bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Comparative study on the performance of piezo-active 1–3-type composites with lead-free components
Authors: Isaeva Ashura N. , Topolov Vitaly Yu.
Published: June 2021

Piezoelectric properties and related figures of merit are studied in novel 1–3-type composites based on ferroelectric domain-engineered lead-free single crystal with the relatively large longitudinal piezoelectric coefficient [Formula: see text]. Relationships between the piezoelectric properties and the set of figures of merit are analyzed for the 1–3 and 1–3–0 composites that contain the same single-crystal and polymer components. For a composite characterized by 1–3–0 connectivity, an influence of a porous piezo-passive matrix on the figures of merit and their volume-fraction behavior is considered additionally. A large anisotropy of figures of merit is observed in the 1–3–0 composite with specific porous matrices. A diagram is put forward to show volume-fraction regions of the large anisotropy of figures of merit of the studied 1–3–0 composite. Due to large figures of merit and their considerable anisotropy, the studied lead-free composites can be applied in piezoelectric energy-harvesting systems, sensors, transducers, and so on.
Determining the appropriate sealing conditions through a permeability and groutability evaluation: a case study of the Sivaki Dam, Iran
Authors: Kalantar Hormozi Mohammad Javad , Ghazifard Akbar , Jorkesh Zeinab
Published: June 2021

The Sivaki Dam is an earth dam that is located near Yasuj city, 5.3 km NW of Sepidar village. During excavations at the dam construction site, the high potential of water seepage from the foundation and its abutments has been proven. Some cavities and dissolution have been observed on both sides of the dam, suggesting the possibility of karstification at greater depths. Most of the rocks cropping out in the study area comprise Asmari Limestone. These rock masses, despite their medium–high strength, have provided unfavourable conditions in terms of permeability and weathering. In this study, the foundation and both abutments of the dam were evaluated and analysed to determine the permeability and groutability characteristics. To achieve this goal, the engineering characteristics of the rock mass of the construction site were examined by performing rock mass rating (RMR) and geological strength index (GSI) classifications. The Lugeon test, secondary permeability index (SPI), rock quality designation (RQD) and monitoring hydraulic flows were used for this purpose. According to the results of this study, for abutments of the dam and in the case of alluvial substrates, a grout curtain and cutoff wall, respectively, are the best and most compatible methods available.
About this title - Subsurface Sand Remobilization and Injection
Authors: Silcock S. , Huuse M. , Bowman M. , Hurst A. , Cobain S.
Published: June 2021

Sand injectites form during shallow-crustal deformation. Short periods of elevated pore-fluid pressure, which developed regionally, triggered formation of hydrofracture networks into which sand was sometimes injected. Sand injection complexes preserve a record of this process and sandstone intrusions are significant reservoirs in many petroleum systems. Most known subsurface sand injection complexes are from offshore NW Europe and associated with Paleogene strata. Outcrop occurrence is global. Sand injection into unconventional host rocks, including granitoid and metamorphic basement and coal seams, raises awareness of the breadth of geological environments in which sand injection may occur. Discordance between sandstone intrusions and sedimentary hosts occurs on a scale from millimetres to kilometres and is a fundamental diagnostic of intrusions. Microscale textural characterization provides new opportunities to establish possible additional criteria for differentiating intrusions from depositional sandstone. The significance of sand injection complexes in shallow crustal evolution is exemplified by the wide range of lithological hosts and diverse tectonostratigraphic settings documented in this volume. Potential for original research still remains.
UVLens
Authors: Chen Longbiao , Lu Chenhui , Yuan Fangxu , Jiang Zhihan , Wang Leye , Zhang Daqing , Luo Ruixiang , Fan Xiaoliang , Wang Cheng
Published: June 2021

Urban villages refer to the residential areas lagging behind the rapid urbanization process in many developing countries. These areas are usually with overcrowded buildings, high population density, and low living standards, bringing potential risks of public safety and hindering the urban development. Therefore, it is crucial for urban authorities to identify the boundaries of urban villages and estimate their resident and floating populations so as to better renovate and manage these areas. Traditional approaches, such as field surveys and demographic census, are time consuming and labor intensive, lacking a comprehensive understanding of urban villages. Against this background, we propose a two-phase framework for urban village boundary identification and population estimation. Specifically, based on heterogeneous open government data, the proposed framework can not only accurately identify the boundaries of urban villages from large-scale satellite imagery by fusing road networks guided patches with bike-sharing drop-off patterns, but also accurately estimate the resident and floating populations of urban villages with a proposed multi-view neural network model. We evaluate our method leveraging real-world datasets collected from Xiamen Island. Results show that our framework can accurately identify the urban village boundaries with an IoU of 0.827, and estimate the resident population and floating population with R2 of 0.92 and 0.94 respectively, outperforming the baseline methods. We also deploy our system on the Xiamen Open Government Data Platform to provide services to both urban authorities and citizens.
ShaZam
Authors: Mohammed Noor , Wang Rui , Jackson Robert W. , Noh Yeonsik , Gummeson Jeremy , Lee Sunghoon Ivan
Published: June 2021

