bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Long‐Term Administration of Abacavir and Etravirine Impairs Semen Quality and Alters Redox System and Bone Metabolism in Growing Male Wistar Rats
Authors: Matuszewska Agnieszka , Nowak Beata , Niżański Wojciech , Eberhardt Maria , Domrazek Kinga , Nikodem Anna , Wiatrak Benita , Zduniak Krzysztof , Olejnik Kamil , Merwid-Ląd Anna , Tomkalski Tomasz , Jędrzejuk Diana , Szeląg Ewa , Podhorska-Okołów Marzenna , Piotrowska Aleksandra , Jęśkowiak Izabela , Heinrich Agata , Rutkowska Maria , Dziewiszek Wojciech , Sozański Tomasz , Kwiatkowska Joanna , Jawień Paulina , Bolanowski Marek , Szeląg Adam
Published: August 2021

Highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) is used in HIV‐infected patients. Alongside the prolongation of patients’ life, adverse side effects associated with long‐term therapy are becoming an increasing problem. Therefore, optimizing of HAART is extremely important. The study is aimed at evaluating the toxicity of abacavir and etravirine in monotherapy on the reproductive system, liver, kidneys, and bones in young, sexually mature, male rats. Thirty‐six 8‐week‐old male Wistar rats randomized into three 12‐animal groups received either normal saline (control), abacavir 60 mg/kg (AB group), or etravirine 40 mg/kg (ET group) once daily for 16 weeks. Semen morphology, oxide–redox state parameters (MDA, SOD, catalase, GPx, glutathione, GSH/GSSG ratio) in tissue homogenates (testes, liver, kidneys), and serum samples were studied. In bones, microcomputed tomography and a four‐point bending test were performed. Total sperm count, sperm concentration, motility, and sperm morphology did not differ significantly in AB or ET groups compared to the control. In the flow cytometry of semen, an increased percentage of cells with denatured DNA was noticed for both tested drugs. However, no significant changes of oxide–redox state in testicular homogenates were found, except of increased SOD activity in the AB‐receiving group. Additionally, ET significantly altered catalase and GPx in the liver and SOD activity in kidneys. Abacavir decreased catalase in the liver and GSH levels in kidneys. AB caused significant changes to bone microarchitecture (bone volume fraction, trabecular number, connectivity density, total porosity) and increased Young’s modulus. Etravirine had a greater impact on macrometric parameters of bones (tibial index, mid‐tibial diameter, femur length). After 4 weeks in the ET group, a lower 1,25‐dihydroxyvitamin D3 serum concentration was found. The results showed that abacavir and etravirine disturb oxidative stress. An increase in the percentage of sperms with chromatin damage suggests decreased fertility in rats receiving the studied drugs. Both drugs affected bone formation in growing rats. Additionally, etravirine disturbed vitamin D metabolism.
Efficacy of Voriconazole Corneal Intrastromal Injection for the Treatment of Fungal Keratitis
Authors: Li Chenshuang , Pang Kunpeng , Du Liqun , Wu Xinyi
Published: August 2021

Purpose. To evaluate efficacy and safety of novel tricyclic corneal stroma injection (TCSI) voriconazole for the treatment of fungal keratitis. Methods. This retrospective cohort study included data of 57 patients (57 eyes) with fungal keratitis. The TCSI group consisted of 27 patients (27 eyes) who were injected voriconazole once via TCSI procedure within one week after enrollment, in addition to conventional antifungal treatment. The control group consisted of 30 patients (30 eyes) who were treated using conventional antifungal treatment modalities. The outcome measures consist of the 3-week and 3-month best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) values and size of infiltrate or scar, time to re-epithelialization, corneal perforation rate and/or therapeutic penetrating keratoplasty (TPK) requirement, the preoperative and post-TCSI corneal endothelial cell density (ECD), and the intraocular pressure (IOP) of the treated eye and the respective contralateral eye. Results. There were no significant differences in the baseline demographic and clinical characteristics between the two groups. 3 weeks and 3 months after enrollment, the TCSI group exhibited an increase in visual acuity (

P
<
0.05

), and there was no significant difference in the size of infiltrate or scar between two groups (

P
>
0.05

). Time to re-epithelialization was shorter in the TCSI group than in the control group (

P
<
0.05

). There was no statistically significant difference between corneal ECD on the day before and 7 days after TCSI and the IOP of treated and contralateral healthy eyes on the day before and 1 day, 3 days, 7 days, and 1 month after TCSI (

P
>
0.05

). The difference in the risk of perforation and/or TPK requirement was not statistically significant between two groups (

P
>
0.05

). Conclusion. Localized injection of voriconazole using TCSI may be a minimally invasive, safe, and effective adjuvant treatment modality for fungal keratitis.
On Ćirić-Prešić Operators in Metric Spaces
Authors: Boonsri Narongsuk , Saejung Satit , Sitthikul Kittipong
Published: August 2021

We show that the Prešić type operators of several variables can be regarded as an operator of a single variable and the fixed point problem of Prešić type can be regarded as a classical fixed point problem. We extend the recent result of Ćirić and Prešić by using the classical approach of Prešić. The key of the proof is based on the mappings introduced by Kada, Suzuki, and Takahashi. We also discuss the convergence problems of recursive real sequences and the Volterra integral equations as an application of our result.
Initial Clinical Experience with the Biodegradable AbsnowTM Device for Percutaneous Closure of Atrial Septal Defect: A 3-Year Follow-Up
Authors: Li Yifan , Xie Yumei , Li Boning , Xie Zhaofeng , Shen Junjun , Wang Shushui , Zhang Zhiwei
Published: August 2021

