Balance Values Research Articles

Modifying sucrose esters oleogels properties using different structuration routes

Sucrose esters (SE) have been widely studied as emulsifiers to tailor crystallization in fats. Nevertheless, few studies have assessed the potential of SEs as oleogelators to structure oleogels. This study aimed to evaluate alternative routes that would improve the oleogelation capacity of commercial SEs with different Hydrophilic-lipophilic balance (HLB) values and evaluate the physical properties of the oleogels produced by different routes. Four SEs were evaluated (SP10-HLB2, SP30-HLB6, SP50-HLB11, and SP70-HLB15) using three oleogelation routes (traditional or melting, ethanol, and foam-template). Of all evaluated samples, only the SP50 ethanol route with 10 % SE showed a solid-like structure. This sample presented the highest hardness (0.4 ± 0.1 N) and elastic modulus (4589 ± 89 Pa). SP70 showed a potential oleogel after foam-template approach due to the higher oil binding capacity. SP10 was the only directly completely soluble SE in oil, although it formed a very liquid gel. SP30 did not show a potential or oleogel structure for any of the routes tested.

Multi-class classification model for psychiatric disorder discrimination

BackgroundPhysicians follow-up a symptom-based approach in the diagnosis of psychiatric diseases. According to this approach, a process based on internationally valid diagnostic tools such as The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) or International Classification of Diseases (ICD), patient reports and the observation and experience of the physician is monitored. As in other fields of medicine, the search for biomarkers that can be used in processes related to diseases continues in psychiatry and various researches are carried out in this field. ObjectivesWithin the scope of this study, a dataset containing electroencephalogram (EEG) measurements of individuals diagnosed with different psychiatric diseases were analyzed by machine learning methods and the diseases were differentiated/classified with the models obtained. Thus, it was investigated whether EEG data could be a biomarker for psychiatric diseases. Materials and methodsIn the dataset analyzed within the scope of the study, for 550 patients (81 bipolar disorder, 95 attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder - ADHD, 67 depression, 34 obsessive compulsive disorder - OCD, 75 opioid, 146 posttraumatic stress disorder - PTSD, 52 schizophrenia) and 84 healthy individuals, there are 634 samples (rows), 77 variables (columns) in total. 76 of the variables consist of absolute power values belonging to 4 frequency bands (alpha, beta, delta, theta) collected from 19 different electrodes. 80 % of the dataset was used for training the models and 20 % of the data was used for testing the performance of the models. The 5-fold cross validation (CV) method, which repeats 3 times in the training dataset, was used and with this method, the hyperparameters used in the models were also optimized. Different models have been established with the selected hyperparameters and the performance of these models has been tested with the test dataset. C5.0, random forest (RF), support vector machine (SVM) and artificial neural networks (ANN) were used to build the models. ResultsWithin the scope of the study, the absolute power values obtained from EEG measurements performed using 19 electrodes were analyzed by machine learning methods. It was concluded that classification between disease groups was feasible with a high accuracy (C5.0–0.841, SVM_radial − 0.841, RF − 0.762). It was observed that ADHD, depression and schizophrenia diseases can be differentiated better (F-score = 1, balanced accuracy = 1) once the results were evaluated on a class category basis according to the F- measure and balanced accuracy values. Discussion and conclusionThrough the medium of the analyzes made within the scope of this study, it was investigated whether EEG data could be used as a biomarker for the detection and diagnosis of psychiatric diseases. The findings obtained from this study revealed that by using EEG data as a biomarker, it can be highly predicted whether a person has a psychiatric disease or not. Once evaluated with broad strokes, it is feasible to assert that it is possible to analyze whether the person who consults a physician with a complaint is ranked among the psychiatric disease class with EEG measurement. When trying to differentiate between numerous and diverse disease categories, it may be claimed that some diseases (ADHD, depression, schizophrenia) can be distinguished better by coming to the fore on a model basis. Considering the findings, it is anticipated that the analyzes obtained as a result of this study will contribute to the studies to be conducted using machine learning in the field of psychiatry.

