bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
On the OCRA Measurement: Automatic Computation of the Dynamic Technical Action Frequency Factor
Authors: Taborri Juri , Bordignon Marco , Marcolin Francesco , Bertoz Alessandro , Donati Marco , Rossi Stefano
Published: March 2020

OCRA (OCcupational Repetitive Action) is currently one of the most widespread procedures for assessing biomechanical risks related to upper limb repetitive movements. Frequency factor of the technical actions represents one of the OCRA elements. Actually, the frequency factor computation is based on workcycle video analysis, which is time-consuming and may lead to up to 30% of intra-operator variability. This paper aims at proposing an innovative procedure for the automatic counting of dynamic technical actions on the basis of inertial data. More specifically, a threshold-based algorithm was tested in four industrial case studies, involving a cohort of 20 workers. Nine combinations of the algorithm were tested by varying threshold values related to time and amplitude. The computation of frequency factor showed an average relative error lower than 5.7% in all industrial-based case studies after the appropriate selection of the time and amplitude threshold values. These findings open the possibility to use the threshold-based algorithm proposed here for the automatic computation of OCRA frequency factor, avoiding the time efforts in video analysis.
Modified Distance Transformation for Image Enhancement in NIR Imaging of Finger Vein System
Authors: Bernacki Krzysztof , Moroń Tomasz , Popowicz Adam
Published: March 2020

Most of the current image processing methods used in the near-infrared imaging of finger vascular system concentrate on the extraction of internal structures (veins). In this paper, we propose a novel approach which allows to enhance both internal and external features of a finger. The method is based on the Distance Transformation and allows for selective extraction of physiological structures from an observed finger. We evaluate the impact of its parameters on the effectiveness of the already established processing pipeline used for biometric identification. The new method was compared with five state-of-the-art approaches to features extraction (position-gray-profile-curve—PGPGC, maximum curvature points in image profiles—MC, Niblack image adaptive thresholding—NAT, repeated dark line tracking—RDLT, and wide line detector—WD) on the GustoDB database of images obtained in a wide range of NIR wavelengths (730–950 nm). The results indicate a clear superiority of the proposed approach over the remaining alternatives. The method managed to reach over 90 % identification accuracy for all analyzed datasets.
Low Dose CT Image Reconstruction Based on Structure Tensor Total Variation Using Accelerated Fast Iterative Shrinkage Thresholding Algorithm
Authors: Wu Junfeng , Wang Xiaofeng , Mou Xuanqin , Chen Yang , Liu Shuguang
Published: March 2020

Low dose computed tomography (CT) has drawn much attention in the medical imaging field because of its ability to reduce the radiation dose. Recently, statistical iterative reconstruction (SIR) with total variation (TV) penalty has been developed to low dose CT image reconstruction. Nevertheless, the TV penalty has the drawback of creating blocky effects in the reconstructed images. To overcome the limitations of TV, in this paper we firstly introduce the structure tensor total variation (STV1) penalty into SIR framework for low dose CT image reconstruction. Then, an accelerated fast iterative shrinkage thresholding algorithm (AFISTA) is developed to minimize the objective function. The proposed AFISTA reconstruction algorithm was evaluated using numerical simulated low dose projection based on two CT images and realistic low dose projection data of a sheep lung CT perfusion. The experimental results demonstrated that our proposed STV1-based algorithm outperform FBP and TV-based algorithm in terms of removing noise and restraining blocky effects.
Consistency Index-Based Sensor Fault Detection System for Nuclear Power Plant Emergency Situations Using an LSTM Network
Authors: Choi Jeonghun , Lee Seung Jun
Published: March 2020

A nuclear power plant (NPP) consists of an enormous number of components with complex interconnections. Various techniques to detect sensor errors have been developed to monitor the state of the sensors during normal NPP operation, but not for emergency situations. In an emergency situation with a reactor trip, all the plant parameters undergo drastic changes following the sudden decrease in core reactivity. In this paper, a machine learning model adopting a consistency index is suggested for sensor error detection during NPP emergency situations. The proposed consistency index refers to the soundness of the sensors based on their measurement accuracy. The application of consistency index labeling makes it possible to detect sensor error immediately and specify the particular sensor where the error occurred. From a compact nuclear simulator, selected plant parameters were extracted during typical emergency situations, and artificial sensor errors were injected into the raw data. The trained system successfully generated output that gave both sensor error states and error-free states.
Three-Dimensional ResNeXt Network Using Feature Fusion and Label Smoothing for Hyperspectral Image Classification
Authors: Wu Peida , Cui Ziguan , Gan Zongliang , Liu Feng
Published: March 2020

In recent years, deep learning methods have been widely used in the hyperspectral image (HSI) classification tasks. Among them, spectral-spatial combined methods based on the three-dimensional (3-D) convolution have shown good performance. However, because of the three-dimensional convolution, increasing network depth will result in a dramatic rise in the number of parameters. In addition, the previous methods do not make full use of spectral information. They mostly use the data after dimensionality reduction directly as the input of networks, which result in poor classification ability in some categories with small numbers of samples. To address the above two issues, in this paper, we designed an end-to-end 3D-ResNeXt network which adopts feature fusion and label smoothing strategy further. On the one hand, the residual connections and split-transform-merge strategy can alleviate the declining-accuracy phenomenon and decrease the number of parameters. We can adjust the hyperparameter cardinality instead of the network depth to extract more discriminative features of HSIs and improve the classification accuracy. On the other hand, in order to improve the classification accuracies of classes with small numbers of samples, we enrich the input of the 3D-ResNeXt spectral-spatial feature learning network by additional spectral feature learning, and finally use a loss function modified by label smoothing strategy to solve the imbalance of classes. The experimental results on three popular HSI datasets demonstrate the superiority of our proposed network and an effective improvement in the accuracies especially for the classes with small numbers of training samples.
A Decentralized Peer-to-Peer Remote Health Monitoring System
Authors: Ali Muhammad Salek , Vecchio Massimo , Putra Guntur D. , Kanhere Salil S. , Antonelli Fabio
Published: March 2020

