bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Radiocarbon dating of a composite multi-period debris cone stratigraphy in the Lochan na Lairige, Ben Lawers
Authors: Tipping Richard
Published: August 2021

An early stage in formation of a composite debris cone in the glacial trough of the Lochan na Lairige, on Ben Lawers, is
14
C dated to 6398–6225 cal years BP. A large proportion of the debris cone comprises a structureless gravel with boulders, possibly deposited in a single event. Blanket peat formed on the debris cone surface at 3820–3496 cal years BP. Sediment slurries are recorded across the peat after this time, at
c
. 3950–
c
. 3100,
c
. 2000 and
c
. 1400 cal years BP, and at
c
. 1200–
c
. 1100 cal years BP. They were much less significant events. They can be related to periods of higher effective precipitation in the region.
Formalizing and guaranteeing human-robot interaction
Authors: Kress-Gazit Hadas , Eder Kerstin , Hoffman Guy , Admoni Henny , Argall Brenna , Ehlers Rüdiger , Heckman Christoffer , Jansen Nils , Knepper Ross , Křetínský Jan , Levy-Tzedek Shelly , Li Jamy , Murphey Todd , Riek Laurel , Sadigh Dorsa
Published: August 2021

As robots begin to interact closely with humans, we need to build systems worthy of trust regarding the safety and quality of the interaction.
Managing IT professional turnover
Authors: Idell Kelly , Gefen David , Ragowsky Arik
Published: August 2021

Organizational distrust, not compensation, is more likely to send IT pros packing.
Women's lives in code
Authors: Haigh Thomas
Published: August 2021

Exploring Ellen Ullman's 'Close to the Machine' and AMC's 'Halt and Catch Fire.'
Non-fungible tokens and the future of art
Authors: Kugler Logan
Published: August 2021

A new blockchain-based technology is changing how the art world works, and changing how we think about asset ownership in the process.
Photonic processors light the way
Authors: Greengard Samuel
Published: August 2021

Highly efficient light-based processors can overcome the bottlenecks of today's electronics.
SARS-CoV-2 Neutralizing Antibodies for COVID-19 Prevention and Treatment
Authors: Li Dapeng , Sempowski Gregory D. , Saunders Kevin O. , Acharya Priyamvada , Haynes Barton F.
Published: August 2021

Prophylactic and therapeutic drugs are urgently needed to combat coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Over the past year, SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies have been developed for preventive or therapeutic uses. While neutralizing antibodies target the spike protein, their neutralization potency and breadth vary according to recognition epitopes. Several potent SARS-CoV-2 antibodies have shown degrees of success in preclinical or clinical trials, and the US Food and Drug Administration has issued emergency use authorization for two neutralizing antibody cocktails.Nevertheless, antibody therapy for SARS-CoV-2 still faces potential challenges, including emerging viral variants of concern that have antibody-escape mutations and the potential for antibody-mediated enhancement of infection or inflammation. This review summarizes representative SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies that have been reported and discusses prospects and challenges for the development of the next generation of COVID-19 preventive or therapeutic antibodies.
Reversible and Irreversible Expansion of Lithium-ion Batteries Under a Wide Range of Stress Factors
Authors: Mohtat Peyman , Lee Suhak , Stefanopoulou Anna G. , Siegel Jason B.
Published: August 2021

Lithium-ion batteries cell thickness changes as they degrade. These changes in thickness consist of a reversible intercalation-induced expansion and an irreversible expansion. In this work, we study the cell expansion evolution under variety of conditions such as temperature, charging rate, depth of discharge, and pressure.A specialized ?fixture was used to keep the cells at a constant pressure during cycling, while measuring the thickness change both within a cycle and the cumulative growth over many cycles. The changes in positive and negative electrode capacity and stoichiometric range can be diagnosed from the evolution of the reversible expansion. The changes in the reversible expansion if combined with the voltage, lead to a higher-confi?dence estimation of cell health parameters important for lifetime prediction and adoptive battery management such as asymmetric charge/discharge power limits. This study raises the importance of monitoring the expansion for enabling advanced and more-informed health diagnostics of lithium-ion batteries.
A Systematic Review of the Potential Chemoprotective Effects of Resveratrol on Doxorubicin‐Induced Cardiotoxicity: Focus on the Antioxidant, Antiapoptotic, and Anti‐Inflammatory Activities
Authors: Hu Li-Feng , Lan Huan-Rong , Li Xue-Min , Jin Ke-Tao
Published: August 2021

