bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
An Effective Dynamic Immune Optimization Control for the Wastewater Treatment Process
Authors: Li Fei , Su Zhong , Wang Gongming
Published: July 2021

Aiming at the conflict of multiple performance indicators in the complex wastewater treatment process (WWTPs), an effective optimization control based on dynamic multi-objective immune (DMOIA-OC) is designed. This method first designs a dynamic optimization control scheme. It also divides the control process into a dynamic optimization layer and a tracking control layer. Secondly, based on analyzing the performance of WWTPs, the optimization layer establishes energy consumption and effluent quality models that adapt to the environment. Thirdly, an adaptive dynamic immune optimization algorithm is proposed to optimize complex and conflicting performance indicators. Besides, a suitable preference solution is selected from many Pareto solutions. It is to obtain the best set values of dissolved oxygen and nitrate nitrogen. Finally, the solution will be tested on the benchmark simulation platform (BSM1). The results show that the DMOIA-OC method can solve the complex optimization problem of multiple performance indicators in WWTPs. And it has a competitive advantage in the control effect.
Function, Proteomic and miRomic Study of a Dry Immersion Model of Microgravity implicates the Wnt/Dkk1/AXIN1 axis in Prothrombotic Platelet Phenotype
Authors: Twomey Laura , Navasiolava Nastassia , Robin Adrien , Bareille Marie-Pierre , Gauquelin-Koch Guillemette , Beck Arnaud , Larcher Françoise , Meade-Murphy Gerardene , Sheridan Sinead , Maguire Patricia , Harrison Michael , Degryse Bernard , Moyna Niall , Gharib Claude , Custaud Marc-Antoine , Murphy Ronan
Published: July 2021

Objective: Ground based research modalities of microgravity have been proposed as innovative methods to investigate the aetiology of chronic age-related conditions such as cardiovascular disease. Dry Immersion (DI), has been effectively used to interrogate the sequelae of physical inactivity (PI) and microgravity on multiple physiological systems. Herein we look at the causa et effectus of 3-day DI on platelet phenotype, and correlate with both miRomic and biomarker expression.Approach and Results: The miRomic profile of platelets is reflective of phenotype, which itself is sensitive and malleable to the exposome, undergoing responsive transitions in order to fulfil platelets role in thrombosis and haemostasis. Heterogeneous platelet subpopulations circulate at any given time, with varying degrees of sensitivity to activation. Employing a DI model, we investigate the effect of acute PI on platelet function in 12 healthy males. 3-day DI resulted in a significant increase in platelet count, plateletcrit, platelet adhesion, aggregation, and a modest elevation of platelet reactivity index (PRI). We identified 15 protein biomarkers whose expression levels were altered after DI. 22 “DI/PI” related miRNA were identified, of which five have potential targets in the Wnt pathway associated with platelet biogenesis and function. These findings are supported by increased circulating Axin1 and DKK1.Conclusions: Circulating biomarker and miRomic analysis implicates miRNA regulation of Wnt/Dkk1/AXIN1 axis in DI/PI induced primed platelet phenotype. Taken together, these findings highlight platelets as sensitive adaptive sentinels and functional biomarkers of epigenetic drift within the cardiovascular compartment.
An Analysis of The Asymmetric Effects of Natural Gas Consumption on Economic Growth in Pakistan: A Non-linear Autoregressive Distributed Lag Approach
Authors: Sohail Hafiz M. , Li Zengfu , Murshed Muntasir , Rafael Alvarado , Mahmood Haider
Published: July 2021

Natural gas is an important energy resource that is used to produce the national output of Pakistan.On the other hand, since natural gas is a relatively cleaner energy resource compared to oil and coal, enhancing the level of natural gas use is believed to improve the environmental quality in Pakistan which, in turn, can be expected to enable the nation to sustain its economic performances. Hence, it is pertinent to assess the effects of natural gas consumption on the nation’s economic growth level.The main objective of this paper was to explore the asymmetric effects of natural gas consumption, controlling for financial development, on Pakistan's economic growth level over the 1965–2019 period. The results from the Augmented Dickey-Fuller, Phillips-Perron, and Zivot-Andrews unit root tests confirmed a mixed order of integration among the variables. Besides, the bounds test and Gregory-Hansen cointegration analysis revealed evidence of long-run associations between economic growth, natural gas consumption, and financial development. Moreover, the outcomes from the non-linear autoregressive distributed lag model showed thatin the short-run positive changes in the natural gas consumption levels increase economic growth in Pakistan. On the other hand, in the long-run, positive and negative changes in natural gas consumption levels increase and decrease the economic growth level, respectively, in the long-run. On the other hand, both positive and negative changes in the financial development level are found to reduce the economic growth level in the long-run. Furthermore, the Hacker-Hatemi-J causality analysis verifiedthat natural gas consumption influences the economic growth level in Pakistan; thus, the energy consumption-led growth phenomenon was unearthed. In line with these key findings, several policy level suggestions are put forward for Pakistan to boost its natural gas consumption figures in order to enhance its economic growth level in the future.
Early Experience with An Opt-In Research Register - Scottish Health Research Register (SHARE): A Multi-Method Evaluation of Participant Recruitment Performance.
Authors: Shi Wen , Vasishta Shobna , Dow Louise , Cavellini Daniella , Palmer Colin , McKinstry Brian , Sullivan Frank
Published: July 2021

