bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Retrospectively Assessed Muscle Tone and Skin Colour following Airway Suctioning in Video-Recorded Infants Receiving Delivery Room Positive Pressure Ventilation
Authors: Berisha Gazmend , Boldingh Anne Marthe , Nakstad Britt , Blakstad Elin Wahl , Rønnestad Arild Erland , Lee Solevåg Anne
Published: January 2023

Background: Recently, the International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation published a systematic review that concluded that routine suctioning of clear amniotic fluid in the delivery room might be associated with lower oxygen saturation (SpO2) and 10 min Apgar score. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of delivery room airway suctioning on the clinical appearance, including muscle tone and skin colour, of video-recorded term and preterm infants born through mainly clear amniotic fluid. Methods: This was a single-centre observational study using transcribed video recordings of neonatal stabilizations. All infants who received delivery room positive pressure ventilation (PPV) from August 2014 to November 2016 were included. The primary outcome was the effect of airway suctioning on muscle tone and skin colour (rated 0–2 according to the Apgar score), while the secondary outcome was the fraction of infants for whom airway suction preceded the initiation of PPV as a surrogate for “routine” airway suctioning. Results: Airway suctioning was performed in 159 out of 302 video recordings and stimulated a vigorous cry in 47 (29.6%) infants, resulting in improvements in muscle tone (p = 0.09) and skin colour (p < 0.001). In 43 (27.0%) infants, airway suctioning preceded the initiation of PPV. Conclusions: In this single-centre observational study, airway suctioning stimulated a vigorous cry with resulting improvements in muscle tone and skin colour. Airway suctioning was often performed prior to the initiation of PPV, indicating a practice of routine suctioning and guideline non-compliance.
Effect of Diurnal Variation of Heart Rate and Respiratory Rate on Activation of Rapid Response System and Clinical Outcome in Hospitalized Children
Authors: Kim Lia , Yun Kyoung Sung , Park June Dong , Lee Bongjin
Published: January 2023

Heart rate and respiratory rate display circadian variation. Pediatric single-parameter rapid response system is activated when heart rate or respiratory rate deviate from age-specific criteria, though activation criteria do not differentiate between daytime and nighttime, and unnecessary activation has been reported due to nighttime bradycardia. We evaluated the relationship between rapid response system activation and the patient’s clinical outcome by separately applying the criteria to daytime and nighttime in patients < 18. The observation period was divided into daytime and nighttime (8:00–20:00, and 20:00 to 8:00), according to which measured heart rate and respiratory rate were divided and rapid response system activation criteria were applied. We classified lower nighttime than daytime values into the ‘decreased group’, and the higher ones into the ‘increased group’, to analyze their effect on cardiopulmonary resuscitation occurrence or intensive care unit transfer. Nighttime heart rate and respiratory rate were lower than the daytime ones in both groups (both p values < 0.001), with no significant association with cardiopulmonary resuscitation occurrence or intensive care unit transfer in either group. Heart rate and respiratory rate tend to be lower at nighttime; however, their effect on the patient’s clinical outcome is not significant.
Concentric Circles: A New Ultrasonographic Sign for the Diagnosis of Normal Infantile Hip Development
Authors: Laliotis Nikolaos , Chrysanthou Chrysanthos , Konstandinidis Panagiotis
Published: January 2023

Ultrasound (US) of the infant hip is used to diagnose developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH). We present a new sonographic sign that describes the periphery of the femoral head and the acetabulum as two concentric circles.During 2008–2019, 3650 infants were referred for diagnosis of DDH. All underwent a clinical and US examination. We recorded the femoral head as the inner circle, within a fixed external circle, which was identified as the acetabulum. We analysed the clinical signs and risk factors. The US sign of two concentric circles was normal in 3522 infants and was classified as normal hip development. The alpha angle was >60° in 3449 (95%) infants. For the remaining 73 (5%) infants, the alpha angle was 50–60° and underwent further follow-up examination until the alpha angle was normalised. In 128 babies (3.5%), we detected the disruption of the concentric circle sign; the femoral head was found outside the acetabulum, which appeared with an upward sloping roof and the alpha angle was <50°. These infants had DDH and received appropriate treatment. Infants with a concentric circle sign and normal alpha angle are normal, whereas those with a disrupted sign are considered as having DDH.
The Psychosocial Effect of Parental Cancer: Qualitative Interviews with Patients’ Dependent Children
Authors: Alexander Elise S. , O’Connor Moira , Halkett Georgia K. B.
Published: January 2023