Within the Internet of Things (IoT) and blockchain research, there is a growing interest in decentralizing health monitoring systems, to provide improved privacy to patients, without relying on trusted third parties for handling patients’ sensitive health data. With public blockchain deployments being severely limited in their scalability, and inherently having latency in transaction processing, there is room for researching and developing new techniques to leverage the security features of blockchains within healthcare applications. This paper presents a solution for patients to share their biomedical data with their doctors without their data being handled by trusted third party entities. The solution is built on the Ethereum blockchain as a medium for negotiating and record-keeping, along with Tor for delivering data from patients to doctors. To highlight the applicability of the solution in various health monitoring scenarios, we have considered three use-cases, namely cardiac monitoring, sleep apnoea testing, and EEG following epileptic seizures. Following the discussion about the use cases, the paper outlines a security analysis performed on the proposed solution, based on multiple attack scenarios. Finally, the paper presents and discusses a performance evaluation in terms of data delivery time in comparison to existing centralized and decentralized solutions.
Aerial Imagery Based on Commercial Flights as Remote Sensing Platform
Authors: Mastelic Toni , Lorincz Josip , Ivandic Ivan , Boban Matea
Published: March 2020

Remote sensing is commonly performed via airborne platforms such as satellites, specialized aircraft, and unmanned aerial systems (UASs), which perform airborne photography using mounted cameras. However, they are limited by their coverage (UASs), irregular flyover frequency (aircraft), and/or low spatial resolution (satellites) due to their high altitude. In this paper, we examine the utilization of commercial flights as an airborne platform for remote sensing. Namely, we simulate a situation where all aircraft on commercial flights are equipped with a mounted camera used for airborne photography. The simulation is used to estimate coverage, the temporal and spatial resolution of aerial imagery acquired this way, as well as the storage capacity required for storing all imagery data. The results show that Europe is 83.28 percent covered with an average of one aerial photography every half an hour and a ground sampling distance of 0.96 meters per pixel. Capturing such imagery results in 20 million images or four petabytes of image data per day. More detailed results are given in the paper for separate countries/territories in Europe, individual commercial airlines and alliances, as well as three different cameras.
Diagnosis of Occlusal Caries with Dynamic Slicing of 3D Optical Coherence Tomography Images
Authors: Luong Minh N. , Shimada Yasushi , Araki Kazuyuki , Yoshiyama Masahiro , Tagami Junji , Sadr Alireza
Published: March 2020

Detecting the extent of occlusal caries is a clinically important but challenging task required for treatment decision making. The aim of this study was to assess the diagnostic power of 3D swept-source optical coherence tomography (OCT) for evaluation of occlusal caries in comparison with X-ray radiography. Extracted human molars not exhibiting American Dental Association (ADA) criteria advanced caries were mounted in a silicone block and digital dental radiographs were captured from the buccal side. Subsequently, occlusal surfaces were scanned with a prototype Yoshida Dental OCT. Thirteen examiners evaluated the presence and extent of caries on radiographs and dynamically sliced 3D OCT video images, using a 4 level scale—0: intact; 1: enamel demineralization without cavitation; 2: enamel caries with cavitation; 3: dentin caries with or without cavitation. Sensitivity, specificity and area under operating characteristic curves (Az) were statistically analyzed (α = 0.05). Reliability analysis showed an excellent agreement among the 13 examiners for both methods. The OCT presented a significantly higher sensitivity and Az value for the detection of caries compared to radiographs (p < 0.05). Radiography showed especially low sensitivity for dentin caries (0–2 versus 3). Dynamic slicing of 3D OCT volumes is a powerful adjunct tool to visual inspection to diagnose the dentin occlusal caries in vitro.
Laboratory and In-Situ Testing of Integrated FBG Sensors for SHM for Concrete and Timber Structures
Authors: Čápová Kristýna , Velebil Lukáš , Včelák Jan
Published: March 2020

Long-term structural health monitoring (SHM) plays an important role in the safety of public transport infrastructure such as bridges or tunnels and warns in the event of any emerging problem. This article describes development and testing of system based on fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensors that can detect changes in strain and temperature. The first phase of the research has been focused on the development of new fiber optic sensors for the monitoring of concrete structures and their investigation in laboratory conditions. The work also shows novel applicability of the same FBG technology for glulam structures. Mechanical loading tests of the concrete beam as well as glulam beam with embedded sensors were carried out. Data measured by developed fiber optic sensors were compared with the readings from reference sensors as well as with the analytically calculated values. The achieved results proved good agreement between the measured data, analytical data and reference methods. In second phase of the research, the pilot installation of the sensors was carried out on the newly constructed prestressed-concrete bridge. The bridge was monitored throughout pre-stressing phase and monitoring continued after the completion of the construction works. Problems with the fragility of the sensors occurred during the measurements, but the obtained results provide a good basis for further improvement of the system.
Development of a Spatial Decision Support System for Real-Time Flood Early Warning in the Vu Gia-Thu Bon River Basin, Quang Nam Province, Vietnam
Authors: Nguyen Hong T. , Duong Trung Q. , Nguyen Liem D. , Vo Tram Q.N. , Tran Nhat T. , Dang Phuong D.N. , Nguyen Long D. , Dang Cuong K. , Nguyen Loi K.
Published: March 2020

