bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Serving at the Edge: An Edge Computing Service Architecture Based on ICN
Authors: Fan Zhenyu , Yang Wang , Wu Fan , Cao Jing , Shi Weisong
Published: October 2021

Different from cloud computing, edge computing moves computing away from the centralized data center and closer to the end-user. Therefore, with the large-scale deployment of edge services, it becomes a new challenge of how to dynamically select the appropriate edge server for computing requesters based on the edge server and network status. In the TCP/IP architecture, edge computing applications rely on centralized proxy servers to select an appropriate edge server, which leads to additional network overhead and increases service response latency. Due to its powerful forwarding plane, Information-Centric Networking (ICN) has the potential to provide more efficient networking support for edge computing than TCP/IP. However, traditional ICN only addresses named data and cannot well support the handle of dynamic content. In this article, we propose an edge computing service architecture based on ICN, which contains the edge computing service session model, service request forwarding strategies, and service dynamic deployment mechanism. The proposed service session model can not only keep the overhead low but also push the results to the computing requester immediately once the computing is completed. However, the service request forwarding strategies can forward computing requests to an appropriate edge server in a distributed manner. Compared with the TCP/IP-based proxy solution, our forwarding strategy can avoid unnecessary network transmissions, thereby reducing the service completion time. Moreover, the service dynamic deployment mechanism decides whether to deploy an edge service on an edge server based on service popularity, so that edge services can be dynamically deployed to hotspot, further reducing the service completion time.
On the Study of Transformers for Query Suggestion
Authors: Mustar Agnès , Lamprier Sylvain , Piwowarski Benjamin
Published: October 2021

When conducting a search task, users may find it difficult to articulate their need, even more so when the task is complex. To help them complete their search, search engine usually provide query suggestions. A good query suggestion system requires to model user behavior during the search session. In this article, we study multiple Transformer architectures applied to the query suggestion task and compare them with recurrent neural network (RNN)-based models. We experiment Transformer models with different tokenizers, with different Encoders (large pretrained models or fully trained ones), and with two kinds of architectures (flat or hierarchic). We study the performance and the behaviors of these various models, and observe that Transformer-based models outperform RNN-based ones. We show that while the hierarchical architectures exhibit very good performances for query suggestion, the flat models are more suitable for complex and long search tasks. Finally, we investigate the flat models behavior and demonstrate that they indeed learn to recover the hierarchy of a search session.
Effect of Sign-recognition Performance on the Usability of Sign-language Dictionary Search
Authors: Hassan Saad , Alonzo Oliver , Glasser Abraham , Huenerfauth Matt
Published: October 2021

Advances in sign-language recognition technology have enabled researchers to investigate various methods that can assist users in searching for an unfamiliar sign in ASL using sign-recognition technology. Users can generate a query by submitting a video of themselves performing the sign they believe they encountered somewhere and obtain a list of possible matches. However, there is disagreement among developers of such technology on how to report the performance of their systems, and prior research has not examined the relationship between the performance of search technology and users’ subjective judgements for this task. We conducted three studies using a Wizard-of-Oz prototype of a webcam-based ASL dictionary search system to investigate the relationship between the performance of such a system and user judgements. We found that, in addition to the position of the desired word in a list of results, the placement of the desired word above or below the fold and the similarity of the other words in the results list affected users’ judgements of the system. We also found that metrics that incorporate the precision of the overall list correlated better with users’ judgements than did metrics currently reported in prior ASL dictionary research.
Scaling Membership of Byzantine Consensus
Authors: Canakci Burcu , Van Renesse Robbert
Published: October 2021

Scaling Byzantine Fault Tolerant (BFT) systems in terms of membership is important for secure applications with large participation such as blockchains. While traditional protocols have low latency, they cannot handle many processors. Conversely, blockchains often have hundreds to thousands of processors to increase robustness, but they typically have high latency or energy costs.

We describe various sources of unscalability in BFT consensus protocols. To improve performance, many BFT protocols optimize the “normal case,” where there are no failures. This can be done in a modular fashion by wrapping existing BFT protocols with a building block that we call
alliance
. In normal case executions, alliance can scalably determine if the initial conditions of a BFT consensus protocol predetermine the outcome, obviating running the consensus protocol.

We give examples of existing protocols that solve alliance. We show that a solution based on hypercubes and
MAC
s has desirable scalability and performance in normal case executions, with only a modest overhead otherwise. We provide important optimizations. Finally, we evaluate our solution using the ns3 simulator and show that it scales up to thousands of processors and compare with prior work in various network topologies.
Assessing the Quality of Sources in Wikidata Across Languages: A Hybrid Approach
Authors: Amaral Gabriel , Piscopo Alessandro , Kaffee Lucie-aimée , Rodrigues Odinaldo , Simperl Elena
Published: October 2021

