bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Novel Screening System of Virulent Strains for the Establishment of a
Mycobacterium avium
Complex Lung Disease Mouse Model Using Whole-Genome Sequencing
Authors: Furuuchi Koji , Seto Shintaro , Nakamura Hajime , Hikichi Haruka , Miyabayashi Akiko , Wakabayashi Keiko , Mizuno Kazue , Oka Teruaki , Morimoto Kozo , Hijikata Minako , Keicho Naoto
Published: May 2022

To promote research on
Mycobacterium avium
complex (MAC) pathogenicity, animal models reflecting human progressive MAC lung disease (MAC-LD) are needed. Because there is high genetic and virulence diversity among clinical MAC strains, choosing a suitable strain is an important process for developing a mouse model.
Studies on the Transmission of a Tigecycline Resistance-Mediating
tet
(A) Gene Variant from Enterobacter hormaechei via a Two-Step Recombination Process
Authors: Yu Runhao , Chen Zheng , Li Danyang , Schwarz Stefan , Wang Xinwei , Du Xiang-Dang
Published: May 2022

Tigecycline is an important last-resort broad spectrum antimicrobial agent. This study describes the two-step recombination processes resulting in the transfer of the
tet
(A) variant gene between different plasmids in
E. hormaechei
, which depicts the role of recombination processes in the generation of UCSs and new plasmids, both carrying a
tet
(A) variant conferring resistance to tigecycline.
Evaluating the Ability to ID (COVID-19) NOW: a Large Real-World Prospective Evaluation of the Abbott ID NOW COVID-19 Assay
Authors: Barker K. R. , Small L. N. , Thai D. V. , Sohn K. Y. , Rosella L. C.
Published: May 2022

Rapid testing for COVID-19 has been recognized as one potentially important measure in managing the pandemic. However, these rapid tests vary grossly in their performance and their applicability.
Identification of a Host-Targeted Compound to Control Typhoid Fever
Authors: Hoang Ky V. , Woolard Katherine , Yang Ching , Melander Christian , Gunn John S.
Published: May 2022

Salmonella
spp. cause significant morbidity and mortality worldwide. Typhoidal spp. (e.g.,
S.
Typhi) cause a systemic disease typically treated with antibiotics.
Supplemental Material: Mayflies as resource pulses in Jurassic lacustrine ecosystems
Authors: Zhang Qianqi , Wang Bo , al. et
Published: May 2022

Supplemental figures. 
Organic matter and nutrient removal in a combined anaerobic–aerobic fixed-bed reactor treating digestate from anaerobic biodigester
Authors: Melo Natanna , Santos Simone Machado , Gavazza Sávia
Published: May 2022

Anaerobic digestion has become a possible approach for treating organic fraction of urban solid waste. However, the treatment of the digestate is still a matter for technological development. In this work a single anaerobic–aerobic fixed-bed reactor subjected to recirculation was used to treat the effluent from an anaerobic digester fed with organic food waste. The reactor was operated for 100 days, with hydraulic retention time of 24 h. The organic loading rate applied was 1 kg COD m−3 d−1. The efficiency in removing nitrogen, organic matter, and phosphorus were 73%, 83%, and 23%, respectively. This reactor configuration proved to be quite promising to promote simultaneous removal of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus from effluents with high nitrogen and organic matter contents.
Interplay of temperature and hypoxia in habitat quality for a juvenile demersal fish in a coastal upwelling system
Authors: Li Chengxue , Ciannelli Lorenzo , Bancroft Morgan , Rooker Jay , Ryer Clifford , Liu Hui
Published: May 2022

Coastal hypoxia around the world has raised concerns about its sublethal effects on juvenile demersal fishes. We examined the growth rate of juvenile English sole ( Parophrys vetulus) under 15 combinations of temperature and dissolved oxygen levels. We found interactive effects of temperature and hypoxia on fish growth. Fish exposed to moderate hypoxia and normoxia exhibited similar growth responses to increasing temperature; however, a threshold effect was evident under severe hypoxia, which caused a significant reduction in growth. Further, a generalized additive mixed model was applied to simulate fish growth off the Oregon coast during a climate transition from the 2009 El Niño to the 2010–2011 La Niña. Model simulations indicated that habitat quality varied significantly between estuarine (high quality) and coastal (low quality) nurseries. Coastal habitats may remain moderately suitable during El Niño years, while estuarine refuges are more preferred during La Niña years. This study contributes to the assessment of climate change and hypoxic disturbance on demersal fisheries by providing an analytical framework to evaluate synergistic temperature–hypoxia interactions on juveniles in their nursery habitats.
Improving drought tolerance ofOpuntia ficus-indicaunder field using subsurface water retention technology: changes in physiological and biochemical parameters
Authors: Lahbouki Soufiane , Ech-chatir Lahoucine , Er-Raki Salah , Outzourhit Abdelkader , Meddich Abdelilah
Published: May 2022