Background
Recruiting participants to a clinical study is a resource-intensive process and has high rate of failure. The Scottish Health Research Register (SHARE) provides recruitment support service which helps researchers recruit participants by searching patients’ Electronic Health Records (EHRs). The current study aims to evaluate the performance of SHARE in participant recruitment.
Methods
Recruitment projects eligible for evaluation were those for clinical trials or observational studies and had finished before the end of 2019. From SHARE records, for each project we calculated 1) the fraction of the participants recruited through SHARE as a percentage of the number requested by researchers (percentage fulfilled), 2) the percentage of the potential candidates provided by SHARE to researchers that were actually recruited (percentage provided and recruited), 3) the percentage of the participants recruited through SHARE of all the potentially eligible candidates identified by searching registrants’ EHRs (percentage identified and recruited). Research teams of the eligible projects were invited to participate in an anonymised online survey. Two metrics were derived from research teams’ responses, including a) the fraction of the recruited over the study target number of participants (percentage fulfilled), and b) the percentage of the participants recruited through SHARE among the candidates received from SHARE (percentage provided and recruited).
Results
44 projects were eligible for inclusion. Recruitment data for 24 projects were collected (20 excluded because of missingness or incompleteness). Survey invites were sent to all the eligible research teams and received 12 responses. Analysis of recruitment data shows the overall percentage fulfilled was 34.2% (interquartile 13.3% − 45.1%), the percentage provided and recruited 29.3% (interquartile 20.6% − 52.4%) and percentage identified and recruited 4.9% (interquartile 2.6% − 10.2%). Based on the data reported by researchers, percentage fulfilled was 31.7% (interquartile 5.8% − 59.6%) and percentage provided and recruited was 20.2% (interquartile 8.2% − 31.0%).
Conclusions
SHARE may be a valuable resource for recruiting participants for some clinical studies. Potential improvements are to expand the registrant base and to incorporate more data generated during patients’ different health care encounters into the candidate-searching step.
Sub-division Level Temperature Patterns and Trends Across East-Coast Industrial Corridor, India
Authors: Rayadurgam Hrishikesh Mahadev , Rao Prakash
Published: July 2021

Temperature patterns and trends influence many sectors. The newly planned industrial corridors will have to consider the variations in temperature and other climatic parameters. The present article aims to investigate the patterns and trends of maximum and minimum temperature at the Sub-division (sub-district) level. We analyse annual and seasonal temperature data from 1958 to 2018 for the India’s first east-coast corridor, the Visakhapatnam–Chennai industrial corridor (VCIC) using a combination of Getis–Ord–Gi and Mann–Kendall trend test for spatiotemporal patterns and trends. The results show domination of intensifying hot spots across the VCIC and an overall increase in both maximum and minimum temperature for annual (0.013 oC/y and 0.011 oC/y) and seasonal trends. However, the variations of pattern and trends are unambiguous within districts. There is a clear distinction in patterns and trends between southern and north-eastern districts, indicating the need for localised planning. As the industrial areas are planned at a microlevel, such studies will enable planners and decision-makers to plan and prioritise site-specific climate change adaptation and mitigation measures in industrial and urban areas.
Chicken Swarm Optimization based Optimal Channel Allocation in Massive MIMO
Authors: Nisharani S , Indumathi G
Published: July 2021

Energy Efficiency (EE) plays a significant role in the progress towards the Fifth-Generation (5G) wireless communication networks. Due to the higher Spectral Efficiency (SE) and EE, Massive Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) is a promising model for the 5G networks. In this work, a Channel Selection (CS) scheme is proposed by selecting the optimal channel using the Chicken Swarm Optimization (CSO) algorithm. A massive MIMO model is implemented by considering the SE, EE and Resource Efficiency (RE). The main objective is to optimize the beam-forming vectors and power allocation for all the users. The RE metric considering the multi-objective function can be defined to develop an effective and robust design with balanced SE and EE. The objective function for generating the optimal beam forming vectors is satisfying the Signal to Interference-Plus-Noise Ratio (SINR) constraints. The CSO Algorithm is applied to generate the beam-forming vectors and power allocation, based on the channel characteristics. The channel state information is predicted and a projection matrix with channel estimation framework is formed. The selection of the index sets in the iteration process provides the optimized channel. Data transmission is performed through the optimal channel. From the comparative analysis, it is observed that the proposed CS scheme provides better SE and EE than the existing CS schemes.
Protective Consumption Behavior Under Smog: Using a Data-driven Dynamic Bayesian Network
Authors: Yuan Yu , Fan Bo
Published: July 2021

In the midst of the deteriorating air pollution and collective stress, people pay close attention to risk mitigation measures such as keeping indoor and purchasing anti-smog products. Through impact evaluations, critical factors regarding health protective behavior can be identified. However, limited research is available regarding probabilistic interdependencies between the factors and protective behavior. In this study, we adopt a data-driven Bayesian network (BN) approach to measure impacts of various factors on protective behavior under smog crisis. We model the sales of air purifiers and related factors that might incur protective product purchase behavior as a BN and examine the dependencies among network nodes. Using the city-level aggregate data from an online shopping platform, the results shed new light on relationships existing among 11 factors and protective behavior of buying air purifiers. Furthermore, taking into account the dynamic nature of protective behavior, we add time-related factors on the basis of static BN and propose the dynamic Bayesian model. Results indicate that PM2.5 concentration and product price are the two leading factors affecting public protective behavior ofbuying air purifiers. Additionally, media-related factors play an important role in the protective behavior. Ultimately, this study contributes to the fields of impact evaluation of public protective behavior analysis and links risk management with key factors.
Evaluation of the Mini Nutritional Assessment short-form among the elderly population from Ethiopia
Authors: Urgessa Megersso
Published: July 2021

