bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Industry 4.0 Disruption and Its Neologisms in Major Industrial Sectors: A State of the Art
Authors: Bongomin Ocident , Yemane Aregawi , Kembabazi Brendah , Malanda Clement , Chikonkolo Mwape Mwewa , Sheron Mpofu Nonsikelelo , Tigalana Dan
Published: October 2020

Very well into the dawn of the fourth industrial revolution (industry 4.0), humankind can hardly distinguish between what is artificial and what is natural (e.g., man-made virus and natural virus). Thus, the level of discombobulation among people, companies, or countries is indeed unprecedented. The fact that industry 4.0 is explosively disrupting or retrofitting each and every industrial sector makes industry 4.0 the famous buzzword amongst researchers today. However, the insight of industry 4.0 disruption into the industrial sectors remains ill-defined in both academic and nonacademic literature. The present study aimed at identifying industry 4.0 neologisms, understanding the industry 4.0 disruption and illustrating the disruptive technology convergence in the major industrial sectors. A total of 99 neologisms of industry 4.0 were identified. Industry 4.0 disruption in the education industry (education 4.0), energy industry (energy 4.0), agriculture industry (agriculture 4.0), healthcare industry (healthcare 4.0), and logistics industry (logistics 4.0) was described. The convergence of 12 disruptive technologies including 3D printing, artificial intelligence, augmented reality, big data, blockchain, cloud computing, drones, Internet of Things, nanotechnology, robotics, simulation, and synthetic biology in agriculture, healthcare, and logistics industries was illustrated. The study divulged the need for extensive research to expand the application areas of the disruptive technologies in the industrial sectors.
Risk of Dementia in Patients with Depression or Parkinson’s Disease: A Retrospective Cohort Study
Authors: Fang Ting-Chun , Wu Yu-Hsuan , Chen Yi-Huei , Lin Ching-Heng , Chang Ming-Hong
Published: October 2020

Background. This study aimed to clarify whether Parkinson’s disease (PD) and depression were independent risk factors or with synergic effects in dementia. Methods. Newly diagnosed PD (n = 1213) patients and control subjects (n = 4852) were selected from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database from January 2001 through December 2008. Follow-up ended in 2011 with an outcome of dementia occurring or not. This cohort was divided into controls with or without depression, PD only, and PD with depression. The incident rate of dementia and hazard ratio (HR) using Cox’s regression analysis were calculated for each group. Results. When compared with controls without depression as HR 1.00, the adjusted HR for dementia was 3.29 (p<0.001) in the PD only group, 2.77 (p<0.001) in the PD with depression group, and 1.55 (p=0.024) in the depression only group. The incident rate of dementia was 29.2 (per 1000 person-years) in the PD only group and 13.2 in the PD with depression group. The effect of PD on dementia in the depression group produced a HR of 0.97 (p=0.905). Conclusions. Parkinson’s disease served as a risk factor for dementia. By comparison, depression was not a risk factor for dementia in PD patients, although it did act as a risk factor for dementia.
Vitamin C as a Supplementary Therapy in Relieving Symptoms of the Common Cold: A Meta‐Analysis of 10 Randomized Controlled Trials
Authors: Ran Li , Zhao Wenli , Wang Hongwu , Zhao Ye , Bu Huaien
Published: October 2020

Aim. To investigate whether vitamin C performs well as a supplemental treatment for common cold. Method. After systematically searching through the National Library of Medicine (PubMed), Cochrane Library, Elsevier, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), VIP databases, and Wanfang databases, 10 randomized controlled trials were selected for our meta‐analysis with RevMan 5.3 software. Published in China, all 10 studies evaluated the effect of combined vitamin C and antiviral therapy for the treatment of common cold. Results. The total efficacy (RR = 1.27, 95% CI (1.08, 1.48), P = 0.003), the time for symptom amelioration (MD = −15.84, 95% CI (‐17.02, ‐14.66), P < 0.00001), and the time for healing (I, 95% CI (‐14.98, ‐4.22), P = 0.0005) were better with vitamin C supplementation than with antiviral therapy alone. Conclusions. Vitamin C could be used as a supplementary therapy along with antiviral regimens to relieve patients from the symptoms of common cold.
Hybrid Deep-Learning Framework Based on Gaussian Fusion of Multiple Spatiotemporal Networks for Walking Gait Phase Recognition
Authors: Zhen Tao , Kong Jian-lei , Yan Lei
Published: October 2020

