bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Surgical Repair Using Suture Bridge Technique for Triceps Tendon Avulsion
Authors: Furuhata Ryogo , Kamata Yusaku , Kono Aki , Nishimura Taichi , Otani Shinya , Morioka Hideo
Published: April 2021

Triceps tendon avulsion is a rarely occurring tendinous injury. Various surgical procedures, such as repair using sutures through the transosseous tunnel or suture anchors, have been reported for treating triceps tendon avulsion. However, standard surgical treatment has not yet been established. Here, we present a case of triceps tendon avulsion treated using the suture bridge technique. A 58-year-old man who fell on his left elbow from standing height presented to our hospital. Plain radiography revealed an avulsion fracture of the left olecranon process, suggesting triceps tendon avulsion. We performed surgical repair of the avulsed bone fragments and ruptured triceps tendon. We inserted suture anchors into the ulna, proximal to the fracture site, and passed the sutures through the full thickness of the triceps. Subsequently, fracture fragments were reduced and fixed by pulling them together with the triceps. We inserted knotless anchors into the ulna distal to the fracture site and fixed the avulsed bone fragments and triceps tendon using the suture bridge technique. The patient recovered well in five months and reported no elbow pain or limited range of motion. This suture bridge technique is advantageous as it prevents iatrogenic fracture and knot irritation, and it would be indicated in cases with poor bone quality or thin skin soft tissue of the olecranon.
The Averaging Principle for Stochastic Pantograph Equations with Non-Lipschitz Conditions
Authors: Gao Dongdong , Li Jianli , Luo Zhiguo , Luo Danfeng
Published: April 2021

This paper is devoted to presenting an averaging principle for stochastic pantograph equations. Under suitable non-Lipschitz conditions, the solutions to stochastic pantograph equations can be approximated by solutions to averaged stochastic systems in the mean-square sense and probability. At last, an example is given to demonstrate the feasibility of obtained results. Moreover, our results have generalized significantly some previous ones.
Antilingula as a Surgical Reference Point for Vertical Ramus Osteotomy
Authors: Chen Han-Sheng , Chen Ying-Sheng , Lin I-Ling , Chen Chun-Feng
Published: April 2021

Purpose. This study investigated the antilingula and its related landmarks, the mandibular rami, by using cone‐beam computed tomography (CBCT). Methods. CBCT images of 37 patients (74 sides of the mandibular ramus) were collected. The landmarks of antilingula (AntiL), anterior ramus (A), posterior ramus (P), superior ramus (S), and inferior ramus (I) were identified. The distances (A‐AntiL, P‐AntiL, S‐AntiL, and I‐AntiL) were statistically evaluated according to gender, side (right and left), and skeletal patterns. Results. The distance from the antilingula to the anterior (A‐AntiL) border of the ramus was significantly longer on the right side (14.69 mm) than on the left side (13.97 mm). Male patients had longer AntiL‐P, AntiL‐I, and S‐I distances (18.96, 40.07, and 54.94 mm, respectively) than did female patients (16.66, 35, and 47.54 mm, respectively). Regarding skeletal patterns, the classes can be ordered as follows in terms of the measurements: class III>class II>class I. However, the differences between the classes were nonsignificant. Pearson correlation analysis revealed that gender and S‐I distance were strongly correlated (r = 0.667); specifically, male patients had a longer S‐I distance. A‐AntiL and A‐P also exhibited a strong correlation (r = 0.796). Conclusion. Antilingula‐related distances did not differ between skeletal patterns. Among antilingula‐related variables, A‐AntiL could serve as a favorable measuring point during operation.
TUC338 Promotes Diffuse Large B Cell Lymphoma Growth via Regulating EGFR/PI3K/AKT Signaling Pathway
Authors: Li Yan , Jia Zhenwei , Zhao Hongbo , Liu Xiaoyan , Luo Jianmin , Cui Guirong , Kong Xiaoyang
Published: April 2021

TUC338 is emerging as a novel vital long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) in human cancer; however, its role in diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) remains unknown. In this study, we found that TUC338 was remarkably upregulated in DLBCL tissues as compared to matched normal tissues. High TUC338 was closely related to advanced Ann Arbor stage, resistance to CHOP-like treatment, and high IPI (International Prognostic Index). Stable knockdown of TUC338 evidently inhibited cell proliferation and chemotherapy resistance to Adriamycin and induced apoptosis. Further, we found that TUC338 was able to directly bind to miR-28-5p and increased EGFR level, resulting in activating carcinogenic PI3K/AKT signaling, thereby facilitating DLBCL uncontrolled growth. Moreover, we also found that depletion of TUC338 led to the inactivation of EGFR/PI3K/AKT pathway in vivo by using the xenograft tumor model. Preclinically, DLBCL patients with high TUC338 had shorter survival time than those with low TUC338, and serum TUC338 level was identified as an excellent indicator for DLBCL diagnosis. In sum, our findings clearly indicate that TUC338 functions as an oncogenic lncRNA in DLBCL through activating EGFR/PI3K/AKT pathway via sponging and inhibiting miR-28-5p, which may be a promising target for DLBCL treatment.
Probiotic Supplement Preparation Relieves Test Anxiety by Regulating Intestinal Microbiota in College Students
Authors: Qin Qi , Liu Hui , Yang Yulu , Wang Yifei , Xia Chaofei , Tian Puyuan , Wei Jing , Li Shengjie , Chen Tingtao
Published: April 2021

