bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Macroscopic Spatial Analysis of the Impact of Socioeconomic, Land Use and Mobility Factors on the Frequency of Traffic Accidents in Bogotá
Authors: Sandoval-Pineda Alejandro , Pedraza Cesar , Darghan Aquiles E.
Published: December 2022

The urban structure of a city, defined by its inhabitants, daily movements, and land use, has become an environmental factor of interest that is related to traffic accidents. Traditionally, macro modeling is usually implemented using spatial econometric methods; however, techniques such as support vector regression have proven to be efficient in identifying the relationships between factors at the zonal level and the frequency associated with these events when considering the autocorrelation between spatial units. As a result of this, the main objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of socioeconomical, land use, and mobility variables on the frequency of traffic accidents through the analysis of area data using spatial and vector support regression models. The spatial weighting matrix term was incorporated into the support vector regression models to compare the results against those that ignore it. The urban land of Bogotá, disaggregated into the territorial units of mobility analysis, was delimited as a study area. Two response variables were used: the traffic accidents index on the road perimeter and the traffic accidents index with deaths on the road perimeter, to analyze the total number of traffic accidents and the deaths caused by them. The results indicated that the rate of trips per person by taxi and motorcycle had the greatest impact on the increase in total accidents and deaths caused by them. Support vector regression models that incorporate the spatial structure allowed the modeling of the spatial dependency between spatial units with a better fit than the spatial regression models.
The Effect of Nb2O5 Precursor on KNN-Based Ceramics’ Piezoelectricity and Strain Temperature Stability
Authors: Han Ruilin , Gao Tingting , Xie Yining , Xie Lixu , Cheng Yuan , Li Xu , Chen Hao , Xing Jie , Zhu Jianguo
Published: December 2022

The performance of potassium sodium niobate ((K, Na) NbO3, KNN)-based lead-free piezoelectric ceramics has significantly improved over the past decade. However, the performance bottlenecks of KNN-based ceramics cannot be ignored. Here, the Nb2O5 precursor is obtained after thermal pretreatment, which can evidently improve the piezoelectric properties and strain temperature stability of KNN-based ceramics. With the help of the Nb2O5 precursor treated at 800 °C, the optimal piezoelectric constant d33 of 303 pC/N, inverse piezoelectric constant d*33 of 378 pm/V, Curie temperature TC of 310 °C and electromechanical coupling factor kp of 42% are obtained, and the value of d33 improves by about 30% compared with that of the ceramic prepared with untreated Nb2O5 as raw material. Additionally, in comparison with the strain temperature stability of the ceramics prepared with untreated Nb2O5 as raw material, the temperature stability is enhanced. Therefore, this study provides a useful approach to break the existing performance bottleneck and further improve the properties of KNN-based ceramics.
Management of Marine Natura 2000 Sites as Exemplified by Seabirds Wintering in the Baltic Sea: The Case of Poland
Authors: Marchowski Dominik , Ławicki Łukasz , Kaliciuk Jacek
Published: December 2022

Based on the example of wintering waterbirds in the Baltic Sea, we show an approach that is useful in defining priority species for management. The Value Factor (VF) is the quantitative method for evaluating the importance of an area for a species. Every year, 4,400,000 waterbirds winter in the Baltic. Among these, the highest priority species are velvet scoter Melanitta fusca (hereafter VS, VF = 153) and long-tailed duck Clangula hyemalis (hereafter LTD, VF = 204): 74% and 40%, respectively, of the world’s populations, and over 90% of the EU populations of both species spend the winter in the Baltic. Management plans (hereafter MP) regulating the protection of marine Natura 2000 sites (hereafter MPA) and dedicated to the protection of VS and LTD have been implemented in 65% and 51%, respectively, of MPAs in the Baltic. Poland, a key country for the survival of these species, has not implemented a single MP despite the existence of documentation confirming their crucial importance for seaducks, and the pressures occurring there. We suggest using the VF concept to define priority species. On this basis, it will be possible to identify gaps in the protection of the most seriously threatened species and implement conservation measures at the most appropriate sites.
Influenza and Pneumococcal Vaccination and the Risk of COVID-19: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Authors: Kapoula Georgia V. , Vennou Konstantina E. , Bagos Pantelis G.
Published: December 2022

A number of studies have investigated the potential on-specific effects of some routinely administered vaccines (e.g., influenza, pneumococcal) on COVID-19 related outcomes, with contrasting results. In order to elucidate this discrepancy, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the association between seasonal influenza vaccination and pneumococcal vaccination with SARS-CoV-2 infection and its clinical outcomes. PubMed and medRxiv databases were searched up to April 2022. A random effects model was used in the meta-analysis to pool odds ratio (OR) and adjusted estimates with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Heterogeneity was quantitatively assessed using the Cochran’s Q and the I2 index. Subgroup analysis, sensitivity analysis and assessment of publication bias were performed for all outcomes. In total, 38 observational studies were included in the meta-analysis and there was substantial heterogeneity. Influenza and pneumococcal vaccination were associated with lower risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection (OR: 0.80, 95% CI: 0.75–0.86 and OR: 0.70, 95% CI: 0.57–0.88, respectively). Regarding influenza vaccination, it seems that the majority of studies did not properly adjust for all potential confounders, so when the analysis was limited to studies that adjusted for age, gender, comorbidities and socioeconomic indices, the association diminished. This is not the case regarding pneumococcal vaccination, for which even after adjustment for such factors the association persisted. Regarding harder endpoints such as ICU admission and death, current data do not support the association. Possible explanations are discussed, including trained immunity, inadequate matching for socioeconomic indices and possible coinfection.
Real-World Patterns and Decision Drivers of Radiotherapy for Lung Cancer Patients in Romania: RADIO-NET Study Results
Authors: Georgescu Mihai-Teodor , Zahu Renata , Rusu Petronela , Teodorescu Gabriela , Kacso Gabriel
Published: December 2022

