bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Molecular characterisation of Neisseria gonorrhoeae associated with disseminated gonococcal infections in Queensland, Australia: a retrospective surveillance study
Authors: Guglielmino Christine J D , Sandhu Sumeet , Lau Colleen L , Buckely Cameron , Trembizki Ella , Whiley David M , Jennison Amy V
Published: August 2022

Objectives

Gonorrhoea caused by Neisseria gonorrhoeae is the second most notified sexually transmitted infection (STI) in Australia and the case numbers for this STI have been increasing globally. Progressive gonococcal infection may lead to disseminated gonococcal infection (DGI), which causes significant morbidity among patients. This study aims to examine the genetic diversity of N. gonorrhoeae isolates collected in Queensland from January 2010 to August 2015 and to determine factors associated with DGI in Queensland.

Design

Retrospective surveillance study for epidemiological purposes.

Setting

All gonorrhoeae isolates referred by private and public pathology laboratories to the state of Queensland, Australia Neisseria reference laboratory.

Methods

Between January 2010 and August 2015, 3953 N. gonorrhoeae isolates from both metropolitan and regional Queensland infections were typed with NG-MAST (N. gonorrhoeae multiantigen sequence typing) to assess the genetic diversity between strains. Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) was used to investigate strain-related factors associated with DGI.

Results

ST6876 was the most common NG-MAST type, detected in 7.6% of the isolates. DGI was significantly more likely in females <30 years (OR 13.02, p<0.0001) and in older males >30 years (OR 6.04, p<0.0001), with most cases originating from North Queensland (OR 8.5, p<0.0001). Strains harbouring PIA class of porB type were associated with DGI (OR 33.23, p<0.0001).

Conclusion

Genotyping techniques, such as NG-MAST and WGS, are proving instrumental in providing an insight into the population structure of N. gonorrhoeae, and genetic mechanisms of pathogenesis, such as for DGI.
Flow diversion for compressive unruptured internal carotid artery aneurysms with neuro-ophthalmological symptoms: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Kaiser Daniel P O , Cuberi Ani , Linn Jennifer , Gawlitza Matthias
Published: August 2022

Background

Data on the safety and efficacy of flow diverters (FD) for the treatment of unruptured internal carotid artery (ICA) aneurysms with compressive neuro-ophthalmological symptoms (NOS) are scarce and comprise mainly small case series.

Methods

We performed a search of three databases and included series with ≥10 patients, with unruptured aneurysms of the ICA and NOS, treated with FD. Random-effects analysis of treatment results and safety was performed.

Results

A total of 22 studies reporting on 594 patients were included. Pooled proportions of NOS recovery, improvement, transient and permanent worsening were: 47.4% (95% CI 35.0% to 60.1%); 74.5% (95% CI 67.9% to 80.2%); 7.1% (95% CI 3.3% to 14.7%); and 4.9% (95% CI 3.2% to 7.4%), respectively. Rates of complete recovery and improvement in patients with isolated visual symptoms were 30.6% (95% CI 12.5% to 57.7%) and 56.6% (95% CI 42.3% to 69.9%). Isolated oculomotor symptoms recovered completely in 47.8% (95% CI 29.9% to 66.3%) and improved in 78% (95% CI 69.2% to 84.9%). Morbidity occurred in 5% (95% CI 2.8% to 9%) and mortality in 3.9% (95% CI 2% to 7.5%) of patients. An increased likelihood of symptom improvement was observed when treatment was performed early (<1 month) after symptom onset (OR=11.22, 95% CI 3.9% to 32.5%).

Conclusion

Flow diversion promotes recovery or improvement of compressive symptoms in a large proportion of patients but is associated with significant rates of morbidity and mortality. Transient and permanent NOS worsening is not uncommon. Early treatment is of utmost importance, as it increases the likelihood of symptom improvement more than 10-fold.
A model of vector-like leptons for the muon $$g-2$$ and the W boson mass
Authors: Lee Hyun Min , Yamashita Kimiko
Published: August 2022

We consider a simple extension of the Standard Model (SM) with a vector-like lepton and a local $$U(1)'$$

U

(
1
)

′

symmetry, motivated by the recent experimental anomalies in the muon $$g-2$$

g
-
2

and the W boson mass. The $$U(1)'$$

U

(
1
)

′

symmetry is spontaneously broken by the VEVs of the dark Higgs scalar and the second Higgs doublet, giving rise to the mixing between the muon and the vector-like lepton. As a result, we obtain the desirable corrections to the muon $$g-2$$

g
-
2

and the W boson mass simultaneously, dominantly due to the $$Z'$$

Z
′

gauge interactions for the vector-like lepton and the second Higgs doublet, respectively. We also discuss the consistency of the model with the Z boson decay width, the Higgs couplings and the dilepton bounds.
Improvement of geochemical prospectivity mapping using power spectrum–area fractal modelling of the multi-element mineralization factor (SAF-MF)
Authors: Mahdiyanfar Hossein , Seyedrahimi-Niaraq Mirmahdi
Published: August 2022

