bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Generative Adversarial Networks in Retinal Image Classification
Authors: Mercaldo Francesco , Brunese Luca , Martinelli Fabio , Santone Antonella , Cesarelli Mario
Published: September 2023

The recent introduction of generative adversarial networks has demonstrated remarkable capabilities in generating images that are nearly indistinguishable from real ones. Consequently, both the academic and industrial communities have raised concerns about the challenge of differentiating between fake and real images. This issue holds significant importance, as images play a vital role in various domains, including image recognition and bioimaging classification in the biomedical field. In this paper, we present a method to assess the distinguishability of bioimages generated by a generative adversarial network, specifically using a dataset of retina images. Once the images are generated, we train several supervised machine learning models to determine whether these classifiers can effectively discriminate between real and fake retina images. Our experiments utilize a deep convolutional generative adversarial network, a type of generative adversarial network, and demonstrate that the generated images, although visually imperceptible as fakes, are correctly identified by a classifier with an F-Measure greater than 0.95. While the majority of the generated images are accurately recognized as fake, a few of them are not classified as such and are consequently considered real retina images.
Reduced Salivary Flow Rate and Increased Caries Susceptibility in Italian Children in Remission from Hematological Malignancy
Authors: Defabianis Patrizia , Bello Lucilla , Romano Federica
Published: September 2023

Salivary gland dysfunction is an underestimated oral late effect of chemotherapy in childhood cancer survivors (CCS). Therefore, the aim of this cross-sectional study was to assess the salivary functioning and dental caries experience in Italian CSSs and age- and gender-matched healthy children. A total of 32 children (15 females and 17 males, age range 6–14 years) in remission from hematological malignancy and 32 healthy controls were compared for salivary parameters (stimulated whole salivary flow rate, pH, and buffer capacity) and presence of carious lesions in the primary and permanent dentition using the dmft/DMFT indexes. Significantly lower stimulated whole saliva (SWS) and pH were observed in CSS than in healthy pediatric patients (both p < 0.001), together with a higher prevalence of carious lesions on both the deciduous (p = 0.002) and permanent teeth (p = 0.015). SWS was more severely impaired in children treated with chemotherapy before 5 years of age (p < 0.001) and, in spite of the tendency to improve over time, low SWS was still observed after 5–9 years of disease remission. According to the present data, chemotherapy has a detrimental effect on salivary gland functioning, which would seem to maintain up to 9 years after antineoplastic treatment.
A Multi-Analytical Diagnostic on an Outdoor Wall Painting: The Study on the Déesis of St. Maria Annunziata’s Church, Motta San Giovanni (Reggio Calabria, Italy)
Authors: Salatino Giorgia , Zicarelli Maria Antonietta , Ricca Michela , Macchia Andrea , Randazzo Luciana , Pogliani Paola , Arcudi Anna , Ruffolo Silvestro Antonio , La Russa Mauro Francesco
Published: September 2023

This article concerns the diagnostic campaign aimed at analyzing the mural painting representing the iconographic theme of the Deesis of the Church of St. Maria Annunziata, Motta San Giovanni, in the province of Reggio Calabria. In 1951, a flood caused the collapse of the building and the consequent breaking of the apse into two parts. The present study focused on the left side of the apse, hosting the figures of Christ and Mary, in order to plan the best conservation intervention strategy. For this purpose, non-invasive investigations and laboratory analytical methods were conducted in order to characterize the constituent materials and to identify the forms of alteration and degradation present on the surface of the painting. In particular, Raman spectroscopy, optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy coupled to the chemical analysis by an EDS probe, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy and ion chromatography were employed. The results highlighted the presence of a single layer of plaster made with a lime-based binder. The chromatic palette of the painting is characterized by ochres and carbon black mixed with lime to obtain the different shades. Finally, the definition of the nature of the deposits and of the overlaid materials was fundamental in order to identify the best products and methods to restore the readability of the work.
Automatic Sleep Stage Classification Using a Taguchi-Based Multiscale Convolutional Compensatory Fuzzy Neural Network
Authors: Lin Chun-Jung , Lin Cheng-Jian , Lin Xue-Qian
Published: September 2023

Current methods for sleep stage detection rely on sensors to collect physiological data. These methods are inaccurate and take up considerable medical resources. Thus, in this study, we propose a Taguchi-based multiscale convolutional compensatory fuzzy neural network (T-MCCFNN) model to automatically detect and classify sleep stages. In the proposed T-MCCFNN model, multiscale convolution kernels extract features of the input electroencephalogram signal and a compensatory fuzzy neural network is used in place of a traditional fully connected network as a classifier to improve the convergence rate during learning and to reduce the number of model parameters required. Due to the complexity of general deep learning networks, trial and error methods are often used to determine their parameters. However, this method is very time-consuming. Therefore, this study uses the Taguchi method instead, where the optimal parameter combination is identified over a minimal number of experiments. We use the Sleep-EDF database to evaluate the proposed model. The results indicate that the proposed T-MCCFNN sleep stage classification accuracy is 85.3%, which is superior to methods proposed by other scholars.
New Observations of the Meteorological Conditions Associated with Particulate Matter Air Pollution Episodes in Santiago, Chile
Authors: Muñoz Ricardo C. , Garreaud René , Rutllant José A. , Seguel Rodrigo , Corral Marcelo
Published: September 2023

