bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The effect of anxiety, psychopathological symptoms and personality traits on response to treatment in male patients with anogenital warts: a prospective study
Authors: Tyros G. , Papageorgiou C. , Kanelleas A. , Kotsafti O. , Spyridonos E. , Gregoriou S. , Tagka A. , Stratigos A. , Nicolaidou E.
Published: April 2021

Background

In the era of precision medicine, identification of possible predictive factors of clinical response to treatment is fundamental. This need is particularly strong for anogenital warts (AGW), because there are several treatment modalities with different clearance and recurrence rates. However, data regarding the effect of mental health parameters on response to treatment in patients with AGW are lacking.

Objectives

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the association between patients’ mental health parameters and AGW treatment outcomes.

Methods

This was a single‐centre, prospective study that included newly diagnosed male patients with AGW. At their initial visit, all patients completed the State‐Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), the Symptom Checklist‐90‐Revised (SCL‐90‐R) and the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ) questionnaires, which evaluate anxiety, psychopathological manifestations and personality traits, respectively. All patients received cryotherapy until clearance of lesions and were followed up for 18 months for detection of recurrences.

Results

The study included 167 male patients. The mean number of days for AGW clearance was 89 ± 65. During the 18‐month follow‐up, 28% of participants showed a recurrence, after a mean number of 150 ± 132 days. No statistically significant association was detected between questionnaires scores and (a) time needed for AGW clearance, (b) time until 1st recurrence and (c) number of recurrences.

Conclusion

If confirmed, our findings indicate that we may not need to modify our AGW treatment plan according to a patient’s mental health profile.
Global diversity and ecological drivers of lichenised soil fungi
Authors: Liu Yu‐Rong , Eldridge David J. , Zeng Xiao‐Min , Wang Juntao , Singh Brajesh K. , Delgado‐Baquerizo Manuel
Published: April 2021

Lichens play crucial roles in sustaining the functioning of terrestrial ecosystems; however, the diversity and ecological factors associated with lichenised soil fungi remain poorly understood.

To address this knowledge gap, we used a global field survey including information on fungal sequences of topsoils from 235 terrestrial ecosystems.

We identified 880 lichenised fungal phylotypes across nine biomes ranging from deserts to tropical forests. The diversity and proportion of lichenised soil fungi peaked in shrublands and dry grasslands. Aridity index, plant cover and soil pH were the most important factors associated with the distribution of lichenised soil fungi. Furthermore, we identified Endocarpon, Verrucaria and Rinodina as some of the most dominant lichenised genera across the globe, and they had similar environmental preferences to the lichenised fungal community. In addition, precipitation seasonality and mean diurnal temperature range were also important in predicting the proportion of these dominant genera. Using this information, we were able to create the first global maps of the richness and the proportion of dominant genera of lichenised fungi.

This work provides new insight into the global distribution and ecological preferences of lichenised soil fungi, and supports their dominance in drylands across the globe.
A parallel multipoint viewshed analysis method for urban 3D building scenes
Authors: Chen Yuxuan , Chen Jing
Published: April 2021

Viewshed analysis is a spatial analysis method essential for three‐dimensional (3D) scenes. Existing methods are unable to rapidly and accurately analyze the visibility of complex fields formed by multiple viewpoints in 3D building scenes. In this study, a parallel multipoint viewshed analysis method for urban 3D building scenes is proposed. First, an algorithm was developed for the field‐of‐view based viewshed scope construction, enabling pickup and calculation of buildings, then a graphical processing unit based 3D scene depth calculation method was used to determine the visibility index for the complex area formed by multiple viewpoints. Results were visualized using a visibility grading method based on the cumulative visibility index. To evaluate accuracy and efficiency, we applied the algorithm to a building scene in an urban area. Results show that the method is able to compute complex viewshed situations formed by multiple viewpoints in urban 3D building scenes.
Hypoglobulinemia in a dog with disseminated plasma cell neoplasia: Case report and review of the diagnostic criteria
Authors: Brown Juliet E. , Russell Elise B. , Moore A. Russell , Oscos‐Snowball Astrid , Stent Andrew , Courtman Natalie F.
Published: April 2021

This is the first reported case of hypoglobulinemia in a dog with disseminated plasma cell neoplasia. A 6‐year‐old male intact Rottweiler was referred to the U‐Vet Animal Hospital (Werribee, Vic, Australia) for weight loss, hyporexia, lethargy, vomiting, and soft stools. Examination of a buffy coat preparation and splenic and liver aspirates revealed a monomorphic population of plasmacytoid cells, and the same cells comprised approximately 90% of bone marrow samples submitted for cytologic and histologic evaluation. Biochemistry revealed a hypoglobulinemia, and the presence of an M‐protein was not supported by serum and urine protein electrophoresis or serum immunofixation. Immunohistochemistry demonstrated strong nuclear labeling for MUM‐1.
Optimum Design of Wing Structures With Multiple Frequency Constraints
Authors: Venkayya V. B. , Grandhi R. V.
Published: April 2021

