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1.
Cereb Cortex ; 34(2)2024 01 31.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38204296

ABSTRACT

The hippocampal-entorhinal system uses cognitive maps to represent spatial knowledge and other types of relational information. However, objects can often be characterized by different types of relations simultaneously. How does the hippocampal formation handle the embedding of stimuli in multiple relational structures that differ vastly in their mode and timescale of acquisition? Does the hippocampal formation integrate different stimulus dimensions into one conjunctive map or is each dimension represented in a parallel map? Here, we reanalyzed human functional magnetic resonance imaging data from Garvert et al. (2017) that had previously revealed a map in the hippocampal formation coding for a newly learnt transition structure. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging adaptation analysis, we found that the degree of representational similarity in the bilateral hippocampus also decreased as a function of the semantic distance between presented objects. Importantly, while both map-like structures localized to the hippocampal formation, the semantic map was located in more posterior regions of the hippocampal formation than the transition structure and thus anatomically distinct. This finding supports the idea that the hippocampal-entorhinal system forms parallel cognitive maps that reflect the embedding of objects in diverse relational structures.


Subject(s)
Hippocampus , Learning , Humans , Magnetic Resonance Imaging , Semantics , Cognition
2.
Cyborg Bionic Syst ; 5: 0086, 2024.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38234315

ABSTRACT

Anomaly detection has wide applications to help people recognize false, intrusion, flaw, equipment failure, etc. In most practical scenarios, the amount of the annotated data and the trusted labels is low, resulting in poor performance of the detection. In this paper, we focus on the anomaly detection for the text type data and propose a detection network based on biological immunity for few-shot detection, by imitating the working mechanism of the immune system of biological organisms. This network enabling the protected system to distinguish the aggressive behavior of "nonself" from the legitimate behavior of "self" by embedding characters. First, it constructs episodic task sets and extracts data representations at the character level. Then, in the pretraining phase, Word2Vec is used to embed the representations. In the meta-learning phase, a dynamic prototype containing encoder, routing, and relation is designed to identify the data traffic. Compare to the mean-based prototype, the proposed prototype applies a dynamic routing algorithm that assigns different weights to samples in the support set through multiple iterations to obtain a prototype that combines the distribution of samples. The proposed method is validated on 2 real traffic datasets. The experimental results indicate that (a) the proposed anomaly detection prototype outperforms state-of-the-art few-shot techniques with 1.3% to 4.48% accuracy and 0.18% to 4.55% recall; (b) under the premise of ensuring the accuracy and recall, the number of training samples is reduced to 5 or 10; (c) ablation experiments are designed for each module, and the results show that more accurate prototypes can be obtained by using the dynamic routing algorithm.

3.
Waste Manag ; 176: 20-29, 2024 Mar 15.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38246074

ABSTRACT

In this study, the speciation, leachability, phytoaccessibility, and environmental risks of heavy metals (Cd, Zn, and Cu) during liquefaction of contaminated peanut straw in ethanol at different temperatures (220, 260, 300, 340, and 380 °C) were comprehensively investigated. The results showed that elevated temperatures facilitated heavy metal accumulation in the biochar. The acid-soluble/exchangeable and reducible fraction percentages of heavy metals were substantially reduced in the biochar after liquefaction as the temperature increased, and the oxidizable fraction became the dominant heavy metal fraction, accounting for 44.14-78.67%. Furthermore, although an excessively high liquefaction temperature (380 °C) increased the residual fraction percentages of Zn and Cu, it was detrimental to Cd immobilization. The acid-soluble/exchangeable Cd in the contaminated peanut straw readily migrates to the bio-oil during liquefaction, with the highest concentration of 1.60 mg/kg at 260 °C liquefaction temperature, whereas Zn and Cu are predominantly bound to the unexchangeable fraction in the bio-oil. Liquefaction inhibited heavy metal leachability and phytoaccessibility in biochar, the lowest extraction rates of Cd, Zn, and Cu were 0.71%, 1.66% and 0.95% by diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid, respectively. However, the leaching and extraction concentrations increased when the temperature was raised to 380 °C. Additionally, heavy metal risk was reduced from medium and high risk to no and low risk. In summary, liquefaction reduces heavy metal toxicity and the risks associated with contaminated peanut straw, and a temperature range of 300-340 °C for ethanol liquefaction can be considered optimal for stabilizing heavy metals.


