bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Video Human Action Recognition with Channel Attention on ST-GCN
Authors: Zhang Deyuan , Wang Haoguang , Weng Chao , Shi Xiangbin
Published: September 2021

Action recognition based on human skeleton information is a hot research topic in the field of computer vision, and ST-GCN graph convolutional network is widely used to extract spatial and temporal features of human skeleton to represent the human skeleton structure. However, in the process of extracting features, the weights on each channel of the feature are the same, so it is difficult to effectively discriminate the useful features from the useless ones. In this paper, we propose Channel Attention module, which learns the importance of each feature channel to perform human action recognition more effectively. Experimental results on Kinetics and NTU-RGB+D datasets show that Channel Attention module can achieve better accuracy.
State-of-health prediction of lithium-ion battery based on improved gate recurrent unit
Authors: Lin Jingdong , Wang Chang , Yan Guansong
Published: September 2021

State of health (SOH) prediction of lithium-ion batteries is still a very important issue in evaluating the safety and reliability of battery-powered systems. This paper uses the lithiumion battery data in NASA Ames Research Center for research, analyzes the correlation between the relevant feature data, selects the data the most relevant to the capacity through the threshold, and uses it as the input of the neural network. We combine Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) algorithm and Gate Recurrent Unit (GRU) to form PSO-GRU, and use the PSO-GRU method to find the time step and the number of neurons for the best prediction effect. The experimental results show that, compared with the LSTM method, the PSO-GRU method has higher prediction accuracy and has fewer weight parameters for the neural network training model.
UAV Inspection Technology Based on Lightweight Edge Computing Framework
Authors: Qiu Zifeng , Wang Yahan , Gao Feng , Liu Sha , Zhang Junkai , Yang Fuchen , Hu Yan
Published: September 2021

At present, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is usually used to capture the ground images for power inspections, then transmit the images to the fixed ground station for analysis. That method is not conducive to the rapid positioning of key parts or timely treatment. At the same time, the automatic sensing of power inspections mainly adopts the targets detection and classification algorithms based on deep learning, which has a large amount of calculation, and the processor installed in the UAV terminal is difficult to achieve the effect of real-time detection. In order to improve the accuracy and real-time of key targets detection and classification of power facilities in the inspection process, a lightweight edge computing framework AirNet is proposed. In AirNet, simple linear iterative clustering (SLIC) algorithm and direct convolution method are used to optimize the UAV input image to simplify multiple granularity feature information and improve the accuracy of the algorithm. Real time intelligent analysis of the algorithm model is carried out in UAV terminal, and the key parts of transmission towers, houses and vehicles are selected for test. The results show that the algorithm can achieve 64 ms detection speed and 85% accuracy on Huawei Atlas 200 chip equipment.
An H
∞
H
- optimization approach to fault detection for UAV
Authors: Hao Liu
Published: September 2021

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have good maneuverability and have been widely used in many fields. Therefore, it is of great significance to detect faults in the UAV flight control system. In this paper, a method based on H
∞
H
- optimization is proposed for the constant gain fault detection of UAV flight control system actuators, and the failure of UAV elevator and throttle lever parts are used as the example for simulation verification. The results show that the proposed method can realize the quick fault detection of UAV flight control system.
Research on Application of Edge Computing in Real-time Environmental Monitoring System
Authors: Teng Yunhao , Cui Jiapo , Jiang Wenrong
Published: September 2021

In order to solve the problem of insufficient data processing ability and high delay of cloud computing in environmental monitoring system, combined with edge computing technology, this paper designs an environmental monitoring system which can process data in real time. The system uses the Baetyl edge computing frame to build an edge node on Raspberry Pi, the monitoring node collects environmental data such as temperature and humidity and sends the data to the edge node. The edge node will upload the monitoring data to Baidu Intelligent Cloud Platform after processing. The test results show that edge computing has obvious advantages in the application of environmental monitoring.
A Research on Advanced Technology of Target Detection in Unmanned Driving
Authors: Wang Bosi , Wang Renjie , Tang Bin , Cai Linfeng , Zhong Nianbing , Zhao Mingfu , Long Zourong
Published: September 2021

Unmanned driving leads the development of smart cities and safe transportation. It relies on a large amount of complex data generated during driving. This paper reviews the state-of-the-art research status of data collection and analysis techniques. We divide the data required for unmanned driving into two types: traffic scene data and driving behavior data. Firstly, by fully considering the different needs of enterprises, universities and related institutions, we have fully studied the algorithms proposed by scholars all over the world. Then we introduce mainstream 2D and 3D target detection algorithms based on RGBD and laser point clouds. Finally, the article introduces some of the most widely used urban road data sets.
Design of intelligent sampler for large flow total suspended particulates
Authors: Lin Haiping , Liu Shibo , Fu Zhongjie , Huang Bingqiang , Yao Jiana
Published: September 2021

