bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Guarding Against Premature Birth
Authors: Roush Wade
Published: October 2021

Boston—Babies born prematurely are 120 times more likely to die than those carried to full term, so the recent discovery that bacterial infections of the mother's reproductive tract are one cause of premature birth was welcome news. It implied that antibiotic treatment of the mother could reduce infant mortality. But while one set of studies suggests that treatment during pregnancy can yield substantial benefits, another points to the need to screen both the father and mother before conception.
Two Eyes Are Better Than One
Authors: Kaiser Jocelyn
Published: October 2021

The United States and Russia have announced an exchange of maps made from previously classified spy satellite photos that record petrochemical hazards at the other country's military air bases. The exchange—“using data that you never even admitted you were looking at,” as one U.S. official puts it—is part of a broader effort to tackle global environmental problems.
A 'Big Science' Survey for the Social Sciences
Authors: Roush Wade
Published: October 2021

One of the most ambitious and expensive social science projects ever undertaken, the Health and Retirement Study is tracking more than 12,500 workers born between the years of 1931 and 1941 and their spouses. The goal is to find out more about how they age and what resources they will have available, information that will help policy-makers plan for the coming elderly explosion
The Action of Certain Hormones as Dietary Constituents
Authors: Funk Casimir , Funk Ian Casimir
Published: October 2021

The sex organs of the male are more resistant to dietary deficiencies, the animals showing only retrogression along with a significant loss in weight. Testosterone and gonadotropic hormone (of pregnant mare serum) produce a small but definite restorative effect.

Oral administration of estrin to females depresses the food intake, while testosterone, and less so the gonadotropic hormone in males produces the opposite effect. This effect can be regarded as evidence of the dietary significance of these two hormones.

The expenses of the present investigation were defrayed by the U. S. Vitamin Corporation, of New York City.
Linear magnetic anomalies and the limits of oceanic crust in oceans
Authors: Geoffroy Laurent , Gernigon Laurent , Foulger Gillian R.
Published: October 2021

The true partitioning between continental and oceanic lithosphere in oceans is unclear. According to early models, oceanic-type accretion generates pairs of linear magnetic anomalies, which are indicators of oceanic lithosphere and can be used as isochrons formed by seafloor spreading. However, seaward-dipping reflectors at conjugate volcanic passive margins also generate linear magnetic anomalies. The thick wedges of the inner seaward-dipping reflectors are associated with magnetic anomalies that are clearly distinct in shape and amplitude from those recorded in the distal oceanic realm. However, linear magnetic anomalies indistinguishable from those related to oceanic crust exist in the outer seaward-dipping reflector domain of many volcanic passive margins. Located seaward of the inner seaward-dipping reflectors, the crust of outer seaward-dipping reflectors is thus generally considered to be “oceanic.” However, the outer seaward-dipping reflector crust may be interpreted as tectonically exhumed mid-to-lower magma-intruded continental crust covered with syntectonic basalts. Although both oceanic crust and outer seaward-dipping reflector crust are associated with thick lava sections, the linear magnetic anomalies of outer seaward-dipping reflectors represent pre-oceanization magnetic anomalies that develop along extended continental lithosphere. We illustrate the consequence of these uncertainties on the type of lithosphere between Greenland and Europe. Here, depending on latitude, 20%–100% of the lithosphere previously thought to be oceanic might, on the contrary, be continental. Since more than 50% of passive margins worldwide are volcanic, poor mapping of seaward-dipping reflector–bearing crust types, and misinterpretation of linear magnetic anomaly–bearing distal volcanic passive-margin crust, could have led to widespread overestimation of the age of continental breakup and the extent of oceanic lithosphere in oceans.
Axion quality straight from the GUT
Authors: Vecchi Luca
Published: October 2021

Composite axion scenarios offer a robust field theoretic justification for the existence of a Peccei–Quinn symmetry of high quality. We present a new class of realizations that are naturally embedded in Grand-Unified Theories, retain asymptotic freedom for all gauge groups, and protect the axion shift symmetry up to operators of dimension 12. Our setup leads to a number of distinctive signatures at low energies. First, additional composite scalars are predicted; some of these are viable dark matter candidates for values of the decay constant that are likely too low for the QCD axion abundance to be relevant. Second, an approximate unification of the Standard Model gauge couplings takes place at the axion scale, while leaving the actual quark-lepton unification at much higher energies as usual. This suggests the existence of GUT relics with Standard Model gauge quantum numbers at potentially accessible scales.
Vacuum stability conditions and potential minima for a matrix representation in lightcone orbit space
Authors: Kannike Kristjan
Published: October 2021

The orbit space for a scalar field in a complex square matrix representation obtains a Minkowski space structure from the Cauchy–Schwarz inequality. It can be used to find vacuum stability conditions and minima of the scalar potential. The method is suitable for fields such as a bidoublet, an SU(2) triplet or SU(3) octet. We use the formalism to find the vacuum stability conditions for the left-right symmetric potential of a bidoublet and left and right Higgs doublets.
A Green Stackelberg-game Incentive Mechanism for Multi-service Exchange in Mobile Crowdsensing
Authors: Lu Jianfeng , Zhang Zhao , Wang Jiangtao , Li Ruixuan , Wan Shaohua
Published: October 2021

