bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Dive Deeper
Authors: Kniestedt Isabelle , Gómez Maureira Marcello A. , Lefter Iulia , Lukosch Stephan , Brazier Frances M.
Published: October 2021

Validation of serious games tends to focus on evaluating their design as a whole. While this helps to assess whether a particular combination of game mechanics is successful, it provides little insight into how individual mechanics contribute or detract from a serious game's purpose or a player's game experience. This study analyses the effect of game mechanics commonly used in casual games for engagement, measured as a combination of player behaviour and reported game experience. Secondly, it examines the role of a serious game's purpose on those same measures. An experimental study was conducted with 204 participants playing several versions of a serious game to explore these points. The results show that adding additional game mechanics to a core gameplay loop did not lead to participants playing more or longer, nor did it improve their game experience. Players who were aware of the game's purpose, however, perceived the game as more beneficial, scored their game experience higher, and progressed further. The results show that game mechanics on their own do not necessarily improve engagement, while the effect of perceived value deserves further study.
"My Soul Got a Little Bit Cleaner"
Authors: Bopp Julia A. , Vornhagen Jan B. , Mekler Elisa D.
Published: October 2021

Videogames receive increasing acclaim as a medium capable of artistic expression, emotional resonance, and even transformative potential. Yet while discussions concerning the status of games as art have a long history in games research, little is known about the player experience (PX) of games as art, their emotional characteristics, and what impact they may have on players. Drawing from Empirical Aesthetics, we surveyed 174 people about whether they had an art experience with videogames and what emotions they experienced. Our findings showcase the prominence of epistemic emotions for videogame art experiences, beyond the negative and mixed emotional responses previously examined, as well as the range of personal impacts such experiences may have. These findings are consistent with art experience phenomena characteristic of other art forms. Moreover, we discuss how our study relates to prior research on emotions and reflection in PX, the importance of games' representational qualities in art experiences, and identify lines of further inquiry. All data, study materials, and analyses are available at https://osf.io/ryvt6/.
Computer Games as Social Sculptures
Authors: Hao Yu
Published: October 2021

By drawing on Joseph Beuys's notion of "social sculpture" and bringing together the discussions on participation from participatory art, participatory design, and game design, this paper seeks to expand the notion of participation in digital play. The expansive definition of participation allows us to better grasp computer games as a critical platform for dialogue and action, and computer gameplay as a transformative process of sculpting social fabric. By analyzing existing games in light of the concept of social sculpture, this paper explores how Beuys's central tenet-the discourse of participation-can "politicize" the practice of digital gaming and game design. Furthermore, the paper proposes a participation-centered game design approach that is politically responsible and engaging, attempting to arrive at new knowledge that will help to make games that can function as a platform for participation and social commentary.
Nature vs. Stress
Authors: Reetz Adrian , Valtchanov Deltcho , Barnett-Cowan Michael , Hancock Mark , Wallace James R.
Published: October 2021

Games hold the potential to help many address health-related issues such as chronic stress. We investigated the use of biophilia, an affective response to nature grounded in the psychology literature, as indirect physiological input for biofeedback games. We designed and developed a non-violent exploration game, and conducted an empirical study that examined affective and physiological responses to gameplay in virtual nature and urban settings. Our results did not identify a difference in stress levels experienced by players between these two settings, but point to improved attention when playing in nature settings. We discuss implications of these findings, and discuss both difficulties in and potential future strategies for applying biophilia to the design of biofeedback games.
Perspective Sharing in Culture Group Games
Authors: Vayanou Maria , Katifori Akrivi , Ioannidis Yannis
Published: October 2021

This work investigates how to digitally mediate perspective sharing and face-to-face conversations within groups of museum visitors. We use the case of a storytelling group game and explore the potential of mobile technology as a tool to facilitate perspective sharing activities. Using information asymmetry, a "Social Mediator" role is introduced: players' choices get displayed only to a single group member, who thus undertakes a leading role. The findings of an experience prototyping user study with playtesting in situ show that participants effectively and naturally carried out the pertinent dialogue facilitation activities. We identify behavioral patterns and discuss the insights they offer, showcasing how they shaped the mobile design for the particular use-case. We conclude that the distribution of the Social Mediator role between participants could successfully facilitate perspective sharing within groups and reflect on its potential and limitations in different collocated game experiences.
Gaming as Family Time
Authors: Musick Geoff , Freeman Guo , McNeese Nathan J.
Published: October 2021

