bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Identifying tobacco retailers in the absence of a licensing system: lessons from Australia
Authors: Baker John , Masood Mohd , Rahman Muhammad Aziz , Thornton Lukar , Begg Stephen
Published: February 2021

Objectives

To estimate the proportion of retailers that sell tobacco in the absence of appropriate local government oversight, and to describe the characteristics by which they differ from those that can expect to receive such oversight.

Methods

A database of listed tobacco retailers was obtained from a regional Victorian local government. Potential unlisted tobacco retailers were added using online searches, and attempts to visit all retailers were undertaken. GPS coordinates and sales type information of retailers that sold tobacco were recorded and attached to neighbourhood-level data on socioeconomic disadvantage and smoking prevalence using ArcMap. Logistic regression analyses, χ2tests and t-tests were undertaken to explore differences in numbers of listed and unlisted retailers by business and neighbourhood-level characteristics.

Results

Of 125 confirmed tobacco retailers, 43.2% were trading potentially without government oversight. Significant differences were found between listed and unlisted retailers by primary business type (p<0.001), and sales type (p<0.001) but not by the other characteristics.

Conclusions

The database of tobacco retailers was inaccurate in two ways: (1) a number of listed retailers no longer operated or sold tobacco, and (2) 43.2% of businesses confirmed as selling tobacco were missing. As no form of licensing system exists in Victoria, it is difficult to identify the number of retailers operating, or to determine how many receive formal regulatory oversight. A positive licensing system is recommended to regulate the sale of tobacco and to generate a comprehensive database of retailers, similar to that which exists for food registration, gaming and liquor-licensed premises.
Innovative promotional strategies and diversification of flavoured mass merchandise cigar products: a case study of Swedish match
Authors: Ganz Ollie , Hrywna Mary , Schroth Kevin R J , Delnevo Cristine D
Published: February 2021

In 2009, the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act (TCA) granted the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulatory authority over tobacco products, although initially this only included cigarettes, smokeless tobacco and roll-your-own tobacco. In 2016, the deeming rule extended regulatory authority to include all tobacco products, including cigars. The deeming rule prohibited the introduction of new tobacco products into the marketplace without proper marketing authorisation and laid out pathways for tobacco companies to follow. The deeming rule should have frozen the cigar marketplace in 2016. In this paper, we describe how the cigarillo marketplace, nevertheless, continues to diversify with new brands, flavors, styles and packaging sizes entering the market regularly. As an example, we highlight recent promotional efforts by Swedish Match North America (Swedish Match) for their popular cigarillo brands, including White Owl, Night Owl and Garcia y Vega’s Game brand. We argue that ambiguities in the TCA make it unclear whether Swedish Match’s seemingly new cigarillos fit the definition of new tobacco products and, if so, whether they are on the market legally. Swedish Match and other cigarillo companies may be taking advantage of these ambiguities to promote a variety of cigarillo flavors and styles in innovative ways. Given that cigars are combustible tobacco products that pose many of the same risks as cigarettes, this business practice raises significant concerns regarding the protection of public health, particularly among young people.
Spatial patterns of vegetation structure and structural diversity across edges between forested wetlands and upland forest in Atlantic Canada
Authors: Harper Karen A. , Gray Logan , Dazé Querry Natasha
Published: February 2021

Forested wetlands are an integral but understudied part of heterogeneous landscapes in Atlantic Canada, although they are known to provide habitat for species at risk. Our objectives were to explore patterns of forest structure across edges between forested wetland and upland forest, to locate changes in vegetation structure and to assess multivariate relationships in vegetation structure. Our study sites were in temperate (Acadian) forested wetland landscapes. We sampled trees and recorded canopy cover every 20 m along 120-m-long transects. We estimated the cover of trees, saplings, shrubs in three height classes, Sphagnum, other bryophytes, lichens, graminoids, ferns, and forbs in contiguous 1 m × 1 m quadrats. We calculated structural diversity using the Shannon index and used wavelet analysis to assess spatial patterns. We found few clear patterns except for lower tree structural diversity at the edge of forested wetlands. Structural diversity was not a reliable measure for distinguishing forested wetland from upland forest. Forested wetlands are an integral part of many forested landscapes in Atlantic Canada, but their detection and differentiation from surrounding ecosystems can be difficult. Policy should err on the side of caution when mapping forested wetlands and include them in wetland protection.
Centrality dependence of limiting fragmentation
Authors: Kellers B. , Wolschin G.
Published: February 2021

We investigate the centrality-dependent validity of the limiting-fragmentation hypothesis in relativistic heavy-ion collisions at energies reached at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) and the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). A phenomenological analysis of Au–Au and Pb–Pb collisions within a three-source relativistic diffusion model (RDM) is performed at$$\sqrt{s_{NN}}=19.6, 62.4, 130, 200, 2760$$sNN=19.6,62.4,130,200,2760and 5023 GeV using four centrality cuts at each energy. Linear and nonlinear expressions for the rapidity drift function are tested and their physical relevance is discussed. Our results are compatible with the limiting-fragmentation conjecture for the investigated centralities in the full energy range. The number of particles in the fragmentation and fireball sources are found to depend on$$\sqrt{s_{NN}}$$sNNlogarithmically and cubic-logarithmically, respectively.
Tau $$g{-}2$$ at $$e^-e^+$$ colliders with momentum-dependent form factor
Authors: Tran Hieu Minh , Kurihara Yoshimasa
Published: February 2021

