bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Investigating the Factors Affecting SARS-COV-2 Transmission and Mortality Rate in Sub-Saharan Africa
Authors: Ejohwomu Obuks , Al-Saffar Noor , Adekunle Samuel Adeniyi , Oladokun Majeed , Too Judy , Aigbavboa Clinton
Published: July 2022

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), also known globally as COVID-19, originated in December 2019 in Wuhan, Hubei province in China and has rapidly spread across the globe ever since. The first recorded case in sub-Saharan Africa was in Nigeria, on the 25th February, 2020. The virus continues to spread, and new variants of the disease have emerged, the number of deaths and new infections in the countries of sub-Saharan Africa has been relatively low compared to predictive models. This could be due to several factors, such as slower transmission dynamics of the virus, a lower-case fatality rate, or a lack of testing or reliable data. Whilst this may also, in part, be due to the robustness of the nations' public health responses, there is scarce reporting on the specifics of this. However, emerging research has demonstrated that various environmental factors could influence virus transmission. The study adopted collected meteorological data that was critically analysed and discussed. The impact of three factors in the context of sub-Saharan African nations: temperature, ultraviolet (UV) exposure and pre-existing infection with Plasmodium (malaria) were discussed. These factors were discussed critically in light of the reduced rates of transmission and mortality observed.
Study on the Effect of Hydrothermal Carbonization Parameters on Fuel Properties of Chicken Manure Hydrochar
Authors: Hejna Małgorzata , Świechowski Kacper , Rasaq Waheed A. , Białowiec Andrzej
Published: July 2022

Economic development and population growth lead to increased production of chicken manure (CM), which is a problematic organic waste for its amount, environmental threats, and moisture content. There are different ways of CM, namely anaerobic digestion, composting, combustion, and direct land spreading. Hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) is another emerging way, however. In this study, the HTC of CM was performed to produce energy-rich material called hydrochar (HC). The effects of HTC temperature (180, 240, 300 C) and process time (30, 90, 180 min) were summarized. Proximate and ultimate analysis, as well as heating values (HHV, LHV), have been performed both on raw CM and derived HC. Additionally, the process performance has been examined. The obtained results show that HTC is a feasible method for CM disposal and valorization. Although process time did not influence considerably fuel properties of CM, higher temperature led to significantly higher HHV, reaching 23,880.6734.56 Jg-1 at 300 C and 180 min with an improvement of 8,329 Jg-1 compared with raw CM (15,551.67 Jg-1). The process conducted at 240 C in 30 min has been specified as the most favorable, due to the highest energy gain of HC and relatively low energy consumption.
Empirical Analyses of OLMAR Method for Financial Portfolio Selection in Stock Markets
Authors: Umino Kazunori , Kikuchi Takamasa , Kunigami Masaaki , Yamada Takashi , Terano Takao ,   Tokyo Institute of Technology 4259 Nagatsuta-cho, Midori-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa 226-8503, Japan,   Keio University 4-1-1 Hiyoshi, Kohoku-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa 223-8521, Japan,   Yamaguchi University 1677-1 Yoshida, Yamaguchi-shi, Yamaguchi 753-8511, Japan,   Chiba University of Commerce 1-3-1 Konodai, Ichikawa-shi, Chiba 272-8512, Japan
Published: July 2022

The OLMAR method, which stands for the on-line moving average reversion method, is reported to be one of the most powerful among portfolio selection algorithms in the stock markets. In this research, we use intensive statistical and simulation analyses of long-term data on stock market changes to uncover the secrets of why and when the superiority appears. We find that there have been long-lasting fluctuations in the stock markets and that the OLMAR method actively makes use of such characteristics. In this paper, we analyze long-term stock data from Japan and the United States. The analyses confirm the following points. 1) The OLMAR method yields superior returns. 2) By using the moving average divergence rate provided by the OLMAR method, it is possible to detect specific fluctuation characteristics in long-term stock data from Japan and the United States. 3) Superior returns cannot be obtained from data in which specific fluctuation characteristics have been corrected.
Multi-Faceted Decision Making Using Multiple Reinforcement Learning to Reducing Wasteful Actions
Authors: Narita Riku ,   Muroran Institute of Technology 27-1 Mizumoto-cho, Muroran city, Hokkaido 050-8585, Japan, Kurashige Kentarou
Published: July 2022

Reinforcement learning can lead to autonomous behavior depending on the environment. However, in complex and high-dimensional environments, such as real environments, a large number of trials are required for learning. In this paper, we propose a solution for the learning problem using local learning to select an action based on the surrounding environmental information. Simulation experiments were conducted using maze problems, pitfall problems, and environments with random agents. The actions that did not contribute to task accomplishment were compared between the proposed method and ordinary reinforcement learning method.
The Influence of Robot’s Expressions on Self-Efficacy in Erroneous Situations
Authors: Li Youdi ,   Tokyo Metropolitan University 6-6 Asahigaoka, Hino-shi, Tokyo 191-0065, Japan, Sekino Haruka , Sato-Shimokawara Eri , Yamaguchi Toru
Published: July 2022

