bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Development of a physiological insulin resistance model in human stem cell–derived adipocytes
Authors: Friesen Max , Khalil Andrew S. , Barrasa M. Inmaculada , Jeppesen Jacob F. , Mooney David J. , Jaenisch Rudolf
Published: June 2022

Adipocytes are key regulators of human metabolism, and their dysfunction in insulin signaling is central to metabolic diseases including type II diabetes mellitus (T2D). However, the progression of insulin resistance into T2D is still poorly understood. This limited understanding is due, in part, to the dearth of suitable models of insulin signaling in human adipocytes. Traditionally, adipocyte models fail to recapitulate in vivo insulin signaling, possibly due to exposure to supraphysiological nutrient and hormone conditions. We developed a protocol for human pluripotent stem cell–derived adipocytes that uses physiological nutrient conditions to produce a potent insulin response comparable to in vivo adipocytes. After systematic optimization, this protocol allows robust insulin-stimulated glucose uptake and transcriptional insulin response. Furthermore, exposure of sensitized adipocytes to physiological hyperinsulinemia dampens insulin-stimulated glucose uptake and dysregulates insulin-responsive transcription. Overall, our methodology provides a novel platform for the mechanistic study of insulin signaling and resistance using human pluripotent stem cell–derived adipocytes.
Intraoperative indocyanine green fluorescence navigation in a robot-assisted partial nephrectomy for a large renal cell carcinoma in a horseshoe kidney
Authors: Holmes Angela , Tissot Sophie , O'Neill Sarah , Kearns Paul
Published: June 2022

A man in his 60s was referred to the urology department with an incidental finding of large 75 mm mass within a horseshoe kidney. CT imaging highlighted the well-known aberrant arterial anatomy seen in horseshoe kidney which often causes significant surgical challenges.

After careful preoperative planning, the mass was resected successfully during a robot-assisted partial nephrectomy. Intraoperatively, indocyanine green fluorescence navigation helped to confirm arteries supplying area of resection were appropriately clamped, allowing for safe resection of the mass. Histology revealed a chromophobe renal cell carcinoma with clear margins. The patient was discharged on day 4 postoperatively and continues to be cancer free on routine surveillance imaging.
Perianal basal cell carcinoma managed with wide excision and random flap reconstruction
Authors: Lim Michael Geoffrey Lee , Lopez Marc Paul Jose , Yu Jaime Antonio Ong , Albaño Jose Paolo Pantua
Published: June 2022

Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is a common skin malignancy and usually occurs in sun-exposed areas like the head and neck. Occurrence in the perianal area is rare, accounting for only 0.08% of all BCC, and 0.2% of anorectal malignancies.

We present a case of a hypertensive woman in her 60s who had a 1-year history of a gradually enlarging mass on the left perianal region. Initial biopsy revealed a carcinoma with basaloid features and was confirmed on immunohistochemistry to be nodular BCC. Proctoscopy showed no intraluminal involvement. Contrast-enhanced chest and abdominal CT scans revealed no nodal or distant metastasis. MRI showed a 7.5 mm fat plane between the mass and the external sphincter muscles, projecting adequate surgical margins.

A wide excision with at least 4 mm margins was performed. Reconstruction of the resulting defect was performed with a local random cutaneous flap.
Effectiveness of exercise via telehealth for chronic disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis of exercise interventions delivered via videoconferencing
Authors: Brown Riley CC , Coombes Jeff S , Jungbluth Rodriguez Klaus , Hickman Ingrid J , Keating Shelley E
Published: June 2022

Objective

To investigate the effectiveness of videoconferencing exercise interventions for people with chronic diseases.

Design

Systematic review incorporating meta-analysis.

Data sources

PubMed, Cinahl, MEDLINE, Web of Science, Embase and Scopus.

Eligibility criteria

The current literature was searched following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis guidelines. Trials analysing participants with chronic disease undergoing aerobic and/or resistance exercise training over videoconferencing, with exercise capacity and/or quality of life outcomes were included. Meta-analyses were conducted for between-group comparisons of exercise capacity and quality of life. Risk of bias was analysed using the Downs and Black quality checklist and the certainty of evidence with Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE).

Results

Thirty-two trials were included in this review, of which 12 were comparator trials. Small–moderate between-group (videoconferencing vs comparator) effects favouring videoconferencing were seen for studies using a non-exercising comparator for exercise capacity (standardised mean difference (SMD)=0.616, 95% CI 0.278 to 0.954; p=<0.001) and quality of life (SMD=0.400, 95% CI 0.099 to 0.701; p=0.009). Small effects favouring videoconferencing were observed for studies using an exercising comparator for quality of life (SMD=0.271, 95% CI 0.028 to 0.515; p=0.029) and exercise capacity (SMD=0.242, 95% CI 0.059 to 0.426; p=0.009). Moderate risk of bias was identified for included studies (16.3±3.6/28), with GRADE certainty ratings of ‘low’ (quality of life) and ‘moderate’ (exercise capacity). Session attendance was 70% and was reported in 23 trials. No serious adverse events relating to videoconferencing were found. Nine trials documented the total number of technical issues that occurred in 17% of the sessions. Positive satisfaction outcomes were associated with ease of access and usefulness of technology.

