bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Mean absorption estimation from room impulse responses using virtually supervised learning
Authors: Foy Cédric , Deleforge Antoine , Di Carlo Diego
Published: August 2021

In the context of building acoustics and the acoustic diagnosis of an existing room, it introduces and investigates a new approach to estimate the mean absorption coefficients solely from a room impulse response (RIR). This inverse problem is tackled via virtually supervised learning, namely, the RIR-to-absorption mapping is implicitly learned by regression on a simulated dataset using artificial neural networks. Simple models based on well-understood architectures are the focus of this work. The critical choices of geometric, acoustic, and simulation parameters, which are used to train the models, are extensively discussed and studied while keeping in mind the conditions that are representative of the field of building acoustics. Estimation errors from the learned neural models are compared to those obtained with classical formulas that require knowledge of the room's geometry and reverberation times. Extensive comparisons made on a variety of simulated test sets highlight different conditions under which the learned models can overcome the well-known limitations of the diffuse sound field hypothesis underlying these formulas. Results obtained on real RIRs measured in an acoustically configurable room show that at 1 kHz and above, the proposed approach performs comparably to classical models when reverberation times can be reliably estimated and continues to work even when they cannot.
Identification of voiced stop consonants produced by acoustically driven vocal tract modulations
Authors: Story Brad H. , Bunton Kate
Published: August 2021

A recently developed speech production model, in which speech segments are specified by relative acoustic events called resonance deflection patterns, was used to generate speech signals that were presented to listeners in a perceptual test. The purpose was to determine the effect of variations of the magnitude and polarity of the third resonance deflection on identification of the consonant in a V1CV2 disyllable while the deflections of the first and second resonances were held constant. Result showed that listeners' identification changed from /d/ to /ɡ/ when the polarity of the third resonance deflection switched from positive to negative.
Deciphering asymmetric charge transfer at transition metal dichalcogenide–graphene interface by helicity-resolved ultrafast spectroscopy
Authors: Zhou Hongzhi , Chen Yuzhong , Zhu Haiming
Published: August 2021

Helicity-resolved ultrafast spectroscopy reveals complex charge/spin dynamics in TMD/graphene heterostructures.
Indium-antimony-halide single crystals for high-efficiency white-light emission and anti-counterfeiting
Authors: Wei Jun-Hua , Liao Jin-Feng , Zhou Lei , Luo Jian-Bin , Wang Xu-Dong , Kuang Dai-Bin
Published: August 2021

Indium-antimony bimetallic halide single crystal exhibits single-source white-light emission and anti-counterfeiting potential.
Is geoheritage a “cutting-edge” science? Promotion of an extension to the definition of geoheritage with emphasis as a significant discipline in geosciences with cultural and societal relevance
Authors: Rassios* Anne Ewing , Grieco Giovanni
Published: August 2021

Geoheritage documentation is critical for the academic community, and thus incurs an expense to the general public, who may or may not feel the need to fund such an “academic” database. Fortunately, this documentation helps foster appreciation of geosites within a geotouristic framework and can inspire a nationalistic sense of pride, thus bringing about an economic incentive to countries actively involved in geoheritage research and documentation. Yet there remains a prejudice within academia that geoheritage is a descriptive field, is arbitrarily qualitative, and lacks the capacity to create new and important scientific discoveries. We present herein a description and discussion of the results of applying “cutting-edge” science in a geoheritage framework with ample examples from Greece and two case studies of its application. The first of these is The Aliakmon Legacy Project of Northern Greece that necessitated modern documentation to preserve its heritage base when plate tectonic global geoheritage localities were flooded. The second summarizes the geologic history of the Meteora World Heritage Site with an emphasis on how its long complex geologic history ultimately resulted in the Byzantine Monastic community. We propose this paper as a discussion model for the integration of primary geologic research with cultural heritage localities and emphasize that these promise to elevate geoheritage studies to a scale critical for documentation of human civilization itself. It is our opinion that geoheritage is capable of becoming a dynamic field of study in which documentation and preservation expands to integrate renewed multidisciplinary research that in turn comprises the scientific foundation of a “new” cutting-edge geologic field of study.
Supplemental Material: Superposition of two kinematically distinct extensional phases in southern Death Valley: Implications for extensional tectonics
Authors: Fleming Z.D. , al. et
Published: August 2021

Plate 1. Geologic map of the Ibex Hills, Saratoga Hills, and Ibex Pass area.
Epidemiology, clinical features and outcomes of incident tuberculosis in children in Canada in 2013–2016: results of a national surveillance study
Authors: Morris Shaun K , Giroux Ryan J P , Consunji-Araneta Raquel , Stewart Kristoffor , Baikie Maureen , Kakkar Fatima , Zielinski David , Tse-Chang Alena , Cook Victoria J , Fisher Dina A , Salvadori Marina I , Pernica Jeffrey M , Sauve Laura J , Hui Charles , Miners Amber , Alvarez Gonzalo G , Al-Azem Assaad , Gallant Victor , Grueger Barbara , Lam Ray , Langley Joanne M , Radziminski Nicole , Rea Elizabeth , Wong Sam , Kitai Ian
Published: August 2021

Purpose

Childhood tuberculosis disease is difficult to diagnose and manage and is an under-recognised cause of morbidity and mortality. Reported data from Canada do not focus on childhood tuberculosis or capture key epidemiologic, clinical and microbiologic details. The purpose of this study was to assess demographics, presentation and clinical features of childhood tuberculosis in Canada.