Background: Children living with parental cancer are at an increased risk for various psychosocial, emotional, and behavioural problems. However, research regarding how children are affected by their parent’s diagnosis is still developing and patients’ children are typically invisible in clinical practice. This study aimed to investigate how children are affected by their parent’s cancer diagnosis, from children’s perspectives. Methods: Informed by methods of grounded theory and embedded within a social constructivist framework, twelve children (ranging from 5 to 17 years) living with a parent with cancer were interviewed using a semi-structured format assisted by a novel approach derived from play- and art-based developmental literature. Results: Findings indicate that patients’ children are constantly worried and distressed, and there are barriers that can be overcome to mitigate this. Four overarching themes were identified: (I) Feeling worried and distressed; (II) Comprehending their parent’s cancer diagnosis; (III) Being disconnected from their supports; and (IV) Needing someone to talk to. Conclusions: Children experience considerable levels of ongoing worry and distress when a parent is diagnosed with cancer and have difficulties comprehending and articulating this. They also feel a level of disconnection from their usual support systems (e.g., parents) and are limited regarding who they can seek out and talk to. Mitigating children’s ongoing worries and distress by promoting the availability and accessibility of parents and other supports to children, and reducing communication barriers between children and adults, should be a primary focus of psycho-oncology research and practice.
The Effect of Different Anesthetic Techniques on Proliferation, Apoptosis, and Gene Expression in Colon Cancer Cells: A Pilot In Vitro Study
Authors: Alexa Alexandru Leonard , Jurj Ancuta , Tomuleasa Ciprian , Tigu Adrian Bogdan , Hategan Raluca-Miorita , Ionescu Daniela
Published: January 2023

Background: Colorectal cancer is highly common and causes high mortality rates. Treatment for colorectal cancer is multidisciplinary, but in most cases the main option remains surgery. Intriguingly, in recent years, a number of studies have shown that a patient’s postoperative outcome may be influenced by certain anesthetic drugs. Our main objective was to compare the effect of propofol–total intravenous anesthesia (TIVA) with sevoflurane anesthesia and to investigate the potential role of intravenous lidocaine on colon cancer cell functions. We tested the effects of serum from colorectal cancer patients undergoing TIVA vs. sevoflurane anesthesia with or without lidocaine on HCT 116 cell lines; on proliferation, apoptosis, migration, and cell cycles; and on cancer-related gene expressions. Methods: 60 patients who were scheduled for colorectal cancer surgery were randomized into four different groups (two groups with TIVA and two groups with sevoflurane anesthesia with or without intravenous lidocaine). Blood samples were collected at the start and at the end of surgery. HCT 116 cells were exposed to the patients’ serum. Results: 15 patients were included in each of the study groups. We did not find any significant difference on cell viability or apoptosis between the study groups. However, there was an increased apoptosis in propofol groups, but this result was not statistically significant. A significant increase in the expression profile of the TP53 gene in the propofol group was registered (p = 0.029), while in the other study groups, no significant differences were reported. BCL2 and CASP3 expressions increased in the sevoflurane–lidocaine group without statistical significance. Conclusions: In our study, serum from patients receiving different anesthetic techniques did not significantly influence the apoptosis, migration, and cell cycle of HCT-116 colorectal carcinoma cells. Viability was also not significantly influenced by the anesthetic technique, except the sevoflurane–lidocaine group where it was increased. The gene expression of TP53 was significantly increased in the propofol group, which is consistent with the results of similar in vitro studies and may be one of the mechanisms by which anesthetic agents may influence the biology of cancer cells. Further studies that investigate the effects of propofol and lidocaine in different plasma concentrations on different colon cancer cell lines and assess the impacts of these findings on the clinical outcome are much needed.
A Novel Low-Profile Self-Expanding Biodegradable Percutaneous Heart Valve Frame That Grows with a Child
Authors: Ibrahim Mohamed , Nghiem Kara X. , Chung Kaitlin , Elsisy Moataz , Gosai Uma J. , Kim Seungil , Ye Sangho , Wagner William R. , Chun Youngjae
Published: January 2023

According to rough estimates, one in every 125 newborns born in the United States has a congenital cardiac abnormality that must be repaired. With the recent development of new biomaterials and innovative treatment methods, percutaneous cardiac valve replacement has been considered as an alternative to surgical procedures. While percutaneous heart valve replacement is a relatively new procedure with a few commercially available devices, the devices are not sufficiently low-profile, and do not grow with the child. To address this issue, a novel low-profile growing percutaneous pediatric heart valve frame made of two types of unique metallic biomaterials (supere lastic nitinol and biodegradable iron) has been developed through this study. The developed pediatric heart valve frame has an innovative mechanism that will expand its diameter by disconnecting biodegradable metals, enabling the growth of the device with the surrounding tissue in the cardiac space. The thermally treated iron wires show stable and gradual degradation characteristics, showing approximately 7.66% for both wires treated under 350 and 450 °C. Polymer-coated wires show a degradation range of 4.96 to 5.55% depending on the type of coating. Degradation test results show the predicted 9–23 months of degradation depending on the type of surface treatment (e.g., thermal treatment, polymer coating), which is a suitable range when compared with the theoretical arterial vessel remodeling process period in the human vascular system. Radial forces calculated by finite element analysis and measured by mechanical testing matched well, showing 5–6 N with a 20% diameter reduction considering the deployed valve frame in the heart. Biocompatibility study results demonstrated superior cell viability in thermally treated iron wires after 3 days of cell culture and showed rarely found platelets on the surface after 3-h blood exposure tests. Prototype devices were successfully fabricated using optimized advanced joining processes for dissimilar metallic materials such as nitinol and iron. This study represents the first demonstration of self-expanding and biodegradable percutaneous heart valve frames for pediatric patients that grow with a child.
A Review on Sustainable Manufacturing of Ceramic-Based Thin Films by Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD): Reactions Kinetics and the Deposition Mechanisms
Authors: Sabzi M. , Mousavi Anijdan S. , Shamsodin M. , Farzam M. , Hojjati-Najafabadi A. , Feng P. , Park N. , Lee U.
Published: January 2023

