bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Pegada Ecológica como instrumento de educação ambiental: o estudo de caso da cidade de Campina Grande-PB
Authors: Martins Miriam Souza , Fontgalland Isabel Lausanne
Published: November 2021

A Educação Ambiental formal é o canal mais eficaz para desenvolver no indivíduo a cidadania e a reflexão contínua do papel que o mesmo exerce na sociedade. A Pegada Ecológica pode ser definida como uma medida de sustentabilidade, no âmbito se quantificar os recursos naturais e fornecer dados para a análise da capacidade de suporte da terra. Nesse contexto, a presente pesquisa teve por objetivo, avaliar a percepção da população sobre a pegada ecológica no município de Campina Grande-Paraíba. A técnica utilizada na pesquisa foi documental, bibliográfica, com caráter qualitativo e quantitativo.  Foi coletado dados do Censo escolar 2021 e aplicado questionário com 10 (dez) questões objetivas para um grupo de 47 pessoas. Como resultados, obteve-se que a Pegada Ecológica contribui efetivamente para o reconhecido dos problemas ambientais, mas ainda está aquém do conhecimento de muitos dos respondentes. Ainda se constatou que mesmo a escola sendo o maior aglutinador de pluralidade de conhecimentos, muito há de se fazer unindo o meio-ambiente à educação.
Peningkatan jiwa entrepreneurship bagi siswa SMK
Authors: Budiyati Eni
Published: November 2021

The productive unemployment rate in Central Java is quite high, of which 13.5% are vocational graduates. Entrepreneurship can be a solution to reduce productive unemployment. However, to run entrepreneurship requires strong interest and motivation. This community service is carried out to increase the entrepreneurial spirit of students at SMK Muhammadiyah 4 Surakarta. The implementation stages include analysis of partner problems, data collection, presentation and training, filling out post-socialization questionnaires, and evaluating the results of the implementation. Tips and tricks, challenges and obstacles, the importance of motivation in entrepreneurship are the main material presented in the presentation. In the training, students make business plans based on their individual choices. The percentage of consideration in the business field choosing is dominated by the suitability of majors in SMK (about 40%) and the trend that is developing (20%). While, the reasons for the suitability of hobbies, family background and others are 18%, 14%, and 8%, respectively. The students' understanding and interest in entrepreneurship increased significantly. This increase can be seen from the change in the percentage of students' plans after graduation. The number of students who wish to work in agencies or companies is around 70% (before socialization) and about 30% (after socialization). The number of students interested in entrepreneurship increased from 15% to 68%. These results show that the students' interest has shifted from "becoming an employee" to "becoming an entrepreneur".
Vannella mustalahtiana sp. nov. (Amoebozoa, Vannellida) and rainbow trout nodular gill disease (NGD) in Russia
Authors: Kudryavtsev A , Parshukov A , Kondakova E , Volkova E
Published: November 2021

An outbreak of nodular gill disease (NGD) in farmed rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss (Walbaum, 1792) was recorded in Ladoga Lake (Karelia, north-western Russia) in Spring 2020. The disease was characterised by typical clinical signs including asphyxiation, distended opercula, loss of activity and swimming upside down under the water surface. Maximum monthly mortality was 15.2%. The histological examination of the gills showed deformation and clubbing of lamellae, epithelial hypertrophy and hyperplasia, lamellar fusion and fusion of filaments. Granulomas were located within the epithelial layer and/or rose above its surface. Light microscopic in vivo observations of the mucus smears from the affected gills revealed numerous amoeboid protists demonstrating a flattened body when adhering to the substratum, and blunt, radiating pseudopodia when afloat. Based on these morphological characters, these amoebae could be assigned to the Discosea (Amoebozoa), and analyses of their small subunit rRNA gene sequences showed that they belonged to the genus Vannella Bovee, 1965. The results reported herein support the designation of a new species, V. mustalahtiana sp. nov. Despite having been isolated from the gills of a freshwater fish, the species belongs to a clade of Vannella comprising mostly species isolated from marine and brackish water habitats. These findings may be essential for the aetiology and treatment of the disease.
Interspecific differences in feeding selectivity shape isotopic niche structure of three ophiuroids in the Arctic Ocean
Authors: Yunda-Guarin G , Michel LN , Nozais C , Archambault P
Published: November 2021

Understanding the mechanisms that support feeding interactions and species co-occurrence in regions subject to rapid environmental changes is becoming increasingly important to predict future trends in population dynamics. However, there is still little information available on the trophic ecology for many benthic species to help us better understand trophic interactions and individual trophic roles. Here, we used stable isotopes (δ13C, δ15N) in conjunction with the Bayesian ellipses approach to explore spatial trends in isotopic niche width and overlap of 3 syntopic arctic brittle stars (Echinodermata: Ophiuroidea; Ophiacantha bidentata, Ophiocten sericeum, and Ophiopleura borealis) in Baffin Bay (BB), the Canadian Arctic Archipelago (CAA), and the North Water Polynya (NOW). These 3 coexisting ophiuroids displayed great interspecific plasticity in foraging behaviors and showed a high degree of inter-individual dietary flexibility. However, differences in surface carbon composition drove the variability of resource utilization at the individual level across stations, which in turn affected trophic interactions, niche overlaps, and isotopic niche breadth of ophiuroids. Greater niche overlap was found in the highly productive region of the NOW, where consumers exhibited similar food selectivity, whereas an increase in niche segregation occurred in regions with greater sea-ice concentration. These results suggest that isotopic niche size reflects individual responses to fluctuations in food availability and possibly past competition, both induced by local oceanographic features. Our study indicates that niche parameters of ophiuroids can respond quickly to ecological and environmental gradients, which suggests an important adaptability of these species facing multiple stressors.
Epigenetics of Diabetic Nephropathy: From Biology to Therapeutics
Authors: Al-Hasani Keith , Khurana Ishant , Farhat Theresa , Eid Assaad , El-Osta Assam
Published: November 2021

