bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Does interactive ultrasound intervention relieve minor depressive symptoms and increase maternal attachment in pregnancy? A protocol for a randomized controlled trial
Authors: Pulliainen Henrika , Sari-Ahlqvist-Björkroth  , Ekholm Eeva
Published: April 2022

Background

Perinatal depression, especially minor depression, is common during pregnancy and is likely to continue into the postpartum period. It may impair the mother’s health, the infant’s neurodevelopment, and the mother-infant relationship. Screening for perinatal depression is recommended; however, there is no consensus on how to treat depressive symptoms while simultaneously supporting the mother-infant relationship. Ultrasound examination has been shown to improve maternal-fetal attachment among pregnant women. Our aim is to develop a four-dimensional (4D) based interactive ultrasound intervention and test whether it relieves minor depressive symptoms and improves maternal-fetal attachment. Previous studies show that supporting the mother-infant relationship aids in relieving maternal depression. Until now, few studies have combined pregnancy ultrasound and psychological support.

Methods

A controlled randomized setting was designed to assess whether interactive 4D-ultrasound intervention would decrease maternal depressive symptoms, strengthen maternal-fetal attachment, and mother-infant relationship. An obstetrician and a psychologist specialized in infant mental health conduct the interventions. The focus is to jointly observe the behavior of the fetus according to the mothers’ wishes. Altogether, 100 women scoring 10–15 on Edinburgh Pre-/Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) and with singleton pregnancy are recruited using a web-based questionnaire. Half of the participants will be randomized to the intervention group and will undergo three interactive ultrasound examinations. The primary outcomes are a decrease in perinatal depressive symptoms assessed with EPDS and an increase in maternal attachment. The maternal attachment was assessed using the Working Model of the Child Interview (WMCI), the Maternal Antenatal Attachment Scale (MAAS), and the Maternal Postnatal Attachment Scale (MPAS). Secondly, we hypothesize that if the intervention decreases prenatal depressive symptoms and improves prenatal attachment, the decrease in depressive symptoms and improvement in mother-infant relationship is seen postnatally.

Discussion

Ultrasound is widely used during pregnancy. The interactive approach is unique and may be feasible as part of routine screenings and maternity clinic visits. Intervention that decreases depression and simultaneously supports maternal-fetal attachment would be a valuable addition to the treatment of minor depression among pregnant women.

Trial registration

ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03424642. Registered on January 5 2018.
Assessing the effectiveness of a LGBT cultural competency training for oncologists: study protocol for a randomized pragmatic trial
Authors: Seay Julia , Hernandez Eryk N. , Pérez-Morales Jaileene , Quinn Gwendolyn P. , Schabath Matthew B.
Published: April 2022

Background

LGBT patients may have unique psychosocial cancer care needs, and healthcare providers should have knowledge and understanding of these unique needs to effectively address disparities through the delivery of personalized healthcare. As such, our group developed and piloted a web-based LGBT cultural competency training designed specifically for oncologists called the Curriculum for Oncologists on LGBT populations to Optimize Relevance and Skills (COLORS). We designed a randomized pragmatic trial for oncologists to compare the effectiveness of the COLORS training versus a general online LGBT cultural competency training in improving LGBT-related knowledge, attitudes, and clinical practices.

Methods/design

Study procedures include an 8-step approach for recruitment, randomization, retention, and completion of the interventions. Oncologists of any subspecialty who are currently practicing physicians will be identified from the American Medical Association Masterfile. Approximately 5000 oncologists will be sent a FedEx envelope with an invitation letter and study timeline. Electronic consent is obtained using a secure REDCap (Research Electronic Data Capture) portal hosted at the Moffitt Cancer Center (Tampa, FL) where the oncologists will complete the eligibility questionnaire, pre-training assessments, and then will be randomized to complete the COLORS training or an online general healthcare training offered by the National LGBT Health Education Center. Effectiveness of both trainings will be assessed utilizing self-reported measures of LGBT-related knowledge, attitudes, and affirming clinical practices. The measures will be collected before and directly after training completion, as well as 3-month post-training completion. The primary outcomes are changes in knowledge, attitudes, and practice behaviors regarding LGBT cancer patients from pre-test to post-test training in the COLORS training vs. the comparison training.

Discussion

The overarching premise of this trial is to assess the effectiveness of the COLORS cultural competency training program. If successful, among oncologists who completed the COLORS training should yield statistically significantly improvements in knowledge, attitudes, and affirming practice.
Mitochondrial supplementation of Sus scrofa metaphase II oocytes alters DNA methylation and gene expression profiles of blastocysts
Authors: Okada Takashi , McIlfatrick Stephen , Hin Nhi , Aryamanesh Nader , Breen James , St. John Justin C.
Published: April 2022

Background

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) copy number in oocytes correlates with oocyte quality and fertilisation outcome. The introduction of additional copies of mtDNA through mitochondrial supplementation of mtDNA-deficient Sus scrofa oocytes resulted in: (1) improved rates of fertilisation; (2) increased mtDNA copy number in the 2-cell stage embryo; and (3) improved development of the embryo to the blastocyst stage. Furthermore, a subset of genes showed changes in gene expression. However, it is still unknown if mitochondrial supplementation alters global and local DNA methylation patterns during early development.