Background Different tools have been used to perform a nutritional screening and assessment, and MNA is one of the widely used and recommended tools in the geriatrics population. MNA has two forms, long and short. However, MNA short-forms have not been evaluated in Ethiopia. Therefore, this study was aimed to evaluate MNA short form against MNA long-form tool among Ethiopian elders.Methods One hundred and seventy-six randomly selected elders entered into the community-based cross-sectional validation study. Amputated, bedridden, those with visible deformity were excluded. Original MNA questionnaires were translated to Afan Oromo and Amharic languages. All translated and pretested MNA questionnaires were administered to each participant. The anthropometrics were measured. Reliability, validity, sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values were calculated. Receiver-operating characteristic curve (ROC-curve) analysis was plotted for MNA, to identify the area under the curve (AUC) and optimal cut-off value for prediction of malnutrition.Result Strong association between MNA-long form score and MNA-short form score indicated by spearman’s rank correlation coefficients of BMI-MNA-SF 0.771,p < 0.05 and CC-MNA-SF 0.759, P < 0.05. Similar the agreement between the long and short form of MNA was found to be a weighted kappa 0.396(0.318, 0.474) for BMI-MNA-SF and 0.546(0.422, 0.669) for CC-MNA-SF at 95% CI. These values indicate moderate agreement with the MNA-long form. There is very good agreement between the BMI-MNA-SF and CC-MNA-SF 0.400(0.322, 0.478). Also, high power to identify two categories using MNA long-form as golden standard with AUC for BMI –MNA-SF 0.908 (0.865–0.951) and 0.880 (0.831–0.929) for CC-MNA-SF at 95% CI. Diagnostic accuracy of both versions of MNA-SF showed that 34.2% sensitivity, 100.0% specificity, 100.0% PPV, and 41.5% NPV for BMI-MNA-SF. Similar sensitivity 75.8%, specificity 83.9%, PPV 91.0%, and 61.8% NPV for CC-MNA-SF. Total Diagnostic accuracy for BMI-MNA-SF 55.12%, and 78.41% for CC-MNA-SFConclusion Both versions of MNA-SF were found to be valid screening tools in the Ethiopian elders against Long-form MNA.
Vibration Response Analysis of a Gear-rotor-bearing System Considering Steady-state Temperature
Authors: Sun Zhou , Chen Siyu , Hu Zehua , Lei Duncai
Published: July 2021

As an important factor leading to the failure of gear system, the study of thermal effect is insufficiently deep. Based on the finite element nodal method, a more comprehensive dynamic model of gear-rotor-bearing system is established, which considers the thermal related material properties, time-varying meshing stiffness (TVMS), backlash and friction, gyroscopic effect. The constitutive relation of beam element considering steady-state temperature is reconstructed, and thermal node load is formulated. Considering the influence of temperature on the material properties of flexible shaft and gear, the thermal related TVMS and thermal backlash are obtained. The dynamic response of the system under different steady-state temperature fields is compared, and the influence of hot backlash is studied, then the thermal related vibration characteristics are obtained. Besides, the influence of bearing type on bearing force and axial trajectory is studied. The results show that the system motion changes from period to chaos with the temperature increase in part of the speed range. The appropriate backlash is helpful to restrain the chaotic motion caused by temperature rise. Moreover, the temperature can significantly increase the axial bearing force, and the appropriate bearing can reduce the axial displacement.
Alternative Vaccination Politics
Authors: Manca Davide , Benincasa Lorenzo
Published: July 2021

Background: The timely implementation of the vaccination campaign and sharp rules for vaccine administration can make a difference. The paper investigates the impact of alternative policies based on scientific vaccination priorities inspired by the extended statistics on Covid-19 fatalities.Methods: In the case of Covid-19 vaccination, a principal role is played by promptly adopting a reverse-order of age approach (to target first the elderly) coupled to covering the high priority categories but postponing the low priority ones. We implemented an in silico vaccination simulator capable of comparing what happened in reality with what might have happened if alternative vaccination policies had been adopted. The immunization profile and the death distribution curve allowed measuring the distance between reality and alternative policies and finally quantifying the expected number of saved lives.Results: The alternative approach to vaccination was applied to Italy and Lombardy that host 60 and 10 million residents respectively. In about 100 days of vaccination based on (a) a reverse-order of age policy (from 90+ to 80-89 to 70-79 year-olds, etc.), (b) vaccination of priority categories, (c) postponement of non-priority categories and reallocation of such doses to (a) and (b), the saved lives would have been 3969 in Italy (of which 799 in Lombardy). In the same period, Italy suffered 30,911 fatalities (of which 5,613 in Lombardy). Of those fatalities, about 12.8% in Italy and 14.2% in Lombardy might have been avoided if a different approach to vaccination had been applied. Even better results would have been achieved if the elderly vaccination had been anticipated a few days (which started only 53 days after the very beginning of the Italian vaccination campaign) or if the vaccination engine had performed better in terms of daily administered doses while respecting the available delivered doses.Conclusions: A different approach to the vaccination politics based on sharp and straight policies based on scientific quantitative data of Covid-19 mortality as a function of age and comorbidities would have accomplished a better quantitative effect on extinguishing the pandemic and containing the fatalities toll.
ISCA1 Deficiency Induces Iron Metabolism Disorder and Myocardial Oncosis in Rat
Authors: Ling Yahao , Yang Xinlan , Zhang Xu , Guan Feifei , Qi Xiaolong , Dong Wei , Liu Mengdi , Ma Jiaxin , Jiang Xiaoyu , Gao Kai , Li Jing , Chen Wei , Gao Shan , Gao Xiang , Pan Shuo , Ma Yuanwu , Wang Jizheng , Lu Dan , zhang lianfeng
Published: July 2021