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is a lethal microvascular complication associated with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes mellitus, and is the leading single cause of end-stage renal disease. Although genetic influences are important, epigenetic mechanisms have been implicated in several aspects of the disease. The current therapeutic methods to treat DN are limited to slowing disease progression without repair and regeneration of the damaged nephrons. Replacing dying or diseased kidney cells with new nephrons is an attractive strategy. This review considers the genetic and epigenetic control of nephrogenesis, together with the epigenetic mechanisms that accompany kidney development and recent advances in induced reprogramming and kidney cell regeneration in the context of DN.
Pulmonary Rehabilitation is Improved by In-Shoe Foot Orthosis Intervention
Authors: Jammes Yves , Rkain Hanan , Weber Jean Paul , Griffon Patricia , Vie Bruno , Palot Alain , Gallet Pierre François
Published: November 2021

Some studies have found that patients with asthma have bilateral foot dorsal flexion limitations, contributing to impaired quality of life. The authors hypothesised that foot misalignments could also occur in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and that foot orthoses could increase the motor benefits of their pulmonary rehabilitation (PR).

Presented herein are the results from a nonrandomised controlled study in 40 patients with COPD. Twenty patients had foot misalignment (Group 1) and wore foot orthoses for a 1-month PR period. Their data were compared to those obtained in 20 other patients with COPD who had no foot misalignment and did not wear foot orthoses (Group 2). Bodily fatigue, 6-minute walk test (6MWT) distance, peak plantar flexion force (PFF), and oscillations of the centre of pressure (CoP) were measured. Measurements were performed prior to and following completion of PR (Groups 1 and 2), immediately after wearing the foot orthosis (Group 1), and after completion of PR plus foot orthoses (Group 1).

In Group 2, PR increased the 6MWT distance, but did not increase PFF nor reduce CoP oscillations and fatigue scale. Wearing the foot orthosis for the first time significantly increased the 6MWT distance (+98+12 m). Following PR with foot orthoses (Group 1), a further increase in 6MWT distance occurred (+120+13 m), bodily fatigue was reduced, PFF increased, and CoP oscillations decreased.

In patients with COPD and foot misalignment, foot orthoses enhanced the functional capacity and improved the postural control.
Distresses In CRCP Due To Horizontal Cracking: A Parameter Analysis
Authors: Rens Luc , Beeldens Anne
Published: November 2021

Continuously reinforced concrete pavements are known for their durability and longevity as well as for the driving comfort, thanks to the absence of transverse joints. The strength and weakness of CRCP is situated in the network of fine transverse shrinkage cracks whose spacing distance and opening width are determining the pavement behaviour. The most commonly known distress is the punch-out: a fragmentation of the concrete over full depth. During the last decade, a new type of distress was encountered at Belgian worksites. It is characterised by a delamination at the level of the longitudinal reinforcement, a partial fragmentation of the pavement, mostly positioned under the wheel tracks. The first case was the worksite "N49 at Zwijndrecht", where severe distresses were observed after three years of service. An examination with the technique of ultrasonic tomography detected the presence of horizontal cracks at the level of the reinforcement. The use of recycled concrete aggregates was supposed to be the cause. A significant indicator was also the presence of widely opened cracks. In the period 2011-2018 other cases were observed in Belgium, some of them leading to early degradation and others not. Also in other countries (South-Korea, U.S., Japan, ...) distresses due to horizontal cracking were reported. Based upon observations an analysis is made of the main parameters that may cause the wide initial cracks: the use of recycled aggregates, temperature and temperature changes during construction and concrete quality. Preventative measures such as active crack control will be presented.
Thin Concrete Overlays with Carbon Reinforcement
Authors: Neumann Julia , Farwig Kristina , Breitenbücher Rolf , Curbach Manfred
Published: November 2021

In many countries like Germany, concrete pavements are normally built as Jointed Plain Concrete Pavements (JPCP). Due to a lack of alternatives, maintenance of concrete pavements usually requires a replacement of the whole pavement structure, which is labour- and resource-intensive. Therefore, new techniques like the application of thin concrete overlays as a partial repair of deteriorated concrete pavements have been developed. As a major disadvantage of such overlays, the existing joints in the retained concrete bottom-layer have to be transferred in the overlay in order to avoid reflection cracking. When using non-corrosive carbon-textile reinforcement in such concrete overlays, cracks might be distributed more finely, enabling jointless repairs while keeping a thin repair layer. In addition, the bond behaviour between the retained concrete and the applied concrete overlay as well as between the concrete overlay and the textile reinforcement is crucial for a successful repair. In this paper, the basic principles and feasibility of such a repair method are examined. On the one hand, the decisive influencing variables and parameters such as bond behaviour between the concrete layers and the cracking behaviour of the overlay are pointed out and discussed. On the other hand, the evaluated laboratory tests carried out are presented. These include large-scale beams built with an overlay on top of a retained concrete layer, which were subjected to cyclic flexural stress and to a subsequent detailed investigation of the bond behaviour and durability. Furthermore, the crack formation in the overlay was determined by means of tensile and flexural tensile strength tests.
Abdominal lateral wall hematoma developed due to enoxaparin in a Covid-19 patient
Authors: Kalaycı Tolga
Published: November 2021

