bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Incidence and prevalence of moyamoya disease in urban China: a nationwide retrospective cohort study
Authors: Sun Yixin , Zhou Guoyu , Feng Jingnan , Chen Lu , Liu Guozhen , Wang Jinxi , Wang Qingliang , Yu Junyou , Yang Xiwang , Yang Zheng , Gao Pei , Wang Shengfeng , Zhan Siyan
Published: May 2021

Background and objective

Moyamoya disease (MMD) is an increasingly recognised cause of stroke, mainly described in East Asia. China is the largest nation in Asia, but few studies reported the epidemiology of MMD, especially at a national level. We aimed to estimate the incidence and prevalence of MMD in China.

Methods

We performed a population-based study using data from the national databases of Urban Basic Medical Insurance between 2013 and 2016, covering approximately 0.50 billion individuals. MMD cases were identified by diagnostic code (International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision I67.5) or related diagnostic text.

Results

A total of 1987 MMD patients (mean age 44.45±14.30 years, female-to-male ratio 1.12) were identified, representing a national crude incidence of 0.59 (95% CI: 0.49 to 0.68) and a prevalence of 1.01 (95% CI: 0.81 to 1.21) per 100 000 person-years in 2016. Rates were higher in females than in males for the incidence (0.66 vs 0.52) and prevalence (1.05 vs 0.90). And the age-specific rates showed a bimodal distribution, with the highest peak in middle-aged group and the second peak in child group.

Conclusions

Our results confirm that MMD is relatively common in East Asians, but the rates in China were lower than those in other East Asian countries such as Japan and Korea. The unique epidemiological features, including a relatively weak female predominance and a shift in the highest peak of incidence from children to adults, revealed new sight into MMD. Further research is expected to explore the potential pathogenesis of MMD.
Post hoc assessment of the relationship among coronary stenosis, electrocardiography, and ventricular function in patients with heart disease
Authors: Tur Jared , Patel Nidhi , Padawer Kimberly , Sunjic Igor , Kumar Siva K. , Bitetzakis Chris , Sadic Edin , Hamlin Wesley , Tipparaju Srinivas M. , Patel Aarti
Published: May 2021

Cardiovascular diseases including cardiac arrhythmias lead to fatal events in patients with coronary artery disease; however, clinical associations from echocardiography, electrocardiography (ECG), and biomarkers remain unknown. We sought to identify the factors that may be related to elevated QRS intervals in patients with risk for coronary artery disease. In this study, we performed analysis of clinical data from 503 patients divided into two groups, i.e., patients with either <50% coronary artery stenosis or >50% coronary artery stenosis. We further examined patients with elevated ECG parameters such as QRS > 100 ms and QTc > 440 ms. Patients with >50% coronary artery stenosis exhibited significant increases in age, triglycerides, and troponin levels. Further, ECG parameters demonstrated increased QRS and QTc durations, while echocardiographic parameters highlighted a decrease in ejection fraction (EF) and fractional shortening (FS). Patients with QTc > 440 ms exhibited increased brain natriuretic peptide and creatinine levels with a decrease in estimated glomerular filtration rate clearance rates. Patients with QRS > 100 ms had greater left ventricular (LV) mass and LV internal diameter in systole and diastole. Multimodal logistic regression showed significant relation between QTc, age, and creatinine. These findings suggest that patients with significant coronary stenosis may have lower EF and FS with prolonged QRS intervals, demonstrating greater risk for arrhythmic events.
Measurements of multiplicity fluctuations of identified hadrons in inelastic proton–proton interactions at the CERN Super Proton Synchrotron
Authors: Acharya A. , Adhikary H. , Aduszkiewicz A. , Allison K. K. , Andronov E. V. , Antićić T. , Babkin V. , Baszczyk M. , Bhosale S. , Blondel A. , Bogomilov M. , Brandin A. , Bravar A. , Bryliński W. , Brzychczyk J. , Buryakov M. , Busygina O. , Bzdak A. , Cherif H. , Ćirković M. , Csanad M. , Cybowska J. , Czopowicz T. , Damyanova A. , Davis N. , Deliyergiyev M. , Deveaux M. , Dmitriev A. , Dominik W. , Dorosz P. , Dumarchez J. , Engel R. , Feofilov G. A. , Fields L. , Fodor Z. , Garibov A. , Gaździcki M. , Golosov O. , Golovatyuk V. , Golubeva M. , Grebieszkow K. , Guber F. , Haesler A. , Igolkin S. N. , Ilieva S. , Ivashkin A. , Johnson S. R. , Kadija K. , Kargin N. , Kashirin E. , Kiełbowicz M. , Kireyeu V. A. , Klochkov V. , Kolesnikov V. I. , Kolev D. , Korzenev A. , Kovalenko V. N. , Kowalski S. , Koziel M. , Krasnoperov A. , Kucewicz W. , Kuich M. , Kurepin A. , Larsen D. , László A. , Lazareva T. V. , Lewicki M. , Łojek K. , Lyubushkin V. V. , Maćkowiak-Pawłowska M. , Majka Z. , Maksiak B. , Malakhov A. I. , Marcinek A. , Marino A. D. , Marton K. , Mathes H.-J. , Matulewicz T. , Matveev V. , Melkumov G. L. , Merzlaya A. O. , Messerly B. , Mik Ł. , Morozov S. , Nagai Y. , Naskręt M. , Ozvenchuk V. , Paolone V. , Petukhov O. , Pidhurskyi I. , Płaneta R. , Podlaski P. , Popov B. A. , Porfy B. , Posiadała-Zezula M. , Prokhorova D. S. , Pszczel D. , Puławski S. , Puzović J. , Ravonel M. , Renfordt R. , Röhrich D. , Rondio E. , Roth M. , Rumberger B. T. , Rumyantsev M. , Rustamov A. , Rybczynski M. , Rybicki A. , Sadhu S. , Sadovsky A. , Schmidt K. , Selyuzhenkov I. , Seryakov A. Yu. , Seyboth P. , Słodkowski M. , Staszel P. , Stefanek G. , Stepaniak J. , Strikhanov M. , Ströbele H. , Šuša T. , Taranenko A. , Tefelska A. , Tefelski D. , Tereshchenko V. , Toia A. , Tsenov R. , Turko L. , Ulrich R. , Unger M. , Uzhva D. , Valiev F. F. , Veberič D. , Vechernin V. V. , Wickremasinghe A. , Wojcik K. , Wyszyński O. , Zaitsev A. , Zimmerman E. D. , Zwaska R.
Published: May 2021

