bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Tuned Microwave Resonant System for Subcutaneous Imaging
Authors: Bing Sen , Chawang Khengdauliu , Chiao Jung-Chih
Published: March 2023

A compact and planar imaging system was developed using a flexible polymer substrate that can distinguish subcutaneous tissue abnormalities, such as breast tumors, based on electromagnetic-wave interactions in materials where permittivity variations affect wave reflection. The sensing element is a tuned loop resonator operating in the industrial, scientific, and medical (ISM) band at 2.423 GHz, providing a localized high-intensity electric field that penetrates into tissues with sufficient spatial and spectral resolutions. The resonant frequency shifts and magnitudes of the reflection coefficients indicate the boundaries of abnormal tissues under the skin due to their high contrasts to normal tissues. The sensor was tuned to the desired resonant frequency with a reflection coefficient of −68.8 dB for a radius of 5.7 mm, with a tuning pad. Quality factors of 173.1 and 34.4 were achieved in simulations and measurements in phantoms. An image-processing method was introduced to fuse raster-scanned 9 × 9 images of resonant frequencies and reflection coefficients for image-contrast enhancement. The results showed a clear indication of the tumor’s location at a depth of 15 mm and the capability to identify two tumors both at the depth of 10 mm. The sensing element can be expanded to a four-element phased array for deeper field penetration. Field analysis showed the depths of −20 dB attenuation were improved from 19 to 42 mm, giving wider coverage in tissues at resonance. Results showed that a quality factor of 152.5 was achieved and a tumor could be identified at a depth of up to 50 mm. In this work, simulations and measurements were conducted to validate the concept, showing great potential for subcutaneous imaging in medical applications in a noninvasive, efficient, and lower-cost way.
A Combination Scheme of Pure Strapdown and Dual-Axis Rotation Inertial Navigation Systems
Authors: He Hongyang , Zha Feng , Li Feng , Wei Qiushuo
Published: March 2023

Compared with the strapdown inertial navigation system (SINS), the rotation strapdown inertial navigation system (RSINS) can effectively improve the accuracy of navigation information, but rotational modulation also leads to an increase in the oscillation frequency of attitude errors. In this paper, a dual-inertial navigation scheme that combines the strapdown inertial navigation system and the dual-axis rotation inertial navigation system is proposed, which can effectively improve the attitude error accuracy in the horizontal direction by using the high-position information of the rotation inertial navigation system and the stability characteristics of the attitude error of the strapdown inertial navigation system. Firstly, the error characteristics of the strapdown inertial navigation system and the rotation strapdown inertial navigation system are analyzed, and then the combination scheme and Kalman filter are designed according to the error characteristics, and finally, the simulation experiment shows that the pitch angle error of the dual inertial navigation system is reduced by more than 35% and the roll angle error is reduced by more than 45% compared with the rotation strapdown inertial navigation system. Therefore, the combination scheme of double inertial navigation proposed in this paper can further reduce the attitude error of the rotation strapdown inertial navigation system, and at the same time, the two sets of inertial navigation systems can also enhance the reliability of ship navigation.
A Simple and Effective Visual Fluorescent Sensing Paper-Based Chip for the Ultrasensitive Detection of Mercury Ions in Environmental Water
Authors: Han Jinglong , Liu Huajun , Qi Ji , Xiang Jiawen , Fu Longwen , Sun Xiyan , Wang Liyan , Wang Xiaoyan , Li Bowei , Chen Lingxin
Published: March 2023

Traces of mercury ions in environmental water can harm humans and animals. Paper-based visual detection methods have been widely developed for the rapid detection of mercury ions; however, existing methods are not sensitive enough to be used in real environments. Here, we developed a novel, simple and effective visual fluorescent sensing paper-based chip for the ultrasensitive detection of mercury ions in environmental water. CdTe-quantum-dots-modified silica nanospheres were firmly absorbed by and anchored to the fiber interspaces on the paper’s surface to effectively avoid the unevenness caused by liquid evaporation. The fluorescence of quantum dots emitted at 525 nm can be selectively and efficiently quenched with mercury ions, and the ultrasensitive visual fluorescence sensing results attained using this principle can be captured using a smartphone camera. This method has a detection limit of 2.83 µg/L and a fast response time (90 s). We successfully achieved the trace spiking detection of seawater (from three regions), lake water, river water and tap water with recoveries in the range of 96.8–105.4% using this method. This method is effective, low-cost, user-friendly and has good prospects for commercial application. Additionally, the work is expected to be utilized in the automated big data collection of large numbers of environmental samples.
Human Arm Workout Classification by Arm Sleeve Device Based on Machine Learning Algorithms
Authors: Chun Sehwan , Kim Sangun , Kim Jooyong
Published: March 2023