Social robots are increasingly being adopted as companions in educational scenarios. Self-efficacy, a viable construct for comprehending performance, particularly on academic tasks, has lately received great attention. In this study, participants completed four sections of the Wisconsin Card-Sorting Task (WCST) with a social robot Kebbi. The robot performed four kinds of expressions consisting of different combinations of Laban-theory-based motion with a positive voice designed to point out the mistakes the participant made. The impressions of the robot were reported in the post-experimental questionnaires while the bio-signals of the participant including heart rate and brainwave were collected by wearable devices. The results demonstrated that the participants tended to find the robot with the designed motion more likable, and they were less likely to feel frustrated and experienced lower levels of stress when the robot communicated with motion and voice simultaneously.
Reinforcement Learning for POMDP Environments Using State Representation with Reservoir Computing
Authors: Yamashita Kodai , Hamagami Tomoki ,   Graduate School of Engineering Science, Yokohama National University 79-5 Tokiwadai, Hodogaya-ku, Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa 240-8501, Japan,   Faculty of Engineering, Yokohama National University 79-5 Tokiwadai, Hodogaya-ku, Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa 240-8501, Japan
Published: July 2022

One of the challenges in reinforcement learning is regarding the partially observable Markov decision process (POMDP). In this case, an agent cannot observe the true state of the environment and perceive different states to be the same. Our proposed method uses the agent’s time-series information to deal with this imperfect perception problem. In particular, the proposed method uses reservoir computing to transform the time-series of observation information into a non-linear state. A typical model of reservoir computing, the echo state network (ESN), transforms raw observations into reservoir states. The proposed method is named dual ESNs reinforcement learning, which uses two ESNs specialized for observation and action information. The experimental results show the effectiveness of the proposed method in environments where imperfect perception problems occur.
Reconnaissance and Confirmation Task Planning of Multiple Fixed-Wing UAVs with Specific Payloads: A Comparison Study
Authors: Zhang Hao , Dou Lihua , Xin Bin , Zhang Ruowei , Wang Qing ,   School of Automation, Beijing Institute of Technology No.5 Zhongguancun South Street, Haidian District, Beijing 100081, China,   Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Intelligent Robots and Systems, Beijing Institute of Technology No.5 Zhongguancun South Street, Haidian District, Beijing 100081, China
Published: July 2022

In this study, the reconnaissance and confirmation task planning of multiple fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) with specific payloads, which is an NP-hard problem with strong constraints and mixed variables, is decomposed into two subproblems, task allocation with “payload-target” matching constraints, and fast path planning of the UAV group, for which two mathematical models are respectively established. A bi-layer collaborative solution framework is also proposed. The outer layer optimizes the allocation scheme between the UAVs and targets, whereas the inner layer generates the UAV path and evaluates the outer scheme. In the outer layer, a unified encoding based on the grouping and pairing relationship between UAVs and targets is proposed. The corresponding combinatorial mutation operators are then designed for the representative NSGA-II, MOEA/D-AWA, and DMOEA-ϵC algorithms. In the inner layer, an efficient heuristic algorithm is used to solve the path planning of each UAV group. The simulation results verify the effectiveness of the cooperative bi-layer solution scheme and the combined mutation operators. At the same time, compared with the NSGA-II and MOEA/D-AWA, DMOEA-ϵC can obtain a significantly better Pareto front and can weigh the assigned number of UAVs and the total task completion time to generate more diversified reconnaissance confirmation execution schemes.
Effect of Financial Development on Export Trade in China
Authors: Qiu Xinzhong , Lu Xuechun , Wang Kaili ,   Jiangsu College of Engineering and Technology No.87 Youth Zhong Road, Nantong, Jiangsu Province 226001, China,   Nantong Institute of Technology No.14 Yong Xing Road, Nantong, Jiangsu Province 226001, China
Published: July 2022

This study decomposes export trade into three dimensions: size, structure, and mode in 1987–2018 China’s relevant financial development and export trade. The study applies regression in the corresponding empirical analysis method and finds that excessive financial development reduced the growth of international trade scale, had less effect on the structure of export trade, and reduced the proportion of processing trade. Its marginal contribution lies in a comprehensive and accurate understanding of the impact of financial development on export trade. Financial development should be kept stable; otherwise, it will reduce export trade or even hinder the development of export trade. Therefore, China should maintain the coordinated development of finance and export trade, not excessively pursue the expansion of the scale of financial development, maintain a reasonable financial development structure, and improve the efficiency of financial development. China should pay attention to the phenomenon of diminishing marginal efficiency of financial development.
Digital Economy, Intelligent Manufacturing, and Labor Mismatch
Authors: Shen Yang ,   Institute of Quantitative Economics, Huaqiao University No.668 Jimei Avenue, Jimei District, Xiamen, Fujian 361021, China, Zhang Xiuwu
Published: July 2022