Wikidata is one of the most important sources of structured data on the web, built by a worldwide community of volunteers. As a secondary source, its contents must be backed by credible references; this is particularly important, as Wikidata explicitly encourages editors to add claims for which there is no broad consensus, as long as they are corroborated by references. Nevertheless, despite this essential link between content and references, Wikidata's ability to systematically assess and assure the quality of its references remains limited. To this end, we carry out a mixed-methods study to determine the relevance, ease of access, and authoritativeness of Wikidata references, at scale and in different languages, using online crowdsourcing, descriptive statistics, and machine learning. Building on previous work of ours, we run a series of microtasks experiments to evaluate a large corpus of references, sampled from Wikidata triples with labels in several languages. We use a consolidated, curated version of the crowdsourced assessments to train several machine learning models to scale up the analysis to the whole of Wikidata. The findings help us ascertain the quality of references in Wikidata and identify common challenges in defining and capturing the quality of user-generated multilingual structured data on the web. We also discuss ongoing editorial practices, which could encourage the use of higher-quality references in a more immediate way. All data and code used in the study are available on GitHub for feedback and further improvement and deployment by the research community.
Effects of vigorous isometric muscle contraction on titin stiffness-related contractile properties in rat fast-twitch muscles
Authors: Shi Jiayu , Watanabe Daiki , Wada Masanobu
Published: October 2021

This study was conducted to examine the effects of an acute bout of vigorous isometric contractions on titin stiffness-related contractile properties in rat fast-twitch skeletal muscles. Intact gastrocnemius muscles were electrically stimulated in situ until the force was reduced to ∼50% of the initial force. Immediately after cessation of the stimulation, the superficial regions of the muscles were dissected and subjected to biochemical and skinned fiber analyses. The stimulation resulted in a decrease in the titin-based passive force. The amounts of fragmented titin were unchanged by the stimulation. Protein kinase Cα-treatment increased the passive force in stimulated fibers to resting levels. The stimulation had no effect on the maximum Ca2+-activated force (max Ca2+ force) at a sarcomere length (SL) of 2.4 μm and decreased myofibrillar (my)-Ca2+ sensitivity at 2.6-μm SL. Stretching the SL to 3.0 μm led to the augmentation of the max Ca2+ force and my-Ca2+ sensitivity in both rested and stimulated fibers. For the max Ca2+ force, the extent of the increase was smaller in stimulated than in rested fibers, whereas for my-Ca2+ sensitivity, it was higher in stimulated than in rested fibers. These results suggest that vigorous isometric contractions decrease the titin-based passive force, possibly because of a reduction in phosphorylation by protein kinase Cα, and that the decreased titin stiffness may contribute, at least in part, to muscle fatigue.
Clinical Application of Artificial Dermis and Autologous Skin in Repairing Skin and Soft Tissue Defects of Hands and Feet with Bone Exposure Injuries
Authors: Li Chengke , Song Weihai , Lei Yanwen , Peng Songgen , Chu Weiying , Deng Guochao
Published: October 2021

Patients with skin and soft tissue defects are very common. Mild trauma often causes mild skin damage, while severe injuries are often accompanied by bone and tendon exposure, which brings great pain to patients. For the defect of skin and soft tissue, the traditional treatment methods are mostly medium or full-thickness skin or skin flap transplantation. These methods are effective in wound repair, but there are still many problems. In recent years, with the improvement of tissue engineering technology, the use of artificial skin to repair various skin wounds is gradually becoming clinical, and the key technology of skin tissue engineering lies in the development of dermal substitutes. The appearance of artificial dermis not only solves the shortage of autologous skin source but also makes the operation simple and easy. The purpose of this study was to investigate the clinical effect of artificial dermis combined with autologous skin grafts in repairing hand and foot skin and soft tissue defects with bone exposure. The results show that the use of artificial dermis combined with autogenous blade thick skin to treat patients with hand and foot soft tissue injury with bone exposure has a good clinical effect, and the skin is alive and has fewer complications, which is worthy of promotion.
New Betweenness Centrality Node Attack Strategies for Real‐World Complex Weighted Networks
Authors: Nguyen Quang , Nguyen Ngoc-Kim-Khanh , Cassi Davide , Bellingeri Michele
Published: October 2021

In this work, we introduce a new node attack strategy removing nodes with the highest conditional weighted betweenness centrality (CondWBet), which combines the weighted structure of the network and the node’s conditional betweenness. We compare its efficacy with well‐known attack strategies from literature over five real‐world complex weighted networks. We use the network weighted efficiency (WEFF) like a measure encompassing the weighted structure of the network, in addition to the commonly used binary‐topological measure, i.e., the largest connected cluster (LCC). We find that if the measure is WEFF, the CondWBet strategy is the best to decrease WEFF in 3 out of 5 cases. Further, CondWBet is the most effective strategy to reduce WEFF at the beginning of the removal process, whereas the Strength that removes nodes with the highest sum of the link weights first shows the highest efficacy in the final phase of the removal process when the network is broken into many small clusters. These last outcomes would suggest that a better attacking in weighted networks strategy could be a combination of the CondWBet and Strength strategies.
Global Conservative Solutions of the Two-Component
μ
-Hunter–Saxton System
Authors: Shi Xiayang , Liu Jingjing , Zhang Hongyang
Published: October 2021

