bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Development of a picking and dropping mechanism for protray grown vegetable seedlings
Authors: Periasamy Vivek , Duraisamy  , Kavitha
Published: July 2021

In India, manual transplanting of vegetable seedlings was the commonly adopted method for raising vegetable crops, but it is laborious, time-consuming and costly. Therefore, mechanical transplanters are developed to overcome the problems in manual transplanting. The present work was to develop multiple seedlings picking and transferring mechanism for protray grown vegetable seedlings. Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum), chilli (Capsicum annuum) and brinjal (Solanum melongena) seedlings were raised in portrays with coir pith as a growth media and used for transplanting operation. The mechanism was to pick seven numbers of seedlings in one row at a time and transfer them into lateral conveying system, which could deliver the seedlings one by one on to the ground at regular interval. Programmable Logic Controller was used to controlling entire operations of seedlings picking and dropping. At the time of evaluation, a totally 196 number of seedlings were used with 98 cell protray. From the test results, the success rate of 89.28 per cent, missing seedling of 3.57 per cent, damaged seedling of 4.08 per cent, seedling delivering failure of 3.06 per cent were recorded for tomato seedlings.
Similarly, in chilli and brinjal the success rate of 95.40 and 91.83 per cent, the missing seedling of 2.04 and 2.55 per cent, damaged seedling of 1.53 and 3.06 per cent and seedling delivering failure of 1.02 and 2.55 per cent respectively were observed. Transplanting frequency of developed mechanism was 2520 seedlings h-1.   As a whole, this work was able to develop a working model of vegetable seedling transplanting mechanism, which can eject seven seedlings at a time from portray cell and transfer them into the slotted conveyor.
Standardization of protein-enriched cookies made from Tamarind seed flour
Authors: Sultana Farhat , Vijayalakshmi  , Geetha  , Mini
Published: July 2021

Protein-energy malnutrition is one of the major public health problems in India affecting children under 5 years of age. The prevalence of underweight in children under 5 is 42.5% in India, being the highest globally. The need for low-cost supplemental food is vital under such conditions. This study aims to develop low cost and protein-rich value-added products from Tamarind seed flour. The incorporation of Tamarind seed flour (50%) in the development of cookies exhibited a significant level of increase in protein in cookies. The protein content of Control cookies was 5.65% and Tamarind seed flour incorporated cookies was 11.26%. This study depicted that Tamarind seed flour can be used as the replacement of conventionally used cereal flours to develop functional foods to curb protein-energy malnutrition.
Modeling of Hong Seok-gu’s Seals
Authors: Kim Yang-kyun
Published: July 2021

In May 1968, 83 seals were excavated from the tomb of Hong Seok-gu, one of the literati in the mid-Joseon dynasty. Hong was a literator who designed and engraved the seal by himself in the 17th century. The lifetime of Hong Seok-gu was reorganized through the Buried Epitaph(墓誌銘) by Lee Dan-ha(李端夏) and the Tombstone Inscription(墓碣銘) by Jeong Ho(鄭澔). which revealed that he was often dismissed from the public office and assigned to the local government. Therefore, he repeatedly resigned and retired from his office. It is assumed that his personal misfortune allowed him to devote his time and space in engraving the seals. The style of his seals was influenced from the famous Andong Kim clan(安東 金門). He carved high-quality seals using various ancient seal script(古篆體) introduced in the calligraphy circles(書壇) with 38 seal script(篆書) including small seal script(小篆) and jade chopsticks seal script(玉筯篆). In addition, he applied composition techniques(章法) which were creatively transformed from the method of putting both depressed and embossed engraving into one seal(朱白相間法), a popular way in the 17th century. He also held his experimental point of view in the composition techniques of the seals shaped of an ancient coin(孔方錢). Regarding the poetry seal(詞句印), his brilliant sense of modeling is noticeable in combining literature with figuration. Shapes such as a small table for a incense burner(香佐兒), a liquor bottle(酒甁), and an arrow throwing pot(投壺) implied literature, while seals carved with Jeilgangsan (第一江山)>, Gyosang-noin (橋上老人)> and Daimyoung-cheonha-ilseosaeng (大明天下一書生)> were employed to attempt shaping with literature. The characteristic of this style is recognized as an artistic accomplishment of the seals in the Joseon dynasty, which was different from the seals of Ming dynasty following the style of the Han dynasty.
Anterior cruciate ligament – to repair or not to repair?
Authors:   Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, University Hospital in Wrocław, Poland, Wodziński Piotr , Wielgus Andrzej , Mucha Łukasz , Mazurek Tomasz , Dragan Szymon Łukasz
Published: July 2021

