bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Incidence and Severity of Community- and Hospital-Acquired Hyponatremia in Pediatrics
Authors: Rius-Peris J. M. , Tambe P. , Chilet Sáez M. Chilet , Requena M. , Prada E. , Mateo J.
Published: December 2022

Hyponatremia is the most common electrolyte disturbance in hospitalized children, with a reported incidence of 15–30%, but its overall incidence and severity are not well known. The objective of our study was to determine the incidence, severity, and associated risk factors of community- and hospital-acquired hyponatremia on a general pediatric ward. Data of 5550 children admitted from June 2012 to December 2019 on plasma sodium and discharge diagnosis were analyzed by logistic regression model. Clinically relevant diagnostic groups were created. Hyponatremia was classified as mild, moderate, and severe. The incidence of community- and hospital-acquired hyponatremia was 15.8% and 1.4%, respectively. Most of the cases were mild (90.8%) to moderate (8.6%), with only two cases of severe community-acquired hyponatremia. There were no clinical complications in any of the hyponatremic children. Age and diagnosis at discharge were principal factors significantly correlated with hyponatremia. Community-acquired hyponatremia is more common than hospital-acquired hyponatremia in clinical practice. Severe cases of both types are rare. Children from 2 to 11 years of age presenting with infections, cardiovascular disorders, and gastrointestinal disorders are at risk of developing hyponatremia.
Analysis of ProP1 Gene in a Cohort of Tunisian Patients with Congenital Combined Pituitary Hormone Deficiency
Authors: Moalla Mariam , Mnif-Feki Mouna , Safi Wajdi , Charfi Nadia , Mejdoub-Rekik Nabila , Abid Mohamed , Hadj Kacem Faten , Hadj Kacem Hassen
Published: December 2022

Background: Non-syndromic combined pituitary hormone deficiency (CPHD) occurs due to defects in transcription factors that govern early pituitary development and the specification of hormone-producing cells. The most common mutations are in the Prophet of Pit-1 (ProP1) gene. This work aims to (1) report findings of genetic analyses of Tunisian patients with non-syndromic CPHD and (2) describe their phenotype patterns and their evolution through life. Methods: Fifteen patients from twelve unrelated families with variable clinical phenotypes were included after excluding autoimmune and acquired forms of non-syndromic CPHD. Detailed pedigree charts and auxological, hormonal, radiological, and therapeutic details were recorded. Sanger sequencing was performed, and sequences were analyzed with a specific focus on coding and splice site regions of the ProP1 gene. Retained variants were classified using several in silico pathogenicity prediction tools and the VarSome platform. Results: We identified the common p.Arg73Cys mutation in seven patients from four unrelated pedigrees. We found a novel homozygous mutation (c.340C>T) in one sporadic case. This mutation generates a truncated ProP1 protein, predicted to be non-functional, lacking the last 112 codons (p.(Gln114Ter)). We confirmed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) the absence of large exon deletions or insertions in the remaining sporadic patients (7/8). Conclusions: We report two mutations {one newly identified [p.(Gln114Ter)] and one previously reported (p.Arg73Cys)} in five unrelated Tunisian families with non-syndromic CPHD. This work is of clinical importance as it reports the high frequency of the p.Arg73Cys mutation in Tunisian CPHD families. Our study also illuminated the involvement of novel gene(s) in the emergence of non-syndromic CPHD.
Nomogram for Early Prediction of Outcome in Coma Patients with Severe Traumatic Brain Injury Receiving Right Median Nerve Electrical Stimulation Treatment
Authors: Zhang Chao , You Wen-Dong , Xu Xu-Xu , Zhou Qian , Yang Xiao-Feng
Published: December 2022

Background: Accurate outcome prediction can serve to approach, quantify and categorize severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) coma patients for right median electrical stimulation (RMNS) treatment, which can support rehabilitation plans. As a proof of concept for individual risk prediction, we created a novel nomogram model combining amplitude-integrated electroencephalography (AEEG) and clinically relevant parameters. Methods: This study retrospective collected and analyzed a total of 228 coma patients after severe TBI in two medical centers. According to the extended Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOSE), patients were divided into a good outcome (GOSE 3–8) or a poor outcome (GOSE 1–2) group. Their clinical and biochemical indicators, together with EEG features, were explored retrospectively. The risk factors connected to the outcome of coma patients receiving RMNS treatment were identified using Cox proportional hazards regression. The discriminative capability and calibration of the model to forecast outcome were assessed by C statistics, calibration plots, and Kaplan-Meier curves on a personalized nomogram forecasting model. Results: The study included 228 patients who received RMNS treatment for long-term coma after a severe TBI. The median age was 40 years, and 57.8% (132 of 228) of the patients were male. 67.0% (77 of 115) of coma patients in the high-risk group experienced a poor outcome after one year and the comparative data merely was 30.1% (34 of 113) in low-risk group patients. The following variables were integrated into the forecasting of outcome using the backward stepwise selection of Akaike information criterion: age, Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) at admission, EEG reactivity (normal, absence, or the stimulus-induced rhythmic, periodic, or ictal discharges (SIRPIDs)), and AEEG background pattern (A mode, B mode, or C mode). The C statistics revealed that the nomograms’ discriminative potential and calibration demonstrated good predictive ability (0.71). Conclusion: Our findings show that the nomogram model using AEEG parameters has the potential to predict outcomes in severe TBI coma patients receiving RMNS treatment. The model could classify patients into prognostic groups and worked well in internal validation.
Incidence, Risk Factors, and Outcomes of Symptomatic Bone Cement Displacement following Percutaneous Kyphoplasty for Osteoporotic Vertebral Compression Fracture: A Single Center Study
Authors: Qi Junbo , Hu Yuanyu , Yang Zhongwei , Dong Yanlei , Zhang Xin , Hou Guojin , Lv Yang , Guo Yan , Zhou Fang , Liu Bingchuan , Tian Yun
Published: December 2022

