bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Optimisation of Knowledge Management (KM) with Machine Learning (ML) Enabled
Authors: Anshari Muhammad , Syafrudin Muhammad , Tan Abby , Fitriyani Norma Latif , Alas Yabit
Published: January 2023

The emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) and its derivative technologies, such as machine learning (ML) and deep learning (DL), heralds a new era of knowledge management (KM) presentation and discovery. KM necessitates ML for improved organisational experiences, particularly in making knowledge management more discoverable and shareable. Machine learning (ML) is a type of artificial intelligence (AI) that requires new tools and techniques to acquire, store, and analyse data and is used to improve decision-making and to make more accurate predictions of future outcomes. ML demands big data be used to develop a method of data analysis that automates the construction of analytical models for the purpose of improving the organisational knowledge. Knowledge, as an organisation’s most valuable asset, must be managed in automation to support decision-making, which can only be accomplished by activating ML in knowledge management systems (KMS). The main objective of this study is to investigate the extent to which machine learning applications are used in knowledge management applications. This is very important because ML with AI capabilities will become the future of managing knowledge for business survival. This research used a literature review and theme analysis of recent studies to acquire its data. The results of this research provide an overview of the relationship between big data, machine learning, and knowledge management. This research also shows that only 10% of the research that has been published is about machine learning and knowledge management in business and management applications. Therefore, this study gives an overview of the knowledge gap in investigating how ML can be used in KM for business applications in organisations.
A Deep Learning Approach for Diabetic Foot Ulcer Classification and Recognition
Authors: Ahsan Mehnoor , Naz Saeeda , Ahmad Riaz , Ehsan Haleema , Sikandar Aisha
Published: January 2023

Diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) is one of the major complications of diabetes and results in the amputation of lower limb if not treated timely and properly. Despite the traditional clinical approaches used in DFU classification, automatic methods based on a deep learning framework show promising results. In this paper, we present several end-to-end CNN-based deep learning architectures, i.e., AlexNet, VGG16/19, GoogLeNet, ResNet50.101, MobileNet, SqueezeNet, and DenseNet, for infection and ischemia categorization using the benchmark dataset DFU2020. We fine-tune the weight to overcome a lack of data and reduce the computational cost. Affine transform techniques are used for the augmentation of input data. The results indicate that the ResNet50 achieves the highest accuracy of 99.49% and 84.76% for Ischaemia and infection, respectively.
Deep Learning Approach for SDN-Enabled Intrusion Detection System in IoT Networks
Authors: Chaganti Rajasekhar , Suliman Wael , Ravi Vinayakumar , Dua Amit
Published: January 2023

Owing to the prevalence of the Internet of things (IoT) devices connected to the Internet, the number of IoT-based attacks has been growing yearly. The existing solutions may not effectively mitigate IoT attacks. In particular, the advanced network-based attack detection solutions using traditional Intrusion detection systems are challenging when the network environment supports traditional as well as IoT protocols and uses a centralized network architecture such as a software defined network (SDN). In this paper, we propose a long short-term memory (LSTM) based approach to detect network attacks using SDN supported intrusion detection system in IoT networks. We present an extensive performance evaluation of the machine learning (ML) and deep learning (DL) model in two SDNIoT-focused datasets. We also propose an LSTM-based architecture for the effective multiclass classification of network attacks in IoT networks. Our evaluation of the proposed model shows that our model effectively identifies the attacks and classifies the attack types with an accuracy of 0.971. In addition, various visualization methods are shown to understand the dataset’s characteristics and visualize the embedding features.
Cold Acclimation and Supercooling Capacity of Agasicles hygrophila Adults
Authors: Pei Yiming , Jin Jisu , Wu Qiang , Liang Xiaocui , Lv Chen , Guo Jianying
Published: January 2023

Agasicles hygrophila Selman and Vogt is used in the biological control of the invasive weed Alternanthera philoxeroides (Mart.) Griseb. However, with the northward establishment of A. philoxeroides in China, the weak adaptivity of A. hygrophila to cold weather has resulted in the ineffective control of A. philoxeroides in northern China. Cold acclimation can significantly enhance insect cold tolerance, enabling them to cope with more frequent climate fluctuations. To improve the biological control efficacy of A. hygrophila in cold climates, we compared the effects of rapid cold hardening and acclimation on A. hygrophila under laboratory conditions. On initially transferring adults from 26 to −10 °C for 2 h, mortality reached 80%. However, when pre-exposed to 0 °C for 2 h and then transferred to −10 °C for 2 h, adult mortality was reduced to 36.67%. These findings indicate that cold acclimation can enhance the cold tolerance of A. hygrophila under laboratory conditions. However, the beneficial cold acclimation effects waned after more than 15 min of recovery at 26 °C. Exposure to 15 °C for 24 h or gradual cooling from 0 to −10 °C at 1 °C·min−1 also induced cold acclimation, indicating that long-term cold and fluctuating cold acclimation are also potentially effective strategies for enhancing low-temperature tolerance.
Identification of Chelonus sp. from Zambia and Its Performance on Different Aged Eggs of Spodoptera frugiperda
Authors: Shen Zhen , Zang Zhuo-Yi , Dai Peng , Xu Wei , Nkunika Phillip O. Y. , Zang Lian-Sheng
Published: January 2023

The fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), is a migratory pest endemic, to tropical and subtropical regions of America. Biological control can effectively and sustainably control pests over a long period of time while reducing the frequency of pesticide use and ensuring the safety of agricultural produce. In our study, the egg-larval Chelonus species (Chelonus bifoveolatus) from parasitized eggs of Spodoptera frugiperda in Zambia were described and identified based on morphological and genetic characteristics. To evaluate the efficiency of C. bifoveolatus, their parasitism suitability on 0- to 2-day FAW eggs under laboratory conditions was compared. The results showed that C. bifoveolatus could accept all FAW eggs at 0-, 1- and 2-day-old age and complete development successfully. Significant differences were found among 0-, 1-, and 2-day-old host eggs with respect to egg-larva developmental duration of C. bifoveolatus, and the egg-larva developmental duration on 2-day-old eggs was significantly lower than those on 0- and 1-day-old eggs. No significant differences were observed in the parasitism, pupation, emergence, and female rates for C. bifoveolatus on various age eggs of FAW. Generally, the parasitism rate, pupal rate, and emergence rate at various ages of FAW eggs were higher than 90%, 75%, and 82%, respectively, and the longevity of female parasitoids was longer than male parasitoids, and the sex ratio of females to males was nearly 1:1. Our results indicate that C. bifoveolatus performed well on various ages of FAW eggs and is a potential biological control agent against FAW in Africa.
An Original Aerodynamic Ducting System to Improve Energy Efficiency in the Automotive Industry
Authors: Fernández-Gutiérrez Jana , Fernández-Arias Pablo , Vergara Diego , Antón-Sancho Álvaro
Published: January 2023

In the automotive industry, the flow of air generates high resistance in the advance of vehicles. In light of this situation, the objective of the present invention is to take advantage of the force of the air itself to help propel vehicles and thus reduce fuel consumption. A channeling system has been designed based on a deflector that collects the air that impacts against the vehicle at the front, transferring it to the rear where it is expelled, allowing the vacuum zone to be filled so that the high pressures of the channeled air are repositioned in the depression zone, significantly increasing the values of the pressures, including those that were previously negative. The deflector has been built and incorporated into a model car so that comparative experimental wind tunnel tests could be carried out to verify that the vacuum in the rear area is eliminated, and positive pressure is obtained.
Polynomial-Computable Representation of Neural Networks in Semantic Programming
Authors: Goncharov Sergey , Nechesov Andrey
Published: January 2023

A lot of libraries for neural networks are written for Turing-complete programming languages such as Python, C++, PHP, and Java. However, at the moment, there are no suitable libraries implemented for a p-complete logical programming language L. This paper investigates the issues of polynomial-computable representation neural networks for this language, where the basic elements are hereditarily finite list elements, and programs are defined using special terms and formulas of mathematical logic. Such a representation has been shown to exist for multilayer feedforward fully connected neural networks with sigmoidal activation functions. To prove this fact, special p-iterative terms are constructed that simulate the operation of a neural network. This result plays an important role in the application of the p-complete logical programming language L to artificial intelligence algorithms.
Visibility of Pulmonary Valve and Pulmonary Regurgitation on Intracardiac Echocardiography in Adult Patients with Tetralogy of Fallot
Authors: Sakamoto Ichiro , Yamamura Kenichiro , Ishikita Ayako , Ohtani Kisho , Umemoto Shintaro , Kaku Hidetaka , Yamasaki Yuzo , Abe Kohtaro , Ide Tomomi , Tsutsui Hiroyuki
Published: January 2023

Pulmonary regurgitation (PR) is a risk factor for sudden cardiac death in adult patients with repaired tetralogy of Fallot (TOF). However, transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) cannot fully visualize the pulmonary valve (PV) and PR. We investigated whether intracardiac echocardiography (ICE) could visualize the PV and PR better than TTE. Thirty adult patients with TOF (mean age 33 ± 15 years) scheduled for cardiac catheterization underwent ICE. The visualization of PV and the severity of PR were classified into three grades. ICE depicted the PV better than TTE (ICE vs. TTE: not visualized, partially visualized, and fully visualized: n = 1 [3%], n = 13 [43%], and n = 16 [53%] vs. n = 14 [47%], n = 13 [43%], and n = 3 [10%], p < 0.001). Especially in patients after pulmonary valve replacement (PVR), the PV was more fully visualized by ICE. The assessment of PR by TTE underestimated the severity of PR in comparison to cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) (severe PR: 8 [28%] vs. 22 [76%], p = 0.004), while there was no discrepancy between the results of ICE and MRI (21 [72%] vs. 22 [76%], p = 1.000). In comparison to TTE, ICE can safely provide better visualization of the PV and PR in adults with TOF, especially in patients who have undergone PVR.
Effect of Hydroxychloroquine on Lupus Activity, Preeclampsia and Intrauterine Growth Restriction in Pregnant Women with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus and/or Antiphospholipid Syndrome: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Authors: Hu Zhengyan , Gao Rui , Huang Wanrong , Wang Huiqing , Qin Lang
Published: January 2023

