bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Dynamic Characteristic Analysis of Rotating Blade With Transverse Crack—Part I: Modeling, Modification, and Validation
Authors: Yang Lai-Hao , Yang Zhe-Shuai , Mao Zhu , Wu Shu-Ming , Chen Xue-Feng , Yan Ru-Qiang
Published: December 2020

This study aims at the systematical improvement and comparative analysis of analytical crack models for the rotating blade. Part I of this study focuses on analytical modeling, model modification, and model validation of transverse crack for the rotating blade. The most widely applied analytical crack models for the rotating blade are reviewed and compared, and then their limitations are discussed. It is indicated that the conventional analytical crack models suffer from low physical interpretability and vibration prediction accuracy. By considering these limitations of conventional analytical crack models, model modification is performed to enhance the physical meaning and improve the accuracy. First, the stress-based breathing crack model is modified by direct calculation of the breathing function based on the theory of linear elastic fracture mechanics and resetting the correction factor of centrifugal stiffening stiffness. Second, the vibration-based breathing crack models, including bilinear breathing crack model and cosine breathing crack model, are modified by introducing the coupling effect between bending stress and centrifugal stress based on the stress state at the blade crack section. The additional bending moment induced by the blade part outside the crack section is considered in all analytical models. The modified crack models’ validity is verified by comparing vibration responses obtained by the modified crack models, the finite element contact crack model, and the conventional crack models. The comparative results suggest that the modified models promote the physical interpretability and improve the vibration prediction accuracy of analytical crack models.
Porous silicone substrates inhibit permanent barnacle attachment under natural conditions
Authors: Petersen Dennis S. , Heepe Lars , Gorb Stanislav N.
Published: December 2020

Barnacles are able to effectively adhere to most surfaces underwater. Dewetting of the corresponding surface prior to the release of their permanent adhesive plays an important role in the attachment process. Possibly, a surface that is able to interfere with this process may have exceptional fouling repellence and fouling release abilities. Therefore, open-pored foams made from polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) were tested together with flat PDMS samples as controls in a 13-week-long field experiment in the Baltic Sea. On a weekly basis, both settlement and fouling density development of the bay barnacle Balanus (=Amphibalanus) improvisus were monitored. The overall settlement was close to zero on PDMS foams and the few attached barnacles were not able to stay on the PDMS foams longer than 1 week after initial settlement. Changes in the stiffness of the PDMS foams did not affect these results. Open-pored PDMS foam systems may be a promising tool in the development of new, innovative antifouling strategies.
Slipped-Strand Mispairing in the Gene Encoding Sialidase NanH3 in
Gardnerella
spp.
Authors: Kurukulasuriya Shakya P. , Patterson Mo H. , Hill Janet E.
Published: December 2020

Cell wall proteins with sialidase activity are involved in carbohydrate assimilation, adhesion to mucosal surfaces, and biofilm formation.
Gardnerella
spp. inhabit the human vaginal microbiome and encode up to three sialidase enzymes, two of which are suspected to be cell wall associated. Here, we demonstrate that the gene encoding extracellular sialidase NanH3 is found almost exclusively in
Gardnerella piotii
and the closely related species
Gardnerella
genome sp. 3, and its presence correlates with a sialidase-positive phenotype in a collection of 112
Gardnerella
isolates.
Foot-and-Mouth Disease Virus Structural Protein VP1 Destroys the Stability of the TPL2 Trimer by Degradation of TPL2 To Evade Host Antiviral Immunity
Authors: Zhang Keshan , Yan Minghao , Hao Junhong , Shen Chaochao , Zhu Zixiang , Zhang Dajun , Hou Jing , Xu Guowei , Li Dan , Zheng Haixue , Liu Xiangtao
Published: December 2020

Virus-host interactions are critical for virus infection. This study was the first to demonstrate the antiviral effect of host TPL2 during FMDV replication by increasing production of interferons and antiviral cytokines.
Rapid gravity flow transformation revealed in a single climbing ripple
Authors: Baas Jaco H. , Best Jim , Peakall Jeff
Published: December 2020

Sediment gravity flows demonstrate a wide range of rheological behaviors, and past work has shown how transformations between flow types generate spatiotemporal changes in the resultant sedimentary successions. We used the geometrical characteristics of a single climbing ripple to demonstrate how such flows can transform from a turbulent to a quasi-laminar plug flow, with the transitional clay flow sequence being manifested by abnormally large heterolithic sand-clay current ripples with small backflow ripples, and then abundant clay deposition associated with smaller ripples. Analysis of ripple size, angle of climb, grain size, internal erosional surfaces, and soft-sediment deformation suggests that transformation in the rheological character of the sediment gravity flow was rapid, occurring over a period of tens of minutes, and thus probably over a spatial scale of hundreds of meters to several kilometers. Our study indicates how the character of flow transformation can be elucidated from the details of a small-scale sedimentary structure.
Drill core from seismically active sandstone gas reservoir yields clues to internal deformation mechanisms
Authors: Verberne Berend A. , Hangx Suzanne J.T. , Pijnenburg Ronald P.J. , Hamers Maartje F. , Drury Martyn R. , Spiers Christopher J.
Published: December 2020

