bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Local Graph Edge Partitioning
Authors: Ji Shengwei , Bu Chenyang , Li Lei , Wu Xindong
Published: September 2021

Graph edge partitioning, which is essential for the efficiency of distributed graph computation systems, divides a graph into several balanced partitions within a given size to minimize the number of vertices to be cut. Existing graph partitioning models can be classified into two categories: offline and streaming graph partitioning models. The former requires global graph information during the partitioning, which is expensive in terms of time and memory for large-scale graphs. The latter creates partitions based solely on the received graph information. However, the streaming model may result in a lower partitioning quality compared with the offline model. Therefore, this study introduces a Local Graph Edge Partitioning model, which considers only the local information (i.e., a portion of a graph instead of the entire graph) during the partitioning. Considering only the local graph information is meaningful because acquiring complete information for large-scale graphs is expensive. Based on the Local Graph Edge Partitioning model, two local graph edge partitioning algorithms—Two-stage Local Partitioning and Adaptive Local Partitioning—are given. Experimental results obtained on 14 real-world graphs demonstrate that the proposed algorithms outperform rival algorithms in most tested cases. Furthermore, the proposed algorithms are proven to significantly improve the efficiency of the real graph computation system GraphX.
Sensor Identification via Acoustic Physically Unclonable Function
Authors: Vaidya Girish , Prabhakar T. V. , Gnani Nithish , Shah Ryan , Nagaraja Shishir
Published: September 2021

The traceability of components on a supply chain from a production facility to deployment and maintenance depends upon its irrefutable identity. There are two well-known identification methods: an identity code stored in the memory and embedding custom identification hardware. While storing the identity code is susceptible to malicious and unintentional attacks, the approach of embedding a custom identification hardware is infeasible for sensor nodes assembled with Commercially-Off-the-Shelf devices. We propose a novel identifier -
Acoustic PUF
based on the innate properties of the sensor node.
Acoustic PUF
combines the uniqueness component and the position component of the sensor device signature. The uniqueness component is derived by exploiting the manufacturing tolerances, thus making the signature unclonable. The position component is derived through acoustic fingerprinting, thus giving a sticky identity to the sensor device. We evaluate
Acoustic PUF
for Uniqueness, Repeatability, and Position identity with a deployment spanning several weeks. Through our experimental evaluation and further numerical analysis, we prove that
Acoustic PUF
can uniquely identify thousands of devices with 99% accuracy while simultaneously detecting the change in position. We use the physical position of a device within a synthetic sound-field both as an identity measure as well as to validate physical integrity of the device.
The Future of Nuclear Energy: Electrochemical Reprocessing of Fuel Takes Center Stage
Authors: Kersten Bethany , Hawthorne Krista , Williamson Mark , Akolkar Rohan , Duval Christine E.
Published: September 2021

Nuclear power plants use energy-dense fuel and provide dependable baseload energy without generating greenhouse gas emissions. Despite these advantages, the long-term management of used nuclear fuel (UNF) remains a key challenge due to its lifetime (hundreds of thousands of years) and radiotoxicity. The components of UNF that contribute the most to this challenge are the actinide elements. A potential solution to this issue is to separate these radioisotopes from the bulk of the UNF and recycle them as fuel in advanced nuclear reactors. These separations can be achieved using electrochemical reprocessing, which employs electrochemical conversion and electrodeposition in a high-temperature molten salt electrolyte medium to separate the actinides from UNF. In this short perspective, we review the current status, fundamental challenges, and future prospects of electrochemical reprocessing as they relate to UNF recycling.
Familial Multiple Sclerosis in a Mother and Son Pair: A Sri Lankan and a South Asian First
Authors: Rajapakshe Ishani , Senanayake Bimsara
Published: September 2021

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an immune-mediated demyelinating disorder involving the central nervous system (CNS). It is common amongst young females. Although the exact cause of MS is yet unknown, viral infections such as EBV, environmental factors, and autoimmune and genetic mechanisms involving HLA-DRB1 loci are implicated. Familial MS is reported from some geographic locations and ethnic groups but is thought to be rare in Asia. In this paper, we present both a Sri Lankan mother and her son, with clinically definite MS conforming to McDonald’s 2017 clinical and MAGNIMS 2016 radiological criteria. Both had oligoclonal bands in their CSF (OCB-IEF) with no serum bands indicating intrathecal production and were negative for AQP4 and MOG IgG serology. Familial MS is more common among siblings, with sister-sister relationship having the highest rate. The lowest relation was amongst father-son and mother-son pairs. Amongst siblings, the risk of MS is between 3.5% and 4.7%. Inherited factors rather than common environmental exposure influence susceptibility in such cases. To the best of our knowledge, MS occurring in a mother-son pair has not been reported before either from Sri Lanka or South Asia.
Application of Comprehensive Geophysical Prospecting Method in Water Accumulation Exploration of Multilayer Goaf in Integrated Mine
Authors: Zhang Lei , Xu Lin , Xiao Yong , Zhang NingBo
Published: September 2021