Chemical vapor deposition (CVD) is a process that a solid is formed on a substrate by the chemical reaction in the vapor phase. Employing this technology, a wide range of materials, including ceramic nanocomposite coatings, dielectrics, and single crystalline silicon materials, can be coated on a variety of substrates. Among the factors influencing the design of a CVD system are the dimensions or geometry of the substrate, substrate temperature, chemical composition of the substrate, type of the deposition process, the temperature within the chamber, purity of the target material, and the economics of the production. Three major phenomena of surface reaction (kinetic), diffusion or mass transfer reaction, and desorption reaction are involved during the CVD process. Thermodynamically, CVD technology requires high temperatures and low pressures in most systems. Under such conditions, the Gibbs free energy of the chemical system quickly reaches its lowest value, resulting in the production of solids. The kinetic control of the CVD technology should always be used at low temperatures, and the diffusion control should be done at high temperatures. The coating in the CVD technology is deposited in the temperature range of 900–1400 °C. Overall, it is shown here that by controlling the temperature of the chamber and the purity of the precursors, together with the control of the flow rate of the precursors into the chamber, it is possible to partially control the deposition rate and the microstructure of the ceramic coatings during the CVD process.
High-Temperature Steam Oxidation of Accident-Tolerant Cr/Mo-Coated Zr Alloy at 1200–1400 °C
Authors: Syrtanov Maxim , Kashkarov Egor , Abdulmenova Anastasia , Gusev Kirill , Sidelev Dmitrii
Published: January 2023

The oxidation resistance under LOCA conditions of bilayer Cr/Mo coating deposited on Zr-1Nb zirconium alloy was investigated in this paper. The bilayer Cr (8 μm)/Mo (3 μm) coatings were deposited by magnetron sputtering. Then, oxidation resistance under high-temperature oxidation at 1200–1400 °C in a water steam was studied. The use of a Mo sublayer resulted in limiting Cr-Zr interdiffusion under high-temperature oxidation. It was shown that the Mo barrier sublayer (~3 μm) can provide the protective behavior of the Cr/Mo-coated Zr at 1330 °C in a water steam for at least 720 s. The weight gain of the bilayer Cr/Mo samples was comparable with the monolayer Cr samples after oxidation at 1400 °C. In addition, the analysis of the Cr/Mo-coated Zr alloy oxidation behavior at 1400 °C was carried out.
Influence of Heat Treatment on Corrosion Resistance of Sn/Mg Films Formed by PVD Method on Hot-Dip Galvanized Steel
Authors: Hwang Sung-Hwa , Lee Seung-Hyo , Lee Myeong-Hoon
Published: January 2023

Double layers composed of Sn and Mg, each 0.8 μm thick, were fabricated on a hot-dip galvanized steel (8.4 μm) sheet using DC magnetron sputtering and post-annealing processes. With an increase in temperature, the surface morphologies were agglomerated with each other. Additionally, Sn/Mg mixture sites, including an intermetallic compound of Mg2Sn, were formed at 190 °C and locally clustered at 220 °C. In the salt-spray test, the corrosion resistance of the Sn/Mg film prepared at 190 °C was 960 h, which is longer than that at non-heat for 528 h or 220 °C for 480 h. In the polarization test, the Sn/Mg film formed at 190 °C displayed a lower corrosion current density of 1.07 μA/cm2 and potential of 1.62 V/SSCE than those at non-heat or 220 °C.
Influence of Medium–High Temperature Annealing on Microstructure and Properties of High-Power Laser Melting Deposited Ti-6Al-4V Alloy
Authors: Chen Yarong , Lv Hang , Zhang Zhenlin , Tao Shimei , Xie Shao , Li Junjie , Liu Yan , Chen Hui
Published: January 2023

A high-power laser melting deposition (HP-LMD) device with a maximum output of 5 kW was developed to enhance the production efficiency of fabricating large-scale titanium components. In this study, the medium–high temperature annealing strategy was proposed, wherein the effects of holding temperature and holding time on the residual stress, microstructure evolution, and mechanical properties of the fabricated block were evaluated. The results showed that the residual stress on the surface of the fabricated blocks reduced significantly after annealing treatment. The microstructure of as-deposited Ti-6Al-4V alloy mainly consisted of α’ martensite and basket-weave microstructure, and the aspect ratio of the martensite decreased from 22 to 6 with the increases in annealing temperature and holding time. In addition, the annealing treatments had a favorable benefit on the microhardness and tensile performance of the HP-LMD fabricated Ti-6Al-4V alloy. The optimum annealing treatment was 650 °C/2 h followed by furnace cooling. The tensile samples processed by the optimum annealing treatment exhibited excellent properties with a yield strength of 912 MPa and an elongation of 11.48%, which far exceeded the Chinese aviation standard. In addition, the results of the statistical analysis revealed that the tensile properties of heat-treated samples were superior to as-deposited samples when the aspect ratio of martensite was in the range of 9–14. The fracture mode of both the as-deposited samples and annealed samples was ductile fracture.
Research Status of Stability in Dynamic Process of Laser-Arc Hybrid Welding Based on Droplet Transfer Behavior: A Review
Authors: Liu Qingyong , Wu Di , Wang Qingzhao , Zhang Peilei , Yan Hua , Sun Tianzhu , Zeng Jie , Yan Mingliang , Liu Zhenyu , Li Ruifeng
Published: January 2023