Background: Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) has been used in the treatment of systematic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and antiphospholipid syndrome (APS), but its effect on lupus activity during pregnancy, preeclampsia and intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) remains unclear. Methods: PubMed, Embase and Cochrane databases were searched before 11 September 2022 for randomized clinical trials (RCT) or observational studies involving additional HCQ treatment and pregnant women diagnosed as having SLE and/or APS/positive antiphospholipid antibodies (aPLs). Risks of high lupus activity, preeclampsia and IUGR were explored. Results: One RCT and 13 cohort studies were included. A total of 1764 pregnancies were included in the pooled meta-analysis (709 in the HCQ group vs. 1055 in the control group). After the additional use of HCQ, the risk of high lupus activity decreased (RR: 0.74, 95% CI: 0.57–0.97, p = 0.03). For preeclampsia, the total incidence decreased (RR: 0.54, 95% CI: 0.37–0.78, p = 0.001). The subgroup analysis showed statistical significance in the SLE subgroup (RR: 0.51, 95% CI: 0.34–0.78, p = 0.002) but not in the APS/aPLs subgroup (RR: 0.66, 95% CI: 0.29–1.54, p = 0.34). For IUGR, the decrease in incidence was not statistically significant (RR: 0.80, 95% CI: 0.47–1.35, p = 0.46), neither in the SLE subgroup (RR: 0.74, 95% CI: 0.40–1.36, p = 0.33) nor in the APS/aPLs subgroup (RR: 1.26, 95% CI: 0.34–4.61, p = 0.73). Conclusion: The additional use of HCQ may decrease the risk of high lupus activity during pregnancy and the incidence of preeclampsia for SLE patients, but the results do not support that using HCQ decreases the incidence of preeclampsia for APS/aPLs patients or reduces IUGR risk for SLE and/or APS/aPLs patients.
Indocyanine Green Fluorescence Guided Surgery in Colorectal Surgery
Authors: Garoufalia Zoe , Wexner Steven D.
Published: January 2023

Background: Indocyanine green (ICG) imaging has been increasingly used for intraoperative guidance in colorectal surgery over the past decade. The aim of this study was to review and organize, according to different type of use, all available literature on ICG guided colorectal surgery and highlight areas in need of further research and discuss future perspectives. Methods: PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar databases were searched systematically through November 2022 for all available studies on fluorescence-guided surgery in colorectal surgery. Results: Available studies described ICG use in colorectal surgery for perfusion assessment, ureteral and urethral assessment, lymphatic mapping, and hepatic and peritoneal metastases assessment. Although the level of evidence is low, results are promising, especially in the role of ICG in reducing anastomotic leaks. Conclusions: ICG imaging is a safe and relatively cheap imaging modality in colorectal surgery, especially for perfusion assessment. Work is underway regarding its use in lymphatic mapping, ureter identification, and the assessment of intraperitoneal metastatic disease.
A Deep Learning System Using Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography to Detect Glaucoma and Anterior Ischemic Optic Neuropathy
Authors: Bunod Roxane , Lubrano Mélanie , Pirovano Antoine , Chotard Géraldine , Brasnu Emmanuelle , Berlemont Sylvain , Labbé Antoine , Augstburger Edouard , Baudouin Christophe
Published: January 2023

Introduction. Glaucoma and non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION) are optic neuropathies that can both lead to irreversible blindness. Several studies have compared optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) findings in glaucoma and NAION in the presence of similar functional and structural damages with contradictory results. The goal of this study was to use a deep learning system to differentiate OCTA in glaucoma and NAION. Material and methods. Sixty eyes with glaucoma (including primary open angle glaucoma, angle-closure glaucoma, normal tension glaucoma, pigmentary glaucoma, pseudoexfoliative glaucoma and juvenile glaucoma), thirty eyes with atrophic NAION and forty control eyes (NC) were included. All patients underwent OCTA imaging and automatic segmentation was used to analyze the macular superficial capillary plexus (SCP) and the radial peripapillary capillary (RPC) plexus. We used the classic convolutional neural network (CNN) architecture of ResNet50. Attribution maps were obtained using the “Integrated Gradients” method. Results. The best performances were obtained with the SCP + RPC model achieving a mean area under the receiver operating characteristics curve (ROC AUC) of 0.94 (95% CI 0.92–0.96) for glaucoma, 0.90 (95% CI 0.86–0.94) for NAION and 0.96 (95% CI 0.96–0.97) for NC. Conclusion. This study shows that deep learning architecture can classify NAION, glaucoma and normal OCTA images with a good diagnostic performance and may outperform the specialist assessment.
Anatomical Variations of the Human Cochlea Using an Image Analysis Tool
Authors: Hussain Raabid , Frater Attila , Calixto Roger , Karoui Chadlia , Margeta Jan , Wang Zihao , Hoen Michel , Delingette Herve , Patou François , Raffaelli Charles , Vandersteen Clair , Guevara Nicolas
Published: January 2023

