bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Emerging chemical and biochemical tools for studying 3-O-sulfated heparan sulfate
Authors: Liu Jian , Pedersen Lars C.
Published: April 2022

Heparan sulfate is a widely expressed polysaccharide in the extracellular matrix and on the cell surface. 3- O-sulfated heparan sulfate represents only a small percentage of heparan sulfate from biological sources. However, this subpopulation is closely associated with biological functions of heparan sulfate. The 3- O-sulfated heparan sulfate is biosynthesized by heparan sulfate 3- O-sulfotransferase, which exists in seven different isoforms. This review article summarizes the recent progress in the substrate specificity studies of different 3- O-sulfotransferase isoforms involving the use of homogeneous oligosaccharide substrates and crystal structural analysis. The article also reviews a newly developed liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS)-based method to analyze the level of 3- O-sulfated heparan sulfate with high sensitivity and quantitative capability. This newly emerged technology will provide new tools to study the structure and function relationship of heparan sulfate.
Impact of the heparan sulfate proteoglycan perlecan on human disease and health
Authors: Arikawa-Hirasawa Eri
Published: April 2022

Perlecan, a basement membrane-type heparan sulfate proteoglycan, is an important molecule in the functional diversity of organisms because of the diversity of its glycan chains and the multifunctionality of its core proteins. Human diseases associated with perlecan have been identified using gene-deficient mice. Two human diseases related to perlecan have been reported. One is Silverman–Handmaker type dyssegmental dysplasia, resulting from the complete loss of function of the HSPG2 gene that encodes perlecan core protein, which is mapped to chromosome 1p36. The other is Schwartz–Jampel syndrome resulting from the partial loss of function of the HSPG2 gene. Subsequent in vivo and in vitro studies have revealed the organ-specific functions of perlecan, suggesting its involvement in the pathogenesis of various human diseases. In this review, we discuss the role of perlecan in human diseases and summarize our knowledge about perlecan as a future therapeutic target to treat related diseases and for healthy longevity.
The Perception of Nursing Professionals Working in a Central Sterile Supplies Department regarding Health Conditions, Workload, Ergonomic Risks, and Functional Readaptation
Authors: Xavier Rosemere Saldanha , Vigário Patrícia dos Santos , Faria Alvaro Camilo Dias , Dusek Patricia Maria , Lopes Agnaldo José
Published: April 2022

Background. The central sterile supply department (CSSD) is wrongly seen as a place in the hospital environment that does not require skills and physical effort, being commonly a hospital sector for the relocation of functionally-readapted professionals. However, CSSD is a work environment that demands professional experience and presents itself as a sector that does not have a healthy work environment. This study aims to evaluate the frequency of comorbidities and functionally-readapted people among nursing professionals allocated to a CSSD and, also, to seek the perception of these professionals about the ergonomic risks and the degree of difficulty to perform activities within a CSSD. Methods. This is a cross-sectional study that analyzed the opinions of nursing professionals who work in the CSSD of public hospitals in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Nurses, nursing technicians and nursing assistants aged ≥18 years were included. Results. Seventy-two nursing professionals were consecutively evaluated. It was observed that 43 of them (59.7%) had never worked in a CSSD. The most prevalent comorbidity in the present study was chronic rhinosinusitis, observed in more than half of the sample, although it is interesting to note the high frequency of participants with work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSD) and repetitive strain injuries (RSI). There is a relationship between previous work in a CSSD and the ability to identify surgical tweezers by visual recognition (

p
=
0.031

). There is a relationship between the time the participant had previously worked in the hospital and the skill regarding the information contained in the conference folders for preparing the tray surgical procedures (τb = −0.34,

p
=
0.001

). Conclusion. Almost a third of nursing professionals working in a CSSD are rehabilitated, with a high prevalence of WMSD and RSI. The commitment of managers to an internal health policy aimed at workers is necessary for health promotion.
Prognostic Value of a Novel Parameter in Patients with Infective Endocarditis
Authors: Chen Ying , Liu Jingping , Qiao Tengfei , Xie Mengxiao , Cai Zhenzhen , Zhou Jun
Published: April 2022

Background. Infective endocarditis (IE) has a high rate of mortality and the prognosis of IE was poor. The purpose of this investigation was to explore the value of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH)/lymphocyte and compare it with LDH/lymphocyte percentage (L‐LWR) in predicting the in‐hospital mortality in IE patients. Methods. The investigation cohort contained 147 IE patients between January 2017 and December 2019. We retrospectively went over the medical records and selected admission indexes. Results. Compared with IE patients with adverse events, significantly higher levels of LDH/lymphocyte and significantly lower levels of L‐LWR were discovered in IE patients without adverse events. After adjustments, L‐LWR (odds ratio (OR): 4.558, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.362‐15.256, P = 0.014) still maintained its significant independence. In addition, L‐LWR had the highest area under curve (AUC) (0.780, 0.704‐0.844, P < 0.001) with good sensitivity (81.89%) and specificity (65.00%) when 34 was selected as the best cutoff value. Conclusions. L‐LWR is a reliable, low‐priced, easily applicable, and independent prognostic parameter for in‐hospital death with good performance in patients with IE.
Effectiveness of Aromatherapy on Ameliorating Fatigue in Adults: A Meta-Analysis
Authors: Wang Qiuting , Wei Lin , Luo Yueming , Lin Lijun , Deng Chong , Hu Ping , Zhu Lijia , Liu Yangchen , Lin Meizhen
Published: April 2022

