bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Effect of Early Treatment with Intravenous Magnesium Sulfate on the Incidence of Cardiac Comorbidities in Hospitalized Stroke Patients
Authors: Bechler Kameron , Shkirkova Kristina , Saver Jeffrey L. , Starkman Sidney , Hamilton Scott , Liebeskind David S. , Eckstein Marc , Stratton Samuel , Pratt Frank , Conwit Robin , Sanossian Nerses
Published: September 2020

Background. Cardiac adverse events are common among patients presenting with acute stroke and contribute to overall morbidity and mortality. Prophylactic measures for the reduction of cardiac adverse events in hospitalized stroke patients have not been well understood. We sought to investigate the effect of early initiation of high-dose intravenous magnesium sulfate on cardiac adverse events in stroke patients. Methods. This is a secondary analysis of the prehospital Field Administration of Stroke Therapy-Magnesium (FAST-MAG) randomized phase-3 clinical trial, conducted from 2005-2013. Consecutive patients with suspected acute stroke and a serum magnesium level within 72 hours of enrollment were selected. Twenty grams of magnesium sulfate or placebo was administered in the ambulance starting with a 15-minute loading dose intravenous infusion followed by a 24-hour maintenance infusion in the hospital. Results. Among 1126 patients included in the analysis of this study, 809 (71.8%) patients had ischemic stroke, 277 (24.6%) had hemorrhagic stroke, and 39 (3.5%) with stroke mimics. The mean age was 69.5 (SD13.4) and 42% were female. 565 (50.2%) received magnesium treatment, and 561 (49.8%) received placebo. 254 (22.6%) patients achieved the target, and 872 (77.4%) did not achieve the target, regardless of their treatment group. Among 1126 patients, 159 (14.1%) had at least one CAE. Treatment with magnesium was not associated with fewer cardiac adverse events. A multivariate binary logistic regression for predictors of CAEs showed a positive association of older age and frequency of CAEs (R=1.04, 95% CI 1.03-1.06, p<0.0001). Measures of early and 90-day outcomes did not differ significantly between the magnesium and placebo groups among patients who had CAEs. Conclusion. Treatment of acute stroke patients with magnesium did not result in a reduction in the number or severity of cardiac serious adverse events.
On Estimation of Distribution Function Using Dual Auxiliary Information under Nonresponse Using Simple Random Sampling
Authors: Hussain Saddam , Zichuan Mi , Hussain Sardar , Iftikhar Anum , Asif Muhammad , Akhtar Sohail , Ahmad Sohaib
Published: September 2020

In this paper, we proposed two new families of estimators using the supplementary information on the auxiliary variable and exponential function for the population distribution functions in case of nonresponse under simple random sampling. The estimations are done in two nonresponse scenarios. These are nonresponse on study variable and nonresponse on both study and auxiliary variables. As we have highlighted above that two new families of estimators are proposed, in the first family, the mean was used, while in the second family, ranks were used as auxiliary variables. Expression of biases and mean squared error of the proposed and existing estimators are obtained up to the first order of approximation. The performances of the proposed and existing estimators are compared theoretically. On these theoretical comparisons, we demonstrate that the proposed families of estimators are better in performance than the existing estimators available in the literature, under the obtained conditions. Furthermore, these theoretical findings are braced numerically by an empirical study offering the proposed relative efficiencies of the proposed families of estimators.
Integrated Inventory-Transportation Scheduling with Sustainability-Dependent Demand under Carbon Emission Policies
Authors: Tang Zhongming , Liu Xingxing , Wang Ying , Ma Da
Published: September 2020

Carbon policies and consumer environmental consciousness are effective motivators that drive enterprises to adopt sustainability technology. To provide enterprises insights into sustainable investment and inventory-transportation decision-making and governments insights into policy-making, this study investigates integrated inventory-transportation scheduling considering consumer environmental consciousness and sustainability technology under carbon cap, tax, and cap-and-trade policies. We first examined sustainability that extends the economic order quantity (EOQ) models, simultaneously taking into account the comprehensive emission model, consumer environmental consciousness, and carbon policies. We then optimized the sustainability level and EOQ using the simulation method. Furthermore, we performed a regression analysis on the carbon policy effects on sustainability level, profit, and emission. Moreover, using the regression models, we estimated and discussed the optimal policy parameters from the perspective of social welfare maximization. The results indicate that the carbon cap-and-trade policy is superior to carbon cap and tax policies. Under carbon cap and tax policies, the tougher the carbon policy, the higher the sustainability level and the lower the profit and carbon emission. Meanwhile, under the carbon cap-and-trade policy, the carbon trading price is the decisive factor that affects the sustainability level, enterprises’ profit, and carbon emission; the carbon cap has a positive regulatory effect on profit.
Optimizing Wiener and Randić Indices of Graphs
Authors: Mahasinghe A. C. , Erandi K. K. W. H. , Perera S. S. N.
Published: September 2020

