bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
WiMeasure
Authors: Wang Xuanzhi , Niu Kai , Yu Anlan , Xiong Jie , Yao Zhiyun , Wang Junzhe , Li Wenwei , Zhang Daqing
Published: June 2023

In the past few years, a large range of wireless signals such as WiFi, RFID, UWB and Millimeter Wave were utilized for sensing purposes. Among these wireless sensing modalities, WiFi sensing attracts a lot of attention owing to the pervasiveness of WiFi infrastructure in our surrounding environments. While WiFi sensing has achieved a great success in capturing the target's motion information ranging from coarse-grained activities and gestures to fine-grained vital signs, it still has difficulties in precisely obtaining the target size owing to the low frequency and small bandwidth of WiFi signals. Even Millimeter Wave radar can only achieve a very coarse-grained size measurement. High precision object size sensing requires using RF signals in the extremely high-frequency band (e.g., Terahertz band). In this paper, we utilize low-frequency WiFi signals to achieve accurate object size measurement without requiring any learning or training. The key insight is that when an object moves between a pair of WiFi transceivers, the WiFi CSI variations contain singular points (i.e., singularities) and we observe an exciting opportunity of employing the number of singularities to measure the object size. In this work, we model the relationship between the object size and the number of singularities when an object moves near the LoS path, which lays the theoretical foundation for the proposed system to work. By addressing multiple challenges, for the first time, we make WiFi-based object size measurement work on commodity WiFi cards and achieve a surprisingly low median error of 2.6 mm. We believe this work is an important missing piece of WiFi sensing and opens the door to size measurement using low-cost low-frequency RF signals.
SmartASL
Authors: Jin Yincheng , Zhang Shibo , Gao Yang , Xu Xuhai , Choi Seokmin , Li Zhengxiong , Adler Henry J. , Jin Zhanpeng
Published: June 2023

Sign language builds up an important bridge between the d/Deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) and hearing people. Regrettably, most hearing people face challenges in comprehending sign language, necessitating sign language translation. However, state-of-the-art wearable-based techniques mainly concentrate on recognizing manual markers (e.g., hand gestures), while frequently overlooking non-manual markers, such as negative head shaking, question markers, and mouthing. This oversight results in the loss of substantial grammatical and semantic information in sign language. To address this limitation, we introduce SmartASL, a novel proof-of-concept system that can 1) recognize both manual and non-manual markers simultaneously using a combination of earbuds and a wrist-worn IMU, and 2) translate the recognized American Sign Language (ASL) glosses into spoken language. Our experiments demonstrate the SmartASL system's significant potential to accurately recognize the manual and non-manual markers in ASL, effectively bridging the communication gaps between ASL signers and hearing people using commercially available devices.
Synthetic Smartwatch IMU Data Generation from In-the-wild ASL Videos
Authors: Santhalingam Panneer Selvam , Pathak Parth , Rangwala Huzefa , Kosecka Jana
Published: June 2023

The scarcity of training data available for IMUs in wearables poses a serious challenge for IMU-based American Sign Language (ASL) recognition. In this paper, we ask the following question: can we "translate" the large number of publicly available, in-the-wild ASL videos to their corresponding IMU data? We answer this question by presenting a video to IMU translation framework (Vi2IMU) that takes as input user videos and estimates the IMU acceleration and gyro from the perspective of user's wrist. Vi2IMU consists of two modules, a wrist orientation estimation module that accounts for wrist rotations by carefully incorporating hand joint positions, and an acceleration and gyro prediction module, that leverages the orientation for transformation while capturing the contributions of hand movements and shape to produce realistic wrist acceleration and gyro data. We evaluate Vi2IMU by translating publicly available ASL videos to their corresponding wrist IMU data and train a gesture recognition model purely using the translated data. Our results show that the model using translated data performs reasonably well compared to the same model trained using measured IMU data.
Single Packet, Single Channel, Switched Antenna Array for RF Localization
Authors: Su Yang-Hsi , Yang Chouchang Jack , Hwang Euiseok , Sample Alanson P.
Published: June 2023

Cost-effective and accurate means of localizing radio transmitters has the potential to enable a wide range of applications in the consumer electronics, IoT, and healthcare domains. However, existing multi-antenna localization methods require high-cost synchronized receivers, long integration times, and/or specialized packet structures. This paper proposes using a high-speed RF mux that sequentially connects antennas to a single 2MHz radio receiver and sub-packet switching to determine the Angle of Arrival of individual packets. Importantly, this approach does not need synchronization between the mux and the receiver, reducing cost and system complexity. Our signal processing pipeline recovers both switch timing and the antenna number from the received RF signal. The sub-packet waveforms are used to generate a synthetic reference packet, and our customized Multi-Resolution Beaming and MUSIC algorithms are used to determine the Angle of Arrival. Results show that our real-time system is highly accurate even when the target is moving, with a mean AoA accuracy of 3.4 degrees and a 2D localization accuracy of 36.4 cm. Furthermore, the system is capable of tracking multiple users carrying smartphones in either their hands or pockets. Ultimately this approach enables a single low-cost, low bandwidth commodity RF receiver to be used to create an N-element phased array receiver.
IIITH-CSTD Corpus: Crowdsourced Strategies for the Collection of a Large-scale Telugu Speech Corpus
Authors: Mirishkar Ganesh S. , Raju V Vishnu Vidyadhara , Naroju Meher Dinesh , Maity Sudhamay , Yalla Prakash , Vuppala Anil Kumar
Published: June 2023

