bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Evaluating a brief online compassion‐focused intervention for intensive care nurses
Authors: Corrigan J. P. , Browne Dympna , Gilsenan Jane , Irons Chris
Published: November 2022

Background

High levels of stress have been found within health care staff, particularly in the nursing population, which is somewhat attributed to the Covid‐19 pandemic. The development of self‐compassion, a protective psychological construct, may promote well‐being in the health care staff population. As part of a service development project, the authors delivered and evaluated a brief online compassion‐focused intervention with nurses working within Intensive Care Units (ICUs).

Aims

Aims were to explore feasibility within the ICU nursing population and consider potential benefits to psychological well‐being.

Methods

ICU nurses registered for an online, 4 week, compassion‐focused intervention as part of a service development project. Measures of compassion, burnout, trauma, and the emotional climate of their work environment were analysed in two groups; those who completed the intervention and those who did not. Baseline and post‐intervention measures were analysed to infer the potential benefits of the intervention.

Results

Compared with their baseline scores, those who completed the intervention showed improvements on measures of compassion, soothing in emotional climate, and reductions in burnout, trauma and threat in emotional climate. At baseline, those who did not complete the intervention scored lower on measures of compassion and soothing within their emotional climate, as well as higher levels of trauma and threat within the emotional climate, compared with those who engaged with the intervention.

Conclusions

Brief online compassion‐focused interventions may be a useful platform to promote well‐being in ICU nurses, but possibly only for those who have a pre‐established level of self‐compassion.

Relevance to Clinical Practice

This study demonstrates the value of offering online interventions to improve the mental health of nursing staff. The findings suggest that nurses may benefit from being offered online interventions as welll as traditional psychological interventions. This may shape further service provision by offering nurses who require support a wider range of treatment options.
Changes in cognitive function after thoracoscopic and catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation
Authors: Herman Dalibor , Javůrková Alena , Raudenská Jaroslava , Budera Petr , Rizov Vitalii , Kačer Petr , Peisker Tomáš , Malý Marek , Osmančík Pavel
Published: November 2022

Background

Comparative data regarding the effect of percutaneous and thoracoscopic ablation of atrial fibrillation (AF) on cognitive function are very limited. The aim of the study was to determine and compare the effect of both types of ablations on patient cognitive functions in the mid‐term.

Methods

Patients with AF indicated for ablation procedure were included. Forty‐six patients underwent thoracoscopic, off‐pump ablation using the COBRA Fusion radiofrequency system, followed by a catheter ablation three months afterward (Hybrid group). A comparative cohort of 53 AF patients underwent pulmonary vein isolation only (PVI group). Neuropsychological examinations were done before and nine months after the surgical or catheter ablation procedure. Neuropsychological testing comprised 13 subtests of seven domains, and the results were expressed as post‐operative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) nine months after the procedure.

Results

Patients in both groups were similar with respect to the baseline clinical characteristics; only non‐paroxysmal AF was more common in the hybrid group (98% vs. 34%). Major POCD was present in eight (17.4%) of hybrid patients versus three (5.7%) of PVI patients (p = 0.11), combined (major/minor) worsened cognitive decline was present in 10 (21.7%) hybrid patients versus three (5.6%) PVI patients (p = 0.034). On the other hand, combined (major/minor) improvement was present in 15 (32.6%) hybrid patients versus nine (16.9%) patients in the PVI group (p = 0.099).

Conclusion

Hybrid ablation, a combination of thoracoscopic and percutaneous ablation, is associated with a higher risk of cognitive decline compared to sole percutaneous ablation.
Susceptibility of UK oat (Avena sativa) varieties to infection by Fusarium species and subsequent HT‐2 and T‐2 toxin contamination
Authors: Edwards Simon G. , Stancic Tijana
Published: November 2022

The aim of this study was to compare the susceptibility of oats to Fusarium langsethiae infection, as measured by combined HT‐2 and T‐2 mycotoxin concentration (HT2 + T2) in harvested oat grain samples. Over 10 years (2004–2013), samples from single replicates of each UK Recommended List oat trial were analyzed for HT‐2 and T‐2. For spring oats, there were small but statistically significant differences between varieties, whereas for winter oats, they had a broader range and higher mean of HT2 + T2 concentration compared with spring oats. For winter oats, the short‐strawed varieties had consistently high HT2 + T2 levels compared with other varieties, whereas naked varieties were at the lower end of the range, and short, naked varieties had intermediate levels. A separate set of harvested oat grain samples of eight common varieties from 17 field experiments were analyzed by modified joint regression analysis. Results showed that environment had the strongest impact on HT‐2 and T‐2 concentrations but that the varietal susceptibility to HT‐2 and T‐2 contamination was highly stable across environments. This methodology can be used to calculate a Fusarium (HT2 + T2) resistance score for oats to aid grower selection of suitable varieties, as is available for Fusarium (DON) resistance for wheat varieties in many countries.
Exploring the trade‐off between individual fitness and community performance of wheat crops using simulated canopy shade
Authors: Golan Guy , Abbai Ragavendran , Schnurbusch Thorsten
Published: November 2022