Mindfulness Has Parallels to Indigenous Cultural Practices

Mindfulness Has Parallels to Indigenous Cultural Practices

Comparative analysis of pharmaceutical supply systems of the population of European countries according to a complex of socio-economic indicators

The aim: to conduct an analysis of the state of functioning of pharmaceutical supply systems for the population in European countries and Ukraine based on a set of socio-economic indicators.
 Materials and methods. General theoretical (historical, formal, graphic, hypothetical-deductive) and applied (organizational-economic, mathematical-statistical) research methods were used. The object of research was data that was freely available.
 Results. It was established that the highest volume of the pharmaceutical market volume per inhabitant is typical for Italy (410.18 euros) and the lowest for Ukraine (53.58 euros). It has been proven that with an increase in GDP indicators, which are calculated based on purchasing power parity (PPP) per capita, the range of variation of this indicator by groups decreases, and the number of countries with a negative value of the foreign trade balance also decreases. Within groups of countries, there is a different level of dependence on the import of pharmaceutical products. In Ukraine (the first group), imports exceeded the export data of pharmaceutical products by 8.6 times. For other countries in this group (Latvia, Bulgaria, and Slovakia), imports exceeded exports by 1.3, 1.4, and 4.0 times, respectively. The highest values of the volume of foreign trade in pharmaceutical products were characteristic of the countries of the third and second groups. The undisputed leader is Germany (134,541.0 million euros), in second place is Italy (59,533.0 million euros), and in third place is France (58,568.0 million euros).
 The highest values of health care costs as a percentage of GDP (%) are typical for the countries of the third group and the lowest for the countries of the first group. For all countries, this indicator had a characteristic tendency to increase over time. Growth rates varied both across groups and within groups across countries. According to the indicator of the amount of reimbursement of the cost of drug consumption per person, there was a significant fluctuation of the data by country within the groups. The most extensive range of fluctuations was observed in the third group (284.83 euros). The highest reimbursement amounts are typical for Germany (483.53 euros) and the lowest for Bulgaria (54.25 euros). In most countries, there is a high level (50.0 % and higher) of state participation in the payment of medicine, except for Poland (36.0 %), Lithuania (34.0 %) and Latvia (37.0 %). The lowest values of money consumers spend to pay for medicines (from 13.0 % to 44.0 %) are characteristic of the countries of the third group.
 Conclusions. The established peculiarities of the functioning of the pharmaceutical supply systems of European countries should not diminish the value of the state's aspirations to harmonize the processes that take place to promote medicinal products to consumers

Predicting histopathology markers of endometrial carcinoma with a quantitative image analysis approach based on spherical harmonics in multiparametric MRI

PurposeIdentifying optimal machine learning pipelines for computer-aided diagnosis is key for the development of robust, reproducible, and clinically relevant imaging biomarkers for endometrial carcinoma. The purpose of this study was to introduce the mathematical development of image descriptors computed from spherical harmonics (SPHARM) decompositions as well as the associated machine learning pipeline, and to evaluate their performance in predicting deep myometrial invasion (MI) and histopathological high-grade in preoperative multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Patients and methodsThis retrospective study included 128 women with histopathology-confirmed endometrial carcinomas who underwent 1.5-T MRI before hysterectomy between January 2011 and July 2015. SPHARM descriptors of each tumor were computed on multiparametric MRI images (T2-weighted, diffusion-weighted, dynamic contrast-enhanced-MRI and apparent diffusion coefficient maps). Tensor-based logistic regression was used to classify two-dimensional SPHARM rotationally-invariant descriptors. Head-to-head comparisons with radiomics analyses were performed with DeLong tests with Bonferroni-Holm correction to compare diagnostic performances. ResultsWith all MRI contrasts, SPHARM analysis resulted in area under the curve, sensitivity, specificity, and balanced accuracy values of 0.94 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.85, 1.00), 100% (95% CI: 100, 100), 74% (95% CI: 51, 92), 87% (95% CI: 78, 98), respectively, for predicting deep MI. For predicting high-grade tumor histology, the corresponding values for the same diagnostic metrics were 0.81 (95% CI: 0.64, 0.90), 93% (95% CI: 67, 100), 63% (95% CI: 45, 79) and 78% (95% CI: 64, 86). The corresponding values achieved via radiomics were 0.92 (95% CI: 0.82, 0.95), 82% (95% CI: 65, 93), 80% (95% CI: 51, 94), 81% (95% CI: 70, 91) for deep MI and 0.72 (95% CI: 0.58, 0.83), 93% (95% CI: 65, 100), 55% (95% CI: 41, 69), 74% (95% CI: 52, 88) for high-grade histology. The diagnostic performance of the SPHARM analysis was not significantly different (P = 0.62) from that of radiomics for predicting deep MI but was significantly higher (P = 0.044) for predicting high-grade histology. ConclusionThe proposed SPHARM analysis yields similar or higher diagnostic performance than radiomics in identifying deep MI and high-grade status in histology-proven endometrial carcinoma.