Results

We generated a series of embryos in a model animal, Sus scrofa, by intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) and mitochondrial supplementation in combination with ICSI (mICSI). The DNA methylation status of ICSI- and mICSI-derived blastocysts was analysed by whole genome bisulfite sequencing. At a global level, the additional copies of mtDNA did not affect nuclear DNA methylation profiles of blastocysts, though over 2000 local genomic regions exhibited differential levels of DNA methylation. In terms of the imprinted genes, DNA methylation patterns were conserved in putative imprint control regions; and the gene expression profile of these genes and genes involved in embryonic genome activation were not affected by mitochondrial supplementation. However, 52 genes showed significant differences in expression as demonstrated by RNAseq analysis. The affected gene networks involved haematological system development and function, tissue morphology and cell cycle. Furthermore, seven mtDNA-encoded t-RNAs were downregulated in mICSI-derived blastocysts suggesting that extra copies of mtDNA affected tRNA processing and/or turnover, hence protein synthesis in blastocysts. We also showed a potential association between differentially methylated regions and changes in expression for 55 genes due to mitochondrial supplementation.

Conclusions

The addition of just an extra ~ 800 copies of mtDNA into oocytes can have a significant impact on both gene expression and DNA methylation profiles in Sus scrofa blastocysts by altering the epigenetic programming established during oogenesis. Some of these changes may affect specific tissue-types later in life. Consequently, it is important to determine the longitudinal effect of these molecular changes on growth and development before considering human clinical practice.
Impact of serum interleukin-22 as a biomarker for the differential use of molecular targeted drugs in psoriatic arthritis: a retrospective study
Authors: Miyagawa Ippei , Nakayamada Shingo , Ueno Masanobu , Miyazaki Yusuke , Iwata Shigeru , Kubo Satoshi , Sonomoto Koshiro , Anan Junpei , Ohkubo Naoaki , Inoue Yoshino , Tanaka Yoshiya
Published: April 2022

Background

We explored whether serum cytokines could be used as biomarkers for optimal use of tumor necrosis factor inhibitors (TNF-i) and interleukin (IL)-17 inhibitors (IL-17-i) in patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA).

Methods

In cohort 1 (47 patients treated with IL-17-i [n=23] or TNF-i [n=24] for ≥1 year), we identified serum cytokines that predicted the achievement of Disease Activity in Psoriatic Arthritis-remission (DAPSA-REM), Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) 90, and Minimal Disease Activity after 1 year of TNF-i or IL-17-i therapy. Subsequently, we developed treatment strategies based on the identified cytokines; initiation of IL-17-i therapy in patients with low IL-22 concentrations (IL-22 <0.61376 pg/ml) and TNF-i therapy in patients with high IL-22 concentrations (0.61376< IL-22 pg/ml). In cohort 2 (34 patients), treatment responses were compared between the strategic treatment group (n=17), which was treated based on the treatment strategies, and the mismatched treatment group (n=17) to verify the validity of the treatment strategies developed using serum cytokines as biomarkers.

Results

In cohort 1, serum IL-22 concentration was identified as a predictor of DAPSA-remission after 1 year of IL-17-i therapy. Regarding treatment strategies, we selected TNF-i for patients with high IL-22 concentrations and IL-17-i for those with low IL-22 concentrations. There were no significant differences in the baseline characteristics between the strategic and mismatched treatment groups. Regarding treatment effects, activity significantly improved at 1 year in both groups. Upon comparison of the treatment effects, the rate of achieving DAPSA-REM and Minimal Disease Activity at month 12 was significantly higher in the strategic treatment group.

Conclusions

The results of this pilot study suggest that IL-22 may be a biomarker of treatment response to TNF-i and IL-17-i in patients with PsA. Further large-scale studies in independent, prospectively collected datasets are required to verify that IL-22 is indeed a biomarker of treatment response in these patients.
Wisconsin syndrome with brain volume laterality: a case report and review of the literature
Authors: Okano Satomi , Makita Yoshio , Kimura Kayano , Fukuda Ikue , Miyamoto Akie , Tanaka Hajime
Published: April 2022

Background

Wisconsin syndrome is a congenital anomaly caused by a 3q interstitial deletion. It is associated with characteristic facies and developmental delays. Only 33 cases with a deletion estimated to be in the associated region 3q25 have been reported.

Case report

We present the case of a 5-year-old Japanese girl with a 3q24q25.2 deletion. Her facial features corresponded to the Wisconsin syndrome phenotype, and she exhibited brain volume laterality, which has not been reported previously.

Conclusion

The clinical features of our case may contribute to narrowing down the list of candidate genes of Wisconsin syndrome.
Optimization of ACF-DSR-based joint Doppler shift and SNR estimator for Internet of Vehicle system
Authors: Wen Jiangang , Yan Lei , Feng Xiaofei , Ni Zhengwei , Hua Jingyu , Xu Zhijiang
Published: April 2022

Accurate vehicle speed estimation is required for intelligent internet of vehicles, and it can be realized by Doppler shift estimation in mobile communication. In this paper, the ACF-DSR (autocorrelation function-double sampling rate) method for joint Doppler shift and SNR estimation is further investigated. Based on the analysis of ACF, an improved algorithm model taking account of estimation deviation is formulated. Then, the effects of sampling intervals in DSR are figured out by mean square error analysis of estimation, and two better choices are obtained. By Monte Carlo simulations, it is demonstrated that the optimized ACF-DSR method with better choice of sampling intervals can achieve better estimation and outperform previous methods.
Paralinguistic singing attribute recognition using supervised machine learning for describing the classical tenor solo singing voice in vocal pedagogy
Authors: Xu Yanze , Wang Weiqing , Cui Huahua , Xu Mingyang , Li Ming
Published: April 2022