The deviation between the prediction based on the standard model and the measurement of the muon $$g{-}2$$

g
-
2

is currently at $$3{-}4 \sigma $$

3
-
4
σ

. If this discrepancy is attributable to new physics, it is expected that the new contributions to the tau $$g{-}2$$

g
-
2

even larger than those of muon due to its large mass. However, it is much more difficult to directly measure the tau $$g{-}2$$

g
-
2

because of its short lifetime. In this report, we consider the effect of the tau $$g{-}2$$

g
-
2

at $$e^-e^+$$

e
-

e
+

colliders using a model independent approach. Using the tau pair production channel at the Large Electron Position Collider (LEP), we have determined the allowed range for the new physics contribution of the tau $$g{-}2$$

g
-
2

assuming a q-square-dependence ansatz for the magnetic form factor. We also investigated the prospect at future $$e^+e^-$$

e
+

e
-

colliders, such as International Linear Collider, the Compact Linear Collider, the Future Circular $$e^+e^-$$

e
+

e
-

Collider, and Circular Electron Positron Collider, and determined the expected allowed range for the new physics contribution to the tau anomalous magnetic moment. The best limits are about $$4{-}5$$

4
-
5

times more severe than the LEP one due to the beam polarization and the high luminosities at future colliders.
Search for double $$\beta $$-decay modes of $$^{64}$$Zn using purified zinc
Authors: Bellini F. , Beretta M. , Cardani L. , Carniti P. , Casali N. , Celi E. , Chiesa D. , Clemenza M. , Dafinei I. , Di Domizio S. , Ferroni F. , Gironi L. , Gorbenko Yu. V. , Gotti C. , Kovtun G. P. , Laubenstein M. , Nagorny S. , Nisi S. , Pagnanini L. , Pattavina L. , Pessina G. , Pirro S. , Previtali E. , Rusconi C. , Schäffner K. , Shcherban A. P. , Solopikhin D. A. , Virich V. D. , Tomei C. , Vignati M.
Published: February 2021

The production of ultra-pure raw material is a crucial step to ensure the required background level in rare event searches. In this work, we establish an innovative technique developed to produce high-purity (99.999%) granular zinc. We demonstrate the effectiveness of the refining procedure by measuring the internal contaminations of the purified zinc with a high-purity germanium detector at the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso. The total activity of cosmogenic activated nuclides is measured at the level of a few mBq/kg, as well as limits on naturally occurring radionuclides are set to less than mBq/kg. The excellent radiopurity of the zinc sample allows us to search for electron capture with positron emission and neutrinoless double electron capture of $$^{64}$$

64

Zn, setting the currently most stringent lower limits on their half-lives, $$T_{1/2}^{\varepsilon \beta ^+} > 2.7\times 10^{21}~\text {year}$$

T

1
/
2

ε

β
+

>
2.7
×

10
21

year

(90% CI), and $$T_{1/2}^{0\nu 2\varepsilon }> 2.6\times 10^{21}~\text {year}$$

T

1
/
2

0
ν
2
ε

>
2.6
×

10
21

year

(90% CI), respectively.
Streaming Algorithms for Maximizing Monotone DR-Submodular Functions with a Cardinality Constraint on the Integer Lattice
Authors: Zhang Zhenning , Guo Longkun , Wang Yishui , Xu Dachuan , Zhang Dongmei
Published: February 2021

Emerging applications such as optimal budget allocation and sensor placement impose problems of maximizing variants of submodular functions with constraints under a streaming setting. In this paper, we first devise a streaming algorithm based on Sieve-Streaming for maximizing a monotone diminishing return submodular (DR-submodular) function with a cardinality constraint on the integer lattice and show it is a one-pass algorithm with approximation ratio [Formula: see text]. The key idea to ensure one pass for the algorithm is to combine binary search for determining the level of an element with the exponential-growth method for estimating the OPT. Inspired by Sieve-Streaming++, we then improve the memory of the algorithm to [Formula: see text] and the query complexity to [Formula: see text].
Repulsive gravitational force and quintessence field in f(T) gravity: How anisotropic compact stars in strong energy condition behave
Authors: Bandyopadhyay Mayukh , Biswas Ritabrata
Published: February 2021

