bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Positive Effects of the Combined Application of Compost and Biochar on Metal(loid) Immobilization and Plant Growth Depend on Their Application Quantity
Authors: Hassan Sayyeda Hira , Chafik Yassine , Sena-Velez Marta , Lebrun Manhattan , Scippa Gabriella Stefania , Bourgerie Sylvain , Trupiano Dalila , Morabito Domenico
Published: April 2023

A combination of compost and biochar has been proven to be a promising strategy to immobilize metal(loid)s and improve soil properties. To the best of our knowledge, no study has been conducted to investigate the effect of biochar and compost combination administered at different rates on mining technosol. Thus, we investigated the effect of different rates of compost (20%, 40%, 60% w/w) in combination with biochar (0%, 2%, 6% w/w) on soil physiochemical properties and the mobility of arsenic (As) and lead (Pb), the ability of Arabidopsis thaliana (ecotype Columbia-0) to grow and accumulate metal(loid)s. All modalities improved pH and electrical conductivity, stabilized Pb and mobilized As, but only the mixture of 20% compost and 6% biochar improved plant growth. Plants in all modalities showed a significant reduction in root and shoot Pb concentrations compared to the non-amended technosol. Whereas, As shoot concentration was significantly lower for plants in all modalities (except with 20% compost only) compared to non-amended technosol. For root As, plants in all modalities showed no significant reduction except for the mixture of 20% compost and biochar. Overall, the mixture of 20% compost with 6% biochar represents the optimum combination for improving plant growth and As uptake.
The Omicron Sub-Variant BA.4 Displays a Remarkable Lack of Clinical Signs in a Golden Syrian Hamster Model of SARS-CoV-2 Infection
Authors: Davies Elizabeth R. , Ryan Kathryn A. , Bewley Kevin R. , Coombes Naomi S. , Salguero Francisco J. , Carnell Oliver T. , Biddlecombe Sarah , Charlton Michael , Challis Amy , Cross Eleanor S. , Handley Alastair , Ngabo Didier , Weldon Thomas M. , Hall Yper , Funnell Simon G. P.
Published: April 2023

The ongoing emergence of SARS-CoV-2 virus variants remains a source of concern because it is accompanied by the potential for increased virulence as well as evasion of immunity. Here we show that, although having an almost identical spike gene sequence as another Omicron variant (BA.5.2.1), a BA.4 isolate lacked all the typical disease characteristics of other isolates seen in the Golden Syrian hamster model despite replicating almost as effectively. Animals infected with BA.4 had similar viral shedding profiles to that seen with BA.5.2.1 (up to day 6 post infection) but they all failed to lose weight or present with any other significant clinical signs. We hypothesize that this lack of detectable signs of disease during infection with BA.4 was due to a small (nine nucleotide) deletion (∆686-694) in the viral genome (ORF1ab) responsible for production of non-structural protein 1 which resulted in the loss of three amino acids (aa 141-143).
A Low-Cost Instrument for Multidimensional Characterization of Advanced Wireless Communication Technologies
Authors: Gounella Rodrigo , Martins Augusto , Pepino Vinicius , Borges Ben-Hur Viana , Carmo Joao
Published: April 2023

3D printing is commonly used to create complex objects at a low cost. It has also been applied in the fabrication of metamaterials and metasurfaces, which alter the propagation path of electromagnetic waves. These structures have diverse applications, including enhancing beam direction, improving antenna gain and signal-to-noise ratio, and creating filters and reflectors. Metasurfaces are cheap to fabricate and their use is expected to boost antenna efficiency in 5G telecommunications and beyond. However, accurately characterizing their profile remains a significant challenge. This paper presents a low-cost fully automated 4-axis instrument for microwave metasurface charac-terization, overcoming limitations of manual methods and offering an efficient and accurate approach. This research represents a significant advancement in microwave metasurface characterization, enabling sophisticated techniques to advance wireless communication technolo-gies, as it is the case of the future 5G and millimeter-wave communication systems. The equipment has an approximate cost of $1550 USD and was able to characterize a metalens with a focal distance of 20 cm designed for signals at 30 GHz. It was possible to create 2D and 3D profiles of the intensity distribution focused by the metalens and extract parameters such as the gain (8.05 dB), 3dB depth of focus (11 cm) and full width at half maximum (2.17 cm). The comparison of the measurements with the diffraction calculations of the metalens showed a very good agreement between the in-tensity distributions and the parameters of the metalens.
Hexavalent Chromium Induces Infertility in Rats by Elevating Oxidative Stress, DNA Double-Strand Breaks, Microtubule Disruption, and Aberrant Segregation of Chromosomes in the Metaphase-II Oocytes
Authors: Wuri Liga , Burghardt Robert C , Arosh Joe A , Long Charles R , Banu Sakhila K.
Published: April 2023

