bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Prevalence of asymptomatic carotid artery stenosis in Chinese patients with lower extremity peripheral arterial disease: a cross-sectional study on 653 patients
Authors: Li Zhui , Yang Hong , Zhang Wenfang , Wang Jing , Zhao Yu , Cheng Jun
Published: April 2021

Objective

This study aimed to investigate the prevalence and identify predictive factors of asymptomatic carotid artery stenosis (ACAS) in Southern Chinese patients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD).

Design

A cross-sectional study.

Setting and participants

A total of 653 patients with PAD admitted to the First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University from July 2014 to July 2019.

Main outcome measures

The degree of carotid stenosis was assessed by Duplex ultrasound and classified as normal (no stenosis), mild (<50% stenosis), moderate (50%–69% stenosis), severe (≥70% stenosis or near occlusion) and total occlusion. Patients with stenosis ≥50% were classified as having significant ACAS. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to calculate the risk associated with concomitant factors of ACAS.

Results

The mean age was 71.5±5.5 years, and 55.9% of the patients were men. Significant ACAS stenosis accounted for 128 (19.6%) cases, including 68 (10.4%) cases of moderate stenosis (50%–69%), 46 (7.0%) cases of severe stenosis (70%–99%) and 14 (2.1%) cases of total occlusion. Multivariable analysis revealed that age ≥70 years (OR 2.0, 95% CI 1.25 to 3.18), an ankle brachial index (ABI) ≤0.5 (OR 3.39, 95% CI 1.34 to 8.55), an ABI ≤0.4 (OR 3.86, 95% CI 1.47 to 10.06) and Fontaine stage IV (OR 4.53, 95% CI 1.47 to 13.88) are predictive factors of significant ACAS.

Conclusion

The prevalence of significant ACAS (stenosis ≥50%) in patients with PAD was approximately 19.6%. Significant ACAS was more common in patients with PAD older than 70 years, particularly in patients with an ABI <0.5 and those classified as Fontaine stage IV. Selective carotid screening may be more worthwhile in these high-risk patients with PAD.
Stress, anxiety and depression among healthcare workers facing COVID-19 pandemic in Egypt: a cross-sectional online-based study
Authors: Aly Hebatalla Mohamed , Nemr Nader Attia , Kishk Rania Mohammed , Elsaid Noha Mohamed Abu bakr
Published: April 2021

Objective

This study assessed perceived stress, anxiety and depression among healthcare workers facing the COVID-19 pandemic in Egypt.

Setting

This was an online study where a Google form was prepared including sociodemographic and occupational data as well as three validated questionnaires to assess perceived stress, anxiety and depression, respectively. The form was distributed online to all social media groups including healthcare workers all across the country, and responses were collected until the sample size of 262.

Participants

Healthcare workers (physicians, dentists, pharmacists, physiotherapists, nurses, technicians and administrators) working in governmental or educational hospitals from all Egyptian governorates who are members of social media groups. The mean age of participants was 33.4±5.9 years, 70% were women, about 70% were married and 66% were physicians.

Outcomes

The frequency of perceived stress, anxiety and depression observed among the study participants according to the results of their questionnaires. Then the frequencies were compared between different sociodemographic characteristics.

Results

Only 1.3% showed low perceived stress while 98.5% showed moderate to severe stress. About 9.5% did not experience generalised anxiety, while the remaining 90.5% had different degrees of anxiety as mild anxiety showed the highest per cent affecting about 40% of participants followed by moderate anxiety about 32% then severe anxiety, 18.5%. With regard to depression, 94% of participants showed mild to severe depression.

Conclusion

This study showed a high prevalence of perceived stress, anxiety and depression among healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic that affected all workers regardless of different sociodemographic characteristics.
Pandemic response in pluralistic health systems: a cross-sectional study of COVID-19 knowledge and practices among informal and formal primary care providers in Bihar, India
Authors: Rao Krishna D , Kaur Japneet , Peters Michael A , Kumar Navneet , Nanda Priya
Published: April 2021

Objectives

Responding to pandemics is challenging in pluralistic health systems. This study assesses COVID-19 knowledge and case management of informal providers (IPs), trained practitioners of Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy (AYUSH) and Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) medical doctors providing primary care services in rural Bihar, India.

Design

This was a cross-sectional study of primary care providers conducted via telephone between 1 and 15 July 2020.

Setting

Primary care providers from 224 villages in 34 districts across Bihar, India.

Participants

452 IPs, 57 AYUSH practitioners and 38 doctors (including 23 government doctors) were interviewed from a census of 1138 primary care providers used by community members that could be reached by telephone.

Primary outcome measure(s)

Providers were interviewed using a structured questionnaire with choice-based answers to gather information on (1) change in patient care seeking, (2) source of COVID-19 information, (3) knowledge on COVID-19 spread, symptoms and methods for prevention and (4) clinical management of COVID-19.

Results

During the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, 72% of providers reported a decrease in patient visits. Most IPs and other private primary care providers reported receiving no COVID-19 related engagement with government or civil society agencies. For them, the principal source of COVID-19 information was television and newspapers. IPs had reasonably good knowledge of typical COVID-19 symptoms and prevention, and at levels similar to doctors. However, there was low stated compliance among IPs (16%) and qualified primary care providers (15% of MBBS doctors and 12% of AYUSH practitioners) with all WHO recommended management practices for suspect COVID-19 cases. Nearly half of IPs and other providers intended to treat COVID-19 suspects without referral.

