bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Phenotyping Brown Rot Susceptibility in Stone Fruit: A Literature Review with Emphasis on Peach
Authors: Mustafa Majid Hassan , Bassi Daniele , Corre Marie-Noëlle , Lino Leandro Oliveira , Signoret Véronique , Quilot-Turion Bénédicte , Cirilli Marco
Published: May 2021

Plant disease phenotyping methodologies can vary considerably among testers and often suffer from shortcomings in their procedures and applications. This has been an important challenge in resistance breeding to brown rot, one of the most severe pre-and postharvest stone fruit diseases caused by Monilinia spp. Literature about methodologies for evaluating stone fruit susceptibility to brown rot is abundant but displays significant variations across the described approaches, limiting the ability to compare results from different studies. This is despite the fact that authors largely agree on the main factors influencing brown rot development, such as Monilinia inocula, environmental conditions, cultivars, fruit stage, and management practices. The present review first discusses ways to control or at least account for major factors affecting brown rot phenotyping studies. The second section describes in detail the different steps of fruit infection assays, comparing different protocols available in the literature with the objective of highlighting best practices and further improvement of phenotyping for brown rot susceptibility. Finally, experimental results from multi-year evaluation trials are also reported, highlighting year-to-year variability and exploring correlations of evaluation outcomes among years and assay types, suggesting that choice of phenotyping methodology must be carefully considered in breeding programs.
Reducing Aggression by Developing Emotional and Inhibitory Control
Authors: Romero-López Miriam , Pichardo María Carmen , Justicia-Arráez Ana , Bembibre-Serrano Judit
Published: May 2021

The objective of this study is to measure the effectiveness of a program on improving inhibitory and emotional control among children. In addition, it is assessed whether the improvement of these skills has an effect on the reduction of aggressive behavior in pre-school children. The participants were 100 children, 50 belonging to the control group and 50 to the experimental group, aged between 5 and 6 years. Pre-intervention and post-intervention measures of inhibitory and emotional control (BRIEF-P) and aggression (BASC) were taken. A Generalized Linear Mixed Model analysis (GLMM) was performed and found that children in the experimental group scored higher on inhibitory and emotional control compared to their peers in the control group. In addition, these improvements have an effect on the decrease in aggressiveness. In conclusion, preventive research should have among its priorities the design of such program given their implications for psychosocial development.
The Suffering of Advanced Chronic Renal Patients and Their Relationship with Symptoms in Loja, Ecuador
Authors: Bonilla-Sierra Patricia , Vargas-Martínez Ana Magdalena , Leon-Larios Fatima , Arciniega Carrión Joselin Valeria , Jiménez Alverca Tatiana Cecibel , de las Mercedes Lomas-Campos María , González-López José Rafael
Published: May 2021

Advanced Chronic Kidney Disease (ACKD) supposes a public health problem in Ecuador that requires a comprehensive approach. In view of the scarcity of studies on the subject in this country, the objective of this research was to determine the signs and symptoms associated with the patients’ physical, social and psychological spheres that allow properly developing palliative care. A longitudinal, prospective and observational study was conducted with ACKD patients. In order to assess the symptomatic burden and suffering of these patients, the Edmonton Symptom Assessment System Revised: renal (ESAS-r) for renal patients and the Distress Thermometer (DT) were used. The sample consisted of a total of 246 patients. The most common symptoms that affect them, causing them suffering in their daily lives, are those related to well-being, difficulty falling asleep and itching. It is necessary that health professionals adapt care measures and help patients undergoing renal treatment, especially those who have suffered the disease for a longer period of time, in order to alleviate the patients’ suffering and therefore improve their daily lives. To such an end, a care plan could be designed that includes early palliative care.
Dating Violence: Idealization of Love and Romantic Myths in Spanish Adolescents
Authors: Martín-Salvador Adelina , Saddiki-Mimoun Karima , Pérez-Morente María Ángeles , Álvarez-Serrano María Adelaida , Gázquez-López María , Martínez-García Encarnación , Fernández-Gómez Elisabet
Published: May 2021

Dating violence is a significant problem among adolescents. It encompasses a variety of violent behavior, from verbal abuse to physical and sexual abuse, from threats to rape and murder. Among young people, idealization of love and romantic myths are very common as a consequence of our culture and society, which lead them to develop dysfunctional relationships that somehow favor and facilitate partner violence and sexist ideas in daily life. Education is the basic tool to eradicate discrimination and violence against women. The objective of this study is to explore the false myths of romantic love in adolescents and their related factors. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 16–19-year-old teenagers (n = 180), through questionnaires and by employing the romantic love myths scale, the ambivalent sexism inventory, and the love attitudes scale. Adolescents accepted to a greater degree the love myths associated with idealization than those related to abuse with scale values of Med = 2.72, SD = 0.55, and Med = 1.34, SD = 0.68, respectively. Designed models predict love idealization on the basis of benevolent sexism (β = 0.03; CI 95% = 0.021–0.039), religion (β = 0.198; CI 95% = 0.047–0.349), passionate love (β = 0.038; CI 95% = 0.015–0.061), practical love (β = 0.024; CI 95% = 0.001–0.047), and friendly love (β = 0.036; CI 95% = 0.014–0.058). Hostile sexism and undergraduate studies were associated with the myths that relate love and abuse (β = 0.19; CI 95% = 0.007–0.031, β = 0.208; CI 95% = 0.001–0.414, respectively).
Postoperative Vomiting Following Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy Is Associated with Intraoperative Fluid Administration: A Retrospective Cohort Study
Authors: Hsieh Chia-Yu , Poon Yan-Yuen , Ke Ting-Yu , Chiang Min-Hsien , Li Yan-Yi , Tsai Peng-Neng , Wu Shao-Chun
Published: May 2021

