bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Sustainability of a Multi-Component Education Program (ABC of Healthy Eating) after Three Months and Nine Months: The Socioeconomic Context in Improving Nutrition Knowledge in Polish Teenagers
Authors: Wadolowska Lidia , Kostecka Malgorzata , Kowalkowska Joanna , Jeruszka-Bielak Marta , Tomaszewska Marzena , Danielewicz Anna , Hamulka Jadwiga
Published: May 2021

The study aimed to evaluate the sustainability of a multi-component education (ABC-HEat) program related to healthy nutrition and lifestyle after three months and nine months and to assess the socioeconomic context in improving teenage nutrition knowledge. The study was designed as a clustered, controlled, education-based intervention. A sample was chosen and allocated into either an educated group (under intervention) or a control group (outside of intervention). The study covered 464 11–12-year-old students (educated/control 319/145). In the educated group, data were collected three times: before education, after three months and after nine months to measure the short- and the long-term effects of education, respectively. In the control group, data were collected in parallel. Changes in nutrition knowledge score (NKS, points) by sex, residence, family affluence scale (FAS) were the main outcome measures. The increase in the NKS was significantly higher in the educated group than in the control group—three months after education on average by 1.4 to 2.7 points (all p < 0.001) in the total sample and all subgroups, and nine months after education in rural residents by 2.2 points (p < 0.001) and in the total sample by 0.4 (p < 0.05). In the educated group, the chance of no increase in the NKS was higher in urban than rural residents after three months and nine months (adjusted odds ratios [OR] and 95% Confidence Intervals [95% CI]: 3.63, 1.80–7.31 and 2.99, 1.60–5.59, respectively, both p < 0.001) using the increase in the NKS by ≥4 points as a reference. The multi-component education program improved the nutrition knowledge of teenagers in the short term regardless of socioeconomic variables, but in the long term this effect was visible only in rural residents. It suggests that a special path of nutrition education addressed to urban teens may be required.
Children Tooth Brushing Behavior and Oral Microbiota: A Pilot Study
Authors: Calderon Susana J. , Chung Seon Yoon , Fields Christopher J. , Mortimer Nathan T.
Published: May 2021

By age 17, almost 80% of US children have dental caries resulting from cariogenic bacteria that could be reduced with tooth brushing. This cross-sectional, correlational pilot study aims to understand the association between tooth brushing and oral microbiota in children. Oral specimens and survey data were collected from a convenience sample of 16 children, aged 7–12, and attending a community dental clinic. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze sample characteristics and tooth brushing behavior. Biospecimens were analyzed using Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) amplification and 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene sequencing. Beta diversity measures were compared across tooth brushing groups using Permutational Analysis of Variance (PERMANOVA) and Analysis of Similarities (ANOSIM) tests in R. The frequency of tooth brushing in this sample was once a day (brush1; 43.8%), twice a day (brush2; 43.8%), or more than twice a day (12.6%). Major phyla found in the subjects’ upper and lower teeth were the following: Proteobacteria, Fusobacteria, Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, and Actinobacteria. The relative abundance of Actinobacteria was significantly lower in brush2 as compared to brush1 (p = 0.001), whereas the relative abundance of Proteobacteria was significantly higher (p = 0.025). The association between tooth brushing frequency and microbiome beta diversity was significant (p = 0.005 by PERMANOVA and p = 0.002 by ANOSIM). This study demonstrates that tooth brushing frequency could affect the proportional composition of the oral microflora. Additional research on the implication of these changes is warranted.
Inferring the Potential Distribution of an Emerging Rickettsiosis in America: The Case of Rickettsia parkeri
Authors: Moo-Llanes David A. , Oca-Aguilar Ana C. Montes de , Romero-Salas Dora , Sánchez-Montes Sokani
Published: May 2021

Tick-borne rickettsioses represent a severe public health problem that has increased in recent decades by several activities that place human populations in contact with a wide range of vectors. In particular, Rickettsia parkeri, an eschar-associated spotted fever agent, represents an emerging pathogen that has been gradually identified throughout America. In the present work, we compiled an occurrence database of these bacteria, as well as its vectors, in order to identify the potential distribution of these bacteria and to detect the risk areas where this emerging pathogen may be circulating. The results show the at-risk areas to be broad regions in Central America, on the coast of Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Chile, part of Brazil and Argentina, and the greater part of Bolivia, Paraguay, and Uruguay. Particularly, in Mexico, conditions exist for widespread dissemination. Our results must be considered for the establishment of active acarological surveillance in previously unsampled areas, as well as the establishment of prevention measures for vulnerable populations and risk groups participating in outdoor activities that can place them in contact with this pathogen.
First Case of Clinical Cat Aelurostrongylosis in the Brazilian Amazon: Clinical and Molecular Insights
Authors: da Silva Lima Wilison , Ferreira Farago Enny Caroline , do Nascimento Mesquita Millena , Duarte Pacheco Acácio , Fernandes Nunes da Silva Malavazi Patrícia , Salvador Oliveira Hugo , Morelli Simone , Colombo Mariasole , Di Cesare Angela , Figueiredo de Souza Soraia
Published: May 2021

