bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Social cognition training improves recognition of distinct facial emotions and decreases misattribution errors in healthy individuals
Authors: Schoeneman Patel Samantha Evy , Haut Kristen M. , Guty Erin , Dodell-Feder David , Saxena Abhishek , Nahum Mor , Hooker Christine I.
Published: November 2022

Facial emotion recognition is a key component of social cognition. Impaired facial emotion recognition is tied to poor psychological wellbeing and deficient social functioning. While previous research has demonstrated the potential for social cognition training to improve overall facial emotion recognition, questions remain regarding what aspects of emotion recognition improve. We report results from a randomized controlled trial that evaluates whether computerized social cognition training can improve recognition of distinct facial emotions in healthy participants. This investigation was designed to better understand the therapeutic potential of social cognition training for individuals with neuropsychiatric disorders. Fifty-five healthy adult participants were randomly assigned to an internet-based intervention during which they either completed social cognition training (SCT) or played control computer games (CON) for 10.5 h over 2–3 weeks. Facial emotion recognition was measured with the Penn ER-40, which was conducted before and after training. The following variables were collected and analyzed: facial emotion recognition accuracy for each emotion (i.e., anger, fear, happy, neutral (no emotional expression), and sad), reaction times for each emotion, and response error types (i.e., frequency of an emotion being chosen incorrectly, frequency of an emotion being missed, and frequency of an emotion being confused for another particular emotion). ANOVAs and t-tests were used to elucidate intervention effects both within and between groups. Results showed that the SCT group improved their accuracy for angry and neutral faces. They also improved their reaction times for neutral, fearful, and sad faces. Compared to the CON group, the SCT group had significantly faster reaction times to neutral faces after training. Lastly, the SCT group decreased their tendency to confuse angry faces for no emotional expression and to confuse no emotional expression for sad faces. In contrast, the CON group did not significantly improve their accuracy or reaction times on any emotional expression, and they did not improve their response error types. We conclude that social cognition training can improve recognition of distinct emotions in healthy participants and decrease response error patterns, suggesting it has the potential to improve impaired emotion recognition and social functioning in individuals with facial emotion recognition deficits.
A review on the pesticides in coffee: Usage, health effects, detection, and mitigation
Authors: Merhi Areej , Kordahi Rita , Hassan Hussein F.
Published: November 2022

Coffee is considered among the most popular beverages and is classified as the second most exported item worldwide. The presence of pesticides in this staple commodity is a challenge to import and export activities, in addition to the fact that pesticides are toxins of public health concern. Even if pesticides are applied properly and their residues are within the acceptable range, it is important to know the fate of these pesticides prior to their ingestion. A plethora of research has been done to optimize methods and thus to have valid procedures to test for the presence of pesticides in coffee. In this review, the analytical methods used in these articles to detect and quantify the pesticides in coffee beans, roasted coffee, and coffee infusion were identified. This review highlights as well the main factors that play a key role in having good separation, identification, and recovery of pesticide residues in the aforementioned items. In addition, the review explains the effect of pesticides on human health and the mitigation techniques for pesticide exposure.
Long-term vaccine efficacy of a 2-dose varicella vaccine in China from 2011 to 2021: A retrospective observational study
Authors: Shu Mingming , Zhang Dandan , Ma Rui , Yang Tianchi , Pan Xingqiang
Published: November 2022

Objective

A 2-dose varicella vaccine immunization strategy has been implemented in many cities in China, but there is few evidence on a long-term evaluation of the efficacy of the 2-dose varicella vaccine from China. This study aims to assess the long-term vaccine efficacy of the two doses varicella vaccine and analysis of its influencing factors.

Methods

A retrospective study was carried out in 837,144 children born between 2011 and 2017 in Ningbo, Easten China. The logistic regression was performed to estimate varicella vaccine effectiveness (VE).

Results

The overall VE of 2 doses of varicella vaccine compared without the vaccine was 90.31% (89.24–91.26%), and the overall incremental VE of 2 doses of varicella vaccine compared to the 1-dose was 64.71% (59.92–68.93%). Moreover, the varicella vaccination age of the second dose and the interval between 2 doses were both associated with VE. The VE compared to that without the vaccine in children vaccinated at <4 years old was 91.22% (95%CI: 90.16–92.17%) which was higher than in children vaccinated at ≥4 years old (VE: 86.79%; 95%CI: 84.52–88.73). And the effectiveness of the vaccine was 93.60% (95%CI: 92.19–94.75%) in children with the interval of the 2 doses ≤ 24 months significantly higher than in children with the interval of ≥36 months (VE: 85.62%, 95%CI: 82.89–87.91%).

Conclusions

This study provides evidence for long-term VE of the 2-dose varicella vaccine and the better age for 2-dose vaccination and the interval between 2 doses of the vaccine in China.
Real-time mortality statistics during the COVID-19 pandemic: A proposal based on Spanish data, January–March, 2021
Authors: Equiza-Goñi Juan
Published: November 2022

Objectives

During the COVID-19 pandemic, surveillance systems worldwide underestimated mortality in real time due to longer death reporting lags. In Spain, the mortality monitor “MoMo” published downward biased excess mortality estimates daily. I study the correction of such bias using polynomial regressions in data from January to March 2021 for Spain and the Comunitat Valenciana, the region with the highest excess mortality.