Conclusion

In patients with chronic disease, videoconferencing exercise interventions appear to be feasible and effective for improving exercise capacity and quality of life. More robust methodology is needed in future studies to improve the certainty of the evidence.

PROSPERO registration number

CRD42020191243.
Pre-IVF treatment with a GnRH antagonist in women with endometriosis (PREGNANT): study protocol for a prospective, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial
Authors: Taylor Hugh , Li Howard J , Carson Sandra , Flores Valerie , Pal Lubna , Robbins Jared , Santoro Nanette F , Segars James H , Seifer David , Huang Hao , Young Steven , Zhang Heping
Published: June 2022

Introduction

Infertility is a common complication of endometriosis. While in vitro fertilisation-embryo transfer (IVF) successfully treats endometriosis-associated infertility, there is some evidence that pregnancy rates may be diminished in women seeing fertility treatment for endometriosis-associated infertility compared with other etiologies of infertility. The use of gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) agonist prior to IVF has been suggested to improve success, however studies have been small and rarely reported live birth rates. Recent approval of an oral GnRH antagonist for endometriosis provides a novel option for women with endometriosis who are undergoing IVF. There have been no studies on the efficacy of GnRH antagonists for the treatment of endometriosis-related infertility.

Methods and analysis

This study is a multicentre, prospective, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial to study the efficacy of GnRH antagonist pretreatment for women with endometriosis who are undergoing IVF. A total of 814 patients with endometriosis undergoing fertility treatment will be enrolled and randomised 1:1 into two groups: elagolix 200 mg two times per day or placebo for 8 weeks, prior to undergoing IVF. All participants will then undergo IVF treatment per local protocols. The primary outcome is live birth. Secondary outcomes include oocyte number, fertilisation rate, embryo morphology and implantation rates, as well as rates of known endometriosis-related obstetrical outcomes (pregnancy-induced hypertension, antepartum haemorrhage, caesarean delivery and preterm birth).

Ethics and dissemination

The PREGnant trial was approved by the Institutional Review Board at Johns Hopkins University. Results will be published in a peer-reviewed journal.

Trial registration number

NCT04173169.
Interventions to improve media coverage of medical research: a codesigned feasibility and acceptability study with Australian journalists
Authors: Copp Tessa , Dakin Thomas , Nickel Brooke , Albarqouni Loai , Mannix Liam , McCaffery Kirsten J , Barratt Alexandra , Moynihan Ray
Published: June 2022

Objectives

Although the media can influence public perceptions and utilisation of healthcare, journalists generally receive no routine training in interpreting and reporting on medical research. Given growing evidence about the problems of medical overuse, the need for quality media reporting has become a greater priority. This study aimed to codesign and assess the feasibility of a multicomponent training intervention for journalists in Australia.

Design

A small pragmatic feasibility study using a pre- and postdesign.

Setting

90 min online workshop.

Participants

Eight journalists currently working in Australia, recruited through the study’s journalist advisor and existing contacts of the researchers.

Intervention

The training intervention covered a range of topics, including study designs, conflicts of interest, misleading medical statistics, population screening and overdiagnosis. The intervention also provided tools to help journalists with reporting, including a Tip Sheet and list of expert contacts in health and medicine. Preworkshop and postworkshop questionnaires were administered via Qualtrics.

Measures

Acceptability and feasibility of the intervention, and journalists’ knowledge of overdiagnosis and common issues with health stories. Quantitative results were analysed descriptively using SPSS. Qualitative data were thematically analysed.

Results

All participants completed preworkshop and postworkshop questionnaires, and 6 completed the 6-week follow-up (75% retention). Feasibility findings suggest the intervention is acceptable and relevant to journalists, with participants indicating the workshop increased confidence with reporting on medical research. We observed increases in knowledge preworkshop to postworkshop for all knowledge measures on overdiagnosis and common issues with media coverage of medicine. Analysis of free-text responses identified several areas for improvement, such as including more examples to aid understanding of the counterintuitive topic of overdiagnosis and more time for discussion.

Conclusions

Piloting suggested the multicomponent training intervention is acceptable to journalists and provided important feedback and insights to inform a future trial of the intervention’s impact on media coverage of medicine.
Microbiome and immune-mediated dry eye: a review
Authors: Watane Arjun , Raolji Shyamal , Cavuoto Kara , Galor Anat
Published: June 2022

In this review, we aim to summarise key articles that explore relationships between the gut and ocular surface microbiomes (OSMs) and immune-mediated dry eye. The gut microbiome has been linked to the immune system by way of stimulating or mitigating a proinflammatory or anti-inflammatory lymphocyte response, which may play a role in the severity of autoimmune diseases. Although the ‘normal’ gut microbiome varies among individuals and demographics, certain autoimmune diseases have been associated with characteristic gut microbiome changes. Less information is available on relationships between the OSM and dry eye. However, microbiome manipulation in multiple compartments has emerged as a therapeutic strategy, via diet, prebiotics and probiotics and faecal microbial transplant, in individuals with various autoimmune diseases, including immune-mediated dry eye.
Players’, parents’ and staffs’ perceptions of injury prevention exercise programmes in youth rugby union
Authors: Sly Nicole , Soomro Mariam , Withall Adrienne L , Cullen Patricia , Turner Robin M , Flahive Sharron R
Published: June 2022