The role of digital gaming on parenthood and parent-child relationships is a common research interest in HCI and CHI PLAY. Yet, how technology co-use, such as co-playing digital games, affords and impacts parent-child relationships is still understudied. Using 20 in-depth interviews of adults who had co-played modern digital games with their parents and/or children, in this paper we investigate parent-child relationships mediated by co-playing modern digital games. We update prior HCI and CHI PLAY research on game-mediated parent-child relationships by suggesting a "democratized" family life and a fading digital divide for families with favorable digital game co-play experiences. We also contribute to HCI and CHI PLAY by providing new perspectives of technology co-use in the context of gaming, such as an important relational tool that parents can use to promote conversations with their child(ren). These insights can further inform the design of future play to better support parent-child interactions during digital game co-play.
For Honor, for Toxicity
Authors: Canossa Alessandro , Salimov Dmitry , Azadvar Ahmad , Harteveld Casper , Yannakakis Georgios
Published: October 2021

Is it possible to detect toxicity in games just by observing in-game behavior? If so, what are the behavioral factors that will help machine learning to discover the unknown relationship between gameplay and toxic behavior? In this initial study, we examine whether it is possible to predict toxicity in the MOBA gameFor Honor by observing in-game behavior for players that have been labeled as toxic (i.e. players that have been sanctioned by Ubisoft community managers). We test our hypothesis of detecting toxicity through gameplay with a dataset of almost 1,800 sanctioned players, and comparing these sanctioned players with unsanctioned players. Sanctioned players are defined by their toxic action type (offensive behavior vs. unfair advantage) and degree of severity (warned vs. banned). Our findings, based on supervised learning with random forests, suggest that it is not only possible to behaviorally distinguish sanctioned from unsanctioned players based on selected features of gameplay; it is also possible to predict both the sanction severity (warned vs. banned) and the sanction type (offensive behavior vs. unfair advantage). In particular, all random forest models predict toxicity, its severity, and type, with an accuracy of at least 82%, on average, on unseen players. This research shows that observing in-game behavior can support the work of community managers in moderating and possibly containing the burden of toxic behavior.
Identifying Commercial Games with Therapeutic Potential through a Content Analysis of Steam Reviews
Authors: Phillips Cody , Klarkowski Madison , Frommel Julian , Gutwin Carl , Mandryk Regan L.
Published: October 2021

While evidence supports that some commercial off-the-shelf video games may promote mental wellbeing, it is an extensive time investment to experimentally identify games that benefit players. The time delay between commercial games research and commercial game development can render such research out-of-date. In this work, we explore player-written game reviews as a way to expeditiously identifying games with potential benefits for mental wellbeing. Through a content analysis of review data, we found that players publicly disclose experiences consistent with self-care. Our analysis generated categories related to coping and recovery, emotional regulation, social connectedness, and obsessive play. Through this process, we identified several games as strong candidates for further research. Our work contributes to an emerging research agenda of commercial video games as therapy (VGTx), by providing a technique for rapidly identifying games with therapeutic potential. Further, we demonstrate that Steam user reviews are a valuable source of affective player experience data-a contribution with broad implications for player experience research.
From Flow to Fuse
Authors: Jalife Kyros , Harteveld Casper , Holmgård Christoffer
Published: October 2021

The concept of flow is used extensively in HCI, video games, and many other fields, but its prevalent definition is conceptually vague and alternative interpretations have contributed to ambiguity in the literature. To address this, we use cognitive science theory to expose inconsistencies in flow's prevalent definition, and introduce fuse, a concept related to flow but consistent with cognitive science, and defined as the "fusion of activity-related sensory stimuli and awareness''. Based on this definition, we develop a preliminary model that hypothesizes fuse's underlying cognitive processes. To illustrate the model's practical value, we derive a set of design heuristics that we exemplify in the context of video games. Together, the fuse definition, model and design heuristics form our theoretical framework, and are a product of rethinking flow from a cognitive perspective with the purpose of improving conceptual clarity and theoretical robustness in the literature.
"What Happened Here!?" A Taxonomy for User Interaction with Spatio-Temporal Game Data Visualization
Authors: Kleinman Erica , Preetham Nikitha , Teng Zhaoqing , Bryant Andy , Seif El-Nasr Magy
Published: October 2021

Currently, there is no formal taxonomy for the activities that users engage in when interacting with and making meaning from spatio-temporal game data visualizations. As data visualization, especially spatio-temporal visualization, becomes more popular for game data analytics, it becomes increasingly crucial that we develop a formal understanding of how users, especially players, interact with and extract meaning from game data using these systems. However, existing taxonomies developed for InfoVis are not directly applicable due to domain differences and a lack of consensus within the literature. This paper presents the beginnings of a taxonomy for user interaction with spatio-temporal data specific to the domain of games, developed from the results of a qualitative user study (n=7) in which experienced players were tasked with using a spatio-temporal visualization system to explore and understand telemetry data from Defense of the Ancients 2 (DotA 2). The taxonomy includes seven activities organized into three categories: Data Interaction, Sense Making, and Validation. We discuss the implications of these activities on design and future research.
A Meta-interactive Compositional Approach that Fosters Musical Emergence through Ludic Expressivity
Authors: Escarce Junior Mário , Rossmann Martins Georgia , Soriano Marcolino Leandro , Rubegni Elisa
Published: October 2021

