bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Navigation of Multiple Disk-Shaped Robots with Independent Goals within Obstacle-Cluttered Environments
Authors: Vlantis Panagiotis , Bechlioulis Charalampos P. , Kyriakopoulos Kostas J.
Published: December 2022

In this work, we propose a hybrid control scheme to address the navigation problem for a team of disk-shaped robotic platforms operating within an obstacle-cluttered planar workspace. Given an initial and a desired configuration of the system, we devise a hierarchical cell decomposition methodology which is able to determine which regions of the configuration space need to be further subdivided at each iteration, thus avoiding redundant cell expansions. Furthermore, given a sequence of free configuration space cells with an arbitrary connectedness and shape, we employ harmonic transformations and harmonic potential fields to accomplish safe transitions between adjacent cells, thus ensuring almost-global convergence to the desired configuration. Finally, we present the comparative simulation results that demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed control scheme and its superiority in terms of complexity while yielding a satisfactory performance without incorporating optimization in the selection of the paths.
Research on Damage Characteristics of Ultrasonic Vibration-Assisted Grinding of a C/SIC Composite Material
Authors: Wang Dongpo , Liang Qiushi , Xu Dong
Published: December 2022

C/SiC composites are the preferred materials for high temperature resistant (usually above 1500 °C) structural parts in aerospace, aviation, shipbuilding, and other industries. When this kind of material component is processed efficiently by grinding, the damage forms of fiber step brittle fracture and fiber pulling out are often produced on the machined surface/subsurface. The existence of these damage forms deteriorates the quality of the machine surface and may reduce the bending strength of materials to a certain extent. Therefore, it is very important to study the mechanism and the damage law of ordinary grinding and ultrasonic vibration-assisted grinding and take reasonable measures to restrain the machining damage. In this paper, the typical damage forms of C/SiC composites during the end and side grinding are explored. The surface and subsurface damage degree of C/SiC composites during grinding and ultrasonic vibration-assisted grinding were compared. The effects of different process parameters on material damage were compared and analyzed. The results show that the damage forms of ordinary grinding and ultrasonic grinding are basically the same. Compared with ordinary grinding, ultrasonic-assisted grinding can reduce surface damage to a certain extent and subsurface damage significantly.
Emotion Detection Using Deep Normalized Attention-Based Neural Network and Modified-Random Forest
Authors: Alsubai Shtwai
Published: December 2022

In the contemporary world, emotion detection of humans is procuring huge scope in extensive dimensions such as bio-metric security, HCI (human–computer interaction), etc. Such emotions could be detected from various means, such as information integration from facial expressions, gestures, speech, etc. Though such physical depictions contribute to emotion detection, EEG (electroencephalogram) signals have gained significant focus in emotion detection due to their sensitivity to alterations in emotional states. Hence, such signals could explore significant emotional state features. However, manual detection from EEG signals is a time-consuming process. With the evolution of artificial intelligence, researchers have attempted to use different data mining algorithms for emotion detection from EEG signals. Nevertheless, they have shown ineffective accuracy. To resolve this, the present study proposes a DNA-RCNN (Deep Normalized Attention-based Residual Convolutional Neural Network) to extract the appropriate features based on the discriminative representation of features. The proposed NN also explores alluring features with the proposed attention modules leading to consistent performance. Finally, classification is performed by the proposed M-RF (modified-random forest) with an empirical loss function. In this process, the learning weights on the data subset alleviate loss amongst the predicted value and ground truth, which assists in precise classification. Performance and comparative analysis are considered to explore the better performance of the proposed system in detecting emotions from EEG signals that confirms its effectiveness.
Method for Predicting RUL of Rolling Bearings under Different Operating Conditions Based on Transfer Learning and Few Labeled Data
Authors: Sun Wei , Wang Haowen , Liu Zicheng , Qu Ronghai
Published: December 2022

As industrial development increases, electric machine systems are more widely used in industrial production. Rolling bearings play a key role in machine systems and so the prevention of faults in rolling bearings is more important than ever before. Recently, with the development of artificial intelligence, neural networks have been used to monitor the remaining useful life of rolling bearings. However, there are two problems with this technique. First, a network trained by data for a single operating condition (source domain) cannot predict the remaining useful life of bearings under a different operating condition (target domain), such as a different load or speed. Second, a large number of labeled data are needed for network training, but the acquisition of labeled data for different operating conditions is a challenging task. To address these problems, this paper proposes a domain-adaptive adversarial network, in which a transfer learning strategy and maximum mean discrepancy algorithm are used for network optimization, so that remaining useful life can be predicted without labeled data in target domain training. Our results confirm that a model trained by source domain data alone cannot predict the remaining useful life of bearings under different conditions, but the domain-adaptive adversarial network can accurately predict remaining useful life for varying operating conditions. The method proposed also exhibits good performance even if there are noises in the signals.
On the Problem of Double-Filtering in PPP-RTK
Authors: Khodabandeh A. , Teunissen P. J. G. , Psychas D.
Published: December 2022