Conclusions

Poor management practices of COVID-19 suspects by rural primary care providers weakens government pandemic control efforts. Government action of providing information to IPs, as well as engaging them in contact tracing or public health messaging can strengthen pandemic control efforts.
Methods and results used in the development of a consensus-driven extension to the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) statement for trials conducted using cohorts and routinely collected data (CONSORT-ROUTINE)
Authors: Imran Mahrukh , Kwakkenbos Linda , McCall Stephen J , McCord Kimberly A , Fröbert Ole , Hemkens Lars G , Zwarenstein Merrick , Relton Clare , Rice Danielle B , Langan Sinéad M , Benchimol Eric I , Thabane Lehana , Campbell Marion K , Sampson Margaret , Erlinge David , Verkooijen Helena M , Moher David , Boutron Isabelle , Ravaud Philippe , Nicholl Jon , Uher Rudolf , Sauvé Maureen , Fletcher John , Torgerson David , Gale Chris , Juszczak Edmund , Thombs Brett D
Published: April 2021

Objectives

Randomised controlled trials conducted using cohorts and routinely collected data, including registries, electronic health records and administrative databases, are increasingly used in healthcare intervention research. A Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) statement extension for trials conducted using cohorts and routinely collected data (CONSORT-ROUTINE) has been developed with the goal of improving reporting quality. This article describes the processes and methods used to develop the extension and decisions made to arrive at the final checklist.

Methods

The development process involved five stages: (1) identification of the need for a reporting guideline and project launch; (2) conduct of a scoping review to identify possible modifications to CONSORT 2010 checklist items and possible new extension items; (3) a three-round modified Delphi study involving key stakeholders to gather feedback on the checklist; (4) a consensus meeting to finalise items to be included in the extension, followed by stakeholder piloting of the checklist; and (5) publication, dissemination and implementation of the final checklist.

Results

27 items were initially developed and rated in Delphi round 1, 13 items were rated in round 2 and 11 items were rated in round 3. Response rates for the Delphi study were 92 of 125 (74%) invited participants in round 1, 77 of 92 (84%) round 1 completers in round 2 and 62 of 77 (81%) round 2 completers in round 3. Twenty-seven members of the project team representing a variety of stakeholder groups attended the in-person consensus meeting. The final checklist includes five new items and eight modified items. The extension Explanation & Elaboration document further clarifies aspects that are important to report.

Conclusion

Uptake of CONSORT-ROUTINE and accompanying Explanation & Elaboration document will improve conduct of trials, as well as the transparency and completeness of reporting of trials conducted using cohorts and routinely collected data.
Effect of serial awake prone positioning on oxygenation in patients admitted to intensive care with COVID-19
Authors: Barker Joseph , Pan Daniel , Koeckerling David , Baldwin Alexander James , West Raha
Published: April 2021

Introduction

Awake prone positioning (APP) might benefit patients with COVID-19 by improving oxygenation, but it is unknown whether this improvement can be sustained with serial proning episodes.

Methods

We conducted a retrospective review of adults with COVID-19 admitted to one intensive care unit, in those who underwent APP and controls. Patients in both groups had type 1 respiratory failure requiring oxygen (but not initially intubated), confirmed SARS-CoV-2 PCR by nasopharyngeal swab and findings of multifocal ground-glass opacities on imaging. For the APP group, serial SpO2/FiO2 measurements were recorded after each proning episode.

Results

Of 77 patients admitted, 50 (65%) were excluded because they had already been intubated. Another 7 (9%) had undergone APP prior to admission. Of the remaining 20, 10 underwent APP and 10 were controls. Patients in both groups had similar demographics, subsequent intubation and survival. Of those who underwent APP, SpO2/FiO2 was most likely to increase after the first episode (before median: 152, IQR 135–185; after: median 192, IQR 156–234, p=0.04). Half of participants (5) in the APP group were unable to tolerate more than two APP episodes.

Conclusions

Most patients with COVID-19 admitted to the intensive care are not suitable for APP. Of those who are, many cannot tolerate more than two episodes. Improvements in SpO2/FiO2 secondary to APP are transient and most likely in the first episode. Our findings may explain why other studies have failed to show improvements in mortality from APP despite improvements in oxygenation.
Training response to 8 weeks of blood flow restricted training is not improved by preferentially altering tissue hypoxia or lactate accumulation when training to repetition failure
Authors: Morley W.N. , Ferth S. , Debenham M.I.B. , Boston M. , Power G.A. , Burr J.F.
Published: April 2021