Factor mismatch is considered to be an important restriction on the growth of total factor productivity. Based on the panel data of 30 Chinese provinces from 2013 to 2019, this work first measures the digital economy development index of each Chinese province by using a particle swarm optimization projection pursuit model, followed by a panel econometric model, to verify the effect of the digital economy and artificial intelligence manufacturing on the labor-resource mismatch. The results show that, from 2013 to 2019, China’s digital economy generally showed a trend of steady progress, with an average annual growth rate of 12.10%. The mismatch index of the labor force dropped by 1.46% every year, and the situation of insufficient or surplus allocation of labor force resources in China was alleviated. The fitting results of the spatial econometric model show that the digital economy can reduce the labor mismatch index, and this conclusion has remained valid after a series of robustness tests. The intermediary mechanism shows that intelligent manufacturing plays a masking role in the process of alleviating labor misallocation in the digital economy. Artificial intelligence cannot alleviate labor mismatches, but it strengthens the corrective function of the digital economy.
Retroperitoneal Hematoma Due to Drainage Tube Insertion in Extreme Lateral Interbody Fusion
Authors: Arimura Daigo , Shinohara Akira , Katsumi Shunsuke , Obata Shintaro , Ikegami Taku , Saito Mitsuru
Published: July 2022

Case:

A 73-year-old woman presented with degenerative kyphoscoliosis. Radiographs revealed sagittal and coronal imbalance with lumbar spinal stenosis. Extreme lateral interbody fusion (XLIF) was performed in the first stage of 2-stage surgery, and a closed-suction drainage tube was placed in the retroperitoneal cavity. Postoperatively, there was massive bleeding through the tube. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography revealed lumbar artery injury, which required emergency arterial embolization.

Conclusion:

Placing a drainage tube in the retroperitoneal cavity during XLIF surgery can help detect complications such as intestinal and ureteral injuries, the lumbar artery within the lumbar muscle can be injured during drain placement.
Nuevo enfoque pedagógico para los niños que sufren depresión infantil, con la ayuda de las TIC
Authors: Koziokou Eleftheria
Published: July 2022

En este estudio se propone un método pedagógico innovador para niños diagnosticados con depresión infantil basado en el juego educativo, diseñado para incrementar el interés de los niños de tal manera que participen en el proceso de enseñanza y aprendizaje. La metodología empleada es la cualitativa, concretada en un estudio de caso basado en los datos obtenidos después de cinco años de interacción entre tres niños que sufren depression y que, inicialmente, mostraron indiferencia educativa, fracaso escolar y falta de socialización en el contexto escolar. Los instrumentos empleados basados en la observación participante fueron el diario de clase, las entrevistas y las evaluaciones del alumnado. Se espera que, a través de studio, se cree un nuevo enfoque pedagógico dirigido al despertar intelectual de los niños deprimidos, ya que demuestra que el aprendizaje puede ser una motivación especialmente poderosa para la vida, combatiendo la melancolía, la agresividad y la negación general que presentan este tipo de niños. Al mismo tiempo, les ayuda a recuperar la confianza en sí mismos, a integrarse en el grupo social del aula, a ganar interés educativo y a evitar el fracaso escolar.
Reconstruction of 3D Shapes of Granite Minerals and Generation of Random Numerical Specimens
Authors: Dai Zhuan , Hu Jianhua , Ma Shaowei , Qin Yaguang , Xu Xiao
Published: July 2022

The existing methods of generating random mineral grains in numerical rock specimens mostly adopt random polygons (in 2D) or random polyhedrons (in 3D) to represent mineral grains. Although this simplification is effective and reasonable, the complex three-dimensional (3D) shape of mineral grains can be reconstructed by computed tomography (CT) scan and image processing techniques, and then, random grains with real shape can be generated in a numerical specimen. In this paper, we proposed an improved grain-based model to construct random mineral grains with real 3D shape in numerical specimens. The granite specimens with granular minerals are scanned by CT. After the CT slices are denoised and corrected, the minerals, including biotite, quartz, and feldspar, are segmented from the CT slices to reconstruct the 3D mineral shapes; these shapes are stored in grain library. By importing the grain library in PFC (Particle Follow Code, a simulation software), heterogeneous specimens with random mineral grains are constructed, and uniaxial compression tests are carried out on them. Results show that the ranges of Young’s modulus, Poisson’s ratio, and uniaxial compressive strength of these numerical specimens are similar to those of real specimens measured in the laboratory. Therefore, the proposed method is feasible and reasonable. This work can provide a reference for the study of constructing heterogeneous numerical rock specimens in rock mechanics.
Occurrence Regularity of Methane Gas Molecules in Composite Nanopores: A Molecular Simulation Study
Authors: Zheng Qiugen , Zhang Jinchuan , Li Junliang , He Guangyu , Song Peng , Shi Defeng
Published: July 2022