Humans can recognize someone’s identity through their voice and describe the timbral phenomena of voices. Likewise, the singing voice also has timbral phenomena. In vocal pedagogy, vocal teachers listen and then describe the timbral phenomena of their student’s singing voice. In this study, in order to enable machines to describe the singing voice from the vocal pedagogy point of view, we perform a task called paralinguistic singing attribute recognition. To achieve this goal, we first construct and publish an open source dataset named Singing Voice Quality and Technique Database (SVQTD) for supervised learning. All the audio clips in SVQTD are downloaded from YouTube and processed by music source separation and silence detection. For annotation, seven paralinguistic singing attributes commonly used in vocal pedagogy are adopted as the labels. Furthermore, to explore the different supervised machine learning algorithm for classifying each paralinguistic singing attribute, we adopt three main frameworks, namely openSMILE features with support vector machine (SF-SVM), end-to-end deep learning (E2EDL), and deep embedding with support vector machine (DE-SVM). Our methods are based on existing frameworks commonly employed in other paralinguistic speech attribute recognition tasks. In SF-SVM, we separately use the feature set of the INTERSPEECH 2009 Challenge and that of the INTERSPEECH 2016 Challenge as the SVM classifier’s input. In E2EDL, the end-to-end framework separately utilizes the ResNet and transformer encoder as feature extractors. In particular, to handle two-dimensional spectrogram input for a transformer, we adopt a sliced multi-head self-attention (SMSA) mechanism. In the DE-SVM, we use the representation extracted from the E2EDL model as the input of the SVM classifier. Experimental results on SVQTD show no absolute winner between E2EDL and the DE-SVM, which means that the back-end SVM classifier with the representation learned by E2E as input does not necessarily improve the performance. However, the DE-SVM that utilizes the ResNet as the feature extractor achieves the best average UAR, with an average 16% improvement over that of the SF-SVM with INTERSPEECH’s hand-crafted feature set.
A framework for self-supervised federated domain adaptation
Authors: Wang Bin , Li Gang , Wu Chao , Zhang WeiShan , Zhou Jiehan , Wei Ye
Published: April 2022

Unsupervised federated domain adaptation uses the knowledge from several distributed unlabelled source domains to complete the learning on the unlabelled target domain. Some of the existing methods have limited effectiveness and involve frequent communication. This paper proposes a framework to solve the distributed multi-source domain adaptation problem, referred as self-supervised federated domain adaptation (SFDA). Specifically, a multi-domain model generalization balance is proposed to aggregate the models from multiple source domains in each round of communication. A weighted strategy based on centroid similarity is also designed for SFDA. SFDA conducts self-supervised training on the target domain to tackle domain shift. Compared with the classical federated adversarial domain adaptation algorithm, SFDA is not only strong in communication cost and privacy protection but also improves in the accuracy of the model.
An image-guided network for depth edge enhancement
Authors: Lee Kuan-Ting , Liu En-Rwei , Yang Jar-Ferr , Hong Li
Published: April 2022

With the rapid development of 3D coding and display technologies, numerous applications are emerging to target human immersive entertainments. To achieve a prime 3D visual experience, high accuracy depth maps play a crucial role. However, depth maps retrieved from most devices still suffer inaccuracies at object boundaries. Therefore, a depth enhancement system is usually needed to correct the error. Recent developments by applying deep learning to deep enhancement have shown their promising improvement. In this paper, we propose a deep depth enhancement network system that effectively corrects the inaccurate depth using color images as a guide. The proposed network contains both depth and image branches, where we combine a new set of features from the image branch with those from the depth branch. Experimental results show that the proposed system achieves a better depth correction performance than state of the art advanced networks. The ablation study reveals that the proposed loss functions in use of image information can enhance depth map accuracy effectively.
Physiological comfort evaluation under different airflow directions in a heating environment
Authors: Tamura Kaori , Matsumoto Sayaka , Tseng Yu Hsuan , Kobayashi Takayuki , Miwa Jun’ichi , Miyazawa Ken’ichi , Matsumoto Soichiro , Hiramatsu Seiji , Otake Hiroyuki , Okamoto Tsuyoshi
Published: April 2022

Background

Indoor airflow and thermal comfort are difficult to assess through subjective evaluations because airflow sensations can differ based on various factors, such as personal characteristics, interests, preferences, and the current state of mind. Thus, subjective evaluations should be combined with objective assessments, such as physiological measurements. This study evaluated airflow and thermal comfort through physiological measurements, including skin temperature, electroencephalography, respiration, and electrocardiography, in addition to subjective evaluations.

Methods

Twenty participants entered a test room at 30 °C after staying in an acclimation room at 18 °C for 20 min. They were exposed to indirect and direct airflow toward their faces and performed four tasks under each condition: resting, counting to 10 s following time alerts, counting to 10 s in the mind, and mental calculation. The mean speed of the air directed to the participants’ faces was 0.123 m/s and 0.225 m/s in the indirect and direct conditions, respectively.