Vu Gia-Thu Bon (VGTB) river basin is an area where flash flood and heavy flood events occur frequently, negatively impacting the local community and socio-economic development of Quang Nam Province. In recent years, structural and non–structural solutions have been implemented to mitigate damages due to floods. However, under the impact of climate change, natural disasters continue to happen unpredictably day by day. It is, therefore, necessary to develop a spatial decision support system for real-time flood warnings in the VGTB river basin, which will support in ensuring the area’s socio-economic development. The main purpose of this study is to develop an online flood warning system in real-time based on Internet-of-Things (IoT) technologies, GIS, telecommunications, and modeling (Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) and Hydrologic Engineering Center’s River Analysis System (HEC–RAS)) in order to support the local community in the vulnerable downstream areas in the event of heavy rainfall upstream. The structure of the designed system consists of these following components: (1) real-time hydro-meteorological monitoring network, (2) IoT communication infrastructure (Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), wireless networks), (3) database management system (bio-physical, socio-economic, hydro-meteorological, and inundation), (4) simulating and predicting model (SWAT, HEC–RAS), (5) automated simulating and predicting module, (6) flood warning module via short message service (SMS), (7) WebGIS, application for providing and managing hydro-meteorological and inundation data, and (8) users (citizens and government officers). The entire operating processes of the flood warning system (i.e., hydro-meteorological data collecting, transferring, updating, processing, running SWAT and HEC–RAS, visualizing) are automated. A complete flood warning system for the VGTB river basin has been developed as an outcome of this study, which enables the prediction of flood events 5 h in advance and with high accuracy of 80%.
Detection and Analysis of Heartbeats in Seismocardiogram Signals
Authors: Mora Niccolò , Cocconcelli Federico , Matrella Guido , Ciampolini Paolo
Published: March 2020

This paper presents an unsupervised methodology to analyze SeismoCardioGram (SCG) signals. Starting from raw accelerometric data, heartbeat complexes are extracted and annotated, using a two-step procedure. An unsupervised calibration procedure is added to better adapt to different user patterns. Results show that the performance scores achieved by the proposed methodology improve over related literature: on average, 98.5% sensitivity and 98.6% precision are achieved in beat detection, whereas RMS (Root Mean Square) error in heartbeat interval estimation is as low as 4.6 ms. This allows SCG heartbeat complexes to be reliably extracted. Then, the morphological information of such waveforms is further processed by means of a modular Convolutional Variational AutoEncoder network, aiming at extracting compressed, meaningful representation. After unsupervised training, the VAE network is able to recognize different signal morphologies, associating each user to its specific patterns with high accuracy, as indicated by specific performance metrics (including adjusted random and mutual information score, completeness, and homogeneity). Finally, a Linear Model is used to interpret the results of clustering in the learned latent space, highlighting the impact of different VAE architectural parameters (i.e., number of stacked convolutional units and dimension of latent space).
Impacts of Imperfect Channel State Information, Transceiver Hardware, and Self-Interference Cancellation on the Performance of Full-Duplex MIMO Relay System
Authors: Nguyen Ba Cao , Thang Nguyen Nhu , Tran Xuan Nam , Dung Le The
Published: March 2020

Imperfect channel state information (I-CSI) and imperfect transceiver hardware often happen in wireless communication systems due to the time-varying and random characteristics of both wireless channels and hardware components. The impacts of I-CSI and hardware impairments (HI) reduce not only the system performance but also the self-interference cancellation (SIC) capability of full-duplex (FD) devices. To investigate the system performance in realistic scenarios, in this paper, we consider the performance of an FD multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) relay system under the effects of I-CSI, imperfect SIC (I-SIC), and imperfect transceiver hardware. We mathematically derive the exact closed-form expressions of the outage probability (OP) and ergodic capacity of the considered HI-FD-MIMO relay system over Rayleigh fading channels with the existence of I-CSI, I-SIC, and HI. Numerical results indicate that the performance in terms of OP and capacity reaches saturation faster, especially when the channel estimation error, the residual self-interference (RSI), and HI levels are remarkable. Therefore, various solutions for effectively reducing the channel estimation error, RSI, and HI levels in the HI-FD-MIMO relay system should be carried out to improve the system performance. All derived mathematical expressions are verified through Monte-Carlo simulations.
Comparative Study on Planetary Magnetosphere in the Solar System
Authors: Lai Ching-Ming , Kiang Jean-Fu
Published: March 2020

The magnetospheric responses to solar wind of Mercury, Earth, Jupiter and Uranus are compared via magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulations. The tilt angle of each planetary field and the polarity of solar wind are also considered. Magnetic reconnection is illustrated and explicated with the interaction between the magnetic field distributions of the solar wind and the magnetosphere.
Sinusoidal Single-Pixel Imaging Based on Fourier Positive–Negative Intensity Correlation
Authors: Meng Ling-Tong , Jia Ping , Shen Hong-Hai , Sun Ming-Jie , Yao Dong , Wang Han-Yu , Yan Chun-Hui
Published: March 2020