Anterior cruciate ligament injuries are one of the most frequent knee joint injuries, leading to instability which limits return to sport activity, and is one of osteoarthritis risk factors. Treatment issues are present since 1895, when Mayo Robertson performed first documented open ACL repair. Positive short-term results of open suturing led to rising popularity of this method, which in 70’s and 80’s became golden standard of ACL injury treatment. Feagin in his longterm observations noticed that nearly half of patients after open ACL repair, during first 5 years suffered from reappearing ACL tear. Since then, for many years reconstruction techniques with graft use became most popular technique. Increasing knowledge of ligament healing biology, creation of Sherman’s ACL injury location classification, development of arthroscopic techniques, connected with growing tendency for biological treatment caused increase in repair techniques interest. Most important potential benefits of this techniques are: limitation of perioperative trauma – no need to harvest graft, drill large tunnels, possible retention of additional ACL proprioceptive feeling, easier eventual reoperation. Effort to save patient’s ACL is especially indicated in case of acute trauma (depending on source up to 3-14 weeks from injury), with proximal tear (type I in Sherman classification) with good remnant quality. Most popular techniques of ACL repair are: proximal ACL attachment reinsertion, IBLA – Internal Bracing Ligament Augmentation and DIS – Dynamic Intraligamentary Stabilization. The aim of this study was to present actual state of knowledge concerning options of primary ACL repair, it’s results, indications, and sharing authors own experiences in this treatment methods. Preliminary, available in literature, results of studies concerning methods mentioned above are good and very good, comparable, and sometimes even superior to results of classical ACL reconstruction. However, there is lack of long-term studies, that might confirm increase in survivorship rate of repaired ACLs comparing to previous open suturing technique.
PROPOSAL PENAWARAN JASA PEMBUATAN WEBSITE
Authors: Gea Yusuf Abdul Aziz
Published: July 2021

Kami dari Teknoweb Indonesia merupakan salah satu website developer yang mengutamakan layanan khusus dalam pengembangan website, Teknoweb lebih menitikberatkan dalam pelayanan jasa pembuatan, pengembangan, dan memaksimalkan website untuk meningkatkan pengunjung pada website sehingga diharapkan dapat meningkatkan minat pengunjung untuk membeli produk atau jasa yang Anda tawarkan sesuai harapan.
Working memory is updated by reallocation of resources from obsolete to new items
Authors: Taylor Robert , Tomic Ivan , Aagten-Murphy David , Bays Paul
Published: July 2021

Visual working memory (VWM) resources are limited, placing constraints on how much visual information can be simultaneously retained. During visually-guided activity, stored information can quickly become outdated, so updating mechanisms are needed to ensure the contents of memory remain relevant to current task goals. In particular, successful deallocation of resources from items that become obsolete is likely to be critical for maintaining the precision of those representations still in memory. The experiments in this study involved presenting two memory arrays of coloured disks in sequence. The appearance of the second array was a cue to replace either one, or all, of the colours in memory from the first array. When compared to conditions that were matched in the total number of items presented, we predicted that successful updating would result in fewer actively maintained items, owing to the removal of pre-replacement features. Comparison of recall precision between these two conditions should therefore provide a test of successful updating. We identified a very small proportion (~5%) of trials in which participants incorrectly reported a feature from the first array in place of its replacement in the second, which we interpreted as a failure to incorporate the information from the second display into memory. Once these trials were discounted, precision estimates were consistent with complete redistribution of resources in the case of updating a single item. We conclude that working memory can be efficiently updated when previous information becomes obsolete, but that this is a demanding active process that occasionally fails.
American Heterosexual Young Adults’ Reasoning about their Expectations for Future Household Labor Participation
Authors: Midgette Allegra , D'Andrea Devon , Conry-Murray Clare
Published: July 2021

Despite being egalitarian, heterosexual young adults, especially women, predict a gendered division in their future household. The present study investigated 178 American heterosexual young adults’ (M = 20.56, 88.20% European American, 51% ciswomen) ideal and expected future household labor participation, their social attitudes and their justifications for their expectations. Participants were on average egalitarian in their attitudes and reasoning. Across the sample, gender norm reasoning was positively associated with expecting an unequal division, while equality reasoning was associated with expecting an equal division. A final model in which reasoning and attitudes were both included found that only being male and employing equality justifications was positively predictive of expecting an egalitarian division. The present study highlights the value of going beyond social attitudes and turning to investigating young adults’ underlying reasoning for understanding why gender (in)equality is expected and potentially perpetuated despite egalitarian ideals.
Glosa do Uchwały składu siedmiu sędziów Naczelnego Sądu Administracyjnego z dnia 22 czerwca 2020 r., sygn. akt II OPS 5/19
Authors: Kurzawa Angelika
Published: July 2021

The resolution adopted by the Supreme Administrative Court, composed of seven judges, stating that the submission of a complaint about the inactivity of a public authority after the final decision has been issued is an obstacle to the substantive examination of such a complaint by the administrative court, does not deserve approval. Complaints for inaction fulfill not only a disciplinary function, but also a repressive and preventive function. The inadmissibility of such a complaint prevents a party to administrative proceedings from pursuing claims for damages for an unlawful act/omission of the public authority, thus placing it in a worse position than the parties to court proceedings, which, even after the final conclusion of the proceedings, may seek redress for damage resulting from excessive length of court proceedings. However, recognizing the risk of abuse of a complaint for inaction several or several dozen years after the decision was issued, it is reasonable for the legislator to introduce a maximum time limit for filing a complaint correlated with the statute of limitations for damages claims.
Regulating Private and Public Places of Non-Medical Cannabis Consumption in North America: Public Health and Public Safety Issues
Authors: Gourdet Camille , Gagnon François , Moscetti Craig , Obradovic Ivana
Published: July 2021