Recently literature is found to be enriched with studies related to anisotropic behaviors of different compact stars in the background of [Formula: see text] gravity in different energy conditions. Quintessence field, as local impacts of cosmic acceleration upon the compact stars, is also very interesting in recent studies. In this paper, the quintessential field effects on the compact stars (mainly on the neutron stars with an wide range of mass distributions), repulsive gravitational effects inside the compact stars due to dark matter distribution in them, charge distribution inside them in strong energy condition, etc. are studied. All required equations of motion using anisotropic property and concept of Massachusetts Institute of Technology bag model are acquired. Black holes surrounded by quintessential matters which satisfy the additive and linearity conditions, with the form of energy tensors were proposed and the corresponding metric was derived by Kiselev.1 The metric, described by Krori and Barua2 with Reissner–Nordström metric3 are compared to find out the different numerical values of unknown parameters. The numerical values are derived and some important parameters like anisotropic stress, adiabatic constant, surface redshift, electric intensity, compactness factor, stability etc. are analyzed deeply to get a clear idea for further study on these types of stars and to understand their nature.
Inverse scattering for nonlocal reverse-space multicomponent nonlinear Schrödinger equations
Authors: Ma Wen-Xiu , Huang Yehui , Wang Fudong
Published: February 2021

The paper aims to discuss nonlocal reverse-space multicomponent nonlinear Schrödinger equations and their inverse scattering transforms. The inverse scattering problems are analyzed by means of Riemann–Hilbert problems, and Gelfand–Levitan–Marchenko-type integral equations for generalized matrix Jost solutions are determined by the Sokhotski–Plemelj formula. Soliton solutions are generated from the reflectionless transforms associated with zeros of the Riemann–Hilbert problems.
Proton radioactivity of nuclei with atomic numbers Z = 51–91 and mass number 104–211
Authors: Poenaru D. N. , Gherghescu R. A.
Published: February 2021

Proton radioactivity of neutron-deficient nuclei with atomic numbers [Formula: see text]–91 and mass number 104–211 is investigated using the analytical super-asymmetric fission (ASAF) model — a model used to study [Formula: see text]-decay and cluster radioactivity since 1984. The experimental [Formula: see text] values are compared with calculated ones based on WS4 (Y. Z. Wang et al., 2014–2015), and in few cases KTUY05 (H. Koura et al., 2005) mass models. Proton drip-line and neutron drip-line are determined using the WS4 mass model. We compare the calculated results with experimental half-lives, showing good agreement.
FABRICATION OF PROTECTIVE SiC/TiO2/SiO2 COATING FOR GRAPHITE ELECTRODES
Authors: MOGHADAM HOSSEIN ALIAN , JABBARI MAJID , DANESHMAND SAEED , JAZI SAEID RASOULI , KHOSRAVI AREZOO
Published: February 2021

Today, there is a rapid growing demand for graphite electrodes used at steel making factories. Graphite electrodes are expensive materials that are used at steel making factories. Increasing the working longevity of these materials can significantly improve the benefit of steel melting process. Therefore, the increase in the stability of graphite at high elevated temperatures in electric arc furnaces is necessary. The mixture of SiC/TiO2/SiO2 coating can desirably reduce the oxidation of the graphite matrix at high temperatures. Evidently, the SiC/TiO2/SiO2 coating can specially decrease the mass loss rate of the graphite at high elevated temperatures and improve its working longevity in these conditions. Moreover, this coating can effectively improve the stability and thermal shock properties of graphite at the temperatures up to 1000∘C.
Solvothermal synthesis high lithium ionic conductivity of Gd-doped Li1.3Al0.3Ti1.7(PO4)3 solid electrolyte
Authors: Fan Mingxia , Deng Xiangyu , Zheng Anqiao , Yuan Songdong
Published: February 2021

NASICON-type [Formula: see text][Formula: see text][Formula: see text]([Formula: see text] (LATP) solid electrolytes have been widely studied because of its stability in the air, low material price and high ionic conductivity. Gd-doped [Formula: see text]Al[Formula: see text][Formula: see text][Formula: see text]([Formula: see text] ([Formula: see text]= 0, 0.025, 0.05, 0.075 and 0.1) with high ionic conductivity was successfully synthesized by solvothermal method for the first time in this work. The effect of Gd doping content on the structure and electrochemical performance of solid electrolytes was systematically studied. The optimal doping content of Gd is [Formula: see text]= 0.075. With the Gd doping content of 0.075, the solid electrolyte has the highest ionic conductivity of 4.23 × 10[Formula: see text] S cm[Formula: see text] at room temperature, the lowest activation energy of 0.247 eV and the highest relative density of 94.89%. This is because the fact that when [Formula: see text]= 0.075, it is the maximum content of Gd[Formula: see text] to replace Al[Formula: see text] and can completely enter the lattice of LATP, and does not emerge too much non-lithium ion conductive GdPO4 phase.
The Use of ETFs in Internationally-Focused Mutual Fund Portfolios
Authors: Sherrill D. Eli , Shirley Sara E. , Stark Jeffrey R.
Published: February 2021

We explore the implications of US-based, internationally-focused equity mutual funds holding exchange traded funds (ETFs). We observe significant differences in how ETFs are used by international mutual funds compared to their domestic equity counterparts. Internationally-focused mutual funds use ETFs to alter the return-based and country risk exposures of the mutual fund. In addition to altering the risk of the fund, we find increases in ETF-use coincide with a change in performance, an investment in a greater number of countries, and a reduction the number of direct equity holdings.
Working Set Analytics
Authors: Denning Peter J.
Published: February 2021

