bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Sense Your Power
Authors: Rottleuthner Michel , Schmidt Thomas C. , Wählisch Matthias
Published: March 2021

Energy-constrained sensor nodes can adaptively optimize their energy consumption if a continuous measurement is provided. This is of particular importance in scenarios of high dynamics such as with energy harvesting. Still, self-measuring of power consumption at reasonable cost and complexity is unavailable as a generic system service.

In this article, we present ECO, a hardware-software co-design that adds autonomous energy management capabilities to a large class of low-end IoT devices. ECO consists of a highly portable hardware shield built from inexpensive commodity components and software integrated into the RIOT operating system. RIOT supports more than 200 popular microcontrollers. Leveraging this flexibility, we assembled a variety of sensor nodes to evaluate key performance properties for different device classes. An overview and comparison with related work shows how ECO fills the gap of in situ power attribution transparently for consumers and how it improves over existing solutions. We also report about two different real-world field trials, which validate our solution for long-term production use.
Software Development in Disruptive Times
Authors: Varajão João
Published: March 2021

In this project, the challenge was to "deploy software faster than the coronavirus spread." In a project with such peculiar characteristics, several factors can influence success, but some clearly stand out: top management support, agility, understanding and commitment of the project team, and the technology used. Conventional development approaches and technologies would simply not be able to meet the requirements promptly.
Hybrid Lattice Boltzmann Agglomeration Method for Modeling Transport Phenomena in Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells
Authors: Satjaritanun P. , Cetinbas F. C. , Hirano S. , Zenyuk I. V. , Ahluwalia R. K. , Shimpalee S.
Published: March 2021

The Hybrid Lattice Boltzmann Agglomeration Method (HLBAM) was employed to model transport phenomena and electrochemical kinetics in the catalyst layer of a polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC). This work showed the advantages of using a direct modeling-based HLBAM approach, which incorporates the detailed structure of catalyst layers from X-ray computed tomography as well as local transport variables related characteristics and effective properties from the hybrid catalyst microstructure. The local transport variables and effective properties from the hybrid catalyst model were used to simulate the electrochemical kinetics inside the detailed structure of the catalyst layer. HLBAM can predict the distribution of local effective transport variables and electrochemical kinetics during cell operation. The studies included the prediction of liquid water saturation/evolution, heat transfer, species transport, and electrochemical kinetics inside the porous and catalyst layers relevant to fuel cell operation. HLBAM enables one to distinguish electrochemical distribution in the triple-phase boundaries at the catalyst sites. This method can expedite the development of porous components in PEMFCs in a cost-effective manner. The HLBAM simulation can assist the optimization of porous medium design and durability as well as provide insights into water management, particularly in the catalyst layer.
Poly (L-Cysteine) Modified Glassy Carbon Electrode as a Voltammetric Sensor for the Individual and Simultaneous Determination of Serotonin and Tyramine
Authors: Anand Sanu K. , Mathew Manna Rachel , Girish Kumar K.
Published: March 2021

This work reports a voltammetric sensor for the individual and simultaneous determination of two important biogenic amines serotonin (ST) and tyramine (TYM) based on L-cysteine grafted glassy carbon electrode (p(L-cys)/GCE). Square wave voltammetric results reveal that the overpotential for the electro oxidation of these compounds were decreased and the peak current increased significantly at the modified electrode compared to bare GCE. The sensor displayed well defined peaks with sufficient peak separation for the simultaneous determination of these compounds when phosphate buffer of pH 7 was used as the supporting medium. All the sensor parameters were optimized and under these conditions, determinations have been achieved in wide linear ranges with nanomolar detection limits both individually and simultaneously. The proposed sensor has been used for practical application in synthetic blood serum samples.
Leucine augments specific skeletal muscle mitochondrial respiratory pathways during recovery following 7 days of physical inactivity in older adults
Authors: Arentson-Lantz Emily J. , Mikovic Jasmine , Bhattarai Nisha , Fry Christopher S. , Lamon Séverine , Porter Craig , Paddon-Jones Douglas
Published: March 2021

In older adults, leucine mitigated the loss of insulin sensitivity associated with muscular disuse. Leucine supplementation increased mitochondrial respiration and reduced a marker of oxidative stress following periods of disuse and rehabilitation.
Development Assessment of Higher Education System Based on TOPSIS‐Entropy, Hopfield Neural Network, and Cobweb Model
Authors: Liu Xian-Bei , Zhang Yu-Jing , Cui Wen-Kai , Wang Li-Ting , Zhu Jia-Ming
Published: March 2021

This paper first extracted 11 indicators from four aspects of infrastructure, educational equity, teaching quality, and scientific research level and established a multidimensional higher education evaluation system. After that, according to TOPSIS and the entropy method, a comprehensive score of the development of higher education was obtained, and a comprehensive index of higher education was proposed. According to the level of the score, we divide the development status into 5 categories, and use discrete Hopfield neural network for verification. In addition, we applied the model to many countries and chose Vietnam to conduct an in‐depth analysis of the model, including reforming policies and evaluating policy effects based on cobweb model. Finally, we found that the application of the model is very universal, but in reality the reform is very difficult.
Electromagnetic Vector Sparse Nested Array: Array Structure Design, Off-Grid Parameter Estimation Algorithm
Authors: Zhu Beizuo , Chen Weiyang , Chen Luo
Published: March 2021

