bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Modulation instability analysis and perturbed optical soliton and other solutions to the Gerdjikov-Ivanov equation in nonlinear optics
Authors: Baskonus Haci Mehmet , Younis Muhammad , Bilal Muhammad , Younas Usman , Shafqat-ur-Rehman  , Gao Wei
Published: October 2020

In this work, we investigate the perturbed optical solitons to the Gerdjikov-Ivanov equation consisting of group velocity dispersion and quintic nonlinearity coefficients, which communicate the propagation of pulses in nonlinear optics. The various kinds of solitons in single and combined forms like dark, singular, dark-singular, bright-dark are derived by Fan-extended sub equation method. Moreover, the singular periodic, triangular type solutions are also obtained. And, we also discuss the stability analysis of the studied nonlinear model with the concept of linear stability, we prove that the governing model is stable. Parametric conditions on physical parameters to ensure the existence criteria of optical solitons are also listed. We also plot 3D profiles for the physical behavior of the obtained solutions by selecting the suitable values of the parameters.
Instability of modulation wave train and disturbance of time period in slightly stable media for unstable nonlinear Schrödinger dynamical equation
Authors: Iqbal Mujahid , Seadawy Aly R.
Published: October 2020

In this study, we constructed the exact traveling and soliton solutions for unstable nonlinear Schrödinger equation (UNLSE) by a modified mathematical method. The UNLSE explains the disorder of a time period in slightly unstable and stable medium, and also accomplishes the instability for modulated carrier wave. The demonstrated soliton solutions represent to bright-dark solitons, periodic solitary wave, and traveling waves. This technique is more efficient and powerful to investigate various kinds of soliton solutions for higher order unstable nonlinear PDEs. By applying symbolic computations, the physical interpretations of soliton solutions represent by two- and three-dimensions graphical. Our obtained results may helpful in the study of nonlinear optics, fiber optics, solitonic dynamic, and various kinds of physical sciences.
A macro traffic flow model with headway variation tendency and bounded rationality
Authors: Zhai Cong , Wu Weitiao
Published: October 2020

The rapid adoption of sensor technology has upgraded the vehicular communication capacity, which enables the drivers to predict the traffic state (e.g. headway variation tendency (HVT)) based on the current traffic information. Meanwhile, in practice, the drivers would exhibit bounded rationality behavior in that they often perceive and respond to acceleration/deceleration only when the headway variation exceeds a certain threshold. The collective effect may greatly affect the driving behavior and traffic flow performance. In this study, we innovatively model the traffic flow macroscopically considering HVT and bounded rationality effect in the context of continuum model. Based on the linear stability theory, the stability condition of the above model is obtained. The KdV-Burgers equation of the model is derived to describe traffic jam propagation mechanism near the neutral stability line by applying the reductive perturbation method in nonlinear stability analysis. Results show that the HVT and bounded rationality behavior have a great impact on the traffic congestion and energy consumption.
Experimental investigation on steam bubble interfacial heat transfer in large range Reynolds number and water subcooling
Authors: Yang Qingchuan , Qiu Binbin , Du Bowen , Li Yanna
Published: October 2020

An experimental study on the heat transfer characteristics of the steam bubbles generated by steam injection was performed. The bubble Nusselt number and Reynolds number were calculated based on the visual observation. The steam bubble Reynolds number and water subcooling were 600–360,000 and 15–60 K, respectively. In the large range of steam bubble Reynolds number, it was found that the heat transfer correlation in previous literatures cannot accurately predict the heat transfer coefficient of steam bubble. Based on the experimental results, the steam bubble Reynolds range was divided into three sections, namely 600–3000, 3000–22,000 and 22,000–360,000, to analyze the bubble heat transfer coefficient. Three experimental correlation formulas were obtained to calculate the steam bubble interfacial heat transfer coefficient, with deviations within ±30%. By comparing these three correlations, it was found that with the increase of Re[Formula: see text], the exponential coefficient of Re[Formula: see text] term in the correlation of Nu[Formula: see text] increased, and the absolute value of Ja term exponential coefficient decreased. The results indicated that with the increase of Re[Formula: see text], the influence of Re[Formula: see text] on bubble heat transfer increased, and the influence of water subcooling on bubble heat transfer decreased.
Cutting performance study of synthetic diamonds tools applied in ultra-precision machining of copper
Authors: Chen Ning , Zhang Guoqing , Zhou Menghua , Xu Gang , Li Yong , Huang Guofeng , Ma Hongan , Jia Xiaopeng
Published: October 2020

In this study, type Ib, type IIa, and type IIb synthetic diamonds tools were used for the ultra-precision machining (UPM) of copper. Raman spectroscopy showed that the diamond cutting tools used in these experiments exhibited high-quality sp3 structure and little residual stress in the diamond lattice. Type IIb diamond cutting tools showed higher durability and better UPM performance than the other types of diamond cutting tools. Chemical wear was deemed significant with respect to the cutting tools’ wear in this UPM experiment. Higher durability and enhanced UPM performance could be attributed to the higher thermal and chemical stabilities of the type IIb diamond cutting tool.
A low-noise readout interface for silicon MEMS vibratory gyroscope
Authors: Liu Xiaowei , Chen Dongliang , Song Keguan
Published: October 2020