In this work, we investigate a wireless power transfer technology that can unobtrusively charge wearable devices while users interact with everyday objects, such as an office desk, laptop, or car. We design and develop our solution, ShaZam, that exploits the human body as a medium to transfer Radio Frequency (RF) energy-carrier signals from minimally-instrumented daily objects to wearable devices. We focus on establishing the technical groundwork of the proposed technology by incorporating the capacitive coupling mechanism, in which the forward signal path is established through the human body, and the return path is established via capacitive coupling to the surrounding environment. To showcase the feasibility of our technology, we investigate three different use scenarios---i.e., interacting with a keyboard on a desk, a laptop, and the steering wheel of a car---to transfer power to a wrist-worn device. Using data obtained from ten healthy individuals within a setting where uncontrolled electromagnetic interference was relatively low, we demonstrate that we can transfer approximately 0.5 mW - 1 mW of DC power to the wrist-worn device. We also investigate several critical environmental and design parameters that could affect the power transfer and offer design guidelines that optimize performance. Our initial results suggest the potential for a new design paradigm towards completely charge-free wearable devices.
Contrastive Predictive Coding for Human Activity Recognition
Authors: Haresamudram Harish , Essa Irfan , Plötz Thomas
Published: June 2021

Feature extraction is crucial for human activity recognition (HAR) using body-worn movement sensors. Recently, learned representations have been used successfully, offering promising alternatives to manually engineered features. Our work focuses on effective use of small amounts of labeled data and the opportunistic exploitation of unlabeled data that are straightforward to collect in mobile and ubiquitous computing scenarios. We hypothesize and demonstrate that explicitly considering the temporality of sensor data at representation level plays an important role for effective HAR in challenging scenarios. We introduce the Contrastive Predictive Coding (CPC) framework to human activity recognition, which captures the temporal structure of sensor data streams. Through a range of experimental evaluations on real-life recognition tasks, we demonstrate its effectiveness for improved HAR. CPC-based pre-training is self-supervised, and the resulting learned representations can be integrated into standard activity chains. It leads to significantly improved recognition performance when only small amounts of labeled training data are available, thereby demonstrating the practical value of our approach. Through a series of experiments, we also develop guidelines to help practitioners adapt and modify the framework towards other mobile and ubiquitous computing scenarios.
Investigating Retention in Passive Haptic Learning of Piano Songs
Authors: Donchev Rumen , Pescara Erik , Beigl Michael
Published: June 2021

Passive haptic learning (PHL) is a phenomenon where one is able to acquire new motor skills through repeated haptic stimuli applied to the body without paying active attention to learning. In the following work, we investigated the retention of passively learned material compared to actively learned material. For the purposes of answering this question, we invited 20 individuals to learn a 10-note sequence actively and a 10-note sequence passively on a piano. The subjects were then tested 3 days later on their remembered material. There was no significant difference between passive and active learning when the subjects played the note sequences from memory. After being cued (auditory and visually) the participants were able to recall the passively learned note sequence significantly better.
FabHandWear
Authors: Paredes Luis , Reddy Sai Swarup , Chidambaram Subramanian , Vagholkar Devashri , Zhang Yunbo , Benes Bedrich , Ramani Karthik
Published: June 2021

Current hand wearables have limited customizability, they are loose-fit to an individual's hand and lack comfort. The main barrier in customizing hand wearables is the geometric complexity and size variation in hands. Moreover, there are different functions that the users can be looking for; some may only want to detect hand's motion or orientation; others may be interested in tracking their vital signs. Current wearables usually fit multiple functions and are designed for a universal user with none or limited customization. There are no specialized tools that facilitate the creation of customized hand wearables for varying hand sizes and provide different functionalities. We envision an emerging generation of customizable hand wearables that supports hand differences and promotes hand exploration with additional functionality. We introduce FabHandWear, a novel system that allows end-to-end design and fabrication of customized functional self-contained hand wearables. FabHandWear is designed to work with off-the-shelf electronics, with the ability to connect them automatically and generate a printable pattern for fabrication. We validate our system by using illustrative applications, a durability test, and an empirical user evaluation. Overall, FabHandWear offers the freedom to create customized, functional, and manufacturable hand wearables.
A Survey and Taxonomy of Electronics Toolkits for Interactive and Ubiquitous Device Prototyping
Authors: Lambrichts Mannu , Ramakers Raf , Hodges Steve , Coppers Sven , Devine James
Published: June 2021

Over the past two decades, many toolkits for prototyping interactive and ubiquitous electronic devices have been developed. Although their technical specifications are often easy to look up, they vary greatly in terms of design, features and target audience, resulting in very real strengths and weaknesses depending on the intended application. These less technical characteristics are often reported inconsistently, if at all. In this paper we provide a comprehensive survey of interactive and ubiquitous device prototyping toolkits, systematically analysing their characteristics within the framework of a new taxonomy that we present. In addition to the specific characteristics we cover, we introduce a way to evaluate toolkits more holistically, covering user needs such as 'ease of construction' and 'ease of moving from prototype to product' rather than features. We also present results from an online survey which offers new insights on how the surveyed users prioritize these characteristics during prototyping, and what techniques they use to move beyond prototyping. We hope our analysis will be valuable for others in the community who need to build and potentially scale out prototypes as part of their research. We end by identifying gaps that have not yet been addressed by existing offerings and discuss opportunities for future research into electronics prototyping toolkits.
LightGuide
Authors: Yang Ciyuan , Xu Shuchang , Yu Tianyu , Liu Guanhong , Yu Chun , Shi Yuanchun
Published: June 2021

