bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Modeling and Simulation of Building Cooling System With Supercooling-Based Ice Energy Storage
Authors: Zhang Yili , Kissick Sean , Wang Hailei
Published: March 2020

City’s electricity power grid is under heavy load during on-peak hours throughout summer cooling season. As the result, many utility companies implemented the time-of-use rate of electricity leading to high electricity cost for customers with significant cooling needs. On the other hand, the need for electricity and/or cooling decreases greatly at night, creating excess electricity capacity for further utilization. An innovative ice energy storage system is being developed leveraging a unique supercooling-based ice production process. During off-peak hours, the proposed system stores the low-cost electric energy in the form of ice; during on-peak hours, the system releases the stored energy to meet extensive home cooling needs. Thus, it can not only reduce energy and cost of cooling, but also increase the penetration of renewable energies (especially wind energy). In this paper, the working principles of the system is presented along with the modeling details of the overall system and several key components. The simulink model takes in hourly temperature and peak/off peak electricity cost data to dynamically simulate the amount of energy required and associated cost for cooling an average home. Both energy consumption and cost for homes using the cooling system with ice energy storage in two US cities have been compared with those using conventional HVAC cooling system. According to the model, huge reduction in energy cost (up to 3X) can be achieved over 6 months of cooling season in regions with high peak electricity rates. While only moderate reduction on energy consumption is predicted for the ice energy storage system, further energy reduction potentials have been identified for future study.
High-Tech Video Capture and Analysis for Counting Park Users
Authors: Suminski Richard R. , Dominick Gregory M. , Saponaro Philip , Orsega-Smith Elizabeth M. , Plautz Eric , Saponaro Matthew
Published: March 2020

Today’s technology could contribute substantially to measuring physical activity. The current study evaluated traditional and novel approaches for assessing park use. The traditional approach involved a trained observer performing the System for Observing Play and Recreation in Communities (SOPARC) at 14 parks while wearing a point-of-view, wearable video device (WVD). The novel approach utilized computer vision to count park users in the WVD videos taken during in-person SOPARCs. Both approaches were compared to criterion counts from expert reviews of the WVD videos. In the 676 scans made during in-person SOPARCs, 293 individuals were observed while 341 were counted by experts in the corresponding WVD videos. When using scans/videos having individuals in them (84 scans/videos), intra-class correlations (ICC) indicated good-to-excellent reliability between in-person SOPARC and experts for counts of total women and men, within age groups (except seniors), of Blacks and Whites, and within intensity categories (ICCs > .87; p < 0.001). In a subsample of 42 scans/videos, 174 individuals were counted using computer vision and 213 by experts. When using 27 of the 42 WVD videos with individuals in them, ICCs indicated good reliability between computer vision and expert reviews (ICC = .83; p < 0.001). Bland-Altman analysis showed the concurrence of expert counts with both in-person SOPARC and computer vision counts decreased as the number of individuals in a scan/video increased. The results of this study support the use of a highly discrete method for obtaining point-of-view videos and the application of computer vision for automating the counting of park users in the videos.
The Immediate Effects of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation on Quadriceps Muscle Function in Individuals With a History of Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction: A Preliminary Investigation
Authors: Rush Justin L. , Lepley Lindsey K. , Davi Steven , Lepley Adam S.
Published: March 2020

Context: Altered quadriceps activation is common following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR), and can persist for years after surgery. These neural deficits are due, in part, to chronic central nervous system alterations. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a noninvasive modality, that is, believed to immediately increase motor neuron activity by stimulating the primary motor cortex, making it a promising modality to use improve outcomes in the ACLR population. Objective: To determine if a single treatment of tDCS would result in increased quadriceps activity and decreased levels of self-reported pain and dysfunction during exercise. Design: Randomized crossover design. Setting: Controlled laboratory. Patients: Ten participants with a history of ACLR (5 males/5 females, 22.9 [4.23] y, 176.57 [12.01] cm, 80.87 [16.86] kg, 68.1 [39.37] mo since ACLR). Interventions: Active tDCS and Sham tDCS. Main Outcome Measures: Percentage of maximum electromyographic data of vastus medialis and lateralis, voluntary isometric strength, percentage of voluntary activation, and self-reported pain and symptom scores were measured. The 2 × 2 repeated-measures analysis of variance by limb were performed to explain the differences between time points (pre and post) and condition (tDCS and sham). Results: There was a significant time main effect for quadriceps percentage of maximum electromyographic of vastus medialis (F9,1 = 11.931, P = .01) and vastus lateralis (F9,1 = 9.132, P = .01), isometric strength (F9,1 = 5.343, P = .046), and subjective scores for pain (F9,1 = 15.499, P = .04) and symptoms (F9,1 = 15.499, P = .04). Quadriceps percentage of maximum electromyographic, isometric strength, and voluntary activation showed an immediate decline from pre to post regardless of tDCS condition. Subjective scores improved slightly after each condition. Conclusions: One session of active tDCS did not have an immediate effect on quadriceps activity and subjective scores of pain and symptoms. To determine if tDCS is a valid modality for this patient population, a larger scale investigation with multiple treatments of active tDCS is warranted.
The Effect of Kinesio Tape on Factors for Neuromuscular Control of the Lower-Extremity: A Critically Appraised Topic
Authors: Martonick Nickolai , Kober Kimber , Watkins Abigail , DiEnno Amanda , Perez Carmen , Renfro Ashlie , Chae Songah , Baker Russell
Published: March 2020

