bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Plasmavigilance—Adverse events among US Source plasma donors
Authors: Schreiber George B. , Becker Mark , Fransen Michelle , Hershman Janet , Lenart James , Song Guang , Simon Toby
Published: August 2021

Background

Source plasma (SP) is the primary starting material for 87% of plasma‐derived medicinal products globally. Plasmavigilance is a program designed to collect, analyze, and monitor donor adverse events (AEs) across the SP collection industry. Donor retention depends on donors having a safe and satisfactory experience. This study analyzes AE rates and SP donor characteristics that may be predictors of an AE.

Study Design and Methods

Donation data for 1.1 million donors making 12,183,182 SP donations over a 4‐month period were analyzed. This represented approximately 72% of the donations collected by the U.S. plasma industry. The Standard for Recording Donor Adverse Events was used for AE definitions and classifications.

Results

The overall AE rate was 15.85/104 donations. The two AEs with the highest rates were Hypotensive and Phlebotomy events (8.32 and 5.91/104 donations, respectively). Females had higher overall AE rates than males (25.76 vs. 9.85/104 donations), and first‐time donors had higher overall AE rates than repeat donors (136.66 vs. 12.37/104 donations). Weight, body mass index, age, and pre‐donation estimated blood volume also were predictors of AE.

Discussion

SP donors have low AE rates with 90% being events classified as Hypotensive or Phlebotomy. Special attention and mitigation strategies should be directed to donors who are young, lightweight (between 100 and 124 pounds), female, or first‐time donors to further reduce the incidence of AE, continue to ensure the donor has a safe experience, and facilitate donor retention.
#SayHerName: Black Women Physical Education Teachers of the Year
Authors: Blackshear Tara B.
Published: August 2021

Purpose: Black women are devalued in many aspects of American culture—physical education (PE) is no exception. Platforms to celebrate Black women’s excellence in PE are scarce. Drawing on Black feminist thought and critical race theory, the purpose of this article is to describe and explain the experiences of Black women physical educators who earned PE Teacher of the Year. Participants: Two Black women share their experiences as physical educators and PE Teachers of the Year. Methods: Qualitative narrative inquiry consisting of semistructured, virtual group interviews was employed. Results: Four core themes were identified: (a) invisibility, (b) superwoman syndrome, (c) affirming role models, and (d) culturally responsive pedagogies. Discussion/Conclusion: Elevating Black women’s voices in PE requires a deconstruction of limited exposure opportunities. Normalizing Black excellence in PE acknowledges that Black women’s intersectionalities create enormous challenges yet foster students’ success. Black women physical educators benefit students and society.
Sexual dimorphism in bat wing morphology — variation among foraging styles
Authors: Maucieri D.G. , Ashbaugh A.J. , Theodor J.M.
Published: August 2021

Sexual dimorphism can lead to differences in foraging style among conspecifics due to morphological differences. Within bats, maneuverability and speed of flight are influenced by wing shape and size, which may differ between sexes. Female bats gain about 30% of their body mass during pregnancy, affecting their agility and flight efficiency. To fill the same foraging niche as males, pregnant female bats would require wing size and (or) shape modifications to maintain maneuverability. We investigated sexual dimorphism in bat wing morphology and how it varies among foraging guilds. Wing photos of male and female adult bats (19 species) in Canada, Belize, and Dominica were analyzed using two-dimensional geometric morphometrics, wing loading, and aspect ratios. Nonpregnant female bats had higher wing loading than males, suggesting that they are less maneuverable than males. Additionally, mass increases during pregnancy may not permit female bats to forage as male conspecifics do. Wing shape differed minimally among foraging guilds with only frugivores differing significantly from all other guilds. Further studies should investigate how female bats forage during their reproductive cycle and determine how frugivore wings differ and whether there are individual differences in wing shape that are not consistent among bat species.
Charm sea effects on charmonium decay constants and heavy meson masses
Authors: Calì Salvatore , Eckert Kevin , Heitger Jochen , Knechtli Francesco , Korzec Tomasz
Published: August 2021

We estimate the effects on the decay constants of charmonium and on heavy meson masses due to the charm quark in the sea. Our goal is to understand whether for these quantities $${N_\mathrm{f}}=2+1$$

N
f

=
2
+
1

lattice QCD simulations provide results that can be compared with experiments or whether $${N_\mathrm{f}}=2+1+1$$

N
f

=
2
+
1
+
1

QCD including the charm quark in the sea needs to be simulated. We consider two theories, $${N_\mathrm{f}}=0$$

N
f

=
0

QCD and QCD with $${N_\mathrm{f}}=2$$

N
f

=
2

charm quarks in the sea. The charm sea effects (due to two charm quarks) are estimated comparing the results obtained in these two theories, after matching them and taking the continuum limit. The absence of light quarks allows us to simulate the $${N_\mathrm{f}}=2$$

N
f

=
2

theory at lattice spacings down to 0.023 fm that are crucial for reliable continuum extrapolations. We find that sea charm quark effects are below 1% for the decay constants of charmonium. Our results show that decoupling of charm works well up to energies of about 500 MeV. We also compute the derivatives of the decay constants and meson masses with respect to the charm mass. For these quantities we again do not see a significant dynamical charm quark effect, albeit with a lower precision. For mesons made of a charm quark and a heavy antiquark, whose mass is twice that of the charm quark, sea effects are only about 1‰ in the ratio of vector to pseudoscalar masses.
Pulling the Higgs and top needles from the jet stack with feature extended supervised tagging
Authors: Aguilar-Saavedra J. A.
Published: August 2021