To understand the occurrence regularity of methane gas molecules in composite nanopores, the effects of temperature, pressure, size of nanopore, and burial depth on the occurrence state of methane were studied theoretically by using the grand canonical Monte Carlo and molecular dynamic simulation methods. By comparing the results available in the literature, the reasons for the difference in the occurrence states of methane molecules in nanopores were analyzed, and a reasonable occurrence regularity of methane was proposed, which provides corresponding suggestions for the actual exploitation of shale gas. The results indicated that the methane gas molecules existed in nanopore only in the adsorption and transition states under different environmental conditions. They were preferentially adsorbed at the strong adsorption sites on the nanopore surface to form a stable adsorption layer. After the adsorption layer reached saturation, a transition layer with higher density than that of bulk methane was formed at the nanopore center. The total adsorption capacity of methane decreased gradually with an increase in the internal temperature of shale reservoirs and increased with an increase in nanopore size. In addition, the average amount of methane stored in the nanopore increased at a deeper burial depth. The occurrence state of methane under different pressure ranges was controlled under different action mechanisms. Under low pressure (P<20 MPa), the adsorption of methane molecules was controlled by the number of strong adsorption sites on the nanopore surface, where the density peak intensity of the adsorption layer increased with the pressure. However, under high pressure (P>20 MPa), the adsorption was controlled by the diffusion process of methane molecules in the organic matter layer, where both the adsorption and transition layers reached the saturation state, and excessive methane molecules diffused deeper into the kerogen layer. The approach to effectively improve the recovery efficiency was to inject water or carbon dioxide into the shale reservoir where the water or carbon dioxide molecules occupy strong adsorption positions than the methane molecules adsorbed originally under the competitive adsorption effect, and the adsorbed methane molecules were transformed to a free state.
Global.health: a scalable plaform for pandemic data integration, analytics, and preparedness
Authors: Benjamin Alex , Brownstein John , Cansler Aaron , Chandra Shruti , Cornet Emmanuel , Dasgupta Abhishek , Elasmar Rasmi , Faudot Timothé , Jackson Felix , Kraemer Moritz , Battle Anya Lindström , Lee Graham , Obimakinde Kernie , Consortium Global.health , Pemberton Allyson , Pigott David , Ratcliffe Stephen , Leland Leslie , Moran Kelly , Scarpino Samuel , Sheldon James , Wachtel Gal
Published: July 2022

We present Global.health, a scalable online platform for collecting high-dimensional epidemiological data and transforming those data into a consistent schema to enable distributed analyses. Global.health was originally developed to handle the demands of high-volume, accurate collection of epidemiological line list data in the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic. It has since proven amenable to rapid adjustment as collection of new variables became relevant, for example tracking variants of concern and vaccination status in COVID-19 cases, as well as clinical data. The Global.health platform is based on a microservices architecture deployed to the cloud. We discuss this architecture and the choices that motivated it, as well as the steps needed for an independent group to run their own copy of Global.health in their local environments. We describe the data governance challenges related to providing appropriate privacy to people in multiple jurisdictions while fulfilling the project’s goal to enable open data sharing and rapid science during health emergencies.
Impedance Modeling and Analysis of Multi-stacked On-chip Power Distribution Network in 3D ICs
Authors: Wang Yang , Dong Gang , Xiong Wei , Song Dongliang , Zhu Zhangming , Yang Yintang
Published: July 2022

An accurate impedance modeling of a multi-stacked on-chip power distributed network (PDN) based on through-silicon-vias (TSVs) is vitally important to estimate the electrical performance in threedimensional integrated circuits (3D ICs). This paper proposed a method for calculating the impedance matrix of the multi-stacked on-chip PDN, which mainly consists of arbitrarily distributed TSVs and grid-type on-chip PDNs. First, a real stack-up structure of a multi-stacked on-chip PDN is separated into discrete components intentionally. Then the equivalent lumped circuit models of all discrete components are assembled into a whole to build the transmission matrix of the multistacked on-chip PDN through the relationship between the nodal voltage and the nodal current. Finally, the impedance matrix can be derived through the transmission matrix . In this paper, the coupling of the arbitrarily distributed TSVs and the distributional effect of the on-chip PDN are considered in the impedance matrix through the transmission matrix method (TMM). The proposed method replaces the simulation of the complex equivalent circuit model with the matrix calculation. It can accurately and quickly calculate the impedance of the multi-stacked on-chip PDN.
Deterministic effects of pH on shaping soil resistome revealed by metagenomic analysis
Authors: Liu Zishu , Zhao Yuxiang , Zhang Baofen , Wang Jiaqi , Zhu Lizhong , Hu Baolan
Published: July 2022

The high prevalence of multidrug efflux pump genes in natural ecosystems recently raised concerns. Since most of the efflux pumps were driven by proton-motive-force (PMF), studying whether soil pH is a determinant for the selection of multidrug efflux pump genes and thus shaping soil resistome is of great interest. In this study, we collected soils with pH values ranging from 4.37-9.69 from multiple ecosystems and profiled the composition of antibiotics resistance genes (ARGs) for 36 soil metagenomes and 41 metagenome-assembled genomes by referencing a structured ARG database. We observed the multidrug efflux pump genes enriched in the acidic soil resistome, and it has a significant soil pH dependence. This reflects the natural selection of high soil proton activity on the multidrug efflux pump genes, especially for the PMF-driven inner membrane transferase. In addition, we preliminary indicate the putative microbial participants in pH shaping soil resistome by applying ecological analyzing tools such as composition dissimilarity analysis, correlation networks analysis, structural equation model test and assembly-model fitting. And furtherly quantified the consistency between the deterministically assembled resistome and neutrally assembled microbiome. Our study proposed a novel perspective to understand the influence of edaphic factors on soil resistome, i.e., the natural selection of fitted resistance mechanisms could lead to bottom-up selections on ARGs regardless of the microbial context. And such natural changes in resistome are herein suggested to be considered when assessing the actual impact of future human activities on the spread of ARGs.
Antigen coverage presented by MHC class I has a negative correlation with SARS-CoV-2-induced mortality
Authors: Kim Kwoneel , Park Ji Soo
Published: July 2022

