bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Meta-Analysis of Clinical Efficacy and Safety of Tripterygium wilfordii Polyglycosides Tablets in the Treatment of Chronic Kidney Disease
Authors: Guo Yan-Li , Gao Feng , Dong Tai-Wei , Bai Yang , Liu Qiao , Li Ruo-Lan , Yan Shu-Ting , Chen Mei , Wei Pei-Feng , Xi Miao-Miao
Published: May 2021

Objective. Tripterygium wilfordii polyglycosides tablet (TGt) is an oral preparation extracted from plant Tripterygium wilfordii. It has the effects of anti-inflammation and inhibition of cellular and humoral immunity. However, many reports of adverse reactions caused by TGt have limited its application. In this paper, the clinical efficacy and safety of TGt in the treatment of chronic kidney disease (CKD) were verified by data mining and analysis, so as to provide theoretical data support for the application and development of TGt. Methods. A computer search of the following databases was conducted: PubMed, Web of Science, CBM, VIP, Wanfang Data, and CNKI. The search time limit is from the establishment of the database to September 2020. We searched for clinical randomized controlled trials of TGt in the treatment of CKD. The main types of CKD involved are nephrotic syndrome (NS), primary nephrotic syndrome (PNS), refractory nephrotic syndrome (RNS), and IgA nephropathy (IgAN). RevMan 5.2 and Stata 12.0 software were used to evaluate the literature quality and analyze the data. Finally, GRADEpro software was used to evaluate the quality of evidence. Results. According to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 75 articles with a total of 6418 subjects were included. The results of the meta-analysis showed that TGt could reduce 24-hour urinary protein, increase serum albumin, improve clinical efficacy, and reduce disease recurrence rate in patients (

P
<
0.05

) with CKD compared with adrenocortical hormones or immunosuppressants. TGt could significantly reduce the level of serum creatinine (Scr) in patients with CKD (

P
<
0.05

), but it was not significant in reducing the level of blood urea nitrogen (

P
>
0.05

). In terms of safety evaluation, in patients with CKD, it could significantly reduce the incidence of gastrointestinal adverse reactions and neurogenic dizziness and headache (

P
<
0.05

). However, in terms of adverse reactions such as liver injury, respiratory infection, and leukopenia, TGt was as harmful as corticosteroids or immunosuppressants (

P
<
0.05

). The quality of the evidence was evaluated with GRADEpro software, and the results showed that TGt was strongly recommended for the treatment of CKD. Conclusion. TGt has certain efficacy in the treatment of CKD and has fewer side effects in certain types of diseases. The effect of TGt combined with other drugs is better than that of single use. This paper also has some limitations. Due to the limited number of the included studies, with all being from China, there may be methodological differences. Therefore, more high-quality literature data from different countries are needed.
Preparation of Polyurethane/Pluronic F127 Nanofibers Containing Peppermint Extract Loaded Gelatin Nanoparticles for Diabetic Wounds Healing: Characterization, In Vitro, and In Vivo Studies
Authors: Almasian Arash , Najafi Farhood , Eftekhari Mahdieh , Shams Ardekani Mohammad Reza , Sharifzadeh Mohammad , Khanavi Mahnaz
Published: May 2021

Diabetic ulcer is regarded as one of the most prevalent chronic diseases. The healing of these ulcers enhances with the use of herbal extracts containing wound dressings with high antibacterial property and creating a nano-sized controlled release system. In this study, new peppermint extract was incorporated in the polyurethane- (PU-) based nanofibers for diabetic wound healing. The peppermint extract was used as an herbal antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory agent. The absorption ability of the wound dressing was enhanced by addition of F127 pluronic into the polymer matrix. The release of the extract was optimized by crosslinking the extract with gelatin nanoparticles (CGN) and their eventual incorporation into the nanofibers. The release of the extract was also controlled through direct addition of the extract into the PU matrix. The results showed that the release of extract from nanofibers was continued during 144 hours. The prepared wound dressing had a maximum absorption of 410.65% and an antibacterial property of 99.9% against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli bacteria. An in vivo study indicated on significant improving in wound healing after the use of the extract as an effective compound. On day 14, the average healing rate for samples covered by conventional gauze bandage, PU/F127, PU/F/15 (contained extract), and PU/F/15/10 (contained extract and CGN) prepared with different nanoparticle concentrations of 5 and 10 was 47.1 ± 0.2, 56.4 ± 0.4, 65.14 ± 0.2, and 90.55 ± 0.15%, respectively. Histopathological studies indicated that the wound treated with the extract containing nanofibers showed a considerable inflammation reduction at day 14. Additionally, this group showed more resemblance to normal skin with a thin epidermis presence of normal rete ridges and rejuvenation of skin appendages. Neovascularization and collagen deposition were higher in wounds treated with the extract containing nanofibrous wound dressing compared to the other groups.
A Security Wireless Monitoring and Automatic Protection System for CCEL
Authors: Sun Qiao-yan , Liu Xue-jiao , Sun Yu-mei , Wang Mei-chun , Han Xiang , Chen Xiang-guang
Published: May 2021