Geochemical anomaly mapping is a significant method in exploring for Au and associated elements using fine-fraction sediments. The fractal behaviour of geochemical elements has frequently been modelled for geochemical prospectivity mapping. In this study, concentration–area (C-A) and power spectrum–area (S-A) fractal modelling were utilized for Au concentration in stream sediments near the Saqqez mineralization area, NW Iran. A novel integrated approach based on the S-A fractal method and principal component analysis (PCA) was used to improve the geochemical anomaly map. In this approach, the multi-element mineralization factor returned from PCA was modelled by the S-A fractal method, and the obtained results were compared to the C-A and S-A fractal models of the element Au. Six known mineralization zones in the studied area were revisited to validate the fractal models. The elements Au, As, W, and Sb were identified as associated elements based on the log-ratio-transformed data in the shear zone gold mineralization. S-A fractal modelling of the multi-element mineralization factor (SAF-MF) of the Au-associated elements in the mineralization zones enhanced the geochemical halos and increased the prediction rate of mineralization zones using stream sediment geochemical data. The SAF-MF that models the behaviour of frequency signals of associated elements upgraded the geochemical anomaly mapping compared to conventional fractal models.

Supplementary material:
Supplementary information including figures S1–S5 is available at
https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.c.6123537
About this title - From Continental Shelf to Slope: Mapping the Oceanic Realm
Authors: Asch K. , Kitazato H. , Vallius H.
Published: August 2022

This volume covers multi-disciplinary Research and Development contributions from Europe, Asia and North America on geology, geophysics, bathymetric and biological aspects, towards data sampling, acquisition, data analysis and its results, and innovative ways of data access. It also presents the development of processes to map, harmonize and integrate marine data across EEZ boundaries, an impressive example of which is the European EMODnet (European Marine Observation and Data network) initiative. EMODnet assembles scattered and partially hidden marine data into continentally harmonized geospatial data products for public benefit and increasingly within overseas collaboration. The volume also aims to shed light on an evaluation of biological and mineral resources and environmental assessments at continental shelf to slope depths. Western Pacific examples provide excellent case studies for this topic. Mapping of the ocean realm is not only for scientific purposes, but also for the people who live by the seas. Communication amongst scientists and multiple stakeholders is essential for living sustainably with the seas. In this volume we encourage dialogue amongst all the stakeholders.
About this title - The Chalk Aquifers of Northern Europe
Authors: Farrell R. P. , Massei N. , Foley A. E. , Howlett P. R. , West L. J.
Published: August 2022

The Cretaceous Chalk aquifers of Northern Europe underlie and support many sensitive ecosystems whilst at the same time being an important source of drinking water. This volume brings together the outcomes of numerous projects and case studies to provide the latest applied and theoretical understanding of all aspects of Chalk hydrogeology in Northern Europe.
About this title - Volcanic Processes in the Sedimentary Record: When Volcanoes Meet the Environment
Authors: Di Capua A. , De Rosa R. , Kereszturi G. , Le Pera E. , Rosi M. , Watt S. F. L.
Published: August 2022

This book brings together research, review and methodological papers that provide an updated view on the sedimentary record of volcanism, spanning diverse processes and environments. It aims to bridge the gap between volcanological and sedimentological approaches to the investigation of processes governing the generation, dispersion and accumulation of volcaniclastic deposits.
Microblog Retrieval Based on Concept-Enhanced Pre-Training Model
Authors: Wang Yashen , Wang Zhaoyu , Zhang Huanhuan , Liu Zhirun
Published: August 2022

Despite substantial interest in applications of neural networks to information retrieval, neural ranking models have mostly been applied to conventional ad-hoc retrieval tasks over web pages and newswire articles. This article proposes a concept-enhanced pre-training model for microblog retrieval task, leveraging Semantic Matching Model (SMM) objective and Concept Correlation Model (CCM) objective. The proposed model is a novel neural ranking model specifically designed for ranking short-text microblog, which could merge the advantage of pre-training methodology for generating valid contextualized embedding with the superiority of the prior lexical knowledge (e.g., concept knowledge) for understanding short-text language semantic. We conduct experiments on widely used real-world datasets, and the experimental results demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed model, even compared with latest state-of-the-art neural-based models and pre-training based models.
On the Characterization of Membrane Transport Phenomena and Ion Exchange Capacity for Non-Aqueous Redox Flow Batteries
Authors: Jacquemond Rémy Richard , Geveling Rosa , Forner-Cuenca Antoni , Nijmeijer Kitty
Published: August 2022

The development of high-performance membrane materials for non-aqueous redox flow batteries (NAqRFBs) could unlock a milestone towards widespread commercialization of the technology. Understanding of transport phenomena through membrane materials requires diagnostic tools able to monitor the concentrations of redox active species. While membrane characterization in aqueous media focused the attention of the scientific community, dedicated efforts for non-aqueous electrolytes remain poorly developed. Here, we develop new methodologies to assess critical membrane properties, namely ion exchange capacity and species transport, applied to NAqRFBs. In the first part, we introduce a method based on 19F-NMR to quantify ion exchange capacity of membranes with hydrophobic anions commonly used in non-aqueous systems (e.g., PF6
− and BF4
−). We find a partial utilization of the ion exchange capacity compared to the values reported using traditional aqueous chemistry ions, possibly limiting the performance of NAqRFB systems. In the second part, we study mass transport with a microelectrode placed on the electrolyte tank. We determine TEMPO crossover rates through membranes by using simple calibration curves that relate steady-state currents at the microelectrode with redox active species concentration. Finally, we show the limitations of this approach in concentrated electrolyte systems, which are more representative of industrial flow battery operation.
Near-Zero Volume Expansion Nanoporous Silicon as Anode for Li-ion Batteries
Authors: Maroni Fabio , Spreafico Marco , Schönecker Axel , Wohlfahrt-Mehrens Margret , Marinaro Mario
Published: August 2022

