bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Whither the Tonsils?
Authors: Head P. W.
Published: October 2021

For years there has been much debate regarding the criteria for removal of tonsils and adenoids. During the last decade there has been a world wide reduction in the number of tonsil operations carried out. The current opinion is summarised together with my experience in this field.
High prevalence of basin fidelity and homing by lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) in a small northern lake
Authors: Gallagher Colin P. , Guzzo Matthew M. , Dick Terry A.
Published: October 2021

Identifying how habitat structure influences the spatiotemporal movements of fishes is important for conservation, population assessment, and management purposes. Here, we determined whether acoustically tagged lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) from a 305 ha lake exhibited homing behaviour and lake basin fidelity over multiple seasons and years. The lake has two distinct deep basins (north and south) connected by a shallower centre basin. Fifteen lake trout captured during the spawning season from both deep basins were tagged and released in the south basin. All translocated north-basin fish quickly returned to the north basin (median = 1.85 days, range = 0.36–4.5 days), apart from one fish that returned 41 days post-release, while none from the south ventured into the north basin during this time. After translocated individuals returned, all fish demonstrated high basin fidelity among years, as >90% of detections were from the same basin fish were captured, while <0.7% (by three fish) were from the opposite deep basin and <9% from the centre basin. The probability a fish was detected outside its basin of capture was highest in winter (15.9%) and fall (14.3%) and lowest in summer (0.41%).
Research on drag reduction mechanism of pneumatic subsoiler and establishment of resistance mathematical model
Authors: Li Xia , Wang Sichao , Meng Hewei , Qu Qingjiang , Jia Yunwei
Published: October 2021

According at the characteristics of large subsoiling resistance and small subsoiling range, a pneumatic subsoiling mechanism was designed to disturb the soil with different air pressure. To achieve the purpose of pneumatic subsoiling, first, the aerodynamic model of subsoiling was established, and then the feasibility of the design was verified by experiments. Using the dynamic telemetry data of the sensor, the effects of tillage depth (25, 30, and 35 cm), pressure (4, 6, and 8 MPa), and working speed (2.5, 3.0 and 3.5 km·h−1) on traction resistance were analyzed. The test results showed that under the condition pneumatic subsoiling, the traction resistance was reduced by 7.28%–22.37%, and the soil disturbance coefficient was 55.49%. The effect of pneumatic subsoiling showed that it has met the design requirements. Pneumatic subsoiling not only improved the problem of small stress of traditional subsoiling but also increased the disturbance of gas to soil on the basis of traditional subsoiling, so as to achieve the effect of subsoiling and reducing resistance and consumption.
Excited Kinks as Quantum States
Authors: Evslin Jarah , Guo Hengyuan
Published: October 2021

At one loop, quantum kinks are described by a sum of quantum harmonic oscillator Hamiltonians, and so their spectra are known exactly. We find the first correction beyond one loop to the quantum states corresponding to kinks with an excited bound or unbound normal mode, and also the corresponding two-loop correction to the energy cost of exciting the normal mode. In the case of unbound normal modes, this correction is equal to sum of the corresponding nonrelativistic kinetic energy plus the usual one-loop correction to the mass of the corresponding plane wave in the absence of a kink. We also sketch a diagrammatic method for such calculations.
About the traversability of thin-shell wormholes
Authors: Rubín de Celis E. , Simeone C.
Published: October 2021

Traversability in relation with tides across thin-shell wormholes is analyzed. Conditions for a safe travel through a wormhole throat are established in terms of the parameters characterizing the geometries and reasonable assumptions regarding the travellers motion. Most convenient geometries turn to include the physically interesting example of wormholes connecting locally flat submanifolds as those associated to gauge cosmic strings. A certain relaxation of the conditions imposed and the corresponding extension of the set of admissible configurations is also briefly discussed.
ON ESTIMATING PLASTIC ZONES AND PROPAGATION ANGLES FOR MIXED MODE I/II CRACKS CONSIDERING FRACTAL EFFECT
Authors: LIANG XIN , HOU PENG , YANG XIAOJUN , XUE YI , TENG TENG , GAO FENG , LIU JIA
Published: October 2021

This paper mainly investigated the influence of the fractal dimension of mixed mode I/II crack on its near-tip plastic zones and propagation angles. The near-tip distortional strain energy density for mixed mode I/II crack is modified by considering its fractal dimension. Using the Von Mises yield condition, the plastic zones at the fractal crack tip are evaluated. The effects of the fractal dimension of crack on the near-tip plastic zones are analyzed qualitatively. A modified criterion minimizes the fractal distortional strain energy density to predict the propagation direction of mixed mode I/II crack. Based on this, the effects of fractal dimension on the mixed mode I/II crack propagation direction at different inclination angles are discussed quantitatively. In addition, the modified criterion is compared to the experimental data in the literature, as well as the classical maximum tangential stress criterion and minimum strain energy density criterion. The results indicate that the fractal dimension of crack is an important factor in evaluating the crack-tip plastic zones and predicting the crack propagation angle, and the modified fractal criterion is more accurate and effective in predicting the crack propagation angles.
A QUATERNIONIC FRACTIONAL BOREL–POMPEIU-TYPE FORMULA
Authors: GONZÁLEZ-CERVANTES JOSÉ OSCAR , BORY-REYES JUAN
Published: October 2021