Methods

We conducted prospective surveillance from 2013 to 2016 of over 2700 paediatricians plus vertical tuberculosis programmes for incident tuberculosis disease in children younger than 15 years in Canada using the Canadian Paediatric Surveillance Program (CPSP).

Results

In total, 200 cases are included in this study. Tuberculosis was intrathoracic in 183 patients of whom 86% had exclusively intrathoracic involvement. Central nervous system tuberculosis occurred in 16 cases (8%). Fifty-one per cent of cases were hospitalised and 11 (5.5%) admitted to an intensive care unit. Adverse drug reactions were reported in 9% of cases. The source case, most often a first-degree relative, was known in 73% of cases. Fifty-eight per cent of reported cases were Canadian-born Indigenous children. Estimated study rates of reported cases (per 100 000 children per year) were 1.2 overall, 8.6 for all Indigenous children and 54.3 for Inuit children.

Conclusion

Childhood tuberculosis may cause significant morbidity and resource utilisation. Key geographies and groups have very high incidence rates. Elimination of childhood tuberculosis in Canada will require well-resourced community-based efforts that focus on these highest risk groups.
Severe obstructive sleep apnoea, aortic dissection and aortopulmonary fistula in a 56-year-old patient with syncope
Authors: Jelani Muzzamil Anwar , Nosib Shravan
Published: August 2021

We present a case of a 56-year-old patient with obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) presenting with acute decompensated heart failure and signs of cardiogenic shock. Echocardiography and CT imaging led to the diagnosis of acute type A aortic dissection (AD) complicated by aortopulmonary fistula (APF). The patient underwent successful surgical repair with complicated postoperative course including pulseless electrical activity arrest. This case highlights the underappreciated role of untreated OSA as a risk factor for AD. Furthermore, it presents an opportunity to review APFs as a rare complication of AD. We discuss the available evidence linking OSA and AD, review currently reported cases of APF, briefly outline the haemodynamics of this acute left-to-right shunt and discuss management of this rare but deadly complication.
Early childhood development and parental training interventions in rural China: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Emmers Dorien , Jiang Qi , Xue Hao , Zhang Yue , Zhang Yunting , Zhao Yingxue , Liu Bin , Dill Sarah-Eve , Qian Yiwei , Warrinnier Nele , Johnstone Hannah , Cai Jianhua , Wang Xiaoli , Wang Lei , Luo Renfu , Li Guirong , Xu Jiajia , Liu Ming , Huang Yaqing , Shan Wenjie , Li Zhihui , Zhang Yu , Sylvia Sean , Ma Yue , Medina Alexis , Rozelle Scott
Published: August 2021

Introduction

Inadequate care during early childhood can lead to long-term deficits in skills. Parenting programmes that encourage investment in young children are a promising tool for improving early development outcomes and long-term opportunities in low-income and middle-income regions, such as rural China.

Methods

We conducted a systematic review and a meta-analysis to investigate the prevalence of early developmental delays and stimulating parenting practices as well as the effect of parental training programmes on child development outcomes in rural China. We obtained data in English from EconPapers, PubMed, PsycARTICLES, Cochrane Library, Web of Science and Scopus (Elsevier) and in Chinese from China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang Data and VIP Information. We conducted frequentist meta-analyses of aggregate data and estimated random-effects meta-regressions. Certainty of evidence was rated according to the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation approach.

Results

We identified 19 observational studies on the prevalence of developmental delays and stimulating parenting practices for children under 5 years of age (n=19 762) and ten studies on the impact of parental training programmes on early child development (n=13 766). Children’s risk of cognitive, language and social-emotional delays in the rural study sites (covering 14 provinces mostly in Central and Western China) was 45%, 46%, and 36%, respectively. Parental training programmes had a positive impact on child cognition, language and social-emotional development.

Conclusion

There is evidence to suggest that early developmental delay and the absence of stimulating parenting practices (ie, reading, storytelling and singing with children) may be prevalent across rural, low-income and middle-income regions in Central and Western China. Results support the effectiveness of parental training programmes to improve early development by encouraging parental engagement.

Trial registration number

This study was registered with PROSPERO (CRD42020218852).
Effectiveness of restricting access to a suicide jump site: a test of the method substitution hypothesis
Authors: Berman Alan Lee , Athey Alisonj , Nestadt Paul
Published: August 2021