In this work, novel near-zero volume expanding Si-dominant electrodes are presented as promising anodes for next-generation Li-ion batteries. The electrodes contain micrometer-size nano-porous Silicon particles with a carefully tuned morphology and synthesized via a scalable and cost-effective route. Volume expansion during electrochemical Li-Si alloying/de-alloying is found to be almost completely suppressed. Bi-layer pouch cells manufactured with the abovementioned Si-anodes, having industrial relevant areal capacities (≥3 mAh cm−2), and LiNi0.6Mn0.2Co0.2O2 cathodes, show indeed negligible volume expansion as demonstrated by operando dilatometric measurements during galvanostatic cycling and post-mortem SEM cross-sectional analysis.
Synthesis of a Nanoporous Oxygen-Vacancy-Rich Iron-Nickel Double Hydroxide Composite as a High-Performance Electrocatalyst for Oxygen Evolution Reaction
Authors: Yu Airu , Xiao Yi , Shang Wenxue , Chen Lu , Shen Hongxia , Cheng Qiong , Liu Lichun , Zhang Liqiu , Piao Yingai , Sun Yantao
Published: August 2022

In this work, we demonstrate a straightforward method for the synthesis of the high-performance double-hydroxide (Fe(OH)3∥Ni(OH)2) nanoporous composite electrocatalyst for oxygen evolution reaction (OER). A nanoporous Ni(OH)2 film was electrochemically deposited using water electrolysis, in which hydrogen bubbles acted as a dynamic template, and the generated hydroxide ions caused precipitation of Ni2+ ions from the solution. The capillary action of nanopores was used to introduce Fe3+ ions that were precipitated in the nanopores by dipping into a KOH solution. A series of characterization methods and electrochemical techniques were used to characterize the physicochemical properties and electrocatalytic behavior of the prepared catalyst toward OER. Experimental results suggest that the incorporation of Fe(OH)3 into the nanoporous Ni(OH)2 film to a level of ∼4%mol can significantly enhance its electrocatalytic activity toward OER. The OER current density observed for as-synthesized Fe(OH)3∥Ni(OH)2 was higher by a factor of 3.9 compared to the original nanoporous Ni(OH)2. The enhanced performance resulted from the interfacial synergistic effects between the two hydroxides, likely due to the improved electronic structure and increased density of oxygen vacancies. Our synthetic method is quite simple, cost-effective, and holds great potential for practical application in water electrolysis.
The Effect of Alloy Composition on The Dealloying of Ni- and Fe-Based Engineering Alloys in Boiling Caustic Solutions
Authors: Gholamzadeh H. , Alsekhan B. , Shaik A. , Daub K. , Persaud S.Y.
Published: August 2022

The effect of alloy composition on the dealloying susceptibility of Ni- and Fe-based alloys is studied in near-boiling caustic solutions. A comprehensive comparison of the alloys is performed using electrochemical measurements and nanoscale characterization to evaluate dealloying behaviour. Results indicate a general increase in dealloying resistance when Ni content is increased. In alloys with similar Ni content, higher Cr content delays dealloying, while an increase in Mo content promotes dealloying. Nanoscale characterization confirms a nanoporous surface film with a core–shell ligament structure. The shell is nearly pure Ni, while ligament cores have a composition approaching that of the parent material.
Effect of Laser on Abnormal Reduction Process and Properties Evaluation of Electrodeposited Soft Magnetic Fe-Ni Coating
Authors: Shen Wenrong , Xu Kun , Zhang Zhaoyang , Guo Sheng , Yang Shuai , Zhu Hao , Liu Sishui , Wu Yucheng
Published: August 2022

Electrodeposition (ECD) process of Fe-Ni coating belongs to abnormal co-deposition according to Brenner’s classification, in which Ni is mainly affected by activation, and Fe is mainly affected by diffusion. In this paper, Fe-Ni coating was prepared by laser-assisted electrodeposition (LECD) technology. The regulation of Fe and Ni contents and coating properties is achieved by using the influence of laser thermal and force effects on the abnormal co-deposition process. The results show that the laser positively shifts the reduction potential and increases the current density. At the laser single-pulse energy is 15 μJ and the laser scanning speed 3000 mm s−1, the Fe content of the coating is the lowest, and the Ni content is the highest, which refines the average grain size and reduces surface roughness. Under these parameters, the coating has a small corrosion current density of 5.8 × 10−7 A cm−2 and a large impedance of 4.3 × 104 Ω·cm2, its coercivity increases by 0.7 Oe, and its saturation magnetic induction intensity declines by 4.7 emu g−1. Compared with the electrodeposited Fe-Ni coating, the corrosion resistance is improved, and the soft magnetic properties is slightly weakened.
High-Performance and Energy-Area Efficient Approximate Full Adder for Error Tolerant Applications
Authors: Mohammadi Akram , Mohammadi Ghanatghestani Mokhtar , Sabbagh Molahosseini Amir , Safaei Mehrabani Yavar
Published: August 2022

