bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Autologous stem cell therapy in knee osteoarthritis: a systematic review of randomised controlled trials
Authors: Wiggers Tom GH , Winters Marinus , Van den Boom Noortje AC , Haisma Hidde J , Moen Maarten H
Published: May 2021

Objective

Stem cell therapy is increasingly used for knee osteoarthritis (KOA). We aimed to review the evidence of autologous mesenchymal stem cell therapy on pain, function and severity on imaging in KOA.

Design

Systematic review of randomised controlled trials (RCTs).

Eligibility criteria

RCTs evaluating autologous mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) therapy on patient-reported outcome measures and disease severity.

Data sources

Seven databases were searched until 31 December 2020.

Risk of bias and data synthesis

Risk of bias was assessed using the ROB V.2. We used Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation to appraise the certainty of the evidence. Data were synthesised descriptively.

Results

Fourteen RCTs were included. A total of 408 patients with KOA received MSC therapy derived from bone marrow, adipose tissue or activated peripheral blood. After 1 year, 19 of 26 (73%) clinical outcome measures improved with MSCs compared with control. In the MSC group, patients improved by 1.8–4.4 points on the Visual Analogue Scale (0–10) and 18–32 points of the Knee Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (0–100). Four studies showed better disease severity on imaging after MSC compared with control at 1 year. Ten of 14 (71%) RCTs were at high risk of bias on all outcomes. No serious adverse events were reported after MSC therapy during a maximum of 4 years follow-up.

Conclusion

We found a positive effect of autologous MSC therapy compared with control treatments on patient-reported outcome measures, and disease severity. The certainty of this evidence was low to very low.

PROSPERO registration number

CRD42019120506
Promoting subglottic secretion drainage: a quality improvement project in a UK critical care unit
Authors: Weston Smith Nicholas , Spivey Michael
Published: May 2021

The aim of the study was to promote the practice of subglottic secretion drainage (SSD) in a UK critical care unit. SSD is a technique employed to reduce microaspiration of oropharyngeal secretions in patients with cuffed endotracheal airways. Aspiration of oropharyngeal secretions is the accepted cause of the majority of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP), a complication of invasive ventilation with high associated mortality. The plan–do–study–act methodology was employed. The local critical care patient database was searched for patients requiring mechanical ventilation via a tracheostomy tube with subglottic port in the 3 months prior to intervention. Patient records were interrogated for evidence of the practice of SSD. The intervention involved the introduction of a tracheostomy care bundle to be prescribed on insertion of a tracheostomy on the critical care unit, in combination with departmental teaching. The bundle included prompts for nursing staff to practise regular SSD and to complete a tracheostomy care plan at the end of shift. A total of 24 patients were included. A review of practice was conducted every 3 months for 1 year. This showed an improvement in documented evidence of SSD from 0% of days at baseline to 85.7% of days at 1 year. Implementation of a tracheostomy order set prescribing regular SSD resulted in an improvement in the practice of SSD in patients ventilated via tracheostomy. This has implications for patient outcomes and healthcare costs, given that SSD has been shown to reduce incidence of VAP.
Rethinking innovation and the role of stakeholder engagement in sport and exercise medicine
Authors: Hendricks Sharief
Published: May 2021

In sport and exercise medicine, increasing pressure to improve athlete health outcomes and performance with limited resources has prompted an emphasis on innovation. A key component to innovation is stakeholder participation and engagement, that is, the involvement of those affected by the outcomes, such as end users and actors (the person(s) performing the required actions/behaviour change), of the research process. Several research frameworks in sport and exercise medicine highly recommend stakeholder engagement as part of the research process. There are, however, different levels to how engaged a stakeholder can be in a research project, and this level of engagement may be dependent on the researchers’ goals. Stakeholder engagement can be organised on a continuum based on the stakeholder’s relationship to the research and how involved they are in the project’s decision-making process. This continuum can be used as a rating scale to evaluate and monitor the degree of perceived stakeholder participation in a research project. There are different paths to innovation in research, which are interlinked, and ideas and knowledge flow between them. Considering the continuum of stakeholder engagement and paths to innovation, this article highlights how different research types require different degrees of stakeholder engagement.
Multicentre external validation of the Canadian Syncope Risk Score to predict adverse events and comparison with clinical judgement
Authors: Solbiati Monica , Talerico Giovanni , Villa Paolo , Dipaola Franca , Furlan Raffaello , Furlan Ludovico , Fiorelli Elisa Maria , Rabajoli Filippo , Casagranda Ivo , Cazzola Katia , Ramuscello Susanna , Vicenzi Andrea , Casazza Giovanni , Costantino Giorgio
Published: May 2021

Background

The Canadian Syncope Risk Score (CSRS) has been proposed for syncope risk stratification in the emergency department (ED). The aim of this study is to perform an external multicenter validation of the CSRS and to compare it with clinical judgement.

Methods

Using patients previously included in the SyMoNE database, we enrolled subjects older than 18 years who presented reporting syncope at the ED. For each patient, we estimated the CSRS and recorded the physician judgement on the patients’ risk of adverse events. We performed a 30-day follow-up.