Methods

This adjustment for real-time statistics consisted of (1) estimating forthcoming revisions with polynomial regressions of past revisions, and (2) multiplying the daily-published excess mortality by these estimated revisions. The accuracy of the corrected estimates compared to the original was measured by contrasting their mean absolute errors (MAE) and root mean square errors (RMSE).

Results

Applying quadratic and cubic regressions improved the first communication of cumulative mortality in Spain by 2–3%, on average, and the flow in registered deaths by 20%. However, for the Comunitat Valenciana, those corrections improved the first publications of the cumulative mortality by 36–45%, on average; their second publication, by 23–30%; and the third, by 15–21%. The flow of deaths registered each day improved by 62–63% on their first publication, by 19–36% on the second, and by 12–17% on the third.

Conclusion

It is recommended that MoMo's estimates for excess mortality be corrected from the effect of death reporting lags by using polynomial regressions. This holds for the flows in each date and their cumulative sum, as well as national and regional data. These adjustments can be applied by surveillance systems in other countries.
The recovery from agro-industrial wastes provides different profiles of anti-inflammatory polyphenols for tailored applications
Authors: Abbasi-Parizad Parisa , Scarafoni Alessio , Pilu Roberto , Scaglia Barbara , De Nisi Patrizia , Adani Fabrizio
Published: November 2022

Food and agro-industrial processing produce a great amount of side-stream and waste materials that are excellent sources of functional bioactive molecules such as phenolic compounds that recover them can be beneficial not only for food sustainability but also to human for many industrial applications such as flavor compounds and therapeutic applications such as antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory. The treatments and extraction techniques have major effects on the recovery of bioactive compounds. Along with the conventional extraction methods, numerous innovative techniques have been evolved and have been optimized to facilitate bioactive extraction more efficiently and sustainably. In this work, we have summarized the state-of-the-art technological approaches concerning novel extraction methods applied for five most produced crops in Italy; Grape Pomace (GP), Tomato Pomace (TP), Olive Pomace (OP), Citrus Pomace (CP), and Spent Coffee Grounds (SCG), presenting the extraction yield and the main class of phenolic classes, with the focus on their biological activity as an anti-inflammatory in vitro and in vivo studies via describing their molecular mechanism of action.
Spotlight on clinical strategies of Chronic Internal Carotid Artery Occlusion: Endovascular interventions and external-intracarotid bypasses compared to conservative treatment
Authors: Wu Junnan , Fang Chaoyou , Wei Lingying , Liu Yibo , Xu Houshi , Wang Xiaoyu , Yuan Ling , Wu Xiaoya , Xu Yuanzhi , Zhang Anke
Published: November 2022

Chronic internal carotid artery occlusion (CICAO) has high prevalence and incidence rates, and patients with CICAO can be completely asymptomatic, experience a devastating stroke or die. It is important to note that CICAO causes cerebrovascular accidents. Currently, the external carotid-internal carotid (EC-IC) bypass technique is used to treat CICAO. However, many clinical studies showed that EC-IC bypass was not beneficial for many patients with CICAO. Meanwhile, endovascular intervention treatment options for CICAO are evolving, and an increasing number of patients are undergoing endovascular intervention therapy. Accordingly, a review comparing both techniques is warranted. For this review, we searched PubMed and collected relevant case study reports comparing endovascular interventional therapy and internal and external cervical bypass surgeries to provide strategies for clinical treatment.
Integrated Design of a Supermarket Refrigeration System by Means of Experimental Design Adapted to Computational Problems
Authors: Sarabia Daniel , Ortiz María Cruz , Sarabia Luis Antonio
Published: November 2022

In this paper, an integrated design of a supermarket refrigeration system has been used to obtain a process with better operability. It is formulated as a multi-objective optimization problem where control performance is evaluated by six indices and the design variables are the number and discrete power of each compressor to be installed. The functional dependence between design and performance is unknown, and therefore the optimal configuration must be obtained through a computational experimentation. This work has a double objective: to adapt the surface response methodology (SRM) to optimize problems without experimental variability as are the computational ones and show the advantage of considering the integrated design. In the SRM framework, the problem is stated as a mixture design with constraints and a synergistic cubic model where a D-optimal design is applied to perform the experiments. Finally, the multi-objective problem is reduced to a single objective one by means of a desirability function. The optimal configuration of the power distribution of the three compressors, in percentage, is (50,20,20). This solution has an excellent behaviour with respect to the six indices proposed, with a significant reduction in time oscillations of controlled variables and power consumption compared with other possible power distributions.
Astrocytes in the Neuropathology of Bipolar Disorder: Review of Current Evidence
Authors: Dai Nasia , Jones Brett D. M. , Husain Muhammad Ishrat
Published: November 2022