Human gait phase detection is a significance technology for robotics exoskeletons control and exercise rehabilitation therapy. Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs) with accelerometer and gyroscope are convenient and inexpensive to collect gait data, which are often used to analyze gait dynamics for personal daily applications. However, current deep-learning methods that extract spatial and the isolated temporal features can easily ignore the correlation that may exist in the high-dimensional space, which limits the recognition effect of a single model. In this study, an effective hybrid deep-learning framework based on Gaussian probability fusion of multiple spatiotemporal networks (GFM-Net) is proposed to detect different gait phases from multisource IMU signals. Furthermore, it first employs the gait information acquisition system to collect IMU data fixed on lower limb. With the data preprocessing, the framework constructs a spatial feature extractor with AutoEncoder and CNN modules and a multistream temporal feature extractor with three collateral modules combining RNN, LSTM, and GRU modules. Finally, the novel Gaussian probability fusion module optimized by the Expectation-Maximum (EM) algorithm is developed to integrate the different feature maps output by the three submodels and continues to realize gait recognition. The framework proposed in this paper implements the inner loop that also contains the EM algorithm in the outer loop and optimizes the reverse gradient in the entire network. Experiments show that this method has better performance in gait classification with accuracy reaching more than 96.7%.
Complete Response of Synchronous Liver Metastasis in a Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma, When Surgery Could Represent a Therapeutic Option
Authors: Argentiero Antonella , Calabrese Angela , Sciacovelli Angela Monica , Delcuratolo Sabina , Solimando Antonio Giovanni , Brunetti Oronzo
Published: October 2020

Metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is characterized by poor prognosis and short survival. Today, the use of new polytherapeutic regimens increases clinical outcome of these patients opening new clinical scenario. A crucial issue related to the actual improvement achieved with these new regimens is represented by the occasional possibility to observe a radiological complete response of metastatic lesions in patients with synchronous primary tumor. What could be the best therapeutic management of these patients? Could surgery represent an indication? Herein, we reported a case of a patient with PDAC of the head with multiple liver metastases, who underwent first-line chemotherapy with mFOLFIRINOX. After 10 cycles, he achieved a complete radiological response of liver metastases and a partial response of pancreatic lesion. A duodenocephalopancreasectomy was performed. Due to liver a lung metastases after 8 months from surgery, a second-line therapy was started with a disease-free survival and overall survival of 8 months and 45 months, respectively. Improvement in the molecular characterization of PDAC could help in the selection of patients suitable for multimodal treatments. This trial is registered with NCT02892305 and NCT00855634.
On Behavioral Response of 3D Squeezing Flow of Nanofluids in a Rotating Channel
Authors: Qayyum Mubashir , Khan Omar , Abdeljawad Thabet , Imran Naveed , Sohail Muhammad , Al-Kouz Wael
Published: October 2020

In this article, a behavioral study of three-dimensional (3D) squeezing flow of nanofluids with magnetic effect in a rotating channel has been performed. Using Navier–Stokes equations along with suitable similarity transformations, a nonlinear coupled ordinary differential system has been derived which models the 3D squeezing flow of nanofluids with lower permeable stretching porous wall where the channel is also rotating. The base fluid in the channel is considered to be water that contains different nanoparticles including silicon, copper, silver, gold, and platinum. The homotopy perturbation method (HPM) is employed for the solution of highly nonlinear coupled system. For validation purpose, system of equations is also solved through the Runge–Kutta–Fehlberg (RK45) scheme and results are compared with homotopy solutions, and excellent agreement has been found between analytical and numerical results. Also, validation has been performed by finding average residual error of the coupled system. Furthermore, the effects of various parameters such as nanoparticle volume fraction, suction parameter, characteristic parameter of the flow, magnetic parameter, rotation parameter, and different types of nanoparticles are studied graphically.
A Reliable Method for Identification of Antibiotics by Terahertz Spectroscopy and SVM
Authors: Guo Jin , Deng Hu , Liu Quancheng , Chen Linyu , Xiong Zhonggang , Shang Liping
Published: October 2020

Given the extensive use of antibiotics at present, the identification of antibiotics and production quality monitoring are of high importance. However, conventional antibiotic identification methods have a low sensitivity and a long detection time. Here, we propose an identification method that combines terahertz (THz) spectroscopy and chemometric technology. THz time-domain spectroscopy (THz-TDS) was performed for sixteen types of antibiotics, including β-lactam, cephalosporins, macrolides, and tetracyclines. The absorption spectra within the frequency range of 0.2–1.5 THz were calculated. For dimensionality reduction, principal component analysis (PCA) and t-distributed stochastic neighbor embedding (t-SNE) were implemented, respectively. The data after dimensionality reduction were input into a support vector machine (SVM). The model parameters were optimized through grid search (GS), genetic algorithm (GA), and particle swarm optimization (PSO) methods, and the optimal identification results were obtained after comparison across these methods. Experiments indicate a differentiation of the THz absorption spectra among the sixteen types of antibiotics. After dimensionality reduction, the training time of the model significantly decreased. The use of the t-SNE-PSO-SVM model achieved the highest average accuracy on the prediction set, which was 99.91%. Thus, our study does not only confirm that the t-SNE-PSO-SVM model proves to be a reliable method for antibiotics identification, but also confirms that the combination of THz-TDS and chemometric pattern recognition has great potential for drug detection.
Acute Appendicitis Secondary to Appendiceal Endometriosis
Authors: Drumond João Paulo Nunes , de Melo André Luis Alves , Germini Demétrius Eduardo , Morrell Alexander Charles
Published: October 2020