To obtain single-receiver Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) parameter solutions, the PPP-RTK user-filter combines measurements with time-correlated corrections that are separately computed by the filter of an external provider. The consequence of exercising such double-filtering is that the Kalman filter’s standard assumption of having uncorrelated measurements in time becomes violated. This leads the user-filter to lose its ‘minimum variance’ property, thereby delivering imprecise parameter solutions. The solutions’ precision-loss becomes more pronounced when one experiences an increase in the correction latency, i.e., the delay in time after the corrections are estimated and the time they are applied to the user measurements. In this contribution, we propose a new multi-epoch formulation for the PPP-RTK user-filter upon which both the uncertainty and the temporal correlation of the corrections are incorporated. By a proper augmentation of the user-filter state-vector, the corrections are jointly measurement-updated with the user parameter solutions. Supported by numerical results, the proposed formulation is shown to outperform its commonly used counterpart in the minimum-variance sense.
OMC-SLIO: Online Multiple Calibrations Spinning LiDAR Inertial Odometry
Authors: Wang Shuang , Zhang Hua , Wang Guijin
Published: December 2022

Light detection and ranging (LiDAR) is often combined with an inertial measurement unit (IMU) to get the LiDAR inertial odometry (LIO) for robot localization and mapping. In order to apply LIO efficiently and non-specialistically, self-calibration LIO is a hot research topic in the related community. Spinning LiDAR (SLiDAR), which uses an additional rotating mechanism to spin a common LiDAR and scan the surrounding environment, achieves a large field of view (FoV) with low cost. Unlike common LiDAR, in addition to the calibration between the IMU and the LiDAR, the self-calibration odometer for SLiDAR must also consider the mechanism calibration between the rotating mechanism and the LiDAR. However, existing self-calibration LIO methods require the LiDAR to be rigidly attached to the IMU and do not take the mechanism calibration into account, which cannot be applied to the SLiDAR. In this paper, we propose firstly a novel self-calibration odometry scheme for SLiDAR, named the online multiple calibration inertial odometer (OMC-SLIO) method, which allows online estimation of multiple extrinsic parameters among the LiDAR, rotating mechanism and IMU, as well as the odometer state. Specially, considering that the rotating and static parts of the motor encoder inside the SLiDAR are rigidly connected to the LiDAR and IMU respectively, we formulate the calibration within the SLiDAR as two separate sets of calibrations: the mechanism calibration between the LiDAR and the rotating part of the motor encoder and the sensor calibration between the static part of the motor encoder and the IMU. Based on such a SLiDAR calibration formulation, we can construct a well-defined kinematic model from the LiDAR to the IMU with the angular information from the motor encoder. Based on the kinematic model, a two-stage motion compensation method is presented to eliminate the point cloud distortion resulting from LiDAR spinning and platform motion. Furthermore, the mechanism and sensor calibration as well as the odometer state are wrapped in a measurement model and estimated via an error-state iterative extended Kalman filter (ESIEKF). Experimental results show that our OMC-SLIO is effective and attains excellent performance.
A Topological Sensitive Node Importance Evaluation Method in Aerospace Information Networks
Authors: Yang Peng , Hu Shuang , Zhou Shijie , Zhang Jiaying
Published: December 2022

With the rapid development of communication technology and the diversification and rapid growth of network application demands, the requirements for the anti-destruction capability of information networks have also increased. Therefore, an efficient and accurate metric of the survivability of satellite networks has become a hotspot of current research. Firstly, in this paper, we propose a transfer matrix-based spatial information network invulnerability evaluation algorithm. The algorithm draws the idea of a node deletion method to determine the initial importance of nodes and then establishes a formula for the importance transfer probability of the nodes. In addition, an evaluation algorithm of spatial information network invulnerability is obtained using the network structure entropy theory. Simulations show that our new evaluation algorithm based on the transfer matrix is more accurate compared to degree centricity, natural connectivity and other methods in evaluating the importance of the nodes. The proposed index can effectively reflect the change in the network topology and evaluate the network survivability.
GC-MS-Olfactometric Characterization of Volatile and Key Odorants in Moringa (Moringa oleifera) and Kinkeliba (Combretum micranthum G. Don) Herbal Tea Infusions Prepared from Cold and Hot Brewing
Authors: Oussou Kouame Fulbert , Guclu Gamze , Sevindik Onur , Kelebek Hasim , Starowicz Małgorzata , Selli Serkan
Published: December 2022

Herbal teas are a popular global drink and are widely used in many traditional medicines. Key odorants are one of the main parameters to elucidate the final herbal tea’s overall quality and consumer acceptance. In the present study, for the first time, the brewing effect on volatile, key odorants, total phenolic contents, and antioxidant potential of Moringa (Moringa oleifera) and Kinkeliba (Combretum micranthum G. Don) herbal teas was comprehensively investigated. Two different infusions were studied and labeled as 25 °C/24 h (room temperature) and 98 °C/10 min (hot temperature). A total of 45 and 44 aroma compounds were detected in Moringa cold and hot teas, respectively, whereas 39 volatiles were determined in both infusion techniques for Kinkeliba herbal teas. The total amount of volatile compounds in both cold-infused herbal teas was higher than those in the hot-infused ones. Based on GC-MS-Olfactometry results, 19 and 21 key odorants in total were found in Moringa and Kinkeliba teas, respectively. The principal key odorants in Moringa teas with the highest flavor dilution (FD) factors were (E)-2-hexen-1-ol (herbal/fresh aroma), 3-hexanol (green/grassy), 2-phenyl ethanol (floral/rose), while in Kinkeliba teas they were 2-hexanol (herbal/green) and 3-penten-2-ol (green/fresh). The total phenolic content and antioxidant potential in Moringa and Kinkeliba teas increased using hot infusion. Principal component analysis showed that each tea infusion was clearly discriminated in terms of its volatile profiles. Our findings demonstrated that the brewing procedures had a significant impact on the key odorants of Moringa and Kinkeliba infusions.
Application of the Smart House System for Reconstruction of Residential Buildings from an Obsolete Housing Stock
Authors: Popova Solomiya , Izonin Ivan
Published: December 2022