A coal mine in Datong is an integrated mine. At present, there is goaf in the upper and lower part of the mining coal seam. There is a lot of ponding in the goaf, which has great potential safety hazards for production. In order to find out the scope and location of ponding in goaf, the comprehensive geophysical exploration method combining transient electromagnetic method and high‐density resistivity method is used to carry out the research. Firstly, the time‐base, turn‐off time, receiving delay, current, superposition times, and other parameters of the instrument are tested on the surface of known goaf to obtain the best instrument parameters, and the parameters are used to verify the feasibility of the research scheme; then, the transient electromagnetic method is used for large‐area exploration on the surface of the mine, the suspected goaf ponding area is found through comprehensive analysis, and the high‐density resistivity exploration is arranged in the suspected goaf ponding area. According to the obtained results, the scope and location of the goaf ponding area are accurately located through comprehensive analysis. The results show that there are two goaf ponding areas in the exploration area, which are located above the 8# coal seam currently mined; the range and location of goaf ponding area can be accurately obtained by using the comprehensive geophysical method of high‐density electrical method and transient electromagnetic method. This method can provide reference for mine water prevention and control in Datong area and has great practical significance to ensure coal mine safety production.
Clinical Effects of Chinese Herbal Decoction Combined with Basic Chemoradiotherapy and Nursing Intervention in the Treatment of Cervical Cancer and the Effect on Serum CEA, CA125, and TNF-α Levels
Authors: Gao Lizhen , Lv Jia , Hou Linlin , Yuan Yuchao , Wan Qiuhua
Published: September 2021

Objective. This study was aimed to investigate the clinical effect of Chinese herbal decoction combined with basic chemoradiotherapy and nursing intervention in the treatment of cervical cancer and the effect on serum carbohydrate antigen 125 (CA125), carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) levels. Methods. A total of 200 cervical cancer patients in our hospital from June 2015 to November 2018 were selected and randomly divided into a study group and a control group. The control group was given chemoradiotherapy and psychological nursing treatment, and the study group was given self-made Chinese herbal decoction on the basis of the control group. The clinical efficacy and serum CEA, CA125, and TNF-α levels were assessed. Results. After treatment, the total effective rate of the study group was significantly higher than that of the control group. The levels of serum CEA, CA125, and TNF-α were decreased in the two groups after treatment, and the decrease in the study group was more significant than that in the control group. After treatment, CD3+ and CD4+ levels were increased compared with those before treatment, and the increase in the study group was also more obvious than that of the control group. The level of CD8+ was decreased compared with before treatment, and the decrease in the study group was more notable than that of the control group. The two-year cumulative survival rate of the study group was markedly higher than that of the control group. The quality-of-life of patients treated for 3 months, 1 year, and 2 years was dramatically improved compared to before treatment. The incidence of adverse reactions in the study group was lower than that of the control group. Conclusion. The treatment of basic chemoradiotherapy and psychological nursing intervention combined with Chinese herbal decoction on cervical cancer patients can improve the clinical treatment effects, improve the patient’s body immunity, reduce serum CEA, CA125, and TNF-α levels, prolong survival time, improve life quality, and reduce the incidence of adverse reactions, and it is worthy of clinical promotion.
A Knowledge Graph Entity Disambiguation Method Based on Entity‐Relationship Embedding and Graph Structure Embedding
Authors: Ma Jiangtao , Li Duanyang , Chen Yonggang , Qiao Yaqiong , Zhu Haodong , Zhang Xuncai
Published: September 2021

The purpose of knowledge graph entity disambiguation is to match the ambiguous entities to the corresponding entities in the knowledge graph. Current entity ambiguity elimination methods usually use the context information of the entity and its attributes to obtain the mention embedding vector, compare it with the candidate entity embedding vector for similarity, and perform entity matching through the similarity. The disadvantage of this type of method is that it ignores the structural characteristics of the knowledge graph where the entity is located, that is, the connection between the entity and the entity, and therefore cannot obtain the global semantic features of the entity. To improve the Precision and Recall of entity disambiguation problems, we propose the EDEGE (Entity Disambiguation based on Entity and Graph Embedding) method, which utilizes the semantic embedding vector of entity relationship and the embedding vector of subgraph structure feature. EDEGE first trains the semantic vector of the entity relationship, then trains the graph structure vector of the subgraph where the entity is located, and balances the weights of these two vectors through the entity similarity function. Finally, the balanced vector is input into the graph neural network, and the matching between the entities is output to achieve entity disambiguation. Extensive experimental results proved the effectiveness of the proposed method. Among them, on the ACE2004 data set, the Precision, Recall, and F1 values of EDEGE are 9.2%, 7%, and 11.2% higher than baseline methods.
Clinical Importance of Wnt5a in the Pathogenesis of Colorectal Cancer
Authors: Pashirzad Mehran , Sathyapalan Thozhukat , Sahebkar Amirhossein
Published: September 2021