Background and aim

Despite evidence of their efficacy, there is no widespread adoption of injury prevention exercise programmes (IPEPs) among young players and coaches in community rugby union. The purpose of this study was to (1) analyse the knowledge and perceptions of injury prevention and IPEPs among staff, parents and players in youth rugby union and (2) explore the facilitators and barriers to implementation of IPEPs. With this contextual information, tailored implementation strategies can be created.

Methods

Participants completed an online survey addressing knowledge and perceptions of injury risk, injury prevention practices and a rugby-specific IPEP. Community rugby union players aged 14–18 years, their parents and staff were invited to participate, including school-based and development squads competing at a national level.

Results

Surveys were completed by 18 staff members, 72 parents and 56 players. Staff, parents and players believe that the risk of injury in youth rugby union is high and that injury prevention is important. The perceived role in injury prevention and availability of allied health staff, particularly strength and conditioning coaches, was apparent in this sample. Reported barriers to completion of IPEPs related to time, resources, awareness of the programme and end-users' attitudes or motivations. Leadership, the use of role models and the structure and routine provided by an IPEP were considered facilitative.

Conclusions

These findings inform future implementation strategies for IPEPs in this setting, including the need to provide practical solutions, education and considering the role of allied health staff in facilitating such programmes.
Percutaneous auricular nerve stimulation (neuromodulation) for the treatment of pain following outpatient surgery: a proof-of-concept case series
Authors: Ilfeld Brian M , Finneran John J , Dalstrom David , Wallace Anne M , Abdullah Baharin , Said Engy T
Published: June 2022

Background

Following outpatient surgery, it is often difficult to provide adequate analgesia while concurrently minimizing opioid requirements. Ultrasound-guided percutaneous peripheral nerve stimulation has been proposed as an analgesic, but requires physician-level skills, advanced equipment, up to an hour to administer, and is frequently cost prohibitive. In contrast, percutaneous auricular neuromodulation may be placed by nursing staff in a few minutes without additional equipment, theoretically provides analgesia for nearly any anatomic location, lacks systemic side effects, and has no significant risks. We now present a case report to demonstrate proof of concept for the off-label use of an auricular neuromodulation device—originally developed to treat symptoms associated with opioid withdrawal—to instead provide analgesia following outpatient surgery.

Case presentation

Following moderately painful ambulatory orthopedic and breast surgery, seven patients had an auricular neuromodulation device (NSS-2 Bridge, Masimo, Irvine, California, USA) affixed within the recovery room in approximately 5 min and discharged home. Average resting and dynamic pain scores measured on the 0–10 Numeric Rating Scale were a median of 1 over the first 2 days, subsequently falling to 0. Five patients avoided opioid use entirely, while the remaining two each consumed 5 mg of oxycodone during the first 1–2 postoperative days. After 5 days, the devices were removed at home and discarded.

Conclusions

These cases demonstrate that ambulatory percutaneous auricular neuromodulation is feasible and may be an effective analgesic and decreasing or even negating opioid requirements following outpatient surgery. Considering the lack of systemic side effects, serious adverse events, and misuse/dependence/diversion potential, further study with a randomized, controlled trial appears warranted.
American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine contrast shortage position statement
Authors: Kohan Lynn , Pellis Zachary , Provenzano David Anthony , Pearson Amy C S , Narouze Samer , Benzon Honorio T
Published: June 2022

The medical field has been experiencing numerous drug shortages in recent years. The most recent shortage to impact the field of interventional pain medicine is that of iodinated contrast medium. Pain physicians must adapt to these changes while maintaining quality of care. This position statement offers guidance on adapting to the shortage.
Levelling the playing field of RMD research across Europe to address patients’ needs: the emerging EULAR Research Centre
Authors: Reuter Katja , Haupt Carina , Molto Anna , Cope Andrew , van Vollenhoven Ronald F , Elewaut Dirk , Lories Rik , McInnes Iain B
Published: June 2022

Herein, we describe the Research Centre launched by the European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology (EULAR) in 2020. The Centre aims to facilitate collaborative research on rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases (RMD) across Europe. RMDs disable millions of people in Europe and worldwide. Despite progress with improved therapeutics and strategic interventions in several RMDs, there are no cures, and their collective impact remains substantial. Access to RMD-related care, policies prioritizing RMDs, and related research, education, training, and funding differ significantly across European countries. Building a new equipoise in opportunity and capacity across Europe will facilitate optimal understanding of those different factors that influence the epidemiology, pathogenesis, treatment, and outcomes in RMDs. The EULAR Research Centre aims to address the significant barriers to accelerating RMD research across Europe. It provides an RMD research roadmap of unmet needs, expert services, infrastructures, networks, research resources, training, education, and mentoring. It will place RMD research in the ideal position to benefit from forthcoming remarkable advances in digital, biological, and social science anticipated in the coming decades.
Cosmographic analysis of a closed bouncing universe with the varying cosmological constant in f(R, T) gravity
Authors: Bhardwaj Vinod Kumar , Pradhan Anirudh , Ahmed Nasr , Shaker A.A.
Published: June 2022

