bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Spatial Network Structures of Urban Agglomeration Based on the Improved Gravity Model: A Case Study in China’s Two Urban Agglomerations
Authors: Zhao Yubo , Zhang Gui , Zhao Hongwei
Published: February 2021

Research on urban agglomerations from the perspective of network spatial structure is important to promote their sustainable development. Based on online and traditional data, this paper first improves three aspects of the traditional spatial gravity model—city quality, the gravitation coefficient, and city distance—considering urban center functional intensity and population mobility tendencies. The resulting improved directional gravity model is applied to analyze the structure of the city network for two urban agglomerations in China, the Beijing‐Tianjin‐Hebei urban agglomeration (BTHUA) and the Yangtze River Delta urban agglomeration (YRDUA). The results of the study are as follows: (1) the existing urban connections have obvious hierarchies and imbalances, with the YRDUA urban hierarchical connections being of larger scale. (2) Cities are closely connected, but city networks are unbalanced, though the YRDUA has more balanced urban development. (3) Each node city has a clear radiation range limit, and spatial distance remains an important constraint on urban connections. The backbone network of the BTHUA has a triangular shape and trends toward a “sparse north and dense south,” while the YRDUA is characterized by multiple axes and an overall distribution that trends toward a “dense north and sparse south.” (4) Cities with poor comprehensive strength are more likely to be captured, forming an attract and be attracted relationship. (5) The BTHUA and the YRDUA each form three communities.
Research on Data Security and Privacy Protection of Wearable Equipment in Healthcare
Authors: Jiang Dawei , Shi Guoquan
Published: February 2021

With the close integration of science and technology and health, the broad application prospects of healthy interconnection bring revolutionary changes to health services. Health and medical wearable devices can collect real-time data related to user health, such as user behavior, mood, and sleep, which have great commercial and social value. Healthcare wearable devices, as important network nodes for health interconnection, connect patients and hospitals with the Internet of Things and sensing technology to form a huge medical network. As wearable devices can also collect user data regardless of time and place, uploading data to the cloud can easily make the wearable device’s system vulnerable to attacks and data leakage. Defects in technology can sometimes cause problems such as lack of control over data flow links in wearable devices, and data and privacy leaks are more likely to occur. In this regard, how to ensure the data security and user privacy while using healthcare wearable devices to collect data is a problem worth studying. This article investigates data from healthcare wearable devices, from technical, management, and legal aspects, and studies data security and privacy protection issues for healthcare wearable devices to protect data security and user privacy and promote the sustainable development of the healthcare wearable device industry and the scientific use of data collection.
An Evaluation Study on Investment Efficiency: A Predictive Machine Learning Approach
Authors: Hao Weiwei , Gao Hongyan , Liu Zongqing
Published: February 2021

This paper proposes a nonlinear autoregressive neural network (NARNET) method for the investment performance evaluation of state‐owned enterprises (SOE). It is different from the traditional method based on machine learning, such as linear regression, structural equation, clustering, and principal component analysis; this paper uses a regression prediction method to analyze investment efficiency. In this paper, we firstly analyze the relationship between diversified ownership reform, corporate debt leverage, and the investment efficiency of state‐owned enterprises (SOE). Secondly, a set of investment efficiency evaluation index system for SOE was constructed, and a nonlinear autoregressive neural network approach was used for verification. The data of A‐share state‐owned listed companies in Shanghai and Shenzhen stock exchanges from 2009 to 2018 are taken as a sample. The experimental results show that the output value from the NARNET is highly fitted to the actual data. Based on the neural network model regression analysis, this paper conducts a descriptive statistical analysis of the main variables and control variables of the evaluation indicators. It verifies the direct impact of diversified ownership reform on the investment efficiency of SOE and the indirect impact on the investment efficiency of SOE through corporate debt leverage.
In‐Depth Learning Layout and Path Optimization of Energy Service Urban Distribution Sites under e‐Commerce Environment
Authors: Wang Kun , Bae Ki-Hyung
Published: February 2021

This article uses a research method that combines theoretical research and empirical analysis. It first introduces the relevant theories of energy service city distribution sites in the context of e‐commerce and then the types of energy service city distribution sites and the composition of energy service city distribution systems. The network layout of the service city distribution site and the location objectives, principles, and processes of the model is studied to determine the network layout plan of the energy service city distribution system in this paper. This paper fully considers the characteristics of the network operation mode of the energy service city distribution site and establishes an optimization model for the location selection and vehicle routing of the distribution center with the lowest total system cost under the simultaneous delivery service mode; based on the hierarchical solution strategy, a combination of deep learning is designed. Algorithms mainly include two‐stage hybrid heuristic algorithm of cluster analysis, maximum coverage and genetic algorithm; simulation analysis is conducted to verify the effectiveness of the model and algorithm by data simulation, finally get the integrated optimization plan of distribution center location and routing, and put forward the operation strategy through the result expansion analysis. This paper studies the planning model based on the network layout planning of the energy service city distribution system under the e‐commerce environment, aiming to promote the breakthrough development of urban smart logistics and prove the importance of the energy service city distribution station network layout planning. The purpose and results of the research are to reduce traffic and environmental pressures, achieve joint direct distribution, improve the efficiency of urban logistics and distribution, and solve the problem of the last mile of the city.
Time-Harmonic Response of an Elastic Pile in a Radially Inhomogeneous Poroelastic Medium
Authors: Li Xibin , Xu Wenhui , Zhang Zhiqing
Published: February 2021