Wnt5a is one of the potent signaling molecules that initiates responses involved in cancer through activation of both canonical and noncanonical signaling cascades. Wnt5a both directly and indirectly triggers cancer-associated signaling pathways based on the cancer type. In colorectal cancer (CRC), altering Wnt5a expression can influence several cellular processes of tumor cells, including proliferation, differentiation, migration, invasion, and metastasis. This review summarizes the molecular mechanisms and clinical importance of Wnt5a in the pathogenesis of CRC for better understanding the pathogenesis and its potential role as a prognostic marker and as an appropriate therapeutic target in the treatment of this disease in the future.
Missing Data Interpolation of Alzheimer’s Disease Based on Column‐by‐Column Mixed Mode
Authors: Miao Shi-di , Li Si-qi , Zheng Xu-yang , Wang Rui-tao , Li Jing , Ding Si-si , Ma Jun-feng
Published: September 2021

Research on clinical data sets of Alzheimer’s disease can predict and develop early intervention treatment. Missing data is a common problem in medical research. Failure to deal with more missing data will reduce the efficiency of the test, resulting in information loss and result bias. To address these issues, this paper designs and implements the missing data interpolation method of mixed interpolation according to columns by combining the four methods of mean interpolation, regression interpolation, support vector machine (SVM) interpolation, and multiple interpolation. By comparing the effects of the mixed interpolation method with the above four interpolation methods and giving the comparison results, the experiment shows that the results of the mixed interpolation method under different data missing rates have better performance in terms of root mean square error (RMSE), mean absolute error (MSE), and error rate, which proves the effectiveness of the interpolation mechanism. The characteristics of different variables might lead to different interpolation strategy choices, and column‐by‐column mixed interpolation can dynamically select the best method according to the difference of features. To a certain extent, it selects the best method suitable for each feature and improves the interpolation effect of the data set as a whole, which is beneficial to the clinical study of Alzheimer’s disease. In addition, in the processing of missing data, a combination of deletion method and interpolation method is adopted with reference to expert knowledge. Compared with the direct interpolation method, the data set obtained by this method is more accurate.
Novel One-Pot Solvothermal Synthesis of High-Performance Copper Hexacyanoferrate for Cs+ Removal from Wastewater
Authors: Ma Chi , Jiang Zhenzhen , Han Senjian , Guo Yafei , Deng Tianlong
Published: September 2021

Efficient removal of radioactive cesium from complex wastewater is a challenge. Unlike traditional precipitation and hydrothermal synthesis, a novel vast specific surface area adsorbent of copper hexacyanoferrates named EA-CuHCF was synthesized using a one-pot solvothermal method under the moderate ethanol media characterized by XRD, SEM, EDS, BET, and FTIR. It was found that the maximum adsorption capacity towards Cs+ was 452.5 mg/g, which is far higher than most of the reported Prussian blue analogues so far. Moreover, EA-CuHCF could effectively adsorb Cs+ at a wide pH range and low concentration of Cs+ in geothermal water within 30 minutes, and the removal rate of Cs+ was 92.1%. Finally, the separation factors between Cs+ and other competitive ions were higher than 553, and the distribution coefficient of Cs+ reached up to 2.343 × 104 mL/g. These properties suggest that EA-CuHCF synthesized by the solvothermal method has high capacity and selectivity and can be used as a candidate for Cs+ removal from wastewater.
Design of Nonbinary LDPC Cycle Codes with Large Girth from Circulants and Finite Fields
Authors: Xu Hengzhou , Li Huaan , Gao Jixun , Zhang Guixiang , Zhu Hai , Zhang Xiao-Dong
Published: September 2021

In this paper, we study a class of nonbinary LDPC (NBLDPC) codes whose parity‐check matrices have column weight 2, called NBLDPC cycle codes. We propose a design framework of (2, ρ)‐regular binary quasi‐cyclic (QC) LDPC codes and then construct NBLDPC cycle codes of large girth based on circulants and finite fields by randomly choosing the nonzero field elements in their parity‐check matrices. For enlarging the girth values, our approach is twofold. First, we give an exhaustive search of circulants with column/row weight ρ and design a masking matrix with good cycle distribution based on the edge‐node relation in undirected graphs. Second, according to the designed masking matrix, we construct the exponent matrix based on finite fields. The iterative decoding performances of the constructed codes on the additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) channel are finally provided.
Strength Analysis of a Two‐Layer PETF‐Concrete Column with Allowance for Contact Interaction between Layers
Authors: Velychkovych Andrii , Ropyak Liubomyr , Dubei Olga
Published: September 2021

This article develops an idea of mechanical recycling of polymer wastes. Unlike previous research studies, which are dedicated to the study of the physical and mechanical properties of fibrous concrete and the technology of its manufacturing, this work considers a specific construction product—laminated concrete column made of recycled polyethylene terephthalate (PETF). Currently, there are no policy documents (standards or codes) regarding the engineering design of such constructions. Therefore, the authors’ attention is focused on mechanical and mathematical modeling of the laminated column behavior under operational load. An analytical study of two‐layer PETF‐concrete column’s stress‐strain state was performed, taking into account the contact interaction between inhomogeneous layers of the materials. It has been determined that, in certain circumstances, the contact pressure between the layers can have a significant effect on the load‐bearing capacity of the column. In general, a method of engineering assessment of laminated columns’ load‐bearing capacity was developed.
Finite Element Simulations of Dynamic Shear Fracture of Hollow Shear Pins
Authors: Jin Zibo , Zhou Jin , Li Daochun
Published: September 2021