(1) Background: Approximately one-third of patients with bipolar disorder (BD) do not experience sustained remission with current treatments. Presently, astrocytes, i.e., glial cells that act as key regulators of neuroinflammation, have been a target for therapeutic development. Research regarding their role in the neuropathology of BD is limited. We conducted a scoping review on evidence linking astrocytes to the pathology of BD. (2) Methods: The search was conducted in MEDLINE for studies published from inception to August 2022. Studies of interest were data-extracted and reported based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis Protocols. (3) Results: Overall, 650 publications were identified, of which 122 full texts were evaluated and 12 included. Four were in vitro, seven were ex vivo, and one study was both in vitro and in vivo. In vitro investigations focused on plasma levels of neuroinflammatory biomarkers S100B and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP). Ex vivo investigations were post-mortem brain studies assessing astrocytes in regions of interest (i.e., anterior cingulate cortex, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex) using phosphorylated GFAP and ASCT-1. The in vivo and in vitro study evaluated morphological and chemical variations of YKL-40 between cohorts. (4) Conclusions: Reports indicate an association between astrocyte dysfunction and BD although larger studies are required to validate this association.
Speech and Language Errors during Awake Brain Surgery and Postoperative Language Outcome in Glioma Patients: A Systematic Review
Authors: Collée Ellen , Vincent Arnaud , Dirven Clemens , Satoer Djaina
Published: November 2022

Awake craniotomy with direct electrical stimulation (DES) is the standard treatment for patients with gliomas in eloquent areas. Even though language is monitored carefully during surgery, many patients suffer from postoperative aphasia, with negative effects on their quality of life. Some perioperative factors are reported to influence postoperative language outcome. However, the influence of different intraoperative speech and language errors on language outcome is not clear. Therefore, we investigate this relation. A systematic search was performed in which 81 studies were included, reporting speech and language errors during awake craniotomy with DES and postoperative language outcomes in adult glioma patients up until 6 July 2020. The frequencies of intraoperative errors and language status were calculated. Binary logistic regressions were performed. Preoperative language deficits were a significant predictor for postoperative acute (OR = 3.42, p < 0.001) and short-term (OR = 1.95, p = 0.007) language deficits. Intraoperative anomia (OR = 2.09, p = 0.015) and intraoperative production errors (e.g., dysarthria or stuttering; OR = 2.06, p = 0.016) were significant predictors for postoperative acute language deficits. Postoperatively, the language deficits that occurred most often were production deficits and spontaneous speech deficits. To conclude, during surgery, intraoperative anomia and production errors should carry particular weight during decision-making concerning the optimal onco-functional balance for a given patient, and spontaneous speech should be monitored. Further prognostic research could facilitate intraoperative decision-making, leading to fewer or less severe postoperative language deficits and improvement of quality of life.
Reinduction of Hedgehog Inhibitors after Checkpoint Inhibition in Advanced Basal Cell Carcinoma: A Series of 12 Patients
Authors: DeTemple Viola K. , Hassel Jessica C. , Sachse Michael M. , Grimmelmann Imke , Leiter Ulrike , Gebhardt Christoffer , Eckardt Julia , Pföhler Claudia , Angela Yenny , Hübbe Hanna , Gutzmer Ralf
Published: November 2022

For patients with advanced basal cell carcinoma (aBCC) first-line treatment with hedgehog inhibitors (HHIs) and second-line treatment with PD1 inhibitors (PD1i) is available, offering combination and sequencing options. Here, we focus on the efficacy and safety of HHI reinduction after PD1i failure. Retrospective data analysis was performed with 12 patients with aBCC (locally advanced (n = 8)/metastatic (n = 4)). These patients (male:female 6:6, median age 68 years) initially received HHIs, leading to complete/partial response (66%) or stable disease (33%). Median treatment duration was 20.8 (2–64.5) months until discontinuation due to progression (n = 8), adverse events (n = 3), or patient request (n = 1). Subsequent PD1 inhibition (pembrolizumab 42%, cemiplimab 58%) yielded a partial response (8%), stable disease (33%), or progression (59%). Median treatment duration was 4.1 (0.8–16.3) months until discontinuation due to progression (n = 9), adverse events (n = 1), patient request (n = 1), or missing drug approval (n = 1). HHI reinduction resulted in complete/partial response (33%), stable disease (50%), or progression (17%). Median treatment duration was 3.6 (1–29) months. Response duration in the four responding patients was 2–29+ months. Thus, a subgroup of patients with aBCC responded to reinduction of HHI following PD1i failure. Therefore, this sequential treatment represents a feasible treatment option.
The Effects of Patient-Reported Outcome Screening on the Survival of People with Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Authors: Caminiti Caterina , Maglietta Giuseppe , Diodati Francesca , Puntoni Matteo , Marcomini Barbara , Lazzarelli Silvia , Pinto Carmine , Perrone Francesco
Published: November 2022

This study examined the effects of the routine assessment of patient-reported outcomes (PROs) on the overall survival of adult patients with cancer. We included clinical trials and observational studies with a control group that compared PRO monitoring interventions in cancer clinical practice to usual care. The Cochrane risk-of-bias tools were used. In total, six studies were included in the systematic review: two randomized trials, one population-based retrospectively matched cohort study, two pre–post with historical control studies and one non-randomized controlled trial. Half were multicenter, two were conducted in Europe, three were conducted in the USA and was conducted in Canada. Two studies considered any type of cancer, two were restricted to lung cancer and two were restricted to advanced forms of cancer. PRO screening was electronic in four of the six studies. The meta-analysis included all six studies (intervention = 130.094; control = 129.903). The pooled mortality outcome at 1 year was RR = 0.77 (95%CI 0.76–0.78) as determined by the common effect model and RR = 0.82 (95%CI 0.60–1.12; p = 0.16) as determined by the random-effects model. Heterogeneity was statistically significant (I2 = 73%; p < 0.01). The overall risk of bias was rated as moderate in five studies and serious in one study. This meta-analysis seemed to indicate the survival benefits of PRO screening. As routine PRO monitoring is often challenging, more robust evidence regarding the effects of PROs on mortality would support systematic applications.
Galectins Are Central Mediators of Immune Escape in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma
Authors: Jiang Zhengting , Zhang Wenjie , Sha Gengyu , Wang Daorong , Tang Dong
Published: November 2022

