bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A novel promising diagnostic candidate selected by screening the transcriptome of Babesia gibsoni (Wuhan isolate) asexual stages in infected beagles
Authors: Guo Jiaying , Yang Furong , Wang Lingna , Xuan Xuenan , Zhao Junlong , He Lan
Published: October 2022

Background

Babesia gibsoni is one of the causative agents of canine babesiosis worldwide. Some dogs infected with B. gibsoni show severe clinical signs with progressive anemia, hemoglobinuria and splenomegaly. However, most infected dogs present a state of chronic infection and thereby may be a persistent pathogen carrier, increasing the risk of pathogen spreading. To date, little is known about this pathogen, with genomic and transcriptomic data in particular generally unavailable. This lack of knowledge extensively limits the development of effective diagnostic strategies and vaccines.

Methods

High-throughput RNA sequencing of total RNA of B. gibsoni asexual stages collected from infected beagles was performed. The unigenes were annotated in seven databases. The genes were sorted according to their fragments per kilobase per million (FPKM) value, which was used as an indicator for expression level. The gene with the highest FPKM value was cloned from the genome of B. gibsoni and further tested for immunogenicity, cellular localization and efficacy as a potential diagnostic candidate for detecting B. gibsoni in sera collected from beagles.

Results

A total of 62,580,653 clean reads were screened from the 64,336,475 raw reads, and the corresponding 70,134 transcripts and 36,587 unigenes were obtained. The gene with the highest FPKM value was screened from the unigenes; its full length was 1276 bp, and it was named BgP30. The BgP30 gene comprised three exons and two introns, with a 786-bp open reading frame, and encoded 261 amino acids with a predicted molecular weight of 30 kDa. The cellular localization assay confirmed the existence of P30 protein in B. gibsoni parasites. Moreover, P30 was detected in the serum of experimentally B. gibsoni-infected beagles, from 15 days up to 422 days post-infection, suggesting its usefulness as a diagnostic candidate for both acute and chronic infections.

Conclusions

We sequenced the transcriptome of B. gibsoni asexual stages for the first time. The BgP30 gene was highly expressed in the transcriptome screening experiments, with further studies demonstrating that it could induce immune response in B. gibsoni-infected dogs. These results lead us to suggest that bgP30 may be a good diagnostic candidate marker to detect both acute and chronic B. gibsoni infections.

Graphical Abstract
Delay in diagnosing a patient with mitochondrial encephalomyopathy, lactic acidosis, and stroke-like episodes (MELAS) syndrome who presented with status epilepticus and lactic acidosis: a case report
Authors: Alenezi Ahmad F. , Almelahi Mariam A. , Fekih-Romdhana Feten , Jahrami Haitham A.
Published: October 2022

Background

Mitochondrial encephalomyopathy, lactic acidosis, and stroke-like episode syndrome is a rare mitochondrial genetic disorder that can present with a variety of clinical manifestations, including stroke, hearing loss, seizures, and lactic acidosis. The most common genetic mutation associated with this syndrome is M.3243A>G. The main underlying mechanism of the disease relates to protein synthesis, energy depletion, and nitric oxide deficiency. Controlling disease complications and improving patient quality of life are the primary aims of treatment options.

Case presentation

A 28-year-old Arabic female visited Al-Amiri Hospital in Kuwait. The patient was newly diagnosed with mitochondrial encephalomyopathy, lactic acidosis, and stroke-like episode syndrome following her admission as a case of status epilepticus requiring further investigation. The patient’s seizures were controlled, and she was evaluated to rule out the most serious complications by carrying out appropriate clinical, laboratory, and radiological imaging. The patient was discharged from the hospital after 2 weeks with a follow-up plan.

Conclusion

This case report emphasizes the importance of considering mitochondrial encephalomyopathy, lactic acidosis, and stroke-like episode syndrome as a potential cause of status epilepticus with lactic acidosis in a young female patient with a past history of stroke-like episodes. It also stresses the most important workup to rule out every possible life-threatening complication to improve patients’ lives.
“Balancing within a closed family system”: a grounded theory study of how family life is affected by having a family member with an eating disorder
Authors: Karlstad Jannike , Moe Cathrine F. , Adelsten Stokland Ragni , Brinchmann Berit S.
Published: October 2022

Background

This qualitative study explores how having an adult daughter or sister with anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa affects the family’s daily life. Previous research has focused on the family’s role in the development of an eating disorder, while more recently the focus has been on the illness’s impact on the family. Caring for an individual with an eating disorder can involve distress, guilt, extra burdens, and unmet needs. By interviewing the family members of adults with eating disorders this study aims to gain insights into how the family members experience the impact of the eating disorder over time.

Methods

A constructivist grounded theory approach was comprised to gather and analyse data to develop a theory on how families experience life with an adult daughter or sister with an eating disorder. Semi-structured individual interviews were conducted with 21 parents and siblings from across Norway.

Results

The participants reported a lack of professional help and the families had to handle the challenges related to the illness themselves, hence being left to themselves as a family was identified as the participants’ main concern. To manage this concern the families had to balance a pattern of care within the closed family system, and this comprises the core category of the study. Families balanced a pattern of care by shifting roles, adapting meal routines, and maintaining openness within the family.

