bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Vasodilatation by carbon dioxide and sodium nitroglycerin reduces compliance of the cerebral arteries in humans
Authors: Moir M. Erin , Vermeulen Tyler D. , Smith Sydney O. , Woehrle Emilie , Matushewski Brad J. , Zamir Mair , Shoemaker J. Kevin
Published: June 2021

New Findings

What is the central question of this study?

Vascular compliance importantly contributes to the regulation of cerebral perfusion and complex mechanisms are known to influence compliance of a vascular bed: while vasodilatation mediates changes in vascular resistance, does it also affect compliance, particularly in the cerebral vasculature?

What is the main finding and its importance?

Cerebral vasodilatation, elicited by hypercapnia and sodium nitroglycerin administration, reduced cerebrovascular compliance by approximately 26% from baseline. This study provides new insight into mechanisms mediating cerebrovascular compliance.

Changes in vascular resistance and vascular compliance contribute to the regulation of cerebral perfusion. While changes in vascular resistance are known to be mediated by vasodilatation, the mechanisms contributing to changes in vascular compliance are complex. In particular, whether vasodilatation affects compliance of the vasculature within the cranium remains unknown. Therefore, the present study examined the impact of two vasodilatation pathways on cerebrovascular compliance in humans. Fifteen young, healthy adults (26 ± 5 years, seven females) completed two protocols: (i) sublingual sodium nitroglycerin (SNG; 0.4 mg) and (ii) hypercapnia (5–6% carbon dioxide gas mixture for 4 min). Blood pressure waveforms (finger photoplethysmography) and middle cerebral artery blood velocity waveforms (transcranial Doppler ultrasound) were input into a modified Windkessel model and an index of cerebrovascular compliance (Ci) was calculated. During the SNG protocol, Ci decreased 24 ± 17% from baseline ((5.0 ± 2.3) × 10–4 cm s–1 mmHg–1) to minute 10 ((3.6 ± 1.2) × 10–4 cm s–1 mmHg–1; P = 0.009). During the hypercapnia protocol, Ci decreased 28 ± 9% from baseline ((4.4 ± 1.9) × 10–4 cm s–1 mmHg–1) to minute 4 ((3.1 ± 1.4) × 10–4 cm s–1 mmHg–1; P < 0.001). Cerebral vasodilatory stimuli induced by nitric oxide and carbon dioxide mechanisms reduced compliance of the cerebral vascular bed by approximately 26% from supine baseline values.
VE‐cadherin N‐glycosylation modified by N‐acetylglucosaminyltransferase V regulates VE‐cadherin–β‐catenin interaction and monocyte adhesion
Authors: Zhang Lei , Ma Limei , Li Jiajia , Lei Jin , Chen Jun , Yu Chao
Published: June 2021

New Findings

What is the central question of this study?

Inflammation‐induced monocyte adhesion is the initiator of most vascular diseases. The underlying mechanisms that mediate monocyte adhesion remain to be clarified fully.

What is the main finding and its importance?

N‐acetylglucosaminyltransferase V (GnT‐V)‐mediated N‐glycosylation of VE‐cadherin regulates the dissociation of the VE‐cadherin–β‐catenin complex to modulate monocyte adhesion, but GnT‐V overexpression cannot rescue monocyte adhesion induced by interleukin‐1β. This study clarified the molecular mechanism of VE‐cadherin in regulating the monocyte adhesion process.

Monocyte adhesion is a crucial step in the initial stage of atherosclerosis, and dysfunction of VE‐cadherin has been reported to be involved in this process. Our group previously found that VE‐cadherin and its binding protein, β‐catenin, were modified by sialylation, and the levels of sialylation were decreased in pro‐inflammatory cytokine‐treated human umbilical vein EA.hy926 cells. In this study, we confirmed that the sugar chains of VE‐cadherin were modified by N‐acetylglucosaminyltransferase V (GnT‐V). We showed that the levels of GnT‐V and β1,6‐N‐acetylglucosamine on the VE‐cadherin were reduced in the presence of interleukin‐1β, whereas the level of monocyte transendothelial migration was increased. Moreover, the interaction between VE‐cadherin and β‐catenin was increased, accompanied by an increased accumulation of degradative VE‐cadherin and cytoplasmic β‐catenin, indicating impairment of cell–cell junctions after interleukin‐1β treatment. Furthermore, GnT‐V short hairpin RNA and overexpression analysis confirmed that glycosylation of VE‐cadherin was modified by GnT‐V in EA.hy926 cells, which contributed to the monocyte–endothelial adhesion process. Taken together, these results suggest that the function of VE‐cadherin in facilitating monocyte adhesion might result from the decreasing GnT‐V expression and disorder of GnT‐V‐catalysed N‐glycosylation. Our study clarified the molecular mechanism of VE‐cadherin in regulation of the monocyte adhesion process and provided new insights into the post‐transcriptional modifications of VE‐cadherin.
Weighted recurrence network for characterizing continuous dynamical systems
Authors: Yang Guangyu , Xu Daolin , Zhang Haicheng , Xia Shuyan
Published: June 2021