Jet tagging has become an essential tool for new physics searches at the high-energy frontier. For jets that contain energetic charged leptons we introduce Feature Extended Supervised Tagging (FEST) which, in addition to jet substructure, considers the features of the charged lepton within the jet. With this method we build dedicated taggers to discriminate among boosted $$H \rightarrow \ell \nu q {\bar{q}}$$

H
→
ℓ
ν
q

q

¯

, $$t \rightarrow \ell \nu b$$

t
→
ℓ
ν
b

, and QCD jets (with $$\ell $$
ℓ
an electron or muon). The taggers have an impressive performance, allowing for overall light jet rejection factors of $$10^4-10^5$$

10
4

-

10
5

, for top quark/Higgs boson efficiencies of 0.5. The taggers are also excellent in the discrimination of Higgs bosons from top quarks and vice versa, for example rejecting top quarks by factors of 100–300 for Higgs boson efficiencies of 0.5. We demonstrate the potential of these taggers to improve the sensitivity to new physics by using as example a search for a new $$Z'$$

Z
′

boson decaying into ZH, in the fully-hadronic final state.
Effects of the hyperscaling violation and dynamical exponents on the imaginary potential and entropic force of heavy quarkonium via holography
Authors: Kioumarsipour M. , Sadeghi J.
Published: August 2021

The imaginary potential and entropic force are two important different mechanisms to characterize the dissociation of heavy quarkonia. In this paper, we calculate these two quantities in strongly coupled theories with anisotropic Lifshitz scaling and hyperscaling violation exponent using holographic methods. We study how the results are affected by the hyperscaling violation parameter $$ \theta $$
θ
and the dynamical exponent z at finite temperature and chemical potential. Also, we investigate the effect of the chemical potential on these quantities. As a result, we find that both mechanisms show the same results: the thermal width and the dissociation length decrease as the dynamical exponent and chemical potential increase or as the hyperscaling violating parameter decreases.
N‐Methyl‐D‐aspartate Glutamate Receptor Modulates Cardiovascular and Neuroendocrine Responses Evoked by Hemorrhagic Shock in Rats
Authors: Busnardo Cristiane , Fassini Aline , Rodrigues Bruno , Antunes-Rodrigues José , Crestani Carlos C. , Corrêa Fernando M. A.
Published: August 2021

Here, we report the participation of N‐methyl‐D‐aspartate (NMDA) glutamate receptor in the mediation of cardiovascular and circulating vasopressin responses evoked by a hemorrhagic stimulus. In addition, once NMDA receptor activation is a prominent mechanism involved in nitric oxide (NO) synthesis in the brain, we investigated whether control of hemorrhagic shock by NMDA glutamate receptor was followed by changes in NO synthesis in brain supramedullary structures involved in cardiovascular and neuroendocrine control. Thus, we observed that intraperitoneal administration of the selective NMDA glutamate receptor antagonist dizocilpine maleate (MK801, 0.3 mg/kg) delayed and reduced the magnitude of hemorrhage‐induced hypotension. Besides, hemorrhage induced a tachycardia response in the posthemorrhage period (i.e., recovery period) in control animals, and systemic treatment with MK801 caused a bradycardia response during hemorrhagic shock. Hemorrhagic stimulus increased plasma vasopressin levels during the recovery period and NMDA receptor antagonism increased concentration of this hormone during both the hemorrhage and postbleeding periods in relation to control animals. Moreover, hemorrhagic shock caused a decrease in NOx levels in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN), amygdala, bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST), and ventral periaqueductal gray matter (vPAG). Nevertheless, treatment with MK801 did not affect these effects. Taken together, these results indicate that the NMDA glutamate receptor is involved in the hemorrhagic shock by inhibiting circulating vasopressin release. Our data also suggest a role of the NMDA receptor in tachycardia, but not in the decreased NO synthesis in the brain evoked by hemorrhage.
Possibility of Removing Pb and Cd from Polluted Water by Modified Fly Ash
Authors: Chen Xi , Zhang Guibin , Li Jingtian , Ji Puhui
Published: August 2021

In this study, fly ash (FA) was modified by sodium hydroxide to prepare a new adsorption material (IP) and treat Pb2+- and Cd2+-polluted wastewater. The effect of preparation parameters (mass ratio of FA/NaOH and modification temperature) on IP adsorption performance was investigated. The results indicated that the IP4 showed the highest adsorption capacity prepared at the FA/NaOH mass ratio of 1 : 2 and the roasting temperature of 250°C. The IP4 was characterized by SEM, EDX, XRD, and FTIR analyses. The results showed that the surface morphology and microstructure of FA were significantly changed. Furthermore, in order to study the adsorption performance of Pb2+ and Cd2+ on IP4, the different initial concentrations of Pb2+ and Cd2+, pH, and contact time were analyzed, and the results indicated that IP4 has excellent adsorption capacity for heavy metals. In addition, kinetic model results demonstrated that the adsorption behavior of Pb2+ and Cd2+ on IP4 was better described by a pseudo-second-order model.
Mitoquinone Protects Podocytes from Angiotensin II‐Induced Mitochondrial Dysfunction and Injury via the Keap1‐Nrf2 Signaling Pathway
Authors: Zhu Zijing , Liang Wei , Chen Zhaowei , Hu Jijia , Feng Jun , Cao Yun , Ma Yiqiong , Ding Guohua
Published: August 2021