Subject(s)
Metals, Heavy , Plant Oils , Polyphenols , Soil Pollutants , Arachis , Cadmium , Soil Pollutants/analysis , Charcoal , Ethanol
4.
Front Plant Sci ; 14: 1232897, 2023.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37701804

ABSTRACT

Introduction: Stripe rust is a global disease of wheat. Identification of new resistance genes is key to developing and growing resistant varieties for control of the disease. Wheat line PI 660122 has exhibited a high level of stripe rust resistance for over a decade. However, the genetics of stripe rust resistance in this line has not been studied. A set of 239 recombinant inbred lines (RILs) was developed from a cross between PI 660122 and an elite Chinese cultivar Zhengmai 9023. Methods: The RIL population was phenotyped for stripe rust response in three field environments and genotyped with the Wheat 15K single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) array. Results: A total of nine quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for stripe rust resistance were mapped to chromosomes 1B (one QTL), 2B (one QTL), 4B (two QTLs), 4D (two QTLs), 6A (one QTL), 6D (one QTL), and 7D (one QTL), of which seven QTLs were stable and designated as QYrPI660122.swust-4BS, QYrPI660122.swust-4BL, QYrPI660122.swust-4DS, QYrPI660122.swust-4DL, QYrZM9023.swust-6AS, QYrZM9023.swust-6DS, and QYrPI660122.swust-7DS. QYrPI660122.swust-4DS was a major all-stage resistance QTL explaining the highest percentage (10.67%-20.97%) of the total phenotypic variation and was mapped to a 12.15-cM interval flanked by SNP markers AX-110046962 and AX-111093894 on chromosome 4DS. Discussion: The QTL and their linked SNP markers in this study can be used in wheat breeding to improve resistance to stripe rust. In addition, 26 lines were selected based on stripe rust resistance and agronomic traits in the field for further selection and release of new cultivars.

5.
Mol Breed ; 43(6): 44, 2023 Jun.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37313219

ABSTRACT

Wheat stripe rust is one of the diseases that seriously affect wheat production worldwide. Breeding resistant cultivars is an effective way to control this disease. The wheat stripe rust resistance gene Yr62 has high-temperature adult-plant resistance (HTAP). In this study, PI 660,060, a single Yr62 gene line, was crossed with four Chinese wheat cultivars, LunXuan987 (LX987), Bainongaikang58 (AK58), ZhengMai9023 (ZM9023), and HanMai6172 (H6172). F1 seeds of four cross combinations were planted and self-crossed to develop the advance generations in the field. The seeds of each cross were mixed harvested and about 2400 to 3000 seeds were sown in each generation for F1 to F4 to maintain the maximum possible genotypes. Forty-five lines were selected and evaluated for resistance to stripe rust and agronomic traits, including plant height, number of grains per spike, and tiller number, in F5 and F6. Then, 33 lines with good agronomic traits and high disease resistance were developed to F9 generation. SSR markers Xgwm251 and Xgwm192 flank linked with the Yr62 were used to detect the presence of Yr62 in these 33 F9 lines. Of these, 22 lines were confirmed with the resistance gene Yr62. Finally, nine lines with good agronomic traits and disease resistance were successfully selected. The selected wheat lines in this study provide material support for the future breeding of wheat for stripe rust resistance. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11032-023-01393-1.

