bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Affective State Recognition in Livestock – Artificial Intelligence Approaches
Authors: Neethirajan Suresh
Published: February 2022

Emotions or affective states recognition in farm animals is an underexplored research domain. Despite significant advances in the animal welfare research, the animal affective computing through the development and application of devices and platforms that can not only recognize but interpret and process the emotions, are in nascent stage. By capitalizing on the immense potential of biometric sensors, the artificial intelligence enabled big data methods substantially offers advancement of animal welfare standards and meet the urgent need of caretakers to respond effectively to maintain the wellbeing of their animals. Farm animals, numbering over 70 billion worldwide, are increasingly managed in large-scale, intensive farms. With both public awareness and scientific evidence growing that farm animals experience suffering, as well as affective states such as fear, frustration and distress, there is an urgent need to develop efficient and accurate methods for monitoring their welfare. At present, there are no scientifically validated ‘benchmarks’ for quantifying transient emotional (affective) states in farm animals, and no established measures of good welfare, only indicators of poor welfare, such as injury, pain and fear. Conventional approaches to monitoring livestock welfare are time consuming, interrupt farming processes and involve subjective judgments. Biometric sensors data enabled by Artificial Intelligence are an emerging smart solution to unobtrusively monitoring livestock, but their potential for quantifying affective states and groundbreaking solutions in their application are yet to be realized. This review provides innovative methods for collecting big data on farm animal emotions, which can be used to train artificial intelligence models to classify, quantify and predict affective states in individual pigs and cows. Extending this to the group level, social network analysis can be applied to model emotional dynamics and contagion among animals. Finally, ‘digital twins’ of animals capable of simulating and predicting their affective states and be-havior in real time are a near-term possibility.
Human-Vehicle Leader-Follower Control using Deep Learning-Driven Gesture Recognition
Authors: Schulte Joseph , Kocherovsky Mark , Paul Nicholas , Pleune Mitchell , Chung Chan-Jin
Published: February 2022

Leader-follower autonomy (LFA) systems have so far only focused on vehicles following other vehicles. Though there have been several decades of research into this topic, there has not yet been any work on human-vehicle leader-follower systems. We present a system in which an autonomous vehicle — our ACTor 1 platform — can follow a human leader who controls the vehicle through gestures. We successfully developed a modular pipeline that uses artificial intelligence/deep learning to recognize hand-and-body gestures from a user in view of the vehicle’s camera and translate those gestures into physical action by the vehicle. We demonstrate our work using our ACTor 1 platform, a modified Polaris Gem 2 electric vehicle. This work has numerous applications, such as material transport in industrial contexts.
Educação especial na perspectiva inclusiva e a base nacional comum curricular: (des)entrelaçamentos políticos
Authors: Oliveira Kleonara Santos , Mussi Ricardo Franklin de Freitas , Cruz Elizeu Pinheiro da
Published: February 2022

Com este artigo objetivamos analisar se há entrelaçamentos entre as diretrizes nacionais da educação especial na perspectiva inclusiva, que indica uma nova concepção de educação escolar e supera o ensino tradicional excludente, e a Base Nacional Comum Curricular (BNCC). Faz-se necessário pensar se a BNCC responde às demandas do público-alvo da educação especial ou se nega esse direito. Para tanto, foi realizada uma pesquisa de revisão da literatura, seguindo uma abordagem qualitativa da pesquisa em educação. No cenário educacional brasileiro, entrelaçamento ou desentrelaçamento entre a educação inclusiva e a BNCC não se dá de modo descontextualizado, ou desproposital, mas, como um projeto elaborado com o propósito de formar um determinado sujeito que servirá ao sistema no qual vivemos, portanto, é importante pensar ao serviço de quem está o sistema. O currículo escolar é um instrumento de disputa de poder, por ser ele um documento regulatório do modelo de profissional que a sociedade capitalista demanda, por isso, precisa ser amplamente discutido.
The Effect of Compensation, Transformational Leadership and Organizational Culture on Employee Turnover Intensity
Authors: Sihotang Ringkot
Published: February 2022

Background - PT. Lestari Banten Energi is a subsidiary under Genting Group and is engaged in the electricity industry. Based on the phenomenon that occurred at PT. Lestari Banten Energi that employee turnover is very high so that employee turnover can affect the company's operational activities. In addition, employee turnover can also affect work culture due to differences in individual thinking. Purposed - This study aims to determine the effect of compensation on the intensity of employee turnover, transformational leadership style on the intensity of employee turnover and to see the effect of organizational culture on the intensity of employee turnover. Originality /Value - The novelty in this study is that there is no research on compensation, transformational leadership and organizational culture on the intensity of employee turnover at PT. Lestari Banten Energi. Research Limitations - information, primary and secondary data in this study were only obtained from PT. Lestari Banten Energy. Design/methodology/approach - The population and sample of this study were employees of operation and maintenance at PT. Lestari Banten Energi numbered 42 people. This study uses a quantitative approach method. The data collection technique used primary data in the form of a questionnaire. The data analysis technique of this research uses the Structural Equation Modeling-Partial Least Square (SEM-PLS) method. Findings - This study shows that 1) Compensation has a negative and insignificant effect on turnover intensity, 2) Transformational leadership has a negative and insignificant effect on turnover intensity, 3) Organizational culture has a negative and insignificant effect on turnover intensity.
The Effect of Person-Job Fit on Turnover Intention: Mediated by Job Satisfaction
Authors: Nugraha Yugi Adhari
Published: February 2022

Abstract

Background: In the banking industry, employees have an important role in the success and stability of the company in facing challenges, competition, and employee mobility..