Radiotherapy (RT) plays a crucial role in all stages of lung cancer. Data on recent real-world RT patterns and main drivers of RT decisions in lung cancer in Romania is scarce; we aimed to address these knowledge gaps through this physician-led medical chart review in 16 RT centers across the country. Consecutive patients with lung cancer receiving RT as part of their disease management between May–October 2019 (pre-COVID-19 pandemic) were included. Descriptive statistics were generated for all variables. This cohort included 422 patients: median age 63 years, males 76%, stages I–II 6%, III 43%, IV 50%, mostly adeno- and squamous cell carcinoma (76%), ECOG 0-1 50% at the time of RT. Curative intent RT was used in 36% of cases, palliative RT in 64%. Delays were reported in 13% of patients, mostly due to machine breakdown (67%). Most acute reported RT toxicity was esophagitis (19%). Multiple disease-, patient-, physician- and context-related drivers counted in the decision-making process. This is the first detailed analysis of RT use in lung cancer in Romania. Palliative RT still dominates the landscape. Earlier diagnosis, coordinated multidisciplinary strategies, and the true impact of the multimodal treatments on survival are strongly needed to improve lung cancer outcomes.
Oral Side Effects in Patients with Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma Receiving the Antiangiogenic Agent Pazopanib—Report of Three Cases
Authors: Papadopoulou Erofili , Vardas Emmanouil , Tziveleka Styliani , Georgaki Maria , Kouri Maria , Katoumas Konstantinos , Piperi Evangelia , Nikitakis Nikolaos
Published: December 2022

Pazopanib is a potent multi-kinase inhibitor that hinders angiogenesis and blocks tumor growth. It has been approved for the treatment of metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) and advanced soft tissue sarcoma. There is emerging evidence that bleeding is a common adverse effect of pazopanib and other targeted therapies in patients with mRCC. In addition, jaw osteonecrosis related to pazopanib was recently described in the literature. We report three cases of patients with mRCC who developed adverse oral events related to pazopanib. The first patient, treated with pazopanib as monotherapy, presented with gingival bleeding and oral burning sensation. The other two patients receiving pazopanib as monotherapy and pazopanib followed by sunitinib, respectively, presented complaining about mandibular pain; a diagnosis of medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (MRONJ) was rendered in both cases. Gingival bleeding and MRONJ may develop as oral side effects of pazopanib use. The cases presented here aim to alert and inform health care professionals about the risk of adverse oral events in patients with mRCC receiving the antiangiogenic agent pazopanib.
Headache in Workers: A Matched Case–Control Study
Authors: Di Prinzio Reparata Rosa , Arnesano Gabriele , Meraglia Igor , Magnavita Nicola
Published: December 2022

A case–control study including 446 workers reporting headaches (cases; 136 males and 310 females, mean age 46.71 ± 10.84 years) and 446 age- and sex-matched colleagues without headaches (controls; mean age 45.44 ± 10.13) was conducted in the second half of 2020 in a sample drawn from socio health and commercial services companies to investigate the association of headache with lifestyle, metabolic, and work-related factors. Workers suffering from headache reported higher body weight (OR: 1.92, 95% CI: 1.46–2.53, p < 0.001), higher blood cholesterol (OR: 2.01, 95% CI: 1.46–2.77, p < 0.001), triglyceride (OR: 2.01, 95% CI: 1.20–3.35, p < 0.01), blood glucose (OR: 1.91, 95% CI: 1.16–3.24, p < 0.01), and blood pressure levels (OR: 1.76, 95% CI: 1.23–2.52, p < 0.01). In the year preceding the survey, cases had experienced a higher frequency of workplace violence (OR: 2.29, 95% CI: 1.25–4.20, p < 0.01 for physical aggression, OR: 2.22, 95% CI: 1.45–3.41, p < 0.001 for threat, OR: 2.74, 95% CI: 1.72–4.38, p < 0.001 for harassment) and were more frequently distressed (effort/reward ratio > 1) (OR: 1.82, 95% CI: 1.39–2.40, p < 0.001) than the controls. Compared to the controls, cases also had higher scores on anxiety and depression scales, lower scores on happiness, and lower levels of sleep quality (p < 0.001). The association of headaches with metabolic and mental health problems suggests that monitoring headaches in the workplace could help to identify workers at risk of impairment.
Three-Stage Tone Mapping Algorithm
Authors: Zhao Lanfei , Sun Ruiyang , Wang Jun
Published: December 2022