Although mobile crowdsensing (MCS) has become a green paradigm of collecting, analyzing, and exploiting massive amounts of sensory data, existing incentive mechanisms are not effective to stimulate users’s active participation and service contribution in multi-service exchange in MCS due to its specific features: a large number of heterogeneous users have asymmetric service requirements, workers have the freedom to choose sensing tasks as well as participation levels, and multiple sensing tasks have heterogeneous values which may be untruthful declared by the corresponding requesters. To address this issue, this article develops a green Stackelberg-game incentive mechanism to achieve selective fairness, truthfulness, and bounded efficiency while reducing the burden on the platform. First, we model the multi-service exchange problem as a Stackelberg multi-service exchange game consisting of multi-leader and multi-follower, in which each requester as a leader first chooses the reward declaration strategy and thus the payment for each sensing task, each worker as a follower then chooses the sensing plan strategy to maximize her own utility. We next introduce the concept of virtual currency to maintain the selective fairness to balance service request and service provision between users, in which a user earns/consumes virtual currency for providing/receiving services, and thus no one can always get services without providing services. Then, we present two novel algorithms to compute the unique Nash equilibrium for the sensing plan determination game and the reward declaration determination game, respectively, which together forms a unique Stackelberg equilibrium for the proposed game. Afterwards, we theoretically prove that the proposed green Stackelberg-game incentive mechanism achieves the desirable properties of selective fairness, truthfulness, bounded efficiency. Finally, extensive evaluation results are provided to support the validity and effectiveness of our mechanism compared with both baseline and theoretical optimal approaches.
A Flexible and Privacy-Preserving Collaborative Filtering Scheme in Cloud Computing for VANETs
Authors: Yang Huijie , Shen Jian , Zhou Tianqi , Ji Sai , Vijayakumar Pandi
Published: October 2021

The vehicular ad hoc network (VANET) has become a hot topic in recent years. With the development of VANETs, how to achieve secure and efficient machine learning in VANETs is an urgent problem to be solved. Besides, how to ensure that users obtain the accurate results of machine learning is also a challenge. Based on the homomorphic encryption and secure multiparty computing technology, a flexible and privacy-preserving collaborative filtering scheme is proposed to accomplish the personalized recommendation for users, which is based on users’ interests and locations. On the one hand, the data can be updated by users flexibly to ensure the freshness and accuracy of the dataset of interest. On the other hand, the weighted values of user interest can be safely sorted to improve the accuracy of collaborative filtering effectively. Moreover, a novel collaborative filtering algorithm based on the homomorphic encryption technology is designed, which can guarantee that the calculated decryption result by machine learning is the same as the plaintext. Note that the privacy of user data can be preserved during machine learning in this algorithm. Both theoretical and experimental analyses demonstrate that the proposed scheme is secure and efficient for collaborative filtering in cloud computing in VANETs.
InFeMo: Flexible Big Data Management Through a Federated Cloud System
Authors: Stergiou Christos L. , Psannis Konstantinos E. , Gupta Brij B.
Published: October 2021

This paper introduces and describes a novel architecture scenario based on Cloud Computing and counts on the innovative model of Federated Learning. The proposed model is named

Integrated Federated Model
,

with the acronym

InFeMo

. InFeMo incorporates all the existing Cloud models with a federated learning scenario, as well as other related technologies that may have integrated use with each other, offering a novel integrated scenario. In addition to this, the proposed model is motivated to deliver a more energy efficient system architecture and environment for the users, which aims to the scope of data management. Also, by applying the InFeMo the user would have less waiting time in every procedure queue. The proposed system was built on the resources made available by
Cloud Service Providers (CSPs)
and by using the
PaaS (Platform as a Service)
model, in order to be able to handle user requests better and faster. This research tries to fill a scientific gap in the field of federated Cloud systems. Thus, taking advantage of the existing scenarios of FedAvg and CO-OP, we were keen to end up with a new federated scenario that merges these two algorithms, and aiming for a more efficient model that is able to select, depending on the occasion, if it “trains” the model locally in client or globally in server.
Transfer Learning-powered Resource Optimization for Green Computing in 5G-Aided Industrial Internet of Things
Authors: Lv Zhihan , Lou Ranran , Kumar Singh Amit , Wang Qingjun
Published: October 2021

