bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Spatiotemporal Analysis of COVID-19 Spread with Emerging Hotspot Analysis and Space–Time Cube Models in East Java, Indonesia
Authors: Purwanto Purwanto , Utaya Sugeng , Handoyo Budi , Bachri Syamsul , Astuti Ike Sari , Utomo Kresno Sastro Bangun , Aldianto Yulius Eka
Published: March 2021

In this research, we analyzed COVID-19 distribution patterns based on hotspots and space–time cubes (STC) in East Java, Indonesia. The data were collected based on the East Java COVID-19 Radar report results from a four-month period, namely March, April, May, and June 2020. Hour, day, and date information were used as the basis of the analysis. We used two spatial analysis models: the emerging hotspot analysis and STC. Both techniques allow us to identify the hotspot cluster temporally. Three-dimensional visualizations can be used to determine the direction of spread of COVID-19 hotspots. The results showed that the spread of COVID-19 throughout East Java was centered in Surabaya, then mostly spread towards suburban areas and other cities. An emerging hotspot analysis was carried out to identify the patterns of COVID-19 hotspots in each bin. Both cities featured oscillating patterns and sporadic hotspots that accumulated over four months. This pattern indicates that newly infected patients always follow the recovery of previous COVID-19 patients and that the increase in the number of positive patients is higher when compared to patients who recover. The monthly hotspot analysis results yielded detailed COVID-19 spatiotemporal information and facilitated more in-depth analysis of events and policies in each location/time bin. The COVID-19 hotspot pattern in East Java, visually speaking, has an amoeba-like pattern. Many positive cases tend to be close to the city, in places with high road density, near trade and business facilities, financial storage, transportation, entertainment, and food venues. Determining the spatial and temporal resolution for the STC model is crucial because it affects the level of detail for the information of endemic disease distribution and is important for the emerging hotspot analysis results. We believe that similar research is still rare in Indonesia, although it has been done elsewhere, in different contexts and focuses.
Using Geotagged Social Media Data to Explore Sentiment Changes in Tourist Flow: A Spatiotemporal Analytical Framework
Authors: Jiang Wei , Xiong Zhengan , Su Qin , Long Yi , Song Xiaoqing , Sun Peng
Published: March 2021

Understanding sentiment changes in tourist flow is critical in designing exciting experiences for tourists and promoting sustainable tourism development. This paper proposes a novel analytical framework to investigate the tourist sentiment changes between different attractions based on geotagged social media data. Our framework mainly focuses on visualizing the detailed sentiment changes of tourists and exploring the valuable spatiotemporal pattern of the sentiment changes in tourist flow. The tourists were first identified from social media users. Then, we accurately evaluated the tourist sentiment by constructing a Chinese sentiment dictionary, grammatical rule, and sentiment score. Based on the location information of social media data, we built and visualized the tourist flow network. Last, to further reveal the impact of attractions on the sentiment of tourist flow, the positive and negative sentiment profiles were generated by mining social media texts. We took Beijing, a famous tourist destination in China, as a case study. Our results revealed the following: (1) the temporal trend of tourist sentiment has seasonal characteristics and is significantly influenced by government control policies against COVID-19; (2) due to the impact of the attraction’s historical background, some tourist flows with highly decreased sentiment strength are linked to attractions; (3) on the long journey to the attraction, the sentiment strength of tourists decreases; and (4) bad traffic conditions can significantly decrease tourist sentiment. This study highlights the methodological implications of visualizing sentiment changes during collective tourist movement and provides comprehensive insight into the spatiotemporal pattern of tourist sentiment.
Foam Cells as Therapeutic Targets in Atherosclerosis with a Focus on the Regulatory Roles of Non-Coding RNAs
Authors: Javadifar Amin , Rastgoo Sahar , Banach Maciej , Jamialahmadi Tannaz , Johnston Thomas P. , Sahebkar Amirhossein
Published: March 2021

Atherosclerosis is a major cause of human cardiovascular disease, which is the leading cause of mortality around the world. Various physiological and pathological processes are involved, including chronic inflammation, dysregulation of lipid metabolism, development of an environment characterized by oxidative stress and improper immune responses. Accordingly, the expansion of novel targets for the treatment of atherosclerosis is necessary. In this study, we focus on the role of foam cells in the development of atherosclerosis. The specific therapeutic goals associated with each stage in the formation of foam cells and the development of atherosclerosis will be considered. Processing and metabolism of cholesterol in the macrophage is one of the main steps in foam cell formation. Cholesterol processing involves lipid uptake, cholesterol esterification and cholesterol efflux, which ultimately leads to cholesterol equilibrium in the macrophage. Recently, many preclinical studies have appeared concerning the role of non-encoding RNAs in the formation of atherosclerotic lesions. Non-encoding RNAs, especially microRNAs, are considered regulators of lipid metabolism by affecting the expression of genes involved in the uptake (e.g., CD36 and LOX1) esterification (ACAT1) and efflux (ABCA1, ABCG1) of cholesterol. They are also able to regulate inflammatory pathways, produce cytokines and mediate foam cell apoptosis. We have reviewed important preclinical evidence of their therapeutic targeting in atherosclerosis, with a special focus on foam cell formation.
The Effectiveness of Anti-Apoptotic Agents to Preserve Primordial Follicles and Prevent Tissue Damage during Ovarian Tissue Cryopreservation and Xenotransplantation
Authors: Lee Sanghoon , Cho Hyun-Woong , Kim Boram , Lee Jae Kwan , Kim Tak
Published: March 2021