Potential risk factors for postoperative vomiting (POV) are important for daily anesthesia practice. To identify the risk factors associated with POV we retrospectively reviewed 553 adult patients who underwent scheduled simple laparoscopic cholecystectomy under sevoflurane-based general anesthesia between January and December 2018. Patients who experienced POV were predominantly women, had lower body weight, and higher ASA (American Society of Anesthesiologists) physical status. The POV group showed female sex predominance, lower body weight, and higher ASA physical status, with a significant difference when compared with the non-POV group. In univariate analysis, female sex and Apfel scores of 2, 3, and 4 were associated with a higher POV incidence. Age > 70 years, higher body weight, and ASA physical status III were associated with a lower POV incidence. In multivariate logistic regression, sex, age, Apfel score, and intraoperative crystalloid infusion rate were POV predictive factors. Receiver operating characteristic analysis showed a negative association between the intraoperative crystalloid infusion rate and POV occurrence with an area under the curve of 0.73 (p = 0.001). The cutoff intraoperative crystalloid infusion rate was 2 mL/kg/h with 82% sensitivity and 49% specificity (≥2 mL/kg/h was associated with a lower POV incidence vs. <2 mL/kg/h (OR, 95% CI; 0.52 [0.33–0.83])). To decrease POV in these patients, identifying high-risk factors and an intraoperative crystalloid administration of ≥2 mL/kg/h should be considered in patients undergoing LC under sevoflurane-based general anesthesia.
Insights into the Predictors of Attitude toward Entomophagy: The Potential Role of Health Literacy: A Cross-Sectional Study Conducted in a Sample of Students of the University of Florence
Authors: Lorini Chiara , Ricotta Laura , Vettori Virginia , Del Riccio Marco , Biamonte Massimiliano Alberto , Bonaccorsi Guglielmo
Published: May 2021

In Western countries, one of the main barriers to entomophagy is repulsion toward insects. Few studies have investigated the factors that influence attitudes toward entomophagy. Therefore, we conducted a cross-sectional study involving a sample of 248 university students, focusing on disgust and other potential attributes that can influence insect consumption, including health literacy. We used a 17-item self-administered questionnaire. Consistent with the literature, two items were chosen as outcome variables to evaluate the predictors of the propensity to consume insects: “Have you ever eaten insects or insect-based products?” and “How disgusting do you find eating insects?” The data analysis shows that having already eaten insects is inversely associated with the level of disgust (OR: 0.1, p < 0.01); and it is positively associated with higher levels of health literacy (OR: 3.66, p > 0.01). Additionally, having some knowledge and information about entomophagy is inversely associated with a higher level of disgust (OR: 0.44, p = 0.03 and OR: 0.25, p = 0.03, respectively), while being female is positively associated with disgust (OR: 3.26, p < 0.01). Our results suggest the potential role of health literacy, in addition to other factors, in influencing the willingness to taste insects. However, further studies involving larger and non-convenience samples are needed to confirm our hypothesis.
Burnout in Professional Psychotherapists: Relationships with Self-Compassion, Work–Life Balance, and Telepressure
Authors: Kotera Yasuhiro , Maxwell-Jones Robert , Edwards Ann-Marie , Knutton Natalie
Published: May 2021

Though negative impacts of COVID-19 on occupational mental health have been reported, the mental health of psychotherapists has not been evaluated in depth. As this occupational group treats ever-increasing mental health problems, it is essential to appraise key factors for their mental health. Accordingly, this study aimed to explore burnout of professional psychotherapists. A total of 110 participants completed self-report measures regarding burnout, self-compassion, work–life balance and telepressure. Correlation, regression and moderation analyses were conducted. Both of the burnout components—emotional exhaustion and depersonalisation—were positively associated with weekly working hours and telepressure, and negatively associated with age, self-compassion and work–life balance. Weekly working hours and work–life balance were significant predictors of emotional exhaustion and depersonalisation. Lastly, self-compassion partially mediated the relationship between work–life balance and emotional exhaustion but did not mediate the relationship between work–life balance and depersonalisation. The findings suggest that maintaining high work–life balance is particularly important for the mental health of psychotherapists, protecting them from burnout. Moreover, self-compassion needs to be cultivated to mitigate emotional exhaustion. Mental health care for this occupational group needs to be implemented to achieve sustainable mental health care for workers and the public.
Morphology of the Patellar Tendon and the Contractility Response of the Quadriceps: Symmetry and Gender Analysis
Authors: Abián Pablo , Martínez Fernando , Jiménez Fernando , Abián-Vicén Javier
Published: May 2021