Despite compelling muscular structure and function changes resulting from blood flow restricted (BFR) resistance training, mechanisms of action remain poorly characterized. Alterations in tissue O2 saturation (TSI%) and metabolites are potential drivers of observed changes, but their relationships with degree of occlusion pressure are unclear. We examined local TSI% and blood lactate (BL) concentration during BFR training to failure using different occlusion pressures on strength, hypertrophy, and muscular endurance over an 8-week training period. Twenty participants (11 males/9 females) trained 3/wk for 8 wk using high pressure (100% resting limb occlusion pressure, LOP; 20% one-repetition maximum (1RM)), moderate pressure (50% LOP, 20%1RM), or traditional resistance training (TRT; 70%1RM). Strength, size, and muscular endurance were measured pre/post training. TSI% and BL were quantified during a training session. Despite overall increases, no group preferentially increased strength, hypertrophy, or muscular endurance (p > 0.05). Neither TSI% nor BL concentration differed between groups (p > 0.05). Moderate pressure resulted in greater accumulated deoxygenation stress (TSI% × time) (–6352 ± 3081, –3939 ± 1835, –2532 ± 1349 au for moderate pressure, high pressure, and TRT, p = 0.018). We demonstrate that BFR training to task-failure elicits similar strength, hypertrophy, and muscular endurance changes to TRT. Further, varied occlusion pressure does not impact these outcomes or elicit changes in TSI% or BL concentrations.

Novelty: Training to task failure with low-load blood flow restriction elicits similar improvements to traditional resistance training, regardless of occlusion pressure. During blood flow restriction, altering occlusion pressure does not proportionally impact tissue O2 saturation nor blood lactate concentrations.
Small hydraulic structures, big environmental problems: is it possible to mitigate the negative impacts of culverts on stream biota?
Authors: Frankiewicz Piotr , Radecki-Pawlik Artur , Wałęga Andrzej , Łapińska Małgorzata , Wojtal-Frankiewicz Adrianna
Published: April 2021

This study is a broad and critical review of the transdisciplinary literature on the construction of culverts and their impacts on stream hydrology and geomorphology as well as on stream habitats and biota. For engineers, a culvert is a structure, usually of the tunnel type, that transfers a stream or open drain under a road, railway line, or other obstacle from one side to the other. In fact, culverts are complex hydraulic structures whose impacts on stream ecosystems must be evaluated and understood before they are designed. The objective of this paper is to analyse and discuss recent knowledge about culvert functioning in terms of their negative effects on the passage of freshwater biota, particularly fish, and on entire stream ecosystems. We present the results of many studies showing that improperly designed culverts are barriers for migrating animals and usually have serious ecological consequences (mainly disturbances to fish life history). We also pay attention to different culvert modification methods that increase their passability for organisms and mitigate the impacts of culverts on the surrounding environment. The other purpose of this review is therefore to emphasize that the integration of the knowledge and professional experience of biologists and ecologists with those of river managers, river engineers, hydraulic engineers, hydrologists, and geomorphologists is necessary to design culverts that preserve the natural properties of streams.
Residual np-interaction and mass predictions in transfermium region
Authors: Vladimirova E. V. , Ishkhanov B. S. , Simonov M. V. , Sidorov S. V. , Tretyakova T. Yu.
Published: April 2021

We study the consistency of local mass relation approach in its application to prediction of nuclear masses in the region of superheavy elements. Binding energy calculations are carried out for nuclei with [Formula: see text] using formulas for evaluation of residual [Formula: see text]-interaction. The results are found to be in good agreement with the experimental data AME2016. We also make predictions for characteristics of [Formula: see text]-decay in isotopes [Formula: see text]–106, [Formula: see text]–157.
Buckling of Piles in Layered Soils by Transfer Matrix Method
Authors: Zheng Lu , Deng Tao , Liu Qijian
Published: April 2021

The transfer matrix method is applied to the buckling of end-bearing piles partially or fully embedded in a layered elastic medium with a constant coefficient of subgrade reaction for each layer. The solution of the governing differential equation for each pile segment can be expressed as the product of a fourth-order matrix and a coefficient determinant. Using the transfer matrix method and combining the boundary conditions at both ends of the pile, the buckling load is obtained by solving the eigenvalue equation. A parametric study is performed to investigate the effects of the properties of the soil–pile system on the stability capacity of the pile. It is shown that the effects of the embedment ratio, soil layer thickness, and soil stiffness on the buckling of piles are quite significant. Several calculation examples are presented to verify the present method.
The Need for a Human Pangenome Reference Sequence
Authors: Miga Karen H. , Wang Ting
Published: April 2021

The reference human genome sequence is inarguably the most important and widely used resource in the fields of human genetics and genomics. It has transformed the conduct of biomedical sciences and brought invaluable benefits to the understanding and improvement of human health. However, the commonly used reference sequence has profound limitations, because across much of its span, it represents the sequence of just one human haplotype. This single, monoploid reference structure presents a critical barrier to representing the broad genomic diversity in the human population. In this review, we discuss the modernization of the reference human genome sequence to a more complete reference of human genomic diversity, known as a human pangenome.
Models of Plant Resistance Deployment
Authors: Rimbaud Loup , Fabre Frédéric , Papaïx Julien , Moury Benoît , Lannou Christian , Barrett Luke G. , Thrall Peter H.
Published: April 2021