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) and Z-VAD-FMK (Z-VAD) as anti-apoptotic agents to preserve ovarian function and prevent tissue damage during ovarian tissue cryopreservation and transplantation. This study consisted of two steps, in vitro and in vivo. In the first step, human ovarian tissues were cryopreserved using slow-freezing media alone, S1P, or Z-VAD (control, S1P, Z-VAD group); based on the outcomes in these groups, Z-VAD was selected for subsequent xenotransplantation. In the second step, human frozen/thawed ovarian tissues were grafted into fifty mice divided into three groups: slow-freezing/thawing and transplantation without an anti-apoptotic agent (Trans-control) and xenotransplantation with or without Z-VAD injection (Trans-Z-VAD-positive and Trams-Z-VAD-negative groups, respectively). In the first step, the Z-VAD group had a significantly higher primordial follicular count than the S1P (p = 0.005) and control groups (p = 0.04). Transplanted ovarian tissues were obtained 4 weeks after transplantation (second step). Angiogenesis was significantly increased in the Z-VAD-negative (p = 0.03) and -positive (p = 0.04) groups compared to the control group. This study demonstrated that slow-freezing and transplantation with Z-VAD is an effective method for preserving primordial follicle counts, decreasing double-strand DNA breaks, and increasing angiogenesis in a mouse model. Further molecular and clinical studies are needed to confirm these results.
A Smart Hyperthermia Nanofiber-Platform-Enabled Sustained Release of Doxorubicin and 17AAG for Synergistic Cancer Therapy
Authors: Chen Lili , Fujisawa Nanami , Takanohashi Masato , Najmina Mazaya , Uto Koichiro , Ebara Mitsuhiro
Published: March 2021

This study demonstrates the rational fabrication of a magnetic composite nanofiber mesh that can achieve mutual synergy of hyperthermia, chemotherapy, and thermo-molecularly targeted therapy for highly potent therapeutic effects. The nanofiber is composed of biodegradable poly(ε-caprolactone) with doxorubicin, magnetic nanoparticles, and 17-allylamino-17-demethoxygeldanamycin. The nanofiber exhibits distinct hyperthermia, owing to the presence of magnetic nanoparticles upon exposure of the mesh to an alternating magnetic field, which causes heat-induced cell killing as well as enhanced chemotherapeutic efficiency of doxorubicin. The effectiveness of hyperthermia is further enhanced through the inhibition of heat shock protein activity after hyperthermia by releasing the inhibitor 17-allylamino-17-demethoxygeldanamycin. These findings represent a smart nanofiber system for potent cancer therapy and may provide a new approach for the development of localized medication delivery.
Characterization and Comparative Analyses of Mitochondrial Genomes in Single-Celled Eukaryotes to Shed Light on the Diversity and Evolution of Linear Molecular Architecture
Authors: Zhang Tengteng , Li Chao , Zhang Xue , Wang Chundi , Roger Andrew J. , Gao Feng
Published: March 2021

Determination and comparisons of complete mitochondrial genomes (mitogenomes) are important to understand the origin and evolution of mitochondria. Mitogenomes of unicellular protists are particularly informative in this regard because they are gene-rich and display high structural diversity. Ciliates are a highly diverse assemblage of protists and their mitogenomes (linear structure with high A+T content in general) were amongst the first from protists to be characterized and have provided important insights into mitogenome evolution. Here, we report novel mitogenome sequences from three representatives (Strombidium sp., Strombidium cf. sulcatum, and Halteria grandinella) in two dominant ciliate lineages. Comparative and phylogenetic analyses of newly sequenced and previously published ciliate mitogenomes were performed and revealed a number of important insights. We found that the mitogenomes of these three species are linear molecules capped with telomeric repeats that differ greatly among known species. The genomes studied here are highly syntenic, but larger in size and more gene-rich than those of other groups. They also all share an AT-rich tandem repeat region which may serve as the replication origin and modulate initiation of bidirectional transcription. More generally we identified a split version of ccmf, a cytochrome c maturation-related gene that might be a derived character uniting taxa in the subclasses Hypotrichia and Euplotia. Finally, our mitogenome comparisons and phylogenetic analyses support to reclassify Halteria grandinella from the subclass Oligotrichia to the subclass Hypotrichia. These results add to the growing literature on the unique features of ciliate mitogenomes, shedding light on the diversity and evolution of their linear molecular architecture.
The Analgesic Efficacy of Nefopam in Patient-Controlled Analgesia after Laparoscopic Gynecologic Surgery: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Non-Inferiority Study
Authors: Lee Soomin , Lee Seounghun , Kim Hoseop , Oh Chahyun , Park Sooyong , Kim Yeojung , Hong Boohwi , Yoon Seokhwa , Noh Chan , Ko Youngkwon
Published: March 2021