Purpose. Although doxorubicin chemotherapeutic drug is commonly used to treat various solid and hematological tumors, its clinical use is restricted because of its adverse effects on the normal cells/tissues, especially cardiotoxicity. The use of resveratrol may mitigate the doxorubicin‐induced cardiotoxic effects. For this aim, we systematically reviewed the potential chemoprotective effects of resveratrol against the doxorubicin‐induced cardiotoxicity. Methods. In the current study, a systematic search was performed based on Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta‐Analyses (PRISMA) guideline for the identification of all relevant studies on “the role of resveratrol on doxorubicin‐induced cardiotoxicity” in the electronic databases of Web of Science, PubMed, and Scopus up to March 2021 using search terms in their titles and abstracts. Two hundred and eighteen articles were screened in accordance with a predefined set of inclusion and exclusion criteria. Finally, 33 eligible articles were included in this systematic review. Results. The in vitro and in vivo findings demonstrated a decreased cell survival, increased mortality, decreased heart weight, and increased ascites in the doxorubicin‐treated groups compared to the control groups. The combined treatment of resveratrol and doxorubicin showed an opposite pattern than the doxorubicin‐treated groups alone. Furthermore, this chemotherapeutic agent induced the biochemical and histopathological changes on the cardiac cells/tissue; however, the results (for most of the cases) revealed that these alterations induced by doxorubicin were reversed near to normal levels (control groups) by resveratrol coadministration. Conclusion. The results of this systematic review stated that coadministration of resveratrol alleviates the doxorubicin‐induced cardiotoxicity. Resveratrol exerts these chemoprotective effects through several main mechanisms of antioxidant, antiapoptosis, and anti‐inflammatory.
Application Value of Magnetic Resonance Arthrography of the Shoulder in Nursing and Diagnosis of Patients with Shoulder Joint Injury
Authors: Chen Si , Shi Yuanyuan , Xue Pan , Chen Xue
Published: August 2021

Supraspinatus tendon injury is a common clinical shoulder joint disease and is one of the most common causes of shoulder pain and dysfunction. Supraspinatus tendon injury will lead to articular cartilage injury and degeneration, then cause joint disease, seriously affect the quality of life of patients, and bring a huge burden to the family and society. This paper mainly studies and evaluates the application value of special signs of shoulder joint and indirect MR imaging in the diagnosis of supraspinatus tendon injury. Through a series of special examinations for the diagnosis of supraspinatus tendon injury in 90 patients, including zero degree abduction resistance test, arm drop test, Jobe test, Neer sign, and Hawkins sign, all patients in the study underwent indirect magnetic resonance imaging of the shoulder joint. Finally, arthroscopic examination results were used as the “gold standard” to evaluate and analyze the diagnosis. The results showed that among the special signs, the specificity of the falling-arm test was the highest (72.2%) in the diagnosis of full-thickness supraspinatus tendon injury. Hawkins sign had the highest sensitivity (84.0%). In the diagnosis of partial supraspinatus tendon injury, the specificity of the Jobe test was the highest, which was 66.6%. The Neer sign had the highest sensitivity of 50.0%. In the diagnosis of full-thickness supraspinatus tendon injury, there was no significant difference in sensitivity between indirect MRI and Hawkins sign, but the diagnostic specificity of indirect MRI was higher than that of special sign examination. In the diagnosis of partial supraspinatus tendon injury, the sensitivity and specificity of indirect MR imaging are higher than those of special sign examination.
Scope of Preparation of Oval and Long-Oval Root Canals: A Review of the Literature
Authors: Velozo Christianne , Prado Victor Felipe Farias , Sousa Ismael Sebastião da Silva , Albuquerque Maria Beatriz Arruda , Montenegro Luiza , Silva Silmara , Silva Priscila , Albuquerque Diana
Published: August 2021

Successful endodontic treatment depends on cleaning and disinfecting the root canals, in order to provide conditions for three-dimensional filling, which should prevent root canal reinfection. However, anatomical complexities pose a challenge during endodontic treatment. The present study was a literature review carried out in the following databases: PubMed, SciELO, and MEDLINE, which were searched for articles published from 2017 to 2021. Micro-CT studies published in English, which analysed the capacity for preparation of oval and long-oval root canals, were included. The following keywords were used: “oval-shaped canals,” “long-oval-shaped canals,” “endodontics,” and “micro-CT.” The aim of this study was to carry out a literature review of micro-CT studies on the scope of the capacity for preparation performed in oval and long-oval root canals with rotary and reciprocating instruments.
On Analysis of Topological Properties for Terbium IV Oxide via Enthalpy and Entropy Measurements
Authors: Siddiqui Muhammad Kamran , Javed Sana , Sherin Lubna , Khalid Sadia , Bashir Muhammad Mathar , Hassan Amir , Dhlamini Mlamuli
Published: August 2021

A relation between topological indices and thermodynamics properties of terbium IV oxide has been established by using a rational method as it was found the most efficient method based on mean squared error (MSE). Terbium IV oxide has huge application as an insulator in modern technologies such as microelectronics, gas detectors, and luminiferous owing to mechanical and thermal stability, high dielectric constant, radiation resistance, and variable electrical conductivity. The chemical graph and topological indices have attracted the research community due to their potential application in discrete mathematics, biology, and chemistry. Our commitment is to investigate topological indices and thermodynamic properties of terbium IV oxide that depend on an innovative data utilitarian. Moreover, a relationship between topological indices and curve fitting has been established as an application point of view. All curve fittings have been found using MATLAB software.
The Metabolic Features of Tumor-Associated Macrophages: Opportunities for Immunotherapy?
Authors: Mojsilovic Sonja S. , Mojsilovic Slavko , Villar Victor H. , Santibanez Juan F.
Published: August 2021