Conclusions

The findings implicate that families need clarification of roles and responsibilities in relation to the health services in caring for the individual with an eating disorder. More research on taking a family perspective concerning adults with eating disorders is needed.
Stability of levothyroxine tablets in blister packaging versus bottles and vials under simulated in-use conditions
Authors: Chun Jonathan
Published: October 2022

Introduction

Levothyroxine, the standard-of-care treatment for hypothyroidism, is susceptible to degradation when exposed to light and moisture and is an FDA-designated narrow therapeutic index drug. In this report, we examined how different packaging (e.g., cold form blister packs, manufacturer’s bottles, or pharmacy amber vials) affects the physicochemical integrity and potency of levothyroxine in conditions simulating real-world patient use.

Methods

In part 1 of this study, we evaluated changes in the physicochemical properties (e.g., moisture gain, hardness, and disintegration time) of levothyroxine tablets stored in high-density polyethylene (HDPE) bottles, amber vials, and blister packs when exposed intermittently to different relative humidities (RH), 25 °C/75% RH and 25 °C/90% RH for 90 days, or 54 °C/75% RH continuously for 2 days. In part 2 of the study, we compared the potency of levothyroxine tablets in bottles and aluminum/aluminum cold form blister packs exposed to 28 °C/65% RH intermittently over 105 days and continuously over 30 days.

Results

Moisture content, hardness, and disintegration time were relatively unchanged for blister-packaged levothyroxine tablets under all conditions studied. Conversely, the physicochemical properties of tablets stored in amber vials and bottles were altered over time. Levothyroxine potency remained relatively consistent for blister-packaged tablets (100.8% at baseline, 99.6% at day 105) and decreased for bottled levothyroxine (101.4% at baseline to 93.9% at day 105).

Conclusion

Levothyroxine packaging can influence tablet integrity. Blister packages preserved physicochemical properties and potency better than bulk bottles. Additional studies are needed to determine the impact of packaging and changes in tablet integrity on patient outcomes.
Serum chloride and serum sodium derangements in children on prolonged furosemide therapy and their effect on diuretic response
Authors: Soliman Nanies Mohamed Salah EL Din , Kotby Alyaa Amal , Shabaan Menatallah Ali , Eid Esraa Matarawy
Published: October 2022

Background

Electrolyte disturbances are not uncommon in patients on chronic furosemide therapy. We hypothesized that serum chloride (Cl) and serum sodium (Na) abnormalities may occur in children on prolonged furosemide therapy affecting the diuretic response in these children.

Methods

The study included 45 children, with congenital left to right shunts causing chronic congestive state which necessitated chronic furosemide therapy. Patients in need to an increase of their furosemide dose were recruited in the study. We assessed serum Cl and serum Na as well as parameters of diuretic responsiveness; net fluid output and change in body weight/40 mg furosemide, and change in urinary Na/K ratio. These parameters were assessed initially and at day 3 after increasing furosemide dose.

Results

According to serum levels of Cl and Na, patients were divided into four groups: isolated hyponatremia (15 patients, 33.3%), isolated hypochloremia (9 patients, 20%), combined hypochloremia and hyponatremia (12 patients, 26.7%), and normal serum electrolytes (9 patients, 20%). Patients with combined hyponatremia and hypochloremia and those with isolated hypochloremia showed minimal clinical and radiological signs of decongestion as well as lowest changes in urinary Na/K ratio, fluid output and weight change/40 mg furosemide on augmenting the diuretic dose, unlike the hyponatremic patients who had near normal parameters with no evidence of diuretic resistance.

Conclusion

Both hypochloremia and hyponatremia are common in patients on prolonged furosemide therapy. Hypochloremia is associated with a poor diuretic response, unlike isolated hyponatremia which does not seem to affect the diuretic response. Concomitant occurrence of hyponatremia and hypochloremia is associated with poor diuretic response as well which can be worse than that seen in isolated hypochloremia.
Identification of Patients With Metastatic Prostate Cancer With Natural Language Processing and Machine Learning
Authors: Yang Ruixin , Zhu Di , Howard Lauren E. , De Hoedt Amanda , Williams Stephen B. , Freedland Stephen J. , Klaassen Zachary
Published: October 2022

PURPOSE

Understanding treatment patterns and effectiveness for patients with metastatic prostate cancer (mPCa) is dependent on accurate assessment of metastatic status. The objective was to develop a natural language processing (NLP) model for identifying patients with mPCa and evaluate the model's performance against chart-reviewed data and an International Classification of Diseases (ICD) 9/10 code–based method.

METHODS

In total, 139,057 radiology reports on 6,211 unique patients from the Department of Veterans Affairs were used. The gold standard was metastases by detailed chart review of radiology reports. NLP performance was assessed by sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and date of metastases detection. Receiver operating characteristic curves was used to assess model performance.

RESULTS

When compared with chart review, the NLP model had high sensitivity and specificity (85% and 96%, respectively). The NLP model was able to predict patient-level metastasis status with a sensitivity of 91% and specificity of 81%, whereas sensitivity and specificity using ICD9/10 billing codes were 73% and 86%, respectively. For the NLP model, date of metastases detection was exactly concordant and within < 1 week in 55% and 58% of patients, compared with 8% and 17%, respectively, using the ICD9/10 billing codes method. The area under the curve for the NLP model was 0.911. A limitation is the NLP model was developed on the basis of a subset of patients with mPCa and may not be generalizable to all patients with mPCa.

