bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Optimizing Student-Driven Learning (SdL) through a Framework Designed for Tailoring Personal Student Paths
Authors: Martinetti Alberto
Published: September 2020

Our ever-changing and developing society constantly requires professions that did not exist 20 years ago. Students have to become professionals capable of steering their own career development and controlling their own learning process, at university and in their future profession. In order to reach these goals, lecturers have to understand the different needs of students in terms of knowledge and interests. This research offers a framework to help students deal with possible knowledge gaps and account for personal interests to match defined learning goals, utilizing the author’s master’s course in design for maintenance operations (DfMO) at the University of Twente as a basis for validation. First, a literature review was conducted on successful modern techniques of student-driven learning (SdL) to identify the best practices to use and possible pitfalls to avoid. Second, an analysis of the target group was carried out. Third, the research identified the most effective way to create such a tool (framework), taking into account the possible entry points of students. In particular, the research tried to understand to what extent it is possible and valuable to offer a student-driven approach. Finally, the tool was evaluated by representatives of the target group.
A Survey on Active Fault-Tolerant Control Systems
Authors: Abbaspour Alireza , Mokhtari Sohrab , Sargolzaei Arman , Yen Kang K.
Published: September 2020

Faults and failures in the system components are two main reasons for the instability and the degradation in control performance. In recent decades, fault-tolerant control (FTC) approaches have been introduced to improve the resiliency of control systems against faults and failures. In general, FTC techniques are classified into active and passive approaches. This paper reviews fault and failure causes in control systems and discusses the latest solutions that are introduced to make the control system resilient.The recent achievements in fault detection and isolation (FDI) approaches and active FTC designs are investigated. Furthermore, a thorough comparison of several different aspects is conducted to understand the advantage and disadvantages of various FTC techniques to motivate researchers to further developing FTC and FDI approaches.
Comparative Study on Reliability and Advanced Numerical Analysis of BGA Subjected to Product-Level Drop Impact Test for Portable Electronics
Authors: Chung Soonwan , Kwak Jae B.
Published: September 2020

In this paper, drop reliability of various PBA (printed board assembly) mounting structures is investigated and compared. Then, we built SAC305 (Sn3.0Ag0.5Cu) interconnects for BGA (ball grid array) package failure model to evaluate the drop impact reliability of handheld devices. In order to simulate actual behavior of the solder joint under the drop impact load of handheld devices, we perform explicit full FEA (finite element analysis) modeling. However, this takes a lot of computing time because of the large aspect ratio of element size between solder joints and other structures such as PCB (printed circuit board) and electronic packages. Therefore, an effective way to represent solder interconnects for FEA is needed which would be relatively simpler yet detailed. Comparable board-level drop tests are conducted after equipping test vehicles with various fixtures considering PBA mounting structures, which make it possible to apply different loading conditions to BGA packages. The results show different drop impact life for solder interconnects depending on the mounting design of the PBA. Particularly, the solder interconnect of the component located at the middle of the PCB exhibits the shortest impact life where the highest tensile stress occurs. Also, the mounting design restraining PBA deflections shows better reliability under the drop impact loading. Sequentially, simulating with a PBA composed of the BGA package and the PCB is considered to assess the feasibility of the solder ball failure modeling when the drop impact load is applied. Especially, for the modeling of the solder balls, detailed solid model and simple beam model are compared regarding computational efficiency and numerical accuracy. We found that the simple beam model significantly shortens computational time from 110 h to less than an hour. Accordingly, the feasibility of the beam model for the solder balls is shown by correlating the stress level and the drop impact life obtained from the experiments.
An Autonomous Human Following Caddie Robot with High-Level Driving Functions
Authors: Choi Jung Hyun , Samuel Kangwagye , Nam Kanghyun , Oh Sehoon
Published: September 2020

Nowadays, mobile robot platforms are utilized in various fields not only for transportation but also for other diverse services such as industrial, medical and, sports, etc. Mobile robots are also an emerging application as sports field robots, where they can help serve players or even play the games. In this paper, a novel caddie robot which can autonomously follow the golfer as well as provide useful information such as golf course navigation system and weather updates, is introduced. The locomotion of the caddie robot is designed with two modes: autonomous human following mode and manual driving mode. The transition between each mode can be achieved manually or by an algorithm based on the velocity, heading angle, and inclination of the ground surface. Moreover, the transition to manual mode is activated after a caddie robot has recognized the human intention input by hand. In addition, the advanced control algorithm along with a trajectory generator for the caddie robot are developed taking into consideration the locomotion modes. Experimental results show that the proposed strategies to drive various operating modes are efficient and the robot is verified to be utilized in the golf course.
Comparative Analysis and Design of a Solar-Based Parabolic Trough–ORC Cogeneration Plant for a Commercial Center
Authors: Pina Eduardo A. , Serra Luis M. , Lozano Miguel A. , Hernández Adrián , Lázaro Ana
Published: September 2020

