bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Erratum: Johannessen et al. Work-Related Satisfaction among Clinicians Working at Inpatient Treatment Facilities for Substance Use Disorder: The Role of Recovery Orientation. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18, 7423
Authors: Johannessen Dagny Adriaenssen , Nordfjærn Trond , Geirdal Amy Østertun
Published: November 2021

In the published article [...]
Health Impact Assessments of Health Sector Proposals: An Audit and Narrative Synthesis
Authors: Wanjohi Nelius Wanjiku , Harrison Reema , Harris-Roxas Ben
Published: November 2021

Background: Health impact assessment (HIA) is a tool used to assess the potential health impacts of proposed projects, programs, and policies. The extent of the use of HIAs conducted on health sector proposals, and what they focus on, is currently largely undocumented. This paper reviews HIAs conducted on health sector proposals, their characteristics and describes the settings in which they were conducted. Methods: A systematic review was conducted, including peer-reviewed journals and grey literature utilizing keywords, synonyms, and subject headings relevant to HIA and the health sector. Eligibility criteria were independently applied to the identified works and data appraisal conducted using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme qualitative checklist tool. Results: 19 HIAs were identified and included in the review, including 13 rapid, three intermediate, and two comprehensive HIAs. The HIAs use was evident across a range of health service contexts, though all but one had been conducted in developed countries. Conclusion: The use of HIAs in the health sector is limited. There were various benefits attributed to the HIAs analysed including and not limited to the allocation of resources, reducing inequalities, and identification of possible negative consequences of a project. There is an opportunity to improve the use and reporting of HIAs across health settings internationally to enhance the consideration of broader determinants of health, influence decision making, and use of evidence in health sector planning for the future.
Contents of the Sexual and Reproductive Health Subject in the Undergraduate Nursing Curricula of Spanish Universities: A Cross-Sectional Study
Authors: Saus-Ortega Carlos , Ballestar-Tarín María Luisa , Chover-Sierra Elena , Martínez-Sabater Antonio
Published: November 2021

Background: Nursing students must receive adequate training in Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH), which could allow them to acquire sufficient knowledge to solve the future SRH needs of everyone. In this study, the contents of the SRH subject in the undergraduate nursing curricula of 77 Spanish universities were examined to determine what SRH training nursing students are receiving. Methods: The contents of the SRH subject of all the curricula that were available online were reviewed. The distribution of the contents (topics) in the two areas (reproductive health and sexual health) was analyzed, and the prevalence of each topic was established. It was also determined whether there were differences between public (n = 52) and private universities (n = 25). Results: The training of nursing students focuses mainly on the area of Reproductive Health (15 topics). Most of the topics of this area had a prevalence greater than 50%. Although the area of Sexual Health had 14 topics, most of these topics had a low prevalence (<20%), especially in private universities. Conclusions: It was found that there is considerable variation in the distribution and prevalence of SRH topics between universities. The contents of the area of Reproductive Health are usually prevalent in most of the curricula. However, the contents of the area of Sexual Health are minimal in most of the universities. An organizational effort is required to determine and standardize the contents of SRH that nursing students should receive in Spain to avoid inequalities in their training. Guaranteeing homogeneous SRH contents will avoid deficit situations that could affect people’s care.
Factors Related to Health Risk Communication Outcomes among Migrant Workers in Thailand during COVID-19: A Case Study of Three Provinces
Authors: Papwijitsil Ratchadaporn , Kosiyaporn Hathairat , Sinam Pigunkaew , Phaiyarom Mathudara , Julchoo Sataporn , Suphanchaimat Rapeepong
Published: November 2021

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a newly emerging infectious disease, and risk communication is one of several public health emergency responses. During the pandemic, many migrant workers in Thailand experienced barriers that hamper access to health information. This study aims to explore factors related to the outcomes of health risk communication, including awareness of public health measures and preventive practices. We conducted a cross-sectional survey on migrants between January and April 2021 using cluster sampling in Phuket, Ranong, and Samut Sakhon. In the descriptive analysis, we presented the median, proportion, and ratio, while in the inferential analysis, we employed a logistic regression with robust standard errors. Although a total of 303 participants were initially included in this study, the final number was narrowed down to 288 samples due to insufficient information required for the analysis. Frequent reception of health information and primary school education showed a statistically significant association with preventive practices. Middle-aged migrant workers demonstrated a significantly lower level of preventive practices than younger migrant workers. A longer stay in Thailand was significantly related to a lower degree of awareness toward public health measures. Thus, it is necessary to promote the accessibility of health information among migrant workers in Thailand, especially those who have lived in Thailand for more than eight years, are older, and have no formal education.
Characterisation of Temporal Patterns in Step Count Behaviour from Smartphone App Data: An Unsupervised Machine Learning Approach
Authors: Pontin Francesca , Lomax Nik , Clarke Graham , Morris Michelle A.
Published: November 2021