In theoretical setting, associated with a fractional [Formula: see text]-Fueter operator that depends on an additional vector of complex parameters with fractional real parts, this paper establishes a fractional analog of Borel–Pompeiu formula as a first step to develop a fractional [Formula: see text]-hyperholomorphic function theory and the related operator calculus.
HOPF BIFURCATION IN CAPUTO–HADAMARD FRACTIONAL-ORDER DIFFERENTIAL SYSTEM
Authors: BOUNOUA MOHAMED DOUBBI , YIN CHUNTAO
Published: October 2021

In this paper, the sufficient conditions for the stability of the equilibrium to the fractional-order differential dynamical system with Caputo–Hadamard derivative are investigated. The existence of Hopf bifurcation in two-dimensional fractional dynamical system with a positive parameter is shown. Then, some numerical simulations are presented for a better understanding.
AIDCOV: An Interpretable Artificial Intelligence Model for Detection of COVID-19 from Chest Radiography Images
Authors: Zokaeinikoo Maryam , Kazemian Pooyan , Mitra Prasenjit , Kumara Soundar
Published: October 2021

As the
Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
pandemic continues to grow globally, testing to detect COVID-19 and isolating individuals who test positive remains the primary strategy for preventing community spread of the disease. Therefore, automatic and accurate detection of COVID-19 using medical imaging modalities, which are more widely available and accessible, can be beneficial as an alternative diagnostic tool. In this study, an
Artificial Intelligence model for Detection of COVID-19 (AIDCOV)
is developed to classify chest radiography images as belonging to a person with either COVID-19, other infections, or no pneumonia (i.e., normal). The hierarchical structure in AIDCOV captures the dependencies among features and improves model performance while an attention mechanism makes the model interpretable and transparent. We used several publicly available datasets of both
computed tomography (CT)
and X-ray modalities. The main public dataset for chest X-ray images contains 475 COVID-19 samples, 3949 samples from other viral/bacterial infections, and 1583 normal samples. Our model achieves a mean cross-validation accuracy of 98.4%. AIDCOV has a sensitivity of 99.8%, a specificity of 100%, and an F1-score of 99.8% in detecting COVID-19 from X-ray images on that dataset. Using a large dataset of CT images, our model obtained mean cross-validation accuracy and sensitivity of 98.8% and 99.4%, respectively. Additionally, our interpretable model can distinguish subtle signs of infection within each radiography image. Assuming these results hold up in larger datasets obtained from a variety of patients over the world, AIDCOV can be used in conjunction with or instead of RT-PCR testing (where RT-PCR testing is unavailable) to detect and isolate individuals with COVID-19, prevent onward transmission to the general population and healthcare workers, and highlight the areas in the lungs that show signs of COVID-related damage.
First-Principles Investigation on Work Function of Martensitic Carbon Steels: Effect of Interstitial Carbon on Anodic Dissolution Resistance
Authors: Kadowaki Mariko , Saengdeejing Arkapol , Muto Izumi , Chen Ying , Doi Takashi , Kawano Kaori , Sugawara Yu , Hara Nobuyoshi
Published: October 2021

The effect of interstitial carbon on the work function and the dissolution resistance of martensitic carbon steels was investigated. Ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy measurements of 0.001%C, 0.44%C, and 0.88%C specimens showed that the work function of steels increased with the amount of interstitial carbon. In addition, first-principles calculations indicated that the presence of interstitial carbon clearly increased the work function on both the (110) and (100) orientation surfaces. The immersion tests and potentiodynamic polarization measurements of the specimens were conducted in 50 mM C
8
H
5
KO
4
at pH 4.0, and it was clarified that the anodic dissolution reaction was suppressed as the amount of interstitial carbon increased. The improvement in work function appeared to be related to the superior anodic dissolution resistance.
Blood volume expansion, normovolemia, and clinical outcomes in chronic human heart failure: more is better
Authors: Miller Wayne L. , Strobeck John E. , Grill Diane E. , Mullan Brian P.
Published: October 2021

The novel findings of this study demonstrate that intravascular volume profiles among the patients with chronic heart failure (HF) vary substantially even with similar clinical compensation. Importantly, a profile of blood volume (BV) expansion (compared with a normal BV) is associated with lower HF mortality/morbidity. Furthermore, RBC polycythemia is common and independently associated with improved outcomes. These observations support BV expansion with RBC polycythemia as a compensatory mechanism in chronic HF.
The coronary and microcirculatory measurements in patients with aortic valve stenosis study: rationale and design
Authors: Minten Lennert , McCutcheon Keir , Jentjens Sander , Vanhaverbeke Maarten , Segers Vincent F. M. , Bennett Johan , Dubois Christophe
Published: October 2021