The working set model for program behavior was invented in 1965. It has stood the test of time in virtual memory management for over 50 years. It is considered the ideal for managing memory in operating systems and caches. Its superior performance was based on the principle of locality, which was discovered at the same time; locality is the observed tendency of programs to use distinct subsets of their pages over extended periods of time. This tutorial traces the development of working set theory from its origins to the present day. We will discuss the principle of locality and its experimental verification. We will show why working set memory management resists thrashing and generates near-optimal system throughput. We will present the powerful, linear-time algorithms for computing working set statistics and applying them to the design of memory systems. We will debunk several myths about locality and the performance of memory systems. We will conclude with a discussion of the application of the working set model in parallel systems, modern shared CPU caches, network edge caches, and inventory and logistics management.
Privacy Care
Authors: Mehta Vikram , Gooch Daniel , Bandara Arosha , Price Blaine , Nuseibeh Bashar
Published: February 2021

The emergence of ubiquitous computing (UbiComp) environments has increased the risk of undesired access to individuals’ physical space or their information, anytime and anywhere, raising potentially serious privacy concerns. Individuals lack awareness and control of the vulnerabilities in everyday contexts and need support and care in regulating disclosures to their physical and digital selves. Existing GUI-based solutions, however, often feel physically interruptive, socially disruptive, time-consuming and cumbersome. To address such challenges, we investigate the user interaction experience and discuss the need for more tangible and embodied interactions for effective and seamless natural privacy management in everyday UbiComp settings. We propose the Privacy Care interaction framework, which is rooted in the literature of privacy management and tangible computing. Keeping users at the center,AwarenessandControlare established as the core parts of our framework. This is supported with three interrelated interaction tenets:Direct, Ready-to-Hand,andContextual. Direct refers to intuitiveness through metaphor usage. Ready-to-Hand supports granularity, non-intrusiveness, and ad hoc management, through periphery-to-center style attention transitions. Contextual supports customization through modularity and configurability. Together, they aim to provide experience of an embodied privacy care with varied interactions that are calming and yet actively empowering. The framework provides designers of such care with a basis to refer to, to generate effective tangible tools for privacy management in everyday settings.

Through five semi-structured focus groups, we explore the privacy challenges faced by a sample set of 15 older adults (aged 60+) across their cyber-physical-social spaces. The results show conformity to our framework, demonstrating the relevance of the facets of the framework to the design of privacy management tools in everyday UbiComp contexts.
Adsorption Mechanism of Potassium Oleate on Cobalt Surface Based on Cobalt Interconnection CMP: A Combined Experimental and DFT Investigation
Authors: Sun Xiaoqin , Ma Tengda , Yin Da , Tan Baimei , Yang Fan , Liu Mengrui , Gao Pengcheng , Zhang Shihao , Wang Yazhen , He Yangang
Published: February 2021

Potassium oleate (PO) is a promising corrosion inhibitor to replace benzotriazole (BTA) for cobalt (Co) wiring in the integrated circuit (IC). The adsorption characteristics of different cobalt surfaces were characterized by the contact angle measurement. The formation of passive Co–PO film and the corrosion inhibitor efficiency of PO to cobalt was analyzed by electrochemistry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and the change of chemical elements on the cobalt surface was analyzed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Furthermore, quantum chemical calculation and molecular dynamics simulation based on density functional theory (DFT) further revealed the adsorption mechanism of PO and cobalt at the molecular level. The results showed that Co–PO passivation film formed on the cobalt surface, besides, 2 mM PO has achieved the best inhibition efficiency on cobalt surface.
Medical students’ perception of the reliability, usefulness and feasibility of unproctored online formative assessment tests
Authors: Snekalatha S. , Marzuk S. Mohamed , Meshram Swapnatai. A. , Maheswari K. Uma , Sugapriya G. , Sivasharan K.
Published: February 2021

Medical education has gone online because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Formative assessment is essential to facilitate the learning process in medical education. However, various challenges arise during online assessment, which include reliability, when done without monitoring and practical concerns like Internet connectivity issues. This study was done to assess the medical students’ perceptions of the reliability, usefulness, and practical challenges of online tests. One hundred first-year undergraduate medical students taking up online classes and tests in the subject of physiology were enrolled in this study. A questionnaire with items regarding practical challenges, reliability, and usefulness of the online tests, in general, and about different types of online assessment methods, in particular, were sent to the students online. Each item was rated on a five-point Likert scale, and the responses were analyzed anonymously. A large percentage of students used mobile phones (81.4%) to undertake online tests. Although most students (73.2%; P < 0.001) felt that online tests helped them substantially in learning the subject, network connectivity issues were considered to be a matter of serious concern (85.5%, P < 0.001). Among the assessment methods used, viva voce by video conferencing was thought to be most reliable (83%, P < 0.001). Multiple-choice question-based assessment when done online was felt to be more practically feasible with faster feedback than classroom assessment. The results of the study suggest that medical students find online formative assessments helpful for their learning, despite their concerns about reliability and practical challenges.
Research on Control Strategy of Hydraulic Regenerative Braking of Electrohydraulic Hybrid Electric Vehicles
Authors: Zhao Qinghai , Zhang Hongxin , Xin Yafei
Published: February 2021

