bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effects of Ultrasound Contrast Agent-Mediated Nerve Growth Factor on Apoptosis of Retinal Ganglion Cells in Mice with Glaucoma
Authors: Ke Yan , Huang Lina , Chen Bingheng , Sima Jing , Cao Jiaguo , Li Qiang
Published: November 2021

With an increasing incidence in recent years, glaucoma (GL) has gradually become a global public health problem for humans of all ages. Nerve growth factor (NGF) eye drops, with well-documented stable effect in the treatment of GL, can be potentiated by the administration of NGF drugs via ultrasound contrast agent (UCA). This study analyzed the efficacy of NGF+UCA on GL mice and the influencing mechanism on retinal ganglion cells and further explored the pathological changes of GL mice under different UCA irradiation duration. In this study, we established GL mouse models and treated the mouse with NGF+UCA. The effect of NGF+UCA on intraocular pressure in mice was observed; the flash visual evoked potential of mice was compared; the changes of retinal structure, inflammation index, and oxidative stress index were observed, and autophagic protein levels were tested. Finally, the influence of UCA irradiation duration on GL symptoms was observed. The results showed that the intraocular pressure of mice decreased greatly, while their flash visual evoked potential and nervous layer of retina increased, and their ganglion cells showed stronger proliferation activity and weaker apoptosis and autophagy, indicating that UCA-mediated NGF can strongly improve the pathological condition of GL mice. In addition, PI3K/AKT pathway-associated proteins were inhibited in retina under the intervention of NGF+UCA, which further suggests that the influence of UCA-mediated NGF on GL is achieved by inhibiting autophagy of retinal ganglion cells and enhancing their apoptosis via the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway. Moreover, we found that in the treatment of GL, three weeks of UCA irradiation and six weeks caused no significant difference in the pathological manifestations and ganglion cells of mice, while after six weeks of irradiation, the level of NLRP3 in mice increased. In conclusion, UCA-mediated NGF can significantly improve the pathological condition of GL mice and improve the apoptosis of retinal ganglion cells by inhibiting autophagy, which is associated with the inhibition of the PI3K/AKT signal pathway. In terms of selection of UCA irradiation duration, three weeks of irradiation is enough to yield good clinical results.
Coupling Effect of Metals and Oxides on the Oxygen Supply Performance of Sodium Chlorate Oxygen Candle
Authors: Gao Na , Ma Chunguo , Kariman Kaeryaer , Liu Jianguo , Zhang Zheng , Dai Yaqing , Wang Zhao
Published: November 2021

In this study, to explore the influence of metals and oxides on the oxygen production rate and stability of sodium chlorate oxygen candles, 28 experimental samples were investigated. The effects of Co2O3, Co3O4, and Fe2O3 with different mass fractions on the thermal decomposition temperature and thermal decomposition rate of sodium chlorate were compared and analyzed. Co3O4 (5%) was obtained to reduce the thermal decomposition range to 260–450°C and reduce the pyrolysis interval ∆T to 46.2°C. Through the development of three metals (Fe, Mg, and Mn), under four mass fractions (2%, 4%, 6%, and 8%) mixed with Co3O4 (5%), the results of the effective oxygen production efficiency test for the thermal decomposition reaction of sodium chlorate demonstrated that Mn (6%)–Co3O4 (5%) exhibited the best catalytic and heat coupling effect; the effective oxygen production efficiency of 97.8% was achieved. Oxygen candle oxygen supply experiment was conducted; the oxygen candle composition for the test was determined to be NaClO3 (86%), Mn (6%), Co3O4 (5%), and kaolin (3%); in the four stages of the oxygen candle oxygen supply reaction test, the average oxygen supply rate reached 1.647 L/min, actual oxygen production was 28 L, and effective oxygen production rate of the oxygen candle was 53.6%. An increase of 9% was observed compared to the previous similar studies. The results of this study present a formula to optimize the oxygen supply of the oxygen candle, which is crucial for improving the oxygen supply performance of the oxygen candle.
Knowledge Mapping of Green Technology Visualization with Bibliometric Tools
Authors: Xia Shiliang , Zhong Kaiyang
Published: November 2021

An increasing number of research literature studies about green technology have been accepted by journals of different disciplines due to the rapid technical progress and innovation in all types of industry. This study uses bibliometric tools of CiteSpace and VOSviewer to analyse the key authors’ co-citation network, institution cooperation, the keyword clusters of green technology, and the evolution trend of green technology. We find that since 1960s, the number of research papers with green technology theme has been growing. These papers are mainly involved in fields of economics and business, engineering, and chemistry, in which there exist 13 highest cited papers from 2009 to 2020 based on the Web of Science database. In this study, we find the top 20 journals of green technology with the parameter of literature count and centrality. We find that the cooperation of authors is quite weak with the co-authorship analysis, and we obtain the top 12 institutions in 15 countries dominantly in green technology research through country and institution analysis. We conduct a cluster analysis of keywords related to green technology, and we obtain 10 clusters, with three economical clusters, five engineering clusters, and two chemical clusters. Finally, we summarise green technology with the aid of the timeline view function of CiteSpace system.
A Fine-Grained Horizontal Scaling Method for Container-Based Cloud
Authors: Jiang Chunmao , Wu Peng
Published: November 2021