Test anxiety creates barriers to learning and performance, which further affects students' social, behavioural, and emotional development. Currently, the medication to treat test anxiety has not been reported yet. Here, we enrolled 120 students to evaluate the effect of probiotic supplement preparation (PSP) on test anxiety from the aspect of the intestinal microbiota. We found that the intake of PSP alleviated the symptoms of depression and anxiety in students with test anxiety by evaluating their mental state using the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale and Hamilton Anxiety Scale. High-throughput sequencing results indicated that the consumption of PSP increased the abundance of Streptococcus and Akkermansia that was lowered by the anxiety state in the intestinal microbiota of students. Meanwhile, taking PSP reduced the level of intestinal pathogens of Fusobacterium and Clostridium as well. In conclusion, our work shows that PSP can reduce test anxiety and restore the disturbed microbiota to the standard level in Chinese college students, rendering the use of PSP a promising strategy for test anxiety.
On the Oscillation Criteria for Fourth-Order
p
-Laplacian Differential Equations with Middle Term
Authors: Yang Dandan , Bai Chuanzhi
Published: April 2021

In this paper, we study the oscillatory properties of the solutions of a class of fourth-order

p

-Laplacian differential equations with middle term. The new oscillation criteria obtained by using the theory of comparison with first- and second-order differential equations and a refinement of the Riccati transformations. The results in this paper improve and generalize the corresponding results in the literatures. Three examples are provided to illustrate our results.
Apoptosis-Inducing Factor, Protein Expression, and Apoptosis Changes with Glutamine in Podocytes Cells Exposed with Cisplatin
Authors: Susilo Imam , Maulida Himmayatussorofil , Alimsardjono Lindawati , Fauziah Dyah , Pertiwi Herinda
Published: April 2021

Cisplatin is a well-known chemotherapeutic drug. It is one of the most effective anticancer agents and is widely used for the treatment of several types of tumors. However, side effects in normal tissues and organs, such as nephrotoxicity that induces apoptosis in epithelial cells in the kidney, limit the use of cisplatin. Glutamine is a substrate for the synthesis of glutathione as an antioxidant and promotes HSP70 release, protecting cells from apoptosis induced by different stimuli. In the present study, we investigated the protective effect of glutamine on cisplatin nephrotoxicity in the kidney. Mice were divided into three groups such as a group of control (P0), a group of intraperitoneal injection of a single dose cisplatin 20 mg/kg BW at 7th day (P1), and a group of intravenous glutamine injection 100 mg/kg BW at days 1–7 and given an intraperitoneal injection of single dose cisplatin 20 mg/kg BW at 7th day (P2). Measurement of AIF expression and apoptotic cells was carried out by immunohistochemical methods. The number of AIF expressions and apoptotic cells is expressed in the Allred score. AIF expression result is as follows: P0: 3.29 ± 0.79, P1: 5.32 ± 0.68, and P2: 4.49 ± 0.47. Apoptosis result is as follows: P0: 3.04 ± 0.70, P1: 5.26 ± 0.53, and P2: 4.44 ± 0.41. There is a decreased expression of AIF on intravenous glutamine administration, followed by a decrease in apoptosis in the podocyte. In conclusion, glutamine administration might represent the treatment of nephrotoxic-induced cisplatin.
Mechanism of Enhanced Oil Recovery for In-Depth Profile Control and Cyclic Waterflooding in Fractured Low-Permeability Reservoirs
Authors: Yin Daiyin , Zhou Wei
Published: April 2021

When fractured low-permeability reservoirs enter a high water cut period, injected water always flows along fractures, water cut speeds increase rapidly, and oil production decreases quickly in oil wells. It is difficult to further improve the oil recovery of such fractured low-permeability reservoirs. In this paper, based on the advantages of in-depth profile control and cyclic water injection, the feasibility of combining deep profile control with cyclic water injection to improve oil recovery in fractured low-permeability reservoirs during the high water cut stage was studied, and the mechanisms of in-depth profile control and cyclic waterflooding were investigated. According to the characteristics of reservoirs in Zone X, as well as the fracture features and evolution mechanisms of the well network, an outcrop plate fractured core model that considers fracture direction was developed, and core displacement experiments were carried out by using the HPAM/Cr3+ gel in-depth profile control system. The enhanced oil recovery of waterflooding, cyclic water injection, and in-depth profile control, as well as a combination of in-depth profile control and cyclic water injection, was investigated. Moreover, variations in the water cut degree, reserve recovery percentage, injection pressure, fracture and matrix pressure, and water saturation were monitored. On this basis, the mechanism of enhanced oil recovery based on the combined utilization of in-depth profile control and cyclic waterflooding methods was analyzed. The results show that in-depth profile control and cyclic water injection can be synchronized to further increase oil recovery. The recovery ratio under the combination of in-depth profile control and cyclic water injection was 1.9% higher than that under the in-depth profile control and 5.6% higher than that under cyclic water injection. The combination of in-depth profile control and cyclic water injection can increase the reservoir pressure; therefore, the fluctuation of pressure between the matrix and its fractures increases, more crude oil flows into the fracture, and the oil production increases.
Optimal Pest Control Strategies with Cost-effectiveness Analysis
Authors: Fitri Ihza Rizkia , Hanum Farida , Kusnanto Ali , Bakhtiar Toni
Published: April 2021

