bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effect of nasal airway nonlinearities on oscillometric resistance measurements in infants
Authors: Radics Bence L. , Makan Gergely , Coppens Thibault , André Nicolas , Page Cyril , Dégrugilliers Loïc , Bayat S. Kianoush , Gingl Zoltán , Gyurkovits Zita , M. Tóth Tivadar , Hantos Zoltan , Bayat Sam
Published: July 2020

Oscillometric measurements of respiratory system resistance (Rrs) in infants are usually made via the nasal pathways, which not only significantly contribute to overall Rrsbut also introduce marked flow acceleration-dependent distortions. Here, we propose a method for correcting flow acceleration-dependent nonlinearity error based on in vitro measurements in 3D-printed upper airway casts of infants as well as in vivo measurements. This correction can be adapted to estimate Rrsfrom a single intrabreath oscillometric measurement.
Intermittent hypoxia enhances shear-mediated dilation of the internal carotid artery in young adults
Authors: Iwamoto Erika , Hanson Brady E. , Bock Joshua M. , Casey Darren P.
Published: July 2020

We explored the effects of cyclic intermittent hypoxia (IH) on shear-mediated dilation of the internal carotid artery (ICA), a potential index of cerebral endothelial function, in young adults. Cyclic IH increased blood flow and shear rate in the ICA and, as a result, increased shear-mediated dilation of the ICA. These data suggest that cyclic IH could potentially be applied as a nonpharmacological therapy to optimize cerebral vascular health.
The preponderance of initial orthostatic hypotension in postural tachycardia syndrome
Authors: Stewart Julian M. , Kota Archana , O’Donnell-Smith Mary Breige , Visintainer Paul , Terilli Courtney , Medow Marvin S.
Published: July 2020

Significant initial orthostatic hypotension (IOH) occurs in ~50% of postural tachycardia syndrome (POTS) patients and 13% of controls. Heart rate and blood pressure recovery are prolonged in IOH sustaining lightheadedness; IOH is more prevalent and severe in POTS. Altered cerebral blood flow and cardiorespiratory regulation are more prevalent in POTS. Altered heart rate variability and baroreflex gain may cause nearly instantaneous lightheadedness in POTS. IOH alone fails to confer a strong probability of POTS.
Effects of elastic tape on thoracoabdominal mechanics, dyspnea, exercise capacity, and physical activity level in nonobese male subjects with COPD
Authors: Pinto Thiago Fernandes , Fagundes Xavier Rafaella , Lunardi Adriana Claudia , Marques da Silva Cibele Cristine Berto , Moriya Henrique Takachi , Lima Vitorasso Renato , Torsani Vinicius , Amato Marcelo Brito Passos , Stelmach Rafael , Salge João Marcos , Carvalho-Pinto Regina Maria , Carvalho Celso R.F.
Published: July 2020

Elastic tape can be used as a new and low-cost intervention to reduce thoracoabdominal asynchrony and sedentary behavior as well as improve exercise capacity and physical activity level in nonobese male subjects with severe-to-very severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Transportation Laws for Carbonate and Sulfate Ions in Concrete Based on Compartment Model
Authors: Wang Boxin , Fang Ruichang , Chai Xu , Wang Qing
Published: July 2020

Transportation of carbonate and sulfate ions in concrete under the drying‐wetting cycle environment is similar to the ingression and elimination of medicine in human body. Given this similarity, such a process is described dynamically using the classic compartment model in pharmacokinetics. The compartment model was applied to predict the content of carbonate and sulfate ions in different regions of concrete. Factors such as water‐cement ratio, salt category, carbonate‐ion and sulfate‐ion attack depth, and drying‐wetting cycle were synthetically considered in the compartment model. In conjunction with the prediction value of the compartment model, the experiment data uniformly distributed two sides of the model curve, and the difference is within the accepted range, thus verifying the reliability of the model prediction consequence. The compartment model in this article provides references for predicting the drying‐wetting varied cycles and ions attack depth of concrete under carbonate and sulfate ions attack.
Experimental Investigation of Chemical Flooding Using Nanoparticles and Polymer on Displacement of Crude Oil for Enhanced Oil Recovery
Authors: Akbar Imran , Zhou Hongtao , Liu Wei , Tahir Muhammad Usman , Memon Asadullah , Ansari Ubedullah , Lv Fengzhang
Published: July 2020

In the petroleum industry, the researchers have developed a new technique called enhanced oil recovery to recover the remaining oil in reservoirs. Some reservoirs are very complex and require advanced enhanced oil recovery (EOR) techniques containing new materials and additives in order to produce maximum oil in economic and environmental friendly manners. In this work, the effects of nanosuspensions (KY-200) and polymer gel HPAM (854) on oil recovery and water cut were studied in the view of EOR techniques and their results were compared. The mechanism of nanosuspensions transportation through the sand pack was also discussed. The adopted methodology involved the preparation of gel, viscosity test, and core flooding experiments. The optimum concentration of nanosuspensions after viscosity tests was used for displacement experiments and 3 wt % concentration of nanosuspensions amplified the oil recovery. In addition, high concentration leads to more agglomeration; thus, high core plugging takes place and diverts the fluid flow towards unswept zones to push more oil to produce and decrease the water cut. Experimental results indicate that nanosuspensions have the ability to plug the thief zones of water channeling and can divert the fluid flow towards unswept zones to recover the remaining oil from the reservoir excessively rather than the normal polymer gel flooding. The injection pressure was observed higher during nanosuspension injection than polymer gel injection. The oil recovery was achieved by about 41.04% from nanosuspensions, that is, 14.09% higher than polymer gel. Further investigations are required in the field of nanoparticles applications in enhanced oil recovery to meet the world's energy demands.
Osteoid Osteoma of the Maxilla Presenting as Dental Implant Pain
Authors: Al Sadhan R. , Alosaimi A. , Al Shagroud R. , Zaman M. U. , Allahyani M. S.
Published: July 2020