Results

From 1 September 2015 to 28 February 2017, we enrolled 345 patients; the median age was 71 years (IQR 51–81), 174 (50%) were men and 29% were hospitalised. Serious adverse events occurred in 43 (12%) of the patients within 30 days. The area under the curve of the CSRS and clinical judgement was 0.75 (95% CI 0.68 to 0.81) and 0.68 (95% CI 0.61 to 0.74), respectively. The risk of adverse events of patients at low risk according to the CSRS and clinical judgement was 6.7% and 2%, with a sensitivity of 70% (95% CI 54% to 83%) and 95% (95% CI 84% to 99%), respectively.

Conclusion

This study represents the first validation analysis of CSRS outside Canada. The overall predictive accuracy of the CSRS is similar to the clinical judgement. However, patients at low risk according to clinical judgement had a lower incidence of adverse events as compared with patients at low risk according to the CSRS. Further studies showing that the adoption of the CSRS improve patients’ outcomes is warranted before its widespread implementation.
Endovascular treatment strategy, technique, and outcomes for dural arteriovenous fistulas of the marginal sinus region
Authors: Caton Michael Travis , Narsinh Kazim H , Baker Amanda , Hetts Steven W , Cooke Daniel L , Higashida Randall T , Dowd Christopher F , Halbach Van V , Amans Matthew R
Published: May 2021

Background

Dural arteriovenous fistulas (AVF) of the foramen magnum region (FMR) are technically challenging lesions to treat. Transvenous (TV), transarterial (TA), and surgical approaches have been described, but the optimum treatment strategy is not defined.

Objective

To report treatment strategies and outcomes for FMR-AVF at a single, high-volume referral center.

Methods

A retrospective review from January 2010 to August 2020 identified patients with FMR-AVF at a single referral center. Angiographic features, treatment (observation, endovascular, surgical), and follow-up of angiographic and clinical results were recorded. The technical aspects of TV embolization are then presented in detail.

Results

29 FMR-AVF were identified in 28 patients. Of these, 24/29 (82.8%) were treated and 5/29 (17.2%) were observed. Treatment was endovascular in 21/24 (87.5%), combined (endovascular+surgical) in 2/24 (8.3%), and surgical in 1/24 (4.2%). Endovascular treatments were 76.2% TV, 14.3% TA, and 9.5% combined TV/TA. Sufficient follow-up data were available for 20/28 (71.4%) with mean follow-up of 16.8 months. No AVF recurrence was seen for TA/TV, combined endovascular/surgical, or surgical groups, and there was one recurrence (7.1%) in the TV group. Symptomatic improvement was seen in all groups: TV (71.4% complete, 28.6% partial), TA (66.7% complete, 33.3% no follow-up), TV+TA (100% partial), endovascular/surgical (100% complete), and surgical (100% partial). Minor non-neurologic complications included 1/14 (7.1%) in the TV group and 1/3 (33.3%) in the TA/TV group.

Conclusion

Endovascular treatment is safe and effective for most FMR-AVF. TV embolization has a high cure rate with few complications.
Levosimendan as a therapeutic strategy to prevent neuroinflammation after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage?
Authors: Wanderer Stefan , Andereggen Lukas , Mrosek Jan , Kashefiolasl Sepide , Schubert Gerrit Alexander , Marbacher Serge , Konczalla Jürgen
Published: May 2021

Background

Poor patient outcomes after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) occur due to a multifactorial process, mainly involving cerebral inflammation (CI), delayed cerebral vasospasm (DCVS), and delayed cerebral ischemia, followed by neurodegeneration. CI is mainly triggered by enhanced synthesis of serotonin (5-HT), prostaglandin F2alpha (PGF2a), and cytokines such as interleukins. Levosimendan (LV), a calcium-channel sensitizer, has already displayed anti-inflammatory effects in patients with severe heart failure. Therefore, we wanted to elucidate its potential anti-inflammatory role on the cerebral vasculature after SAH.

Methods

Experimental SAH was induced by using an experimental double-hemorrhage model. Sprague Dawley rats were harvested on day 3 and day 5 after the ictus. The basilar artery was used for isometric investigations of the muscular media tone. Vessel segments were either preincubated with LV or without, with precontraction performed with 5-HT or PGF2a followed by application of acetylcholine (ACh) or LV.

Results

After preincubation with LV 10−4M and 5-HT precontraction, ACh triggered a strong vasorelaxation in sham segments (LV 10−4M, Emax65%; LV 10−5M, Emax48%; no LV, Emax53%). Interestingly, SAH D3 (LV 10−4, Emax76%) and D5 (LV 10−4, Emax79%) segments showed greater vasorelaxation compared with sham. An LV series after PGF2a precontraction showed significantly enhanced relaxation in the sham (P=0.004) and SAH groups (P=0.0008) compared with solvent control vessels.

Conclusions

LV application after SAH seems to beneficially influence DCVS by antagonizing 5-HT- and PGF2a-triggered vasoconstriction. Considering this spasmolytic effect, LV might have a role in the treatment of SAH, additionally in selected patients suffering takotsubo cardiomyopathy.
Effects and safety of aspirin use in patients after cerebrovascular bypass procedures
Authors: Lu Junlin , Shi Guangchao , Zhao Yuanli , Wang Rong , Zhang Dong , Chen Xiaolin , Wang Hao , Zhao Ji Zong
Published: May 2021

Object

Superficial temporal artery to middle cerebral artery (STA-MCA) bypass is the most effective treatment for Moyamoya disease (MMD). In this study, we aimed to assess whether aspirin improves STA-MCA bypass patency and is safe in patients with MMD.

