bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A cyclicp–yelastoplastic model applied to lateral loaded pile in soft clays
Authors: Cheng Xinglei , El Naggar M. Hesham , Lu Dechun , Wang Piguang , Tu Wenbo
Published: December 2022

The p–y method as a simplified analysis tool has been widely used to analyze the behavior of laterally loaded piles. This paper develops a novel cyclic p–y elastoplastic model within the framework of the single-surface bounding surface theory. The model can capture the soil stiffness degradation during cyclic loading by incorporating the cumulative plastic displacement to an interpolation function of the elastoplastic resistance coefficient. The model is relatively simple with only four parameters that can be determined from standard soil properties and stress–strain responses measured in direct simple shear tests. The performance of developed model is validated by predicting the cyclic lateral response of piles installed in soft clay during field and centrifuge tests published in the literature. The model can reliably simulate monotonic and cyclic responses of piles under different lateral loading patterns, and capture main characteristics of the pile-head load–displacement curve, such as nonlinearity, hysteresis, displacement accumulation, and stiffness degradation. It can also predict the evolution of the lateral deflection and sectional bending moment along the pile during cyclic loading.
Methylated mesoporous silica loaded with 1-octadecanol as a new shape-stabilized phase change material for enhanced thermal energy storage efficiency
Authors: Tuan Huynh Nguyen Anh , Tam Le Minh , Tien Nguyen Giang
Published: December 2022

Here, a 1-octadecanol (OD)/methylated mesoporous silica (OD/M-MS) shape-stabilized phase-change material (SSPCM) was prepared with enhanced thermal energy storage. The M-MS was synthesized by methylation of low-cost MS with trimethylchlorosilane. Fourier-transformed infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), N2 adsorption–desorption isotherm, and thermogravimetric analysis confirmed successful methylation of MS. OD was then impregnated into the pores of MS and M-MS to form OD/MS and OD/M-MS SSPCMs, and their thermal properties were thoroughly characterized and compared. FTIR result of OD/MS revealed interfacial hydrogen bond (H-bond) interactions between the hydroxyl group (–OH) on the OD molecules and silanol groups (Si–OH) on the MS surface. These interactions prevented the free movement and ordered arrangement of OD molecules for crystallization, thus declining the heat storage capacity. By methylating the MS surface, the H-bond interactions were suppressed and the OD/M-MS could recover the thermal performance. The heat storage capacity increased by 96.8% from 43.5 J g−1 of OD/MS to 85.6 J g−1 of OD/M-MS. Moreover, a test of 400 accelerated thermal cycles proved good thermal reliability for OD/M-MS SSPCM. This work provides an effective strategy to achieve OD/M-MS SSPCM with low cost and high thermal performance, promising for large-scale thermal energy storage applications.
Constraints on light leptophilic dark matter mediators from decay experiments
Authors: Bickendorf Gerrit , Drees Manuel
Published: December 2022

We study the influence of leptophilic dark matter interactions on decays of muons and ground state mesons in existing experiments. We consider a secluded dark sector exclusively interacting with leptons via either a (leptophilic) scalar or vector mediator. These interactions will therefore influence leptonic decays and deform the energy spectra. We first study the Michel decay of muons, $$\mu ^+\rightarrow e^+\nu _e \bar{\nu }_\mu $$

μ
+

→

e
+

ν
e

ν

¯

μ

, which allow us to constrain the parameter space reasonably well. Secondly, the rare $$\pi ^\pm $$

π
±

, $$K^\pm $$

K
±

, $$D^\pm $$

D
±

and $$D_s^\pm $$

D
s
±

decays to $$e\nu $$

e
ν

will be considered. Scalar mediators would remove the Standard Model helicity suppression, so that strong constraints can be derived. The resulting bounds on the couplings of the light mediators to electrons and muons still turn out to be somewhat weaker than those from searches at low-energy $$e^+e^-$$

e
+

e
-

colliders and the magnetic moment of the muon, respectively. Finally, we show that kaon and pion decays basically exclude a “Co-SIMP” scenario where a scalar dark matter particle has a dimension-5 coupling to electrons.
Defect partition function from TDLs in commutant pairs
Authors: Hegde Subramanya , Jatkar Dileep P.
Published: December 2022

In this paper, we study topological defect lines in two character rational conformal field theories. Among them one set of two character theories are commutant pairs in [Formula: see text] conformal field theory. Using these defect lines, we construct defect partition function in the [Formula: see text] theory. We find that the defects preserve only a part of the [Formula: see text] current algebra symmetry. We also determine the defect partition function in [Formula: see text] CFTs using these defects lines of two character theories and we find that, with appropriate choice of commutant pairs, these defects preserve all current algebra symmetries of [Formula: see text] CFTs.
Study of Sasa–Satsuma dynamical system for Kuznetsov–Ma and generalized breathers, lump, periodic and rogue wave solutions
Authors: Seadawy Aly R. , Rizvi Syed T. R. , Batool Tahira , Ashraf Romana
Published: December 2022