Clinical Scenario: Joint instability is a common condition that often stems from inadequate muscle activation and results in precarious movement patterns. When clinicians attempt to mechanically treat the unstable joint rather than attending to the underlying cause of the instability, patient outcomes may suffer. The use of kinesiology tape (KT) on an unstable joint has been proposed to aid in improving lower-extremity neuromuscular control. Clinical Question: Does KT improve factors of neuromuscular control in an athletic population when compared with no-tape or nonelastic taping techniques? Summary of Key Findings: The current literature was searched, and 5 randomized controlled studies were selected comparing the effects of KT with no-tape or nonelastic taping techniques on lower-extremity neuromuscular control in an athletic population. Primary findings suggest KT is not more effective than no-tape or nonelastic tape conditions at improving lower-extremity neuromuscular control in a healthy population. Clinical Bottom Line: The current evidence suggests that KT is ineffective for improving neuromuscular control at the ankle compared with nonelastic tape or no-tape conditions. KT was also found to be ineffective at improving hip and knee kinematics in healthy runners and cyclists. However, preliminary research has demonstrated improved neuromuscular control in a population displaying excessive knee valgus during a drop jump landing, after the application of KT. Clinicians should be cautious of these conflicting results and apply the best available evidence to their evaluation of the patient’s status. Strength of Recommendation: There is grade B evidence that the use of KT on an athletic population does not improve biomechanical measures of ankle stability. There is inconclusive, grade B evidence that KT improves neuromuscular control at the knee in symptomatic populations.
Molecular Epidemiology of Infectious Zoonotic and Livestock Diseases
Authors: Gebreyes Wondwossen A. , Jackwood Daral , de Oliveira Celso Jose Bruno , Lee Chang-Won , Hoet Armando E. , Thakur Siddhartha
Published: March 2020

Zoonotic and livestock diseases are very important globally both in terms of direct impact on human and animal health and in terms of their relationship to the livelihood of farming communities, as they affect income generation and food security and have other, indirect consequences on human lives. More than two-thirds of emerging infectious diseases in humans today are known to be of animal origin. Bacterial, viral, and parasitic infections that originate from animals, including hypervirulent and multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacterial pathogens, such as livestock-associated methicillin-resistant
Staphylococcus aureus
(LA-MRSA), invasive nontyphoidal
Salmonella
of animal origin, hyperviruent
Clostridium difficile
, and others, are of major significance to public health. Understanding the origin, risk factors, transmission, prevention, and control of such strains has been a challenge for various reasons, particularly due to the transdisciplinary partnership between and among human, environment, and animal health sectors. MDR bacteria greatly complicate the clinical management of human infections. Food animal farms, pets in communities, and veterinary hospital environments are major sources of such infections. However, attributing such infections and pinpointing sources requires highly discriminatory molecular methods as outlined in other parts of this curated series. Genotyping methods, such as multilocus sequence typing, pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, restriction fragment length polymorphism, and several others, have been used to decipher sources of foodborne and other zoonotic infectious diseases. In recent years, whole-genome-sequence-based approaches have been increasingly used for molecular epidemiology of diseases at the interface of humans, animals, and the environment. This part of the series highlights the major zoonotic and foodborne disease issues.

*

This article is part of a curated collection.
Environmental and Adaptive Changes Necessitate a Paradigm Shift for Indicators of Fecal Contamination
Authors: Teixeira Pedro , Salvador Daniel , Brandão João , Ahmed Warish , Sadowsky Michael J. , Valério Elisabete
Published: March 2020

Changes in the occurrence, distribution, and seasonal variation of waterborne pathogens due to global climate change may increase the risk of human exposure to these microorganisms, thus heightening the need for more reliable surveillance systems. Routine monitoring of drinking water supplies and recreational waters is performed using fecal indicator microorganisms, such as
Escherichia coli
,
Enterococcus
spp., and coliphages. However, the presence and numbers of these indicators, especially
E. coli
and
Enterococcus
spp., do not correlate well with those of other pathogens, especially enteric viruses, which are a major cause of waterborne outbreaks associated with contaminated water and food, and recreational use of lakes, ponds, rivers, and estuarine waters. For that reason, there is a growing need for a surveillance system that can detect and quantify viral pathogens directly in water sources to reduce transmission of pathogens associated with fecal transmission. In this review, we present an updated overview of relevant waterborne enteric viruses that we believe should be more commonly screened to better evaluate water quality and to determine the safety of water use and reuse and of epidemiological data on viral outbreaks. We also discuss current methodologies that are available to detect and quantify these viruses in water resources. Finally, we highlight challenges associated with virus monitoring. The information presented in this review is intended to aid in the assessment of human health risks due to contact with water sources, especially since current environmental and adaptive changes may be creating the need for a paradigm shift for indicators of fecal contamination.
Randomised placebo-controlled trial of dietary glutamine supplements for postinfectious irritable bowel syndrome
Authors: Zhou QiQi , Verne Meghan L , Fields Jeremy Z , Lefante John J , Basra Sarpreet , Salameh Habeeb , Verne G Nicholas
Published: March 2020

Background

More effective treatments are needed for patients with postinfectious, diarrhoea-predominant, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS-D). Accordingly, we conducted a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, 8-week-long trial to assess the efficacy and safety of oral glutamine therapy in patients who developed IBS-D with increased intestinal permeability following an enteric infection.