Wiener and Randić indices have long been studied in chemical graph theory as connection strength measures of graphs. Later, these indices were used in different fields such as network analysis. We consider two optimization problems related to these indices, with potential applications to network theory, in particular to epidemiological networks. Given a connected graph and a fixed total edge weight, we investigate how individual weights must be assigned to edges, minimizing the connection strength of the graph. In order to measure the connection strength, we use the weighted Wiener index and a modified version of the ordinary Randić index. Wiener index optimization is linear, while Randić index optimization turns out to be both nonlinear and nonconvex. Hence, we adopt the technique of separable programming to generate solutions. We present our experimental results by applying relevant algorithms to several graphs.
TLFW: A Three-Layer Framework in Wireless Rechargeable Sensor Network with a Mobile Base Station
Authors: Wang Anwen , Meng Xianjia , Wang Lvju , Ji Xiang , Chen Hao , Liu Baoying , Chen Feng , Du Yajuan , Yin Guangcheng
Published: September 2020

Wireless sensor networks as the base support for the Internet of things have been a large number of popularity and application. Such as intelligent agriculture, we have to use the sensor network to obtain the growing environment data of crops and others. However, the difficulty of power supply of wireless nodes has seriously hindered the application and development of Internet of things. In order to solve this problem, people use low-power sleep scheduling and other energy-saving methods on the nodes. Although these methods can prolong the working time of nodes, they will eventually become invalid because of the exhaustion of energy. The use of solar energy, wind energy, and wireless signals in the environment to obtain energy is another way to solve the energy problem of nodes. However, these methods are affected by weather, environment, and other factors, and they are unstable. Thus, the discontinuity work of the node is caused. In recent years, the development of wireless power transfer (WPT) has brought another solution to this problem. In this paper, a three-layer framework is proposed for mobile station data collection in rechargeable wireless sensor networks to keep the node running forever, named TLFW which includes the sensor layer, cluster head layer, and mobile station layer. And the framework can minimize the total energy consumption of the system. The simulation results show that the scheme can reduce the energy consumption of the entire system, compared with a Mobile Station in a Rechargeable Sensor Network (MSiRSN).
Articulatory-to-Acoustic Conversion Using BiLSTM-CNN Word-Attention-Based Method
Authors: Ren Guofeng , Shao Guicheng , Fu Jianmei
Published: September 2020

In the recent years, along with the development of artificial intelligence (AI) and man-machine interaction technology, speech recognition and production have been asked to adapt to the rapid development of AI and man-machine technology, which need to improve recognition accuracy through adding novel features, fusing the feature, and improving recognition methods. Aiming at developing novel recognition feature and application to speech recognition, this paper presents a new method for articulatory-to-acoustic conversion. In the study, we have converted articulatory features (i.e., velocities of tongue and motion of lips) into acoustic features (i.e., the second formant and Mel-Cepstra). By considering the graphical representation of the articulators’ motion, this study combined Bidirectional Long Short-Term Memory (BiLSTM) with convolution neural network (CNN) and adopted the idea of word attention in Mandarin to extract semantic features. In this paper, we used the electromagnetic articulography (EMA) database designed by Taiyuan University of Technology, which contains ten speakers’ 299 disyllables and sentences of Mandarin, and extracted 8-dimensional articulatory features and 1-dimensional semantic feature relying on the word-attention layer; we then trained 200 samples and tested 99 samples for the articulatory-to-acoustic conversion. Finally, Root Mean Square Error (RMSE), Mean Mel-Cepstral Distortion (MMCD), and correlation coefficient have been used to evaluate the conversion effect and for comparison with Gaussian Mixture Model (GMM) and BiLSTM of recurrent neural network (BiLSTM-RNN). The results illustrated that the MMCD of Mel-Frequency Cepstrum Coefficient (MFCC) was 1.467 dB, and the RMSE of F2 was 22.10 Hz. The research results of this study can be used in the features fusion and speech recognition to improve the accuracy of recognition.
Multidriving Modes and Control Strategies of a Dual-Rotor In-Wheel Motor Applied in Electric Vehicle
Authors: Li Junmin , He Ren
Published: September 2020

To overcome the shortcomings and limited applications of the traditional in-wheel motor applied practically in electric vehicles, a novel dual-rotor in-wheel motor (DRIWM) was proposed, which has three driving modes and can meet the operating requirements of electric vehicle under different driving conditions. Based on the principle of minimum energy consumption, the torque distribution strategy was presented to obtain the optimal torque distribution of the inner and outer motors under different working points, and the driving modes were also divided. Using the models built in Matlab/Simulink, the operating characteristics of the DRIWM under certain conditions were simulated. The results show that the id = 0 vector control strategy based on sliding mode speed controller is applicable to the drive control for the DRIWM. When the vehicle is coupled to drive on three ramps with the grade of 10%, 15%, and 20% at a constant speed, the power consumption of the driving system with the adoption of optimized torque distribution strategy reduces by 2.2%, 1.7%, and 4.5%, respectively, compared with nonoptimized strategy. Furthermore, the three driving modes can switch freely with the operating condition changes in the vehicle under a standard driving cycle. Simultaneously, the inner and outer motors work with high efficiency.
Shewhart-Type Charts for Masked Data: A Strategy for Handling the Privacy Issue
Authors: Shah Said Farooq , Hussain Zawar , Riaz Muhammad , Cheema Salman Arif
Published: September 2020

