bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Experimental Evaluation of Sub-Sampling IQ Detection for Low-Level RF Control in Particle Accelerator Systems
Authors: Kowalski Tomasz , Gibiino Gian Piero , Szewiński Jarosław , Czuba Krzysztof , Rybka Dominik , Chmielewski Konrad , Wojciechowski Zbigniew , Sitek Maciej
Published: December 2021

The low-level radio frequency (LLRF) control system is one of the fundamental parts of a particle accelerator, ensuring the stability of the electro-magnetic (EM) field inside the resonant cavities. It leverages on the precise measurement of the field by in-phase/quadrature (IQ) detection of an RF probe signal from the cavities, usually performed using analogue downconversion. This approach requires a local oscillator (LO) and is subject to hardware non-idealities like mixer nonlinearity and long-term temperature drifts. In this work, we experimentally evaluate IQ detection by direct sampling for the LLRF system of the Polish free electron laser (PolFEL) now under development at the National Centre for Nuclear Research (NCBJ) in Poland. We study the impact of the sampling scheme and of the clock phase noise for a 1.3-GHz input sub-sampled by a 400-MSa/s analogue-to-digital converter (ADC), estimating amplitude and phase stability below 0.01% and nearly 0.01°, respectively. The results are in line with state-of-the-art implementations, and demonstrate the feasibility of direct sampling for GHz-range LLRF systems.
Fusion of Infrared and Visible Images Using Fast Global Smoothing Decomposition and Target-Enhanced Parallel Gaussian Fuzzy Logic
Authors: Duan Chaowei , Xing Changda , Liu Yiliu , Wang Zhisheng
Published: December 2021

As a powerful technique to merge complementary information of original images, infrared (IR) and visible image fusion approaches are widely used in surveillance, target detecting, tracking, and biological recognition, etc. In this paper, an efficient IR and visible image fusion method is proposed to simultaneously enhance the significant targets/regions in all source images and preserve rich background details in visible images. The multi-scale representation based on the fast global smoother is firstly used to decompose source images into the base and detail layers, aiming to extract the salient structure information and suppress the halos around the edges. Then, a target-enhanced parallel Gaussian fuzzy logic-based fusion rule is proposed to merge the base layers, which can avoid the brightness loss and highlight significant targets/regions. In addition, the visual saliency map-based fusion rule is designed to merge the detail layers with the purpose of obtaining rich details. Finally, the fused image is reconstructed. Extensive experiments are conducted on 21 image pairs and a Nato-camp sequence (32 image pairs) to verify the effectiveness and superiority of the proposed method. Compared with several state-of-the-art methods, experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method can achieve more competitive or superior performances according to both the visual results and objective evaluation.
Low-Complexity Channel Codes for Reliable Molecular Communication via Diffusion
Authors: Figueiredo Sofia , Souto Nuno , Cercas Francisco
Published: December 2021

It is envisioned that healthcare systems of the future will be revolutionized with the development and integration of body-centric networks into future generations of communication systems, giving rise to the so-called “Internet of Bio-nano things”. Molecular communications (MC) emerge as the most promising way of transmitting information for in-body communications. One of the biggest challenges is how to minimize the effects of environmental noise and reduce the inter-symbol interference (ISI) which in an MC via diffusion scenario can be very high. To address this problem, channel coding is one of the most promising techniques. In this paper, we study the effects of different channel codes integrated into MC systems. We provide a study of Tomlinson, Cercas, Hughes (TCH) codes as a new attractive approach for the MC environment due to the codeword properties which enable simplified detection. Simulation results show that TCH codes are more effective for these scenarios when compared to other existing alternatives, without introducing too much complexity or processing power into the system. Furthermore, an experimental proof-of-concept macroscale test bed is described, which uses pH as the information carrier, and which demonstrates that the proposed TCH codes can improve the reliability in this type of communication channel.
Rapid Test Method for Multi-Beam Profile of Phased Array Antennas
Authors: Luo Qingchun , Zhou Yantao , Qi Yihong , Ye Pu , de Paulis Francesco , Liu Lie
Published: December 2021

The measurement of the phased array antenna (PAA) is completely different from the traditional antenna, due to its multi beam patterns. Usually, each beam pattern of the PAA needs a separate measurement, which makes the overall time extremely long. Thus, the traditional method can no longer meet the efficiency and cost requirements of new PAA measurement. In this paper, a pattern reconstruction method is proposed which significantly reduce the measurement time of multi-beam PAAs. With the known array element patterns (AEP) and theoretical weighted port excitation of the beams, any beam pattern can be predicted by measuring only a certain beam pattern, due to the element excitation coefficient (including the matching, mutual coupling, and manufacturing factors, etc.) of the specific PAA being calculated. The approach has low reconstruction error in term of beam pointing accuracy, side lobe, and co-polar and cross-polar patterns while being validated for large scanning range. Through theoretical derivation and experiments, the effectiveness of the method is verified, and the testing efficiency of the phased array antenna can be improved by 10 times or even more.
Recent Development of Flexible Tactile Sensors and Their Applications
Authors: Nguyen Trong-Danh , Lee Jun Seop
Published: December 2021