The genetic heritage of wheat (Triticum spp.) crops has been shaped by millions of years of predomestication natural selection, often driven by competition among individuals. However, genetic improvements in yield potential are thought to involve selection towards reduced competitiveness, thus enhancing adaptation to the crop environment. We investigated potential trade‐offs between individual plant fitness and community performance using a population of introgression lines carrying chromosome segments of wild emmer (nondomesticated) in the background of an elite durum cultivar. We focused on light as a primary factor affecting plant–plant interactions and assessed morphological and biomass phenotypes of single plants grown in mixtures under sunlight and a simulated canopy shade, and the relevance of these phenotypes for the monoculture community in the field. We found that responses to canopy shade resemble responses to high density and contribute to both the individual and the community. Stepwise regressions suggested that grain number per spike and its persistence under shade are essential attributes of productive communities, advocating their use as a breeding target during early‐generation selection. Overall, multiple phenotypes attained under shade could better explain community performance. Our novel, applicable, high‐throughput set‐up provides new prospects for studying and selecting single‐plant phenotypes in a canopy‐like environment.
Forever focused on fairness: 75 years of organizational justice in Personnel Psychology
Authors: Colquitt Jason A. , Hill Edwyna T. , De Cremer David
Published: November 2022

We provide a review of progress in the field of organizational justice, paying special attention to articles published in Personnel Psychology. We begin by describing the foundation of the literature, where work linked adherence to distributive, procedural, interpersonal, and informational justice rules to employee cognitions, emotions, behaviors, and well‐being. We then turn to the extensions that marked the next stage of the literature's evolution, including justice climate, third‐party perspectives, and justice enactment–where managerial motives, characteristics, and context are cast as predictors of justice rule adherence. Next, we move to suggestions for future research, including manager‐based outcomes of justice rule adherence, more explicit integrations with the social justice literature, and gaining a better understanding of the fairness of artificial intelligence systems. We close with the practical implications of the justice literature, many of which have been informed by advancements in the pages of Personnel Psychology.
Progressive integration network for single‐image rain removal
Authors: Xu Huijian , Zhou Zhanchao , Huang Hanyi , Huang Wenkang
Published: November 2022

Due to the inherent overlap between the background and rain streaks, most deraining methods have suffered greatly from the over‐smoothing effect, which restrains the deraining models’ performance to a great extent. To address this issue, a progressive integration network (PIN) is presented to reduce this effect. Specifically, in our network, the high‐level representations will be used to enhance the low‐level feature maps through our proposed global integration and local integration blocks. Moreover, based on the difficulty of prediction, a novel curriculum‐learning mechanism is explored to ease the procedure of training. Extensive experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method achieves considerable performance in contrast to other deraining methods.
Towards a legal definition of ecological restoration: Reviewing international, European and Member States' case law
Authors: Mendes Ana , Martínez Hernández Lorena , Badoz Léa , Slobodian Lydia , Rabaça João E.
Published: November 2022

Ecological restoration is of crucial importance to mitigate the impact of human activity on the environment and preserve biodiversity and ecosystem services. Therefore, the concept of restoration is at the core of international and European Union (EU) environmental policy and governance. This article seeks to shed light on this concept in international and European case law. To this end, it reviews the definition, objectives and scope of restoration according to international scientific standards. It further distinguishes restoration from other related terms such as compensation, mitigation, conservation and rehabilitation. The article then analyses judgements rendered by the International Court of Justice, the Court of Justice of the EU and EU Member States' courts pertaining to restoration. It concludes that there are wide discrepancies in the use of the term restoration by the judiciary, in particular with regard to objectives, baselines and reference conditions. In light of these conclusions, the authors support the adoption of a legal definition of restoration.
Study of event‐related potentials by withdrawal friction on the fingertip
Authors: Si Chen , Qin Huang , Chuanzhuang Yang , Wei Tang , Lin Xu
Published: November 2022

Objectives

The lack of understanding about the brain's reaction processes in perceiving touch and separation between skin and object surfaces is a barrier to the development of existing brain‐computer interface technologies and virtual haptics. These technologies are limited in their ability to advance. It leaves prosthesis users with a limited amount of tactile information that they can feel. This study aims to determine whether distinct surface aspects of various items trigger different reactions from the brain when friction is removed from the surface.

Methods

When friction is suddenly removed from the surface of an item, a technique called event‐related potential, (ERP) is used to study the features of people's EEGs. It is done after the subject has actively explored the object's surface. A 64‐channels EEG collecting system was utilized to acquire EEG data from the individuals. [Corrections added on 5 December 2022, after first online publication: The preceding sentence has been updated.] The event‐related potentials for friction removal were generated using the Oddball paradigm, and the samples consisted of sandpaper with three distinct degrees of roughness. We utilized a total of 20 participants, 10 of whom were male, and 10 of whom were female, with a mean age of 21 years.

Results

It was discovered that the P3 component of event‐related potentials, which is essential for cognition, was noticeably absent in the friction withdrawal response for various roughnesses. It was the case regardless of whether the surface was smooth or rough. Moreover, there was no statistically significant difference between the P1 andP2 components, which suggests that the brain could not recognize the surface properties of objects with varying roughness as the friction withdrawal was being performed.