Objective: aims to analyze the effect of person-job fit and job satisfaction on employee turnover intention.

Authenticity/Value: The novelty of this research is because there are still few who pay attention to the problem of the influence of persob-job fit on turnover intention for the sustainability of the bank.

Limitations: The research problem is limited to the effect of person-job fit and job satisfaction on employee turnover intention.

Methodology/ Approach: This research was conducted with a sample unit taken from 54 employees. Research data obtained by distributing questionnaires were analyzed using the SEM-PLS method.

Findings: The results showed that there was an effect of person-job fit on job satisfaction. There is an effect of job satisfaction on turnover intention. There is no effect of person-job fit on employee turnover intention.
Education level and disability type as causes for the discernible wage divergence for people with disabilities
Authors: Petasis Andreas
Published: February 2022

In Cyprus, disabled people face many difficulties in accessing employment, as more than 10,000 people with appropriate qualifications remain unemployed. According to worldwide estimates, disabled people receive lower wages compared to individuals without disabilities due to being either unemployed or underemployed more frequently. Using other countries with similar cultural and legal environments, this study examined the correlation between disabled people's wage levels and their disability types and educational levels. In order to gather primary data used for this correlational and regression study, 117 online questionnaire responses were collected from 6,000 registered members with physical disabilities in related organizations in Cyprus. The study examined the effect of education and disability type, on wages for disabled individuals in Cyprus using a cross-sectional survey utilizing judgment sampling (purposive sampling), in order to identify possible relationships between them, and hence see if education and disability cause a lower wage. According to the results, the two variables are not significantly associated with disability wages in Cyprus. These coefficients differ, however, between the variables 'education' and 'type of disability,' showing that in Cyprus education predicts the wage levels for disabled workers, as it is for other groups.
Marketplace’s Role Effectiveness in Women in Lamongan City as a Means of Increasing Sales in The New Normal Era
Authors: Levia inggrit sayekti  , Taufik Muhammad
Published: February 2022

As a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, everyone is obliged to follow the rules New Normal, new habits, new routines, keep your distance, don't crowd and of course the effect of the Covid-19 pandemic has a big impact on entrepreneurial actors, the minimum number of buyers who come to shops or trade stalls which causes a decrease in turnover. In the New Normal Era , entrepreneurs are required to think smart and innovative so that their businesses will continue to run and not lose money, one of the solutions for the New Normal Era is to use the Marketplace Platform as a means of selling online such as Shope, Tokopedia, Bukalapak etc. The research was conducted only on women entrepreneurs in the city of Lamongan with the aim of finding Marketplace Platforms which were the most effective in increasing sales in the era New Normal. The research method was carried out by distributing questionnaires and determining the number of respondents used the snowball sampling method with a total of 100 respondents. The results show that the independent variables X1, X2, X3, X4 and X5 are effective as a Marketplace Platform in increasing sales in the New Normal Era, where f-count has a value of 11.335 at the 5% real level, and a significance value of 0.000. Whereas based on the results of the t test X2 (Shope) has a value of 0.587 or 58.7% and X3 (Tokopedia) has a value of 0.309 or 30.9% the coefficient is positive and significant, which can be stated that the variables X2 (Shope) and X3 (Tokopedia) have an effect. on the variable Y1 (Sales Level Effectiveness).
Analysis of Outsourcing System and Work Motivation on Employee Performance
Authors: Setiawati Neng Eti
Published: February 2022

Background - Currently, many companies are implementing outsourcing systems for their company's HR management. Outsourcing is a company that uses human resources from other parties (external) to carry out work activities that are usually handled by internal staff and resources. The problem that exists is because the outsourcing system affects the performance of employees at a food ingredients factory in Cilegon, where there are still high complaints from clients regarding the decline in the performance of forklift operator employees placed in their company. This shows the inaccuracy at work leads to a lack of employee motivation. Employee motivation problems can be the cause of low employee performance in a company.

Purpose - The objectives of this study are (1) to determine the effect of the outsourcing system on employee performance and (2) to see the effect of work motivation on employee performance.

Originality/Value - This study tested 2 hypotheses with data sources originating from respondents of outsourcing employees of PT. AMP, a division of forklift operators at the Cilegon grocery factory, analyzed the influence of the outsourcing system and work motivation on employee performance in the company.

