bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Streptococcus gordonii Poised for Glycan Feeding through a MUC5B-Discriminating, Lipoteichoic Acid-Mediated Outside-In Signaling Circuit
Authors: Lima Bruno P. , Davies Julia R. , Wickström Claes , Johnstone Karen F. , Hall Jeffrey W. , Svensater Gunnel , Herzberg Mark C.
Published: June 2022

All organisms throughout the tree of life sense and respond to their surface environments. To discriminate among mucosal surface environmental cues, we report that
Streptococcus gordonii
recognizes a high-molecular-weight mucin glycoprotein, MUC5B, using the paired adhesins SspAB and lipoteichoic acid; the latter bridges the outside signal to an intramembrane two-component system to transcriptionally regulate a MUC5B-specific adhesin and genes that may facilitate glycan catabolism.
Study protocol for an epidemiological study ‘Multimorbidity − identifying the most burdensome patterns, risk factors and potentials to reduce future burden (MOLTO)’ based on the Finnish health examination surveys and the ongoing register-based follow-up
Authors: Jääskeläinen Tuija , Koponen Päivikki , Lundqvist Annamari , Suvisaari Jaana , Järvelin Jutta , Koskinen Seppo
Published: June 2022

Introduction

Multimorbidity, defined as the co-occurrence of two or more long-term medical conditions, is an increasing public health concern worldwide causing enormous burden to individuals, healthcare systems and societies. The most effective way of decreasing the burden caused by multimorbidity is to find tools for its successful prevention but gaps in research evidence limit capacities to develop prevention strategies. The aim of the MOLTO study (Multimorbidity - identifying the most burdensome patterns, risk factors and potentials to reduce future burden) is to provide novel evidence required for cost-effective prevention of multimorbidity by defining the multimorbidity patterns causing the greatest burden at the population level, by examining their risk and protective factors and by estimating the potentials to reduce the future burden.

Methods and analysis

The MOLTO study is based on the data from the Finnish population-based cross-sectional (FINRISK 2002–2012, FinHealth 2017 the Migrant Health and Well-being Study 2010–2012) and longitudinal (Health 2000/2011) health examination surveys with individual-level link to administrative health registers, allowing register-based follow-up for the study participants. Both cross-sectional and longitudinal study designs will be used. Multimorbidity patterns will be defined using latent class analysis. The burden caused by multimorbidity as well as risk and protective factors for multimorbidity will be analysed by survival analysis methods such as Cox proportional hazards and Poisson regression models.

Ethics and dissemination

The survey data have been collected following the legislation at the time of the survey. The ethics committee of the Hospital District of Helsinki and Uusimaa has approved the data collection and register linkages for each survey. The results will be published as peer-reviewed scientific publications.
Safety and effectiveness of appropriately and inappropriately dosed rivaroxaban or apixaban versus warfarin in patients with atrial fibrillation: a cohort study with nested case–control analyses from UK primary care
Authors: González-Pérez Antonio , Roberts Luke , Vora Pareen , Saez Maria Eugenia , Brobert Gunnar , Fatoba Samuel , García Rodríguez Luis Alberto
Published: June 2022

Objectives

To investigate effects of appropriately and inappropriately dosed apixaban/rivaroxaban versus warfarin on effectiveness and safety outcomes in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF).

Design

Cohort study with nested case–control analyses using primary care electronic health records (IQVIA Medical Research Data UK database).

Setting

UK primary care.

Participants

Patients aged ≥18 years with NVAF newly prescribed apixaban (N=14 701), rivaroxaban (N=14 288) or warfarin (N=16 175) between 1 January 2012 and 30 June 2018, and followed up to 31 December 2018.

Primary and secondary outcome measures

Incident cases of ischaemic stroke/systemic embolism (IS/SE) and intracranial bleeding (ICB). Cases were matched to controls on age, sex and OAC naïve status. Using logistic regression, adjusted ORs with 95% CIs were calculated for the outcomes comparing apixaban/rivaroxaban use (appropriate or inappropriate dosing based on the product label criteria) and warfarin.

Results

For IS/SE, ORs (95% CIs) for apixaban versus warfarin were 1.19 (0.92–1.52) for appropriate dose and 1.01 (0.67–1.51) for inappropriate dose; for rivaroxaban versus warfarin, estimates were 1.07 (0.83–1.37) for appropriate dose and 1.21 (0.78–1.88) for inappropriate dose. For ICB, ORs (95% CIs) for apixaban versus warfarin were 0.67 (0.44–1.00) for appropriate dose and 0.45 (0.21–0.95) for inappropriate dose; for rivaroxaban versus warfarin, estimates were 0.81 (0.55–1.20) for appropriate dose and 1.14 (0.56–2.31) for inappropriate dose.