With the rapid development of society in recent decades, the wearable sensor has attracted attention for motion-based health care and artificial applications. However, there are still many limitations to applying them in real life, particularly the inconvenience that comes from their large size and non-flexible systems. To solve these problems, flexible small-sized sensors that use body motion as a stimulus are studied to directly collect more accurate and diverse signals. In particular, tactile sensors are applied directly on the skin and provide input signals of motion change for the flexible reading device. This review provides information about different types of tactile sensors and their working mechanisms that are piezoresistive, piezocapacitive, piezoelectric, and triboelectric. Moreover, this review presents not only the applications of the tactile sensor in motion sensing and health care monitoring, but also their contributions in the field of artificial intelligence in recent years. Other applications, such as human behavior studies, are also suggested.
Over 20 Years of Machine Learning Applications on Dairy Farms: A Comprehensive Mapping Study
Authors: Shine Philip , Murphy Michael D.
Published: December 2021

Machine learning applications are becoming more ubiquitous in dairy farming decision support applications in areas such as feeding, animal husbandry, healthcare, animal behavior, milking and resource management. Thus, the objective of this mapping study was to collate and assess studies published in journals and conference proceedings between 1999 and 2021, which applied machine learning algorithms to dairy farming-related problems to identify trends in the geographical origins of data, as well as the algorithms, features and evaluation metrics and methods used. This mapping study was carried out in line with PRISMA guidelines, with six pre-defined research questions (RQ) and a broad and unbiased search strategy that explored five databases. In total, 129 publications passed the pre-defined selection criteria, from which relevant data required to answer each RQ were extracted and analyzed. This study found that Europe (43% of studies) produced the largest number of publications (RQ1), while the largest number of articles were published in the Computers and Electronics in Agriculture journal (21%) (RQ2). The largest number of studies addressed problems related to the physiology and health of dairy cows (32%) (RQ3), while the most frequently employed feature data were derived from sensors (48%) (RQ4). The largest number of studies employed tree-based algorithms (54%) (RQ5), while RMSE (56%) (regression) and accuracy (77%) (classification) were the most frequently employed metrics used, and hold-out cross-validation (39%) was the most frequently employed evaluation method (RQ6). Since 2018, there has been more than a sevenfold increase in the number of studies that focused on the physiology and health of dairy cows, compared to almost a threefold increase in the overall number of publications, suggesting an increased focus on this subdomain. In addition, a fivefold increase in the number of publications that employed neural network algorithms was identified since 2018, in comparison to a threefold increase in the use of both tree-based algorithms and statistical regression algorithms, suggesting an increasing utilization of neural network-based algorithms.
Prediction of Lower Extremity Multi-Joint Angles during Overground Walking by Using a Single IMU with a Low Frequency Based on an LSTM Recurrent Neural Network
Authors: Sung Joohwan , Han Sungmin , Park Heesu , Cho Hyun-Myung , Hwang Soree , Park Jong Woong , Youn Inchan
Published: December 2021

The joint angle during gait is an important indicator, such as injury risk index, rehabilitation status evaluation, etc. To analyze gait, inertial measurement unit (IMU) sensors have been used in studies and continuously developed; however, they are difficult to utilize in daily life because of the inconvenience of having to attach multiple sensors together and the difficulty of long-term use due to the battery consumption required for high data sampling rates. To overcome these problems, this study propose a multi-joint angle estimation method based on a long short-term memory (LSTM) recurrent neural network with a single low-frequency (23 Hz) IMU sensor. IMU sensor data attached to the lateral shank were measured during overground walking at a self-selected speed for 30 healthy young persons. The results show a comparatively good accuracy level, similar to previous studies using high-frequency IMU sensors. Compared to the reference results obtained from the motion capture system, the estimated angle coefficient of determination (R2) is greater than 0.74, and the root mean square error and normalized root mean square error (NRMSE) are less than 7° and 9.87%, respectively. The knee joint showed the best estimation performance in terms of the NRMSE and R2 among the hip, knee, and ankle joints.
Bearing Fault Diagnosis Using Multidomain Fusion-Based Vibration Imaging and Multitask Learning
Authors: Hasan Md Junayed , Islam M. M. Manjurul , Kim Jong-Myon
Published: December 2021

