bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Analytic rogue wave-type solutions for the generalized (2+1)-dimensional Boussinesq Equation
Authors: Guo Xiu-Rong
Published: July 2021

Based on the Hirota bilinear form of the generalized (2+1)-dimensional Boussinesq equation, which can be expressed as the shallow water wave mechanism appearing in fluid mechanics, we applied the new polynomial functions to construct the rational solutions and rogue wave-type solutions. Next, the system parameters control on the rational solutions and rogue wave-type solutions were also shown. As a result, we found the following basic facts: (i) these parameters may affect the wave shapes, amplitude, and bright/dark for this considered equation, (ii) the solitary wave interaction rogue waves and triplet rogue wave-type solutions can be viewed on [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], and [Formula: see text] planes, respectively. Their nonlinear dynamic behaviors were presented by numerical simulation of the 2D- and 3D-plots.
Assessment of improved delayed detached eddy simulation in predicting unsteady flows and sound around a circular cylinder
Authors: Luo Bo , Chu Wuli , Yan Song , Shen Zhengjing , Zhang Haoguang
Published: July 2021

Unsteady flows in the field of engineering are usually calculated by the Unsteady Reynolds-Averaged Navier–Stokes (URANS) owing to the low requirements for computational efforts. However, the numerical resolution of URANS, especially in predicting the unsteady wake flows and sound, is still questionable. In this work, unsteady flow and sound calculations of a circular cylinder are carried out using Improved Delayed Detached Eddy Simulation (IDDES) and the Ffowcs Williams–Hawkings (FW-H) analogy. The predicted results of this calculation are compared with those from the previous studies in the literature in terms of the mean and RMS of the velocity components as well as the sound pressure. The results show that IDDES retains much of the numerical accuracy of the Large Eddy Simulation (LES) approach in predicting unsteady flows and noise while requiring a reduced computational resources in comparison to LES. It is believed that the IDDES can be applied to calculate the complex unsteady flows and flow generated sound with reasonable accuracy in engineering field, which can be used as a promising method for scale-resolving simulations to avoid the expensive computational requirements of LES.
A Monte Carlo simulation model of epidemic problem incorporating the interplaying between the crowd panic and infectious disease
Authors: Li Wenjun , Deng Linsen , Liu Peng , Fan Yitao , Wang Jiaxin , Sha Xingli , Kong Xianglin
Published: July 2021

In this paper, based on a multi-layer network consisting of a social network and a physical contact network, we propose a microscopic Monte Carlo simulation model to reproduce the interaction and spread phenomena in the crowd from complex network perspective. The model mainly is used to reproduce the epidemic spread in the situation that the crowd becomes panic showing preventive control behaviors. This coupled microscopic simulation model considers variable infectious rate, recovery rate, panic heterogeneity and preventive measures suitable for studying different actual scenarios. Under the proposed framework, we can take quantitative analysis to measure the influences of various infectious rate, recovery rate, network structure and preventive measures on the spreading of diseases and panic. By comparing a large number of statistical results of the simulation experiments to study different scenarios, it is displayed that the established micro-simulation framework has certain advantages in scalability to consider more different actual scenarios and facilitating the researchers to grasp the global trend to learn what consequences the individual behavior will make.
EFFECT OF MIG WELDING PROCESS PARAMETERS ON EROSION AND CORROSION BEHAVIOR OF ASTM A106 GRADE-B PIPE WELDMENTS
Authors: SUDHAKAR R. , YOGANANDH J. , OMPRAKASAM S.
Published: July 2021

Evaluating the integrity of the welded pipes used for fluid transportation in processing industries demands certain investigations on the erosion and corrosion behavior under various environmental conditions. ASTM A106 Grade-B pipes are butt welded using an automated MIG welding setup to obtain the optimum output response such as Reinforcement Form Factor (W1), Penetration Shape Factor (W2), and Tensile Strength (W3) in the weldments. The slurry erosion test is conducted on the weldment surface by varying the velocity and erodent concentration in acidic (0.1M H2SO[Formula: see text] and alkaline (3.5%[Formula: see text]wt. NaCl) conditions. Correspondingly, the samples are subjected to electrochemical corrosion test in 0.1[Formula: see text]M H2SO4 and 3.5% wt. NaCl solutions. The SEM investigations carried out on the eroded weldment surface show glimpses of erosion mechanisms such as shallow and deep ploughing, oxide cracks, ridges and valleys, scale formation at some areas attributing to sulphide deposition. The corrosion that occurred on the weldment surface tested under acidic conditions is relatively high compared to the alkaline conditions. The reinforcement form factor is the most preferable weld bead characteristic to obtain better erosion and corrosion resistant weldments in the investigated pipe material.
Improving Logistics of the Public Services in Smart Cities Using a Novel Clustering Method
Authors: Lukić Ivica , Krpić Zdravko , Köhler Mirko , Galba Tomislav
Published: July 2021