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a health crisis worldwide; therefore, it is necessary to understand factors related to its prognosis. In this study, we hypothesized that SARS-CoV-2-derived antigens presented by MHC class I may correlate with mortality in COVID-19 because they induce adaptive immune responses. Antigen coverage at the national level was inferred using country-specific HLA allele frequencies and relative predictions of binding antigens. We performed regression analysis between antigen coverage and the death rate due to COVID-19 across countries and found a negative correlation. This negative correlation was corroborated in multiple regression analysis with known risk factors, such as the prevalence of underlying disease. Furthermore, we analyzed antigen coverage in accordance with SARS-CoV-2 domains and identified a significant negative correlation when it was derived from the spike domain, which is reported to be favorable for COVID-19 prognosis. Taken together, the results indicate that the antigen coverage of SARS-CoV-2 may act as a favorable factor when explaining COVID-19-induced mortality.
Explosive Alkaline Volcanism on the SW Indian Ridge
Authors: Zhou Huaiyang , Qian Shengping , Dick Henry
Published: July 2022

We report explosive alkaline volcanism at a segment of the ultraslow spreading (14 mm/yr) Southwest Indian Ridge (SWIR). While gentle effusive tholeiitic (MORB) volcanism typifies the global ridge system, little evidence for violent alkaline volcanism producing debris cones, lava bombs and scoria as at ocean islands has been reported. However, morphologic evidence in the form of craters exists 1, and alkali basalts have been found on the SWIR and Lena Trough e.g., 2,3,4. Ours are the first definitive samples of pyroclastic debris sampled from a cratered terrain on an ocean ridge. Critically, they are also the result of shallow mixing of an alkaline magma with entrained MORB crystal mush from beneath the flank of a rift valley. This suggests a major paradigm shift for ocean ridge volcanism. The alkali basalt represents an early volatile-rich low-viscosity melt fraction erupted from near the base of the melting column violently to the seafloor — the product of deep low-degree melting of local enriched heterogeneities in an otherwise depleted mantle. The MORB mush represents a later volatile-poor viscous melt erupted effusively from beneath the axial valley onto the seafloor — the product of high-degree melting due to penetrative flow and melt-rock reaction through the remaining ascending depleted mantle to the base of the lithosphere. Mixing of small volumes of the former with the latter in the melt storage region beneath the ridge then explains the local major element uniformity of MORB and its notorious isotopic and trace element diversity. We suggest this may apply globally as at magmatically more robust ridges the role of alkali basalt is likely masked by the far more voluminous MORB.
A chemically defined system supports two distinct types of stem cell from a single blastocyst and their self-assembly to generate blastoid
Authors: Bao Siqin , Wu Baojiang , Yang Zhiqing , Liu Yijie , Li Jianwen , Chen Chen , Li Xihe
Published: July 2022

The pluripotent stem cells exist in a narrow window during early development and its derivation depends on intrinsic and extrinsic growth signaling in vitro. It has remained challenging to derive two or three distinct cell lines that are representative of blastocyst-stage lineages from one preimplantation embryo simultaneously in a chemical defined condition. Therefore, it is desirable to establish a system by manipulating extrinsic signaling in culture to derive multiple types of stem cells from a single blastocyst. Here, we report that a defined medium containing Activin A, WNT activator and LIF (ACL medium), enables establishment of ACL-ESCs and ACL-XEN cells from one blastocyst. Our results indicate that ACL-ESCs and ACL-XEN cells represent ICM and PrE lineages of blastocyst. Importantly, we obtained ACL-blastoid from ACL-ESCs and ACL-XEN cells self-aggregation, partially recapitulating early development and initiation of early implantation events. This study would not only provide a culture system for derivation and maintenance of two types of cell lines corresponding to ICM as well as PrE, but also deepen our understanding of early embryogenesis and widen insights into translational application of stem cells.
Effect of male partners’ behaviours and beliefs on reproductive, maternal and child health and wellbeing in East Africa: A scoping review
Authors: Fletcher Richard , De Vlieger Nienke , Macdonald Jacqui , Sales Brett , Kassa Getachew Mullu , Tura Abera Kenay , Forbes Faye , Dadi Abel Fekadu , Moges Nurilign Abebe , Galle Anna , Comrie-Thomson Liz , Liackman Rebecca , Beyene Addisu , Regan Casey , Temmerman Marleen
Published: July 2022

