bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Barriers and facilitators to e-learning in palliative care
Authors: Callinan Joanne
Published: December 2020

Background:

E-learning provides opportunities for flexible learning to those who cannot access palliative education in the traditional classroom setting, but it also presents learners with challenges. The study aims to identify the barriers and facilitators to accessing e-learning courses in palliative care.

Methods:

Cross-sectional surveys were developed, piloted and disseminated to healthcare professionals (HCPs) working in palliative care on the island of Ireland (Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland).

Results:

Important factors that motivated HCPs to participate in e-learning are: dedicated time; quick technical and administrative support; computer training before completing an e-learning course; and regular contact with the tutor in online course work. Some 50% indicated face-to-face assistance and hands-on training sessions as the type of support that they would like to receive.

Conclusions:

Healthcare professionals' prior experiences and attitudes towards e-learning will guide educators developing programmes. This study indicates the prerequisite for organisational supports and practical considerations to facilitate the uptake of e-learning.
Strengthening Socio-Cognitive and Emotional Skills in Early Education through a School-Based Program: Preliminary Study
Authors: Ison Mirta Susana , González Daniela Fernanda , Korzeniowski Celina
Published: December 2020

This work has two objectives. The first is to describe a program to strengthen socio-cognitive abilities in initial education children (called PHSC), which is focused on training teachers on its implementation in the classroom. The second objective is to examine the effectiveness of the program when it is applied in schools with different socio-cultural contexts. It involved a total of 257 initial-level students attending two pre-primary schools in the province of Mendoza. One school was in an urban area of a more stable social environment, and the other in a socially-vulnerable area.  The program was administered by teachers who had been trained for it. Pre- and post-assessments were conducted using socio-cognitive tests on the students. The teachers responded to the Executive Functioning Scale for initial education children before and after implementation of the PHSC program, and parents responded to an on-line survey to find out whether they had noticed any improvements or positive changes after the application of the program. The results suggest the possibility that this program, implemented by teachers, could improve the socio-cognitive abilities in children of both of the different social contexts, as well as being a driver to create conditions of equal opportunities and generate learning benefits in all their students.
Melientha suavis Pierre. Extract: Antioxidant and Sunscreen Properties for Future Cosmetic Development
Authors:   Faculty of Science and Technology, Kanchanaburi Rajabhat University, Kanchanaburi 71190, Thailand, Sansomchai Pahol ,   Institute of Research and Development, Lampang Rajabhat University, Lampang 52100, Thailand, Jumpatong Kanlaya ,   Division of Chemistry, School of Science, University of Phayao, Phayao 56000, Thailand, Lapinee Chaipat ,   Division of Chemistry, School of Science, University of Phayao, Phayao 56000, Thailand, Utchariyajit Kanchana ,   Faculty of Science and Technology, Kanchanaburi Rajabhat University, Kanchanaburi 71190, Thailand
Published: December 2020

The ultimate aim of this study was to evaluate antioxidant activities using DPPH and ABTS assay and antioxidant substances of Melientha suavis Pierre (Melientha) extracts with ethanol (EtOH) and subsequent partition with hexane, dichloromethane (CH2Cl2), ethyl acetate (EtOAc) and distilled water (W). The Melientha extract was assessed the sunscreen activities by sun protection factor which was compared with octyldimethyl PABA. Additionally, the stability test of Melientha extracts added in the cosmetic base-formula was investigated. The sun protection substances of Melientha extracts were determined by GC-MS analysis. Among the extract and fractions, the ethanolic extract showed the highest activities. The IC50 of Melientha extract to free radical scavenging determined by DPPH assay and ABTS assay were 53.20 ± 7.37 μg/ml and 64.17 ± 5.76 μg/ml, respectively. The total phenolic compound of ethanol extract was 149.87 ± 2.72 mg GE/g of ext and total flavonoid content was 51.60 ± 4.12 mg CE/g of ext. The sun protection factor (SPF) of ethanol extract was 26.61 ± 0.10. Cinamate and its derivative which were claim as sunscreen substance was found by GC-MS analysis of Melientha ethanol extract.
Antioxidant Capacities of Traditionally Formulated Thai Herbal Decoction and Its Effect on Cell Growth Using Saccharomyces cerevisiae Model
Authors:   Department of Thai Traditional Medicine, Prince of Songkla University, Hat Yai, Songkhla 90112, Thailand, Adekoya Ademola Ezekiel , Chusri Sasitorn ,   Department of Thai Traditional Medicine, Prince of Songkla University, Hat Yai, Songkhla 90112, Thailand, Boon Beng Eugene Ong ,   Institute for Research in Molecular Medicine, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Malaysia, Idown Anthony Temitope ,   Department of Food Science and Technology, Faculty of Agro-Industry, Prince of Songkla University, Hat Yai, Songkhla 90112, Thailand
Published: December 2020

