bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Factors Associated With The Use of Rehabilitation Therapies Among Brazilian Adults With Chronic Diseases And Functional Limitations: A Cross-Seccional Study
Authors: Boccolini Patricia de Moraes Mello , Duarte Cristina Maria Rabelais , Boccolini Cristiano Siqueira
Published: September 2021

Background: Understanding the patterns of rehabilitation therapies among individuals who need them in Brazil can help identify the most vulnerable populations and guide public policies. We aim to analyze the use of rehabilitation therapies among Brazilian adults with chronic conditions and limitations in their daily activities. Methods: This is a population-based survey with data from the 2013 National Health Survey, whose complex sample consisted of three-stage clusters. The outcome considered was the adult population who reported a stroke, arthritis, work-related musculoskeletal disorder (WMSD), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), or reported back pain, associated with moderate to very intense limitations of their activities and who have used rehabilitation therapies. A logistic regression model was estimated, with a 95%CI, adjusted for sociodemographic variables. Results: Among Brazilian adults, 24.8% were diagnosed with a stroke, arthritis, WMSD, COPD, or reported back pain. Among these, 34.6% reported having moderate, intense, or very intense limitations in their daily activities due to illnesses, and, among this population, 26.3% performed some rehabilitation therapy related to their conditions. The use of rehabilitation therapies was more frequent among the female population, with higher education, higher socioeconomic status, older, and living in the southern macro-region of Brazil. Conclusions: the low frequency of rehabilitation therapies may be associated with barriers to access health services.
Structure and Function of an Atypical Homodimeric Actin Capping Protein from the Malaria Parasite
Authors: Bendes Ábris Ádám , Kursula Petri , Kursula Inari
Published: September 2021

Apicomplexan parasites, such as Plasmodium spp., rely on an unusual actomyosin motor, termed glideosome, for motility and host cell invasion. The actin filaments are maintained by a small set of essential regulators, which provide control over actin dynamics in the different stages of the parasite life cycle. Actin filament capping proteins (CPs) are indispensable heterodimeric regulators of actin dynamics. CPs have been extensively characterized in higher eukaryotes, but their role and functional mechanism in Apicomplexa remain enigmatic. Here, we present the first crystal structure of a homodimeric CP from the malaria parasite and compare the homo- and heterodimeric CP structures in detail. Despite retaining several characteristics of a canonical CP, the homodimeric Plasmodium berghei (Pb)CP exhibits crucial differences to the canonical heterodimers. Both homo- and heterodimeric PbCPs regulate actin dynamics in an atypical manner, facilitating rapid turnover of parasite actin, without affecting its critical concentration. Homo- and heterodimeric PbCPs show partially redundant activities, possibly to rescue actin filament capping in life cycle stages where the β-subunit is downregulated,. Our data suggest that the homodimeric PbCP also influences actin kinetics by recruiting lateral actin dimers. This unusual function could arise from the absence of a β-subunit, as the asymmetric PbCP homodimer lacks structural elements essential for canonical barbed end interactions suggesting a novel CP binding mode. These findings will facilitate further studies aimed at elucidating the precise actin filament capping mechanism in Plasmodium.
Heart rate variability changes in mild-symptomatic, physically fit male in 4-6 weeks from the end of SARS-Cov-2 infection
Authors: Soliński Mateusz , Pawlak Agnieszka , Petelczyc Monika , Buchner Teodor , Aftyka Joanna , Gil Robert , Król Zbigniew , Żebrowski Jan
Published: September 2021

SARS-Cov-2 infection, due to inflammation processes, can affect autonomic nervous system and heart rate variability (HRV) even after disease. Previous studies showed significant changes in HRV parameters in severe (including fatal) infection of SARS-Cov-2. However, HRV analysis for the asymptomatic or mild-symptomatic Covid-19 patients have not been reported. In this study, we suggested that there is an influence of a SARS-Cov-2 infection on the HRV in such patients after weeks form disease.Sixty-five ECG Holter recordings from young (mean age 22.6 ± 3.4 years), physically fit male subjects after 4-6 weeks from the second negative test (considered to be the beginning of recovery) and twenty-six control male subjects (mean age 23.2 ± 2.9 years) were considered in the study. Night-time RR time series were extracted from ECG signals. Selected linear, frequency as well as nonlinear HRV parameters were calculated. We found significant differences in Porta’s symbolic analysis parameters V0 and V2 (p<0.001), α2 (p<0.001), very low frequency component (VLF; p=0.022), and respiratory peak (from PRSA method; p=0.012). These differences may be caused by the changes of the parasympathetic autonomic nervous system as well as by the coupling of respiratory rhythm with heart rate due to an increase in pulmonary arterial vascular resistance.The results suggest that the changes in the HRV, thus autonomic nervous system, are measurable after a few weeks from the beginning of the recovery even in the post-Covid group of young and physically active population. We indicated HRV sensitive markers which could be used in the long-term monitoring of recovered patients.
Octogenarian Patients with Colon Cancer – Postoperative Morbidity and Mortality are the Major Challenges
Authors: Høydahl Øystein , Edna Tom-Harald , Xanthoulis Athanasios , Lydersen Stian , Endreseth Birger Henning
Published: September 2021