Podocyte mitochondrial dysfunction plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of chronic kidney disease (CKD). Previous studies demonstrated that excessive mitochondrial fission could lead to the overproduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and promote podocyte apoptosis. Therefore, the maintenance of stable mitochondrial function is a newly identified way to protect podocytes and prevent the progression of CKD. As a mitochondria‐targeted antioxidant, mitoquinone (MitoQ) has been proven to be a promising agent for the prevention of mitochondrial injury in cardiovascular disease and Parkinson’s disease. The present study examined the effects of MitoQ on angiotensin II‐ (Ang II‐) induced podocyte injury both in vivo and in vitro. Podocyte mitochondria in Ang II‐infused mice exhibited morphological and functional alterations. The observed mitochondrial fragmentation and ROS production were alleviated with MitoQ treatment. In vitro, alterations in mitochondrial morphology and function in Ang II‐stimulated podocytes, including mitochondrial membrane potential reduction, ROS overproduction, and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) deficiency, were significantly reversed by MitoQ. Moreover, MitoQ rescued the expression and translocation of Nrf2 (nuclear factor E2‐related factor 2) and decreased the expression of Keap1 (Kelch‐like ECH‐associated protein 1) in Ang II‐stimulated podocytes. Nrf2 knockdown partially blocked the protective effects of MitoQ on Ang II‐induced mitochondrial fission and oxidative stress in podocytes. These results demonstrate that MitoQ exerts a protective effect in Ang II‐induced mitochondrial injury in podocytes via the Keap1‐Nrf2 signaling pathway.
Forecast of China’s Carbon Emissions Based on ARIMA Method
Authors: Ning Longqi , Pei Lijun , Li Feng
Published: August 2021

Global warming caused by carbon emissions has become increasingly prominent. As the world’s second-largest economy, China is under enormous pressure to cut down its carbon dioxide emissions. It is urgent to seek effective methods to forecast carbon emissions and put forward the pointed and effective measures to reduce emissions. In this paper, we first use the software Eviews to make an analysis of randomness on data of carbon emissions in the four representative provinces and city, Beijing, Henan, Guangdong, and Zhejiang, in terms of their carbon emissions data from 1997 to 2017. Then, according to their distinct characteristics, the methods of stationary processing of the difference, moving average, and substituting strong impact points, respectively, are adopted to perform the data preprocessing. Then, model identification, parameter estimation, and model test are carried out to establish the model of ARIMA(

p

, d, q) for the prediction of the carbon emissions of the four regions, respectively. Finally, the model is used to forecast the data and analyze their tendency for their carbon emissions in the next three years. The results can provide guidance for decision-makers to set reasonable carbon emission reduction targets and take appropriate energy conservation and emission reduction measures.
On the Circumference of 3-Connected Cubic Triangle-Free Plane Graphs
Authors: Sinna Adthasit , Phanthawimol Witthawas , Singhun Sirirat
Published: August 2021

The circumference of a graph

G

is the length of a longest cycle in

G

, denoted by

cir

G

. For any even number

n

, let

c

n

 = min {

cir

G

|
G

is a 3-connected cubic triangle-free plane graph with

n

vertices}. In this paper, we show that an upper bound of

c

n

is

n
+
1
−
3
⌊

n
/

136

⌋

for

n
≥
136

.
In Situ Test Research on Friction Resistance of Self‐Anchored Test Pile
Authors: Chen Chi , Ma Hailong , Yang Bilian
Published: August 2021

The traditional static load test method has been considered as the most direct and reliable method to determine the bearing capacity of single pile, but it has some disadvantages, such as inconvenient operation, laborious test, high cost, and being time‐consuming. In this paper, a new type of pile testing method, self‐anchored pile testing method, was proposed, and the in situ test was carried out for the first time. This method allows the upper and lower piles to provide force to each other and does not occupy other construction spaces. It had the advantages of simple operation and being economical and practical. Based on the Q-w curve, axial force distribution curve, and hyperbolic function model of load transfer, this paper studied the evolution law of friction of self‐anchored test pile and the load transfer process of self‐anchored test pile. The results show that the load transfer process of self‐anchored pile‐soil interface can be divided into three stages: elastic, elastic‐plastic, and limit state. The friction of the upper and lower piles starts from the bottom of each pile and then gradually increases. The soil around the upper and lower piles gradually undergoes nonlinear deformation and shear failure, and the pile soil reaches the yield state. By analyzing the hyperbolic function model of load transfer, it shows that the hyperbolic function model can be better applied to the self‐anchored test pile, which has reference value for the selection of the function model of self‐anchored test pile in the future.
Two-Step Facile Preparation of 2D MoS2/ZnO Nanocomposite
p
-
n
Junctions with Enhanced Photoelectric Performance
Authors: Aldalbahi Ali , Wang Zhen-Bo , Ahamad Tansir , Alshehri Saad M. , Feng Peter X.
Published: August 2021