Polyherbal tea is widely consumed for rejuvenating of health in Thailand. Among them are Ya-Tri-Phigut (YTP), Ya-Tri-Kasornmas (YTK), Ya-Plook-Fithat (YPF), and Ya-Benjakul (YB). In addition, they have been listed as essential medicines with several others in the National List of Essential Medicines, Thailand. To ascertain their nutraceutical potentials, aqueous extracts of these herbal formulations were screened for their antioxidant activities. Extracts obtained from YTP showed higher yield (8.70 %) than YPF (6.40 %), YTK (6.30 %) and YB (6.30 %) (P <0.05). YTP also showed better antioxidant capacities than other tested formulations (P <0.05). Thus, it was used to test for its ability to support yeast cell. The extract (YTP) supported the yeast cell growth than the standard used called cryptotanshinone. Thus, YTP formulated herbal tonic can serve as a rich nutraceutical agent to combat oxidative stress and health related diseases.
Comparison of Antioxidant and α-Glucosidase Inhibitory Activities in Different Cultivars of Five Mango (Mangifera Indica L.) Leaf Extracts
Authors:   Department of Food Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10400, Thailand, Chewchinda Savita , Suriyaphan Orasa ,   Department of Food Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10400, Thailand, Kanchanadumkerng Pimpikar ,   Department of Food Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10400, Thailand, Sato Hitoshi ,   Department of Pharmacology, Toxicology and Therapeutics, Division of Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics, School of Pharmacy, Showa University, Tokyo 142-8555, Japan, Hirunpanich Sato Vilasinee ,   Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10400, Thailand
Published: December 2020

The objectives of study were to evaluate and compare the antioxidant, total phenolic, total flavonoid, mangiferin content and antidiabetic activities of five young mango cultivars leaf extract, namely, ‘Apple’, ‘Nam Dok Mai’, ‘Bao’, ‘OkRong’ and ‘Kiew Savoey’. Antioxidant effect was investigated by DPPH, ABTS radical scavenging activity, and ferric reducing power (FRAP) assays. Inhibitory on α-glucosidase activity and type of enzyme inhibition were evaluated by using Lineweaver Burk plot analysis. Mangiferin, major active compound, was quantified by HPTLC method. Furthermore, the hypoglycemic effect was determined using streptozotocin (STZ) –nicotinamide (NA) -induced type 2 diabetic mice. Young mango cv. ‘Apple’ leaf extract demonstrated the strongest antioxidant activity in all assays. Moreover, it contains highest amounts of total phenolic and mangiferin to the values of 311 mg GAE/g extract and 197 mg/g extract, respectively. It possessed potent α-glucosidase inhibitory activity with IC50 value of 0.50 µg/mL. Lineweaver-Burk plot analysis demonstrated a non-competitive inhibition of αglucosidase activity with the inhibition constant (Ki) of 2.98 µg/mL. Coadministration of young mango cv. ‘Apple’ leaf extract at dose of 1,000 mg/kg significantly reduced the total blood glucose level by 13.43% in STZ-NA-induced type 2 diabetic mice when compared with control diabetic mice in oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) model. Inhibition of glucose absorption may be one of the possible mechanism of its hypoglycemic effect. In conclusion, young mango cv. ‘Apple’ leaf extract possesses the strongest antioxidant and antidiabetic activities which has a potential to develop as nutraceutical products.
Increased Levels of De-oiled Perilla Seed Meal in Broiler Diets to Enhance n-3 Fatty Acid Proportions and Improve Efficiency Levels
Authors:   Department of Animal and Aquatic Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand, Montha Napatsorn , Yothinsirikul Winai ,   Faculty of Animal Science and Technology, Maejo University, Chiang Mai 50290, Thailand, Chompupun Kanchit ,   Faculty of Animal Science and Technology, Maejo University, Chiang Mai 50290, Thailand, Kreuzer Michael ,   ETH Zurich, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Universitaetstrasse 2, 8092, Zurich, Switzerland, Jaturasitha Sanchai ,   Science and Technology Research Institute, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand
Published: December 2020

De-oiled perilla seed (Perilla frutescens L.), referred to as perilla meal, is rich in α-linolenic acid (C18:3 n-3). The purpose of this study was to investigate the efficiency of increasing levels of perilla meal in broiler diets to modify the fatty acid composition and other properties of meat quality. Two-hundred broilers were divided into five groups and fed diets with 0, 2, 4, 6, and 8% perilla meal. The breast and thigh meat of the broilers, slaughtered at 42 days of age, were subjected to in-depth physicochemical and sensory analyses. The results showed that perilla meal efficiently modified the fatty acid compositions of the lipids of both muscles. Saturated fatty acids declined, especially C14:0 and C16:0, whereas monounsaturated (MUFA) and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) increased significantly in both muscle groups. The C14:1, C16:1, and C18:3 n-3 levels were found to be significantly different between treatment groups, in which the highest values were noticed in the perilla meal groups. Small increases in n-6 fatty acids resulted in commensurate decreases in n-6:n-3 ratios. Increased C18:3 n-3 proportions, as well as extended oxidative stability, were observed particularly in the 2% perilla meal inclusion. Perilla meal also increased protein content and water holding capacity (WHC), and decreased fat content and shear force; whereas the sensory evaluations were unchanged in both portions of meat.
Synchronized full vortices as topological spin-Meissner states in spinor exciton–polariton condensates
Authors: Cheng Szu-Cheng , Jheng Shih-Da , Chen Ting-Wei
Published: December 2020