For the current nuclear radiation problem in society, it is very important to monitor the content of radionuclides in the atmosphere. The large flow total suspended particulate (TSP) sampler is the key equipment to monitor radionuclides. In this paper, a large flow total suspended particulate intelligent sampler is developed, which has high sampling accuracy, stable and reliable operation, and forms a complete set of automatic membrane changing particulates matter analyzer with analyzer and membrane sending mechanism, realizing 24-hour unattended automatic membrane changing sampling and analysis, and is used to collect suspended particulate matter in air in radiation monitoring stations and scientific research institutes at all levels to analyze the radionuclides: total α, β and γ and so on.
Unsupervised defect detection based on the pseudo-defect generation
Authors: Feng Jie-kang
Published: September 2021

With the progress of industrial production, more and more products need to be tested to ensure product quality. Detecting and locating surface defects have become a challenging and practical problem. In previous researches, the supervised training needs a lot of manual annotation data and defective product data. And the unsupervised method based on image inpainting can’t reconstruct complex images with high precision. In this paper, we proposed an unsupervised defect detection method based on the pseudo-defect generation to solve the problem of insufficient defective samples and the detecting accuracy problem. We conducted experiments on the AITEX dataset which get 93.3% DR, 3.2% FAR, and 35.5% MIOU. And it also shows outstanding effects in real industrial scenes.
The Real-Time Elevator Monitoring System Based on Multi-sensor Fusion
Authors: Guo Yanbin , Liu Yingbin , Zhang Xiaoyong , Wang Guoping
Published: September 2021

In recent years, the number of elevators has increased dramatically as the increase of high-rise buildings. The safety monitoring of elevators, a matter of people’s security, becomes more and more important. This paper proposed a real-time elevator monitoring system, which can rapidly and accurately diagnose the faults and abnormal states of the elevator based on the real-time operation data acquired from multi sensors. The proposed multi-sensor fusion algorithm effectively ensured the stability and reliability of the system. The real-time monitoring result was easily accessed using web client on various platforms via the local network, which also can be sent to the cloud platform realizing the remote access. The test result of the system demonstrated its usefulness.
Comprehensive Evaluation Method of Driving Behavior Based on Neural Network
Authors: Li Jiayao , Li Li , Jiao Ge , Zhao Xianjing , He Yuhong
Published: September 2021

In recent years, the number of traffic accidents in the world has increased sharply. Reasonable mining of the OBD data generated in the process of vehicle driving will help to improve traffic safety. However, the existing driving behavior scoring models have the following shortcomings: the indexes are not comprehensive enough, and the selection of weights is not objective. In order to solve these shortcomings, this paper proposes 16 driving behavior indexes and related definitions; the neural network is used to construct the model to distribute the weight reasonably; a new comprehensive evaluation model of driving behavior is constructed. The feasibility and efficiency of the model are verified by experiments on real vehicle OBD data sets.
A Fabric Defect Detection System Based Improved YOLOv5 Detector
Authors: Wang Ying , Hao Zhengyang , Zuo Fang , Pan Shanshan
Published: September 2021

Fabric defect detection is a key part of product quality assessment in the textile industry. It is important to achieve fast, accurate and efficient detection of fabric defects to improve productivity in the textile industry. For the problems of irregular shapes and many small objects, an improved YOLOv5 object detection algorithm for fabric defects is propose. In order to improve the detection accuracy of small objects, the ASFF(Adaptively Spatial Feature Fusion) feature fusion method is adopted to improve the PANet’s bad effect on multi-scale feature fusion. The transformer mechanisms can enhance fused features, allowing the network to focus on useful information. Experimental results show that the mean average precision of the improved YOLOv5 object detection algorithm in fabric defect map detection is 71.70%. The improved algorithm can quickly and accurately improve the accuracy of fabric defect detection and the accuracy of defect localization.
Research on fuzzy PID droop Control method for DC microgrid in island mode
Authors: Wang Qianru , Wang Caixia , Gu Ji-peng
Published: September 2021

In order to solve the problem of difficult power supply in remote mountainous areas and islands, based on the traditional drooping control of DC microgrid, this paper introduces fuzzy PID to realize the self-adjustment of drooping coefficient, which solves the problem of voltage instability of DC bus caused by external environmental conditions and load mutation. MATLAB/SIMULINK simulation results show that the fuzzy PID droop control can effectively reduce the voltage drop, maintain the bus voltage stability, and realize the current sharing of all distributed power sources in the DC microgrid under the load switching condition.
The TRACTOR Project: TRACking and MoniToring Occupational Risks in Agriculture Using French Insurance Health Data (MSA)
Authors: Petit Pascal , Bosson-Rieutort Delphine , Maugard Charlotte , Gondard Elise , Ozenfant Damien , Joubert Nadia , François Olivier , Bonneterre Vincent
Published: September 2021

Objectives

A vast data mining project called ‘TRACking and moniToring Occupational Risks in agriculture’ (TRACTOR) was initiated in 2017 to investigate work-related health events among the entire French agricultural workforce. The goal of this work is to present the TRACTOR project, the challenges faced during its implementation, to discuss its strengths and limitations and to address its potential impact for health surveillance.

Methods

Three routinely collected administrative health databases from the National Health Insurance Fund for Agricultural Workers and Farmers (MSA) were made available for the TRACTOR project. Data management was required to properly clean and prepare the data before linking together all available databases.