Smart City public services need detailed and relevant public information to increase their efficiency. To have relevant information, collecting and processing the data about its previous uses are crucial. Clustering is one of the most powerful, yet computationally demanding, tools that can be used to process such information. Since public services data are vast, but usually not accurate, the objects clustered are considered as uncertain. In this paper, we propose a novel clustering method for uncertain objects called Improved Bisector Pruning (IBP), which uses bisectors to reduce the number of computations. We combine IBP with a modified segmentation of a data set area (SDSA) method that enables the parallelization of the clustering process. In the experiments, we show that IBP-SDSA is superior in performance to the most used clustering method UK-means combined with Voronoi or MinMax pruning, regardless of the problem size. We applied IBP-SDSA on clustering the public services data in the city of Osijek and show that the acquired data can be used to improve public services logistics.
A study on some geometric and physical properties of hyper-generalized quasi-Einstein Spacetime
Authors: Chattopadhyay Kaushik , Bhattacharyya Arindam , Debnath Dipankar
Published: July 2021

In this paper, we discuss about a set of geometric and physical properties of hyper-generalized quasi-Einstein spacetime. In the beginning, we discuss about pseudosymmetry over a hyper-generalized quasi-Einstein spacetime. Here, we discuss about [Formula: see text]-Ricci pseudosymmetry, [Formula: see text]-Ricci pseudosymmetry, Ricci pseudosymmetry and projective Ricci pseudosymmetry over a hyper-generalized quasi-Einstein spacetime. Later on, we take over Ricci symmetric hyper-generalized quasi-Einstein spacetime and derive a set of important geometric and physical theorems over it. Moving further we consider some physical applications of the hyper-generalized quasi-Einstein spacetime. Last, we prove the existence of a hyper-generalized quasi-Einstein spacetime by constructing a non-trivial example.
Dual-complex quaternion representation of gravitoelectromagnetism
Authors: Aymaz İsmail , Kansu Mustafa Emre
Published: July 2021

In this paper, we propose the generalized description of electromagnetism and linear gravity based on the combined dual numbers and complex quaternion algebra. In this approach, the electromagnetic and gravitational fields can be considered as the components of one combined dual-complex quaternionic field. It is shown that all relations between potentials, field strengths and sources can be formulated in the form of compact quaternionic differential equations. The alternative reformulation of equations of gravitoelectromagnetism based on formalism of [Formula: see text] matrices is also discussed. The results reveal the similarity and isomorphism of distinctive algebraic structures.
A High-Temperature Digital Image Correlation Method and its Application on Strain Measurement of Film Cooling Holes
Authors: Guo Zixu , Song Ziyuan , Huang Dawei , Yan Xiaojun
Published: July 2021

In this paper, a digital image correlation (DIC) method is developed and applied on film cooling holes in the submillimeter scale in high temperature. Compared with the traditional DIC method, the speckle patterning method and the optical system are improved. In detail, a kind of high temperature-resistant black paint is selected as the basecoat, and the white ZrO2 particles are evenly distributed on the specimen using high-pressure splashing method. Besides, to eliminate the radiation effect of the high-temperature specimen, the blue light source is used to illuminate the specimen, and the optical bandpass filter is placed in front of the camera to allow the blue light passing. In order to verify the DIC method, the strain measurement on a specimen with single skew hole is performed. The relative error in high temperature of the maximum strain between the measurement results and the numerical simulation results given by the finite element method (FEM) is 12%. The strain concentration factor of the single skew hole is measured as 1.83. Finally, the developed method is applied to the strain measurement of the structure with multiple film cooling holes in 870°C. The X-shape strain distribution can be observed at the hole with maximum stress, which suggests that the strain field of multiple holes has coupling effect. In addition, the strain concentration factor of multiple film cooling holes increases to 2.34.
Living on the Edge
Authors: Buddhika Thilina , Malensek Matthew , Pallickara Shrideep , Pallickara Sangmi Lee
Published: July 2021

Voluminous time-series data streams produced in continuous sensing environments impose challenges pertaining to ingestion, storage, and analytics. In this study, we present a holistic approach based on data sketching to address these issues. We propose a hyper-sketching algorithm that combines discretization and frequency-based sketching to produce compact representations of the multi-feature, time-series data streams. We generate an ensemble of data sketches to make effective use of capabilities at the resource-constrained edge devices, the links over which data are transmitted, and the server pool where this data must be stored. The data sketches can be queried to construct datasets that are amenable to processing using popular analytical engines. We include several performance benchmarks using real-world data from different domains to profile the suitability of our design decisions. The proposed methodology can achieve up to ∼ 13 × and ∼ 2, 207 × reduction in data transfer and energy consumption at edge devices. We observe up to a ∼ 50% improvement in analytical job completion times in addition to the significant improvements in disk and network I/O.
Metron
Authors: Katsikas Georgios P. , Barbette Tom , Kostić Dejan , Maguire JR. Gerald Q. , Steinert Rebecca
Published: July 2021

Deployment of 100Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) links challenges the packet processing limits of commodity hardware used for Network Functions Virtualization (NFV). Moreover, realizing chained network functions (i.e., service chains) necessitates the use of multiple CPU cores, or even multiple servers, to process packets from such high speed links.