This paper performs technical, economic and environmental feasibility analyses of two different solar cogeneration plants, consisting of a solar system (a parabolic trough collector field coupled with thermal energy storage), an Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC), and mechanical chillers, that should cover the electrical and cooling demands of a commercial center located in Zaragoza (Spain). System A is hybridized with an auxiliary biomass boiler that complements the solar system’s thermal production, providing a constant heat supply to the ORC, which operates at full load during the operating hours of the solar system. In contrast, system B is not hybridized with biomass, so the ORC is fully driven by the solar system, operating at partial load according to the solar resource availability. Both systems are connected to the electrical grid, allowing electricity purchases and sales when needed. The design procedure involves the sizing of the equipment as well as the modelling of the hourly behavior of each system throughout the year. The physical analysis is complemented by an economic assessment, which considers investment and variable costs, as well as an estimate of the significant environmental benefits of the proposed plants. The solar plants are compared to a conventional system in which all the electrical consumption is covered with electricity purchased from the grid. The costs of the electricity produced by systems A and B are estimated at 0.2030 EUR/kWh and 0.1458 EUR/kWh, which are about 49% and 7% higher than the electricity purchase price in Spain (0.1363 EUR/kWh). These results indicate that while none of the solar plants are presently competitive with the conventional system, system B (without biomass hybridization) is actually closer to economic feasibility in the short and medium term than system A (with biomass hybridization).
Evaluating Public Policies for Fair Social Tariffs of Electricity in Brazil by Using an Economic Market Model
Authors: Maciel Leticia dos Santos Benso , Bonatto Benedito Donizeti , Arango Hector , Arango Lucas Gustavo
Published: September 2020

This paper presents an evaluation of public policies for fare social tariffs of electricity in Brazil by using an economic model of the electricity market (TAROT-Optimized Tariff) that represents the regulated market of distribution of electrical energy. It was considered the scenario of an increasing number of prosumers (residential consumers who self-generate energy) in two of the five major regions of Brazil which have quite different socioeconomic characteristics. However, the current electricity regulation is the same for all concessionaires. In this work a new public policy is proposed, allowing the use of regulation in a different way aiming for a best result for Brazil and particularly for the poor population that today are not able to enjoy the benefits of electricity due to high tariff values. It is also discussed how this can contribute in a positive way to improve the income distribution in these regions, which is evaluated by using the GINI index.
Experimental Study on the Mechanical Properties of Rock Fracture after Grouting Reinforcement
Authors: Liu Bin , Sang Haomin , Wang Zhiqiang , Kang Yongshui
Published: September 2020

Grouting reinforcement plays an important role in repairing fractures and improving the strength of the surrounding rock. To address practical engineering challenges such as caving and chip off-falling of surrounding rock in deep roadways, normal splitting was adopted to prefabricate fractures on rock samples gathered from underground coal mines. This was done to better match the rock fracture specimen with actual conditions. Based on the elementary unit of a fracture surface, systematic experiments were conducted on the tensile properties of rock fractures after grouting reinforcement, and the shear properties were studied after considering the presence of gas. As per the results, the tensile strength of rock fractures increased with the increase in viscosity of grout, but the overall tensile strength was relatively low. The overall tensile effect of surrounding rock was improved less by grouting approach. When the presence of fracture gas in grouting was considered, the peak shear strength of fractures after grouting was 8.34–29.9% less than that without considering the fracture gas. The cemented pore surface produced by unsaturated cementation in the grouting reinforcement was the main cause of reduction in cohesion and frictional angle of rock fractures. The conclusions of this study have great significance for guiding engineering grouting and evaluating the grouting effect.
Self-Affine Analysis of ENSO in Solar Radiation
Authors: Murari Thiago B. , Filho Aloisio S. Nascimento , Moret Marcelo A. , Pitombo Sergio , Santos Alex A. B.
Published: September 2020

The major challenge we face today in the energy sector is to meet the growing demand for electricity with less impact on the environment. South America is an important player in the renewable energy resource. Brazil accelerated the growth of photovoltaic installed capacity in 2018. From April of 2017 to April of 2018, the capacity increased by 1351.5%. It is expected to reach the value of 2.4 GW until the end of the year. The new Chilean regulation requests that 20% of the total electricity production in 2025 must come from renewable energy sources. The aim of this paper is to establish time series behavior changes between El Niño Southern Oscillation and the solar radiation resource in South America. The results can be used to validate the measured data of energy production for new solar plants. The method used to verify the behavior of the time series was the Detrended Fluctuation Analysis. Solar radiation data were collected in twenty-five cities distributed inside the Brazilian solar belt, plus six cities in Chile, covering the continent from east to west, in a region with high potential of solar photovoltaic generation. The results show the impact of El Niño Southern Oscillation on the climatic behavior of the evaluated data. It is a factor that may lead to the wrong forecast of the long-term potential solar power generation for the region.
An End-to-End, Real-Time Solution for Condition Monitoring of Wind Turbine Generators
Authors: Stetco Adrian , Ramirez Juan Melecio , Mohammed Anees , Djurović Siniša , Nenadic Goran , Keane John
Published: September 2020