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one of the most lethal cancers and is highly immune tolerant. Although there is immune cell infiltration in PDAC tissues, most of the immune cells do not function properly and, therefore, the prognosis of PDAC is very poor. Galectins are carbohydrate-binding proteins that are intimately involved in the proliferation and metastasis of tumor cells and, in particular, play a crucial role in the immune evasion of tumor cells. Galectins induce abnormal functions and reduce numbers of tumor-associated macrophages (TAM), natural killer cells (NK), T cells and B cells. It further promotes fibrosis of tissues surrounding PDAC, enhances local cellular metabolism, and ultimately constructs tumor immune privileged areas to induce immune evasion behavior of tumor cells. Here, we summarize the respective mechanisms of action played by different Galectins in the process of immune escape from PDAC, focusing on the mechanism of action of Galectin-1. Galectins cause imbalance between tumor immunity and anti-tumor immunity by coordinating the function and number of immune cells, which leads to the development and progression of PDAC.
Region-Specific Effects of Fractionated Low-Dose Versus Single-Dose Radiation on Hippocampal Neurogenesis and Neuroinflammation
Authors: Schmal Zoé , Rübe Claudia E.
Published: November 2022

Background: Despite technical advances in hippocampus-sparing radiotherapy, radiation-induced injury to neural stem cell compartments may affect neurocognitive functions. In pre-clinical mouse models with fractionated low-dose radiation (FLDR) and single-dose radiation (SDR), the accurate response to radiation-induced injury was analyzed in different hippocampal subregions. Methods: Adult and juvenile C57BL/6NCrl mice were exposed to FLDR (20 × 0.1 Gy, daily exposure from Monday to Friday for 4 weeks) or SDR (1 × 2 Gy). In addition, 72 h after the last exposure, neuroglia (astrocytes and microglia) and neuroprogenitor cells were characterized and quantified in the hippocampal cornu ammonis (CA) and dentate gyrus (DG) by immunofluorescence studies. Results: After analyzing different hippocampal subregions, it was observed that radiation responses varied between non-neurogenic CA, with no detectable inflammatory alterations, and neurogenic DG, characterized by impaired neurogenesis and subsequent neuroinflammation. Age-dependent differences in radiosensitivity appeared to depend on the varying proliferative potential of neural stem cell niches. Using the same overall dose for FLDR and SDR (2 Gy), both the cumulative dose over time and also the single dose fraction have decisive impacts on hippocampal damage. Conclusion: Region-specific effects of radiation-induced hippocampal injury relies primarily on cell deaths of proliferating neuroprogenitors. Dose per fraction defines the extent of neuronal injury, and subsequently activated microglia and reactive astrocytes modulate dynamic processes of neuroinflammation. Thus, limiting both cumulative doses and dose fractions to hippocampal DG is an important issue of clinical radiotherapy to preserve neurocognitive functions.
Prostate Cancer Cells Are Sensitive to Lysosomotropic Agent Siramesine through Generation Reactive Oxygen Species and in Combination with Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors
Authors: Garcia Emily , Bhatti Ilsa , Henson Elizabeth , Gibson Spencer
Published: November 2022

Background: Prostate cancer is the most common cancer affecting men often resulting in aggressive tumors with poor prognosis. Even with new treatment strategies, drug resistance often occurs in advanced prostate cancers. The use of lysosomotropic agents offers a new treatment possibility since they disrupt lysosomal membranes and can trigger a series of events leading to cell death. In addition, combining lysosomotropic agents with targeted inhibitors can induce increased cell death in different cancer types, but prostate cancer cells have not been investigated. Methods: We treated prostate cancer cells with lysosomotropic agents and determine their cytotoxicity, lysosome membrane permeabilization (LMP), reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels, and mitochondrial dysfunction. In addition, we treated cells with lysosomotropic agent in combination with tyrosine kinase inhibitor, lapatinib, and determined cell death, and the role of ROS in this cell death. Results: Herein, we found that siramesine was the most effective lysosomotropic agent at inducing LMP, increasing ROS, and inducing cell death in three different prostate cancer cell lines. Siramesine was also effective at increasing cell death in combination with the tyrosine kinase inhibitor, lapatinib. This increase in cell death was mediated by lysosome membrane permeabilization, an increased in ROS levels, loss of mitochondrial membrane potential and increase in mitochondrial ROS levels. The combination of siramesine and lapatinib induced apoptosis, cleavage of PARP and decreased expression of Bcl-2 family member Mcl-1. Furthermore, lipid peroxidation occurred with siramesine treatment alone or in combination with lapatinib. Treating cells with the lipid peroxidation inhibitor alpha-tocopherol resulted in reduced siramesine induced cell death alone or in combination with lapatinib. The combination of siramesine and lapatinib failed to increase cell death responses in normal prostate epithelial cells. Conclusions: This suggests that lysomotropic agents such as siramesine in combination with tyrosine kinase inhibitors induces cell death mediated by ROS and could be an effective treatment strategy in advanced prostate cancer.
Role of Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition for the Generation of Circulating Tumors Cells and Cancer Cell Dissemination
Authors: Noubissi Nzeteu Gaetan Aime , Geismann Claudia , Arlt Alexander , Hoogwater Frederik J. H. , Nijkamp Maarten W. , Meyer N. Helge , Bockhorn Maximilian
Published: November 2022

