bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Metabolism‐mediated mechanisms underpin the differential stomatal speediness regulation among ferns and angiosperms
Authors: Cândido‐Sobrinho Silvio A. , Lima Valéria F. , Freire Francisco B. S. , de Souza Leonardo P. , Gago Jorge , Fernie Alisdair R. , Daloso Danilo M.
Published: November 2021

Recent results suggest that metabolism‐mediated stomatal closure mechanisms are important to regulate differentially the stomatal speediness between ferns and angiosperms. However, evidence directly linking mesophyll metabolism and the slower stomatal conductance (gs) in ferns is missing. Here, we investigated the effect of exogenous application of abscisic acid (ABA), sucrose and mannitol on stomatal kinetics and carried out a metabolic fingerprinting analysis of ferns and angiosperms leaves harvested throughout a diel course. Fern stomata did not respond to ABA in the time period analysed. No differences in the relative decrease in gs was observed between ferns and the angiosperm following provision of sucrose or mannitol. However, ferns have slower gs responses to these compounds than angiosperms. Metabolomics analysis highlights that ferns have a higher accumulation of secondary rather than primary metabolites throughout the diel course, with the opposite being observed in angiosperms. Our results indicate that metabolism‐mediated stomatal closure mechanisms underpin the differential stomatal speediness regulation among ferns and angiosperms, in which the slower stomatal closure in ferns is associated with the lack of ABA‐responsiveness, to a reduced capacity to respond to mesophyll‐derived sucrose and to a higher carbon allocation toward secondary metabolism, which likely modulates both photosynthesis‐gs and growth‐stress tolerance trade‐offs.
Insecticide resistance in field populations of the pear psyllids Cacopsylla permixta and Cacopsylla bidens in Iran
Authors: Esmaeily Mojtaba , Talebi Khalil , Hosseininaveh Vahid , Nozari Jamasb , Burckhardt Daniel , Jackson Colin J. , Oakeshott John G.
Published: November 2021

Cacopsylla permixta and Cacopsylla bidens are major pests of pears in Iran. They are commonly sprayed with various insecticides up to 12 times a year but control by these means is no longer reliable, suggesting the evolution of resistance. Here, we report about 60‐fold variation in diazinon susceptibility both among five geographic populations of C. bidens and among three geographic populations of C. permixta, as well as 12‐ to 14‐fold variations in imidacloprid susceptibility in these populations. The levels of resistance to the two compounds were highly correlated in the different populations. Esterase, cytochrome P450, and glutathione S‐transferase activities all varied by about two‐fold among the different populations and were also highly correlated with population resistance to the two insecticides, implying differences in metabolism contribute to the differences in resistance. Bioassays with inhibitors of each class of enzyme indicated all three, but particularly the esterases, contributed to the variation in diazinon resistance, while esterase and, in particular, cytochrome P450 activities contributed to the variation in imidacloprid resistance. The most resistant populations of each species also showed some resistance to chlorpyrifos and acetamiprid, suggesting there may be wide cross resistance to organophosphates and neonicotinoids in these populations. The sampled psyllid populations showed lower levels of resistance to representatives of two other classes of insecticides currently used in Iran, spirotetramat and abamectin, though resistance to spirotetramat was detectable and was correlated with diazinon and imidacloprid resistance across populations. We conclude that metabolic resistance to a range of insecticides is now evolving in field populations of both species in Iran, warranting timely development of resistance management plans.
Coping with Demand Uncertainty: The Interplay between Dual Sourcing and Endogenous Partial Backordering
Authors: Xu Yanyi , Serel Doğan A. , Bisi Arnab , Dada Maqbool
Published: November 2021

In some stockout situations, a retailer may be better off declining to fulfill some demand even though it could have been backordered. We study the conditions under which endogenous (retailer‐driven) partial backordering is the cost‐minimizing strategy in an infinite horizon periodic review inventory system with dual sourcing. At the beginning of each period, the retailer can place two orders. The first order (with higher unit purchase cost) is delivered immediately from the fast supplier and brings the inventory level up to a target level Z. The second order (with lower unit purchase cost) is delivered one period later from the slow supplier (or the same supplier using a slower delivery mode) and brings the inventory position up to the base‐stock R. In each period, the realized demand can be accepted up to the maximum of inventory on‐hand and R –  k, implying that some excess demand requests may be backordered while the rest is rejected. The on‐order quantity k denotes the reservation quantity held back for use in subsequent periods. Each of k, Z, and R is a decision variable in our model with dual sourcing. The case k =  R –  Z yields the full lost sales model while the case k = –∞ yields the full backorder model. We determine structural properties of the optimal ( k, Z, R) policy and discuss how to find the optimal base‐stock and reservation quantities. In a complementary numerical investigation, we find that a suitably designed single supplier partial backorder policy can be nearly as cost‐effective as the optimal dual source policy.
Credit Rating Prediction Through Supply Chains: A Machine Learning Approach
Authors: Wu Jing , Zhang Zhaocheng , Zhou Sean X.
Published: November 2021