In this paper, a new array structure of sparse nested array (SNA) for electromagnetic vector sensor is designed. An electromagnetic vector sensor is composed of six spatially colocated, orthogonally oriented, diversely polarized antennas, which can measure three-dimensional electric and magnetic field components. By introducing sparse factor (SF) between every adjacent sensor, the proposed SNA has flexibility of extending the array aperture and reducing the mutual coupling effect. Meanwhile, a low-complexity multiparameter estimation algorithm is proposed for SNA. First, the vectorization operation for array manifold ensures the large degrees of freedom for multiparameter estimation, where the initial coarse estimates decrease search range. In addition, the improved off-grid orthogonal matching pursuit method obtains joint direction of arrival (DOA) and polarization estimates with a relatively small overcomplete dictionary because this off-grid method achieves high performance even if the estimates do not fall on the grid of the dictionary. Theoretical analysis and simulation results verify the superiority of the proposed array structure and the algorithm.
Involvement of Tunisian General Practitioners in the Management of Patients at Risk of Infective Endocarditis: A Cross-Sectional Study
Authors: Lagha Malek , Khemiss Mehdi , Kallel Ines , Araissia Asma , Belkhir Chems , Sahtout Saida , Bagga Sana
Published: March 2021

Objectives. This work aimed to estimate the knowledge and practice of general dentists in the governorate of Manouba regarding the management of patients at risk of infective endocarditis. Materials and Methods. A survey involving private sector general dentists in the governorate of Manouba was performed. It contained 21 questions, and it was addressed to 111 dentists. Only 82 dentists responded. To carry out the descriptive study, we used the SPSS software version 21.0. Results. Our results proved the lack of knowledge among dentists in the governorate of Manouba with regard to the management of patients at risk of infective endocarditis. An overestimation of the risk and an overprescription of antibiotic were found in order to ensure an over-protection for the patients as well as the dentist. In fact, 85.4% of these dentists prescribed antibiotic prophylaxis for the two groups of patients (high risk and moderate risk). Only 9.8% followed the right modality of antibiotic prophylaxis prescription; 4.9% of the dentists prescribed antibiotic only 1 hour before the act and 4.9% of them prescribed antibiotic 1 hour before the act and continued the treatment in case of the presence of an infectious site. Conclusion. A discrepancy towards an over-estimation of risk and overprescription of antibiotic was found between the recommendations and real practice. Similar studies in the other governorates of Tunisia are recommended in order to better understand the problem.
Performance Analysis of Energy Harvesting UAV Selection
Authors: Ho-Van Khuong , Do-Dac Thiem
Published: March 2021

In an UAV‐ (unmanned aerial vehicle‐) aided relaying system, the transmitted signal is exposed to free space in two transmission hops which may be overheard by eavesdroppers. Accordingly, physical layer security should be exploited to improve information security. This paper analyzes both (security and reliability) performance aspects of such a system where only one UAV among multiple UAVs, all capable of harvesting energy from radio frequency signals, is adopted. Towards this end, the tight approximated and exact closed‐form expressions of the outage probability at the legitimate destination and the intercept probability at the eavesdropper are first derived. Then, Monte‐Carlo simulations are conducted to verify the derived expressions. Based on these expressions, the protected zone of the selected UAV is also proposed through an exhaustive search. Finally, various results are provided to illustrate the impact of key operation parameters on the system performance and the efficacy of the UAV selection.
Hamacher Interactive Hybrid Weighted Averaging Operators under Fermatean Fuzzy Numbers
Authors: Shahzadi Gulfam , Muhiuddin G. , Arif Butt Muhammad , Ashraf Ather
Published: March 2021

A Fermatean fuzzy set is a more powerful tool to deal with uncertainties in the given information as compared to intuitionistic fuzzy set and Pythagorean fuzzy set and has energetic applications in decision-making. Aggregation operators are very helpful for assessing the given alternatives in the decision-making process, and their purpose is to integrate all the given individual evaluation values into a unified form. In this research article, some new aggregation operators are proposed under the Fermatean fuzzy set environment. Some deficiencies of the existing operators are discussed, and then, new operational law, by considering the interaction between the membership degree and nonmembership degree, is discussed to reduce the drawbacks of existing theories. Based on Hamacher’s norm operations, new averaging operators, namely, Fermatean fuzzy Hamacher interactive weighted averaging, Fermatean fuzzy Hamacher interactive ordered weighted averaging, and Fermatean fuzzy Hamacher interactive hybrid weighted averaging operators, are introduced. Some interesting properties related to these operators are also presented. To get the optimal alternative, a multiattribute group decision-making method has been given under proposed operators. Furthermore, we have explicated the comparison analysis between the proposed and existing theories for the exactness and validity of the proposed work.
1927 nm Thulium Laser Successfully Treats PostInflammatory Hyperpigmentation in Skin of Color
Authors: Alharbi Mana Abdullah
Published: March 2021