Besides transformed cells, the tumors are composed of various cell types that contribute to undesirable tumor progression. Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) are the most abundant innate immune cells in the tumor microenvironment (TME). Within the TME, TAMs exhibit high plasticity and undergo specific functional metabolic alterations according to the availability of tumor tissue oxygen and nutrients, thus further contributing to tumorigenesis and cancer progression. Here, we review the main functional TAM metabolic patterns influenced by TME, including glycolysis, amino acid, and fatty acid metabolism. Moreover, this review discusses antitumor immunotherapies that affect TAM functionality by inducing cell repolarizing and metabolic profiles towards an antitumoral phenotype. Also, new macrophage-based cell therapeutic technologies recently developed using chimeric antigen receptor bioengineering are exposed, which may overcome all solid tumor physical barriers impeding the current adoptive cell therapies and contribute to developing novel cancer immunotherapies.
Preliminary Assessment of a Fire Escape Hood Integrated with Positioning and Motion Sensors
Authors: Okrasa Małgorzata , Kozlowski Emil , Mlynski Rafal
Published: August 2021

Wearable electronics appear more frequently in the personal protective equipment market (PPE) primarily to assure information and alarm functions for the user. However, despite their advantages, there remain doubts concerning the level of protection that these devices can guarantee and their conformity to requirements laid down in PPE legislation. This paper investigates the factors that need to be assessed to confirm that such devices function correctly under anticipated use conditions. To this end, we considered a case study of an air‐purifying fire escape respirator (APER) integrated with a radio‐based positioning system and alarming device. In particular, we examined the parameters associated with the operation of the alarm and the information functions (the visibility and audibility of the alarm signals and the radio signal strength of the positioning system). This study provides evidence that the anticipated use conditions and the APER construction have a combined effect on the correct functioning of the embedded electronics. Based on these findings, we identified additional requirements that should be considered by PPE manufacturers at the design stage as well as by health and safety practitioners when evaluating the protection levels of PPE with embedded electronics.
Protective Effect of Penetratin Analogue‐Tagged SOD1 on Cisplatin‐Induced Nephrotoxicity through Inhibiting Oxidative Stress and JNK/p38 MAPK Signaling Pathway
Authors: Wang Xiao-lu , Wang Liang , Lin Fo-lan , Li Si-si , Lin Ting-xuan , Jiang Ren-wang
Published: August 2021

Copper/zinc superoxide dismutase (SOD1) can clear cisplatin‐ (CP‐) induced excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS), but exogenous SOD1 cannot enter cells because of its low biomembrane permeability. Cell‐penetrating peptides (CPPs) can rapidly cross plasma membranes. This study is aimed at identifying an efficient and stable CPP‐SOD1 and investigating its effects on CP‐induced nephrotoxicity. We recombined SOD1 with 14 different CPPs and purified them using an NTA‐Ni2+ column. In in vitro experiments, CPPs‐SOD1 cell membrane penetration ability and JNK/p38 MAPK signaling pathway were evaluated using Western blotting. ROS production, mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), and cell apoptosis were determined using flow cytometry and immunofluorescence staining in VERO and HK‐2 cells. For in vivo experiments, mice were administered PSF‐SOD1 for 2 h before cotreatment with a single CP injection for an additional 4 days. Blood and kidney samples were collected for renal function assessment (creatinine, urea nitrogen, histopathology, TUNEL assay, and JNK/p38 MAPK signaling pathway). Compared with TAT‐SOD1, we found that PSF‐SOD1 is more efficient at crossing the cell membrane and is stable after transduction into cells. Pretreatment with PSF‐SOD1 inhibited CP‐induced apoptosis, ROS generation, and JNK/p38 MAPK activation and restored CP‐induced MMP loss in VERO and HK‐2 kidney cells. Treatment of mice with PSF‐SOD1 inhibited CP‐induced serum creatinine, blood urea nitrogen elevation, and JNK/p38 MAPK activation. H&E staining and TUNEL assay indicated that kidney tissue damage was alleviated following PSF‐SOD1 pretreatment. Overall, PSF‐SOD1 ameliorated CP‐induced renal damage by partially reducing oxidative stress and cell apoptosis by regulating JNK/p38 MAPK signaling pathway and might be a better cytoprotective agent than TAT‐SOD1.
Gynecologic Surgery during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Is Universal Screening Mandatory?
Authors: Areeruk Wilasinee , Chiengthong Keerati , Santibenchakul Somsook , Oranratanaphan Shina , Manchana Tarinee
Published: August 2021

This study is aimed at evaluating the results of the universal preoperative screening for COVID-19 in gynecologic cases operated on during its outbreak in a tertiary care hospital in Bangkok, Thailand. A retrospective descriptive study was done on all patients who underwent elective or emergency gynecologic surgeries during the pandemic period in Thailand (April 15 to June 5, 2020). The COVID-19 screening results by symptom-based screening, risk-based screening, and RT-PCR for COVID-19 were collected from the electronic medical records. Among 129 patients who underwent gynecologic surgeries, none had a positive RT-PCR for COVID-19. Symptom-based screening found no patients with positive symptoms for COVID-19. Risk-based screening found 4 patients (3.1%) who were in contact with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 cases and 4 patients (3.1%) who were healthcare personnel. In conclusion, routine preoperative RT-PCR for COVID-19 may need to be reconsidered among asymptomatic individuals in a low-prevalence country during the well-controlled COVID-19 situation. Larger studies are required to ascertain the benefit of universal preoperative COVID-19 testing.
Baihe Jizihuang Tang Ameliorates Chronic Unpredictable Mild Stress-Induced Depression-Like Behavior: Integrating Network Pharmacology and Brain-Gut Axis Evaluation
Authors: Zhu Jian-ping , Wu Hua-ying , Zi Yuan , Xia Xin-bin , Xie Meng-zhou , Yuan Zhi-ying
Published: August 2021