Conclusions

Dosing appropriateness in NVAF was not associated with a significant difference in IS/SE risk or increase in ICB risk versus warfarin. These findings may reflect residual confounding and biases that were difficult to control, as also seen in other observational studies. They should, therefore, be interpreted with caution, and prescribers should adhere to the dosing instructions in the respective Summary of Product Characteristics. Further studies on this topic from real-world populations are needed.
Imaging in inflammatory bowel disease: current and future perspectives
Authors: Shaban Nader , Hoad Caroline L , Naim Iyad , Alshammari Meshari , Radford Shellie Jean , Clarke Christopher , Marciani Luca , Moran Gordon
Published: June 2022

The use of cross-sectional imaging and ultrasonography has long complemented endoscopic assessment of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Clinical symptoms alone are often not enough to assess disease activity, so a reliance on non-invasive techniques is essential. In this paper, we aim to examine the current use of radiological modalities in aiding the management of patients with IBD. We focus on the various sections of the gastrointestinal tract and how different modalities can aid in assessing current disease state and response to treatments. We also have a look at how newer sequences in cross-sectional imaging and ultrasonography can allow for better differentiation of disease activity (ie, fibrotic vs inflammatory) as well improve evaluation of small bowel, colonic and perianal disease. Furthermore, we examine how advanced image processing has the potential to allow radiology to be a surrogate for biomarkers. An example of this is explored when reviewing the ability of MR sequences to quantify visceral fat, which potentially plays a role in determining disease activity in Crohn’s disease. Lastly, we look into the expected role for artificial intelligence to be used as an adjunct to radiology to better improve IBD evaluation.
Eosinophilic oesophagitis: improving diagnosis and therapy – reducing the burden of repeated endoscopy
Authors: Dhar Anjan , Haboubi Hasan , Auth Marcus , Attwood Stephen
Published: June 2022

Eosinophilic oesophagitis is now being diagnosed more often, although there continues to be a significant delay in the recognition of the condition in primary care, and among patients presenting with food bolus obstruction to other specialities like Ears, Nose and Throat and Accident & Emergency. The diagnosis requires endoscopy and biopsy, with six biopsies taken from at least two different areas of the oesophagus. The diagnostic threshold is > 15 eosinophils/high power field or 0.3 mm2. Dietary management although effective is often difficult to carry out due to poor adherence by patients and the need for a specialist dietitian and repeated biopsies. Orodispersible budesonide is very effective for inducing remission and maintaining it long term, with fewer biopsies. Newer targeted biological agents are promising in the treatment of patients who have not responded to conventional treatments. Dilatation of strictures in this condition is safe.
Gun violence restraining orders in California, 2016–2018: case details and respondent mortality
Authors: Pear Veronica A , Pallin Rocco , Schleimer Julia P , Tomsich Elizabeth , Kravitz-Wirtz Nicole , Shev Aaron B , Knoepke Christopher E , Wintemute Garen J
Published: June 2022

Background

Gun violence restraining orders (GVROs), implemented in California in 2016, temporarily prohibit individuals at high risk of violence from purchasing or possessing firearms and ammunition. We sought to describe the circumstances giving rise to GVROs issued 2016–2018, provide details about the GVRO process and quantify mortality outcomes for individuals subject to these orders (‘respondents’).

Methods

For this cross-sectional description of GVRO respondents, 2016–2018, we abstracted case details from court files and used LexisNexis to link respondents to mortality data through August 2020.

Results

We abstracted information for 201 respondents with accessible court records. Respondents were mostly white (61.2%) and men (93.5%). Fifty-four per cent of cases involved potential harm to others alone, 15.3% involved potential harm to self alone and 25.2% involved both. Mass shooting threats occurred in 28.7% of cases. Ninety-six and one half per cent of petitioners were law enforcement officers and one-in-three cases resulted in arrest on order service. One-year orders after a hearing (following 21-day emergency/temporary orders) were issued in 53.5% of cases. Most (84.2%) respondents owned at least one firearm, and firearms were removed in 55.9% of cases. Of the 379 respondents matched by LexisNexis, 7 (1.8%) died after the GVRO was issued: one from a self-inflicted firearm injury that was itself the reason for the GVRO and the others from causes unrelated to violence.

Conclusions

GVROs were used most often by law enforcement officers to prevent firearm assault/homicide and post-GVRO firearm fatalities among respondents were rare. Future studies should investigate additional respondent outcomes and potential sources of heterogeneity.
Three-site screening for STIs in men who have sex with men using online self-testing in an English sexual health service
Authors: Charin Gideon , Symonds Ynez , Scholfield Clare , Graham Cynthia , Armstrong Heather
Published: June 2022

Objectives

Among men who have sex with men (MSM) in the UK,Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) and Neisseria gonorrhoea (NG) infections commonly occur asymptomatically at extragenital sites. Therefore, MSM seeking sexual health services are offered three-site (oropharyngeal, rectal and urogenital) STI screening. To increase access to screening, some UK sexual health services enable asymptomatic service users to order free STI screening kits online for self-sampling at home. We sought to assess prevalence of overall and extragenital CT/NG infection among asymptomatic MSM who used online self-testing in Hampshire, UK.

Methods

We assessed prevalence of CT/NG infections from non-pooled samples among asymptomatic cisgender MSM using an administrative database with results from 5601 STI screening kits returned between 20 December 2016 and 31 January 2020. We compared number of diagnoses of extragenital infection with urogenital results of the same individuals to determine prevalence of infection that would have been missed with urine testing alone.

