bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Reference ranges of fetal heart function using a Modified Myocardial Performance Index: a prospective multicentre, cross-sectional study
Authors: Sun Lijuan , Wang Jingjing , Su Xiaoting , Chen Xinlin , Zhou Yuqing , Zhang Xiaoming , Lu Hong , Niu Jianmei , Yu Lan , Sun Congxin , Zhang Wenjun , Han Jijing , Zhang Lina , Wang Zhenna , Chen Peiwen , Chen Tiantian , Hong Hua , Zhou Lulu , Ye Baoying , Guo Wei , Zhao Wei , Zhang Na , Li Zhen , Zhao Sheng , Wu Qingqing , Tian Jiawei , Jiang Yuxin
Published: July 2021

Objectives

The primary aim of this study was to establish the normal reference ranges of the fetal left ventricular (LV) Modified Myocardial Performance Index (Mod-MPI). A secondary aim was to evaluate the agreement between manual and automatic measurements for fetal Mod-MPI.

Design

A prospective, multicentre, cross-sectional study.

Participants

Normal singleton pregnancies.

Methods

The LV functions of normal singleton pregnancies were assessed in nine centres covering eight provinces in China using unified ultrasound protocols and settings and standardised measurements by pulsed Doppler at 20–24, 28–32 and 34–38 weeks of gestation. The isovolumetric relaxation time (IRT), isovolumetric contraction time, ejection time (ET) and Mod-MPI were measured both automatically and manually.

Results

This cross-sectional study included 2081 fetuses, and there was a linear correlation between gestational age (GA) and Mod-MPI (0.416+0.001×GA (weeks), p<0.001, r2=0.013), IRT (36.201+0.162× GA (weeks), p<0.001, r2=0.021) and ET (171.418–0.078*GA (weeks), p<0.001, r2=0.002). This finding was verified using longitudinal data in a subgroup of 610 women. The agreement between the manual and automated measurements for Mod-MPI was good.

Conclusions

We constructed normal reference values of fetal LV Mod-MPI. Automatic measurement can be considered for ease of measurement in view of the good agreement between the automatic and manual values.
Symptoms of common mental disorders and adherence to antiretroviral therapy among adults living with HIV in rural Zimbabwe: a cross-sectional study
Authors: Haas Andreas D , Kunzekwenyika Cordelia , Hossmann Stefanie , Manzero Josphat , van Dijk Janneke , Manhibi Ronald , Verhey Ruth , Limacher Andreas , von Groote Per M , Manda Ethel , Hobbins Michael A , Chibanda Dixon , Egger Matthias
Published: July 2021

Objectives

To examine the proportion of people living with HIV who screen positive for common mental disorders (CMD) and the associations between CMD and self-reported adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART).

Setting

Sixteen government-funded health facilities in the rural Bikita district of Zimbabwe.

Design

Cross-sectional study.

Participants

HIV-positive non-pregnant adults, aged 18 years or older, who lived in Bikita district and had received ART for at least 6 months.

Outcome measures

The primary outcome was the proportion of participants screening positive for CMD defined as a Shona Symptoms Questionnaire score of 9 or greater. Secondary outcomes were the proportion of participants reporting suicidal ideation, perceptual symptoms and suboptimal ART adherence and adjusted prevalence ratios (aPR) for factors associated with CMD, suicidal ideation, perceptual symptoms and suboptimal ART adherence.

Results

Out of 3480 adults, 18.8% (95% CI 14.8% to 23.7%) screened positive for CMD, 2.7% (95% CI 1.5% to 4.7%) reported suicidal ideations, and 1.5% (95% CI 0.9% to 2.6%) reported perceptual symptoms. Positive CMD screens were more common in women (aPR 1.67, 95% CI 1.19 to 2.35) than in men and were more common in adults aged 40–49 years (aPR 1.47, 95% CI 1.16 to 1.85) or aged 50–59 years (aPR 1.51, 95% CI 1.05 to 2.17) than in those 60 years or older. Positive CMD screen was associated with suboptimal adherence (aPR 1.53; 95% CI 1.37 to 1.70).

Conclusions

A substantial proportion of people living with HIV in rural Zimbabwe are affected by CMD. There is a need to integrate mental health services and HIV programmes in rural Zimbabwe.

Trial registration number

NCT03704805.
Identifying barriers and facilitators to implementation of community-based tuberculosis active case finding with mobile X-ray units in Lima, Peru: a RE-AIM evaluation
Authors: Yuen Courtney M , Puma Daniela , Millones Ana Karina , Galea Jerome T , Tzelios Christine , Calderon Roger I , Brooks Meredith B , Jimenez Judith , Contreras Carmen , Nichols Tim C , Nicholson Tom , Lecca Leonid , Becerra Mercedes C , Keshavjee Salmaan
Published: July 2021

Objectives

Identify barriers and facilitators to integrating community tuberculosis screening with mobile X-ray units into a health system.

Methods

Reach, effectiveness, adoption, implementation and maintenance evaluation.

Setting

3-district region of Lima, Peru.

Participants

63 899 people attended the mobile units from 7 February 2019 to 6 February 2020.

Interventions

Participants were screened by chest radiography, which was scored for abnormality by computer-aided detection. People with abnormal X-rays were evaluated clinically and by GeneXpert MTB/RIF (Xpert) sputum testing. People diagnosed with tuberculosis at the mobile unit were accompanied to health facilities for treatment initiation.

