bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Robustification Through Minimax Dynamic Programing and Its Implication for Hybrid Vehicle Energy Management Strategies
Authors: Mallon Kevin R. , Assadian Francis
Published: February 2021

Hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) control strategies are often designed around specific driving conditions. However, when driving conditions differ from the designed conditions, HEV performance can suffer. This paper develops a novel HEV energy management strategy (EMS) that is robust to uncertain driving conditions by augmenting a stochastic dynamic programing (SDP) controller with minimax dynamic programing (MDP). This combination of MDP and SDP has not previously been studied in the literature. The stochastic element uses a Markov chain model to represent driver behavior and is used to optimize the control for expected future driver behavior. The minimax element instead optimizes against potential worst-case (maximal cost) future driver behavior. The resulting EMS can be directly implemented on a vehicle. This method is demonstrated on a series hybrid electric bus model. Robustness to uncertain driving conditions is tested by simulating on a variety of heavy-duty vehicle drive cycles that differ from the drive cycle on which the EMS was trained. A single tuning parameter is used to balance the stochastic and minimax elements of the EMS, and a parametric study shows the effects of this tuning parameter. It was found that using minimax control could increase the vehicle fuel economy on multiple uncertain driving conditions, with a tradeoff of decreased fuel economy when the driving conditions match the designed conditions. That is, it offers an exchange of performance on the nominal driving conditions for performance on uncertain driving conditions.
The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on US College Students’ Physical Activity and Mental Health
Authors: Wilson Oliver W.A. , Holland Kelsey E. , Elliott Lucas D. , Duffey Michele , Bopp Melissa
Published: February 2021

Background: Investigating the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on both physical activity (PA) and mental health is important to demonstrate the need for interventions. This study examined the apparent impact of the pandemic on college students’ PA, perceived stress, and depressive symptoms. Methods: From 2015 through 2020, data were collected at the beginning and end of the spring semester at a large Northeastern US university via an online survey assessing student demographics, PA, perceived stress, and depressive symptoms. Mixed ANOVA examined differences in PA and mental health changes over the spring semester between “normal” and COVID-19 circumstances. Two-way ANOVA examined the interaction between circumstance and changes in PA in relation to changes in mental health. Results: Participants (n = 1019) were predominately women and non-Hispanic white. There was a significant decline in PA and an increase in perceived stress under COVID-19, but not normal, circumstances and a significant increase in depressive symptoms under COVID-19, but not normal, circumstances among women. Conclusions: A significant decline in PA and mental health among college students occurred under COVID-19 circumstances, and PA did not appear to protect against deterioration in mental health. Proactive and innovative policies, programs, and practices to promote student health and well-being must be explored immediately.
Plant evolution driven by interactions with symbiotic and pathogenic microbes
Authors: Delaux Pierre-Marc , Schornack Sebastian
Published: February 2021

New pathways in plants and microbes

Plants and microbes have interacted through evolution in ways that shaped diversity and helped plants colonize land. Delaux and Schornack review how insights from a range of plant and algal genomes reveal sustained use through evolution of ancient gene modules as well as emergence of lineage-specific specializations. Mosses, liverworts, and hornworts have layered innovation onto existing pathways to build new microbial interactions. Such innovations may be transferrable to crop plants with an eye toward building a more sustainable agriculture.

Science
, this issue p.
eaba6605
High-entropy-stabilized chalcogenides with high thermoelectric performance
Authors: Jiang Binbin , Yu Yong , Cui Juan , Liu Xixi , Xie Lin , Liao Jincheng , Zhang Qihao , Huang Yi , Ning Shoucong , Jia Baohai , Zhu Bin , Bai Shengqiang , Chen Lidong , Pennycook Stephen J. , He Jiaqing
Published: February 2021

Distorted thermal properties

Thermoelectric devices can convert waste heat into electricity, providing one path for improving energy efficiency. Jiang
et al.
leveraged entropy engineering to synthesize a single-phase high-entropy alloy with attractive thermoelectric properties. By increasing the number of elements in the alloy, the resulting disorder helps to stabilize against breakdown into multiple phases. The disordered and distorted crystal lattice suppresses thermal transport while maintaining the electrical properties, which boosts the heat-conversion efficiency of the material.

Science
, this issue p.
830
Azole Resistance Mechanisms in Pathogenic Malassezia furfur
Authors: Leong Cheryl , Chan Joel Wai Kit , Lee Shi Mun , Lam Yuen In , Goh Joleen P. Z. , Ianiri Giuseppe , Dawson Thomas L.
Published: February 2021

Malassezia
spp. are emerging fungal pathogens causing opportunistic skin and severe systemic infection. Nosocomial outbreaks are associated with azole resistance, and understanding of the underlying mechanisms is limited to knowledge of other fungal species.
Dietary Inulin Increases
Lactiplantibacillus plantarum
Strain Lp900 Persistence in Rats Depending on the Dietary-Calcium Level
Authors: Fuhren Jori , Schwalbe Markus , Rösch Christiane , Nijland Reindert , Wels Michiel , Schols Henk A. , Kleerebezem Michiel
Published: February 2021