Tumor-related death is primarily caused by metastasis; consequently, understanding, preventing, and treating metastasis is essential to improving clinical outcomes. Metastasis is mainly governed by the dissemination of tumor cells in the systemic circulation: so-called circulating tumor cells (CTCs). CTCs typically arise from epithelial tumor cells that undergo epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), resulting in the loss of cell–cell adhesions and polarity, and the reorganization of the cytoskeleton. Various oncogenic factors can induce EMT, among them the transforming growth factor (TGF)-β, as well as Wnt and Notch signaling pathways. This entails the activation of numerous transcription factors, including ZEB, TWIST, and Snail proteins, acting as transcriptional repressors of epithelial markers, such as E-cadherin and inducers of mesenchymal markers such as vimentin. These genetic and phenotypic changes ultimately facilitate cancer cell migration. However, to successfully form distant metastases, CTCs must primarily withstand the hostile environment of circulation. This includes adaption to shear stress, avoiding being trapped by coagulation and surviving attacks of the immune system. Several applications of CTCs, from cancer diagnosis and screening to monitoring and even guided therapy, seek their way into clinical practice. This review describes the process leading to tumor metastasis, from the generation of CTCs in primary tumors to their dissemination into distant organs, as well as the importance of subtyping CTCs to improve personalized and targeted cancer therapy.
The Feasibility of Immunocryosurgery in the Treatment of Non-Superficial, Facial Basal Cell Carcinoma That Relapsed after Standard Surgical Excision: An Experience Report from Two Centers
Authors: Gaitanis Georgios , Zampeta Athanasia , Tsintzou Panagiota , Fillis Grigorios , Seretis Konstantinos , Feldmeyer Laurence , Bassukas Ioannis
Published: November 2022

In this retrospective, chart review study, we evaluated the feasibility of immunocryosurgery in facial, non-superficial basal cell carcinomas (BCC) that had relapsed after standard surgery. Inclusion criteria were (a) ‘biopsy confirmed relapse of facial BCC’, (b) known ‘calendar year of surgical excision(s)’, and (c) ‘relapse within 10 years after the last surgical excision’. Tumors treated from 1 January 2011 to 31 December 2020 with a standard 5-week immunocryosurgery cycle (daily imiquimod application for 5 weeks and a cryosurgery session at day 14) were included. Descriptive statistics, Kaplan–Meier method, and Cox proportional hazards model were calculated with significance at p < 0.05. From the n = 27 BCC evaluated, n = 20 (74.1 ± 8.4%) cleared after one immunocryosurgery cycle. Two of the remaining cases cleared completely after a repeat cycle, one patient favored surgery, and four BCC did not clear despite additional immunocryosurgery cycles (feasibility 81.5 ± 7.5%). Of the 22 tumors with clinical outcome ‘complete clearance with immunocryosurgery’, three BCC relapsed at 9, 28, and 50 months. Overall, the 5–year treatment efficacy rate was 60.2 ± 13.4% (mean follow-up 94.6 ± 15.1 months). In total, 20/27 BCC relapses after surgery (74.1%) were tumor-free at the end of personalized follow-up times (66.7 ± 12.4% tumor free patients at 5-year follow-up). Number of tumor relapses before immunocryosurgery was the single predictor of tumor progression after immunocryosurgery (p = 0.012). Conclusively, immunocryosurgery could be further evaluated as an alternative, definitive treatment of selected facial BCC relapsing after surgery.
Distribution and Conservation of Plants in the Northeastern Qinghai–Tibet Plateau under Climate Change
Authors: Zhang Fei-Xue , Yang Ling-Hua , Wang Chun-Jing , Zhang Chun-Hui , Wan Ji-Zhong
Published: November 2022