Modelling of matter bounce in f( R,  T) gravity has been presented with no violation of the null energy condition. Only a closed universe with negative pressure is allowed in good agreement with some recent observations that favour a universe with positive curvature. Our results agree with some recent works in which a combination of positive curvature and vacuum energy leads to non-singular bounces with no violation of the null energy condition. The stability of the model has been discussed. The cosmographic parameters are developed for the derived model to explain the accelerated expansion of the universe.
Signals for vector-like leptons in an $$S_3$$-symmetric 2HDM at ILC
Authors: Chakraborty Indrani , Ghosh Dilip Kumar , Ghosh Nivedita , Rai Santosh Kumar
Published: June 2022

In this work, we explore the signals of an $$S_3$$

S
3

-symmetric two Higgs doublet model with two generations of vector-like leptons (VLLs) at the proposed International Linear Collider (ILC). The lightest neutral component of the VLL in this model provides a viable dark matter (DM) candidate satisfying the current relic density data as well as circumventing all direct and indirect DM search constraints. Some representative benchmark points have been selected with low, medium and high DM masses, satisfying all theoretical and experimental constraints of the model and constraints coming from the DM sector. The VLLs (both neutral and charged) will be produced in pair leading to multi-lepton and multi-jet final states. We show that the ILC will prove to be a much more efficient and useful machine to hunt for such signals compared to LHC. Using traditional cut-based analysis as well as sophisticated multivariate analysis, we perform a detailed analysis of some promising channels containing mono-lepton plus di-jet, di-lepton, four-lepton and four jets along with missing transverse energy in the final state at 1 TeV ILC.
Animal navigation: how animals use environmental factors to find their way
Authors: Wiltschko Roswitha , Wiltschko Wolfgang
Published: June 2022

Animals use the geomagnetic field and astronomical cues to obtain compass information. The magnetic compass is not a uniform mechanism, as several functional modes have been described in different animal groups. The Sun compass requires the internal clock to interpret the position of the Sun. For star compass orientation, night-migrating birds seem to use the star pattern as a whole, without involving the internal clock. Both the astronomical compass mechanisms are based on learning processes to adapt them to the geographic latitude where the animals live and, in long-living animals, to compensate for the seasonal changes. Several mechanisms are used to determine the compass course to a goal. Using information collected during the outward journey is mostly done by path integration: recording the direction with a compass and integrating its twists and turns. Migratory animals have innate programs to guide them to their still unknown goal. Highly mobile animals with large ranges develop a so-called navigational ‘map’, a mental representation of the spatial distribution of navigational factors within their home region and their migration route. The nature of the factors involved is not yet entirely clear; magnetic intensity and inclination are the ones best supported so far.
INVESTIGATION OF THERMO-MECHANICAL BEHAVIOR IN BRAKE DISC–PAD COUPLE USING THE FINITE ELEMENT METHOD
Authors: AY CANSU , DEMİR ABDULLAH
Published: June 2022

The braking system is the most significant active safety system that converts the vehicle’s mechanical energy into heat energy based on the braking pair’s friction. In this paper, temperature-friction coefficient variation, disc thickness variation, and coning are investigated with the Fade I test procedure is performed according to the SAE J2522 comprehensive brake efficiency test standard. In these investigations, the combined or discrete effects of the peripheral speed factor, the temperature increase with the braking time, thermal expansion and increased friction coefficient values have been decisive on the increase in the disc thickness variation from the inner part to the outer part. The thermo-mechanical behavior of the disc for the same test procedure is demonstrated in ANSYS® software using the finite element method. Steady-state thermal analysis method is chosen, and then total deformation and von Mises stress conditions are evaluated by using transient structural analysis with thermal analysis results and experimental data. At the end of braking, the deformation has reached its 0.28872 mm (maximum) at the outer radius where the pad and disc are in contact, and the maximum von Mises stress value (964.33 MPa) has been obtained. Furthermore, the deformations reached the maximum in the region where the disc temperature reached its maximum during braking revealing that the obtained results are interrelated.
SUSTAINABLE MACHINING CHARACTERISTICS EVALUATION OF BORING OPERATION UNDER DIFFERENT LUBRICATING CONDITIONS
Authors: HASSAN KAMAL , KANG AMARDEEP SINGH , PRAKASH CHANDER , SINGH GURRAJ
Published: June 2022