Objective. We reported the 3-year follow-up results of initial clinical experience with the AbsnowTM device, a novel biodegradable occluder for percutaneous closure of atrial septal defect (ASD). Background. The AbsnowTM device is a total biodegradable septal occluder with double-disc poly-L-lactic acid (PLLA) framework and PLLA membranes intergraded into the device to ensure its biodegradability, clinical safety, and efficacy. Methods. Five pediatric patients were enrolled from May to June 2018 in our institution and were followed up for 3 years. A clinical evaluation and transthoracic echocardiography were performed at 24 hr, 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, 12 months, and yearly after implantation. Primary endpoints were a composite clinical success, comprising of clinical closure success and safety at the 36-month follow-up evaluation. Secondary endpoints included technical success, procedure success, closure success, and safety at each of the follow-up visits. Results. The median subject age was 3.6 years (range 3.1–6.5 years). The mean ASD diameter was (13.7 ± 2.9) mm. The median device size was 20 mm (range 14 to 24 mm). Technical and procedure success was achieved in 100% (5/5) of the patients. At 2-year follow-up, 3 of the 5 patients developed new-onset residual shunts and 2 of them reached a moderate degree. At 3-year follow-up, the residual shunt size increased over time in all the 3 patients, and 1 of them had right ventricular enlargement. All of the 5 patients were free from serious adverse events during the 3-year follow-up, with no device embolization, thromboembolization, or reintervention to the target defect. Conclusion. This 3-year follow-up result of initial experience with the biodegradable AbsnowTM device has demonstrated acceptable safety with no procedural complications. Notably, the high rate of residual shunt significantly affected its efficacy. The long-term safety and efficacy of the device should be further evaluated in a large cohort of patients in future studies.
Evaluation of Pulsed Electromagnetic Field Effects: A Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis on Highlights of Two Decades of Research In Vitro Studies
Authors: Mansourian Mahsa , Shanei Ahmad
Published: August 2021

Pulsed electromagnetic field (PEMF) therapy is a type of physical stimulation that affects biological systems by producing interfering or coherent fields. Given that cell types are significantly distinct, which represents an important factor in stimulation, and that PEMFs can have different effects in terms of frequency and intensity, time of exposure, and waveform. This study is aimed at investigating if distinct positive and negative responses would correspond to specific characteristics of cells, frequency and flux density, time of exposure, and waveform. Necessary data were abstracted from the experimental observations of cell‐based in vitro models. The observations were obtained from 92 publications between the years 1999 and 2019, which are available on PubMed and Web of Science databases. From each of the included studies, type of cells, pulse frequency of exposure, exposure flux density, and assayed cell responses were extracted. According to the obtained data, most of the experiments were carried out on human cells, and out of 2421 human cell experiments, cell changes were observed only in 51.05% of the data. In addition, the results pointed out the potential effects of PEMFs on some human cell types such as MG‐63 human osteosarcoma cells (p value < 0.001) and bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells. However, human osteogenic sarcoma SaOS‐2 (p < 0.001) and human adipose‐derived mesenchymal stem cells (AD‐MSCs) showed less sensitivity to PEMFs. Nevertheless, the evidence suggests that frequencies higher than 100 Hz, flux densities between 1 and 10 mT, and chronic exposure more than 10 days would be more effective in establishing a cellular response. This study successfully reported useful information about the role of cell type and signal characteristic parameters, which were of high importance for targeted therapies using PEMFs. Our findings would provide a deeper understanding about the effect of PEMFs in vitro, which could be useful as a reference for many in vivo experiments or preclinical trials.
A Holistic Performance Comparison for Lung Cancer Classification Using Swarm Intelligence Techniques
Authors: Prabhakar Sunil Kumar , Rajaguru Harikumar , Won Dong-Ok
Published: August 2021

In the field of bioinformatics, feature selection in classification of cancer is a primary area of research and utilized to select the most informative genes from thousands of genes in the microarray. Microarray data is generally noisy, is highly redundant, and has an extremely asymmetric dimensionality, as the majority of the genes present here are believed to be uninformative. The paper adopts a methodology of classification of high dimensional lung cancer microarray data utilizing feature selection and optimization techniques. The methodology is divided into two stages; firstly, the ranking of each gene is done based on the standard gene selection techniques like Information Gain, Relief–F test, Chi-square statistic, and T-statistic test. As a result, the gathering of top scored genes is assimilated, and a new feature subset is obtained. In the second stage, the new feature subset is further optimized by using swarm intelligence techniques like Grasshopper Optimization (GO), Moth Flame Optimization (MFO), Bacterial Foraging Optimization (BFO), Krill Herd Optimization (KHO), and Artificial Fish Swarm Optimization (AFSO), and finally, an optimized subset is utilized. The selected genes are used for classification, and the classifiers used here are Naïve Bayesian Classifier (NBC), Decision Trees (DT), Support Vector Machines (SVM), and K-Nearest Neighbour (KNN). The best results are shown when Relief-F test is computed with AFSO and classified with Decision Trees classifier for hundred genes, and the highest classification accuracy of 99.10% is obtained.
Enhancing Metacognitive Scaffolding and Comprehension Ability through Problem-Based Learning in an EFL Context
Authors: Berenji Sepideh
Published: August 2021