The legalization of cannabis has necessitated a debate about the specific public or private places in which the consumption of cannabis should be lawfully allowed. Relevant federal, and state or provincial, laws governing the public consumption of cannabis as of April 2020 were retrieved through primary legal research in LexisNexis and official government websites. Across various states and provinces within the United States and Canada, three types of cannabis-related regulatory regimes have emerged. Quebec has adopted the most restrictive type of regulatory framework. Quebec generally prohibits the smoking or vaping of cannabis in both indoor and outdoor public places, by extending the restrictions on the use of tobacco and alcohol products to cannabis consumption. Slightly less restrictive are jurisdictions such as Ontario and British Columbia, which allow cannabis consumption in most outdoor public spaces, such as streets or parks. Certain local-level jurisdictions within the US states of California and Colorado have adopted the least restrictive local-level regulatory regime, by authorizing the operation of indoor cannabis consumption sites at certain fixed locations or within mobile spaces. The degree to which private consumption is allowed or prohibited also varies widely. An individual who lives or works in a jurisdiction such as Quebec that has prohibited the smoking or vaping of cannabis in almost all public places will be left with limited spaces in which to consume inhalable cannabis products. By contrast, a non-medical cannabis user who lives in Colorado, which authorizes on-site consumption at certain licensed establishments, has far more options to consume inhalable cannabis outside of the home. In this article, we will examine a range of federal-, state- or provincial-, and local-level laws that regulate cannabis consumption in certain public and private places and consider some of the potential public health and safety implications of these laws.
Sufro una grave enfermedad rara. Reto a cantar y hacer coreografías en TikTok
Authors: Sánchez-Castillo Sebastián , Mercado-Sáez María-Teresa
Published: July 2021

Rare diseases are extremely severe, disabling pathologies. In total, 7% of the world’s population suffers from a rare disease. To publicize their plight, people suffering from such diseases and their families have turned to Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, among other social media platforms, as effective tools for sharing their problems, calling for greater investment in research and to cope with their day-to-day hardships. Symbols and representations defining rare diseases that have been established in the media and on social networking services have thus gained in prominence. This research asks what the emergence of the TikTok app, the second most downloaded in 2019 and the first in 2020, has meant for how these diseases are made visible. To answer this question, 2,750 TikTok posts with the 11 most popular hashtags related to rare diseases in six languages ​​were analyzed between 1 January 2019 and 30 September 2020. The findings confirm that, against this highly personalized backdrop, the widespread use of TikTok is changing an already consolidated discourse of protest and fostering the creation of new codes with unpredictable results for the recognition and support needed by this marginalized community.

Resumen
Las enfermedades raras son patologías muy severas y discapacitantes que afectan al 7% de la población mundial. Para intentar visibilizar y denunciar su situación, las personas que padecen estas enfermedades y sus familias hallaron en Facebook, Twitter y YouTube, entre otras redes sociales, un canal eficaz para compartir sus problemas, exigir una mayor inversión en investigación y poder conllevar sus dificultades diarias. Desde entonces, se han estimado como válidos elementos simbólicos y de representación que se han ido forjando en los medios y en las redes sociales. Esta investigación se pregunta qué supone la irrupción de la aplicación TikTok, la segunda más descargada en 2019 y primera de 2020, en el modo en que son visibilizadas estas enfermedades. Para responder a la cuestión se han analizado 2.750 publicaciones en TikTok procedentes de los 11 hashtags más populares sobre enfermedades raras en 6 idiomas, entre el 1 de enero de 2019 y el 30 de septiembre de 2020. Se evidencia que, bajo el telón de la escenografía personalista, el uso masivo de TikTok está cambiando un discurso reivindicativo ya consolidado y está invitando a la creación de nuevos códigos con resultados impredecibles para el conocimiento y necesidades que este grupo poblacional en riesgo de exclusión demanda.
Federal Almanya’da Müslüman Hastaların Dini-Manevi Temelli Sosyal Hı̇zmet Gereksinimleri
Authors: GEDİK Mehmet , ABAY Ali Rıza
Published: July 2021

Federal Almanya’da resmi kaynaklara göre 5 milyonu aşkın Müslüman yaşamaktadır. Bunun yaklaşık 2.4 milyonunu Türkiye kökenli Müslüman göçmenler oluşturmaktadır. Araştırmada, Almanya’da dini-manevi sosyal hizmet uygulamalarında Müslüman hasta ve yakınlarının dini-manevi ve kültürel değerli bir “Sosyal Hizmet” alıp alamadıkları konuları derinlikli ele alınarak; mülakat ve gözlem teknikleri kullanılıp, fenomenolojik (yorumlayıcı) yaklaşımlar üzerinden çözümlenmesi amaçlanmıştır.

Araştırmanın evrenini, Batı Avrupa ülkeleri arasında sosyal sistem, demokrasi ve sosyal refah devleti yaklaşımları ile oldukça dikkat çeken ve bu bağlamda dini-manevi sosyal hizmet yaklaşımlarında öncü bir ülke olarak kabul görmüş Federal Almanya oluşturmaktadır. Bu saha/alan genellemesi dikkate alınarak Müslüman nüfusun en yoğun yaşadığı “NRW - Nordrhein-Westfalen (Kuzey Ren Vestfalya)” eyaletine odaklanılarak gerçekleştirilmiştir.