Results

Among 5051 valid CT and 5040 valid NG asymptomatic test results, overall prevalence was 5.9% (298/5051) and 4.5% (228/5040), respectively. Among MSM with asymptomatic CT, 71.8% (214/298) had extragenital infection only, χ2 (1, n=298)=56.71, p<0.001. Among those with asymptomatic NG, 89.9% (205/228) had extragenital infection only, χ2 (1, n=228)=145.281, p<0.001.

Conclusions

Overall, most CT/NG infections among asymptomatic MSM who used online self-testing were extragenital. Given this and the likelihood of onward transmission from asymptomatic infection, it is recommended that three-site testing remain standard for MSM and free screening services be expanded in easily accessible ways.
Data-centric quasi-site-specific prediction for compressibility of clays
Authors: Ching Jianye , Phoon Kok-Kwang , Wu Chun-Ting
Published: June 2022

A generic clay database consisting of six parameters, including compression index ( Cc) and unloading–reloading index ( Cur), is compiled from 429 studies. This database, labeled as CLAY-Cc/6/6203, contains 6203 records. A data-driven approach of predicting Cc and Cur for a target site by combining sparse site-specific data with CLAY-Cc/6/6203 is illustrated. This data-driven approach consists of two steps. The first step is a learning step that adopts a hierarchical Bayesian model (HBM) to learn the prior information in CLAY-Cc/6/6203 (both inter-site and intra-site variabilities). The second step is a Bayesian inference step that updates the prior model into a posterior model. The inference outcome is a quasi-site-specific model. A real case study (Baytown, Texas, USA) is adopted to illustrate the application of the HBM-MUSIC-3X method in estimating and simulating the 3D spatially varying Cc and Cur profiles. The key conclusions are as follows: ( i) predictions from Big Indirect Data (BID) in the form of CLAY-Cc/6/6203 can be biased with large transformation uncertainty although data are abundant, ( ii) predictions from small (sparse) site-specific data are less biased but suffer from high statistical uncertainty although data are directly applicable, and ( iii) combining BID and site-specific data using an HBM learning strategy that accounts for site uniqueness is effective in terms of reducing prediction uncertainty.
Effects of increasing soil pH to near-neutral using lime on phosphorus saturation index and water-extractable phosphorus
Authors: Nyamaizi Sylvia , Messiga Aimé J. , Cornelis Jean-Thomas , Smukler Sean M.
Published: June 2022

We studied the effects of liming to increase soil pH from acidic to near-neutral on the degree of phosphorus saturation (DPS), the P saturation index (PSI), Mehlich-3 P ( PM3), and water-extractable P ( Pw). Soils collected from a long-term highbush blueberry experiment were incubated at 22.5 °C for 93 days after CaCO3 amendment to increase pH values from 4.1, 4.8, and 5.5 to 6 and from 5.8 to 6.5. Liming decreased PM3 by 8%, 6%, 10%, and 11% with increasing initial soil pH. The PM3 concentrations of all the studied soils belonged to the very high class with critical DPS > 25%, which are associated with increased environmental risk of P loss with runoff. For soils with initial pH values of 5.8, Pw was 3.65 mg kg–1, in line with critical DPS > 25%, but decreased to 2.74 mg kg–1 with CaCO3 addition. In contrast, soils with initial pH < 5.5 had lower Pw concentrations and CaCO3 did not significantly decrease Pw at the end of the incubation averaging 1.02, 1.11, and 1.43 mg kg–1 for initial pH 4.1, 4.8, and 5.5, respectively. The low Pw concentrations of soils with initial pH < 5.5 were in line with low PSI (5.2%–6.1%), but did not reflect DPS values > 25%. It is possible that high exchangeable aluminum (Al) (AlM3 > 2500 mg kg–1) enhanced the fixation of phosphate ions from the soil solution, thus reducing Pw. Our results suggest that using PM3 as a sole indicator of environmental risk likely underestimates potential P losses compared with Pw.
Spherical black holes with minimally coupled scalar cloud/hair in Einstein–Born–Infeld gravity
Authors: Zhang Shao-Jun
Published: June 2022

Previous studies showed that, in the presence of a simple and well-motivated self-interaction scalar potential, asymptotically flat and spherical black holes can carry minimally coupled and charged scalar cloud/hair in Einstein–Maxwell gravity. We extend these studies to Einstein–Born–Infeld gravity to consider the effect of nonlinearity of the electromagnetic field. Series of spherical cloudy/hairy black hole solutions are constructed numerically. Results show that increasing the Born–Infeld coupling constant b will make the domain of existence of the solution shrink or even disappear when b is large enough. This implies that, competing with the gravitation, nonlinearity of the electromagnetic field will make the formation of scalar cloud/hair harder or even impossible.
From Hyper-dimensional Structures to Linear Structures: Maintaining Deduplicated Data’s Locality
Authors: Zou Xiangyu , Yuan Jingsong , Shilane Philip , Xia Wen , Zhang Haijun , Wang Xuan
Published: June 2022

Data deduplication is widely used to reduce the size of backup workloads, but it has the known disadvantage of causing poor data locality, also referred to as the fragmentation problem. This results from the gap between the hyper-dimensional structure of deduplicated data and the sequential nature of many storage devices, and this leads to poor restore and garbage collection (GC) performance. Current research has considered writing duplicates to maintain locality (e.g., rewriting) or caching data in memory or SSD, but fragmentation continues to lower restore and GC performance.