Opioid-sparing effects of nefopam during patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) are well demonstrated. We hypothesized that postoperative pain control with an opioid-equivalent dose of nefopam as a single analgesic agent for PCA would not be inferior to fentanyl in laparoscopic gynecologic surgery. In total, 135 patients were randomly assigned to the N (nefopam 200 mg), NF (fentanyl 500 mcg + nefopam 100 mg), and F (fentanyl 1000 mcg) groups (n = 45 patients per group). The primary outcome was the numerical rating scale (NRS) score at rest at 6 h postoperatively, and the non-inferiority limit was set to 1. Secondary outcomes were pain severity and incidence of nausea and vomiting for 48 h postoperatively. Mean differences (MD) in primary outcome between the N and F groups were 0.4 (95% confidence interval (CI) −0.5 to 1.3). The upper limit of 95% CI exceeded the non-inferiority limit. The N group showed higher pain scores than the NF group (MD, 1.1; 95% CI, 0.3–1.9) in pairwise comparisons. No significant intergroup differences were observed in the cumulative dose of PCA usage and incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV). In laparoscopic gynecological surgery, nefopam alone showed limited efficacy for postoperative pain control.
Prone Position in Mechanically Ventilated COVID-19 Patients: A Multicenter Study
Authors: Vollenberg Richard , Matern Philipp , Nowacki Tobias , Fuhrmann Valentin , Padberg Jan-Sören , Ochs Kevin , Schütte-Nütgen Katharina , Strauß Markus , Schmidt Hartmut , Tepasse Phil-Robin
Published: March 2021

Background: The prone position (PP) is increasingly used in mechanically ventilated coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) patients. However, studies investigating the influence of the PP are currently lacking in these patients. This is the first study to investigate the influence of the PP on the oxygenation and decarboxylation in COVID-19 patients. Methods: A prospective bicentric study design was used, and in mechanically ventilated COVID-19 patients, PP was indicated from a partial pressure of oxygen in arterial blood (PaO2)/fraction of inspired oxygen (FIO2) ratio of <200. Patients were left prone for 16 h each. Pressure levels, FIO2, were adjusted to ensure a PaO2 greater than 60 mmHg. Blood gas analyses were performed before (baseline 0.5 h), during (1/2/5.5/9.5/13 h), and after being in the PP (1 h), the circulatory/ventilation parameters were continuously monitored, and lung compliance (LC) was roughly calculated. Responders were defined compared to the baseline value (PaO2/FIO2 ratio increase of ≥15%; partial pressure of carbon dioxide (PaCO2) decrease of ≥2%). Results: 13 patients were included and 36 PP sessions were conducted. Overall, PaO2/FIO2 increased significantly in the PP (p < 0.001). Most PaO2/FIO2 responders (29/36 PP sessions, 77%) were identified 9.5 h after turning prone (14% slow responders), while most PaCO2 responders (15/36 PP sessions, 42%) were identified 13 h after turning prone. A subgroup of patients (interval intubation to PP ≥3 days) showed less PaO2/FIO2 responders (16% vs. 77%). An increase in PaCO2 and minute ventilation in the PP showed a significant negative correlation (p < 0.001). LC (median before the PP = 38 mL/cm H2O; two patients with LC >80 mL/cm H2O) showed a significant positive correlation with the 28 day survival of patients (p = 0.01). Conclusion: The PP significantly improves oxygenation in COVID-19 ARDS patients. The data suggest that they also benefit most from an early PP. A decrease in minute ventilation may result in fewer PaCO2 responders. LC may be a predictive outcome parameter in COVID-19 patients. Trial registration: Retrospectively registered.
T2Candida for the Diagnosis and Management of Invasive Candida Infections
Authors: Monday Lea M , Parraga Acosta Tommy , Alangaden George
Published: March 2021

Invasive candidiasis is a common healthcare-associated infection with high mortality and is difficult to diagnose due to nonspecific symptoms and limitations of culture based diagnostic methods. T2Candida, based on T2 magnetic resonance technology, is FDA approved for the diagnosis of candidemia and can rapidly detect the five most commonly isolated Candida sp. in approximately 5 h directly from whole blood. We discuss the preclinical and clinical studies of T2Candida for the diagnosis of candidemia and review the current literature on its use in deep-seated candidiasis, its role in patient management and prognosis, clinical utility in unique populations and non-blood specimens, and as an antifungal stewardship tool. Lastly, we summarize the strengths and limitations of this promising nonculture-based diagnostic test.
Landscape Genetic Connectivity and Evidence for Recombination in the North American Population of the White-Nose Syndrome Pathogen, Pseudogymnoascus destructans
Authors: Forsythe Adrian , Vanderwolf Karen J. , Xu Jianping
Published: March 2021