Statistical features extraction from bearing fault signals requires a substantial level of knowledge and domain expertise. Furthermore, existing feature extraction techniques are mostly confined to selective feature extraction methods namely, time-domain, frequency-domain, or time-frequency domain statistical parameters. Vibration signals of bearing fault are highly non-linear and non-stationary making it cumbersome to extract relevant information for existing methodologies. This process even became more complicated when the bearing operates at variable speeds and load conditions. To address these challenges, this study develops an autonomous diagnostic system that combines signal-to-image transformation techniques for multi-domain information with convolutional neural network (CNN)-aided multitask learning (MTL). To address variable operating conditions, a composite color image is created by fusing information from multi-domains, such as the raw time-domain signal, the spectrum of the time-domain signal, and the envelope spectrum of the time-frequency analysis. This 2-D composite image, named multi-domain fusion-based vibration imaging (MDFVI), is highly effective in generating a unique pattern even with variable speeds and loads. Following that, these MDFVI images are fed to the proposed MTL-based CNN architecture to identify faults in variable speed and health conditions concurrently. The proposed method is tested on two benchmark datasets from the bearing experiment. The experimental results suggested that the proposed method outperformed state-of-the-arts in both datasets.
Wristbands in Home-Based Rehabilitation—Validation of Heart Rate Measurement
Authors: Jachymek Magdalena , Jachymek Michał T. , Kiedrowicz Radosław M. , Kaźmierczak Jarosław , Płońska-Gościniak Edyta , Peregud-Pogorzelska Małgorzata
Published: December 2021

The possibility of using a smartwatch as a rehabilitation tool to monitor patients’ heart rates during exercise has gained the attention of many researchers. This study aimed to evaluate the accuracy and precision of the HR measurement performed by two wrist monitors: the Fitbit Charge 4 and the Xiaomi Mi Band 5. Thirty-one healthy volunteers were asked to perform a stress test on a treadmill. Their heart rates were recorded simultaneously by the wristbands and an electrocardiogram (ECG) at 1 min intervals. The mean absolute error percentage (MAPE), Lin’s concordance correlation coefficient (LCCC), and Bland–Altman analysis were calculated to compare the precision and accuracy of heart rate measurements. The estimated validation criteria were MAPE < 10% and LCCC < 0.8. The overall MAPE and LCCC of the Fitbit were 10.19% (±11.79%) and 0.753 (95% CI: 0.717–0.785), respectively. The MAPE and LCCC of the Xiaomi were 6.89% (±9.75) and 0.903 (0.886–0.917), respectively. The precision and accuracy of both devices decreased with the increased exercise intensity. The accuracy of wearable wrist-worn heart rate monitors varies and depends on the intensity of training. Therefore, the decision to use such a device as a heart rate monitor during in-home rehabilitation should be made with caution.
Digitalization to Achieve Technology Innovation in Climate Technology Transfer
Authors: Lee Woo-Jin , Mwebaza Rose
Published: December 2021

Technology Innovation has the potential to play a strategic role in improving the effectiveness and efficiency of national efforts to address climate change. The United Nations (UN) Climate Technology Centre and Network (CTCN) is mandated to support developing countries’ climate change responses through innovative technologies to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement. In order to enhance the role of the CTCN as an innovation matchmaker, it is important to explore and leverage the implementation potential of new digital technologies and their transformational impact. Thus, in this research, to engage digitalization as an innovative tool with the environment, we first explored digitalization during the climate technology transfer processes by comprehensively reviewing CTCN Technical Assistance (Digitalization Technical Assistance, D-TA) activities in three climate sectors of risk prediction, policy decision making, and resource optimization. Then, by applying analytical methodologies of in-depth interviews with major digital-climate stakeholders and a staged model for technology innovation, we propose future strategies for enhancing the role of CTCN as an innovation matchmaker in the three digitalization cases of digital collection, digital analysis, and digital diffusion.
Multi-Objective Techno-Economic Optimization of Design Parameters for Residential Buildings in Different Climate Zones
Authors: Usman Muhammad , Frey Georg
Published: December 2021

The comprehensive approach for a building envelope design involves building performance simulations, which are time-consuming and require knowledge of complicated processes. In addition, climate variation makes the selection of these parameters more complex. The paper aims to establish guidelines for determining a single-family household’s unique optimal passive design in various climate zones worldwide. For this purpose, a bi-objective optimization is performed for twenty-four locations in twenty climates by coupling TRNSYS and a non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm (NSGA-III) using the Python program. The optimization process generates Pareto fronts of thermal load and investment cost to identify the optimum design options for the insulation level of the envelope, window aperture for passive cooling, window-to-wall ratio (WWR), shading fraction, radiation-based shading control, and building orientation. The goal is to find a feasible trade-off between thermal energy demand and the cost of thermal insulation. This is achieved using multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) through criteria importance using intercriteria correlation (CRITIC) and the technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS). The results demonstrate that an optimal envelope design remarkably improves the thermal load compared to the base case of previous envelope design practices. However, the weather conditions strongly influence the design parameters. The research findings set a benchmark for energy-efficient household envelopes in the investigated climates. The optimal solution sets also provide a criterion for selecting the ranges of envelope design parameters according to the space heating and cooling demands of the climate zone.
Environmental Regulations and CO2 Mitigation for Sustainability: Panel Data Analysis (PMG, CCEMG) for BRICS Nations
Authors: Sarfraz Muddassar , Ivascu Larisa , Cioca Lucian-Ionel
Published: December 2021