In this paper, design optimization of aircraft wing structures with multiple frequency constraints is considered. An optimality criterion algorithm along with a scaling procedure has been used. Large scale structural design problems were considered for demonstrating the reliability and efficiency of the algorithm. A simplified fighter wing, an intermediate complexity wing, and a large wing typical of a transport aircraft were considered as design examples. Design histories and the first few frequencies at the initial and final conditions are presented.
Active Constraint Deduction: A Framework for Expert Systems in Mechanical System Design
Authors: Ishii K. , Barkan P.
Published: April 2021

This paper presents a framework for applying AI techniques to mechanical engineering design. In particular, we focus on the determination of the limiting factors, i.e., the bottlenecks, of system design. We refer to the bottlenecks as active constraints and propose a method called Active Constraint Deduction (ACD.) A Knowledge-base is constructed from the activity-data, each of which includes a constraint predicted to be active, the validity intex that indicates the confidence of the claim, and the justification for the claim. Given a set of design constraints, ACD deduces the candidate active constraints from the system specification. The deduced information is then used in conjunction with monotonicity analysis to determine the actual active constraints on which the design decisions should be based. The use of ACD allows designers to rapidly obtain the optimal solution. We illustrate the proposed method by an example: the system design of coal-fired power generation plants.
Conversational distance adaptation in noise and its effect on signal-to-noise ratio in realistic listening environments
Authors: Weisser Adam , Miles Kelly , Richardson Michael J. , Buchholz Jörg M.
Published: April 2021

Everyday environments impose acoustical conditions on speech communication that require interlocutors to adapt their behavior to be able to hear and to be heard. Past research has focused mainly on the adaptation of speech level, while few studies investigated how interlocutors adapt their conversational distance as a function of noise level. Similarly, no study tested the interaction between distance and speech level adaptation in noise. In the present study, participant pairs held natural conversations while binaurally listening to identical noise recordings of different realistic environments (range of 53–92 dB sound pressure level), using acoustically transparent headphones. Conversations were in standing or sitting (at a table) conditions. Interlocutor distances were tracked using wireless motion-capture equipment, which allowed subjects to move closer or farther from each other. The results show that talkers adapt their voices mainly according to the noise conditions and much less according to distance. Distance adaptation was highest in the standing condition. Consequently, mainly in the loudest environments, listeners were able to improve the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) at the receiver location in the standing condition compared to the sitting condition, which became less negative. Analytical approximations are provided for the conversational distance as well as the receiver-related speech and SNR.
Belowground morphology and population dynamics of two forest understory herbs of contrasting growth forms
Authors: Antos Joseph A. , Zobel Donald B. , Fischer Dylan G.
Published: April 2021

Forest understory herbs exhibit a large range of variation in morphology and life history. Here, we expand the reported range of variation by describing the belowground structures of two very different species, Xerophyllum tenax (Pursh) Nutt. and Chimaphila umbellata (L.) Nutt. We excavated individuals in forests of the Cascade Mountains in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. Xerophyllum tenax has short rhizomes but an extensive root system that is exceptionally large among forest understory species. The roots reach 4 m in length and may occupy an area 50 times that of the aboveground canopy. In contrast, C. umbellata has very small roots but an extensive rhizome system. The largest plant we excavated had 57 m of connected rhizomes and still had a seedling source. Both species have long-lived individuals but differ in response to disturbance. On the basis of monitoring 151 permanent 1 m2 plots in an old-growth forest, X. tenax increased only minimally in density over 40 years following tephra deposition from the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens, whereas the density of C. umbellata increased substantially. The very different morphology of these two species highlights the large range of variation found among forest herbs, which needs to be considered when examining the forest understory.
ECONOMIC POLICY UNCERTAINTY AND FOREIGN HOLDINGS OF US TREASURIES: THE GLOBAL EVIDENCE
Authors: WU SHAN , ZHOU YUQIN , LIU ZHENHUA , TONG MU
Published: April 2021

In the context of the increasing global economic policy uncertainty (EPU) and the gradual reduction of US Treasuries holdings in many countries, based on the ADCC-GARCH model and sensitivity analysis, we find that the relative increase of instability in the global economic system will affect foreign investors’ decision-making of investing in the US Treasuries, especially during the high uncertainty period. Shocks in global uncertainty significantly and negatively explain most samples’ time-varying correlations with a lag of one or two months. To some extent, the sustainability and investors’ inherent understanding of US Treasuries’ safety has been shaken in the recent years. Our findings hold important implications for both foreign investors and financial advisors who are interested in US Treasuries.
Unveiling the Mechanisms to Rescue the Unknown Knowledge
Authors: Manresa Alba , Mas-Machuca Marta , Marimon Frederic
Published: April 2021

The main aims of this research are threefold: (1) to create a new conceptual framework underlying the dimensions of unconscious knowledge; (2) to explore how people convert the knowledge they do not know into personal and useful knowledge; and (3) to identify the strategies of how the unconscious knowledge can emerge, in an individual way or with the help from an external agent. The paper presents a new conceptual framework based on the unconscious knowledge. Different mechanisms and strategies based on different ways to generate knowledge are proposed. The most important results of this paper are as follows: (1) a new conceptual framework that is based on the unknown knowledge creation; (2) new strategies that move from the unaware knowledge to the learned and conscious one; and (3) new tools, methodologies, and technologies to enhance the creation of this type of knowledge.
A Class of Quasi-Eternal Non-Markovian Pauli Channels and Their Measure
Authors: Utagi Shrikant , Rao Vinod N. , Srikanth R. , Banerjee Subhashish
Published: April 2021