Recurrence network (RN) is a powerful tool for the analysis of complex dynamical systems. It integrates complex network theory with the idea of recurrence of a trajectory, i.e. whether two state vectors are close neighbors in a phase space. However, the differences in proximity between connected state vectors are not considered in the RN construction. Here, we propose a weighted state vector recurrence network method which assigns weights to network links based on the proximity of the two connected state vectors. On the basis, we further propose a weighted data segment recurrence network that takes continuous data segments as nodes for the analysis of noisy time series. The feasibility of the proposed methods is illustrated based on the Lorenz system. Finally, an application to five types of EEG recordings is conducted to demonstrate the potentials of the proposed methods in the study of real-world data.
Study on the Effect of Soft and Hard Coal Pore Structure on Gas Adsorption Characteristics
Authors: Zhao Xun , Feng Tao , Wang Ping , Liao Ze
Published: June 2021

In order to grasp the effect of soft and hard coal pore structure on gas adsorption characteristics, based on fractal geometry theory, low‐temperature nitrogen adsorption and constant temperature adsorption test methods are used to test the pore structure characteristics of soft coal and its influence on gas adsorption characteristics. We used box dimension algorithm to measure the fractal dimension and distribution of coal sample microstructure. The research results show that the initial nitrogen adsorption capacity of soft coal is greater than that of hard coal, and the adsorption hysteresis loop of soft coal is more obvious than that of hard coal. And the adsorption curve rises faster in the high relative pressure section. The specific surface area and pore volume of soft coal are larger than those of hard coal. The number of pores is much larger than that of hard coal. In particular, the superposition of the adsorption force field in the micropores and the diffusion in the mesopores enhance the adsorption potential of soft coal. Introducing the concept of adsorption residence time, it is concluded that more adsorption sites on the surface of soft coal make the adsorption and residence time of gas on the surface of soft coal longer. Fractal characteristics of the soft coal surface are more obvious. The saturated adsorption capacity of soft coal and the rate of reaching saturation adsorption are both greater than those of hard coal. The research results of this manuscript will provide a theoretical basis for in‐depth analysis of the adsorption/desorption mechanism of coalbed methane in soft coal seams and the formulation of practical coalbed methane control measures.
DeepLab and Bias Field Correction Based Automatic Cone Photoreceptor Cell Identification with Adaptive Optics Scanning Laser Ophthalmoscope Images
Authors: Chen Yiwei , He Yi , Wang Jing , Li Wanyue , Xing Lina , Zhang Xin , Shi Guohua
Published: June 2021

The identification of cone photoreceptor cells is important for early diagnosing of eye diseases. We proposed automatic deep‐learning cone photoreceptor cell identification on adaptive optics scanning laser ophthalmoscope images. The proposed algorithm is based on DeepLab and bias field correction. Considering manual identification as reference, our algorithm is highly effective, achieving precision, recall, and F1 score of 96.7%, 94.6%, and 95.7%, respectively. To illustrate the performance of our algorithm, we present identification results for images with different cone photoreceptor cell distributions. The experimental results show that our algorithm can achieve accurate photoreceptor cell identification on images of human retinas, which is comparable to manual identification.
Mechanism and Control of Cable Breakage in a Roadway with Thick Top Coal in a Rockburst Mine
Authors: Xu Ying , Zhou Xiekang , Gong Weimei
Published: June 2021

Because top coal is not stable, a roadway with thick top coal often appears to mine pressure problems, such as bolt failure, cable breakage, and roof caving. In particular, these problems are more serious in rockburst mines. Based on a cable breakage case of No. 3 roadway in Xingcun coal mine, the paper analyzed the stress and elastic energy evolution law of surrounding rock and stress state of cable in the 3# roadway by means of the numerical simulation method. Thus, the cable breakage mechanism of the roadway with thick top coal in rockburst mine was revealed. Then, because surrounding rock grouting can reduce the stress concentration of surrounding rock and cable, surrounding rock grouting technology was proposed as control technology of cable breakage. Finally, parameters of surrounding rock grouting were designed and applied in the No. 3 roadway. The field results showed that surrounding rock grouting technology can be one of the solutions for cable breakage of roadway with thick top coal in rockburst mine. The research results of this paper can provide certain theoretical and practical value for mine pressure control of roadway.
Risk Evaluation Method of Import and Export Goods Based on Fuzzy Reasoning and DeepFM
Authors: Xu Yuanyuan , Fang Huijuan , Luo Jiliang , He Jianan , Li Tao , Lin Shiming
Published: June 2021

At present, the inspection mode of China's import ports is generally manual based on experience, or random inspection by the document review system according to a preset random inspection ratio. In order to improve the detection rate of unqualified goods and realize the best allocation of limited human and material resources of inspection and quarantine institutions, a method composed of fuzzy reasoning, deep neural network, and factorization machine (DeepFM) was proposed for the intelligent evaluation of risk sources of imported goods. Fuzzy reasoning is used to realize the fuzzy normalization of the dataset samples, the DeepFM deep neural network is finally used for training and learning to classify and evaluate the risks of goods. Results of experimental tests on a specific customs import and export dataset verify the effectiveness of the proposed research method.
Autophagy in Gastric Mucosa: The Dual Role and Potential Therapeutic Target
Authors: Lu Sheng-Yu , Guo Song , Chai Shao-Bin , Yang Jia-Qi , Yue Yuan , Li Hao , Sun Pei-Ming , Zhang Tao , Sun Hong-Wei , Zhou Jin-Lian , Yang Jian-Wu , Yang He-Ming , Li Zheng-Peng , Cui Yan
Published: June 2021