A wireless monitoring and automatic protection system for laboratory safety is proposed to solve the security problems in chemistry and chemical engineering laboratories (CCEL). The system is based on a wireless sensor network (WSN), including indoor wireless security monitoring node, information aggregation and management node, portable handheld terminal, and laboratory security information management system. Each indoor safety wireless monitoring node can monitor the laboratory security information (for example, fire information, toxic gas content, abnormal sound in chemistry, and chemical engineering laboratory) and control the corresponding protection device. The portable handheld terminal can remind the safety responsible person to check the safety status of the laboratory remotely and can issue corresponding operation and control instructions. According to the instructions it sends, the indoor security wireless monitoring and control node can start the corresponding automatic protection device. The experimental results demonstrate that the system can realize all‐weather online monitoring of indoor safety information, ensuring that some important scientific research experiments can be conducted continuously and safely, significantly reduced the workload of laboratory managers, and precisely reported the location and conditions of accidents; the loss caused by the accident can be minimized based on the automatic protection device. The system can also be used in dangerous goods warehouse and inflammable and explosive places.
The Oral Delivery of Water‐Soluble Phenol TS‐13 Ameliorates Granuloma Formation in an In Vivo Model of Tuberculous Granulomatous Inflammation
Authors: Menshchikova Elena B. , Kozhin Peter M. , Chechushkov Anton V. , Khrapova Marina V. , Zenkov Nikolay K.
Published: May 2021

The redox‐sensitive signaling system Keap1/Nrf2/ARE is a premier protective mechanism against oxidative stress that plays a key role in the pathogenesis and development of various diseases, including tuberculous granulomatous inflammation. We have previously reported that novel water‐soluble phenolic antioxidant TS‐13 (sodium 3‐(4 ′‐methoxyphenyl)propyl thiosulfonate) induces Keap1/Nrf2/ARE and attenuates inflammation. The aim of this study is the examination of the effect of TS‐13 on tuberculous granulomatous inflammation. BALB/c mice were administered TS‐13 (100 mg kg-1 day-1) through their drinking water starting immediately after Bacillus Calmette‐Guérin (BCG) intravenous injection. Histological changes, production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) (activity of free‐radical oxidation processes), and mRNA expression of Nrf2‐driven, NF‐κB‐, AP‐1‐, and autophagy‐dependent signal pathway genes in the liver and peritoneal exudate were evaluated 30 days later. After the 30th day of infection, the activity of the Keap1/Nrf2/ARE system was decreased and its effector genes entailed increasing ROS production in the liver. Therapeutic intervention with TS‐13 is aimed at activating the Keap1/Nrf2/ARE system that leads to an increase in Nrf2 and Nrf2‐mediated gene expression and a decrease in NF‐κB expression. Changes in these pathways resulted in a decline of ROS production and a decrease in the number and the size of granulomas. In total, the results indicate that the Keap1/Nrf2/ARE system can be an effective pharmacological target in host‐adjunctive treatment of tuberculosis.
Detection of Bolt Looseness Based on Average Autocorrelation Function
Authors: Wu Jigang , Shao Jun , Zhou Gen , Yang Deqiang , Cheng Yuan
Published: May 2021

Bolted connections are widely used in multiple engineering fields including aerospace and mechanical engineering due to their numerous advantages like the ability to bear relatively heavy loads, low costs, easy installation, and implementation. Bolt looseness may lead to costly disasters in industries and some cases of injuries. A new method for bolt looseness detection based on average autocorrelation function is proposed. It does not usually directly extract the looseness damage feature from the original response signal to detect the bolt looseness, but it uses the average autocorrelation function value at time lag T = 0 of the vibration pixel displacement signal to establish the looseness damage index. In terms of structural arrangement of this paper, firstly, the theoretical background of the proposed method is given. Then, an experimental system for bolt looseness detection based on computer vision is designed, and a verification experiment is carried out with the bolted connection plate as the experimental object. The results show that the proposed method can effectively obtain the location of the looseness damage of the bolted connection plate, which provides a new technical reference for the online monitoring of the looseness damage of bolted connection plate.
Detachable Lip and Cheek Plumper for Rehabilitation of Facial Disfigurement
Authors: Abdelbagi Nada Fathalla , Ismail Ibrahim Ahmed , Awadalkreem Fadia , Alhajj Mohammed Nasser
Published: May 2021

Background. Hemimaxillectomy of acquired palatal defects may predispose the patient to hypernasal speech, leakage of fluids into the nasal cavity, impaired masticatory function, and swallowing difficulties leading to a detrimental impact on the quality of life. Sequentially, it can also affect individual character and trust in social life, leading to social phobia and anxiety. This article presents prosthodontic management of a young male patient with deformation of the entire right half of the face due to surgical removal of odontogenic myxoma. It describes a method where the clinician utilized a simple, noninvasive, and cost-effective technique to cut the weight of the obturator and to attain aesthetics, utilizing a detachable lip and cheek plumper. Case Presentation. A 19-year-old male attended the Prosthodontic Clinics at Faculty of Dentistry, the University of Khartoum, eight months after the surgical removal of a tumor. The chief complaint was difficulty eating or drinking. Furthermore, he dropped out of school because of his facial deformity and his indistinct voice. Medical and dental history revealed surgical resection of the entire right half of the maxillary alveolar bone due to myxoma. Intraoral examination revealed a well-healed surgical defect in the maxillary right buccal vestibule creating an oroantral communication. A treatment plan was formulated, keeping the patient’s demand in mind. The decision was made to treat the patient with a maxillary obturator that would gain its support from the remaining teeth and tissues with a detachable cheek and lip plumper. The use of dental magnets as a means of attachment was elected. Conclusion. This article has described a simple, noninvasive, and cost-effective method to improve facial appearance in patients with hollow faces. The plumper prosthesis successfully improved the patient’s appearance to the extent that comfort and function would permit and encourage self-esteem.
Reactive Oxygen Species Mediate Low Back Pain by Upregulating Substance P in Intervertebral Disc Degeneration
Authors: Zheng Jiancheng , Zhang Jian , Zhang Xingkai , Guo Zhiping , Wu Wenjian , Chen Zhe , Li Jitian
Published: May 2021