Methods

We performed a retrospective medical record review of patients with ischaemic-onset MMD who had undergone STA-MCA bypass at two hospitals between January 2011 and August 2018, to clarify the effects and safety of aspirin following STA-MCA bypass. The neurological status at the last follow-up (FU) was compared between patients with FU bypass patency and occlusion.

Results

Among 217 identified patients (238 hemispheres), the mean age was 41.4±10.2 years, and 51.8% were male; the indications for STA-MCA bypass were stroke (48.2%), followed by a transient ischaemic attack (44.0%). Immediate bypass patency was confirmed in all cases. During the FU period (1.5±1.5 y), 15 cases were occluded at FU imaging, resulting in an overall cumulative patency rate of 94%. The patency rates were 93% and 94% in the short-term FU group (n=131, mean FU time 0.5±0.2 years) and long-term FU group (n=107, mean FU time 4.1±3.5 years), respectively. The STA-MCA bypass patency rate in the aspirin group was higher than that in the non-aspirin group (98.7% vs 89.7%; HR 1.57; 95% CI 1.106 to 2.235; p=0.012). No significant difference in the FU haemorrhagic events was observed between the aspirin and non-aspirin groups.

Conclusions

Among adult patients with ischaemic-onset MMD undergoing STA-MCA bypass procedures, aspirin might increase the bypass patency rate, without increasing the bleeding risk. FU bypass patency may be associated with a better outcome. Additional studies, especially carefully designed prospective studies, are needed to address the role of aspirin after bypass procedures.
Leakage through a hole in a geomembrane beneath a fine-grained tailings
Authors: Chou Yung-Chin (Alan) , Brachman R.W.I. , Rowe R. Kerry
Published: May 2021

Leakage through a 10 mm diameter circular hole in a geomembrane beneath fine-grained tailings is examined for a range of pore pressures and effective stresses. Leakage was measured in an experiment with coupled physical and hydraulic conditions to simulate the effective stresses and flow conditions near the hole. The leakage rate was as little as 0.16 L/day with 200 kPa pore pressure (10–30 kPa effective stresses) and increased only to 0.46 L/day with 800 kPa pore pressure (200 kPa effective stress). Seepage analysis of the experiment and local measurements of permeability from small samples extracted after the experiment indicate that the tailings hydraulic conductivity controlling flow was 3–6 × 10−9 m/s. Only a subtle decrease in hydraulic conductivity (less than 2 times) near the hole was found. No evidence of seepage-induced migration of fines within the tailings was found. Calculations with the parameters deduced from the experiment show that leakage from a tailings storage facilities containing fine-grained tailings can be limited to 1–2 L/ha/day with a geomembrane liner, even when containing up to five 10 mm diameter holes per hectare, as opposed to an unlined facility with 3 to 4 orders of magnitude more leakage.
Scalaron–Higgs inflation reloaded: Higgs-dependent scalaron mass and primordial black hole dark matter
Authors: Gundhi Anirudh , Steinwachs Christian F.
Published: May 2021

We propose an extension of the scalaron-Higgs model by a non-minimal coupling of the Standard Model Higgs boson to the quadratic Ricci scalar resulting in a Higgs-dependent scalaron mass. The model predicts a successful stage of effective single-field Starobinsky inflation. It features a multi-field amplification mechanism leading to a peak in the inflationary power spectrum at small wavelengths which enhances the production of primordial black holes. The extended scalaron-Higgs model unifies inflationary cosmology with elementary particle physics and explains the origin of cold dark matter in terms of primordial black holes without assuming any new particles.
The Lorentz-violating real scalar field at thermal equilibrium
Authors: Aguirre A. R. , Flores-Hidalgo G. , Rana R. G. , Souza E. S.
Published: May 2021

In this paper we study Lorentz-violation (LV) effects on the thermodynamics properties of a real scalar field theory due to the presence of a constant background tensor field. In particular, we analyse and compute explicitly the deviations of the internal energy, pressure, and entropy of the system at thermal equilibrium due to the LV contributions. For the free massless scalar field we obtain exact results, whereas for the massive case we perform approximated calculations. Finally, we consider the self interacting $$\phi ^4$$

ϕ
4

theory, and perform perturbative expansions in the coupling constant for obtaining relevant thermodynamics quantities.
Effect of deposition temperature on the properties of F and Ti co-doped zinc oxide films
Authors: Zeng Wenli , Chiu Yen-Lin , Wang Fang-Hsing , Tseng Hsien-Wei , Yang Cheng-Fu
Published: May 2021

