bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
INVESTIGATION OF DIFFERENT LOW-COST LAND VEHICLE NAVIGATION SYSTEMS BASED ON CPD SENSORS AND VEHICLE INFORMATION
Authors: Moussa M. , Moussa A. , Elhabiby M. , El-Sheimy N.
Published: August 2020

Abstract. Recently, many companies and research centres have been working on research and development of navigation technologies for self-driving cars. Many navigation technologies were developed based on the fusion of various sensors. However, most of these techniques used expensive sensors and consequently increase the overall cost of such cars. Therefore, low-cost sensors are now a rich research topic in land vehicle navigation. Consumer Portable Devices (CPDs) such as smartphones and tablets are being widely used and contain many sensors (e.g. cameras, barometers, magnetometers, accelerometers, gyroscopes, and GNSS receivers) that can be used in the land vehicle navigation applications.This paper investigates various land vehicle navigation systems based on low-cost self-contained inertial sensors in CPD, vehicle information and on-board sensors with a focus on GNSS denied environment. Vehicle motion information such as forward speed is acquired from On-Board Diagnosis II (OBD-II) while the land vehicle heading change is estimated using CPD attached to the steering wheel. Additionally, a low-cost on-board GNSS/inertial integrated system is also employed. The paper investigates many navigation schemes such as different Dead Reckoning (DR) systems, Reduced Inertial Sensor System (RISS) based systems, and aided loosely coupled GNSS/inertial integrated system.An experimental road test is performed, and different simulated GNSS signal outages were applied to the data. The results show that the modified RISS system based on OBD-II velocity, onboard gyroscopes, accelerometers, and CPD-based heading change provides a better navigation estimation than the typical RISS system for 90s GNSS signal outage. On the other hand, typical inertial aided with CPD heading change, OBD-II velocity updates, and Non-Holonomic Constraint (NHC) provide the best navigation result.
ROBUST RESECTION MODEL FOR ALIGNING THE MOBILE MAPPING SYSTEMS TRAJECTORIES AT DEGRADED AND DENIED URBAN ENVIRONMENTS
Authors: Alsadik B.
Published: August 2020

Abstract. Mobile mapping systems MMS equipped with cameras and laser scanners are widely used nowadays for different geospatial applications with centimetric accuracy either in project wise or national wise scales. The achieved positioning accuracy is very much related to the navigation unit, namely the GNSS and IMU onboard. Accordingly, in GNSS denied and degraded environments, the absolute positioning accuracy is worsened to few meters in some cases. Frequently, ground control points GCPs of a high positioning accuracy are used to align the MMS trajectories and to improve the accuracy when needed.The best way to integrate the MMS trajectories to the GCPs is by measuring them on the MMS images where the positioning accuracy is dropped. MMS images are mostly spherical panoramic (equirectangular) images and sometimes perspective and, in both types, it is required to precisely determine the images orientation in what is called as space resection or camera pose determination. For perspective images, the pose is conventionally determined by collinearity equations or by using projection and fundamental matrices. Whereas for equirectangular panoramic images it is based on resecting vertical and horizontal angles. However, there is still a challenge in the state–of–the–art of image pose determination because of the model nonlinearity and the sensitivity to proper initialization and spatial distribution of the points.In this research, a generic method is presented to solve the pose resection problem for the perspective and equirectangular images using oblique angles. The oblique angles are derived from the measured image coordinates and based on spherical trigonometry rules and vector geometry. The developed algorithm has proven to be highly stable and steadily converge to the global minimum. This is related to the robust geometric constraint offered by the oblique angles that are enclosed between the object points and the camera. As a result, the MMS trajectories are realigned accurately to the GCPs and the absolute accuracy is highly refined. Four experimental tests are presented where the results show the efficiency of the proposed angular based model in different cases of simulated and real data with different image types.
STRATEGIES TO INTEGRATE IMU AND LIDAR SLAM FOR INDOOR MAPPING
Authors: Karam S. , Lehtola V. , Vosselman G.
Published: August 2020

Abstract. In recent years, the importance of indoor mapping increased in a wide range of applications, such as facility management and mapping hazardous sites. The essential technique behind indoor mapping is simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) because SLAM offers suitable positioning estimates in environments where satellite positioning is not available. State-of-the-art indoor mobile mapping systems employ Visual-based SLAM or LiDAR-based SLAM. However, Visual-based SLAM is sensitive to textureless environments and, similarly, LiDAR-based SLAM is sensitive to a number of pose configurations where the geometry of laser observations is not strong enough to reliably estimate the six-degree-of-freedom (6DOF) pose of the system. In this paper, we present different strategies that utilize the benefits of the inertial measurement unit (IMU) in the pose estimation and support LiDAR-based SLAM in overcoming these problems. The proposed strategies have been implemented and tested using different datasets and our experimental results demonstrate that the proposed methods do indeed overcome these problems. We conclude that IMU observations increase the robustness of SLAM, which is expected, but also that the best reconstruction accuracy is obtained not with a blind use of all observations but by filtering the measurements with a proposed reliability measure. To this end, our results show promising improvements in reconstruction accuracy.
URBAN MATERIAL CLASSIFICATION USING SPECTRAL AND TEXTURAL FEATURES RETRIEVED FROM AUTOENCODERS
Authors: Ilehag R. , Leitloff J. , Weinmann M. , Schenk A.
Published: August 2020