Due to the lack of a large annotated speech corpus, many low-resource Indian languages struggle to utilize recent advancements in deep neural network architectures for Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) tasks. Collecting large-scale databases is an expensive and time-consuming task. Current approaches lack extensive traditional expert-based data acquisition guidelines, as they are tedious and complex. In this work, we present the International Institute of Information Technology Hyderabad-Crowd Sourced Telugu Database (IIITH-CSTD), a Telugu corpus collected through crowdsourcing. In particular, our main objective is to mitigate the low-resource problem for Telugu. We also present the sources, crowdsourcing pipeline, and the protocols used to collect the corpus for a low-resource language, namely, Telugu. Data of approximately 2,000 hours of transcribed audio is presented and released in this article, covering three major regional dialects of the Telugu language in three different (i.e., read, conversational and spontaneous) speaking styles on topics such as politics, sports, and arts, science, and so on.1We also present the experimental results of the collected corpus on ASR tasks. We hope this work will motivate researchers to curate large-scale annotated speech data for other low-resource Indic languages.
New Insights from Imaging Spectroscopy of Solar Radio Emission
Authors: Gary Dale E.
Published: June 2023

Newly available high-resolution imaging of solar radio emission at many closely spaced frequencies and times provides new physical insight into the processes, structure, and dynamics of the solar atmosphere. The observational advances have spurred renewed interest in topics dating from the early days of solar radio astronomy and have led to considerable advances in our knowledge. Highlights of recent advances include the following:
▪Quantitatively measuring the dynamic magnetic field strength, particle acceleration, and hot thermal plasma at the heart of solar flares and hinting at the processes that relate them.▪Resolving in space and time the energization and transport of electrons in a wide range of contexts.▪Mapping the magnetized thermal plasma structure of the solar chromosphere and corona over a substantial range of heights in active and quiet regions of the Sun.
This review explains why solar radio imaging spectroscopy is so powerful, describes the body of recent results, and outlines the future work needed to fully realize its potential. The application of radio imaging spectroscopy to stars and planets is also briefly reviewed.
Impacts of Annealing Temperature and Time on the Thermoelectric Performance of Recycled Carbon Fiber (RCF)/n-Bi2Te3 Heterostructure Thermoelectric Composites
Authors: Jagadish Priyanka , Khalid Mohammad , Wong Weng Pin , Lau Phei Li , Chelvanathan Puvaneswaran , Walvekar Rashmi , Mubarak Nabisab Mujawar , Chan Andy
Published: June 2023

Recycling carbon fibre waste is crucial for sustainability in the composites industry. Herein, we report the fabrication of a heterostructure composite using recycled carbon fiber (RCF) and n-type bismuth telluride (n-Bi2Te3) for thermoelectric applications. In the present study, we have comprehensively investigated the effects of annealing temperature and time on the thermoelectric, structural, charge carrier transport, morphological, and thermal stability properties of annealed RCF/n-Bi2Te3 composites. The optimum annealing temperature and time were at 350 °C and 2 h, respectively, which yielded a maximum power factor of 7.83 μWK−2m−1. Annealing redistributed the bismuth and tellurium atomic percentage, decreased carrier concentration, improved carrier mobility, enhanced the crystallinity and increased the grain size of the bismuth telluride particles, subsequently improving the thermoelectric performance as well as the thermal stability of annealed RCF/n-Bi2Te3 composites. In addition, this study has explored the plausibility of a cross-plane configured Seebeck coefficient measurement utilizing recycled carbon fibre/n-type bismuth telluride heterostructure thermoelectric composite. Energy band diagram analysis indicated favorable heterojunction alignment between RCF and n-Bi2Te3, validating the viability of the thermoelectric composite in a cross-plane configuration. Our study provides a promising route for closing the recycling loop of carbon fiber waste and achieving sustainable thermoelectric materials.
Visible Radiophotoluminescence of Color Centers in Lithium Fluoride Thin Films for High Spatial Resolution Imaging Detectors for Hard X-rays
Authors: Vincenti Maria Aurora , Nichelatti Enrico , Nigro Valentina , Piccinini Massimo , Albertazzi Bruno , Benkadoum Yaniss , Dabrowski Hannibal , Koenig Michel , Rigon Gabriel , Mabey Paul , Mercere Pascal , Da Silva Paulo , Pikuz Tatiana , Ozaki Norimasa , Filippov Evgeny , Makarov Sergey , Pikuz Sergey , Montereali Rosa Maria
Published: June 2023