Although concomitant coronary artery disease (CAD) is frequent in patients with severe aortic stenosis (AS), hemodynamic assessment of CAD severity in patients undergoing valve replacement for severe AS is challenging. Myocardial hypertrophic remodeling interferes with coronary blood flow and may influence the values of fractional flow reserve (FFR) and nonhyperemic pressure ratios (NHPRs). The aim of the current study is to investigate the effect of the AS and its treatment on current indices used for evaluation of CAD. We will compare intracoronary hemodynamics before, immediately after, and 6 mo after aortic valve replacement (AVR) when it is expected that microvascular function has improved. Furthermore, we will compare FFR and resting full-cycle ratio (RFR) with myocardial perfusion single-photon emission-computed tomography (SPECT) as indicators of myocardial ischemia in patients with AS and CAD. One-hundred consecutive patients with AS and intermediate CAD will be prospectively included. Patients will undergo pre-AVR SPECT and intracoronary hemodynamic assessment at baseline, immediately after valve replacement [if transcatheter AVR (TAVR) is chosen], and 6 mo after AVR. The primary end point is the change in FFR 6 mo after AVR. Secondary end points include the acute change of FFR after TAVR, the diagnostic accuracy of FFR versus RFR compared with SPECT for the assessment of ischemia, changes in microvascular function as assessed by the index of microcirculatory resistance (IMR), and the effect of these changes on FFR. The present study will evaluate intracoronary hemodynamic parameters before, immediately after, and 6 mo after AVR in patients with AS and intermediate coronary stenosis. The understanding of the impact of AVR on the assessment of FFR, NHPR, and microvascular function may help guide the need for revascularization in patients with AS and CAD planned for AVR.
Numerical Treatment on Parabolic Singularly Perturbed Differential Difference Equation via Fitted Operator Scheme
Authors: Tefera Dagnachew Mengstie , Tiruneh Awoke Andargie , Derese Getachew Adamu
Published: October 2021

This paper proposes a new fitted operator strategy for solving singularly perturbed parabolic partial differential equation with delay on the spatial variable. We decomposed the problem into three piecewise equations. The delay term in the equation is expanded by Taylor series, the time variable is discretized by implicit Euler method, and the space variable is discretized by central difference methods. After developing the fitting operator method, we accelerate the order of convergence of the time direction using Richardson extrapolation scheme and obtained

O

h

2

+

k

2

uniform order of convergence. Finally, three examples are given to illustrate the effectiveness of the method. The result shows the proposed method is more accurate than some of the methods that exist in the literature.
Uncertain Optimization of Discrete Supply Networks with Order Delivery Disruption and Risk Preference in the Postepidemic Era
Authors: Song Yang , Liu Yan-qiu , Sun Qi , Xu Hai-tao , Chen Ming-fei
Published: October 2021

Epidemic blockade leads to increased uncertainty and dynamic supply network disruption. This study considers an uncertain optimization of dynamic supply networks with risk preference and order delivery disruption. Taking the subjective utility of downstream enterprises as a reference point for the utility measurement of order delivery disruption and risk preference, this study constructs a biobjective optimization model with the goal of maximizing the downstream firm’s subjective utility and minimizing the manufacturer’s cost. The influence of each parameter in the downstream firm’s subjective utility function on the integrated optimization was analysed. The research found that the uncertain optimization model with the risk preference of downstream firms for order delivery disruption better controls the actual manufacturer’s order allocation and distribution problems when considering the downstream firms’ behaviour preference characteristics under bounded rationality. When allocating orders, manufacturers should consider that changes in order delivery disruption will cause changes in the subjective utility of downstream enterprises. In the process of multiperiod cooperation between manufacturers and downstream firms, they can obtain downstream firm risk preferences through repeated investigations.
Density Functional Theory Study on the Effect of Isomorphic Substitution of FAU Molecular Sieve on N2 Adsorption Performance
Authors: Wang Mengya , Cao Rong , Xia Jiezhen , Zhao Luchao , Li Yong , Ciren Qimi , Zhao Dongye , Wang Shifeng , Du Chun , Wu Qi
Published: October 2021

Low pressure and anoxia are the main characteristics of the environment in the Tibetan Plateau, which means people living there have a large demand for oxygen to reduce the symptoms of altitude sickness. Pressure swing adsorption (PSA) is a competitive oxygen production technology in plateau areas, which relies on the molecular sieves for the separation of N2 and O2 in industry and portable medical equipment. The adsorption characteristics of the Faujasite-type (FAU) molecular sieves, as one kind of the most widely used adsorbents for O2 production, depend on the properties, amount, and distribution of the skeleton cations and atoms. In this paper, we explore the isomorphic substitution effect on the adsorption properties of N2 in FAU molecular sieves using the computational approaches based on the density functional theory (DFT). The structural analysis and adsorption energy calculated for the Zn, Ca, and Ga substitutions at the Si/Al skeleton sites in the β-cage structure, the basic unit of FAU molecular sieves, prove that the isomorphic substitution effect can strengthen the adsorption of N2. The Bader charge and density of states analysis validate the formation of electron-deficient holes near the Fermi level and hence strengthen the local polarity of the pore structure and enhance the adsorption of N2 molecules. The work about isomorphic substitution on the FAU molecular sieves might provide an insight into heteroatom isomorphic modification mechanisms and designing excellent air separation materials.
Effect of Holistic Nursing Intervention Combined with Humanized Nursing Intervention on Activities of Daily Living and Limb Movement Ability of Elderly Patients with Cerebral Hemorrhage after Surgery
Authors: Zhang Lan , Du Haiyan , Song Jie
Published: October 2021