Primary and secondary outcome measures

Reach was defined as the percentage of the population of the three-district region that attended the mobile units. Effectiveness was defined as the change in tuberculosis case notifications over a historical baseline. Key implementation fidelity indicators were the percentages of people who had chest radiography performed, were evaluated clinically, had sputum samples collected, had valid Xpert results and initiated treatment.

Results

The intervention reached 6% of the target population and was associated with an 11% (95% CI 6 to 16) increase in quarterly case notifications, adjusting for the increasing trend in notifications over the previous 3 years. Implementation indicators for screening, sputum collection and Xpert testing procedures all exceeded 85%. Only 82% of people diagnosed with tuberculosis at the mobile units received treatment; people with negative or trace Xpert results were less likely to receive treatment. Suboptimal treatment initiation was driven by health facility doctors’ lack of familiarity with Xpert and lack of confidence in diagnoses made at the mobile unit.

Conclusion

Mobile X-ray units were a feasible and effective strategy to extend tuberculosis diagnostic services into communities and improve early case detection. Effective deployment however requires advance coordination among stakeholders and targeted provider training to ensure that people diagnosed with tuberculosis by new modalities receive prompt treatment.
Passive and active immunity in infants born to mothers with SARS-CoV-2 infection during pregnancy: prospective cohort study
Authors: Song Dongli , Prahl Mary , Gaw Stephanie L , Narasimhan Sudha Rani , Rai Daljeet S , Huang Angela , Flores Claudia V , Lin Christine Y , Jigmeddagva Unurzul , Wu Alan , Warrier Lakshmi , Levan Justine , Nguyen Catherine B T , Callaway Perri , Farrington Lila , Acevedo Gonzalo R , Gonzalez Veronica J , Vaaben Anna , Nguyen Phuong , Atmosfera Elda , Marleau Constance , Anderson Christina , Misra Sonya , Stemmle Monica , Cortes Maria , McAuley Jennifer , Metz Nicole , Patel Rupalee , Nudelman Matthew , Abraham Susan , Byrne James , Jegatheesan Priya
Published: July 2021

Objective

To investigate maternal immunoglobulins’ (IgM, IgG) response to SARS-CoV-2 infection during pregnancy and IgG transplacental transfer, to characterise neonatal antibody response to SARS-CoV-2 infection, and to longitudinally follow actively and passively acquired antibodies in infants.

Design

A prospective observational study.

Setting

Public healthcare system in Santa Clara County (California, USA).

Participants

Women with symptomatic or asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection during pregnancy and their infants were enrolled between 15 April 2020 and 31 March 2021.

Outcomes

SARS-CoV-2 serology analyses in the cord and maternal blood at delivery and longitudinally in infant blood between birth and 28 weeks of life.

Results

Of 145 mothers who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 during pregnancy, 86 had symptomatic infections: 78 with mild-moderate symptoms, and 8 with severe-critical symptoms. The seropositivity rates of the mothers at delivery was 65% (95% CI 0.56% to 0.73%) and the cord blood was 58% (95% CI 0.49% to 0.66%). IgG levels significantly correlated between the maternal and cord blood (Rs=0.93, p<0.0001). IgG transplacental transfer ratio was significantly higher when the first maternal positive PCR was 60–180 days before delivery compared with <60 days (1.2 vs 0.6, p<0.0001). Infant IgG seroreversion rates over follow-up periods of 1–4, 5–12, and 13–28 weeks were 8% (4 of 48), 12% (3 of 25), and 38% (5 of 13), respectively. The IgG seropositivity in the infants was positively related to IgG levels in the cord blood and persisted up to 6 months of age. Two newborns showed seroconversion at 2 weeks of age with high levels of IgM and IgG, including one premature infant with confirmed intrapartum infection.

Conclusions

Maternal SARS-CoV-2 IgG is efficiently transferred across the placenta when infections occur more than 2 months before delivery. Maternally derived passive immunity may persist in infants up to 6 months of life. Neonates are capable of mounting a strong antibody response to perinatal SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Programmes to prepare siblings for future roles to support their brother or sister with a neurodisability: protocol of a scoping review
Authors: Nguyen Linda , Bootsma Jael , Di Rezze Briano , Jack Susan , Ketelaar Marjolijn , Gorter Jan Willem
Published: July 2021

Introduction

Siblings share a lifelong bond in their relationship, and they may choose to provide support to their brother or sister with a neurodisability. Previous reviews summarised programmes that only focused on the behavioural, emotional and psychological outcomes of the siblings. There is a need to synthesise existing evidence and enhance our understanding about programmes for siblings to acquire knowledge, develop skills and become empowered that can help them to provide support to their brother or sister with a neurodisability. The objective of this review is to identify and map the characteristics and outcomes of programmes designed to prepare siblings in their future roles to support their brother or sister with a neurodisability.

Methods and analysis

This review will be conducted using the Joanna Briggs Institute methodology for scoping reviews. An integrated knowledge translation approach will be used by partnering with the Sibling Youth Advisory Council comprised of siblings of individuals with a disability throughout all review phases. Databases to be searched include PsycINFO, Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Sociological Abstracts, Education Resources Information Center, EMBASE, Web of Science, MEDLINE (Ovid) and SPORTDiscus, from date of inception to November 2020. Studies of programmes designed for siblings of individuals with neurodisabilities, with no exclusion on the age of siblings or context, and published in English will be included. Extracted data will include details of programme structure and content, eligibility criteria and participants, context, study methods and outcomes. A summary of the results will be presented in a tabular form to provide an overview of the programmes with an accompanying narrative summary to address the research questions of this review.