The purpose of the study was to describe the differences between the dominant and non-dominant leg regarding contractility response and quadriceps strength and the morphology and stiffness of the patellar tendon (PT) in a group of physically active men and women. Fifty physically active subjects (36 men and 14 women) were evaluated for morphology and stiffness of the PT, contractility response of the rectus femoris of the quadriceps, isometric strength of the quadriceps and hamstrings, and isokinetic strength (concentric and eccentric) at 60°/s of the knee extensors. The measurements were made on the subject’s dominant and non-dominant leg. The men showed a greater thickness of the PT in both legs compared to the women. Regarding the contractility response, the women recorded a 10.1 ± 16.2% (p = 0.038) greater contraction time (ct) in the dominant versus the non-dominant leg and the men recorded 11.9% (p = 0.040) higher values in the dominant leg compared to the women. In all the absolute strength measurements the men recorded higher values (p < 0.05) than the women, however, when the values were normalised with respect to the muscle mass of the leg these differences disappeared. The dominant leg showed values of isometric strength and eccentric strength at 60°/s (p < 0.05) greater than the non-dominant leg. The reference values provided in this study of the knee extensors and PT may be useful for detecting possible muscular or tendinous anomalies.
The Relationship between Physical Activity, Mobile Phone Addiction, and Irrational Procrastination in Chinese College Students
Authors: Shi Mengyao , Zhai Xiangyu , Li Shiyuan , Shi Yuqing , Fan Xiang
Published: May 2021

The aim of the current study was to examine the associations between physical activity, mobile phone addiction, and irrational procrastination after adjustment for potential confounding variables. The participants were 6294 first- and second-year students recruited as a cluster sample from three public universities in Shanghai, China. Physical activity, mobile phone use, and irrational procrastination were assessed using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire-Short Form (IPAQ-SF), the mobile phone addiction index scale (MPAI), and the irrational procrastination scale (IPS). The participants were divided into four groups according to their mobile phone usage status and physical activity level. The binary logistic regression model was used to predict the probability of serious irrational procrastination among different groups. The emergence of serious of irrational procrastination under physical activity of different intensity and different mobile phone addiction statuses was predicted by a multiple linear regression model. In this study, the combination of insufficient physical activity and mobile phone addiction is positively associated with high levels of irrational procrastination. Furthermore, students who exhibited both mobile phone addiction behaviors and insufficient physical activity tended to have significantly higher odds of reporting high levels of irrational procrastination than those students who exhibited one behavior or neither behavior. After adjusting for the effects of age, BMI, tobacco, alcohol use, and sedentary time, the result is consistent with previous outcomes. These findings suggest that intervention efforts should focus on the promotion of physical activity and reduction of mobile phone addiction.
Geocoding Freeform Placenames: An Example of Deciphering the Czech National Immigration Database
Authors: Šimbera Jan , Drbohlav Dušan , Štych Přemysl
Published: May 2021

The growth of international migration and its societal and political impacts bring a greater need for accurate data to measure, understand and control migration flows. However, in the Czech immigration database, the birthplaces of immigrants are only kept in freeform text fields, a substantial obstacle to their further processing due to numerous errors in transcription and spelling. This study overcomes this obstacle by deploying a custom geocoding engine based on GeoNames, tailored transcription rules and fuzzy matching in order to achieve good accuracy even for noisy data while not depending on third-party services, resulting in lower costs than the comparable approaches. The results are presented on a subnational level for the immigrants coming to Czechia from the USA, Ukraine, Moldova and Vietnam, revealing important spatial patterns that are invisible on the national level.
Autonomous Flight Trajectory Control System for Drones in Smart City Traffic Management
Authors: Nguyen Dinh Dung , Rohacs Jozsef , Rohacs Daniel
Published: May 2021

With the exponential growth of numerous drone operations ranging from infrastructure monitoring to even package delivery services, the integration of UAS in the smart city transportation systems is an actual task that requires radically new, sustainable (safe, secure, with minimum environmental impact and life cycle cost) solutions. The primary objective of this proposed option is the definition of routes as desired and commanded trajectories and their autonomous execution. The airspace structure and fixed routes are given in the global GPS reference system with supporting GIS mapping. The concept application requires a series of further studies and solutions as drone trajectory (or corridor) following by an autonomous trajectory tracking control system, coupled with autonomous conflict detection, resolution, safe drone following, and formation flight options. The second part of the paper introduces such possible models and shows some results of their verification tests. Drones will be connected with the agency, designed trajectories to support them with factual information on trajectories and corridors. While the agency will use trajectory elements to design fixed or desired trajectories, drones may use the conventional GPS, infrared, acoustic, and visual sensors for positioning and advanced navigation. The accuracy can be improved by unique markers integrated into the infrastructure.
A Comparison of Single-Entry and Multiple-Entry Casing Impingement Manifolds for Active Thermal Tip Clearance Control
Authors: Dhopade Priyanka , Kirollos Benjamin , Ireland Peter , Lewis Leo
Published: May 2021

