bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Venous vascular reconstruction of a robotically procured right kidney with two renal veins transplanted into a pediatric recipient
Authors: Lledo Enric , Tabbara Marina M. , Alvarez Angel , Chandar Jayanthi , González Javier , Vianna Rodrigo , Ciancio Gaetano
Published: November 2023

Background

Right versus left kidney donor nephrectomy remains a controversial topic in renal transplantation given the increased incidence of right kidney vascular anomalies and associated venous thrombosis. We present the case of a 3‐year‐old pediatric recipient with urethral atresia and end‐stage kidney disease who received a robotically procured living donor right pelvic kidney with two short same‐size renal veins and a short ureter.

Methods

We utilized a completely deceased iliac vein system (common iliac vein with both external and internal veins) to extend the two renal veins. Due to the distance between both renal veins, the external iliac vein was anastomosed to the upper hilum renal vein, and the internal iliac vein was anastomosed to the lower hilum renal vein. The donor's short ureter was anastomosed to the recipient's ureter end‐to‐side.

Results

The patient had immediate graft function and there were no post‐operative complications. Renal ultrasound was unremarkable at 48 hours post‐transplant. Serum creatinine was 0.5 mg/dL at 3 months post‐transplant.

Conclusion

We demonstrate the successful transplantation of a robotically procured right pelvic donor kidney with two short renal veins using a deceased donor iliac vein system for venous reconstruction without increasing technical complications. This technique of venous reconstruction can be used in right kidneys with similar anatomical variations without affecting graft function.
Mastery imagery ability moderates the relationship between heart rate reactivity to acute psychological stress and perceptions of stress and physiological arousal
Authors: Beevor Henry J. , Ginty Annie T. , Veldhuijzen van Zanten Jet J. C. S. , Williams Sarah E.
Published: November 2023

Imagery has been associated with cardiovascular and psychological responses to stress; however, the mechanisms underlying this association are not fully understood. The present study examined if the ability to image mastering challenging or difficult situations moderated the relationship between heart rate reactivity and perceptions of stress and physiological arousal experienced during acute stress. Four hundred and fifty‐eight participants completed a standardized laboratory stress protocol with heart rate being measured throughout. After completing an acute psychological stress task, participants rated how stressed and physiologically aroused they felt (i.e., intensity) and whether they perceived the stress and physiological arousal as being helpful/unhelpful to performance (i.e., interpretation). Mastery imagery ability was assessed by questionnaire. Moderation analyses controlling for gender demonstrated that imagery ability moderated the relationship between heart rate reactivity and interpretation of stress (β = 0.015, p = .003) and perceived physiological arousal (β = 0.013, p = .004). Simple slope analysis indicated that in those with higher imagery ability, heart rate reactivity was associated with stress and arousal being perceived as more positive toward performance. Imagery ability did not moderate the relationship between heart rate reactivity and perceived stress intensity or physiological arousal intensity (p's > .05), but imagery ability did predict lower perceived stress intensity (β = −0.217, p < .001) and perceived physiological arousal intensity (β = −0.172, p < .001). Higher mastery imagery ability may possibly help individuals perceive responses to stress as more beneficial for performance and thus be an effective coping technique.
Location Patterns and Drivers of Coworking Spaces in European Regions
Authors: Méndez‐Ortega Carles , Smit Martijn J. , Micek Grzegorz
Published: November 2023

The location patterns of new working spaces and the factors driving their emergence have been widely studied in Europe. However, research has mainly focused on specific countries and very local areas. We widen this perspective to a regional one and conduct a cross‐country study of the location patterns and determinants of today's main new working spaces, specifically coworking spaces that facilitate collaboration and knowledge sharing. Coworking spaces are traditionally associated in the literature with vibrant urban places, but they are also found in non‐metropolitan regions. Drawing on a unique data set of coworking space locations in four large European countries (Spain, France, Germany and Poland), we test how demographic, economic, structural, technological and accessibility‐related determinants affect the location of these spaces. We then investigate whether the identified determinants vary between metropolitan and non‐metropolitan and between countries, controlling for spatial effects.
Politic Driving Behavior in Africa: An Investigation into Positive and Negative Politeness through Signs and Signals
Authors: AlAfnan Mohammad Awad
Published: November 2023

The study examines the use of nonverbal positive and negative politeness through the ‘encoding’ by ‘giving signals’ and the ‘decoding’ by ‘following signs’ of the politic-driving behavior in Africa. The thematic framework is basically based on the work of Brown and Levinson (1987) and AlAfnan (2022). The research sample included 723 drivers from 16 African countries [1]that belong to the five African regions. The examination looked into four variables that are the age, gender, level of education, and country of origin of respondents. The study found a positive correlation between education and politic driving behavior as educated drivers, especially female drivers, tend to be more cautious about their self-image and other drivers’ self-esteem than uneducated drivers. The study also reveals that age plays a significant role in following politic driving behavior as elder drivers are more polite than younger drivers, regardless of gender. The study also showed that Algerian male and female, Moroccan male and female, Tunisian male and female, and Cameroonian female drivers have the highest frequency of ‘following signs’ and that Moroccan male and female, Egyptian male, Algerian female, Tunisian male, Botswana male, and Cameroonian male drivers have the highest frequency of ‘giving signals’, which reflects their self-awareness and interest in other drivers’ self-esteem and self-worth.
A random graph growth model
Authors: Farber Michael , Gnedin Alexander , Mannan Wajid
Published: November 2023