Study design: Retrospective. Background: Symptomatic bone cement displacement (BCD) is a rare complication following percutaneous kyphoplasty (PKP) interventions for osteoporotic vertebral compression fracture (OVCF). This study aimed to investigate the incidence and the outcomes of symptomatic BCD comprehensively and identify its risk factors. Methods: The clinical data of patients treated with PKP for OVCF between January 2012 and December 2020 were extracted. Patients who developed BCD following PKP during follow-up were divided into the symptomatic and asymptomatic groups. Patients who did not develop BCD were assigned to the control group. Univariate and multiple logistic regression analyses were used to compare the three clinical groups’ features to assess the independent risk factors for the symptomatic and asymptomatic groups. Results: A total of 896 patients were enrolled. Twenty-one patients (2.3%) were identified as having symptomatic BCD following PKP for OVCF, and 35 (3.9%) developed asymptomatic BCD. Compared with the control group, the symptomatic and asymptomatic groups had a higher incidence of anterior leakage, intravertebral vacuum cleft (IVC) signs, and a lower cement distribution score. The symptomatic group had a lower relative cross-sectional area (rCSA) of the paraspinal muscle (PSM), higher PSM fatty degeneration, and higher kyphotic angle (at the last follow-up) than the asymptomatic and control groups. For outcomes, the symptomatic group had a higher VAS/ODI score and a higher incidence of new vertebral fractures compared with the asymptomatic and control groups. Anterior leakage (OR: 1.737, 95% CI: 1.215–3.300), the IVC sign (OR: 3.361, 95% CI: 1.605–13.036), the cement distribution score (OR: 0.476, 95% CI: 0.225–0.904), PSM rCSA (OR: 0.953, 95% CI: 0.917–0.992), and PSM fatty degeneration (OR: 1.061, 95% CI: 1.005–1.119) were identified as independent risk factors for the symptomatic group. Anterior leakage (OR: 1.839, 95% CI: 1.206–2.803), the IVC sign (OR: 2.936, 95% CI: 1.174–9.018), and cement distribution score (OR: 0.632, 95% CI: 0.295–0.858) were independent risk factors for the asymptomatic group. Conclusion: The incidence of symptomatic BCD is 2.3% in patients treated with PKP. Anterior leakage, the IVC sign, and the distribution score were independent risk factors for BCD, and paraspinal muscle degeneration was a specific risk factor for symptomatic BCD. Symptomatic BCD can lead to poor outcomes.
Next-Generation Sequencing of a Large Gene Panel for Outcome Prediction of Bariatric Surgery in Patients with Severe Obesity
Authors: Bonetti Gabriele , Dhuli Kristjana , Ceccarini Maria Rachele , Kaftalli Jurgen , Samaja Michele , Precone Vincenza , Cecchin Stefano , Maltese Paolo Enrico , Guerri Giulia , Marceddu Giuseppe , Beccari Tommaso , Aquilanti Barbara , Velluti Valeria , Matera Giuseppina , Perrone Marco , Iaconelli Amerigo , Colombo Francesca , Greco Francesco , Raffaelli Marco , Ergoren Mahmut Cerkez , Bertelli Matteo
Published: December 2022

Obesity is a chronic disease in which abnormal deposition of fat threatens health, leading to diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and other chronic illnesses. According to the WHO, 19.8% of the adult population in Italy is obese, and the prevalence is higher among men. It is important to know the predisposition of an individual to become obese and to respond to bariatric surgery, the most up-to-date treatment for severe obesity. To this purpose, we developed an NGS gene panel, comprising 72 diagnostic genes and 244 candidate genes, and we sequenced 247 adult obese Italian patients. Eleven deleterious variants in 9 diagnostic genes and 17 deleterious variants in 11 candidate genes were identified. Interestingly, mutations were found in several genes correlated to the Bardet–Biedl syndrome. Then, 25 patients were clinically followed to evaluate their response to bariatric surgery. After a 12-month follow-up, the patients that carried deleterious variants in diagnostic or candidate genes had a reduced weight loss, as compared to the other patients. The NGS-based panel, including diagnostic and candidate genes used in this study, could play a role in evaluating, diagnosing, and managing obese individuals, and may help in predicting the outcome of bariatric surgery.
An Evaluation of Serological Tests to Determine Postvaccinal Immunity to SARS-CoV-2 by mRNA Vaccines
Authors: Iglesias García Graciela , Díaz Rodríguez Ángel , Díaz Fernández Beatriz , Cuello Estrada Carmela , García Ferreiro Tania , Crespo García Noelia , Seco-Calvo Jesús
Published: December 2022