Baihe Jizihuang Tang (BHT) is a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) prescription, which can also be used as a nutritional food with medicinal value. Herein, we aimed to clarify the antidepressive effects and molecular mechanism of BHT. Network pharmacological analysis; chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) rat model assessment; behavioral tests; analysis of hippocampal neurotransmitter levels, hippocampal pathological structure, and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis; western blot analysis; 16s RNA sequencing; ultraperformance liquid chromatography (UPLC)/mass spectrometry (MS); and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)/ultraviolet (UV) analysis were used. We found 8 potentially active components and 12 targets from the database. KEGG analysis suggested that BHT significantly affected BDNF/tyrosine receptor kinase B levels, glutamate binding, synaptic transmission based on neurotransmitter signal, and the response to glucocorticoid signaling pathways. Consistently, 7 chemical components were identified using UPLC/quadrupole time-of-flight/MS; among them, regalosides A, B, C, and E were unique components of lily of TCM, and their content in BHT was significantly different: regaloside A > B > E > C. BHT could nourish hippocampal neurons, affect neurotransmitter metabolism, reduce HPA axis hyperactivity, improve deficits in hippocampal tissue structure, and change depressive behavior. Moreover, BHT regulated BDNF expression in the hippocampus and improved intestinal flora deficits in CUMS rats by changing the content of Bifidobacterium, Rothia, Glutamicibacter, and Lactobacillus at the genus level. Collectively, BHT attenuated CUMS-induced depression-like behavior by regulating BDNF and intestinal flora disorder through the brain-gut axis. Therefore, including BHT in the medication list may constitute a potential strategy for preventing depression.
Data Expression and Protection of Intellectual Property Education Resources Based on Machine Learning
Authors: Mei Meng , Tan Hui
Published: August 2021

With the improvement and growth of instructional informatisation, the contradiction between the open supply of academic resources, information expression, and mental property safety is turning into greater acute. Remedying the relationship between the two is very necessary for the overall performance of records expression of academic assets and the advent of true surroundings for mental property protection. The safety of mental property rights is to shield the rights and pursuits of know‐how owners, defend the strength of information producers to produce knowledge, and defend the supply of academic sources sharing. The data expression and protection of intellectual property education resources based on machine learning is a kind of protection tool for the intellectual property of education resources developed using the characteristics of automation, real‐time monitoring, and growth of machine learning. It can prevent web crawlers from harming e‐commerce websites, prevent them from stealing the intellectual property of e‐commerce websites, and analyse web crawlers that visit websites to prevent important website data from being stolen by them. From this point of view, based on the relationship between the fact expression of instructional sources and the safety of mental property rights, this paper advocates to promote the records expression and safety of mental property rights of academic sources from a couple of perspectives.
Numerical Investigation of Bundled RC Column under Impact Load
Authors: Abay Abreha , Wondimu Temesgen
Published: August 2021

Dynamic impact load has an extensive application area in civil engineering, including highway, military, and marine structures. Many researchers have studied the performance of reinforced concrete (RC) columns under impact load. However, very limited work has been conducted on the effect of bundle reinforced concrete (BRC) columns subjected to lateral impact load. In this study, to examine the behavior of RC columns under impact load, numerical simulations of one with normal reinforcement distribution and three different bundles of reinforced concrete column specimens have been conducted using an explicit finite element (FE) analysis. In addition to the bundle reinforcement distribution, the parameters considered in the study are impact scenarios, impact velocity, pure axial load, and impact locations. From the numerical analysis, it has been found that bundling of longitudinal reinforcement does not only improve the impact capacity but also stabilizes the fluctuating response of impacted reinforced concrete columns. Both peak impact force and maximum lateral displacements of impacted BRC columns increase with increasing initial impact velocity. The numerical results also show that pure axial load slightly improved the impact capacity of the BRC columns. Finally, while the global failure of the RC column governs the response of repeatedly impacted BRC columns, failure characteristics of the single impacted columns are associated with local concrete damage at the impact zone.
Optimal Network Defense Strategy Selection Method: A Stochastic Differential Game Model
Authors: Mi Yan , Zhang Hengwei , Hu Hao , Tan Jinglei , Wang Jindong
Published: August 2021

In a real-world network confrontation process, attack and defense actions change rapidly and continuously. The network environment is complex and dynamically random. Therefore, attack and defense strategies are inevitably subject to random disturbances during their execution, and the transition of the network security state is affected accordingly. In this paper, we construct a network security state transition model by referring to the epidemic evolution process, use Gaussian noise to describe random effects during the strategy execution, and introduce a random disturbance intensity factor to describe the degree of random effects. On this basis, we establish an attack-defense stochastic differential game model, propose a saddle point equilibrium solution method, and provide an algorithm to select the optimal defense strategy. Our method achieves real-time defense decision-making in network attack-defense scenarios with random disturbances and has better real-time performance and practicality than current methods. Results of a simulation experiment show that our model and algorithm are effective and feasible.
Traceability Management Strategy of the EV Power Battery Based on the Blockchain
Authors: Cheng Yanjin , Hao Hao , Tao Shipeng , Zhou Yanjun
Published: August 2021