Precise and reliable directional feedback is crucial for electronic traveling aids that guide visually impaired people along safe paths. A large proportion of visually impaired people can determine light position using their light perception. This work presents LightGuide, a directional feedback solution that indicates a safe direction of travel via the position of a light within the user's visual field. We prototyped LightGuide using an LED strip attached to the brim of a cap, and conducted three user studies to explore the effectiveness of LightGuide compared to HapticBag, a state-of-the-art baseline solution that indicates directions through on-shoulder vibrations. Results showed that, with LightGuide, participants turned to target directions in place more quickly and smoothly, and navigated along basic and complex paths more efficiently, smoothly, and accurately than HapticBag. Users' subjective feedback implied that LightGuide was easy to learn and intuitive to use. The potential limitations of using LightGuide in real environments are subsequently discussed.
Identifying Mobile Sensing Indicators of Stress-Resilience
Authors: Adler Daniel A. , Tseng Vincent W.-S. , Qi Gengmo , Scarpa Joseph , Sen Srijan , Choudhury Tanzeem
Published: June 2021

Resident physicians (residents) experiencing prolonged workplace stress are at risk of developing mental health symptoms. Creating novel, unobtrusive measures of resilience would provide an accessible approach to evaluate symptom susceptibility without the perceived stigma of formal mental health assessments. In this work, we created a system to find indicators of resilience using passive wearable sensors and smartphone-delivered ecological momentary assessment (EMA). This system identified indicators of resilience during a medical internship, the high stress first-year of a residency program. We then created density estimation approaches to predict these indicators before mental health changes occurred, and validated whether the predicted indicators were also associated with resilience. Our system identified resilience indicators associated with physical activity (step count), sleeping behavior, reduced heart rate, increased mood, and reduced mood variability. Density estimation models were able to replicate a subset of the associations between sleeping behavior, heart rate, and resilience. To the best of our knowledge, this work provides the first methodology to identify and predict indicators of resilience using passive sensing and EMA. Researchers studying resident mental health can apply this approach to design resilience-building interventions and prevent mental health symptom development.
Flexible Computing for Intermittent Energy
Authors: Switzer Jennifer
Published: June 2021

How flexible computing can help speed the adoption of inflexible renewables.
An Upcycled IoT
Authors: Williams Kristin , Hammer Jessica , Hudson Scott E.
Published: June 2021

An upcycled approach uses everyday objects as design material for IoT systems by enabling users to make their “dumb” objects “smart.” Adopting this approach, IoT Codex realizes a new socially informed, context-aware computing and end-user programming.
An Interview with Owen McCall from TREECYCLE
Authors: Li Jiayi , Wang Yingfei
Published: June 2021

Is cryptocurrency necessarily energy-consuming? Can we use blockchain to facilitate sustainable development? This interview presents insights into an investment project rooted in sustainability, bridging finance and ecology.
Reading: The Confluence of Vision and Language
Authors: Yeatman Jason D. , White Alex L.
Published: June 2021

The scientific study of reading has a rich history that spans disciplines from vision science to linguistics, psychology, cognitive neuroscience, neurology, and education. The study of reading can elucidate important general mechanisms in spatial vision, attentional control, object recognition, and perceptual learning, as well as the principles of plasticity and cortical topography. However, literacy also prompts the development of specific neural circuits to process a unique and artificial stimulus. In this review, we describe the sequence of operations that transforms visual features into language, how the key neural circuits are sculpted by experience during development, and what goes awry in children for whom learning to read is a struggle.
The Prediction of Pile Foundation Buried Depth Based on BP Neural Network Optimized by Quantum Particle Swarm Optimization
Authors: Yin Fei , Hao Yong , Xiao Taoli , Shao Yan , Yuan Man
Published: June 2021

Due to the fluctuation of the bearing stratum and the distinct properties of the soil layer, the buried depth of the pile foundation will differ from each other as well. In practical construction, since the designed pile length is not definitely consistent with the actual pile length, masses of piles will be required to be cut off or supplemented, resulting in huge cost waste and potential safety hazards. Accordingly, the prediction of pile foundation buried depth is of great significance in construction engineering. In this paper, a nonlinear model based on coordinates and buried depth of piles was established by the BP neural network to predict the samples to be evaluated, the consequence of which indicated that the BP neural network was easily trapped in local extreme value, and the error reached 31%. Afterwards, the QPSO algorithm was proposed to optimize the weights and thresholds of the BP network, which showed that the minimum error of QPSO‐BP was merely 9.4% in predicting the depth of bearing stratum and 2.9% in predicting the buried depth of pile foundation. Besides, this paper compared QPSO‐BP with three other robust models referred to as FWA‐BP, PSO‐BP, and BP by three statistical tests (RMSE, MAE, and MAPE). The accuracy of the QPSO‐BP algorithm was the highest, which demonstrated the superiority of QPSO‐BP in practical engineering.
Effects of Upstream Component and Air Injection on Water Droplet Impingement Characteristics for Downstream Surfaces
Authors: Shen Xiaobin , Tan Yundan , Yu Rendong , Liu Xiaochuan , Lin Guiping , Xu Zhiqiang , Guo Yuandong
Published: June 2021