The container scaling mechanism, or elastic scaling, means the cluster can be dynamically adjusted based on the workload. As a typical container orchestration tool in cloud computing, Horizontal Pod Autoscaler (HPA) automatically adjusts the number of pods in a replication controller, deployment, replication set, or stateful set based on observed CPU utilization. There are several concerns with the current HPA technology. The first concern is that it can easily lead to untimely scaling and insufficient scaling for burst traffic. The second is that the antijitter mechanism of HPA may cause an inadequate number of onetime scale-outs and, thus, the inability to satisfy subsequent service requests. The third concern is that the fixed data sampling time means that the time interval for data reporting is the same for average and high loads, leading to untimely and insufficient scaling at high load times. In this study, we propose a Double Threshold Horizontal Pod Autoscaler (DHPA) algorithm, which fine-grained divides the scale of events into three categories: scale-out, no scale, and scale-in. And then, on the scaling strength, we also employ two thresholds that are further subdivided into no scaling (antijitter), regular scaling, and fast scaling for each of the three cases. The DHPA algorithm determines the scaling strategy using the average of the growth rates of CPU utilization, and thus, different scheduling policies are adopted. We compare the DHPA with the HPA algorithm under different loads, including low, medium, and high. The experiments show that the DHPA algorithm has better antijitter and antiload characteristics in container increase and reduction while ensuring service and cluster security.
Combined Hyperglycemic Hyperosmolar Syndrome and Diabetic Ketoacidosis Associated with COVID-19 in a Pediatric Patient
Authors: Tseng Yu Shan , Tilford Bradley , Sethuraman Usha , Cashen Katherine
Published: November 2021

Although most children with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are asymptomatic or only with mild symptoms, many symptomatic children still require admission to the intensive care unit. Multiple cases of diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) and hyperosmolar hyperglycemic syndrome (HHS) associated with COVID-19 have been reported in adults. However, to our knowledge, only few similar cases have been published in the pediatric population. We report one of the first few severe cases of mixed HHS with DKA associated with COVID-19 in an adolescent. Our patient was successfully treated with intravenous immunoglobulin, Remdesivir, and methylprednisolone. As the pandemic continues, clinicians should be aware of this syndrome and consider early use of Remdesivir and corticosteroids. Further studies are required to understand the pathophysiology of this syndrome occurring with COVID-19.
Adaptive Optimization of Traffic Signal Timing via Deep Reinforcement Learning
Authors: Ma Zibo , Cui Tongchao , Deng Wenxing , Jiang Fengyao , Zhang Liguo
Published: November 2021

With rapid development of the urbanization, how to improve the traffic lights efficiency has become an urgent issue. The traditional traffic light control is a method that calculates a series of corresponding timing parameters by optimizing the cycle length. However, fixing sequence and duration of traffic lights is inefficient for dynamic traffic flow regulation. In order to solve the above problem, this study proposes a traffic light timing optimization scheme based on deep reinforcement learning (DRL). In this scheme, the traffic lights can output an appropriate phase according to the traffic flow state of each direction at the intersection and dynamically adjust the phase length. Specifically, we first adopt Proximal Policy Optimization (PPO) to improve the convergence speed of the model. Then, we elaborate the design of state, action, and reward, with the vehicle state defined by Discrete Traffic State Encoding (DTSE) method. Finally, we conduct experiments on real traffic data via the traffic simulation platform SUMO. The results show that, compared to the traditional timing control, the proposed scheme can effectively reduce the waiting time of vehicles and queue length in various traffic flow modes.
Research on Active Control of Rotating Motion and Vibration of Flexible Manipulator
Authors: Han Qingpeng , Dong Wenwen , Wu Bin , Shen Xinhang , Zhang Meilin , Yuan Binxia , Liu Jianben , Zhu Rui , Wang Daolei
Published: November 2021

In this study, PZT (piezoelectric) actuators and PD control (PDs’ command line tool) method is selected to control the vibration of the flexible manipulator. The dynamic equations of the flexible manipulator system are established based on Lagrange principle. The control strategy of PZT actuators and joint control torque are designed. It is investigated by a Lyapunov approach that a combined scheme of PD feedback and command voltages applies to segmented PZT actuators. By comparison, only PD feedback control is also considered to control the flexible manipulator. The numerical simulations prove that the method of the designed PZT actuators’ control strategy and PD control is effective to compress the vibration of the flexible manipulator.
Data-Driven Quality Prediction of Batch Processes Based on Minimal-Redundancy-Maximal-Relevance Integrated Convolutional Neural Network
Authors: Dong Yufeng , Zhuang Yingping , Yan Xuefeng
Published: November 2021