Synbiotics combine probiotics with prebiotics to synergistically elicit a health benefit in the consumer. Previous studies have shown that prebiotics can selectively stimulate the growth in the intestine of specific bacterial strains.
Prevalence of
Listeria
Species on Food Contact Surfaces in Washington State Apple Packinghouses
Authors: Ruiz-Llacsahuanga Blanca , Hamilton Alexis , Zaches Robyn , Hanrahan Ines , Critzer Faith
Published: February 2021

Since 2014, fresh apples have been linked to outbreaks and recalls associated with postharvest cross-contamination with the foodborne pathogen
L. monocytogenes
. These situations drive both public health burden and economic loss and underscore the need for continued scrutiny of packinghouse management to eliminate potential
Listeria
spp. niches.
Successful treatment of a complex malignant pleural effusion with 1 mg alteplase instilled through a non-draining indwelling pleural catheter
Authors: Nik Abeed Nik Nuratiqah , Faisal Mohamed , Ng Boon Hau , Ban Yu-Lin Andrea
Published: February 2021

Indwelling pleural catheter (IPC) is the treatment of choice in managing symptomatic recurrent malignant pleural effusion (MPE). Loculated effusions following insertion may occur due to infection, catheter malfunction or the inflammatory nature of MPE. Loculations may lead to ineffective drainage and make the IPC non-functional. We report a 56-year-old man with symptomatic loculated malignant pleural effusion with an IPC, successfully drained with a single dose of 1 mg recombinant tissue plasminogen activator alteplase. This is the lowest dose currently applied in our centre for efficient drainage and improvement of dyspnoea.
Isolated multidrug-resistant tubercular tenosynovitis of the flexor tendon of the little finger
Authors: Chaudhary Sunny , Maji Subhajit , Garg Varun , Singh Vivek
Published: February 2021

Isolated multidrug-resistant (MDR) tubercular tenosynovitis of the flexor tendons of finger without involvement of wrist is a rare presentation. Tenosynovitis of hand is an uncommon manifestation of extrapulmonary tuberculosis. Pyogenic flexor tenosynovitis of hand is frequently seen and is the closest differential. Non-specific clinical signs may lead to delay in diagnosis, which is often made after biopsy. Management includes surgical excision of necrotic tissue and infected synovium along with antitubercular therapy after histopathological diagnosis. MDR tuberculosis of hand is extremely rare and, to the best of our knowledge, has not been reported in the literature so far. We report an interesting case of MDR tubercular flexor tendon tenosynovitis of the little finger without any pulmonary involvement in an immunocompetent patient. The case was managed by complete synovectomy and second-line antitubercular therapy with complete resolution of disease and had no functional limitation.
Secrets to a successful awake fibreoptic intubation (AFOI) on a patient with odentogenous abscess
Authors: Teah Ming Kai , Liew Esther Huey Ring , Wong Melvin Teck Fui , Yeap Tat Boon
Published: February 2021

Awake fibreoptic intubation (AFOI) is an established modality in patients with anticipated difficulty with tracheal intubation. This case demonstrates that with careful and meticulous preparations, AFOI can lead to improved airway management and excellent patient outcomes. A 38-year-old woman presented with severe trismus secondary to odentogenous abscess was identified preoperatively as having a potential difficult airway. AFOI was performed successfully using combined Spray-As-You-Go and dexmedetomidine technique.
Cytomegalovirus endotheliitis with recurrent anterior uveitis and secondary glaucoma misdiagnosed as HLA-B27 uveitis
Authors: Tendolkar Sayali , Murthy Somasheila I , Bhatia Prashant , Senthil Sirisha
Published: February 2021

A 61-year-old male patient presented with decreased vision and recurrent redness in his right eye since the past 4 years. He had been diagnosed elsewhere as HLA-B27 positive anterior uveitis and was on oral methotrexate and topical corticosteroids for recurrent disease. He was on maximal medical therapy for glaucoma. Examination showed prominent inferior corneal oedema with pigmented keratic precipitates and elevated intraocular pressure. He underwent combined trabeculectomy with mitomycin C and cataract surgery. The aqueous sample tested positive for cytomegalovirus. He responded well to oral valganciclovir with resolution of uveitis, the intraocular pressure was well controlled and the corneal oedema resolved completely.
Topical interferon alpha-2b for a giant ocular surface squamous neoplasia: 7 years of follow-up after complete remission
Authors: Galvis Virgilio , Moreno Nathalia J , Tello Alejandro , Carreño Néstor I
Published: February 2021

A man with a history of blind eye due to trauma 22 years earlier consulted at 53 years of age with a large conjunctival neoplastic lesion, compromising almost the entire temporal limbus, and reaching a size of approximately 16 mm on its larger diameter, in the conjunctiva. Management was started with topical and subconjunctival chemotherapy (interferon alpha-2b) in order to perform immunoreduction, but a dramatic response with total disappearance of the lesion was observed. In the follow-up time period of more than 7 years, there were no signs of recurrence.
Development of a patient-reported outcome measure for neck pain in military aircrew: qualitative interviews to inform design and content
Authors: Dowling Anna , Slungaard Ellen , Heneghan Nicola R
Published: February 2021

Introduction

The prevalence of flight-related neck pain is 70% in UK fast jet pilots; much higher than the general population. The Aircrew Conditioning Programme and direct access physiotherapy exist to minimise the impact on military capability, but a population specific patient-reported outcome measure (PROM) is required to investigate the effectiveness of these. We aimed to explore the experiences of flight-related neck pain to inform the content validity and development of a population specific PROM.