Abstract. Classification of urban materials using remote sensing data, in particular hyperspectral data, is common practice. Spectral libraries can be utilized to train a classifier since they provide spectral features about selected urban materials. However, urban materials can have similar spectral characteristic features due to high inter-class correlation which can lead to misclassification. Spectral libraries rarely provide imagery of their samples, which disables the possibility of classifying urban materials with additional textural information. Thus, this paper conducts material classification comparing the benefits of using close-range acquired spectral and textural features. The spectral features consist of either the original spectra, a PCA-based encoding or the compressed spectral representation of the original spectra retrieved using a deep autoencoder. The textural features are generated using a deep denoising convolutional autoencoder. The spectral and textural features are gathered from the recently published spectral library KLUM. Three classifiers are used, the two well-established Random Forest and Support Vector Machine classifiers in addition to a Histogram-based Gradient Boosting Classification Tree. The achieved overall accuracy was within the range of 70–80% with a standard deviation between 2–10% across all classification approaches. This indicates that the amount of samples still is insufficient for some of the material classes for this classification task. Nonetheless, the classification results indicate that the spectral features are more important for assigning material labels than the textural features.
SUPER-RESOLUTION OF MULTISPECTRAL SATELLITE IMAGES USING CONVOLUTIONAL NEURAL NETWORKS
Authors: Müller M. U. , Ekhtiari N. , Almeida R. M. , Rieke C.
Published: August 2020

Abstract. Super-resolution aims at increasing image resolution by algorithmic means and has progressed over the recent years due to advances in the fields of computer vision and deep learning. Convolutional Neural Networks based on a variety of architectures have been applied to the problem, e.g. autoencoders and residual networks. While most research focuses on the processing of photographs consisting only of RGB color channels, little work can be found concentrating on multi-band, analytic satellite imagery. Satellite images often include a panchromatic band, which has higher spatial resolution but lower spectral resolution than the other bands. In the field of remote sensing, there is a long tradition of applying pan-sharpening to satellite images, i.e. bringing the multispectral bands to the higher spatial resolution by merging them with the panchromatic band. To our knowledge there are so far no approaches to super-resolution which take advantage of the panchromatic band. In this paper we propose a method to train state-of-the-art CNNs using pairs of lower-resolution multispectral and high-resolution pan-sharpened image tiles in order to create super-resolved analytic images. The derived quality metrics show that the method improves information content of the processed images. We compare the results created by four CNN architectures, with RedNet30 performing best.
FAST AND ACCURATE MULTI-FRAME SUPER-RESOLUTION OF SATELLITE IMAGES
Authors: Anger J. , Ehret T. , de Franchis C. , Facciolo G.
Published: August 2020

Abstract. Recent constellations of small satellites, such as Planet’s SkySats, offer new acquisition modes where very short videos or bursts of images are acquired instead of a single still image. Compared to sequences of multi-date images, these sequences of consecutive video frames yield a large redundancy of information within the range of seconds. This redundancy enables to increase the spatial resolution using multi-frame super-resolution algorithms. In this paper, we propose a novel super-resolution method based on a high-order spline interpolation model that combines multiple low-resolution frames to produce a high-resolution image. Moreover this method can be implemented efficiently on GPU to process entire images from real satellite acquisitions. Synthetic and real experiments show that the proposed method is able to recover fine details, and measurements of the resulting resolution indicate a gain of 10 cm / pixel with respect to Planet’s SkySat standard imagery products.
GENERAL DESIGN OF SPACE OPTICAL MAPPING REMOTE SENSING CAMERA
Authors: Cai W. , Zheng J. , Li F. , Ding S. , Zhang X. , Zhang Z. , Fan J.
Published: August 2020

Abstract. Surveying and mapping plays an important role in all aspects of economic development, national infrastructure construction and national defence construction. Especially in the overall and strategic level, most of them need to apply geospatial information. Geospatial information acquired through surveying and mapping technology has become an important strategic resource. Because space photography is faster, cheaper and unrestricted by regions and borders, countries around the world are scrambling to develop their own mapping satellites.In recent years, great breakthrough has been made in the field of on-board optical stereo mapping, many countries have launched satellites with surveying and mapping as the main function, and obtained image data from 1:50000 to 1:10000 scale. This paper describes a design of a stereo surveying and mapping camera system that can achieve 1:10000 scale maps.
ESTIMATING PM2.5 CONCENTRATIONS IN BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA DURING WILDFIRE SEASON USING SATELLITE OPTICAL DATA
Authors: Fatholahi S. N. , Gu Y. , Liu M. , Ma L. , Chen Y. , Li J.
Published: August 2020

Abstract. British Columba, Canada experienced its record-breaking wildfire season in 2017. The wildfire smoke is one of the main sources of fine particles with diameters smaller than 2.5 μm (PM2.5). The rising level of PM2.5 concentrations during the wildfire season would considerable increase the risk of premature death, especially for people with weak immune systems. In this study, the satellite optical data collected from 3 km MODIS aerosol optical depth (AOD) products were adopted to estimate PM2.5 concentration levels derived from wildfires in British Columbia, Canada from July to September 2017. The satellite optical data were combined with ground station measurements, meteorological and supplementary data to estimate PM2.5 concentrations using the geographically weighted regression (GWR) model. Our results demonstrated that PM2.5 concentrations were the highest in July and August based on the estimation results of seasonal and monthly GWR models. It indicated that the application feasibility of MODIS AOD products in predicting PM2.5 concentrations during the wildfire season in British Columbia.
AUTOMATED UAV LIDAR STRIP ALIGNMENT IN FORESTED AREAS USING DENSITY-BASED CANOPY CLUSTERING
Authors: Fekry R. , Yao W. , Cao L.
Published: August 2020