The time-harmonic response of an elastic pile embedded in a radially inhomogeneous poroelastic medium and subjected to a torsional loading is studied in the present article. In engineering practice, the surrounding soil may be weakened due to the disturbance effect caused by pile driving. To simulate the weakened surrounding soil, a boundary zone model with the complex shear modulus of the inner disturbed soil changing in a parabolic form along the radial direction is proposed. In view of the axis-symmetric deformation of the surrounding soil under torsional load, the equation of motion of the saturated soil is solved in the cylindrical coordinate system. The vibration displacement and shear stress solutions for the inner disturbed soil are gained by expanding the displacement as a power series, and those for the outer undisturbed soil are obtained by solving the partial differential equation. By virtue of continuity conditions at the interface between inner and outer soil regions, the torsional impedance of the radially inhomogeneous soil is solved. Then, via the boundary and continuity conditions of the pile-soil system, the twist angle and torque of the pile are obtained in the frequency domain. Finally, selected numerical results are conducted to investigate the influence of the material damping, softening degree, and softening range of the inner soil on the distribution of the twist angle and torque of the pile along the depth direction.
Does HPV Subtype Predict Outcomes in Head and Neck Cancers?
Authors: Ziai Hedyeh , Warner Andrew , Mundi Neil , Patel Krupal , Chung Eun Jae , Howlett Christopher J. , Plantinga Paul , Yoo John , MacNeil S. Danielle , Fung Kevin , Mymryk Joe S. , Barrett John W. , Palma David A. , Nichols Anthony C.
Published: February 2021

Background. Recently, reanalysis of The Cancer Genome Atlas study demonstrated that human papillomavirus (HPV) genotypes in head and neck cancers other than HPV-16 have inferior survival to HPV-16-positive tumors. We aimed to examine the association of HPV subtypes and survival in a large cohort of patient samples from our institution. Methods. Fresh frozen primary site biopsy samples were collected either in clinic or at the time of surgery. Patient demographic, staging, and survival data were also collected. Tumors were tested for HPV subtypes by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Univariable and multivariable analyses were performed using Cox proportional hazards regression. Results. 280 patient biopsy samples were collected between 2011 and 2017. Mean ± standard deviation (SD) age was 61.9 ± 11.1 years and most patients (78%) were male. The majority of cancers were of the oral cavity (60%) or oropharynx (25%) and 30% had HPV-positive disease. Median follow-up was 3.76 years and 96/280 patients (34%) developed recurrences. Patients with p16-positive versus negative disease had significantly improved 5-year overall survival (OS, 77.6% vs. 53.3%;

p
=
0.009

) and progression-free survival (PFS, 67.3% vs. 41.0%,

p
=
0.006

). Similarly improved 5-year OS and PFS were observed for patients with HPV-positive versus negative disease (65.0% vs. 55.0%,

p
=
0.084

; 53.3% vs. 43.2%,

p
=
0.072

, resp.). Patients with HPV-16 compared to other HPV diseases had worse 5-year OS and PFS (62.1% vs. 88.9%,

p
=
0.273

; 49.0% vs. 88.9%,

p
=
0.081

, resp.). Conclusions. In contrast to the data derived from The Cancer Genome Atlas, patients with HPV-16 tumors trended towards decreased PFS and OS compared with tumors driven by other HPV genotypes. Further larger multi-institutional studies are necessary to understand the relationship between other HPV genotypes and survival in head and neck squamous cell carcinomas.
Calculation Model and Influencing Factors of Surrounding Rock Loosening Pressure for Tunnel in Fold Zone
Authors: Liu Jianhao , Xie Caijin , Rao Junying
Published: February 2021

This research aims to study the surrounding rock loosening pressure variation law of tunnel in the fold area. Based on the calculation method of surrounding rock loosening pressure for shallow tunnel, a new calculation model of the surrounding rock pressure was proposed for tunnel in the fold area; through this calculation model, the effects of tectonic stress (F), the angle (φ1) between tectonic stress and horizontal plane, tunnel buried depth (h), friction angle (θ), the multiple (k) between tectonic stress and rock mass gravity in the upper part of the tunnel, lateral pressure coefficient (λ), and tunnel midline offset (t) on tunnel surrounding rock loosening pressure in fold area are studied, respectively. Results show that in the anticline area, when φ1 increases, the vertical loosening pressure (q) decreases; when q > 0, the surrounding rock is in the elastic deformation stage, and q decreases monotonously as F increases; when q < 0, the rock mass is in the initial stage of failure, and as F continues to increase, the number of internal cracks increases, the rock mass reaches its ultimate bearing capacity and then fails completely, and q increases linearly in this process; q decreases with the increase of θ and k; the greater k is, the easier it is to reach its bearing limit; the horizontal loosening pressure (e) increased monotonously with the increase of h and λ. The research process of surrounding rock loosening pressure of tunnel in the syncline area is similar to that of tunnel in the anticline area; q decreases with the increase of θ and λ; q monotonically increases with F increasing.
Dynamic Warping Network for Semantic Video Segmentation
Authors: Li Jiangyun , Zhao Yikai , He Xingjian , Zhu Xinxin , Liu Jing
Published: February 2021