Aelurostrongylus abstrusus is the most important respiratory parasite infecting domestic cats worldwide. Nevertheless, most records and epizootiological data come from Europe, whilst poor and fragmentary information are available for other regions, including the Americas. The present article describes the first description of cat aelurostrongylosis from Amazonia, Brazil. Eighty-one cats, 13 from a shelter and 68 admitted at the Teaching and Research Unit in Veterinary Medicine (UV) at the Federal University of Acre (UFAC), Brazil, were included in the study. For all cats, three faecal samples from consecutive defecations were examined using the Baermann’s technique. Nematode first stage larvae (L1), retrieved in 2/81 (2.5%) samples, were microscopically identified as A. abstrusus and then subjected to a molecular assay able to identify the three most important species of metastrongyloids infecting felids. This test confirmed the A. abstrusus identity in one sample, while the second scored negative. The cat with confirmed aelurostrongylosis showed radiographic changes, i.e., an interstitial pattern, compatible with the infection. The other cat, which scored positive at the Baermann’s examination, was apparently healthy at the physical examination and showed no thoracic alterations. The occurrence of A. abstrusus in domestic cats from Brazilian Amazon is herein demonstrated for the first time. Clinical, epizootiological and molecular implications are discussed.
Novel Morphological Glial Alterations in the Spectrum of Prion Disease Types: A Focus on Common Findings
Authors: Garcés Moisés , Guijarro Isabel M. , Ritchie Diane L. , Badiola Juan J. , Monzón Marta
Published: May 2021

Human prion diseases are a group of rare fatal neurodegenerative diseases with sporadic, genetic, and acquired forms. They are neuropathologically characterized by pathological prion protein accumulation, neuronal death, and vacuolation. Classical immunological response has long been known not to play a major in prion diseases; however, gliosis is known to be a common feature although variable in extent and poorly described. In this investigation, astrogliosis and activated microglia in two brain regions were assessed and compared with non-neurologically affected patients in a representative sample across the spectrum of Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease (CJD) forms and subtypes in order to analyze the influence of prion strain on pathological processes. In this report, we choose to focus on features common to all CJD types rather than the diversity among them. Novel pathological changes in both glial cell types were found to be shared by all CJD types. Microglial activation correlated to astrogliosis. Spongiosis, but not pathological prion protein deposition, correlated to both astrogliosis and microgliosis. At the ultrastructural level, astrocytic glial filaments correlated with pathological changes associated with prion disease. These observations confirm that neuroglia play a prominent role in the neurodegenerative process of prion diseases, regardless of the causative prion type.
Construction of Recombinant Human GM-CSF and GM-CSF-ApoA-I Fusion Protein and Evaluation of Their Biological Activity
Authors: Pykhtina Mariya , Miroshnichenko Svetlana , Romanov Vladimir , Grazhdantseva Antonina , Kochneva Galina , Beklemishev Anatoly
Published: May 2021

In this study, two strains of the yeast P. pastoris were constructed, one of which produced authentic recombinant human granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (ryGM-CSF), and the other was a chimera consisting of ryGM-CSF genetically fused with mature human apolipoprotein A-I (ApoA-I) (ryGM-CSF-ApoA-I). Both forms of the cytokine were secreted into the culture medium. The proteins’ yield during cultivation in flasks was 100 and 60 mg/L for ryGM-CSF and ryGM-CSF-ApoA-I, respectively. Both forms of recombinant GM-CSF stimulated the proliferation of human TF-1 erythroleukemia cells; however, the amount of chimera required was 10-fold that of authentic GM-CSF to induce a similar proliferative effect. RyGM-CSF exhibited a 2-fold proliferative effect on BFU-E (burst-forming units—erythroid) at a concentration 1.7 fold less than non-glycosylated E. coli-derived GM-CSF. The chimera together with authentic ryGM-CSF increased the number of both erythroid precursors and BMC granulocytes after 48 h of incubation of human bone marrow cells (BMCs). In addition, the chimeric form of ryGM-CSF was more effective at increasing the viability of the total amount of BMCs, decreasing apoptosis compared to the authentic form. ryGM-CSF-ApoA-I normalized the proliferation, maturation, and segmentation of neutrophils within the physiological norm, preserving the pool of blast cells under conditions of impaired granulopoiesis. The chimera form of GM-CSF exhibited the properties of a multilinear growth factor, modulating the activity of GM-CSF and, perhaps, it may be more suitable for the normalization of granulopoiesis.
Staphylococcus aureus Specific Electrospun Wound Dressings: Influence of Immobilization Technique on Antibacterial Efficiency of Novel Enzybiotic
Authors: Urbanek Olga , Wysocka Alicja , Nakielski Paweł , Pierini Filippo , Jagielska Elżbieta , Sabała Izabela
Published: May 2021