In this paper, we establish global conservative solutions of the two-component

μ

-Hunter–Saxton system by the methods developed in “A. Bressan, A. Constantin, Global Conservative Solutions of the Camassa-Holm Equation, Arch. Ration. Mech. Anal. 183 (2), 215–239 (2007)” and “H. Holden, X. Raynaud, Periodic Conservative Solutions of the Camassa-Holm Equation, Ann. Inst. Fourier (Grenoble) 58(3), 945–988 (2008).”
Adipose Mesenchymal Stem Cell-Derived Exosomes Enhance PC12 Cell Function through the Activation of the PI3K/AKT Pathway
Authors: Xie Yong , Chen Yangping , Zhu Yuyuan , Chen Xia , Lin Tiecheng , Zhou Dan
Published: October 2021

Transplantation of mesenchymal stem cells has been considered as an auspicious treatment for repairing nerve injuries. The rat adrenal pheochromocytoma cell line (PC12) is one of the traditional models for the study of neuronal differentiation and neuroregeneration in vitro. However, the effects of adipose mesenchymal stem cell-derived exosomes (ADSC-exo) on PC12 cells remain unclear and to be elucidated. In our study, the effects of ADSC-exo on PC12 cells were investigated. ADSC-exo were isolated by ultracentrifugation and characterized by transmission electron microscopy, flow nanoanalysis, and western blot. The effects of ADSC-exo on PC12 cell proliferation, migration, apoptosis, and the protein levels were analyzed using CCK-8 assay and EdU incorporation assay, transwell migration assay and scratch wound assay, flow cytometry, and western blot, respectively. We successfully isolated and purified exosomes from ADSC supernatant and found that ADSC-exo treatment significantly promoted PC12 cell proliferation and migration, inhibited their apoptosis, and activated the PI3K/AKT pathway, while PI3K/AKT signaling repression using LY294002 exhibited the opposite effects. The results showed that ADSC-exo promoted proliferation and migration and inhibited apoptosis of PC12 through the activation of the PI3K/AKT pathway. Thus, the effect of ADSC-exo on PC12 cells may suggest ADSC-exo may be a promising therapeutic for nerve damage.
Magnitude of Stunting and Associated Factors among Adolescent Students in Legehida District, Northeast Ethiopia
Authors: Ashebir Kebede Wassachew , Yimer Ayele Belete
Published: October 2021

Background. Undernutrition including stunting particularly at an adolescent stage was not emphasized by various intervention strategies in the Ethiopian context. Assessing the magnitude and potential risk factors of undernutrition is thus helpful for policymakers to design appropriate intervention strategies. Hence, this study was aimed at assessing the magnitude of stunting and associated factors among adolescent students in Legehida district, Northeast Ethiopia. Methods. A school-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 424 adolescent students from February 15th to March 15th, 2018. A stratified sampling followed by a simple random sampling technique was used to select the study participants. A pretested, structured, and self-administered questionnaire was used to collect the required data. Height was measured by using a portable stadiometer and the height-for-age (HFA) z-score was calculated as an indicator of stunting. SPSS version 25 and WHO AnthroPlus software were applied to analyze the data. A multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to identify factors associated with adolescent stunting. Statistical significance was determined at a

p

value of <0.05 and association was described by using an odds ratio at a 95% confidence interval. Results. A total of 406 adolescent students (with a response rate of 95.7%) participated in the study. The magnitude of stunting among adolescent students in this study was 24.9% (95% CI: 24.6%–35.3%). Conclusions. Stunting among adolescent students was significantly associated with being male [AOR = 2.1; 95% CI: 1.73–5.90], meal frequency (<3/day) [AOR = 4.6; 95% CI: 2.61–8.24], infrequent handwashing practice [AOR = 3.6; 95% CI: 1.30–9.40], absence of latrine facility (AOR = 5.51; 95% CI: 3.03–9.9), and consumption of unsafe water [AOR = 2.8; 95% CI: 1.35–6.19]. Hence, conducting routine nutrition screenings and assessments, promotion of proper food intake, and emphasis on nutrition education and counseling are needed to be strengthened.
On Soft Quantum B-Algebras and Fuzzy Soft Quantum B-Algebras
Authors: Zhang Xiongwei , Aljahdali Sultan , Khalil Ahmed Mostafa
Published: October 2021

This paper aims to make a combination between the quantum B-algebras (briefly,

X

-

A

s) and two interesting theories (e.g., soft set theory and fuzzy soft set theory). Firstly, we propose the novel notions of soft quantum B-algebras (briefly,

S
ℚ
B

-

A

s), a soft deductive system of

ℚ
B

-

A

s, and deducible soft quantum B-algebras (briefly,

DS
ℚ
B

-

A

s). Then, we discuss the relationship between

S
ℚ
B

-

A

s and

DS
ℚ
B

-

A

s. Furthermore, we investigate the union and intersection operations of

DS
ℚ
B

-

A

s. Secondly, we introduce the notions of a fuzzy soft quantum B-algebras (briefly,

FS
ℚ
B

-

A

s), a fuzzy soft deductive system of

ℚ
B

-

A

s, and present some characterizations of

FS
ℚ
B

-

A

s, along with several examples. Finally, we explain the basic properties of homomorphism image of

FS
ℚ
B

-

A

s.
Tribological Behavior of Mild Steel under Canola Biolubricant Conditions
Authors: Shalwan A. , Yousif B. F. , Alajmi F. H. , Alajmi M.
Published: October 2021