For batch processes that are extensively applied in modern industry and characterized by nonlinearity and dynamics, quality prediction is significant to obtain high-quality products and maintain production safety. However, some quality variables and key performance indicators are difficult to measure online. In addition, the mechanism-based model for batch processes is usually tough to acquire due to the strong nonlinearity and dynamics, which makes quality prediction a challenge. With the accumulation of historical process data, data-driven methods for quality prediction gain increasing attention, among which convolutional neural network (CNN) is quite successful for its automatic feature extraction of nonlinear features from raw data. Considering that most CNN-based methods mainly take the variety of extracted features into account and ignore the redundancy between them, this paper introduces the minimal-redundancy-maximal-relevance algorithm to select features obtained by original CNN and further improves it with a feature selection layer to form the proposed method referred as mRMR-CNN. Then, a quality prediction model is established based on mRMR-CNN and the effectiveness of it is verified on the penicillin fermentation process, where the proposed method shows remarkable performance.
Detection and Early Warning of Toxic Gases Based on Semiconductor Wireless Sensors
Authors: Feng Lin , Wang Jian , Chen Ye , Ding Chao
Published: November 2021

This paper studies a semiconductor wireless sensor system, which is composed of a semiconductor wireless sensor sampling circuit, gas‐sensitive signal alarm and wireless transmitting circuit, and wireless radio frequency signal receiving circuit. The system is suitable for wireless monitoring of hydrogen fluoride gas in chemical plants. The hydrogen fluoride gas sensor is designed, integrated, and classified according to the polarity and size of the sensor output signal. The signal processing circuit of the sensor output signal is made with an integrated design. This paper developed a simulation experimental system for the wireless monitoring network characteristics of toxic hydrogen fluoride gas and completed the monitoring system’s sensor characteristic calibration and accuracy comparison simulation experiment, the communication distance test experiment of the communication system, and the research experiment on the influence of environmental humidity on the sensor characteristics of the monitoring system. In terms of software, the workflow of network nodes has been optimized. Since the structure of the wireless sensor network is not exactly the same in different application fields, the toxic gas monitoring system based on wireless sensor networks must focus on extending the network’s life cycle. Without affecting the normal operation of the system, distributed compressed sensing can greatly extend the service life of the system. Therefore, this subject combines the compressed sensing technology developed in recent years with the air monitoring system for the processing of transmission data, in order to achieve the purpose of further reducing the energy consumption of the system. The simulation experiment demonstrated that the lmF neural network combined with gas sensor array technology can realize qualitative identification, quantitative analysis of single gas, and quantitative analysis of mixed combustible gas. The research work in this area also provides a new way to further combine the miniature hydrogen fluoride gas sensor unit with sensor technology, integrate the hydrogen fluoride gas sensor unit and the electronic tag, and expand the wireless application of the gas sensor.
A Positive Answer for 3IM+1CM Problem with a General Difference Polynomial
Authors: Xu Huicai , Kang Shugui , Zhang Qingcai
Published: November 2021

In this paper, the 3IM+1CM theorem with a general difference polynomial

L

z
,
f

will be established by using new methods and technologies. Note that the obtained result is valid when the sum of the coefficient of

L

z
,
f

is equal to zero or not. Thus, the theorem with the condition that the sum of the coefficient of

L

z
,
f

is equal to zero is also a good extension for recent results. However, it is new for the case that the sum of the coefficient of

L

z

,

f

is not equal to zero. In fact, the main difficulty of proof is also from this case, which causes the traditional theorem invalid. On the other hand, it is more interesting that the nonconstant finite-order meromorphic function

f

can be exactly expressed for the case

f
≡
−
L

z
,
f

. Furthermore, the sharpness of our conditions and the existence of the main result are illustrated by examples. In particular, the main result is also valid for the discrete analytic functions.
Encapsulation Based Method for Natural Frequency Identification of Deployable Solar Arrays with Multiple Plates
Authors: Zhao Chunjuan , Zhao Xiangyu , Chen Shanbo , Yu Jisong , Zhang Lei
Published: November 2021

The ground modal test is an important approach to the natural frequency of solar arrays to support the attitude control of spacecraft. However, for the batch production of small satellites, the accuracy and efficiency of traditional ground modal testing methods are limited. This shortcoming restricts the development of satellite constellations. Based on the encapsulation method widely used in the computer field, this paper proposed a natural frequency identification method of deployable solar arrays with multiple plates. This method is of high accuracy and efficiency that meets the demand of attitude control and makes sense to accelerate the batch production of small satellites. First, a suspended modal test system with gravity compensation function is designed. Second, the mathematical model of the test system is established. Abstracting parts of the parameters of the test object into an encapsulated entity, the mathematical model is simplified by equivalent variables. Thus, the direct mapping relationship between the ground test result and the true natural frequency is proposed. Finally, to verify the identification accuracy, finite element analysis (FEA) and the ground modal test of a two‐folder solar array simulant are carried out. The results show that the relative error of the first‐order natural frequency after correction and the theoretical value is less than 3%. Meanwhile, the identification accuracy of the ground modal test is improved by more than 50%. This method improves the availability of ground test results and reduces the calculation amount, so that it is convenient for engineering applications.
Comparison of 18F-FDG, 18F-Fluoroacetate, and 18F-FEPPA for Imaging Liver Fibrosis in a Bile Duct-Ligated Rat Model
Authors: Wu Chun-Yi , Hsieh Hsin-Hua , Chu Pei-An , Hong Wen-Hsiang , Chang Ting-Yu , Hsu Chia-Fang , Lin Siao-Ting , Su Po-Hsun , Peng Shin-Lei
Published: November 2021