Wearables have been applied in the field of fitness in recent years to monitor human muscles by recording electromyographic (EMG) signals. Understanding muscle activation during exercise routines allows strength athletes to achieve the best results. Hydrogels, which are widely used as wet electrodes in the fitness field, are not an option for wearable devices due to their characteristics of being disposable and skin-adhesion. Therefore, a lot of research has been conducted on the development of dry electrodes that can replace hydrogels. In this study, to make it wearable, neoprene was impregnated with high-purity SWCNTs to develop a dry electrode with less noise than hydrogel. Due to the impact of COVID-19, the demand for workouts to improve muscle strength, such as home gyms and personal trainers (PT), has increased. Although there are many studies related to aerobic exercise, there is a lack of wearable devices that can assist in improving muscle strength. This pilot study proposed the development of a wearable device in the form of an arm sleeve that can monitor muscle activity by recording EMG signals of the arm using nine textile-based sensors. In addition, some machine learning models were used to classify three arm target movements such as wrist curl, biceps curl, and dumbbell kickback from the EMG signals recorded by fiber-based sensors. The results obtained show that the EMG signal recorded by the proposed electrode contains less noise compared to that collected by the wet electrode. This was also evidenced by the high accuracy of the classification model used to classify the three arms workouts. This work classification device is an essential step towards wearable devices that can replace next-generation PT.
Measurement of Functional Use in Upper Extremity Prosthetic Devices Using Wearable Sensors and Machine Learning
Authors: Bochniewicz Elaine M. , Emmer Geoff , Dromerick Alexander W. , Barth Jessica , Lum Peter S.
Published: March 2023

Trials for therapies after an upper limb amputation (ULA) require a focus on the real-world use of the upper limb prosthesis. In this paper, we extend a novel method for identifying upper extremity functional and nonfunctional use to a new patient population: upper limb amputees. We videotaped five amputees and 10 controls performing a series of minimally structured activities while wearing sensors on both wrists that measured linear acceleration and angular velocity. The video data was annotated to provide ground truth for annotating the sensor data. Two different analysis methods were used: one that used fixed-size data chunks to create features to train a Random Forest classifier and one that used variable-size data chunks. For the amputees, the fixed-size data chunk method yielded good results, with 82.7% median accuracy (range of 79.3–85.8) on the 10-fold cross-validation intra-subject test and 69.8% in the leave-one-out inter-subject test (range of 61.4–72.8). The variable-size data method did not improve classifier accuracy compared to the fixed-size method. Our method shows promise for inexpensive and objective quantification of functional upper extremity (UE) use in amputees and furthers the case for use of this method in assessing the impact of UE rehabilitative treatments.
Faster SCDNet: Real-Time Semantic Segmentation Network with Split Connection and Flexible Dilated Convolution
Authors: Tian Shu , Yao Guangyu , Chen Songlu
Published: March 2023

Recently, semantic segmentation has been widely applied in various realistic scenarios. Many semantic segmentation backbone networks use various forms of dense connection to improve the efficiency of gradient propagation in the network. They achieve excellent segmentation accuracy but lack inference speed. Therefore, we propose a backbone network SCDNet with a dual path structure and higher speed and accuracy. Firstly, we propose a split connection structure, which is a streamlined lightweight backbone with a parallel structure to increase inference speed. Secondly, we introduce a flexible dilated convolution using different dilation rates so that the network can have richer receptive fields to perceive objects. Then, we propose a three-level hierarchical module to effectively balance the feature maps with multiple resolutions. Finally, a refined flexible and lightweight decoder is utilized. Our work achieves a trade-off of accuracy and speed on the Cityscapes and Camvid datasets. Specifically, we obtain a 36% improvement in FPS and a 0.7% improvement in mIoU on the Cityscapes test set.
Symbolic Interactionism and Communication Patterns: Insights from Army Wives Union Organizations (Persit-KCK), Indonesia
Authors: Poerana Ana Fitriana , Suminar Jenny Ratna , Hadisiwi Purwanti , Rizal Edwin
Published: March 2023

This study aims to determine the interaction and communication patterns of the Persit-KCK (Army Wives Association) organization that have an impact on harmony and cohesiveness among members of the Persit-KCK organization and that build a strong commitment to providing benefits to the wider community in Indonesia. This commitment also increases the loyalty of every soldier of the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI-AD) and their responsibility for upholding state sovereignty, maintaining the territorial integrity of the country, and protecting the whole nation and all of Indonesia from bloodshed from threats and disturbances. The research method used by researchers is a qualitative research method. Researchers used qualitative research in this study to obtain more detailed and in-depth findings and to describe the reality that cannot be measured numerically; however, to obtain the best findings from qualitative data analysis, this research was assisted by Nvivo 12 Pro tools. The study assessed an organization for “soldiers’ wives” and “military wives” by focusing on activities carried out by the Persit-KCK organization (the Army Wives Union, “TNI”, in Indonesia). This activity reveals the use of symbols in a social communication that helps each Persit-KCK member to build an understanding of their duties and roles as soldiers’ wives (TNI-AD), and to contribute positively to the wider community. The study also reveals that institutional communication patterns of Persit-KCK prioritize integrative communication among members (activities that strengthen communication among TNI-AD wives) in all regions in Indonesia. Volunteer and non-profit activities of Persit-KCK have made it a driving actor for the growth of social capital during the COVID-19 pandemic in various regions in Indonesia.
Near-Miss Symmetric Polyhedral Cages
Authors: Piette Bernard M. A. G. , Lukács Árpad
Published: March 2023