Environmental and occupational exposure to hexavalent chromium, Cr(VI), causes female reproductive failures and infertility. Cr(VI) is used in more than 50 industries and is a group-A carcinogen, mutagenic and teratogenic, and a male and female reproductive toxicant. Our previous findings indicate that Cr(VI) causes follicular atresia, trophoblast cell apoptosis, and mitochondrial dysfunction in metaphase II (MII) oocytes. However, the integrated molecular mechanism of Cr(VI)-induced oocyte defects are not understood. The current study investigates the mechanism of Cr(VI) in causing meiotic disruption of MII oocytes, leading to infertility in superovulated rats. Postnatal day (PND)-22 rats were treated with potassium dichromate (1 and 5 ppm) in drinking water from PND 22-29 and superovulated. MII oocytes were analyzed by immunofluorescence, and images were captured by confocal microscopy and quantified by Image Pro Plus software. Our data showed that Cr(VI) increased microtubule misalignment, missegregation of chromosomes, a bulged and folded actin cap, oxidative DNA and protein damage, increased DNA double-strand break, and DNA repair protein RAD51. Cr(VI) also induced incomplete cytokinesis and delayed polar body extrusion. Our study indicates that exposure to environmentally relevant doses of Cr(VI) caused severe DNA damage, distorted oocyte cytoskeletal proteins, and caused oxidative DNA and protein damage leading to infertility.
Assessment of the Effect of International Maritime Regulations on Air Quality in the Southern North Sea
Authors: Van Roy Ward , Merveille Jean-Baptiste , Scheldeman Kobe , Van Nieuwenhove Annelore , Van Roozendael Benjamin , Schallier Ronny , Maes Frank
Published: April 2023

Air pollution is a leading cause of death worldwide, and has a profound impact on the planet's climate and ecosystems. A substantial portion of air pollution is attributable to Ocean Going Vessels (OGVs). In light of this, international regulations have been put in place to mitigate air pollutant emissions from OGVs. While studies have indicated that these regulations can create significant health, environmental, and economic benefits, there remains a research gap regarding their specific impact on enhancing air quality. The aim of this study is to investigate how the implemented regulations have affected air quality in the Southern North Sea. The study found that the international regulations on ship emissions have successfully led to a decline in SO2 emissions from OGVs in the Southern North Sea, which resulted in a reduction of ambient SO2 concentrations inland, leading to positive effects on public health and the environment. However, it was projected that their proportion is tend to increase in the following years. Moreover, the study revealed that Exhaust Gas Cleaning Systems (EGCS) present significant concerns. They were significantly more frequently found to be non-compliant, and more alarmingly, they emit notably higher average levels of SO2. It also turned out that international regulations in the southern North Sea have less effect on the reduction of NOx emissions from OGVs than expected. The NOx emissions from OGVs will even account for an alarming 40% of the total domestic NOx emissions for the Belgian Region by 2030.
Impact of COVID-19 on the Care of Patients With HIV Infection
Authors: Rosas Cancio-Suárez Marta , Alonso Celia , Vivancos María Jesús , Pérez-Elías María Jesús , Martínez-Sanz Javier , Cárdenas María José , Vélez-Díaz-Pallarés Manuel , Corbacho María Dolores , Martín-Pedraza Laura , Muriel Alfonso , Moreno Santiago
Published: April 2023

The COVID-19 pandemic and associated lockdown measures have been associated with substantial disruptions to health care services, including screening for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and management of people living with HIV (PLWH). Methods: Data from 3265 patients were examined in a retrospective cohort study. We compared outpatient follow-up for PLWH, the number of new patients, treatment adherence, hospitalizations, and deaths during the “pandemic period” (March 2020 to February 2021) to the “pre-pandemic period” (the equivalent timeframe in 2019) and the “post-pandemic period” (March to September 2021). Results: During the pandemic period, the number of new patients seen at the HIV clinic (116), as well as the requested viral load tests (2414), decreased significantly compared to the pre-pandemic (204 and 2831, respectively) and post-pandemic periods (146 and 2640, respectively)(p<0.01 for all the comparisons). However, across the three study periods, the number of drug refills (1385, 1330, 1411, respectively), the number of patients with undetectable viral loads (85%, 90%, 93%, respectively), and the number of hospital admissions among PLWH remained constant. Conclusions: Despite the COVID-19 pandemic impact, our findings show stability in the retention of clinical care, adherence to treatment, and viral suppression of PLWH, with no significant impact on hospitalization rates and all-cause mortality.
Failure of Micractinium simplicissimum Phosphate Resilience upon Abrupt Re-Feeding of its Phosphorus-Starved Cultures
Authors: Lobakova Elena , Gorelova Olga , Selyakh Irina , Semenova Larisa , Scherbakov Pavel , Vasilieva Svetlana , Zaytsev Petr , Shibzukhova Karina , Chivkunova Olga , Baulina Olga , Solovchenko Alexei
Published: April 2023