A 43-year-old male patient without any additional disease, surgery or anticoagulant use admitted to the emergency department. After evaluation with computed tomography (CT), pulmonary findings were consistent with COVID-19 pneumonia. The patient was hospitalized and enoxaparin sodium 60 mg / 0.6 ml (two subcutaneous injections per day) was initiated for prophylactic purpose. In the 16th day after admission, his hemoglobin level decreased to 7.4 g/dL. On CT scan, a right flank hematoma reaching approximately 10 cm in width, starting from the subcostal level and continuing to the inguinal canal level, was seen. Anticoagulant therapy was stopped. Erythrocyte suspension (ES), totally 10 units, were given to keep the hemoglobin level above 7 g/dL. On the 32th day after admission, the patient was discharged because his hemoglobin value, which was 10.2 g/dL at that point, had not decreased, his vital signs were stable, and his treatment for COVID-19 was completed.
ORBITAL EMPHYSEMA FOLLOWING A FORCEFUL BLOWING: A CASE REPORT
Authors: Çetinkaya Yasemin Fatma , Çetinkaya Servet
Published: November 2021

Orbital emphysema is a benign condition around the orbit as a result of subcutaneous air accumulation. It can occur as result of directly or indirectly trauma of the face. Although orbital emphysema is usually self-limited and resolves spontaneously, it assumes greater importance because of the possibility of visual complications due to compartment syndrome and related orbital injection. Our patient was a 35 years old male. He presented with the sudden and painful onset of left periorbital swelling following a powerful blowing of the nose. CT scan of the paranasal sinuses showed fracture which included the lamina paprycea. We decided not to perform needle aspiration so outpatient treatment was provided (Ice–pach application, lay-down rest to the pathological side avoidance of rose blowing and sneezing were advised. Empiric antibiotics, nasal decongestant, and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug treatment were prescribed. Twenty-four hours later, nasal bleeding had stopped and ocular assessment was normal. Two weeks later orbital emphysema had completely resolved.
Hepatotoxicity Caused By Phenyramidol Hydrochloride: A Case Report
Authors: Kara Hasan , Bayır Aysegül , Güngör Gökhan , Ak Ahmet
Published: November 2021

Introduction: Drug-induced liver injury is a common cause of liver dysfunction. Phenyramidol causes a neuronal blocking effect and is used as a moderately potent non-narcotic analgesic that can be accompanied by muscle relaxant activity. In this article, a clinically asymptomatic case of hepatotoxicity is described following the intake of phenyramidol HCl tablets in a suicide attempt.
Case Report: A 52-year-old female patient was admitted to the emergency department 24 hours after allegedly attempting suicide by ingesting 16 tablets of 400 mg phenyramidol HCI. She displayed no clinical symptoms. An abdominal examination was normal. The results of her first blood test showed: ALT at 58 U/L and AST at 55 U/L. After 24 hours, ALT and AST were measured at 594 U/L and 820 U/L, respectively. The patient, whose liver function tests regressed following symptomatic treatment administered in the gastroenterology department, was discharged 5 days later.
Conclusion: Drug toxicities can be difficult to diagnose but becomes easier if an agent can be identified that is suspected of causing liver injury. Accordingly, phenyramidol should be considered as a drug that causes hepatotoxicity.
Medically treated emphysematous gastritis in a patient with rheumatoid arthritis: report of case
Authors: Ulusoy Cemal , Nikolovski Andrej , Saydam Tuba
Published: November 2021

Emphysematous gastritis is rare infection of the gastric wall associated with high mortality. Damage of the gastric mucosal barrier and bacterial translocation can lead to emphysematous gastritis. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs use is one of the etiological factors. Due to the high mortality rates, early diagnosis and treatment is important. Patients are presenting to emergency departments generally with non-specific acute abdominal signs. We present a case of an 82 years old patient with rheumatoid arthritis treated with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug that presented to the emergency department with diffuse abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting. After establishing the diagnosis, conservative treatment was conducted with success.
Usefulness of serum d-dimer level in acute renal infarction
Authors: Çalışkan Hacı Mehmet , Jaradat Ömer , Çelik Burak , Sönmez Serdar Süha , Sökmen Erdoğan
Published: November 2021