Developing sensitive diagnostic methods for a longitudinal evaluation of the status of liver fibrosis is a priority. This study is aimed at assessing the significance of longitudinal positron emission tomography (PET) imaging with 18F-labeling tracers for assessing liver fibrosis in a rat model with bile duct ligation (BDL). Twenty-one 6-week-old Sprague-Dawley male rats were used in this study. Longitudinal PET images using [18F]N-2-(2-fluoroethoxy)benzyl)-N-(4-phenoxypyridin-3-yl)acetamide ([18F]FEPPA) ([Formula: see text]), [18F]fluoroacetate ([18F]FAc) ([Formula: see text]), and 18F-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose ([18F]FDG) ([Formula: see text]) were obtained at 0, 1, and 2 weeks after BDL. Biochemical assays, histological assays, immunohistochemical staining assays, and next generation sequencing analyses were also performed at 0 ([Formula: see text]), 1 ([Formula: see text]), 2 ([Formula: see text]), and 3 ([Formula: see text]) weeks after BDL, which demonstrated the severe damage in rat livers after BDL. Regarding [18F]FEPPA and [18F]FDG, there was a significantly higher uptake in the liver after BDL (both [Formula: see text]), which lasted until week 2. However, the uptake of [18F]FAc in the liver was not significantly different before and after BDL ([Formula: see text]). Collectively, both [18F]FEPPA and [18F]FDG can serve as sensitive probes for detecting the liver fibrosis. However, [18F]FAc is not recommended to diagnose liver fibrosis.
Hemodynamic Impact of Stenting on Carotid Bifurcation: A Potential Role of the Stented Segment and External Carotid Artery
Authors: Fan Zhenmin , Liu Xiao , Zhang Yingying , Zhang Nan , Ye Xia , Deng Xiaoyan
Published: November 2021

Carotid stenting near the bifurcation carina is associated with adverse events, especially in-stent restenosis, thrombosis, and side branch occlusion in clinical data. This study is aimed at determining the potential biomechanical mechanisms for these adverse events after carotid stenting. The patient-specific carotid models were constructed with different stenting scenarios to study the flow distribution and hemodynamic parameters, such as wall shear stress (WSS), flow velocity, relative residence time (RRT), and oscillating shear index (OSI) in the carotid bifurcation. The results suggested that the existing stents surely reduced blood flow to the external carotid artery (ECA) but enhanced local flow disturbance both in ECA and stented internal carotid artery (ICA), and the inner posterior wall of the stented ICA and the outer posterior wall of ECA might endure a relatively low level of WSS and remarkably elevated OSI and RRT. In addition, the implanted stent leads to more ECA adverse flow than ICA after stenting. While disturbed flow near the strut increased as stent length increased, blood flow and areas of local flow disturbance in ECA slightly decreased as stent length increased. In conclusion, the results revealed that ECA might be in relatively high levels of abnormal local hemodynamics after stenting, followed by stented ICA, leading to potential adverse events after intervention.
Analysis of Magnetic Forces in Axial-Flux Permanent-Magnet Motors with Rotor Eccentricity
Authors: Zhang Xiaoting , Zhang Bingyi
Published: November 2021

In this study, an analytical model is established to efficiently compute the magnetic field and unbalanced magnetic pull (UMP) in axial-flux permanent-magnet motors (AFPMMs). The effects of stator slotting, end effect, and rotor eccentricity on the magnetic field and forces were investigated. Static and dynamic eccentricities are analyzed and considered in the model. An effective function of the air gap permeance was introduced for effect of the stator slots to compute the flux density. A specific coefficient function is defined to calculate the end effect. A Fourier transform is used to compute the variations of the permanent-magnet remanence and the air gap permeance due to the slotted stator opposite to a slotless stator. The unbalanced magnetic forces were evaluated as a function of the air gap magnetic field using analytical equations. The proposed analytical method dramatically reduces the model size and computational time. It can be applied to the analysis of AFPMMs and is much faster than the three-dimensional finite element method (FEM). By comparing with the obtained using the FEM, the model results are validated.
Exploring the Antiglioma Mechanisms of Luteolin Based on Network Pharmacology and Experimental Verification
Authors: Huang Renxuan , Dong Rui , Wang Nan , Lan Beiwu , Zhao Hongyang , Gao Yufei
Published: November 2021