The relationship between income and pollution is contested, yet wealth alone is insufficient to regulate emissions, which necessitates environmental regulations. Even if inadequate environmental laws may overcome market failures produced by pollution’s negative externality, a thorough examination of their function in pollution management is critical. This research takes a step forward in offering a fresh viewpoint on the function of environmental laws in pollution reduction for BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) nations to better understand the role of environmental regulations in CO2 emission mitigation. The research presented here uses panel data econometric methodologies to achieve this goal, using data from 1995 to 2018. In addition, to provide country-specific findings, the research employs a completely modified ordinary least squares estimator. Environmental laws provide a beneficial influence in reducing carbon emissions. According to the empirical findings, the present environmental regulation positively meets pollution reduction objectives in chosen nations. The environment Kuznets curve (EKC) between pollution and income is controlled by environmental restrictions. Climate change mitigation in BRICS nations is driven by strong environmental policies and economic growth.
Cognitive Biases, Risk Perception, and Risky Driving Behaviour
Authors: Măirean Cornelia , Havârneanu Grigore M. , Barić Danijela , Havârneanu Corneliu
Published: December 2021

This study evaluated the relationship between drivers’ cognitive biases (i.e., optimism bias, illusion of control) and risky driving behaviour. It also investigated the mediational role of risk perception in the relationship between cognitive biases and self-reported risky driving. The sample included 366 drivers (Mage = 39.13, SD = 13.63 years) who completed scales measuring optimism bias, illusion of control, risk perception, and risky driving behaviour, as well as demographic information. The results showed that risky driving behaviour was negatively predicted by optimism bias and positively predicted by the illusion of control. Further, risk perception negatively correlated with risky behaviour and also mediated the relation between both optimism bias and illusion of control with risky driving. The practical implications of these results for traffic safety and future research are discussed.
Management of Monetary Policy in the Framework of Decision Making on Setting Interest Rates for Sustainable Social System: Example of the Russian Federation
Authors: Chupina Zhanna , Abanina Irina , Abramov Valery , Artamonova Kira , Yurchenko Oksana , Osipova Irina , Stroev Pavel
Published: December 2021

This work was based on empirical studies of the credit register and loans issued, which have been compiled by all Russian banks since 2017, for the analysis of bank interest rates by a common factor and subject to the control of the characteristics of the loan. These dates identified bank-specific components in the management information system; also, the same data were used to measure the fragmentation of the accounting lending market in Russia. This paper illustrates the credit market in Russia during the COVID-19 pandemic by analyzing the management of loan rates with existing differences due to the heterogeneity of banks and borrowers in order to achieve a sustainable management system. The results show that the heterogeneity of banks’ decision-making when setting interest rates is high and increased at an early stage of the pandemic. Additionally, the results demonstrate that the banks tightened interest-free lending conditions during the pandemic for sustainable management goals.
Influence of Environmental Factors on Urban and Architectural Design—Example of a Former Paper Mill in Nanterre
Authors: Jóźwik Renata , Jóźwik Anna
Published: December 2021

Biophilic design is developed in urban planning concepts for cities—in line with sustainable development. A case study of converting a former paper mill in Nanterre into a university campus showed what factors influence the emergence of the biophilic form. The research informs the planning and design mechanisms and directs attention to the process. As a result, the study demonstrates that biophilic elements from the place-based pattern group are directly related to in-depth environmental analysis—similar to elements from the nature-based and element-based pattern groups. Together they result in a biophilic form. The element of creation is also present in the design process but is not the primary determinant of the choice of a design approach. In part, the form is adapted to the area’s environmental characteristics, which result from their interaction with objective determinants. Nevertheless, the implementation is not devoid of compositional, creative, and cultural elements—that is, it assumes the features of biophilic architecture. This fact proves that the environment can influence the creative potential in architecture and urban studies.
International Chinese Students in the UK: Association between Use of Green Spaces and Lower Stress Levels
Authors: Zhao Song , Patuano Agnès
Published: December 2021

The health benefits of urban green spaces have been found to vary for different populations, such as people of different socio-demographics or different cultures. Among these populations, one remains understudied although its numbers are growing: Chinese international students. Indeed, more and more Chinese students choose to go abroad for higher education but face specific challenges, often resulting in them experiencing high levels of stress and poor health. This study explores the link between Chinese international students’ use of local green spaces and the effect on their perceived stress and health. An online survey was created to collect data from 186 Chinese international students studying in Edinburgh, Scotland (UK). The data covered the participants’ reported health status and their perceived stress levels, the strategies they use when coping with stress, their awareness of the benefits of visiting green spaces as well as their self-reported use of and access to local green spaces. The findings show a significant correlation between access to and use of urban green spaces and the self-reported wellbeing indicators. Some of the barriers experienced by participants in visiting green spaces were also explored. By investigating the specific behaviors of this emerging and vulnerable population, this study expands the corpus of existing evidence for the role played by urban green spaces in supporting wellbeing. Some recommendations to support the health of this community using urban green spaces can therefore be proposed.
Morphological and Genetic Characterization of Local Maize Accessions from Emilia Romagna Region, Italy
Authors: Stagnati Lorenzo , Soffritti Giovanna , Martino Michelangelo , Lanubile Alessandra , Desiderio Francesca , Ravasio Adriano , Marocco Adriano , Rossi Graziano , Busconi Matteo
Published: December 2021