A major challenge for semantic video segmentation is how to exploit the spatiotemporal information and produce consistent results for a video sequence. Many previous works utilize the precomputed optical flow to warp the feature maps across adjacent frames. However, the imprecise optical flow and the warping operation without any learnable parameters may not achieve accurate feature warping and only bring a slight improvement. In this paper, we propose a novel framework named Dynamic Warping Network (DWNet) to adaptively warp the interframe features for improving the accuracy of warping‐based models. Firstly, we design a flow refinement module (FRM) to optimize the precomputed optical flow. Then, we propose a flow‐guided convolution (FG‐Conv) to achieve the adaptive feature warping based on the refined optical flow. Furthermore, we introduce the temporal consistency loss including the feature consistency loss and prediction consistency loss to explicitly supervise the warped features instead of simple feature propagation and fusion, which guarantees the temporal consistency of video segmentation. Note that our DWNet adopts extra constraints to improve the temporal consistency in the training phase, while no additional calculation and postprocessing are required during inference. Extensive experiments show that our DWNet can achieve consistent improvement over various strong baselines and achieves state‐of‐the‐art accuracy on the Cityscapes and CamVid benchmark datasets.
Current Research on Silver Nanoparticles: Synthesis, Characterization, and Applications
Authors: Dawadi Sonika , Katuwal Saurav , Gupta Aakash , Lamichhane Uttam , Thapa Ranjita , Jaisi Shankar , Lamichhane Ganesh , Bhattarai Deval Prasad , Parajuli Niranjan
Published: February 2021

Over the past couple of decades, nanomaterials have advanced the research in materials; biomedical, biological, and chemical sciences; etc., owing to their peculiar properties at the nanoregime compared to their bulk composition. Applications of nanoparticles in the fields like medicine and agriculture have been boosted due to the development of different methodologies developed to synthesize specific shapes and sizes. Silver nanoparticles have tunable physical and chemical properties, so it has been studied widely to improve its applicability. The antimicrobial properties of Ag NPs are finding their application in enhancing the activity of drugs (like Amphotericin B, Nystatin, Fluconazole) and composite scaffolds for controlled release of drugs and targeted delivery of drugs due to their low toxicity and biocompatibility. Similarly, their surface plasmon resonance property makes Ag NPs a top-notch material for developing (bio)sensors, for instance, in surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy, for detecting biomarkers, diseases, pollutants, and higher catalytic activity in photochemical reactions. Besides these, highly conducting Ag NPs are used in wearable and flexible sensors to generate electrocardiographs. Physicochemical or biological approaches are used to prepare Ag NPs; however, each method has its pros and cons. The prohibitive cost and use of hazardous chemicals hinder the application of physicochemical synthesis. Likewise, biological synthesis is not always reproducible for extensive use but can be a suitable candidate for therapeutic activities like cancer therapy. Excess use of Ag NPs is cytotoxic, and their unregulated discharge in the environment may have effects on both aquatic and terrestrial biota. The research in Ag NPs has always been driven by the need to develop a technology with potential benefits and minimal risk to environmental and human health. In this review, we have attempted to provide an insight into the application of Ag NPs in various sectors along with the recent synthetic and characterization techniques used for Ag NPs.
Solving Parabolic and Hyperbolic Equations with Variable Coefficients Using Space-Time Localized Radial Basis Function Collocation Method
Authors: Hamaidi Mohammed , Naji Ahmed , Taik Ahmed
Published: February 2021

In this paper, we investigate the numerical approximation solution of parabolic and hyperbolic equations with variable coefficients and different boundary conditions using the space-time localized collocation method based on the radial basis function. The method is based on transforming the original

d

-dimensional problem in space into

d
+
1

-dimensional one in the space-time domain by combining the

d

-dimensional vector space variable and

1

-dimensional time variable in one

d
+
1

-dimensional variable vector. The advantages of such formulation are (i) time discretization as implicit, explicit,

θ

-method, method-of-line approach, and others are not applied; (ii) the time stability analysis is not discussed; and (iii) recomputation of the resulting matrix at each time level as done for other methods for solving partial differential equations (PDEs) with variable coefficients is avoided and the matrix is computed once. Two different formulations of the

d

-dimensional problem as a

d
+
1

-dimensional space-time one are discussed based on the type of PDEs considered. The localized radial basis function meshless method is applied to seek for the numerical solution. Different examples in two and three-dimensional space are solved to show the accuracy of such method. Different types of boundary conditions, Neumann and Dirichlet, are also considered for parabolic and hyperbolic equations to show the sensibility of the method in respect to boundary conditions. A comparison to the fourth-order Runge-Kutta method is also investigated.
An Objective Pain Score for Chronic Pain Clinic Patients
Authors: Pace Agnes K. , Bruceta Melanio , Donovan John , Vaida Sonia J. , Eckert Jill M.
Published: February 2021