Emulsification and corrosivity study of bio-oil and vacuum gas oil mixtures with a novel surfactant system

Co-processing bio-oil (BO) with petroleum intermediates such as vacuum gas oil (VGO) in existing refining infrastructures provides a promising pathway to transform low-quality BO into value-added biofuels. Nevertheless, the immiscibility between BO and VGO is one of the major obstacles to BO co-processing, especially during the feeding stage of upgrading. To inject BO and VGO as a single-phase fluid and maximize their interactions, emulsification was applied to mix BO and VGO. In this study, a novel surfactant system, based on Span 80 (SP), Tween 80 (TW), and methanol (ME), was developed to suit the remedy to the immiscibility of BO and VGO. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), X-ray imaging, and optical microscopy were employed to examine the thermal behavior, phase stability, and microstructure of the as-developed emulsions. Immersion experiments were conducted with carbon steel (CS) strip coupons in BO/VGO emulsions at 50 °C for corrosivity assessment. Results showed that surfactant ST (a mixture of SP and TW) outranked SP and TW in stabilizing BO/VGO emulsions indicating that surfactants with a middle hydrophilic-lipophilic balance value (approximately 8) are more suitable for BO/VGO emulsions. Adding ME notably prolonged the stabilization time of BO/VGO emulsions. The addition of new mixed surfactant STM (e.g., BO:VGO:STM with a weight ratio of 1:4:0.1) resulted in the longest phase separation starting time (100 min, at 50 °C), one order of magnitude longer than that of BO:VGO as 1:4. The BO/VGO emulsion stayed single-phase for 80, 50, and 20 min when reduced the STM ratio to 0.05, 0.03, and 0.02, respectively. TGA results indicated that hydrogen transfers from VGO to BO reduced the coke formation of BO by 55 % at above 400 °C, highlighting the significance of mixing BO and VGO properly before co-processing. Immersion experiments concluded that the addition of studied surfactants did not show prominent effects on CS corrosion in BO/VGO emulsions.

The Future of English for Specific Purposes Classes Beyond the Pandemic Context as Seen by the Students of Agricultural Sciences

While English for Specific Purposes has been dealt with by researchers all over the world, the insertion of educational technology and online environment is a relatively new concept. This article explores the main aspects of an effective online ESP learning process during the 2019-2020 academic year within the split frame generated by the pandemic context. It also aims at setting the educational frame for the future of ESP classes from the standpoint of the freshmen of Agricultural Sciences. An online questionnaire was answered, its structure being underlined by aspects such as content and skill-related tasks, accessibility, motivation, engagement, educational environment, media and assessment. The use of specialization-related materials is positively adjusted towards the online ESP classes, whereas frequency usage of skill-related tasks shows more balanced values between on-site and online ESP classes. In terms of schedule flexibility, the online medium is the more manageable of the two. If the combination of online exercises, specialized sites, online apps and platforms is clearly the norm for the online ESP classes, on-site assessment is evaluated as being more accurate. Although the students’ answers are relatively balanced, the majority agreed that the online environment is the most suitable frame for the future ESP classes.