This paper proposes a novel readout interface for a high-precision silicon MEMS vibratory gyroscope. The readout interface contains a closed-loop self-resonating driving circuit and a low-noise open-loop capacitance sensing circuit. In order to achieve an overall optimization in noise performance, the noise in driving loop of the interface is analyzed in detail. After the noise optimization, the driving frequency stability achieves 0.93 ppm, the front-end capacitance resolution achieves 0.002 aF/[Formula: see text]. The total zero bias instability achieves 3.82[Formula: see text]/h, and angle random walk (ARW) achieves 0.014[Formula: see text]/s/[Formula: see text].
Numerical simulation of turbulent thermal convection based on LBM
Authors: Xia Yuxian , Fu Yuan , Li Jiahua , Qiu Xiang , Qian Yuehong , Liu Yulu
Published: October 2020

The two-dimensional (2D) turbulent thermal convection is numerically investigated by using Lattice Boltzmann Method. The 2D turbulence is considered as 2D channel flow where the flow is forced by the arrays of adiabatic cylinders placed in the inlet and wall boundary of 2D channel, which is heated uniformly from the inlet as to inspire the paradigmatic motion of thermal convection. It is found that the spacing vortex number density distribution in the large-scale range [Formula: see text], based on the Liutex vortex definition criterion, which is in fair agreement with the Benzi prediction. The energy spectrum of the Liutex field [Formula: see text]. The scaling behavior of full-field energy spectrum in the large scale is [Formula: see text]. The temperature spectrum in the large-scale range is found to be approximate to [Formula: see text], which is according with the Bolgiano theory of 2D buoyancy driven turbulence. The energy flux cascades to the large scale, the enstrophy cascades to small scale. The moments of the energy dissipation field [Formula: see text] coarse grained at the scale [Formula: see text] have the power-law behaviors with the scale [Formula: see text]. The velocity intermittency measured by PDF exists in large-scale range of 2D turbulent thermal convection. The measured scaling exponents [Formula: see text] are determined by a lognormal formula. The measured intermittency parameter is [Formula: see text], which denotes the strong intermittency in the large-scale range of 2D turbulent thermal convection.
USING SUSTAINABILITY-ORIENTED PROCESS INNOVATION TO SHAPE PRODUCT MARKETS
Authors: BUSTAMANTE MARIA J.
Published: October 2020

Traditionally, the innovation literature has viewed product innovation as the key competitive driver for firms in the market. But as demands for sustainability increase and technology is advancing sustainability-oriented innovation across industries, there is an opportunity to reconsider the role of process innovations. This study follows the market development process of a start-up founded on the principle of sustainability-oriented innovation and explores how the process innovation itself is used to shape the external market. This paper considers the relationship between process innovations and external market development through a longitudinal case study of a vertical farm start-up in Stockholm, Sweden. Findings show that through a number of representational practices, process innovation can also serve external objectives and play a role in external market development for firms incorporating the principles of sustainability-oriented innovation.
BALANCED GIVE AND TAKE — AN EMPIRICAL STUDY ON THE SURVIVAL OF CORPORATE INCUBATORS
Authors: GAMBER MICHAEL , KRUFT TOBIAS , KOCK ALEXANDER
Published: October 2020

Many companies have created corporate incubators to deal with the increasing pace of innovation and to foster innovation activities beyond their current business. Since these corporate incubators demand considerable resources, the parent companies continuously evaluate the incubators’ performance and then decide on their survival. This decision depends on the balance between incubator’s contributions and the hosting company’s financial investment (top-level), while the incubator’s contributions again depend on the balance between incubator investment and the supported new business contributions (bottom-level). We apply the Barnard–Simon theory of organisational equilibrium to investigate the resource flow balance on both levels and to predict the resulting incubators’ performance, which determines their future survival. The analysis is based on a sample of corporate incubators surveyed in 2019. Results show that incubators with a top-level equilibrium and a bottom-level disequilibrium perform better. These counterintuitive yet insightful results are discussed in detail.
Government Spending Shocks and External Competitiveness: Evidence from South Africa
Authors: Nuru Naser Yenus
Published: October 2020

This study examines the effects of government spending shocks on real effective exchange rate in South Africa over the period 1970Q1–2019Q2. In doing so, a version of vector autoregressive impulse response model developed by Jordà is employed and the shocks are identified recursively. The impulse responses show that government spending shock has a significant appreciation effect on real effective exchange rate and its effect depends on the nature of the fiscal shock. Although the effect of government spending on real effective exchange rate does not depend on the sign of the shock, it varies over economic cycle.
Inter-Firm Connections, Alliance Formation and the Value Created by Alliances
Authors: Liu Yun , Mantecon Tomas , Silveri Sabatino Dino , Sun Wei
Published: October 2020

We investigate the impact of inter-firm connections on alliances. We find that both professional connections and social connections, borne out of board interlocks, employment ties and educational ties, increase the likelihood of alliance formation. In addition, the market reacts more favorably to alliance announcements in the presence of such connections, and this positive valuation effect increases with the degree of information asymmetry between the partner firms. Our findings are consistent with inter-firm connections creating value because they facilitate the flow of information between partner firms, thereby reducing moral hazard concerns and the risk of ex-post opportunistic behavior.
A study on sleep apnea in patients with abnormal sewda type of depression
Authors: Gul Aman , Memtily Nassirhadjy , Mijit Pirdun , Wushuer Palidan , Talifu Ainiwaer , Imin Mihriban , Rui Hua , Nuermaimaiti Zuhoumaer
Published: October 2020

Objective: To preliminarily investigate the clinical features and PSG in abnormal sewda-type depressive insomnia.