Following the experimental discovery of several nearly symmetric protein cages, we define the concept of homogeneous symmetric congruent equivalent near-miss polyhedral cages made out of P-gons. We use group theory to parameterize the possible configurations and we minimize the irregularity of the P-gons numerically to construct all such polyhedral cages for P=6 to P=20 with deformation of up to 10%.
Zika, Flavivirus and Malaria Antibody Cocirculation in Nigeria
Authors: Mac Peter Asaga , Kroeger Axel , Daehne Theo , Anyaike Chukwuma , Velayudhan Raman , Panning Marcus
Published: March 2023

Introduction. Arboviruses and malaria pose a growing threat to public health, affecting not only the general population but also immunocompromised individuals and pregnant women. Individuals in vulnerable groups are at a higher risk of severe complications from the co-circulation and transmission of ZIKV, malaria, and FLAVI fever. In sub-Saharan countries, such as Nigeria, these mosquito-borne infections have clinical presentations that overlap with other diseases (dengue, West Nile virus, and Japanese encephalitis, chikungunya, and O’nyong o’nyong virus), making them a diagnostic challenge for clinicians in regions where they co-circulate. Vertical transmission can have a devastating impact on maternal health and fetal outcomes, including an increased risk of fetal loss and premature birth. Despite the global recognition of the burden of malaria and arboviruses, particularly ZIKV and other flaviviruses, there is limited data on their prevalence in Nigeria. In urban settings, where these diseases are endemic and share common biological, ecological, and economic factors, they may impact treatment outcomes and lead to epidemiological synergy. Hence, it is imperative to conduct sero-epidemiological and clinical studies to better understand the disease burden and hidden endemicity, thereby enabling improved prevention and clinical management. Method. Serum samples collected from outpatients between December 2020 and November 2021 in three regions of Nigeria were tested for the presence of IgG antibody seropositivity against ZIKV and FLAVI using immunoblot serological assay. Results. The overall cohort co-circulation antibody seropositivity of ZIKV, FLAVI and malaria was 24.0% (209/871). A total of 19.2% (167/871) of the study participants had ZIKV-seropositive antibodies and 6.2% (54/871) were FLAVI-seropositive, while 40.0% (348/871) of the subjects had malaria parasite antigens. Regional analysis revealed that participants from the southern region had the highest antibody seropositivity against ZIKV (21.7% (33/152)) and FLAVI (8.6% (13/152)), whereas those from the central region had a higher malaria parasite antigen (68.5% (287/419)). Conclusions. This study represents the largest comparative cross-sectional descriptive sero-epidemiological investigation of ZIKV-FLAVI and malaria cocirculation in Nigeria. The findings of this study revealed increased antibody seropositivity, hidden endemicity, and the burden of ZIKV, FLAVI, and malaria co-circulating in Nigeria.
Viral Nucleases
Authors: Wang Zhengqiang , Geraghty Robert J.
Published: March 2023

Nucleases are ubiquitous hydrolytic enzymes that cleave phosphodiester bond of DNA (DNases), RNA (RNases), or protein-RNA/DNA (phosphodiesterases), within the strand (endonucleases) or from the end (exonucleases) [...]
Manipulation of the Cellular Membrane-Cytoskeleton Network for RNA Virus Replication and Movement in Plants
Authors: He Rongrong , Li Yinzi , Bernards Mark A. , Wang Aiming
Published: March 2023

Viruses infect all cellular life forms and cause various diseases and significant economic losses worldwide. The majority of viruses are positive-sense RNA viruses. A common feature of infection by diverse RNA viruses is to induce the formation of altered membrane structures in infected host cells. Indeed, upon entry into host cells, plant-infecting RNA viruses target preferred organelles of the cellular endomembrane system and remodel organellar membranes to form organelle-like structures for virus genome replication, termed as the viral replication organelle (VRO) or the viral replication complex (VRC). Different viruses may recruit different host factors for membrane modifications. These membrane-enclosed virus-induced replication factories provide an optimum, protective microenvironment to concentrate viral and host components for robust viral replication. Although different viruses prefer specific organelles to build VROs, at least some of them have the ability to exploit alternative organellar membranes for replication. Besides being responsible for viral replication, VROs of some viruses can be mobile to reach plasmodesmata (PD) via the endomembrane system, as well as the cytoskeleton machinery. Viral movement protein (MP) and/or MP-associated viral movement complexes also exploit the endomembrane-cytoskeleton network for trafficking to PD where progeny viruses pass through the cell-wall barrier to enter neighboring cells.
Gender-Responsive Design of Bacteriophage Products to Enhance Adoption by Chicken Keepers in Kenya
Authors: Campbell Zoë A. , Njiru Nelly , Mhone Amos Lucky , Makumi Angela , Moineau Sylvain , Svitek Nicholas
Published: March 2023