Single-pixel imaging techniques extend the time dimension to reconstruct a target scene in the spatial domain based on single-pixel detectors. Structured light illumination modulates the target scene by utilizing multi-pattern projection, and the reflected or transmitted light is measured by a single-pixel detector as total intensity. To reduce the imaging time and capture high-quality images with a single-pixel imaging technique, orthogonal patterns have been used instead of random patterns in recent years. The most representative among them are Hadamard patterns and Fourier sinusoidal patterns. Here, we present an alternative Fourier single-pixel imaging technique that can reconstruct high-quality images with an intensity correlation algorithm using acquired Fourier positive–negative images. We use the Fourier matrix to generate sinusoidal and phase-shifting sinusoid-modulated structural illumination patterns, which correspond to Fourier negative imaging and positive imaging, respectively. The proposed technique can obtain two centrosymmetric images in the intermediate imaging course. A high-quality image is reconstructed by applying intensity correlation to the negative and positive images for phase compensation. We performed simulations and experiments, which obtained high-quality images, demonstrating the feasibility of the methods. The proposed technique has the potential to image under sub-sampling conditions.
A Wristwatch-Based Wireless Sensor Platform for IoT Health Monitoring Applications
Authors: Kumar Sanjeev , Buckley John L. , Barton John , Pigeon Melusine , Newberry Robert , Rodencal Matthew , Hajzeraj Adhurim , Hannon Tim , Rogers Ken , Casey Declan , O’Sullivan Donal , O’Flynn Brendan
Published: March 2020

A wristwatch-based wireless sensor platform for IoT wearable health monitoring applications is presented. The paper describes the platform in detail, with a particular focus given to the design of a novel and compact wireless sub-system for 868 MHz wristwatch applications. An example application using the developed platform is discussed for arterial oxygen saturation (SpO2) and heart rate measurement using optical photoplethysmography (PPG). A comparison of the wireless performance in the 868 MHz and the 2.45 GHz bands is performed. Another contribution of this work is the development of a highly integrated 868 MHz antenna. The antenna structure is printed on the surface of a wristwatch enclosure using laser direct structuring (LDS) technology. At 868 MHz, a low specific absorption rate (SAR) of less than 0.1% of the maximum permissible limit in the simulation is demonstrated. The measured on-body prototype antenna exhibits a −10 dB impedance bandwidth of 36 MHz, a peak realized gain of −4.86 dBi and a radiation efficiency of 14.53% at 868 MHz. To evaluate the performance of the developed 868 MHz sensor platform, the wireless communication range measurements are performed in an indoor environment and compared with a commercial Bluetooth wristwatch device.
CoDR: Correlation-Based Data Reduction Scheme for Efficient Gathering of Heterogeneous Driving Data
Authors: Park Junho , Chung Yoojin , Choi Jongmoo
Published: March 2020

A variety of deep learning techniques are actively employed for advanced driver assistance systems, which in turn require gathering lots of heterogeneous driving data, such as traffic conditions, driver behavior, vehicle status and location information. However, these different types of driving data easily become more than tens of GB per day, forming a significant hurdle due to the storage and network cost. To address this problem, this paper proposes a novel scheme, called CoDR, which can reduce data volume by considering the correlations among heterogeneous driving data. Among heterogeneous datasets, CoDR first chooses one set as a pivot data. Then, according to the objective of data collection, it identifies data ranges relevant to the objective from the pivot dataset. Finally, it investigates correlations among sets, and reduces data volume by eliminating irrelevant data from not only the pivot set but also other remaining datasets. CoDR gathers four heterogeneous driving datasets: two videos for front view and driver behavior, OBD-II and GPS data. We show that CoDR decreases data volume by up to 91%. We also present diverse analytical results that reveal the correlations among the four datasets, which can be exploited usefully for edge computing to reduce data volume on the spot.
Suppression of a Subset of Interferon-Induced Genes by Human Papillomavirus Type 16 E7 via a Cyclin Dependent Kinase 8-Dependent Mechanism
Authors: Rice Sadie , Kim Seong-man , Rodriguez Cynthia , Songock William , Raikhy Gaurav , Lopez Rebecca , Henderson Lauren , Yusufji Arjun , Bodily Jason
Published: March 2020

Persistent infection by human papillomaviruses (HPVs), small, double-stranded DNA viruses that infect keratinocytes of the squamous epithelia, can lead to the development of cervical and other cancers. The viral oncoprotein E7 contributes to viral persistence in part by regulating host gene expression through binding host transcriptional regulators, although mechanisms responsible for E7-mediated transcriptional regulation are incompletely understood. Type I IFN signaling promotes the expression of anti-viral genes, called interferon-stimulated genes (ISGs), through the phosphorylation and activation of STAT1. In this study, we have observed that the CR3 domain of E7 contributes to the episomal maintenance of viral genomes. Transcriptome analysis revealed that E7 transcriptionally suppresses a subset of ISGs but not through regulation of STAT1 activation. Instead, we discovered that E7 associates with Mediator kinase CDK8 and this is correlated with the recruitment of CDK8 to ISG promoters and reduced ISG expression. E7 fails to suppress ISGs in the absence of CDK8, indicating that CDK8 function contributes to the suppression of ISGs by E7. Altogether, E7/CDK8 association may be a novel mechanism by which E7 inhibits innate immune signaling.
Eradicating the Scourge of Peste Des Petits Ruminants from the World
Authors: Njeumi Felix , Bailey Dalan , Soula Jean. Jacques , Diop Bouna , Tekola Berhe G.
Published: March 2020