New lubricants based on vegetable oil were developed in this study. Different blends of canola oil mixed with fully synthetic two stock engine oils were developed (0, 20%, 40%, 60%, and 80% of synthetic oil).  The viscosity of the prepared blends was determined at different temperatures (20°C–80°C). Tribological experiments were conducted to investigate the effect of the newly developed oil on the wear characteristics of mild steel material compared with stainless steel when subjected to adhesive wear loading. The weight loss (WL) and the specific wear rate (SWR) of the mild steel using each of the prepared lubricants were determined. Scanning electron microscopy was used to examine the worn surface of the mild steel. The results revealed that pure canola oil as a lubricant performed competitively against a blend of 80% synthetic and 20% canola oils. The viscosity of the canola oil and its various blends with synthetic oil are controlled by the environmental temperature since an increased temperature reduces the viscosity. Also, the experimental results revealed that operating parameters play the main role in controlling the wear behavior of mild steel since increasing the sliding distances increases the weight loss. The specific wear rate exhibited a steady state after about 5 km sliding distance, and different blends influenced the applied loads and velocity differently. The mixing ratio of canola and syntactic oil was not particularly significant since the pure canola oil exhibited competitive wear performance compared with the blends. However, an intermediate mixing ratio (40%–60% synthetic oil mixed with 60%–40% canola) can produce a slightly low specific wear rate among other things.
Role Played by Oil Emplacement in Controlling Pore Network Evolution of Tight Sandstones
Authors: Hu Huifang , Ju Yang , Zhao Chenyang , Jing Miaozhi , Sun Liang , Sun Wei , Liu Dengke , Yang Lin , Jing Yue , Huang Guoqiang
Published: October 2021

Whether oil emplacement and diagenetic sequences provoke, deteriorate, or have no effect on pore network evolution, as implied by recent tests and theoretical analysis, are critical factors in forecasting hydrocarbon exploration and development potentials. Therefore, a systematic investigation on the effect of oil emplacement of tight sandstones is conducted to study the importance of this behavior on the pore evolution path. This study evaluated the role played by oil emplacement and diagenesis in the pore network evolution of Upper Triassic tight sandstones in the Ordos Basin. To help provide a comprehensive understanding, we have used a multidisciplinary method including physical properties, casting thin section, scanning electron microscope, X-ray diffraction, fluorometric, and inclusion analysis. The results demonstrate that the sandstones could be divided into four groups based on new criteria: calcareous sandstone, high soft component sandstone, low soft component sandstone with continual oil emplacement, and low soft component sandstone with intermittent oil emplacement. The physical properties of those types of sandstones were gradually reduced. Quartz cement captured hydrocarbon, carbonate captured hydrocarbon, free hydrocarbon, and adsorbed hydrocarbon were the four main kinds of hydrocarbons. The maturity of those sandstones was decreased progressively, indicating that the formation time of those hydrocarbons was favorable to maturity. Four stages of oil emplacement happened, and large-scale emplacement mainly occurred in the late Jurassic and early Craterous. The evidence demonstrated that tight sandstones’ high porosity could be attributed to positive diagenetic contributions with a complex interplay of chemical compaction, early formed clays, and large-scale oil emplacement. This work would provide new sights for a better understanding of the tight oil accumulation modes, and the findings could be applied in the hydrocarbon exploration and development field.
Guidance, Navigation, and Control for Fixed-Wing UAV
Authors: Israr Amber , Alkhammash Eman H. , Hadjouni Myriam
Published: October 2021

The purpose of this paper is to develop a fixed-wing aircraft that has the abilities of both vertical take-off (VTOL) and a fixed-wing aircraft. To achieve this goal, a prototype of a fixed-wing gyroplane with two propellers is developed and a rotor can maneuver like a drone and also has the ability of vertical take-off and landing similar to a helicopter. This study provides guidance, navigation, and control algorithm for the gyrocopter. Firstly, this study describes the dynamics of the fixed-wing aircraft and its control inputs, i.e., throttle, blade pitch, and thrust vectors. Secondly, the inflow velocity, the forces acting on the rotor blade, and the factors affecting the rotor speed are analyzed. Afterward, the mathematical models of the rotor, dual engines, wings, and vertical and horizontal tails are presented. Later, the flight control strategy using a global processing system (GPS) module is designed. The parameters that are examined are attitude, speed, altitude, turn, and take-off control. Lastly, hardware in the loop (HWIL) based simulations proves the effectiveness and robustness of the navigation guidance and control mechanism. The simulations confirm that the proposed novel mechanism is robust and satisfies mission requirements. The gyrocopter remains stable during the whole flight and maneuvers the designated path efficiently.
Efficacy and Safety of Brucea javanica Oil Emulsion Injection for Treating Gastric Cancer: A Protocol for a Systematic Review and Meta Analysis
Authors: Cao Luchang , Wang Xinmiao , Wang Heping , Wu Jingyuan , Lu Taicheng , Li Shixin , Li Jie
Published: October 2021