Background. Treatment of postinflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH) in patients with dark skin is challenging as the treatment itself might provoke paradoxical PIH. Only few studies examined the safety and efficacy of nonablative laser treatment in these patients. The objective was to examine efficacy and safety of nonablative 1927 nm wavelength laser followed by bleaching creams in the treatment of PIH. Methods. It was a prospective interventional pilot study that was conducted during 2019. All patients were of Fitzpatrick skin type IV who had unsatisfactory response to topical bleaching creams used for at least three months. Patients received one to four sessions of laser treatment (6 weeks apart) followed by topical hydroquinone 4% cream twice daily for 6 weeks. Improvement was assessed by two blinded independent dermatologist evaluators. Results. A total of nine patients were enrolled and the outcome could not be assessed in one patient who was lost for follow-up. The affected sites were the abdomen, face, and other body parts. Three of the eight evaluated patients had excellent response (37.5%), four had satisfactory response (50.0%), and one had nonsatisfactory response (12.5%). The downtime was manifested as edema and erythema that disappeared after 5 to 7 days. Improvement was more evident in first session and it declined in subsequent sessions. None of the patients had paradoxical pigmentation after treatment. Conclusions. Low energy low density nonablative fractional 1927 nm wavelength laser treatment followed by topical hydroquinone 4% cream for 6 weeks is a safe and effective modality for improving PIH in patients with darker skin types.
Nonsurgical Management of Apical Root Perforation Using Mineral Trioxide Aggregate
Authors: Alzahrani Omar , Alghamdi Faisal
Published: March 2021

This study illustrates a conservative approach to nonsurgical management of apical root perforation in maxillary first molars. A patient was referred for retreatment of a maxillary left first molar. Her chief complaint was dull pain while biting in her maxillary left first molar. Periapical radiography showed radiolucency related to the mesiobuccal root and overextended gutta-percha through a perforation in the apical part of the distobuccal root. A CBCT scan was acquired and revealed the location and size of the apical perforation. The clinical examination showed that the tooth has been endodontically treated and the canals were filled, tender to percussion and palpation. Thus, the nonsurgical root canal retreatment was done and the perforation site was repaired by using mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA). At the one-year follow-up, after the management of apical root perforation, we observed periapical tissue healing and no pain due to percussion and palpation, without any clinical/radiological signs or symptoms. The prognosis of this case has a higher success rate with the development of new materials such as MTA. The MTA not only can seal the site of the perforation but also has the ability to induce calcification. Many factors can contribute to the success rate of perforated cases, including time, size, and location of the perforation. With the use of this material and good tools like a microscope, there are those with having higher chances of repair and eventually higher success rates.
Stepwise Improvement for Environmental Performance of Transportation Industry in China: A DEA Approach Based on Closest Targets
Authors: Li Jiawei , Huang Qingbo , Li Yan
Published: March 2021

Transportation is regarded as an industry with high energy consumption and high CO2 emissions. Little attention has been paid to the environmental performance improvement of China’s transportation industry, especially in a stepwise improvement way. In this study, we first apply the closest targets DEA method to evaluate the environmental performance in the transportation industry of 30 provincial-level regions in China’s mainland from 2010 to 2017. Then, we incorporate the closest targets and context-dependent DEA model and thus conform a stepwise projection path for each inefficient province to improve environmental performance with less effort by the way of identifying a sequence of intermediate closest targets. The empirical study shows that the environmental performance of the transportation industry obtained from the closest targets model is greater than that obtained from the SBM model for each province. Among the three areas, the eastern area performs the best in environmental performance followed by the central region and western region. Shanghai has the best environmental performance. Additionally, compared with conventional DEA models, the proposed stepwise improvement method can generate easier and closer achieved targets for the inefficient provinces. Hainan, Yunnan, and Xinjiang provinces have the lowest environmental performance, which need four steps to achieve efficiency.
Energy Consumption Comparison of a Novel Parallel Tracker and Its Corresponding Serial Tracker
Authors: Cui Hengchun , Wu Jun , Zhang Binbin , Wang Liping , Huang Tian
Published: March 2021

A novel two-axis solar tracker with parallel mechanism is proposed in this paper. A dynamic model is derived by using the virtual work principle and the consumed energy including the mechanical energy and motor energy loss is computed. Taking Beijing as the working location of the solar tracker, the energy consumptions of the parallel solar tracker and its corresponding serial solar tracker are compared based on the premise that the proposed solar tracker and its corresponding serial solar tracker have similar static stiffness. Mechanical energy consumption of the proposed tracker is reduced by 7.55% compared to the serial solar tracker. The motor energy loss of the parallel solar tracker is also significantly lower. This simple and low-energy consumption solar tracker is a good alternative to the traditional solar tracker with large energy consumption.
Influence of the ITZ Thickness on the Damage Performance of Recycled Concrete
Authors: Xu Fuwei , Tian Bin , Xu Gang
Published: March 2021

The interfacial transition zone (ITZ) is a weak region of recycled concrete. To further study the influence of the ITZ on the damage performance of recycled concrete, a formula for calculating the ITZ thickness is derived, and the ITZ thickness is calculated for various recycled concrete mixtures with a recycled aggregate content of 30%. The concrete model test method and finite element analysis software were used to numerically simulate common concrete and recycled concrete with ITZ thicknesses of 0.05 mm, 1 mm, 2 mm, 3 mm, and 4 mm. The results show that the thickness of the ITZ has an obvious influence on the cracking strength of recycled concrete and that the cracking strength of recycled concrete decreases with increasing ITZ thickness. The cracks in recycled concrete initiate from the ITZ, and the damage degree increases with increasing ITZ thickness. Compared with that of common concrete, the cracking strength of recycled concrete with an ITZ thickness of no more than 2 mm (i.e., the replacement rate of the recycled aggregates is no more than 30%) is not significantly reduced.
Research on Feature Extraction Method of Engine Misfire Fault Based on Signal Sparse Decomposition
Authors: Du Canyi , Jiang Fei , Ding Kang , Li Feng , Yu Feifei
Published: March 2021