Methods

Eligible adults were randomised to glutamine (5 g/t.i.d.) or placebo for 8 weeks. The primary end point was a reduction of ≥50 points on the Irritable Bowel Syndrome Severity Scoring System (IBS-SS). Secondary endpoints included: raw IBS-SS scores, changes in daily bowel movement frequency, stool form (Bristol Stool Scale) and intestinal permeability.

Results

Fifty-four glutamine and 52 placebo subjects completed the 8-week study. The primary endpoint occurred in 43 (79.6%) in the glutamine group and 3 (5.8%) in the placebo group (a 14-fold difference). Glutamine also reduced all secondary endpoint means: IBS-SS score at 8 weeks (301 vs 181, p<0.0001), daily bowel movement frequency (5.4 vs 2.9±1.0, p<0.0001), Bristol Stool Scale (6.5 vs 3.9, p<0.0001) and intestinal permeability (0.11 vs 0.05; p<0.0001). ‘Intestinal hyperpermeability’ (elevated urinary lactulose/mannitol ratios) was normalised in the glutamine but not the control group. Adverse events and rates of study-drug discontinuation were low and similar in the two groups. No serious adverse events were observed.

Conclusions

In patients with IBS-D with intestinal hyperpermeability following an enteric infection, oral dietary glutamine supplements dramatically and safely reduced all major IBS-related endpoints. Large randomised clinical trials (RCTs) should now be done to validate these findings, assess quality of life benefits and explore pharmacological mechanisms.

Trial registration number

NCT1414244; Results.
Extensive beam test study of prototype MRPCs for the T0 detector at the CSR external-target experiment
Authors: Hu Dongdong , Lu Jiaming , Zhou Jian , Deng Peipei , Shao Ming , Sun Yongjie , Zhao Lei , Chen Hongfang , Li Cheng , Tang Zebo , Zhang Yifei , Zhou Yi , You Wenhao , Song Guofeng , Wu Yitao , Zhu Bing
Published: March 2020

The Cooling Storage Ring (CSR) External-target Experiment (CEE) will be the first large-scale nuclear physics experimental device at the CSR of the Heavy-Ion Research Facility in Lanzhou (HIRFL) in China. A new T0 detector has been proposed to measure the multiplicity, angular distribution and timing information of charged particles produced in heavy-ion collisions at the target region. Multi-gap resistive plate chamber (MRPC) technology was chosen as part of the construction of the T0 detector, which provides precision event collision times (T0) and collision geometry information. The prototype was tested with hadron and heavy-ion beams to study its performance. By comparing the experimental results with a Monte Carlo simulation, the time resolution of the MRPCs are found to be better than$$\sim 50$$∼50ps. The timing performance of the T0 detector, including both detector and readout electronics, is found to fulfil the requirements of the CEE.
The Casimir effect for fermionic currents in conical rings with applications to graphene ribbons
Authors: Bellucci S. , Brevik I. , Saharian A. A. , Sargsyan H. G.
Published: March 2020

We investigate the combined effects of boundaries and topology on the vacuum expectation values (VEVs) of the charge and current densities for a massive 2D fermionic field confined on a conical ring threaded by a magnetic flux. Different types of boundary conditions on the ring edges are considered for fields realizing two inequivalent irreducible representations of the Clifford algebra. The related bound states and zero energy fermionic modes are discussed. The edge contributions to the VEVs of the charge and azimuthal current densities are explicitly extracted and their behavior in various asymptotic limits is considered. On the ring edges the azimuthal current density is equal to the charge density or has an opposite sign. We show that the absolute values of the charge and current densities increase with increasing planar angle deficit. Depending on the boundary conditions, the VEVs are continuous or discontinuous at half-integer values of the ratio of the effective magnetic flux to the flux quantum. The discontinuity is related to the presence of the zero energy mode. By combining the results for the fields realizing the irreducible representations of the Clifford algebra, the charge and current densities are studied in parity and time-reversal symmetric fermionic models. If the boundary conditions and the phases in quasiperiodicity conditions for separate fields are the same the total charge density vanishes. Applications are given to graphitic cones with edges (conical ribbons).
Image-Text Joint Learning for Social Images with Spatial Relation Model
Authors: Feng Jiangfan , Fu Xuejun , Zhou Yao , Zhu Yuling , Luo Xiaobo
Published: March 2020