The meteorological factors of the severe wintertime particulate matter (PM) air pollution problem of the city of Santiago, Chile, are investigated with newly available observations, including a 30 m tower measuring near-surface stability, winds and turbulence, as well as lower-tropospheric vertical profiles of temperature and winds measured by commercial airplanes operating from the Santiago airport (AMDAR database). Focusing on the cold season of the years 2017–2019, high-PM days are defined using an index of evening concentrations measured in the western part of the city. The diurnal cycles of the different meteorological variables computed over 25 PM episodes are compared against the overall diurnal cycles. PM episodes are associated with enhanced surface stability and weaker surface winds and turbulence during the evening and night. AMDAR vertical profiles of temperature and winds during episodes reveal a substantial lower-tropospheric warming attributed to enhanced regional subsidence, which is consistent with the shallower daytime boundary layer depth and the increased surface thermal amplitude observed during these days. An explanation for the weak surface winds during PM episodes was not evident, considering that these are clear days that would strengthen the local valley wind system. Two possible mechanisms are put forward to resolve this issue, which can be tested in the future using high-resolution numerical modeling validated with the new data described here.
Simulation Analysis of Methane Exhaust Reforming Mechanism Based on Marine LNG Engine
Authors: Shi Jie , Yan Haoyu , Zhu Yuanqing , Feng Yongming , Mao Zhifan , Ran Xiaodong , Xia Chong
Published: September 2023

LNG is a potential alternative fuel for ships. Generating H2 through exhaust reforming is an effective method to improve the performance of the LNG engine and reduce its pollutant emissions. It is necessary to study the mechanism of methane exhaust reforming to guide the design of the reformer. Based on the detailed mechanism, the characteristics of methane reforming reaction were studied for a marine LNG engine. Firstly, the reforming characteristics of exhaust were studied. The results show that methane reforming requires a lean oxygen environment, and the hydrogen production reaction will not occur when the O2 concentration is too high. Then, the effects of the O2/CH4 ratio (0.2–1) and H2O/CH4 ratio (0–2) on the reforming reaction were studied. The results show that under O2/CH4 = 0.4, the molar fraction of hydrogen at the outlet of the reactor decreases with the increase in the H2O/CH4 ratios. Finally, a mechanism analysis was conducted. The results show that an oxidation reaction occurs first and then the steam reforming reaction occurs on palladium-based catalysts.
Mesosphere and Lower Thermosphere
Authors: Zhou Chen , Yu Zhibin
Published: September 2023

The mesosphere and low thermosphere (MLT) region is defined as the region of the atmosphere between approximately 60 and 110 km in height [...]
Ninth-order Multistep Collocation Formulas for Solving Models of PDEs Arising in Fluid Dynamics: Design and Implementation Strategies
Authors: Omole Ezekiel Olaoluwa , Adeyefa Emmanuel Oluseye , Ayodele Victoria Iyadunni , Shokri Ali , Wang Yuanheng
Published: September 2023

A computational approach with the aid of the Linear Multistep Method (LMM) for the numerical solution of differential equations with initial value problems or boundary conditions has appeared several times in the literature due to its good accuracy and stability properties. The major objective of this article is to extend a multistep approach for the numerical solution of the Partial Differential Equation (PDE) originating from fluid mechanics in a two-dimensional space with initial and boundary conditions, as a result of the importance and utility of the models of partial differential equations in applications, particularly in physical phenomena, such as in convection-diffusion models, and fluid flow problems. Thus, a multistep collocation formula, which is based on orthogonal polynomials is proposed. Ninth-order Multistep Collocation Formulas (NMCFs) were formulated through the principle of interpolation and collocation processes. The theoretical analysis of the NMCFs reveals that they have algebraic order nine, are zero-stable, consistent, and, thus, convergent. The implementation strategies of the NMCFs are comprehensively discussed. Some numerical test problems were presented to evaluate the efficacy and applicability of the proposed formulas. Comparisons with other methods were also presented to demonstrate the new formulas’ productivity. Finally, figures were presented to illustrate the behavior of the numerical examples.
Perceiving like a Bat: Hierarchical 3D Geometric–Semantic Scene Understanding Inspired by a Biomimetic Mechanism
Authors: Zhang Chi , Yang Zhong , Xue Bayang , Zhuo Haoze , Liao Luwei , Yang Xin , Zhu Zekun
Published: September 2023