The incidence of stomach diseases is very high, which has a significant impact on human health. Damaged gastric mucosa is more vulnerable to injury, leading to bleeding and perforation, which eventually aggravates the primary disease. Therefore, the protection of gastric mucosa is crucial. However, existing drugs that protect gastric mucosa can cause nonnegligible side effects, such as hepatic inflammation, nephritis, hypoacidity, impotence, osteoporotic bone fracture, and hypergastrinemia. Autophagy, as a major intracellular lysosome‐dependent degradation process, plays a key role in maintaining intracellular homeostasis and resisting environmental pressure, which may be a potential therapeutic target for protecting gastric mucosa. Recent studies have demonstrated that autophagy played a dual role when gastric mucosa exposed to biological and chemical factors. More indepth studies are needed on the protective effect of autophagy in gastric mucosa. In this review, we focus on the mechanisms and the dual role of various biological and chemical factors regulating autophagy, such as Helicobacter pylori, virus, and nonsteroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs. And we summarize the pathophysiological properties and pharmacological strategies for the protection of gastric mucosa through autophagy.
[Retracted] Knowledge Graph Entity Similarity Calculation under Active Learning
Authors: Li Lianhuan , Zhang Zheng , Zhang Shaoda
Published: June 2021

To address the objectives of the adaptive learning platform, the requirements of the system in terms of business, functionality, and performance are mainly analysed, and the design of functions and database is completed; then, an updatable learner model is constructed based on the cognitive diagnosis model and resource preference attributes; then, the construction of the knowledge map is completed based on embedding to achieve knowledge point alignment, and based on this, the target knowledge points of learners are located with the help of deep learning; at the same time, the target knowledge points are taken as the starting point to generate the best learning path by traversing the knowledge map, and the corresponding learning resources and test questions are recommended for them with the help of the architecture; finally, the adaptive learning platform is developed in the environment using the architecture. Also, the target knowledge point is used as the starting point to traverse the knowledge map to generate the best learning path, and the corresponding learning resources and test questions are recommended for the learner in combination with the learner model; finally, this study adopts an architecture for the development of an adaptive learning platform in the environment to realize online tests, score analysis, resource recommendation, and other functions. A knowledge graph fusion system supporting interactive facilitation between entity alignment and attribute alignment is implemented. Under a unified conceptual layer, this system can combine entity alignment and attribute alignment to promote each other and truly achieve the final fusion of the two graphs. Our experimental results on real datasets show that the entity alignment algorithm proposed in this paper has a great improvement in accuracy compared with the previous mainstream alignment algorithms. Also, the attribute alignment algorithm proposed in this paper, which calculates the similarity based on associated entities, outperforms the traditional methods in terms of accuracy and recall.
Chidamide and Radiotherapy Synergistically Induce Cell Apoptosis and Suppress Tumor Growth and Cancer Stemness by Regulating the MiR-375-EIF4G3 Axis in Lung Squamous Cell Carcinomas
Authors: Huang Xu , Bi Nan , Wang Jingbo , Ren Hua , Pan Desi , Lu Xianping , Wang Luhua
Published: June 2021

As a selective histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor developed in China, chidamide has been applied for the treatment of refractory peripheral T-cell lymphoma (PTCL) and multiple solid tumors, including lung cancer. However, the underlying mechanisms are not well elucidated. In our present study, we found that chidamide and radiation acted synergistically to suppress cell and xenograft growth of lung squamous cell carcinoma cells by inducing cell apoptosis. Moreover, chidamide alone or a combination of chidamide and radiation treatment inhibited cancer cell stemness. miRNA microarray analysis demonstrated that miR-375 was the highest upregulated microRNA (miRNA) in NCI-2170 and NCI-H226 cells treated with chidamide alone or treated with chidamide plus radiation, compared with normal control. Inhibition of miR-375 attenuated the promoting effect of chidamide alone and chidamide plus radiation-induced NCI-2170 and NCI-H226 cell apoptosis and reverted the suppression of cancer stemness caused by chidamide alone or chidamide plus radiation treatment. Moreover, EIF4G3, a scaffold protein in the translation initiation complex, was found to be a direct target of miR-375 based on the luciferase reporter assay and western blot analysis. Interestingly, both chidamide alone and chidamide plus radiation treatments suppressed the mRNA and protein expression of EIF4G3. Silence of EIF4G3 also induced cell apoptosis and suppressed tumor growth in NCI-2170 and NCI-H226 cells. These data suggest that chidamide shows a synergistic effect with radiation therapy on lung squamous cell carcinomas by modulating the miR-375-EIF4G3 axis, which may afford an effective strategy to overcome the drug resistance of chidamide in clinical cancer therapy.
Presentation of Infectious Keratitis to ED during COVID-19 Lockdown
Authors: Power Barry , Donnelly Aaron , Murphy Conor , Fulcher Timothy , Power William
Published: June 2021