Women and men keeping chickens in Kenya aspire to have a source of income, feed their families healthy food, and grow their businesses. Managing animal diseases and minimizing input costs enable their success. This study uses qualitative methods to recommend design opportunities for a veterinary product under development in Kenya that contains bacteriophages (phages) that target pathogenic Salmonella strains responsible for fowl typhoid, salmonellosis, and pullorum in chickens and foodborne illness in people. Our findings revealed the interplay between gender and two production systems: free-range and semi-intensive. Chicken keepers in both systems could benefit from phages combined with the orally administered Newcastle disease vaccine, one of the most commonly used preventive veterinary interventions, or phages as a treatment for fowl typhoid. Oral administration is less labor intensive, with greater benefits for women who have less control over family labor and reported doing more care tasks themselves. Men in free-range systems usually pay for veterinary inputs. In semi-intensive production systems, a phage-based product used prophylactically could be an alternative to expensive, intramuscular fowl typhoid vaccines. Keeping layers was common for women in semi-intensive systems, as they are more economically impacted by reduced laying caused by bacterial diseases. Awareness of zoonoses was low, but men and women were concerned about the negative health effects of drug residues in meat and eggs. Therefore, highlighting the lack of a withdrawal period for a phage product may appeal to customers. Antibiotics are used to both treat and prevent diseases, and phage products will need to do both to compete in the Kenyan market. These findings guide the ongoing design of a phage-based product with the goal of introducing a new veterinary product that meets the diverse needs of chicken keepers in Africa and serves as an alternative or complement to antibiotics.
The Hidden Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Routine Childhood Immunization Coverage in Cameroon
Authors: Saidu Yauba , Di Mattei Pietro , Nchinjoh Sangwe Clovis , Edwige Nnang Nadege , Nsah Bernard , Muteh Nkwain Jude , Ndoula Shalom Tchokfe , Abdullahi Rakiya , Zamir Chen Stein , Njoh Andreas Ateke , Adidja Amani , Ndiaye Sidy , Wiwa Owens , Montomoli Emanuele , Clemens Sue Ann Costa
Published: March 2023

Background: The third round of the global pulse survey demonstrated that the abrupt and rapid progression of the COVID-19 pandemic significantly disrupted childhood immunization in many countries. Although Cameroon has reported over 120,000 COVID-19 cases, the reported national childhood vaccination coverage during the pandemic seems to have increased compared to that during the pre-COVID-19 period. Indeed, the first dose of the diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis-containing vaccine (DTP-1) coverage increased from 85.4% in 2019 to 87.7% in 2020, and DTP-3 coverage increased from 79.5% in 2019 to 81.2% in 2020. The paucity of literature on the impact of COVID-19 on childhood vaccination in COVID-19 hotspot regions poses a challenge in developing a context-specific immunization recovery plan, hence the need to conduct this study. Methodology: We conducted a cross-sectional study using 2019 (pre-pandemic period) and 2020 (pandemic period) district childhood immunization data from the DHIS-2 database, weighted using completeness for each data entry against regional data completeness in 2020. Based on COVID-19 incidence, two hotspot regions were selected, with all districts (56/56) included in the final analysis. The Chi-square test was used to compare DTP-1 and DTP-3 coverage during the pre-pandemic and pandemic periods. Results: In the two hotspot regions, 8247 children missed DTP-1, and 12,896 children did not receive DTP-3 vaccines in the pandemic period compared to the results from the pre-pandemic period. Indeed, there was a significant drop in DTP-1 and DTP-3 coverage of 0.8% (p = 0.0002) and 3.1% (p = 0.0003), respectively, in the Littoral Region. Moreover, the Centre Region reported a 5.7% (p < 0.0001) and 7.6% (p < 0.0001) drop in DTP-1 and DTP-3 coverage, respectively. Most districts in the hotspot regions reported a decline in childhood immunization access (62.5%) and utilization (71.4%). Indeed, in the Littoral Region, 46% (11/24) and 58% (14/24) of districts experienced decreased vaccination access and utilization, respectively. Meanwhile, 75% (24/32) and 81% (26/32) of districts in the Centre Region experienced a drop in vaccination access and utilization, respectively. Conclusion: This study reported a situation where the national immunization indicators mask the impact of COVID-19 on childhood immunization in heavily hit regions. Therefore, this study presents valuable information for ensuring continuous vaccination service delivery during public health emergencies. The findings could also contribute to developing an immunization recovery plan and informing policy on future pandemic preparedness and response.
Establish a Pregnant Sow–Neonate Model to Assess Maternal Immunity of a Candidate Influenza Vaccine
Authors: Yuan Fangfeng , Schieber Teresa , Stein Tara L. , Sestak Rachel M. , Olson Callie J. , Chen Chi , Huber Victor C. , Lechtenberg Kelly , McGill Jodi , Fang Ying
Published: March 2023