White-Nose Syndrome is an ongoing fungal epizootic caused by epidermal infections of the fungus, Pseudogymnoascus destructans (P. destructans), affecting hibernating bat species in North America. Emerging early in 2006 in New York State, infections of P. destructans have spread to 38 US States and seven Canadian Provinces. Since then, clonal isolates of P. destructans have accumulated genotypic and phenotypic variations in North America. Using microsatellite and single nucleotide polymorphism markers, we investigated the population structure and genetic relationships among P. destructans isolates from diverse regions in North America to understand its pattern of spread, and to test hypotheses about factors that contribute to transmission. We found limited support for genetic isolation of P. destructans populations by geographic distance, and instead identified evidence for gene flow among geographic regions. Interestingly, allelic association tests revealed evidence for recombination in the North American P. destructans population. Our landscape genetic analyses revealed that the population structure of P. destructans in North America was significantly influenced by anthropogenic impacts on the landscape. Our results have important implications for understanding the mechanism(s) of P. destructans spread.
Therapeutic Potential of EGCG, a Green Tea Polyphenol, for Treatment of Coronavirus Diseases
Authors: Park Junsoo , Park Rackhyun , Jang Minsu , Park Yea-In
Published: March 2021

Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) is a major catechin found in green tea, and there is mounting evidence that EGCG is potentially useful for the treatment of coronavirus diseases, including coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Coronaviruses encode polyproteins that are cleaved by 3CL protease (the main protease) for maturation. Therefore, 3CL protease is regarded as the main target of antivirals against coronaviruses. EGCG is a major constituent of brewed green tea, and several studies have reported that EGCG inhibits the enzymatic activity of the coronavirus 3CL protease. Moreover, EGCG has been reported to regulate other potential targets, such as RNA-dependent RNA polymerase and the viral spike protein. Finally, recent studies have demonstrated that EGCG treatment interferes with the replication of coronavirus. In addition, the bioavailability of EGCG and future research prospects are discussed.
Supplier Selection Risk: A New Computer-Based Decision-Making System with Fuzzy Extended AHP
Authors: Fagundes Marcus V. C. , Hellingrath Bernd , Freires Francisco G. M.
Published: March 2021

Supplier risks have attracted significant attention in the supply chain risk management literature. In this article, we propose a new computational system based on the ‘Fuzzy Extended Analytic Hierarchy Process (FEAHP)’ method for supplier selection while considering the relevant risks. We sought to evaluate the opportunities and limitations of using the FEAHP method in supplier selection and analyzed the support of the system developed through the real case of a Brazilian oil and natural gas company. The computational approach based on FEAHP automates supplier selection by determining a hierarchy of criteria, sub-criteria, and alternatives. First, the criteria and sub-criteria specific to the selection problem were identified by the experts taking the relevant literature as a starting point. Next, the experts performed a pair-wise comparison of the predefined requirements using a linguistic scale. This evaluation was then quantified by calculating the priority weights of criteria, sub-criteria, and alternatives. The best decision alternative is the one with the highest final score. Sensitivity analysis was performed to verify the results of the proposed model. The FEAHP computer approach automated the supplier selection process in a rational, flexible, and agile way, as perceived by the focal company. From this, we hypothesized that using this system can provide helpful insights in choosing the best suppliers in an environment of risk and uncertainty, thereby maximizing supply chain performance.
Shape Memory Alloys and Polymers for MEMS/NEMS Applications: Review on Recent Findings and Challenges in Design, Preparation, and Characterization
Authors: Stachiv Ivo , Alarcon Eduardo , Lamac Miroslav
Published: March 2021

Rapid progress in material science and nanotechnology has led to the development of the shape memory alloys (SMA) and the shape memory polymers (SMP) based functional multilayered structures that, due to their capability to achieve the properties not feasible by most natural materials, have attracted a significant attention from the scientific community. These shape memory materials can sustain large deformations, which can be recovered once the appropriate value of an external stimulus is applied. Moreover, the SMAs and SMPs can be reprogrammed to meet several desired functional properties. As a result, SMAs and SMPs multilayered structures benefit from the unprecedented physical and material properties such as the shape memory effect, superelasticity, large displacement actuation, changeable mechanical properties, and the high energy density. They hold promises in the design of advanced functional micro- and nano-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS/NEMS). In this review, we discuss the recent understanding and progress in the fields of the SMAs and SMPs. Particular attention will be given to the existing challenges, critical issues, limitations, and achievements in the preparation and characterization of the SMPs and NiTi-based SMAs thin films, and their heterostructures for MEMS/NEMS applications including both experimental and computational approaches. Examples of the recent MEMS/NEMS devices utilizing the unique properties of SMAs and SMPs such as micropumps, microsensors or tunable metamaterial resonators are highlighted. In addition, we also introduce the prospective future research directions in the fields of SMAs and SMPs for the nanotechnology applications.
Inactivation of SARS-CoV-2 through Treatment with the Mouth Rinsing Solutions ViruProX® and BacterX® Pro
Authors: Koch-Heier Julia , Hoffmann Helen , Schindler Michael , Lussi Adrian , Planz Oliver
Published: March 2021