Measurements of multiplicity fluctuations of identified hadrons produced in inelastic p+p interactions at 31, 40, 80, and 158 $$\text {Ge}\text {V}/c$$

Ge

/
c

beam momentum are presented. Three different measures of multiplicity fluctuations are used: the scaled variance $$\omega $$
ω
and strongly intensive measures $$\Sigma $$
Σ
and $$\Delta $$
Δ
. These fluctuation measures involve second and first moments of joint multiplicity distributions. Data analysis is preformed using the Identity method which corrects for incomplete particle identification. Strongly intensive quantities are calculated in order to allow for a direct comparison to corresponding results on nucleus–nucleus collisions. The results for different hadron types are shown as a function of collision energy. A comparison with predictions of string-resonance Monte-Carlo models: Epos, Smash and Venus, is also presented.
Signatures of $$A_4$$ symmetry in the charged lepton flavour violating decays in a neutrino mass model
Authors: Korrapati Rambabu , More Jai , Rahaman Ushak , Sankar S. Uma
Published: May 2021

We study the charged lepton flavour violation in a popular neutrino mass model with $$A_4$$

A
4

discrete symmetry. This symmetry requires the presence of multiple Higgs doublets in the model and it also dictates the flavour violating Yukawa couplings of the additional neutral scalars of the model. Such couplings lead to the decays of the neutral mesons, the top quark and the $$\tau $$
τ
lepton into charged leptons of different flavours at tree level. The $$A_4$$

A
4

symmetry of the model leads to certain characteristic signatures in these decays. We discuss these signatures and predict the rates for the most favourable charged lepton flavour violating modes.
Multiparticle collision dynamics simulations of a squirmer in a nematic fluid
Authors: Mandal Shubhadeep , Mazza Marco G.
Published: May 2021

We study the dynamics of a squirmer in a nematic liquid crystal using the multiparticle collision dynamics (MPCD) method. A recently developed nematic MPCD method [Phys. Rev. E 99, 063319 (2019)] which employs a tensor order parameter to describe the spatial and temporal variations of the nematic order is used to simulate the suspending anisotropic fluid. Considering both nematodynamic effects (anisotropic viscosity and elasticity) and thermal fluctuations, in the present study, we couple the nematic MPCD algorithm with a molecular dynamics (MD) scheme for the squirmer. A unique feature of the proposed method is that the nematic order, the fluid, and the squirmer are all represented in a particle-based framework. To test the applicability of this nematic MPCD-MD method, we simulate the dynamics of a spherical squirmer with homeotropic surface anchoring conditions in a bulk domain. The importance of anisotropic viscosity and elasticity on the squirmer’s speed and orientation is studied for different values of self-propulsion strength and squirmer type (pusher, puller or neutral). In sharp contrast to Newtonian fluids, the speed of the squirmer in a nematic fluid depends on the squirmer type. Interestingly, the speed of a strong pusher is smaller in the nematic fluid than for the Newtonian case. The orientational dynamics of the squirmer in the nematic fluid also shows a non-trivial dependence on the squirmer type. Our results compare well with existing experimental and numerical data. The full particle-based framework could be easily extended to model the dynamics of multiple squirmers in anisotropic fluids.

Graphic abstract
Existence of Global Solution and Traveling Wave of the Modified Short-Wave Equation
Authors: Huh Hyungjin
Published: May 2021

The modified short-wave equation is considered under periodic boundary condition. We prove the global existence of solution with finite energy. We also find traveling wave solutions which is the form of elliptic function.
Dynamic Behavior Analysis of Intermediate Bearing‐Squeeze Film Dampers‐Rotor System under Constant Maneuvering Overload
Authors: Zheng Nan , Chen Mo-li , Luo Gui-Huo , Ye Zhi-Feng
Published: May 2021