While it is well appreciated that maternal immunity can provide neonatal protection, the contribution of maternal vaccination toward generating such immunity is not well characterized. In our previous work, we created a candidate influenza vaccine using our chimeric hemagglutinin (HA) construct, HA-129. The HA-129 was expressed as part of a whole-virus vaccine that was built on the A/swine/Texas/4199-2/98-H3N2 backbone to generate the recombinant virus TX98-129. The TX98-129 candidate vaccine has the ability to induce broadly protective immune responses against genetically diversified influenza viruses in both mice and nursery pigs. In the current study, we established a pregnant sow–neonate model to evaluate the maternal immunity induced by this candidate vaccine to protect pregnant sows and their neonatal piglets against influenza virus infection. In pregnant sows, the results consistently show that TX98-129 induced a robust immune response against the TX98-129 virus and the parental viruses that were used to construct HA-129. After challenge with a field strain of influenza A virus, a significant increase in antibody titers was observed in vaccinated sows at both 5 and 22 days post challenge (dpc). The challenge virus was detected at a low level in the nasal swab of only one vaccinated sow at 5 dpc. Evaluation of cytokine responses in blood and lung tissue showed that levels of IFN-α and IL-1β were increased in the lung of vaccinated sows at 5 dpc, when compared to unvaccinated pigs. Further analysis of the T-cell subpopulation in PBMCs showed a higher ratio of IFN-γ-secreting CD4+CD8+ and CD8+ cytotoxic T cells in vaccinated sows at 22 dpc after stimulation with either challenge virus or vaccine virus. Finally, we used a neonatal challenge model to demonstrate that vaccine-induced maternal immunity can be passively transferred to newborn piglets. This was observed in the form of both increased antibody titers and deceased viral loads in neonates born from immunized sows. In summary, this study provides a swine model system to evaluate the impact of vaccination on maternal immunity and fetal/neonatal development.
CpG 1018 Is an Effective Adjuvant for Influenza Nucleoprotein
Authors: Li Yibo , Chen Xinyuan
Published: March 2023

Current influenza vaccines mainly induce neutralizing antibodies against the highly variable surface antigen hemagglutinin and require annual manufacturing and immunization. Different from surface antigens, intracellular nucleoprotein (NP) is highly conserved and has been an attractive target to develop universal T cell vaccines against influenza. Yet, influenza NP protein mainly induces humoral immune responses and lacks the ability to induce potent cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) responses, key for the success of universal T cell vaccines. This study compared CpG 1018 and AddaVax to enhance recombinant NP-induced CTL responses and protection in murine models. CpG 1018 was explored to boost intradermal NP immunization, while AddaVax was explored to boost intramuscular NP immunization due to the high risk of AddaVax adjuvant to induce significant local reactions following intradermal delivery. We found CpG 1018 was highly effective to enhance NP-induced humoral and cellular immune responses superior to AddaVax adjuvant. Furthermore, CpG 1018 potentiated Th1-biased antibody responses, while AddaVax enhanced Th1/Th2-balanced antibody responses. CpG 1018 significantly enhanced IFNγ-secreting Th1 cells, while AddaVax adjuvant significantly increased IL4-secreting Th2 cells. Influenza NP immunization in the presence of CpG 1018 induced significant protection against lethal viral challenges, while influenza NP immunization in the presence of AddaVax failed to elicit significant protection. Our data validated CpG 1018 as an effective adjuvant to enhance influenza NP-induced CTL responses and protection.
Acceptability of Herpes Zoster Vaccination among Patients with Diabetes: A Cross-Sectional Study in Saudi Arabia
Authors: Al-Orini Dawood , Alshoshan Abdulrahman A. , Almutiri Abdullah O. , Almreef Abdulsalam A. , Alrashidi Essa S. , Almutiq Abdulrahman M. , Noman Rehana , Al-Wutayd Osama
Published: March 2023

Background: Vaccines have recently been made available free of charge by the Saudi Ministry of Health for people 50 years or older. Diabetes mellitus (DM) increases herpes zoster (HZ) susceptibility, severity, serious complications, and negative impacts on underlying DM conditions, which are highly prevalent in Saudi Arabia. This study aimed to assess the acceptability of the HZ vaccination and its predictors among patients with diabetes in the Qassim region of Saudi Arabia. Methods: A cross-sectional study of patients with diabetes from a primary healthcare center in the Qassim region was conducted. Information was obtained on sociodemographic characteristics, history of herpes zoster infection, knowing someone who had had herpes zoster, past vaccinations, and factors influencing their intention to receive the HZ vaccination through a self-administered online questionnaire. Results: The median age (IQR) was 56 years (53–62). Overall, 25% (n = 104/410) of the participants reported their acceptability of the HZ vaccination, and the predictors were being male (AOR 2.01, 95% CI 1.01–4.00, p = 0.047), believing the HZ vaccine was effective (AOR 3.94, 95% CI 2.25–6.90, p < 0.001), and awareness that immunocompromised individuals are at a higher risk of contracting HZ (AOR 2.32, 95% CI 1.37–3.93, p = 0.002). A total of 74.2% (n = 227/306) of the participants reported their acceptability of the HZ vaccination if advised by their physician, and the predictors were being male (AOR 2.37, 95% CI 1.18–4.79, p = 0.016) and having a history of varicella vaccine uptake (AOR 4.50, 95% CI 1.02–19.86, p = 0.047). Conclusions: One-quarter of the participants were ready to accept the HZ vaccine, but this proportion significantly increased when the patients were advised by their physicians. The uptake rate can be improved with the involvement of healthcare providers and focused awareness campaigns about the effectiveness of the vaccine.
Galectins in Equine Placental Disease
Authors: Fedorka Carleigh E. , Ali Hossam El-Sheikh , Troedsson Mats H. T.
Published: March 2023