Understanding cochlear anatomy is crucial for developing less traumatic electrode arrays and insertion guidance for cochlear implantation. The human cochlea shows considerable variability in size and morphology. This study analyses 1000+ clinical temporal bone CT images using a web-based image analysis tool. Cochlear size and shape parameters were obtained to determine population statistics and perform regression and correlation analysis. The analysis revealed that cochlear morphology follows Gaussian distribution, while cochlear dimensions A and B are not well-correlated to each other. Additionally, dimension B is more correlated to duct lengths, the wrapping factor and volume than dimension A. The scala tympani size varies considerably among the population, with the size generally decreasing along insertion depth with dimensional jumps through the trajectory. The mean scala tympani radius was 0.32 mm near the 720° insertion angle. Inter-individual variability was four times that of intra-individual variation. On average, the dimensions of both ears are similar. However, statistically significant differences in clinical dimensions were observed between ears of the same patient, suggesting that size and shape are not the same. Harnessing deep learning-based, automated image analysis tools, our results yielded important insights into cochlear morphology and implant development, helping to reduce insertion trauma and preserving residual hearing.
Chronic Fatigue, Depression and Anxiety Symptoms in Long COVID Are Strongly Predicted by Neuroimmune and Neuro-Oxidative Pathways Which Are Caused by the Inflammation during Acute Infection
Authors: Al-Hakeim Hussein Kadhem , Al-Rubaye Haneen Tahseen , Almulla Abbas F. , Al-Hadrawi Dhurgham Shihab , Maes Michael
Published: January 2023

Background: Long-term coronavirus disease 2019 (long COVID) is associated with physio-somatic (chronic fatigue syndrome and somatic symptoms) and affective (depression and anxiety) symptoms. The severity of the long COVID physio-affective phenome is largely predicted by increased peak body temperature (BT) and lowered oxygen saturation (SpO2) during the acute infectious phase. This study aims to delineate whether the association of BT and SpO2 during the acute phase and the long COVID physio-affective phenome is mediated by neurotoxicity (NT) resulting from activated immune-inflammatory and oxidative stress pathways. Methods: We recruited 86 patients with long COVID (3–4 months after the acute phase) and 39 healthy controls and assessed serum C-reactive protein (CRP), caspase 1, interleukin (IL) 1β, IL-18, IL-10, myeloperoxidase (MPO), advanced oxidation protein products (AOPPs), total antioxidant capacity (TAC), and calcium (Ca), as well as peak BT and SpO2 during the acute phase. Results: Cluster analysis revealed that a significant part (34.9%) of long COVID patients (n = 30) show a highly elevated NT index as computed based on IL-1β, IL-18, caspase 1, CRP, MPO, and AOPPs. Partial least squares analysis showed that 61.6% of the variance in the physio-affective phenome of long COVID could be explained by the NT index, lowered Ca, and peak BT/SpO2 in the acute phase and prior vaccinations with AstraZeneca or Pfizer. The most important predictors of the physio-affective phenome are Ca, CRP, IL-1β, AOPPs, and MPO. Conclusion: The infection–immune–inflammatory core of acute COVID-19 strongly predicts the development of physio-affective symptoms 3–4 months later, and these effects are partly mediated by neuro-immune and neuro-oxidative pathways.
Neuropsychological and Neuropsychiatric Features of Chronic Migraine Patients during the Interictal Phase
Authors: Lozano-Soto Elena , Cruz-Gómez Álvaro Javier , Rashid-López Raúl , Sanmartino Florencia , Espinosa-Rosso Raúl , Forero Lucía , González-Rosa Javier J.
Published: January 2023

This study aimed to examine the presence of neuropsychological deficits and their relationships with clinical, pharmacological, and neuropsychiatric characteristics in chronic migraine (CM) patients assessed during a headache-free period. We enrolled 39 CM patients (mean age: 45.4 years; male/female ratio: 3/36) and 20 age-, sex-, and education-matched healthy controls (HCs, mean age: 45.5 years; male/female ratio: 2/18) in a case–control study. All CM patients underwent a full and extensive clinical, neuropsychiatric, and neuropsychological evaluation to evaluate cognitive domains, including sustained attention (SA), information processing speed (IPS), visuospatial episodic memory, working memory (WM), and verbal fluency (VF), as well as depressive and anxiety symptoms. CM patients exhibited higher scores than HCs for all clinical and neuropsychiatric measures, but no differences were found in personality characteristics. Although more than half of the CM patients (54%) showed mild-to-severe neuropsychological impairment (NI), with the most frequent impairments occurring in short- and long-term verbal episodic memory and inhibitory control (in approximately 90% of these patients), almost half of the patients (46%) showed no NI. Moreover, the severity of NI was positively associated with the number of pharmacological treatments received. Remarkably, disease-related symptom severity and headache-related disability explained global neuropsychological performance in CM patients. The presence of cognitive and neuropsychiatric dysfunction during the interictal phase occurred in more than half of CM patients, increasing migraine-related disability and possibly exerting a negative impact on health-related quality of life and treatment adherence.
Management of Pelvic Pain in Patients with Crohn’s Disease—Current Overview
Authors: Włodarczyk Jakub , Burzyński Jacek , Czerwiński Bartłomiej , Prusisz Mateusz , Socała Katarzyna , Poleszak Ewa , Fichna Jakub , Maryńczak Kasper , Włodarczyk Marcin , Dziki Łukasz
Published: January 2023