Endometriosis in the vermiform appendix is a rare condition that affects women of childbearing age. The clinical picture can simulate inflammatory acute abdominal pain, especially acute appendicitis. Laboratory and imaging tests may assist in the diagnosis but are not conclusive. This article reports a case of acute appendicitis caused by appendiceal endometriosis for which laparoscopic appendectomy and diagnostic confirmation were performed after histopathological analysis.
Synthesis and Characterization of a New Surface-Modified Nanoparticle Using Fluoroalkanoic Acids as a Wettability Alteration Agent
Authors: Ganie Kenny , Mohshim Dzeti Farhah , Saaid Ismail Mohd , Sulaiman Wan Rosli Wan , Idris Ahmad Kamal
Published: October 2020

Previously, condensate banking removal in gas reservoir is mitigated using chemical treatments to alter the wettability of the near-wellbore region. However, this technique performed unsatisfactorily as it reduces the surface free energy and affects the gas relative permeability negatively. Hence, alternative surface-modified nanoparticles using fluorine-based chemicals were developed as wettability alteration agents since fluorine exhibits a high degree of liquid repellency and nanoparticles introduce high surface roughness. The newly synthesized surface-modified nanoparticles were characterized using FTIR, DLS, FESEM, and TGA. FTIR results highlight the characteristic absorption of Si-O-C group at peak 1105 and 1106 cm-1 in both fluoroalkanoic acids, demonstrating that fluorochemical molecules have been successfully coated onto silica nanoparticles. Nanoparticle sizes measured by DLS reported higher value than FESEM due to agglomeration, and the DLS measurement was done in hydrodynamic conditions. TGA analysis reveals decomposition at temperature between 100 and 150°C, indicating that these surface-modified nanoparticles can be utilized in an environment below 100°C. Higher decomposition was perceived on PFNA-modified nanoparticles as a thicker coating of PFNA is shrouding the silica nanoparticles compared to PFOA. Implications of the results will path the way for future research direction in using fluorine-based surface-modified nanoparticles as wettability alteration agents.
An Effective Variable Transformation Strategy in Multitasking Evolutionary Algorithms
Authors: Xu Qingzheng , Wang Lei , Yang Jungang , Wang Na , Fei Rong , Sun Qian
Published: October 2020

Multitasking evolutionary algorithm (MTEA), which solves multiple optimization tasks simultaneously in a single run, has received considerable attention in the community of evolutionary computation, and several algorithms have been proposed in the literature. Unfortunately, knowledge transfer between constituent tasks may cause negative effect on algorithm performance, especially when the optimal solutions of all tasks are in different locations of the unified search space. To address this issue, an effective variable transformation strategy and the corresponding inverse transformation are proposed in multitasking optimization scenario. After using variable transformation strategy, the estimated optimal solutions of all tasks are both near the center point of the unified search space. More importantly, this strategy can enhance the task similarity, and then the effectiveness of knowledge transfer will probably be positive in this case, which can help us to improve the algorithm performance. Keeping this in mind, a multitasking evolutionary algorithm (named MTDE-VT) is realized as an instance by embedding the proposed variable transformation strategy into multitasking differential evolution. In MTDE-VT, the individuals in the original population are first transformed into new locations by the variable transformation strategy. Once the offspring is generated in the transformed unified search space, it must be transformed back to the original unified search space. The statistical analysis of experimental results on some multitasking optimization benchmark problems illustrates the superiority of the proposed MTDE-VT algorithm in terms of solution accuracy and robustness. Furthermore, the basic principle and the good parameter combination are also provided based on massive simulated data.
Use of the Equivalent Mining Height Method for Understanding Overlying Strata Movement and Stress Distribution in an Isolated Coal Pillar
Authors: Chen Yang , Li Dong , Jiang Fuxing , Zhang Lili , Wang Cunwen , Zhu Sitao
Published: October 2020

In order to study the changing rules of displacement filed and stress field of overlying strata on isolated pillar with filling mining method, a self-designed model of isolated pillar with an equivalent mining height and a monitoring system of stress is employed to study the progressive failure of overlying strata and the changing rules of induced displacement and stress, as the equivalent mining height increases. The findings from the trial tests show the following: (1) When the equivalent mining height is small, the overlying strata on the isolated coal pillar only bend and subside, but the overlying strata located on the goafs of two sides remain stable. (2) As the equivalent mining height increases, the degree of stress concentration on section coal pillar will rise and produce plastic failure in the first place near large caving goaf. The strata can subside between isolated working face and adjacent large caving goaf. (3) As the equivalent mining height increases further, new cracks in the roof of isolated working face will unite the cracks of carving goaf on two sides in horizontal direction, leading to a significant rise of the height of cracks. Three goafs will evolve into a large carving goaf, and the vertical cracks on the outer side of the carving goaf intersect with one another to form “fracture band”. The research acquires the key points for prevention in mining the isolated coal pillar with filling method and provides guidelines to implement this technique and to prevent rock burst.
Study on Reasonable Size of Coal and Rock Pillar in Dynamic Pressure Roadway Segment of Fully Mechanized Face in Deep Shaft
Authors: Sun Binyang , Zhang Pingsong , Lu Haifeng
Published: October 2020

