bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Cancer Immunotherapy: The Checkpoint between Chronic Colitis and Colorectal Cancer
Authors: Ephraim Ramya , Feehan Jack , Fraser Sarah , Nurgali Kulmira , Apostolopoulos Vasso
Published: December 2022

Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) is a group of diseases that cause intestinal inflammation and lesions because of an abnormal immune response to host gut microflora. Corticosteroids, anti-inflammatories, and antibiotics are often used to reduce non-specific inflammation and relapse rates; however, such treatments are ineffective over time. Patients with chronic colitis are more susceptible to developing colorectal cancer, especially those with a longer duration of colitis. There is often a limit in using chemotherapy due to side effects, leading to reduced efficacy, leaving an urgent need to improve treatments and identify new therapeutic targets. Cancer immunotherapy has made significant advances in recent years and is mainly categorized as cancer vaccines, adoptive cellular immunotherapy, or immune checkpoint blockade therapies. Checkpoint markers are expressed on cancer cells to evade the immune system, and as a result checkpoint inhibitors have transformed cancer treatment in the last 5–10 years. Immune checkpoint inhibitors have produced long-lasting clinical responses in both single and combination therapies. Winnie mice are a viable model of spontaneous chronic colitis with immune responses like human IBD. Determining the expression levels of checkpoint markers in tissues from these mice will provide insights into disease initiation, progression, and cancer. Such information will lead to identification of novel checkpoint markers and the development of treatments with or without immune checkpoint inhibitors or vaccines to slow or stop disease progression.
Teratoid Hepatoblastoma—Our Experience
Authors: Berklite Lara , Ranganathan Sarangarajan
Published: December 2022

Hepatoblastomas (HB) are the most common pediatric liver tumor with several subgroups described, of which teratoid HB is the rarest. The aim of this study is to characterize the histologic and phenotypic spectrum of teratoid HB in order to better understand the biology and behavior of these tumors. A retrospective analysis of all teratoid HB diagnosed at a major pediatric hospital as well as the consultation files of one of the authors (SR) was performed with the available clinical data and surgical pathology material reviewed. A detailed immunohistochemical workup was also performed. A total of 28 cases were included from patients ranging from 5 to 84 months of age and a M:F ratio of 1.07:1. Four patients had syndromic associations. In 14/28 cases, the tumors contained primitive glandular elements with histologic and immunophenotypic overlap with the yolk sac tumor which in two cases became predominant in metastatic sites. One case had extensive primitive neural epithelium mimicking a primitive neuroectodermal tumor (PNET). Other unique elements included melanin, mature neuroglial tissue, rhabdomyoblastic differentiation, and neuroendocrine carcinoma-like areas (n = 2). In conclusion, this study provides the largest series of teratoid HB to date with clinical and outcome data, highlights previously undescribed or under-recognized histologic patterns in these tumors, and describes the immunohistochemical profile of these tumors to aid in diagnosis.
Formation and Clearance of NETs in Health and Disease
Authors: Knopf Jasmin , Mahajan Aparna , Muñoz Luis E. , Herrmann Martin
Published: December 2022

Neutrophils are the most abundant innate immune cells in humans and the first line of defense against invading pathogens [...]
Therapy-Induced Stromal Senescence Promoting Aggressiveness of Prostate and Ovarian Cancer
Authors: Pardella Elisa , Pranzini Erica , Nesi Ilaria , Parri Matteo , Spatafora Pietro , Torre Eugenio , Muccilli Angela , Castiglione Francesca , Fambrini Massimiliano , Sorbi Flavia , Cirri Paolo , Caselli Anna , Puhr Martin , Klocker Helmut , Serni Sergio , Raugei Giovanni , Magherini Francesca , Taddei Maria Letizia
Published: December 2022

Cancer progression is supported by the cross-talk between tumor cells and the surrounding stroma. In this context, senescent cells in the tumor microenvironment contribute to the development of a pro-inflammatory milieu and the acquisition of aggressive traits by cancer cells. Anticancer treatments induce cellular senescence (therapy-induced senescence, TIS) in both tumor and non-cancerous cells, contributing to many detrimental side effects of therapies. Thus, we focused on the effects of chemotherapy on the stromal compartment of prostate and ovarian cancer. We demonstrated that anticancer chemotherapeutics, regardless of their specific mechanism of action, promote a senescent phenotype in stromal fibroblasts, resulting in metabolic alterations and secretion of paracrine factors, sustaining the invasive and clonogenic potential of both prostate and ovarian cancer cells. The clearance of senescent stromal cells, through senolytic drug treatment, reverts the malignant phenotype of tumor cells. The clinical relevance of TIS was validated in ovarian and prostate cancer patients, highlighting increased accumulation of lipofuscin aggregates, a marker of the senescent phenotype, in the stromal compartment of tissues from chemotherapy-treated patients. These data provide new insights into the potential efficacy of combining traditional anticancer strategies with innovative senotherapy to potentiate anticancer treatments and overcome the adverse effects of chemotherapy.
Subviral Dense Bodies of Human Cytomegalovirus Induce an Antiviral Type I Interferon Response
Authors: Penner Inessa , Büscher Nicole , Dejung Mario , Freiwald Anja , Butter Falk , Plachter Bodo
Published: December 2022