Successful reading necessitates the application of metacognitive reading strategies, which have been proven to be effective in enhancing comprehension in EFL contexts. This quasiexperimental study, thus, aimed to implement a problem-based learning method (PBL) in an EFL instructional setting to investigate its effect on EFL learners’ metacognitive reading strategies awareness and use and their comprehension ability. Two groups of students at the elementary level, one experimental (N = 40) and one control (N = 40) were selected. Their homogeneity in English proficiency was probed by Key English Test (KET). The experimental group received PBL and the control group followed the explicit lecture-based teaching method. The two groups completed pre- and posttest of metacognitive awareness of reading strategies inventory (MARSI) and reading comprehension. The findings based on univariate analysis of covariance indicated that the experimental group had high metacognitive reading strategies awareness and enhanced their comprehension ability to a high extent. Practitioners should pay special attention to the PBL method in EFL contexts if they want to enhance metacognitive strategies awareness and cultivate effective reading.
Optimal Preview Controller for Linear Discrete-Time Systems: A Virtual System Method
Authors: Wu Jiang , Zhang Huali , Fan Denggui
Published: August 2021

In this paper, a new method for the design of the preview controller for a class of discrete-time systems is proposed based on the virtual system. Firstly, by taking the known future reference signal as the output, the virtual system with similar structures to the controlled system is constructed. Then, the augmented error system is received by translating the controlled system to it and by integrating the error equation. Thus, the tracking problem of the controlled system is transformed into the regulation problem of the augmented error system. Secondly, in view of the minimum principle, the optimal controller of the augmented error system is acquired, and the preview controller of the controlled system is also gained. Further, by discussing the stabilizability and detectability of the augmented error system, the conditions for the existence of the unique positive semidefinite solution to an algebraic Riccati equation are obtained. By using the method in this paper, making difference and dimension expansion for the state equation in designing the augmented error system is avoided and the output can track the reference signals better. Finally, the numerical simulation shows the effectiveness of the proposed controller.
Tourism Information Data Processing Method Based on Multi‐Source Data Fusion
Authors: Li YaoGuang , Gan HeChi
Published: August 2021

Urban social civilization and the quality of life of residents are gradually improved, and the development scale and trend of the leisure tourism industry have been growing. This paper constructs a multi‐source data fusion model based on an ensemble learning algorithm, uses Ctrip 2020 open data set to train the model, and then obtains the tourism information data processing and prediction results. This paper takes the data of Ctrip as the training set and compares the trained model with the data of tunic and Feizhu. In this paper, sensor detection technology is used to analyze many famous scenic spots in China, including tourist type, gender, and location. The results show that tourism feature extraction results are consistent with data from trending flying bamboo, tunics, and other websites, according to the results of a multi‐source fusion of tourism information. Among them, in the data of the first half of 2020, the prediction accuracy of the model after data processing is about 62%. Affected by the epidemic situation, the accuracy of the model is low. In the second half of the year, the prediction accuracy is 78%, which can be used to fuse tourism information in a short time. Therefore, the data show that the model has high learning ability and high trend prediction ability in tourism data processing, which can provide necessary information support for tourists.
κ Opioid Receptor Agonist Inhibits Myocardial Injury in Heart Failure Rats through Activating Nrf2/HO‐1 Pathway and Regulating Ca2+‐SERCA2a
Authors: Wu Tengfei , Yao Hui , Zhang Binghua , Zhou Shenglai , Hou Ping , Chen Keyan
Published: August 2021

Objectives. We aimed to observe the protective effect of κ opioid receptor (κ‐OR) agonist on myocardial injury in heart failure (HF) rats and its effect on Ca2+‐SERCA2a and to explore the regulatory mechanism with the Nrf2/HO‐1 signaling pathway. Methods. 50 Sprague‐Dawley rats were randomly divided into the following groups: the sham operation group (sham group), HF model group (HF group), HF+κ‐OR agonist U50488 group (HU group), HF+U50488H+novel calmodulin‐dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) agonist (oleic acid) (HUO group), and HF+U50488H+Nrf2 inhibitor (HUM group). The HF rat’s model was established through surgical ligation of the left anterior descending coronary artery and the exhausting swimming exercise. After that, rat’s cardiac function was monitored by echocardiography. HE and MASSON staining was used to detect the myocardial injury, and TUNEL staining was used to detect the myocardial apoptosis. ELISA was performed to detect the biomarkers of oxidative stress. Moreover, the distribution of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and Nrf2 was detected under immunofluorescence. The expression of sarco/endoplasmic reticulum calcium (Ca2+) ATPase (SERCA) 2a, calmodulin, endoplasmic reticulum stress‐ (ERS‐) related proteins, and Nrf2/HO‐1 signaling pathway‐related proteins were detected by Western Blotting. Results. κ‐OR agonist U50488H can significantly enhance rat’s cardiac function, reduce the injury and apoptosis of myocardial cells, and alleviate endoplasmic reticulum stress injury in HF rats via upregulating the SERCA2a expression and inhibiting the Ca2+ influx. Furthermore, U50488H could also inhibit the phosphorylation of CaMKII and cAMP‐response element binding protein (CREB). Additionally, administration of CaMKII‐specific agonist could partially block the therapeutic effect of κ‐OR agonist on the myocardium of HF rats. Interestingly, the antagonist of Nrf2 could also significantly reverse the therapeutic effect of κ‐OR agonist. Therefore, these results suggested that the effect of U50488H on HF rats is dependent on regulating CaMKII phosphorylation and activating the Nrf2/HO‐1 pathway. Conclusion. κ‐OR agonists U50488H can improve ERS in cardiomyocytes and relieve myocardial injury in HF rats through activating the Nrf2/HO‐1 pathway and regulating Ca2+‐SERCA2a to inhibit Ca2+ influx.
Identification of the Molecular Basis of Nanocurcumin-Induced Telocyte Preservation within the Colon of Ulcerative Colitis Rat Model
Authors: Arafat Eetmad A. , Marzouk Rehab Elsayed , Mostafa Sally Abdallah , Hamed Walaa H. E.
Published: August 2021