Data-driven wind generator condition monitoring systems largely rely on multi-stage processing involving feature selection and extraction followed by supervised learning. These stages require expert analysis, are potentially error-prone and do not generalize well between applications. In this paper, we introduce a collection of end-to-end Convolutional Neural Networks for advanced condition monitoring of wind turbine generators. End-to-end models have the benefit of utilizing raw, unstructured signals to make predictions about the parameters of interest. This feature makes it easier to scale an existing collection of models to new predictive tasks (e.g., new failure types) since feature extracting steps are not required. These automated models achieve low Mean Squared Errors in predicting the generator operational state (40.85 for Speed and 0.0018 for Load) and high accuracy in diagnosing rotor demagnetization failures (99.67%) by utilizing only raw current signals. We show how to create, deploy and run the collection of proposed models in a real-time setting using a laptop connected to a test rig via a data acquisition card. Based on a sampling rate of 5 kHz, predictions are stored in an efficient time series database and monitored using a dynamic visualization framework. We further discuss existing options for understanding the decision process behind the predictions made by the models.
Energy-Based Vibration Modeling and Solution of High-Speed Elevators Considering the Multi-Direction Coupling Property
Authors: Qiu Lemiao , He Ci , Yi Guodong , Zhang Shuyou , Wang Yang , Rao Yong , Zhang Lichun
Published: September 2020

Vibration of a high-speed elevator is one of the major factors contributing to a safe, stable and comfortable ride. Vibration control and systematic optimization rely on the establishment of an accurate and reliable model. An energy-based vibration model (EVM) is proposed in this paper to describe the multi-directional coupling properties of high-speed elevators. After analyzing the structural and kinematic characteristics, a combination of the kinematic energy, elastic potential energy and virtual works is implemented to describe the vibrational characteristics. The Gaussian precise integration method is implemented to obtain accurate solutions because of the infinite degrees of freedom and the time-varying parameters. An example study is conducted using the KLK2 high-speed elevator. EVM is established to obtain the Max(Pk)/Pk and A95 indices of the X, Y, Z axis vibrational acceleration through simulations. A comparison is proposed between the proposed EVM method, conventional methods based on differential-equation vibration model (DVM) and real prototype experimental data. Results show that the proposed EVM method could achieve more accurate results than the conventional DVM method. Deviations of these indicators are less than 5%, which suggest the efficiency, precision and reliability of the proposed EVM.
Research on Vacuum Arc Commutation Characteristics of a Natural-Commutate Hybrid DC Circuit Breaker
Authors: Wang Dequan , Liao Minfu , Wang Rufan , Li Tenghui , Qiu Jun , Li Jinjin , Duan Xiongying , Zou Jiyan
Published: September 2020

Vacuum arc commutation is an important process in natural-commutate hybrid direct current (DC) circuit breaker (NHCB) interruption, as the duration of vacuum arc commutation will directly affect the arcing time and interrupting time of NHCB. In this paper, the vacuum arc commutation model of NHCB was established by simplifying solid-state switch (SS) and vacuum arc voltage. Through theoretical analysis and experiments, the vacuum arc commutation characteristics of NHCB were studied. The mathematical formula of the effect of main parameters on the duration of vacuum arc commutation is obtained, and the changing law of the influence of the main parameters on the duration of the vacuum arc commutation is explored. The concept of vacuum arc commutation coefficient is proposed, and it is a key parameter that influences the vacuum arc commutation characteristics. The research on the characteristics of vacuum arc commutation can provide theoretical foundation for the structure and parameter optimization of NHCB and other equipment that uses vacuum arc commutation.
Performance Evaluation of Analytical Methods for Parameters Extraction of Photovoltaic Generators
Authors: Anani Nader , Ibrahim Haider
Published: September 2020

This paper presents a succinct exploration of several analytical methods for extracting the parameters of the single-diode model (SDM) of a photovoltaic (PV) module under standard test conditions (STC). The paper investigates six methods and presents the detailed mathematical analysis leading to the development of each method. To evaluate the performance of these methods, MATLAB-based software has been devised and deployed to generate the results of each method when used to extract the SDM parameters of various PV test modules of different PV technologies. Similar software has also been developed to extract the same parameters using well-established numerical and iterative techniques. A comparison is subsequently made between the synthesized results and those obtained using numerical and iterative methods. The comparison indicates that although analytical methods may involve a significant amount of approximations, their accuracy can be comparable to that of their numerical and iterative counterparts, with the added advantage of a significant reduction in computational complexity, and without the initialization and convergence difficulties, which are normally associated with numerical methods.
The Effect of the Axial Heat Transfer on Space Charge Accumulation Phenomena in HVDC Cables
Authors: Rizzo Giuseppe , Romano Pietro , Imburgia Antonino , Viola Fabio , Ala Guido
Published: September 2020