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are thought to have a strong correlation with a number of intervertebral disc (IVD) diseases. Here, we aimed to determine whether ROS represent an etiology of low back pain (LBP) during IVD degeneration. Thirty degenerated intervertebral disc samples were obtained from patients, and ROS levels were quantified using dihydroethidium (DHE) staining. The results suggested a significant correlation between the ROS level and the severity of LBP. Subsequently, a puncture‐induced LBP model was established in rats, and ROS levels significantly increased compared with those in the sham surgery group, accompanied with severe puncture‐induced IVD degeneration. In addition, when ROS levels were increased by H2O2 administration or decreased by NAC treatment, the rats showed increased or decreased LBP, respectively. Based on this evidence, we further determined that stimulation with H2O2 in nucleus pulposus cells (NPCs) in vivo or in vitro resulted in upregulation of substance P (SP), a peptide thought to be involved in the synaptic transmission of pain, and that the severity of LBP decreased when SP levels were increased by exogenous SP administration or neutralized via aprepitant treatment in the IVDs of rats. In conclusion, ROS are primary inducers of LBP based on clinical and animal data, and the mechanism involves ROS stimulation of NPCs to secrete SP, which is a critical neurotransmitter peptide, to promote LBP in IVDs. Therefore, reducing the level of ROS with specific drugs and inhibiting SP may be alternative methods to treat LBP in the clinic.
HMSC-Derived Exosome Inhibited Th2 Cell Differentiation via Regulating miR-146a-5p/SERPINB2 Pathway
Authors: Zhou Jing , Lu Yi , Wu Wei , Feng Yunhai
Published: May 2021

Background. Allergic rhinitis (AR) is a global disease without specific treatment. Human mesenchymal stem cell- (HMSC-) derived exosomes (HMSC-exos) have been implicated for the amelioration of allergic inflammation by delivering miR-146a-5p in a mouse asthma model. However, the antiallergic activity and the underlying mechanism of HMSC-exos in AR remain unclear. The present study aimed to investigate the role of HMSC-exos in the pathogenesis of AR. Materials and Methods. Blood specimens were collected from AR patients and healthy donators for investigation. HMSC and CD4+ T cells were used in the present study. Flow cytometry was used to characterize the population of Type 1 helper T (Th1) and Th2 cells. Specific siRNA and overexpressed plasmids were designed to silence or overexpress the expressions of miR-146a-5p and SERPINB2. Luciferase reporter assay was adopted to explore the binding site of miR-146a-5p and SERPINB2. Quantitative real-time PCR and immunoblots were performed to estimate the expression of target genes. Results. The population of Th2 cells was significantly elevated in AR patients as compared with that in healthy donators. HMSC-exos could decrease the expression of SERPINB2 and the differentiation of Th2 cells. miR-146a-5p in HMSC-exos exhibited consistent effects and lowered the expression of SERPINB2 by binding on its 3

′

UTR region. Moreover, the differentiation of Th2 cells was promoted by SERPINB2 that could be reversed by HMSC-exos. Additionally, the miR-146a-5p expression was negatively associated with the SERPINB2 expression in the serum of AR patients. Conclusion. HMSC-exos could inhibit the differentiation of Th2 cells via the regulation of the miR-146a-5p/SERPINB2 pathway. miR-146a-5p and SERPINB2 could be applied as potential targets for AR treatment.
Distinct Patterns of Host Adherence by Neisseria gonorrhoeae Isolated from Experimental Gonorrhea
Authors: He Yingxia , Zhang Song , Zhang Yingmiao , Wu Bicong , Xue Ying , Ye Chenglin , Li Qiao , Olivia Adhiambo Njiri , Tembo John Mambwe , Chen Hongxiang , Cai Huahua , Chen Tie
Published: May 2021