CONCLUSION

This population-level NLP model for identifying patients with mPCa was more accurate than using ICD9/10 billing codes when compared with chart-reviewed data. Upon further validation, this model may allow for efficient population-level identification of patients with mPCa.
Development of an Electronic Health Record Registry to Facilitate Collection of Commission on Cancer Metrics for Patients Undergoing Surgery for Breast Cancer
Authors: Lyu Heather G. , Kantor Olga , Laws Alison D. , McDonald James , Pham Lisa , Dominici Laura S. , Vincuilla Julie , Raut Chandrajit P. , Danilchuk Bryan , Novak Lara , Parker Tonia , King Tari A. , Mittendorf Elizabeth A.
Published: October 2022

PURPOSE

Accurate and efficient data collection is a challenge for quality improvement initiatives and clinical research. We describe the development of a custom electronic health record (EHR)–based registry to automatically extract structured Commission on Cancer axillary surgery-specific metrics from a custom synoptic note template included in the operative reports for patients with breast cancer undergoing surgery.

METHODS

The smart functionality of our enterprise-based EHR system was leveraged to create a custom smart phrase to capture axillary surgery-specific variables. A multidisciplinary team developed structured data elements correlating to each axillary surgery-specific variable. These data elements were then included in a note template for the operative report. Each variable could be aggregated and converted into a single flat database through the EHR's reporting workbench and serve as a live, prospective registry for all users within the EHR.

RESULTS

The final axillary surgery-specific note template in a synoptic format allowed for efficient and easy entry and automatic collection of breast cancer–specific metrics. From initial adoption in February 2021-December 2021, there were 1,254 patients who underwent breast surgery with axillary surgery. The operative notes allowed for automatic capture of metrics from 60.5% (n = 759) of patients. Data capture improved from 37.6% in the initial adoption period of 6 months to 86.2% in the last 5 months.

CONCLUSION

We were able to demonstrate successful implementation of provider-driven structured data entry into EHR systems that permits automatic data capture. The end result is a custom synoptic note template and a real-time, prospective registry of breast cancer–specific Commission on Cancer metrics that are robust enough to use for quality improvement initiatives and clinical research.
Gay Neo-Nazis in the United States
Authors: Buchanan Blu
Published: October 2022

Scholars often describe the heteropatriarchal relationships that prop up fascist political ideologies and practices. This emphasis is rooted in counter-reading other historical texts, which often conflate homosexuality and fascism as (1) one and the same or (2) linearly related along a spectrum, between the “moral degeneracy” of homosexuality and the atrocities produced by fascist regimes. These traditional models fail to describe the National Socialist League (NSL), a US neo-Nazi organization operating from 1974 until the late 1980s, which was explicitly structured to incorporate and include gay men into the white supremacist and fascist far right. By exploring how the NSL situated itself within the broader US fascist movement, this article examines how public-private distinction, whiteness, and hegemonic scripts of masculinity shaped NSL recruitment. These mechanisms provide discursive space for white gay men to position themselves as responsible citizens and important actors within the cultural, social, and military mechanisms of an imagined fascist state. Confronting this political and historical reality is critical to understanding the neo-fascist political configurations that incorporate white gay men that we see today.
TheorizingKuirlombismosand Black Liberation across the Diaspora
Authors: Saunders Tanya L.
Published: October 2022

This essay has three goals: First, to illustrate the epistemological interventions of Black Brazilian queer artivists in theories of Black liberation through naming and defining their sexual-dissident-subjectivities and the affective modes they engender, such as the feeling of solidão (solitude). Second, to contribute to efforts to decolonize the academy in the Americas more broadly, by pointing to the emergent Black queer archives and repertoires that Black queer artivists are intentionally producing outside the Brazilian academy. And third, to highlight how, why, and where Black queer theory is being produced in Brazil, to avoid crediting privileged (in this case, white mestizo) actors within the Brazilian academy for the intellectual production of Black queer theorists who generally do not have access to the transnational academic sphere.
Approaches to benchmark and characterize in vitro human model systems
Authors: Childs Charlie J. , Eiken Madeline K. , Spence Jason R.
Published: October 2022

In vitro human models, such as gastruloids and organoids, are complex three-dimensional (3D) structures often consist of cells from multiple germ layers that possess some attributes of a developing embryo or organ. To use these models to interrogate human development and organogenesis, these 3D models must accurately recapitulate aspects of their in vivo counterparts. Recent advances in single-cell technologies, including sequencing and spatial approaches, have enabled efforts to better understand and directly compare organoids with native tissues. For example, single-cell genomic efforts have created cell and organ atlases that enable benchmarking of in vitro models and can also be leveraged to gain novel biological insights that can be used to further improve in vitro models. This Spotlight discusses the state of current in vitro model systems, the efforts to create large publicly available atlases of the developing human and how these data are being used to improve organoids. Limitations and perspectives on future efforts are also discussed.
A rare case of disseminated genitourinary tract tuberculosis complicated by emphysematous prostatitis and seminal vesicle abscess
Authors: Kundasamy Preeya , Kemp Ben , Kearns Daniel , McCallum Andrew , Nazir Sarfraz , Lyon Paul C
Published: October 2022

Urogenital tuberculosis (UGTB) can affect the entire urinary tract including the kidneys, ureters (strictures), urinary bladder, prostate in addition to involving reproductive tracts. In modern day practice, both ultrasound and cross-sectional imaging play an important role in the radiological diagnosis of UGTB. The sequalae of untreated UGTB is morbid and can lead to end-stage renal failure, infertility, and life-threatening systemic infection. UGTB is less commonly observed in developed countries and may mimic other pathologies including malignancy. Thus, it is important that radiologists consider the differential diagnosis early, particularly individuals with risk factors such as travel to endemic regions, to allow optimal treatment and ensure best prognostic outcomes. UGTB can typically be managed by Infectious Disease clinicians with multidrug chemotherapy.