Luteolin, a natural flavone compound, exists in a variety of fruits and vegetables, and its anticancer effect has been shown in many studies. However, its use in glioma treatment is hampered due to the fact that the underlying mechanism of action has not been fully explored. Therefore, we elucidated the potential antiglioma targets and pathways of luteolin systematically with the help of network pharmacology and molecular docking technology. The druggability of luteolin, including absorption, excretion, distribution, and metabolism, was assessed via the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform (TCMSP). The potential targets of luteolin and glioma were extracted from public databases, and the intersecting targets between luteolin and glioma were integrated and visualized by a Venn diagram. In addition, GO and KEGG pathway analysis was engaged in Metascape. The network of the luteolin-target-pathway was visualized by Cytoscape. Ultimately, the interactions between luteolin and predicted key targets were confirmed by Discovery studio software. According to the ADME results, luteolin shows great potential for development into a drug. 4860 glioma-associated targets and 280 targets of luteolin were identified, of which 205 were intersection targets. 6 core targets of luteolin against glioma, including AKT1, JUN, ALB, MAPK3, MAPK1, and TNF, were identified via PPI network analysis of which AKT1, JUN, ALB, MAPK1, and TNF harbor diagnostic value. The biological processes of luteolin are mainly involved in the response to inorganic substances, response to oxidative stress, and apoptotic signaling pathway. The essential pathways of luteolin against glioma involve pathways in cancer, the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, the TNF signaling pathway, and more. Meanwhile, luteolin’s interaction with six core targets was verified by molecular docking simulation and its antiglioma effect was verified by in vitro experiments. This study suggests that luteolin has a promising potential for development into a drug and, moreover, it displays preventive effects against glioma by targeting various genes and pathways.
Apnea-Hypopnea Index in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Exacerbation Requiring Noninvasive Mechanical Ventilation with Average Volume-Assured Pressure Support
Authors: Briones-Claudett Killen H. , Romero Lopez Adela , Briones-Claudett Mónica H. , Cabrera Baños Mariuxi del Pilar , Briones Zamora Killen H. , Briones Marquez Diana C. , Icaza-Freire Andrea P. , Zimmermann Luc J. I. , Gavilanes Antonio W. D. , Grunauer Michelle
Published: November 2021

Introduction. This study intends to determine the Apnea-Hypopnea Index in patients hospitalized with acute hypercapnic respiratory failure from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease exacerbation, who require noninvasive ventilation with average volume-assured pressure support (AVAPS), as well as describes the clinical characteristics of these patients. Materials and Methods. We designed a single-center prospective study. The coexistence of Apnea-Hypopnea Index and clinical, gasometric, spirometric, respiratory polygraphy, and ventilatory characteristics were determined. The clinical characteristics found were categorized and compared according to the Apnea-Hypopnea Index (AHI) < 5, AHI 5–15, and AHI >15. A

p

value <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results. During the study period, a total of 100 patients were admitted to the ICU with a diagnosis of acute hypercapnic respiratory failure due to COPD exacerbation. 72 patients presented with acute respiratory failure and fulfilled criteria for ventilatory support. Within them, 24 received invasive mechanical ventilation and 48 NIV. After applying the inclusion criteria for this study, 30 patients were eligible. An AHI >5 was present in 24 of the 30 patients recruited (80%). Neck circumference (cm), Epworth scale, and Mallampati score evidenced significant differences when compared to the patient’s AHI <5, AHI 5–15, and AHI >15 (

p
<
0.05

). Furthermore, patients with an AHI >5 had longer hospital admissions, prolonged periods on mechanical ventilation, and a higher percentage of intubation rates. Conclusion. Apnea-Hypopnea Index and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease exacerbation are a frequent association found in patients with acute hypercapnic respiratory failure and COPD exacerbations that require NIV. This association could be a determining factor in the response to NIV, especially when AVAPS is used as a ventilatory strategy.
Automatic Recognition and Correction of Volleyball Players’ Release Angle Based on Feature Statistics
Authors: Fang Rui
Published: November 2021

The constant reform of the competition rules has promoted the innovation of volleyball techniques and tactics. In order to improve the training efficiency and competitive level of volleyball players, this study designed a volleyball player shooting angle automatic recognition and correction method based on the process of feature statistics. Firstly, the basic structure of the information acquisition system is analyzed, and the acquisition process is determined. Then, grayscale and binarization operations are carried out for color‐moving images to separate their foreground and background, and a median filtering algorithm is used to remove the image noise. Then, the image pyramid of different sizes is generated by the filter. Based on setting the datum direction, the feature of volleyball shooting is extracted by using the line formula. On this basis, we construct a support vector machine (SVM) classifier to statistically classify the features, use the histogram additive kernel support vector machine method to obtain the lens angle recognition results, and correct the lens angle through feature point matching. Simulation experiments show that this method can effectively remove image noise and make the image signal‐to‐noise ratio higher, and it can effectively identify whether volleyball players’ release Angle is correct, to achieve the purpose of timely correction.
Melatonin Alleviates LPS-Induced Pyroptotic Cell Death in Human Stem Cell-Derived Cardiomyocytes by Activating Autophagy
Authors: Qiu Ya , Ma Yan , Jiang Min , Li Sulei , Zhang Jibin , Chen Haixu , Xu Mengqi , Gao Shan , Tian Lei , Tao Bo , Wang Yabin , Han Dong , Cao Feng
Published: November 2021