Objective: Green computing meets the needs of a low-carbon society and it is an important aspect of promoting social sustainable development and technological progress. In the investigation, green computing for resource management and allocation issues is only discussed. Therefore, in the context of the 5G communication network, the investigation of the data classification and resource optimization of the Internet of Things are conducted. Method: The virtualization architecture of the heterogeneous wireless network resource based on 5G technology is designed. The related investigation is conducted based on 5G network and Internet of Things technology. Under the traditional method, the transfer learning is introduced to improve the AdaBoost (Adaptive Boosting) algorithm to classify the data. The investigated complete resource reuse method is used to optimize resources. A method that a sub-channel can be reused by a cellular link and any number of D2D links at the same time is proposed to conduct resource optimization investigation. Results: The investigation indicates that the classification accuracy of the algorithm is excellent for the data classification of the Internet of Things and has different advantages in various aspects compared with other algorithms. The designed algorithm can find a larger set of resource reuse and have a significant increase in spectrum utilization efficiency. Conclusion: The investigation can contribute to the boom in the Internet of Things in terms of data classification and resource optimization based on 5G.
A Formal System for the Universal Quantification of Schematic Variables
Authors: Guidi Ferruccio
Published: October 2021

We advocate the use of de Bruijn’s universal abstraction\lambda {\mathord \infty }{}{}{}for the quantification of schematic variables in the predicative setting, and we present a typed\lambda {}{}{}{}-calculus featuring the quantifier\lambda {\mathord \infty }{}{}{}accompanied by other practically useful constructions like explicit substitutions and expected type annotations. Our calculus stands just on two notions, i.e., bound rt-reduction and parametric validity, and has the expressive power of\lambda \mathord \rightarrow. Thus, while not aiming at being a logical framework by itself, it does enjoy many desired invariants of logical frameworks including confluence of reduction, strong normalization, preservation of type by reduction, decidability, correctness of types and uniqueness of types up to conversion. This calculus belongs to the\lambda \deltafamily of formal systems, which borrow some features from the pure type systems and some from the languages of the Automath tradition, but stand outside both families. In particular, our calculus includes and evolves two earlier systems of this family. Moreover, a machine-checked specification of its theory is available.
Local Belief Dynamics in Network Knowledge Bases
Authors: Gallo Fabio R. , Simari Gerardo I. , Martinez Maria Vanina , Santos Natalia Abad , Falappa Marcelo A.
Published: October 2021

People are becoming increasingly more connected to each other as social networks continue to grow both in number and variety, and this is true for autonomous software agents as well. Taking them as a collection, such social platforms can be seen as one complex network with many different types of relations, different degrees of strength for each relation, and a wide range of information on each node. In this context, social media posts made by users are reflections of the content of their own individual (or local) knowledge bases; modeling how knowledge flows over the network—or how this can possibly occur—is therefore of great interest from a knowledge representation and reasoning perspective. In this article, we provide a formal introduction to the
network knowledge base
model, and then focus on the problem of how a single agent’s knowledge base changes when exposed to a stream of news items coming from other members of the network. We do so by taking the classical belief revision approach of first proposing desirable properties for how such a local operation should be carried out (theoretical characterization), arriving at three different families of local operators, exploring concrete algorithms (algorithmic characterization) for two of the families, and proving properties about the relationship between the two characterizations (representation theorem). One of the most important differences between our approach and the classical models of belief revision is that in our case the input is more complex, containing additional information about each piece of information.
Context-aware Spatial-Temporal Neural Network for Citywide Crowd Flow Prediction via Modeling Long-range Spatial Dependency
Authors: Feng Jie , Li Yong , Lin Ziqian , Rong Can , Sun Funing , Guo Diansheng , Jin Depeng
Published: October 2021

Crowd flow prediction is of great importance in a wide range of applications from urban planning, traffic control to public safety. It aims at predicting the
inflow
(the traffic of crowds entering a region in a given time interval) and
outflow
(the traffic of crowds leaving a region for other places) of each region in the city with knowing the historical flow data. In this article, we propose DeepSTN+, a deep learning-based convolutional model, to predict crowd flows in the metropolis. First, DeepSTN+ employs the
ConvPlus
structure to model the long-range spatial dependence among crowd flows in different regions. Further, PoI distributions and time factor are combined to express the effect of location attributes to introduce prior knowledge of the crowd movements. Finally, we propose a temporal attention-based fusion mechanism to stabilize the training process, which further improves the performance. Extensive experimental results based on four real-life datasets demonstrate the superiority of our model, i.e., DeepSTN+ reduces the error of the crowd flow prediction by approximately 10%–21% compared with the state-of-the-art baselines.
Hardware Implementation of Hierarchical Temporal Memory Algorithm
Authors: Li Weifu , Franzon Paul , Dey Sumon , Schabel Joshua
Published: October 2021

Hierarchical temporal memory (HTM)
is an un-supervised machine learning algorithm that can learn both spatial and temporal information of input. It has been successfully applied to multiple areas. In this paper, we propose a multi-level hierarchical ASIC implementation of HTM, referred to as processor core, to support both spatial and temporal pooling. To improve the unbalanced workload in HTM, the proposed design provides different mapping methods for the spatial and temporal pooling, respectively. In the proposed design, we implement a distributed memory system by assigning one dedicated memory bank to each level of hierarchy to improve the memory bandwidth utilization efficiency. Finally, the hot-spot operations are optimized using a series of customized units. Regarding scalability, we propose a ring-based network consisting of multiple processor cores to support a larger HTM network. To evaluate the performance of our proposed design, we map an HTM network that includes 2,048 columns and 65,536 cells on both the proposed design and NVIDIA Tesla K40c GPU using the KTH database as input. The latency and power of the proposed design is 6.04 ms and 4.1 W using GP 65 nm technology. Compared to the equivalent GPU implementation, the latency and power is improved 12.45× and 57.32×, respectively.
Network Public Opinion Detection During the Coronavirus Pandemic: A Short-Text Relational Topic Model
Authors: Jiang Yuanchun , Liang Ruicheng , Zhang Ji , Sun Jianshan , Liu Yezheng , Qian Yang
Published: October 2021