Results

After removing few missing and aberrant data (4.6% values), all available databases were fully linked together. The TRACTOR project is an exhaustive database of agricultural workforce (active and retired) from 2002 to 2016, with around 10.5 million individuals including seasonal workers and farm managers. From 2012 to 2016, a total of 6 906 290 individuals were recorded. Half of these individuals were active and 46% had at least one health event (e.g. declared chronic disease, reimbursed drug prescription) during this 5-year period.

Conclusions

The assembled MSA databases available in the TRACTOR project are regularly updated and represent a promising and unprecedent dataset for data mining analysis dedicated to the early identification of current and emerging work-related illnesses and hypothesis generation. As a result, this project could help building a prospective integrated health surveillance system for the benefit of agricultural workers.
Identifying multi-functional bioactive peptide functions using multi-label deep learning
Authors: Tang Wending , Dai Ruyu , Yan Wenhui , Zhang Wei , Bin Yannan , Xia Enhua , Xia Junfeng
Published: September 2021

The bioactive peptide has wide functions, such as lowering blood glucose levels and reducing inflammation. Meanwhile, computational methods such as machine learning are becoming more and more important for peptide functions prediction. Most of the previous studies concentrate on the single-functional bioactive peptides prediction. However, the number of multi-functional peptides is on the increase; therefore, novel computational methods are needed. In this study, we develop a method MLBP (Multi-Label deep learning approach for determining the multi-functionalities of Bioactive Peptides), which can predict multiple functions including anti-cancer, anti-diabetic, anti-hypertensive, anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial simultaneously. MLBP model takes the peptide sequence vector as input to replace the biological and physiochemical features used in other peptides predictors. Using the embedding layer, the dense continuous feature vector is learnt from the sequence vector. Then, we extract convolution features from the feature vector through the convolutional neural network layer and combine with the bidirectional gated recurrent unit layer to improve the prediction performance. The 5-fold cross-validation experiments are conducted on the training dataset, and the results show that Accuracy and Absolute true are 0.695 and 0.685, respectively. On the test dataset, Accuracy and Absolute true of MLBP are 0.709 and 0.697, with 5.0 and 4.7% higher than those of the suboptimum method, respectively. The results indicate MLBP has superior prediction performance on the multi-functional peptides identification. MLBP is available at https://github.com/xialab-ahu/MLBP and http://bioinfo.ahu.edu.cn/MLBP/.
Highways, Market Access and Spatial Sorting
Authors: Fretz Stephan , Parchet Raphaël , Robert-Nicoud Frédéric
Published: September 2021

We design a parsimonious spatial equilibrium model featuring workers embodied with heterogeneous skills and non-homothetic preferences. In equilibrium, locations with improved commuting access become relatively more attractive to high-income earners. We empirically analyse the effects of the construction of the Swiss highway network between 1960 and 2010 on the population size and composition of municipalities. We find that the advent of a new highway access led to a long-term 24% increase in the share of top-income taxpayers and a 8% decrease in the share of low-income taxpayers, impacting segregation by income. Highways also contributed to job and residential urban sprawl.
Protective effects of 17β-oestradiol on coagulation and systemic inflammation after total occlusion of the descending aorta in male rats
Authors: Sobral Marcelo Luiz Peixoto , Dias Ricardo Ribeiro , Correia Cristiano de Jesus , Coutinho e Silva Raphael dos Santos , da Anunciação Lucas Ferreira , Breithaupt-Faloppa Ana Cristina , Moreira Luiz Felipe Pinho
Published: September 2021

OBJECTIVES

The surgical treatment for diseases of the descending aorta is related to a high mortality rate because of the activation of a systemic inflammatory process due to ischaemia and reperfusion (I/R) injury. Activation of coagulation can contribute to the inflammatory process, resulting in microcirculatory damage and multiple organ failure. Our goal was to evaluate the role of prophylactic intravenous 17β-oestradiol (E2) in coagulation, the inflammatory response and hepatic injury after occlusion of the descendent proximal aorta in male rats.

METHODS

Wistar male rats were randomized and allocated to 3 groups (n = 8 per group): sham, surgically manipulated; IR, animals subjected to I/R; and E2, animals treated with E2 (280 µg/kg, intravenously) before I/R. I/R was induced by insertion of a 2-Fr Fogarty arterial embolectomy catheter in the descending aorta, which was occluded for 20 min, followed by a reperfusion period of 2 h. Serological markers, platelet aggregation, hepatic vascular flow, systemic and liver inflammatory response and apoptosis were analysed. The coagulation process was evaluated by thromboelastometry.

RESULTS

The aortic occlusion led to a reduction in plasma fibrinogen concentration in parallel with increased clotting time, greater clot firmness and reduced lysis. E2 treatment was able to increase fibrinogen, prevent the increase in clotting time and normalize clot firmness, but it exerted only a mild effect on clot lysis. Platelet aggregation was increased by IR, and E2 treatment was able to reduce it. There was a reduction in flow percentage in the IR group that was not prevented by E2. In parallel, higher aggregate formation was observed in the vessels of the IR group of animals. There was increased systemic release of interleukin-1-β, interleukin-6 and interleukin-10 in the IR group, which was reduced in the treated animals.