Background. Telocytes (TCs) are a distinct type of interstitial cells that play a vital role in the pathogenesis of ulcerative colitis and colonic tissue hemostasis. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of nanocurcumin (NC) on the morphometric and immunohistochemical characterization of TCs in the ulcerative colitis (UC) rat model. Methods. Forty rats were randomly divided into control, NC, UC, and UC+NC groups. At the end of the experiment, the colon was dissected and prepared for histopathological and immunohistochemical assessment. Tissue homogenates were prepared for real-time PCR assessment of interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), and transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β) gene expression. Our results revealed extensive mucosal damage with inflammatory cell infiltration, significant reduction of CD34, and vimentin immunostained TCs in the colon of the UC group with significant elevation of expression of IL-6, TNF-α, and TGF-β. The UC+NC-treated group revealed significant elevation of TC count compared to the UC group besides, a significant reduction of the three gene expression. Conclusion. NC successfully targeted the colonic tissue, improved the mucosal lesion, preserve TCs distribution, and count through its anti-inflammatory and fibrinolytic properties.
Indoor Acoustic Signals Enhanced Algorithm and Visualization Analysis
Authors: Yan Suqing , Luo Xiaonan , Sun Xiyan , Xiao Jianming , Jiang Jingyue
Published: August 2021

A pure acoustic signal can be easy to realize signal analysis and feature extraction. However, the surrounding noises will affect the content of acoustic signals as well as auditory fatigue to the audience. Therefore, it is vital to overcome the problem of noises that affect the acoustic signal. An indoor acoustic signal enhanced method based on image source (IS) method, filtered‐x least mean square (FxLMS) algorithm, and the combination of Delaunay triangulation and fuzzy c‐means (FCM) clustering algorithm is proposed. In the first stage of the proposed system, the IS method was used to simulate indoor impulse response. Next, the FxLMS algorithm was used to reduce the acoustic signals with noise. Lastly, the quiet areas are optimized and visualized by combining the Delaunay triangulation and FCM clustering algorithm. The experimental analysis results on the proposed system show that better noise reduction can be achieved than the most widely used least mean square algorithm. Visualization was validated with an intuitive understanding of the indoor sound field distribution and the quiet areas.
A Novel Three-Dimensional Path Planning Method for Fixed-Wing UAV Using Improved Particle Swarm Optimization Algorithm
Authors: Huang Chen
Published: August 2021

This paper proposed an improved particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm to solve the three-dimensional problem of path planning for the fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) in the complex environment. The improved PSO algorithm (called DCA

∗

PSO) based dynamic divide-and-conquer (DC) strategy and modified

A
∗

algorithm is designed to reach higher precision for the optimal flight path. In the proposed method, the entire path is divided into multiple segments, and these segments are evolved in parallel by using DC strategy, which can convert the complex high-dimensional problem into several parallel low-dimensional problems. In addition,

A
∗

algorithm is adopted to generated an optimal path from the particle swarm, which can avoid premature convergence and enhance global search ability. When DCA

∗

PSO is used to solve the large-scale path planning problem, an adaptive dynamic strategy of the segment selection is further developed to complete an effective variable grouping according to the cost. To verify the optimization performance of DCA

∗

PSO algorithm, the real terrain data is utilized to test the performance for the route planning. The experiment results show that the proposed DCA

∗

PSO algorithm can effectively obtain better optimization results in solving the path planning problem of UAV, and it takes on better optimization ability and stability. In addition, DCA

∗

PSO algorithm is proved to search a feasible route in the complex environment with a large number of the waypoints by the experiment.
Naloxone Protects against Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Neuroinflammation and Microglial Activation via Inhibiting ATP-Sensitive Potassium Channel
Authors: Tang Zhijia , Shao Xiaobao , Wu Jun , Chen Hucheng , Zhang Anyu , Xu Fei , Ping He , Li Shiwei , Liu Chunyan , Li Yijun , Xue Xue , Yuan Binbin
Published: August 2021