(1) Background: Cells infected with the human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) produce subviral particles, termed dense bodies (DBs), both in-vitro and in-vivo. They are released from cells, comparable to infectious virions, and are enclosed by a membrane that resembles the viral envelope and mediates the entry into cells. To date, little is known about how the DB uptake influences the gene expression in target cells. The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of DBs on cells, in the absence of a viral infection. (2) Methods: Mass spectrometry, immunoblot analyses, siRNA knockdown, and a CRISPR-CAS9 knockout, were used to investigate the changes in cellular gene expression following a DB exposure; (3) Results: A number of interferon-regulated genes (IRGs) were upregulated after the fibroblasts and endothelial cells were exposed to DBs. This upregulation was dependent on the DB entry and mediated by the type I interferon signaling through the JAK-STAT pathway. The induction of IRGs was mediated by the sensing of the DB-introduced DNA by the pattern recognition receptor cGAS. (4) Conclusions: The induction of a strong type I IFN response by DBs is a unique feature of the HCMV infection. The release of DBs may serve as a danger signal and concomitantly contribute to the induction of a strong, antiviral immune response.
The Cognitive Ability of Chinese Students with Dyslexia and Mathematical Learning Disabilities
Authors: Li Zhaoyu , AL-Qadri Abdo Hasan , Zhao Wei
Published: December 2022

This study aims to investigate the core cognitive factors that affect reading and math performance of children of the grades 1–6 in Xi’an, Shaanxi Province, China, as well as the differences between children with dyslexia and mathematical disabilities (MD). Therefore, this study mainly evaluated the Cattell Horn Carroll (CHC) cognitive factors for 427 Chinese children and explored the core cognitive factors that affect Chinese children’s reading and math performance. Students with dyslexia (n = 34), students with mathematics learning disabilities (n = 34), and 34 normal children were randomly selected as the control group. In order to explore the differences in cognitive development, we analyzed the differences among the three groups (Dyslexia, mathematical learning disabilities (MD), and normal children). The results revealed the following: (1) almost all cognitive ability factors in this study are significantly related to students’ reading and mathematical achievements. (2) the core cognitive factors for predicting Chinese dyslexia students are crystallized intelligence, auditory processing and working memory. Executive function, spatial relationship and working memory are the core cognitive factors to predict Chinese children’s mathematical achievements. (3) in addition, there are differences in cognitive deficits between disabled Chinese children in reading and math, among which those with reading deficits have extensive auditory processing deficits; while children with mathematic deficits have worse executive function. Recommendations were made based on these findings.
Non-Peptide Agonists and Antagonists of the Prokineticin Receptors
Authors: Lattanzi Roberta , Miele Rossella
Published: December 2022

The prokineticin family comprises a group of secreted peptides that can be classified as chemokines based on their structural features and chemotactic and immunomodulatory functions. Prokineticins (PKs) bind with high affinity to two G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). Prokineticin receptor 1 (PKR1) and prokineticin receptor 2 (PKR2) are involved in a variety of physiological functions such as angiogenesis and neurogenesis, hematopoiesis, the control of hypothalamic hormone secretion, the regulation of circadian rhythm and the modulation of complex behaviors such as feeding and drinking. Dysregulation of the system leads to an inflammatory process that is the substrate for many pathological conditions such as cancer, pain, neuroinflammation and neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. The use of PKR’s antagonists reduces PK2/PKRs upregulation triggered by various inflammatory processes, suggesting that a pharmacological blockade of PKRs may be a successful strategy to treat inflammatory/neuroinflammatory diseases, at least in rodents. Under certain circumstances, the PK system exhibits protective/neuroprotective effects, so PKR agonists have also been developed to modulate the prokineticin system.
Τhe “GPS/GNSS on Boat” Technique for the Determination of the Sea Surface Topography and Geoid: A Critical Review
Authors: Lycourghiotis Sotiris , Kariotou Foteini
Published: December 2022

The opening up of the global positioning system (GPS) for non-military uses provided a new impetus for the study of the sea surface topography (SST) and geoid, especially in coastal areas which are important from the viewpoint of the climate crisis. The application of the “GPS/GNSS on boat” method, as an alternative to traditional (indirect and direct) methods, has provided detailed SST maps in coastal and oceanic areas with an accuracy of up to few centimeters. In this work we present the first critical review concerning the evolution of the “GPS/GNSS on boat” method over a period of 27 years. Twenty-one papers, covering the 27 years of related research, are critically reviewed, focusing on the innovations they introduce, the solutions they present and the accuracy they achieve. Further improvement of the method, principally of its accuracy, and the extension of SST measurements to additional coastal environments open new perspectives for the examination of open geophysical problems and climate change.
Considering Thermal Diffusivity as a Design Factor in Multilayer Hybrid Ice Protection Systems
Authors: García Paloma , Mora Julio , González del Val Miguel , Carreño Francisco , García de Blas Francisco Javier , Agüero Alina
Published: December 2022