Europe’s largest gas field, the Groningen field (the Netherlands), is widely known for induced subsidence and seismicity caused by gas pressure depletion and associated compaction of the sandstone reservoir. Whether compaction is elastic or partly inelastic, as implied by recent experiments, is a key factor in forecasting system behavior and seismic hazard. We sought evidence for inelastic deformation through comparative microstructural analysis of unique drill core recovered from the seismogenic center of the field in 2015, 50 yr after gas production started, versus core recovered before production (1965). Quartz grain fracturing, crack healing, and stress-induced Dauphiné twinning are equally developed in the 2015 and 1965 cores, with the only measurable effect of gas production being enhanced microcracking of sparse K-feldspar grains in the 2015 core. Interpreting these grains as strain markers, we suggest that reservoir compaction involves elastic strain plus inelastic compression of weak clay films within grain contacts.
Short-term effects of wood ash application on soil properties, growth, and foliar nutrition ofPicea marianaandPicea glaucaseedlings in a plantation trial
Authors: Couch Robin L. , Luckai Nancy , Morris Dave , Diochon Amanda
Published: December 2020

Burning biomass for energy generates ash that could be applied as a soil amendment to ameliorate acidity and mitigate nutrient losses associated with biomass harvesting. These soil improvements may also enhance tree growth and foliar nutrition. In this study, we applied low- and high-carbon wood-derived ash at rates of 0 (control), 1000, and 10 000 kg·ha−1(dry weight equivalents) to soils planted with Picea mariana (Mill.) B.S.P. and Picea glauca (Moench) Voss in a replicated (5) factorial design. We measured soil properties, tree seedling height, and foliar nutrient contents prior to and 4 mo after wood ash addition to determine the immediate effects on soil physical, chemical, and biological properties, and tree seedling performance. We conclude that there were no negative effects of applying either wood ash and that application of ash at 10 000 kg·ha−1, particularly with the low-carbon ash, produced the greatest changes. We anticipate that changes may become more evident over the longer term, especially with respect to tree growth and nutritional responses (e.g., as nutrient uptake demand increases) once the seedlings become more established.
Inhomogeneous phases in the quark-meson model with explicit chiral-symmetry breaking
Authors: Buballa Michael , Carignano Stefano , Kurth Lennart
Published: December 2020

We investigate the existence of inhomogeneous chiral phases in the quark-meson model with explicit chiral-symmetry breaking. We find that the inhomogeneous region shrinks with increasing pion masses but survives for the physical value of mπ. The instability towards inhomogeneous matter occurs in the scalar channel, while pseudoscalar modes are disfavored.
Estimating compressibility from maximal-mass compact star observations
Authors: Barnaföldi Gergely G. , Pósfay Péter , Szigeti Balázs E. , Jakovác Antal
Published: December 2020

We investigated recent observation data of pulsar masses of PSR J0740+6620, PSR J0348+0432, and PSR J1614−2230 based on the extended σ-ω model. We assumed that these pulsars are maximal mass compact star, which suggest that the core approximation can be applied. Using the linear relations between the microscopic and macroscopic parameters of neutron stars suggested by this model, we estimated the values of the nucleon Landau mass and nuclear compressibility
mL=776.0−84.9+38.5 MeV and
K=242.7−28.0+57.2 MeV, respectively.
Chiral phase transition and kaon-to-pion ratios in the entanglement SU(3) PNJL model
Authors: Blaschke D. , Friesen A. V. , Kalinovsky Yu. L. , Radzhabov A.
Published: December 2020

Within the three-flavor PNJL and EPNJL chiral quark models we have obtained pseudoscalar meson properties in quark matter at finite temperature T and baryochemical potential μB. We compare the meson pole (Breit-Wigner) approximation with the Beth-Uhlenbeck (BU) approach that takes into account the continuum of quark-antiquark scattering states when determining the partial densities of pions and kaons. We evaluate the kaon-to-pion ratios along the (pseudo-)critical line in the T − μB plane as a proxy for the chemical freezeout line, whereby the variable x = T∕μB is introduced that corresponds to the conserved entropy per baryon as initial condition for the heavy-ion collision experiments. We present a comparison with the experimental pattern of kaon-to-pion ratios within the BU approach and using x-dependent pion and strange quark potentials. A sharp “horn” effect in the energy dependence K+∕π+ ratio is explained by the enhanced pion production at energies above √sNN=8 GeV, when the system enters the regime of meson dominance. This effect is in line with the enhancement of low-momentum pion spectra that is discussed as a precursor of the pion Bose condensation and entails the occurrence of a nonequilibrium pion chemical potential of the order of the pion mass. We elucidate that the horn effect is not related to the existence of a critical endpoint in the QCD phase diagram.
Microwave Assisted ZnO Nanoparticles by Simple Precipitation Method: A Novel Approach
Authors: Deshmukh Lalita D.
Published: December 2020