Endotoxemia in sepsis remains a problem due to a lack of effective strategies. Our previous studies have demonstrated that melatonin (Mel) protects against ischemic heart injury and arteriosclerosis. However, its role in endotoxemia-exposed cardiomyocytes remains poorly understood. This study explored, for the first time, the protective effect of Mel on the pyroptosis of human stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CMs) exposed to lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Our results showed that treatment with 1 μM or 10 μM Mel for 12 h significantly improved 1 μg/ml LPS-induced hiPSC-CM injuries, as reflected by drastically decreased LDH release and increased cell viability, which was accompanied by the overt induction of autophagy. Specifically, Mel profoundly alleviated LPS-induced cell pyroptosis, as evidenced by decreased propidium iodide (PI) and active caspase-1 double-positive cell rates; suppressed the expression of NLRP3, cleaved caspase-1 (activated form of caspase-1), and GSDMD-NT (functional N-terminal fragment of GSDMD) expression; and inhibited the production of the cleaved IL-1β and cleaved IL-18 cytokines. Additionally, double-membrane autophagosomes were observed in LPS-injured hiPSC-CMs treated with 1 μM or 10 μM Mel. The hiPSC-CMs treated with LPS exhibited considerably fewer acidic vesicles (as revealed by LAMP1 staining) and autophagosomes (as revealed by LC3-II staining); however, Mel reversed this outcome in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, coincubation with rapamycin (an autophagy activator) or 3-MA (an autophagy inhibitor) accentuated and attenuated the antipyroptotic actions of Mel, respectively. Collectively, our findings demonstrate that Mel shields hiPSC-CMs against pyroptosis during endotoxemia by activating autophagy.
Mespilus germanica (MG) and Tribulus terrestris (TT) Used as Biosorbents for Lead Removal from Aqueous Solutions: Adsorption Kinetics and Mechanisms
Authors: Ehteshami Majid , Zolfaghari Hamidreza , Salari Marjan , Teymouri Ehsan
Published: November 2021

Today, most countries around the globe are facing water resources restrictions, and it is predicted freshwater resources will be more valuable than oil wells in the next century. In the present study, the ability of lead removal using both powders of Mespilus germanica (MG) and Tribulus terrestris (TT) seeds and optimization of the adsorption process have been investigated. Four main parameters were selected for experimental design, namely, pH, time of contact, the ratio of adsorbent to solution volume, and initial concentration of lead in solution, and the optimization of effective parameters on lead adsorption was performed based on central composite design (CCD) under response surface methodology (RSM). According to the statistical results, the proposed model for MG and TT is confirmed with 0.95 and 0.96 correlation coefficient and 0.92 and 0.94 adjusted correlation coefficient, respectively. The results of parameter optimization also showed that both adsorbents have the acceptable ability to adsorb lead from aqueous solutions. Under the optimum conditions with the initial lead concentration of 10 mg/l, MG powder had better performance in lead adsorption of 96.04%, and TT powder also had an acceptive performance of 93.20%. Moreover, the MG and TT adsorbents have the most accordance with the Freundlich and D‐R isotherms, respectively.
The Content Analysis of Amino Acids in Auricularia auricula from Heilongjiang and Jilin
Authors: Cui Lili , Feng Guoquan , Lu Jie , Li Changqin
Published: November 2021

The content of amino acids in Auricularia auricula was analyzed by the method of acid hydrolysis and automatic online analysis. The content of total amino acids in A. auricula produced in Heilongjiang was between 68.287 and 110.949 mg/g, and the average was 90.848 mg/g. The content of essential amino acids in A. auricula from Heilongjiang was between 28.847 and 45.757 mg/g, and the average was 37.987 mg/g. The proportion of essential amino acids (EAA) to total amino acids (TAA) in A. auricula from Heilongjiang was between 41.24% and 42.26%. However, the content of total amino acids in A. auricula from Jilin was between 71.716 and 124.143 mg/g, and the average was 94.318 mg/g. The content of essential amino acids in A. auricula from Jilin was between 29.775 and 52.063 mg/g, and the average was 38.498 mg/g. The ratio of essential amino acids (EAA) to total amino acids (TAA) in A. auricula from Jilin was between 39.75% and 41.94%. The content of total amino acids and essential amino acids in A. auricula from Jilin was higher than that from Heilongjiang. However, EAA/TAA in A. auricula from Heilongjiang was higher than that of Jilin. The content of total amino acids in different batches of A. auricula in the same production area was quite different, but the ratio of essential amino acids content to total amino acids content was basically the same.
Preservice Teachers’ Self-Efficacy in Teaching Cost Accounting
Authors: Kwarteng Joseph Tufuor , Sappor Peter
Published: November 2021

The study examined preservice teachers’ self-efficacy in teaching cost accounting at the pretertiary level. It employed the descriptive cross-sectional survey design involving final year preservice accounting teachers at the University of Cape Coast. An adapted questionnaire referred to as Teacher Self-Efficacy and Mastery Experience Scale (TSEMES) was used to gather relevant data complemented by the academic records of the respondents to address the problem. The return rate of the instrument was 93%. Descriptive (frequencies, percentages, means, and standard deviation) and inferential statistics (simple linear regression) were used to analyse the data. The study found out that preservice accounting teachers were highly efficacious in classroom management compared to student engagement and instructional practices. Also, mastery experience had a positive influence on preservice accounting teachers’ self-efficacy in teaching cost accounting. Therefore, it was recommended that accounting teacher educators pay more attention to competencies related to instructional strategies and student engagement by engaging more with the preservice accounting teachers in these areas. In the deployment of teachers, the Ghana Education Service should prioritise preservice accounting teachers with higher academic achievement.
Analysis of Shaking Table Tests of Underground Structures considering the Influence of the Structure‐Soil Interface
Authors: Guo Feng Shuang , Wang Yun Sheng , Wang Chang Bao , Wang LiJuan
Published: November 2021