Objectives. Although numerous studies have looked at the numeric rating scale (NRS) in chronic pain patients and several studies have evaluated objective pain scales, no known studies have assessed an objective pain scale for use in the evaluation of adult chronic pain patients in the outpatient setting. Subjective scales require patients to convert a subjective feeling into a quantitative number. Meanwhile, objective pain scales utilize, for the most part, the patient’s behavioral component as observed by the provider in addition to the patient’s subjective perception of pain. This study aims to examine the reliability and validity of an objective Chronic Pain Behavioral Pain Scale for Adults (CBPS) as compared to the traditional NRS. Methods. In this cross-sectional study, patients were assessed before and after an interventional pain procedure by a researcher and a nurse using the CBPS and the NRS. Interrater reliability, concurrent validity, and construct validity were analyzed. Results. Interrater reliability revealed a fair-good agreement between the nurse’s and researcher’s CBPS scores, weighted kappa values of 0.59 and 0.65, preprocedure and postprocedure, respectively. Concurrent validity showed low positive correlation for the preprocedure measurements, 0.34 (95% CI 0.16–0.50) and 0.47 (95% CI 0.31–0.61), and moderate positive correlation for the postprocedure measurements, 0.68 (95% CI 0.56–0.77) and 0.67 (95% CI 0.55–0.77), for the nurses and researchers, respectively. Construct validity demonstrated an equally average significant reduction in pain from preprocedure to postprocedure, CBPS and NRS median (IQR) scores preprocedure (4 (2–6) and 6 (4–8)) and postprocedure (1 (0–2) and 3 (0–5)),

p
<
0.001

. Discussion. The CBPS has been shown to have interrater reliability, concurrent validity, and construct validity. However, further testing is needed to show its potential benefits over other pain scales and its effectiveness in treating patients with chronic pain over a long-term. This study was registered with ClinicalTrial.gov with National Clinical Trial Number NCT02882971.
A Privacy-Preserving Caching Scheme for Device-to-Device Communications
Authors: Zhong Yuqing , Li Zhaohua , Liao Liping
Published: February 2021

With device-to-device (D2D) communication, user equipment can share data with each other without the involvement of network infrastructures. In order to maintain the Quality of Service (QoS) and Quality of Experience (QoE) for user applications in D2D communications, most existing schemes use proactive content caching that needs to predict content popularity before making caching decisions which may result in privacy leakage, since the information of users is collected to train a deep learning-based model to predict content popularity. Therefore, it is crucial to guarantee secure data collection in machine learning-based framework. In this paper, we propose a privacy-preserving D2D caching scheme with a passive content caching strategy based on node importance, which can deliver more efficient caching and prevent the potential leakage of user privacy. The scheme is based on softwaredefined networking (SDN), in which the controller is responsible for calculating node importance of devices according to the information of requests and encounters collected by SDN switches. Base station will decide which device can establish reliable and secure communication with content requester based on historical information. The simulation results show that the proposed strategy can outperform other D2D caching strategies in terms of cache hit rate and data rate.
Graphs Associated with the Ideals of a Numerical Semigroup Having Metric Dimension 2
Authors: Wang Ying , Binyamin Muhammad Ahsan , Ali Wajid , Aslam Adnan , Rao Yongsheng
Published: February 2021

Let

Λ

be a numerical semigroup and

I
⊂
Λ

be an irreducible ideal of

Λ

. The graph

G

I

Λ

assigned to an ideal

I

of

Λ

is a graph with elements of

Λ
∖
I

∗

as vertices, and any two vertices

x
 and 
y

are adjacent if and only if

x
+
y
∈
I

. In this work, we give a complete characterization (up to isomorphism) of the graph

G

I

Λ

having metric dimension 2.
Investigation of the Impact of Two Types of Epoxidized Vietnam Rubber Seed Oils on the Properties of Polylactic Acid
Authors: Thuy Nguyen Thi , Lan Pham Ngoc
Published: February 2021

To minimize the brittleness of polylactic acid (PLA), the epoxidized rubber seed oils (ERO) or epoxidized ester rubber seed oils (EERO) are blended with PLA. The mechanical properties of ERO bioblend are higher than that of EERO bioblend and significantly improved compared to that of the PLA sample. Elongation at break is increased by 9.1 times, and impact strength and tensile toughness improved by 139% and 1370%, respectively. The morphological study showed the microdroplets of epoxidized oils distributed in the ERO bioblend are much smaller than those in the EERO bioblend. This means that the ERO is better compatible with PLA, and both ERO and EERO are partially miscible with PLA. This compatibility is confirmed by the decrease in the glass transition temperature,Tg, from 65.7 to 60.5°C. The TGA analysis shows a sharp increase in an initial decomposition temperature (from 261.8 to 311.9°C) meaning an improvement in thermal properties. The NMR analysis proves that the epoxidized vegetable oils are linked to PLA chains, so both the melt flow index and an acid value of ERO or EERO bioblend decrease while the thermal stability is improved. The NMR peak area of some signals shows that the ERO is more attached to PLA, proving better compatibility of ERO with PLA, resulting in higher mechanical properties of ERO bioblend. The plasticizing effect of plasticizers is not dependent on the oxygen-oxirane content of the epoxidized oil but is strongly influenced by the acid value. Overall results show that both ERO and EERO can be used as a biodegradable, renewable plasticizer to replace petroleum-based plasticizers for PLA. In addition, the successful modification of PLA by using ERO or EERO promotes the use of this polymer as a potential material for researchers working on PLA applications.
The Prevalence of Thyroid Autoimmunity in Children with Developmental Dyslexia
Authors: Degrandi Roberta , Prodam Flavia , Genoni Giulia , Bellomo Giorgio , Bona Gianni , Giordano Mara , Bellone Simonetta , Monzani Alice
Published: February 2021