The rapid developments in sensor technology and mobile devices bring a flourish of social images, and large-scale social images have attracted increasing attention to researchers. Existing approaches generally rely on recognizing object instances individually with geo-tags, visual patterns, etc. However, the social image represents a web of interconnected relations; these relations between entities carry semantic meaning and help a viewer differentiate between instances of a substance. This article forms the perspective of the spatial relationship to exploring the joint learning of social images. Precisely, the model consists of three parts: (a) a module for deep semantic understanding of images based on residual network (ResNet); (b) a deep semantic analysis module of text beyond traditional word bag methods; (c) a joint reasoning module from which the text weights obtained using image features on self-attention and a novel tree-based clustering algorithm. The experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of using Flickr30k and Microsoft COCO datasets. Meanwhile, our method considers spatial relations while matching.
Orbital Mucosa-Associated Lymphoid Tissue Lymphoma and Primary Cutaneous Classical Hodgkin Lymphoma: A Rare Case Report and Review of the Literature
Authors: Yun Nicole , Coggan James , Miller Ira , Venugopal Parameswaran
Published: March 2020

A 60-year-old woman was diagnosed with isolated mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma of the ocular adnexa and treated with two years of weekly rituximab for eight doses followed by rituximab maintenance. After nearly two years of maintenance therapy, she developed a tender, indurated mass on the left neck. Biopsy results were consistent with primary cutaneous classical Hodgkin lymphoma (PCCHL).
Identification of Four Pathological Stage‐Relevant Genes in Association with Progression and Prognosis in Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma by Integrated Bioinformatics Analysis
Authors: Xu Dengyong , Xu Yuzi , Lv Yiming , Wu Fei , Liu Yunlong , Zhu Ming , Chen Dake , Bai Bingjun
Published: March 2020

Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is a major histological subtype of renal cell carcinoma and can be clinically divided into four stages according to the TNM criteria. Identifying clinical stage‐related genes is beneficial for improving the early diagnosis and prognosis of ccRCC. By using bioinformatics analysis, we aim to identify clinical stage‐relevant genes that are significantly associated with the development of ccRCC. First, we analyzed the gene expression microarray data sets: GSE53757 and GSE73731. We divided these data into five groups by staging information—normal tissue and ccRCC stages I, II, III, and IV—and eventually identified 500 differentially expressed genes (DEGs). To obtain precise stage‐relevant genes, we subsequently applied weighted gene coexpression network analysis (WGCNA) to the GSE73731 dataset and KIRC data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). Two modules from each dataset were identified to be related to the tumor TNM stage. Several genes with high inner connection inside the modules were considered hub genes. The intersection results between hub genes of key modules and 500 DEGs revealed UBE2C, BUB1B, RRM2, and TPX2 as highly associated with the stage of ccRCC. In addition, the candidate genes were validated at both the RNA expression level and the protein level. Survival analysis also showed that 4 genes were significantly correlated with overall survival. In conclusion, our study affords a deeper understanding of the molecular mechanisms associated with the development of ccRCC and provides potential biomarkers for early diagnosis and individualized treatment for patients at different stages of ccRCC.
β‐Sitosterol Protects against Myocardial Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury via Targeting PPARγ/NF‐κB Signalling
Authors: Lin Fengxia , Xu Luhua , Huang Meizhu , Deng Bin , Zhang Weiwei , Zeng Zhicong , Yinzhi Song
Published: March 2020

Myocardial ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury is a clinically severe complication, which can cause high rates of disability and mortality particularly in patients with myocardial infarction, yet the molecular mechanisms underlying this process remain unclear. This study aimed to explore the protective effects of β‐sitosterol against myocardial I/R injury and to elucidate the underlying molecular mechanisms. Our results showed that hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R) treatment suppressed cell viability, induced cell apoptosis and reactive oxygen species production, increased caspase‐3 and ‐9 activities, upregulated caspase‐3 and ‐9 protein expressions, downregulated the Bcl‐2 protein expression, and reduced the mitochondrial membrane potential. β‐Sitosterol treatment attenuated H/R‐induced cardiomyocyte injury. Moreover, β‐sitosterol treatment counteracted the inhibitory effects of H/R treatment on the peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) expression and enhanced effects of H/R treatment on the NF‐κB expression in cardiomyocytes. Furthermore, inhibition of PPARγ impaired the protective actions of β‐sitosterol against H/R‐induced cardiomyocyte injury. In the I/R rats, β‐sitosterol treatment reduced the myocardial infarcted size and apoptosis, which was attenuated by the inhibition of PPARγ. In conclusion, our results demonstrate that β‐sitosterol protected against in vitro H/R‐induced cardiomyocyte injury and in vivo myocardial I/R injury. The β‐sitosterol‐mediated cardioprotective effects may involve the modulation of PPARγ/NF‐κB signalling during myocardial I/R injury. Further studies are required to further explore the clinical application of β‐sitosterol in the myocardial I/R injury.
Fixed-Point Theorems for α-Admissible Mappings with w-Distance and Applications to Nonlinear Integral Equations
Authors: Zhang Fengrong , Wang Haoyue , Wu Shuangqi , Zhao Liangshi
Published: March 2020