The concept of gamified interactive models and its novel extensions, such as playification, has been widely approached in order to engage users in many fields. In fields such as HCI and AI, however, these approaches were not yet employed for supporting users to create different forms of artworks, like a musical corpus. While allowing novel forms of interactivity with partially-autonomous systems, these techniques could also foster the emergence of artworks not limited to experts. Hence, in this paper we introduce the concept of meta-interactivity for compositional interfaces, which extends an individual's capabilities by the translation of an effort into a proficiency. We present how this approach can be effective through a novel system that enables non-experts to compose coherent musical pieces through the use of imagetic elements in a virtual environment. We conduct experiments with a population of musical experts and non-experts, showing that non-experts were able to learn and create high-quality musical productions through our interactive approach.
Measuring Orthogonal Mechanics in Linguistic Annotation Games
Authors: Bonetti Federico , Tonelli Sara
Published: October 2021

Gamification has been recently growing in popularity among researchers investigating Information and Communication Technologies. Scholars have been trying to take advantage of this approach in the field of natural language processing (NLP), developing Games With A Purpose (GWAPs) for corpus annotation that have obtained encouraging results both in annotation quality and overall cost. However, GWAPs implement gamification in different ways and to different degrees. We propose a new framework to investigate the mechanics employed in the gamification process and their magnitude in terms of complexity. This framework is based on an analysis of some of the most important contributions in the field of NLP-related gamified applications and GWAP theory. Its primary purpose is to provide a first step towards classifying mechanics that mimic mainstream video games and may require skills that are not relevant to the annotation task, defined as orthogonal mechanics. In order to test our framework, we develop and evaluate Spacewords, a linguistic space game for synonymy annotation.
Puzzles Unpuzzled
Authors: Krekhov Andrey , Emmerich Katharina , Rotthaler Ronja , Krueger Jens
Published: October 2021

Escape rooms exist in various forms, including real-life facilities, board games, and digital implementations. The underlying idea is always the same: players have to solve many diverse puzzles to (virtually) escape from a locked room. Within the last decade, we witnessed a rapidly increasing popularity of such games, which also amplified the amount of related research. However, the respective academic landscape is mostly fragmented in its current state, lacking a common model and vocabulary that would withstand these games' variety. This manuscript aims to establish such a foundation for the analysis and construction of escape rooms. In a first step, we derive a high-level design framework from prior literature. Then, as our main contribution, we establish an atomic puzzle taxonomy that closes the gap between the analog and digital domains. The taxonomy is developed in multiple steps: we compose a basic structure based on previous literature and systematically refine it by analyzing 39 analog and digital escape room games, including recent virtual reality representatives. The final taxonomy consists of mental, physical, and emotional challenges, thereby providing a robust and approachable basis for future works across all application domains that deal with escape rooms or puzzles in general.
Level Design Patterns That Invoke Curiosity-Driven Exploration
Authors: Gómez-Maureira Marcello A. , Kniestedt Isabelle , van Duijn Max , Rieffe Carolien , Plaat Aske
Published: October 2021

Video games frequently feature 'open world' environments, designed to motivate exploration. Level design patterns are implemented to invoke curiosity and to guide player behavior. However, evidence of the efficacy of such patterns has remained theoretical. This study presents an empirical study of how level design patterns impact curiosity-driven exploration in a 3D open-world video game. 254 participants played a game in an empirical study using a between-subjects factorial design, testing 4 variables: presence or absence of patterns, goal or open-ended, nature and alien aesthetic, and assured or unassured compensation. Data collection consisted of in-game metrics and emotion word prompts as well as post-game questionnaires. Results show that design patterns invoke heightened exploration, but this effect is influenced by the presence of an explicit goal or monetary compensation. There appear to be many motivations behind exploratory behavior in games, with patterns raising expectations in players. A disposition for curiosity (i.e. 'trait curiosity') was not found to influence exploration. We interpret and discuss the impact of the conditions, individual patterns, and player motivations.
Space Vision
Authors: Gray Stuart Iain , Bevan Chris , Campbell Stephanie , Cater Kirsten
Published: October 2021