Osteoid osteoma (OO) is a benign osteogenic lesion, regularly noticed in young individuals. A solitary lesion most frequently appears in long bones but is extremely rare in jawbones. Pain is a distinguishing characteristic of this lesion. Herein, we report a rare case of an OO in the right maxilla of a 37-year-old male presenting as pain associated with dental implants. Clinical and radiographic features were indicative of a benign neoplasia of boney origin. An excisional biopsy and histological examination of the lesion confirmed the diagnosis of osteoid osteoma. Surgical excision was followed by immediate relief of most of the pain. His follow-up visits were documented; complete relief of symptoms with no complications was observed during the postoperative period. There was no evidence of recurrence at a two-year follow-up. Osteoid osteoma of the maxilla may present as pain related to dental implants, and careful radiographic assessment of the entire jawbone should be considered if diagnosis of dental implant pain is unclear.
Computation Method for the Settlement of a Vertically Loaded Pile in Sloping Ground
Authors: Jiang Chong , Wu Wen-yan , He Jia-li , Chen Lu-jie
Published: July 2020

Based on the hyperbolic curve tangent modulus method and the wedge stress theory, this paper proposes a calculation method for the settlement of a vertically loaded single pile in sloping ground. By establishing the relationship between the initial tangent modulus and the compression modulus of the slope soil, the tangent modulus of the slope soil is obtained combining with Mindlin‐Geddes solution and Hansen formula, and the solution of the pile settlement in sloping ground is derived. Then, a series of numerical analyses are carried out to examine the feasibility of the proposed method. Finally, the effect of parameters is discussed in detail, including the slope angle, the distance of the pile from the slope crest, and the soil properties around the pile. The results show that the pile settlement will increase by increasing the slope angle or decreasing the distance of the pile from the slope crest, and the effect of the two parameters on the pile settlement is coupling‐related. Besides, the compression modulus, cohesion, and internal friction angle of the soil around the pile are negatively related to the pile settlement and it is found that the compression modulus of the soil is the more influential parameter.
A Sparse Underdetermined Blind Source Separation Method and Its Application in Fault Diagnosis of Rotating Machinery
Authors: Wang HongChao , Du WenLiao
Published: July 2020

Rolling element bearing is one of the most commonly used supporting parts in rotating machinery, and it is also one of the most easily failing rotating parts. It is of great safety and economic significance to study the effective fault diagnosis method of rolling element bearing. The fault characteristic signal of rolling bearing is often affected by other interference signals in practical engineering, and the situation is much more serious when the rolling bearing fault occurs in gearbox. Besides, only a limited number of measuring points are used in the process of rolling bearing fault signal acquisition due to the limitation of sensors installation condition. In some sense, the above two factors often cause the result that the fault diagnosis of rolling bearing is the problem of underdetermined blind source separation. The independence and non-Gaussian characteristic of the observed signals are the prerequisite of most of existent blind source separation methods. Unlike traditional blind source separation methods, SCA originating from sparse representation is an effective method to solve the problem of underdetermined blind source separation, because it does not require the independence or non-Gaussian characteristics of the observed signals, and it only makes full use of the sparse characteristics of the observed signals to extract the source signal from the observed signals. Based on these, a sparse component analysis (SCA) method based on linear clustering (LC) named LC-SCA is proposed for the purpose of underdetermined blind source separation of vibration signals of rolling element bearing, and the LC is introduced into SCA to improve the computation efficiency of SCA. The effectiveness of the proposed method is verified by simulation and experiment. In addition, the superiority of the method is verified by comparison with the other related methods such as constrained independent component analysis (cICA) and SCA.
Whitening Activity of Constituents Isolated from the Trichosanthes Pulp
Authors: Zhang Rongchao , Hu Xiuqin , Zhang Bo , Wang Zhen , Hao Chunxiang , Xin Jie , Guo Qingmei
Published: July 2020

Whitening cosmetics market has a bright future, and pure natural whitening products of traditional Chinese medicine have always been a research hotspot. In this research, the whitening active ingredient of Chinese medicine Trichosanthes pulp was isolated and purified for the first time, and its whitening mechanism was clarified. Chromatographic methods such as silica gel, ODS, and HPLC were used to isolate and purify them. B16 cells were used to measure the antioxidant activity, tyrosinase activity, and melanin removal activity. A total of 20 compounds were isolated, including p‐hydroxybenzaldehyde (1), salicylic acid (2), vanillic acid (3), isovanillic acid (4), protocatechuate (5), trans‐cinnamic acid (6), 4‐coumaric acid (7), trans‐ferulic acid (8), drechslerol‐B (9), cyclotucanol 3‐palmitate (10), 5‐acetoxymethyl‐2‐furaldehyde (11), 5‐hydroxymethylfurfural (12), diosmetin (13), apigenin (14), chrysoeriol (15), luteolin (16), 4′‐hydroxyscutellarin (17), quercetin (18), 3′,5‐dihydroxy‐7‐(β‐D‐glucopyranosyloxy)‐4′‐methoxyflavone (19), and cofloxacin‐7‐O‐β‐D‐glucoside (20). Among them, compounds 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, and 20 have good antioxidant repairing effects; compounds 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 have high black inhibition; compounds 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, and 20 have obvious tyrosine acidase inhibitory activity. The results laid foundation for the further development and utilization of Trichosanthes pulp resources and also provide a basis for the development of natural whitening cosmetics.
Effects of Regional Trade Agreement to Local and Global Trade Purity Relationships
Authors: Huang Siyu , Gou Wensha , Cai Hongbo , Li Xiaomeng , Chen Qinghua
Published: July 2020

