95% CI = 1.1–2.1).

Conclusion

More than two-third of the vaccinees developed one or more forms of adverse events, but most events were self-limiting. Females and young adults were more prone to develop AEFI.
Time trends, factors associated with, and reasons for COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy: A massive online survey of US adults from January-May 2021
Authors: King Wendy C. , Rubinstein Max , Reinhart Alex , Mejia Robin
Published: December 2021

Importance

COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy has become a leading barrier to increasing the US vaccination rate.

Objective

To evaluate time trends in COVID-19 vaccine intent during the US vaccine rollout, and identify key factors related to and self-reported reasons for COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in May 2021.

Design, participants and setting

A COVID-19 survey was offered to US adult Facebook users in several languages yielding 5,088,772 qualifying responses from January 6 to May 31, 2021. Data was aggregated by month. Survey weights matched the sample to the age, gender, and state profile of the US population.

Exposure

Demographics, geographic factors, political/COVID-19 environment, health status, beliefs, and behaviors.

Main outcome measures

“If a vaccine to prevent COVID-19 were offered to you today, would you choose to get vaccinated.” Hesitant was defined as responding probably or definitely would not choose to get vaccinated (versus probably or definitely would, or already vaccinated).

Results

COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy decreased by one-third from 25.4% (95%CI, 25.3, 25.5) in January to 16.6% (95% CI, 16.4, 16.7) in May, with relatively large decreases among participants with Black, Pacific Islander or Hispanic race/ethnicity and ≤high school education. Independent risk factors for vaccine hesitancy in May (N = 525,644) included younger age, non-Asian race, < 4 year college degree, living in a more rural county, living in a county with higher Trump vote share in the 2020 election, lack of worry about COVID-19, working outside the home, never intentionally avoiding contact with others, and no past-year flu vaccine. Differences in hesitancy by race/ethnicity varied by age (e.g., Black adults more hesitant than White adults <35 years old, but less hesitant among adults ≥45 years old). Differences in hesitancy by age varied by race/ethnicity. Almost half of vaccine hesitant respondents reported fear of side effects (49.2% [95%CI, 48.7, 49.7]) and not trusting the COVID-19 vaccine (48.4% [95%CI, 48.0, 48.9]); over one-third reported not trusting the government, not needing the vaccine, and waiting to see if safe. Reasons differed by degree of vaccine intent and by race/ethnicity.

Conclusion

COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy varied by demographics, geography, beliefs, and behaviors, indicating a need for a range of messaging and policy options to target high-hesitancy groups.
Top-down, bottom-up, and history-driven processing of multisensory attentional cues in intellectual disability: An experimental study in virtual reality
Authors: Kim Jinwook , Hwang Eugene , Shin Heesook , Gil Youn-Hee , Lee Jeongmi
Published: December 2021

Models of attention demonstrated the existence of top-down, bottom-up, and history-driven attentional mechanisms, controlled by partially segregated networks of brain areas. However, few studies have examined the specific deficits in those attentional mechanisms in intellectual disability within the same experimental setting. The aim of the current study was to specify the attentional deficits in intellectual disability in top-down, bottom-up, and history-driven processing of multisensory stimuli, and gain insight into effective attentional cues that could be utilized in cognitive training programs for intellectual disability. The performance of adults with mild to moderate intellectual disability (n = 20) was compared with that of typically developing controls (n = 20) in a virtual reality visual search task. The type of a spatial cue that could aid search performance was manipulated to be either endogenous or exogenous in different sensory modalities (visual, auditory, tactile). The results identified that attentional deficits in intellectual disability are overall more pronounced in top-down rather than in bottom-up processing, but with different magnitudes across cue types: The auditory or tactile endogenous cues were much less effective than the visual endogenous cue in the intellectual disability group. Moreover, the history-driven processing in intellectual disability was altered, such that a reversed priming effect was observed for immediate repetitions of the same cue type. These results suggest that the impact of intellectual disability on attentional processing is specific to attentional mechanisms and cue types, which has theoretical as well as practical implications for developing effective cognitive training programs for the target population.
Luck of the draw: Role of chance in the assignment of medicare readmissions penalties
Authors: Wilcock Andrew D. , Joshi Sushant , Escarce José , Huckfeldt Peter J. , Nuckols Teryl , Popescu Ioana , Sood Neeraj
Published: December 2021

