bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Hot-Climate Fatigue in the Far East Fleet 1966-1968 Surveys of Lay Opinion
Authors: Mallows H. R.
Published: October 2021

From a subjective survey it was found that 54 per cent of officers and 52 per cent of ratings considered themselves less efficient, and 24 per cent of officers and 40 per cent of ratings considered themselves less healthy in the Far East than in Home Waters.

The outstanding cause of loss of efficiency was a general lethargy which the majority of both officers and ratings attributed entirely to the climate.

Compared with a similar survey in un-air-conditioned ships in 1951 the percentage of personnel less efficient had decreased from 80-95 per cent down to 50-60 per cent and of those less healthy from 70-75 per cent down to 40 per cent. There is still, however, ample room for further improvement.
Recruitment for the Military
Authors: Wallis Geoffrey G.
Published: October 2021

Having reviewed some methods of military selection, their peculiar difficulties and ways of assessing their results, such as wastage rates and military effectiveness, this paper demonstrates limitations in the predictive value of cognitive ability and the need to consider other personality variables and features in the life history. United States Navy studies on marginal recruits and high school enlistees have led to the construction of actuarial forecasts of probability of success. The Royal Naval recruiting procedure, although adaptable to national circumstances, contrasts with a scheme for centralised selection which is being initiated in the British Army and has many potentialities. The author suggests that future research should include the selective power of seclusiveness, anti-authoritarianism, personal stress, step-sibling rivalry, parental antisocial behaviour and short pyknic physique.
An Improved Method of Elevation of the Injured Hand
Authors: McMillan G. H. Grant
Published: October 2021

Elevation often forms an integral part of the treatment of surgical and accidental trauma to the hand. Existing methods of elevation were found unsatisfactory. All the features considered desirable have been incorporated in the apparatus described below, which has been designed by the staff of the Orthopaedic Department, Royal Naval Hospital, Plymouth.
Stress Fractures in Royal Marine Recruits
Authors: Bertram J.
Published: October 2021

The main features of stress fractures in Royal Marine recruits are that they occur in normal bones, most often those that are weight bearing. There is no history of injury, but there is usually a history of unaccustomed or more vigorous activity for some weeks before onset. The main symptom is pain on use of the affected part and this pain is relieved by rest. Localised tenderness and soft tissue swelling are present at the fracture site when the affected bone is readily palpable. Radiological changes are absent in the first seven to ten days, but become visible within two months, unless treatment starts or stress ceases early.
Patella Cubiti — Developmental or Traumatic?
Authors: Mackenzie Fergus , Gordon Pugh P. D.
Published: October 2021

The radiological and operative findings of a case of patella cubiti are described. Films were available during the stage of ossification of the secondary epiphyses for the tip of the olecranon process which also showed a supernumerary centre in the region of triceps tendon. The patella cubiti was formed by a fusion of all of these centres to leave a corresponding defect at the tip of the olecranon. This confirms a developmental rather than a traumatic origin for this rare accessory bone.
Report of the Whale Island Hearing Conservation Programme for the Gunnery Branch of the Royal Navy
Authors: Toal P. F.
Published: October 2021

An audiometric survey of Seaman Gunners joining Whale Island in the summer and autumn of 1969 to do the Basic Gunnery Course showed that there was a 40 per cent incidence of high tone deafness. As a result of this survey a Hearing Conservation Programme for the Gunnery Branch of the Royal Navy was started. In order to determine its success, a follow-up of Seaman Gunners joining HMS ‘Excellent’ in the summer and autumn of 1971 was carried out and showed that the incidence of high tone deafness in this second group had dropped to 24 per cent. Although not statistically significant, results are encouraging in that they reveal a 90 per cent probability that real improvements had occurred. The problem of the disposal of those gunnery rates with moderate deafness not sufficiently severe to warrant invaliding is also discussed.
Northern Ireland – February to June 1973
Authors: Pace T.
Published: October 2021

February 1973 saw the deployment of 42 Commando RM to the same area of Belfast that was covered in the preceding June by 40 Commando RM. The purpose was the continuation of Internal Security duties. The total area covered by the Unit measures approximately fifteen square miles, yet all of the casualties, with the exception of those occurring in a traffic accident, happened over an area of one quarter of a square mile.

The hostile area was that of the New Lodge, a Republican oriented stronghold. The tactics employed by the urban guerrilla during this tour were those of the hidden bomber and the hit-and-run gunman.

By the end of the tour in June, the calculated number of rounds of ammunition fired at the Unit was two hundred and twenty eight, and sixty bomb incidents had been dealt with. Two deaths and over a score of injuries were suffered by the Unit in this time.
Janiceps A Case of Conjoined Twins
Authors: Jackson M. C. H. , Twomey J. C.
Published: October 2021

A case of Conjoined or ‘Siamese’ Twins recently occurred in the Royal Naval Maternity Unit, Malta. This article does not set out to prove any new theories concerning the origin of these rare monsters, but the historical background is reviewed together with an outline of their classification, to which there is scanty reference in the literature. Our case is described and a few lessons to be learnt are discussed.
Treatment of Gonorrhoea and Non Gonococcal Urethritis with Spiramycin
Authors: Williams J. G.
Published: October 2021

A trial to assess the efficacy of spiramycin in the treatment of gonorrhoea and non-gonococcal urethritis was carried out on board a Royal Navy Frigate on a tour of duty in the Caribbean.