In contrast to the rapid integration of the world economy, many regional trade agreements (RTAs) have also emerged since the early 1990s. This contradiction has encouraged scholars and policymakers to explore the true effects of RTAs, including both regional and global trade relationships. This paper defines synthesized trade resistance and decomposes it into natural and artificial factors. Here, we separate the influence of geographical distance, economic volume, and overall increase in transportation and labor costs and use the expectation maximization algorithm to optimize the parameters and quantify the trade purity indicator, which describes the true global trade environment and relationships among countries. This indicates that although global and most regional trade relations gradually deteriorated during the period 2007–2017, RTAs generate trade relations among members, especially contributing to the relative prosperity of European Union (EU) and North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) countries. In addition, we apply the network to reflect the purity of the trade relations among countries. The effects of RTAs can be analyzed by comparing typical trade unions and trade communities, which are presented using an empirical network structure. This analysis shows that the community structure is quite consistent with some trade unions, and the representative RTAs constitute the core structure of international trade network. However, the role of trade unions has weakened, and multilateral trade liberalization has accelerated in the past decade. This means that more countries have recently tended to expand their trading partners outside of these unions rather than limit their trading activities to RTAs.
Salidroside Ameliorates Mitochondria-Dependent Neuronal Apoptosis after Spinal Cord Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury Partially through Inhibiting Oxidative Stress and Promoting Mitophagy
Authors: Gu Changjiang , Li Linwei , Huang Yifan , Qian Dingfei , Liu Wei , Zhang Chengliang , Luo Yongjun , Zhou Zheng , Kong Fanqi , Zhao Xuan , Liu Hao , Gao Peng , Chen Jian , Yin Guoyong
Published: July 2020

Ischemia-reperfusion injury is the second most common injury of the spinal cord and has the risk of neurological dysfunction and paralysis, which can seriously affect patient quality of life. Salidroside (Sal) is an active ingredient extracted from Herba Cistanche with a variety of biological attributes such as antioxidant, antiapoptotic, and neuroprotective activities. Moreover, Sal has shown a protective effect in ischemia-reperfusion injury of the liver, heart, and brain, but its effect in ischemia-reperfusion injury of the spinal cord has not been elucidated. Here, we demonstrated for the first time that Sal pretreatment can significantly improve functional recovery in mice after spinal cord ischemia-reperfusion injury and significantly inhibit the apoptosis of neurons both in vivo and in vitro. Neurons have a high metabolic rate, and consequently, mitochondria, as the main energy-supplying suborganelles, become the main injury site of spinal cord ischemia-reperfusion injury. Mitochondrial pathway-dependent neuronal apoptosis is increasingly confirmed by researchers; therefore, Sal’s effect on mitochondria naturally attracted our attention. By means of a range of experiments both in vivo and in vitro, we found that Sal can reduce reactive oxygen species production through antioxidant stress to reduce mitochondrial permeability and mitochondrial damage, and it can also enhance the PINK1-Parkin signaling pathway and promote mitophagy to eliminate damaged mitochondria. In conclusion, our results show that Sal is beneficial to the protection of spinal cord neurons after ischemia-reperfusion injury, mainly by reducing apoptosis associated with the mitochondrial-dependent pathway, among which Sal’s antioxidant and autophagy-promoting properties play an important role.
A Versatile SERS Sensor for Multiple Determinations of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons and Its Application Potential in Analysis of Fried Foods
Authors: Wang Shi , Cheng Jie , Han Caiqin , Xie Jianchun
Published: July 2020

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), due to their high hydrophobicity, have low affinity for metallic SERS-active surfaces, which leads to their low SERS detection sensitivity. Various functional groups have been used to improve the affinity of metallic substrates towards the target PAHs. However, a large portion of the signals generated from the “first-layer effect” of the functionalized substrates may complicate the spectrum, leading to a distortion in the assignment of the intrinsic SERS fingerprints of PAHs. In this study, a SERS sensor composed of Au nanoparticles (AuNPs) and reoxidized graphene oxide (rGO) was developed for the simultaneous determination of 16 EPA priority PAHs. The synthesis of the rGO/AuNP substrate can be realized without a complicated modification process. All the 16 PAHs could be identified based on their characteristic peaks in the presence of the composited substrate, with estimated LOD as low as 0.2–2 ng·mL−1. The binary linear regression was optimized as the fitting model for all PAHs except for benzo(k)fluoranthene, with the linear correlation coefficient ranging from 0.9889 to 0.9997. Based on the developed SERS substrates and sample pretreatment, the characteristic SERS peaks of four PAHs in Chinese traditional fried food (youtiao) were identified without any background interference. The whole detection process only takes approximately 15 minutes. The results demonstrate the potential of the multicomponent on-field detection of PAHs.
Electroacupuncture Pretreatment Alleviates LPS‐Induced Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome via Regulating the PPAR Gamma/NF‐Kappa B Signaling Pathway
Authors: Feng Di , Zhou Huanping , Jin Xiaohong , Wei Juan , Zhang Qingqing , Gu Yang , Zhang Pengcheng , Yang Hao , Song Jiangang , Shi Xuan , Lv Xin
Published: July 2020