Different analytical solutions for Sasa–Satsuma model equation (SSM) in birefringent fibers are investigated in this research like rogue wave, lump, multi-wave, multiple breather solutions, periodic wave, breather lump, periodic cross kink, periodic cross lump, and lump with one and two kinks. By examining the SSM, we can compute the important relationship between the interaction between kink, lump with periodic wave and a variety of exact solutions. To see the behavior of effective waves, we illustrate the pictorial depiction for our retrieve analytical solutions.
Non-Newtonian characteristics of blood flow in a multi-stenosed elliptical artery: A case of sensitivity analysis
Authors: Shahzad Muhammad Hasnain , Awan Aziz Ullah
Published: December 2022

The occurrence and growth of stenosis effectively interrupt the blood flow in the artery, which may result in vascular disease. It makes the study of blood flow in the artery narrowed with crucial stenosis. This work studies the non-Newtonian nature of blood flow in a diseased artery with an elliptic cross-section. The artery is harmed due to several stenosis, which diminishes its lumen. The Phan-Thein–Tanner fluid is considered to analyze the non-Newtonian characteristics of blood. The Phan-Thein–Tanner fluid model is much suitable for blood flow analysis because of its viscoelastic and shear thinning properties. The governing equations are processed to dimensionless form by employing dimensionless variables and assumptions for a mild stenosis case. The solutions of the nondimensional equations are acquired analytically. The visual examination of the exact solutions is discussed in detail. The fluid velocity is strongly affected by stenosis height, and a more significant disorder is generated in the constricted region with the growing size of stenosis. The flow velocity is found as a decreasing function of the Weissenberg number. The velocity profile is parabolic and axisymmetric as well. The most significant and least influential physical constraints are identified by completing the local sensitivity analysis.
An Exploration of the Emergence of Machine Consciousness and the Risk of Robocentrism
Authors: Davis Matthew
Published: December 2022

This paper explores how the development of real-world artificial agents could lead to the evolution of machine consciousnesses with their own moral standards, and give rise to artificial intelligences that subscribe to Robocentrism; an ethical perspective that prioritizes the welfare of artificial agents. In doing so, it explores relevant concepts from contemporary, as well as more traditional literature, and blends theoretical models of consciousness with empirical examples from other scientific domains.

This paper contributes to current literature in several ways, the first of which is by clarifying and solidifying some important prerequisite concepts. At the beginning of the paper, key considerations for developing true artificial intelligence are problematized, and a view on how the emergence of machine consciousness might realistically occur is presented, supported by several empirical examples and thought experiments. Three hierarchical ontological states are categorized and discussed in detail: Sensory experience, instinctual awareness, and reflexive awareness. What this might look like for different forms of artificial agents is also explored.

Second, upon presenting a path to the emergence of machine consciousness, the novel ethical perspective ‘Robocentrism’ is introduced, and a discussion follows on how such a potentiality might come to pass given the pre-existing socio-technological system. For the sake of argument and to move forward with the premise of this paper, an explicit assumption is made, which builds upon the prior section, that the AI in question has reached a state of self-reflexive autonomy such that it could be considered a moral agent, can reason for itself, and learn; that is, code its own improvements. Consequently, the output of this review asserts that as machines become more advanced and capable of autonomous self-learning and improvement, we should reasonably conclude that they will develop their own sense of ethical and moral standards in relation to their surroundings, to engage successfully with wider society and one another.
Assessing biotic response to anthropogenic forcing using mollusc assemblages from the Po–Adriatic System (Italy)
Authors: Scarponi Daniele , Rojas Alexis , Nawrot Rafał , Cheli Alessandro , Kowalewski Michał
Published: December 2022

Preserving the adaptive capacities of coastal ecosystems in the Anthropocene requires an understanding of their natural variability prior to modern times. We quantified responses of nearshore molluscs assemblages to past environmental changes using 101 samples (
c.
57 300 specimens) retrieved from the subsurface Holocene succession and present-day seabed of the Po–Adriatic System (Italy). Present-day assemblages shifted in their faunal composition with respect to their mid-late Holocene counterparts. Major differences are observed in lower nearshore settings, where present-day samples show higher heterogeneity, reduced standardized richness, reduced relative abundance of
Lentidium mediterraneum,
and increased relative abundance of
Varicorbula gibba
, scavengers (genus
Tritia
), and deposit feeders (nuculid bivalves). A dominance of infaunal opportunistic species and shifts towards detritus-feeding and scavenging are often associated with disturbed benthic habitats. Our results suggest that the ongoing anthropogenic stressors (mainly bottom trawling and non-native species) are currently shifting benthic communities into novel states outside the range of natural variability archived in the fossil record.

Supplementary material:
A document containing additional statistics, figures, and tables, also considering different filters applied to the molluscan dataset, is provided as a Word file. In addition, appendices concerning sample and taxa information and R-scripts are provided as .csv and .r files. These are available at
https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.c.6351348
NimbleChain: Speeding up Cryptocurrencies in General-purpose Permissionless Blockchains
Authors: Silva Paulo , Matos Miguel , Barreto João
Published: December 2022

Nakamoto’s seminal work gave rise to permissionless blockchains, as well as a wide range of proposals to mitigate their performance shortcomings. Despite substantial throughput and energy efficiency achievements, most proposals only bring modest (or marginal) gains in transaction commit latency. Consequently, commit latencies in today’s permissionless blockchain landscape remain prohibitively high.