The spin-Meissner effect is a phenomenon in which the Zeeman energy splitting of a spinor exciton–polariton condensate in a magnetic field is suppressed. If a topological state shows this effect, the state is called the topological spin-Meissner (TSM) state. We found that a vortex state of a spinor MPC in which each spin component carries a phase singularity in a magnetic field could be a TSM state. The physical properties of a TSM state in full vortices are affected by nonlinear spin-anisotropic interactions among polaritons, spin-flipping rates, and Zeeman energy splitting. Bistable TSM states in full vortices exist, as the magnetic field strength is below a critical strength, which depends on the pump power. The distributions of the degrees of circular polarization of full vortices are also studied.
Underwater low acoustic frequency detection based on in-line Mach–Zehnder interferometer
Authors: Dass Sumit , Jha Rajan
Published: December 2020

We propose and demonstrate an in-line Mach–Zehnder interferometer (IMZI) as an optical hydrophone. The IMZI is fabricated by creating two tapers in the single-mode fiber (SMF), and the two tapered sections are separated by a small section of untapered SMF. To achieve higher sensitivity, this IMZI is attached to a circular natural rubber (NR) diaphragm. The sensing mechanism is based on the acoustic pressure-induced wavelength shift of the IMZI transmission spectrum. The proposed hydrophone is tested underwater with acoustic signals of different frequencies in the range of 15–250 Hz. For a specific IMZI structure, the hydrophone shows a sensitivity of 27.93 nm/Pa and a noise-limited minimum detectable pressure of

5.53

m
P
a

/

√

H
z

. One can tailor the acoustic sensitivity of the proposed hydrophone by changing different parameters of diaphragm and IMZI. The excellent underwater performance of the NR diaphragm makes the proposed hydrophone an efficient and economical system for underwater low-frequency acoustic signal detection.
Effective optical smoothing scheme to suppress laser plasma instabilities by time-dependent polarization rotation via pulse chirping
Authors: Zhong Zheqiang , Li Bin , Xiong Hao , Li Jiwei , Qiu Jie , Hao Liang , Zhang Bin
Published: December 2020

In this paper, we propose a novel effective optical smoothing scheme to suppress laser plasma instabilities (LPIs) by time-dependent polarization rotation (TPR) on a picosecond timescale. The polarization rotation with time-dependent frequency is generated by the superposition of chirped light pulses with dynamic frequency shift and counter-rotating circular polarization. Compared to light without polarization rotation or pulse chirping, such superposed light with TPR has a broader spectrum and lower temporal coherence. Using the one-dimensional fluid laser-plasma-instability code (FLAME) and PIC simulation, TPR is demonstrated working well in suppressing parametric backscattering, which provides an effective approach to suppress LPIs. In the meantime, a significant improvement of irradiation uniformity of the chirped pulses is achieved by the introduction of proper spatial phase modulation and grating dispersion.
Measurement method for slant visibility with slant path scattered radiance correction by lidar and the SBDART model
Authors: Wang Yufeng , Jia Lisong , Li Xingxing , Lu Yumei , Di Huige , Hua Dengxin
Published: December 2020

Different from the existing methods for estimating averaged slant visibility by lidar and the traditional Koschmieder visibility formula, a measurement method for slant visibility is fundamentally proposed in this paper that considers the correction of slant path scattered radiance. Lidar is adopted to provide aerosol parameters, including optical depth and scattering parameters, and the SBDART (Santa Barbara DISORT Atmospheric Radiative Transfer) model is used to solve the radiative transfer equation to obtain the corresponding radiance distribution; thus, the corrected apparent brightness contrast between the object and background along the slant path is used to achieve accurate slant visibility. Based on the measurement principle of slant visibility, a theoretical simulation and an analysis of the slant path scattered radiance are performed, and the resulting slant visibility is studied in detail in this paper.
Film wrap nanoparticle system with the graphene nano-spacer for SERS detection
Authors: Zhu Tiying , Sun Yang , Li Chonghui , Xia Yaping , Wang Guangcan , Lu Weixi , Shao Mingrui , Man Baoyuan , Yang Cheng
Published: December 2020

Film wrap nanoparticle system (FWPS) is proposed and fabricated to perform SERS effect, where the Ag nanoparticle was completely wrapped by Au film and the double-layered graphene was selected as the sub-nano spacer. In this system, the designed nanostructure can be fully rather than partly used to generate hotspots and absorb probe molecules, compared to the nanoparticle to nanoparticle system (PTPS) or nanoparticle to film system (PTFS). The optimal fabricating condition and performance of this system were studied by the COMSOL Multiphysics. The simulation results show that the strongly large-scale localized electromagnetic field appears in the whole space between the Ag nanoparticle and Au film. The experimental results show that the FWPS presents excellent sensitivity (crystal violet (CV): 10−11 M), uniformity, stability and high enhancement factor (EF: 2.23×108). Malachite green (MG; 10−10 M) on the surface of fish and DNA strands with different base sequence (A, T, C) were successfully detected. These advanced results indicate that FWPS is highly promising to be applied for the detection of environmental pollution and biomolecules.
Hyper-Rayleigh scattering in a strong coupling microcavity waveguide
Authors: Zhang Beiyi , Dai Hailang , Chen Xianfeng
Published: December 2020