Peste des Petits Ruminants (PPR) is a highly contagious viral disease of both domestic (goats and sheep) and wild ruminants. Caused by a morbillivirus, that belongs to the family Paramyxoviridae. The disease is clinically and pathologically similar to rinderpest of cattle and human measles. PPR is one of the most economically devastating viral diseases of small ruminants. In April 2015, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) launched the PPR Global Control and Eradication Strategy (PPR GCES) with the vision for global eradication by 2030. There is a strong and lasting international consensus to eradicate the disease in order to protect the livelihoods of the world’s poorest populations. As with any disease, eradication is feasible when, policy, scientific and technical challenges are addressed. Ten majors challenges are described in this paper namely: understanding small ruminant production, facilitating research to support eradication, refining laboratory testing, improving epidemiological understanding of the virus, defining infection of wildlife and other species, optimizing vaccine delivery and novel vaccines, developing better control of animal movement, heightening serological monitoring, understanding socio-economic impact, and garnering funding and political will.
Suramin Inhibits Chikungunya Virus Replication by Interacting with Virions and Blocking the Early Steps of Infection
Authors: Albulescu Irina C. , White-Scholten Leonie , Tas Ali , Hoornweg Tabitha E. , Ferla Salvatore , Kovacikova Kristina , Smit Jolanda M. , Brancale Andrea , Snijder Eric J. , van Hemert Martijn J.
Published: March 2020

Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is a mosquito-transmitted alphavirus that can cause a debilitating disease that is primarily characterized by persistent joint pain. CHIKV has been emerging globally, while neither a vaccine nor antiviral medication is available. The anti-parasitic drug suramin was previously shown to inhibit CHIKV replication. In this study we aimed to obtain more detailed insight into its mechanism of action. We found that suramin interacts with virions and can inhibit virus binding to cells. It also appeared to inhibit post-attachment steps of the infection process, likely by preventing conformational changes of the envelope glycoproteins required for fusion and the progression of infection. Suramin-resistant CHIKV strains were selected and genotyping and reverse genetics experiments indicated that mutations in E2 were responsible for resistance. The substitutions N5R and H18Q were reverse engineered in the E2 glycoprotein in order to understand their role in resistance. The binding of suramin-resistant viruses with these two E2 mutations was inhibited by suramin like that of wild-type virus, but they appeared to be able to overcome the post-attachment inhibitory effect of suramin. Conversely, a virus with a G82R mutation in E2 (implicated in attenuation of vaccine strain 181/25), which renders it dependent on the interaction with heparan sulfate for entry, was more sensitive to suramin than wild-type virus. Using molecular modelling studies, we predicted the potential suramin binding sites on the mature spikes of the chikungunya virion. We conclude that suramin interferes with CHIKV entry by interacting with the E2 envelope protein, which inhibits attachment and also interferes with conformational changes required for fusion.
Feline Parvovirus Seroprevalence Is High in Domestic Cats from Disease Outbreak and Non-Outbreak Regions in Australia
Authors: Jenkins Elizabeth , Davis Conor , Carrai Maura , Ward Michael P. , O’Keeffe Susan , van Boeijen Martine , Beveridge Louise , Desario Costantina , Buonavoglia Canio , Beatty Julia A. , Decaro Nicola , Barrs Vanessa R.
Published: March 2020

Multiple, epizootic outbreaks of feline panleukopenia (FPL) caused by feline parvovirus (FPV) occurred in eastern Australia between 2014 and 2018. Most affected cats were unvaccinated. We hypothesised that low population immunity was a major driver of re-emergent FPL. The aim of this study was to (i) determine the prevalence and predictors of seroprotective titres to FPV among shelter-housed and owned cats, and (ii) compare the prevalence of seroprotection between a region affected and unaffected by FPL outbreaks. FPV antibodies were detected by haemagglutination inhibition assay on sera from 523 cats and titres ≥1:40 were considered protective. Socioeconomic indices based on postcode and census data were included in the risk factor analysis. The prevalence of protective FPV antibody titres was high overall (94.3%), even though only 42% of cats were known to be vaccinated, and was not significantly different between outbreak and non-outbreak regions. On multivariable logistic regression analysis vaccinated cats were 29.94 times more likely to have protective FPV titres than cats not known to be vaccinated. Cats from postcodes of relatively less socioeconomic disadvantage were 5.93 times more likely to have protective FPV titres. The predictors identified for FPV seroprotective titres indicate targeted vaccination strategies in regions of socioeconomic disadvantage would be beneficial to increase population immunity. The critical level of vaccine coverage required to halt FPV transmission and prevent FPL outbreaks should be determined.
A Novel Hepe-Like Virus from Farmed Giant Freshwater Prawn Macrobrachium rosenbergii
Authors: Dong Xuan , Hu Tao , Liu Qingyuan , Li Chen , Sun Yani , Wang Yiting , Shi Weifeng , Zhao Qin , Huang Jie
Published: March 2020

The family Hepeviridae includes several positive-stranded RNA viruses, which infect a wide range of mammalian species, chicken, and trout. However, few hepatitis E viruses (HEVs) have been characterized from invertebrates. In this study, a hepevirus, tentatively named Crustacea hepe-like virus 1 (CHEV1), from the economically important crustacean, the giant freshwater prawn Macrobrachium rosenbergii, was characterized. The complete genome consisted of 7750 nucleotides and had a similar structure to known hepatitis E virus genomes. Phylogenetic analyses suggested it might be a novel hepe-like virus within the family Hepeviridae. To our knowledge, this is the first hepe-like virus characterized from crustaceans.
The Impact of Human Genetic Polymorphisms on Rotavirus Susceptibility, Epidemiology, and Vaccine Take
Authors: Sharma Sumit , Hagbom Marie , Svensson Lennart , Nordgren Johan
Published: March 2020