This paper presents a novel mobile serious game, "Space Vision", which uses a hidden-object mechanic with fiducial marker detection to gamify a clinical test of visual acuity - a key marker of childhood eye disease. For Space Vision to become a credible clinical tool that can facilitate the screening and home-monitoring of children's visual acuity, it must be able to sustain player engagement over the extended durations required to detect vision abnormalities. Hence, we pay particular attention to developing effective game characters - a crucial aspect of children's game design. Using an early prototype with 13 school children (aged 5-6 years), we investigate player experiences through a series of evaluation sessions, involving a single one-to-one observational playtest, semi-structured interview, and ideation activity with each child. Thematic analysis of our session video recordings, written observations, and ideation artefacts, found that future game iterations must: increase resonance between players and game characters by providing aesthetic and behavioural customisation, embrace more anthropomorphic styling, better imbue narratives pertaining to children's life scripts, and feature fantasy character powers as a form of self-expression. Meanwhile, greater physical device support and digital incentivisation of body posture and head position are key to improving the reliability of the visual acuity measurement.
Point of Contact
Authors: Hill Joshua , Corke Edward , Salawu Mubarak , Cotterell Ethan , Russell Matthew , Gibbons Joshua , Mu Tianxiang , Karnik Abhijit
Published: October 2021

COVID-19 exposed the need to identify newer tools to understand perception of information, behavioral conformance to instructions and model the effects of individual motivation and decisions on the success of measures being put in place. We approach this challenge through the lens of serious games. Serious games are designed to instruct and inform within the confines of their magic circle. We built a multiplayer serious game, Point of Contact (PoC), to investigate effects of a serious game on perception and behavior. We conducted a study with 23 participants to gauge perceptions of COVID-19 preventive measures and quantify the change after playing PoC. The results show a significant positive change to participants' perceptions towards COVID-19 preventive measures, shifting perceptions towards following guidelines more strictly due to a greater awareness of how the virus spreads. We discuss these implications and the value of a serious game like PoC towards pandemic risk modelling at a microcosm level.
Formal Organization and Complex Responses to Video Games Narratives
Authors: Bellini Mattia
Published: October 2021

The application of complex systems theories to the study of narratives proved able to offer a high heuristic value for the analysis of movies [24,26], TV series [35,36], music [45] and different other media with narrative capacity [cf. 20]. However, they were not yet thoroughly employed for the study of video game narratives. To address the relation between formal complexity and the complexity of response in video games, this paper conducts a contrastive analysis of two games of the Halo series, namely Halo 3 [6] and Halo 3 ODST [7]. Formal complexity is analyzed by applying Cutting's [13] approach for counting (narratorial) complexity. The evaluation of the responses to the narratives of these games is based on crowdsourced data, through Hven's [24] and Kiss and Willemsen's [26] understanding of audience response. The findings reveal that a complex response is at least partly predictable through an analysis of the formal quantitative and qualitative/organizational aspects of narratives, and, ultimately, that narrative complexity is a factor in the appreciation of games by the audience. The paper also poses the basis for the identification of a "Goldilocks level of complexity', which can maximize the appreciation of video games stories.
The Puzzle Challenge Analysis Tool. A Tool for Analysing the Cognitive Challenge Level of Puzzles in Video Games
Authors: Pusey Megan , Wong Kok Wai , Rappa Natasha Anne
Published: October 2021

Video games are often designed around puzzles and problem-solving, leading to challenging yet engaging experiences for players. However, it is hard to measure or compare the challenge level of puzzles in video games. This can make designing appropriately challenging puzzles problematic. This study collates previous work to present refined definitions for challenge and difficulty within the context of video games. We present the Puzzle Challenge Analysis tool which can be used to determine the best metrics for analysing the challenge level of puzzles within video games. Previous research has focused on measuring the difficulty of simple action video games, such as Pac-Man, which can be easily modified for research purposes. Existing methods to measure challenge or difficulty include measuring player brain activity, examining game features and player scores. However, some of these approaches cannot be applied to puzzles or puzzle games. For example, approaches relying on game scores will not work for puzzle games with no scoring system, where puzzles are either solved or not. This paper describes the design and development of the Puzzle Challenge Analysis tool using two case studies of commercial video games The Witness and Untitled Goose Game. The tool is also tested for generalisability on a third commercial puzzle video game, Baba Is You. This proposed tool can help game designers and researchers to objectively analyse and compare puzzle challenge and produce more in-depth insights into the player experience. This has implications for designing challenging and engaging games for a range of player abilities.
Extrinsic Inter- and Intraspecific Competition in Parasitoid Wasps
Authors: Ode Paul J. , Vyas Dhaval K. , Harvey Jeffrey A.
Published: October 2021

The diverse ecology of parasitoids is shaped by extrinsic competition, i.e., exploitative or interference competition among adult females and males for hosts and mates. Adult females use an array of morphological, chemical, and behavioral mechanisms to engage in competition that may be either intra- or interspecific. Weaker competitors are often excluded or, if they persist, use alternate host habitats, host developmental stages, or host species. Competition among adult males for mates is almost exclusively intraspecific and involves visual displays, chemical signals, and even physical combat. Extrinsic competition influences community structure through its role in competitive displacement and apparent competition. Finally, anthropogenic changes such as habitat loss and fragmentation, invasive species, pollutants, and climate change result in phenological mismatches and range expansions within host–parasitoid communities with consequent changes to the strength of competitive interactions. Such changes have important ramifications not only for the success of managed agroecosystems, but also for natural ecosystem functioning.
Defensive Symbionts and the Evolution of Parasitoid Host Specialization
Authors: Vorburger Christoph
Published: October 2021