Stated work consisted synthesis of ZnO nanoparticles (NPs) by the irradiation of microwaves. Material is formed by a simple chemical precipitation method by using Zinc Acetate Dehydrate (Zn(CH3COO)2[Formula: see text]2H2O) and Sodium hydroxide (NaOH) as base chemicals in aqueous media for two different pH (12 and 14) values. This synthesis was carried out at room temperature. Synthesized NPs are dried in Microwave oven for 3 min of duration each. X-ray Diffraction (XRD) study confirmed the trend of incremental crystallinity upon increasing pH. XRD reveals the existence of (100), (002), (101), (102) and (110) reflections at [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] two theta values, respectively. Crystallite size was determined by both Scherrer formula and W–H plot method. UV-Vis spectroscopy is utilized to probe the optical features of ZnO NPs. This confirms intrinsic excitonic transition properties of ZnO. UV absorbance shows decrement upon increasing pH value. Band gap depicts the decremental behavior upon increasing pH. Stated method is a novel and time saving method for ZnO NPs synthesis; a large scale production is also feasible by this method.
DO FUNDAMENTALS DRIVE RELATIVE VALUATION? EVIDENCE FROM GLOBAL STOCK MARKET INDICES
Authors: AGUDZE KOMLA , IBHAGUI OYAKHILOME
Published: December 2020

In this paper, we use aggregate-level data from global, developed and emerging markets to empirically examine how fundamentals of publicly listed firms drive their relative valuation multiples. First, we find that, in each market, there is a dynamic link between fundamentals and relative valuation: relative valuation multiples are negatively linked to their past, suggesting that overvalued markets, based on high relative valuation multiples, often experience corrections that subsequently lower their relative valuation multiples, making them less overvalued, fairly valued or even undervalued, compared with previous periods. Secondly, we document that fundamentals do indeed have significant effects on relative valuation multiples. This reveals that fundamentals are an important driver of relative valuation multiples at the aggregate level in the stock market. Hence, practitioners should not ignore outlook for relative valuation multiples of aggregate stock market that is deduced from fundamentals.
U–Pb isotopic ages and provenance of some far-travelled exotic pebbles from glaciogenic sediments of the Polonez Cove Formation (Oligocene, King George Island)
Authors: Nawrocki Jerzy , Pańczyk Magdalena , Wójcik Krystian , Tatur Andrzej
Published: December 2020

Zircon grains from nine erratic pebbles of granite, granodiorite–tonalite and quartzite from the Polonez Cove Formation (southern King George Island) were studied for their U–Pb isotope ages and provenance. The calculated concordia ages of the studied pebbles are 108.79 ± 0.89, 119.7 ± 2.2, 178.6 ± 2.8, 180.7 ± 1.9, 207.4 ± 3.1, 231.1 ± 1.9, 1087.5 ± 4 and 1833 ± 4 Ma. The source area of individual pebbles was analysed and defined. Pebbles of crystalline rocks were derived from the Antarctic Peninsula, as well as from the Antarctic mainland. The erratic made of quartzite was eroded from the southernmost part of the Ellsworth Mountains (Linder Peak Member of Howard Nunatak Formation). Our isotope data analytically support the earlier thesis that the Oligocene ice-sheet covered a substantial part of Antarctica and its nucleus was located in its central part.

Supplementary material:
The U–Pb isotope data (Table S1) are available at
https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.c.5233335
VibroMap
Authors: Elsayed Hesham , Weigel Martin , Müller Florian , Schmitz Martin , Marky Karola , Günther Sebastian , Riemann Jan , Mühlhäuser Max
Published: December 2020

In spite of the great potential of on-body vibrotactile displays for a variety of applications, research lacks an understanding of the spacing between vibrotactile actuators. Through two experiments, we systematically investigate vibrotactile perception on the wrist, forearm, upper arm, back, torso, thigh, and leg, each in transverse and longitudinal body orientation. In the first experiment, we address the maximum distance between vibration motors that still preserves the ability to generate phantom sensations. In the second experiment, we investigate the perceptual accuracy of localizing vibrations in order to establish the minimum distance between vibration motors. Based on the results, we derive VibroMap, a spatial map of the functional range of inter-motor distances across the body. VibroMap supports hardware and interaction designers with design guidelines for constructing body-worn vibrotactile displays.
Exploring User Expectations of Proactive AI Systems
Authors: Meurisch Christian , Mihale-Wilson Cristina A. , Hawlitschek Adrian , Giger Florian , Müller Florian , Hinz Oliver , Mühlhäuser Max
Published: December 2020

Recent advances in artificial intelligence (AI) enabled digital assistants to evolve towards proactive user support. However, expectations as to when and to what extent assistants should take the initiative are still unclear; discrepancies to the actual system behavior might negatively affect user acceptance. In this paper, we present an in-the-wild study for exploring user expectations of such user-supporting AI systems in terms of different proactivity levels and use cases. We collected 3,168 in-situ responses from 272 participants through a mixed method of automated user tracking and context-triggered surveying. Using a data-driven approach, we gain insights into initial expectations and how they depend on different human factors and contexts. Our insights can help to design AI systems with varying degree of proactivity and preset to meet individual expectations.
Knitted Sensors
Authors: McDonald Denisa Qori , Vallett Richard , Solovey Erin , Dion Geneviève , Shokoufandeh Ali
Published: December 2020

Recent work has shown the feasibility of producing knitted capacitive touch sensors through digital fabrication with little human intervention in the textile production process. Such sensors can be designed and manufactured at scale and require only two connection points, regardless of the touch sensor form factor and size of the fabric, opening many possibilities for new designs and applications in textile sensors. To bring this technology closer to real-world use, we go beyond previous work on coarse touch discrimination to enable fine, accurate touch localization on a knitted sensor, using a recognition model able to capture the temporal behavior of the sensor. Moreover, signal acquisition and processing are performed in real-time, using swept frequency Bode analysis to quantify distortion from induced capacitance. After training our network model, we conducted a study with new users, and achieved a subject-independent accuracy of 66% in identifying the touch location on the 36-button sensor, while chance accuracy is approximately 3%. Additionally, we conducted a study demonstrating the viability of taking this solution closer to real-world scenarios by testing the sensor's resistance to potential deformation from everyday conditions. We also introduce several other knitted designs and related application prototypes to explore potential uses of the technology.
Aquilis
Authors: Kumar Abhishek , Braud Tristan , Kwon Young D. , Hui Pan
Published: December 2020