We study a class of qubit non-Markovian general Pauli dynamical maps with multiple singularities in the generator. We discuss a few easy examples involving trigonometric or other nonmonotonic time dependence of the map, and discuss in detail the structure of channels which don’t have any trigonometric functional dependence. We demystify the concept of a singularity here, showing that it corresponds to a point where the dynamics can be regular but the map is momentarily noninvertible, and this gives a basic guideline to construct such non-invertible non-Markovian channels. Most members of the channels in the considered family are quasi-eternally non-Markovian (QENM), which is a broader class of non-Markovian channels than the eternal non-Markovian channels. Specifically, the measure of quasi-eternal non-Markovian (QENM) channels in the considered class is shown to be [Formula: see text] in the isotropic case, and about 0.96 in the anisotropic case.
A Novel Glassy Carbon Electrode Modified with Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes for Potentiometric Xipamide Determination
Authors: Tantawy Mahmoud A. , El Fiky Haitham A. , Badawey Amr M. , Abd El Ghany Maha F. , Fares Nermine V.
Published: April 2021

Solid contact electrodes are widely used in analytical fields due to their outstanding performance over classical ones. However, they showed formation of a water layer affecting stability of those electrodes’ type. Herein, we develop a solid contact ion selective electrode to overcome this common drawback through application of multi-walled carbon nanotubes as a hydrophobic layer between the ion sensing membrane and a glassy carbon electrode. This fine modification improved stability of the electrode via preventing the formation of this water layer. The obtained potential was steady over 30 days with a drift of ∼0.8 mV h−1. The MWCNTs-modified electrode was used for determination of xipamide with a Nernstian slope of −56.01 over a linearity range of 1.0 × 10−5–1.0 × 10−2 mol l−1 and detection limit of 6.0 × 10−6 mol l−1. The proposed sensor was effectively applied for determination of the cited drug in its marketed pharmaceutical dosage form and spiked human plasma.
Flow Injection Electrochemical Quartz Crystal Microbalance with ICP-OES Detection: Recovery of Silver by Electrodeposition with Redox Replacement in a Flow Cell
Authors: Molina Daniel E , Wall Nathalie , Beyenal Haluk , Ivory Cornelius F.
Published: April 2021

We developed a new on-line hyphenated flow injection analysis technique (FI-EQCM-ICP-OES) that allows electrochemical deposition and stripping with mass detection and elemental analysis. This technique was used to study a new system for electrochemical recovery of silver from a 0.5 mM Ag+/5 mM Cu2+/0.5 M H2SO4 solution by pulsed electrodeposition with redox replacement (EDRR) in a small flow cell. The metal ions in a 500 μl sample are injected into the sulfuric acid carrier stream and deposited onto an electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance (EQCM) electrode housed in a 50 μl flow cell. The deposits are subsequently stripped off electrochemically in the same cell and analyzed downstream in an ICP-OES. The stripped metal layer was found to be composed of Ag with no detectable Cu for a redox replacement time of 10 s, and 91 wt.% Ag–9 wt.% Cu for a redox replacement time of 5 s. Microscopy measurements demonstrated that the electrode was covered with silver particles, some of which contain Cu in the case of the 5 s replacement time. This technique allowed the study of mass changes on the electrode during electrodeposition and open circuit times in each EDRR cycle in flowing solutions.
Dynamically Subarray‐Connected Hybrid Precoding Scheme for Multiuser Millimeter‐Wave Massive MIMO Systems
Authors: Liao Guangyan , Zhao Feng
Published: April 2021

Hybrid precoding is widely used in millimeter wave (mmWave) massive multiple‐input multiple‐output (MIMO) systems. However, most prior work on hybrid precoding focused on the fully connected hybrid architectures and the subconnected but fixed architectures in which each radio frequency (RF) chain is connected to a specific subset of the antennas. The limited work shows that dynamic subarray architectures address the tradeoff between achievable spectral efficiency and energy efficiency of mmWave massive MIMO systems. Nevertheless, in the multiuser hybrid precoding systems, the existing dynamic subarray schemes ignore the fairness of users and the problem of user selection. In this paper, we propose a novel multiuser hybrid precoding scheme for dynamic subarray architectures. Firstly, we select a multiuser set among all users according to the analog effective channel information of the base station (BS) and then design the subset of the antennas to each RF by the fairness antenna‐partitioning algorithm. Finally, the optimal analog precoding vector is designed according to each subarray, and the digital precoding is designed by the minimum mean‐squared error (MMSE) criterion. The simulation results show that the performance advantages of the proposed multiuser hybrid precoding scheme for dynamic subarray architectures.
CO2-Driven Hydraulic Fracturing Trajectories across a Preexisting Fracture
Authors: Zhang Qi , Wang Jiehao , Gao Yufeng , Cao Shengfei , Xie Jingli , Ma Like , Liu Yuemiao
Published: April 2021