Background: The duration of the protective efficacy of vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 is unknown. Thus, an evaluation of the clinical performance of available tests is required. Objectives: To evaluate the clinical performance of LFIA immunoassay compared to ELIA and CLIA immunoassays available in Europe for the detection of IgG antibodies generated by mRNA vaccines against SARS-CoV-2. Methods: Two automated immunoassays (the EUROIMMUN anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG S1 ELISA and the LIAISON de Diasorin anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG S1/S2 test) and a lateral flow immunoassay (the Livzon LFIA anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG S test) were tested. We analyzed 300 samples distributed in three groups: 100 subjects aged over 18 years and under 45 years, 100 subjects aged between 45 and 65 years, and 100 subjects aged over 65 years. The samples were collected before vaccination; at 21 days; and then at 1, 2, 3, and 6 months after vaccination. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, positive probability quotient, negative probability quotient, and concordance (kappa index) were calculated for each serological test. Results: The maximum sensitivity values for IgG were 98.7%, 98.1%, and 97.8% for the EUROIMMUN ELISA, Abbott CLIA, and Livzon LFIA tests, respectively, and the maximum specificity values for IgG were 99.4%, 99.9%%, and 98.4% for the ELISA, CLIA, and LFIA tests, respectively, at the third month after vaccination, representing a decrease in the antibody levels after the sixth month. The best agreement was observed between the ELISA and CLIA tests at 100% (k = 1.00). The agreement between the ELIA, CLIA, and LFIA tests was 99% (k = 0.964) at the second and third month after vaccination. Seroconversion was faster and more durable in the younger age groups. Conclusion: Our study examined the equivalent and homogeneous clinical performance for IgG of three immunoassays after vaccination and found LFIA to be the most cost-effective, reliable, and accurate for routine use in population seroconversion and seroprevalence studies.
Acne Vulgaris—Novel Treatment Options and Factors Affecting Therapy Adherence: A Narrative Review
Authors: Tobiasz Aleksandra , Nowicka Danuta , Szepietowski Jacek C.
Published: December 2022

Acne vulgaris is an extremely common skin condition, affecting a large population of adolescents, but at the same time, remaining a quite common issue in the group of adult patients. Its complex pathogenesis includes increased sebum secretion, impaired follicular keratinization, colonization of sebaceous glands with Cutibacterium acne bacteria, and the development of inflammation in pilosebaceous units. Although there are many methods of treatment available targeting the mechanisms mentioned above, a large percentage of patients remain undertreated or non-compliant with treatment. Ineffective treatment results in the formation of acne scars, which has a major impact on the well-being and quality of life of the patients. The aim of this publication was a review of available evidence on widely used and novel methods of topical and systemic treatment of acne, additionally including current literature-based analysis of factors affecting patients’ compliance. The strengths and limitations of novel substances for treating acne were discussed. We conclude that an effective acne treatment remains a challenge. A better understanding of current treatment options and factors affecting patients’ compliance could be a helpful tool in choosing a proper treatment option.
Vagus Nerve Stimulation for Drug Resistant Epilepsy: Clinical Outcome, Adverse Events, and Potential Prognostic Factors in a Single Center Experience
Authors: Shan Ming , Mao Hongliang , Xie Hutao , Gan Yifei , Wu Delong , Song Jian , Bai Yutong , Zhang Jianguo
Published: December 2022

Objective: Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) has been used for adjunctive treatment in drug resistant epilepsy (DRE) for decades. Nevertheless, information is lacking on possible potential prognostic factors. Our study presents the efficacy and safety of VNS with a focus on prognostic factors in 45 patients with DRE. Methods: We retrospectively evaluated the clinical outcome of 45 consecutive patients with DRE undergoing VNS implantation in The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University between November 2016 and August 2021. Medical records were aggregated across all patient visits. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to estimate the prognostic factors. Results: Significant decrease in seizure frequency was observed after intermittent stimulation of the vagus nerve. According to the modified McHugh classification, 11 patients (24.4%) were Class I, 11 patients (24.4%) were Class II, four patients (8.9%) were Class III, 10 patients (22.2%) were Class IV, and nine patients (20.0%) were Class V. Notably, 22 patients (48.9%) were responders and four patients (8.9%) were seizure-free at the final follow-up. No significant prognostic factors were found in this cohort. Furthermore, 37 patients reported improved quality of life. Of the patients, 22 (48.9%) experienced adverse events after surgery; hoarseness, discomfort at the surgical site, and coughing were the most common. Conclusion: The results confirmed the efficacy and safety of VNS. No prognostic factors were identified.
Development of Basalt Fiber Reinforced Fine-Grained Cementitious Composites for Textile Reinforcements
Authors: Sudhakar Alein Jeyan , Muthusubramanian Bhuvaneshwari
Published: December 2022