Our system Metron jointly exploits the underlying network and commodity servers’ resources: (
i
) to offload part of the packet processing logic to the network, (
ii
)  by using smart tagging to setup and exploit the affinity of traffic classes, and (
iii
)  by using tag-based hardware dispatching to carry out the remaining packet processing at the speed of the servers’ cores, with
zero
inter-core communication. Moreover, Metron transparently integrates, manages, and load balances proprietary “blackboxes” together with Metron service chains.

Metron realizes stateful network functions at the speed of 100GbE network cards on a single server, while elastically and rapidly adapting to changing workload volumes. Our experiments demonstrate that Metron service chains can coexist with heterogeneous blackboxes, while still leveraging Metron’s accurate dispatching and load balancing. In summary, Metron has (
i
)  2.75–8× better efficiency, up to (
ii
)  4.7× lower latency, and (
iii
)  7.8× higher throughput than OpenBox, a state-of-the-art NFV system.
Neural and Molecular Mechanisms of Biological Embedding of Social Interactions
Authors: Traniello Ian M. , Robinson Gene E.
Published: July 2021

Animals operate in complex environments, and salient social information is encoded in the nervous system and then processed to initiate adaptive behavior. This encoding involves biological embedding, the process by which social experience affects the brain to influence future behavior. Biological embedding is an important conceptual framework for understanding social decision-making in the brain, as it encompasses multiple levels of organization that regulate how information is encoded and used to modify behavior. The framework we emphasize here is that social stimuli provoke short-term changes in neural activity that lead to changes in gene expression on longer timescales. This process, simplified—neurons are for today and genes are for tomorrow—enables the assessment of the valence of a social interaction, an appropriate and rapid response, and subsequent modification of neural circuitry to change future behavioral inclinations in anticipation of environmental changes. We review recent research on the neural and molecular basis of biological embedding in the context of social interactions, with a special focus on the honeybee.
Sources of Individual Differences in Pain
Authors: Mogil Jeffrey S.
Published: July 2021

Pain is an immense clinical and societal challenge, and the key to understanding and treating it is variability. Robust interindividual differences are consistently observed in pain sensitivity, susceptibility to developing painful disorders, and response to analgesic manipulations. This review examines the causes of this variability, including both organismic and environmental sources. Chronic pain development is a textbook example of a gene-environment interaction, requiring both chance initiating events (e.g., trauma, infection) and more immutable risk factors. The focus is on genetic factors, since twin studies have determined that a plurality of the variance likely derives from inherited genetic variants, but sex, age, ethnicity, personality variables, and environmental factors are also considered.
Adaptive Prediction for Social Contexts: The Cerebellar Contribution to Typical and Atypical Social Behaviors
Authors: Stoodley Catherine J. , Tsai Peter T.
Published: July 2021

Social interactions involve processes ranging from face recognition to understanding others’ intentions. To guide appropriate behavior in a given context, social interactions rely on accurately predicting the outcomes of one's actions and the thoughts of others. Because social interactions are inherently dynamic, these predictions must be continuously adapted. The neural correlates of social processing have largely focused on emotion, mentalizing, and reward networks, without integration of systems involved in prediction. The cerebellum forms predictive models to calibrate movements and adapt them to changing situations, and cerebellar predictive modeling is thought to extend to nonmotor behaviors. Primary cerebellar dysfunction can produce social deficits, and atypical cerebellar structure and function are reported in autism, which is characterized by social communication challenges and atypical predictive processing. We examine the evidence that cerebellar-mediated predictions and adaptation play important roles in social processes and argue that disruptions in these processes contribute to autism.
Extracardiac coronary steal induced by upper limb hyperemia: a feature of internal mammary artery arteriogenesis
Authors: Bigler Marius Reto , Buffle Eric , Stoller Michael , Grossenbacher Raphael , Tschannen Christine , Seiler Christian
Published: July 2021

Induction of ipsilateral upper limb hyperemia provokes extracardiac coronary steal among patients with artificial distal internal mammary artery occlusion. Coronary steal via the occluded internal mammary arteries serves as alternate proof of concept of the already existing evidence of their functional extracoronary collateral supply.
Extracting Low‐Rate DDoS Attack Characteristics: The Case of Multipath TCP‐Based Communication Networks
Authors: Lei Gang , Ji Lejun , Ji Ruiwen , Cao Yuanlong , Shao Xun , Huang Xin
Published: July 2021