Engine vibration signals are easy to be interfered by other noise, causing feature signals that represent its operating status get submerged and further leading to difficulty in engine fault diagnosis. In addition, most of the signals utilized to verify the extraction method are derived from numerical simulation, which are far away from the real engine signals. To address these problems, this paper combines the priority of signal sparse decomposition and engine finite element model to research a novel feature extraction method for engine misfire diagnosis. Firstly, in order to highlight resonance regions related with impact features, the vibration signal is performed with a high‐pass filter process. Secondly, the dictionary with clear physical meaning is constructed by the unit impulse function, whose parameters are associated with engine system modal characteristics. Afterwards, the signals that indicate the engine operating status are accurately reconstructed by segmental matching pursuit. Finally, a series of precise simulation signals originated from the engine dynamic finite element model, and experimental signals on the automotive engine are used to verify the proposed method’s effectiveness and antinoise performance. Additionally, comparisons with wavelet decomposition further show the proposed method to be more reliable in engine misfire diagnosis.
Best Proximity Point for Generalized and
S
-Geraphty Contractions
Authors: Bassou Abdelhafid , Sabar Taoufik , Aamri Mohamed
Published: March 2021

This paper introduces a new class of mappings called

S

-Geraphty-contractions and provides sufficient conditions for the existence and uniqueness of a best proximity point for such mappings. It also presents the best proximity point result for generalized contractions as well. Our results extend and generalize some theorems in the literature.
Cross-Department Secures Data Sharing in Food Industry via Blockchain-Cloud Fusion Scheme
Authors: Tao Q. , Chen Q. , Ding H. , Adnan I. , Huang X. , Cui X.
Published: March 2021

The barriers of food enterprises and departments caused information asymmetry, which is the root cause of food safety incidents. Simultaneously, it is challenging to solve the information asymmetry by the existing cloud-based food supply-chain regulation system. Establishing a secure and reliable data sharing environment is an effective solution to the information island. Blockchain can construct a security network based on mathematical algorithms, eliminating the third party’s potential security risk, and realize transparently share data. In this paper, on the principle of metadata remaining in the food enterprises, we propose a blockchain-cloud fusion scheme based on Decentralized Attribute-Based Signature (DABS) to realize secure data sharing between departments. It constructs a decentralized and trusting environment for data owners to share data and achieves social co-governance of food safety based on the smart contract. It can also preserve the existing system architecture and complement the performance disadvantage of blockchain and cloud storage. The result achieved from security analysis shows that our scheme supports unconditional full anonymity and can resist collusion attacks of N-1 out of N corrupted attribute authorities.
Dynamical Mechanisms for Gene Regulation Mediated by Two Noncoding RNAs in Long-Term Memory Formation
Authors: Hao Lijie , Yang Zhuoqin
Published: March 2021

Noncoding RNAs such as miRNAs and piRNAs have long-lasting effects on the regulation of gene expression involved in long-term synaptic changes. To characterize gene regulation mediated by small noncoding RNAs associated with long-term memory in Aplysia, we consider two noncoding RNAs stimulated by 5-HT into a gene regulatory network motif model, including miR-124 that binds to and inhibits the mRNA of CREB1 and piR-F that facilitates serotonin-dependent DNA methylation to lead to repression of CREB2. Codimension-1 and -2 bifurcation analyses of 5-HT regulating both miR-124 and piR-F and a negative feedback strength for oscillation reveal rich dynamical properties of bistability and oscillations robust to variations in all other parameters. More importantly, we verify three stimulus protocols of 5-HT in experiments by our model and find that application of five pulses of 5-HT leads to a transient decrease of miR-124 but increase of piR-F concentrations, which matters sustained high level of CREB1 concentration associated with long-term memory. Furthermore, we perform bifurcation analyses for the concentrations of miR-124 and piR-F as two parameters to explore dynamical mechanisms underlying the epigenetic regulation in long-term memory formation. This study provides insights into revealing regulatory roles of epigenetic changes in gene expression involving noncoding RNAs associated with synaptic plasticity.
EEG Signal Classification Using Manifold Learning and Matrix‐Variate Gaussian Model
Authors: Zhu Lei , Hu Qifeng , Yang Junting , Zhang Jianhai , Xu Ping , Ying Nanjiao
Published: March 2021

In brain‐computer interface (BCI), feature extraction is the key to the accuracy of recognition. There is important local structural information in the EEG signals, which is effective for classification; and this locality of EEG features not only exists in the spatial channel position but also exists in the frequency domain. In order to retain sufficient spatial structure and frequency information, we use one‐versus‐rest filter bank common spatial patterns (OVR‐FBCSP) to preprocess the data and extract preliminary features. On this basis, we conduct research and discussion on feature extraction methods. One‐dimensional feature extraction methods like linear discriminant analysis (LDA) may destroy this kind of structural information. Traditional manifold learning methods or two‐dimensional feature extraction methods cannot extract both types of information at the same time. We introduced the bilinear structure and matrix‐variate Gaussian model into two‐dimensional discriminant locality preserving projection (2DDLPP) algorithm and decompose EEG signals into spatial and spectral parts. Afterwards, the most discriminative features were selected through a weight calculation method. We tested the method on BCI competition data sets 2a, data sets IIIa, and data sets collected by our laboratory, and the results were expressed in terms of recognition accuracy. The cross‐validation results were 75.69%, 70.46%, and 54.49%, respectively. The average recognition accuracy of new method is improved by 7.14%, 7.38%, 4.86%, and 3.8% compared to those of LDA, two‐dimensional linear discriminant analysis (2DLDA), discriminant locality property projections (DLPP), and 2DDLPP, respectively. Therefore, we consider that the proposed method is effective for EEG classification.
Impact of Coronary Artery Disease and Percutaneous Coronary Intervention on Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation
Authors: Matta Anthony G. , Lhermusier Thibault , Parada Francisco Campelo , Bouisset Frederic , Canitrot Ronan , Nader Vanessa , Blanco Stéphanie , Elbaz Meyer , Roncalli Jerome , Carrié Didier
Published: March 2021