Galectins are proteins that bind to glycans in targeted cells and function in cell-to-cell signaling throughout the body. Galectins have been found to be involved in various reproductive processes, including placental dysfunction, but this has not been investigated in the horse. Therefore, the objective of this study was to assess alterations in galectin expression of the abnormal placenta in pregnant mares. Next-generation RNA sequencing was performed on the postpartum chorioallantois of two placental pathologies following clinical cases of ascending placentitis (n = 7 ) and focal mucoid placentitis (n = 4), while chorioallantois from healthy postpartum pregnancies (n = 8; 4 control samples per disease group) served as the control. When evaluating ascending placentitis, both galectin-1 (P < 0.001) and galectin-3BP (P = 0.05) increased in the postpartum chorioallantois associated with disease, while galectin-8 (P < 0.0001) and galectin-12 (P < 0.01) decreased in the diseased chorioallantois in comparison with those in the control. In mares with focal mucoid placentitis, numerous galectins increased in the diseased chorioallantois, and this included galectin-1 (P < 0.01), galectin-3BP (P = 0.03), galectin-9 (P = 0.02), and galectin-12 (P = 0.04), in addition to a trend toward increases in galectin-3 (P = 0.08) and galectin-13 (P = 0.09). In contrast, galectin-8 expression decreased (P = 0.04) in the diseased chorioallantois in comparison with that of the controls. In conclusion, galectins alter in abnormal placentae with variations observed among two forms of placental pathologies. These cytokine-like proteins may further our understanding of placental pathophysiology and warrant attention as potential markers of placental inflammation and dysfunction in the horse.
Management of Stromal Corneal Dystrophies; Review of the Literature with a Focus on Phototherapeutic Keratectomy and Keratoplasty
Authors: Ashena Zahra , Niestrata Magdalena , Tavassoli Shokufeh
Published: March 2023

Corneal dystrophies are a group of non-inflammatory inherited disorders of the cornea. This review considers treatment options for epithelial-stromal and stromal corneal dystrophies: namely Reis–Bücklers, Thiel–Behnke, lattice, Avellino, granular, macular and Schnyder corneal dystrophies. Where there is visual reduction, treatment options may include either phototherapeutic keratectomy (PTK) or corneal transplantation. Due to the anterior location of the deposits in Reis-Bücklers and Thiel–Behnke dystrophies, PTK is considered the treatment of choice. For lattice, Avellino, granular and macular corneal dystrophies, PTK provides temporary visual improvement; however, with recurrences, repeat PTK or a corneal transplant would be needed. For Schnyder dystrophy, should treatment be required, PTK may be the preferred option due to the potential for recurrence of the disease in corneal transplantation. This review discusses the literature and evidence base for the treatment of corneal dystrophies in terms of visual outcomes and recurrence rate.
Self-Refereeing System in Ultimate during the Joint Junior Ultimate Championship in Three Different Divisions—A Different Way to Promote Fair-Play?
Authors: Amoroso José , Coelho Luís , Papp Henrietta , Costa Felipe , Christodoulides Efstathios , Cools Wouter , Erdősi Zoltán , Moore, Jr. James , Furtado Guilherme
Published: March 2023

In ultimate games governed by the World Flying Disc Federation (WFDF), all competitors also take on the role of referee. The players discuss disputed calls with each other during the game, and then follow rules designed for these situations to determine how the play continues. The number one rule of the sport is to respect the spirit of the game (SOTG), which encourages competitive play while preserving mutual respect and minimizing the risk of injury. The use of SOTG in ultimate in the framework of self-arbitration as a moral practice aligns well with other tools of critical pedagogy. For this study, the SOTG scores of the WFDF Joint Junior Ultimate Championship (JJUC 2022) were analyzed. A total of 1009 players from 19 countries competed in 434 self-refereed games (29 national teams in the WJUC Under-20 (U20) tournament and 20 teams in the EYUC Under-17 (U17) tournament). All the scores from the individual criteria correlated well with the overall scores, but for the most part, they did not correlate with each other. Our experience with the scoring system has highlighted the importance of participants understanding the meaning of the results and how they may lead to a constructive reflection to improve exceptions, including scores representing fouls and rules knowledge. The findings provide important information for physical education teachers, coaches, and sport consultants and may be of use to design SOTG programs that could foster the experience of sportsmanship and to facilitate the ethical conduct of athletes in either recreative or in competitive contexts.
A Multi-Faceted Approach to Communicate the Risks Associated with E-Cigarette Use to Youth
Authors: Bandara Nilanga Aki , Vallani Tanisha , Gamage Rochelle , Zhou Xuan Randy , Palihawadane Senara Hansini , Mannas Miles , Herath Jay
Published: March 2023