Italian maize germplasm is particularly rich in local materials and each region is characterized by the presence of peculiar local varieties deriving from centuries of adaptation, selection and cultivation. While the introduction of hybrids, during the 1950s, led to the disappearing of many of these varieties, some have been maintained in cultivation by farmers, frequently in marginal areas, as a kind of family heritage. Local varieties were identified throughout field surveys carried out in recent years. The discovery of a traditional popcorn variety over the most common flint and semi-flint materials used for production of polenta was interesting. Since these varieties have never been adequately described and reported in scientific literature, this study was aimed to solve this lack of knowledge on recently discovered local maize populations. Characterization represents the first step of a process focused on the preservation and possible exploitation of important genetic resources. Traditional materials are a useful reservoir of genes for adaptation to local conditions and climate changes. Adequate breeding programs can use such germplasm for developing new and more resilient varieties. These local materials have been characterized at the morphological level highlighting plant, ear and kernel differences. Genetic characterization, carried out on 455 individuals by the use of 10 SSR markers, revealed 62 different alleles ranging from four for markers phi127, phi076 and phi084 to nine for marker p-bnlg176. The landraces are well distinguishable at genetic level since 40% of genetic variability is present among accessions. Five landraces are characterized by the presence of private alleles and heterozygosity levels are generally good. These findings support the possibility to correctly preserve local materials through in situ conservation. Phylogenetic analysis evidenced the presence of varietal clusters, the clearest one formed by three red-pigmented accessions. STRUCTURE analysis revealed that five landraces have a well-defined genetic attribution while the remaining two (EMR04-Mais Rosso di Rasora and EMR10-Mais del Principe di Scavolino) are both constituted by two different backgrounds.
Germany’s Agricultural Land Footprint and the Impact of Import Pattern Allocation
Authors: Hennenberg Klaus Josef , Gebhardt Swantje , Wimmer Florian , Distelkamp Martin , Lutz Christian , Böttcher Hannes , Schaldach Rüdiger
Published: December 2021

Footprints are powerful indicators for evaluating the impacts of a country’s bioeconomy on environmental goods, both domestic and abroad. We apply a hybrid approach combining a multi-regional input-output model and land use modelling to compute the agricultural land footprint (aLF). Furthermore, we added information on land-use change to the analysis and allocated land conversion to specific commodities. Using Germany as a case study, we show that the aLF abroad is 2.5 to 3 times larger compared to impacts within the country. When allocating land conversion of natural and semi-natural land-cover types in 2005 and 2010 to import increases by Germany, conversion rates were found to be 2.5 times higher than for the global average. Import increases to Germany slowed down in 2015 and 2020, reducing land conversion attributed to the German bioeconomy as well. Our results indicate that looking at a static import pattern is not sufficient to draw a realistic picture of the land footprint of a country. For a more detailed assessment that also considers temporal dynamics and impacts of biomass use and trade, our newly developed set of indicators also captures changes of import patterns over time. The case study shows that our enhanced land footprint provides clear and meaningful information for policymakers and other stakeholders.
Searches for Exotic Interactions Using Neutrons
Authors: Snow William Michael , Haddock Chris , Heacock Ben
Published: December 2021

Slow neutrons possess several advantageous properties which make them useful probes for a variety of exotic interactions, including some that can form at least some components of the dark matter of interest for this issue of Symmetry. We discuss the relevant neutron properties, describe some of the recent work that has been done along these lines using neutron experiments mainly with cold and ultra-cold neutrons, and outline some interesting and exciting opportunities which can be pursued using resonant epithermal neutron interactions in heavy nuclei.
Bioaccessibility Study of Aflatoxin B1 and Ochratoxin A in Bread Enriched with Fermented Milk Whey and/or Pumpkin
Authors: Escrivá Laura , Agahi Fojan , Vila-Donat Pilar , Mañes Jordi , Meca Giuseppe , Manyes Lara
Published: December 2021