Regulating and supervising the energy vehicle (EV) power battery recycling market, improving the utilization rate of EV power battery recycling, and guaranteeing the safety and control of all aspects of recycling treatment require the establishment of an effective traceability system. The decentralization and tamper-proof characteristics of the blockchain can ensure the safety and reliability of relevant data while realizing traceability management. This study establishes the Stackelberg game model to compare and analyze the effects of different government mechanisms on the profits of each subject before and after participating in power battery traceability management. The study further uses the model to explore strategies to improve the enthusiasm of EV power battery recycling subjects to participate in traceability management. The results show that (1) the participation of each recycling subject in EV power battery blockchain traceability can help move more spent power batteries into formal recycling channels; (2) the government should adopt appropriate mechanisms to promote its participation in EV power battery blockchain traceability, the best result being when the government adopts a subsidy mechanism for consumers; and (3) the profit of the EV power battery manufacturer is inversely proportional to the target recycling rate set by the government. Furthermore, the pursuit of a very high target recycling rate is not conducive to the normal implementation of initial EV power battery blockchain traceability management. Therefore, it is crucial for the government to set a reasonable target recycling rate.
Numerical Simulation on the Progressive Failure Processes of Foundation Pit Excavation Based on a New Particle Failure Method
Authors: Zhu Guojin , Yu Shuyang , Ning Yu , Ren Xuhua , Wei Peng , Wu Yu
Published: August 2021

The predictions of failure zone during the foundation excavations will provide important guidance for the safety constructions of engineering structures. Based on this background, the smoothing kernel function in the traditional SPH method has been improved. The failure mark

η

is introduced into the program to realize the failure characteristics of particles at meso–scale. The “Killing Particle Method” has also been proposed, which can realize the simulations of complex excavation processes. The whole progressive failure processes of the excavation of a foundation pit are numerically simulated and the results show that (1) the failure zone of the excavated foundation pit without retaining walls appears at the corner and then gradually develops into the deep. However, the failure zone of the excavated foundation pit with retaining walls only develops longitudes along the retaining wall. (2) The stiffness of retaining wall has a great impact on the failure zone of foundation pit excavation. The greater the stiffness of retaining wall, the greater the damage degree. (3) The rationality of the proposed method is verified by the comparisons of the simulation results of the proposed method with the ABAQUS numerical examples and the engineering practices. Future research directions should focus on developing the 3D parallel IKSPH programs. The research results can provide some references for the applications of SPH method into predicting the failure zone of foundation pit excavations and ensuring the safety of engineering constructions.
Seismic Analysis of Isolated Continuous Bridge considering Influence of Seawater and Site Condition
Authors: Chen Baokui , Du Yujie , Shi Yan , Fan Li
Published: August 2021

The effects of seawater and site conditions on the seismic response of the isolated continuous girder bridge are evaluated in this study. The seawater‐muddy soil‐isolated bridge coupling model is built in the dynamic analysis software ADINA, and the external seismic wave input is realized by the seismic wave motion analysis program. The influences of seawater and muddy soil on the seismic response of isolated continuous girder bridges are determined by comparing different offshore site models. The results indicated that the seawater and the muddy soil magnify the displacement of the seabed. The existence of seawater increases the longitudinal relative displacement of piers by 20%–40% but has limited influence on the bending moment and shear force of piers. The muddy soil can increase the longitudinal relative displacement and internal force of the piers remarkably. Moreover, the displacement of bridge bearings increases significantly under the combined influence of muddy soil and seawater. In the seawater‐muddy soil‐isolated bridge coupling model, the seawater and site condition can influence the seismic performance of sea‐crossing bridges obviously.
Calculation of Toric Intraocular Lens Power with the Barrett Calculator and Data from Three Keratometers
Authors: Dong Jing , Zhang Yaqin , Wang Xiaogang
Published: August 2021

Aim. To investigate the interdevice agreement for differences in toric power calculated using data on anterior corneal astigmatism obtained with corneal topography/ray-tracing aberrometry (iTrace), partial coherence interferometry (IOLMaster 500), and Scheimpflug imaging (Pentacam). Methods. The analysis included 101 eyes (101 subjects) with regular astigmatism. The main outcome measures were corneal cylinder power, axis of astigmatism, and keratometry values. Toricity and toric IOL power were calculated using the online Barrett toric calculator. Interdevice agreement for measurement and calculation was assessed using a paired sample t-test and a nonparametric test. Results. Significant interdevice differences were noted in the magnitude of astigmatism and flat, steep, and mean keratometry values between iTrace and IOLMaster (allP<0.01); in flat, steep, and mean keratometry values (allP<0.001) but not in the magnitude of astigmatism (P=0.325) between iTrace and Pentacam; and in the magnitude of astigmatism and steep and mean keratometry values (allP<0.01) but not in flat keratometry values (P=0.310) between IOLMaster and Pentacam. The toric IOL power calculated using data from the three devices showed the following trend: iTrace > IOLMaster (0.49 ± 0.36,P<0.001) and Pentacam (0.39 ± 0.42,P<0.001) and Pentacam was <IOLMaster (−0.10 ± 0.39,P=0.009). There were differences in toricity calculated using data from the three devices (P=0.004). Conclusions. Differences in toric IOL power and toricity calculated using anterior keratometry data from iTrace, IOLMaster 500, and Pentacam should be noted in clinical practice.
Integrated Optimization Method of IPPS under TOU and Tiered Electricity Price
Authors: Xu Erbao , Li Yan , Yang Mingshun , Wang Zhenyu , Liu Yirou , Han Jiali
Published: August 2021