Passive solid-state detectors based on the visible radiophotoluminescence (RPL) of stable aggregate F2 and F3
+ color centers in lithium fluoride (LiF) are successfully used for X-ray imaging and advanced diagnostics of intense X-rays sources. Among their advantages, these detectors offer a wide dynamic range and simplicity of use. They can be read non-destructively using a fluorescence microscope, enabling high spatial resolution over a large field of view. Optically transparent LiF films, of three different increasing thicknesses, were grown by thermal evaporation on glass and silicon substrates and subsequently irradiated with monochromatic 7 keV X-rays at several doses from 1.3 × 101 to 4.5 × 103 Gy at the SOLEIL synchrotron facility. For all the LiF films, the RPL response was found to depend linearly on the irradiation dose, with films grown on Si(100) substrates exhibiting up to a 50% higher response compared to those grown on glass. A minimum dose of 13 Gy was detected, despite the low thickness of the irradiated films. The limited thickness of the homogeneously colored LiF film allowed to obtain a spatial resolution of (0.44 ± 0.04) μm in edge-enhancement imaging experiments conducted by placing an Au mesh in front of the samples.
Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation to Support COVID‐19 Patients: A Propensity‐Matched Cohort Study
Authors: Stessel Björn , Bin Saad Maayeen , Ullrick Lotte , Geebelen Laurien , Lehaen Jeroen , Timmermans Philippe Jr , Van Tornout Michiel , Callebaut Ina , Vandenbrande Jeroen , Dubois Jasperina
Published: June 2023

Background. In patients with severe respiratory failure from COVID‐19, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) treatment can facilitate lung‐protective ventilation and may improve outcome and survival if conventional therapy fails to assure adequate oxygenation and ventilation. We aimed to perform a confirmatory propensity‐matched cohort study comparing the impact of ECMO and maximum invasive mechanical ventilation alone (MVA) on mortality and complications in severe COVID‐19 pneumonia. Materials and Methods. All 295 consecutive adult patients with confirmed COVID‐19 pneumonia admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) from March 13th, 2020, to July 31st, 2021 were included. At admission, all patients were classified into 3 categories: (1) full code including the initiation of ECMO therapy (AAA code), (2) full code excluding ECMO (AA code), and (3) do‐not‐intubate (A code). For the 271 non‐ECMO patients, match eligibility was determined for all patients with the AAA code treated with MVA. Propensity score matching was performed using a logistic regression model including the following variables: gender, P/F ratio, SOFA score at admission, and date of ICU admission. The primary endpoint was ICU mortality. Results. A total of 24 ECMO patients were propensity matched to an equal number of MVA patients. ICU mortality was significantly higher in the ECMO arm (45.8%) compared with the MVA cohort (16.67%) (OR 4.23 (1.11, 16.17); p = 0.02). Three‐month mortality was 50% with ECMO compared to 16.67% after MVA (OR 5.91 (1.55, 22.58); p < 0.01). Applied peak inspiratory pressures (33.42 ± 8.52 vs. 24.74 ± 4.86 mmHg; p < 0.01) and maximal PEEP levels (14.47 ± 3.22 vs. 13.52 ± 3.86 mmHg; p = 0.01) were higher with MVA. ICU length of stay (LOS) and hospital LOS were comparable in both groups. Conclusion. ECMO therapy may be associated with an up to a three‐fold increase in ICU mortality and 3‐month mortality compared to MVA despite the facilitation of lung‐protective ventilation settings in mechanically ventilated COVID‐19 patients. We cannot confirm the positive results of the first propensity‐matched cohort study on this topic. This trial is registered with NCT05158816.
Application of 2D Images in Visual and Tactile Dimensions of Fiber Art Design
Authors: Wang Jingyu , Wang Mengyao , Zhang Chuan
Published: June 2023

With people’s higher and higher spiritual requirements, fiber art is more common in people’s lives. From ordinary fiber materials to handicrafts and daily necessities, there are shadows of fiber art. This paper aims to study the application of two-dimensional images in the visual and tactile dimensions of fiber art design. This paper proposes a three-dimensional simulation of two-dimensional images of art based on deep learning technology to achieve the purpose of convenient display and also analyzes the feature extraction in fiber art. In order to comprehensively compare the performance of the algorithms, this paper compares the performance of four categories: reconstruction speed, number of reconstructed point clouds, diversity of reconstructable categories, and reconstruction stability. The experimental results show that the number of point clouds obtained by the algorithm proposed in this paper far exceeds the other two reconstruction processes, and the average time is 34.4 min. This also shows that such algorithmic processes are more robust to clothing diversity.
On New Solutions of Fuzzy Hybrid Differential Equations by Novel Approaches
Authors: Dhandapani Prasantha Bharathi , Thippan Jayakumar , Unyong Bundit , Vadivel R. , Hammachukiattikul P.
Published: June 2023

The goal of this paper is to find the best of two sixth-order methods, namely, RK-Huta and RK–Butcher methods for solving the fuzzy hybrid systems. We state a necessary definition and theorem in terms of consistency for convergence, and finally, we compare the obtained numerical results of two different methods with analytical solution using two different numerical examples. In addition to that, we generalize the solutions obtained by RK-6 Huta and RK-6 Butcher methods (same order different stage methods) for both the problems we handled. We are proposing these two methods in order to reduce the error in accuracy and to establish these two methods are better than any other existing numerical methods. The best of two sixth-order methods are found by the error analysis study for both the problems. Also, we show whether the change in number of stages of same order methods affects the accuracy of the approximation or not.
Determination of Palatal Soft Tissue Thickness and Safe Zone for Palatal Soft Tissue Harvest Using CBCT: A Retrospective Study
Authors: Aldhanhani Hanan , Kukreja Bhavna Jha , Reddy Sesha , D’souza Jovita , Abdelmagyd Hossam
Published: June 2023