Araştırmadan amaçlanan, Federal Almanya’da Hristiyan (Katolik& Protestan/Evanjelist) ve Yahudi dini aidiyetli hastaların değer temelli hizmetler olarak aldıkları dini-manevi hizmetlerin Müslüman hasta ve hasta yakınlarına yönelik uygulanan manevi (spiritüel) hizmetlerle karşılaştırarak çözüm önerilerinin sunulmasıdır. Bu perspektiften hareketle daha önceki yıllarda bu konumda bir çalışmanın yapılmamış olması araştırmayı kendi özünde önemli kılmaktadır.
Çocuk Gelişimi Programı Öğrencilerinin Okul Öncesi Dönem Çocuklarına Yönelik STEM Temelli Hazırlanan Etkinlikler İle İlgili Görüşleri
Authors: ŞAHİN Merve
Published: July 2021

Bu çalışma, çocuk gelişimi programı öğrencilerinin okul öncesi çocuklara yönelik STEM temelli etkinliklerin uygulanmasına ilişkin görüşlerini incelemeyi amaçlamaktadır. Bu amaçla nitel araştırma yöntemlerinden biri olan fenomenolojik araştırma deseni kullanılmıştır. Araştırmanın örneklemi Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart Üniversitesi Bayramiç Meslek Yüksekokulu Çocuk Gelişimi programının 2. yılında incelenmiştir. Tarih, 2020-2021 akademik yılı güz döneminde toplanmıştır. Öğrencilerin STEM temelli etkinliklere ilişkin görüşlerini öğrenmek için haberle anlatın 7 görüşme sorusu kullanılmıştır. Görüşmede elde edilen içerik analiz ile analiz edilmiştir. Görüşme sorularının geçerlik ve güvenirliği yapılmıştır. Araştırmada elde edilen bulgularda, çocuk gelişimi programını öğrenmeye yönelik STEM etkinliklerini planlamada zorluk yaşadıklarını, ancak ilgili alan bilgisine sahip olduktan sonra kendilerini yeterli hissettiklerini ve uygulamada herhangi bir güçlük yaşamadıklarını belirtmişlerdir. Ayrıca günlük yaşam, bilim, teknoloji, fen ve matematiğe cevabın önemli bir yer tuttuğu eğitimde STEM etkinliklerinin önemli bir yere sahip olduğu görülmektedir. Daha önce bilmedikleri için okul öncesi dönem çocuklarına yönelik staj uygulamalarında STEM etkinliklerini kullanmadıklarını ve daha sonraki uygulamalarında STEM'i kullanmaya istekli olduklarını söylüyorlar. Bu bulgular ışığında bilim, teknoloji, mühendislik ve matematik alanlarının önemli olduğu ve STEM eğitiminde erken yaşlardan itibaren öğretimin gerekli olduğu belirtilmektedir. Beceri sahibi bireyler yetiştirmek için STEM temelli bir yapı yapılması gerektiğine inandıkları anlaşılmaktadır. Öğrencilerin günlük yaşamla ilgili olayları açıklamada STEM etkinliklerinin gerekliliğine inandıkları görülmektedir.
DIGITAL TOOLS FOR INFORMATION ON MENTAL HEALTH. DOES WHAT WE DO AFFECT THE WAY WE PERCEIVE THEM? A QUANTITATIVE STUDY AMONG THE ADULT POPULATION IN BRAȘOV, ROMANIA
Authors: Tudor Andra Ioana Maria , Brătucu Gabriel
Published: July 2021

This paper discusses whether and to what extent the occupational level of the adult population in Brasov County affects the perceptions regarding the digital tools’ importance for information on mental health disorders such as depression and how the population with different occupational levels perceives and assimilates the digital tools for mental health needs. A quantitative marketing research was conducted among 514 adults from Brasov County. The ANOVA test was applied to achieve the set goal. The outcomes are useful for academics and practitioners to design sustainable digital health policies and create efficient prevention campaigns for depression, by focusing on digital tools.
Análisis estadístico de la prueba ‘Avancemos en matemáticas’, para grado octavo
Authors: Jorge Enrique Díaz-Pinzón
Published: July 2021

El objetivo de esta investigación fue evaluar si hubo una diferencia o no entre los resultados de las respuestas correctas de los componentes: Comunicación, Razonamiento y Resolución de la prueba Avancemos en matemáticas 2018, obtenido por los estudiantes de grado octavo en la Institución Educativa General Santander del municipio de Soacha-Cundinamarca. Se manejó un diseño intra-sujetos o de medidas repetidas. Para su estudio, se utilizó el ANOVA para medidas repetidas, para analizar si había contraste de medias para datos relacionados (dependientes o apareados). A partir del análisis estadístico de los datos aplicando la ANOVA, se observó que el p-valor de la prueba es igual a 0,009 para determinar que los resultados globales de las respuestas correctas de cada estudiante no fueron los mismos en cada componente evaluado en la prueba. A partir de los análisis estadísticos de los datos de los resultados se pudo evidenciar que estos no fueron favorables por cada estudiante, ya que, de 24 preguntas posibles, el promedio de respuestas estuvo por debajo de 3, en cada componente evaluado.
Muscle-Invasive Bladder Cancer in Patients with Liver Cirrhosis: A Review of Pertinent Considerations
Authors: Kim John , Randhawa Harkanwal , Sands David , Lambe Shahid , Puglia Marco , Serrano Pablo E. , Pinthus Jehonathan H.
Published: July 2021

The incidence of liver cirrhosis is increasing worldwide. Patients with cirrhosis are generally at a higher risk of harbouring hepatic and non-hepatic malignancies, including bladder cancer, likely due to the presence of related risk factors such as smoking. Cirrhosis can complicate both the operative and non-surgical management of bladder cancer. For example, cirrhotic patients undergoing abdominal surgery generally demonstrate worse postoperative outcomes, and chemotherapy in patients with cirrhosis often requires dose reduction due to its direct hepatotoxic effects and reduced hepatic clearance. Multiple other considerations in the peri-operative management for cirrhosis patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer must be taken into account to optimize outcomes in these patients. Unfortunately, the current literature specifically related to the treatment of cirrhotic bladder cancer patients remains sparse. We aim to review the literature on treatment considerations for this patient population with respect to perioperative, surgical, and adjuvant management.
A panel of epigenetically dysregulated Wnt signaling pathway genes for non-invasive diagnosis of pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia
Authors: Hussan Syeda Saliah , Maqsood Neha , Wang Qingbing , Tao Sun , Sadaf Saima
Published: July 2021