Aim. The aim of this study was to evaluate the anti-inflammatory effects and underlying mechanism of naloxone on lipopolysaccharide- (LPS-) induced neuronal inflammation and microglial activation. Methods. LPS-treated microglial BV-2 cells and mice were used to investigate the anti-inflammatory effects of naloxone. Results. The results showed that naloxone dose-dependently promoted cell proliferation in LPS-induced BV-2 cells, downregulated the expression of proinflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6) and proinflammatory enzymes iNOS and COX-2 as well as the expression of free radical molecule NO, and reduced the expression of Iba-1-positive microglia in LPS-stimulated BV-2 cells and mouse brain. Moreover, naloxone improved LPS-induced behavior degeneration in mice. Mechanically, naloxone inhibited LPS-induced activation in the ATP-sensitive potassium (KATP) channel. However, the presence of glibenclamide (Glib), an antagonist of KATP channel, ameliorated the suppressive effects of naloxone on inflammation and microglial activation. Conclusion. Naloxone prevented LPS-induced neuroinflammation and microglial activation partially through the KATP channel. These findings might highlight the potential of naloxone in neuroinflammation therapy.
Structural Balance of Social Internet of Things Networks with Ambiguous Relationships
Authors: Zhang Hongfei , Zhu Li , Du Haifeng , Zhang Li , Zhang Kaiqi , Yan Yutian , Wang Chaobo
Published: August 2021

In the social Internet of Things, social networks can be built among smart objects or between smart objects and people just like human beings. One of the factors that determines the effect and efficiency of service matching in SIoT is the structure of social networks. In this paper, we exploit the theory of structural balance in signed networks to optimize SIoT network structures to provide a friendly and stable environment as well as a solid foundation for service matching of social Internet of Things. Next, besides being friends or enemies, which are traditional relationships of structural balance or structural changes in signed networks, in our research, we introduce the ambiguous relationship which is the certain state between the hostile and the friendly status and we discuss the meaning and significance of ambiguous relationship in dynamical changes of structural balance in SIoT networks. Based on previous studies, we apply an enhanced objective function and a modified approach concerning the ambiguous relationship towards the dynamical change process. Experiments show that our approach is more effective and efficient than former studies in optimizing dynamical evolution of structural balance in signed networks of SIoT.
Improved Salt Tolerance of Lamtoro (Leucaena leucocephala) through the Application of Indigenous Mycorrhiza
Authors: Delvian Delvian , Hartanto Adrian
Published: August 2021

Salt stress is one of the serious abiotic stressors which limit the growth and development of important crops in agricultural lands. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) have been implemented as a strategy to mitigate the adverse effects due to an impact of salt stress through the structural and physiological adjustment. This study aimed to determine a relationship between salinity levels (0, 150, 300, and 450 mM NaCl) and AMF treatments (Glomus manihotis, Glomus etunicatum, and G. manihotis + G. etunicatum) to the salt tolerance of Leucaena leucocephala seedlings in a greenhouse. Salinity reduced the plant height, biomass, and root colonization by AMF. However, the inoculation of AMF, especially the consortium, ameliorated the negative effects by stabilizing the growth performance and supporting the photosynthetic outputs through optimum nutrient and mineral absorptions. These results were indicative through a significant interaction between salinity levels and the types of AMF treatment in all parameters except in the total leaf protein and proline contents from the two-way ANOVA results. Root colonization was highly correlated with the plant height, biomass, and total carbohydrate content with a maximum contribution conferred by the AMF consortium, based on Pearson’s correlation coefficient test and PCA analysis. Our study then showed the positive impact of AMF toward salt tolerance by L. leucocephala with potential application and cultivation in salt-stressed ecosystems.
The Efficacy of Radiotherapy for Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma under Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Authors: Zhang Hao , Guo Linlin , He Pengfei , Chang Zheng
Published: August 2021

This study aimed to analyze the application value of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) in the diagnosis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NC) radiotherapy. In this study, 102 patients with NC were selected as the experimental group (EG), and 58 healthy people examined in hospital were included in a control group (CG). All subjects were required to be examined with routine magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and DTI before and after the treatment. The fractional anisotropy (FA) of the patients in EG before and after treatment and the CG were recorded. The apparent diffusion coefficients (ADC) of patients in the two groups were measured and recorded before and after the treatment. The recovery rate and adverse events of the patients in EG were observed and recorded after the treatment. The results showed that the FA values of the right cerebellum and left parietal lobe (LPL) of patients after treatment in the EG were much higher than those before treatment and the CG (

P

 < 0.05); the FA values of the right temporal lobe (RTL), right occipital lobe (ROL), and right parietal lobe (RPL) after treatment in the EG were obviously lower than those before the treatment and the CG (

P

 < 0.05); the complete remission rate (CRR) of the EG after treatment was greatly higher than the partial remission rate (PRR) and disease stability rate (DSR) (

P

 < 0.05), and the objective remission rate (ORR) and disease control rate (DCR) were higher than 90%, respectively. The ADC value of the EG before treatment was (0.752 ± 0.021) × 10−3 mm2/s, which was visibly lower than that after treatment ((1.365 ± 0.058) × 10−3 mm2/s) and that in the CG ((1.856 ± 0.079)) × 10−3 mm2/s), showing statistically obvious differences (

P

 < 0.05). The incidence of anemia, oral reactions, hypertension, and gastrointestinal reaction in the EG after treatment was 61.46%, 45.35%, 47.28%, and 39.67%, respectively. In short, the FA value of DTI parameter could clearly indicate the changes in brain area characteristics of NC patients before and after treatment. The RTL, ROL, and RPL of NC patients were damaged after radiotherapy, and the FA value decreased observably, which may be related to brain edema and demyelination changes. The damage of white matter microstructure in each brain area further affected the cognitive function of the patient.
[Retracted] A Formal Verification Method of Compilation Based on C Safety Subset
Authors: Tan Yu , Ma Dianfu , Qiao Lei
Published: August 2021