Aim. Our decision to conduct this study was motivated by the dearth of knowledge on geographical variations in the thickness of the palatal masticatory mucosa. The aim of the present study is to comprehensively analyze the palatal mucosal thickness and indicate the safety zone for palatal soft tissue harvesting using cone beam computed tomography (CBCT). Material and Methods. As this was a retrospective analysis of cases previously reported to the hospital, written consent was not acquired. The analysis was carried out on 30 CBCT images. Two examiners evaluated the images separately to avoid bias. Measurements were done from the midportion of the cementoenamel junction (CEJ) to the midpalatal suture in a horizontal line. Measurements were recorded from the maxillary canine, first premolar, second premolar, first molar, and second molar and were marked in axial and coronal sections at distances of 3, 6, and 9 mm from the CEJ. The relationship between palate soft tissue thickness in relation to each tooth, palatal vault angle, teeth, and the greater palatine grove was evaluated. Differences in the palatal mucosal thickness according to age, gender, and tooth site were evaluated. Categorical data were presented as frequencies and percentages. Numerical data are presented as mean and standard deviation values. They are explored for normality using Shapiro–Wilk’s test. Data are normally distributed and are analyzed using one-way ANOVA followed by Tukey’s post hoc test for independent variables and paired t-test for repeated measures. The significance level is set at

p
≤
0.05

for all tests. Statistical analysis is performed with R statistical analysis software version 4.1.3 for Windows. Results. For sex and nationality, there was no significant association (

p
>
0.05

), while for age, cases 35 years and older had significantly higher mucosal thickness than cases younger than 35 years old (

p
<
0.001

). For all teeth, the association was statistically significant (

p
<
0.001

). For the canine and first premolar, cases with deep angles had significantly higher mean values than those with moderate angles (

p
<
0.001

). For other teeth, cases with deep angles had significantly higher mean values than other angles (

p
<
0.001

). Conclusion. Palatal mucosal thickness varied significantly from the canine to the second molar; the most appropriate site for graft harvesting is the canine to second premolar area which is 9–12 mm from the midpalatal suture aspect and is considered a safe zone for harvesting palatal graft.
FFA-YOLOv7: Improved YOLOv7 Based on Feature Fusion and Attention Mechanism for Wearing Violation Detection in Substation Construction Safety
Authors: Chang Rong , Zhang Bingzhen , Zhu Qianxin , Zhao Shan , Yan Kai , Yang Yang
Published: June 2023

Ensuring compliance with safety regulations regarding wearing is essential for the safety and security of those working on substation construction sites. However, relying on supervisors to monitor workers in real time on the work site or through remote surveillance videos is both unreasonable and inefficient. A deep learning network approach named FFA-YOLOv7 is presented in this study that utilizes an improved version of YOLOv7 to detect violations of worker wearing in real time during power construction site surveillance. In YOLOv7, the feature pyramid network (FPN) of the neck stage is constructed through continuous upsampling and skip connections for feature fusion, after continuous downsampling of the backbone. However, this process can result in the loss of precise shallow position information. To tackle this issue, we have introduced a novel feature fusion pathway to the FPN architecture, enabling each layer not only to fuse feature maps from the same level during the downsampling course but also to fuse feature maps from shallower levels. This approach combines precise positional information from shallow layers with rich semantic information from deep layers. Additionally, we utilized attention after feature fusion in each layer to optimize the feature map fusion effect and achieve better detection accuracy performance. In order to conduct comparative experiments, we trained six variations of the YOLO model as detectors using a dataset gathered from realistic construction sites. The experimental results indicate that our proposed FFA-YOLOv7 attained a detection precision of 95.92% and a recall rate of 97.13%, demonstrating a high level of accuracy and a low rate of missed detections. These outcomes effectively satisfy the requirements for robust and accurate detection of real-world power construction violations.
TABLE 2 from Antidepressant Use and Lung Cancer Risk and Survival: A Meta-analysis of Observational Studies
Authors: Lee Eunkyung , Park Yongho , Li David , Rodriguez-Fuguet Alice , Wang Xiaochuan , Zhang Wen Cai
Published: June 2023

Methodologic quality assessment using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale for observational studies
TABLE 1 from Antidepressant Use and Lung Cancer Risk and Survival: A Meta-analysis of Observational Studies
Authors: Lee Eunkyung , Park Yongho , Li David , Rodriguez-Fuguet Alice , Wang Xiaochuan , Zhang Wen Cai
Published: June 2023

Characteristics of studies of lung cancer risk and survival associated with AD use included in meta-analysis
Supplementary Figure S1 from Antidepressant Use and Lung Cancer Risk and Survival: A Meta-analysis of Observational Studies
Authors: Lee Eunkyung , Park Yongho , Li David , Rodriguez-Fuguet Alice , Wang Xiaochuan , Zhang Wen Cai
Published: June 2023