Data privacy is a serious issue and therefore needs our attention. In this study, we propose masking through randomized response techniques (RRTs) to ensure the privacy and thus to avoid falsification. We assume that the process characteristic is of sensitive nature, and due to privacy issue, the actual measurements cannot be shared with the monitoring team. In such situations, the producer is very likely to falsify the measurements. Consequently, the usual control charting techniques will mislead about the process status. We discuss different data masking strategies to be used with Shewhart-type control charts. The usual Shewhart-type control chart appears to be a subchart of the proposed charts. Average run length (ARL) is used as a performance measure of the study proposals. We have evaluated the performance of the proposed charts for different shift sizes and under different intensities of masking. We have also carried out a comparative analysis for various models under varying sensitivity parameters. We have also compared the performance of the proposals with the traditional Shewhart chart. It is observed that the B-L control chart under the RRT model performs better for smaller shifts and for larger shift sizes, the G-B chart under an unrelated question model tperforms better. A real-life application of the study proposal is also considered where monitoring of thickness of paint on refrigerators is of interest.
First Principle Study of the Mechanical Properties and Phonon Dispersion of the Iron Pnictide Compound EuFe2As2
Authors: Omboga N. K. , Otieno C. O. , Nyawere P. W. O.
Published: September 2020

We present results on the first principle study of the elastic constants and the phonon dispersion of EuFe2As2 at zero pressure. The ground-state energy calculations were performed within Density Functional Theory (DFT) and the generalized gradient approximation using the pseudopotential method with plane-wave basis sets. The projector augmented-wave (PAW) pseudopotentials were used in our calculation. The open source code QUANTUM ESPRESSSO was used with its pseudopotential database. The study on the elastic constants at zero pressure was a clear indication that the compound is mechanically stable, and the phonon dispersion study also indicated that the compound is dynamically stable. The elastic constants and mechanical properties also led to the conclusion that the compound is ductile and anisotropic.
Prevalence of Obstetric Danger Signs during Pregnancy and Associated Factors among Mothers in Shashemene Rural District, South Ethiopia
Authors: Terefe Nega , Nigussie Aderajew , Tadele Afework
Published: September 2020

Introduction. Obstetric danger signs are those signs that a pregnant woman will see or those symptoms that she will feel which indicate that something is going wrong with her or with the pregnancy. Evidence on the prevalence of obstetric danger signs and contributing factors were crucial in designing programs in the global target of reducing maternal morbidity and mortality.Objective. To assess the prevalence of obstetric danger signs during pregnancy and associated factors among mothers in a Shashemene rural district, South Ethiopia.Methods.A community-based cross-sectional study design was conducted among 395 randomly selected women who gave birth in the last six months. A pretested interviewer-administered questionnaire was utilized. Data were cleaned, coded, and entered into Epi data manager version 4.1 and then exported to SPSS version 20. Bivariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses were employed to assess the association between independent variables with the outcome variable. Statistical significance was declared atp<0.05.Result. One hundred sixty-three (41.3%) of women had a history of obstetric danger signs during pregnancy. The most prevalent obstetric danger signs were vaginal bleeding (15.4%) followed by swelling of the body 12.7% and severe vomiting 5.3%. Women who have less than four times antenatal care visits were 6.7 times more likely to experience obstetric danger signs (AOR 6.7 (95% CI 3.05, 14.85)) compared to those who had antenatal care visit four times and above. Women who have inadequate knowledge of obstetric danger signs were 2.5 times more likely to experience obstetric danger signs during pregnancy (AOR 2.5 (95% CI 1.34, 4.71)), and primigravida women were 6.3 times more likely to have obstetric danger signs during pregnancy (AOR 6.3 (95% CI 2.61, 15.09)) compared to multiparous women.Conclusion. About half of the pregnant mothers have experienced at least one obstetric danger signs. Public health interventions on maternal health should give priority to the prevalent causes of obstetric danger signs, strengthening completion of four antenatal care visits and health education on obstetric danger signs for pregnant mothers at community level especially for primgravid women.
Intrarater and Interrater Reliability of Infrared Image Analysis of Forearm Acupoints before and after Moxibustion
Authors: Lou Jiali , Jiang Yongliang , Hu Hantong , Li Xiaoyu , Zhang Yajun , Fang Jianqiao
Published: September 2020

The objective of this study was to determine the intrarater and interrater reliabilities of infrared image analysis of forearm acupoints before and after moxibustion. In this work, infrared images of acupoints in the forearm of 20 volunteers (M/F, 10/10) were collected prior to and after moxibustion by infrared thermography (IRT). Two trained raters performed the analysis of infrared images in two different periods at a one‐week interval. The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was calculated to determine the intrarater and interrater reliabilities. With regard to the intrarater reliability, ICC values were between 0.758 and 0.994 (substantial to excellent). For the interrater reliability, ICC values ranged from 0.707 to 0.964 (moderate to excellent). Given that the intrarater and interrater reliability levels show excellent concordance, IRT could be a reliable tool to monitor the temperature change of forearm acupoints induced by moxibustion.
Coupled Orbit-Attitude Dynamics of Tethered-SPS
Authors: Wei Yi , Shao Zhuyan , Zhang Xingqiu , Liu Jiankang
Published: September 2020