The spread of antimicrobial resistance requires the development of novel strategies to combat superbugs. Bacteriolytic enzymes (enzybiotics) that selectively eliminate pathogenic bacteria, including resistant strains and biofilms, are attractive alternatives to antibiotics, also as a component of a new generation of antimicrobial wound dressings. AuresinePlus is a novel, engineered enzybiotic effective against Staphylococcus aureus—one of the most common pathogenic bacteria, found in infected wounds with a very high prevalence of antibiotic resistance. We took advantage of its potent lytic activity, selectivity, and safety to prepare a set of biodegradable PLGA/chitosan fibers generated by electrospinning. Our aim was to produce antimicrobial nonwovens to deliver enzybiotics directly to the infected wound and better control its release and activity. Three different methods of enzyme immobilization were tested: physical adsorption on the previously hydrolyzed surface, and covalent bonding formation using N-hydroxysuccinimide/N-(3-Dimethylaminopropyl)-N′-ethylcarbodiimide (NHS/EDC) or glutaraldehyde (GA). The supramolecular structure and functional properties analysis revealed that the selected methods resulted in significant development of nanofibers surface topography resulting in an efficient enzybiotic attachment. Both physically adsorbed and covalently bound enzymes (by NHS/EDC method) exhibited prominent antibacterial activity. Here, we present the extensive comparison between methods for the effective attachment of the enzybiotic to the electrospun nonwovens to generate biomaterials effective against antibiotic-resistant strains. Our intention was to present a comprehensive proof-of-concept study for future antimicrobial wound dressing development.
Novel Cs2HfCl6 Crystal Scintillator: Recent Progress and Perspectives
Authors: Nagorny Serge
Published: May 2021

Recent progress in Cs2HfCl6 (CHC) crystal production achieved within the last five years is presented. Various aspects have been analyzed, including the chemical purity of raw materials, purification methods, optimization of the growth and thermal conditions, crystal characterization, defect structure, and internal radioactive background. Large volume, crack-free, and high quality CHC crystals with an ultimate scintillating performance were produced as a result of such extensive research and development (R & D) program. For example, the CHC crystal sample with dimensions ∅23 × 30 mm3 demonstrates energy resolution of 3.2% FWHM at 662 keV, the relative light output at the level of 30,000 ph/MeV and excellent linearity down to 20 keV. Additionally, this material exhibits excellent pulse shape discrimination ability and low internal background of less than 1 Bq/kg. Furthermore, attempts to produce a high quality CHC crystal resulted in research on this material optimization by constitution of either alkali ions (Cs to Tl), or main element (Hf to Zr), or halogen ions (Cl to Br, I, or their mixture in different ratio), as well as doping with various active ions (Te4+, Ce3+, Eu3+, etc.). This leads to a range of new established scintillating materials, such as Tl2HfCl6, Tl2ZrCl6, Cs2HfCl4Br2, Cs2HfCl3Br3, Cs2ZrCl6, and Cs2HfI6. To exploit the whole potential of these compounds, detailed studies of the material’s fundamental properties, and understanding of the variety of the luminescence mechanisms are required. This will help to understand the origin of the high light yield and possible paths to further extend it. Perspectives of CHC crystals and related materials as detectors for rare nuclear processes are also discussed.
Cellulose Nanocrystals as Template for Improving the Crystallinity of Two-Dimensional Covalent Organic Framework Films
Authors: Li Yue , Ou Zhaowei , Liang Baokun , Yang Jing , Chen Ruilian , Qi Haoyuan , Kaiser Ute , Hong Wei , Chen Xudong , Du Liangwei , Liu Wei , Zheng Zhikun
Published: May 2021

Despite the rapid development of two-dimensional covalent organic frameworks (2D COFs) in recent years, it remains a great challenge to synthesize highly crystalline COF materials. Here, a CNC-assisted approach was adopted to synthesize high crystallinity COF materials. A series of 2D COF films were synthesized at the air–water interface by using cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) as the template. The occurrence of Schiff reactions based on the imine bond was demonstrated by Raman spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) exhibited the appearances of 2D COF films were flower-like. When CNCs were added to a certain extent, the size of a single petal in the flowers gradually increased with the amount of CNCs. The film with large petals was characterized by Ultraviolet–Visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (UV–Vis DRS), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and selected area electron diffraction (SAED). In UV–Vis DRS curves, the S-band of COF-366 film was red-shifted by 24 nm compared with that of 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(4-aminophenyl)-21H,23H-porphyrin (TAPP), confirming the existence of extended conjugation in COF-366 film. XPS was used to identify the surface composition of the sample. The N1s signal of the film indicated that each TAPP formed four imine bonds with 2,5-dihydroxyterephthalaldehyde (DHTA) in COF-366 film. TEM images showed that CNCs had an influence on the crystal size. It was observed from SAED that the crystallinity of the film with CNCs was higher than the film without CNCs. This work provided a new template for improving the crystallinity of 2D COF films.
c-Perpendicular Orientation of Poly(ʟ-lactide) Films
Authors: Nagendra Baku , Rizzo Paola , Daniel Christophe , Baldino Lucia , Guerra Gaetano
Published: May 2021