A growing random graph is constructed by successively sampling without replacement an element from the pool of virtual vertices and edges. At start of the process, the pool contains virtual vertices and no edges. Each time a vertex is sampled and occupied, the edges linking the vertex to previously occupied vertices are added to the pool of virtual elements. We focus on the edge‐counting at times when the graph has occupied vertices. Two different Poisson limits are identified for and . For the bulk of the process, when , the scaled number of edges is shown to fluctuate about a deterministic curve, with fluctuations being of the order of and approximable by a Gaussian bridge.
The Impact of the Off-Design Conditions on the Entropy Wave Interaction With a High-Pressure Turbine Stage
Authors: Pinelli Lorenzo , Giannini Giovanni , Marconcini Michele , Pacciani Roberto , Notaristefano Andrea , Gaetani Paolo
Published: November 2023

The study of component interactions in aeronautical engines is a key aspect to improve the aerodynamic, aeromechanical, and thermal performance and to reduce greenhouse gas and noise emissions. In this context, combustor systems (working with lean and premixed flames) generate pressure, velocity, and temperature fluctuations that interact with the turbine module producing combustor instability, performance degradation, and noise generation. A correct understanding of this interaction is thus required by the designers, especially with a view to introducing sustainable aviation fuel to achieve zero-emission aviation. This paper tackles this topic from a numerical and experimental point of view, focusing on off-design turbine conditions possibly encountered during an aero-engine mission. In detail, the effect of different stage loadings (obtained by keeping the stage pressure ratio and modifying the rotational speed) on engine-representative entropy waves evolving through the turbine stage is investigated. The combination of numerical and experimental results, that show a good agreement in terms of disturbance evolution within the stage, allows a deeper understanding of the flow field features that impact the stage aerodynamics and modify the secondary flow structures and the entropy wave transport, diffusion, and decay through the rotor. Moreover, the most loaded operating condition reveals the appearance of a rotating instability at the rotor tip that also interacts with the injected disturbance. Finally, the numerical results (coming from full annulus URANS computation with incoming disturbances) are further post-processed to extract indirect noise emissions at the different load conditions and to assess the additional loading on the rotor blade caused by the presence of the disturbance.
Fault Diagnosis on an Independent Metering Valve-Controlled System Using a Neural Net Model
Authors: Sun Wei , Tao Jianfeng , Liu Heng , Sun Hao , Liu Chengliang
Published: November 2023

The Independent Metering Valve-Controlled (IMVC) hydraulic cylinder system utilizes a twin spool structure to provide independent control of the load. This system overcomes the limitations of the coupling mechanical structure in traditional valve-controlled cylinder system with a single spool, while providing superior accuracy, flexibility, and energy efficiency. However, fault information representation is similar, and fault component identification is difficult for IMVC hydraulic cylinder system. This paper proposes a fault diagnosis method for IMVC hydraulic cylinder system which employs a deep neural network model utilizing 1DLCNN-ResNet to identify specific fault components via multi-sensor information fusion. The model captures global information using 1DLCNN and gains deeper insight with ResNet, enabling accurate diagnosis of detailed fault problems in specific components, such as pilot valves, main valves, displacement sensors, and hydraulic cylinder. A combination of simulation and experimentation was employed to discuss 16 detailed fault problems under different feature spaces. The results show that, detailed fault problems in specific component can be accurately diagnosed, particularly in the 9-dimensional feature space. The overall diagnostic accuracy of the system can reach 96.71%, and the detailed fault of one component can be effectively diagnosed which leads to a diagnostic coverage of 99%.
Investigation of the Temperature Influence on Electrohydraulic Valve Control and Presentation of a Novel Compensation Approach for Independent Metering Valve Systems
Authors: Bachmann Lukas , Liu Jianbin , Weber Jürgen
Published: November 2023

In the design of valve control algorithms, the impact of the oil temperature on flow characteristic is often neglected. Generally, the flow mapping for the measured valve flow is considered to depend on only two factors, namely the displacement of the valve core and the pressure drop across control edges. The flow mapping and inverted flow mapping derived from this are implemented in the controller. However, previous investigation have shown that depending on the actual flow state within the valve, temperature variations can cause significant changes in flow rate, which in turn cause errors and increase control effort. Especially in mobile applications, systems are exposed to a wide range of external and internal temperature changes; hence, the impact and possibilities of temperature compensation are the focus of this work.

In order to demonstrate and quantify the impact of temperature variations on the valve flow characteristic, two common mobile valves, specifically spool and cartridge type, are measured. Control algorithms using flow mapping and inverse flow mapping for flow and pressure control of an independent metering valve system are implemented and analyzed regarding temperature sensitivity.