In this paper, a novel approximate Full Adder cell is presented which is based on the combination of standard CMOS logic (S-CMOS) and pass transistor logic (PTL) styles. The carbon nanotube field-effect transistor (CNFET) technology is used to simulate and implement the proposed cell. Comprehensive simulations at various power supplies, output loads, and ambient temperatures are conducted using the HSPICE tool. According to simulation results, its delay, power-delay product (PDP), energy-delay product (EDP), and normalized energy-delay-area product (NEDAP) improve by 18%, 10%, 39%, and 15% compared with the best existing design. The effects of diameter variations of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) on the functionality of the circuits are studied by Monte Carlo (MC) transient analysis. Simulation results confirm that the proposed cell is resistant to the process variations. At the application level, all circuits are employed in image blending to assess their efficacy in terms of peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR) and structural similarity (SSIM) index criteria using the MATLAB tool.
Validation of noninvasive body-surface gastric mapping for detecting gastric slow-wave spatiotemporal features by simultaneous serosal mapping in porcine
Authors: Calder Stefan , Cheng Leo K. , Andrews Christopher N. , Paskaranandavadivel Niranchan , Waite Stephen , Alighaleh Saeed , Erickson Jonathan C. , Gharibans Armen , O’Grady Gregory , Du Peng
Published: August 2022

Gastric dysfunctions are associated with abnormalities in the gastric bioelectrical slow waves. Noninvasive detection of gastric slow waves from the body surface can be achieved through multichannel, high-resolution, body-surface gastric mapping (BSGM). BSGM matched the spatiotemporal characteristics of gastric slow waves recorded directly and simultaneously from the serosal surface of the stomach. Abnormal gastric slow waves, such as retrograde propagation, ectopic pacemaker, and colliding wavefronts can be detected by changes in the phase of BSGM.
Enteral glucose, absorbed and metabolized, potently enhances mesenteric lymph flow in chow- and high-fat-fed rats
Authors: Tian Lili , Syed-Abdul Majid Mufaqam , Stahel Priska , Lewis Gary F.
Published: August 2022

Glucose potently enhances mesenteric lymph flow in chow- and high-fat-fed rats. The magnitude of glucose effect on lymph flow is no different in chow- and high-fat-fed rats. Glucose must be absorbed and metabolized to enhance lymph flow and mobilize intestinal lipid.
MCTR1 inhibits ferroptosis by promoting NRF2 expression to attenuate hepatic ischemia-reperfusion injury
Authors: Ye Jianhong , Peng Jun , Liu Kuanzhi , Zhang Tao , Huang Wenqi
Published: August 2022

MCTR1 exerts a protective effect in several inflammatory disease models, but its role in hepatic HIRI remains unknown. We confirm that the MCTR1 ameliorates ferroptosis-induced hepatic ischemia-reperfusion injury by promoting NRF2 expression. Our study illustrates the mechanism that MCTR1 protects from HIRI and identifies a therapeutic target for liver transplantation ischemia-reperfusion injury from the perspective of ferroptosis.
Effective Preprocessing and Normalization Techniques for COVID-19 Twitter Streams with POS Tagging via Lightweight Hidden Markov Model
Authors: Narayanasamy Senthil Kumar , Hu Yuh-Chung , Qaisar Saeed Mian , Srinivasan Kathiravan
Published: August 2022

The major focus of this research work is to refine the basic preprocessing steps for the unstructured text content and retrieve the potential conceptual features for further enhancement processes such as semantic enrichment and named entity recognition. Although some of the preprocessing techniques such as text tokenization, normalization, and Part-of-Speech (POS) tagging work exceedingly well on formal text, it has not performed well when it is applied into informal text such as tweets and short messages. Hence, we have given the enhanced text normalization techniques to reduce the complexity persist over the twitter streams and eliminate the overfitting issues such as text anomalies and irregular boundaries while fixing the grammar of the text. The hidden Markov model (HMM) has been pervasively used to extract the core lexical features from the Twitter dataset and suitably adapt the external documents to supplement the extraction techniques to complement the tweet context. Using this Markov process, the POS tags are identified as states of the Markov process, and words are the desired results of the model. As this process is very crucial for the next stage of entity extraction and classification, the effective handling of informal text is considered to be important and therefore proposed the most effective hybrid approach to deal with the issues appropriately.
Smart Health Monitoring and Management System for Organizations Using Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) Technology in Hospitals or Emergency Applications
Authors: Kuo Yaw-Wen , Tsao Yung-Chung , Chien Web-Chang , Huang Yuh-Ming , Liao Lun-De
Published: August 2022

In the public health domain, healthcare systems are a crucial part of the economy, transportation, education, health infrastructure, and military of any country. In this study, a system is proposed to implement smart people management, monitoring, and tracking processes that can be used in hospitals to automate and organize information management. For disease management in a public setting, measuring forehead temperatures is a standard method of identifying people for further treatment. To prevent disease transmission on campuses or in any public space, daily temperature checks for everyone have been mandated at the entrances to many public spaces. Although this task can be performed in seconds for an individual, substantial human resources are required to perform temperature checks for all people arriving at one or more specified checkpoints each day during an epidemic. As a result, a smart measuring, monitoring, and management system is urgently needed. We propose a complete solution that includes current Internet of Things technology that can be used in hospitals or any public space to automate and organize information management operations. This system offers a cost-effective means of enhancing reliability, privacy, and security for healthcare record management. One attractive feature of the system is its low cost due to the use of off-the-shelf devices and sensors that can be sourced and operated in our region. Recorded measurements of vital sig/ns are presented via a compact, user-friendly interface that can be monitored remotely. Because the proposed solution is based on mature existing hardware modules and software packages, any experienced information technology professional can quickly build an analogous monitoring and management system by following the instructions presented in this paper.
Cloud Computing: Legal Issues and Provision
Authors: Saini Jaskaran Singh , Saini Dinesh Kumar , Gupta Punit , Lamba Chhattar Singh , Rao G. Madhusudhana
Published: August 2022

Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) are gradually adopting cloud-based solutions using Information, Communication, and Technologies (ICT). Due to the lack of awareness regarding the legal challenges arising from jurisdictional issues of the Cloud Service Provider (CSP), MSMEs often get entangled in expensive litigations. The paper throws light on such legal conflicts and proposes new innovative ways (such as bilateral treaties, US CLOUD Act, Mutual Law Assistance Treaties, and In-house Capability) to tackle the same. Any domestic law governing data privacy must align with the globally acceptable standards prevalent in the international perspective. In the era of industrial revolution 4.0, data is the new oil, wherein any country having control and understanding of the intersectoral dimensions of the cloud-based data indeed gains an edge over the competition. Due to the prominence of the global private sector in providing local public services, there is a need for government authorities to take flexible approaches while formulating domestic laws in the realm of cloud computing.
[Retracted] Tractor Cab Ergonomics Optimization Based on the Simplified Model of Upper Limb from the Perspective of Public Health
Authors: Yang Fei , Wang Nian , Kang Min , Wang Haoying , Wang Meng
Published: August 2022

The study of tractor ergonomics is both an essential part of public health and a very significant part of the scientific community’s focus at the moment. It offers a foundation for the layout design of the tractor cab, making it possible to effectively avoid occupational diseases, minimize the number of safety accidents, and enhance the comfort of operation. Devices are categorized as control rod devices, knob‐type devices, and steering wheels according to the various modes of operation of the tractor cab. Steering wheels are also included. The ease of handling of a number of different components was ranked according to how well they performed on the fast evaluation approach for the upper limbs. After that, in accordance with the concept that underpins this evaluation approach, the comfortable range of motion of human upper limb joints is evaluated while undergoing a variety of manipulation modalities. In conjunction with the structure of the human body and the characteristics of its movement, a streamlined point‐line structure model of the human upper limb is constructed, with the H‐point serving as the reference point. The problem of figuring out how to distribute the control components in the best possible way has been solved, and the optimal distribution range diagram of the steering wheel has been obtained. The ideal height for the distribution of control rod devices is around 300–400 millimeters, whereas the ideal height for the distribution of knob‐type devices is approximately 200–500 millimeters. In conclusion, the cab design of the KAT2204 tractor is improved upon thanks to the analysis done in this study, which can be found above. The legitimacy of the research conclusion is confirmed by the fact that the RULA value is lower than 2, which is proved by the fact that the design findings are validated by the Creo Manikin module. The ergonomics of the tractor cab were taken into consideration when using this research approach as a reference.
Ultrasound-Guided Dry Needling for Trigger Point Inactivation in the Treatment of Postherpetic Neuralgia Mixed with Myofascial Pain Syndrome: A Prospective and Controlled Clinical Study
Authors: Huang Yifa , Gao Mintai , Li Qiaomin , Zhang Xuzheng , Chen Huizhen , Li Xinglu , Hu Ping , Zeng Qingshi
Published: August 2022

Objective. To evaluate the safety and effectiveness of ultrasound-guided dry needling for trigger point inactivation in the treatment of postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) mixed with myofascial pain syndrome (MPS). Methods. A prospective and controlled clinical study was conducted. From January 2020 to December 2020, among the 100 patients who received PHN treatment in the pain department, 54 patients complicated with MPS were randomly divided into the dry needling group D (n = 28) and pharmacotherapeutic group P (n = 26). Visual analogue score (VAS) and McGill Pain Questionnaire (MPQ) were taken as primary indicators. Ultrasound-guided inactivation of myofascial trigger points (MTrPs) with dry needling and intradermal needling combined with press needling were applied on group D and pharmacotherapeutic only treatment on group P respectively. The VAS score <3 and/or the MPQ score <2 represents effective treatment. The VAS score >3 and/or the MPQ score >2 represents recurrent in follow-up study three months after the treatment. Results. After four weeks treatment, the effective rate of one month later of the group D was 92.9% and the effective rate of group P was 38.5%, respectively. The recurrent rate of group D was 7.1% and 34.6% for group P, respectively, for follow-up three months later. The satisfactory rate of group D was higher than that of group P. Conclusion. Ultrasound-guided dry needling and intradermal needling combined with press needling were more effective than only pharmacotherapeutic treatment for PHN mixed with MPS, with lower recurrent rate and higher patient’s satisfactory rate.
Stem Cell Therapy and Innate Lymphoid Cells
Authors: Verma Divya , Verma Mukesh , Mishra Rangnath
Published: August 2022