Objectives. To compare presentation of infectious keratitis during COVID-19 lockdown with previous years, assess relative severity, and compare outcomes between COVID-19 and pre-COVID-19 era groups. Methods. Acute presentations of infectious keratitis during a strict government-mandated COVID-19 lockdown period were analysed retrospectively (March–May 2020). Data were compared with the same periods in 2018-2019. The clinical notes of patients undergoing corneal scrapes were reviewed, and data were collected on treatment, culture growth, surgical interventions, visual outcomes, admission rates, and risk factors. Results. There were 37% fewer presentations of infectious keratitis to the ED in 2020 (N = 29, 47, and 45, respectively). Risk factor profiles and microbial data were similar across all periods. Admission rates and use of fortified antibiotics were lower in 2020. COVID-19 era cases recovered less vision (LogMAR 0.26, 0.67, and 0.45, respectively;

p

 = 0.04) and were more likely to require surgical intervention (10%, 4%, and 2%, respectively; OR 3.4 (CI 0.7–17.9,

p

 = 0.1)). Conclusion. A concerning fall in presentations of infectious keratitis to ED during the pandemic lockdown was observed. Though societal behaviour changed during the lockdown, our data suggest it is unlikely that the incidence of infectious keratitis fell significantly. It is unclear how and where these patients were treated. We postulate that lower levels of visual recovery and higher rates of surgical intervention may have been caused by delays in accessing care. To minimise avoidable ocular morbidity as COVID-19 resurges, we must communicate clearly with patients and health professionals on how to access available emergency eye care services.
Assessing the Performance of the Discrete Generalised Pareto Distribution in Modelling Non-Life Insurance Claims
Authors: Dzidzornu S. K.-B. , Minkah R.
Published: June 2021

The generalised Pareto distribution (GPD) offers a family of probability spaces which support threshold exceedances and is thus suitable for modelling high-end actuarial risks. Nonetheless, its distributional continuity presents a critical limitation in characterising data of discrete forms. Discretising the GPD, therefore, yields a derived distribution which accommodates the count data while maintaining the essential tail modelling properties of the GPD. In this paper, we model non-life insurance claims under the three-parameter discrete generalised Pareto (DGP) distribution. Data for the study on reported and settled claims, spanning the period 2012–2016, were obtained from the National Insurance Commission, Ghana. The maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) principle was adopted in fitting the DGP to yearly and aggregated data. The estimation involved two steps. First, we propose a modification to the

μ

and

μ
+
1

frequency method in the literature. The proposal provides an alternative routine for generating initial estimators for MLE, in cases of varied count intervals, as is a characteristic of the claim data under study. Second, a bootstrap algorithm is implemented to obtain standard errors of estimators of the DGP parameters. The performance of the DGP is compared to the negative binomial distribution in modelling the claim data using the Akaike and Bayesian information criteria. The results show that the DGP is appropriate for modelling the count of non-life insurance claims and provides a better fit to the regulatory claim data considered.
Investigation of the Morphological, Structural, and Vibrational Behaviour of Graphite Nanoplatelets
Authors: Albetran H. M.
Published: June 2021

This work investigated the morphological, structural, and vibrational properties of graphite nanoplatelets (GNPs) that were produced by ultrasonication. Scanning and transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffractometry, and Raman spectroscopy identified 120-nm-thick GNP crystallites and 50–2000 μm2 plates with different areas and shapes. Extensive exfoliation was observed by transmission electron microscopy with abundant multi and some monolayer GNPs. X-ray diffractometry confirmed 43 GNP layers along the

c

-axis. Rietveld X-ray analysis indicated a GNP crystal lattice with stacks of parallel two-dimensional graphene layers and tightly bound hybridized carbon atoms stacked in a translational …ABAB… sequence in hexagonal rings. Raman scattering indicated well-defined GNPs with few defects and no oxide content. All analytical results reveal that GNPs could have significant potential application in electrically conductive reinforcement devices.
Identification and Validation of QTLs for Macronutrient Contents in Brown and Milled Rice Using Two Backcross Populations between Oryza sativa and O. rufipogon
Authors: Hu Biao-lin , Li Xia , Wu Ting , Huang De-run , Huang Feng-lin , Yin Jian-hua , Wu Yan-shou
Published: June 2021

Mineral malnutrition as a prevalent public health issue can be alleviated by increasing the intake of dietary minerals from major staple crops, such as rice. Identification of the gene responsible for mineral contents in rice would help breed cultivars enriched with minerals through marker‐assisted selection. Two segregating populations of backcross inbred lines (BIL) were employed to map quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for macronutrient contents in brown and milled rice, BC1F5, and BC2F4:5 derived from an interspecific cross of Xieqingzao B (Oryza sativa) and Dongxiang wild rice (O. rufipogon). Phenotyping the populations was conducted in multiple locations and years, and up to 169 DNA markers were used for the genotyping. A total of 17 QTLs for P, K, Na, Ca, and Mg contents in brown and milled rice distributed on eight regions were identified in the BC1F5 population, which is explained to range from 5.98% to 56.80% of phenotypic variances. Two regions controlling qCa1.1 and qCa4.1 were validated, and seven new QTLs for Ca and Mg contents were identified in the BC2F4:5 population. 18 of 24 QTLs were clustered across seven chromosomal regions, indicating that different mineral accumulation might be involved in common regulatory pathways. Of 24 QTLs identified in two populations, 16 having favorable alleles were derived from O. rufipogon and 10 were novel. These results will not only help understand the molecular mechanism of macronutrient accumulation in rice but also provide candidate QTLs for further gene cloning and grain nutrient improvement through QTL pyramiding.
Multimodal Data Guided Spatial Feature Fusion and Grouping Strategy for E-Commerce Commodity Demand Forecasting
Authors: Cai Weiwei , Song Yaping , Wei Zhanguo
Published: June 2021