Microalgae are naturally adapted to fluctuating availability of phosphorus (P) being capable to opportunistically uptake large amounts of inorganic phosphate (Pi) and safely store it in the cell as polyphosphate. Hence, many microalgal species are remarkably resilient to high concentrations of external Pi. Here we report on an exception from this pattern comprised by a failure of the high Pi-resilience in a strain Micractinium simplicissimum IPPAS C-2056 normally coping with a very high Pi concentrations. This phenomenon occurred after abrupt re-supplementation of Pi to the M. simplicissimum culture pre-starved of P. This was the case even if Pi was re-supplemented in a concentration far below the level toxic to the P-sufficient culture. We hypothesize that this effect can be mediated by a rapid formation of the potentially toxic short-chain polyphosphate following the mass influx of Pi into the P-starved cell. A possible reason for this is that the preceding P starvation impairs the capacity of the cell of converting the newly absorbed Pi into a “safe” storage form of long-chain polyphosphate. We believe that findings of this study can help to avoid sudden culture crashes, they are also of potential significance for development of algae-based technologies for efficient bioremoval of P from P-rich waste streams.
Art and the City’s Fiction in Japanese-American internment camps. Sequels for sustainability.
Authors: Rodriguez-Cunill Inmaculada , Cabeza-Lainez Jose Maria , Lopez-Cabrales Maria del Mar
Published: April 2023

In this article, we have tried to answer the questions of how an entire city's fiction was created for the development of Japanese American internment camps and in which way contributions of sustainable crafts and even art could have interceded. To this aim, we have searched the literature and reviewed archives, primarily from the American West Coast. We have found that beyond adaptation to the circumstances, the visual representation of the city's settlement, founding, and daily activities, instead of typical panoptic or somber prisons’ imagery, are depicted in the selected images and that their use precisely fostered its sustainability. This leads us to deduce that a "city fiction" was necessary for such survival and endurance and that its artistic representation was primarily involved in the state's ideological apparatus. On the other hand, fissures subtly seethed the violence exerted in the camps by stealth and in a hidden fashion. We have concluded that artistic activity justified the city's fiction, together with other examples, highlighting the conditions of systemic violence and oppression for the inmates. In this framework, the artworks generated constitute a historical document of sustainability.
Mechanical Behavior of Crimping Composite Post Insulator : Experimental and Simulation Study
Authors: Xiao Jin , Zhang Yanhong , Xing Yichuan , Jiao Yangyang , Zhang Lihong
Published: April 2023

The composite post insulator composed of a large diameter mandrel and flange pressed by one-time integral pultrusion has high strength and good toughness, widely used in the existing flexible converter valve. For constructing the finite element model of the crimped post insulator, most of the flange surface and the mandrel surface are directly connected, making the simulation model's stiffness deviate from the actual model and the model distortion. Based on this, this study proposes a new finite element simplified model of crimped composite post insulator based on Multi-Point Constraints (MPC), which accurately simulates the crimping area of man-drel and flange in engineering practice. It verifies the model's reliability through static tests and characteristic vibration tests. The results show that the difference between the finite element simulation and test results is within 5 %. The finite element modeling method based on MPC local constraints is very reliable in applying crimped composite post insulators.
Based on the proposed model, the influence of flange height and thickness on the mechanical properties of composite post-insulators is further explored. The results show that the influence of flange height on mechanical properties can be ignored when the height of the insulator stiff-ener ( non-press common area ) is constant. Within the allowable thickness range of the flange crimping process, the increase in flange thickness will significantly reduce the maximum bend-ing stress of the insulator and increase its safety margin. It provides a good design idea for the design of crimping composite insulators.
Similarities of Interspecies Transmission of Distemper Virus Infection in Wild Raccoons (Procyon lotor)
Authors: Stancu Adrian Constantin , Voia Octavian Sorin , Boldura Oana Maria , Pasca Sorin Aurelian , Luca Iasmina , Hulea Anca S. , Ivan Oana Roxana , Lungu Bianca Cornelia , Hutu Ioan
Published: April 2023

Canine distemper virus (CDV) is a serious contagious disease of canines, cats and sometimes ra-coons. The study included seven raccoons from Timisoara Zoo. The detection of CDV in all raccoons was accomplished using qRT-PCR, but several other exams were also conducted. Clinically, severe digestive disorders were observed, characterized by diarrhea and repeated hematemesis. Pseudomembranous gastroenteritis, congestion and pulmonary edema were found during the ne-cropsy of two racoons. Immunohistochemically, the brown color was highlighted in the examined sectionsand it was present in the cytoplasm of the cells from the germinal centers of the medullary area. Histopathological examination revealed lymphocyte depletion and intranuclear and intracy-toplasmic inclusions in the intestine. Based on the qRT-PCR assay, laboratory tests and lesions ob-served, it was established that the raccoons got infected with CDV, and two of them died as a result. The necropsy, histological lesions and immunohistochemical results are comparable between dogs and racoons. Through the results obtained, it was concluded that the interspecific infection is possible and the epidemiological risk of infection transmitted by racoons to domestic animals, such as dogs and cats, needs to be examined in the future.
Optimizing Semi-Airborne Electromagnetic Survey Design for Mineral Exploration
Authors: Nazari Saeed , Rochlitz Raphael , Günther Thomas
Published: April 2023