Innate lymphoid cells have the capability to communicate with other immune cell types to coordinate the immune system functioning during homeostasis and inflammation. However, these cells behave differently at the functional level, unlike T cells, these cells do not need antigen receptors for activation because they are activated by the interaction of their receptor ligation. In hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), T cells and NK cells have been extensively studied but very few studies are available on ILCs. In this review, an attempt has been made to provide current information related to NK and ILCs cell-based stem cell therapies and role of the stem cells in the regulation of ILCs as well. Also, the latest information on the differentiation of NK cells and ILCs from CD34+ hematopoietic stem cells is covered in the article.
Conformal
η
-Ricci-Yamabe Solitons within the Framework of
ϵ
-LP-Sasakian 3-Manifolds
Authors: Haseeb Abdul , Khan Meraj Ali
Published: August 2022

In the present note, we study

ϵ

-LP-Sasakian 3-manifolds

M

3

ϵ

whose metrics are conformal

η

-Ricci-Yamabe solitons (in short, CERYS), and it is proven that if an

M

3

ϵ

with a constant scalar curvature admits a CERYS, then

£

U

ζ

is orthogonal to

ζ

if and only if

Λ
−
ϵ
σ
=
−
2
ϵ
l
+

m
r
/
2

+

1
/
2

p
+

2
/
3

. Further, we study gradient CERYS in

M

3

ϵ

and proved that an

M

3

ϵ

admitting gradient CERYS is a generalized conformal

η

-Einstein manifold; moreover, the gradient of the potential function is pointwise collinear with the Reeb vector field

ζ

. Finally, the existence of CERYS in an

M

3

ϵ

has been drawn by a concrete example.
C-arm Fluoroscopy-Guided Percutaneous Needle Biopsy for the Diagnosis of Spinal Infection: A Study of 203 Consecutive Patients
Authors: Zu Gang , Fei Jun , Chen Genjun , Yang Jitang
Published: August 2022

C-arm fluoroscopy-guided percutaneous needle biopsy (PNB) is a commonly used biopsy method, which shows similar diagnostic outcomes to CT-guided biopsy. This study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic value of C-arm fluoroscopy-guided percutaneous needle biopsy (PNB) for spinal infection. A total of 30 male and 73 female patients with suspected spinal infection were enrolled. Among enrolled patients, the spinal lesion was mainly located in the thoracic (T3-T12, 48.28%) and lumbar vertebra (L1-L5, 46.80%), and T12 was the most frequently involved site. C-arm fluoroscopy-guided PNB was performed for the isolation of biopsy samples in these patients. The overall detection rate of pathological changes in bone tissues was 94.1% (191/203), including 92 granulomata with caseous necrosis, 81 inflammatory tissues, 18 tumor tissues, and 12 bone tissues without visible pathological changes. After excluding the tumors, the detection rate of pathogenic microorganisms in liquid tissues was 50.27% (93/185), including 68 Mycobacterium tuberculosis, and 25 other microorganisms. Spinal tuberculosis was diagnosed in 118 (58%) cases, and nonspecific spinal infection with microorganisms other than Mycobacterium tuberculosis was diagnosed in 25 (12.7%) cases. Definite diagnosis was not determined in the left 42 (20.5%) patients with neither positive pathological nor pathogenic results. C-arm fluoroscopy-guided PNB is effective in the detection of pathological changes and pathogenic microorganisms, which is a practical approach for the diagnosis of spinal infection with high accuracy.
Chlorogenic Acid, the Main Antioxidant in Coffee, Reduces Radiation-Induced Apoptosis and DNA Damage via NF-E2-Related Factor 2 (Nrf2) Activation in Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Authors: Yin Xin , He Xingkang , Wu Lingyun , Yan Danfang , Yan Senxiang
Published: August 2022

Radiotherapy produces excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS), which can lead to DNA damage and apoptosis in tumor cells, thereby killing malignant cells. Chlorogenic acid (CGA) is a well-known antioxidant in coffee due to its strong ability to remove ROS. However, the effect of CGA on radiotherapeutic efficacy remains unclear. In this study, we showed that CGA could hinder the therapeutic effect of radiotherapy by inhibiting radiation-induced apoptosis and DNA damage via scavenging excessive ROS and activating the NF-E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) antioxidant system in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells and a murine model. The knockdown of Nrf2 reversed CGA-mediated radiation resistance in HCC cells. In conclusion, CGA might be a potential tumor-protective compound upon irradiation and reduce the efficacy of radiotherapy via ROS scavenging and Nrf2 activation.
In Vitro Role of Pumpkin Parts as Pharma-Foods: Antihyperglycemic and Antihyperlipidemic Activities of Pumpkin Peel, Flesh, and Seed Powders, in Alloxan-Induced Diabetic Rats
Authors: Hussain Ashiq , Kausar Tusneem , Jamil Muhammad Abdullah , Noreen Saima , Iftikhar Khansa , Rafique Ayesha , Iqbal Muhammad Azhar , Majeed Muhammad Abid , Quddoos Muhammad Yousaf , Aslam Jawed , Ali Atif
Published: August 2022