This article proposes NimbleChain, a novel algorithm that extends permissionless blockchains based on Nakamoto consensus with a fast path that delivers
causal promises of commitment
or simply
promises
. Since promises only partially order transactions, their latency is only a small fraction of the totally ordered commitment latency of Nakamoto consensus. Still, the weak consistency guarantees of promises are
strong enough
to correctly implement cryptocurrencies. To the best of our knowledge, NimbleChain is the first system to bring together fast, partially ordered transactions with consensus-based, totally ordered transactions in a permissionless setting. This hybrid consistency model is able to speed up cryptocurrency transactions while still supporting smart contracts, which typically have (strong) sequential consistency needs.

We implement NimbleChain as an extension of Ethereum and evaluate it in a 500-node geo-distributed deployment. The results show NimbleChain can promise a cryptocurrency transactions up to an order of magnitude faster than a vanilla Ethereum implementation, with marginal overheads.
The Anatomy of Hardware Reverse Engineering: An Exploration of Human Factors During Problem Solving
Authors: Wiesen Carina , Becker Steffen , Walendy René , Paar Christof , Rummel Nikol
Published: December 2022

Understanding of microchips, known as Hardware Reverse Engineering (HRE), is driven by analysts’ problem solving. This work sheds light on these hitherto poorly understood problem-solving processes. We propose a methodology addressing the problem of HRE experts being unavailable for research. We developed a training enabling students to acquire intermediate levels of HRE expertise. Besides one expert, we recruited eight top-performing students from this training for our exploratory study.

All participants completed a realistic HRE task involving the removal of a copyright protection mechanism from a hardware circuit. We analyzed 2,445 log entries by applying an iterative open coding and developed a detailed hierarchical problem-solving model. Our exploration yielded insights into problem-solving strategies and revealed that two intermediates solved the task with a comparable solution time to the expert. We discuss that HRE problem solving may be a function of both expertise and cognitive abilities, and outline ideas for novel countermeasures.
Malicious Selling Strategies in Livestream E-commerce: A Case Study of Alibaba’s Taobao and ByteDance’s TikTok
Authors: Wu Qunfang , Sang Yisi , Wang Dakuo , Lu Zhicong
Published: December 2022

Due to the limitations imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, customers have shifted their shopping patterns from offline to online. Livestream shopping has become popular as one of the online shopping media. However, various streamers’ malicious selling behaviors have been reported. In this research, we sought to explore streamers’ malicious selling strategies and understand how viewers perceive these strategies. First, we recorded 40 livestream shopping sessions from two popular livestream platforms in China—Taobao, and TikTok. We identified 16 malicious selling strategies that were used to deceive, coerce, or manipulate viewers and found that platform designs enhanced nine of the malicious selling strategies. Second, through an interview study with 13 viewers, we report three challenges of overcoming malicious selling in relation to imbalanced power between viewers, streamers, and the platforms. We conclude by discussing the policy and design implications of countering malicious selling.
IMF
2
O
2
: A Fully Connected Sensor Deployment Algorithm for Underwater Sensor Networks
Authors: Xia Na , Wang Yin , Chen Bin , Du Huazheng , Xu Chaonong , Zheng Rong
Published: December 2022

To address the problems of node deployment schemes in existing underwater sensor networks that lack consideration of network connectivity and high deployment costs, this article constructs an optimization model that maximizes network coverage and minimizes deployment costs while ensuring full connectivity. For the NP-hard property of this optimization model, an improved moth flame optimization node deployment algorithm based on fuzzy operators (IMF
2
O
2
) is proposed. First, comprehensively considering the two performance metrics of network coverage and network connectivity, a multi-objective selection mechanism based on fuzzy operators is proposed to improve network coverage while ensuring full connectivity. Second, a fixed number of nodes are used to monitor the target event points, transforming the node deployment of sensors into an optimal problem and proposing an improved moth flame optimization algorithm to solve this problem. Finally, the two metrics of coverage and deployment cost are measured and the fuzzy operator is used to select the optimal number of nodes to be deployed. Numerical results showed that the proposed algorithm improved network coverage rate by 10%, 22%, and 25%, and improved network connectivity rate by 12%, 20%, and 8% as compared to PSSD, RAWS, and VODA, respectively, while ensuring full connectivity.
LightFR: Lightweight Federated Recommendation with Privacy-preserving Matrix Factorization
Authors: Zhang Honglei , Luo Fangyuan , Wu Jun , He Xiangnan , Li Yidong
Published: December 2022