Cementitious composites have been the prevalent field of research in recent eras due to their excellent bending and high strains. However, textile reinforcement requires materials with fine grain size to make proper binding between the yarns in the textile reinforcement and improve the strength characteristics. This concern has led to the development of fine-grained cementitious composites by dispersing chopped basalt fiber to improve strain-hardening capabilities with reduced voids. The basalt fiber content is varied by 0, 0.2, 0.4, 0.5 and 1% to the volume of the cementitious matrix. Various testing methods have evaluated the mechanical and microstructural properties of fine-grained cementitious composites with basalt fiber. Adding basalt fiber up to 0.4% to the volume of the matrix improves the compressive, split tensile, flexural strength and dynamic modulus of elasticity compared to the controlled cementitious matrix. Also, higher fiber content escalated the impact resistance and degree of carbonation. From the results, obtained basalt fiber reinforced fine-grained cementitious composites have higher mechanical characteristics, and the particles are densely packed compared to cementitious composites. Thus it provides good bonding between the textile reinforcement and helps to construct thin structural elements.
Virus-like Particles for TEM Regulation and Antitumor Therapy
Authors: Yang Zhu , Chi Yongjie , Bao Jiaxin , Zhao Xin , Zhang Jing , Wang Lianyan
Published: December 2022

Tumor development and metastasis are intimately associated with the tumor microenvironment (TME), and it is difficult for vector-restricted drugs to act on the TME for long-term cancer immunotherapy. Virus-like particles (VLPs) are nanocage structures self-assembled from nucleic acid free viral proteins. Most VLPs range from 20–200 nm in diameter and can naturally drain into lymph nodes to induce robust humoral immunity. As natural nucleic acid nanocarriers, their surfaces can also be genetically or chemically modified to achieve functions such as TME targeting. This review focuses on the design ideas of VLP as nanocarriers and the progress of their research in regulating TME.
Microbiological Properties and Cytotoxicity of PNVCL Hydrogels Containing Flavonoids as Intracanal Medication for Endodontic Therapy
Authors: Braga Gabriela Pacheco de Almeida , Caiaffa Karina Sampaio , Pereira Jesse Augusto , Santos Vanessa Rodrigues dos , Souza Amanda Caselato Andolfatto , Ribeiro Lucas da Silva , Camargo Emerson Rodrigues , Prakki Anuradha , Duque Cristiane
Published: December 2022

This study aimed to evaluate the cytotoxicity and microbiological properties of poly (N-vinylcaprolactam)—PNVCL hydrogels containing flavonoids as intracanal medication for endodontic therapy. Antimicrobial activity of ampelopsin (AMP), isoquercitrin and rutin was determined against Enterococcus faecalis, Actinomyces israelii, Lactobacillus casei, Streptococcus mutans, and Fusobacterium nucleatum by the microdilution method. After synthesis and characterization by rheology, PNVCL hydrogels were loaded with AMP and controls calcium hydroxide (CH) and chlorhexidine (CHX), and determined the compounds release profile. PNVCL+AMP, PNVCL+CH, PNVCL+CHX were evaluated on multi-species biofilms and analyzed by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Confocal Laser Scanning Microscopy (CLSM). Cytotoxicity was determined after fibroblasts exposure to serial dilutions of AMP and PNVCL hydrogel extracts. AMP was effective against all of the bacteria tested, especially against S. mutans, A. israelli and F. nucleatum. SEM and CLSM analysis showed that PNVCL + AMP caused a significant decrease and disorganization of multi-species biofilms and reduction of intracanal viable cells, superior to the other groups. AMP affected fibroblast viability at concentrations above 0.125 mg/mL, and extracts of PNVCL+AMP showed low cytotoxicity. In conclusion, PNVCL containing AMP demonstrated cytocompatibility and potent effect against multi-species biofilms and could be potential intracanal medication for endodontic purposes.
Introduction to Problematics of the Special Issue “Green Biosynthesis of Nanomaterials for Biomedical Applications”
Authors: Mikhailov Oleg V. , Mikhailova Ekaterina O.
Published: December 2022

The concept of “green biosynthesis”, as well as the similar and more general concept of “green synthesis”, is collective and includes very diverse synthetic methods, using products vital for activity from various living organisms—of both plant and animal origin—for chemical compound production [...]
Ships’ Small Target Detection Based on the CBAM-YOLOX Algorithm
Authors: Wang Yuchao , Li Jingdong , Chen Zeming , Wang Chenglong
Published: December 2022

In order to solve the problem of low accuracy of small target detection in traditional target detection algorithms, the YOLOX algorithm combined with Convolutional Block Attention Module (CBAM) is proposed. The algorithm first uses CBAM on the shallow feature map to better focus on small target information, and the Focal loss function is used to regress the confidence of the target to overcome the positive and negative sample imbalance problem of the one-stage target detection algorithm. Finally, the Soft Non-Maximum Suppression (SNMS) algorithm is used for post-processing to solve the problem of missed detection in close range ship target detection. The experimental results show that the average accuracy of the proposed CBAM-YOLOX network target detection is improved by 4.01% and the recall rate is improved by 8.81% compared with the traditional YOLOX network, which verifies the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.
Preliminary Analysis on the Hydrostatic Stability of a Self-Aligning Floating Offshore Wind Turbine
Authors: Scicluna Diane , De Marco Muscat-Fenech Claire , Sant Tonio , Vernengo Giuliano , Tezdogan Tahsin
Published: December 2022