ZnO + 1.5 wt.% TiO2 powder is calcined at [Formula: see text] and sintered at [Formula: see text] to prepare the Ti-doped ZnO ceramic target, and RF sputtering is used to deposit F and Ti co-doped ZnO (FTZO) films by introducing Ar + CF4 mixing gas (CF4 flow rate is 0.2%) into the deposition chamber. The deposition temperature is changed from room temperature to [Formula: see text], and the thicknesses of all deposited FTZO films are controlled at about 320 nm. After FTZO films are deposited, X-ray diffraction pattern is used to analyze their crystalline properties, field-effect scanning electron microscope is used to observe their surface morphologies and confirm their thicknesses. n&k analyzer is used to measure the transmittance spectra in the wavelength range of 300–1100 nm and we find that the absorption edge of FTZO films is shifted to lower wavelength as the deposition temperature increases. The optical energy band gap of FTZO films is calculated using the transmittance spectra and the electrical properties of FTZO films are measured using a Hall equipment. Finally, secondary-ion mass spectrometry is used to analyze the C, O, F, Si and Ti elements with different deposition temperatures for confirming the existence and distribution of [Formula: see text] ions and non-existence of C element.
Facebook Tells Me Your Gender: An Exploratory Study of Gender Prediction for Turkish Facebook Users
Authors: Çoban Önder , İnan Ali , Özel Selma Ayşe
Published: May 2021

Online Social Networks (OSNs) are very popular platforms for social interaction. Data posted publicly over OSNs pose various threats against the individual privacy of OSN users. Adversaries can try to predict private attribute values, such as gender, as well as links/connections. Quantifying an adversary’s capacity in inferring the gender of an OSN user is an important first step towards privacy protection. Numerous studies have been made on the problem of predicting the gender of an author/user, especially in the context of the English language. Conversely, studies in this field are quite limited for the Turkish language and specifically in the domain of OSNs. Previous studies for gender prediction of Turkish OSN users have mostly been performed by using the content of tweets and Facebook comments. In this article, we propose using various features, not just user comments, for the gender prediction problem over the Facebook OSN. Unlike existing studies, we exploited features extracted from profile, wall content, and network structure, as well as wall interactions of the user. Therefore, our study differs from the existing work in the broadness of the features considered, machine learning and deep learning methods applied, and the size of the OSN dataset used in the experimental evaluation. Our results indicate that basic profile information provides better results; moreover, using this information together with wall interactions improves prediction quality. We measured the best accuracy value as 0.982, which was obtained by combining profile data and wall interactions of Turkish OSN users. In the wall interactions model, we introduced 34 different features that provide better results than the existing content-based studies for Turkish.
Inflation Inequality: Measurement, Causes, and Policy Implications
Authors: Jaravel Xavier
Published: May 2021

Does inflation vary across the income distribution? This article reviews the growing literature on inflation inequality, describing recent advances and opportunities for further research in four areas. First, new price index theory facilitates the study of inflation inequality. Second, new data show that inflation rates decline with household income in the United States. Accurate measurement requires granular price and expenditure data because of aggregation bias. Third, new evidence quantifies the impacts of innovation and trade on inflation inequality. Contrary to common wisdom, empirical estimates show that the direction of innovation is a significant driver of inflation inequality in the United States, whereas trade has similar price effects across the income distribution. Fourth, inflation inequality and non-homotheticities have important policy implications. They transform cost-benefit analysis, optimal taxation, the effectiveness of stabilization policies, and our understanding of secular macroeconomic trends—including structural change, the decline in the labor share and interest rates, and labor market polarization.
Avoiding Extinction: Recent Advances in Understanding Mechanisms of Mitochondrial DNA Purifying Selection in the Germline
Authors: Jeedigunta Swathi P. , Minenkova Anastasia V. , Palozzi Jonathan M. , Hurd Thomas R.
Published: May 2021

Mitochondria are unusual organelles in that they contain their own genomes, which are kept apart from the rest of the DNA in the cell. While mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is essential for respiration and most multicellular life, maintaining a genome outside the nucleus brings with it a number of challenges. Chief among these is preserving mtDNA genomic integrity from one generation to the next. In this review, we discuss what is known about negative (purifying) selection mechanisms that prevent deleterious mutations from accumulating in mtDNA in the germline. Throughout, we focus on the female germline, as it is the tissue through which mtDNA is inherited in most organisms and, therefore, the tissue that most profoundly shapes the genome. We discuss recent progress in uncovering the mechanisms of germline mtDNA selection, from humans to invertebrates.
Ethyl isopropyl amiloride decreases oxidative phosphorylation and increases mitochondrial fusion in clonal untransformed and cancer cells
Authors: Manoli Sagar S. , Kisor Kyle , Webb Bradley A. , Barber Diane L.
Published: May 2021