In this paper, a tone mapping algorithm is presented to map real-world luminance into displayed luminance. Our purpose is to reveal the local contrast of real-world scenes on a conventional monitor. Around this point, we propose a three-stage algorithm to visualize high dynamic range images. All pixels of high dynamic range images are classified into three groups. For the first stage, we introduce piecewise linear mapping as the global tone mapping operator to map the luminance of the first group, which provides overall impressions of luminance. For the second stage, the luminance of the second group is determined by the weighted average of its neighborhood pixels, which are derived from the first group’s pixels. For the third stage, the luminance of the third group is determined by the weighted average of its neighborhood pixels, which are derived from the second group’s pixels. Experimental results on several real-world images and the TMQI database show that our algorithm can improve the visibility of real-world scenes with about 12% and 9% higher scores of mean opinion score and tone-mapped image quality index than the closest competitive tone mapping methods. Compared to the existing tone mapping methods, our algorithm produces visually compelling results without halo artifacts and loss of detail.
A Novel Physiological-Based System to Assess Drivers’ Stress during Earth Moving Simulated Activities
Authors: Bibbo Daniele , Mariajoseph Moses , Gallina Barbara , Carli Marco
Published: December 2022

Earth-moving vehicles (EMVs) are vital in numerous industries, including construction, forestry, mining, cleaning, and agriculture. The changing nature of the off-road environment in which they operate makes situational awareness for readiness and, consequently, mental stress crucial for drivers and requires a high level of controllability. Therefore, the monitoring of drivers’ acute stress patterns may be used as an input in identifying various levels of attentiveness. This research presents an experimental evaluation of a physiological-based system that can be useful to evaluate the readiness of a driver in different conditions. For the experimental validation, physiological signals such as electrocardiogram (ECG), galvanic skin response (GSR) and speech data were collected from nine participants throughout driving experiments of increasing complexity on a specific simulator. The experimental results show that the identified parameters derived from the acquired physiological signals can help us understand the driver status when performing different tasks, the engagement of which is related to different road environments. This multi-parameter approach can provide more reliable information compared to single parameter approaches (e.g., eye monitoring with a camera) and identify driver status variations, from relaxed to stressed or drowsy. The use of these signals allows for the development of a smart driving cockpit, which could communicate to the vehicle the driver’s status, to set up an innovative protection system aiming to increase road safety.
Towards Obfuscation Resilient Feature Design for Android Malware Detection-KTSODroid
Authors: Khalid Saneeha , Hussain Faisal Bashir , Gohar Moneeb
Published: December 2022

The widespread use of obfuscation techniques in malware creation is a challenging problem for detection systems. Obfuscation is also being applied in applications of an Android platform for changing the signature of known applications and hiding the semantics of suspicious new applications. Obfuscation significantly affects static analysis schemes as the structure of the application is not a true representative of its behavior or is totally incomprehensible in case of encryption. The design of obfuscation independent schemes for malware detection and categorization is a critical task in designing malware detection schemes. The focus of this study is to find and evaluate features that are representative of the application’s behavior as well as independent of most obfuscation techniques. It has been found that memory-based features extracted from kernel task structure contain much information about the working of the application and are not affected by obfuscation schemes as they model the run time behavior of the application. In this study, an application’s profile is generated from the kernel task structure of the process in memory. All extracted features of the kernel task structure are thoroughly analyzed for their significance in classification. The proposed system is then tested for different obfuscation schemes in order to determine the effectiveness against malicious obfuscated applications. The results reveal that the proposed solution is able to detect the obfuscated malicious applications accurately.
Semi-Supervised Portrait Matting via the Collaboration of Teacher–Student Network and Adaptive Strategies
Authors: Zhang Xinyue , Wang Guodong , Chen Chenglizhao , Dong Hao , Shao Mingju
Published: December 2022

In the portrait matting domain, existing methods rely entirely on annotated images for learning. However, delicate manual annotations are time-consuming and there are few detailed datasets available. To reduce complete dependency on labeled datasets, we design a semi-supervised network (ASSN) with two kinds of innovative adaptive strategies for portrait matting. Three pivotal sub-modules are embedded in our architecture, including a static teacher network (S-TN), a static student network (S-SN), and an adaptive student network (A-SN). S-TN and S-SN are modules that need to be trained with a small number of high-quality labeled datasets. Moreover, A-SN and S-SN share the same module parameters. When processing unlabeled datasets, A-SN adopts the adaptive strategies designed by us to discard the dependence on labeled datasets. The adaptive strategies include: (i) An auxiliary adaption: The teacher network with complicated design not only provides alpha mattes for the adaptive student network but also transmits rough segmentation results and edge graphs as optimization reference standards. (ii) A self-adjusting adaption: The adaptive network can make self-supervised to the characteristics of different layers. In addition, we have produced a finely annotated dataset for scholars in the field. Compared with existing datasets, our dataset complements the following two types of data neglected in previous datasets: (i) Images taken by multiple people. (ii) Images under low light conditions.
A Brief History of District Heating and Combined Heat and Power in Denmark: Promoting Energy Efficiency, Fuel Diversification, and Energy Flexibility
Authors: Johansen Katinka
Published: December 2022