Icing is a major problem that affects the aeronautical sector, which is forced to use anti- and de-icing systems to ensure flight safety. The currently used systems are effective but exhibit high energy consumption. Resistive heating is used to prevent ice accretion or to release it once it has formed. To satisfy all the imposed airworthiness requirements, such as low aerodynamic impact, resistance to lightning strikes, no overheating, etc., multilayer systems are commonly configured with different layers fulfilling specific functions. For example, the Boeing 787 Dreamliner uses dry woven glass fiber fabric on top of the heating element to provide galvanic insulation and dielectric resistance. It satisfies the above-mentioned requirements, but its thermal conductivity is very low, therefore reducing energy efficiency. The thermal distribution of two materials (AA6061 aluminum alloy and PTFE) with significantly different thermal and electrical properties in contact with a heating element was studied. Finite element calculations and experimental testing in an icing wind tunnel were carried out at −12 °C under different convection conditions: natural (0 m/s) and forced (35 and 70 m/s), using specimens of different sizes. Heating elements areas were also varied. AA6061 showed homogeneous heating, whereas differences of up to 80 °C were observed when using PTFE. In addition, the test results highlighted the effect of forced convection and the need to evaluate these systems “in close to operative” conditions. The calculation results proved to it be an interesting tool for studying the behavior of the systems avoiding extensive testing.
Challenges Facing Leaders in Transforming Small-Scale Irrigation Farming in Usa River Ward, Arumeru District, Northern Tanzania
Authors: Kweka Eliningaya J. , Kitula Casmir F. , Mbuti Elias E. , Wanani David
Published: December 2022

The low agricultural productivity of key crops and food insecurity continue to be a problem in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), and Tanzania in particular. The growing population and climate change further increase the food shortage. Irrigation has been strategized to reduce poverty and food insecurity, and improve the livelihoods of communities in African countries, and in particular Tanzania. Transformational leadership for small-scale irrigation is urgently needed to attain the planned agenda for irrigation schemes. This study assessed the challenges of leadership in leading and transforming small-scale irrigation schemes. The questionnaires were distributed to leaders of the agriculture sector in four strata (agriculture extension officer (25), AMCOS leaders (6), agriculture engineers (2), irrigation committee (9)) with a total of 42 leaders as participants. A total of 118 farmers were interviewed from four irrigation canals (Ngollo (32), Ngarasero I (32), Ngarasero II (33), and Abisinia (21)) in the Usa River ward. The study found that the challenges of leaders in leading the transformation of small-scale farming for success were commitment of leaders, market chain, pest control mechanisms, irrigation extension service, planning, technological transformation and adoption, mobilization of farmers and professionals, monitoring and evaluation, knowledge of irrigation, and agro-input supply. This study shows that leaders’ transformation skills can play a great role in poverty reduction in small-scale irrigation in the Usa River ward. Therefore, leaders in the study area should play the role of transformational leadership effectively in managing small-scale irrigation by practicing a participatory approach to farmers problem-solving.
Rate-Controlling Microplastic Processes during Plastic Flow in FCC Metals: Origin of the Variation of Strain Rate Sensitivity in Aluminum from 78 to 300 K
Authors: Saimoto Shigeo , Diak Bradley J. , Niewczas Marek
Published: December 2022

The thermodynamic response of dislocation intersections with forest dislocations and other deformation products is recorded using the Eyring rate relation wherein the application of shear stress increases the probability of activation at a given strain rate and temperature. The inverse activation volume, 1/ν, can be directly determined by instantaneous strain-rate change and its dependence on flow stress, τ, defines the strain-rate sensitivity, S, through the Haasen plot slope. A linear slope over a large strain interval is observed even for a heterogeneous distribution of obstacles that could be of more than one type of obstacles encountered by the gliding dislocation. It was deduced that ν and τ at each activation site are coordinated by the internal stress resulting in constant activation work (k/S). The stress changes from down-rate changes become larger than that from up-rate changes due to the formation of weaker obstacles, resulting in a composite S, whereas only forest dislocations are detected by the up-change. The additivity of 1/ν was used to separate obstacle species in specially prepared AA1100 and super-pure aluminum from 78 to 300 K. The deduction that repulsive intersection is the rate-controlling process and creates vacancies at each intersection site depending on temperature was validated by observing the pinning and depinning of dislocations via pipe diffusion above 125 K. A new method to separate S for dislocation-dislocation intersections from the intersections with other obstacles and their temperature dependence is presented and validated.
Recent Progress on AlGaN Based Deep Ultraviolet Light-Emitting Diodes below 250 nm
Authors: Zhang Chunyue , Jiang Ke , Sun Xiaojuan , Li Dabing
Published: December 2022

AlGaN based deep ultraviolet (DUV) light-emitting diodes (LEDs), especially with a wavelength below 250 nm, have great application potential in the fields of sterilization and disinfection, gas sensing, and other aspects. However, with the decrease of emission wavelength, performance collapse occurs and the external quantum efficiencies (EQE) of sub-250 nm LEDs are usually below 1% for a long time. Low efficiencies are resulted from problem accumulation of all aspects, including n/p-type doping and contacts, carrier confinements and transports, light extraction, etc. To achieve high EQE of sub-250 nm LEDs, problems and solutions need to be discussed. In this paper, the research progress, development bottlenecks, and corresponding solutions of sub-250 nm LEDs are summarized and discussed in detail.
Reconstruction after Talar Tumor Resection: A Systematic Review
Authors: Tsukamoto Shinji , Mavrogenis Andreas F. , Honoki Kanya , Kido Akira , Tanaka Yuu , Fujii Hiromasa , Takakura Yoshinori , Tanaka Yasuhito , Errani Costantino
Published: December 2022