Energy-saving production is one of the issues that must be paid attention to by today’s manufacturing enterprises. Aiming at the problem of integrated process planning and scheduling (IPPS) in the manufacturing process, considering Time-of-Use (TOU) and tiered electricity price, this paper systematically studies the energy-saving scheduling problem in order to reduce the power consumption in processing and production. To establish the multiobjective optimization mathematical model of the problem, the load balancing problem of the equipment is considered, the minimization of the power consumption and the maximum load of the equipment are taken as the optimization objectives. Then, considering the constraints of resource and multiprocess, the switching strategy of the equipment in idle time is introduced, including shutdown and restart operations. In order to solve the model easily, a multiobjective firefly algorithm (MOFA) based on five-layer coding is designed, and the elite strategy is introduced to protect the excellent firefly individuals in the iterative population. Finally, through a specific example, the Pareto solution set is obtained, which provides a reference scheme for decision-makers, and verifies the correctness of the model and the effectiveness of the algorithm.
Failure Mechanisms and the Control of a Longwall Face with a Large Mining Height within a Shallow‐Buried Coal Seam
Authors: Wang Haijun , Liu Yingjie , Tang Yuesong , Gong Hao , Xu Guoliang
Published: August 2021

The capabilities of mining equipment and technology in China have been improving rapidly in recent years. Correspondingly, in the western part of the country, the mining heights of longwall faces in shallow‐buried coal seams have shown an increasing trend, resulting in enhanced mining efficiency. However, the problems associated with the possible failure of the coal wall then increase and remain a serious difficulty, restricting safe and efficient mining operations. In the present study, the 12401 longwall face of the Shangwan Coal Mine, Inner Mongolia, China, with a mining height of 8.8 m, is taken as an example to study the mechanisms underlying failure phenomena of coal walls and their control methods. Our results show that the failure region inward of the longwall face is small in shallow‐buried coal seams, and the damage degree of the exposed coal wall is low. The medium and higher sections of the coal wall display a dynamic failure mode, while the broken coal blocks, given their initial speed, threaten the safety of coal miners. A mechanical model was developed, from which the conditions for tensile failure and structural instability are deduced. Horizontal displacement in the lower part of the coal wall is small, where no tensile stress emerges. On the other hand, in the intermediate and higher parts of the coal wall, horizontal displacement is relatively large. In addition, tensile stress increases first with increasing distance from the floor and then decreases to zero. Experiments using physical models representing different mining heights have been carried out and showed that the horizontal displacement increases from 6 to 12 mm and load‐bearing capacity decreases from 20 to 7.9 kN when the coal wall increases in height from 3 to 9 m. Furthermore, failure depth and failure height show an increasing trend. It is therefore proposed that a large initial support force, large maximum support force, large support stiffness, and large support height of a coal wall‐protecting guard are required for the improved stability of high coal walls, which operate well in the Shangwan coal mine.
Application of Artificial Intelligence Models for Evapotranspiration Prediction along the Southern Coast of Turkey
Authors: Hameed Mohammed Majeed , AlOmar Mohamed Khalid , Mohd Razali Siti Fatin , Kareem Khalaf Mohammed Abd , Baniya Wajdi Jaber , Sharafati Ahmad , AlSaadi Mohammed Abdulhakim
Published: August 2021

Reference evapotranspiration (ETo ) is one of the most significant factors in the hydrological cycle since it has a great influence on water resource planning and management, agriculture and irrigation management, and other processes in the hydrological sector. In this study, an efficient and local predictive model was established to forecast the monthly mean ETo t over Turkey based on the data collected from 35 locations. For this purpose, twenty input combinations including hydrological and geographical parameters were introduced to three different approaches called multiple linear regression (MLR), random forest (RF), and extreme learning machine (ELM). Moreover, in this study, large investigation was done, involving the establishment of 60 models and their assessment using ten statistical measures. The outcome of this study revealed that the ELM approach achieved high accurate estimation in accordance with the Penman–Monteith formula as compared to other models such as MLR and RF. Moreover, among the 10 statistical measures, the uncertainty at 95% (U95) indicator showed an excellent ability to select the best and most efficient forecast model. The superiority of ELM in the prediction of mean monthly ETo  over MLR and RF approaches is illustrated in the reduction of the U95 parameter to 49.02% and 34.07% for RF and MLR models, respectively. Furthermore, it is possible to develop a local predictive model with the help of computer to estimate the ETo using the simplest and cheapest meteorological and geographical variables with acceptable accuracy.
Detection of Circulating Tumor DNA in Patients with Thyroid Nodules
Authors: Patel Krupal B. , Cormier Nicholas , Fowler James , Partridge Allison , Theurer Julie , Black Morgan , Pinto Nicole , Yoo John , Fung Kevin , MacNeil Danielle , Stecho William , Howlett Christopher , Brackstone Muriel , Barrett John W. , Nichols Anthony
Published: August 2021