The increasing ubiquity of smartphone data, with greater spatial and temporal coverage than achieved by traditional study designs, have the potential to provide insight into habitual physical activity patterns. This study implements and evaluates the utility of both K-means clustering and agglomerative hierarchical clustering methods in identifying weekly and yearlong physical activity behaviour trends. Characterising the demographics and choice of activity type within the identified clusters of behaviour. Across all seven clusters of seasonal activity behaviour identified, daylight saving was shown to play a key role in influencing behaviour, with increased activity in summer months. Investigation into weekly behaviours identified six clusters with varied roles, of weekday versus weekend, on the likelihood of meeting physical activity guidelines. Preferred type of physical activity likewise varied between clusters, with gender and age strongly associated with cluster membership. Key relationships are identified between weekly clusters and seasonal activity behaviour clusters, demonstrating how short-term behaviours contribute to longer-term activity patterns. Utilising unsupervised machine learning, this study demonstrates how the volume and richness of secondary app data can allow us to move away from aggregate measures of physical activity to better understand temporal variations in habitual physical activity behaviour.
Adolescents’ Alcohol Use: Does the Type of Leisure Activity Matter? A Cross-National Study
Authors: Albertos Aranzazu , Koning Ina , Benítez Edgar , De Irala Jokin
Published: November 2021

The main objective of this study was to analyze the relationship between structured, unstructured, and family leisure activities on the frequency of adolescent alcohol intake across three different countries (Spain, Peru, and The Netherlands). The self-control of adolescents was also investigated as a moderator in the relationship between leisure activities and alcohol consumption. Methodology: This research involved 4608 adolescents aged between 12 and 17 from three countries (Spain, Peru, and The Netherlands). In Spain and Peru, data was collected through a self-report questionnaire which was part of the Your Life project. In The Netherlands, a self-questionnaire was used, collected by the University of Utrecht. A multiple logistic regression was performed for each country. Results: The results showed that participation in unstructured leisure activities increased the likelihood of drinking more frequently and more heavily in all three countries. Structured leisure activities, in general, did not have a significant predictive effect on alcohol consumption in any of the countries. Family leisure activities reduced the risk of engaging in yearly alcohol use and yearly binge drinking among adolescents, especially in The Netherlands and Spain. The protective effect of family leisure and unstructured leisure risk on yearly alcohol use applied especially to Dutch adolescents with a low level of self-control. Discussion: The article emphasizes the need for parents to engage in leisure activities with their child; participation in unstructured activities is not to be encouraged.
Flexibility during the COVID-19 Pandemic Response: Healthcare Facility Assessment Tools for Resilient Evaluation
Authors: Brambilla Andrea , Sun Tian-zhi , Elshazly Waleed , Ghazy Ahmed , Barach Paul , Lindahl Göran , Capolongo Stefano
Published: November 2021

Healthcare facilities are facing huge challenges due to the outbreak of COVID-19. Around the world, national healthcare contingency plans have struggled to cope with the population health impact of COVID-19, with healthcare facilities and critical care systems buckling under the extraordinary pressures. COVID-19 has starkly highlighted the lack of reliable operational tools for assessing the level sof flexibility of a hospital building to support strategic and agile decision making. The aim of this study was to modify, improve and test an existing assessment tool for evaluating hospital facilities flexibility and resilience. We followed a five-step process for collecting data by (i) doing a literature review about flexibility principles and strategies, (ii) reviewing healthcare design guidelines, (iii) examining international healthcare facilities case studies, (iv) conducting a critical review and optimization of the existing tool, and (v) assessing the usability of the evaluation tool. The new version of the OFAT framework (Optimized Flexibility Assessment Tool) is composed of nine evaluation parameters and subdivided into measurable variables with scores ranging from 0 to 10. The pilot testing of case studies enabled the assessment and verification the OFAT validity and reliability in support of decision makers in addressing flexibility of hospital design and/or operations. Healthcare buildings need to be designed and built based on principles of flexibility to accommodate current healthcare operations, adapting to time-sensitive physical transformations and responding to contemporary and future public health emergencies.
Pediatric Hypothermia: An Ambiguous Issue
Authors: Singer Dominique
Published: November 2021

Hypothermia in pediatrics is mainly about small body size. The key thermal factor here is the large surface-to-volume ratio. Although small mammals, including human infants and children, are adapted to higher heat losses through their elevated metabolic rate and thermogenic capacity, they are still at risk of hypothermia because of a small regulatory range and an impending metabolic exhaustion. However, some small mammalian species (hibernators) use reduced metabolic rates and lowered body temperatures as adaptations to impaired energy supply. Similar to nature, hypothermia has contradictory effects in clinical pediatrics as well: In neonates, it is a serious risk factor affecting respiratory adaptation in term and developmental outcome in preterm infants. On the other hand, it is an important self-protective response to neonatal hypoxia and an evidence-based treatment option for asphyxiated babies. In children, hypothermia first enabled the surgical repair of congenital heart defects and promotes favorable outcome after ice water drowning. Yet, it is also a major threat in various prehospital and clinical settings and has no proven therapeutic benefit in pediatric critical care. All in all, pediatric hypothermia is an ambiguous issue whose harmful or beneficial effects strongly depend on the particular circumstances.
Identification of a High-Risk Group of New-Onset Cardiovascular Disease in Occupational Drivers by Analyzing Heart Rate Variability
Authors: Wang Ying-Chuan , Wang Chung-Ching , Yao Ya-Hsin , Wu Wei-Te
Published: November 2021