Electroacupuncture (EA) is reported to possess anti‐inflammatory properties and has beneficial effects on acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). However, the underlying mechanisms of the effects of EA on ARDS remain unclear. This study aims to investigate the protective effect of EA on LPS‐induced ARDS. In this study, Sprague‐Dawley male rats were treated with EA at Hegu (LI4) for 45 minutes before LPS instillation (0.4 mg/kg, 100 ul). H&E staining, wet‐to‐dry weight (W/D) ratio, PaO2, and protein content in BALF were employed to determine the function of lung tissues. Inflammatory cytokines in serum and BALF were detected by enzyme‐linked immunoassay assay (ELISA). The levels of oxidative stress markers were detected to determine the oxidative stress status. Cell apoptosis was observed by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase‐mediated dUTP nick‐end labeling (TUNEL) staining and western blot. Here, we found that EA pretreatment effectively alleviated lung pathological damage. Moreover, EA suppressed the oxidative stress damage by upregulating glutathione and superoxide dismutase and downregulating malondialdehyde. EA pretreatment also regulated apoptosis‐related proteins, such as Bax and Bcl‐2. We found that peroxisome proliferators‐activated receptors γ (PPARγ) play a critical role during ARDS, EA up‐regulated the expression of PPARγ, which inhibited the activation of nuclear factor‐kappa B (NF‐κB) and decreased the inflammatory cytokines (interleukin‐1β, interleukin‐6, and tumor necrosis factor‐α). When rats were treated with GW9662, a selective PPARγ antagonist, these effects of EA were reversed. Our study demonstrated that EA pretreatment had a beneficial effect on LPS‐induced ARDS in rats by anti‐inflammatory, antioxidative, and antiapoptotic properties which was regulated via PPARγ/NF‐κB signaling pathway.
Optimal Allocation of Combined Renewable Distributed Generation and Capacitor Units for Interconnection Cost Reduction
Authors: Ouali Saad , Cherkaoui Abdeljebbar
Published: July 2020

In this paper, a new methodology for the optimal investment in distributed generation is presented, based on an optimal allocation of combined DG and capacitor units to alleviate network voltage constraints and reduce the interconnection cost of renewable generation integration in public medium voltage distribution networks. An analytical optimization method is developed, with the inclusion of practical considerations that are typically neglected in developed works: network topology reconfiguration and the geographical data of the generation land-use and network infrastructure. Powerful results concluded from a sensitivity analysis study of the most impacted parts of the network by the variation of active and reactive power injection under network topology reconfiguration are used as a basis for capacitor units placement. A case study, with two meshed IEEE 15-bus feeders and a new DG to connect, geographical dispersed, are used to simulate the performance of the proposed approach. A cost evaluation of the obtained results proves the effectiveness of the proposed approach to reduce the required charges for connecting new renewable generation units in medium voltage distribution system.
The Impact of Beta Blockers on Survival in Heart Transplant Recipients: Insights from the Zabrze HTx Registry
Authors: Kubiak Grzegorz M. , Kwieciński Radosław , Ciarka Agnieszka , Tukiendorf Andrzej , Przybyłowski Piotr , Hrapkowicz Tomasz , Zembala Michał O.
Published: July 2020

Introduction. The data assessing the impact of beta blocker (BB) medication on survival in patients after heart transplantation (HTx) are scarce and unequivocal; therefore, we investigated this population. Methods. We retrospectively analyzed the HTx Zabrze Registry of 380 consecutive patients who survived the 30-day postoperative period. Results. The percentage of patients from the entire cohort taking BBs was as follows: atenolol 24 (17%), bisoprolol 67 (49%), carvedilol 11 (8%), metoprolol 28 (20%), and nebivolol 8 (6%). The patients receiving BBs were older (56.94 ± 14.68 years vs. 52.70 ± 15.35 years, p=0.008) and experienced an onset of HTx earlier in years (11.65 ± 7.04 vs. 7.24 ± 5.78 p≤0.001). They also had higher hematocrit (0.40 ± 0.05 vs. 0.39 ± 0.05, p=0.022) and red blood cells (4.63 (106/μl) ± 0.71 vs. 4.45 (106/μl) ± 0.68, p=0.015). Survival according to BB medication did not differ among the groups (p=0.655) (log-rank test). Univariate Cox proportional hazard regression analysis revealed that the following parameters were associated with unfavorable diagnosis: serum concentration of albumin (g/l) HR: 0.87, 95% CI (0.81–0.94), p=0.0004; fibrinogen (mg/dl) HR: 1.006, 95% CI (1.002–1.008), p=0.0017; and C-reactive protein (mg/l) HR: 1.014, 95% CI (1.004–1.023), p=0.0044. Conclusions. The use of BBs in our cohort of patients after HTx was not associated with survival benefits.
Anti‐inflammatory Mechanism of Ruzu Bitters on Diet‐Induced Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease in Male Wistar Rats
Authors: Ogunlana Olubanke O. , Ogunlana Oluseyi E. , Adekunbi Tobi S. , Adetuyi Babatunde O. , Adegboye Bose E. , Iheagwam Franklyn N.
Published: July 2020