Two fixed-point theorems for α-admissible mappings satisfying contractive inequality of integral type with w-distance in complete metric spaces are proved. Our results extend and improve a few existing results in the literature. As applications, we use the fixed-point theorems obtained in this paper to establish solvability of nonlinear integral equations. Examples are included.
The Results of Unstable Intertrochanteric Femur Fracture Treated with Proximal Femoral Nail Antirotation-2 with respect to Different Greater Trochanteric Entry Points
Authors: Mallya Sharan , Kamath Surendra U. , Annappa Rajendra , Nazareth Nithin Elliot , Kamath Krithika , Tyagi Pragya
Published: March 2020

Background. Proximal femoral nail antirotation-2 (PFNA-2) has been widely used to treat intertrochanteric fractures with varied outcomes in the previous studies. The entry point of the nail plays an important role in achieving acceptable reduction, stable fixation, and avoiding implant related complications. This study was proposed to determine the optimal greater trochanteric entry point for PFNA-2 in unstable intertrochanteric femur fractures.Methods. We conducted an observational study on 40 patients with unstable intertrochanteric fracture treated with PFNA-2 implant in a tertiary care hospital. The patients were grouped into two based on the entry point: group L for lateral and group M for medial entry. Randomization was carried out by assigning the patients to the group by alternate allocation. The quality of reduction, tip apex distance, Cleveland index, and all the complications were noted. The final follow-up was conducted at six months. The functional outcome was evaluated using modified Harris hip score. The data analysis was performed using Student’st-test, chi square test, and Mann–Whitney test. APvalue below 0.05 was considered significant.Results. Forty patients with 20 patients treated with medial entry point were included in group M and 20 patients in group L with lateral entry point. The group L had an average tip apex distance of 20.53 and group M had 20.02 (P=0.8). The complication of screw back out was seen in 3 out of 4 patients with poor reduction in group L. As per the Cleveland index, 6 patients in each group had suboptimal position and 4 out of 6 patients in group L with suboptimal position had screw back out. The lateral cortex impingement was seen in 14 patients of group L and 6 patients in group M with significant comparison (P=0.01). Three patients in group L had varus collapse with screw back out. Also, none in group M (0.05). The average modified Harris hip score in group L at six months follow-up was 71.94 and 76.8 in group M (P=0.84).Conclusion. Overall, to achieve good quality of fixation and reducing damage to gluteus medius entry point for PFNA-2 should be 5 mm medial to the greater trochanter tip.
Mesenchymal Stem Cells Enhance Pulmonary Antimicrobial Immunity and Prevent Following Bacterial Infection
Authors: Li Wenchao , Chen Weiwei , Huang Saisai , Tang Xiaojun , Yao Genhong , Sun Lingyun
Published: March 2020

Background. Immunosuppressants such as cyclophosphamide (CTX) have been employed to treat a wide array of autoimmune diseases. The most unfavourable side effects of these drugs are their suppression on the antimicrobial immunity and increasing the risk of infection. As a promising substitution/adjunct, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are currently being tested in several clinical trials. However, their influence on the recipients’ antimicrobial immunity remains unclear.Methods. In this study, C57BL/6 mice were treated with either CTX or MSCs, and then both the innate and adaptive immunity of the lung were determined. To investigate the influence of CTX and MSCs on the immune defence against infection, the treated mice were intranasally infected with opportunistic pathogenHaemophilus influenzae(Hi).Bacterial clearance and antibacterial immune responses were analysed.Results. Our data showed that CTX strongly inhibited the proliferation of lung immune cells, including alveolar macrophages (AMs) and T cells, whereas MSCs increased the numbers of these cells. CTX suppressed the phagocytic activity of AMs; on the contrary, MSCs enhanced it. Notably, infusion of MSCs led to a remarkable increase of regulatory T cells and Th1 cells in the lung. When infected by Hi, CTX did not significantly impair the elimination of invaded bacteria. However, MSC-treated mice exhibited accelerated bacterial clearance and moderate inflammation and tissue damage.Conclusion. Our study reported that unlike traditional immunosuppressants, modulation of MSCs on the recipient’s immune response is more elegant. It could preserve and even enhance the antimicrobial defence, suggesting that MSCs are better choice for patients with high risk of infection or those who need long-term immunosuppressive regimen.
Conversion from Nonshockable to Shockable Rhythms and Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest Outcomes by Initial Heart Rhythm and Rhythm Conversion Time
Authors: Zhang Wanwan , Luo Shengyuan , Yang Daya , Zhang Yongshu , Liao Jinli , Gu Liwen , Li Wankun , Liu Zhihao , Xiong Yan , Idris Ahamed
Published: March 2020