Many cancer cells, regardless of their tissue origin or genetic landscape, have increased expression or activity of the plasma membrane Na-H exchanger NHE1 and a higher intracellular pH (pHi) compared with untransformed cells. A current perspective that remains to be validated is that increased NHE1 activity and pHi enable a Warburg-like metabolic reprogramming of increased glycolysis and decreased mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation. We tested this perspective and find it is not accurate for clonal pancreatic and breast cancer cells. Using the pharmacological reagent ethyl isopropyl amiloride (EIPA) to inhibit NHE1 activity and decrease pHi, we observe no change in glycolysis, as indicated by secreted lactate and intracellular pyruvate, despite confirming increased activity of the glycolytic enzyme phosphofructokinase-1 at higher pH. Also, in contrast to predictions, we find a significant decrease in oxidative phosphorylation with EIPA, as indicated by oxygen consumption rate (OCR). Decreased OCR with EIPA is not associated with changes in pathways that fuel oxidative phosphorylation or with mitochondrial membrane potential but occurs with a change in mitochondrial dynamics that includes a significant increase in elongated mitochondrial networks, suggesting increased fusion. These findings conflict with current paradigms on increased pHi inhibiting oxidative phosphorylation and increased oxidative phosphorylation being associated with mitochondrial fusion. Moreover, these findings raise questions on the suggested use of EIPA-like compounds to limit metabolic reprogramming in cancer cells.
Maresin-1 induces cardiomyocyte hypertrophy through IGF-1 paracrine pathway
Authors: Wahyuni Tri , Kobayashi Arisa , Tanaka Shota , Miyake Yoshiaki , Yamamoto Ayaha , Bahtiar Anton , Mori Shota , Kametani Yusuke , Tomimatsu Masashi , Matsumoto Kotaro , Maeda Makiko , Obana Masanori , Fujio Yasushi
Published: May 2021

The resolution of inflammation is closely linked with tissue repair. Recent studies have revealed that macrophages suppress inflammatory reactions by producing lipid mediators, called specialized proresolving mediators (SPMs); however, the biological significance of SPMs in tissue repair remains to be fully elucidated in the heart. In this study, we focused on maresin-1 (MaR1) and examined the reparative effects of MaR1 in cardiomyocytes. The treatment with MaR1 increased cell size in cultured neonatal rat cardiomyocytes. Since the expression of fetal cardiac genes was unchanged by MaR1, physiological hypertrophy was induced by MaR1. SR3335, an inhibitor of retinoic acid-related orphan receptor α (RORα), mitigated MaR1-induced cardiomyocyte hypertrophy, consistent with the recent report that RORα is one of MaR1 receptors. Importantly, in response to MaR1, cardiomyocytes produced IGF-1 via RORα. Moreover, MaR1 activated phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt signaling pathway and wortmannin, a PI3K inhibitor, or triciribine, an Akt inhibitor, abrogated MaR1-induced cardiomyocyte hypertrophy. Finally, the blockade of IGF-1 receptor by NVP-AEW541 inhibited MaR-1-induced cardiomyocyte hypertrophy as well as the activation of PI3K/Akt pathway. These data indicate that MaR1 induces cardiomyocyte hypertrophy through RORα/IGF-1/PI3K/Akt pathway. Considering that MaR1 is a potent resolving factor, MaR1 could be a key mediator that orchestrates the resolution of inflammation with myocardial repair.
Passive siRNA transfection method for gene knockdown in air-liquid interface airway epithelial cell cultures
Authors: Bartman Colleen M. , Stelzig Kimberly E. , Linden David R. , Prakash Y. S. , Chiarella Sergio E.
Published: May 2021

Differentiation of human bronchial epithelial cells (HBEs) in air-liquid interface (ALI) cultures recapitulates organotypic modeling of the in vivo environment. Although ALI cultures are invaluable for studying the respiratory epithelial barrier, loss-of-function studies are limited by potentially cytotoxic reagents in classical transfection methods, the length of the differentiation protocol, and the number of primary epithelial cell passages. Here, we present the efficacy and use of a simple method for small interfering RNA (siRNA) transfection of normal HBEs (NHBEs) in ALI cultures that does not require potentially cytotoxic transfection reagents and does not detrimentally alter the physiology or morphology of NHBEs during the differentiation process. This transfection protocol introduces a reproducible and efficient method for loss-of-function studies in HBE ALI cultures that can be leveraged for modeling the respiratory system and airway diseases.
Null effects of levodopa on reward- and error-based motor adaptation, savings, and anterograde interference
Authors: Palidis Dimitrios J. , McGregor Heather R. , Vo Andrew , MacDonald Penny A. , Gribble Paul L.
Published: May 2021

Motor adaptation relies on multiple processes including reinforcement of successful actions. Cognitive reinforcement learning is impaired by levodopa-induced disruption of dopamine function. We administered levodopa to healthy adults who participated in multiple motor adaptation tasks. We found no effects of levodopa on any component of motor adaptation. This suggests that motor adaptation may not depend on the same dopaminergic mechanisms as cognitive forms or reinforcement learning that have been shown to be impaired by levodopa.
CDCN: A New NMF‐Based Community Detection Method with Community Structures and Node Attributes
Authors: Ye Zhiwen , Zhang Hui , Feng Libo , Shan Zhangming
Published: May 2021