There exist vast areas of offshore wind resources with water depths greater than 100 m that require floating structures. This paper provides a detailed analysis on the hydrostatic stability characteristics of a novel floating wind turbine concept. The preliminary design supports an 8 MW horizontal-axis wind turbine with a custom self-aligning single-point mooring (SPM) floater, which is to be constructed within the existing shipyard facilities in the Maltese Islands, located in the Central Mediterranean Sea. The theoretical hydrostatic stability calculations used to find the parameters to create the model are validated using SESAM®. The hydrostatic stability analysis is carried out for different ballast capacities whilst also considering the maximum axial thrust induced by the rotor during operation. The results show that the entire floating structure exhibits hydrostatic stability characteristics for both the heeling and pitching axes that comply with the requirements set by the DNV ST-0119 standard. Numerical simulations using partial ballast are also presented.
Development and Influence of Pore Pressure around a Bucket Foundation in Silty Soil
Authors: Zhao Xue-Liang , Wang Xin , Ding Peng-Cheng , Sui Shu-Huan , Deng Wen-Ni
Published: December 2022

Silty soil is common in the seabed of eastern coastal areas of China. The behaviors of the silty soil and a bucket foundation installed within it need more study. In this work, model tests of a bucket foundation in silty soil were performed. The development of the excess pore water pressures in the different positions around the bucket was measured. Different loading conditions, with a change in the horizontal cyclic load amplitude ratio, horizontal cyclic frequency, and vertical load ratio, were considered. The effects of the pore water pressure on the shear strength of the soil around the bucket and the horizontal bearing capacity of the bucket foundation were investigated. The results show that the normalized pore water pressures close to the bucket wall at depths between 0.1 L and 0.3 L exhibit distinct change under the cyclic load. Consistent with the distribution of the pore water pressure, the degradation of the undrained shear strength is more obvious with a greater load amplitude ratio, a greater load frequency, and a smaller vertical load. The degradation rate of the static horizontal ultimate bearing capacity is in a range of 1.57% to 14.90%, under different loading conditions.
A Hybrid Model Based on the Bifurcation Approach for Internal Turbulent Flow with Rotation and Streamline Curvature Effects
Authors: Pang Kaiwen , Huang Xianbei , Liu Zhuqing , Li Yaojun , Yang Wei
Published: December 2022

Abstract: This study aims to research the prediction performance of a bifurcated adaptive DDES (BADDES) model in different turbulent flows with rotation and curvature [...]
Dynamic Analysis and Extreme Response Evaluation of Lifting Operation of the Offshore Wind Turbine Jacket Foundation Using a Floating Crane Vessel
Authors: Chen Mingsheng , Yuan Guibo , Li Chun Bao , Zhang Xianxiong , Li Lin
Published: December 2022

The jacket is the most widely-used fixed foundation for offshore wind turbines due to its superior strength and low installation cost in relatively deep waters. Floating crane vessels are commonly used to install jacket foundations. However, the dynamic coupling between the jacket and the floating vessel might generate complex dynamic responses under wave action. The complexity of the multi-body system requires comprehensive time-domain simulations and statistical analysis to obtain reliable results, especially for the evaluation of the operational safety of offshore lift installations of a jacket foundation. In this context, this study performs numerical simulations and statistical analyses to predict the extreme responses and the preliminary allowable sea states for guiding the lowering operation of a jacket using a floating crane vessel. First, ANSYS-AQWA is used to obtain the hydrodynamic coefficients of the vessel in the frequency domain. A nonstationary time-domain simulation of jacket lowering with winches is performed to identify several preliminary critical vertical positions of the jacket from the time series in an irregular wave. The extreme responses of a target probability are evaluated by the extreme distribution model after a large number of steady-state time-domain simulations of the critical vertical positions in irregular waves. The most critical vertical position is determined from three preliminary critical vertical positions by comparing the extreme responses. Eigenvalue analysis and spectrum analysis of the most critical vertical position of the jacket are carried out to find the natural periods of the system and the dynamic coupling characteristics between different components. The influence of wave direction, significant wave height, and spectrum peak period on the dynamic responses are also analyzed in the most critical vertical position. Furthermore, the optimal wave direction is determined as the head sea. Preliminary allowable sea states are derived by comparing the calculated dynamic amplification coefficient with the defined operational criteria.
Real-Time Emergency Collision Avoidance for Unmanned Surface Vehicles with COLREGS Flexibly Obeyed
Authors: Qu Yang , Cai Lilong
Published: December 2022

This paper presents a real-time emergency collision-avoidance method for unmanned surface vehicles (USVs) with the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (COLREGS) flexibly obeyed. The pivotal issue is that some traffic vessels may violate the demands of this convention, which would increase the risk of collision if the USV blindly obeys the COLREGS rules. To avoid mandatory compliance with these COLREGS rules, a real-time truncated velocity obstacle (TVO) algorithm is proposed to assign a collision-free velocity vector for the control system to realize. Considering a reasonable trade-off between safety and the COLREGS rules, the proposed collision-avoidance method expands the TVO’s area based on the velocity uncertainties of traffic vessels, which greatly enhance the safety of collision-avoidance operations and encourage the USV to follow the COLREGS rules. To promptly realize an assigned collision-free velocity, this paper also develops a discrete simultaneous planning and executing (SPAE) controller design. The proposed discrete controller is divided into three parts: online polynomial planning to satisfy the constraints of tracking errors, an accurate uncertainty estimation, and an algebraic control law to promptly execute the planned polynomial. Numerical results have validated the reliability and intelligibility of the proposed collision-avoidance method. Furthermore, simulated and experimental results have validated the effectiveness of the proposed controller design.
Daily Rhythmicity of Hepatic Rhythm, Lipid Metabolism and Immune Gene Expression of Mackerel Tuna (Euthynnus affinis) under Different Weather
Authors: Wang Wenwen , Hu Jing , Fu Zhengyi , Yu Gang , Ma Zhenhua
Published: December 2022

