bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Regional differences in the epidemic shock on the local labor market and its spread
Authors: Kazekami Sachiko
Published: December 2021

First, using the sequential linear panel data‐estimation model and maps, we demonstrate the relocation of job‐posting places, especially for part‐time jobs. We use data on the number of job postings at the public employment security office in Japan. These changes in the posting places are clearly observable in the retail trade for part‐ and full‐time jobs. In contrast, we do not find discernible relocation in the information‐services industry. The impact of the COVID‐19 shock varies by geographic location. However, if people's mobility rate, the number of infected people, or the declaration of the state of emergency are controlled for, the number of job postings differs among areas. Therefore, second, this study explores the factors that account for the differences in the number of job offers among areas. We find that industrial diversity increases the number of job postings for part‐ and full‐time jobs in 2021, that is, one year after the first wave of the pandemic began. In contrast, industrial specialization has a negative impact in 2021. Higher rigidity of finance decreases the number of part‐time job postings immediately after the first wave of the pandemic because local governments cannot provide various support measures to create jobs. However, this financial effect disappears with time. Furthermore, higher financial capability positively affects part‐time job postings, although they are not efficient in creating full‐time jobs. The unemployment rate in 2015 negatively affects the regional differences in job postings after 2021. Regarding whether firms seek regions with rich human resources, the result is unexpectedly unclear.
Vitamin D status is heritable and under environment‐dependent selection in the wild
Authors: Sparks Alexandra M. , Johnston Susan E. , Handel Ian , Pilkington Jill G. , Berry Jacqueline , Pemberton Josephine M. , Nussey Daniel H. , Mellanby Richard J.
Published: December 2021

Vitamin D has a well‐established role in skeletal health and is increasingly linked to chronic disease and mortality in humans and companion animals. Despite the clear significance of vitamin D for health and obvious implications for fitness under natural conditions, no longitudinal study has tested whether the circulating concentration of vitamin D is under natural selection in the wild. Here, we show that concentrations of dietary‐derived vitamin D2 and endogenously produced vitamin D3 metabolites are heritable and largely polygenic in a wild population of Soay sheep (Ovis aries). Vitamin D2 status was positively associated with female adult survival, and vitamin D3 status predicted female fecundity in particular, good environment years when sheep density and competition for resources was low. Our study provides evidence that vitamin D status has the potential to respond to selection, and also provides new insights into how vitamin D metabolism is associated with fitness in the wild.
Using NEWS2 to triage newly admitted patients with COVID‐19
Authors: Luo Zhen , Peng Xiaobei , Zhou Fangyi , Zhang Lei , Guo Mengwei , Peng Lingli
Published: December 2021

Background

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) pandemic has spread globally and caused a major worldwide health crisis. Patients who are affected more seriously by COVID‐19 usually deteriorate rapidly and need further intensive care.

Aim

We aimed to assess the performance of the National Early Warning Score 2 (NEWS2) as a risk stratification tool to discriminate newly admitted patients with COVID‐19 at risk of serious events.

Design

We conducted a retrospective single‐centre case‐control study on 200 unselected patients consecutively admitted in March 2020 in a public general hospital in Wuhan, China.

Methods

The following serious events were considered: mortality, unplanned intensive care unit (ICU) admission, and non‐invasive ventilation treatment. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis and logistic regression analysis were used to quantify the association between outcomes and NEWS2.

Results

There were 12 patients (6.0%) who had serious events, where 7 patients (3.5%) experienced unplanned ICU admissions. The area under the ROC curve (AUROC) and cut‐off of NEWS2 for the composite outcome were 0.83 and 3, respectively. For patients with NEWS2 ≥ 4, the odds of being at risk for serious events was 16.4 (AUROC = 0.74), while for patients with NEWS2 ≥ 7, the odds of being at risk for serious events was 18.2 (AUROC = 0.71).

Conclusions

NEWS2 has an appropriate ability to triage newly admitted patients with COVID‐19 into three levels of risk: low risk (NEWS2 = 0‐3), medium risk (NEWS2 = 4‐6), and high risk (NEWS2 ≥ 7).

Relevance to clinical practice

Using NEWS2 may help nurses in early identification of at‐risk COVID‐19 patients and clinical nursing decision‐making. Using NEWS2 to triage new patients with COVID‐19 may help nurses provide more appropriate level of care and medical resources allocation for patients safety.
TaMOR is essential for root initiation and improvement of root system architecture in wheat
Authors: Li Chaonan , Wang Jingyi , Li Long , Li Jialu , Zhuang Mengjia , Li Bo , Li Qiaoru , Huang Junfang , Du Yan , Wang Jinping , Fan Zipei , Mao Xinguo , Jing Ruilian
Published: December 2021