Seventeen men were treated for gonorrhoea with a single dose of spiramycin 2.5 gms. A 64.7 per cent cure rate was achieved. Twenty-one men were treated for non-gonococcal urethritis with spiramycin 2 g/day for five days and a 90.5 per cent cure rate was achieved. No side-effects were encountered.
Surgery for Recurrent Dislocation of the Mandible
Authors: Hall T. J. C.
Published: October 2021

This paper describes a technique for prevention of recurrent dislocation originated by Gosserez and Dautrey (1967). Limitation of condylar movement is achieved by placing the posterior end of the zygomatic arch, following a single section, below the articular eminence of the temporal bone.
A Supernumerary Tooth in the Lower Molar Region: A Case Report
Authors: Langan L. C.
Published: October 2021

Supernumerary teeth in the upper third molar region are relatively common but cases in the lower jaw are rare. In his survey of supernumerary teeth Stafne (1932) saw 131 upper but only 10 lower fourth molars. The following is a report of a single supernumerary tooth in the lower third molar region.
Replacing the shot-out joint
Authors: Shiers L. G. P.
Published: October 2021

Over the last several years the wars in the Near and Far East and the bombings involving civilians have brought a new type of injury in London – the shot-out joint. In a severe case the entire articulation of the knee or elbow is blasted away leaving insufficient bone for arthrodesis and amputation as the onlv apparent treatment.

The two cases about to be described offer an alternative using a hinge devised by the author originally for the treatment of osteo or rheumatoid arthritis.
Surgical Correction of Jaw Deformity
Authors: Sharpe G. D.
Published: October 2021

Surgical correction of the protruding mandible, to produce both better dental function and aesthetic appearance, has been practised for many years, and several well-established procedures are in use to this end. This is in no way intended as a presentation of new material, but rather it is hoped to bring before medical and dental colleagues some information on the types of deformity that can be treated, what surgerv is involved, and what the liabilities are for the patient in terms of discomfort and time off work.
In Vitro Measurements of Thyroid Hormones
Authors: Sampson W. F. D.
Published: October 2021

Considerable confusion among requesting physicians is often engendered by the multiplicity of laboratory tests of thyroid function. This paper seeks to set out in a simple manner the main in vitro techniques employed in this laboratory to measure serum thyroid hormone levels, their strengths and their weaknesses.
Plastic Repair of Palatal Oro-Nasal Fistula
Authors: Bussell S. N.
Published: October 2021

This article describes a case of oro-nasal fistula occurring as a rare sequelae of a common dental condition.
Perforating Wounds of the Eye
Authors: Hahn H. J. A.
Published: October 2021

A survey of 26 cases of perforating wounds of the eye treated by the author at the St John Ophthalmic Hospital, Jerusalem, with discussion on cause of injury, prevention, diagnosis, treatment and results.
The Use and Abuse of Antibiotics
Authors: Clarke P. D. , Lightfoot N. F.
Published: October 2021

With the ever increasing range of antibiotics available to the medical officer the choice of the correct antibiotic becomes more difficult. This article discusses the problems of resistance, side-effects and toxicity, and the use of particular antibiotics in specific clinical situations.
Shrapnel Injuries in Children
Authors: Osborne A. H.
Published: October 2021

The case reports of shrapnel injuries to nine children are presented. The principles underlying treatment are discussed and the literature is reviewed.
Diarrhea duration and performance outcomes of pre-weaned dairy calves supplemented with bacteriophage
Authors: Schmoeller Evandro , de Matos Adriane D. C. , Rahal Natalia M. , Feijo Josiane O. , Brauner Cassio C. , Del Pino Francisco Augusto B. , Correa Marcio N. , Rabassa Viviane R.
Published: October 2021

This study aimed to evaluate lytic bacteriophage supplementation in pre-weaned dairy calves on disease occurrence, performance, and biochemical parameters. Two hundred Holstein × Gyr crossbred female calves were divided into two groups: CON, no supplementation; and PHAGE, bacteriophage supplementation (1 g·d−1) from day 3 until day 70 of life. Calves were monitored daily for age of first diarrheal episode and its duration. Fecal samples were cultured for bacterial isolation and PCR was performed to identify Escherichia coli virulence genes and to confirm Salmonella spp. Performance outcomes were evaluated up to 80 d of age. Blood samples were collected to determine serum levels of total proteins, albumin, cholesterol, γ-glutamyl transferase, and urea. PHAGE group had fewer days with diarrhea (PHAGE: 4.68 d, CON: 6.61 d; P = 0.03). Fecal samples of three animals in PHAGE and nine in CON were positive for E. coli after PCR tests. Average daily gain of PHAGE was higher up to 80 d of life (P < 0.05). PHAGE mean was lower for albumin and higher for urea (P = 0.004 and P < 0.001, respectively). Phage therapy during the pre-weaned period reduced the duration of neonatal diarrhea, providing greater weight gain for calves.
Allelopathic effects of native and exotic Prosopis congeners in Petri dishes and potting soils: assessment of the congeneric approach
Authors: Tsombou François Mitterand , El-Keblawy Ali , Elsheikh Elsiddig A.E. , AbuQamar Synan F. , El-Tarabily Khaled A.
Published: October 2021