Methods: A total of 127 abnormal sewda-type depressive insomnia patients were evaluated with overnight PSG, and 32 normal participants were compared.

Results: Patients with abnormal sewda-type depressive insomnia were compared with the control group; the sleep symptoms showed a long incubation period of sleep, low sleep maintenance rate, low sleep efficiency and poor sleep quality as well as daytime dysfunction. At process and continuity of sleep: Total sleep time, sleep efficiency, sleep maintenance rate in abnormal sewda-type depressive insomnia group were shorter than the control group. Wake after sleep onset, and sleep latency were longer than the control group. At sleep structure: N1 ratio and N2 ratio in depressive insomnia group were longer than the control group, N3 ratio and REM sleep ratio shorter than the control group. At REM index: REM latency, REM cycles, and REM sleep time were shorter than the control group.

Conclusion: Insomnia symptoms in abnormal sewda-type depression comorbid insomnia patients were similar to the ordinary insomnia patients. The PSG characteristics had significant changes in sleep process, sleep structure and REM indicators. The severity of the abnormal sewda-type depression was closely related to REM indicators. Change of REM sleep characteristics may be the specificity, and these could be taken as reference in diagnosis and identification of abnormal sewda-type depressive insomnia.
Lower Urinary Tract and Gastrointestinal Dysfunction Are Common in Early Parkinson’s Disease
Authors: Martinez-Ramirez Daniel , Velazquez-Avila Edna Sophia , Almaraz-Espinoza Alejandro , Gonzalez-Cantú Arnulfo , Vazquez-Elizondo Genaro , Overa-Posada Daniel , Cervantes-Arriaga Amin , Rodriguez-Violante Mayela , Gonzalez-Gonzalez Mirna
Published: October 2020

Purpose. Autonomic dysfunction is a common nonmotor feature and early manifestation of Parkinsons disease (PD). Autonomic dysfunction in PD is associated with a worse prognosis. We sought to characterize autonomic dysfunction and identify associated factors in patients with early PD. Methods. An observational, cross-sectional, descriptive, and analytical study was conducted to evaluate patients with early PD from the Parkinsons Progression Markers Initiative. We utilized the Scales for Outcomes in Parkinsons Disease-Autonomic dysfunction questionnaire to determine the prevalence and frequencies of autonomic symptomatology. The cohort was grouped into high and low dysautonomic scores. A regression model identified variables that independently explained dysautonomic scores in our early PD cohort. Results. 414 PD patients had a mean age of 61.1 (SD 9.7) years at diagnosis and mean disease duration of 6.7 (SD 6.6) months. Among all patients, 43.7% (181/414) had high dysautonomic scores. Urinary and gastrointestinal symptoms were the most prevalent and frequently reported dysautonomic symptoms. Patients with fatigue (beta = 4.28,

p
<
0.001

), probable rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder (beta = 2.71,

p
<
0.001

), excessive daytime sleepiness (beta = 1.88,

p
=
0.039

), impulsivity and compulsivity (beta = 2.42,

p
<
0.001

), and increasing age (beta = 1.05,

p
<
0.001

) were more likely to have high dysautonomic scores. Conclusion. Lower urinary tract and gastrointestinal symptoms are prevalent and frequent in early PD patients. Fatigue, sleep disorders, impulsivity and compulsivity, and age are predictors of autonomic dysfunction. Autonomic symptoms predominated in this group of early PD patients in the disease course and were associated with more severe disease.
Arctiin Antagonizes Triptolide‐Induced Hepatotoxicity via Activation of Nrf2 Pathway
Authors: Zhou Yuyan , Xia Li , Yao Weiqiang , Han Jun , Wang Guodong
Published: October 2020

Triptolide (TP) is the most effective ingredient found in the traditional Chinese herbal Tripterygium wilfordii Hook F, and it is widely used in therapies of autoimmune and inflammatory disorders. However, the hepatotoxicity induced by TP has restricted its use in clinical trials. Arctiin is known as a protective agent against oxidative stress, and it exerts liver‐protecting effect. This study was aimed at investigating the protective role of arctiin against TP‐induced hepatotoxicity using in vitro and in vivo models. The results indicated that TP not only obviously induced liver injury in mice but also significantly inhibited the growth of HepG2 cells and increased the level of intracellular reactive oxygen. Furthermore, TP obviously decreased the expressions of proteins of Nrf2 pathway including HO‐1, NQO1, and Nrf2 associated with oxidative stress pathway. However, the above experimental indexes were reversed by the treatment of arctiin. Our results suggested that arctiin could alleviate TP‐induced hepatotoxicity, and the molecular mechanism is likely related to its capacity against oxidative stress.
Characteristic and Phylogenetic Analysis of the Complete Chloroplast Genomes of Three Medicinal Plants of Schisandraceae
Authors: Zhang Dachuan , Wang Jiahao , Xu Liang , Xing Yanping , Zhang Tingting , Li Shengnan , Yang Yanyun , Bao Guihua , Ao Wuliji , Kang Tingguo
Published: October 2020