Research Limitations - information, primary and secondary data in this study were only obtained from PT. AMP

Design/methodology/approach - The population and sample of this study were all outsourced employees of PT. The AMP division of forklift operators placed 30 people in a food ingredients factory in Cilegon. This study uses a quantitative approach method. The data collection technique used primary data in the form of a questionnaire. The data analysis technique of this research used the Structural Equation Modeling-Partial Least Square (SEM-PLS) method.

Findings - Based on the results of the direct influence hypothesis research, it is known that the outsourcing system has a positive and significant effect on employee performance. And motivation has no significant effect on employee performance
The Influence of Servant Leadership and Employee Compensation on Employee Engagement Through Employee Job Satisfaction as an Intervening Variable at PT Indonesia Power Suralaya Power Generation Unit
Authors: Christianto Reinardus Dwi Prio
Published: February 2022

Background - Nowadays, employee engagement is a major concern for organizational leaders around the world. Human Resources (HR) is a key element of a company that will support effective and efficient organizational governance (Christian et al., 2021). However, not all employees have the same level of engagement, factors that can affect employee commitment such as motivation, job satisfaction, leadership, diversity of co-workers, organizational culture, and others (Vinsensius et al., 2019).

Purpose - This study aims to analyze: (1) the magnitude of the influence of servant leadership on employee engagement, (2) the magnitude of the influence of employee compensation on employee engagement, (3) the magnitude of the influence of servant leadership on employee job satisfaction, (4) the magnitude of the effect of employee compensation on employee engagement. employee job satisfaction, and (5) the magnitude of the influence of employee job satisfaction on employee engagement at PT Indonesia Power Suralaya Power Generation Unit.

Originality/value - The novelty (originality or value) of this research is that servant leadership has no effect on employee engagement and employee compensation has no effect on employee job satisfaction.

Research Limitations - The limitations of this study are only to get an idea of ​​the perceptions of employees of PT Indonesia Power Suralaya Power Generation Unit regarding servant leadership, employee compensation, employee job satisfaction and employee engagement.

Design/methodology/approach - The population in this study are employees of PT Indonesia Power Suralaya Power Generation Unit which is located at Jalan Raya PLTU Suralaya, Cilegon, Banten. The research method is quantitative using a questionnaire with a Likert scale and the sampling technique is done by simple random sampling. The number of samples used as many as 32 samples to test the hypothesis. Structural Equation Modeling was used to test the statistical significance of the path coefficients, and processed using the PLS Smart 3.2.9 program.

Findings - The results showed that servant leadership and employee compensation affected job satisfaction by 64.9%, while employee engagement was influenced by 86.8%. This direct effect shows that servant leadership has no effect on employee engagement, employee compensation has a positive and significant effect on employee engagement, servant leadership has a positive and significant effect on employee job satisfaction, employee compensation has no effect on employee job satisfaction, and employee job satisfaction has a positive effect. and significant to employee engagement.
Electroacoustic Evaluation of Smartphone-Based Hearing Aid Applications
Authors: Nguyen Willy , Koo Miseung , Lee Jun Ho , Oh Seung-Ha , Park Moo Kyun
Published: February 2022

Objectives. This study evaluated the electroacoustic characteristics of smartphone-based hearing aid applications (apps).Methods. We investigated hearing aid apps based on processing delay measurements, hearing instrument testing, simulated real ear measurements, and a head-and-torso simulator.Results. Many apps exceeded the recommended level for processing delay. Hearing instrument testing showed the highest amplification characteristics and the best sound quality when a hearing aid was used, followed by the high-end apps and then the low-end apps. The simulated real ear measurements results showed that the high-end apps had a better ability to match the amplification targets than the low-end apps, but there was no consistent pattern among apps when controlling the output. Only a few apps could improve the signal-to-noise ratio in the head-and-torso simulator.Conclusion. Most of the apps showed relatively poor electroacoustic performance in comparison with hearing aids. Generalizing access to hearing care through hearing aid apps induces a wide diversity of hearing performance with no fixed standard for reliability. However, we expect their overall quality to improve over the next few years.
Arthroscopic Medial Patellofemoral Ligament Insertion Reconstruction and Plication for Medial Patellar Retinaculum Using Suture Anchor in First Acute Patellar Dislocation
Authors: Xu Tao , Xu Liu-hai , Li Xin-zhi , Zhou You
Published: February 2022