Dissemination

Findings from this review will be shared using dissemination strategies in partnership with the Sibling Youth Advisory Council. We will share the findings with key stakeholders such as healthcare providers, researchers, and patient and family advocacy groups.
Family and provider perceptions of quality of care in the management of sick young infants in primary healthcare settings in four counties of Kenya
Authors: Mbugua Samuel , Gitaka Jesse , Gitau Tabither , Odwe George , Mwaura Peter , Liambila Wilson , Ndwiga Charity , K'Oduol Kezia , Warren Charlotte , Abuya Timothy
Published: July 2021

Background

Understanding the perceptions of quality of care given to sick young infants in primary healthcare settings is key for developing strategies for effective uptake and utilisation of possible severe bacterial infection guidelines. The purpose of this study is to assess families and providers’ perceptions of care given to sick young infants at primary healthcare facilities in four diverse counties in Kenya.

Methods

A cross-sectional qualitative design involving 37 in-depth interviews and 39 focus group discussions with very young (15–18 years), young (19–24 years) and older (25–45 years) caregivers of young infants aged 0–59 days; and key informant interviews with community-based and facility-based front-line health providers (14) in primary healthcare facilities. Qualitative data were captured using audio tapes and field notes, transcribed, translated and exported into QSR NVivo V.12 for analysis. A thematic framework approach was adopted to classify and analyse data.

Results

Perceived care given to sick young infants was described around six domains of the WHO framework for the quality of maternal and newborn healthcare: evidence-based practices for routine and emergency care; functional referral systems; effective communication; respect and preservation of dignity; availability of competent, motivated human resources; and availability of physical resources. Views of caregivers and providers regarding sick young infant care in primary healthcare settings were similar across the four sites. Main hindrance to sick young infant care includes stockout of essential drugs, limited infrastructure, lack of functional referral system, inadequate providers which led to delays in receiving treatment, inadequate provider skills and poor provider attitudes. Despite these challenges, motivation and teamwork of health providers were key tenets in care provision.

Conclusion

The findings underscore the need to prioritise improving quality of sick young infant services at primary healthcare settings by building capacity of providers through training, ensuring continuous supply of essential medicines and equipment and improving infrastructure including referral.
Tumor invasive ability of papillary thyroid carcinomas is not conferred by acquired gene mutations
Authors: Tong Mengying , Li Shuang , Li Yulong , Li Ying , Feng Yue , Che Ying
Published: July 2021

Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) is the most common type of thyroid cancer. The ability to predict whether a carcinoma would exhibit invasive ability in patients with PTC is important and has clinical implications for the selection of therapeutic strategies. Although several studies have focused on the genetic characterization of invasive cancer cells, the factors critical to the origination of invasive cancer cells are still unclear. This study aimed to determine whether genomic mutations contribute to the acquisition of the tumor invasion phenotype and to investigate the genetic features of invasive cancer cells in patients with PTC. We performed customized 48-gene deep exon sequencing in samples obtained from 88 patients with PTC via fine needle aspiration; the results revealed that no genetic changes were specifically associated with the tumor aggressiveness phenotype. Our results indicate that genetic mutations do not cause indolent PTCs to become invasive.
Device size selection can enhance Y-stentrieving efficacy and safety as a rescue strategy in stroke thrombectomy
Authors: Cabral Lucas Scotta , Mont’Alverne Francisco , Silva Henrique Coelho , Passos Filho Paulo Eloy , Magalhães Pedro S C , Bianchin Marino Muxfeldt , Nogueira Raul G
Published: July 2021

Background

Despite advancements in stroke treatment, refractory clots are relatively common, prompting the exploration of alternative techniques. Bifurcation occlusions pose specific intraprocedural challenges, occasionally dealt with by two stentrievers deployed in Y-configuration. Previous studies have portrayed this strategy as feasible, yet little is known about its safety and efficacy, and how to best select retrievers.

Objective

To determine whether device selection influences the efficacy and safety of Y-stentrieving.

Methods

We performed a multicentric, retrospective analysis of patients undergoing Y-stentrieving rescue for bifurcation occlusions. Demographics, devices, procedural metrics, neurological severity, reperfusion, disability, and safety were assessed.

Results

Y-configuration stents were used as a rescue maneuver after 2.16±1.5 failed attempts with other techniques in 20 patients. Successful reperfusion (modified Thrombolysis in Cerebral Infarction score 2b–3) was achieved in 70% of patients after the first Y-stentrieving attempt. The first stentriever more often had a larger diameter (5.15±0.92 vs 3.67±0.57 mm, p=0.017) and longer length (33.12±5.78 vs 20.67±1.15 mm, p=0.002) in successfully reperfused cases. Also, the diameter of the first device was associated with both any parenchymal (6.0 vs 4.71±0.99 mm, p=0.045) and symptomatic (6.0 vs 4.86±1.02 mm, p<0.001) hemorrhages. Exact logistic regression demonstrated that a longer length first stentriever independently predicted better angiographic outcomes (OR=1.26, p=0.036), and a 6 mm diameter first stentriever independently predicted more intracranial hemorrhages (OR=15.28, p=0.044). No periprocedural mortality was recorded.