Smartphones are nowadays the dominant end-user device. As a result, they have become gateways to all users' communications, including sensitive personal data. In this paper, we present Aquilis, a privacy-preserving system for mobile platforms following the principles of contextual integrity to define the appropriateness of an information flow. Aquilis takes the form of a keyboard that reminds users of potential privacy leakages through a simple three-colour code. Aquilis considers the instantaneous privacy risk related to posting information (Local Sensitivity), the risk induced by repeating information over time (Longitudinal Sensitivity) and on different platforms (Cross-platform Sensitivity). Considering 50% of Aquilis warnings decreases the proportion of inappropriate information by up to 30%. Repeating information over time or in a broader exposure context increases the risk by 340% in a one-to-one context. We develop our own labeled privacy dataset of over 1000 input texts to evaluate Aquilis' accuracy. Aquilis significantly outperforms other state-of-the-art methods (F-1-0.76). Finally, we perform a user study with 35 highly privacy-aware participants. Aquilis privacy metric is close to users' privacy preferences (average divergence of 1.28/5). Users found Aquilis useful (4.41/5), easy to use (4.4/5), and agreed that Aquilis improves their online privacy awareness (4.04/5).
Automated Detection of Stressful Conversations Using Wearable Physiological and Inertial Sensors
Authors: Bari Rummana , Rahman Md. Mahbubur , Saleheen Nazir , Parsons Megan Battles , Buder Eugene H. , Kumar Santosh
Published: December 2020

Stressful conversation is a frequently occurring stressor in our daily life. Stressors not only adversely affect our physical and mental health but also our relationships with family, friends, and coworkers. In this paper, we present a model to automatically detect stressful conversations using wearable physiological and inertial sensors. We conducted a lab and a field study with cohabiting couples to collect ecologically valid sensor data with temporally-precise labels of stressors. We introduce the concept of stress cycles, i.e., the physiological arousal and recovery, within a stress event. We identify several novel features from stress cycles and show that they exhibit distinguishing patterns during stressful conversations when compared to physiological response due to other stressors. We observe that hand gestures also show a distinct pattern when stress occurs due to stressful conversations. We train and test our model using field data collected from 38 participants. Our model can determine whether a detected stress event is due to a stressful conversation with an F1-score of 0.83, using features obtained from only one stress cycle, facilitating intervention delivery within 3.9 minutes since the start of a stressful conversation.
Wearable Computing Technology for Assessment of Cognitive Functioning of Bipolar Patients and Healthy Controls
Authors: Hafiz Pegah , Miskowiak Kamilla Woznica , Maxhuni Alban , Kessing Lars Vedel , Bardram Jakob Eyvind
Published: December 2020

Mobile cognitive tests have been emerged to first, bring the assessments outside the clinics and second, frequently measure individuals' cognitive performance in their free-living environment. Patients with Bipolar Disorder (BD) suffer from cognitive impairments and poor sleep quality negatively affects their cognitive performance. Wearables are capable of unobtrusively collecting multivariate data including activity and sleep features. In this study, we analyzed daily attention, working memory, and executive functions of patients with BD and healthy controls by using a smartwatch-based tool called UbiCAT to 1) investigate its concurrent validity and feasibility, 2) identify digital phenotypes of mental health using cognitive and mobile sensor data, and 3) classify patients and healthy controls on the basis of their daily cognitive and mobile data. Our findings demonstrated that UbiCAT is feasible with valid measures for in-the-wild cognitive assessments. The analysis showed that the patients responded more slowly during the attention task than the healthy controls, which could indicate a lower alertness of this group. Furthermore, sleep duration correlated positively with participants' working memory performance the next day. Statistical analysis showed that features including cognitive measures of attention and executive functions, sleep duration, time in bed, awakening frequency and duration, and step counts are the digital phenotypes of mental health diagnosis. Supervised learning models was used to classify individuals' mental health diagnosis using their daily observations. Overall, we achieved accuracy of approximately 74% using K-Nearest Neighbour (KNN) method.
Analysis of right ventricular mass from magnetic resonance imaging data: a simple post-processing algorithm for correction of partial-volume effects
Authors: Espe Emil K. S. , Bendiksen Bård A. , Zhang Lili , Sjaastad Ivar
Published: December 2020

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the right ventricle (RV) offers important diagnostic information, but the accuracy of this information is hampered by the complex geometry of the RV. In particular, the crescent shape of the RV renders it particularly vulnerable to partial-volume effects. We present a new, simple, self-correcting algorithm that can be applied to correct partial-volume effects in MRI-based RV mass estimation. The self-correcting algorithm offers improved reliability and accuracy compared with the conventional approach.
Ultrasound-based speckle-tracking in tendons: a critical analysis for the technician and the clinician
Authors: Svensson Rene B. , Slane Laura C. , Magnusson S. Peter , Bogaerts Stijn
Published: December 2020