The presence of mycotoxins in cereals and cereal products remains a significant issue. The use of natural ingredients such as pumpkin and whey, which contain bioactive compounds, could be a strategy to reduce the use of conventional chemical preservatives. The aim of the present work was to study the bioaccessibility of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) and ochratoxin (OTA) in bread, as well as to evaluate the effect of milk whey (with and without lactic acid bacteria fermentation) and pumpkin on reducing mycotoxins bioaccessibility. Different bread typologies were prepared and subjected to an in vitro digestion model. Gastric and intestinal extracts were analyzed by HPLC–MS/qTOF and mycotoxins bioaccessibility was calculated. All the tested ingredients but one significantly reduced mycotoxin intestinal bioaccessibility. Pumpkin powder demonstrated to be the most effective ingredient showing significant reductions of AFB1 and OTA bioaccessibility up to 74% and 34%, respectively. Whey, fermented whey, and the combination of pumpkin-fermented whey showed intestinal bioaccessibility reductions between 57–68% for AFB1, and between 11–20% for OTA. These results pointed to pumpkin and milk whey as potential bioactive ingredients that may have promising applications in the bakery industry.
Determinants of Measles Vaccine Hesitancy among Sudanese Parents in Khartoum State, Sudan: A Cross-Sectional Study
Authors: Sabahelzain Majdi M. , Moukhyer Mohamed , Bosma Hans , van den Borne Bart
Published: December 2021

Determinants of vaccine hesitancy are not yet well understood. This study aims to assess measles vaccine hesitancy and characterize its determinants among Sudanese parents in Omdurman in Khartoum State. A community-based cross-sectional quantitative study was conducted in Khartoum State in February 2019. The Parent Attitudes about Childhood Vaccination (PACV) was used to measure measles vaccine hesitancy. Questions about the sociodemographic characteristics of the family, the perception of the parents about the measles vaccine, and the parental exposure to information were asked. Proportions of vaccine hesitancy and coefficients of linear regression were computed. Five hundred parents were recruited for the study. We found that a significant proportion of participants (about 1 in 5 parents) had hesitations regarding the measles vaccine. Significant predictors of measles vaccine hesitancy were parental exposure to anti-vaccination information or materials (β = −0.478, p-value < 0.001), the parents’ perception of the effectiveness of measles vaccines (β = 0.093, p-value = 0.020), the age of the mother (β = 0.112, p-value = 0.017), the birth rank of the child (β = −0.116, p-value = 0.015), and the total number of the children in the family (β = 0.098, p-value = 0.013). Vaccination access issues were the common justification for parental vaccination hesitancy. Our findings indicate that investment in vaccine communication as well as addressing access issues might be an effective intervention for improving measles vaccine acceptance and, ultimately, measles vaccine coverage.
Ending the Pandemic: How Behavioural Science Can Help Optimize Global COVID-19 Vaccine Uptake
Authors: Vallis Michael , Bacon Simon , Corace Kim , Joyal-Desmarais Keven , Sheinfeld Gorin Sherri , Paduano Stefania , Presseau Justin , Rash Joshua , Mengistu Yohannes Abebaw , Lavoie Kim
Published: December 2021

Governments, public health officials and pharmaceutical companies have all mobilized resources to address the COVID-19 pandemic. Lockdowns, social distancing, and personal protective behaviours have been helpful but have shut down economies and disrupted normal activities. Vaccinations protect populations from COVID-19 and allow a return to pre-pandemic ways of living. However, vaccine development, distribution and promotion have not been sufficient to ensure maximum vaccine uptake. Vaccination is an individual choice and requires acceptance of the need to be vaccinated in light of any risks. This paper presents a behavioural sciences framework to promote vaccine acceptance by addressing the complex and ever evolving landscape of COVID-19. Effective promotion of vaccine uptake requires understanding the context-specific barriers to acceptance. We present the AACTT framework (Action, Actor, Context, Target, Time) to identify the action needed to be taken, the person needed to act, the context for the action, as well as the target of the action within a timeframe. Once identified a model for identifying and overcoming barriers, called COM-B (Capability, Opportunity and Motivation lead to Behaviour), is presented. This analysis identifies issues associated with capability, opportunity and motivation to act. These frameworks can be used to facilitate action that is fluid and involves policy makers, organisational leaders as well as citizens and families.
Gender Differences in Knowledge and Attitude towards HPV and HPV Vaccine among College Students in Wenzhou, China
Authors: Chen Gang , Wu Biao , Dai Xuchao , Zhang Mengqi , Liu Yupeng , Huang Hong , Mei Kun , Wu Zhigang
Published: December 2021