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has become notorious globally. Increasingly emerging evidence shows that NAFLD is strongly associated with inflammation, with proinflammatory cytokines such as interleukin‐2 (IL‐2), interleukin‐6 (IL‐6), and tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF‐α) playing a vital role in its progression. In this work, an attempt was made to verify the anti‐inflammatory activity of Ruzu herbal bitters (RHB), an antiobesity medicinal concoction, on NAFLD induced by a high‐fat diet (HFD) in albino Wistar rats. Twenty‐five (25) rats were divided into five groups as follows: Group 1, the normal control, was maintained on standard rat chow and received normal saline (1 ml/kg body weight (BW)/day) for twelve weeks. The other groups were maintained on HFD for twelve weeks. Thereafter, groups 2–5 were treated with pioglitazone (4 mg/kg BW/day), RHB (0.6 ml/kg BW/day), normal saline (1 ml/kg BW/day), and fenofibrate (10 mg/kg BW/day), respectively. The animals were sacrificed after the experimental period. Biochemical indicators of oxidative stress and inflammation were assayed in the liver according to standard methods. The histological features of the liver were also compared to assess liver damage. RHB significantly (p < 0.05) reduced body weight and liver index, inhibited oxidative stress, boosted antioxidant enzymes by increasing the activity and level of SOD and GSH, reduced proinflammatory markers (IL‐2, IL‐6, TNF‐α), and reversed histological alterations induced by NAFLD in rat liver. In conclusion, the anti‐inflammatory activity of RHB in the prevention of NAFLD in rats has been confirmed.
The Efficient Method for Calculating the Physical Optics Scattered Fields from the Concave Surfaces
Authors: Wu Yu Mao , Zhou Hanzhang , Jin Ya-Qiu , Hu Jun , Zhou Haijing , Wang Weijie
Published: July 2020

In this work, the numerical steepest descent path (NSDP) method is proposed to compute the highly oscillatory physical optics (PO) scattered fields from the concave surfaces, including both the monostatic and the bistatic cases. Quadratic variations are adopted to approximate the integrands of the PO type integral into the canonical form. Then, on involving the NSDP method, we deform the integration paths of the integrals into several NSDPs on the complex plain, through which the highly oscillatory integrands are converted to exponentially decay integrands. The RCS results of the PO scattered field are calculated and are compared with the high frequency asymptotic (HFA) method and the brute force (BF) method. The results demonstrate that the proposed NSDP method for calculating PO scattered fields from concave surfaces is frequency-independent and error-controllable. Numerical examples are provided to verify the efficiencies of the NSDP method.
Synchronization Analysis for Stochastic Inertial Memristor-Based Neural Networks with Linear Coupling
Authors: Ye Lixia , Xia Yonghui , Yan Jin-liang , Liu Haidong
Published: July 2020

This paper concerns the synchronization problem for a class of stochastic memristive neural networks with inertial term, linear coupling, and time-varying delay. Based on the interval parametric uncertainty theory, the stochastic inertial memristor-based neural networks (IMNNs for short) with linear coupling are transformed to a stochastic interval parametric uncertain system. Furthermore, by applying the Lyapunov stability theorem, the stochastic analysis approach, and the Halanay inequality, some sufficient conditions are obtained to realize synchronization in mean square. The established criteria show that stochastic perturbation is designed to ensure that the coupled IMNNs can be synchronized better by changing the state coefficients of stochastic perturbation. Finally, an illustrative example is presented to demonstrate the efficiency of the theoretical results.
Rudimentary Horn Pregnancy Diagnosed after Laparotomy
Authors: Mengistu Kurabachew , Bobe Tufa , Tilahun Gashaw , Kifle Kibru , Geleta Dereje
Published: July 2020

Müllerian abnormalities are present in 0.17% of fertile women and 3.5% of infertile women, and a unicornuate uterus is observed in 0.4% of women. The uterus is normally formed during embryogenesis by the fusion of the two Müllerian ducts. If one of the ducts does not develop, only one Müllerian duct contributes to the uterine development. We report a case of Gravida II, abortion I referred from a primary hospital with a referral paper and sonography stating she had IUFD. She had regular antenatal care follow-up at the primary hospital and had 8 months of amenorrhea. Our ultrasound assessment confirmed the intrauterine fetal demise, but the rudimentary horn pregnancy was missed. Repeated attempts at the induction of labor were tried but unsuccessful. The diagnosis was confirmed at laparotomy. She underwent cesarean section with right intact rudimentary horn removal. A nonviable male fetus with birth weight of 1.2 kg was delivered. Women with this abnormality are asymptomatic and unaware of having a unicornuate uterus. Abdominal pain is the most common presenting symptom with the rudimentary horn, but communicating horn pregnancy is generally asymptomatic in early pregnancy. Early awareness of this rare clinical condition is so crucial especially in developing countries where the availability of new technologies is scarce to explore uterine abnormalities. The patient had uneventful postoperative recovery and was discharged after 3 postoperative days.
Characterization of Putative Virulence Factors of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Strain RBS Isolated from a Saltern, Tunisia: Effect of Metal Ion Cofactors on the Structure and the Activity of LasB
Authors: Rigane E. , Dutoit R. , Matthijs S. , Brandt N. , Flahaut S. , Belghith K. S.
Published: July 2020