Climate change is causing unprecedented alterations in the spatial pattern of global biodiversity, imposing severe challenges for biodiversity conservation. In particular, alpine biomes are sensitive to a variety of environmental changes. Therefore, understanding the distribution and conservation of alpine plant biodiversity is vital. In this study, we used species distribution modeling and 20,650 high-resolution occurrence coordinates of 1224 plant species to evaluate the potential distribution of plants in the northeastern Qinghai–Tibet Plateau (Qinghai Province, China) under different future climate scenarios, through an integrative analysis of species distribution probabilities, species richness, and priority conservation areas. Under current and future climate scenarios, the plant species are predicted to be mainly distributed in eastern and southern Qinghai Province, with the suitable conditions for plant species gradually extending from the southeast to the northwest of Qinghai Province under the effects of climate change. The priority conservation areas in Qinghai national nature reserves are predicted to expand, with this expansion being greater for herbaceous plants than woody plants, under future climate scenarios. However, the priority conservation areas outside nature reserves in Qinghai Province remain approximately three times larger than those inside nature reserves. Thus, there were great differences between the existing nature reserve area and the priority conservation areas, with nature reserves insufficiently covering priority conservation areas in Qinghai Province. Therefore, the original nature reserve areas should be expanded, according to the predicted plant habitat hotspots in Qinghai Province. Our research provides valuable information for biodiversity protection in the northeastern Qinghai–Tibet Plateau, reasonable strategies for addressing the future protection challenges associated with climate pressure, and new insights for improving nature reserves in the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau.
What Can Haemosporidian Lineages Found in Culicoides Biting Midges Tell Us about Their Feeding Preferences?
Authors: Chagas Carolina Romeiro Fernandes , Hernández-Lara Carolina , Duc Mélanie , Valavičiūtė-Pocienė Kristina , Bernotienė Rasa
Published: November 2022

Haemoproteus (Parahaemoproteus) parasites are transmitted by Culicoides biting midges. However, the natural vectors of only six of the almost 180 recognized Haemoproteus species have been identified. The aim of this study was to investigate wild biting midges naturally infected with Haemoproteus and to understand the interaction network between Culicoides and Haemoproteus in Europe. Culicoides were collected with UV light traps from different sites in Lithuania. Parous females were morphologically identified based on their wings and heads. PCR-based methods were used to detect the Haemoproteus DNA, and salivary gland preparations were analyzed for the presence of sporozoites. Of the 580 Culicoides analyzed, 5.9% were positive for Haemoproteus DNA, and sporozoites were found in two of 11 sampled biting midge species: Culicoides kibunensis and Culicoides segnis. The interaction network revealed that C. kibunensis and C. segnis are frequently associated with several Haemoproteus lineages. On the other hand, some Haemoproteus lineages were found to interact with only one Culicoides species. This was the first report of C. segnis being a competent vector for H. minutus TURDUS2, H. asymmetricus TUPHI01, H. majoris PHSIB1, and H. fringillae CCF3; and of C. kibunensis being a competent vector for H. belopolskyi HIICT1. Culicoides segnis and C. kibunensis are both important vectors of Haemoproteus parasites.
Intelligent Reflecting Surface Assisted Secure Transmission in UAV-MIMO Communication Systems
Authors: Cheng Tianhao , Wang Buhong , Wang Zhen , Cao Kunrui , Dong Runze , Weng Jiang
Published: November 2022

This paper studies the intelligent reflecting surface (IRS) assisted secure transmission in unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) communication systems, where the UAV base station, the legitimate receiver, and the malicious eavesdropper in the system are all equipped with multiple antennas. By deploying an IRS on the facade of a building, the UAV base station can be assisted to realize the secure transmission in this multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) system. In order to maximize the secrecy rate (SR), the transmit precoding (TPC) matrix, artificial noise (AN) matrix, IRS phase shift matrix, and UAV position are jointly optimized subject to the constraints of transmit power limit, unit modulus of IRS phase shift, and maximum moving distance of UAV. Since the problem is non-convex, an alternating optimization (AO) algorithm is proposed to solve it. Specifically, the TPC matrix and AN covariance matrix are derived by the Lagrange dual method. The alternating direction method of multipliers (ADMM), majorization-minimization (MM), and Riemannian manifold gradient (RCG) algorithms are presented, respectively, to solve the IRS phase shift matrix, and then the performance of the three algorithms is compared. Based on the proportional integral (PI) control theory, a secrecy rate gradient (SRG) algorithm is proposed to iteratively search for the UAV position by following the direction of the secrecy rate gradient. The theoretic analysis and simulation results show that our proposed AO algorithm has a good convergence performance and can increase the SR by 40.5% compared with the method without IRS assistance.
Edge Based Priority-Aware Dynamic Resource Allocation for Internet of Things Networks
Authors: Ali Zulfiqar , Qureshi Kashif Naseer , Mustafa Kainat , Bukhsh Rasool , Aslam Sheraz , Mujlid Hana , Ghafoor Kayhan Zrar
Published: November 2022

The exponential growth of the edge-based Internet-of-Things (IoT) services and its ecosystems has recently led to a new type of communication network, the Low Power Wide Area Network (LPWAN). This standard enables low-power, long-range, and low-data-rate communications. Long Range Wide Area Network (LoRaWAN) is a recent standard of LPWAN that incorporates LoRa wireless into a networked infrastructure. Consequently, the consumption of smart End Devices (EDs) is a major challenge due to the highly dense network environment characterised by limited battery life, spectrum coverage, and data collisions. Intelligent and efficient service provisioning is an urgent need of a network to streamline the networks and solve these problems. This paper proposes a Dynamic Reinforcement Learning Resource Allocation (DRLRA) approach to allocate efficient resources such as channel, Spreading Factor (SF), and Transmit Power (Tp) to EDs that ultimately improve the performance in terms of consumption and reliability. The proposed model is extensively simulated and evaluated with the currently implemented algorithms such as Adaptive Data Rate (ADR) and Adaptive Priority-aware Resource Allocation (APRA) using standard and advanced evaluation metrics. The proposed work is properly cross validated to show completely unbiased results.
Chaos-Based Lightweight Cryptographic Algorithm Design and FPGA Implementation
Authors: Guang Yerui , Yu Longfei , Dong Wenjie , Wang Ya , Zeng Jian , Zhao Jiayu , Ding Qun
Published: November 2022