Background Few studies have addressed colon cancer surgery outcomes in an unselected cohort of octogenarian patients. The present study aimed to evaluate the relative survival of octogenarian patients after a major resection of colon cancer with a curative intent. Methods All patients diagnosed with colon cancer at Levanger Hospital between 1980 and 2016 were included. We performed logistic regression to test for associations between 100-day mortality and explanatory variables. We performed a relative survival analysis to identify factors associated with short- and long-term survival.Results Among 239 octogenarian patients treated with major resections with curative intent, the 100-day mortality was 10.1%. Among 215 patients that survived the first 100 days, the five-year relative survival rate was 99.7%. The 100-day mortality of octogenarian patients was significantly shorter than that of younger patients, but the long-term survival converged with that of younger patients. Among octogenarian patients, the incidence of colon cancer more than doubled during our 37-year observation period. The relative increase in patients undergoing surgery exceeded the increase in incidence; hence, more patients were selected for surgery over time. A high 100-day mortality was associated with older age, a high American Society of Anaesthesiologists (ASA) score, and emergency surgery. Moreover, worse long-term survival was associated with a high Charlson Comorbidity Index, a high ASA score, a worse TNM stage, emergency surgery and residual tumours. Both the 100‑day and long-term survival rates improved over time. Conclusion Among octogenarian patients with colon cancer that underwent major resections with curative intent, the 100-day mortality was high, but after surviving 100 days, the relative long-term survival rate was comparable to that of younger patients. Further improvements in survival will primarily require measures to reduce the 100-day mortality risk.
Comparison and Analysis of Resource and Environmental Carrying Capacity of Typical Rare Earth Mining Areas in China
Authors: Bai Jingjing , Xu Xin , Duan Yaoting , Zhang Guangyu , Wang Zhe , Wang Lu , Zheng Chunli
Published: September 2021

Rare earth is a non-renewable and important strategic resource, and China is rich in rare earth resources. However, the process of massive exploitation has caused the migration, diffusion transformation and accumulation of pollution sources, which in turn has a profound impact on the ecological environment of mining areas. Accurate evaluation of resource and environmental carrying capacity (RECC) is important for the green development of mining areas. In this paper, the fuzzy comprehensive evaluation method based on AHP and entropy combination assignment method is used to study the RECC of mine area in terms of both support capacity and pressure. The Bayan Obo mine in Inner Mongolia; Longnan mine in Jiangxi; Weishan mine in Shandong; Mianning mine in Sichuan; Pingyuan mine in Guangdong; and Chongzuo mine in Guangxi, which have typical representatives, were selected for the horizontal comparison. The results show that, with the exception of Bayan Obo, the support index is greater than the pressure from mining and human activities in all the mining areas. The RECC index ranks for each mining area were: Bayan Obo > Longnan > Mianning > Pingyuan > Weishan > Chongzuo. In addition, an obstacle degree model was used to identify and extract the main factors affecting the ecological quality of the mine site. The ratio of investment in environmental pollution control to GDP is the most important factor limiting the improvement of the mine support index. The results of this paper were given for the different evolutionary processes and differences of RECC in typical rare earth mining areas, which could provide valuable references for achieving the green and comprehensive development of rare earth industry.
Evaluation of Oxidative Stress, Inflammation, Apoptosis, Oxidative DNA Damage and Metalloproteinases in the Lungs of Rats Treated With Cadmium and Carvacrol
Authors: Yesildag Kerim , Gur Cihan , Ileriturk Mustafa , Kandemir Fatih Mehmet
Published: September 2021

Background: The potential protective properties of carvacrol (CRV), which possesses various biological and pharmacological properties, against lung toxicity caused by cadmium (Cd), a major environmental pollutant, were investigated in the present study. Methods and Results: In the study, rats were given 25 or 50 mg/kg CRV orally 30 minutes after administrating 25 mg/kg cadmium chloride for seven days. Subsequently, the levels of 8-OHdG, MMP-2, and MMP-9, as well as markers of oxidative stress, inflammation, and apoptosis, were analyzed in the lung tissue of the animals. The results revealed that CRV exhibited antioxidant characteristics and raised SOD, CAT, GPx, and CAT levels and decreased the MDA levels induced by Cd. It also suppressed proinflammatory cytokines by lowering the levels of CRV NF-kB and p38 MAPK, thus exerting an anti-inflammatory effect against Cd. It was found that the levels of Bax, Caspase-3, and cytochrome c increased by Cd were decreased by the application of CRV. CRV also showed an anti-apoptotic effect by increasing Bcl-2 levels. The levels of 8-OHdG, MMP2, and MMP9, which increased with Cd administration, were observed to reduce after treatment with CRV. Conclusions: The results show that CRV has protective properties against Cd-induced lung toxicity.
Prevalence of overweight and its associated risk factors among adolescents: A cross-sectional study in peri-urban area of Nepal
Authors: Khatri Elina , Yadav Rajesh Kumar , Baral Sushila , Poudel Sudha , Baral Kedar Prasad
Published: September 2021

Background

Adolescence, being a crucial stage for experimentation and acceptance of new behavioral and lifestyle choices, is detrimental to their nutritional status. The nutritional status of adolescents being shaped by socio-cultural, environmental, and economic factors has also been impacted by their food habits and level of physical activity. The current nutritional shift and rapid urbanization had emerged overweight as an additional burden for consistently prevalent undernutrition issues. So, the study aimed to identify the prevalence of and risk factors for overweight among school adolescents.
Methods