Ultrasound has risen to the forefront as one of the primary tools in tendon research, with benefits including its relatively low cost, ease of use, and high safety. Moreover, it has been shown that cine ultrasound can be used to evaluate tendon deformation by tracking the motion of anatomical landmarks during physical movement. Estimates from landmark tracking, however, are typically limited to global tissue properties, such that clinically relevant regional nonuniformities may be missed. Fortunately, advancements in ultrasound scanning have led to the development of speckle-tracking algorithms, which enable the noninvasive measurement of in vivo local deformation patterns. Despite the successes in other fields, the adaptation of speckle-tracking to tendon research has presented some unique challenges as a result of tissue anisotropy and microstructural changes under load. With no generally accepted standards for its use, current methodological approaches vary substantially between studies and research groups. Therefore, the goal of this paper is to provide a summative review of the technical complexities and variations of speckle-tracking approaches being used and the impact these decisions may have on measured results and their interpretation. Variations in these approaches currently being used with relevant technical aspects are discussed first (for the technician), followed by a discussion of the more clinical considerations (for the clinician). Finally, a summary table of common challenges encountered when implementing speckle-tracking is provided, with suggested recommendations for minimizing the impact of such potential sources of error.
Asymptomatic Hyperamylasemia in Stevens‐Johnson Syndrome Is Associated with Intestinal Barrier Dysfunction
Authors: Tseng Yujen , Luo Zhongguang , Zhang Hongyang , Zhang Chengfeng , Chen Jian
Published: December 2020

Background/Objectives. Stevens‐Johnson syndrome (SJS) is an allergic disease characterized by extensive epidermal detachment and mucositis. SJS involves both the skin and mucosal membranes, including the gastrointestinal tract. The present study is aimed at understanding the underlying reason of asymptomatic hyperamylasemia in patients with SJS, which may be associated with mucosal injury of the GI tract. Methods. A retrospective study on SJS patients was conducted at a tertiary medical center. All patients diagnosed as SJS, with available serum amylase index, were included. Clinical data of all subjects were retrospectively collected and analyzed. Colonic mucosal biopsies were obtained to measure tight junction protein expression. Results. A total of nine patients were included in the present study for study analysis. The average serum amylase of the study cohort was 228.78 ± 204.18 U/L. Among which, five patients had a positive fecal occult blood test (FOBT). Colonic mucosal biopsies were obtained and stained with occludin and zonula occludens‐1 (ZO‐1). The expression of occludin and ZO‐1 was significantly downregulated in SJS patients (p < 0.01), which was indicative of intestinal barrier dysfunction. Conclusion. Hyperamylasemia often extends beyond pancreatic diseases. Clinical awareness of asymptomatic hyperamylasemia secondary to other systemic diseases can help avoid unnecessary overexamination and overtreatment.
Methane Saline Ameliorates Traumatic Brain Injury through Anti‐Inflammatory, Antiapoptotic, and Antioxidative Effects by Activating the Wnt Signalling Pathway
Authors: Li Meng , Gao Weiman , Ji Le , Li Jia , Jiang Wanting , Ji Wenchen
Published: December 2020

Objective. Methane saline (MS) can be used to treat many diseases via its anti‐inflammatory, antiapoptotic, and antioxidative activities. However, to date, there is no published evidence as to whether MS has any effect on traumatic brain injury (TBI). The Wnt signalling pathway regulates cell proliferation, differentiation, migration, and apoptosis; however, whether the Wnt signalling pathway regulates any effect of MS on TBI is unknown. This study was designed to explore the role of MS in the treatment of TBI and whether the Wnt pathway is involved. Methods. Sprague‐Dawley rats were randomly divided into five groups: sham, TBI, TBI+10 ml/kg MS, TBI+20 ml/kg MS, and TBI+30 ml/kg MS. After induction of TBI, MS was injected intraperitoneally once daily for seven consecutive days. Neurological function was evaluated by the Neurological Severity Score (NSS) at 1, 7, and 14 days after TBI. Haematoxylin‐eosin (HE) staining, inflammatory factors, neuron‐specific enolase (NSE) staining, oxidative stress, and cell apoptosis were measured and compared 14 d after TBI to identify the optimal dose of MS and to investigate the effect of MS on TBI. In the second experiment, Sprague‐Dawley rats were randomly divided into four groups: sham, TBI, TBI+20 ml/kg MS, and TBI+20 ml/kg MS+Dickkopf‐1 (DKK‐1, a specific inhibitor of the Wnt pathway). NSE, caspase‐3, superoxide dismutase (SOD), Wnt3a, and β‐catenin were detected by real‐time PCR and Western blotting. The results from each group were compared 14 d after TBI to determine the regulatory role of the Wnt pathway. Results. Methane saline significantly inhibited inflammation, oxidative stress, and cell apoptosis, thus protecting neurons within 14 days of TBI. The best treatment effect against TBI was obtained with 20 ml/kg MS. When the Wnt pathway was inhibited, the treatment effect of MS was impaired. Conclusion. Methane saline ameliorates TBI through its anti‐inflammatory, antiapoptotic, and antioxidative effects via activation of the Wnt signalling pathway, which plays a part but is not the only mechanism underlying the effects of MS. Thus, MS may be a novel strategy for treating TBI.
cg04448376, cg24387542, cg08548498, and cg14621323 as a Novel Signature to Predict Prognosis in Kidney Renal Papillary Cell Carcinoma
Authors: Wang Ying-Lei , Zhang Ying-Ying
Published: December 2020