With the synergistic effect of laser and arc heat sources, laser-arc hybrid welding (LAHW) technology can improve welding speed and penetration depth, and enhance gap-bridging ability. This review describes the fundamental concepts and characteristics of droplet transfer behavior in LAHW. Emphasis was placed on the physical interaction between the laser and arc and the effect of the combined laser/arc heat sources on the welding process. However, the physical understanding of these multivariable and complex interactions is still evolving. Through numerous research findings and summary, it is found that there are several critical factors, including the laser-to-arc distance, heat source leading mode, shielding gas composition, and laser power, affecting the droplet transfer characteristics. This review critically interprets the latest development in the basic understanding of LAHW. It lays great stress on the coupling effect of laser and arc in droplet transfer dynamic process of LAHW, and offers a direction for the future study and progress of LAHW. Significant fields for future research are also confirmed.
Influence of the Type of Cement on the Durability of Concrete Structures Exposed to Various Carbonation Environments in Greece: A Contribution to the Sustainability of Structures
Authors: Tassos Christos , Sideris Kosmas K. , Chatzopoulos Alexandros , Tzanis Emmanouel , Katsiotis Marios S.
Published: January 2023

The research objective of this paper is to investigate the effect of different types of cement and different climatic conditions on the durability of reinforced concrete structures to understand and address issues of durability and erosion. The types of cement used were CEM I 42.5N, CEM II/A-M (P-LL) 42.5N and CEM II/B-M (W-P-LL) 32.5N. Mixtures of three different cement mortars and six different concretes were prepared with these three types of cement. Cement mortars were produced according to the European standard EN 196-1. Concrete mixtures were of the strength classes C25/30 and C30/37. Concrete mixtures produced according to the specifications of the European standard EN 206 may have a shorter service life due to carbonation-induced corrosion if the choice of the cement type is not made carefully. The results indicate that the carbonation rate of concrete mixtures is significantly influenced by the type and strength class of the cement used. Using meteorological data from six regions of Greece, an empirical carbonation prediction model for these regions was obtained.
A Rare Structural Motif for a Luminescent Cu(I) Coordination Polymer with 3-(Pyridin-2-yl)triimidazotriazine
Authors: Malpicci Daniele , Blasi Delia , Marinotto Daniele , Forni Alessandra , Cariati Elena , Lucenti Elena , Carlucci Lucia
Published: January 2023

The coordination ability of the pyridine derivative of cyclic triimidazole, namely 3-(pyridin-2-yl)triimidazotriazine (TT-Py) towards Cu(I) was explored. TT-Py is an appealing nitrogen-rich ligand characterized by the presence of three imidazole nitrogen atoms with trigonal symmetry and a pyridine moiety, available for coordination to metal ions. The multidentate nature of TT-Py allows to isolate, by reaction with CuI at room temperature, the one-dimensional coordination network [Cu2I2(TT-Py)]n (1). 1 is characterized by a rare structural network built-up by the combination in a 1:2 ratio of two common motifs for Cu(I) halides coordination polymers, which are the double-stranded stair and the zig-zag chain. 1 displays one broad long-lived emission in the solid state, which has been associated, by the support of DFT and TDDFT calculation, with low-energy transitions of MLCT or XMLCT character.
Stage I Clear Cell and Serous Uterine Carcinoma: What Is the Right Adjuvant Therapy?
Authors: Lefebvre Manon , Duchatelet Mathilde , El Hajj Houssein , De Courrèges Antoine , Wallet Jennifer , Bellier Charlotte , Le Tinier Florence , Le Deley Marie , Martinez Gomez Carlos , Leblanc Eric , Narducci Fabrice , Hudry Delphine
Published: January 2023