E-commerce offers various merchandise for selling and purchasing with frequent transactions and commodity flows. An accurate prediction of customer needs and optimized allocation of goods is required for cost reduction. The existing solutions have significant errors and are unsuitable for addressing warehouse needs and allocation. That is why businesses cannot respond to customer demands promptly, as they need accurate and reliable demand forecasting. Therefore, this paper proposes spatial feature fusion and grouping strategies based on multimodal data and builds a neural network prediction model for e-commodity demand. The designed model extracts order sequence features, consumer emotional features, and facial value features from multimodal data from e-commerce products. Then, a bidirectional long short-term memory network- (BiLSTM-) based grouping strategy is proposed. The proposed strategy fully learns the contextual semantics of time series data while reducing the influence of other features on the group’s local features. The output features of multimodal data are highly spatially correlated, and this paper employs the spatial dimension fusion strategy for feature fusion. This strategy effectively obtains the deep spatial relations among multimodal data by integrating the features of each column in each group across spatial dimensions. Finally, the proposed model’s prediction effect is tested using e-commerce dataset. The experimental results demonstrate the proposed algorithm’s effectiveness and superiority.
Predictors of Improvement in Quality of Life When Treating Hypothyroidism
Authors: Medici Bjarke Borregaard , Lerche la Cour Jeppe , Knop Filip Krag , Krakauer Martin , Michaelsson Luba Freja , Faber Jens , Watt Torquil , Nygaard Birte
Published: June 2021

Background. Primary hypothyroidism is characterized by reduced quality of life (QoL). Although thyrotropin (TSH) is utilized as the primary indicator of thyroid disease and treatment adequacy, no simple correlation between QoL and TSH has been shown. This study aimed to investigate changes in clinically relevant predictors during initiation of levothyroxine (L-T4) therapy and their ability to predict improvement in QoL. Method. Quality of life was measured in patients with newly diagnosed hypothyroidism, during the initial 12 months of L-T4 therapy, by the thyroid-related patient-reported outcome questionnaire, ThyPRO-39. The main outcome measures were the Composite QoL scale and the Tiredness and Emotional Susceptibility subscales (0–100, higher scores worse). Clinical variables (resting energy expenditure (REE), body composition, thyroid function, L-T4 dose, and cognitive function tests) were evaluated as predictors of improvement in QoL by univariate and multiple regression analysis. Results. Thirty-seven hypothyroid patients with a baseline median TSH of 30 mU/l and a median QoL score of 29 were included. After twelve months of L-T4 treatment, the ThyPRO-39 QoL score had significantly improved to a median score of 14, while REE per kg fat-free mass (FFM) increased significantly from a mean of 26.5 to 28.7 kcal/day/kg (

p
<
0.001

). Change in ThyPRO-39 was not associated with a change in REE/FFM (unstandardized coefficient (USC): 0.09 with confidence interval (CI): −1.93 to 2.11,

p
=
0.93

) but was positively predicted by baseline body mass index (BMI) (USC: 1.54 with CI: 0.59 to 2.49, (

p
=
0.002

), without association with weight loss (USC: 0.33 with CI: −1.21 to 1.27,

p
=
0.96

). Conclusion. Improvement in QoL as measured by ThyPRO-39 after initiation of L-T4 therapy for hypothyroidism was not associated with changes in REE. High baseline BMI, but not weight loss during therapy, was associated with improvement in QoL. This trail is registered with www.Clinicaltrials.gov (registration no. https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02891668).
A Novel Multiphase Model for Traffic Safety Evaluation: A Case Study of South Africa
Authors: Stević Željko , Das Dillip Kumar , Kopić Miloš
Published: June 2021

Identification of key indicators that cause safety challenges and vulnerable roads is crucial for improving traffic safety. This paper, therefore, entails to the development of a novel multiphase multicriteria decision-making (MCDM) model to evaluate the vulnerability of urban roads for traffic safety. This was conducted by using data from 17 important roads of a South African city and combining several methods such as CRiteria Importance through Intercriteria Correlation (CRITIC), data envelopment analysis (DEA), and measurement of alternatives and ranking according to compromise solution (MARCOS). Taking the elements of the DEA method, two new approaches for calculating the weights of criteria, the DEA-1 and DEA-2 models, were formed and integrated with the CRITIC method to obtain the final values of criteria weights. The MARCOS method was applied to evaluate 17 alternatives, for each direction separately. The aim of developing such a model is to use the advantages of obtaining objectivity of criteria weights through linear programming and correlation of values of the collected data. Also, the MARCOS method, as one of the newer and applicable methods, provides additional significance. Extensive sensitivity analyses were conducted to validate the model. The findings suggest that there are a certain number of roads that have a high level of safety for both directions, as well as a group of risky roads, which need traffic improvement measures. Thus, the results indicate that the model is sensitive to various approaches and can prioritize vulnerable roads comprehensively based on which safety measures can be taken.
Use of Simultaneous Bilateral Cataract Surgery (SBCS) to Optimize Parameters Affecting the Subjective Perception of the Procedure
Authors: Studený P. , Vránová J. , Nováček L.
Published: June 2021