Introduction. DNA methylation plays a vital role in prognosis prediction of cancers. In this study, we aimed to identify novel DNA methylation site biomarkers and create an efficient methylated site model for predicting survival in kidney renal papillary cell carcinoma (KIRP). Methods. DNA methylation and gene expression profile data were downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database and the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. Differential methylated genes (DMGs) and differential expression genes (DEGs) were identified and then searched for the hub genes. Cox proportional hazards regression was applied to identify DNA methylated site biomarkers from the hub genes. Kaplan–Meier survival and ROC analyses were used to validate the effective prognostic ability of the methylation gene site biomarker. The biomarker sites were validated in the GEO cohorts. The GO and KEGG annotation was done to explore the biological function of DNA methylated site signature. Results. Nine DMGs with opposite expression patterns containing 47 methylated sites were identified. Finally, four methylated sites were identified using the hazard regression model (cg04448376, cg24387542, cg08548498, and cg14621323) located in UTY, LGALS9B, SLPI, and PFN3, respectively. These sites classified patients into high‐ and low‐risk groups in the training cohort. The 5‐year survival rates for patients with low‐risk and high‐risk scores were 97.5% and 75.9% (P < 0.001). The prognostic accuracy and signature methylation sites were validated in the test (TCGA, n = 87) and GEO cohorts (n = 14). Multivariate regression analysis showed that the signature was an independent prediction prognostic factor for KIRP. Based on this analysis, we developed methylated site signature nomogram that predicts an individual’s risk of survival. Functional analysis suggested that these signature genes are involved in the biological processes of protein binding. Conclusions. Our study demonstrated that the methylated gene site signature might be a powerful prognostic tool for evaluating survival rate and guiding tailored therapy for KIRP patients.
Magnitude and Determinants of Needlestick and Sharp Injuries among Nurses Working in Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Authors: Liyew Bikis , Sultan Menbeu , Michael Mebrat , Tilahun Ambaye Dejen , Kassew Tilahun
Published: December 2020

Background. Needlestick and sharp injuries are a big risk to the health of nurses. Every day, nurses face the likelihood that they will injure themselves. Although many injuries will have no adverse effect, the possibility of acquiring infections like hepatitis C virus, hepatitis B virus, and human immunodeficiency virus can cause untold psychological harm. Nurses are in danger of injuries caused by needlestick and sharp instruments in hospitals. Objective. The objective of this study was to assess the magnitude and determinants of needlestick and/or sharp injuries among nurses working at Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 2018. Methods. An institution‐based cross‐sectional study was conducted among 268 nurses working at Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital from February to March 2018. A stratified random sampling technique was used to select the study participants. Data were collected using a self‐administered questionnaire. A bivariate and multivariate logistic regression model was fitted to spot factors associated with needlestick and/or sharp injury. An adjusted odds ratio with a 95% confidence interval was computed to determine the level of significance. Result. The prevalence of needlestick and/or sharp injuries among nurses was 36.2% (95% CI 30.2%, 42.3%). Presence of contaminated needles and/or sharp materials in the working area (AOR = 2.052 (95% CI 1.110, 3.791)), needle recapping after use (AOR = 1.780 (95% CI 1.025, 3.091)), working in the pediatric ward (AOR = 0.323 (95% CI 0.112, 0.930)), and being female (AOR = 0.461 (95% CI 0.252, 0.845)) were significantly associated with needlestick and/or sharp injury at p value of ≤0.05. Conclusion and Recommendation. The proportion of needlestick and/or sharp injury was high among nurses. The safety of nurses depends directly on the degree to which nurses can identify and control the numerous occupational hazards specific to jobs. Thus, working unit specific safety precautions, a safe working environment, and appropriate needle and sharp disposal improve nurses’ safety practices and thereby decrease the injuries.
[Retracted] Effects of Carotid Artery Stent and Carotid Endarterectomy on Cognitive Function in Patients with Carotid Stenosis
Authors: Huang Pan , He Xiao-ying , Xu Min
Published: December 2020