Water droplet changes its movement direction and velocity when it bypasses an aircraft component with the surrounding airflow or gets blown by air injection from the inner part. When the deflected droplet impacts on the downstream surface, its impingement characteristics would be different from those without the frontal effects. In this article, a Lagrangian method was developed to include those upstream effects on the droplet collection efficiency. Validation cases were carried out for a cylinder and an MS (1)-0317 airfoil, whereas a multielement airfoil and an engine cone with a hot air film-heating anti-icing system were computed to investigate the effects of the upstream component and air injection on the impingement characteristics of downstream surfaces. It is found that the present collection efficiencies are in good agreement with the experimental data and the simulation results obtained by the Eulerian and traditional Lagrangian methods when not affected by those upstream factors. The droplet deflections and trajectory crossings are observed clearly under the influence of the upstream component, and the Lagrangian results of downstream surfaces differ from those of the Eulerian method. In addition, due to the air injection from the inner engine cone, the peak collection efficiency on the cone surface increases with the decrease of the droplet diameter and the value even exceeds one when the droplet is small. This work is helpful for the understanding of the droplet motion and the accuracy of aircraft icing simulation.
Concrete Crack Detection Algorithm Based on Deep Residual Neural Networks
Authors: Meng Xiuying
Published: June 2021

Crack is the early expression form of the concrete pavement disease. Early discovery and treatment of it can play an important role in the maintenance of the pavement. With ongoing advancements in computer hardware technology, continual optimization of deep learning algorithms, as compared to standard digital image processing algorithms, utilizing automation of crack detection technology has a deep learning algorithm that is more exact. As a result of the benefits of greater robustness, the study of concrete pavement crack picture has become popular. In view of the poor effect and weak generalization ability of traditional image processing technology on image segmentation of concrete cracks, this paper studies the image segmentation algorithm of concrete cracks based on convolutional neural network and designs an end-to-end segmentation model based on ResNet101. It integrates more low-level features, which make the fracture segmentation results more refined and closer to the practical application scenarios. Compared with other methods, the algorithm in this paper has achieved higher detection accuracy and generalization ability.
MiR-466 Inhibits the Progression of Severe Hepatocellular Carcinoma via Regulating FMNL2-Mediated Activation of NF-κB and Wnt/β-Catenin Pathways
Authors: Li Jianwei , Yan Su
Published: June 2021

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has threatened the health of humans, and some evidence has indicated that miR-466 involves the progressions of some cancers. This study focused on the role of miR-466 in the formation and development of HCC. The expression levels of miR-466 in the tissues of patients and HCC cell lines were measured by qRT-PCR, and CCK-8, transwell assay, and flow cytometry assay were used to observe the functions of miR-466 on the HCC cells. Moreover, the miRNA databases, dual-luciferase reporter assay, and Western blot were used for the investigation of the regulation mechanism of miR-466 on HCC cells. The results showed that miR-466 was significantly downregulated in HCC tissues and cell lines, and inhibited proliferation, invasion, and high apoptosis were found in HCC cells when miR-466 was overexpressed. The results confirmed that FMNL2 was a target of miR-466, and increased FMNL2 could reverse the effects of miR-466 on the phenotype of HCC cells. Besides, it was also found that miR-466 was involved in the regulation of NF-κB and Wnt/β-catenin pathways in HCC cells via targeting FMNL2. In conclusion, the results of this study suggest that miR-466 regulates the activities of NF-κB and Wnt/β-catenin pathways to inhibit the progression of HCC cells via targeting FMNL2.
Sludge Formation Analysis in Hydraulic Oil of Load Haul Dumper 811MK V Machine Running at Elevated Temperatures for Bioenergy Applications
Authors: Siddiqui MohdAhteshamHussain , Pal Sandeep K , Dewangan Nagesh , Chattopadhyaya Somnath , Sharma Shubham , Nekoonam Saeed , Issakhov Alibek
Published: June 2021

Hydraulic oil degrades expediently during operating at elevated temperatures, and due to oil degradation, malfunction of all hydraulic components starts that hampers the hydraulic functioning of the machine. An inefficient component of the hydraulic system converts useful energy into heat. Overheating starts when the rate of heat energy escaping from the system overcomes the rate of heat dissipation. Viscosity, total acidic number (TAN), rheology, and FTIR analyses were carried out on the oil samples collected chronically, and the reasons for degradation and sludge formation were evaluated; the results showed that thermal cracking resistance capacity of the oil was low due to the imbalance percentage of additives in the base oil. Sludge impaired the system efficiency and prejudicially creates repercussions on power consumption. Sludge can be recycled for biofuel and to avoid imbalance in the ecosystem. The test result is plotted in a 3D view graph using the MATLAB R 2019 software for a better explanation. Variation in the behaviour of the hydraulic fluid with respect to time, temperature, shear stress, and shear rate was studied, and the result is validated with correlation and regression analyses.
M
-Breather, Lumps, and Soliton Molecules for the

2
+
1

-Dimensional Elliptic Toda Equation
Authors: Jia Yuechen , Lu Yu , Yu Miao , Gegen Hasi
Published: June 2021