Supplementary Figure 1: A funnel plot for the meta-analysis between antidepressant use and lung cancer risk and mortality.
Physiological gait test
Authors: Pantaleon Lorean , Fukushima André , Moreira Natália , De-Paula Leonardo Ribeiro , Ribeiro Guilherme , Peña-Muñoz Juliana Weckx , Faria Beatriz do Prado Pacca , Mendonça Marcelo , Abreu Gabriel Ramos de , Zacarelli-Magalhães Júlia , Delorenzi Jan Carlos Bertassoni , Waziry Paula A. Faria , Spinosa Helenice de Souza , Ricci Esther Lopes
Published: June 2023

The evaluation of animal locomotor activity is a behavioral tool widely used to measure the mechanisms underlying a particular disease, disorder, or injury, as well as the effects of exposure to a xenobiotic. The elevated beam test is one of the most used tests in rodents to assess balance and motor coordination. Despite being inexpensive and utilizing a simple apparatus, the high beam test requires a long period of animal training and habituation. The development and characterization of an alternative test, namely the gait test, has the potential to circumvent the time and effort required for animal training, deeming it an effective, inexpensive, and fast method for the analysis of behaviors that are comparably assessed by the high beam test. Therefore, the present study focused on determining the effectiveness and feasibility of the gait test for assessing rodent locomotion and balance as a replacement for the elevated beam test. For this purpose, male rats were divided into three groups: one control group exposed to a saline solution (NaCl 0.9%) and two experimental groups exposed to a single dose of either 0.2 or 1.0 mg/kg of ivermectin intraperitoneally for induction of locomotor disturbance. The high beam and gait tests were performed 15 min and 24 h after drug administration. Results show that the experimental groups had difficulty performing the tasks of either test at both time points analyzed compared to the control groups. At the high beam, experimental animals had trouble maintaining balance and walking. At the gait test, experimental animals showed alterations in gait, which were quantitated by: (a) shortening of step length, (b) decrease of stride, (c) altered step symmetry, and (d) altered stride area. Such results are indicative of compensatory efforts and were comparable between both tests. Altogether, the data indicate that the gait test meets all requirements for assessing motor coordination in rodents. The gait test is therefore validated as a complement to the elevated beam test for the study and analysis of neurodegenerative impairment and other disorders involving neuromuscular disturbances.
Meninas Geocientistas de São Francisco de Itabapoana: igualdade de gênero no Projeto Geoparque Costões e Lagunas do Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
Authors: Mansur Kátia Leite , Almeida Cícera Neysi de , Vilela Claudia Gutterres , Aracri Eveline Milani Romeiro Pereira , Alves Kátia , Alves Leidiana Alonso , Diogo Marcia Cezar , Alves Maria da Glória , Peixoto Maria Naíse de Oliveira , Medeiros Silvia Regina de
Published: June 2023

Este artigo objetiva apresentar os resultados já obtidos com o projeto “Geociências — Substantivo Feminino: Meninas Geocientistas de São Francisco de Itabapoana”, que visa encantar as meninas e mulheres do município pelas geociências. Trata-se de um dos municípios que compõem o território do Projeto Geoparque Costões e Lagunas do Rio de Janeiro e se apoia nos Objetivos de Desenvolvimento Sustentável 5 (igualdade de gênero) e 4 (educação de qualidade). O projeto, financiado pela Fundação Carlos Chagas Filho de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, busca compartilhar o conhecimento existente sobre o meio físico local, de forma que amplie a compreensão do território por meio de pesquisas de campo, projetos educativos e de divulgação científica. Foram selecionadas 15 bolsistas jovens talentos de cinco escolas, orientadas por cinco professores bolsistas de treinamento e capacitação técnica e três bolsistas de iniciação científica, orientadas por pesquisadoras da Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense Darcy Ribeiro e Secretaria Municipal de Educação e Cultura. Como resultados, podem ser destacados: realização de cursos de geologia geral para os professores municipais; oficina de minerais para os bolsistas; visitas de campo e laboratórios; desenvolvimento de projetos de monitoramento de sítios e levantamento geológico e hídrico; realização de entrevistas com moradores e coleta e análise de areias de praias, cordões litorâneos e rios; apresentação de trabalhos em eventos; entre outros. O andamento do projeto é divulgado nas redes sociais. Ao fim, será realizada uma feira de ciências para prestação de contas do projeto à população. Já se observa uma evolução positiva das jovens bolsistas em termos de interesse nas atividades de sala...
The type specimens of bees (Hymenoptera: Apoidea) deposited in the Zoological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg. Contribution VI. Family Andrenidae, genus Andrena Fabricius, 1775, taxa described by V. Popov
Authors: ASTAFUROVA YULIA V. , PROSHCHALYKIN MAXIM YU. , SIDOROV DMITRY A.
Published: June 2023