Purpose: This cohort study evaluated the effectiveness of noninvasive heart rate variability (HRV) analysis to assess the risk of cardiovascular disease over a period of 8 years. Methods: Personal and working characteristics were collected before biochemistry examinations and 5 min HRV tests from the Taiwan Bus Driver Cohort Study (TBDCS) in 2005. This study eventually identified 161 drivers with cardiovascular disease (CVD) and 627 without between 2005 and 2012. Estimation of the hazard ratio was analyzed by using the Cox proportional-hazards model. Results: Subjects with CVD had an overall lower standard deviation of NN intervals (SDNN) than their counterparts did. The SDNN index had a strong association with CVD, even after adjusting for risk factors. Using a median split for SDNN, the hazard ratio of CVD was 1.83 (95% CI = 1.10–3.04) in Model 1 and 1.87 (95% CI = 1.11–3.13) in Model 2. Furthermore, the low-frequency (LF) index was associated with a risk of CVD in the continuous approach. For hypertensive disease, the SDNN index was associated with increased risks in both the continuous and dichotomized approaches. When the root-mean-square of the successive differences (RMSSDs), high frequency (HF), and LF were continuous variables, significant associations with hypertensive disease were observed. Conclusions: This cohort study suggests that SDNN and LF levels are useful for predicting 8 year CVD risk, especially for hypertensive disease. Further research is required to determine preventive measures for modifying HRV dysfunction, as well as to investigate whether these interventions could decrease CVD risk among professional drivers.
Ecological Health Assessment of Chinese National Parks Based on Landscape Pattern: A Case Study in Shennongjia National Park
Authors: Shu Hang , Xiao Chunwang , Ma Ting , Sang Weiguo
Published: November 2021

Assessing the health of the ecosystem based on the landscape pattern of national parks can facilitate policy makers in formulating more targeted conservation policies to better manage national park ecosystems. To analyze the landscape patterns and characteristics of the national park, the ecosystem health evaluation index system of the national park was constructed using the vigor-organization-resilience (VOR) model to evaluate the health status. In this study, the Shennongjia National Park in China was selected as a case study area to be assessed using the index system. The results revealed that the patches of construction land and farmland are the largest in number and the most complex in shape, reflecting the obvious fragmentation of construction land and farmland patches. All patch types in this national park were evenly distributed. The results of the analysis showed that the comprehensive index of national park heath, according to the VOR model, is 0.74, indicating that the ecosystems in this study area were in a good state of health. Ecosystems in strictly protected areas of this park had the highest ecosystem health index levels, while the traditional utilization areas had the lowest. Ecosystem health levels were characterized by significant spatial agglomeration characteristics, with high-high aggregation distribution areas, mainly clustered in strictly protected areas, and low-low aggregation distribution, mainly clustered in traditional utilization areas and marginal areas. This study provided a set of ecosystem health assessment systems and their practical use in China’s newly established national parks.
Assessment of Retrospective COVID-19 Spatial Clusters with Respect to Demographic Factors: Case Study of Kansas City, Missouri, United States
Authors: AlQadi Hadeel , Bani-Yaghoub Majid , Balakumar Sindhu , Wu Siqi , Francisco Alex
Published: November 2021

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The United States (U.S.) has the highest number of reported COVID-19 infections and related deaths in the world, accounting for 17.8% of total global confirmed cases as of August 2021. As COVID-19 spread throughout communities across the U.S., it became clear that inequities would arise among differing demographics. Several researchers have suggested that certain racial and ethnic minority groups may have been disproportionately impacted by the spread of COVID-19. In the present study, we used the daily data of COVID-19 cases in Kansas City, Missouri, to observe differences in COVID-19 clusters with respect to gender, race, and ethnicity. Specifically, we utilized a retrospective Poisson spatial scan statistic with respect to demographic factors to detect daily clusters of COVID-19 in Kansas City at the zip code level from March to November 2020. Our statistical results indicated that clusters of the male population were more widely scattered than clusters of the female population. Clusters of the Hispanic population had the highest prevalence and were also more widely scattered. This demographic cluster analysis can provide guidance for reducing the social inequalities associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. Moreover, applying stronger preventive and control measures to emerging clusters can reduce the likelihood of another epidemic wave of infection.
University Marching Band Members’ Noise Dosages and Hearing Health-Related Knowledge
Authors: Washnik Nilesh J. , Russell Jeffrey A. , Bhatt Ishan , Meier Rebecca , Chuzie Olivia , Nadeau Nicole , Kirjava Shade , Goff Allyson
Published: November 2021