Introduction. The prevalence of coronary artery disease (CAD) detected in preoperative work-up for transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is high. Instead, the management of a concomitant CAD remains unclear. We evaluate the impact of CAD and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) on TAVI procedures. Materials and Methods. A retrospective study was conducted on 1336 consecutive patients who underwent TAVI in Toulouse University Hospital, Rangueil, France. The studied population was divided into 2 groups: CAD-TAVI group and No CAD-TAVI group. Then, the CAD-TAVI group was segregated into 2 subgroups: PCI-TAVI group and No PCI-TAVI group. In-hospital adverse clinical outcomes were assessed in each group. Results. Pre-TAVI work-up revealed significant CAD in 36% of 1030 patients eligible for inclusion in the study. The overall prevalence of in-hospital death, stroke, major or life-threatening bleeding, minor bleeding, major vascular complications, minor vascular complications, pacemaker implantation, and acute kidney injury was 2.7%, 2.4%, 2.8%, 3.6%, 3.9%, 7.5%, 12.5%, and 2.7%, respectively. Among the studied population, 55% were admitted to the cardiac care unit. No significant statistical difference was observed between groups. Discussion. CAD-TAVI population was not more likely to develop in-hospital adverse clinical outcomes post-TAVI procedure compared to others. Also, no significant difference regarding in-hospital death was observed. In parallel, performing PCI prior to TAVI did not increase the risk of in-hospital death and complications. The difference in terms of the distribution of antithrombotic regimen may explain the higher prevalence of bleeding events in the PCI-TAVI group. Conclusion. This study provides direct clinical relevance useful in daily practice. No negative impact has been attributed to the presence of a concomitant CAD and/or preoperative PCI on the TAVI hospitalization period.
Evaluation of Antibacterial Activity of Essential Oils and Their Combination against Multidrug-Resistant Bacteria Isolated from Skin Ulcer
Authors: Gadisa Eshetu , Usman Hydar
Published: March 2021

Background. Emerging of multidrug-resistant bacteria can compromise the effectiveness of antibiotics used to treat skin infections. Those bacteria imposed public health problems and questioning medical care in the 21st century. In this circumstance, essential oils of medicinal plants origin are supreme sources of structural and functionally divergent compounds, which inhibited the growth of common wound colonizing MRSA and ESBL producing P. aeruginosa. The aim of this study was to evaluate the combined antibacterial activity of essential oils extracted from Rumex abyssinicus, Cucumis pustulatus, and Discopodium penninervium against multidrug-resistant (MDR) isolates of skin ulcers. Methods. Essential oils (EOs) were extracted from aerial parts of R. abyssinicus, C. pustulatus, and D. penninervium with steam distillation. A mixture of each oil (1 : 1) was adsorbed to a disc and placed on Mueller Hinton Agar. Then, minimum zone of inhibition and bactericidal concentration of EOs was measured after incubeted for 18–24 hours at 37 °C. Their combined antibacterial effect was determined by the fractional inhibitory concentration index. Results. The antibacterial activity of mixed oil varied in their doses and bacteria species, of which a mixture of essential oil of R. abyssinicus and D. penninervium had inhibition zone (32 mm); its MIC and MBC values range from 1-2 μl/ml against MRSA. It had an inhibition zone (36 mm), MIC value 4 μl/ml, and MBC (8 μl/ml) against ESBL producing P. aeruginosa, whereas combined effects of R. abyssinicus and C. pustulatus had MIC values ranging from 2–8 μl/ml for E. coli and K. pneumoniae and 2 μl/ml for MRSA. There was a strong synergistic effect between R. abyssinicus and D. penninervium and promising antibacterial effect more specifically on MRSA and P. aeruginosa. Conclusion. This in vitro study of the combined effect of EOs has significant antibacterial activity on wound colonizing bacteria and reduces delaying wound healing as that of modern drugs tested in parallel. Hence, further structural elucidation of active compounds helps us to properly design or synthesis of topical antibiotics for wound care.
Characteristics of Valuable Microseismic Events in Heading Face of an Underground Coal Mine Using Microseismic System
Authors: Zhang Wenlong , Huo Tianhong , Li Chen , Wang Cunwen , Qu Xiaocheng , Xin Chongwei
Published: March 2021