The shear pin structure is widely used in aeronautics and astronautics structures to deal with emergency structure separation problems. The shear pin design has a strict restriction on the precise failure load and definite failure mode. Previous research has conducted shear fracture tests and simulations of solid shear pins while there is a lack of detailed research on the shear fracture of hollow shear pins with large diameters. In this research, a 3-dimensional finite element model was built based on the actual shear pin installed on the aircraft engine pylon and the model was validated by the experiment. The influences of the inner diameter of hollow shear pins on the shear fracture process were investigated by conducting finite element simulations. The structural deformation, energy dissipation in the fracture process, and failure load of shear pins were evaluated. It is found that as the inner diameter increases, the failure mode of shear pins changed and would result in difficulties on the structure separation. To solve this problem, a new configuration of hollow shear pin was proposed for the purpose of obtaining both desired failure load and failure mode. The new configuration was verified by the fracture simulation and it is found that the new configuration is effective and can be used to improve the shear fracture performance.
Experimental Study on the Influence Factors of Flow Velocity Structure and Turbulent Characteristics in Open Channel with Biomimetic Grass
Authors: Fu Changjing , Wang Jinguo , Zhao Tianlong , Lv Yi
Published: September 2021

The problem of suspension treatment of subsea oil‐gas pipelines has been highly concerned by engineering construction units and researchers. The current research indicates that the bionic sea grass can effectively reduce the flow rate, promote sediment deposition, and control the development of the pipeline suspension area. The velocity distribution of open channel flow with bionic grass is very complex. The height and laying space of bionic grass will affect the flow velocity distribution. At present, the flow velocity in open channels with bionic grass is mainly studied by measuring the velocity variation at the front, middle, and back of bionic grass. Few effective measurements are made for the full velocity field. The velocity field distribution of bionic aquatic grass along the vertical plane is measured by using standard particle image velocimetry (PIV). The effects of height and laying space of bionic grass on probability density distribution, spatial correlation of pulsating velocity, turbulence intensity, Reynolds stress and turbulent kinetic energy in the open channel after the protection section of bionic grass are further analyzed.
Neu5Ac Induces Human Dental Pulp Stem Cell Osteo-/Odontoblastic Differentiation by Enhancing MAPK/ERK Pathway Activation
Authors: Li Changzhou , Xie Xinghuan , Liu Zhongjun , Yang Jianhua , Zuo Daming , Xu Shuaimei
Published: September 2021

Dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) must undergo odontoblastic differentiation in order to facilitate the process of dentin-pulp complex repair. Herein, we sought to explore the ability of Neu5Ac (one form of sialic acid) to influence DPSC osteo-/odontoblastic differentiation via modulating mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling. Methodology. DPSCs were isolated from human third permanent teeth and were grown in vitro. Fluorescent microscopy was used to detect the existence of sialic acid on the DPSC membrane. Following the treatment of different concentrations of Neu5Ac and removing sialic acid from the cell surface by neuraminidase, the osteo-/odontoblastic differentiation of these cells was evaluated via mineralization, alkaline phosphatase, and in vivo assays. In addition, the expression of genes related to osteo-/odontoblastic differentiation and MAPK signaling at different stages of this differentiation process was analyzed in the presence or absence of Neu5Ac. Results. The existence of sialic acid on the DPSC membrane was confirmed by fluorescent microscopy, and the ability of osteo-/odontoblastic differentiation was decreased after removing sialic acid by neuraminidase. Treatment of DPSCs with Neu5Ac (0.1 mM or 1 mM) significantly enhanced their mineralization ability and alkaline phosphatase activity. The expression levels of DMP1, DSPP, BSP, and RUNX2 were also increased. Treatment of nude mice with ManNAc (the prerequisite form of Neu5Ac) also enhanced DPSC mineralization activity in vivo. Furthermore, Neu5Ac treatment enhanced p-ERK expression in DPSCs, while ERK pathway inhibition disrupted the ability of Neu5Ac to enhance the osteo-/odontoblastic differentiation of these cells. Conclusions. Neu5Ac can promote DPSC osteo-/odontoblastic differentiation through a process associated with the modulation of the ERK signaling pathway activity.
UKF-Based Vehicle Pose Estimation under Randomly Occurring Deception Attacks
Authors: Liu Xinghua , Bai Dandan , Lv Yunling , Jiang Rui , Ge Shuzhi Sam
Published: September 2021