The smart home is amongst the most promising areas of development of communication and information technologies. In order to assure safety, comfort, and resource conservation for all users, a smart home should be viewed as a high-tech system that combines the benefits of automation technologies and contemporary construction methods. Installation of the system is possible during the construction of new buildings as well as during the reconstruction of existing buildings. In this study, the smart home system’s overall idea is considered, the necessity of using resource-saving systems and technologies is supported, and the integration of such systems with the reconstruction of low-rise residential buildings is examined. The study generated a representation of the smart home system for a particular reconstruction project as well as an application for controlling the system using a mobile device.
Review of Smart City Energy Modeling in Southeast Asia
Authors: Shafiullah Md , Rahman Saidur , Imteyaz Binash , Aroua Mohamed Kheireddine , Hossain Md Ismail , Rahman Syed Masiur
Published: December 2022

The Southeast Asian region has been eagerly exploring the concepts of smart city initiatives in recent years due to the enormous opportunities and potential. The initiatives are in line with their plan to promote energy efficiency, phase down/out fossil fuel-based generation, and reduce greenhouse gas emission intensity and electrification of various sectors in addition to renewable energy targets and policies to achieve net zero emissions by 2050 or 2060. However, the major challenges for these countries are related to leadership, governance, citizen support, investment, human capacity, smart device heterogeneity, and efficient modeling and management of resources, especially the energy systems. An intelligent energy system is one of the most significant components for any functional smart city, where artificial intelligence (AI), the internet of things (IoT), and big data are expected to tackle various existing and evolving challenges. This article starts with a brief discussion of smart city concepts and implementation challenges. Then, it identifies different types of smart city initiatives in Southeast Asian countries focusing on energy systems. In addition, the article investigates the status of smart systems in energy generation and storage, infrastructure, and model development. It identifies the unique challenges of these countries in implementing smart energy systems. It critically reviews many available energy modeling approaches and addresses their limitations and strengths, focusing on the region. Moreover, it also provides a preliminary framework for a successful energy system that exploits AI, IoT, and big data. Finally, the roadmap for a successful energy system requires appropriate policy development, innovative technological solutions, human capacity building, and enhancement of the effectiveness of current energy systems.
Planning Principles for Integrating Community Empowerment into Zero-Net Carbon Transformation
Authors: Li Liwen , Lange Klaus W.
Published: December 2022

The adoption of the UN 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals is a landmark in international sustainability politics. For example, Europe has set ambitious targets to achieve 100 climate-neutral and smart cities by 2030. However, numerous case studies from different countries have found that accelerating the transition to net-zero carbon emissions is easily hampered by the lack of a coherent systems framework, and that implementation gaps remain at the community level. These barriers are often due to a lack of an adequate end-user (i.e., household) input and early planning participation. This work therefore aims to improve on conventional planning methods that do not reflect innovative technologies with uncertainty and may not be applicable due to the lack of community empowerment, which is a dynamic learning and intervention opportunity for end-users at different planning stages (i.e., outreach, survey, planning, implementation, management, and maintenance). Using the lessons learned from participatory action research, whereby the author was involved as a project director throughout the planning and design process, we identified a six-step cycle principle. The steps are (1) collective action commitments, (2) local values and resource identification, (3) carbon footprint inventory, (4) optimized integration of environment, economy, and energy action plans, (5) Flexible strategic energy system plans, and (6) digital performance monitoring. Ultimately, the outcomes provide application support for policymakers and planners and stimulate community engagement to contribute to the achievement of zero net carbon emissions.
Towards Optimal Planning for Green, Smart, and Semantically Enriched Cultural Tours
Authors: Kotis Konstantinos , Dimara Asimina , Angelis Sotirios , Michailidis Panagiotis , Michailidis Iakovos , Anagnostopoulos Christos-Nikolaos , Krinidis Stelios , Kosmatopoulos Elias
Published: December 2022