To date, it has been widespread accepted that the presence of space charge within the dielectric of high voltage direct current (HVDC) cables is one of the most relevant issues that limits the growing diffusion of this technology and its use at higher voltages. One of the reasons that leads to the establishment of space charge within the insulation of cables is the temperature dependence of its conductivity. Many researchers have demonstrated that high temperature drop over the insulation layer can lead to the reversal of the electric field profile. In certain conditions, this can over-stress the insulation during polarity reversal (PR) and transient over voltages (TOV) events accelerating the ageing of the dielectric material. However, the reference standards for the thermal rating of cables are mainly thought for alternating current (AC) cables and do not adequately take into account the effects related to high thermal drops over the insulation. In particular, the difference in temperature between the inner and the outer surfaces of the dielectric can be amplified during load transients or near sections with axially varying external thermal conditions. For the reasons above, this research aims to demonstrate how much the existence of “hot points” in terms of temperature drop can weaken the tightness of an HVDC transmission line. In order to investigate these phenomena, a two-dimensional numerical model has been implemented in time domain. The results obtained for some case studies demonstrate that the maximum electric field within the dielectric of an HVDC cable can be significantly increased in correspondence with variations along the axis of the external heat exchange conditions and/or during load transients. This study can be further developed in order to take into account the combined effect of the described phenomena with other sources of introduction, forming, and accumulation of space charge inside the dielectric layer of HVDC cables.
A Novel Kelch-Like-1 Is Involved in Antioxidant Response by Regulating Antioxidant Enzyme System in Penaeus vannamei
Authors: Qiao Xue-Li , Liang Qing-Jian , Liu Yuan , Wang Wei-Na
Published: September 2020

Heavy metals are typical cumulative pollutants that can enter and poison the human body through the food chain. However, the molecular mechanism of heavy metal-induced oxidative stress is unclear. In this study, we characterize PvKelch-like-1 from P. vannamei and explore its antioxidant roles in immune regulation of crustaceans. PvKelch-like-1 full length contains 2107 nucleotides, consists of a 5′ untranslated region (UTR) of 79 bp, a 3′ UTR of 180 bp, and a ORF of 1848 encoded 615 amino acids, which contain a BTB, BACK and Kelch motif, putative molecular mass and isoelectric point were 69 KDa and 6.54. PvKelch-like-1 mRNA was ubiquitously expressed in all detected tissue of P. vannamei, and mRNA expression levels were significantly up-regulated from 6 to 24 h after cadmium stress and reached the highest level (3.2-fold) at 12 h in the hepatopancreas. Subcellular localization analysis revealed that PvKelch-like-1 was localized in the nucleus. Silencing PvKelch-like-1 significantly increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) (1.61-fold) production and DNA damage (1.32-fold) in the shrimp hemolymph, and significantly decreased total hemocyte counts (THC) (0.64-fold) at 6 h in hemolymph. Additionally, the antioxidant genes PvCAT (0.43-fold), PvMnSOD (0.72-fold), PvGST (0.31-fold) and PvGPx (0.59-fold) at 6 h were decreased significantly in PvKelch-like-1 silenced shrimp after cadmium stress. Overexpression of PvKelch-like-1 has the opposite results in enzyme activity. The SOD (2.44-fold) and CAT (2.19-fold) activities were significantly increased after overexpressing PvKelch-like-1. These results suggest that PvKelch-like-1 plays a vital role in shrimp innate immune defense by positively regulating the expression of antioxidant enzyme genes to respond to cadmium stress.
Trauma-Informed Care in Primary Health Settings—Which Is Even More Needed in Times of COVID-19
Authors: Tomaz Teresa , Castro-Vale Ivone
Published: September 2020

Included in the general practitioner’s (GP) core competencies is the ability to adopt a person-centered approach, and the use of the biopsychosocial model in their clinical work. Traumatic events (TEs) are frequently experienced within the population and are known to dysregulate the stress response system and to be associated with psychiatric and physical disorders. GPs may feel reluctant to confront TEs for a variety of reasons, such as a lack of sufficient training in trauma-informed care or a fear of causing harm when discussing a patient’s more complicated issues, among others. This perspective paper aims to review the existing studies that support the practice of trauma-informed healthcare and to summarise best practices. Studies have shown that patients appreciate the questions that clinicians ask them about trauma-related issues and that they understand that this can be important for their healthcare. Furthermore, asking about trauma-related issues in a patient-centered and empathic way can result in better doctor–patient relationships, which improves the levels of satisfaction of both the patient and the doctor with the consultation, as well as improved health-related outcomes. As past traumatic experiences increase the risk of developing post-traumatic stress disorder on exposure to a new TE, the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic has led to trauma-informed care becoming even more important if the strategy is to continue to invest in preventive medicine.
Psychological Distress and Problem Gambling in Elite Athletes during COVID-19 Restrictions—A Web Survey in Top Leagues of Three Sports during the Pandemic
Authors: Håkansson Anders , Jönsson Caroline , Kenttä Göran
Published: September 2020