Second-harmonic generation (SHG) from hyper-Rayleigh scattering (HRS) in a hybrid strong coupling microcavity waveguide (HSCMW) was demonstrated, which indicates a possible method using continuous-wave (cw) incident light. The cw light was coupled into the waveguide with high coupling efficiency by free space coupling technology, and then the electric field intensity of the fundamental wave was enhanced due to local oscillation. HRS occurred by lithium niobite (LN) powder inside the waveguide, resulting in the direct observation of SHG in the transverse direction, with relatively high conversion efficiency measured to be 0.032%/W. This work suggests progress on frequency conversion and is also applicable to other nonlinear processes in a waveguide.
High-speed photoacoustic-guided wavefront shaping for focusing light in scattering media
Authors: Zhao Tianrui , Ourselin Sebastien , Vercauteren Tom , Xia Wenfeng
Published: December 2020

Wavefront shaping is becoming increasingly attractive as it promises to enable various biomedical applications by breaking through the optical diffusion limit that prevents light focusing at depths larger than

∼

1

m
m

in biological tissue. However, despite recent advancements in wavefront shaping technology, such as those exploiting non-invasive photoacoustic-guidance, in vivo demonstrations remain challenging mainly due to rapid tissue speckle decorrelation. In this work, we report a high-speed photoacoustic-guided wavefront shaping method with a relatively simple experimental setup, based on the characterization of a scattering medium with a real-valued intensity transmission matrix. We demonstrated light focusing through an optical diffuser by optimizing 4096 binary amplitude modulation modes of a digital micromirror device within

∼

300

m
s

, leading to a system runtime of 75 µs per input mode, which is 3 orders of magnitude smaller than the smallest runtime reported in literature so far using photoacoustic-guided wavefront shaping. Thus, our method is a solid step forward toward in vivo applications of wavefront shaping.
Daptomycin treatment impacts resistance in off-target populations of vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium
Authors: Kinnear Clare L. , Hansen Elsa , Morley Valerie J. , Tracy Kevin C. , Forstchen Meghan , Read Andrew F. , Woods Robert J.
Published: December 2020

The antimicrobial resistance crisis has persisted despite broad attempts at intervention. It has been proposed that an important driver of resistance is selection imposed on bacterial populations that are not the intended target of antimicrobial therapy. But to date, there has been limited quantitative measure of the mean and variance of resistance following antibiotic exposure. Here we focus on the important nosocomial pathogen Enterococcus faecium in a hospital system where resistance to daptomycin is evolving despite standard interventions. We hypothesized that the intravenous use of daptomycin generates off-target selection for resistance in transmissible gastrointestinal (carriage) populations of E. faecium. We performed a cohort study in which the daptomycin resistance of E. faecium isolated from rectal swabs from daptomycin-exposed patients was compared to a control group of patients exposed to linezolid, a drug with similar indications. In the daptomycin-exposed group, daptomycin resistance of E. faecium from the off-target population was on average 50% higher than resistance in the control group (n = 428 clones from 22 patients). There was also greater phenotypic diversity in daptomycin resistance within daptomycin-exposed patients. In patients where multiple samples over time were available, a wide variability in temporal dynamics were observed, from long-term maintenance of resistance to rapid return to sensitivity after daptomycin treatment stopped. Sequencing of isolates from a subset of patients supports the argument that selection occurs within patients. Our results demonstrate that off-target gastrointestinal populations rapidly respond to intravenous antibiotic exposure. Focusing on the off-target evolutionary dynamics may offer novel avenues to slow the spread of antibiotic resistance.
Site-specific targeting of a light activated dCas9-KillerRed fusion protein generates transient, localized regions of oxidative DNA damage
Authors: House Nealia C. M. , Parasuram Ramya , Layer Jacob V. , Price Brendan D.
Published: December 2020

DNA repair requires reorganization of the local chromatin structure to facilitate access to and repair of the DNA. Studying DNA double-strand break (DSB) repair in specific chromatin domains has been aided by the use of sequence-specific endonucleases to generate targeted breaks. Here, we describe a new approach that combines KillerRed, a photosensitizer that generates reactive oxygen species (ROS) when exposed to light, and the genome-targeting properties of the CRISPR/Cas9 system. Fusing KillerRed to catalytically inactive Cas9 (dCas9) generates dCas9-KR, which can then be targeted to any desired genomic region with an appropriate guide RNA. Activation of dCas9-KR with green light generates a local increase in reactive oxygen species, resulting in “clustered” oxidative damage, including both DNA breaks and base damage. Activation of dCas9-KR rapidly (within minutes) increases both γH2AX and recruitment of the KU70/80 complex. Importantly, this damage is repaired within 10 minutes of termination of light exposure, indicating that the DNA damage generated by dCas9-KR is both rapid and transient. Further, repair is carried out exclusively through NHEJ, with no detectable contribution from HR-based mechanisms. Surprisingly, sequencing of repaired DNA damage regions did not reveal any increase in either mutations or INDELs in the targeted region, implying that NHEJ has high fidelity under the conditions of low level, limited damage. The dCas9-KR approach for creating targeted damage has significant advantages over the use of endonucleases, since the duration and intensity of DNA damage can be controlled in “real time” by controlling light exposure. In addition, unlike endonucleases that carry out multiple cut-repair cycles, dCas9-KR produces a single burst of damage, more closely resembling the type of damage experienced during acute exposure to reactive oxygen species or environmental toxins. dCas9-KR is a promising system to induce DNA damage and measure site-specific repair kinetics at clustered DNA lesions.
Artificial Intelligence in mental health and the biases of language based models
Authors: Straw Isabel , Callison-Burch Chris
Published: December 2020