Background. To improve the nursing status, activities of daily living (ADL), and limb movement ability of elderly patients with cerebral hemorrhage and to actively explore the comprehensive nursing mode that can meet the rehabilitation needs of patients. Methods. 128 elderly patients with cerebral hemorrhage admitted to our department (2019.01–2021.01) were included in the study and randomly divided into the reference group and the study group according to the numeration table, with 64 cases in each group. The reference group received routine nursing, while the study group received holistic nursing combined with humanized nursing. Statistical methods were used to analyze the nursing effect of the two intervention models. Results. With better scores of the upper limb muscle strength, lower limb muscle strength, and total Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA) in both groups after nursing, the scores in the study group after nursing were higher than those in the reference group (

P
<
0.05

). After nursing, the ADL scores of both groups were significantly improved and the score in the study group was better than that in the reference group (

P
<
0.05

). After nursing, the degree of neurological deficit in both groups was significantly better than that before nursing and the degree in the reference group was more serious than that in the study group (

P
<
0.05

). Compared with the reference group, the total infection rate in the study group was lower, while the nursing satisfaction was higher, with statistical significance (

P
<
0.05

). Conclusion. The holistic nursing combined with humanized nursing has a remarkable effect on the postoperative intervention of elderly patients with cerebral hemorrhage. It can improve the limb movement function, enhance the ADL, reduce the degree of neurological deficit, improve the quality of life, and enhance the nursing satisfaction of patients after intervention, which is worthy of clinical popularization.
Adaptive Pronunciation Proofreading of Spoken English in a Wireless Sensor Network Environment
Authors: Yang Shufang , Lv Junying
Published: October 2021

This paper presents an in‐depth study and analysis of adaptive proofreading of spoken English pronunciation in a wireless sensor network environment. This paper addresses the above problem by combining two common methods for controlling the transmission rate of sensing nodes maximizing network utility algorithm and congestion control mechanism. Firstly, the transmission rate of one‐hop nodes at a distance from the aggregation node is dynamically adjusted by the increasing exploration algorithm under the premise of unknown link transmission capacity, while the transmission rate of one‐hop nodes is proportionally allocated to multihop nodes in multihop nodes by the congestion control mechanism based on the average reception success rate of the link. A design framework for a speech recognition system with complementary offline recognition and online recognition based on the C/S model is proposed, and a speech recognition system in swarm intelligence awareness is implemented based on the Sphinx engine. The client side implements the speech recognition of decoder in the offline state, and the server side provides the functions of recognition consistency detection, model adjustment training, monitoring, and recommendation in the online state as well as the interface for external access. The scene adaptation module effectively improves the speech recognition system’s speech recognition correct rate under different scenes, and the discourse topic recognition module verifies the recognition effectiveness of the speech recognition system under different discourse topics, which can meet the requirements of users’ personalized speech input.
Synthesis and Characterization of the Chitosan Silver Nanoparticle-Reinforced Borassus flabellifer Trichome- and Prosopis juliflora Wood-Based Nanocomposite for Environmental Application
Authors: Krishna Ch. Nanda , Katamaneni Madhavi , Yelavarti Kalyan Chakravarti , Babu B. Sobhan , Kumar B. Ravi , Prakash M. Viju
Published: October 2021

Wood is a wide flexible material appreciated extremely for its cost-effectiveness, great quantity, and biocompatibility. In addition, naturally existing materials possess prominent biomedical applications, and they can withstand efficiently when compared to other materials like glass, steel, and plastics. The present study revealed the prepared chitosan, silver nanoparticles incorporated with Borassus flabellifer trichome, and fabrication of Prosopis juliflora wood-based biomaterial. A characterization study was done by UV-visible spectroscopic analysis, FTIR analysis, and SEM analysis expressing and confirming a significant characteristic and morphological property of the prepared biomaterial.
Identification and Validation of a Proliferation-Associated Score Model Predicting Survival in Lung Adenocarcinomas
Authors: Bian Yunyi , Sui Qihai , Bi Guoshu , Zheng Yuansheng , Zhao Mengnan , Yao Guangyu , Xue Liang , Zhang Yi , Fan Hong
Published: October 2021