Geometric–semantic scene understanding is a spatial intelligence capability that is essential for robots to perceive and navigate the world. However, understanding a natural scene remains challenging for robots because of restricted sensors and time-varying situations. In contrast, humans and animals are able to form a complex neuromorphic concept of the scene they move in. This neuromorphic concept captures geometric and semantic aspects of the scenario and reconstructs the scene at multiple levels of abstraction. This article seeks to reduce the gap between robot and animal perception by proposing an ingenious scene-understanding approach that seamlessly captures geometric and semantic aspects in an unexplored environment. We proposed two types of biologically inspired environment perception methods, i.e., a set of elaborate biomimetic sensors and a brain-inspired parsing algorithm related to scene understanding, that enable robots to perceive their surroundings like bats. Our evaluations show that the proposed scene-understanding system achieves competitive performance in image semantic segmentation and volumetric–semantic scene reconstruction. Moreover, to verify the practicability of our proposed scene-understanding method, we also conducted real-world geometric–semantic scene reconstruction in an indoor environment with our self-developed drone.
Alzheimer’s Disease and Different Types of Cancer Likelihood: Unveiling Disparities and Potential Protective Effects in a Korean Cohort Study
Authors: Kang Ho Suk , Kim Ji Hee , Lim Hyun , Kim Joo-Hee , Noh Hye-Mi , Choi Hyo Geun , Min Kyueng-Whan , Kim Nan Young , Kwon Mi Jung
Published: September 2023

The link between Alzheimer’s disease and cancer risk is a concern in public health. However, research has yielded limited and sometimes contrasting results, suggesting the need for more validation. We analyzed a large cohort to examine the long-term association between Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and the risk of developing cancer. In total, 24,664 AD patients and 98,656 control participants were selected from the National Health Insurance Cohort database of Korea, spanning from 2002 to 2019. Propensity score matching and overlap-weighted adjustment techniques were used to balance the standardized differences between the AD and control groups. The Cox proportional hazards model was applied to calculate hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for various cancers, considering relevant covariates. Results indicated that patients with AD had a significantly lower likelihood of overall malignancy (HR 0.63; 95% CI, 0.59–0.68) and each of the 10 site-specific cancers compared to the control group. Among these, pancreatic cancer (HR, 0.50) exhibited the strongest inverse association, followed by hepatic (HR, 0.60), gastric (HR, 0.63), kidney (HR, 0.63), lung (HR, 0.64), thyroid (HR, 0.65), colorectal (HR, 0.67), gallbladder and biliary duct (HR, 0.73), hematologic malignancy (HR, 0.73), and bladder cancers (HR, 0.76). This protective effect against certain organ-specific cancers persisted over the 16-year follow-up period, except for in kidney cancer and hematologic malignancies. The protective effect against specific cancer types (gastric, colorectal, lung, hepatic, and pancreatic) was more prominent in individuals aged 60 years and older, regardless of their sex. However, there were some variations in the specific types of cancer observed between males and females. In summary, Korean patients with AD had a lower risk of cancer, especially in individuals 60 years and older, during the 16-year follow-up period.
Dysregulation of DNAM-1-Mediated NK Cell Anti-Cancer Responses in the Tumor Microenvironment
Authors: Paolini Rossella , Molfetta Rosa
Published: September 2023

NK cells play a pivotal role in anti-cancer immune responses, thanks to the expression of a wide array of inhibitory and activating receptors that regulate their cytotoxicity against transformed cells while preserving healthy cells from lysis. However, NK cells exhibit severe dysfunction in the tumor microenvironment, mainly due to the reduction of activating receptors and the induction or increased expression of inhibitory checkpoint receptors. An activating receptor that plays a central role in tumor recognition is the DNAM-1 receptor. It recognizes PVR and Nectin2 adhesion molecules, which are frequently overexpressed on the surface of cancerous cells. These ligands are also able to trigger inhibitory signals via immune checkpoint receptors that are upregulated in the tumor microenvironment and can counteract DNAM-1 activation. Among them, TIGIT has recently gained significant attention, since its targeting results in improved anti-tumor immune responses. This review aims to summarize how the recognition of PVR and Nectin2 by paired co-stimulatory/inhibitory receptors regulates NK cell-mediated clearance of transformed cells. Therapeutic approaches with the potential to reverse DNAM-1 dysfunction in the tumor microenvironment will be also discussed.
Repurposing Clemastine to Target Glioblastoma Cell Stemness
Authors: Sun Michael A. , Yang Rui , Liu Heng , Wang Wenzhe , Song Xiao , Hu Bo , Reynolds Nathan , Roso Kristen , Chen Lee H. , Greer Paula K. , Keir Stephen T. , McLendon Roger E. , Cheng Shi-Yuan , Bigner Darell D. , Ashley David M. , Pirozzi Christopher J. , He Yiping
Published: September 2023

Brain tumor-initiating cells (BTICs) and tumor cell plasticity promote glioblastoma (GBM) progression. Here, we demonstrate that clemastine, an over-the-counter drug for treating hay fever and allergy symptoms, effectively attenuated the stemness and suppressed the propagation of primary BTIC cultures bearing PDGFRA amplification. These effects on BTICs were accompanied by altered gene expression profiling indicative of their more differentiated states, resonating with the activity of clemastine in promoting the differentiation of normal oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs) into mature oligodendrocytes. Functional assays for pharmacological targets of clemastine revealed that the Emopamil Binding Protein (EBP), an enzyme in the cholesterol biosynthesis pathway, is essential for BTIC propagation and a target that mediates the suppressive effects of clemastine. Finally, we showed that a neural stem cell-derived mouse glioma model displaying predominantly proneural features was similarly susceptible to clemastine treatment. Collectively, these results identify pathways essential for maintaining the stemness and progenitor features of GBMs, uncover BTIC dependency on EBP, and suggest that non-oncology, low-toxicity drugs with OPC differentiation-promoting activity can be repurposed to target GBM stemness and aid in their treatment.
Thermodynamic and Kinetic Investigation on Aspergillus ficuum Tannase Immobilized in Calcium Alginate Beads and Magnetic Nanoparticles
Authors: de Carvalho-Silva Jônatas , da Silva Milena Fernandes , de Lima Juliana Silva , Porto Tatiana Souza , de Carvalho Luiz Bezerra , Converti Attilio
Published: September 2023