Defining the trajectory of hydraulic fractures crossing bedding planes and other fractures is a significant issue in determining the effectiveness of the stimulation. In this work, a damage evolution law is used to describe the initiation and propagation of the fracture. The model couples rock deformation and gas seepage using the finite element method and is validated against classical theoretical analysis. The simulation results define four basic intersection scenarios between the fluid-driven and preexisting fractures: (a) inserting—the hydraulic fracture inserts into a bedding plane and continues to propagate along it; (b) L-shaped crossing—the hydraulic fracture approaches the fracture/bedding plane then branches into the plane without crossing it; (c) T-shaped crossing—the hydraulic fracture approaches the fracture/bedding plane, branches into it, and crosses through it; (d) direct crossing—the hydraulic fracture crosses one or more bedding planes without branching into them. The intersection scenario changes from (a) → (b) → (c) → (d) in specimens with horizontal bedding planes when the stress ratio

β

(

β
=

σ

y

/

σ

x

) increases from 0.2 to 5. Similarly, the intersection type changes from (d) → (c) → (a) with an increase in the bedding plane angle

α

(0° → 90°). Stiffness of the bedding planes also exerts a significant influence on the propagation of hydraulic fractures. As the stiffness ratio

E

1

¯

/

E

2

¯

increases from 0.1 to 0.4 and 0.8, the seepage area decreases from 22.2% to 41.8%, and the intersection type changes from a T-shaped crossing to a direct crossing.
A Supply Chain Information Pushing Method for Logistics Park Based on Internet of Things Technology
Authors: Zhang Zhongqiang
Published: April 2021

The existing push methods of supply chain information in logistics parks stay on the analysis of data surface, which leads to higher Mae value. Therefore, this paper proposes a push method of supply chain information in logistics parks based on the Internet of Things technology. Firstly, RFID structure is designed by introducing RFID, GPS, infrared, and other Internet of Things technologies to encode the materials in the logistics warehouse; secondly, the supply chain model of the logistics park is established to obtain the general ontology element model of the node enterprises in the supply chain of the park and the interaction business situation model between the node enterprises in the supply chain of the park. Finally, the average value of the node score is subtracted from the score of the node to calculate the information centralized scoring, as well as the establishment of Spark operation framework, to achieve the logistics park supply chain information pushing. In the simulation experiment, the international land port logistics park of a city is selected as a case to test. The experimental results show that the information pushing method of logistics information park supply chain based on Internet of Things technology has higher recommendation accuracy and better performance.
C-Reactive Protein as a Prognostic Indicator in COVID-19 Patients
Authors: Sadeghi-Haddad-Zavareh Mahmoud , Bayani Masomeh , Shokri Mehran , Ebrahimpour Soheil , Babazadeh Arefeh , Mehraeen Rahele , Moudi Emadoddin , Rostami Ali , Barary Mohammad , Hosseini Akram , Bijani Ali , Javanian Mostafa
Published: April 2021

While some biomolecules have been explored to identify potential biomarkers for the prognosis of COVID-19 patients, there is no reliable prognostic indicator of the disease progression and severity. We aimed to evaluate the ability of the C-reactive protein (CRP) to predict COVID-19 infection outcome. This retrospective study was conducted on 429 patients diagnosed with COVID-19 between March 30, 2020, and April 30, 2020. The study population was divided into severe (n = 175) and nonsevere cases (n = 254). Data on demographic characteristics, clinical features, and laboratory findings on admission were collected. The proportion of patients with increased CRP levels was significantly higher in severe cases than in nonsevere patients. Analysis of the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve found that CRP could be used as an independent factor in predicting the severity of COVID-19. Also, patients with CRP >64.75 mg/L were more likely to have severe complications. In conclusion, CRP serum levels can predict the severity and progression of illness in patients with COVID-19.
Mobile Sentry Robot for Laboratory Safety Inspection Based on Machine Vision and Infrared Thermal Imaging Detection
Authors: Zhang Dong , Guo Zhongyi
Published: April 2021

As is known to all, university chemistry laboratories have always been considered as dangerous areas on campus, especially pharmaceutical chemistry laboratories, which are often the focus of pharmaceutical laboratory management. The innovation in safety management mode can effectively reduce or even eliminate security risks and reduce the risk of safety accidents. With the rapid development of artificial intelligence, robots have been introduced into all walks of life, replacing humans to complete part of the safety inspection. One of the core tasks of laboratory safety inspection is to find the source of fire and take measures to extinguish the fire in time. The intention of this paper is to design a sentry robot, which could take appropriate emergency measures to detect dangerous situations, including sounding alarms and carrying out firefighting, in order to minimize accidents and economic losses, based on machine vision for periodic inspection of laboratories with a temperature thermal imager to scan surroundings at the same time. The preliminary research results show that based on the machine vision, the robot identified the fire source and adjusted the spray device to carry out the fire-extinguishing experiment successfully. The development and utilization of laboratory patrol robots can share the work of laboratory patrol to a certain extent, guarantee the safety of experimental teaching in colleges and universities, and have room for sustainable research.
Tree Diversity and Damage by Cypress Aphid, Cinara cupressi, on Juniperus procera in Gulele Botanical Garden and Entoto
Authors: Kebede Sitotaw , Mulugeta Tewodros
Published: April 2021