The type specimens for names of bee taxa in the genus Andrena Fabricius, 1775, described by V.B. Popov and which are deposited in the Zoological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences (St. Petersburg) are reviewed. Primary types of 19 taxa are illustrated and detailed information is provided. New synonymies are established for Andrena chengtehensis Yasumatsu, 1935 (= A. nova Popov, 1940, syn. nov.) and A. skorikovi Popov, 1940 (=A. firuzaensis Popov, 1940, syn. nov.; =A. firuzaensis popovella Gusenleitner & Schwarz, 2002, syn. nov.; = Andrena iranella Popov, 1940, syn. nov.). Based on study of the the lectotype, we consider Andrena discophora transhissarica Popov, 1958, stat. rev., at the subspecific level, and not as a distinct species, as opposed to Shebl & Tadauchi (2011). Lectotypes are here designated for the following twelve nominal taxa: Andrena alashanica Popov, 1949, A. discophora transhissarica Popov, 1958, A. eoa Popov, 1949, A. fedtschenkoi djumensis Popov, 1947, A. firuzaensis Popov, 1940, A. iranella Popov, 1940, A. lebedevi Popov, 1940, A. nanshanica Popov, 1940, A. nova Popov, 1940, A. shakuensis Popov, 1949, A. subconsobrina Popov, 1949, and A. tadzhica Popov, 1949.
General Features of MCSs with the Organization of Multiple Parallel Rainbands in China
Authors: Wang Peiyu , Meng Zhiyong
Published: June 2023

Multiple parallel rainbands (MPRBs) involve the organization of mesoscale convective systems (MCSs) characterized by multiple parallel convective rainbands, which may produce high rainfall accumulation. A total of 178 MPRBs were identified from 2016 to 2020 in China, which were classified into the initiation type (∼40%), where rainbands initiate individually, and differentiation type (∼60%), where rainbands form through the splitting of large rainbands or merging of smaller cells. Results showed that the occurrence frequency of MPRBs peaks in July with a midnight major peak and a morning minor peak. The highest occurrence frequency is observed in the northern Beibu Gulf and its coastal areas, with minor high frequencies in Guangdong, northern Jiangxi, and southern Shandong provinces, typically in a southwesterly low-level jet to the west of the subtropical high. MPRBs mainly contain 3–4 rainbands with a spacing distance of 30–50 km and an orientation generally consistent with the direction of 850-hPa winds and 0–1-km vertical wind shear. MPRBs generally move slower than that of squall lines in East China ranging from 4 to 8 m s−1 with 16% being quasi-stationary, which is mainly due to the occurrence of band back building mainly associated with cold pool. Most MPRBs have training effects with band training as the dominant mode. Because of the band training effect and slower movement of MPRBs mainly due to band back building, 71% of MPRBs are associated with enhanced maximum hourly rainfall. Rainfall severity may be alleviated somewhat by the generally short duration of MPRBs with 78% being shorter than 2 h.

Significance Statement

The purpose of this study is to document the general features of mesoscale convective systems (MCSs) with a specific organization of multiple parallel rainbands (MPRBs). MCSs with this unique organization tend to produce extremely heavy rainfall partly due to the training of multiple rainbands as well as their slow movement because of back building. The organization pattern of MPRBs was previously found in a case study. The possible formation mechanism was also previously examined based on case studies. As a complement to these studies, this work aims to reveal the temporal and spatial distributions, movement and duration, morphology, precipitation patterns, and environmental features of MPRBs in China based on statistics using 5-yr radar reflectivity data.
Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Transradial Access for Carotid Artery Stenting
Authors: Du Meng , Hu Yueyu , Zhu Deyuan , Cao Wei , Li Peng , Qi Dayong , Wu Chao , He Juanling , Ye Shifei , Li Suya , Fang Yibin
Published: June 2023

There is an increasing number of studies on the transradial approach (TRA) for carotid artery stenting. We aimed to summarize the published data on TRA vs the transfemoral approach (TFA). We searched Science Direct, Embase, PubMed, and Web of Science databases for the relevant literature. Primary outcomes included surgical success and cardiovascular and cerebrovascular complication rates; secondary outcomes included the rates of vascular access-related and other complications. We also compared the crossover rate, success rate, and complications between TRA and TFA carotid stenting. This is the first such meta-analysis regarding TRA and TFA. Twenty studies on TRA carotid stenting were included (n = 1300). Among 19 studies, the success rate of TRA carotid stenting was .951 (95% confidence interval [CI]: .926–.975); death rate was .022 (.011–.032); stroke rate was .005 (.001–.008); radial artery occlusion rate was .008 (.003–.013); and forearm hematoma rate was .003 (−.000 to .006). Among 4 studies comparing TRA and TFA, the success rate was lower (odds ratio: .02; 95% CI: .00–.23) and crossover rate was higher (odds ratio: 40.16; 95% CI: 4.41–365.73) with TRA. Thus, transradial neuro-interventional surgery has a lower success rate than TFA.
“Ave o grandissima donna di questo secol novo”: Stefania Türr e La Madre Italiana (1916–1919)
Authors: Batsleer Eline
Published: June 2023

La scrittrice e giornalista Stefania Türr (1885–1940) è ricordata come una delle prime inviate di guerra italiane. Tuttavia, il lavoro di corrispondente di guerra costituisce soltanto una parte della sua carriera giornalistica e letteraria, di cui merita di essere approfondito anche un altro aspetto altrettanto fondamentale, ossia l’attivismo politico, che trova la sua migliore espressione sulle pagine della rivista La Madre Italiana da lei fondata nel 1916. Questo saggio vuole proporre un’analisi approfondita del modo in cui Stefania Türr dà forma al proprio progetto politico-editoriale, e illustrare come La Madre Italiana si sia evoluta in sintonia con il percorso politico-ideologico della sua fondatrice. La prima parte dell’articolo è dedicata alla ricostruzione editoriale della rivista nonché alla sua contestualizzazione storico-culturale. La seconda e la terza parte si concentrano sul progetto politico-editoriale della Türr, con particolare attenzione per la dimensione nazionalista e la questione dell’emancipazione femminile. Infine, l’articolo analizza il modo in cui il suo viaggio al fronte (1917) e l’impresa fiumana (1919–1920) hanno influenzato le convinzioni ideologiche della Türr e perciò anche la linea editoriale della rivista.
Symmetric and Asymmetric Relationships Between Renewable Energy, Oil Imports, Arms Exports, Military Spending, and Economic Growth in China
Authors: Ben Youssef Slim
Published: June 2023