Background. The conversion from a nonshockable rhythm (asystole or pulseless electrical activity (PEA)) to a shockable rhythm (pulseless ventricular tachycardia or ventricular fibrillation) may be associated with better out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) outcomes. There are insufficient data on the prognostic significance of such conversions by initial heart rhythm and different rhythm conversion time. Methods. Among 24,849 adult OHCA patients of presumed cardiac etiology with initial asystole or PEA in the Resuscitation Outcomes Consortium Cardiac Epidemiologic Registry (version 3, 2011–2015), we examined the association of shockable rhythm conversion with prehospital return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC), survival, and favorable functional outcome (modified Rankin Scale score ≤3) at hospital discharge by initial rhythm and rhythm conversion time (time from cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) initiation by emergency medical providers to first shock delivery), using logistic regression adjusting for key clinical characteristics. Results. Of 16,516 patients with initial asystole and 8,333 patients with initial PEA, 16% and 20% underwent shockable rhythm conversions; the median rhythm conversion time was 12.0 (IQR: 6.7–18.7) and 13.2 (IQR: 7.0–20.5) min, respectively. No difference was found in odds of prehospital ROSC across rhythm conversion time, regardless of initial heart rhythm. Shockable rhythm conversion was associated with survival and favorable functional outcome at hospital discharge only when occurred during the first 15 min of CPR, for those with initial asystole, or the first 10 min of CPR, for those with initial PEA. The associations between shockable rhythm conversion and outcomes were stronger among those with initial asystole compared with those with initial PEA. Conclusions. The conversion from a nonshockable rhythm to a shockable rhythm was associated with better outcomes only when occurred early in initial nonshockable rhythm OHCA, and it has greater prognostic significance when the initial rhythm was asystole.
Effect of Ground Plane Deformation on Electrical Performance of Air Microstrip Antennas
Authors: Wang Wei , Wang Yanjun , Lou Shunxi , Zhang Shuo , Zhou Yatian
Published: March 2020

This paper covers the variation of electrical performance of air microstrip antennas due to its ground plane deformation. A typical sinusoidal function is utilized to characterize the shape of deformation, based on which different shapes of ground plane can be obtained by changing control parameters. From the simulation results by HFSS, there is a strong linear relationship between the offset of resonant frequency and the amplitude of deformation. The equivalent thickness of the air medium is introduced into the calculation model, and then the mathematical model is established to describe the resonant frequency offset and deformation amplitude. It can also be seen from the radiation pattern that the directivity decreases with the increase of deformation. The proposed method can be used to predict the effect of ground plane deformation on electrical performance of air microstrip antennas.
Successful Treatment of Plaque Psoriasis with Allogeneic Gingival Mesenchymal Stem Cells: A Case Study
Authors: Wang Sebo Gene , Hsu Nicholas C. , Wang Sebo Michelle , Wang Fu Nan
Published: March 2020

Plaque psoriasis is the most common type of psoriasis that manifests as red scaly patches with white scales affecting body areas including scalp, elbows, knees, trunk, and buttocks. Although many treatment options are available including novel biologics, no cure is available. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been safely used to treat a variety of human diseases. Allogeneic MSCs possess unique characteristics including hypoimmunogenicity, immunomodulatory, and anti-inflammatory properties, and they are currently being explored for potential therapeutic use for many systemic inflammatory diseases. The human gingival tissue is an easily accessible and obtainable source for the isolation of MSCs. MSCs from adult human gingiva are of fetal-like phenotype, multipotent, and easy to isolate and expand in vitro. Herein, we report a case of a 19-year-old man with a 5-year history of severe plaque psoriasis refractory to multiple topical and systemic therapies who was treated with allogeneic human gingival MSCs. Complete regression was achieved after 5 infusions with no adverse reaction occurred. The patient has been followed for three years and has remained disease free.
Preparation of Multiwall Carbon Nanotubes Embedded Electroconductive Multi‐Microchannel Scaffolds for Neuron Growth under Electrical Stimulation
Authors: Liu Zhenhui , Yushan Maimaiaili , Alike Yamuhanmode , Liu Yanshi , Wu Shuo , Ma Chuang , Yusufu Aihemaitijiang
Published: March 2020

Objectives. To prepare the conductive MWCNT (multiwall carbon nanotube)‐agarose scaffolds with multi‐microchannel for neuron growth under electrical stimulation. Methods. The scaffolds were produced by gradient freeze and lyophilization methods. The synthesized materials were characterized by SEM and near‐infrared spectroscopy, and their microstructure, swelling‐deswelling, conductivity, biocompatibility, and shape memory behavior were measured. A three‐dimensional culture model by implanting cells into scaffolds was built, and the behaviors of RSC96 cells on scaffolds under electrical stimulation were evaluated. Results. The addition of MWCNT did not affect the pore composition ratio and shape memory of agarose scaffolds, but 0.025% wt MWCNT in scaffolds improved the swelling ratio and water retention at the swelling equilibrium state. Though MWCNTs in high concentration had slight effect on proliferation of RSC96 cells and PC12 cells, there was no difference that the expressions of neurofilament of RSC96 cells on scaffolds with MWCNTs of different concentration. RSC96 cells arranged better along the longitudinal axis of scaffolds and showed better adhesion on both 0.025% MWCNT‐agarose scaffolds and 0.05% MWCNT‐agarose scaffolds compared to other scaffolds. Conclusions. Agarose scaffolds with MWCNTs possessed promising applicable prospect in peripheral nerve defects.
An Improved Method of EWT and Its Application in Rolling Bearings Fault Diagnosis
Authors: Qiao Zhicheng , Liu Yongqiang , Liao Yingying
Published: March 2020