Under the flight maneuvering of an aircraft, the maneuvering load on the rotor is generated, which may induce the change of dynamic behavior of aeroengine rotor system. To study the influence on the rotor dynamic behavior of constant maneuvering overload, a nonlinear dynamic model of bearing‐rotor system under arbitrary maneuver flight conditions is presented by finite element method. The numerical integral method is used to investigate the dynamic characteristics of the rotor model under constant maneuvering overload, and the simulation results are verified by experimental works. Based on this, the dynamic characteristics of a complex intermediate bearing‐squeeze film dampers‐ (SFD‐) rotor system during maneuvering flight are analyzed. The simulation results indicate that the subharmonic components are amplified under constant maneuvering overload. The amplitude of the combined frequency components induced by the coupling of the inner and outer rotors is weakened. The static displacements of the rotor caused by the additional excitation force are observed. Besides, the period stability of the movement of the rotor deteriorates during maneuver flight. The design of counterrotation of the inner and outer rotors can effectively reduce the amplitude of subharmonic under constant maneuvering overload.
Study on the Fracture Process Zone near the Mode I Dynamic Crack Tip
Authors: Ji Chenmeng , Qi Chengzhi
Published: May 2021

Evaluation of the shape and size of the fracture process zone near the mode I dynamic crack tip is still a problem unsolved completely at present. The research on the relationship between the fracture process zone and crack velocity near the mode I dynamic crack tip is quite limited, and some researchers have also developed experimental methods or numerical methods. In this research, based on the theory of elastodynamics and the complex stress function method, an approximate method for solving the mode I dynamic crack problem was proposed. The fracture process zone near the mode I dynamic crack tip was analyzed. The results showed that the areas of the fracture process zone determined based on the approximate method are nearly the same as the results obtained based on the well-known stress fields. The approximate method could provide a good reference for determining the fracture process zone near the mode I dynamic crack tip since no analytic methods had been found for evaluating the fracture process zone near the dynamic crack tip to the authors’ knowledge.
Two Identification Methods for a Nonlinear Membership Function
Authors: Ji Yuejiang , Lv Lixin
Published: May 2021

This paper proposes two parameter identification methods for a nonlinear membership function. An equation converted method is introduced to turn the nonlinear function into a concise model. Then a stochastic gradient algorithm and a gradient‐based iterative algorithm are provided to estimate the unknown parameters of the nonlinear function. The numerical example shows that the proposed algorithms are effective.
Experimental Study on the Caustics of Moving Cracks and Elliptical Curvature under Impact Loading
Authors: Luo Haohao , Yang Renshu , Wang Yanbing , Yang Guoliang , Li Chengxiao , An Chen , Zhang Yuantong
Published: May 2021

A dynamic caustics test system was used, and different moving cracks were analysed to study the interaction between the crack growth rate, stress intensity factor, and curvature of the elliptical end of a moving crack under impact loading. Based on the linear elastic fracture mechanics theory, linearly fitting of the crack tip stress intensity factor and the elliptical curvature were employed to obtain the specific functional expressions. ABAQUS software was used to numerically simulate the moving crack fracture process passing through different elliptical curvatures. The crack tip stress intensity factor was calculated by the stress extrapolation method. The stress intensity factor obtained from the numerical calculation and the caustics test was consistent. The test and numerical simulation results showed that the direction of moving cracks entering and passing through the elliptical defects shows a certain regularity. As the ellipse curvature increased, the moving crack stress intensity factor passing through the ellipse gradually decreased, and the moving crack also passed easily through oval defects.
A Novel Model for Predicting the Well Production in High-Sulfur-Content Gas Reservoirs
Authors: Zou Chunmei , Wang Xiaodong , Hu Jinghong , Lv Yang , Fang Bo , Zhang Yuan
Published: May 2021

High-content H2S gas reservoirs are important for natural gas extraction. However, the precipitation and deposition of elemental sulfur in high-sulfur-content gas reservoirs eventually lead to porosity and permeability damage, resulting in the low well productivity. Therefore, it is worth developing an accurate production prediction model considering sulfur deposition for fractured horizontal wells. In this study, based on the partition model and transient percolation theory, a novel numerical model considering the damage of sulfur deposition with pressure change on reservoir porosity and permeability was first developed to predict the production from fractured horizontal wells in high-sulfur-content gas reservoirs. Then, it was validated by actual field data from a high-sulfur-content gas reservoir. After that, the influence of sulfur deposition on the production of fractured horizontal wells was revealed through theoretical calculations, and the effects of hydraulic fracture parameters on production were analyzed. The results show that elemental sulfur gradually deposits in the reservoir pores as the reservoir pressure decreases and the production time increases, which eventually leads to permeability damage and reduces reservoir productivity; this negative impact gradually increases over time. It is also shown that the production of fractured horizontal wells increases with an increase in the half-length, fracture conductivity, and fracture number. Compared with the fracture half-length, the fracture conductivity and fracture number have a greater influence on the production of a single well. The model can handle the influence of nonlinear parameters caused by sulfur deposition, which allows accurate calculations and provides guidance for the development of fractured horizontal wells in gas reservoirs with high sulfur content.
PUF-Based Mutual-Authenticated Key Distribution for Dynamic Sensor Networks
Authors: Liu Yanan , Cui Yijun , Harn Lein , Zhang Zheng , Yan Hao , Cheng Yuan , Qiu Shuo
Published: May 2021