6.
J Pain Res ; 15: 2919-2926, 2022.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-36132993

ABSTRACT

Purpose: To describe the operative technique and clinical effects of three-column enhanced percutaneous vertebroplasty used to treat Kummell's disease. Methods: From April 2017 to April 2020, 39 patients with Kummell's disease were treated via three-column enhanced percutaneous vertebroplasty. There were 12 males and 27 females of average age 70.23 ± 7.41 years. The operative time, volume of bone cement injected, and intraoperative cement leakage were recorded. The patients were re-examined postoperatively. The VAS was used to evaluate low back pain and the ODI score to evaluate improvement in the quality-of-life. Results: All patients were successfully operated upon; the average operation time was 35.1±4.7 min and average volume of bone cement injected 4.5±0.92 mL. Five cases exhibited bone cement leakage during operation, two into the intervertebral disc and three into the anterior upper margin of the vertebral body. No leakage into the vertebral canal occurred. The average hospital stay was 2.50±0.86 days. The VAS score before operation was 7.47±0.24, but low back pain symptoms were significantly relieved after operation (P < 0.05). The VAS scores at 1 day and 1, 3, 6, and 12 months after operation were 2.91±0.09, 2.04±0.07, 1.59±0.05, 1.28±0.15, and 0.8±0.18, respectively. The preoperative ODI score was 72.97±1.45 and significantly decreased postoperatively (P < 0.05), being 30.08±1.79 at 1 day, and 25.35±0.94, 23.19±1.76, 20.49±0.65, and 20.05±0.58 at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months after operation respectively. Conclusion: Three-column enhanced percutaneous vertebroplasty effectively treats Kummell's disease. The surgical trauma is low, recovery rapid, and bone cement fixation firm, especially in patients with stage I and II disease.

7.
Eur J Neurosci ; 56(8): 5235-5259, 2022 10.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-36028218

ABSTRACT

Our understanding of post-stroke language function is largely based on older age groups, who show increasing age-related brain pathology and neural reorganisation. To illustrate language outcomes in the young-adult brain, we present the case of J., a 23-year-old woman with chronic aphasia from a left-hemisphere stroke affecting the temporal lobe. Diffusion MRI-based tractography indicated that J.'s language-relevant white-matter structures were severely damaged. Employing magnetoencephalography (MEG), we explored J.'s conceptual preparation and word planning abilities using context-driven and bare picture-naming tasks. These revealed naming deficits, manifesting as word-finding difficulties and semantic paraphasias about half of the time. Naming was however facilitated by semantically constraining lead-in sentences. Altogether, this pattern indicates disrupted lexical-semantic and phonological retrieval abilities. MEG revealed that J.'s conceptual and naming-related neural responses were supported by the right hemisphere, compared to the typical left-lateralised brain response of a matched control. Differential recruitment of right-hemisphere structures (330-440 ms post-picture onset) was found concurrently during successful naming (right mid-to-posterior temporal lobe) and word-finding attempts (right inferior frontal gyrus). Disconnection of the temporal lobes via corpus callosum was not critical for recruitment of the right hemisphere in visually guided naming, possibly due to neural activity right lateralising from the outset. Although J.'s right hemisphere responded in a timely manner during word planning, its lexical and phonological retrieval abilities remained modest.


Subject(s)
Aphasia , Stroke , Adult , Aged , Aphasia/pathology , Brain Mapping , Female , Humans , Magnetic Resonance Imaging , Semantics , Stroke/complications , Stroke/diagnostic imaging , Temporal Lobe/diagnostic imaging , Young Adult
8.
Waste Manag ; 150: 75-89, 2022 Aug 01.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-35809372

ABSTRACT

Anaerobic digestion and composting are attracting increasing attention due to the increased production of animal manure. It is essential to know about the fate and bioavailability of heavy metals (HMs) for further utilisation of animal manure. This review has systematically summarised the migration of HMs and the transformation of several typical HMs (Cu, Zn, Cd, As, and Pb) during anaerobic digestion and composting. The results showed that organic matter degradation increased the HMs content in biogas residue and compost (with the exception of As in compost). HMs migrated into biogas residue during anaerobic digestion through various mechanisms. Most of HMs in biogas residue and compost exceeded relevant standards. Then, anaerobic digestion increased the bioavailable fractions proportion in Zn and Cd, decreased the F4 proportion, and raised them more than moderate environmental risks. As (III) was the main species in the digester, which extremely increased As toxicity. The increase of F3 proportion in Cu and Pb was due to sulphide formation in biogas residue. Whereas, the high humus content in compost greatly increased the F3 proportion in Cu. The F1 proportion in Zn decreased, but the plant availability of Zn in compost did not reduce significantly. Cd and As mainly converted the bioavailable fractions into stable fractions during composting, but As (V) toxicity needs to be concerned. Moreover, additives are only suitable for animal manure treated with slightly HM contaminated. Therefore, it is necessary to combine more comprehensive methods to improve the manure treatment and make product utilisation safer.