Methods

Qualitative semistructured interviews combining phenomenological and grounded theory methods, reported using Consolidated criteria for Reporting Qualitative research guidelines. A purposive sample of 10 fast jet pilots with neck pain was recruited. Concept elicitation interviews were audio recorded, transcribed verbatim along with field notes. Data analysis involved subject and methodological expertise used a concept elicitation approach.

Results

Participants included 10 male fast jet pilots, age 34.7 years. Identified themes included: (1) physical symptoms associated with flying activities; (2) occupational effects revealed modifications of flying, or ‘suboptimal’ performance owing to neck pain; (3) psychological effects revealed feelings or worry and (4) social and activity effects showed impact on out of work time.

Conclusion

Population-specific occupational, psychological and social factors should be considered alongside physical symptoms when managing neck pain in military aircrew. Findings support the development of a PROM specifically designed for military aircrew with neck pain.
The timing of continuous renal replacement therapy initiation in sepsis-associated acute kidney injury in the intensive care unit: the CRTSAKI Study (Continuous RRT Timing in Sepsis-associated AKI in ICU): study protocol for a multicentre, randomised controlled trial
Authors: Chen Wei-yan , Cai Li-hua , Zhang Zhen-hui , Tao Li-li , Wen Yi-chao , Li Zhi-bo , Li Li , Ling Yun , Li Jian-wei , Xing Rui , Liu Xue-yan , Lin Zhuan-di , Deng Zhe-tong , Wang Shou-hong , Lin Qin-han , Zhou Dun-rong , He Zhi-jie , Xiong Xu-ming
Published: February 2021

Introduction

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is one of the most common organ dysfunction in sepsis, and increases the risk of unfavourable outcomes. Renal replacement therapy (RRT) is the predominant treatment for sepsis-associated AKI (SAKI). However, to date, no prospective randomised study has adequately addressed whether initiating RRT earlier will attenuate renal injury and improve the outcome of sepsis. The objective of the trial is to compare the early strategy with delayed strategy on the outcomes in patients with SAKI in the intensive care unit (ICU).

Methods and analysis

This is a large-scale, multicentre, randomised controlled trial about SAKI. In total, 460 patients with sepsis and evidence of AKI stage 2 of Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) will be recruited and equally randomised into the early group and the delay group in a ratio of 1:1. In the early group, continuous RRT (CRRT) will be started immediately after randomisation. In the delay group, CRRT will initiated if at least one of the following criteria was met: stage 3 of KDIGO, severe hyperkalaemia, pulmonary oedema, blood urea nitrogen level higher than 112 mg/dL after randomisation. The primary outcome is overall survival in a 90-day follow-up period (90-day all-cause mortality). Other end points include 28-day, 60-day and 1-year mortality, recovery rate of renal function by day 28 and day 90, ICU and hospital length of stay, the numbers of CRRT-free days, mechanical ventilation-free days and vasopressor-free days, the rate of complications potentially related to CRRT, CRRT-related cost, and concentrations of inflammatory mediators in serum.

Ethics and dissemination

The trial has been approved by the Clinical Research and Application Institutional Review Board of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University (2017–31-ks-01). Participants will be screened and enrolled from patients in the ICU with SAKI by clinicians, with no public advertisement for recruitment. Results will be disseminated in research journals and through conference presentations.

Trial registration

NCT03175328.
Factors shaping the implementation and use of Clinical Cancer Decision Tools by GPs in primary care: a qualitative framework synthesis
Authors: Bradley Paula Theresa , Hall Nicola , Maniatopoulos Gregory , Neal Richard D , Paleri Vinidh , Wilkes Scott
Published: February 2021

Objective

Clinical Cancer Decision Tools (CCDTs) aim to alert general practitioners (GPs) to signs and symptoms of cancer, supporting prompt investigation and onward referral. CCDTs are available in primary care in the UK but are not widely utilised. Qualitative research has highlighted the complexities and mechanisms surrounding their implementation and use; this has focused on specific cancer types, formats, systems or settings. This study aims to synthesise qualitative data of GPs’ attitudes to and experience with a range of CCDTs to gain better understanding of the factors shaping their implementation and use.

Design

A systematic search of the published (MEDLINE, CINAHL, Web of Science and EMBASE) and grey literature (July 2020). Following screening, selection and assessment of suitability, the data were analysed and synthesised using normalisation process theory.

Results

Six studies (2011 to 2019), exploring the views of GPs were included for analysis. Studies focused on the use of several different types of CCDTs (Risk Assessment Tools (RAT) or electronic version of RAT (eRAT), QCancer and the 7-point checklist). GPs agreed CCDTs were useful to increase awareness of signs and symptoms of undiagnosed cancer. They had concerns about the impact on trust in their own clinical acumen, whether secondary care clinicians would consider referrals generated by CCDT as valid and whether integration of the CCDTs within existing systems was achievable.