As semi-airborne mineral exploration has limited budgets, it is critical to design experimental procedures that generate data maximizing the desired information We investigate the effects of transmitter-receiver geometries for a variety of anomalies and semi-airborne layouts. Our simulations indicate that 200 m flight line spacing and 100 m point distance are the optimal trade-off between coverage and survey progress for various targets. Based on the target size and distance between the transmitter and the target, the transmitter length should be at least equal to the length of the target and for more than 1 km, at least two or three times the target size. Likewise important are the location and direction of the transmitter cables, which can have great impact on the result of inversion and should be parallel to the target strike. By using more than one transmitter, better results are obtained. If the strike of the target is known, transmitters should be parallel to each other and if not, it is better to use perpendicular transmitters. Results showed that the optimal distance between transmitters is 3 km. Our simulations show that it is even possible to recover targets just below the transmitter in corresponding areas of masked data.
Laboratory Comparison of Low-Cost Particulate Matter Sensors to Measure Transient Events of Pollution - Part B - Particle Number Concentrations
Authors: Bulot Florentin Michel Jacques , Russell Hugo Savill , Rezaei Mohsen , Johnson Matthew Stanley , Ossont Steven James , Morris Andrew Kevin Richard , Basford Philip James , Easton Natasha Hazel Celeste , Mitchell Hazel Louise , Foster Gavin Lee , Loxham Matthew , Cox Simon James
Published: April 2023

Low-cost particulate matter (PM) sensors offer an excellent opportunity to improve our knowledge about this type of pollution. Their size and their cost, which support multi-node network deployment, along with their temporal resolution, enable them to report fine spatio-temporal resolution for a given area. These sensors have known issues across performance metrics. Generally, the literature focuses on the PM mass concentration reported by these sensors but some models of sensors also report particle number concentrations (PNC) segregated into different PM size bins. In this study, 8 units of each Alphasense OPC-R1, Plantower PMS5003 and Sensirion SPS30 have been exposed, under controlled conditions, to short-lived peaks of PM generated using two different combustion sources of PM, exposing the sensors to different particle size distributions to quantify and better understand the low cost sensors performance across a range of relevant environmental ranges. The PNC reported by the sensors were analysed. This study showed that there is added value in directly using the PNC reported by the sensors instead of the mass concentrations, which could aid the efforts to calibrate these sensors to a known accuracy. It demonstrated that all sensors tested here could track the fine temporal variation of PNC, that the Alphasense OPC-R1 could closely follow the variations of size distribution between the two sources of PM, and it showed that particle size distribution and composition are more impactful on the sensors measurement than relative humidity.
The Determinants of   Emissions in the Context of ESG Models at World Level
Authors: Costantiello Alberto , Leogrande Angelo
Published: April 2023

We estimate the determinants of Emissions-COE in the context of Environmental, Social and Governance-ESG model at world level. We use data of the World Bank for 193 countries in the period 2011-2020. We found that the level of COE is positively associated, among others to “Methane Emissions”, “Research and Development Expenditures”, and negatively associated among others to “Renewable Energy Consumption” and “Mean Drought Index”. Furthermore, we have applied a cluster analysis with the k-Means algorithm optimized with the Elbow Method and we find the presence of four cluster. Finally, we apply eight machine-learning algorithms for the prediction of the future value of COE and we find that the Artificial Neural Network-ANN algorithm is the best predictor. The ANN predicts a reduction in the level of COE equal to 5.69% on average for the analysed countries.
Review of Personalized Medicine and Pharmacogenomics of Anti-Cancer Compounds and Natural Products
Authors: Zhou Yalan , Peng Siqi , Wang Huizhen , Cai Xinyin , Wang Qingzhong
Published: April 2023

In recent years, the FDA has approved numerous antitumor drugs that are mutation-based for clinical use. These drugs have improved the precision of treatment and reduced adverse effects and side effects. Personalized therapy is a prominent and hot topic of current medicine and also represents the future direction of development. With the continuous advancements in gene sequencing and high-throughput screening, research and development strategies for personalized clinical drugs have developed rapidly. This review elaborated the recent personalized treatment strategies, which include artificial intelligence, multi-omics analysis, chemical proteomics, and computation aided drug design. These technologies rely on the molecular classification of diseases, the global signaling network within organisms, and new models for all targets, which significantly support the development of personalized medicine. Meanwhile, we summarized chemical drugs such as lorlatinib, osimertinib, and other natural products that deliver personalized therapeutic effects based on genetic mutations. This review also highlights potential challenges in interpreting genetic mutations and combining drugs, while providing new ideas for the development of personalized medicine and pharmacogenomics in cancer study.
Organic Luminescent Sensor for Mercury(II) and Iron(III) Ions in Aqueous Solutions
Authors: Kanan Sofian , Shabnam Aysha , Mohamed Ahmed A , Abu-Yousef Imad a
Published: April 2023