Investigating the locality issue, we design a method to flatten the hyper-dimensional structured deduplicated data to a one-dimensional format, which is based on classification of each chunk’s lifecycle, and this creates our proposed data layout. Furthermore, we present a novel management-friendly deduplication framework, called MFDedup, that applies our data layout and maintains locality as much as possible. Specifically, we use two key techniques in MFDedup: Neighbor-duplicate-focus indexing (NDF) and Across-version-aware Reorganization scheme (AVAR). NDF performs duplicate detection against a previous backup, then AVAR rearranges chunks with an offline and iterative algorithm into a compact, sequential layout, which nearly eliminates random I/O during file restores after deduplication.

Evaluation results with five backup datasets demonstrate that, compared with state-of-the-art techniques, MFDedup achieves deduplication ratios that are 1.12× to 2.19× higher and restore throughputs that are 1.92× to 10.02× faster due to the improved data layout. While the rearranging stage introduces overheads, it is more than offset by a nearly-zero overhead GC process. Moreover, the NDF index only requires indices for two backup versions, while the traditional index grows with the number of versions retained.
Spatial Sorting and Inequality
Authors: Diamond Rebecca , Gaubert Cecile
Published: June 2022

The spatial segregation of college-educated and non-college-educated workers between commuting zones in the United States has steadily grown since 1980. We summarize prior work on sorting and location and document new descriptive patterns on how sorting and locations have changed over the past four decades. We find that there has been a shift in the sorting of college-educated workers from cities centered primarily around production in 1980 to cities centered around consumption by 2017. We develop a spatial equilibrium model to understand these patterns and highlight key places where further research is needed. Our framework helps understand the causes and consequences of changes in spatial sorting; their impact on inequality; and how they respond to, and feed into, the changing nature of cities.
Nutritional and Metabolic Control of Ferroptosis
Authors: Mishima Eikan , Conrad Marcus
Published: June 2022

Ferroptosis is a type of regulated cell death characterized by an excessive lipid peroxidation of cellular membranes caused by the disruption of the antioxidant defense system and/or an imbalanced cellular metabolism. Ferroptosis differentiates from other forms of regulated cell death in that several metabolic pathways and nutritional aspects, including endogenous antioxidants (such as coenzyme Q10, vitamin E, and di/tetrahydrobiopterin), iron handling, energy sensing, selenium utilization, amino acids, and fatty acids, directly regulate the cells’ sensitivity to lipid peroxidation and ferroptosis. As hallmarks of ferroptosis have been documented in a variety of diseases, including neurodegeneration, acute organ injury, and therapy-resistant tumors, the modulation of ferroptosis using pharmacological tools or by metabolic reprogramming holds great potential for the treatment of ferroptosis-associated diseases and cancer therapy. Hence, this review focuses on the regulation of ferroptosis by metabolic and nutritional cues and discusses the potential of nutritional interventions for therapy by targeting ferroptosis.
Zeolitic Imidazolate Framework Derived Nanoparticles in Nitrogen-Doped Porous Carbon as a Highly Active and Durable Bifunctional Catalyst for Oxygen-Reduction and Evolution Reactions in Alkaline Media
Authors: Parkash Anand , Kapoor Aneel , Solangi Nizamuddin , Abbasi Irfan Ahmed , Solangi Sorath , Naveed Kanwal
Published: June 2022

In order to facilitate the large-scale applications of rechargeable Zn-air batteries, non-noble-metal-based materials with high activity for oxygen reduction (ORR) and evolution reactions (OER) are highly needed for replacing noble-metal-based materials. Here, a new method is used for developing Cu-doped ZIF-67 (Cu/ZIF-67) nanoparticles and carbonizing at various temperatures (500 °C–900 °C). Benefiting from the doping of Cu nanoparticles on the surface of the ZIF-67 and the synergistic interaction between Cu and the underlying Co atoms, the Cu/Co-NC-800 electrocatalyst exhibits superior electrocatalytic activity for both ORR (Eo 0.98, E1/2 0.84 V) and OER (overpotential 0.278 V) and superior alkaline media stability relative to both prepared and commercial Pt/C (Eo 0.96 V). These insightful findings inspire new perspectives for economical-practical bifunctional oxygen electrocatalysts to be designed and synthesized rationally.
Pd Nanoparticle/Pd/Al2O3 Resistive Sensor for Hydrogen Detection in a High-Temperature Environment
Authors: Niu Jing-Shiuan , Huang Chia-Hong , Shao Wei-Che , Tsai Jung-Hui , Liu Wen-Chau
Published: June 2022

An Al2O3 thin film is deposited on the interdigitated electrodes to fabricate a resistive hydrogen sensor. In addition, the Pd nanoparticles (NPs)/Pd film by vacuum thermal evaporation system on the Al2O3 film acts as catalytic metals for hydrogen detection. Due to the Pd NPs with an increased surface area to volume ratio as well as the spill-over effect, the catalytic activity could be improved to enhance the gas sensing performance. The experimental results showed that the sensing response ratio is 14.4% in 1000 ppm H2/air at 300 °C, which is suitable for high-temperature hydrogen detection. The studied Pd NPs/Pd/Al2O3 resistive sensor exhibits the advantages of in high-temperature operation, simple structure, easy fabrication process, and relatively low cost.
Therapeutic Benefit in Rheumatoid Cachexia Illustrated Using a Novel Primary Human Triple Cell Coculture Model
Authors: Ollewagen Tracey , Tarr Gareth S. , Myburgh Kathryn H. , Reuter Helmuth , Smith Carine
Published: June 2022