The

2
+
1

-dimensional elliptic Toda equation is a higher dimensional generalization of the Toda lattice and also a discrete version of the Kadomtsev-Petviashvili-1 (KP1) equation. In this paper, we derive the

M

-breather solution in the determinant form for the

2
+
1

-dimensional elliptic Toda equation via Bäcklund transformation and nonlinear superposition formulae. The lump solutions of the

2
+
1

-dimensional elliptic Toda equation are derived from the breather solutions through the degeneration process. Hybrid solutions composed of two line solitons and one breather/lump are constructed. By introducing the velocity resonance to the

N

-soliton solution, it is found that the

2
+
1

-dimensional elliptic Toda equation possesses line soliton molecules, breather-soliton molecules, and breather molecules. Based on the

N

-soliton solution, we also demonstrate the interactions between a soliton/breather-soliton molecule and a lump and the interaction between a soliton molecule and a breather. It is interesting to find that the KP1 equation does not possess a line soliton molecule, but its discrete version—the

2
+
1

-dimensional elliptic Toda equation—exhibits line soliton molecules.
A Case of Hypersexuality in a Patient Receiving Aripiprazole for Schizophrenia
Authors: Priya Lakshmi , Moorthy Bini
Published: June 2021

Aripiprazole is an antipsychotic with partial agonist activity at the dopamine D2 receptor which may lead to compulsive behaviors including hypersexuality. The case presented is of a 24-year-old male with schizophrenia who developed hypersexuality symptoms after initiation of aripiprazole. Cessation of the aripiprazole led to a reduction in hypersexual behaviors. Clinicians should be aware of compulsive behaviors including hypersexuality with aripiprazole use and consider discontinuation of aripiprazole treatment in patients suffering from hypersexuality.
Decoding of Motor Coordination Imagery Involving the Lower Limbs by the EEG‐Based Brain Network
Authors: Fu Yunfa , Zhou Zhouzhou , Gong Anmin , Qian Qian , Su Lei , Zhao Lei
Published: June 2021

Compared with the efficacy of traditional physical therapy, a new therapy utilizing motor imagery can induce brain plasticity and allows partial recovery of motor ability in patients with hemiplegia after stroke. Here, we proposed an updated paradigm utilizing motor coordination imagery involving the lower limbs (normal gait imagery and hemiplegic gait imagery after stroke) and decoded such imagery via an electroencephalogram‐ (EEG‐) based brain network. Thirty subjects were recruited to collect EEGs during motor coordination imagery involving the lower limbs. Time‐domain analysis, power spectrum analysis, time‐frequency analysis, brain network analysis, and statistical analysis were used to explore the neural mechanisms of motor coordination imagery involving the lower limbs. Then, EEG‐based brain network features were extracted, and a support vector machine was used for decoding. The results showed that the two employed motor coordination imageries mainly activated sensorimotor areas; the frequency band power was mainly concentrated within theta and alpha bands, and brain functional connections mainly occurred in the right forehead. The combination of the network attributes of the EEG‐based brain network and the spatial features of the adjacency matrix had good separability for the two kinds of gait imagery (p < 0.05), and the average classification accuracy of the combination feature was 92.96% ± 7.54%. Taken together, our findings suggest that brain network features can be used to identify normal gait imagery and hemiplegic gait imagery after stroke.
Frequency and Time-Domain Comparison between LCL and LLCL Filters for a Grid-Connected Inverter Using Selective Harmonic Modulation
Authors: Chakroun Rawia , Ben Ayed Ramzi , Derbel Nabil
Published: June 2021

This paper shows a comparison between the analytical design of a photovoltaic power station filter and a real-case filter. Indeed, the analytical filter considered in the design phase is an LCL filter, while the real case is an LLCL filter. This difference could impact the current harmonics rejected on the grid and breaks grid codes. The main objective of this study is to maximize the power injected into the network while respecting the harmonic rejection standards in force, namely, G5/4, French decree of 2008, and IEEE 519 standards, by adopting a current control design to improve the performance of a grid-connected three-phase inverter, which is regarded as the central component in a photovoltaic production system. The selective harmonic modulation strategy (SHM) is a common technique to achieve this goal. For that, a frequency and a time-domain comparison for a grid-connected inverter using both filters have been highlighted. Simulation results confirm the excellent transient behavior of both filter topologies and the advantage to consider the flexibility of LLCL filter when combined with SHM strategy. This manuscript is an extension of an earlier version of “Comparison between LCL and LLCL Filters for a Grid Connected Inverter Using Selective Harmonic Modulation.”
Existence for Time-Fractional Semilinear Diffusion Equation on the Sphere
Authors: Phuong N. D. , Binh Ho Duy , Van Ho Thi Kim , Long Le Dinh
Published: June 2021

Fractional diffusion on the sphere plays a large role in the study of physical phenomena customs and meteorology and geophysics. In this paper, we examine two types of the sphere problem: the initial value problem and the end value problem. We are interested in focus on the solution existence in a local or global form. In order to overcome difficult evaluations when evaluating, we need some new techniques. The main analytical tool is the use of the Banach fixed point theorem.
The Influence of Walking Height and Width on the Gait
Authors: Ma Heng , Min Yuanwen , Wu Fangfang , Gao Xianglin , Ma Xiujuan , Yao Jie , Ma Chao , Li Xiaoliu
Published: June 2021