In this paper, we compare using computational fluid dynamics the aero-thermal performance of two candidate casing manifolds for supplying an impingement-actuated active tip clearance control system for an aero-engine high-pressure turbine. The two geometries are (a) single-entry: an annular manifold fed at one circumferential location; (b) multiple-entry: a casing manifold split into four annular sectors, with each sector supplied separately from an annular ring main. Both the single-entry and multiple-entry systems analysed in this paper are idealised versions of active clearance control systems in current production engines. Aero-thermal performance is quantitatively assessed on the basis of the heat transfer coefficient distribution, driving temperature difference for heat transfer between the jet and casing wall and total pressure loss within the high-pressure turbine active clearance control system. We predict that the mean heat transfer coefficient (defined with respect to the inlet temperature and local wall temperature) of the single-entry active clearance control system is 77% greater than the multiple-entry system, primarily because the coolant in the multiple-entry case picks up approximately 40 K of temperature from the ring main walls, and secondarily because the average jet Reynolds number of impingement holes in the single-entry system is 1.2 times greater than in the multiple-entry system. The multiple-entry system exhibits many local hot and cold spots, depending on the position of the transfer boxes, while the single-entry case has a more predictable aero-thermal field across the system. The multiple-entry feed system uses an average of 20% of the total available pressure drop, while the feed system for the single-entry geometry uses only 2% of the total available pressure drop. From the aero-thermal results of this computational study, and in consideration of holistic aero-engine design factors, we conclude that a single-entry system is closer to an optimal solution than a multiple-entry system.
A Hybrid Model for Air Quality Prediction Based on Data Decomposition
Authors: Fan Shurui , Hao Dongxia , Feng Yu , Xia Kewen , Yang Wenbiao
Published: May 2021

Accurate and reliable air quality predictions are critical to the ecological environment and public health. For the traditional model fails to make full use of the high and low frequency information obtained after wavelet decomposition, which easily leads to poor prediction performance of the model. This paper proposes a hybrid prediction model based on data decomposition, choosing wavelet decomposition (WD) to generate high-frequency detail sequences WD(D) and low-frequency approximate sequences WD(A), using sliding window high-frequency detail sequences WD(D) for reconstruction processing, and long short-term memory (LSTM) neural network and autoregressive moving average (ARMA) model for WD(D) and WD(A) sequences for prediction. The final prediction results of air quality can be obtained by accumulating the predicted values of each sub-sequence, which reduces the root mean square error (RMSE) by 52%, mean absolute error (MAE) by 47%, and increases the goodness of fit (R2) by 18% compared with the single prediction model. Compared with the mixed model, reduced the RMSE by 3%, reduced the MAE by 3%, and increased the R2 by 0.5%. The experimental verification found that the proposed prediction model solves the problem of lagging prediction results of single prediction model, which is a feasible air quality prediction method.
Sub-Tree-Based Approach for Reconfiguration of Light-Tree Pair without Flow Interruption in Sparse Wavelength Converter Network
Authors: Atta Amanvon Ferdinand , Adépo Joël Christian , Cousin Bernard , Oumtanaga Souleymane
Published: May 2021

Network reconfiguration is an important mechanism for network operators to optimize network performance and optical flow transfer. It concerns unicast and multicast connections. Multicast connections are required to meet the bandwidth requirements of multicast applications, such as Internet Protocol-based TeleVision (IPTV), distance learning, and telemedicine. In optical networks, a multicast connection is made possible by the creation of an optical tree-shaped path called a light-tree. The problem of light-tree pair reconfiguration is addressed in this study. Given an initial light-tree used to transfer an optical flow and a final light-tree that is computed by the network operator to optimize network performance, the goal is to migrate the optical flow from the initial light-tree to the final light-tree without flow interruption. Flow interruption is not desirable for network operators because it forces them to pay financial penalties to their customers. To solve this problem, existing methods use a branch approach that is inefficient if some network nodes do not have wavelength conversion capability. Therefore, we proposed in this study a sub-tree-based method. This approach selects and configures sub-tree pairs from the light-tree pair (initial light-tree, final light-tree) to be reconfigured. Then, we produce a sequence of configurations. The performance study confirms that our method is efficient in solving the problem of light-tree pair reconfiguration because our method does not cause flow interruption.
Effect of Cereal α-Amylase/Trypsin Inhibitors on Developmental Characteristics and Abundance of Digestive Enzymes of Mealworm Larvae (Tenebrio molitor L.)
Authors: Sagu Sorel Tchewonpi , Landgräber Eva , Henkel Ina M. , Huschek Gerd , Homann Thomas , Bußler Sara , Schlüter Oliver K. , Rawel Harshadrai
Published: May 2021

The objective of this work was to investigate the potential effect of cereal α-amylase/trypsin inhibitors (ATIs) on growth parameters and selective digestive enzymes of Tenebrio molitor L. larvae. The approach consisted of feeding the larvae with wheat, sorghum and rice meals containing different levels and composition of α-amylase/trypsin inhibitors. The developmental and biochemical characteristics of the larvae were assessed over feeding periods of 5 h, 5 days and 10 days, and the relative abundance of α-amylase and selected proteases in larvae were determined using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. Overall, weight gains ranged from 21% to 42% after five days of feeding. The larval death rate significantly increased in all groups after 10 days of feeding (p < 0.05), whereas the pupation rate was about 25% among larvae fed with rice (Oryza sativa L.) and Siyazan/Esperya wheat meals, and only 8% and 14% among those fed with Damougari and S35 sorghum meals. As determined using the Lowry method, the protein contents of the sodium phosphate extracts ranged from 7.80 ± 0.09 to 9.42 ± 0.19 mg/mL and those of the ammonium bicarbonate/urea reached 19.78 ± 0.16 to 37.47 ± 1.38 mg/mL. The total protein contents of the larvae according to the Kjeldahl method ranged from 44.0 and 49.9 g/100 g. The relative abundance of α-amylase, CLIP domain-containing serine protease, modular serine protease zymogen and C1 family cathepsin significantly decreased in the larvae, whereas dipeptidylpeptidase I and chymotrypsin increased within the first hours after feeding (p < 0.05). Trypsin content was found to be constant independently of time or feed material. Finally, based on the results we obtained, it was difficult to substantively draw conclusions on the likely effects of meal ATI composition on larval developmental characteristics, but their effects on the digestive enzyme expression remain relevant.
Global Warming, Advancing Bloom and Evidence for Pollinator Plasticity from Long-Term Bee Emergence Monitoring
Authors: Cane James
Published: May 2021