Internal turning process is generally used to finish on the internal part of the cylindrical workpiece. This may create degraded surface and high tool wear without and with the usage of coolants. This novel work investigates the internal turning of aluminum alloy using three cutting environments, i.e. dry, flood, and minimum quantity lubrication. The effect of variable machining parameters and cooling media drives the surface quality and tool effectiveness. The in-house fabricated experimental setup was used for the experimental work. A specially designed mist nozzle produces an aerosol used for sustainable machining. Shiny chips and improved surface finish are achieved during near-dry machining, even at higher feeds. The presented method’s usefulness is attributed to high levels of association among conceptual, empirical, and literature survey results. The mist produced by supplying aerosol internally through a boring bar proved an effective technique for better surface integrity than conventional and flood lubrication. Machining productivity increases significantly with an improved surface characteristic and less tool wear.
Simultaneously vanishing higher derived limits without large cardinals
Authors: Bergfalk Jeffrey , Hrušák Michael , Lambie-Hanson Chris
Published: June 2022

A question dating to Mardešić and Prasolov’s 1988 work [S. Mardešić and A. V. Prasolov, Strong homology is not additive, Trans. Amer. Math. Soc. 307(2) (1988) 725–744], and motivating a considerable amount of set theoretic work in the years since, is that of whether it is consistent with the ZFC axioms for the higher derived limits [Formula: see text] [Formula: see text] of a certain inverse system [Formula: see text] indexed by [Formula: see text] to simultaneously vanish. An equivalent formulation of this question is that of whether it is consistent for all [Formula: see text]-coherent families of functions indexed by [Formula: see text] to be trivial. In this paper, we prove that, in any forcing extension given by adjoining [Formula: see text]-many Cohen reals, [Formula: see text] vanishes for all [Formula: see text]. Our proof involves a detailed combinatorial analysis of the forcing extension and repeated applications of higher-dimensional [Formula: see text]-system lemmas. This work removes all large cardinal hypotheses from the main result of [J. Bergfalk and C. Lambie-Hanson, Simultaneously vanishing higher derived limits, Forum Math. Pi 9 (2021) e4] and substantially reduces the least value of the continuum known to be compatible with the simultaneous vanishing of [Formula: see text] for all [Formula: see text].
Exact saturation in pseudo-elementary classes for simple and stable theories
Authors: Kaplan Itay , Ramsey Nicholas , Shelah Saharon
Published: June 2022

We use exact saturation to study the complexity of unstable theories, showing that a variant of this notion called pseudo-elementary class (PC)-exact saturation meaningfully reflects combinatorial dividing lines. We study PC-exact saturation for stable and simple theories. Among other results, we show that PC-exact saturation characterizes the stability cardinals of size at least continuum of a countable stable theory and, additionally, that simple unstable theories have PC-exact saturation at singular cardinals satisfying mild set-theoretic hypotheses. This had previously been open even for the random graph. We characterize supersimplicity of countable theories in terms of having PC-exact saturation at singular cardinals of countable cofinality. We also consider the local analog of PC-exact saturation, showing that local PC-exact saturation for singular cardinals of countable cofinality characterizes supershort theories.
Numerical Analysis of the Effect of Work Roll Bending on Strip Crown During Tandem Hot Rolling
Authors: Li Lianjie , Xie Haibo , Li Xingsheng , Zhang Tao , Pan Di , Huo Mingshuai , Chen Fenghua , Liu Tianwu , Shi Kexin , Jiang Zhengyi
Published: June 2022

Extensive studies have been conducted on the effect of roll bending on strip shape in tandem hot rolling (THR). However, most of them are limited to a single stand. In this study, a three-dimensional (3D) multi-pass elastic–plastic thermal–mechanical finite element (EPTMFE) model for the THR was developed using data transfer technologies and validated by industrial trials. The effects of work roll bending (WRB) on the strip crown, deflection and flattening deformation of work roll (WR) were quantitatively studied employing the developed finite element (FE) model. The results show that with an increase in WRB, the crown of relative deflection difference (RDD) decreases quickly, while the crown of relative flattening deformation difference (RFD) increases slowly; consequently, the strip crown shows a decreasing trend. This suggests that the deflection and flattening deformation of WR influence the strip crown simultaneously, but the former plays a decisive role. In addition, the influence efficiency of WRB on the crown of RFD increases from 0.0077[Formula: see text][Formula: see text]m/kN at [Formula: see text]1 to 0.345 [Formula: see text][Formula: see text]m/kN at [Formula: see text]7, which is dependent on the deformation resistance of the strip. These findings can contribute to a deeper understanding of the influence mechanism of WRB on the strip crown in the THR.
Preparation of Waterproof and Breathable Polyethylene (PE) Film Through One-Step Plasma Treatment
Authors: Huang Yingying , Zhao Hongmei , Ning Xin , Chen Shaojuan , Wan Gang , Miao Dagang
Published: June 2022