Acute renal infarction (ARI) is a rarely encountered disease in emergency services, but is of particular importance owing to higher mortality and morbidity rates in the absence of early diagnosis and intervention. On the other hand, urolithiasis cases are admitted to emergency departments very frequently with the complaint of pain. ARI with non-specific symptoms or urolithiasis-like pain would increase the likelihood of being omitted in crowded emergency rooms. Previous studies reported supportive diagnostic role in ARI of increased serum lactate dehydrogenase and C-reactive protein levels and white blood cell count in the presence of hematuria; however, none mentioned D-dimer as a likely diagnostic or prognostic marker. We hereby present 2 case reports where a contrast-enhanced tomographic scan performed on the basis of suspicions raised by high serum D-dimer levels which established the definitive diagnosis ARI. Our aim was to emphasize that serum D-dimer may be used as a criterion for supporting or excluding the thromboembolic events, such as renal and mesenteric infarction.
Asymmetrical Bilateral Traumatic Hip Dislocation with Segmental Femur Fracture
Authors: Çalışkan Hacı Mehmet , Jaradat Ömer , Yetiş Mehmet , Ünveren Zafer , Çelik Burak , Sönmez Serdar Süha
Published: November 2021

Introduction: Hip dislocations are extremely rare, but they are orthopedic emergencies that need to be immediately intervened. Traumatic hip dislocations are usually unilateral and occur toward the posterior region. Bilateral traumatic hip dislocations, on the other hand, are rarer. Asymmetric occurrence of bilateral traumatic hip dislocations is even rarer. The possibility of spontaneous hip dislocation in a healthy person is very unlikely. This is because ligaments wrapping the hip joint make it quite stable. Thus, hip dislocation usually occurs due to a high-energy trauma. Case Report: In this paper we report a unique female patient with asymmetric bilateral traumatic hip dislocation accompanied by a segmental fracture of the femur due to a traffic accident. The patient’s right hip was reduced under sedoanalgesia at the emergency department and the left hip was reduced under anesthesia at operating room. Avascular necrosis did not develop at her 2-year follow-up; however, she has been re-operated after developing nonunion in the left femoral segmental fracture. Conclusion: In conclusion, hip dislocations should be treated in first six hours due to the risk of avascular necrosis. Uncomplicated hip dislocations without accompanied fractures can be treated with sedoanalgesia in emergency service settings. However hip dislocations which are complicated with accompanied fractures should be reduced in operation rooms without delay.
Nefropatía inducida por constraste en pacientes oncológicos: Un estudio de casos y controles
Authors: Calle Caamaño Carlos , Tamayo Aguilar Patricia , Coloma Coloma Ena , Mera Rebutti Geovanny
Published: November 2021

Introducción: La Nefropatía Inducida por Contraste (NIC) es una complicación causada por la administración intravenosa de medios de contrastes para estudios imagenológicos, lo cual incrementa la morbi-mortalidad y costos hospitalarios. La incidencia oscila el 2% en personas sin factores de riesgo, pudiendo llegar hasta el 25 a 50% cuando se asocian factores predisponentes. El objetivo de este estudio fue evaluar el desarrollo de NIC en pacientes oncológicos y no oncológicos hospitalizados, sus características clínicas, prevalencia, factores asociados y aplicación de una escala de riesgo pre exposición.

Metodología: Se realizó un estudio de casos y controles en los Hospitales “Abel Gilbert Pontón”  y el Instituto Oncológico Nacional “Dr. Juan Tanca Marengo” - Guayaquil en el período Abril a Septiembre del 2020. La muestra fue no probabilística, de pacientes con y sin diagnóstico oncológico. En ambos grupos se requirió una tomografía contrastada. Se registró edad, sexo, tipo de cáncer, presencia de Diabetes Tipo 2 (DMT2), Hipertensión arterial, creatinina basal y a las 48 horas. Se usó una escala de preexposición para NIC. Se compara las prevalencias con Chi2, y las asociaciones con Odds Ratio.

Resultados: Fueron 100 casos y 100 controles.  La prevalencia de NIC fue 28% en no oncológicos y 22% en oncológicos (P=0.33), el factor de riesgo asociado fue la Diabetes Mellitus tipo 2 (OR 2.19 [IC95% 1.0007 – 4.808; P=0.0498). El valor de creatinina previa no tuvo efecto sobre el desenlace de nefropatía.  La distribución de categorías pre exposición no mostró diferencias significativas entre los pacientes que desarrollaron NIC en relación con los que no desarrollaron (P=0.063).

Conclusión: El desarrollo de NIC no se ve influenciado por edad, sexo, paciente e HTA, pero si se ve asociado a la presencia de DM2. La estratificación de riesgo pre exposición no fue de utilidad en este caso, su distribución fue similar en pacientes con o sin NIC.
Iterative Lambert’s Trajectory Optimization for Extrasolar Bodies Interception
Authors: Herrero Alicia , Moll Santiago , Moraño José-A. , Vázquez David , Vega Erika
Published: November 2021

Interception of extrasolar objects is one of the major current astrophysical objectives since it allows gathering information on the formation and composition of other planetary systems. This paper develops a tool to design optimal orbits for the interception of these bodies considering the effects of different perturbation sources. The optimal trajectory is obtained by solving a Lambert’s problem that gives the required initial impulse. A numerical integration of a perturbed orbital model is calculated. This model considers the perturbations of the joint action of the gravitational potentials of the Solar System planets and the solar radiation pressure. These effects cause a deviation in the orbit that prevents the interception from taking place, so an iterative correction scheme of the initial estimated impulse is presented, capable of modifying the orbit and achieving a successful interception in a more realistic environment.
Temperature and Pressure Dynamic Control for the Aircraft Engine Bleed Air Simulation Test Using the LPID Controller
Authors: Zheng Yonggui , Liu Meng , Wu Hao , Wang Jun
Published: November 2021