Results

The gamma and beta bands of electroencephalograms taken at the left-temporal (T3) and left-parietal (P7) sites showed significantly lower amplitudes under the indirect condition (gamma, T3: p = 0.034, P7: p = 0.030; beta, T3: p = 0.051, P7: p = 0.028). Similarly, the variability of respiration was lower under the indirect condition (p < 0.010). The amplitudes of gamma and beta waves showed significant correlations with anxiousness levels (gamma, T3: r = 0.41; beta, T3: r = 0.35).

Conclusions

Our results suggest that indirect heating airflow causes lower mental stress and fatigue than those induced by direct flow, which is equivalent to more comfort. The results of this study suggest that physiological measurements can be used for the evaluation of unconscious indoor comfort, which cannot be detected by subjective evaluations alone.
Ciliated muconodular papillary tumor of the lung: a case report and literature review
Authors: Liu Hailong , Huang Peikai , Zhang Meng , Zhu Xianqiang , Chen Jun , Xiao Mengqiang
Published: April 2022

Background

Ciliated Muconodular Papillary Tumor (CMPT) was first reported in 2002, and fewer than 100 cases have since been reported. The prognosis after surgical resection is good, and recurrence has not been reported. However, it is easily misdiagnosed as adenocarcinoma. Summarizing the CT features of CMPT will help doctors better understand the disease.

Case presentation

Here, we report a rare and interesting case of ciliated muconodular papillary tumor. A 6-mm diameter solid nodule with slight lobulation, short spines, and subpleural indentation. Patients with clinical diagnosis of high-risk subpleural nodule in the left lung underwent thoracoscopic surgery. Most CMPT cases lack specific clinical manifestations and were found incidentally on physical examination or during a workup for other diseases. The disease was diagnosed through CT and biopsy, and it responded well to surgery.

Conclusions

This paper presents the detailed computed tomography features of CMPT to help prevent misdiagnosis. The typical manifestations of CMPT imaging as solid and partial nodules, nodules in subpleural or peripheral zones, and nodules contain cavities.
Extending Our Reach: Expanding Enrollment in Brain Metastases and Primary Brain Tumor Clinical Trials
Authors: Lee Eudocia Q. , Camidge D. Ross , Mehta Gautam
Published: April 2022

Despite the unmet need, clinical trial opportunities for primary and metastatic central nervous system cancers are limited and clinical trial enrollment is poor. Multiple stakeholders have launched efforts to improve the clinical trial landscape for patients with primary and metastatic central nervous system tumors, including work that promotes the inclusion of patients with brain tumors into clinical trials, re-examination of eligibility criteria, and careful consideration of trial design aspects that may uniquely impact the patients with this disease. Herein, we consider regulatory perspectives from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and clinician-trialist perspectives from a neuro-oncologist and a medical oncologist.
Προηγμένες στρατηγικές ελέγχου μονάδων αποθήκευσης ενέργειας σε έξυπνα ηλεκτρικά δίκτυα με υψηλή διείσδυση διανεμημένης παραγωγής
Authors: Νουσδίλης Άγγελος
Published: April 2022

Τα συστήματα αποθήκευσης ενέργειας (ΣΑΕ) αποτελούν μία υποσχόμενη λύση στις τεχνικές προκλήσεις που προκαλεί η αυξημένη διείσδυση διανεμημένης παραγωγής στα δίκτυα διανομής ηλεκτρικής ενέργειας (ΔΔΗΕ).Η παρούσα διατριβή έχει ως αντικείμενο την ανάπτυξη προηγμένων στρατηγικών ελέγχου για διανεμημένα ΣΑΕ σε εγκαταστάσεις ιδιοπαραγωγών με φωτοβολταϊκά (ΦΒ), με στόχο την κοινή ωφέλεια των ιδιοπαραγωγών που διαθέτουν τα ΣΑΕ αλλά και των διαχειριστών των ΔΔΗΕ, ακόμη και κατά την απουσία ειδικών πολιτικών τιμολόγησης της ηλεκτρικής ενέργειας/ισχύος. Ειδικότερα, στόχος των στρατηγικών ελέγχου είναι η επικουρική δράση των ΣΑΕ στην αντιμετώπιση των τεχνικών προβλημάτων που παρουσιάζονται στα ΔΔΗΕ και η επαύξηση του βαθμού ιδιοκατανάλωσης των ιδιοπαραγωγών. Για την επίτευξη των παραπάνω στόχων, αναπτύσσεται ένα σχήμα τοπικού ελέγχου ΣΑΕ το οποίο επιδιώκει τη μείωση των αιχμών της ενεργής ισχύος που ανταλλάσσει ο ιδιοπαραγωγός με το δίκτυο διανομής, εξασφαλίζοντας παράλληλα τη μεγιστοποίηση της ιδιοκατανάλωσης της εγκατάστασης. Αφενός, η ελάττωση των αιχμών ισχύος συνεισφέρει στη βελτίωση του προφίλ της τάσης του ΔΔΗΕ καθώς και στη μείωση των απωλειών ενέργειας στις γραμμές και τον μετασχηματιστή του δικτύου. Αφετέρου, η μεγιστοποίηση της ιδιοκατανάλωσης ενισχύει την οικονομική ωφέλεια του ιδιοπαραγωγού.Επιπρόσθετα, αναπτύσσεται ένα σχήμα συντονισμένου ελέγχου ΣΑΕ που στοχεύει στην εξάλειψη των υπερτάσεων, ενώ καθορίζει τον βαθμό συμμετοχής του κάθε ΣΑΕ στη ρύθμιση της τάσης με γνώμονα την επιβάρυνση που προκαλεί ο κάθε ιδιοπαραγωγός στο δίκτυο. Η προτεινόμενη πολιτική καθορισμού του βαθμού συμμετοχής αποτελεί κίνητρο για την αύξηση της ιδιοκαταναλισκόμενης ενέργειας σε ιδιοπαραγωγούς που παρουσιάζουν χαμηλό βαθμό ιδιοκατανάλωσης. Τα σχήματα ελέγχου ΣΑΕ που προτείνονται στη διατριβή αξιολογούνται τόσο πειραματικά όσο και με τη βοήθεια προσομοιώσεων ως προς την αποδοτικότητά τους και τα οφέλη που προσκομίζουν στους ιδιοπαραγωγούς και τους διαχειριστές του ΔΔΗΕ. Από τα αποτελέσματα της αξιολόγησης συμπεραίνεται ότι οι προτεινόμενες στρατηγικές βελτιώνουν το προφίλ της τάσης σε ΔΔΗΕ επιτρέποντας έτσι την περαιτέρω διείσδυση ΦΒ σε κορεσμένα ΔΔΗΕ, μειώνουν τις απώλειες ενέργειας στο δίκτυο, και προάγουν την ιδιοκατανάλωση στις εγκαταστάσεις ιδιοπαραγωγών με ΦΒ.
Spatial language abilities and cognition across the adult lifespan and in early Alzheimer's disease
Authors: Μαρκοστάμου Ιωάννα
Published: April 2022