Objectives: (1) To measure sound exposures of marching band and non-marching band students during a football game, (2) to compare these to sound level dose limits set by NIOSH, and (3) to assess the perceptions of marching band students about their hearing health risk from loud sound exposure and their use of hearing protection devices (HPDs). Methods: Personal noise dosimetry was completed on six marching band members and the band director during rehearsals and performances. Dosimetry measurements for two audience members were collected during the performances. Noise dose values were calculated using NIOSH criteria. One hundred twenty-three marching band members responded to a questionnaire analyzing perceptions of loud music exposure, the associated hearing health risks, and preventive behavior. Results: Noise dose values exceeded the NIOSH recommended limits among all six marching band members during rehearsals and performances. Higher sound levels were recorded during performances compared to rehearsals. The audience members were not exposed to hazardous levels. Most marching band members reported low concern for health effects from high sound exposure and minimal use of HPDs. Conclusion: High sound exposure and low concern regarding hearing health among marching band members reflect the need for comprehensive hearing conservation programs for this population.
Optimization of Micro-Pollutants’ Removal from Wastewater Using Agricultural Waste-Derived Sustainable Adsorbent
Authors: Alhothali Areej , Haneef Tahir , Mustafa Muhammad Raza Ul , Moria Kawthar Mostafa , Rashid Umer , Rasool Kashif , Bamasag Omaimah Omar
Published: November 2021

Water pollution due to the discharge of untreated industrial effluents is a serious environmental and public health issue. The presence of organic pollutants such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) causes worldwide concern because of their mutagenic and carcinogenic effects on aquatic life, human beings, and the environment. PAHs are pervasive atmospheric compounds that cause nervous system damage, mental retardation, cancer, and renal kidney diseases. This research presents the first usage of palm kernel shell biochar (PKSB) (obtained from agricultural waste) for PAH removal from industrial wastewater (oil and gas wastewater/produced water). A batch scale study was conducted for the remediation of PAHs and chemical oxygen demand (COD) from produced water. The influence of operating parameters such as biochar dosage, pH, and contact time was optimized and validated using a response surface methodology (RSM). Under optimized conditions, i.e., biochar dosage 2.99 g L−1, pH 4.0, and contact time 208.89 min, 93.16% of PAHs and 97.84% of COD were predicted. However, under optimized conditions of independent variables, 95.34% of PAH and 98.21% of COD removal was obtained in the laboratory. The experimental data were fitted to the empirical second-order model of a suitable degree for the maximum removal of PAHs and COD by the biochar. ANOVA analysis showed a high coefficient of determination value (R2 = 0.97) and a reasonable second-order regression prediction. Additionally, the study also showed a comparative analysis of PKSB with previously used agricultural waste biochar for PAH and COD removal. The PKSB showed significantly higher removal efficiency than other types of biochar. The study also provides analysis on the reusability of PKSB for up to four cycles using two different methods. The methods reflected a significantly good performance for PAH and COD removal for up to two cycles. Hence, the study demonstrated a successful application of PKSB as a potential sustainable adsorbent for the removal of micro-pollutants from produced water.
Exploring the Role of Health Expenditure and Maternal Mortality in South Asian Countries: An Approach towards Shaping Better Health Policy
Authors: Aziz Noshaba , He Jun , Sarker Tanwne , Sui Hongguang
Published: November 2021

Accomplishing unremitting favorable health outcomes, especially reducing maternal mortality, remains a challenge for South Asian countries. This study explores the relationship between health expenditure and maternal mortality by using data set consisting of 18 years from 2000 to 2017. Fully modified ordinary least squares (FMOLS) and dynamic ordinary least squares (DOLS) models were employed for the empirical analysis. The outcomes revealed that a 1% rise in health expenditure increased the maternal mortality rate by 1.95% in the case of FMOLS estimator and 0.16% in the case of DOLS estimator. This reflects that the prevailing health care system is not adequate for reducing maternal mortality. Moreover, the meager system and the priorities established by an elitist system in which the powerless and poor are not considered may also lead to worsen the situation. In addition, the study also added population, economic growth, sanitation, and clean fuel technology in the empirical model. The findings revealed that population growth has a significant long-term effect on maternal mortality—an increase of 40% in the case of FMOLS and 10% in the case of DOLS—and infers that an increase in population growth has also dampened efforts towards reducing maternal mortality in the South Asian panel. Further, the results in the case of economic growth, sanitation, and clean fuel technologies showed significant long-term negative effects on maternal mortality by 94%, 7.2%, and 11%, respectively, in the case of the FMOLS estimator, and 18%, 1.9%, and 5%, respectively, in the case of the DOLS estimator. The findings imply that GDP and access to sanitation and clean fuel technologies are more nuanced in declining maternal mortality. In conclusion, the verdict shows that policymakers should formulate policies considering the fundamental South Asian aspects warranted to reduce maternal mortality.
The Interpersonal–Psychological Theory of Suicide in Medical Students: Comparisons of Individuals without Suicidality, Ideators, and Planners
Authors: Solibieda Alice , Rotsaert Marianne , Loas Gwenolé
Published: November 2021