This concept paper presents our viewpoint regarding the exploitation of cutting-edge technologies for the delivery of smart tourism cultural tours. Specifically, the paper reports preliminary work on the design of a novel smart tourism solution tailored to a multiobjective optimization system based on factors such as the preferences and constraints of the tourist/visitor, the city’s accessibility and traffic, the weather conditions, and others. By optimizing cultural tours and delivering comfortable, easy-to-follow, green, acceptable visiting experiences, the proposed solution, namely, OptiTours, aims to become a leading actor in tourism industry transformation. Moreover, specific actions, applications, and methodologies target increasing touring acceptance while advancing the overall (smart) city impression. OptiTours aims to deliver a novel system to attract visitors and guide them to enjoy a city’s possible points of interest, achieving high visitor acceptance. Advanced technologies in semantic trajectories’ management and optimization in route planning will be exploited towards the discovery of optimal, smart, green, and comfortable routes/tours. A novel multiscale and multifactor optimization system aims to deliver not only optimal personalized routes but also alternative routes, ranked based on visitors’ preferences and constraints. In this concept paper, we contribute a detailed description of the OptiTours approach for ICT-based smart tourism, and a high-level architectural design of the solution that is planned to be implemented in the near future.
Combatting the Trafficking of Vietnamese Nationals to Britain: Cooperative Challenges for Vietnam and the UK
Authors: Pham Chung
Published: December 2022

The issue of Vietnamese nationals consistently having some of the highest numbers of referrals into the UK’s National Referral Mechanism (NRM) is increasingly apparent. However, this did not gather nationwide attention until the Essex tragedy of October 2019 which saw 39 Vietnamese nationals found lifeless in a lorry after they were brought into the country by a criminal network of human traffickers and smugglers. This paper seeks to understand the circumstances of these Vietnamese victims of human trafficking to the Britain by reviewing the situation in both countries—Vietnam and the UK. Three instances of Vietnamese nationals trafficked to the UK have been chosen as case studies. Through semi-structured interviews, issues regarding how voluntary migration led these vulnerable people into slavery will be explored and this will be analysed alongside a review of literature in the field. This paper reveals the complexity of the matter, which is primarily derived from the multinational nature of trafficking and the different attitudes and approaches of the various countries involved, as well as the difficulty facing the authorities when combating this particular crime involving this specific group of vulnerable people, especially in terms of victim support. The ultimate goal of this paper is to offer authorities and practitioners in both countries a fresh review of the challenges in supporting these victims, and to redirect their focus on the obstacles to addressing Vietnamese trafficking. These obstacles include the prevalence of—often illicit—labour-exporting companies in Vietnam, instances of initial voluntary engagement in labour migration relationships which later become coercive, and the failure of the UK and Vietnam to agree what constitutes a genuine trafficking victim.
Stereotactic Microwave Ablation of Hepatocellular Carcinoma: The Impact of Tumor Size and Minimal Ablative Margin on Therapeutic Success
Authors: Pausch Antonia-Maria , Ghali Tamam , Wertheimer Tobias , Zeman Florian , Mueller Karolina , Doppler Michael Christian , Einspieler Ingo , Beyer Lukas Philipp , Schleder Stephan , Stroszczynski Christian , Luerken Lukas
Published: December 2022

Background: Microwave ablation (MWA) has gained relevance in the treatment of hepatic malignancies and especially in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and it is an important alternative to surgery. The purpose of the study was to evaluate whether the minimal ablative margin (MAM) or the initial tumor size has a greater effect on the success of stereotactic MWA of HCC regarding the time to local tumor progression (LTP) and overall survival (OS). Methods: 88 patients, who received stereotactic MWA of 127 tumor lesions with a curative intention were included in this single-center, retrospective study. The MAM was evaluated in a side-by-side comparison of pre- and post-ablative, contrast-enhanced slice imaging. A Cox proportional hazard model with a frailty term was computed to assess the influence of the MAM and the maximum tumor diameter on the time to LTP and the OS. Results: The maximum tumor diameter was identified as a significant positive predictor for LTP (hazard ratio 1.04, 95% CI 1.00–1.08, p = 0.03), but it was not a significant positive predictor for the OS (p = 0.20). The MAM did not have a significant influence on LTP-free survival (p = 0.23) and OS (p = 0.67). Conclusion: For the successful stereotactic MWA of HCC, the MAM and maximum tumor diameter might not have an influence on the OS, but the maximum tumor diameter seems to be an independent predictor of the time to LTP.
Simultaneous Method for Selected PBDEs and HBCDDs in Foodstuffs Using Gas Chromatography—Tandem Mass Spectrometry and Liquid Chromatography—Tandem Mass Spectrometry
Authors: Lipičar Eva , Fras Danijela , Javernik Nino , Prosen Helena
Published: December 2022