Background. The loss of muscle mass in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), termed rheumatoid cachexia, is predicted to result from the complex interactions between different cell types involved in the maintenance of skeletal muscle mass, namely, myoblasts, fibroblasts, and macrophages. The complexity within the muscle is further highlighted by the incidence of nonresponsiveness to current RA treatment strategies. Method. This study aimed at determining differences in the cellular responses in a novel human primary cell triple coculture model exposed to serum collected from nonarthritic controls (NC), RA treatment naïve (RATN), and RA treatment-nonresponding (RATNR) patients. Bone morphogenetic protein-7 (BMP-7) was investigated as a treatment option. Results. Plasma analysis indicated that samples were indeed representative of healthy and RA patients—notably, the RATNR patients additionally exhibited dysregulated IL-6/IL-10 correlations. Coculture exposure to serum from RATNR patients demonstrated increased cellular growth (

p
<
0.001

), while both hepatocyte growth factor (

p
<
0.01

) and follistatin (

p
<
0.001

) were reduced when compared to NC. Furthermore, decreased concentration of markers of extracellular matrix formation, transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β;

p
<
0.05

) and fibronectin (

p
<
0.001

), but increased collagen IV (

p
<
0.01

) was observed following RATNR serum exposure. Under healthy conditions, BMP-7 exhibited potentially beneficial results in reducing fibrosis-generating TGF-β (

p
<
0.05

) and fibronectin (

p
<
0.05

). BMP-7 further exhibited protective potential in the RA groups through reversing the aberrant tendencies observed especially in the RATNR serum-exposed group. Conclusion. Exposure of the triple coculture to RATN and RATNR serum resulted in dysregulated myoblast proliferation and growth, and ECM impairment, which was reversed by BMP-7 treatment.
Enabling Decentralized and Auditable Access Control for IoT through Blockchain and Smart Contracts
Authors: Truong Hien , Hernández-Ramos José L. , Martinez Juan A. , Bernal Bernabe Jorge , Li Wenting , Marin Frutos Agustin , Skarmeta Antonio
Published: June 2022

The increase in the interconnection of physical devices and the emergence of the 5 G paradigm foster the generation and distribution of massive amounts of data. The complexity associated with the management of these data requires a suitable access control approach that empowers citizens to control how their data are shared, so potential privacy issues can be mitigated. While well-known access control models are widely used in web and cloud scenarios, the IoT ecosystem needs to address the requirements of lightness, decentralization, and scalability to control the access to data generated by a huge number of heterogeneous devices. This work proposes CapBlock, a design that integrates a capability-based access control model and blockchain technology for a fully distributed evaluation of authorization policies and generation of access credentials using smart contracts. CapBlock is intended to manage the access to information in federated IoT environments where data need to be managed through access control policies defined by different data providers. The feasibility of CapBlock has been successfully evaluated in the scope of the EU research project IoTCrawler, which aims at building a secure search engine for IoT data in large-scale scenarios.
Grid-Tied Hybrid AC-DC Microgrid: Finding Optimal Number of Parallel-Connected AC-DC Bidirectional Interfacing Converters
Authors: Estabragh Mohsen Rezaie , Dastfan Ali , Rahimiyan Morteza
Published: June 2022

Linking AC and DC microgrids via a bidirectional AC-DC interfacing converter has emerged the hybrid AC-DC microgrid. The DC bus is connected to the grid by a series converter to mitigate the grid voltage’s power quality problems. To enhance the reliability and to increase transferring active and nonactive powers between DC and AC main buses, the AC-DC bidirectional interfacing converters are connected in parallel. In this paper, the optimal number (n) of parallel-connected bidirectional interfacing converters is obtained to minimize the annual cost of investment and the reliability cost. A two-step deciding algorithm is proposed to find n. First, active and nonactive powers between DC and AC buses are obtained with power quality and power flow considerations. Based on two types of powers, two reliability indices are calculated, including the expected energy shortage (EES) based on active power and the expected Volt-Amps shortage (EVAS) based on nonactive power. The sum of two reliability index costs is considered as the reliability cost. Next, a decision-making strategy is executed to determine the optimal n by making a trade-off between minimization of two objectives: the annual cost of investment and the reliability cost. The simulations of a grid-tied hybrid AC-DC microgrid are done with the experimental measurement data of DC and AC loads and distributed generations. Simulation results verify the performance of the represented approach.
Effects of Different Intensity Exercise on the Patients of Oxidative Stress Factors and Glycemic Control Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus
Authors: Wang Hu , Wang Yongbo
Published: June 2022