Insect host–parasitoid interactions abound in nature and are characterized by a high degree of host specialization. In addition to their behavioral and immune defenses, many host species rely on heritable bacterial endosymbionts for defense against parasitoids. Studies on aphids and flies show that resistance conferred by symbionts can be very strong and highly specific, possibly as a result of variation in symbiont-produced toxins. I argue that defensive symbionts are therefore an important source of diversifying selection, promoting the evolution of host specialization by parasitoids. This is likely to affect the structure of host–parasitoid food webs. I consider potential changes in terms of food web complexity, although the nature of these effects will also be influenced by whether maternally transmitted symbionts have some capacity for lateral transfer. This is discussed in the light of available evidence for horizontal transmission routes. Finally, I propose that defensive mutualisms other than microbial endosymbionts may also exert diversifying selection on insect parasitoids.
Optimizing Research Output: How Can Psychological Research Methods Be Improved?
Authors: Miller Jeff , Ulrich Rolf
Published: October 2021

Recent evidence suggests that research practices in psychology and many other disciplines are far less effective than previously assumed, which has led to what has been called a “crisis of confidence” in psychological research (e.g., Pashler & Wagenmakers 2012 ). In response to the perceived crisis, standard research practices have come under intense scrutiny, and various changes have been suggested to improve them. The burgeoning field of metascience seeks to use standard quantitative data-gathering and modeling techniques to understand the reasons for inefficiency, to assess the likely effects of suggested changes, and ultimately to tell psychologists how to do better science. We review the pros and cons of suggested changes, highlighting the many complex research trade-offs that must be addressed to identify better methods.
The Economics of Variable Renewable Energy and Electricity Storage
Authors: López Prol Javier , Schill Wolf-Peter
Published: October 2021

The transformation of the electricity sector is a central element of the transition to a decarbonized economy. Conventional generators powered by fossil fuels have to be replaced by variable renewable energy (VRE) sources in combination with electricity storage and other options for providing temporal flexibility. We discuss the market dynamics of increasing VRE penetration and its integration in the electricity system. We describe the merit-order effect (the decline of wholesale electricity prices as VRE penetration increases) and the cannibalization effect (the decline of VRE value as its penetration increases). We further review the role of electricity storage and other flexibility options for integrating variable renewables and how storage can contribute to mitigating the two mentioned effects. We also use a stylized open-source model to provide some graphical intuition on these issues. While relatively high shares of VRE are achievable with moderate amounts of electricity storage, the role of long-duration storage increases as the VRE share approaches 100%.
Culture with apically applied healthy or disease sputum alters the airway surface liquid proteome and ion transport across human bronchial epithelial cells
Authors: Woodall Maximillian , Reidel Boris , Kesimer Mehmet , Tarran Robert , Baines Deborah L.
Published: October 2021

Airway secretions contain many signaling molecules and peptides/proteins that are not found in airway surface liquid (ASL) generated by normal human bronchial epithelial cells (NHBEs) in vitro. These play a key role in innate defense and mediate communication between the epithelium, the immune cells, and the external environment. We investigated how culture of NHBE with apically applied secretions from healthy or diseased (cystic fibrosis, CF) lungs affected epithelial function with a view to providing better in vitro models of the in vivo environment. NHBEs from 6 to 8 different donors were cultured at air-liquid interface (ALI), with apically applied sputum from normal healthy donors (normal lung sputum; NLS) or CF donors (CFS) for 2–4 h, 48 h, or with sputum reapplied over 48 h. Proteomics analysis was carried out on the sputa and on the NHBE ASL before and after culture with sputa. Transepithelial electrical resistance (TEER), short circuit current (Isc), and changes to ASL height were measured. There were 71 proteins common to both sputa but not ASL. The protease:protease inhibitor balance was increased in CFS compared with NLS and ASL. Culture of NHBE with sputa for 48 h identified additional factors not present in NLS, CFS, or ASL alone. Culture with either NLS or CFS for 48 h increased cystic fibrosis transmembrane regulator (CFTR) activity, calcium-activated chloride channel (CaCC) activity, and changed ASL height. These data indicate that culture with healthy or disease sputum changes the proteomic profile of ASL and ion transport properties of NHBE and this may increase physiological relevance when using in vitro airway models.
Sex-specific adaptations to high-salt diet preserve electrolyte homeostasis with distinct sodium transporter profiles
Authors: Torres-Pinzon Diana L. , Ralph Donna L. , Veiras Luciana C. , McDonough Alicia A.
Published: October 2021