Conclusions

It has been demonstrated that tactile recognition does not occur after friction withdrawal. The findings of this paper could have significant repercussions for future research involving the study of haptic perception and brain‐computer interaction in prosthetic hands. It is a step toward future research on the mechanisms underlying human tactile perception, so think of it as preparation.
Analysis of writing prompts in South African physical sciences textbooks for Grade 12 learners
Authors: Upahi Johnson Enero , Ramnarain Umesh , Ajibola Damilare Sunday
Published: November 2022

The advocacy for writing in science and STEM‐related fields through reasoning‐based writing, critical thinking and argumentation has been accentuated as a core competence in curriculum documents. In South Africa, the CAPS document for Physical Sciences acknowledged the importance of writing and consequently, call on teachers to engage in teaching language across the curriculum. This study examined the characteristics of writing prompts in three selected samples of textbooks to understand how writing is addressed in the Physical Sciences textbooks. Specifically, the study examined the frequency and characteristics of writing prompts included in the chemistry component of three selected Physical Sciences textbooks for Grade 12 learners. A total of 533 writing prompts were identified and analyzed using a coding scheme adopted for the study. Findings revealed that learners are prompted to write in variety of ways, with prompts that positioned them to explain why, discuss your ideas, explain how and explain what. While the prompts that ask learners to explain why and discuss your ideas were the most frequently coded, the press to write their reasoning with specific features that are inherent in the respective topics were inadequate. The implications for curriculum developers are the need for explicit instructions on the length of writings required, and for authors to develop adaptable guidelines to enable textbook users understand the writing expectations.
A genome‐wide association study identifies novel players in Na and Fe homeostasis in Arabidopsis thaliana under alkaline‐salinity stress
Authors: Almira Casellas Maria Jose , Pérez‐Martín Laura , Busoms Silvia , Boesten René , Llugany Mercè , Aarts Mark G. M. , Poschenrieder Charlotte
Published: November 2022

In nature, multiple stress factors occur simultaneously. The screening of natural diversity panels and subsequent Genome‐Wide Association Studies (GWAS) is a powerful approach to identify genetic components of various stress responses. Here, the nutritional status variation of a set of 270 natural accessions of Arabidopsis thaliana grown on a natural saline‐carbonated soil is evaluated. We report significant natural variation on leaf Na (LNa) and Fe (LFe) concentrations in the studied accessions. Allelic variation in the NINJA and YUC8 genes is associated with LNa diversity, and variation in the ALA3 is associated with LFe diversity. The allelic variation detected in these three genes leads to changes in their mRNA expression and correlates with plant differential growth performance when plants are exposed to alkaline salinity treatment under hydroponic conditions. We propose that YUC8 and NINJA expression patters regulate auxin and jasmonic signaling pathways affecting plant tolerance to alkaline salinity. Finally, we describe an impairment in growth and leaf Fe acquisition associated with differences in root expression of ALA3, encoding a phospholipid translocase active in plasma membrane and the trans Golgi network which directly interacts with proteins essential for the trafficking of PIN auxin transporters, reinforcing the role of phytohormonal processes in regulating ion homeostasis under alkaline salinity.
Laryngeal tie‐forward in standing sedated horses
Authors: Lean Natasha E. , Sole‐Guitart Albert , Ahern Benjamin J.
Published: November 2022

Objectives

To investigate the feasibility and describe the clinical experience of performing laryngeal tie‐forward (LTF) in standing horses unaffected (experimental) and affected (clinical) by intermittent dorsal displacement of the soft palate (iDDSP).

Study design

Experimental study and case series.

Animals

Five normal experimental controls and five client owned horses affected by iDDSP.

Methods

Standing LTF was performed and evaluated in five experimental horses and five clinical cases diagnosed with iDDSP. Standing LTF was performed under endoscopic guidance with horses sedated and the surgical site desensitized with local anesthetic solution. Short term outcome was assessed using radiography, resting and (in clinical cases) dynamic upper respiratory tract (URT) endoscopy.

Results

Standing LTF was well tolerated and completed in all horses. Radiographic assessment demonstrated that compared to preoperatively, the basihyoid bone and thyrohyoid‐thyroid articulation were positioned dorsally (9.6 mm, p = .006 and 20.4 mm, p = .007, respectively) at 2 days postoperatively. During repeat dynamic URT endoscopy at 48 hours postoperatively, 3/5 horses showed resolution of iDDSP and 2/5 marked improvement. One horse experienced brief iDDSP associated with neck flexion which corrected after swallowing. The second achieved a greater speed and total distance prior to iDDSP.

Conclusions

Standing LTF did not incur any major peri‐ or postoperative complications. The laryngohyoid apparatus was repositioned dorsally and in a small case series had a similar surgical effect on laryngeal position.