Innate resistance to viral infections can be attributed to mutations in genes involved in the immune response, or to the receptor/ligand. A remarkable example of the latter is the recently described Mendelian trait resistance to clinically important and globally predominating genotypes of rotavirus, the most common agent of severe dehydrating gastroenteritis in children worldwide. This resistance appears to be rotavirus genotype-dependent and is mainly mediated by histo-blood group antigens (HBGAs), which function as a receptor or attachment factors on gut epithelial surfaces. HBGA synthesis is mediated by fucosyltransferases and glycosyltransferases under the genetic control of the FUT2 (secretor), FUT3 (Lewis), and ABO (H) genes on chromosome 19. Significant genotypic and phenotypic diversity of HBGA expression exists between different human populations. This genetic diversity has an effect on genotype-specific susceptibility, molecular epidemiology, and vaccine take. Here, we will discuss studies on genetic susceptibility to rotavirus infection and place them in the context of population susceptibility, rotavirus epidemiology, vaccine take, and public health impact.
Coxsackievirus B3 Infection of Human Neural Progenitor Cells Results in Distinct Expression Patterns of Innate Immune Genes
Authors: Oh Soo-Jin , Gim Jeong-An , Lee Jae Kyung , Park Hosun , Shin Ok Sarah
Published: March 2020

Coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3), a member of Picornaviridae family, is an important human pathogen that causes a wide range of diseases, including myocarditis, pancreatitis, and meningitis. Although CVB3 has been well demonstrated to target murine neural progenitor cells (NPCs), gene expression profiles of CVB3-infected human NPCs (hNPCs) has not been fully explored. To characterize the molecular signatures and complexity of CVB3-mediated host cellular responses in hNPCs, we performed QuantSeq 3′ mRNA sequencing. Increased expression levels of viral RNA sensors (RIG-I, MDA5) and interferon-stimulated genes, such as IFN-β, IP-10, ISG15, OAS1, OAS2, Mx2, were detected in response to CVB3 infection, while IFN-γ expression level was significantly downregulated in hNPCs. Consistent with the gene expression profile, CVB3 infection led to enhanced secretion of inflammatory cytokines and chemokines, such as interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-8 (IL-8), and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1). Furthermore, we show that type I interferon (IFN) treatment in hNPCs leads to significant attenuation of CVB3 RNA copy numbers, whereas, type II IFN (IFN-γ) treatment enhances CVB3 replication and upregulates suppressor of cytokine signaling 1/3 (SOCS) expression levels. Taken together, our results demonstrate the distinct molecular patterns of cellular responses to CVB3 infection in hNPCs and the pro-viral function of IFN-γ via the modulation of SOCS expression.
Spontaneous Tumors and Non-Neoplastic Proliferative Lesions in Pet Degus (Octodon degus)
Authors: Švara Tanja , Gombač Mitja , Poli Alessandro , Račnik Jožko , Zadravec Marko
Published: March 2020

In recent years, degus (Octodon degus), rodents native to South America, have been becoming increasingly popular as pet animals. Data about neoplastic diseases in this species are still sparse and mainly limited to single-case reports. The aim of this study was to present neoplastic and non-neoplastic proliferative changes in 16/100 pet degus examined at the Veterinary Faculty University of Ljubljana from 2010 to 2015 and to describe the clinic-pathological features of these lesions. Twenty different lesions of the integumentary, musculoskeletal, genitourinary and gastrointestinal systems were diagnosed: amongst these were 13 malignant tumors, six benign tumors, and one non-neoplastic lesion. Cutaneous fibrosarcoma was the most common tumor (7/16 degus). It was detected more often in females (6/7 degus) and lesions were located mainly in hind limbs. The gastrointestinal tract was frequently affected, namely with two malignant neoplasms - an intestinal lymphoma and a mesenteric mesothelioma, four benign tumors – two biliary cystadenomas, an oral squamous papilloma and a hepatocellular adenoma, and a single non-neoplastic proliferative lesion. In one animal, two organic systems were involved in neoplastic lesions.
ESTRATEGIA COMUNICACIONAL PARA COADYUVAR AL POSICIONAMIENTO DE LA MARCA DEL GABINETE “FISIOSALUD”
Authors: Huayllani Bernal Angela Wini
Published: March 2020

El artículo se fundamenta en una investigación acerca de la estrategia comunicacional para coadyuvar el posicionamiento de la marca del Gabinete “FisioSalud” en la ciudad de Potosí. Su objeto de estudio fue el posicionamiento de la marca. El enfoque de investigación que caracterizó el trabajo fue, tanto cualitativo y cuantitativo, así mismo, el tipo de investigación fue descriptivo, los métodos teóricos que se aplicaron fueron método de análisis- síntesis, inductivo-deductivo, histórico-lógico, con respecto a los métodos empíricos que se utilizaron para el trabajo de investigación estuvo la encuesta, entrevista y observación estructurada. Se identificó que las principales causas para que el gabinete “FisioSalud” no estaba posicionada en el mercado son atribuibles a la falta de comunicación de marketing efectiva del posicionamiento que se deseaba alcanzar en el mercado como empresa a partir de los medios de comunicación disponibles. Por tanto, se concluyó que el gabinete “FisioSalud” necesita coadyuvar el posicionamiento de marca en
STUDY THE PHYSICAL AND MORBIDITY STATUS OF YOUNG MEN PARTICIPATED IN RECRUITMENT EXAMINATION FOR MILITARY SERVICE IN QUANG NGAI PROVINCE 2013
Authors: Vo Tam , Le Van Phuong
Published: March 2020