Background. Carotid artery stenosis is closely related to cognitive dysfunction, in which decreased cerebral perfusion is one of the important factors. Both carotid artery stent implantation and carotid endarterectomy can relieve stenosis and increase cerebral perfusion. In this study, we aimed to compare the effects of carotid artery stent implantation and endarterectomy on cognitive function. Methods. A total of 98 patients with carotid artery stenosis hospitalized in our hospital from July 2015 to January 2017 were included. Among them, 50 cases underwent carotid artery stent implantation treatment as stent implantation group (CAS group), and 48 cases underwent carotid artery endarterectomy treatment as carotid endarterectomy group (CEA group). Using the Mini‐Mental State Examination Scale (MMSE Scale) and the Montreal Cognitive Assessment Scale (MoCA Scale), the cognitive function scores of the two groups of patients before and after 3 and 6 months of operation were measured, and the patients were also measured before and after surgery, after the serum NSE, hs‐CRP content. Results. The serum NSE, hs‐CRP content, MMSE score, and MoCA score of the two groups before treatment were not statistically significant (P > 0.05). The MMSE score and MoCA score of the two groups of patients before treatment were lower than the normal value, suggesting carotid artery stenosis combined with different degrees of cognitive dysfunction. Carotid artery stenosis is different, and patients’ cognitive function is also different. The MMSE score and MoCA score of the two groups at 3 and 6 months after operation were higher than before treatment, and there was a statistically significant difference between 6 and 3 months after operation (P < 0.05), but at each time There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups (P > 0.05). The NSE content of the two groups of patients after operation decreased compared with that before treatment, and the decrease in 6 months after operation was more obvious than that in March (P < 0.05). However, the difference between the two groups at each time point was not statistically significant (P > 0.05). The content of hs‐CRP in the two groups of patients was higher than that before the operation, and the CAS group was significantly higher than the CEA group; the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05). Conclusion. Carotid artery stent and carotid endarterectomy are effective in improving the cognitive function of patients with carotid stenosis, but there is no significant difference between the two.
Outcomes of Vitrectomy Combined with Scleral Buckling for Eyes with Early Recurrence of Simple Rhegmatogenous Retinal Detachment Previously Treated by Pars Plana Vitrectomy
Authors: Tatsumi Tomoaki , Baba Takayuki , Iwase Takehito , Nizawa Tomohiro , Miura Gen , Yokouchi Hirotaka , Yamamoto Shuichi
Published: December 2020

Purpose. To investigate the outcomes of pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) combined with scleral buckling (SB) in treating eyes with an early recurrent rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (rRRD). Methods. This was a retrospective, interventional case series of 21 eyes with an early rRRD treated by PPV combined with SB. The significance of the associations between the variants before the surgeries and the final best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was determined. Results. The average age of the patients was 61.0 ± 9.6 years. A retinal reattachment was observed in 20 of 21 eyes (95.2%) after a single reoperation. The BCVA was 0.91 ± 0.90 logMAR units before the initial surgery and 0.94 ± 0.94 logMAR units before the reoperations, and it improved significantly to 0.49 ± 0.50 logMAR units after the reoperation (P = 0.016,P = 0.002, respectively). The preoperative BCVA was significantly correlated with the final BCVA (P = 0.043, r = 0.445 before the primary surgery;P < 0.001, r = 0.885 before reoperation). Conclusions. The reattachment of an early recurrent retinal detachment by PPV with SB is effective.
Efficient Object Detection Algorithm in Kitchen Appliance Scene Images Based on Deep Learning
Authors: Lu Manhuai , Chen Liqin
Published: December 2020

The accuracy of object detection based on kitchen appliance scene images can suffer severely from external disturbances such as various levels of specular reflection, uneven lighting, and spurious lighting, as well as internal scene-related disturbances such as invalid edges and pattern information unrelated to the object of interest. The present study addresses these unique challenges by proposing an object detection method based on improved faster R-CNN algorithm. The improved method can identify object regions scattered in various areas of complex appliance scenes quickly and automatically. In this paper, we put forward a feature enhancement framework, named deeper region proposal network (D-RPN). In D-RPN, a feature enhancement module is designed to more effectively extract feature information of an object on kitchen appliance scene. Then, we reconstruct a U-shaped network structure using a series of feature enhancement modules. We have evaluated the proposed D-RPN on the dataset we created. It includes all kinds of kitchen appliance control panels captured in nature scene by image collector. In our experiments, the best-performing object detection method obtained a mean average precision mAP value of 89.84% in the testing dataset. The test results show that the proposed improved algorithm achieves higher detecting accuracy than state-of-the-art object detection methods. Finally, our proposed detection method can further be used in text recognition.
Detecting Web Spam Based on Novel Features from Web Page Source Code
Authors: Liu Jiayong , Su Yu , Lv Shun , Huang Cheng
Published: December 2020

Search engine is critical in people’s daily life because it determines the information quality people obtain through searching. Fierce competition for the ranking in search engines is not conducive to both users and search engines. Existing research mainly studies the content and links of websites. However, none of these techniques focused on semantic analysis of link and anchor text for detection. In this paper, we propose a web spam detection method by extracting novel feature sets from the homepage source code and choosing the random forest (RF) as the classifier. The novel feature sets are extracted from the homepage’s links, hypertext markup language (HTML) structure, and semantic similarity of content. We conduct experiments on the WEBSPAM-UK2007 and UK-2011 dataset using a five-fold cross-validation method. Besides, we design three sets of experiments to evaluate the performance of the proposed method. The proposed method with novel feature sets is compared with different indicators and has better performance than other methods with a precision of 0.929 and a recall of 0.930. Experiment results show that the proposed model could effectively detect web spam.
Antibacterial Shoe Insole-Coated CuO-ZnO Nanocomposite Synthesized by the Sol-Gel Technique
Authors: Vo Nguyen Lam Uyen , Van Nguyen Thi Thuy , Nguyen Tri , Nguyen Phung Anh , Nguyen Van Minh , Nguyen Ngoc Huy , Tran Van Linh , Phan Ngoc Anh , Huynh Ky Phuong Ha
Published: December 2020