Abstract. Recently, LiDAR point cloud data acquired by Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) are used in many scientific disciplines and like the former photogrammetric techniques these data are usually collected in overlapping strips. Generation of comprehensive models of the scanned areas requires these strips to be aligned together which is a challenging process due to the multi sensor scanning system including the scanning sensor, the GNSS receiver and the IMU sensor. The main errors result from the inaccurate GNSS locations and flight path shifts as well as failure of the GNSS signals in complex urban or forest environments. For that reasons, the development of an automatic feature-dependant method in urban areas or individual tree-based in forest areas where there are no distinct features for strip adjustment in these environments become a must. This research work focuses on automated co-registration/alignment multiple point cloud strips of forested areas acquired from UAV LiDAR (or referred to as ULS) lack of artificial ground control. The main limitations of ULS data of forests are the relatively low sampling density of near ground areas and stem nullity due to the top-view scanning mode of ULS. To obviate this, this work explicates the tree crowns shape to identify the key points required for co-registration by applying a density based clustering algorithm (DBSCAN) to the tree crowns and models resulting clusters with Gaussian mixture models by learning the best parameters using maximum likelihood estimation to define the key points. A feature vector is assigned to each point by quantifying its angular and linear relationship with respect to the local system origin. Next, the similarity score matrix is computed by a fixed geometric relationship between the distance and angle similarity. Then, the maximum weight matching problem is solved for the similarity score to gain point-to-point correspondence. Finally, the optimal 2D rigid transformation parameters (one rotation and two translations without scale factor ) are obtained using permutations to try out for all possible paired combinations and count the number of inlier points satisfying a tolerance of planimetric deviation after alignment within a user defined threshold. The results of two test forest plots with different tree species and ULS point densities show a mean planimetric enhancement from 1.79 m to 0.22 ± 0.13 m for plot one and from 2.33 ± 0.53 m to 0.61 ± 0.21 m.
QUANTITATIVE ASSESSMENT OF THE PROJECTION TRAJECTORY-BASED EPIPOLARITY MODEL AND EPIPOLAR IMAGE RESAMPLING FOR LINEAR-ARRAY SATELLITE IMAGES
Authors: Gong D. , Han Y. , Zhang L.
Published: August 2020

Abstract. Epipolar geometry rectification is one of the critical issues in photogrammetry, which is a strong corresponding searching constraint in dense image matching for 3D reconstruction. In this paper, the properties of the projection trajectory-based epipolarity model are analyzed quantitatively, and the approximate straight line and parallelism property of the epipolar curve are discussed comprehensively using the linear pushbroom satellite images, i.e. IKONOS, GeoEye images. Based on the analysis of the epipolar line properties, a practical method for epipolar resampling developed. In this method, the pixelwise relationship is established between the original and the epipolar images. The experiments on TH-1 images show that quasi rigorous epipolar images can be resampled using our proposed method for both along-track images. After epipolar geometry rectification, the vertical parallaxes at checkpoints can achieve sub-pixel level accuracy, thus demonstrating the correctness and applicability of the proposed method.
LEARNING SUPER-RESOLUTION FOR SENTINEL-2 IMAGES WITH REAL GROUND TRUTH DATA FROM A REFERENCE SATELLITE
Authors: Galar M. , Sesma R. , Ayala C. , Albizua L. , Aranda C.
Published: August 2020

Abstract. Copernicus program via its Sentinel missions is making earth observation more accessible and affordable for everybody. Sentinel-2 images provide multi-spectral information every 5 days for each location. However, the maximum spatial resolution of its bands is 10m for RGB and near-infrared bands. Increasing the spatial resolution of Sentinel-2 images without additional costs, would make any posterior analysis more accurate. Most approaches on super-resolution for Sentinel-2 have focused on obtaining 10m resolution images for those at lower resolutions (20m and 60m), taking advantage of the information provided by bands of finer resolutions (10m). Otherwise, our focus is on increasing the resolution of the 10m bands, that is, super-resolving 10m bands to 2.5m resolution, where no additional information is available. This problem is known as single-image super-resolution and deep learning-based approaches have become the state-of-the-art for this problem on standard images. Obviously, models learned for standard images do not translate well to satellite images. Hence, the problem is how to train a deep learning model for super-resolving Sentinel-2 images when no ground truth exist (Sentinel-2 images at 2.5m). We propose a methodology for learning Convolutional Neural Networks for Sentinel-2 image super-resolution making use of images from other sensors having a high similarity with Sentinel-2 in terms of spectral bands, but greater spatial resolution. Our proposal is tested with a state-of-the-art neural network showing that it can be useful for learning to increase the spatial resolution of RGB and near-infrared bands of Sentinel-2.
Is Prevention Better than Cure? The Ever-increasing Criminalisation of Acts Preparatory to an Offence in Spain
Authors: Alonso Rimo Alberto
Published: August 2020