Introduction. Simultaneous Bilateral Cataract Surgery (SBCS) is still a relatively controversial procedure. The main objection is the risk of bilateral endophthalmitis or bilateral refractive error. However, SBCS has also some advantages (faster visual rehabilitation, lower risk of nosocomial infection, and lower cost). Performing surgery on both eyes in one session has one additional advantage which has not yet been described in the literature (according to the information available to authors). It allows surgeons to distinguish the effect of minor differences in the surgical protocol on the subjective perception of the procedure more accurately, which is a more suitable method than comparing two independent groups of patients. Purpose. To compare the effect of minor changes in the surgical protocol during SBCS on intraindividual subjective perception of surgery (pain, pressure, glare, and perception of the duration of the surgery). Methods. During the surgery of the right and left eyes of one patient, we randomly changed one surgical parameter (use of intracameral anesthesia, light intensity of the operating microscope, type of eyelid speculum, creation of the posterior circular capsulorhexis, and communication with the patient during surgery). Patients immediately after both surgeries subjectively evaluated the perception of pain (on the scale 0–10), pressure, and glare (on the scale 0–5) and estimated the duration of the surgery, separately for each eye. Each change was evaluated in a group of 50 patients. Results. In the control group with no parameters changed, we noted no difference in subjective perception of the first and second surgery. In subgroups, where we changed the protocol, we detected only minor differences in subjective perception of pain, pressure, glare, and duration of the surgery. Only one statistically significant difference in subjective pain perception was in the subgroup where we used eye intracameral anesthesia (0.34 eyes with intracameral anesthesia, 0.44 eyes with only topical anesthesia). We did not note any statistically significant differences in the perception of the time of surgery. Conclusion. SBCS can be used to optimize the parameters of cataract surgery. In our study, we noted a positive effect of intracameral anesthesia on subjective perception of surgery.
Summarizing the Effective Herbs for the Treatment of Hypertensive Nephropathy by Complex Network and Machine Learning
Authors: Huan Jia-Ming , Su Wen-Ge , Li Wei , Gao Chao , Zhou Peng , Fu Chun-Sheng , Wang Xiao-Feng , Wang Yi-Min , Wang Yi-Fei
Published: June 2021

Hypertensive nephropathy is a common complication of hypertension. Traditional Chinese medicine has been used in the clinical treatment of hypertensive nephropathy for a long time, but the commonly used prescriptions have not been summarized, and the basic therapeutic approaches have not been discussed. Based on data from 3 years of electronic medical records of traditional Chinese medicine used at the Affiliated Hospital of Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, a complex network and machine learning algorithm was used to explore the prescribed herbs of traditional Chinese medicine in the treatment of hypertensive nephropathy (HN). In this study, complex network algorithms were used to describe traditional Chinese medicine prescriptions for HN treatment. The Apriori algorithm was used to analyze the compatibility of these treatments with modern medicine. Data on the targets and regulatory genes related to hypertensive nephropathy and the herbs that affect their expression were obtained from public databases, and then, the signaling pathways enriched with these genes were identified on the basis of their participation in biological processes. A clustering algorithm was used to analyze the therapeutic pathways at multiple levels. A total of 1499 prescriptions of traditional Chinese medicines used for the treatment of hypertensive renal damage were identified. Fourteen herbs used to treat hypertensive nephropathy act through different biological pathways: huangqi, danshen, dangshen, fuling, baizhu, danggui, chenpi, banxia, gancao, qumai, cheqianzi, ezhu, qianshi, and niuxi. We found the formulae of these herbs and observed that they could downregulate the expression of inflammatory cytokines such as TNF, IL1B, and IL6 and the NF-κB and MAPK signaling pathways to reduce the renal inflammatory damage caused by excessive activation of RAAS. In addition, these herbs could facilitate the deceleration in the decline of renal function and relieve the symptoms of hypertensive nephropathy. In this study, the traditional Chinese medicine approach for treating hypertensive renal damage is summarized and effective treatment prescriptions were identified and analyzed. Data mining technology provided a feasible method for the collation and extraction of traditional Chinese medicine prescription data and provided an objective and reliable tool for use in determining the TCM treatments of hypertensive nephropathy.
Idiopathic Chylopericardium in a Young Adult: Diagnosis and Management
Authors: Sant’Ana João Pedro E. , Vicente Amanda O. , Pereira Amanda S. , Bertozzi Pedro V. , Sardenberg Rodrigo A. S.
Published: June 2021

Primary idiopathic chylopericardium (PIC) is an uncommon cardiologic disorder; it is defined as accumulation of lymph in the pericardial sac without any know precipitating factor. A 25-year-old presented with dyspnea and chest pain for over two months. The patient underwent a chest X-ray, which revealed an enlargement of cardiac silhouette and signs of cardiac tamponade. Chest CT was performed, revealing large pericardial effusion and small pleural effusion on the right hemithorax. The patient was referred to the ICU and underwent a pericardial window through VATS, which revealed 500 ml of a milky fluid.
Data Distribution for Multiple Receivers in a Connected Car Environment Using 5G Communication
Authors: Kim Won-Bin , Seo Daehee , Kim Donghyun , Lee Im-Yeong
Published: June 2021