A school-based cross-sectional analytical study was carried out among school adolescents in a Sub-metropolitan city of Nepal. A random sample of 279 adolescents from nine schools was included in the study. The anthropometric measurement of the height and the weight were measured as per the standard. The odds ratio with a 95% CI was calculated and a p-value of ≤ 0.05 was considered as cut off for statistical significance by fitting into the final multivariable logistic regression.
Results

The overall prevalence of overweight was obtained as 9.31% (95% CI: 6.40 − 13.3). The mean age of respondents was 15.5 years. The early aged adolescents were more overweight than compared to middle-aged adolescents (AOR: 0.27, CI: 0.028–2.67) and late adolescents (AOR: 0.66, CI: 0.068–6.44) respectively. Similarly, adolescents residing in rural areas had 0.35 (AOR = 0.33, CI: 0.030–3.71) odds of being overweight compared to their counterparts. Adolescents with sedentary behavior were 4 times (AOR = 3.51, CI: 0.79–15.54) more likely of being overweight than their counterparts.
Conclusions

Overweight among adolescents in urban areas has emerged as an alarming issue with the increasing burden. It is therefore pertinent to emphasize adolescents to improve healthy weight status.
Dynamic PEEP Study: A Non-Invasive Diagnostic Exam to Assess for Effective PEEP in Fragile Children With Severe BPD
Authors: Montoya Cassie , Steinhorn Robin , Berger John , Haroyan Harutyun , Said Mariam , Perez Geovanny
Published: September 2021

ObjectiveTracheobronchomalacia (TBM) is common in neonates with bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) and is associated with higher morbidity. This study evaluates the value of a CT protocol to assess the degree of TBM and gauge the adequacy of prescribed PEEP. Study DesignFour infants with severe BPD on invasive mechanical ventilation underwent a chest CT protocol, including limited reduced- dose expiratory scans with varying PEEP levels. ResultsBaseline PEEP was adjusted in all subjects after performing the Dynamic PEEP CT. In two infants, the PEEP was increased due to significant TBM, and in the other, two without signs of TBM PEEP was decreased. The clinical course improved in all patients after adjusting PEEP. ConclusionA "Dynamic PEEP" study is a highly reliable and non-invasive imaging modality for the evaluation of adequate ventilator settings in infants with severe BPD who are not optimal candidates for bronchoscopy.
In-Vivo Functional and Structural Retinal Imaging Using Multiwavelength Photoacoustic Remote Sensing Microscopy and Optical Coherence Tomography
Authors: Hosseinaee Zohreh , Pellegrino Nicholas , Abbasi Nima , Amiri Tara , Simmons James A. Tummon , Fieguth Paul , Reza Parsin Haji
Published: September 2021

A multiwavelength photoacoustic remote sensing (PARS) microscope is combined with swept-source optical coherence tomography and applied to in-vivo, non-contact retinal imaging. Building on the proven strength of multiwavelength PARS imaging, the system is applied for estimating retinal oxygen saturation in the rat eye. The capability of the technology is demonstrated by imaging both microanatomy and the microvasculature of the retina in-vivo. To our knowledge, this is the first time a non-contact photoacoustic imaging technique is employed for in-vivo oxygen saturation measurement in the retina.
Recurrent Glioblastoma is Associated with a Closed DNA Conformation
Authors: Garrett Matthew Clark , Albano Rebecca , Carnwath Troy , Shah Sanjit , Woo Daniel , Lamba Michael , Plas David R. , Paranjpe Aditi , Roskin Krishna , Zhao Chuntao , Lu Richard
Published: September 2021

Introduction: The pathological changes in epigenetics and gene regulation that accompany the progression of low-grade to high-grade gliomas are under-studied. The authors use a large set of paired atac-seq and RNA-seq data from surgically resected glioma specimens to infer gene regulatory relationships in glioma.Methods: Thirty-eight glioma patient samples underwent atac-seq sequencing and sixteen samples underwent additional RNA-seq analysis. Using an atac-seq/RNA-seq correlation matrix, atac-seq peaks were paired with genes based on high correlation values (|r2|>0.6). Results: Samples clustered by IDH1 status but not by grade. Surprisingly there was a trend for IDH1 mutant samples to have more peaks. The majority of peaks are positively correlated with survival and positively correlated with gene expression. Constructing a model of the top six atac-seq peaks created a highly accurate survival prediction model (r2=0.68). Four of these peaks were still significant after controlling for age, grade, pathology, IDH1 status and gender. Grade II, III, and IV (primary) samples have similar transcription factors and gene modules. However, grade IV (recurrent) samples have strikingly few peaks. Patient-derived glioma cultures showed decreased peak counts following radiation indicating that this may be radiation-induced.Conclusions: This study supports the notion that IDH1 mutant and IDH1 wildtype gliomas have different epigenetic landscapes and that accessible chromatin sites mapped by atac-seq peaks tend to be positively correlated with expression. The data in this study leads to a new model of treatment response wherein glioma cells respond to radiation therapy by closing open regions of DNA.
Paleotsunami Evidence in the Bahía Inglesa Coast (Atacama, Chile) Based on a Multi-Approach Analysis
Authors: Carballeira Rafael , Peña-Monne J. L. , Otero X. L. , Sampietro-Vattuone M. M. , Castro-Correa C. P. , Soto-Bauerle M. V. , Pérez-Alberti A.
Published: September 2021