The substrate N1, N3, N5 -tris(2-hydroxyphenyl)benzene-1,3,5-tricarboxamide (Sensor A) was prepared in the reaction of 1,3,5-benzenetricarboxylic acid (trimesic acid) and o-aminophenol in ethanol. The prepared organic sensor fulfills the chemiluminescent requirements including luminophore, spacer, and suitable binding receptor that distress the probe's luminescent features, providing selective and sensitive detection of mercury and iron ions in aqueous solutions. The sensor selectively detects mercury and iron ions in a water matrix containing various metal ions including sodium, calcium, magnesium, zinc, and nickel. Strong and immediate binding was observed between mercury ions and the substrate at pH 7.0 with a binding affinity toward Hg (II) enhanced by nine folds higher than that observed for iron sensor binding affinity, which makes the substrate a distinctive luminescence sensor for mercury detection at ambient conditions. The sensor shows a linear response toward Hg (II) in the concentration range from 4.2 x 10-5 to 2.0 x 10-8 M with a limit of detection of 1.0 x 10-8 M. Further, Sensor A provides linear detection for iron ions in the range from 1.5 x 10-3 to 1.5 x 10-8 M. The measured adsorption capacity of Sensor A toward mercury ions ranged from 1.25 to 1.97 mg/g and the removal efficiency from water samples reached 98.8% at pH 7.0. The data demonstrate that Sensor A is an excellent probe for detecting and removing mercury ions from water bodies.
Numerical Analysis of New Stainless Steel Corrugated Plate Reinforcement of Shield Tunnel Segmental Joints Based on Virtual Tracking Element Technology
Authors: Ding Wenqi , Ma Chang , Guo Yingjie , Li Xiaoran , Li Shuobiao
Published: April 2023

The shield tunnels inevitably endure various damage with the service time increasing. Meanwhile, steel corrugated plate has been used extensively in multiple conditions and proved effective to strengthen the segmental joints by full-scale tests. A numerical model is proposed to probe the feasibility of using new Stainless Steel Corrugated Plate (SSCP) to reinforce the shield tunnel segments. A new method, called virtual tracking element technology, is employed to achieve the simulation of realistic stress state of the segmental joint. Moreover, the segmental joint component analysis and parametric study are conducted based on the numerical model. The results demonstrate that: (1) the virtual tracking element technology proves valid and efficient to simulate the secondary stress state of segmental joint; (2) SSCP reinforcement is not fully utilized when the grade of segmental concrete is C50 and it has abundant safety margin for potential overload; (3) SSCP reinforcement is well-performed regardless of the burial depth and reinforcement in advance is recommended.
ROSGPT: Next-Generation Human-Robot Interaction with ChatGPT and ROS
Authors: Koubaa Anis
Published: April 2023

his paper presents ROSGPT, an innovative concept that harnesses the capabilities of large language models (LLMs) to significantly advance human-robot interaction. We develop ROSGPT as a ROS2 package that seamlessly integrates ChatGPT with ROS2-based robotic systems. The core idea is to leverage prompt engineering with LLMs, specifically ChatGPT, utilizing its unique properties such as ability eliciting, chain-of-thought, and instruction tuning. The concept employs ontology development to convert unstructured natural language commands into structured robotic instructions specific to the application context through prompt engineering. We capitalize on LLMs' zero-shots and few-shots learning capabilities by eliciting \textit{structured} robotic commands from \textit{unstructured} human language inputs. To demonstrate the feasibility of this concept, we implemented a proof-of-concept that integrates ChatGPT with ROS2, showcasing the transformation of human language instructions into spatial navigation commands for a ROS2-enabled robot. This versatile concept can be easily adapted to various other robotic missions. ROSGPT serves as a new stride towards Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) and paves the way for the robotics and natural language processing communities to collaborate in creating novel, intuitive human-robot interactions. The open-source implementation of ROSGPT on ROS 2 is available on GitHub.
The Influence of Glycerol Flow through a Shielded Coil on an Enzyme Placed Near Its Side
Authors: Ivanov Yuri D. , Shumov Ivan D. , Kozlov Andrey F. , Ershova Maria O. , Valueva Anastasia A. , Ivanova Irina A. , Tatur Vadim Y. , Lukyanitsa Andrei A. , Ivanova Nina D. , Ziborov Vadim S.
Published: April 2023

Glycerol has found its applications as a heat-transfer fluid in heat exchangers, and as a compo-nent of functional solutions in biosensor analysis. Flowing non-aqueous fluids are known to be able to induce electromagnetic fields due to triboelectric effect. These triboelectrically generated electromagnetic fields can affect biological macromolecules. Horseradish peroxidase (HRP) is widely employed as a convenient model object for studying how external electric, magnetic, and electromagnetic fields affect enzymes. Herein, we have studied whether the flow of glycerol in a ground-shielded cylindrical coil affects the HRP enzyme incubated at a 2 cm distance near the coil’s side. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) has been employed in order to study the effect of glycerol flow on HRP at the nanoscale. Increased aggregation of HRP on mica has been observed after the incubation of the enzyme near the coil. Moreover, the enzymatic activity of HRP has also been affected. The results reported can find their application in biotechnology, food technology and life sciences application, considering the development of triboelectric generators, en-zyme-based biosensors and bioreactors with surface-immobilized enzymes. Our data can also be of interest for scientists studying triboelectric phenomena.
Smartphone- and Cloud-based Artificial Intelligence Quantitative Analysis System (SCAISY) for SARS-CoV-2-specific IgG Antibody Lateral Flow Assays
Authors: Kumar Samir , Ko Taewoo , Chae Yeonghun , Lee Ahyeon , Shin Sanghoon , Nam Myung-Hyun , Kim Byung Soo , Jun Hyun Sik , Seo Sungkyu
Published: April 2023