In this paper, a dynamic model for long-term on-orbit operation of the tethered solar power satellite (Tethered-SPS) is established. Because the Tethered-SPS is a super-large and super-flexible structure, the coupling among the orbit, attitude, and structure vibration of the system should be considered in comparison with the traditional spacecraft dynamic models. Based on the absolute nodal coordinate formulation (ANCF), the dynamic equation of the Tethered-SPS is established by Hamiltonian variational principle, and the dual equations of the Hamiltonian system are established by introducing generalized momentum through Legendre transformation. The symplectic Runge–Kutta method is used for numerical simulation, and the validation of the modeling method is verified by a numerical example. The effects of orbital altitude, initial attitude angle, length of solar panel, and orbital eccentricity on the orbit and attitude of the Tethered-SPS are analyzed. The numerical simulation results show that the effect of orbital altitude and length of solar panel on the orbital error of midpoint of beam is small. However, the initial attitude angle has a significant effect on the orbital error of midpoint of solar panel. The effect of the length of solar panel on the attitude angle of the system is not significant, but orbital altitude, orbital eccentricity, and initial attitude angle of the system severely affect the attitude angle of the system. Then, the stability of the system is affected.
Interactive Effects of Chemical Pretreatment and Drying on the Physicochemical Properties of Cassava Flour Using Response Surface Methodology
Authors: Udoro Elohor Oghenechavwuko , Anyasi Tonna Ashim , Jideani Afam I. O.
Published: September 2020

Calcium chloride and citric acid (0.6–3.4%w/v) were separately applied in the pretreatment of two South African cassava landraces (white and red) processed into flour at drying temperatures of 45–74°C. Optimisation using the response surface methodology showed ash (0.79–4.42%) and crude fibre (2.77–5.12%) increased as the drying temperature (DT) and concentration of pretreatment (COP) increased. Starch content (78.06–84.71%) was not influenced by the processing variables. Both pretreatments improved the lightness and whiteness index of cassava flour. Optimal processing conditions of 70°C DT and 3%w/v COP were the same for the proximate composition of cassava flour from all experimental groups.
In VitroStudies on the Immunomodulatory Effects ofPulicaria crispaExtract on Human THP-1 Monocytes
Authors: Albrahim Tarfa , Alnasser Moonerah M. , Al-Anazi Mashael R. , ALKahtani Muneera D. , Alkahtani Saad , Al-Qahtani Ahmed A.
Published: September 2020

Background.Pulicaria crispa(P. crispa) is a plant from the Compositae family that exhibits antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and cytotoxic activities.Objective. The current study aimed at investigating the immunomodulatory effects ofP. crispaextract in lipopolysaccharide- (LPS-) stimulated human monocytic THP-1 cells.Methods. To induce macrophage differentiation, THP-1 cell lines were treated with phorbol-12-myristate 13-acetate, followed by exposure to LPS with or without 50 or 100 μg/ml ofP. crispaextract. The following tests were employed to test the immunomodulatory effects of the extract: MTT assay, ELISA, Western blotting analysis, cell migration and phagocytosis assays, and Annexin V staining method.Results. Exposure to 100 μg/mlP. crispaextract significantly reduced THP-1 cell proliferation, migration, and phagocytosis (in LPS-stimulated cells, but not in unstimulated cells). Moreover, the extract alone significantly reduced the rate of THP-1 cell apoptosis, while it increased the rate of late apoptosis. Molecular investigations showed that treatment withP. crispaextract significantly upregulated the expression of ERK1, p-MAPK, P-P38, and Bcl2, while it significantly reduced the expression of ERK5, Bax, NF-κB, P-NF-κB, CCL1, CCL2, CCL5, CCL22, CXCL1, and CXCL10.Conclusion.Pulicaria crispaextract exhibited anti-inflammatory, antiproliferative, antimigratory, and antiphagocytic effects in LPS-stimulated THP-1 cells. Future studies should investigate these mechanisms in animal models with chronic inflammatory diseases.
Bivalirudin vs. Heparin on Radial Artery Thrombosis during Transradial Coronary Intervention: An Optical Coherence Tomography Study
Authors: Liu Zijing , Wang Guozhong , Niu Dan , Wu Yongxia , Li Zixuan , Zhang Libin , Zhu Guohua , Hua Qi , Guo Jincheng
Published: September 2020

Objectives. This study aimed to evaluate the antithrombotic efficacy between bivalirudin and unfractionated heparin (UFH) on radial artery thrombosis (RAT) during transradial coronary intervention (TRI) by optical coherence tomography (OCT). Methods and Results. We consecutively reviewed a total of 307 patients who underwent radial artery OCT inspection after TRI in our centre from October 2017 to January 2019; afterwards, 211 screened patients were divided into the UFH group (n = 144) and the bivalirudin group (n = 67) according to their anticoagulation strategy during TRI. The thrombosis in the radial artery was observed in 51 cases (24.17%) with a median thrombus volume of 0.054 mm3 (0.024, 0.334) and median thrombus score of 7 (4, 15). Thrombus occurred in 28 cases in the bivalirudin group with an incidence of 41.8%, which was significantly higher than that in the UFH group (n = 23, 16.0%, P<0.001). This difference was even more remarkable after propensity score matching (bivalirudin group n = 22, 42.3% vs. UHF group n = 11, 13.9%, P<0.001). Multivariate logistic analysis revealed that bivalirudin increased the RAT risk by 3.872 times (95% CI 2.006–8.354, P<0.001) after adjustment for the other predictors. Conclusion. In this present study, the use of bivalirudin was associated with a higher risk of RAT than UFH. It highlighted UFH should be a more considerable choice to prevent radial artery access thrombosis in TRI.
Stigma Resistance and Its Associated Factors among People with Bipolar Disorder at Amanuel Mental Specialized Hospital, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Authors: Engidaw Nigus Alemnew , Asefa Eyosiyas Yeshialem , Belayneh Zelalem , Wubetu Abate Dargie
Published: September 2020