Subject(s)
Composting , Metals, Heavy , Anaerobiosis , Animals , Biofuels , Biological Availability , Cadmium , Lead , Manure , Metals, Heavy/analysis , Soil/chemistry
9.
Sci Total Environ ; 845: 157384, 2022 Nov 01.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-35843318

ABSTRACT

As a common biological engineering technology, anaerobic digestion can stabilize sewage sludge and convert the carbon compounds into renewable energy (i.e., methane). However, anaerobic digestion of sewage sludge is severely affected by antibiotics. This review summarizes the effects of different antibiotics on anaerobic digestion of sewage sludge, including production of methane and volatile fatty acids (VFAs), and discusses the impact of antibiotics on biotransformation processes (solubilization, hydrolysis, acidification, acetogenesis and methanogenesis). Moreover, the effects of different antibiotics on microbial community structure (bacteria and archaea) were determined. Most of the research results showed that antibiotics at environmentally relevant concentrations can reduce biogas production mainly by inhibiting methanogenic processes, that is, methanogenic archaea activity, while a few antibiotics can improve biogas production. Moreover, the combination of multiple environmental concentrations of antibiotics inhibited the efficiency of methane production from sludge anaerobic digestion. In addition, some lab-scale pretreatment methods (e.g., ozone, ultrasonic combined ozone, zero-valent iron, Fe3+ and magnetite) can promote the performance of anaerobic digestion of sewage sludge inhibited by antibiotics.


Subject(s)
Microbiota , Ozone , Anaerobiosis , Anti-Bacterial Agents/pharmacology , Archaea/metabolism , Biofuels , Bioreactors , Methane/metabolism , Sewage/microbiology
10.
Parkinsonism Relat Disord ; 96: 22-28, 2022 03.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-35124409

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: There are some validated rating scales to assess severity of Essential tremor (ET), the most common cause of action tremor. Clinical evaluation through telematic consultations has been expanding in the last decade. Patients' self-assessment of tremor severity at home could constitute a useful tool in telemedicine. This paper aims to assess intrarater and interrater reliability of ET severity using Fahn-Tolosa Marin Tremor Rating Scale (FTMTRS) for patients' and neurologists' ratings. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Patients were instructed on how to perform and rate the FTMTRS tasks. Supervised by neurologists, each patient performed one FTMTRS self-assessment at the hospital, which was rated in a blinded way by two neurologists, and six more self-assessments at home afterwards. Postural, intention and specific-tasks tremor were rated. A cumulative linked mixed model was used to assess intrarater and interrater reliability. RESULTS: A total of 161 self-assessments from 19 patients were analyzed. Intrarater reliability of patients' self-ratings at home showed ICCs between 0.843 and 0.962. Interrater ICCs of neurologists' ratings were also excellent for all tremor types (0.903-0.987). Concordance between neurologists' and patients' assessments showed ICCs ranging from 0.407 to 0.824, with the higher agreement for writing/drawing-related tremor (0.824; CI 95% 0.634-0.989). CONCLUSIONS: The rating of ET severity from FTMTRS self-assessments performed by well-trained patients at home could be a suitable clinical measure to assess tremor in non-face-to-face medical consultations. The assessment of tremor during specific tasks could be the most efficient measure for the patient self-assessment at home. These results could be useful in telemedicine.


Subject(s)
Essential Tremor , Telemedicine , Essential Tremor/diagnosis , Humans , Reproducibility of Results , Self-Assessment , Tremor
11.
Br J Neurosurg ; : 1-8, 2021 Sep 15.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-34524042

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: This retrospective study investigated the clinical and radiographic outcomes following temporary transpedicular posterior instrumentation between two cohorts of patients with thoracolumbar fractures (TLF) who underwent selective or bi-segments intervertebral articular process fusion. METHODS: Patients with TLF who underwent the temporary posterior fixation with selective fusion (Group SF), or bi-segments fusion (Group BF) were studied. Superior intervertebral articular process and interlaminar fusion were performed in Group SF, whereas in Group BF, the patients underwent bi-segments fusion in both superior and inferior articular processes, as well as interlaminar fusion. We measured the distal and proximal intervertebral mobility, regional kyphotic angle, and vertebral height before and after surgery in both groups. Greenough Low-Back Outcome Score was used to assess the clinical outcomes. RESULTS: Sixty-five patients with TLF from T12 to L2 fractures were enrolled in the study period: 33 patients in the Group SF and 32 patients in the Group BF. All the patients experienced fracture healing (mean follow-up time: 19.7 months). The mean postoperative functional outcomes were 65.0 ± 2.0 points for the Low-Back Outcome Score in the Group SF and 65.2 ± 1.8 for the Group BF. A progressive regional kyphotic angle was observed with time regardless of fusion but was not significantly different between the two groups. There was a statistical difference between unfused inferior proximal adjacent and inferior distal adjacent segment regardless of fracture segments. CONCLUSIONS: The strategy of selective fusion is reported to be useful for the treatment of patients with TLF. The motion in the un-fused and adjacent segment could be better regained after instrumentation removal in the selective fusion group. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level 3.