Objective. Detection of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) in cancer patients can potentially serve as a noninvasive, sensitive test of disease status. The purpose of this study was to determine the ability to detect BRAF (V600E) mutations in the plasma of patients with thyroid nodules, with the goal of distinguishing between benign and malignant nodules. Methods. Consecutive patients with thyroid nodules who consented for surgery were recruited. Plasma samples were obtained preoperatively and one month postoperatively. Quantitative PCR was used to determine the levels of the BRAF (V600E) mutation preoperatively and postoperatively. Results. A total of 109 patients were recruited. On final pathology, 38 (32.8%) patients had benign thyroid nodules, 45 (38.8%) had classical papillary thyroid cancer (PTC), 23 (19.8%) had nonclassical PTC, and 3 (2.6%) had follicular thyroid cancer. 15/109 patients had detectable BRAF (V600E) ctDNA in their preoperative samples—all of them having classical PTC. Higher T-stage and extrathyroidal extension in PTC were associated with positive BRAF (V600E) ctDNA (

p
<
0.05

). Eighty-eight pairs of preoperative and postoperative plasma samples were collected and analyzed. Of these eighty-eight paired samples, a total of 13/88 (14.8%) patients had detectable BRAF (V600E) ctDNA in their preoperative samples—all of them having classical PTC. 12 of these 13 patients had no detectable BRAF (V600E) postoperatively, while one remaining patient had a significant decline in his levels (

p
<
0.05

). Conclusion. BRAF (V600E) circulating thyroid tumor DNA can be detected in plasma and is correlated with a final diagnosis of the classical variant of PTC. Given that a postoperative drop in BRAF (V600E) ctDNA levels was observed in all cases suggests its utility as a tumor marker.
Simulation Design and Implementation of Voice Landscape Quantification in Virtual Reality Based on Cloud Computing
Authors: Gang Jialin , Li Yi
Published: August 2021

Traditionally, the recognition of sound mainly focuses on the source of sound, such as level and quality. Now, the sound, the environment, and the listeners have begun to study the landscape structure, composition, and characteristics of the acoustic environment. The purpose of this paper is to study the simulation design of virtual reality voice landscape quantification based on cloud computing. Firstly, the definition and characteristics of cloud computing are described, and the key technologies of cloud computing are analyzed. Combined with the basic principles of technology selection, the virtualization technology is emphatically analyzed. By selecting 7 acoustic elements, such as traffic sound, water flow sound, fountain sound, birdsong, wind sound, rippling sound, beach sound, and seabird sound, the possible acoustic elements in a given park environment are simulated for subjective evaluation. The experimental results show that when the traffic sound is 60 dB, the evaluation result of the superimposed sound type is the same as that when the traffic sound is 50 dB. For the superimposed sound level, 30 dB and 40 dB are significantly different from 60 dB and 70 dB, respectively, 50 dB is only significantly different from 70 dB, while 60 dB is only not significantly different from 50 dB, and 70 dB evaluation is significantly different from each sound level. However, 60 dB can be regarded as the turning point of the evaluation result. When the sound level of the added sound is greater than 60 dB, the evaluation result is obviously worse.
Manufacturer’s Collaborative Business Strategy with Two Different Reverse Channels in a Closed‐Loop Supply Chain
Authors: Yoon Sungwook , Jeong Sukjae
Published: August 2021

Reuse of products has become increasingly critical to reduce manufacturing costs and revitalize the new product market. With two different investment perspectives, manufacturers cooperate with retailers and recyclers to collect products from customers. By investing in the retailer, manufacturers gain an opportunity to sell new products, whereas by investing in the recycler, manufacturers can reduce production costs through remanufacturing. Therefore, manufacturers must determine the appropriate investment strategies to be applied to the two channels by analyzing the trade‐offs between these opportunities. For this purpose, we discuss three investment strategies: Revenue‐Sharing Investment, Direct Subsidy per Unit Returned Cartridge, and Hybrid Investment. The system dynamics model is used to construct scenarios of various investment strategies used by the manufacturer with the collection partners and analyze the corresponding changes in the revenues of the manufacturer. The results indicate that the application of the revenue‐sharing strategy and the hybrid strategy to support retailers and recyclers is effective in increasing manufacturer profit. More specifically, by considering the hybrid investment strategy of revenue‐sharing investment and the direct subsidy per unit returned cartridge for the recycler, the manufacturer can simultaneously avoid excess investment by the recycler and promote return activities through the recycler.
Molecular Descriptor Analysis of Certain Isomeric Natural Polymers
Authors: Ahmad Maqsood , Saeed Muhammad , Javaid Muhammad , Bonyah Ebenezer
Published: August 2021

Polymers, drugs, and almost all chemical or biochemical compounds are frequently modeled as diverse