To investigate the seismic performance of underground structures under the action of the structure‐soil interface, in this study, experiments were performed using plexiglass structures (two pieces) and a concrete structure (one piece) as the research objects. The surface of one plexiglass structure was prepainted with a layer of cement mortar as the contact surface between the structure and soil, and the other plexiglass structure was not treated and used for comparison. A rigid model box measuring 2.25 m × 2.25 m × 1.5 m was placed on a 3 m × 3 m shaking table, and the box was filled with the configured model soil and the underground structure prepared in advance. Input transverse uniform excitation was imparted to the whole system. A shaking table model test was performed on the underground structures to analyse the acceleration response, stress strain, and earth pressure changes in the underground structure, and the influence of the contact surface on the seismic dynamics of the underground structure was evaluated. The test results showed that under uniform excitation, the dynamic characteristics of the underground structures were greatly affected by the intensity and depth of the seismic waves. (1) When the soil‐structure contact was considered, the stress and strain of the structures increased significantly, and the stress‐strain value was significantly greater than the stress‐strain value of the soil‐structure interface in a fully bonded state. (2) There were inconsistencies between the acceleration peak curve of the plexiglass structure considering the contact effect and the acceleration peak curve of the plexiglass structure without considering the contact effect. The difference between the two lies mainly in the corresponding maximum peak acceleration and the Fourier spectrum amplitude. With respect to the value and frequency composition, regardless of whether the input acceleration intensity was 0.2 g or 0.5 g, the peak acceleration of the organic structure was greater when the contact surface effect was considered than without the contact surface effect. Therefore, the structure‐soil interface needs to be considered in actual engineering. The presence of the contact surface improves the safety of the structure and is helpful for seismic design. The results of this study provide a basis for further research on the influence of soil‐pipe contact on the seismic response of underground structures.
Optimizing Medical Enterprise’s Operations Management considering Corporate Social Responsibility under Industry 5.0
Authors: Zhang Qian , Chen Yuming , Lin Wanlong , Chen Yao
Published: November 2021

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is the concrete practice of sustainable development at the enterprise level, emphasizing the human value in the production process. The proposal of Industry 5.0 begins to take the coordinated development between human and various production factors as one of the key points of corporate sustainable management. Therefore, this paper studies the optimization of medical enterprise’s operations management considering enterprise CSR under Industry 5.0. A mixed-integer programming (MIP) model is developed to maximize the CSR with the consideration of the impact of precision medical technologies such as surgical robots (SRs) and 3D bone printing on employee social welfare, corporate profits, social environment, and customer surplus value. An improved variable neighborhood tabu search (IVNTS) algorithm which combines the variable neighborhood tabu search (VNTS) algorithm and simulated annealing (SA) algorithm is designed to solve the model, and numerical experiments are analyzed to verify the effectiveness of the proposed IVNTS. The research aids medical enterprise to make reasonable operations management decisions, while providing a reference for the government to draft and implement related policies, thereby achieving sustainable social development.
Yosida Complementarity Problem with Yosida Variational Inequality Problem and Yosida Proximal Operator Equation Involving XOR-Operation
Authors: Ahmad Rais , Rajpoot Arvind Kumar , Ali Imran , Wen Ching-Feng
Published: November 2021

Due to the importance of Yosida approximation operator, we generalized the variational inequality problem and its equivalent problems by using Yosida approximation operator. The aim of this work is to introduce and study a Yosida complementarity problem, a Yosida variational inequality problem, and a Yosida proximal operator equation involving XOR-operation. We prove an existence result together with convergence analysis for Yosida proximal operator equation involving XOR-operation. For this purpose, we establish an algorithm based on fixed point formulation. Our approach is based on a proximal operator technique involving a subdifferential operator. As an application of our main result, we provide a numerical example using the MATLAB program R2018a. Comparing different iterations, a computational table is assembled and some graphs are plotted to show the convergence of iterative sequences for different initial values.
Knockdown of lncRNA FOXD2-AS1 Inhibits Proliferation, Migration, and Drug Resistance of Breast Cancer Cells
Authors: Nong Qiaohong , Yu Shaokang , Hu Hui , Hu Xue
Published: November 2021

Objective. In order to investigate the effect of lncRNA FOXD2-AS1 on breast cancer cells proliferation, migration, and drug resistance as well as its molecular mechanism. Methods. Real-time PCR was used to detect the expression of breast cancer tissues and cells from patients admitted to our hospital and the expression of lncRNA FOXD2-AS1 in MCF-7/ADR in adriamycin- (ADR-) resistant breast cancer cells. After interfering with or overexpressing lncRNA FOXD2-AS1 in MCF-7/ADR cells, cell proliferation, apoptosis, invasion, and migration were detected using CCK-8, flow cytometry, Transwell assay, and scratch test, respectively. The protein levels of PI3K, p-PI3K, AKT, and p-AKT in the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway were detected by Western blot. Results. lncRNA FOXD2-AS1 was upregulated in breast cancer tissues and cells and increased cell drug resistance to ADR. Downregulation of lncRNA FOXD2-AS1 inhibited invasion and migration of MCF-7/ADR cells, promoted apoptosis, increased chemosensitivity of MCF-7/ADR cells, and inhibited the activity of PI3K/AKT signaling pathway in MCF-7/ADR cells. Conclusions. lncRNA FOXD2-AS1 can promote the proliferation, invasion, migration, and drug resistance of breast cancer cells, inhibit apoptosis, and accelerate the development of breast cancer by positively regulating the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway.
[Retracted] Value Analysis of Video Image Multiprocessing Based on Vision Sensor in the Field of Football Scientific Research
Authors: Li Bin , Ji Gaoqing
Published: November 2021