The waterproof and breathable multifunctional films have been widely used in advanced wear protection, medical treatment, monitoring, and the aerospace industry. In this research, we prepared a new class/kind of waterproof and breathable intelligent (WBI) films through plasma surface treatment, which can be applied in the health care field. After air plasma treatments, the structural properties of polyethylene (PE) film were observed by Scanning electron microscope (SEM), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Thermogravimetry (TG), and Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). It was found that plasma treatment etches PE fibers due to the sputter etching effect of plasma modification, leading to a crystallinity decrease. In addition, the changes in water contact angle, air permeability, and water vapor transmission rate of PE films were measured to illustrate their waterproof and breathable properties. After plasma treatment, the water contact angle of PE film reduced from 112.67∘ to 45∘, indicating the PE surface converted from hydrophobic into hydrophilic. The air permeability increased to 0.450[Formula: see text]mm/s and the water vapor transmission rate increased to 1419.788[Formula: see text]g/m[Formula: see text], which means the treated PE films are breathable but not permeable to liquid water. The improved performance in waterproof and breathability expands the application of PE film in the pharmaceutical field.
Dynamics of tuberculosis in HIV–HCV co-infected cases
Authors: Faniran Taye Samuel , Adewole Matthew O. , Ahmad Hijaz , Abdullah Farah A.
Published: June 2022

This work presents a compartmental mathematical model describing transmission and spread of tuberculosis (TB) in HIV–HCV co-infected cases. The novelty of this work comes through mathematical modeling of the dynamics of TB not only in HIV but also in HIV–HCV co-infected cases. We analyze the formulated model by proving the existence of disease-free equilibrium solution. We calculate the basic reproduction number [Formula: see text], of the model and construct Lyapunov–Lasalle candidate function to explore the global asymptotic stability of the disease-free equilibrium solution. Result from the mathematical analysis indicates that the disease-free equilibrium solution is globally asymptotically stable if [Formula: see text]. The existence of unique endemic equilibrium solution is established through numerical investigation. Further, the model is reformulated as an optimal control problem, considering time-dependent controls (vaccination and public health education) to minimize the spread of tuberculosis in HIV–HCV co-infected cases, using Pontryagin’s maximum principle. Numerical simulations and cost-effectiveness analysis are carried out which reveal that vaccination combined with public health education would reduce the spread of tuberculosis when HIV–HCV co-infected cases have been successfully controlled in the population.
Dynamic Spatial Transformer WaveNet Network for Traffic Forecasting
Authors: Bui Khac-Hoai Nam , Nguyen Ngoc-Dung , Yi Hongsuk
Published: June 2022

Traffic forecasting has emerged as an important task for developing intelligent transportation systems. Recent works focus on representing traffic as graph operation and using graph neural networks for spatial–temporal prediction. Most of the approaches assume a predefined graph structure based on node distances. However, spatial dependencies change over time in many scenarios of traffic flow. In this regard, this study takes an investigation capturing the spatial and temporal dependencies with no prior knowledge structure of traffic road networks. Specifically, we propose a multi-step prediction model named Dynamic Spatial Transformer WaveNet Network (DSTWN) to capture the dynamic conditions and directions of traffic flow in which a temporal convolution layer is adopted for the long time sequence and a spatial transformer layer is proposed to capture the dynamic spatial dependencies. Furthermore, we introduce a new traffic dataset, which is collected from the vehicle detection system in an urban area (UVDS). In particular, compared with existing benchmark traffic data, UVDS contains more complicated spatial information, which is similar to many real-world scenarios of traffic flow. Experiments on both benchmark traffic datasets indicate the promising results of DSTWN compared with state-of-the-art models in this research field.
DEAF-BSL: Deep lEArning Framework for British Sign Language recognition
Authors: Kumar Krishan
Published: June 2022

The recent development of disability studies in academic bodies has expedited the promotion of investigation on disability. With computer-aided tools, communication between the impaired person and someone who does not understand sign language could be accessible. A large number of people across the world are using sign language (e.g.,
British Sign Language (BSL)
,
Asian Sign Language (ASL)
,
Indian Sign Language (ISL)
, etc.) with hand gestures for communication. In BSL recognition, the involvement of both hands overlapping each other becomes the main challenge. Moreover, BSL comprises ambiguous signs concerning viewpoint. However, existing traditional techniques seem in-stable, less accurate, and inefficient. In this work, the BSL fingerspelling alphabet recognition problem explores using a Deep learning framework to address the above-mentioned concerns.
Convolutional Neural Network (CNN)
is employed to detect and recognize for classification of 26 alphabets after being trained on the BSL corpus dataset. The proposed work outperforms the existing works with better precision (6%), recall (4%), and F-measure (5̃%). It reported better results on the BSL corpus dataset and webcam videos. The model achieved better accuracy (98.0%) for a large lexicon of words than previous models (Goh & Holden [
6
]: 69.5%, Rambhau [
9
]: 79.2%, and Liwicki et al. [
8
]: 92.5%). The 3D CNN-based proposal performs robust hand detection, much more accurate sign recognition, more scalability, and less ambiguity in BSL finger-spelling recognition.
Engineering Operations-based Training
Authors: Martinie Célia , Navarre David , Palanque Philippe , Barboni Eric , Steere Sandra
Published: June 2022