Secondly, four-dimensional models are proposed to describe the flow rate as a function of temperature, pressure drop, and spool displacement. These flow models are parametrized based on a computational efficient interpolation method considering the fluid flow state inside the valve. After that, the flow descriptions created can be used to refine the previous control strategy.

Compared to the control strategy without temperature compensation, the new control strategy not only maintains good dynamic characteristics, but also has more accurate flow rate respectively velocity control.
Influence of Eco-Friendly Fluids on Poppet Valve Discharge Coefficients
Authors: Chiavola Ornella , Palmieri Fulvio , Tundo Luigi
Published: November 2023

Eco-friendly fluids in the hydraulic sector are becoming more and more relevant, under the current and future stringent environmental regulations by US EPA and European Committee. Biodegradable fluids have very interesting characteristics, and the literature starts reporting some contributions focused on components performance. The current article represents a contribution that brings the focus on the hydraulic poppet valves.

The article is based on a particular experimental technique that allows full optical insight on cavitation inception and development with simultaneous analysis of the steady flow rate, improving the classical technique of Oshima et Al.

Two market available eco-friendly fluids and a standard one are tested on a reference poppet valve layout. The experimental investigations are carried out by exploring the valve operation range in terms of pressure drop and poppet opening. The optical investigations are based on high-speed imaging, which allows to observe the behaviour of cavitating regions. The steady discharge flow coefficients are provided, and cavitation inception/development is characterized. The results related to the eco-friendly and to the standard fluids are compared, supporting the analysis of the influence of the new fluids on the discharge flow. The results on cavitation inception and development provide useful data for valve design and for validating three-dimensional models of cavitating flows.
An Energy Management Strategy of Pure Electric Mini Hydraulic Excavator
Authors: Li Bingcheng , Wang Qingfeng , Wang Tao , Song Jun
Published: November 2023

Pure Electric Mini Hydraulic Excavators (PEMHE), endowed with zero-emission, compactness, and quick dynamic properties, play an indispensable role in confined spaces and scenes demanding rapid, precise operations. Nevertheless, the stringent need for installation space significantly curtails the maximum battery capacity that the excavators can accommodate, subsequently making the enhancement of the average operation time per charge a significant challenge. This paper focuses on alleviating the power shortage conundrum in the PEMHE. Firstly, an appropriate radiator structure is designed based on Computation Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulation to reduce the rated power of the Thermal Management Control System (TMCS). Secondly, an energy-saving control algorithm is designed for the TMCS. Finally, a dynamic programming (DP)-based offline energy management strategy is proposed for a double-variable hydraulic source made up of a Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor (PMSM) and an electro-hydraulic proportional displacement control pump. The effectiveness of the proposed theoretical method is validated through simulation. Results demonstrated that the designed radiator traded a limited pressure loss for higher heat dissipation efficiency, and the control algorithm saved 20.8% power in comparison with a traditional set-value control. The proposed offline energy management strategy revealed an energy-saving potential of 1.08 kWh per complete discharge cycle of battery under typical excavation condition. This research provides a benchmark for online energy management strategy development and serves as a reference for energy-saving design in other types of electric hydraulic machinery.
Design of Novel Closed-Circuit Hydrostatic Transmission Without Charge Pump
Authors: Bhola Mohit , Andersen Torben Ole , Ebbesen Morten Kjeld
Published: November 2023

This paper deals with the design of the control system for novel two-pumps one-motor (TPOM) systems for applications which require the deployment of a closed-circuit hydro-static transmission (HST). In conventional closed-circuit HST, the charge/booster pump is an integral part of the main pump used to compensate the leakages occurring in the circuit in order to maintain the lowest system pressure to avoid cavitation. The charge/booster pump in the closed-circuit HST is a source of constant power loss and increases heat load in the system. This reduces the efficiency of the transmission at part load operation. Also, the lowest system pressure in the conventional circuit is held constant by the relief valve deployed at the charge pump outlet. Hence, the stiffness of the system cannot be controlled based upon the transmission working condition. To overcome this limitation and enhancing transmission efficiency, the TPOM system is designed and evaluated without changing the basic functionality of the closed-circuit transmission. In TPOM, one of the displacement machines driven by permanent magnet synchronous motors (PMSM) works in open-circuit configuration and the other in closed-circuit configuration, without the need of a charge/booster pump. The TPOM is capable to operate in four-quadrants and capable to regenerate the energy during assistive load condition. This arrangement does not require the need of pilot pressure for varying the displacement of pump and motor, which generally is supplied by a booster/charge pump in a conventional closed-circuit transmission. However, innovative use of a hydraulic intensifier is proposed for the fulfilment of pilot pressure requirements. The feasibility in control shows the energy-saving potential of the HST without booster/charge pump.
Online Monitoring of Pneumatic Actuation System for Energy Efficiency and Dynamic Performance
Authors: Vigolo Vinícius , Boyko Vladimir , Weber Jürgen , Valdiero Antonio Carlos , De Negri Victor Juliano
Published: November 2023