Pest and plant diseases cause damages and economic losses, threatening food security and ecosystem services. Thus, proper pest management is indispensable to mitigate the risk of losses. The risk of environmental hazards induced by toxic chemicals alongside the rapid development of chemical resistance by insects entails more resilient, sustainable, and ecologically sound approaches to chemical methods of control. This study evaluates the application of three dynamical measures of controls, namely, green insecticide, mating disruption, and the removal of infected plants, in controlling pest insects. A model was built to describe the interaction between plants and insects as well as the circulation of the pathogen. Optimal control measures are sought in such a way they maximize the healthy plant density jointly with the pests’ density under the lowest possible control efforts. Our simulation study shows that all strategies succeed in controlling the insects. However, a cost-effectiveness analysis suggests that a strategy with two measures of green insecticide and plant removal is the most cost-effective, followed by one which applies all control measures. The best strategy projects the decrease of potential loss from 65.36% to 6.12%.
Colistin Resistance among Enterobacteriaceae Isolated from Clinical Samples in Gaza Strip
Authors: Qadi Mohammad , Alhato Safaa , Khayyat Rasha , Elmanama Abdelraouf A.
Published: April 2021

Bacterial infections, especially drug-resistant infections, are a major global health issue. The emergence of multidrug-resistant (MDR) strains of Enterobacteriaceae and the lack of new antibiotics have worrisome prospects for all of humanity. Colistin is considered the last-line drug for MDR Gram-negative bacteria (GNB), and it is often used for treatment of respiratory infections caused by MDR-GNB. In recent years, there has been a marked increase in the incidence of colistin-resistant infections. The main objective of this study was to investigate the presence of colistin resistance among clinical GNB isolated from Gaza Strip hospitals. Clinical Enterobacteriaceae isolates (100) were obtained from microbiology laboratories of the hospitals of different geographical locations in Gaza Strip Governorate over a period of six months. Samples were cultured, and bacterial identification was performed by standard microbiological procedures. Enterobacteriaceae isolates were tested for their antimicrobial susceptibility by the disk diffusion method and the MIC method for colistin. Varying degrees of susceptibility were observed for the isolates against the tested antimicrobials even within members of the same antimicrobial class. Amikacin was the most effective drug (74%), followed by chloramphenicol (48%), fosfomycin, and gentamicin (45%). High resistance was recorded against trimethoprim (85%) and tetracycline (83%). Only 59% of the tested isolates were interpreted as susceptible, while 41% was classified as resistant. The highest resistance to colistin was found to be among the Proteus spp. (63.2%), followed by Serratia spp. (57.1%). The lowest resistance was observed among Klebsiella isolates (31.6%). Only 39.0% of meropenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae was susceptible to colistin, while 45.8% of imipenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae was susceptible to colistin. The overall resistance to colistin was high (41%) among tested clinical isolates. Furthermore, 89% was MDR. These limit and complicate treatment options for the infections caused by Enterobacteriaceae in Gaza Strip. This calls for immediate actions to control and monitor the use of antimicrobials in general and colistin in particular.
Relaxant Effect of Urginea maritima on Tracheal Smooth Muscle Mediated by the Effect on Beta-2 Adrenergic, Muscarinic Receptors and Calcium and Potassium Channels
Authors: Kazemi Rad Hamideh , Memarzia Arghavan , Amin Fatemeh , Boskabady Mohammad Hossein
Published: April 2021

Urginea maritima (U. maritima) showed anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antibacterial, diuretic, vasodilatation, and wound-healing effects on fungal infections, cardiac disorders, digestive disorders, rheumatoid disease, and respiratory disorders such as bronchitis, bronchial nosocomial infections, and severe cough. To examine the bronchodilatory effect of U. maritima, the relaxant effect of its extract on rat tracheal smooth muscle (TSM) and its possible mechanism was examined in this study. Male Wistar rats’ TSM were divided into eight groups (n = 8 in each group). Four of these groups were TSM tissues, contracted with KCl (60 mM) incubated with atropine, glibenclamide, and indomethacin and nonincubated TSM, while the other four groups were TSM tissues contracted with methacholine (10 μM) for 5 min, incubated with propranolol, chlorpheniramine, and diltiazem and nonincubated TSM. Cumulative concentrations of U. maritima extract (12.5, 25, 50, 100, 20, and 400 μg/ml) were then added to organ bath every 5 min. Theophylline (0.2, 0.4, 0.6, and 0.8 mM) as positive control and saline (1 ml) as negative control were also examined in nonincubated tissues. A concentration-dependent relaxant effect of U. maritima on nonincubated TSM contracted with KCl (60 mM) or methacholine (10 μM) (

p
<
0.01

and

p
<
0.001

) was observed. The relaxant effects of U. maritima extract in the incubated tissues with glibenclamide, propranolol, diltiazem, atropine, and chlorpheniramine were significantly lower than those in the nonincubated tissues (