Ο χώρος συνιστά μια από τις βασικότερες δομές πλαισίωσης της εμπειρίας στο φυσικό περιβάλλον. Επομένως, η λεκτική επικοινωνία χωρικών πληροφοριών (όπως χωρικές σχέσεις μεταξύ αντικειμένων) είναι ζωτικής σημασίας για πολλές καθημερινές δραστηριότητες και αποτελεί δομικό τμήμα της ανθρώπινης γλωσσικής επικοινωνίας. Ένας από τους σκοπούς του παρόντος ερευνητικού έργου ήταν η ανάπτυξη και η ψυχομετρική στάθμιση νέων νευροψυχολογικών δοκιμασιών αξιολόγησης δεξιοτήτων χωρικής γλώσσας, όπως η κατονομασία στατικών και δυναμικών χωρικών σχέσεων, η μνήμη χωρικών περιγραφών διαδρομής και τοπογραφίας, και η κατανόηση χωρικών σχέσεων υπό διαφορετικά χωρικά πλαίσια αναφοράς. Δεύτερον, διερευνήθηκαν οι πορείες εξέλιξης των ανωτέρω δεξιοτήτων χωρικής γλώσσας καθ’ όλη τη διάρκεια του ενήλικου βίου και συγκρίθηκαν με τις πορείες εξέλιξης διάφορων (μη λεκτικών) οπτικοχωρικών αλλά και (μη χωρικών) λεκτικών δεξιοτήτων. Τρίτον, εξετάστηκαν οι δεξιότητες χωρικής γλώσσας σε ασθενείς στα αρχικά στάδια της νόσου Alzheimer. Σε μία σειρά μελετών με 160 συμμετέχοντες ηλικίας 18 έως 85 ετών, βρέθηκαν συγκρίσιμα ελλείμματα στις οπτικοχωρικές ικανότητες και στις δεξιότητες χωρικής γλώσσας λόγω αυξανόμενης ηλικίας, αν και η έναρξη και το μέγεθος της εξασθένησης διέφερε ανάλογα με την εξεταζόμενη υπολειτουργία, ενώ, αντίθετα, οι (μη χωρικές) λεκτικές ικανότητες δεν εξασθένησαν με την πάροδο της ηλικίας. Επιπρόσθετα, βρέθηκε ότι οι νέες δοκιμασίες χωρικής γλώσσας είχαν άριστη διαγνωστική ακρίβεια διάκρισης ασθενών με ήπια άνοια από νοητικά υγιείς ενήλικες. Τα ευρήματα της παρούσας μελέτης παρέχουν πολλές θεωρητικές, πρακτικές και κλινικές προεκτάσεις. Αρχικά, επιβεβαιώθηκε η διακριτική καθώς και η δομική, συγκλίνουσα και αποκλίνουσα εγκυρότητα των νέων δοκιμασιών χωρικής γλώσσας, αλλά και η αξιοπιστία ελέγχου-επανελέγχου αυτών των δοκιμασιών. Επιπλέον, αποκαλύφθηκαν συγκλίνουσες και αποκλίνουσες γνωστικές αλλαγές κατά τη διάρκεια του ενήλικου βίου που διαφοροποιούνται ανάλογα τον τομέα γνωστικής λειτουργίας, με εξασθένηση των μη-λεκτικών οπτικοχωρικών λειτουργιών αλλά και των ικανοτήτων επεξεργασίας οπτικοχωρικών πληροφοριών μέσω της γλώσσας. Τέλος, τα ευρήματα υποστηρίζουν ότι οι αναπαραστάσεις χώρου που αποκτούνται είτε μέσω οπτικής αντίληψης είτε μέσω λεκτικών μέσων καθορίζονται από παρόμοιους γνωστικούς μηχανισμούς και υποστηρίζονται από κοινά νευρωνικά δίκτυα, τα οποία είναι ιδιαίτερα ευαίσθητα σε επιδράσεις ηλικίας και στα πρώιμα στάδια της νόσου Alzheimer.
A transparent invasion: a first Mediterranean record and an established population of the glassfish Ambassis dussumieri Cuvier 1828
Authors: STERN NIR , GAYER KFIR , MOROV ARSENIY
Published: April 2022