Federated recommender system (FRS), which enables many local devices to train a shared model jointly without transmitting local raw data, has become a prevalent recommendation paradigm with privacy-preserving advantages. However, previous work on FRS performs similarity search via inner product in continuous embedding space, which causes an efficiency bottleneck when the scale of items is extremely large. We argue that such a scheme in federated settings ignores the limited capacities in resource-constrained user devices (i.e., storage space, computational overhead, and communication bandwidth), and makes it harder to be deployed in large-scale recommender systems. Besides, it has been shown that transmitting local gradients in real-valued form between server and clients may leak users’ private information. To this end, we propose a lightweight federated recommendation framework with privacy-preserving matrix factorization,LightFR, that is able to generate high-quality binary codes by exploiting learning to hash technique under federated settings, and thus enjoys both fast online inference and economic memory consumption. Moreover, we devise an efficient federated discrete optimization algorithm to collaboratively train model parameters between the server and clients, which can effectively prevent real-valued gradient attacks from malicious parties. Through extensive experiments on four real-world datasets, we show that our LightFR model outperforms several state-of-the-art FRS methods in terms of recommendation accuracy, inference efficiency and data privacy.
Leveraging Mobile Technology for Public Health Promotion: A Multidisciplinary Perspective
Authors: Hicks Jennifer L. , Boswell Melissa A. , Althoff Tim , Crum Alia J. , Ku Joy P. , Landay James A. , Moya Paula M.L. , Murnane Elizabeth L. , Snyder Michael P. , King Abby C. , Delp Scott L.
Published: December 2022

Health behaviors are inextricably linked to health and well-being, yet issues such as physical inactivity and insufficient sleep remain significant global public health problems. Mobile technology—and the unprecedented scope and quantity of data it generates—has a promising but largely untapped potential to promote health behaviors at the individual and population levels. This perspective article provides multidisciplinary recommendations on the design and use of mobile technology, and the concomitant wealth of data, to promote behaviors that support overall health. Using physical activity as anexemplar health behavior, we review emerging strategies for health behavior change interventions. We describe progress on personalizing interventions to an individual and their social, cultural, and built environments, as well as on evaluating relationships between mobile technology data and health to establish evidence-based guidelines. In reviewing these strategies and highlighting directions for future research, we advance the use of theory-based, personalized, and human-centered approaches in promoting health behaviors.
Efficacy of Leuprorelin 3-Month Depot (11.25 mg) Compared to 1-Month Depot (3.75 mg) for Central Precocious Puberty in Chinese Girls: A Prospective Cohort Study
Authors: Yang Jianmei , Song Qijun , Gao Shuo , Gao Yuye , Shang Xiaohong , Li Guimei , Sun Yan , Luo Xiaoping
Published: December 2022

Objective. A 3-month depot of leuprorelin acetate (LA) was introduced in China in July 2020. However, the clinical experience is limited. The purpose of this study was to compare the efficacy of a LA 11.25 mg 3-month depot with that of a 3.75 mg 1-month depot in suppressing pubertal development for the treatment of central precocious puberty (CPP). Subjects and Methods. A prospective study, including 78 girls with CPP treated with LA, was conducted. 31 patients were treated with a LA 3-month depot, and 47 were treated with a LA 1-month depot. Participants were interviewed at baseline and 6 months. Anthropometric, metabolic, and reproductive data were assessed at each interview. Bone age, serum endocrine hormones, maximum diameter of uterus and volume of ovary of each patient were evaluated. A pharmacoeconomic evaluation was also conducted. Results. Treatment with a 3-month depot was similar to treatment with a 1-month depot in terms of baseline characteristics. After 6 months of treatment, a suppressed level of luteinizing hormone (LH) (LH < 2.5 IU/L) was found in 100% and 95% of the 11.25 mg and 3.75 mg groups, respectively. LH decreased from 2.11 ± 1.83 and 2.82 ± 2.31 at baseline (

P
=
0.172

) to 0.37 ± 0.39 and 0.44 ± 0.76 (

P
=
0.758

) in the 3-month and 1-month groups, respectively. Follicle stimulating hormone and estradiol levels, bone age/chronological age (BA/CA), height velocity, maximum diameter of uterus and volume of ovary did not show any distinction between the two groups after 6 months of treatment, but both were significantly ameliorated compared with the baseline. The loss of working time of parents and study time of patients and the numbers of visits, injections and laboratory examinations obviously decreased in the 3-month depots. Conclusion. An LA 3-month depot was equally effective and safe as a 1-month depot for hormonal suppression and bone maturation inhibition, providing clinical experience in China. The 11.25 mg depot of LA is a safe, efficient, and economical treatment method for the advanced activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis.
AdoR-1 (Adenosine Receptor) Contributes to Protection against Paraquat-Induced Oxidative Stress in Caenorhabditis elegans
Authors: Ling Chunyan , Shang Liangcheng , Xie Xin , Ye Sudan , Wang Ningjing , Chen Chun
Published: December 2022