Conclusion

Y-stentrieving is an effective and safe bail-out strategy for refractory bifurcation clots. Longer stents may promote better angiographic outcomes, whereas avoidance of disproportionately large retrievers may mitigate intracranial hemorrhage. Future studies should account for these factors when evaluating alternative stentriever techniques.
Comparative prevalence and diversity of Campylobacter jejuni strains in water and human beings over a 1-year period in southwestern Alberta, Canada
Authors: Inglis G. Douglas , Teixeira Januana S. , Boras Valerie F.
Published: July 2021

Campylobacter jejuni was isolated from diarrheic people, river water (Oldman River watershed), wastewater, and drinking water over a 1-year period in southwestern Alberta (2008–2009). High rates of campylobacteriosis were observed during the study period (≥115 cases/100 K). Infections occurred throughout the year, with peaks in late summer and early autumn. Most infections occurred in people living in Lethbridge. Campylobacter jejuni was not isolated from municipal drinking water. In contrast, the bacterium was isolated from untreated and treated wastewater and river water (all sites). There were no correlations between C. jejuni recovery/detection from water and river flow rates, water turbidity, or fecal coliforms. Campylobacter jejuni recovery from water did not correspond to the peak periods of campylobacteriosis. The bacterium was most commonly isolated downstream of wastewater outfalls; waterfowl congregated at these sites, particularly during the winter months. A comparison of C. jejuni isolates from people and water revealed that most subtypes in water did not correspond to subtypes recovered from diarrheic people and were linked to waterfowl and other non-human animal sources. We conclude that waterborne C. jejuni did not contribute significantly to the high rates of campylobacteriosis observed in diarrheic people during the study period.
Comparative mapping of a new repetitive DNA sequence and chromosome region-specific probes unveiling rearrangements in an Amazonian frog complex
Authors: Gatto Kaleb Pretto , Souza Lucas H.B. , Nascimento Juliana , Suárez Pablo , Lourenço Luciana Bolsoni
Published: July 2021

The frog species Physalaemus ephippifer exists in the Amazonian region and harbors heteromorphic Z and W chromosomes. A genetic lineage closely related to this species was recognized based on its mitochondrial DNA and RADseq-style markers, but its taxonomic status is still unclear and has been referred to as Lineage 1 of “P. cuvieri”. The heteromorphic sex chromosomes found in P. ephippifer are not present in this lineage and which of its chromosome pairs is homologous to the sex chromosomes of P. ephippifer remain to be elucidated as well as the role of such a karyotypic divergence in the evolution of these frogs. Here, we described a new family of repetitive DNA and used its chromosomal sites along with the markers detected by a probe constructed from the microdissected segment of the Z chromosome of P. ephippifer to infer chromosomal homology. We also analyzed an unnamed species that is considered to be the sister group of the clade composed of Lineage 1 of “P. cuvieri” and P. ephippifer. Our results suggest that complex rearrangements involving the chromosomes that were inferred to be homeologous to the sex chromosomes of P. ephippifer have occurred during the divergence of this group of frogs.
A NOVEL VARIATIONAL APPROACH FOR FRACTAL GINZBURG–LANDAU EQUATION
Authors: WANG KANG-LE , WANG HAO
Published: July 2021

In this work, the fractal variational principle of the fractal Ginzburg–Landau equation is established by employing fractal semi-inverse method, and its approximate analytical solution is obtained by fractal homotopy perturbation transform method. An example illustrates that the proposed technique is an excellent and fascinating method to deal with complex fractal models.
The Capture and Assessment system of Student Activity-Based State Recognition for Physical Education
Authors: Sun Zhaojun , Qi Bing , Zhang Wei
Published: July 2021

In physical education classes, students get bored and distracted at some point in time. The current physical education programs to reach popularity among many universities are massive open online courses (MOOCs). The MOOC for physical education is recognized globally and provides a chance for physical education change as successful online learning. Educating students in physical education develop online instruction and virtual physical education, especially constructing a supplementation of courses and online courses-based learning. The significant drawbacks of teaching physical education with fewer content to cover and inspiring instructor applicants for time use are open-ended schedules. In this paper, MOOC assisted Teaching Framework (MOOCTF) with an artificial neural network (ANN) to analyze the student knowledge, attention level, and student performance in education is proposed. The proposed MOOCTF utilizes ANN and imaging technology to predict students’ activities during physical education online class. The collected image data are processed in ANN layers with a trained set of students’ behaviour. The simulation analysis proved that online courses for general education could be reformed education courses by taking MOOC’s form. The MOOCTF proposed for MOOC shows high performance, scalability, and high probable predictability.
Deformations of reducible Galois representations to Hida-families
Authors: Ray Anwesh
Published: July 2021

The global deformation theory of residually reducible Galois representations with fixed auxiliary conditions is studied. We show that [Formula: see text] lifts to a Hida line for which the weights range over a congruence class modulo-[Formula: see text]. The advantage of the purely Galois theoretic approach is that it allows us to construct [Formula: see text]-adic families of Galois representations lifting the actual representation [Formula: see text], and not just the semisimplification.
Planar graphs without intersecting 5-cycles are signed-4-choosable
Authors: Kim Seog-Jin , Yu Xiaowei
Published: July 2021

A signed graph is a pair [Formula: see text], where [Formula: see text] is a graph and [Formula: see text] is a signature of [Formula: see text]. A set [Formula: see text] of integers is symmetric if [Formula: see text] implies that [Formula: see text]. Given a list assignment [Formula: see text] of [Formula: see text], an [Formula: see text]-coloring of a signed graph [Formula: see text] is a coloring [Formula: see text] of [Formula: see text] such that [Formula: see text] for each [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] for every edge [Formula: see text]. The signed choice number [Formula: see text] of a graph [Formula: see text] is defined to be the minimum integer [Formula: see text] such that for any [Formula: see text]-list assignment [Formula: see text] of [Formula: see text] and for any signature [Formula: see text] on [Formula: see text], there is a proper [Formula: see text]-coloring of [Formula: see text].