Rock burst monitoring of heading face is a weak aspect of rock burst monitoring in China; acoustic emission (AE) monitoring is one of the few monitoring technologies used in heading face, but its target signals are small energy events which are easy to be disturbed. Researchers usually focus on the weak AE events but ignore the microseismic (MS) events (different from AE event and caused by a larger scale of coal fracture), while this kind of events can also reflect the pressure situation of heading face and have higher energy value which may become a better indicator for rock burst monitoring of heading face. So, the basic characteristics of MS events in heading face are studied based on a running vibration signal acquisition system, including the occurrence position, main frequency range, maximum amplitude (MA) range, event duration, and relationship with geological structure. This paper provides a development basis of the monitoring method for rock burst monitoring of heading face by using MS events.
Osteosarcoma Cell‐Derived Exosomal miR‐1307 Promotes Tumorgenesis via Targeting AGAP1
Authors: Han Fei , Pu Peidong , Wang Chao , Ding Xiao , Zhu Zhoujun , Xiang Wei , Wang Weishan
Published: March 2021

The occurrence of osteosarcoma (OS) is associated with abnormal expression of many microRNAs (miRNAs). Exosomal miRNAs get much more attentions in intracellular communications. miR‐1307 has been studied in many cancers, but its effects in OS have not been studied. We hypothesized that OS‐derived exosomal miR‐1307 regulates OS tumorigenesis. First, we found OS cell‐derived exosomes (Exos) significantly promoted the proliferation, migration, and invasion of OS cells. Secondly, we found miR‐1307 was highly expressed in OS cell‐derived exosomes (OS‐Exos), human OS tissues, and OS cell lines. Then, OS‐Exos were extracted after OS cells were cultured and transfected with miR‐1307 inhibitor, and the level of miR‐1307 in OS‐Exos was significantly reduced. When the level of miR‐1307 in OS‐Exos was significantly reduced, the effects of OS‐Exos on migration, invasion, and proliferation of OS cells were also significantly weakened. Furthermore, using TargetScan, miRDB, and mirDIP databases, we identified that AGAP1 was a target gene of miR‐1307. Overexpression of miR‐1307 could inhibit the expression of AGAP1 gene. We also found AGAP1 was lower expressed in human OS tissues and OS cell lines. Luciferase gene indicated that miR‐1307 directly bound the 3’‐UTR of AGAP1. miR‐1307 was negatively correlated with AGAP1 in clinical study. miR‐1307 could significantly promote the proliferation, migration, and invasion of OS cells. In addition, upregulation of AGAP1 could significantly inhibit the role of miR‐1307 in OS. In conclusion, our study suggests that OS cell‐derived exosomal miR‐1307 promotes the proliferation, migration, and invasion of OS cells via targeting AGAP1, and miR‐1307‐AGAP1 axis may play an important role in the future treatment of OS.
Reinforcement of Self‐Regulated Brain Activity in Schizophrenia Patients Undergoing Rehabilitation
Authors: Markiewicz Renata , Dobrowolska Beata
Published: March 2021

The experiment was aimed to compare the effects of different forms of rehabilitation applied in patients with schizophrenia. Verification of the obtained results was based on the analysis of the level of cognitive and social functioning of the subjects. For this purpose, the following clinical tools were used: Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), Beck Cognitive Insight Scale (BCIS), Color Trial Test (CTT‐1, CTT‐2), d2 psychological tests, Acceptance of Illness Scale (AIS), Self‐efficacy Scale (GSES), Quantitative Electroencephalogram Biofeedback (QEEG‐BF), auditory event‐related potentials (ERPs), and serum levels of brain‐derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). The subjects were mentally stable male schizophrenia patients who had been in remission. They were divided into two groups which received different types of rehabilitation for three months. Group 1 patients followed a standard rehabilitation and Group 2 patients received GSR Biofeedback (galvanic skin response Biofeedback, GSR-BF) training. Pretherapy and posttherapy measurements were made for each group. Experimental rehabilitation based on GSR‐BF training resulted in regulatory control of neurophysiological mechanisms, and the parameters obtained demonstrated improvement in the subjects’ cognitive and social function. The following therapy outcomes were observed: (1) reduce psychopathological symptoms (2) improving cognitive (concentration, attention) and social functions (3) increase in the neurotrophic factor BDNF. GSR‐BF can be used as an alternative to conventional rehabilitation in schizophrenia patients.
Acteoside Counteracts Interleukin‐1β‐Induced Catabolic Processes through the Modulation of Mitogen‐Activated Protein Kinases and the NFκB Cellular Signaling Pathway
Authors: Lim HyangI , Kim Do Kyung , Kim Tae-Hyeon , Kang Kyeong-Rok , Seo Jeong-Yeon , Cho Seung Sik , Yun Younghee , Choi Ye-yong , Leem Jungtae , Kim Hyoun-Woo , Jo Geon-Ung , Oh Chan-Jin , Oh Deuk-Sil , Chun Hong-Sung , Kim Jae-Sung
Published: March 2021