Global warming is extending growing seasons in temperate zones, yielding earlier wildflower blooms. Short-term field experiments with non-social bees showed that adult emergence is responsive to nest substrate temperatures. Nonetheless, some posit that global warming will decouple bee flight and host bloom periods, leading to pollination shortfalls and bee declines. Resolving these competing scenarios requires evidence for bees’ natural plasticity in their annual emergence schedules. This study reports direct observations spanning 12–24 years for annual variation in the earliest nesting or foraging activities by 1–4 populations of four native ground-nesting bees: Andrena fulva (Andrenidae), Halictus rubicundus (Halictidae), Habropoda laboriosa and Eucera (Peponapis) pruinosa (Apidae). Calendar dates of earliest annual bee activity ranged across 25 to 45 days, approximating reported multi-decadal ranges for published wildflower bloom dates. Within a given year, the bee H. rubicundus emerged in close synchrony at multiple local aggregations, explicable if meteorological factors cue emergence. Emergence dates were relatable to thermal cues, such as degree day accumulation, soil temperature at nesting depth, and the first pulse of warm spring air temperatures. Similar seasonal flexibilities in bee emergence and wildflower bloom schedules bodes well for bees and bloom to generally retain synchrony despite a warming climate. Future monitoring studies can benefit from several simple methodological improvements.
A Review of Effects of Environment on Brain Size in Insects
Authors: Carle Thomas
Published: May 2021

Brain size fascinates society as well as researchers since it is a measure often associated with intelligence and was used to define species with high “intellectual capabilities”. In general, brain size is correlated with body size. However, there are disparities in terms of relative brain size between species that may be explained by several factors such as the complexity of social behaviour, the ‘social brain hypothesis’, or learning and memory capabilities. These disparities are used to classify species according to an ‘encephalization quotient’. However, environment also has an important role on the development and evolution of brain size. In this review, I summarise the recent studies looking at the effects of environment on brain size in insects, and introduce the idea that the role of environment might be mediated through the relationship between olfaction and vision. I also discussed this idea with studies that contradict this way of thinking.
The Design and Development of a Foldable Wheelchair Stretcher
Authors: Lim Shao Hng , Ng Poh Kiat
Published: May 2021

This study extends a previous research that conceptualised a foldable wheelchair stretcher (FWS) by furthering its design and development process. The material and component selections are accounted for in this study. Simulations are done using different loads to analyse the stress, displacement and safety factor of the stretcher design. Bending and maximum load analyses are used to inspect possibilities of deformation. The usability tests evaluated the (1) regular, (2) folding and (3) alternate functions of the stretcher. The data for tests 1 and 2 are analysed using t-tests, while test 3 data are analysed using an observational checklist. The FWS performed its regular function significantly slower than the normal stretcher by about 2 s due to its heavier weight. Its performance can still be considered akin to a regular stretcher’s performance. The FWS’s folding function performed significantly faster than the normal stretcher due to its simpler design. The angle increment test could not be executed due to technical constraints and the wheelchair function is tested without a seated user. However, the manoeuvrability of the FWS as a wheelchair was successfully verified. Finally, a cost analysis concluded that a commercial-ready FWS can be sold at 600 MYR, which is relatively cheaper compared to its competitors.
Availability Modeling and Performance Improving of a Healthcare Internet of Things (IoT) System
Authors: Tang Shensheng , Xie Yi
Published: May 2021

Internet of Things (IoT) is improving human life in a more convenient and simpler way. One of the most promising IoT applications is healthcare. In this paper, an availability model of a healthcare IoT system is proposed which is composed of two groups of structures described by separate Markov state-space models. The two separate models are analyzed and combined to implement the whole IoT system modeling. The system balance equations are solved under a given scenario and some performance metrics of interest, such as probabilities of full service, degraded service, and the system unavailability, are derived. Detailed numerical evaluation of selected metrics is provided for further understanding and verification of the analytic results. An availability performance improving (API) method is also proposed for increasing the probability of system full service and decreasing the system unavailability. The proposed system modeling and performance improving method can serve as a useful reference for general IoT system design and evaluation.
High Accommodative Convergence/Accommodation Ratio Consecutive Esotropia Following Surgery for Intermittent Exotropia: Clinical Feature, Diagnosis, and Treatment
Authors: Lee Byung Joo , Lim Hyun Taek
Published: May 2021