When the vibration signals of the rolling bearings contain strong interference noise, the spectrum division of the vibration signals is seriously disturbed by the noise. The traditional empirical wavelet transform (EWT) decomposes signals into a large number of components, and it is difficult to select suitable components that contain fault information. In order to address the problems above, in this paper, we proposed the improved empirical wavelet transform (IEWT) method. The simulation experiment proved that IEWT can solve the problem of a large number of EWT components and separate the impact component effectively which contains bearing fault information from noise. The IEWT method is combined with the support vector machine (SVM) to diagnosis the fault of the rolling bearings. The permutation entropy (PE) is used to construct feature vectors for its strong induction ability of dynamic changes of nonstationary and nonlinear signals. The crucial parameter penalty factor C and kernel parameter g of SVM are optimized by quantum genetic algorithm (QGA). Compared with traditional EWT and variational mode decomposition (VMD) methods, the effectiveness and advantages of this method are demonstrated in this study. The classification prediction ability of SVM is also better than that of K-nearest neighbor (KNN) and extreme learning machine (ELM).
Dynamic Changes in Surface Damage Induced by High‐Intensity Mining of Shallow, Thick Coal Seams in Gully Areas
Authors: Li Jianwei , Li Xintian , Liu Changyou , Wu Xiangye
Published: March 2020

This study proposes a novel approach to study the mechanism of mining and dynamic changes in surface subsidence and geological hazard‐prone regions caused by shallow, thick coal seam mining in gully areas. This approach combines field observation, three‐dimensional modeling, numerical simulation, and theoretical analysis based on the conditions of the Chuancao Gedan coal mine. The in situ stress field of coalbeds is influenced by the gully terrain. Shear stress becomes concentrated on the surface, causing geological disasters such as landslides and collapse of gully slopes. High‐intensity mining activities increase the concentration and are more likely to cause such geological disasters. The influence area and severity vary dynamically with the expansion of the excavation area. With the continuous expansion of coal seam mining, the amplification ratio η (the ratio of the maximum impact range of surface subsidence and the mined‐out area) first increased to 3.35, then decreased, and finally reached a constant value of 2.1. The principle of road line selection is proposed based on an analysis of surface subsidence and gully slope stability on the goaf edge. The principle of subsection reinforcement of the gully slope under the dynamic influence of coal seam mining is also determined.
Development of Growth Theory for Vapor–Liquid–Solid Nanowires: Wetting Scenario, Front Curvature, Growth Angle, Linear Tension, and Radial Instability
Authors: Nebol’sin Valery A. , Swaikat Nada , Vorob’ev Alexander Yu.
Published: March 2020

In this paper, we report that under wetting conditions (or modes) of nanowire (NW) growth, when a nonplanar crystallization front emerges under a catalyst droplet, a shift in the three-phase line (TPL) of the vapor–liquid–crystal interface occurs under thermodynamically stable conditions when the angle with respect to the droplet surface, termed the growth angle, is fixed. The growth angle of the NWs is determined not from a geometrical perspective but on the basis of the physical aspects of the processes occurring around the TPL, revealing a size dependence caused by the influence of linear tension of the three-phase contact of a vapor–liquid crystal. The observed radial periodic instability of the NWs is described according to the size dependence of the thermodynamic growth angle, which induces negative feedback in the system. Under the influence of linear tension and positive feedback, the tips or needles of NWs can be formed.
DES-ROD: Exploring Literature to Develop New Links between RNA Oxidation and Human Diseases
Authors: Essack Magbubah , Salhi Adil , Van Neste Christophe , Raies Arwa Bin , Tifratene Faroug , Uludag Mahmut , Hungler Arnaud , Zaric Bozidarka , Zafirovic Sonja , Gojobori Takashi , Isenovic Esma , Bajic Vladan P.
Published: March 2020

Normal cellular physiology and biochemical processes require undamaged RNA molecules. However, RNAs are frequently subjected to oxidative damage. Overproduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS) leads to RNA oxidation and disturbs redox (oxidation-reduction reaction) homeostasis. When oxidation damage affects RNA carrying protein-coding information, this may result in the synthesis of aberrant proteins as well as a lower efficiency of translation. Both of these, as well as imbalanced redox homeostasis, may lead to numerous human diseases. The number of studies on the effects of RNA oxidative damage in mammals is increasing by year due to the understanding that this oxidation fundamentally leads to numerous human diseases. To enable researchers in this field to explore information relevant to RNA oxidation and effects on human diseases, we developed DES-ROD, an online knowledgebase that contains processed information from 298,603 relevant documents that consist of PubMed abstracts and PubMed Central full-text articles. The system utilizes concepts/terms from 38 curated thematic dictionaries mapped to the analyzed documents. Researchers can explore enriched concepts, as well as enriched pairs of putatively associated concepts. In this way, one can explore mutual relationships between any combinations of two concepts from used dictionaries. Dictionaries cover a wide range of biomedical topics, such as human genes and proteins, pathways, Gene Ontology categories, mutations, noncoding RNAs, enzymes, toxins, metabolites, and diseases. This makes insights into different facets of the effects of RNA oxidation and the control of this process possible. The usefulness of the DES-ROD system is demonstrated by case studies on some known information, as well as potentially novel information involving RNA oxidation and diseases. DES-ROD is the first knowledgebase based on text and data mining that focused on the exploration of RNA oxidation and human diseases.
Event-Based Consensus for General Linear Multiagent Systems under Switching Topologies
Authors: Sun Yinshuang , Ji Zhijian , Liu Kaien
Published: March 2020