In this paper, a strategy for online monitoring of a double-acting pneumatic actuation system is presented. The proposed approach employs the operating point method to evaluate the operating condition of the system in terms of energy efficiency and system robustness. A set of six diagnostic features based on user input data, chamber pressures, and displacement time is used as inputs for a hybrid machine learning model, which is composed of two regression models and one multi-class classification model. The hybrid machine learning model aims to predict corrective actions that should be applied on the system to improve its operating condition. The proposed monitoring system was evaluated in 50 different working conditions, where parameters such as load force, supply pressure, displacement time and stroke were randomly created and an uncertainty factor was applied to the load force to simulate the uncertainties that are commonly present during the design of pneumatic actuation systems. The results evidenced the monitoring system’s ability to effectively set the supply pressure and sonic conductance of flow control valves, ensuring an operation with optimal energy efficiency and robustness.
Detection of Typical Manufacturing Errors in External Gear Machines Using Numerical Simulation and Data Driven Machine Learning
Authors: Borriello Pasquale , Pawar Ajinkya , Frosina Emma , Tessicini Fabrizio , Vacca Andrea , Senatore Adolfo
Published: November 2023

This paper presents an Artificial Intelligence based methodology to detect typical manufacturing errors in external gear machines based on a hybrid approach by means of data-driven and model-based approach using Multics-HYGESim. In particular, the study is finalized to detect manufacturing gear errors such as conicity, concentricity, and axial runout defects in those machines, which can affect their hydraulic performance, reliability, and noise emission. To validate the effectiveness of the proposed method, a specific experimental test campaign has been carried out on eight physical units considering realistic operating conditions during a standard end-of-line test, demonstrating the robustness and efficacy of the proposed method in detecting flawed components in the electric motor-driven external gear pump. This study offers valuable insights into the development of advanced condition monitoring techniques for fluid power components based on different machine learning classifiers combined in an ensemble learning algorithm, which can contribute to improving system reliability, efficiency, and safety. Besides, the numerical simulations can ultimately help manufacturers to investigate these interactions and optimize their pump design accordingly. The findings demonstrate that the proposed methodology achieves above 92% of accuracy in the tested operating conditions, offering insights into the development of future condition monitoring techniques particularly in fluid power systems.
Enhancing laser-driven flyer velocity by optimizing of modulation period of Al/Ti reactive multilayer films
Authors: Gao Weilong , Zhang Ruizhi , Wang Jin , Huang Zihao , Li Zhiguo , Fu Yajun , Luo Guoqiang , Tu Rong
Published: November 2023

Reactive multilayer films (RMFs), a type of nanostructured energetic material, are recognized as an indispensable component for laser-driven flyer plate initiator systems. In this work, Al/Ti-RMF with three different modulation periods (600, 300, and 150 nm) were prepared and integrated into multilayer flyer plates, and energetic material with optimized performance for laser-driven flyers was obtained. Cross-sectional observations demonstrate that the modulation periods of the RMF are precisely regulated, with thickness errors falling within 3.4%. The velocity of the flyer plates was significantly higher with a modulation period of 150 nm, reaching 2174.16 m/s. Molecular dynamics simulation results show that as the modulation period decreases, the diffusion rate of atoms increases, enabling the reaction between the RMF to be completed in a shorter time span, which makes for higher velocity of the flyer. The energy coupling efficiency results indicate that the kinetic energy coupling efficiency of the RMF with a modulation period of 150 nm is 145.6% and 29.8% higher compared to those with modulation periods of 600 and 300 nm, respectively. It is proved that Al/Ti-RMF have high-energy output performance and can be a novel candidate for laser-driven flyer plates, which will play a critical role in complex electromagnetic interference environments in the future.
Envelope correction for shear-longitudinal collinear wave mixing to extract absolute nonlinear acoustic parameters
Authors: Ebrahim Saib Zubeir M. , Croxford Anthony J. , Drinkwater Bruce W.
Published: November 2023

This paper addresses the effect of the excitation envelope on the generated nonlinear resonant signal (NRS) for collinear wave mixing of shear and longitudinal waves. The aim is to explore how the absolute material nonlinearity can be extracted accurately for any enveloped sinusoidal excitation signal. A finite difference time domain (FDTD) model was built to simulate the effect of input waveforms on the NRS. A change in the measured nonlinearity was seen as the input waveforms were changed from rectangular to Hanning windowed tone burst. The required waveform correction was derived theoretically and validated against the FDTD simulation. Experimental measurements were carried out for different waveforms at several input amplitudes, demonstrating its influence over the NRS. The theoretically derived correction factor, which is required to map the small NRS to the rectangular tone burst resonant amplitude, was validated experimentally. The correction was then used to extract one the fundamental Murnaghan constant (m). Comparatively, Hanning tone burst inputs showed lower variance in the extracted material property due to better control of the frequency bandwidth, relative to that of the transducers. This opens the opportunity to using Hanning windowed tone burst inputs reliably for the measurement of the absolute nonlinearity parameter and m through collinear shear-longitudinal wave mixing.
Serine-rich repeat proteins: well-known yet little-understood bacterial adhesins
Authors: Cinar Mukaddes S. , Niyas Afaq , Avci Fikri Y.
Published: November 2023