List signed coloring is a generalization of list coloring. However, the difference between signed choice number and choice number can be arbitrarily large. Hu and Wu [Planar graphs without intersecting [Formula: see text]-cycles are [Formula: see text]-choosable, Discrete Math. 340 (2017) 1788–1792] showed that every planar graph without intersecting 5-cycles is 4-choosable. In this paper, we prove that [Formula: see text] if [Formula: see text] is a planar graph without intersecting 5-cycles, which extends the main result of [D. Hu and J. Wu, Planar graphs without intersecting [Formula: see text]-cycles are [Formula: see text]-choosable, Discrete Math. 340 (2017) 1788–1792].
Study on Pressure Relief Effect and Rock Failure Characteristics with Different Borehole Diameters
Authors: Liang Shiwei , Zhang Long , Ge Di , Wang Qiong
Published: July 2021

Rock burst is a common tunnel and mine dynamic disaster, especially for deep buried tunnels, which often leads to tunnel construction delay and even induces tunnel collapse and subsidence of strata. Rock drilling is one of the effective pressure relief methods to prevent these disasters. In order to study the influence of borehole diameter on rock mass pressure relief effect, indoor acoustic emission characteristics and numerical simulation of rock samples with different borehole diameter were studied. The research result shows that with the increase in borehole diameter, the effect of borehole pressure relief is better. Different borehole diameters do not change the overall trend of acoustic emission evolution, but it will lead to different acoustic emission count characteristics of rock damage and failure, especially the maximum acoustic emission count characteristics and corresponding strain values. The existence of drilling will lead to the failure stress of rock in advance. Moreover, the existence of drilling causes a great change in the failure mode of the specimen.
Nrf2 Pathway Ameliorates Bladder Dysfunction in Cyclophosphamide‐Induced Cystitis via Suppression of Oxidative Stress
Authors: Ni Bin , Chen Zhengsen , Shu Le , Shao Yunpeng , Huang Yi , Tamrat Nebiyu Elias , Wei Zhongqing , Shen Baixin
Published: July 2021

Objective. To investigate the protective effect and molecular mechanism of nuclear factor E2‐related factor 2 (Nrf2) pathway in interstitial cystitis (IC). Methods. We established a mouse model of IC by cyclophosphamide (CYP) in wild‐type mice and Nrf2 gene knockout mice. We examined the histological and functional alterations, the changes of oxidative stress markers, and the expression of the antioxidant genes downstream of Nrf2 pathway. Results. After CYP administration, the mice showed urinary frequency and urgency, pain sensitization, decreased contractility, bladder edema, and oxidative stress disorder. Notably, the Nrf2-/- CYP mice had more severe symptoms. The mRNA and protein levels of antioxidant genes downstream of Nrf2 pathway were significantly upregulated in the Nrf2+/+ CYP mice, while there were no significant changes in the Nrf2-/- CYP mice. Conclusion. Nrf2 pathway protects bladder injury and ameliorates bladder dysfunction in IC, possibly by upregulating antioxidant genes and inhibiting oxidative stress.
A Novel Approach of Intelligent Computing for Multiperson Pose Estimation with Deep High Spatial Resolution and Multiscale Features
Authors: Wang Haiquan , Wang Xiangyang , Shi Yijie , Li Yanping , Qian Chunhua , Wang Rui
Published: July 2021

Currently, human pose estimation (HPE) methods mainly rely on the design framework of Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs). These CNNs typically consist of high‐to‐low‐resolution subnetworks (encoder) to learn semantic information and low‐to‐high subnetworks (decoder) to raise the resolution for keypoint localization. Because too low‐resolution feature maps in encoder will inevitably lose some spatial information, which cannot be recovered in the upsampling stages, keeping high spatial resolution features is critical for human pose estimation. On the other hand, due to scale variation of human body parts, multiscale features are also very important for human pose estimation. In this paper, a novel backbone network is proposed specifically for HPE, named High Spatial Resolution and Multiscale Networks (HSR‐MSNet), which maintain high spatial resolution features in deeper layers of the encoder and meanwhile construct multiscale features within one single residual block via subgroup splitting and fusion of feature maps. Experiments show that our approach outperforms other state‐of‐the‐art methods with more accurate keypoint locations on COCO dataset.
Energy and Economic Analysis of Curved, Straight, and Spiral Flow Flat-Plate Solar Water Collector
Authors: Muthuraman U. , Shankar R. , Nassa Vinay Kumar , Karthick Alagar , Malla Chandrabhanu , Kumar Amit , Kumar P. Manoj , Rahim Robbi , Bharani Murugesan
Published: July 2021

In this work, the solar water collector flow tube geometry is modified as curved and spiral to enhance the system’s performance. The investigation is carried out experimentally under the meteorological conditions of the Kovilpatti region (9°10