Background. Stigma resistance is the capacity to cope and remain unaffected by mental illness stigmatization. In bipolar patients, having low stigma resistance may result in a higher internalized stigma, low self-esteem, and poor treatment outcome. In Ethiopia, the prevalence of stigma resistance among bipolar patients is not well known. Therefore, this study is aimed at assessing the prevalence of stigma resistance and its associated factors among bipolar patients at Amanuel Mental Specialized Hospital, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Method. An institutional-based cross-sectional study was conducted from May 8th to June 14th, 2016, at Amanuel Mental Specialized Hospital. The study participants were selected using a systematic random sampling technique. The stigma resistance subscale of the internalized stigma of mental illness was used to measure stigma resistance. Bivariable and multivariable logistic regression was computed to identify factors associated with stigma resistance. Accordingly, variables with P values of less than 0.05 were considered as statistically significant predictors of stigma resistance with a 95% confidence interval. Results. In this study, 418 participants completed the interview with a response rate of 98.8%. The prevalence of low stigma resistance was 56.9% (95%CI=51.9‐61.6%). Being unemployed (AOR=1.65; 95%CI=1.35‐1.87), high internalized stigma (AOR=3.04; 95%CI=1.83‐5.05) and low self-esteem (AOR=2.13; 95%CI=1.72‐6.76) were significantly associated with low stigma resistance. Conclusions and Recommendation. More than half of the bipolar patients attending the Amanuel Mental Specialized Hospital had low stigma resistance. Therefore, stigma reduction programs have focused on improving self-esteem and reducing internalized stigma to increase their stigma resistance. Mental health information dissemination regarding community support and reengagement of people with bipolar disorder is highly recommended.
Some Generalized Fixed Point Results with Applications to Dynamic Programming
Authors: Al-Sulami Hamed H. , Hussain Nawab , Ahmad Jamshaid
Published: September 2020

The aim of this paper is to introduce some generalized contractions and prove certain new fixed point results for self-mappings satisfying these contractions in the setting of F-metric space. As an application of our results, we investigate the problem of dynamic programming related to the multistage process which formulates the problems of computer programming and mathematical optimization. We also provide an example to support the validity of our main results.
Big Data Analytics for Complex Credit Risk Assessment of Network Lending Based on SMOTE Algorithm
Authors: Niu Aiwen , Cai Bingqing , Cai Shousong
Published: September 2020

With the continuous development of big data technology, the data of online lending platform witness explosive development. How to give full play to the advantages of data, establish a credit risk assessment model, and realize the effective control of platform credit risk have become the focus of online lending platform. In view of the fact that the network loan data are mainly unbalanced data, the smote algorithm is helpful to optimize the model and improve the evaluation performance of the model. Relevant research shows that stochastic forest model has higher applicability in credit risk assessment, and cart, ANN, C4.5, and other algorithms are also widely used. In the influencing factors of credit evaluation, the weight of the applicant’s enterprise scale, working years, historical records, credit score, and other indicators is relatively high, while the index weight of marriage and housing/car production (loan) is relatively low.
Usefulness of Cathepsin S to Predict Risk for Obstructive Sleep Apnea among Patients with Type 2 Diabetes
Authors: Wen Wanwan , Sun Haili , Yang Yunxiao , Jia Yifan , Fang Fang , Qin Yanwen , Zhang Ming , Wei Yongxiang
Published: September 2020

Background. Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) was highly prevalent in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D). Cathepsin S (CTSS), a cysteine protease, is involved in the inflammatory activity in T2D and hypoxia conditions. The aim of the study was to evaluate whether CTSS could be involved in the inflammatory reaction of OSA in patients with T2D.Methods. We included 158 participants in this study matched for age, gender, and body mass index in 4 groups (control, non-OSA&T2D, OSA&non-T2D, and OSA&T2D). After overnight polysomnography, we collected the clinical data including anthropometrical characteristics, blood pressure, and fasting blood samples in the morning. Plasma CTSS concentration was evaluated using the human Magnetic Luminex Assay.Results. Compared with the control group, both the non-OSA&T2D group and the OSA&non-T2D group showed higher CTSS levels. Plasma CTSS expression was significantly increased in subjects with OSA&T2D compared to subjects with non-OSA&T2D. The OSA&T2D group had higher CTSS levels than the OSA&non-T2D group, but there were no statistically significant differences. Plasma CTSS levels showed significant correlation with the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) (r=0.559,P<0.001) and plasma fasting blood glucose (r=0.427,P<0.001). After adjusting confounding factors, plasma CTSS levels were independently associated with the AHI (Beta: 0.386, 95% confidence intervals (CI): 21.988 to 57.781;P<0.001). Furthermore, we confirmed the higher pinpoint accuracy of plasma CTSS in the diagnosis of OSA (area under the curve: 0.868).Conclusions. Plasma CTSS expression was significantly elevated in the OSA&T2D group and was independently associated with the AHI; it could be a biomarker with a positive diagnostic value on diagnosing OSA among patients with T2D.
Investigation on the Effect of Thermal and Mechanical Treatment to the Offshore Corrosion Behavior of 6351 Aluminum Alloy in Red Sea Environments
Authors: Ali Fageehi Yahya , Saminathan Rajasekaran
Published: September 2020