The congeneric approach assesses the relative role of exotic invasive plants compared to native plants on associated species. However, most studies on seed germination have been conducted in Petri dishes that do not reflect natural soil conditions. Here, we compared the effects of different litter extracts of the exotics Prosopis juliflora (Sw.) DC. and Prosopis pallida (Willd.) Kunth, as well as native Prosopis cineraria (L.) Druce, on seed germination and seedling dry weight of two weedy plants (Amaranthus graecizans L. and Sisymbrium irio L.) and the native Senecio flavus (Decne.) Sch.Bip. in both Petri dishes and potted soil experiments. The results indicate that non-treated seeds (control) of the three species attained more than 95% germination in the Petri dishes (in vitro). The increase in the litter concentrations of both invasive Prosopis species inhibited the native Senecio flavus germination and significantly reduced germination and seedling weight of the weedy A. graecizans and Sisymbrium irio. Nevertheless, the native P. cineraria extracts had significant depressive effects on seed germination and seedling growth of the native Senecio flavus but limited effects on the weedy A. graecizans and Sisymbrium irio. The results support a greater impact of exotic than native congener on native plants. To better assess allelopathic effects, it is recommended to not rely on germination in Petri dishes.
Characterization of soil magnetic susceptibility: a review of fundamental concepts, instrumentation, and applications
Authors: Shirzaditabar Farzad , Heck Richard J.
Published: October 2021

The characterization of magnetic susceptibility (MS) has become an accepted technique in soil science. This review examines the concept of volume and mass-specific MS, magnetism, frequency dependence, and thermal behavior of MS, as they pertain to soil material. A comparison is presented of the two types of instrumentation for measuring soil MS, based on magnetic field and electromagnetic induction (EMI). These are discussed with respect to applications including magnetic granulometry, detection of pollutants, identification of organic matter, the delineation of drainage class, paleo-environmental studies, archaeology, as well as soil erosion and degradation. Instruments that use magnetic fields can precisely measure the MS of small amounts of soil, thinly deposited layers or soil exposures, but cannot effectively measure materials at distances ≥10 cm from the sensor. EMI instruments, instead, are capable of quickly measuring apparent MS of a finite volume of the soil, and are utilized in mapping of soil MS in agricultural and archaeological investigations; however, the measured apparent MS values need to be further processed to give the real volume MS values of soil layers/segments. Although both kinds of instruments are widely used in soil science, their measured data are not interchangeable. Future work should be conducted to increase the understanding of the comparability of these instruments to find better utility among soil scientists.
INVESTIGATION OF THE FRACTAL RESPONSE OF A NONLINEAR PACKAGING SYSTEM
Authors: PALACIOS-PINEDA LUIS M. , ELIAS-ZÚÑIGA ALEX , MARTINEZ-ROMERO OSCAR , OLVERA-TREJO DANIEL
Published: October 2021

The paper aims to obtain the cushion curves of a polymer foam commonly used in the protective packaging of fragile products and its fractal cushioning performance. First, the impact curves are obtained to evaluate the dropping damage of a critical component considering a fractal nonlinear dynamic packaging system model, more specifically a fractal cubic-quintic-heptic Duffing’s equation. Then, the two-scale fractal derivative transform is introduced to determine the packaging material fractal behavior due to the material molecular structure. The findings explain the dynamic response behavior of the porous cushion material, and the proposed fractal dynamic model sheds new light on the design and analysis of cushioning packaging systems.
Preparation of Polyimide Nanofiber Membranes and Interlaminar Toughness Investigation of Their Toughened Composites
Authors: Wu Hailiang , Yu Chao , Chen Yuan , Yan Chao , Wu Xiaoqing , Zhong Zhili , Wei Junfu
Published: October 2021

Interlaminar delamination and brittle fracture of matrix have been a dilemma that fiber-reinforced composites have been faced with. Herein, the polyimide (PI) nanofiber-toughened glass fiber fiber-reinforced epoxy composites were prepared by electrospinning method and subsequent vacuum assistant resin transfer molding. The effect of spinning parameters including PI concentration, applied voltage, collector distance, jet speed and ambient humidity on the resultant fiber diameter and its distribution was systematically evaluated. The surface properties of obtained PI nanofibers were characterized by FT-IR, TG-DSC and water contact angle. The effect of PI concentration on tensile strength of PI membranes was also studied. The mode I (G[Formula: see text] and mode II (G[Formula: see text] interlaminar fracture toughness were measured. The results indicated that GIc and GIIc increased by 127.69% and 85.33%. The improvement of interlaminar fracture toughness may be attributed to the bridging effect of PI nanofibers.
Glacial processes and landforms
Authors: Evans David J. A. , Evans Ian S.
Published: October 2021