This paper critically analyses the quantitative and qualitative increase in the punishment of conduct preparatory to an offence displayed in recent times under Spanish criminal law. It demonstrates that this phenomenon, which is consistent with the international trend to further advance the punitive line of defence, is driven largely by the objective of punishing individuals based on their dangerousness rather than on the harm caused by their specific acts. It also highlights the serious risks that this implies for the principles underlying any democratic state governed by the rule of law. Finally, the article outlines the rationale for and the limits on the punishment of preparatory acts, which, in the author’s view, should apply on a general basis to such punishment if those risks are to be avoided.
The Law of Self-Eating—Milk, Placenta, and Feces Consumption
Authors: Cohen Mathilde
Published: August 2020

Humans have consumed nearly every human body part. Today, the consumption of milk, placenta, and feces, in particular, is on the rise. Milk, placenta, and feces circulate directly among people given that no medical expertise is required to consume them in unprocessed form, but they are also distributed by institutionalized medical entities (e.g., biobanks, hospitals, pharmaceutical, biotechnology, or cosmetic companies). They are considered simultaneously valuable (as they are typically donated gratuitously and primarily used for nutritional, health, and research purposes) and dangerous (as they can transmit viruses, bacteria, parasites, and pollutants). This article has two main goals. First, in examining the social meanings of milk, placenta, and feces consumption, it considers whether and how the circulation of these bio-commodities shapes the limits of human bodies and communities. Second, it asks whether there is something different or specific about the way in which self-consumption (i.e., the consumption of human body materials by humans) is regulated compared to that of foods, drugs, and supplements derived from animal bodies, plants, or other non-human sources.
A Competition Period Evaluation Concerning Seasonal Variables of Elite Track and Field Athletes in Vertical Jumping Events: A Different Insight for Coaching Education
Authors: Örs Berfin Serdil , Bayraktar Işık
Published: August 2020

Aim of this study was to determine variables of elite athletes’ competition seasons in vertical jumping events and to determine relationships between these variables. Also, to constitute prediction models of season best (SB) and season performance average based on season first performance to offer a new insight for coaching education. Research group consisted of male and female elite athletes who ranked in the top 100 in high jump (HJ) and pole vault (PV), during 2018 season. Athletes’ competition information was reached from 2018 world rankings. Ages, total number of days in season, days between competitions, total number of competitions, number of competitions that season’s best score was performed, ratio of SB to total number of competitions, percentages of first, end, average scores were calculated. Statistical comparison of gender groups was analyzed using Independent Samples t-Test. Pearson correlation coefficients were used to express relationships. Polynomial regression analysis was used to find coefficients of determination for relationships. Quadratic equations were calculated to predictive SB performance and season average performances according average of first two performances by gender/events. In PV, there were differences between genders for season first, end, and average percentages calculated according to SB (p < 0.05). Strong relationships were determined between season average and season first performances in female athletes. Predicted models created according to season first performance may be considered as early evaluations for coaches. Coach can use these prediction models as a new and different education material for their training plans. By doing so, in case of calculating a prediction far away from the coach’s aim it is possible that coach can take necessary measures at the beginning of season.
Safety Challenges in Transportation in Nigeria – A Relative Risk Approach
Authors: Purokayo Suleiman G. , Stephen James Zira
Published: August 2020

This study investigates safety challenges in transportation in Nigeria across the six geopolitical zones of the country comprising South-South, South-East, North-West, North-Central, North-East and South-West geopolitical Zones. Both primary and secondary data were employed, and the Multinomial Logistic Regression Model, with specific adoption of the Relative Risk Ratio approach, is the method of analysis. The main concern is examination of exposed and unexposed commuters in the various locations to determine the degrees of exposure to risks associated with ‘basket’ of modes, state of infrastructures and specific risk factors, which account for the fatalities observed on the different roads under consideration. It is found that the six geopolitical zones have various degrees of risks exposure while North-West, North-Central and South-West zones showed significant risk difference between the exposed and the unexposed groups due to risk factors such as bad roads, road blockage/obstruction, kidnaping, unmaintained vehicles, overloading, over speeding and other forms of reckless use of the roads etc. The study recommends risk avoidance education to commuters as new strategies in vulnerable zones and increased deployment of well-trained community road marshals and other relevant security personnel to monitor situations and provide safety for road users. Also, a working transportation policy must be evolve to mitigate the risk factors highlighted above.
Assessment of Health Budgetary Allocation and Expenditure Toward Achieving Universal Health Coverage in Nigeria
Authors: Adebisi Yusuff Adebayo , Umah Joshua Ottah , Olaoye Omotayo Carolyn , Alaran Aishat Jumoke , Sina-Odunsi Ayomide Busayo , III Don Eliseo Lucero-Prisno
Published: August 2020