Poly(ʟ-lactide) (PLLA) films, even of high thickness, exhibiting co-crystalline and crystalline α phases with their chain axes preferentially perpendicular to the film plane (c⊥ orientation) have been obtained. This c⊥ orientation, unprecedented for PLLA films, can be achieved by the crystallization of amorphous films as induced by low-temperature sorption of molecules being suitable as guests of PLLA co-crystalline forms, such as N,N-dimethylformamide, cyclopentanone or 1,3-dioxolane. This kind of orientation is shown and quantified by two-dimensional wide-angle X-ray diffraction (2D-WAXD) patterns, as taken with the X-ray beam parallel to the film plane (EDGE patterns), which present all the hk0 arcs centered on the meridian. PLLA α-form films, as obtained by low-temperature guest-induced crystallization, also exhibit high transparency, being not far from those of the starting amorphous films.
Expression of Secreted Neutrophil Gelatinase-Associated Lipocalin in 293T Cell Using the Inducible Dual-Function System
Authors: Saoin Somphot , Boonkrai Chatikorn , Pisitkun Trairak , Kloypan Chiraphat , Nangola Sawitree
Published: May 2021

Neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) has emerged as a promising biomarker for the early prediction of acute kidney injury (AKI). The production of recombinant NGAL is considered to be necessary for the development of a detection method. This study intended to express the recombinant NGAL protein in 293T cell under the Tet-On inducible system and human serum albumin signal sequence (HSA-SS). The transfection efficiency and protein modulation were assessed by detecting the expression of the enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) and secreted NGAL protein. Both proteins were detected only in the presence of a doxycycline (Dox) inducer. Cell toxicity was not found under any conditions. Moreover, a higher level of soluble NGAL protein in the supernatant secreted by HSA-SS compared with a native signal peptide (Nat-SS) was observed. In summary, this work successfully optimized the conditions for induction of NGAL expression. This system will provide as an efficient strategy to produce other recombinant proteins secreted from a mammalian cell.
Sustainable Strategies for the Exploitation of End-of-Life Permanent Magnets
Authors: Becci Alessandro , Beolchini Francesca , Amato Alessia
Published: May 2021

The growing production of green technologies (such as electric vehicles and systems for renewable electricity production, e.g., wind turbine) is increasing the rare earth element (REE) demands. These metals are considered critical for Europe for their economic relevance and the supply risk. The end-of-life permanent magnets are considered a potential secondary resource of REEs thanks to their content of neodymium (Nd), praseodymium (Pr) or dysprosium (Dy). The scientific literature reports many techniques for permanent magnet recovery. This work used a life cycle assessment (LCA) to identify the most sustainable choice, suggesting the possible improvements to reduce the environmental load. Three different processes are considered: two hydrometallurgical treatments (the first one with HCl and the other one with solid-state chlorination), and a pyrometallurgical technique. The present paper aims to push the stakeholders towards the implementation of sustainable processes for end-of-life permanent magnet exploitation at industrial scale.
A Critical Review on the Development of Ionic Liquids-Based Nanofluids as Heat Transfer Fluids for Solar Thermal Energy
Authors: Paul Titan C. , Tikadar Amitav , Mahamud Rajib , Salman Azzam S. , Morshed A. K. M. Monjur , Khan Jamil A.
Published: May 2021

In recent years, solar thermal energy (STE) has attracted energy researchers because of its higher efficacy compared to the photovoltaic solar cell. STE is one of the forms of solar energy whereby heat is transferred via a secondary medium called heat transfer fluids (HTFs). Therefore, the overall performance of STE depends on the thermophysical properties and thermal performance of the HTFs. Traditional HTFs suffer from low decomposition temperature, high melting point, and higher vapor pressure. To overcome these limitations, researchers have recently begun working on new HTFs for STE. Ionic liquids (ILs) are considered as a potential candidate for the next generation of HTFs because of their enhanced thermophysical properties, such as thermal stability at high temperature, insignificant vapor pressure, and high ionic conductivity. In addition, thermophysical properties and thermal performance of ILs can be further enhanced by dispersing nanoparticles, which is one of the emerging research interests to improve the efficiency of the solar thermal system. This paper summarizes the recent study of ILs-based nanofluids as HTFs. These summaries are divided into two sections (i) thermophysical properties studies, such as density, viscosity, thermal conductivity, and heat capacity, and (ii) thermal performance studies such as natural convection and forced convection. Synthesis of ILs-based nanofluids and thermophysical properties measurement techniques are also discussed. Based on these state-of-the-art summaries, we offer recommendations for potential future research direction for ILs-based nanofluids.
Narrating a Sacred Universe. A Study of The Universe Story through the Hermeneutics of Paul Ricoeur
Authors: Brennan Niamh
Published: May 2021