From 1965 to 2000 glacial geomorphology became increasingly specialized and developed significantly due to technological improvements, particularly in remote sensing, surveying and field-based glaciological process studies. The better understanding of basal thermal regimes in ice sheets and glaciers led to the development of concepts such as spatial and temporal migration of ice divides in dynamic ice sheets that could overprint subglacial landform assemblages, debris entrainment processes related to polythermal glacier systems, and glacier and ice sheet beds composed of cold and warm based mosaics. Process observations at the ice–bed interface led to the discovery of the third glacier flow mechanism, substrate deformation, which provided the impetus to reconstruct the genesis of subglacial bedforms such as drumlins and to evaluate the origins and potential flow law for till. Numerical evaluations of glacial erosion led to a better understanding of abrasion and quarrying as well as the erection of genetic models and erosion rates for larger-scale features such as U-shaped valleys and cirques. Linkages were made between debris transport pathways and moraine construction in supraglacial environments, with the role of glacier structure being linked to specific landforms, such as medial, lateral, hummocky and ice-cored moraines as well as rock glaciers. Our appreciation of the erosional and depositional impacts of glacifluvial systems was enhanced significantly with the advent of process observations on the hydrology of modern glaciers as well as the final vindication of J.H. Bretz and his proposed jökulhlaup origins of the Channelled Scablands and the Missoula Floods. In addition to the increasing numbers of studies at modern glacier snouts, the embracing of sedimentology by glacial geomorphologists was to result in significant developments in understanding the process-form regimes of subglacial, marginal and proglacial landforms, particularly the recognition of landform continua and hybrids. Advances resulting from this included the recognition of different modes of moraine and glacitectonic thrust mass development, lithofacies models of the varied glacifluvial depositional environments, and the initial expansion of work on the sediments and depocentres of glacimarine settings, the latter being the result of glacial research taking to submersibles and ice-strengthened ships for the first time. A similarly new frontier was the expansion of research on the increasingly higher resolution images returning from Mars, where extraterrestrial glaciations were recognized based on comparisons with Earth analogues. Holistic appreciations of glaciation signatures using landform assemblages were developed, initially as process-form models and later as glacial landsystems, providing an ever-expanding set of templates for reconstructing palaeoglaciology in the wide variety of topographic and environmental settings, which also acknowledge spatial and temporal change in glacier and ice sheet systems.
A HS‐PRP‐Type Hybrid Conjugate Gradient Method with Sufficient Descent Property
Authors: Wu Xiaodi , Zhu Yihan , Yin Jianghua
Published: October 2021

In this paper, based on the HS method and a modified version of the PRP method, a hybrid conjugate gradient (CG) method is proposed for solving large‐scale unconstrained optimization problems. The CG parameter generated by the method is always nonnegative. Moreover, the search direction possesses the sufficient descent property independent of line search. Utilizing the standard Wolfe–Powell line search rule to yield the stepsize, the global convergence of the proposed method is shown under the common assumptions. Finally, numerical results show that the proposed method is promising compared with two existing methods.
Prediction of Metal Ion Binding Sites of Transmembrane Proteins
Authors: Qu Jing , Yin Sheng S. , Wang Han
Published: October 2021

The metal ion binding of transmembrane proteins (TMPs) plays a fundamental role in biological processes, pharmaceutics, and medicine, but it is hard to extract enough TMP structures in experimental techniques to discover their binding mechanism comprehensively. To predict the metal ion binding sites for TMPs on a large scale, we present a simple and effective two-stage prediction method TMP-MIBS, to identify the corresponding binding residues using TMP sequences. At present, there is no specific research on the metal ion binding prediction of TMPs. Thereby, we compared our model with the published tools which do not distinguish TMPs from water-soluble proteins. The results in the independent verification dataset show that TMP-MIBS has superior performance. This paper explores the interaction mechanism between TMPs and metal ions, which is helpful to understand the structure and function of TMPs and is of great significance to further construct transport mechanisms and identify potential drug targets.
Environmental Emission Analysis of Biodiesel with Al2O3 Nanometal Additives as Fuel in a Diesel Engine
Authors: Alghamdi Mohammad Ibrahim Al Mishlah , Colak Ilhami , Zahra Musaddak Maher Abdul , Bothichandar T.
Published: October 2021

The exploitation of fossil fuels has fueled the modern world’s development since the industrial revolution. Other energy sources, such as wood, charcoal, and animal power, were displaced by these fuels, which were relatively easy to obtain, had low cost of production, and were easily transportable. The possibility of these fossil reserves being depleted in the medium term, combined with an increase in environmental awareness and the reality of environmental degradation, has changed the situation, reactivating the search for alternative fuels. Biofuels such as bioethanol, biomethanol, and biodiesel are among the alternative fuels gaining popularity due to their environmental benefits. This research investigates the behaviour of a diesel engine that runs on biodiesel (a fuel made from new and unrefined algae oil), ethanol (an essential raw nanomaterial that is readily available in India), and nanometal additives.
Shenjinhuoxue Mixture Attenuates Inflammation, Pain, and Cartilage Degeneration by Inhibiting TLR‐4 and NF‐κB Activation in Rats with Osteoarthritis: A Synergistic Combination of Multitarget Active Phytochemicals
Authors: Ma Xiaoqin , Hao Chenxia , Zhang Zhaokang , Jiang Huiting , Zhang Weixia , Huang Jingjing , Chen Xiaofei , Yang Wanhua
Published: October 2021