Aim. This study is aimed at building a risk model based on the genes that significantly altered the proliferation of lung adenocarcinoma cells and exploring the underlying mechanisms. Methods. The data of 60 lung adenocarcinoma cell lines in the Cancer Dependency Map (Depmap) were used to identify the genes whose knockout led to dramatical acceleration or deacceleration of cell proliferation. Then, univariate Cox regression was performed using the survival data of 497 patients with lung adenocarcinoma in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) model was used to construct a risk prediction score model. Patients with lung adenocarcinoma from TCGA were classified into high- or low-risk groups based on the scores. The differences in clinicopathologic, genomic, and immune characteristics between the two groups were analyzed. The prognosis of the genes in the model was verified with immunohistochemical staining in 100 samples from the Department of Thoracic Surgery, Zhongshan Hospital, and the alteration in the proliferation rate was checked after these genes were knocked down in lung adenocarcinoma cells (A549 and H358). Results. A total of 55 genes were found to be significantly related to survival by combined methods, which were crucial to tumor progression in functional enrichment analysis. A six-gene-based risk prediction score, including the proteasome subunit beta type-6 (PSMB6), the heat shock protein family A member 9 (HSPA9), the deoxyuridine triphosphatase (DUT), the cyclin-dependent kinase 7 (CDK7), the polo-like kinases 1 (PLK1), and the folate receptor beta 2 (FOLR2), was built using the LASSO method. The high-risk group classified with the score model was characterized by poor overall survival (OS), immune infiltration, and relatively higher mutation load. A total of 9864 differentially expressed genes and 138 differentially expressed miRNAs were found between the two groups. Also, a nomogram comparing score model, age, and the stage was built to predict OS for patients with lung adenocarcinoma. Using immunohistochemistry, the expression levels of PSMB6, HSPA9, DUT, CDK7, and PLK1 were found to be higher in lung adenocarcinoma tissues of patients, while the expression of FOLR2 was low, which was consistent with survival prediction. The knockdown of PSMB6 and HSPA9 by siRNA significantly downregulated the proliferation of A549 and H358 cells. Conclusion. The proposed score model may function as a promising risk prediction tool for patients with lung adenocarcinoma and provide insights into the molecular regulation mechanism of lung adenocarcinoma.
Reliability Evaluation for Cyber‐Physical Smart Substation
Authors: Chen Yangrong , Li Jun’e , Xu Ang , Yuan Kai , Liu Kaipei
Published: October 2021

Smart substation is the key part of smart grid. The reliability of smart substation is extremely important to the safe and stable operation of the smart grid. Smart substation is a cyber‐physical system (CPS). Hence, this paper conducts reliability evaluation study for smart substation from the perspective of CPS. Firstly, the basic reliability indices of cyber and physical elements of smart substation are presented. The reliability index of one cyber element takes into account the reliability factors of data leakage, tampering, loss and delay, etc., on the cyber side. Then, the cyber‐physical interactions of smart substation are analyzed. It is concluded that the effect of the cyber side and cyber‐physical interactions on the reliability of smart substation is reflected in the effect of measurement and control messages on circuit breaker operation. And, the new reliability indices considering cyber‐physical interactions are proposed. Furthermore, the MALI‐hybrid method, which combines the Monte Carlo method, analytical method, Latin hypercube sampling method, and important sampling method, is presented for evaluating the reliability of smart substation. Finally, the rationality of the proposed reliability indices, the efficiency, and correctness of MALI‐hybrid method are verified by case studies.
Determination of Total Phenolics, Flavonoids, and Antioxidant Activity and GC-MS Analysis of Malaysian Stingless Bee Propolis Water Extracts
Authors: Syed Salleh Sharifah Nur Amalina , Mohd Hanapiah Nur Ayuni , Ahmad Hafandi , Wan Johari Wan Lutfi , Osman Nurul Huda , Mamat Mohd Razif
Published: October 2021

Propolis contains polyphenolic compounds such as flavonoids and phenols that are able to demonstrate a broad spectrum of biological activities including antioxidant, antibacterial, and many more. This study was carried out to determine the total phenolics, flavonoids, and antioxidant activity of water-extracted propolis samples from three different Indo-Malayan stingless bee species, namely, Tetrigona apicalis, Tetrigona binghami, and Homotrigona fimbriata. Total phenolic and flavonoid contents were evaluated using Folin–Ciocalteu colorimetric and aluminium chloride methods, respectively, while the antioxidant activity was analysed using 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging assay. Results indicated that H. fimbriata extracts exhibit the highest TPC, TFC, and antiradical activity among all samples tested. Interestingly, the data also showed that the higher the concentration of the extract used, the higher the antioxidant activity exhibited by the samples. Statistically, there were no significant differences recorded between the different bee species’ propolis studied. In conclusion, the propolis extracts showed stronger antioxidant potential with higher TPC and TFC values. This study also noted the presence of bioactive compounds from local stingless bee propolis that could potentially be utilised for their medicinal and health benefits.
Comparative Recurrence Analysis of Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma after Resection
Authors: He Chaobin , Cai Zhiyuan , Zhang Yu , Lin Xiaojun
Published: October 2021