Background. Fatigue is a common symptom in adults that may cause physical and psychological problems and reduce quality of life. Aromatherapy could possibly provide relief for those suffering from fatigue. Here, we evaluated the effect of aromatherapy on fatigue in adults. Methods. We searched the PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Chinese Biomedical Literature, SinoMed, Wanfang, and Chinese Scientific Journal Database databases for randomized controlled trials of aromatherapy treatment for fatigue in adults from their inception to June 2021. Two reviewers searched independently, extracted the characteristics of the studies, and assessed the risk of bias using the Cochrane risk-of-bias tool and Stata v. 14.0. Results. Nineteen studies were included in this systematic review. Aromatherapy had a significant effect on fatigue (standardized mean difference −0.64, 95% confidence interval−1.14, −0.15, I2 94.4%,

P
<
0.001

). Subgroup analysis according to aromatic type, substance, frequency, treatment duration, intervention, outcomes measurement, and population type showed that aromatherapy had a significantly greater effect in the intervention group, compared to the control group. Funnel plots and Egger’s test indicated no significant publication bias. Conclusion. Our results suggest that aromatherapy ameliorates fatigue in adults who suffer from chronic diseases. A rigorous intervention program and larger randomized controlled trials are needed.
The Role of Thyme (Zataria multiflora Boiss) Essential Oil as Natural Antioxidant on the Lipid Oxidation in Mayonnaise
Authors: Ahmadi-Dastgerdi Asiye , Fallah Neda , Zokaei Maryam , Gholami-Ahangaran Majid
Published: April 2022

Nowadays, essential oils are considered substitutes for synthetic additives in food products. Since lipid oxidation is the main chemical process affecting mayonnaise deterioration, in this research, the antioxidant activity of essential oil of thyme (Zataria multiflora Boiss) was determined for oxidative stability of treated mayonnaise (homogenized) during 6 months of storage. The antioxidant activities of the essential oil of thyme (0–150 μg/g) were investigated by the DPPH method. Then, the efficiency of this essential oil (144.4 μg/g) as a natural antioxidant in mayonnaise was studied by following analysis: peroxide, anisidine, Totox, and thiobarbituric acid. GC analysis of the essential oil resulted in the identification of forty compounds. The essential oil is characterized by a high number of monoterpenes such as thymol and carvacrol. Regarding antioxidation, the investigated essential oil strongly reduced the DPPH radical (IC50 = 144.4 μg/ml). This study confirms that the essential oil of thyme possessed antioxidant properties in vitro. The results showed that the treatments containing essential oil and TBHQ significantly reduced the oxidation (

p
<
0.05

), while the control sample was oxidized faster. The essential oil had a significant effect on taste, odor, and overall acceptance, but no significant difference was observed in color and texture. The results of the present experiments suggest that essential oil of thyme (Z. multiflora) can be used as a source of natural antioxidant for the application in food industries to prevent lipid oxidation particularly lipid-containing foods such as mayonnaise. Therefore, it can used as a natural antioxidant and flavoring compound in foods such as mayonnaise.
A Genetic Algorithm-Based Support Vector Machine Approach for Intelligent Usability Assessment of m-Learning Applications
Authors: Asghar Muhammad , Bajwa Imran Sarwar , Ramzan Shabana , Afreen Hina , Abdullah Saima
Published: April 2022

In the field of human computer interaction (HCI), the usability assessment of m-learning (mobile-learning) applications is a real challenge. Such assessment typically involves extraction of best features of an application like efficiency, effectiveness, learnability, cognition, memorability, etc., and further ranking of those features for overall assessment of the quality of the mobile application. In the previous literature, it is found that there is neither any theory nor any tool available to measure or assess a user’s perception and assessment of usability features of a m-learning application for the sake of ranking of the graphical user interface of a mobile application in terms of a user’s acceptance and satisfaction. In this paper, a novel approach is presented by performing a mobile application’s quantitative and qualitative analysis. Based on the user’s requirements and perception, a criterion is defined based on a set of important features. Afterwards, for the qualitative analysis, genetic algorithm (GA) is used to score prescribed features for usability assessment of a mobile application. The used approach assigns a score to each usability feature according to the user’s requirement and weight of each feature. GA performs the rank assessment process initially by performing feature selection and scoring the best features of the application. A comparison of assessment analysis of GA and various machine learning models, i.e., K-nearest neigbors, Naïve Bayes, and Random Forests is performed. It was found that GA-based support vector machine (SVM) provides more accuracy in the extraction of best features of a mobile application and further ranking of those features.
Aberrant Expression of Mitochondrial SAM Transporter SLC25A26 Impairs Oocyte Maturation and Early Development in Mice
Authors: Cheng Gui-ping , Guo Shi-meng , Yin Ying , Li Yuan-yuan , He Ximiao , Zhou Li-quan
Published: April 2022