The deformation mechanism of the protective coal and rock pillar area outside a stope is an important parameter for setting a reasonable size. In this paper, based on the geological condition of working face 1231(1) in a mine in Huainan, a method that combines the use of a borehole and Brillouin optical time domain reflectometry (BOTDR) was proposed to analyze the stress variation laws of coal and rock pillar areas, and the parameters of the monitoring borehole and installation technique of the sensing optical cables were designed. Based on the monitoring data, the strain distribution characteristics of the sensing optical cables and their relationship with the rock strata were analyzed, the development law of coal and rock strata deformation during the mining process was revealed, and the transverse influence range of the coal and rock pillar affected by mining was reasonably divided. According to the results, the sensing optical cables show an overall trend of tensile strain, with a maximum value of 1800 με, and the main areas of rock strata deformation occur near the interface of rock strata. The range of rock strata disturbance along the borehole direction was approximately 38 m, and the maximum deformation of rock strata after the disturbance, namely, the displacement, was 24.87 mm. A numerical model was constructed to acquire the strain variation characteristic within 100 m in the outer floor of the working face. The transverse range of the floor disturbance was analyzed to be 30–36 m. The field test had good correspondence with the numerical simulation results, which indicates that the optical fiber testing technology can effectively describe the stress variation in the coal and rock strata. The test results can provide technical support for the rational setting of coal and rock pillars and disaster prevention and control. The research direction of deep rock mass testing is discussed, and optical fiber testing in boreholes is considered an effective method for studying deep dynamic disaster control.
Routing Strategy for LEO Satellite Networks Based on Membership Degree Functions
Authors: Zhou Jian , Bo Qian , Sun Lijuan , Wang Juan , Yan Xiaoyong
Published: October 2020

The deployment of Mobile Edge Computing (MEC) servers on Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites to form MEC satellites is of increasing concern. A routing strategy is the key technology in MEC satellites. To solve the uncertainty problem of LEO satellite link information caused by complex space environments, a routing strategy for LEO satellite networks based on membership degree functions is proposed. First, a routing model based on uncertain link information is established. In particular, the membership function is designed to describe the uncertain link information. Based on this, the comprehensive evaluation of the path is calculated, and the routing model considering uncertainty is established with the comprehensive evaluation of the path as the optimization objective. Second, in order to quickly calculate the path, a grey wolf optimization algorithm is designed to solve the routing model. Finally, simulation results show that the proposed strategy can achieve efficient and secure routing in complex space environments and improve the overall performance compared with the performances of traditional routing strategies.
Herb-Derived Products: Natural Tools to Delay and Counteract Stem Cell Senescence
Authors: Abruzzo Provvidenza M. , Canaider Silvia , Pizzuti Valeria , Pampanella Luca , Casadei Raffaella , Facchin Federica , Ventura Carlo
Published: October 2020

Cellular senescence plays a very important role in organismal aging increasing with age and in age-related diseases (ARDs). This process involves physiological, structural, biochemical, and molecular changes of cells, leading to a characteristic trait referred to “senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP).” In particular, with aging, stem cells (SCs) in situ exhibit a diminished capacity of self-renewal and show a decline in their functionality. The identification of interventions able to prevent the accumulation of senescent SCs in the organism or to pretreat cultured multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) prior to employing them for cell therapy is a main purpose of medical research. Many approaches have been investigated and resulted effective to prevent or counteract SC senescence in humans, as well as other animal models. In this work, we have reviewed the chance of using a number of herb-derived products as novel tools in the treatment of cell senescence, highlighting the efficacy of these agents, often still far from being clearly understood.
A Comprehensive Survey on Local Differential Privacy
Authors: Xiong Xingxing , Liu Shubo , Li Dan , Cai Zhaohui , Niu Xiaoguang
Published: October 2020

With the advent of the era of big data, privacy issues have been becoming a hot topic in public. Local differential privacy (LDP) is a state-of-the-art privacy preservation technique that allows to perform big data analysis (e.g., statistical estimation, statistical learning, and data mining) while guaranteeing each individual participant’s privacy. In this paper, we present a comprehensive survey of LDP. We first give an overview on the fundamental knowledge of LDP and its frameworks. We then introduce the mainstream privatization mechanisms and methods in detail from the perspective of frequency oracle and give insights into recent studied on private basic statistical estimation (e.g., frequency estimation and mean estimation) and complex statistical estimation (e.g., multivariate distribution estimation and private estimation over complex data) under LDP. Furthermore, we present current research circumstances on LDP including the private statistical learning/inferencing, private statistical data analysis, privacy amplification techniques for LDP, and some application fields under LDP. Finally, we identify future research directions and open challenges for LDP. This survey can serve as a good reference source for the research of LDP to deal with various privacy-related scenarios to be encountered in practice.
Clinical Features and Outcomes of Dipeptidyl Peptidase-4 Inhibitor-Associated Bullous Pemphigoid (DPP4i-Associated BP) in Thai Patients
Authors: Thewjitcharoen Yotsapon , Wanothayaroj Ekgaluck , Thammawiwat Chattip , Porramatikul Sriurai , Vorayingyong Chuleekorn , Nakasatien Soontaree , Krittiyawong Sirinate , Chanprapaph Kumutnart , Himathongkam Thep
Published: October 2020