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic effects daily dental work. Therefore, infection control measures are necessary to prevent infection of dental personnel during dental treatments. The use of a preprocedural mouth rinse with chlorhexidine (CHX), cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC), or hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) solution for 30–60 s may reduce the viral load and may protect the personnel in a dental practice. In the present study the virucidal effect of the mouth rinsing solutions ViruProX® with 0.05% CPC and 1.5% H2O2 and BacterX® pro containing 0.1% CHX, 0.05% CPC, and 0.005% sodium fluoride (F-) was investigated in vitro. The mouth rinsing solutions successfully inactivated infectious SARS-CoV-2 particles, the causative agent of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), within 30 s. To determine the effective components, CHX, CPC, H2O2, and a combination of CHX and CPC, were tested against SARS-CoV-2 in addition. While a combination of CPC and CHX as well as CPC alone led to a significant reduction of infectious viral particles, H2O2 and CHX alone had no virucidal effect against SARS-CoV-2. It can be assumed that preprocedural rinsing of the mouth with ViruProX® or BacterX® pro will reduce the viral load in the oral cavity and could thus lower the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in dental practice.
Intrusion-Associated Gold Systems and Multistage Metallogenic Processes in the Neoarchean Abitibi Greenstone Belt
Authors: Mathieu Lucie
Published: March 2021

In gold-endowed greenstone belts, ore bodies generally correspond to orogenic gold systems (OGS) formed during the main deformation stage that led to craton stabilization (syntectonic period). Most OGS deposits postdate and locally overprint magmatic-hydrothermal systems, such as Au-Cu porphyry that mostly formed during the main magmatic stage (synvolcanic period) and polymetallic intrusion-related gold systems (IRGS) of the syntectonic period. Porphyries are associated with tonalite-dominated and sanukitoid plutons, whereas most IRGS are related to alkaline magmatism. As reviewed here, most intrusion-associated mineralization in the Abitibi greenstone belt is the result of complex and local multistage metallogenic processes. A new classification is proposed that includes (1) OGS and OGS-like deposits dominated by metamorphic and magmatic fluids, respectively; (2) porphyry and IRGS that may contain gold remobilized during subsequent deformation episodes; (3) porphyry and IRGS that are overprinted by OGS. Both OGS and OGS-like deposits are associated with crustal-scale faults and display similar gold-deposition mechanisms. The main difference is that magmatic fluid input may increase the oxidation state and CO2 content of the mineralizing fluid for OGS-like deposits, while OGS are characterized by the circulation of reduced metamorphic fluids. For porphyry and IRGS, mineralizing fluids and metals have a magmatic origin. Porphyries are defined as base metal and gold-bearing deposits associated with large-volume intrusions, while IRGS are gold deposits that may display a polymetallic signature and that can be associated with small-volume syntectonic intrusions. Some porphyry, such as the Côté Gold deposit, demonstrate that magmatic systems can generate economically significant gold mineralization. In addition, many deposits display evidence of multistage processes and correspond to gold-bearing or gold-barren magmatic-hydrothermal systems overprinted by OGS or by gold-barren metamorphic fluids. In most cases, the source of gold remains debated. Whether magmatic activity was essential or marginal for fertilizing the upper crust during the Neoarchean remains a major topic for future research, and petrogenetic investigations may be paramount for distinguishing gold-endowed from barren greenstone belts.
Novel Capsular Polysaccharide from Lobochlamys segnis
Authors: Schiano di Visconte Gino , Allen Michael J. , Spicer Andrew
Published: March 2021

In recent years there has been a significant effort from food, nutraceutical, cosmeceutical, pharmaceutical, and biomedical industries to discover and develop new natural ingredients. Microalgae have been recognised as potential sources of high value chemicals, with most attention focused upon antioxidants, pigments, and specialty oils. An under-exploited group of biochemicals produced by microalgae are extracellular polymeric substances (EPS). Lobochlamys segnis (formerly called Chlamydomonas segnis) was previously reported to produce a large amount of capsular polysaccharide (CPS) closely related to hyaluronan (HA) under stress conditions. In this work, the purified CPS was characterised and shown to have an average molecular mass (Mn) of about 3.7 MDa, and displayed a highly branched random coil structure unlike the simple repeating linear HA polysaccharide. Chemical analysis showed the presence of galactose, glucuronic acid, and glucose sugars confirming that the product has a different composition to that of HA. Mixotrophic growth and stress conditions were identified and improved upon with a pH control system using acetic acid solution to induce efficient production of CPS. Extraction and purification conditions were also identified exploiting the high Mn of the product. The CPS showed thickening properties and both significant antioxidant capacity and reducing power, which could have commercial applications. This is the first report on the characterization of this novel polysaccharide with non-Newtonian properties similar to HA.
Emerging Challenges and Opportunities in Pharmaceutical Manufacturing and Distribution
Authors: Sarkis Miriam , Bernardi Andrea , Shah Nilay , Papathanasiou Maria M.
Published: March 2021