This essay examines the use of language in narrating a sacred universe, focusing specifically on the text of The Universe Story by Thomas Berry and Brian Swimme. It applies the narrative hermeneutics of Paul Ricoeur, who argued for the role of narrative in influencing a life through its creation of a world, to the text. It focuses specifically on Ricoeur’s five traits of a phenomenology of the sacred. This step in Ricoeur’s hermeneutics is a reminder that religious language has been shaped by demythologisation, and this in turn impacts any attempt to articulate in language what is interpreted as an experience of the sacred. In designating the universe as sacred, The Universe Story is confronted with the task of narrating such an experience. In examining the language of the text, this essay analyses how this is preformed and the effectiveness of such an approach.
Towards Circular Economy—A Comparative Analysis of the Countries of the European Union
Authors: Mazur-Wierzbicka Ewa
Published: May 2021

There are many studies which implement and assess existing measurement manners and document the progress of entities towards the circular economy (CE) at various levels, or present or propose new possibilities of measurement. The majority of them refer to the micro level. The aim of this paper is to conduct a multidimensional comparative analysis of the implementation of circular economy by EU countries. After an in-depth critical analysis of the literature, CE indicators which were proposed by the European Commission were adopted as a basis. Owing to the research population-Member States of the European Union (EU-28), focusing on the said indicators was declared reasonable in all aspects. The classification of EU countries according to the level of their advancement in the concept of CE was adopted as a main research task. In order to do so, a relevant index of development of circular economy was created (IDCE). This will allow us, inter alia, to trace changes in the spatial differentiation of advancement of the EU countries in implementing CE over the years, to identify CE implementation leaders as well as countries particularly delayed in this regard. The comparative analysis was conducted by means of statistical methods. On the basis of the analyses, it was concluded that among all EU countries, those of the old EU are the most advanced in terms of CE. The analysis confirmed significant rising trends for IDCE only in the case of Belgium and The Netherlands.
The Financial Situation of Families and the Quality of Life and Coping with Stress of Children with ASD during the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic
Authors: Gagat-Matula Anna
Published: May 2021

The aim of the study was to compare children with ASD from families with low and medium financial status in terms of quality of life and coping with stress during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and the material status of the family related to their financial situation during the pandemic. The diagnostic survey method was used in the research study. A total of 120 children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) aged 11–14 years participated in the study. The following tools were used to achieve the goal: Quality of Life of Students by S. Kowalik, “Jak Sobie Radzisz” by Z. Juczyński and N. Ogińska-Bulik and a proprietary questionnaire by the author. The research results indicate that during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, children with ASD from families with an average financial status are more satisfied with functioning in the family and more satisfied with themselves than children from families with a low financial status. Moreover, children with ASD from low-status families prefer strategies of focusing on emotions, which are not constructive and make functioning difficult, more often than their peers from families with average financial status. The results of the research show a positive correlation between the quality of life in the dimensions of satisfaction with the family, one’s local environment and oneself and active coping (disposition) and seeking social support; and a negative correlation with the strategy of focusing on emotions (disposition). It is advised that families with children with ASD be supported during the pandemic.
Automatic Indexation of the Pension Age to Life Expectancy: When Policy Design Matters
Authors: Ayuso Mercedes , Bravo Jorge M. , Holzmann Robert , Palmer Edward
Published: May 2021

Increasing retirement ages in an automatic or scheduled way with increasing life expectancy at retirement is a popular pension policy response to continuous longevity improvements. The question addressed here is: to what extent is simply adopting this approach likely to fulfill the overall goals of policy? To shed some light on the answer, we examine the policies of four countries that have recently introduced automatic indexation of pension ages to life expectancy–The Netherlands, Denmark, Portugal and Slovakia. To this end, we forecast an alternative period and cohort life expectancy measures using a Bayesian Model Ensemble of heterogeneous stochastic mortality models comprised of parametric models, principal component methods, and smoothing approaches. The approach involves both the selection of the model confidence set and the determination of optimal weights. Model-averaged Bayesian credible prediction intervals are derived accounting for various stochastic process, model, and parameter risks. The results show that: (i) retirement ages are forecasted to increase substantially in the coming decades, particularly if a constant period in retirement is targeted; (ii) retirement age policy outcomes may substantially deviate from the policy goal(s) depending on the design adopted and its implementation; and (iii) the choice of a cohort over period life expectancy measure matters. In addition, the distributional issues arising with the increasing socio-economic gap in life expectancy remain largely unaddressed.
Voxel Grid-Based Fast Registration of Terrestrial Point Cloud
Authors: Xiong Biao , Jiang Weize , Li Dengke , Qi Man
Published: May 2021

Terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) is an important part of urban reconstruction and terrain surveying. In TLS applications, 4-point congruent set (4PCS) technology is widely used for the global registration of point clouds. However, TLS point clouds usually enjoy enormous data and uneven density. Obtaining the congruent set of tuples in a large point cloud scene can be challenging. To address this concern, we propose a registration method based on the voxel grid of the point cloud in this paper. First, we establish a voxel grid structure and index structure for the point cloud and eliminate uneven point cloud density. Then, based on the point cloud distribution in the voxel grid, keypoints are calculated to represent the entire point cloud. Fast query of voxel grids is used to restrict the selection of calculation points and filter out 4-point tuples on the same surface to reduce ambiguity in building registration. Finally, the voxel grid is used in our proposed approach to perform random queries of the array. Using different indoor and outdoor data to compare our proposed approach with other 4-point congruent set methods, according to the experimental results, in terms of registration efficiency, the proposed method is more than 50% higher than K4PCS and 78% higher than Super4PCS.
Ambiguity Suppression Based on Joint Optimization for Multichannel Hybrid and ±π/4 Quad-Pol SAR Systems
Authors: Zhao Pengfei , Deng Yunkai , Wang Wei , Zhang Yongwei , Wang Robert
Published: May 2021