Owing to their evolutionary potential, plant pathogens are able to rapidly adapt to genetically controlled plant resistance, often resulting in resistance breakdown and major epidemics in agricultural crops. Various deployment strategies have been proposed to improve resistance management. Globally, these rely on careful selection of resistance sources and their combination at various spatiotemporal scales (e.g., via gene pyramiding, crop rotations and mixtures, landscape mosaics). However, testing and optimizing these strategies using controlled experiments at large spatiotemporal scales are logistically challenging. Mathematical models provide an alternative investigative tool, and many have been developed to explore resistance deployment strategies under various contexts. This review analyzes 69 modeling studies in light of specific model structures (e.g., demographic or demogenetic, spatial or not), underlying assumptions (e.g., whether preadapted pathogens are present before resistance deployment), and evaluation criteria (e.g., resistance durability, disease control, cost-effectiveness). It highlights major research findings and discusses challenges for future modeling efforts.
A Real Time Adaptive Charging Approach for Cycle Life Extension of Li Ion Cells
Authors: Swernath Subramanian , Hariharan Krishnan S , Battle Jason , Kaushik Anshul , Mandli Aravinda R. , Agarwal Samarth , Patil Rajkumar Subhash , Yadu Ankit , Tagade Piyush , Mayya K Subramanya , Jo Jeonghoon
Published: April 2021

It is commonly understood that preservation of Lithium-ion battery life comes at the expense of charge time. In this manuscript a novel real time charging framework has been developed that charges the battery in a time as fast as the constant current-constant voltage (CC-CV) protocol while ensuring minimum loss of cycle life. The framework consists of a reduced order electrochemical model integrated with an optimization routine. The charge profile adapts to the battery state of charge and health in real time and is amenable for on-device implementation. Cycle life benefits of the novel adaptive charging profile are compared with traditional CC-CV charging of commercial Lithium-ion batteries cycled until end of life. In addition to the running capacity, battery health is also compared at a low probe C-rate(C/5) to assess the benefits in minimizing irreversible losses. A differential voltage analysis of Probe (C/5 rate) reveals that adaptive charging is able to eliminate the loss of active material (LAM) that is seen typically at advanced cycles. The framework is implemented on a mobile device and shows a substantial benefit in battery life without any penalty on the charge time.
Model Based Investigation of Lithium Deposition Including an Optimization of Fast Charging Lithium Ion Cells
Authors: Hovestadt L. , Lux S. , Koellner N. , Schloesser A. , Hanke-Rauschenbach R.
Published: April 2021

Simulating the properties of lithium ion cells during charging becomes more and more important to understand the ongoing effects during fast charging. In this work special emphasis is given to the modelling of metallic lithium deposition on the surface of negative electrode particles, so-called lithium plating, and the linked mechanical behaviour. The basis of the parametrization of the electrochemical model was a previously published experimental study on the pressure behaviour under lithium plating conditions. The developed and parametrized simple pseudo two-dimensional model reproduces the experimental study on lithium plating with a satisfying accuracy of simulated voltage and pressure trend. The model enables prediction of lithium deposition onset by matching measured pressure behaviour to the model. In addition to reproducing the cell behaviour, the model was used to optimize a measurement based fast charging protocol by using the negative electrode potential. The optimization of the fast charging protocol resulted in a 6.3% decreased charging time from 0 to 85%SoC while using a maximum C-rate of 3C. A verification of the model-based optimization has been shown by short experimental study.
An Approach Based on the Improved SVM Algorithm for Identifying Malware in Network Traffic
Authors: Liu Bo , Chen Jinfu , Qin Songling , Zhang Zufa , Liu Yisong , Zhao Lingling , Chen Jingyi
Published: April 2021

Due to the growth and popularity of the internet, cyber security remains, and will continue, to be an important issue. There are many network traffic classification methods or malware identification approaches that have been proposed to solve this problem. However, the existing methods are not well suited to help security experts effectively solve this challenge due to their low accuracy and high false positive rate. To this end, we employ a machine learning-based classification approach to identify malware. The approach extracts features from network traffic and reduces the dimensionality of the features, which can effectively improve the accuracy of identification. Furthermore, we propose an improved SVM algorithm for classifying the network traffic dubbed Optimized Facile Support Vector Machine (OFSVM). The OFSVM algorithm solves the problem that the original SVM algorithm is not satisfactory for classification from two aspects, i.e., parameter optimization and kernel function selection. Therefore, in this paper, we present an approach for identifying malware in network traffic, called Network Traffic Malware Identification (NTMI). To evaluate the effectiveness of the NTMI approach proposed in this paper, we collect four real network traffic datasets and use a publicly available dataset CAIDA for our experiments. Evaluation results suggest that the NTMI approach can lead to higher accuracy while achieving a lower false positive rate compared with other identification methods. On average, the NTMI approach achieves an accuracy of 92.5% and a false positive rate of 5.527%.
TASP1 Promotes Proliferation and Migration in Gastric Cancer via EMT and AKT/P-AKT Pathway
Authors: Wan Xue-Mei , Zhou Xue-Lei , Du Yong-Jun , Shen Hui , Yang Zhengxia , Ding Yanhong
Published: April 2021

Threonine aspartase 1 (TASP1) was reported to function in the development of cancer. However, the regulatory mechanism of TASP1 in gastric cancer (GC) remains unclear. In this study, we determined the expression of TASP1 in tissues of GC patients, GC cells by qRT-PCR, and western blot and assessed the relationship between TASP1 and GC cell proliferation and migration via CCK-8 and transwell assay. It was found that the expression of TASP1 in GC tissues or GC cell lines was significantly higher than that in normal adjacent tissues or normal cells. The proliferation and migration of GC cells were inhibited upon TASP1 knockdown. Mechanism investigation revealed that TASP1 promoted GC cell proliferation and migration through upregulating the p-AKT/AKT expression. TASP1 induced GC cell migration via the epithelial -mesenchymal transition (EMT) pathway. In conclusion, TASP1 promotes GC progression through the EMT and AKT/p-AKT pathway, and it may serve as a new potential biomarker and therapeutic target for GC.
[Retracted] Application of Compound Control Method Based on WOA in Micropositioning Stage of SICM
Authors: Wen Huiting , Lu Xiaolong , Zhao Shiping , Liu Xiaoyu , Yang Yang , Leng Song
Published: April 2021