The vehicle will generate an amount of current while the electric vehicle just starting to regeneratively brake. In order to avoid the impact of high current on the traction battery, a novel electrohydraulic hybrid electric vehicle has been proposed. The main power source is supplied by the electric drive system, and the hydraulic system performs the auxiliary drive system that fully exerts the advantages of the electric drive system and the hydraulic drive system. A proper regenerative braking control strategy is presented, and the control parameters are determined by the fuzzy optimization algorithm. The simulation analysis built the model through the united simulation of AMESim and MATLAB/Simulink. The results illustrated that the optimized control strategy can reduce battery consumption by 1.22% under NEDC-operating conditions.
College Students’ Psychological Health Analysis Based on Multitask Gaussian Graphical Models
Authors: Tian Qiang , Wang Rui , Li Shijie , Wang Wenjun , Wu Ou , Li Faming , Jiao Pengfei
Published: February 2021

Understanding and solving the psychological health problems of college students have become a focus of social attention. Complex networks have become important tools to study the factors affecting psychological health, and the Gaussian graphical model is often used to estimate psychological networks. However, previous studies leave some gaps to overcome, including the following aspects. (1) When studying networks of subpopulations, the estimation neglects the intrinsic relationships among subpopulations, leading to a large difference between the estimated network and the real network. (2) Because of the high cost, previous psychological surveys often have a small sample size, and the psychological description is insufficient. Here, the intrinsic connections among multiple tasks are used, and multitask machine learning is applied to develop a multitask Gaussian graphical model. The psychological networks of the population and subpopulations are estimated based on psychological questionnaire data. This study is the first to apply a psychological network to such a large‐scale college student psychological analysis, and we obtain some interesting results. The model presented here is a dynamic model based on complex networks which predicts individual behavior and provides insight into the intrinsic links among various symptoms.
Structural Design and Mechanical Performance Analysis of Carbon Fiber Closed Fixtures for UHV Transmission Lines
Authors: Zhang Yujiao , Yan Cheng , Huang Xiongfeng , Chen Yanran
Published: February 2021

The closed clamp is a standard tool for the insulator replacement in ultrahigh voltage (UHV) transmission lines, which is mainly made of titanium alloy material and weighs more than 27 kg that greatly reduces the working efficiency for operators. Due to the lightweight demand, carbon fiber composite materials are applied to design a new type of clamp, in which mechanical properties of new fixtures need to be fulfilled while considering poor impact resistance and low interlaminar shear strength of carbon fiber composite materials. To excavate a high-strength ply structure, finite element progressive damage strength analysis is employed to evaluate the mechanical properties of three different ply angles of the carbon fiber closed fixture, in which Tsai–Wu strength theory is thought as the strength judgment basis for carbon fiber composite materials. After comparison with the displacement-load curves, the three different ply angles fail to meet the strength requirements. So, a carbon fiber laminate structure with an outer cladding for carbon fiber closed fixtures is raised and verified. The analysis results show that the laminate structure meets the strength requirements. Destructive test of the new closed clamp is conducted to verify the correctness of the proposed method, and the weight is reduced by 36.46%.
Key Performance Indicators for the Integration of the Service-Oriented Architecture and Scrum Process Model for IOT
Authors: Zheng Mengze , Zada Islam , Shahzad Sara , Iqbal Javed , Shafiq Muhammad , Zeeshan Muhammad , Ali Amjad
Published: February 2021

An important aspect in any business process lifecycle is management of the performance, where performance requirements on business processes are specified as Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) with target values which are to be achieved in a certain analysis period. A KPI is a business metric used to measure and evaluate the individual capability, maturity, complexity, and agility of a business process in the development environment. This study designed four general KPIs for the integration of SOA and scrum to bring further advancement in these approaches for IIoT. The study also identified some common metrics which will give help to software developers and, especially, to those who want to apply SOA and scrum integration. These metrics will play a critical role of bridging the strategy and concepts of improvements with operational activities. The identified KPIs will help to measure the business agility, quality and value, team efficiency, and complexity of scrum- and SOA based projects. Software development organizations can also practice these KPIs to know where to focus their resources to deliver the ultimate business profit. So, software business organizations could better align their business projects and IT investments with the rapid market change and deliveries.
Design of a CMOS Lineal Hall Sensor Front‐End Working in Current Mode with Programmable Gain Stage for Power Specific Chip
Authors: Li Peng , Xi Wei , Yin Xianggen , Yao Hao , Chen Huafeng
Published: February 2021