Online social media provides rich and varied information reflecting the significant concerns of the public during the coronavirus pandemic. Analyzing what the public is concerned with from social media information can support policy-makers to maintain the stability of the social economy and life of the society. In this article, we focus on the detection of the network public opinions during the coronavirus pandemic. We propose a novel Relational Topic Model for Short texts (RTMS) to draw opinion topics from social media data. RTMS exploits the feature of texts in online social media and the opinion propagation patterns among individuals. Moreover, a dynamic version of RTMS (DRTMS) is proposed to capture the evolution of public opinions. Our experiment is conducted on a real-world dataset which includes 67,592 comments from 14,992 users. The results demonstrate that, compared with the benchmark methods, the proposed RTMS and DRTMS models can detect meaningful public opinions by leveraging the feature of social media data. It can also effectively capture the evolution of public concerns during different phases of the coronavirus pandemic.
Wireless Localization with Spatial-Temporal Robust Fingerprints
Authors: Li Danyang , Xu Jingao , Yang Zheng , Wu Chenshu , Li Jianbo , Lane Nicholas D.
Published: October 2021

Indoor localization has gained increasing attention in the era of the Internet of Things. Among various technologies, WiFi fingerprint-based localization has become a mainstream solution. However, RSS fingerprints suffer from critical drawbacks of spatial ambiguity and temporal instability that root in multipath effects and environmental dynamics, which degrade the performance of these systems and therefore impede their wide deployment in the real world. Pioneering works overcome these limitations at the costs of ubiquity as they mostly resort to additional information or extra user constraints. In this article, we present the design and implementation of ViViPlus, an indoor localization system purely based on WiFi fingerprints, which jointly mitigates spatial ambiguity and temporal instability and derives reliable performance without impairing the ubiquity. The key idea is to embrace the spatial awareness of RSS values in a novel form of RSS Spatial Gradient (RSG) matrix for enhanced WiFi fingerprints. We devise techniques for the representation, construction, and localization of the proposed fingerprint form and integrate them all in a practical system. Extensive experiments across 7 months in different environments demonstrate that ViViPlus significantly improves the accuracy in localization scenarios by about 30% to 50% compared with the state-of-the-art approaches.
Clay Minerals Change the Toxic Effect of Cadmium on the Activities of Leucine Aminopeptidase
Authors: Huang Shunyu , Li Jingji , Wang Jipeng
Published: October 2021

Soil leucine aminopeptidase (LAP) is a hydrolytic enzyme involved in the acquisition of nitrogen by microorganisms. In contaminated soils, LAP activity is affected not only by the type and concentration of heavy metals but also by the form of enzyme. Here, we investigated the degree and mechanism of cadmium (Cd) inhibition of soil LAP and purified LAP. We also examined the effect of montmorillonite and kaolinite on LAP and LAP contaminated with Cd. The results showed that Cd inhibition of LAP activity increased with increasing Cd concentration and that Cd exerted noncompetitive inhibition of LAP. The addition of clay minerals decreases LAP activity and the maximum reaction rate ([Formula: see text]), regardless of the presence of Cd. Montmorillonite decreases the affinity of LAP to the substrate ([Formula: see text]), while kaolinite increases the affinity of LAP to the substrate. The clay mineral-immobilized LAP showed an increase in resistance to Cd contamination compared with the free LAP. The results obtained in this study may aid in understanding the toxic effects of heavy metals on soil enzymes.
ROS as Regulators of Cellular Processes in Melanoma
Authors: Venza Isabella , Venza Mario , Visalli Maria , Lentini Germana , Teti Diana , d′Alcontres Francesco Stagno
Published: October 2021

In this review, we examine the multiple roles of ROS in the pathogenesis of melanoma, focusing on signal transduction and regulation of gene expression. In recent years, different studies have analyzed the dual role of ROS in regulating the redox system, with both negative and positive consequences on human health, depending on cell concentration of these agents. High ROS levels can result from an altered balance between oxidant generation and intracellular antioxidant activity and can produce harmful effects. In contrast, low amounts of ROS are considered beneficial, since they trigger signaling pathways involved in physiological activities and programmed cell death, with protective effects against melanoma. Here, we examine these beneficial roles, which could have interesting implications in melanoma treatment.
An Unusual Presentation of Thyrotoxicosis: Leg Weakness and Hypokalemia in a 21-Year-Old Male
Authors: Campana Mario S. , Riofrio Maria , Jadav Raja S. , Rozenek Mattan
Published: October 2021