Clinical significance

Standing LTF is feasible, mitigates the risk of general anesthesia related complications and reduces cost.
Toxicity and selective mechanism of imazamox by weedy rice and imidazolinone‐resistant rice in China
Authors: Xiang Binghan , Cai Xinyi , Huang Hui , Wang Hao , Dong Liyao
Published: November 2022

Weedy rice (Oryza spp.) is a notorious weed in direct‐seeding paddy fields. Because it has anatomical and physiological traits similar to those of cultivated rice, no selective herbicide is effective in controlling weedy rice growing among conventional rice cultivars. Imidazolinone (IMI)‐resistant rice lines JD372 and JJ818 have been planted with imazamox to control weedy rice in Jiangsu and Shanghai, China. Whole‐plant dose–response analysis showed that imazamox exhibited high efficacy against three populations of weedy rice. The ED90 of weedy rice populations FN‐5, GY‐8, and HY‐3 were 46.87, 61.43, and 52.17 g a.i. ha−1, respectively, close to the recommended field dose (50 g a.i. ha−1) of imazamox. Conversely, the ED10 values of JD372 and JJ818 were slightly lower than 50 g a.i. ha−1. These findings indicate that imazamox can control weedy rice production in JD372 and JJ818 fields. The acetolactate synthase (ALS) sensitivity of JD372 in vitro was 1714.89‐fold lower to imazamox than was that of FN‐5. ALS gene sequencing revealed a Ser653Asn point mutation—a common mutation that confers resistance to IMI herbicides in JD372. In addition, higher ALS expression levels in JD372 were found at 24 and 72 h after imazamox treatment. ALS overexpression might partially compensate for the ALS activity of JD372 that was suppressed by imazamox.
Influence of Inlet Mud Temperature on Bottom Hole Mud Temperature During Horizontal Well Drilling
Authors: Zhang Zheng , Yang Shangqing , Wang Guorong , Wang Jingpeng , Lu Jingsheng , Zhong Lin , Peng Geng , Pan Ganghui
Published: November 2022

The high temperature in the horizontal section and bottom of a horizontal well has a significant impact on the performance of mud and the safety of drilling equipment. The high bottomhole temperature is lowered often by reducing the inlet temperature. To explore how the inlet temperature impacts the bottomhole temperature during horizontal well drilling, a computational model for transient temperature during horizontal well drilling was established in this paper. Finite difference approach was utilized for the model discretization, while the relaxation iteration technique was adopted for the model resolution. The influence of inlet temperature on bottomhole temperature was analyzed during alterations of inlet flowrate and horizontal section length. On the basis of the obtained results, the impact of inlet temperature on bottomhole temperature decreases as the horizontal section length increases. On the premise that the horizontal section is long enough, lowering the inlet temperature exerts little impact on the bottomhole temperature fluctuation. As the inlet flowrate declines, the influence of inlet temperature on bottomhole temperature decreases. In addition, with the inlet flowrate being small enough, lowering inlet temperature rarely impacts the bottomhole temperature fluctuation.
GATA3 mediates nonclassical β-catenin signaling in skeletal cell fate determination and ectopic chondrogenesis
Authors: Maruyama Takamitsu , Hasegawa Daigaku , Valenta Tomas , Haigh Jody , Bouchard Maxime , Basler Konrad , Hsu Wei
Published: November 2022

Skeletal precursors are mesenchymal in origin and can give rise to distinct sublineages. Their lineage commitment is modulated by various signaling pathways. The importance of Wnt signaling in skeletal lineage commitment has been implicated by the study of β-catenin–deficient mouse models. Ectopic chondrogenesis caused by the loss of β-catenin leads to a long-standing belief in canonical Wnt signaling that determines skeletal cell fate. As β-catenin has other functions, it remains unclear whether skeletogenic lineage commitment is solely orchestrated by canonical Wnt signaling. The study of the Wnt secretion regulator Gpr177/Wntless also raises concerns about current knowledge. Here, we show that skeletal cell fate is determined by β-catenin but independent of LEF/TCF transcription. Genomic and bioinformatic analyses further identify GATA3 as a mediator for the alternative signaling effects. GATA3 alone is sufficient to promote ectopic cartilage formation, demonstrating its essential role in mediating nonclassical β-catenin signaling in skeletogenic lineage specification.
Identification of a Novel Post-transcriptional Transactivator from the Equine Infectious Anemia Virus
Authors: Li Jiwei , Zhang Xiangmin , Bai Bowen , Zhang Mengmeng , Ma Weiwei , Lin Yuezhi , Wang Xiaojun , Wang Xue-Feng
Published: November 2022

Nuclear export of viral transcripts is a crucial step for viral gene expression and viral replication in lentiviruses, and this export is regulated by a post-transcriptional transactivator, Rev, that is shared by all lentiviruses. Here, we report that the equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV) encodes a novel viral protein, Grev, and demonstrated that Grev, like Rev, mediates the expression of the viral protein Mat by binding to the first exon of mat mRNAs via the chromosome region maintenance 1 (CRM1) pathway.
Renal injury in scleromyxoedema due to monoclonal gammopathy associated C3 glomerulonephritis
Authors: Kao Stephanie , Silinsky Krupnikova Sonia D , AlMackenzie Maha , Atefi Gelareh
Published: November 2022