Walking stability is an important factor that is related to working accidents at height. The understanding of the relationship between walking stability and walking conditions remains an unmet need. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the effect of path height, width, and asymmetric conditions on the pressure and time information of the foot-ground interaction during walking. 12 subjects were required to walk at two height, three width, and asymmetric conditions. Plantar pressures during walking were measured with the F-scan insole sensors. The total pressures were normalized with body weight, and the temporal parameters were normalized with stance time. When the walking height increased, the plantar pressure at the “heel strike” phase did not change significantly, while that at “heel rise” and “toe off” phases significantly increased, and the “heel rise” occurred earlier, indicating a greater foot-ground interaction at the forefoot part of the sole. As the path width increased from 0.6 m to 1.2 m, the foot-ground interaction as well as the asymmetric effect approached to that of overground walking. The findings could help improve the risk assessment and footwear design.
Identifying a Serum Exosomal-Associated lncRNA/circRNA-miRNA-mRNA Network in Coronary Heart Disease
Authors: Mao Jia , Zhou Yufei , Lu Licheng , Zhang Ping , Ren Runhua , Wang Yaqiong , Wang Jing
Published: June 2021

Background. Accumulating evidence supports the importance of noncoding RNAs and exosomes in coronary heart disease (CHD). However, exosomal-associated competing endogenous RNA- (ceRNA-) mediated regulatory mechanisms in CHD are largely unexplored. The present study aimed to explore exosomal-associated ceRNA networks in CHD. Methods. Data from 6 CHD patients and 32 normal controls were downloaded from the ExoRBase database. CHD and normal controls were compared by screening differentially expressed mRNAs (DEMs), lncRNAs (DELs), and circRNAs (DECs) in serum exosomes. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) targeting DEMs were predicted using the Targetscan and miRanda databases, and miRNAs targeted by DELs and DECs were predicted using the miRcode and starBase databases, respectively. The biological functions and related signaling pathways of DEMs were analyzed using the David and KOBAS databases. Subsequently, a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was established to screen out on which hub genes enrichment analyses should be performed, and a ceRNA network (lncRNA/circRNA-miRNA-mRNA) was constructed to elucidate ceRNA axes in CHD. Results. A total of 312 DEMs, 43 DELs, and 85 DECs were identified between CHD patients and normal controls. Functional enrichment analysis showed that DEMs were significantly enriched in “chromatin silencing at rDNA,” “telomere organization,” and “negative regulation of gene expression, epigenetic.” PPI network analysis showed that 25 hub DEMs were closely related to CHD, of which ubiquitin C (UBC) was the most important. Hub genes were mainly enriched in “cellular protein metabolic process” functions. The exosomal-associated ceRNA regulatory network incorporated 48 DEMs, 73 predicted miRNAs, 10 DELs, and 15 DECs. The LncRNA/circRNA-miRNA-mRNA interaction axes (RPL7AP11/hsa-miR-17-5p/UBC and RPL7AP11/hsa-miR-20b-5p/UBC) were obtained from the network. Conclusions. Our findings provide a novel perspective on the potential role of exosomal-associated ceRNA network regulation of the pathogenesis of CHD.
Potential Functions of the BMP Family in Bone, Obesity, and Glucose Metabolism
Authors: Chen Yao , Ma Bingwei , Wang Xingchun , Zha Xiaojuan , Sheng Chunjun , Yang Peng , Qu Shen
Published: June 2021

Characteristic bone metabolism was observed in obesity and diabetes with controversial conclusions. Type 2 diabetes (T2DM) and obesity may manifest increased bone mineral density. Also, obesity is more easily to occur in T2DM. Therefore, we infer that some factors may be linked to bone and obesity as well as glucose metabolism, which regulate all of them. Bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs), belonging to the transforming growth factor- (TGF-) beta superfamily, regulate a diverse array of cellular functions during development and in the adult. More and more studies revealed that there exists a relationship between bone metabolism and obesity as well as glucose metabolism. BMP2, BMP4, BMP6, BMP7, and BMP9 have been shown to affect the pathophysiological process of obesity and glucose metabolism beyond bone metabolism. They may exert functions in adipogenesis and differentiation as well as insulin resistance. In the review, we summarize the literature on these BMPs and their association with metabolic diseases including obesity and diabetes.
An Investigation of the Antigastric Cancer Effect in Tumor Microenvironment of Radix Rhei Et Rhizome: A Network Pharmacology Study
Authors: Wang Xinmiao , Zhu Guanghui , Yang Haoyu , Gao Ruike , Wu Zhe , Zhang Ying , Zhu Xiaoyu , Zhang Xiaoxiao , Li Jie
Published: June 2021