Schisandra chinensis, which has a high development value, has long been used as medicine. Its mature fruits (called Wuweizi in Chinese) have long been used in the famous traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) recorded in the “Chinese Pharmacopoeia.” Chloroplasts (CP) are the highly conserved primitive organelles in plants, which can serve as the foundation for plant classification and identification. This study introduced the structures of the CP genomes of three Schisandraceae species and analyzed their phylogenetic relationships. Comparative analyses on the three complete chloroplast genomes can provide us with useful knowledge to identify the three plants. In this study, approximately 5 g fresh leaves were harvested for chloroplast DNA isolation according to the improved extraction method. A total of three chloroplast DNAs were extracted. Afterwards, the chloroplast genomes were reconstructed using denovo combined with reference‐guided assemblies. General characteristics of the chloroplast genome and genome comparison with three Schisandraceae species was analyzed by corresponding software. The total sizes of complete chloroplast genomes of S. chinensis, S. sphenanthera, and Kadsura coccinea were 146875 bp, 146842 bp, and 145399 bp, respectively. Altogether, 124 genes were annotated, including 82 protein‐coding genes, 34 tRNAs, and 8 rRNAs of all 3 species. In SSR analysis, only S. chinensis was annotated to hexanucleotides. Moreover, comparative analysis of chloroplast Schisandraceae genome sequences revealed that the gene order and gene content were slightly different among Schisandraceae species. Finally, phylogenetic trees were reconstructed, based on the genome‐wide SNPs of 38 species. The method can be used to identify and differentially analyze Schisandraceae plants and offer useful information for phylogenetics as well as further studies on traditional medicinal plants.
Antimania‐Like Effect of Panax ginseng Regulating the Glutamatergic Neurotransmission in REM‐Sleep Deprivation Rats
Authors: Leem Kang Hyun , Kim Sang A. , Park Hae Jeong
Published: October 2020

Previous studies have shown the therapeutic properties of ginseng and ginsenosides on hyperactive and impulsive behaviors in several psychiatric diseases. Herein, we investigated the effect of Panax ginseng Meyer (PG) on hyperactive/impulsive behaviors in a manic‐like animal model, sleep deprivation (SD) rats. Male rats were sleep‐deprived for 48 h, and PG (200 mg/kg) was administered for 4 days, from 2 days prior to the start of SD to the end date of SD. The elevated plus maze (EPM) test showed that PG alleviated the increased frequency of entries into and spent time within open arms by SD. In order to investigate the molecular mechanism on this effect of PG, we assessed differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in the prefrontal cortex of PG‐treated SD rats using RNA sequencing (RNA‐seq) and performed gene‐enrichment analysis for DEGs. The gene‐enrichment analysis showed that PG most prominently affected the glutamatergic synapse pathway. Among the glutamatergic synapse pathway genes, particularly, PG enhanced the expressions of glutamate transporter Slc1a3 and Slc1a2 reduced in SD rats. Moreover, we found that PG could inhibit the SD‐induced phosphorylation of the NR2A subunit of the NMDA receptor. These results suggested that PG might have a therapeutic effect against the manic‐like behaviors, regulating the glutamatergic neurotransmission.
Incidence Density Rate of Neonatal Mortality and Predictors in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Authors: Bitew Zebenay Workneh , Alemu Ayinalem , Ayele Ermias Getaneh , Jember Desalegn Abebaw , Haile Michael Tamene , Worku Teshager
Published: October 2020

Background. Neonatal mortality in Sub-Saharan countries is remarkably high. Though there are inconsistent studies about the incidence density rate of neonatal mortalities (IDR) and predictors in Sub-Saharan Africa, they are inconclusive to policymakers and program planners. In this study, the IDR of neonatal mortalities and predictors was determined. Methods. Electronic databases (Web of Science, PubMed, EMBASE (Elsevier), Scopus, CINAHL (EBSCOhost), World Cat, Google Scholar, and Google) were explored. 20 out of 818 studies were included in this study. The IDRs and predictors of neonatal mortality were computed from studies conducted in survival analysis. Fixed and random effect models were used to compute pooled estimates. Subgroup and sensitivity analyses were performed. Results. Neonates were followed for a total of 1,095,611 neonate-days; 67142 neonate-days for neonates treated in neonatal intensive care units and 1,028,469 neonate-days for community-based studies. The IDRs of neonatal mortalities in neonatal intensive care units and in the community were 24.53 and 1.21 per 1000 person-days, respectively. The IDRs of early and late neonatal mortalities neonatal intensive care units were 22.51 and 5.09 per 1000 neonate-days, respectively. Likewise, the IDRs of early and late neonatal mortalities in the community were 0.85 and 0.31, respectively. Not initiating breastfeeding within one hour, multiple births, rural residence, maternal illness, low Apgar score, being preterm, sepsis, asphyxia, and respiratory distress syndrome were independent predictors of time to neonatal mortality in neonatal intensive care units and male gender, perceived small size, multiple births, and ANC were predictors of neonatal mortality in the community. Conclusion. The incidence density rate of neonatal mortality in Sub-Saharan Africa is significantly high. Multiple factors (neonatal and maternal) were found to be independent predictors. Strategies must be designed to address these predictors, and prospective studies could reveal other possible factors of neonatal mortalities.
Extraction, Purification, Characterization, and Antiangiogenic Activity of Acidic Polysaccharide from Buddleja officinalis
Authors: Yan Xiaoteng , Yan Zhuan , Xiong Qingping , Liu Gaoqin , Zhu Juanjuan , Lu Peirong
Published: October 2020