Work–life balance and work values as antecedents of job embeddedness: the case of Generation Y

PropósitoEl objetivo de esta investigación es estudiar el balance trabajo-vida y los valores laborales intrínsecos y extrínsecos como antecedentes del arraigo laboral. Asimismo, la teoría COR se utiliza como marco de estudio y así se contribuye a ampliar su campo de acción.Diseño/metodología/aproximaciónSe diseñó un estudio cuantitativo, siguiendo los lineamientos del método hipotético-deductivo. El modelo se valida en una muestra de 211 integrantes de la generación Y con experiencia laboral. Los datos se analizaron usando PLS-SEM.Hallazgosla investigación ha demostrado que el balance trabajo-vida es un antecedente del arraigo laboral para cada dimensión (vínculos, ajuste y sacrificio). En cuanto a los valores laborales, los resultados de la investigación indican que para la generación Y, son los valores intrínsecos los que son significativos.Originalidad/valorel arraigo laboral se ha estudiado en el marco de la teoría COR. De esta forma, se contribuye a ampliar el campo de acción de esta teoría en cuanto a la rotación voluntaria y los recursos tangibles o intangibles que influyen en ella. La literatura presenta opiniones diversas sobre lo que los miembros de la generación Y valoran en el lugar de trabajo y nuestros resultados muestran que aprecian el equilibrio entre la vida personal y laboral y los valores laborales intrínsecos. La muestra está compuesta por personas con experiencia laboral mientras que la investigación sobre la generación Y suele utilizar estudiantes. Las empresas podrán ofrecer beneficios más precisos para retener a la generación Y sobre la base de esta investigación.

Incidence of Acute Kidney Injury in Polytrauma Patients and Predictive Performance of TIMP2 × IGFBP7 Biomarkers for Early Identification of Acute Kidney Injury.

Background: Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common cause of organ failure in trauma patients who survive their initial injuries. It is independently associated with increased morbidity and mortality and prolongs the length of hospital stays. The objectives of this study were to describe the incidence of early AKI and influence of risk factors in polytrauma patients and evaluate the predictive potential of TIMP2 × IGFBP7 biomarkers in this patient cohort. Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of severely injured adult patients who were consecutively admitted to a multidisciplinary ICU from May 2017 to May 2019. Detailed patient data was retrieved from ICU medical records. Fluid balance, urinary output, and sCr values up to 72 h were collected. Urine samples for measuring TIMP2 × IGFBP7 concentrations were obtained and analyzed from ICU admission to 72 h. Results: Among the 153 patients eligible for analysis, 45 were included in the AKI, and 108 in the no AKI cohorts. The incidence of AKI within 72 h, based on KDIGO criteria, was 28.8%. There were no differences in ISS, type and mechanism of injury, heart rate, and systolic BP at admission between groups. Patients with early AKI were older (68 vs. 49 years, p < 0.001), obese (BMI 26.2 vs. 24.7, p < 0.048), and more likely to have previous cardiac disease (27% vs. 5.6%, p < 0.001). TIMP2 × IGFBP7 values on ICU admission were associated with subsequent AKI in patients without evidence of AKI at the time of ICU admission. They were also higher in the AKI cohort and significantly correlated with renal replacement therapy (RRT) and episodes of hypotension. Multivariable analysis confirmed age, previous cardiac disease, and NephroCheck as the variables mostly associated with AKI, with AUC 0.792. Conclusions: TIMP2 × IGFBP7 may help identify trauma patients with tubular damage that may evolve into a clinically manifested syndrome. Prospective studies of TIMP2 × IGFBP7, as a trigger for early AKI bundle care, are warranted.