Pay-for-performance programs are one strategy used by health plans to improve the efficiency and quality of care delivered to beneficiaries. Under such programs, providers are often compared against their peers in order to win bonuses or face penalties in payment. Yet luck has the potential to affect performance assessment through randomness in the sorting of patients among providers or through random events during the evaluation period. To investigate the impact luck can have on the assessment of performance, we investigated its role in assigning penalties under Medicare’s Hospital Readmissions Reduction Policy (HRRP), a program that penalizes hospitals with excess readmissions. We performed simulations that estimated program hospitals’ 2015 readmission penalties in 1,000 different hypothetical fiscal years. These hypothetical fiscal years were created by: (a) randomly varying which patients were admitted to each hospital and (b) randomly varying the readmission status of discharged patients. We found significant differences in penalty sizes and probability of penalty across hypothetical fiscal years, signifying the importance of luck in readmission performance under the HRRP. Nearly all of the impact from luck arose from events occurring after hospital discharge. Luck played a smaller role in determining penalties for hospitals with more beds, teaching hospitals, and safety-net hospitals.
Abdominal pain and cirrhosis at diagnosis of hemochromatosis: Analysis of 219 referred probands with HFE p.C282Y homozygosity and a literature review
Authors: Barton James C. , Barton J. Clayborn , Patel Neha , McLaren Gordon D.
Published: December 2021

Background

In hemochromatosis, causes of abdominal pain and its associations with cirrhosis are poorly understood.

Methods

We retrospectively compared characteristics of referred hemochromatosis probands withHFEp.C282Y homozygosity with/without biopsy-proven cirrhosis: sex, age, diabetes, heavy alcohol consumption, abdominal pain/tenderness, hepatomegaly, splenomegaly, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, chronic viral hepatitis, ascites, transferrin saturation (TS), serum ferritin (SF), and iron removed by phlebotomy (QFe). We performed logistic regression on cirrhosis using characteristics identified in univariate comparisons. We performed computerized and manual searches to identify hemochromatosis case series and compiled prevalence data on cirrhosis and abdominal pain and causes of abdominal pain.

Results

Of 219 probands, 57.1% were men. Mean age was 48±13 y. In 22 probands with cirrhosis, proportions of men, mean age, prevalences of heavy alcohol consumption, abdominal pain, abdominal tenderness, hepatomegaly, splenomegaly, and chronic viral hepatitis, and median TS, SF, and QFe were significantly greater than in probands without cirrhosis. Regression analysis revealed three associations with cirrhosis: abdominal pain (p = 0.0292; odds ratio 9.8 (95% CI: 1.2, 76.9)); chronic viral hepatitis (p = 0.0153; 11.5 (95% CI: 1.6, 83.3)); and QFe (p = 0.0009; 1.2 (95% CI: 1.1, 1.3)). Of eight probands with abdominal pain, five had cirrhosis and four had diabetes. One proband each with abdominal pain had heavy alcohol consumption, chronic viral hepatitis B, hepatic sarcoidosis, hepatocellular carcinoma, and chronic cholecystitis, cholelithiasis, and sigmoid diverticulitis. Abdominal pain was alleviated after phlebotomy alone in four probands. In 12 previous reports (1935–2011), there was a negative correlation of cirrhosis prevalence and publication year (p = 0.0033). In 11 previous reports (1935–1996), a positive association of abdominal pain prevalence and publication year was not significant (p = 0.0802).