The Atacama coast is located in an area with a current high risk of tsunami, and the sedimentary deposits found in the Bahía Inglesa area, in the Morro sector, clearly indicate that this was also the case in the past. Thisinvestigation analyzes a paleotsunami sedimentary deposit consisting of a block field associated with three sand lobes oriented towards land on top of a marine terrace at an altitude of 70–75 m, which originated from a tsunamigenic event occurred between interglacial periods MIS 7 (ca. 210 ± 10 ky) and MIS5e (ca.125 ± 5 ky). The deposits have been studied using a multiple approach combining geomorphological, sedimentological, biological, and geochemical criteria. The first type of criteria clearly indicate that the energy required to move the blocks and form the sand lobes could only have been generated by a tsunami. Sedimentological criteria constitute direct evidences of a marine origin due to the presence of siliceous remains from diatom species and spicules from strictly marine sponges, while geochemical criteria, such as the stable isotope signature and chemical composition, constitute evidence of a marine intrusion.
Effective Aggregate Data Collection and Enhanced Network Lifetime Using Energy Efficient Aggregation Data Convening Routing in Wireless Sensor Network
Authors: D Satheesh Kumar , S Saravanasundaram , S Prakash , S Selvaperumal
Published: September 2021

A wireless sensor network is a network system that uses wireless sensor nodes to monitor physical or environmental conditions as voice, temperature, and spatial dispersive movements. Each node can locally sense its environment, process information and data and send the data to one or more collection points within the WSN. In the existing solution categorized into member nodes and group/cluster heads(CH). The CH election process increases the overhead of the network and reduce the network lifetime. The processing and energy limitations of the nodes are considered for the CH election process. In this cluster formation methods aiming at Cluster head selection process and providing trust in hierarchical WSN are proposed. In this Energy Efficient Aggregation Data Convening Routing (E2ADCR) to estimate the routing path, and aggregate data collection to improve the network lifetime. The major advantage of this technique is to avoid the malicious or selfish node from becoming a dominant cluster in a group of clusters. Initially sink node selection is forward the Configuration Message (CM) to every node on network to construct the performing node. In this, cluster selection based on connection density, degree of the node angle, and residual energy (Quality Factor) that is evaluated from the link robustness, energy and degree of the node. Multi hop link transmission support path optimization technique is estimated in the path when the obstacle is present in the WSN. To introduce an Aggregated Support based Data Collection for evaluate each packet flow monitor on the network if any unrelated packet that will eliminate to forward to sink node. The new routing protocols, which were developed during this research, have better energy efficiency. The proposed routing path of the computational simplicity is achieved by a simple method.
Analysis of Clinical Patient-Specific Pre-Treatment Quality Assurance with the New Helical TomoTherapy® Platform, following the AAPM TG-218 Report
Authors: Fusella Marco , Cavinato Samuele , Germani Alessandra , Paiusco Marta , Pivato Nicola , Rossato Marco Andrea , Scott Anthony , Scaggion Alessandro
Published: September 2021

Purpose: This study presents patient-specific quality assurance (QA) results from the first 395 clinical cases for the new helical TomoTherapy® platform (Radixact) coupled with dedicated Precision TPS.Methods: The passing rate of the Gamma Index (GP%) of 395 helical QA of patient-specific Tomotherapy, acquired with ArcCHECK, is presented, analysed and correlated to various parameters of the plan. Following TG-218 recommendations, the clinic specific action limit (ALcs) and tolerance limit (TLcs) were calculated for our clinic and monitored during the analysed period.Results: the mean values ​​(± 1 standard deviation) of GP% (3% / 2mm) (both global and local normalization) are: 97.6% and 90.9%, respectively. The proposed ALcs and TLcs, after a period of two years’ process monitoring are 89.4% and 91.1% respectively.Conclusions: The phantom measurements closely match the planned dose distributions, demonstrating that the calculation accuracy of the new Precision TPS and the delivery accuracy of the Radixact unit are adequate, with respect to international guidelines and reports. Furthermore, a first correlation with the planning parameters was made. Action and tolerance limits have been set for the new Radixact Linac.
Breast Carcinoma-amplified Sequence 2 Regulates Adult Neurogenesis via β-catenin
Authors: Chen Show-Li
Published: September 2021