Tannase from Aspergillus ficuum was immobilized by two different techniques for comparison of kinetic and thermodynamic parameters. Tannase was either entrapped in calcium alginate beads or covalently-immobilized onto magnetic diatomaceous earth nanoparticles. When immobilized on nanoparticles, tannase exhibited lower activation energy (15.1 kJ/mol) than when immobilized in alginate beads (31.3 kJ/mol). Surprisingly, the thermal treatment had a positive effect on tannase entrapped in alginate beads since the enzyme became more solvent exposed due to matrix leaching. Accordingly, the proposed mathematical model revealed a two-step inactivation process. In the former step the activity increased leading to activation energies of additional activity of 3.1 and 26.8 kJ/mol at 20–50 °C and 50–70 °C, respectively, while a slight decay occurred in the latter, resulting in the following thermodynamic parameters of denaturation: 14.3 kJ/mol activation energy as well as 5.6–9.7 kJ/mol standard Gibbs free energy, 15.6 kJ/mol standard enthalpy and 18.3–29.0 J/(K·mol) standard entropy variations. Conversely, tannase immobilized on nanoparticles displayed a typical linear decay trend with 43.8 kJ/mol activation energy, 99.2–103.1 kJ/mol Gibbs free energy, 41.1–41.3 kJ/mol enthalpy and −191.6/−191.0 J/(K·mol) entropy of denaturation. A 90-day shelf-life investigation revealed that tannase immobilized on nanoparticles was approximately twice more stable than the one immobilized in calcium alginate beads, which suggests its use and recycling in food industry clarification operations. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first comparative study on kinetic and thermodynamic parameters of a tannase produced by A. ficuum in its free and immobilized forms.
Proton and Carbon Ion Irradiation Changes the Process of Endochondral Ossification in an Ex Vivo Femur Organotypic Culture Model
Authors: Etschmaier Vanessa , Glänzer Dietmar , Eck Nicole , Schäfer Ute , Leithner Andreas , Georg Dietmar , Lohberger Birgit
Published: September 2023

Particle therapy (PT) that utilizes protons and carbon ions offers a promising way to reduce the side effects of radiation oncology, especially in pediatric patients. To investigate the influence of PT on growing bone, we exposed an organotypic rat ex vivo femur culture model to PT. After irradiation, histological staining, immunohistochemical staining, and gene expression analysis were conducted following 1 or 14 days of in vitro culture (DIV). Our data indicated a significant loss of proliferating chondrocytes at 1 DIV, which was followed by regeneration attempts through chondrocytic cluster formation at 14 DIV. Accelerated levels of mineralization were observed, which correlated with increased proteoglycan production and secretion into the pericellular matrix. Col2α1 expression, which increased during the cultivation period, was significantly inhibited by PT. Additionally, the decrease in ColX expression over time was more pronounced compared to the non-IR control. The chondrogenic markers BMP2, RUNX2, OPG, and the osteogenic marker ALPL, showed a significant reduction in the increase in expression after 14 DIV due to PT treatment. It was noted that carbon ions had a stronger influence than protons. Our bone model demonstrated the occurrence of pathological and regenerative processes induced by PT, thus building on the current understanding of the biological mechanisms of bone.
Riboflavin and Its Derivates as Potential Photosensitizers in the Photodynamic Treatment of Skin Cancers
Authors: Insińska-Rak Małgorzata , Sikorski Marek , Wolnicka-Glubisz Agnieszka
Published: September 2023

Riboflavin, a water-soluble vitamin B2, possesses unique biological and physicochemical properties. Its photosensitizing properties make it suitable for various biological applications, such as pathogen inactivation and photodynamic therapy. However, the effectiveness of riboflavin as a photosensitizer is hindered by its degradation upon exposure to light. The review aims to highlight the significance of riboflavin and its derivatives as potential photosensitizers for use in photodynamic therapy. Additionally, a concise overview of photodynamic therapy and utilization of blue light in dermatology is provided, as well as the photochemistry and photobiophysics of riboflavin and its derivatives. Particular emphasis is given to the latest findings on the use of acetylated 3-methyltetraacetyl-riboflavin derivative (3MeTARF) in photodynamic therapy.
scRNA-seq Reveals the Mechanism of Fatty Acid Desaturase 2 Mutation to Repress Leaf Growth in Peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.)
Authors: Du Puxuan , Deng Quanqing , Wang Wenyi , Garg Vanika , Lu Qing , Huang Lu , Wang Runfeng , Li Haifen , Huai Dongxin , Chen Xiaoping , Varshney Rajeev K. , Hong Yanbin , Liu Hao
Published: September 2023