Consecutive esotropia is a common and stereopsis-threatening consequence of surgery for intermittent exotropia. However, too little attention has been paid to the accommodative convergence per accommodation (AC/A) ratio in this condition. We aimed to describe the clinical features of patients who developed consecutive esotropia with a high AC/A following surgery for intermittent exotropia, compared to those with normal AC/A. In this retrospective cohort study, we identified 54 patients with consecutive esotropia who remained esotropic at one month after surgery. Patients were divided into two groups: normal AC/A and high AC/A groups. Clinical features and outcomes were compared between the two groups. Fourteen (25.9%) of the 54 were classified as high AC/A consecutive esotropia. Good preoperative control at near was the only significant preoperative factor associated with the development of high AC/A consecutive esotropia. Bifocal glasses were prescribed for all patients with high AC/A consecutive esotropia, and 11 (78.6%) of them achieved satisfactory alignment at distance and near fixations using bifocals. Patients with high AC/A consecutive esotropia had a significantly more successful alignment (0.9 vs. 13.0 prism diopters, p < 0.001) and better stereopsis (67.9 vs. 670.0 arc seconds, p = 0.04) than the normal AC/A counterparts at the final follow-up. We suggest that high AC/A consecutive esotropia could be successfully managed by wearing bifocals in most cases. A high AC/A ratio in patients with consecutive esotropia may be considered as a clinical marker heralding a better prognosis.
A Comparison of the Correlation of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index 2000 (SLEDAI-2K) and Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Score (SLE-DAS) with Health-Related Quality of Life
Authors: Lai Ning-Sheng , Lu Ming-Chi , Chang Hsiu-Hua , Lo Hui-Chin , Hsu Chia-Wen , Huang Kuang-Yung , Tung Chien-Hsueh , Hsu Bao-Bao , Wu Cheng-Han , Koo Malcolm
Published: May 2021

Background and Aim: The aim of this study was to compare the correlation of a recently developed systemic lupus erythematosus disease activity score (SLE-DAS) with the SLE disease activity index 2000 (SLEDAI-2K) with the Lupus Quality of Life questionnaire (LupusQoL) in Taiwanese patients with SLE. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in a regional teaching hospital in Taiwan from April to August 2019. Adult patients with a clinician-confirmed diagnosis of SLE based on the 1997 American College of Rheumatology revised criteria or the 2012 Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics Classification Criteria were recruited. SLE disease activity was measured with both SLEDAI-2K and SLE-DAS. Disease-specific quality of life was assessed using the LupusQoL. Results: Of the 333 patients with SLE in this study, 90.4% were female and 40% were between the ages of 20 and 39 years. The median SLEDAI-2K score was 4.00 (interquartile range [IQR] 2.00–7.50) and the median SLE-DAS score was 2.08 (IQR 1.12–8.24) in our patients with SLE. After adjusting for sex and age intervals, both SLEDAI-2k and SLE-DAS were significantly and inversely associated with all eight domains of LupusQoL. The magnitudes of the mean absolute error, root mean square error, Akaike Information Criterion, Bayesian Information Criterion, and coefficient of determination were comparable between SLEDAI-2K and SLE-DAS. Conclusions: There were no clear differences in the use of SLE-DAS over SLEDAI-2K in assessing HRQoL in patients with SLE. We suggest that, in this aspect, both SLEDAI-2K and SLE-DAS are effective tools for measuring disease activity in patients with SLE.
Seeking Strategies to Optimize Blood Utilization: The Preliminary Experience with Implementing a Patient Blood Management Program in a Greek Tertiary Hospital
Authors: Tsante Aimilia , Papandreadi Anastasia , Tsantes Andreas G. , Kyriakou Elias , Douramani Panagiota , Loukopoulou Electra , Gialeraki Argyri , Kokoris Styliani I. , Kypraiou Athina , Poulis Aristarchos , Kopterides Petros , Piovani Daniele , Bonovas Stefanos , Valsami Serena , Tsantes Argirios E.
Published: May 2021

Objectives: Our aim was to assess blood utilization after implementation of a patient blood management (PBM) program in a Greek tertiary hospital. Methods: An electronic transfusion request form and a prospective audit of transfusion practice were implemented. After the one-year implementation period, a retrospective review was performed to assess transfusion practice in medical patients. Results: Pre-PBM, a total of 9478 RBC units were transfused (mean: 1.75 units per patient) compared with 9289 transfused units (mean: 1.57 units per patient) post-PBM. Regarding the post-PBM period, the mean hemoglobin (Hb) level of the 3099 medical patients without comorbidities transfused was 7.19 ± 0.79 gr/dL. Among them, 2065 (66.6%) had Hb levels >7.0 gr/dL, while 167 (5.3%) had Hb levels >8.0 gr/dL. In addition, 331 (25.3%) of the transfused patients with comorbidities had Hb >8.0 gr/dL. The Hb transfusion thresholds significantly differed across the clinics (p < 0.001), while 21.8% of all medical non-bleeding patients received more than one RBC unit transfusion. Conclusion: A poor adherence with the restrictive transfusion threshold of 7.0 gr/dL was observed. The adoption of a less strict threshold might be a temporary step to allow physicians to become familiar with the program and be informed on the safety and advantages of the restrictive transfusion strategy.
Extended Precordial T Wave Inversions Are Associated with Right Ventricular Enlargement and Poor Prognosis in Pulmonary Hypertension
Authors: Waligóra Marcin , Gliniak Matylda , Bylica Jan , Pasieka Paweł , Łączak Patrycja , Podolec Piotr , Kopeć Grzegorz
Published: May 2021