Optimal root system architecture is beneficial for water‐fertilizer use efficiency, stress tolerance and yield improvement of crops. However, because of the complexity of root traits and difficulty in phenotyping deep roots, the study on mechanisms of root development is rarely reported in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). In this study, we identified that the LBD (LATERAL ORGAN BOUNDARIES DOMAIN) gene TaMOR (MORE ROOT in wheat) determines wheat crown root initiation. The mor mutants exhibited less or even no crown root, dwarfism, less grain number and lodging caused by few roots. The observation of cross sections showed that crown root initiation is inhibited in the mor mutants. Molecular assays revealed that TaMOR interacts with the auxin response factor ARF5 to directly induce the expression of the auxin transporter gene PIN2 (PIN‐FORMED 2) in the root base to regulate crown root initiation. In addition, a 159‐bp MITE (miniature inverted‐repeat transposable element) insertion causing DNA methylation and lower expression of TaMOR‐B was identified in TaMOR‐B promoter, which is associated with lower root dry weight and shorter plant height. The results bring new light into regulation mechanisms of crown root initiation and offer a new target for the improvement of root system architecture in wheat.
Attenuation of actinic prurigo eruptions with Polypodium leucotomos supplementation
Authors: Stump Madeliene , Dhinsa Harpinder , Powers Jennifer , Stone Mary
Published: December 2021

Actinic prurigo is a rare pruritic photodermatosis. We report the use of Polypodium leucotomos extract in an 11‐year‐old female patient with actinic prurigo, resulting in a significant attenuation of her disease without development of adverse effects to date. Polypodium leucotomos exerts a pleiotropic immunomodulatory and antioxidant effect by shifting the balance from pro‐ to an antiinflammatory cytokine environment. This counteracts the effects of UV‐induced cellular damage characteristic of photodermatoses.
Impact of channel structure on a manufacturer's bundling decision with an application to digital goods
Authors: Cao Qingning , Geng Xianjun , Zhang Jun
Published: December 2021

This paper studies the impact of channel structure on an upstream manufacturer's bundling incentive, with a focus on the implications of channel structure for bundling digital goods. We consider a distribution channel with a manufacturer and a retailer. The manufacturer produces two products and sells them either separately or in the form of bundles to end consumers through a downstream retailer. Our analysis reveals that a manufacturer may have a stronger incentive to bundle when selling through a downstream retailer than when selling directly to consumers. Bundling serves as a tool for the manufacturer to reduce the harm associated with the well‐documented double marginalization problem. Therefore, our paper provides a new rationale to the bundling literature, which has traditionally focused on the role of bundling in helping a firm price‐discriminate consumers or gain competitive advantages against peer firms. Further, contrary to the conventional wisdom that asymmetries in bundled products hurt a firm's bundling incentive, we show that asymmetries can strengthen the manufacturer's incentive to bundle in a distribution channel. We also find that, as the marginal production costs decrease, a decentralized channel structure is more likely to lead to manufacturer bundling than a centralized one. Our results help explain the prevalence of bundling, especially digital products, in practice.
Inmunotinción dual p16INK4a/ki-67 en citología vaginal en medio líquido. Prueba piloto de complemento diagnóstico.
Authors: OLAYA-C Mercedes , Puerto Myriam Beatriz , Corredor Edy Marcela , Pérez Moreno Carlos Humberto
Published: December 2021

Objetivo: Introducir la prueba de desregulación del ciclo celular p16 y Ki-67 como complemento en el estudio de la evolución de las lesiones reportadas con atipia escamosa (ASC-US – LSIL – HSIL) en extendidos citológicos, dada su capacidad como marcador de progresión a cáncer por parte de lesiones precancerosas; se compara con pruebas de oro. Métodos: Estudio observacional analítico de corte transversal sobre una población a la que se le realizó citología en base líquida (CBL) y en los casos positivos, se complementó con inmunocitoquímica, cepillado endocervical, colposcopia y biopsia. Resultados: de las 51 citologías estudiadas, 35 (68,62%) fueron clasificadas como negativas y 16 (31,38%) con atipia: ASCU-US (n=8), LSIL (n=7) y HSIL (n=1). De estos 16 casos, la prueba de inmunocitoquímica fue positiva para 3 de los 7 LSIL y para el caso reportado como HSIL. Los 8 casos reportados como ASC-US fueron negativos para biomarcadores. Conclusión: el presente estudio piloto realizado a 51 pacientes, detectó cuatro de ellas con un ciclo celular desregulado, mediante inmunorreactidad a la doble tinción de P16/Ki-67; tres citologías habían mostrado LSIL y una HSIL. Los biomarcadores son un complemento útil en el tamizaje para el control de cáncer de cuello uterino, específicos para lesiones en progresión a malignidad, que se deben promover en nuestro país.
Predicción del rendimiento académico a través de la práctica de relajación-meditación-mindfulness y el desarrollo de competencias emocionales
Authors: Amutio Careaga Alberto , López-González Luis , Oriol Granado Xavier , Pérez-Escoda Nuria
Published: December 2021

Este estudio tiene un doble objetivo, por un lado, conocer las relaciones existentes entre REMIND (relajación, meditación y mindfulness) competencia emocional (CE) y rendimiento académico (RA) en adolescentes; por el otro, analizar si la CE hace el rol de mediador entre REMIND y RA. La muestra se compone de 1 120 estudiantes de educación secundaria y bachillerato (51.96% mujeres) con una media de edad de 14.27 (DE =1.64). El análisis estadístico consistió fundamentalmente en comprobar la adecuación de las variables en cada uno de los modelos de ecuación estructural propuestos. En primer lugar, se calcularon los modelos de medida para después calcular los modelos SEM. Los resultados mostraron unas buenas relaciones entre variables y unos indicadores de ajuste aceptables para los modelos de medida. Así mismo, en el modelo global la CE aparece también como mediador entre REMIND y RA. Se concluye que las influencias en el RA ejercidas por REMIND en los modelos analizados son indirectas, a través de las competencias emocionales. Como conclusión, se destaca la conveniencia de que los docentes ejerciten en el aula programas o, al menos, ejercicios de REMIND para potenciar las competencias emocionales del alumnado y mejorar su RA.
Function-based reconstruction of the fiber orientation distribution function of short-fiber-reinforced polymers
Authors: Nabergoj Matija , Urevc Janez , Halilovič Miroslav
Published: December 2021