Purpose. The relation between tumor sites of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) and recurrence was not fully investigated before. We aimed to describe the differences of recurrent patterns in PDAC of head and body/tail after curative surgery. Methods. The recurrent patterns of PDAC were compared and the associations with clinical characteristics were analyzed in these patients. Prognostic factors of overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) were analyzed and validated. Predictive systems were constructed and measured by the area under the AUC curve and concordance index (C-index). Results. A total of 302 PDAC patients were included in this study, including 247 patients with PDAC of head and another 55 patients with PDAC of body/tail. Patients who developed tumor recurrence within 24 months after resection had significantly shorter OS in both groups. Liver metastasis occupied most of the tumor progressions and diminished while local recurrence increased gradually over time. The variation trends were similar for patients in both groups while these changes were more pronounced for patients in the head group. Local recurrence and liver-only metastasis seemed to indicate a better OS. Furthermore, predictive systems for OS and PFS prediction based on independent risk factors were established and showed significant higher values of AUC and C-indexes compared with the TNM stage system. Conclusions. Different characteristics of progressions for PDAC of head and body/tail suggested biological heterogeneity. The exploration of these variations helps to provide personalized management of recurrence in PDAC.
Provably Secure Client‐Server Key Management Scheme in 5G Networks
Authors: Yang Lei , Chen Yeh-Cheng , Wu Tsu-Yang
Published: October 2021

The increasing demand for real‐time data transmission in wireless mobile communication networks has promoted the maturity of mobile communication technology. Fifth‐generation (5G) mobile communication technology is combined with cloud computing, high‐frequency signal transmission, and other technologies and perfectly fits with the client‐server architecture. 5G has been applied in many fields, such as the interconnection of smart devices, virtual reality, and cloud‐based life. To provide the security and availability of the required services, we proposed a key management scheme based on the multiserver architecture of the client‐server mode in 5G networks, which uses bilinear pairings and elliptic curve cryptography. Through informal security analysis and formal analysis (under the random oracle model and ProVerif tool), we demonstrated that the proposed scheme can complete mutual authentication and resist common network attacks. Furthermore, after the performance analysis of our scheme and other related schemes, it was found that this scheme has relatively low communication and computation costs and better security performance.
Identification and Validation of a Dysregulated miRNA‐Associated mRNA Network in Temporal Lobe Epilepsy
Authors: Li Xing , Han Yunli , Li Dejun , Yuan Hai , Huang Shiqin , Chen Xiaolan , Qin Yuanhan
Published: October 2021

Objectives. This study is aimed at exploring the relationships between miRNAs and mRNAs and to characterize their biological functions in temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). Methods. Novel clinical significant miRNAs and target genes and their potential underlying mechanisms have been discovered and explored by mining miRNAs and mRNA expression data of TLE patients using various bioinformatics methods. Reverse transcription‐quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT‐qPCR) was used to validate the bioinformatic analysis results. Results. A total of 6 dysregulated miRNAs and 442 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) related to TLE were obtained from GEO database (GSE114701 and GSE127871 datasets). A protein‐protein interaction (PPI) network containing the 442 DEGs was established. mRNA response elements from the 6 dysregulated miRNAs were predicted using the miRDB and TargetScan bioinformatic tools. By merging the identified targets of the dysregulated miRNAs and the 247 downregulated DEGs, a miRNA‐mRNA network was constructed revealing the interaction of miR‐484 with eight mRNAs (ABLIM2, CEP170B, CTD-3193O13.9, EFNA5, GAP43, PRKCB, FXYD7, and NCAN). A weighted correlation network analysis (WGCNA) based on the eight genes was established and demonstrated that these mRNAs, except FXYD7 and NCAN, were hub genes in the network. Gene Oncology (GO) annotation and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis revealed that the six hub genes were mainly involved in cellular‐related biological functions and the neurotransmitter synapse pathway. The differences in expression levels of the miR‐484 and the three hub genes (CTD‐3193O13.9, EFNA5, and PRKCB) observed experimentally in TLE patients compared to those of healthy controls were consistent with the WGCNA prediction. Conclusion. Our study suggests that understanding the miRNA‐mRNA interactions will provide insights into the epilepsy pathogenesis. In addition, our results indicate that miR‐484 may be a promising novel biomarker for TLE.
Underwater Distortion Target Recognition Network (UDTRNet) via Enhanced Image Features
Authors: Cai Lei , Chen Chuang , Chai Haojie
Published: October 2021

It is difficult for the autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) to recognize targets similar to the environment in lacking data labels. Moreover, the complex underwater environment and the refraction of light cause the AUV to be unable to extract the complete significant features of the target. In response to the above problems, this paper proposes an underwater distortion target recognition network (UDTRNet) that can enhance image features. Firstly, this paper extracts the significant features of the image by minimizing the info noise contrastive estimation (InfoNCE) loss. Secondly, this paper constructs the dynamic correlation matrix to capture the spatial semantic relationship of the target and uses the matrix to extract spatial semantic features. Finally, this paper fuses the significant features and spatial semantic features of the target and trains the target recognition model through cross‐entropy loss. The experimental results show that the mean average precision (mAP) of the algorithm in this paper increases by 1.52% in recognizing underwater blurred images.
Correlation between NLR, PLR, and LMR and Disease Activity, Efficacy Assessment in Rheumatoid Arthritis
Authors: Li Mei , Xie Lihu
Published: October 2021