BACKGROUND: Genetic and epigenetic dysregulation of Wnt signaling pathway is widely linked up with abnormal proliferation and/or epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition, in different cancer cell types. OBJECTIVE: In the present research, we have tested whether promoter DNA methylation of a set of Wnt/non-Wnt genes such as [cadherin-2 (CDH2)], “present in circulation”, could serve as “bone-marrow biopsy surrogate” and help in diagnosing the status, sub-type or treatment outcome in pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) patients. METHODS: Promoter DNA methylation was quantified in the bisulfite modified blood from the pediatric ALL patients (n= 86) in comparison with age-matched cancer-free subjects (n= 28), using real-time methylation specific PCR followed by rigorous statistical validations. RESULTS: The observed methylation index, sensitivity and specificity of selected molecular markers (viz., SALL1, WNT5α, LRP1b, CDH2) in patients’ liquid-biopsies was clinically significant showing high positive correlation in the pre-B ALL cases (p-value < 0.001). A substantial drop in promoter methylation signal of the follow-up/post-treatment patients was also noted (p-value < 0.001), which suggested an impending role of minimally invasive liquid-biopsy approach in the diagnosis and/or therapeutic monitoring of pediatric leukemia. CONCLUSIONS: Whilst the reported metadata provides useful insight into the plausible involvement of epigenetic glitches in leukemogensis, our findings strengthen the remarkable functional consequences of dysregulated Wnt signaling genes in the hematological malignancies besides offering a novel panel of epigenetic marks.
Lidocaine inhibited migration of NSCLCA549 cells via the CXCR4 regulation
Authors: Xing Baichun , Yang Linlin , Cui Yanan
Published: July 2021

BACKGROUND: Lidocaine is a local anesthetic that wildly used in surgical treatment and postoperative medical care for lung cancers. We hypothesized that lidocaine at clinical plasma concentration can inhibit CXCL12/CXCR4 axis-regulated cytoskeletal remodeling thereby reduce the migration of Non-small-cell lung cancers (NSCLC) cells. METHODS: We determined the effect of lidocaine at clinical plasma concentration on CXCL12-induced cell viability, apoptosis, cell death, monolayer cell wound healing rate, individual cell migration indicators, expression of CXCR4, CD44, and ICAM-1, intracellular Ca2+ level, and filamentous actin level alteration of NSCLC cells A549 and CXCR4-knocked down A549 cells using CCK-8, Bcl-2 ELISA, Cell death ELISA, wound healing assay, chemotaxis assay, western blotting, QPCR, Fura-2-based intracellular Ca2+ assay, and Fluorescein Phalloidin staining respectively. RESULTS: Lidocaine did not affect cell viability, apoptosis, and cell death but inhibited CXCL12-induced migration, intracellular Ca2+ releasing, and filamentous actin increase. Lidocaine decreased expression of CXCR4, increased CD44, but had no effect on ICAM-1. CXCL12 induced the increase of CD44 and ICAM-1 but did not affect CD44 in the presence of lidocaine. The knockdown of CXCR4 eliminated all the effects of lidocaine. The overexpression of CXCR4 promoted migration but the migration was inhibited by lidocaine. CONCLUSION: Lidocaine at clinical plasma concentrations inhibited CXCL12-induced CXCR4 activation, thereby reduced the intracellular Ca2+-dependent cytoskeleton remodeling, resulting in slower migration of A549 cells.
Intra-rater reliability of lower leg subcutaneous skin fold thickness derived from hand-held a-mode ultrasound
Authors: McGirr Brian T. , Martin Jake L. , Colborn Chris E. , Shefflette Alex C.S. , Soltysiak Steve R. , Dichiara Elisabeth J. , Caruso John F.
Published: July 2021

BACKGROUND:

Ultrasound is an important tool to diagnose many clinical conditions. Yet hand-held devices may be prone to more data variability in part from the greater likelihood of human error.

OBJECTIVE:

Quantify intra-rater reliability of subcutaneous skin fold thickness from a hand-held ultrasound device.

PARTICIPANTS:

College-age subjects (18 men, 14 women) submitted to two sets of ultrasound subcutaneous skin fold measurements spaced (mean [Formula: see text] sem) 10.6 [Formula: see text] 2.2 days apart. Per measurement, they stood relaxed as ultrasound measured the subcutaneous skin fold thickness that covered their left leg’s calf muscle group. Measurements occurred with a hand-held device (BodyMetrix Pro System BX2000; Livermore, CA) used in accordance with the manufacturer’s guidelines. Four subcutaneous measurements were made 90[Formula: see text] apart (anterior, medial, posterior, lateral) at the portion of the left calf with the largest circumference. To assess intra-rater reliability, we used intraclass correlation coefficients, limits of agreement, coefficient of variation and the smallest real difference.

RESULTS:

Intra-rater reliability was high for most of our statistical tests.