The use of electronic cigarettes among young people has been increasing in recent years. Electronic cigarettes are marketed in ways that attract young people and downplay the risks of these products. For example, electronic cigarettes are available in a variety of flavours, such as mint or chocolate, and it can be quite challenging for young people to understand the potential harms of these products when they are marketed through enticing advertisements under the veil of harmless flavours. Moreover, recent research has shown that electronic cigarette usage may be disproportionately higher for youth with lower socioeconomic status. It is well documented in the literature that electronic cigarettes can have a multitude of negative health impacts on young people. Electronic cigarette use affects all biopsychosocial domains, including but not limited to cardiovascular disease, pulmonary disease, renal disease, mental health, substance use, and interpersonal relationships. Given the increase in electronic cigarette use and lower levels of understanding of the harms these products can have on health, it is essential to develop additional strategies to ensure that young people are made aware of the risks associated with the use of electronic cigarettes. We propose a five factor model that aims to provide support to policymakers, educators, health care professionals, families, and youth. For policymakers, it is necessary to develop policies that limit the access the youth have to electronic cigarettes. In educational settings, educators can incorporate education on electronic cigarettes in the classroom. Health care professionals should have access to tools to ensure they feel comfortable discussing the risks of electronic cigarettes with their young patients. Additionally, families should have access to evidence-based information on the risks associated with electronic cigarettes and on how to communicate with their children about electronic cigarettes. Finally, we should aim to directly reach youth and communicate the potential risks of electronic cigarette use through the social media platforms that they frequent. Ultimately, this paper provides a model that can be used by various stakeholders involved in the public health system. Moving forward, implementing and conducting short, intermediate and long-term evaluation of this model can provide insight into its effectiveness in communicating the risks associated with electronic cigarette use for young people.
Extrahepatic Replication Sites of Hepatitis E Virus (HEV)
Authors: Yadav Kush Kumar , Kenney Scott P.
Published: March 2023

Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is an emerging viral disease known to cause acute viral hepatitis globally. Various genotypes of HEV have been identified that produce genotype specific lesions depending on the HEV targeted population. Pregnant or immunosuppressed individuals develop significantly more severe hepatitis E in comparison to the general population. In the last 40 years, we discovered that the tropism of HEV is not restricted to the liver, and virus replication was demonstrated in multiple organs. Out of the 10 body systems described in humans, HEV produces lesions causing a broad range of extrahepatic clinical manifestations in each of them. Affected body systems include nervous and musculoskeletal, cardiovascular, digestive, endocrine, integumentary, renal, respiratory, immune, and reproductive systems producing systemic lesions. All extrahepatic signs are caused by either direct HEV replication in these tissues, or indirectly by various immune mediated mechanisms. Extrahepatic replication features of HEV allowed it to cross the placental barrier, blood–brain barrier (BBB), and blood–testis barrier (BTB) that do not typically grant entry to viruses in general. Thus, in this review, we summarized the extrahepatic replication sites of HEV, listed the body systems where HEV invaded, and described multiple animal models including immunocompetent and immunosuppressed that were used to study the extrahepatic replication sites of HEV.
Further application of the 1/3 oct band heavy/hard impact prediction method
Authors: Golden Matthew , Patzke Tim
Published: March 2023

Previously, the author presented a 1/3 octave band heavy/hard impact prediction method based on force pulse measurements from a drop tower. Since then, we have been applying the method with a variety of success. The previous paper was based on concrete structures in North America. This
paper will be looking at the validity of the method on lighter weight mass timber buildings primarily located in the United Kingdom as well as traditional concrete buildings. The discuss will be focused on the accuracy of the method across several structures and describe why the method was
less accurate in some applications. The primary cause of disagreement between predicted and in-situ measurements was high levels of background noise and other site conditions.
Informing sound art design in public space through soundscape simulation
Authors: Fraisse Valérian , Schütz Nadine , Guastavino Catherine , Wanderley Marcelo , Misdariis Nicolas
Published: March 2023

Urban sound management often amounts to reducing sound levels with the underlying assumption of sound/noise as a nuisance. However, a reduction in sound level does not necessarily lead to a more pleasant auditory experience, especially in urban public spaces where vibrancy can be sought
after. A proactive design approach that accounts for the human experience of sound environment is needed to improve the quality of urban spaces. Recent studies in soundscape research suggest that added sound and particularly sound art installations can have a positive influence on public space
evaluations. Yet, the role of added sounds in urban context remains understudied and there is no existing method to date to inform sound art composition in public space through soundscape simulation. We present here a research-creation collaboration around the design of a permanent sound installation
in an urban public space in Paris: Nadine Schütz's Niches Acoustiques. We report on a series of listening tests involving High-Order Ambisonic soundscape simulations of different prototypes to inform the sound artist's composition in order to optimize the quality of public space experience
in the presence of the sound installation.
Audio-frequency surface waves over multiple width and depth grooves
Authors: Mellish Steve , Taherzadeh Shahram , Attenborough Keith
Published: March 2023

Previous studies of airborne surface waves have been carried out at audio-frequencies over periodically rough surfaces formed by lighting lattices and bricks and at ultrasonic frequencies over mm scale compound gratings involving grooves of the same depth but different widths. In this
paper, a modal model, which has been found to give comparable predictions to BEM while being much faster to run is used, together with BEM, to investigate audio-frequency sound propagation over grooves of varying widths and depths in the order of cm. Predictions of excess attenuation spectra,
pressure contours and zeroes in the effective reflection coefficient over grooves with multiple widths and depths are used to indicate the nature of the surface waves which involve overlapping quarter wavelength resonances. Predictions are extended to multiple depth grooved surfaces without
and with porous infills.
Modal analysis of Free Vibration of an Extremely Lightweight Panel Model for Bridge Bearing Applications
Authors: Sengsri Pasakorn , Kaewunruen Sakdirat
Published: March 2023