With the continuous intelligentization of power systems, the demand for the integration of digital chips and sensor chips such as the Internet of Things is also increasing. A CMOS lineal magnetic Hall sensor front‐end working in current mode with programmable gain stage is designed and implemented with SMIC 55 nm standard CMOS technology. By using a spinning‐current technique, chopper technique, and digital calibration technique to eliminate the offset voltage and nonlinearity, this magnetic Hall sensor can be easily integrated into digital systems like SoCs. This work has already finished the circuit simulation and layout design, and all simulation indicators basically reach the expected value. The maximum gain of proposed sensor systems can be up to 33.9 dB. The total power is less than 4 mW. And the total area is less than 0.113 μm2. The magnetic Hall sensor can be easily integrated into chips such as the power Internet of Things to form a single‐chip‐level SoC design, which is mainly used in applications such as circuit breakers and electric energy measurement.
Targeted Gene Candidates for Treatment and Early Diagnosis of Age‐Related Macular Degeneration
Authors: Cinici Emine , Caglar Ozge , Arslan Mehmet Enes , Dilekmen Nilay , Utlu Bahadır , Mardinoglu Adil , Turkez Hasan
Published: February 2021

Age‐related macular degeneration (AMD) is an eye disease that impairs the sharp and central vision need for daily activities. Recent advances in molecular biology research not only lead to a better understanding of the genetics and pathophysiology of AMD but also to the development of applications based on targeted gene expressions to treat the disease. Clarification of molecular pathways that causing to development and progression in dry and wet types of AMD needs comprehensive and comparative investigations in particular precious biopsies involving peripheral blood samples from the patients. Therefore, in this investigation, dry and wet types of AMD patients and healthy individuals were aimed at investigating in regard to targeted gene candidates by using gene expression analysis for the first time. 13 most potent candidate genes involved in neurodegeneration were selected via in silico approach and investigated through gene expression analysis to suggest new targets for disease therapy. For the analyses, 30 individuals (10 dry and 10 wet types AMD patients and 10 healthy people) were involved in the study. SYBR‐Green based Real‐Time PCR analysis was performed on isolated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) to analyze differentially expressed genes related to these cases. According to the investigations, only the CRP gene was found to be upregulated for both dry and wet disease types. When the downregulated genes were analyzed, it was found that 11 genes were commonly decreased for both dry and wet types in the aspect of expression pattern. From these genes, CFH, CX3CR1, FLT1, and TIMP3 were found to have the most downregulated gene expression properties for both diseases. From these results, it might be concluded that these common upregulated and downregulated genes could be used as targets for early diagnosis and treatment for AMD.
Application of Artificial Intelligence to Social Governance Capabilities under Public Health Emergencies
Authors: Wu Yafang , Shan Shaonan
Published: February 2021

Due to the high complexity, high destructive power, and comprehensive governance characteristics of public health emergencies, the ability of social governance has been distorted and alienated under intensive pressure, and the subjects of social governance have become lazy, professional, and politicized. There are obvious problems, such as system information leakage and information asymmetry. Based on the above background, the purpose of this article is to study the application of artificial intelligence to social governance capabilities under public health emergencies. This article focuses on the relevant concepts and content of emergency management of public health emergencies and in-depth analysis of the actual application of big data technology in epidemic traceability and prediction, medical diagnosis and vaccine research and development, people’s livelihood services, and government advice and suggestions, combined with investigations. The questionnaire analysis sorted out the problems in the social emergency management of public health emergencies in China. The results showed that 87.7% of the people simply sorted out laws and regulations and higher-level documents or even repeated content and lacked summary and reflection on emergency response experience, which led to the operability of emergency plans being generally even poor. In response to the shortcomings, countermeasures and suggestions were put forward, including establishing a standard data collection mechanism, establishing a data sharing mechanism, establishing a personal privacy security protection mechanism, and promoting the breadth and depth of big data applications.
New Finite Modeling of Free and Forced Vibration Responses of Piezoelectric FG Plates Resting on Elastic Foundations in Thermal Environments
Authors: Phuc Pham Minh , Kim Khue Nguyen Thi
Published: February 2021

This paper carries out free and forced vibration analysis of piezoelectric FGM plates resting on two‐parameter elastic foundations placed in thermal environments. By employing the third‐order shear deformation theory and the finite element method, this work establishes free and forced vibration equations of piezoelectric FGM plates, where the materials are assumed to be varied in the thickness directions, and the mechanical properties depend on the temperature. Then, comparative examples are conducted to verify the proposed theory and mathematical model, and the results of this study and other methods meet a very good agreement. Then, effects of geometrical and material properties such as the feedback coefficient, voltage, volume fraction index, temperature as well as the parameters of elastic foundations on free and forced vibration of the plates are investigated, and the conclusions are given out to provide the effective direction for the design and practical use of these structures.
Research on the Algorithm for Composite Lining of Deep Buried Water Conveyance Tunnel
Authors: Li Fei , Chang Ningdong , Wang Jianhui , Feng Tao , Li Chunling
Published: February 2021

Composite lining of deep buried water conveyance tunnel for bearing high internal water pressure is a new type of applicable structure. However, up to date, no effective method is available to calculate the stress of the structure. In this paper, a simplified algorithm, which can be used to calculate the stress distribution of composite lining accurately but costs little computational resource, is proposed. This algorithm, which is based on the elastic theory, takes the effect of internal water pressure and surrounding rock on the composite lining into consideration, respectively. Then, the stress distribution of composite lining in infinite body is derived on the basis of Lame solution. Finally, a case study is followed by choosing a typical section of the Eastern Canal in Beijing of the South‐to‐North Water Diversion Project (SNWDP). This case study was analysed by using the simplified algorithm and verified by finite element method with ABAQUS. The results show that the stress distribution of composite lining can be obtained quickly and accurately with the simplified algorithm, which can provide a reference for other engineering designs.
Applying Code Transform Model to Newly Generated Program for Improving Execution Performance
Authors: Chang Bao Rong , Tsai Hsiu-Fen , Su Po-Wen
Published: February 2021