Conclusions

Abdominal pain, chronic viral hepatitis, and QFe are significantly associated with cirrhosis in referred hemochromatosis probands withHFEp.C282Y homozygosity. Iron-related and non-iron-related factors contribute to the occurrence of abdominal pain.
Genero-berdintasuna eta emakume eta nesken ahalduntzea: populazioaren erdiarekiko zorrak
Authors: Pérez Urdiales Iratxe
Published: December 2021

Genero-berdintasuna oinarrizko giza eskubide bat bada ere, ez dago berdintasun oso eta efektiboa lortu duen herrialderik. Generoen desberdintasuna sistema patriarkalaren bitartez erreproduzitzen da, eta sistema horrek, era berean, eremu publiko zein pribatuan emakumeen kalterako generoen arteko erlazio-botereak arautu, eta emakumeak sistematikoki uzten ditu gizarte-erakunde erabakitzaileetatik kanpo. Garapen Jasangarrirako 5. Helburua hizpide hartuta, hots, genero-berdintasuna lortzea eta emakume nahiz neskato guztiak ahalduntzea, artikulu honen xedea helburu horren erronkek barneratzen dituzten diskriminazio-faktoreak gure inguru hurbilean edota mundu mailan kokatzea izango da. Horretarako, gaiari buruzko dokumentuen bilaketa selektibo bat egin eta kritikoki irakurri ostean, informazioa laburtu eta egokitu da. Erronkek mahai gainean jartzen dituzte maila indibidual eta kolektiboan zuzendu beharreko diskriminazio-faktoreak, hala nola genero-indarkeria, praktika kultural kaltegarriak, zaintzen gainpisua, sexu- eta ugalketa-eskubideak ez betetzea, teknologiaren erabilera eta lurraren jabetza eskasa, eta eremu nagusiki politikoan gertatzen diren diskriminazio politikoa eta goi mailako erakunde erabakitzaileetako parte-hartzea eta genero-berdintasuna eta ahalduntzea sustatzeko politiken urritasuna. Lan honetan, lehenik, Garapen Jasangarrirako 5. Helburua ulertzeko oinarrizko kontzeptuak azaltzen dira. Gero, helburuaren erronkak banaka aztertu ondoren, bakoitzaren adierazleen bitartez agerian geratzen diren diskriminazio-faktoreak azaleratzen dira.
PLATFORM COOPS NOW!: A team entrepreneurship capacity building program to create platform coops
Authors: Pillado Arbide Liher , Etxeberria Aranburu Ander , Tokarski Giovanni
Published: December 2021

Traditional labour relationships have been disrupted due to the digital platforms based businesses. This article aims on the one hand to share the consequences the sharing economy has generated for workers, and how MONDRAGON’s principles as one of the best examples of worker owned business group in the world, can be applied within the new digital era. On the other hand, this paper provides a literature review on how digital platforms can operate with fairer principles based on the framework that platform coops consist of. Last but not least, Mondragon University and The New School have set up a capacity building program on team entrepreneurship and an online incubation program that aims to support the creation of platform coops, whose results after two editions and future opportunities for research are shared.
Las Cofradías de Pescadores en Euskadi como entidades de la economía social
Authors: Arrieta Idiakez Francisco Javier , Martínez Etxeberria Gonzalo , López Rodríguez Josune
Published: December 2021

A través de este estudio se pretende justificar que las Cofradías de Pescadores de Euskadi encajan en el concepto de entidad de la Economía Social que establece la Ley 5/2011, de 29 de marzo, de Economía Social. Ciertamente, se considera que no es suficiente con que dicha ley mencione a las Cofradías de Pescadores como entidad de la Economía Social, sino que es necesario que, en la práctica, se cumplan determinados principios, fácilmente identificables en la propia ley. Para ello, en primer lugar, se llevará a cabo una caracterización de las Cofradías de Pescadores de Euskadi, principalmente, para demostrar que, pese a su naturaleza jurídica de Corporación de Derecho Público, cumplen con el principio de independencia respecto a los poderes públicos. A continuación, se analiza si, en la práctica, las Cofradías de Pescadores cumplen con el resto de principios orientativos de la Economía Social, y si también desarrollan actividad económica y satisfacen bien el interés colectivo de sus integrantes, bien el interés general económico y social, o ambos. Debe destacarse que para llevar a cabo este estudio se han analizado pormenorizadamente todos los Estatutos de las Cofradías de Pescadores de Euskadi.