This single-center study aimed to retrospectively evaluate the survival outcomes of patients with FIGO stage I clear cell and serous uterine carcinoma according to the type of adjuvant treatment received. The data were collected between 2003 and 2020 and only patients with stage I clear cell or serous uterine carcinoma treated with primary surgery were included. These were classified into three groups: No treatment or brachytherapy only (G1), radiotherapy +/− brachytherapy (G2), chemotherapy +/− radiotherapy +/− brachytherapy (G3). In total, we included 52 patients: 18 patients in G1, 16 in G2, and 18 in G3. Patients in the G3 group presented with poorer prognostic factors: 83.3% had serous histology, 27.8% LVSI, and 27.8% were FIGO stage IB. Patients treated with adjuvant radiotherapy showed an improved 5-year overall survival (OS) (p = 0.02) and a trend towards an enhanced 5-year progression-free survival (PFS) (p = 0.056). In contrast, OS (p = 0.97) and PFS (p = 0.84) in the chemotherapy group with poorer prognostic factors, were similar with increased toxicity (83.3%). Radiotherapy is associated with improved 5-year OS and tends to improve 5-year PFS in women with stage I clear cell and serous uterine carcinoma. Additional chemotherapy should be cautiously considered in serous carcinoma cases presenting poor histological prognostic factors.
Assurance of Timely Access to Breast Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment by a Regional Breast Health Clinic Serving Both Urban and Rural-Remote Communities
Authors: Ewart Elizabeth , Barton Anise , Chen Leo , Cuthbert Ross , Toplak Kaitlin , Burrows Andrea
Published: January 2023

In response to breast cancer diagnostic regional wait times exceeding both national and provincial standards and to symptomatic patient referrals for diagnostic mammography taking longer than abnormal screening mammography referrals, the Rae Fawcett Breast Health Clinic (RFBHC) was opened in 2017 in a mid-sized Canadian hospital serving both urban and rural-remote communities. We investigated whether the RFBHC improved wait times to breast cancer diagnosis, improved compliance with national and provincial breast cancer standards, and decreased the wait time disparity associated with referral source. Statistical analyses of wait time differences were conducted between patients who were diagnosed with breast cancer prior to and after the RFBHC establishment. Study group compliance with national and provincial standards and wait time differences by referral source were also analysed. A survey was administered to assess overall patient experience with the RFBHC and clinic wait times. RFBHC patients had a shorter mean wait to breast cancer diagnosis (24.4 vs. 45.7 days, p ≤ 0.001) and a shorter mean wait to initial breast cancer treatment (49.1 vs. 78.9 days, p ≤ 0.001) than pre-RFBHC patients. After the RFBHC establishment, patients who attended the RFBHC had a shorter mean wait time to breast cancer diagnosis (24.4 vs. 36.9 days, p = 0.005) and to initial treatment (49.1 vs. 73.1 days, p ≤ 0.001) than patients who did not attend the clinic. Compliance with national and provincial breast cancer standards improved after the RFBHC establishment and the wait time disparity between screening mammography referrals and symptomatic patient referrals decreased. Survey results indicate that the RFBHC is meeting patient expectations. We concluded that the establishment of a breast health clinic in a Canadian center serving urban and rural-remote communities improved breast diagnostic services.
Quantifying the Potential Water Filtration Capacity of a Constructed Shellfish Reef in a Temperate Hypereutrophic Estuary
Authors: Cottingham Alan , Bossie Andrew , Valesini Fiona , Tweedley James R. , Galimany Eve
Published: January 2023

Shellfish reefs have been lost from bays and estuaries globally, including in the Swan-Canning Estuary in Western Australia. As part of a national program to restore the ecosystem services that such reefs once provided and return this habitat from near extinction, the mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis was selected for a large-scale shellfish reef construction project in this estuary. To assess the potential filtration capacity of the reef, estuary seston quality, mussel feeding behavior, and valve gape activity were quantified in the laboratory and field during winter and summer. In general, estuary water contained high total particulate concentrations (7.9–8.7 mg L−1). Standard clearance rates were greater in winter (1.9 L h−1; 17 °C) than in summer (1.3 L h−1; 25 °C), the latter producing extremely low absorption efficiencies (37%). Mussel valves remained open ~97% and ~50% of the time in winter and summer, respectively. They often displayed erratic behavior in summer, possibly due to elevated temperatures and the toxic microalgae Alexandrium spp. Despite numerous stressors, the reef, at capacity, was estimated to filter 35% of the total volume of the estuary over winter, incorporating 42.7 t of organic matter into mussel tissue. The reefs would thus make a substantial contribution to improving estuary water quality.
Shapley Value as a Quality Control for Mass Spectra of Human Glioblastoma Tissues
Authors: Zavorotnyuk Denis S. , Sorokin Anatoly A. , Pekov Stanislav I. , Bormotov Denis S. , Eliferov Vasiliy A. , Bocharov Konstantin V. , Nikolaev Eugene N. , Popov Igor A.
Published: January 2023

The automatic processing of high-dimensional mass spectrometry data is required for the clinical implementation of ambient ionization molecular profiling methods. However, complex algorithms required for the analysis of peak-rich spectra are sensitive to the quality of the input data. Therefore, an objective and quantitative indicator, insensitive to the conditions of the experiment, is currently in high demand for the automated treatment of mass spectrometric data. In this work, we demonstrate the utility of the Shapley value as an indicator of the quality of the individual mass spectrum in the classification task for human brain tumor tissue discrimination. The Shapley values are calculated on the training set of glioblastoma and nontumor pathological tissues spectra and used as feedback to create a random forest regression model to estimate the contributions for all spectra of each specimen. As a result, it is shown that the implementation of Shapley values significantly accelerates the data analysis of negative mode mass spectrometry data alongside simultaneous improving the regression models’ accuracy.
A Novel Lightweight CNN Architecture for the Diagnosis of Brain Tumors Using MR Images
Authors: Reddy Kamireddy Rasool , Dhuli Ravindra
Published: January 2023