Both

p

-

n

and

n

-

p

heterojunctions of ZnO-MoS2 have been fabricated in order to understand the performance of electron and hole transport properties in solar cells and a self-powered photodetector system. Atomically thin 2-dimensional (2D) MoS2 was prepared by using a spin coating method with controlled process times, whereas ZnO nanowires were prepared by using a plasma sputtering deposition technique. The nanoscale morphologies, composites, and photoelectric properties of nanocomposites were examined using scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and micro-Raman scattering spectroscopy, respectively. 2D heteronanostructures have exhibited an enhanced performance as compared to single-material-based prototypes. In photovoltaic mode,

n

-

p

heterojunction of the ZnO-MoS2-based prototype appears to have much better photoelectric conversion efficiency than that in the case with

p

-

n

junction, indicating highly effective hole transport properties of 2D MoS2 materials. Both band broadening and band shift were observed. Furthermore, the bias, annealing, and synergistic effects on the generated photocurrents and the response times were evaluated. The newly designed prototype exhibits exceptional properties: a broadband spectral response, a high signal-to-noise ratio, and excellent stability.
Convolutional Neural Network Intelligent Segmentation Algorithm-Based Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Diagnosis of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Foci
Authors: Wang Deli , Gong Zheng , Zhang Yanfen , Wang Shouxi
Published: August 2021

The aim of this study was to explore the adoption value of convolutional neural network- (CNN-) based magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) image intelligent segmentation model in the identification of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) lesions. The multisequence cross convolutional (MSCC) method was used in the complex convolutional network algorithm to establish the intelligent segmentation model two-dimensional (2D) ResUNet for the MRI image of the NPC lesion. Moreover, a multisequence multidimensional fusion segmentation model (MSCC-MDF) was further established. With 45 patients with NPC as the research objects, the Dice coefficient, Hausdorff distance (HD), and percentage of area difference (PAD) were calculated to evaluate the segmentation effect of MRI lesions. The results showed that the 2D-ResUNet model processed by MSCC had the largest Dice coefficient of 0.792 ± 0.045 for segmenting the tumor lesions of NPC, and it also had the smallest HD and PAD, which were 5.94 ± 0.41 mm and 15.96 ± 1.232%, respectively. When batch size = 5, the convergence curve was relatively gentle, and the convergence speed was the best. The largest Dice coefficient of MSCC-MDF model segmenting NPC tumor lesions was 0.896 ± 0.09, and its HD and PAD were the smallest, which were 5.07 ± 0.54 mm and 14.41 ± 1.33%, respectively. Its Dice coefficient was lower than other algorithms (

P
<
0.05

), but HD and PAD were significantly higher than other algorithms (

P
<
0.05

). To sum up, the MSCC-MDF model significantly improved the segmentation performance of MRI lesions in NPC patients, which provided a reference for the diagnosis of NPC.
Preliminary Evaluation of a Novel Fetal Guinea Pig Myelomeningocele Model
Authors: Stokes Sarah C. , Yamashiro Kaeli J. , Vanover Melissa A. , Galganski Laura A. , Jackson Jordan E. , Theodorou Christina M. , Pivetti Christopher D. , Farmer Diana Lee , Wang Aijun
Published: August 2021

Introduction. Translational models of myelomeningocele (MMC) are needed to test novel in utero interventions. An ideal animal model for MMC has locomotor function at birth and is low cost enough to allow for high throughput. The rat MMC model is limited by immature locomotor function at birth. The ovine MMC model is a costly surgical model. Guinea pigs are uniquely suited for an MMC model being a small animal model with locomotor function at birth. We aimed to develop a retinoic acid (RA) model of MMC in the guinea pig and to evaluate if pregnant guinea pigs could tolerate uterine manipulation. Methods. Time‐mated Dunkin Hartley guinea pig dams were dosed with 60 mg/kg of RA between gestation age (GA) 12 and 15 days in the development of an RA model. Fetuses were grossly evaluated for MMC lesions at Cesarean section after GA 31 days. Evaluation of the ability of pregnant guinea pig dams to tolerate uterine surgical intervention was performed by hysterotomy of a separated group of time‐mated guinea pigs at GA 45, 50, and 55. Results. Forty‐two pregnant guinea pigs were dosed with RA, with a total of 189 fetuses. The fetal demise rate was 38% (n = 71). A total of 118 fetuses were viable, 83% (n = 98) were normal fetuses, 8% (n = 10) had a neural tube defect, and 8% (n = 10) had a hematoma or other anomalies. No fetuses developed an MMC defect. None of the fetuses that underwent hysterotomy survived to term. Conclusion. RA dosed at 60 mg/kg in guinea pigs between GA 12 and 15 did not result in MMC. Dunkin Hartley guinea pigs did not tolerate a hysterotomy near term in our surgical model. Further work is needed to determine if MMC can be induced in guinea pigs with alternate RA dosing.
Application of Boundary Local Feature Scale Adaptive Matching Extension EMD Endpoint Effect Suppression Method in Blasting Seismic Wave Signal Processing
Authors: Wu Jing , Wu Li , Sun Miao , Lu Ya-ni , Han Yan-hua
Published: August 2021

The intrinsic endpoint effect of empirical mode decomposition (EMD) will lead to serious divergence of the intrinsic mode function (IMF) at the endpoint, which will lead to the distortion of IMF and affect the decomposition accuracy of EMD. In view of this phenomenon, an EMD endpoint effect suppression method based on boundary local feature scale adaptive matching extension was proposed. This method can consider both the change trend of the signal at the endpoint and the change rule of the signal inside. The simulation results showed that the proposed method had better suppression effect on the intrinsic endpoint effect of EMD than the traditional EMD endpoint effect suppression method and achieved high‐precision IMF. The endpoint effect suppression method of EMD based on boundary local feature scale adaptive matching extension was used to process the actual blasting seismic signal. The decomposition results showed that the method can effectively suppress the endpoint effect of EMD of blasting seismic signal and are helpful to extract the detailed characteristic parameters of blasting seismic signal.
Noninvasive Evaluation of Liver Fibrosis in a Sample of Putative Inactive HBV Carriers in Rome, Italy
Authors: Delle Monache Marco , Petrelli Alessio , Rossi Alessandra , Cecere Roberto , Mirisola Concetta , Costanzo Gianfranco , Francia Chiara , Cerini Federica , Cavani Andrea , Nosotti Lorenzo
Published: August 2021