Pumpkin is a well-known vegetable, among the members of Cucurbitaceae family, due to its importance as pharma food. Keeping in view the antidiabetic and plasma lipids lowering potential of pumpkin, the present study was conducted to investigate that, which part of pumpkin (peel, flesh, and seeds), possess more bioactive compounds, exhibiting antihyperglycemic and antihyperlipidemic potential. Albino rats with 190-210 g body weight were divided into 11 groups. Five rats were included in each group; group A was negative control, group B was positive control, and groups C to K were diabetic rats fed with pumpkin peel, flesh, and seed powders. Diabetes was induced in rats with the help of alloxan monohydrate. During 28 days of experimental period, blood glucose level of different rat’s groups was checked with the help of glucometer, at every 7 days interval and at the end of 28 days study, plasma lipids were checked with the help of commercial kits. A significant decrease in blood glucose level (

128.33
±
1.67
 
mg
/
dl

), TC (

88.43
±
0.66
 
mg
/
dl

), TG (

69.79
±
0.49
 
mg
/
dl

), and LDL-C (

21.45
±
0.08
 
mg
/
dl

) was recorded in rat groups fed with 15 g pumpkin seed powder, at the end of study. After pumpkin seeds, second significant antihyperglycemic and antihyperlipidemic effect was recorded in rat’s groups fed with 15 g pumpkin peel powder. Pumpkin flesh powder effect in lowering blood glucose level and plasma lipids was less significant as compared to seeds and peel powder. As the dose of the pumpkin powders was increased from 5 to 10 and then 15 g, the blood glucose-lowering and plasma lipid-lowering effect became more significant. Similarly, as the experimental duration was expanded from first week to 28 days, this antihyperglycemic and antihyperlipidemic effect became more significant. These results were sufficient to conclude that pumpkin has high potential to be used in human diet to cope with noncommunicable diseases like diabetes and hypercholesterolemia.
Preparation of SnO2‐Based Composite Gas‐Sensitive Material and Its Effect on the Membrane Treatment Process of Volatile Organic Compounds
Authors: Shou Youping , Zhao Junjie , Qiao Jianzhe
Published: August 2022

Semiconductor oxide‐sensitive materials can be divided into n‐type materials and p‐type materials according to this characteristic. The carriers in n‐type materials are mainly electrons, which are formed by the existence of a large number of oxygen vacancies in the material’s crystal lattice. Common n‐type materials include SnO2, In2O3, and ZnO. This article is aimed at studying the effect of SnO2‐based composite gas‐sensitive materials on the treatment process of volatile organic compounds. In this paper, the biomembrane method, the ultrafiltration membrane transmembrane pressure difference method, and the chemical reaction activity analysis method in the membrane treatment detection method are proposed, and then, the empirical kinetic model for the preparation of SnO2‐based composite gas‐sensitive materials is established, and the TPU nanometer is analyzed. The cross‐sectional scanning of the composite material explored the effect of the curing agent content on the SnO2‐based composite gas‐sensitive material and analyzed the mechanical properties of the material. The experiment in this article uses 15 orders of magnitude of mechanics, which improves the scientific nature of the article. The experimental results show that the material modification has a better improvement effect on the film treatment process of volatile organic compounds.
Analysis and Evaluation of the Impact of Integrating Mental Health Education into the Teaching of University Civics Courses in the Context of Artificial Intelligence
Authors: Wu JingJing
Published: August 2022

In higher education teaching work, college students not only need to master the professional knowledge and professional skills they learn during their school study but also need to improve their self-education and self-cultivation and constantly improve their comprehensive ability of learning. At present, there are differences and relationships between the education of college students in civic and mental normal education, and how to play the role of the integration of the two educations has become a problem that needs to be considered in the current work of college students’ training. The integration between civic education and mental normal education can make up for the shortcomings of monolithic civic education and mental normal education work and also optimize the teaching methods between them from a certain perspective to achieve the development goals of complementing each other and not being independent of each other, so that students can understand more learning methods and contents that promote the normal development of their own minds and minds. In response to the problem that mind-normal education cannot be automatically integrated into the teaching of university thought and political science courses, in the context of artificial intelligence, this paper proposes a multi-channel-based mind-normal and ideological and political information fusion model. The model has two channels, BERT+CNN and BERT and BiLSTM-Attention; firstly, the pretraining model BERT is used to obtain the word vector representation of the fused text context; then, the CNN network of channel one is used to enhance the ability of local feature extraction of the text, and the BiLSTM-Attention model of channel two enhances the ability of long sequence text processing and is key. Finally, the fused features of channel 1 and channel 2 are classified using a softmax excitation function. To verify the effectiveness of the proposed model, experiments are conducted on public datasets to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Predictive Value of Serum Markers SFRP1 and CC16 in Acute Exacerbation of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
Authors: He Yewei , Yu Jian , Zhu Dandan , Gao Junlan
Published: August 2022

Background. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients are particularly vulnerable to acute exacerbation, resulting in a huge socioeconomic burden. Objective. In this study, we evaluated the value of serum secreted frizzled-related protein 1 (SFRP1) and Clara cell-secreted protein (CC16) in predicting the risk of acute exacerbations in patients with COPD. Methods. The study included 123 COPD patients admitted to our hospital from May 2020 to June 2021, including 65 patients in stable stage (STCOPD group), 58 patients in acute exacerbation stage (AECOPD group), and 60 healthy volunteers (control group). Serum SFRP1 and CC16 levels were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The receiver operating characteristics curve (ROC) analysis was performed to evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of serum SFRP1 and CC16 for predicting the risk of acute exacerbation in COPD patients. Results. The age among groups is significantly different, but there is no difference in the gender and body mass index (BMI). The level of serum SFRP1 in the AECOPD group was significantly higher than that in the STCOPD group and the control group, and the level of serum CC16 was lower than that in the STCOPD group and the control group. Serum SFRP1 was negatively correlated with forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1)/forced vital capacity (FVC) (r = −0.473,