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a ubiquitous Gram‐negative bacterium able to survive in diverse environments such as soil, plants, freshwater, and seawater. P. aeruginosa can be an opportunistic pathogen to humans when their immune system is deficient. Its pathogenicity may be linked to the production of virulence factors. We isolated P. aeruginosa strain RBS from the saltern of Sfax in Tunisia. In this study, we characterized the halotolerance, antibiotic susceptibility, and some virulence factors of strain RBS. High NaCl concentrations inhibited growth and motility. However, biofilm formation was enhanced to protect bacteria against salt stress. Among the 18 antibiotics tested, quinolones and tetracycline showed a significant inhibitory effect on growth, motility, and biofilm formation of strain RBS. β‐Lactams, however, did not have any inhibitory effect on neither bacterial growth nor motility. In some cases, resistance was due, in part, to biofilm formation. We also showed that RBS produces two proteases, LasB and AprA, which have been shown to be implicated in host infection. LasB was further characterized to study the role of metal ions in enzyme stability. It possesses two distinct metal ion‐binding sites coordinating a calcium and a zinc ion. The effect of metal ion chelation was evaluated as well as substitutions of residues involved in metal ion binding. Impairing metal ion binding of LasB led to a loss of activity and a sharp decrease of stability. Our findings suggest that the binding of both metal ions is interdependent as the two metal ions’ binding sites are linked via a hydrogen bond network.
Abyssinone V‐4′ Methyl Ether, a Flavanone Isolated from Erythrina droogmansiana, Exhibits Cytotoxic Effects on Human Breast Cancer Cells by Induction of Apoptosis and Suppression of Invasion
Authors: Zingue Stéphane , Gbaweng Yaya Abel Joël , Cisilotto Julia , Kenmogne Larissa Vanelle , Talla Emmanuel , Bishayee Anupam , Njamen Dieudonne , Creczynski-Pasa Tânia Beatriz , Ndinteh Derek Tantoh
Published: July 2020

Abyssinone V‐4′ methyl ether (AVME) isolated from Erythrina droogmansiana was recently reported to exhibit anti‐mammary tumor effect in mice. The present work was therefore aimed at elucidating its cellular and molecular mechanisms. To achieve our goal, the cytotoxicity of AVME against tumoral and non‐tumoral cell lines was evaluated by resazurin reduction test; flow cytometry allowed us to evaluate the cell cycle and mechanisms of cell death; the mitochondrial transmembrane potential, reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels, and caspase activities as well as apoptosis‐regulatory proteins (Bcl‐2 and Bcl‐XL) were measured in MDA‐MB‐231 cells. Further, the antimetastatic potential of AVME was evaluated by invasion assay. AVME exhibited cytotoxic effects in all tested tumor cell lines and induced a significant increase in the percentage of MDA‐MB‐231 cells at G2/M and S phases of the cell cycle in a concentration‐dependent manner. AVME also induced apoptosis in MDA‐MB‐231 cells, which was accompanied by the activation of caspase‐3 and caspase‐9 and downregulation of Bcl‐2 and Bcl‐XL proteins. Moreover, AVME suppressed cancer cell invasion by the inhibition of the metalloproteinase‐9 activity. Findings from this study suggest that AVME has anti‐breast cancer activities expressed through mitochondrial proapoptotic pathway including impairment of aggressive behaviors of breast cancer cells.
Persistent High-Risk HPV Infection and Molecular Changes Related to the Development of Cervical Cancer
Authors: Moreno-Acosta Pablo , Romero-Rojas Alfredo , Vial Nicolas , Huertas Antonio , Acosta Jinneth , Mayorga Diana , Carrillo Schyrly , Molano Monica , Gamboa Oscar , Cotes Martha , Casadiego Camila , Vallard Alexis , Magne Nicolas
Published: July 2020

This article is a preliminary investigational study that is aimed at giving hints about the interesting biomarkers involved in the transition process from low-grade cervix lesion to invasive cervical cancer. Our study focuses on the risk factors and tumour molecular changes in one patient. First in 1986, she was diagnosed a preinvasive cervix lesion. Then, 16 years later, she was diagnosed an invasive cervical cancer. The 2002 diagnosis was a squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix, stage IIIB (FIGO), whereas in 1986, she had been diagnosed a high-grade squamous intraepithelial cervical lesion. Retrospectively, the analysis of samples of preneoplastic lesions and invasive cervical cancer confirmed the histopathological diagnoses and detected the presence of HPV type and HPV-16 variants, as well as the overexpression of proteins such as hTERT, IGF1Rα, IGF1Rβ, CAIX, and GLUT1. Finally, the Arg72Pro polymorphism was detected in TP53. The role of high-risk HPV and HPV-16 variants and of hTERT, IGF1Rα, IGF1Rβ, CAIX, and GLUT1 variations seemed confirmed in the development and progression of cervical cancer. As a result, analyzing the molecular changes in one and same tumour that progresses from a low-grade cervix lesion to invasive cervical cancer could provide valuable information in order to improve detection, diagnosis, and treatment in the future.
Changes in Spatial Working Memory in Stable Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: A Retrospective Study
Authors: Lv Zhi , Hu Panpan , Jiang Yinglin , Yang Wanchun , Wang Rui , Wang Kai , Fan Xiaoyun
Published: July 2020