Background. Noninvasive methods are useful for investigating patients with chronic HBV infection. The severity of liver disease in inactive HBsAg carriers can be noninvasively assessed by transient elastography (TE) alone or in association with biochemical markers of fibrosis. Objectives. The study evaluates the effectiveness of the TE compared to common fibrosis scores (FSs), APRI, Forns Index, and FIB4, for identifying significant fibrosis in Italian and foreigner HBsAg carriers. To investigate the risk of progression of the liver disease, liver stiffness (LS) and HBV-DNA were monitored over time. Methods. Viral load, biochemical parameters, and LS have been retrospectively evaluated in 125 putative inactive HBV carriers, who visited two outpatient departments (Colleferro Hospital and INMP) from 01/03/2014 to 31/12/2019. Differences in clinical, biochemical, and demographic variables between Italians and foreigners were analyzed. 66 of 125 patients were followed up for 24 months by monitoring liver stiffness and HBV-DNA. Results. Mean overall LS was 5.55 ± 1.92 kPa; 18 (14.4%) patients had a LS ≥7.5 kPa. Mean of APRI, Forns, and FIB4 was 0.29 ± 0.11, 4.15 ± 1.63, and 1.16 ± 0.59, respectively. FS did not differ between the patients with LS <7.5 kPa and those with LS ≥7.5 kPa. Italians displayed a significant lower ALT (0.53 ± 0.18 vs. 0.67 ± 0.33,

p
<
0.05

) and AST (0.59 ± 0.16 vs. 0.70 ± 0.21,

p
<
0.01

) value than foreigners. No differences in LS and HBV-DNA levels were observed. In 66 patients followed up for 24 months, HBV-DNA increased by ≥2000 UI/ml after 12 months in 15 individuals and remained ≥2000 UI/ml after 24 months in 10/15 individuals. 7/10 patients showed LS ≥ 7.5 kPa after 24 months, and 4 of them underwent antiviral therapy for HBV. Patients with HBV-DNA <2000 IU/ml had a significantly lower LS than those with HBV-DNA ≥2000 IU/ml (5.30 ± 1.43 vs. 7.69 ± 1.07,

p
<
0.0001

). Conclusions. Analysis shows lower effectiveness of FS vs. TE in the assessment of putative inactive HBV carriers. Furthermore, using FibroScan® and HBV-DNA can identify “false” inactive carriers.
Modeling the Public Transport Networks: A Study of Their Efficiency
Authors: Mouronte-López Mary Luz
Published: August 2021

The public transportation network (PTN) provides mobility and access to community resources, employment, medical care, infrastructures, and other resources in the city. This research studies the process of the formation of links among nodes in different real‐world PTNs. We have found that this process may be appropriately explained by a generalized linear model (GLM) using local, global, and quasilocal similarity indexes as explanatory variables. In modeling, the response variable was described by a binomial probability density function, and the logit function was used as a link function. In the crossvalidation process, utilising a downsampling approach, both average accuracy and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) metrics presented higher values than 0.99. The kappa parameter had magnitudes larger than 0.93 for most of the PTNs. In the final validation stage, recall and specificity metrics took the value 1. Accuracy and precision parameters were larger than 0.99 and 0.87, respectively, for the majority of PTNs. Only one of the PTNs required utilising a smoothed bootstrap approach in order to achieve better results. The similarity measures with the greatest influence on the model were determined. We also assessed the impact of link removal on the global efficiency of PTNs, considering several similarity indexes. Additionally, we find that most of the networks show low local and global efficiencies (≤0.20), as well as travel times with a relevant variability, exhibiting standard deviations larger than 790 seconds. Significant similarities exist between the cumulative probability distributions of the local efficiency in all PTNs. With respect to the centrality measures, the eigenvector centrality presented a strong correlation with the hub/authority centralities (>0.80), while the pagerank showed a moderate, high, or very high correlation with the degree in all PTNs, >0.50.
The Transformation of College Students’ Ideological and Political Education and Learning Analysis of Education System by Streaming Media Technology
Authors: Xu Lian , Tsai Sang-Bing
Published: August 2021

The development of social economy and the continuous advancement of science and technology have opened the historical prelude of the information age. Streaming media technology, with its wide audience, diverse forms, and strong guiding technology, has infinitely narrowed the time and space distances of people in different regions of the world. The difficulty of political work has very important practical significance. Therefore, this paper focuses on the theme of the reform of the teaching method system of the ideological and political theory course in colleges and universities and the analysis of the education system. From the perspective of streaming media technology, we learn the opportunities and challenges faced by college students in the transformation of ideological education and the reform of education system and explain the strategies and measures for the transformation of ideological education and the reform of education system in college students. We hope that this study can provide some theoretical support for the ideological education and teaching of college students. The problem of data scheduling for ideological and political education in the P2P system is analyzed, the data scheduling problem is formalized, and the form of optimal data scheduling is analyzed. Through theoretical analysis, the optimal scheduling problem is transformed into an equivalent minimum cost flow problem that can be calculated in binomial time. It is proved by reasoning that the consistency of the optimal data scheduling problem and the minimum cost flow problem is verified, and the correctness and feasibility of the viewpoint are verified.
Connectivity Indices of Intuitionistic Fuzzy Graphs and Their Applications in Internet Routing and Transport Network Flow
Authors: Naeem Tulat , Gumaei Abdu , Kamran Jamil Muhammad , Alsanad Ahmed , Ullah Kifayat
Published: August 2021