This paper evaluates the symmetric and asymmetric relationships between military spending (MS) and oil imports (OIM) in China. In the long run, MS increases OIM, renewable energy (RE) consumption, and gross domestic product. OIM seem to have a non-linear and asymmetric impact on MS, both in the short run and the long run. It appears that China is prompt to reduce its MS considerably whenever it is assured of its energy security. This could be partially achieved by increasing its RE consumption, and the military sector is invited to contribute, especially through its R&D activities.
Low-speed impact of glass/Kevlar hybrid composites: Experimental results and numerical verification
Authors: Xu Shuangxi , Zhang Shichen , Shen Wei , Xing huang  , Qiu Yu , Wu Yigang
Published: June 2023

With the development of increasingly lightweight ships, composite materials are widely used, and the impact resistance of hybrid composite materials is still the focus of research. In this paper, the mechanical properties of glass fiber and Kevlar single-layer plates were tested, and the basic mechanical properties of the materials were obtained. Meanwhile, the low-speed impact test of glass/Kevlar interlayer hybrid test plates with different hybrid ratios was carried out by using a horizontal impact tester, and the impact resistance of composite materials with different hybrid ratios was studied. Based on the experimental mechanical performance parameters, the numerical method was developed to calculate the low-speed impact. Compared with the experimental results, it was found that the finite element method has high calculation accuracy. The results show that the impact resistance of the glass/Kevlar interlayer hybrid composite test plate is gradually improved with the increase of Kevlar content, and it is suggested to improve the impact resistance of the material by increasing the proportion of Kevlar in structural design.
How Can We Increase Privacy Protection Behavior? A Longitudinal Experiment Testing Three Intervention Strategies
Authors: Boerman Sophie C. , Strycharz Joanna , Smit Edith G.
Published: June 2023

This study investigates which intervention strategies most effectively increase privacy protection behavior. Drawing upon Protection Motivation Theory, we examine the short- and long-term effects of (combinations) of three strategies: (1) increasing awareness of the threat to privacy, (2) training effective privacy protection behavior, and (3) addressing and combating privacy fatigue. We conducted a longitudinal experiment in the Netherlands with three waves ( Nwave1 = 1,000, 2 weeks later Nwave2 = 799, 2 months later Nwave3 = 465) and eight between subjects conditions (no strategy and all possible combinations of the strategies). Results show that the training strategy increased self-efficacy and response efficacy, immediately increased all privacy protection behaviors, and positively impacted tracking blocking behavior in the short- and long-term, actual cookie rejection in the short-term (2 weeks later), and deletion behavior in the long-term (2 months later). The threat and fatigue strategies did not have their anticipated effects, but the threat strategy did immediately increase tracking blocking intentions, and the fatigue strategy had a positive, short-term effect on cookie rejection behavior.
Masculine Conformity and Social Dominance’s Relation With Organizational Culture Change
Authors: Deng Michelle E. , Nicol Adelheid A. M. , Ralph Cindy Suurd
Published: June 2023

While the workforce is becoming increasingly more modernized and diverse, masculine norms are prevalent among certain organizations that remain male-dominated. Namely, the military is an institution that promotes masculine stereotypes and a culture where such stereotypes form a normative system of hierarchy. This study, surveying 145 military cadets at the Royal Military College of Canada (RMC), found that social dominance orientation, or preference for in-group superiority and out-group inequality, was associated with higher conformity to masculine norms. Moreover, higher levels of social dominance explained the relationship between masculine conformity and less acceptance toward cultural reforms in the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF). These findings suggest that achieving true organizational culture change in the military involves challenging not only masculine norms but, more importantly, the dominant and nonegalitarian attitudes of social dominance.
Reverse Fragility Index Comparing Rates of Rerupture After Open Achilles Tendon Repair Versus Early Functional Rehabilitation: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials
Authors: Bragg Jack T. , Ruelos Verdinand C.B. , McIntyre J. Alex , Puzzitiello Richard N. , Pagani Nicholas R. , Menendez Mariano E. , Moverman Michael A. , Salzler Matthew J.
Published: June 2023

Background:

Despite similar published rates of rerupture among patients treated with early functional rehabilitation and open repair for acute Achilles tendon rupture, uncertainty still exists regarding the optimal treatment modality. The reverse fragility index (RFI) is a statistical tool that provides an objective measure of the study’s neutrality by determining the number of events that need to change for a nonsignificant result to be significant.

Purpose:

The purpose was to utilize the RFI to appraise the strength of neutrality of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing the rerupture rates of acute Achilles tendon ruptures treated with open repair versus early functional rehabilitation.