CONCLUSIONS

The current results suggest that pretreatment with E2 before an ischaemic period induced by occlusion of the proximal descending aorta is effective in preventing alterations in coagulation and systemic inflammation due to I/R injury.
Research into policy: lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: van Schalkwyk May C I , McKee Martin
Published: September 2021

There has been an unprecedented global effort by researchers from many disciplines to obtain and synthesize knowledge to inform policy responses to SARS-CoV-2. While many major advances have been made in generating and applying knowledge on a pandemic caused by a novel pathogen, some things could have been done better, as revealed by the devastating loss of life and economic impact on livelihoods and communities. We reflect on the context in which the pandemic emerged, characterized by underinvestment in public health and growing distrust in institutions, followed by an overview of three broad areas: generation of new knowledge, synthesis of existing knowledge, both what was known prior to the pandemic and what emerged during it, and the challenges of translating knowledge into policy. We also consider areas that were largely overlooked in the research effort. Across all areas, we aim to draw out relevant lessons for future research and public health practice.
Methylome-wide association study of early life stressors and adult mental health
Authors: Howard David M , Pain Oliver , Arathimos Ryan , Barbu Miruna C , Amador Carmen , Walker Rosie M , Jermy Bradley , Adams Mark J , Deary Ian J , Porteous David , Campbell Archie , Sullivan Patrick F , Evans Kathryn L , Arseneault Louise , Wray Naomi R , Meaney Michael , McIntosh Andrew M , Lewis Cathryn M
Published: September 2021

The environment and events that we are exposed to in utero, during birth and in early childhood influence our future physical and mental health. The underlying mechanisms that lead to these outcomes are unclear, but long-term changes in epigenetic marks, such as DNA methylation, could act as a mediating factor or biomarker. DNA methylation data were assayed at 713 522 CpG sites from 9537 participants of the Generation Scotland: Scottish Family Health Study, a family-based cohort with extensive genetic, medical, family history and lifestyle information. Methylome-wide association studies of eight early life environment phenotypes and two adult mental health phenotypes (major depressive disorder and brief resilience scale) were conducted using DNA methylation data collected from adult whole blood samples. Two genes involved with different developmental pathways (PRICKLE2, Prickle Planar Cell Polarity Protein 2 and ABI1, Abl-Interactor-1) were annotated to CpG sites associated with preterm birth (P < 1.27 × 10−9). A further two genes important to the development of sensory pathways (SOBP, Sine Oculis Binding Protein Homolog and RPGRIP1, Retinitis Pigmentosa GTPase Regulator Interacting Protein) were annotated to sites associated with low birth weight (P < 4.35 × 10−8). The examination of methylation profile scores and genes and gene-sets annotated from associated CpGs sites found no evidence of overlap between the early life environment and mental health conditions. Birth date was associated with a significant difference in estimated lymphocyte and neutrophil counts. Previous studies have shown that early life environments influence the risk of developing mental health disorders later in life; however, this study found no evidence that this is mediated by stable changes to the methylome detectable in peripheral blood.
The REDCap Mobile Application: a data collection platform for research in regions or situations with internet scarcity
Authors: Harris Paul A , Delacqua Giovanni , Taylor Robert , Pearson Scott , Fernandez Michelle , Duda Stephany N
Published: September 2021

Objectives

To share our approach for designing, developing, and deploying the Research Electronic Data Capture (REDCap) Mobile Application, details about its dissemination and support through the REDCap Consortium, and a set of lessons learned and guidance recommendations for others developing mobile platforms to support research in regions or situations with internet scarcity.

Materials and Methods

We defined minimum viable product requirements centered around Android and iOS platform availability, data capture specifications and project initiation workflow, study data synchronization, and data security. After launch, we added features based on feedback from end-users and REDCap administrators. We prioritized new features based on expected impact, difficulty, and anticipated long-term cost for sustainability.

Results

We chose Apache Cordova, a combined iOS and Android development framework, based on targeted end-user technology expectations, available programmer resources, and the need to provide solutions for resource-limited settings. The REDCap Mobile Application was launched in 2015, has been enabled at over 800 REDCap Consortium partner organizations, and has supported diverse scientific studies around the world.

Discussion

Apache Cordova enabled early software releases for both iOS and Android, but required ongoing optimization efforts to improve software responsiveness. Developing a robust and efficient mobile device synchronization architecture was difficult without direct access to global network infrastructures for testing. Research teams in sub-Saharan Africa helped our development team understand and simulate real-world scenarios of intermittent internet connectivity.