The immature germinal vesicle (GV) oocytes proceed through metaphase I (MI) division, extrude the first polar body, and become mature metaphase II (MII) oocytes for fertilization which is followed by preimplantation and postimplantation development until birth. Slc25a26 is the gene encoding S-adenosylmethionine carrier (SAMC), a member of the mitochondrial carrier family. Its major function is to catalyze the uptake of S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) from cytosol into mitochondria, which is the only known mitochondrial SAM transporter. In the present study, we demonstrated that excessive SLC25A26 accumulation in mouse oocytes mimicked naturally aged oocytes and resulted in lower oocyte quality with decreased maturation rate and increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) by impairing mitochondrial function. Increased level of Slc25a26 gene impacted gene expression in mouse oocytes such as mt-Cytb which regulates mitochondrial respiratory chain. Furthermore, increased level of Slc25a26 gene in fertilized oocytes slightly compromised blastocyst formation, and Slc25a26 knockout mice displayed embryonic lethality around 10.5 dpc. Taken together, our results showed that Slc25a26 gene plays a critical role in oocyte maturation and early mouse development.
Novel Concepts of
q
-Rung Orthopair Fuzzy Topology and WPM Approach for Multicriteria Decision-Making
Authors: Riaz Muhammad , Farid Hafiz Muhammad Athar , Alblowi S. A. , Almalki Yahya
Published: April 2022

A

q

-rung orthopair fuzzy set (q-ROFS) is a robust approach for fuzzy modeling, computational intelligence, and multicriteria decision-making (MCDM) problems. The aim of this paper is to study the topological structure on q-ROFSs and define the idea of

q

-rung orthopair fuzzy topology (q-ROF topology). The characterization of q-ROF

α

-continuous mappings between q-ROF topological spaces and q-ROF connectedness is investigated. Some relationships of different types of

q

-rung orthopair fuzzy connectedness are also investigated. Additionally, the “

q

-rung orthopair fuzzy weighted product model” (q-ROF WPM) is developed for MCDM of a hierarchical healthcare system. Due to limited and insufficient resources, a hierarchical healthcare system (HHS) is very effective to deal with the increasing problems of healthcare. Recognizing the stage of a disease with the symptoms, ranking the critical condition of patients, and referring patients to feasible hospitals are key features of HHS. A HHS will provide healthcare services in three levels, a primary health centers for initial stage of disease, secondary hospitals for secondary stage of disease, and tertiary hospital for the third-order stage. A numerical example is illustrated to demonstrate the efficiency of q-ROF WPM and advantages of HHS.
Different Wave Structures for the (2+1)-Dimensional Korteweg-de Vries Equation
Authors: Qin Chun-Rong , Liu Jian-Guo , Zhu Wen-Hui , Ai Guo-Ping , Uddin M. Hafiz
Published: April 2022

In this article, a (2+1)-dimensional Korteweg-de Vries equation is investigated. Abundant periodic wave solutions are obtained based on the Hirota’s bilinear form and a direct test function. Meanwhile, the interaction solutions between lump and periodic waves are presented. What is more, we derive the interaction solutions among lump, periodic, and solitary waves. Based on the extended homoclinic test technique, some new double periodic-soliton solutions are presented. Finally, some 3D and density plots are simulated and displayed to respond the dynamic behavior of these obtained solutions.
Effect of CNT-COOH Addition on the Compressive Strength, Chloride Resistance, and Microstructure of Cement Mortar
Authors: Wang Xiaofan , Shi Yao , Pei Xueyang , Cui Lipeng , Zhu Hua
Published: April 2022

This work evaluated the effect of multiwalled carboxyl carbon nanotube (CNT-COOH), upon cement mortar. In order to obtain a homogeneous suspension, the CNT-COOH was dispersed in distilled water, and it then underwent an ultrasonication treatment. Samples of cement mortar were prepared with varying the additions of this suspension at 0.01%, 0.05%, and 0.10% by weight of the cement. These samples were tested in compression and for chloride migration in terms of diffusion coefficient. An increase in the CNT-COOH content led to an increase in the compressive strength. While there was an increase in the chloride diffusion coefficient up to 0.05% weight fraction, higher dosage led to a drop in the chloride diffusion coefficient with a further increase in the compressive strength. Using mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP), it is shown that at a weight fraction of 0.10%, CNT-COOH effects a pore-size refinement by eliminating macropores (≥50 nm) and a 34% reduction in porosity. The (scanning electron microscopy) SEM and (X-ray diffraction) XRD analyses confirm that CNT-COOH leads to mature hydration products, nucleation effect, and a refined microstructure.
One-Year Clinical Outcome in Middle Eastern Patients with Atrial Fibrillation: The Jordan Atrial Fibrillation (JoFib) Study
Authors: Hammoudeh Ayman , Khader Yousef , Tabbalat Ramzi , Badaineh Yahya , Kadri Nazih , Shawer Haneen , Al-Mousa Eyas , Ibdah Rasheed , Shawer Batool A. , Alhaddad Imad A.
Published: April 2022

Background. Prevention of stroke and systemic embolism (SE) prevention in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) has radically changed in recent years. Data on contemporary utilization of oral anticoagulants (OACs) and cardiovascular outcome in Middle Eastern patients with AF are needed. Methods. The Jordan atrial fibrillation (JoFib) study enrolled consecutive patients with AF in Jordan from May 2019 through October 2020 and were followed up for one year after enrollment. Results. Overall, 2020 patients were enrolled. The mean age was