COVID-19 and lockdown strategies may affect mental health and addictive behavior differently in the population, and elite athletes are among the professions clearly affected by the pandemic. This study in top elite athletes aimed to study current perceived psychological influence from COVID-19 and symptoms of depression, anxiety and changes in alcohol drinking, gambling behavior and problem gambling in the midst of the COVID-19 lockdown. This web survey included athletes in top leagues of soccer, ice hockey and handball in Sweden (N = 327, 62% men). A total of 66% and 51% were worried about the future of their sport or about their own future in sports, respectively. Feeling worse psychologically during the pandemic was common (72% of women, 40% of men, p < 0.001); depression criteria were endorsed by 19% of women and three percent of men (p < 0.001); anxiety criteria by 20% of women and five percent of men (p < 0.001). Reporting increased gambling during the pandemic was associated with gambling problem severity. Moderate-risk or problem gambling was seen in 10% of men and none of the women (p < 0.001). Depression and anxiety were associated with feeling worse during the COVID-19 pandemic and with concern over one’s own sports future. In conclusion, COVID-19-related distress is common in elite athletes and associated with mental health symptoms. Gambling increase during the pandemic was rare, but related to gambling problems, which were common in male athletes. The calls for increased focus on COVID-19-related concerns in athletes and on problem gambling in male athletes.
Indoor Air Quality Levels in Schools: Role of Student Activities and No Activities
Authors: Settimo Gaetano , Indinnimeo Luciana , Inglessis Marco , De Felice Marco , Morlino Roberta , di Coste Annalisa , Fratianni Alessandra , Avino Pasquale
Published: September 2020

This work describes a methodology for the definition of indoor air quality monitoring plans in schools and above all to improve the knowledge and evaluation of the indoor concentration levels of some chemical pollutants. The aim is to guide interventions to improve the health of students and exposed staff connected with the activities carried out there. The proposed methodology is based on the simultaneous study of chemical (indoor/outdoor PM2.5, NO2, CO2) and physical (temperature, humidity) parameters by means of automatic analyzers coupled with gaseous compounds (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylenes, formaldehyde and NO2) sampled by denuders. The important novelty is that all the data were collected daily in two different situations, i.e., during school activities and no-school activities, allowing us to evaluate the exposure of each student or person. The different behaviors of all the measured pollutants during the two different situations are reported and commented on. Finally, a statistical approach will show how the investigated compounds are distributed around the two components of combustion processes and photochemical reactions.
Study of Evolution of Microbiological Properties in Sewage Sludge-Amended Soils: A Pilot Experience
Authors: Miguel Natividad , Sarasa Judith , López Andrea , Gómez Jairo , Mosteo Rosa , Ormad María P.
Published: September 2020

Large amounts of sewage sludge are generated in urban wastewater treatment plants and used as fertilizer in agriculture due to its characteristics. They can contain contaminants such as heavy metals and pathogenic microorganisms. The objective of this research work is to study, in real conditions, the evolution of microbial concentration in agricultural soils fertilized by biologically treated sewage sludge. The sludge (6.25 tons Ha−1) was applied in two agricultural soils with different textures and crops. A microbiological (total coliforms, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus sp., Pseudomonas sp., Salmonella sp. and total mesophylls) and physical-chemical characterization of the sludge, soils and irrigation water were carried out. The evolution of these parameters during sowing, growth and harvesting of crops was studied. Initially, sewage sludge had a higher concentration of microorganisms than soils. Irrigation water also contained microorganisms, fewer than sewage sludge amendment but not negligible. After amendment, there were no differences in the microbiological evolution in the two types of soil. In general, bacterial concentrations after crop harvest were lower than bacterial concentrations detected before sewage sludge amendment. Consequently, the application of sludge from water treatment processes did not worsen the microbiological quality of agricultural soil in this study at real conditions.
Adherence to Clinical Practice Guidelines and Colorectal Cancer Survival: A Retrospective High-Resolution Population-Based Study in Spain
Authors: Carrasco-Peña Francisco , Bayo-Lozano Eloisa , Rodríguez-Barranco Miguel , Petrova Dafina , Marcos-Gragera Rafael , Carmona-Garcia Maria Carmen , Borras Josep Maria , Sánchez Maria-José
Published: September 2020

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer worldwide. Population-based, high-resolution studies are essential for the continuous evaluation and updating of diagnosis and treatment standards. This study aimed to assess adherence to clinical practice guidelines and investigate its relationship with survival. We conducted a retrospective high-resolution population-based study of 1050 incident CRC cases from the cancer registries of Granada and Girona, with a 5-year follow-up. We recorded clinical, diagnostic, and treatment-related information and assessed adherence to nine quality indicators of the relevant CRC guidelines. Overall adherence (on at least 75% of the indicators) significantly reduced the excess risk of death (RER) = 0.35 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.28–0.45]. Analysis of the separate indicators showed that patients for whom complementary imaging tests were requested had better survival, RER = 0.58 [95% CI 0.46–0.73], as did patients with stage III colon cancer who underwent adjuvant chemotherapy, RER = 0.33, [95% CI 0.16–0.70]. Adherence to clinical practice guidelines can reduce the excess risk of dying from CRC by 65% [95% CI 55–72%]. Ordering complementary imagining tests that improve staging and treatment choice for all CRC patients and adjuvant chemotherapy for stage III colon cancer patients could be especially important. In contrast, controlled delays in starting some treatments appear not to decrease survival.
A Call for Action to Safely Deliver Oral Health Care during and Post COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Farronato Marco , Tadakamadla Santosh K , Ali Quadri Mir Faeq , Acharya Shashidhar , Tadakamadla Jyothi , Love Robert M. , Jamal Mohamed , Mulder Riaan , Maspero Cinzia , Farronato Davide , Ivanov Alexander , Neefs Dirk , Cagetti Maria Grazia , de Vito Danila , Gupta Rishi J. , Connelly Stephen Thaddeus , Tartaglia Gianluca M.
Published: September 2020