Background
Breast carcinoma-amplified sequence 2 (BCAS2) regulates β-catenin gene splicing. The conditional knockout of BCAS2 expression in the forebrain (BCAS2 cKO) of mice confers impaired learning and memory along with decreased β-catenin expression. Because β-catenin reportedly regulates adult neurogenesis, we wondered whether BCAS2 could regulate adult neurogenesis via β-catenin.
Methods
BCAS2 regulating neurogenesis was investigated by characterizing BCAS2 cKO mice. Also, lentivirus-shBCAS2 was intracranially injected into the hippocampus of wild-type mice to knock down BCAS2 expression. We evaluated the rescue effects of BCAS2 cKO by intracranial injection of adeno-associated virus encoding BCAS2 (AAV-DJ8-BCAS2) and AAV-β-catenin gene therapy.
Results
To show that BCAS2-regulating adult neurogenesis via β-catenin, first, BCAS2 cKO mice showed low SRY-box 2–positive (Sox2+) neural stem cell proliferation and doublecortin-positive (DCX+) immature neurons. Second, stereotaxic intracranial injection of lentivirus-shBCAS2 knocked down BCAS2 in the hippocampus of wild-type mice, and we confirmed the BCAS2 regulation of adult neurogenesis via β-catenin. Third, AAV-DJ8-BCAS2 gene therapy in BCAS2 cKO mice reversed the low proliferation of Sox2+ neural stem cells and the decreased number of DCX+ immature neurons with increased β-catenin expression. Moreover, AAV-β-catenin gene therapy restored neuron stem cell proliferation and immature neuron differentiation, which further supports BCAS2 regulating adult neurogenesis via β-catenin. In addition, cells targeted by AAV-DJ8 injection into the hippocampus included Sox2 and DCX immature neurons, interneurons, and astrocytes. BCAS2 may regulate adult neurogenesis by targeting Sox2+ and DCX+ immature neurons for autocrine effects and interneurons or astrocytes for paracrine effects.
Conclusions
BCAS2 can regulate adult neurogenesis in mice via β-catenin.
Innovative Treatment Using Salmon Skin Extract as Topical Application for Traumatic Oral Ulcer Healing: Animal Models
Authors: Revianti Syamsulina , Prabowo Puguh Bayu , Agustia Lita , Karsini Isidora
Published: September 2021

Salmon skin extract contains high proline and hydroxyproline, and has been suggested as a potential topical agent for traumatic oral ulcer healing. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of salmon skin extract as traumatic oral ulcer healing. A total of 32 Wistar rats (200 g to 250 g) were distributed into four groups. Group 1 served as the control group (no treatment), Group 2 was topically treated with salmon skin extract agent 4%, Group 3 was topically treated with salmon skin extract agent 5%, and Group 4 was topically treated with salmon skin extract agent 6%. Traumatic ulcers at lip mucosa were performed in all rats and 0.1 ml salmon skin extract was applied on the ulcer twice daily for seven days. The animals were euthanised on the last day of treatment. Biopsy specimens were taken from the lip mucosa in all rats for epithelial thickness evaluation and the study for number of fibroblasts by histological analysis. Significant increase in epithelial thickness and the number of fibroblasts (p > 0.05) was observed in salmon skin extract treatment groups as compared to the control group. Salmon skin extract 6% treatment group had the highest epithelial thickness and the number of fibroblasts amongst the study groups. Salmon skin extract promises an innovative topical application treatment for traumatic oral ulcer healing. Salmon skin extract 6% was the most effective concentration for traumatic oral ulcer healing.
Evolutionary Techniques on Fetal Head Segmentation
Authors: Bhalla Prerna , Sunkaria Ramesh K. , Bedi Anterpreet
Published: September 2021

In Obstetrics, Ultrasound is used to access fetus growth which can be measured by Head Circumference. Accurate segmentation of fetal head is important for calculating Head Circumference. As Deep Learning is gaining popularity because of its state of the art performance, the various Deep Learning techniques for the segmentation of fetal skull are discussed in this article.
An Evaluation Based on Diabetic Retinopathy
Authors: Kaur Simran , Saini Barjinder Singh
Published: September 2021

Diabetic retinopathy is a globally rising disease and needs to be taken in concern. It is the problem with vision of diabetic patients due to a disease in the retina of diabetic patients.Diabetic patients have high glucose level in the blood.Our major concern is to predict the disease at early stages.The studies focusses on the modern techniques used in image processing digitally.It also puts a stress on patches classification used for the examination and prediction of diabetic retinopathy and judge the accuracy,senstivity of dataset.
L-Slots Square Antenna for Octa-band Applications
Authors: Kumari Tejaswita , Ghosh Prabir , Chowdhury Atanu
Published: September 2021

The objective of this paper is to design an Octa- Band L-slot Square Patch antenna which will operate in 3.18 GHz, 4.71 GHz, 7.04 GHz, 8.38 GHz, 8.86 GHz, 10.66 GHz, 11.76 GHz, 14.12 GHz frequencies. The same antenna would also work in UWB frequencies. An L-slots Square copper patch with a thickness 0.035mm is placed on FR4 epoxy substrate having dielectric constant 4.4 with a height of 1.6 mm with single port. This has been designed using HFSS commercial software simulator so that Return Loss, VSWR, Radiation pattern and Surface current distribution can be measured.
Leaf Disease Classification Using Convolutional Neural Network
Authors: Shewale Mitali V. , Daruwala Rohin
Published: September 2021

Agriculture is a major domain that contributes a lot for building up the country’s Economy; contributing to the GDP area synthesis of 17.9%. India stands second in production of agricultural products. Promising technologies such as Internet of Things, Machine Learning, Deep learning, Artificial neural networks contributes towards the most effective and reliable solutions by providing the most feasible solutions in making of different domain modernization through automation in monitoring and maintenance of agricultural fields with minimum human intervention. This paper presents a convolutional neural network based customized VGG framework and a lightweight architecture for the classification of tomato leaves affected with various diseases. Experimental analysis is performed on publically available PlantVillage dataset. After rigorous experiment we fined tuned the CNN model to obtain mAP of 83.33%.
A Review Analysis on Microstrip Patch Antenna
Authors: Singh Simerpreet , Sethi Gaurav , Khinda Jaspal Singh
Published: September 2021