Neisseria gonorrhoeae (N. gonorrhoeae, gonococci, or GC), the etiologic agent of gonorrhea, is a human-obligate bacterial pathogen. The GC surface contains pili that mediate the adherence to host cells. Studies have shown that GC pili, coded by pilin genes, undergo remarkable changes during human experimental gonorrhea, possibly generated by DNA phase variation during infection. The question that arises is whether the changes in pilins can alter the adherence capacity of N. gonorrhoeae to host cells. In this study, six variants initially isolated from male volunteers infected with one single clone of GC were examined for their adherence patterns with human Chang conjunctiva cells. In this study, we showed that the variants showed distinct adherence patterns to this cell line under light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. Moreover, two reisolates showed higher adherence capacities than that of the input strain. The results provide an additional example as to how the pilus variation may play a role in the pathogenesis of N. gonorrhoeae.
Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice towards Labor Pain Management and Associated Factors among Skilled Birth Attendants Working at Hospitals Found in Central, West, and North Gondar Zones, Northwest Ethiopia, 2019: A Multicenter Cross-Sectional Study
Authors: Solomon Eyasu Tekile , Kassie Fisseha Yetwale , Mekonnen Dawit Gebeyehu , Mihret Muhabaw Shumye , Abate Addisu Taye , Dessie Amanuel Addisu
Published: May 2021

Introduction. Delivery of the infant into the arms of a conscious and pain-free mother is the most exciting and rewarding moment in maternal care services. Physical and mental care of women during delivery requires good knowledge and a positive insight to the needs and rights of the mothers. Little was known regarding skilled birth attendants’ knowledge, attitude, and practice towards labor pain management in the study area. Hence, the current study aimed at assessing knowledge, attitude, and practice, and associated factors towards labor pain management among skilled birth attendants working at hospitals found in central, west, and north Gondar zones, northwest Ethiopia, 2019. Method. A multicenter institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted from June 1 to 30, 2019. A census sampling technique was used to include a total of 336 skill birth attendants. A pretested standardized self-administered questionnaire was used to collect the data. The data were then entered into Epi Info 7.1.2 and exported to SPSS version 25 for analysis. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were undertaken to identify factors associated with outcome variables. The level of significance of the study was declared based on adjusted odds ratio with 95% confidence interval at apvalue of ≤0.05. Result. The proportion of skill birth attendants having good knowledge, a favorable attitude, and a good practice on labor pain relief methods was 47%, 41.96%, and 57.14%, respectively. Age of ≤30 years (AOR = 5.43; 95% CI: 1.25, 23.53), educational status of 2nd degree and above (AOR = 3.56; 95% CI: 1.32, 9.60), working at a private primary hospital (AOR: = 6.55; 95% CI: 2.15, 19.93), and working at a referral hospital (AOR = 2.24 : 95% CI: 1.01, 4.93) are factors significantly associated with good knowledge while having good knowledge on labor pain relief methods (AOR = 2.26; 95% CI: 1.42, 3.60) and working at private primary hospitals (AOR = 7.01; 95% CI: 1.92, 25.65) had statistically significant association with favorable attitude and good practice on labor pain relief methods, respectively. Conclusion and Recommendations. Poor knowledge, unfavorable attitude, and poor practice towards labor pain management were found in this study. Strengthening the capacity of public health facilities and providing continuous professional development (CPD) training for the skilled birth attendants would be helpful in improving knowledge, attitude, and practice towards labor pain management.
The Research on Delay Propagation of Urban Rail Transit Operation under Sudden Failure
Authors: Zhao Yuan , Ding Xiaobing
Published: May 2021

With the increase and extension of urban rail transit lines, networked operation has become an inevitable trend of rail transit operations. Once an emergency occurs, it will cause operational delays; in serious cases, it may further lead to group safety incidents. Firstly, the sudden failure of rail transit is defined, statistical calculation is made according to the accumulated failure data, and then the sudden failures and average processing time are quantitatively calculated. Secondly, the time delay and propagation under the state of sudden failure are analyzed, on the basis of which the propagation and dissipation of time delay based on the single station failure cellular automata model and SIR model network based on multistation fault delay propagation are constructed. Finally, the reliability and accuracy of the model are verified by a case of rail transit in a city. The scheme in this paper can be used to estimate the scope of time and space delay under the sudden failure of rail transit and can provide the basis for the adjustment of traffic organization scheme and evacuation of passenger flow under the sudden failure.
A Denoising Autoencoder‐Based Bearing Fault Diagnosis System for Time‐Domain Vibration Signals
Authors: Gu Yi , Cao Jiawei , Song Xin , Yao Jian
Published: May 2021

The condition monitoring of rotating machinery is always a focus of intelligent fault diagnosis. In view of the traditional methods’ excessive dependence on prior knowledge to manually extract features, their limited capacity to learn complex nonlinear relations in fault signals and the mixing of the collected signals with environmental noise in the course of the work of rotating machines, this article proposes a novel approach for detecting the bearing fault, which is based on deep learning. To effectively detect, locate, and identify faults in rolling bearings, a stacked noise reduction autoencoder is utilized for abstracting characteristic from the original vibration of signals, and then, the characteristic is provided as input for backpropagation (BP) network classifier. The results output by this classifier represent different fault categories. Experimental results obtained on rolling bearing datasets show that this method can be used to effectively diagnose bearing faults based on original time‐domain signals.
Small Incision Combined with Nephroscope Operation in the Treatment of Infectious Pancreatic Necrosis: A Single-Center Experience of 37 Patients
Authors: Song Yinghui , Li Guoguang , Zhu Hongwei , Yu Zhangtao , Jiang Bo , Peng Chuang , Liu Sulai
Published: May 2021