Conclusion

Guidance recommendations based on designing, developing, deploying, and disseminating the REDCap Mobile Application may help other teams looking to develop clinical research informatics applications.
Framing colonial war loot
Authors: Hartwell Nicole M
Published: September 2021

This article investigates the provenance of four artefacts associated with the military commander Kunwar Singh (1777–1858), who fought a guerrilla campaign against the British during the Indian Uprising of 1857–8. By analysing how these objects were documented and inscribed, it can be shown that, through the invocation of what is characterized here as ‘martial discourse’, British officers framed the acquisition of the arms, armour and ceremonial possessions of an enemy commander in very specific ways. As an overlooked aspect of nineteenth-century British military culture, an examination of martial discourse helps to clarify how British officers presented acquisitions in colonial military contexts. Fundamental to the examples considered here – which include ‘taken in action’, ‘captured’ and ‘spolia opima’ – was an implicit and shared understanding within the British military establishment that artefacts deemed to signify victory and military prowess could be elevated above, and distinguished from those taken during acts of unsanctioned appropriation and looting.
Reasonable management of perennial planting grassland contributes to positive succession of soil microbial community in Sanjiangyuan of Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, China
Authors: Chen Xin , Li Qi , Chen Dongdong , He Fuquan , Huo Lili , Zhao Liang , Xiao Chunwang
Published: September 2021

Grassland reconstruction is a major approach to alleviate the ‘black beach’ in Sanjiangyuan of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. It is vital to understand how to manage the planting grassland after reconstruction. And which artificial grassland management pattern is more likely to restore the degraded grassland of ‘black beach?’ To provide the scientific basis for the restoration of ‘black beach’, we investigated the changes in vegetation characteristics, soil physicochemical properties and soil microbial community structure of planting grassland under different management patterns, and explored the effect of the management patterns on community succession of planting grassland. In this study, vegetation characteristics and soil physicochemical properties were measured by field investigation and laboratory analyses, respectively. Soil microbial community composition was determined by high-throughput sequencing techniques. The results showed that there were significant differences in vegetation characteristics, soil physicochemical properties and soil microbial community structure of the planting grassland under different management patterns. Actinobacteria and Basidiomycota were mainly controlled by vegetation plant species diversity, aboveground biomass (AGB) and soil organic carbon (SOC). Shannon-Wiener index, AGB and SOC peaked and the relative abundance of amplicon sequence variants annotated by Actinobacteria and Basidiomycota were significantly enriched under the management pattern of the planting once treatment. Additionally, the soil had the highest bacterial diversity and the lowest fungal diversity under the planting once treatment, becoming a ‘bacterial’ soil. These vegetation characteristics and soil environment were more conducive to overall positive community succession, indicating that the planting once treatment is the most reasonable management pattern for restoring the ‘black beach’.
Bilateral renal fungal bezoars in a preterm infant: case report and literature review
Authors: Kittaweerat Nawaporn , Attawettayanon Worapat , Choorit Teeranop , Chalieopanyarwong Virote , Pripatnanont Choosak , Tana-anantarak Pattama , Dissaneewete Pornsak
Published: September 2021

Renal fungal bezoars or fungal balls is a rare condition in neonates and infants, usually occurring in immunocompromised patients. Renal bezoars result from accumulations of fungal cells and renal epithelial cells. The most common manifestation is candiduria, which can cause urinary tract obstruction. The treatment of choice is prompt medical or surgical intervention, as indicated to eliminate the infection and preserve renal function. Herein we report the case of a 34-week preterm male infant who presented with feeding intolerance, fever, acute kidney injury and alteration of consciousness. His initial creatinine was 3.4 mg/dL and urine analysis showed pyuria and yeast cells. A renal ultrasound demonstrated a dilated bilateral renal pelvis and calyx with bilateral fungal bezoars. The management was intravenous fluconazole with bilateral nephrostomy tubes and later surgical removal of bilateral fungal balls.
Development of Graves’ disease during drug-free remission of juvenile dermatomyositis
Authors: Kobayashi Ichiro , Shimomura Masaki , Ueki Masahiro , Takezaki Shunichiro , Okura Yuka , Nawate Mitsuru , Yamada Masafumi , Takahashi Yutaka , Ariga Tadashi
Published: September 2021

We report a Japanese boy with Graves’ disease (GD) which developed during drug-free remission of juvenile dermatomyositis (JDM). He had been diagnosed with JDM at the age of 6 years by typical skin rashes, muscle weakness, elevated serum transaminase levels, and typical findings of both magnetic resonance imaging and muscle biopsy. Although anti-melanoma differentiation antigen 5 autoantibody was positive, there was no complication of interstitial lung disease. He showed good response to methylprednisolone pulse therapy followed by oral prednisolone in combination with weekly methotrexate (MTX) and achieved drug-free remission after 3.5 years of treatment. Nevertheless, serum levels of soluble interleukin-2 receptor (sIL-2R) gradually elevated to 3185 U/ml despite no signs of relapse or malignancy. Hyperactivity and attention deficit was also noted. One year and 3 months after the cessation of MTX, he presented with abdominal pain, tachycardia, and apparent goitre. Laboratory tests showed elevated free triiodothyronine, undetectable thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), and positive anti-TSH receptor antibodies. 99mTc scintigraphy showed high levels of thyroid uptake. He was diagnosed with GD and treated with 15 mg/day of thiamazole. Although transient drug eruption was observed, his thyroid functions are currently well-controlled on 5 mg/day of thiamazole. In conclusion, to our knowledge, this is the first report in English literature describing complication of GD with JDM. Unexpected elevation of sIL-2R could be a clue to the diagnosis of GD during the follow-up of JDM.
The G protein database, GproteinDb
Authors: Pándy-Szekeres Gáspár , Esguerra Mauricio , Hauser Alexander S , Caroli Jimmy , Munk Christian , Pilger Steven , Keserű György M , Kooistra Albert J , Gloriam David E
Published: September 2021