Analysis of Effect of Internet Resources Sharing on Education Resources Balance

With the development of regionalization and differentiation of China's economy, the unbalanced characteristics of educational information resources in regions, urban and rural areas, key schools and non key schools are becoming more and more obvious. Insufficient information resources, unreasonable allocation of high-quality educational resources, and unfair education in the whole society are the main problems that cause this problem and need to be solved urgently. However, the current evaluation effect of the balance value of educational resources is poor, and it is impossible to accurately analyze the impact of Internet resource sharing on the balance of educational resources. Therefore, this paper analyzes the relationship between Internet resource sharing and education resource balance in detail, establishes the value evaluation model of education resources, and analyzes the impact of Internet resource sharing on education resource balance, with a view to providing some help for promoting the good sharing of Internet teaching resources and the sustainable development of education resources, and realizing the balance of education resources. With the development of regionalization and differentiation of China economic, the unbalanced characteristics of education information resources between regions, urban and rural areas, key schools and non-key schools are more and more obvious, information resources are lack and allocation of limited quality education resources are not reasonable, and the unfair education of whole society is a major problem caused this and needs to be solved urgently. The distribution of education resources in the world and even in some areas has great differences, and the traditional model of higher education development is difficult to quickly reduce the difference. Through the Internet resources sharing, education resources cannot be restricted by time and space, so it can bring the vitality to the development of higher education. It has become an important part of the balanced process of education resources. This paper mainly analyzes the correlation between Internet resources sharing and education resources balancing, and builds the value evaluation model of education resources, and analyzes the impact of Internet resources sharing on the balance of education resources.

Does Total Knee Arthroplasty Positively Affect Body Static-Dynamic Balance and Fall Risk Parameters in Patients With Satisfactory Functional Scores?

ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to determine the balance problems and risk of falling by using digital or computerized methods in patients who underwent total knee arthroplasty (TKA) and have satisfactory functional scores in the early postoperative period.MethodologyA total of 31 participants (24 women, seven men; mean age: 61.93 ±10.75 years; range: 49-82 years) who underwent unilateral TKA were included. The fall risk was evaluated using the time up-and-go (TUG) test and computerized platforms. Patient-reported pain, stiffness, and physical functional outcome measures [Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) and Oxford Knee Score (OKS)] and posture (New York Posture Rating Chart) were evaluated.ResultsBased on the WOMAC scores, there was a significant impact on self-reported pain (p˂0.001), function (p=0.001), and stiffness (p=0.001) between preoperative and postoperative results. The OKS (p=0.006) and the TUG score (p=0.004) improved significantly, but the posture scores remained the same after the surgery. There was a statistically significant difference between the preoperative and third-month postoperative test results of the stabilometric test, bipedal opened eye, bipedal closed eye, monopedal right, and monopedal left foot static balance tests (p˂0.05). However, the disequilibrium and equilibrium dynamic balance values ​​remained unchanged three months after TKA.ConclusionsSatisfactory functional scores according to WOMAC or OKS were achieved in the early postoperative period. However, posture and dynamic balance problems related to falling risk continued to persist in the same period. Although the TUG test results were statistically significant, they also showed fall risk values. Fall risk and postural problems should be analyzed objectively using computerized methods. Early rehabilitation programs after TKA in elderly individuals should be designed accordingly and close attention must be paid to fall risks.

EVALUATION OF DYNAMIC BALANCE IN WOMEN ACCORDING TO SOME ANTHROPOMETRIC VARIABLES

The aim of the study is to examine the dynamic balance order in women in the context of age, height, body weight, body mass index (BMI), leg length, waist and hip circumference measurement values. Thirty-five female volunteers with a mean age of 39.03 ± 7.51 years were included in the study. Participants' ages, heights, body weights, BMI, leg lengths, waist and hip circumference values were determined. Again, the balance values reached on the Anteroposterior (AP) axis and the balance values reached on the Horizontal axis (ML) were determined, including the right, left and double feet of the participants. In the analysis of the data obtained, descriptive and anova tests were used in the SPSS 22 package program. Among the dynamic balance types, it was determined that only the bilateral AP balance level of the participants differed significantly according to the age variable (p= 0.015) and the right foot AP balance level differed significantly according to the body weight (p= 0.030). It was revealed that the balance types in question did not differ significantly (p&lt;0.05) in all other anthropometric characteristics evaluated. As a result, it was determined that the left foot AP and ML balance values in the variables included in the study were at the level of normal or ideal balance values. On the other hand, the AP and ML balance values of the right foot were generally found to be at the level of weak balance values.