′

0

″

N, 77°52

′

0

″

E), Tamil Nadu, India. The flow pipes of the solar water heater are made of copper material which has higher thermal conductivity to recover the water heat as thermal energy. The influence of the mass flow rate (MF) on the flow pipes with respect to the surface temperature for various configurations of the flow tubes is investigated. The two MFs of 0.0045 kg/s and 0.006 kg/s are tested. The MF of 0.006 kg/s yields the maximum efficiency of 73% compared to the other MF. The straight, curved, and spiral tubes yielded the maximum efficiency of 58%, 62%, and 69%, respectively, at 0.0045 kg/s. Similarly, the MF of 0.006 kg/s obtained an efficiency of 62%, 65%, and 73% for straight, curved, and spiral flow tubes, respectively. The economics and exergy of the system are analyzed. The maximum exergy efficiency of the collector is estimated to be 32% for the MF of 0.0045 kg/s for the spiral flow collector, and for the 0.006 kg/s MF, the obtained exergy efficiency is 27% for the spiral flow water heater. The economic analysis revealed that the expense is $0.0608 and $0.0512 worth of hot water produced for the domestic space heating.
Optimized Fuzzy C-Means Algorithm-Based Coronal Magnetic Resonance Imaging Scanning in Tracheal Foreign Bodies of Children
Authors: Jin Lan , Chang Ke
Published: July 2021

In order to provide theoretical support for clinical diagnosis, the diagnostic value of the optimized fuzzy C-means (FCM) algorithm combined with coronal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan was investigated in the diagnosis of tracheal foreign bodies in children. The anisotropic filtering was applied to optimize the traditional FCM algorithm, so as to construct a new MRI image segmentation algorithm, namely, AFFCM algorithm. Then, the traditional FCM algorithm, the FCM algorithm based on the kernel function (KFCM), and the FCM algorithm based on the spatial neighborhood information (RFCM) were introduced for comparison with the AFFCM. 28 children diagnosed with foreign bodies in the trachea were selected for MRI diagnosis, and AFFCM was used for segmentation. The partition coefficient, segmentation entropy, and the correlation degree between classes after fuzzy division of the four algorithms were recorded, and the location and distribution of foreign bodies in the trachea and the types of foreign bodies were also collected. Besides, the MRI scanning and chest X-rays of the children with foreign bodies in the trachea should also be recorded in terms of the positive rate, diagnosis rate, and indirect signs. The class division coefficient and interclass correlation degree after fuzzy division of AFFCM were markedly greater than those of FCM, KFCM, and RFCM (

P
<
0.05

), while the segmentation entropy of AFFCM was less sharp than the entropies of FCM, KFCM, and RFCM (

P
<
0.05

). Among the 28 children, there were 5 cases with foreign bodies in the trachea (17.86%), 10 cases in the left bronchus (35.71%), and 13 cases in the right bronchus (46.43%). Among the foreign body types, there were 10 cases of melon seeds (35.71%), 6 cases of peanuts (21.43%), and 5 cases of beans (17.86%). The positive rate (89.29%) and diagnosis rate (96.43%) of MRI for bronchial foreign bodies increased obviously in contrast to the rates of X-ray chest radiographs (57.14% and 67.86%) (

P
<
0.05

). Therefore, it was indicated that AFFCM showed higher partition coefficient value, lower segmentation entropy, larger similarity among classes, and better image segmentation effect. Furthermore, AFFCM-based coronal MRI scan had a higher positive rate and diagnosis rate for children’s tracheal foreign bodies, and the main signs were emphysema and atelectasis.
Damage Characteristics of Polymer Plates under the Impact of the Near‐Field and Contact Underwater Explosion
Authors: Liu Shucan , Zhao Xiaohua , Fang Hongyuan , Du Xueming , Xue Binghan
Published: July 2021

In order to study the damage characteristics of polymer plates under the impact of the underwater explosion, the underwater contact and near‐field explosion tests of polymer plates were conducted using different explosive quantities. In this paper, eight polymer plates with the size of 500 mm × 500 mm × 60 mm were made, and eight groups of explosion tests were carried out by using the rock emulsion explosive and nonconductive detonators. The damage modes and spatial distribution characteristics of the polymer plate generated by the underwater contact and near‐field explosion impact with different explosive quantities are compared and analyzed. In addition, the characteristics of the shock wave propagation in the plates are investigated. It can be observed that the main damage mode of polymer plate is overall damage under the contact underwater explosion. For the near‐field explosion, the main damage mode changes to overall failure, and the damage of contact explosion to polymer plate is greater than that of underwater near‐field explosion. The polymer plate can reduce and delay the shock wave effectively, but the effect decreases with the increase of explosive quantity in the underwater contact explosion.
Error Sensing Strategy for Active Control of Low‐Frequency Sound Absorption of Micro‐Perforated Panel Absorber by Using a Point Force Controlled Thin Plate
Authors: Ma Xiyue , Chen Kean , Wang Lei , Liu Yang
Published: July 2021