Objective. To explore the safety and efficacy of small incision combined with nephroscope surgery in the treatment of infectious pancreatic necrosis. Methods. A retrospective analysis of the clinical data of 37 patients with infectious pancreatic necrosis who underwent small incision combined with nephroscopy in the Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery of Hunan Provincial People’s Hospital from January 2018 to December 2019. Results. All 37 patients successfully completed small incision combined nephroscope surgery. The median time from the onset to the operation of all patients was 38 days (range: 29-80 days), and the hospital stay was 19 days (range: 3-95 days). The median number of drainage tubes placed during the operation was 4 (range: 2-8). According to the different surgical approaches, 13 cases were through the retroperitoneal approach, 11 cases were through the omental sac approach, 2 cases were through the intercostal approach, and 11 cases were combined approach. The operation time was

85.3
±
31.6

 min, and intraoperative bleeding was

63.1
±
40.0

 ml. The incidence of complications (Clavien-Dindo grade 3 and above) was 5.4%. Among them, 2 patients were admitted to the intensive care unit due to postoperative bleeding, 1 case was cured by conservative treatment, and 1 case was cured by interventional treatment. During the follow-up period, 2 patients developed colonic fistula at 2 weeks after operation, and 2 patients developed gastric fistula at 1 week and 3 weeks after operation; all were cured by conservative treatment. Conclusion. Small incision combined with nephroscope surgery is an effective treatment for patients with infectious pancreatic necrosis by removing necrotic tissue, unobstructed drainage, and reducing complications.
Influence of Preclinical Training on Root Canal Treatment Technical Quality and Confidence Level of Undergraduate Dental Students
Authors: Barakat Reem M. , Matoug-Elwerfelli Manal , Almohareb Rahaf A. , Balto Hanan A.
Published: May 2021

Objectives. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of exposure to additional preclinical endodontic training on undergraduate students’ technical quality of root canal treatment and overall confidence levels in endodontics. Methods. Technical quality of root canal treatment performed clinically by fifth-year undergraduate students was evaluated and divided into two groups: Group 1, teeth treated by students who had attended both a preclinical endodontic block course and an elective preclinical course. Group 2: teeth treated by students who had not attended the elective preclinical course. All students were also invited to participate in a survey to rate their undergraduate endodontic training and confidence levels performing endodontic treatment. Statistical analysis of data was performed using Person chi-square test, Fisher Freeman Halton exact test, and t-test. A

p

-value <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results. There was no significant difference between the two groups in overall obturation quality (

p
=
0.619

). However, more teeth treated by attendees were of adequate obturation length (

p
=
0.015

) and lacked procedural errors (

p
=
0.004

). Significantly more elective course attendees rated their undergraduate endodontic training as adequate (

p
=
0.002

), but there was no significant difference in the level of confidence between the attendees and the non-attendees. Conclusion. Within the limitations of this study, additional preclinical training showed minimal effect on overall quality of root canal treatment performed clinically by undergraduate students and did not enhance their confidence levels; however, it was associated with more satisfaction with their undergraduate endodontic education.
The Effect of Freeze‐Thaw Damage on Corrosion in Reinforced Concrete
Authors: Lu Xiao-Chun , Guan Bin , Chen Bo-Fu , Zhang Xin , Xiong Bo-bo
Published: May 2021

The existing studies of the corrosion of reinforced concrete have mainly focused on the interface area and chemical ion erosion, ignoring the specific service environment of the reinforced concrete. In this study, the effect of freeze‐thaw damage was investigated via corrosion experiments under different freeze‐thaw cycle conditions. Steel reinforcement corrosion mass, ultimate pull‐out force, corrosion rate, and bond slippage were chosen as characteristic parameters in the experiments, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis was used to explain the mechanism of action of freeze‐thaw damage on corrosion. The results showed that, under identical corrosion conditions, the mass of steel reinforcement corrosion and corrosion rate increased by 39.6% and 39.7% when comparing 200 freeze‐thaw cycles to 0 cycles, respectively. The ultimate pull‐out force and bond slippage after 200 freeze‐thaw cycles decreased by 73% and 31%, respectively, compared with 0 freeze‐thaw cycles. In addition, SEM analysis indicated that microstructure damage caused by freeze‐thaw cycles accelerated the corrosion reaction and decreased cementitious properties, leading to decreasing ultimate pull‐out force and bond slippage. The effect of freeze‐thaw cycles and steel reinforcement corrosion on the macro mechanical properties of concrete is not a simple superposition.
A Study on Smart Healthcare Monitoring Using IoT Based on Blockchain
Authors: Jeong SoonHyeong , Shen Jun-Hong , Ahn Byeongtae
Published: May 2021

Background/Motivation. Recently, a lot of interest in health is increasing due to the technology of the 4th industrial revolution. In particular, personal medical information through intelligent self‐diagnosis is emerging as very important. However, such personal medical information causes many problems in security and reliability. Problem/Issues. Personal medical information accidents may occur on the server, but most of all, they occur more often in information sharing and data transmission. Therefore, in this paper, blockchain technology is applied to improve the reliability of such personal information management. Research Objective/Methodology. For intelligent healthcare incorporating blockchain technology, this study utilized the blockchain‐based Internet of Things. In addition, information was accumulated using a number of measurement sensors to analyze individual ECG information. The measured biosignals were monitored for personalized diagnosis by analyzing the fused threshold. Result. In this paper, we implemented a monitoring system using measurement sensors to analyze individual biometric information. The implemented system information has improved reliability and security by incorporating blockchain technology.
On Extended Branciari
b
-Distance Spaces and Applications to Fractional Differential Equations
Authors: Jain Reena , Nashine Hemant Kumar , George Reny , Mitrović Zoran D.
Published: May 2021