Reducing access to lethal means can prevent suicides. However, substitution of a suicide method remains a concern. Until 1986, the Ellington Bridge was the site of one-half of all Washington, DC bridge suicides. An antisuicide fence was installed in 1986, creating a naturalistic case–control design for testing the substitution hypothesis with the adjacent and equally as lethal jump site, the Taft Bridge. We found that suicide deaths from the Ellington Bridge were reduced by 90% (p=0.001) following barrier construction, without changes in rates of jumps from either the Taft Bridge or any other bridge in the city. Suicides by all methods decreased significantly across the study period. While the decline in suicides from the Ellington Bridge may reflect a broader decline in suicide, the decline in bridge suicide without persistent shifts in deaths to other bridges provides evidence that restricting access to one highly lethal method is effective.
B7 score and T cell infiltration stratify immune status in prostate cancer
Authors: Zhou Qianghua , Li Kaiwen , Lai Yiming , Yao Kai , Wang Qiong , Zhan Xiangyu , Peng Shirong , Cai Wenli , Yao Wei , Zang Xingxing , Xu Kewei , Huang Jian , Huang Hai
Published: August 2021

Background

Although immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), especially programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1)/programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) axis blockers, exhibit prominent antitumor effects against numerous malignancies, their benefit for patients with prostate cancer (PCa) has been somewhat marginal. This study aimed to assess the feasibility of B7-H3 or HHLA2 as alternative immunotherapeutic targets in PCa.

Methods

Immunohistochemistry was performed to evaluate the expression pattern of PD-L1, B7-H3 and HHLA2 and the infiltration of CD8+ and Foxp3+ lymphocytes in 239 PCa tissues from two independent cohorts. The correlations between B7-H3 and HHLA2 and clinicopathological features, including the presence of CD8+ and Foxp3+ tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), were explored.

Results

HHLA2 expression was much higher than PD-L1 expression but lower than B7-H3 expression in PCa tissues. High expression of both B7-H3 and HHLA2 was significantly associated with higher Gleason score and tumor stage, lymph node metastasis and dismal overall survival (OS) and cancer-specific survival (CSS). Moreover, a high B7 score, defined as high B7-H3 expression and/or high HHLA2 expression, was an independent prognostic predictor for PCa. Of note, a high B7 score was negatively correlated with CD8+ TILs. Importantly, a new immune classification, based on the B7 score and CD8+ TILs, successfully stratified OS and CSS in PCa.

Conclusions

Both B7-H3 and HHLA2 have a critical impact on the immunosuppressive microenvironment, and the B7 score could be used as an independent prognostic factor for PCa. The B7 score combined with CD8+ TILs could be used as a new immune classification to stratify the risk of death, especially cancer-related death, for patients with PCa. These findings may provide insights that could improve response to immune-related comprehensive therapy for PCa in the future.
Comparison of CSF and serum neurofilament light and heavy chain as differential diagnostic biomarkers for ALS
Authors: Halbgebauer Steffen , Steinacker Petra , Verde Federico , Weishaupt Jochen , Oeckl Patrick , von Arnim Christine , Dorst Johannes , Feneberg Emily , Mayer Benjamin , Rosenbohm Angela , Silani Vincenzo , Ludolph Albert C , Otto Markus
Published: August 2021

Objective

Elevated levels of neurofilament light (NfL) and heavy (NfH) chain in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and serum reflect neuro-axonal degeneration and are used as diagnostic biomarkers. However, studies comparing the differential diagnostic potential for ALS of all four parameters are missing. Here, we measured serum NfL/NfH and CSF NfL/NfH in a large cohort of ALS and other neurological disorders and analysed the differential diagnostic potential.

Methods

In total CSF and serum of 294 patients were analysed. The diagnostic groups comprised: ALS (n=75), frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) (n=33), Alzheimer’s disease (n=20), Parkinson’s disease (dementia) (n=18), Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (n=11), non-neurodegenerative controls (n=77) (Con) and 60 patients who were seen under the direct differential diagnosis of a patient with ALS (Con.DD).

Results

CSF and serum NfL and NfH showed significantly increased levels in ALS (p<0.0001) compared with Con and Con.DD. The difference between ALS and FTLD was markedly stronger for NfH than for NfL. CSF and serum NfL demonstrated a stronger correlation (r=0.84 (95% CI 0.80 to 0.87), p<0.001) than CSF and serum NfH (r=0.68 (95% CI 0.61 to 0.75), p<0.0001). Comparing ALS and Con.DD, receiver operating characteristic analysis revealed the best area under the curve (AUC) value for CSF NfL (AUC=0.94, 95% CI 0.91 to 0.98), followed by CSF NfH (0.93, 95% CI 0.88 to 0.98), serum NfL (0.93, 95% CI 0.89 to 0.97) and serum NfH (0.88, 95% CI 0.82 to 0.94).

Conclusion

Our results demonstrate that CSF NfL and NfH as well as serum NfL are equally suited for the differential diagnosis of ALS, whereas serum NfH appears to be slightly less potent.
Conceptualisations of care: why understanding paid care is important
Authors: Harrison Rosie
Published: August 2021

Within social policy, the question of what constitutes ‘care’ within the care industry is ill-defined, leading to problematic assumptions that conflate paid and unpaid care. This paper draws on my own experiences of working in the care industry, and data collected during a 4-month ethnography in a Domiciliary Care company. Analysis of these data indicates that three differing conceptualisations of care are influential within the setting: business, medical/professional and familial. These conceptualisations are not discrete, and their interconnections are evident both in the literature and the data. Although the literature emphasises the superiority of familial conceptualisations of care, a more complex picture arose within the data as carers used contextualised definitions of care to draw boundaries around their emotional resources, times and energies in ways which relate to business and medical/professional conceptualisations of care. By exploring these definitions of care, this paper illustrates the often hidden and unrecognised set of skills around emotional management that carers must use in their everyday work in order to care for their clients, challenging notions that care work is both unskilled and a natural capacity. The data also challenge assumptions that commodification is inherently inimical to providing good care. As the need for paid care increases, creating a definition of paid care which incorporates such unquantifiable aspects of care becomes of vital importance for both policy makers and researchers.
On the geometry of operator mixing in massless QCD-like theories
Authors: Bochicchio Marco
Published: August 2021