BackgroundThe objective of this study was to evaluate the clinical results of arthroscopic medial patellofemoral ligament (MPFL) insertion reconstruction and plication for medial patellar retinaculum using suture anchor combined with lateral retinacular release in first acute patellar dislocation (APD) with MPFL insertion injury in adolescents.MethodsA prospective study was performed between January 2016 and July 2019. The series included 61 cases of adolescent patients with first APD. There were 7 males and 54 females with an average age of 15.5 years (10 to 22). All cases were treated with arthroscopic suture anchor plication for medial patellar retinaculum combined with lateral retinacular release. Congruence angle (CA), lateral patellar angle (LPA), and patellar tilt angle (PTA) are measured by CT scan between last follow-up and preoperative. In addition, the patients were evaluated with the Lysholm and Kujala scores.ResultsThe average follow-up time was 40.9 months (24-60 months). All 61 knees showed excellent or good results postoperatively. The Lysholm score increased significantly from 58.6±8.1 to 91.9±5.0 at the last follow-up postoperatively (P<0.001 ). The Kujala scores increased significantly from 60.4±7.3 to 88.9±4.8 at the last follow-up postoperatively (P < 0.001). CA in 0° extension position was improved significantly from 19.8±2.1° preoperatively to -6.7±1.7° at the last follow-up (P<0.001), LPA was increased from -7.4±2.2° to 5.7±1.8° (P<0.001), and PTA was increased from 23.8±2.9° to 12.3 ±2.3° (P<0.001). The postoperative mean Lysholm and Kujala scores were 91.9 (81–100) and 88.9 (79–100), respectively.ConclusionsWhen the first APD occurs associated with the MPFL avulsed from the patella, the presented technique could not only reattach MPFL at the patellar border but also strengthen the medial patellar retinaculum. This anatomical repair technique can significantly improve the stability of the patella and has the advantage of being less invasive by the full-arthroscopic approach.Trial registration: retrospectively registered
The Optimal Induction Timing In Prelabor Rupture of Membranes: A Retrospective Study
Authors: Gal Bachar , Doron Shemesh , Naama Farago , Yoav Siegler , Roy Lauterbach , Nizar Khatib , Yuval Ginsberg , Ron Beloosesky , Zeev Weiner , Dana Vitner
Published: February 2022

Objective: Term prelabor rupture of membrane (PROM) occurs in 8% of term deliveries, but it is unclear when to initiate induction. Our objective was to assess the optimal timing of oxytocin induction in management of term PROM in terms of maternal and neonatal outcomes.Methods: A retrospective cohort at a single tertiary care center from 2010 to 2020. All singleton pregnancies with PROM beyond 37 weeks gestation, without regular uterine contractions, were included. Eligible women were divided into three groups according to the timing of oxytocin induction (<12; 12-24; >24 hours) following PROM. Results: Of 9,443 women presented with term PROM, of them 1676 were included. They were classified according timing of oxytocin induction initiation following PROM: 1,127 within 12 hours; 285 within 12-24 hours; 264 after 24 hours. There were no significant differences in baseline demographic characteristics between groups. Women who were early induced delivered significantly sooner than those who received oxytocin later (45 vs. 28.2 vs. 23.2 hours, respectively, p<0.001. Maternal infection rate was similar and unrelated to oxytocin starting time. Their babies were less likely to receive antibiotics (26.8% vs. 38.6% vs. 33.33%, respectively; p<0.001), and they had lower rates of composite adverse neonatal outcome (RR=1.27, p=0.0307). Conclusion: In term PROM, early induction (within 12 hours of PROM) may be recommended to reduce time-do-delivery interval and increase delivery rate within 24 hours. It may be of economic significance and improve women satisfaction. Furthermore, early induction may also improve neonatal outcomes, without worsening maternal outcomes.
Inpatient Generalist Palliative Care During the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic – Experiences, Challenges and Potential Solutions
Authors: Schallenburger Manuela , Reuters Marie Christine , Schwartz Jacqueline , Fischer Marius , Roch Carmen , Werner Liane , Bausewein Claudia , Simon Steffen T , Oorschot Birgitt , Neukirchen Martin
Published: February 2022

Background: The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has presented major challenges to the health system. Despite high acute case numbers, non-Covid-19 patients still need to be cared for. Due to the severity of the disease and a possible stressful overall situation, palliative patients also require comprehensive care during pandemic times. In addition to specialised palliative care facilities, this also takes place in general patient care. In order to ensure this general palliative care also in pandemic times, the experience of the staff should be used. The aim of this paper is to examine challenges and possible solutions of inpatient general palliative care in relation to the care of seriously ill and dying patients and their relatives. Methods: Qualitative semi-structured focus groups were conducted online for the study. Participants were staff from intensive care or isolation wards or from units where vulnerable patients (e.g. with cognitive impairment) are cared for. The focus groups were recorded and subsequently transcribed. The data material was analysed with the content structuring content analysis according to Kuckartz.Results: Five focus groups with four to eight health care professionals with various backgrounds were conducted. Fifteen main categories with two to eight subcategories were identified. Based on frequency and the importance expressed by the focus groups, six categories were extracted as central aspects: visiting regulations, communication with relatives, hygiene measures, cooperation, determination of the patients will and the possibility to say farewell.Conclusion: The pandemic situation produced several challenges needing specific solutions in order to manage the care of seriously ill and dying patients. Especially visiting needs regulation to prevent social isolation and dying alone. Finding alternative communication ways as well as interprofessional and interdisciplinary cooperation is a precondition for individualised care of seriously ill and dying patients and their relatives. Measures preventing infections should be transparently communicated in hospitals.
Seeking a Tool to Assess Consumer Involvement in the Pharmaceutical Area: the Case of Consumer Involvement Profile as a Popular Scale
Authors: Momeni Fatemeh , Rangchian Maryam , Ataei Sara , Moradi Mohsen
Published: February 2022