Objective: This study aimed to determine human papillomavirus (HPV)-related awareness and willingness to receive HPV vaccination among college students, in Wenzhou, and its associated factors. Methods: A cross-sectional epidemiological study was conducted among college students in Wenzhou to investigate their knowledge, attitude, and factors affecting their willingness to receive HPV vaccination. Results: A total of 1035 questionnaires were collected, of which 1002 were valid (males: 374, females: 628). In total, 904 (90.2%) college students had heard of HPV, with a lower rate among males than females (85.3% vs. 93.2%, p < 0.05) and 693 (69.2%) had heard of the HPV vaccine, with a significantly lower rate among males than females (53.7% vs. 78.3%, p < 0.05). Overall awareness of HPV and HPV vaccine among males and females was moderate, with lower awareness among males. A total of 55.9% of males and 80.4% of females indicated that they would be willing to receive the HPV vaccine, a significant difference (p < 0.001). The price, safety of HPV vaccine, and lack of knowledge about HPV and HPV vaccine were the major barriers to HPV vaccination for college students. Compared to females, inadequate knowledge of HPV was the main barrier factor for HPV vaccination among male college students. Conclusions: The overall knowledge level of males is lower than that of females. For male college students, providing more knowledge about HPV infection is helpful to promote their willingness to vaccinate. It is necessary to promote HPV-related knowledge for male and female college students, respectively.
Adults’ Acceptance of COVID-19 Vaccine for Children in Selected Lower- and Middle-Income Countries
Authors: Bono Suzanna Awang , Siau Ching Sin , Chen Won Sun , Low Wah Yun , Faria de Moura Villela Edlaine , Pengpid Supa , Hasan M Tasdik , Sessou Philippe , Ditekemena John D. , Amodan Bob Omoda , Hosseinipour Mina C. , Dolo Housseini , Siewe Fodjo Joseph Nelson , Colebunders Robert
Published: December 2021

Since emergency approval of COVID-19 vaccines for children aged between 12 and 15 years old was recently obtained in the United States and Europe, we aimed to assess the willingness to vaccinate children with a COVID-19 vaccine in lower- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Therefore, we launched an online cross-sectional survey in several LMICs. Questions relating to socio-demographic information, knowledge of COVID-19, level of fear/worry of being infected with COVID-19, and willingness to vaccinate children with the COVID-19 vaccine at 50%, 75% and 95% effectiveness levels, were asked. Of the 6571 participants (mean age = 39 ± 14 years), 64.0%, 72.6%, and 92.9% were willing to vaccinate children at 50%, 75%, and 95% effectiveness levels, respectively. Respondents who were undergraduates, who were more worried/fearful about COVID-19, had higher knowledge scores regarding COVID-19, and a higher belief that COVID-19 vaccination is important to protect others, were more willing to accept COVID-19 vaccination of children. COVID-19 vaccination of children will limit the spread of the virus, especially in schools; it may decrease the need for school closures which has a negative effect on child development. Findings from this study are useful for health promotion strategies during COVID-19 vaccination implementation among children in LMICs.
What Would You Do? Types of Ethical Challenging Situations Depicted in Vignettes Published in the Veterinary Literature from 1990 to 2020
Authors: Quain Anne , Ward Michael P. , Mullan Siobhan
Published: December 2021

Veterinary team members encounter a wide range of ethically challenging situations (ECS) in their work. Inability to resolve ECS in accordance with their values may negatively impact the wellbeing of veterinary team members. We sought to determine the types of ECS described in published ethical vignettes in the veterinary literature. We performed a strategic literature search, followed by a thematic analysis of vignettes published in the veterinary literature from 1990–2020. We identified 567 published vignettes in 544 publications. In the majority of vignettes, the protagonist was a veterinarian (61.6%) and the most common categories of animal involved were dogs (28.0%), livestock in general (10.8%), and cattle (10.6%). The primary type of ECS was coded for each scenario, generating 29 themes. These findings extend knowledge about types of ECS that may be encountered by veterinary team members. These themes can help to inform curricula and better prepare veterinary team members to navigate ECS. They may also highlight factors that contribute to ECS that can be addressed on a broad scale, such as through regulation, continuing professional development, or stakeholder education. Knowing that others may experience similar ECS may help veterinary team members feel part of a moral community.
Multiple Undifferentiated Pleomorphic Sarcoma (Malignant Fibrous Histiocytoma) with Extradural Involvement in a 7-Year-Old Labrador Retriever
Authors: Kim Kihoon , Shin Jaiho , Kim Hyosung , Kim Hanjun , Kim Jaehwan , Do Sunhee , Kim Hwiyool
Published: December 2021

A 7-year-old castrated male Labrador retriever was referred for evaluation of progressive hind limb paresis of 4 weeks’ duration. On computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging examination, masses were found in several regions including the lung, right kidney, and peritoneum. Additionally, an extradural mass at the region of T13–L1 was identified, which is assumed to related to the chief complaint, progressive hind limb paresis. With the consent of the owner, a dorsal laminectomy was performed to remove the mass and surrounding tissues for the palliation of the hind limb paresis. Hematoxylin and eosin staining and immunohistochemical examination revealed the mass to be consistent with an undifferentiated (high-grade) pleomorphic sarcoma. The patient presented with recurrence of the hind limb paresis, respiratory discomfort, and urinary incontinence. The owner declined treatment and the dog was euthanized. Systemic metastasis was confirmed on postmortem microscopic examination. To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first report describing multiple undifferentiated high-grade pleomorphic sarcoma with extradural involvement developing into the vertebral canal through the intervertebral space, resulting in spinal damage, in a dog.
Flood Risk-Related Research Trends in Latin America and the Caribbean
Authors: Pinos Juan , Quesada-Román Adolfo
Published: December 2021

Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), like many other regions in the world, are areas that are prone to hydrometeorological disasters, which threaten livelihoods and cause economic losses. To derive LAC’s status in the field of flood risk-related research, we conducted a bibliometric analysis of the region’s publication record using the Web of Science journal database (WoS). After analysing a total of 1887 references according to inclusion-exclusion criteria, 302 articles published in the last 20 years were selected. The research articles published in the period 2000–2020 revealed that Mexico, Brazil, and certain South American countries such as Chile, Peru, and Argentina are more productive in flood risk research. Scientific research is increasing, and most of the available studies focus on lowland areas. The frequently-used keywords are generic, and there is often verbatim copying from the title of the article, which shows the poor coherence between the title, abstract, and keywords. This limited diversification of keywords is of little use in bibliometric studies, reducing their visibility and negatively impacting the citation count level. LAC flood studies are mainly related to hydrometeorological assessments, flood risk analyses, geomorphological and ecosystem studies, flood vulnerability and resilience approaches, and statistical and geographic information science evaluations. This systematic review reveals that although flood risk research has been important in the last two decades, future research linked with future climatic scenarios is key to the development of realistic solutions to disaster risks.
Exploring Local Riverbank Sediment Controls on the Occurrence of Preferential Groundwater Discharge Points
Authors: Briggs Martin A. , Jackson Kevin E. , Liu Fiona , Moore Eric M. , Bisson Alaina , Helton Ashley M.
Published: December 2021

Groundwater discharge to rivers takes many forms, including preferential groundwater discharge points (PDPs) along riverbanks that are exposed at low flows, with multi-scale impacts on aquatic habitat and water quality. The physical controls on the spatial distribution of PDPs along riverbanks are not well-defined, rendering their prediction and representation in models challenging. To investigate the local riverbank sediment controls on PDP occurrence, we tested drone-based and handheld thermal infrared to efficiently map PDP locations along two mainstem rivers. Early in the study, we found drone imaging was better suited to locating tributary and stormwater inflows, which created relatively large water surface thermal anomalies in winter, compared to PDPs that often occurred at the sub-meter scale and beneath riparian tree canopy. Therefore, we primarily used handheld thermal infrared imaging from watercraft to map PDPs and larger seepage faces along 12-km of the fifth-order Housatonic River in Massachusetts, USA and 26-km of the Farmington River in Connecticut, USA. Overall, we mapped 31 riverbank PDPs along the Housatonic reach that meanders through lower permeability soils, and 104 PDPs along the Farmington reach that cuts through sandier sediments. Riverbank soil parameters extracted at PDP locations from the Soil Survey Geographic (SSURGO) database did not differ substantially from average bank soils along either reach, although the Farmington riverbank soils were on average 5× more permeable than Housatonic riverbank soils, likely contributing to the higher observed prevalence of PDPs. Dissolved oxygen measured in discharge water at these same PDPs varied widely, but showed no relation to measured sand, clay, or organic matter content in surficial soils indicating a lack of substantial near-surface aerobic reaction. The PDP locations were investigated for the presence of secondary bank structures, and commonly co-occurred with riparian tree root masses indicating the importance of localized physical controls on the spatial distribution of riverbank PDPs.
Characterizing the Stormwater Runoff Quality and Evaluating the Performance of Curbside Infiltration Systems to Improve Stormwater Quality of an Urban Catchment
Authors: Shahzad Hussain , Myers Baden , Hewa Guna , Johnson Tim , Boland John , Mujtaba Hassan
Published: December 2021

The conveyance of stormwater has become a major concern for urban planners, considering its harmful effects for receiving water bodies, potentially disturbing their ecosystem. Therefore, it is important to characterize the quality of catchment outflows. This information can assist in planning for appropriate mitigation measures to reduce stormwater runoff discharge from the catchment. To achieve this aim, the article reports the field data from a typical urban catchment in Australia. The pollutant concentration from laboratory testing is then compared against national and international reported values. In addition, a stochastic catchment model was prepared using MUSIC. The study in particular reported on the techniques to model distributed curbside leaky wells with appropriate level of aggregation. The model informed regarding the efficacy of distributed curbside leaky well systems to improve the stormwater quality. The results indicated that catchment generated pollutant load, which is typical of Australian residential catchments. The use of distributed storages only marginally improves the quality of catchment outflows. It is because ability of distributed leaky wells depended on the intercepted runoff volume which is dependent on the hydrological storage volume of each device. Therefore, limited storage volume of current systems resulted in higher contributing area to storage ratio. This manifested in marginal intercepted volume, thereby only minimum reduction in pollutant transport from the catchment to outlet. Considering strong correlation between contributing impervious area and runoff pollutant generation, the study raised the concern that in lieu of following the policy of infill development, there can be potential increase in pollutant concentration in runoff outflows from Australian residential catchments. It is recommended to monitor stormwater quality from more residential catchments in their present conditions. This will assist in informed decision-making regarding adopting mitigations measures before considering developments.