Fatty Acid Desaturase 2 (FAD2) controls the conversion of oleic acids into linoleic acids. Mutations in FAD2 not only increase the high-oleic content, but also repress the leaf growth. However, the mechanism by which FAD2 regulates the growth pathway has not been elucidated in peanut leaves with single-cell resolution. In this study, we isolated fad2 mutant leaf protoplast cells to perform single-cell RNA sequencing. Approximately 24,988 individual cells with 10,249 expressed genes were classified into five major cell types. A comparative analysis of 3495 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in distinct cell types demonstrated that fad2 inhibited the expression of the cytokinin synthesis gene LOG in vascular cells, thereby repressing leaf growth. Further, pseudo-time trajectory analysis indicated that fad2 repressed leaf cell differentiation, and cell-cycle evidence displayed that fad2 perturbed the normal cell cycle to induce the majority of cells to drop into the S phase. Additionally, important transcription factors were filtered from the DEG profiles that connected the network involved in high-oleic acid accumulation (WRKY6), activated the hormone pathway (WRKY23, ERF109), and potentially regulated leaf growth (ERF6, MYB102, WRKY30). Collectively, our study describes different gene atlases in high-oleic and normal peanut seedling leaves, providing novel biological insights to elucidate the molecular mechanism of the high-oleic peanut-associated agronomic trait at the single-cell level.
Astrocytes Are a Key Target for Neurotropic Viral Infection
Authors: Potokar Maja , Zorec Robert , Jorgačevski Jernej
Published: September 2023

Astrocytes are increasingly recognized as important viral host cells in the central nervous system. These cells can produce relatively high quantities of new virions. In part, this can be attributed to the characteristics of astrocyte metabolism and its abundant and dynamic cytoskeleton network. Astrocytes are anatomically localized adjacent to interfaces between blood capillaries and brain parenchyma and between blood capillaries and brain ventricles. Moreover, astrocytes exhibit a larger membrane interface with the extracellular space than neurons. These properties, together with the expression of various and numerous viral entry receptors, a relatively high rate of endocytosis, and morphological plasticity of intracellular organelles, render astrocytes important target cells in neurotropic infections. In this review, we describe factors that mediate the high susceptibility of astrocytes to viral infection and replication, including the anatomic localization of astrocytes, morphology, expression of viral entry receptors, and various forms of autophagy.
Colorectal Cancer Archaeome: A Metagenomic Exploration, Tunisia
Authors: Mathlouthi Nour El Houda , Oumarou Hama Hamadou , Belguith Imen , Charfi Slim , Boudawara Tahya , Lagier Jean-Christophe , Ammar Keskes Leila , Grine Ghiles , Gdoura Radhouane
Published: September 2023

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a serious public health problem known to have a multifactorial etiology. The association between gut microbiota and CRC has been widely studied; however, the link between archaea and CRC has not been sufficiently studied. To investigate the involvement of archaea in colorectal carcinogenesis, we performed a metagenomic analysis of 68 formalin-embedded paraffin fixed tissues from tumoral (n = 33) and healthy mucosa (n = 35) collected from 35 CRC Tunisian patients. We used two DNA extraction methods: Generead DNA FFPE kit (Qiagen, Germantown, MD, USA) and Chelex. We then sequenced the samples using Illumina Miseq. Interestingly, DNA extraction exclusively using Chelex generated enough DNA for sequencing of all samples. After data filtering and processing, we reported the presence of archaeal sequences, which represented 0.33% of all the reads generated. In terms of abundance, we highlighted a depletion in methanogens and an enrichment in Halobacteria in the tumor tissues, while the correlation analysis revealed a significant association between the Halobacteria and the tumor mucosa (p < 0.05). We reported a strong correlation between Natrialba magadii, Sulfolobus acidocaldarius, and tumor tissues, and a weak correlation between Methanococcus voltae and healthy adjacent mucosa. Here, we demonstrated the feasibility of archaeome analysis from formol fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissues using simple protocols ranging from sampling to data analysis, and reported a significant association between Halobacteria and tumor tissues in Tunisian patients with CRC. The importance of our study is that it represents the first metagenomic analysis of Tunisian CRC patients’ gut microbiome, which consists of sequencing DNA extracted from paired tumor-adjacent FFPE tissues collected from CRC patients. The detection of archaeal sequences in our samples confirms the feasibility of carrying out an archaeome analysis from FFPE tissues using a simple DNA extraction protocol. Our analysis revealed the enrichment of Halobacteria, especially Natrialba magadii, in tumor mucosa compared to the normal mucosa in CRC Tunisian patients. Other species were also associated with CRC, including Sulfolobus acidocaldarius and Methanococcus voltae, which is a methanogenic archaea; both species were found to be correlated with adjacent healthy tissues.
Psychosocial and Economic Risks of Institutional Quarantine in a Low-Resource Setting: Experiences of Affected Persons during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Uganda
Authors: Nanfuka Esther K. , Kafuko Agatha , Nakanjako Rita , Ssenfuuma James T. , Turyomurugyendo Florence , Kasule Jingo
Published: September 2023