Reconstruction of the fiber orientation distribution function (ODF) from injection molding simulation results is commonly performed using the so-called series-based approach. However, with the development of advanced material constitutive models, the need has emerged to overcome the drawbacks of this approach, such as negative values for certain orientation states and limitations in describing highly concentrated probabilities. In this work, an approach to shift the reconstruction procedure from series-based to function-based is proposed, achieved by deducing an appropriate two-parametric form of the ODF. We demonstrate that the proposed ODF can be uniquely reconstructed from the second-order orientation tensors obtained from the injection molding simulations and that the approach does not suffer from the aforementioned limitations, being capable of accurately describing even the extreme orientation states without yielding nonphysical results. Based on the proposed ODF, a new closure approximation is also developed and used to verify the deduced form in flow-induced orientation predictions.
Altered Spatiotemporal Gaze Dynamics During Unexpected Obstacle Negotiation in a Fatigued State
Authors: Hinkel-Lipsker Jacob W. , Stoehr Nicole M. , Depur Pranavi L. , Weise Michael A. , Vicente Joshua A. , Drew Stefanie A. , Rogers Sean M.
Published: December 2021

Humans use their peripheral vision during locomotion to perceive an approaching obstacle in their path, while also focusing central gaze on steps ahead of them. However, certain physiological and psychological factors may change this strategy, such as when a walker is physically fatigued. In this study, 21 healthy participants walked through a dark room while wearing eye tracking glasses before and following intense exercise. Obstacles were placed in random locations along their path and became illuminated when participants approached them. Results indicate that, when fatigued, participants had altered spatial gaze strategies, including more frequent use of central gaze to perceive obstacles and an increased gaze angular displacement. However, there were no changes in temporal gaze strategies following exercise. These findings reveal how physical fatigue alters one’s visual perception of their environment during locomotion, and may partially explain why people are at greater risk of trips and falls while fatigued.
MLL4 mediates differentiation and tumor suppression through ferroptosis
Authors: Egolf Shaun , Zou Jonathan , Anderson Amy , Simpson Cory L. , Aubert Yann , Prouty Stephen , Ge Kai , Seykora John T. , Capell Brian C.
Published: December 2021

This study reveals how epigenetic errors drive skin cancer initiation via altered cell fate and impaired ferroptosis.
Conditionally pathogenic genetic variants of a hematopoietic disease–suppressing enhancer
Authors: Soukup Alexandra A. , Matson Daniel R. , Liu Peng , Johnson Kirby D. , Bresnick Emery H.
Published: December 2021

Noncoding genetic variants cause blood disease.
Effective CD4 T cell priming requires repertoire scanning by CD301b
+
migratory cDC2 cells upon lymph node entry
Authors: Tatsumi Naoya , Codrington Alicia L. , El-Fenej Jihad , Phondge Varoon , Kumamoto Yosuke
Published: December 2021

CD301b
+
migratory cDC2 cells temporarily retain polyclonal CD4 T cells during priming to scan their antigen specificity.
Intranasal priming induces local lung-resident B cell populations that secrete protective mucosal antiviral IgA
Authors: Oh Ji Eun , Song Eric , Moriyama Miyu , Wong Patrick , Zhang Sophia , Jiang Ruoyi , Strohmeier Shirin , Kleinstein Steven H. , Krammer Florian , Iwasaki Akiko
Published: December 2021

A heterogeneous population of cells secreting mucosal IgA confers protection against influenza virus infection.
Synergistic inhibitory effects of 5-aza-2′-deoxycytidine and cisplatin on urothelial carcinoma growth via suppression of TGFBI-MAPK signaling pathways
Authors: Shang Donghao , Li Gang , Zhang Caixing , Liu Yuting
Published: December 2021

This study aimed to reveal the gene transcriptional alterations, possible molecular mechanisms, and pathways involved in the synergy of 5-aza-2′-deoxycytidine (DAC) and Cisplatin (CDDP) in urothelial carcinoma (UC). Two UC cell lines, 5637 and T24, were used in the present study. A cDNA microarray was performed to identify critical genes involved in the synergistic mechanism of both agents against UC cells. The results showed that several key regulatory genes, such as interleukin 24 (IL24), fibroblast growth factor 1 (FGF1), and transforming growth factor beta induced (TGFBI), may play critical roles in the synergy of DAC and CDDP in UC. Pathway enrichment suggested that many carcinogenesis-related pathways, such as the ECM-receptor interaction and MAPK signaling pathways, may participate in the synergy of both agents. Our results suggest that TGF-β1 stimulates the phosphorylation of ERK1/2 and p38 by increasing TGFBI expression, and that the TGFBI-MAPK signaling pathway plays an important role in the synergy of DAC and CDDP against UC. Therefore, we revealed the synergistic mechanism of DAC and CDDP in UC. Several key regulatory genes play critical roles in the synergy of combined treatment, and the TGFBI-MAPK signaling pathway may be an important potential target of these two agents.
On three-dimensional SPH modelling of large-scale landslides
Authors: Peng Chong , Li Shuai , Wu Wei , An Huicong , Chen Xiaoqing , Ouyang Chaojun , Tang Hui
Published: December 2021