The aim of this study was to explore the interpersonal–psychological theory of suicide (IPTS) in medical students. Higher levels of thwarted belongingness and perceived burdensomeness were expected in medical students with suicidality compared with medical students without suicidality, and a high level of acquired capability was expected in planners compared with ideators. Recruited for the study were 178 undergraduate medical students at the Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB): 95 subjects without suicidality, 24 subjects with lifetime suicidality, 28 subjects with recent suicidal ideation, and 26 planners. An ad hoc questionnaire evaluated the risk of suicide as well as the “Suicidal thoughts and wishes” item of the BDI-II. The Interpersonal Needs Questionnaire (INS) measured thwarted belongingness (TB) and perceived burdensomeness (PB). The Acquired Capability for Suicide Scale (ACSS) measured notably fearlessness of death or pain tolerance and depression was rated using the revised version of the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). Cognitive–affective symptoms of depression (CA-BDI) were assessed using six items of the BDI. Analyses of variance showed significant differences between groups for TB and PB but not for ACSS. Analyses of covariance, controlling for the CA-BDI scores, confirmed the significance of differences in TB and PB. Post hoc tests showed that (1) high levels of TB were characteristic of subjects with recent suicidal ideation and planners compared with subjects without suicidality; and (2) high levels of PB were characteristic of planners compared with the three other groups. Among the three characteristics of the IPTS, PB could be a strong predictor of severe suicide risk in medical students.
Reward Deficiency Syndrome (RDS): A Cytoarchitectural Common Neurobiological Trait of All Addictions
Authors: Blum Kenneth , Bowirrat Abdalla , Braverman Eric R. , Baron David , Cadet Jean Lud , Kazmi Shan , Elman Igor , Thanos Panyotis K. , Badgaiyan Rajendra D. , Downs William B. , Bagchi Debasis , Llanos-Gomez Luis , Gold Mark S.
Published: November 2021

Alcohol and other substance use disorders share comorbidity with other RDS disorders, i.e., a reduction in dopamine signaling within the reward pathway. RDS is a term that connects addictive, obsessive, compulsive, and impulsive behavioral disorders. An estimated 2 million individuals in the United States have opioid use disorder related to prescription opioids. It is estimated that the overall cost of the illegal and legally prescribed opioid crisis exceeds one trillion dollars. Opioid Replacement Therapy is the most common treatment for addictions and other RDS disorders. Even after repeated relapses, patients are repeatedly prescribed the same opioid replacement treatments. A recent JAMA report indicates that non-opioid treatments fare better than chronic opioid treatments. Research demonstrates that over 50 percent of all suicides are related to alcohol or other drug use. In addition to effective fellowship programs and spirituality acceptance, nutrigenomic therapies (e.g., KB220Z) optimize gene expression, rebalance neurotransmitters, and restore neurotransmitter functional connectivity. KB220Z was shown to increase functional connectivity across specific brain regions involved in dopaminergic function. KB220/Z significantly reduces RDS behavioral disorders and relapse in human DUI offenders. Taking a Genetic Addiction Risk Severity (GARS) test combined with a the KB220Z semi-customized nutrigenomic supplement effectively restores dopamine homeostasis (WC 199).
Analysis of the Uniqueness and Similarity of City Landscapes Based on Deep Style Learning
Authors: Zhao Ling , Luo Li , Li Bo , Xu Liyan , Zhu Jiawei , He Silu , Li Haifeng
Published: November 2021

The city landscape is largely related to the design concept and aesthetics of planners. Influenced by globalization, planners and architects have borrowed from available designs, resulting in the “one city with a thousand faces” phenomenon. In order to create a unique urban landscape, they need to focus on local urban characteristics while learning new knowledge. Therefore, it is particularly important to explore the characteristics of cities’ landscapes. Previous researchers have studied them from different perspectives through social media data such as element types and feature maps. They only considered the content information of a image. However, social media images themselves have a “photographic cultural” character, which affects the city character. Therefore, we introduce this characteristic and propose a deep style learning for the city landscape method that can learn the global landscape features of cities from massive social media images encoded as vectors called city style features (CSFs). We find that CSFs can describe two landscape features: (1) intercity landscape features, which can quantitatively assess the similarity of intercity landscapes (we find that cities in close geographical proximity tend to have greater visual similarity to each other), and (2) intracity landscape features, which contain the inherent style characteristics of cities, and more fine-grained internal-city style characteristics can be obtained through cluster analysis. We validate the effectiveness of the above method on over four million Flickr social media images. The method proposed in this paper also provides a feasible approach for urban style analysis.
Safe Documentation of Historical Monuments by an Autonomous Unmanned Aerial Vehicle
Authors: Krátký Vít , Petráček Pavel , Nascimento Tiago , Čadilová Michaela , Škobrtal Milan , Stoudek Pavel , Saska Martin
Published: November 2021

The use of robotic systems, especially multi-rotor aerial vehicles, in the documentation of historical buildings and cultural heritage monuments has become common in recent years. However, the teleoperated robotic systems have significant limitations encouraging the ongoing development of autonomous unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The autonomous robotic platforms provide a more accurate and safe measurement in distant and difficult to access areas than their teleoperated counterpart. Through the use of autonomous aerial robotic systems, access to such places by humans and building of external infrastructures like scaffolding for documentation purposes is no longer necessary. In this work, we aim to present a novel autonomous unmanned aerial vehicle designed for the documentation of hardly attainable areas of historical buildings. The prototype of this robot was tested in several historical monuments comprising scanned objects located in dark and hardly accessible areas in the upper parts of tall naves. This manuscript presents the results from two specific places: the Church of St. Anne and St. Jacob the Great in Stará Voda, and St. Maurice Church in Olomouc, both in the Czech Republic. Finally, we also compare the three-dimensional map obtained with the measurements made by the 3D laser scanner carried onboard UAV against the ones performed by a 3D terrestrial laser scanner.
Moving Object Detection in Traffic Surveillance Video: New MOD-AT Method Based on Adaptive Threshold
Authors: Luo Xiaoyue , Wang Yanhui , Cai Benhe , Li Zhanxing
Published: November 2021