Simulations of firn processes over the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets: 1980–2021

Abstract. Conversion of altimetry-derived ice-sheet volume change to mass requires an understanding of the evolution of the combined ice and air content within the firn column. In the absence of suitable techniques to observe the changes to the firn column across the entirety of an ice sheet, the firn column processes are typically modeled. Here, we present new simulations of firn processes over the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets (GrIS and AIS) using the Community Firn Model and atmospheric reanalysis variables for more than four decades. A data set of more than 250 measured depth–density profiles from both ice sheets provides the basis of the calibration of the dry-snow densification scheme. The resulting scheme results in a reduction in the rate of densification, relative to a commonly used semi-empirical model, through a decreased dependence on the accumulation rate, a proxy for overburden stress. The 1980–2020 modeled firn column runoff, when combined with atmospheric variables from MERRA-2, generates realistic mean integrated surface mass balance values for the Greenland (+390 Gt yr−1) and Antarctic (+2612 Gt yr−1) ice sheets when compared to published model-ensemble means. We find that seasonal volume changes associated with firn air content are on average approximately 2.5 times larger than those associated with mass fluxes from surface processes for the AIS and 1.5 times larger for the GrIS; however, when averaged over multiple years, ice and air-volume fluctuations within the firn column are of comparable magnitudes. Between 1996 and 2019, the Greenland Ice Sheet lost nearly 5 % of its firn air content, indicating a reduction in the total meltwater retention capability. Nearly all (94 %) of the meltwater produced over the Antarctic Ice Sheet is retained within the firn column through infiltration and refreezing.

There is more than just longitudinal strain: prognostic significance of biventricular circumferential mechanics

Abstract Global longitudinal strain is a well-established predictive parameter of adverse outcomes in several cardiac diseases, therefore, it is widely used in clinical practice. Despite the significant contribution of circumferential shortening to the global ventricular function, data are scarce concerning the biventricular circumferential strain phenotypes and their prognostic value on long-term mortality. Accordingly, the aim of our study was to assess both left (LV) and right ventricular (RV) global circumferential strain (GCS) using 3D echocardiography in order to determine the prognostic importance of the deterioration of biventricular circumferential mechanics. Three hundred and sixty-four patients with various established left-sided heart diseases were retrospectively identified (age: 64.8±15.0 years, 69% males) with a median follow-up of 41 months. All patients underwent clinically indicated transthoracic echocardiography and left (LV) and right ventricular (RV) ejection fractions (EF) were measured by 3D analysis. 3D LV and RV GCS were also quantified by dedicated softwares. In order to determine the prognostic power of the different patterns of biventricular circumferential mechanics, we divided the patient population into four groups using the median values of LV and RV GCS (absolute values of 27.1% and 17.9%, respectively). Group 1 consisted of patients with both LV and RV GCS above median values; Group 2 was defined as patients with LV GCS above the median, while RV GCS below the median, whereas in Group 3 patients had LV GCS values below the median, while RV GCS was above median. Group 4 was defined as patients with both LV and RV GCS below the median. The primary endpoint of our study was all-cause mortality. Fifty-five patients (15.1%) met the primary endpoint. The overall patient population showed balanced values of LV and RV EF (49.0±15.7 and 48.2±9.4%, respectively). Comparing the population separated into the above-mentioned four groups based on LV and RV GCS values enabled a detailed risk stratification as shown on the Kaplan-Meier curve (Figure 1.) When comparing Group 1 vs. Group 4, patients who had lower LV and RV GCS values the risk of all-cause mortality was more than 5 times higher than in patients with both LV and RV GCS above the median (HR, 5.240 [95% CI, 2.750–9.985], p&amp;lt;0.001). By comparing Group 2 with Group 3, the associated risks for all-cause mortality did not show a difference (HR, 0.461 [95% CI, 0.178 to 1.194], p=NS) as shown on the Kapan-Meier curve (Figure 2). Based on the different phenotypes of LV and RV GCS, decreased biventricular circumferential shortening was associated with a significantly increased risk of long-term all-cause mortality. Interestingly, decreased RV GCS with maintained LV GCS showed a similar risk of adverse outcomes than decreased LV GCS with maintained RV GCS. Our results emphasize the importance of the assessment of biventricular circumferential mechanics. Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding sources: None.