Objectives: To study the physical and morbidity status and some related factors of young men participated in recruitment examination for military service in Quang Ngai province in 2013. Subjects and Methods: Descriptive cross-sectional study in 921 young men in ages of 18-25 participated in recruitment examination for military service in 2013 in Quang Ngai province from July 2012 to May 2014. Results: 1. The physical and disease status: Good physical status qualified for recruitment (type 1, 2, 3) was 88.2%. Poor physical status not qualified for recruitment (type 4, 5, 6) was 11.8%. Morbidity rate was 70.8%. The proportion of disease groups: Internal Medicine was 25.6%, Dentistry was 21.7%, Eye was 17.0%, Dermatology is 15.0%, and Surgery was 14.1%, Neuro was 0.9%, ear nose throat was 5.7%. Good health qualified for recruitment (type 1, 2, 3) was 46.4%. Poor health not qualified for recruitment (type 4, 5, 6) was 53.6%. 2. Some factors related to the physical and disease status: There were association (p <0.05) between the physical condition with some following factors: nutrition, sports activities, home economics, ecology. There were association (p <0.05) between the morbidity with some following factors: Ethnicity, home economics, ecological zones, Pignet index, BMI.

Key words: physical, morbidity, young meb
APPLICATION OF REALTIME PCR FOR DETECTING M.TUBERCULOSIS RESISTANT TO RIFAMPICIN AND ISONIAZID
Authors: Ngo Viet Quynh Tram , Nguyen Thanh Quang , Huynh Thi Hai Duong , Le Nu Xuan Thanh
Published: March 2020

Introduction: Conventional culture methods for antibiotic susceptibility testing for M. tuberculosis may take days to several weeks. Use of realtime PCR for rapid detection of drug and multidrug resistant tuberculosis could facilitate early initiation of appropriate anti-tubercular treatment regimen thereby interrupting transmission. Objectives: 1. Determine prevalence of rifampicin-, isoniazid- and multidrug-resistant tuberculosis strain among the patients with recurrent tuberculosis. Xác định tỷ lệ các đột biến kháng rifampicin và isoniazid trong các chủng đề kháng phenotype 2. Determine proportion of the mutations concern to tuberculosis strains resistant to rifampicin và isoniazid. Methods: Doing susceptibility test by MODS assay for 50 tuberculosis strains isolated from patients with recurrent tuberculosis, realtime PCR was performed by using MTB Real-TM Resistance 4 kit to detect mutations in codon 531 of the rpoB gene related to rifampicine and mutations in codon 315 of the katG gene or in codon 209 of the inhA gene related to isoniazid. Results: Among tuberculosis strains isolated from patients with recurrent tuberculosis, there were 8% strains monoresistant to rifampicin and 60% multidrug-resistant strains. The Sacace MTB Real-TM resistance 4 kit detected 80% tuberculosis strains resistant to rifampicine with the mutation in rpoB gene codon 531 and 86,1% tuberculosis strains resistant to isoniazid with the mutation in katG gene codon 315 among the strains determined by MODS assay. Conclusion: The Sacace MTB Real-TM resistance 4 kit can’t detect rifampicine-/ isoniazid - resistant tuberculosis strains which have mutations in other codons of the above gene. Key words: M. tuberculosis, rifampicine-resistance, isoniazid-resistance, MODS, realtime PCR
ANALYSIS OF TREAMENT RESULTS FOR OTITIS MEDIA AFTER ADENOIDECTOMY IN CHILDREN
Authors: Ho Minh Tri , Le Thanh Thai
Published: March 2020

Otitis media and adenoid infection are popular with children. Chronic adenoid is considered as a cause to otitis media in children because infection in adenoid is likely to bring bacteria into middle ear through eustachian tube. Adenoidectomy is regarded as both a treatment measure and a prevention of complications caused by adenoid infection. Objectives: To find out any relations between otitis media and adenoid infection, eveluate the effectiveness of adenoidectomy in otitis media. Subjects and Methods: 54 patients with otitis media and adenoid infection that were diagnosed and treated at the University Hospital of the Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy in Hue from Apr-2014 to Jun-2015. A descriptive, prospective study was conducted with clinical intervention. Results: There are relations between the frequency of adenoid infection and otitis media, yet no relations have been found between level of size of adenoidand otitis media. After adenoidectomy, 76.7% of the patients recovered from recurrent otitis media, 82.9% of the patients recovered from otitis media with effusion, 100% of the patients suffering with chronic otitis media got stable. Conclusion: There are relations between the frequency of adenoid infection and otitis media. The size of adenoid is not relevant to otitis media. Adenoidectomy has positive impact on the treatment of otitis media. Key words: Otitis media, adenoidectomy.
CLINICAL, LABORATORY AND IMMUNOLOGICAL FEATURES IN PATIENTS OF SYSTEMIC LUPUS ERYTHEMATOSUS
Authors: Vo Tam , Huynh Thị Nhu Hang
Published: March 2020