Community discovery can discover the community structure in a network, and it provides consumers with personalized services and information pushing. It plays an important role in promoting the intelligence of the network society. Most community networks have a community structure whose vertices are gathered into groups which is significant for network data mining and identification. Existing community detection methods explore the original network topology, but they do not make the full use of the inherent semantic information on nodes, e.g., node attributes. To solve the problem, we explore networks by considering both the original network topology and inherent community structures. In this paper, we propose a novel nonnegative matrix factorization (NMF) model that is divided into two parts, the community structure matrix and the node attribute matrix, and we present a matrix updating method to deal with the nonnegative matrix factorization optimization problem. NMF can achieve large‐scale multidimensional data reduction processing to discover the internal relationships between networks and find the degree of network association. The community structure matrix that we proposed provides more information about the network structure by considering the relationships between nodes that connect directly or share similar neighboring nodes. The use of node attributes provides a semantic interpretation for the community structure. We conduct experiments on attributed graph datasets with overlapping and nonoverlapping communities. The results of the experiments show that the performances of the F1‐Score and Jaccard‐Similarity in the overlapping community and the performances of normalized mutual information (NMI) and accuracy (AC) in the nonoverlapping community are significantly improved. Our proposed model achieves significant improvements in terms of its accuracy and relevance compared with the state‐of‐the‐art approaches.
Code Compliance in Reinforce Concrete Design: A Comparative Study of USA Code (ACI) and Chinese Code (GB)
Authors: Zhang Lan , Hu Hao , Fang Yi , Qiang Zhenyu
Published: May 2021

The structural engineering codes dictate the design criteria of the facility. Given that different countries use different parameters to design a facility, different codes are followed. Current code comparison focus on the clauses analysis in the code gives theoretical guideline. When the US facility design team needs to make a decision to follow which code to in China, the current study cannot provide a business decision input. This study evaluates the design process to illustrate when and where the codes will be applied and calculated through a design process where the loading and coefficient factors of different codes are analyzed. Software programs built‐in codes are then used to design the structure to obtain the structure result in terms of volume of the concrete and weight of the rebar being calculated. The study also presents a case study and calculates that the United States code uses 8–10% more rebar compared to the Chinese code. The study result can be a reference for the project management team who has to make a business decision over which code to be followed at what cost. The paper also identifies the choice of the seismic coefficient factor has a significant impact on the usage of the rebar and might be justified for the future study.
The Effect of Combined Vitamin C and Vitamin E Supplementation on Oxidative Stress Markers in Women with Endometriosis: A Randomized, Triple-Blind Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial
Authors: Amini Leila , Chekini Razieh , Nateghi Mohammad Reza , Haghani Hamid , Jamialahmadi Tannaz , Sathyapalan Thozhukat , Sahebkar Amirhossein
Published: May 2021

Background. Endometriosis is a chronic and estrogen-dependent pelvic inflammatory disease, which may have various causes, such as oxidative stress. Dysmenorrhea, dyspareunia, and pelvic pain are well-known symptoms of endometriosis. The present clinical trial assessed the role of supplementation with antioxidant vitamins on the indices of oxidative stress as well as the severity of pain in women with endometriosis. Materials and Methods. We enrolled 60 reproductive-aged (15–45 years) women with pelvic pain in this triple-blind clinical trial. They had 1–3 stages of laparoscopic-proven endometriosis. The participants were randomized to group A (n = 30), given vitamin C (1000 mg/day, 2 tablets of 500 mg each) and vitamin E (800 IU/day, 2 tablets of 400 IU each) combination, or group B (n = 30), given placebo pills daily for 8 weeks. Results. Following treatment with vitamin C and vitamin E, we found a significant reduction in MDA and ROS compared with the placebo group. There was no significant decline in total antioxidant capacity after treatment. However, the severity of pelvic pain (

p

value <0.001), dysmenorrhea (

p

value <0.001), and dyspareunia (

p

value <0.001) significantly decreased in the treatment group after 8 weeks of supplementation. Conclusions. The present findings support the potential role of antioxidants in the management of endometriosis. The intake of vitamin C and vitamin E supplements effectively reduced dysmenorrhea severity and improved dyspareunia and severity of pelvic pain.
Adjustable Algorithmic Tool for Assessing the Effectiveness of Maternal Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) Vaccination on Infant Mortality in Developing Countries
Authors: Cevigney Rachel , Leary Christopher , Gonik Bernard
Published: May 2021

Acute lower respiratory infection (ALRI) due to RSV is a common cause of global infant mortality, with most cases occurring in developing countries. Using data aggregated from priority countries as designated by the United States Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Maternal Child Health and Nutrition (MCHN) program, we created an adjustable algorithmic tool for visualizing the effectiveness of candidate maternal RSV vaccination on infant mortality. Country-specific estimates for disease burden and case fatality rates were computed based on established data. Country-specific RSV-ALRI incidence rates for infants 0-5 months were scaled based on the reported incidence rates for children 0-59 months. Using in-hospital mortality rates and predetermined “inflation factor,” we estimated the mortality of infants aged 0-5 months. Given implementation of a candidate maternal vaccination program, estimated reduction in infant RSV-ALRI incidence and mortality rates were calculated. User input is used to determine the coverage of the program and the efficacy of the vaccine. Using the generated algorithm, the overall reduction in infant mortality varied considerably depending on vaccine efficacy and distribution. Given a potential efficacy of 70% and a maternal distribution rate of 50% in every USAID MCHN priority country, annual RSV-ALRI-related infant mortality is estimated to be reduced by 14,862 cases. The absolute country-specific reduction is dependent on the number of live births; countries with the highest birth rates had the greatest impact on annual mortality reduction. The adjustable algorithm provides a standardized analytical tool in the evaluation of candidate maternal RSV vaccines. Ultimately, it can be used to guide public health initiatives, research funding, and policy implementation concerning the effectiveness of potential maternal RSV vaccination on reducing infant mortality.
Research on Intention Flexible Mapping Algorithm for Elderly Escort Robot
Authors: Qiu Xiaoyu , Feng Zhiquan , Xu Tao , Yang Xiaohui , Hou Ya , Zhang Xin
Published: May 2021