Background. Tumor microenvironment (TME) takes a vital effect on the occurrence and development of cancer. Radix Rhei Et Rhizome (RRER, Da-Huang in pinyin), a classical Chinese herb, has been widely used in gastric cancer (GC) for many years in China. However, inadequate systematic studies have focused on the anti-GC effect of RRER in TME. This study intended to uncover the mechanism of it by network pharmacology. Methods. We collected compounds and targets of RRER from traditional Chinese medicine system pharmacology database and analysis platform (TCMSP) and SwissTargetPrediction. GC targets were obtained from GeneCards. Protein-protein interaction (PPI) network and RRER-GC-target network were built by STRING and Cytoscape 3.2.1. Furthermore, Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis were performed using Database for Annotation, Visualization, and Integrated Discovery (DAVID). Results. We obtained 92 compounds of RRER. A total of 10 key compounds and 20 key targets were selected by “RRER-GC-target network” topological analysis. GO analysis showed that the biological process mainly involved in response to the tumor necrosis factor, positive regulation of fibroblast proliferation, and DNA damage response, signal transduction by p53 class mediator resulting in cell cycle arrest. Molecular functions included cyclin-dependent protein serine/threonine kinase activity, RNA polymerase II transcription factor activity, ligand-activated sequence-specific DNA binding, and transmembrane receptor protein tyrosine kinase activity. Cellular components mainly were centrosome, cell surface, and membrane. KEGG pathway enrichment results mainly involved in the p53 signaling pathway, estrogen signaling pathway, and regulation of lipolysis in adipocytes. Conclusion. This study explored the anti-GC mechanism of RRER from the perspective of TME based on network pharmacology, which contributed to the development and application of RRER.
A Modified Conjugate Gradient Method for Solving Large-Scale Nonlinear Equations
Authors: Guan Hongbo , Wang Sheng
Published: June 2021

In this paper, we propose a modified Polak–Ribière–Polyak (PRP) conjugate gradient method for solving large-scale nonlinear equations. Under weaker conditions, we show that the proposed method is globally convergent. We also carry out some numerical experiments to test the proposed method. The results show that the proposed method is efficient and stable.
The Impact of Socioeconomic Determinants on the Quality of Life of Moroccan Breast Cancer Survivors Diagnosed Two Years Earlier at the National Institute of Oncology in Rabat
Authors: Ismaili Rachid , Loukili Leila , Mimouni Hind , Haouachim Imane EL , Hilali Abderraouf , Haddou Rahou Bouchra , Bekkali Rachid , Nejmeddine Ahmed
Published: June 2021

Introduction. The objective of this study was to investigate the impact of socioeconomic determinants on the quality of life of Moroccan women with breast cancer two years after their diagnosis who are followed up at the National Institute of Oncology (INO) in Rabat. Methods. This is a cross-sectional study that was conducted between May 2019 and September 2020. The sample size was 304 women. Data were collected using the EORTC QLQ-C30 and EORTC QLQ-BR 23 questionnaires in the Moroccan dialect. Results. The mean age of participants was 53.5 ± 12.4 years, where the majority resided in urban areas and more than half were illiterate. Moreover, three-quarters of the survivors were not working, and almost all have basic medical coverage. Nearly one-third of the respondents had experienced discrimination from those around them, and nearly half attributed the decrease in income to their state of health. In addition, 38.2 percent of participants stated that they had great difficulty living on their monthly income after the illness, whereas more than half of the survivors had a good quality of life in terms of overall health (GHS/QOL). Besides, social function obtained the highest score, while emotional function obtained the lowest score. Furthermore, financial difficulty was the most distressing symptom. Indeed, income adjustment after the disease, discrimination, distance between home and treatment center, professional status, and medical coverage were correlated with GHS/QOL. Regression analysis revealed that income adjustment after illness and discrimination were significant predictors of GHS/QOL. Conclusion. The data suggest establishing a financial support program and the development of education and awareness-raising policies to combat discrimination.
Theoretical Analysis of Bulletproof Capability of Multilayer Ceramic Composites Subjected to Impact by an Armor Piercing Projectile
Authors: Chen Yu-Liang , Huang Wen-Kuan , Yeh Jau-Nan
Published: June 2021

Inspired by the theories of Tate and Zaera, a theoretical analysis model including the erosion of the projectile, the cracking of ceramic composites, and the deformation of metal backplate was established in this study to investigate the bulletproof capability of the ceramic composites under impact by an armor piecing projectile (AP). The analysis results were verified by ballistic tests. As for the ceramic composites, the volume of the cracked ceramic conoid and the change in the compressive strength were included. Regarding the deformation of the metal backplate, the plastic deformation work, the external work, and the conservation of kinetics were considered. Based on the thickness of the target plate, failure modes were separated into the plug type and the petal type. The ordinary differential equation solver of MATLAB, ode45, was adopted to solve relevant ordinary differential equations. In this study, the powder metallurgy was used to produce the Al2O3/ZrO2 multilayered ceramic composites of three layers; each layer was 3 mm in thickness. The ceramic composites were paired with a backplate made of 6061‐T6 aluminum alloy with a thickness of either 1 mm or 4 mm. The ballistic tests were executed by using 0.30″ AP projectiles to impact the specimens. The results from theoretical model and ballistic tests were compared and shown consistent in the field of residual velocity, residual bullet mass, and the failure modes of the metal backplate.
Roadside Unit Deployment Mechanism Based on Node Popularity
Authors: Mao Ming , Yi Peng , Zhang Zhen , Wang Liang , Pei Jinchuan
Published: June 2021