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common degenerative joint disease with chronic joint pain caused by progressive degeneration of articular cartilage at synovial joints. Acteoside, a caffeoylphenylethanoid glycoside, has various biological activities such as antimicrobial, anti‐inflammatory, anticancer, antioxidative, cytoprotective, and neuroprotective effect. Further, oral administration of acteoside at high dosage does not cause genotoxicity. Therefore, the aim of present study is to verify the anticatabolic effects of acteoside against osteoarthritis and its anticatabolic signaling pathway. Acteoside did not decrease the viabilities of mouse fibroblast L929 cells used as normal cells and primary rat chondrocytes. Acteoside counteracted the IL‐1β‐induced proteoglycan loss in the chondrocytes and articular cartilage through suppressing the expression and activation of cartilage‐degrading enzyme such as matrix metalloproteinase‐ (MMP‐) 13, MMP‐1, and MMP‐3. Furthermore, acteoside suppressed the expression of inflammatory mediators such as inducible nitric oxide synthase, cyclooxygenase‐2, nitric oxide, and prostaglandin E2 in the primary rat chondrocytes treated with IL‐1β. Subsequently, the expression of proinflammatory cytokines was decreased by acteoside in the primary rat chondrocytes treated with IL‐1β. Moreover, acteoside suppressed not only the phosphorylation of mitogen‐activated protein kinases in primary rat chondrocytes treated with IL‐1β but also the translocation of NFκB from the cytosol to the nucleus through suppression of its phosphorylation. Oral administration of 5 and 10 mg/kg acteoside attenuated the progressive degeneration of articular cartilage in the osteoarthritic mouse model generated by destabilization of the medial meniscus. Our findings indicate that acteoside is a promising potential anticatabolic agent or supplement to attenuate or prevent progressive degeneration of articular cartilage.
Apathy, Cognitive Impairment, and Social Support Contribute to Participation in Cognitively Demanding Activities Poststroke
Authors: Ho Amy , Nicholas Marjorie L. , Dagli Chaitali , Connor Lisa Tabor
Published: March 2021

Importance. Individuals with chronic stroke experience decreased participation in activities with cognitive demands across all areas of occupation. Objective. To understand the extent to which apathy, cognition, and social support predict participation in activities with cognitive demands. Design. Prospective, quantitative correlational, cross-sectional study. Setting. Outpatient treatment centers and community stroke support groups located in St. Louis, MO, and Boston, MA. Participants. 81 community-dwelling

individuals
≥
6

-month poststroke with and without aphasia. Measures. Participants completed the Activity Card Sort (ACS), Apathy Evaluation Scale (AES), Medical Outcomes Study Social Support Survey (MOS-SSS), and Delis-Kaplan Executive Function System (DKEFS) Design Fluency and Trail-Making subtests. Results. Cognitive deficits limit participation in activities with high cognitive demands. Apathy and positive social interaction influence participation, regardless of high or low cognitive demands. Poststroke aphasia did not impact return to participation in activities with high and low cognitive demands. Conclusions and Relevance. Cognitive deficits seen poststroke contribute to participation only for activities with high cognitive demands. Apathy has a significant and negative influence on participation overall. Social support is a modifiable contextual factor that can facilitate participation. Poststroke apathy can be detrimental to participation but is not well recognized. The availability of companionship from others to enjoy time with can facilitate participation.
Resveratrol Derivative, Trans‐3, 5, 4 ′‐Trimethoxystilbene Sensitizes Osteosarcoma Cells to Apoptosis via ROS‐Induced Caspases Activation
Authors: Feng Yu , Clayton Jacob , Yake Wildman , Li Jinke , Wang Weijia , Winne Lauren , Hong Ming
Published: March 2021

Numerous studies have shown that resveratrol can induce apoptosis in cancer cells. Trans‐3, 5, 4 ′‐trimethoxystilbene (TMS), a novel derivative of resveratrol, is a more potent anticancer compound than resveratrol and can induce apoptosis in cancer cells. Herein, we examined the mechanisms involved in TMS‐mediated sensitization of human osteosarcoma (143B) cells to TNF‐related apoptosis‐inducing ligand‐ (TRAIL‐) induced apoptosis. Our results showed that cotreatment with TSM and TRAIL activated caspases and increased PARP‐1 cleavage in 143B cells. Decreasing cellular ROS levels using NAC reversed TSM‐ and TRAIL‐induced apoptosis in 143B cells. NAC abolished the upregulated expression of PUMA and p53 induced by treatment with TRAIL and TSM. Silencing the expression of p53 or PUMA using RNA interference attenuated TSM‐mediated sensitization of 143B cells to TRAIL‐induced apoptosis. Knockdown of Bax also reversed TSM‐induced sensitization of 143B cell to TRAIL‐mediated apoptotic cell death. These results indicate that cotreatment with TRAIL and TSM evaluated intracellular ROS level, promoted DNA damage, and activated the Bax/PUMA/p53 pathway, leading to activation of both mitochondrial and caspase‐mediated apoptosis in 143B cells. Orthotopic implantation of 143B cells in mice also demonstrated that cotreatment with TRAIL and TSM reversed resistance to apoptosis in cells without obvious adverse effects in normal cells.
Polymorphous Adenocarcinoma: A Rare Case Report with Unique Radiographic Appearance on CBCT
Authors: Chandra Jagadish , Ahmed Junaid , Veena K. M. , Vijayakumar M. , Shenoy Nandita , Sujir Nanditha
Published: March 2021