We have presented a case of microbiologically proven extrapulmonary tuberculosis (TB) predominantly involving the genitourinary tract. The response to TB agents and lack of evidence of co-infection with another organism, might suggest this as the first published case of emphysematous tuberculous prostatitis. Emphysematous prostatitis is indicative of a gas-forming infection of the prostate, and is associated with abscess formation in the vast majority of case and is an easily identified radiological feature on CT. It is not a well-recognised feature of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection and thus microbiological diagnosis should be sought to confirm the diagnosis.
Αναπηρική ταυτότητα και πολιτική συμμετοχή στην εποχή της κρίσης
Authors: Τσαμπουνάρη Σεβαστή
Published: October 2022

Στόχος της παρούσας διατριβής είναι η διερεύνηση της διαλεκτικής σχέσης της αναπηρικής ταυτότητας και της πολιτικής συμμετοχής κατά την περίοδο της κρίσης στη χώρα μας. Τα βασικά ερευνητικά ερωτήματα μας αφορούν α. τις μορφές και τα αιτήματα της πολιτικής συμμετοχής των αναπήρων β. την επίδραση της συλλογικής δράσης στη διαμόρφωση της πολιτικής συμμετοχής τους γ. τα εμπόδια που συναντούν κατά την πολιτική συμμετοχή τους δ. την επίδραση της κοινωνικοπολιτικής συγκυρίας στη διαμόρφωση της σχέσης αναπηρικής ταυτότητας και πολιτικής συμμετοχής.Η έρευνα, στο πλαίσιο της ποιοτικής προσέγγισης, πραγματοποιήθηκε μέσα από αφηγήσεις που συλλέχθηκαν από ανάπηρους πολίτες καθώς επίσης και μέσα από την ανάλυση λόγων στελεχών του αναπηρικού κινήματος, οι οποίοι εκφωνήθηκαν στη σχετική κοινοβουλευτική υπο-επιτροπή για θέματα αναπηρίας τη χρονική περίοδο της τελευταίας δεκαετίας (2010- 2020). Οι αφηγήσεις αποτέλεσαν το εργαλείο ανάδυσης νέων κατανοήσεων, αναπαραστάσεων αλλά και των τρόπων θεσμοθέτησης του ανάπηρου εαυτού στη σύγχρονη κοινωνία. Οι κοινωνικές συνθήκες κρίσης μας έδειξαν ότι περιέχουν σημαντικά κίνητρα και ωθούν τους αφηγητές μας σε νέες ευκαιρίες αυτοπραγμάτωσης, διεκδίκησης και ουσιαστικής παρέμβασης. Οι οργανώσεις, οι συλλογικότητες που ανήκουν αποτελούν ευκαιρίες και πεδία αποτελεσματικής δράσης τους. Η ύπαρξη θεσμών και μηχανισμών ανάδειξης των δικαιωμάτων της αναπηρίας αποτελεί ένα σοβαρό παράγοντα της προόδου, ευρύτερα, για την κοινωνική ομάδα.Η ανάλυση λόγων που εκφωνήθηκαν στην κοινοβουλευτική υπο-επιτροπή αποκάλυψε επιμέρους πτυχές της αναπηρικής ταυτότητας που σχετίζονται με την κοινωνική θέση, τα αιτήματα, τα κίνητρα και τις μορφές της πολιτικής συμμετοχής της κοινωνικής ομάδας. Σε επίρρωση των ερευνητικών συμπερασμάτων που προέκυψαν από τις αφηγήσεις, προκύπτει η διαχρονικότητα, η διάρκεια και η επιμονή στις διεκδικήσεις της κοινωνικής ομάδας, ταυτόχρονα όμως η προσαρμογή και η άμεση συνάφειά τους με το κοινωνικό και πολιτικό συγκείμενο. Ιδιαίτερα, μέσα τους ερευνώμενους λόγους αναδείχθηκε η ισχυροποίηση του κινήματος της αναπηρίας, ο δυναμισμός και η μεθοδικότητα στις δράσεις των μελών του την τελευταία δεκαετία.
Three essays on social and economic networks
Authors: Γεωργούλα Ιφιγένεια
Published: October 2022

Η διατριβή αυτή αποτελεί μια διεπιστημονική μελέτη που βασίστηκε στη θεωρία κοινωνικών δικτύων (χρησιμοποιώντας ένα μοντέλο διαμόρφωσης πεποιθήσεων) και στη μικροοικονομική θεωρία (διαμορφώνοντας παίγνια Nash ισορροποίας). Αποτελείται απο τρία πρωτότυπα άρθρα τα οποία ερευνούν τις βέλτιστες στρατηγικές επιρροής που θα πρέπει οι επιχειρήσεις να ακολουθούν σε διαφορετικές μορφές κοινωνικών δικτύων και διαφορετικές μορφές αγορών σε μια αγορα προϊόντος. Βασικό χαρακτηριστικό του προτεινόμενου υποδείγματος μοντελοποίησης είναι η ενσωμάτωση της έννοιας της κοινωνικής επιρροής των μελών του κοινωνικού δικτύου στη διαδικασία διαμόρφωσης πεποιθήσεων σχετικά με τη ποιότητα ενός προιόντος. Η ανάλυση χρησιμοποιεί το μειωμένης ορθολογικότητας μοντέλο διαμόρφωσης πεποιθήσεων του DeGroot για το σχηματισμό άποψης για τη ποιότητα ενός προιόντος.
The role of academic sport in health promotion - the example of the Academic Sports Association in Poland
Authors: Suchecki Kajetan , Sobczyk Karolina , Grajek Mateusz
Published: October 2022