This article presents the general overview of various antennas and a detailed study of Microstrip Antenna (MPA). The MPA designing equations and basic structure is explained in this manuscript. The properties of the materials required for MPA is summarized in table form. Some practical antenna structures are also explained here in order to analyze the overall view of MPAs after explanation of most common patch structure shapes. At last, the properties of Co-axial, Proximity Coupling, Aperture Coupling and stripline feeding are also introduce in terms of ease of fabrication, impedance, modelling, bandwidth etc.
Polarization Multiplexed Self-Homodyne Optical Communication System
Authors: Fulzele Mansi , Singh Anamika , Keskar Avinash
Published: September 2021

The increased data traffic for the short-reach optical communication indicates the development of the system that has the capacity to fulfill the demands of the communication system. Several techniques are already developed to have improved results over the conventional communication system. Pulse amplitude modulation (PAM-4) is the very widely used link for optical communication, providing only a degree of freedom and terminating the improvement of the system. The system presented will use the higher-order modulation schemes like quadrature phase-shift keying (QPSK) and 16 level quadrature amplitude modulation (16-QAM) so as to increase the data rates of the system and the property of polarization multiplexing used in the presented system will give the advantage to the local oscillator (LO) less receiver. The polarization control using the constant modulus algorithm works efficiently at the receiver. This polarization multiplexed self-homodyne system gives better performance in terms of data rates and low power consumption.
Automated Segmentation of Leukocytes using Marker-based Watershed Algorithm from Blood Smear Images
Authors: Abrol Vipasha , Dhalla Sabrina , Saini Jasleen , Mittal Ajay , Singh Sukhwinder , Gupta Savita
Published: September 2021

The aim of this paper is to perform segmentation of white blood cells (WBCs) using blood smear images with the help of image processing techniques. Traditionally, the process of morphological analysis of cells is performed by a medical expert. This process is quite tedious and time consuming. The equipments used to perform the experiments are very costly and might not be available in all hospitals. Further, the whole process is quite lengthy and prone to error easily because of the lack of standard set of procedure. Hence there is a need for innovative and efficient techniques. An automated image segmentation system can make the blood test process much easier and faster. Segmentation of a nucleus image is one of the most critical tasks in a leukemia diagnosis. In this work, we have investigated and implemented image processing algorithms to segment cells. The proposed model detects WBCs and converts cell images from RGB to HSV color space using Otsu thresholding. The resultant image is then processed with the morphological filter because the segmented image contains noise which affects the system performance. Lastly, the Marker-based watershed algorithm is implemented in which specific marker positions are defined. The proposed model is tested on publically available ALL-IDB2 dataset. The system’s performance was overall examined and resulted in 98.99% overall precision for WBC segmentation.
RDT BASED DETECTION OF HEPATITIS B SURFACE ANTIGEN (HBSAG) AMONG BLOOD DONORS AT SPECIALIST HOSPITAL, SOKOTO
Authors:   Sultan AbdulRahman School of Health Technology Gwadabawa. Sokoto State., Bala Barga Isiaka , Kane Aliyu ,   Sultan AbdulRahman School of Health Technology Gwadabawa. Sokoto State., Muhammad Gobir Shuaibu ,   Usmanu Danfodiyo University Sokoto, Department of Biochemistry., Shuaibu Baraya Yushau ,   Usmanu Danfodiyo University Sokoto, Department of Biochemistry., Rufai Umar Ahmad ,   Usmanu Danfodiyo University Sokoto, Department of Biochemistry., Musa Mohammed Alhassan ,   Usmanu Danfodiyo University Sokoto, Department of Biochemistry., Umar Bashar ,   Usmanu Danfodiyo University Sokoto, Department of Biochemistry., Habibu Yahya Muhammad ,   Usmanu Danfodiyo University Sokoto, Department of Biochemistry.
Published: September 2021

Hepatitis B infection is a major global health problem and a potentially life-threatening infection that attacks liver cells caused by Hepatitis B virus and it is characterised by liver cirrhosis, liver scarring, liver failure or cancer of the liver as the disease progresses. This study was carried out to determine theRDT based detection of hepatitis B surface antigen (HbsAg) among blood donors at specialist hospital, Sokoto, Sokoto State Nigeria. Two hundred (200) centrifuged sera from blood donors who have given prior verbal consent to participate in the study were screened for HBsAg using rapid diagnostic test (RDT). The result obtained shows that, 51 out of the 200 blood donors which represented (25.5%) were reactive while 149 were non-reactive. With Chi-square analysis only blood donors that are none previous blood donors showed a significant association with HBV infection, (p-value 0.05). This study however, indicates that, hepatitis B infection occurs in one out of every four blood donors. It also observed that the virus antigen is highly endemic among blood donor and these blood donors can serve as potential reservoir for the transmission of the virus to susceptible host individuals in the study area.
BAROTRAUMATISME AU COURS DU TRAITEMENT DE LA PNEUMOPATIEHYPOXEMIANTE DE SARS COV 2 PAR HELMET CPAP (A PROPOS DUNE SERIE DE CAS)
Authors:   Hopital Ibn Tofail Chu Mohammed Vi Marrakech., Nissrine Tajellijiti , Naila Boukoub ,   Hopital Ibn Tofail Chu Mohammed Vi Marrakech., Hayat Errifaie ,   Hopital Ibn Tofail Chu Mohammed Vi Marrakech., Youssef Elouardi ,   Hopital Ibn Tofail Chu Mohammed Vi Marrakech., Mohammed Khallouki ,   Hopital Ibn Tofail Chu Mohammed Vi Marrakech.
Published: September 2021