Smartphone-based point-of-care testing (POCT) is rapidly emerging as an alternative to traditional screening and laboratory testing, particularly in resource-limited settings. In this proof-of-concept study, we present a smartphone- and cloud-based artificial intelligence quantitative analysis system (SCAISY) for relative quantification of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)-specific IgG antibody lateral flow assays that enables rapid and accurate evaluation of test strips. By capturing an image with a smartphone camera, SCAISY quantitatively analyzes antibody levels and provides results to the user. We analyzed changes in antibody levels over time in over 248 individuals, including vaccine type, number of doses, and infection status, with a standard deviation of less than 10%. We also tracked antibody levels in six participants before and after SARS-CoV-2 infection. Finally, we examined the effects of lighting conditions, camera angle, and smartphone type to ensure consistency and reproducibility. This study suggests that SCAISY is a simple and powerful tool for real-time public health surveillance, enabling the acceleration of quantifying SARS-CoV-2-specific antibodies generated by either vaccination or infection and tracking of personal immunity levels.
Digital Twin Of Shipbuilding Process in Shipyard 4.0
Authors: Iwańkowicz Remigiusz Romuald , Rutkowski Radosław
Published: April 2023

Current trends in industrial development strive for maximum digitalization. The digital industrial revolution has been going on for more than a dozen years, Industry 4.0 and the idea of digital twins (DT) is becoming the focus of virtually all industrial sectors. Some sectors are more predisposed to digitalization, for others the process is much more difficult. This depends mainly on the specific characteristics and susceptibility of a given industry, including the current degree of digitalization of enterprises, as well as the knowledge and mental readiness of employees. The individual characteristics of an industry are important. Shipyards belong to the industry with a traditional approach, where the degree of digitalization remains low. As a result, the efficiency of shipbuilding processes and the quality of ships built are not sufficiently controlled. The article addresses this problem, reviews work in the field of digitalization of shipbuilding processes and points out the needs and challenges in this area. The article proposes the concept of a DT system for the entire ship design and production process. Key areas of digitalization of actual processes were defined, and a division was made into planning, monitoring and process analysis activities. Special attention was paid to the area of dimensional quality control and the Dimensional Quality Management Metasystem (DQMM) was featured in the comprehensive DT system. The requirements were defined and the limitations of the proposed solution were identified, taking into account a number of external factors including the degree of readiness of the manufacturer – the shipyard. The developed DT system concept was tested on the example of the construction process of a simplified ship. Practical aspects of the implementation of the proposed solution, in particular DQMM, were indicated.
Assessment of Economic Sustainability of Cropping Systems in the Salt-Affected Coastal Zone of West Bengal, India
Authors: Ray Krishnendu , Mandal Suman , Kabir Md. Jahangir , Sarkar Sukamal , Roy Kalyan , Brahmachari Koushik , Ghosh Argha , Nanda Manoj K , Misra Sanchayeeta , Ghorui Supriya , Goswami Rupak , Mainuddin Mohammed
Published: April 2023

Identifying productive, profitable and less risky cropping systems is important for sustaining farm-based livelihoods in the context of climatic uncertainties and market volatility in many developing nations. Reductionist field crop research identifies the best-bet solutions based on treatment replicates at a single point in time, which may not account for price instability under climatic uncertainties and volatile markets. Keeping this in mind, we estimated productivity, profitability and weather-related risk from eleven different rice-based cropping systems (eight existing and three potential systems) in the coastal region of West Bengal, India. Information on the crop management practices, yield and prices of the component crops of these eleven cropping systems, under ’best,’ ’normal’ and ‘worst’ situations (scenario), were collected through a ques-tionnaire survey on50 farms of Gosaba Block, West Bengal, India. Irrespective of the scenarios, the rice-lathyrus systems, followed by rice-onion and rice-lentil systems recorded the lowest rice-equivalent yields and system yields. However, the highest rice-equivalent yields and system yields were recorded for rice-chilli systems, followed by rice-tomato and rice-potato-green gram systems. Per hectare total paid-out cost (TPC) of rice-tomato systems was higher, followed by rice-chilli, rice-potato-green gram and rice-potato systems. However, irrespective of seasonal conditions (best, normal and worst), rice-chilli systems gave a higher net return followed by rice-tomato and rice-potato-green gram systems. The rice-fallow system recorded the lowest value for both parameters. Under the worst seasonal conditions, the rice-onion system gave a negative net return. Under all the scenarios, the highest B:C ratio was observed for rice-chilli, rice-tomato, rice-potato-green gram and rice-potato systems. The cumulative probability distribution of the rice-tomato system showed first-degree stochastic dominance over other systems and the rice-chilli system showed second-degree stochastic dominance over the rest of the systems. Only the rice-onion system had a small chance (< 1%) of a negative net return, while the rest of the cropping systems were highly likely to get a positive net return. Taking productivity, economics, and risk assessment of different rice-based systems into account, rice-vegetable systems, especially rice-tomato and rice-chilli among the existing systems and rice-potato-green gram system among the potential systems, can be recommended for sustainable intensification in these coastal saline tracts of the region. We also discuss additional socio-economic factors explored by in-depth in-terviews with the farmers, which might influence the adoption and upscaling of these cropping systems in the region.
Considerations of the Working Environment within the Method for Assessing Occupational Risks: Mevar in Construction
Authors: Bulboacă Costinel , Gheorghe Marilena , Chivu Oana Roxana , Bulboacă Eugenia , Nitoi Dan , Villi Pasare , Marinescu Marinela , Butu Larisa
Published: April 2023