p
<
0.05

to

p
<
0.001

). EC50 values of U. maritima extract in the incubated TSM with glibenclamide, propranolol, diltiazem, and atropine were significantly higher than those in the nonincubated tissues (

p
<
0.05

for diltiazem-incubated tissues and

p
<
0.001

for other cases). U. maritima extract displayed considerable relaxant effect on TSM comparable to the effect of theophylline. Beta-2 adrenoceptor stimulation and muscarinic receptor inhibition as well as potassium opening and calcium channels blocking effects are the possible mechanisms for the relaxant effects of the plant.
Security Analysis and Improvements on a Remote Integrity Checking Scheme for Regenerating-Coding-Based Distributed Storage
Authors: Liu Guangjun , Guo Wangmei , Liu Ximeng , Xiong Jinbo
Published: April 2021

Enabling remote data integrity checking with failure recovery becomes exceedingly critical in distributed cloud systems. With the properties of a lower repair bandwidth while preserving fault tolerance, regenerating coding and network coding (NC) have received much attention in the coding-based storage field. Recently, an outstanding outsourced auditing scheme named NC-Audit was proposed for regenerating-coding-based distributed storage. The scheme claimed that it can effectively achieve lightweight privacy-preserving data verification remotely for these networked distributed systems. However, our algebraic analysis shows that NC-Audit can be easily broken due to a potential defect existing in its schematic design. That is, an adversarial cloud server can forge some illegal blocks to cheat the auditor with a high probability when the coding field is large. From the perspective of algebraic security, we propose a remote data integrity checking scheme RNC-Audit by resorting to hiding partial critical information to the server without compromising system performance. Our evaluation shows that the proposed scheme has significantly lower overhead compared to the state-of-the-art schemes for distributed remote data auditing.
Mechanical Characteristics of Frozen Sandstone under Lateral Unloading: An Experimental Study
Authors: Liu Shuai , Yang Gengshe , Dong Xihao , Shen Yanjun , Liu Hui
Published: April 2021

The lateral unloading strength and deformation of surrounding frozen rock are the key parameters for safety evaluation of frozen shaft construction. A low‐temperature and high‐pressure rock triaxial test system was used to simulate freezing construction, and a constant axial pressure unloading confining pressure test was carried out on frozen sandstone. The effects of freezing temperature, initial confining pressure, and unloading rate on the strength, deformation, and failure modes of frozen sandstone are studied. The main results of the study are as follows: (1) under the initial confining pressure of 20 MPa, the temperature of the sandstone decreases from 20°C to –5°C, and the peak stress and elastic modulus of triaxial compression increase by approximately 3 times. Under lateral unloading conditions, the peak stress of frozen sandstone is about 2∼3 times that of 20°C sandstone, and the peak strain of 20°C sandstone is smaller than that of frozen sandstone. The temperature of frozen sandstone decreases and the rate of increase in the peak stress of triaxial compression is slightly less than the rate of increase in the peak stress of lateral unloading. (2) The initial confining pressure of frozen sandstone increases, the growth rate of axial and radial strain increases, the radial strain dominates the failure process, and the lateral unloading strength decreases significantly. (3) The lateral unloading rate of frozen sandstone increases, the peak strength increases, and the axial and radial strain decrease. At a low unloading rate, partial creep deformation occurs. (4) The frozen rock sample undergoes tensile splitting failure under lateral unloading. According to the stress‐strain curve of the frozen rock sample, the relationship between changes in the deformation modulus and changes in the confining pressure unloading amount during the unloading process of the rock sample is obtained.
Discovery and Validation of Circulating EVL mRNA as a Prognostic Biomarker in Pancreatic Cancer
Authors: Du Yan , Yao Kai , Feng Qingbo , Mao Feiyu , Xin Zechang , Xu Peng , Yao Jie
Published: April 2021

Background. Circulating plasma mRNAs can be analyzed to identify putative cancer biomarkers. This study was conducted in an effort to detect plasma mRNA biomarkers capable of predicting pancreatic cancer (PACA) patient prognosis. Material and Methods. First, prognostic mRNAs that were differentially expressed in PACA in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) were established, after which microarray expression profiles from PACA patient plasma samples were utilized to specifically identify potential prognostic plasma mRNA biomarkers associated with this cancer type. In total, plasma samples were then collected from 79 PACA patients and 19 healthy controls to confirm differential mRNA expression via qPCR, while Kaplan–Meier analyses were used to examine the link between mRNA expression and patient overall survival. Results. In total, three prognostic differentially expressed genes were identified in PACA patient plasma samples, including SMAP2, PTPN6, and EVL (Ena/VASP-like). Plasma EVL levels were confirmed via qPCR to be correlated with tumor pathology

p
<
0.01

, while the overall survival of patients with low plasma EVL levels was poor

p
<
0.01

. Multivariate Cox regression analyses further confirmed that plasma EVL levels were independent predictors of PACA patient prognosis. Conclusion. We found that PACA is associated with the downregulation of plasma EVL mRNA levels, indicating that this mRNA may be a viable biomarker associated with patient prognosis.
Stress Relief and Stimulation of Coal Reservoir by Hydraulic Slotting
Authors: Cheng Xiaoyang , Zhang Qinghua , Zhang Zhigang , Zou Yunlong , Junjie Guo
Published: April 2021