Lagrangian particle-based smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) is increasingly widely used in landslide modelling. This paper investigates four important issues not addressed by previous studies on SPH modelling of large-scale landslides, i.e., convergence property, influence of constitutive parameters, scale effect and friction reduction, and influence of different treatments of the viscous effect. The GPU-acceleration technique is employed to achieve high-resolution three-dimensional (3D) modelling. The Baige landslide is investigated by comparing numerical results with field data, and detailed analyses on the four issues are provided. Suggestions on particle resolution, constitutive parameter, and formulations of viscous discretization are also presented for future SPH modelling of large-scale landslides.
Ribaucour surfaces of harmonic type
Authors: Corro Armando M. V. , Riveros Carlos M. C. , Fernandes Karoline V.
Published: December 2021

We introduce the class of Ribaucour surfaces of harmonic type (in short HR-surfaces) that generalizes the Ribaucour surfaces related to a problem posed by Élie Cartan. We obtain a Weierstrass-type representation for these surfaces which depends on three holomorphic functions. As application, we classify the HR-surfaces of rotation, present examples of complete HR-surfaces of rotation with at most two isolated singularities and an example of a complete HR-surface of rotation with one catenoid type end and one planar end. Also, we present a 5-parameter family of cyclic HR-surfaces foliated by circles in non-parallel planes. Moreover, we classify the isothermic HR-surfaces with planar lines of curvature.
Quantum oscillations between weakly coupled Bose–Einstein condensates: Evolution in a non-degenerate double well
Authors: Andersen John D. , Raghavan Srikanth , Kenkre V. M.
Published: December 2021

In this paper, we discuss coherent atomic oscillations between two weakly coupled Bose–Einstein condensates that are energetically different. The weak link is notionally provided by a laser barrier in a (possibly asymmetric) multi-well trap or by Raman coupling between condensates in different hyperfine levels. The resultant boson Josephson junction dynamics is described by a double-well nonlinear Gross–Pitaevskii equation. On the basis of a new set of Jacobian elliptic function solutions, we describe the period of the oscillations as well as associated quantities and predict novel observable consequences of the interplay of the energy difference and initial phase difference between the two condensate populations.
A Linear VCO Using Single CFA and Analog Multipliers: Quadrature Oscillator Implementation
Authors: Mathur K. , Venkateswaran P. , Nandi R.
Published: December 2021

A new linear voltage-controlled oscillator (LVCO) implementation using single AD-844 CFA with a pair of AD-835 multiplier devices and a pair of grounded capacitors is proposed. The open-loop transfer function of the topology is analyzed wherein the concept of Short-Circuit Natural Frequency (SCNF) is applied to derive the sinusoid oscillator implementation. The proposed oscillator circuit is then restructured to yield a linear voltage-controlled quadrature oscillator (LVCQO) after appropriate cascade with a CFA-based active integrator. The oscillation frequency is linearly tunable ([Formula: see text][Formula: see text]MHz) by the multiplier control voltage ([Formula: see text]. Subsequently, a high-[Formula: see text] selective band-pass (BP) filter is derived. Effects of the CFA port roll-off parameters and its parasitic capacitors ([Formula: see text] had been analyzed to be negligible. Measured oscillator response exhibited a THD [Formula: see text]%, a linearity error ([Formula: see text]% and a phase noise figure of ([Formula: see text]104 dBc/Hz at 24-kHz offset.
Sudden increase in the degrees of freedom in dense QCD matter
Authors: Nath Mishra Aditya , Paić Guy , Pajares C. , Scharenberg R. P. , Srivastava B. K.
Published: December 2021

In this paper, we analyzed charged particle transverse momentum spectra in high multiplicity events in proton–proton and nucleus–nucleus collisions at LHC energies from the ALICE experiment using the color string percolation model (CSPM). The color reduction factor and associated string density parameters are extracted for various multiplicity classes in [Formula: see text] collisions and centrality classes for heavy-ion collisions at various LHC energies to study the effect of collision geometry and collision energy. These parameters are used to extract the thermodynamical quantities temperature and the energy density of the hot nuclear matter. A universal scaling is observed in initial temperature when studied as a function of charged particle multiplicity scaled by transverse overlap area. From the measured initial energy density [Formula: see text] and the initial temperature T, a dimensionless quantity [Formula: see text] is constructed which is used to obtain the degrees of freedom (DOF) of the deconfined phase. A two-step behavior and a sudden increase in DOF of [Formula: see text]47 for the ideal gas, above the hadronization temperature (T [Formula: see text] 210[Formula: see text]MeV), are observed in case of heavy-ion collisions at LHC energies.
The global solvability of the Hall-magnetohydrodynamics system in critical Sobolev spaces
Authors: Danchin Raphaël , Tan Jin
Published: December 2021