Academic sports are physical activities in which members of the academic community participate: students, doctoral students, research, teaching or administrative staff of higher education institutions. The academic community is extremely diverse, but as a rule, it is rarely associated directly with physical activity, but rather with the advancement of knowledge and the development of science. All the more reason why the promotion of physical activity in this community is extremely important for maintaining the psychophysical well-being of members of this group.

The AZS is the most numerous academic organization in Poland, with nearly 33,000 members. The Association's Academic Championships of Poland and community leagues are the primary system of rivalry between universities in the country. Among the objectives of AZS are those relating directly or indirectly to the promotion of health, including: the dissemination of physical culture and tourism, raising physical fitness and improving health among the academic community, working for the rehabilitation of the disabled or counteracting social pathologies, particularly addictions that threaten the environment of young students.

These goals are pursued through various types of programs and projects, including sports activation of the academic community within the framework of sports sections, especially within the framework of general sports, organized sports competitions both at the university, regional, national or international level. Academic sports are also often the only available opportunity for physical activity during college, where physical education classes usually last no more than a year in the five-year cycle of study.
Methods of supporting training and post-exercise recovery in women practising fitness and men practising bodybuilding
Authors: Boguszewski Dariusz
Published: October 2022

Introduction. The aim of this study was to characterize physiotherapeutic methods applied in supporting training and biological regeneration of amateur athletes (women practising fitness and men practising bodybuilding).

Materials and methods. 115 participated in the survey, 45 women practising fitness and 70 men practising bodybuilding. The author’s survey constituted the study tool. Differences were calculated using the chi-squared and t-Student test for independent groups, assuming p≤0.05 as the minimum significance level.

Results. Regular use of physiotherapy treatments supporting trainings and post-exercise regeneration was declared by 48 (42%) of the studied athletes (44% women 40% men). Regular perform of stretching exercises was declared by The most frequently used treatment indicated by women and men was sauna. Regular perform of stretching exercises after training was declared by 68 (59%) of the studied people. The most examined amateur athletes (66%) declared using diet supplementary (51% women and 75% men). The most frequently used dietary supplement were vitamins and minerals in women and proteins in men

Conclusions. Less than 50% examined amateur athletes use physiotherapeutic support of training regularly. Application of physiotherapeutic support of training in amateur sports should be promoted by coaches, physiotherapist and medical staff. The most frequently used physiotherapeutic treatments are the ones which are easily accessible (sauna, massage). Nonetheless, their effectiveness has been scientifically proven.
Konflikt w parafii prawosławnej w Siemiatyczach w latach 1986–1988
Authors: Chomik Piotr
Published: October 2022

Głównym celem artykułu było ukazanie przebiegu konfliktu w parafii prawosławnej w Siemiatyczach w latach 1986–1988. Na kanwie przemian społecznych zachodzących w Polsce doszło do konfliktu pomiędzy hierarchią cerkiewną, duchowieństwem parafialnym a Urzędem ds. Wyznań. Ingerencja władz jedynie zaogniała konflikt. Z zachowanych dokumentów nie wynika jednoznacznie, co stanowiło powód zażegnania sporu wiosną 1988 r. Mogły to być jakieś działania Urzędu ds. Wyznań. Teza ta wymaga jednak potwierdzenia w dokumentach archiwalnych.
Dwa filmowe epizody z życia Allana Charlesa Elgarta
Authors: Szymański Karol
Published: October 2022

Oparty na źródłach archiwalnych artykuł poświęcony jest Amerykaninowi Allanowi Charlesowi Elgartowi, który w połowie lat sześćdziesiątych XX w. postanowił studiować reżyserię filmową w kraju zza „żelaznej kurtyny”.
COMBINED LIDAR AND SONAR MAPPING FOR PARTIALLY SUBMERGED INFRASTRUCTURE
Authors: THOMS ALEXANDER , EARLE GABRIEL , CHARRON NICHOLAS , MALAMA SVEN , NARASIMHAN SRIRAM
Published: October 2022

Advances in robotic mapping, planning, and perception have spurred applications-based robotics research in the domain of infrastructure inspection and preservation. Though a significant portion of this research has centered around the use of unmanned aerial, ground, and underwater vehicles, research in the use of unmanned surface vehicles (USVs) is limited. USVs present a unique opportunity to capture combined maps above and below water, which is essential for the inspection of waterspanning bridges, harbors, dams, and levees. In this paper, we investigate the use of USVs for infrastructure inspection by outfitting a USV platform with a multibeam sonar, horizontally and vertically mounted lidars, several ruggedized RGB cameras, and a high-rate inertial measurement unit (IMU). By time-synchronizing all sensors, we are able to fuse information collected from lidar, camera, and IMU units via tightly-coupled lidar-visual-inertial (LVI) simultaneous mapping and localization (SLAM). We validate our methodology by collecting sensory data of an abandoned quarry and by generating a combined 3D point cloud map using lidar data, multibeam sonar data, and maximum a posteriori trajectory from the LVI SLAM approach. Experiments validate the performance of the proposed USV system, highlighting challenges in extrinsic calibration of non-overlapping sensors, sonar denoising, and refined inter-keyframe pose estimation for key-frame based SLAM approaches.
ROBOTIC INSPECTION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF SUBSURFACE DEFECTS ON CONCRETE STRUCTURES USING IMPACT SOUNDING
Authors: HOXHA EJUP , FENG JINGLUN , SANAKOV DIAR , GJINOFCI ARDIAN , XIAO JIZHONG
Published: October 2022