67.9
+
13.0

years. Nonvalvular (NVAF) was diagnosed in 1849 (91.5%) patients. OACs were used in 85.7% of high-risk patients with NVAF (CHA2DS2-VASc score>3 in women, and>2 in men), including direct OACs (DOACs) in 64.1% and vitamin K antagonists (VKA) in 35.9%. Adherence rate to the use of the same OAC agent was 90.6% of patients. One-year cardiovascular (CV) mortality was 7.8%, stroke/SE was 4.5%, and major bleeding events were 2.6%. Independent predictors for all-cause mortality in patients with NVAF were age>75 years, heart failure, major bleeding event, type 2 diabetes mellitus, study enrollment as an in-patient, and coronary heart disease. The use of OACs was associated with lower all-cause mortality. The strongest independent predictors for stroke/SE were high-risk CHA2DS2-VASc score and prior history of stroke. Conclusions. This study of Middle Eastern AF patients has reported high adherence to OACs. The use of OACs was associated with a lower risk for all-cause mortality. One-year rates of stroke and major bleeding events were comparable to those reported from other regions in the world.
Translation and Cross-Cultural Adaptation of the Exercise Adherence Rating Scale (EARS) into Danish
Authors: Jacobsen Julie Sandell , Nielsen Rasmus Oestergaard , Godfrey Emma Louise
Published: April 2022

The Exercise Adherence Rating Scale (EARS) is a self-administrated questionnaire designed to measure adherence to prescribed home-based exercises in a British population. In a Danish context, no reliable and valid questionnaires are available to measure exercise adherence. This study aimed to translate and cross-culturally adapt the EARS into Danish following international guidelines and to provide insights about construct validity in a Danish population with longstanding hip pain. The EARS was translated and cross-culturally adapted into Danish using a forward-backward method. The understanding and interpretability of the EARS were evaluated with semistructured interviews in 24 patients with longstanding hip pain due to hip dysplasia (22 females; median age 30 (IQR 24-37)). These patients were prescribed home-based exercises. Using Spearman’s correlation, construct validity was evaluated by assessing if the Danish version of EARS was correlated with completed exercise sessions and self-reported pain and sport/recreation function. The EARS was translated and cross-culturally adapted into Danish following minor adjustments. The EARS was statistically significantly correlated to completed exercise sessions (

p
=
0.005

), self-reported pain (

p
=
0.005

), and sport/recreation function (

p
<
0.03

). In patients with longstanding hip pain, the Danish EARS seems suitable to measure adherence to prescribed exercises; however, further evaluation of measurement properties may be needed.
Measles-Rubella Positivity Rate and Associated Factors in Pre-Mass and Post-Mass Vaccination Periods: Analysis of Uganda Routine Surveillance Laboratory Data
Authors: Mensah Emmanuel Angmorteh , Gyasi Samuel Ofori
Published: April 2022

Toward 2019, Uganda experienced an extensive outbreak of measles and rubella. The Uganda National Expanded Programme on Immunization implemented a mass measles-rubella vaccination campaign aimed at halting the ongoing transmission. This study determined the changes in the disease burden thereafter. We conducted a retrospective cross-sectional study on measles-rubella positivity and its associated factors in Uganda using 1697 case-based surveillance data for 2019 and 2020 stratified into two dispensations: prevaccination and postvaccination campaigns. Statistical tests employed in STATA 15 included chi-square, Fisher’s exact, and binomial tests. Measles positivity rates in the period before and after the mass immunization campaign were 41.88% (95% CI: 39.30–44.51) and 37.96% (95% CI: 32.81–43.40), respectively. For rubella, the positivity rate in the precampaign season was 21.73% (95% CI: 19.61–23.99) and in the postvaccination season was 6.65% (95% CI: 4.36–10.00). Binomial tests indicated that postcampaign positivity rates were significantly lower than the precampaign rate for measles (

p
=
0.003

) and rubella (

p
<
0.001

). Generally, age (χ2 = 58.94,

p
=
0.001

/χ2 = 51.91,

p
<
0.001

) and vaccination status (χ2 = 60.48,

p
=
0.001

/χ2 = 16.90,

p
=
0.001

) were associated with the measles positivity rate in both pre/postcampaign periods. Rubella positivity rate was associated with vaccination status (χ2 = 32.97,

p
<
0.001

/

p
=
0.001

) in both periods and age in the precampaign season (

p
<
0.001

). The measles-rubella mass campaign lessened rubella burden remarkably, but barely adequate change was observed in the extent of spread of measles. Children aged less than 9 months are at higher chances of testing positive amidst low vaccination levels among the eligible. The immunization programme must attain and maintain routine immunization coverage at 95% or more and roll out a second-dose measles-rubella vaccination to sustain the reduced disease burden.
Effect of Aromatic Petroleum Resin on Microstructure of SBS Modified Asphalt
Authors: Wu Hongjuan , Chen Peng , Chen Chengqin , Zhang Wei
Published: April 2022