Background: East African countries have high rates of maternal and child mortality and morbidity. Studies have shown that involvement of male partners in reproductive health can benefit maternal and child health. This scoping review aims to provide an overview of the evidence across East Africa that describes male partner involvement and its effect on maternal and child wellbeing in reproductive, maternal or child health. Methods: Ten databases were searched to identify quantitative data on male’s involvement in East African countries. Studies reporting qualitative data, non-East-African samples, ‘intention to use’ data or only reporting on male partner’s education or economic status were excluded. Studies were organised into five a priori categories: antenatal care (ANC), human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), breastfeeding, family planning, and intimate partner violence (IPV) with further categories developed based on studies included. Results: A total of 2787 records were identified, 644 full-texts were reviewed and 96 studies were included in this review. Data were reported on 118,967 mothers/pregnant women and 15,361 male partners (typically reported by their female partners or coparents). Most of the studies (n=83) were reported from four countries Ethiopia (n=49), Kenya (n=14), Tanzania (n=12) and Uganda (n=10). The evidence indicates that male partner involvement and support is associated with improved reproductive, maternal and child health across a wide range of outcomes. However, the studies were heterogenous, using diverse exposure and outcome measures and reporting varying effect sizes, levels of men’s involvement and types of support. As well, male partners’ lack of practical and emotional support, and engagement in violent behaviours towards partners, were associated with profound negative impacts on maternal and child health and wellbeing. Conclusions: The body of evidence, although heterogenous, provides compelling support for male involvement in reproductive health programs designed to support maternal and child health. To advance research in this field, agreement is needed on a measure of male partner 'involvement'. To optimise benefits of male partner’s involvement, developing core outcome sets and regional coordination across health conditions are recommended.
Design of Organic Thin Film Transistor Using Tri-Layer dielectric polymers to enhance the electrical performance
Authors: Deepika Deepika , Yadav Rekha
Published: July 2022

For the past two decades, organic electronics has been a hot topic due to the ability of commercial low-cost and large-area flexible electronics. Organic semiconductors (OSs) are significantly used in electronics reliant on organic substances. For the primary problem of the chemical materials, the new OS construction has improved accomplishment in organic thin-film transistors (OTFTs). The main reason for the successful attainment of high-performance OTFTs is to control the interface between the substrate and dielectric layer. Though OTFT is considered for better enhancement, there still exists a major issue that is to increase the mobility and resistance to temperature, humidity and chemicals on polymer gate insulators. Thus, to overcome these issues, the designed model is based on the OTFT using Tri-layer dielectric polymers such as SiO2, PEI-EP (Polyetherimide – Epoxy polymer) and POM-H (polyoxymethylene homopolymer) with pentacene semiconductor to evaluate the electrical performance. The electrical characteristics are validated by comparing tri-layer dielectric OTFT with single and Bi-layer dielectric OTFT. Electrical characteristics such as Threshold voltage (VT), On/Off ratio, and carrier mobility (μ) of the tri-layer dielectric OTFT are validated, and resultant values for those parameters are 0.51v, 10-3-100 and 0.51 ± 0.31cm2 .Thus, the deigned tri-layer pentacene OTFT model performs better electrical characteristics compared to the single and bi-layer OTFT.
Development of a preoperative prediction model based on spectral CT to evaluate axillary nodal burden in patients with early-stage breast cancer
Authors: Zeng Fang , Cai Weifeng , Lin Lin , Chen Yilin , Chen Lili , Li Jing , Wang Xinrong , Wang Chuang , Xue Yunjing
Published: July 2022

Background Axillary lymph node (ALN) status is an important factor affecting the surgery planning. We developed a new prediction model based on spectral CT to evaluate the axillary nodal burden in patients with early-stage breast cancer.Methods A total of 146 early-stage breast cancer patients with pathologically confirmed axillary lymph node (ALN) status who underwent spectral CT scans were retrospectively enrolled and stratified sampling to categorize into a training cohort (n = 102) and validation cohort (n = 44). These patients were classified into low (stage pN0 or pN0[i+] or pN1mi) and high (stage pN1–3) axial nodal burden subgroups. The morphologic criteria and quantitative spectral CT parameters of the most suspicious lymph node were measured and compared between high axillary lymph node (HANB) and low axillary lymph node (LANB). Univariate analyses were performed to identify the association between factors and HANB. Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (Lasso) was used to further screen predictive indicators to build a logistic model. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and decision curve analysis (DCA) were used to evaluate the models.Results Univariate analysis demonstrated that 16 risk factors were associated with HANB (P < 0.05). For arterial phase, the LASSO regression analysis identified the 5 most powerful factors (the longest-to-shortest diameter ratio, fatty hilum, water concentration, nZeff and λHU), and 4 most powerful factors (the shortest diameter, fatty hilum, nIC and nZeff) for venous phase. When combining arterial phase and venous phase, four variables (the fatty hilum, arterial phase nZeff, venous phase nZeff and venous phase nIC) were included. In the validation cohort, the AUCs for arterial phase spectral CT model, venous phase spectral CT model and combined arterial-venous phase spectral CT model were 0.89, 0.91, 0.91, respectively. There was no significant difference in AUCs among the three models (DeLong test, P > 0.05 for each comparison).Conclusion We developed a Lasso-logistic model that combined morphologic and quantitative spectral CT parameters of the ALN for preoperative prediction of ALN status in patients with clinical T1/2N0 breast cancer, presenting a non-invasive and highly useful predictive tool for individual preoperative prediction of ALN status in patients with early-stage breast cancer.
Effect of Guided Ahmed Glaucoma Valve Implantation
on Corneal Endothelial Cells: A 2-Year Comparative Study
Authors: Chey Ji Hyoung , Lee Chang Kyu
Published: July 2022