This study investigates the effect of artificial aging treatment and mechanical attrition treatment on the corrosion behavior of 6351 Al alloy in Red Sea environment. The artificial aging of the alloy is carried out at temperature range 140°C–240°C in steps of 20°C for various time periods after the solution heat treatment at 530°C for 1 hour. Based on the hardness measurements, the aged specimens are categorized into three, namely, underaged, peak aged, and overaged. The as received alloy specimens are subjected to mechanical attrition treatment in a vacuum chamber using steel balls. Vickers hardness test reveals that there is a remarkable improvement in hardness of mechanical attrition treated specimens compared to that of aged specimens. The aged and mechanical attrition treated specimens were subjected to the corrosion test in Red Sea water using the Autolab instrument. The corrosion tests reveal that the peak-aged composite corrodes more in Red Sea water when compared to that of other groups of specimens. XRD measurements and SEM analysis are carried out to study the surface nature of attrition treated specimens. It is observed that the mechanical attrition treated specimens exhibit a nanocrystalline surface and lead to a decrease in corrosion resistance. However, the annealing of the alloy after attrition treatment optimizes the mechanical and corrosion properties of the alloy.
Transoral Laser-Assisted Total Laryngectomy: Expanding the TLM’s World
Authors: Ahmadi Aslan , Mohebbi Saleh , Kazemi Masoud , Sanaei Ayda
Published: September 2020

Introduction. The introduction of laryngeal transoral procedures has created a shift in the treatment of laryngeal cancers towards the primary surgical management of patients. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the safety, efficacy, and feasibility of the transoral laser-assisted total laryngectomy (TLM-TL) in advanced laryngeal cancer.Case presentation. In this case report, we describe a case of a 50-year-old male patient presented to the otorhinolaryngology clinic with a history of hoarseness and odynophagia since 6 months. Based on the pathological and imaging findings, the diagnosis of stage IVa laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma with the involvement of the base, tongue, and left palatine tonsil was made for the patient, and transoral total laryngectomy with partial glossectomy via the TLM technique was planned.Result. The tumor was successfully resected by TLM-TL with clear surgical margins. No complication was observed after the surgery. Good functional recovery was obtained regarding swallowing and speech. The patient’s oncologic and functional outcomes were evaluated for 2 years. Everything was satisfactory with good long-term cosmetic and laryngopharyngeal functional outcome and no sign of tumor recurrence.Conclusions. TLM-TL is a minimally invasive and cost-benefit endoscopic surgical procedure feasible in advanced laryngeal cancer with good long-term oncological and functional outcome. It could limit postoperative complications, mainly the incidence of pharyngocutaneous fistulae. It is also associated with better satisfaction after TL due to cosmetic benefits.
A New Method for Predicting the Permeability of Sandstone in Deep Reservoirs
Authors: Feng Feisheng , Wang Pan , Wei Zhen , Jiang Guanghui , Xu Dongjing , Zhang Jiqiang , Zhang Jing
Published: September 2020

Capillary pressure curve data measured through the mercury injection method can accurately reflect the pore throat characteristics of reservoir rock; in this study, a new methodology is proposed to solve the aforementioned problem by virtue of the support vector regression tool and two improved models according to Swanson and capillary parachor parameters. Based on previous research data on the mercury injection capillary pressure (MICP) for two groups of core plugs excised, several permeability prediction models, including Swanson, improved Swanson, capillary parachor, improved capillary parachor, and support vector regression (SVR) models, are established to estimate the permeability. The results show that the SVR models are applicable in both high and relatively low porosity-permeability sandstone reservoirs; it can provide a higher degree of precision, and it is recognized as a helpful tool aimed at estimating the permeability in sandstone formations, particularly in situations where it is crucial to obtain a precise estimation value.
Asymptomatic and Biochemically Silent Pheochromocytoma with Characteristic Findings on Imaging
Authors: Spiro Andrew , Usman Aqueel , Ajmal Asif , Hoang Thanh D. , Shakir Mohamed K. M.
Published: September 2020