Context: The implementation of the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) promotes access to quality health care delivery through cost-effective initiatives to ensure good health and wellbeing without discrimination. This study examines government finance, budgetary allocation, and expenditure as key health development indicators towards achieving the UHC in Nigeria. Evidence Acquisition: Data analyzed in the study were gotten from journal articles, reports and other secondary sources. Searches were conducted in PubMed, Google Scholar, and WHO Library Database with pre-determined search terms. Further publications were identified through snowballing of citations and references. We reviewed only papers written in English with no date restrictions placed on searches. Results: Within the period of analysis, the annual national health budgetary allocation in Nigeria has been below the 2001 Abuja declaration of allocating 15% of the national budget to health. Our analysis also revealed that if the Abuja declaration was implemented, additional allocations of NGN 4.99 trillion should have been injected into the health sector between 2014 and 2020. In addition, Nigeria also lags behind relative to some other low-and middle-income countries in terms of government expenditure to the health sector in achieving the UHC. Conclusions: The inadequate budgetary allocation in Nigeria to healthcare has significantly influenced recurrent and capital health expenditure. It is worthy to note that the insufficient allocation will continue to significantly affect capital expenditure which is a large determinant of the development of any health system. With the current state of healthcare budget allocation in Nigeria, efforts need to be intensified to ensure the achievement of UHC. In the face of achieving UHC, reviewing the system of healthcare financing and ensuring prudent allocation of resources while shifting the focus from out-of-pocket payments for health is essential. We also recommend increase in political commitment towards improving the health of the populace so as to ensure health systems goals of efficiency, equity, quality of care, sustainability, financial risk protection for all citizens are achievable.
The Relevant Relationship Between Umbilical Cord Blood Gas and Acid Base Analysis and Dynamic Thiol (Sh)/Disulphide (S-S) Balance in Neonatal Babies with Different Perinatal Risks and Newborn Diseases
Authors: Gurel Selcuk , Erel Ozcan
Published: August 2020

Background: Oxidative stress is a pathogenic stress factor in preterm infants. Dynamic thiol/disulphide balance has a critical role in antioxidant defense, detoxification, apoptosis, transcription and cellular signal transport mechanisms. Oxidant/antioxidant balance state is a process beginning before birth and premature infants are especially vulnerable to oxidative stress. Objectives: In this study, we aimed to evaluate dynamic thiol/disulphide homeostasis by umbilical blood gas analysis, compare term and preterm infants, evaluate its relation with Apgar score, perinatal risks with mother and occurrence of NEC (necrotizing enterocolitis), sepsis and ROP (Retinopathy of Prematurity). Methods: A total of 108 (51 female and 57 male) newborn infants were included in this prospective cohort study. Of them, 31 were term and 77 were preterm. Demographic variables, Apgar score, NEC, sepsis and ROP intervention data were collected. Disulfide, native thiol, total thiol, index 1 (disulphide/native thiol × 100), index 2 (disulphide/total thiol × 100) and index 3 (native thiol/total thiol × 100) were calculated. Serum total ischemic modified albumin (IMA) and albumin were measured. Bloodgas analysis was performed within 2 minutes following birth. Results: Preterm infants had lower disulphide levels and index 1 and 2 ratios, but higher index 3 ratios. Acidotic infants, index 1 and 2 and disulphide levels were higher and index 3 was lower than patients with normal pH. Disulphide, index 1 and 2 were lower in patients taken to NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit) compared to ones who were not, whereas index 3 values were higher, twenty one patients (19.4%) with scores < 7 had higher index 3 values at 5th minute. Disulphide levels, index 1 and 2 levels were lower in patients with NEC and index 3 levels were higher. Index 3 ratios were higher in septic infants. Index 3 was higher in patients born from preeclamptic mothers compared to ones without preeclampsia. Albumin levels were higher in patients with maternal placental anomalies. Conclusions: We believe that evaluation of thiol-disulphide homeostasis in preterm and term infants may be demonstrative for oxidant capacity of the newborn, hence the oxidative stress.
The Antimicrobial Resistance Pattern of Klebsiella pneumonia Isolated from the Clinical Specimens in Duhok City in Kurdistan Region of Iraq
Authors: Naqid Ibrahim Abdulqader , Hussein Nawfal Rasheed , Balatay Amer A , Saeed Kurdistan Abdullah , Ahmed Hiba A
Published: August 2020

Background: Klebsiella pneumoniae is an important opportunistic enteric bacterial strain, which is a major cause of pneumonia and urinary tract infection. Antimicrobial resistance is an increasingly severe threat to the Global Public Health, requiring immediate action across governmental sectors and communities. Objectives: The present study aimed to determine the sensitivity pattern of K. pneumonia isolated from various clinical specimens for common antibiotics in Duhok City, Iraq. Methods: This study was conducted in Duhok City during January 2017-February 2019 on 130 clinical samples of urine, blood, sputum, wound swabs, central venous lines, and oral swabs. K. pneumoniae strains were confirmed and tested in terms of susceptibility to various antimicrobial drugs using the VITEK-2 compact system. Results: In total, 130 positive K. pneumoniae cultures from various clinical samples were examined. The isolates were more predominant in the females (n = 99; 76.2%) compared to males (n = 31; 23.8%). The antibiotic resistance rate of K. pneumoniae varied among different isolate clinical sample sources. Overall, high resistance rates were recorded for ampicillin (96.9%), ceftriaxone (65.8%), and cefepime (60.8%). However, ertapenem (93.8%) and imipenem (82.3%) showed the highest susceptibility rate against the isolates. Conclusions: According to the results, K. pneumoniae isolated from various clinical specimens varied in terms of the antibiotic susceptibility pattern with high resistance to common antibiotics, particularly ampicillin. Ertapenem and imipenem were the most effective antibiotics against the isolates. Our findings could help physicians and clinicians to select appropriate antimicrobial therapies in the region.
Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice of Iranian Speech and Language Pathologists Toward Evidence-Based Practice
Authors: Mansuri Banafshe , Tohidast Seyed Abolfazl , Zareei Masume
Published: August 2020