This paper presents an analytical investigation on constructing an error sensing strategy of a new type of active MPPA. The proposed active MPPA is composed of MPP, air cavity, and point force‐controlled backing panel, which can actively improve the low‐frequency sound absorption of the MPPA. Constructing an appropriate error sensing strategy for obtaining an error signal that is highly correlated with the sound absorption coefficient of the active MPPA is a key problem encountered in practical implementation. The theoretical model of the active MPPA is firstly established using the modal analysis approach. Then, the active control performance and surface impedance characteristics in the controlled condition are analyzed in detail. Finally, the error sensing strategy of the active MPPA is constructed by measuring the surface average impedance ratio with an acoustic vector sensor (AVS). Simulation results show that, due to the antisymmetric property of the vibration of the backing panel on the resonant frequency, the surface impedance of the active MPPA after control also has symmetry or antisymmetry properties. Hence, the surface average impedance ratio of the active MPPA can be measured by using the limited number of acoustic vector sensors (sensing pressure and particle velocity). This variable is also highly correlated with the sound absorption coefficient of the active MPPA and thus can be used to construct the cost function (error signal). The active control result obtained by the proposed error sensing strategy is in good agreement with the theoretically optimal result, which validates the feasibility of this approach.
Effective Approach of Activated Jordanian Bentonite by Sodium Ions for Total Phenolic Compounds Removal from Olive Mill Wastewater
Authors: Al-Essa Khansaa , Al-Essa Ethar M.
Published: July 2021

Olive mill wastewater (OMW) is nowadays considered a serious environmental problem, especially within the Mediterranean region. With this in mind, water shortages are also a very serious and prevalent concern in third world countries. The aim of this study is to investigate the feasibility of using Jordanian bentonite, a simple and natural clay, as a possible adsorbent to decrease the negative characteristics of raw OMW, as an approach to the development of a methodology that addresses the OMW problem without affecting freshwater resources. The purified bentonite was activated by sodium ions at room temperature. FTIR, XRD, TGA, and BET surface area measurements were performed. OMW was contacted with both purified and activated bentonite in the batch technique to figure out the optimum parameters for the adsorption process. Physiochemical parameters of OMW were measured before and after treatment. The maximum adsorption qm was found as 8.81 mg/g at 323 K for the total phenolic compounds. The Langmuir and Freundlich models were utilized to describe the equilibrium isotherms and both models fit well. The parameters of thermodynamic show that the adsorption process was feasible, spontaneous, and endothermic in nature. These promising results along with the sodium activation of bentonite significantly improve bentonite’s adsorption capacity.
A Conditional Simulation Method for Predicting Wind Pressure Fields of Large‐Span Spatial Structures
Authors: Sun Fangjin , Liu Tiantian , Zhang Daming , Xu Zhonghao
Published: July 2021

Wind load is among the control loads for large‐span spatial structures. Wind tunnel test is one of the commonly used methods for measuring wind pressure fields of different kinds of structures. However, due to the limited wind pressure data obtained from wind tunnel testing, it is quite meaningful to employ the limited measured data to predict the unknown wind pressure at target points. Considering the complexity of wind pressure fields of large‐span spatial structures, a simplified nonparametric method based on conditional simulation is proposed to predict the unknown pressures using the existing data. The Karhunen–Loève (KL for short) expansion is employed to represent wind pressure random variants as eigenfunctions of the covariance operator. To reduce the variant dimensionality, the nearest neighboring estimator is given for the transition distribution of the KL expansion. The targeted wind pressure fields are obtained by expanding the Fourier basis of the eigenfunction and estimating its expansion coefficients. The proposed method is applied to estimate wind pressures on a gable roof building. The relevant parameters of the wind pressure field are obtained, and the results compare well with those from wind tunnel testing, with higher efficiency. The proposed method effectively reduces the dimensionality of the predicted wind pressures, with reduced errors, higher accuracy, and increased efficiency.
New Visual Expression of Anime Film Based on Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Technology
Authors: Wan Yijie , Ren Mengqi
Published: July 2021

With the improvement of material living standards, spiritual entertainment has become more and more important. As a more popular spiritual entertainment project, film and television entertainment is gradually receiving attention from people. However, in recent years, the film industry has developed rapidly, and the output of animation movies has also increased year by year. How to quickly and accurately find the user’s favorite movies in the huge amount of animation movie data has become an urgent problem. Based on the above background, the purpose of this article is to study the new visual expression of animation movies based on artificial intelligence and machine learning technology. This article takes the film industry’s informatization and intelligent development and upgrading as the background, uses computer vision and machine learning technology as the basis to explore new methods and new models for realizing film visual expression, and proposes relevant thinking to promote the innovative development of film visual expression from a strategic level. This article takes the Hollywood anime movie “Kung Fu Panda” as a sample and uses convolutional neural algorithms to study its new visual expression. The study found that after the parameters of the model were determined, the accuracy of the test set did not change much, all around 57%. This is of great significance for improving the audiovisual quality and creative standards of film works and promoting the healthy and sustainable development of the film industry.
The Association of Cardio-Ankle Vascular Index and Ankle-Brachial Index in Patients with Peripheral Arterial Disease
Authors: Hayase Taichiro
Published: July 2021