Pheochromocytomas are tumors that originate from the chromaffin tissue of the adrenal medulla and commonly produce catecholamines. The diagnosis is typically established by the measurement of catecholamines or their metabolites in urine or plasma, and tumors are localized with the use of radiographic and scintigraphic studies. Pheochromocytomas can occur in asymptomatic patients, and the preferred treatment is surgical removal of the tumor. We report a 48-year-old male with a left adrenal incidentaloma, which progressively increased in size from 1.1 cm to 2.6 cm over a 4-year period, as measured by an adrenal computed tomography (CT) scan. Throughout his entire course of treatment, he was asymptomatic with normal blood pressure readings. His biochemical screening was unremarkable for the first three years of tumor surveillance. Follow-up imaging, including CT and MRI, showed findings suspicious for pheochromocytoma, and the diagnosis was ultimately made with the combination of imaging and laboratory studies. He underwent laparoscopic resection of the adrenal mass with confirmation of pheochromocytoma on histology. This case illustrates how CT and MRI findings can alert providers to the presence of a pheochromocytoma, even in an asymptomatic, biochemically negative patient.
Treatment of Complex Mandibular Body Fractures and Functional Reimplantation of the Maxillary Alveolar Fragment
Authors: Sobrinho Sangalette Beatriz , Pavoni Rafaella Ferrari , da Silva Emídio Thayna , Levatti Tiago , Capelari Marcos , Pastori Cláudio Maldonado , Toledo Gustavo Lopes
Published: September 2020

Introduction. This report aims at demonstrating the treatment of complex mandibular fracture functional reimplantation of the maxillary alveolar fragment (FRAF), denoting the possibility and feasibility of this reduction with an excellent prognosis. Case Report. Patient E.M.S, 25 years old, male, leucoderma, referred to the Emergency Room of our institute. He reported being a victim of physical aggression, occlusal alteration, limitation of mouth opening, sensibility loss in the mentalis region, right infraorbital, and denied visual alteration. On physical examination, during the inspection and palpation, the crackling was observed in the right mandibular region and apical displacement of the maxillary alveolar process, corresponding to elements 13, 14, and 15. Conclusion. The rigid fixation of the complex jaw fracture and alveolar maxilla process, through functional reduction, indicated satisfactory applicability, and favorable prognosis.
A Medical Data Privacy Protection Scheme Based on Blockchain and Cloud Computing
Authors: Huang Liang , Lee Hyung-Hyo
Published: September 2020

With the features of decentralization and trustlessness and through distributed data storage, point-to-point transmission, and encryption algorithms, blockchain has shed new light on the security and protection of medical data, and it can resolve the contradiction between data sharing and privacy protection with proper security strategies. In this paper, we integrate the strengths of both blockchain and cloud computing and build the privacy protection scheme for medical data based on blockchain and cloud computing. This scheme introduces cloud computing and provides services to blockchain nodes with cloud server computing; meanwhile, it collects, analyzes, processes, and maintains medical data in the identity authentication interface and solves the insufficient computing abilities of some nodes in blockchain so as to verify the authenticity and reliability of data. The simulation experiment proves that the proposed scheme is effective. It can achieve the secure protection and integrity verification of medical data and address the problems of high computing complexity, data sharing, and privacy protection.
Analysis of Three‐Dimensional Damage Constitutive Model of Frozen Sand Based on the Influence of Intermediate Principal Stress and Temperature
Authors: Ma Shilong , Yao Zhaoming , Liu Shuang , Pan Xuan
Published: September 2020

To study the mechanical properties of frozen soil, it is necessary to understand the damage characteristics of frozen soil. Four types of three‐dimensional indoor tests of frozen sand were carried out at −5°C, −10°C, and −15°C to study the mechanical damage properties. These include different stress path tests with the principal stress coefficients of 0, 0.25, 0.5, and 0.75 while analyzing the entire failure process. First, the three‐dimensional compression test of frozen sand was studied to analyze the influence of temperature and intermediate principal stress coefficient on the large principal stress of frozen soil. The damage cost of frozen sand under the influence of different temperatures and intermediate principal stress coefficients was also established. Second, using the characteristics of discreteness and randomness of the distribution of the microelements inside the frozen soil and assuming that the failure of the microelement of the frozen soil obeys the Weibull distribution, the Drucker–Prager strength criterion was used as the statistical distribution variable of the microelement of the frozen soil based on the strain equivalence hypothesis, statistical theory, and continuous damage mechanics. This allows for a constitutive model of frozen sand damage under the three‐dimensional stress state to be established. Finally, the model parameter values through low‐temperature three‐dimensional test data were able to be determined. This model allows for the physical meaning of Weibull distribution parameters F0 and m to be analyzed, and the distribution parameters with temperature and intermediate principal stress coefficient can be modified to obtain a modified frozen sand damage constitutive model. The results show that the modified damage constitutive model can simulate the entire process curve of the large principal stress‐strain of frozen sand. It shows that the large principal stress of frozen sand increases with the increase of temperature and intermediate principal stress coefficient. Concurrently, the frozen sand damage constitutive model proposed in this paper can describe the deformation behavior of frozen soil under different temperature and stress paths and can be adapted to various other sediment types.
Evaluation of 16S rRNA Hypervariable Regions for Bioweapon Species Detection by Massively Parallel Sequencing
Authors: Dias Victor H. G. , Gomes Priscila da S. F. C. , Azevedo-Martins Allan C. , Cabral Bianca C. A. , Woerner August E. , Budowle Bruce , Moura-Neto Rodrigo S. , Silva Rosane
Published: September 2020