We revisit the operator mixing in massless QCD-like theories. In particular, we address the problem of determining under which conditions a renormalization scheme exists where the renormalized mixing matrix in the coordinate representation, $$Z(x, \mu )$$

Z
(
x
,
μ
)

, is diagonalizable to all perturbative orders. As a key step, we provide a differential-geometric interpretation of renormalization that allows us to apply the Poincaré-Dulac theorem to the problem above: We interpret a change of renormalization scheme as a (formal) holomorphic gauge transformation, $$-\frac{\gamma (g)}{\beta (g)}$$

-

γ
(
g
)

β
(
g
)

as a (formal) meromorphic connection with a Fuchsian singularity at $$g=0$$

g
=
0

, and $$Z(x,\mu )$$

Z
(
x
,
μ
)

as a Wilson line, with $$\gamma (g)=\gamma _0 g^2 + \cdots $$

γ

(
g
)

=

γ
0

g
2

+
⋯

the matrix of the anomalous dimensions and $$\beta (g)=-\beta _0 g^3 +\cdots $$

β

(
g
)

=
-

β
0

g
3

+
⋯

the beta function. As a consequence of the Poincaré-Dulac theorem, if the eigenvalues $$\lambda _1, \lambda _2, \ldots $$

λ
1

,

λ
2

,
…

of the matrix $$\frac{\gamma _0}{\beta _0}$$

γ
0

β
0

, in nonincreasing order $$\lambda _1 \ge \lambda _2 \ge \cdots $$

λ
1

≥

λ
2

≥
⋯

, satisfy the nonresonant condition $$\lambda _i -\lambda _j -2k \ne 0$$

λ
i

-

λ
j

-
2
k
≠
0

for $$i\le j$$

i
≤
j

and k a positive integer, then a renormalization scheme exists where $$-\frac{\gamma (g)}{\beta (g)} = \frac{\gamma _0}{\beta _0} \frac{1}{g}$$

-

γ
(
g
)

β
(
g
)

=

γ
0

β
0

1
g

is one-loop exact to all perturbative orders. If in addition $$\frac{\gamma _0}{\beta _0}$$

γ
0

β
0

is diagonalizable, $$Z(x, \mu )$$

Z
(
x
,
μ
)

is diagonalizable as well, and the mixing reduces essentially to the multiplicatively renormalizable case. We also classify the remaining cases of operator mixing by the Poincaré–Dulac theorem.
Recognition of singularities of rectifying worldsheets generated by framed worldlines
Authors: Guo Hongyu , Liu Siyao , Wang Zhigang , Liu Haiming
Published: August 2021

In this paper, we consider the local topological structures of a class of new worldsheets, call it the rectifying worldsheets, which are generated by a class of singular worldlines. Using the classification approaches of the finite type on the tangent developables and defining the extended striction curve, this paper gives the detailed classification of the rectifying worldsheets of singular worldlines. It is demonstrated that the rectifying worldsheets of singular worldlines will appear not only in cuspidal edge and swallowtail, but cuspidal beaks under suitable conditions. Especially the singularities of rectifying worldsheets of singular worldlines are associated with curvature functions such that the singularities can be characterized by these functions. Two examples are provided to put the theoretical results into the practice of computation and classification.
Numerical simulation of free expansion of an ideal gas
Authors: Arsenic Ilija , Krmar Miodrag
Published: August 2021

Classical statistical thermodynamics was developed in the second half of the 19th century. The implied fact is that since then all processes and effects that fall into the domain of classical statistical thermodynamics have been discovered and explained. However, analyzing the outputs from our numerical model of an ideal gas, we noticed that the atoms separate during the expansion of the gas into empty space. This separation occurs as a consequence of the distribution of molecules by velocities. Namely, faster molecules will move further away from their initial position than slower ones. The objective of this paper is to describe the existence of this process and to present some basic physical consequences of this effect.
Thermal entanglement in a mixed spin Heisenberg XXX chain with DM interaction
Authors: Ahami Nizar , El Baz Morad
Published: August 2021

We consider a one-dimensional, mixed spin Heisenberg XXX model with an homogeneous external magnetic field and Dzyaloshinskii–Moriya interaction. Alternating spin-[Formula: see text] and spin-1 particles are forming the chain. The effect of the different parameters of the system on the bipartite thermal entanglement is studied. The type of chain used (mixed) and the size of the chain ([Formula: see text]) allow to study three types of bipartite entanglement, the qubit–qubit, qubit–qutrit and qutrit–qutrit thermal entanglement.
Sustainable Energy Techniques Adapted in Buildings to Regulate Moisture Transport and Enhance Thermal Comfort: A Review
Authors: Salins Sampath Suranjan , Kumar Shiva , Reddy S. V. Kota , Kuniyil Avin Vivek , Kumar Sreejith Sanal
Published: August 2021