Two-thirds of signaling substances, several sensory stimuli and over one-third of drugs act via receptors coupling to G proteins. Here, we present an online platform for G protein research with reference data and tools for analysis, visualization and design of scientific studies across disciplines and areas. This platform may help translate new pharmacological, structural and genomic data into insights on G protein signaling vital for human physiology and medicine. The G protein database is accessible at https://gproteindb.org.
From vision to implementation: Building a national undergraduate paediatric curriculum
Authors: Bannister Susan L , Forbes Karen L , Moddemann Diane M , Lewis Melanie A
Published: September 2021

Objective

There are many challenges in ensuring medical students learn paediatrics. Medical educators must develop and maintain curricula that meet learners’ needs and accreditation requirements. Paediatricians and family physicians, practicing and teaching in busy clinical environments, require Canadian-relevant curricular guidance and resources to teach and assess learners. Students struggle with curricular cohesion, clear expectations, and resources. Recognizing these challenges and acknowledging the need to address them, the Paediatric Undergraduate Program Directors of Canada (PUPDOC) created canuc-paeds, a comprehensive competency-based undergraduate curriculum that teachers and students would actually use.

Methods

Curriculum development included the following: utilization of best practices in curriculum development, an environmental scan, development of guiding principles, Delphi surveys, in-person meetings, and quality improvement. All Canadian paediatric undergraduate educator leaders and other stakeholders were invited to participate.

Results

The curriculum, based on the RCPSC CanMEDS Framework, includes 29 clinical presentations, each with key conditions, foundational knowledge objectives, and learning resources. Essential paediatric-specific physical examination and procedural skills that graduating medical students are expected to perform are identified. Objectives specific to Intrinsic Roles of Collaborator, Communicator, Professional, Leader, Health Advocate and Scholar that can be assessed in the field of paediatrics at the undergraduate level are articulated. The national curriculum has been implemented widely at Canadian medical schools. Online, open-access clinical resources have been developed and are being used world-wide.

Conclusion

This curriculum provides overarching Canadian-specific curricular guidance and resources for students and for the paediatricians and family physicians who are responsible for teaching and assessing undergraduate learners.
A survey to understand the feelings towards and impact of COVID-19 on the households of juvenile dermato myositis patients from a parent or carer perspective
Authors: Wilkinson Meredyth Grace Llewellyn , Wu Wing , O’Brien Kathryn , Deakin Claire T , Wedderburn Lucy R , Livermore Polly
Published: September 2021

Objectives

This aim of this study was to gain a better understanding of how parents and carers feel about the effects and impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic lockdown and how this impacted upon their child/young person with JDM.

Method

We approached 139 participants from the JDM Cohort Biomarker Study (JDCBS), with specific consent to approach electronically for research studies. A secure electronic questionnaire with study introduction was sent to participants for their parents and carers around the UK to complete. It consisted of 20 questions about the impact of the pandemic on their child or young person’s clinical care. Data were analysed quantitatively and qualitatively.

Results

There were 76 (55%) responses to the survey. More than 50% of participants were actively being treated for their JDM at the point of survey completion as recorded by their parent or carer. More than 40% attested to disrupted treatment owing to COVID-19. The biggest impact upon clinical care was cancellation of appointments, initiating virtual appointments and extension of time between blood tests. Parents and carers expressed their own feelings of worry, concern and anxiety, but also those of their child or young person.

Conclusion

Families who have a child or young person with JDM have been affected by COVID-19. Qualitative comments highlight that it has been a very difficult time. Further investigation is required into this area and could be compared with research on the effects of COVID-19 on other patient groups with chronic disease.
Knockdown times in a simple assay determination of insecticide resistance in malaria vectors
Authors: Charlwood Jacques D , Kampango Ayubo
Published: September 2021

Background

Determining the insecticide resistance status of malaria vectors, particularly to insecticides used on mosquito nets, is important but is limited to a relatively small number of locations. We describe a simple assay that enables this information to be obtained over a much wider area.

Methods

The time to knockdown of mosquitoes in an insecticide-treated netting-covered metal frame cage were recorded. The shape of the curve of the proportion of knocked down mosquitoes provides information on resistance status.

Results

Resistant Anopheles funestus took significantly longer for knockdown than did susceptible Anopheles arabiensis.

Conclusions

This simple technique will enable a wide range of locations to be sampled, enhancing our understanding of the spread of resistance to pyrethroids.
Performance and safety of the induced sputum procedure in young children in Malawi: a prospective study
Authors: Nyangulu Wongani , Thole Herbert , Chikhoza Angella , Msakwiza Mike , Nyirenda James , Chisala Mphatso , Iroh Tam Pui-Ying
Published: September 2021

Background

Collecting sputum specimens is a challenge in infants and young children. We assessed the performance and safety of induced sputum (IS) collection in this population, embedded in a prospective study evaluating respiratory cryptosporidiosis in Malawian children with diarrheal disease.