This systematic review investigated the functional outcomes and complications of reconstruction methods after talar tumor resection. A systematic search of PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials databases identified 156 studies, of which 20 (23 patients) were ultimately included. The mean Musculoskeletal Tumor Society scores in the groups reconstructed using tibiocalcaneal fusion (n = 17), frozen autograft (n = 1), and talar prosthesis (n = 5) were 77.6 (range 66–90), 70, and 90 (range 87–93), respectively. Regarding complications, sensory deficits were observed in one patient (6%) and venous thrombosis in two patients (12%) in the tibiocalcaneal fusion group, while osteoarthritis was observed in one patient (100%) in the frozen autograft group. No complications were observed in the talar prosthesis group. Reconstruction with talar prosthesis seems preferable to conventional tibiocalcaneal fusion after talar tumor resection because it offers better function and fewer complications. However, as this systematic review included only retrospective studies with a small number of patients, its results require re-evaluation in future randomized controlled trials with larger numbers of patients.
Effects of Anthropogenic Habitat Fragmentation on the Genetic Connectivity of the Threatened and Endemic Campylorhynchus yucatanicus (Aves, Trogloditydae) in the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico
Authors: Serrano-Rodríguez Anay , Escalona-Segura Griselda , Rodríguez Antonio González , Machkour-M’Rabet Salima , Ruiz-Montoya Lorena , Elias Eduardo E. Iñigo , Plasencia-Vázquez Alexis Herminio
Published: December 2022

Identifying connectivity patterns among remnant bird populations and their relationships with land use practices and adjacent habitat fragments is key to implementing appropriate long-term management strategies for species conservation. The coastal scrub and dune vegetation complex of the northern Yucatan Peninsula is rich in endemisms and has been affected by human development, which threatens the survival of the Yucatan Wren (Campylorhynchus yucatanicus) population, an endemic bird species. To identify possible anthropogenic barriers to the connectivity of C. yucatanicus along 14 localities in the Yucatan (Mexico) coastal north, we explored the relationship between the species population’s genetic variability at each sampled site and landscape structure using regression models, in addition to the relationship between genetic distance and landscape resistance. Seven nuclear microsatellite loci were used as genetic markers. Four genetic populations were highlighted by the clustering method implemented in the Geneland program. Human settlement and availability of adequate habitat were significantly related to genetic distance (Fst), suggesting limited connectivity among sites due to ongoing land use changes. We suggest changing the IUCN threat category of C. yucatanicus to endangered as we found a significant loss of genetic variability in addition to restricted distribution, small population, habitat degradation, and loss of connectivity.
Assessment of Noninferiority of Delayed Oral Calcium Supplementation on Blood Calcium and Magnesium Concentrations and Rumination Behavior in Dairy Cows
Authors: Florentino Cainan C. , Shepley Elise , Ruch Megan , Silva Joao V. L. , Crooker Brian A. , Caixeta Luciano S.
Published: December 2022

We investigated whether delaying oral calcium (Ca) bolus administration to the second day postpartum (DEL) was noninferior to bolus administration within 24 h of calving (CON) in its effects on plasma Ca concentrations during the first five days in milk (DIM). We also investigated the effects of DEL vs. CON strategies on magnesium (Mg) concentrations and daily rumination time (RT). Twenty-three multiparous (parity ≥ 3) dairy cows were randomly assigned to the CON (n = 11) or DEL (n = 12) treatment. Blood Ca and Mg were measured at 1–5 DIM and RT was monitored from −7 d to 7 d relative to calving. The noninferiority margin was a difference in Ca concentration of 0.15 mmol/L. Blood Ca and Mg concentrations and RT were analyzed by multivariable linear mixed models accounting for repeated measures. Blood Ca concentrations were 0.07 mmol/L (95% confidence interval: −0.30–0.17) less in DEL cows than CON cows, thus non-inferiority results were inconclusive. The Ca concentration increased across the first 5 DIM but did not differ between treatments while Mg concentrations decreased in both treatments (p < 0.001). There was no treatment difference in RT (CON: 436 ± 21, DEL: 485 ± 19 min/d). While noninferiority results were inconclusive, similar blood Ca dynamics between CON and DEL treatment strategies indicates that delayed Ca administration is a potential management option for commercial dairy farms; however, additional studies using large sample sizes are warranted to confirm these findings.
Is It Possible to Analyze Kidney Functions, Electrolytes and Volemia Using Artificial Intelligence?
Authors: Tasić Danijela , Đorđević Katarina , Galović Slobodanka , Furundžić Draško , Dimitrijević Zorica , Radenković Sonja
Published: December 2022