Background

The rapid integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into the healthcare field has occurred with little communication between computer scientists and doctors. The impact of AI on health outcomes and inequalities calls for health professionals and data scientists to make a collaborative effort to ensure historic health disparities are not encoded into the future. We present a study that evaluates bias in existing Natural Language Processing (NLP) models used in psychiatry and discuss how these biases may widen health inequalities. Our approach systematically evaluates each stage of model development to explore how biases arise from a clinical, data science and linguistic perspective.

Design/Methods

A literature review of the uses of NLP in mental health was carried out across multiple disciplinary databases with defined Mesh terms and keywords. Our primary analysis evaluated biases within ‘GloVe’ and ‘Word2Vec’ word embeddings. Euclidean distances were measured to assess relationships between psychiatric terms and demographic labels, and vector similarity functions were used to solve analogy questions relating to mental health.

Results

Our primary analysis of mental health terminology in GloVe and Word2Vec embeddings demonstrated significant biases with respect to religion, race, gender, nationality, sexuality and age. Our literature review returned 52 papers, of which none addressed all the areas of possible bias that we identify in model development. In addition, only one article existed on more than one research database, demonstrating the isolation of research within disciplinary silos and inhibiting cross-disciplinary collaboration or communication.

Conclusion

Our findings are relevant to professionals who wish to minimize the health inequalities that may arise as a result of AI and data-driven algorithms. We offer primary research identifying biases within these technologies and provide recommendations for avoiding these harms in the future.
Peroxiredoxin 2 is highly expressed in human oral squamous cell carcinoma cells and is upregulated by human papillomavirus oncoproteins and arecoline, promoting proliferation
Authors: Chuerduangphui Jureeporn , Ekalaksananan Tipaya , Heawchaiyaphum Chukkris , Vatanasapt Patravoot , Pientong Chamsai
Published: December 2020

Peroxiredoxin 2 (PRDX2) is upregulated in various cancers including oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). It is a known tumor promoter in some cancers, but its role in OSCC is unclear. This study aimed to investigate the effect of arecoline, an alkaloid of the betel nut, and human papillomavirus type 16 (HPV16) E6/E7 oncoproteins on induction of PRDX2 expression, and also the effects of PRDX2 overexpression in oral cell lines. Levels of PRDX2 protein were determined using western blot analysis of samples of exfoliated normal oral cells (n = 75) and oral lesion cells from OSCC cases (n = 75). Some OSCC cases were positive for HPV infection and some patients had a history of betel quid chewing. To explore the level of PRDX2 by western blot, the proteins were extracted from oral cell lines that were treated with arecoline or retroviruses containing HPV16 E6 gene and HPV16 E6/E7 expressing vector. For analysis of PRDX2 functions, cell proliferation, cell-cycle progression, apoptosis and migration was compared between oral cells overexpressing PRDX2 and cells with PRDX2-knockdown. PRDX2 expression levels tended to be higher in OSCC samples that were positive for HPV infection and had history of betel quid chewing. Arecoline treatment in vitro at low concentrations and overexpression of HPV16 E6 or E6/E7 in oral cells induced PRDX2 overexpression. Interestingly, in oral cells, PRDX2 promoted cell proliferation, cell-cycle progression (G2/M phase), cell migration and inhibited apoptosis. Upregulation of PRDX2 in oral cells was induced by arecoline and HPV16 oncoproteins and promoted growth of OSCC cells.
Design deep neural network architecture using a genetic algorithm for estimation of pile bearing capacity
Authors: Pham Tuan Anh , Tran Van Quan , Vu Huong-Lan Thi , Ly Hai-Bang
Published: December 2020