Considering various cyberattacks aiming at the Internet of Vehicles (IoV), secure pose estimation has become an essential problem for ground vehicles. This paper proposes a pose estimation approach for ground vehicles under randomly occurring deception attacks. By modeling attacks as signals added to measurements with a certain probability, the attack model has been presented and incorporated into the existing process and measurement equations of ground vehicle pose estimation based on multisensor fusion. An unscented Kalman filter-based secure pose estimator is then proposed to generate a stable estimate of the vehicle pose states; i.e., an upper bound for the estimation error covariance is guaranteed. Finally, the simulation and experiments are conducted on a simple but effective single-input-single-output dynamic system and the ground vehicle model to show the effectiveness of UKF-based secure pose estimation. Particularly, the proposed scheme outperforms the conventional Kalman filter, not only by resulting in more accurate estimation but also by providing a theoretically proved upper bound of error covariance matrices that could be used as an indication of the estimator’s status.
Prevalence, Risk Factors, and Outcomes of Platelet Transfusion Refractoriness in Critically Ill Patients: A Retrospective Cohort Study
Authors: Arabi Saeed , Almahayni Abdullah O. , Alomair Abdulrahman A. , Masuadi Emad M. , Damlaj Moussab , Al-Dorzi Hasan M.
Published: September 2021

Background. Refractoriness to platelet transfusion is an understudied phenomenon in critically ill patients. Our objective was to evaluate the prevalence, risk factors, and clinical outcomes of platelet refractoriness among patients in a tertiary-care intensive care unit (ICU). Methods. A retrospective cohort study included all patients (age >14 years) who were admitted to a tertiary-care medical-surgical ICU between 2011 and 2016 and received ≥2 platelet transfusions during their ICU stay. We calculated platelet increment (PI) and corrected count increment (CCI). Results. A total of 267 patients were enrolled in the study, collectively receiving 1357 transfusions with a median of 4.0 (interquartile range: 2.0, 6.0) transfusions per patient. The median pretransfusion platelet count was 31000.0 × 106/L (interquartile range: 16000.0, 50000.0). The median PI was 6000 × 106/L. The prevalence of platelet transfusion refractoriness was 54.8% based on PI < 10000 × 106/L and 57.0% based on CCI <5000. Patients admitted under hepatology/liver transplant had the highest rates of platelet refractoriness (69.6%), while those under general surgery had the lowest rate (43.2%). Younger age, nontrauma admission, and larger spleen size were associated with platelet refractoriness. Finally, refractoriness was associated with increased length of stay in the ICU (

p

 = 0.02), but not with mortality. Conclusions. Platelet transfusion refractoriness was highly (>50%) prevalent in ICU patients. However, it was not associated with increased mortality.
Effect of Third-Generation Beta Blockers on Weight Loss in a Population of Overweight-Obese Subjects in a Controlled Dietary Regimen
Authors: Gammone Maria Alessandra , Efthymakis Konstantinos , D’Orazio Nicolantonio
Published: September 2021

Background. Overweight and obesity often develop in individuals with genetic susceptibility and concomitant risk factors; however, medications can represent precipitating factors in some cases: evidence suggests that some antihypertensive drugs can adversely affect energy homeostasis and metabolism. Aim. The primary aim of this study was to investigate whether long-term therapy with a beta blocker impairs weight loss during a period of appropriate personalized hypocaloric diet and standardized physical activity in overweight and obese hypertensive patients in monotherapy and without comorbidities, compared to other antihypertensive drugs and to a control group not taking antihypertensive therapy. Subjects and Methods. We enrolled overweight and obese patients taking antihypertensive drugs; subjects were divided into 3 groups: those taking traditional beta blockers (bB group), those taking third-generation beta blockers (bB-3 group), and those taking other antihypertensive drugs (non-bB group). We also enrolled subjects receiving neither antihypertensive therapy nor other chronic medication in the prior 12 months as controls. All subjects underwent personalized hypocaloric diets for a period of 24 months with monthly follow-up. Anthropometric parameters were measured at enrollment and then monthly after diet prescription. Glucose and lipid values were assessed at baseline and at 12 and 24 months during dietary regimen. Results. We enrolled a total of 120 overweight and obese patients aged 50.30 ± 1.13 years (mean ± standard deviation) with a mean BMI of 31.79 ± 0.65 kg/m2; 90 were taking antihypertensive drugs (no comorbidity and no polytherapy), while 30 subjects receiving neither antihypertensive therapy nor other chronic medication in the prior 12 months were considered as controls. After 6 months, the percent total weight loss (TWL%) was lower in the bB group (3.62 ± 1.96 versus 5.27 ± 1.76 in the bB-3 group, versus 5.15 ± 1.30 in the non-bB group, and versus 4.70 ± 0.87 in the control group), as well as their BMI. After 24 months, we kept finding the worst result in the bB group (TWL% = 9.22 ± 2.19 versus 12.79 ± 1.72 in the non-bB group and 12.28 ± 1.97 in the control group) with the best trend in the bB-3 group (TWL% = 16.19 ± 2.67).
A Multichannel Allocation Strategy Based on Preemption Threshold and Preemption Probability in Cognitive Radio Networks
Authors: Zhao Yuan , Xiang Zhiyu
Published: September 2021

In traditional multichannel cognitive radio networks (CRNs), users are split into two different priorities. Because of the low priority of secondary users (SUs), SU packets’ transmissions are easily interrupted by primary users (PUs). In this paper, two control parameters, called preemption threshold H and preemption probability q, are used to regulate the preemption behavior of PU packets to improve the transmission performance of SU packets. When all channels in the system are occupied, the preemption behavior of PU packets will be adjusted according to the amount of SU packets that are transmitting in the system. If the amount is larger than H, the recently arrived PU packet either preempts a channel with probability q or leaves the system with probability