The prickly pear ( Opuntia ficus-indica) is an essential economic and ecological medicinal plant in arid and semi-arid areas, especially in Morocco, where water scarcity affects its survival and growth. Evidence suggests that subsurface water retention technology (SWRT) may enhance crops’ drought resistance. A field experiment was conducted to explore SWRT application effects on cactus cladodes’ growth and physiological and biochemical performance under drought conditions. Two water regimes were applied (rainfed conditions; irrigated with 4 L of water twice a week) with two treatments (without SWRT; with SWRT). The results showed that cactus cladodes’ growth and physiological and biochemical parameters cultivated for 8 months were negatively affected by drought. Drought-exposed cactus cladodes under SWRT application showed an increase in surface area and cladode stomatal densities by 65% and 29%, respectively, compared with no SWRT. This technology reduced drought-induced oxidative stress by mitigating malondialdehyde and hydrogen peroxide excess by 22% and 17%, respectively. Moreover, lower levels of enzymatic and nonenzymatic antioxidant activities were concluded, and soil organic matter and assimilable phosphorus contents were enhanced. In conclusion, our findings highlighted SWRT’s positive impacts on the tested parameters, thus presenting it as a promising technology for cactus growth and development improvement under water deficiency.
A concept for the extraction of the most refractory elements at CERN-ISOLDE as carbonyl complex ions
Authors: Ballof J. , Chrysalidis K. , Düllmann Ch. E. , Fedosseev V. , Granados E. , Leimbach D. , Marsh B. A. , Ramos J. P. , Ringvall-Moberg A. , Rothe S. , Stora T. , Wilkins S. G. , Yakushev A.
Published: May 2022

We introduce a novel thick-target concept tailored to the extraction of refractory 4d and 5d transition metal radionuclides of molybdenum, technetium, ruthenium and tungsten for radioactive ion beam production. Despite the more than 60-year old history of thick-target ISOL mass-separation facilities like ISOLDE, the extraction of these most refractory elements as radioactive ion beam has so far not been successful. In ordinary thick ISOL targets, their radioisotopes produced in the target are stopped within the condensed target material. Here, we present a concept which overcomes limitations associated with this method. We exploit the recoil momentum of nuclear reaction products for their release from the solid target material. They are thermalized in a carbon monoxide-containing atmosphere, in which volatile carbonyl complexes form readily at ambient temperature and pressure. This compound serves as volatile carrier for transport to the ion source. Excess carbon monoxide is removed by cryogenic gas separation to enable low pressures in the source region, in which the species are ionized and hence made available for radioactive ion beam formation. The setup is operated in batch mode. Initially, we investigate the feasibility of the approach with isotopes of more than 35s half-life. At the cost of reduced efficiency, the concept could also be applied to isotopes with half-lives of at least one to 10s. We report parameter studies of the key processes of the method, which validate this concept and which define the parameters for the setup. This would allow for the first time the extraction of radioactive molybdenum, tungsten and several other transition metals at thick-target ISOL facilities.
Piezomodulation of electrical conductivity in TlIn0.9Ga0.1Se2 single crystals
Authors: Gojaev Eldar , Mammadov Fariz , Mammadova Gulshen , Kasumova Elmira
Published: May 2022

In the present work, the piezoelectric properties of TlIn[Formula: see text]Ga[Formula: see text]Se2 single crystals are investigated. Single crystals were grown by the Bridgman–Stockbarger method. The results show that when periodic mechanical vibrations are excited in these crystals, the electrical conductivity is modulated at the same frequency. Measurements of the amplitude values of the piezoconductivity at the same degree of deformation in the dark and under different illumination revealed the presence of a linear relationship between them. The level of the piezosignal also changes linearly depending on the strength of the magnetic field. Thus, TlIn[Formula: see text]Ga[Formula: see text]Se2 crystals have a potential prospect of application in the field of highly sensitive magnetic and light sensors.
Effective quantum Hamiltonian for a two-mesh LC circuit with discrete charge: Managing of currents and voltages
Authors: Calcina-Nogales M. , Sanjinés D. , Mamani E.
Published: May 2022

In this paper, we study the dynamics of a quantum two-mesh LC circuit with discrete charge subject to rapidly oscillating voltage sources. A time-independent effective Hamiltonian for this system is derived in a high-frequency series expansion upto [Formula: see text] whose dominant behavior indicates the possibility of observing two physical phenomena: first, the controlled manipulation and suppression of the mesh currents by setting specific values of the voltage source amplitudes and, second, the onset of a DC regime (in the single–mesh case) which could be inferred by interpreting the quasi-degenerate quantum states.
Effect of AGM waste filament incorporation on the performance of solid waste curing agents
Authors: Zhang Weilun , Gao Wenyuan , Niu Meihong
Published: May 2022

Absorbed Glass Mat (AGM) waste filaments are waste staple fibers from the production of AGM functional paper. Incorporation of AGM waste filaments into solid waste based curing agents, the experimental results showed that the maximum increase in compressive strength and flexural strength of the cured specimens was achieved when 5% mass fraction AGM waste filament was added with compressive strengths of 9.87 MPa and 10.96 MPa at 7 d and 28 d, respectively, representing an increase of 15.57% and 17.34% compared to the unadulterated one. The flexural strength was increased by 53.55% and 49.71% compared with that of the unadulterated AGM waste filament. The strength enhancement effect of mixing different shapes of AGM waste filaments is higher than that of mixing each shape alone, which proves that AGM waste filaments have a mixed enhancement effect.
Effect of magnetic flux density of bar magnet on removal rate of magnetic material in powder
Authors: Onishi Kenji , Yonekura Daisuke
Published: May 2022