In this work, we define new

α
−
λ

-rational contractive conditions and establish fixed-points results based on aforesaid contractive conditions for a mapping in extended Branciari

b

-distance spaces. We furnish two examples to justify the work. Further, we discuss results on weak well-posed property, weak limit shadowing property, and generalized

w

-Ulam-Hyers stability in the underlying space. Finally, as an application of our main result, we obtain sufficient conditions for the existence of solutions of a nonlinear fractional differential equation with integral boundary conditions.
Experimental Study of Rainfall Infiltration in an Analog Fracture‐matrix System
Authors: Zhong Zhen , Gao Huicai , Hu Yunjin
Published: May 2021

In this study, an experimental apparatus was developed to investigate unsaturated infiltration in an analog fracture‐matrix system. Fracture and adjacent matrix is simulated by sands with various particle sizes. Four rainfall infiltration experiments were performed on the analog fracture‐matrix system at a constant rainfall rate of 100 mm/h. The process of rainfall infiltration is measured by a combination method of tensiometers and quick moisture apparatus. The measured results reveal that fracture‐matrix interactions certainly exert influences on the hydraulic behaviour of unsaturated fractured matrix, and the fluid flow mainly infiltrates along the nonuniform paths within the matrix. Moreover, it is observed that the influences are greater when using a coarser sand to mimic the fracture. Specifically, the wetting phase in the matrix moves faster than that in the fracture; the fracture, therefore, acts as a vertical capillary barrier, but there exists lateral water exchange from the matrix to the fracture. Overall, this study has demonstrated the importance of fracture/matrix interactions, which should be considered when dealing with unsaturated flow through permeable matrices.
METTL3-Mediated m6A Methylation Regulates Muscle Stem Cells and Muscle Regeneration by Notch Signaling Pathway
Authors: Liang Yu , Han Hui , Xiong Qiuchan , Yang Chunlong , Wang Lu , Ma Jieyi , Lin Shuibin , Jiang Yi-Zhou
Published: May 2021

The Pax7+ muscle stem cells (MuSCs) are essential for skeletal muscle homeostasis and muscle regeneration upon injury, while the molecular mechanisms underlying muscle stem cell fate determination and muscle regeneration are still not fully understood. N6-methyladenosine (m6A) RNA modification is catalyzed by METTL3 and plays important functions in posttranscriptional gene expression regulation and various biological processes. Here, we generated muscle stem cell-specific METTL3 conditional knockout mouse model and revealed that METTL3 knockout in muscle stem cells significantly inhibits the proliferation of muscle stem cells and blocks the muscle regeneration after injury. Moreover, knockin of METTL3 in muscle stem cells promotes the muscle stem cell proliferation and muscle regeneration in vivo. Mechanistically, METTL3-m6A-YTHDF1 axis regulates the mRNA translation of Notch signaling pathway. Our data demonstrated the important in vivo physiological function of METTL3-mediated m6A modification in muscle stem cells and muscle regeneration, providing molecular basis for the therapy of stem cell-related muscle diseases.
[Retracted] Visual Classification of Music Style Transfer Based on PSO‐BP Rating Prediction Model
Authors: Li Tianjiao
Published: May 2021

In this paper, based on computer reading and processing of music frequency, amplitude, timbre, image pixel, color filling, and so forth, a method of image style transfer guided by music feature data is implemented in real‐time playback, using existing music files and image files, processing and trying to reconstruct the fluent relationship between the two in terms of auditory and visual, generating dynamic, musical sound visualization with real‐time changes in the visualization. Although recommendation systems have been well developed in real applications, the limitations of CF algorithms are slowly coming to light as the number of people increases day by day, such as the data sparsity problem caused by the scarcity of rated items, the cold start problem caused by new items and new users. The work is dynamic, with real‐time changes in music and sound. Taking portraits as an experimental case, but allowing users to customize the input of both music and image files, this new visualization can provide users with a personalized service of mass customization and generate personalized portraits according to personal preferences. At the same time, we take advantage of the BP neural network’s ability to handle complex nonlinear problems and construct a rating prediction model between the user and item attribute features, referred to as the PSO‐BP rating prediction model, by combining the features of global optimization of particle swarm optimization algorithm, and make further improvements based on the traditional collaborative filtering algorithm.
Diagnosis of Neonatal Congenital Heart Disease: A Combination of Heart Murmur, SpO2 Abnormality, Tachypnea, and Extracardiac Malformations
Authors: Chen Kai , Wang Jiao , Zhou Huihui , Huang Xiang
Published: May 2021