1
−
q

. The central controller manages the system’s channel usage right and determines a series of access behaviors of user packets. Considering the possible imperfect sensing, a discrete-time queueing model is developed with the proposed preemption control mechanism. Then we obtain some performance index expressions of PU and SU packets founded on the system’s state transition matrix and make the corresponding performance figures through numerical experiment. Finally, we construct a system utility function and determine the optimal preemption threshold and preemption probability through the seagull optimization algorithm (SOA). Experimental data show that the proposed mechanism by setting preemption threshold and preemption probability can significantly reduce SU packets’ outage rate and improve SU packets’ throughput rate.
TCDO: A Community-Based Ontology for Integrative Representation and Analysis of Traditional Chinese Drugs and Their Properties
Authors: Zhu Yan , Liu Lihong , Gao Bo , Liu Jing , Qiao Xingchao , Lian Chaojie , He Yongqun
Published: September 2021

Traditional Chinese drugs (TCDs) have been widely used in clinical practice in China and many other regions for thousands of years. Nowadays TCD’s bioactive ingredients and mechanisms of action are being identified. However, the lack of standardized terminologies or ontologies for the description of TCDs has hindered the interoperability and deep analysis of TCD knowledge and data. By aligning with the Basic Formal Ontology (BFO), an ISO-approved top-level ontology, we constructed a community-driven TCD ontology (TCDO) with the aim of supporting standardized TCD representation and integrated analysis. TCDO provides logical and textual definitions of TCDs, TCD categories, and the properties of TCDs (i.e., nature, flavor, toxicity, and channel tropism). More than 400 popular TCD decoction pieces (TCD-DPs) and Chinese medicinal materials (CMMs) are systematically represented. The logical TCD representation in TCDO supports computer-assisted reasoning and queries using tools such as Description Logic (DL) and SPARQL queries. Our statistical analysis of the knowledge represented in TCDO revealed scientific insights about TCDs. A total of 36 TCDs with medium or high toxicity are most densely distributed, primarily in Aconitum genus, Lamiids clade, and Fabids clade. TCD toxicity is mostly associated with the hot nature and pungent or bitter flavors and has liver, kidney, and spleen channel tropism. The three pairs of TCD flavor-nature associations (i.e., bitter-cold, pungent-warm, and sweet-neutral) were identified. The significance of these findings is discussed. TCDO has also been used to support the development of a web-based traditional Chinese medicine semantic annotation system that provides comprehensive annotation for individual TCDs. As a novel formal TCD ontology, TCDO lays out a strong foundation for more advanced TCD studies in the future.
Mining Profitable and Concise Patterns in Large‐Scale Internet of Things Environments
Authors: Lin Jerry Chun-Wei , Djenouri Youcef , Srivastava Gautam , Fournier-Viger Philippe
Published: September 2021

In recent years, HUIM (or a.k.a. high‐utility itemset mining) can be seen as investigated in an extensive manner and studied in many applications especially in basket‐market analysis and its relevant applications. Since current basket‐market scenario also involves IoT equipment to collect information, i.e., sensor or smart devices, it is necessary to consider the mining of HUIs (or a.k.a. high‐utility itemsets) in a large‐scale database especially with IoT situations. First, a GA‐based MapReduce model is presented in this work known as GMR‐Miner for mining closed patterns with high utilization in large‐scale databases. The k‐means model is initially adopted to group transactions regarding their relevant correlation based on the frequency factor. A genetic algorithm (GA) is utilized in the developed MapReduce framework that can be used to explore the potential and possible candidates in a limited time. Also, the developed 3‐tier MapReduce model can be easily deployed in Spark for the handlings of any database of large scale for knowledge discovery of closed patterns with high utilization. We created sets of extensive experimental environments for evaluating the results of the developed GMR‐Miner compared to the well‐known and state‐of‐the‐art CLS‐Miner. We present our in‐depth results to show that the developed GMR‐Miner outperforms CLS‐Miner in many criteria, i.e., memory usage, scalability, and runtime.
Review of Anopheles Mosquito Species, Abundance, and Distribution in Ethiopia
Authors: Adugna Fasil , Wale Melaku , Nibret Endalkachew
Published: September 2021

Background. Malaria is a major mosquito-borne disease in Ethiopia, and it is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality. Plasmodium falciparum and P. vivax are the two malaria-causing parasitic species commonly known to cause human malaria in Ethiopia. To better manage and control vectors transmitting malaria parasites, the abundance, distribution, and updated annotated list of Anopheles species present in Ethiopia are very important. Methods. In order to compile a list of the species recorded in Ethiopia, 33 original research articles were collected. This work gives an updated list of Anopheles mosquito species in Ethiopia and their abundance, distribution, and composition. Results. According to this review, 110305 Anopheles mosquitoes were collected and 35 Anopheles species were recorded in different parts of Ethiopia. A. arabiensis was the most abundant when compared to other species, whereas A. maculipalpis and A. wilsonii were the least abundant species. The most abundant Anopheles species was recorded in central and the least abundant, from eastern Ethiopia. The second, third, and fourth abundant species were also collected from southern, northern, and western parts of Ethiopia.
Multimodal Blog Sentiment Classification Based on MD-HFCE
Authors: Yang Baozhen , Tian Xuedong
Published: September 2021