Conclusions

CCDTs might be a helpful adjunct to clinical work in primary care, but without careful development to legitimise their use GPs are likely to give precedence to clinical acumen and gut instinct. Stakeholder consultation with secondary care clinicians and consideration of how the CCDTs fit into a GP consultation are crucial to successful uptake. The role and responsibilities of a GP as a clinician, gatekeeper, health promoter and resource manager affect the interaction with and implementation of innovations such as CCDTs.
Adversarially Learned Anomaly Detection on CMS open data: re-discovering the top quark
Authors: Knapp O. , Cerri O. , Dissertori G. , Nguyen T. Q. , Pierini M. , Vlimant J. R.
Published: February 2021

We apply an Adversarially Learned Anomaly Detection (ALAD) algorithm to the problem of detecting new physics processes in proton–proton collisions at the Large Hadron Collider. Anomaly detection based on ALAD matches performances reached by Variational Autoencoders, with a substantial improvement in some cases. Training the ALAD algorithm on 4.4 fb$$^{-1}$$-1of 8 TeV CMS Open Data, we show how a data-driven anomaly detection and characterization would work in real life, re-discovering the top quark by identifying the main features of the$$t \bar{t}$$tt¯experimental signature at the LHC.
A toolbox for $$q_{T}$$ and 0-jettiness subtractions at $$\hbox {N}^3\hbox {LO}$$
Authors: Billis Georgios , Ebert Markus A. , Michel Johannes K. L. , Tackmann Frank J.
Published: February 2021

We derive the leading-power singular terms at three loops for both $$q_T$$

q
T

and 0-jettiness, $$\mathcal {T}_0$$

T
0

, for generic color-singlet processes. Our results provide the complete set of differential subtraction terms for $$q_T$$

q
T

and $$\mathcal {T}_0$$

T
0

subtractions at $$\hbox {N}^3\hbox {LO}$$

N
3

LO

, which are an important ingredient for matching $$\hbox {N}^3\hbox {LO}$$

N
3

LO

calculations with parton showers. We obtain the full three-loop structure of the relevant beam and soft functions, which are necessary ingredients for the resummation of $$q_T$$

q
T

and $$\mathcal {T}_0$$

T
0

at $$\hbox {N}^3\hbox {LL}'$$

N
3

LL
′

and $$\hbox {N}^4\hbox {LL}$$

N
4

LL

order, and which constitute important building blocks in other contexts as well. The nonlogarithmic boundary coefficients of the beam functions, which contribute to the integrated subtraction terms, are not yet fully known at three loops. By exploiting consistency relations between different factorization limits, we derive results for the $$q_T$$

q
T

and $$\mathcal {T}_0$$

T
0

beam function coefficients at $$\hbox {N}^3\hbox {LO}$$

N
3

LO

in the $$z\rightarrow 1$$

z
→
1

threshold limit, and we also estimate the size of the unknown terms beyond threshold.
A note on supergravity inflation in braneworld
Authors: Sabir Mudassar , Ahmed Waqas , Gong Yungui , Hu Shan , Li Tianjun , Wu Lina
Published: February 2021

We discuss supergravity inflation in braneworld cosmology for the class of potentials [Formula: see text] with [Formula: see text]. These minimal SUGRA models evade the [Formula: see text] problem due to a broken shift symmetry and can easily accommodate the observational constraints. In the high energy regime [Formula: see text], the numerical predictions and approximate analytic formulas are given for the scalar spectral index [Formula: see text] and tensor-to-scalar ratio [Formula: see text]. The models with smaller [Formula: see text] are preferred while the models with larger [Formula: see text] are out of the [Formula: see text] region. Remarkably, the [Formula: see text] correction to the energy density in Friedmann equation results in sub-Planckian inflaton excursions [Formula: see text].
Phase transition and shadow behaviors of quintessential black holes in M-theory/superstring inspired models
Authors: Belhaj A. , El Balali A. , El Hadri W. , Hassouni Y. , Torrente-Lujan E.
Published: February 2021

We study [Formula: see text]-dimensional black holes surrounded by dark energy (DE), embedded in [Formula: see text]-dimensional M-theory/superstring inspired models having [Formula: see text] space–time where [Formula: see text]. We focus first on the thermodynamical Hawking–Page phase transitions, whose microscopical origin is linked to [Formula: see text] coincident [Formula: see text]-branes supposed to live in such inspired models. Interpreting the cosmological constant as the number of colors, we compute various thermodynamical quantities in terms of the brane number, the entropy and the DE contribution. Calculating the ordinary chemical potential conjugated to the number of colors, we show that a generic black hole is more stable for a larger number of branes in lower dimensions. In the presence of DE, however, we find that the DE state parameter [Formula: see text] takes particular values, for [Formula: see text] models, providing nontrivial phase transitions. Then, we examine some optical properties. Concretely, we investigate shadow behaviors of quintessential black holes in terms of [Formula: see text]-brane physics. In terms of certain ratios, we find similar behaviors for critical quantities and shadow radius.
Medium effects of charged particles in Xe+Xe collisions at s NN = 5.44 TeV using modified Tsallis distribution
Authors: Kumar Pramod , Khandai P. K. , Saraswat Kapil , Singh V.
Published: February 2021