Molecular detection and classification of the bacterial groups in a sample are relevant in several areas, including medical research and forensics. Sanger sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene is considered the gold standard for microbial phylogenetic analysis. However, the development of massively parallel sequencing (MPS) offers enhanced sensitivity and specificity for microbiological analyses. In addition, 16S rRNA target amplification followed by MPS facilitates the combined use of multiple markers/regions, better discrimination of sample background, and higher sample throughput. We designed a novel set of 16S rRNA gene primers for detection of bacterial species associated with clinical, bioweapon, and biohazards microorganisms via alignment of 364 sequences representing 19 bacterial species and strains relevant to medical and forensics applications. In silico results indicated that the hypervariable regions (V1V2), (V4V5), and (V6V7V8) support the resolution of a selected group of bacteria. Interspecies and intraspecies comparisons showed 74.23%–85.51% and 94.48%–99.98% sequencing variation among species and strains, respectively. Sequence reads from a simulated scenario of bacterial species mapped to each of the three hypervariable regions of the respective species with different affinities. The minimum limit of detection was achieved using two different MPS platforms. This protocol can be used to detect or monitor as low as 2,000 genome equivalents of bacterial species associated with clinical, bioweapon, and biohazard microorganisms and potentially can distinguish natural outbreaks of pathogenic microorganisms from those occurring by intentional release.
SARS-CoV2 and Co-Infections: A Review of Two Cases
Authors: Sohal Sumit , Rodriguez-Nava Guillermo , Khabbaz Ramzy , Chaudry Sana , Musurakis Clio , Chitrakar Solab , Chundi Vishnu V. , Friedman Harvey J.
Published: September 2020

COVID-19 infection caused by SARS-CoV2 virus is an acute respiratory illness which was declared as a pandemic by the World Health Organization. Usually, SARS-CoV2 infects independently and can cause spectrum of disease ranging from mild illness to severe progressive pneumonia, multiorgan dysfunction, and death; however, co-infections with other respiratory pathogens have been noted. Here, we present 2 fatal cases with co-infection, one with parainfluenza-4 virus and other co-infection/secondary infection with Streptococcus pneumoniae bacteria. Further studies are needed to study the effect of co-infections on morbidity and mortality of patients and establish the outcome of such infections.
Quality and Specific Concerns of Clinical Guidelines for Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine: A Critical Appraisal
Authors: Zhou Xu , Xu Sheng , Ren Qing , Chen Jianrong
Published: September 2020

Objective. This study aimed to investigate the methodological quality of clinical guidelines (CGs) for integrated Chinese and Western medicine (ICWM) to inform clinical practice and guideline development. Methods. We searched PubMed, EMBASE, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang Data, VIP, five guideline databases, and four online book malls to identify ICWM CGs published up to January 11, 2019. Four independent appraisers assessed the quality of CGs using the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation II (AGREE II) instrument and evaluated six specific concerns for ICWM. The standardized scores were calculated for the individual AGREE II domains. Results. Sixty‐two ICWM CGs were included. The median standardized scores in the six domains of AGREE II were 65% in scope and purpose, 46% in clarity of presentation, 26% in applicability, 24% in stakeholder involvement, 15% in rigor of development, and 0% in editorial independence. The quality of ICWM CGs was significantly associated with the publication year (higher quality for CGs published after 2014) and the development method (higher quality for evidence‐based CGs). Only one ICWM CG obtained a direct recommendation for use, and 14 could be recommended for use after modifications. The intra‐appraiser consistency of the AGREE II appraisal was good (mean intraclass correlation coefficient range, 0.813–0.998). ICWM CGs also lacked a systematic search of ancient traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) classics (40.3%), conversion of TCM recommendations from ancient Chinese to the vernacular (14.5%), a discussion of interactions between TCM and Western medicine (27.4%), and rankings of different ICWM choices (0%). Conclusions. Although an improvement after 2014 occurred, the current 64 ICWM CGs are generally of poor methodological quality. Only 15 ICWM CGs can be recommended for use directly or with modifications. As the key distinctions from Western/Chinese medicine CGs, the ICWM‐specific recommendations are also insufficient for the ICWM CGs, especially for interactions between TCM and Western medicine and rankings of different ICWM choices. Study Registration. This study has been registered at PROSPERO (no. CRD42018095767).
An Improved Multisensor Self-Adaptive Weighted Fusion Algorithm Based on Discrete Kalman Filtering
Authors: Shao Shifen , Zhang Kaisheng
Published: September 2020

When the multisensor self-adaptive weighted fusion algorithm fuses the data sources that were severely interfered by noise, its fusion precision, data smoothness, and algorithm stability will be reduced. To overcome this drawback, the idea was proposed with respect to an improved algorithm which optimized acquisition of fusion data sources with discrete Kalman filtering technique, thus reducing the negative impact on the fusion performance from noise. To verify the effectiveness of the improved algorithm, this paper simulated the fusion process of soil moisture data with fusion samples. The result proved that, under the same circumstance, the improved algorithm has a stronger restrain ability to noise and a better performance in fusion precision, data smoothness, and algorithm stability compared with the general algorithm.