CONCLUSION:

Despite the relatively long period between measurements, our hand-held ultrasound device exhibited a high degree of intra-rater reliability. Given our results, ultrasound measurements may be a useful tool to quantify skin fold thickness.
MIND Diet, Common Brain Pathologies, and Cognition in Community-Dwelling Older Adults
Authors: Dhana Klodian , James Bryan D. , Agarwal Puja , Aggarwal Neelum T. , Cherian Laurel J. , Leurgans Sue E. , Barnes Lisa L. , Bennett David A. , Schneider Julie A.
Published: July 2021

Background: MIND diet, a hybrid of the Mediterranean diet and the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension diet, is associated with a slower cognitive decline and lower risk of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) dementia in older adults. Objective: We aim to examine whether the association of the MIND diet with cognition is independent of common brain pathologies. Methods: Utilizing data from the Rush Memory and Aging Project (MAP), a longitudinal clinical-pathologic study, we studied 569 decedents with valid dietary data, cognitive testing proximate to death, and complete autopsy data at the time of these analyses. A series of regression analyses were used to examine associations of the MIND diet, dementia-related brain pathologies, and global cognition proximate to death adjusting for age, sex, education, APOE ɛ4, late-life cognitive activities, and total energy intake. Results: A higher MIND diet score was associated with better global cognitive functioning proximate to death (β= 0.119, SE = 0.040, p = 0.003), and neither the strength nor the significance of association changed substantially when AD pathology and other brain pathologies were included in the model. The β-estimate after controlling for global AD pathology was 0.111 (SE = 0.037, p = 0.003). The MIND diet-cognition relationship remained significant when we restricted our analysis to individuals without mild cognitive impairment at the baseline (β= 0.121, SE = 0.042, p = 0.005) or in people diagnosed with postmortem diagnosis of AD based on NIA-Reagan consensus recommendations (β= 0.114, SE = 0.050, p = 0.023). Conclusion: MIND diet is associated with better cognitive functioning independently of common brain pathology, suggesting that the MIND diet may contribute to cognitive resilience in the elderly.
Women Exhibit Lower Global Left Frontal Cortex Connectivity Among Cognitively Unimpaired Elderly Individuals: A Pilot Study from SILCODE
Authors: Du Wenying , Ding Changchang , Jiang Jiehui , Han Ying
Published: July 2021

Background: Mounting evidence suggests that sex differences exist in cognitive reserve (CR) for cognitively unimpaired (CU) elderly individuals. Global left frontal connectivity (gLFC connectivity) is a reliable neural substrate of CR. Objective: The purpose of this study was to explore sex differences in gLFC connectivity among CU elderly individuals. Methods: One hundred thirteen normal controls (NCs) (women = 66) and 132 individuals with subjective cognitive decline (SCD) (women = 92) were recruited from the Sino Longitudinal Study on Cognitive Decline (SILCODE) (data 1). Among them, 88 subjects underwent amyloid-β (Aβ) imaging, including 32 Aβ+ and 56 Aβ–subjects. Forty-six subjects underwent another rs-fMRI examination (data 2) to validate the repeatability of the calculation of gLFC connectivity, which was determined through seed-based functional connectivity between the LFC and voxels throughout the whole brain. Independent-sample t-tests were used to evaluate the sex differences in gLFC connectivity across different subgroups (NC versus SCD, Aβ+ versus Aβ–). Partial correlation analysis was used to calculate the correlations between gLFC connectivity and cognitive assessments. Results: Women exhibited lower gLFC connectivity in both the NC (p = 0.001) and SCD (p = 0.020) subgroups than men. Women also exhibited lower gLFC connectivity in both the Aβ–(p = 0.006) and Aβ+ (p = 0.025) groups. However, the significant difference disappeared in the Aβ+ group when considering the covariates of age, education, total intracranial volume, and APOE4-carrying status. In addition, gLFC connectivity values were negatively correlated with Geriatric Depression Scale scores in the SCD group (r = –0.176, p = 0.047). Conclusion: Women showed lower gLFC connectivity among CU elderly individuals.
Sex Differences in Locus Coeruleus: A Heuristic Approach That May Explain the Increased Risk of Alzheimer’s Disease in Females
Authors: Luckey Alison M. , Robertson Ian H. , Lawlor Brian , Mohan Anusha , Vanneste Sven
Published: July 2021

This article aims to reevaluate our approach to female vulnerability to Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and put forth a new hypothesis considering how sex differences in the locus coeruleus-noradrenaline (LC-NA) structure and function could account for why females are more likely to develop AD. We specifically focus our attention on locus coeruleus (LC) morphology, the paucity of estrogens, neuroinflammation, blood-brain barrier permeability, apolipoprotein ɛ4 polymorphism (APOE ɛ4), and cognitive reserve. The role of the LC-NA system and sex differences are two of the most rapidly emerging topics in AD research. Current literature either investigates the LC due to it being one of the first brain areas to develop AD pathology or acknowledges the neuroprotective effects of estrogens and how the loss of these female hormones have the capacity to contribute to the sex differences seen in AD; however, existing research has neglected to concurrently examine these two rationales and therefore leaving our hypothesis undetermined. Collectively, this article should assist in alleviating current challenges surrounding female AD by providing thought-provoking connections into the interrelationship between the disruption of the female LC-NA system, the decline of estrogens, and AD vulnerability. It is therefore likely that treatment for this heterogeneous disease may need to be distinctly developed for females and males separately, and may require a precision medicine approach.
Aggregate Trends of Apolipoprotein E on Cognition in Transgenic Alzheimer’s Disease Mice
Authors: Watson Yassin , Nelson Brenae , Kluesner Jamie Hernandez , Tanzy Caroline , Ramesh Shreya , Patel Zoey , Kluesner Kaci Hernandez , Singh Anita , Murthy Vibha , Mitchell Cassie S.
Published: July 2021