Markers used in everyday clinical practice cannot distinguish between the permanent impairment of renal function. Sodium and potassium values and their interdependence are key parameters in addition to volemia for the assessment of cardiorenal balance. The aim of this study was to investigate volemia and electrolyte status from a clinical cardiorenal viewpoint under consideration of renal function utilizing artificial intelligence. In this paper, an analysis of five variables: B-type natriuretic peptide, sodium, potassium, ejection fraction, EPI creatinine-cystatin C, was performed using an algorithm based on the adaptive neuro fuzzy inference system. B-type natriuretic peptide had the greatest influence on the ejection fraction. It has been shown that values of both Na+ and K+ lead to deterioration of the condition and vital endangerment of patients. To identify the risk of occurrence, the model identifies a prognostic biomarker by random regression from the total data set. The predictions obtained from this model can help optimize preventative strategies and intensive monitoring for patients identified as at risk for electrolyte disturbance and hypervolemia. This approach may be superior to the traditional diagnostic approach due to its contribution to more accurate and rapid diagnostic interpretation and better planning of further patient treatment
Evaluation and Clinical Impact of Biofire FilmArray Pneumonia Panel Plus in ICU-Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients
Authors: Escudero Dolores , Fernández-Suarez Jonathan , Forcelledo Lorena , Balboa Salvador , Fernández Javier , Astola Ivan , Quindos Brigida , Campos Rainer , Vázquez Fernando , Boga José Antonio
Published: December 2022

Microbiological diagnosis by using commercial multiplex quantitative PCR systems provides great advantages over the conventional culture. In this work, the Biofire FilmArray Pneumonia Panel Plus (FAPP+) was used to test 144 low respiratory tract samples from 105 COVID-19 patients admitted to an Intensive Care Unit (ICU), detecting 78 pathogens in 59 (41%) samples. The molecular panel was evaluated by using the conventional culture (CC) as comparator, which isolated 42 pathogens in 40 (27.7%) samples. The overall percentage of agreement was 82.6%. Values of sensitivity (93%), specificity (62%), positive predictive value (50%), and negative predictive value (96%) were obtained. The mean time elapsed from sample extraction to modification of antibiotic treatment was 7.6 h. A change in antimicrobial treatment after the FAPP+ results was performed in 27% of patients. The FAPP+ is a highly sensitive diagnostic method that can be used to significantly reduce diagnostic time and that allows an early optimization of antimicrobial treatment.
Retinal and Visual Pathways Involvement in Carriers of Friedreich’s Ataxia
Authors: Ziccardi Lucia , Barbano Lucilla , Antonelli Giulio , Cioffi Ettore , Di Renzo Antonio , Gioiosa Valeria , Marcotulli Christian , Grzybowski Andrzej , Casali Carlo , Parisi Vincenzo
Published: December 2022

Friedreich’s ataxia (FRDA) is a rare autosomal recessive neurodegenerative disorder due to the homozygous pathological expansion of guanine-adenine-adenine (GAA) triplet repeats in the first intron of the FXN gene, which encodes for the mitochondrial protein frataxin. In the visual system, the typical manifestations are ocular motility abnormality, optic neuropathy, and retinopathy. Despite the evidence of ophthalmological impairment in FRDA patients, there is a lack of information about the morpho-functional condition of the retina and of the optic pathways in healthy heterozygous carriers of Friedreich’s ataxia (C-FRDA). Ten C-FRDA subjects (providing 20 eyes) and thirty-five Controls (providing 70 eyes) underwent a complete neurological and ophthalmological examination comprehensive of functional (full-field Electroretinogram (ffERG), multifocal Electroretinogram (mfERG), Visual Evoked Potential (VEP), and Pattern Reversal Electroretinogram (PERG)) and morphological assessments (Optical Coherence Tomography, OCT) of the retina, macula, retinal ganglion cells, and visual pathways. The groups’ data were compared using a two-sample t-test. Pearson’s test was used to investigate the morpho-functional correlations. Statistically significant differences (p < 0.01) between C-FRDA and Control eyes for the values of the following parameters were found: ffERG b-wave amplitude, mfERG Response Amplitude Densities, PERG P50 implicit time and P50-N95 amplitude, VEP P100 implicit time, Retinal Nerve Fiber Layer (RNFL) Overall, and Nasal thickness. The values of the OCT macular volume were not statistically different (p > 0.01) between the two Groups. Therefore, our data suggest that, in C-FRDA, a dysfunction of retinal elements without morphological macular impairment may occur. In addition, a morphological impairment of RNFL associated with an abnormal neural conduction along the visual pathways can be also detected.
A Proposed Framework for Early Prediction of Schistosomiasis
Authors: Ali Zain , Hayat Muhammad Faisal , Shaukat Kamran , Alam Talha Mahboob , Hameed Ibrahim A. , Luo Suhuai , Basheer Shakila , Ayadi Manel , Ksibi Amel
Published: December 2022