Scleromyxoedema is a rare mucinosis that primarily affects the skin. It is associated with monoclonal gammopathy and has many extracutaneous manifestations, however, renal involvement is rare. We report the case of a woman with monoclonal gammopathy and scleromyxoedema presenting with progressive exertional dyspnoea and acute renal failure. Workup of her renal failure revealed monoclonal gammopathy associated C3 glomerulonephritis. She was treated with intravenous steroids and discharged with plans to pursue annual monoclonal gammopathy laboratory monitoring. Given the rarity of renal scleromyxoedema, careful investigation of extracutaneous manifestations and comorbidities is critical to discern the primary pathological process in patients with scleromyxoedema who develop renal insufficiency.
Identification of frequency modes and spectral content for noise suppression: Cavitation flow over 3-D hydrofoil with sinusoidal leading edge
Authors: Pendar Mohammad-Reza , Alavi Ali , Roohi Ehsan
Published: November 2022

The impetus of this study is to provide an in-depth insight into the unsteady hydrodynamic characteristics of the cavitating flow, effects of the wavy leading edge (WLE) on the noise suppression mechanism due to a cavity cloud formation, which contains condensation, detachment, collapse, spanwise flow, streamwise velocity fluctuation, and shedding phenomenon. NACA 634-021 hydrofoil was considered with WLE having a wavelength of 25% and an amplitude of 5% of the mean chord length and was compared to a straight-leading-edge (SLE) hydrofoil at cavitation numbers of [Formula: see text] and a chord-based Reynolds number of [Formula: see text]. Counter-rotation vortices were produced between the peaks of the WLE hydrofoil by destroying the horseshoe vortex and delaying the tail vortex, changing the frequency. Here, the hydrodynamic forces have also been discussed in addition to the noise. The results showed that the leading-edge vortex formation and flow separation dynamics fundamentally differed between the SLE and the WLE hydrofoil. The main difference between the WLE and SLE hydrofoil turbulent flow is the formation of counter-rotating streamwise vortices pairs. We solved the cavitating flow using the large eddy simulation (LES) approach, as well as the Kunz mass transfer model, which is performed under the framework of the OpenFOAM package.
Improving Vibration Monitoring of Structures Using Theodolites with Built-In Image Sensors
Authors: Fa Guanzhe , Li Ke , Cao Ting
Published: November 2022

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the capabilities of the inexpensive theodolite created by the authors, compared with modern commercial instruments, equipped with a Leica TPS1203 robotic total station with built-in GoPro Hero6 camera image sensors. This theodolite was tested in the laboratory where simulated dynamic displacements were determined. The results of the experimental tests showed that the displacement errors and differences between the simulated displacements of the test machine and those detected by the theodolite were in the range of [Formula: see text][Formula: see text]mm to +0.13[Formula: see text]mm depending on the simulated amplitude. The theodolite was further used in the field for static and dynamic tests of the Wanzhou Railway Bridge, China. Determination of the dynamic motions of the bridge and the results of calculating the natural frequencies from the measurement data are presented. During loading tests of the bridge, the frequencies were also determined by accelerometers and these data were used as a reference to assess the accuracy of the theodolite and its suitability for dynamic tests. An original algorithm was developed in the MATLAB software environment to process the recorded videos, i.e. image processing to determine displacements and natural frequencies. It is demonstrated that the position of the theodolite at a distance of 28.5[Formula: see text]m from the bridge provides the correspondence of one pixel of 0.333[Formula: see text]mm, which provides a high level of accuracy when determining the dynamic vertical displacements of a moving target. It is established that the proposed theodolite will cost less than 5 000 euros. The results obtained are relevant for use in civil engineering for monitoring the amplitude vibrations of structures.
On the equation x2 + dy6 = zp for square-free 1 ≤ d ≤ 20
Authors: Madriaga Franco Golfieri , Pacetti Ariel , Torcomian Lucas Villagra
Published: November 2022

The purpose of this paper is to show how the modular method together with different techniques can be used to prove non-existence of primitive non-trivial solutions of the equation [Formula: see text] for square-free values [Formula: see text]. The key ingredients are: the approach presented in [A. Pacetti and L. V. Torcomian, [Formula: see text]-curves, Hecke characters and some Diophantine equations, Math. Comp. 91(338) (2022) 2817–2865] (in particular its recipe for the space of modular forms to be computed) together with the use of the symplectic method (as developed in [E. Halberstadt and A. Kraus, Courbes de Fermat: Résultats et problèmes, J. Reine Angew. Math. 548 (2002) 167–234], although we give a variant over ramified extensions needed in our applications) to discard solutions and the use of a second Frey curve, aiming to prove large image of residual Galois representations.
Research on the Relationship between Motion Performance and User Experience of Golf Virtual Simulation Putting Simulator
Authors: Zhang Qihua , Li Zhihui , Liu Mingjun
Published: November 2022