Impact-sounding (IS) and impact-echo (IE) are well-developed non-destructive evaluation (NDE) methods that are widely used for inspections of concrete structures to ensure the safety and sustainability. However, it is a tedious work to collect IS and IE data along grid lines covering a large target area for characterization of subsurface defects. On the other hand, data processing is very complicated that requires domain experts to interpret the results. To address the above problems, we present a novel robotic inspection system named as Impact-Rover to automate the data collection process and introduce data analytics software to visualize the inspection result allowing regular non-professional people to understand. The system consists of three modules: 1) a robotic platform with vertical mobility to collect IS and IE data in hard-to-reach locations, 2) vision-based positioning module that fuses the RGB-D camera, IMU and wheel encoder to estimate the 6-DOF pose of the robot, 3) a data analytics software module for processing the IS data to generate defect maps. The Impact-Rover hosts both IE and IS devices on a sliding mechanism and can perform move-stop-sample operations to collect multiple IS and IE data at adjustable spacing. The robot takes samples much faster than the manual data collection method because it automatically takes the multiple measurements along a straight line and records the locations. This paper focuses on reporting experimental results on IS. We calculate features and use unsupervised learning methods for analyzing the data. By combining the pose generated by our vision-based localization module and the position of the head of the sliding mechanism we can generate maps of possible defects. The results on concrete slabs demonstrate that our impact-sounding system can effectively reveal shallow defects.
ON IMPLEMENTING AN IRREDUCIBLE ELEMENT MODEL SCHEMA FOR POPULATION-BASED STRUCTURAL HEALTH MONITORING
Authors: BRENNAN DANIEL S. , GOSLIGA JULIAN , CROSS ELIZABETH J. , WORDEN KEITH
Published: October 2022

This paper is the second in a series in which the aim is to provide an underlying database technology for enabling the user interaction required for Population-Based Structural Health Monitoring (PBSHM). In the first paper in the series, the groundwork was laid for a PBSHM Schema which enabled the storage of channel data via a Time First approach. PBSHM considers grouping similar structures together to gain additional insights from the group, compared to a single entity. Part of the PBSHM process is being able to identify which structures, or substructures, are similar. To enable this a standardised method of representing each structure must be used; here, an Irreducible Element (IE) model is employed. This paper builds on the groundwork that has been laid in the creation of IE models and defines a standardised format and properties for an IE modal to enable graph matching algorithms to find similar structures. The standardised format has been implemented via an IE-model Schema within the PBSHM Schema.
INVESTIGATING EXPERIMENTAL REPEATABILITY AND FEATURE CONSISTENCY IN VIBRATION-BASED SHM
Authors: DARDENO TINA A. , BULL LAWRENCE A. , DERVILIS NIKOLAOS , WORDEN KEITH
Published: October 2022

Structural health monitoring (SHM) has been an active research area for the last three decades, and has accumulated a number of critical advances over that period, as can be seen in the literature. However, SHM is still facing challenges because of the paucity of damage-state data, operational and environmental fluctuations, repeatability issues, and changes in boundary conditions. These issues present as inconsistencies in the captured features and can have a huge impact on the practical implementation, but more critically on the generalisation of the technology. Population-based SHM has been designed to address some of these concerns by modelling and transferring missing information using data collected from groups of similar structures. In this work, an experimental campaign is discussed, in which vibration data were collected over a series of tests on a set of four healthy, full-scale composite helicopter blades. During the tests, variability was introduced by adjusting boundary conditions between each testing repetition. It is well known that changes of boundary conditions, even from careful repositioning of the structure, can alter selected feature’s properties, changing dynamic responses from normal condition and thus raising false alarms which degrade the effectiveness of SHM. In addition, nominally-identical structures may have slight differences in geometry and/or material properties. These variations can present as changes in the dynamic characteristics of the structure, which can be very problematic for SHM based on machine learning. This paper demonstrates the applicability of SHM when such deviations occur. In this work, a normal condition for the set of helicopter blades is established and tested via a point-wise outlier analysis approach and by defining a general model for the blades, called a population form, using Gaussian process regression.
ON ROBUSTNESS OF OPTIMAL SENSOR PLACEMENT TO ENVIRONMENTAL VARIATION FOR SHM
Authors: WANG TINGNA , WAGG DAVID J. , BARTHORPE ROBERT J. , WORDEN KEITH
Published: October 2022