Background. Polymorphous low-grade adenocarcinoma (PLGA) is a slow growing malignant tumor of minor salivary glands and is generally of indolent nature. However, according to the most recent WHO Classification of Salivary Gland Tumors (2017), the cancer is classified as Polymorphous AdenoCarcinoma (PAC). PAC presents as a less aggressive tumor, though it could on rare occasions demonstrate distant metastasis. Case Presentation. A 47-year-old man who was referred by a private practitioner for a CBCT scan in reference to a proliferative soft-tissue growth in the hard palate. The growth was mild and tender and there was Grade III mobility in relation to all the maxillary teeth. Panoramic radiograph taken previously had revealed evidence of alveolar bone loss in relation to the maxillary teeth and was inconclusive of any other findings. The CBCT scan revealed evidence of moth-eaten appearance of maxilla with destruction of medial and lateral walls and floor of maxillary sinus. There was also evidence of involvement of right eustachian tube, ethmoidal wall, and nasopalatine canal. An intraosseous malignancy of the palate was suspected, and a total maxillectomy was performed. The tissue sample was sent for histopathological assessment wherein changes diagnostic for polymorphous low-grade adenocarcinoma of the palate were observed. Conclusion. PAC is a distinct, yet commonly occurring, minor salivary gland tumor with varied clinical and histologic appearance. This case report highlights the importance of CBCT in diagnosing the intraosseous involvement of such tumors which can help shed some light in enhancing our knowledge about the minor salivary gland malignancies like PAC.
Cross Flow Analysis over the Jet Pumps of a BWR-5 Reactor
Authors: Soto-Mendoza G. , Armenta-Molina A. , Pérez-Montejo S. , Hernández-Gómez L.H. , Ruiz-López P. , Urriolagoitia-Calderón G.M. , Beltrán-Fernández J.A.
Published: March 2021

The recirculation system of a BWR-5 has 20 jet pumps. They are submerged in water in the cylindrical annular zone of the reactor. Their main function is the development of a forcing flow through the nuclear core. It increases the power of the reactor compared with the one obtained by natural circulation. These components have an important safety function in the operation of the reactor. In accordance with document BWRVIP-41 R4, it was concluded that the vibration induced by cross flow over the jet pump assemblies is one of the degradation mechanisms of such pumps. In this paper, the vibration induced by the cross flow at a jet pump assembly BWR-5 was analyzed. A numerical approach was developed. The natural frequencies were obtained, considering the Fluid-Structure Interaction (FSI). The first natural frequency was 25.7 Hz. A Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) analysis was carried, in conjunction with the Power Spectral Density (PSD). A frequency of vortex generation of 0.48 Hz was obtained. A vortex generation analysis was carried out with the Q-criteria. The results showed that resonance conditions are unlikely. Therefore, the structural integrity of the jet pump assemblies is maintained.
Genomic Context Differs Between Human Dilated Cardiomyopathy and Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy
Authors: Puckelwartz Megan J. , Pesce Lorenzo L. , Dellefave‐Castillo Lisa M. , Wheeler Matthew T. , Pottinger Tess D. , Robinson Avery C. , Kearns Samuel D. , Gacita Anthony M. , Schoppen Zachary J. , Pan Wenyu , Kim Gene , Wilcox Jane E. , Anderson Allen S. , Ashley Euan A. , Day Sharlene M. , Cappola Thomas , Dorn Gerald W. , McNally Elizabeth M.
Published: March 2021

Background

Inherited cardiomyopathies display variable penetrance and expression, and a component of phenotypic variation is genetically determined. To evaluate the genetic contribution to this variable expression, we compared protein coding variation in the genomes of those with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) and dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM).

Methods and Results

Nonsynonymous single‐nucleotide variants (nsSNVs) were ascertained using whole genome sequencing from familial cases of HCM (n=56) or DCM (n=70) and correlated with echocardiographic information. Focusing on nsSNVs in 102 genes linked to inherited cardiomyopathies, we correlated the number of nsSNVs per person with left ventricular measurements. Principal component analysis and generalized linear models were applied to identify the probability of cardiomyopathy type as it related to the number of nsSNVs in cardiomyopathy genes. The probability of having DCM significantly increased as the number of cardiomyopathy gene nsSNVs per person increased. The increase in nsSNVs in cardiomyopathy genes significantly associated with reduced left ventricular ejection fraction and increased left ventricular diameter for individuals carrying a DCM diagnosis, but not for those with HCM. Resampling was used to identify genes with aberrant cumulative allele frequencies, identifying potential modifier genes for cardiomyopathy.

Conclusions

Participants with DCM had more nsSNVs per person in cardiomyopathy genes than participants with HCM. The nsSNV burden in cardiomyopathy genes did not correlate with the probability or manifestation of left ventricular measures in HCM. These findings support the concept that increased variation in cardiomyopathy genes creates a genetic background that predisposes to DCM and increased disease severity.
Responses of South Asian Muslims to the Theory of Evolution
Authors: Riexinger Martin
Published: March 2021

Of all scientific theories the theory of evolution arguably poses the greatest challenge to theistic religions because it threatens to undermine teleology and the central position of mankind in nature. Nevertheless, modernist thinkers among South Asian Muslims like Sayyid Aḥmad Khān and Abū l-Kalām Āzād strove to demonstrate its compatibility with the Qur’ān. Their efforts were rejected by Islamists like Mawdūdī and more traditional scholars writing on the subject. They defended the concept of a consciously designed universe instead. That the defence of this idea is the main motivation for resentment against the theory of evolution among Muslims is underscored by the fact the even a thinker like Ghulām Aḥmad Parwez, who readily dismissed central concepts of traditional theology, accepted the concept of evolution only without the principle of natural selection. Although negative assessments prevail, the theory of evolution did not foment a campaign among South Asian Muslims as it did in Turkey. This is most likely due to the lack of awareness among many ‘ulamā’ and the fact that the theory of evolution was not ideologically appropriated by adversaries of Islamic groups.