In pulmonary hypertension (PH), T wave inversions (TWI) are typically observed in precordial leads V1–V3 but can also extend further to the left-sided leads. To date, the cause and prognostic significance of this extension have not yet been assessed. Therefore, we aimed to assess the relationship between heart morphology and precordial TWI range, and the role of TWI in monitoring treatment efficacy and predicting survival. We retrospectively analyzed patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) treated in a reference pulmonary hypertension center. Patients were enrolled if they had a cardiac magnetic resonance (cMR) and 12-lead surface ECG performed at the time of assessment. They were followed from October 2008 until March 2021. We enrolled 77 patients with PAH and 56 patients with inoperable CTEPH. They were followed for a mean of 51 ± 33.5 months, and during this time 47 patients died (35.3%). Precordial TWI in V1–V6 were present in 42 (31.6%) patients, while no precordial TWI were observed only in 9 (6.8%) patients. The precordial TWI range correlated with markers of PH severity, including right ventricle to left ventricle volume RVEDVLVEDV (R = 0.76, p < 0.0001). The presence of TWI in consecutive leads from V1 to at least V5 predicted severe RV dilatation (RVEDVLVEDV ≥ 2.3) with a sensitivity of 88.9% and specificity of 84.1% (AUC of 0.90, 95% CI = 0.83–0.94, p < 0.0001). Presence of TWI from V1 to at least V5 was also a predictor of mortality in Kaplan–Meier estimation (p = 0.02). Presence of TWI from V1 to at least V5 had a specificity of 64.3%, sensitivity of 58.1%, negative predictive value of 75%, and positive predictive value of 45.5% as a mortality predictor. In patients showing a reduction in TWI range of at least one lead after treatment compared with patients without this reduction, we observed a significant improvement in RV-EDV and RV−EDVLV−EDV. We concluded that the extension of TWI to left-sided precordial leads reflects significant pathological alterations in heart geometry represented by an increase in RV/LV volume and predicts poor survival in patients with PAH and CTEPH. Additionally, we found that analysis of precordial TWI range can be used to monitor the effectiveness of hemodynamic response to treatment of pulmonary hypertension.
Air Pollution Increases the Incidence of Upper Respiratory Tract Symptoms among Polish Children
Authors: Ratajczak Aleksandra , Badyda Artur , Czechowski Piotr Oskar , Czarnecki Adam , Dubrawski Michał , Feleszko Wojciech
Published: May 2021

A substantial proportion of airway disease’s global burden is attributable to exposure to air pollution. This study aimed to investigate the association between air pollution, assessed as concentrations of particulate matter PM2.5 and PM10 on the upper respiratory tract symptoms (URTS) in children. A nation-wide, questionnaire-based study was conducted in Poland in winter 2018/2019 in a population of 1475 children, comparing URTS throughout the study period with publicly available data on airborne particulate matter. A general regression model was used to evaluate the lag effects between daily changes in PM10 and PM2.5 and the number of children reporting URTS and their severity. PM10 and PM2.5 in the single-pollutant models had significant effects on the number of children reporting URTS. The prevalence of URTS: “runny nose”, “sneezing” and “cough” was positively associated with 12-week mean PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations. In the locations with the highest average concentration of PM, the symptoms of runny nose, cough and sneezing were increased by 10%, 9% and 11%, respectively, compared to the cities with the lowest PM concentrations. This study showed that moderate-term exposure (12 week observation period) to air pollution was associated with an increased risk of URTS among children aged 3–12 years in Poland. These findings may influence public debate and future policy at the national and international levels to improve air quality in cities and improve children’s health.
Evaluation of Strength and Muscle Activation Indicators in Sticking Point Region of National-Level Paralympic Powerlifting Athletes
Authors: Aidar Felipe J. , Clemente Filipe Manuel , Matos Dihogo Gama de , Marçal Anderson Carlos , de Souza Raphael Fabrício , Moreira Osvaldo Costa , Almeida-Neto Paulo Francisco de , Vilaça-Alves José , Garrido Nuno Domingos , dos Santos Jymmys Lopes , Jeffreys Ian , Neto Frederico Ribeiro , Reis Victor Machado , Cabral Breno Guilherme de Araújo Tinoco , Rosemann Thomas , Knechtle Beat
Published: May 2021

Background: The sticking region is considered an intervening factor in the performance of the bench press with high loads. Objective: To evaluate the strength indicators in the sticking point region in Powerlifting Paralympic athletes. Methods: Twelve Brazilian Powerlifting Paralympic athletes performed maximum isometric force (MIF), rate of force development (RFD), time at MIF, velocity, dynamic time in sticking, and surface electromyography in several distances from the bar to the chest. Results: For velocity, there was a difference between the pre-sticking and sticking region (1.98 ± 0.32 and 1.30 ± 0.43, p = 0.039) and dynamic time between the pre-sticking and the sticking region (0.40 ± 0.16 and 0.97 ± 0.37, p = 00.021). In static test for the MIF, differences were found between 5.0 cm and 15.0 cm (CI 95% 784; 1088; p = 0.010) and between 10.0 cm and 5.0 cm (CI 95% 527; 768; p < 0.001). Regarding the RFD, differences were found (CI 95% 938; 1240; p = 0.004) between 5.0 cm and 25.0 cm and between 10.0 cm and 25.0 cm (CI 95% 513; 732; p < 0.001). In relation to time, there were differences between 5.0 cm and 15.0 cm (CI 95% 0.330; 0.515; p < 0.001), 5.0 cm, and 25.0 cm (CI 95% 0.928; 1.345; p = 0.001), 10.0 cm and 15.0 cm (p < 0.05) and 15.0 cm and 25.0 cm (p < 0.05). No significant differences were observed between the muscles in electromyography, although the triceps showed the highest muscle activation values. Conclusions: The maximum isometric force, rate of force development, time, velocity, and dynamic time had lower values, especially in the initial and intermediate phases in the sticking region.
The Effect of MQL on Tool Wear Progression in Low-Frequency Vibration-Assisted Drilling of CFRP/Ti6Al4V Stack Material
Authors: Hussein Ramy , Sadek Ahmad , Elbestawi Mohamed A. , Attia Helmi
Published: May 2021