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is characterized by irreversible airflow limitation and is often accompanied by cognitive impairment. Little is known about the working memory of COPD patients. The aim of the study is to evaluate the spatial working memory of COPD patients using the classical visuospatial working memory neuropsychological paradigms. This was a retrospective study of patients with COPD who were evaluated for neurocognitive functions between February and December 2018 at Hefei Second People’s Hospital. Healthy controls (HC) were included. The neuropsychological tests included the Beijing Version of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment Test (MoCA), digit span test (DS), Chinese Auditory Verbal Learning Test (CAVLT), Stroop test, and Verbal Fluency Test (VFT). The COPD group performed worse in MoCA (22.3 ± 4.5 vs. 26.1 ± 2.9, P < 0.001), Stroop interference test (44.2 ± 16.9 vs. 36.8 ± 10.3, P = 0.038), and VFT (12.9 ± 2.8 vs. 15.3 ± 4.7, P = 0.021) vs. the HC group. Compared with the HC group, COPD patients had statistically significant differences with respect to 0‐back RT (657 ± 46 vs. 578 ± 107, P = 0.001), 1‐back accuracy (41.8 ± 12.1% vs. 81.5 ± 18.1%, P < 0.001), 1‐back RT (592 ± 75 vs. 431 ± 138, P < 0.001), 2‐back accuracy (31.4 ± 9.9% vs. 68.1 ± 16.6%, P < 0.001), and 2‐back RT (563 ± 79 vs. 455 ± 153, P = 0.002). Only PaO2 was independently associated with 0‐back RT (B = 0.992 ± 0.428, P = 0.028) and 1‐back ACC (B = 0.003 ± 0.001, P = 0.004). COPD patients exhibit impairment in working memory and executive function, but not in short‐ or long‐term memory. The impairment of working memory in a patient with COPD may be more due to integrate memory information rather than to memory information storage. COPD patients exhibit a frontal‐type cognitive decline.
Case-Control Study of Risk Factors and Self-Care Behaviors of Foot Ulceration in Diabetic Patients Attending Primary Healthcare Services in Palestine
Authors: Salameh Basma S. , Abdallah Jihad , Naerat Ehab O.
Published: July 2020

The purpose of this study is to identify certain sociodemographic, lifestyle, self-care, and foot examination factors that predict the development of diabetic foot ulcers in Palestine. A case-control study was performed in Palestine in 2019. The control group consisted of diabetic patients without foot ulceration (NFU). The case group included diabetic patients who had foot ulcers (DFU) with a size not less than 0.5 cm2. The sample of patients was taken from primary healthcare diabetic clinics in Palestine. Findings of the study showed several independent risk factors for developing DFUs, which were smoking, sensory loss to vibration, sensory loss to monofilament, loss of pedal pulse, presence of calluses, nephropathy, retinopathy, and neuropathy. Also, this study has shown that illiteracy and low income were significantly associated with DFU development. Moreover, the current study demonstrated that poor self-care behaviors were associated with DFU. The information gained from the study will contribute to raising awareness and improving health education for diabetic patients and their families with the aim of reducing the complications of diabetes.
Modern Contraceptive Utilization and Associated Factors among Married Gumuz Women in Metekel Zone North West Ethiopia
Authors: Adane Alemnew Ashagrie , Bekele Yibeltal Alemu , Melese Ergoye , Worku Getasew Taddesse , Netsere Henok Biresaw
Published: July 2020

Background. Modern contraceptives are a key intervention to improve the health of both the mother and children by preventing unintended pregnancy. However, significant numbers of women were facing abortion‐related morbidity and mortality globally including Ethiopia due to the nonuse or failure of contraceptive uses. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the utilization of modern contraceptive methods and associated factors among married Gumuz women in Metekel Zone North West Ethiopia. A community‐based cross‐sectional study was conducted among 580 women from March 1 to 30/2019. Pretested structured interview administer questionnaires was used to collect the data. Data were cleaned, coded, and entered into Epi‐info version 7.1 and export to SPSS for farther analysis. Both bivariate and multivariate analyses were used. On bivariate analysis P value, less than 0.2 were used to select the candidate variable for multivariate analysis. P value and 95% confidence interval were used to measure the level of significance on multivariate analysis and those variables whose P value < 0.05 were considered as statically significant. The prevalence of modern contraceptive method was 18.6% [95% CI: 15.00‐22.00]. Age ≥ 35 year AOR 4.67; 95% CI (1.34 ‐16.18), able to read and write AOR 6.45 95% CI(2.98‐13.97), primary school AOR 6.56; 95% CI (2.22‐19.38), secondary school AOR 7.27; 95% CI (3.00 ‐17.61), counseled on contraceptive methods AOR 3.72 95% CI (2.11‐6.56), moderate knowledge on modern contraceptive method AOR 2.31; 95% CI (1.15‐4.64), and good knowledge on modern contraceptive method AOR 4.37; 95% CI (2.38‐8.02) were identified as statistically significant with modern contraceptive methods utilization. The prevalence of contraceptive utilization was low when compared to the national and the regional figure. Maternal age, maternal educational status, counseling about modern contraceptive methods, and knowledge on modern contraceptive methods were found as statistically significant with modern contraceptive utilization.
PPAR‐γ Mediates Ta‐VNS‐Induced Angiogenesis and Subsequent Functional Recovery after Experimental Stroke in Rats
Authors: Li Jiani , Zhang Keming , Zhang Qinbin , Zhou Xueling , Wen Lan , Ma Jingxi , Niu Lingchuan , Li Changqing
Published: July 2020