The World Energy Council ranks the Danish energy system among best in the world judging by the energy trilemma criteria: energy security, energy equity, and sustainability. District heating (DH) and CHPs are pivotal for this ranking. This brief historical account illustrates how a mix of historical events, collective societal experiences, cultural and political values inform the Danish history of DH and CHPs. After the global energy crisis in the 1970s, public and political sentiment called for energy independence, alternatives to imported fuels, and alternatives to nuclear power. National-scale collective heat infrastructure planning initiatives targeted the energy policy objectives: energy independence, fuel diversification, and energy efficiency, and a political culture of broad coalition agreements made the necessary long-term planning possible. In the following decades, growing environmental awareness and concern called for renewable energy resources as alternatives to fossil fuels. Research considered the role of collective memories and temporal distance (i.e., time) for this sociotechnical journey; it notes the innovative thinking, re-use/re-cycling and energy efficiency focus that still characterize the Danish DH communities today, and it suggests that the intangible, yet reliable nature of heat could lead to the rebound effect in end-user heat-consumption behaviours. The methodological question of how, and to what extent, historical insights and lessons learnt may be translated across contexts is raised and discussed. Although sociotechnical trajectories may have granted the Danish energy system a head-start in the global race towards low-carbon energy transitions, perhaps the route was less direct than popularly portrayed. The Danish DH sector currently faces challenges of growing biomass import dependency, but also the potentials of sector coupling and energy flexibility. Energy efficiency and energy flexibility potential may be harvested via DH and district cooling solutions in future ‘smart’ energy systems globally. Hopefully, insights and lessons learnt from this brief history of Danish DH and CHPs prove informative elsewhere.
The Influence of the Geometrical Features of a Stator with the Crossover Shaped as a Spherical Surface on Pump Performance
Authors: Skrzypacz Janusz , Szulc Przemysław , Lorenz Witold
Published: December 2022

The paper presents a new approach to designing the stator of a multistage centrifugal pump, which has a simple structure, satisfactory operating parameters, and is easy to manufacture. The stator is distinguished by its lack of a classic diffuser part, with the shape of its crossover being similar to a segment of a spherical surface. This solution was patented in 1989, but to date it is not well known and practically not used. The paper attempts to identify the flow phenomena in such a stator and also to examine the impact of the design features of the stator on the pump’s operating parameters. Both experimental methods and numerical modelling were used in the research.
Numerical Simulation of Thermo-Hydro-Mechanical Processes at Soultz-sous-Forêts
Authors: Mahmoodpour Saeed , Singh Mrityunjay , Mahyapour Ramin , Tangirala Sri Kalyan , Bär Kristian , Sass Ingo
Published: December 2022

Porosity and permeability alteration due to the thermo-poro-elastic stress field disturbance from the cold fluid injection is a deciding factor for longer, more economic, and safer heat extraction from an enhanced geothermal system (EGS). In the Soultz-sous-Forêts geothermal system, faulted zones are the main flow paths, and the resulting porosity–permeability development over time due to stress reorientation is more sensitive in comparison with the regions without faulted zones. Available operational and field data are combined through a validated numerical simulation model to examine the mechanical impact on the pressure and temperature evolution. Results shows that near the injection wellbore zones, permeability and porosity values are strongly affected by stress field changes, and that permeability changes will affect the overall temperature and pressure of the system, demonstrating a fully coupled phenomenon. In some regions inside the faulted zones and close to injection wellbores, porosity doubles, whereas permeability may be enhanced up to 30 times. A sensitivity analysis is performed using two parameters which are not well discussed in the literature the for mechanical aspect, but the results in this study show that one of them impacts significantly on the porosity–permeability changes. Further experimental and field works on this parameter will help to model the heat extraction more precisely than before.
Perspectives for Expansion of Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) Generation Technologies in Brazil
Authors: Matos Denise , Lassio João Gabriel , Castelo Branco David , Pereira Júnior Amaro Olímpio
Published: December 2022

The world is moving towards a low-carbon economy through renewable energy sources. In this context, concentrating solar power (CSP) technologies can exploit the rich solar resource in Brazil, diversifying the national electricity mix. The aim of this paper is to support the insertion of CSP generation in the Brazilian bottom-up model MATRIZ by analyzing the environmental performance of three CSP technologies: (i) solar tower power (STP) with a thermal storage system (TSS) of 7.5 h; (ii) solar thermal parabolic trough (STPT) with a TSS of 6 h; and (iii) STPT without TSS. From a life cycle perspective, their freshwater consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are addressed by employing the software SimaPro, the Ecoinvent database, and the ReCiPe 2016 method, as well as information from the system advisory model (SAM) and the literature. As a result, STP is the most environmentally sound CSP alternative, presenting lower GHG emissions and water consumption than the two STPT technologies. In general, CSP generation proves to be more environmentally attractive than some fossil-fired power plants and renewable energy sources. Moreover, moving the manufacturing of CSP technologies to Brazil has the potential to reduce GHG emissions from the upstream processes of their value chain.
Exploring the Impacts of Banking Development, and Renewable Energy on Ecological Footprint in OECD: New Evidence from Method of Moments Quantile Regression
Authors: Radulescu Magdalena , Balsalobre-Lorente Daniel , Joof Foday , Samour Ahmed , Türsoy Turgut
Published: December 2022