Study Design:

Systematic review; Level of evidence, 1.

Methods:

A systematic review was performed including all RCTs comparing the rerupture rates after operative repair and early functional rehabilitation for acute Achilles tendon ruptures. Studies were included that explicitly used early functional rehabilitation, defined as weightbearing and exercise-based interventions initiated within 2 weeks, as compared with open repair and reported a nonsignificant difference in rerupture rates. The RFI, with rerupture as the primary outcome, was calculated for each study (significance threshold, P < .05). The RFI quantifies a study’s strength of neutrality and is defined as the minimum number of event reversals necessary to change a nonsignificant result to statistically significant.

Results:

Nine RCTs were included, with 713 patients and 46 reruptures. The median (interquartile range) rerupture rate was 7.69% (6.38%-9.64%) overall, 4.00% (2.33%-7.14%) in the operative group, and 10.00% (5.26%-12.20%) in the nonoperative group. The median RFI was 3, indicating that an outcome reversal of 3 patients was necessary to change the results from nonsignificant to statistically significant. The median number of patients lost to follow-up was 6 (3-7). Of 9 studies, 7 (77.8%) had a loss to follow-up greater than or equal to its RFI.

Conclusion:

The statistical nonsignificance of studies reporting equivalent rerupture rates in the management of acute Achilles tendon ruptures with open repair versus nonoperative management with early functional rehabilitation can be reversed by changing the outcome status of only a few patients.
Effects of continuous use of Tadalafil on male sexual function after posterior urethroplasty: A clinical trial
Authors: Nourian Kafshgari Hamedreza , Farhadi Danial , Kohandel Gargari Morad , Pourasghary Sajjad , Tahmasbi Fateme , Soleimanzadeh Farzin
Published: June 2023

Introduction:

Posterior urethral injuries in men commonly occur following pelvic and perineal trauma. Erectile dysfunction (ED), whether brought on by the severity of the initial trauma or the surgery itself, is one of the complications in these patients.

Materials and methods:

In this study, we divided candidates of posterior urethroplasty due to traumatic urethral injury into intervention and placebo groups; the former received continuous treatment with tadalafil (10 mg daily), and the latter received a placebo. Other services were provided equally to both groups. Before and after the intervention, both groups completed the International Index of Erectile Function version 5 (IIEF-5) questionnaire, and the findings were analyzed.

Results:

Forty patients were studied in groups of 20 with a mean age of 43.87 ± 15.70 years. The patient’s most common cause of urethral injury was a pelvic fracture. Before the intervention, the mean scores of IIEF for patients in the intervention group and placebo group were 14.85 ± 7.39 and 14.77 ± 6.48, respectively with no statistical significance ( p = 0.962) and patients of the groups were similar in terms of the severity of ED. The mean IIEF score in the intervention group was 20.12 ± 4.94 and in the placebo group, it was 18.05 ± 4.88 at the three-month follow-up, with no statistically significant difference ( p = 0.063). In both the intervention and placebo groups, the IIEF score was significantly increased by 5.27 ± 4.04 ( p < 0.001) and 3.27 ± 2.97 ( p < 0.001), respectively. The rate of IIEF increase in the intervention group was higher than in the placebo group during the follow-up at 3-month follow-up with statistical significance. ( p = 0.022).

Conclusion:

The findings of this study suggest that tadalafil, in a 3-month treatment course, may improve erectile function in individuals with mild-to-moderate ED, significantly more than placebo. However, more studies, specifically with longer duration of follow-up and larger populations, are necessary for generalizing the current findings.
Hematotoxicity induced by simultaneous exposure to noise and toluene in New Zealand white rabbits: Synergistic and antagonistic effects
Authors: Abouee-Mehrizi Amirreza , Rasoulzadeh Yahya , Solali Saeed , Esmaeilizadeh Hadi , Iraji Zeynab , Mesgari-Abbasi Mehran
Published: June 2023

Exposure to numerous pollutants is prevalent in workplaces. Examination of combined exposure to different harmful physical factors and chemicals has offered new insights into toxicology in recent years. This study aimed to investigate the hematological alterations caused by exposure to noise and toluene. Twenty-four New Zealand white rabbits were exposed to 1000 ± 50 ppm toluene and/or 100 ± 5 dB noise for 14 consecutive days. Exposure to noise and toluene changed a number of parameters of white blood cells (WBC), red blood cells (RBC), and platelets on different days after the exposure. Simultaneous exposure to noise and toluene increased WBC, and exposure to noise and toluene alone decreased RBC. Exposure to noise and toluene alone increased basophile, monocyte, and neutrophil counts. The coefficient of variation of red blood cell distribution width (RDW-CV) and the standard deviation of red blood cell distribution width (RDW-SD) significantly increased after co-exposure to noise and toluene. Platelet levels increased in the noise-exposed and the co-exposed groups and decreased in the toluene-exposed group. Furthermore, co-exposure to noise and toluene induced dissimilar synergistic and antagonistic effects on the hematological indices. According to the results of this study, simultaneous exposure to toluene and noise can aggravate some hematotoxic effects compared to exposure to noise or toluene alone. The results also demonstrated the vital role of the modulatory mechanisms of the body in controlling the detrimental effects of stressors.