Crohn’s disease (CD) is a subtype of chronic inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) with characteristic skip lesions and transmural inflammation that may affect the entire gastrointestinal tract from the mouth to the anus. Persistent pain is one of the main symptoms of CD. This pain has multifactorial pathogenesis, but most often arises from intestinal inflammation itself, as well as from gut distention or partial intestinal obstruction. Some current evidence also suggests sensitization of sensory pathways, as well as modulation of those signals by the central nervous system, which highlights the impact of biopsychosocial factors. To date, most studies have focused only on the pain located in the abdomen, while pelvic pain has rarely been explored, despite it being a common symptom. The aim of this study is to provide an abbreviated summary of the current state of knowledge on the origins and treatment of pelvic pain in CD.
Pathophysiology, Functional Assessment and Prognostic Implications of Nutritional Disorders in Systemic Amyloidosis
Authors: Dongiglio Francesca , Monda Emanuele , Palmiero Giuseppe , Verrillo Federica , Rubino Marta , Diana Gaetano , Cirillo Annapaola , Fusco Adelaide , Vetrano Erica , Lioncino Michele , Caiazza Martina , Cerciello Giuseppe , Capodicasa Laura , Chiosi Flavia , Simonelli Vincenzo , De Rimini Maria Luisa , Natale Francesco , Di Santo Alessandro , Moscarella Elisabetta , Calabrò Paolo , Limongelli Giuseppe
Published: January 2023

Gastrointestinal involvement is a common clinical feature of patients with systemic amyloidosis. This condition is responsible for invalidating gastrointestinal symptoms, a significant macro and micronutrient deficit, and is a marker of disease severity. Gastrointestinal involvement should be actively sought in patients with systemic amyloidosis, while its diagnosis is challenging in patients with isolated gastrointestinal symptoms. The nutritional status in systemic amyloidosis plays an essential role in the clinical course and is considered a significant prognostic factor. However, the definition of nutritional status is still challenging due to the lack of internationally accepted thresholds for anthropometric and biochemical variables, especially in specific populations such as those with systemic amyloidosis. This review aims to elucidate the fundamental steps for nutritional assessment by using clinical and instrumental tools for better prognostic stratification and patient management regarding quality of life and outcomes.
Insights into Prevention of Health Complications in Small for Gestational Age (SGA) Births in Relation to Maternal Characteristics: A Narrative Review
Authors: Wołejszo Sebastian , Genowska Agnieszka , Motkowski Radosław , Strukcinskiene Birute , Klukowski Mark , Konstantynowicz Jerzy
Published: January 2023

Small for gestational age (SGA) births are a significant clinical and public health issue. The objective of this review was to summarize maternal biological and socio-demographic factors and preventive strategies used to reduce the risk of SGA births. A literature search encompassing data from the last 15 years was conducted using electronic databases MEDLINE/PubMed, Google Scholar and Scopus to review risk factors and preventive strategies for SGA. Current evidence shows that primiparity, previous stillbirths, maternal age ≤24 and ≥35 years, single motherhood, low socio-economic status, smoking and cannabis use during pregnancy confer a significant risk of SGA births. Studies on alcohol consumption during pregnancy and SGA birth weight are inconclusive. Beneficial and preventive factors include the “Mediterranean diet” and dietary intake of vegetables. Periconceptional folic acid supplementation, maternal 25-hydroxyvitamin D, zinc and iron levels are partly associated with birth weight. No significant associations between COVID-19 vaccinations and birthweight are reported. A midwifery-led model based on early and extensive prenatal care reduces the risk of SGA births in women with low socio-economic status. Major preventive measures relate to the awareness of modifiable and non-modifiable risk factors of SGA, leading to changes in parents’ lifestyles. These data support that education, monitoring during pregnancy, and implementing preventive strategies are as important as biological determinants in risk reduction of SGA births.
The Effects of Multi-Mode Monophasic Stimulation with Capacitive Discharge on the Facial Nerve Stimulation Reduction in Young Children with Cochlear Implants: Intraoperative Recordings
Authors: Danieli Fabiana , Hyppolito Miguel Angelo , Hussain Raabid , Hoen Michel , Karoui Chadlia , Reis Ana Cláudia Mirândola Barbosa
Published: January 2023

Facial nerve stimulation (FNS) is a potential complication which may affect the auditory performance of children with cochlear implants (CIs). We carried out an exploratory prospective observational study to investigate the effects of the electrical stimulation pattern on FNS reduction in young children with CI. Ten ears of seven prelingually deafened children with ages up to 6 years old who undergone a unilateral or bilateral CI surgery were included in this study. Electromyographic (EMG) action potentials from orbicularis oculi muscle were recorded using monopolar biphasic stimulation (ST1) and multi-mode monophasic stimulation with capacitive discharge (ST2). Presence of EMG responses, facial nerve stimulation thresholds (T-FNS) and EMG amplitudes were compared between ST1 and ST2. Intra-cochlear electrodes placement, cochlear-nerve and electrode-nerve distances were also estimated to investigate their effects on EMG responses. The use of ST2 significantly reduced the presence of intraoperative EMG responses compared to ST1. Higher stimulation levels were required to elicit FNS with ST2, with smaller amplitudes, compared to ST1. No and weak correlation was observed between cochlea-nerve and electrode-nerve distances and EMG responses, respectively. ST2 may reduce FNS in young children with CI. Differently from the electrical stimulation pattern, the cochlea-nerve and electrode-nerve distances seem to have limited effects on FNS in this population.
Evaluation of Health Care Providers Satisfaction with the Implementation of a Transitional Pain Service
Authors: Admiraal Manouk , Hermanides Jeroen , Hollmann Markus W. , Hermanns Henning
Published: January 2023