In this study, we document the first record of the glassfish Ambassis dussumieri in the Mediterranean Sea. Confirmation for taxonomic identity has been conducted using morphological and molecular approaches and was based on a sub-sample of six individuals that were collected from a large school that resides within an artificial protected bay of a local power plant in Tel Aviv, Israel. This unique occurrence of an undisturbed school of invasive species is hereby discussed.
Molecular spectroscopy. Fundamentals of theory and practice
Authors: Litvin Feliks , Satina Lyudmila , Hatypov Ravil' , Mikulinskaya Galina , Pen'kov Nikita , Neverov Konstantin
Published: April 2022

The textbook is an introduction to the theory and practice of spectroscopy in the ultraviolet, visible and infrared regions. The presentation of the theoretical foundations is accompanied by a detailed guide on the practical use of spectroscopy for quantitative and qualitative analysis of substances and reactions in simple and complex systems. Attention is paid to modern methods of infrared spectroscopy with Fourier transform (FTIR), intermolecular energy transfer (FRET), linear dichroism of complex objects.
It is intended for a wide range of biologists, chemists, students and postgraduates of natural science specialties.
Toxic masculinity and mental condition of young men in Poland aged 18-30
Authors: Janiak Katarzyna , Zdziarski Krzysztof
Published: April 2022

The article presents conformity to toxic masculinity in the perspective of mental condition of young men in Poland aged 18-30. The first part introduced the concept of toxic masculinity and its implications on men’s mental condition and general social functioning. The conformity to toxic masculinity has been investigated by using self-constructed questionnaire and mental condition has been tested by using DASS-21 questionnaire. The study has been conducted on group of 127 men living in Poland and the data was collected by using online methods. Research results shows very little, statistically insignificant relationship between conformity to toxic masculinity and mental condition of young men, however some differences have been observed in terms of place of living and sexual orientation when it comes to level of conformity to toic masculinity and level of mental condition.
Customization and Returns
Authors: Esenduran Gökçe , Letizia Paolo , Ovchinnikov Anton
Published: April 2022

Recent advances in information technology, advanced manufacturing (robotics, 3D printing, etc.), and logistics have allowed firms to customize their products to the specifications of individual consumers, who, in turn, prefer these products to standard ones. In the unlikely event that customized products do not match expectations, however, consumers often feel entitled to a return. Should firms offer returns on customized products? We examine this question via a Stackelberg game model, in which the firm (leader) decides the prices and returns policies for its customized and standard products; consumers (followers) decide which product to buy, given the initial noisy valuations and, upon experiencing the product, whether to return it. Both parties act strategically: Forward-looking consumers incorporate the real option value of possible returns into their initial purchasing decisions, and the firm incorporates consumers’ best purchase and return response into its pricing and returns policy decisions. Our model produces three key insights. First, firms can use customized products to induce some consumers who otherwise would buy and return a standard product to switch to lower-return-rate customized products. Second, it may be optimal to offer returns on customized products, despite their lower salvage value. Third, firms can increase profits and reduce (total) returns by offering returnable customized products.

This paper was accepted by Duncan Simester, marketing.
Alpha blocking and 1/fβ spectral scaling in resting EEG can be accounted for by a sum of damped alpha band oscillatory processes
Authors: Evertz Rick , Hicks Damien G. , Liley David T. J.
Published: April 2022

The dynamical and physiological basis of alpha band activity and 1/fβnoise in the EEG are the subject of continued speculation. Here we conjecture, on the basis of empirical data analysis, that both of these features may be economically accounted for through a single process if the resting EEG is conceived of being the sum of multiple stochastically perturbed alpha band damped linear oscillators with a distribution of dampings (relaxation rates). The modulation of alpha-band and 1/fβnoise activity by changes in damping is explored in eyes closed (EC) and eyes open (EO) resting state EEG. We aim to estimate the distribution of dampings by solving an inverse problem applied to EEG power spectra. The characteristics of the damping distribution are examined across subjects, sensors and recording condition (EC/EO). We find that there are robust changes in the damping distribution between EC and EO recording conditions across participants. The estimated damping distributions are found to be predominantly bimodal, with the number and position of the modes related to the sharpness of the alpha resonance and the scaling (β) of the power spectrum (1/fβ). The results suggest that there exists an intimate relationship between resting state alpha activity and 1/fβnoise with changes in both governed by changes to the damping of the underlying alpha oscillatory processes. In particular, alpha-blocking is observed to be the result of the most weakly damped distribution mode becoming more heavily damped. The results suggest a novel way of characterizing resting EEG power spectra and provides new insight into the central role that damped alpha-band activity may play in characterising the spatio-temporal features of resting state EEG.
Mosquito survey in Mauritania: Detection of Rift Valley fever virus and dengue virus and the determination of feeding patterns
Authors: Stoek Franziska , Barry Yahya , Ba Aliou , Schulz Ansgar , Rissmann Melanie , Wylezich Claudia , Sadeghi Balal , Beyit Abdellahi Diambar , Eisenbarth Albert , N’diaye Fatimetou Bounene , Haki Mohamed Lemine , Doumbia Baba Abdellahi , Gueya Mohamed Baba , Bah Mohamed Yahya , Eiden Martin , Groschup Martin H.
Published: April 2022