Determination of pile bearing capacity is essential in pile foundation design. This study focused on the use of evolutionary algorithms to optimize Deep Learning Neural Network (DLNN) algorithm to predict the bearing capacity of driven pile. For this purpose, a Genetic Algorithm (GA) was developed to select the most significant features in the raw dataset. After that, a GA-DLNN hybrid model was developed to select optimal parameters for the DLNN model, including: network algorithm, activation function for hidden neurons, number of hidden layers, and the number of neurons in each hidden layer. A database containing 472 driven pile static load test reports was used. The dataset was divided into three parts, namely the training set (60%), validation (20%) and testing set (20%) for the construction, validation and testing phases of the proposed model, respectively. Various quality assessment criteria, namely the coefficient of determination (R2), Index of Agreement (IA), mean absolute error (MAE) and root mean squared error (RMSE), were used to evaluate the performance of the machine learning (ML) algorithms. The GA-DLNN hybrid model was shown to exhibit the ability to find the most optimal set of parameters for the prediction process.The results showed that the performance of the hybrid model using only the most critical features gave the highest accuracy, compared with those obtained by the hybrid model using all input variables.
Visual statistical learning and integration of perceptual priors are intact in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
Authors: Richards Katie L. , Karvelis Povilas , Lawrie Stephen M. , Seriès Peggy
Published: December 2020

Background

Deficits in visual statistical learning and predictive processing could in principle explain the key characteristics of inattention and distractibility in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Specifically, from a Bayesian perspective, ADHD may be associated with flatter likelihoods (increased sensory processing noise), and/or difficulties in generating or using predictions. To our knowledge, such hypotheses have never been directly tested.

Methods

We here test these hypotheses by evaluating whether adults diagnosed with ADHD (n= 17) differed from a control group (n= 30) in implicitly learning and using low-level perceptual priors to guide sensory processing. We used a visual statistical learning task in which participants had to estimate the direction of a cloud of coherently moving dots. Unbeknown to the participants, two of the directions were more frequently presented than the others, creating an implicit bias (prior) towards those directions. This task had previously revealed differences in other neurodevelopmental disorders, such as autistic spectrum disorder and schizophrenia.

Results

We found that both groups acquired the prior expectation for the most frequent directions and that these expectations substantially influenced task performance. Overall, there were no group differences in how much the priors influenced performance. However, subtle group differences were found in the influence of the prior over time.

Conclusion

Our findings suggest that the symptoms of inattention and hyperactivity in ADHD do not stem from broad difficulties in developing and/or using low-level perceptual priors.
Equation for analyzing the peak power in aquatic environment: An alternative for olympic rowing athletes
Authors: Almeida-Neto Paulo Francisco de , Silva Luíz Felipe da , Matos Dihogo Gama de , Jeffreys Ian , Cesário Tatianny de Macedo , Neto Rui Barboza , Barbosa Wagner de Almeida , Aidar Felipe J. , Dantas Paulo Moreira Silva , Cabral Breno Guilherme de Araújo Tinoco
Published: December 2020

Purpose

To develop an equation to provide the peak power (PP) through a specific stimulus performed in an aquatic environment, as well as to correlate morphological, anthropometric and strength variables with rowing performance.

Methods

The sample consisted of 16 elite young rowing athletes of both sexes (15.7 ± 1.21 years). The strength of upper limbs and lower limbs was verified. To analyze the PP, a 100-m Sprint test was performed on an indoor rowing type ergometer, and after a 72-hour wash-out, the test was repeated in an aquatic environment on a vessel equipped with a global position system. Body composition was analyzed by examining bone densitometry with an X-ray source and maturation was verified by anthropometry.

Results

The tests for water sprint and indoor rowing showed significant reliability (ICC = 0.695; p = 0.0007). The PP aquatic showed reliability with that acquired in indoor rowing (ICC = 0.897; p<0.0001) and was related to maturation (p<0.05). The morphology, anthropometry and strength of the upper limbs were related to the sprint and peak strength in both tests (p<0.05).

Conclusion

The equation for the PP in aquatic environment presented by the present study is highly reliable with an indoor ergometer digital ergometer.
Real-time neural network based predictor for cov19 virus spread
Authors: Wieczorek Michał , Siłka Jakub , Połap Dawid , Woźniak Marcin , Damaševičius Robertas
Published: December 2020

Since the epidemic outbreak in early months of 2020 the spread of COVID-19 has grown rapidly in most countries and regions across the World. Because of that, SARS-CoV-2 was declared as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) on January 30, 2020, by The World Health Organization (WHO). That’s why many scientists are working on new methods to reduce further growth of new cases and, by intelligent patients allocation, reduce number of patients per doctor, what can lead to more successful treatments. However to properly manage the COVID-19 spread there is a need for real-time prediction models which can reliably support various decisions both at national and international level. The problem in developing such system is the lack of general knowledge how the virus spreads and what would be the number of cases each day. Therefore prediction model must be able to conclude the situation from past data in the way that results will show a future trend and will possibly closely relate to the real numbers. In our opinion Artificial Intelligence gives a possibility to do it. In this article we present a model which can work as a part of an online system as a real-time predictor to help in estimation of COVID-19 spread. This prediction model is developed using Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) to estimate the future situation by the use of geo-location and numerical data from past 2 weeks. The results of our model are confirmed by comparing them with real data and, during our research the model was correctly predicting the trend and very closely matching the numbers of new cases in each day.
Neuropeptide S receptor gene Asn107 polymorphism in obese male individuals in Pakistan
Authors: Ahmad Aftab , Almsned Fahad , Ghazal Pasha , Ahmed Malik Waqar , Jafri M. Saleet , Bokhari Habib
Published: December 2020