The development of communication technology has brought changes to various environments. The evolution from 3G to 4G Long-Term Evolution (LTE) was mainly aimed at improving communication speed. However, the evolution from 4G LTE to 5G New Radio (NR) is not aimed at improving speed alone. In addition to the existing communication types, 5G aims to improve communication to support the Internet of Things (IoT), media, and complex content to which things are connected. In such environments, point-to-point communication has a very inefficient structure to allow content providers to transmit data to many content users. In the 5G era, content providers must distribute content to numerous users, and in this process, they need to protect the content. Multireceiver encryption (MRE) is an encryption technology developed for this purpose. MRE allows multiple recipients to decrypt data using their own private key with single encryption of a data provider. With this technology, even if the number of data recipients is 100,000 or 1,000,000, data can be distributed with single encryption. Therefore, while using the existing 1 : 1 encryption method, it is possible to solve the problem of inefficiency in performing encryption for each recipient. However, existing proposed MREs can cause key escrow problems and partial key verification problems. Furthermore, the privacy issues identifying the recipient may arise because anonymity is not available to the recipient. In addition, it is necessary to ensure a fair decryption process for all recipients which a legitimate user cannot decrypt. In this study, we attempted to address these problems, and through our model, it is possible to distribute the data more securely and efficiently in a 5G environment.
Investigation and Analysis of Sharp Injuries among Health Care Workers from 36 Hospitals in Shandong Province, China
Authors: Sun Jian , Qin Wen , Jia Lei , Sun Zhen , Xu Hua , Hui Yiyi , Gu Anman , Li Weiguang
Published: June 2021

Background. This study investigated and analyzed the current situation of sharp injuries among health care workers (HCWs) in China’s Shandong Province. Methods. By means of questionnaire survey, the incidence of sharp injuries among HCWs from 36 hospitals in China’s Shandong Province in October 2019 was investigated, and the results of this survey were compared with those of October 2012. Results. A total of 48165 HCWs were investigated. 549 cases of sharp injuries occurred. The incidence of sharp injuries was 1.14%, which was significantly lower than that in October 2012 (9.71%). In the occupational distribution of sharp injuries among HCWs, the proportion of nurses was 58.65%, doctors 23.32%, and interns 12.02%. Among the distribution of sharp injury departments, general wards, operating rooms, intensive care units, disinfection supply centers, and outpatient clinics were the high‐incidence sites of occupational exposure among HCWs. The main instruments causing sharp injuries in HCWs were syringes, scalp steel needles, surgical suture needles, vacuum blood collection needles, and glass slides. Drug administration, double‐handed loop needle cap, blood extraction, surgical suture needle, and arteriovenous needle extraction were high‐risk operations causing sharp instrument injuries in HCWs. Conclusion. The incidence of sharp injuries among HCWs from 36 hospitals in Shandong Province in October 2019 was significantly lower than that in October 2012. Sharp injuries were a common type of occupational exposure for HCWs. The occurrence of sharp injuries should be effectively reduced by changing wrong habitual behavior and implementing standard protective measures.
[Retracted] Risk Prediction of Sports Events Based on Gray Neural Network Model
Authors: Wang Zhihui
Published: June 2021

In this paper, neural network is used as a predictive network modeling method, with the support of MATLAB Neural Toolbox, based on the implementation of predictive research. A risk warning model is designed for sports events relying on neural network s to reduce the losses caused by risk accidents. First, the article introduces a literature review of sports event risk warning, combined with the sports event risk warning index system; summarizes the main advantages of using neural network and fuzzy theory; and establishes a sports event risk warning model relied on neural network. The article starts with the application of gray network in sports risk warning design, starting from the necessity of applying gray network in sports event risk warning; analyzes the risk warning model and operation process; and conducts sample data verification to verify this power of the model. Practice has proved that the application of gray neural network in sports events can play a role in risk warning.
Surface Layer Turbulent Characteristics over the Complex Terrain of the Loess Plateau Semiarid Region
Authors: Zhang Zhida , Liang Jiening , Zhang Min , Guo Qi , Zhang Lei
Published: June 2021

Surface layer turbulence has an important influence on land-air interactions and pollutant dispersion, and studying the characteristics of surface layer turbulence in complex terrain can contribute to understanding land-air interactions, improving model surface layer parameterization, and enhancing pollution prediction capabilities. The surface layer turbulence observations from the Semi-Arid Climate and Environment Observatory (SACOL) of Lanzhou University in 2008 were processed in this study. High-quality turbulence parameters were calculated, the statistical and transfer characteristics of turbulence were analyzed, and the formation of turbulence was assessed in terms of dynamics and thermodynamics. The atmospheric stability in the semiarid region of the Loess Plateau is basically dominated by neutral/near-neutral and weakly unstable/weakly stable conditions; this pattern is significantly different from the preponderance of unstable and stable layers at other sites. The turbulence intensity differs significantly in both the horizontal and vertical directions and basically shows the relationship

I

u

≈

I

v

>

I

w

. The mean values of

I

u

and

I

v

are 0.42 and 0.40, respectively, and the mean value of

I

w

is 0.14, which is different from the general pattern of

I

u

>

I

v

>

I

w

, indicating that the turbulence intensity at SACOL is characterized by a large lateral wind contribution. The dimensionless standard deviations of the nonneutral wind velocity components satisfy the “1/3rd law,” and the dimensionless standard deviations of u,

v

, and

w

components are 3.35, 2.98, and 1.26, respectively, in the semiarid Loess Plateau. These values are larger than those over flat terrain. The contribution of the shear term to the formation of turbulence is greater than that of the buoyancy term, and the mean annual values of the shear term and the buoyancy in the kinetic energy budget equation in SACOL are 47.94 × 10−4 m2·s−3 and 11.32 × 10−4 m2·s−3, respectively. The annual mean values of the momentum transfer coefficient