La ventilation mecanique est un soutien vital qui permet dameliorer loxygenation lors dune detresse respiratoire mais qui peut aggraver les lesions pulmonaires dun poumon malade. Le syndrome de detresse respiratoire aigue (SDRA) lie au covid19 est caracterise par des lesions pulmonaires bilaterales et une compliance pulmonaire tres diminuee dans les formes severes . Lalteration des proprietes elastiques du poumon et la reduction de son volume aere induisent une forte elevation des pressions pour un faible volume insuffle dans les alveoles. La surdistensiondes alveoles induite par la ventilation peut provoquer un barotraumatisme lie a une rupture alveolaire. Le pneumothorax est la lesion la plus typique detectee sur la radiographie thoracique. Le barotraumatisme est favorise a la fois par la pathologie pulmonaire sous jacente et par lutilisation de pressions excessives delivrees par le ventilateur. La mesure de la pression de plateau en fin dinspiration reflete la pression alveolaire maximale. Cest le meilleur moyen de monitorage du risque de surdistension alveolaire : cette pression ne doit pas depasser 30 cmH2O.
KAMATUDAY APPLIANCE (TRIPLE-BANDED SPACE REGAINER): AN INNOVATIVE APPLIANCE
Authors:   Senior Resident Dept of Pediatric and Preventive dentistry, S.C.B Dental College and Hospital Cuttack - 753007, India., U Deepika , Solaman Simon Louis ,   Senior Resident Dept of Pediatric and Preventive dentistry, S.C.B Dental College and Hospital Cuttack - 753007, India., Das Sarita ,   Post Graduate Student Dept of Pediatric and Preventive dentistry, S.C.B Dental College and Hospital Cuttack - 753007, India., Monika Khwairakpam ,   Post Graduate Student Dept of Pediatric and Preventive dentistry, S.C.B Dental College and Hospital Cuttack - 753007, India., Kumar Sahoo Prasanna ,   Professor & Head Dept of Pediatric and Preventive dentistry, S.C.B Dental College and Hospital Cuttack - 753007, India., Ray Prayas ,   Associate Professor Dept of Pediatric and Preventive dentistry, S.C.B Dental College and Hospital Cuttack - 753007, India.
Published: September 2021

The premature loss of primary teeth in mixed dentition commonly results in space loss. The spacelost is regained with the help of an appliance referred to as a space regainer. The appliance is of both removable and fixed type. This case report highlights the usage of a fixed KamatUday appliance (Triple-banded space regainer) in compromised abutment teeth.
El revestimiento pintado del Departamento XX de Cabezo Redondo (Villena, Alicante). Caracterización de un elemento constructivo singular
Authors: Dorado Alejos Alberto , Pastor Quiles María , García Atiénzar Gabriel , Barciela González Virginia , Hernández Pérez Mauro S.
Published: September 2021

La arquitectura es una de las primeras expresiones de la cultura humana. Su desarrollo ha sido una constante a lo largo de los siglos, especialmente a partir de la aparición de los procesos de sedentarización, momento en el cual se aprecia la combinación de diferentes materiales destinados a mejorar la durabilidad y el aislamiento de las construcciones. El desarrollo de revestimientos de las paredes permitió la aparición de superficies lisas sobre las cuales plasmar los códigos ideológicos de las comunidades humanas o, simplemente, desarrollar sus valores estéticos. En este trabajo se presenta el primer fragmento documentado de revestimiento con restos de pintura procedente del yacimiento de la Edad de Bronce de Cabezo Redondo (Villena, Alicante), sobre el cual se han desarrollado un amplio conjunto de analíticas no destructivas con el objetivo de determinar no solo sus características físicas y de composición, sino también la intencionalidad ornamental de la pintura
A review of the progress in Chinese Sponge City programme: challenges and opportunities for urban stormwater management
Authors: Li Feiran , Zhang Jianfeng
Published: September 2021

Urbanization has been the main driving force for China's economic growth in recent years; however, the highly concentrated urbanized lifestyle has brought many environmental problems to residents, the most urgent of which is urban stormwater management. Some countries have proposed plans for urban stormwater management, such as Low Impact Development (LID), Water Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD), and Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SUDS). As a country with relatively underdeveloped urban stormwater management, China's government proposed an ambitious urban stormwater management plan in 2014, called the Sponge City Programme, which means that a city is designed to act like a sponge, with good ‘resilience’ in adapting to environmental changes and coping with natural disasters. As of 2021, this programme has led to SCP projects in 30 pilot districts all over China, the Sponge City Programme construction impacts both urban development and residents' lives. However, there are risks and challenges associated with these projects. Using government research documents as a framework, this paper carefully reviews the progress of the Sponge City Programme in recent years and shows the main challenges faced by the Sponge City Programme in terms of connotation, investment, and technology. On this basis, the paper puts forward practical suggestions for the development of the Sponge City Programme and details potential opportunities of new technology, ideology, planning, and flexible investment.
Immersive Virtual Reality Exergames for Persons Living With Dementia: User-Centered Design Study as a Multistakeholder Team During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Muñoz John , Mehrabi Samira , Li Yirou , Basharat Aysha , Middleton Laura E , Cao Shi , Barnett-Cowan Michael , Boger Jennifer
Published: September 2021

Background

Advancements in supporting personalized health care and well-being using virtual reality (VR) have created opportunities to use immersive games to support a healthy lifestyle for persons living with dementia and mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Collaboratively designing exercise video games (exergames) as a multistakeholder team is fundamental to creating games that are attractive, effective, and accessible.