Introduction. Brucea javanica oil emulsion injection (BJOEI) is an antitumor drug extracted from the traditional Chinese medicinal plant Brucea javanica, which has broad prospects as an adjuvant treatment for gastric cancer (GC); however, its efficacy and safety are still controversial. We plan to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis to summarise the clinical efficacy and safety of BJOEI in the treatment of GC and provide credible evidence for the clinical application and subsequent studies of BJOEI. Methods and Analysis. This systematic review will include articles identified by electronically searching the following databases: PubMed, EMBASE, CENTRAL, Web of Science, the Chinese Biomedical Literature Database (CBM), the China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang Database, and Chinese Scientific Journals Database (VIP Database) from inception to 31 July 2021. The primary outcomes of this research will be the clinical total effective rate, performance status, and adverse drug reactions (ADRs). The systematic review will be performed using RevMan 5 software. Finally, we will use the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation System (GRADE) to assess the quality of evidence. Ethics and Dissemination. Ethical approval is not required for literature-based studies. The results of this systematic review will be published in a peer-reviewed journal. PROSPERO registration number: CRD42021265646.
Orthorectification of WorldView‐3 Satellite Image Using Airborne Laser Scanning Data
Authors: Pradhan Biswajeet , Ahmed Ahmed A. , Chakraborty Subrata , Alamri Abdullah , Lee Chang-Wook
Published: October 2021

Satellite images have been widely used to produce land use and land cover maps and to generate other thematic layers through image processing. However, images acquired by sensors onboard various satellite platforms are affected by a systematic sensor and platform‐induced geometry errors, which introduce terrain distortions, especially when the sensor does not point directly at the nadir location of the sensor. To this extent, an automated processing chain of WorldView‐3 image orthorectification is presented using rational polynomial coefficient (RPC) model and laser scanning data. The research is aimed at analyzing the effects of varying resolution of the digital surface model (DSM) derived from high‐resolution laser scanning data, with a novel orthorectification model. The proposed method is validated on actual data in an urban environment with complex structures. This research suggests that a DSM of 0.31 m spatial resolution is optimum to achieve practical results (root‐mean‐square error = 0.69 m) and decreasing the spatial resolution to 20 m leads to poor results (root‐mean‐square error = 7.17). Moreover, orthorectifying WorldView‐3 images with freely available digital elevation models from Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) (30 m) can result in an RMSE of 7.94 m without correcting the distortions in the building. This research can improve the understanding of appropriate image processing and improve the classification for feature extraction in urban areas.
Comparing the Prognostic Value of Stress Myocardial Perfusion Imaging by Conventional and Cadmium-Zinc Telluride Single-Photon Emission Computed Tomography through a Machine Learning Approach
Authors: Cantoni Valeria , Green Roberta , Ricciardi Carlo , Assante Roberta , Donisi Leandro , Zampella Emilia , Cesarelli Giuseppe , Nappi Carmela , Sannino Vincenzo , Gaudieri Valeria , Mannarino Teresa , Genova Andrea , De Simini Giovanni , Giordano Alessia , D’Antonio Adriana , Acampa Wanda , Petretta Mario , Cuocolo Alberto
Published: October 2021

We compared the prognostic value of myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) by conventional- (C-) single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and cadmium-zinc-telluride- (CZT-) SPECT in a cohort of patients with suspected or known coronary artery disease (CAD) using machine learning (ML) algorithms. A total of 453 consecutive patients underwent stress MPI by both C-SPECT and CZT-SPECT. The outcome was a composite end point of all-cause death, cardiac death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, or coronary revascularization procedures whichever occurred first. ML analysis performed through the implementation of random forest (RF) and

k

-nearest neighbors (KNN) algorithms proved that CZT-SPECT has greater accuracy than C-SPECT in detecting CAD. For both algorithms, the sensitivity of CZT-SPECT (96% for RF and 60% for KNN) was greater than that of C-SPECT (88% for RF and 53% for KNN). A preliminary univariate analysis was performed through Mann-Whitney tests separately on the features of each camera in order to understand which ones could distinguish patients who will experience an adverse event from those who will not. Then, a machine learning analysis was performed by using Matlab (v. 2019b). Tree, KNN, support vector machine (SVM), Naïve Bayes, and RF were implemented twice: first, the analysis was performed on the as-is dataset; then, since the dataset was imbalanced (patients experiencing an adverse event were lower than the others), the analysis was performed again after balancing the classes through the Synthetic Minority Oversampling Technique. According to KNN and SVM with and without balancing the classes, the accuracy (

p

value = 0.02 and

p

value = 0.01) and recall (

p

value = 0.001 and

p

value = 0.03) of the CZT-SPECT were greater than those obtained by C-SPECT in a statistically significant way. ML approach showed that although the prognostic value of stress MPI by C-SPECT and CZT-SPECT is comparable, CZT-SPECT seems to have higher accuracy and recall.
Mathematical Modelling of COVID-19 Transmission in Kenya: A Model with Reinfection Transmission Mechanism
Authors: Wangari Isaac Mwangi , Sewe Stanley , Kimathi George , Wainaina Mary , Kitetu Virginia , Kaluki Winnie
Published: October 2021