Because of the movements of sensor nodes and unknown mobility pattern, how to ensure two communicating (static or mobile) nodes authenticate and share a pairwise key is important. In this paper, we propose a mutual-authenticated key distribution scheme based on physical unclonable functions (PUFs) for dynamic sensor networks. Compared with traditional key predistribution schemes, the proposal reduces the storage overhead and the key exposure risks and thereby improves the resilience against node capture attacks. Mutual authentication is provided by the PUF challenge-response mechanism. However, the PUF response is not transmitted in plain forms so as to resist the modelling attacks, which is vulnerable in some existing PUF-based schemes. We demonstrate the proposed scheme to improve the secure connectivity and other performances by analysis and experiments.
The Effect of Tai Chi Chuan on Emotional Health: Potential Mechanisms and Prefrontal Cortex Hypothesis
Authors: Yao Ying , Ge Likun , Yu Qian , Du Xiaohong , Zhang Xiangyang , Taylor-Piliae Ruth , Wei Gao-Xia
Published: May 2021

Deep involvement in the negative mood over long periods of time likely results in emotional disturbances/disorders and poor mental health. Tai Chi Chuan (TCC) is regarded as a typical mind-body practice combining aerobic exercise and meditation to prevent and treat negative mood. Although there are an increasing number of TCC studies examining anxiety, depression, and mental stress, the mechanisms underlying these negative emotions are not fully understood. This review study examined TCC studies related to emotional health from both clinical patients and healthy individuals. Next, several potential mechanisms from physiological, psychological, and neurological perspectives were evaluated based on direct and indirect research evidence. We reviewed recent functional magnetic resonance imaging studies, which demonstrated changes in brain anatomy and function, mainly in the prefrontal cortex, following TCC practice. Finally, the effects of TCC on emotion/mental health is depicted with a prefrontal cortex hypothesis that proposed “an immune system of the mind” indicating the role of the prefrontal cortex as a flexible hub in regulating an individual’s mental health. The prefrontal cortex is likely a key biomarker among the multiple complex neural correlates to help an individual manage negative emotions/mental health. Future research is needed to examine TCC effects on mental health by examining the relationship between the executive control system (mainly prefrontal cortex) and limbic network (including amygdala, insula, and hippocampal gyrus).
Interactive Influence Analysis of Tunnel Lateral Clearance on Driving Behavior Using Expressway Field Data
Authors: Wan Li , Zhou Mo , Liu Ge , Zhang Chang-An , Yan Ying
Published: May 2021

Changes in lateral clearance are prone to drastic changes in the driving environment at the entrance and exit of the tunnel, which can cause a driver to become psychologically stressed and deviate from the center of a lane, thus creating a greater security risk. However, most of the existing regulations and studies only focus on the horizontal and vertical alignment of the tunnel entrances and exits, and there are few studies on the influence of lateral clearance on driving behavior. This study hired 15 random subjects to conduct real vehicle tests in eight tunnels on expressways with 3 design speeds by using a CAN-OBD analyzer and steering wheel angle meter. First, in five lateral clearance variation schemes, different speed characteristic indicators and steering wheel angles were selected as the indicators of driving behavior. Second, the interactive influence of the design speed, lateral clearance, operating speed, steering wheel angle, and other indicators were analyzed. Finally, paired t-test analysis and Wilcoxon and Friedman nonparametric tests were used to compare the differences in various indicators among different lateral clearance schemes. The results showed that when the left lateral clearance is 1.5 meters, the operating speed is increased by 3.9%, while the standard deviation of speed is small, and the driving performance is higher. When the right lateral clearance is 1.75 and 2.00 meters, the operating speed is not much different. However, the latter’s speed standard deviation is smaller. By contrast, when the right lateral clearance is up to 2.25 m, the operating speed increases by 3.7%. However, the speed standard deviation also increases. Different lateral clearances have little effect on the steering wheel angle. The operating speed on the right side is higher and more stable when the design speed is 100 km/h. This study provides scientific suggestions for the setting of the lateral clearance of the tunnels.
Two‐Stage Robust Optimization Model for Fresh Cold Chain considering Carbon Emissions and Uncertainty
Authors: Qu Deqiang , Wu Zhong
Published: May 2021

Sustainable development is an everlasting theme and lasting strategy in today’s era. Low‐carbon economy is an inevitable approach to the implementation of sustainable development. Cold chain logistics has become one of the main sources of carbon emissions. However, in the research on location planning of cold chain logistics, the costs of carbon emissions have not been taken into consideration in previous studies. The two‐stage stochastic optimization (TSSO) model was established based on the comprehensive consideration of transportation costs, time penalty costs, and carbon emission costs. In this case, it is extremely difficult to deal with uncertainty in TSSO model. Therefore, this paper constructs a two‐stage robust optimization (TSRO) model using data‐driven method and robust optimization theory and verifies the validity of this model through an actual case. The application of this method to a cold chain logistics enterprise showed that the service level of logistics cannot be guaranteed by stochastic optimization model. In the TSRO model, the costs increase by 2.18% at the price of robustness, whereas logistics service level shows an upward trend (from 85.83% to 92.75%). In the TSRO model, enterprises are forced to choose a better distribution path when carbon tax increases, which not only helps enterprises save costs but also achieves low‐carbon environmental benefits.
New Definition of Ultrafine Particles in Mine Paste and Its Relationship with Rheological Properties
Authors: Xie Jincheng , Qiao Dengpan , Han Runsheng , Deng Tao , Wang Jun
Published: May 2021