Hybrid and ±π/4 quadrature-polarimetric (quad-pol) synthetic aperture radar (SAR) systems operating from space can obtain all polarimetric components simultaneously but suffer from severe azimuth ambiguities in the cross-polarized (cross-pol) measurement channels. In this paper, the hybrid and ±π/4 quad-pol SAR systems with multiple receive channels in azimuth are widely investigated to suppress the azimuth ambiguities of the cross-pol components. We first provide a more thorough analysis of the multichannel hybrid and ±π/4 quad-pol SAR systems. Then, the multichannel signal processing is briefly discussed for the reconstruction of the quad-pol SAR signal from the aliased signals, in which the conventional reconstruction algorithm causes extremely severe azimuth ambiguities. To this end, an improved reconstruction method is proposed based on a joint optimization, which allows for the minimization of ambiguities from the desired polarization and the simultaneous power of undesired polarized signal. This method can largely suppress azimuth ambiguities compared with the conventional reconstruction algorithm. Finally, to verify the advantages and effectiveness of the proposed approach, the azimuth ambiguity-to-signal ratio (AASR), the range ambiguity-to-signal ratio (RASR) and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of all polarizations, as well as a set of imaging simulation results, are given to describe the effects of reconstruction on the multichannel hybrid and ±π/4 quad-pol SAR systems.
High-Speed Lightweight Ship Detection Algorithm Based on YOLO-V4 for Three-Channels RGB SAR Image
Authors: Jiang Jiahuan , Fu Xiongjun , Qin Rui , Wang Xiaoyan , Ma Zhifeng
Published: May 2021

Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) has become one of the important technical means of marine monitoring in the field of remote sensing due to its all-day, all-weather advantage. National territorial waters to achieve ship monitoring is conducive to national maritime law enforcement, implementation of maritime traffic control, and maintenance of national maritime security, so ship detection has been a hot spot and focus of research. After the development from traditional detection methods to deep learning combined methods, most of the research always based on the evolving Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) computing power to propose more complex and computationally intensive strategies, while in the process of transplanting optical image detection ignored the low signal-to-noise ratio, low resolution, single-channel and other characteristics brought by the SAR image imaging principle. Constantly pursuing detection accuracy while ignoring the detection speed and the ultimate application of the algorithm, almost all algorithms rely on powerful clustered desktop GPUs, which cannot be implemented on the frontline of marine monitoring to cope with the changing realities. To address these issues, this paper proposes a multi-channel fusion SAR image processing method that makes full use of image information and the network’s ability to extract features; it is also based on the latest You Only Look Once version 4 (YOLO-V4) deep learning framework for modeling architecture and training models. The YOLO-V4-light network was tailored for real-time and implementation, significantly reducing the model size, detection time, number of computational parameters, and memory consumption, and refining the network for three-channel images to compensate for the loss of accuracy due to light-weighting. The test experiments were completed entirely on a portable computer and achieved an Average Precision (AP) of 90.37% on the SAR Ship Detection Dataset (SSDD), simplifying the model while ensuring a lead over most existing methods. The YOLO-V4-lightship detection algorithm proposed in this paper has great practical application in maritime safety monitoring and emergency rescue.
Soil Moisture Retrievals Using Multi-Temporal Sentinel-1 Data over Nagqu Region of Tibetan Plateau
Authors: Yang Mengying , Wang Hongquan , Tong Cheng , Zhu Luyao , Deng Xiaodong , Deng Jinsong , Wang Ke
Published: May 2021

This paper presents an approach for retrieval of soil moisture in Nagqu region of Tibetan Plateau using VV-polarized Sentinel-1 SAR and MODIS optical data, by coupling the semi-empirical Oh-2004 model and the Water Cloud Model (WCM). The Oh model is first used to estimate the surface roughness parameter based on the hypothesis that the roughness is invariant among SAR acquisitions. Afterward, the vegetation water content (VWC) in the WCM is calculated from the daily MODIS NDVI data obtained by temporal interpolation. To improve the performance of the model, the parameters A, B, and α of the WCM are analyzed and optimized using randomly selected half of the sampled dataset. Then, the soil moisture is retrieved by minimizing a cost function between the simulated and measured backscattering coefficients. The comparison of the retrieved soil moisture with the ground measurements shows the determination coefficient R2 and the Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) are 0.46 and 0.08 m3/m3, respectively. These results demonstrate the capability and reliability of Sentinel-1 SAR data for estimating the soil moisture over the Tibetan Plateau.
e-CoVig: A Novel mHealth System for Remote Monitoring of Symptoms in COVID-19
Authors: Raposo Afonso , Marques Luis , Correia Rafael , Melo Francisco , Valente João , Pereira Telmo , Rosário Luis Brás , Froes Filipe , Sanches João , Silva Hugo Plácido da
Published: May 2021