In this study we propose a Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) mathematical model that stratifies infectious subpopulations into: infectious asymptomatic individuals, symptomatic infectious individuals who manifest mild symptoms and symptomatic individuals with severe symptoms. In light of the recent revelation that reinfection by COVID-19 is possible, the proposed model attempt to investigate how reinfection with COVID-19 will alter the future dynamics of the recent unfolding pandemic. Fitting the mathematical model on the Kenya COVID-19 dataset, model parameter values were obtained and used to conduct numerical simulations. Numerical results suggest that reinfection of recovered individuals who have lost their protective immunity will create a large pool of asymptomatic infectious individuals which will ultimately increase symptomatic individuals with mild symptoms and symptomatic individuals with severe symptoms (critically ill) needing urgent medical attention. The model suggests that reinfection with COVID-19 will lead to an increase in cumulative reported deaths. Comparison of the impact of non pharmaceutical interventions on curbing COVID19 proliferation suggests that wearing face masks profoundly reduce COVID-19 prevalence than maintaining social/physical distance. Further, numerical findings reveal that increasing detection rate of asymptomatic cases via contact tracing, testing and isolating them can drastically reduce COVID-19 surge, in particular individuals who are critically ill and require admission into intensive care.
Optimization, Characterization, and Antibacterial Activity of Copper Nanoparticles Synthesized Using Senna didymobotrya Root Extract
Authors: Sadia Bernard Otieno , Cherutoi Jackson Kiplagat , Achisa Cleophas Mecha
Published: October 2021

The economic burden and high mortality associated with multidrug-resistant bacteria is a major public health concern. Biosynthesized copper nanoparticles (CuNPs) could be a potential alternative to combat bacterial resistance to conventional medicine. This study for the first time aimed at optimizing the synthesis conditions (concentration of copper ions, temperature, and pH) to obtain the smallest size of CuNPs, characterizing and testing the antibacterial efficacy of CuNPs prepared from Senna didymobotrya (S. didymobotrya) roots. Extraction was done by the Soxhlet method using methanol as the solvent. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis was performed to identify compounds in S. didymobotrya root extracts. Box–Behnken design was used to obtain optimal synthesis conditions as determined using a particle analyzer. Characterization was done using ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis), particle size analyzer, X-ray diffraction, zeta potentiometer, and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR). Bioassay was conducted using the Kirby–Bauer disk diffusion susceptibility test. The major compounds identified by GC-MS in reference to the NIST library were benzoic acid, thymol, N-benzyl-2-phenethylamine, benzaldehyde, vanillin, phenylacetic acid, and benzothiazole. UV-Vis spectrum showed a characteristic peak at 570 nm indicating the formation of CuNPs. The optimum synthesis conditions were temperature of 80°C, pH 3.0, and copper ion concentration of 0.0125 M. The FT-IR spectrum showed absorptions in the range 3500–3400 cm−1 (N-H stretch), 3400–2400 cm−1 (O-H stretch), and 988–830 cm−1 (C-H bend) and peak at 1612 cm−1 (C=C stretch), and 1271 cm−1 (C-O bend). Cu nanoparticle sizes were 5.55–63.60 nm. The zeta potential value was −69.4 mV indicating that they were stable. The biosynthesized nanoparticles exhibited significant antimicrobial activity on Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus with the zone of inhibition diameters of 26.00 ± 0.58 mm and 30.00 ± 0.58 mm compared to amoxicillin clavulanate (standard) with inhibition diameters of 20 ± 0.58 mm and 28.00 ± 0.58 mm, respectively.
Computed Tomography Image Texture under Feature Extraction Algorithm in the Diagnosis of Effect of Specific Nursing Intervention on Mycoplasma Pneumonia in Children
Authors: Bi Yuyan , Jiang Cuifeng , Qi Hua , Zhou Haiwei , Sun Lixia
Published: October 2021

To evaluate the effect of specific nursing intervention in children with mycoplasma pneumonia (MP), a feature extraction algorithm based on gray level co-occurrence matrix (GLCM) was proposed and combined with computed tomography (CT) image texture features. Then, 98 children with MP were rolled into the observation group with 49 cases (specific nursing) and the control group with 49 cases (routine nursing). CT images based on feature extraction algorithm of optimized GLCM were used to examine the children before and after nursing intervention, and the recovery of the two groups of children was discussed. The results showed that the proportion of lung texture increase, rope shadow, ground glass shadow, atelectasis, and pleural effusion in the observation group (24.11%, 3.86%, 8.53%, 15.03%, and 3.74%) was significantly lower than that in the control group (28.53%, 10.23%, 13.34%, 21.15%, and 8.13%) after nursing (

P
<
0.05

). There were no significant differences in the proportion of small patchy shadows, large patchy consolidation shadows, and bronchiectasis between the observation group and the control group (

P
>
0.05

). In the course of nursing intervention, in the observation group, the disappearance time of cough, normal temperature, disappearance time of lung rales, and absorption time of lung shadow (2.15 ± 0.86 days, 4.81 ± 1.14 days, 3.64 ± 0.55 days, and 5.96 ± 0.62 days) were significantly shorter than those in the control group (2.87 ± 0.95 days, 3.95 ± 1.06 days, 4.51 ± 1.02 days, and 8.14 ± 1.35 days) (

P
<
0.05

). After nursing intervention, the proportion of satisfaction and total satisfaction in the experimental group (67.08% and 28.66%) was significantly higher than that in the control group (40.21% and 47.39%), while the proportion of dissatisfaction (4.26%) was significantly lower than that in the control group (12.4%) (