Previous research on moving object detection in traffic surveillance video has mostly adopted a single threshold to eliminate the noise caused by external environmental interference, resulting in low accuracy and low efficiency of moving object detection. Therefore, we propose a moving object detection method that considers the difference of image spatial threshold, i.e., a moving object detection method using adaptive threshold (MOD-AT for short). In particular, based on the homograph method, we first establish the mapping relationship between the geometric-imaging characteristics of moving objects in the image space and the minimum circumscribed rectangle (BLOB) of moving objects in the geographic space to calculate the projected size of moving objects in the image space, by which we can set an adaptive threshold for each moving object to precisely remove the noise interference during moving object detection. Further, we propose a moving object detection algorithm called GMM_BLOB (GMM denotes Gaussian mixture model) to achieve high-precision detection and noise removal of moving objects. The case-study results show the following: (1) Compared with the existing object detection algorithm, the median error (MD) of the MOD-AT algorithm is reduced by 1.2–11.05%, and the mean error (MN) is reduced by 1.5–15.5%, indicating that the accuracy of the MOD-AT algorithm is higher in single-frame detection; (2) in terms of overall accuracy, the performance and time efficiency of the MOD-AT algorithm is improved by 7.9–24.3%, reflecting the higher efficiency of the MOD-AT algorithm; (3) the average accuracy (MP) of the MOD-AT algorithm is improved by 17.13–44.4%, the average recall (MR) by 7.98–24.38%, and the average F1-score (MF) by 10.13–33.97%; in general, the MOD-AT algorithm is more accurate, efficient, and robust.
Efficient IoT Data Management for Geological Disasters Based on Big Data-Turbocharged Data Lake Architecture
Authors: Huang Xiaohui , Fan Junqing , Deng Ze , Yan Jining , Li Jiabao , Wang Lizhe
Published: November 2021

Multi-source Internet of Things (IoT) data, archived in institutions’ repositories, are becoming more and more widely open-sourced to make them publicly accessed by scientists, developers, and decision makers via web services to promote researches on geohazards prevention. In this paper, we design and implement a big data-turbocharged system for effective IoT data management following the data lake architecture. We first propose a multi-threading parallel data ingestion method to ingest IoT data from institutions’ data repositories in parallel. Next, we design storage strategies for both ingested IoT data and processed IoT data to store them in a scalable, reliable storage environment. We also build a distributed cache layer to enable fast access to IoT data. Then, we provide users with a unified, SQL-based interactive environment to enable IoT data exploration by leveraging the processing ability of Apache Spark. In addition, we design a standard-based metadata model to describe ingested IoT data and thus support IoT dataset discovery. Finally, we implement a prototype system and conduct experiments on real IoT data repositories to evaluate the efficiency of the proposed system.
Polyamine Metabolism under Different Light Regimes in Wheat
Authors: Gondor Orsolya Kinga , Tajti Judit , Hamow Kamirán Áron , Majláth Imre , Szalai Gabriella , Janda Tibor , Pál Magda
Published: November 2021

Although the relationship between polyamines and photosynthesis has been investigated at several levels, the main aim of this experiment was to test light-intensity-dependent influence of polyamine metabolism with or without exogenous polyamines. First, the effect of the duration of the daily illumination, then the effects of different light intensities (50, 250, and 500 μmol m–2 s–1) on the polyamine metabolism at metabolite and gene expression levels were investigated. In the second experiment, polyamine treatments, namely putrescine, spermidine and spermine, were also applied. The different light quantities induced different changes in the polyamine metabolism. In the leaves, light distinctly induced the putrescine level and reduced the 1,3-diaminopropane content. Leaves and roots responded differently to the polyamine treatments. Polyamines improved photosynthesis under lower light conditions. Exogenous polyamine treatments influenced the polyamine metabolism differently under individual light regimes. The fine-tuning of the synthesis, back-conversion and terminal catabolism could be responsible for the observed different polyamine metabolism-modulating strategies, leading to successful adaptation to different light conditions.
Normal Skin Cells Increase Aggressiveness of Cutaneous Melanoma by Promoting Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition via Nodal and Wnt Activity
Authors: Untiveros Gustavo , Dezi Lindsay , Gillette Megan , Sidor Julia , Strizzi Luigi
Published: November 2021