Firstly, optimal parameters of crude polysaccharide from Buddleja officinalis were obtained as follows: ratio of water to raw material of 26 : 1, ultrasonic power of 240 W, ultrasonic time of 45 min, and ultrasonic temperature of 62°C. Secondly, acidic polysaccharide (APBOM) from Buddleja officinalis was successfully acquired with the yield of 9.57% by using DEAE‐52 cellulose and Sephadex G‐100 gel column chromatography. Then, we found that total polysaccharide content of APBOM was 94.37% with a sulfuric acid group of 1.68%, uronic acid content of 17.41%, and average molecular weight of 165.4 kDa. Finally, APBOM was confirmed to have significant antiangiogenic effects.
Basket Credit Derivative Pricing in a Markov Chain Model with Interacting Intensities
Authors: Zhi Kangquan , Guo Jie , Qian Xiaosong
Published: October 2020

In this paper, we propose a Markov chain model to price basket credit default swap (BCDS) and basket credit-linked note (BCLN) with counterparty and contagion risks. Suppose that the default intensity processes of reference entities and the counterparty are driven by a common external shock as well as defaults of other names in the contracts. The stochastic intensity of the external shock is a Cox process with jumps. We derive recursive formulas for the joint distribution of default times and obtain closed-form premium rates for BCDS and BCLN. Numerical experiments are performed to show how the correlated default risks may affect the premium rates.
Novel Node-Ranking Approach for SDN-Based Virtual Network Embedding
Authors: Shi Chaowei , Meng Xiangru , Kang Qiaoyan , Han Xiaoyang
Published: October 2020

Network virtualization is considered as a key technology for the future network. The emergence of software-defined network (SDN) provides a platform for the research and development of network virtualization. One of the key challenges in network virtualization is virtual network embedding (VNE). Some of the previous VNE algorithms perform virtual node embedding, which combines the nodes’ resource attributes and local topology attributes by arithmetic operations. On the one hand, it is not easy to distinguish the topological differences between SN and VN only by simple topology metrics. On the other hand, it is easy to ignore the different weight impacts of different metrics using only arithmetic operations, which will lead to an unbalanced embedding solution. To deal with these issues, we propose a novel node-ranking approach based on topology-differentiating (VNE-NRTD) for SDN-based virtual network embedding. Owing to the topological difference between SN and VN, different node metrics are used to quantify the substrate nodes and virtual nodes, respectively. Then, the nodes are ranked using the modified set pair analysis (SPA) method to avoid the unbalanced embedding solution. On this basis, we introduce the global bandwidth of the network topology into node-ranking to further improve the efficiency of node embedding. The simulation results show that the VNE-NRTD algorithm proposed in this paper outperforms other latest heuristic algorithms in terms of the VNR acceptance ratio, long-term average R/C ratio, substrate node utilization, and substrate link utilization.
miR‐425‐5p Acts as a Molecular Marker and Promoted Proliferation, Migration by Targeting RNF11 in Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Authors: Rao Dan , Guan Songmei , Huang Junwei , Chang Qing , Duan Shigang
Published: October 2020

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common and dangerous malignant tumors in China, which causes a large number of deaths every year. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) dysfunction contributes to the malignant progression of tumors. The aim of our study was to investigate the relationship between the biological role of miR‐425‐5p and malignant progression of HCC. Our results showed that miR‐425‐5p expression was significantly upregulated in HCC tissues and closely related to the poor prognosis of HCC patients. The knockdown of miR‐425‐5p inhibited cell proliferation and migration. Further, we identified RNF11 as the downstream target gene of miR‐425‐5p. In addition, the rescue experiments showed that the upregulation of RNF11 could rescue the inhibitory effect of miR‐425‐5p on HCC. In general, miR‐425‐5p as an oncogene promotes the malignant development of HCC via RNF11 and serves as a molecular target for predicting the prognosis of HCC patients.
Existence and Uniqueness of Uncertain Fractional Backward Difference Equations of Riemann–Liouville Type
Authors: Mohammed Pshtiwan Othman , Abdeljawad Thabet , Jarad Fahd , Chu Yu-Ming
Published: October 2020

In this article, we consider the analytic solutions of the uncertain fractional backward difference equations in the sense of Riemann–Liouville fractional operators which are solved by using the Picard successive iteration method. Also, we consider the existence and uniqueness theorem of the solution to an uncertain fractional backward difference equation via the Banach contraction fixed-point theorem under the conditions of Lipschitz constant and linear combination growth. Finally, we point out some examples to confirm the validity of the existence and uniqueness of the solution.
Dim and Small Targets Detection in Sequence Images Based on Spatiotemporal Motion Characteristics
Authors: Xiangsuo Fan , Guo Hongwei , Zhiyong Xu , Li Biao
Published: October 2020