Kidneys continuously filter an enormous amount of sodium and adapt kidney Na+ reabsorption to match Na+ intake to maintain circulatory volume and electrolyte homeostasis. Males (M) respond to high-salt (HS) diet by translocating proximal tubule Na+/H+ exchanger isoform 3 (NHE3) to the base of the microvilli, reducing activated forms of the distal NaCl cotransporter (NCC) and epithelial Na+ channel (ENaC). Males (M) and females (F) on normal-salt (NS) diet present sex-specific profiles of “transporters” (cotransporters, channels, pumps, and claudins) along the nephron, e.g., F exhibit 40% lower NHE3 and 200% higher NCC abundance than M. We tested the hypothesis that adaptations to HS diet along the nephron will, likewise, exhibit sexual dimorphisms. C57BL/6J mice were fed for 15 days with 4% NaCl diet (HS) versus 0.26% NaCl diet (NS). On HS, M and F exhibited normal plasma [Na+] and [K+], similar urine volume, Na+, K+, and osmolal excretion rates normalized to body weight. In F, like M, HS lowered abundance of distal NCC, phosphorylated NCC, and cleaved (activated) forms of ENaC. The adaptations associated with achieving electrolyte homeostasis exhibit sex-dependent and independent mechanisms. Sex differences in baseline “transporters” abundance persist during HS diet, yet the fold changes during HS diet (normalized to NS) are similar along the distal nephron and collecting duct. Sex-dependent differences observed along the proximal tubule during HS show that female kidneys adapt differently from patterns reported in males, yet achieve and maintain fluid and electrolyte homeostasis.
Determination of cell volume as part of metabolomics experiments
Authors: Sidhu Karatatiwant Singh , Amiel Eyal , Budd Ralph C. , Matthews Dwight E.
Published: October 2021

Cells regulate their cell volume, but cell volumes may change in response to metabolic and other perturbations. Many metabolomics experiments use cultured cells to measure changes in metabolites in response to physiological and other experimental perturbations, but the metabolomics workflow by mass spectrometry only determines total metabolite amounts in cell culture extracts. To convert metabolite amount to metabolite concentration requires knowledge of the number and volume of the cells. Measuring only metabolite amount can lead to incorrect or skewed results in cell culture experiments because cell size may change due to experimental conditions independent of change in metabolite concentration. We have developed a novel method to determine cell volume in cell culture experiments using a pair of stable isotopically labeled phenylalanine internal standards incorporated within the normal liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) metabolomics workflow. This method relies on the flooding-dose technique where the intracellular concentration of a particular compound (in this case phenylalanine) is forced to equal its extracellular concentration. We illustrate the LC-MS/MS technique for two different mammalian cell lines. Although the method is applicable in general for determining cell volume, the major advantage of the method is its seamless incorporation within the normal metabolomics workflow.
Localized gastric distension disrupts slow-wave entrainment leading to temporary ectopic propagation: a high-resolution electrical mapping study
Authors: Chan Chih-Hsiang Alexander , Aghababaie Zahra , Paskaranandavadivel Niranchan , Avci Recep , Cheng Leo K. , Angeli-Gordon Timothy R.
Published: October 2021

This study presents the discovery of temporary dysrhythmic ectopic pacemakers in the distal stomach caused by localized gastric distension. Distension-induced dysrhythmias are an interesting physiological phenomenon that can inform the design of new interventional and electrophysiological protocols for both research and the clinic. The observation of distension-induced dysrhythmias also contributes to our understanding of stretch-sensitivity in the gut and may play an important role in normal and abnormal postprandial physiology.
Sex-specific effects of neonatal oral sucrose treatment on growth and liver choline and glucocorticoid metabolism in adulthood
Authors: Ramírez-Contreras Cynthia Y. , Mehran Arya E. , Salehzadeh Melody , Mussai Ei-Xia , Miller Joshua W. , Smith Andre , Ranger Manon , Holsti Liisa , Soma Kiran K. , Devlin Angela M.
Published: October 2021