In this paper, the tool wear mechanisms for low-frequency vibration-assisted drilling (LF-VAD) of carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP)/Ti6Al4V stacks are investigated at various machining parameters. Based on the kinematics analysis, the effect of vibration amplitude on the chip formation, uncut chip thickness, chip radian, and axial velocity are examined. Subsequently, the effect of LF-VAD on the cutting temperature, tool wear, delamination, and geometrical accuracy was evaluated for different vibration amplitudes. The LF-VAD with the utilization of minimum quantity lubricant (MQL) resulted in a successful drilling process of 50 holes, with a 63% reduction in the cutting temperature. For the rake face, LF-VAD reduced the adhered height of Ti6Al4V by 80% at the low cutting speed and reduced the crater depth by 33% at the high cutting speed. On the other hand, LF-VAD reduced the flank wear land by 53%. Furthermore, LF-VAD showed a significant enhancement on the CFRP delamination, geometrical accuracy, and burr formation.
A Backseat Control Architecture for a Slocum Glider
Authors: Wang Yaomei , Bulger Craig , Thanyamanta Worakanok , Bose Neil
Published: May 2021

Adaptive sampling provides an innovative and favorable method of improving the effectiveness of underwater vehicles in collecting data. Adaptive sampling works by controlling an underwater vehicle by using measurements from sensors and states of the vehicle. A backseat driver system was developed in this work and installed on a Slocum glider to equip it with an ability to perform adaptive sampling tasks underwater. This backseat driver communicated with the main vehicle control system of the glider through a robot operating system (ROS) interface. The external control algorithms were implemented through ROS nodes, which subscribed simulated sensor measurements and states of the glider and published desired states to the glider. The glider was set up in simulation mode to test the performance of the backseat driver as integrated into the control architecture of the glider. Results from the tests revealed that the backseat driver could effectively instruct the depth, heading, and waypoints as well as activate or deactivate behaviors adaptively. The developed backseat driver will be tested in future field experiments with sensors included and safety rules implemented before being applied in adaptive sampling missions such as adaptive oil spill sampling.
Northward Spread of the Parrotfish Sparisoma cretense (Teleostei: Scaridae) in the Mediterranean Sea: An Update on Current Distribution with Two New Records from Sardinia
Authors: Esposito Giuseppe , Prearo Marino , Menconi Vasco , Mugetti Davide , Meloni Domenico , Tomasoni Mattia , Pizzul Elisabetta , Piras Pierluigi , Renzi Monia , Gaspa Dario , Pastorino Paolo
Published: May 2021

The parrotfish Sparisoma cretense, a marine species native to the eastern and southern coastal areas of the Mediterranean, has extended its distribution northward. Here, we provide an update on its distribution based on currently published data and two new records from the coastline of Sardinia, Italy (central-western Mediterranean). The survey methods were scuba diving and spearfishing: one specimen of S. cretense was caught along the Argentiera coastline (northwest Mediterranean) and the others were photographed in the Gulf of Orosei, Osalla Bay (central-eastern Mediterranean). A literature update, together with new records, documents the distribution of this species in the northernmost areas of the Mediterranean. Probably a result of global warming, the ongoing northward expansion of S. cretense highlights the need for sampling campaigns to obtain timely updates on population and distribution of this thermophilic species.
An Estimation of Ship Collision Risk Based on Relevance Vector Machine
Authors: Park Jinwan , Jeong Jung-Sik
Published: May 2021

According to the statistics of maritime collision accidents over the last five years (2016–2020), 95% of the total maritime collision accidents are caused by human factors. Machine learning algorithms are an emerging approach in judging the risk of collision among vessels and supporting reliable decision-making prior to any behaviors for collision avoidance. As the result, it can be a good method to reduce errors caused by navigators’ carelessness. This article aims to propose an enhanced machine learning method to estimate ship collision risk and to support more reliable decision-making for ship collision risk. In order to estimate the ship collision risk, the conventional support vector machine (SVM) was applied. Regardless of the advantage of the SVM to resolve the uncertainty problem by using the collected ships’ parameters, it has inherent weak points. In this study, the relevance vector machine (RVM), which can present reliable probabilistic results based on Bayesian theory, was applied to estimate the collision risk. The proposed method was compared with the results of applying the SVM. It showed that the estimation model using RVM is more accurate and efficient than the model using SVM. We expect to support the reasonable decision-making of the navigator through more accurate risk estimation, thus allowing early evasive actions.