Schistosomiasis is a neglected tropical disease that continues to be a leading cause of illness and mortality around the globe. The causing parasites are affixed to the skin through defiled water and enter the human body. Failure to diagnose Schistosomiasis can result in various medical complications, such as ascites, portal hypertension, esophageal varices, splenomegaly, and growth retardation. Early prediction and identification of risk factors may aid in treating disease before it becomes incurable. We aimed to create a framework by incorporating the most significant features to predict Schistosomiasis using machine learning techniques. A dataset of advanced Schistosomiasis has been employed containing recovery and death cases. A total data of 4316 individuals containing recovery and death cases were included in this research. The dataset contains demographics, socioeconomic, and clinical factors with lab reports. Data preprocessing techniques (missing values imputation, outlier removal, data normalisation, and data transformation) have also been employed for better results. Feature selection techniques, including correlation-based feature selection, Information gain, gain ratio, ReliefF, and OneR, have been utilised to minimise a large number of features. Data resampling algorithms, including Random undersampling, Random oversampling, Cluster Centroid, Near miss, and SMOTE, are applied to address the data imbalance problem. We applied four machine learning algorithms to construct the model: Gradient Boosting, Light Gradient Boosting, Extreme Gradient Boosting and CatBoost. The performance of the proposed framework has been evaluated based on Accuracy, Precision, Recall and F1-Score. The results of our proposed framework stated that the CatBoost model showed the best performance with the highest accuracy of (87.1%) compared with Gradient Boosting (86%), Light Gradient Boosting (86.7%) and Extreme Gradient Boosting (86.9%). Our proposed framework will assist doctors and healthcare professionals in the early diagnosis of Schistosomiasis.
Evaluation of Carbon Dioxide Laser–Assisted Treatment for Gingival Melanin Hyperpigmentation
Authors: Tran Trung Huynh , Nguyen Quynh Le Diem , Do Thao Thi , Truong Khue Nhut , Dang Quang Vinh , Bui Man Thi Ngoc
Published: December 2022

Background: Smile aesthetics has a vital role to play in an individual’s life and one of the factors affecting the beauty of the smile is gingival color. A gingival color change or gingival hyperpigmentation causes an unesthetic smile line, especially in patients with a gummy smile, which is also known as a black gummy smile. Numerous gingival depigmentation methods have been performed successfully for ablating gingival melanin pigmented epithelium. Thus, the aim of this study is to evaluate the treatment efficacy of gingival hyperpigmentation by using a carbon dioxide (CO2) laser. Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was carried out with 38 patients at a hospital in Vietnam. Ponnaiyan classification and the Hedin melanin index were used to assess the distribution and extent of gingival pigmentation in the study. Pain assessment was performed using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) to evaluate the intensity of pain during the laser treatment. In addition, clinical evaluation (i.e., wound healing) of each treatment procedure was conducted using the three level Dummett–Gupta Oral Pigmentation Index (DOPI) assessment. Results: This study showed that less pain was experienced by patients treated by CO2 laser; the rates of no pain, mild pain and moderate pain after treatment were, respectively, 21%, 76% and 2.6%; there was 100% complete epithelization after 1 week. The DOPI rates for turning from a DOPI score of 1, 2 or 3 to a DOPI score of 0 after a 12-week treatment were 87.5%, 76.9% and 24%, respectively. Conclusions: Using a CO2 laser for gingival melanin pigmentation treatment is a safe and effective procedure.
Ergodic Performance Analysis of Double Intelligent Reflecting Surfaces-Aided NOMA–UAV Systems with Hardware Impairment
Authors: Van Nguyen Minh-Sang , Do Dinh-Thuan , Phan Van-Duc , Ullah Khan Wali , Imoize Agbotiname Lucky , Fouda Mostafa M.
Published: December 2022

In this work, we design an intelligent reflecting surface (IRS)-assisted Internet of Things (IoT) by enabling non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) approaches. We pay attention to studying the achievable rates for the ground users. A practical system model takes into account the presence of hardware impairment when Rayleigh and Rician channels are adopted for the IRS–NOMA–UAV system. Our main findings are presented to showcase the exact expressions for achievable rates, and then we derive their simple approximations for a more insightful performance evaluation. The validity of these approximations is demonstrated using extensive Monte Carlo simulations. We confirm the achievable rate improvement decided by main parameters such as the average signal to noise ratio at source, the position of IRS with respect to the source and destination and the number of IRS elements. As a suggestion for the deployment of a low-cost IoT system, the double-IRS model is a reliable approach to realizing the system as long as the hardware impairment level is controlled. The results show that the proposed scheme can greatly improve achievable rates, obtain optimal performance at one of two devices and exhibit a small performance gap compared with the other benchmark scheme.
DIR-Net: Deep Residual Polar Decoding Network Based on Information Refinement
Authors: Song Bixue , Feng Yongxin , Wang Yang
Published: December 2022

Polar codes are closer to the Shannon limit with lower complexity in coding and decoding. As traditional decoding techniques suffer from high latency and low throughput, with the development of deep learning technology, some deep learning-based decoding methods have been proposed to solve these problems. Usually, the deep neural network is treated as a black box and learns to map the polar codes with noise to the original information code directly. In fact, it is difficult for the network to distinguish between valid and interfering information, which leads to limited BER performance. In this paper, a deep residual network based on information refinement (DIR-NET) is proposed for decoding polar-coded short packets. The proposed method works to fully distinguish the effective and interference information in the codewords, thus obtaining a lower bit error rate. To achieve this goal, we design a two-stage decoding network, including a denoising subnetwork and decoding subnetwork. This structure can further improve the accuracy of the decoding method. Furthermore, we construct the whole network solely on the basis of the attention mechanism. It has a stronger information extraction ability than the traditional neural network structure. Benefiting from cascaded attention modules, information can be filtered and refined step-by-step, thus obtaining a low bit error rate. The simulation results show that DIR-Net outperforms existing decoding methods in terms of BER performance under both AWGN channels and flat fading channels.
Multivariate Demand Forecasting for Rental Bike Systems Based on an Unobserved Component Model
Authors: Wirtgen Christian , Kowald Matthias , Luderschmidt Johannes , Hünemohr Holger
Published: December 2022