This paper designs and develops a virtual golf simulation putting simulator based on the existing computer technology and conducts in-depth research and analysis on the relationship between its motion performance and user experience. The network architecture of the distributed virtual golf simulation system and the scene data management model are established, based on which the server-side system design and the client-side network communication module design of the distributed virtual golf simulation system are carried out. In the requirement analysis, the functional requirements such as building VR scenes, data communication and recognition models, and the non-functional requirements such as system security and ease of use are analyzed; in the outline design, the hardware equipment and logical architecture of the automatic user experience optimization system are described; in the detailed design, the functional modules of the system are designed in detail, including VR induction experience, physiological signal dataset user experience identification, data communication, optimization strategy, and so on, and important class diagrams and flowcharts are given. The intervention effects of positive thinking training on sports performance and improving athletes’ attention and receptivity have been verified and recognized by coaches and athletes. The putting simulator in the experimental class had higher hole-in-hole parameters than the control class, a highly significant difference; the putting simulator in the experimental class had higher hole-in-hole parameters than the control class, with a highly significant difference. These 3D models may contain more detailed information. In a virtual scene, the more detailed information a model contains, the more polygons the model needs, so that the computer needs to draw many polygons per frame, which has a great impact on the real-time performance of scene drawing. The parameters of the 5-yard chip-and-shoot in the experimental class were higher than those in the control class, and there was a very significant difference between the parameters of the 15-yard chip-and-shoot in the experimental class and those in the control class. The experimental results show that the model optimization processing method and rendering acceleration technology proposed in this paper can largely improve the rendering efficiency of 3D virtual scenes.
Molecular Mechanism of the Saposhnikovia divaricata–Angelica dahurica Herb Pair in Migraine Therapy Based on Network Pharmacology and Molecular Docking
Authors: Wu Fengzhen , Liu Jing , Cao Zhengtong , Wang Tianqi , Ye Liang , Zhu Minmin , Wang Zhenguo
Published: November 2022

Objective. This work studied the molecular mechanism of the Saposhnikovia divaricata–Angelica dahurica herb pair (SAHP) in migraine treatment. Methods. The active ingredients of drugs were screened, and potential targets were predicted by the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology (TCMSP), TCMID, ETCM, and other databases. Migraine-related targets were obtained by harnessing the GeneCards, DrugBank, OMIM, TTD, and other databases. The protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was constructed with STRING software by performing a Venn analysis with bioinformatics. Gene Ontology (GO) functional enrichment and the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis were performed with the Metascape platform. The component-target-pathway (C-T-P) network was constructed with Cytoscape 3.7.2 software, and molecular docking was assessed with AutoDockVina software. Results. A total of 183 relevant targets and 39 active ingredients in migraine therapy were obtained from SAHP. The active ingredients and targets were screened according to topological parameters: wogonin, anomalin, imperatorin, prangenin, 2-linoleoylglycerol, and methylenetanshinquinone were identified as key active ingredients. PTGS2, PIK3CA, PIK3CB, PIK3CD, F2, and AR were identified as key targets. The molecular docking results demonstrated high binding activity between the key active ingredients and key targets. A total of 20 important signaling pathways, including neural signaling pathways, calcium signaling pathways, pathways in cancer, cAMP signaling pathways, and PI3K-Akt signaling pathways, were obtained through enrichment analysis. Conclusion. Migraine with SAHP is mainly treated through anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects. The herb pair can be used for migraine using “multicomponent, multitarget, and multipathway” approaches.
The Performance of a New Heuristic Approach for Tracking Maximum Power of PV Systems
Authors: Aripriharta Aripriharta , Wibowo Kusmayanto Hadi , Fadlika Irham , Muladi Muladi , Mufti Nandang , Diantoro Markus , Horng Gwo-Jiun
Published: November 2022

This paper presents a new heuristic method for maximum power point tracking (MPPT) in PV systems under normal and shadowing situations. The proposed method is a modification of the original queen honey bee migration (QHBM) to shorten the computation time for the maximum power point (MPP) in PV systems. QHBM initially uses random target locations to search for targets, in this case, MPP. So, we adjusted it to be able to do MPP point quests quickly. We accelerated the mQHBM learning process from the original randomly. We had fairly compared the mQHBM with several heuristics. Simulations were carried out with 2 scenarios to test the mQHBM. Based on the simulation results, it was found that mQHBM was able to exceed the capabilities of other methods such as original QHBM, particle swarm optimization (PSO) and perturb and observe (P&O), ANN, gray wolf (GWO), and cuckoo search (CS) in terms of MPPT speed and overshoot. However, the accuracy of mQHBM cannot exceed QHBM, ANN, and GWO. But still, mQHBM is better than PSO and P&O by about 15% and 18%, respectively. This experiment resulted in a gap of about 2% faster in speed, 0.34 seconds better in convergence time, and 0.2 fewer accuracies.
Noncontiguous Multifocal Spondylodiscitis in 3 Regions of the Spine
Authors: González Fernando González , Madrid Arturo Aguirre , Pedroza Dizán Mendoza , Solis Abelardo Loya , Aragon Fernando Hernández , Ortiz Nadia Karina Portillo , Nafarrate Edmundo Berumen
Published: November 2022

Spondylodiscitis is an uncommon infectious disease of the spine, usually presenting in 1 or 2 contiguous levels, associated with risk factors such as diabetes, intravenous drugs, corticosteroids, and invasive procedures. The most common presentation is pain with nonspecific systemic manifestations. Diagnosis relies on clinical suspicion, laboratories, and imaging studies. Urgent treatment is important due to the high morbid mortality associated with sepsis or a fulminant disease course. We report the case of a 39-year-old female diagnosed with noncontiguous multifocal spondylodiscitis, in the cervical, thoracic, and lumbar spine. The patient initially presented with back pain, inability to walk and severe neurological deficit in the upper and lower extremities, upon diagnosis broad-spectrum antibiotics were initiated. A staged surgical approach was performed in the 3 spine segments. During the 6 month follow-up, the patient presented walking with assistance, with the recovery of strength in the upper and lower extremities.
Flexible Scheduling Model of Bus Services between Venues of the Beijing Winter Olympic Games
Authors: Zhang Jiahao , Huang Ailing , Jiang Rui , Li Xingang
Published: November 2022