Background and Objectives. An association between developmental dyslexia and autoimmune disorders has been postulated. We aimed to evaluate the prevalence of thyroid autoimmunity in pediatric subjects with developmental dyslexia. Methods. We enrolled pediatric subjects with developmental dyslexia and, as a control group, healthy age‐ and sex‐matched subjects without developmental dyslexia. Thyroid function was evaluated in subjects with developmental dyslexia measuring serum concentrations of thyroid‐stimulating hormone (TSH), free triiodothyronine (fT3), and free thyroxine (fT4). Thyroid autoimmunity was evaluated in all subjects measuring antithyroid peroxidase (TPO‐Ab) and antithyroglobulin (TG‐Ab) antibodies. In subjects with developmental dyslexia, thyroid ultrasonography (US) was also performed. Results. We enrolled 51 subjects with developmental dyslexia (M : F = 39 : 12, mean age 12.4 ± 9 years) and 34 controls (M : F = 24 : 10, mean age 10.8 ± 4 years). TPO‐Ab positivity was significantly higher in subjects with developmental dyslexia compared to controls (60.8% vs. 2.9%, p < 0.001), while no significant difference was found in TG‐Ab positivity (16% vs. 5.8%). Thyroid US performed in 49 subjects with developmental dyslexia revealed a thyroiditis pattern in 60%. Conclusions. We found an extremely high prevalence of thyroid autoimmunity in children with developmental dyslexia. Further studies are needed to confirm our observations, but our findings may change the approach to this disorder and eventually lead to a systematic determination of thyroid autoimmunity in children with developmental dyslexia.
Identification of Hypoxia‐Related Differentially Expressed Genes and Construction of the Clinical Prognostic Predictor in Hepatocellular Carcinoma by Bioinformatic Analysis
Authors: Guo Hao , Zhou Jing , Zhang Yanjun , Wang Zhi , Liu Likun , Zhang Weiwei
Published: February 2021

Background. Hypoxia closely relates to malignant progression and appears to be prognostic for outcome in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Our research is aimed at mining the hypoxic‐related genes (HRGs) and constructing a prognostic predictor (PP) model on clinical prognosis in HCC patients. Methods. RNA‐sequencing data about HRGs and clinical data of patients with HCC were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database portal. Differentially expressed HRGs between HCC and para‐carcinoma tissue samples were obtained by applying the Wilcox analysis in R statistical software. Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes were used for gene functional enrichment analyses. Then, the patients who were asked to follow up for at least one month were enrolled in the following study. Cox proportional risk regression model was applied to obtain key HRGs which related to overall survival (OS) in HCC. PP was constructed and defined, and the accuracy of PP was validated by constructing the signature in a training set and validation set. Connectivity map (CMap) was used to find potential drugs, and gene set cancer analysis (GSCA) was also performed to explore the underlying molecular mechanisms. Results. Thirty‐seven differentially expressed HRGs were obtained. It contained 28 upregulated and 9 downregulated genes. After the univariate Cox regression model analysis, we obtained 27 prognosis‐related HRGs. Of these, 25 genes were risk factors for cancer, and 2 genes were protective factors. The PP was composed by 12 key genes (HDLBP, SAP30, PFKP, DPYSL4, SLC2A1, HMOX1, PGK1, ERO1A, LDHA, ENO2, SLC6A6, and TPI1). GSCA results showed the overall activity of these 12 key genes in 10 cancer‐related pathways. Besides, CMap identified deferoxamine, crotamiton, talampicillin, and lycorine might have effects with HCC. Conclusions. This study firstly reported 12 prognostic HRGs and constructed the model of the PP. This comprehensive research of multiple databases helps us gain insight into the biological properties of HCC and provides deferoxamine, crotamiton, talampicillin, and lycorine as potential drugs to fight against HCC.
Autophagy in Acute Pancreatitis: Organelle Interaction and microRNA Regulation
Authors: Yuan Xiaohui , Wu Jun , Guo Xin , Li Wei , Luo Chen , Li Shuai , Wang Bing , Tang Lijun , Sun Hongyu
Published: February 2021

Acute pancreatitis (AP) is a common disorder with significant hospital admission and mortality. Due to the unclarified pathological mechanism, there is still no effective and specific treatment for AP. Recently, autophagy has been found to be closely related with occurrence and development of AP, which is crucial in determining its severity and outcomes. Emerging evidence indicates that autophagy can be regulated and influenced by microRNAs and organelles, including mitochondria, endoplasmic reticulum and lysosome, through various ways in AP. Of note, the complex interplays and close relationships among autophagy, microRNA and organelles in AP are vital for figuring out pathogenesis but not clear yet. Thus, this review summarizes the role of autophagy in the pathological mechanism of AP, especially the relationship between impaired autophagy and organelles, and discusses the regulatory mechanism of microRNA on autophagy, which could offer new insights into understanding the pathogenesis of AP and developing new potential therapeutic targets against AP.
Research on Transmission Capacity Characteristics of the Cluster Flight Spacecraft Network
Authors: Su Li , Wu Jian , Mo Jinrong
Published: February 2021