In order to investigate the rhythmic changes in gene expression in the liver of mackerel tuna (Euthynnus affinis) under sunny and cloudy conditions, this experiment had four sampling times (6:00, 12:00, 18:00 and 24:00) set on sunny and cloudy days to determine the expression of their immune, metabolic and rhythmic genes. The results showed that daily rhythmicity was present within most of the rhythm genes (CREB1, CLOCK, PER1, PER2, PER3, REVERBA, CRY2 and BMAL1), metabolic genes (SIRT1 and SREBP1) and immune genes (NF-kB1, MHC-I, ALT, IFNA3, ISY1, ARHGEF13, GCLM and GCLC) in this study under the sunny and cloudy condition (p < 0.05). The expression levels of CREB1, PER1, PER3, RORA, REVERBA, CRY1 and BMAL1 within rhythm genes were significantly different (p < 0.05) in the same time point comparison between sunny and cloudy conditions at 6:00, 12:00, 18:00 and 24:00; metabolic genes had the expression levels of LPL at 6:00, 12:00, 18:00 and 24:00 in the same time point comparison (p < 0.05); immune genes only had significant differences in the expression levels of IFNA3 at 6:00, 12:00, 18:00 and 24:00 (p < 0.05). This study has shown that rhythm, lipid metabolism and immune genes in the livers of mackerel tuna are affected by time and weather and show significant changes in expression.
On the Development of a Mid-Depth Lagrangian Float for Littoral Deployment
Authors: Katz Yuri , Groper Morel
Published: December 2022

This study presents the complete, detailed development process of an enhanced one-man portable Lagrangian float designed for littoral deployment to depths of up to 300 m. The design focused on maximization of the Lagrangian characteristics of the hull, minimization of the noise emission and energy efficiency of the propulsion system, and the versatility of the platform for various scientific missions. The platform is propelled by a variable buoyancy engine that is actuated by an oil-submerged, gas-pressure assisted micro gear pump. The pressure assistance lowers the pressure differential across the pump ports at depth, resulting in quieter and more efficient operation. An enhanced proportional–integral–differential control scheme is employed to pilot the platform. To enhance diving safety, a software safety agent was incorporated. If the software safety agent detects a major failure, a drop weight is released. To eliminate the chance of water ingress through dynamic hull penetration, the drop weight is actuated by an in-house developed magnetic coupling mechanism. An onboard installed hydrophone continuously records and monitors ambient sounds for phenomena of interest and enables commands and mission updates from the surface. For surface recovery, the platform is equipped with GPS and an Iridium beacon for long-range localization, and an RF beacon and strobe for short-range localization and as a backup. The performance of the platform is demonstrated in a simulation and in an actual real sea mission conducted in the eastern Mediterranean at a depth of 10 and 12 m.
Wave Transformation behind a Breakwater in Jukbyeon Port, Korea—A Comparison of TOMAWAC and ARTEMIS of the TELEMAC System
Authors: Do Jong-Dae , Hyun Sang-Kwon , Jin Jae-Youll , Lee Byunggil , Jeong Weon-Mu , Ryu Kyong-Ho , Back Won-Dae , Choi Jae-Ho , Chang Yeon S.
Published: December 2022

Severe shoreline erosions are commonly observed due to the side effects of breakwaters constructed to protect the habitat. These breakwaters can cause wave energy differences behind the structure due to diffraction, inducing longshore sediment transport and resulting in shoreline changes. Therefore, it is essential to correctly simulate the effect of wave transformation in the lee side of structures, but such studies reporting performance of models in the field have been relatively rare. In this study, two wave models of the TELEMAC system were used to investigate the accuracy of modeling the wave transformation effect in a lee area of a breakwater built to secure the harbor’s tranquility, near Jukbyeon Port in Korea, through comparisons with field observations. Two cases of wave conditions with different wave heights and directions were tested. In both cases, the TEL EMAC–ARTEMIS model had lower errors than TELEMAC–TOMAWAC at the onshore wave location, confirming that the phase-resolving ARTEMIS showed better performance in simulating the wave transformation than the phase-averaged TOMAWAC, as expected. However, ARTEMIS had slightly higher errors than TOMAWAC at the offshore location, probably due to the interference by reflected waves from the complex coastlines formed by the different coastal structures. The results also provide various implications learned from the numerical experiments, which can be usefully applied to engineering aspects, such as for the estimation of harbor tranquility.
Laboratory Experiments on the Influence of the Wave Spectrum Enhancement Factor on a Rubble Mound Breakwater
Authors: Bakali Hosny , Aouiche Ismail , Serhir Najat , Zahir Youssef , Ziane El hassan , Harti Abderrazak , Zerhouni Zakariae , Anthony Edward
Published: December 2022