AdoR-1, the single adenosine receptor homolog in Caenorhabditis elegans, which belongs to the superfamily of G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs), mediates most of the physiological effects of extracellular adenosine. Adenosine has been proved to improve the survival rate of C. elegans in oxidative stress conditions. However, the potential mechanism of adenosine’s protective effect against oxidative stress via AdoR-1 has not been studied. In this study, C. elegans were divided into three groups: two groups with paraquat treatment, one in the presence and one in the absence of adenosine, and an untreated control group. Results indicate that many differentially expressed genes were found to be enriched significantly in neural-related signaling pathways among transcriptome data of three groups. Further gene network analysis showed that some important genes well known to be involved in promoting the acetylcholine release pathway, such as dop-1, egl-30, and unc-13, and those involved in promoting the neuropeptide release pathway, such as kin-1, were upregulated by paraquat induction but downregulated after adenosine treatment. Meanwhile, a completely opposite trend was observed for the goa-1 gene that inhibits the acetylcholine-release and neuropeptide-release pathway. Additionally, some biochemical assays including SOD, GSSG, GSH, and AChE were measured to identify the potential protection of adenosine against oxidative stress between wild-type strain N2 and ador-1 gene knockout strain EG6890. Conclusively, our study revealed series of adenosine receptor-mediated genes in C. elegans that might act as regulators of paraquat-induced oxidative stress and may indicate adenosine’s promising protective effects.
Inhibition of the TLR/NF-κB Signaling Pathway and Improvement of Autophagy Mediates Neuroprotective Effects of Plumbagin in Parkinson’s Disease
Authors: Su Yan , Li Mao , Wang Qi , Xu Xingfeng , Qin Peifang , Huang Haitao , Zhang Yuting , Zhou Yali , Yan Jianguo
Published: December 2022

A naphthoquinone molecule known as plumbagin (PL), which has a wide range of pharmacological properties including antitumor, antioxidation, anti-inflammation, and neuroprotective effects, is extracted from the roots of the medicinal herb Plumbago zeylanica L. Plumbagin has been studied for its potential to treat Parkinson’s disease (PD). However, its effectiveness and mechanism are still unknown. This study intends to evaluate plumbagin’s effectiveness against PD in vitro and in vivo. Plumbagin partially repaired the loss of dopaminergic neurons in the nigral substantia nigra and the resulting behavioural impairment caused by MPTP or MPTP/probenecid in mice. Furthermore, plumbagin treatment significantly inhibited the TLR/NF-κB pathways. It reduced the TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-1β mRNA expression in PD mice induced by MPTP or MPTP/probenecid, which was consistent with the findings in the inflammatory model of BV2 cells induced by MPP+ or LPS. In addition, plumbagin treatment enhanced the microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3 beta (LC3) LC3-II/LC3-I levels while decreasing the p-mTOR and p62 protein accumulation in PD mice induced by MPTP or MPTP/probenecid, which was similar to the results obtained from the experiments in SH-SY5Y and PC12 cells induced by MPP+. Consequently, our results support the hypothesis that plumbagin, by promoting autophagy and inhibiting the activation of the TLR/NF-κB signaling pathway, is a promising treatment agent for treating Parkinson’s disease (PD). However, to confirm plumbagin’s anti-PD action more thoroughly, other animal and cell PD models must be used in future studies.
Technological Tools for Knowledge Apprehension and Promotion in the Cultural and Heritage Tourism Sector: Systematic Literature Review
Authors: Quiroz-Fabra Jefferson , Valencia-Arias Alejandro , Londoño-Celis Wilmer , García-Pineda Vanessa
Published: December 2022

One of the objectives sought within the teaching-learning processes is the apprehension of knowledge. In the cultural and heritage tourism sector, these processes are integrated with the help of the Information and Communications Technologies (ICT), such as immersive technologies, to develop new forms of interaction, improve the user experience, disseminate knowledge, and promote these destinations. Given the boom in technological development and its application in tourism, this study is based on analyzing through a systematic literature review the research progress that has been made in this area. The proposed methodology comprises a series of information search and characterization stages in which 54 studies are analyzed. The systematic analysis and breakdown stage highlights the use of gamification and e-Learning as key tools for the apprehension of knowledge in tourism environments, showing its versatility in developing digital tools for different contexts. The results allow proposing a research agenda based on three key components: e-Learning as an instrument of interactive education where technologies are articulated with pedagogical aspects, dynamic marketing, and its replicability in different tourism sectors, as well as the development of advergames and the development of gamification techniques and games from the technological field and its characteristics as an evaluative tool in the field of learning.
Characterization of Canine Adenovirus Type 2 Virus Infection Pattern in Canine and Human Cell Lines
Authors: Hogans Madison D. , Kretzschmar Will P. , Higgins Theresa A. , Chakrabortty Atonu , Nance Rebecca L. , Smith Bruce F. , Bedi Deepa , Sandey Maninder , Agarwal Payal
Published: December 2022

Canine adenovirus type 2 (CAV2) is a nonhuman adenovirus with a known ability to infect human and canine cells. The cell surface receptors involved in CAV2 transduction are still unknown. Identification of these would provide valuable information to develop enhanced gene delivery tools and better understand CAV2 biology. CAV2 is erroneously grouped with Ad5 based on the knowledge that CAV2 may transduce using CAR. Therefore, we have evaluated CAV2 and Ad5 (CAV2GFP, Ad5G/L) infection patterns in various canine and human cell lines to determine their different tropisms. Our research demonstrates that CAV2 can successfully infect cells that Ad5 does not infect, and CAV2 infections do not correlate with CAR expression. CAV2 can infect cells that have a low or minimal expression of CAR. Our data suggest that CAV2 transduction is not dependent on the CAR receptor, and thus, it is crucial to find novel CAV2 receptors.
Exploring the Potential Mechanism of Artemisinin and Its Derivatives in the Treatment of Osteoporosis Based on Network Pharmacology and Molecular Docking
Authors: Ma Yujie , Liu Haixia , Lu Xinyue , Song Changheng , Cheng Yin , Wang Yuhan , Li Pei , Chen Yanjing , Zhang Zhiguo
Published: December 2022