With the massive application of IoT and sensor technologies, the study of lightweight ciphers has become an important research topic. In this paper, an effective lightweight LZUC (lightweight Zu Chongzhi) cipher based on chaotic system is proposed to improve the traditional ZUC algorithm. In this method, a further algorithm is designed for the process of integrating chaos into the lightweighting of ZUC. For the first time, this design introduces the logistic chaotic system into both the LFSR (linear feedback shift register) and nonlinear F-function of the cryptographic algorithm. The improved LZUC algorithm not only achieves a certain effect in lightweighting, but also has good statistical properties and security of the output sequence. To verify the performance of the LZUC cipher, we performed NIST statistical tests and information entropy analysis on its output key streams and discussed the typical attacks on the algorithm’s resistance to weak key analysis, guess–determination analysis, time–stored data trade-off analysis, and algebraic analysis. In addition, we completed the design of an image security system using the LZUC cipher. Histogram analysis and correlation analysis are used to analyze both plaintext and ciphertext data. At the end of the article, the plaintext and ciphertext images displayed by LCD can be further visualized to verify the encryption effectiveness of the LZUC cipher.
Ray–Wave Correspondence in Microstar Cavities
Authors: Kullig Julius , Wiersig Jan
Published: November 2022

In a previous work published by the authors in 2020, a novel concept of light confinement in a microcavity was introduced which is based on successive perfect transmissions at Brewster’s angle. Hence, a new class of open billiards was designed with star-shaped microcavities where rays propagate on orbits that leave and re-enter the cavity. In this article, we investigate the ray–wave correspondence in microstar cavities. An unintuitive difference between clockwise and counterclockwise propagation is revealed which is traced back to nonlinear resonance chains in phase space.
Some Properties of Weighted Tsallis and Kaniadakis Divergences
Authors: Sfetcu Răzvan-Cornel , Sfetcu Sorina-Cezarina , Preda Vasile
Published: November 2022

We are concerned with the weighted Tsallis and Kaniadakis divergences between two measures. More precisely, we find inequalities between these divergences and Tsallis and Kaniadakis logarithms, prove that they are limited by similar bounds with those that limit Kullback–Leibler divergence and show that are pseudo-additive.
Gear Fault Diagnosis Method Based on Multi-Sensor Information Fusion and VGG
Authors: Huo Dongyue , Kang Yuyun , Wang Baiyang , Feng Guifang , Zhang Jiawei , Zhang Hongrui
Published: November 2022

The gearbox is an important component in the mechanical transmission system and plays a key role in aerospace, wind power and other fields. Gear failure is one of the main causes of gearbox failure, and therefore it is very important to accurately diagnose the type of gear failure under different operating conditions. Aiming at the problem that it is difficult to effectively identify the fault types of gears using traditional methods under complex and changeable working conditions, a fault diagnosis method based on multi-sensor information fusion and Visual Geometry Group (VGG) is proposed. First, the power spectral density is calculated with the raw frequency domain signal collected by multiple sensors before being transformed into a power spectral density energy map after information fusion. Second, the obtained energy map is combined with VGG to obtain the fault diagnosis model of the gear. Finally, two datasets are used to verify the effectiveness and generalization ability of the method. The experimental results show that the accuracy of the method can reach 100% at most on both datasets.
A Clustering Multi-Criteria Decision-Making Method for Large-Scale Discrete and Continuous Uncertain Evaluation
Authors: Wang Siyuan , Ma Wenjun , Zhan Jieyu
Published: November 2022

In recent years, Dempster–Shafer (D–S) theory has been widely used in multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) problems due to its excellent performance in dealing with discrete ambiguous decision alternative (DA) evaluations. In the general framework of D–S-theory-based MCDM problems, the preference of the DAs for each criterion is regarded as a mass function over the set of DAs based on subjective evaluations. Moreover, the multi-criteria preference aggregation is based on Dempster’s combination rule. Unfortunately, this an idea faces two difficulties in real-world applications: (i) D–S theory can only deal with discrete uncertain evaluations, but is powerless in the face of continuous uncertain evaluations. (ii) The generation of the mass function for each criterion relies on the empirical judgments of experts, making it time-consuming and laborious in terms of the MCDM problem for large-scale DAs. To the best of our knowledge, these two difficulties cannot be addressed with existing D–S-theory-based MCDM methods. To this end, this paper proposes a clustering MCDM method combining D–S theory with the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and the Silhouette coefficient. By employing the probability distribution and the D–S theory to represent discrete and continuous ambiguous evaluations, respectively, determining the focal element set for the mass function of each criterion through the clustering method, assigning the mass values of each criterion through the AHP method, and aggregating preferences according to Dempster’s combination rule, we show that our method can indeed address these two difficulties in MCDM problems. Finally, an example is given and comparative analyses with related methods are conducted to illustrate our method’s rationality, effectiveness, and efficiency.
A Simplified Linearized Lattice Boltzmann Method for Acoustic Propagation Simulation
Authors: Song Qiaochu , Chen Rongqian , Cao Shuqi , Lou Jinhua , Zhan Ningyu , You Yancheng
Published: November 2022