In recent years, the rapid growth of multimodal information has become an important factor affecting the results of sentiment analysis. However, a few state-of-the-art works take into account the multimodal features and sentiment fuzziness. To this end, a fuzzy method is proposed for assessing sentiment intensity in this paper. Firstly, based on the visual-text conversion network (CNN-LSTM), as well as sentiment optimization through SentiBank and SentiBridge, the visual features are normalized to the text features. At the same time, the emotional features of the extracted audio will be predicted by the random forest algorithm. Subsequently, the sentiment characteristics are processed by dual hesitant fuzzification to form positive and negative sentiment intensity factors. Finally, a classification method, that is, MD-HFCE (multilayer dual hesitant fuzzy comprehensive evaluation), fuzzy comprehensive evaluation method improved by Mamdani fuzzy reasoning, is proposed to realize the multifeature fuzzy sentiment classification based on the comprehensive sentiment dictionary. The classification results are applicable to the topics of sentiment monitoring. The experimental results show that the proposed algorithm can effectively realize feature integration and improve the average sentiment classification accuracy of multimodal blogs to 82.2%.
Sustainable Development Based on Green GDP Accounting and Cloud Computing: A Case Study of Zhejiang Province
Authors: Qi Shanzhong , Huang Zhilei , Ji Lina
Published: September 2021

Cloud computing is a supercomputing that integrates large-scale and scalable computing, storage, data, applications, and other distributed computing resources for collaborative work in the form of virtualization technology as the basis and the network as the carrier to provide infrastructure, platform, software, and other service’s model. Green GDP (GGDP) is an assessment indicator for regional sustainable development. Hence, the evaluation index on GGDP and greening of the national economic accounting system (SNA) are the hotspots of current ecological and economic studies. In the recent years, Zhejiang’s economy has achieved rapid development, and there are also problems of high input and high consumption of natural resources, thereby restricting its sustainable development. Based on the statistical data of Zhejiang Province during 2000–2017, the GGDP within the sustainable development context is calculated using the system of integrated environmental and economic accounting (SEEA). The results indicated the following: (1) The GGDP accounted for 79.29%–96.78% of Zhejiang's GDP during the study period, which showed volatility upward trend, resulting from the significant environmental protection and conservation of natural resources in the study area. But economic development was heavily dependent on resources, and the local government still strengthened the work of improving resources and environment. (2) The proportion of secondary industry in Zhejiang Province fluctuated downwards during the period of 2000–2017, and the tertiary industry showed a volatility upward trend, which exceeded the proportion of the secondary industry, indicating that Zhejiang Province is from an industry-led economy to a service-oriented economy change. (3) The GGDP of Zhejiang Province accounted for the highest proportion of GDP in 2008, resulting from the result of a combination of relevant national policies and international competitions.
Novel lncRNA Panel as for Prognosis in Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma Based on ceRNA Network Mechanism
Authors: Zhang Jin , Xiao Fei , Qiang Guangliang , Zhang Zhenrong , Ma Qianli , Hao Yang , Xing Huajie , Liang Chaoyang
Published: September 2021

Background. The competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA) mechanism has been discovered recently and regulating cancer-related gene expressions. The ceRNA network participates in multiple processes, such as cell proliferation and metastasis, and potentially drives the progression of cancer. In this study, we focus on the ceRNA networks of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma and discovered a novel biomarker panel for cancer prognosis. Methods. RNA expression data of esophageal carcinoma from the TCGA database were achieved and constructed ceRNA network in esophageal carcinoma using R packages. Results. Four miRNAs were discovered as the core of the ceRNA model, including miR-93, miR-191, miR-99b, and miR-3615. Moreover, we constructed a ceRNA network in esophageal carcinoma, which included 4 miRNAs and 6 lncRNAs. After ceRNA network modeling, we investigated six lncRNAs which could be taken together as a panel for prognosis prediction of esophageal cancer, including LINC02575, LINC01087, LINC01816, AL136162.1, AC012073.1, and AC117402.1. Finally, we tested the predictive power of the panel in all TCGA samples. Conclusions. Our study discovered a new biomarker panel which may have potential values in the prediction of prognosis of esophageal carcinoma.
Dynamic Response of Graphitic Targets with Tantalum Cores Impacted by Pulsed 440‐GeV Proton Beams
Authors: Simon Pascal , Drechsel Philipp , Katrik Peter , Voss Kay-Obbe , Bolz Philipp , Harden Fiona J. , Guinchard Michael , Kadi Yacine , Trautmann Christina , Tomut Marilena
Published: September 2021