The rise of personalised and highly complex drug product profiles necessitates significant advancements in pharmaceutical manufacturing and distribution. Efforts to develop more agile, responsive, and reproducible manufacturing processes are being combined with the application of digital tools for seamless communication between process units, plants, and distribution nodes. In this paper, we discuss how novel therapeutics of high-specificity and sensitive nature are reshaping well-established paradigms in the pharmaceutical industry. We present an overview of recent research directions in pharmaceutical manufacturing and supply chain design and operations. We discuss topical challenges and opportunities related to small molecules and biologics, dividing the latter into patient- and non-specific. Lastly, we present the role of process systems engineering in generating decision-making tools to assist manufacturing and distribution strategies in the pharmaceutical sector and ultimately embrace the benefits of digitalised operations.
Child Traumatic Stress and the Sacred: Neurobiologically Informed Interventions for Therapists and Parents
Authors: De Luna Joseph E. , Wang David C.
Published: March 2021

Children experience trauma and adverse experiences at an alarming rate. The negative impact of traumatic experiences on a child’s developing brain is pervasive, adversely affecting one’s thoughts, feelings, behaviors, physiological reactions, and social relationships. Conversely, the nature, pattern, timing and duration of therapeutic experiences can change the brain in ways that support and cultivate therapeutic growth and healing. The purpose of this paper will be to review and expand on two prominent neurobiological therapeutic frameworks within the field of child trauma therapy: the Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics and Interpersonal Neurobiology. We will discuss the ways in which trauma experiences are organized in the brain and how therapeutic and parenting interventions can address the key areas of the brain that are impacted. Further, this paper will expand on these frameworks to explore how the sacred (within primarily a Judeo-Christian monotheistic religious tradition) can be integrated within the therapeutic process—specifically through the themes of safety, relational connection, and meaning-making.
Development of a High-Speed, Low-Latency Telemanipulated Robot Hand System
Authors: Yamakawa Yuji , Katsuki Yugo , Watanabe Yoshihiro , Ishikawa Masatoshi
Published: March 2021

This paper focuses on development of a high-speed, low-latency telemanipulated robot hand system, evaluation of the system, and demonstration of the system. The characteristics of the developed system are the followings: non-contact, high-speed 3D visual sensing of the human hand, intuitive motion mapping between human hands and robot hands, and low-latency, fast responsiveness to human hand motion. Such a high-speed, low-latency telemanipulated robot hand system can be considered to be more effective from the viewpoint of usability. The developed system consists of a high-speed vision system, a high-speed robot hand, and a real-time controller. For the developed system, we propose new methods of 3D sensing, mapping between the human hand and the robot hand, and the robot hand control. We evaluated the performance (latency and responsiveness) of the developed system. As a result, the latency of the developed system is so small that humans cannot recognize the latency. In addition, we conducted experiments of opening/closing motion, object grasping, and moving object grasping as demonstrations. Finally, we confirmed the validity and effectiveness of the developed system and proposed method.
Data Stream Processing for Packet-Level Analytics
Authors: Fais Alessandra , Lettieri Giuseppe , Procissi Gregorio , Giordano Stefano , Oppedisano Francesco
Published: March 2021

One of the most challenging tasks for network operators is implementing accurate per-packet monitoring, looking for signs of performance degradation, security threats, and so on. Upon critical event detection, corrective actions must be taken to keep the network running smoothly. Implementing this mechanism requires the analysis of packet streams in a real-time (or close to) fashion. In a softwarized network context, Stream Processing Systems (SPSs) can be adopted for this purpose. Recent solutions based on traditional SPSs, such as Storm and Flink, can support the definition of general complex queries, but they show poor performance at scale. To handle input data rates in the order of gigabits per seconds, programmable switch platforms are typically used, although they offer limited expressiveness. With the proposed approach, we intend to offer high performance and expressive power in a unified framework by solely relying on SPSs for multicores. Captured packets are translated into a proper tuple format, and network monitoring queries are applied to tuple streams. Packet analysis tasks are expressed as streaming pipelines, running on general-purpose programmable network devices, and a second stage of elaboration can process aggregated statistics from different devices. Experiments carried out with an example monitoring application show that the system is able to handle realistic traffic at a 10 Gb/s speed. The same application scales almost up to 20 Gb/s speed thanks to the simple optimizations of the underlying framework. Hence, the approach proves to be viable and calls for the investigation of more extensive optimizations to support more complex elaborations and higher data rates.
Using ADAS to Future-Proof Roads—Comparison of Fog Line Detection from an In-Vehicle Camera and Mobile Retroreflectometer
Authors: Storsæter Ane Dalsnes , Pitera Kelly , McCormack Edward
Published: March 2021

Pavement markings are used to convey positioning information to both humans and automated driving systems. As automated driving is increasingly being adopted to support safety, it is important to understand how successfully sensor systems can interpret these markings. In this effort, an in-vehicle lane departure warning system was compared to data collected simultaneously from an externally mounted mobile retroreflectometer. The test, performed over 200 km of driving on three different routes in variable lighting conditions and road classes found that, depending on conditions, the retroreflectometer could predict whether the car’s lane departure systems would detect markings in 92% to 98% of cases. The test demonstrated that automated driving systems can be used to monitor the state of pavement markings and can provide input on how to design and maintain road infrastructure to support automated driving features. Since data about the condition of lane marking from multiple lane departure warning systems (crowd-sourced data) can provide input into the pavement marking management systems operated by many road owners, these findings also indicate that these automated driving sensors have an important role in enhancing the maintenance of pavement markings.
COVID-19 Recognition Using Ensemble-CNNs in Two New Chest X-ray Databases
Authors: Vantaggiato Edoardo , Paladini Emanuela , Bougourzi Fares , Distante Cosimo , Hadid Abdenour , Taleb-Ahmed Abdelmalik
Published: March 2021