The effects of multiple mitochondrial dysfunction (MMD) on heart, a highly mitochondria-dependent tissue, is still unclear. This study was the first to verify the effect of ISCA1 gene deficiency, which has been shown to cause multiple mitochondrial dysfunction syndromes type 5 (MMDS5), on cardiac development in vivo, that is cardiomyocytes suffer from energy shortage due to abnormal metabolism of iron ion, which leads to oncosis and eventually HF and body death. Subsequently, we determine a new interacting molecule for ISCA1, six-transmembrane epithelial antigen of prostate 3 (STEAP3), which acts as a reductase in the reduction of Fe3+ to Fe2+. Forward and reverse validation experiments demonstrated that STEAP3 plays an important role in iron metabolism and energy generation impairment induced by ISCA1 deficiency. This result provides theoretical basis for understanding of MMDS pathogenesis, especially on heart development and the pathological process of heart diseases, and finally provides new clues for searching of clinical therapeutic targets.
Experiences and Perception Towards Reproductive Health Education Among Secondary School Teachers in South India
Authors: Joseph Nitin , Mahato Vaibhav , Pandey Akhil , Mishra Shikha , Prakash Garima , Gandhi Rishika
Published: July 2021

Background: Reproductive health education (RHE) is an important component of school curricula. It helps students in the decision-making process regarding several issues concerning reproductive health. However delivering RHE at schools is a difficult task for the teachers. Methods: This study was conducted to assess the experiences and perceptions towards reproductive health education (RHE) among 236 secondary school teachers in January 2019. Data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire. Results: Only 21(8.9%) were trained in RHE. Majority [179(75.8%)] identified cultural barriers as the major challenge involved in its implementation. 95(40.3%) teachers felt that the provision of sexual education as a part of RHE will promote pre-marital sexual activity among the students. Of the total, 185 (78.4%) had average while 51 (21.6%) participants had a good perception towards RHE. It was taught in only 3(16.7%) out of the 18 schools surveyed. Only 11(4.7%) participants felt that the availability of teaching aids to conduct RHE classes at their schools was adequate. Hardly 14(5.9%) teachers had taken RHE classes for students. Among the rest, 135(60.8%) expressed their willingness to take RHE classes with appropriate training. In multi variable analysis, participants aged ≤40 years (p=0.031), those belonging to nuclear families (p=0.013), and those who had taken classes in RHE (p=0.037) had significantly good perception level towards RHE.Conclusions: Teachers therefore need to be trained and given more opportunities to take RHE sessions which will help improve their perception towards RHE. Schools need to be better equipped with resources and various perceived barriers need to be overcome before RHE can be successfully implemented.
Identifying Autism Spectrum Disorder Symptoms Using Response and Gaze Behavior during the Go/NoGo Game CatChicken
Authors: Putra Prasetia Utama , Shima Keisuke , Shimatani Koji , Alvarez Sergio A.
Published: July 2021

Previous studies have found that Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) children scored lower during a Go/No-Go task and faced difficulty focusing their gaze on the speaker's face during a conversation. To date, however, there has not been an adequate study examining children's response and gaze during the Go/No-Go task to distinguish ASD from typical children. We investigated typical and ASD children's gaze modulation when they played a version of the Go/No-Go game. The proposed system represents the Go and the No-Go stimuli as chicken and cat characters, respectively. It tracks children's gaze using an eye tracker mounted on the monitor. Statistically significant between-group differences in spatial and auto-regressive temporal gaze-related features for 21 ASD and 31 typical children suggest that ASD children had more unstable gaze modulation during the test. Using the features that differ significantly as inputs, the AdaBoost meta-learning algorithm attained an accuracy rate of 88.6% in differentiating the ASD subjects from the typical ones.
Fine-Scale Genetic Diversity of the Brazilian Pantaneiro Horse Breed Adapted To Flooded Regions
Authors: Nogueira Marcelo Bchara , Pimentel Concepta M , de Faria Danielle Assis , Santos Sandra Aparecida Oliveria , Ianella Patrícia , Paiva Samuel Rezende
Published: July 2021