The aircraft engine bleed air simulation thermodynamic laboratory simulation parameters include the bleed air pressure and temperature. However, existing laboratories cannot carry out the dynamic test of the engine bleed air simulation. In the engine bleed air simulation dynamic test, the temperature control has the characteristics of strong coupling and nonlinear and large inertia. The conventional control strategy cannot solve the contradictions of the response speed and stability of the system. Moreover, the dynamic control of the pressure and temperature involve strong coupling. That often leads to the failure of control decisions. Therefore, there is still no relevant report on the laboratory equipment used for the engine dynamic bleed air simulation. According to the above problem, this study adopted heat exchangers for indirect heating to reduce the coupling of dynamic control between temperature and pressure. Specifically, to take into account the rapid response and stability of the system, this study used the lookup table-based PID (LPID) controller to control the temperature and pressure of the bleed air simulation test. The dynamic test errors were within 10%, and the steady-state accuracies were within ±2%. The simulation software results and the engine bleed air simulation test results showed that temperature and pressure control systems based on the LPID controller have advantages: high control precision, a low overshoot amount, a fast response, and a high stability.
Efficiency of Rice Husk Biochar with Poultry Litter Co-Composts in Oxisols for Improving Soil Physico-Chemical Properties and Enhancing Maize Performance
Authors: Alarefee Hamed , Ishak Che Fauziah , Karam Daljit Singh , Othman Radziah
Published: November 2021

Efficient use of co-composted organic manure with biochar is one of the sustainable management practices in an agriculture system to increase soil fertility and crop yield. The objectives of this research are to evaluate the use of co-composted biochar, biochar in formulation with poultry litter (PL), and PL compost on soil properties and maize growth. Organic amendments were applied at 10 Mg ha−1, and synthetic fertilizer was applied at the recommended rate of maize (N: P2O5: K2O at 60:60:40 kg ha−1). The results showed that addition of organic amendment significantly increased the total biomass parameter compared to the control, which ranged from 23.2% to 988.5%. The pure biochar treatment yielded lower biomass than the control by 27.1%, which was attributed to its low nutrient content. Consequently, the application of the co-composted biochar achieved higher plant height and aerial portion, which ranged from 46.86% to 25.74% and 7.8% to 108.2%, respectively, in comparison to the recommended fertilizer rate. In addition, the soil amended with co-composted biochar had a significant increase in soil organic matter and had significantly higher chlorophyll and nutrient concentrations in plants, which increased with an increase in the biochar ratio of the co-composts. This was probably attributed to the release of the nutrients retained during composting, thereby possibly making the co-composted biochar act as a slow-release fertilizer. In conclusion, the addition of organic manure with biochar enhanced the nutrient supply by gradual release in comparison to the mineral fertilizer.
User Identity Protection in Automatic Emotion Recognition through Disguised Speech
Authors: Haider Fasih , Albert Pierre , Luz Saturnino
Published: November 2021

Ambient Assisted Living (AAL) technologies are being developed which could assist elderly people to live healthy and active lives. These technologies have been used to monitor people’s daily exercises, consumption of calories and sleep patterns, and to provide coaching interventions to foster positive behaviour. Speech and audio processing can be used to complement such AAL technologies to inform interventions for healthy ageing by analyzing speech data captured in the user’s home. However, collection of data in home settings presents challenges. One of the most pressing challenges concerns how to manage privacy and data protection. To address this issue, we proposed a low cost system for recording disguised speech signals which can protect user identity by using pitch shifting. The disguised speech so recorded can then be used for training machine learning models for affective behaviour monitoring. Affective behaviour could provide an indicator of the onset of mental health issues such as depression and cognitive impairment, and help develop clinical tools for automatically detecting and monitoring disease progression. In this article, acoustic features extracted from the non-disguised and disguised speech are evaluated in an affect recognition task using six different machine learning classification methods. The results of transfer learning from non-disguised to disguised speech are also demonstrated. We have identified sets of acoustic features which are not affected by the pitch shifting algorithm and also evaluated them in affect recognition. We found that, while the non-disguised speech signal gives the best Unweighted Average Recall (UAR) of 80.01%, the disguised speech signal only causes a slight degradation of performance, reaching 76.29%. The transfer learning from non-disguised to disguised speech results in a reduction of UAR (65.13%). However, feature selection improves the UAR (68.32%). This approach forms part of a large project which includes health and wellbeing monitoring and coaching.
Traffic Speed Prediction Based on Heterogeneous Graph Attention Residual Time Series Convolutional Networks
Authors: Du Yan , Qin Xizhong , Jia Zhenhong , Yu Kun , Lin Mengmeng
Published: November 2021