Hybrid consensus and k-nearest neighbours (kNN) strategies to classify dual BRD4/PLK1 inhibitors

ABSTRACT A novel decision-making procedure is proposed here for the first time to identify active/inactive and selective/non-selective dual inhibitors using consensus approaches and pools of k-nearest neighbours (kNN) classifications instead of individual models. Dual BRD4/PLK1 inhibition with adequate selectivity is a potential therapeutic strategy for targeting tumour cells in high-risk patients. We report the unique way to identify both active and selective dual BRD4/PLK1 inhibitors using consensus and kNN strategies together with two sources of receptor-based and ligand-based information which are the ranked binding energies of residues and important molecular features, respectively. The results of consensus approaches were compared with the results of individual kNN models. The chemical space similarity was measured using three different distance functions to increase the reliability. All activity and selectivity classification models were validated using cross-validation and y-randomization tests. The outcomes show that consensus approaches can increase the reliability and accuracy of active/inactive or selective/non-selective detections up to 90%. Consensus approaches also reached more balanced values of sensitivity and specificity compared to the individual kNN models because of the compensation in the integration of diverse sources of information.

Improving physical properties of sodium caseinate based coating with the optimal formulation: Effect on strawberries’ respiration and transpiration rates

The objective of the work was to improve the physical properties of caseinate (SC)-based coating by using a thickening agent, guar gum (GG), and a solid fat phase, beeswax (BW). To this aim, the effect of GG, BW, and surfactant concentration, varying the hydrophilic-lipophilic balance (HLB) values given by surfactant combination, on the physicochemical properties of the caseinate-based blends and film has been investigated. The best formulation has been applied to strawberries to quantify the impact of the coating on respiration and transpiration rates. The results showed that GG, BW, their interaction, and HLB affected the physical properties of the sodium caseinate-based coating. The formulations most physically stable and containing small and uniform solid BW particles were those with an HLB of 9.2. GG affected the viscosity of the blends, whereas the effect of beeswax concentration on viscosity was very low. A 50% of reduction of water vapor permeability was obtained by changing GG and BW concentration. The best formulation, containing 8% SC, 0.2% GG, 2% BW, and Tween 80 and Span 80 at HLB of 9.2, was able to reduce the respiration and transpiration rates of strawberries by 17% and 40%, respectively, at 4 °C and relative humidity higher than 86%.

A self-supervised COVID-19 CT recognition system with multiple regularizations

The diagnosis of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) exploiting machine learning algorithms based on chest computed tomography (CT) images has become an important technology. Though many excellent computer-aided methods leveraging CT images have been designed, they do not possess sufficiently high recognition accuracy. Besides, these methods entail vast amounts of training data, which might be difficult to be satisfied in some real-world applications. To address these two issues, this paper proposes a novel COVID-19 recognition system based on CT images, which has high recognition accuracy, while only requiring a small amount of training data. Specifically, the system possesses the following three improvements: 1) Data: a novel redesigned BCELoss that incorporates Label Smoothing, Focal Loss, and Label Weighting Regularization (LSFLLW-R) technique for optimizing the solution space and preventing overfitting, 2) Model: a backbone network processed by two-phase contrastive self-supervised learning for classifying multiple labels, and 3) Method: a decision-fusing ensemble learning method for getting a more stable system, with balanced metric values. Our proposed system is evaluated on the small-scale expanded COVID-CT dataset, achieving an accuracy of 94.3%, a precision of 94.1%, a recall (sensitivity) of 93.4%, an F1-score of 94.7%, and an Area Under the Curve (AUC) of 98.9%, for COVID-19 diagnosis, respectively. These experimental results verify that our system can not only identify pathological locations effectively, but also achieve better performance in terms of accuracy, generalizability, and stability, compared with several other state-of-the-art COVID-19 diagnosis methods.

Clinical parameters predict the effect of bilateral subthalamic stimulation on dynamic balance parameters during gait in Parkinson's disease.