Training operators of complex interactive systems is a difficult task that involves multiple actors, requires specific competencies and may be extremely costly in terms of time and resources. For instance, an initial training has to be performed in order to bring operators to a desired level of declarative and procedural knowledge. A successful operator will be granted a qualification to operate the system that was used for (or targeted by) the training. However, depending on the nature and the diversity of the operations performed on a daily basis, this initial training may decay and some knowledge may become deprecated. Recurrent training needs to be organised on a regular basis in order to keep operators qualified for the work. Such training differs from initial training and requires taking into account information about how humans learn and forget, what has been performed by operators since last training and the expected required level of knowledge. Trainers need to encompass all this generic information (to all operators) and specific information (to each individual) to define both initial and recurrent training programs. One particularly cumbersome task is the gathering of what happened during operations for each operator in order to minimize recurrent training program to knowledge that might have been forgotten as it was not used in recent operations. We propose a tool-supported task-model approach fed by information of the real work of operators in order to identify complete, relevant and efficient training for operators. These contributions have been applied to the civil aviation domain demonstrating multiple induced benefits.
E
2
-VOR: An End-to-End En/Decoder Architecture for Efficient Video Object Recognition
Authors: Song Zhuoran , Jing Naifeng , Liang Xiaoyao
Published: June 2022

High-resolution video object recognition (VOR) evolves so fast but is very compute-intensive. This is because VOR leverages compute-intensive deep neural network (DNN) for better accuracy. Although many works have been proposed for speedup, they mostly focus on DNN algorithm and hardware acceleration on the edge side. We observe that most video streams need to be losslessly compressed before going online and an encoder should have all the video information. Moreover, as the cloud should have abundant computing power to handle sophisticated VOR algorithms, we propose to take a one-shot effort for a modified VOR algorithm at the encoding stage in cloud and integrate the full VOR regeneration into a slightly extended decoder on the device. The scheme can enable lightweight VOR with server-class accuracy by simply leveraging the classic and economic video decoder universal to any mobile device. Meanwhile, the scheme can save massive computing power for not repetitively processing the same video on different user devices that makes it extremely sustainable for green computing across the whole network.

We propose E
2
-VOR, an end-to-end encoder and decoder architecture for efficient VOR. We carefully design the scheme to have minimum impact on the video bitstream transmitted. In the cloud, the VOR extended video encoder tracks on a macro-block basis and packs intelligent information into the video stream for increased VOR accuracy and fast regenerating process. On the edge device, we extend the traditional video decoder with a small piece of dedicated hardware to enable the efficient VOR regeneration. Our experiment shows that E
2
-VOR can achieve 5.0× performance improvement with less than 0.4% VOR accuracy loss compared to the state-of-the-art FAVOS scheme. On average, E
2
-VOR can run over 54 frames-per-second (FPS) for 480P videos on an edge device.
Algorithm 1027:
NOMAD
Version 4: Nonlinear Optimization with the MADS Algorithm
Authors: Audet Charles , Le Digabel Sébastien , Montplaisir Viviane Rochon , Tribes Christophe
Published: June 2022

NOMAD
is a state-of-the-art software package for optimizing blackbox problems. In continuous development since 2001, it constantly evolved with the integration of new algorithmic features published in scientific publications. These features are motivated by real applications encountered by industrial partners. The latest major release of
NOMAD
, version 3, dates to 2008. Minor releases are produced as new features are incorporated. The present work describes
NOMAD
 4, a complete redesign of the previous version, with a new architecture providing more flexible code, added functionalities, and reusable code. We introduce algorithmic components, which are building blocks for more complex algorithms and can initiate other components, launch nested algorithms, or perform specialized tasks. They facilitate the implementation of new ideas, including the
MegaSearchPoll
component, warm and hot restarts, and a revised version of the
PsdMads
algorithm. Another main improvement of
NOMAD
 4 is the usage of parallelism, to simultaneously compute multiple blackbox evaluations and to maximize usage of available cores. Running different algorithms, tuning their parameters, and comparing their performance for optimization are simpler than before, while overall optimization performance is maintained between versions 3 and 4.
NOMAD
is freely available at www.gerad.ca/nomad
and the whole project is visible at github.com/bbopt/nomad.
Energy-Aware Algorithm for Assignment of Relays in LP WAN
Authors: Grochla Krzysztof , Strzoda Anna , Marjasz Rafał , Głomb Przemysław , Książek Kamil , Łaskarzewski Zbigniew
Published: June 2022

The Low-Power Wide-Area Networks allow maintaining connectivity with devices over a distance of a few kilometres. However, due to the presence of obstacles, the communication range in an urban environment may be shorter, which creates multiple blind spots or areas with limited coverage. The nodes acting as relays may solve this problem by forwarding the data from other devices with poor connectivity. We propose and investigate a novel algorithm that assigns devices to the relay role while keeping the battery constraints. We define the algorithm, describe the simulation testbed, and present performance evaluation in several scenarios, including real-life topologies of IoT networks. The proposed relay selection scheme allows increasing the lifetime of the network by selecting the relay taking into account the current battery capacity. Additionally, it outperforms a previously proposed relay selection algorithm for LP WAN, showing an average 4% decrease in transmission time and an order of magnitude lower computation complexity.
The Effects of Temperature and Cell Parameters on Lithium-Ion Battery Fast Charging Protocols: A Model-Driven Investigation
Authors: Tomaszewska Anna , Parkes Michael , Doel Robert , Offer Gregory , Wu Billy
Published: June 2022