Mine backfill paste is generally composed of tailings and coarse aggregates. In engineering practice, the definitions in fill material classification are vague. In this paper, the size range of ultrafine particles is defined by the Stokes sedimentation test and hydraulic coarseness method. The size range of ultrafine particles is affected not only by the geometric size of the particles but also by the physical characteristics of the particles themselves. This definition has more comprehensive considerations and stricter physical and mathematical significance than the traditional definition of ultrafine particles based only on size. There is a strong correlation between ultrafine particles in fill materials and the rheological properties of the mine backfill paste. In this study, through experiments and correlation analysis, it was found that the content of ultrafine particles is positively correlated with the plastic viscosity of the mine backfill paste, and its growth range is exponential. The coarse aggregate content is positively correlated with the yield stress of the mine backfill paste. A regression analysis model was established for the rheological properties of mine backfill paste. The model has few factors and high correlation, so it can simply and efficiently predict the rheological properties of mine backfill paste and guide engineering practice.
The Analysis of Anchoring Mechanism of Rock Slope in Two Layers Based on the Nonlinear Twin‐Shear Strength Criterion
Authors: Gu X. B. , Wang Y. H. , Ji X. J. , Zhu Y. H.
Published: May 2021

The nonlinear strength criterion is introduced into the paper firstly, and then the geometric anchoring characteristic model of rock slope separated from two layers according to rock type with the fracture surface of log‐spiral curve considering nonlinear twin‐shear criterion subjected to seismic loads is established. Finally, some correlated influential parameters are analyzed, and the conclusions are drawn, showing that the intermediate principal stress has great influence on the total anchoring force of bolt P, so when different criteria are selected, the influence of intermediate principal stress should not be omitted. The effects of thickness ratio h1/h2 on total anchoring force increase gradually with the increase of inclination angle ϕ. The total anchoring force P decreases gradually with the increase of inclination angle ϕ and surcharge load q. The total anchoring force increases gradually with the increase of horizontal seismic acceleration coefficients kh and geometric coefficients mi and GSI.
Transmission Control of Cross‐Regional Heterogeneous Networks for Direct Position Determination
Authors: Zong Liang , Wang Han , Lu Liangpeng , Bai Yong , Zhao Chenglin , Luo Gaofeng , Lin Feng
Published: May 2021

In direct position determination (DPD), a large number of observation data need to be integrated and transmitted, which creates higher requirements for the transmission performance of the network. To alleviate the problem of performance degradation in a large number of data transmissions, this paper proposes a heterogeneous network architecture and transmission control algorithm for cross‐regional heterogeneous networks. Through the heterogeneous integration of satellite and multihop networks, a transmission control model suitable for the long delay and high bit error rate environments is established, the congestion window of each stage of network transmission is analyzed, and the efficiency and accuracy of the algorithm are verified by experiments. The results show that a large amount of data can be transmitted in a heterogeneous network. When dealing with direct location, the algorithm can effectively transmit a large number of observation data for cross‐regional heterogeneous networks. This simple and applicable transmission control algorithm can improve the satellite link throughput and reduce the download response time compared with the traditional transmission algorithm. These studies provide a reference for a large number of data transmissions in direct position determination.
FPGA-Based Time-Domain Channel Estimation in Gaussian Mixture Model
Authors: Khalid Muhammad , Muhammad Khan Abid , Rauf Muhammad , Taha Jilani Muhammad , Afzal Sheraz
Published: May 2021

The performance of time-domain channel estimation deteriorates due to the presence of Gaussian mixture model (GMM) noise, which results in high mean squared error (MSE) as a challenging issue. The performance of the estimator further decreases when the complexity of the estimator is high due to the high convergence rate. In this paper, an optimized channel estimation method is proposed with low complexity and high accuracy in the GMM environment. In this channel estimation, an improved Gauss-Seidel iterative method is utilized with a minimum number of iterations. The convergence rate of the Gauss-Seidel method is improved by estimating an appropriate initial guess value when no guard bands are used in the orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) symbol. Simulation results provide an acceptable MSE for GMM environments, up to the probability of 5% impulsive noise component. This paper also presents the design and implementation of the proposed estimator in the NEXYS-2 FPGA platform that provides resources allocation, reconfigurability, schematic, and the timing diagram for detailed insight.
Analytical Solution of Two-Dimensional Sine-Gordon Equation
Authors: Deresse Alemayehu Tamirie , Mussa Yesuf Obsie , Gizaw Ademe Kebede
Published: May 2021

In this paper, the reduced differential transform method (RDTM) is successfully implemented for solving two-dimensional nonlinear sine-Gordon equations subject to appropriate initial conditions. Some lemmas which help us to solve the governing problem using the proposed method are proved. This scheme has the advantage of generating an analytical approximate solution or exact solution in a convergent power series form with conveniently determinable components. The method considers the use of the appropriate initial conditions and finds the solution without any discretization, transformation, or restrictive assumptions. The accuracy and efficiency of the proposed method are demonstrated by four of our test problems, and solution behavior of the test problems is presented using tables and graphs. Further, the numerical results are found to be in a good agreement with the exact solutions and the numerical solutions that are available in literature. We have showed the convergence of the proposed method. Also, the obtained results reveal that the introduced method is promising for solving other types of nonlinear partial differential equations (NLPDEs) in the fields of science and engineering.
Quality of Life and Nutritional Status of the Geriatric Population of the South-Central Part of Nepal
Authors: Sharma Sabita , Yadav Dipendra Kumar , Karmacharya Isha , Pandey Raju
Published: May 2021