Osteoarthritis (OA), a highly prevalent chronic joint disease, involves a complex network of inflammatory mediators that not only triggers pain and cartilage degeneration but also accelerates disease progression. Traditional Chinese medicinal shenjinhuoxue mixture (SHM) shows anti‐inflammatory and analgesic effects against OA with remarkable clinical efficacy. This study explored the mechanism underlying anti‐OA properties of SHM and evaluated its efficacy and safety via in vivo experiments. Through network pharmacology and published literature, we identified the key active phytochemicals in SHM, including β‐sitosterol, oleanolic acid, licochalcone A, quercetin, isorhamnetin, kaempferol, morusin, lupeol, and pinocembrin; the pivotal targets of which are TLR‐4 and NF‐κB, eliciting anti‐OA activity. These phytochemicals can enter the active pockets of TLR‐4 and NF‐κB with docking score ≤ −3.86 kcal/mol, as shown in molecular docking models. By using surface plasmon resonance assay, licochalcone A and oleanolic acid were found to have good TLR‐4‐binding affinity. In OA rats, oral SHM at mid and high doses (8.72 g/kg and 26.2 g/kg) over 6 weeks significantly alleviated mechanical and thermal hyperalgesia (P < 0.0001). Accordingly, the expression of inflammatory mediators (TLR‐4, interleukin (IL‐) 1 receptor‐associated kinase 1 (IRAK1), NF‐κB‐p65, tumor necrosis factor (TNF‐) α, IL‐6, and IL‐1β), receptor activator of the NF‐κB ligand (RANKL), and transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) in the synovial and cartilage tissue of OA rats was significantly decreased (P < 0.05). Moreover, pathological observation illustrated amelioration of cartilage degeneration and joint injury. In chronic toxicity experiment of rats, SHM at 60 mg/kg demonstrated the safety. SHM had an anti‐inflammatory effect through a synergistic combination of active phytochemicals to attenuate pain and cartilage degeneration by inhibiting TLR‐4 and NF‐κB activation. This study provided the experimental foundation for the development of SHM into a more effective dosage form or new drugs for OA treatment.
[Retracted] Video‐Assisted Health Education Promotes Rehabilitation Training of Total Knee Arthroplasty Patients and Reduces Stress and Burnout in Nurses Compared to Oral Education
Authors: Li Ping , Li Xing , Meng Hua , Huang Ling , Zhang Li , Wang Shuang , Chen Shaohua
Published: October 2021

Emerging evidence suggests video‐assisted health education being an effective way in promoting rehabilitation. The present study was aimed at evaluating the effectiveness of video‐assisted health education in promoting rehabilitation training in postoperative OA patients and at comparing it with oral education. This study was a noncontemporaneous control study involving 179 patients who underwent TKA. For the intervention group, a bedside interactive system that recorded a series of educational videos showing a rehabilitation training program was established. For the control group, oral education having the same content as that in the videos for the intervention group was provided. After education, clinical outcomes such as occurrence of complications, circulating biomarkers of inflammation, and rehabilitation progress of the patients were obtained. Furthermore, job stress and burnout in nurses who participated in the present study were assessed. Results showed that C‐reactive protein levels of patients were significantly lower in the intervention group than in the control group (84.54 ± 36.09 vs. 99.45 ± 31.73 mg/L, P = 0.004). Faster achievement of postoperative knee flexion to 90 degrees (21.31 ± 5.83 vs. 35.72 ± 9.93 h, P < 0.001) and first ambulation (19.91 ± 4.57 vs. 50.15 ± 7.00 h, P < 0.001), reduced number of postoperative complications such as postoperative orthostatic intolerance (7 vs. 19, P = 0.008) and constipation (10 vs. 23, P = 0.009), and reduced length of hospital stay (7.51 ± 1.79 vs. 8.21 ± 2.15 days, P = 0.019) in the intervention group in comparison to the control group were noted. Emotional exhaustion and burnout of nurses were reduced significantly in the intervention group than in the control group (21.00 ± 8.04 vs. 36.50 ± 11.22, P = 0.002; 55.90 ± 11.57 vs. 85.50 ± 6.80, P < 0.001, respectively). Reduced personal accomplishments in nurses were improved significantly in the intervention group when compared with the control group (41.90 ± 4.91 vs. 32.80 ± 7.07, P = 0.004). We concluded that video‐assisted health education may promote TKA patient recovery and reduce burnout and stress in nurses when compared with oral education. Video‐assisted health education could be helpful in situation where manpower of nurse is in shortage.
A Hybrid Machine Learning and Optimization Model to Minimize the Total Cost of BRT Brake Components
Authors: Najafi-Zangeneh Saeed , Shams Gharneh Naser , Arjomandi-Nezhad Ali , Hassannayebi Erfan
Published: October 2021

Public transport is amongst critical infrastructures in modern cities, especially megacities, home to millions of people. The reliability of these systems is highly crucial for both citizens and service providers. If service providers overlook system reliability, a considerable amount of expenses will be wasted. Several factors such as vehicle failure, accident, lack of budget weather factors, and traffic congestion cause unreliability, among which vehicle failure plays a prominent role. The brake system is the most vulnerable and vital component of a public transportation bus. Brake reliability depends on driver’s expertise, component quality, passenger loading, line situation, etc. Driver’s expertise and components’ quality are the most important factors for brake system reliability. This study aims to implement a hybrid machine learning and optimization model to minimize the total investment and reliability-related costs in a bus rapid transit (BRT) system. A regression analysis method is proposed to capture the main attributes of a joint brake system, including the level of education, training, and drivers’ experience. The failure rate is modeled as a linear function of ETE and the quality of brake system subcomponents using a Lasso regression model. MILP optimization is then provided for optimizing the total expected costs for a bus rapid transit (BRT) system. Furthermore, a practical case is studied to investigate whether this optimization can reduce costs. The results confirm the efficiency of the hybrid optimization approach.
SPP1 Promotes Enzalutamide Resistance and Epithelial‐Mesenchymal‐Transition Activation in Castration‐Resistant Prostate Cancer via PI3K/AKT and ERK1/2 Pathways
Authors: Pang Xiaocong , Zhang Junling , He Xu , Gu Yanlun , Qian Bin-zhi , Xie Ran , Yu Wei , Zhang Xiaodan , Li Teng , Shi Xuedong , Zhou Ying , Cui Yimin
Published: October 2021