Patients with hyperthyroidism or thyrotoxicosis present with an unspecific constellation of signs or symptoms such as palpitations, tremors, weight loss, or diarrhea. In some severe cases, hyperthyroidism can predispose patients to metabolic abnormalities and arrhythmias. Thyrotoxic periodic paralysis (TTP) is a rare, life-threatening complication or variant of hyperthyroidism associated with hypokalemia and muscle weakness that affects young Asian or Hispanic males between 20–40 years. TTP is reversible, and the management consists of beta-blockers, antithyroid therapy, and conservative potassium correction to prevent severe cardiovascular events such as ventricular arrhythmias with the improvement of transient muscle paralysis. We present a case of a 21-year-old Hispanic male complaining with symptoms of thyrotoxicosis, marked hypokalemia, and severe generalized muscle weakness. Physicians must be aware of this uncommon complication of thyrotoxicosis called thyrotoxic periodic paralysis (TTP) to avoid potassium overcorrection and all the endocrine associations with this pathology.
Analysis of a Tuberculosis Infection Model considering the Influence of Saturated Recovery (Treatment)
Authors: Sulayman Fatima , Abdullah Farah Aini
Published: October 2021

Tuberculosis (TB) is a serious global health threat that is caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis, is extremely infectious, and has a high mortality rate. In this paper, we developed a model of TB infection to predict the impact of saturated recovery. The existence of equilibrium and its stability has been investigated based on the effective reproduction number RC. The model displays interesting dynamics, including backward bifurcation and Hopf bifurcation, which further results in the stable disease‐free and stable endemic equilibria to be coexisting. Bifurcation analysis demonstrates that the saturation parameter is accountable for the phenomenon of backward bifurcation. We derive a condition that guarantees that the model is globally asymptotically stable using the Lyapunov function approach to global stability. The numerical simulation also reveals that the extent of saturation of TB infection is the mechanism that is fuelling TB disease in the population.
Enabling Device‐to‐Device (D2D) Communication for the Next Generation WLAN
Authors: Wang Ying , Lei Jianjun , Shang Fengjun
Published: October 2021

Device‐to‐device (D2D) communication technology is widely acknowledged as an emerging candidate to alleviate the wireless traffic explosion problem for the next generation wireless local area network (WLAN) IEEE 802.11ax. In this paper, we integrate D2D communication into IEEE 802.11ax for maximizing the spectrum efficiency. Due to the spectrum scarcity, the number of available resource units (RUs) is typically less than D2D pairs and stations (STAs), which makes the management of spectrum resources more complex. To tackle this issue, we design an efficient resource management algorithm for uplink random access and resource allocation in D2D‐enabled 802.11ax, which provides more channel access and resource reuse opportunities for STAs and D2D pairs. Specifically, we propose an enhanced back‐off mechanism and derive the optimal contention window (CW) by a theoretical model, which improves the uplink random access efficiency. To tackle the complex interference problem in RU scheduling phase, we develop an efficient and low‐complexity resource allocation algorithm based on the maximal independent set (MIS), which can schedule multiple D2D pairs to share the same RU with the specific STA. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed algorithm significantly improves the network performance in terms of system throughput, collision rate, complete time, and channel utilization.
The Auxiliary Role of Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Feature-Tracking Parameters in the Differentiation between Cardiac Amyloidosis and Constrictive Pericarditis
Authors: Asadian Sanaz , Farzin Mahta , Tabesh Faezeh , Rezaeian Nahid , Bakhshandeh Hooman , Hosseini Leila , Toloueitabar Yaser , Hemmati Komasi Mohammad Mehdi
Published: October 2021

Objectives. Cardiac amyloidosis (CA) and constrictive pericarditis (CP) are described as the differential diagnoses of restrictive hemodynamic alterations of the heart. We aimed to explain cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging findings (especially feature tracking (FT)) of CA and CP cases and compare them with healthy controls. Moreover, we evaluated the role of biventricular FT parameters in differentiating CA from CP. Methods. Thirty-eight patients who underwent CMR between February 2016 and January 2018 with the ultimate diagnosis of CA (19 patients) or CP (19 patients) were enrolled. We included biopsy-proven light-chain amyloidosis patients. The data of 28 healthy controls were utilized for comparison. The patients were followed up for 8–23 months to register mortality and their surveillance. All CMR morphological and functional data, including FT parameters, were recorded and analyzed. Results. Of only 13/19 (68.4%) CA patients who had the follow-up data, 11/13 (84.6%) died. One of The CP patients (5.3%) expired during the follow-up. Significant between-group differences were noted concerning the biventricular ejection fraction as well as global longitudinal, circumferential, and radial strain values (

P
s
<
0.001

). The left ventricular (LV) global longitudinal strain (GLS) ≤10% was detected in 13/19 (68.4%) of the CA and 1/19 (5.3%) of CP cases (

P
<
0.001

). A significant difference between the mean value of the LVGLS and LV global circumferential strain (GCS) of the basal LV level compared to the mid and apical levels was observed (

P
s
<
0.001

) in the CA patients. The differences between the mean LVGLS and the GCS measures of the mid and apical LV levels were not significant (