Although previous related studies illustrate several factors that reduce and eliminate ecological pollution, empirical evidence that examines the impact of banking development on footprint ecological quality is missed. This study explores the impact of banking development, renewable energy consumption, and economic growth on the ecological footprint of 27 OECD countries spanning data from 1990 to 2018. Using the method of moments quantile regression (MMQR), the results indicated that a 1% increase in banking expansion is projected to augment the ecological footprint in the OECD nations across all quantiles (first to ninth). Thus, the results affirm that banking development dampens ecological sustainability in the OECD nations. In contrast, the results indicate that renewable energy promotes ecological sustainability in the OECD nations across all quantiles (first to ninth). The empirical findings suggest that OECD policymakers should regard banking and economic development as a “green energy fostering mechanism” while designing policies to promote ecological friend energy sources. Moreover, as part of their core mandates, central banks, and regulatory authorities should promote financial innovation in the banking sector to mobilize the required capital to facilitate nature conservation and restoration.
Research on Central Air Conditioning Systems and an Intelligent Prediction Model of Building Energy Load
Authors: Pan Lin , Wang Sheng , Wang Jiying , Xiao Min , Tan Zhirong
Published: December 2022

The central air conditioning system provides city dwellers with an efficient and comfortable environment. Meanwhile, coinciding with their use, the building electricity load is increased, as central air conditioners consume a lot of electricity. It has become necessary to control central air conditioners for storage and to analyze the energy saving optimization of central air conditioner operation. This study investigates the energy consumption background of central air conditioning systems, and proposes an intelligent load prediction method. With a back propagation (BP) neural network, we use the data collected in the actual project to build the cooling load prediction model for central air conditioning. The network model is also trained using the Levenberg–Marquardt (LM) algorithm, and the established model is trained, tested, and predicted by importing a portion of the sample data, which is filtered by preprocessing. The experimental results show that most of the data errors for training, testing, and prediction are within 10%, indicating that the accuracy achievable by the model can meet the practical requirements, and can be used in real engineering projects.
Development of Neural Network Prediction Models for the Energy Producibility of a Parabolic Dish: A Comparison with the Analytical Approach
Authors: Lo Brano Valerio , Guarino Stefania , Buscemi Alessandro , Bonomolo Marina
Published: December 2022

Solar energy is one of the most widely exploited renewable/sustainable resources for electricity generation, with photovoltaic and concentrating solar power technologies at the forefront of research. This study focuses on the development of a neural network prediction model aimed at assessing the energy producibility of dish–Stirling systems, testing the methodology and offering a useful tool to support the design and sizing phases of the system at different installation sites. Employing the open-source platform TensorFlow, two different classes of feedforward neural networks were developed and validated (multilayer perceptron and radial basis function). The absolute novelty of this approach is the use of real data for the training phase and not predictions coming from another analytical/numerical model. Several neural networks were investigated by varying the level of depth, the number of neurons, and the computing resources involved for two different sets of input variables. The best of all the tested neural networks resulted in a coefficient of determination of 0.98 by comparing the predicted electrical output power values with those measured experimentally. The results confirmed the high reliability of the neural models, and the use of only open-source IT tools guarantees maximum transparency and replicability of the models.
Diabetic Ketoacidosis Management: Updates and Challenges for Specific Patient Population
Authors: El-Remessy Azza
Published: December 2022

Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) is the most common hyperglycemic emergency and causes the greatest risk for death that could be prevented in patients with diabetes mellitus. DKA occurs more commonly among patients with type-1 diabetes with a thirty percent of the cases take place in patients with type 2 diabetes. DKA is characterized by sever hyperglycemia, metabolic acidosis and ketosis. Proper management of DKA requires hospitalization for aggressive replacement and monitoring of fluids, electrolytes and insulin therapy. Management of DKA has been updated with guidelines, to help standardize care, and reduce mortality and morbidity. The major precipitating factors for DKA include new diagnosis of diabetes, non-adherence to insulin therapy as well as infection in patients with diabetes. Discharge plans should include appropriate selection of insulin dosing and regimens as well as patient education to prevent recurrence of DKA. Further, definition and management of euglycemic DKA in patients prescribed sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitors are discussed. Special consideration is reviewed for specific patient population including pregnancy, renal replacement, acute pancreatitis, and insulin pump users as well as patients with COVID-19.
Professionals as Change Agents or Instruments of Reproduction? Medical Residents’ Reasoning for Not Sharing the Electronic Health Record Screen with Patients
Authors: Campos-Castillo Celeste , Chesley Noelle , Asan Onur
Published: December 2022