Institutional quarantine was one of the key public health measures used to control the spread of the Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). Institutional quarantine has been associated with several psychosocial and economic risks. However, little is known about the psychosocial and economic risks it poses to affected persons in low-resource countries since it is a relatively new strategy for controlling disease spread in these settings. This article provides insights into the economic and psychosocial risks encountered by affected persons in a low-resource context. Narrative interviews were conducted with 20 adults placed under institutional quarantine to contain the COVID-19 pandemic in Uganda. Individuals confined in institutional quarantine experienced an intricate range of economic and psychosocial risks including loss of livelihood and/or income, financial distress, fear, worry, anger, loneliness, and stigma. The experience of specific risks was shaped by an intersection between individual and contextual factors. However, disregard for economic and social issues and shortcomings in the implementation of institutional quarantine contributed profoundly to the occurrence of risks. Safety nets to address the emergent financial insecurities of quarantined individuals and their families and bridging gaps in the implementation of institutional quarantine may help to minimise the associated economic and psychosocial risks in Uganda and similar contexts.
Healthcare and Cancer Treatment Costs of Breast Screening Outcomes among Higher than Average Risk Women
Authors: Mittmann Nicole , Blackmore Kristina M. , Seung Soo Jin , Diong Christina , Done Susan J. , Chiarelli Anna M.
Published: September 2023

Concurrent cohorts of 644,932 women aged 50–74 screened annually due to family history, dense breasts or biennially in the Ontario Breast Screening Program (OBSP) from 2011–2014 were linked to provincial administrative datasets to determine health system resource utilization and costs. Age-adjusted mean and median total healthcare costs (2018 CAD) and incremental cost differences were calculated by screening outcome and compared by recommendation using regression models. Healthcare costs were compared overall and 1 year after a false positive (n = 46,081) screening mammogram and 2 years after a breast cancer diagnosis (n = 6011). Mean overall healthcare costs by age were highest for those 60–74, particularly with annual screening for family/personal history (CAD 5425; 95% CI: 5308 to 5557) compared to biennial. Although the mean incremental cost difference was higher (23.4%) by CAD 10,235 (95% CI: 6141 to 14,329) per breast cancer for women screened annually for density ≥ 75% compared to biennially, the cost difference was 12.0% lower (−CAD 461; 95% CI: −777 to −114) per false positive result. In contrast, for women screened annually for family/personal history, the mean cost difference per false positive was 19.7% higher than for biennially (CAD 758; 95% CI: 404 to 1118); however, the cost difference per breast cancer was only slightly higher (2.5%) by CAD 1093 (95% CI: −1337 to CAD 3760). Understanding that associated costs of annual compared to biennial screening may balance out by age and outcome can assist decision-making regarding the use of limited healthcare resources.
Automated Computer-Aided Detection and Classification of Intracranial Hemorrhage Using Ensemble Deep Learning Techniques
Authors: Umapathy Snekhalatha , Murugappan Murugappan , Bharathi Deepa , Thakur Mahima
Published: September 2023

Diagnosing Intracranial Hemorrhage (ICH) at an early stage is difficult since it affects the blood vessels in the brain, often resulting in death. We propose an ensemble of Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) combining Squeeze and Excitation–based Residual Networks with the next dimension (SE-ResNeXT) and Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) Networks in order to address this issue. This research work primarily used data from the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) brain CT hemorrhage challenge dataset and the CQ500 dataset. Preprocessing and data augmentation are performed using the windowing technique in the proposed work. The ICH is then classified using ensembled CNN techniques after being preprocessed, followed by feature extraction in an automatic manner. ICH is classified into the following five types: epidural, intraventricular, subarachnoid, intra-parenchymal, and subdural. A gradient-weighted Class Activation Mapping method (Grad-CAM) is used for identifying the region of interest in an ICH image. A number of performance measures are used to compare the experimental results with various state-of-the-art algorithms. By achieving 99.79% accuracy with an F-score of 0.97, the proposed model proved its efficacy in detecting ICH compared to other deep learning models. The proposed ensembled model can classify epidural, intraventricular, subarachnoid, intra-parenchymal, and subdural hemorrhages with an accuracy of 99.89%, 99.65%, 98%, 99.75%, and 99.88%. Simulation results indicate that the suggested approach can categorize a variety of intracranial bleeding types. By implementing the ensemble deep learning technique using the SE-ResNeXT and LSTM models, we achieved significant classification accuracy and AUC scores.
Quantitative Analysis for Lung Disease on Thin-Section CT
Authors: Iwasawa Tae , Matsushita Shoichiro , Hirayama Mariko , Baba Tomohisa , Ogura Takashi
Published: September 2023