Over the last few years, brain tumor-related clinical cases have increased substantially, particularly in adults, due to environmental and genetic factors. If they are unidentified in the early stages, there is a risk of severe medical complications, including death. So, early diagnosis of brain tumors plays a vital role in treatment planning and improving a patient’s condition. There are different forms, properties, and treatments of brain tumors. Among them, manual identification and classification of brain tumors are complex, time-demanding, and sensitive to error. Based on these observations, we developed an automated methodology for detecting and classifying brain tumors using the magnetic resonance (MR) imaging modality. The proposed work includes three phases: pre-processing, classification, and segmentation. In the pre-processing, we started with the skull-stripping process through morphological and thresholding operations to eliminate non-brain matters such as skin, muscle, fat, and eyeballs. Then we employed image data augmentation to improve the model accuracy by minimizing the overfitting. Later in the classification phase, we developed a novel lightweight convolutional neural network (lightweight CNN) model to extract features from skull-free augmented brain MR images and then classify them as normal and abnormal. Finally, we obtained infected tumor regions from the brain MR images in the segmentation phase using a fast-linking modified spiking cortical model (FL-MSCM). Based on this sequence of operations, our framework achieved 99.58% classification accuracy and 95.7% of dice similarity coefficient (DSC). The experimental results illustrate the efficiency of the proposed framework and its appreciable performance compared to the existing techniques.
Exploring the Validity of Available Markers and Indices in the Diagnosis of Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) in People with Type 2 Diabetes in Saudi Arabia
Authors: Ajabnoor Ghada M. A. , Bahijri Suhad M. , Enani Sumia Mohammad , Alsheikh Lubna , Ahmed Maimoona , Alhozali Amani , Al-Shali Khalid , Eldakhakhny Basmah Medhat , Alamoudi Aliaa A. , Al-Ahmadi Jawaher , Borai Anwar , Al-Mowallad Alaa Salem , Tuomilehto Jaakko
Published: January 2023

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is common among Saudi patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM). However, recommended clinical procedures to detect it are unavailable in many locations. Therefore, better and more available diagnostic biomarkers for NAFLD are needed. Various serum parameters were suggested, and algorithms that employ routine measurements in clinical practice have been developed for the prediction of fat stores in the liver in different populations. However, no such studies have been conducted on Saudis. We aimed to compare selected biochemical markers and calculated indices in T2DM patients diagnosed with NAFLD and patients without NAFLD to find the best markers associated with NAFLD. A cross-sectional study was employed to recruit 67 people with T2DM from endocrine outpatient clinics at King Abdul-Aziz University Hospital. NAFLD was detected by ultrasonography in 28 patients. Demographic information, anthropometric, and blood pressure (BP) measurements were taken. Fasting blood samples were obtained to measure glucose, glycated haemoglobin, lipid profile, liver function tests, and highly sensitive C-reactive protein. Fatty liver index, hepatic steatosis index, NAFLD-liver fat score, and triglyceride and glucose index were calculated. Following stepwise forward likelihood ratio regression with independent variables included in one model using binary logistic regression with age and waist circumference (WC) entered as covariates, elevated diastolic BP and low high-density lipoprotein- cholesterol remained significantly associated with NAFLD (p = 0.002 and 0.03, respectively). However, none of the investigated indices could be used to diagnose the disease adequately due to low specificity, even after calculating new cut-off values. Investigating novel markers and adjusting existing equations used to calculate indices to improve sensitivity and specificity in our population is needed.
Compressed Sensing-Based Genetic Markov Localization for Mobile Transmitters
Authors: Huang Sai , Chai Yuqing , Ying Shanchuan , Chang Shuo , Xia Nan
Published: January 2023

With the strengths of quickness, low cost, and adaptability, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) communication is widely utilized in the next-generation wireless network. However, some risks and hidden dangers such as UAV “black flight” disturbances, attacks, and spying incidents lead to the necessity of the real-time supervision of UAVs. A compressed sensing-based genetic Markov localization method is proposed in this paper for two-dimensional trajectory tracking of the mobile transmitter in a finite domain, which consists of three modules: the multi-station sampling module, the reconstruction module, and the localization module. In the multi-station sampling module, multiple stations are deployed to receive the signal transmitted by the UAV using compressed sensing, and the motion model of the mobile transmitter is the constant turn rate and acceleration (CTRA) model. In the reconstruction module, we propose a direct reconstruction method to extract the joint cross-spatial spectrum. In the genetic Markov localization module, we propose a two-step localization method to genetically correct the inaccurate points in the preliminary results and generate the tracking result. Extensive simulations are conducted to verify the effectiveness of the proposed method. The results show that the proposed method is superior to the particle filter method and the Markov Monte Carlo method at all sampling moments. Specifically, when SNR = 15dB, the root-mean-square error (RMSE) of the proposed method is 39% and 60% lower than that of the other two methods, respectively. Moreover, under the premise that the RMSE of the localization result is less than 30 m, the reconstruction module can reduce the running time of the proposed method by 33.3%.
A Novel Gripper Prototype for Helical Bird Diverter Manipulation
Authors: Cacace Jonathan , Giampetraglia Lorenzo , Ruggiero Fabio , Lippiello Vincenzo
Published: January 2023