We present a systematic study of transverse momentum [Formula: see text] spectra of charged particles in [Formula: see text] and Xe[Formula: see text]Xe collisions at [Formula: see text] TeV. The published data of invariant yields of charged particles as a function of [Formula: see text] is taken from ALICE at LHC in the mid-pseudorapidity region [Formula: see text]. The modified form of Tsallis distribution is used here to analyze the [Formula: see text] spectra of charged particles. The power law of Tsallis/Hagedorn form gives very good description of the charged particle spectra in [Formula: see text] collisions within a [Formula: see text] range of 0.15 GeV/[Formula: see text] to 50 GeV/[Formula: see text]. When we go from [Formula: see text] collisions to heavy-ion (Xe[Formula: see text]Xe) collisions, the original form of Tsallis/Hagedorn distribution is not able to describe the [Formula: see text] spectra of charged particles properly. This may be occurred due to the medium effects or the final state effects. Here we discuss two types of medium effects of charged particles in Xe[Formula: see text]Xe collisions, one is the transverse flow in the low to intermediate [Formula: see text] region ([Formula: see text] GeV/[Formula: see text]) and the other is the energy loss in the high [Formula: see text] region ([Formula: see text] GeV/[Formula: see text]), using the modified Tsallis distribution.
Neutron drip line in the deformed relativistic Hartree–Bogoliubov theory in continuum: Oxygen to Calcium
Authors: In Eun Jin , Papakonstantinou Panagiota , Kim Youngman , Hong Seung-Woo
Published: February 2021

The location of the neutron drip line, currently known for only the lightest elements, remains a fundamental question in nuclear physics. Its description is a challenge for microscopic nuclear energy density functionals, as it must take into account in a realistic way not only the nuclear potential, but also pairing correlations, deformation effects and coupling to the continuum. The recently developed deformed relativistic Hartree–Bogoliubov theory in continuum (DRHBc) includes all three aforementioned effects in the description of nuclei throughout the nuclear chart. Here, the DRHBc with the successful density functional PC-PK1 is used to investigate whether and how deformation influences the prediction for the neutron drip-line location for even–even nuclei with [Formula: see text], where many isotopes are predicted deformed. The results are compared with those based on the spherical relativistic continuum Hartree–Bogoliubov (RCHB) theory and discussed in terms of shape evolution and the variational principle. It is found that the Ne and Ar drip-line nuclei are different after the deformation effect is included. The direction of the change is not necessarily towards an extended drip line, but rather depends on the evolution of the degree of deformation towards the drip line. Deformation effects as well as pairing and continuum effects treated in a consistent way can affect critically the theoretical description of the neutron drip-line location.
HAMSTRING MUSCLE ARCHITECTURE AND VISCOELASTIC PROPERTIES: RELIABILITY AND RETROSPECTIVE COMPARISON BETWEEN PREVIOUSLY INJURED AND UNINJURED ATHLETES
Authors: NIN DARREN Z. , PAIN MATTHEW T. G. , LIM YII H. , KONG PUI W.
Published: February 2021

The architecture of the biceps femoris (BF) and stiffness of the hamstrings have been found to be associated with injury risk. However, less is known about the architecture of the equally voluminous semitendinosus (ST) and viscoelastic properties of both muscles in individuals with a prior injury. Methods: BF and ST of 15 athletes (previously injured, [Formula: see text]; control, [Formula: see text]) were assessed using ultrasonography and myotonometry. Mean architecture (muscle thickness (MT), pennation angle (PA) and fascicle length (FL)) and viscoelastic measures (stiffness, oscillation frequency and decrement) were compared between the previously injured and contralateral uninjured limb, and between the previously injured and control limbs (mean of both limbs of the control group). Control group participants returned for a duplicate measurement. Findings: Both muscles exhibited high reliability between sessions (intraclass correlation coefficient [Formula: see text]) for architecture. BF PA was larger in the previously injured than both uninjured [Formula: see text] and control [Formula: see text]. BF fascicles were shorter in the previously injured limb compared to the uninjured [Formula: see text] and control [Formula: see text]. BF was stiffer in the previously injured compared to uninjured [Formula: see text]. ST architecture and viscoelasticity were similar across limbs. Conclusion: A prior hamstring strain injury is associated with a stiffer BF characterized by larger PAs and shorter fascicles.
Stable isotopic and geochemical characterization of precipitation and riverine waters in the Eastern Carpathians and links with large-scale drivers
Authors: Bădăluţă Carmen Andreea , Mihăilă Dumitru , Mihăilă Doina , Bădăluţă Gheorghe , Bistricean Petruţ Ionel
Published: February 2021

Water, the vital element of the environment, considered for long time an inexhaustible and renewable resource, can have a limiting or favourable potential in the socioeconomic development of a region. Given that Romania's NE (Eastern Carpathians and the northwestern part of the Moldova Plateau) is undergoing increased competition for water resources, triggered by the intensification of agriculture and industrial development, better knowledge of the hydrological processes and the quality of surface water is required. The main purpose of the present study was to identify the hydrological processes determining the quality of surface waters based on analyses of the stable isotopic composition of water from precipitation, rivers and lakes and its quality parameters. For this, water samples were collected from 29 river sections, two lakes and a precipitation monitoring point over a period of 12 months (January to December 2019). The results show that the changes in the isotopic composition of precipitation and surface water are mainly controlled by air temperature, which, in turn, is influenced by the large-scale atmospheric circulation and other factors (e.g. precipitation amount, season, altitude). At the same time, the chemical analyses indicate that the water resources of the study area are predominantly characterized by a good chemical and ecological state, except for two sampling points with a moderate state and three with a poor ecological state.
Analysis of Tandem Repeat Protein Folding Using Nearest-Neighbor Models
Authors: Petersen Mark , Barrick Doug
Published: February 2021