Objective

This research extensively explores the use of human-centered design methods that involve persons living with dementia in long-term care facilitates, exercise professionals, content developers, game designers, and researchers in the creation of VR exergames targeting physical activity promotion for persons living with dementia/MCI.

Methods

Conceptualization, collaborative design, and playtesting activities were carried out to design VR exergames to engage persons living with dementia in exercises to promote upper limb flexibility, strength, and aerobic endurance. We involved a total of 7 persons living with dementia/MCI, 5 exercise professionals, 5 community-dwelling older adults, a VR company for content creation, and a multidisciplinary research team with game designers, engineers, and kinesiology experts.

Results

An immersive VR exergame called Seas the Day was jointly designed and developed and it is freely available to be played in state-of-the-art VR headsets (Oculus Quest 1, 2). A model for the triadic interaction (health care institution, industry partner, academia) is also presented to illustrate how different stakeholders contribute to the design of VR exergames that consider/complement complex needs, preferences, and motivators of an underrepresented group of end users.

Conclusions

This study provides evidence that a collaborative multistakeholder design results in more tailored and context-aware VR games for persons living with dementia. The insights and lessons learned from this research can be used by others to co-design games, including remote engagement techniques that were used during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mediating Effects of Stigma and Depressive Symptoms in a Social Media–Based Intervention to Improve Long-term Quality of Life Among People Living With HIV: Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Controlled Trial (Preprint)
Authors: Li Yiran , Guo Yan , Hong Y Alicia , Zeng Chengbo , Zeng Yu , Zhang Hanxi , Zhu Mengting , Qiao Jiaying , Cai Weiping , Li Linghua , Liu Cong
Published: September 2021

BACKGROUND

Mobile health (mHealth) interventions have been shown to effectively improve the quality of life (QOL) among people living with HIV. However, little is known about the long-term effects of mHealth interventions.

OBJECTIVE

This study aims to explore the intervention mechanisms of a social media–based intervention, Run4Love, on the QOL of people with HIV over across a 9-month follow-up period.

METHODS

We recruited people living with HIV who were concurrently experiencing elevated depressive symptoms from an HIV outpatient clinic in South China. A total of 300 eligible participants were randomized either to the intervention group or the control group in a 1:1 ratio after they provided informed consent and completed a baseline survey. The intervention group received a 3-month WeChat-based intervention, comprising cognitive-behavioral stress management (CBSM) courses and physical activity promotion. The control group received a printed brochure on nutrition guidelines in addition to the usual care for HIV treatment. Neither participants nor the research staff were blinded to group assignment. All patients were followed at 3, 6, and 9 months. The primary outcome was depressive symptoms. Structural equation model (SEM) with longitudinal data was conducted to examine the sequential mediating effects of HIV-related stigma and depressive symptoms on the long-term intervention effects on participants’ QOL.

RESULTS

About 91.3% (274/300), 88.3% (265/300), and 86.7% (260/300) of all participants completed follow-up surveys at 3, 6, and 9 months, respectively. Results showed that the intervention had significantly improved participants' QOL at 9 months, via complete mediating effects of reduced HIV-related stigma at 3 months and decreased depressive symptoms at 6 months. No adverse events were reported.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings underscore the critical roles of HIV-related stigma and depressive symptoms in an mHealth intervention with long-term effects on QOL improvements. We call for targeted mHealth interventions to improve QOL among people living with HIV, especially social media–based interventions that can address HIV-related stigma and alleviate depressive symptoms.

CLINICALTRIAL

Chinese Clinical Trial Registry ChiCTR-IPR-17012606; https://www.chictr.org.cn/showproj.aspx?proj=21019
Evaluating the Quality of Asynchronous Versus Synchronous Virtual Care in Patients With Erectile Dysfunction: Retrospective Cohort Study (Preprint)
Authors: Broffman Lauren , Barnes Melynda , Stern Kevin , Westergren Amy
Published: September 2021

BACKGROUND

Asynchronous health care encounters are becoming an increasingly mainstream form of telehealth. While synchronous phone or video visits have become more widely accepted, US policymakers and other key health care stakeholders have been hesitant to fully embrace asynchronous diagnosis and treatment. This is particularly true in the context of direct-to-consumer (DTC) platforms, where encounters are patient-initiated and there is no preestablished relationship with a provider. This hesitation is compounded by limited research comparing outcomes between asynchronous and synchronous care, especially in the DTC context.

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study was to explore whether asynchronous care leads to different patient outcomes in the form of medication-related adverse events when compared to synchronous virtual care.

METHODS

Using 10,000 randomly sampled patient records from a prominent US-based DTC platform, we analyzed the rates of patient-reported side effects from commonly prescribed erectile dysfunction medications and compared these rates across modalities of treatment.

RESULTS

Asynchronous care resulted in lower but nonsignificant differences in the rates of the reported drug-related side effects compared to synchronous treatment.

CONCLUSIONS

In some circumstances, such as treatment for erectile dysfunction, asynchronous care can offer the same level of safety in prescribing when compared to synchronous care. More research is needed to evaluate the safety of asynchronous care across a wider set of conditions and measures.