We investigated the effect of deep brain stimulation on dynamic balance during gait in Parkinson's disease with motion sensor measurements and predicted their values from disease-related factors. We recruited twenty patients with Parkinson's disease treated with bilateral subthalamic stimulation for at least 12 months and 24 healthy controls. Six monitors with three-dimensional gyroscopes and accelerometers were placed on the chest, the lumbar region, the two wrists, and the shins. Patients performed the instrumented Timed Up and Go test in stimulation OFF, stimulation ON, and right- and left-sided stimulation ON conditions. Gait parameters and dynamic balance parameters such as double support, peak turn velocity, and the trunk's range of motion and velocity in three dimensions were analyzed. Age, disease duration, the time elapsed after implantation, the Hoehn-Yahr stage before and after the operation, the levodopa, and stimulation responsiveness were reported. We individually calculated the distance values of stimulation locations from the subthalamic motor center in three dimensions. Sway values of static balance were collected. We compared the gait parameters in the OFF and stimulation ON states and controls. With cluster analysis and a machine-learning-based multiple regression method, we explored the predictive clinical factors for each dynamic balance parameter (with age as a confounder). The arm movements improved the most among gait parameters due to stimulation and the horizontal and sagittal trunk movements. Double support did not change after switching on the stimulation on the group level and did not differ from control values. Individual changes in double support and horizontal range of trunk motion due to stimulation could be predicted from the most disease-related factors and the severity of the disease; the latter also from the stimulation-related changes in the static balance parameters. Physiotherapy should focus on double support and horizontal trunk movements when treating patients with subthalamic deep brain stimulation.

Assembly method in GIS INTEGRO and its usage for solving&#x0D; of magnetic inverse problem

A tool for problem of inversion of geopotential fields has been developed for GIS INTEGRO under the name of “assembly method”, a family of which is currently gaining attention. In the article the capabilities of this specific implementation are being examined in the application to inversion of magnetic fields for regional 3D-modelling of large oil and gas perspective territories. The available methods of control and regularization of minimization of field residual are investigated using synthetic model data in the application to magnetic data and their differences to more well-understood gravity fields. In particular, a value of “depth priority” has the similar effect on model evolution as in the case of gravity problem, but the balanced value is larger. In the last section, an example of the method application is presented: the parameters of lithospheric source of satellite magnetic anomaly associated with Guli massif are investigated.

Study on Change of the Glacier Mass Balance and Its Response to Extreme Climate of Urumqi Glacier No.1 in Tianshan Mountains in Recent 41 Years

Glaciers are susceptible indicators of climate change and crucial parts of the world’s water cycle. In the context of global warming, we took the Urumqi Glacier No.1 (UG1) as an example, which is situated at the source of the Urumqi River on the northern slope of the Tianshan Mountains, Xinjiang, combined with the climate data of Daxigou Meteorological Station from 1980 to 2020, and the change of glacier mass balance and its response to extreme climate are discussed. The results suggest that the glacier mass balance of UG1 showed a downward trend over the studied 41-year period, and the mass loss increased. The cumulative glacier mass balance value was −19,776 mm w.e., and the average annual value was −482 mm w.e.a−1. The Mann-Kendall trend test showed that the change point occurred around 1994, and the mass balance of UG1 became more negative after 1994. In the same period, the changing mass balance trend of UG1 was not the same in different seasons. The inter-annual variation of summer mass balance was drastic, showing a marked downward trend; the inter-annual change of winter mass balance was small, showing a slight uptrend. The changing of extreme climate indices where UG1 is located showed that only TX90p and TX10p changed observably from 1980 to 2020, and the extreme precipitation indices changed evidently and had been on the rise. The changing trend of extreme climate indices indicated that the temperature was rising, the warming was significant, and the precipitation was increasing. During 1980–2020, the glacier mass balance was substantially correlated with the extreme temperature indices (TX90p, TXx) but not with the extreme precipitation indices. Analyzing on a seasonal scale, the summer mass balance was memorably correlated with the extreme temperature indices (TX90p, TX10p, TXx), and the correlation coefficient between winter mass balance and the extreme precipitation index R95p and winter precipitation was in the range 0.36~0.40 (p &lt; 0.05). According to the correlation between glacier mass balance and extreme climate indices, the summer mass balance was mainly affected by temperature, and the winter mass balance was affected primarily by precipitation.