Congenital heart disease (CHD) is one of the commonest congenital malformations that are mostly asymptomatic at birth, which challenges the diagnosis of neonatal CHD. An early accurate prenatal diagnosis will give parents a choice, as well as the opportunity to plan the delivery and improve the postnatal outcome. The purpose of the study is to evaluate the value of heart murmurs, SpO2 abnormalities, tachypnea, and extracardiac malformations in screening neonatal CHD. All 4500 newborns in the obstetrics department of our hospital from January 2019 to January 2020 are selected as study subjects. Newborns were grouped according with the presence of heart murmurs, tachypnea, transdermalSpO2<95%,and extracardiac malformations alone or in combination (≥3). Patients with murmur, tachypnea, and abnormal SpO2 were assigned into group A, those with murmur, tachypnea, and extracardiac malformations into group B, those with murmurs, SpO2, and extracardiac malformations into group C, those with SpO2, tachypnea, and extracardiac malformations into group D, and those with all four into group E. The color echocardiography identified 65 children with CHD (1.4%) among the included 4,500 newborns. When murmur, tachypnea, abnormal SpO2, and extracardiac malformation were independently used to diagnose CHD, the sensitivity ranged from 30.68% to 51.26%, with specificity ranging from 47.36% to 82.65% and Youden’s index (YI) ranging from 0.13 to 0.36. When murmur, tachypnea, abnormal SpO2, extracardiac malformation were together used to diagnose CHD, 91.23% sensitivity, 95.26 specificity, and 0.91 YI were observed. In conclusion, a combination of four indicators, murmur, tachypnea, abnormal SpO2, and extracardiac malformation yielded good performance in diagnosing neonatal CHD.
Research on the Rapid Closing Jet Mechanism of Pistol Shrimp’s Claws Based on Fluid Dynamic Grid
Authors: Wei Wei , Quan Xinyu , Cao Hongchao , Zhang Shijie , Zhao Ximing , Yu Nan , Zhou Jie , Wang Hongxiang , Hou Xuyan
Published: May 2021

The predation behavior of the pistol shrimp is extremely special, and the predation process will produce a huge popping sound, which has caused extensive research by scholars from all over the world. This article carried out a study on the rapid closing jet mechanism of pistol shrimp’s claws. A theoretical model, based on the hydrodynamic characteristics of seawater and the theory of fluid-structure coupling, was proposed for the interaction between the claws and seawater. A simulation model was established using the finite volume software Fluent, and the rapid closing jet mechanism of pistol shrimp’s claws was verified by using fluid dynamic grid. This article studied the influence of different fluid models on the simulation results. The effects of the claws’ closing angular velocity and angular acceleration on the interaction between the claws and seawater were analyzed, which provides a theoretical basis for the development of new underwater kinetic energy weapons.
Alkaline Activation of Basic Oxygen Furnace Slag Modified Gold Mine Tailings for Building Material
Authors: Mashifana Tebogo , Sebothoma Jessica , Sithole Thandiwe
Published: May 2021

The mining industry generates large quantities of waste as tailings. The tailings have an adverse environmental impact. This study explored the utilization and stabilization of Barberton gold mine tailings (GMTs) and basic oxygen furnace slag (BOFS) to synthesize geopolymers for other applications. The geochemical, chemical, and geotechnical properties of GMT, BOFS, GMT geopolymer, and GMT: BOFS geopolymer were also studied. Sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and potassium hydroxide (KOH) were used as alkaline activators. The highest unconfined compressive strength (UCS) recorded for GMT geopolymers cured for 5 days at the elevated temperature of 90°C was 4.31 MPa and 6.59 MPa for NaOH and KOH, respectively. GMT: BOFS geopolymer attained the UCS of 20.0 MPa and 25.7 MPa, with NaOH and KOH, respectively, at the same curing conditions. Characterization of the binders showed that BOFS was a good source of calcium, which had a positive effect on the geopolymer gels by balancing the ionic charges. The developed GMT: BOFS geopolymers satisfied the minimum requirements for nonfacing building masonry as stipulated by the ASTM C34‐17a, ASTM C129‐14c 0076a, and the SANS 227: 2007 for burnt clay masonry units and can be used as a mine backfill paste and for lightweight civil applications. The geopolymers passed the toxicity characteristic leaching procedure (TCLP), and the results yielded low heavy metals concentration, indicating that the geopolymers will not leach to the environment.
Incineration of Textile Sludge for Partial Replacement of Cement in Concrete Production: A Case of Ethiopian Textile Industries
Authors: Kasaw Esubalew , Adane Zelalem , Gebino Gemeda , Assefa Nakachew , Kechi Abera , Alemu Ketema
Published: May 2021