Objective. This study is aimed at predicting and contrasting the mechanisms of artemisinin (ARS), dihydroartemisinin (DHA), artesunate (ART), artemether (ARM), and arteether (ARE) in the treatment of osteoporosis (OP) using network pharmacology and molecular docking. Methods. The targets of ARS, DHA, ART, ARM, and ARE were obtained from the SwissTargetPrediction. The targets related to OP were obtained from the TTD, DrugBank, Genecards, and DisGeNet databases. Then, the anti-OP targets of ARS, DHA, ART, ARM, and ARE were obtained and compared using the Venn diagram. Afterward, the protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks were built using the STRING database, and Cytoscape was used to select hub targets. Moreover, molecular docking validated the binding association between five molecules and hub targets. Finally, GO enrichment and KEGG pathway enrichment were conducted using the DAVID database. The common pathways of five molecules were analysed. Results. A total of 28, 37, 36, 27, and 33 anti-OP targets of ARS, DHA, ART, ARM, and ARE were acquired. EGFR, EGFR, CASP3, MAPK8, and CASP3 act as the top 1 anti-OP targets of ARS, DHA, ART, ARM, and ARE, respectively. MAPK14 is the common target of five molecules. All five molecules can bind well with these hubs and common targets. Meanwhile, functional annotation showed that MAPK, Serotonergic synapse, AMPK, prolactin, and prolactin signaling pathways are the top 1 anti-OP pathway of ARS, DHA, ART, ARM, and ARE, respectively. IL-17 signaling pathway and prolactin signaling pathway are common anti-OP pathways of five molecules. Besides, GO enrichment showed five biological processes and three molecular functions are common anti-OP mechanisms of five molecules. Conclusion. ARS, DHA, ART, ARM and ARE can treat OP through multi-targets and multi pathways, respectively. All five molecules can treat OP by targeting MAPK14 and acting on the IL-17 and prolactin signaling pathways.
Safety and Immunogenicity of Pertussis Vaccine Immunization during Pregnancy: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Clinical Trials
Authors: Simayi Aidibai , Zhu Liguo , Jin Hui
Published: December 2022

The objective of this meta-analysis is to assess the safety and immunogenicity of maternal pertussis vaccination based on randomized clinical trials. PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Internet, and Wan Fang Database were searched from inception up to the 8th of October 2021, using a protocol registered on PROSPERO with no. 42021287717, and a meta-analysis was conducted. We measured pooled geometric mean concentrations (GMCs) for IgG antibodies against pertussis and the incidence of serious adverse events (SAEs). We identified a total of 522 publications, and after a strict screening, we found that 6 RCTs were eligible for our meta-analysis. GMCs were determined with a standardized mean difference (SMD), and the pooled SMD of anti-PT, anti-FHA, and anti-PRN IgG from cord blood were 0.91 (95% CI: 0.58, 1.24), 1.03 (95% CI: (0.70, 1.35)), and 1.55(95% CI: 1.22, 1.88), respectively. The pooled OR of SAEs of women and infants did not show a statistical difference; the pooled ORs were 1.26 (95% CI: 0.78, 2.05);

P
=
0.35

) and 0.61 (95% CI: 0.37, 1.01);

p
=
0.053

), respectively. Infants of immunized women have significantly higher transplacental antibodies for protection against pertussis disease during the first 2 months of life.
Bioremediation of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Contaminated Soils Using Vermicompost
Authors: Mohammadi-Moghadam Fazel , Khodadadi Ramazan , Sedehi Morteza , Arbabi Mohsen
Published: December 2022

Bioremediation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in contaminated soils are reported in many literatures. Composting, in addition to bioremediation, can simultaneously increase soil organic matter content and soil fertility and is thus regarded as one of the most cost-effective methods of soil remediation. In this study, biodegradation of phenanthrene (PHE) and pyrene (PYR) is reported by microbial consortia enriched by vermicompost. After soil samples preparation and grinding, the samples were contaminated with 100, 200, and 300 mg/kg of PHE and PYR concentrations and inoculated with three concentrations (2, 4, and 6 wt.%) of vermicompost. PHE and PYR concentrations were analyzed by HPLC during bioremediation. After 70 days, two highly capable microbial consortia were used to remove the pollutants in bioaugmentation conditions. Analysis of their microbial composition revealed that the consortia contain several Proteobacteria phylum bacterial species, and the most common genera were Pseudomonas and Citrobacter. Decontamination rates for PHE and PYR were estimated to be 89% and 83% over 45 days, respectively. Biodegradation kinetics revealed that microbial degradation followed a first-order kinetics. This study provides clear evidence on the biodegradation of PHE and PYR, paving the way for the development of bioremediation technologies for the recovery of polluted ecosystems.
E-Learning in Saudi Electronic University, KSA: With Special Reference to Employability Skills and Job Opportunities for Students
Authors: Aman Arfia , Albarrak Mansour Saleh , Sherfudeen Noorjahan , Ansari Yasmeen
Published: December 2022