C

D

and the heat transfer coefficient

C

H

under near-neutral conditions are 8.54 × 10−3 and 2.52 × 10−3, respectively.
BRIX3000® Papain Gel for Cavity Treatment in the Adult Patient
Authors: Mancini Leonardo , Pisaneschi Alessia , Mancini Vincenzo , Ginoble Marino , Quinzi Vincenzo , Marchetti Enrico , Marzo Giuseppe
Published: June 2021

Tooth decay is a multifactorial disease. Fermentable sugar, host factors, and cariogenic microbial flora are several agents that influence dental structure. In literature, alternative protocols for treating cavities are always of interest in terms of reducing pain and preserving tissue. In this case report, the use of a new gel-based on papain, which has a chemical effect on bacteria and allows the consistency of the altered tissue to be modified, leads to a less traumatic removal of the infected tissue. In this case report, BRIX3000, a gel with papain as its main ingredient, was used to treat an interproximal cavity on an upper premolar of a 35-year-old man frightened of the turbine. After a clinical check of all the systematic conditions and a first view of the oral cavity, the protocol was explained to the patient, and informed consent was obtained. The protocol involved applying the papain gel directly to the cavity, and after 2.5–3 minutes, it was removed. The complete removal of the infected tissue was achieved in three steps. The patient reported no discomfort, and the cavity was completely treated and ready to be restored. In conclusion, BRIX3000 seems to be a good alternative to the turbine in cavity treatment, particularly in patients who have discomfort during traditional treatments and are frightened of the turbine.
Antibody-Mediated Rejection and Sponge Effect in a Redo Lung Transplant Recipient
Authors: Arjuna Ashwini , Olson Michael T. , Tokman Sofya , Walia Rajat , Mohanakumar Thalachallour , Hashimi A. Samad , Smith Michael A. , Bremner Ross M. , Omar Ashraf
Published: June 2021

Long-term survival after lung transplant remains severely limited by chronic lung allograft dysfunction. Antibody-mediated rejection of lung transplant allografts is usually caused by donor-specific antibodies (DSAs) directed toward donor human leukocyte antigens (HLAs). Typically, patients with antibody-mediated rejection have significantly higher circulating DSAs and increased mean fluorescence intensity than those without antibody-mediated rejection. However, some patients with antibody-mediated rejection have low mean fluorescence intensities, partly due to the “sponge effect” related to DSAs binding to HLA molecules within the lung. Herein, we report the case of an 18-year-old, female lung transplant recipient who required retransplantation and developed circulating DSAs directed toward the first allograft but detected in circulation only after retransplantation. The present case draws attention to a rare finding of sponge effect in a patient with antibody-mediated rejection leading to allograft failure.
Analysis of Lymphocyte Subpopulations and Cytokines in COVID-19-Associated Pneumonia and Community-Acquired Pneumonia
Authors: Liu Guohong , Jiang Xianghu , Zeng Xiaojiao , Pan Yunbao , Xu Haibo
Published: June 2021

Background. The 2019 novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 caused large outbreaks of COVID-19 worldwide. COVID-19 resembles community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). Our aim was to identify lymphocyte subpopulations to distinguish between COVID-19 and CAP. Methods. We compared the peripheral blood lymphocytes and their subsets in 296 patients with COVID-19 and 130 patients with CAP. Parameters for independent prediction of COVID-19 were calculated by logistic regression. Results. The main lymphocyte subpopulations (CD3+CD4+, CD16+CD56+, and CD4+/CD8+ ratio) and cytokines (TNF-α and IFN-γ) of COVID-19 patients were significantly different from that of CAP patients. CD16+CD56+%, CD4+/CD8+ratio, CD19+, and CD3+CD4+ were identified as predictors of COVID-19 diagnosis by logistic regression. In addition, the CD3+CD4+counts, CD3+CD8+ counts, andTNF-α are independent predictors of disease severity in patients. Conclusions. Lymphopenia is an important part of SARS-CoV-2 infection, and lymphocyte subsets and cytokines may be useful to predict the severity and clinical outcomes of the disease.
A Cooperative Intermodal Transportation Network Flow Control Method Based on Model Predictive Control
Authors: Huang Yuankai , Zhou Qicai , Xiong Xiaolei , Zhao Jiong
Published: June 2021

With the development of information technology, intermodal transport research pays more attention to dynamic optimization and multi-role cooperation. The core issue of this paper was to realize container routing with dynamic adjustment, real-time optimization, and multi-role cooperation characteristics in the intermodal transport network. This paper first introduces the Intermodal Transport Cooperation Protocol (ITCP) that describes the operation and analysis of intermodal transport systems with the concept of encapsulation and layering. Then, a new network flow control method was built based on Model Predictive Control (MPC) in the ITCP framework. The method takes real-time information from all ITCP layers as input and generates flow control decisions for containers. To evaluate the method’s effectiveness, a discrete event simulation experiment is applied. The results show that the proposed method outperforms the all-or-nothing method in scenarios with high freight volume, which means the method proposed in this paper can effectively balance the network transport load and reduce network operating costs. The research of this paper may throw some new light on intermodal transport research from the perspectives of digitization, multi-role cooperation, dynamic optimization, and system standardization.