The multipath TCP (MPTCP) enables multihomed mobile devices to realize multipath parallel transmission, which greatly improves the transmission performance of the mobile communication network. With the rapid development of all kinds of emerging technologies, network attacks have shown a trend of development with many types and rapid updates. Among them, low‐rate distributed denial of service (LDDoS) attacks are considered to be one of the most threatening issues in the field of network security. In view of the current research status, by using the network simulation software NS2, this paper first compares and analyzes the throughput and delay performance of the MPTCP transmission system under LDDoS attacks and, further, conducts simulation experiments and analysis on the queue occupancy rate of the LDDoS attack flow to extract the basic attack characteristics of the LDDoS attacks. The experimental results show that the LDDoS attacks will have a major destructive effect on the throughput performance and delay performance of the MPTCP transmission system, resulting in a decrease in the robustness of the transmission system. By analyzing and comparing the occupancy rate of the LDDoS attack flow in the MPTCP transmission system, it can be concluded that (1) the occupancy rate of the LDDoS scattered pulse traffic sent by each puppet machine changes slightly, and (2) the occupancy rate of LDDoS attack data flow is much greater than that of ordinary TCP data flow.
Multiview Machine Vision Research of Fruits Boxes Handling Robot Based on the Improved 2D Kernel Principal Component Analysis Network
Authors: Li Xinning , Wu Hu , Yang Xianhai , Xue Peng , Tan Shuai
Published: July 2021

In order to better realize the orchard intelligent mechanization and reduce the labour intensity of workers, the study of intelligent fruit boxes handling robot is necessary. The first condition to realize intelligence is the fruit boxes recognition, which is the research content of this paper. The method of multiview two-dimensional (2D) recognition was adopted. A multiview dataset for fruits boxes was built. For the sake of the structure of the original image, the model of binary multiview 2D kernel principal component analysis network (BM2DKPCANet) was established to reduce the data redundancy and increase the correlation between the views. The method of multiview recognition for the fruits boxes was proposed combining BM2DKPCANet with the support vector machine (SVM) classifier. The performance was verified by comparing with principal component analysis network (PCANet), 2D principal component analysis network (2DPCANet), kernel principal component analysis network (KPCANet), and binary multiview kernel principal component analysis network (BMKPCANet) in terms of recognition rate and time consumption. The experimental results show that the recognition rate of the method is 11.84% higher than the mean value of PCANet though it needs more time. Compared with the mean value of KPCANet, the recognition rate exceeded 2.485%, and the time saved was 24.5%. The model can meet the requirements of fruits boxes handling robot.
An Efficient Algorithm for Solving a Class of Fractional Programming Problems
Authors: Qiu Yongjian , Zhu Yuming , Yin Jingben
Published: July 2021

This paper presents an efficient branch-and-bound algorithm for globally solving a class of fractional programming problems, which are widely used in communication engineering, financial engineering, portfolio optimization, and other fields. Since the kind of fractional programming problems is nonconvex, in which multiple locally optimal solutions generally exist that are not globally optimal, so there are some vital theoretical and computational difficulties. In this paper, first of all, for constructing this algorithm, we propose a novel linearizing method so that the initial fractional programming problem can be converted into a linear relaxation programming problem by utilizing the linearizing method. Secondly, based on the linear relaxation programming problem, a novel branch-and-bound algorithm is designed for the kind of fractional programming problems, the global convergence of the algorithm is proved, and the computational complexity of the algorithm is analysed. Finally, numerical results are reported to indicate the feasibility and effectiveness of the algorithm.
An Easy‐to‐Understand Method to Construct Desired Distance‐Like Measures
Authors: Fu Wen Qing , Li Sheng Gang , Garg Harish , Liu Heng , Khalil Ahmed Mostafa , Zhao Jingjing
Published: July 2021

Metrics and their weaker forms are used to measure the difference between two data (or other things). There are many metrics that are available but not desired by a practitioner. This paper recommends in a plausible reasoning manner an easy‐to‐understand method to construct desired distance‐like measures: to fuse easy‐to‐obtain (or easy to be coined by practitioners) pseudo‐semi‐metrics, pseudo‐metrics, or metrics by making full use of well‐known t‐norms, t‐conorms, aggregation operators, and similar operators (easy to be coined by practitioners). The simple reason to do this is that data for a real world problem are sometimes from multiagents. A distance‐like notion, called weak interval‐valued pseudo‐metrics (briefly, WIVP‐metrics), is defined by using known notions of pseudo‐semi‐metrics, pseudo‐metrics, and metrics; this notion is topologically good and shows precision, flexibility, and compatibility than single pseudo‐semi‐metrics, pseudo‐metrics, or metrics. Propositions and detailed examples are given to illustrate how to fabricate (including using what “material”) an expected or demanded WIVP‐metric (even interval‐valued metric) in practical problems, and WIVP‐metric and its special cases are characterized by using axioms. Moreover, some WIVP‐metrics pertinent to quantitative logic theory or interval‐valued fuzzy graphs are constructed, and fixed point theorems and common fixed point theorems in weak interval‐valued metric spaces are also presented. Topics and strategies for further study are also put forward concretely and clearly.
The Potential Effect of Rhizoma coptidis on Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Based on Network Pharmacology and Molecular Docking
Authors: Duan Liyun , Jin De , An Xuedong , Zhang Yuehong , Zhao Shenghui , Zhou Rongrong , Duan Yingying , Zhang Yuqing , Liu Xinmin , Lian Fengmei
Published: July 2021