Melanoma is a lethal form of skin cancer triggered by genetic and environmental factors. Excision of early-stage, poorly aggressive melanoma often leads to a successful outcome; however, left undiagnosed these lesions can progress to metastatic disease. This research investigates whether the exposure of poorly aggressive melanoma to certain normal skin cells can explain how non-metastatic melanoma becomes more aggressive while still confined to the skin. To this end, we used a serial co-culture approach to sequentially expose cells from two different, poorly aggressive human melanoma cell lines against normal cells of the skin beginning with normal melanocytes, then epidermal keratinocytes, and finally dermal fibroblasts. Protein extraction of melanoma cells occurred at each step of the co-culture sequence for western blot (WB) analysis. In addition, morphological and functional changes were assessed to detect differences between the serially co-cultured melanoma cells and non-co-cultured cells. Results show that the co-cultured melanoma cells assumed a more mesenchymal morphology and displayed a significant increase in proliferation and invasiveness compared to control or reference cells. WB analysis of protein from the co-cultured melanoma cells showed increased expression of Snail and decreased levels of E-cadherin suggesting that epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is occurring in these co-cultured cells. Additional WB analysis showed increased levels of Nodal protein and signaling and signs of increased Wnt activity in the co-cultured melanoma cells compared to reference cells. These data suggest that interaction between poorly aggressive melanoma cells with normal cells of the skin may regulate the transition from localized, poorly aggressive melanoma to invasive, metastatic disease via Nodal and/or Wnt induced EMT.
Molecular Analysis of Elements of Melanoma Insensitivity to TCR-Engineered Adoptive Cell Therapy
Authors: Jazirehi Ali R.
Published: November 2021

Metastatic melanoma accounts for the highest number of skin cancer-related deaths. Traditional treatments are ineffective due to their inability to induce tumor regression at a high rate. Newer treatments such as immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI), targeted therapy (BRAFi and MEKi), and T cell receptor (TCR)-engineered T cells aim to increase the ability of the host immune system to recognize and eradicate tumors. ICIs inhibit negative regulatory mechanisms and boost the antitumor activity of the host’s immune system, while targeted therapy directed against aberrant signaling molecules (BRAF and MEK) will block the uncontrolled proliferation and expansion of melanomas. The basis of the TCR-engineered T cell strategy is to transduce host T cells with antigen-specific TCRα/β chains to produce high-affinity T cells for tumor-associated antigens. TCR-transgenic T cells are expanded and activated ex vivo and reinfused into patients to increase the targeting of cancer cells. While these treatments have had varyingly favorable results, their efficacy is limited due to inherent or acquired resistance. Various mechanisms explain melanoma immune-resistance, including the loss or downregulation of the MCH/peptide complex, aberrant activity of signaling pathways, and altered dynamics of apoptotic machinery. Collectively, these mechanisms confer melanoma resistance to apoptotic stimuli delivered by T cells despite a fully functional and effective antitumor immune response. Identification of biomarkers, combination treatment, and the use of CAR T cells are among the approaches that can potentially circumvent melanoma’s resistance to immunotherapy.
miR-31-NUMB Cascade Modulates Monocarboxylate Transporters to Increase Oncogenicity and Lactate Production of Oral Carcinoma Cells
Authors: Chou Chung-Hsien , Chiang Chun-Yu Fan , Yang Cheng-Chieh , Liu Ying-Chieh , Chang Sih-Rou , Chang Kuo-Wei , Lin Shu-Chun
Published: November 2021

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is among the leading causes of cancer-associated death worldwide. miR-31 is an oncogenic miRNA in OSCC. NUMB is an adaptor protein capable of suppressing malignant transformation. Disruption of the miR-31-NUMB regulatory axis has been demonstrated in malignancies. Mitochondrial dysfunction and adaptation to glycolytic respiration are frequent events in malignancies. Monocarboxylate transporters (MCTs) function to facilitate lactate flux in highly glycolytic cells. Upregulation of MCT1 and MCT4 has been shown to be a prognostic factor of OSCC. Here, we reported that miR-31-NUMB can modulate glycolysis in OSCC. Using the CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing strategy, we identified increases in oncogenic phenotypes, MCT1 and MCT4 expression, lactate production, and glycolytic respiration in NUMB-deleted OSCC subclones. Transfection of the Numb1 or Numb4 isoform reversed the oncogenic induction elicited by NUMB deletion. This study also showed, for the first time, that NUMB4 binds MCT1 and MCT4 and that this binding increases their ubiquitination, which may decrease their abundance in cell lysates. The disruptions in oncogenicity and metabolism associated with miR-31 deletion and NUMB deletion were partially rescued by MCT1/MCT4 expression or knockdown. This study demonstrated that NUMB is a novel binding partner of MCT1 and MCT4 and that the miR-31-NUMB-MCT1/MCT4 regulatory cascade is present in oral carcinoma.
Nanoscale Elastoplastic Wrinkling of Ultrathin Molecular Films
Authors: Cordella Gianfranco , Tripodo Antonio , Puosi Francesco , Pisignano Dario , Leporini Dino
Published: November 2021