Serine-rich-repeat proteins (SRRPs) are large mucin-like glycoprotein adhesins expressed by a plethora of pathogenic and symbiotic Gram-positive bacteria. SRRPs play major functional roles in bacterial-host interactions, like adhesion, aggregation, biofilm formation, virulence, and pathogenesis. Through their functional roles, SRRPs aid in the development of host microbiomes but also diseases like infective endocarditis, otitis media, meningitis, and pneumonia. SRRPs comprise shared domains across different species, including two or more heavily O-glycosylated long stretches of serine-rich repeat regions. With loci that can be as large as ~40 kb and can encode up to 10 distinct glycosyltransferases that specifically facilitate SRRP glycosylation, the SRRP loci makes up a significant portion of the bacterial genome. The significance of SRRPs and their glycans in host-microbe communications is becoming increasingly evident. Studies are beginning to reveal the glycosylation pathways and mature O-glycans presented by SRRPs. Here we review the glycosylation machinery of SRRPs across species and discuss the functional roles and clinical manifestations of SRRP glycosylation.
Supplemental Material: Intrusion tip velocity controls the emplacement mechanism of sheet intrusions
Authors: Köpping Jonas , al. et
Published: November 2023

Geological map of the Highwood Mountains of Montana, western United States; uninterpreted, high-resolution images shown in Figure 2; Jupyter notebook used to perform thermal modeling and fracture tip velocity estimates; Excel spreadsheet with field constraints (i.e., fracture aperture and distance of aperture measurement to fracture tip) used to estimate fracture tip velocities. 
Ventilatory failure in chronic neuromuscular disease
Authors: Long Gabriella Heloise , Bentley Andrew , Roberts Mark , Lilleker James B
Published: November 2023

Patients with neuromuscular diseases (NMD) can present to the neurologist with symptoms and signs of respiratory failure, either acutely or as an insidious process in the outpatient setting. Since the advent of non-invasive ventilation, the outcomes of patients with ventilatory failure due to NMD have dramatically improved. However, the natural history of different NMDs requires a nuanced approach to respiratory investigation and management. Respiratory failure dictates the prognosis of many NMDs and timing the most appropriate investigation and referral to ventilation services is crucial in optimising care.
An effective stress-based approach to modeling the chemo-mechanical behavior of saturated active clay
Authors: Song Zhaoyang , Ma Tiantian , Liu Yan , Cai Guoqing , Wei Changfu
Published: November 2023

Pore water chemistry can exert significant controls over the chemo-mechanical behavior of chemically active soils, which has not been characterized by using the traditional Terzaghi’s effective stress to a satisfactory extent. In this paper, based on the concept of intergranular stress, a generalized effective stress for saturated active soils is reconceptualized and incorporated into the framework of the modified Cam–Clay (MCC) model to describe the mechanical response of soils upon complex chemical and mechanical loadings. The proposed model is capable of capturing very well the diverse features of the chemo-behavior of saturated active soils, while inheriting all the advantages of the MCC model, by introducing only one additional parameter. Within this context, a simple equation is derived to predict the development of swelling pressure with the variation of pore water chemistry. It is shown that the proposed swelling-pressure equation predicts very well the development of swelling pressure for expansive soils with a dilute pore solution, though discrepancy appears at high concentration. Because the double layer of clay particles is severely suppressed at high salt concentration, the microfabric of soil can be significantly changed, pointing to the importance of taking into account the effect of soil fabric in the constitutive modeling of active soils with high pore water concentration.
Convexity of energy functions of harmonic maps homotopic to covering maps of surfaces
Authors: Kim Inkang , Wan Xueyuan , Zhang Genkai
Published: November 2023

We study the strict convexity of the energy function of harmonic maps at their critical points from a Riemann surface to a Riemann surface, or to the product of negatively curved surfaces. When the target is a Riemann surface and when the map is of nonzero degree, we obtain a precise formula for the second derivative of the energy function along a Weil–Petersson geodesic, which implies that the energy function is strictly convex at its critical points. When the target is the product of two surfaces where each projection of the harmonic map is homotopic to a covering map, we also prove the strict convexity of the associated energy function. As an application we prove that the energy function has a unique critical point in these cases.
Boundary restricted Brunn–Minkowski inequalities
Authors: Artstein-Avidan Shiri , Falah Tomer , Slomka Boaz A.
Published: November 2023

In this paper, we explore questions regarding the Minkowski sum of the boundaries of convex sets. Motivated by a question suggested to us by V. Milman regarding the volume of [Formula: see text] where [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] are convex bodies, we prove sharp volumetric lower bounds for the Minkowski average of the boundaries of sets with connected boundary, as well as some related results.
Systematic Thinking Approach for Analyzing Individuals and Government Impact on COVID-19 Outbreak in Iran
Authors: Tirandazi Peyman , Bamakan Seyed Mojtaba Hosseini , Jahromi Mohammad Jafar Haddadpoor
Published: November 2023