In 2019, a new virus, SARS-CoV-2, responsible for the COVID-19 disease, was discovered. Asymptomatic and mildly symptomatic patients were forced to quarantine and closely monitor their symptoms and vital signs, most of the time at home. This paper describes e-CoVig, a novel mHealth application, developed as an alternative to the current monitoring paradigm, where the patients are followed up by direct phone contact. The e-CoVig provides a set of functionalities for remote reporting of symptoms, vital signs, and other clinical information to the health services taking care of these patients. The application is designed to register and transmit the heart rate, blood oxygen saturation (SpO2), body temperature, respiration, and cough. The system features a mobile application, a web/cloud platform, and a low-cost specific device to acquire the temperature and SpO2. The architecture of the system is flexible and can be configured for different operation conditions. Current commercial devices, such as oximeters and thermometers, can also be used and read using the optical character recognition (OCR) functionality of the system. The data acquired at the mobile application are sent automatically to the web/cloud application and made available in real-time to the medical staff, enabling the follow-up of several users simultaneously without the need for time consuming phone call interactions. The system was already tested for its feasibility and a preliminary deployment was performed on a nursing home showing promising results.
Optimal Sensor Placement for Reliable Virtual Sensing Using Modal Expansion and Information Theory
Authors: Ercan Tulay , Papadimitriou Costas
Published: May 2021

A framework for optimal sensor placement (OSP) for virtual sensing using the modal expansion technique and taking into account uncertainties is presented based on information and utility theory. The framework is developed to handle virtual sensing under output-only vibration measurements. The OSP maximizes a utility function that quantifies the expected information gained from the data for reducing the uncertainty of quantities of interest (QoI) predicted at the virtual sensing locations. The utility function is extended to make the OSP design robust to uncertainties in structural model and modeling error parameters, resulting in a multidimensional integral of the expected information gain over all possible values of the uncertain parameters and weighted by their assigned probability distributions. Approximate methods are used to compute the multidimensional integral and solve the optimization problem that arises. The Gaussian nature of the response QoI is exploited to derive useful and informative analytical expressions for the utility function. A thorough study of the effect of model, prediction and measurement errors and their uncertainties, as well as the prior uncertainties in the modal coordinates on the selection of the optimal sensor configuration is presented, highlighting the importance of accounting for robustness to errors and other uncertainties.
FOCUSED–Short-Term Wind Speed Forecast Correction Algorithm Based on Successive NWP Forecasts for Use in Traffic Control Decision Support Systems
Authors: Kunić Zdravko , Ženko Bernard , Boshkoska Biljana Mileva
Published: May 2021

In this paper, we propose a new algorithm, called FOCUSED (FOrecast Correction Using Successive prEDictions), for forecast correction of short-term wind speed predictions. We developed FOCUSED with the aim of improving the forecast of bora gusts, which frequently result in high-speed wind situations dangerous for traffic. The motivation arises from occasionally ambiguous results of the currently deployed decision support system, which aids traffic management in strong and gusty wind conditions at the coast of Croatia. The proposed correction algorithm uses characteristics of numerical weather prediction models to iteratively forecast the wind speed multiple times for the same future window. We use these iterative predictions as input features of the FOCUSED algorithm and get the corrected predictions as the output. We compared the proposed algorithm with artificial neural networks, random forests, support vector machines, and linear regression to demonstrate the superiority of the algorithm’s performance on a data set comprising five years of real data measurements at the Croatian bridge “Krk” and complementary historical forecasts by ALADIN (Aire Limitée Adaptation dynamique Développement InterNational) numerical weather prediction model.
An Efficient Ensemble Binarized Deep Neural Network on Chip with Perception-Control Integrated
Authors: He Wei , Yang Dehang , Peng Haoqi , Liang Songhong , Lin Yingcheng
Published: May 2021

Lightweight UAVs equipped with deep learning models have become a trend, which can be deployed for automatic navigation in a wide range of civilian and military missions. However, real-time applications usually need to process a large amount of image data, which leads to a very large computational complexity and storage consumption, and restricts its deployment on resource-constrained embedded edge devices. To reduce the computing requirements and storage occupancy of the neural network model, we proposed the ensemble binarized DroNet (EBDN) model, which implemented the reconstructed DroNet with the binarized and ensemble learning method, so that the model size of DroNet was effectively compressed, and ensemble learning method was used to overcome the defect of the poor performance of the low-precision network. Compared to the original DroNet, EBDN saves more than 7 times of memory footprint with similar model accuracy. Meanwhile, we also proposed a novel and high-efficiency hardware architecture to realize the EBDN on the chip (EBDNoC) system, which perfectly realizes the mapping of an algorithm model to hardware architecture. Compared to other solutions, the proposed architecture achieves about 10.21 GOP/s/kLUTs resource efficiency and 208.1 GOP/s/W energy efficiency, while also providing a good trade-off between model performance and resource utilization.
Examining the Impacts of the Built Environment on Quality of Life in Cancer Patients Using Machine Learning
Authors: Etminani-Ghasrodashti Roya , Kan Chen , Arif Qaisrani Muhammad , Mogultay Omer , Zhou Houliang
Published: May 2021