The existing programs inside the voice assistant machine prompt human-machine interaction in response to a request from a user. However, the crucial problem is that the machine often may not give a proper answer to the user or cannot work out the existing program execution efficiently. Therefore, this study proposes a novel transform method to replace the existing programs (called sample programs in this paper) inside the machine with newly generated programs through code transform model GPT-2 that can reasonably solve the problem mentioned above. In essence, this paper introduces a theoretical estimation in statistics to infer at least a number of generated programs as required so as to guarantee that the best one can be found within them. In addition, the proposed approach not only imitates a voice assistant system with filtering redundant keywords or adding new keywords to complete keyword retrieval in semantic database but also checks code similarity and verifies the conformity of the executive outputs between sample programs and newly generated programs. According to code checking and program output verification, the processes can expedite transform operations efficiently by removing the redundant generated programs and finding the best-performing generated program. As a result, the newly generated programs outperform the sample programs because the proposed approach reduces the number of code lines by 32.71% and lowers the program execution time by 24.34%, which is of great significance.
Clinical and Functional Characteristics of a Novel KLF11 Cys354Phe Variant Involved in Maturity-Onset Diabetes of the Young
Authors: Sun Yujing , Qu Jingru , Wang Jing , Zhao Ruxing , Wang Chuan , Chen Li , Hou Xinguo
Published: February 2021

Background. Mutations in human KLF11 may lead to the development of maturity-onset diabetes of the young 7 (MODY7). This occurs due to impaired insulin synthesis in the pancreas. To date, the clinical and functional characteristics of the novel KLF11 mutation c.1061G > T have not yet been reported. Methods. Whole-exon sequencing was used to screen the proband and family members with clinical suspicion of the KLF11 variant. Luciferase reporter assays were used to investigate whether the KLF11 variant binds to the insulin promoter. Real-time PCR, western blotting, and glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS) analysis were used to analyze the KLF11 variant that regulates insulin expression and insulin secretion activity in beta cell lines. The Freestyle Libre H (Abbott Diabetes Care Ltd) was used to dynamically monitor the proband daily blood glucose levels. Results. Mutation screening for the whole exon genes identified a heterozygous KLF11 (c.1061G > T) variant in the proband, her mother, and her maternal grandfather. Cell-based luciferase reporter assays using wild-type and mutant transgenes revealed that the KLF11 (c.1061G > T) variant had impaired insulin promoter regulation activity. Moreover, this variant was found to impair insulin expression and insulin secretion in pancreatic beta cells. The proband had better blood glucose control without staple food intake (

p
<
0.05

). Conclusions. Herein, for the first time, we report a novel KLF11 (c.1061G > T) monogenic mutation associated with MODY7. This variant has impaired insulin promoter regulation activity and impairs insulin expression and secretion in pancreatic beta cells. Therefore, administering oral antidiabetic drugs along with dietary intervention may benefit the proband.
Comparative Oil Composition Study of the Endemic Moroccan Olive (Olea europaea subsp. maroccana) and Wild Olive (var. Sylvestris) in Central West Morocco
Authors: Elgadi Sara , Ouhammou Ahmed , Zine Hamza , Maata Nadia , Ait Babahmad Rachid , El Antari Abderraouf
Published: February 2021

Six wild olive subspecies (Olea europaea L.) are currently recognised globally, with two taxa cooccurring in the argan tree area in Central West Morocco: the widespread Mediterranean subspecies europaea var. Sylvestris (the so-called oleaster) and the microendemic subspecies maroccana. Despite its taxonomic and ecological importance, the chemical composition of subsp. maroccana oil remains poorly known. Therefore, the aim of this study is to investigate the oil content and the chemical composition of subsp. maroccana and var. Sylvestris as well as comparing their proprieties during two consecutive years (2017 and 2018) from the same geographical area. The fatty acid and the sterol compositions were analysed using gas chromatography. Additionally, the tocopherol content was determined using high-performance liquid chromatography. The total amount of unsaturated fatty acids was higher in maroccana (85.24%) than that in oleasters (79.05%). Additionally, the tocopherol and phytosterol content of the maroccana oil (1232.35 mg/kg and 312.75 mg/100 g, resp.) was approximately twofold higher than in oleasters (661.35 mg/kg and 210.06 mg/100 g, resp.). Analysis of variance and principal component analysis (PCA) of the chemical composition highlighted a significant difference between the quantitative and qualitative properties of their oil. Finally, these findings suggest that maroccana oil could be considered as a potential source of vitamin E, essential fatty acids, and sterols and can provide a nutraceutical oil for the local population. While this work contributes to the study of olive tree biodiversity, further investigations are still necessary to guide the putative nutraceutical use of subspecies maroccana.
Practical Multiauthority Attribute-Based Access Control for Edge-Cloud-Aided Internet of Things
Authors: Huang Kaiqing , Wang Xueli , Lin Zhiqiang
Published: February 2021