In order to analyze the transmission capacity performance of the cluster flight spacecraft network, there are two different types of outage performance theory which are derived in this paper. First of all, by applying the mean value theorem of integrals, the expression of the outage probability of decode-and-forward relaying is derived. Subsequently, according to the Macdonald random variable form, the expression of the outage probability of amplify-and-forward is derived. By simulating the transmission capacity of decode-and-forward, the transmission capacity characteristics of a single hop and dual hops are analyzed. The simulation results showed that transmission capacity performance changes with the change of the time slot in the orbital hyperperiod, and the transmission capacity of a dual-hop relay has better performance than a single-hop transmission in the cluster flight spacecraft network.
Molecular Prevalence and Identification of Ehrlichia canis and Anaplasma platys from Dogs in Nay Pyi Taw Area, Myanmar
Authors: Hmoon Myint Myint , Htun Lat Lat , Thu May June , Chel Hla Myet , Thaw Yu Nandi , Win Shwe Yee , Chan Soe Nyein , Khaing Yadanar , Thein Su Su , Bawm Saw
Published: February 2021

Ticks are vectors of different types of viruses, protozoans, and other microorganisms, which include Gram-negative prokaryotes of the genera Rickettsiales, Ehrlichia, Anaplasma, and Borrelia. Canine monocytic ehrlichiosis caused by Ehrlichia canis and canine cyclic thrombocytopenia caused by Anaplasma platys are of veterinary importance worldwide. In Myanmar, there is limited information concerning tick-borne pathogens, Ehrlichia and Anaplasma spp., as well as genetic characterization of these species. We performed nested PCR for the gltA gene of the genus Ehrlichia spp. and the 16S rRNA gene of the genus Anaplasma spp. with blood samples from 400 apparently healthy dogs in Nay Pyi Taw area. These amplicon sequences were compared with other sequences from GenBank. Among the 400 blood samples from dogs, 3 (0.75%) were positive for E. canis and 1 (0.25%) was positive for A. platys. The partial sequences of the E. canis gltA and A. platys 16SrRNA genes obtained were highly similar to E. canis and A. platys isolated from different other countries.
Beyond Tokenism: The “Born Frees” and Climate Change in South Africa
Authors: Nkrumah Bright
Published: February 2021

Climate change and youth participation are emerging as important clarion calls today. Indeed, very few individuals will possibly counter a call for the involvement of young people in decisions and actions which (in)directly affect their lives. Presently, some of the greatest social problems faced by young South Africans are COVID-19, employment, and climate change. These challenges require the active participation of young people—locally known as the “born frees”—in the construction and operationalization of interventions, especially in light of the insufficient (sub)national response. That being said, policymakers often adopt top-down over bottom-up approaches, with the young generation often excluded or at best given a tokenistic role in climate decision-making processes. Therefore, this paper suggests some new ways of conceptualizing youth agency and brings to light how the born frees could efficiently take part or have a say in negotiating the path to climate adaptation, resilience, and mitigation. By drawing from the existing literature, the paper concludes that effective engagement with youth is essential in empowering them to key stakeholders or partners in adapting and/or mitigating climate change.
Numerical Study on the Behavior and Bearing Mechanism of Flat Slabs in Column Loss Events
Authors: Mohammadi Aidin , Pachenari Alireza , Sadeghi Behnam
Published: February 2021

This study investigates the behavior and the load‐bearing mechanism of a typical flat slab with rectangular panels in several scenarios including the removal of a corner, penultimate, and internal columns. The scenarios are rather similar to those used in the conventional evaluation of the progressive collapse potential; however, application of the uniformly distributed loading over panels adjacent to the removed columns was not limited to twice the value of the initial load. Thus, load‐deflection curves were drawn up to the point in which a great number of longitudinal slab bars ruptured. Introducing 5 stages on each curve, finite element outputs on concrete cracking pattern and rebar stress state were presented. A significant increase in the stresses along the diagonals of the slab panels accompanied by bar ruptures around columns adjacent to the removed column proved contribution of an important load‐bearing mechanism in addition to the behavior called “quasiframe action.” Consecutive rupture of bars showed formation of a zipper‐type collapse mode as well as a great tendency to transfer load share of missing column mainly along shorter direction of slab panels. Moreover, the findings indicated that the slab damaged zone could exceed the panels under uniform overloading.
Adaptive Fixed-Time Nonsingular Terminal Sliding Mode Attitude Tracking Control for Spacecraft with Actuator Saturations and Faults
Authors: Han Zhiguo , Wang Minghao , Yan Xunliang , Qian Hang
Published: February 2021

This paper focuses on the potential actuator failures of spacecraft in practical engineering applications. Aiming at the shortcomings and deficiencies in the existing attitude fault-tolerant control system design, combined with the current research status of attitude fault-tolerant control technology, we carry out high-precision, fast-convergent attitude tracking algorithms. Based on the adaptive nonsingular terminal sliding mode control theory, we design a kind of fixed-time convergence control method. This method solves the problems of actuator faults, actuator saturation, external disturbances, and inertia uncertainties. The control method includes control law design and controller design. The designed fixed-time adaptive nonsingular terminal sliding mode control law is applicable to the development of fixed-time fault-tolerant attitude tracking controller with multiple constraints. The designed controller considers the saturation of the actuator output torque so that the spacecraft can operate within the saturation magnitude without on-line fault estimation. Lyapunov stability analysis shows that under multiple constraints such as actuator saturation, external disturbances, and inertia uncertainties, the controller has fast convergence and has good fault tolerance to actuator fault. The numerical simulation shows that the controller has good performance and low-energy consumption in attitude tracking control.
Spatial Character and Backflow Pattern of High‐Level Returned Talents in China
Authors: Jiang Haining
Published: February 2021