We are concerned with the 3D incompressible Hall-magnetohydrodynamic system (Hall-MHD). Our first aim is to provide the reader with an elementary proof of a global well-posedness result for small data with critical Sobolev regularity, in the spirit of Fujita–Kato’s theorem [On the Navier–Stokes initial value problem I, Arch. Ration. Mech. Anal. 16 (1964) 269–315] for the Navier–Stokes equations. Next, we investigate the long-time asymptotics of global solutions of the Hall-MHD system that are in the Fujita–Kato regularity class. A weak-strong uniqueness statement is also proven. Finally, we consider the so-called 2[Formula: see text]D flows for the Hall-MHD system (that is, 3D flows independent of the vertical variable), and establish the global existence of strong solutions, assuming only that the initial magnetic field is small. Our proofs strongly rely on the use of an extended formulation involving the so-called velocity of electron [Formula: see text] and as regards [Formula: see text]D flows, of the auxiliary vector-field [Formula: see text] that comes into play in the total magneto-helicity balance for the Hall-MHD system.
General Randić index of unicyclic graphs with given girth and diameter
Authors: Vetrík Tomáš
Published: December 2021

We study the general Randić index of a graph [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], where [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text] is the edge set of [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] are the degrees of vertices [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text], respectively. For [Formula: see text], we present lower bounds on the general Randić index for unicyclic graphs of given diameter and girth, and unicyclic graphs of given diameter. Lower bounds on the classical Randić index and the second modified Zagreb index are corollaries of our results on the general Randić index.
On some classes of 1-Lipschitz measure-preserving ergodic functions on ℤp
Authors: Memić Nacima , Huremović Jasmina Muminović
Published: December 2021

We study some classes of [Formula: see text]-Lipschitz measure-preserving functions on the group of [Formula: see text]-adic integers [Formula: see text] and then establish necessary and sufficient conditions for their ergodicity by means of their van der Put coefficients.
Joint computational design of workspaces and workplans
Authors: Zhang Yongqi , Huang Haikun , Plaku Erion , Yu Lap-Fai
Published: December 2021

Humans assume different production roles in a workspace. On one hand, humans design workplans to complete tasks as efficiently as possible in order to improve productivity. On the other hand, a nice workspace is essential to facilitate teamwork. In this way, workspace design and workplan design complement each other. Inspired by such observations, we propose an automatic approach to jointly design a workspace and a workplan. Taking staff properties, a space, and work equipment as input, our approach jointly optimizes a workspace and a workplan, considering performance factors such as time efficiency and congestion avoidance, as well as workload factors such as walk effort, turn effort, and workload balances. To enable exploration of design trade-offs, our approach generates a set of Pareto-optimal design solutions with strengths on different objectives, which can be adopted for different work scenarios. We apply our approach to synthesize workspaces and workplans for different workplaces such as a fast food kitchen and a supermarket. We also extend our approach to incorporate other common work considerations such as dynamic work demands and accommodating staff members with different physical capabilities. Evaluation experiments with simulations validate the efficacy of our approach for synthesizing effective workspaces and workplans.
Camera keyframing with style and control
Authors: Jiang Hongda , Christie Marc , Wang Xi , Liu Libin , Wang Bin , Chen Baoquan
Published: December 2021

We present a novel technique that enables 3D artists to synthesize camera motions in virtual environments following a
camera style
, while enforcing user-designed camera keyframes as constraints along the sequence. To solve this constrained motion in-betweening problem, we design and train a camera motion generator from a collection of temporal cinematic features (camera and actor motions) using a conditioning on target keyframes. We further condition the generator with a
style code
to control how to perform the interpolation between the keyframes. Style codes are generated by training a second network that encodes different camera behaviors in a compact latent space, the
camera style space.
Camera behaviors are defined as temporal correlations between actor features and camera motions and can be extracted from real or synthetic film clips. We further extend the system by incorporating a fine control of camera speed and direction via a hidden state mapping technique. We evaluate our method on two aspects: i) the capacity to synthesize style-aware camera trajectories with user defined keyframes; and ii) the capacity to ensure that in-between motions still comply with the reference camera style while satisfying the keyframe constraints. As a result, our system is the first style-aware keyframe in-betweening technique for camera control that balances style-driven automation with precise and interactive control of keyframes.
Tessellation-free displacement mapping for ray tracing
Authors: Thonat Theo , Beaune Francois , Sun Xin , Carr Nathan , Boubekeur Tamy
Published: December 2021

Displacement mapping is a powerful mechanism for adding fine to medium geometric details over a 3D surface using a 2D map encoding them. While GPU rasterization supports it through the hardware tessellation unit, ray tracing surface meshes textured with high quality displacement requires a significant amount of memory. More precisely, the input surface needs to be pre-tessellated at the displacement map resolution before being enriched with its mandatory acceleration data structure. Consequently, designing displacement maps interactively while enjoying a full physically-based rendering is often impossible, as simply tiling multiple times the map quickly saturates the graphics memory. In this work we introduce a new tessellation-free displacement mapping approach for ray tracing. Our key insight is to decouple the displacement from its base domain by mapping a displacement-specific acceleration structures directly on the mesh. As a result, our method shows low memory footprint and fast high resolution displacement rendering, making interactive displacement editing possible.
Analyzing the Cooling Rate and Its Effect on Distribution of Pattern and Size of the Titanium Diboride Particles Formed
Authors: Senthil Kumar P. , Chithirai Pon Selvan , Antony Prabu D. , Surya Prakash G. , Murali Krishna V. , Mohammed Jemal Yimer
Published: December 2021