12.
Neuropsychologia ; 161: 107988, 2021 10 15.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-34389320

ABSTRACT

Retrieval from semantic memory of conceptual and lexical information is essential for producing speech. It is unclear whether there are differences in the neural mechanisms of conceptual and lexical retrieval when spreading activation through semantic memory is initiated by verbal or nonverbal settings. The same twenty participants took part in two EEG experiments. The first experiment examined conceptual and lexical retrieval following nonverbal settings, whereas the second experiment was a replication of previous studies examining conceptual and lexical retrieval following verbal settings. Target pictures were presented after constraining and nonconstraining contexts. In the nonverbal settings, contexts were provided as two priming pictures (e.g., constraining: nest, feather; nonconstraining: anchor, lipstick; target picture: BIRD). In the verbal settings, contexts were provided as sentences (e.g., constraining: "The farmer milked a …"; nonconstraining: "The child drew a …"; target picture: COW). Target pictures were named faster following constraining contexts in both experiments, indicating that conceptual preparation starts before target picture onset in constraining conditions. In the verbal experiment, we replicated the alpha-beta power decreases in constraining relative to nonconstraining conditions before target picture onset. No such power decreases were found in the nonverbal experiment. Power decreases in constraining relative to nonconstraining conditions were significantly different between experiments. Our findings suggest that participants engage in conceptual preparation following verbal and nonverbal settings, albeit differently. The retrieval of a target word, initiated by verbal settings, is associated with alpha-beta power decreases. By contrast, broad conceptual preparation alone, prompted by nonverbal settings, does not seem enough to elicit alpha-beta power decreases. These findings have implications for theories of oscillations and semantic memory.


Subject(s)
Semantics , Speech , Family , Humans , Memory , Motor Activity
13.
Sci Rep ; 11(1): 11994, 2021 06 07.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-34099807

ABSTRACT

This study was conducted to investigate the speciation, bioavailability and environmental risk of heavy metals (HMs) in chicken manure (CM) and water-washed swine manure (WSM) and their biochars produced at different pyrolysis temperatures (200 to 800 °C). As the pyrolysis temperature increased, the remaining proportion, toxicity characteristic leaching procedure (TCLP), HCl and diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid (DTPA) of HMs gradually declined. This result proved that the speciation of HMs in chicken manure biochars (CMB) and water-washed swine manure biochars (WSMB) was influenced by pyrolysis temperature. The proportions of stable fractions were enhanced with increased pyrolysis temperature and weakened the HM validity for vegetation at 800 °C. Finally, the results of the risk assessment showed that the environmental risk of HMs in CMB and WSMB decreased with increasing pyrolysis temperature. Therefore, pyrolysis at 800 °C can provide a practical approach to lessen the initial and underlying heavy metal toxicity of CMB and WSMB to the environment.