Connectivity index

CI

has a vital role in real-world problems especially in Internet routing and transport network flow. Intuitionistic fuzzy graphs

IFGs

allow to describe two aspects of information using membership and nonmembership degrees under uncertainties. Keeping in view the importance of

CI
s

in real life problems and comprehension of

IFGs

, we aim to develop some

CI
s

in the environment of

IFGs

. We introduce two types of

CI
s

, namely,

CI

and average

CI

, in the frame of

IFGs

. In spite of that, certain kinds of nodes called

IF

connectivity enhancing node

IFCEN

,

IF

connectivity reducing node

IFCRN

, and

IF

neutral node are introduced for

IFGs

. We have introduced strongest strong cycles,

θ

-evaluation of vertices, cycle connectivity, and

CI

of strong cycle. Applications of the

CI
s

in two different types of networks are done, Internet routing and transport network flow, followed by examples to show the applicability of the proposed work.
OC‐STAMP Overexpression Drives Lung Alveolar Epithelial Cell Type II Senescence in Silicosis
Authors: Li Tian , Yang Xin-yu , Xu Ding-jie , Gao Zi-yi , Gao Yi-bing , Jin Fu-yu , Li Ya-qian , Liu Shu-peng , Li Shi-feng , Gao Xue-min , Cai Wen-chen , Mao Na , Wei Zhong-qiu , Liu He-liang , Sun Ying , Yang Fang , Xu Hong
Published: August 2021

Cellular senescence has been considered an important driver of many chronic lung diseases. However, the specific mechanism of cellular senescence in silicosis is still unknown. In the present study, silicotic rats and osteoclast stimulatory transmembrane protein (Ocstamp) overexpression of MLE‐12 cells were used to explore the mechanism of OC‐STAMP in cellular senescence in alveolar epithelial cell type II (AEC2). We found an increasing level of OC‐STAMP in AEC2 of silicotic rats. Overexpression of Ocstamp in MLE‐12 cells promoted epithelial‐mesenchymal transition (EMT), endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, and cellular senescence. Myosin heavy chain 9 (MYH9) was a potential interacting protein of OC‐STAMP. Knockdown of Ocstamp or Myh9 inhibited cellular senescence in MLE‐12 cells transfected with pcmv6‐Ocstamp. Treatment with 4‐phenylbutyrate (4‐PBA) to inhibit ER stress also attenuated cellular senescence in vitro or in vivo. In conclusion, OC‐STAMP promotes cellular senescence in AEC2 in silicosis.
The Mechanism of Rock Mass Crack Propagation of Principal Stress Rotation in the Process of Tunnel Excavation
Authors: Chang Guanfeng , Hua Xinzhu , Zhang Jie , Li Peng
Published: August 2021

Rock excavation has experienced complex stress paths. The development of the original crack under the path of principal stress magnitude and principal stress direction is a key scientific problem that needs to be solved in rock underground engineering. The principal stress magnitude dominates the initiation and propagation of the crack and increases rock damage under the action of principal stress rotation. In this study, the theoretical calculation and numerical analysis method have been combined with the crack propagation conditions to study the stress‐driven mechanism of brittle rock crack propagation under principal stress rotation. The results show that the “relative initial angle” of crack angle is being updated in time during the principal stress rotation process; once the stress is rotated, it will become the next initial crack angle; the crack propagation direction is deviated under the applied shear load, and it is always in the direction of minimum shear load, leading to a certain degree of inhibition of crack propagation depth in the initial direction. According to the results of numerical simulation, the effect of principal stress rotation caused by mining excavation is obvious and has a certain range of influence depth, the stress of surrounding rock of roadway is the highest within the depth range of 1∼2 m, and the maximum principal stress is as high as 26.89 MPa. The rotation of principal stress direction on the roadway surrounding rock surface is the strongest, which makes the surrounding rock more fragmented, and the middle principal stress and the maximum principal stress rotate about 90° counterclockwise along the Ox axis. Studying the action mechanism of principal stress rotation on fractured rock masses can provide scientific basis for geotechnical engineering design and rock mass surrounding support.
Molecular, Cytogenetic, and Hematological Analysis of Chronic Myeloid Leukemia Patients and Discovery of Two Novel Translocations
Authors: Asif Muhammad , Hussain Abrar , Wali Abdul , Ahmed Nazeer , Ali Irfan , Iqbal Zafar , Amir Muhammad , Shafiq Muhammad , Rasool Mahmood
Published: August 2021

Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is a disease of hematopoietic stem cells and is caused by the balanced translocations among the long arms of chromosomes 9 and 22, which are called the Philadelphia (Ph) chromosome. In this study, 131 CML patients were enrolled. Complete blood cell count was performed at the time of diagnosis for all the patients. Cytogenetic (karyotyping) examination using bone marrow samples was conducted on 76 CML patients for the confirmation of Ph-positive (9;22)(q34;q11) standard translocation, complex variant translocation, and additional chromosome abnormalities. FISH was performed on 38 patients for diagnostic purposes and on 39 patients for monitoring purposes. Twenty-two samples of CML patients were evaluated by reverse transcriptase PCR and real-time PCR for the patients who failed to respond against imatinib mesylate. In this study, 72 (54.96%) were males and 59 (45.03%) were females with a median age of 38.5 years. CBC values in the diagnosis process showed that 75 patients had high values of WBC being