The stability of physicians’ authority over patients despite decades of changes in medicine conflicts with newer institutionalist accounts of professionals as change agents rather than instruments of reproduction. We analyzed whether the cultural scripts that twenty-one residents used to justify their approach to a new change, the electronic health record (EHR), signaled a leveling of the patient-physician hierarchy. Residents are intriguing because their position makes them open to change. Indeed, residents justified using the EHR in ways that level the patient-physician hierarchy, but also offered rationales that sustain it. For the latter, residents described using the EHR to substantiate their expertise, situate themselves as brokers between patients and the technology, and preserve the autonomy of clinicians. Our findings highlight how professionals with little direct experience before a change can selectively apply incumbent scripts to sustain extant structures, while informing newer institutionalist accounts of professionals and the design of EHR systems.
Holistic Utility Satisfaction in Cloud Data Centre Network Using Reinforcement Learning
Authors: Goudarzi Pejman , Hosseinpour Mehdi , Goudarzi Roham , Lloret Jaime
Published: December 2022

Cloud computing leads to efficient resource allocation for network users. In order to achieve efficient allocation, many research activities have been conducted so far. Some researchers focus on classical optimisation theory techniques (such as multi-objective optimisation, evolutionary optimisation, game theory, etc.) to satisfy network providers and network users’ service-level agreement (SLA) requirements. Normally, in a cloud data centre network (CDCN), it is difficult to jointly satisfy both the cloud provider and cloud customer’ utilities, and this leads to complex combinatorial problems, which are usually NP-hard. Recently, machine learning and artificial intelligence techniques have received much attention from the networking community because of their capability to solve complicated networking problems. In the current work, at first, the holistic utility satisfaction for the cloud data centre provider and customers is formulated as a reinforcement learning (RL) problem with a specific reward function, which is a convex summation of users’ utility functions and cloud provider’s utility. The user utility functions are modelled as a function of cloud virtualised resources (such as storage, CPU, RAM), connection bandwidth, and also, the network-based expected packet loss and round-trip time factors associated with the cloud users. The cloud provider utility function is modelled as a function of resource prices and energy dissipation costs. Afterwards, a Q-learning implementation of the mentioned RL algorithm is introduced, which is able to converge to the optimal solution in an online and fast manner. The simulation results exhibit the enhanced convergence speed and computational complexity properties of the proposed method in comparison with similar approaches from the joint cloud customer/provider utility satisfaction perspective. To evaluate the scalability property of the proposed method, the results are also repeated for different cloud user population scenarios (small, medium, and large).
Damage Tolerance of a Stiffened Composite Panel with an Access Cutout under Fatigue Loading and Validation Using FEM Analysis and Digital Image Correlation
Authors: Hiremath Pavan , Viswamurthy Sathyamangalam Ramanarayanan , Shettar Manjunath , Naik Nithesh , Kowshik Suhas
Published: December 2022

Aircraft structures must be capable of performing their function throughout their design life while meeting safety objectives. Such structures may contain defects and/or damages that can occur for several reasons. Therefore, aircraft structures are inspected regularly and repaired if necessary. The concept of combining an inspection plan with knowledge of damage threats, damage growth rates, and residual strength is referred to as “damage-tolerant design” in the field of aircraft design. In the present study, we fabricated a composite panel with a cutout (which is generally found in the bottom skin of the wing) using a resin infusion process and studied the damage tolerance of a co-cured skin-stringer composite panel. The composite panel was subjected to low-velocity impact damage, and the extent of damage was studied based on non-destructive inspection techniques such as ultrasonic inspection. Fixtures were designed and fabricated to load the composite panel under static and fatigue loads. Finally, the panel was tested under tensile and fatigue loads (mini TWIST). Deformations and strains obtained from FE simulations were compared and verified against test data. Results show that the impact damages considered in this study did not alter the load path in the composite panel. Damage did not occur under the application of one block (10% life) of spectrum fatigue loads. The damage tolerance of the stiffened skin composite panel was demonstrated through test and analysis.
Microbiological and Sensorial Quality of Beef Meat (Longissimus dorsi) Marinated with Cinnamon Extract and Stored at Various Temperatures
Authors: Zawani Che , Nor-Khaizura Mahmud , Mahyudin Nor , Ismail-Fitry Mohammad , Nirmal Nilesh
Published: December 2022