Ultrathin molecular films deposited on a substrate are ubiquitously used in electronics, photonics, and additive manufacturing methods. The nanoscale surface instability of these systems under uniaxial compression is investigated here by molecular dynamics simulations. We focus on deviations from the homogeneous macroscopic behavior due to the discrete, disordered nature of the deformed system, which might have critical importance for applications. The instability, which develops in the elastoplastic regime above a finite critical strain, leads to the growth of unidimensional wrinkling up to strains as large as 0.5. We highlight both the dominant wavelength and the amplitude of the wavy structure. The wavelength is found to scale geometrically with the film length, λ∝L, up to a compressive strain of ε≃0.4 at least, depending on the film length. The onset and growth of the wrinkling under small compression are quite well described by an extended version of the familiar square-root law in the strain ε observed in macroscopic systems. Under large compression (ε≳0.25), we find that the wrinkling amplitude increases while leaving the cross section nearly constant, offering a novel interpretation of the instability with a large amplitude. The contour length of the film topography is not constant under compression, which is in disagreement with the simple accordion model. These findings might be highly relevant for the design of novel and effective wrinkling and buckling patterns and architectures in flexible platforms for electronics and photonics.
Natural Products-Based Drug Design against SARS-CoV-2 Mpro 3CLpro
Authors: Silva Rai C. , Freitas Humberto F. , Campos Joaquín M. , Kimani Njogu M. , Silva Carlos H. T. P. , Borges Rosivaldo S. , Pita Samuel S. R. , Santos Cleydson B. R.
Published: November 2021

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has received global attention due to the serious threat it poses to public health. Since the outbreak in December 2019, millions of people have been affected and its rapid global spread has led to an upsurge in the search for treatment. To discover hit compounds that can be used alone or in combination with repositioned drugs, we first analyzed the pharmacokinetic and toxicological properties of natural products from Brazil’s semiarid region. After, we analyzed the site prediction and druggability of the SARS-CoV-2 main protease (Mpro), followed by docking and molecular dynamics simulation. The best SARS-CoV-2 Mpro complexes revealed that other sites were accessed, confirming that our approach could be employed as a suitable starting protocol for ligand prioritization, reinforcing the importance of catalytic cysteine-histidine residues and providing new structural data that could increase the antiviral development mainly against SARS-CoV-2. Here, we selected 10 molecules that could be in vitro assayed in response to COVID-19. Two compounds (b01 and b02) suggest a better potential for interaction with SARS-CoV-2 Mpro and could be further studied.
Panx1b Modulates the Luminance Response and Direction of Locomotion in the Zebrafish
Authors: Safarian Nickie , Houshangi-Tabrizi Sarah , Zoidl Christiane , Zoidl Georg R.
Published: November 2021

Pannexin1 (Panx1) can form ATP-permeable channels that play roles in the physiology of the visual system. In the zebrafish two ohnologs of Panx1, Panx1a and Panx1b, have unique and shared channel properties and tissue expression patterns. Panx1a channels are located in horizontal cells of the outer retina and modulate light decrement detection through an ATP/pH-dependent mechanisms and adenosine/dopamine signaling. Here, we decipher how the strategic localization of Panx1b channels in the inner retina and ganglion cell layer modulates visually evoked motor behavior. We describe a panx1b knockout model generated by TALEN technology. The RNA-seq analysis of 6 days post-fertilization larvae is confirmed by real-time PCR and paired with testing of locomotion behaviors by visual motor and optomotor response tests. We show that the loss of Panx1b channels disrupts the retinal response to an abrupt loss of illumination and it decreases the larval ability to follow leftward direction of locomotion in low light conditions. We concluded that the loss of Panx1b channels compromises the final output of luminance as well as motion detection. The Panx1b protein also emerges as a modulator of the circadian clock system. The disruption of the circadian clock system in mutants suggests that Panx1b could participate in non-image forming processes in the inner retina.
Simulated Microgravity Subtlety Changes Monoamine Function across the Rat Brain
Authors: Gros Alexandra , Lavenu Léandre , Morel Jean-Luc , De Deurwaerdère Philippe
Published: November 2021

Microgravity, one of the conditions faced by astronauts during spaceflights, triggers brain adaptive responses that could have noxious consequences on behaviors. Although monoaminergic systems, which include noradrenaline (NA), dopamine (DA), and serotonin (5-HT), are widespread neuromodulatory systems involved in adaptive behaviors, the influence of microgravity on these systems is poorly documented. Using a model of simulated microgravity (SMG) during a short period in Long Evans male rats, we studied the distribution of monoamines in thirty brain regions belonging to vegetative, mood, motor, and cognitive networks. SMG modified NA and/or DA tissue contents along some brain regions belonging to the vestibular/motor systems (inferior olive, red nucleus, cerebellum, somatosensorily cortex, substantia nigra, and shell of the nucleus accumbens). DA and 5-HT contents were reduced in the prelimbic cortex, the only brain area exhibiting changes for 5-HT content. However, the number of correlations of one index of the 5-HT metabolism (ratio of metabolite and 5-HT) alone or in interaction with the DA metabolism was dramatically increased between brain regions. It is suggested that SMG, by mobilizing vestibular/motor systems, promotes in these systems early, restricted changes of NA and DA functions that are associated with a high reorganization of monoaminergic systems, notably 5-HT.