Hospitalized preterm infants experience painful medical procedures. Oral sucrose is the nonpharmacological standard of care for minor procedural pain relief. Infants are treated with numerous doses of sucrose, raising concerns about potential long-term effects. The objective of this study was to determine the long-term effects of neonatal oral sucrose treatment on growth and liver metabolism in a mouse model. Neonatal female and male mice were randomly assigned to one of two oral treatments ( n = 7–10 mice/group/sex): sterile water or sucrose. Pups were treated 10 times/day for the first 6 days of life with 0.2 mg/g body wt of respective treatments (24% solution; 1–4 μL/dose) to mimic what is given to preterm infants. Mice were weaned at age 3 wk onto a control diet and fed until age 16 wk. Sucrose-treated female and male mice gained less weight during the treatment period and were smaller at weaning than water-treated mice ( P ≤ 0.05); no effect of sucrose treatment on body weight was observed at adulthood. However, adult sucrose-treated female mice had smaller tibias and lower serum insulin-like growth factor-1 than adult water-treated female mice ( P ≤ 0.05); these effects were not observed in males. Lower liver S-adenosylmethionine, phosphocholine, and glycerophosphocholine were observed in adult sucrose-treated compared with water-treated female and male mice ( P ≤ 0.05). Sucrose-treated female, but not male, mice had lower liver free choline and higher liver betaine compared with water-treated female mice ( P < 0.01). Our findings suggest that repeated neonatal sucrose treatment has long-term sex-specific effects on growth and liver methionine and choline metabolism.
Targeting the Toll-like receptor pathway as a therapeutic strategy for neonatal infection
Authors: Dias Maria L. , O’Connor Karen M. , Dempsey Eugene M. , O’Halloran Ken D. , McDonald Fiona B.
Published: October 2021

Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are crucial transmembrane receptors that form part of the innate immune response. They play a role in the recognition of various microorganisms and their elimination from the host. TLRs have been proposed as vital immunomodulators in the regulation of multiple neonatal stressors that extend beyond infection such as oxidative stress and pain. The immune system is immature at birth and takes some time to become fully established. As such, babies are especially vulnerable to sepsis at this early stage of life. Findings suggest a gestational age-dependent increase in TLR expression. TLRs engage with accessory and adaptor proteins to facilitate recognition of pathogens and their activation of the receptor. TLRs are generally upregulated during infection and promote the transcription and release of proinflammatory cytokines. Several studies report that TLRs are epigenetically modulated by chromatin changes and promoter methylation upon bacterial infection that have long-term influences on immune responses. TLR activation is reported to modulate cardiorespiratory responses during infection and may play a key role in driving homeostatic instability observed during sepsis. Although complex, TLR signaling and downstream pathways are potential therapeutic targets in the treatment of neonatal diseases. By reviewing the expression and function of key Toll-like receptors, we aim to provide an important framework to understand the functional role of these receptors in response to stress and infection in premature infants.
A Convolutional Neural Network Algorithm for the Optimization of Emergency Nursing Rescue Efficiency for Critical Patients
Authors: Chen Xueyan , Zhong Xiaofei
Published: October 2021

In order to help pathologists quickly locate the lesion area, improve the diagnostic efficiency, and reduce missed diagnosis, a convolutional neural network algorithm for the optimization of emergency nursing rescue efficiency of critical patients was proposed. Specifically, three convolution layers and convolution kernels of different sizes are used to extract the features of patients’ posture behavior, and the classifier of patients’ posture behavior recognition system is used to learn the feature information by capturing the nonlinear relationship between the features to achieve accurate classification. By testing the accuracy of patient posture behavior feature extraction, the recognition rate of a certain action, and the average recognition rate of all actions in the patient body behavior recognition system, it is proved that the convolution neural network algorithm can greatly improve the efficiency of emergency nursing. The algorithm is applied to the patient posture behavior detection system, so as to realize the identification and monitoring of patients and improve the level of intelligent medical care. Finally, the open source framework platform is used to test the patient behavior detection system. The experimental results show that the larger the test data set is, the higher the accuracy of patient posture behavior feature extraction is, and the average recognition rate of patient posture behavior category is 97.6%, thus verifying the effectiveness and correctness of the system, to prove that the convolutional neural network algorithm has a very large improvement of emergency nursing rescue efficiency.
DNA Methylation Pattern of CALCA and CALCB in Extremely Premature Infants with Monochorionic Triplets after Single‐Embryo Transfer
Authors: Gao Feng , Guo Yujia , Chen Xingting , Gu Qiuyang , Huang Shirong , Chen Qingquan , Xu Xiaoming , Zeng Kai , Zhou Huilin , Zou Yilu , Liu Qicai
Published: October 2021

Compared with full‐term peers, premature infants are more likely to suffer from neonatal diseases and death. Variations in DNA methylation may affect these pathological processes. Calcitonin gene‐related peptide (CGRP) plays a complex and diversified role in reproduction and chronic inflammation, and participates in the functional maintenance of vascular adaptation and trophoblast cells during pregnancy. Here, premature live births with single‐chorionic triple embryos after single‐embryo transfer were used as research objects, while full‐term infants with double embryos and double‐chorionic twins were used as controls. DNA was extracted from umbilical cord tissues for pyrosequencing to detect the methylation level of CpG island in CGRP promoter region. The average values of CGRP methylation in the umbilical cord tissues of very premature fetuses were higher than that of normal controls obtained from the databases. Immunofluorescence results showed that the expression of αCGRP was decreased in the blood vessel wall of the umbilical cord of monozygotic triplets, especially in death cases, while the βCGRP had a compensatory expression. In conclusion, our findings suggest that hypermethylation of CGRP might be considered as an important cause of serious neonatal morbidities.
Accurate and Contactless Vital Sign Detection in Short Time Window with 24 GHz Doppler Radar
Authors: Xu Yu , Li Qi , Tang Zhenzhou
Published: October 2021