In Mauritania, several mosquito-borne viruses have been reported that can cause devastating diseases in animals and humans. However, monitoring data on their occurrence and local distribution are limited. Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) is an arthropod-borne virus that causes major outbreaks throughout the African continent and the Arabian Peninsula. The first Rift Valley fever (RVF) epidemic in Mauritania occurred in 1987 and since then the country has been affected by recurrent outbreaks of the disease. To gain information on the occurrence of RVFV as well as other mosquito-borne viruses and their vectors in Mauritania, we collected and examined 4,950 mosquitoes, belonging to four genera and 14 species. The mosquitoes were captured during 2018 in the capital Nouakchott and in southern parts of Mauritania. Evidence of RVFV was found in a mosquito pool of female Anopheles pharoensis mosquitoes collected in December on a farm near the Senegal River. At that time, 37.5% of 16 tested Montbéliarde cattle on the farm showed RVFV-specific IgM antibodies. Additionally, we detected IgM antibodies in 10.7% of 28 indigenous cattle that had been sampled on the same farm one month earlier. To obtain information on potential RVFV reservoir hosts, blood meals of captured engorged mosquitoes were analyzed. The mosquitoes mainly fed on humans (urban areas) and cattle (rural areas), but also on small ruminants, donkeys, cats, dogs and straw-colored fruit bats. Results of this study demonstrate the circulation of RVFV in Mauritania and thus the need for further research to investigate the distribution of the virus and its vectors. Furthermore, factors that may contribute to its maintenance should be analyzed more closely. In addition, two mosquito pools containing Aedes aegypti and Culex quinquefasciatus mosquitoes showed evidence of dengue virus (DENV) 2 circulation in the city of Rosso. Further studies are therefore needed to also examine DENV circulation in Mauritania.
Altered resting state functional connectivity in youth with congenital heart disease operated during infancy
Authors: Enguix Vincente , Easson Kaitlyn , Gilbert Guillaume , Saint-Martin Christine , Rohlicek Charles , Luck David , Lodygensky Gregory Anton , Brossard-Racine Marie
Published: April 2022

Congenital heart disease (CHD) has been associated with structural brain growth and long-term developmental impairments, including deficits in learning, memory, and executive functions. Altered functional connectivity has been shown to be altered in neonates born with CHD; however, it is unclear if these early life alterations are also present during adulthood. Therefore, this study aimed to compare resting state functional connectivity networks associated with executive function deficits between youth (16 to 24 years old) with complex CHD (mean age = 20.13; SD = 2.35) who underwent open-heart surgery during infancy and age- and sex-matched controls (mean age = 20.41; SD = 2.05). Using the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function–Adult Version questionnaire, we found that participants with CHD presented with poorer performance on the inhibit, initiate, emotional control, working memory, self-monitor, and organization of materials clinical scales than healthy controls. We then compared the resting state networks theoretically corresponding to these impaired functions, namely the default mode, dorsal attention, fronto-parietal, fronto-orbital, and amygdalar networks, between the two groups. Participants with CHD presented with decreased functional connectivity between the fronto-orbital cortex and the hippocampal regions and between the amygdala and the frontal pole. Increased functional connectivity was observed within the default mode network, the dorsal attention network, and the fronto-parietal network. Overall, our results suggest that youth with CHD present with disrupted resting state functional connectivity in widespread networks and regions associated with altered executive functioning.
Robot-enhanced diabetes care for middle-aged and older adults living with diabetes in the community: A small sample size mixed-method evaluation
Authors: Chiu Ching-Ju , Hua Lin-Chun , Chou Chieh-Ying , Chiang Jung-Hsien
Published: April 2022

Purpose

This study assessed robot-enhanced healthcare in practical settings for the purpose of community diabetes care.

Methods

A mixed method evaluation collected quantitative and qualitative data on diabetes patients over 45 (N = 30) and community pharmacists (N = 10). It took 15–20 min for the diabetes patients to interact with the robot. Before and after the interaction, questionnaires including a diabetes knowledge test, self-efficacy for diabetes, and feasibility of use of the robot was administered. In-depth interviews with both pharmacists and patients were also conducted.

Results

After interacting with the robot, a statistically significant improvement in diabetes knowledge (p < .001) and feasibility of the robot (p = .012) was found, but self-efficacy (p = .171) was not significantly improved. Five themes emerged from interviewing the diabetes patients: Theme 1: meets the needs of self-directed learning for the elderly; Theme 2: reduces alertness and creates comfortable interaction; Theme 3: vividness and richness enhance interaction opportunities; Theme 4: Robots are not without disadvantages, and Theme 5: Every person has unique tastes. Three themes emerged from interviewing pharmacists: Theme 1: Technology must meet the real needs of the patient; Theme 2: creates new services, and Theme 3: The use of robots must conform to real-life situations.