P
=
1

and

P
=
0.06

, respectively). Conclusions. In our study, CA and CP severely disrupted ventricular strains. Biventricular GLS was meaningfully lower in the CA subjects. Therefore, strain analysis, especially in the longitudinal direction, could be helpful to differentiate CA from CP.
Dynamic Balance in Spinal and Bulbar Muscular Atrophy: Relationship between Strength and Performance of Forward Lunge, Step Up and Over, and Step Quick Turn
Authors: Shrader Joseph A. , Sansare Ashwini , Shieh Vincent , Woolstenhulme Joshua G. , Rekant Julie , Jiménez-Silva Rafael , Joe Galen O. , Kokkinis Angela , Fischbeck Kenneth H. , Grunseich Christopher , Zampieri Cristiane
Published: October 2021

Introduction. Spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy (SBMA) is a neuromuscular disorder that leads to progressive weakness of bulbar and extremity muscles. Dynamic balance during functional tasks has not been reported in people with SBMA. Objectives. (1) To evaluate the ability to safely complete a forward lunge (FL), step quick turn (SQT), and step up and over (SUO), (2) to determine the presence and severity of dynamic balance impairments by comparing performance to normative data, and (3) to investigate the relationship between lower extremity strength and ability to complete each task. Design. Cross-sectional analysis. Participants. Fifty-three people with SBMA were included in a cross-sectional analysis. Normative datasets provided by the NeuroCom manufacturer and isometric strength literature facilitated patient comparisons. Outcome Measures. Force plate-based dynamic balance measures included FL (distance, impact index, contact time, and force impulse), SQT (turn time and turn sway), and SUO (lift up index, movement time, and impact index). Maximal isometric contractions of knee extensors, ankle dorsiflexors, ankle plantar flexors, and hip extensors were measured with fixed frame dynamometry. Results. The most difficult test, per completion rate, was SUO (52%), followed by FL (57%) and SQT (65%).

t

-tests revealed significant abnormalities in eight of nine balance variables (

p
<
0.05

) accompanied by large

Cohe

n

’

s
 
D
 
effect
 
sizes
≥
0.8

. Receiver operating characteristics analysis showed knee extensor (SUO 95% CI =0.78–1.00, SQT 95% CI =0.64-0.92) and ankle plantar flexor strength (SUO

95
%
CI
=
0.75
–
0.99

, SQT

95
%
CI
=
0.64
−
0.92

) significantly discriminated the ability to perform SUO and SQT tests with acceptable to excellent areas under the curve. Conclusions. Considerable dynamic balance abnormalities were observed. Lower extremity strength helps explain low test completion rates. Patients modified task movement patterns, enabling safe task performance. Study results can help direct patient care and future protocol design for people with SBMA.
Clinical Study on the Efficacy of Silver Ion Dressing Combined with Prontosan Gel Dressing in the Treatment of Diabetic Foot Ulcers and the Effect on Serum Inflammatory Factors
Authors: Xu Da , Chu Tongbin , Tao Guilu
Published: October 2021

Diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) have a high disability rate and have a great impact on patients and society, and the search for effective and economical treatment options is a major clinical concern. In this study, 112 patients with DFU admitted to two hospitals from October 2018 to November 2020 were randomly divided into 56 cases each in the single group treated with Prontosan gel dressing and the joint group treated on silver ion dressing combined with Prontosan gel dressing. Both groups of patients were evaluated for efficacy after 30 days of treatment. The number of days for debridement, granulation tissue growth time, epithelial tissue formation time, and wound healing time were observed and recorded in both groups. The trauma area, visual analogue score (VAS), and levels of inflammatory factors such as vascular endothelial adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1), interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and C-reactive protein (CRP) were recorded before and after treatment in both groups. The occurrence of adverse reactions such as edema, fever, infection, and rash during treatment was recorded in both groups for safety assessment. Comparison of the abovementioned data showed that the clinical efficacy of the joint group was significantly higher than that of the single group. The number of days to clear wounds, granulation tissue growth time, epithelial tissue formation time, and wound healing time were significantly lower in the joint group than in the single group. The trauma area, VAS score, VCAM-1, IL-6, TNF-α, and CRP levels decreased in both groups after treatment compared with the pretreatment levels, with the joint group being lower than the single group. The results also showed that the difference in the overall incidence of adverse reactions between the two groups was not statistically significant, and the incidence was low and transient. In addition to the usual treatment regimen of blood glucose control and improvement of microcirculation for patients with DFU, combined treatment with silver ionomer dressings and Prontosan gel dressings can promote ulcer healing and improve foot wound regression. It has a stronger antibacterial effect and can more effectively reduce the inflammatory response of the ulcerated surface with fewer adverse effects, making it an effective and safe method for the treatment of DFU, and has implications for promotion.
Effects of Nitrogen Fertilizer Quantity and Time of Application on Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) Production in Lowland Areas of North Shewa, Ethiopia
Authors: Temeche Degu , Getachew Elias , Hailu Gtachew
Published: October 2021