With the development of science and technology and the intensification of the aging of the world’s population, elderly care robots have begun to enter people’s lives. However, the current elderly care system lacks intelligence and is just a simple patchwork of some traditional elderly products, which is not conducive to the needs of the elderly for easy understanding and easy operation. Therefore, this paper proposes a flexible mapping algorithm (FMFD), that is, a gesture can correspond to a flexible mapping of multiple semantics in the same interactive context. First, combine the input gesture with the surrounding environment to establish the current interactive context. Secondly, when the user uses the same gesture to express different semantics, the feature differences formed due to different cognitions are used as the basis to realize the mapping from one gesture to multiple semantics. Finally, four commonly used gestures are designed to demonstrate the results of flexible mapping. Experiments show that compared with the traditional gesture-based human-computer interaction, the proposed flexible mapping scheme greatly reduces the number of gestures that users need to remember, improves the fault tolerance of gestures in the human-computer interaction process, and meets the concept of elderly caregiver robots.
Screening for Sarcopenia (Physical Frailty) in the COVID-19 Era
Authors: Ali Amira Mohammed , Kunugi Hiroshi
Published: May 2021

Although the numbers of aged populations have risen considerably in the last few decades, the current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has revealed an extensive vulnerability among these populations. Sarcopenia is an age-related disorder that increases hospitalization, dependencies, and mortality in older adults. It starts to develop in midlife or even earlier as a result of unbalanced diet/poor nutrition and low levels of physical activity, in addition to chronic disorders such as obesity and diabetes mellitus. Given that social isolation is adopted as the most protective measure against COVID-19, the level of physical activity and the intake of adequate diet have considerably declined, especially among older adults—denoting an increased possibility for developing sarcopenia. Research also shows a higher vulnerability of sarcopenic people to COVID-19 as well as the development of wasting disorders such as sarcopenia and cachexia in a considerable proportion of symptomatic and recovering COVID-19 patients. Muscular wasting in COVID-19 is associated with poor prognosis. Accordingly, early detection and proper management of sarcopenia and wasting conditions in older adults and COVID-19 patients may minimize morbidity and mortality during the current COVID-19 crisis. This review explored different aspects of screening for sarcopenia, stressing their relevance to the detection of altered muscular structure and performance in patients with COVID-19. Current guidelines recommend prior evaluation of muscle strength by simple measures such as grip strength to identify individuals with proven weakness who then would be screened for muscle mass loss. The latter is best measured by MRI and CT. However, due to the high cost and radiation risk entailed by these techniques, other simpler and cheaper techniques such as DXA and ultrasound are given preference. Muscle loss in COVID-19 patients was measured during the acute phase by CT scanning of the pectoralis muscle simultaneously during a routine check for lung fibrosis, which seems to be an efficient evaluation of sarcopenia among those patients with no additional cost. In recovering patients, muscle strength and physical performance have been evaluated by electromyography and traditional tests such as the six-minute walk test. Effective preventive and therapeutic interventions are necessary in order to prevent muscle loss and associated physical decline in COVID-19 patients.
A Hybrid LSTM-Based Ensemble Learning Approach for China Coastal Bulk Coal Freight Index Prediction
Authors: Xiao Wei , Xu Chuan , Liu Hongling , Liu Xiaobo
Published: May 2021

China Coastal Bulk Coal Freight Index (CBCFI) reflects how the coastal coal transporting market’s freight rates in China are fluctuated, significantly impacting the enterprise’s strategic decisions and risk-avoiding. Though trend analysis on freight rate has been extensively conducted, the property of the shipping market, i.e., it varies over time and is not stable, causes CBCFI to be hard to be accurately predicted. A novel hybrid approach is developed in the paper, integrating Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) and ensemble learning techniques to forecast CBCFI. The hybrid LSTM-based ensemble learning (LSTM-EL) approach predicts the CBCFI by extracting the time-dependent information in the original data and incorporating CBCFI-related data, e.g., domestic and overseas thermal coal spot prices, coal inventory, the prices of fuel oil, and crude oil. To demonstrate the applicability and generality of the proposed approach, different time-scale datasets (e.g., daily, weekly, and monthly) in a rolling forecasting experiment are conducted. Empirical results show that domestic and overseas thermal coal spot prices and crude oil prices have great influences on daily, weekly, and monthly CBCFI values. And in daily, weekly, and monthly forecasting cases, the LSMT-EL approaches have higher prediction accuracy and a greater trend complying ratio than the relevant single ensemble learning algorithm. The hybrid method outperforms others when it works with information involving a dramatic market recession, elucidating CBCFI’s predictable ability. The present work is of high significance to general commerce, commerce-related, and hedging strategic procedures within the coastal shipping market.
Experimental Study on Anchorage Performance of Resin Grout with Steel Segment
Authors: Shen Junchao
Published: May 2021