Background: Despite the great need and significance for documentation of knowledge, attitudes, and practice of speech and language pathologists (SLPs) about evidence-based practice (EBP), few studies have been performed in this field among SLPs, especially Iranian SLPs. Objectives: The present study aimed at investigating the knowledge, attitude, and practice of Iranian SLPs toward EBP. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted from October to December 2019, in Iran. A valid and reliable self-administrated questionnaire (The Speech and Language Pathology Evidence-Based Practice questionnaire (SLP-EBPQ)) was used to evaluate the attitude, knowledge, and the use of evidence sections of SLP-EBPQ among 600 Iranian SLPs. Results: Four hundred twenty-two out of 600 questionnaires were returned. The mean figure of the knowledge score of the SLPs was 3.85 (± 2.8), while SLPs with postgraduate degrees scored higher in the knowledge section than those with an undergraduate degree (P < 0.001). The mean figure of the attitude score of the SLPs was 46.97 (± 4.55). Conclusions: The findings of the present study showed that SLPs in Iran have positive and favorable attitudes toward EBP with an effective application. Our findings also showed that EBP knowledge is not very comprehensive among SLPs; however, the postgraduate SLPs presented a higher EBP compared with the undergraduate SLPs.
Association Between Children’s Social Skills and Developmental Function of Family in Iran
Authors: Bagherabadi Fatemeh , Nikpeyma Nasrin , Pashaeypoor Shahzad
Published: August 2020

Background: The family has an important role in shaping the children’s behaviors. Today, along with social change, the family, as a major social institution, is also undergoing some significant changes. Social behaviors are learned in the family, and the behaviors of family members are considered as examples by children. Objectives: This study aimed to determine the relationship between children’s social skills and developmental function of the family in Iran. Methods: A descriptive-analytical correlation study was conducted in Iran in 2018. The subjects included 309 primary school students in four districts of the city (north, south, east, and west). The data collection tools were a demographic questionnaire, the Developmental Family Functioning Assessment Scale (DFFAQ), and the Matson Evaluation of Social Skills with Youngsters (MESSY), which were completed by the researcher and children’s mothers. SPSS 16 was used for statistical analysis. The chi-square test and Pearson’s correlation coefficient were applied for data analysis. The P values of less than 0.05 were considered significant. Results: The results showed that the developmental function of the family was at an intermediate level in 72.2% and a good level in 27.8% of the research units. The social skills of the children were at an intermediate level in 39.5% and a good level in 60.5% of the subjects. There was a significant positive correlation between children’s social skills and developmental family function (r = 0.2, P = 0.03). The result of multiple regression analysis showed that care and regulation were better predictors of social skills in children (β = 0.25, P = 0.001), and 30% of the variance in social skills could be predicted by the function of the family. Conclusions: It is suggested that parents, nurses, psychologists, and other health providers design appropriate interventions to promote the developmental functions of the family to improve the social skills of children.
Rotura del clavo intramedular en la ostesíntesis de facturas diafisarias femorales
Authors: Escalera Alonso J. , Llanos Alcazar L.F. , Caicoya Abati E. , Sanz Hospital F. J. , Cano Egea J.M. , Coello Nogues A.
Published: August 2020

Presentamos nuestra experiencia en roturas de clavos intramedirlares

de fémur en el período comprendido entre 1982-1990. Durante el mismo se realizaron 54 extracciones. En un caso se produjo la rotura previamente

a la extraccihn, y en dos la rotura fue intraoperatoria. Dicha eventualidad motiva el presente estudio.
Nueva plataforma dinamométrica para el análisis y valoración del rendimiento deportivo
Authors: Sánchez Lacuesta J. , Comín M. , Prat J. , Soler C. , Dejoz R. , Peris J. L. , Hoyos J.V. , Vera P.
Published: August 2020

Un nuevo modelo de plataforma dinamométrica ha

sido desarrollado por el Instituto de Biomecánica de

Valencia (IBV) y se han fabricado sus primeros prototipos.

Permite la medida de la fuerza de reaccipón tridimensional,

en momento torsor y el punto de aplicación

de la fuerza, a una velocidad de muestre0 de hasta 1000

Hz (500 Hz para dos plataformas).

El nuevo diseño se caracteriza por poseer cuatro captadores

bidimensionales octogonales mecánicamente

desacoplados, placa superior de rigidez optimizada y

sensibilidad cruzada mínima.
Estudio morfofuncional de la marcha humana
Authors: Dankloff Mora C. , Rodríguez R. , Fernández Valencia R.
Published: August 2020

Se ha estudiado la marcha con dos plataformas de fuerzas (dinamométricas) en 60 sujetos, 30 varones y 30 mujeres, sin patología aparente del aparato locomotor,con edades comprendidas entre 17 y 22 años.

Presentamos los resultados obtenidos y establecemos a partir de los mismos, los valores medios normales de

los parámetros más significativos de la marcha.

Con el fin de observar la existencia o no de una relación entre la morfología y las variables estudiadas en la marcha, se correlacionaron las magnitudes y los tiempos de las fuerzas desarrolladas en los tres ejes del espacio, con diversos parámetros antropométricos.