Cooperativity is a hallmark of protein folding, but the thermodynamic origins of cooperativity are difficult to quantify. Tandem repeat proteins provide a unique experimental system to quantify cooperativity due to their internal symmetry and their tolerance of deletion, extension, and in some cases fragmentation into single repeats. Analysis of repeat proteins of different lengths with nearest-neighbor Ising models provides values for repeat folding ([Formula: see text]) and inter-repeat coupling (Δ Gi-1, i). In this article, we review the architecture of repeat proteins and classify them in terms of Δ Gi and Δ Gi-1, i; this classification scheme groups repeat proteins according to their degree of cooperativity. We then present various statistical thermodynamic models, based on the 1D-Ising model, for analysis of different classes of repeat proteins. We use these models to analyze data for highly and moderately cooperative and noncooperative repeat proteins and relate their fitted parameters to overall structural features.
Virtual Reality Therapy in Mental Health
Authors: Emmelkamp Paul M.G. , Meyerbröker Katharina
Published: February 2021

Initially designed for the treatment of phobias, the use of virtual reality in phobic disorders has expanded to other mental health disorders such as posttraumatic stress disorder, substance-related disorders, eating disorders, psychosis, and autism spectrum disorder. The goal of this review is to provide an accessible understanding of why this approach is important for future practice, given its potential to provide clinically relevant information associated with the assessment and treatment of people suffering from mental illness. Most of the evidence is available for the use of virtual reality exposure therapy in anxiety disorders and posttraumatic stress disorder. There is hardly any evidence that virtual reality therapy is effective in generalized anxiety disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder. There is increasing evidence that cue exposure therapy is effective in addiction and eating disorders. Studies into the use of virtual reality therapy in psychosis, autism spectrum disorder, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are promising.
Capillaries communicate with the arteriolar microvascular network by a pannexin/purinergic-dependent pathway in hamster skeletal muscle
Authors: Lamb Iain R. , Novielli-Kuntz Nicole M. , Murrant Coral L.
Published: February 2021

Blood flow control during increased metabolic demand in skeletal muscle is not fully understood. Capillaries have been implicated in controlling blood flow to active skeletal muscle, but how capillaries communicate to the arteriolar vascular network is not clear. Our study uncovers a novel pathway through which capillaries can communicate to upstream arterioles to cause vasodilation and therefore control perfusion. This work implicates a new vascular communication pathway in blood flow control in skeletal muscle.
Relationship between fiducial points on the peripheral and central blood pressure waveforms: rate of rise of the central waveform is a determinant of peripheral systolic blood pressure
Authors: Li Ye , Guilcher Antoine , Charlton Peter H. , Vennin Samuel , Alastruey Jordi , Chowienczyk Phil
Published: February 2021

Peripheral systolic BP is determined mainly by the first shoulder and the rate of rise of the central systolic blood pressure waveform rather than the peak of this waveform (central systolic BP). Peripheral and central systolic blood pressure are determined by different cardiac and vascular properties.
Functional Role of circRNAs in the Regulation of Fetal Development, Muscle Development, and Lactation in Livestock
Authors: He Tianle , Chen Qingyun , Tian Ke , Xia Yinzhao , Dong Guozhong , Yang Zhenguo
Published: February 2021

circRNAs are a class of endogenous noncoding RNA molecules with closed loop structures. They are mainly responsible for regulating gene expression in eukaryotic cells. With the emergence of high‐throughput RNA sequencing (RNA‐Seq) and new types of bioinformatics tools, thousands of circRNAs have been discovered, making circRNA one of the research hotspots. Recent studies have shown that circRNAs play an important regulatory role in the growth, reproduction, and formation of livestock products. They can not only regulate mammalian fetal growth and development but also have important regulatory effects on livestock muscle development and lactation. In this review, we briefly introduce the putative biogenic pathways and regulatory functions of circRNA and highlight our understanding of circRNA and its latest advances in fetal development, muscle development, and lactation biogenesis as well as expression in livestock. This review will provide a theoretical basis for the research and development of related industries.
Prevalence of Hypothyroidism in Pregnant Women in India: A Meta-Analysis of Observational Studies
Authors: Yadav Vikas , Dabar Deepti , Goel Akhil D. , Bairwa Mohan , Sood Akanksha , Prasad Pankaj , Agarwal Sanjay S. , Nandeshwar Sunil
Published: February 2021