Purpose: To compare the effects of guided and non-guided Ahmed glaucoma valve (AGV) implantation on the corneal endothelium.Methods: Medical records of patients who underwent AGV implantation in the anterior chamber (AC) were reviewed retrospectively. The eyes were divided into two groups depending on the use of a guidance technique with spatula and a 4-0 nylon intraluminal stent. Specular microscopy was performed to measure corneal endothelial cell density (ECD) loss after surgery, and the rate of ECD change was calculated. Tube parameters were measured using anterior segment optical coherence tomography (AS-OCT). Results: The ECD loss during 2 years of follow-up was significantly lower in the guided AGV implantation (gAGV) group than in the non-guided implantation (ngAGV) group, and the rate of ECD change was -0.62 ± 1.23 and -1.42 ± 1.57 %/month in the gAGV and ngAGV groups, respectively (p = 0.003). The mean tube–cornea distance (TCD) and mean tube–cornea angle (TCA) were significantly greater in the gAGV group than in the ngAGV group. The frequency of tube repositioning within 2 years after surgery was 0 % in the gAGV group and 12.66 % in the ngAGV group (p = 0.005). Conclusions: The use of a guidance technique can reduce corneal endothelial loss during the first 2 years after AGV implantation in the AC. The tube was positioned at a more distant and wider angle from the cornea in the eyes of the gAGV group, which may have contributed to the reduced need for tube repositioning to prevent corneal decompensation.
Widespread crystal-melt reequilibration in arc magma reservoirs
Authors: Gao Ke , Keller C Brenhin , Ma Changqian
Published: July 2022

Understanding the mechanisms that control the storage and assembly of subvolcanic and plutonic magma reservoirs in the crust is key to understanding processes ranging from volcanic hazards to the formation and evolution of the continental crust on our unique planet. However, these mechanisms remain poorly understood, with active debate regarding both mode of emplacement, storage, mobilization, and eruption, and conventional case studies are likely insufficient to answer questions regarding the global prevalence of these varying mechanisms. Here, we apply statistical geochemistry and geothermobarometry to global dataset of hornblende-bulk rock pairs from arc-derived igneous rocks. We find that arc plutonic horblende records systematically colder conditions and more felsic equilibrium melts than their volcanic equivalents. Moreover, while our results may be reconciled with either warm- or cold-storage conditions for prevolcanic magma chambers, we find that no combination of remobilization and melt extraction is sufficient to explain the observed disparities, which instead require fundamentally colder conditions in plutonic magma reservoirs relative to those from which the observed volcanic rocks are derived.
Development of a Synthetic Transcription Factor-Based S-adenosylmethionine Biosensor in Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Authors: Zheng Huijie , Yang Jiajia , Cao Yitin , Zhou Huiyun , Chen Ya Wei
Published: July 2022

S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) is a crucial small-molecule metabolite widely used in food and medicine. The development of high-throughput biosensors for SAM biosynthesis can significantly improve the titer of SAM. This paper constructed a synthetic transcription factor (TF)-based biosensor for SAM detecting in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The synthetic TF, named MetJ-hER-VP16, consists of an Escherichia coli-derived DNA-binding domain MetJ, GS linker, the human estrogen receptor binding domain hER, and the viral activation domain VP16. The synthetic biosensor is capable of sensing SAM in a dose-dependent manner with fluorescence as the output. Additionally, it is tightly regulated by the inducer SAM and β -estradiol, which means that the fluorescence output is only available when both are present together. The synthetic SAM biosensor could potentially be applied for high-throughput metabolic engineering and is expected to achieve biosynthesis of high-titer SAM.
Osculating plane in the Grassmann Gr₂(3,R)
Authors: Santana Gustavo A. , Souza Josiney A.
Published: July 2022

This paper uses concepts of the Lie theory to studying the osculating plane of a regular curve. The osculating plane variation is represented by a smooth curve in the Grassmann manifold Gr₂(3,R). Its velocity coincides with the modulus of the torsion. The curves in Gr₂(3,R) that describe osculating plane variations are completely determined. The results of the paper are applied to the study of helices. It is proved that a general helix depends on a vector field in the Lie algebra so(3,R) and a controlling scalar function.Mathematics Subject Classification (2020): 53A04; 53B20; 53C30.
Distinguishing the Dimensions of the original Dysfunctional Attitude Scale in an Archival Clinical Sample
Authors: Brown Gary , Delgadillo Jaime , Golino Hudson
Published: July 2022