Juniperus procera is an important tree species in Ethiopia. Increasing demand for fuelwood and construction material has also created markets for J. procera products. The impact of cypress aphid, Cinara cupressi, on J. procera is becoming catastrophic in the country. However, the level of cypress aphid damage on J. procera has never been studied in Entoto Mountain forest and Gullele Botanical Garden (GBG) in Ethiopia. The objective of this study was to assess the cypress aphid densities and extent of damage caused by the cypress aphid on solely and mixed planted J. procera in Entoto Mountain forest and GBG in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, by evaluating aphid adult and nymph densities and damage to J. procera trees. Eight plots of 50 m

∗

50 m planted with pure J. procera and mixed J. procerawere selected at each site. Five 5 m

∗

5 m subplots were formed. To assess aphid density hthree tree twigs per whorl were sampled from each tree in the subplots randomly. The collected samples were examined in the laboratory for the presence of nymph and adult cypress aphid. Tree damage was assessed by visually observing the percentage of infestation in the tree crown and was scored on a 1–5 scale. The results showed significant differences in aphid densities between the sites. The highest aphid count was observed at Entoto Mountain. Besides, the solely planted J. procera trees had higher cypress aphid numbers than the mixed plantation. The mean percentage of aphid-infested trees in Entoto and GBG was 53.6 and 46.4, respectively. Tree mortality was extremely low in both sites and planting systems. The level of aphid damage was also significantly different between the planting systems, where mixed plantations had a lower aphid infestation level. Tree damage was directly correlated with the density of aphids collected. In conclusion, cypress aphid was apparent in both sites, and most of the trees were infested by this pest. However, the extent of damage varied with the planting system. Therefore, it is recommended to consider a mixed plantation of trees as one of cypress aphid management tools in J. procera.
Physician Perception and Diagnosis of Intestinal Parasitic Infections among Patients with Gastrointestinal Symptoms in Ghana
Authors: Orish Verner N. , Simpiney Saviour Anorkplim , Lokpo Sylvester Yao , Agordoh Percival D. , Lopez Duniesky Martinez , Alalbila Thelma M. , Sanyaolu Adekunle
Published: April 2021

This study evaluated physicians’ perception and diagnosis of intestinal parasitic infections (IPI) in patients with gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms. This cross-sectional survey used a Google form questionnaire distributed online. Demographic and clinical practice information was solicited, including if “IPI was considered as a diagnosis in the last patient seen,” “if stool investigation was requested among the last patients seen,” and physicians’ perception of the burden of IPI in the country. Using Pearson chi-square and multivariate logistic regression analysis, we tested the significance of the associations of the job cadre of the physicians and their perception of the IPI burden with consideration of IPI as a diagnosis in the last patient seen, request for stool investigation in the last patient seen, and overall frequency of the request for stool investigation. Ultimately, 184 physicians responded. The majority agreed to “often seeing patients with GI symptoms” (156, 84.7%), “not considering IPI among the last patient seen” (106, 57.6%), and “not requesting stool investigation among the last patient seen with symptoms” (136, 73.9%). House officers (81, 44.2%) constituted the highest proportion of physicians who considered IPI as a diagnosis among the last patient seen (39, 48.1%,

p
=
0.05

). Most physicians (138, 75%) considered IPI as a burden in Ghana. They constituted significant proportions of the physicians who considered IPI as a diagnosis among their last patients seen (65, 83.3%,

p
=
0.02

) and were twice more likely to consider IPI as a diagnosis among the last patients seen than their colleagues who did not consider IPI as a burden in Ghana (AOR 2.26,

p
=
0.04

). The consideration of IPI as a diagnosis among patients with GI symptoms and request for stool investigations was low among physicians in this study. Further engagements with physicians in Ghana are needed to help improve their diagnosis of IPI in patients with GI symptoms.
Empowering Muscle Stem Cells for the Treatment of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy
Authors: Filippelli Romina L. , Chang Natasha C.
Published: April 2021

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a devastating and debilitating muscle degenerative disease affecting 1 in every 3,500 male births worldwide. DMD is progressive and fatal; accumulated weakening of the muscle tissue leads to an inability to walk and eventual loss of life due to respiratory and cardiac failure. Importantly, there remains no effective cure for DMD. DMD is caused by defective expression of the DMD gene, which encodes for dystrophin, a component of the dystrophin glycoprotein complex. In muscle fibers, this protein complex plays a critical role in maintaining muscle membrane integrity. Emerging studies have shown that muscle stem cells, which are adult stem cells responsible for muscle repair, are also affected in DMD. DMD muscle stem cells do not function as healthy muscle stem cells, and their impairment contributes to disease progression. Deficiencies in muscle stem cell function include impaired establishment of cell polarity leading to defective asymmetric stem cell division, reduced myogenic commitment, impaired differentiation, altered metabolism, and enhanced entry into senescence. Altogether, these findings indicate that DMD muscle stem cells are dysfunctional and have impaired regenerative potential. Although recent advances in adeno-associated vector and antisense oligonucleotide-mediated mechanisms for gene therapy have shown clinical promise, the current therapeutic strategies for muscular dystrophy do not effectively target muscle stem cells and do not address the deficiencies in muscle stem cell function. Here, we discuss the merits of restoring endogenous muscle stem cell function in degenerating muscle as a viable regenerative medicine strategy to mitigate DMD.
When in Trouble Think of the Bubble: Paradoxical Cerebral Arterial Gas Embolism after Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography
Authors: Ekmektzoglou Konstantinos , Alexandrakis Georgios , Dimopoulos Konstantinos , Tsibouris Panagiotis , Kalantzis Chrysostomos , Vlachou Erasmia , Apostolopoulos Periklis
Published: April 2021