Despite accumulative evidence regarding the impact of the physical environment on health-related outcomes, very little is known about the relationships between built environment characteristics and the quality of life (QoL) of cancer patients. This study aims to investigate the association between the built environment and QoL by using survey data collected from cancer patients within the United States in 2019. To better understand the associations, we controlled the effects from sociodemographic attributes and health-related factors along with the residential built environment, including density, diversity, design, and distance to transit and hospitals on the self-reported QoL in cancer patients after treatment. Furthermore, machine learning models, i.e., logistic regression, decision tree, random forest, and multilayer perceptron neural network, were employed to evaluate the contribution of these features in predicting the QoL. The results from machine learning models indicated that the travel distance to the closest large hospital, perceived accessibility, distance to transit, and population density were among the most significant predictors of the cancer patients’ QoL. Additionally, the health insurance status, age, and education of patients are associated with QoL. The adverse effects of density on the self-reported QoL in this study can be addressed by individuals’ emotions towards negative aspects of density. Given the strong association between QoL and urban sustainability, consideration should be given to the side effects of urban density on cancer patients’ perceived wellbeing.
Food Loss and Waste Prevention Strategies from Farm to Fork
Authors: Nicastro Rosalinda , Carillo Petronia
Published: May 2021

About one-third of the food produced globally for human consumption is lost or wasted each year. This represents a loss of natural resources consumed along the food supply chain that can also have negative impacts on food security. While food loss occurs between production and distribution and is prevalent in low-income countries, food waste occurs mainly at the consumer level, in the retail and food service sectors, and especially in developed countries. Preventing food losses and waste is therefore a potential strategy for better balance food supply and demand and is essential to improve food security while reducing environmental impact and providing economic benefits to the different actors in the food supply chain. In this context, we specifically provide an overview of case studies and examples of legislation from different countries and actions carried out by the various actors in the food chain and by non-profit organisations to effectively prevent and or reduce food loss and waste. We also outline current limitations and possible research avenues. We conclude that the comparison and the integration of knowledge, and the awareness of where along the food chain, for which foods and in which countries the greatest losses are produced, is essential to decide where and how to target efforts in the most effective way.
Determining the Impact of High Residential Density on Indoor Environment, Energy Use, and Moisture Loads in Swedish Apartments-and Measures for Mitigation
Authors: Abdul Hamid Akram , von Platten Jenny , Mjörnell Kristina , Johansson Dennis , Bagge Hans
Published: May 2021

Recently, there has been an increase in apartments with a large number of inhabitants, i.e., high residential density. This is partly due to a housing shortage in general but also increased migration, particularly in suburbs of major cities. This paper specifies issues that might be caused by high residential density by investigating the technical parameters influenced in Swedish apartments that are likely to have high residential density. Interviews with 11 employees at housing companies were conducted to identify issues that might be caused by high residential density. Furthermore, simulations were conducted based on extreme conditions described in the interviews to determine the impact on the energy use, indoor environmental quality, and moisture loads. In addition, the impact of measures to mitigate the identified issues was determined. Measures such as demand-controlled ventilation, increase of a constant ventilation rate, and moisture buffering are shown to reduce the risk for thermal discomfort, mold growth, and diminished indoor air quality; while still achieving a lower energy use than in a normally occupied apartment. The results of this study can be used by authorities to formulate incentives and/or recommendations for housing owners to implement measures to ensure good indoor environmental quality for all, irrespective of residential density conditions.
Towards Sustainability in Air Traffic Management
Authors: Kale Utku , Jankovics István , Nagy András , Rohács Dániel
Published: May 2021

The International Civil Aviation Organization is estimated that the number of domestic and international passengers will be expected to reach six billion by 2030. This exponential growth in air transport has resulted in a wide range of adverse effects such as environmental impacts. The purpose of this research is to develop new air traffic management, and operator (pilots, air traffic controllers) load measuring systems in order to save fuel, and flight time, thereby reducing environmental impact, carbon emission, greenhouse gas generation, noise pollution, and operating cost. This paper deals with: (i) dynamic sectorization and airspace configuration (ii) introduction of the highly dynamic approach and landing procedures, (iii) dilemmas of human in sustainability (related to the individuals, the society, the non-governmental organizations, and the managers), and (iv) development of dedicated non-intrusive operator supporting systems based on eye-tracking, heart rate, and electrodermal activity. Due to the consequent effects of these developments, the dynamic sectorization and air space configuration may eliminate the task overload and reduce the actual operator load by 30–40%. With the developed concept of dynamic approach and landing procedures, aircraft will be able to follow better trajectories to avoid residential areas around airports to (i) reduce ground noise, and emission, (ii) avoid encounters severe weather and prevent incidents and accidents, and (iii) decrease landing distance up to 56% in compared to the “published transition route”.