Aspects are presented on the interpretation of certainties by assessing risks with maximum level in order to establish reasonable limits of acceptance, tolerance or assumption of risks, supplementing environmental risk factors with external, social, financial elements and introducing a category in the work system analysis.Comparative aspects between INCDPM and MEvAR methods are presented as proposals in the associated tables.The conclusions highlight the current aspects implemented in the method and their usefulness.
Total Hip and Knee Arthroplasty Surgery in the Morbidly Obese Patient
Authors: Carroll Jeremy D. , Young Joseph R. , Mori Benjamin Villacres , Gheewala Rohan , Lakra Akshay , DiCaprio Matthew R.
Published: April 2023

» Obesity, defined as body mass index (BMI) ≥30, is a serious public health concern associated with an increased incidence of stroke, diabetes, mental illness, and cardiovascular disease resulting in numerous preventable deaths yearly.

» From 1999 through 2018, the age-adjusted prevalence of morbid obesity (BMI ≥40) in US adults aged 20 years and older has risen steadily from 4.7% to 9.2%, with other estimates showing that most of the patients undergoing hip and knee replacement by 2029 will be obese (BMI ≥30) or morbidly obese (BMI ≥40).

» In patients undergoing total joint arthroplasty (TJA), morbid obesity (BMI ≥40) is associated with an increased risk of perioperative complications, including prosthetic joint infection and mechanical failure necessitating aseptic revision.

» The current literature on the role that bariatric weight loss surgery before TJA has on improving surgical outcomes is split and referral to a bariatric surgeon should be a shared-decision between patient and surgeon on a case-by-case basis.

» Despite the increased risk profile of TJA in the morbidly obese cohort, these patients consistently show improvement in pain and physical function postoperatively that should be considered when deciding for or against surgery.
Multiple Spinal Metastases of Anaplastic Meningioma: A Case Report
Authors: Lee Jong Hyeok , Sung Soon Ki , Oh Bu Kwang , Lee Jun Seok , Lee Chi Hyung , Hwang Chung Su , Lee Sang Weon , Song Geun Sung
Published: April 2023

Meningiomas are primary benign tumors that occur in intracranial and intraspinal regions. Rarely, atypical and anaplastic meningiomas exhibit malignant tendencies and can metastasize. A 56-year-old female patient visited the hospital complaining of a dull headache, mild dysarthria, sudden onset of blurred vision, and mild weakness in the left upper limbs. A homogeneously augmented mass was revealed in the right temporal lobe following magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and was determined to be an anaplastic meningioma after surgical resection. During follow-up, revision surgery was performed due to the recurrence of the primary tumor. After the revision surgery, the patient complained of new symptoms, which included paresthesia and muscle weakness in the right lower extremity. MRI revealed a mass in the cervical and lumbar vertebrae suspected to have been metastasized. Another revision surgery was conducted on the intracranial primary tumor. The tumor was resected from the cervical and lumbar vertebrae. Histopathology revealed that they were all anaplastic meningiomas. Although anaplastic meningioma is rare, it can cause extracranial metastases. This case shows that multiple spinal metastases of anaplastic meningioma require considerable attention in diagnosis and treatment.
Quantitative Surface Morphology ofAmmoniaCF.BeccariiandAmmonia Parkinsonianaby Atomic Force Microscopy: Taxonomic Potential
Authors: Subba Rohan , Ghosh Anupam
Published: April 2023

Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) is used to quantify the surface morphology of two benthic foraminiferal species. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) is traditionally used for surface ultrastructural studies but cannot estimate three-dimensional measurements. Therefore, AFM is used to measure pore depth and surface roughness, as well as two-dimensional features such as pore density, pore diameter, and porosity. Specimens of Ammonia cf. beccarii and Ammonia parkinsoniana have been analyzed in this study. The species have been compared in this pilot study by mapping the test structure in three dimensions. The two species have a distinct topographical contrast and significant differences in pore density, diameter, porosity, depth, and surface roughness. It is demonstrated here that AFM can be used to understand the morphological differences with finer details between the species of foraminifera. The effect of the environment on the estimated surface parameters should be investigated.
Valuation of two-factor options under the Merton jump-diffusion model using orthogonal spline wavelets
Authors: Černá Dana
Published: April 2023

This paper addresses the two-asset Merton model for option pricing represented by non-stationary integro-differential equations with two state variables. The drawback of most classical methods for solving these types of equations is that the matrices arising from discretization are full and ill-conditioned. In this paper, we first transform the equation using logarithmic prices, drift removal, and localization. Then, we apply the Galerkin method with a recently proposed orthogonal cubic spline-wavelet basis combined with the Crank-Nicolson scheme. We show that the proposed method has many benefits. First, as is well-known, the wavelet-Galerkin method leads to sparse matrices, which can be solved efficiently using iterative methods. Furthermore, since the basis functions are cubic splines, the method is higher-order convergent. Due to the orthogonality of the basis functions, the matrices are well-conditioned even without preconditioning, computation is simplified, and the required number of iterations is less than for non-orthogonal cubic spline-wavelet bases. Numerical experiments are presented for European-style options on the maximum of two assets.
The *-product approach for linear ODEs: A numerical study of the scalar case
Authors: Pozza Stefano , van Buggenhout Niel
Published: April 2023