Coal seam permeability is one of the key factors influencing the gas extraction efficiency, which is of great significance to reduce coal and gas dynamic disasters in gassy coal mines. Hydraulic slotting technique is an effective method to stimulate the coal reservoir, but the selection of slotting key parameters has great impact on gas extraction efficiency. For this reason, the hydraulic slotting model was established by using FLAC3D software to analyze the stress distribution before and after slotting. Then, the influence of borehole diameter, slotting width, and slotting length on coal seam stress relief is also discussed. The results show that the slotting width has a great influence on the stress relief of the coal seam, while the borehole diameter and slotting length have no obvious influence on that. Based on the results of numerical simulation, field tests were carried out in Sangshuping NO.2 coal mine. The results show that the coal seam stress can be fully released, resulting in the improvement of coal seam permeability. The gas extraction efficiency can be highly enhanced by hydraulic slotting. This research achievement provides the guidance basis for high‐stress water jet slotting technology with adaptive selection of slotting parameters in different geological conditions.
Network Pharmacology and Metabolomics Studies on Antimigraine Mechanisms of Da Chuan Xiong Fang (DCXF)
Authors: Ma Shiyu , Zheng Lin , Lin Xiao , Feng Yi , Yang Ming , Shen Lan
Published: April 2021

Background. Da Chuan Xiong Fang (DCXF) is a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) formula used to treat migraines. Previously, we uncovered partial mechanisms involved in the therapeutic actions of DCXF on migraines. Methods. In this study, we further elucidated its antimigraine mechanisms in vivo by using an integrated strategy coupling with network pharmacology and metabolomics techniques. Results. Network pharmacology identified 33 genes linked with both migraine and DCXF, most of which were 5-hydroxytryptamine receptors, dopamine, and peptide receptors. The results of GO and KEGG enrichment analysis showed that DCXF significantly regulated tyrosine metabolism, tryptophan metabolism, dopamine metabolic process, glucose transmembrane transport, lipid metabolism, and fatty acid transport. The results of metabolomics analysis found that the metabolism of tryptophan and tyrosine in the brain tissue and energy and lipid metabolism of rats tended towards normal and reached normal levels after administering DCXF. The metabolomics and network pharmacology approaches demonstrated similar antimigraine effects of DCXF on endogenous neurotransmitters and overall trends in serum and brain tissue. Using both approaches, 62 hub genes were identified from the protein-protein interaction (PPI) network of DCXF and gene-metabolite interaction network, with hub genes and different metabolites in serum and brain tissue. The hub genes of DCXF, which were mostly linked with inflammation, might affect mainly neurotransmitters in serum and brain tissue metabolisms. Conclusion. Network pharmacology and metabolomics study may help identify hub genes, metabolites, and possible pathways of disease and treatment. Additionally, two parts of the results were integrated to confirm each other. Their combination may help elucidate the relationship between hub genes and metabolites and provide the further understanding of TCM mechanisms.
An Hypothesis for CXCL1/CXCR2 Signaling Regulating Neutrophil-Derived Opioid Peptides Involved in Acupuncture for Inflammatory Pain
Authors: Ding Sha-sha , Xu Yuan , Zhang Ying-ying , Chen Jing-zi , Hong Shou-hai
Published: April 2021

Increasing evidences demonstrate that acupuncture is effective in treating inflammatory pain. Recent studies have found that peripheral endogenous opioid peptides in the area of inflammation are involved in acupuncture-treating inflammatory pain. However, the source of endogenous opioid peptides in local area of inflammation and the mechanism of acupuncture regulating these opioid peptides remain unclear. Studies have demonstrated that neutrophils infiltrated in the inflamed tissue contain and release opioid peptides. Chemokine (C-X-C motif) ligand 1 (CXCL1) is one of the key neutrophil chemokines and can promote the blood neutrophil recruitment to the area of inflammation. In our previous experiments, we found that acupuncture could alleviate inflammatory pain and significantly increase the concentration of chemokine CXCL1 in the blood of rats with inflammatory pain. So we suppose that increased concentration of CXCL1 by acupuncture could activate the blood opioid-containing neutrophils via its main receptor chemokine receptor type 2 (CXCR2) and promote them recruit to the inflamed tissue to release opioid peptides, participating in the analgesic effect of acupuncture.
Evaluation of Provider Screening Practices for Fracture Risk Assessment among Patients with HIV Disease
Authors: Mirza Faryal , Zawadzka Sabina , Abbate Anne , Thompson Michael , Wakefield Dorothy , Chirch Lisa M.
Published: April 2021