Positioning accuracy of micropositioning stage in scanning ion conductance microscopy is the key to obtain high‐precision scanning model. Most piezoelectric ceramic micromotion platforms are used for that, and hysteresis characteristics are the main reason for the nonlinear characteristics of piezoelectric ceramics and the influence on the control accuracy. In order to solve this problem, backpropagation algorithm based on whale optimization algorithm is used to model the hysteresis, which is directly used as a feedforward controller to compensate the hysteresis effect, and the robust adaptive moving average control method is used for feedback control. The results show that the hysteresis model of backpropagation algorithm based on the whale optimization algorithm can fit the hysteresis curve well, and the maximum fitting error is 0.2050 μm, only 0.256%. By adopting feedforward and feedback, feedforward robust adaptive moving average control algorithm decreases the hysteresis from 17.64% to 2.51%, which enables the output of the piezoelectric ceramic controller to track the expected displacement well and makes it possible to improve the scanning accuracy.
Zero-Inflated Time Series Modelling of COVID-19 Deaths in Ghana
Authors: Tawiah Kassim , Iddrisu Wahab Abdul , Asampana Asosega Killian
Published: April 2021

Discrete count time series data with an excessive number of zeros have warranted the development of zero-inflated time series models to incorporate the inflation of zeros and the overdispersion that comes with it. In this paper, we investigated the characteristics of the trend of daily count of COVID-19 deaths in Ghana using zero-inflated models. We envisaged that the trend of COVID-19 deaths per day in Ghana portrays a general increase from the onset of the pandemic in the country to about day 160 after which there is a general decrease onward. We fitted a zero-inflated Poisson autoregressive model and zero-inflated negative binomial autoregressive model to the data in the partial-likelihood framework. The zero-inflated negative binomial autoregressive model outperformed the zero-inflated Poisson autoregressive model. On the other hand, the dynamic zero-inflated Poisson autoregressive model performed better than the dynamic negative binomial autoregressive model. The predicted new death based on the zero-inflated negative binomial autoregressive model indicated that Ghana’s COVID-19 death per day will rise sharply few days after 30th November 2020 and drastically fall just as in the observed data.
Quantification of Rear-End Crash Risk and Analysis of Its Influencing Factors Based on a New Surrogate Safety Measure
Authors: Shangguan Qiangqiang , Fu Ting , Wang Junhua , Jiang Rui , Fang Shou’en
Published: April 2021

Traditional surrogate measures of safety (SMoS) cannot fully consider the crash mechanism or fail to reflect the crash probability and crash severity at the same time. In addition, driving risks are constantly changing with driver’s personal driving characteristics and environmental factors. Considering the heterogeneity of drivers, to study the impact of behavioral characteristics and environmental characteristics on the rear-end crash risk is essential to ensure driving safety. In this study, 16,905 car-following events were identified and extracted from Shanghai Naturalistic Driving Study (SH-NDS). A new SMoS, named rear-end crash risk index (RCRI), was then proposed to quantify rear-end crash risk. Based on this measure, a risk comparative analysis was conducted to investigate the impact of factors from different facets in terms of weather, temporal variables, and traffic conditions. Then, a mixed-effects linear regression model was applied to clarify the relationship between rear-end crash risk and its influencing factors. Results show that RCRI can reflect the dynamic changes of rear-end crash risk and can be applied to any car-following scenarios. The comparative analysis indicates that high traffic density, workdays, and morning peaks lead to higher risks. Moreover, results from the mixed-effects linear regression model suggest that driving characteristics, traffic density, day-of-week (workday vs. holiday), and time-of-day (peak hours vs. off-peak hours) had significant effects on driving risks. This study provides a new surrogate safety measure that can better identify rear-end crash risks in a more reliable way and can be applied to real-time crash risk prediction in driver assistance systems. In addition, the results of this study can be used to provide a theoretical basis for the formulation of traffic management strategies to improve driving safety.
A Sparsity Preestimated Adaptive Matching Pursuit Algorithm
Authors: Zhang Xinhe , Liu Yufeng , Wang Xin
Published: April 2021

In the matching pursuit algorithm of compressed sensing, the traditional reconstruction algorithm needs to know the signal sparsity. The sparsity adaptive matching pursuit (SAMP) algorithm can adaptively approach the signal sparsity when the sparsity is unknown. However, the SAMP algorithm starts from zero and iterates several times with a fixed step size to approximate the true sparsity, which increases the runtime. To increase the run speed, a sparsity preestimated adaptive matching pursuit (SPAMP) algorithm is proposed in this paper. Firstly, the sparsity preestimated strategy is used to estimate the sparsity, and then the signal is reconstructed by the SAMP algorithm with the preestimated sparsity as the iterative initial value. The method reconstructs the signal from the preestimated sparsity, which reduces the number of iterations and greatly speeds up the run efficiency.
Simultaneous Measurement of Distributed Temperature and Strain through Brillouin Frequency Shift Using a Common Communication Optical Fiber
Authors: Hu Leijun , Sheng Liwen , Yan Jisong , Li Ligong , Yuan Ming , Sun Fude , Nian Fushun , Li Long , Liu Jiaqing , Zhou Shuai , Liu Zhiming
Published: April 2021