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) outbreak started just a couple of months ago and it grew rapidly causing several deaths and morbidities. The mechanism behind the transmission of the virus is still not completely understood despite a multitude of new specific manuscripts being published daily. This article highlights the oral cavity as a possible viral transmission route into the body via the Angiotensin converting enzyme 2 receptor. It also provides guidelines for routine protective measures in the dental office while delivering oral health care.
Future Time Perspective and Perceived Social Support: The Mediating Role of Gratitude
Authors: Casu Giulia , Gentili Eugenia , Gremigni Paola
Published: September 2020

Future time perspective, perceived social support, and dispositional gratitude are topics of interest that positively influence people’s psychological health. Although gratitude has been positively associated with future time perspective and social support, this is the first study to investigate its mediating role in the relationships of future time perspective with perceived social support. A convenience sample of 1256 adults (55.1% women), mean age 34.55 years (SD = 13.92), completed self-reported measures of future time perspective (conceptualized as remaining time and opportunities), dispositional gratitude, and received and given social support. Results indicated that higher dispositional gratitude mediated the relationship between the perception of more remaining time and opportunities and greater perception of received and given social support. These findings highlight the importance of considering dispositional characteristics to better understand the impact of perceived future on the individuals’ subjective experience of social exchanges. Interventions addressing future time perspective and dispositional gratitude might have beneficial effects on individuals’ social well-being.
Pregnancy-Related Anxiety, Perceived Parental Self-Efficacy and the Influence of Parity and Age
Authors: Brunton Robyn , Simpson Nicole , Dryer Rachel
Published: September 2020

Pregnancy-related anxiety is contextualised by pregnancy and is a health concern for the mother and child. Perceived parental self-efficacy is associated with this anxiety and age and parity are identified as influential factors. This research, therefore, predicted that negative perceptions of parental self-efficacy would predict greater pregnancy-related anxiety, moderated by parity and age. Participants (N = 771) were recruited online and assessed for perceived parental self-efficacy, pregnancy-related anxiety, and demographics. Moderation models showed that the psychosocial and sociodemographic factors combined predicted up to 49% of the variance. Parental self-efficacy predicted anxiety in the areas of body image, worry about themselves, baby concerns, pregnancy acceptance, attitudes towards medical staff and childbirth, and avoidance. Parity predicted pregnancy-related anxiety both overall and in childbirth concerns, worry about self, baby concerns and attitudes towards childbirth. Age predicted baby concerns. There was a significant moderation effect for pregnancy acceptance indicating that primiparous women with low perceptions of parental self-efficacy are less accepting of their pregnancy. Results suggest that parity and parental self-efficacy may be risk factors for first-time mothers for pregnancy-related anxiety.
Organophosphorus Flame Retardants: A Global Review of Indoor Contamination and Human Exposure in Europe and Epidemiological Evidence
Authors: Chupeau Zohra , Bonvallot Nathalie , Mercier Fabien , Le Bot Barbara , Chevrier Cecile , Glorennec Philippe
Published: September 2020

We aimed to identify high-priority organophosphorus flame retardants for action and research. We thus critically reviewed literature between 2000 and 2019 investigating organophosphorus flame retardants’ presence indoors and human exposure in Europe, as well as epidemiological evidence of human effects. The most concentrated compounds indoors were tris(2-butoxyethyl)phosphate (TBOEP), tris(1-chloro-2-propyl)phosphate (TCIPP), tris(2,3-dichloropropyl)phosphate (TDCIPP). TBOEP and TCIPP were the most consistently detected compounds in humans’ urine, hair or breast milk as well as tris (butyl) phosphate (TNBP) and tris (phenyl) phosphate (TPHP). Notably, epidemiological evidence concerned reprotoxicity, neurotoxicity, respiratory effects and eczema risk for TDCIPP, eczema increase for TBOEP, and neurodevelopmental outcomes for Isopropylated triarylphosphate isomers (ITPs). Given the ubiquitous presence indoors and the prevalence of exposure, the growing health concern seems justified. TDCIPP and TPHP seem to be of particular concern due to a high prevalence of exposure and epidemiological evidence. TBOEP and TNBP require epidemiological studies regarding outcomes other than respiratory or dermal ones.
The Effects of Exclusively Resistance Training-Based Supervised Programs in People with Depression: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials
Authors: Carneiro Lara , Afonso José , Ramirez-Campillo Rodrigo , Murawska-Ciałowciz Eugenia , Marques Adilson , Clemente Filipe Manuel
Published: September 2020