In this work, we synthesize Al/TiB2 metal matrix composites (MMC) based on the effect of cooling rate in the melt while pouring into the permanent mold condition. The objective of this paper is to achieve the desired distribution pattern and increased TiB2 particles’ size in the Al/TiB2 MMC ingot. Two halide salts, viz., potassium hexafluorotitanate (K2TiF6) and potassium tetrafluoroborate (KBF4), are procured and measured. The two salts were mixed with the aluminium melt in the crucible, and it is stirred manually with help of a graphite rod. Because of the exothermic reaction, the melt reacts very quickly and that is what dropped the salts slowly. The salt particles were synthesized because of the exothermic reaction, and it will allow the particles to grow. The size and distribution of particles differ at different place in the MMC. An FEA tool ProCAST was used to analyze the cooling rate of the melt, and SEM is used to study the microstructure of the ingot at different places. The microstructures helped to identify the size of reinforcement in the MMC. The TiB2 particles are distributed more at this location at 810°C, and the TiB2 particles formed various clusters in this zone as 70%–80%. Also, the tribological characteristics are analyzed with the help of the results.
Denoising of Degenerative Lumbar Spine Lesions MRI Images Using Block-Matching and 3D Filtering
Authors: Zhang Yongzhao , Yin Jianshi , Yan Han , Liu Jun , Wang Junsheng
Published: December 2021

This work was aimed to explore the application of the L2-block-matching and 3-dimentional filtering (BM3D) (L2-BM3D) denoising algorithm in the treatment of lumbar degeneration with long- and short-segment fixation of posterior decompression. 120 patients with degenerative lumbar scoliosis were randomly divided into group A (MRI images were not processed), group B (MRI images were processed by the BM3D denoising algorithm), and group C (MRI images were processed by the BM3D denoising algorithm based on weighted norm L2). This denoising algorithm was comprehensively evaluated in terms of mean square error (MSE), peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR), structural similarity index measure (SSIM), and running time. Besides, the results of surgeries based on different denoising methods were assessed through the surgical time, intraoperative blood loss, postoperative drainage, and postoperative follow-up. The results showed the following: (1) PSNR (peak signal-to-noise ratio) and SSIM (structural similarity index measure) of the L2-BM3D algorithm are better than those of the BM3D algorithm (31.21 dB versus 29.33 dB, 0.83 versus 0.72), while mean square error (MSE) was less than that of the BM3D algorithm (

P
<
0.05

). (2) The operation time, intraoperative bleeding, and postoperative drainage volume in group C were lower than those in group B and group A (

P
<
0.05

). The postoperative follow-up results showed that, in group C, the postoperative VAS (visual analysis scale) score (1.03 ± 0.29) and ODI (Oswestry disability index) (9.29 ± 0.32) were lower, indicating that the postoperative recovery effect of patients was better. Therefore, the patient’s postoperative recovery effect was better. In conclusion, the L2-BM3D algorithm had an ideal denoising effect on MRI images of lumbar degeneration and was worthy of clinical promotion.
Estimation of State of Charge of Lithium-Ion Batteries Based on Wide and Deep Neural Network Model
Authors: Mu Di , Wang Shuning
Published: December 2021

It is important to accurately estimate the SOC to ensure that the lithium-ion battery is within a safe working range, prevent over-charging and over-discharging, and ultimately improve battery life. However, SOC is an internal state of the battery and cannot be directly measured. This paper proposes a SOC estimation method based on the wide and deep neural network model, which combines the linear regression (LR) model and the backpropagation neural network (BPNN) model. This article uses the dataset provided by the Advanced Energy Storage and Applications (AESA) group to verify the performance of the model. The performance of the proposed model is compared with the common BPNN model in terms of root mean square error (RMSE), average absolute proportional error (MAPE), and SOC estimation error. The validation results prove that the effect of the proposed model in estimating SOC is better than that of the ordinary BPNN model. Compared with the BPNN model, the RMSE values of the SOC predicted value of the wide and deep model in the charging and discharging stages were reduced by 10.2% and 15.4%, respectively. Experimental results show that the maximum SOC estimation error of the model in predicting the SOC during charging and discharging is 0.42% and 0.86%, respectively.
Optimization of VRR for Cold Chain with Minimum Loss Based on Actual Traffic Conditions
Authors: Hu Lishuan , Xiang Caihong , Qi Chengming
Published: December 2021

Recently, fresh agricultural cold‐chain logistics have been greatly developed with the increasing needs of people’s life. Reducing costs of cold‐chain distribution has become the main object of loss control in logistics enterprises. The objective of this research is to find a set of optimal routes that minimize the total loss, including fuel cost, refrigeration cost, soft time window penalty cost, and cargo damage cost over transit time. In this paper, the definition and model construction of vehicle routing problem (VRP) with multiobjective minimum lost are introduced first. Then, an ant colony optimization (ACO) algorithm combined with Pareto local search (PLS) is put forward to solve the minimum loss model. In order to avoid the influence of complex road conditions during distribution, the distance matrix and the transit time matrix are both derived from the recommended navigation road based on E‐map API. At last, a compare experiment between the traditional method and our proposed method is performed. The results indicate that our method has strong applicability and potential advantages in cold‐chain logistic and has important practical significance and application value.
Morbidity, Prognostic Factors, and Competing Risk Nomogram for Combined Hepatocellular-Cholangiocarcinoma
Authors: Chen Xiaoyuan , Lu Yiwei , Shi Xiaoli , Chen Xuejiao , Rong Dawei , Han Guoyong , Zhang Long , Ni Chuangye , Zhao Jie , Gao Yun , Wang Xuehao
Published: December 2021