Background Involvement is one of the most important determinants of consumers' behaviour. Considering the special position of the pharmaceutical products in public health and peace of mind, awareness from consumer involvement toward these products is very helpful for health system policy makers. To this end, access to a valid reliable tool to evaluate this concept is of great importance. Therefore, the present study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Persian version of a popular related questionnaire, naming Consumer Involvement Profile (CIP), to be used to assess consumers' involvement regarding pharmaceutical products.Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted from January 2020 to March 2021 in Hamadan, Iran. Data were gathered using the 16-item CIP questionnaire with sentences adapted for the pharmaceutical products. Content validity, internal consistency, overtime reliability based on the test-retest method, construct validity (including convergent and discriminant validity), and goodness of fit were evaluated for the questionnaire. Results Data obtained from 357 respondents underwent analysis. Overtime reliability was confirmed by a coefficient equal to 0.836 (p-value= 0.000). Cronbach’s alpha was only lower than 0.6 for the "risk probability" dimension. Regarding the convergent validity, two items had loading factors less than 0.5, which were omitted from the modified model. All CR values were higher than the corresponding AVE values. However, for two dimensions CR was less than 0.7. Although, based on the MSV, ASV and Fornell-Larcker test, importance, risk probability and risk importance, as well as importance with pleasure showed some overlaps, the discriminant validity was confirmed by HTMT. Goodness of fit indices were completely satisfying for the both primary and modified models. Conclusion The CIP questionnaire showed an acceptable performance to measure the consumers' involvement in pharmaceutical products. This is the first study to introduce a valid tool based on a well-known scale for measuring consumer involvement in the field of medicines. Such instruments facilitate to manufacturers and policymakers in this field to make informed decisions and promote community health.
A Molecular Ratchet Model without Feedback Control
Authors: Jiang Jiantang
Published: February 2022

Feedback controllers (which act like Maxwell's demon) can extract useful work by rectifying thermal fluctuations. However, feedback controllers consume energy, and the work extracted cannot compensate the energy consumed. In this paper, we propose a molecular ratchet model without any feedback controllers and report the simulation results to support its feasibility. In our model, we break the dynamic symmetry by using an electric field to create a concentration difference of solute ions between the two liquid surfaces of a solution. The simulation results show that our ratchet model can induce a continuous net solvent flux. In that sense, all the positive work extracted from the heat bath can be available energy because it doesn't need to compensate the energy cost of the feedback controller. Our work makes it possible to construct an entirely mechanical molecule-rectifying system as Szilárd expected.
Stability and performance of monetary and fiscal policies in the euro euro area
Authors: Daly Hounaida
Published: February 2022

Following the importance of coordination of monetary and fiscal policies, the investigation of the causal relationship between public debt and budget deficit has a fundamental role in implementing suitable policies. This paper examines the fiscal policy sustainability and the impact of monetary policy on public debt management in Euro Area from 1980 to 2014. The analysis is based on error-correction models and cointegrated VAR modelling. The evidence does not let hear strong political coordination in Euro Area, and supports the idea that the monetary policy is more stabilizing in its influence on the economic activity than the budget policy. An important policy implication resulting from this study is that the fiscal rule generates a divergent dynamic of the public debt. Our results in this paper suggest the Keynesian effects of macroeconomic policies in the eurozone and concludes that there is a sort of complementarity between monetary and fiscal policies in some euro area countries insofar as a restrictive monetary policy (higher interest rates, interest) seems always accompanied by a restrictive fiscal policy (higher taxes or lower public spending) and vice versa. Thus, we consider that the debt has a positive effect on the budget deficit, which translates into behavior that destabilizes the debt. Moreover, fiscal policy is not sustainable in Belgium, Italy, Ireland and Greece. Furthermore, Fiscal policy is sustainable in France and Spain.
Granulation multi-label decision tables and three-level granulation attribute reductions of multi-label decision tables
Authors: Wang Zhaohao , Zhang Xiaoping
Published: February 2022

Multi-label data is an important data type in machine learning. The rough set theory has been successfully used to deal with various data. However, the application of rough set theory to multi-label data is still not perfect. In this paper, we investigate the attribute reduction of multi-label data. First, in order to explore the attribute reduction of a multilabel decision table, this paper constructs the granulation multi-label decision table of a multi-label decision table. Moreover, we divide the granulation multi-label decision function in the granulation multi-label decision table to three levels, that is, macroscopic level, mesoscopic level and microscopic level. Second, we give some new characterizations of the complementary decision reduction of a multi-label decision table by means of the three-level granulation multilabel decision functions. Third, we define the concept of a granulation attribute reduction of a multi-label decision table, and establish three-level granulation attribute reductions, that is, the macroscopic-level, the mesoscopic-level and the microscopic-level granulation attribute reduction. Furthermore, we show that a complementary decision reduction of a multi-label decision table can be seen as a macroscopic-level granulation attribute reduction and thus it can be interpreted as a positive region reduction. Finally, by several comparative analysis, the reasonability, feasibility and effectiveness of the granulation attribute reduction are demonstrated.
A Study Protocol for Randomized Trials on Visual ERP for multiclass discrimination in CAAD applications
Authors: Cutellic Pierre , Qureshi Nauman Khalid
Published: February 2022