Various graphite targets with a tantalum core were exposed to 440 GeV pulsed proton beams at the HiRadMat facility at CERN. The dynamic response was investigated by monitoring the surface velocity of the samples by laser Doppler vibrometry. The study comprises different graphite grades, such as polycrystalline, expanded and carbon‐fiber reinforced graphite, and low‐density graphitic foams, all candidates for beam‐intercepting devices in high‐power accelerators. The purpose of the tantalum core is to concentrate the large energy deposition in this high‐density material that withstands the localized beam‐induced temperature spike. The generated pressure waves are estimated to result in stresses of several hundred MPa which subsequently couple with the surrounding graphite materials where they are damped. Spatial energy deposition profiles were obtained by the Monte Carlo code FLUKA and the dynamic response was modelled using the implicit code ANSYS. Using advanced post‐processing techniques, such as fast Fourier transformation and continuous wavelet transformation, different pressure wave components are identified and their contribution to the overall dynamic response of a two‐body target and their failure mode are discussed. We show that selected low‐intensity beam impacts can be simulated using straight‐forward transient coupled thermal/structural implicit simulations. Carbon‐fiber reinforced graphites exhibit large (macroscopic) mechanical strength, while their low‐strength graphite matrix is identified as a potential source of failure. The dynamic response of low‐density graphitic foams is surprisingly favourable, indicating promising properties for the application as high‐power beam dump material.
Increased Arterial Stiffness as a Predictor for Onset and Progression of Diabetic Retinopathy in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus
Authors: An Yaxin , Yang Yuxian , Cao Bin , Dong Huan , Li Aihua , Zhao Wenying , Ke Jing , Zhao Dong
Published: September 2021

Introduction. Brachial–ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV), an indicator of arterial stiffness, has been demonstrated to be associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and its vascular complications. This study was aimed at investigating the correlations of baPWV with both the presence and severity of diabetic retinopathy (DR) at baseline and at exploring the predictive role of baPWV in the new onset/progression of DR in the follow-up analysis. Methods. The prospective cohort study recruited 2,473 Chinese patients with T2DM, of whom 663 participants were finally included in the follow-up analysis. The presence and grading of DR were performed by the modified Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study. Uni- or multivariate linear and logistic regression models and Cox proportional-hazards regression analysis were conducted. Results. Of 2,473 patients with T2DM at baseline, 734 individuals were assessed to have DR and further categorized into 630 with non-sight-threatening DR (NSTDR) and 104 with STDR. In addition to the positive relationship between increased baPWV and the presence of DR, multinominal logistic regression analysis revealed that higher tertiles of baPWV were significantly related to the NSTDR (T2:

OR
=
1.62

(1.22, 2.15),

p
<
0.001

, and T3:

OR
=
2.58

(1.86, 3.58),

p
<
0.001

) and STDR group (T3:

OR
=
3.87

(1.87, 8.02),

p
<
0.001

). During a follow-up (mean period of 16.4 months), 111 participants had new onset/progression of DR. The cox regressions showed that high baseline baPWV was correlated with increased risk of development/progression of DR (

HR
=
2.24

, 95% CI (1.24, 4.03),

p
=
0.007

, for T2 baPWV and

HR
=
2.90

, 95% CI (1.49, 5.64),

p
=
0.002

, for T3 baPWV) after adjustments for multiple factors. Conclusions. Our results demonstrated that baseline baPWV might be an independent predictor in new onset/worsening of DR, suggesting that increased arterial stiffness might be involved in the development of DR. Follow-up studies with a longer duration are needed.
Microencapsulated Recombinant Human Epidermal Growth Factor Ameliorates Osteoarthritis in a Murine Model
Authors: Lin Shih-Chao , Zhang Xiang , Chen Shiow-Yi , Lin Chi-Chien , Chiu Yen-Shuo
Published: September 2021

Osteoarthritis, a highly age-related and chronic inflammatory disorder with cartilage loss, causes patients difficultly in movement; there is no efficient and sustainable remedy for osteoarthritis currently. Although hyaluronic acid (HA) and platelet-rich plasma (PRP) have been used to alleviate osteoarthritis, the effects could be short and multiple injections might be required. To address this issue, we exploited the property of chitosan to encapsulate recombinant human epidermal growth factor and obtained microencapsulated rhEGF (Me-rhEGF). In the current study, we induced the osteoarthritis-like symptoms with monosodium iodoacetate (MIA) in rats and investigated the therapeutic effects of Me-rhEGF. Following administration of HA/Me-rhEGF in vivo, we observed that the total Mankin scores, cartilage oligomeric protein, C-telopeptide of type II collagen, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-17A, and TNF-α cytokines, nitric oxide, and prostaglandin E2 expressions were significantly inhibited. Our results also strongly indicate that individual use of HA or rhEGF slightly decreased the inflammation and restored the destructive joint structure, but was not as drastic as seen in the HA/Me-rhEGF. Moreover, HA/Me-rhEGF profoundly reduced cartilage destruction and proteoglycan loss and downregulated matrix metalloproteinase expressions. These findings reveal that the treatment of HA/Me-rhEGF could be more beneficial than the use of single HA or rhEGF in reliving osteoarthritis and demonstrate the therapeutic application of microencapsulation technology in difficult joint disorders. In essence, we believe that the Me-rhEGF could be promising for further research and development as a clinical treatment against osteoarthritis.