Internet of Vehicles (IoV) can significantly improve the driving conditions of vehicles, but the mobility characteristics of vehicles put forward higher requirements for the robustness of the IoV system. As an important component of the IoV, the deployment of RoadSide Unit (RSU) directly influences the service performance of the IoV system to vehicles, and reasonable RSU deployment can save resource costs and improve system operating efficiency. This paper proposes an RSU deployment mechanism based on the popularity of road intersections, which uses three traffic parameters, vehicle contact time, intersection connectivity, and intersection coverage capacity, as the main reference indicators. Meanwhile, an improved hotspot discovery algorithm (IHDA) is utilized to introduce inhibition distance during deployment to reduce interference between RSUs. The simulation results demonstrate that, compared with the existing typical deployment methods, this program can improve the coverage time ratio and the contacts of vehicles per trip.
On Modifications of the Gamma Function by Using Mittag-Leffler Function
Authors: Tassaddiq Asifa , Alruban Abdulrahman
Published: June 2021

Mittag-Leffler function is a natural generalization of the exponential function. Recent applications of Mittag-Leffler function have reshaped the scientific literature due to its fractional effects that cannot be obtained by using exponential function. Present motivation is to define a new special function by modification in the original gamma function with Mittag-Leffler function. Properties of this modified function are discussed by investigating a new series representation involving delta function. Hence, the results are also validated with the earlier obtained results for gamma function as special cases. Furthermore, the new function is used to generate a probability density function, and its statistical properties are explored. Similar properties of existing distributions can be deduced.
Spectral-Spatial Hyperspectral Image Semisupervised Classification by Fusing Maximum Noise Fraction and Adaptive Random Multigraphs
Authors: Chen Eryang , Chang Ruichun , Shi Kaibo , Ye Ansheng , Miao Fang , Yuan Jianghong , Guo Ke , Wei Youhua , Li Yiping
Published: June 2021

Hyperspectral images (HSIs) contain large amounts of spectral and spatial information, and this provides the possibility for ground object classification. However, when using the traditional method, achieving a satisfactory classification result is difficult because of the insufficient labeling of samples in the training set. In addition, parameter adjustment during HSI classification is time-consuming. This paper proposes a novel fusion method based on the maximum noise fraction (MNF) and adaptive random multigraphs for HSI classification. Considering the overall spectrum of the object and the correlation of adjacent bands, the MNF was utilized to reduce the spectral dimension. Next, a multiscale local binary pattern (LBP) analysis was performed on the MNF dimension-reduced data to extract the spatial features of different scales. The obtained multiscale spatial features were then stacked with the MNF dimension-reduced spectral features to form multiscale spectral-spatial features (SSFs), which were sent into the RMG for HSI classification. Optimal performance was obtained by fusion. For all three real datasets, our method achieved competitive results with only 10 training samples. More importantly, the classification parameters corresponding to different hyperspectral data can be automatically optimized using our method.
ATR Inhibition Induces CDK1–SPOP Signaling and Enhances Anti–PD-L1 Cytotoxicity in Prostate Cancer
Authors: Tang Zhe , Pilié Patrick G. , Geng Chuandong , Manyam Ganiraju C. , Yang Guang , Park Sanghee , Wang Daoqi , Peng Shan , Wu Cheng , Peng Guang , Yap Timothy A. , Corn Paul G. , Broom Bradley M. , Thompson Timothy C.
Published: June 2021

Purpose:

Despite significant benefit for other cancer subtypes, immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) therapy has not yet been shown to significantly improve outcomes for men with castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). Prior data have shown that DNA damage response (DDR) deficiency, via genetic alteration and/or pharmacologic induction using DDR inhibitors (DDRi), may improve ICB response in solid tumors in part due to induction of mitotic catastrophe and innate immune activation. Discerning the underlying mechanisms of this DDRi–ICB interaction in a prostate cancer–specific manner is vital to guide novel clinical trials and provide durable clinical responses for men with CRPC.

Experimental Design:

We treated prostate cancer cell lines with potent, specific inhibitors of ATR kinase, as well as with PARP inhibitor, olaparib. We performed analyses of cGAS–STING and DDR signaling in treated cells, and treated a syngeneic androgen-indifferent, prostate cancer model with combined ATR inhibition and anti–programmed death ligand 1 (anti–PD-L1), and performed single-cell RNA sequencing analysis in treated tumors.

Results:

ATR inhibitor (ATRi; BAY1895433) directly repressed ATR–CHK1 signaling, activated CDK1–SPOP axis, leading to destabilization of PD-L1 protein. These effects of ATRi are distinct from those of olaparib, and resulted in a cGAS–STING-initiated, IFN-β–mediated, autocrine, apoptotic response in CRPC. The combination of ATRi with anti–PD-L1 therapy resulted in robust innate immune activation and a synergistic, T-cell–dependent therapeutic response in our syngeneic mouse model.

Conclusions:

This work provides a molecular mechanistic rationale for combining ATR-targeted agents with immune checkpoint blockade for patients with CRPC. Multiple early-phase clinical trials of this combination are underway.
Editorial
Authors: Silva Márcia Regina da
Published: June 2021

InCID: Revista de Ciência da Informação e da Documentação, Ribeirão Preto, v. 12, n. 1, mar./ago. 2021.