A multiparameter Brillouin fiber-optic sensor for distributed strain and temperature information measuring based on spontaneous scattering in a common communication optical fiber (the G. 652. D commercial fiber) is presented and experimentally demonstrated. Benefiting from the difference of the temperature and strain sensitivity from different Brillouin peaks with different acoustic modes, our proposed sensing configuration can be used to distinguish ambient temperature and applied strain at the same time, which is an excellent candidate to address the problem of cross-sensitivity in the classical Brillouin system. In the experimental section, using a 21.8 km sensing length of communication optical fiber, a temperature accuracy of 1.13°C and a strain accuracy of 21.46 με are obtained simultaneously. Considering the performance we achieved now, the proposed innovation and experimental setup will have some potential applications in the field of fiber sensors.
Comparative Analysis on Single- and Multiherb Strategies in Coronary Artery Atherosclerosis Therapy
Authors: Cao Yu , Liu Yang , Zhang Tian , Lei Wei , Zhang Boli
Published: April 2021

Herbal medicine unswervingly serves human health by modernizing preparation and administration. Coronary artery atherosclerosis is a serious threat to human health and survival all over the world. Following experimental and clinical evidence, we collected four herbal treatments containing herbal strategy I (San Qi), II (Injectio Salvia Miltiorrhizae), III (Danhong injection), and IV (Taoren Honghua Jian granule) against coronary artery disease. In order to analyze their similarities and differences in controlling coronary artery atherosclerosis, we investigated each herb of four strategies and revealed that the number of active components and molecule targets is increasing with the herb category of herbal strategy. Nitric oxide-associated carbonate dehydratase activity and nitrogen metabolism are tacitly enriched by target corresponding genes with statistical significance in four strategies. The herbal strategy with multiherb not merely possesses more amounts and interactions of target proteins than the strategy with single-herb but also enlarges interaction partners of target proteins like PTPN11 and STAT3 in strategy II, III, and IV. Whereas single-herb also involves regulating network core proteins in consistent with compatibility, such as SRC and PIK3R1 that are mostly targeted by strategy I, III, and IV. Comparing the targets of the herbal strategies and three existing drugs (atenolol, pravastatin and propranolol) and the symbols of coronary artery atherosclerosis, we discovered that MAOA, HTR1A, and ABCG2 are overlapping in the three groups. Hence, our work enables people to better understand the connections and distinctions of single- and multiherb on the healing of coronary artery atherosclerosis.
A Study of Physical Fitness and Enjoyment on Virtual Running for Exergames
Authors: Khundam Chaowanan , Nöel Frédéric
Published: April 2021

Virtual Reality (VR) technology has advanced forward in everyday life where virtual fitness is possible through physically moving around in the real world. Exergame is a video game for exercise aimed at making exercise more fun. VR exergame applies these trends together for virtual fitness with immersive game play. The VR locomotion is traveling in VR, which is commonly used in adventure role-playing games (RPG). Virtual running can be applied as a locomotion technique for VR exergames. The design of virtual running in VR exergames should be considered as an exercise for fitness and also for enjoyment. This paper proposed two motion-based locomotion techniques: ArmSwing and Squat for virtual running, which are considered as aerobic and strength exercise. These two postures were used to study how physical exertion affected players while interacting in the test scene. Usability, motion sickness, and enjoyment were assessed to analyze the differences of each posture. The results showed that motion sickness and enjoyment of ArmSwing and Squat were not different, while usability was different where ArmSwing was rated higher than Squat. The results from the interviews suggest that most players preferred aerobic exercise (ArmSwing) more than strength exercise (Squat) for a long period of exercise. However, for a short period of exercise, players preferred strength exercise more than aerobic exercise. The adventure-based RPG for exercise needs a solution design appropriate for virtual running in VR, and our results can be a guideline for developers in order to handle motion-based locomotion for VR exergames.
Metformin and Fibrosis: A Review of Existing Evidence and Mechanisms
Authors: Wu Maoyan , Xu Huiwen , Liu Jingyu , Tan Xiaozhen , Wan Shengrong , Guo Man , Long Yang , Xu Yong
Published: April 2021

Fibrosis is a physiological response to organ injury and is characterized by the excessive deposition of connective tissue components in an organ, which results in the disruption of physiological architecture and organ remodeling, ultimately leading to organ failure and death. Fibrosis in the lung, kidney, and liver accounts for a substantial proportion of the global burden of disability and mortality. To date, there are no effective therapeutic strategies for controlling fibrosis. A class of metabolically targeted chemicals, such as adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) activators and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) agonists, shows strong potential in fighting fibrosis. Metformin, which is a potent AMPK activator and is the only recommended first-line drug for the treatment of type 2 diabetes, has emerged as a promising method of fibrosis reduction or reversion. In this review, we first summarize the key experimental and clinical studies that have specifically investigated the effects of metformin on organ fibrosis. Then, we discuss the mechanisms involved in mediating the antifibrotic effects of metformin in depth.
Human Acquired Aplastic Anemia Patients’ Bone-Marrow-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells Are Not Influenced by Hematopoietic Compartment and Maintain Stemness and Immune Properties
Authors: Sharma Vandana , Rawat Sonali , Gupta Suchi , Tamta Sweta , Sharma Rinkey , Seth Tulika , Mohanty Sujata
Published: April 2021