This study’s major purpose was to examine the impact of two various exercise intensities on glucagon-like peptide-1 and endoplasmic reticulum stress in teenagers with type 2 diabetes. Twenty teenagers with T2DM were recruited in the trial and randomly assigned to one of two groups: HIT (n = 10) or LIT (n = 10). At a heart rate of less than 45 percent, the low-intensity intense exercise group participated in aerobic activity training. Interval training with a heart rate reserve of at least 80% was used by the high-intensity intermittent training group. Both groups had the same weekly energy expenditure (1,200 kcal/week). The nositol required enzyme 1 and X-box binding protein-1 improved in both groups, but the difference in improvement between the two groups was not statistically significant. High-intensity interval training led to a significant decrease in body fat percentage among participants. After 12 weeks, the C-peptide levels had risen and varied considerably between the two groups. According to the homeostasis model assessment, there were significant differences between the groups in fasting glucose and insulin resistance, and leptin levels reduced after 12 weeks. The 12-week rise in glucagon-like peptide-1 was different across the groups. In teenagers with type 2 diabetes mellitus, high-intensity intermittent exercise training may enhance glycemic management, physical body composition, glucagon-like peptide-1, and endoplasmic reticulum stress.
A Flexible Bayesian Parametric Proportional Hazard Model: Simulation and Applications to Right-Censored Healthcare Data
Authors: Muse Abdisalam Hassan , Ngesa Oscar , Mwalili Samuel , Alshanbari Huda M. , El-Bagoury Abdal-Aziz H.
Published: June 2022

Survival analysis is a collection of statistical techniques which examine the time it takes for an event to occur, and it is one of the most important fields in biomedical sciences and other variety of scientific disciplines. Furthermore, the computational rapid advancements in recent decades have advocated the application of Bayesian techniques in this field, giving a powerful and flexible alternative to the classical inference. The aim of this study is to consider the Bayesian inference for the generalized log-logistic proportional hazard model with applications to right-censored healthcare data sets. We assume an independent gamma prior for the baseline hazard parameters and a normal prior is placed on the regression coefficients. We then obtain the exact form of the joint posterior distribution of the regression coefficients and distributional parameters. The Bayesian estimates of the parameters of the proposed model are obtained using the Markov chain Monte Carlo (McMC) simulation technique. All computations are performed in Bayesian analysis using Gibbs sampling (BUGS) syntax that can be run with Just Another Gibbs Sampling (JAGS) from the R software. A detailed simulation study was used to assess the performance of the proposed parametric proportional hazard model. Two real-survival data problems in the healthcare are analyzed for illustration of the proposed model and for model comparison. Furthermore, the convergence diagnostic tests are presented and analyzed. Finally, our research found that the proposed parametric proportional hazard model performs well and could be beneficial in analyzing various types of survival data.
A Deep Learning-Based Piano Music Notation Recognition Method
Authors: Li Chan
Published: June 2022

In the era of rapid development of computer technology, piano music notation and electronic synthesis system can be established using computer technology, and the basic laws of music score can be analyzed from the perspective of image processing, which is of a great significance in promoting piano improvement and research and development, etc. In this paper, the Beaulieu analysis method is used to analyze the piano music notation and electronic synthesis system module. For piano sheet music, sheet music recognition is the main problem in the whole system. Through the digital recognition method, the piano sheet music feature matrix is extracted to get the piano sheet music multiplication frequency points and the envelope function needs to be extracted for better electronic synthesis of piano sheet music. The envelope function can represent the relationship between piano sound intensity and time change and finally achieve the recognition of the piano score. We extract the music information from the digital score, thus converting the music information into MIDI files, reconstructing the score, and providing an audio carrier for the score transmission. The experimental results show that the system has a correct rate of 94.4% in extracting music information from piano scores, which can meet the needs of practical applications and provide a new way for music digital libraries, music education, and music theory analysis.
Analysis of Risk Factors for the Development of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus in a Group of Romanian Patients
Authors: Preda Agnesa , Stefan Adela Gabriela , Vladu Ionela Mihaela , Fortofoiu Mircea-Catalin , Clenciu Diana , Fortofoiu Maria , Gheorghe Ioan Ovidiu , Comanescu Alexandru Cristian , Mota Maria
Published: June 2022

Introduction. Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is caused by numerous risk factors, the most common being old age, obesity, family history of diabetes mellitus, GDM, history of fetal macrosomia, history of polycystic ovary syndrome or treatment with particular drugs, multiple births, and certain races. The study proposed to analyze the risk factors causing GDM. Method. In the study, we included 97 pregnant women to whom there was an OGTT performed between weeks 24th and 28th of pregnancy, divided into two groups, with GDM and without GDM. The statistical analysis was performed with SPSS 26.0, the tests being statistically significant if

p

value < 0.05. Results. The favoring risk factors for the onset of GDM were analyzed, with statistically significant differences between the GDM group and the group without GDM related to the delivery age (

32.39
±
4.66

years old vs.

28.61
±
4.71

years old), history of fetal macrosomia (13.7% vs. 0%), presence of GDM during previous pregnancies (7.8% vs. 0%), HBP before pregnancy (9.8% vs. 0%), gestational HBP (17.6% vs. 0%), glycemia value at first medical visit (

79.37
±
9.34
 
mg
/
dl

vs.

71.39
±
9.16
 
mg
/
dl

), and weight gain during pregnancy (

14.61
±
4.47
 
kg

vs.