Flame retardants are added to consumer products to retard the ignition of combustible materials. Technical mixtures of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and hexabromocyclododecane (HBCDD) were massively used for several decades. They are bioaccumulative, persistent, and have adverse effects on organisms. Recognised as persistent organic pollutants, they are banned almost worldwide. Food is the principal source of human exposure. Yet, no maximum residue limits for food have been established in the EU. Nevertheless, monitoring of specific congeners is recommended. Simultaneous analysis of HBCDDs and PBDEs is rarely encountered, especially including BDE-209, as this thermally unstable congener is particularly challenging for analysis. We have developed a method for the simultaneous determination of all relevant PBDEs and HBCDDs recommended for monitoring by the EU. In the method, single sample preparation is used for different types of foodstuffs, applying ultrasound-assisted extraction, clean-up by gel permeation, and adsorption chromatography. Analyses were performed on the same extract, first by GC-MS/MS(EI) method for PBDEs and followed by LC-MS/MS(ESI) method for HBCDDs. The analytical method was validated on a blank sample of milk formula at 2–3 fortification levels, including recommended LOQ level of 0.01 µg/kg wet weight. Satisfactory accuracy with recoveries 85–119%, intra-day precision (1.5–11.3%), and inter-day precision (4.3–18.4%) was obtained. The method ensures LOQs that are compliant with the EU recommendations for all PBDEs and HBCDDs, including BDE-209. Method applicability was further confirmed on proficiency testing samples of baby food, fish, and citrus.
Human Health Risk Assessment of Heavy Metal Concentration in Seafood Collected from Pattani Bay, Thailand
Authors: Tanhan Phanwimol , Lansubsakul Niyada , Phaochoosak Napasorn , Sirinupong Pattanasuda , Yeesin Pun , Imsilp Kanjana
Published: December 2022

A significant impact of marine pollution is the contamination of seafood which has raised concerns due to its potential human health risks. This current study investigated seasonal bioaccumulation of 9 heavy metals (Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn) in 14 commercially important seafood species, including 4 fish, 5 molluscs, and 5 crustacean species. Samples were collected from Pattani Bay, Pattani province, Thailand, during the dry (July 2020) and wet (February 2021) seasons. The edible samples were analyzed for heavy metal concentrations using a flame atomic absorption spectrophotometer. The bioaccumulation trend of heavy metals decreased in the sequence of molluscs > crustaceans > fish. The possible human health risks associated with heavy metal-contaminated seafood consumption were assessed. The parameters investigated for non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic were target hazard quotient (THQ), total hazard index (HI), and target cancer risk (TR). The average ranges of THQs (7.79 × 10−8–8.97 × 10−3), HIs (4.30 × 10−5–1.55 × 10−2), and TRs (2.70 × 10−9–1.34 × 10−5) were observed in the studied seafood species. The results revealed no non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic health risks from consuming these 14 kinds of seafood.
Dosing Methods to Enable Cell-Based In Vitro Testing of Complex Substances: A Case Study with a PAH Mixture
Authors: Cordova Alexandra C. , Ford Lucie C. , Valdiviezo Alan , Roman-Hubers Alina T. , McDonald Thomas J. , Chiu Weihsueh A. , Rusyn Ivan
Published: December 2022

Cell-based testing of multi-constituent substances and mixtures for their potential adverse health effects is difficult due to their complex composition and physical–chemical characteristics. Various extraction methods are typically used to enable studies in vitro; however, a limited number of solvents are biocompatible with in vitro studies and the extracts may not fully represent the original test article’s composition. While the methods for dosing with “difficult-to-test” substances in aquatic toxicity studies are well defined and widely used, they are largely unsuited for small-volume (100 microliters or less) in vitro studies with mammalian cells. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate suitability of various scaled-down dosing methods for high-throughput in vitro testing by using a mixture of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH). Specifically, we compared passive dosing via silicone micro-O-rings, cell culture media-accommodated fraction, and traditional solvent (dimethyl sulfoxide) extraction procedures. Gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS) was used to evaluate kinetics of PAH absorption to micro-O-rings, as well as recovery of PAH and the extent of protein binding in cell culture media with and without cells for each dosing method. Bioavailability of the mixture from different dosing methods was also evaluated by characterizing in vitro cytotoxicity of the PAH mixture using EA.hy926 and HepG2 human cell lines. Of the tested dosing methods, media accommodated fraction (MAF) was determined to be the most appropriate method for cell-based studies of PAH-containing complex substances and mixtures. This conclusion is based on the observation that the highest fraction of the starting materials can be delivered using media accommodated fraction approach into cell culture media and thus enable concentration-response in vitro testing.
A Use of 56-kDa Recombinant Protein of Orientia tsutsugamushi Karp Serotype in Serodiagnosis of Scrub Typhus by Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay in Thais
Authors: Chankate Phanita , Kalambaheti Thareerat , Kosoltanapiwat Nathamon , Tanganuchitcharnchai Ampai , Blacksell Stuart D. , Chantratita Narisara , Leaungwutiwong Pornsawan
Published: December 2022