The world faced a crisis called the coronavirus pandemic, a disease that has been able to disrupt a large proportion of the power and activities of the whole world and has evolved all economic and social decisions. These decisions are primarily related to restrictions such as widespread lockdowns and social distancing. Different countries have taken various approaches and decisions to deal with this situation, each of which has positive and negative sides. Apart from this issue, the rapid spread of this pandemic has affected researchers’ knowledge and viewpoints about this disease. Without any doubt, to expand our scientific knowledge and reduce the side effects of this challenge, it is essential to evaluate the behavior of COVID-19. Moreover, developing an effective vaccine in the short term was challenging. Regarding this issue, systematic thinking not only helps to find various ways to prevent this illness from spreading throughout the world but also reduces the mortality rate of this viral disease. From a systematic thinking perspective, governments and individuals play pivotal roles. They take care of vulnerable groups, support health employees, provide general education, identify new patients, and control specific situations in their countries. In such a situation where experts have not discovered any vaccine, governments and the people of society can be considered essential parameters to intensify or reduce the outbreak of this viral disease throughout the country. This paper’s main objective and motivation are to utilize causal loop diagrams (CLDs) to evaluate and determine various affecting factors created by governments and members of societies that have direct impacts on deteriorating or decreasing the outbreak of COVID-19 in Iran from a system dynamics perspective. Hence, the statistics on the incidence and deaths caused by the coronavirus in Iran were extracted during some periods. Using the cause and effect diagrams, the behavior of the people and the government in increasing or decreasing the number of patients is discussed.
Identification of Vivo Material Parameters of Arterial Wall Based on Improved Niching Genetic Algorithm and Neural Networks
Authors: Zhao Luming , Sang Jianbing , Sun Lifang , Li Fengtao , Xiang Huaxin
Published: November 2023

Cardiovascular diseases are seriously threatening human health and the incidence rate is high. Many scholars are devoted to studying arterial mechanical properties and material parameters. In this study, the bovine artery was selected as the experimental object and the uniaxial tensile test was carried out by cutting the specimens along its axial, circumferential and [Formula: see text] directions. The finite element software ABAQUS and hyperelastic Holzapfel Gasser Ogden (HGO) constitutive model were used to simulate the experimental process. Niche technology is introduced on the basis of genetic algorithm, and the program of Improved Niche Genetic Algorithm for material parameter identification is compiled based on Python language. In addition, BP Neural Network was constructed based on Tensorflow mathematical system. The material parameters of the constitutive model of bovine artery in different directions were identified by finite element method and experimental data. The results show that Improved Niche Genetic Algorithm and Neural Network, respectively, combined with finite element are both effective and accurate methods for predicting the parameters of arterial vascular hyperelastic materials, which can provide reference and help for the study of arterial vascular mechanical properties.
Perseid: A Secondary Indexing Mechanism for LSM-Based Storage Systems
Authors: Wang Jing , Lu Youyou , Wang Qing , Zhang Yuhao , Shu Jiwu
Published: November 2023

LSM-based storage systems are widely used for superior write performance on block devices. However, they currently fail to efficiently support secondary indexing, since a secondary index query operation usually needs to retrieve multiple small values, which scatter in multiple LSM components. In this work, we revisit secondary indexing in LSM-based storage systems with byte-addressable persistent memory (PM). Existing PM-based indexes are not directly competent for efficient secondary indexing. We propose
Perseid
, an efficient PM-based secondary indexing mechanism for LSM-based storage systems, which takes into account both characteristics of PM and secondary indexing.
Perseid
consists of (1) a specifically designed secondary index structure that achieves high-performance insertion and query, (2) a lightweight hybrid PM-DRAM and hash-based validation approach to filter out obsolete values with subtle overhead, and (3) two adapted optimizations on primary table searching issued from secondary indexes to accelerate non-index-only queries. Our evaluation shows that
Perseid
outperforms existing PM-based indexes by 3–7× and achieves about two orders of magnitude performance of state-of-the-art LSM-based secondary indexing techniques even if on PM instead of disks.
Improved Decal Transfer Method to Reduce Membrane Damage from Foreign Particles in Membrane Electrode Assembly
Authors: Bahrami MohammadAmin , Chen Yixuan , Kumar Nitish , Orfino Francesco P. , Dutta Monica , Lauritzen Michael , Setzler Erin , Agapov Alexander L. , Kjeang Erik
Published: November 2023

Foreign particles unintentionally embedded in the membrane electrolyte assembly may be detrimental to polymer electrolyte fuel cell durability by dissolution of contaminants or puncture of the membrane. The presence of incidental particles may also affect the fuel cell production cost by imposing more stringent and costly quality control equipment and cleanroom facilities to the manufacturers. The present work aims to understand the impact of foreign particles deposited at the membrane—catalyst layer interface on the decal transfer process and the quality of the resulting catalyst coated membrane. Additionally, this work explores process related opportunities to mitigate material damage from said particles. Several samples are fabricated by specifically placing representative silica particles on the membrane surface subsequently laminated with catalyst layer using different decal transfer procedures. Non-destructive 3D X-ray computed tomography reveals that the model particles substantially penetrate the membrane during regular decal transfer conditions, leading to a vulnerable membrane state or even complete puncture. However, a tuned decal transfer method with modified pressure application rate and optimized supporting layers is shown to reduce membrane damage up to 69%. Additionally, finite element modeling shows that the tuned method can reduce membrane stress during fuel cell operation and thus benefit durability.
Exercise for chronic kidney disease: effects on vascular and cardiopulmonary function
Authors: Kirkman Danielle L. , Chavez Domenico A.
Published: November 2023

Patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) have an exacerbated prevalence of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Vascular dysfunction, characterized by impaired endothelial function and arterial stiffness, and markedly low cardiorespiratory fitness levels are hallmark manifestations of the disease that contribute to the CVD burden. Despite advancements in blood pressure and lipid lowering pharmacological therapies, CVD remains markedly prevalent across the spectrum of CKD. This highlights a stagnation in effective clinical strategies to improve cardiovascular health and reinforces the critical need for adjuvant lifestyle strategies such as physical activity and exercise training to be incorporated into routine clinical care. This narrative review provides an overview of the known effects of exercise on vascular and cardiopulmonary function across the spectrum of CKD. The physiological mechanisms of vascular dysfunction that serve as exercise-specific therapeutic targets are highlighted and future perspectives are discussed.
Circulating FABP-4 Levels in Patients with Atherosclerosis or Coronary Artery Disease: A Comprehensive Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Authors: Jalilian Narges , Pakzad Reza , Shahbazi Mahdi , Edrisi Seyyed-Reza , Haghani Karimeh , Jalilian Mohsen , Bakhtiyari Salar
Published: November 2023

Background. Cardiovascular diseases (CDs), notably coronary artery disease (CAD) due to atherosclerosis, impose substantial global health and economic burdens. Fatty acid-binding proteins (FABPs), including FABP-4, have been recently linked to CDs. This study conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to examine FABP-4 levels in CAD and atherosclerosis patients, exploring their potential links to these conditions. Methods. A systematic review and meta-analysis were done based on the PRISMA guideline. The international databases including Medline, Embase, Cochrane Library, Scopus, Web of Science, and UpToDate were searched to find all related studies on the effect of FABP-4 on patients with CAD or atherosclerosis which were published till June 2022 without language restriction. The Cochran’s

Q

-test and

I

2

statistic were applied to assess heterogeneity, a random effect model was used to estimate the pooled standardized mean difference (SMD), a metaregression method was utilized to investigate the factors affecting heterogeneity between studies, and Egger’s test was used to assess the publication bias. Results. Of 1051 studies, 9 studies with a sample size of 2327 were included in the systematic review and meta-analysis. The level of circulating FABP-4 in the patient groups was significantly higher than in the control groups (

SMD
=
0.60

(95% CI: 0.30 to 0.91,

I

2

: 91.47%)). The SMD in female and male patients were 0.26 (95% CI: 0.01 to 0.52,

I

2

: 0%) and 0.22 (95% CI: 0.08 to 0.35,

I

2

: 44.7%), respectively. There was considerable heterogeneity between the studies. The countries had a positive relationship with heterogeneity (

coefficient
=
0.29

,

p
<
0.001

); but BMI, lipid indices, gender, study design, and type of kit had no effect on the heterogeneity. No publication bias was observed (

p

: 0.137). Conclusion. In summary, this meta-analysis revealed elevated circulating FABP-4 levels in CDs, suggesting its potential as a biomarker for these conditions. Further research is warranted to explore its clinical relevance.
Benefits of Early Enteral Feeding with a Locally Prepared Protein-Energy Ration after Surgery for Acute Generalised Peritonitis: A Randomised Trial in Two Hospitals in Bukavu, Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo
Authors: Cikwanine Jean Paul Buhendwa , Yoyu Jonathan Tunangoya , Alumeti Désiré Munyali , Mugisho Bernard , Kivukuto John Mutendela , Iteke Rivain Fefe , Longombe Ahuka Ona , Kalau Arung Willy
Published: November 2023

Background. Acute generalised peritonitis (AGP) is a common and serious digestive surgery pathology. Undernutrition exacerbates patient condition and compromises their postoperative prognosis. Early enteral nutrition is recommended to reduce postoperative complications, but its availability and cost are problematic in low-income countries. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of providing early enteral feeding (EEF) to postoperative patients with intestinal perforation AGP using a locally prepared protein-energy food ration in two hospitals in Bukavu, a city of South Kivu, in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Methods. A prospective, randomised controlled trial with two groups of patients was conducted to investigate the effects of EEF with a local mixture versus enteral feeding after peristalsis had returned (control group) in patients who underwent laparotomy for AGP caused by ileal perforation. The local mixture consisted of soybean, maize, white rice, and pineapple. The trial included 66 patients with ileal perforation peritonitis. Results. The results comparing early enteral fed and nonfed patients showed significant differences in peristalsis recovery time (2.1 (0.6) days vs. 3.8 (1.2) days,

p
<
0.0001

) and length of hospital stay (25.5 (14.9) days vs. 39.4 (25.3) days,

p
=
0.0046

). Bivariate analyses indicated a significant early enteral feeding (EEF) reduced of 9.1% (vs. 36.4%,