P
<
0.05

). To sum up, specific nursing intervention was more beneficial to improve the progress of characterization recovery and the overall recovery effect of children with MP relative to conventional nursing. CT image based on feature extraction algorithm of optimized GLCM was of good adoption value in the diagnosis and treatment of MP in children.
The Role of Mesenchymal Stem Cells with Ascorbic Acid and N-Acetylcysteine on TNF-α, IL 1β, and NF-κβ Expressions in Acute Pancreatitis in Albino Rats
Authors: Abdelhafez Dalia , Aboelkomsan Elshimaa , El Sadik Abir , Lasheen Noha , Ashur Sara , Elshimy Amal , Morcos George N. B.
Published: October 2021

Severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) is a necrotic pancreatic inflammation associated with high mortality rate (up to 70%). Bone marrow (BM) mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been investigated in pancreatic cellular regeneration, but still their effects are controversial. Therefore, the present study is aimed at examining the enrichment of the stem cells with ascorbic acid (AA) and N-acetylcysteine (NAC) and explore their combined action on the expression of the inflammatory cytokines: interleukin 1β (IL 1β), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and nuclear factor-κβ (NF-κβ). A total of twenty adult male Sprague-Dawley albino rats were divided into four groups: the control group, cerulein group (to induce acute pancreatitis), BM-MSCs group, and combined BM-MSCs with AA and NAC group. Homing and proliferation of stem cells were revealed by the appearance of PKH26-labelled BM-MSCs in the islets of Langerhans. AA and NAC combination with BM-MSCs (group IV) was demonstrated to affect the expression of the inflammatory cytokines: IL 1β, TNF-α, and NF-κβ. In addition, improvement of the biochemical and histological parameters is represented in increasing body weight, normal blood glucose, and insulin levels and regeneration of the islet cells. Immunohistochemical studies showed an increase in proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and decrease in caspase-3 reactions, detected markedly in group IV, after the marked distortion of the classic pancreatic lobular architecture was induced by cerulein. It could be concluded that treatment with BM-MSCs combined with antioxidants could provide a promising therapy for acute pancreatitis and improve the degeneration, apoptosis, necrosis, and inflammatory processes of the islets of Langerhans. TNF-α, IL 1β, and NF-κβ are essential biomarkers for the evaluation of MSC regenerative effectiveness.
10-Year Changes in Adiposity in Cameroon School-Age Children: Evidence for Increasing Central Adiposity and Higher Adiposity Levels in Tallest-for-Age Children
Authors: Navti Lifoter K. , Foudjo Brice U. S.
Published: October 2021

Objective. To examine changes in measures of adiposity and determine the prevalence of excess adiposity in relation to height in school children between 2010 and 2020. Methods. 5–12-year-old urban school-age children participated in two cross-sectional surveys in 2010 (n = 1274) and 2020 (n = 1550). Standard procedures were used for anthropometric measurements. Changes in BMI, waist circumference (WC), and waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) and the corresponding proportions of children with excess adiposity were analyzed and adjusted for design variables (class and school type) and age. Children were classified according to quartiles of height z-score and prevalence of excess adiposity estimated across each quartile. Results. There was a 2.4% and 3.3% increase in adjusted mean BMI and WC, respectively, between 2010 and 2020. The prevalence of central overweight/obesity (WC) and WHtR ≥ 0.5 increased by 7.3% (X2 = 27.151,

p
<
0.001

) and 5.3% (X2 = 26.117,

p
<
0.001

), respectively, between the two surveys except BMI overweight/obesity. The odds of excess adiposity significantly increased in 2020 for central overweight/obesity (WC) (OR 2.8, 95% CI 2.0–3.6) and WHtR ≥ 0.5 (OR 1.8, 95% CI 1.3–2.4) and not for BMI overweight/obesity (OR 1.3, 95% CI 0.8–1.7). The prevalence of BMI overweight/obesity significantly increased from 33% in 2010 to 51.5% in 2020 in the fourth quartile of height z-score (X2 = 19.198,

p
<
0.001

). Similarly, the prevalence of central overweight/obesity (WC) significantly increased from 23.5% in 2010 to 42.4% in 2020 in the fourth quartile of height z-score (X2 = 18.733,

p
<
0.001

). Conclusion. Central overweight/obesity has increased more than BMI overweight/obesity over the last decade. Children with a higher height-for-age tend to accumulate more adiposity. Objective monitoring of adiposity levels and height of children is needed in future to identify groups for targeted intervention and prevention of chronic diseases.
An Extended Text Combination Classification Model for Short Video Based on Albert
Authors: Liu Yi , Zhang Yue , Hu Haidong , Liu Xiaodong , Zhang Lun , Liu Ruijun
Published: October 2021