Scrub typhus is a mite-borne disease caused by a Gram-negative obligately intracellular bacillus, Orientia tsutsugamushi. The disease is endemic in the Asia–Australia–Pacific region, including Thailand. Scrub typhus generally manifests as acute undifferentiated febrile fever along with myalgia, rash, and lymphadenopathy. An eschar can be a valuable diagnostic clue, but this skin lesion may be missed in some patients. The disease symptoms resemble those of other febrile illnesses such as leptospirosis, typhoid, murine typhus, malaria, and dengue fever, making a laboratory diagnosis necessary for the definitive diagnosis. In this study, we expressed a recombinant protein derived from 56-kDa type-specific antigen of O. tsutsugamushi Karp serotype and tested its ability to detect and differentiate scrub typhus infection. IgM and IgG antibodies were determined in sera from scrub typhus (n = 92) and other febrile illness patients (murine typhus (n = 25), melioidosis (n = 36), leptospirosis (n = 42), and dengue (n = 35)) from Thailand. Sensitivities of 87.0% and 59.8% with a specified assay cut-off were obtained for IgM and IgG indirect ELISAs, respectively, with a specificity of 100% in both tests. The sensitivity was increased to 95.7% when a combination of IgM and IgG ELISAs results was considered. Our study suggested a potential of the 56-kDa recombinant protein for further development and evaluation for use in scrub typhus serodiagnosis.
Spatial Distribution and Temporal Trend of Childhood Tuberculosis in Brazil
Authors: Costa Fernanda Bruzadelli Paulino da , Ramos Antonio Carlos Vieira , Berra Thaís Zamboni , Alves Yan Mathias , Silva Ruan Victor dos Santos , Crispim Juliane de Almeida , Santos Marcio Souza dos , Nanque Adelia Roberto , Teibo Titilade Kehinde Ayandeyi , Arcêncio Ricardo Alexandre
Published: December 2022

Tuberculosis (TB) in children presents specificities in its diagnosis, which makes it prone to underreporting: therefore, the disease in this group is still a serious public health problem in several countries. We aimed to analyze the spatial distribution and temporal trend of childhood TB in Brazil. An ecological study with time series, spatial analysis, and description of cases in Brazil between 2010–2021 was conducted. A total of 1,054,263 TB cases were reported in the period, with 30,001 (2.8%) in children. The yearly average was 2,500 cases, with a trend toward an increase in the incidence rate in 2018 and 2019 and a decline in 2020. Children under 5 years old represented 38.2% of cases, 5.2% were indigenous, and 424 children (1.4%) died. Sputum culture was performed for 18.4% of pulmonary TB. The incidence rates were higher in municipalities in the north and midwest regions, with high occurrence locations (hot spots), especially on borders with other countries. There was a reduction in childhood TB in 2020, possibly related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Strategies are needed for the identification and monitoring of childhood TB, with reinforcement of professional training for assistance and control, especially in the most vulnerable locations and groups.
The Role of Post-Bronchoscopy Sputum Examination in Screening for Active Tuberculosis
Authors: Ali Gawahir A. , Goravey Wael , Howady Faraj S. , Ali Maisa , Alshurafa Awni , Abdalhadi Ahmed M. , Hajmusa Muhammed , Daghfal Joanne , Khal Abdullatif Al , Maslamani Muna Al , Soub Hussam Al , Omrani Ali S.
Published: December 2022

Early diagnosis is a fundamental component of global tuberculosis control. The objective of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic yield of post-bronchoscopy sputum (PBS) testing as part of a tuberculosis diagnostic work-up. All new residents in the State of Qatar undergo a tuberculosis (TB) screening program. Those with abnormal chest radiology, negative sputum acid-fast bacilli (AFB) smears, and nucleic acid amplification testing (NAAT) for M. tuberculosis, undergo an additional bronchoscopic evaluation for TB. We prospectively enrolled individuals who were going to undergo bronchoscopy to provide two PBS samples for AFB smears and mycobacterial cultures between 18 September 2018 and 12 March 2021. A total of 495 individuals, with a median age of 31 years, were included. The majority of the patients were males (329, 66.5%). The most frequent country of origin was India (131, 26.5%) followed by the Philippines (123, 24.8%). The addition of PBS to bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) testing allowed microbiological confirmation of tuberculosis in an additional 13 patients (3.9%), resulting in improved sensitivity (from 77.9% to 81.9%), negative predictive value (from 69.2% to 73.2%), and negative likelihood ratio (from 0.22 to 0.18). Where resources are available, the incorporation of routine PBS examination as part of tuberculosis diagnostic work-up can enhance the diagnostic yield.
Comparison of the PF07598-Encoded Virulence-Modifying Proteins of L. interrogans and L. borgpetersenii
Authors: Vieira Dielson S. , Chaurasia Reetika , Vinetz Joseph M.
Published: December 2022

Leptospirosis is an emerging infectious disease, with increasing frequency and severity of outbreaks, a changing epidemiology of populations at risk, and the emergence of new strains, serovars, serogroups, and species. Virulence-modifying (VM) proteins encoded by the PF07598 gene family are hypothesized to be Leptospira-secreted exotoxins that mediate the molecular and cellular pathogenesis of severe and fatal leptospirosis. If confirmed experimentally, this concept could revolutionize the treatment, diagnosis, prognosis, and vaccine-mediated prevention of leptospirosis by enabling a novel array of targeted interventions. VM proteins, as with other bacterial-secreted protein exotoxins, mediate their virulence effects by attaching to eukaryotic cells, competing with other microorganisms for limited resources in environmental niches, directly intoxicating target cells, and disrupting their function in the mammalian host. In contrast with the most pathogenic group of Lept ospira, particularly L. interrogans, whose genomes contain 12–15 PF07598 paralogs, strains of the livestock and human pathogen L. borgpetersenii have two PF07598 paralogs. Given the possible non-environmentally mediated transmission of some L. borgpetersenii strains and the much smaller number of VM proteins in this species, their role in infection and disease may well differ from other leptospiral species. Comparison of VM proteins from different clades of pathogenic Leptospira may deepen our understanding of leptospirosis’s pathogenesis, leading to novel approaches to ameliorating Leptospira infection in humans and animals.
Mpox Infection in a Developed Country: A Case Report
Authors: Patalon Tal , Perez Galit , Melamed Guy , Wolf Tamar , Gazit Sivan
Published: December 2022