With the rapid increase in the number of wireless terminals and the openness of wireless networks, the security of wireless communication is facing serious challenges. The safety and security of computer communication have always been a research hotspot, especially the wireless communication that still has a more complex architecture which leads to more safety problems in the communication system development. In recent years, more and more wireless communication systems are applied in the safety‐critical field which tends to need high safety guarantees. A compiler is an important tool for system development, and its safety and reliability have an important impact on the development of safety‐critical software. As the strictest method, formal verification methods have been widely paid attention to in compiler verification, but the current formal verification methods have some problems, such as high proof complexity, weak verification ability, and low algorithm efficiency. In this paper, a compiler formal verification method based on safety C subsets is proposed. By abstracting the concept of C grammar units from safety C subsets, the formal verification of the compiler is transformed into the verification of limited C grammar units. In this paper, an axiom system of first‐order logic and special axioms are introduced. On this axiom system, the semantic consistency verification of C grammar unit and target code pattern is completed by means of theorem proving, and the formal verification of the compiler is completed.
Long Noncoding RNA MALAT1 Interacts with miR-124-3p to Modulate Osteosarcoma Progression by Targeting SphK1
Authors: Liu Bin , Zhan Xinli , Liu Chong
Published: August 2021

Introduction. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been implicated in a variety of biological functions, including tumor proliferation, apoptosis, progression, and metastasis. lncRNA metastasis-associated lung adenocarcinoma transcript 1 (MALAT1) is overexpressed in various cancers, as well as osteosarcoma (OS); however, its underlying mechanism in OS is poorly understood. This investigation aims to elucidate the mechanisms of MALAT1 in OS proliferation and migration and to provide theoretical grounding for further targeted therapy in OS. Methods. In the present study, we applied qRT-PCR to assess the MALAT1 expression in OS tissues and cell lines. The effects of MALAT1 and miR-124-3p on OS cell proliferation and migration were studied by CCK-8 and scratch assays. Cell cycle and apoptosis were tested using a flow cytometer. The competing relationship between MALAT1 and miR-124-3p was confirmed by dual-luciferase reporter assay. Results. MALAT1 was overexpressed in OS cell lines and tissue specimens, and knockdown of MALAT1 significantly inhibited cell proliferation and migration and increased cell apoptosis and the percentage of G0/G1 phase. Furthermore, MALAT1 could directly bind to miR-124-3p and inhibit miR-124-3p expression. Moreover, MALAT1 overexpression significantly relieved the inhibition on OS cell proliferation mediated by miR-124-3p overexpression, which involved the derepression of sphingosine kinase 1 (SphK1). Conclusions. We propose that lncRNA MALAT1 interacts with miR-124-3p to modulate OS progression by targeting SphK1. Hence, we identified a novel MALAT1/miR-124-3p/SphK1 signaling pathway in the regulation of OS biological behaviors.
State Characteristic Clustering for Nonintrusive Load Monitoring with Stochastic Behaviours in Smart Grids
Authors: Yao Ruotian , Zhou Hong , Zhou Dongguo , Zhang Heng
Published: August 2021

Integrating the nonintrusive load monitoring (NILM) technology into smart meters poses challenges in demand‐side management (DSM) of the smart grid when capturing detailed power information and stochastic consumption behaviours, due to the difficulties in accurately detecting load operation states in real household environments with the limited information available. In this paper, a state characteristic clustering (SCC) approach is presented for promoting the performance of event detection in NILM, which makes full use of multidimensional characteristic information. After identifying different types of state domains in an established multidimensional characteristic space, we design a sliding window difference search method (SWDS) to extract their initial clustering centre. Meanwhile, the mean‐shift updating and iterating procedures are conducted to find the potential terminal stable state according to the probability density function. The above control strategy considers the transient events and stable states in a time‐series dataset simultaneously, which thus allows the exact state of complex events to be obtained in a fluctuating environment. Moreover, a multisegment computing scheme is applied for fast computing in the state characteristic clustering process. Experiments of three different cases on both our real household dataset and REDD public dataset are provided to reveal the higher performance of the proposed SCC approach over the existing related methods.
Bilirubin Oxidation End Products (BOXes) Induce Neuronal Oxidative Stress Involving the Nrf2 Pathway
Authors: Lu Yinzhong , Zhang Wenyi , Zhang Bing , Heinemann Stefan H. , Hoshi Toshinori , Hou Shangwei , Zhang Guangming
Published: August 2021