In this study, in order to improve the iron removal rate of iron remover, the effects of magnetic flux density, number of magnetic poles and powder fluidity on the removal rate of filed SUS304 particles mixed with high-purity spherical silica powders of different particle sizes were investigated. The iron removal tests were performed using an iron removal testing device equipped with a single bar magnet. The silica powders mixed with filed SUS304 particles were sifted, and the weight of the filed SUS304 particles captured by the bar magnet was measured. Three types of bar magnets were prepared in order to investigate the effect of the maximum magnetic flux density and the number of magnetic poles. As a result, the number of magnetic poles was more effective in improving iron removal performance than the maximum magnetic flux density. In addition, the iron removal rate decreased with decreasing the nominal particle size of the silica powder. As a result of the constant load direct shear test, the shear cohesion of silica powders increased with decreasing the average particle size [Formula: see text]. Therefore, it was found that the iron removal performance deteriorates when the powder cohesion increases.
Spin dynamics in spin-orbit-coupled spin-2 dipolar ultracold atomic gases
Authors: Zhao Qiang
Published: May 2022

In this paper, we study the spin dynamics of spin-orbit-coupled (SOC) spin-2 Bose–Einstein condensates (BECs) with dipole–dipole interaction (DDI). Numerical results are obtained by solving the nonlocal Gross–Pitaevskii equation. Our discussions are divided into two parts. In the absence of DDI, the spin dynamics presents periodic oscillation. Increasing the magnetization makes the amplitude increase, and increasing SOC strength accelerates the spin dynamics and thus changes the period. Nevertheless, in the presence of DDI, the periodicity oscillation of spin dynamics is broken. The thermalization time decreases with the increase of magnetization for fixed SOC strength. In addition, the thermalization time becomes zero with strong SOC strength when magnetization is fixed. We also show the formation of domain in density profile when DDI is considered. Moreover, the components m = 2 and m = −2 exchange their location with a little increase of SOC strength. This is a specific reflection of the competition between the SOC and DDI.
HEAT EQUATIONS DEFINED BY SELF-SIMILAR MEASURES WITH OVERLAPS
Authors: TANG WEI , NGAI SZE-MAN
Published: May 2022

We study the heat equation on a bounded open set [Formula: see text] supporting a Borel measure. We obtain asymptotic bounds for the solution and prove the weak parabolic maximum principle. We mainly consider self-similar measures defined by iterated function systems with overlaps. The structures of these measures are in general complicated and intractable. However, for a class of such measures that we call essentially of finite type, important information about the structure of the measures can be obtained. We make use of this information to set up a framework to study the associated heat equations in one dimension. We show that the heat equation can be discretized and the finite element method can be applied to yield a system of linear differential equations. We show that the numerical solutions converge to the actual solution and obtain the rate of convergence. We also study the propagation speed problem.
Invariant measures and boundedness in the mean for stochastic equations driven by Lévy noise
Authors: Maslowski Bohdan , Tybl Ondrej
Published: May 2022

Existence of invariant measures and average stability in the mean are studied for stochastic differential equations driven by Lévy process. In particular, some natural conditions are found that verify stabilization of the equation (in the sense of the existence of invariant measures) by jump noise terms. These conditions are verified in several examples.
A talented monoid view on Lie bracket algebras over Leavitt path algebras
Authors: Bock Wolfgang , Sebandal Alfilgen , Vilela Jocelyn
Published: May 2022

In this paper, we study properties such as simplicity, solvability and nilpotency for Lie bracket algebras arising from Leavitt path algebras, based on the talented monoid of the underlying graph. We show that graded simplicity and simplicity of the Leavitt path algebra can be connected via the Lie bracket algebra. Moreover, we use the Gelfand–Kirillov dimension for the Leavitt path algebra for a classification of nilpotency and solvability.
Corpus Design of Chinese Medicine English Vocabulary Translation Teaching System Based on Python
Authors: Liu Chongya
Published: May 2022

The current corpus has the problem of imperfect span retrieval function, which leads to a large classification noise. This paper designs a Python-based corpus of Chinese medicine English vocabulary translation teaching system. Here, we select the script material of web crawler, extract topic tags in the form of tag window, calculate the amount of information carried by words, use Python to extract the characteristics of Chinese medicine English vocabulary, and according to the observation value of exploration strategy, use instant time difference learning algorithm to construct the translation mode of teaching system, limit the scope of key words, and design the cross-range retrieval function of corpus. Experimental results: the average classification noise of the designed corpus and the other two corpora is 25.007[Formula: see text]dB, 33.877[Formula: see text]dB and 32.166[Formula: see text]dB, which proves that the integrated Python corpus has higher comprehensive value.
The Role of Social Impact Assessment (SIA) in the Development of a Mine Closure Plan in Regional Australia
Authors: Kabir Zobaidul
Published: May 2022