As supply chain channels physical, financial, and information flows as well as associated risks, a firm's supply chain information should be helpful in understanding and predicting its credit risks. Credit ratings, as an approximate but important measure of corporate credit risks, have been widely used by investors, creditors, and supply chain partners in their decision‐making. This study studies the role of supply chain information in predicting companies’ credit ratings. Using firm‐level supplier–customer linkages and corporate credit rating data, we develop a machine learning framework with gradient boosted decision trees to examine whether and what supply chain features can significantly improve the prediction accuracy of credit ratings, and what types of supply chain links have higher information content that positively affects the predictability of the supply chain features. We construct a firm's supply chain variables from its supplier and customer portfolios. We show that incorporating supply chain features can improve prediction accuracy over the benchmark credit rating model using only the focal firm's features. Moreover, the informativeness of supply chain links in focal credit risk prediction depends on the focal firm's industry sector, the relationship strength of such links, and the switching costs. Finally, we develop a focal credit rating prediction model with a high accuracy level using supply chain factors solely, which can potentially be applied to predict credit risks of small‐ and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) and private firms with no public financial information, as long as their supply chain information is available.
Explaining Autocratic Support: The Varying Effects of Threat on Personality
Authors: Armendáriz Miranda Paula
Published: November 2021

Why do people support autocratic forms of governance? Political psychology suggests that certain psychological traits predispose people to express authoritarian attitudes, especially under conditions of normative threat. However, such research has not explored whether perceptions of existential threats drive support for autocracy. Nor has this research explored whether the types of threats that activate autocratic support might vary across socioeconomic contexts. I extend existing work and show that closed personalities are more likely to support autocracy under conditions of threat. I also show that, in developing countries, “crisis threats”—poor economic performance, rampant crime, or corruption—activate closed personalities' needs for order and security heightening their autocratic support. Using public opinion data, I show how crisis threats activate closed personalities' support for autocracy in Latin America. The findings demonstrate the utility of personality psychology for understanding contemporary patterns of support for autocracy. The results also shed light on the possible roots of public support for autocratic leaders and forms of governance worldwide.
The fire regime response of a reintroduced endangered species
Authors: Lindenmayer David , MacGregor Christopher , Blanchard Wade , Foster Claire
Published: November 2021

Reintroduction and translocation are widely employed actions in restoration ecology. The broad aim of these activities is to re‐establish populations in places where they formerly existed. However, the success of re‐establishment efforts in terms of responses to key ecosystem processes such as natural disturbances like fires has rarely been quantified. Using the iconic and endangered Australian Eastern Bristlebird (Dasyornis brachypterus) as a case study, we quantified associations with fire regime variables in an intact population (surveyed for 17 years) and a translocated population (surveyed for 10 years). Both populations occurred in a similar environment and were surveyed on an (almost) annual basis using the same field protocols. We found that both the intact population and the translocated population of the Eastern Bristlebird were associated with the same key fire regime variable, time since fire, in a broadly similar way. In addition, the probability of species persistence was found to lowest on recently burnt sites. We tentatively suggest that the translocation program has not only successfully re‐established a population of the Eastern Bristlebird but associations with (and resilience to) fire as a key ecological process are similar in both populations. On the basis of our findings, we recommend that in areas where the Eastern Bristlebird occurs prescribed fire management should focus on ensuring there are patches of unburnt vegetation within the fire footprint. This is especially important given the widespread wildfires that have recently occurred throughout south‐eastern Australia.
How did international economic regulation survive the last period of deglobalization?
Authors: 6 Perri , Heims Eva , Prevezer Martha
Published: November 2021

As trade wars and protectionism again present severe challenges and obstructions to international economic regulatory organizations (IEROs), it is timely to ask how their predecessors survived the last deep deglobalization of the interwar years. This article presents a fresh neo‐Durkheimian institutional explanation. It highlights contrasting pathways to survival and bequest of IEROs in three fields of regulation – international infrastructure, capital and labor, and commodities. Our explanation shows that functional imperatives and short‐term market pressures in these different areas of regulation facilitated specific forms of social organization within IEROs (such as hierarchy or individualistic brokering). These contrasting forms of social organization cultivated distinct regulatory styles during deglobalization and cultivated capacities for contrasting survival and bequest strategies. Our approach is thus able to account for variation in pathways to survival in a way that other possible explanations, such as theories of regulatory capture or bureaucratic autonomy, cannot.
Particle shape trends across experimental cohesive and non‐cohesive sediment gravity flow deposits: Implications for particle fractionation and discrimination of depositional settings
Authors: Pantopoulos George , Manica Rafael , McArthur Adam D. , Kuchle Juliano
Published: November 2021