Delayed ischemic neurological deficit (DIND) is a severe complication after subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). Previous studies have suggested that bilirubin oxidation end products (BOXes) are probably associated with the DIND after SAH, but there is a lack of direct evidence yet even on cellular levels. In the present study, we aim to explore the potential role of BOXes and the involved mechanisms in neuronal function. We synthesized high‐purity (>97%) BOX A and BOX B isomers. The pharmacokinetics showed they are permeable to the blood‐brain barrier. Exposure of a moderate concentration (10 or 30 μM) of BOX A or BOX B to isolated primary cortical neurons increased the production of reactive oxygen species. In the human neuroblastoma SH‐SY5Y cells, BOX A and BOX B decreased the mitochondrial membrane potential and enhanced nuclear accumulation of the protein Nrf2 implicated in oxidative injury repair. In addition, both chemicals increased the mRNA and protein expression levels of multiple antioxidant response genes including Hmox1, Gsta3, Blvrb, Gclm, and Srxn1, indicating that the antioxidant response element (ARE) transcriptional cascade driven by Nrf2 is activated. In conclusion, we demonstrated that primary cortical neurons and neuroblastoma cells undergo an adaptive response against BOX A‐ and BOX B‐mediated oxidative stress by activation of multiple antioxidant responses, in part through the Nrf2 pathway, which provides in‐depth insights into the pathophysiological mechanism of DIND after SAH or other neurological dysfunctions related to cerebral hemorrhage.
The Impact of the Declaration of the State of Emergency on the Spread of COVID-19: A Modeling Analysis
Authors: Chen Zhongxiang , Sun Siqiang , Zhao Wenhui , Liu Zhaoru , Zhao Xinyao , Huang Xiuxiang , Pan Jiaji
Published: August 2021

When encountering the outbreak and early spreading of COVID-19, the Government of Japan imposed gradually upgraded restriction policies and declared the state of emergency in April 2020 for the first time. To evaluate the efficacy of the countering strategies in different periods, we constructed a SEIADR (susceptible-exposed-infected-asymptomatic-documented-recovered) model to simulate the cases and determined corresponding spreading coefficients. The effective reproduction number

R

t

was obtained to evaluate the measures controlling the COVID-19 conducted by the Government of Japan during different stages. It was found that the strict containing strategies during the state of emergency period drastically inhibit the COVID-19 trend.

R

t

was decreased to 1.1123 and 0.8911 in stages 4 and 5 (a state of emergency in April and May 2020) from 3.5736, 2.0126, 3.0672 in the previous three stages when the containing strategies were weak. The state of emergency was declared again in view of the second wave of massive infections in January 2021. We estimated the cumulative infected cases and additional days to contain the COVID-19 transmission for the second state of emergency using this model.

R

t

was 1.028 which illustrated that the strategies were less effective than the previous state of emergency. Finally, the overall infected population was predicted using combined isolation and testing intensity; the effectiveness and the expected peak time were evaluated. If using the optimized control strategies in the current stage, the spread of COVID-19 in Japan could be controlled within 30 days. The total confirmed cases should reduce to less than

4.2
×

10

5

by April 2021. This model study suggested stricter isolating measures may be required to shorten the period of the state of emergency.
Data‐driven Learning Algorithm of Neural Fuzzy Based Hammerstein‐Wiener System
Authors: Li Feng , Luo Yinsheng , He Naibao , Gu Ya , Cao Qingfeng
Published: August 2021

A novel data‐driven learning approach of nonlinear system represented by neural fuzzy Hammerstein‐Wiener model is presented. The Hammerstein‐Wiener system has two static nonlinear blocks represented by two independent neural fuzzy models surrounding a dynamic linear block described by finite impulse response model. The multisignal theory is designed for employing Hammerstein‐Wiener system to separate parameter learning issues. To begin with, the output nonlinearity parameters are learned utilizing separable signal with different amplitudes. Furthermore, correlation analysis method is implemented for estimating linear block parameters using separable signal inputs and outputs; thereby, the interference of process noise is effectively handled. Finally, multi‐innovation learning technology is introduced to improve system learning accuracy, and then, multi‐innovation extended stochastic gradient algorithm is obtained for optimizing input nonlinearity and noise model using multi‐innovation technique and gradient search method. The simulation results display that presented data‐driven learning approach has the availability of learning Hammerstein‐Wiener system.
Lactobacillus plantarum Exhibits Antioxidant and Cytoprotective Activities in Porcine Intestinal Epithelial Cells Exposed to Hydrogen Peroxide
Authors: Wang Jing , Zhang Wei , Wang Sixin , Wang Yamin , Chu Xu , Ji Haifeng
Published: August 2021

Probiotics are widely used for protection against stress‐induced intestinal dysfunction. Oxidative stress plays a critical role in gastrointestinal disorders. It is established that probiotics alleviate oxidative stress; however, the mechanism of action has not been elucidated. We developed an in vitro intestinal porcine epithelial cells (IPEC‐J2) model of oxidative stress to explore the antioxidant effect and potential mode of action of Lactobacillus plantarum ZLP001. The IPEC‐J2 cells were preincubated with and without L. plantarum ZLP001 for 3 h and then exposed to hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) for 4 h. Pretreatment with L. plantarum ZLP001 protected IPEC‐J2 cells against H2O2‐induced oxidative damage as indicated by cell viability assays and significantly alleviated apoptosis elicited by H2O2. L. plantarum ZLP001 pretreatment decreased reactive oxygen species production and the cellular malondialdehyde concentration and increased the mitochondrial membrane potential compared with H2O2 treatment alone, suggesting that L. plantarum ZLP001 promotes the maintenance of redox homeostasis in the cells. Furthermore, L. plantarum ZLP001 regulated the expression and generation of some antioxidant enzymes, thereby activating the antioxidant defense system. Treatment with L. plantarum ZLP001 led to nuclear erythroid 2‐related factor 2 (Nrf2) enrichment in the nucleus compared with H2O2 treatment alone. Knockdown of Nrf2 significantly weakened the alleviating effect of L. plantarum ZLP001 on antioxidant stress in IPEC‐J2 cells, suggesting that Nrf2 is involved in the antioxidative effect of L. plantarum ZLP001. Collectively, these results indicate that L. plantarum ZLP001 is a promising probiotic bacterium that can potentially alleviate oxidative stress.
PWM-VSI Diagnostic and Reconfiguration Method Based on Fuzzy Logic Approach for SSTPI-Fed IM Drives under IGBT OCFs
Authors: Zdiri Mohamed Ali , Ben Ammar Mohsen , Ben Salem Fatma , Hadj Abdallah Hsan
Published: August 2021