Mine closure is an integral part of the lifecycle of a mining project. The closure of a mine has social impacts on the surrounding community and employees who have gradually become dependent on the mine financially, culturally and emotionally. By recognising the consequences of mine closure on local communities, companies respond to the assessment and management of the social impacts. While there are applications of social impact assessments (SIAs) for areas available in different sectors, there are limited practices of SIA for mine closure planning, and there is a lack of information on the role of SIA in mine closure planning. Importantly, there is a dearth of information on how SIA can play an important role to make a mine closure plan by bringing all stakeholders together. This empirical study investigated the contribution of SIA on the development of a coal mine closure plan in regional Queensland in Australia. By integrating social issues and community concerns into the closure planning process, through SIA of the closure planning, the mining company, its employee and the local community were collectively able to formulate the mine closure. This study shows how the SIA can be used to bring relevant stakeholders together to formulate the plan for mine closure and make it acceptable to the stakeholders including company, local communities and employees. Practical policy implications include community engagement through SIA and an assurance of the socioeconomic security of the local community and employees of the mine. It is crucial to undertake SIA at the beginning of the closure planning process and involve the relevant stakeholders to formulate closure plan acceptable to all relevant parties. For the development of a mine closure plan, particular attention is required to address the community’s concerns and the development of a solid relationship with the community through negotiations. It is expected that the findings of this study will be useful to researchers, practitioners and other interested persons, not only in Australia but also in other countries with a similar context.
Regional Connectivity in Pakistan and Central Asian Republics
Authors: Rauf Sarwat
Published: May 2022

This article analyzes the emerging economic corridors and growing geographical connectivity in Pakistan and Central Asian Republics (CARs). It hypothesizes that economic corridors and infrastructure building in CARs and Pakistan are connecting inaccessible areas to prosperous regions. The idea of geographical connectivity through economic corridors is not new for landlocked Central Asia and least connected South Asia. In the past some efforts have been made to connect South Asia with Central Asia by great powers. However, such efforts had been overshadowed by tensions between key regional states and political hostilities within states. Since China is facilitating Pakistan and CARs in the building of new infrastructure to make remote areas accessible, several political and regional changes are taking place. Construction of new corridors presents diverse challenges for Pakistan and Central Asia. The article specifies a conceptual understanding of regional connectivity through economic corridors, and then underlines the set-up of new infrastructure. It also assesses the problems attached to the connectivity projects. Currently, connectivity projects under the Belt and Road Initiative have been modernizing the old trade routes in Central and South Asia, and new infrastructure is being built, granting opportunities of increased trade. Even though the announcement of regional connectivity projects by China in Pakistan and CARs has raised hopes as well as suspicions, CARs and Pakistan are visibly involved in the accomplishment of regional connectivity.
Political Text Scaling Meets Computational Semantics
Authors: Nanni Federico , Glavaš Goran , Rehbein Ines , Ponzetto Simone Paolo , Stuckenschmidt Heiner
Published: May 2022

During the past 15 years, automatic text scaling has become one of the key tools of the Text as Data community in political science. Prominent text-scaling algorithms, however, rely on the assumption that latent positions can be captured just by leveraging the information about word frequencies in documents under study. We challenge this traditional view and present a new, semantically aware text-scaling algorithm,
SemScale
, which combines recent developments in the area of computational linguistics with unsupervised graph-based clustering. We conduct an extensive quantitative analysis over a collection of speeches from the European Parliament in five different languages and from two different legislative terms, and we show that a scaling approach relying on semantic document representations is often better at capturing known underlying political dimensions than the established frequency-based (i.e., symbolic) scaling method. We further validate our findings through a series of experiments focused on text preprocessing and feature selection, document representation, scaling of party manifestos, and a supervised extension of our algorithm. To catalyze further research on this new branch of text-scaling methods, we release a Python implementation of
SemScale
with all included datasets and evaluation procedures.
A Spiral into the Mind
Authors: Koch Maurice , Weiskopf Daniel , Kurzhals Kuno
Published: May 2022

Comparing mobile eye tracking data from multiple participants without information about areas of interest (AOIs) is challenging because of individual timing and coordinate systems. We present a technique, the gaze spiral, that visualizes individual recordings based on image content of the stimulus. The spiral layout of the slitscan visualization is used to create a compact representation of scanpaths. The visualization provides an overview of multiple recordings even for long time spans and helps identify and annotate recurring patterns within recordings. The gaze spirals can also serve as glyphs that can be projected to 2D space based on established scanpath metrics in order to interpret the metrics and identify groups of similar viewing behavior. We present examples based on two egocentric datasets to demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach for annotation and comparison tasks. Our examples show that the technique has the potential to let users compare even long-term recordings of pervasive scenarios without manual annotation.
Perspective—Solid Oxide Cell Technology for Space Exploration
Authors: Green Robert D. , Elangovan S. Elango , Chen Fanglin
Published: May 2022

To enable long-term manned space exploration, there are critical needs in oxygen and water for life support, electrical power for on-board operation, and in situ generation of propellants for ascent vehicles. Low temperature electrochemical devices have been developed and utilized for on-board oxygen and power generation in several manned space programs. High temperature solid oxide cell technology offers unique advantages for future space missions. This perspective highlights recent advances in solid oxide cell technology that make it feasible for adoption in aerospace applications and outlines the projected needs in future research and development to better support space exploration.
Comparable Investigation of Phosphorus-Based Flame Retardant Electrolytes on LiFePO4 Cathodes
Authors: Jiang Wenzhao , Zhang Guoqing , Deng Jianhui
Published: May 2022