Fractionation of particles in deep‐water sediment gravity flows is an important factor in the resulting deposit and for discriminating sedimentary environments, but remains poorly understood. Quantitative characterization of particle shape was performed for more than ten‐thousand particles of experimental gravity flow experiments (both of cohesive and non‐cohesive nature) made using coal and kaolin particles. Eleven particle shape parameters were calculated and their distribution and trends within the experimental basin were evaluated. Results indicate the existence of non‐normal distributions and observable correlations between particle shape parameters. Shape parameters such as circularity and roundness are dominant controls on shape variation. Strong correlations exist between mean shape parameters and along‐flow distance from the source for particles in non‐cohesive flow experiments. Important differences were observed between shape parameter distributions of particles sampled at different areas within the experimental basin, which can be grouped based on their depositional setting (proximal or distal) using multivariate statistical analysis, especially for the non‐cohesive flow experiments. A tendency for more elongated and irregularly‐shaped particles at the more distal and marginal areas of the studied experimental basin was observed and validated by previous field studies in real‐world deep‐marine deposits. Besides, fractionation of particles is less‐pronounced in cohesive flows compared with non‐cohesive ones suggesting the soundness of discrimination of depositional settings based solely on particle shape characteristics is strongly dependent on parent flow characteristics. Yet, results highlight the potential of particle shape analysis in revealing spatial particle shape trends due to hydrodynamic fractionation and discriminating different depositional settings within submarine fans. This methodology may be applied to seafloor and subsurface samples to help identify the flow process and depositional environment.
Analysis of elite road‐cycling sprints in relation to maximal power‐velocity‐endurance profile: a longitudinal one‐case study
Authors: Robin Maxime , Nordez Antoine , Dorel Sylvain
Published: November 2021

The aims of the present study were to characterize the mechanical output of final road sprints of an elite sprinter during international competitions in relation to his power‐velocity‐endurance characteristics and to investigate the relationship between this sprint performance and the power produced during preceding phases of the race. The sprinter performed a set of short and long sprints (5 to 15‐s) on a cycle ergometer to determine his maximal power‐velocity‐endurance profile. Based on eleven races, the distribution of power throughout each race, peak and mean power (Ppeak and Pmean) and associated pedaling rates (vPpeak and vPmean) during the final sprint were analyzed. The power‐velocity‐endurance profile of the sprinter indicated that his theoeretical mean maximal power and corresponding optimal pedaling rate ranged from 20.0 W.kg−1 (124 rpm) for a 1‐s sprint to 15.0 W.kg−1 (109 rpm) for 20 s. Race data showed that final road sprints were mainly performed on the ascending limb of the power‐velocity relationship (vPpeak, 104 ± 8 and vPmean, 101 ± 8 rpm). Additionally, Ppeak and Pmean were lower than the theoretical maximal power determined from the power‐velocity‐endurance profile (9.9 ± 7.0% and 10.6 ± 9.8%, respectively), which highlighted a significant state of fatigue induced by the race. Finally, sprint power exhibited a high variability between races and was strongly related to the level of power produced during the last minute before the sprint. These findings show the importance of considering both the power‐velocity‐endurance qualities and the power demand of the last lead‐up phase before the sprint in order to optimize final sprint performance.
Genome‐wide association identifies candidate genes for drought tolerance in coast redwood and giant sequoia
Authors: De La Torre Amanda R. , Sekhwal Manoj K. , Puiu Daniela , Salzberg Steven L. , Scott Alison D. , Allen Brian , Neale David B. , Chin Alana R. O. , Buckley Thomas N.
Published: November 2021

Drought is a major limitation for survival and growth in plants. With more frequent and severe drought episodes occurring due to climate change, it is imperative to understand the genomic and physiological basis of drought tolerance to be able to predict how species will respond in the future. In this study, univariate and multitrait multivariate genome‐wide association study methods were used to identify candidate genes in two iconic and ecosystem‐dominating species of the western USA, coast redwood and giant sequoia, using 10 drought‐related physiological and anatomical traits and genome‐wide sequence‐capture single nucleotide polymorphisms. Population‐level phenotypic variation was found in carbon isotope discrimination, osmotic pressure at full turgor, xylem hydraulic diameter, and total area of transporting fibers in both species. Our study identified new 78 new marker × trait associations in coast redwood and six in giant sequoia, with genes involved in a range of metabolic, stress, and signaling pathways, among other functions. This study contributes to a better understanding of the genomic basis of drought tolerance in long‐generation conifers and helps guide current and future conservation efforts in the species.
Neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio as a prognostic biomarker in puppies with acute diarrhea
Authors: Dinler Ay Ceren
Published: November 2021

Objectives

To document the neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) values in systemic inflammatory response syndrome positive (SIRS+) and negative (SIRS–) puppies presenting with acute diarrhea (AD). To determine whether the calculated canine acute diarrhea severity index (CADSI) score was associated with NLR. Also, to investigate the prognostic value of NLR in puppies with acute diarrhea.

Design

Retrospective study.

Setting

University veterinary teaching hospital.

Animals

A total of 85 puppies (2–6 months old), 70 with AD and 15 healthy controls (CON).

Interventions

None.