Accurate and timely traffic forecasting is an important task for the realization of urban smart traffic. The random occurrence of social events such as traffic accidents will make traffic prediction particularly difficult. At the same time, most of the existing prediction methods rely on prior knowledge to obtain traffic maps and the obtained map structure cannot be guaranteed to be accurate for the current learning task. In addition, traffic data is highly non-linear and long-term dependent, so it is more difficult to achieve accurate prediction. In response to the above problems, this paper proposes a new integrated unified architecture for traffic prediction based on heterogeneous graph attention network combined with residual-time-series convolutional network, which is called HGA-ResTCN. First, the heterogeneous graph attention is used to capture the changes in the relationship between the traffic graph nodes caused by social events, so as to learn the link weights between the target node and its neighbor nodes; at the same time, by introducing the timing of residual links convolutional network to capture the long-term dependence of complex traffic data. These two models are integrated into a unified framework to learn in an end-to-end manner. Through testing on real-world data sets, the results show that the accuracy of the model in this paper is better than other proposed baselines.
In Silico Analysis of PKS and NRPS Gene Clusters in Arisostatin- and Kosinostatin-Producers and Description of Micromonospora okii sp. nov.
Authors: Komaki Hisayuki , Ichikawa Natsuko , Hosoyama Akira , Hamada Moriyuki , Igarashi Yasuhiro
Published: November 2021

Micromonospora sp. TP-A0316 and Micromonospora sp. TP-A0468 are producers of arisostatin and kosinostatin, respectively. Micromonospora sp. TP-A0316 showed a 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity of 100% to Micromonosporaoryzae CP2R9-1T whereas Micromonospora sp. TP-A0468 showed a 99.3% similarity to Micromonospora haikouensis 232617T. A phylogenetic analysis based on gyrB sequences suggested that Micromonospora sp. TP-A0316 is closely related to Micromonospora oryzae whereas Micromonospora TP-A0468 is an independent genomospecies. As Micromonospora sp. TP-A0468 showed some phenotypic differences to its closely related species, it was classified as a novel species, for which the name Micromonospora okii sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is TP-A0468T (= NBRC 110461T). Micromonospora sp. TP-A0316 and M. okii TP-A0468T were both found to harbor 15 gene clusters for secondary metabolites such as polyketides and nonribosomal peptides in their genomes. Arisostatin-biosynthetic gene cluster (BGC) of Micromonospora sp. TP-A0316 closely resembled tetrocarcin A-BGC of Micromonospora chalcea NRRL 11289. A large type-I polyketide synthase gene cluster was present in each genome of Micromonospora sp. TP-A0316 and M. okii TP-A0468T. It was an ortholog of quinolidomicin-BGC of M. chalcea AK-AN57 and widely distributed in the genus Micromonospora.
Rare Earth Oxide CeO2 Decorated Graphene Nanoplatelets-Reinforced 2024 Aluminum Alloy Matrix Composites Fabricated by Pressure Sintering Process
Authors: Guo Zhenghua , Li Surui , Wu Qingjie , Li Ning
Published: November 2021

In this study, graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) decorated rare earth oxide CeO2 (CeO2@GNPs) were synthesized by alcohol thermal reaction method and used to reinforce GNPs/2024Al composites fabricated by a pressure sintering process. The results indicated that the decorating CeO2 particles could further promote the dispersion of the GNPs as well the binding of GNPs to the matrix. As a result, the as-prepared 0.5 wt.% CeO2@GNPs/2024Al composites exhibited yield strength and tensile strength increased by 21.1% and 24.7% compared to these of the matrix, respectively. It is better than the mechanical strength values of the composite enforced with the raw GNPs of the same quality. The optimization of GNPs dispersibility and interfacial bonding with Al matrix promotes its effective role in load-bearing strengthening.
DATLMedQA: A Data Augmentation and Transfer Learning Based Solution for Medical Question Answering
Authors: Zhou Shuohua , Zhang Yanping
Published: November 2021

With the outbreak of COVID-19 that has prompted an increased focus on self-care, more and more people hope to obtain disease knowledge from the Internet. In response to this demand, medical question answering and question generation tasks have become an important part of natural language processing (NLP). However, there are limited samples of medical questions and answers, and the question generation systems cannot fully meet the needs of non-professionals for medical questions. In this research, we propose a BERT medical pretraining model, using GPT-2 for question augmentation and T5-Small for topic extraction, calculating the cosine similarity of the extracted topic and using XGBoost for prediction. With augmentation using GPT-2, the prediction accuracy of our model outperforms the state-of-the-art (SOTA) model performance. Our experiment results demonstrate the outstanding performance of our model in medical question answering and question generation tasks, and its great potential to solve other biomedical question answering challenges.
Advances in Emerging Memory Technologies: From Data Storage to Artificial Intelligence
Authors: Molas Gabriel , Nowak Etienne
Published: November 2021

This paper presents an overview of emerging memory technologies. It begins with the presentation of stand-alone and embedded memory technology evolution, since the appearance of Flash memory in the 1980s. Then, the progress of emerging memory technologies (based on filamentary, phase change, magnetic, and ferroelectric mechanisms) is presented with a review of the major demonstrations in the literature. The potential of these technologies for storage applications addressing various markets and products is discussed. Finally, we discuss how the rise of artificial intelligence and bio-inspired circuits offers an opportunity for emerging memory technology and shifts the application from pure data storage to storage and computing tasks, and also enlarges the range of required specifications at the device level due to the exponential number of new systems and architectures.
Topical Allopurinol-Loaded Nanostructured Lipid Carriers: A Novel Approach for Wound Healing Management
Authors: Varrica Carla , Carvalheiro Manuela , Faria-Silva Catarina , Eleutério Carla , Sandri Giuseppina , Simões Sandra
Published: November 2021