The recognition of COVID-19 infection from X-ray images is an emerging field in the learning and computer vision community. Despite the great efforts that have been made in this field since the appearance of COVID-19 (2019), the field still suffers from two drawbacks. First, the number of available X-ray scans labeled as COVID-19-infected is relatively small. Second, all the works that have been carried out in the field are separate; there are no unified data, classes, and evaluation protocols. In this work, based on public and newly collected data, we propose two X-ray COVID-19 databases, which are three-class COVID-19 and five-class COVID-19 datasets. For both databases, we evaluate different deep learning architectures. Moreover, we propose an Ensemble-CNNs approach which outperforms the deep learning architectures and shows promising results in both databases. In other words, our proposed Ensemble-CNNs achieved a high performance in the recognition of COVID-19 infection, resulting in accuracies of 100% and 98.1% in the three-class and five-class scenarios, respectively. In addition, our approach achieved promising results in the overall recognition accuracy of 75.23% and 81.0% for the three-class and five-class scenarios, respectively. We make our databases of COVID-19 X-ray scans publicly available to encourage other researchers to use it as a benchmark for their studies and comparisons.
Locomotion with Pedestrian Aware from Perception Sensor by Pavement Sweeping Reconfigurable Robot
Authors: Yi Lim , Le Anh Vu , Ramalingam Balakrishnan , Hayat Abdullah Aamir , Elara Mohan Rajesh , Minh Tran Hoang Quang , Gómez Braulio Félix , Wen Lum Kai
Published: March 2021

Regular washing of public pavements is necessary to ensure that the public environment is sanitary for social activities. This is a challenge for autonomous cleaning robots, as they must adapt to the environment with varying pavement widths while avoiding pedestrians. A self-reconfigurable pavement sweeping robot, named Panthera, has the mechanisms to perform reconfiguration in width to enable smooth cleaning operations, and it changes its behavior based on environment dynamics of moving pedestrians and changing pavement widths. Reconfiguration in the robot’s width is possible, due to the scissor mechanism at the core of the robot’s body, which is driven by a lead screw motor. Panthera will perform locomotion and reconfiguration based on perception sensors feedback control proposed while using an Red Green Blue-D (RGB-D) camera. The proposed control scheme involves publishing robot kinematic parameters for reconfiguration during locomotion. Experiments were conducted in outdoor pavements to demonstrate the autonomous reconfiguration during locomotion to avoid pedestrians while complying with varying pavements widths in a real-world scenario.
Multimodal Sensing Capabilities for the Detection of Shunt Failure
Authors: Gamero Milenka , Kim Woo Seok , Hong Sungcheol , Vorobiev Daniel , Morgan Clinton D. , Park Sung Il
Published: March 2021

Hydrocephalus is a medical condition characterized by the abnormal accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) within the cavities of the brain called ventricles. It frequently follows pediatric and adult congenital malformations, stroke, meningitis, aneurysmal rupture, brain tumors, and traumatic brain injury. CSF diversion devices, or shunts, have become the primary therapy for hydrocephalus treatment for nearly 60 years. However, routine treatment complications associated with a shunt device are infection, obstruction, and over drainage. Although some (regrettably, the minority) patients with shunts can go for years without complications, even those lucky few may potentially experience one shunt malfunction; a shunt complication can require emergency intervention. Here, we present a soft, wireless device that monitors distal terminal fluid flow and transmits measurements to a smartphone via a low-power Bluetooth communication when requested. The proposed multimodal sensing device enabled by flow sensors, for measurements of flow rate and electrodes for measurements of resistance in a fluidic chamber, allows precision measurement of CSF flow rate over a long time and under any circumstances caused by unexpected or abnormal events. A universal design compatible with any modern commercial spinal fluid shunt system would enable the widespread use of this technology.
Electrochemical Genosensing of E. coli Based on Padlock Probes and Rolling Circle Amplification
Authors: Ben Aissa Alejandra , Madaboosi Narayanan , Nilsson Mats , Pividori Maria Isabel
Published: March 2021

Isothermal amplification techniques are emerging nowadays for the rapid and accurate detection of pathogenic bacteria in low resource settings, where many infectious diseases are endemic, and the lack of reliable power supply, trained personnel and specialized facilities pose critical barriers for timely diagnosis. This work addresses the detection of E. coli based on DNA isothermal amplification performed on magnetic particles (MPs) followed by electrochemical genosensing on disposable electrodes by square-wave voltammetry. In this approach, the bacterial DNA is preconcentrated using a target-specific magnetic probe and then amplified on the MPs by rolling circle amplification (RCA). Two different electrochemical readout methods for the RCA amplicons are tested. The first one relied on the labelling of the magnetic RCA product with a digoxigenin probe followed by the incubation with antiDIG-HRP antibody as electrochemical reporter. In the second case, the direct detection with an HRP-probe was performed. This latter strategy showed an improved analytical performance, while simultaneously avoiding the use of thermocyclers or bulky bench top equipment.
NRA-Net—Neg-Region Attention Network for Salient Object Detection with Gaze Tracking
Authors: Kim Hoijun , Kwon Soonchul , Lee Seunghyun
Published: March 2021