Measurements and main results

Pertinent history, physical examination findings and results of complete blood count analysis of dogs with AD at the time of admission to the hospital were obtained from medical records. Forty‐seven of the dogs with AD were SIRS+ and 23 were SIRS–. Of the puppies with AD, 11 died within 7 days after initiation of treatment, 59 survived. NLR values in dogs with AD were statistically higher (P < 0.001) than the CON group, but there was no difference (P = 0.791) between the two groups in terms of white blood cell (WBC) count. The median NLR of SIRS+ (3.66) dogs was significantly higher than the median NLRs of dogs in the SIRS– (1.88) and CON (1.35) groups. While a strong positive correlation (ρ = 0.740; P < 0.001) was found between the CADSI score and NLR in dogs with AD, the relationship between WBC and disease severity was not significant (ρ = −0.117; P = 0.336). The area under the receiver‐operating characteristic curves for nonsurvival in dogs with AD was 0.710 (P = 0.039) for the NLR and 0.773 (P = 0.008) for the WBC.

Conclusions

Evaluation of NLR at hospital admission may be a useful marker of disease severity and may have prognostic value in puppies with AD. Further investigations are required to understand the implications of these findings.
BEYOND WISHFUL THINKING: RECONCILING FAITH AND SCIENCE IN CRISES OF HOPE
Authors: Constantino John N. , Baumel W. Thomas
Published: November 2021

Steady advances in neuroscience have shaped understanding of brain and mind, in ways that challenge spiritual belief and can amplify misconceptions about biological determinism. The inability to reconcile spirituality and science risks faith being construed as “out of touch” with reality, and in worst‐case scenarios engendering clinical‐level crises of hope. The latter typically involve three central issues: the free will problem, desperate perceptions about mortality, and the constraint of individual identity. Here, we synthesize contemporary scientific and philosophical understanding to propose a reconciliation of faith and science of particular relevance to preservation of hope. In this approach, we review the compatibility of natural causation and human freedom, parameterize “meaning” on the basis of specific opportunities for decision‐making within the timeframe of a lifetime, and articulate a model of self‐transcendence predicated on these principles and on observed characteristics of human love. This model resides within “common ground” for faith and science by avoiding unnecessary dichotomization of the material and the Divine.
Calibration and Validation of Multiscale Model for Ultimate Strength Prediction of Composite Laminates Under Uncertainty
Authors: Bhattacharyya Rudraprasad , Mahadevan Sankaran
Published: November 2021

A methodology to account for the effect of epistemic uncertainty (regarding model parameters) on the strength prediction of carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) composite laminates is presented. A three-dimensional concurrent multiscale physics modeling framework is considered. A continuum damage mechanics-based constitutive relation is used for multiscale analysis. The parameters for the constitutive model are unknown and need to be calibrated. A least squares-based approach is employed for the calibration of model parameters and a model discrepancy term. The calibrated constitutive model is validated quantitatively using experimental data for both unnotched and open-hole specimens with different composite layups. The quantitative validation results are used to indicate further steps for model improvement.
Definition of a Basic Design for Conversion of an Offshore Fixed Platform on a Depleted Reservoir Into a Sustainable Plant
Authors: Uggenti Anna Chiara , Gerboni Raffaella , Carpignano Andrea , Ballocco Gabriele , Tortora Andrea , Aliberti Amedeo
Published: November 2021

In the framework of energy transition, a focus is given to the study of the conversion of offshore Oil&Gas (O&G) platforms at the end of their life due to the depletion of the reservoirs on which they operate. Their modular and versatile structure allows the implementation of new processes and innovative sustainable technologies for reducing the environmental impact of a complete decommissioning, especially on the subsea ecosystem that has grown around the jacket, and for guaranteeing cost-saving solutions. Among different conversion options, this paper focuses on the installation on the platform of a system for the production of photovoltaic (PV) energy to be used for seawater desalination and its delivery to other platforms operating in the same area. The project focuses on the definition of technical characteristics of the basic design, on the investigation of the technical feasibility of the conversion process, and on qualitative safety and environmental impact studies. Moreover, the old platform equipment to be decommissioned (i.e., the equipment necessary for hydrocarbons treatment) are identified, and the installation of new equipment is optimized, e.g., the number of PV panels and, therefore, the installed power are maximized. At the same time, decommissioning costs and impacts can be minimized. The basic design is completed with a preliminary structural verification to guarantee that critical situations do not rise, with an indication on the main maintenance activities for the preservation of plant good efficiency and with safety and environmental preliminary analyses for the identification of potential criticalities to be managed at different design levels.
Proposing an Uncertainty Management Framework to Implement the Evidence Theory for Vehicle Crash Applications
Authors: Jehle Jonas Siegfried , Lange Volker Andreas , Gerdts Matthias
Published: November 2021