The Dysfunctional Attitude Scale (DAS; Weissman, 1979) measures depression related enduring beliefs and is one of the core measures of cognitive behavioral (CBT) research and theory. It has been the central marker of etiological claims of CBT, and so any change to the understanding of the composition of the DAS would have potentially far-reaching implications for a large body of literature. We sought to capitalize on advances in psychometric techniques since the original 100-item DAS was last analyzed in a sufficiently large clinical sample by Beck et al. (1991) to provide a definitive measurement model of this important instrument. Beyond the two dimensions usually found on the shorter forms of the scale, we identified the following subscales: Imperatives, Cognitive Flexibility, and Negative Expectancy. Initial validity analyses were carried out within the context of an updated CBT theoretical framework informed by the extensive body of research using the DAS over the decades, highlighting the potential for the new subscales to unlock the solution to perennial contradictory findings using the DAS. The richer and more precise DAS structure renews its potential to meet the challenge of predicting who is prone to develop depression or experience a recurrence.
Mel spectrogram based audio forgery detection using CNN
Authors: USTUBIOGLU Arda , USTUBIOGLU Beste , ULUTAS Guzin
Published: July 2022

In this time of technology, digital speech can be created and falsified by a very diverse of hardware and software technologies. Audio Copy-move forgery is an audio forgery technique that goals to create forged audio by hiding undesirable words or repeating wanted words in the identical speech. Therefore, audio authentication has been a necessary requisition. In this study, an effective approach to spectral images based on audio copy-move forgery detection using Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN) with data augmentation is proposed. There are only a few hand-crafted methods conducted for the detection of audio copy-move forgery. None of the existing works on audio copy-move forgery detection has proposed deep feature learning from speech recording with Mel spectrogram. This is the first method to employ deep learning with Mel spectrogram of audio for the detection of audio copy-move forgery. The proposed CNN architecture classifies the suspicious Mel spectrogram images into two classes: original and forged. The proposed CNN system is successfully trained on these Mel spectrogram images feature extraction. The proposed algorithm has been tested on our datasets generated from Arabic Speech Corpus and TIMIT speech database. The results show the effectiveness, robustness to post-processing operations, and high accuracy of the proposed approach compared to other studies.
An Efficient Algorithm Supporting Batch Trajectory Similarity Query Processing
Authors: Wang Xite , Zhan Rongjuan , Bai Mei , Ma Qian , Li Guanyu
Published: July 2022

Trajectory similarity query processing is one of the hot issues in the field of trajectory data analysis, and it is widely used in many aspects. In a large-scale online system, a large number of trajectory similarity queries request may be received in a short period of time. An excellent batch processing algorithm is urgently needed to reduce system load and improve throughput. At present, the studies on batch trajectory similarity query processing lacks consideration of the similarity between query trajectories in query grouping, which cannot meet the needs of high-throughput trajectory similarity query processing. In response to the above problems, a series of new query processing methods are proposed in this paper, which follow two steps of filtering and verification. First, a new index supporting Accelerated Trajectory Query (ATQ) is proposed to effectively filter useless trajectories. Second, on the basis of the ATQ index, we propose a Batch Query Trajectory Grouping (BQTG) algorithm. BQTG divides the received queries into several groups. Queries in the same group have high similarity and can share intermediate results as much as possible. Then, a Basic Algorithm for Batch Trajectory Similarity Query Processing( BABTSQP) is proposed. In each group, BABTSQP continuously selects the main query, which can share lots of intermediate results to answer other queries in the group and reduce many calculations. We also propose an Optimization Algorithm for Batch Trajectory Similarity Query Processing(OABTSQP), which preferentially calculates the trajectories that are close to the query trajectories in the group, so as to obtain a better threshold and achieve a better pruning effect. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed BABTSQP and OABTSQP algorithms is verified through lots of experiments.
Hand cooling enhances the proprioceptive drift during rubber hand illusion
Authors: Sakamoto Masanori , Akaike Yuta , Tatsumi Kazuya , Ifuku Hirotoshi
Published: July 2022

The neural representation of the body is easily altered by integrating multiple sensory signals in the brain. The “rubber hand illusion” (RHI) is one of the most popular experimental paradigms to investigate this phenomenon. During this illusion, ownership of a rubber hand is created. It was shown that external and continuous cooling of the palm enhanced the RHI, suggesting an association between disrupting the autonomic nervous system regulation and disrupting the sense of ownership of a specific limb. However, the effects of artificially cooling the entire hand for a short period on the magnitude of the illusion remain unknown. Here we show that cooling the hand by immersing it in water for 1 min enhanced the RHI strength. We found that cooling the entire hand enhanced the proprioceptive drift during the RHI but not the subjective feeling of ownership. In contrast, warming and intense cooling of the entire hand did not affect the RHI strength. Our results suggest that transient and moderate cooling of the entire hand was sufficient in enhancing the illusory disembodiment of one’s own hand.