Many German cities, municipalities and transport associations are expanding their bike-sharing systems (BSS) to offer citizens a cost-effective and climate-friendly means of transport and an alternative to private motorized transport (PMT). However, operators face the challenge of generating high-quality predictive analyses and time series forecasts. In particular, the prediction of demand is a key component to foster data-driven decisions. To address this problem, an Unobserved Component Model (UCM) has been developed to predict the monthly rentals of a BSS, whereby the station-based BSS VRNnextbike, including over 2000 bikes, 297 stations and 21 municipalities, is employed as an example. The model decomposes the time series into trend, seasonal, cyclical, auto-regressive and irregular components for statistical modeling. Additionally, the model includes exogenous factors such as weather, user behavior (e.g., traveled distance), school holidays and COVID-19 relevant covariates as independent effects to calculate scenario based forecasts. It can be shown that the UCM calculates reasonably accurate forecasts and outperforms classical time series models such as ARIMA(X) or SARIMA(X). Improvements were observed in model quality in terms of AIC/BIC (2.5% to 22%) and a reduction in error metrics from 15% to 45% depending on the considered model.
Analytical and 3D Numerical Study of Multilayer Shielding Effectiveness for Board Level Shielding Optimization
Authors: Leduc Roman , Ibrahimi Njomza , Dienot Jean-Marc , Gavrilenko Veronika , Ruscassié Robert
Published: December 2022

The strong development of solid-state power sources offers numerous benefits (such as higher operating frequencies and reduced switching times and power losses), but contributes inherently to the extended range of electromagnetic interferences (EMI). As these systems are associated with a set of embedded monitoring devices using low amplitude signals, it becomes necessary to consider new critical cases of electromagnetic (EM) immunity correlated to such environments. The most common solution against aggressive radiated EMI is the metallic enclosure, which brings a strong shielding effectiveness (SE), but is it always the best compromise? Our study in this paper is focused on the SE of multilayer designs and is therefore intended to optimize the enclosures’ compactness for board level shielding (BLS) on printed circuit boards (PCB). First, results are presented, based on metallic multilayer shielding theory and parametric numerical studies in the intentional electromagnetic interferences (IEMI) frequency range, from 0.2 to 5 GHz. Then, a complete 3D EM co-simulation model using the microwave and design modules of CST Studio Suite (which includes the subject, the EMI radiating source, and the multilayer shielding) is proposed, with emphasis on the pertinent choices regarding layers width and their arrangement for compact EM shielding and immunity optimization.
Multi-Stage Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis for Siting Electric Vehicle Charging Stations within and across Border Regions
Authors: Ademulegun Oluwasola O. , MacArtain Paul , Oni Bukola , Hewitt Neil J.
Published: December 2022

Electric Vehicles (EVs) replace fossil fuel vehicles in effort towards having more sustainable transport systems. The battery of an EV is recharged at a charging point using electricity. While some recharging will be required at locations where vehicles are normally parked, other recharging could be necessary at strategic locations of vehicular travel. Certain locations are suitable for EV charging station deployment, others are not. A multi-stage decision analysis methodology for selecting suitable locations for installing EV charging station is presented. The multi-stage approach makes it possible to select critical criteria with respect to any defined objectives of the EV charging station and techno-physio-socio-economic factors without which the EV charging station could not be deployed or would not serve its designated purpose. In a case, the type of charging station is specified, and a purpose is defined: rapid EV charging stations intended for public use within and across border regions. Applied in siting real EV charging stations at optimal locations, stages in the methodology present additional techno-physio-socio-economic factors in deploying the type of EV charging stations at optimal locations and keep the EV charging stations operating within acceptable standards. Some locations were dropped at the critical analysis stage; others were dropped at the site-specific analysis stage and replacement sites were required in certain instances. Final locations included most optimal, less optimal, least optimal, and strategic or special need locations. The average distances between contiguous recharging locations were less than 60 miles. Using any specified separation standard, the number of additional EV charging stations required between EV charging stations were determinable with the Pool Box. The Overall Charging Station Availability quadrants suggest that the overall user experience could get worse as less-standardized additional EV charging stations are deployed.
Application of Modelling and Simulation in Durability Tests of Vehicles and Their Components
Authors: Lozia Zbigniew
Published: December 2022

The use of simulation and modelling has been proposed for determining the excitations to be applied in the procedures of laboratory testing of a car’s structural components, without the need to test the complete vehicle. The paper presents the general concept as well as an example of the procedure. It covers determining the spectrum and time-domain realization of a load on a selected node of the vehicle structure under durability tests. The author used both the mathematical and physical model of the tractor-semitrailer unit, where the input was considered as a random process resulting from the road profile. He calculated the transmittance modules and the power spectral densities of the vertical force on the joint between the tractor’s fifth wheel and the kingpin of the semitrailer and the extreme values of the dynamic components of this force. The inverse discrete Fourier transform makes it possible to generate the realization of the said force. It can be used in durability studies. The limitation of the work to the testing of a specific structural node reduces the scope and, in consequence, the cost of the process. The method presented may also be used for various types of vehicle models, including hybrid and electric vehicles.
Optimal Dispatch of Regional Integrated Energy System Group including Power to Gas Based on Energy Hub
Authors: Lyu Zhilin , Liu Quan , Liu Bin , Zheng Lijun , Yi Jiaqi , Lai Yongfa
Published: December 2022