The purpose of this work is to enable the use of the Dempster–Shafer evidence theory (ET) for uncertainty propagation on computationally expensive automotive crash simulations. This is necessary as the results of these simulations are influenced by multiple possibly uncertain aspects. To avoid negative effects, it is important to detect these factors and their consequences. The challenge when pursuing this effort is the prohibitively high computational cost of the ET. To this end, we present a framework of existing methods that is specifically designed to reduce the necessary number of full model evaluations and parameters. An initial screening removes clearly irrelevant parameters to mitigate the curse of dimensionality. Next, we approximate the full-scale simulation using metamodels to accelerate output generation and thus enable the calculation of global sensitivity indices. These indicate effects of the parameters on the considered output and more profoundly sort out irrelevant parameters. After these steps, the ET can be performed rapidly and feasibly due to fast-responding metamodel and reduced input dimension. It yields bounds for the cumulative distribution function of the considered quantity of interest. We apply the proposed framework to a simplified crash test dummy model. The elementary effects method is used for screening, a kriging metamodel emulates the finite element simulation, and Sobol' sensitivity indices are determined before the ET is applied. The outcome of the framework provides engineers with information about the uncertainties they may face in hardware testing and that should be addressed in future vehicle design.
Harvesting Brain Signal Using Machine Learning Methods
Authors: Matsuno Kevin , Nandikolla Vidya
Published: November 2021

Brain computer interface (BCI) systems are developed in the biomedical engineering fields to increase the quality of life among patients with paralysis and neurological conditions. The development of a six class BCI controller to operate a semi-autonomous mobile robotic arm is presented. The controller uses the following mental tasks: imagined left/right hand squeeze, imagined left/right foot tap, rest, and a physical jaw clench. To design a controller, the locations of active electrodes are verified, and an appropriate machine learning algorithm is determined. Three subjects, ages ranging between 22 and 27, participated in five sessions of motor imagery experiments to record their brainwaves. These recordings were analyzed using event related potential (ERP) plots and topographical maps to determine active electrodes. bcilab was used to train two, three, five, and six class BCI controllers using linear discriminant analysis (LDA) and relevance vector machine (RVM) machine learning methods. The subjects' data were used to compare the two-method's performance in terms of error rate percentage. While a two class BCI controller showed the same accuracy for both methods, the three and five class BCI controllers showed the RVM approach having a higher accuracy than the LDA approach. For the five-class controller, error rate percentage was 33.3% for LDA and 29.2% for RVM. The six class BCI controller error rate percentage for both LDA and RVM was 34.5%. While the percentage values are the same, RVM was chosen as the desired machine learning algorithm based on the trend seen in the three and five class controller performances.
Aeroelastic Analysis of a Single Element Composite Wing in Ground Effect Using Fluid–Structure Interaction
Authors: Bang Chris Sungkyun , Rana Zeeshan A. , Könözsy László , Rodriguez Veronica Marchante , Temple Clive
Published: November 2021

This work focuses on an advanced coupling of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and structural finite element analysis (FEA) on the aeroelastic behavior of a single element inverted composite wing with the novelty of including the ground effect. The front wing of the formula one (F1) car can become flexible under the fluid loading due to elastic characteristics of composite materials, resulting in changing the flow field and eventually altering overall aerodynamics. The purpose of this study is to setup an accurate fluid–structure interaction (FSI) modeling framework and to assess the influence of elastic behavior of the wing in ground effect on the aerodynamic and structural performance. Different turbulence models are studied to capture better the changes of the flow field and variation of ride heights are considered to investigate the influence of ground effect on aerodynamic phenomena. A steady-state two-way coupling method is exploited to run the FSI numerical simulations using ansys, which enables simultaneous calculation by coupling CFD with FEA. The effect of various composite structures on the wing performance is extensively studied concerning structure configuration, ply orientation, and core materials. The numerical results generally represent good agreement with the experimental data, however, discrepancy, especially in the aerodynamic force, is presented. This may be a consequence of a less effective angle of attack due to the wing deflection and deterioration of vortex-induced effect. For the structural analysis, the woven structure gives rise to more stable structural deflection than the unidirectional structure despite the associated weight penalty.
Influence of Pathogen Type on Neonatal Sepsis Biomarkers
Authors: Akhmaltdinova Lyudmila , Kolesnichenko Svetlana , Lavrinenko Alyona , Kadyrova Irina , Avdienko Olga , Panibratec Lyudmila
Published: November 2021

Understanding immunoregulation in newborns can help to determine the pathophysiology of neonatal sepsis and will contribute to improve the diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment and remains an urgent and unmet medical need to understand hyperinflammation or hypoinflammation associated with sepsis in newborns. This study included infants (up to 4 days old). The “sepsis” criteria was a positive blood culture. C-reactive protein demonstrates a strong dependence on the pathogen etiology. Therefore, its diagnostic odds ratio in Gram-positive bacteremia was 2.7 and the sensitivity was 45%, while Gram-negative was 15.0 and 81.8%, respectively. A neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio above 1 and thrombocytopenia below50∗109 cells/L generally do not depend on the type of pathogen and have a specificity of 95%; however, the sensitivity of these markers is low. nCD64 demonstrated good analytical performance and was equally discriminated in both Gram (+) and Gram (−) cultures. The sensitivity was 87.5–89%, and the specificity was 65%. The HLA-DR and programmed cell death protein study found that activation-deactivation processes in systemic infection is different at points of application depending on the type of pathogen: Gram-positive infections showed various ways of activation of monocytes (by reducing suppressive signals) and lymphocytes (an increase in activation signals), and Gram-negative pathogens were most commonly involved in suppressing monocytic activation. Thus, the difference in the bacteremia model can partially explain the problems with the high variability of immunologic markers in neonatal sepsis.
Silver Nanoparticles Conjugate Attenuates Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy-Induced Hippocampal Nissl Substance and Cognitive Deficits in Diabetic Rats
Authors: Lawal Sodiq Kolawole , Olojede Samuel Oluwaseun , Dare Ayobami , Faborode Oluwaseun Samuel , Naidu Edwin Coleridge S. , Rennie Carmen Olivia , Azu Onyemaechi Okpara
Published: November 2021