Among the animal species first introduced in Brazil during the country's discovery, horses (Equus caballus) stand out because of their evolutionary history and relationship with humans. Among the Brazilian horse breeds, the Pantaneiro draws attention due to its adaptative traits. Blood samples of 116 Pantaneiro horses were divided into six populations based on their sampling location, aiming to identify the existence of genetic structure and quantify genetic diversity within and between them. Populations were compared to elucidate genetic variability and differentiation better and assess the impact of Pantanal's natural geographic barriers on gene flow between populations. Data from the GGP Equine BeadChip (Geneseek-Neogen, 65.157 SNPs) was used to assess basic diversity parameters, genetic distance (FST), Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and population structure (ADMIXTURE) for the sampled animals. Mantel Test was also performed to investigate the correlation between the populations' genetic and geographic distances. Results showed high genetic variability in all populations, with elevated levels of admixture in their structure. High levels of admixture make it challenging to establish a racial pattern and, consequently, populations within the breed, being that only one of the populations differentiated itself from the others. No significant correlations between genetic and geographic distances were observed, indicating that environmental barriers did not hinder gene flow between populations. and neither farmers selection practices might have change breed genetic composition signficantly Low genetic distance and similar heterozygosity values were observed among populations, suggesting strong genetic proximity and low differentiation. Thereby, the Pantaneiro breed does not exhibit genetic subpopulations and could be considered, for conservation purposes, a single big population in the Panatnal region. This study will support sampling strategies for National genebank.
Simulation of Actual Evapotranspiration and Evaluation of Three Complementary Relationships in the Upper Regions of the Mekong River and the Salween River
Authors: Jiang Yongshan , Liu Zhaofei , Wang Rui , Gele Pingcuo
Published: July 2021

Based on observed precipitation and runoff data, monthly actual evapotranspiration (ETa) was calculated by the hydrological budget balance method in the Nu River Basin (NRB) and Lancang River Basin (LCRB). The performance of three developed complementary relationship methods, the nonlinear advection-aridity (nonlinear AA) method, generalized complementary relationship method (B2015), and sigmoid generalized complementary function (H2018), on simulating (ETa) were evaluated. The evaluation results showed that three methods were able to accurately simulate monthly (ETa) series. The NSE between the monthly (ETa) simulated by the nonlinear AA, B2015, and H2018 methods and the water-balance-derived (ETa) were 0.89, 0.83, and 0.91, respectively. The R-square were 0.90, 0.84, and 0.93, respectively. Overall, the H2018 method showed the best performance. The parameter α had a negative correlation with regional aridity index. Annual (ETa) and precipitation showed significant increasing trends during 1956–2018 in the basins at all temporal scales (dry and wet seasons and annual series). Runoff also exhibited an increasing trend in each sub-basin, except for the downstream region of the LCRB. The increasing magnitudes of wet reason precipitation and runoff in the mid-stream region was the highest, with the value of 73.7 mm/10a and 44.9 mm/10a, respectively. The (ETa) increased dramatically in the downstream region, the magnitude reached 25.9 mm/10a. Precipitation was the main factor leasing to (ETa) change. The increasing magnitude of (ETa) accounted for 42.4% of the precipitation increment. Research on the influence mechanism between meteorological factors and (ETa) showed that the contribution rate of air temperature to (ETa) was the highest, reaching 23.5%, which showed a significant positive correlation. The second was wind speed, whose contribution rate was − 10.2% on average, and even reached − 14.1% in the upstream region of the NRB. The correlation coefficient between (ETa) and wind speed was highest in mid-stream region of the NRB, which was greater than 0.80. The contribution rates of increasing humidity to (ETa) were − 12.5% and − 9.2% in the NRB and LCRB, respectively. (ETa) was negatively correlated with humidity. The negative correlation was especially strong in the mid-stream region, with coefficients were greater than − 0.65. The sunshine hours had the least effect on (ETa), and the contribution rates were − 6.5% and − 4.1%, respectively.
Is there a Trade-off between Economy and Task Goal Variability in Transfemoral Amputee Gait?
Authors: Lee I-Chieh , Fylstra Bretta , Liu Ming , Lenzi Tommaso , Huang He
Published: July 2021

Background: Energy cost minimization has been widely accepted to regulate gait. Optimization principles have been frequently used to explain how individuals adapt their gait pattern. However, there have been rare attempts to account for the role of variability in this optimization process. Motor redundancy can enable individuals to perform tasks reliably while achieving energy optimization. However, we do not know how the goal-irrelevant and goal-relevant variability is regulated.. In this study, we investigated how unilateral transfemoral amputees regulate step and stride variability based on the task to achieve energy economy. Methods: Nine individuals with unilateral transfemoral amputation walked on a treadmill at speeds of 0.6,0.8,1.0,1.2 and 1.4 m/s using their prescribed passive prostheses. We calculated the step-to-step and stride-to-stride variability and applied goal equivalent manifold (GEM) based control to decompose goal-relevant and goal-irrelevant manifold. To quantify the energy economy, the energy recovery rate (R) was calculated based on potential energy and kinetic energy. Comparisons were made between GEM variabilities and commonly used standard deviation measurements. A linear regression model was used to investigate the trade-off between R and GEM variabilities. Results: Our analysis shows greater variability along the goal-relevant manifold compared to the goal-irrelevant manifold (p<.001). Moreover, our analysis shows lower energy recovery rate for amputee gait compared to nonamputee gait (at least 20% less at faster walking speed). We found a negative relationship between energy recovery rate and goal-irrelevant variability. Compared to the standard deviation measurements, the variability decomposed using GEM reflected the preferred walking speed and the limitation of the passive prosthetic device.Conclusion: Individuals with amputation cleverly leverage task redundancy, regulating step and stride variability to the goal equivalent manifold (GEM). This result suggests that task redundancy enables unilateral amputees to benefit from motor variability in terms of energy economy. The differences observed between prosthetic step and intact step support the development of prosthetic leg capable of enhancing positive work during the double support phase and of powered prosthesis controllers that allow for variability along the task space while minimizing variability that interferes with the task goal. This study provides a different perspective on amputee gait analysis and challenge the field to think differently about the role of variability.
The Prognosis of Refractory Hypotension and Severe Intraventricular Hemorrhage in Very Low Birth Weight Infants
Authors: Hwang-Bo Seok , Seo Yu-Mi , Oh Moon-Yeon , Im Soo-Ah , Youn YoungAh
Published: July 2021