The use of dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors (DPP4i) appears to be associated with a small but significantly elevated risk of bullous pemphigoid (BP). Although the pathogenic mechanism of DPP4i-associated BP remains unclear, this adverse event is reported with multiple gliptins, suggesting a class effect. However, previous studies from various countries showed that vildagliptin had been implicated in most cases. The aim of this study was to illustrate a case series of DPP4i-associated BP in Thai patients. We conducted a retrospective study from consecutive cases of BP in people with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) from January 2008, the year in which the first DPP4i was introduced in Thailand, until December 2019. During the study period, 10 BP patients with T2DM were identified. A total of 5 DPP4i-associated BP (3 on vildagliptin, 1 on linagliptin, and 1 on sitagliptin) were found. All patients were male with a mean age at BP development of 80.4 years (73–86 years). All patients had a long-standing duration of diabetes (median duration 34 years), and mean A1C was 7.5 ± 1.4%. The median time to BP development after the introduction of DPP4i was 64 months (range 20–128 months). The severity of BP was classified as mild in 2 cases. In all cases, the association between the drug intake and BP onset was classified as “possible” according to the Naranjo causality scale. All of the patients continued taking DPP4i after BP diagnosis, and one patient died of lung cancer 18 months after BP diagnosis. Only 2 patients could achieve complete remission at least 2 months after stopping DPP4i. Our case series demonstrated a potential link between DPP4i and the development of BP, which mainly occurred in very elderly male patients. The latency period from an introduction of DPP-4i could be several years, and the clinical course after DPP4i discontinuation varied. Clinicians prescribing DPP4i should be aware of this association and consider stopping this medication before a refractory disease course ensues.
Antioxidant Effect of Beer Polyphenols and Their Bioavailability in Dental-Derived Stem Cells (D-dSCs) and Human Intestinal Epithelial Lines (Caco-2) Cells
Authors: Di Domenico Marina , Feola Antonia , Ambrosio Pasqualina , Pinto Federica , Galasso Giovanni , Zarrelli Armando , Di Fabio Giovanni , Porcelli Marina , Scacco Salvatore , Inchingolo Francesco , Quagliuolo Lucio , Ballini Andrea , Boccellino Mariarosaria
Published: October 2020

Beer is one of the most consumed alcoholic beverages in the world, rich in chemical compounds of natural origin with high nutritional and biological value. It is made up of water, barley malt, hops, and yeast. The main nutrients are carbohydrates, amino acids, minerals, vitamins, and other compounds such as polyphenols which are responsible for the many health benefits associated with this consumption of drinks. Hops and malt are one of the raw materials for beer and are a source of phenolic compounds. In fact, about 30% of the polyphenols in beer comes from hops and 70%-80% from malt. Natural compounds of foods or plants exert an important antioxidant activity, counteracting the formation of harmful free radicals. In the presence of an intense stressing event, cells activate specific responses to counteract cell death or senescence which is known to act as a key-task in the onset of age-related pathologies and in the loss of tissue homeostasis. Many studies have shown positive effects of natural compounds as beer polyphenols on biological systems. The main aims of our research were to determine the polyphenolic profile of three fractions, coming from stages of beer production, the mashing process (must), the filtration process (prehopping solution), and the boiling process with the addition of hops (posthopping solution), and to evaluate the effects of these fractions on Dental-derived Stem Cells (D-dSCs) and human intestinal epithelial lines (Caco-2 cells). Furthermore, we underline the bioavailability of beer fraction polyphenols by carrying out the in vitro intestinal absorption using the Caco-2 cell model. We found an antioxidant, proliferating, and antisenescent effects of the fractions deriving from the brewing process on D-dSCs and Caco-2 cells. Finally, our results demonstrated that the bioavailability of polyphenols is greater in beer than in the control standards used, supporting the future clinical application of these compounds as potential therapeutic tools in precision and translational medicine.
Seismic Behavior Analysis of Damaged Steel Fiber‐Reinforced High‐Strength Concrete Frame Joints Strengthened by FRP
Authors: Tingyan Wang , Yun Zhou , Junwei Zhang
Published: October 2020

In this paper, the seismic behavior of fiber‐reinforced polymer (FRP) strengthened and unstrengthened steel fiber‐reinforced high‐strength concrete frame joints under low cyclic loading was tested. Then, the nonlinear finite element program was used to simulate the seismic behavior of FRP strengthened and unstrengthened steel fiber‐reinforced high‐strength concrete frame joints under low cyclic repeated load. The influence of FRP bond direction on the seismic behavior of steel fiber‐reinforced high‐strength concrete frame joints was studied. Through the comparison of the test values and numerical simulation values of the hysteretic curve, skeleton curve, energy dissipation capacity, displacement ductility, bearing capacity degradation, stiffness degradation, and other performance indexes of frame joints, the rule was obtained. The results showed that the 45° bonding direction of carbon fiber cloth is better than the 0° bonding direction, and the digital simulation results are in good agreement with the test results. Therefore, the constitutive model, element, end constraint, and loading method used in the finite element numerical simulation of this paper were reasonable, which can provide reference for the similar research in the future.
Experimental Study on the Influence of Aging on Mechanical Properties of Geogrids and Bearing Capacity of Reinforced Sand Cushion
Authors: Yuan Hui , Bai Xiaohong , Zhao Hehui , Wang Jingren
Published: October 2020