Improving the flame retardant and electrochemical properties of electrolytes is of great significance to enhance the safety of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). In this work, the effect of cresyl diphenyl phosphate (CDP), dimethyl methyl phosphonate (DMMP), trimethyl phosphate (TMP) and triphenyl phosphate (TPP) as flame retardant additives in the standard electrolyte on the performance of LiFePO4/Li cell are comprehensively studied. The results show that when the mass fraction of flame retardant is less than 20%, the purpose of flame retardant can be achieved in the electrolyte. When the cells without and with 20 wt% of CDP, DMMP, TMP, and TPP additives are, respectively, their capacity retentions are 80, 46, 82, 84, and 57% after 100 cycles at 0.5C. According to characterization analysis, DMMP and TMP can facilitate the formation of stable interface films on cathode and subsequently improve the battery performance. Compared with expensive or complicated synthetic flame retardants, conventional flame retardants like CDP, DMMP, TMP, and TPP have great potential for application in electrolytes to improve the safety of LIBs. This work can provide useful scientific research and industry in the study of phosphorus-based flame retardant electrolytes.
Research on Adsorption and Desorption Characteristics of Gas in Coal Rock Based on Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Technology
Authors: Wu Xukun , Zhao Guangming , Xu Youlin , Meng Xiangrui , Cheng Xiang
Published: May 2022

In order to explore the change characteristics of the adsorption and desorption performance of coal under high gas pressure, low-field nuclear magnetic resonance (LFNMR) technology was used to conduct experimental research on coal adsorption and desorption. The results show that (1) the

T

2

spectrum distribution diagram shows adsorption peaks (

T

2

=
0.01
 
ms
~
1
 
ms

) and free peaks (

T

2

=
5
 
ms
~
1000
 
ms

); (2) with the increase of equilibrium pressure, the peak area of adsorbed methane gradually increased at first and then tended to equilibrium. The initial increase rate of free methane was slower than that of adsorbed methane, and the increase rate of free methane was faster in the later stage; (3) the relationship between the amount of adsorbed gas in the adsorption state of coal and the gas pressure conforms to the Langmuir equation. Taking the equilibrium pressure

P
=
8.7

 MPa as the critical hysteresis pressure, it can be divided into two stages which are higher gas pressure (0.5~8.7 MPa) and high gas pressure (8.7~10.33 MPa); the amount of adsorbed gas in the free state has a linear relationship with the gas pressure, and there is no obvious hysteresis; (4) comparative analysis under the same experimental conditions, the mass of the adsorbed gas in the desorption process is greater than the mass of the adsorbed gas in the adsorption process, and there is basically no difference in the mass of the free gas.
A Case Report of DVT following the Johnson and Johnson Vaccine against the Novel SARS-CoV-2
Authors: Bangolo Ayrton , Cherian Jeffin , Ahmed Mohamed , Atoot Ali , Gupta Bhavna , Atoot Adam
Published: May 2022

Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is the formation of a blood clot typically in the deep veins of the extremities. The risk factors for venous thrombosis are primarily related to hypercoagulability, which can be genetic, acquired, or due to immobilization and venous stasis. The Johnson and Johnson (J&J) vaccine developed against the novel SARS-CoV-2 has been linked to more specific cases of thrombosis, associated with low platelet levels similar to that seen in heparin-induced thrombocytopenia. In this case report, we present a female who developed a DVT four days after receiving the J&J vaccine. We propose that the administration of this vaccine may further increase the risk of developing DVTs in patients with previous risk factors, and we hope to use this case to support screening all patients for previous risk factors for thrombosis before administration of the J&J vaccine.
Muscle Strength Weighting Based on Deep Learning and Wavelet Packet and Muscle Fatigue Analysis Based on L-Z Complexity
Authors: Liu Zhizhong
Published: May 2022

By studying the muscle sound signal of biceps brachii and gastrocnemius muscle, we try to find out the relationship between muscle force and load and the characteristic parameters of fatigue stage, so as to guide the exercise training well, ten healthy male college students were selected to perform static contraction experiments under different loads (0 lbs, 10 lbs....maximum load), and weight-bearing heel-lifting fatigue experiment. The relationship between load and muscle strength was analyzed by wavelet packet weighting and the L-Z complexity was used to analyze the muscle acoustic signal in the fatigue process. It has been verified that the L-Z complexity of the gastrocnemius muscle acoustic signal gradually decreases from the maximum in the early stage, relatively stable in the middle stage, and decreases again in the later stage of the weight-bearing heel-lifting exercise. The wavelet packet weighting algorithm makes the muscle strength and the weight-bearing well in line with the linear relationship, and the application of muscle strength map can better reflect the load of muscle. The L-Z complexity reflects the changes in muscle fiber recruitment during muscle fatigue and contraction to a certain extent, and provides a scientific basis for judging the fatigue state.
Crop Yield Maximization Using an IoT-Based Smart Decision
Authors: Ikram Amna , Aslam Waqar , Aziz Roza Hikmat Hama , Noor Fazal , Mallah Ghulam Ali , Ikram Sunnia , Ahmad Muhammad Saeed , Abdullah Ako Muhammad , Ullah Insaf
Published: May 2022