In this paper, we propose a detection method for salient objects whose eyes are focused on gaze tracking; this method does not require a device in a single image. A network was constructed using Neg-Region Attention (NRA), which predicts objects with a concentrated line of sight using deep learning techniques. The existing deep learning-based method has an autoencoder structure, which causes feature loss during the encoding process of compressing and extracting features from the image and the decoding process of expanding and restoring. As a result, a feature loss occurs in the area of the object from the detection results, or another area is detected as an object. The proposed method, that is, NRA, can be used for reducing feature loss and emphasizing object areas with encoders. After separating positive and negative regions using the exponential linear unit activation function, converted attention was performed for each region. The attention method provided without using the backbone network emphasized the object area and suppressed the background area. In the experimental results, the proposed method showed higher detection results than the conventional methods.
De-Radicalisation and Humanitarianism in Indonesia
Authors: Ilyas Mohammed , Athwal Rayvinder
Published: March 2021

Since 9/11, de-radicalisation programs have become central to every country that deems itself at risk from terrorist attacks from global terror groups such as ISIS. Consequently, many countries have implemented programs to “inoculate their Muslim populations” and de-radicalise and disengage those Muslims deemed radicalised through securitisation and “moderate Islam”. Such programs aim to persuade individuals to renounce extremist ideas and violence and adopt moderate Islam, often state-orientated Islam, as is the case in Indonesia. The Indonesian government and civil society organisations have attempted to address radicalisation by setting up counter-radicalisation and de-radicalisation programs, with various degrees of success. The central thesis of this paper is that de-radicalisation is not achievable, and the current programs in Indonesia are not effective. The paper will first critically discuss the concepts of radicalisation and de-radicalisation/disengagement. Then, the paper will critically assess the Indonesian de-radicalisation programs by focusing on their shortcomings and unintended consequences, which result in the labelling and stigmatisation of former detainees and their families and hinder their successful de-radicalisation and reintegration. In the final section, the author will suggest that the Indonesian government and civil society organisations need to introduce humanitarian activities to improve their programs and reduce the chances of recidivism.
Protection Conferred by Drinking Water Administration of a Nanoparticle-Based Vaccine against Salmonella Enteritidis in Hens
Authors: Ochoa-Repáraz Javier , Sebastià Eduard , Sitjà Marta , Tamayo Ibai , Irache Juan Manuel , Gamazo Carlos
Published: March 2021

Salmonellosis remains a major medical and an unmet socioeconomic challenge. Worldwide, more than three million deaths per year are associated with Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis infections. Although commercially available vaccines for use in poultry exist, their efficacy is limited. We previously described a method for isolating a heat extract (HE) fraction of the cell surface of S. Enteritidis that contained major antigenic complexes immunogenic in hens naturally infected with the bacterium. One single dose of S. Enteritidis’ HE induced protection against lethal salmonellosis in mice. Furthermore, HE encapsulation in nanoparticles of the copolymer of methyl vinyl ether and maleic anhydride (PVM/MA), Gantrez AN, improved and prolonged the protection against the disease in mice. We formulated new preparations of Gantrez AN nanoparticles with HE S. Enteritidis and assessed their stability in drinking water and their efficacy in hens after experimental infection. The oral treatment of six-week-old hens with two doses of HE nanoparticles significantly reduced the Salmonella excretion in hens. Due to the effectiveness of the treatment in reducing bacterial excretion, we conclude that HE nanoencapsulation obtained from S. Enteritidis is a viable novel vaccination approach against salmonellosis in farms.
Updates on Laboratory Evaluation of Feline Cardiac Diseases
Authors: Gavazza Alessandra , Marchegiani Andrea , Guerriero Lorenza , Turinelli Vanessa , Spaterna Andrea , Mangiaterra Sara , Galosi Livio , Rossi Giacomo , Cerquetella Matteo
Published: March 2021

Laboratory tests can be altered in cardiovascular diseases and the investigation of specific tests or biomarkers may provide additional information about myocardial damage. Traditional laboratory tests, such as cell blood count, serum biochemistry, and coagulation, can be useful in investigating patients, but are not specific. However, markers like Troponin and Natriuretic Peptides may possibly furnish further data on myocardium damage and can be used in both studying and monitoring cats with cardiac disease. Moreover, the evaluation of the thyroid profile is very important as hyperthyroid cats concomitant cardiovascular diseases are very common and they can also be a direct consequence of endocrinopathy. The purpose of this manuscript is to provide the widest possible overview of what is present in the literature about the feline clinical pathology of heart diseases through a rational division of the main alterations of traditional tests and biomarkers.