>
100
×

10

3

/
μ
l

, while 71 (58.01) patients exhibited reduced values of hemoglobin, i.e., <10.00 mg/dl, and high values of

PLTs
>
100

were observed in 40 (30.53%) patients. Cytogenetic results show that standard translocation was developed in 63 (82.89%), development of complex variant translocations in 4 (5.32%), additional chromosomal abnormalities (ACAs) in 3 (3.94%), and ACAs together with complex variant translocations in 1 (1.31%) patient. At the time of diagnosis, 61 (92.95%) patients were in the chronic phase, 4 (5.63%) were in the accelerated phase, and only 1 (1.40%) was in the blast crisis. Out of twenty-two patients, only 6 CML patients who were shifted from imatinib mesylate to nilotinib showed BCR-ABL-positive amplification. However, only 7 out of twenty-one patients exhibit BCR-ABL gene

values
≥
1

after three months of follow-up when analyzed by the quantitative real-time PCR. In conclusion, we found a novel five-way translocation 46XX,t(1;2;2;17;9;22)(p36.3,q21;q11.2,q21,q34,q11.2) and a novel four-way complex variant translocation 48XY,+8(8;17)(9;22),+der(22)(q11.2;q23)(q34;q11.2) in the accelerated phase.
The Existence of Fixed Points for a Different Type of Contractions on Partial b-Metric Spaces
Authors: Nazam Muhammad , Işik Hüseyin , Javed Khalil , Naeem Muhammad , Arshad Muhammad
Published: August 2021

The aim of this study is to present fixed point results in the setting of partial

b

-metric spaces. A different type of contractions is used to prove fixed point results in the given space, which are real generalization of many well-known results. The readers are also provided with some very interesting examples to illustrate the feasibility of the proposed work.
EPS System of Tractor Automatic Driving: An Improved LMI with Mixed Sensitivity Control Method
Authors: Pang Huanxiao , Xu Guangfei , Song Zhicai , Zhao Dianbao , Wang Wenjun , Diao Peisong
Published: August 2021

Electric power steering (EPS) is widely used in tractor automatic driving because of its good operation stability. However, there is a lack of research about solving robust problems and response ability simultaneously when the tractor encounters emergency steering in harsh fields. The traditional robust controller has poor tracking performance and antidisturbance ability when encountering emergency steering. This paper proposes to add the corresponding mixed sensitivity operator to the corresponding performance index in the controller. By adjusting the amplitude of the mixed sensitivity operator, the tracking performance and the speed of disturbance attenuation can be both adjusted for the tractor EPS system. Simulation and hardware in the loop experiments verify the antidisturbance ability of the controller and the torque tracking performance. The results show that the control method has strong robustness and robust stability, which can meet the practical requirements. Also, the power steering characteristic of the H∞ controller with hybrid sensitivity design method is better than that of an unoptimized one, and its robustness is better, and under external pavement interference, the following ability is stronger for the ideal hand torque and the steering is more stable.
A Comparative Study of Nanostructures of CuO/Cu2O Fabricated via Potentiostatic and Galvanostatic Anodization
Authors: Margaret S. Mary , Paul Winston Albin John P. , Muthupandi S. , Shobha P. , Sagayaraj P.
Published: August 2021

A detailed comparative study on the synthesis process of coral-like CuO/Cu2O nanorods (NRs) and nanopolycrystals (NPCs) fabricated on Cu foil employing aqueous electrolyte via potentiostatic (POT) and galvanostatic (GAL) modes is discussed. The structural, morphological, thermal, compositional, and molecular vibration of the prepared CuO/Cu2O nanostructures was characterized by XRD, HRSEM, TG/DTA, FTIR, and EDX techniques. XRD analysis confirmed the crystalline phase of the formation of monoclinic CuO and cubic Cu2O nanostructures with well-defined morphology. The average particle size was found to be 21.52 nm and 26.59 nm for NRs (POT) and NPCs (GAL), respectively, and this result is corroborated from the HRSEM analysis. POT synthesized nanoparticle depicted a higher thermal stability up to 600°C implying that the potentiostatically grown coral-like NRs exhibit a good crystallinity and well-ordered morphology.
Complications Leading to Keratoplasty among Contact Lens Users and LASIK Patients: A 10-Year Cross-Sectional Analysis
Authors: Rush Sloan W. , Bulla Blaze , Rush Ryan B.
Published: August 2021

Purpose. To determine the incidence and outcomes in patients who underwent penetrating keratoplasty (PK) resulting from complications related to contact lens (CL) use and laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) in a metropolitan area of the United States. Methods. Population data was obtained from the United States Census Bureau and the Centers for Disease Control. A retrospective, cross-sectional chart review was performed on all patients who underwent keratoplasty in a specific metropolitan geographic area over a ten-year period. The main outcome was best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) at 2 years in patients who underwent PK secondary to complications related to CL use and LASIK. The secondary outcome was the relative risk of undergoing PK secondary to a complication related to CL use versus LASIK. Results. The study’s geographic area had 46,545 CL users in one or both eyes during any given year and 10,285 patients who underwent LASIK in one or both eyes during the study interval. There were 24 CL users (0.52 per 1,000) and 3 post-LASIK patients (0.29 per 1,000) who underwent PK secondary to complications during the study interval (OR 1.77 [0.53–5.87, 95% CI];