Background. Rhizoma coptidis (RC) showed a significant effect on PCOS, but its mechanism in PCOS remains unclear. Methods. The components of RC were searched by TCMSP. The Smiles number of the active ingredients was queried through PubChem, and the predicted targets were obtained from the SwissTargetPrediction database. The DrugBank, GeneCards, and DisGeNET databases were retrieved to acquire the related targets of PCOS. Then, the network of compound-target was constructed. The core targets were analyzed using protein-protein interaction (PPI) analysis, and the binding activities were verified by molecular docking. The enriched pathways of key targets were examined by GO and KEGG. Results. 13 components and 250 targets of RC on PCOS were screened. The core network was filtered based on topological parameters, and the key components were palmatine, berberine, berberrubine, quercetin, and epiberberine. The key targets included DRD2, SLC6A4, CDK2, DPP4, ESR1, AKT2, PGR, and AKT1. Molecular docking displayed that the active ingredients of RC had good binding activities with potential targets of PCOS. After enrichment analysis, 30 functional pathways were obtained, including neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction, dopaminergic synapse, and cAMP signaling pathway. Conclusion. In summary, this study clarified the potential effect of RC on PCOS, which is helpful to provide references for clinical practice. It is also conducive to the secondary development of RC and its monomer components.
Experimental Study on Deformation Monitoring of Large Landslide in Reservoir Area of Hydropower Station Based on GB‐InSAR
Authors: Guo Yanhui , Yang Zhiquan , Yang Yi , Kong Zhijun , Gao Caikun , Tian Weiming
Published: July 2021

The monitoring and early warning of a landslide in the reservoir area of a hydropower station are of great significance in the dam structure of the hydropower station and in the safety of people’s life and property on the reservoir bank. In this study, a new ground‐based interferometric synthetic aperture radar system LKR‐05‐KU‐S100 was used to carry out field monitoring tests on Lagu landslide and Xiaozhaju landslide of Dahuaqiao hydropower station and No. 1 landslide on the left bank of Xiaowan hydropower station on the Lancang river. The results show that, during the monitoring period, Lagu landslide of Dahuaqiao hydropower station and No. 1 landslide on the left bank of Xiaowan hydropower station are basically stable, and the deformation trend of Xiaozhaju landslide is obvious so it should undergo continuous monitoring. At the same time, the field monitoring test also shows that the new ground‐based interferometric synthetic aperture radar system LKR‐05‐KU‐S100 has the advantages of high precision and long‐distance, all‐day, all‐weather, and large‐scale monitoring and has unique advantages and broad application prospects for the overall deformation monitoring of large landslides in the reservoir area.
Natural Nanominerals Show Enzyme-Like Activities
Authors: Feng Feng , Wang Peixia , Zhang Yihe , An Qi , Lin Yue , Tong Wangshu , Chu Paul K. , Liang Minmin
Published: July 2021

Natural nanominerals (NNMs) are progressively deposited during earth’s formation. They have shown a broad range of applications from industrial catalysis, environmental treatment, and earth science to pharmaceutics due to their unique nanostructures and characteristics. Here, we first report that NNMs have intrinsic enzyme-like properties and show good biocompatibility. First, we characterized the morphology and structure of the six most representative NNMs including sepiolite, attapulgite, halloysite, montmorillonite, kaolinite, and diatomite by SEM, TEM, and XRD. Then, we quantitatively tested their peroxidase- (POD-), catalase- (CAT-), oxidase- (OXD-), and superoxide dismutase- (SOD-) like activities. The results indicate that different kinds of NNMs show varying degrees of POD-like, CAT-like, and SOD-like activities and minor OXD-like activity. Finally, we tested their cytotoxicity and found that the selected representative NNMs have no or less influence on cell viability, showing high biosafety. At present, NNMs have been widely used, mostly focusing on the physical and chemical properties, such as luminescence and conductivity. Our work promotes the understanding of NNMs, providing a new direction for the better application of NNMs.
Preparation and Characterization of Sodium Alginate/Chitosan Composite Nanoparticles Loaded with Chondroitin Sulfate
Authors: Yin X. B. , Yu Q. Z. , Li B. W. , Zhang C. D.
Published: July 2021