Attractions of overseas high‐level returned talents have become a widely practiced talent policy, and the spatial structures of city‐related interactions are drawing the attention of researchers from various fields. China is particularly an interesting case in point, as it has moved toward an innovation‐oriented economy. Based on the movement trajectories of 2,846 returnees in a program entitled “Young Thousand Talents Plan” during 2011–2016, this paper identifies three city types in China: national core city, regional excellent city, and regional special city. Subsequently, this paper employs spatial visualization and qualitative interviews. This paper also goes on to show that the national core cities that possess dense research resources that coincide with premium life conditions and have objectively more favorable conditions, wider opportunities for attracting highly qualified specialists. Moreover, the backflow pattern can be divided into circle route and linear route, which is driven by social proximity and innovation context.
The Plastic Zone of Tunnel Surrounding Rock under Unequal Stress in Two Directions Based on the Unified Strength Theory
Authors: Zou Zongshan , Yang Jun , Wang Zhongming , Liu Hongyan
Published: February 2021

For the deficiencies that the existing calculation theory for the Plastic Zone of Tunnel Surrounding Rock (PZTSR) does not consider the effect of the intermediate principal stress σ2 and interaction between the surrounding rock and support structure on the PZTSR under unequal stress, the Unified Strength Theory (UST) for the rock is adopted to replace the often used Mohr-Coulomb (M-C) strength criterion to consider the effect of σ2 on the PZTSR. Meanwhile, the interaction mechanism between the surrounding rock and support structure is also considered in the proposed model. Finally, the effect of the initial elastic displacement of the surrounding rock, stiffness of the support structure, and the coefficient b of the intermediate principal stress on the plastic zone is discussed. The results show that the PZTSR will increase nonlinearly with increasing the initial elastic displacement of the surrounding rock, and when it increases to a certain value, its increase extent will be much obvious. With increasing the stiffness of the support structure, the PZTSR will gradually decrease nonlinearly, but the decrease extent is not very much. With increasing b, the PZTSR will decrease; namely, σ2 can improve the stress condition of the surrounding rock and reduce the PZTSR.
Fuzzy Assessment of Steel Deck Pavement for Long Suspension Bridge of the Fourth Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge
Authors: Zong Jinyu , Zhang Keqiang , Zhan Binggen , Ma Rui
Published: February 2021

The Fourth Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge (the Fourth Bridge) with the main span of 1418 m is the largest three‐span suspension bridge in China and the third largest in the world. The service circumstance of steel deck pavement on the Fourth Bridge is complex and severe, so that the scheme evaluation for steel deck pavement is a huge program. To rapidly and comprehensively evaluate the schemes for pavement, a fuzzy evaluation method was introduced in this paper. A three‐level logical assessment structure including 21 basic impact factors was built according to analytic hierarchy process (AHP), and the weight for each judgment matrix was determined by the Delphi method. Consequently, a fuzzy evaluation theory was used to value each scheme to propose the optimal one. Based on this method, four pavement schemes were evaluated to choose the optimal one, and the performance of the optimal scheme was highly corresponding to the practical engineering practice. The fuzzy evaluation method can supply a theoretical support to fast determine the scheme for long‐span steel deck pavement.
Influence of Balance Hole Diameter on Leakage Flow of the Balance Chamber in a Centrifugal Pump
Authors: Dong Wei , Chen Diyi , Sun Jian , Dong Yan , Yang Zhenbiao , Yan Junle
Published: February 2021

The balancing holes in centrifugal pumps with seals mounted in both suction and discharge sides are one of the approaches used by pump manufacturers to reduce the axial thrust. The balance hole diameter directly affects the axial force of the centrifugal pump. The flow characteristics in the balance chamber are closely related to the balance hole diameter. However, research is not very clear on the internal flow of the balanced chamber, due to the small axial and radial sizes and the complicated flow conditions in the chamber. In this paper, we analyzed the influence of the balance hole diameter on the liquid leakage rate, flow velocity, and vortex motion in the balance chamber. The results indicated that when the balance hole diameter was lower than the design value, the volume flow rate of leakage flow was proportional to the diameter. The liquid flow rate and vortex distribution rules in the balance chamber were mainly associated with the coeffect of radial leakage flow in the rear sealing ring interval and the axial balance hole leakage flow. The research has revealed the mechanisms of leakage flow of the balance chamber in the centrifugal pump and that this is of great significance for accurate calculation and balancing of the axial force.
Discordance in Retinal and Choroidal Vascular Densities in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus on Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography
Authors: Ra Ho , Kang Nam Yeo , Song Jiyun , Lee Junhyuck , Kim Inkee , Baek Jiwon
Published: February 2021