The development and application of mobile portable video capture and image processing systems, as well as the development and improvement of computer multimedia courseware technology have made image processing technology widely used in football project scientific research services. This research mainly discusses the value of video image multiprocessing based on vision sensors in the field of football scientific research. The development and conduct of this research work require the application of sports video image processing technology software to conduct scientific experimental research and analysis on the athletes’ technical and tactical level, evaluate the athletes’ technical and tactical performance through qualitative and quantitative tests, and give different sports items at the same time. Humans can exchange information with the outside world through vision, hearing, and language and can express the same meaning in different ways. However, current intelligent machines or computers require programs to be written in strict accordance with various machine languages. Only in this way can the machine run. In order to enable more people to use complex machines, it is necessary to change the past situation where people adapt to machines. Instead, let the machine adapt to people’s habits and requirements and exchange information with people in the way people are used to, that is, let the machine have the ability to see, hear, and speak. At this time, the machine must have the ability of logical reasoning and decision‐making. Use sports video image processing technology and use examples to study and explore practical methods and means that are most in line with the scientific work of the project, and build the most scientific and useful sports video image processing system.. The CCD visual image sensor is used for signal acquisition and image processing when the motion video image processing system is established. Through logical analysis and induction, discuss and prove the intuitiveness, practicability, efficiency, and scientificity of the application of video image processing technology in the field of football scientific research. Finally, in the mathematical statistics method, the statistical software Excel 2003 in the office system is used to perform statistical analysis on all data results and analyze and compare the key kinematic parameters of some sports events. Analyzing the video images of the 2016 European Cup, the average possession rate of the Welsh team is 48%, and the average pass success rate per game is 82.7%. This research helps to improve the ability of football players to analyze, research, and evaluate sports skills.
Impact of Small-Scale Mining Activities on Physicochemical Properties of Soils in Dunkwa East Municipality of Ghana
Authors: Essandoh Paul K. , Takase Mohammed , Bryant Isaac Mbir
Published: November 2021

The quality of soils in rehabilitated small-scale mined sites needs thorough investigation since a lot of changes do occur. The study assessed the impacts of small-scale mining activities on concentration and distribution of soil physicochemical properties and heavy metals. The soil samples were collected from 120 (50 m × 50 m) plots. The concentrations of soil physicochemical properties (Ca, Mg, Na, N, P, K, and OC and EC) varied significantly (

p

 < 0.05) between unmined and mined soils. However, there were no statistically, significant differences (

p

 < 0.05) observed in the concentrations of Cd, Hg, Pb, As, and Cu between the unmined and mined soils. Despite the generally poor (33.8%) soil quality in the study area, mining activities further reduced it by 24.2%. Soils from mined sites with unfilled/partially filled pits had higher levels of K, Mg, and Na. As mined sites fallow period increased, concentrations of OC and Cd increased, while Ca, Mg, pH, Cu, Pb, and As and value of EC decreased. The number of years that mined land remained fallow, and whether the pits were filled or unfilled during this period should be factored into the mined land rehabilitation processes.
A Novel Blind Deconvolution Method with Adaptive Period Estimation Technique and Its Application to Fault Feature Enhancement of Bearing
Authors: Zhou Qiuyang , Yi Cai , Huang Chenguang , Lin Jianhui
Published: November 2021

Minimum correlated generalized Lp/Lq deconvolution (MCG‐Lp/Lq‐D) is an important tool to detect periodic impulses in vibration mixture. It is proved to be a more stable technique than maximum correlated kurtosis deconvolution (MCKD) to recover the fault impulse under strong noise conditions. However, MCG‐Lp/Lq‐D still has limitations. One of the necessary conditions for the success of MCG‐Lp/Lq‐D is to provide a precise period of fault. An imprecise prior period will lead to performance degradation or even failure of the method. Therefore, in this paper, a MCG‐Lp/Lq‐D with adaptive fault period estimation capability is proposed, adaptive minimum correlated generalized Lp/Lq deconvolution (AMCG‐Lp/Lq‐D). The proposed method uses the autocorrelation function of envelope signal to estimate the fault period adaptively in each iteration and then takes the estimated period as the input parameter of MCG‐Lp/Lq‐D for the next iteration optimization. The proposed method does not require precise prior fault period input, which greatly improves the fault recovery accuracy and application range of MCG‐Lp/Lq‐D. Eventually, simulated and experimental data verify the effectiveness and superiority of AMCG‐Lp/Lq‐D.