p
=
0.35

). BCVA at 2 years was 1.45 [1.0–1.90] logMAR (20/564 Snellen) in the CL using cohort and 0.07 [−1.19–1.33] logMAR (20/23 Snellen) in post-LASIK cohort following PK (

p
=
0.04

). Conclusions. Patients who underwent PK secondary to complications related to CL use had worse visual outcomes at 2 years compared to those related to LASIK. Complications leading to PK were rare in both cohorts, but the incidence of undergoing PK secondary to CL use trended higher than LASIK.
Role of Toll-Like Receptor 2 in Regulation of T-Helper Immune Response in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
Authors: Sidletskaya Karolina A. , Vitkina Tatyana I. , Denisenko Yulia K. , Mineeva Elena E.
Published: August 2021

Objective. According to modern views, the differences in the clinical course of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are associated with certain types of T-helper (Th) immune response. Recent data have shown that toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) is involved in the development of Th immune response. However, TLR2-mediated regulation of Th subpopulation balance in COPD needs to be elucidated. The aim of our work is to determine the mechanisms of TLR2-mediated regulation of Th immune response in COPD of varying severity. Methods. The study included 323 smokers/ex-smokers with stable COPD (GOLD I, GOLD II, and GOLD III) and 97 healthy nonsmokers (control group). Serum levels of Th1 (TNF-

α

and IFN-

γ

), Th2 (IL-4), Th17 (IL-6 and IL-17A), Treg (IL-10) cytokines, and the percentage of peripheral blood Th cells expressing TLR2 (CD4+CD282+) were assessed by flow cytometry. Serum concentrations of IL-21 (Th17) and TGF-β1 (Treg) were measured using the ELISA method. The predominant Th cytokine profile in serum was determined by calculating the ratios between levels of Th1 and Th17 cytokines. Spearman’s correlation test was performed. Results. Patients with COPD GOLD II and III with Th1 and Th17 cytokine profiles exhibited an increase in the percentage of CD4+CD282+ cells compared to the control group. In COPD GOLD I–III, positive correlations between CD4+CD282+ cell frequency and Th17 cytokine levels (IL-6, IL-17A, and IL-21) were found. In COPD GOLD I, IL-10 concentration was negatively correlated with the percentages of studied cells; in COPD GOLD II, a positive correlation between these parameters was noted. Conclusions. Enhanced TLR2 expression on CD4+ cells shifts cytokine profile toward Th17 phenotype that plays a crucial role in COPD progression. The level of TLR2 expression on peripheral blood CD4+ cells may be considered as a biomarker for diagnosing and predicting the progression of COPD.
Assessment of Soil Erosion and Its Impact on Agricultural Productivity by Using the RMMF Model and Local Perception: A Case Study of Rangun Watershed of Mid-Hills, Nepal
Authors: Bhandari Dinesh , Joshi Rajeev , Regmi Raju Raj , Awasthi Nripesh
Published: August 2021

Soil erosion is a major concern for the environment and natural resources leading to a serious threat to agricultural productivity and one of the major causes of land degradation in the mid-hills region of Nepal. An accurate assessment of soil erosion is needed to reduce the problem of soil loss in highly fragile mountainous areas. The present study aimed to assess spatial soil loss rate and identified risk areas and their perceived impact on agricultural productivity by using the Revised Morgan–Morgan–Finney (RMMF) model and social survey in the Rangun watershed of Dadeldhura district, Nepal. Soil erosion was assessed by using data on soil, digital elevation model, rainfall, land use, and land cover visually interpreted from multitemporal satellite images, and ILWIS 3.3 academic software was used to perform the model. A household questionnaire survey (n = 120) and focus group discussion (n = 2) in identified risk areas were carried out to understand the people’s perception towards soil erosion and its impact on agricultural productivity. The predicted average soil erosions from the forest, agriculture, and barren land were 2.7 t ha−1 yr−1, 53.73 t ha−1 yr−1, and 462.59 t ha−1 yr−1, respectively. The erosion risk area under very low to low, moderate to moderately high, and high to very high covers 92.32%, 4.96%, and 2.73%, respectively. It indicates that the rate of soil erosion was lower in forest areas, whereas it was higher in the barren land. The cropped area of the watershed has been reduced by 2.96 ha−1 yr−1, and productivity has been decreased by 0.238 t ha−1 yr−1. The impacts such as removal of topsoil (weighted mean = 4.19) and gully formation (weighted mean = 3.56) were the highest perceived factors causing productivity decline due to erosion. People perceived the impact of erosion in agricultural productivity differently (

∗

significant at

P
≤
0.05

). The study concluded that, comparatively, barren and agricultural lands seem more susceptible to erosion, so the long-term conservation and management investment in susceptible areas for restoration, protection, and socioeconomic support contribute significantly to land rehabilitation in the Rangun watershed.
General Complex-Valued Grouping Functions
Authors: Chen Ying , Bi Lvqing , Hu Bo , Dai Songsong
Published: August 2021

Grouping function is a special kind of aggregation function which measures the amount of evidence in favor of either of the two choices. Recently, complex fuzzy sets have been successfully used in many fields. This paper extends the concept of grouping functions to the complex-valued setting. We introduce the concepts of complex-valued grouping, complex-valued 0-grouping, complex-valued 1-grouping, and general complex-valued grouping functions. We present some interesting results and construction methods of general complex-valued grouping functions.