Background. The main objective of the study was to assess the nutritional status and quality of life in the geriatric population of Lahan municipality of Siraha district. Methods. A cross-sectional analytical study was conducted in Lahan municipality of Siraha district from June to December 2017. The Mini-Nutritional Assessment tool was used to investigate the nutritional status, and World Health Organization Quality of Life-OLD questionnaires were used to assess the quality of life among geriatric population. Result. Out of the total participants, one-third (45.7%) of the participants were at risk of malnutrition and 19.8% were malnourished while 34.5% had normal nutritional status. It was seen that 48.2% of participants had good quality of life whereas 51.8% of them had poor quality of life. There was a significant association between nutritional status and quality of life in the elderly population. Conclusion. The findings showed the need for active ageing interventions to improve the nutritional status and quality of life of elders at the community settings. Proper attention should be focused on elders’ nutrition to reduce the observed prevalence of malnutrition, and focus should be given on the nutrition status that leads to improve the quality of life of elders.
Experimental Study of the Failure Mechanism of the Anchorage Interface under Different Surrounding Rock Strengths and Ambient Temperatures
Authors: Liu Xiaohu , Yao Zhishu , Xue Weipei , Wang Xuesong , Huang Xianwen
Published: May 2021

In order to study the anchoring instability mechanism of surrounding rock in deep roadway, the failure mechanism of the bolt‐anchoring agent interface was studied by simulating different strength rock mass and ground temperature environment, using C20, C40, and C60 strength concrete and steel pipe to simulate different surrounding rock strength environments. Indoor pull‐out tests were carried out to study the pull‐out load displacement relationship, ultimate pull‐out force, residual anchoring force, the distribution law of axial stress and tangential stress along the bar, and the energy consumption value of drawing failure at 20, 50, and 70°C. The test results show that, with the decrease of surrounding rock strength or the increase of ambient temperature, the pull‐out force, residual anchoring force, and energy consumption value of anchorage interface gradually decrease; under different axial forces, the axial force distribution of the rod body decreases exponentially from the anchoring end to the opposite end; and the shear stress transfers to the deep part of the anchor body with the increase of the load. According to the failure phenomenon of the specimen, the failure modes of the bolt bolt‐anchorage agent interface can be divided into shear slip mode and shear expansion slip mode. The shear expansion slip formula of anchorage interface is derived. Using high‐strength and temperature‐resistant resin anchoring agent for comparative test, the rationality of the mechanism analysis is proved, which provides more clear guidance for the construction of anchor support.
Effect of Capillary Water Absorption on Electrical Resistivity of Concrete with Coal Gangue Ceramsite as Coarse Aggregates
Authors: Li Dong , Liu Shi , Liu Haiqing
Published: May 2021

This study intends to access the influence of the capillary action on electrical property of the concrete containing the coal gangue ceramsite. For this purpose, four kinds of concrete samples were prepared; the coal gangue ceramsite was adopted at four volume ratios of 0%, 30%, 60%, and 100%, respectively. The resistivity of the samples was explored using the two‐electrode method during the capillary action. The effects of the coal gangue ceramsite contents on capillary water absorption capacity and resistivity of the matrix were verified. The variation of the resistivity of the matrix under the influence of capillary water transmission was analyzed. The results demonstrated that, for the unsaturated concrete, the resistivity of the matrix increased with the increment of the coal gangue ceramsite dosage. The electrical properties of the concrete were affected noticeably by the capillary water absorption of the matrix; the resistivity of the matrix dropped significantly under the capillary suction, which may be attributed to the formation of the new conductive channels caused by the absorbed water. The variation of the resistivity of the concrete under the capillary suction sustained the two‐stage reduction curve. The ability of the capillary water absorption of concrete was enhanced with the addition of coal gangue ceramsite, compared to the traditional aggregates concrete, the initial sorptivity, and secondary sorptivity of the matrix increased by 47% and 16% with the 100% content of coal gangue ceramsite. However, during the process of the capillary suction, the resistivity of the coal gangue ceramic concrete was always greater than that of the concrete with traditional crushed aggregates.
Spiritual Well-Being and Associated Factors in End-Stage Renal Disease
Authors: Fradelos Evangelos C.
Published: May 2021

People with CKD depend on religion and spirituality to deal with their chronic illness, and those are essential means of coping for those living with chronic diseases. The present study aims to evaluate ESRD patients’ spiritual wellbeing undergoing hemodialysis treatment and to identify critical variables associated with the spiritual wellbeing of those patients. Methods. A cross-sectional study was conducted, in which 367 patients undergoing HD participated. Patients were randomly selected from six HD units in various geographical areas of Greece. Data were collected through an anonymous self-completed questionnaire consisting of two parts. The first part contained questions regarding demographic, social, and clinical information such as age, gender, marital status, and duration of dialysis comorbidities. The second part assessed the patients’ spiritual wellbeing with the use of the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Spiritual Well-Being Scale-12. Multivariate analysis was performed to extract predictors or determinants of spiritual wellbeing of hemodialysis patients. Results. From the total of the 367 participants, 228 (62.1%) were males and 139 (37.9%) were females, and the mean age was 61.80 ± 15.11. Spiritual wellbeing had a mean value of 30.55 (SD = 8.22), which means that patients had a satisfactory spiritual wellbeing level. Multivariate analysis revealed that place of residence, marital status, educational level, and comorbidities could predict spiritual wellbeing in ESRD patients. Conclusions. There is much evidence in the literature supporting the positive effect of spirituality, health (physical and mental), and quality of life. Integration of spiritual wellbeing evaluation and spiritual care in everyday practice as a part of clinical care can increase the quality of the provided care and improve health outcome for patients undergoing hemodialysis.
Glaucocalyxin A Attenuates Allergic Responses by Inhibiting Mast Cell Degranulation through p38MAPK/NrF2/HO-1 and HMGB1/TLR4/NF-κB Signaling Pathways
Authors: Piao Yihua , Jiang Jingzhi , Wang Zhiguang , Wang Chongyang , Jin Shan , Li Li , Li Liangchang , Piao Hongmei , Jin Zhehu , Zhu Lianhua , Yan Guanghai
Published: May 2021