The chondroitin sulfate (CS)/sodium alginate (SA)/chitosan nanoparticles were prepared by electrostatic spraying technology. Laser particle size analyzer measurements indicated that the size of the particles is strongly affected by the weight ratio of raw materials, receiver rotation speed, injection rate, and so on. The size increased and size distribution moved towards the direction of large particle size with the decrease of applied voltage and increased with the increase of the flow rate and weight ratio of SA to CS; there is an optimal value for the effect of stirring rate on particle size and particle size distribution. The effect of different weight ratios of raw materials and pH on the sustained release rate of the product was investigated using a UV‐visible spectrophotometer. Results showed the cumulative release rate of these particles was weight ratio of SA to CS and pH‐dependent. The cumulative release rate of the CS/SA/chitosan composite nanoparticles with a weight ratio of SA to CS of 2 : 1 was higher at pH 6.8 than that at pH 1.2. By optimizing the process parameters, the CS/SA/chitosan composite particles were prepared, in which most of CS could pass through the stomach and release in the intestinal tract.
A Review of the Phytochemistry, Ethnobotany, Toxicology, and Pharmacological Potentials of Crescentia cujete L. (Bignoniaceae)
Authors: Balogun Fatai Oladunni , Sabiu Saheed
Published: July 2021

Crescentia cujete is an economical and medicinal plant of wide indigenous uses including hypertension, diarrhea, respiratory ailments, stomach troubles, infertility problems, cancer, and snakebite. Despite these attributes, C. cujete is largely underutilized, notwithstanding the few progresses made to date. Here, we reviewed the available findings on the ethnobotany, phytochemistry, toxicology, and pharmacology, as well as other economic benefits of the plant. The information on the review was gathered from major scientific databases (Google scholar, Scopus, Science Direct, Web of Science, PubMed, Springer, and BioMed Central) using journals, books, and/or chapters, dissertations, and conference proceedings. The review established the antidiabetic, antioxidant, acaricidal, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, anthelmintic, antivenom, wound healing, neuroprotection, antiangiogenic, and cytotoxic properties from aqueous and organic (particularly ethanol) aerial parts attributed to several secondary metabolites such as flavonoids, alkaloids, saponins, tannins, phenols, cardiac glycosides, phytosterols, reducing sugar, and volatile oils. Economically, the fruit hard outer shell found applications as musical tools, tobacco pipes, bowls, food containers, and bioethanol production. While most of the current studies on C. cujete are mainly from Asia and South America (Philippines, Bangladesh, India, etc.), part of the persistence challenge is lack of comprehensive data on the plant from in vivo pharmacological studies of its already characterized compounds for probable clinical trials toward drug discovery. Consequently, upon this, modern and novel translational studies including the concept of ‘-omics’ are suggested for studies aiming to outfit more comprehensive data on its therapeutic profiles against pathological markers of diseases and to fully explore its economic benefits.
Experimental Analysis on the Effectiveness of Kinematic Error Compensation Methods for Serial Industrial Robots
Authors: Zhang Ying , Qiao Guifang , Song Guangming , Song Aiguo , Wen Xiulan
Published: July 2021

Based on the established serial 6-DOF robot calibration experiment platform, this paper aims to analyze and compare the effects of four error compensation methods, which are pseudotarget iteration-based error compensation method with three different forms and the Newton–Raphson-based error compensation method. Firstly, the pose error model of the serial robot is established based on the M-DH model in this paper. The calibration results show that the accuracy of the Staubli TX60 robot has been greatly improved. The average comprehensive position accuracy is increased by 88.7%, and the average comprehensive attitude accuracy is increased by 56.6%. Secondly, the principles of the four error compensation methods are discussed, and the effectiveness of the four error compensation methods are compared through experiments. The results show that the four error compensation methods can achieve error compensation well. The compensation accuracy is consistent with the identification accuracy of the kinematic model. The pseudotarget iteration with differential form has the best performance by the comprehensive consideration of accuracy and computational efficiency. Error compensation determines whether the accuracy of the identified model can be achieved. This paper presents a systematic experimental validation research on the effectiveness of four error compensation methods, which provides a reliable reference for the kinematic error compensation of industrial robots.
Research on Fault Extraction Method of CYCBD Based on Seagull Optimization Algorithm
Authors: Zhang Qianqian , Pan Haochi , Fan Qiuxia , Xu Fujing , Wu Yulong
Published: July 2021

Maximum cyclostationarity blind deconvolution (CYCBD) can recover the periodic impulses from mixed fault signals comprised by noise and periodic impulses. In recent years, blind deconvolution has been widely used in fault diagnosis. However, it requires a preset of filter length, and inappropriate filter length may cause the inaccurate extraction of fault signal. Therefore, in order to determine filter length adaptively, a method to optimize CYCBD by using the seagull optimization algorithm (SOA) is proposed in this paper. In this method, the ratio of SNR to kurtosis is used as the objective function; firstly, SOA is used to search the optimal filter length in CYCBD by iteration, and then it uses the optimal filter length to perform CYCBD; finally, the frequency‐domain waveform is determined through Fourier transformation. The method proposed is applied to the fault extraction of a simulated signal and a test vibration signal of the closed power flow gearbox test bed, and the fault frequency is successfully extracted, in addition, using maximum correlation kurtosis deconvolution (MCKD) and multipoint optimal minimum entropy deconvolution adjusted (MOMEDA) to compare with CYCBD‐SOA, which validated availability of the proposed method.
Breeding Biology, Chronology, and Reproductive Success of the European Serin (Serinus serinus) at Moulouya High Plain (Morocco)
Authors: Mansouri Ismail , Squalli Wafae , Dakki Mohamed , Assouguem Amine , El Agy Abdelbari , El Hassani Abderahim , Belarbi Chaimae , Dbiba Youssef , Kouali Hassnae , El Ghadraoui Lahsen
Published: July 2021