People living with HIV are known to have greater risk of low bone mineral density than HIV-negative peers. The reasons for this disparity are multifactorial. To address this increased risk, the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) released fracture risk screening recommendations in 2015, which differ significantly from recommendations that apply to the general population. A study was conducted at the University of Connecticut to assess for provider awareness and adherence to these recommendations. Electronic surveys were sent to providers, and patients were also surveyed for risk factors and prevalence of low bone mineral density. The results of the provider survey showed low rates of awareness of the IDSA screening recommendations. A substantial proportion of patients surveyed met criteria for low BMD screening but did not have dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) ordered by their provider. As an intervention, providers were sent information via e-mail regarding current screening recommendations, as well as notifications if their patient met criteria for DXA screening. A twelve-month follow-up survey showed increased provider knowledge of screening recommendations and improved screening practices. Additionally, the results of a logistic regression analysis of patient factors showed that increasing age and male sex were positively associated with fragility fracture risk. Increased duration of antiretroviral therapy use was associated with a lower likelihood of fragility fracture.
Effect of Preeclampsia on Ultrastructure of Thyroid Gland, Hepatic Type 1 Iodothyronine Deiodinase, and Thyroid Hormone Levels in Rats
Authors: Liu Yunlu , Xu Zhuping , Li Yanqin , Jiang Wenyan , Lan Ming , Xie Xiaojuan , Wang Yang
Published: April 2021

Background. Although hypothyroidism during pregnancy may develop grave outcomes for both mothers and offspring, management of which is still a challenge due to the insufficient understanding of this disease. The close correlation between hypothyroidism and preeclampsia is well documented, suggesting that preeclampsia is a potential risk factor for the development of maternal hypothyroidism. However, the exact role of preeclampsia in gestational hypothyroidism is still obscure. Objective. In this study, we explored the possible mechanisms of the effect of preeclampsia on thyroid function of maternal rats. Methods. Thirty pregnant rats were randomly divided into normal pregnancy control (NOP), preeclampsia (PE), and preeclampsia supplemented with amlodipine besylate (PEAml). NG‐Nitro‐L‐arginine‐methyl ester was used to induce preeclamptic symptoms. On gestational day 21, rats were sacrificed, and then, the ultrastructure of the thyroid gland, type 1 iodothyronine deiodinase (Dio1) expression, and serum‐free thyroxine (FT4), free triiodothyronine (FT3), and thyroid stimulation hormones (TSH) were assessed. Results. Compared to NOP rats, results of PE rats showed that thyroid follicular cells’ ultrastructure was damaged; both hepatic Dio1 mRNA and protein levels were decreased. Interestingly, these changes were ameliorated in PEAml rats. Additionally, FT4, FT3, and TSH levels have no significant differences among groups. Conclusion. These findings indicated that preeclampsia could disrupt synthesis, secretion, and metabolism function of thyroid hormones by damaging thyroid follicular cells and interfering Dio1 expression.
Traceable Multiauthority Attribute‐Based Encryption with Outsourced Decryption and Hidden Policy for CIoT
Authors: Liu Suhui , Yu Jiguo , Hu Chunqiang , Li Mengmeng
Published: April 2021

Cloud‐assisted Internet of Things (IoT) significantly facilitate IoT devices to outsource their data for high efficient management. Unfortunately, some unsettled security issues dramatically impact the popularity of IoT, such as illegal access and key escrow problem. Traditional public‐key encryption can be used to guarantees data confidentiality, while it cannot achieve efficient data sharing. The attribute‐based encryption (ABE) is the most promising way to ensure data security and to realize one‐to‐many fine‐grained data sharing simultaneously. However, it cannot be well applied in the cloud‐assisted IoT due to the complexity of its decryption and the decryption key leakage problem. To prevent the abuse of decryption rights, we propose a multiauthority ABE scheme with white‐box traceability in this paper. Moreover, our scheme greatly lightens the overhead on devices by outsourcing the most decryption work to the cloud server. Besides, fully hidden policy is implemented to protect the privacy of the access policy. Our scheme is proved to be selectively secure against replayable chosen ciphertext attack (RCCA) under the random oracle model. Some theory analysis and simulation are described in the end.
Experimental Study on Local Scour and Related Mechanical Effects at River‐Crossing Underwater Oil and Gas Pipelines
Authors: Cui Fan , Du Yunfei , Hao Xianjie , Peng Suping , Bao Zhuangzhuang , Peng Shiqi
Published: April 2021

Among the various geological disasters that threaten the safe operation of long‐distance oil and gas pipelines, water‐damage disasters are numerous and widely developed. Especially the pipelines crossing river channels or gullies are vulnerable to scouring hazards from storms and floods. A water‐damage disaster physical model was established to investigate the characteristics of the riverbed scour profile and the pipeline force when the pipeline was buried at different depths under the condition of different particle size riverbed sediment. Results indicated that the equilibrium scour depth changed in a spoon shape with the gradual increase of the embedment ratio in general. The equilibrium scour depth formed by the fine sand riverbed was the largest, about 1.5 times the pipeline diameter. When the pipeline was half exposed, the clay riverbed was more resistant to the scour of the river than the riverbed of fine sand and very fine pebbles with a larger particle size. In the riverbed of three particle sizes, fine sand was more difficult to withstand the scour of the river. The scour profile formed by the sand bed around the pipeline and the force and deformation of the pipeline were related to pipeline location and riverbed sediment type. Results of this study might be useful for the safety warning and protection measures of underwater pipeline crossing.
The Effects of Using Chemicals to Remove Slime from African Giant Land Snails Flesh during Processing on Some Nutritional and Biochemical Parameters
Authors: Etengeneng Agbor Esther , Moh Lamye Glory , Landry Suffo Kamela Arnaud
Published: April 2021