Objective. To analyze the value of neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and lymphocyte-monocyte ratio (LMR) in the evaluation of disease activity and efficacy in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Methods. The clinical data of 132 newly diagnosed RA patients admitted to our hospital from November 2018 to January 2020 were retrospectively analyzed, and the NLR, PLR, and LMR were calculated. According to the 28-joint disease activity score (DAS28), all patients was divided into the remission group (n = 40) and the active group (n = 92). According to the curative effect of the active group, the patients were divided into the effective group (n = 61) and the ineffective group (n = 39). Logistic regression analysis of clinical data was to determine the influencing factors of RA disease activity. The receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) was used to evaluate the predictive value of NLR, PLR, and LMR on disease activity and efficacy of RA. Results. The number of cases of smoking history, the number of cases of drinking history, and NLR, PLR, CRP, and ESR levels of patients in the active group were higher than those of the remission group, and the LMR level was lower than that of the remission group; the differences were statistically significant (

P

 < 0.05). The results of multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that NLR, PLR, LMR, CRP, and ESR were independent influencing factors of disease activity in RA patients (

P

 < 0.05). The AUC of NLR, PLR, and LMR on the disease activity of RA patients was 0.872, 0.821, and 0.824, the sensitivity was 87.6%, 70.2%, and 69.3%, and the specificity was 75.6%, 76.8%, and 84.3%, respectively. The NLR and PLR values of the effective group were lower than those of the ineffective group, and the LMR values were higher than those of the ineffective group, and the differences were statistically significant (

P

 < 0.05). The AUC of NLR, PLR, and LMR on the efficacy of RA patients was 0.756, 0.732, and 0.779, the sensitivity was 68.4%, 60.2%, and 67.9%, and the specificity was 83.2%, 86.4%, and 85.1%, respectively. Conclusion. NLR, PLR, and LMR are the independent factors that affect the disease activity of RA patients and can better evaluate the disease activity and efficacy of RA.
Analysis of the 3D Application Evaluation System of Landscape Based on Hybrid Cooperation of VR and AI
Authors: Niu Lina , Han Feng
Published: October 2021

The traditional urban landscape planning and design method cannot integrate the design into the whole planning scene and cannot express the planning effect of multiple schemes and large scenes in an efficient, intuitive, and coordinated way. With the development of computer science and technology, virtual reality technology based on AI is playing an important role in many aspects of urban landscape planning and design. In this paper, on the basis of 3D visualization landscape planning and design, 3D visualization urban landscape modeling is carried out using VR combined with the constructed deep neural network (DNN) to establish a 3D database and virtual scene model of the landscape, and 3D representation of the virtual scene landscape is realized. The designed solution allows the user to grab the object and release it into the workspace. If any placement is needed, the user can pick up the layer again and move it to a new location. Finally, the simulation experiment and its result analysis were conducted to effectively analyze the site of the real model and its matching rate, to realize the integration of the 3D image, 3D stereo, and system integration technology, and to finally complete the landscape design task.
Novel Stream Ciphering Algorithm for Big Data Images Using Zeckendorf Representation
Authors: Wu Liangshun , Cai Hengjin
Published: October 2021

Big data is a term used for very large data sets. Digital equipment produces vast amounts of images every day; the need for image encryption is increasingly pronounced, for example, to safeguard the privacy of the patients’ medical imaging data in cloud disk. There is an obvious contradiction between the security and privacy and the widespread use of big data. Nowadays, the most important engine to provide confidentiality is encryption. However, block ciphering is not suitable for the huge data in a real‐time environment because of the strong correlation among pixels and high redundancy; stream ciphering is considered a lightweight solution for ciphering high‐definition images (i.e., high data volume). For a stream cipher, since the encryption algorithm is deterministic, the only thing you can do is to make the key “look random.” This article proves that the probability that the digit 1 appears in the midsection of a Zeckendorf representation is constant, which can be utilized to generate the pseudorandom numbers. Then, a novel stream cipher key generator (ZPKG) is proposed to encrypt high‐definition images that need transferring. The experimental results show that the proposed stream ciphering method, with the keystream of which satisfies Golomb’s randomness postulates, is faster than RC4 and LSFR with indistinguishable performance on hardware depletion, and the method is highly key sensitive and shows good resistance against noise attacks and statistical attacks.
Expression of PD-L1 and BRCA1 in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Patients and Relationship with Clinicopathological Characteristics
Authors: Huang Xianghua , Wang Xiangqian , Qian Hongyan , Jin Xiaoxia , Jiang Guoqin
Published: October 2021