Heating ventilation air conditioning (HVAC) design mainly deals with moisture and its control. The moisture may be present inside ducts, conditioned spaces, or outdoors. The process of humidification and dehumidification requires equipment for mass and heat transfer, where the transfer of energy and mass takes place at varying concentrations and temperatures. The exchange of mass or heat depends on the type of flow and is conceivably in the form of gas to liquid or liquid–vapor. This paper aims to review the effect of moisture in the buildings and modulate its effect with several humidifying and dehumidifying techniques as sustainable techniques depending upon the external weather conditions to maintain thermal comfort. Various humidification and dehumidification techniques have been discussed with both their merits, limitations, applications and future scope to meet sustainable energy demands.
ARQMath
Authors: Zanibbi Richard , Mansouri Behrooz , Agarwal Anurag , Oard Douglas W.
Published: August 2021

The Answer Retrieval for Questions on Math (ARQMath) evaluation was run for the first time at CLEF 2020. ARQMath is the first Community Question Answering (CQA) shared task for math, retrieving existing answers from Math Stack Exchange (MSE) that can help to answer previously unseen math questions. ARQMath also introduces a new protocol for math formula search, where formulas are evaluated in context using a query formula's associated question post, and posts associated with each retrieved formula. Over 70 topics were annotated for each task by eight undergraduate students supervised by a professor of mathematics. A formula index is provided in three formats: LATEX, Presentation MathML, and Content MathML, avoiding the need for participants to extract these themselves. In addition to detailed relevance judgments, tools are provided to parse MSE data, generate question threads in HTML, and evaluate retrieval results. To make comparisons with participating systems fairer, nDCG' (i.e., nDCG for assessed hits only) is used to compare systems for each task. ARQMath will continue in CLEF 2021, with training data from 2020 and baseline systems for both tasks to reduce barriers to entry for this challenging problem domain.
Report on the fourth workshop on recommendation in complex environments
Authors: Bogers Toine , Koolen Marijn , Mobasher Bamshad , Petersen Casper , Tuzhilin Alexander
Published: August 2021

During the past decade, recommender systems have rapidly become an indispensable element of websites, apps, and other platforms that are looking to provide personalized interaction to their users. As recommendation technologies are applied to an ever-growing array of non-standard problems and scenarios, researchers and practitioners are also increasingly faced with challenges of dealing with greater variety and complexity in the inputs to those recommender systems. For example, there has been more reliance on fine-grained user signals as inputs rather than simple ratings or likes. Many applications also require more complex domain-specific constraints on inputs to the recommender systems. The outputs of recommender systems are also moving towards more complex composite items, such as package or sequence recommendations. This increasing complexity requires smarter recommender algorithms that can deal with this diversity in inputs and outputs. The ComplexRec workshop series offers an interactive venue for discussing approaches to recommendation in complex scenarios that have no simple one-size-fits-all solution.
Study of Tunnel-Face to Borehole ERI (TBERI) Measurement Configurations and Its Optimization
Authors: Zhou Wei , Nie Lichao , Zhang Yongheng , Pang Yonghao , Dong Zhao , An Zhimin , Liu Zhengyu , Ma Chuanyi
Published: August 2021

Most of the existing electrical-resistivity-based ahead prospecting methods in tunnel use only the tunnel cavity and tunnel face space to locate the water-bearing structures in front of the tunnel. However, due to the limitation of the narrow available space for arranging electrodes in tunnel, this kind of method is difficult to achieve more accurate image for water-bearing structures. The cross-hole electrical resistivity tomography (CHERT) and borehole-to-surface electrical resistivity tomography (BSERT) methods using borehole space have been proved effective means to achieve better images of deep anomalies on the surface. In this paper, the tunnel-face and borehole ERI (TBERI) method in tunnels was studied. To less affect the construction progress, the pole-pole configuration using a single borehole was studied in this paper. Moreover, the configuration is optimized based on the block weighted CR optimization strategy. After considering the data combination, an effective measurement configuration suitable for TBERI detection was formed. To accelerate calculation, some redundant data are removed from the obtained data after proposed block weighted optimization is conducted. By adopting the proposed configuration, the abnormal objects in the target area in the inversion are more accurate. The effectiveness of proposed configuration is verified by numerical simulation.
A Visual Analysis of Frontiers and Dynamic Tendencies for Humanitarian Logistics
Authors: Fu Shaochuan , Ji Xuehua , Lu Changxiang , Fan Shucheng
Published: August 2021

Under the background of regular epidemic prevention and control, the frontiers and prospects of humanitarian logistics (HL) have substantial value in enhancing emergency capacity. Taking the relevant articles collected in Web of Science and Scopus databases as the research object, this study discusses the basic characteristics, hot topics, and the potential directions of HL, using the bibliometric analysis and statistical analysis methods. Results show that the number of articles presents an overall increase with fluctuation. The major driving force of HL research is from the USA and China. Although a certain cooperation size among authors has been formed, close contact among research teams from different institutions in different countries is lacking. In addition, the four main topics of HL are highlighted through the “co-occurrence” analysis of keywords by VOSviewer. Further research directions and suggestions can be identified under the analysis of each topic and the knowledge map of CiteSpace. It is expected that results will provide a theoretical reference to scholars when identifying innovative ideas in this field.
Effects of Variable Composite Attachment Shapes in Controlling Upper Molar Distalization with Aligners: A Nonlinear Finite Element Study
Authors: Ayidağa Cengiz , Kamiloğlu Beste
Published: August 2021