Today, farmers are suffering from the low yield of crops. Though right crop selection is the main boosting key to maximize crop yield by doing soil analysis and considering metrological factors, the lack of knowledge about soil fertility and crop selection is the main reason for low crop production. In the changed current climate, the farmers having primitive knowledge about conventional farming are facing challenges about making sagacious decisions on crop selection. The selection of the same crop in every seasonal cycle makes the low soil fertility. This study is aimed at making an efficient and accurate system using IoT devices and machine learning (ML) algorithms that can correctly select a crop for maximal yield. Such a system is reliable as compared to the old laboratory testing manual systems, which bear the chances of human errors. Correct selection of a crop is predominantly a priority in agricultural arena. As a contribution, we propose an ML-based model, Smart Crop Selection (SCS), which is based on data of metrological and soil factors. These factors include nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, CO2, pH, EC, temperature, humidity of soil, and rainfall. Existing IoT-based systems are not efficient as compared to our proposed model due to limited consideration of these factors. In the proposed model, real-time sensory data is sent to Firebase cloud for analysis. Its results are also visualized on the Android app. SCS ensembles the following five ML algorithms to increase performance and accuracy: Decision tree, SVM, KNN, Random Forest, and Gaussian Naïve Bayes. For rainfall prediction, a dataset containing historical data of the last fifteen years is acquired from Bahawalpur Agricultural Department. This dataset and an ML algorithm, Multiple Linear Regression leverages prediction of the rainfall in future, a much-desired information for the health of any crop. The Root Mean Square Error of the rain fall prediction model is 0.3%, which is quite promising. The SCS model is trained for 11 crops’ prediction, while its accuracy is 97% to 98%.
Impact of BN and WC Particulate Reinforcements on Mechanical Properties and Damage Development of Al-2048 Metal Matrix Composites
Authors: Sivakumar T. , Udagani Chikkappa , Sivaranjani M. , Sudhakar M. , Alharbi Reem Mohammed , Abdel-Raouf Neveen , Ibraheem Ibraheem Borie M. , Sholkamy Essam Nageh , Mahadik Mahadeo A. , Yishak Simon
Published: May 2022

The primary goal of this work is to evaluate how BN and WC particles affect the mechanical properties and damage development behaviours of aluminum alloy-2048. Heat treatments for composites are also being investigated to improve mechanical properties. Tensile experiments reveal that BN particle reinforcement outperforms WC reinforcement in strength and flexibility for composites. T4 treatment, rather than traditional peak-aging treatment, is recommended for the composites (T6). The particle size distribution in 10v% WC/Al-2048 is the best in the three composites with the largest size of 16 µm and 80% of particles are from 6 to 10 µm. Tensile tests illustrate that 15v% BN/Al-2048 composite demonstrates a 9 and 14% rise in its ultimate tensile stress and 28 and 120% increases in its elongation. T4 heat treatment with an additional 0.6 percent prestrain can produce composites with the same UTS and 0.2 percent proof stress as T6 treatment, but the ultimate elongation below T4 treatment is over 100 percent more than that under T6 treatment. To make sense of the test results, an observation of the damage evolution behaviors of the reinforcing particles provides a concept that the composites’ strength is primarily determined by the balance between the reinforcing particles sharing the load and creating strain discontinuity in the matrix. The fraction of broken particles in the 20v% WC/Al-2048 composite as a function of strain is much higher than that in the 15v% BN/Al-2048 composite. Because of their tolerance for substantial strain at the interface, maximum K1c, and moderate thermal extension, BN elements can share a lot of loads and provide more excellent reinforcement than WC particles in terms of composite strength and flexibility.
Assessment of Central Sleep Apnea Events in Children with Sleep-Disordered Breathing
Authors: Kaplan Alyson , Ulualp Seckin O.
Published: May 2022

Purpose. To determine the prevalence of central apnea (CA) events and central sleep apnea (CSA) in children with sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) and to assess the effect of tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy (TA) on CSA in children with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Material and Methods. The medical charts of children with SDB were reviewed to obtain information on past medical history, polysomnography (PSG) findings, and surgical management. Counts and indexes of obstructive apnea, obstructive hypopnea, and central apnea were evaluated before and after TA. The prevalence of CSA and the effect of age, gender, obesity, and comorbid conditions on CSA were assessed in children with SDB as well as in children with PSG proven OSA. Results. Seven hundred twelve children with SDB (age range: 1 to 18 yrs, mean:

5.8
±
3.4

) were identified. CA events occurred in 640 of 712 (89.5%) patients. Of the 712 patients, 315 (44.2%) met the criteria for the diagnosis of CSA. CSA was more prevalent in toddlers and preschoolers (

p
<
0.001

). Obese children had a higher prevalence of CSA compared to nonobese children (

p
<
0.001

). The prevalence of CSA in patients with OSA was 45.4%. The number of CA events, CAI, and OAHI after TA was less than that of before TA (

p
<
0.001

). Residual CSA after TA occurred in 20 children (26%). Conclusion. Central apnea events and central sleep apnea occur in children who present to a pediatric otolaryngology clinic for evaluation of sleep disordered breathing. Central sleep apnea and obstructive sleep apnea both improve after tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy.
RGD-Hydrogel Improves the Therapeutic Effect of Bone Marrow-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells on Phosgene-Induced Acute Lung Injury in Rats
Authors: Ding Jianwen , Dun Yu , He Daikun , Shao Yiru , Liu Fuli , Zhang Lin , Shen Jie
Published: May 2022