ω

-cyclic, acyclic, bipartite, and polygonal shapes and regular graphs. Molecular descriptors (topological indices) are the numerical quantities and computed from the molecular graph

Γ

(2D lattice). These descriptors are highly significant in quantitative structure-property or activity relationship (QSPR and QSAR) modeling that provides the theoretical and the optimal basis to expensive experimental drug design. In this paper, we study three isomeric natural polymers of glucose (polysaccharides), namely, cellulose, glycogen, and amylopectin (starch), having promising pharmaceutical applications, exceptional properties, and fascinating molecular structures. We intend to investigate and compute various closed-form formulas such as

ABC

,

GA

, sum-connectivity

χ

−
1

/
2

,

ABC

4

,

GA

5

, and Sanskruti indices for the aforementioned macromolecules. Also, we present the closed-form formulas for the first, second, modified, and augmented Zagreb indices, inverse and general Randić indices, and symmetric division deg, harmonic, and inverse sum indices. Furthermore, we provide a comparative analysis using 3D graphs for these families of macromolecules to clarify their nature.
Mamdani‐Type Fuzzy‐Based Adaptive Nonhomogeneous Synchronization
Authors: Pulido–Luna J. R. , López–Rentería J. A. , Cazarez–Castro N. R.
Published: August 2021

The aim of this work is the design of an adaptive controller based on Mamdani‐type fuzzy inference systems. The input control is constructed with saturation functions’ fuzzy‐equivalents, which works as the adaptive scheme of the controller. This control law is designed to stabilize the error system to synchronize a pair of chaotic nonhomogeneous piecewise systems. Finally, an illustrative example as numerical evidence is developed.
Recall and Interviewer Bias in Parental Report of Pediatric Exposure to Aromatic Plant Ingredients in Personal Care Products: Development and Validation of a More Accurate Approach
Authors: Hawkins Jessie , Hires Christy , Dunne Elizabeth , Keenan Lindsey
Published: August 2021

Lavender and tea tree essential oils are traditionally considered to be mild, gentle, and safe for pediatric populations and are ubiquitous in personal care products. Recent case reports have proposed a potential association between exposure to these ingredients and endocrine disruption, but these reports contain misclassification bias. The purpose of this study is to develop a reliable and valid measurement instrument for the accurate classification of exposure to aromatic plant ingredients in personal care products to be used in epidemiological studies. This study tested the Aromatic Plant Ingredients and Child Health Survey (APICHS) for validity and reliability, contrasting it with the current approach used in clinician’s offices. The APICHS was found to have exceptional sensitivity and specificity (100% and 92.86%, respectively) with a positive predictive value of 97.22%, far exceeding the sensitivity and specificity of the method currently in use. The APICHS is a valid, reliable tool for accurate classification of exposure to aromatic plant ingredients in personal care products and should be used for the avoidance of misclassification.
Dendrobium catenatum Lindl. Water Extracts Attenuate Atherosclerosis
Authors: Han Jichun , Dong Jing , Zhang Rui , Zhang Xiaofeng , Chen Minghan , Fan Xiangcheng , Li Maoru , Li Jiajing , Zhu Junyi , Shang Jing , Yue Yunyun
Published: August 2021

Objectives. Dendrobium catenatum Lindl. (DH) is a Chinese herbal medicine, which is often used to make tea to improve immunity in China. Rumor has it that DH has a protective effect against cardiovascular disease. However, it is not clear how DH can prevent cardiovascular disease, such as atherosclerosis (AS). Therefore, the purpose of this study is to study whether DH can prevent AS and the underlying mechanisms. Methods. Zebrafish larvae were fed with high-cholesterol diet (HCD) to establish a zebrafish AS model. Then, we used DH water extracts (DHWE) to pretreat AS zebrafish. The plaque formation was detected by HE, EVG, and oil red O staining. Neutrophil and macrophage counts were calculated to evaluate the inflammation level. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) activity, malondialdehyde (MDA) content, and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity in zebrafish were measured to reflect oxidative stress. The cholesterol accumulation and the levels of lipid, triglyceride (TG), and total cholesterol (TC) were measured to reflect lipid metabolism disorder. Then, parallel flow chamber was utilized to establish a low shear stress- (LSS-) induced endothelial cell (EC) dysfunction model. EA.hy926 cells were exposed to LSS (3 dyn/cm2) for 30 min and treated with DHWE. The levels of ROS, SOD, MDA, glutathione (GSH), and glutathiol (GSSG) in EA.hy926 cells were analysed to determine oxidative stress. The release of nitric oxide (NO), endothelin-1 (ET-1), and epoprostenol (PGI2) in EA.hy926 cells was measured to reflect EC dysfunction. The mRNA expression of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) in EA.hy926 cells was detected to reflect EC dysfunction inflammation. Results. The results showed that DHWE significantly reduced cholesterol accumulation and macrophage infiltration in early AS. Finally, DHWE significantly alleviate the lipid metabolism disorder, oxidative stress, and inflammation to reduce the plaque formation of AS zebrafish larval model. Meanwhile, we also found that DHWE significantly improved LSS-induced EC dysfunction and oxidative stress in vitro. Conclusion. Our results indicate that DHWE could be used as a prevention method to prevent AS.