Chronic postsurgical pain develops in 10% of patients undergoing surgery. Recently, multidisciplinary, patient-tailored interventions, such as a Transitional Pain Service (TPS) have been developed and implemented to improve perioperative pain management and thereby prevent chronic postsurgical pain. The purpose of this survey was to analyse health care providers satisfaction and learn from their experiences on the implementation of a TPS. In the TRUST study, a randomized controlled trial investigating the effectiveness of a TPS, 176 patients were enrolled. Afterwards, a satisfaction survey was internally developed, which consisted of eight items. Satisfaction was measured using a Likert scale with five response options from never (1 point) to always (5 points). Surveys were sent to all anaesthetists and anaesthesia residents in our department that were faced with the consequences of TPS implementation. In May 2022, 36 caregivers of the Department of Anaesthesiology returned the survey after four rounds of distribution, with a response rate of 82.3%. Thirty staff members (81.0%) strongly felt that patient care had improved with the introduction of a TPS and 33 (86.8%) would like to see the TPS to be continued in the future. Health care provider satisfaction improved after implementation of a TPS in our hospital.
Redo Surgical Aortic Valve Replacement versus Valve-In-Valve Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation: A Systematic Review and Reconstructed Time-To-Event Meta-Analysis
Authors: Formica Francesco , Gallingani Alan , Tuttolomondo Domenico , Hernandez-Vaquero Daniel , D’Alessandro Stefano , Pattuzzi Claudia , Çelik Mevlüt , Singh Gurmeet , Ceccato Evelina , Niccoli Giampaolo , Lorusso Roberto , Nicolini Francesco
Published: January 2023

Objective. Valve-in-valve transcatheter aortic valve implantation (ViV-TAVI) has emerged as a useful alternative intervention to redo-surgical aortic valve replacement (Redo-SVAR) for the treatment of degenerated bioprosthesis valve. However, there is no robust evidence about the long-term outcome of both treatments. The aim of this meta-analysis was to analyze the long-term outcomes of Redo-SVAR versus ViV-TAVI by reconstructing the time-to-event data. Methods. The search strategy consisted of a comprehensive review of relevant studies published between 1 January 2000 and 30 September 2022 in three electronic databases, PubMed, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) and EMBASE. Relevant studies were retrieved for the analysis. The primary endpoint was the long-term mortality for all death. The comparisons were made by the Cox regression model and by landmark analysis and a fully parametric model. A random-effect method was applied to perform the meta-analysis. Results. Twelve studies fulfilled the eligibility criteria and were included in the final analysis. A total of 3547 patients were included. Redo-SAVR group included 1783 patients, and ViV-TAVI included 1764 subjects. Redo-SAVR showed a higher incidence of all-cause mortality within 30-days [Hazard ratio (HR) 2.12; 95% CI = 1.49–3.03; p < 0.0001)], whereas no difference was observed between 30 days and 1 year (HR = 1.03; 95% CI = 0.78–1.33; p = 0.92). From one year, Redo-SAVR showed a longer benefit (HR = 0.52; 95% CI = 0.40–0.67; p < 0.0001). These results were confirmed for cardiovascular death (HR = 2.04; 95% CI = 1.29–3.22; p = 0.001 within one month from intervention; HR = 0.35; 95% CI = 0.18–0.71; p = 0.003 at 4-years follow-up). Conclusions. Although the long-term outcomes seem similar between Redo-SAVR and ViV-TAVI at a five-year follow-up, ViV-TAVI shows significative lower mortality within 30 days. This advantage disappeared between 30 days and 1 year and reversed in favor of redo-SAVR 1 year after the intervention.
Tunable Head-Conducting Microwave-Absorbing Multifunctional Composites with Excellent Microwave Absorption, Thermal Conductivity and Mechanical Properties
Authors: Hong Zhen , Yu Xingxing , Xing Yun , Xue Mingshan , Luo Yidan , Yin Zuozhu , Xie Chan , Yang Yingbin , Ren Zeming
Published: January 2023

Developing composite materials with both thermal conductivity and microwave absorption is an effective strategy to solve the problems of heat dissipation burden and microwave radiation interference caused by the development of miniaturization and high performance of portable electronic equipment. However, these properties are not easy to simultaneously implement due to the limitation of single type fillers with a single particle size, inspiring the possibility of realizing multifunctional composites with the introduction of composite fillers. In this work, using alumina (Al2O3) and zinc oxide (ZnO) as head-conducting fillers, carbonyl iron (Fe(CO)5) as microwave-absorbing fillers, silicone rubber (SR) composites (Al2O3/ZnO/Fe(CO)5/SR) with enhanced microwave absorption, high thermal conductivity and good mechanical properties were successfully mass prepared. It was found that the composites can achieve a thermal conductivity of 3.61 W·m−1·K−1, an effective microwave absorption bandwidth of 10.86–15.47 GHz. Especially, there is an effective microwave absorption efficiency of 99% at 12.46–14.27 GHz, which can realize the integration of electromagnetic shielding and heat dissipation. The compact microstructure, formed by the overlapping of large particle size fillers and the filling of their gaps by small particle size fillers, is helpful to enhance the thermal conduction path and weaken the microwave reflection. The heat-conducting microwave-absorbing Al2O3/ZnO/Fe(CO)5/SR composites also have the advantages of thermal stability, lightness and flexibility, providing a certain experimental basis for the research and development of high-performance and diversified composites.
Fuzzy Model for the Automatic Recognition of Human Dendritic Cells
Authors: Braiki Marwa , Nasreddine Kamal , Benzinou Abdesslam , Hymery Nolwenn
Published: January 2023