Air embolism (a result of direct communication with the vasculature and an external pressure gradient from the gastrointestinal or the biliary tract), although rare, is a potentially devastating adverse event seen in endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) procedures. Whether venous, arterial, or paradoxical, the clinical presentation ranges from asymptomatic patients to cardiorespiratory arrest. This is of particular importance because it makes the diagnosis of air embolism even more difficult in an already sedated patient. Since early recognition increases the chances of patients’ survival, endoscopists should be highly motivated and trained to recognize this complication as early as possible. With only 60 cases of air embolism reported (and even fewer related to paradoxical air embolism), we aimed to report a case of paradoxical cerebral air embolism in a patient undergoing ERCP due to a common bile duct stricture and to provide a mini-review of this clinical entity that can serve as a bedside quick reference guide for endoscopists worldwide.
Determination of the price for a hydro resource with consideration of operating conditions of hydropower plants using complex criteria of profit maxmization
Authors: Myatezh T. V. , Sekretarev Y. A.
Published: April 2021

In this paper, a universal method has been developed to determine the price of a hydro resource (one cubic meter) for the operational regulation of a hydropower plant (HPP), which is a combination of an optimization method and a method for assessing the marginal utility. The proposed approach is based on the correct representation of differential incremental rate characteristics of water at an HPP and fuel at a thermal power plant (TPP). To know the price of a hydro resource used for electricity generation at a hydropower plant. This gives the possibility to increase the efficiency of management both at a hydropower plant, and in a water utilization system as a whole. Using the examples of Novosibirsk HPP, it is expected to develop an estimation of economic effect from the implementation of the developed criteria, the proposed method of the calculation of a hydro resource price at HPP, and the method of separating fuel costs at CHPP. As a result of the implementation the developed method for the HPP, a price of electricity sold in the flexible energy market will be compared to the price of the electricity produced and sold at CHPP, being equal to approximately 330 rubles/MW h.
Fuzzy logic power management for a PV/Wind microgrid with backup and storage systems
Authors: Yasin Aysar M. , Alsayed Mohammed F.
Published: April 2021

This work introduces a power management scheme based on the fuzzy logic controller (FLC) to manage the power flows in a small and local distributed generation system. The stand-alone microgrid (MG) includes wind and PV generators as main power sources. The backup system includes a battery storage system (BSS) and a diesel generator (DG) combined with a supercapacitor (SC). The different energy sources are interconnected through the DC bus. The MG is modeled using MATLAB/Simulink Sim_Power System™. The SC is used to compensate for the shortage of power during the start-up of the DG and to compensate for the limits on the charging/discharging current of the BSS. The power balance of the system is the chief objective of the proposed management scheme. Some performance indexes are evaluated: the frequency-deviation, the stability of the DC bus voltage, and the AC voltage total harmonic distortion. The performance of the planned scheme is assessed by two 24-hours simulation sets. Simulation results confirm the effectiveness of FLC-based management. Moreover, the effectiveness of the FLC approach is compared with the deterministic approach. FLC approach has saved 18.7% from the daily load over the deterministic approach. The study shows that the quality of the power signal in the case of FLC is better than the deterministic approach.
Compressor based approximate multiplier architectures for media processing applications
Authors: Kumar Uppugunduru Anil , Ahmed Syed Ershad
Published: April 2021

Approximate computing is an attractive technique to gain substantial improvement in the area, speed, and power in applications where exact computation is not required. This paper proposes two improved multiplier designs based on a new 4:2 approximate compressor circuit to simplify the hardware at the partial product reduction stage. The proposed multiplier designs are targeted towards error-tolerant applications. Exhaustive error and hardware analysis has been carried out on the existing and proposed multiplier designs. The results prove that the proposed approximate multiplier architecture performs better than the existing architectures without significant compromise on quality metrics. Experimental results show that die-area and power consumed are reduced upto 28%, and 25.29% respectively in comparison with the existing designs without significant compromise on accuracy.
An FPGA-based network system with service-uninterrupted remote functional update
Authors: Tan Tze Hon , Ooi Chia Yee , Marsono Muhammad Nadzir
Published: April 2021