The European serin (Serinus serinus) is one of the best examples of a species in the western Palaearctic that has expanded its distribution ranges in current periods. However, the breeding features of serin are not well known and were restricted for some localities, as well as there have not been any deep and comparable studies on its mortality and menacing factors. This study investigates breeding biology, including breeding chronology, nesting strategies, and reproductive success of the European serin in farmland and woodland habitats at Moulouya high plain (Morocco), during 2016. Results showed that, at high-altitude breeding habitats, the European serin started breeding activity lately by 25 April (construction of the first nest) and continued until 19 July (last fledging date). Moreover, most nests (96.42%) were found in farmlands, mainly in apple orchards. Two broods were recorded between April-May and June-July, and the clutch size was an average of 3.04 ± 0.13 eggs/nest. For reproductive success, among the 65 examined nests, 73.84% were active during the nest construction phase and 87.42% of eggs have succeeded during the incubation phase. Reproductive success was higher (93.83%) during fledging. Clutches were failed due to predation (15.9%), nest desertion (14.35%), and destruction of nests (8.88%). Finally, our study highlights that the European serin breeds in high-altitude zones with late and shorter breeding seasons, which might allow this bird to avoid high lands’ vigorous climate conditions and their eﬀect on breeding success.
Pharmacokinetics and Tissue Distribution of Combined Triptolide and Paeoniflorin Regimen for Percutaneous Administration in Rats Assessed by Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry
Authors: Guan Yong-mei , Shen Qian , He Liang-fei , Chen Li-mei , Zang Zhenzhong , Liu Lili , Zhu Wei-feng , Li-hua Chen , Liu Hong-ning
Published: July 2021

Triptolide (TP) has shown potential in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) treatment, but the narrow therapeutic window limits its clinical application. In clinical practice, the compatibility of Tripterygium wilfordii and Paeonia lactiflora is often used to attenuate the toxicity of TP, but its compatibility mechanism has not been fully elucidated. The aim of this study was to investigate the pharmacokinetics and tissue distribution of a combined regimen of TP and paeoniflorin (PF) after transdermal administration in male and female Sprague Dawley (SD) rats via a rapid and sensitive liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method. The results showed that after percutaneous administration of TP and PF, there was no significant difference in AUC (0-t) (area under the curve) of TP, the peak concentration decreased by 58.17%, and the peak time was delayed. The AUC (0-t) of PF increased significantly (

P

 < 0.01), the peak-reaching concentration and AUC (0-∞) increased, and the half-life and average retention time were shortened, indicating that TP absorption in rats may be delayed. After percutaneous administration of TP and PF, the content of TP in the heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys of male rats significantly decreased at 2 h (

P

 < 0.05) and the drug concentration in the liver tissues significantly decreased at 2 h, 4 h, and 8 h (

P

 < 0.05). The TP content in the spleen of female rats significantly decreased at 2 h and 4 h (

P

 < 0.05) and also decreased in other tissues, but not significantly. After percutaneous administration of TP and PF, the PF content in the heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys of male and female rats had no significant difference. However, after percutaneous administration of TP and PF, the TP concentration in the skin increased, suggesting that the amount of TP retained in the skin increased, thereby reducing its content in blood and tissues, producing a reduction in toxicity effect.
The Effect of Intravenous Autologous Activated Platelet-Rich Plasma Therapy on “Profibrotic Cytokine” IL-1β Levels in Severe and Critical COVID-19 Patients: A Preliminary Study
Authors: Karina Karina , Christoffel Louis Martin , Novariani Rita , Rosadi Imam , Rosliana Iis , Rosidah Siti , Sobariah Siti , Fatkhurohman Novy , Puspitaningrum Nurlaela , Hertati Yuli , Afini Irsyah , Ernanda Difky , Widyastuti Tias , Sulaeha A. D. , Zakiyah Alfida , Aini Noor , Krisandi Grady , Andrew Hubert
Published: July 2021