Los parámetros antropométricos que mayor correlación presentaron con los parámetros de marcha (p 0,001) fueron el diámetro biacromial, el ancho maleolar dcho. con apoyo, y el ancho maleolar izquierdo.
Estudio de la marcha en la infancia
Authors: Rodríguez Torres R. , Dankloff Mora C. , Gómez Pellico L.
Published: August 2020

El análisis de la marcha se ha visto reforzado por la

aparición de sistemas de invetigación de nueva tecnología

como son las plataformas de fuerzas monitorizadas

que permiten estudiar, con alta precisión, el desarrollo

cinético y en parte cinemático de la marcha. Con este

sistema hemos estudiado el paso de 62 niños de 5 y 6

años de edad, para determinar los valores de normalidad

de los parámetros temporoespaciales y las magnitudes

de las fuerzas de reacción pie-suelo en los tres

ejes de plano espaciales.

Hemos encontrado diferencias estadísticamente significativas

entre estas edades para la longitud de paso,

tiempo de doble apoyo y la mayoría de las fuerzas de

reacción del suelo, indicando una evolución de la marcha

en este periodo.
Alineación frontal de la rodilla. Concepto y determinación de la posición neutra en el vivo
Authors: Casal Moro R. , Montero Furelos L. , Gónzalez García J. , Pichel Moure C.M.
Published: August 2020

Se estudiaron 28 rodillas asintomáticas con objeto de

confirmar en el vivo la existencia de movilidad mediolateral,

tomando como posición neutra aquella en la que el

contacto articular se produce simultáneamente en ambos

compartimentos. Hemos observado, que la interlínea

articular en posición neutra es sensiblemente mas

amplia en el compartimento lateral, en proporción de

1,3 a 1 respecto del medial.

Se estudió la rodilla en diversas actitudes posturales

durante la estación bípeda, hallando que al colocar la

extremidad inferior en adducción de la cadera la altura

de la interlínea aumenta significativamente en el compartimento

lateral, alcanzando una proporción de 1,9 a 1

respecto del medial. Es decir, que en distintas actitudes

fisiológicas, la amplitud de la interlínea articular de la

rodilla y por tanto el ángulo fémorotibial, son variables,

lo cual es compatible con la hipótesis del «Contacto

articular alternativo».

Creemos que la existencia de cierta movilidad mediolateral

fisiológica en la rodilla, puede tener trascendencia

en el diseño de la geometría frontal de las prótesis,

así como en la realización de las técnicas radiográficas y

su valoración.
La alineación natural de la rodilla y su corrección protéica
Authors: Pichel Moure C.M.
Published: August 2020

La reconstrucción artroplástica pretende reproducir la

alineación normal de la articulación de la rodilla. Sin

embargo la normalidad se encuentra pobremente definida

al existir importantes variaciones interindividuales en

los limitados estudios disponibles. En este artículo se

examinan las posibles causas y consecuencias quirúrgicas

de ésa variabilidad desde una perspectiva geométrica

y biomecánica. Con este objetivo se midieron los

ángulos que definen la alineación longitudinal y transversal

de la rodilla y las dimensiones del esqueleto de

los miembros inferiores sobre telerradiografías en bipedestación

de 30 voluntarios asintomáticos de ambos

sexos. Los datos fueron procesados estadísticamente,

analizando la influencia del sexo y de la diversidad

constitucional de las dimensiones de la cintura pélvica y

de los miembros inferiores sobre las variaciones de la

alineación trasversal y longitudinal de la rodilla. Se

encontró una gran variabilidad en la mayoría de los

parámetros medidos -el ángulo femorotibial varió entre

6" de valgo y 7" de varo- y diferencias muy significativas

entre el grupo masculino y femenino en dicho ángulo

y en la inclinación de la superficie articular tibial que

parecieron guardar relación con las proporciones entre

la longitud de los miembros inferiores y la anchura de la

pelvis. Sin embargo, las condiciones de carga de las distintas

rodillas permanecieron relativamente uniformes.

Estos resultados inducen a pensar que la variabilidad

natural de la alineación del miembro inferior puede obedecer

al objetivo de mantener sobre la rodilla solicitaciones

mecánicas adaptadas a las características antropométricas

individuales.

Por ésta razón se sugieren respetar la alineación natural

durante la reconstrucción artroplástica y, orientación

individualizada de los componentes protésicos.

Palabras clave: Alineación de la rodilla, artroplastia

de la rodilla, alineación protésica, biomecánica, antropometría,

prótesis.
Prosthetic fixation in cementless total knee arthoplasty. Influence of techniques, prosthetic design and bone graft enhacement
Authors: Keblish Peter A.
Published: August 2020

The knowledge of the biological and mechanical factors

which have an influnce in non cemented knee

prosthesis' survival and the complexity of the biomechanical

(kinematic) demands to which are summitted

the different non cemented prosthesis, show the importance

of a "natural" solution specially in the field of the

substitition of the interposition fibrocartilague structures,

such as the meniscus. In the same way it is important

to study the behaviourof the different revetment

surfaces (Titanium, chrom-cobalt etc..) Lastly, a solid

fixation of the implant demands a quality bone, that, in

its case, will have come from an autograft.
Endurecimiento superficial mediante tratamiento térmicos y anodizado de la aleación Ti-6A1-4U para implantes quirúrgicos
Authors: Gil F.J. , Fernández Aguado Enrique , Arcas R. , Planell Estany Josep Anton
Published: August 2020

Se han estudiado dos métodos de endurecimiento de

las aleaciones de titanio como es la anodización electroquímica

y el tratamiento térmico de revenido de la

microestructura martensítica. Este endurecimiento de la

aleación Ti-6A1-4V mejorará la resistencia al desgaste

de estas aleaciones en sus aplicaciones para implantes

quirúrgicos. La anodización se ha realizado para tres

microestructuras diferentes de la aleación Ti-6A1-4V y

aplicando diferentes diferencias de potencial. Los tratamientos

térmicos de revenido se han realizado a diferentes

temperaturas y tiempos de tratamiento.
Ensayo mecánico de la rotura fisaria. Estudio esperimental en el férmur del cordero
Authors: Forriol F. , Canadell J.
Published: August 2020

La distracción fisaria es una técnica empleada en

Cirugía Ortopédica, que consiste en separar, con un fijador

externo, la epífisis de la metáfisis de los huesos largos,

generalmente a nivel distal del fémur o proximal de la

tibia, para efectuar elongaciones o correcciones angulares.