Conclusions

Both the diabetes patients and the pharmacist reported more positive feedback on the robot-enhanced diabetes care than concerns. Self-directed learning, comfortable interaction, and vividness were the most focuses when using robot to enhance self-management for the patients. Pharmacists were most receptive to fit conforming with reality and creating new services.
The programming curriculum within ISIS
Authors: Deslandes-Martineau Marion , Charland Patrick , Lapierre Hugo G. , Arvisais Olivier , Chamsine Chirine , Venkatesh Vivek , Guidère Mathieu
Published: April 2022

From 2014 to 2017, the Islamic State in Irak and Syria (ISIS), a terrorist political organization of Salafist jihadist ideology, had put in place an operational and relatively stable educational system. Among its Complementary Programs, ISIS included a curriculum for programming using the Scratch software. In this article, we discuss this curriculum by analyzing the content of the official ISIS programming textbook, with the objectives of characterizing: 1) the curriculum’s pedagogical intentions and definition of programming; 2) the programming curriculum; and 3) the religious and military indoctrination value. We found that, first, ISIS’s programming curriculum intentions are more about religious and military injunctions to build the caliphate than they are about developing 21st-century skills such as computational thinking. Second, although the progression of learning in the sequence of activities designed by ISIS seems logical and, overall, well-ordered, the ISIS programming curriculum does not encourage the development of 21st-century skills such as problem solving, discovery learning, or creativity—nor for that matter, the transfer of programming knowledge to different contexts. Finally, the textbook is particularly rich in elements of military and religious indoctrination and effectively participates in the indoctrination of students by helping to inculcate values consistent with ISIS’s jihadist ideology. This contribution seeks to better understand ISIS’s approach to education, which could provide support for initiatives aimed at rebuilding impacted education systems and groups.
Collecting and preserving bark and ambrosia beetles (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae & Platypodinae)
Authors: Hulcr Jiri , Gomez Demian F. , Johnson Andrew J.
Published: April 2022

This protocol describes the different methods to collect and preserve bark and ambrosia beetles, detailing collecting tools, recording relevant data, and optimizing step-by-step methods to extract beetles from twigs, branches, bark, and trunks. It elaborates on trapping techniques, tools, lures, baits, and beetle preservation. The main rule of manual collecting is to not attempt to pry the insect out of the wood or bark, but instead, remove the wood/bark away from the beetle: gently and systematically. The main rule of trapping is that there is no general attractant; instead, attractants and traps should reflect the ecology of the targeted beetle taxa.
Are shared streets acceptable to pedestrians and drivers? Evidence from Virtual Reality experiments
Authors: Xu Lurong , Oh Taeho , Kim Inhi , Hu Xiaojian
Published: April 2022

While the development of cities tends to focus on improving traffic mobility, it has gradually neglected people’s demand for safety and comfort walking on the streets. To address this problem, shared streets that can integrate traditional street life and traffic mobility are getting more attention as pedestrian-friendly development. In order to measure the performance of shared streets, it is essential to identify how people feel when driving and walking around. However, investigating the various factors that influence the real world is not straightforward because of cost, time-consuming, and safety problems. Virtual reality and the Human-in-the-loop (HITL) have become valuable tools for conducting experiments without compromising them. The experiments are performed on both pedestrians’ and drivers’ sides. The three shared street layouts in a virtual environment are designed according to Europe’s real shared street cases. To evaluate shared street effects, questions in five aspects: amenity, walking or driving experience, safety, economy or priority, and environmental perception are asked to participants, respectively. MPR, EWM, and Fuzzy Comprehension Evaluation methods are used to assess the performance. The result revealed that different groups of people have different sensitivity and preferences for each evaluation criteria. However, the results of the comprehensive evalutation showed that scenario C with the largest isolation measurement is preferable in both pedestrian and driver’s groups based on shared street design elements. The city planners can get help from this shared street analysis, where the new design and layout could be tested in advance.
Impact of different mulching treatments on weed flora and productivity of maize (Zea mays L.) and sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.)
Authors: Hussain Mubshar , Abbas Shah Syed Nasir , Naeem Muhammad , Farooq Shahid , Jabran Khawar , Alfarraj Saleh
Published: April 2022

The concerns on weed control through herbicides are increasing due to their negative impacts on environment and human health. Therefore, alternative weed management methods are inevitable for sustainable crop production and lowering the negative consequences of herbicides. Mulching is an environment-friendly weed management approach capable of substituting herbicides to significant extent. Therefore, this study evaluated the role of different mulching treatments on suppressing weed flora in maize (Zea mays L.) and sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) crops. Furthermore, the impact of different mulching treatments on the productivity of both crops was also investigated. Three mulch treatments, i.e., plastic mulch (PLM), sorghum mulch (SM) and paper mulch (PM) along with two controls, i.e., weed-free (WF) and weedy-check (WC) were included in the study. Different mulch treatments significantly altered weed flora in both crops. The PLM and PM resulted in the highest suppression (43–47%) of weed flora compared to WC treatment in both crops. The highest and the lowest weed diversity was recorded for WC and WF treatments, respectively. Different allometric traits, i.e., leaf area index, crop growth rate and root length of both crops were significantly improved by PLM as compared to the WC. Overall, maize crop recorded higher density of individual and total weeds compared to sunflower with WC treatment. The density of individual and total weeds was significantly lowered by PLM compared to WC treatment in both crops. Similarly, higher growth and yield-related traits of both crops were noted with PLM compared to the rest of the mulching treatments. Results of the current study warrant that PLM could suppress weed flora and improve the productivity of both crops. However, PLM alone could not provide 100% control over weed flora; therefore, it should be combined with other weed management approaches for successful weed control in both crops.