Background and objective: Nowadays, foodborne illness is considered one of the most outgrowing diseases in the world, and studies show that its rate increases sharply each year. Foodborne illness is considered a public health problem which is caused by numerous factors, such as food intoxications, allergies, intolerances, etc. Mycotoxin is one of the food contaminants which is caused by various species of molds (or fungi), which, in turn, causes intoxications that can be chronic or acute. Thus, even low concentrations of Mycotoxin have a severely harmful impact on human health. It is, therefore, necessary to develop an assessment tool for evaluating their impact on the immune response. Recently, researchers have approved a new method of investigation using human dendritic cells, yet the analysis of the geometric properties of these cells is still visual. Moreover, this type of analysis is subjective, time-consuming, and difficult to perform manually. In this paper, we address the automation of this evaluation using image-processing techniques. Methods: Automatic classification approaches of microscopic dendritic cell images are developed to provide a fast and objective evaluation. The first proposed classifier is based on support vector machines (SVM) and Fisher’s linear discriminant analysis (FLD) method. The FLD–SVM classifier does not provide satisfactory results due to the significant confusion between the inhibited cells on one hand, and the other two cell types (mature and immature) on the other hand. Then, another strategy was suggested to enhance dendritic cell recognition results that are emitted from microscopic images. This strategy is mainly based on fuzzy logic which allows us to consider the uncertainties and inaccuracies of the given data. Results: These proposed methods are tested on a real dataset consisting of 421 images of microscopic dendritic cells, where the fuzzy classification scheme efficiently improved the classification results by successfully classifying 96.77% of the dendritic cells. Conclusions: The fuzzy classification-based tools provide cell maturity and inhibition rates which help biologists evaluate severe health impacts caused by food contaminants.
Influence of the Process Parameters on the Properties of Cu-Cu Ultrasonic Welds
Authors: Faes Koen , Nunes Rafael , De Meester Sylvia , De Waele Wim , Rubino Felice , Carlone Pierpaolo
Published: January 2023

Ultrasonic welding (USW) is a solid-state welding process based on the application of high frequency vibration energy to the workpiece to produce the internal friction between the faying surface and the local heat generation required to promote the joining. The short welding time and the low heat input, the absence of fumes, sparks or flames, and the automation capacity make it particularly interesting for several fields, such as electrical/electronic, automotive, aerospace, appliance, and medical products industries. The main problems that those industries have to face are related to the poor weld quality due the improper selection of weld parameters. In the present work, 0.3 mm thick copper sheets were joined by USW varying the welding time, pressure, and vibration amplitude. The influence of the process variables on the characteristics of the joints and weld strength is investigated by using the analysis of variance. The results of the present work indicate that welding time is the main factor affecting the energy absorbed during the welding, followed by the pressure and amplitude. The shear strength, on the other hand, resulted mostly influenced by the amplitude, while the other parameters have a limited effect. Regardless the welding configuration adopted, most welds registered a failure load higher than the base material pointing out the feasibility of the USW process to join copper sheets.
Dynamic Response of Deep-Sea Trawl System during Towing Process
Authors: Zhang Dapeng , Zhao Bowen , Zhu Keqiang , Jiang Haoyu
Published: January 2023

The trawl system plays an irreplaceable role in deep-sea fishing. In the towing process of the trawl system, many complex mechanical phenomena occurs, so it is necessary to analyze the dynamic response of the deep-sea trawl system during the towing process. In this paper, an equivalent mathematical model for predicating the movement of the ocean trawl system is established based on the equivalent net theory. In the proposed method, the lumped mass method is used to simulate the towed cable and some lines with hydrodynamic characteristics are used to simulate the fishing net. The effects of towing speeds on the dynamic characteristics of a rigid truss trawl system and a flexible trawl system during straight-line towing and rotation towing are studied. The results show that it is possible to simulate trawl motion, and the trawling process is well-presented using this equivalent mathematical model. The disadvantage of this method is also obvious, that is, it cannot simulate trawls with a large number of meshes because the proliferation of mesh numbers can lead to difficult computational convergence. The results also demonstrate that during straight-line towing, the higher the speed, the greater the tension of the cable. Due to the rigid truss, the shape of the rigid truss trawl under different towing speeds is not much different, while the shape of the flexible trawl system changes greatly. During rotating towing, the tension of the cable changes abruptly in the initial stage, and then fluctuates periodically in the time domain. With the increase of towing speed, the overall outward floating distance of the trawl increases gradually. This study has a certain reference and guiding role for deep-sea fishing operations.
Particulate Matter (PM1, 2.5, 10) Concentration Prediction in Ship Exhaust Gas Plume through an Artificial Neural Network
Authors: Šilas Giedrius , Rapalis Paulius , Lebedevas Sergejus
Published: January 2023