In this paper, aromatic petroleum resin (APR) was used as raw material. The fluorescence microscopic photography of styrene-butadiene-styrene block copolymer (SBS) modified asphalt with different contents of APR was carried out, and the effect of APR on the dispersion of SBS modified asphalt was quantitatively studied. The nano-surface morphology of SBS modified asphalt with different APR contents was tested by atomic force microscope (AFM), and the effects of APR content on AFM nanoscale parameters such as roughness and maximum amplitude were analyzed. In addition, this paper also tested the basic technical indexes of SBS modified asphalt with different APR contents and revealed its improvement law on the pavement performance of SBS modified asphalt. The results show that the use of APR is beneficial to the shearing of SBS into smaller particles. The larger the amount of APR, the smaller the maximum particle size and average particle size of SBS in asphalt and the smaller the roughness and maximum amplitude of SBS modified asphalt. APR can improve the viscosity and low-temperature ductility of SBS asphalt to a certain extent. High-temperature storage stability is improved obviously; SBS modified asphalt mixed with APR has a more dense spatial cross-linking structure after thorough development. The research results are helpful to reveal the mechanism of APR improving the performance of SBS polymer asphalt.
Quantitative Evaluation of Vocabulary Emotional Color in Language Teaching
Authors: Caihong Zhong
Published: April 2022

Objective. In real communication, the context is complex and changeable and the color and meaning of some words will wander in the context. The development and changes of words are more complex and multidimensional than before. Compared with the rational meaning of words, the color meaning of words can better reflect the psychological mode and way of thinking of the Han nationality but it is difficult for foreign learners to accurately grasp and misunderstandings often occur. In order to solve this problem, it is necessary to summarize and explain the words whose color meanings are easily shifted, so as to help the students accurately grasp the color meanings of the words and better help Chinese learners to realize the communicative function of the language. Method. This paper takes the scope of emotional words as the starting point and proposes that emotional words are words with emotional colors. The four aspects of whether words belong to emotional words define the concept of emotional words and introduce the specific methods of judging and extracting emotional words from the two aspects of dictionary definition and word collocation. This paper takes foreign students whose native language is English as the research object, through questionnaire survey and corpus analysis, to investigate the use of foreign students’ emotional colors and to explore the influence of native language factors on emotional color acquisition. Based on the research of modern Chinese ontology and the existing research results in the field of teaching Chinese as a foreign language, this paper takes the theory of interlanguage and transfer theory as the theoretical basis and mainly uses the methods of comparative analysis and error analysis to try to find out the relationship between emotional color teaching and acquisition. Results/Discussion. The basic pattern and quantity distribution of lexical emotion correction for beginners, intermediate, and advanced learners of Chinese as a second language were analyzed, and the restrictive factors and characteristics were explained. Similarities and differences and the rationale behind them were explored. In the process of international Chinese teaching, teachers mostly pay attention to the rational meaning of words, while ignoring the teaching of the emotional meaning of words. The lack of vocabulary emotion and meaning teaching is prone to errors in students’ understanding and use. With the increase of the vocabulary of intermediate and advanced learners, many words with similar colors and meanings appear, which brings a lot of difficulties for students to distinguish between synonyms. If the use of words with emotional meanings is not accurate, it is easy to cause communication barriers.
[Retracted] Classification of Bioinformatics EEG Data Signals to Identify Depressed Brain State Using CNN Model
Authors: Thakare Anuradha , Bhende Manisha , Deb Nabamita , Degadwala Sheshang , Pant Bhasker , Kumar Yekula Prasanna
Published: April 2022

Patients suffering from severe depression may be precisely assessed using online EEG categorization and their progress tracked over time, minimizing the risk of danger and suicide. Online EEG categorization systems, on the other hand, suffer additional challenges in the absence of empirical oversight. A lack of effective decoupling between brain regions and neural networks occurs during brain disease attacks, resulting in EEG data with poor signal intensity, high noise, and nonstationary characteristics. CNN employs momentum SGD optimization. By using a tiny momentum decay factor, the literature’s starting strategy, and the same batch normalization, this work attempts to decrease model error. Before being utilized to form a training set, samples are shuffled, followed by validation and testing on the new samples in the set. An online EEG categorization system driven by a convolution neural network has been developed to do this. The approach is applied directly to the EEG input and is able to accurately and quickly identify depressed states without the need for preprocessing or feature extraction. The healthy control group and the depression control group had accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of 99.08 percent, 98.77 percent, and 99.42 percent, respectively, in experiments on depression evaluation based on publicly accessible data. The machine learning technique based on feature extraction is often getting more and more complex, making it only suited for offline EEG categorization. While neural networks have become increasingly important in the study of artificial intelligence in recent years, they are still essentially black‐box function approximations with limited interpretability. In addition, quantitative study of the neural network shows that depressed patients and healthy persons have remarkable dissimilarity between the right and left temporal lobe brain regions.
The Mechanism of Dendrobium officinale as a Treatment for Hyperlipidemia Based on Network Pharmacology and Experimental Validation
Authors: Li Lin-Zi , Wang Hui-Ying , Huang Jia-Hui , Liu Kun , Feng Xiao-Jie , Wang Xi-Ming , Zhu Li-Jie , He Xing-Lishang , Zheng Xiang , Li Hai-Long , Dong Ying-Jie , Li Bo , Wu Han-Song , Jiang Ning-Hua , Lv Gui-Yuan , Chen Su-Hong
Published: April 2022