The bottleneck arising from castration‐resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) treatment is its high metastasis potential and antiandrogen drug resistance, which severely affects survival time of prostate cancer (PCa) patients. Secreted phosphoprotein 1 (SPP1) is a cardinal mediator of tumor‐associated inflammation and facilitates metastasis. In our previous study, we firstly revealed SPP1 was a potential hub signature for predicting metastatic CRPC (mCRPC) development. Herein, we integrated multiple databases to explore the association of SPP1 expression with prognosis, survival, and metastatic levels in CRPC progression and investigated SPP1 expression in PCa tissues and cell lines. Next, PCa cell lines with overexpression or depletion of SPP1 were established to study the effect of SPP1 on enzalutamide sensitivity and adhesion and migration of prostate cancer cell lines and further explore the underlying regulatory mechanisms. Bioinformatics analysis, polymerase chain reaction (PCR), immunohistochemical staining, and western blot results suggested SPP1 upregulation had strong relationship with the malignant progression of CRPC and enzalutamide resistance. SPP1 knockdown enhanced enzalutamide sensitivity and repressed invasion and migration of prostate cancer cells. Importantly, upregulating SPP1 promoted, while silencing SPP1 attenuated epithelial‐mesenchymal‐transition (EMT). Our results further demonstrated that SPP1 overexpression maintains the activation of PI3K/AKT and ERK1/2 signaling pathways. Overall, our findings unraveled the functional role and clinical significance of SPP1 in PCa progression and help to discover new potential targets against mCRPC.
Determination of Dabigatran Concentration in Human Plasma and Breast Milk
Authors: Sidgwick F. , Porter A. , Ayuk P. , Kamali F. , Truemann A.
Published: October 2021

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is an important cause of death following childbirth. Dabigatran etexilate can be a useful prophylaxis in susceptible women during the postpartum period. However, it is not clear whether dabigatran is excreted into breast milk in amounts which can be harmful to the suckling baby. We have developed an accurate, sensitive, and specific assay for the quantitation of dabigatran in both human plasma and breast milk. This is particularly useful for the determination of the extent by which dabigatran is secreted into breast milk in relation to its systemic availability. Dabigatran was enriched from both matrices using solid-phase extraction prior to separation on a C8-RPLC column and detection using SRM on a QqTrap mass spectrometer. The assay was validated for specificity, sensitivity, linearity, precision, accuracy, and stability of the analyte in human plasma and breast milk. The lower limit of detection for dabigatran was 20 pg/ml in plasma and 75 pg/ml in breast milk. This assay will aid future studies for the measurement of dabigatran concentrations in human breast milk to help determine if dabigatran etexilate can safely be administered to breast-feeding women.
A Multiphase Dynamic Deployment Mechanism of Virtualized Honeypots Based on Intelligent Attack Path Prediction
Authors: Gao Yazhuo , Zhang Guomin , Xing Changyou
Published: October 2021

As an important deception defense method, a honeypot can be used to enhance the network’s active defense capability effectively. However, the existing rigid deployment method makes it difficult to deal with the uncertain strategic attack behaviors of the attackers. To solve such a problem, we propose a multiphase dynamic deployment mechanism of virtualized honeypots (MD2VH) based on the intelligent attack path prediction method. MD2VH depicts the attack and defense characteristics of both attackers and defenders through the Bayesian state attack graph, establishes a multiphase dynamic deployment optimization model of the virtualized honeypots based on the extended Markov’s decision-making process, and generates the deployment strategies dynamically by combining the online and offline reinforcement learning methods. Besides, we also implement a prototype system based on software-defined network and virtualization container, so as to evaluate the effectiveness of MD2VH. Experiments results show that the capture rate of MD2VH is maintained at about 90% in the case of both simple topology and complex topology. Compared with the simple intelligent deployment strategy, such a metric is increased by 20% to 60%, and the result is more stable under different types of the attacker’s strategy.
Comprehensive Bioinformatics Analysis of Lipopolysaccharide‐Induced Altered Autophagy in Acute Lung Injury and Construction of Underlying Competing Endogenous RNA Regulatory Mechanism
Authors: Liu Jian-Yu , Jiang Ying-Xiao , Zhang Meng-Yu , Huo Chen , Yang Yi-Can , Ji Xiu-Li , Qu Yi-Qing
Published: October 2021

Background. Acute lung injury (ALI) is a fatal syndrome frequently induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) released from the bacterial cell wall. LPS could also trigger autophagy of lung bronchial epithelial cell to relieve the inflammation, while the overwhelming LPS would impair the balance of autophagy consequently inducing serious lung injury. Methods. We observed the autophagy variation of 16HBE, human bronchial epithelial cell, under exposure to different concentrations of LPS through western blot, immunofluorescence staining, and electron microscopy. Eight strands of 16HBE were divided into two groups upon 1000 ng/ml LPS stimulation or not, which were sent to be sequenced at whole transcriptome. Subsequently, we analyzed the sequencing data in functional enrichment, pathway analysis, and candidate gene selection and constructed a hsa‐miR‐663b‐related competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) network. Results. We set a series of concentrations of LPS to stimulate 16HBE and observed the variation of autophagy in related protein expression and autophagosome count. We found that the effective concentration of LPS was 1000 ng/ml at 12 hours of exposure and sequenced the 1000 ng/ml LPS‐stimulated 16HBE. As a result, a total of 750 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), 449 differentially expressed lncRNAs (DElncRNAs), 76 differentially expressed circRNAs (DEcircRNAs), and 127 differentially expressed miRNAs (DEmiRNAs) were identified. We constructed the protein‐protein interaction (PPI) network to visualize the interaction between DEGs and located 36 genes to comprehend the core discrepancy between LPS‐stimulated 16HBE and the negative control group. In combined analysis of differentially expressed RNAs (DERNAs), we analyzed all the targeted relationships of ceRNA in DERNAs and figured hsa‐miR‐663b as a central mediator in the ceRNA network to play when LPS induced the variation of autophagy in 16HBE. Conclusion. Our research indicated that the hsa‐miR‐663b‐related ceRNA network may contribute to the key regulatory mechanism in LPS‐induced changes of autophagy and ALI.
Diagnosis of Cardiac Rehabilitation after Percutaneous Coronary Intervention in Acute Myocardial Infarction Patients by Emission Computed Tomography Image Features under Filtered Back Projection Reconstruction Algorithm
Authors: Lv Yuan , Zhao Suyu
Published: October 2021