Background: A great part of brain-computer interfaces (BCI’s) research has so far, been focusing on interactions using exogenous responses under selective attention with synchronous and reactive methods for clear relation with controlled stimuli and the widespread applicability of the methods. Over the two past decades, event-related potentials (ERP’s) have become more and more investigated for a broader community of researchers due to the relatively little amount of training necessary for a system to perform and their detection across diverse modalities of acquisition to correlate with the sensory discrimination of dedicated stimuli. The proposed study aims to observe the detection of ERP’s components and correlated neuralphenomena under the visual presentation of complex stimuli and devise processing methods that would generalize their classification for applications in computer-aided architectural design (CAAD), where visual complexity becomes an intrinsic feature of the tasks.Methods: Its objective is exploratory and twofold: evaluating data processing and stimulus presentation methods, as well as the evolution of similar responses in repeated measures intra- and inter-subjects in non-clinical states. The study is divided into 4 phases of offline-online experiments across its timeline. Offline experiments are used to study and validate base methods, and online experiments are used to validate their modifications for application usage. Each of these experiments are framed by cross-sectional and longitudinal sub-studies. The chosen neural phenomena and study, as well as the presentation paradigm, precondition the trial design with repeated measures for averaging temporal waveforms within an exploratory framework. An expected total of at least 200 participants will be recruited over the course of the study. The aim is to recruit for a distribution of age, gender and participants that are involved in studies or practices of architecture, visual arts or related to maximize statistical significance regarding the targeted population segment.Discussion: This study aims to investigate the cardinality of discriminative neural patterns correlated with the presentation of complex visual stimuli by detecting subcomponents of these neural phenomena using the designed system on short and prolonged periods of time and involving participants from architecture, visual arts or related fields. Subsequent results will bring to further discussion the role of visual experience in such system and the range it might address in the population segment.Trial Status: The first phase of the study has been submitted for non-clinical trials and approved by ETH Z¨urich Ethics Commission on the 02nd July 2021 and given the registration ID: EK 2021-N-106. The first trial has been approved on August 1st 2021
A Pregnant Woman With Severe Pulmonary Hypertension Due to an Atrial Septal Defect That Was Triggered by Pregnancy
Authors: Mishima Sakurako , Mitsui Takashi , Akagi Satoshi , Mitoma Tomohiro , Ohira Akiko , Tani Kazumasa , Maki Jota , Kirino Satoe , Eto Eriko , Hayata Kei , Ito Hiroshi , Masuyama Hisashi
Published: February 2022

Background: Pregnancy is contraindicated in patients with pulmonary hypertension (PH). Here, we report a case of a pregnant woman with severe PH due to an atrial septal defect (ASD) that was triggered by pregnancy.Case Presentation: A 27-year-old woman with gravida 3 and para 2 presented with dyspnea in the fifth or sixth month of pregnancy, which gradually worsened. At 35+4 weeks of gestation, echocardiography revealed a transtricuspid pressure gradient (TRPG) of 120 mmHg, a sign of right heart failure; thus, she was diagnosed with severe PH. Because it was unsafe to continue pregnancy, an elective cesarean section was performed at 35+6 weeks under general anesthesia. A female infant weighing 1880 g was delivered; her Apgar scores were 8 and 9 after 1 and 5 minutes, respectively. Intraoperative transesophageal echocardiography revealed an ASD in the mother’s heart, a possible cause of PH. After the delivery, the mother was treated with an epoprostenol infusion via Hickman line, which was continued, along with home oxygen therapy, after she was discharged from the hospital. Nine months later, she underwent transcatheter closure for the ASD and her PH resolved. Conclusion: In pregnant patients with PH, the baby should be delivered at the appropriate time to relieve the pressure on the patient’s hemodynamics. This should be followed by strict circulation management including the requisite medical and surgical interventions to restore cardiac function.
Prediction of ABO Hemolytic Disease of the Newborn Using Prenatal Quantification of Maternal Vascular Endothelial Cadherin and anti-A/anti-B IgG Titer in China
Authors: Jiang Dandan , Ding Jiane , Shao Shuling , Dong Xiumei , Li Shanshan , Liu Peng
Published: February 2022