The risk of lithium plating is a key barrier to lithium-ion battery fast charging. Among other strategies, many alternative charging protocols have been proposed to reduce the plating propensity compared to the conventional constant current-constant voltage (CC-CV) protocol. However, conflicting results have been reported on their impacts on battery lifetime. This work investigates the performance of CC-CV and a boost charging protocol using an electrochemical-thermal model which accounts for nonlinear diffusion and reversible lithium plating. The relative performance of the protocols is found to ultimately depend on the solid phase and ion diffusion timescales. Boost charging is beneficial when both these timescales are short, i.e. in power cells in general or in energy cells at sufficiently high temperatures. The high concentration gradients that develop during the boost stage can sufficiently relax in the subsequent lower current stage to reduce the plating propensity in these cases. When the diffusion timescales are long, boost charging leads to increased plating heterogeneity (driven by the ion diffusion limitations) and slightly increased plating propensity (driven by the solid phase diffusion limitations). Our findings highlight the need to study alternative charging protocols at a wide range of conditions and on different cells before practical deployment.
[Retracted] Image Analysis of TVCDS in Infertile Patients with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome
Authors: Duan Hongju , Luo Shihua , Yu Yang , Yan Qiaohua
Published: June 2022

In order to analyze and examine the TVCDS images of infertile patients, this paper conducted an in‐depth study based on the symptoms of polycystic ovary syndrome. Through the sample size estimation method, mathematical analysis, and other methods, the image examination of the polycystic ovary in TVCDS was successfully analyzed. 86 cases of infertile patients with PCS were divided into a control group treated with clomiphene alone and an observation group treated with clomiphene combined with TCM periodic therapy, with 43 patients in each group. The therapeutic effects of the two groups were compared and analyzed. Results show that the treatment effective rate and pregnancy success rate of the observation group were 95.35% and 88.37%, respectively, and those of the control group were 83.72% and 76.74%, respectively. The difference between the two groups was statistically significant (P < 0.05). It was understood that the main pathogenesis of polycystic ovary syndrome is the abnormal balance of kidney, qi, and blood meridians. Thus, the balance of kidney‐anemone‐chong Ren‐uprisal is broken and the result is infertility symptoms or irregular menstruation. After a study on TVCDS in infertile patients, it was observed that the levels of progesterone (P) and luteinizing hormone (LH) in patients with irregular menstruation were significantly increased. The increase was higher than that in the control group, with an overall negative rate of 4.00%, compared with 18.00% of the control group, showing a significant difference. It also indicates that TVCDS image examination has a very significant effect on improving menstrual irregularities and reducing the incidence of adverse reactions.
Sports Training Strategy and Interactive Control Method Based on Digital Twins and Wireless Sensor Networks
Authors: He Zheyu , He Xi
Published: June 2022

By combining virtual reality, the digital twin system has been deeply applied in many places. Especially with the upsurge of national sports and more attention to sports, people have also begun a more in-depth study on the strategy of sports training. This paper aims to explore the application of the Brazilian jujitsu training strategy and interactive control method in the new era. Based on the sports skills of Brazilian jujitsu, combined with digital twin technology and wireless sensor network technology, this paper develops a sports training system based on Brazilian jujitsu. It can collect the action information of the trainer and twin it into the simulation system so as to carry out better and more effective confrontation training. The experimental results show that the average delay time is 5.2 ms and the maximum delay time is 6.5 ms, which is less than the limit delay time of 20 ms. Compared with the control group, it achieved quite good results. It shows the effectiveness of the system designed in this paper for trick jujitsu training.
Combining AI Techniques for Recognizing Aerobics Sport Videos
Authors: Duan Meiling
Published: June 2022

In order to improve the recognition accuracy of aerobics athletes’ action features, a multifeature fusion-supported aerobics footprint recognition framework was proposed in this work. By extracting and constructing the 3D peripheral structure reconstruction scheme of the concept of aerobics footprint, we combine the fuzzy feature decomposition method to decompose the aerobics footprint image with multi-pane and suggest fusion. We further realize the similarity identification of aerobics athlete’s trajectory through the wear polymorphic liquefaction method. Simulation results have shown that our proposed method has better effect on the similarity recognition of bodybuilders’ footprints, a higher accuracy of behavior location, a satisfactory notification time, and an accurate recognition of bodybuilders’ footprints. Experiments have shown that our designed system has a small mean square error of aerobics movements and a confirmation of absolute failure. It also has a high recognition fidelity. Noticeably, the reason for the difficulty of aerobics coordination of 10 athletes and the confusion of actual coordination is small, and the accuracy of the Beer effect is high. Our method can be applied for body building, and it can provide the foundation for Game Bill.