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have promising potential in the treatment of various diseases, such as the therapeutic effect of bone marrow-derived MSCs for phosgene-induced acute lung injury (P-ALI). However, MSC-related therapeutics are limited due to poor cell survival, requiring appropriate MSC delivery systems to maximise therapeutic capacity. Biomaterial RGD-hydrogel is a potential cell delivery vehicle as it can mimic the natural extracellular matrix and provide cell adhesion support. The application of RGD-hydrogel in the MSC treatment of respiratory diseases is scarce. This study reports that RGD-hydrogel has good biocompatibility and can increase the secretion of Angiopoietin-1, hepatocyte growth factor, epidermal growth factor, vascular endothelial cell growth factor, and interleukin-10 in vitro MSCs. The hydrogel-encapsulated MSCs could further alleviate P-ALI and show better cell survival in vivo. Overall, RGD-hydrogel could improve the MSC treatment of P-ALI by modulating cell survival and reparative activities. It is exciting to see more and more ways to unlock the therapeutic potential of MSCs.
Experimental Simulation Study of Mine Water Acidification under the Action of Pyrite
Authors: Shui Qingna , Liao Jiajia , Wang Qi , Li Jiexiang , Xia Daping , Wang Zicai , Wang Xinyi
Published: May 2022

The discharge of acidic water has become an environmental issue of great concern worldwide. In order to investigate the characteristics and mechanism of acidic water induced by pyrite in sulfur-rich mines, indoor static precipitation and dynamic leaching simulation experiments were carried out under the conditions of pyrite content, rock particle size, media combination, and ambient temperature. At the same time, this paper used the gray correlation method to quantitatively analyze the influencing factors. The results showed that the degree of groundwater acidification was negatively correlated with the rock particle size and temperature and positively correlated with the pyrite content. The quantitative analysis of the effect of each factor on acid mine drainage pH was pyrite content > temperature > rock size. When considering different media conditions, the combined effect of the three media on reducing the acidification degree of mine water was limestone > gangue > coal. In addition, dynamic leaching and static soaking have different effects on the acidification of the mine water, with the latter acidifying more rapidly. It is also concluded that although pyrite enrichment was the main controlling factor affecting the acidification of mine water in nature, complexation of trivalent iron ions adsorbed in the formation was more likely to be the main causal mechanism for the rapid acidification of mine water in coal mining areas.
Quantitative Characterization of Tight Rock Microstructure of Digital Core
Authors: Liu Yuwei , Wang Shuping , Zheng Rongchen , Li Haosen
Published: May 2022

The fluid flow is closely related to the reservoir microstructure. And the pore throat is small, and the pore structure is complex of tight reservoirs, so the fluid flow mechanism is different from the conventional sandstones. In this paper, the sample size and scanning accuracy are determined by mercury-pressure experiments, and the gray-scale images of core samples are enhanced, filtered, and noise reduced, segmented by Avizo software, and finally 3D digital cores are constructed to realize quantitative characterization of pore throat parameters. The results show the following: (i) It is highly accurate to determine 3D digital core by comparing porosity measurement and calculating porosity; (ii) the average pore radius of the three samples is more than 7 μm, the pore number is less than 651, the average throat length is greater than 159 μm, and the percentage of connected pore volume is above 95%; (iii) large pores are mainly developed in the reservoir, while a certain number of isolated pores exist, and the connected pores are distributed in sheets and strips; (iv) the pores of tight reservoir are mainly micron pores, and the distribution frequency histogram of pore radius is single peak; (v) porosity is related to connectivity, pore radius, and pore number; and (vi) the influence of throat on porosity and permeability is greater than that of pore. This paper is helpful for quantitative evaluation of reservoir microscopic parameters and provides technical support for visualization and quantitative characterization of rock microstructure.
A Multimodel Fusion Method for Cardiovascular Disease Detection Using ECG
Authors: Song Guanghui , Zhang Jiajian , Mao Dandan , Chen Genlang , Pang Chaoyi
Published: May 2022

Objective. Electrocardiogram (ECG) is an important diagnostic tool that has been the subject of much research in recent years. Owing to a lack of well-labeled ECG record databases, most of this work has focused on heartbeat arrhythmia detection based on ECG signal quality. Approach. A record quality filter was designed to judge ECG signal quality, and a random forest method, a multilayer perceptron, and a residual neural network (RESNET)-based convolutional neural network were implemented to provide baselines for ECG record classification according to three different principles. A new multimodel method was constructed by fusing the random forest and RESNET approaches. Main Results. Owing to its ability to combine discriminative human-crafted features with RESNET deep features, the proposed new method showed over 88% classification accuracy and yielded the best results in comparison with alternative methods. Significance. A new multimodel fusion method was presented for abnormal cardiovascular detection based on ECG data. The experimental results show that separable convolution and multiscale convolution are vital for ECG record classification and are effective for use with one-dimensional ECG sequences.
Efficacy and Safety of Fuzheng Yiqi Kang-Ai Decoction Combined with External Irradiation in the Treatment of Undifferentiated Thyroid Carcinoma and Its Influence on Antiangiogenesis
Authors: Bian Li , Zhang Jing , Wang Pengbo
Published: May 2022