12.48
±
5.87
 
kg

). Conclusions. Identifying the risk factors for the GDM onset has a special importance, implying an early implementation of interventional measures in order to avoid the onset of GDM and associated maternal and fetal complications.
Impact of Perceived Learning Support and Student Engagement on Remedial Student Science Success in the University Placement Examination during COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Okwuduba Emmanuel Nkemakolam , Zulnaidi Hutkemri , Abd Rauf Rose Amnah , Nwosu Kingsley Chinaza
Published: June 2022

This study aims to examine the relationship between learning support, student engagement, and science achievement of remedial students in the university placement examination during the COVID-19 pandemic. This preliminary quantitative research adopted a correlational design. The participants of this study were 216 students who received their remedial education through an online method in Nigerian settings. Two instruments were used for data collection: student engagement scale and learning support scale. The data were analyzed using correlation and hierarchical regression analyses. The results revealed that learning support aspects, including teacher, peer, and parent support, and student engagement dimensions, such as emotional, behavioural, cognitive, and agentic, were positive predictors of students’ science success. This study has implications for preservice and in-service teacher education, especially educating the teachers on how to actively collaborate with parents in inspiring their children to be engaged and successful scholars. Insightful suggestions were made.
Approximations of Intuitionistic Fuzzy Ideals over Dual Spaces by Soft Binary Relations
Authors: Anwar Muhammad Zishan , Bashir Shahida , Aslam Muhammad , Shabir Muhammad
Published: June 2022

The major advantage of this proposed work is to investigate roughness of intuitionistic fuzzy subsemigroups (RIFSs) by using soft relations. In this way, two sets of intuitionistic fuzzy (IF) soft subsemigroups, named lower approximation and upper approximation regarding aftersets and foresets, have been introduced. In RIFSs, incomplete and insufficient information is handled in decision-making problems like symptom diagnosis in medical science. In addition, this new technique is more effective as compared to the previous literature because we use intuitionistic fuzzy set (IFS) instead of fuzzy set (FS). Since the FS describes the membership degree only but often in real-world problems, we need the description of nonmembership degree. That is why an IFS is a more useful set due to its nonmembership degree and hesitation degree. The above technique is applied for left (right) ideals, interior ideals, and bi-ideals in the same manner as described for subsemigroups.
A Liver Stiffness Measurement-Based Nomogram Predicts Variceal Rebleeding in Hepatitis B-Related Cirrhosis
Authors: Liu Linxiang , Liu Qi , Xiao Nanxi , Zhang Yue , Nie Yuan , Zhu Xuan
Published: June 2022

Background. Cirrhosis esophageal variceal rebleeding is a major complication of chronic cirrhosis. The hepatic venous pressure gradient (HVPG) can predict the risk of rebleeding in patients with cirrhosis and has a good correlation with liver stiffness measurement (LSM). However, there are currently few studies based on liver stiffness to predict the risk of rebleeding in patients with liver cirrhosis. This study is aimed at exploring whether liver stiffness can predict rebleeding in patients with hepatitis B virus-related cirrhosis and developing an easy-to-use nomogram for predicting the risk of rebleeding in patients with liver cirrhosis undergoing secondary prevention. Methods. A prospective analysis of 289 cirrhosis patients was performed. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to identify independent prognostic factors to create a nomogram. The performance of the nomogram was evaluated by using a bootstrapped-concordance index and calibration plots. Results. Use of a nonselective beta-blocker (NSBB) drug, LSM, hemoglobin, and platelet count were identified as factors that could predict rebleeding. We created a nomogram for rebleeding in cirrhosis by using these risk factors. The predictive ability of the nomogram was assessed by the

C

-index (0.772, 95% CI 0.732–0.822). The results of the calibration plots showed that the actual observation and prediction values obtained by the nomogram had good consistency. Conclusions. LSM can predict the risk of rebleeding in patients with cirrhosis, while the nomogram is a conventional tool for doctors to facilitate a personalized prognostic evaluation.
Evaluating the Stability of Numerical Schemes for Fluid Solvers in Game Technology
Authors: Stark Craig R. , Diver Declan A.
Published: June 2022

A variety of numerical techniques have been explored to solve the shallow water equations in real-time water simulations for computer graphics applications. However, determining the stability of a numerical algorithm is a complex and involved task when a coupled set of nonlinear partial differential equations need to be solved. This paper proposes a novel and simple technique to compare the relative empirical stability of finite difference (or any grid-based scheme) algorithms by solving the inviscid Burgers’ equation to analyse their respective breaking times. To exemplify the method to evaluate numerical stability, a range of finite difference schemes is considered. The technique is effective at evaluating the relative stability of the considered schemes and demonstrates that the conservative schemes have superior stability.
Sample Farmers Analysis of Factors Influencing Production of Economic Forest Products
Authors: Meng Dong , Liu Tianke , Zhang Ying
Published: June 2022

This paper focuses on the scale efficiency of dried fruit economic forestry production in Shandong Province. Based on the analysis of the basic characteristics of the production of economic forest products by the sample farmers, the main factors influencing the production of economic forest products by the sample farmers were further analyzed using the optimal scale regression method. Factor analysis is a statistical method that uses a few factors to describe the association between many indicators or factors, reflecting most of the information of the original data with fewer factors. It provides some suggestions for farmers’ production activities and government decision making.
Ceramic Shape Design Based on Intelligent Space Simulation Technology
Authors: Zhang Lijian , Liu Guangfu
Published: June 2022