A simplified linearized lattice Boltzmann method (SLLBM) suitable for the simulation of acoustic waves propagation in fluids was proposed herein. Through Chapman–Enskog expansion analysis, the linearized lattice Boltzmann equation (LLBE) was first recovered to linearized macroscopic equations. Then, using the fractional-step calculation technique, the solution of these linearized equations was divided into two steps: a predictor step and corrector step. Next, the evolution of the perturbation distribution function was transformed into the evolution of the perturbation equilibrium distribution function using second-order interpolation approximation of the latter at other positions and times to represent the nonequilibrium part of the former; additionally, the calculation formulas of SLLBM were deduced. SLLBM inherits the advantages of the linearized lattice Boltzmann method (LLBM), calculating acoustic disturbance and the mean flow separately so that macroscopic variables of the mean flow do not affect the calculation of acoustic disturbance. At the same time, it has other advantages: the calculation process is simpler, and the cost of computing memory is reduced. In addition, to simulate the acoustic scattering problem caused by the acoustic waves encountering objects, the immersed boundary method (IBM) and SLLBM were further combined so that the method can simulate the influence of complex geometries. Several cases were used to validate the feasibility of SLLBM for simulation of acoustic wave propagation under the mean flow.
Minimizing the Spread of Negative Influence in SNIR Model by Contact Blocking
Authors: Dai Caiyan , Chen Ling , Hu Kongfa , Ding Youwei
Published: November 2022

This paper presents a method to minimize the spread of negative influence on social networks by contact blocking. First, based on the infection-spreading process of COVID-19, the traditional susceptible, infectious, and recovered (SIR) propagation model is extended to the susceptible, non-symptomatic, infectious, and recovered (SNIR) model. Based on this model, we present a method to estimate the number of individuals infected by a virus at any given time. By calculating the reduction in the number of infected individuals after blocking contacts, the method selects the set of contacts to be blocked that can maximally reduce the affected range. The selection of contacts to be blocked is repeated until the number of isolated contacts that need to be blocked is reached or all infection sources are blocked. The experimental results on three real datasets and three synthetic datasets show that the algorithm obtains contact blockings that can achieve a larger reduction in the range of infection than other similar algorithms. This shows that the presented SNIR propagation model can more precisely reflect the diffusion and infection process of viruses in social networks, and can efficiently block virus infections.
Novel Off-Design Operation Maps Showing Functionality Limitations of Organic Rankine Cycle Validated by Experiments
Authors: Zhang Ying , Zhao Li , Deng Shuai , Li Ming , Liu Yali , Yu Qiongfen , Li Mengxing
Published: November 2022

In this study, we developed a new methodology to analyze the off-design performance of the organic Rankine cycle. The methodology enabled us to predict the performance based on four-dimensional decision variables and a set of constraints. A corresponding formulation and algorithm with general applicability were constructed. The reliability and feasibility of this methodology were validated by a test rig of the cycle with R245fa as the working fluid and three experimental schemes. Under specific working conditions, the theoretical results illustrated the operation maps, functionality limitations, and their variation laws, considering the interactive characteristics among the variables. The functionality limitations predicted a maximum thermal efficiency of 9.42%, corresponding to a net power output of 697.1 W, whereas the maximum net power output was 2251.5 W, corresponding to a thermal efficiency of 8.04%. The experimental results indicated that when the R245fa mass flow rate was 0.120 kg/s, the experimental efficiency and power output were 6.94% and 1873.4 W, respectively; when the R245fa mass flow rate was 0.049 kg/s, they were 3.54% and 274.1 W, respectively. These findings were in good agreement with the theoretical results, with relative errors below 7.64%. This work is expected to be applied in future dynamic control systems to update the setting points and manipulated variables in real time.
Prioritization of Renewable Energy for Sustainable Electricity Generation and an Assessment of Floating Photovoltaic Potential in Lao PDR
Authors: Nhiavue Yevang , Lee Han Soo , Chisale Sylvester William , Cabrera Jonathan Salar
Published: November 2022

Lao PDR faces seasonal power supply problems due to its heavy reliance on hydropower. Thus, the aim of this paper was to prioritize renewable energy (RE) resources for sustainable electricity generation in Lao PDR using the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) method, and to further estimate the energy available for the prioritized RE to enhance the seasonal power supply. Four RE alternatives were assessed considering technological, economic, environmental, and social criteria with twelve overall sub-criteria. The results indicated that hydropower was the most highly prioritized alternative, followed by solar. The resulting weights of the RE prioritization were in agreement with the Lao energy policy and plan. In order to address the seasonal power supply problem, setting-up floating photovoltaic (FPV) units in the existing hydropower reservoirs was proposed. The FPV potential was estimated, and the results revealed that the predicted power demand by 2030, as calculated in the latest Lao national power development strategy, could be fully covered by integrating the FPV output from 10% coverage of the water surface in four existing hydropower reservoirs with the existing power supply in 2020. The proposed FPV technology would provide a solution to enhance the seasonal power supply and reduce the power import.