Background. The application of nanomedicine to antiretroviral drug delivery holds promise in reducing the comorbidities related to long-term systemic exposure to highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). However, the safety of drugs loaded with silver nanoparticles has been debatable. This study is aimed at evaluating the effects of HAART-loaded silver nanoparticles (HAART-AgNPs) on the behavioural assessment, biochemical indices, morphological, and morphometric of the hippocampus in diabetic Sprague-Dawley rats. Methods. Conjugated HAART-AgNPs were characterized using FTIR spectroscopy, UV spectrophotometer, HR-TEM, SEM, and EDX for absorbance peaks, size and morphology, and elemental components. Forty-eight male SD rats (

250
±
13

 g) were divided into nondiabetic and diabetic groups. Each group was subdivided into (

n
=
8

) A (nondiabetic+vehicle), B (nondiabetic+HAART), C (nondiabetic+HAART-AgNPs), D (diabetic+vehicle), E (diabetic+HAART), and F (diabetic+HAART-AgNPs). Morris water maze, Y-maze test, and weekly blood glucose levels were carried out. Following the last dose of 8-week treatment, the rats were anaesthetized and euthanized. Brain tissues were carefully removed and postfixed for Nissl staining histology. Results. 1.5 M concentration of HAART-AgNPs showed nanoparticle size 20.3 nm with spherical shape. HAART-AgNPs revealed 16.89% of silver and other elemental components of HAART. The diabetic control rats showed a significant increase in blood glucose, reduced spatial learning, positive hippocampal Nissl-stained cells, and a significant decrease in GSH and SOD levels. However, administration of HAART-AgNPs to diabetic rats significantly reduced blood glucose level, improved spatial learning, biochemical indices, and enhanced memory compared to diabetic control. Interestingly, diabetic HAART-AgNP-treated rats showed a significantly improved memory, increased GSH, SOD, and number of positive Nissl-stained neurons compared to diabetic-treated HAART only. Conclusion. Administration of HAART to diabetic rats aggravates the complications of diabetes and promotes neurotoxic effects on the experimental rats, while HAART-loaded silver nanoparticle (HAART-AgNP) alleviates diabetes-induced neurotoxicity.
Compressive Mechanical Properties of a Novel Recycled Aggregate Concrete with Recycled Lightweight Aggregate
Authors: Li Anjun , Zhou Gaoqiang , Zhang Xianggang , Meng Ercong
Published: November 2021

A novel recycled aggregate concrete was prepared by replacing the natural aggregate with recycled lightweight aggregate. Subsequently, the mechanical properties and compressive stress‐strain constitutive relation of the recycled lightweight aggregate concrete (RLWAC) were explored. For this purpose, the recycled lightweight aggregate (RLWA) replacement ratio (0%, 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%) was selected as a variable, and the compressive strength of 15 cube and 30 prism specimens was evaluated. The failure morphology of the specimen was subsequently characterized, along with the cubic compressive strength, axial compressive strength, peak strain, ultimate strain, and other performance indices. The influence of the replacement ratio for the specimen indices of the RLWAC was also analyzed. It was observed that the dry apparent density of RLWAC decreased gradually on increasing the replacement ratio. Compared with 0% replacement ratio, a decrease of 6.50%, 11.39%, 21.84%, and 27.54% was observed, respectively. On enhancing the RLWA replacement ratio, the compressive strength, peak strain, and ultimate strain of RLWAC were observed to be gradually reduced. As the replacement ratio was increased from 75% to 100%, the peak strain was noted to decrease the most by about 6.8%. As the replacement ratio was increased from 50% to 75%, the ultimate strain decreased the most by about 14.2%. Based on the experimental findings, the functional relationships of the strength indices and the conversion value of each strength index with the replacement ratio were also established. Finally, based on the model proposed by the existing model, the stress‐strain equation of RLWAC was developed, and the fitting results were observed to be in good agreement with the test results.
Autologous Bone Marrow-Derived Chondrocytes for Patients with Knee Osteoarthritis: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Authors: Sadat-Ali Mir , AlOmran Abdallah S. , AlMousa Sulaiman A. , AlSayed Hasan N. , AlTabash Khalid W. , Azam Mohammed Q. , Hegazi Tarek M. , Acharya Sadananda
Published: November 2021