This research was conducted to assess the effect of rates and time of nitrogen fertilizer application on yield and yield components of sorghum in lowland areas of North Shewa. The treatments contained three rates of nitrogen (N) (46, 92, and 138 kg·ha−1) and three times of N application (1/2 dose at sowing and 1/2 dose at tillering (timing one); 1/3 dose at sowing and 2/3 dose at tillering (timing two); and 1/3 dose at sowing, 1/3 dose at early tillering, and 1/3 dose at tillering (timing three) including one control. Days to 50% maturity, plant height, head length, head weight, and grain yield were significantly affected by treatment effect, while days to emergency, days to heading, and thousand kernel weight showed nonsignificant effect. The maximum grain yield was 5.060, 5.169, 5.836, and 5.555 t·ha−1 from T2, T5, T8, and T10, respectively, and statistically similar yield was recorded at combination of different rates in two split applications (1/2 dose at sowing and 1/2 dose at tillering). By considering the economic status of the farmers, the applications of 46 kg·N·ha−1 in two split doses (1/2 dose at sowing and 1/2 dose at tillering stage) gave 87,122 Birr·ha−1 with a MRR of 475.61%, which gave best economic benefit. Therefore, it can be concluded that use of 46 kg·N·ha−1 in two split applications (1/2 dose at sowing and 1/2 dose at tillering stage) can be recommended for farmers for production of sorghum in the study area and other areas with similar agroecological conditions.
A New Discrete Grid-Based Bacterial Foraging Optimizer to Solve Complex Influence Maximization of Social Networks
Authors: Zhang Yichuan , Yong Yibo , Yang Shujun , Zhang Tian
Published: October 2021

Influence maximization (IM) is fundamental to social network applications. It aims to find multiple seed nodes with an enormous impact cascade to maximize these nodes’ spread of influence in social networks. Traditional methods for solving influence maximization of the social network, such as the distance method, greedy method, and PageRank method, may suffer from issues of low calculation accuracy and high computational cost. In this paper, we propose a new bacterial foraging optimization algorithm to solve the IM problem based on the complete-three-layer-influence (CTLI) evaluation model. In this algorithm, a novel grid-based reproduction strategy and a direction-adjustment-based chemotaxis strategy are devised to enhance the algorithm’s searchability. Finally, we conduct comprehensive experiments on four social network cases to verify the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm. The experimental results show that our proposed algorithm effectively solves the social network’s influence maximization.
Renal Replacement Lipomatosis Presenting in the Setting of Ureteral Stricture with Absence of Renal Calculus Disease
Authors: Collins Katrina , Brocken Eric , Warmke Laura M. , Tirkes Temel , Hwang Michael
Published: October 2021

Renal replacement lipomatosis of the kidney is a rare, benign entity in which extensive fibrofatty proliferation of the renal sinus is associated with marked atrophy of the renal parenchyma. It is often associated with calculi or long-standing inflammation. This entity may be confused with a fatty neoplasm of the kidney. A 51-year-old woman with a past medical history of pancreas transplant for type 1 diabetes subsequently developed ureteral stricture. This was initially managed by a nephrostomy tube and nephroureterostomy stenting with periodic exchanges to help restore urine flow; however, the renal function of the kidney progressively declined with recurrent and complicated urinary tract infections. She presented for kidney transplant with right native nephrectomy. Gross examination of the right kidney revealed a 12.8 cm renal sinus lipomatous mass replacing much of the kidney. Microscopically, the mass consisted of mature adipose tissue with fibrous septae and occasional thick-walled vessels with prominent smooth muscle bundles. A rare atypical stromal cell was present, otherwise no significant cytologic atypia or lipoblasts were identified. After excluding fat-predominant angiomyolipoma and well-differentiated liposarcoma, a diagnosis of renal replacement lipomatosis was made. Renal replacement lipomatosis is a benign condition typically associated with a nonfunctioning or poorly functioning kidney often linked to renal calculus disease or chronic renal infection. The presentation in our case was atypical given an absence of associated renal calculus disease. This case is intended to increase awareness of this less commonly encountered entity as it may be confused with a fatty neoplasm of the kidney, some with malignant potential.
Mechanism of Catechol‐O‐methyltransferase Regulating Orofacial Pain Induced by Tooth Movement
Authors: Zhou Yonglong , Song Zhiping , Chen Shibiao , Yao Fen , Liu Jian , Ouyang Zhiqiang , Liao Zhengyu
Published: October 2021