Objective. To explore the efficacy and safety of Fuzheng Yiqi Kang-ai (FZYQKA for short) decoction with external irradiation in the treatment of undifferentiated thyroid carcinoma (UTC) and its influence on antiangiogenesis. Methods. In this retrospective study, the clinical data of 120 patients with UTC admitted to Zibo Central Hospital (February 2019-February 2020) were retrospectively analyzed, and the patients were equally divided into the experimental group (EG) and the control group (CG) according to the order of admission. All patients received external irradiation, and the EG received FZYQKA decoction additionally. FZYQKA decoction was taken orally 1 dose daily in 3 times with a total of 100 ml, for a total of 2 months. Short-term efficacy, incidence of acute radiotoxic responses, levels of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), indexes of immune function, and level of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) were compared between both groups. Results. Compared with the CG, the disease control rate of the EG was obviously higher (73.3% vs. 40.0%,

P
<
0.001

). The acute radiotoxic responses of the two groups were mainly grade I-II oral mucositis, radiodermatitis, pharyngitis, esophagitis, and myelosuppression, and only three patients (5.0%) had grade III-IV toxic reactions. Compared with the CG, the incidence of grade I-II oral mucositis, radiodermatitis, pharyngitis, and esophagitis in the EG was obviously lower (

P
<
0.05

). After treatment, compared with the CG, levels of MMPs and VEGF of the EG were obviously lower (

P
<
0.001

). After treatment, compared with the CG, indexes of immune function of the EG were obviously higher (

P
<
0.001

). Conclusion. For patients with UTC, FZYQKA decoction combined with external irradiation can exert the antiangiogenesis effect, reduce levels of MMPs, and optimize the short-term efficacy. The safe treatment method has mild toxic and side effects, which should be popularized in practice.
SOC Estimation of Lithium-Ion Battery for Electric Vehicle Based on Deep Multilayer Perceptron
Authors: Li Xueguang , Jiang Haizhou , Guo Sufen , Xu Jingxiu , Li Meiyan , Liu Xiaoyan , Zhang Xusong
Published: May 2022

The state of charge (SOC) is one of the main indexes of the lithium-ion battery, which affects the practice range of new energy vehicles and the safety of the battery. Nevertheless, the value of SOC cannot be measured directly. At present, the algorithm for estimating the state of charge is not very satisfactory. The multilayer perceptron algorithm designed during this paper encompasses a sensible impact on state estimation. During this paper, the multilayer network is designed to estimate the charged state of lithium batteries from the three-layer artificial neural network to the eleven-layer artificial neural network. After preprocessing the dataset and comparing several activation functions, the ten-layer fully connected neural network is the most efficient to estimate the SOC. In order to prevent over-fitting of the multilayer perceptron algorithm, the two techniques of the BatchNormalization layer and Dropout layer work together to inhibit over-fitting. At the same time, the accuracy of extended Kalman filter, long and short memory network, and recurrent neural network are compared. The multilayer perceptron network designed during this paper has the highest accuracy. Finally, in the open dataset, both the training and test errors achieve good results. The algorithm developed in this paper has made some progress in SOC estimation.
Antimicrobial Activity of Aspergillus sp. from the Amazon Biome: Isolation of Kojic Acid
Authors: Rodrigues Josy Caldas , Lima da Silva Weison , Ribeiro da Silva David , Maia Carolina Rabelo , Santos Goiabeira Clarice Virginia , Figueiredo Chagas Haile Dean , Ayres D’Elia Gigliola Mayara , Barbosa Alves Gleica Soyan , Zahner Viviane , Nunez Cecilia Veronica , Cristo Fernandes Ormezinda Celeste
Published: May 2022

The antimicrobial potential of Aspergillus sp., isolated from the Amazon biome, which is stored at the Amazon Fungi Collection-CFAM at ILMD/FIOCRUZ, was evaluated. The fungal culture was cultivated in yeast extract agar and sucrose (YES) for cold extraction of the biocompounds in ethyl acetate at 28 °C for 7 days in a BOD type incubator. The obtained extract was evaluated for its antimicrobial activity against Candida albicans and Gram-positive and negative bacteria by the “cup plate” method and the determination of the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) by the broth microdilution method. The extract was subjected to thin layer chromatography (TLC) and fractionated by open and semipreparative column chromatography. The fractions of interest had their chemical constituents elucidated by nuclear magnetic resonance and mass spectrometry. The elucidated molecule was evaluated for cytotoxicity against the human fibroblast strain (MRC5). The extract presented inhibitory activity against both Gram-positive and negative bacteria, with the range of inhibition halos from 5.3 to 14 mm in diameter and an MIC ranging from 500 to 15.6 μg/mL. Seventy-one fractions were collected and TLC analysis suggested the presence of substances with double bond groups: coumarins, flavonoids, phenolic, alkaloids, and terpenes. NMR and MS analyses demonstrated that the isolated molecule was kojic acid. The results of the cytotoxicity test showed that MRC5 cells presented viability at concentrations from 500 to 7.81 μg/mL. The kojic acid molecule of Aspergillus sp., with antibacterial activity and moderate toxicity at the concentrations tested, is a promising prototype of an alternative active principle of an antimicrobial drug.