Background: The increased survival rate among very low birth weight infants has resulted in a higher risk for developing neurocomplications such as intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH), periventricular leukomalacia (PVL) and adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes.Purpose: We examined refractory hypotension experienced within a week of life in association with severe IVH (grades 3-4) among very low birth weight infants (VLBWIs).Method: Between Jan 2014 and Dec 2017, the clinical data of 191 VLBWIs admitted were retrospectively reviewed. Of a total of 191 VLBWIs, 71.2% (136/191) had IVH, and 28.7% (55/191) had severe IVH.Results: The VLBWI with severe IVH group (grade 3-4) presented with a significantly lower gestational age along with higher use of postnatal hydrocortisone for refractory hypotension. Resuscitation at delivery, pulmonary hemorrhage, neonatal seizure, and periventricular leukomalacia (PVL) were significantly more frequent in the severe IVH group (p<0.05). Higher mortality occurred in the VLBWI with severe IVH group (p<0.001). The multivariable logistic regression analysis consistently showed that refractory hypotension within a week of life and neonatal seizures were significantly associated with severe IVH. Those in the severe IVH and refractory hypotension groups had significantly lower composite cognitive, language, motor, and Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development III scores at corrected 18 months.Those in the severe IVH and refractory hypotension groups showed significant developmental delay.Conclusion: Refractory hypotension within a week of life and seizures were consistently associated with severe IVH. VLBWI who experienced refractory hypotension within a week of life may indicate a more vulnerable perinatal settings with a higher risk for developmental delay.
Fluid Management for Critically Unwell Children with Diabetic Ketoacidosis: A Multi-centre Study
Authors: Mustafa Khurram , Cromie Kirsten , Foster Aimee , Barrow Anna , Winter Michelle , Cox Kathryn , Hosheh Osama , Henderson Amy , Lumsden Jo
Published: July 2021

Background:Cerebral oedema in paediatric diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) can be associated with significant mortality and morbidity. These concerns have led to restrictive fluid management in children presenting with DKA and also led to the revision of guidance by the British Society of Paediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes (BSPED) in 2015. Methods:We conducted a multi-centre study of compliance with two BSPED guidelines with liberal (2009) and restrictive fluid management (2015) protocols for children admitted to paediatric critical care units (PCCU) in the UK. We also used univariate and multivariate logistic regressions to study associations with clinical outcomes such as diagnosis of cerebral oedema.Results:96 patients with DKA were admitted to eight PCCUs between January 2013 and December 2017. The median age at presentation was 9 years and weight was 32.4kg. Of all admissions, 25% were invasively ventilated, 4% received vasoactive support, 10% received renal replacement therapy and 98% survived to discharge. 42% were suspected to have cerebral oedema with older children being more likely to be diagnosed with cerebral oedema. There was no significant difference in receiving renal replacement therapy, mechanical ventilation, vasoactive support or a clinical diagnosis of cerebral oedema between the two treatment protocols.Conclusion:Compliance was lower for the guideline with a more restrictive fluid protocol. The study found no evidence to suggest that differing fluid management across BSPED guidance had any significant impact on clinical outcomes. A larger prospective study is needed to study the impact of the revised 2020 guidance.
Meteorological Drought Analysis with Different Indices for the Betwa River Basin, India
Authors: Singh Uttam , Agarwal Pooja , Sharma Pramod Kumar
Published: July 2021

Climate change is adversely affecting the development, management, and planning of surface and groundwater resources. The meteorological drought becomes a severe natural problem, and it can occur in any climatic region of the world. So, monitoring and minimizing drought is a crucial stage for analyzing and predicting drought impacts. A single drought index can't assess each aspect of the meteorological drought. In this study, we considered seven drought indices such as the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI), China Z Index (CZI), Modified China Z Index (MCZI), Percent Normal drought index (PNI), Deciles Index (DI), Rainfall Anomaly Index (RAI), and Z-score index (ZSI). The drought was analyzed for 3, 6, 9, and 12 months’ time-step, and drought classification and threshold values were estimated. SPI showed maximum correlation values 0.389, 0.412, 0.560,and 0.996 for 3, 6, 9,and 12-month time steps compared to the other drought indices. The value of correlation is increased with the increase in time step for all drought indices; therefore, the accuracy of drought assessment also increases with an increase in time step. The Mann-Kendall's trend test was analyzed at a 5% level of significance for drought assessments. The drought magnitude and severity of the Betwa river basin were estimated based on the meteorological data (Rainfall) for the year between 1970 to 2014.
Evolution of the Prevalence, Clinical Features and Risk Factors for Acute Mountain Sickness in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau
Authors: Zhang Chen , Liu Chuan , Chen Renzheng , Yang Jie , Ke Jingbin , Bian Shizhu , Yu Shiyong , Zhang Jihang , Yu Jie , Zeng Ying , Gao Xubin , Ding Xiaohan , Yang Yuanqi , Yuan Fangzhengyuan , He Chunyan , Shen Yang , Tan Hu , Zhao Xiaohui , Jin Jun , Huang Lan
Published: July 2021