Objective. To explore the mechanism of catechol‐O‐methyltransferase (COMT) in tooth movement pain. Methods. The experimental groups were randomly allocated into the healthy control, sham operation, model, model+shCOMT experimental, model+shCOMT control, and model+COMT antagonist groups. A tooth movement pain model was established. The pain stimulation and behavior test were performed. The duration of grooming behavior was determined. The appropriate experimental force and duration for application were selected. COMT shRNA vector was constructed and packaged as adenovirus. The shCOMT adenovirus was injected into the left infraorbital foramen. Seven days later, the trigeminal ganglia of all treatment groups were obtained. The COMT and IL‐17 expressions were detected by western blot. The appropriate COMT antagonist concentration was selected. The pathological results of each group were detected by HE staining. The tooth movement distance was determined. The COMT gene expression was detected by FISH. The COMT and IL‐17 expressions in the right trigeminal ganglion tissue of each group were detected by western blot. Results. The 60 g force and 14‐day duration required the lowest stimulus intensity, the duration of grooming behavior was the longest, and the effect on COMT and IL‐17 was the most significant. In the model group, formation of digestive cavity was seen in the trigeminal ganglion tissue, with infiltration of inflammatory cells, upregulation of the COMT and IL‐17 expressions, and significant increase in the tooth movement distance. Compared with the model group, the shCOMT experimental group and the COMT antagonist group significantly improved the trigeminal ganglion tissue injury, significantly decreased the tooth movement distance, and significantly inhibited the COMT and IL‐17 expressions. Conclusion. The efficiency of tooth movement can be influenced by interfering the COMT‐related gene expression. This proves that the COMT system can regulate the orthodontic tooth movement pain.
Application of Motion Sensor Fusion in Special Competitive Sports
Authors: Xingjun Duan
Published: October 2021

With the advancement of science and technology and the rapid development of the field of intelligence, new sensor technology has also made great progress. The availability and use speed of motion sensor technology are increasing rapidly, while its cost is reduced, the overall performance is also more complete, and the application fields are becoming more and more extensive. Based on the introduction and summary of the human body structure and the characteristics of sports, in order to facilitate the study of human movement, this article establishes a rod‐shaped sports model and a human body coordinate system that is convenient for analysis and calculation. Through the analysis of commonly used sports parameter measurement methods, a method of using acceleration parameters for sports measurement and analysis is proposed. The motion sensor is used to measure the movement of the limbs, and the mathematical relationship between acceleration parameters and speed, displacement, and other parameters is used to solve other motion parameters, so as to analyze the posture and movement trajectory of sports. We developed a motion acquisition system which is divided into two parts: a signal acquisition unit and a data processing unit. With ARM7 and three‐axis accelerometer ADXL330 as the core, it can realize information acquisition and data analysis of up to 5 sensor network nodes. The topology management platform mainly formulates the sleep strategy of suitable nodes according to the changes of the sensor network topology, maintains the connectivity of the network, and ensures the effective transmission of data. On the basis of the performance test of the system, a sports measurement experiment was carried out, and it was applied to the control of competitive sports for reliability testing. The experimental results verified the use of the sports information acquisition system to collect and analyze sports information.
IT Usage and Innovation Performance of SMEs in China: A New Perspective
Authors: Hu Shilei , Wang Xiaohong
Published: October 2021

Existing studies on the information technology (IT) usage of firms are constrained within the perspective of “IT tool” or “IT investment.” Few studies have analyzed the IT usage of firms from a new perspective. This study aims to fill this gap by examining the impact of IT usage on the innovation performance of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) from the perspective of the product value chain (PVC). A research model integrating IT usage width, IT usage frequency, manufacturing flexibility, human capital quality, and firm innovation performance was proposed for this analysis. Furthermore, a quantitative analysis was performed on a sample of more than 1300 Chinese manufacturing firms using the newest data provided by the World Bank. Results validate that IT usage width and IT usage frequency have a significantly positive impact on the innovation performance of SMEs. Manufacturing flexibility plays a partially mediating role between IT usage frequency and the innovation performance of SMEs. Moreover, human capital quality has a significantly positive moderating effect on IT usage width and the innovation performance of SMEs. IT usage width and IT usage frequency appear to be important predictors of the innovation performance of SMEs, whereas there are substantial differences in the influencing mechanism of IT usage width and IT usage frequency on the innovation performance of SMEs.
Enabling In-Depot Automated Routing and Recharging Scheduling for Automated Electric Bus Transit Systems
Authors: Wang Lei , Ma Wanjing , Wang Ling , Ren Yongli , Yu Chunhui
Published: October 2021

The bus transit system is promising to enable electric and autonomous vehicles for massive urban mobility, which relies on high-level automation and efficient resource management. Besides the on-road automation, the in-depot automated scheduling for battery recharging has not been adequately studied yet. This paper presents an integrated in-depot routing and recharging scheduling (IDRRS) problem, which is modeled as a constraint programming (CP) problem with Boolean satisfiability conditions (SAT). The model is converted to a flexible job-shop problem (FJSP) and is feasible to be solved by a CP-SAT solver for the optimal solution or feasible solutions with acceptable performance. This paper also presents a case study in Shanghai and compares the results from the FJSP model and the first-come first-serve (FCFS) method. The result demonstrates the allocation of routes and chargers under multiple scenarios with different numbers of chargers. The results show that the FJSP model shortens the delay and increases the time conservation for future rounds of operation than FCFS, while FCFS presents the simplicity of programming and better computational efficiency. The multiple random input test suggests that the proposed approach can decide the minimum number of chargers for stochastic charging requests. The proposed method can conserve the investment by increasing the utilization of automated recharging devices, improving vehicles’ in-depot efficiency.