In order to effectively enhance the low detection rates of dim and small targets caused by dynamic backgrounds, this paper proposes a detection algorithm for dim and small targets in sequence images based on spatiotemporal motion characteristics. With regard to the spatial domain, this paper proposes an improved anisotropic background filtering algorithm that makes full use of the gradient differences between the target and the background pixels in the eight directions of the spatial domain and selects the mean value of the three directions with the lowest diffusion function in the eight directions as the differential filter to obtain a differential image. Then, the paper proposes a directional energy correlation enhancement algorithm in the time domain. Finally, based on the above preprocessing operations, we construct a dim and small targets detection algorithm in sequence images with local motion characteristics, which achieves target detection by determining the number of occurrences of the target, the number of displacements, and the total cumulative area in these sequential images. Experiments show that the proposed detection algorithm in this paper can effectively improve the detection of dim and small targets in dynamic scenes.
IFN‐γ Mediates the Development of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
Authors: Liu Wenping , Li Mengdi , Wang Ziye , Wang Jibo
Published: October 2020

Objective. Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic autoimmune disease that can affect all organs in the body. It is characterized by overexpression of antibodies against autoantigen. Although previous bioinformatics analyses have identified several genetic factors underlying SLE, they did not discriminate between naive and individuals exposed to anti‐SLE drugs. Here, we evaluated specific genes and pathways in active and recently diagnosed SLE population. Methods. GSE46907 matrix downloaded from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) was analyzed using R, Metascape, STRING, and Cytoscape to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs), enrichment pathways, protein‐protein interaction (PPI), and hub genes between naive SLE individuals and healthy controls. Results. A total of 134 DEGs were identified, in which 29 were downregulated, whereas 105 were upregulated in active and newly diagnosed SLE cases. GO term analysis revealed that transcriptional induction of the DEGs was particularly enhanced in response to secretion of interferon‐γ and interferon‐α and regulation of cytokine production innate immune responses among others. KEGG pathway analysis showed that the expression of DEGs was particularly enhanced in interferon signaling, IFN antiviral responses by activated genes, class I major histocompatibility complex (MHC‐I) mediated antigen processing and presentation, and amyloid fiber formation. STAT1, IRF7, MX1, OASL, ISG15, IFIT3, IFIH1, IFIT1, OAS2, and GBP1 were the top 10 DEGs. Conclusions. Our findings suggest that interferon‐related gene expression and pathways are common features for SLE pathogenesis, and IFN‐γ and IFN‐γ‐inducible GBP1 gene in naive SLE were emphasized. Together, the identified genes and cellular pathways have expanded our understanding on the mechanism underlying development of SLE. They have also opened a new frontier on potential biomarkers for diagnosis, biotherapy, and prognosis for SLE.
Concrete Cracks Detection Using Convolutional NeuralNetwork Based on Transfer Learning
Authors: Su Chao , Wang Wenjun
Published: October 2020

Crack plays a critical role in the field of evaluating the quality of concrete structures, which affects the safety, applicability, and durability of the structure. Due to its excellent performance in image processing, the convolutional neural network is becoming the mainstream choice to replace manual crack detection. In this paper, we improve the EfficientNetB0 to realize the detection of concrete surface cracks using the transfer learning method. The model is designed by neural architecture search technology. The weights are pretrained on the ImageNet. Supervised learning uses Adam optimizer to update network parameters. In the testing process, crack images from different locations were used to further test the generalization capability of the model. By comparing the detection results with the MobileNetV2, DenseNet201, and InceptionV3 models, the results show that our model greatly reduces the number of parameters while achieving high accuracy (0.9911) and has good generalization capability. Our model is an efficient detection model, which provides a new option for crack detection in areas with limited computing resources.
Upregulation of CFTR Protects against Palmitate-Induced Endothelial Dysfunction by Enhancing Autophagic Flux
Authors: Chen Hongqi , Chen Wenliang , Yao Yinlian , Ye Naobei , Hou Ning , Luo Jiandong
Published: October 2020

Saturated free fatty acids (FFAs) elevate in metabolic symptom leading to endothelial dysfunction. Cystic fibrosis transmembrane regulator (CFTR) functionally expresses in endothelial cells. The role of CFTR in FFA-induced endothelial dysfunction remains unclear. This study is aimed at exploring the effects of CFTR on palmitate- (PA-) induced endothelial dysfunction and its underlying mechanisms. We found that PA-induced endothelial dysfunction is characterized by a decrease of cell viability, reduction of NO generation and mitochondrial membrane potential, impairment of the tube formation, but an increase of ROS generation and cell apoptosis. Simultaneously, PA decreased CFTR protein expression. CFTR agonist Forskolin upregulated CFTR protein expression and protected against PA-induced endothelial dysfunction, while CFTR knockdown exacerbated endothelial dysfunction induced by PA and blunted the protective effects of Forskolin. In addition, PA impaired autophagic flux, and autophagic flux inhibitors aggravated PA-induced endothelial apoptosis. CFTR upregulation significantly restored autophagic flux in PA-insulted endothelial cells, which was involved in increasing the protein expression of Atg16L, Atg12-Atg5 complex, cathepsin B, and cathepsin D. In contrast, CFTR knockdown significantly inhibited the effects of Forskolin on autophagic flux and the expression of the autophagy-regulated proteins. Our findings illustrate that CFTR upregulation protects against PA-induced endothelial dysfunction by improving autophagic flux and underlying mechanisms are involved in enhancing autophagic signaling mediated by the Atg16L-Atg12-Atg5 complex, cathepsin B, and cathepsin D. CFTR might serve as a novel drug target for endothelial protection in cardiovascular diseases with a characteristic of elevation of FFAs.
[Retracted] A Computational Framework to Study the Effect of Acupuncture on Obesity by Integrating Multiple Levels of Data
Authors: Liu Huihui , Liu Mingjun , Jiao Yingbo , Wei Le , Liu Xiaochen , Li Dandan , Zhang Xiaolin , Yan Minghui , Chen Jinming
Published: October 2020