Geogrids are widely used in foundation engineering for reinforcing foundations due to their light weight, high strength, and excellent performance. In this study, two kinds of polypropylene biaxial geogrids were used, and indoor thermal oxygen and photooxygen aging tests were carried out. The residual mechanical stability of the exposed materials was determined by tensile testing. The results of both accelerated test methods are discussed and compared in detail. After aging of the geogrid, the trend of tensile strength and fracture elongation change with aging time is obtained. The gray prediction model was used to predict the variation in the retention rate of tensile strength in the geogrid with photooxygen aging time. Model tests of cushions were carried out in a large geogroove to compare the load bearing characteristics of pure sand and the unaged and aged geogrid‐reinforced sand cushions. The results show that ultraviolet radiation illuminance plays a decisive role in the aging degree of the polypropylene geogrid. The influence of photooxygen aging on the tensile strength and fracture elongation of a polypropylene biaxial geogrid is greater than that of thermal oxygen aging. Different types of polypropylene biaxial geogrids with photooxygen aging showed different retention rates of tensile strength, and the aging resistance of the geogrid with higher tensile strength was significantly higher than that of the geogrid with lower tensile strength. The tensile strength of the geogrid has an effect on the bearing capacity of reinforced sand cushions. Under proper elongation, the bearing capacity of the reinforced sand cushion is clearly improved compared with that of the unreinforced cushion. The aging behavior of the two geogrids reduces the load bearing capacity of the reinforced cushion by influencing the property of the interface between the geogrid and sand.
Effect of Microsprinkler Irrigation under Plastic Film on Photosynthesis and Fruit Yield of Greenhouse Tomato
Authors: Zhang Mingzhi , Lu Zhenguang , Bai Qingjun , Zhang Yushun , Qiu Xinqiang , Qin Haixia , Yang Haochen , Wang Yanping
Published: October 2020

The aim of this study is to exam the effect of microsprinkler irrigation technology under plastic film (MSPF) and to evaluate the reasonable micropore group spacing and capillary arrangement density in the greenhouse. Compared with drip irrigation under plastic film (DIPF) and microsprinkling irrigation (MSI) conditions, the effects of different micropore group spacing (L1: 30 cm micropore group spacing, L2: 50 cm micropore group spacing) and capillary arrangement density (C1: one pipe for one row, C2: one pipe for two rows, and C3: one pipe for three rows) with the MSPF on photosynthetic characteristics and fruit yield of tomatoes were studied using completely randomized trial design. The results showed that under the same irrigation amount, compared with DIPF and MSI, the photosynthetic rate of tomatoes treated with L1C2 increased by 8.24% and 13.55%, respectively. The total dry matter accumulation, yield, and water use efficiency at condition of L1C2 increased by 12.16%, 19.39%, and 10.03% compared with DIPF and 26.38%, 20.46%, and 31.02% compared with MSI, respectively. The results provide evidence that the MSPF can be applied to greenhouse tomatoes. The photosynthetic rate, total dry matter accumulation, yield, and water use efficiency of tomato leaves cultivated at a micropore group spacing of 30 cm were 1.07, 1.13, 1.14, and 1.13 times higher than those of 50 cm, respectively. With the decrease in capillary arrangement density, the photosynthetic characteristics of the tomato leaves, the total dry matter accumulation, and yield of tomatoes all experienced a decline. It is recommended to use a combination of one pipe for two rows of capillaries at a 30 cm micropore group spacing as the technical parameter of greenhouse tomato with MSPF in arid and semiarid sandy loam soils.
Fresh and Hardened Properties of Concrete Incorporating Binary Blend of Metakaolin and Ground Granulated Blast Furnace Slag as Supplementary Cementitious Material
Authors: Bheel Naraindas , Abbasi Suhail Ahmed , Awoyera Paul , Olalusi Oladimeji B. , Sohu Samiullah , Rondon Carlos , Echeverría Ana María
Published: October 2020