This paper experimentally explored the influence of the wave spectrum shape variation on breakwater design. The energy spectrum function generally considered for the design of coastal structures is the JONSWAP spectrum. The laboratory results were therefore used to assess the impact of changing the spectrum shape parameter (PEF). We analysed armour stability and wave overtopping in a wave flume with a geometric similarity ratio of 1:30. The experimental results showed that the PEF has maximum influence on overtopping and wave pressures on the crown wall. For a PEF value of 3.3, overtopping was much higher (30% to 100% higher) than with a PEF of 1. Pressure on the crown wall was 20% higher with a PEF of 3.3 in comparison with that for a PEF equal to 1. The stability of the breakwater’s block armour is less sensitive to the PEF variation.
Pancreatic Cancer: Beyond Brca Mutations
Authors: Ricci Vincenzo , Fabozzi Teresa , Bareschino Maria Anna , Barletta Emiddio , Germano Domenico , Paciolla Immacolata , Tinessa Vincenza , Grimaldi Antonio Maria
Published: December 2022

Pancreatic cancer is the fourth-leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. The outcomes in patients with pancreatic cancer remain unsatisfactory. In the current review, we summarize the genetic and epigenetic architecture of metastatic pancreatic cancer beyond the BRCA mutations, focusing on the genetic alterations and the molecular pathology in pancreatic cancer. This review focuses on the molecular targets for the treatment of pancreatic cancer, with a correlation to future treatments. The potential approach addressed in this review may lead to the identification of a subset of patients with specific biological behaviors and treatment responses.
The Role of a Multidisciplinary Team in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Bone and Soft Tissue Sarcomas: A Single-Center Experience
Authors: Pang Ke , Guo Xiaoning , Liu Tang , Wang Lu , Chen Ruiqi , Zhang Zhiming , Li Lan , He Yu , Zhang Haixia , Fan Songqing , Tu Chao , Li Zhihong
Published: December 2022

Bone and soft tissue sarcomas with complex and varied clinical, imaging, and pathological characteristics cannot be diagnosed and treated by a single discipline, as each discipline has some limitations. This study aimed to explore the role of a multidisciplinary team (MDT) in the diagnosis and treatment of bone and soft tissue sarcomas over the past four consecutive years. The subjects were 269 patients discussed during MDT meetings at a Bone and Soft Tissue Sarcomas Center in South China. The diagnosis, relapse diagnosis, unplanned resection, management of pulmonary nodules, and treatment of refractory and advanced tumors were compared to similar data provided in the literature to (i) determine whether the MDT significantly affected the diagnosis and treatment of bone and soft tissue sarcomas, and (ii) explore trends in the types of patients with bone and soft tissue sarcomas and treatment decision-making since the establishment of the MDT. Results revealed that the MDT significantly improved preoperative diagnostic accuracy for patients with bone and soft tissue sarcomas; the accuracy of diagnosis and relapse diagnosis by the MDT reached 95.42% and 100%, respectively. After an MDT discussion, the positive pathology rate for extended resection after unplanned resection was 81.2%. The overall accuracy of the MDT in determining the nature of pulmonary nodules was 87.1–91.9%. For patients presenting with pulmonary nodules in osteosarcoma, no statistically significant difference in survival was shown between cases discussed by the MDT and those without an MDT discussion (p = 0.5751). Collectively, the MDT can play a positive role in accurate preoperative diagnosis, relapse diagnosis, the decision to extend resection after an unplanned resection, and the diagnostic accuracy of pulmonary nodules.
Pulmonary Embolism Risk Assessment Using Blood Copeptin Concentration and Pulmonary Arteries Thrombotic Burden Evaluated by Computer Tomography
Authors: Haba Mihai Ștefan Cristian , Tudorancea Ionut , Miftode Radu Ștefan , Popa Irene Paula , Mitu Ovidiu , Mihai Cosmin Teodor , Haba Raluca Maria , Onofrei Viviana Aursulesei , Petris Antoniu Octavian , Costache Irina Iuliana , Haba Danisia , Șorodoc Laurentiu
Published: December 2022

(1) Background: Pulmonary embolism (PE) represents the third most important cardiovascular cause of death after myocardial infarction and stroke. The proper management of this condition is dependent on adequate risk stratification, due to the life-threatening complications of more aggressive therapies such as thrombolysis. Copeptin is a surrogate marker of vasopressin which is found increased in several cardiovascular conditions. The Mastora score is an imagistic evaluation of the degree of pulmonary arteries thrombotic burden based on computed tomography angiography. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the diagnostic and prognostic role of copeptin in patients with acute PE. Furthermore, we analyzed the relationship between copeptin and Mastora score and their role in PE risk profiling. (2) Methods: We conducted a single center prospective study that included 112 patients with PE and 53 healthy volunteers. Clinical and paraclinical parameters, together with plasma levels of copeptin and the Mastora score, were evaluated in all patients after admission. (3) Results: Copeptin levels were significantly increased in PE patients compared with the general population (26.05 vs. 9.5 pmol/L, p < 0.001), while receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis revealed an AUC of 0.800 (95% CI 0.728–0.873, p < 0.001). Copeptin directly correlated with the Mastora score (r = 0.535, p = 0.011) and both parameters were strong predictors for adverse clinical events and death. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis for death within 30 days revealed a copeptin cut-off of 38.36 pmol/L, which presented a specificity of 79.6% and a sensitivity of 88.9%, and a Mastora score cut-off of 82 points, which presented a specificity of 74.8% and a sensitivity of 77.8%. (4) Conclusions: Our results showed that copeptin and the Mastora score are both correlated with adverse cardiovascular events and mortality in PE patients, and this may pave the way for their use in clinical practice, helping physicians to select the best therapeutical management.
A Review of Research on Privacy Protection of Internet of Vehicles Based on Blockchain
Authors: Chen Wendong , Wu Haiqin , Chen Xiao , Chen Jinfu
Published: December 2022