14.
Sci Total Environ ; 785: 147303, 2021 Sep 01.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-33933769

ABSTRACT

Peroxyacetyl nitrate (PAN) is the most important reservoir of nitrogen oxides, with effects on atmospheric oxidation capacity and regional nitrogen distribution. The first yearlong observational study of PAN was conducted from September 2018 to August 2019 at a suburban site and an urban site in Zhengzhou, Henan Province, central China. Compared with studies over the past two decades, summer PAN pollution at the suburban site and winter PAN pollution at both sites were more significant, with annual average concentrations of 1.96 ± 1.44 and 2.01 ± 1.59 ppbv, respectively. Seasonal PAN discrepancies between the urban and suburban areas were analyzed in detail. Active PAN formation, regional transport, photochemical precursors, and PAN lifetime played key roles during seasons with elevated PAN (winter and spring). According to the results of cluster analysis and potential source contribution function analysis, during the cold months, short-distance air mass transport from the east, south, and southeast of Henan Province and southern Hebei Province increased PAN pollution in urban Zhengzhou. PAN source areas were located in circumjacent industrial cities surrounding Zhengzhou except in the northeastern direction. Based on the relationships between pollutant concentrations, wind speed, and wind direction, a strong positive correlation between PAN and PM2.5 (and O3) existed in winter due to their joint transport. A slow-moving, low-height air mass passed through surrounding industrial cities before reaching the study area, carrying both pollutants and leading to strong consistency between PAN and O3 levels. The long-term PAN characteristics described in this study will help clarify the causes of regional air pollution in inland city agglomerations. Moreover, the PAN correlations and joint transport of PAN and PM2.5 (or O3) support the use of PAN as an indicator of air pollution introduced from surrounding industrial areas.

15.
Sensors (Basel) ; 20(20)2020 Oct 16.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-33081193

ABSTRACT

The strategic design of organizations in an environment where complexity is constantly increasing, as in the cyber-physical systems typical of Industry 4.0, is a process full of uncertainties. Leaders are forced to make decisions that affect other organizational units without being sure that their decisions are the right ones. Previously to this work, genetic algorithms were able to calculate the state of alignment of industrial processes that were measured through certain key performance indicators (KPIs) to ensure that the leaders of the Industry 4.0 make decisions that are aligned with the strategic objectives of the organization. However, the computational cost of these algorithms increases exponentially with the number of KPIs. That is why this work makes use of the principles of quantum computing to present the strategic design of organizations from a novel point of view: Quantum Strategic Organizational Design (QSOD). The effectiveness of the application of these principles is shown with a real case study, in which the computing time is reduced from hundreds of hours to seconds. This has very powerful practical applications for industry leaders, since, with this new approach, they can potentially allow a better understanding of the complex processes underlying the strategic design of organizations and, above all, make decisions in real-time.

16.
J Pain Res ; 13: 2181-2186, 2020.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-32922068

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: To determine the association between preoperative lumbar epidural injections (LEIs) in the operating theater (OR) and the occurrence of surgical site infection (SSI) after posterior lumbar instrumented fusion surgery. METHODS: This study was performed from January 2015 to September 2019. We enrolled 2312 patients who underwent lumbar surgery without LEIs (control group) and 469 patients who underwent lumbar surgery after LEIs in the OR. We further separated the patients by the time interval between the LEIs and surgery: 1) for the 0-1 M group, lumbar surgery was performed within 1 month after the LEIs, and 2) for the >1 M group, it was performed more than 1 month after the LEIs. RESULTS: The postoperative infection rate in the 0-1 M group was considerably higher than that in the control group (p = 0.0101). We further subdivided the 0-1 M and >1 M groups into four subgroups: a) the 0-1 MNS group included patients in the 0-1 M group who did not receive steroids; b) the 0-1 MS group who received steroids; c) the >1 MNS group included patients in the >1 M group who did not receive steroids; d) the >1 MS group who received steroids. The postoperative infection rate in the 0-1 MS subgroup was considerably higher than that in the control group (p = 0.0018). However, the infection rate was lower in the >1 MS subgroup (p = 0.1650). There were no statistically significant differences in the postoperative infection rate between the control group and the two non-steroid groups (0-1 MNS group, p = 0.4961; 1 MNS group, p = 0.7381). CONCLUSION: The administration of LEIs without steroids in the OR before lumbar instrumented fusion does not significantly increase patients' risk of postoperative infection. We recommend avoiding steroid injections administered within 1 month before lumbar instrumented fusion.

17.
Sensors (Basel) ; 20(11)2020 May 27.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-32471234

ABSTRACT

Information-intensive transformation is vital to realize the Industry 4.0 paradigm, where processes, systems, and people are in a connected environment. Current factories must combine different sources of knowledge with different technological layers. Taking into account data interconnection and information transparency, it is necessary to enhance the existing frameworks. This paper proposes an extension to an existing framework, which enables access to knowledge about the different data sources available, including data from operators. To develop the interoperability principle, a specific proposal to provide a (public and encrypted) data management solution to ensure information transparency is presented, which enables semantic data treatment and provides an appropriate context to allow data fusion. This proposal is designed also considering the Privacy by Design option. As a proof of application case, an implementation was carried out regarding the logistics of the delivery of industrial components in the construction sector, where different stakeholders may benefit from shared knowledge under the proposed architecture.