P
<
0.001

). Serum CC16 was positively correlated with FEV1/FVC (r = 0.457,

P
<
0.001

). The area under the curve (AUC), sensitivity, and specificity of SFRP1 for predicting the risk of exacerbation was 0.847 (95% CI: 0.775 to 0.920), 86.20%, and 80.00%. The AUC, sensitivity, and specificity of CC16 for predicting the risk of exacerbation were 0.795 (95% CI: 0.711 to 0.879), 74.10%, and 86.20%. Conclusions. These findings suggest that SFRP1 and CC16 may be useful serum markers for predicting the risk of exacerbation in COPD patients.
Analysis of Chinese Machine Translation Training Based on Deep Learning Technology
Authors: Sun Yiqun
Published: August 2022

With the advent of the information age, people can establish good communication through Internet technology. Mechanical translation has become a key means to solve people’s communication problems. However, there are still obstacles to communication between different languages. In order to solve this problem, this paper uses existing neural network technology to the English-Chinese bidirectional machine translation model in the field of marine science and technology. Based on deep learning technology, we collect Chinese and English abstracts and partial full texts of Chinese and English papers with marine science and technology as the key words and build a professional corpus in English and Chinese about marine science and technology. In the Chinese-English bidirectional translation model, the local weight sharing is introduced into the Chinese encoder and the English encoder, and the output of the Chinese encoder sublayer and the English encoder sublayer is fused as the output of the respective encoders, and the performance of the translation model is evaluated using the BLEU parameters. Through the training of the translation model, compared with the transformer model, the BLEU value of the model with local weight sharing and encoder sublayer fusion output is improved by 1.6 and 3.8 in the Chinese-English and English-Chinese translation directions, respectively. The PPL values in the Chinese-English and English-Chinese translation directions decreased by 18.72% and 14.62%, respectively. We demonstrate the effectiveness of the language translation model. Experiments show that the research on machine language adaptive technology based on deep learning can more smoothly realize the two-way translation of literature in the field of marine science and technology. Compared with traditional mechanical translation, this paper proposes a translation model based on the deep neural algorithm, which improves the effect of model training by constructing a Chinese-English corpus with the theme of marine science and technology.
Soft Substructures in Quantales and Their Approximations Based on Soft Relations
Authors: Zhou Huan , Qurashi Saqib Mazher , Rehman Muti Ur , Shabir Muhammad , Kanwal Rani Sumaira , Khalil Ahmed Mostafa
Published: August 2022

The aim of this research article is to derive a new relation between rough sets and soft sets with an algebraic structure quantale by using soft binary relations. The aftersets and foresets are utilized to define lower approximation and upper approximation of soft subsets of quantales. As a consequence of this new relation, different characterization of rough soft substructures of quantales is obtained. To emphasize and make a clear understanding, soft compatible and soft complete relations are focused, and these are interpreted by aftersets and foresets. Particularly, in our work, soft compatible and soft complete relations play an important role. Moreover, this concept generalizes the concept of rough soft substructures of other structures. Furthermore, the algebraic relations between the upper (lower) approximation of soft substructures of quantales and the upper (lower) approximation of their homomorphic images with the help of soft quantales homomorphism are examined. In comparison with the different type of approximations in different type of algebraic structures, it is concluded that this new study is much better.
Effectiveness Evaluation of Shredded Waste Expanded Polystyrene on the Properties of Binder and Asphalt Concrete
Authors: Akter Rocksana , Raja Rain Man
Published: August 2022

The disposal of massive amounts of waste, particularly nondecaying waste, is now a major issue for both developed and developing countries. One of the most sustainable solutions to this problem is to recycle garbage into valuable items. Expanded polystyrene, which is manufactured in large quantities, is one of these waste materials. This is being used globally as packaging material, construction material, and household appliances. The waste expanded polystyrene (EPS) is necessary due to its biodegradability, and aesthetically, it has a great negative impact on the environment. The goal of this research would be to see how shredded waste EPS affects the characteristics of asphalt and asphalt concrete. For this, four separate serial asphalt concrete samples were made with varying amounts of shredded expanded polystyrene waste (0.25, 0.50, 0.75, and 1% by the weight of the total aggregate) and five different percentages of asphalt (4.0, 4.5, 5.0, 5.5, and 6.0% by the weight of the total aggregate). In this study, 60/70 grade bitumen was used. Modified asphalt concrete properties were examined and compared with those of the standard specimens. The penetration, ductility, softening point, flash point, and fire point of the asphalt will all be affected by the addition of EPS plastic waste. The optimal asphalt content of the conventional specimen was 5.1 percent, and different percentages of EPS with OAC were applied. The mechanical properties of all specimens were studied in terms of Marshall properties after Marshall specimens were created with regard to OAC by adding EPS. It has been discovered that applying a 0.5% addition produces improved results than other methods. Simultaneously, as the EPS percentage increased, the stability value increased by approximately 82.61% compared to the traditional mix.