In this paper, event-triggered leader-following consensus of general linear multiagent systems under both fixed topology and switching topologies is studied. First, centralised and decentralised event-triggered control strategies based on neighbors’ state estimation are proposed under fixed topology, in which the controller is only updated at the time of triggering. Obviously, compared with the continuous time control algorithms, the event-triggered control strategies can reduce the communication frequency among agents effectively. Meanwhile, event-triggering conditions are derived for systems to achieve consensus by using the Lyapunov stability theory and model transformation method. Then, the theoretical results obtained under the fixed topology are extended to the switching topologies, and the sufficient conditions for the system to achieve leader-following consensus under the switching topologies are given. However, different from fixed topology, the control input of each agent is updated both at event-triggering and topology switching time. Finally, Zeno behaviors can be excluded by proving that the minimum triggering interval of each agent is strictly positive, and the effectiveness of the event-triggered protocol is verified by simulation experiments.
Model of the Secondary Path between the Input Voltage and the Output Force of an Active Engine Mount on the Engine Side
Authors: Zhang Henghai , Shi Wenku
Published: March 2020

The active engine mount (AEM) provides an effective solution to improve the acoustic and vibration comfort of a car. The same AEM can be installed for different engines and different vehicle bodies and attenuates the engine vibration, which is one of the most pressing challenges. To study this problem, this paper develops a mathematical model of a secondary path between the input voltage and output force of the AEM on the engine side considering the frequency-dependent characteristic of the stiffness, which includes the structure parameters of the AEM as well as the dynamics of the actuator, the fluid in the inertia track, the foundation (vehicle body), and the attenuated vibrating object (AEM preload or engine). The proposed model is validated by three test cases without vibration excitation, which are performed with different AEM preloads and foundations. The AEM is considered as an active part and passive part, the mass of which is determined experimentally. Parameter effect on the dynamic characteristics of the secondary path of the AEM is studied based on three tests and a numerical simulation.
Optimizing Steam Consumption of Mushroom Canning Process by Selecting Higher Temperatures and Shorter Time of Retorting
Authors: Pursito Didik J. , Purnomo Eko H. , Fardiaz Dedi , Hariyadi Purwiyatno
Published: March 2020

Increasing energy cost has driven the food canning industries to optimize their energy consumption in order to produce safe and shelf-stable foods efficiently. In the mushroom canning industry, energy efficiency is very critical to improve product (price) competitiveness. This research aimed at demonstrating total steam consumption to achieve the same sterility level (F0-value) of canned mushroom by using different combinations of times and temperatures of retorting. Agaricus bisporus in brine contained in 300×407 cans was heat processed in a horizontal static retort. Three different retort temperatures (115, 121, and 130°C) and different operator processing times ranging from 2 to 97 minutes were employed to achieve different levels of F0-values. Our results showed that at the same level of sterility, steam consumption inversely decreased with the increase of retort temperature. At the same F0-value of 10 minutes, energy efficiency for up to 72.9% and 58.1% per batch of retorting was achieved by increasing the temperature from 115 to 130°C and 115 to 121°C, respectively. Since steam consumption is a major element of production costs in the canning industry, the selection of higher temperatures and shorter time of retorting will have a positive commercial impact due to the reduction of production costs.
Feature Clustering Analysis Using Reference Model towards Rolling Bearing Performance Degradation Assessment
Authors: Ding Xiaoxi , Wang Liming , Huang Wenbin , He Qingbo , Shao Yimin
Published: March 2020

The health monitoring and management have been accepted in modern industrial machinery for an intelligent industrial production. To timely and reliably assess the bearing performance degradation, a novel health monitoring method called feature clustering analysis (FCA) has been proposed in this study. Along with the working time going, this new monitored chart picked by FCA aims to describe the feature clustering distribution transition by a series of reference models. First, the data provided by the reference state (healthy data) and the one from the monitor state (monitor data) are fused together to construct a reference model, which is to explore the active role of healthy status and activate the difference between healthy status and unhealthy status. Manifold learning is later implemented to mine the discriminated features for good class-separable clustering measure. In this manner, heterogeneous information hidden in this reference model will appear once degradation happened. Finally, a clustering quantification factor, named as feature clustering indicator (FCI), is calculated to assess distribution evolution and migration of the monitor status as compared to the consistent healthy status. Furthermore, a single Gaussian model (SGM) based on these FCIs is used to provide a smooth estimate of the healthy condition level. The corresponding negative log likelihood probability (NLLP) and the fault occurrence alarm are developed for an accurate and reliable FCC. And it can well depict a comprehensibility of the real bearing performance degradation process for its whole life. Meanwhile, as compared to other health profiles based on the classical health indicators, the proposed FCC has provided a much more accurate degradation level and rather monotonic profile. The experimental results show the potential in machine health performance degradation assessment.