Background. Combined hepatocellular-cholangiocarcinoma (CHC) is a rare and heterogeneous histological subtype of primary liver cancer, which is still poorly understood. This study aimed to describe the epidemiological and clinical features, investigate the prognostic indicators, and develop a competing risk nomogram for CHC. Methods. The study cohort was taken from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database. The annual percent change (APC) in incidence was calculated using the joinpoint regression. The nomogram was developed based on multivariate competing risk survival analyses and validated by calibration curves. Akaike information criterion, Bayesian information criterion, Harrell’s C-index, and area under the receiver operating characteristic curves were obtained to compare prognostic performance. Decision curve analysis was introduced to examine the clinical value of the models. Results. The overall incidence of CHC was 0.062 per 100,000 individuals in 2004 and 0.081 per 100,000 individuals in 2018, with an APC of 1.0% (

P
>
0.05

). CHC displayed intermediate clinicopathological features of hepatocellular carcinoma and intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma. Race, tumor size, vascular invasion, extrahepatic invasion, distant metastasis, grade, surgery, and Metavir stage were confirmed as the independent predictors of cancer-specific survival. The constructed nomogram was well calibrated, which showed better discrimination power and higher net benefits than the current American Joint Committee on Cancer staging system. Patients with liver transplantation had better survival than those with hepatectomy, especially patients within the Milan Criteria (

P
=
0.022

and

P
=
0.015

). There was no survival difference between liver transplantation and hepatectomy in patients beyond the Milan Criteria (

P
=
0.340

). Conclusion. The morbidity of CHC remained stable between 2004 and 2018. The constructed nomogram could predict the prognosis with good performance, which was meaningful to individual treatment strategies optimization. CHC patients should also be considered as potential liver transplantation recipients, especially those within the Milan Criteria, but the finding still needs more evidence to be further confirmed.
Optimizing Customized Transit Service considering Stochastic Bus Arrival Time
Authors: Sun Qian , Chien Steven , Hu Dawei , Chen Xiqiong
Published: December 2021

The introduction of customized bus (CB) service intends to expand and elevate existing transit service, which offers an efficient and sustainable alternative to serve commuters. A probabilistic model is proposed to optimize CB service with mixed vehicle sizes in an urban setting considering stochastic bus arrival time and spatiotemporal demand, which minimizes total cost subject to bus capacity and time window constraints. The studied optimization problem is combinatorial with many decision variables including vehicle assignment, bus routes, timetables, and fleet size. A heuristic algorithm is developed, which integrates a hybrid genetic algorithm (HGA) and adaptive destroy-and-repair (ADAR) method. The efficiency of HGA-ADAR is demonstrated through numerical comparisons to the solutions obtained by LINGO and HGA. Numerical instances are carried out, and the results suggested that the probabilistic model considering stochastic bus arrival time is valuable and can dramatically reduce the total cost and early and late arrival penalties. A case study is conducted in which the proposed model is applied to optimize a real-world CB service in Xi’an, China. The relationship between decision variables and model parameters is explored. The impacts of time window and variance of bus arrival time, which significantly affect service reliability, are analysed.
Polygonum cuspidatum Extract Exerts Antihyperlipidemic Effects by Regulation of PI3K/AKT/FOXO3 Signaling Pathway
Authors: Tao Ting , Zhang Qing , Liu Zibo , Zhang Ting , Wang Lingyu , Liu Jia , He Tao , Chen Yunhui , Feng Jiayue , Chen Yang
Published: December 2021

Polygonum cuspidatum (PC) has been reported to exert a potent antihyperlipidemic effect. However, its mechanisms of action and active ingredients remain elusive and require further research. In this study, we first conducted in vivo experiments to validate that Polygonum cuspidatum extract (PCE) could ameliorate the blood lipid level in hyperlipidemia model rats. Then, ultrahigh performance liquid chromatography coupled with Q‐Exactive MS/MS (UPLC‐QE‐MS/MS) was applied to verify its 12 main active ingredients. The pharmacophore matching model was employed to predict the target point of the active ingredient, and 27 overlapping genes were identified via database and literature mining. String online database and Cytoscape software were utilized to construct a Protein‐Protein Interaction (PPI) network, followed by function annotation analysis and pathway enrichment analysis. The results showed that the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway and its downstream FOXO3/ERα factors were significantly enriched. Furthermore, in vitro experiments were performed to determine the lipid content and oxidative stress (OS) indicators in OA‐induced HepG2 cells, and immunofluorescence and western blotting analysis were carried out to analyze the effects of PCE on related proteins. Our experimental results show that the mechanism of antihyperlipidemic action of PCE is related to the activation of the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway and its downstream FOXO3/ERα factors, and polydatin and resveratrol are the main active ingredients in PCE that exert antihyperlipidemic effects.
Evaluating Technological Innovation of Media Companies from the Perspective of Technological Ecosystem
Authors: Yi Kui , Zhang Ligang , Mao Xiulan , Li Yi , Bao Jiaxuan
Published: December 2021