In this study, we evaluated the efficacy of acupuncture in the treatment of obesity by a computational framework integrating randomized controlled trials published in China and abroad. Specifically, clinical trial documents published on CNKI, VIP, Wanfang, PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library from 2007‐2017 were downloaded and analyzed using Stata 15.1 system. As a result, a total of 13 articles were imported and 1052 patients were included. The analyses showed that the overall effect of an acupuncture group and a control group was not significant with P > 0.01. However, the curative effect of the acupuncture group was better than that of the diet and exercise instruction group with P < 0.01; the curative effect of the acupuncture group was better than that of the oral Chinese and western medicine group with P < 0.01. In conclusion, acupuncture as a complementary alternative therapy is recommended for the treatment of obesity.
Burnout among Nurses Working in Ethiopia
Authors: Hailay Abrha , Aberhe Woldu , Mebrahtom Guesh , Zereabruk Kidane , Gebreayezgi Guesh , Haile Teklehaimanot
Published: October 2020

Background. Burnout is a condition of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and low personal accomplishment that can occur among individuals who work with people in some capacity. Nursing is a stressful profession that deals with human aspects of health and illness and can ultimately lead to job dissatisfaction and burnout. Although burnout among nurses has been addressed in previous research, the heterogeneous nature of the result findings highlights the need for a detailed meta-analysis in Ethiopia. Thus, this review is aimed at identifying the prevalence of burnout among nurses in Ethiopia. Methods. A search strategy was implemented using electronic databases (PubMed/MEDLINE, Google Scholar, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Africa-Wide Information, and African Index Medicus) which were systematically searched online to retrieve related articles using keywords. Studies which were included in this review were written in the English language because writing articles in other languages in Ethiopia is uncommon. The combination of key terms including “burnout”, “nurse” and “Ethiopia”, “systematic review” and protocols was used. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis checklist guideline was followed stepwise. All published articles starting from inception to February 2020 were included, and we did not find unpublished studies. Heterogeneity across the included studies was evaluated by the inconsistency index. All statistical analysis was done using R and RStudio software for Windows, and a random-effects model was applied to estimate the overall prevalence of burnout among nurses in Ethiopia. It is registered in PROSPERO (CRD42020188092). Results. The database searched produced 1060 papers. After adjustment for duplicates and inclusion and exclusion criteria, seven articles with 1654 total nurses were found suitable for the review. Except for one cohort study, all studies were cross-sectional. The overall pooled prevalence of burnout among Ethiopian nurses was estimated to be 39% (95% CI: 27%-50%). Conclusions. Burnout affects two out of five nurses in Ethiopia. Therefore, effective interventions and strategies are required to reduce burnout among nurses.
Identity-Based Identification Scheme without Trusted Party against Concurrent Attacks
Authors: Tang Fei , Bao Jiali , Huang Yonghong , Huang Dong , Wang Fuqun
Published: October 2020

Identification schemes support that a prover who holding a secret key to prove itself to any verifier who holding the corresponding public key. In traditional identity-based identification schemes, there is a key generation center to generate all users’ secret keys. This means that the key generation center knows all users’ secret key, which brings the key escrow problem. To resolve this problem, in this work, we define the model of identity-based identification without a trusted party. Then, we propose a multi-authority identity-based identification scheme based on bilinear pairing. Furthermore, we prove the security of the proposed scheme in the random oracle model against impersonation under passive and concurrent attacks. Finally, we give an application of the proposed identity-based identification scheme to blockchain.
Some New Oscillation Results for Fourth-Order Neutral Differential Equations with a Canonical Operator
Authors: Bazighifan Omar
Published: October 2020

By this work, our aim is to study oscillatory behaviour of solutions to 4th-order differential equation of neutral typeLy′+∑j=1kqjyzβgjy=0whereLy=ξyw‴yα,wy:=zy+ryzg˜y. By using the comparison method with first-order differential inequality, we find new oscillation conditions for this equation.
Discrete Element Modeling on Mechanical Behavior of Heterogeneous Rock Containing X-Shaped Fissure under Uniaxial Compression
Authors: Chen Ming , Liu Jian , Xie Zhengyong , Liu Jianjun , Hu Xunjian , Li Bingyang , Cen Yue
Published: October 2020

Based on the experimental results of an intact rock specimen under uniaxial compression, particle flow code (PFC2D) was adopted to carry out a discrete element modeling (DEM) for the mechanical behavior of heterogeneous rocks containing X-shaped fissures (two intersecting symmetric single fissures) under uniaxial compression. The influences of