Solving systems of non-autonomous ordinary differential equations (ODE) is a crucial and often challenging problem. Recently a new approach was introduced based on a generalization of the Volterra composition. In this work, we explain the main ideas at the core of this approach in the simpler setting of a scalar ODE. Understanding the scalar case is fundamental since the method can be straightforwardly extended to the more challenging problem of systems of ODEs. Numerical examples illustrate the method's efficacy and properties in the scalar case.
Spherical basis function approximation with particular trend functions
Authors: Segeth Karel
Published: April 2023

The paper is concerned with the measurement of scalar physical quantities at nodes on the $(d-1)$-dimensional unit sphere surface in the \hbox{$d$-dimensional} Euclidean space and the spherical RBF interpolation of the data obtained. In particular, we consider $d=3$. We employ an inverse multiquadric as the radial basis function and the corresponding trend is a polynomial of degree 2 defined in Cartesian coordinates. We prove the existence of the interpolation formula of the type considered. The formula can be useful in the interpretation of many physical measurements. We show an example concerned with the measurement of anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility having extensive applications in geosciences and present numerical difficulties connected with the high condition number of the matrix of the system defining the interpolation.
On a computational approach to multiple contacts / impacts of elastic bodies
Authors: Vala Jiří , Rek Václav
Published: April 2023

The analysis of dynamic contacts/impacts of several deformable bodies belongs to both theoretically and computationally complicated problems, because of the presence of unpleasant nonlinearities and of the need of effective contact detection. This paper sketches how such difficulties can be overcome, at least for a model problem with several elastic bodies, using i) the explicit time-discretization scheme and ii) the finite element technique adopted to contact evaluations together with iii) the distributed computing platform. These considerations are supported by the references to useful generalizations, motivated by significant engineering applications. Illustrative examples demonstrate this approach on structures assembled from a finite number of shells.
Interpolation with restrictions -- role of the boundary conditions and individual restrictions
Authors: Valášek Jan , Sváček Petr
Published: April 2023

The contribution deals with the remeshing procedure between two computational finite element meshes. The remeshing represented by the interpolation of an approximate solution onto a new mesh is needed in many applications like e.g. in aeroacoustics, here we are particularly interested in the numerical flow simulation of a gradual channel collapse connected with a~severe deterioration of the computational mesh quality. Since the classical Lagrangian projection from one mesh to another is a dissipative method not respecting conservation laws, a conservative interpolation method introducing constraints is described. The constraints have form of Lagrange multipliers enforcing conservation of desired flow quantities, like e.g. total fluid mass, flow kinetic energy or flow potential energy. Then the interpolation problem turns into an error minimization problem, such that the resulting quantities of proposed interpolation satisfy these physical properties while staying as close as possible to the results of Lagrangian interpolation in the L2 norm. The proposed interpolation scheme does not impose any restrictions on mesh generation process and it has a relatively low computational cost. The implementation details are discussed and test cases are shown.
Improved flux reconstructions in one dimension
Authors: Vlasák Miloslav , Lamač Jan
Published: April 2023

We present an improvement to the direct flux reconstruction technique for equilibrated flux a posteriori error estimates for one-dimensional problems. The verification of the suggested reconstruction is provided by numerical experiments.
Application of information from external data to correct for collider bias in a Covid-19 hospitalised cohort
Authors: Learoyd Annastazia , Nicholas Jennifer , Hart Nicholas , Douiri Abdel
Published: April 2023

Background Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, researchers have made use of electronic health records to research this disease in a rapidly evolving environment of questions and discoveries. These studies are prone to collider bias as they restrict the population of Covid-19 patients to only those with severe disease. Inverse probability weighting is typically used to correct for this bias but requires information from the unrestricted population. Using electronic health records from a South London NHS trust, this work demonstrates a method to correct for collider bias using external sourced data while examining the relationship between minority ethnicities and poor Covid-19 outcomes.Methods The probability of inclusion within the observed hospitalised cohort was modelled based on estimates from published national data. The model described the relationship between hospitalisation, patient ethnicity, and death due to Covid-19 – all the components of example relationship experiencing collider bias. The obtained probabilities (as applied to the observed patient cohort) were used as inverse probability weights in survival analysis examining ethnicity (and covariates) as a risk factor for death due to Covid-19.Results Within the observed cohort, unweighted analysis of survival suggested a reduced risk of death in those of Black ethnicity – differing from the published literature. Applying inverse probability weights to this analysis corrected this aberrant result. This correction was true when the analysis was applied to patients within only the first wave of Covid-19 and across two waves of Covid-19 and was robust against adjustments to the modelled relationship between hospitalisation, patient ethnicity, and death due to Covid-19 made as part of a sensitivity analysis.Conclusions In conclusion, this analysis demonstrates the feasibility of using external publications to correct for collider bias (or other forms of selection bias) induced by the restriction of a population to a hospitalised cohort using an example from the recent Covid-19 pandemic.