Energy grids represent a fundamental infrastructure of any country. These structures consist of many kilometres of power lines that must be periodically inspected and maintained. Among the necessary operations are installing and removing bird diverters to reduce bird strikes on power lines. These devices are intended to improve birds’ detection of power lines and reduce the risk of collision. Often, the installation and removal of bird diverters from power lines is accomplished by humans operating from helicopters or directly on the power lines. Apart from the considerable cost of these operations, working in elevated environments creates human safety risks. To reduce these risks, this paper proposes a novel solution to automatize these tasks. The proposed solution is a prototype gripper that can be mounted on unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and remotely operated to install or remove bird diverters. This work presents a mechatronic device and software architecture system that is experimentally evaluated in a laboratory mock-up, which consists of a manipulator equipped with the proposed tool for removing a bird diverter. Future work is needed to deploy the proposed tool on a UAV.
UAV Formation Trajectory Planning Algorithms: A Review
Authors: Yang Yunhong , Xiong Xingzhong , Yan Yuehao
Published: January 2023

With the continuous development of UAV technology and swarm intelligence technology, the UAV formation cooperative mission has attracted wide attention because of its remarkable function and flexibility to complete complex and changeable tasks, such as search and rescue, resource exploration, reconnaissance and surveillance. The collaborative trajectory planning of UAV formation is a key part of the task execution. This paper attempts to provide a comprehensive review of UAV formation trajectory planning algorithms. Firstly, from the perspective of global planning and local planning, a simple framework of the UAV formation trajectory planning algorithm is proposed, which is the basis of comprehensive classification of different types of algorithms. According to the proposed framework, a classification method of existing UAV formation trajectory planning algorithms is proposed, and then, different types of algorithms are described and analyzed statistically. Finally, the challenges and future research directions of the UAV formation trajectory planning algorithm are summarized and prospected according to the actual requirements. It provides reference information for researchers and workers engaged in the formation flight of UAVs.
Super-Exponential Growth in Models of a Binary String World
Authors: Villani Marco , Serra Roberto
Published: January 2023

The Theory of the Adjacent Possible (TAP) equation has been proposed as an appropriate description of super-exponential growth phenomena, where a phase of slow growth is followed by a rapid increase, leading to a “hockey stick” curve. This equation, initially conceived to describe the growth in time of the number of new types of artifacts, has also been applied to several natural phenomena. A possible drawback is that it may overestimate the number of new artifact types, since it does not take into account the fact that interactions, among existing types, may produce types which have already been previously discovered. We introduce here a Binary String World (BSW) where new string types can be generated by interactions among (at most two) already existing types. We introduce a continuous limit of the TAP equation for the BSW; we solve it analytically and show that it leads to divergence in finite time. We also introduce a criterion to distinguish this type of behavior from the familiar exponential growth, which diverges only as t → ∝. In the BSW, it is possible to directly model the generation of new types, and to check whether the newborns are actually novel types, thus discarding the rediscoveries of already existing types. We show that the type of growth is still TAP-like, rather than exponential, although of course in simulations one never can observes true divergence. We also show that this property is robust with respect to some changes in the model, as long as it deals with types (and not with individuals).
A Semantic-Enhancement-Based Social Network User-Alignment Algorithm
Authors: Huang Yuanhao , Zhao Pengcheng , Zhang Qi , Xing Ling , Wu Honghai , Ma Huahong
Published: January 2023

User alignment can associate multiple social network accounts of the same user. It has important research implications. However, the same user has various behaviors and friends across different social networks. This will affect the accuracy of user alignment. In this paper, we aim to improve the accuracy of user alignment by reducing the semantic gap between the same user in different social networks. Therefore, we propose a semantically enhanced social network user alignment algorithm (SENUA). The algorithm performs user alignment based on user attributes, user-generated contents (UGCs), and user check-ins. The interference of local semantic noise can be reduced by mining the user’s semantic features for these three factors. In addition, we improve the algorithm’s adaptability to noise by multi-view graph-data augmentation. Too much similarity of non-aligned users can have a large negative impact on the user-alignment effect. Therefore, we optimize the embedding vectors based on multi-headed graph attention networks and multi-view contrastive learning. This can enhance the similar semantic features of the aligned users. Experimental results show that SENUA has an average improvement of 6.27% over the baseline method at hit-precision30. This shows that semantic enhancement can effectively improve user alignment.
Long-Range Dependence Involutional Network for Logo Detection
Authors: Li Xingzhuo , Hou Sujuan , Zhang Baisong , Wang Jing , Jia Weikuan , Zheng Yuanjie
Published: January 2023