Nanostructured lipid carriers (NLC) have been widely studied as delivery systems for a variety of routes, including the skin. Their composition results in an imperfect lipid matrix, allowing increased drug encapsulation. Allopurinol (AP), a xanthine oxidase inhibitor, is characterized by low water solubility and high melting point, which has hampered its use through the topical route. In this work, AP was incorporated in a NLC formulation to enhance drug-carrier association and skin delivery as a topical approach to treat wounds. AP-NLC system was characterized in terms of size, charge, rheological behavior, and in vitro skin permeation. The in vitro cytotoxicity was evaluated using HaCaT cells. The wound healing efficacy of the AP-NLC formulation on animal skin lesions was evaluated in male Wistar rats. The AP-NLC presented a mean size of 193 ± 15 nm with a PdI of 0.240 ± 0.02, zeta potential values around −49.6 mV, and an encapsulation efficiency of 52.2%. The AP-NLC formulation presented an adequate profile to be used topically, since epidermal and dermal drug retention were achieved. No reduction in HaCaT cells viability was observed at the tested concentrations (AP < 10 μg/mL). The in vivo application of the AP-NLC formulation resulted in the regeneration of skin lesions when compared with non-treated controls.
Design Framework and Principles for Learning Environment Co-Design: Synthesis from Literature and Three Empirical Studies
Authors: Mäkelä Tiina , Leinonen Teemu
Published: November 2021

The need for environments conducive to learning and wellbeing has been broadly recognised. Considering particularly learner perceptions in the learning environment design is known to improve both their learning and wellbeing. There are no, however, shared theoretical frameworks guiding the learning environment co-design from the learner perspective. As a response to this challenge, a learning environment design (LED) framework was developed based on the literature and co-design involving learners aged 7 to 19 (n = 342) in Finland (n = 266) and Spain (n = 76). The LED framework entails 53 characteristics grouped under seven constructs. It draws attention to the importance of balancing communality with individuality, comfort with health, and novelty with conventionality. Flexibility and functionality are recognised as central enablers for a quality learning environment. The study suggests a design framework and principles for learning environment co-design. They can serve as a research-based introduction to the topic after which priorities can be defined based on the concrete design target and goals, and concrete design solutions can be created in the participatory design involving learners and other key stakeholders.
Analysis of Tram Traffic-Induced Vibration Influence on Earthquake Damaged Buildings
Authors: Haladin Ivo , Bogut Marijan , Lakušić Stjepan
Published: November 2021

The Zagreb 2020 earthquake severely damaged the historic centre of the city. Most of the damage occurred on historic masonry residential buildings, many of which are situated very close to the tram track. Although traffic-induced vibrations generally do not affect surrounding buildings, they can be harmful to buildings damaged by a previous earthquake. Vibrations could contribute to the further propagation of existing cracks. The effect of vibrations depends on many factors, one of the most important being the distance between the track and the building. The vibrations are highest at the source, and the energy loss occurs due to transfer through the soil to the recipients. The impact of tram-induced vibrations on earthquake-damaged buildings in the city of Zagreb is investigated in this paper. The analysis is conducted on a tramway network scale to identify critical locations by performing continuous monitoring on the tramway network and risk analysis based on the distance of buildings from the track, vibration amplitude at source, and building damage. Further investigation is based on the level of buildings to evaluate the influence of vibrations on actual buildings damaged in the Zagreb earthquake. Based on detailed signal analysis, the vibration characterization is performed, and the influence on damaged masonry buildings is evaluated.
The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Oncology Care and Clinical Trials
Authors: Ali Jennyfa K. , Riches John C.
Published: November 2021

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has caused considerable global disruption to clinical practice. This article will review the impact that the pandemic has had on oncology clinical trials. It will assess the effect of the COVID-19 situation on the initial presentation and investigation of patients with suspected cancer. It will also review the impact of the pandemic on the subsequent management of cancer patients, and how clinical trial approval, recruitment, and conduct were affected during the pandemic. An intriguing aspect of the pandemic is that clinical trials investigating treatments for COVID-19 and vaccinations against the causative virus, SARS-CoV-2, have been approved and conducted at an unprecedented speed. In light of this, this review will also discuss the potential that this enhanced regulatory environment could have on the running of oncology clinical trials in the future.
The Role and Significance of Bioumoral Markers in Prostate Cancer
Authors: Constantin Traian , Savu Diana Alexandra , Bucur Ștefana , Predoiu Gabriel , Constantin Maria Magdalena , Jinga Viorel
Published: November 2021

The prostate is one of the most clinically accessible internal organs of the genitourinary tract in men. For decades, the only method of screening for prostate cancer (PCa) has been digital rectal examination of 1990s significantly increased the incidence and prevalence of PCa and consequently the morbidity and mortality associated with this disease. In addition, the different types of oncology treatment methods have been linked to specific complications and side effects, which would affect the patient’s quality of life. In the first two decades of the 21st century, over-detection and over-treatment of PCa patients has generated enormous costs for health systems, especially in Europe and the United States. The Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) is still the most common and accessible screening blood test for PCa, but with low sensibility and specificity at lower values (<10 ng/mL). Therefore, in order to avoid unnecessary biopsies, several screening tests (blood, urine, or genetic) have been developed. This review analyzes the most used bioumoral markers for PCa screening and also those that could predict the evolution of metastases of patients diagnosed with PCa.
Health-Related Quality of Life in Locally Advanced Gastric Cancer: A Systematic Review
Authors: van Amelsfoort Romy M. , van der Sluis Karen , Schats Winnie , Jansen Edwin P. M. , van Sandick Johanna W. , Verheij Marcel , Walraven Iris
Published: November 2021