This study aimed to explore the application value of emission computed tomography (ECT) imaging technology based on filtered back projection reconstruction algorithm (FBP) in cardiac function examination after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Eighty patients with myocardial infarction diagnosed by medical history, electrocardiograph (ECG), and myocardial enzyme admitted to hospital from February 2018 to February 2019 were selected as the research objects. All patients underwent PCI seven days after the onset of myocardial infarction. ECT was performed for all patients before and after surgery. In addition, all ECT images were processed by the FBP reconstruction algorithm. On this basis, preoperative and postoperative cardiac surgery function and ischemia of the patients were diagnosed. Then, the diagnostic results were compared with the results of coronary angiography and echocardiogram. The results showed that all patients had a total of 541 segments before PCI surgery. ECT examination revealed 294 abnormal segments of the ventricular wall, with a total score of 585 points. A total of 100 segments were scored with 1 point, a total of 194 segments were scored with 2 points, and a total of 50 segments were scored with 3 points. After PCI, the number of abnormal segments was reduced to 58, with a total score of 193. There were 6 segments with a score of 1, 44 segments with a score of 2, and 5 segments with a score of 3. The left ventricular diastolic volume (EDV), left ventricular systolic volume (ESV), stroke volume (CO), and ejection fraction (EF) of the patients before the operation were 148 ± 16 mL, 77 ± 14.5 mL, 4.29 ± 0.37 L/min, and 41.9 ± 8%, respectively. The EDV, ESV, CO, and EF of the patients after surgery were 132 ± 16 mL, 62 ± 13 mL, 4.89 ± 0.71, and 53 ± 6%, respectively. Significant changes occurred in various systolic function parameters before and after surgery,

P
<
0.05

. The standardized regression coefficients of the three groups were 0.32, 0.41, and 0.47, respectively,

P
<
0.05

, which indicated that the greater the coronary artery stenosis rate, the higher the diagnostic coincidence rate of left anterior descending limb (LAD), left circumflex branch (LCX), and left coronary artery (RCA). The conformity of ECT imaging in the LCX group for diagnosis of myocardial ischemia was higher than that of UCG,

P
<
0.05

. To sum up, the ECT technology based on the FBP reconstruction algorithm had a good application prospect in the diagnosis of cardiac function recovery in AMI patients after PCI.
Evaluation of Antimicrobial and Wound Healing Effects of Gold Nanoparticles Containing Abelmoschus esculentus (L.) Aqueous Extract
Authors: Korani Shahla , Rashidi Khodabakhsh , Hamelian Mona , Jalalvand Ali R. , Tajehmiri Ahmad , Korani Mitra , Sathyapalan Thozhukat , Sahebkar Amirhossein
Published: October 2021

Background. Wound healing is a complex process of replacing devitalized cellular structures and tissues with healthy cells and tissue. Nanotechnology has been increasingly proposed as a novel platform to treat wounds and skin regeneration. The aim of this study was to evaluate the antibacterial, antioxidant, cytotoxic, and cutaneous wound healing activities of phytosynthesized Au NPs using Abelmoschus esculentus (okra) and synthesized Au NPs by using the citrate synthesis method. The Ok Au NPs were characterized using various techniques like UV-Vis absorption spectroscopy, FTIR, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Cutaneous wounds were created on 30 rats and randomized into three groups: untreated and two groups treated with Ch Au NPs and Ok Au NPs. The treatment was carried out daily for 12 days. A peak characterized the Ok Au NPs at 538 nm in the UV-Vis spectrum. Based on the results of FTIR spectroscopy, various functional oxygenated groups such as hydroxyl, carboxyl, and nitrogenous groups were observed. XRD confirmed the crystalline nature of the nanoparticles. TEM images of Ok Au NPs showed a spherical shape and size range of 75 nm. DPPH test showed similar antioxidant potentials for Au NPs. The Au NPs showed cell viability in a dose-dependent manner, and this technique was found to be nontoxic. Agar well diffusion, which is the method to determine antibacterial characteristics of Au NPs, showed a significant beneficial effect against a variety of bacterial species. In addition, histopathological results showed that Au NPs could accelerate wound closure. Therefore, Au NPs could be suitable for wound healing applications.
De Novo and Relapsing Glomerulonephritis following SARS-CoV-2 mRNA Vaccination in Microscopic Polyangiitis
Authors: Davidovic Tamara , Schimpf Judith , Sprenger-Mähr Hannelore , Abbassi-Nik Armin , Soleiman Afschin , Zitt Emanuel , Lhotta Karl
Published: October 2021

Vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 is the most important advance in the fight against the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Recent case reports show that the SARS-CoV-2 vaccines can very rarely cause de novo or relapsing glomerular disease. Here, we report two female patients with microscopic polyangiitis, who developed severe glomerulonephritis after immunisation with the BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine. One patient with a possible ongoing but undiagnosed disease developed severe necrotising glomerulonephritis after the second vaccination. In the other patient with a long-lasting disease, rituximab maintenance therapy had been postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic. She noted macrohematuria immediately after the second vaccine dose and developed a severe renal relapse leading to end-stage kidney disease. We suggest that patients with ANCA-associated vasculitis be carefully monitored for disease activity immediately before and after receiving the SARS-CoV-2 vaccination, especially if maintenance therapy has been interrupted. Ultimately, mRNA vaccines should probably be avoided in these patients.
Sentiment Analysis of Student Texts Using the CNN-BiGRU-AT Model
Authors: Yan Wei , Zhou Lifan , Qian Zhengjiang , Xiao Le , Zhu Haixia
Published: October 2021

For most current sentiment analysis models, it is difficult to capture the complex semantic and grammatical information in the text, and they are not fully applicable to the analysis of student sentiments. A novel student text sentiment analysis model using the convolutional neural network with the bidirectional gated recurrent unit and an attention mechanism, called CNN-BiGRU-AT model, is proposed. Firstly, the text is divided into multiple sentences, and the convolutional neural network (CNN) is used to extract n-gram information of different granularities from each sentence to construct a sentence-level feature representation. Then, the sentences are sequentially integrated through the bidirectional gated recurrent unit (BiGRU) to extract the contextual semantic information features of the text. Finally, an attention mechanism is added to the CNN-BiGRU model, and different learning weights are applied to the model by calculating the attention score. The top-down text features of “word-sentence-text” are input into the softmax classifier to realize sentiment classification. Based on the weibo_senti_100 k dataset, the proposed model is experimentally demonstrated. The results show that the accuracy rate and recall rate of its classification mostly exceed 0.9, and the F1 value is not lower than 0.8, which are better than the results of other models. The proposed model can provide a certain reference for the related students’ text sentiment analysis research.
Energy‐Related Scatter Analysis for Determining the Effective Point of Measurement of Cylindrical Ion Chamber in Heavy Charged Particle Carbon Ion Beam
Authors: Ma Xiao-Yun , Zhang Yan-Shan , Meng Wan-Bin , Qi Yin , Li Qiang , Ye Yan-Cheng , Wu Jia-Ming
Published: October 2021

Purpose. An experimental and mathematical study for determining the effective point of measurement (Peff) for a Farmer‐type cylindrical chamber in a carbon ion passive scatter beam is presented. Methods. The ionization depth curves measured by the Bragg peak chamber were plotted according to the position of the inner surface of the entrance window, while the Farmer chamber was plotted at the tip of the cylindrical geometric center. The ionization depth curves measured by a cylindrical chamber in the 3D water phantom were then compared with a high‐precision parallel‐plate PTW Bragg peak chamber for inspecting the upstream shift correction of the cylindrical chamber in the carbon ion beam. A component of the vertical and horizontal integration method and the barrier model, cosφ = 1 − [2αRL/(1 + α − RL)], for analyzing the shift of effective point of measurement in different carbon ion energies and various field sizes, were studied. Results. The shift between the maximum peak of the Bragg peak chamber and the Farmer chamber in a field size of 10 cm × 10 cm with an energy of 330 MeV/u of carbon ion is 2.3 mm. This upstream shift corresponds to (0.744 ± 0.07)r, where r is the Farmer chamber inner radius of 3.05 mm. Carbon ion energy from 120 MeV/u to 400 MeV/u with different field sizes show different shifts of effective point of measurement in a range of (0.649 ± 0.02)r to (0.843 ± 0.06)r of 3 cm × 3 cm at an energy of 400 MeV/u and 10 cm × 10 cm at an energy of 120 MeV/u, respectively. The vertical and horizontal scatter analysis by the barrier model can precisely describe the shift of the effective point of measurement at different carbon ion energies with various field sizes. Conclusions. We conclude that the Farmer chamber can be used for a patient‐specific dose verification check in carbon ion beam treatment if Peff is well calibrated.
A Bayesian Adaptive Unscented Kalman Filter for Aircraft Parameter and Noise Estimation
Authors: Ding Di , He Kai F. , Qian Wei Q.
Published: October 2021

This paper proposes a new algorithm for the aerodynamic parameter and noise estimation for aircraft dynamical systems. The Bayesian inference method is combined with an unscented Kalman filter to estimate the augmented states and the unknown noise covariance parameters jointly. A Gauss‐Newton method is utilized to sequentially maximize the posterior likelihood function for the noise unknown parameter estimation. The performance of the proposed algorithm is evaluated and compared with two other UKFs via a flight scenario of a given aircraft. The results indicate that the proposed algorithm has equivalent performance to the simplified UKF with prior noise information and slightly outperforms the parallel UKF on precision and efficiency in this flight scenario assessment. Then, the consistency and accuracy of the algorithm are further validated by a Monte Carlo simulation with random process noise covariance. This adaptive algorithm provides another feasible and effective way for estimating aerodynamic parameters from the aircraft real flight data with unknown noise characteristics.