Neuropeptide S (NPS) is a naturally occurring appetite stimulant, associated with anxiety, stress, and excitement regulation. Neuropeptide S serves as a hypothalamic energy regulator that enhances food intake with a reduced level of satiety. NPS activates fat angiogenesis and the proliferation of new adipocytes in obesity. NPS has an established role in energy regulation by many pre-clinical investigations; however we have limited data available to support this notion in humans. We found significant association of Neuropeptide S receptor (NPSR1) Asn107Ile (rs324981, A>T) polymorphism with obese male participants. The current investigation carried out genotype screening of NPSR1 allele to assess the spectrum of the Asn107Ile polymorphism in obese and healthy Pakistani individuals. We revealed a significant (p = 0.04) difference between AA vs TT + AT genotype distribution of NPSR1 (SNP rs324981,) between obese and healthy individuals (p = 0.04). In this genotype analysis of (SNP rs324981) of the NPSR1 gene, T allele was marked as risk allele with higher frequency in the obese (38%) compared to its frequency in the controls (25%). Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP, rs324981) Asn107Ile of NPSR1gene, that switches an amino acid from Asn to Ile, has been found associated with increased susceptibility to obesity in Pakistani individuals. Furthermore, molecular simulation studies predicted a lower binding affinity of NPSR1 Asn107Ile variant to NPS than the wild-type consistent with the genotype studies. These molecular simulation studies predict a possible molecular mechanism of this interaction by defining the key amino acid residues. However, a significantly (p<0.0001) lower concentration of NPS was recorded independent of genotype frequencies in obese subjects compared to healthy controls. We believe that large scale polymorphism data of population for important gene players including NPSR1 will be more useful to understand obesity and its associated risk factors.
Heart rate variability is enhanced during mindfulness practice: A randomized controlled trial involving a 10-day online-based mindfulness intervention
Authors: Kirk Ulrich , Axelsen Johanne L.
Published: December 2020

Objectives

The goal of the present study was to probe the effects of mindfulness practice in a naturalistic setting as opposed to a lab-based environment in the presence of continuous heart rate variability (HRV) measurements. The specific experimental goals were to examine the effects of a brief 10-day online-based mindfulness intervention on both chronic and acute HRV responses.

Method

We conducted a fully randomized 10-day longitudinal trial of mindfulness practice, explicitly controlling for practice effects with an active-control group (music listening) and a non-intervention control group. To assess chronic cardiovascular effects, we asked participants in the 3 groups to complete 2-day HRV pre- and post-intervention measurement sessions. Using this experimental setup enabled us to address training effects arising from mindfulness practice to assess physiological impact on daytime as well as nighttime (i.e. assessing sleep quality) on the underlying HRV response. To assess acute cardiovascular effects, we measured HRV in the 2 active intervention groups during each of the 10 daily mindfulness or music sessions. This allowed us to track the development of purported training effects arising from mindfulness practice relative to the active-control intervention in terms of changes in the HRV slope over the 10-day time-course.

Results

Firstly, for the acute phase we found increased HRV during the daily practice sessions in both the mindfulness and active-control group indicating that both interventions were effective in decreasing acute physiological stress. Secondly, for the chronic phase we found increased HRV in both the day- and nighttime indicating increased sleep quality, specifically in the mindfulness group.

Conclusion

These results suggest causal effects in both chronic and acute phases of mindfulness practice in formerly naïve subjects and provides support for the argument that brief online-based mindfulness interventions exert positive impact on HRV.
Comorbidities in people living with HIV: An epidemiologic and economic analysis using a claims database in France
Authors: Pourcher Valérie , Gourmelen Julie , Bureau Isabelle , Bouee Stéphane
Published: December 2020

Objectives

As people living with HIV (PLHIV) age, the burden of non-HIV related comorbidities increases resulting in additional healthcare costs. The present study aimed to describe the profile, the prevalence and the incremental costs of non-HIV related comorbidities in PLHIV compared to non-HIV matched controls (1:2 ratio) in France.

Methods

The French permanent sample of health beneficiaries (Echantillon généraliste de bénéficiaires[EGB]), a claims database representative of the national population, was used to assess comorbidities in PLHIV which were identified by the ICD-10 diagnosis codes of hospitalization, full healthcare coverage, and drug reimbursements between 2011 and 2014. The control group was matched by year of birth, gender, region of residence, and economic status. Total costs of outpatient care and hospitalizations were analysed from a societal perspective. A general linear model was used to assess the incremental cost per patient in PLHIV.

Results

A total of 1,091 PLHIV and 2,181 matched controls were identified with a mean ± standard deviation age of 46.7 ± 11.5 years. The prevalence of alcohol abuse (5.8% vs 3.1%; p<0.001), chronic renal disease (1.2% vs 0.3%; p = 0.003), cardiovascular disease (7.4% vs 5.1%; p = 0.009), dyslipidaemia (22% vs 15.9%; p<0.001), hepatitis B (3.8% vs 0.1%; p<0.001) and hepatitis C (12.5% vs 0.6%; p<0.001) was significantly higher in PLHIV compared with non-HIV controls. Other comorbidities such as anaemia, malnutrition, psychiatric diseases, and neoplasms were also more prevalent in PLHIV. Hospitalizations were significantly increased in PLHIV compared to controls (33.2% vs 16%; p<0.001). Mean total cost was 6 times higher for PLHIV compared to controls and 4 times higher after excluding antiretroviral drugs (9,952€ vs. 2,593€; p<0.001). Higher costs per person in PLHIV were significantly associated to aging (42€ per patient/year), chronic cardiovascular disease (3,003€), hepatitis C (6,705€), metastatic carcinoma (6,880€) and moderate or severe liver disease (6,299€).