With the assistance of edge computing which reduces the heavy burden of the cloud center server by using the network edge servers, the Internet of Things (IoTs) architectures enable low latency for real-time devices and applications. However, there still exist security challenges on data access control for the IoT. Multiauthority attribute-based encryption (MA-ABE) is a promising technique to achieve access control over encrypted data in cross-domain applications. Based on the characteristics and technical requirements of the IoT, we propose an efficient fine-grained revocable large universe multiauthority access control scheme. In the proposed scheme, the most expensive encryption operations have been executed in the user’s initialization phase by adding a reusable ciphertext pool besides splitting the encryption algorithm to online encryption and offline encryption. Massive decryption operations are outsourced to the near-edge servers for reducing the computation overhead of decryption. An efficient revocation mechanism is designed to change users’ access privileges dynamically. Moreover, the scheme supports ciphertext verification. Only valid ciphertext can be stored and transmitted, which saves system resources. With the help of the chameleon hash function, the proposed scheme is proven CCA2-secure under the q-DPBDHE2 assumption. The performance analysis results indicate that the proposed scheme is efficient and suitable in edge computing for the IoT.
Nichtseminom Stadium I: Was in der Rezidivsituation beachtet werden muss
Authors: Busch Jonas
Published: February 2021

Purpose: Clinical stage I (CSI) nonseminoma (NS) is a disease limited to the testis without metastases. One treatment strategy after orchiectomy is adjuvant chemotherapy. Little is known about the outcome of patients who experience relapse after such treatment. Patients and methods: Data from 51 patients with CSI NS who experienced a relapse after adjuvant bleomycin, etoposide, and cisplatin (BEP) from 18 centers/11 countries were collected and retrospectively analyzed. Primary outcomes were overall and progression-free survivals calculated from day 1 of treatment at first relapse. Secondary outcomes were time to, stage at, and treatment of relapse and rate of subsequent relapses. Results: Median time to relapse was 13 months, with the earliest relapse 2 months after start of adjuvant treatment and the latest after 25 years. With a median follow-up of 96 months, the 5-year PFS was 67% (95% CI, 54% to 82%) and the 5-year OS was 81% (95% CI, 70% to 94%). Overall, 19 (37%) of 51 relapses occurred later than 2 years. Late relapses were associated with a significantly higher risk of death from NS (hazard ratio, 1.10 per year; P = .01). Treatment upon relapse was diverse: the majority of patients received a combination of chemotherapy and surgery. Twenty-nine percent of patients experienced a subsequent relapse. At last follow-up, 41 patients (80%) were alive and disease-free, eight (16%) had died of progressive disease, and one patient (2%) each had died from therapy-related or other causes. Conclusion: Outcomes of patients with relapse after adjuvant BEP seem better compared with patients who experience relapse after treatment of metastatic disease but worse compared with those who have de-novo metastatic disease. We found a substantial rate of late and subsequent relapses. There seem to be three patterns of relapse with different outcomes: pure teratoma, early viable NS relapse (< 2 years), and late viable NS relapse (> 2 years).
Dysregulation of miR-637 Is Involved in the Development of Retinopathy in Hypertension Patients and Serves a Regulatory Role in Retinol Endothelial Cell Proliferation
Authors: Yang Weiguang , Su Manxia , Yu Yanli , Fang Qingxin , Zhang Jihong , Zhang Jihong
Published: February 2021

Background: MicroRNAs play an important role in the proliferation and migration of retinal endothelial cells in patients with hypertension and hypertensive retinopathy (HR). This study aimed to investigate the clinical value of miR-637 in HR and its role in retinal endothelial cell proliferation and migration. Methods: A total of 126 subjects were recruited for the study, including 42 patients with hypertension (male/female 25/17), 42 healthy individuals (male/female 20/22), and 42 cases with HR (male/female 20/22). Except SBP and DBP, there was no significant difference in other indexes among the three groups. Quantitative real-time PCR was used to detect the expression of miR-637. The receiver operating curve (ROC) was used for diagnosis value analysis. Logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the relationship between miR-637 and HR. CCK-8 and Transwell were used to detect the effect of miR-637 on the proliferation and migration of human umbilical vein endothelial cells. Results: Compared with hypertensive patients, HR patients had the lowest expression of miR-637. The area under the curve of miR-637 detected by the ROC curve method is 0.892, which has the ability to distinguish hypertension and HR patients. Logistic regression analysis showed that miR-637 was an independent influencing factor in HR. Cell experiment results showed that overexpression of miR-637 significantly inhibited cell proliferation and migration, while downregulation of miR-637 had the opposite effect. Luciferase analysis showed that STAT3 was the target gene of miR-637. Conclusion: Our data indicate that miR-637 is a potential noninvasive marker for patients with HR. The action of miR-637 on STAT3 may inhibit the proliferation and migration of retinal endothelial cells, providing a possible target for the treatment of HR.