Numerous academic and industrial fields, such as healthcare, banking, and supply chain management, are rapidly adopting and relying on blockchain technology. It has also been suggested for application in the internet of vehicles (IoV) ecosystem as a way to improve service availability and reliability. Blockchain offers decentralized, distributed and tamper-proof solutions that bring innovation to data sharing and management, but do not themselves protect privacy and data confidentiality. Therefore, solutions using blockchain technology must take user privacy concerns into account. This article reviews the proposed solutions that use blockchain technology to provide different vehicle services while overcoming the privacy leakage problem which inherently exists in blockchain and vehicle services. We analyze the key features and attributes of prior schemes and identify their contributions to provide a comprehensive and critical overview. In addition, we highlight prospective future research topics and present research problems.
Enabling LPWANs for Coexistence and Diverse IoT Applications in Smart Cities Using Lightweight Heterogenous Multihomed Network Model
Authors: Ogbodo Emmanuel Utochukwu , Abu-Mahfouz Adnan M. , Kurien Anish M.
Published: December 2022

Smart cities have been envisioned to provide smartness in managing internet of things (IoT) application domains, such as transport and mobility, health care, natural resources, electricity and energy, homes and buildings, commerce and retail, society and workplace, industry, agriculture, and the environment. The growth trajectory in usage of these IoT domains has led to a heterogeneous dense network in a smart city environment. The heterogeneous dense network in smart cities has led to challenges, such as difficulties in the management of LPWAN coexistence, interference, spectrum insufficiency, QoS, and scalability issues. The existing LPWAN technologies cannot support the heterogeneous dense network challenges in smart cities. Further, it cannot support diverse IoT, including medium- to high-bandwidth applications, due to the power, complexity, and resource constraints of the LPWAN devices. Hence, this paper addresses high data rate IoT applications and heterogeneous dense networks. This paper proposes a lightweight heterogenous multihomed network (LHM-N) model for diverse smart city applications that will address dense heterogeneity network challenges in a smart city. The work aims to advocate and integrate a manageable license-free LPWAN that will coexist with 5G private and public cellular networks in the LHM-N model. This will help to provide a cost-effective solution model in a heterogeneous dense smart city environment. Further, a secured lightweight energy-efficient packet-size forwarding engine (PSFE) algorithm is presented using the discrete event simulation (DES) methodological approach in MATLAB for complexity evaluation. In addition, a 5G reduced capability (RedCap) IoT device is integrated into the (LHM-N) model to support smart city. Finally, the results show that the LHM-N model outperforms the conventional quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) protocol scheme in terms of error rate, latency, and data throughput with reduced energy costs for medium- to high-bandwidth industrial IoT applications. This validates the suitability of the LHM-N model for high data rate IoT applications.
Extinct Settlements and Their Reflection in the Land-Use Changes and Historical Landscape Elements
Authors: Peřinková Veronika , Vavrouchová Hana , Kovařík David , Mašíček Tomáš , Vaishar Antonín , Šťastná Milada
Published: December 2022

The paper is aimed at the variability of historical landscape elements on the territory of the selected extinct settlements, to classify and to evaluate their development in the context of changes in anthropic pressure between the years 1945 and 2022, focusing on the Moravian-Silesian Region. The article presents a methodology for identifying physically extinct settlements and historical landscape elements by using statistical data, historical and current maps and field verification. Territorial dispersion and classification according to cases of the extinction, and according to individual landscape elements are elaborated. Research has confirmed a link between the cause of the settlement’s demise: the expulsion of German residents and proximity to the state border, a military training area, the construction of water reservoirs, mining and development projects, and surviving groups of historical landscape elements. The results can serve as a methodology for research in other areas. On a practical level, they can be used for landscape planning, territorial dispersion of tourism, and educational purposes.
Influencing Factors of Traditional Village Protection and Development from the Perspective of Resilience Theory
Authors: Wang Xiangbin , Zhu Quan
Published: December 2022

In the process of urbanization in China, traditional villages are facing many challenges and impacts which impose certain constraints on their sustainable development. Based on the perspective of resilience theory, this paper uses fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis to construct a complex causal model of traditional village conservation and development, conducts an empirical study on 28 national traditional villages in Liandu District and Qingyuan County, Lishui City, Zhejiang Province, and analyzes four high-level history paths by using fsQCA3.0 software (Developed by the American scholar Charles Ragin et al.), based on which four traditional conservation and development models are proposed and concretized into different conservation and development strategies for different village types. The research analysis shows that (1) resilience theory is applicable to the study of traditional village conservation and development, and has certain relevance and can effectively improve the response ability of traditional villages to uncertainty risks; (2) The framework of traditional village protection and development is based on landscape environmental protection, guaranteed by village industry development, and supported by other influencing factors (natural disaster response, social organization, and cultural heritage); (3) under the perspective of resilience theory, there are four models of traditional village conservation and development (JSC model, Z&C model, J&W model, and S&C model), which have good explanatory power and coverage and can address the real problems of different village types in a targeted manner.