One challenge in establishing an effective structural health monitoring (SHM) system is the impact of environmental variability on damage identification. It is therefore, advantageous to consider any environmental effects when conducting sensor placement optimisation (SPO). One approach to this problem is to check the robustness of SPO technique to environmental variations and consider whether it is necessary to take account of these environmental factors as part of the optimisation process. This paper will study the robustness of an SPO method to variations in the ambient temperature of the structure. Two kinds of data, including the mode shapes and the Mahalanobis squared-distance (MSD), from tests on a glider wing structure are used as features for SPO separately. This structure was set up and tested in different health states across a series of controlled temperatures. The results show that the SPO results obtained via the mode shapes are robust to the temperature variation, while the SPO results corresponding to MSD are sensitive to temperature changes.
PHYSICS-INFORMED NEURAL NETWORK APPROACH FOR IDENTIFICATION OF DYNAMIC SYSTEMS
Authors: MORADI SARVIN , AZAM SAEED (YASHAR) EFTEKHAR , MOFID MASSOOD
Published: October 2022

In this study, a novel method for online and real-time identification of dynamic systems is presented. This method is based on the newly introduced algorithm Physics Informed Neural Network (PINN). In order to find the dynamic characteristics of the system, sparse displacement measurements are fed to the Artificial Neural Network (ANN); By introducing the classic vibration equation of the system to the ANN as a physics constraint, the PINN estimates both dynamic characteristic and state of the system. The proposed framework is evaluated by several numerical studies with different system properties, noise levels, architecture, and training data. On that account, four structural systems are presented: (1) single-degree-of-freedom (SDOF) systems with different properties and noise levels, as basis model with an accurate analytical solution (2) a three-degree-of-freedom (3-DOF) system with both complete and sparse measurements, representing the structural model of the n-story shear frames (3) a simple supported beam subjected to an initial displacement with several NNs architecture and sensor numbers, and (4) a Pure Cubic Oscillator (PCO) as a nonlinear dynamic system. The results of the proposed platform for the PINN are compared to a mutual ANN in all cases to emphasize the superiority of the PINN in both determining the dynamic characteristics and state estimation of dynamic systems. In addition, the performance of both NNs is examined with different training data to ensure the resilience of the algorithm and affirm the role of the added criteria, physics constraint, in reducing the dependency on the training data. The proposed algorithm can accurately estimate the dynamic characteristics of different dynamic systems with sparse, noisy measurements; by means of the classic dynamic equations and smartly selection of the hidden layer numbers, the PINN will be a powerful predictive tool for the dynamic analysis in the absence of any prior knowledge of the dynamic systems.
A NEW METHOD IN CONCEPTUAL DESIGN OF THE SHM AIRFRAME USING ROUGH SETS
Authors: KUSTRON KAMILA
Published: October 2022

A very promising solution in airframe design is a new trend in application based on intelligent online condition monitoring known as Structural Condition/Health Monitoring/Management System, which has evolved towards Integrated System Health Management to cover the whole System-of-Systems architecture. This paper focuses on how to reduce Big Data with reference to a comprehensive model for designing future airframe heath monitoring system, including the problem of assessing the diversity of various sensors used in the assessment of the technical condition/health of an airframe, which generates big data sets with different records of measurement data that must be reduced for effective using. The paper summarizes the research on the assessment of sensors in terms of their suitability and effectiveness in monitoring the airframe condition, including metal and composite, and refers to the complexity of the problem by integrating the technical condition/health of the engine unit and the airframe. Integration issue of the reliability serial connection of the airframe and engine for airworthiness assessment were mentioned. A new method based on the rough set paradigm, including hybrid variants, for the reduction of big data of health monitoring into their effective management were postulated and advantages were demonstrated. The proposed method in the form of listed issues is complementary to the currently used method and is aimed at supporting the design of the airframe at the preliminary assessment stage. That method is strongly recommended to increase security and reduce computational cost and operational cost including maintenance cost in aircraft life-cycle costs.
WARPED GAUSSIAN PROCESSES FOR PROGNOSTIC HEALTH MONITORING
Authors: PFINGSTL SIMON , BRAUN CHRISTIAN , ZIMMERMANN MARKUS
Published: October 2022

Gaussian process regression is a powerful method for predicting states associated with uncertainty. A common application field is to predict damage states of structural systems. Recently, Gaussian processes became very popular as they deliver credible intervals for the predicted states. However, one major disadvantage of Gaussian processes is that they assume a normal distribution. This is not justified when the relevant variables can only assume positive values, such as crack lengths or damage states. This paper presents a way to bypass this problem by using warped Gaussian processes: We (1) transform the data with a warping function, (2) apply Gaussian process regression in the latent space, and (3) transform the results back by using the inverse of the warping function. The method is applied to a crack growth example. The paper shows how to integrate prior knowledge into warped Gaussian processes in order to increase prediction accuracy and that warped Gaussian processes lead to better and more plausible results.
MICROCRACKS DETECTION OF THERMAL DAMAGED CONCRETE WITH NONLINEAR ULTRASONIC MODULATION BASED ON BROAD BAND FREQUENCY COUPLING
Authors: XU YING , ZHANG HEYONG , LIU HUAN
Published: October 2022