Thin-section computed tomography (CT) is widely employed not only for assessing morphology but also for evaluating respiratory function. Three-dimensional images obtained from thin-section CT provide precise measurements of lung, airway, and vessel volumes. These volumetric indices are correlated with traditional pulmonary function tests (PFT). CT also generates lung histograms. The volume ratio of areas with low and high attenuation correlates with PFT results. These quantitative image analyses have been utilized to investigate the early stages and disease progression of diffuse lung diseases, leading to the development of novel concepts such as pre-chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (pre-COPD) and interstitial lung abnormalities. Quantitative analysis proved particularly valuable during the COVID-19 pandemic when clinical evaluations were limited. In this review, we introduce CT analysis methods and explore their clinical applications in the context of various lung diseases. We also highlight technological advances, including images with matrices of 1024 × 1024 and slice thicknesses of 0.25 mm, which enhance the accuracy of these analyses.
The Free Euler Rigid Body Revisited
Authors: Jiménez-Lara Lidia , Llibre Jaume
Published: September 2023

We review from a different perspective the approach and solution to the torque-free Euler equations, also called the free asymmetric top equations. We aim to simplify and broaden the study of the asymmetric free rigid body. This is an old but important integrable problem that has two first integrals: the energy and the angular momentum. We reduce this problem by eliminating the time as the independent variable in the three autonomous Euler equations written in cylindrical dimensionless variables, which allows a geometric study of the solution as a function of the cylindrical angle variable ψ, by means of continuous deformations dependent on the two independent parameters κ and e0. The parameter space is divided into six disjoint regions, whose boundaries are the separatices and degenerated cases. The solutions are given in terms of trigonometric functions of the independent cylindric angle ψ.
Exploring Emotions Related to the COVID-19 Pandemic through Death Education: A Qualitative Study at Italian Primary Schools
Authors: Testoni Ines , Palazzo Lorenza , Iacona Erika , Segalla Ottavia , Pizzolato Laura , Rigo Matteo , Ferrari Lea
Published: September 2023

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the lives of individuals, families, and children worldwide. In Italy, the implementation of measures such as lockdowns and distance learning in schools affected the mental health of children and families. Methods: This article employs a qualitative method to explore the efficacy of a death education project that aimed to help primary school children process the emotions and losses that they experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study encompassed both the children who took part in the death education project and their teachers and parents to investigate their perspectives on the emotions of the minors and the effectiveness of the project. Results: Distance learning posed challenges for the learning process and exacerbated social inequalities. The children suffered from limited social contact with their friends and experienced negative emotions, including anger, fear, and concern for the health of their loved ones. The death education project provided a safe space for children’s emotional expression and facilitated their acquisition of coping strategies. Open communication between adults and children about illness and death proved effective in mitigating the psychological impacts of loss and preventing traumatic bereavement. Conclusion: The findings highlight the utility of death education in enhancing children’s ability to express their emotions and approach the topic of death more frankly.
Interactive Efficient Multi-Task Network for RGB-D Semantic Segmentation
Authors: Xu Xinhua , Liu Jinfu , Liu Hong
Published: September 2023

Semantic segmentation is significant for robotic indoor activities. However, relying solely on RGB modality often leads to poor results due to limited information. Introducing other modalities can improve performance but also increases complexity and cost, making it unsuitable for real-time robotic applications. To address the balance issue of performance and speed in robotic indoor scenarios, we propose an interactive efficient multitask RGB-D semantic segmentation network (IEMNet) that utilizes both RGB and depth modalities. On the premise of ensuring rapid inference speed, we introduce a cross-modal feature rectification module, which calibrates the noise of RGB and depth modalities and achieves comprehensive cross-modal feature interaction. Furthermore, we propose a coordinate attention fusion module to achieve more effective feature fusion. Finally, an instance segmentation task is added to the decoder to assist in enhancing the performance of semantic segmentation. Experiments on two indoor scene datasets, NYUv2 and SUNRGB-D, demonstrate the superior performance of the proposed method, especially on the NYUv2, achieving 54.5% mIoU and striking an excellent balance between performance and inference speed at 42 frames per second.
Power Quality Enhancement of Remote Gas Field Generations with Smart Power Converters
Authors: Li Wenze , Liu Rui , Li Yunwei
Published: September 2023

Direct power generation near gas fields offers numerous benefits, including optimized economic efficiency and reduced environmental impact. Moreover, building on-site greenhouses emerges as a promising approach to further minimize carbon emissions and residual heat, greatly promoting resource utilization. However, such power plants generally have access to a weak grid due to their remote locations, and they also contain nonlinear local loads, such as the grow lights in the greenhouses. Consequently, the generation system is susceptible to power quality issues, manifested in overvoltage and harmonics. To address these issues, a smart back-to-back converter is employed to interconnect the gas turbine generator and the utility grid. This smart converter not only enhances power quality but also offers potential ancillary services that contribute to the dynamics of the gas generation system, such as damping low-frequency oscillation among parallel-connected generators. In this paper, three control configurations for the back-to-back converter are developed, enabling the coordinated regulation of exported active power, AC voltage, and DC-link voltage in either a grid-following or grid-forming manner. Furthermore, comparative studies are conducted to provide guidelines for selecting an appropriate control strategy that ensures stable operation under various short circuit ratios. A practical gas cogeneration system is chosen to evaluate the performance of the back-to-back converter, and real-time simulations based on RT-LAB are carried out to validate the effectiveness of the methodology.
Quasistatic and Dynamic Nanoindentation Measurements of Pinus radiata D. Don S2 and CCML Cell Wall Layers
Authors: Erazo Oswaldo , Jakes Joseph E. , Plaza Nayomi Z. , Vergara-Figueroa Judith , Valenzuela Paulina , Gacitúa William
Published: September 2023