Background: Apolipoprotein E (APOE) genotypes typically increase risk of amyloid-β deposition and onset of clinical Alzheimer’s disease (AD). However, cognitive assessments in APOE transgenic AD mice have resulted in discord. Objective: Analysis of 31 peer-reviewed AD APOE mouse publications (n = 3,045 mice) uncovered aggregate trends between age, APOE genotype, gender, modulatory treatments, and cognition. Methods: T-tests with Bonferroni correction (significance = p < 0.002) compared age-normalized Morris water maze (MWM) escape latencies in wild type (WT), APOE2 knock-in (KI2), APOE3 knock-in (KI3), APOE4 knock-in (KI4), and APOE knock-out (KO) mice. Positive treatments (t+) to favorably modulate APOE to improve cognition, negative treatments (t–) to perturb etiology and diminish cognition, and untreated (t0) mice were compared. Machine learning with random forest modeling predicted MWM escape latency performance based on 12 features: mouse genotype (WT, KI2, KI3, KI4, KO), modulatory treatment (t+, t–, t0), mouse age, and mouse gender (male = g_m; female = g_f, mixed gender = g_mi). Results: KI3 mice performed significantly better in MWM, but KI4 and KO performed significantly worse than WT. KI2 performed similarly to WT. KI4 performed significantly worse compared to every other genotype. Positive treatments significantly improved cognition in WT, KI4, and KO compared to untreated. Interestingly, negative treatments in KI4 also significantly improved mean MWM escape latency. Random forest modeling resulted in the following feature importance for predicting superior MWM performance: [KI3, age, g_m, KI4, t0, t+, KO, WT, g_mi, t–, g_f, KI2] = [0.270, 0.094, 0.092, 0.088, 0.077, 0.074, 0.069, 0.061, 0.058, 0.054, 0.038, 0.023]. Conclusion: APOE3, age, and male gender was most important for predicting superior mouse cognitive performance.
A Z-number integrated weighted MULTIMOORA method for risk prioritization in FMEA
Authors: Wang Weizhong , Ma Yilin , Liu Shuli
Published: July 2021

Current risk prioritization approaches for FMEA models are insufficient to cope with risk analysis problem in which the self-confidence of expert’s judgment and the deviation among risk evaluation information are considered, simultaneously. Therefore, to remedy this limitation, this paper reports an extended risk prioritization approach by integrating the MULTIMOORA approach, Z-numbers and power weighted average (PWA) operator. Firstly, the Z-numbers with triangular fuzzy numbers are applied to reflect the self-confidence and uncertainty of expert’s judgment. Next, the PWA operator for Z-numbers (Z-PWA) with similarity measure is proposed to obtain the group risk evaluation matrix by considering the influence of the deviation among risk evaluation information. Then, an extended version of MULTIMOORA method with developed entropy method is presented to calculate risk priority ranking order of each failure. Finally, the equipment failures in a certain oil and gas plant is utilized to test the extended risk prioritization approach for FMEA model. After that, the sensitivity and comparison studies are led to illustrate the availability and reliability of the proposed risk prioritization approach for FMEA based risk analysis problem.
Competitive strategy selection in retail E-Commerce using IF AHP & TOPSIS methodology
Authors: Kurt Mahmut Mahir , Yazıcıoğlu Osman
Published: July 2021

Retail e-commerce has been growing over the years by attracting entrepreneurs’ attention. Increasing interest in retail e-commerce has affected competition and made it necessary to choose the right competition strategy. This study aims at selecting the right competition strategy to be successful in retail e-commerce under vague and imprecise conditions. AHP and TOPSIS methods are used under intuitionistic fuzzy environment, which allows decision-makers to reflect their hesitation in their judgements. After a literature review on retail, e-commerce, and competition strategy, the main criteria and sub-criteria of multicriteria retail e-commerce alternative selection are presented. Cost leadership, differentiation, and focusing strategies are evaluated as competitive strategies, based on the opinions of experts collected through a questionnaire. The results of the study show that the strategies are ranked as differentiation, focus, and cost leadership strategies, respectively.
Reduction in a fuzzy probabilistic information system
Authors: Luo Damei , Li Zhaowen , Qu Liangdong
Published: July 2021

An information system (IS) is an important mathematical tool for artificial intelligence. A fuzzy probabilistic information system (FPIS), the combination of some fuzzy relations in the same universe which satisfies the probability distribution, can be seen as an IS with fuzzy relations. A FPIS overcomes the shortcoming that rough set theory assumes elements in the universe with equal probability and leads to lose some useful information. This paper integrates the probability distribution into the fuzzy relations in a FPIS and studies its reduction. Firstly, the concept of a FPIS is introduced and its reduction is proposed. Then, the fuzzy relations in a FPIS are divided into three categories (P-necessary, P-relatively necessary and P-unnecessary fuzzy relations) according to their importance. Next, entropy measurement for a FPIS is investigated. Moreover, some reduction algorithms are constructed. Finally, an example is given to verify the effectiveness of these proposed algorithms.
LWBA: Lévy-walk bat algorithm based data prediction for precision agriculture in wireless sensor networks
Authors: Venkataramanan C. , Ramalingam S. , Manikandan A.
Published: July 2021