The growing demand for cement has created a significant impact on the environment. Cement production requires huge energy consumptions; however, Pakistan is currently facing a severe energy crisis. Researchers are therefore engaged with the introduction of agricultural/industrial waste materials with cementitious properties to reduce not only cement production but also energy consumption, as well as helping protect the environment. This research aims to investigate the influence of binary cementitious material (BCM) on fresh and hardened concrete mixes prepared with metakaolin (MK) and ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS) as a partial replacement of cement. The replacement proportions of BCM used were 0%, 5%, 10%, 15%, and 20% by weight of cement. A total of five mixes were prepared with 1 : 1.5 : 3 mix proportion at 0.54 water‐cement ratios. A total of 255 concrete specimens were prepared to investigate the compressive, tensile, and flexural strength of concrete after 7, 28, and 56 days, respectively. It was perceived that the workability of concrete mixes decreased with an increasing percentage of MK and GGBFS. Also, the density and permeability of concrete decreased with an increasing quantity of BCM after 28 days. Conversely, the compressive, tensile, and flexural strength of concrete were enhanced by 12.28%, 9.33%, and 9.93%, respectively, at 10% of BCM after 28 days. The carbonation depth reduced with a rise in content of BCM (up to 10%) and then later improved after 28, 90, and 180 days. Moreover, the effect of chloride attack in concrete is reduced with the inclusion of BCM after 28 and 90 days. Similarly, the drying shrinkage of concrete decreased with an increase in the content of BCM after 40 days.
Model of Heat and Mass Exchange between a Downcast Shaft and the Air Flow to the Mine
Authors: Li WenJing , Zou ShengHua , Yang WanXin , Hu Qi
Published: October 2020

Mining activities have increased owing to the rise in the social demand for minerals. Thermal hazards have become a major health and safety consideration in mines. The thermal environment of a working face is related to the air parameters at the bottom of shaft. The objective of this study is to accurately predict the air temperature at the bottom of a shaft in a mine with the ventilation time over 3 years. For this purpose, a mathematical model of the heat and mass exchange between the surrounding rock of the shaft and the downcast air is established by utilizing the finite volume method. The C++ languages are used for numerical calculations. The results are in agreement with the measured data. The effects of the relative humidity of air at the inlet of the shaft, the surface moisture coefficient of the shaft surface, and the physical parameters of the rock on the air parameters at the shaft bottom are studied in detail. Equations for calculating the enthalpy increase of air per 100 m in shaft with the depth of 1300 m were established by using cluster analysis. This equation provides a theoretical basis for predicting the air parameters along the shaft with the ventilation time over 3 years.
Optimization on the Precision of the MEMS-Redundant IMU Based on Adhesive Joint Assembly
Authors: Zhao Wanliang , Sun Xiangyu , Rong Yijie , Duan Jie , Chen Jiawei , Song Lijun , Pan Qinyi
Published: October 2020

In order to improve the precision of the spaceborne Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU), this paper proposes an adhesive joint assembly of the MEMS-redundant IMU. That is the application of special redundant installation of multiple MEMS gyroscopes in the IMU, which can improve the reliability of the MEMS-redundant IMU on the basis of reducing the weight of IMU. However, with the change of working environment, the traditional mechanical assembly of MEMS-redundant IMU will produce the large packaging stress and cause the deformation of MEMS gyroscope. This change will lead to changes in installation errors, scale factor errors, and bias errors of the MEMS gyroscope, resulting in a significant reduction in measurement precision of the MEMS-redundant IMU. Therefore, this paper selects the adhesive material that matches the thermal physical parameters of the material with the circuit board by analyzing the requirements of MEMS gyroscope on working environment at first. Then, by optimizing the bonding process, the installation error of each axis of MEMS-redundant IMU under different temperatures is better than the traditional mechanical connection mode. The experiment results of thermal vacuum show that the new assembly method can reduce the influence of temperature on the bias. Compared with the traditional method, the new assembly which is based on adhesive joint assembly can improve the measurement precision of MEMS-redundant IMU by an order of magnitude.
Disturbance Observer-Based Adaptive Control of Hypersonic Vehicles with Constrained Actuators
Authors: Wang Guan , Li Li , Li Weihua , Zhou Huajun , Ma Changbo , Xia Hongwei
Published: October 2020

This study investigates an adaptive controller for the flexible air-breathing hypersonic vehicles (AHVs) subject to external disturbances and actuator constraints. The combination of nonlinear disturbance observer and adaptive mechanism is exploited to design an adaptive controller for each subsystem. For the velocity subsystem, an auxiliary system is employed to handle the scramjet input saturation issue. For the altitude subsystem, the magnitude/rate constraints and the dynamics of aerodynamic control surfaces are addressed by the control allocation module. Simulations show the effectiveness of the proposed control.
Image Dehazing Method of Transmission Line for Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Inspection Based on Densely Connection Pyramid Network
Authors: Liu Jun , Jia Rong , Li Wei , Ma Fuqi , Wang Xiaoyang
Published: October 2020

The quality of the camera image directly determines the accuracy of the defect identification of the transmission line equipment. However, complex external factors such as haze can seriously affect the image quality of the aircraft. The traditional image dehazing methods are difficult to meet the needs of enhanced image inspection in complex environments. In this paper, the image enhancement technology in haze environment is studied, and an image dehazing method of transmission line based on densely connection pyramid network is proposed. The method uses an improved pyramid network for transmittance map calculation and uses an improved U-net network for atmospheric light value calculation. Then, the transmittance map, atmospheric light value, and dehazed image are jointly optimized to obtain image dehazing model. The method proposed in this paper can improve image brightness and contrast, increase image detail information, and can generate more realistic deblur images than traditional methods.
Construction and Validation of a Robust Cancer Stem Cell-Associated Gene Set-Based Signature to Predict Early Biochemical Recurrence in Prostate Cancer
Authors: Liu Bide , Li Xun , Li Jiuzhi , Jin Hongyong , Jia Hongliang , Ge Xiaohu
Published: October 2020