Introduction. This meta-analysis was conducted to estimate the prevalence of hypothyroidism among pregnant women in India. Methods. We searched PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, Google Scholar, and Shodhganga (Indian thesis repository) for observational studies, providing prevalence of hypothyroidism among pregnant women in India. Systematic study selection and data extraction procedures were followed. Quality assessment of each study was done using JBI critical appraisal checklist. The random effects model was used for pooling the effect sizes. Publication bias was assessed using the funnel plot and rank correlation test. I2 statistics was used to measure heterogeneity across the studies. Heterogeneity in the pooled estimates was further explored with subgroup analyses and meta-regression analysis. Results. Sixty-one studies were found eligible and included in this review. The pooled estimate of the prevalence of hypothyroidism in pregnant women was 11.07% (95% CI: 8.79–13.84, I2 = 99%). Pooled prevalence estimates of subclinical and overt hypothyroidism are 9.51% (95% CI: 7.48–12.04, I2 = 98%) and 2.74% (95% CI: 2.08–3.58, I2 = 94%). Conclusion. We documented 11.07% pooled prevalence of hypothyroidism in pregnant women in India.
Determination of Embedded Depth of Soldier Piles in Pile-Anchor Supporting System in Granite Residual Soil Area
Authors: Liu Yiao , Wang Changming , Liu Xiaoyang , Gao Ruiyuan , Li Bailong , Khan Kaleem Ullah Jan
Published: February 2021

Reasonable depth of pile embedment is one of the key factors for the success of deep foundation pit projects. This paper has taken a deep foundation pit project in a granite residual soil area in Shenzhen as an example and used physical model tests to study the deformation law of the piles and the surrounding soil during the excavation of the deep foundation pit, revealing the variation law of earth pressure in time and space in the pit and then verified it by numerical simulation. The influence of the embedded depth of the pile on the deformation and earth pressure of the deep foundation pit is then explicitly discussed. The study shows that the embedded depth has a significant effect on the deformation and earth pressure distribution of the foundation pit. The earth pressure in front of the pile tends to approach the passive earth pressure as the embedment depth decreases, while the earth pressure behind the pile is in between the Rankine active earth pressure and the static soil pressure; the settlement value and settlement range of the surrounding soil are doubled. The pile displacement increases as the maximum displacement point rises. The maximum displacement of the pile body was used as the basis for determining the instability of the foundation pit. The optimum embedded depth is obtained when the depth of embedment of the pile is 0.22 H (H is the excavation depth of the foundation pit).
Medical Image Classification Algorithm Based on Visual Attention Mechanism‐MCNN
Authors: An Fengping , Li Xiaowei , Ma Xingmin
Published: February 2021

Due to the complexity of medical images, traditional medical image classification methods have been unable to meet the actual application needs. In recent years, the rapid development of deep learning theory has provided a technical approach for solving medical image classification. However, deep learning has the following problems in the application of medical image classification. First, it is impossible to construct a deep learning model with excellent performance according to the characteristics of medical images. Second, the current deep learning network structure and training strategies are less adaptable to medical images. Therefore, this paper first introduces the visual attention mechanism into the deep learning model so that the information can be extracted more effectively according to the problem of medical images, and the reasoning is realized at a finer granularity. It can increase the interpretability of the model. Additionally, to solve the problem of matching the deep learning network structure and training strategy to medical images, this paper will construct a novel multiscale convolutional neural network model that can automatically extract high‐level discriminative appearance features from the original image, and the loss function uses the Mahalanobis distance optimization model to obtain a better training strategy, which can improve the robust performance of the network model. The medical image classification task is completed by the above method. Based on the above ideas, this paper proposes a medical classification algorithm based on a visual attention mechanism‐multiscale convolutional neural network. The lung nodules and breast cancer images were classified by the method in this paper. The experimental results show that the accuracy of medical image classification in this paper is not only higher than that of traditional machine learning methods but also improved compared with other deep learning methods, and the method has good stability and robustness.
Electrochemical Analysis of Architecturally Enhanced LiFe0.5Mn0.5PO4 Multiwalled Carbon Nanotube Composite
Authors: Sifuba Sabelo , Willenberg Shane , Feleni Usisipho , Ross Natasha , Iwuoha Emmanuel
Published: February 2021

In this work, the effect of carbon on the electrochemical properties of multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) functionalized lithium iron manganese phosphate was studied. In an attempt to provide insight into the structural and electronic properties of optimized electrode materials, a systematic study based on a combination of structural and spectroscopic techniques was conducted. The phosphor-olivine LiFe0.5Mn0.5PO4 was synthesized via a simple microwave synthesis using LiFePO4 and LiMnPO4 as precursors. Cyclic voltammetry was used to evaluate the electrochemical parameters (electron transfer and ionic diffusivity) of the LiFe0.5Mn0.5PO4 redox couples. The redox potentials show two separate distinct redox peaks that correspond to Mn2+/Mn3+ (4.1 V vs Li/Li+) and Fe2+/Fe3+ (3.5 V vs Li/Li+) due to interaction arrangement of Fe-O-Mn in the olivine lattice. The electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) results showed LiFe0.5Mn0.5PO4-MWCNTs have high conductivity with reduced charge resistance. This result demonstrates that MWCNTs stimulate faster electron transfer and stability for the LiFe0.5Mn0.5PO4 framework, which demonstrates to be favorable as a host material for Li+ ions.
Multiobjective Route Selection Based on LASSO Regression: When Will the Suez Canal Lose Its Importance?
Authors: Zhou Jingmiao , Zhao Yuzhe , Liang Jiayan
Published: February 2021