Methods

We assessed the sputum quality and correlation with detection of Cryptosporidium spp. and evaluated safety and adverse events in 162 children.

Results

Among 159 stool specimens tested, 34 (21%, 95% CI 15.0 to 28%) were positive for Cryptosporidium spp. There were 160 IS and 161 nasopharyngeal (NP) specimens collected. IS and NP specimen collection was performed for each patient. The majority of IS specimens (122/147; 83%) were clear in appearance and 132/147 (90%) were of good quality. Among the respiratory specimens tested, 10 (6.3%, 95% CI 2.5 to 10%) IS and 4 (3%, 95% CI 0 to 5%) NP were positive for Cryptosporidium spp. When stool cryptosporidium PCR was the gold standard, IS PCR sensitivity was higher (29%, 95% CI 22 to 37%) compared with NP PCR (12%, 95% CI 7 to 17%) for detection of Cryptosporidium spp. One (0.4%) adverse event occurred, consisting of a drop in oxygen saturations at the 30-min postprocedure evaluation. Consciousness level, median respiratory rate and oxygen saturations were unchanged, before or after IS.

Conclusions

IS provides good quality specimens, is more sensitive than NP specimens for diagnosis of respiratory cryptosporidiosis, and collection can be performed safely in children hospitalized with diarrheal disease.
Identification and Characterization of Phytophthora Species Associated with Crown and Root Rot of Pistachio Trees in California
Authors: Trouillas Florent P. , Nouri Mohamed T. , Bourret Tyler B.
Published: September 2021

Pistachio is one of the most widely cultivated nut crops in California, with approximately 115,000 ha of bearing pistachio trees. In recent years, several orchards were identified, with declining trees leading to substantial tree losses. Symptoms included trees with poor vigor, yellowing and wilting of leaves, crown rot, and profuse gumming on the lower portion of trunks. Thirty-seven Phytophthora-like isolates were obtained from crown rot tissues in the rootstock of grafted pistachio trees and characterized by means of multilocus phylogeny comprising internal transcribed spacer rDNA, beta-tubulin, and mt cox1 sequence data. The analysis provided strong support for the delineation and identification of three Phytophthora species associated with declining pistachio trees, including P. niederhauserii, P. mediterranea, and Phytophthora taxon walnut. Pathogenicity studies in potted University of California Berkeley I (UCBI) rootstocks (clonal and seeded) confirmed that all three Phytophthora species can cause crown and root rot of pistachio, thus fulfilling Koch’s postulates. The widespread occurrence of Phytophthora crown rot in recently planted pistachio orchards and the susceptibility of UCBI rootstocks suggest this disease constitute an emerging new threat to the pistachio industry of California. To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first to report P. niederhauserii, P. mediterranea, and Phytophthora taxon walnut as causal agents of crown and root rots of pistachio.
First Report of Diplodia fraxini and Diplodia subglobosa Causing Canker and Dieback of Fraxinus excelsior in Slovenia
Authors: Linaldeddu Benedetto T. , Bregant Carlo , Montecchio Lucio , Brglez Ana , Piškur Barbara , Ogris Nikica
Published: September 2021

In recent decades the vitality and productivity of European ash trees in Slovenia have been reduced by the onset of canker and dieback disease symptoms on young and old trees, identified primarily as ash dieback caused by Hymenoscyphus fraxineus. Given the limited information available about the etiology of this emerging disease, a study was carried out to isolate, identify, and characterize the fungal species involved in the observed ash symptoms. Field surveys were conducted in five forest sites where 50 symptomatic branch samples were collected. All samples were inspected and used for fungal isolation. Based on morphology, colony appearance, and DNA sequence data of the internal transcribed spacer region, 125 fungal colonies belonging to five species were isolated and identified. Only a few symptomatic ash samples yielded colonies of H. fraxineus, whereas Botryosphaeriaceae species were isolated with a high frequency, with Diplodia fraxini as the dominant species. A pathogenicity test proved that all isolated species were pathogenic on European ash, causing bark lesions and wood discoloration. All Botryosphaeriaceae species isolated in this study are reported for the first time on European ash in Slovenia.
Upscaling of lignin precursor melt spinning by bicomponent spinning and its use for carbon fibre production
Authors: Bostan Lars , Hosseinaei Omid , Fourné Renate , Herrmann Axel S.
Published: September 2021

Upscaling lignin-based precursor fibre production is an essential step in developing bio-based carbon fibre from renewable feedstock. The main challenge in upscaling of lignin fibre production by melt spinning is its melt behaviour and rheological properties, which differ from common synthetic polymers used in melt spinning. Here, a new approach in melt spinning of lignin, using a spin carrier system for producing bicomponent fibres, has been introduced. An ethanol extracted lignin fraction from LignoBoost process of commercial softwood kraft black liquor was used as feedstock. After additional heat treatment, melt spinning was performed in a pilot-scale spinning unit. For the first time, biodegradable polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) was used as a spin carrier to enable the spinning of lignin by improving the required melt strength. PVA-sheath/lignin-core bicomponent fibres were manufactured. Afterwards, PVA was dissolved by washing with water. Pure lignin fibres were stabilized and carbonized, and tensile properties were measured. The measured properties, tensile modulus of 81.1 ± 3.1 GPa and tensile strength of 1039 ± 197 MPa, are higher than the majority of lignin-based carbon fibres reported in the literature. This new approach can significantly improve the melt spinning of lignin and solve problems related to poor spinnability of lignin and results in the production of high-quality lignin-based carbon fibres.