Aim and Objective. Hyperlipidemia is a public health matter of global scale, contributing to a wide range of diseases that can result in severe complications and significant annual mortality. Dendrobium officinale (DO) is an edible plant with a long medicinal history in China. Our previous studies revealed that DO may have therapeutic benefits in lipid disorders. However, the mechanism of its active compounds is still unclear. This research aimed at uncovering the hidden anti-hyperlipidemia mechanisms of DO through network pharmacology and experimental validation. Materials and Methods. The active compounds in DO, their targets, and targets associated with hyperlipidemia were screened across various databases, and the hidden targets of DO in treating hyperlipidemia were forecast. The compound-target (C-T), protein-protein interaction (PPI), and compound-target-pathway (C-T-P) networks of DO were set up with Cytoscape software. The hub genes and core clusters of DO predicted to be active against hyperlipidemia were calculated by Cytoscape. The DAVID database was adopted for Gene Ontology (GO) analysis and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis. Next, we used the high-sucrose-fat diet and alcohol (HFDA)-induced hyperlipidemia rats to evaluate the hypolipidemic effect of DO. Results. In this study, we obtained 264 compounds from DO, revealed 11 bioactive compounds, and predicted 89 potential targets of DO. The network analysis uncovered that naringenin, isorhamnetin, and taxifolin might be the compounds in DO that are mainly in charge of its roles in hyperlipidemia and might play a role by modulating the targets (including PPARG, ADIPOQ, AKT1, TNF, and APOB). The pathway analysis showed that DO might affect diverse signaling pathways related to the pathogenesis of hyperlipidemia, including PPAR signaling pathway, insulin resistance, AMPK signaling pathway, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease simultaneously. Meanwhile, in the HFDA-induced hyperlipidemia rat model, DO could significantly decrease the level of TC, TG, LDL-c, and ALT in serum, and increase HDL-c as well. The liver pathological section indicated that DO could ease liver damage and lipid cumulation. Conclusion. In summary, the biological targets of the main bioactive compounds in DO were found to distribute across multiple metabolic pathways. These findings suggest that a mutual regulatory system consisting of multiple components, targets, and pathways is a likely mechanism through which DO may improve hyperlipidemia. Validation experiments indicated that DO may treat hyperlipidemia by affecting NAFLD-related signaling pathways.
Physical Quality and Porosity Aspects of Amazon Anthropogenic Soils under Different Management Systems
Authors: Soares Marcelo Dayron Rodrigues , Souza Zigomar Menezes de , Campos Milton César Costa , Cooper Miguel , Tavares Rose Luiza Moraes , Lovera Lenon Henrique , Farhate Camila Viana Vieira , Cunha José Maurício da
Published: April 2022

Archaeological Dark Earth (ADE) soils are rich in organic matter and highly fertile, but when used for farming or grazing activities, they generally lose chemical and physical quality, becoming more susceptible to erosion. In this context, this study aimed to evaluate the changes in physical properties of the soil in different management systems adopted in ADE areas of the Amazon. The study area is located in the municipality of Novo Aripuanã, in the mesoregion of Madeira, south of the state of Amazonas. Three ADE areas were selected: 1—native forest (Amazon forest fragment); 2—area covered with Brachiaria (Urochloa brizantha cv. Marandu), without the addition of fertilizers or soil improvers; and 3—area covered with pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan) and other commercial crops (corn, beans, and watermelon). The following soil characteristics were evaluated: soil resistance to penetration, soil bulk density, macroporosity and microporosity, and total soil porosity in the 0–0.20 m and 0.20–0.40 m layers. The results showed that the pasture area presented a smaller amount of total pores and complex pores, which are important for water flow in the soil. The areas analyzed in this study presented no critical obstacle to plant root development with the low value of resistance to penetration (<2.00 MPa) in all areas.
Outcomes of Left Main Revascularization after Percutaneous Intervention or Bypass Surgery
Authors: Scudiero Fernando , Muraca Iacopo , Migliorini Angela , Marcucci Rossella , Pennesi Matteo , Mazzolai Lapo , Carrabba Nazario , Marchionni Niccolò , Stefano Pierluigi , Valenti Renato
Published: April 2022

Background. This study is aimed at comparing the clinical outcomes of unprotected left main coronary artery disease (ULMCAD) treatment with contemporary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) or coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) in a “real-world” population. Methods and Results. Overall, 558 consecutive patients with ULMCAD (mean age 71 ± 9 years, male gender 81%) undergoing PCI or CABG were compared. The primary endpoint was the composite of death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, or stroke. Diabetes was present in 29% and acute coronary syndrome in 56%; mean EuroSCORE was 11 ± 8. High coronary complexity (SYNTAX score >32) was present in 50% of patients. The primary composite endpoint was similar after PCI and CABG up to 4 years (15.5 ± 3.1% vs. 17.1 ± 2.6%;

p
=
0.585

). The primary end point was also comparable in a two propensity score matched cohorts. Ischemia-driven revascularization was more frequently needed in PCI than in CABG (5.5% vs. 1.5%;

p
=
0.010

). By multivariate analysis, diabetes mellitus (HR 2.00;

p
=
0.003

) and EuroSCORE (HR 3.71;

p
<
0.001

) were the only independent predictors associated with long-term outcome. Conclusions. In a “real-world” population with ULMCAD, a contemporary revascularization strategy by PCI or CABG showed similar long-term clinical outcome regardless of the coronary complexity.
Scorpion Venom Polypeptide Inhibits Pulmonary Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition in Systemic Sclerosis-Interstitial Lung Disease Model Mice by Intervening TGF-β1/Smad Signaling Pathway
Authors: Zhang Yan , Xu Liping , Chen Qiang , Guan Tianrong , Lin Na , Xu Danyang , Lu Lihong , Dai Qiaoding , Song Xinwei
Published: April 2022