The objective of the present study is to describe the stress and displacement patterns created by clear aligners and composite attachments bonded with the acid-etch technique on the labial surface of the maxillary first upper molar during its distalization. Maxillary molar distalization is a clinical orthodontics procedure used to move the first maxillary molar distally. The procedure is useful in patients with some Class II malocclusion allowing the first molar to move into a Class I relationship and the correction of associated malocclusion features. Three finite element models were designed to simulate the alveolar bone, molar tooth, periodontal ligament, aligner, and composite attachments. The first model had no composite attachment, the second model had a vertical rectangular attachment, and the third model had a newly designed attachment. A loading method was developed that mimicked the aligner’s molar distal movement. PDL was set as a viscoelastic material with a nonlinear mechanical response. von Mises and maximum principal stresses and tooth displacement patterns were analyzed using dedicated software. All the configurations showed some form of clockwise rotation in addition to the distal movement. The crown portion of the tooth showed maximum displacement in all three models; however, in the absence of attachment, the root apex moved in the opposite direction which was compatible with uncontrolled tipping movement. Simulations with attachments exhibited the best performance regarding the movement patterns. The third group, with the newly designed attachment, exhibited the best performance concerning stress distribution (principal stress and von Mises stresses) and higher stresses in the periodontal ligament and tooth. Incorporating a vertical rectangular attachment in a clear aligner resulted in the reduction of mesiodistal tipping tendency during molar distalization. The third model was the most efficient considering both displacement pattern and stress distribution. The level of stress generated by the third model needs to be further investigated in future studies.
Efficacy and Safety of the Arsenic Trioxide/Lipiodol Emulsion in the Transcatheter Arterial Chemoembolization Combined with Apatinib in the Treatment of Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Authors: Li Zhaonan , Chen Quanjing , Zhang Wenguang , Si Guangyan , Li Jing , Jiao Dechao , Han Xinwei
Published: August 2021

Purpose. The goal of this study was to assess the clinical efficacy and safety of the arsenic trioxide (ATO)/lipiodol emulsion in the transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) combined with apatinib in the treatment of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods. From December 2015 to February 2017, a total of 87 patients were consecutively enrolled and underwent ATO-TACE (aTACE) combined with apatinib in the treatment of advanced HCC. The treatment response and adverse events were assessed at the first month and third month after aTACE therapy. Progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), and treatment-related adverse events were also analyzed. Results. 87 patients (57 men; 30 women) were enrolled in the present study. Compared to that at the pre-aTACE examination, the levels of AST and ALT were elevated at the first week after procedure (65.84 U/L ± 22.93 U/L vs. 54.15 U/L ± 19.60 U/L,

p
=
0.032

; 63.44 U/L ± 22.50 U/L vs. 51.60 U/L ± 13.89 U/L,

p
=
0.027

, respectively). Most of the adverse events were grade 1 or 2 according to National Cancer Institute Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Event (CTCAE). Of the exception, 4 persons (2%) did have grade 3 hand-foot skin reactions, 1 (1%) had grade 3 diarrhea, 1 (1%) had grade 3 hypertension, and 3 (3%) had grade 3 proteinuria and forced to reduce the dose of apatinib by half. The survival analysis of the combination with aTACE and apatinib therapy found that the median PFS was 10.2 months (95% CI: 8.543–11.857), and the median OS was 23.300 months (95% CI: 20.833–25.767). Additionally, both univariate and multivariate Cox regression revealed that the tumor burden (≤50%) and the patients without portal vein tumor thrombus (PVTT) significantly impacted the patient’s PFS and OS and were related to better survival. Conclusion. aTACE combined with apatinib is a safe and promising treatment approach for patients with advanced HCC. Additionally, tumor burden (≤50%) and the patients without PVTT are associated with better PFS and OS.
Susceptibility to Oxidation of Selected Freshwater Fish Species Lipids as a Potential Source of Fish Oil in Dietary Supplements
Authors: Tokarczyk Grzegorz , Bienkiewicz Grzegorz , Biernacka Patrycja
Published: August 2021