Background and Objective. The aim of this study was to compare the effect of autologous bone marrow-derived chondrocytes (ABMDCs) with pharmacological management of osteoarthritis of knee (OAK) and assess the benefit of the two in the improvement of pain relief, functional betterment, and quality of life (QOL). Patients and Methods. A prospective, randomized study was undertaken in patients with OAK grades II and III of Kellgren–Lawrence grading (KLG) in two groups. Group I had 5 million of intra-articular ABMDC in the affected joint, and Group II continued the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and physical therapy as needed. Before the treatment, patients were meticulously examined and data were entered for age, sex, Body Mass Index (BMI), Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), Modified Knee Society Score-Short Form (MKSSSF), and QOL. Patients were followed up for 3, 12, and 24 months to assess efficacy, safety, and tolerability. To assess the cartilage regeneration of the damaged cartilage, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was used. Results. There were a total of 60 patients who were followed up. Three patients in Group II were removed from the analysis as they underwent total knee arthroplasty (TKA). A notably significant improvement was noticed in the ABMDC group on all scores of VAS and MKSSSF with

P
<
0.0001

. The control group continued to be dissatisfied with the treatment they were taking. Conclusions. This study reveals that a single injection of 5 million of ABMDC was efficient in reducing the symptoms, improving the functional score and betterment of QOL.
Chlorogenic Acids Inhibit Adipogenesis: Implications of Wnt/β-Catenin Signaling Pathway
Authors: Liu Mengting , Qin Jian , Cong Jing , Yang Yubin
Published: November 2021

In our previous in vitro study, we found that chlorogenic acid (CGA) inhibited adipocyte differentiation and triglyceride (TG) accumulation, but the underlying mechanism is still unclear. Accumulative genetic evidence supports that canonical Wnt signaling is a key modulator on adipogenesis. Methods. In this study, 3T3-L1 cells were induced adipogenic differentiation and then treated with CGA. We investigate the effect of CGA in inhibiting adipogenesis and evaluate its role in modulating Wnt10b (wingless integration1 10b), β-catenin, glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK-3β), and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPAR-γ) involved in the Wnt (wingless integration1)/β-catenin signaling pathway. Results. The result showed that after CGA treatment, lipid accumulation and TG level decreased significantly in 3T3-L1 cells, indicating that CGA could inhibit adipogenesis. In addition, CGA repressed the induction of adipocyte differentiation biomarkers as PPAR-γ, adipocyte protein 2 (aP2), fatty acid synthase (FAS), and lipoprotein lipase (LPL), and the secretion of GSK-3β in a dose-dependent manner upregulated the expression of β-catenin and Wnt10b both in gene and protein levels. Moreover, CGA induced phosphorylation of GSK-3β and promoted the accumulation of free cytosolic β-catenin in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. Conclusion. Overall, these findings gave us the implications that CGA inhibits adipogenesis via the canonical Wnt signaling pathway.
Fast and Efficient Numerical Finite Difference Method for Multiphase Image Segmentation
Authors: Li Yibao , Yoon Sungha , Wang Jian , Park Jintae , Kim Sangkwon , Lee Chaeyoung , Kim Hyundong , Kim Junseok
Published: November 2021

We present a simple numerical solution algorithm for a gradient flow for the Modica–Mortola functional and numerically investigate its dynamics. The proposed numerical algorithm involves both the operator splitting and the explicit Euler methods. A time step formula is derived from the stability analysis, and the goodness of fit of transition width is tested. We perform various numerical experiments to investigate the property of the gradient flow equation, to verify the characteristics of our method in the image segmentation application, and to analyze the effect of parameters. In particular, we propose an initialization process based on target objects. Furthermore, we conduct comparison tests in order to check the performance of our proposed method.
Lobular Mammary Carcinoma Presenting as an Obstructing Rectal Mass
Authors: Almahmeed Ebrahim , Aljufairi Eman , Alshaibani Noof
Published: November 2021

Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in women, and while metastasis is common to areas like the bone, lungs, and brain, it is rare to metastasize to the gastrointestinal tract and especially to the rectum. Due to the rarity of this condition and its resemblance clinically and radiologically to primary gastrointestinal tract tumors, diagnosis and treatment are challenging. We present a case of metastatic lobular mammary carcinoma in a 52-year-old Bahraini woman who presented with an obstructing rectal mass.
Application of Virtual Reality Human‐Computer Interaction Technology Based on the Sensor in English Teaching
Authors: Jiang Shuai , Wang Lei , Dong Yuanyuan
Published: November 2021

In order to improve the online English teaching effect, the paper applies the sensor and human‐computer interaction into the English teaching. The paper improves the sensor information by applying Kalman Filter, combines sensor positioning algorithm to trace the students in the English teaching online, and turns the kernels by the skeleton algorithm into corresponding coordinates of space rectangular coordinate system taking the waist as a coordinate origin to get a human‐computer interaction skeleton model in the virtual reality. According to the actual needs of English teaching human‐computer interaction, the paper builds a new English teaching system based on the sensor and the human‐computer interaction and tests its performance. The experiments suggest that the smart system in the paper can effectively improve English teaching effects.
Acute Limb Ischemia in the Young: A Rare Case of Essential Thrombocytosis
Authors: Nugroho Johanes , Gunadi Ruth
Published: November 2021