Objective. To study the expression of programmed cell death ligand-1 (PD-L1) and breast cancer susceptibility gene 1 (BRCA1) in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) patients and analyze their relationship with clinicopathological characteristics. Methods. 76 TNBC tissues were collected as the research object, while 60 adjacent tissues were used as controls. All patients underwent surgical treatment, and the expression of PD-L1 and BRCA1 in cancer tissues and adjacent tissues was detected by immunohistochemistry. At the same time, the relationship between PD-L1, BRCA1, and clinicopathological characteristics of patients with TNBC (including patient age, menopausal status, tumor size, lymph node metastasis, histological grade, Ki-67 expression, and p53 expression) were analyzed by univariate and logistic multivariate analysis. Results. The positive expression rate of PD-L1 in the TNBC group was 64.47%, which was higher than the control group by 41.67%. The positive expression rate of BRCA1 was 27.63%, which was lower than the control group by 48.33%. PD-L1 expression has no significant relationship with age, menopausal status, and p53 expression in TNBC patients. TNBC patients with tumors ≥2 cm, histological grade III, lymph node metastasis, and Ki-67 expression ≥20% had higher PD-L1 positive expression rates. The tumor size, Ki-67 expression, and PD-L1 expression of TNBC patients have independent effects. The expression of BRCA1 has no significant relationship with menopausal status, tumor size, Ki-67 expression, etc. TNBC patients with age <45 years, histological grade I or II, no lymph node metastasis, and high p53 expression positive rate had higher BRCA1 positive expression rate. The age of TNBC patients, p53 expression, and BRCA1 expression have independent effects. Conclusion. In TNBC cancer tissues, there is a high expression of PD-L1 and low expression of BRAC1. The tumor size, Ki-67 expression, and PD-L1 expression of TNBC patients have independent effects. The age of TNBC patients, p53 expression, and BRCA1 expression have independent effects.
A New Model for Predicting Flow in Fractured-Vuggy Carbonate Reservoirs under Pseudosteady State Condition
Authors: Cao Nai , Lei Gang , Su Yuan , Li Hong , Zhang Jiali , Zhang Ci
Published: October 2021

For constant rate production of a single well in a closed boundary fractured-vuggy carbonate reservoir, when the pressure wave propagates to the reservoir boundaries, boundary-dominated flow occurs, and the transient flow period ends, the reservoir will be in a state of pseudoequilibrium (i.e., pseudosteady state flow occurs, and the pressure at any point in the reservoir declines at the same constant rate over time). The characterization of fluid flow in the fractured-vuggy carbonate reservoir under pseudosteady state condition is of significance in describing the productivity index (PI) of the well. However, due to complex mechanisms (e.g., stress dependency of reservoir properties and crossflow between different systems of the reservoirs) during flow in fractured-vuggy carbonate reservoirs, researches on productivity prediction in fractured-vuggy carbonate reservoirs under pseudosteady state are very limited. The present work is aimed at developing a new analytical model for predicting flow in fractured-vuggy carbonate reservoirs under pseudosteady state condition. In the derived model, the crossflow between different systems (i.e., matrix, fracture, and vug) of the reservoirs was taken into account. In addition, based on Hooke’s law, a quantitative model was proposed to study stress-dependent permeability of the fracture system, which connects the reserve spaces. Moreover, the roughness morphology characteristics of fracture surface were taken into account with fractal theory. Finally, with our derived model, influences caused by various related factors on productivity were analyzed. The results show that well productivity during pseudosteady flow will be significantly affected by the morphology of fracture surface (e.g., fracture microstructure parameters) and effective stress. Specifically, due to effective stress, the fracture system in the fractured-vuggy reservoirs will be deformed, and the corresponding properties (e.g., permeability, porosity, and conductivity) will change, leading to the change of well productivity. In addition, there exists a negative relationship between the elastic storage capacity ratio of vugs and well productivity during pseudosteady flow. Moreover, a larger value of matrix-fracture interporosity flow coefficient or vug-fracture interporosity flow coefficient corresponds to a larger value of well productivity during the pseudosteady period. The new derived model is beneficial to improve the productivity prediction accuracy and reduce uncertainty. What is more, the findings of this study can help for providing theoretical reference for the design of efficient development of fractured-vuggy carbonate reservoirs.
Yunnan Black Tea Flavonoids Can Improve Cognitive Dysfunction in Septic Mice by Activating SIRT1
Authors: Mai Chao , Qiu Li , Zeng Yong , He Yiping
Published: October 2021

This study explored the effect and mechanism of Yunnan black tea flavonoids (YBTF) on cognitive dysfunction in septic mice. The mice were induced sepsis, the serum was determined using kits, and the tissue was determined by qPCR assay. The Yunnan black tea flavonoids were checked using HPLC. The test results showed that compared with the model group, YBTF could increase the survival rate of the mice; meanwhile, YBTF could also increase the total distance travelled, number of stands, and number of groomings, as well as the number of times crossing the area in the target quadrant. Detection of nerve cells showed that YBTF could reduce the rate of nerve cell apoptosis caused by sepsis. YBTF also reduced the levels of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β), and malondialdehyde (MDA) in the hippocampus of septic mice and increased the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) enzymes. YBTF could also upregulate the mRNA expression of SOD1, SOD2, CAT, and forkhead box O1 (FOXO1) and downregulate the mRNA expression of TNF-α, IL-1β, nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB), p53, and SIRT1 in the hippocampus of septic mice. The animal experiment results showed that YBTF could improve the cognitive dysfunction of septic mice. The effect of YBTF was weaker than that of dexamethasone, but it could enhance the improvement effect when used in conjunction with dexamethasone. The component analysis results showed that YBTF contained 9 compounds, including catechin, gallocatechin gallate, rutin, hyperoside, epicatechin gallate, dihydroquercetin, quercetin, myricetin, and sulphuretin. From these results, YBTF could activate SIRT1 through its active compound components to improve the cognitive dysfunction of septic mice.