18.
J Cogn Neurosci ; 32(8): 1497-1507, 2020 08.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-32286133

ABSTRACT

Little is known about language impairment in brain tumor patients, especially in the presurgical phase. Impairment in this population may be missed because standardized tests fail to capture mild deficits. Additionally, neuroplasticity may also contribute to minimizing language impairments. We examined 14 presurgical patients with brain tumors in the language-dominant hemisphere using magnetoencephalography (MEG) while they performed a demanding picture-word interference task, that is, participants name pictures while ignoring distractor words. Brain tumor patients had behavioral picture-naming effects typically observed in healthy controls. The MEG responses also showed the expected pattern in its timing and amplitude modulation typical of controls, but with an altered spatial distribution of right hemisphere sources, in contrast to the classic left hemisphere source found in healthy individuals. This finding supports tumor-induced neural reorganization of language before surgery. Crucially, the use of electrophysiology allowed us to show the "same" neuronal response in terms of its timing and amplitude modulation in the right hemisphere, supporting the hypothesis that the processes performed by the right hemisphere following reorganization are similar in nature to those (previously) performed by the left hemisphere. We also identified one participant with a fast-growing tumor affecting large parts of critical language areas and underlying ventral and dorsal white matter tracts who showed a deviant pattern in behavior and in the MEG event-related responses. In conclusion, our results attest to the validity of using a demanding picture-naming task in presurgical patients and provide evidence for neuroplasticity, with the right hemisphere performing similar computations as the left hemisphere typically performs.


Subject(s)
Brain Neoplasms , Magnetoencephalography , Brain Mapping , Humans , Language , Neuronal Plasticity
19.
Sensors (Basel) ; 20(7)2020 Apr 03.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-32260123

ABSTRACT

Recent advances in technology have empowered the widespread application of cyber-physical systems in manufacturing and fostered the Industry 4.0 paradigm. In the factories of the future, it is possible that all items, including operators, will be equipped with integrated communication and data processing capabilities. Operators can become part of the smart manufacturing systems, and this fosters a paradigm shift from independent automated and human activities to Vhuman-cyber-physical systems (HCPSs). In this context, a Healthy Operator 4.0 (HO4.0) concept was proposed, based on a systemic view of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and wearable technology. For the implementation of this relatively new concept, we constructed a unified architecture to support the integration of different enabling technologies. We designed an implementation model to facilitate the practical application of this concept in industry. The main enabling technologies of the model are introduced afterward. In addition, a prototype system was developed, and relevant experiments were conducted to demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed system architecture and the implementation framework, as well as some of the derived benefits.


Subject(s)
Artificial Intelligence , Workplace , Humans , Internet of Things , Wearable Electronic Devices
20.
Neuropsychologia ; 140: 107387, 2020 03 16.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-32057938

ABSTRACT

Bilingual speakers have to control their languages to avoid interference, which may be achieved by enhancing the target language and/or inhibiting the nontarget language. Previous research suggests that bilinguals use inhibition (e.g., Jackson et al., 2001), which should be reflected in the N2 component of the event-related potential (ERP) in the EEG. In the current study, we investigated the dynamics of inhibitory control by measuring the N2 during language switching and repetition in bilingual picture naming. Participants had to name pictures in Dutch or English depending on the cue. A run of same-language trials could be short (two or three trials) or long (five or six trials). We assessed whether RTs and N2 changed over the course of same-language runs, and at a switch between languages. Results showed that speakers named pictures more quickly late as compared to early in a run of same-language trials. Moreover, they made a language switch more quickly after a long run than after a short run. This run-length effect was only present in the first language (L1), not in the second language (L2). In ERPs, we observed a widely distributed switch effect in the N2, which was larger after a short run than after a long run. This effect was only present in the L2, not in the L1, although the difference was not significant between languages. In contrast, the N2 was not modulated during a same-language run. Our results suggest that the nontarget language is inhibited at a switch, but not during the repeated use of the target language.


Subject(s)
Language , Multilingualism , Speech , Evoked Potentials , Humans , Inhibition, Psychological
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