Breathing and heartbeat are critical vital signs which reflect the health status of human beings. Aiming to accurately measure the vital sign in short time window, a novel signal processing method for Doppler radar vital sign detection is proposed. Firstly, a two‐step I/Q mismatch correction method which, respectively, estimates the time invariant phase imbalance and gain ratio of I/Q channels in the calibration step and the direct‐current offsets during normal operation has been proposed. By decreasing the number of estimation parameters from 5 to 2, the parameters can be effectively estimated with data distributed over shorter arc lengths. Then, to solve the discontinuity occurred in arctangent demodulation, the displacement information of chest movement is extracted from the calibrated I/Q signals by extended differentiate and cross multiply algorithm. Finally, instead of Fourier transform‐based methods which require long time windows to guarantee sufficient frequency resolution, the optimal parameters of respiration and heartbeat are found by the intelligent search of the differential evolution algorithm. The experimental results show that the proposed method can accurately measure respiratory rate and heartbeat rate with a short time window. For the 8 s time window, the mean absolute errors of respiration and heartbeat were 0.52 bpm and 0.79 bpm, respectively, demonstrating its promise in real‐time applications.
Critical Involvement of Glial Cells in Manganese Neurotoxicity
Authors: Soto-Verdugo Jazmín , Ortega Arturo
Published: October 2021

Over the years, most of the research concerning manganese exposure was restricted to the toxicity of neuronal cells. Manganese is an essential trace element that in high doses exerts neurotoxic effects. However, in the last two decades, efforts have shifted toward a more comprehensive approach that takes into account the involvement of glial cells in the development of neurotoxicity as a brain insult. Glial cells provide structural, trophic, and metabolic support to neurons. Nevertheless, these cells play an active role in adult neurogenesis, regulation of synaptogenesis, and synaptic plasticity. Disturbances in glial cell function can lead to neurological disorders, including neurodegenerative diseases. This review highlights the pivotal role that glial cells have in manganese‐induced neurotoxicity as well as the most sounding mechanisms involved in the development of this phenomenon.
Design of Wireless Sensor Body Measurement Information Acquisition System for College Students’ Physical Health Management
Authors: Liu Haishan , Zhu Mingjiang , Li Yuanjing , Zhang Chengyun , Bie Yejun , Zhang Hui
Published: October 2021

With the improvement of the quality of national life, the physical health problem is gradually placed in the same important position as the basic problems such as education, people’s livelihood, and safety. Improving the physical quality of college students and promoting the healthy growth of students are major events in the future of the country and the nation. Therefore, each school will conduct a physical test every year. The use of wireless sensors for data acquisition has played an important role in various fields. Therefore, for the physical health management of college students, this paper proposes to design a sensor system to collect physical measurement data. The measured data is collected through the sensor, such as the XGZP6847 gas pressure sensor to collect students’ vital capacity. Then, the sensor node and the coordinator are connected to the PC through the serial port, respectively, and the CC2530 chip transmits the data to the coordinator through the ZigBee module, establishes communication with the PC through the 2.4G wireless communication module, adopts the strategy of the thread pool to save resources, improves the response speed, and obtains students’ body test data in real time. Taking the data acquisition and transmission of vital capacity and body weight subjects as an example, the system realizes the accurate transmission of the collected test data from the sensor to the terminal, greatly improves the accuracy and real‐time body test data acquisition, and reduces the probability of errors in the recording process, and the collected data can be used directly or for secondary development, and it promotes the establishment of college students’ physical health management system.
Bimetallic MOF-Derived Synthesis of Cobalt-Cerium Oxide Supported Phosphotungstic Acid Composites for the Oleic Acid Esterification
Authors: Zhang Qiuyun , Yang Xianju , Yao Jiali , Cheng Jingsong
Published: October 2021

The impregnation of phosphotungstic acid (HPW) with porous cobalt-cerium oxide (HPW@CoCeO) has been prepared by pyrolysis of CoCe-MOF and used for the production of methyl oleate from oleic acid and methanol. FTIR, XRD, SEM, TEM, N2 adsorption/desorption, and NH3-TPD were characterized for the prepared composites. Simultaneously, the effects of reaction time, substrate molar ratio, temperature, and catalyst loading on catalytic activity were highlighted, and the conversion of 67.2% was reached after 4 h at 60°C. Importantly, HPW@CoCeO was reusabe and reused more than eight times, and the oleic acid conversion could be maintained at 61.8% without significant activity loss. Thus, the HPW@CoCeO composite could be used as acid catalysts for sustainable energy production.