With the rise and rapid development of short video sharing websites, the number of short videos on the Internet has been growing explosively. The organization and classification of short videos have become the basis for the effective use of short videos, which is also a problem faced by major short video platforms. Aiming at the characteristics of complex short video content categories and rich extended text information, this paper uses methods in the text classification field to solve the short video classification problem. Compared with the traditional way of classifying and understanding short video key frames, this method has the characteristics of lower computational cost, more accurate classification results, and easier application. This paper proposes a text classification model based on the attention mechanism of multitext embedding short video extension. The experiment first uses the training language model Albert to extract sentence‐level vectors and then uses the attention mechanism to study the text information in various short video extensions in a short video classification weight factor. And this research applied Google’s unsupervised data augmentation (UDA) method based on unsupervised data, creatively combining it with the Chinese knowledge graph, and realized TF‐IDF word replacement. During the training process, we introduced a large amount of unlabeled data, which significantly improved the accuracy of model classification. The final series of related experiments is aimed at comparing with the existing short video title classification methods, classification methods based on video key frames, and hybrid methods, and proving that the method proposed in this article is more accurate and robust on the test set.
A Case of Localized Prostate Cancer Associated with Polymyalgia Rheumatica with Marked Symptomatic Improvement after Robot-Assisted Radical Prostatectomy
Authors: Kawase Makoto , Nakane Keita , Namiki Sanae , Takeuchi Yasumichi , Ueda Shota , Kawase Kota , Nakai Chie , Takeuchi Shinichi , Kato Daiki , Takai Manabu , Iinuma Koji , Fuwa Masayuki , Saigo Chiemi , Miyazaki Tatsuhiko , Morita Hiroyuki , Koie Takuya
Published: October 2021

A 73-year-old man visited our hospital with chief complaints of fever of unknown origin and bilateral shoulder and hip joint pain. He was initially diagnosed with polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR). Although the patient was treated with prednisolone 15 mg/day, his PMR-related symptoms did not improve. Further examination was performed as the patient was suspected of having paraneoplastic syndrome. Assessment results showed prostate cancer without metastases. After undergoing robot-assisted radical prostatectomy, the patient’s PMR-related symptoms dramatically improved. Hence, the prednisolone dose was decreased to 4 mg/day. PCa may have triggered the development of PMR through the activation of immune-mediated systemic inflammatory responses.
A Clinical Study of the Effect of Estradiol Valerate on Sleep Disorders, Negative Emotions, and Quality of Life in Perimenopausal Women
Authors: Zhang Jianfu , Shao Shurong , Ye Chaohui , Jiang Bengui
Published: October 2021

In this prospective study, we randomly divided 100 patients with perimenopausal syndrome equally into the control group (n = 50) receiving conventional treatment and the study group (n = 50) receiving estradiol valerate. The indicators observed were endometrial thickness, uterine volume, and the levels of LH (luteinizing hormone), FSH (follicle-stimulating hormone), and E2 (estradiol) of the patients before and after treatment. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Hamilton Anxiety/Depression Scale (HAMA/HAMD), Kupperman symptom score, and menopause-specific quality of life (MENQOL) were also applied to assess the sleep quality, negative emotions, severity of the condition, and quality of life of all patients, respectively. Our findings were that estradiol valerate is beneficial in improving serum sex hormone levels, sleep disturbances, negative mood, and quality of life in patients with perimenopausal syndrome and that its safety profile is high enough to warrant clinical promotion.
Out‐of‐Plane Deformation Analysis of the Thin‐Walled Closed Curved Box Girder under the Temperature Gradient
Authors: Yang Zeying , Wang Chenghe , Sun Yinglin , Liu Yangyudong , Cheng Zhengquan , Qu Weisong
Published: October 2021

For calculating the thin‐walled closed curved box girder caused by the temperature gradient of the internal force and displacement, based on the fundamental differential equation of the curve beam and the principle of minimum energy, set a reverse statically indeterminate simply supported curve beam as the basic structure, consider the warping effect of the closed curve box girder, and put forward a kind of plane curve beam temperature deformation simple analytical calculation method. Compared with the finite element calculation results, the relative error of the analytical calculation results is less than 5%. It is concluded that the analytical method has sufficient accuracy in calculating the out‐of‐plane deformation of the thin‐walled closed curved box girder under the temperature gradient.
Study of Cognitive State Recognition and Assistive System for Overall Reading of Foreign Literature Based on Intelligent Sensors
Authors: Li Na , Song Xueqing
Published: October 2021

In real life, the text is one of the main carrier forms of information, which carries human civilization, and spreads knowledge to people, and also promotes culture and records history; however, how to read more information in a limited time, that is, to improve reading efficiency, has become a problem to be solved by current technology. The purpose of this paper is to integrate the existing wearable device concept, combined with a wireless intelligent sensor system; design a wearable reading assistance system designed to facilitate the use of blind and partially sighted people, based on the study and comparison of existing text recognition products; improve their functions and implementation platform, combined with wireless network; and design a wearable device that can achieve foreign text recognition and reading cognitive state reading assistance thereby improving reading efficiency. This paper proposes a method to implement foreign text decoding under the embedded platform with relatively few resources and quickly completes image acquisition, binarization, and compressed storage through the bit and storage area and DMA (direct memory access) double buffering mechanism unique to the chip selected in this paper; proposes to use the connected boundary tracking algorithm to find foreign text locators, reducing a large number of floating‐point operations; does not rotate the image, instead, the image is directly sampled at the current rotation angle, and then foreign text bitstream information is acquired to realize the decoding of foreign text under the embedded platform with relatively fewer resources.