Objective To study the value of maternal vascular endothelial cadherin (VE-cadherin) level and anti-A/B IgG titer in the prenatal diagnosis of ABO hemolytic disease. Methods We conducted a case-control study of blood group O Rh(D) positive mothers according to the occurrence of ABO-HDFN in newborns. Then the level of maternal VE-cadherin and anti-A /B IgG titer of the two groups were compared and analyzed, and their correlation with total bilirubin in children, and their value for the prenatal diagnosis of ABO-HDFN was analyzed.Results The VE-cadherin level and anti-A/B IgG titer of pregnant women in the ABO-HDFN group were higher than those of the control group (P<0.001). There was a positive correlation between VE-cadherin level and total bilirubin (r=0.3520, P<0.05) in the ABO-HDFN group, but no significant correlation between IgG titer and TBIL (r=0.1289, P=0.4605). The AUC of the VE-cadherin level was 0.762, the sensitivity and the specificity was 80.95%, 63.16%; the AUC, sensitivity and specificity of IgG titer were 0.862, 88.10% and 71.05%, respectively. The AUC, sensitivity and specificity of the combined diagnosis were 0.915, 92.86% and 84.21%, respectively. Conclusion The level of maternal VE-cadherin and anti-A/B IgG titer have important reference value for the prenatal diagnosis of ABO-HDFN, and they have good joint diagnostic efficacy.
Efficient wastewater treatment by utilizing biomass derived adsorbent: A comprehensive study to prove its commercial viability
Authors: Khan Rana Zahir , Khurram Muhammed Shahzad , Rafiq Sikander , Inayat Abrar , Hussain Arif , Bokhari Awais , Aslam Muhammed , Jamil Farrukh
Published: February 2022

This research projected the productive use of chickpea for wastewater treatment. Iron (Fe) based nanoparticles were deposited on chickpea husk (agro-based) and used for the removal of phenolic compounds from wastewater. The material was characterized using XRD, FTIR, magnetic effect test and laser microscopy. These findings assisted in deposition of iron nano particles on chickpea husk. Optimum adsorbent and initial phenolic concentration were calculated as 0.25g and 40ppm. The result indicated that mono layer, heterogeneous and adsorbent-adsorbate interactions observed when phenolic compounds interacts with adsobents. Adsorption was followed by Langmuir isotherm with maximum adsorption (K) of 84.033 mg/g, highest value of adsorption coefficient (p) of 0.362 and highest value of correlation coefficient (R2) of 0.992. R2 in Freundlich isotherm results was 0.999 which indicated the phenolic compounds were absorbed into the surface. The Tempkin isotherm study shows R2 value of 0.989 for adsorption of phenolic compounds. But other isotherms for phenolic compounds adsorption did not much fit. Phenolic compounds removal rates display pseudo 2nd order kinetics, giving the rate limiting step in adsorption on the surfaces. Hence, iron based nano particles deposited agro-waste chickpea husk is excellent adsorbent for the removal of phenolic compounds from wastewater.
Development of Acid Modified Clay for the Treatment of Simulated Textile Dye Effluents
Authors: O. Aderemi B. , O.R.A. Iyun , A.P. Adelana
Published: February 2022

The physiochemical properties of Natural Bentonite Clay (NBC) were modified in this work to increase its adsorption performance. The NBC was mined from Fika town in Yobe State and thereafter subjected to beneficiation to obtain various particle sizes. The modified NBC and Activated Bentonite Clay (ABC) were characterized using X-ray fluorescence to determine the elemental assay of the samples, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy for the determination of the effect of acid attack and the adsorbate Braunner-Emmet-Teller (BET) method for surface area determination was conducted on the clay sample before and after modification procedure. The surface areas of the adsorbents before and after modification were found to be 160.40 m2/g and 126.50 m2/g for ABC and NBC respectively. The raw and the modified samples had an adsorption capacity of 12.55 and 74.98 mg/g which were used to purify the simulated textile wastewater to investigate their adsorptive performance. The equilibrium data were fitted in Langmuir, Freundlich and Temkin adsorption isotherm models with the aid of origin 9 software using two statistical parameters- the correlation coefficient R and Sum of Square Errors SSE. Results showed the experimental data was best fitted in the Langmuir isotherm model where R values of ABC was consistently higher for dye 1-dye 4 than that of NBC. The SSE of ABC was also found to be consistently lower for all dye adsorption than that of corresponding ABC.
Myeloid-related protein 8/14 in plasma and serum in patients with new-onset juvenile idiopathic arthritis in a real-life setting
Authors: Keskitalo Paula L , Kangas Salla M , Sard Sirja , Pokka Tytti , Glumoff Virpi , Kulmala Petri , Vähäsalo Paula
Published: February 2022