Background. Neoangiogenesis after cerebral ischemia in mammals is insufficient to restore neurological function, illustrating the need to design better strategies for improving outcomes. Our previous study has suggested that transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (ta‐VNS) induced angiogenesis and improved neurological functions in a rat model of cerebral ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury. However, the mechanisms involved need further exploration. Peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptor‐γ (PPAR‐γ), well known as a ligand‐modulated nuclear transcription factor, plays a crucial role in the regulation of cerebrovascular structure and function. Hence, the present study was designed to explore the role of PPAR‐γ in ta‐VNS‐mediated angiogenesis and uncover the possible molecular mechanisms against ischemic stroke. Methods. Adult male Sprague–Dawley rats were transfected with either PPAR‐γ small interfering RNA (siRNA) or lentiviral vector without siRNA prior to surgery and subsequently received ta‐VNS treatment. The expression and localization of PPAR‐γ in the ischemic boundary after ta‐VNS treatment were examined. Subsequently, neurological deficit scores, neuronal damage, and infarct volume were all evaluated. Additionally, microvessel density, endothelial cell proliferation condition, and the expression of angiogenesis‐related molecules in the peri‐infarct cortex were measured. Results. We found that the expression of PPAR‐γ in the peri‐infarct cortex increased at 14 d and reached normal levels at 28 d after reperfusion. Ta‐VNS treatment further upregulated PPAR‐γ expression in the ischemic cortex. PPAR‐γ was mainly expressed in neurons and astrocytes. Furthermore, ta‐VNS‐treated I/R rats showed better neurobehavioral recovery, alleviated neuronal injury, reduced infarct volume, and increased angiogenesis, as indicated by the elevated levels of brain‐derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and phosphorylated endothelial nitric oxide synthase (P‐eNOS). Surprisingly, the beneficial effects of ta‐VNS were weakened after PPAR‐γ silencing. Conclusions. Our results suggest that PPAR‐γ is a potential mediator of ta‐VNS‐induced angiogenesis and neuroprotection against cerebral I/R injury.
What Motivates Drivers to Comply with Speed Guidance Information at Signalized Intersections?
Authors: Zhang Xiaomei , Chen Xumei , Fan Aihua , Yu Lei
Published: July 2020

This study explored the intrinsic motivation of drivers most likely to accept guidance information at signalized intersections by using a mixed model approach. The proposed approach contains a multiple-indicator multiple-cause model (MIMIC) with a latent class analysis (LCA). The MIMIC model was used to quantify intrinsic motivations according to individual heterogeneity. From a group similarity perspective, the LCA was employed for the latent classification of drivers. The features and possibility of accepting guidance information of each class were also analyzed according to the intrinsic motivation of drivers. Data were collected from the stated preference online surveys, in which the questionnaire was designed according to the diffusion of innovation, in 2015 and 2019 in China. Four subjective perceptions of drivers were identified: the perception of innovating guidance information, the perception of convenience regarding guidance information transmission, the perception of surrounding complexity, and the individual innovation. The estimation results show that age, driving experience, education levels, and familiarity with road network are significant factors of compliance behavior. The proportion of conservatives gradually decreased from 2015 to 2019, while the proportion of early followers and late followers increased through market penetration, familiarity with the Internet of vehicles, and social networks in the same period. This prevalence demonstrates that guidance information at signalized intersections is gradually becoming acceptable in China.
An Intelligent Adaptive Algorithm for Servers Balancing and Tasks Scheduling over Mobile Fog Computing Networks
Authors: Li Xuejing , Qin Yajuan , Zhou Huachun , Chen Du , Yang Shujie , Zhang Zhewei
Published: July 2020

With the increasing popularity of terminals and applications, the corresponding requirements of services have been growing significantly. In order to improve the quality of services in resource restrained user devices and reduce the large latency of service migration caused by long distance in cloud computing, mobile fog computing (MFC) is presented to provide supplementary resources by adding a fog layer with several servers near user devices. Focusing on cloud-aware MFC networks with multiple servers, we formulate a problem with the optimization objective to improve the quality of service, relieve the restrained resource of user device, and balance the workload of participant server. In consideration of the data size of remaining task, the power consumption of user device, and the appended workload of participant server, this paper designs a machine learning-based algorithm which aims to generate intelligent adaptive strategies related with load balancing of collaborative servers and dynamic scheduling of sequential tasks. Based on the proposed algorithm and software-defined networking technology, the tasks can be executed cooperatively by the user device and the servers in the MFC network. Besides, we conducted some experiments to verify the algorithm effectiveness under different numerical parameters including task arrival rate, avaliable server workload, and wireless channel condition. The simulation results show that the proposed intelligent adaptive algorithm achieves a superior performance in terms of latency and power consumption compared to candidate algorithms.