With the development of the times, intelligent space simulation technology has gradually emerged in the design of ceramic forms, and the development of modern ceramics has gradually transformed into artistic development. The development of ceramics must conform to the design trend, adjust the rhythm, and seek development opportunities. Organic design opens up a green channel for ceramics and integrates into the lives of today’s people. This paper mainly discusses the external form of ceramics and studies from two levels of curve form and bionic form. Through the intelligent space simulation technology, the shape design of ceramics is studied, and the optimal shape of ceramics is obtained, which enables people to have a better understanding of ceramic art.
The Car-Purchasing Intention of the Youth in the Context of Online Car-Hailing: The Extended Theory of Planned Behavior
Authors: Huang Yihui , Yang Fei , Zhang Dong , Ding Zhennan
Published: June 2022

Online car-hailing services have become an integral part of people’s daily travel in China. Considering that young people are the major consumer group in car purchases, it is worth investigating how the experience of online car-hailing services affects their intention to purchase a car. Based on the extended theory of Planned Behavior, this study found that the factors that negatively impact the car purchase intention of the youth are firstly the public transportation service quality, followed by the risks of private cars, and finally the online car-hailing services quality. Elevating the convenience and comfort of public transportation is conducive to reducing car purchasing intention. The indirect effect of online car-hailing services on car purchase intention is greater than its direct effect, and the most important factor is attitude. The car purchase intention is significantly heterogeneous across age and annual household income groups. Improving the convenience of public transportation will reduce the car purchase intention of people in the early youth. For middle and later youth, providing demand-responsive transit for important individuals to meet their diverse needs can reduce car purchase intention. As for online car-hailing services, youth care most about their convenience and comfort and worry most about their safety. Providing better online car-hailing services can reduce the car-purchasing intention of youth.
Revision Surgery Using Retrograde Nail versus Replating in Nonunion Distal Femur Fracture Treated with Plate
Authors: Ziranu Antonio , Noia Giovanni , Cipolloni Valerio , Coviello Michele , Maccagnano Giuseppe , Liuzza Francesco , Maccauro Giulio , Nasto Luigi Aurelio , Pola Enrico
Published: June 2022

Articular distal femur fractures represent 4% to 6% of femur fractures. Locking compression plates (LCPs) are the main treatment option. Nevertheless, a reoperation rate of 12.9% has been reported; nonunion is reported at 4.8%, delayed union at 1.6%, and malunion at 0.6%. Treatment of nonunions can be challenging as no unanimous consensus regarding the best surgical technique has been reached. The aim of this study was to evaluate and compare two types of revision surgery as treatment of LCP-treated articular distal femoral fracture nonunion: retrograde nail or replating. A retrospective cohort study of patients admitted from January 2015 to February 2017 for nonunion of AO/OTA 33C2 fractures previously treated with a lateral LCP was conducted. Patients were treated either with intramedullary nailing (Group A) or with replating (Group B). One independent observer performed clinically and radiographically followed up at 1, 3, 6, 9, 12, 24, and 36 months after surgery. The nonunion scoring system (NUSS) was used. Nine patients were included in our study. The mean follow-up was 2 years. Five patients were treated with intramedullary nailing and four with replating. The NUSS score was 24.2 ± 6.8 in the nailing group and 37.3 ± 3 in the replating group (

P
=
0.03

). In the nailing group, radiographic consolidation was obtained in all cases. In the replating group, nonunion was found in 3 patients and failure of osteosynthesis in one patient. Therefore, four patients (Group B) underwent implant removal and retrograde femoral nailing, obtaining radiological healing. The union time was 7.6 months in the nailing group. Retrograde intramedullary nailing can be used as an effective treatment of aseptic AO-33C distal femoral nonunion following primary locking plating.
Analysis of Two-Piano Teaching Assistant Training Based on Neural Network Model Sound Sequence Recognition
Authors: Dai Lei
Published: June 2022

In today’s society, with the gradual improve5ment of material living standards, people are also more in pursuit of their own spiritual enjoyment. The study of piano has gradually become a way for people to enrich their spiritual life, and more and more people attach importance to it. In the field of piano teaching, the two-piano method is a unique form of playing the piano. In order to solve the problem that the recognition accuracy of the sequence of two pianos is seriously reduced in the environment of noise and reverberation, this paper proposes an auxiliary training analysis system based on the neural network model. Firstly, in order to learn the nonlinear relationship between the sound order and the target task label from the massive data, a multitask preprocessing method combining speech enhancement and detection is used to supervise the deep neural network training. Then, convolutional neural network is used to construct the end-to-end recognition system, and the initial recognition results are checked and corrected by the phonological sequence model. Finally, the sequence recognition is carried out under the condition of noise, and the articulation is improved by speech enhancement front-end module, and then the sequence recognition model is used for recognition. Compared with traditional training methods, it is proved that our method is effective in improving the training efficiency and performance quality of players. At the same time, this method breaks through the limitation of traditional training method of double piano, creates a more scientific training means, and realizes the practice and application of artificial intelligence technology in the teaching of double piano.