The purpose of this study was to systematically review the effects of supervised resistance training (RT) programs in people diagnosed with depression or depressive symptoms. The following databases were used to search and retrieve the articles: Cochrane Library, EBSCO, PEDro, PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science. The search was conducted in late June 2020. Search protocol required the title to contain the words depression or depressive or dysthymia. Furthermore, the title, abstract or keywords had to contain the words or expressions: “randomized controlled trial”; and “strength training” or “resistance training” or “resisted training” or “weight training”. The screening provided 136 results. After the removal of duplicates, 70 records remained. Further screening of titles and abstracts resulted in the elimination of 57 papers. Therefore, 13 records were eligible for further scrutiny. Of the 13 records, nine were excluded, and the final sample consisted of four articles. Results were highly heterogeneous, with half of the studies showing positive effects of resistance training and half showing no effects. In two of the four combinations, the meta-analysis revealed significant benefits of RT in improving depressive symptoms (p ≤ 0.05). However, considering significant differences with moderate (Effect Size = 0.62) and small (ES = 0.53) effects, the heterogeneity was above 50%, thus suggesting a substantial level. To draw meaningful conclusions, future well-designed randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are needed that focus on understudied RT as a treatment for depression.
Safety Climate Perceptions in the Construction Industry of Saudi Arabia: The Current Situation
Authors: Mosly Ibrahim , Makki Anas A.
Published: September 2020

Workers’ wellbeing and safety is important in the construction industry due to the high risk of accidents. Safety climate development is a positive initial step toward raising the safety levels of construction practitioners. This study aims at revealing the factors influencing safety climate perceptions in the construction industry of Saudi Arabia. A set of extracted factors from the literature was validated and used to design a comprehensive questionnaire survey. Data was collected from 401 personnel working on 3 large construction project sites in Saudi Arabia. Descriptive statistics and the crosstabulation algorithm, Kendall’s tau-b correlation test, were used to analyze the data. The study revealed a set of 13 factors influencing safety climate perceptions, which are: Supervision, guidance and inspection, appraisal of risks and hazards, social security and health insurance, workmate influences, management safety justice, management commitment to safety, education and training, communication, workers’ safety commitment, workers’ attitude toward health and safety, workers’ involvement, supportive environment, and competence. The results also indicate the significant and anticipated role of top management in safety climate at sites. Implications of this study include assisting construction industry stakeholders to better understand and enhance safety climate, which in turn will lead to improved safety behavior, culture, motivation, and performance.
Assessing the Impact of COVID-19 Public Health Stages on Paediatric Emergency Attendance
Authors: McDonnell Thérèse , Nicholson Emma , Conlon Ciara , Barrett Michael , Cummins Fergal , Hensey Conor , McAuliffe Eilish
Published: September 2020

This study outlines the impact of COVID-19 on paediatric emergency department (ED) utilisation and assesses the extent of healthcare avoidance during each stage of the public health response strategy. Records from five EDs and one urgent care centre in Ireland, representing approximately 48% of national annual public paediatric ED attendances, are analysed to determine changes in characteristics of attendance during the three month period following the first reported COVID-19 case in Ireland, with reference to specific national public health stages. ED attendance reduced by 27–62% across all categories of diagnosis in the Delay phase and remained significantly below prior year levels as the country began Phase One of Reopening, with an incident rate ratio (IRR) of 0.58. The decrease was predominantly attributable to reduced attendance for injury and viral/viral induced conditions resulting from changed living conditions imposed by the public health response. However, attendance for complex chronic conditions also reduced and had yet to return to pre-COVID levels as reopening began. Attendances referred by general practitioners (GPs) dropped by 13 percentage points in the Delay phase and remained at that level. While changes in living conditions explain much of the decrease in overall attendance and in GP referrals, reduced attendance for complex chronic conditions may indicate avoidance behaviour and continued surveillance is necessary.
Medically Attended Injuries among Slovak Adolescents: Relationships with Socio-Economic Factors, Physical Fighting, and Physical Activity
Authors: Bakalár Peter , Rosičová Katarína
Published: September 2020

There is a worrisome increase in the reporting of medically attended injuries in Slovak adolescents. The aim of this study is to examine the relationships between socio-economic factors, physical fighting, and physical activity with frequency of medically attended injuries among this population group. Data from 8902 adolescents participating in the Health Behavior in School-Aged Children study were used (mean age 13.37; 50.9% boys). The effects of family affluence, registered unemployment rate, average nominal monthly earnings of employees, physical fighting, and physical activity on frequency of medically attended injury were explored using linear regression analysis. Pearson’s correlation was used to describe the associations between all selected variables. The selected model of linear regression explained 15.8% of the variance in the frequency of medically attended injuries. All variables except the registered unemployment rate showed linear positive relationships with medically attended injuries. The correlation analysis confirmed linear positive associations between medically attended injuries and physical fighting, family affluence, physical activity, and average nominal monthly earnings of employees. Further research on these variables is needed in the Slovak context. This may include analyses of the nature of the relationships between socio-economic factors and medically attended injuries, as well as systematic evaluation of applied physical fighting and physical-activity-related injury interventions to support evidence-based policy making.
Social Sensing for Urban Land Use Identification
Authors: Anugraha Adindha , Chu Hone-Jay , Ali Muhammad
Published: September 2020