Traditional buses travel on fixed routes and areas, which cannot satisfy the flexible demands of athletes in the context of COVID-19 and the closed-loop traffic management policy during the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games (BWOG). This study predicts the travel demands based on the characteristics of athletes’ daily travel demands and then presents a flexible bus service scheduling model for cross-region scheduling among Beijing, Yanqing, and Zhangjiakou to provide high-level service. The flexible bus service is point-to-point and avoids unnecessary contact, which reduces the risk of spreading COVID-19 and ensures athletes’ safety. In this study, the flexible bus scheduling model is established to optimize scheduling schemes, whose object is to minimize the cost of the system based on some realistic constraints. These constraints consider not only the preferred time windows of athletes’ demand but also the vehicle’s capacity, depot, minimum load factor, total demands, etc. In addition, a genetic-simulated annealing hybrid algorithm (GSAHA) is designed to solve the model based on the characteristics of the genetic algorithm (GA) and simulated annealing. To assess the feasibility and efficiency of the model and algorithm, a case study is conducted in the Beijing-Yanqing area. Furthermore, the travel time of the flexible bus is compared to that of the traditional bus, according to the results of the case study. Moreover, the sensitivity of the model and algorithm are analyzed. The experimental results show that the proposed model and algorithm can dispatch buses with superior flexibility and high-level services during the BWOG.
Analysis of the Clinical Efficacy and Molecular Mechanism of Xuefu Zhuyu Decoction in the Treatment of COPD Based on Meta-Analysis and Network Pharmacology
Authors: Hu Yu , Lan Yunxi , Ran Qiqi , Gan Qianrong , Huang Wei
Published: November 2022

Background. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is becoming a major public health burden worldwide. It is urgent to explore more effective and safer treatment strategy for COPD. Notably, Xuefu Zhuyu Decoction (XFZYD) is widely used to treat respiratory system diseases, including COPD, in China. Objective. This study is aimed at comprehensively evaluating the therapeutic effects and molecular mechanism of XFZYD on COPD. Methods. Original clinical studies were searched from eight literature databases. Meta-analysis was conducted using the Review Manager software (version 5.4.1). Network pharmacology and molecular docking experiments were utilized to explore the mechanisms of action of XFZYD. Results. XFZYD significantly enhanced the efficacy of clinical treatment and improved the pulmonary function and hypoventilation of COPD patients. In addition, XFZYD significantly improved the hypercoagulability of COPD patients. The subgroup analysis suggested that XFZYD exhibited therapeutic effects on both stable and acute exacerbation of COPD. XFZYD exerted its therapeutic effects on COPD through multicomponent, multitarget, and multipathway characteristics. The intervention of the PI3K-AKT pathway may be the critical mechanism. Conclusion. The application of XFZYD based on symptomatic relief and supportive treatment is a promising clinical decision. More preclinical and clinical studies are still needed to evaluate the safety and therapeutic effects of long-term use of XFZYD on COPD.
Hybrid Deep Learning Approaches for sEMG Signal-Based Lower Limb Activity Recognition
Authors: Vijayvargiya Ankit , Singh Bharat , Kumar Rajesh , Desai Usha , Hemanth Jude
Published: November 2022

Lower limb activity recognition utilizing body sensor data has attracted researchers due to its practical applications, such as neuromuscular disease detection and kinesiological investigations. The employment of wearable sensors including accelerometers, gyroscopes, and surface electromyography has grown due to their low cost and broad applicability. Electromyography (EMG) sensors are preferable for automated control of a lower limb exoskeleton or prosthesis since they detect the signal beforehand and allow faster movement detection. The study presents hybrid deep learning models for lower limb activity recognition. Noise is suppressed using discrete wavelet transform, and then the signal is segmented using overlapping windowing. Convolutional neural network is used for temporal learning, whereas long short-term memory or gated recurrent unit is used for sequence learning. After that, performance indices of the models such as accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, and F-score are calculated. The findings indicate that the suggested hybrid model outperforms the individual models.
Artemin Promotes the Migration and Invasion of Cervical Cancer Cells through AKT/mTORC1 Signaling
Authors: Zhu Mengjing , Zhou Ling , Fu Jian , Wang Yijin , Xu Xiaofeng , Wu Jun , Kong Xiangyi , Li Jian , Zhou Zhe , Zhou Huaijun
Published: November 2022

Background. The neurotrophic factor Artemin (ARTN) is involved in tumor proliferation and metastasis. Nonetheless, ARTN’s significance in cervical cancer (CC) has not been studied. In our study, we propose to investigate the biological function of ARTN in CC as well as its particular regulatory mechanism. Methods. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was used to examine the degree of ARTN protein expression in CC patient tissue. Real-time PCR and Western blotting were performed to reveal related genes’ levels in CC cells. The CCK-8 test, the colony formation assay, the wound-healing assay, and the transwell assay were utilized to determine the proliferation, migration, and invasion capabilities, respectively. To generate lung metastasis models, stable ARTN-expressing SiHa cells were injected into the caudal tail vein of mice. IHC was used to examine the protein levels in CC mice model tissues. Results. ARTN was overexpressed in CC tissues relative to normal cervical tissues and linked positively with lymph node metastases (