The effects of chemicals commonly used in Cameroon to eliminate slime from the flesh of the African giant land snail, Archachatina marginata, during processing on some nutritional and biochemical parameters were investigated. Groups of snails were processed with these chemicals at three different concentrations. Proximate analysis of all the treated snail groups was carried out, and groups with the highest concentration of each chemical were used to compose diets for experimental rats. Thirty weanling male Wistar albino rats (31.25±3.09 g) aged 21days old were distributed into four groups and fed with 10% protein based diets of A. marginata named D1 (washed with only water), D2 (lime C-treated), D3 (alum C-treated), and D4 (salt C-treated). The crude protein contents of the treated groups reduced significantly when compared with the control (CW), with lime C-treated (LC) having the least here and in crude fiber, but higher (LC, LB, and LA) in dry matter. There was a significant reduction in the crude lipid of alum C-treated (AC) and salt A-treated (SA). In vivo studies showed a general decrease in food consumption, weight gained, efficiency of feed utilization (EFU), true protein digestibility (TD) (except D2), and hematological indices (RBCs (red blood cells), PCV (packed cell volume) of the treated groups (D2, D3, D4) when compared to the control (D1). On the other hand, an increase in the relative weight of the liver (RWL), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and total cholesterol was observed with some of the treated diets; meanwhile, protein efficiency ratio (PER), net protein ratio (NPR), relative weight of the kidneys (RWK), HDL cholesterol, and triglycerides were not affected by these diets. These chemicals should only be used at low concentrations or not at all because of its toxicity at high concentrations.
Theoretical Studies on the Longitudinal Inhomogeneity of Track Stiffness and a Track Status Estimation Method
Authors: Bai Wen , Xu Lei
Published: April 2021

Due to material multiplicity, rigid‐flexible hybrid and environmental variations, and so forth, the properties of the tracks will be inevitably changed due to the cyclic loads temporally and spatially. In this paper, a theoretical study is conducted to clarify the influence of the longitudinal inhomogeneity of track stiffness on system responses and then a general state estimation method is proposed to inversely predict the parametric distribution of the tracks. To achieve these purposes, a 3D nonlinear vehicle‐track coupled model is firstly constructed, where track systems are established by the finite element method with random parameters. Based on this dynamic model, the distribution characteristics of system responses due to random parametric excitations are properly revealed. The numerical studies show that the longitudinal inhomogeneity of track supporting stiffness has significant effects on system responses; besides, the response distributions are varied against different parametric distributions. Finally, a representative example is demonstrated to show the effectiveness of the proposed track state estimation method.
A Proposed Information System for Communicating Foot-and-Mouth Disease Events among Livestock Stakeholders in Gairo District, Morogoro Region, Tanzania
Authors: Kijazi Ahmed , Kisangiri Michael , Kaijage Shubi , Shirima Gabriel
Published: April 2021

Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) is present in many countries globally, including Tanzania, especially Gairo district. The data shows that 78% of livestock keepers in Gairo district had already observed FMD infection in their cattle, and the pastoral communities were mostly affected. Currently, vaccination is the main tool for controlling FMD because there are no therapeutic intervention tools. Therefore, effective communication among livestock stakeholders can be used as an essential tool of preparedness for the disease’s impact. This study had two specific objectives: (i) to explore the challenges of communicating FMD events among livestock keepers and other livestock stakeholders in Gairo district and (ii) to propose an information system for sharing FMD events among the livestock stakeholders in Gairo district. The study found that there was a delay when communicating FMD events in Gairo district due to the long chain of information flow. Therefore, the system aims to reduce the communication chain by allowing livestock keepers to report disease outbreaks directly to the system. Livestock keepers may also access FMD precaution measures, negative impacts, clinical signs transmission ways, and current outbreaks directly from the system using Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD), Short Message Services (SMS), robocalls, and feature phones. The system also provides a common platform for sharing FMD outbreaks data and events to other stakeholders based on the system’s privileges. In this study, a closed-ended interview using a questionnaire was used for data collection. The PHP hypertext processor, jQuery, HTML, JSON, JavaScript, Apache web server, and MySQL database were used for developing the system.
Vibration Reliability Analysis of Aeroengine Rotor Based on Intelligent Neural Network Modeling Framework
Authors: Liu Jia-Qi , Feng Yun-Wen , Lu Cheng , Pan Wei-Huang , Teng Da
Published: April 2021

In order to improve the accuracy and calculation efficiency of aeroengine rotor vibration reliability analysis, a time‐varying rotor vibration reliability analysis method under the aeroengine operating state is proposed. Aiming at the highly nonlinear and strong coupling of factors affecting the reliability of aeroengine rotor vibration, an intelligent neural network modeling framework (short form‐INNMF) is proposed. The proposed method is based on DEA, with QAR information as the analysis data, and four factors including engine working state, fuel/oil working state, aircraft flight state, and external conditions are considered to analyse the rotor vibration reliability. INNMF is based on the artificial neural network (ANN) algorithm through improved particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm and Bayesian Regularization (BR) optimization. Through the analysis of the rotor vibration reliability of the B737‐800 aircraft during a flight mission from Beijing to Urumqi, the time‐varying rotor vibration reliability was obtained, which verified the effectiveness and feasibility of the method. The comparison of INNMF, random forest (RF), and ANN shows that INNMF improves analysis accuracy and calculation efficiency. The proposed method and framework can provide useful references for aeroengine rotor vibration analysis, special treatment, maintenance, and design.
Joint Subspace and Low-Rank Coding Method for Makeup Face Recognition
Authors: Lu Jianwei , Zhou Guohua , Zhu Jiaqun , Xue Lei
Published: April 2021