Due to the importance of the drive system reliability, several diagnostic methods have been investigated for the SSTPI-IM association in the literature. Based on the normalized currents and the current vector slope, this paper investigates a fuzzy diagnostic method for this association. The fuzzy logic technique is appealed in order to process the diagnosis variable symptoms and the faulty IGBT information. Indeed, the design, inputs, and rules of the fuzzy logic are distinct compared with the other existing diagnostic methods. The proposed fuzzy diagnostic method allows the best efficient detection and identification of the single and phase OCF of the SSTPI-IM association. Accordingly, after the fault detection and identification using this proposed FLC diagnostic method, a reconfiguration step of IGBT OCFs must be applied in order to compensate for these faults and ensure the drive system continuity. This reconfiguration is based on the change of the SSTPI-IM topology to the FSTPI-IM topology by activating or deactivating the used relays. Several simulation results utilizing a direct RFOC controlled SSTPI-IM drive system are investigated, showing the fuzzy diagnostic and reconfiguration methods’ performances, their robustness, and their fast fault detection during distinct operating conditions.
Implications on the Therapeutic Potential of Statins via Modulation of Autophagy
Authors: Gorabi Armita Mahdavi , Kiaie Nasim , Aslani Saeed , Sathyapalan Thozhukat , Jamialahmadi Tannaz , Sahebkar Amirhossein
Published: August 2021

Statins, which are functionally known as 3‐hydroxy‐3‐methyl‐glutaryl‐CoA (HMG‐CoA) inhibitors, are lipid‐lowering compounds widely prescribed in patients with cardiovascular diseases (CVD). Several biological and therapeutic functions have been attributed to statins, including neuroprotection, antioxidation, anti‐inflammation, and anticancer effects. Pharmacological characteristics of statins have been attributed to their involvement in the modulation of several cellular signaling pathways. Over the past few years, the therapeutic role of statins has partially been attributed to the induction of autophagy, which is critical in maintaining cellular homeostasis and accounts for the removal of unfavorable cells or specific organelles within cells. Dysregulated mechanisms of the autophagy pathway have been attributed to the etiopathogenesis of various disorders, including neurodegenerative disorders, malignancies, infections, and even aging. Autophagy functions as a double‐edged sword during tumor metastasis. On the one hand, it plays a role in inhibiting metastasis through restricting necrosis of tumor cells, suppressing the infiltration of the inflammatory cell to the tumor niche, and generating the release of mediators that induce potent immune responses against tumor cells. On the other hand, autophagy has also been associated with promoting tumor metastasis. Several anticancer medications which are aimed at inducing autophagy in the tumor cells are related to statins. This review article discusses the implications of statins in the induction of autophagy and, hence, the treatment of various disorders.
Magnetic Resonance Imaging Artifact Elimination in the Diagnosis of Female Pelvic Abscess under Phase Correction Algorithm
Authors: Xia Ying , Chen Shaozheng
Published: August 2021

In order to explore the effect of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) based on phase correction algorithm in diagnosing female pelvic abscess, firstly, the effect of phase correction algorithm on eliminating MRI image motion artifacts was studied, then it was applied to 71 female pelvic cases admitted to our hospital in the diagnosis of abscess patients with magnetic resonance imaging technology, and the results were compared with the results of multislice spiral CT and laparoscopy to explore the accuracy of MRI and CT. It was found that the results of MRI examination were close to those of laparoscopy, and the difference was not statistically significant (

P
>
0.05

); the results of CT examination and laparoscopy were significantly different, and the difference was statistically significant (

P
<
0.05

); in addition, the results of CT examination, the number of bacterial cysts (43 cases) and tuberculous cysts (12 cases), were significantly lower than the results of MRI (50 cases, 18 cases), and the difference was statistically significant (

P
<
0.05

). The size of the mass shown by the MRI examination (4.1  cm × 4.2  cm × 3.9 cm～13.9  cm × 9.5  cm × 8.7 cm) was larger than the size of the mass revealed by the CT examination (5.2  cm × 4.3  cm × 4.1 cm～15.5  cm × 10.1  cm × 9.6 cm), the difference between the two was statistically significant (

P
<
0.05

), and it was closer to the results of laparoscopic pathology (4.1  cm × 4.3  cm × 3.9 cm～14.1  cm × 9.3  cm

P
<
0.05

8.7 cm). In short, the phase correction algorithm could eliminate the motion artifacts of MRI images. In the imaging diagnosis of female pelvic abscess, the MRI diagnosis based on the phase correction algorithm is more ideal than the diagnosis of multislice spiral CT. It can be used as a reference basis for clinical disease treatment.