Objective: To describe the clinical, laboratory and immunological features in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Methods: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study of 120 SLE patients admitted to Rheumatology department of Cho Ray Hospital and 60 healthy subjects on routine exams from November 2013 to July 2015. Results: Of the 120 patients, 114 were females (95.0%) and 6 were males (5.0%), giving a female to male ratio of 19:1. The patients’ age varied from 16 to 64 years old, mean 27.86. The systematic symptoms include: hypertension (4.2%), oedema (35.8%), fatique (78.3%) and fever (66.7%). The clinical criteria include: photosensitivity (80%), malar rash (69,2%), discoid rash (2,5%), nasal DLE (9.2%), oral DLE (30.0%), alopecia (55.8%), arthritis (45.8%), serositis: cardiac effusion (5.8%), pleural effusion (9.2%), renal: proteinuria per day (39.2%), hematuria (53.3%), neurologic: psychosis (3.3%), headache (7.5%), anemia (66.7%), leukopenia (22.5%), lymphopenia (28.3%), thrombocytopenia (10.0%). The immunological criteria include: positive ANA (97.5%), positive anti-dsDNA (90.0%), positive anti Sm (36.7%), positive anti cardiolipin IgG (18.3%), positive anti cardiolipin IgM (6.7%), positive direct Coomb test (20.0%). Hypocomplementemia of C3: sensitivity (95.0%), specificity (88.3%). Hypocomplementemia of C4: sensitivity (81.7%), specificity (96.7%).Conclusions: C3, C4 in serum are good tests for diagnosing Systemic Lupus Erythematosus according to SLICC 2012, hypocomplementemia of C3 and C4 have high sensitivity and specificity. Keywords:SystemicLupusErythematosus,C3,C4.
ASYMMETRIC DIMETHYLARGININE PLASMA IN END STAGE CHRONIC KIDNEY DISEASE
Authors: Hoang Trong Ai Quoc , Vo Tam , Hoang Viet Thang
Published: March 2020

Objectives: we aimed to assess the levels of plasma ADMA in healthy people and in reserved patients with end stage renal disease (ESRD), the association between plasma ADMA with serum creatinine concentration and with eGFR. Materials and Methods: This is a controlled cross sectional study. Plasma ADMA and other variables were measured in 27 patients with ESRD and in 21 controls. Plasma ADMA levels were determined by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using kits provided from immunodiagnostic AG, Germany. Data was analyzed by SPSS 19.0. Results: Mean ADMA in men- women was 0.69 ± 0.19 µmol/L and 0.61 ± 0.20 µmol/L, respectively, (p>0.05), mean ADMA in control and disease were 0.48 ± 0.17 µmol/L and 0.77± 0.12µmol/L; respectively, (p <0.001). No correlation between ADMA and age (r=-0.059, p=0.691); correlation between ADMA with serum creatinine (r=0.459, p<0.001) with eGFR r=-0.596, p<0.001). Conclusion: ADMA concentration in healthy people: 0.48 ± 0.17 µmol/L. ADMA concentration in ESRD: 0.77± 0.12 µmol/L. There is a correlation between ADMA concentration with eGFR and with serum creatinine concentration. Key words: Asymmetric dimethylarginine, end stage chronic kidney disease
ESTIMATING THE NEEDS OF HEALTH HUMAN RESOURCES IN SOME PROVINCES OF THE CENTRAL AND HIGHLANDS REGION IN THE PERIOD OF 2015 – 2020
Authors: Nguyen Minh Tam , Ho Anh Hien , Le Ho Thi Quynh Anh , Tran Huu Dang
Published: March 2020

Background: Human resource for health is an essential part of the health system and the key factor to ensure the effectiveness and quality of medical services. Health care needs of people have increased recently leading to the increasing demands of health human resource both in quantity and quality. The prediction of health human needs is very important thus we conducted this study to estimate the health human resource needs in some provinces of the Central and Highlands region. Subjects and Methods: This is a cross-sectional descriptive study on health workers working at Provincial Health Services of Quang Tri, Thua Thien Hue, Khanh Hoa and Dak Lak based on the health workforce data. Estimation of health human resource needs is calculated based on quotas assigned by government, the rate of annual population growth, and the number of health workers retired. Results: The estimated number of doctors to be recruited in 2015-2020 are 148 doctors in Quang Tri, 1028 in Dak Lak, 614 in Khanh Hoa, and 516 in Thua Thien Hue. Estimated number of pharmacist (bachelor degree) to be recruited in 2015-2020: 99 in Quang Tri, 404 in Dak Lak, 235 in Khanh Hoa, and 178 in Thua Thien Hue. Key words: health human resource, human needs, Central and Highlands
ANTI-IFLAMMATORY EFFECTS OF GRANULES OF TIEN LIET THANH GIAI ON EXPERIMENTAL ANIMAL MODELS
Authors: Nguyen Thi Phuong Quynh , Vu Thi Ngoc Thanh , Nguyen Thi Tan
Published: March 2020

Acute and chronic anti-inflammatory effects of granules of Tien liet thanh giai were evaluated. For acute anti-inflammatory effect, granules of Tien liet thanh giai didn’t change the test indicators. In the chronic inflammation model, granules of Tien liet thanh giai remarkably provoked chronic anti-inflammatory effect through significantly decreasing granuloma weight as compared with the control group. key words: granules of Tien liet thanh giai, acute anti-inflammatory effect, chronic anti-inflammatory effect.