Glaucocalyxin A (GLA) has various pharmacological effects like antioxidation, immune regulation, and antiatherosclerosis. Here, in this study, the effect and mechanism of GLA on mast cell degranulation were studied. The results of the anti-DNP IgE-mediated passive cutaneous anaphylaxis (PCA) showed that GLA dramatically inhibited PCA in vivo, as evidenced by reduced Evans blue extravasation and decreased ear thickness. In addition, GLA significantly reduced the release of histamine and β-hexosaminidase, calcium influx, cytokine (IL-4, TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-13, and IL-8) production in the RBL-2H3 (rat basophilic leukemia cells), and RPMCs (peritoneal mast cells) in vitro. Moreover, we further investigated the regulatory mechanism of GLA on antigen-induced mast cells by Western blot, which showed that GLA inhibited FcεRI-mediated signal transduction and invalidated the phosphorylation of Syk, Fyn, Lyn, Gab2, and PLC-γ1. In addition, GLA inhibited the recombinant mouse high mobility group protein B1- (HMGB1-) induced mast cell degranulation through limiting nuclear translocation of NF-κBp65. Treatment of mast cells with siRNA-HMGB1 significantly inhibited HMGB1 levels, as well as MyD88 and TLR4, decreased intracellular calcium levels, and suppressed the release of β-hexosaminidase. Meanwhile, GLA increased NrF2 and HO-1 levels by activating p38MAPK phosphorylation. Consequently, these data suggest that GLA regulates the NrF2/HO-1 signaling pathway through p38MAPK phosphorylation and inhibits HMGB1/TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway to reduce mast cell degranulation and allergic inflammation. Our findings could be used as a promising therapeutic drug against allergic inflammatory disease.
A New Sinusoidal Shear Deformation Theory for Static Bending Analysis of Functionally Graded Plates Resting on Winkler–Pasternak Foundations
Authors: Phuc Pham Minh , Thanh Vu Nguyen
Published: May 2021

In this article, a new sinusoidal shear deformation theory was developed for static bending analysis of functionally graded plates resting on elastic foundations. The proposed theory used an undefined integral term to reduce the number of the unknown to four without any shear correction factors. The high accuracy and efficiency of the proposed theory were proved thanks to the comparisons of the present results with other available solutions. And then, the proposed theory was successfully applied to investigate the bending behavior of the functionally graded plates resting on Winkler–Pasternak foundations. The governing equations of motion were established by using Hamilton’s principle, and the Navier’s solution technique was employed to solve these equations. The effects of some factors of the geometrics, the materials properties, and the elastic foundation parameters on the bending behaviors of the FGM plates were investigated intensely. Also, some novel results and special phenomenon were carried out.
Comprehensive Evaluation of Urban Road Network Resilience Facing Earthquakes
Authors: Gao Lin , Wang Mingzhen , Liu Anshuang , Gong Huafeng
Published: May 2021

The road network’s transport capacity and traffic function will be directly reduced if urban roads are damaged by earthquakes. To effectively improve the resistance and recovery ability of urban road networks facing earthquake disasters, the establishment of an aseismic resilience evaluation method for the urban road network is the research goal. This paper’s novelty introduces the concept of engineering resilience into the aseismic performance evaluation of urban road networks. It reveals the internal influence principle of nodes and independent pathways on the aseismic resilience of the network. This paper’s significant contribution is to establish a reasonable and comprehensive urban road network aseismic resilience evaluation method. This method can realize the calculation of the aseismic resilience for the existing network, reconstruction network, and new network and propose the optimization, transformation, and layout for the network. The MATLAB program for the whole process calculation of aseismic resilience is developed. The overall network’s aseismic resilience is obtained by the sum of the product of the node importance and the average number of the reliable independent pathways.
Effect of Sodium Azide on Quantitative and Qualitative Stem Traits in the M2 Generation of Ethiopian Sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) Genotypes
Authors: Weldemichael Micheale Yifter , Baryatsion Yemane Tsehaye , Sbhatu Desta Berhe , Gebresamuel Abraha Girmay , Juhar Hagos Mohammedseid , Kassa Abraha Birhan , Baraki Sibhatu Fiseha , Gebremedhn Hailay Mehari , Gebrelibanos Tesfakiros Semere , Mebrahtu Mossa Mohammed , Gebru Mullubrhan Mekonen , Meresa Birhanu Kahsay , Teklay Medhin , Berhe Birhanu Debesay , Gebru Haftay Abadi
Published: May 2021