Background and Objective. Acquired aplastic anemia (aAA) is a bone marrow failure disorder characterized by pancytopenia and bone marrow aplasia. Bone marrow Mesenchymal Stem Cells (BM-MSCs) are an important component of BM microenvironment, associated with hematopoietic and immune homeostasis. Any alterations in BM microenvironment can disrupt the normal functioning and it needs to be assessed. Methods. In the current study, we investigated the morphological differences, proliferation capacity, population doubling time (PDT), surface marker profiling, trilineage differentiation potential, and immunosuppressive ability of BM Mesenchymal Stem Cells (BM-MSCs) from untreated aAA patients and in the same number of age- and gender-matched controls. Results. We observed similar morphology, proliferation capacity, phenotype, trilineage differentiation potential, and immunomodulatory properties of BM-MSCs in aAA patients and control subjects. Conclusion. Our results confirm that the basic and immunosuppressive properties of BM-MSCs from aAA patients do not differ from normal BM-MSCs. Our data suggest that BM-MSCs from aAA patients might not be involved in disease pathogenesis. However, owing to a smaller number of samples, it is not conclusive, and future studies with more exhaustive investigation at transcriptome level are warranted.
Xiao Chai Hu Tang for Peptic Ulcers: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials
Authors: Li Min , Dan Wenchao , Zhang Hui , Yun Yong’en , He Qingyong
Published: April 2021

A peptic ulcer (PU) is a digestive disorder most commonly found in clinical practice. An oriental herbal formula, Xiao Chai Hu Tang (XCHT), has been used to treat PU for an extended period in China. The effectiveness and safety of XCHT in treating peptic ulcers was evaluated using a systematic review of randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Studies were systematically retrieved from CNKI, Embase, Medline, PubMed, SinoMed, VIP, Wanfang, and Web of Science. The following information was extracted from the relevant RCTs: the clinical efficacy rate, recurrence rate, clinical efficacy of traditional Chinese medicine, and the adverse effects. 13 RCTs, including 1334 patients, were included in this review. The meta-analysis showed that treatment with XCHT was superior to conventional pharmacotherapy (CPT) in improving the clinical efficacy rate (RR: 1.20, 95% confidence intervals (CIs): 1.08–1.34,

P
=
0.0007

), poor appetite (RR: 0.30, 95% CI: 0.15–0.61,

P
=
0.0009

), abdominal distension (RR: 0.61, 95% CI: 0.39–0.96,

P
=
0.03

), vomiting (RR: 0.33, 95% CI: 0.19–0.55,

P
<
0.0001

), and stomach pain (RR: 0.36, 95% CI: 0.19–0.68,

P
=
0.002

) and reducing adverse events (RR: 0.23, 95% CI: 0.07–0.69,

P
=
0.009

). XCHT considerably increased the total clinical efficacy rate (RR: 1.22, 95% CI: 1.15–1.30,

P
<
0.00001

) as both monotherapy and adjunctive therapy. The recurrence rate (RR = 0.29; 95% CI: 0.16–0.52,

P
<
0.0001

) was remarkably decreased in the XCHT plus CPT group. The meta-analysis did not show a significant beneficial effect of XCHT compared with CPT in reducing the recurrence rate (RR = 0.45; 95% CI: 0.07–3.10,

P
=
0.42

) and acid reflux (RR: 0.76, 95% CI: 0.47–1.23,

P
=
0.26

). Our findings show that XCHT can treat peptic ulcers as part of an alternative medicine approach.
Protective Effect of Opuntia dillenii Haw Fruit against Lead Acetate-Induced Hepatotoxicity: In Vitro and In Vivo Studies
Authors: Shirazinia Reza , Golabchifar Ali Akbar , Rahimi Vafa Baradaran , Jamshidian Abbas , Samzadeh-Kermani Alireza , Hasanein Parisa , Hajinezhad Mohammadreza , Askari Vahid Reza
Published: April 2021