This article is part of the theme issue ‘Bio-derived and bioinspired sustainable advanced materials for emerging technologies (part 2)’.
A life cycle assessment of hard carbon anodes for sodium-ion batteries
Authors: Liu Haoyu , Xu Zhen , Guo Zhenyu , Feng Jingyu , Li Haoran , Qiu Tong , Titirici Magdalena
Published: September 2021

Waste management is one of the biggest environmental challenges worldwide. Biomass-derived hard carbons, which can be applied to rechargeable batteries, can contribute to mitigating environmental changes by enabling the use of renewable energy. This study has carried out a comparative environmental assessment of sustainable hard carbons, produced from System A (hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) followed by pyrolysis) and System B (direct pyrolysis) with different carbon yields, as anodes in sodium-ion batteries (SIBs). We have also analysed different scenarios to save energy in our processes and compared the biomass-derived hard carbons with commercial graphite used in lithium-ion batteries. The life cycle assessment results show that the two systems display significant savings in terms of their global warming potential impact (A1: −30%; B1: −21%), followed by human toxicity potential, photochemical oxidants creation potential, acidification potential and eutrophication potential (both over −90%). Possessing the best electrochemical performance for SIBs among our prepared hard carbons, the HTC-based method is more stable in both environmental and electrochemical aspects than the direct pyrolysis method. Such results help a comprehensive understanding of sustainable hard carbons used in SIBs and show an environmental potential to the practical technologies.

This article is part of the theme issue ‘Bio-derived and bioinspired sustainable advanced materials for emerging technologies (part 2)’.
Binary vanadium pentoxide carbon-graphene foam composites derived from dark red hibiscus sabdariffa for advanced asymmetric supercapacitor
Authors: Ngom B. D. , Ndiaye N. M. , Sylla N. F. , Mutuma B. K. , Manyala N. , Chaker M.
Published: September 2021

The development of advanced electrode materials derived from biomass for the next generation of energy storage devices, such as supercapacitors with high specific energy and specific power coupled with a good cycle stability, is required to meet the high demand for electric vehicles and portable devices. In this study, sustainable binary vanadium pentoxide carbon-graphene foam composites (V
2
O
5
@C-R
2
HS/GF) were synthesized using a solvothermal method. The X-ray diffraction, Raman and FTIR techniques were used to study the structural properties of the composites (V
2
O
5
@C-R
2
HS/20 mg GF and V
2
O
5
@C-R
2
HS/40 mg GF). The SEM micrographs displayed an accordion-like morphology resulting from the graphene foam-modified V
2
O
5
@C-R
2
HS composite. The V
2
O
5
@C-R
2
HS, V
2
O
5
@C-R
2
HS/20 mg GF and V
2
O
5
@C-R
2
HS/40 mg GF composites were evaluated in a three-electrode configuration using 6 M potassium hydroxide (KOH) as an aqueous electrolyte. Furthermore, a two-electrode device was carried out by fabricating an asymmetric device (V
2
O
5
@C-R
2
HS/GF//AC) where V
2
O
5
@C-R
2
HS/20 mg GF was used as a positive electrode and activated carbon (AC) as a negative electrode at a cell voltage of 1.6 V in 6 M KOH. The V
2
O
5
@C-R
2
HS/GF//AC showed a high specific energy and specific power values of 55 W h kg
−1
and 707 W kg
−1
, respectively, at a specific current of 1 A g
−1
. The asymmetric device presented a good stability test showing 99% capacity retention up to 10 000 cycles and was confirmed by the floating time up to 150 h with specific energy increasing 23.6% after the first 10 h.

This article is part of the theme issue ‘Bio-derived and bioinspired sustainable advanced materials for emerging technologies (part 2)’.
Synthesis of bio-based 2-thiothiophenes
Authors: Qiu Yichen , Feng Yunchao , Lindsay Ashley C. , Zeng Xianhai , Sperry Jonathan
Published: September 2021

While the synthesis of bio-based compounds containing carbon, oxygen and (to a lesser extent) nitrogen is well studied, the production of organosulfur compounds from biomass has received virtually no attention, despite their widespread application throughout the chemical industry. Herein, we demonstrate that a range of bio-based 2-thiothiophenes are available from the biopolymer cellulose, proving that functionally diverse small-molecule organosulfurs can be prepared independent of fossil carbon.

This article is part of the theme issue ‘Bio-derived and bioinspired sustainable advanced materials for emerging technologies (part 2)’.