Purpose. In the present study, the retinal and choroidal vascular densities (VDs) in type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) patients were analyzed using optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA). Methods. The study included 282 eyes of 152 patients with type 2 DM (114 without retinopathy, 79 nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR), 48 severe NPDR, and 41 proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) eyes). The superficial and deep retinal vessel, choriocapillaris, and choroidal VDs were measured using a binarization method on OCTA images. VDs were compared based on retinopathy severity. Correlations among densities were analyzed. Results. Retinal and choriocapillaris VDs were lower in PDR than in NPDR (all

P
<
0.05

). Correlation analysis showed significant positive correlations among densities of superficial and deep retinal vessels and choriocapillaris (all

P
<
0.001

). Choroidal VD showed a negative correlation with superficial and deep retinal vessels and choriocapillaris (all

P
<
0.001

). Retinal and choriocapillaris VDs showed a negative correlation with diabetic retinopathy (DR) grade (all

P
<
0.001

); however, the choroidal VD showed a weak positive correlation (

P
=
0.030

). Conclusion. Choroidal VD increased as retinal and choriocapillaris VDs decreased, indicating that the outer layer of the choroid is less affected by DR severity and VD of larger choroidal vessels may even be increased as a compensatory mechanism for decreased retinal and choriocapillaris VDs in type 2 DM patients.
Severe Aplastic Anemia as First Manifestation of Classical Hodgkin Lymphoma
Authors: Pedrosa Cláudia L. , Rosinha Patrícia , Seabra Patrícia , Ferreira Gisela , Rosado Cláudia , Regadas Luísa , Casais Cláudia , Coutinho Jorge
Published: February 2021

Autoimmune cytopenia, a known paraneoplastic complication of lymphoid neoplasms, may occur before, concurrently, at relapse, or even years after completion of lymphoma treatment. In the case of Hodgkin lymphoma (HL), it is thought that immune dysregulation, typical of this neoplasm, may be involved in the genesis of these manifestations. We report a 57-year-old male presenting with stage IIIA, International Prognostic Score (IPS) 4, nodular sclerosis HL, and severe AA (SAA) confirmed on the histologic exam of the bone marrow that showed severe marrow hypoplasia due to a decrease in the elements of the three cell linages with left shift of the myeloid maturation. Immunosuppression with steroids and cyclosporine A was started. Eltrombopag and G-CSF were also added. In spite of prompt initiation of immunosuppressive therapy, the patient presented an unfavorable outcome with progressive pancytopenia and severe acute cerebral hemorrhagic event. The patient died 59 days after admission. Although autoimmune disorders are described in HL, its concomitant diagnosis is extremely rare. Our case shows a rare instance of SAA as the first manifestation of HL.
The Protective Effect of Cyanidin‐3‐Glucoside on Myocardial Ischemia‐Reperfusion Injury through Ferroptosis
Authors: Shan Xin , Lv Zhi-Yang , Yin Meng-Jiao , Chen Jing , Wang Jie , Wu Qi-Nan
Published: February 2021

This study was conducted to estimate the protective effect of Cyanidin‐3‐glucoside (C3G) on myocardial ischemia‐reperfusion (IR) injury and to explore its mechanism. The rats were subjected to left anterior descending ligation and perfusion surgery. In vitro experiments were performed on H9c2 cells using the oxygen‐glucose deprivation/reoxygenation (OGD/R) model. The results showed the administration of C3G reduced the infarction area, mitigated pathological alterations, inhibited ST segment elevation, and attenuated oxidative stress and ferroptosis‐related protein expression. C3G also suppressed the expressions of USP19, Beclin1, NCOA4, and LC3II/LC3I. In addition, treatment with C3G relieved oxidative stress, downregulated LC3II/LC3I, reduced autophagosome number, downregulated TfR1 expression, and upregulated the expressions of FTH1 and GPX4 in OGD/R‐induced H9c2 cells. C3G could inhibit the protein levels of USP19 and LC3II. C3G promoted K11‐linked ubiquitination of Beclin1. Further evidence that C3G reduced ferroptosis and ameliorated myocardial I/R injury was demonstrated with the ferroptosis promoter RSL3. Taken together, C3G could be a potential agent to protect myocardium from myocardial I/R injury.
The Conditional Limitation of Relational Governance: The Moderating Role of Project Complexity
Authors: Yang Jie , Cheng Qian
Published: February 2021

Relational governance is generally concerned with the framework of project governance. However, this governance still has its limitations, which vary depending on contextual factors. Using transaction cost economics theory, this study considers project complexity as the moderator in studying the influence of trust as the most representative factor of relational governance in project performance. Empirical analysis with 302 owners and general contractors as a sample reveals that trust can effectively improve project performance and has a negative correlation with opportunism. The influence path of “trust–opportunism–project performance” is emphasized. The test of moderating effects shows that high project complexity increases the governance effectiveness of competence‐based trust on project performance but weakens the governance effectiveness of goodwill‐based trust on project performance. At the same time, high project complexity increases the governance effectiveness of goodwill‐based trust on opportunism but weakens the governance effectiveness of competence‐based trust on opportunism. The conclusion of this work can be used as a reference for the rational application of relational governance factors to various complex projects. This research also provides important inspiration for selecting appropriate relational governance directions to enhance project performance.