Polyunsaturated fatty acids from the omega 3 family are more and more often supplied to the diet in the form of supplements. The aim of the study was to characterize the lipid fractions of predatory freshwater fish, i.e., pike (Esox lucius L.), perch (Perca fluviatilis L.), and pike perch (Sander lucioperca L.), and omnivorous fish, i.e., bream (Abramis brama L.) and roach (Rutilus rutilus L.). Their technological usefulness in terms of the source of fish oil was determined, depending on the rate and degree of their oxidative changes. UV radiation (photooxidation test) was used as a factor accelerating lipid oxidation. Research has shown that selected species of freshwater fish are characterized by high lipid oxidative stability, due to the availability and speed of delivery to the processing plant. The initial level of lipid oxidation of their meat, expressed by the TOTOX index, in any species did not exceed the value of 7, while the acceptable value was 26. The oil obtained from the meat of omnivorous fish after the photooxidation process was characterized by significantly better oxidative stability compared to the oil from the meat of predatory fish. The oxidation resistance of omnivorous fish oil was shown to be higher than that of predatory fish.
Intelligent Splicing Method of Virtual Reality Lingnan Cultural Heritage Panorama Based on Automatic Machine Learning
Authors: Fu Yao , Guo Tingting , Zhao Xingfang
Published: August 2021

With the increasing expansion of virtual reality application fields and the complexity of application content, the demand for real-time rendering of realistic graphics has increased sharply. This research mainly discusses the intelligent mosaic method of virtual reality Lingnan cultural heritage panorama based on automatic machine learning. In order to effectively make up for the impact of the insufficiency of the collection process on the quality of the final panoramic image of Lingnan cultural heritage, it is necessary to minimize the irregular rotation of the camera and collect images according to the overlapping area between adjacent images of appropriate size. In order to make Lingnan cultural heritage panoramic images have better visual effects, it is necessary to preprocess the images before image registration and fusion. Image preprocessing mainly includes image denoising and image projection transformation. In this study, cylindrical projection is used to construct the panorama of Lingnan cultural heritage. For each Lingnan cultural heritage training image, we first perform image segmentation to obtain multiple regions and extract the visual features of each region. We use automatic machine learning models to train the visual feature set and use the bagging method to generate different training subsets. In order to generate each component classifier, we determine the overlap area of the two images according to the matched SIFT feature points and determine the best stitching line during the implementation of stitching. In this paper, the number of pixels in the first row of the overlapping area is used to determine the candidate stitching line column, and the best stitching line position should be determined in consideration of the smallest color difference in the stitching area and the most similar texture on both sides. This article uses a Java Applet-based approach to realize virtual roaming of viewing panoramic images of Lingnan cultural heritage in IE browser. The highest accuracy of SIFT is 82.22%, and the lowest recognition time is 0.01 s. This research will promote the development of Lingnan cultural heritage.
A Time-Varying Coupling Analysis of Expressway Traffic Volume and Manufacturing PMI
Authors: Sun Shuo , Gu Mingchen , Wang Yingping , Lin Rongjie , Xing Lifeng , Xu Zhiyuan
Published: August 2021

This study investigates the time-varying coupling relationship between expressway traffic volume and manufacturing purchasing manager index (PMI). First, for the traffic volume and manufacturing PMI time-series data, unit root stability test and Johansen cointegration test are applied to determine the stability of single sequence and the long-term stable correlation between variables, respectively. Then, a time-varying vector autoregressive model (TVP-VAR) is developed to quantify the time-varying correlation between variables. The time-varying parameters of TVP-VAR are estimated using the Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) theory. Finally, the model is validated using examples from China. In the numeric example, three variables, i.e., expressway car traffic volume, expressway truck traffic volume, and manufacturing PMI, are selected for analysis. Results show that there is a positive interaction between expressway traffic volume (both car and truck) and manufacturing PMI. Express traffic volume slowly promotes the development of manufacturing industry. However, with the reform policy of road freight structure in China, the promotion effect of truck traffic on manufacturing PMI in the past two years has decreased significantly. Moreover, as affected by the China demand-led economic development model in recent years, the stimulus effect of manufacturing PMI on expressway passenger traffic volume has increased year by year. And, while the expressway freight structure remains stable, truck traffic volume is hardly affected by fluctuations in manufacturing PMI. These research results are helpful for policy makers to understand the time-varying coupling relationship between expressway traffic volume and manufacturing development and finally to improve the expressway management level.
COMSOL Simulation for Design of Induction Heating System in VULCAN Facility
Authors: Min Jinkun , Zhu Guangyu , Yuan Yidan , Liu Jingquan
Published: August 2021

The experimental facility VULCAN was setup to study the fuel-coolant interaction (FCI) phenomena in a postulated severe accident of light water reactors. The heating system is important for the facility to prepare molten material in a crucible. This article is concerned with the design of the heating system, which applies electromagnetic induction heating method. The COMSOL code was employed to simulate the induction heating characteristics of a graphite crucible under different current and frequency of the work coil (inductor). Given a frequency, the relationship between the crucible’s average temperature and the inductor’s current is obtained, which is instrumental to select the power supply of the induction heating system. Meanwhile, the skin effect of induction heating is analyzed to guide the choice of frequency and inductor of the heating system. According to the simulation results, the induction heating system of frequency 47 kHz is suitable for the experiment, with a good agreement in temperature between the measured and the predicted.
Development and Validation of a Novel Scoring System for Noninvasive Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis Detection in Bariatric Patients
Authors: Billeter Adrian T. , Wloka Sarah , Behnisch Rouven , Albrecht Thomas , Roessler Stephanie , Goeppert Benjamin , Mueller Sebastian , Nickel Felix , Müller Beat
Published: August 2021