The recent emergence of 5G network enables mass wireless sensors deployment for internet-of-things (IoT) applications. In many cases, IoT sensors in monitoring and data collection applications are required to operate continuously and active at all time (24/7) to ensure all data are sampled without loss. Field-programmable gate array (FPGA)-based systems exhibit a balanced processing throughput and datapath flexibility. Specifically, datapath flexibility is acquired from the FPGA-based system architecture that supports dynamic partial reconfiguration feature. However, device functional update can cause interruption to the application servicing, especially in an FPGA-based system. This paper presents a standalone FPGA-based system architecture that allows remote functional update without causing service interruption by adopting a redundancy mechanism in the application datapath. By utilizing dynamic partial reconfiguration, only the updating datapath is temporarily inactive while the rest of the circuitry, including the redundant datapath, remain active. Hence, there is no service interruption and downtime when a remote functional update takes place due to the existence of redundant application datapath, which is critical for network and communication systems. The proposed architecture has a significant impact for application in FPGA-based systems that have little or no tolerance in service interruption.
A novel fast time jamming analysis transmission selection technique for radar systems
Authors: Hussein Kamal , Mabrouk Mohamed , Elsor Bahaaeldin M. F. , Alieldin Ahmed , Saad Walid M.
Published: April 2021

The jamming analysis transmission selection (JATS) sub-system is used in radar systems to detect and avoid the jammed frequencies in the available operating bandwidth during signal transmission and reception. The available time to measure the desired frequency spectrum and select the non-jammed frequency for transmission is very limited. A novel fast time (FAT) technique that measures the channel spectrum, detects the jamming sub-band and selects the non-jammed frequency for radar system transmission in real time is proposed. A JATS sub-system has been designed, simulated, fabricated and implemented based on FAT technique to verify the idea. The novel FAT technique utilizes time-domain analysis instead of the well-known fast Fourier transform (FFT) used in conventional JATS sub-systems. Therefore, the proposed fast time jamming analysis transmission selection (FAT-JATS) sub-system outperforms other reported JATS sub-systems as it uses less FPGA resources, avoids time-delay occurred due to complex FFT calculations and enhances the real time operation. This makes the proposed technique an excellent candidate for JATS sub-systems.
RescueAlert-an accident detection and rescue mechanism
Authors: Singh Uttkarsh Kumar , Yadav Sahil , Joshi Sonali , Singh Stuti , Jayavel Kayalivizhi
Published: April 2021

With the increase of vehicles and cars of different kind and the large movement that occurs every day on the roads it was natural to observe an increase in traffic accidents, but the real dilemma lies in how to make the rescue process efficient. The problem that we want to solve is the response of ambulances towards accidents and the lengthy registration process of patients in hospitals. In the above two scenarios, the manual process of calling the ambulance leads to delay in rescue of patients from an accident and the delay in registration of patient leads to delay in medication or treatment of the patient. We want to make the process more efficient by automating accident detection for increasing the efficiency of the ambulance rescue process and by sending the details of the patient before the patient reaches the hospitals for faster treatment of patients. Along with this, alert messages will be sent to the family or friends of the patients to notify them as soon as an accident is detected.
Text classification model for methamphetamine-related tweets in Southeast Asia using dual data preprocessing techniques
Authors: Chayangkoon Narongsak , Srivihok Anongnart
Published: April 2021

Methamphetamine addiction is a prominent problem in Southeast Asia. Drug addicts often discuss illegal activities on popular social networking services. These individuals spread messages on social media as a means of both buying and selling drugs online. This paper proposes a model, the “text classification model of methamphetamine tweets in Southeast Asia” (TMTA), to identify whether a tweet from Southeast Asia is related to methamphetamine abuse. The research addresses the weakness of bag of words (BoW) by introducing BoW and Word2Vec feature selection (BWF) techniques. A domain-based feature selection method was performed using the BoW dataset and Word2Vec. The BWF dataset provided a smaller number of features than the BoW and TF–IDF dataset. We experimented with three candidate classifiers: Support vector machine (SVM), decision tree (J48) and naive bayes (NB). We found that the J48 classifier with the BWF dataset provided the best performance for the TMTA in terms of accuracy (0.815), F-measure (0.818), Kappa (0.528), Matthews correlation coefficient (0.529) and high area under the ROC Curve (0.763). Moreover, TMTA provided the lowest runtime (3.480 seconds) using the J48 with the BWF dataset.
Por um Geossistema complexo
Authors: Neves Carlos Eduardo das , Sodré Maiara Tavares
Published: April 2021

O geossistema, como abordagem teórica, metodológica e conceito aplicado é constantemente mencionado no debate geográfico relacionado aos estudos paisagísticos e ambientais, especialmente a partir das vertentes francesa e/ou russo-soviética, com destaque para os artigos de Georges Bertrand e Viktor Sochava. Contudo, apesar de profícuo aos estudos do meio físico, o debate firmado no Brasil apresenta dificuldades em inserir a dinâmica social como parte integrante do geossistema, visto que as questões sociais ainda são abordadas como impacto antrópico. Tal cenário, associado ao maior número pesquisas práticas em detrimento das teóricas, não tem permitido uma contribuição epistemológica mais significativa ao diálogo sociedade ↔ natureza promovido pela Geografia Física integrada. O contexto apresentado suscita questionamentos acerca dos rumos e percalços do uso do tema no Brasil, pois demonstra a necessidade de outra via de entendimento do geossistema, a qual não aborde a sociedade e a natureza como par antagônico. O debate proposto relaciona legados teórico-metodológicos nacionais e estrangeiros, com o intuito de viabilizar o desenvolvimento de uma ressignificação conceitual do geossistema. Nesse sentido, entende-se que uma discussão sobre a possível contribuição da formação de núcleos e redes de pesquisa entre os programas de pós-graduação em Geografia do Brasil pode favorecer esse processo de ressignificação conceitual. A partir de um breve reconhecimento da produção nacional acerca do tema e de uma metodologia concatenadora pautada na teoria da complexidade, promove-se um estudo de cunho dialógico, que repensa os rumos das pesquisas geossistêmicos nacionais, com base na proposta conceitual de um “geossistema complexo”.
Análise estatística dos parâmetros geomorfométricos do relevo em bacias hidrográficas de primeira ordem perenes e intermitentes no oeste paranaense
Authors: Paz Otacílio Lopes de Souza da , Sampaio Tony Vinicius Moreira
Published: April 2021