Logo detection is one of the crucial branches in computer vision due to various real-world applications, such as automatic logo detection and recognition, intelligent transportation, and trademark infringement detection. Compared with traditional handcrafted-feature-based methods, deep learning-based convolutional neural networks (CNNs) can learn both low-level and high-level image features. Recent decades have witnessed the great feature representation capabilities of deep CNNs and their variants, which have been very good at discovering intricate structures in high-dimensional data and are thereby applicable to many domains including logo detection. However, logo detection remains challenging, as existing detection methods cannot solve well the problems of a multiscale and large aspect ratios. In this paper, we tackle these challenges by developing a novel long-range dependence involutional network (LDI-Net). Specifically, we designed a strategy that combines a new operator and a self-attention mechanism via rethinking the intrinsic principle of convolution called long-range dependence involution (LD involution) to alleviate the detection difficulties caused by large aspect ratios. We also introduce a multilevel representation neural architecture search (MRNAS) to detect multiscale logo objects by constructing a novel multipath topology. In addition, we implemented an adaptive RoI pooling module (ARM) to improve detection efficiency by addressing the problem of logo deformation. Comprehensive experiments on four benchmark logo datasets demonstrate the effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed approach.
A Concise Account of Information as Meaning Ascribed to Symbols and Its Association with Conscious Mind
Authors: Çengel Yunus A.
Published: January 2023

The term information is used in different meanings in different fields of study and daily life, causing misunderstanding and confusion. There is a need to clarify what information is and how it relates to knowledge. It is argued that information is meaning represented by physical symbols such as sights, sounds, and words. Knowledge is meaning that resides in a conscious mind. The basic building blocks of information are symbols and meaning, which cannot be reduced to one another. The symbols of information are the physical media of representation and the means of transmission of information. Without the associated meaning, the symbols of information have no significance since meaning is an ascribed and acquired quality and not an inherent property of the symbols. We can transmit symbols of information but cannot transmit meaning from one mind to another without a common protocol or convention. A concise and cohesive framework for information can be established on the common ground of the mind, meaning, and symbols trio. Using reasoned arguments, logical consistency, and conformity with common experiences and observations as the methodology, this paper offers valuable insights to facilitate clear understanding and unifies several definitions of information into one in a cohesive manner.
Aligning HE Pedagogical Innovation with VET, Industry, and Research Partnerships: Insights on the Demola Portugal Initiative
Authors: Amante Susana , Fernandes Rosina
Published: January 2023

Academia–industry collaboration has been around for some time, but there has been a shift in both the education and workforce settings to work closely together, coordinating initiatives across all sectors, namely higher education (HE), vocational education and training (VET), and industry, in an attempt to mutually drive innovation, provide opportunities to go from concept to action, encourage entrepreneurship, improve ICT use, and other equally important hard and soft skills, aiming to bridge the existing gap between the teaching–learning arena and the business world. Aware that the VET sector, HE, the government, and industry should be devoted to forging partnerships considered key to the development of research, leading to quality, more business, and ultimately, the economic and social well-being of society, a Consortium of 14 Portuguese Polytechnic Institutions engaged in an innovative pedagogical training program, “Learning based on co-creation processes,” a project within the Demola Portugal Initiative (2021–2023), and at the Polytechnic Institute of Viseu (IPV) with reference No. POCH-04-5267-FSE-000818. This training program, with its active methodologies, is then put into practice through the “Link Me Up—1000 Ideias” project. In our study, we will focus on the needs, expectations, and experiences of the IPV teaching staff and the vocational schoolteachers that participated in the training course. Through the analysis of questionnaires and e-portfolios of the participants in the first two editions (January–June 2021 and September 2021–February 2022), we intend to answer the following questions: (i) Which facilitation skills can be meaningfully used by the teachers participating in the (Demola) Pedagogical Innovation Training course at IPV? (ii) Which tools/platforms can enhance the students’ learning and collaboration among different team members, company representatives, and trainees/facilitators? The data collected confirm that the Demola Portugal Initiative provides an effective approach to bring HE closer to the labor market and keep pace with progress and innovation.
The Concept of Observer in Science Teaching in Middle School: Pre-Instructional Knowledge as a Lever for Learning rather than an Obstacle
Authors: Stein Ben , Stein Hana , Galili Igal
Published: January 2023

This study deals with the concept of the observer in science education, which is currently significantly diminished at school. In the first part, we review the theoretical perspective of the concept, regarding its historical role in physics knowledge, cognitive aspects of learning and the relevant curricular situation. The second part of the study was devoted to the experiment, which included constructing new materials to facilitate interpretation of physical situations by inertial and non-inertial observers in teaching students in middle schools. The impact of the experimental teaching was assessed by an open questionnaire addressing content knowledge and affective perception of the new material. The significant positive results obtained testify to the feasibility of such innovative teaching. It has a strong advantage in comparison with the regular teaching in the control group. The implication of the study could be significant changes which would upgrade school physics curricula. The explicit inclusion of the inertial forces—instead of banning them, as currently practised—maturates the physics knowledge of school students while resonating with their naive views on the subject.