This is the first Israeli case report of mpox (monkeypox) disease, as it is manifested in the current outbreak. This manuscript depicts two detailed patient journeys of Israeli men in their 30s who were diagnosed in recent months, depicting their symptoms, presumed exposure, and outcomes. The two cases were atypical compared to the clinical presentation prior to the current outbreak but were similar to other recent reported cases; they differed in their prodromal presentation. Importantly, both patients described that significant anxiety around the diagnosis dominated their journey while sharing that a concern is rising in the GBMSM community, a concern that should be addressed by healthcare providers.
Vertical Transfer of Humoral Immunity against Nipah Virus: A Novel Evidence from Bangladesh
Authors: Satter Syed Moinuddin , Nazneen Arifa , Aquib Wasik Rahman , Sultana Sharmin , Rahman Mohammed Ziaur , Klena John D. , Montgomery Joel M. , Shirin Tahmina
Published: December 2022

A major obstacle to in-depth investigation of the immune response against Nipah virus (NiV) infection is its rapid progression and high mortality rate. This paper described novel information on the vertical transfer of immune properties. In January 2020, a female aged below five years and her mother from Faridpur district of Bangladesh were infected. Both had a history of raw date palm sap consumption and were diagnosed as confirmed NiV cases. The daughter passed away, and the mother survived with significant residual neurological impairment. She conceived one and a half year later and was under thorough antenatal follow-up by the surveillance authority. A healthy male baby was born. As part of routine survivor follow-up, specimens were collected from the newborn and tested for NiV infection at the reference laboratory to exclude vertical transmission. Although testing negative for anti-Nipah IgM and PCR for NiV, a high titre of anti-Nipah IgG was observed. The transfer of humoral immunity against NiV from mother to neonate was confirmed for the first time. The article will serve as a reference for further exploration regarding NiV-specific antibodies that are transferred through the placenta, their potential to protect newborns, and how this may influence vaccine recommendations.
Characterization of Regulatory T Cells in Patients Infected by Leishmania Infantum
Authors: Peixoto Rephany F. , Gois Bruna M. , Martins Marineuma , Palmeira Pedro Henrique S. , Rocha Juliana C. , Gomes Juliana A. S. , Azevedo Fátima L. A. A. , Veras Robson C. , de Medeiros Isac A. , Grisi Teresa C. S. L. , de Araújo Demétrius A. M. , Amaral Ian P. G. , Keesen Tatjana S. L.
Published: December 2022

High IL-10 levels are pivotal to parasite survival in visceral leishmaniasis (VL). Antigenic stimuli induce IL-10 expression and release of adenosine by CD39/CD73. Due their intrinsic ability to express IL-10 and produce adenosine from extracellular ATP, we evaluated the IL-10, CD39, and CD73 expression by Regulatory T cells (Treg) correlated with VL pathology. Using flow cytometry, Treg cells was analyzed in peripheral blood samples from VL patients (in the presence and absence of Leishmania infantum soluble antigen (SLA)) and healthy individuals (negative endemic control—NEC group), without any treatment. Additionally, IL-10 levels in leukocytes culture supernatant were measured in all groups by ELISA assay. VL patients presented more Treg frequency than NEC group, independently of stimulation. ELISA results demonstrated that SLA induced higher IL-10 expression in the VL group. However, the NEC group had a higher Treg IL-10+ compared to the VL group without stimulation and SLA restored the IL-10 in Treg. Additionally, an increase in Treg CD73+ in the VL group independently of stimuli compared to that in the NEC group was observed. We suggest that Treg are not the main source of IL-10, while the CD73 pathway may be an attempt to modulate the exacerbation of immune response in VL disease.
A Retrospective Analysis of Culture-Confirmed Enterococci Bloodstream Infections in South Africa, 2016–2020: A Cross-Sectional Study
Authors: Mogokotleng Ruth , Ismail Husna , Perovic Olga , Jallow Sabelle
Published: December 2022

(1) Background: The emergence of multidrug resistance enterococci is a major public health concern. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and antimicrobial resistance of enterococci isolated from blood cultures over a five-year period (2016–2020) at public hospitals in South Africa. (2): Methods: A retrospective analysis of clinical enterococci isolated from bloodstream infection samples at the South African public hospitals was conducted. The ESKAPE dataset from January 2016 to December 2020 was obtained from the central data warehouse (CDW) at the National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS). (3): Results: Following de-duplication, a total of 130,352/306,592 organisms isolated from blood cultures were identified as ESKAPE pathogens. In this study, K. pneumoniae (25%; 33,082/130,352), was the most frequently isolated pathogen from blood cultures, followed by S. aureus (23%; 29,922/130,352) and enterococci (16%; 21,339/130,352). Of the enterococci cases, about 43% (9132/21,339) of cases were from the infants aged (<1-year old) and 32% (6745/21,339) from the adult patients. No changes observed in vancomycin, teicoplanin, and linezolid susceptibility; however, E. faecium and E. faecalis blood culture isolates remained highly susceptible (>97%) to these antibiotics. (4): Conclusions: The current study revealed a significant increase of E. faecalis and E. faecium blood culture isolates as compared to the previous national ESKAPE data. Low vancomycin resistance was observed. Continuous monitoring of antimicrobial resistant Enterococcus species is warranted in South Africa.
Dilaton Effective Field Theory
Authors: Appelquist Thomas , Ingoldby James , Piai Maurizio
Published: December 2022