β

(the acute angle between two single fissures) and the direction angle

α

(the acute angle between the bisector of

β

and perpendicular to the loading direction) on the strength, deformation, energy, crack propagation, and ultimate failure mode were analyzed in detail. Numerical simulated results showed the following: (1) Due to the X-shaped fissures, not only the peak strength, elastic modulus, crack initiation stress, and damage stress were significantly reduced, and the reduced degree of the peak strength was obviously greater than that of the elastic modulus, but also the brittleness and energy were significantly weakened. (2) The peak strength and elastic modulus generally decreased with the increase of

β

and increased with the increase of

α

. Moreover, the change trends of crack initiation stress, damage stress, boundary energy, and total strain energy at the peak stress were consistent with the peak strength. (3) Regardless of the changes of

α

and

β

, models all firstly initiated wing cracks at the two tips of the single fissure with a larger inclination angle, and the crack initiation angle decreased with the increase of the inclination angle of the single fissure. (4) The fracture was dominated by tensile microcracks, and no microcracks were generated in a certain range of the X-shaped fissure center. The failure mode was mainly split along the axial direction, and the failure surface started from the tips of the fissure and extended to both ends of models. (5) The uniaxial compressive strength and elastic modulus increased exponentially with the increase of the homogeneity factor. When the homogeneity factor was small, the microcracks were more evenly distributed in the models; when the homogeneity factor was large, the microcracks were mainly concentrated at the tips of the fissure in the models. This study can provide some references for the correct understanding of the mechanical properties of rock masses containing X-shaped fissures.
Sand Production Prediction Model for Tight Sandstone Oil Reservoirs
Authors: Li Zhan-dong , Pang Hong , Li Zhong , Zhang Hai-xiang , Wang Dian-ju , Li Ji
Published: October 2020

Tight oil is an important unconventional resource, and sand production is an inevitable challenge during the field development. In this paper, based on data from the Daqing oilfield in Songliao Basin, the sand production of the tight sandstone oil reservoir is studied from the perspective of seepage and in situ stress distribution. Based on the combination of the formation fluid seepage law and the stress distribution around the well, a sand production prediction model is proposed to quantitatively estimate the sand production rate. The sand production prediction model is built based on the derivation of the sand production rate, which is well validated against the field data in the Daqing field with a relative error of 4.38%.The following conclusions are drawn: (1) after the critical pressure difference is exceeded, the sand production rate is smaller with a higher flowing bottom-hole pressure; (2) a smaller sand production radius makes the formation more unstable and causes a more severe sand production; and (3) various sand production rates exhibit due to different permeabilities. A larger permeability results in a higher sand production rate. The findings of this study can help for sand production prediction in the tight sandstone oil reservoir.
A Nonfiducial PPG-Based Subject Authentication Approach Using the Statistical Features of DWT-Based Filtered Signals
Authors: Alotaiby Turky N. , Aljabarti Fatima , Alotibi Gaseb , Alshebeili Saleh A.
Published: October 2020

Nowadays, there is a global change in lifestyle that is moving more toward the use of e-services and smart devices which necessitate the verification of user identity. Different organizations have put into place a range of technologies, hardware, and/or software to authenticate users using fingerprints, iris recognition, and so forth. However, cost and reliability are significant limitations to the use of such technologies. This study presents a nonfiducial PPG-based subject authentication system. In particular, the photoplethysmogram (PPG) signal is first filtered into four signals using the discrete wavelet transform (DWT) and then segmented into frames. Ten simple statistical features are extracted from the frame of each signal band to compose the feature vector. Augmenting the feature vector with the same features extracted from the 1st derivative of the corresponding signal is investigated, along with different fusion approaches. A support vector machine (SVM) classifier is then employed for the purpose of identity authentication. The proposed authentication system achieved an average authentication accuracy of 99.3% using a 15 sec frame length with the augmented multiband approach.
Numerical Simulation of Cracking Behavior of Precracked Rock under Mechanical-Hydraulic Loading
Authors: Zhang Zhong , Ma Chun-Chi , Li Tianbin , Song Tao , Xing Huilin
Published: October 2020

The cracking behavior of precracked rocks under mechanical-hydraulic loading is of great significance in underground openings or petroleum engineering. In this study, an advanced in-house finite element code PANDAS proved to be effective in simulating coupled fracturing processes under complex geological conditions was used to simulate the cracking propagation of the precracked rocks under mechanical loading and mechanical-hydraulic loading with different strength parameters. The simulation results demonstrated that (1) the cracks initiate by the induced stresses, and multiple types of tensile cracks originate from the preexisting flaws; (2) crack propagation patterns under mechanical-hydraulic loading were studied with different strength parameters, and the multiple patterns of pure tensile, main tensile, tensile-shear, main shear, and pure shear were observed; and (3) the timing of hydraulic loading has a significant impact on the fracturing process: when hydraulic loading was carried out in the phase of main crack propagation, the tensile fracture was promoted and the shear fracture was inhibited; when hydraulic loading was carried out in the phase of shear crack propagation, the shear fracture and tensile fracture were stimulated. The numerical simulation results are in good agreement with the experimental results by previous studies. The research on the cracking behavior of precracked rocks under mechanical and hydraulic loading will expand the application prospect in the fields of coal seam gas reservoir and tunnel water inrush.