Smart farming is one of the immense applications of Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN). Still, most of the researches have been focusing on precision agriculture using WSNs. In general, the nodes within the wireless sensor systems are self-configured. Based on the application requirement, gadgets within the region of interest collect data, prepare it, and send it to the recipient. The biggest impediments to these sensor systems are collision, restricted battery, and transmission capacity. Due to these characteristics, the node battery depletes earlier, when it starts working. Currently, agriculture depends on rain due to the lack of water resources and irrigation services. The crop development depends totally on the factors of water, the climatic conditions of the soil, etc. In large-scale agriculture, it is exceptionally problematic to analyze all the parameters accurately throughout the growing field. In this article, high-precision architecture for large-scale agriculture has been proposed. An IoT (Internet of Things) enabled WSN has been built and installed in the respective areas to measure the physical quantities regularly. In addition, Lévy-Walk Bat (LWBA) algorithm has been proposed to optimize the collected data. The prediction accuracy of the collected data is evaluated by LWBA and then, it is compared with the existing optimization algorithms with different error solvers. It has provided the exact information regarding the whole landscape and it will help the farmers to irrigate precisely.
A weakly supervised learning method based on attention fusion for Covid-19 segmentation in CT images
Authors: Chen Hongyu , Wang Shengsheng
Published: July 2021

Since the end of 2019, the COVID-19, which has swept across the world, has caused serious impacts on public health and economy. Although Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) is the gold standard for clinical diagnosis, it is very time-consuming and labor-intensive. At the same time, more and more people have doubted the sensitivity of RT-PCR. Therefore, Computed Tomography (CT) images are used as a substitute for RT-PCR. Powered by the research of the field of artificial intelligence, deep learning, which is a branch of machine learning, has made a great success on medical image segmentation. However, general full supervision methods require pixel-level point-by-point annotations, which is very costly. In this paper, we put forward an image segmentation method based on weakly supervised learning for CT images of COVID-19, which can effectively segment the lung infection area and doesn’t require pixel-level labels. Our method is contrasted with another four weakly supervised learning methods in recent years, and the results have been significantly improved.
Virtual Reality Functional Capacity Assessment Tool (VRFCAT-SL) in Parkinson’s Disease
Authors: Turner Travis H. , Atkins Alexandra , Keefe Richard S.E.
Published: July 2021

Background: Cognitive impairment is common in Parkinson’s disease (PD) and highly associated with loss of independence, caregiver burden, and assisted living placement. The need for cognitive functional capacity tools validated for use in PD clinical and research applications has thus been emphasized in the literature. The Virtual Reality Functional Capacity Assessment Tool (VRFCAT-SL) is a tablet-based instrument that assesses proficiency for performing real world tasks in a highly realistic environment. Objective: The present study explored application of the VRFCAT-SL in clinical assessments of patients with PD. Specifically, we examined associations between VRFCAT-SL performance and measures of cognition, motor severity, and self-reported cognitive functioning. Methods: The VRFCAT-SL was completed by a sample of 29 PD patients seen in clinic for a comprehensive neuropsychological evaluation. Fifteen patients met Movement Disorders Society Task Force criteria for mild cognitive impairment (PD-MCI); no patients were diagnosed with dementia. Non-parametric correlations between VRFCAT-SL performance and standardized neuropsychological tests and clinical measures were examined. Results: VRFCAT-SL performance was moderately associated with global rank on neuropsychological testing and discriminated PD-MCI. Follow-up analyses found completion time was associated with visual memory, sustained attention, and set-switching, while errors were associated with psychomotor inhibition. No clinical or motor measures were associated with VRFCAT-SL performance. Self-report was not associated with VRFCAT-SL or neuropsychological test performance. Conclusion: The VRFCAT-SL appears to provide a useful measure of cognitive functional capacity that is not confounded by PD motor symptoms. Future studies will examine utility in PD dementia.
Stem Cell-Derived Dopamine Neurons: Will They Replace DBS as the Leading Neurosurgical Treatment for Parkinson’s Disease?
Authors: Barker Roger A. , Björklund Anders , Frucht Steven J. , Svendsen Clive N.
Published: July 2021

The use of stem cell-derived dopamine neurons or deep brain stimulation (DBS) represents two alternative approaches to treat Parkinson’s Disease. DBS is a widely used FDA-approved treatment and stem cell-derived dopamine neuron replacement has now evolved to the first in-human clinical trials. In this debate, we discuss which of these approaches will evolve to be the treatment of choice for Parkinsonian patients in the future.
An adaptive hello interval for AODV through ANFIS to improve the performance of MANETs
Authors: Raju Kola Narasimha , Sirisha Aswadhati , Nanaji Uppe. , Sharma S.K. , Kumar Chatikam Raj
Published: July 2021

Mobile Ad Hoc Network is an easily deployable wireless network without any need of centralized infrastructure. The change of position by wireless devicesleadstolinkfailuresandroutefailures.The mobile nodes sent hello messages at regular intervals to update the status of their neighbors. Increasing the number of periodical notifications such as hello messages will give an idea about the topology and at the same moment consumes more network resources. Reducing these periodic notifications results in discovering the neighbors at veryslowrate.Thereforetherateofhellomessages has most significant role while considering the performance of MANETs. Routing Protocols such as AODV in MANETs performs the operation basing on static hello interval. In this paper an adaptive hello interval approach is proposed based on a soft computing technique “Adaptive Neuro Fuzzy Inference system” for in MANETs. The result states that the proposed solution yields a great improvement over the traditional protocol “AODV”.