We review and extend recent studies of dilaton effective field theory (dEFT) that provide a framework for the description of the Higgs boson as a composite structure. We first describe the dEFT as applied to lattice data for a class of gauge theories with near-conformal infrared behavior. This includes the dilaton associated with the spontaneous breaking of (approximate) scale invariance and a set of pseudo-Nambu–Goldstone bosons (pNGBs) associated with the spontaneous breaking of an (approximate) internal global symmetry. The theory contains two small symmetry-breaking parameters. We display the leading-order (LO) Lagrangian and review its fit to lattice data for the SU(3) gauge theory with Nf=8 Dirac fermions in the fundamental representation. We then develop power-counting rules to identify the corrections emerging at next-to-leading order (NLO) in the dEFT action. We list the NLO operators that appear and provide estimates for the coefficients. We comment on implications for composite Higgs model building.
Optical Solitons and Conservation Laws for the Concatenation Model: Undetermined Coefficients and Multipliers Approach
Authors: Biswas Anjan , Vega-Guzman Jose , Kara Abdul H. , Khan Salam , Triki Houria , González-Gaxiola O. , Moraru Luminita , Georgescu Puiu Lucian
Published: December 2022

This paper retrieves an optical 1–soliton solution to a model that is written as a concatenation of the Lakshmanan–Porsezian–Daniel model and Sasa–Satsuma equation. The method of undetermined coefficients obtains a full spectrum of 1–soliton solutions. The multiplier approach yields the conserved densities, which subsequently lead to the conserved quantities from the bright 1–soliton solution.
Malformation of the Cortical Development Associated with Severe Clusters of Epileptic Seizures
Authors: Cocchetto Aurora , Gallucci Antonella , Biggio Federica , Cantile Carlo
Published: December 2022

Three cases of the malformation of the cortical development are described: a mixed breed dog and a Border Collie pup with a focal and diffuse cortical dysplasia, respectively, and a kitten with lissencephaly. All cases presented with intractable epilepsy and were euthanized, due to the cluster of epileptic seizures. The gross examination at necropsy revealed the morphologic alteration of the telencephalic region in two cases. Histopathologically, a disorganization of the cortical lamination with the presence of megalic neurons, was found in the focal cortical dysplasia case. An altered organization of the white and gray matter, with a loss of the normal neuronal distribution and altered neurons, characterized the diffuse cortical dysplasia case. In the lissencephalic cat, there was no recognizable organization of the brain with areas of neuroglial tissue forming nodules in the leptomeningeal space. We strongly support the hypothesis that, as in humans, as well as in the veterinary patients, malformations of the cortical development could be the cause of refractory epilepsy.
Effects of Feeding Different Levels of Sprouted Barley on Fermentation Characteristics, Bacterial Quantification, and Rumen Morphology of Growing Lambs
Authors: Alharthi Abdulrahman S. , Al-Baadani Hani H. , Abdelrahman Mutassim M. , Alhidary Ibrahim A.
Published: December 2022

The objective of the present study was to investigate the effects of sprouted barley inclusion level on the growth performance, digestibility, volatile fatty acids, bacterial quantification, and rumen morphology of growing lambs. Five dietary treatments with sprouted barley (0, 25, 50, 75 and 100%) and nine replicates per dietary treatment were performed on forty-five Awassi lambs (90 days old). The average weight gain, intake, and digestibility of dry and organic matter were recorded. The pH, color, volatile fatty acids, bacterial quantification, and rumen histomorphometry were also determined. The results showed that the average dry and organic matter intake in T2 to T4 and the average weight gain in T4 decreased linearly. In contrast, the digestibility of dry and organic matter by sprouted barley (T2 to T4) was higher. The pH values and rumen color were not affected. Concentrations of formic acid, acetic acid, butyric acid, and the ratio of acetic acid to propionic acid were increased, while lactic acid and total volatile fatty acids were lower in all levels of sprouted barley. In addition, lambs fed T4 had a higher quantification of Anaerovibrio Lipolytica, Butyrivibrio Fibrisolvens, and Streptococcus Bovis quantification. Selenomonas Ruminantium was higher in T1, T2, and T4, whereas Megashpaera Elsdenii was lower in T1 to T3. The rumen histomorphometric was improved by sprouted barley (T2 and T3). Sprouted barley improved digestibility and rumen histomorphometry and increased the concentration of some volatile fatty acids and rumen bacteria but resulted in a decrease in average dry and organic matter intake, which negatively affected weight gain in lambs fed 100 % sprouted barley. Further studies are required to determine the potential effects on growing lambs fed sprouted barley.