Different renewable energy resources and energy demands between parks lead to waste of resources and frequent interactions between the regional distribution grid and the larger grid. Hence, an optimal dispatching scheme of the regional integrated energy system group (RIESG), which combines the power-to-gas (P2G) and inter-park electric energy mutual aid, is proposed in this paper to solve this problem. Firstly, for the park integrated energy system (PIES) with various structures, the coupling matrix is used to describe the input-output relationship and coupling form of multiple energy sources in the energy-hub (EH), which linearizes the complex multi-energy coupled system and is more conducive to the solution of the model. Secondly, the electrical coupling relationship of the system is improved by adding P2G to enhance the system’s ability to consume renewable energy. Moreover, the installation cost of P2G is introduced to comprehensively consider the impact of the economic efficiency on the system. Finally, to minimize the network loss of energy flow, the optimal dispatching model of RIESG with P2G conversion is constructed through the electric energy mutual aid among the parks. The simulation shows that compared with the independent operation of each park’s integrated energy system (IES), the proposed optimal dispatching strategy of RIESG achieves the mutual benefit of electric energy among park groups, reduces the dependency on the large power grid, and effectively improves the economy of system groups. In this condition, the renewable energy consumption rate reaches 99.59%, the utilization rate of P2G increases to 94.28%, and the total system cost is reduced by 34.83%.
Volumic Eddy-Current Losses in Conductive Massive Parts with Experimental Validations
Authors: Plait Antony , Dubas Frédéric
Published: December 2022

In this paper, the analytical determination of volumic eddy-current losses in rectangular-shaped conductive massive parts is presented with experimental validations. Eddy currents, as well as the resulting volumic losses, are generated by a sinusoidal spatially uniform applied magnetic field. A U-shaped electromagnetic device with a flat mobile armature (or adjustable air gap) is used to measure the eddy-current losses. The experimental device, its instrumentation, and the conductive massive parts are presented in detail in the paper. Thereafter, the magnetic field distribution applied on the conductive massive parts, which is the mean input data for the eddy-current loss model, is studied. A two-dimensional (2D) numerical model, under the FEMM software, for the magnetic field calculation was also developed. A comparative analysis between the experimental measurements and the numerical results allowed the distribution of the applied magnetic field to be accurately validated. In the final phase, the objective was to estimate the volumic eddy-current losses in rectangular-shaped aluminium conductive massive parts generated by the variation of this applied magnetic field. An analytical model, based on the Maxwell–Fourier method, for the accurate prediction of eddy-current losses has also been developed. An electromagnet with and without the conductive massive parts is characterized in terms of power consumption. By using the power conservation method (i.e., Boucherot’s theorem), the eddy-current losses could be quantified experimentally. The influence of segmentation is also studied. The analytical results are compared to the experimental test results.
Optimal Process Parameters for a Thermal-Sprayed Molybdenum-Reinforced Zirconium Diboride Composite on a Dummy Substrate
Authors: Mihoob Muftah M. , Mohammed Haetham G. , Albarody Thar Mohammed Badri , Ahmad Faiz , Alnarabiji Mohamad Sahban
Published: December 2022

Thermal spray is an effective process for the fabrication of a metal matrix composite (MMC), where a zirconium diboride reinforcement is embedded in a molybdenum matrix to enable the combining of favorable properties in a new composite. The combination of two leading materials in the category of ultra-high-temperature ceramics (UHTCs) is due to a very high melting point (Mo: 2623 °C and ZrB2: 3245 °C), high thermal conductivity (Mo: 139 W/m°C and ZrB2: 24 W/m°C), good thermal shock resistance, low coefficient of thermal expansion (Mo: 5.35 µm/m°C and ZrB2: 5.9 × 10−6 K−1), retention of strength at elevated temperatures and stability in extreme environments. Thermal spraying of the Mo/ZrB2 composite possesses a non-linear behavior that is influenced by many coating variables. This characteristic makes finding the optimal factor combination difficult. Therefore, an effective and strategic statistical approach incorporating systematic experimental data is needed to optimize the process. In this study, the L9 orthogonal array in the Taguchi approach was utilized to optimize the spraying distance (SD), number of passes (NP), pressure (P) and coat-face temperature (TCF) using a dummy fiberglass substrate. The performance was evaluated based on the coating density (Cd) of the surfaces. Based on confirmation tests, our Taguchi analysis determined the ideal process parameters, which considerably enhanced the coating process. From the output response of the ANOVA, the most influential parameters for achieving a high coating density (Cd) were determined to be SD = 20 cm, NP = 24, P = 4 bar and TCF = 330 °C ((SD.)1-(NP.)3-P2-(S.T.)3). These observations show that the coating density (Cd) was significantly influenced by the coat-face temperature, followed by the number of passes, spraying distance and pressure with the following contributions 6.29, 17.89, 17.42 and 3.35%, respectively.