With coronavirus disease 2019 reshaping the global shipping market, many ships in the Europe-Asia trades that need to sail through the Suez Canal begun to detour via the much longer route, the Cape of Good Hope. In order to explain and predict the route choice, this paper employs the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regression to estimate fuel consumption based on the automatic identification system and ocean dataset and designed a multiobjective particle swarm optimization to find Pareto optimal solutions that minimize the total voyage cost and total voyage time. After that, the weighted sum method was introduced to deal with the route selection. Finally, a case study was conducted on the real data from CMA CGM, a leading worldwide shipping company, and four scenarios of fuel prices and charter rates were built and analyzed. The results show that the detour around the Cape of Good Hope is preferred only in the scenario of low fuel price and low charter. In addition, the paper suggests that the authority of Suez Canal should cut down the canal toll according to our result to win back the ships because we have verified that offering a discount on the canal roll is effective.
A Cyber Physical System Crowdsourcing Inference Method Based on Tempering: An Advancement in Artificial Intelligence Algorithms
Authors: Liu Jia , Li Mingchu , Tang William C. , Islam Sardar M. N.
Published: February 2021

Activity selection is critical for the smart environment and Cyber‐Physical Systems (CPSs) that can provide timely and intelligent services, especially as the number of connected devices is increasing at an unprecedented speed. As it is important to collect labels by various agents in the CPSs, crowdsourcing inference algorithms are designed to help acquire accurate labels that involve high‐level knowledge. However, there are some limitations in the algorithm in the existing literature such as incurring extra budget for the existing algorithms, inability to scale appropriately, requiring the knowledge of prior distribution, difficulties to implement these algorithms, or generating local optima. In this paper, we provide a crowdsourcing inference method with variational tempering that obtains ground truth as well as considers both the reliability of workers and the difficulty level of the tasks and ensure a local optimum. The numerical experiments of the real‐world data indicate that our novel variational tempering inference algorithm performs better than the existing advancing algorithms. Therefore, this paper provides a new efficient algorithm in CPSs and machine learning, and thus, it makes a new contribution to the literature.
Application of Structural Deformation Monitoring Based on Close‐Range Photogrammetry Technology
Authors: Hu Jun , Liu Ensheng , Yu Jiayu
Published: February 2021

The problem of structural deformation monitoring has always been a research hotspot in engineering architecture. Research on structural deformation monitoring is the main way to solve the risk of engineering construction. Based on using close‐range photogrammetry technology to monitor structural deformation, combining with image recognition technology to collect and process image data, and using the conditions of direct linear transformation and collinear equation to calculate based on the extracted coordinates of the measuring point, finally, according to the coordinates of the measuring point and the deflection value of the bridge structure, the study is carried out. Experiment: first, five sets of data are used to calibrate the close‐range photogrammetry equipment of measurement point accuracy are analyzed, then the bridge piers and the measurement point coordinates, the lasso, under different load on the accuracy of close‐range photogrammetry technology is analyzed, according to the relevant data of the error of the close‐range photogrammetry technology are analyzed, and through the calculation of different measurement methods to analyze the direct linear transformation manifested in the article. The final results show that the X‐axis coordinate range of the measured points in the auxiliary spatial coordinate system is 25∼40, Y‐axis coordinate range is 8∼36, and Z‐axis coordinate range is 10∼35. The coordinates of measuring points of bridge cables are distributed in the fourth quadrant of the spatial coordinate system. The accuracy values of all coordinates of the measuring points under the close‐range photogrammetry equipment are less than 0.1 mm, indicating that the close‐range photogrammetry equipment has a good effect on the calibration of measuring points, and the error generated when the load action of each measuring point of the bridge cable is 10 N is greater than that generated when the load action is 20 N. In different calculation and measurement methods, the results obtained by total station measurement and calculation method are reduced by about 0.04∼0.07 m compared with the actual value; the results obtained by direct linear transformation method are increased by about 0.02∼0.04 m compared with the actual value; and the results obtained by other measurement and calculation methods are increased by about 0.04∼0.06 m compared with the actual value.
Air Quality Prediction Based on a Spatiotemporal Attention Mechanism
Authors: Zou Xiangyu , Zhao Jinjin , Zhao Duan , Sun Bin , He Yongxin , Fuentes Stelios
Published: February 2021

With the rapid development of the Internet of Things and Big Data, smart cities have received increasing attention. Predicting air quality accurately and efficiently is an important part of building a smart city. However, air quality prediction is very challenging because it is affected by many complex factors, such as dynamic spatial correlation between air quality detection sensors, dynamic temporal correlation, and external factors (such as road networks and points of interest). Therefore, this paper proposes a long short-term memory (LSTM) air quality prediction model based on a spatiotemporal attention mechanism (STA-LSTM). The model uses an encoder-decoder structure to model spatiotemporal features. A spatial attention mechanism is introduced in the encoder to capture the relative influence of surrounding sites on the prediction area. A temporal attention mechanism is introduced in the decoder to capture the time dependence of air quality. In addition, for spatial data such as point of interest (POI) and road networks, this paper uses the LINE graph embedding method to obtain a low-dimensional vector representation of spatial data to obtain abundant spatial features. This paper evaluates STA-LSTM on the Beijing dataset, and the root mean square error (RMSE) and R-squared (R2) indicators are used to compare with six benchmarks. The experimental results show that the model proposed in this paper can achieve better performance than the performances of other benchmarks.