En el presente trabajo se efectúan roturas en 36 fémures

de corderos, con una máquina de ensayos universal,

analizando la fuerza y el desplazamiento necesarios para

producir la rotura fisaria. No hemos encontrado diferencias

significativas entre los fémures de machos y de las

hembras y se demuestra la importancia que tienen las

inserciones capsulares en este mecanismo.
Influencia de las diferentes alturas de tacón en la marcha. Estudio goniométrico
Authors: Villarroya A. , Coloma Villacampa S.
Published: August 2020

En este estudio se ha pretendido analizar las variaciones

goniométricas en las articulaciones de la cadera,

rodilla y tobillo, caminando descalzo y con tacón de 2 y

4 centímetros de altura, en dos grupos de mujeres sin

patología y con edades comprendidas entre los 20 y 24

años: el primero acostumbradas a caminar con zapato de

tacón alto (9 casos) y el segundo acostumbrado a caminar

con calzado plano (21 casos). Para ello se ha utilizado

un sistema telemétrico de medida: «Sistema

Telemétrico Biológico de MIE Medical Rechearch

LTD». Se ha comprobado que existen diferencias

importantes en la forma individual de llevar zapato de

tacón alto, que varían con la experiencia. La máxima

flexión de cadera, que se produce en la fase de oscilación,

disminuye conforme aumenta la altura del tacón

en las personas acostumbradas al mismo, mientras que

aumenta en las no acostumbradas. La extensión máxima

de la rodilla disminuye conforme aumenta el tacón en

todas las personas estudiadas, es decir, tanto si tienen

experiencia como si no la tienen, mientras que la flexión

máxima se mantiene. A nivel del tobillo, la adaptación

al tacón se produce de forma muy dispar aunque llama

la atención la exageración de la flexión del mismo, en

las personas acostumbradas a llevar tacón, cuando caminan

descalzas.
Aplicación de nuevas técnicas de investigación biomecánica en cirugía de los tendones flexores
Authors: Mateo Agudo J. , Calvo Díaz A. , Pérez García A. J. M.ª , Pérez Frances F.J.
Published: August 2020

Con el objeto de investigar la tensión intratendinosa, la distribución

de la carga y la orientación de las líneas de fuerza, a

nivel de las suturas tendinosas, se proponen 2 métodos: fotoelasticidad

y elementos finitos, basados en técnicas utilizadas en

ingeniería mecánica.

Obtenida previamente una probeta de resina epoxi, de comportamiento

similar al tendón y propiedades fotoelásticas adecuadas

para el estudio, se ha mecanizado según el método de

sutura y sometido a tracción continua en el banco de carga de

un polariscopio, constituyendo 3 grupos con 72 estudios cada

uno. Todos los datos obtenidos fueron procesados con un programa

para estudios,fotoelásticos utilizado por el Departamento

de Mecánica y valorados estadísticamente con el Sigma.

Posteriormente se ha realizado el mismo estudio mediante el

método de elementos finitos utilizando el módulo Geostar del

Cosmos/M v 1.61.

La carga intratendinosa más alta y su distribución central se

obtiene en los métodos de lazo (BUNNELL y KLEINERT). Por

el contrario, los métodos en cuadro son menos isquemiantes,

con menor carga y distribución periférica de la tensión, siendo

el método de Kessler el que mejor orientación axial presenta.

Proponemos el método de Kesslev, como técnica de elección

biomecánicamente, en cirugía de los tendones flexores.
Función muscular y esfuerzo: Contribución de las características físicas del individuo
Authors: Coarasa Liron de Robles A. , Ros Mar R. , Moros García M.T. , Villarroya Aparicio A.
Published: August 2020

Se ha planteado la posibilidad de diferentes mecanismos en la

regulación de la,fuerza y fatigabilidad huscular según ciertas características

del individuo. En este estudio se examina en 42 suietos

jóvenes la influencia del sexo y de parámetros cineantropométricos

sobre la fuerza máxima voluntaria y producida con estimulación

eléctrica del cuádriceps femoral, sobre la capacidad de

esfuerzo en cicloergómetro y en la fatiga muscular desarrollada

con el ejercicio. En los resultados no se encuentra diferencia intersexual

para la fuerza voluntaria por unidad de volumen muscular

del muslo, aunque sí la hay para la capacidad de ejercicio

por unidad de masa muscular corporal o regional, superior en el

hombre por factores ajenos a la cantidad de músculo. La grasa

corporal enlaza con una menor capacidad oxidativa y una pérdida

de fuerza superior tras el ejercicio. La fuerza involuntaria y la

fatiga muscular no dependen del sexo, de la masa muscular o del

somatotipo.