Facial makeup significantly changes the perceived appearance of the face and reduces the accuracy of face recognition. To adapt to the application of smart cities, in this study, we introduce a novel joint subspace and low-rank coding method for makeup face recognition. To exploit more discriminative information of face images, we use the feature projection technology to find proper subspace and learn a discriminative dictionary in such subspace. In addition, we use a low-rank constraint in the dictionary learning. Then, we design a joint learning framework and use the iterative optimization strategy to obtain all parameters simultaneously. Experiments on real-world dataset achieve good performance and demonstrate the validity of the proposed method.
Artificial Intelligence-Based Digital Image Steganalysis
Authors: Iskanderani Ahmed I. , Mehedi Ibrahim M. , Aljohani Abdulah Jeza , Shorfuzzaman Mohammad , Akther Farzana , Palaniswamy Thangam , Latif Shaikh Abdul , Latif Abdul
Published: April 2021

Recently, deep learning-based models are being extensively utilized for steganalysis. However, deep learning models suffer from overfitting and hyperparameter tuning issues. Therefore, in this paper, an efficient

θ

-nondominated sorting genetic algorithm- (

θ

NSGA-) III based densely connected convolutional neural network (DCNN) model is proposed for image steganalysis.

θ

NSGA-III is utilized to tune the initial parameters of DCNN model. It can control the accuracy and f-measure of the DCNN model by utilizing them as the multiobjective fitness function. Extensive experiments are drawn on STEGRT1 dataset. Comparison of the proposed model is also drawn with the competitive steganalysis model. Performance analyses reveal that the proposed model outperforms the existing steganalysis models in terms of various performance metrics.
A Medical Image Fusion Method Based on SIFT and Deep Convolutional Neural Network in the SIST Domain
Authors: Wang Lei , Chang Chunhong , Liu Zhouqi , Huang Jin , Liu Cong , Liu Chunxiang
Published: April 2021

The traditional medical image fusion methods, such as the famous multi-scale decomposition-based methods, usually suffer from the bad sparse representations of the salient features and the low ability of the fusion rules to transfer the captured feature information. In order to deal with this problem, a medical image fusion method based on the scale invariant feature transformation (SIFT) descriptor and the deep convolutional neural network (CNN) in the shift-invariant shearlet transform (SIST) domain is proposed. Firstly, the images to be fused are decomposed into the high-pass and the low-pass coefficients. Then, the fusion of the high-pass components is implemented under the rule based on the pre-trained CNN model, which mainly consists of four steps: feature detection, initial segmentation, consistency verification, and the final fusion; the fusion of the low-pass subbands is based on the matching degree computed by the SIFT descriptor to capture the features of the low frequency components. Finally, the fusion results are obtained by inversion of the SIST. Taking the typical standard deviation, QAB/F, entropy, and mutual information as the objective measurements, the experimental results demonstrate that the detailed information without artifacts and distortions can be well preserved by the proposed method, and better quantitative performance can be also obtained.
A Case of Nephrotic Syndrome that Resolved with Influenza B Infection
Authors: Tamura Hiroshi , Kuraoka Shohei , Hidaka Yuko , Nagata Hiroko , Furuie Keishiro , Nakazato Hitoshi
Published: April 2021

It has been postulated that measles virus infection is associated with remission of idiopathic nephrotic syndrome (INS) in childhood. There are few reports on the correlation of INS remission with other infections. Previously, there have been two case reports suggesting an association between influenza B virus infection and the remission of INS. The patient was an 18-year-old Japanese woman. The onset of steroid-sensitive NS was at 9 years of age, and pathological diagnosis was minimal change nephrotic syndrome (MCNS). Until 10 months prior to visiting our hospital, the patient’s NS was in remission. The patient experienced fever, cough, and malaise and she was diagnosed with type B influenza by a local physician 4 days before visiting our hospital. The patient had vomiting and diarrhea 1 day prior to visiting our hospital. Her weight was 54.7 kg (+5.0 kg) and she had pitting edema of both lower legs. Her serum albumin level was 0.9 g/dL, proteinuria level was 8.73 g/gCr, and urine sediments showed 1–4 red blood cells per high-power field. She was diagnosed with relapse of NS. The level of proteinuria decreased to 0.03 g/gCr with rest alone on day 4 of admission, and a complete remission from NS was observed at approximately 2 weeks after the onset of influenza B infection. We report a rare case wherein spontaneous remission of NS occurred within a short period of 2 weeks after influenza B infection. It is clear that some immunity is involved in the pathogenesis of INS, but there are some cases in which infection improves NS and others in which it recurs.