This paper reports a novel extremely lightweight panel model under free vibration. This novel model is likely to be used for railway/highway bridge bearing applications due to its high performance to weight ratio, which offers superior mechanical properties, such as sound and vibration
attenuation, rigidity, and energy absorption. The structure of the model is based on triply periodic minimal surfaces (TPMS) conceived by observing the scales of butterflies' wings. The vibration behaviours of this novel panel model used as bridge bearings are not well-known and have never
been fully investigated under free vibration. Therefore, it is important to comprehend the free vibration behaviours of the model and to identify its dynamic modal parameters. In term of modelling, a TPMS sandwich panel finite element (FE) model and a typical bridge bearing FE model under
free vibration for bridge bearing applications are designed and examined with a computational method. In general, FEA predictions of the free vibration behaviours of the novel panel model compared to a conventional bridge bearing model provide very good results. These results can be implemented
to better generate design standards of extremely lightweight sandwich structures under different vibrations for bridge bearing applications in the near future.
Soundscape design for a residential development: a case study
Authors: Harvie-Clark Jack , Sajeev Seena , Romeo-Pitone Rebecca , Batten Julien , Nabiałek Danuta
Published: March 2023

A soundscape approach was used for a co-housing development in Newcastle upon Tyne, UK. The outcomes are compared and contrasted with a conventional noise impact assessment. In-situ soundwalks were conducted with the co-housing group during daytime and night-time periods, covering locations
with varied sounds and future uses. A virtual soundwalk, including external and internal scenes (with windows open and closed), was created using binaural recordings from the in-situ soundwalk. A separate virtual soundwalk event was organised for the public to investigate the ecological validity
of the auralisations. Data collection and analysis methods followed ISO 12913. The questionnaire responses revealed quite different assessments of the acoustic environment compared with the measured decibel values of LAeq,T. These differences could be explained by the perception of the acoustic
environment. The process helped the co-housing group to identify their expectations and preferences of the sound environment of their future homes. Ideas to encourage and highlight positive (natural) sounds were identified, as were different uses for external areas. The study illustrates the
potential and challenges of using a soundscape approach for residential developments, highlighting the aspects of co-creation and inclusivity.
A comparison of numerical approaches to quantity sound insulation of lightweight wooden floor structures
Authors: Bader Eddin Mohamad , M. Broyles Jonathan , Ménard Sylvain , Bard Delphine , Kouyoumji Jean-Luc
Published: March 2023

Quantifying air-borne and structure-borne sound insulation is an important design consideration for the indoor comfort of a building. Although sound insulation performance is commonly measured experimentally, numerical methods can have time-saving and economic benefits. Further, numerical
methods can be incorporated within building simulations to provide an estimate of the acoustic environment. In response, this paper evaluates three different computational approaches for quantifying sound insulation in one-third octave bands (50-5000 Hz) of a lightweight floor including: an
artificial neural network (ANN) model, an analytical (theoretical) model, and a finite element model (FEM). The three numerical methods are tested on the sound insulation of a cross laminated timber floor. The results of this study show that there are advantages for using each approach. The
ANN model is able to accurately predict the sound insulation performance at high frequencies, but over-predicts the performance at low frequencies. Inversely, the analytical and FEM strategies provide closer estimates of low frequency sound insulation performance but overpredict the performance
at high frequencies. While no model is able to accurately represent acoustic behavior across all frequencies, this work provides numerical approaches to quantify sound insulation performance. Keywords: sound insulation, artificial neural networks, building acoustics, numerical analysis, floor
structures
Noise mapping and acoustic evaluation of different pavements in the city of Fortaleza, northeast Brazil.
Authors: Peixoto Nara Gabriela de Mesquita , Alecrim Carla Marília Cavalcante , Pinheiro Gleidson Martins , Castelo Branco Verônica Teixeira Franco , Zannin Paulo Henrique Trombetta
Published: March 2023

The Climate Action Plan developed by the Brazilian city of Fortaleza has encouraged active mobility aiming pedestrians' prioritization, thermal and drainage benefits, which has led to replacement of Asphalt Concrete (AC) surface layers by Interlocking Concrete Pavers (ICP) and Porous
Friction Course (PFC). This work aims to evaluate the impact of these infrastructure changes on environmental noise levels. As a case study, 25 measurements on an urban avenue were made in 6 road sections with AC, ICP and PFC pavement surfaces. It was modeled in CADNA-A software and some scenarios
with different traffic conditions were compared. The results showed that the use of PFC led to a noise attenuation of 3 dB(A) in LAeq when compared to AC. A reduction in the maximum speed limit from 60 kmph to 50 kmph led to a noise attenuation of 1.2 dB(A). In the section with ICP, measured
data showed reduction in speed and traffic flow when compared to other pavements. Thus, despite the higher tire/road noise caused by the ICP, its application on urban roads led to a similar LAeq. The authors conclude that the application of these alternative pavements, when accompanied by
traffic calming strategies, can reduce road traffic noise.