Acute limb ischemia (ALI) is rarely observed in young populations. The hypercoagulable state is a notable cause of ALI other than artery disease progression and cardiac embolization. A hypercoagulable state occurs in essential thrombocytosis because of the overproduction of hematopoietic cells secondary to the mutation of the JAK2, CALR, or MPL genes. We report a rare case of a 37-year-old woman presenting with Rutherford IIA ALI in the left lower extremity. Laboratory data revealed she had a platelet count reaching up to 1.38 mil/μL, with other blood profiles being normal. A JAK2 mutation examination was later performed and proved positive. After careful management with catheter-directed thrombolysis, surgical thrombectomy, and cytoreductive therapy using hydroxyurea, the symptoms subsided and eventually restored the patient to physical activity in less than one month.
Technical and Economic Description of the Research on a Measuring Device for Continuous Measurement of the Diameter and Vibration of the Workpiece during the Machining Process
Authors: Kreheľ Radoslav , Szentivanyi Patrik , Kočiško Marek , Pollák Martin
Published: November 2021

This article is devoted to the economic and technical aspects of the research on continuous noncontact measurement of the workpiece diameter during the manufacturing operation using a suitably selected and designed sensor. In order to achieve this main goal, it was necessary to meet these partial goals. We develop and describe a method of accurate continuous technical measurement of the workpiece diameter during the machining process. We propose a principle of continuous technical measurement of workpiece diameter, design a scanning method based on this principle, and verify the developed equipment on a specific case of technical measurement. At the same time, the development includes the expansion of the use for continuous noncontact measurement of workpiece vibrations. Based on test measurements, an optical sensor was selected, the analysis of which is presented in a part of the article. The introduction of this article provides a simple view of the need for continuous measurement of the workpiece diameter. The second chapter presents the current state of the problem. The third chapter is devoted to the theoretical analysis and description of practical implementations of the solution. The conclusion, as it could be expected, includes evaluation of the results.
VEGF Family Gene Expression as Prognostic Biomarkers for Alzheimer’s Disease and Primary Liver Cancer
Authors: Xu Kai , Wu Chuan-ling , Wang Zhi-xin , Wang Hai-jiu , Yin Feng-jiao , Li Wen-deng , Liu Chu-chu , Fan Hai-ning
Published: November 2021

Background. To analyze the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and cognitive impairment, explore the relationship between the expression of VEGF family genes and prognosis of patients with HCC, and evaluate the predictive ability of VEGF in cognitive impairment using computerized methods. Methods. VEGF expression in liver cancer tissues and normal tissues was analyzed using bioinformatics methods. The Kaplan-Meier survival analysis method was also used to analyze the relationship between VEGF expression and the prognosis of patients with HCC. Furthermore, immune infiltration assessment and gene set enrichment analysis were performed. Meanwhile, the differential expression of VEGF family genes between patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and healthy controls was also checked. Results. Based on The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database, the VEGF family genes (VEFGA, VEGFB, VEGFC, and VEGFD) were highly expressed in cancer tissues and were significantly associated with poor prognosis in HCC. In HCC, the VEGF family genes showed significant heterogeneity in their functional and immune infiltration characteristics. Finally, VEGF family genes were identified as prognostic biomarkers in AD and risk prediction markers in HCC. Conclusions. VEGF is highly expressed in patients with HCC and lowly expressed in patients with AD. VEGF has opposite opposing roles in the treatment of tumors and cognitive impairment.
Sports Intelligent Assistance System Based on Deep Learning
Authors: Wu Boyin
Published: November 2021

Traditional sports aid systems analyze sports data via sensors and other types of equipment and can support athletes with retrospective analysis, but they require several sensors and have limited data. This paper examines a sports aid system that uses deep learning to recognize, review, and analyze behaviors through video acquisition and intelligent video sequence processing. This paper’s primary research is as follows: (1) With an eye on the motion assistance system’s application scenarios, the network topology and implementation details of the two-stage Faster R-CNN and the single-stage YOLOv3 target detection algorithms are investigated. Additionally, training procedures are used to enhance the algorithm’s detection performance and training speed. (2) To address the issue of target detection techniques’ low detection performance in complicated backgrounds, an improved scheme from Faster R-CNN is proposed. To begin, a new approach replaces the VGG-16 network in the previous algorithm with a ResNet-101 network. Second, an expansion plan for the dataset is provided. (3) To address the short duration of action video and the high correlation of image sequence data, we present an action recognition method based on LSTM. To begin, we will present a motion decomposition scheme and evaluation index based on the key transaction frame in order to simplify the motion analysis procedure. Second, the spatial features of the frame images are extracted using a convolutional neural network. Besides, the spatial and temporal aspects of the image sequence are fused using a two-layer bidirectional LSTM network. The algorithm suggested in this research has been validated using a golf experiment, and the results are favorable.