Background Ascending to high altitude (HA) contribute to the development of acute mountain sickness (AMS). The prevalence, clinical features and relative risks for AMS may dynamically evolve but has not been described. Methods A total of 1,629 healthy men aged from 16 to 45 years were enrolled. A fast ascent cohort (n=1283) ascended to 3700 m by airplane and further ascended to 4400 m by bus; a slow ascent cohort (n=346) ascended to 3450 m by bus and further ascended to 4100 m by bus. AMS was diagnosed by the Lake Louise Scoring (LLS) system. Results As diagnosed by the old LLS and new LLS, the prevalence of AMS was 68.4% and 56.1% at 3700 m, respectively, which decreased to 21.4% and 14.3% after further ascending to 4400 m in the fast ascent cohort; the prevalence of AMS was 30.3% and 25.7% at 3450 m, which increased to 36.6% and 32.2% after further ascending to 4100 m in the slow ascent cohort. Moreover, AMS-related symptoms, such as headache, dizziness and fatigue, were the leading symptoms except at 4400 m in the fast ascent cohort. Fast ascent protocol was a risk factor during the initial ascent but became a protective factor after a further ascent to a higher altitude. Conclusions Ascent protocol was the primary factor that affected the incidence of AMS and related symptoms. These findings imply a novel strategy for high altitude travels or work with a plan to ascend to a higher altitude.
Can a Multitiered Copayment System Affect People’s Healthcare-seeking Behavior? A Case Study of Wenzhou, China
Authors: Ge Lizheng , Huang Yunyun , Xu Tingke , Zhao Qianru , Chen Chun , Zhang Xiangyang
Published: July 2021

Background. Facilitating the primary health care (PHC) system and maintaining people’s reasonable health-seeking behavior are key to establishing a sustainable healthcare system. China has employed a multitiered copayment system to incentivize the public to utilize PHC services through its hierarchical medical care system; however, most people still prefer visiting tertiary care hospitals. Methods. This preliminary study was conducted in 2016 on 1831 individuals from four regions of Wenzhou in Zhejiang Province to explore the effect and influencing factors of the multitiered copayment system that drives their primary healthcare-seeking behavior. We question whether a quality gap in healthcare services influences the minimal effect of the multitiered copayment system, which existing literature has considered as an important factor in the lack of reform in the Chinese healthcare system. We discuss the effect of the policy following the current situation in which there exists a large gap and further consider the hypothetical situation of a reduced gap in the future. Result. The results indicate that the initial effects of the multitiered copayment system was limited. However, they become more pronounced after the equalization of the quality of healthcare services. Moreover, the main determinants in people’s selection of PHC institutions changed from age and needs variables (self-rated health status) to age and enabling variables (distance to a medical care facility). Conclusion. This study confirms that changes in the quality gap in healthcare services influence the multitiered copayment system. Hence, reducing this gap can help to achieve the intended outcome of the tiered healthcare insurance schedule.
Purification and Characterization of Cyclophilin-a Proteins That Associated With Protein Folding in Salmonella Typhimurium
Authors: Kumawat Manoj , Karuna Irungbam , Chaudhary Divya , Ahlawat Neeraj , Nabi Bilkees , Ahlawat Sushma
Published: July 2021

Salmonella Typhimurium (ST) is the zoonotic pathogenic Gram-negative bacteria to causes infectious disease in humans as well as in animals. It causes gastrointestinal illness and fever called salmonellosis, which is foodborne diarrheal and leading cause of millions of deaths worldwide. Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium) during its pathogenesis takeaway the actin cytoskeleton of their host cells and this is the crucial step of its infection cycle. Cyclophilin A, a type of peptidyl-prolyl isomerase that’s encoded by the ppiA gene in ST, plays pleiotropic roles in maintaining bacterial physiology. In this research, the proteomic characterization of the peptidyl-prolyl cis-trans isomerase- A (Cyclophilin A) from Salmonella Typhimurium is reported. Cyclophilin A (CypA) protein from Salmonella Typhimurium proved to be a highly conserved protein sequence and highly homologous compared to other organisms. This protein was expressed in Escherichia coli and then purified in a recombinant form protein exhibited a characteristic PPIases activity (Vmax = 0.8752 ± 0.13892 µmoles/ min, Km = 0.9315 ± 0.5670 µM) in comparison to control. Also, in this study the mass spectrometry analysis of Cyp A protein-peptide showed the highest sequence similarity with the cyclophilin protein of Salmonella. PPIases proteins enzyme data suggest that Ppi-A has roles in the protein folding that may be contributing to the virulence of Salmonella by isomerization of protein outline. These results suggest an active and vital role of this protein in protein folding along with regulation in Salmonella Typhimurium.
Prevalence and Risk Factors for Cancers of the Member Countries in the "Belt and Road" Initiative
Authors: Wang Baohua , He Fengdie , Hu Yanan , Sha Yuting , Wang Dan , Wang Qiutong , Wu Jing
Published: July 2021