In the last decade the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions in the transport sector, including the marine sector, has become the direction of its strategic development. Increased air pollution in the air is one of the main reasons for premature deaths around the globe. It was determined that while many methods provide adequate information about pollution levels, improvements could be made to avoid major errors. The traditional methods are either expensive or require a lot of data and human resources to correctly evaluate those data arrays. To avoid these problems, artificial neural networks (ANN) and other machine learning methods are widely used nowadays. Many ANN models for ship pollution evaluation in ports either included the whole port area or went even further and included cities near port areas. These studies show that ANNs can be effectively used to evaluate air pollution in a wide area. However, there is a lack of research on ANN usage for individual ship pollution or ship plume evaluation. This study attempts to fill this gap by developing an ANN model to evaluate an individual ship’s plumes by combining several data sources such as AIS data, meteorological data, and measured the ship’s plume pollutants concentration. Results show good correlation; however, additional limitations have to be overcome regarding data filtering and the overall accuracy of the model.
Experimental Investigation of High Speed Cross-Domain Vehicles with Hydrofoil
Authors: Shi Zeqi , Tan Xiangkui , Wang Yiwei , Lv Pengyu , Zou Yong , Wan Xia , Lv Kai , Li Bingzhen , Duan Huiling , Li Hongyuan
Published: January 2023

Unmanned equipment, such as unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs) and unmanned surface vehicles (USVs), are widely used in marine science for underwater observation, rescue, military purposes, etc. However, current vehicles are not applicable in complex cross-domain scenarios, because they can only perform well in either surface navigation or underwater diving. This paper deals with the design and fabrication of a cross-domain vehicle (CDV) with four hydrofoils that can both navigate at high speed on the surface, like a USV and dive silently underwater, like a UUV. The CDV’s propulsion is provided by a water jet propeller and its dive is achieved by a vertical propeller. The effect of hydrofoils and the performance of the CDV were tested and characterized in experiments, which showed that the hydrofoils improved the stability and surface sailing speed of the CDV. The maximum speed of the CDV was up to 14 kn, which is the highest of its kind according to current knowledge. This work confirmed the feasibility of high-performance CDVs and provided useful information for further improvements to the design.
Influences of Gap Flow on Air Resistance Acting on a Large Container Ship
Authors: Nguyen Van Trieu , Le Minh Duc , Nguyen Van Minh , Katayama Toru , Ikeda Yoshiho
Published: January 2023

In terms of speed lost and fuel consumed, wind loads are considered one of the main factors for large ship design, especially for container ships. Alongside water resistance, air resistance in strong wind conditions has a significant impact on the fuel efficiency and performance of container ships with large box-type bodies. This paper reports the effects of wind loads acting on a 20,000 TEU container ship carrying large numbers of deck containers using a commercial CFD software program (ANSYS Fluent V14.5 with RANS equation). A 1/255.3 scale model was used in this study to reveal the air resistance on the container ship configuration. The aerodynamic formations of the complex vortices, pressure, velocity contours, and streamlines, as well as the air forces acting on the container ship, are presented and discussed. The pressure distributions show that the gap air flows increase the stagnation pressure at the face side and decrease the pressure on the backside of each container gap through separate eddies. The difference in pressures created in the gaps contribute to the air resistance acting on the ship. It is confirmed that the use of side covers of deck containers to close the gap flows between container blocks can significantly reduce the air resistance for wind directions in the range of 30 to 60 degrees.
Gastric Cancer: Innovations in Screening, Diagnosis and Treatment
Authors: Liu Li , Deng Wenhong
Published: January 2023

Gastric cancer (GC) is an aggressive and heterogeneous malignancy that is one of the leading cancers in the world and an important global health problem due to its overall high prevalence and high mortality rate [...]
Impact of Economic Freedom Distance on India’s Inbound Cross-Border Acquisition Volume: Moderating Role of Economic Distance
Authors: Raghavendra Chandrika , Rampilla Mahesh , Thanikella Venkata Ramana , Gupta Isha
Published: January 2023

Cross-border acquisitions (CBA) are a form of foreign direct investments and have been dramatically increasing over the last three decades. India has been one of the top CBA destinations among emerging economies, making it interesting to explore the determinants. Even though the CBA research is voluminous, the role of economic freedom is understudied. In this background, by extending the knowledge of distance measures impacting cross-border acquisition (CBA) activities, we examine the impact of economic freedom distance on India’s inbound CBA volume and the moderating role of economic distance. We used a sample of 979 observations by collecting the CBA data from Thomson’s EIKON Mergers and Acquisitions database for our study period covering 1990 to 2020. We show that economic freedom distance negatively impacts India’s inbound CBA volume. Moreover, economic distance significantly moderated their effect. These results indicate that India should strengthen its economic freedom and grow steadily to attract more CBA volume inflow. These findings have important theoretical and practical implications for multinational firms and policymakers in making emerging economies like India an attractive destination for CBA activities.