The evaluating indicators on the benefits of innovative technology to media companies are preliminarily analyzed and evaluated, according to the research review and evaluating criteria of self‐organization and ecosystem selection. Factor analysis and structural equation modeling are used to further explore and select the indicators. According to the results, from the perspective of technology ecosystem, innovative technology performance of media companies can be measured through a two‐factor structure—the input of innovative technology and its output. On this basis, ANP (analytic network process) is used to establish a weighted evaluation of indicators. At the end of the paper, a complete set of evaluation systems was created to measure the performance of technology innovation.
Extremal Values of Variable Sum Exdeg Index for Conjugated Bicyclic Graphs
Authors: Rizwan Muhammad , Bhatti Akhlaq Ahmad , Javaid Muhammad , Bonyah Ebenezer
Published: December 2021

A connected graph

G

V
,
E

in which the number of edges is one more than its number of vertices is called a bicyclic graph. A perfect matching of a graph is a matching in which every vertex of the graph is incident to exactly one edge of the matching set such that the number of vertices is two times its matching number. In this paper, we investigated maximum and minimum values of variable sum exdeg index,

SEI

a

for bicyclic graphs with perfect matching for

k
≥
5

and

a
>
1

.
Multimedia Motion of Picking Robot Based on Cooperative Relationship of Matching Gradient Algorithm
Authors: Han Jinghai
Published: December 2021

With the continuous development of social economy, robots gradually replace human beings in many aspects of auxiliary work, but it is worth noting that orderly, accurate, and safe operation is the reasonable form of robot movement. In view of the existing limitations, this study combines the gradient matching algorithm, by using a high-precision motion matching for the visual system, improves the automation precision, and, at the same time, picking fruit image smoothing and enhancement, achieves fruit edge feature extraction; the simulation experiments proved that matching the gradient algorithm is effective and can realize the visual and actions match together and support picking robot movement.
Analyses of Long Noncoding RNA and mRNA Profiles in Subjects with the Phlegm‐Dampness Constitution
Authors: Dong Lidan , Zheng Yanfei , Liu Dan , He Fuhong , Lee Kaiki , Li Lingru , Wang Qi
Published: December 2021

Background. Constitution in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) plays a key role in the genesis, development, and prognosis of diseases. Phlegm‐dampness constitution (PDC) is one of the nine constitutions in TCM, susceptible to metabolic disorders, which is mainly manifested by profuse phlegm, loose abdomen, and greasy face. Epidemiologic, genomic, and epigenetic studies have been carried out in previous works, confirming that PDC represents a distinctive population with microcosmic changes related to metabolic disorders. However, whether long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) play a regulatory role in metabolic disease in subjects with PDC remains largely unknown. We aimed to investigate distinct lncRNA and mRNA expression signatures and lncRNA‐mRNA regulatory networks in the phlegm‐dampness constitution (PDC). Methods. The peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were isolated from the subjects with PDC (n = 13) and balanced constitution (BC) (n = 9). The profiles of lncRNAs and mRNAs in PBMCs were analyzed using microarray and further validated with RT‐qPCR. Subsequently, pathway analysis was performed to investigate the function of differentially expressed mRNAs by using Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA). Results. Results suggested that some mRNAs, which were regulated by the differentially expressed lncRNAs, were mainly enriched in lipid metabolism and immune inflammation‐related pathways. This was consistent with the molecular characteristics of previous studies, indicating that the clinical characteristics of metabolic disorders in PDC might be regulated by lncRNAs. Furthermore, by making coexpression network construction as well as cis‐regulated target gene analysis, several lncRNA‐mRNA pairs with potential regulatory relationships were identified by bioinformatic analyses, including RP11‐317J10.2‐CA3, RP11‐809C18.3‐PIP4K2A, LINC0069‐RFTN1, TTTY15‐ARHGEF9, and AC135048.13‐ORAI3. Conclusions. This study first revealed that the expression characteristics of lncRNAs/mRNAs may be potential biomarkers, indicating that the distinctive physical and clinical characteristics of PDC might be partially attributed to the specific expression signatures of lncRNAs/mRNAs.
Discrete Dynamic Modeling and Change Trend Analysis of Regional Economy Based on Big Data
Authors: Chen Yang , Yu Yu
Published: December 2021

The driving force of high-quality development of regional economy is inseparable from the support of technology. With the support of big data, we need to solve this problem in order to solve the difficulty of large-scale experimental testing and accurately reflect the feasibility growth of data sample changes. This paper proposes a discrete dynamic modeling technology based on big data background to analyze the development and change of regional economy. The reliability AMSAA model is usually used for dynamic discrete modeling. It can be combined with the change data provided by big data to form a dynamic modeling method for reliability growth evaluation. Then, the Bayesian regression method is used to predict the change parameters of the model, and the spatial econometric method is used to analyze the regional economic change. The results show that compared with the traditional methods, the discrete dynamic modeling method is more accurate and can effectively solve the problem of reliable growth under the condition of big data. After introducing the spatial effect measurement model, it can also reflect the main factors of the growth and change of regional economic real output value. In addition to the development of high and new technology, terrain factors, investment, and government support have also had different effects. Therefore, according to the above results, it is proved that the discrete dynamic modeling technology can accurately obtain the experimental data and provide reliable technical support for dynamic data processing.