The rapid growth of textile industries in Ethiopia plays an important role in economic development. However, the sludge from these wastewater treatment plants, which is not an integral part of the treatment process, is often considered hazardous as it is contaminated with heavy metals of dyestuffs and chemicals. The customary transfer routines such as landfilling and incineration may not be suitable because the leachate from the landfilling destinations and the buildups from the incinerators lead to optional contamination. Moreover, such transfer choices are not financially practical. Therefore, there is a growing need to look for various applications of sludge handling for sustainable development. This study attempts to find out an environmentally friendly solution for the management of the textile sludge by incinerating the sludge and using it for partial replacement of cement in concrete production. Concrete is a composite material formed by the combination of cement, sand, coarse aggregate, and water in a particular proportion so that concrete produced meets the needs regarding its workability, strength, durability, and economy. Typical textile sludge was having high heavy metal contents as per the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) guideline and should be properly disposed of. The sludge upon incineration at 625°C for four hours gives 78.1% moisture content, 61.2% volatile organic matter, and 59.6% inorganic ash content. The main reactive oxide elements such as SiO2, Fe2O3, CaO, and Al2O3 were found to be 18.51, 3.19, 23.87, and 12.73% by weight in the ash. The calorific value determined from the dried sludge were found to be 1973 cal/gm. Concrete block was manufactured by replacement of cement with 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50% incinerated textile sludge ash, and the manufactured block was evaluated in terms of their compressive strengths, leaching behavior, and water absorption. The replacement cement by the ash increases the hydration time reduced, and up to 20%, sludge ash incorporation in the concrete mix design gives the designed compressive strength. Eventhough water absorption increases with increasing content of the incorporation of the ash, for the 20% replacement of cement, the lethal concentration of heavy metals was obtained to be below the permissible limit set by USEPA. Consequently, the experiment work indicates that the potential use of textile sludge ash for cement concrete gives the possibilities of reduction of heavy metal contamination to surroundings upon sludge disposal, reduces the use of raw materials for producing cement and reduces environmental pollution during cement production.
Optimization of Energy Efficiency for Uplink Wireless Information and Downlink Power Transfer System with Imperfect CSI
Authors: Wang Shiqi , Ma Lin , Wang Xuedong
Published: May 2021

As an emerging paradigm, supplying power by radio frequency signal has been a key technology for the wireless powered communication network (WPCN) to prolong the lifetime. This paper considers a multiple input multiple output (MIMO) system where users are charged only by one source. The source is equipped with multiple antennas while each user with one antenna. Besides receiving information as the traditional way, the source has the capacity to transfer energy with beamforming, which can be harvested by users to store for information transmission in the later. However, the unknown channel state information (CSI), low energy efficiency, and various demands of transmitting volume jointly raise inaccurate, wasteful, and flexible conditions in transmitting design. On the other hand, energy and spectrum efficient solutions are indispensable to the success of Internet of Things (IoT). In this case, we put forward a novel design of downlink energy transfer, uplink information transmission, and channel estimation to achieve a practical efficient transmission. By jointly optimizing the source antenna number, power allocation, energy beamforming vectors, and each phase time of channel estimation, energy harvest, and information transmission, we aim to achieve the optimized system energy efficiency with constraints of signal‐to‐noise ratio (SNR), data transmission volume, and transmitting power. Based on fractional programming and Lagrangian dual functions, we also put forward a distributed iterative algorithm to solve the formulated problem optimally. Simulation results verify the convergence of our proposed algorithm and illustrate the relationship between variables of antenna number, data volume requirement, pathloss factor and system performance of sum‐throughput, energy efficiency, and user fairness. Our proposed transmitting design can achieve the optimized energy efficiency, whose upper bound is improved by appropriate massive antenna employment.
Analysis of the Effect of Incentive Nursing Intervention in Children with Severe Viral Encephalitis and Myocarditis during Rehabilitation Based on Diffusion Weighted MRI
Authors: Ren Qiuai , Guo Li , Liu XiuLan , Xiao PengFei , Tang Shuifang , Sharma Ashutosh , Walia Tarandeep Singh , Shah Mohd Asif
Published: May 2021

Background. Severe viral encephalitis in children causes a viral infection that damages their central nervous system. This situation arises the mental abnormalities, sudden rise in body temperature, disturbance of consciousness, and so forth in children, which can be life-threatening. Objective. This work aimed at exploring the effect of diffusion weighted MRI on children with severe viral encephalitis and myocarditis. Methods. This work presents a diffusion weighted MRI scanning method that involves scanning through a serial imaging device, axial scanning, and sagittal and coronal scanning. 60 children with severe viral encephalitis and myocarditis who admitted to Brain Hospital of Hunan Province from April 2017 to May 2020 were deemed as research subjects. All the children underwent CT and MRI examination, blood routine examination, and cerebrospinal fluid examination after admission. This work uses the random number table method to classify the subjects into control group and observation group, each consisting of 30 cases. Children in the control group were provided with the routine nursing intervention, whereas children in the observation group were subjected to incentive nursing intervention. The baseline data, ECG monitoring indicators, body abnormalities, and clinical symptom relief time of the two groups of children were compared and the results of diffusion weighted MRI scans were analyzed and the ADC values were counted. Results. The two groups of children were compared on the basis of baseline data, and the variation was not statistically substantial (

P
>
0.05

). The cases of children in the control group had higher heart rate and respiration, and physical dysfunction, language dysfunction, unconsciousness, and nervous dysfunction were more than those in the observation group. However, the cases of blood oxygen saturation were less than those of the observation group. After nursing intervention done for the control group, remission time of clinical symptoms such as convulsion, physical dysfunction, unconsciousness, and nerve dysfunction was longer relative to the observation group (all

P
<
0.05

are considered). Conclusion. The diffusion weighted MRI had diagnostic significance for severe viral encephalitis and myocarditis. For children with severe viral encephalitis and myocarditis, clinical incentive nursing intervention was particularly imperative. It can not only help children to relieve symptoms and control the deterioration of the disease in a short time but also help improve the quality of life of the children and the confidence of family members to cope with the disease.