With the advantages of large anchoring force and fast anchoring speed, resin cartridge has become the main anchoring means of geotechnical engineering and underground space engineering support. Based on the theoretical analysis, it is clear that adding aggregate can improve the mechanical properties of grout and the bolt‐grout interface stress state; the mechanical properties of aggregate are positively correlated with its improvement effect on anchorage performance. By using the numerical simulation method, it is concluded that the addition of steel segments into the resin grout can improve the stiffness of the anchorage system and enhance the energy absorption and antifailure ability of the anchorage system. Relying on the self‐developed anchorage mixing device, the effects of steel segment diameter and addition amount on the anchoring force were studied experimentally, and the optimal addition amount of different types of steel segment to improve the maximum anchoring force was determined.
Mechanical Properties and Shrinkage of Ultrahigh‐Performance Concrete Containing Lithium Carbonate and Nano‐Calcium Carbonate
Authors: Wang Tingyu , Gong Jianqing , Chen Bo , Gong Xiao , Guo Wanli , Zhang Yang , Li Falei
Published: May 2021

Early strength generation is essential for the successful application and usage of Ultrahigh‐Performance Concrete (UHPC) in reinforcing concrete structures. The work contained in this paper focused on evaluating the effects of lithium carbonate (Li2CO3, denoted as LC) and nano‐calcium carbonate (NC) on the early mechanical properties and autogenous shrinkage of UHPC under normal temperature curing conditions. In the study, scanning electron microscope (SEM) was utilized to investigate and quantify the morphology of the early hydration products. The corresponding results indicated that the 1‐day comprehensive strength of the UHPC increased significantly with the addition of Li2CO3 and NC. Likewise, the addition of NC mitigated the loss of the 28‐day compressive strength. For the materials evaluated, the 1‐day compressive and flexural strengths reached peak values of 72.1 and 13.9 MPa, respectively, for optimum dosages of 0.075%∼0.1% Li2CO3 and 3%∼4% NC, respectively. The results also indicated that the combined LC‐NC dosage had profound effects on the early autogenous shrinkage of UHPC, which could, however, be minimized by adjusting the Li2CO3 and NC dosages. That is, the combined dosage of the two early strength enhancers shortens the hydration induction period of cement whilst concurrently accelerating the hydration rate of the cement. The early strength agent increases the number of crystals in the hydration product and the crystal grain size becomes larger. These make the microstructure of the slurry more compact after hardening and therefore improve the overall performance of UHPC.
An Improved Energy‐Aware Routing Protocol Using Multiobjective Particular Swarm Optimization Algorithm
Authors: Peng Zhihao , Jabloo Mehdi Sajedi , Navaei Yahya Dorostkar , Hosseini Morteza , Oskouei Rozita Jamili , Pirozmand Poria , Mirkamali Seyedsaeid
Published: May 2021

The energy of sensor nodes in wireless sensor networks is limited, which is one of the most important challenges due to the lack of a fixed power supply. Because data transmission consumes the most energy of nodes, a node that transmits more packets runs out of energy faster than the others. When the energy of a node comes to the end of a network, the process of network operation may be disrupted. In this case, critical information in the network with the desired quality may not reach the hole and eventually the base stations. Therefore, considering the dynamic topology and distributed nature of wireless sensor networks, designing energy‐efficient routing protocols is the main challenge. In this paper, an energy‐aware routing protocol based on a multiobjective particle swarm optimization algorithm is presented. In the proposed particle swarm optimization algorithm method, the proportionality function for selecting the optimal threaded node is set based on the goals related to service quality including residual energy, link quality, end‐to‐end delay, and delivery rate. The simulation results show that the proposed method consumes less energy and has a longer lifespan compared with the state‐of‐the‐art methods due to balancing the goals related to service quality criteria.
Effects of Bedding Geometry and Cementation Strength on Shale Tensile Strength Based on Discrete Element Method
Authors: Wang Jiong , Wang Yang , Yang Liu , Chang Tianquan , Jiang Qingping
Published: May 2021

To study the effects of anisotropy and heterogeneity on the shale failure mode and tensile strength, Brazilian splitting tests were performed from both directions of the bedding and layer thickness. Layers containing different bedding and loading angles and layer thicknesses were obtained separately. The results show that, at 0° and 90° angles, the shale cracks grow “linearly”; at 15°, the shale cracks have “arc type” growth; and at 30°–75°, the shale‐splitting displays “broken line” crack propagation. The tensile strength from 0° to 90° exhibits an increasing trend. Water has a significant softening effect on the tensile strength of shale—the higher the water content, the lower the tensile strength. In addition, a 3DEC numerical simulation was used to simulate the tests, establishing shale specimen particles with random blocks. In the shale disc, uneven parallel bedding and uniform parallel bedding were set up with different loading angles and layer thicknesses to generate simulated stress‐displacement curves, and the effect of layering on shale cleavage was analyzed from a mesoscopic perspective. The tensile strength of shale with uniform parallel bedding was found to be higher under the same conditions, which is consistent with the experimental results. By comparing the experimental and simulation results, from both the macro‐ and mesoperspectives, the Brazilian splitting crack growth of shale is affected by bedding, displaying a process from disorder to order. This study is of great significance for further exploration of the mechanical properties of shale under loading failure.