P
=
0.012

) and recurrence (

P
=
0.015

) in CC patients. In vitro, ARTN overexpression promoted the proliferation, invasion, and migration of CC cells. In contrast, the consequences of depleting endogenous ARTN were the opposite. Moreover, overexpression of ARTN increased lung metastasis of CC cells in vivo and shortened the lifespan of mice models. In addition, ARTN overexpression significantly enhanced AKT phosphorylation on Ser473 and mTOR phosphorylation on Ser2448 and promoted the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) cascade. In addition, rapamycin, a selective inhibitor of mTORC1, might rescue the EMT phenotype caused by ARTN. Conclusion. Our findings suggested that ARTN may enhance CC metastasis through the AKT/mTORC1 pathway. ARTN is anticipated to be a novel potential therapeutic target for the treatment of CC metastases.
Judging the True Health of Finance Institutions Based on Risk Behavior and Operation Performance
Authors: Gu Ruitao , Zhang Qiaoyun , Zhou Wei
Published: November 2022

As the core of the financial system, financial institutions are playing a significant role in financial stability in the process of development; traditional analysis mainly discusses the institution’s revenue of assets. However, the current financial stability system pays more attention to financial institution risk behavior and operational efficiency; to solve the previous two issues, we propose the two-stage model. Firstly, we measure the dynamic financial institution’s risk behavior coefficient based on the volatility and return principle for different institutions. Secondly, according to the cross-efficiency principle, different financial institution operation efficiencies that assimilate risk behavior will be obtained, and the institution risk behavior valve is also given. Finally, we analyze the 31 banks listed in China to verify the validity and applicability of the two-stage model; the model has made a certain theoretical contribution to the financial institution analysis model, especially when we consider the risk behavior and multiple indexes. Therefore, the two-stage model that we built can help investors make a portfolio in banking enterprises; it also can help financial institutions evaluate their risk behavior for making an optimal decision and help government agencies to supervise banks based on their risk behavior.
Studying Same-Sign Top Pair Production through Top-Higgs FCNC Interactions at the HL-LHC
Authors: Ozsimsek O. M. , Ari V. , Cakir O.
Published: November 2022

We investigate the potential of the HL-LHC for discovering new physics effects via the same-sign top pair signatures. We focus on the semileptonic (electron and muon) decay of the top quarks and study the reach for a simplified model approach where top quark flavor changing could occur through a neutral scalar exchange. A relatively smaller background contribution and clean signature are the advantages of the leptonic decay mode of the same-sign

W

bosons in the same-sign production processes of top quark pairs. Assuming the FCNC between top quark, up-type quark, and scalar boson from the new physics interactions, the branchings could be excluded of the order

O

1

0

−
4

. We use angular observables of the same-sign lepton pairs and the top quark kinematics in the process which provide the possibility of separation of new physics signal from the SM backgrounds using machine-learning techniques. We find that the same-sign top quark pair production is quite capable of testing the top-Higgs FCNCs at the HL-LHC.
Development of a Novel Deep Learning-Based Prediction Model for the Prognosis of Operable Cervical Cancer
Authors: Dong Taotao , Wang Linlin , Li Ruowen , Liu Qingqing , Xu Yiyue , Wei Yuan , Jiao Xinlin , Li Xiaofeng , Zhang Yida , Zhang Youzhong , Song Kun , Yang Xingsheng , Cui Baoxia
Published: November 2022

Background. Cervical cancer ranks as the 4th most common female cancer worldwide. Early stage cervical cancer patients can be treated with operation, but clinical staging system is not a good predictor of patients’ survival. We aimed to develop a novel prognostic model to predict the prognosis for operable cervical cancer patients with better accuracy than clinical staging system. Methods. A total of 13,952 operable cervical cancer patients were retrospectively enrolled in this study. The whole dataset was randomly split into a training set (

n
=
9,068

, 65%), validation set (

n
=
2,442

, 17.5%), and testing set (

n
=
2,442

, 17.5%). Cox proportional hazard (CPH) model and random survival forest (RSF) model were used as baseline models for the prediction of overall survival (OS). Then, a deep survival learning model (DSLM) was developed for OS prediction. Finally, a novel prognostic model was explored based on this DSLM. Results. The C-indexes for the CPH and RSF model were 0.731 and 0.753, respectively. DSLM, which had four layers that had 50 neurons in each layer, achieved a C-index of 0.782 in the validation set and a C-index of 0.758 in the testing set. The novel prognostic model based on DSLM showed better performances than the conventional clinical staging system (area under receiver operating curves were 0.826 and 0.689, respectively). Personalized survival curves for individual patient using this novel model also showed notably different survival slopes. Conclusions. Our study developed a novel, practical, personalized prognostic model for operable cervical cancer patients. This novel prognostic model may have the potential to provide a more prognostic information to oncologists.