In this study, CuO-ZnO composite was synthesized via the sol-gel method using oxalic acid to form the medium complex and its applications in antibacterial have been conducted with B. cereus, E. coli, S. aureus, Salmonella, and P. aeruginosa. Then, nanopowder of CuO-ZnO was coated on shoe insoles and their antibacterial effect with S. aureus was tested. The nanocomposite products were characterized by XRD, XPS, SEM, TEM, and UV-Vis. The results showed that the CuO-ZnO composite has the average particle size in a range of 20-50 nm, the point of zero charge of 7.8, and the bandgap of 1.7 eV. XPS result shows the composite structure with Cu2+ in the product. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of CuO-ZnO nanocomposite was 0.313 mg·mL-1 for S. aureus and Samonella, 0.625 mg·mL-1 for E. coli, and 5 mg·mL-1 for B. cereus and P. aeruginosa. The shoe insoles coated with 0.35 wt.% of CuO-ZnO nanocomposite also had high antibacterial activity against S. aureus, and this antibacterial nanocomposite was implanted durably on the surface of the shoe insoles.
How to Improve the Standing Long Jump Performance? A Mininarrative Review
Authors: Zhou Huiyu , Yu Peimin , Thirupathi Anand , Liang Minjun
Published: December 2020

Standing long jump (SLJ) is complicated by the challenge of motor coordination in both the upper and lower segments. This movement is also considered to be a fundamental skill in a variety of sports. In particular, SLJ is an important test index for middle school students for assessing their physical fitness levels. This assessment takes the form of a physical fitness test high school entrance examination in some countries such as China. This minireview summarizes recent studies that have investigated how to improve the standing long jump performance from different aspects which include arm motion, takeoff angle, standing posture, warming-up exercise, and handheld weight. The common study limitations, controversial knowledge, and future research direction are also discussed in detail.
Maternal Health Service Uptake Is Associated with a Higher Skin‐to‐Skin Care Practice in Ethiopia: Result from a National Survey
Authors: Nigatu Dabere , Abeje Gedefaw , Mekonnen Alemayehu G. , Azage Muluken , Bogale Daniel
Published: December 2020

Background. Though skin‐to‐skin care (SSC) is becoming an important newborn care package at both facility and community levels in Ethiopia, there is a lack of evidence to monitor the progress at each level. Therefore, this study is aimed at quantifying the proportion of SSC at both national and regional levels and identifying factors that affect SSC uptake in Ethiopia. Method. We used the 2016 Ethiopia Demographic and Health Survey data. The survey employed a multistage cluster sampling method. We included 7,488 live births in the analysis. The factors influencing SSC practice were identified using a multivariable logistic regression model. We reported adjusted odds ratios (AORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results. In Ethiopia, 24.3% of mothers practiced SSC for their newborns (95% CI = 23.3, 25.2). The highest proportion was in Addis Ababa (63%), and the lowest was in the Somali region (14.5%). Attending 1‐4 antenatal care (AOR = 1.51, 95%CI = [1.08, 2.12], giving birth at health facility (AOR = 4.51, 95%CI = [2.16, 9.44], and having female births (AOR = 1.24, 95%CI = [1.01, 1.54]) were associated with more odds of practicing SSC. However, giving birth by the cesarean section had resulted in lower odds of practicing SSC (AOR = 0.37, 95%CI = [0.22, 0.63]). Regions with reduced odds of SSC practice include Amhara (AOR = 0.57, 95%CI = [0.40, 0.82]), Somali (AOR = 0.51, 95%CI = [0.31, 0.83]), and Southern Nations, Nationalities, and People (AOR = 0.64, 95%CI = [0.43, 0.94]). Conclusions. The SSC practice was low in Ethiopia with a high level of variation between regions. In Ethiopia, maternal health service uptake affects the SSC of the newborns. Well‐tailored community‐level interventions are needed to increase skin‐to‐skin care practice among home delivery mothers.
Ensemble Machine Learning Model for Classification of Spam Product Reviews
Authors: Fayaz Muhammad , Khan Atif , Rahman Javid Ur , Alharbi Abdullah , Uddin M. Irfan , Alouffi Bader
Published: December 2020

Nowadays, online product reviews have been at the heart of the product assessment process for a company and its customers. They give feedback to a company on improving product quality, planning, and monitoring its business schemes in order to increase sale and gain more profit. They are also helpful for customers to select the right products in less effort and time. Most companies make spam reviews of products in order to increase the products sales and gain more profit. Detecting spam product reviews is a challenging issue in NLP (natural language processing). Numerous machine learning approaches have attempted to detect and classify the product reviews as spam or nonspam. However, in order to improve the classification accuracy, this study has introduced an ensemble machine learning model that combines predictions from multilayer perceptron (MLP), K-Nearest Neighbour (KNN), and Random Forest (RF) and predicts the outcome of the review as spam or real (nonspam), based on the majority vote of the contributing models. In order to accomplish the task of spam review classification, the proposed ensemble and other benchmark boosting approaches are tested with 25 statistical features extracted from mobile application reviews of Yelp Dataset. Then, three different selection techniques are exploited to diminish the feature space and filter out the top 10 optimal features. The effectiveness of the proposed ensemble, the individual models, and other benchmark boosting approaches is again evaluated with 10 optimal features in terms of classification accuracy. Experimental outcomes illustrate that the proposed ensemble model outperformed the individual classifiers (MLP, KNN, and RF) and state-of-the-art boosting approaches like Generalized Boost Regression Model (GBM), Extreme Gradient Boost (XGBoost), and AdaBoost Regression Model in terms of classification accuracy.