The emerging oilseed crop Sesamum indicum, also known as the queen of oilseeds, is being grown globally for its oil content for medicinal and nutritional values. One of the key challenges of sesame cultivation is its low productivity. In the present study, sodium azide (NaN3) was used as a chemical mutagen. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of NaN3 on quantitative and qualitative stem traits in the M2 generation of Ethiopian sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) genotypes. Seeds of fourteen sesame genotypes were used in this study and germinated and grown under greenhouse conditions. Different qualitative and quantitative data were collected and analyzed. Traits such as plant height, ground distance to first distance, and internode length were significantly affected by NaN3 treatment. The highest plant height was recorded in the control on Humera 1 and Baha Necho genotypes, while the lowest was observed on Setit 2 and Hirhir treated with the chemical. The highest ground distance to the first branch was observed in Gumero, while the least ground distance was recorded in Setit 1 in the treated and control genotypes, respectively. The best internode length was recorded on Setit 2 and ADI in the control, while the lowest internode length was observed in Setit 1 genotype treated with sodium azide. Genotypes such as ACC44, ADI, Baha Necho, Borkena, Gonder 1, and Setit 1 treated with NaN3 have showed glabrous type of stem hairiness. All the fourteen genotypes (both treated and control) were clustered into four groups. In conclusion, we observed a highly significant variation among the genotypes due the effect of the chemical and genotypes themselves. Hence, this report would create more genetic diversity for further sesame genetic research improvements.
Personalized Prechemotherapy Education Reduces Peri-Chemotherapy Anxiety in Colorectal Cancer Patients
Authors: Li Shasha , Li Lihong , Shi Xin , Wang Mingshu , Song Xiaoli , Cui Feng
Published: May 2021

Objective. To evaluate the effect of personalized prechemotherapy education in the reduction of peri-chemotherapy anxiety in patients with colorectal cancer. Methods. Patients admitted to the Department of Oncology with a diagnosis of stage III or IV colorectal cancer and scheduled for initial chemotherapy from January 1, 2017, to June 30, 2019, were retrieved. Patients in the educated group completed the GAD-7 form to evaluate their anxiety level at admission and 14 days after personalized prechemotherapy education, the educator team of which included both physician and nurse staff. Patients in the control group only completed GAD-7 forms at admission and 14 days thereafter without personalized education. Results. Three hundred and sixty-four patients were enrolled for analysis, including 127 patients who received personalized prechemotherapy education and 237 patients who did not receive education. There were no significant differences in age, gender, education level, or pretreatment GAD-7 scores between the two groups, but significantly lower posttreatment GAD-7 score, and fewer medium to severe posttreatment anxiety patients in the educated group. Conclusion. Personalized prechemotherapy education involving physician for medical treatment and nursing staff for peri-treatment care, in contrast to traditional brief discussion with physicians during clinic visits and unified informed consent before treatments, may reduce peri-chemotherapy anxiety more efficiently.
Finger-Vein Recognition Using Bidirectional Feature Extraction and Transfer Learning
Authors: Tao Zhiyong , Zhou Xinru , Xu Zhixue , Lin Sen , Hu Yalei , Wei Tong
Published: May 2021

Accuracy and efficiency are essential topics in the current biometric feature recognition and security research. This paper proposes a deep neural network using bidirectional feature extraction and transfer learning to improve finger-vein recognition performance. Above all, we make a new finger-vein database with the opposite position information of the original one and adopt transfer learning to make the network suitable for our overall recognition framework. Next, the feature extractor is constructed by adjusting the unidirectional database’s parameters, capturing vein features from top to bottom and vice versa. Correspondingly, we concatenate the above two features to form the finger-veins’ bidirectional features, which are trained and classified by Support Vector Machines (SVM) to realize recognition. Experiments are conducted on the Malaysian Polytechnic University’s published database (FV-USM) and finger veins of Signal and Information Processing Laboratory (FV-SIPL). The accuracy of our proposed algorithm reaches 99.67% and 99.31%, which is significantly higher than the unidirectional recognition under each database. Compared with the algorithms cited in this paper, our proposed model based on bidirectional feature enjoys higher accuracy, faster recognition speed than the state-of-the-art frameworks, and excellent practical value.
Multihop Neighbor Information Fusion Graph Convolutional Network for Text Classification
Authors: Lei Fangyuan , Liu Xun , Li Zhengming , Dai Qingyun , Wang Senhong
Published: May 2021

Graph convolutional network (GCN) is an efficient network for learning graph representations. However, it costs expensive to learn the high-order interaction relationships of the node neighbor. In this paper, we propose a novel graph convolutional model to learn and fuse multihop neighbor information relationships. We adopt the weight-sharing mechanism to design different order graph convolutions for avoiding the potential concerns of overfitting. Moreover, we design a new multihop neighbor information fusion (MIF) operator which mixes different neighbor features from 1-hop to k-hops. We theoretically analyse the computational complexity and the number of trainable parameters of our models. Experiment on text networks shows that the proposed models achieve state-of-the-art performance than the text GCN.
Fourth Hankel Determinant for the Set of Star-Like Functions
Authors: Arif Muhammad , Rani Lubna , Raza Mohsan , Zaprawa Pawel
Published: May 2021

In this paper, we derive a bound of the fourth Hankel determinant for the class of star-like functions. We also consider this problem for 2-fold and3-fold symmetric star-like functions. In this case, we obtain sharp results.