Meat spoilage caused by temperature abuse is a major problem for producers, retailers, and consumers that can generate large economic losses to industries. Microbial growth of Pseudomonas spp. is the main source of spoilage during storage. Cinnamon has antimicrobial properties that may potentially be used to reduce the spoilage caused by Pseudomonas. The objectives of this study were to determine the inhibitory effect of cinnamon extract (CE) against Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ATCC 27853) and evaluate the treatment of CE on meat quality during different storage temperatures (5 °C, 10 °C, 15 °C, and 25 °C). The anti-Pseudomonas result showed that 100% (w/v) CE concentration produced a 13.50 mm zone of inhibition in a disc diffusion assay. The minimum inhibitor concentration (MIC) of CE was noted at 25% (v/v), whereas the minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) value was observed at 50% (v/v) concentration of CE. The time-kill showed the growth of P. aeruginosa decreased from 7.64 to 5.39 log CFU/mL at MIC concentration. Total phenolic content and IC50 value of the cinnamon extract was expressed as 6.72 ± 0.87 mg GAE/g extract and 0.15 mg/mL, respectively. When the meat was marinated with 50% (v/v) CE and stored at various temperatures, the total viable count (TVC) and growth of Pseudomonas spp. were lowered as compared to the control sample. However, the reduction in microbial count in all samples was influenced by the storage temperature, where the lowered microbial count was noted in the sample treated with CE and stored at 5 and 10 °C for 48 h. The pH of meat treated with or without CE ranged from pH 5.74 to 6.48. The sensory attributes of colour, texture, and overall acceptability have a significant difference, except for odour, between marinated meat and control. The results indicate that the use of cinnamon extract as the marination agent for meat could reduce the growth of Pseudomonas spp. and therefore assist in extending the shelf life of meat at 5 and 10 °C storage temperatures.
Physics of the Earth’s Glacial Cycle
Authors: Smirnov Boris M.
Published: December 2022

The evolution of the atmospheric temperature in the past, resulted from the EPICA project (European Project for Ice Coring in Antarctica) for the analysis of air bubbles in ice deposits near three weather stations in Antarctica, includes several glacial cycles. According to these studies, the glacial cycle consists of a slow cooling of the Earth’s surface at a rate of about 10−4∘C per year for almost the entire time of a single cycle (about 100 thousand years) and of a fast process of heating the planet, similar to a thermal explosion. The observed cooling of the planet follows from the imbalance of energy fluxes absorbed by the Earth and going into its surrounding space, and this imbalance is four orders of magnitude less than the accuracy of determination of the fluxes themselves. The inconsistency of the popular Milankovich theory is shown, according to which glacial cycles in the evolution of the Earth’s thermal state are associated with changes in the Earth’s orbit relative to the Sun. In considering the glacial cycle as the transition between the warm (contemporary) and cold thermal states of the Earth with a difference in their temperatures of 12 ∘C according to measurements, we construct the energetic balance for each of Earth’s states. The fast transition between the Earth’s cold and warm states results from the change of the Earth’s albedo due to the different volcano activity in these states. There is the feedback between the aggregate state of water covering the Earth’s surface and volcanic eruptions, which become intense when ice covers approximately 40% of the Earth’s surface. Dust measurements in ice deposits within the framework of the EPICA project confirms roughly a heightened volcano eruption during the cold phase of the glacial cycle. Numerical parameters of processes related to the glacial cycle are analyzed.
Explosive Processes in Permafrost as a Result of the Development of Local Gas-Saturated Fluid-Dynamic Geosystems
Authors: Khimenkov Alexander , Stanilovskaya Julia
Published: December 2022

The relevance of studying explosive processes in permafrost lies in the prospect of gas production from small gas-saturated zones in the subsurface; the influx of significant amounts of greenhouse gases from frozen soils creates a threat to infrastructure. The purpose of this article is to reveal the general patterns of frozen soils’ transformation in local zones of natural explosions. The greatest volume of information about the processes preceding the formation of gas-emission craters can be obtained by studying the deformations of the cryogenic structure of soil. The typification of the elements of the cryogenic structures of frozen soils that form the walls of various gas-emission craters was carried out. Structural and morphological analyses were used as a methodological basis for studying gas-emission craters. This method involves a set of operations that establishes links between the cryogenic structure of the crater walls and the morphologies of their surfaces. In this study, it is concluded that gas-emission craters are the result of the self-development of local gas-dynamic geosystems that are in a non-equilibrium thermodynamic state with respect to the enclosing permafrost.
Unidirectional Nanopore Dehydration Induces an Anisotropic Polyvinyl Alcohol Hydrogel Membrane with Enhanced Mechanical Properties
Authors: Jing Feng-Ya , Zhang Yu-Qing
Published: December 2022

As a biocompatible, degradable polymer material, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) can have a wide range of applications in the biomedical field. PVA aqueous solutions at room temperature can be cast into very thin films with poor mechanical strength via water evaporation. Here, we describe a novel dehydration method, unidirectional nanopore dehydration (UND). The UND method was used to directly dehydrate a PVA aqueous solution to form a water-stable, anisotropic, and mechanically robust PVA hydrogel membrane (PVAHM), whose tensile strength, elongation at break, and swelling ratio reached values of up to ~2.95 MPa, ~350%, and ~350%, respectively. The film itself exhibited an oriented arrangement of porous network structures with an average pore size of ~1.0 μm. At 70 °C, the PVAHMs formed were even more mechanically robust, with a tensile strength and elongation at break of 10.5 MPa and 891%, almost 3.5 times and 2 times greater than the PVAHM prepared at 25 °C, respectively. The processing temperature affects the velocity at which the water molecules flow unidirectionally through the nanopores, and could, thus, alter the overall transformation of the PVA chains into a physically crosslinked 3D network. Therefore, the temperature setting during UND can control the mechanical properties of the hydrogel membrane to meet the requirements of various biomaterial applications. These results show that the UND can induce the ordered rearrangement of PVA molecular chains, forming a PVAHM with superior mechanical properties and exhibiting a greater number of stronger hydrogen bonds. Therefore, the novel dehydration mode not only induces the formation of a mechanically robust and anisotropic PVA hydrogel membrane with a porous network structure and an average pore size of ~1.0 μm, but also greatly enhances the mechanical properties by increasing the temperature. It may be applied for the processing of water-soluble polymers, including proteins, as novel functional materials.
Proposing Specific Neuronal Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition Genes as an Ancillary Tool for Differential Diagnosis among Pulmonary Neuroendocrine Neoplasms
Authors: Prieto Tabatha Gutierrez , Baldavira Camila Machado , Machado-Rugolo Juliana , Olivieri Eloisa Helena Ribeiro , da Silva Eduardo Caetano Abilio , Ab’ Saber Alexandre Muxfeldt , Takagaki Teresa Yae , Capelozzi Vera Luiza
Published: December 2022