Employability skills and job opportunities are major factors for addressing employment and national development. Rapid changes and enhancements in technology have forced universities to prepare students to compete in the changing workplace environment. This study tries to analyze the impact of E-learning on the employability skills and job opportunities of students. The mixed approach method was adopted. Three hundred eighty-seven students for quantitative analysis and twenty randomly selected alumni members for qualitative study have been comprised in the sample. The study selected multivariate analysis techniques and results were tested using structural equation modeling technique in IBM-AMOS. The word cloud method helped for the qualitative part of this research. The findings of this research show the positive role of E-learning environment on the employability skills and job opportunities of the students as per the labor market demand. This study is less explored in terms of assessing the role of E-learning and employability of business students in Saudi Arabia. Hence, this research can be of great value to all the stakeholders of universities to upgrade the E-learning environment in enhancing the work skills of students.
A Flexible Wearable Thermography System Based on Bioheat Microsensors Network for Early Breast Cancer Detection: IoT Technology
Authors: Elouerghi Achraf , Bellarbi Larbi , Khomsi Zakaryae , Jbari Atman , Errachid Abdelhamid , Yaakoubi Nourdin
Published: December 2022

Many women diagnosed by traditional screening methods, such as palpation, mammography, and MRI, do not discover their cancer until it is relatively advanced. This makes treatment more difficult and reduces the chance of a cure. To deal with this issue, we have developed a noninvasive embedded thermography system that allows for an early detection of breast cancer. Indeed, the surface temperature distribution of the breast, which we will call the thermal image, can be used as a preventive indicator of the subsequent development of a cancerous tumor. This is due to the metabolic activity of the immune system, which induces, in the presence of cancer cells, a local increase of temperature even before the tumor tissue is differentiated and detectable by conventional imaging systems. The proposed system is designed as a network of bioheat microsensors applied to the breast, to measure periodically the temperature gradients on the surface. All the bioheat microsensors are addressed by a microcontroller via the I2C protocol. To calibrate and evaluate the proposed system, we have proposed an experimental model of the breast, inside which we have placed Joule effect heating elements.
HS3ST3A1 and CAPN8 Serve as Immune-Related Biomarkers for Predicting the Prognosis in Thyroid Cancer
Authors: Chen Zhao-Hui , Yue Hao-Ran , Li Jun-Hui , Jiang Ruo-Yu , Wang Xiao-Ning , Zhou Xue-Jie , Yu Yue , Cao Xu-Chen
Published: December 2022

Background. Thyroid cancer (TC) tends to be a common malignancy worldwide and results in various outcomes due to its different subtypes. The tumor microenvironment (TME) was demonstrated to play crucial roles in various malignancies, including thyroid cancer. This study combined the ESTIMATE and CIBERSORT algorithms, identified four TME-related genes, and evaluated their correlation with clinical characteristics. These findings revealed the malignant performance of TME in TC, and the TME-related DEGs might serve as prognostic biomarkers, which can be utilized for the prediction of immunotherapy effects in patients with TC. Methods. The clinical and gene expression profiles of TC patients were collected from the TCGA dataset. The ESTIMATE algorithm was utilized to estimate stromal and immune scores and predict the level of stromal and immune cell infiltration. The differential expressed genes related to TME were filtered by the “limma” package in R, and the PPI network was constructed by a string website. KEGG pathway and GO analyses were performed to investigate the biological progression and molecular functions of TME-related DEGs. Then, univariate Cox regression analysis was employed to screen four genes correlated with clinical characteristics. GSEA was conducted to assess their roles in the TME of TC. To further investigate the association between TME-related genes and tumor-infiltrating immune cells (TIICs), the CIBERSORT algorithm was performed. Finally, the malignancy behaviors of the two genes were verified by RT-qPCR, IHC, MTT, colony formation, and transwell assays. Results. Four TME-related DEGs, LRRN4CL, HS3ST3A1, PCOLCE2, and CAPN8, were identified and were significantly predictive of poor overall survival. KEGG and GO pathway analysis established that the TME-related DEGs were involved in immune responses and pathways in cancer. Furthermore, the malignancy behaviors of HS3ST3A1 and CAPN8 were verified by cellular functional experiments. These results revealed that the TME-related genes HS3ST3A1 and CAPN8 were able to serve as predictors of prognosis in patients with TC. Conclusion. HS3ST3A1 and CAPN8 may serve as valuable prognostic biomarkers and TME indicators, which can be utilized for the prediction of immunotherapy effects and provide novel treatment strategies for patients with TC.
Predicting Axillary Response in Hormone Receptor-Positive Breast Cancer after Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy Using Real-World Data
Authors: Qiu Jie , Zheng Yiwen , Qian Da , Guan Dandan , Zheng Qinghui , Xu Yuhao , Ju Siyi , Meng Xuli , Tang Hongchao
Published: December 2022