The initiation and development of microcracks introduced by heating or fire plays a critical role in the stability and durability of concrete structure. However, the concealment of microcracks and the nonlinearity of concrete materials make it difficult to appropriately evaluate the size and extension state of microcracks inside the thermal damaged concrete. In this paper, broadband frequency excitation instead of traditional dual-frequency excitation is utilized to excite the thermal damaged concrete, and the generated ultrasonic modulated signal reflects the micro damage state. The concept of damage index (DI) based on the sideband peak count (SPC) is proposed to quantitatively describe the variation characteristics of modulated signals. The results show that the peak value of DI based on broadband frequency coupling of nonlinear ultrasonic modulation method reflects the generation and development of microcracks in thermal damaged concrete. The peak value of DI increases sensitively with the increasing of water-cement ratio, fine-coarse aggregate ratio, and the heating temperature. Meanwhile, the statistical relationships of the peak value of DI with the residual strength and the area ratio of microcracks in thermal damaged concrete are established respectively.
ROBUST DETECTION OF DAMAGE IN COMPOSITE PLATES USING THE NONLINEAR SPC-I ULTRASONIC TECHNIQUE
Authors: ALNUAIMI HAMAD , AMJAD UMAR , PARK SEHYUK , RUSSO PIETRO , LOPRESTO VALENTINA , KUNDU TRIBIKRAM
Published: October 2022

The newly developed non-linear ultrasonic (NLU) technique known as the Sideband Peak Count - Index (SPC-I) has demonstrated that it can detect and monitor the non-linearity generated by defects in a wide range of materials such as metals, composites, and concrete. The general approach of applying the SPC-I technique is by using a single sweep wideband excitation signal that is propagated through the specimen and a single signal is received which is then analyzed. This general approach has proven to be effective in giving a big picture measure of the nonlinearity of the material. However, it can be further tuned and improved by exciting a sweep signal using multiple excitation signals. As a result, multiple signals are received and analyzed. These multiple sweep signals have the benefit of not being contaminated (dispersion effects) by multiple wave modes propagating at the same time compared to exciting a wide band single sweep signal. Additionally, by using these multiple sweep signals the effects of frequency modulation of wave modes and higher harmonics are easier to detect. By analyzing the received signals multiple frequency ranges can be discovered that are sensitive to different failure modes or types of defects. These frequency ranges of interest are then used to detect damage initiation and progression in the composite plate specimens. Two sets of composite plate specimens with two types of fiber reinforcements (Glass and Basalt) are investigated in this study. The specimens are impacted with a dart impact machine at increasing impact energies. By focusing on a frequency range that is sensitive to the damage in the composite plate specimens. The NLU SPC-I technique can robustly detect and monitor the impact induced damages in composite plates.
HARMONIC SCATTERING OF SH WAVES FROM A LOCALIZED DAMAGE: FINITE ELEMENT STUDIES
Authors: GHODAKE PRAVINKUMAR
Published: October 2022

Interaction of the monochromatic ultrasonic wave with the uniformly distributed micro-scale damages modeled as a weakly nonlinear solid generates higher harmonics. In practice, most of the metallic components under fatigue and fracture introduce highly localized early-stage damages like local plasticity and region of micro-cracks resulting in shear bands, etc. Theoretical studies by Tang (2012), Wang and Achenbach (2017), Kube (2018), and Wang et.al. (2019) on the interaction of the ultrasonic waves with localized material nonlinearities discuss the interesting effects of the scattered harmonic waves. Low amplitudes of the backscattered harmonic waves and the requirement of a specific set of wideband transducers make experimental studies hard. On the other hand, finite element studies presented in this paper demonstrate the interesting nature of harmonic scattering of the SH waves which will be helpful for the effective design of the laboratory experiments. Generation of backscattered Lamb waves by the interaction of SH wave with local damage due to monochromatic wave is verified with the analytical solution presented by Wang et.al. (2019). Only odd harmonics of the forward scattered SH waves are noted and only even harmonics of both backscattered and forward scattered Lamb waves are noted. Higher amplitudes of static components of Lamb waves are observed due to their cumulative nature similar to higher harmonics. The effect of harmonic scattering in nonlinear guided wave mixing is also studied by considering one-way and two-way two-wave mixing of SH waves. A greater number of sum and difference frequencies along with the odd and even harmonics of both the backscattered and forward scattered waves are noted in codirectional wave mixing, as the complete local damage region is covered by the mixing zone. In two-way mixing, the zero group velocity Lamb waves are generated at the local nonlinear material region. Both backscattered and forward scattered waves contain only Lamb waves with sum and difference frequencies and corresponding odd and even harmonics. To understand the effect of the intensity and size of the localized nonlinear material region various studies are carried out by scaling nonlinear material parameters and geometric size of the local damages (0-20 mm). Observed various characteristics of harmonically scattered waves show their potential in quantifying the intensity, size, and position of local damages by solving simple inverse problems.
ACOUSTIC EMISSION SIGNAL PROCESSING STUDY OF NANOINDENTATION ON THIN FILM STACK STRUCTURES USING GAUSSIAN MIXTURE MODEL
Authors: LIU CHEN , NAGLER OLIVER , TREMMEL FLORIAN , UNTERREITMEIER MARIANNE , FRICK JESSICA J. , SENESKY DEBBIE G.
Published: October 2022

This investigation utilizes a material testing system that integrates acoustic emission (AE) testing with a nanoindentation system for crack generation and detection in Al-Cu top thin-film stack structures. The suitability of using the AE method was verified with scanning electron microscope (SEM) images of indent cross-sections. In order to cluster the AE signals based on a different physical meaning, a signal processing approach based on the Gaussian mixture model (GMM) clustering algorithm was applied. Principal component analysis (PCA) and autoencoder feature extraction methods were used to reduce the dimension of the signal. This signal processing approach has the promising ability to distinguish AE events associated with crack formation and metal layer plastic deformation. This integrated test system and signal processing approach provide a high-resolution mechanical testing platform for studying and enabling automatic, non-destructive crack detection in wafer probing.