Pulmonary neuroendocrine neoplasms (PNENs) are currently classified into four major histotypes, including typical carcinoid (TC), atypical carcinoid (AC), large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (LCNEC), and small cell lung carcinoma (SCLC). This classification was designed to be applied to surgical specimens mostly anchored in morphological parameters, resulting in considerable overlapping among PNENs, which may result in important challenges for clinicians’ decisions in the case of small biopsies. Since PNENs originate from the neuroectodermic cells, epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) gene expression shows promise as biomarkers involved in the genotypic transformation of neuroectodermic cells, including mutation burden with the involvement of chromatin remodeling genes, apoptosis, and mitosis rate, leading to modification in final cellular phenotype. In this situation, additional markers also applicable to biopsy specimens, which correlate PNENs subtypes with systemic treatment response, are much needed, and current potential candidates are neurogenic EMT genes. This study investigated EMT genes expression and its association with PNENs histotypes in tumor tissues from 24 patients with PNENs. PCR Array System for 84 EMT-related genes selected 15 differentially expressed genes among the PNENs, allowing to discriminate TC from AC, LCNEC from AC, and SCLC from AC. Functional enrichment analysis of the EMT genes differentially expressed among PNENs subtypes showed that they are involved in cellular proliferation, extracellular matrix degradation, regulation of cell apoptosis, oncogenesis, and tumor cell invasion. Interestingly, four EMT genes (MAP1B, SNAI2, MMP2, WNT5A) are also involved in neurological diseases, in brain metastasis, and interact with platinum-based chemotherapy and tyrosine–kinase inhibitors. Collectively, these findings emerge as an important ancillary tool to improve the strategies of histologic diagnosis in PNENs and unveil the four EMT genes that can play an important role in driving chemical response in PNENs.
Analysis of Genetic Diversity of Fescue Populations from the Highlands of Bolivia Using EST-SSR Markers
Authors: Ustariz Karina , Geleta Mulatu , Persson Hovmalm Helena , Ortiz Rodomiro
Published: December 2022

In the highlands of Bolivia, native Festuca species are an important source of feed for animals due to their high tolerance to low temperatures and drought. Using simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers developed from expressed sequence tags (ESTs), the genetic diversity of 43 populations of Festuca species from Oruro, La Paz, Potosi and Cochabamba departments was evaluated for the purpose of providing information for effective conservation and breeding. In total, 64 alleles were detected across the 43 populations. SSR locus NFA 142 (with 12 alleles) had the highest number of detected alleles, while locus FES 13 (with eight alleles) had the highest polymorphism information content (PIC) at 0.55. Based on Nei’s genetic distance between populations, the unweighted pair group method with arithmetic mean (UPGMA) cluster analysis revealed two major clusters, each consisting of populations from the four departments. However, the analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) revealed that only 5% of the total variation separated these two groups, indicating low genetic differentiation between the populations. It was also found that there was a low but significant differentiation (0.08%) between the population groups of the four departments (p = 0.01). The newly developed EST-SSR markers are highly valuable for evaluating the genetic diversity of Bolivian fescues and other related species.
Autonomous Shuttle Operating on Highways and Gravel Roads in Rural America: A Demonstration Study
Authors: Mason Justin , Carney Cher , Gaspar John
Published: December 2022

The safe integration of Automated Driving Systems (ADS) into the nation’s on-road transportation system, particularly in rural areas, could vastly improve overall quality of life for a rapidly growing segment of the US population. This paper describes findings from the first half (i.e., three of six phases) of a demonstration project called “ADS for Rural America”. The goal of this project is to conduct a series of demonstrations that utilizes an autonomous shuttle to show how older adults (≥65 years old) could be transported from their rural homes to other locations in rural areas, as well as an urban center. This paper examines older adults’ perceptions of automation before and after riding in an autonomous shuttle and their ratings of anxiety throughout the ride as they experience particular road types and maneuvers. After riding in the shuttle, older adults expressed decreased suspicion, increased trust, and increased reliability of ADS compared to baseline. Older adults reported low levels of anxiety during the 90 min ride in the shuttle. To promote the adoption and acceptance of ADS, older adults should be exposed to this technology.