Objective. Interstitial lung disease (ILD) is an important complication of systemic sclerosis (SSc). The aim of this study was to investigate the effect and possible mechanism of polypeptide extract of scorpion venom (PESV) on SSc-ILD. Methods. C57/BL6 mice were injected with bleomycin to establish a SSc-ILD model. Different concentrations of PESV solution were administered to SSc-ILD mice, and dexamethasone was used as a positive control. H&E staining and Masson staining were used to observe the pathological changes. The TGF-β1 expression level was detected by immunohistochemistry. The expression of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-related proteins was detected by Western blot, and the expression of TGF-β1/Smad pathway-related proteins was also detected. The content of inflammatory cytokines in serum and BALF was determined by ELISA. Results. Pathological analysis showed that PESV could alleviate SSc-ILD-induced pulmonary inflammation and fibrosis. Compared with the model group, the content of inflammatory cytokines IL-6 and TNF-α significantly decreased after PESV treatment. PESV could increase the expression of epithelial marker (E-cadherin) and reduce the expression of interstitial markers (collagen I, vimentin, N-cadherin, and a-SMA). In addition, PESV could reduce the expression level of TGF-β1/Smad pathway-related protein. Conclusion. PESV can attenuate SSc-ILD by regulating EMT, and the effect was linked to the TGF-β1/Smad signaling pathway, which indicated that PESV may serve as a candidate drug for SSc-ILD.
Recycling Dam Tailings as Cemented Mine Backfill: Mechanical and Geotechnical Properties
Authors: Kasap Tugrul , Yilmaz Erol , Guner Nihat Utku , Sari Muhammet
Published: April 2022

As a result of developing technology and scientific studies, employing dam tailings as critical raw material and vital economic reserve has become widespread recently. Employing dam tailings as a main ingredient of CPB (cemented paste backfill) can offer benefits to mining operations. This study deals with the use of dam tailings in CPB, considering the mechanical and geotechnical aspects. CPB was prepared at fixed solid and cement contents (72%, and 5%, respectively) and tested for different cure ages varying from 3 to 56 days. The results disclosed that the strength of filling increased over time, with the exception of 56-day cured CPB having high sulfur minerals where strength decreased sharply. The reasons behind these strength surges could be clarified by CPB’s basicity, which quickens the hydration of cement. Voids between tailings grains are also occupied by hydration products, resulting in the high strengths. Due to the fact that higher sulfate contents can cause lower pH values within CPB, this is one of the factors that should be considered for the backfill’s strength performance. The cement tends to increase the backfill’s pH in short term, but pH of long-term cured backfills decreases because of dam tailings which is inclined to acid formations and erosions. This is a sign that the deformation properties of CPB are deteriorated. Depending on curing time, CPB’s water content and void ratio decrease, but their surface areas increase. The resulting data will endow to better apprehend the effects of dam tailings on CPB quality integrating cost and quality.
English Speech Recognition and Evaluation of Pronunciation Quality Using Deep Learning
Authors: Xu Yushu
Published: April 2022

English is now one of the most important languages for economic exchange in various countries around the world, and it is also the most widely used language for cultural and information exchange. Like other countries, China likewise attaches highest significance to English learning, and people’s demand for applied learning is also increasing rapidly these days. However, there are significant differences between Chinese pronunciation and English pronunciation, and China lacks an English environment while teaching English language. Furthermore, the traditional education is limited by the place and time of classes, due to which it cannot meet people’s needs for learning English. With the fast progress of computer knowledge, the emergence of deep learning technology can better identify English pronunciation and evaluate the quality of English pronunciation. Additionally, deep learning can provide learners with precise, objective, and rapid pronunciation information. It can also assist learners in determining the differences between their pronunciation and conventional pronunciation through frequent listening and comparison, as well as correcting their pronunciation faults and increasing language learning efficacy. This study looks into the difficulty of using deep learning to evaluate the quality of English speech recognition and pronunciation. To evaluate English pronunciation quality, this paper selects intonation, speed, and rhythm, as the distinguishing indicators. The comparison between the results of manual evaluation and our evaluation clearly shows that English speech recognition and pronunciation quality model using deep learning established in this paper has much higher reliability. Among the 240 samples tested, only 32 samples differ by one grade, and the rest are similar.
Fire Risk Assessment and Warning Based on Hierarchical Density-Based Spatial Clustering Algorithm and Grey Relational Analysis
Authors: Huang Junbo , Xu Zhen , Yang Feng , Zhang Wenjuan , Cai Shuyu , Luo Jiqiang , Xie Guobo , Li Tianyu
Published: April 2022