Background: We analyze the prevalence and risk factors of cancer in the member states of the “Belt and Road”, to explore the basis of health and medical cooperation between countries, and to provide a foundation for formulating cancer prevention and control policies for building the healthy "Belt and Road". Methods: We apply incidence, mortality, age-standardized rates, and population attributable fractions (PAFs) to measure the prevalence and risk factors of cancers in the “Belt and Road” countries. Results: Lung, breast, colorectal, stomach, liver, prostate, cervical, esophageal, thyroid, and uterine cancers are the most common and highest mortality cancers in the “Belt and Road” countries. For men, the highest cancer incidence and mortality is Hungary (ASR, 289.3 per 100,000 and ASR, 235.7 per 100,000, respectively), followed by Latvia (ASR, 288.6 per 100,000 and ASR, 196.5 per 100,000, respectively), the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia enjoy the lowest (ASR, 34.3 per 100,000 and ASR, 36.1 per 100,000, respectively). The mortality and incidence rates of cancers in Greek and Brunei are highest in females (ASR, 238.7 per 100,000 and ASR, 192.3 per 100,000, respectively). Tobacco products, infectious factors, and ultraviolet rays are the three main cancer risk factors in the “Belt and Road” countries. Conclusion: The overall burden of cancer in the “Belt and Road” member states remains substantial, while the corresponding cancer prevention and control policies need to be improved. Enhancing health cooperation among the member countries will contribute to the joint response to the risks and challenges posed by cancer. (249 words)
Machine learning the derivative discontinuity of density-functional theory
Authors: Gedeon Johannes , Schmidt Jonathan , Hodgson Matthew , Wetherel Jack , Benavides-Riveros Carlos , Marques Miguel
Published: July 2021

Machine learning is a powerful tool to design accurate, highly non-local, exchange-correlation functionals for density functional theory. So far, most of those machine learned functionals are trained for systems with an integer number of particles. As such, they are unable to reproduce some crucial and fundamental aspects, such as the explicit dependency of the functionals on the particle number or the infamous derivative discontinuity at integer particle numbers. Here we propose a solution to these problems by training a neural network as the universal functional of density-functional theory that (i) depends explicitly on the number of particles with a piece-wise linearity between the integer numbers and (ii) reproduces the derivative discontinuity of the exchange-correlation energy. This is achieved by using an ensemble formalism, a training set containing fractional densities, and an explicitly discontinuous formulation.
Metamaterial Inspired Electrically Small Multiband Monopole Antenna Using Single DNG MTM and Ring Resonators
Authors: Thankachan Shiney , Paul Binu
Published: July 2021

This paper proposes a new metamaterial inspired electrically small multi-band monopole antenna. The proposed antenna is capable of operating at DCS 1800 in the lower band. At the same time, in the higher band, it covers two wireless local area network (WLAN) bands at 2.4 and 5.2 GHz. This paper describes the design and detailed analysis of an electrically small (ka = 0.64 < 1) antenna with a -10dB fractional bandwidth of 2.01%, 1.64% and 2.71% for triple-band operations with centre frequencies 1.80, 2.45 and 5.17 GHz. The compactness is achieved by the application of double negative metamaterial on a monopole antenna operating at 9 GHz. The proposed antenna has an overall compact electrical size 0.14 λ0 × 0.14λ0 × 0.01 λ0 at 1.8 GHz and physical dimensions 24 × 24 × 1.6 mm3 including the ground. In this proposed ESA a second DNG structure is also incorporated to enhance its gain. This enables reliable operations at DCS 1800 and WLAN frequencies 2.4 and 5.2 GHz.
Dynamical Mechanisms for the Recent Ozone Depletion in the Arctic Stratosphere Linked to the North Pacific Sea Surface Temperatures
Authors: Hu Dingzhu , Guan Zhaoyong , Liu Meichen , Feng Wuhu
Published: July 2021

The ozone layer, which prevents solar ultraviolet radiation from reaching the surface and thereby protects life on earth, is expected to recover from past depletion during this century due to the impact of the Montreal Protocol. However, how the ozone column over the Arctic will evolve over the next few decades is still under debate. In this study, we found that the ozone level in the Arctic stratosphere during the period of 1998–2018 exhibits a decreasing trend of –0.12±0.07 ppmv decade–1 from MERRA2, suggesting a continued depletion during this century. This ozone depletion is contributed by the second leading mode of North Pacific sea surface temperature anomalies (SSTAs) with one month leading and therefore dynamical in origin. The North Pacific SSTAs associated with this mode tend to result in a weakened Aleutian low, a strengthened Western Pacific pattern and a weakened Pacific–North American pattern, which impede the upward propagation of planetary wavenumber-1 waves into the lower stratosphere. The changes in the stratospheric wave activity tend to result in decreased ozone in the Arctic lower stratosphere through weakening the Brewer-Dobson circulation. Our findings will provide new understanding of how dynamical processes control Arctic stratospheric ozone and will help to improve prediction of how Arctic ozone will evolve in the future.