Objective: The aim of this study was to analyze the usefulness of myeloid-related protein 8/14 (MRP8/14) in the prediction of disease course in a real-life setting for patients with new-onset juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), to identify the relationship between MRP8/14 and disease activity using the physician’s global assessment of disease activity (PGA), and determine whether the MRP8/14 levels measured in serum and plasma are equally useful.Methods: In this prospective follow-up study, 87 new-onset non-systemic JIA patients were studied. Blood and synovial fluid samples were collected prior to any antirheumatic medication use. MRP8/14 was measured from serum (S-MRP8/14), plasma (P-MRP8/14), and synovial fluid samples using ELISA. Results: The baseline MRP8/14 blood levels were significantly higher in patients using synthetic antirheumatic drugs than in patients with no systemic medications at one year after diagnosis in serum (mean 298 vs. 198 ng/ml, P<0.001) and in plasma (mean 291 vs. 137 ng/ml, P=0.001). MRP8/14 levels at the time of JIA diagnosis were higher in patients who started methotrexate during 1.5-year follow-up compared to those who achieved long-lasting inactive disease status without systemic medications (serum: mean 298 vs. 219 ng/ml, P=0.006 and plasma: 296 vs. 141 ng/ml, P=0.001). P-MRP8/14 was the most effective predictive variable for disease activity (by PGA) in linear multivariate regression model (combined to ESR, CRP, leukocytes, and neutrophils), whereas S-MRP8/14 was not significant. Conclusions: Blood MRP8/14 levels at baseline seem to predict disease course in new-onset JIA patients. P-MRP8/14 might be superior to S-MRP8/14 in assessing disease activity at the time of JIA diagnosis.
Are Serum Levels of Inflammatory Markers Associated With the Severity of Symptoms of Bipolar Disorder?
Authors: Wu Xiuhua , Chen Zhongcheng , Liao Yingtao , Yang Zhihua , Liang Xiaolin , Guan Nianhong , Gan Zhaoyu
Published: February 2022

Background: To explore the relationship between serum levels of inflammatory markers and symptomatic severity of bipolar disorder (BD).Material and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 126 BD patients with current depressive episode (BDD), 102 BD patient with current mixed or (hypo)manic episode (BDM) and 94 healthy controls (HC). Fasting serum levels of CRP, leptin (LEP), adiponectin (ADP), visfatin (VIS), TNF-α, IL-2, IL-6, IL-10, IL-17), and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) were measured with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Symptomatic severity of BD was assessed with HAMD-17 and YMRS. Generalized linear model was used to determine the association between the serum levels of inflammatory markers and symptomatic severity of BD. Results: The serum levels of IL-6, IL-10 and IL-17, and the IL-6/IL-10 ratio were significantly lower in mild BDD than in HC. In moderate BDD, the serum levels of MCP, IL-6 and IL-17 were significantly lower than in HC. In severe BDD, the serum level of ADP, MCP-1, IL-10 and IL-17and the IL-17/IL-10 ratio were significantly lower than in HC. The serum levels of TNF-α and the IL-6/IL-10 ratio were significantly higher in mild BDM than in HC. In moderate BDM, the serum level of VIS, IL-2, and IL-17 were significantly higher than in HC, but the IL-6/IL-10 ratio was significantly lower than in control. In severe BDM, the serum levels of IL-6 and IL-17 and the ratios of IL-6/IL-10 and IL-17/IL-10 were significantly lower than in HC, but the neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio was significantly higher than in HC. Conclusions: In BDD, immune-inhibition is persistently predominant, while in BDM, immune system is first activated then inhibited with the worsening of the symptoms. The dynamic change of serum inflammatory markers might help stage BD and guide the future immune treatment of BD.
Therapeutic Recreation Camps for Youth with Childhood-Onset Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: Perceived Psychosocial Benefits
Authors: Saez Cristina , Nassi Lorien , Wright Tracey , Makris Una E. , Kramer Justin , Bermas Bonnie L. , Solow Elizabeth Blair , Bitencourt Nicole
Published: February 2022

Background: The psychosocial burden of chronic disease can be substantial for adolescents with childhood-onset systemic lupus erythematosus (cSLE). Current literature is scarce on interventions that can improve psychosocial outcomes for this population. Therapeutic recreation camps have been proposed as a beneficial experience for chronically ill pediatric populations. However, their effective components have not been well characterized in patients with cSLE. In this study, we sought to understand the various components of the camp experience for adolescents with cSLE from both the patient and parent perspective.Methods: We recruited patients with cSLE who had participated in one or more annual, weekend-long recreational lupus camp(s) near Dallas, Texas. Semi-structured in-depth telephone interviews were conducted from March-June 2020 with both the patients and parents. Questions focused on overall patient experience, psychosocial impact of camp participation, coping skills gained, and opportunities to prepare for the transition from pediatric to adult care. Interviews were coded and analyzed using inductive thematic analysis.Results: We interviewed 9 current and former campers (ages 16-24), including a current camp counselor, and 3 of their parents separately. Reported benefits included a positive impact on social support through peer bonding, opportunities to develop coping mechanisms through structured activities and peer/medical staff interactions, opportunities for education about the cSLE disease experience, improved adherence through peer modeling, overall increase in self-efficacy, and better parental insight into the patient experience. Participants also provided suggestions for expansion and improvement in program development to optimize educational opportunities for both campers and parents. In addition, they advocated for longitudinal social support and community building.Conclusions: In this qualitative study, in which cSLE patients and their parents reflected on their experiences with therapeutic recreation camps, we found several perceived benefits impacting the patient and parent experience. Participants expressed a desire for more educational opportunities that could contribute to their successful transition from pediatric to adult care. Further studies are needed to demonstrate the effects of therapeutic recreation camps on the psychosocial health of this population.