p
=
0.0082

) in parietal infections and 3.4% (28.1%,

p
=
0.009

) in fistulas (

p
=
0.009

) when EEF was included. In addition, EEF significantly reduced reintervention rates by 9.1% (

p
=
0.0003

) and eliminated evisceration rates. EEF was also shown to reduce the incidence of malnutrition by 63.6% (

p
<
0.0001

). Multivariate analysis showed that enteral nutrition significantly reduced the time to recovery of peristalsis (

p
=
0.0278

) with an ORa of 0.3 and a 95% CI of 0.1-0.9. Moreover, EEF reduced malnutrition (

p
=
0.0039

) with an ORa of 0.1 and a 95% CI of 0-0.4. Conclusion. EEF with locally sourced protein-energy rations can enhance a patient’s nutritional status and facilitate postoperative recovery. This procedure is advantageous and involved early enteral nutrition using locally manufactured rations, especially for those operated on for acute generalised peritonitis in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Association between the Systemic Immune-Inflammation Index and Thyroid Function in U.S. Adults
Authors: Hu Xin-Yu , Liang Ying-Chao , Zhang Huan-Huan , Li Hui-Lin , Liu De-Liang
Published: November 2023

Background. The systemic immune-inflammation index (SII) is used as an indicator of prognosis for a wide range of diseases. Thyroid function has been found to be strongly associated with inflammation. The purpose of this investigation was to analyze the correlation between SII and various thyroid functions. Methods. This study utilized data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2007–2012. The association between SII and thyroid function was analyzed using weighted univariate and multivariate linear regression analyses. Subgroup analyses, interaction tests, and weighted restricted cubic spline (RCS) regression analyses were also employed to test this correlation. Results. Of the 6,875 participants (age ≥ 20 years), the mean age was 46.87 ± 0.40 years. The adjusted model showed that lnSII was negatively correlated with FT3 (β = −0.0559, 95% CI −0.1060 to −0.0059,) and FT3/FT4 (β = −0.0920, 95% CI −0.1667 to −0.0173,). There was a positive correlation between lnSII and TT4 (β = 0.1499, 95% CI 0.0722–0.2276,). In subgroup analyses, lnSII still independently affected a wide range of thyroid functions. Weighted RCS analysis showed a nonlinear relationship between FT3 and lnSII. Conclusion. Close relationships exist between SII and a variety of thyroid functions. SII can be used as an indicator to predict thyroid dysfunction. Control of inflammatory activity may be a protective measure against thyroid dysfunction. More large-scale prospective studies are necessary to further explore the correlation between SII and thyroid function and the role of obesity in this.
Large-Scale Construction Waste Mountain-Mounding Technology Based on the Project in Meibei Lake Scenic Area
Authors: Kang Miao , Guo Xiongbin , Li Shoufu , Fan Jincheng , Xu Yufei , Gu Weiye , Wang Teng
Published: November 2023

In the backdrop of China’s rapid economic growth and urbanization, the surge in construction waste poses mounting disposal challenges. This study primarily focuses on in-depth research and exploration of construction waste recycling technologies. By repurposing towering heaps of construction debris into artificial landscapes, it achieves resource reutilization and waste reduction, bearing profound significance for environmental protection, and resource utilization. Taking the Xi’an Meibei Lake Scenic Area construction waste embankment project as a case study, experiments on the physical properties of soil-construction waste mixtures were conducted. A three-dimensional computational model of the site was established, and typical cross-sections were selected for the slope stability calculations and analysis. This was coupled with on-site measurements to validate the practicality and effectiveness of the technology. The successful execution of the project has demonstrated the reliability of this technology, offering significant potential for widespread application and serving as a crucial reference for the similar projects.
Sex Differences in the Association between Hemoglobin A1c and Cerebral White Matter Lesions in the General Japanese Population
Authors: Li Honghao , Yu Jing , Guo Shougang
Published: November 2023

The influence of diabetes and associated sex differences on cerebral white matter lesions (WML) is unclear. We used data from a cross-sectional study uploaded to the DATADRYAD website by Shinkawa et al. to investigate differences in the association between hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels and cerebral WML between men and women. The average age of all participants was

56.4
±
11.5

years old, and approximately 51.89% of them were men. A linear relationship between HbA1c and cerebral WML was detected in men. Fully adjusted binary logistic regression showed no association of HbA1c with cerebral WML in men. A nonlinear relationship between HbA1c and cerebral WML was detected in women, whose cutoff point was 5.6%. The effect sizes and confidence intervals of the left and right sides of the inflection point were

OR
=
0.21

(95% CI 0.06, 0.69,

P
=
0.0098

) and

OR
=
3.5

(95% CI 1.50, 8.15,

P
=
0.0037

), respectively. In the higher HbA1c group, further subgroup analysis showed a stronger association between HbA1c and cerebral WML in women (

OR
=
3.83

, 95% CI 1.68, 8.72

P
=
0.0014

) than in men (

OR
=
1.02

, 95% CI 0.76, 1.36

P
=
0.8986

) (

P

for interaction with sex was 0.0004). A stronger effect of HbA1c on the risk of cerebral WML in women than in men was found in the higher HbA1c group.