The utilization of urban land use maps can reveal the patterns of human behavior through the extraction of the socioeconomic and demographic characteristics of urban land use. Remote sensing that holds detailed and abundant information on spectral, textual, contextual, and spatial configurations is crucial to obtaining land use maps that reveal changes in the urban environment. However, social sensing is essential to revealing the socioeconomic and demographic characteristics of urban land use. This data mining approach is related to data cleaning/outlier removal and machine learning, and is used to achieve land use classification from remote and social sensing data. In bicycle and taxi density maps, the daytime destination and nighttime origin density reflects work-related land uses, including commercial and industrial areas. By contrast, the nighttime destination and daytime origin density pattern captures the pattern of residential areas. The accuracy assessment of land use classified maps shows that the integration of remote and social sensing, using the decision tree and random forest methods, yields accuracies of 83% and 86%, respectively. Thus, this approach facilitates an accurate urban land use classification. Urban land use identification can aid policy makers in linking human activities to the socioeconomic consequences of different urban land uses.
Ligation-Mediated Polymerase Chain Reaction Detection of 8-Oxo-7,8-Dihydro-2′-Deoxyguanosine and 5-Hydroxycytosine at the Codon 176 of the p53 Gene of Hepatitis C-Associated Hepatocellular Carcinoma Patients
Authors: Galli Andrea , Munnia Armelle , Cellai Filippo , Tarocchi Mirko , Ceni Elisabetta , van Schooten Frederik Jan , Godschalk Roger , Giese Roger W. , Peluso Marco
Published: September 2020

Molecular mechanisms underlying Hepatitis C virus (HCV)-associated hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) pathogenesis are still unclear. Therefore, we analyzed the levels of 8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-2′-deoxyguanosine (8-oxodG) and other oxidative lesions at codon 176 of the p53 gene, as well as the generation of 3-(2-deoxy-β-d-erythro-pentafuranosyl)pyrimido[1,2-α]purin-10(3H)-one deoxyguanosine (M1dG), in a cohort of HCV-related HCC patients from Italy. Detection of 8-oxodG and 5-hydroxycytosine (5-OHC) was performed by ligation mediated-polymerase chain reaction assay, whereas the levels of M1dG were measured by chromatography and mass-spectrometry. Results indicated a significant 130% excess of 8-oxodG at –TGC– position of p53 codon 176 in HCV-HCC cases as compared to controls, after correction for age and gender, whereas a not significant increment of 5-OHC at –TGC– position was found. Then, regression models showed an 87% significant excess of M1dG in HCV-HCC cases relative to controls. Our study provides evidence that increased adduct binding does not occur randomly on the sequence of the p53 gene but at specific sequence context in HCV-HCC patients. By-products of lipid peroxidation could also yield a role in HCV-HCC development. Results emphasize the importance of active oxygen species in inducing nucleotide lesions at a p53 mutational hotspot in HCV-HCC patients living in geographical areas without dietary exposure to aflatoxin B1.
Potential of Extracellular Vesicle-Associated TSG-6 from Adipose Mesenchymal Stromal Cells in Traumatic Brain Injury
Authors: Roura Santiago , Monguió-Tortajada Marta , Munizaga-Larroudé Micaela , Clos-Sansalvador Marta , Franquesa Marcella , Rosell Anna , Borràs Francesc E.
Published: September 2020

Multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) represent a promising strategy for a variety of medical applications. Although only a limited number of MSC engraft and survive after in vivo cellular infusion, MSC have shown beneficial effects on immunomodulation and tissue repair. This indicates that the contribution of MSC exists in paracrine signaling, rather than a cell-contact effect of MSC. In this review, we focus on current knowledge about tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-stimulated gene-6 (TSG-6) and mechanisms based on extracellular vesicles (EV) that govern long-lasting immunosuppressive and regenerative activity of MSC. In this context, in particular, we discuss the very robust set of findings by Jha and colleagues, and the opportunity to potentially extend their research focus on EV isolated in concentrated conditioned media (CCM) from adipose tissue derived MSC (ASC). Particularly, the authors showed that ASC-CCM mitigated visual deficits after mild traumatic brain injury in mice. TSG-6 knockdown ASC were, then, used to generate TSG-6-depleted CCM that were not able to replicate the alleviation of abnormalities in injured animals. In light of the presented results, we envision that the infusion of much distilled ASC-CCM could enhance the alleviation of visual abnormalities. In terms of EV research, the advantages of using size-exclusion chromatography are also highlighted because of the enrichment of purer and well-defined EV preparations. Taken together, this could further delineate and boost the benefit of using MSC-based regenerative therapies in the context of forthcoming clinical research testing in diseases that disrupt immune system homeostasis.