Introduction: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease covers a broad spectrum. Simple steatosis has usually a benign course while nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) can progress into hepatocellular carcinoma, and cirrhosis. Therefore, differentiating patients with benign steatosis and NASH is crucial. Liver biopsy, the usual gold standard for NASH diagnosis, cannot be used as a screening method due to its associated risks. This is especially problematic for obese patients with a prevalence of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in >80% of patients. The aim of this study was therefore to develop and validate a noninvasive NASH screening test in a cohort of high-risk, morbidly obese patients. Methods: This prospective study examined diagnostic accuracy in accordance with STARD guidelines. 112 liver biopsies were consecutively assigned to either a training or validation cohort. Using the Bedossa histological scoring system, the cohorts were subdivided into NASH versus NAFLD/No NAFLD. Predictors of NASH were evaluated with receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. A model was then constructed using a backward stepwise logistic regression and evaluated in an independent validation cohort. Results: 53.5% of the patients had NASH and 4 patients had cirrhosis. Mean body mass index (BMI) was 49.8 ± 7.5 kg/m2. Backward stepwise logistic regression identified 4 parameters associated with the presence of NASH: alanin-aminotransferase, albumin, BMI, and triglycerides. The noninvasive NASH detection score (NI-NASH-DS) had an ROC of 0.851 and 0.727 in the training and validation cohorts, respectively. Sensitivity and specificity were 77.1% and 88% in the training cohort and 88% and 48% in the validation cohort which was much better than the established noninvasive scores. Discussion/Conclusion: The NI-NASH-DS is easy-to-use, inexpensive, and noninvasive and can reliably detect NASH in patients with morbid obesity. Due to its simplicity, it can be used frequently and repeatedly.
Physicians’ Perception of the Evidence in Relation to Primary Endpoints of Clinical Trials on Breast Cancer
Authors: Zhang Yi , Liu Miao , Yang Houpu , Wang Shu
Published: August 2021

Objective: To investigate physicians’ perception of the evidence of clinical trials on breast cancer. Methods: A survey was conducted by the Chinese Society of Breast Surgeons. We investigated the physicians’ perception of meaningful endpoints, appropriate follow-up duration, and clinically acceptable benefit through online questionnaires. Results: Among 278 validated questionnaires, the majority of the questions had no consistent answer. For local treatment, 30.6, 28.8, and 28.4% of participants regarded locoregional recurrence (LRR), disease-free survival (DFS), and overall survival (OS) as the most meaningful endpoint, respectively, 47.5% believed that 5-year follow-up can alter clinical practice, and 34.5% thought it should be >10 years. In the adjuvant setting, 45.7, 38.5, and 12.9% regarded DFS, OS, and LRR as the most meaningful endpoint, respectively, 52.5% thought that 10-year follow-up was solid, while 37.4% thought that 5-year follow-up was enough. In the advanced setting, 49.6, 24.1, and 23.7% considered progression-free survival, quality of life, and OS the most meaningful endpoint, respectively, and 39.6 and 28.8% considered that a follow-up of 1 year and 3 years, respectively, was meaningful. Similarly, the clinically acceptable absolute difference was inconsistent. Conclusion: Most Chinese oncologists advocated that surrogate endpoints could be used in certain circumstances, though OS was the most reliable one in breast cancer studies. Doctors’ perceptions of follow-up time and magnitude of benefit vary widely, reflecting the fact that there are many unanswered questions about supporting the use of new cancer treatments; a common understanding needs to be reached, such as a very consensual surrogate endpoint and a meaningful sufficiently large therapeutic benefit.
Experimental platform tests for setting performances of distance protection installed in Biskra-Batna of the Algerian transmission line
Authors: Mahdad Belkacem , Khelil Yassine , Tobbeche Abdelhak
Published: August 2021

The modern power system is equipped with protection system based on advanced technology through the use of digital multifunction relay, control system and intelligent selectivity, whose purpose is to ensure maximum security and service continuity of protection relay in the presence of various fault currents. Distance protection is an important protection required in high voltage transmission lines. In this paper, experimental platform tests have been performed and proposed for setting and evaluation the performances of distance protection named Micom P442 installed in Biskra-Batna of the Algerian transmission power system. The performances of the distance protection have been evaluated under various short circuits. In this study, experimental result based single phase fault to ground is analysed and discussed. Experimental results based on the proposed platform tests in terms of precision in detecting faults at various locations and trigger times confirm the efficiency and particularity of the proposed experimental platform tests.
Problems and analysis directions in smart grid technology and their potential solutions
Authors: Saini Manoj , Khan Shagufta , Gupta Rajeev , Singh Shivani , Upadhyay Pooja , Soni Shivangi
Published: August 2021

The idea of smart grid (SG) technology has revolutionized the traditional power system and has made it more efficient, robust and reliable in a number of ways. SG networks are recently upgraded networks of associated objects of information and communication technology (ICT) and core technology. Many active research areas have been developed to achieve the goals and planned requirements of the transfer of power systems from the traditional grid to the SG. Despite the significant characteristics of SG, future research needs to resolve numerous problems relating to core and ICT technology. This analysis paper identifies the challenges facing SG growth, potential research directions and also proposes possible solutions to some of these challenges, thus achieving the SG goals and planned requirements.