Introduction: The cardio-ankle vascular index (CAVI) is a well-known index to evaluate arterial stiffness and predict cardiovascular risk. Methods: We investigated whether CAVI can predict severity and extent of peripheral arterial disease. This study was a single-center, retrospective, observational study approved by the Ethics Committee of Yokohama Shintoshi Neurosurgical Hospital. A total of 96 patients (males, 63) with an abnormal ankle-brachial blood pressure index (ABI) of <0.9 and who underwent extremity arteriography at our hospital from 2015 to 2018 were enrolled in this study. We defined that CAVI with a range of <8.0 was normal. Results: Coronary angiography and extremity arteriography were performed for patients who had intermittent claudication and abnormal ABI. We divided the affected limbs into 3 categories: above-the-knee artery stenosis, above-the-knee artery chronic total occlusion, and only below-the-knee artery stenosis/occlusion groups. CAVI pseudonormalization was seen in 28, 76, and 19%, respectively. The above-the-knee artery stenosis and the only below-the-knee artery stenosis/occlusion groups had a high odds ratio of abnormalization of CAVI (3.1, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.39–7.22; p = 0.05, 4.56, 95% CI: 1.64–14.7). Discussion/Conclusion: In the presence of the above-the-knee artery chronic total occlusion, CAVI pseudonormalization was likely to be seen. The presence of CTO in the above-the-knee artery is one cause of pseudonormalized CAVI. In the range of ABI, in which stenotic lesions and obstructive lesions coexist, it may be possible to detect the existence of CTO by a combination of both ABI and CAVI.
PD-L1 Testing in Cytological Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Specimens: A Comparison with Biopsies and Review of the Literature
Authors: Mansour Mohammed S.I. , Lindquist Kajsa Ericson , Seidal Tomas , Mager Ulrich , Mohlin Rikard , Tran Lena , Hejny Kim , Holmgren Benjamin , Violidaki Despoina , Dobra Katalin , Dejmek Annika , Planck Maria , Brunnström Hans
Published: July 2021

Introduction: Programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression is used for treatment prediction in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). While cytology may be the only available material in the routine clinical setting, testing in clinical trials has mainly been based on biopsies. Methods: We included 2 retrospective cohorts of paired, concurrently sampled, cytological specimens and biopsies. Also, the literature on PD-L1 in paired cytological/histological samples was reviewed. Focus was on the cutoff levels ≥1 and ≥50% positive tumor cells. Results: Using a 3-tier scale, PD-L1 was concordant in 40/47 (85%) and 66/97 (68%) of the paired NSCLC cases in the 2 cohorts, with kappa 0.77 and 0.49, respectively. In the former cohort, all discordant cases had lower score in cytology. In both cohorts, concordance was lower in samples from different sites (e.g., biopsy from primary tumor and cytology from pleural effusion). Based on 25 published studies including about 1,700 paired cytology/histology cases, the median (range) concordance was 81–85% (62–100%) at cutoff 1% for a positive PD-L1 staining and 89% (67–100%) at cutoff 50%. Conclusions: The overall concordance of PD-L1 between cytology and biopsies is rather good but with significant variation between laboratories, which calls for local quality assurance.
Modified Blowfish algorithm analysis using derivation cases
Authors: Quilala Theda Flare Ginoy , Quilala Rogel L.
Published: July 2021

This study analyzed and enhanced the modified Blowfish algorithm (MBA) encryption. The modification retained the original structure, process and the use of two S-boxes in the MBA but presented two derivation processes in the f-function which was originally placed to prevent symmetry. The derivation case’s performance was analyzed using avalanche effect and time efficiency. After comparing the first and second derivation process presented in the MBA, the second derivation further improved the avalanche effect by 5.47%, thus improving security. The performance also showed that the second modification is faster by 39.48% in encryption time, and 38.34% faster in decryption time. The first derivation case in the modified Blowfish was slower in time because of the difference in the placement of the shift rotation. The key generation time was found to be independent of the input size while the encryption and decryption time was found to be directly proportional to file size. With this, the second modification is considered to be better.
Spell corrector for Bangla language using Norvig’s algorithm and Jaro-Winkler distance
Authors: Ahamed Istiak , Jahan Maliha , Tasnim Zarin , Karim Tajbia , Reza S. M. Salim , Hossain Dilshad Ara
Published: July 2021

In the online world, especially in the social media platform most of us write without much regard to correct spelling and grammar. The spelling mistakes are much larger in proportion when it comes to Bangla language. In our paper, we presented a method for error detection and correction in Bangla words' spellings. Our system could detect a misspelled Bangla word and provide two following services-suggesting correct spellings for the word and correcting the word. We had used Norvig's algorithm for the purpose but instead of using probabilities of the words to prepare the suggestions and corrections, we had used Jaro-Winkler distance. The previous works done in this field for Bangla language are either very slow or offers less accuracy. Our system successfully achieved a 97% accuracy when evaluated with 1000 Bangla words.
Hybrid metaheuristic approach for robot path planning in dynamic environment
Authors: Amar Lina Basem , Jasim Wesam M.
Published: July 2021

Recently robots have gained great attention due to their ability to operate in dynamic and complex environments with moving obstacles. The path planning of a moving robot in a dynamic environment is to find the shortest and safe possible path from the starting point towards the desired target point. A dynamic environment is a robot's environment that consists of some static and moving obstacles. Therefore, this problem can be considered as an optimization problem and thus it is solved via optimization algorithms. In this paper, three approaches for determining the optimal pathway of a robot in a dynamic environment were proposed. These approaches are; the particle swarming optimization (PSO), ant colony optimization (ACO), and hybrid PSO and ACO. These used to carry out the path planning tasks effectively. A set of certain constraints must be met simultaneously to achieve the goals; the shortest path, the least time, and free from collisions. The results are calculated for the two algorithms separately and then that of the hybrid algorithm is calculated. The effectiveness and superiority of the hybrid algorithm were verified on both PSO and ACO algorithms.