Purpose. To develop a scoring system for hormone receptor-positive (HR+) breast cancer patients who are expected to achieve axillary pathological complete response (pCR) after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC). To confirm the correlation between axillary status and survival rate in HR+ breast cancer after NAC. Methods. Women from the Shanghai Jiao Tong University Breast Cancer Database (SJTU-BCDB) who underwent NAC for cT1-4N1-3M0 primary HR+ breast cancer between 2009 and 2018 were included in the study. In this case, patient follow up was performed until 2022 for those with complete data before and after NAC. The main outcome measures were the axillary pCR rate, overall survival (OS), and disease-free survival (DFS). The patients were randomly assigned to a test set (n = 175) and a validation set (n = 68) in a 7 : 3 ratio. A prediction risk score was then developed based on the odds ratios from the multivariate analysis of the test set (n = 175) before being validated in the validation set (n = 68). Finally, the Kaplan–Meier curves were used to explore the survival on this score system. Results. From the database, 243 women were included, and the median follow-up period was 47.5 months (95% confidence interval: 41.9–53.1). The axillary pCR rate was 18.9% (46 of 243), with the independent predictors of residual positive axillary lymph nodes (LNs) being lymphovascular invasion (LVI), breast conserving surgery (BCS), Ki67 < 14%, HER2 negativity, positive lymph nodes in ultrasound (US) before surgery, and stage III histological grade (All,

P
<
0.05

). Using the above predictors of the model, the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used for calibration and inspection, with values for the test and validation sets being 0.847 (

P
<
0.001

; 95% CI: 0.769, 0.925) and 0.813 (

P
<
0.001

; 95% CI: 0.741, 0.885), respectively. The total risk score ranged from 0 to 6 for the multivariate analysis, and from this range, a risk score of 0–2 was defined as a low-risk group, while scores of 3–6 were defined as the high-risk one. By constructing the survival curve, it was found that the 5-year OS rates for the low-risk and high-risk groups were 89.0% and 84.2% (P = 0.236). Similarly, the 5-year DFS rates for the low-risk and high-risk groups were 80% and 68.5% (P = 0.048), respectively. In addition, axillary pathological stages were significantly correlated with the overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) (All,

P
<
0.05

). Conclusion. The prediction model showed good performance for HR + breast cancer. LVI, BCS, low Ki-67, HER2 negativity, suspected positive LNs before surgery, and stage III histological grade were all risk factors for residual positive axillary LNs. However, unlike pathological stages, achieving pCR in the axillary LNs does not affect the survival status.
Cubic Trigonometric Hermite Interpolation Curve: Construction, Properties, and Shape Optimization
Authors: Li Juncheng , Liu Chengzhi
Published: December 2022

Cubic Hermite interpolation curve plays a very important role in interpolation curves modeling, but it has three shortcomings including low continuity, difficult shape adjustment, and the inability to accurately represent some common engineering curves. We construct a cubic trigonometric Hermite interpolation curve to make up the three shortcomings of cubic Hermite interpolation curve once and for all. The cubic trigonometric Hermite interpolation curve not only inherits the features of cubic Hermite interpolation curve but also achieves C2 continuity, has local and global adjustability, and can accurately represent elliptical arc, circular arc, quadratic parabolic arc, cubic parabolic arc, and astroid arc that often appear in engineering. In addition, we give the schemes for optimizing the shape of the cubic trigonometric Hermite interpolation curve based on internal energy minimization. The schemes include optimizing the shape of planar curve and spatial curve. Some modeling examples show that the proposed schemes are effective and the cubic trigonometric Hermite interpolation curve is more practical than cubic Hermite interpolation curve.
Research on Calibration Methods of Long-Wave Infrared Camera and Visible Camera
Authors: Sun Sicong , Wei Wei , Yuan Xianqi , Zhou Rougang
Published: December 2022

Long-wave infrared (LWIR) and visible (VIS) cameras can image information at different dimensions, but the way to calibrate these two types of cameras while registering and fusing the acquired images is difficult. We propose a calibration plate and a calibration method for thermal imaging and visible imaging to solve three problems: (1) the inability of the existing calibration plates to address LWIR and VIS cameras simultaneously; (2) severe heat interference in the calibration images of LWIR cameras; (3) difficulty in finding feature points for registration due to the different imaging spectra between thermal imaging and visible imaging. Simulation tests and error analysis show the error of outline central point computation is less than 0.1 pixel. Average errors of Euclidean distances from the margin outline scattered point sets of the closed circle and closed ellipse to the outline central points decrease by 10% and 9.9%, respectively. The Mean Reprojection Error in the calibration of LWIR and VIS cameras are 0.1 and 0.227 pixels, respectively. Through image registration design and fusion experiments, the FMIdct, MS-SSIM, Qabf, SCD, and SSIM of the images fused after distortion correction are all higher than those of the images fused before distortion correction, with the highest increases being 4.6%, 0.3%, 3.1%, 7.2%, and 1.4%. These results prove the effectiveness and feasibility of our method.