Understanding the spatial and temporal distribution patterns of fire is of ecological, social and economic importance. The purpose of this study is to examine the spatial distribution of high fire risk using machine learning algorithms and early warning weather in high-risk areas. Take the satellite monitored fire point data in Yunnan Province during 2015–2019 as an example. The spatial distribution law of high-density parts is found using hierarchical density-based spatial clustering of applications with noise (HDBSCAN) algorithm, and the correlation degree analysis of high-density fire areas based on clustering and annual mean meteorological factors is carried out using grey correlation analysis (GCA) method. Results illustrates that within five years, fires frequently occurred in the seven regions of Wenshan Zhuang and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, Honghe Hani and Yi Autonomous Prefecture, Lijiang City, Pu’er City, and Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture. Among them, the fire in Lijiang had the greatest relationship with precipitation, Pu’er and Xishuangbanna had the greatest correlation with temperature, and Honghe Hani and Wenshan Zhuang were most affected by wind speed. This article acclaims fire prevention in key periods, key areas, key weather and reinforces the protection of transmission lines in the risk area.
Generation of Human Micro-Doppler Signature Based on Layer-Reduced Deep Convolutional Generative Adversarial Network
Authors: Ostovan Mahdi , Samadi Sadegh , Kazemi Alireza
Published: April 2022

Human activity recognition (HAR) using radar micro-Doppler has attracted the attention of researchers in the last decade. Using radar for human activity recognition has been very practical because of its unique advantages. There are several classifiers for the recognition of these activities, all of which require a rich database to produce fine output. Due to the limitations of providing and building a large database, radar micro-Doppler databases are usually limited in number. In this paper, a new method for the generation of radar micro-Doppler of the human body based on the deep convolutional generating adversarial network (DCGAN) is proposed. To generate the database, the required input is also generated by converting the existing motion database to simulated model-based radar data. The simulation results show the success of this method, even on a small amount of data.
The Effect of Changing Fellowship Interview Format on Candidate Ranking Variabilities: The COVID-19 Experience
Authors: Chang Ta Chen , Hodapp Elizabeth A. , Parrish Richard K. , Grajewski Alana L. , Gedde Steven J. , Lee Richard K. , Wellik Sarah R. , Junk Anna K. , Vazquez Luis , Swaminathan Swarup S. , Bitrian Elena , Rothman Adam L. , Vanner Elizabeth A.
Published: April 2022

Purpose. This study investigated the effect of interview format changes (in-person to virtual, one-to-one to multiple-to-one) necessitated by the COVID-19 travel restrictions on preliminary fellowship candidate ranking variabilities. Design. Cross-sectional observational study. Method. In 2018 and 2019, the glaucoma fellowship interviews were conducted in-person in a one-to-one format, whereas in 2020, interviews were virtual and in a multiple (interviewers)-to-one (candidate) format. We compared ranking ranges of interviewers within the same virtual room (WSR) and not within the same virtual room (NWSR) to assess the effect of WSR versus NWSR on ranking variabilities. We also compared ranking categories (“accept,” “alternate,” and “pass”) agreements between 2018, 2019, and 2020 to assess the effect of virtual versus in-person interviews on ranking variabilities. Results. NWSR and WSR mean rankings differed by 1.33 (95% confidence interval difference 0.61 to 2.04, p = 0.0003), with WSR interviewers having less variability than NWSR pairs. The variability between 2018/2019 (in-person interviews) and 2020 (virtual interviews) showed no differences between in-person and virtual interviews (weighted Kappa statistic 0.086 for 2018, 0.158 for 2019, and 0.101 for 2020; p < 0.05 for all years). The overall least attractive candidate has the lowest variability; the most attractive candidate has the second lowest variability. Conclusion. Grouping interviewers WSR during the interview decreased ranking variabilities compared to NWSR, while a change from in-person to virtual interview format did not increase the ranking variabilities. This suggests that the decreased nonverbal interactions in virtual interviews do not decrease interviewers’ perceptions as applied to preliminary rankings.
Tourism Management Strategies under the Intelligent Tourism IoT Service Platform
Authors: Chen Guo
Published: April 2022

This paper conducts an in-depth study and analysis of the tourism management strategy of the intelligent tourism IoT service platform. The intelligent tourism system is designed from the overall system architecture to the design of each functional module of the system, and the database design is completed with the help of the database E-R diagram. At the same time, this paper uses a weighted regression mathematical method to analyze the passenger flow at different stages of the scenic spot by establishing a scenic spot passenger flow prediction model and giving the results of passenger flow prediction for the scenic spot in the next seven days. In addition, this paper conducts a research based on the ant colony algorithm to establish an itinerary planning and recommendation model to recommend an itinerary that meets the needs of scenic tourists and provides reliable tour guidance based on their expected touring time and touring expenses in the scenic area. The method simplifies the solution of service combination problems in the IoT environment by transforming them into service instance preferences within abstract services. The effectiveness of the method is demonstrated through theoretical derivation. On this basis, the residual energy and energy consumption of smart terminal devices abstracted as cumulative aggregation QoS attributes, and an energy consumption balancing service combination method based on cumulative aggregation QoS is proposed. The countermeasures and suggestions are proposed to increase tourism publicity and give full play to the advantages of tourism resources; strengthen tourism environment monitoring and improve the legal and regulatory system; raise tourism construction funds and strengthen infrastructure construction; improve residents’ participation and promote healthy tourism development, as well as to make long-term planning and innovate the management mode; establish a coordinating body and improve the supervision system; establish government macro-control and formulate regulations; and strengthen the management function and the management optimization strategy of cultivating grassroots organizations. Through experimental comparison with other methods, the results show that the method ensures the lifecycle and stability of the entire service portfolio workflow while providing low-energy portfolio services.