Background: Current treatment strategies have been designed to improve survival in locally advanced gastric cancer patients. Besides its impact on survival, treatment also affects health-related quality of life (HRQOL), but an overview of reported studies is currently lacking. The aim of this systematic review was therefore to determine the short- and long-term impact of chemotherapy, surgery, and (chemo)radiotherapy on HRQOL in locally advanced, non-metastatic gastric cancer patients. Methods: A systematic review was performed including studies published between January 2000 and February 2021. We extracted studies published in Medline, Embase, and Scopus databases that assessed HRQOL in patients with locally advanced, non-metastatic gastric cancer treated with curative intent. Studies using non-validated HRQOL questionnaires were excluded. Short-term and long-term HRQOL were defined as HRQOL scores within and beyond 6 months after treatment, respectively. Results: Initially, we identified 8705 articles (4037 of which were duplicates, i.e., 46%) and ultimately included 10 articles. Most studies reported that short-term HRQOL worsened in the follow-up period from 6 weeks to 3 months after surgery. However, recovery of HRQOL to preoperative levels occurred after 6 months. After completion of chemoradiotherapy, the same pattern was seen with worse HRQOL after treatment and a recovery of HRQOL after 6–12 months. Conclusions: In patients with locally advanced, non-metastatic gastric cancer, HRQOL deteriorated during the first 3 months after surgery and chemoradiotherapy. However, the long-term data showed a recovery of HRQOL after 6–12 months. To implement HRQOL in clinical decision making in current clinical practice, more research is needed.
GSK-3 Inhibition Is Cytotoxic in Glioma Stem Cells through Centrosome Destabilization and Enhances the Effect of Radiotherapy in Orthotopic Models
Authors: Brüning-Richardson Anke , Shaw Gary , Tams Daniel , Brend Tim , Sanganee Hitesh , Barry Simon , Hamm Gregory , Goodwin Richard , Swales John , King Henry , Steele Lynette , Morton Ruth , Widyadari Anastasia , Ward Thomas , Esteves Filomena , Boissinot Marjorie , Mavria Georgia , Droop Alastair , Lawler Sean , Short Susan
Published: November 2021

Background: Previous data on glycogen synthase kinase 3 (GSK-3) inhibition in cancer models support a cytotoxic effect with selectivity for tumor cells compared to normal tissue but the effect of these inhibitors in glioma has not been widely studied. Here, we investigate their potential as cytotoxics in glioma. Methods: We assessed the effect of pharmacologic GSK-3 inhibition on established (U87, U251) and patient-derived (GBM1, GBM4) glioblastoma (GBM) cell lines using cytotoxicity assays as well as undertaking a detailed investigation of the effect on cell cycle, mitosis, and centrosome biology. We also assessed drug uptake and efficacy of GSK-3 inhibition alone and in combination with radiation in xenograft models. Results: Using the selective GSK-3 inhibitor AZD2858, we demonstrated single agent cytotoxicity in two patient-derived glioma cell lines (GBM1, GBM4) and two established cell lines (U251 and U87) with IC50 in the low micromolar range promoting centrosome disruption, failed mitosis, and S-phase arrest. Glioma xenografts exposed to AZD2858 also showed growth delay compared to untreated controls. Combined treatment with radiation increased the cytotoxic effect of clinical radiation doses in vitro and in orthotopic glioma xenografts. Conclusions: These data suggest that GSK-3 inhibition promotes cell death in glioma through disrupting centrosome function and promoting mitotic failure and that AZD2858 is an effective adjuvant to radiation at clinical doses.
Changes in Methylation across Structural and MicroRNA Genes Relevant for Progression and Metastasis in Colorectal Cancer
Authors: Patil Nitin , Abba Mohammed L. , Zhou Chan , Chang Shujian , Gaiser Timo , Leupold Jörg H. , Allgayer Heike
Published: November 2021

MiRs are important players in cancer and primarily genetic/transcriptional means of regulating their gene expression are known. However, epigenetic changes modify gene expression significantly. Here, we evaluated genome-wide methylation changes focusing on miR genes from primary CRC and corresponding normal tissues. Differentially methylated CpGs spanning CpG islands, open seas, and north and south shore regions were evaluated, with the largest number of changes observed within open seas and islands. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis revealed several of these miRs to act in important cancer-related pathways, including phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)–protein kinase B (Akt) and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathways. We found 18 miR genes to be significantly differentially methylated, with MIR124-2, MIR124-3, MIR129-2, MIR137, MIR34B, MIR34C, MIR548G, MIR762, and MIR9-3 hypermethylated and MIR1204, MIR17, MIR17HG, MIR18A, MIR19A, MIR19B1, MIR20A, MIR548F5, and MIR548I4 hypomethylated in CRC tumor compared with normal tissue, most of these miRs having been shown to regulate steps of metastasis. Generally, methylation changes were distributed evenly across all chromosomes with predominance for chromosomes 1/2 and protein-coding genes. Interestingly, chromosomes abundantly affected by methylation changes globally were rarely affected by methylation changes within miR genes. Our findings support additional mechanisms of methylation changes affecting (miR) genes that orchestrate CRC progression and metastasis.