Quasistatic nanoindentation is a proven tool that provides information on the micromechanical behavior of wood cell walls. However, quasistatic tests cannot probe the time-dependent mechanical behavior shown by wood. Nanoindentation dynamic mechanical analysis (nanoDMA) can measure the viscoelastic properties of wood cell walls. This research aimed to study the quasistatic and viscoelastic properties of individual radiata pine wood (Pinus radiata D. Don) cell wall layers. To minimize variability and retrieve both properties at the same locations, a load function composed of a multiload-quasistatic function followed by dynamic reference frequency segments was developed. Nanoindentations were then performed on the S2 layer and compound corner middle lamella (CCML) of unembedded latewood cells. Because the S2 layer is anisotropic, both transverse and longitudinal–tangential wood planes were studied. In the transverse plane, the average results of the quasistatic elastic moduli Es for the S2 layer and CCML were 15.7 GPa and 4.6 GPa, respectively. In the longitudinal–tangential plane, the Es was 3.9 GPa. In the transverse section, the hardness H of the S2 layer and CCML were 331 MPa and 277 MPa, respectively, and in the longitudinal–tangential section H was 244 MPa. To acquire the viscoelastic properties, measurements were made over more than three decades of frequency. An increase of the storage modulus E′, and a reduction of the loss modulus E″ and loss factor tanδ as frequency increased were found in both wood orientations. The quasi-static and dynamic indentations equivalent at 0.1 Hz showed similar values for Es and E′. This study contributes to our knowledge of wood cell wall micromechanical properties.
Leachability of Fast-Growing Wood Impregnated with Low Concentrations of Furfuryl Alcohol
Authors: Sun He , Gong Yizhi , Yan Yuntian , Fu Changqing , Zhan Ke , Dong Chunlei , Xie Linkun , Chen Taian
Published: September 2023

Furfurylation can effectively improve the quality of fast-growing wood, but its leachability is unclear. In this study, fast-growing poplar (Populus sp.) and Chinese fir (Cunninghamia lanceolata (Lamb.) Hook.) were impregnated with low concentrations of 5%–20% furfuryl alcohol (FA), and the chemical and microscopic changes during leaching tests were analyzed by UV spectra and confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). The results show that FA impregnation can regulate the weight percentage gain, but its effectiveness in regulating the cell wall bulking coefficient decreased as the impregnation concentration was increased. Impregnation with 15% and 20% FA showed no significant difference in the effect on volume swelling efficiency. The inverse relationship between the concentration of FA and the leaching rate was demonstrated by leaching tests, UV spectra, and CLSM. Notably, the leaching rate of poplar and Chinese fir wood was more than 30% when impregnated with 5% FA. Although the entirety of the furfuryl alcohol was deposited in the cell wall when impregnated with low concentrations of FA, the binding was not stable. The weight percentage gain of furfurylated Chinese fir was greater than that of poplar, but its leaching rate was lower, indicating that the cured furfuryl alcohol resin in poplar was not as stable as that in Chinese fir. Therefore, differences in tree species should be considered in low-concentration FA impregnation, as the improvement effect of concentrations below 10% on the properties of fast-growing wood is weak and the leaching rate of FA is significant.
Analysis of Spatial-Temporal Changes and Driving Factors of Vegetation Coverage in Jiamusi City
Authors: Wang Meibo , Wang Yingbin , Li Zhijun , Zhang Hengfei
Published: September 2023

This study of vegetation coverage in Jiamusi City provides theoretical support for local urban development, land use, and ecological environmental protection. Based on the land cover data and Landsat remote sensing image data from 2000 to 2020, the vegetation cover and land use data of Jiamusi City were extracted. The study includes the following aspects: (1) an analysis of the spatio-temporal changes in vegetation coverage; (2) analysis of the land use situation in Jiamusi City; and (3) investigation of the impact of natural and human factors on vegetation coverage in Jiamusi City using the Geodetector model. The results show that (1) over the past 20 years, the vegetation coverage of Jiamusi has shown a decreasing trend, declining from 25.22% in 2000 to 17.13% in 2020, representing a decrease of 32%. In terms of spatial distribution, the areas of Fuyuan City and Tongjiang City have experienced more significant decreases in vegetation coverage, decreasing by 73.6% and 54.0%, respectively. (2) The land use pattern of Jiamusi City has undergone significant changes during the study period; except for paddy fields (PF), unused land (UL), and construction land (CL), the areas of all the land categories have decreased. The ranking of the single land use dynamic degree in terms of magnitude is as follows: PF, UL, CL, dry farmland (DF), vegetation coverage land (VCL), and wetland (WET). (3) The changes in vegetation coverage were influenced by both natural and human activities and, according to the Geodetector results, the main influencing factors were CL and DF. The key findings of this study emphasize the need for comprehensive land use planning and ecological environmental protection that focus on sustainable development and conservation practices, and lay the groundwork for future ecosystem management and urban planning efforts in Jiamusi City.