Conclusion

Our results demonstrated an increase in non-HIV related comorbidities among PLHIV compared to matched controls. This study contributes to raise awareness on the burden of chronic comorbidities.
Perceptions of virtual primary care physicians: A focus group study of medical and data science graduate students
Authors: Goetz Courtney M. , Arnetz Judith E. , Sudan Sukhesh , Arnetz Bengt B.
Published: December 2020

Background

Artificial and virtual technologies in healthcare have advanced rapidly, and healthcare systems have been adapting care accordingly. An intriguing new development is the virtual physician, which can diagnose and treat patients independently.

Methods and findings

This qualitative study of advanced degree students aimed to assess their perceptions of using a virtual primary care physician as a patient. Four focus groups were held: first year medical students, fourth year medical students, first year engineering/data science graduate students, and fourth year engineering/data science graduate students. The focus groups were audiotaped, transcribed verbatim, and content analyses of the transcripts was performed using a data-driven inductive approach. Themes identified concerned advantages, disadvantages, and the future of virtual primary care physicians. Within those main categories, 13 themes emerged and 31 sub-themes.

Discussion

While participants appreciated that a virtual primary care physician would be convenient, efficient, and cost-effective, they also expressed concern about data privacy and the potential for misdiagnosis. To garner trust from its potential users, future virtual primary physicians should be programmed with a sufficient amount of trustworthy data and have a high level of transparency and accountability for patients.
Knowledge reuse in software projects: Retrieving software development Q&A posts based on project task similarity
Authors: Melo Glaucia , Oliveira Toacy , Alencar Paulo , Cowan Donald
Published: December 2020

Software developers need to cope with a massive amount of knowledge throughout the typical life cycle of modern projects. This knowledge includes expertise related to the software development phases (e.g., programming, testing) using a wide variety of methods and tools, including development methodologies (e.g., waterfall, agile), software tools (e.g., Eclipse), programming languages (e.g., Java, SQL), and deployment strategies (e.g., Docker, Jenkins). However, there is no explicit integration of these various types of knowledge with software development projects so that developers can avoid having to search over and over for similar and recurrent solutions to tasks and reuse this knowledge. Specifically, Q&A sites such as Stack Overflow are used by developers to share software development knowledge through posts published in several categories, but there is no link between these posts and the tasks developers perform. In this paper, we present an approach that (i) allows developers to associate project tasks with Stack Overflow posts, and (ii) recommends which Stack Overflow posts might be reused based on task similarity. We analyze an industry dataset, which contains project tasks associated with Stack Overflow posts, looking for the similarity of project tasks that reuse a Stack Overflow post. The approach indicates that when a software developer is performing a task, and this task is similar to another task that has been associated with a post, the same post can be recommended to the developer and possibly reused. We believe that this approach can significantly advance the state of the art of software knowledge reuse by supporting novel knowledge-project associations.
Adaptation and resilience of commercial fishers in the Northeast United States during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: Smith Sarah Lindley , Golden Abigail S. , Ramenzoni Victoria , Zemeckis Douglas R. , Jensen Olaf P.
Published: December 2020

Commercial fisheries globally experienced numerous and significant perturbations during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, affecting the livelihoods of millions of fishers worldwide. In the Northeast United States, fishers grappled with low prices and disruptions to export and domestic markets, leaving many tied to the dock, while others found ways to adapt to the changing circumstances brought about by the pandemic. This paper investigates the short-term impacts of the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic (March-June 2020) on commercial fishers in the Northeast U.S. to understand the effects of the pandemic on participation in the fishery and fishers’ economic outcomes, using data collected from an online survey of 258 Northeast U.S. commercial fishers. This research also assesses characteristics of those fishers who continued fishing and their adaptive strategies to the changing circumstances. Analysis of survey responses found the majority of fishers continued fishing during the early months of the pandemic, while a significant number had stopped fishing. Nearly all reported a loss of income, largely driven by disruptions of export markets, the loss of restaurant sales, and a resulting decline in seafood prices. Landings data demonstrate that while fishing pressure in 2020 was reduced for some species, it remained on track with previous years for others. Fishers reported engaging in a number of adaptation strategies, including direct sales of seafood, switching species, and supplementing their income with government payments or other sources of income. Many fishers who had stopped fishing indicated plans to return, suggesting refraining from fishing as a short-term adaptation strategy, rather than a plan to permanently stop fishing. Despite economic losses, fishers in the Northeast U.S. demonstrated resilience in the face of the pandemic by continuing to fish and implementing other adaptation strategies rather than switching to other livelihoods.