Mapeamentos da rede de drenagem podem ser obtidos pela fotointerpretação ou extração automática, a partir de modelos digitais de elevação (MDE), sendo que ambos apresentam inconsistências. Visando solucionar esta problemática, surgem propostas que exploram técnicas de regressão estatística, árvores de decisão ou redes neurais para automatizar o mapeamento da rede de drenagem. Com foco no relevo, objetiva-se comparar parâmetros geomorfométricos entre bacias de primeira ordem com rio perene e com rio intermitente. A área de estudo abrange a folha topográfica Medianeira, código MI 2832-4, parcialmente inserida nos municípios de Medianeira, São Miguel do Iguaçu e Serranópolis do Iguaçu, localizados no oeste do Paraná, região sul do Brasil. Foram validadas em campo as bacias de primeira ordem e realizados levantamentos com aeronaves remotamente pilotadas visando gerar MDE. A partir dos MDE, extraiu-se: área, perímetro, volume e índice de vazio, acumulação de fluxo (D8), declividade, plano de curvatura, perfil de curvatura, índice de concentração de rugosidade e índice topográfico de umidade. Aplicaram-se testes estatísticos de hipóteses calibrados com intervalo de 95% e 99% de confiança, para verificar se existem diferenças estatisticamente significativas nos parâmetros geomorfométricos entre os grupos de bacias de primeira ordem. Os parâmetros de área, índice de concentração de rugosidade, plano de curvatura, índice topográfico de umidade e índice de vazio foram os mais sensíveis para diferenciar bacias de primeira ordem perenes e intermitentes. Os resultados obtidos a partir da análise dos parâmetros podem contribuir com o desenvolvimento de métodos para mapeamento automatizado da rede de drenagem.
Management of Stage 1 Hypertension in Adults With a Low 10-Year Risk for Cardiovascular Disease: Filling a Guidance Gap: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association
Authors: Jones Daniel W. , Whelton Paul K. , Allen Norrina , Clark Donald , Gidding Samuel S. , Muntner Paul , Nesbitt Shawna , Mitchell Nia S. , Townsend Raymond , Falkner Bonita ,   on behalf of the American Heart Association Council on Hypertension; Council on the Kidney in Cardiovascular Disease; Council on Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology; Council on Cardiovascular Radiology and Intervention; Council on Lifelong Congenital Heart Disease and Heart Health in the Young; and Stroke Council
Published: April 2021

High blood pressure (BP) is the leading cause of worldwide cardiovascular disease morbidity and mortality. Patients and clinicians dealing with hypertension have benefited from the evidence of event-based randomized controlled clinical trials. One result from those trials has been the development of evidence-based guidelines. The commitment to using evidence from these event-based randomized trials has been a cornerstone in the development of guideline treatment recommendations. However, in some situations, evidence from event-based trials is not available to guideline writers or clinicians for assistance in treatment decision making. Such is the case for the management of many patients with stage 1 hypertension. The purpose of this scientific statement is to provide information complementary to the 2017 Hypertension Clinical Practice Guidelines for the patient with untreated stage 1 hypertension (systolic BP/diastolic BP, 130–139/80–89 mm Hg) with a 10-year risk for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease <10% who fails to meet the systolic BP/diastolic goal (<130/80 mm Hg) after 6 months of guideline-recommended lifestyle therapy. This statement provides evidence from sources other than event-based randomized controlled clinical trials and offers therapy options for consideration by clinicians.
Linguistic Representations of Postproverbial Expressions among Selected Yoruba Speakers
Authors: Ayinuola Ojo Akinleye
Published: April 2021

Extant studies have investigated postproverbial expressions from sociological, feminist, and philosophical perspectives with insufficient attention paid to the linguistic representations of social identity in such expressions. This study, therefore, examines how social identities are constructed through postproverbials among Yoruba youths with a view to exploring the social realities that conditioned the representations of new identities in such expressions. The study adopts Halliday’s Systemic Functional Linguistics and Tajfel and Tuner’s Social Identity Theory as framework. Ten (10) postproverbial expressions, which are from anonymous and the written collections of Yoruba proverbs by Yoruba scholars form the data. Linguistic substitutions and code-mixings characterise such expressions. Postproverbials are a conveyor of rationalist, religious, hedonistic, and economic identities, which are conditioned by western influence and are transported by the generation of conscious Yoruba youths. The paper inferred that, though proverbs and postproverbials are context-dependent, postproverbials explicate a paradigm shift in the postmodernist discourse and refract Nigerian socio-cultural realities.