Background. Postoperative early biochemical recurrence (BCR) was an essential indicator for recurrence and distant metastasis of prostate cancer (PCa). The aim of this study was to construct a cancer stem cell- (CSC-) associated gene set-based signature to identify a subgroup of PCa patients who are at high risk of early BCR. Methods. The PCa dataset from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) was randomly separated into discovery and validation set. Patients in discovery set were divided into early BCR group and long-term survival group. Propensity score matching analysis and differentially expressed gene selection were used to identify candidate CSC-associated genes. The LASSO Cox regression model was finally performed to filter the most useful prognostic CSC-associated genes for predicting early BCR. Results. By applying the LASSO Cox regression model, we built a thirteen-CSC-associated gene-based early BCR-predicting signature. In the discovery set, patients in high-risk group showed significantly poorer BCR free survival than that patients in low-risk group (HR: 4.91, 95% CI: 2.75–8.76,

P
<
0.001

). The results were further validated in the internal validation set (HR: 2.99, 95% CI: 1.34–6.70,

P
=
0.005

). Time-dependent ROC at 1 year suggested that the CSC gene signature (

AUC
=
0.800

) possessed better predictive value than any other clinicopathological features in the entire TCGA cohort. Additionally, survival decision curve analysis revealed a considerable clinical usefulness of the CSC gene signature. Conclusions. We successfully developed a CSC-associated gene set-based signature that can accurately predict early BCR in PCa cancer.
Rupture and Migration Law of Disturbed Overburden during Slicing Mining of Steeply Dipping Thick Coal Seam
Authors: Liu Shuai , Yang Ke , Tang Chunan , Chi Xiaolou
Published: October 2020

Steeply inclined and thick coal seams in Huainan Panbei Coal Mine in Anhui Province, China, were analyzed by physical analog modeling, acoustic emission (AE), and distributed fiber sensing (DBS). The secondary deformation breakage law, sound, and light response characteristics in the rock mass deformation process induced by lower slice mining of steeply inclined coal seams were determined. The results show that the mutation of the hinged rock beam structure in the lower region and the cantilever beam structure in the upper region of the lower slice disturbed overburden is the main cause of the rupture of the workface roof. Based on the AE energy and distributed fiber strain response characteristics, the six stages of disturbed overburden instability in the lower slice and cyclic patterns of steeply inclined coal seams were revealed. The key prevention and control areas of the workface were found to be related to the disturbed high‐level immediate roof rupture during the lower slice mining process, rupture of the disturbed main roof, and sliding of disturbed overburden. The three‐stage AE positioning morphological characteristics and DBS response stepped jump patterns were analyzed in detail. The research results are considered instrumental in the combined AE and DBS monitoring of deformation and damage of rock and soil structures.
Experimental Study on the Self-Healing Behavior of Fractured Rocks Induced by Water-CO2-Rock Interactions in the Shendong Coalfield
Authors: Ju Jinfeng , Li Quansheng , Xu Jialin
Published: October 2020

This study experimentally investigated the self-healing behavior, referring to the naturally occurring water permeability decrease, of fractured rocks exposed to water-CO2-rock interaction (WCRI). The experiment was conducted on prefractured specimens of three rock types typical of the Shendong coalfield: coarse-grained sandrock, fine-grained sandrock, and sandy mudrock. During the experiment, which ran for nearly 15 months, all three specimens exhibited decreasing permeabilities. The coarse- and fine-grained sandrock specimens exhibited smooth decreases in permeability, with approximately parallel permeability time curves, whereas that of the sandy mudrock specimen decreased rapidly during the initial stage and slowly during later stages. The sandrock specimens were rich in feldspars, which were dissolved and/or corroded and involved in ionic exchange reactions with CO2 and groundwater, thereby generating secondary minerals (such as kaolinite, quartz, and sericite) or CaSO4 sediments. These derivative matters adhered to the fracture surface, thereby gradually repairing fractures and decreasing the water permeability of the fractured rocks. In comparison, the sandy mudrock had a high content of clay minerals, and the water-rock interaction caused rapid expansions of illite, mixed illite-smectite, and other clay minerals, thereby narrowing the fractures and causing the rapid permeability decrease during the initial stage. In later stages, the derivative matters generated by the dissolution and/or corrosion of feldspars and other aluminum silicate minerals in the mudrock filled and sealed the fractures, causing the slow permeability decreases during the later stages, as in the sandrock specimens. Neutral and basic groundwater conditions facilitated better self-healing of fractured mudrocks rich in clay minerals, whereas acidic groundwater conditions and the presence of CO2 facilitated better self-healing of fractured sandrocks. Thus, this study’s results are of significant value to aquifer restoration efforts in the Shendong coalfield and other ecologically vulnerable mining areas.