Lead is one of the most common environmental contaminants in the Earth’s crust, which induces a wide range of humans biochemical changes. Previous studies showed that Opuntia dillenii (OD) fruit possesses several antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. The present study evaluates OD fruit hydroalcoholic extract (OHAE) hepatoprotective effects against lead acetate- (Pb-) induced toxicity in both animal and cellular models. Male rats were grouped as follows: control, Pb (25 mg/kg/d i.p.), and groups 3 and 4 received OHAE at 100 and 200 mg/kg/d + Pb (25 mg/kg/d i.p.), for ten days of the experiment. Thereafter, we evaluated the levels of alkaline phosphatase (ALP), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and aspartate aminotransferase (AST), catalase (CAT) activity and malondialdehyde (MDA) in serum, and liver histopathology. Additionally, the cell study was also done using the HepG2 cell line for measuring the direct effects of the extract on cell viability, oxidative stress MDA, and glutathione (GSH) and inflammation tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) following the Pb-induced cytotoxicity. Pb significantly increased the serum levels of ALT, AST, ALP, and MDA and liver histopathological scores but notably decreased CAT activity compared to the control group (p<0.001for all cases). OHAE (100 and 200 mg/kg) significantly reduced the levels of serum liver enzyme activities and MDA as well as histopathological scores while it significantly increased CAT activity compared to the Pb group (p<0.001–0.05 for all cases). OHAE (20, 40, and 80 μg/ml) concentration dependently and significantly reduced the levels of MDA and TNF-α, while it increased the levels of GSH and cell viability in comparison to the Pb group (p<0.001–0.05 for all cases). These data suggest that OHAE may have hepatoprotective effects against Pb-induced liver toxicity both in vitro and in vivo by its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities.
Study on the Pressure Drop Variation and Prediction Model of Heavy Oil Gas-Liquid Two-Phase Flow
Authors: Shi Shanzhi , Li Jie , Yang Xinke , Liu Congping , Liao Ruiquan , Zhang Xingkai , Liao Jiadong
Published: April 2021

To explore the pressure drop variation with the viscosity of heavy oil gas-liquid two-phase flow, experiments with different viscosity gas-liquid two-phase flows are carried out. The experimental results show that the total pressure drop increases with increasing liquid viscosity when the superficial gas and liquid flow rates are the same. The liquid superficial velocity is 0.52 m/s, and the superficial gas velocity is 12 m/s in the vertical and inclined pipes, as there is a negative friction pressure drop when the superficial gas and liquid velocities are small. Additionally, the increased range of the total pressure drop decreases with increasing liquid viscosity. Considering the heavy oil gas-liquid two-phase flow, a prediction model of the pressure drop in high-viscosity liquid-gas two-phase flow is established. The new model is verified by experimental data and compared with existing models. The new model has the smallest error, basically within 15%. Based on the prediction of the wellbore pressure distribution of four wells in the BeiA oilfield, the new model prediction results are closer to the measured results, and the error is the smallest. The new model can be used to predict pressure drops in high-viscosity gas-liquid two-phase flow.
Molecular Dynamics Simulation of the Coalescence and Melting Process of Cu and Ag Nanoparticles
Authors: Guo Hui , Zhang LinFu , Zhu Qiang , Wang ChuanJie , Chen Gang , Zhang Peng
Published: April 2021

The coalescence and melting process of different sizes and arrangements of Ag and Cu nanoparticles is studied through the molecular dynamics (MD) method. The results show that the twin boundary or stacking fault formation and atomic diffusion of the nanoparticles play an important role in the different stages of the heating process. At the beginning of the simulation, Cu and Ag nanoparticles will contact to each other in a very short time. As the temperature goes up, Cu and Ag nanoparticles may generate stacking fault or twin boundary to stabilize the interface structure. When the temperature reaches a critical value, the atoms gain a strong ability to diffuse and eventually melt into one liquid sphere. The coalescence point and melting temperature increase as cluster diameter increases. Moreover, the arrangement of Cu and Ag nanoparticles has a certain effect on the stability of the initial joint interface, which will affect subsequent coalescence and melting behavior.
Breather Positons and Rogue Waves for the Nonlocal Fokas-Lenells Equation
Authors: Wang Chun , Fan Rong , Zhang Zhao , Li Biao
Published: April 2021

In this paper, we investigate breather positons and higher-order rogue waves for the nonlocal Fokas-Lenells equation. In this nonlocal optical system, rogue waves can be generated when periods of breather positons go to infinity. In addition, we find two very interesting phenomena: one is that rogue waves sitting on a periodic line wave background are derived; the other is that a hybrid of rogue waves and a periodic kink wave is also constructed. We believe that these interesting findings exist in the optical system corresponding to the nonlocal Fokas-Lenells equation.
Myths of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy: Development and Testing of a Questionnaire for Standardized Assessment
Authors: Jungmann Stefanie M. , Witthöft Michael
Published: April 2021

Background: Myths in the sense of scientifically untenable statements are widespread in the field of clinical psychology and psychotherapy and can have considerable consequences (e.g., stigmatization, ineffective/potentially harmful treatments). In German-speaking countries, myths have so far been little investigated, and there is no validated questionnaire specifically for the assessment of myths in clinical psychology/psychotherapy. The aim of the study was to develop a questionnaire on myths in clinical psychology/psychotherapy (FMKPP) and to conduct a first psychometric test on two samples (general population, students). In addition, correlations with personality traits, absorption, and intolerance of uncertainty were examined. Methods: In a sample of the German general population (n= 286) as well as in college students (n= 368), the factor structure and item characteristics were examined, and correlations with dispositional characteristics were calculated. Results: The FMKPP consists of three factors: “myths about the effectiveness of psychotherapy,” “myths about mental disorders/processes in psychotherapy,” and “myths concerning the functioning of memory.” Reliabilities (McDonald’s ω) were between 0.50 and 0.75. As expected, the FMKPP showed significant positive correlations with absorption and uncertainty intolerance. Conclusion: The reliability and validity of individual items should be investigated in future studies. The association with intolerance of uncertainty could indicate a function of myths in terms of increasing safety and predictability.