Introduction. Elevated concentration of proinflammatory cytokines followed by hyperinflammation is one of the hallmarks of severe and critical COVID-19. In the short term, this may result in ARDS and lung injury; subsequently, this may cause pulmonary fibrosis—a disease with poor prognosis—in the long run. Among the cytokines, interleukin-1β (IL-1β) is one of the most overexpressed in COVID-19. We speculate that administration of intravenous activated autologous platelet-rich plasma (aaPRP), which contains interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1RA), would lower IL-1β levels and benefit the severe and critical COVID-19 patients. Methods. After acquiring ethical clearance, we recruited 12 adult COVID-19 patients of both sexes from the Koja Regional Hospital (Jakarta, Indonesia) ICU. After selection, seven patients were included and divided into two groups, severe and critical. In addition to three doses of aaPRP, both groups received the same treatment of antiviral, steroid, and antibiotics. Quantification of plasma IL-1β levels was performed by beads multiplex assay a day before the first aaPRP administration and a day after the second and third aaPRP administration. PaO2/FiO2 ratio and lung injury scores were evaluated a day before and a day after each aaPRP administration. Results. Severe and critical patients’ initial plasma IL-1β concentration was 4.71 pg/mL and 3.095 pg/mL, respectively. After 2 treatments with aaPRP, severe patients’ plasma IL-1β concentration decreased 12.48 pg/mL, while critical patients’ plasma IL-1β concentration increased to 18.77 pg/mL. Furthermore, after 3 aaPRP treatments, significant amelioration of patients’ PaO2/FiO2 ratio from 71.33 mmHg at baseline to 144.97 mmHg was observed (

p
<
0.05

). However, no significant improvement in lung injury score was observed in severe and critical groups. All severe patients and one critical patient recovered. Conclusion. The use of aaPRP may prevent pulmonary fibrosis in severe COVID-19 patients through the reduction of patients’ plasma IL-1β concentration and the amelioration of PaO2/FiO2 ratio.
Reference Value for the Distance Walked in the Six-Minute Walk Test in Obese Brazilian Men in the Preoperative Period of Bariatric Surgery
Authors: Luchesa Cesar Antonio , Mafort Thiago Thomaz , Rodrigues da Silva Rafael , Paro Isabela Cristina , Micheli de Souza Fernanda , Lopes Agnaldo José
Published: July 2021

Background. Obesity has several effects on the mechanics of the rib cage that may impair the exercise performance of obese individuals and therefore impact the assessment of surgical risk. This study aimed to establish a reference value for the 6-minute walk distance (6 MWD) in obese Brazilian men in the preoperative period of bariatric surgery that considers the effect of lung function. Methods. This was a cross-sectional study in which 104 obese men underwent the six-minute walk test (6 MWT) before bariatric surgery. They also underwent the spirometry test and respiratory muscle strength measurement before the 6 MWT. Results. The 6 MWD was correlated with age (r = −0.388,

p
=
0.0005

), weight (r = −0.365,

p
=
0.0007

), height (r = 0.285,

p
=
0.022

), body mass index (BMI) (r = −0.543,

p
<
0.0001

), forced vital capacity (FVC) (r = 0.472,

p
<
0.0001

), peak expiratory flow (r = 0.253,

p
=
0.031

), and maximal inspiratory pressure (r = 0.313,

p
=
0.017

). In the stepwise forward regression analysis, BMI, FVC, and age were the only variables that independently predicted the 6 MWD and explained 40% of its variability. The reference equation proposed for obese Brazilian men is 6 MWD (m) = 570.5 − (3.984 × BMIkg/m2) + (1.093 × FVC%predicted) − (0.836 × ageyrs). Conclusion. In this sample of obese Brazilian men, lung function contributed to poor performance in the 6 MWT. In these individuals, BMI, FVC, and age were the variables that composed the reference equation for the 6 MWD. Thus, in several clinical settings, such as in the evaluation before bariatric surgery, pulmonary function data are important to determine the reference value for the 6 MWD.
The Effect of Breeding Habitat Characteristics on the Larval Abundance of Aedes Vector Mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) in Three Localities, Galle District, Sri Lanka
Authors: Dissanayake D. S. , Wijekoon C. D. , Wegiriya H. C.
Published: July 2021

Dengue has become a national burden in Sri Lanka, and the understanding of breeding ecology of vectors, Aedes aegypti Linnaeus and Aedes albopictus Skuse, is the most effective way to control the disease. The present study was undertaken to investigate the relative larval abundance of Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus in different types and characteristics of containers in three selected localities in Galle district, Sri Lanka. Totally, 550 containers were positive for both Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus larvae. Aedes albopictus showed the high larval abundance in all studied sites. The larval abundance of artificial containers (90.57%) was high than that of natural containers (9.43%) for both Aedes spp. (

P
<
0.05

). The breeding preference for A. aegypti was high in tires (rubber) (17.82%), while plastic cups (28.00%) were the most preferable container type for Ae. albopictus. Dark color containers than light color containers (

P
<
0.05

) and containers with leaf litter accumulated as detritus (

P
<
0.05

) showed high relative larval abundance for both Aedes species. Containers with 50–100 ml volume of water showed the highest relative abundance of both Ae. aegypti (29.28%) and Ae. albopictus (41.79%) (

P
>
0.05

). The high larval abundance of Aedes recorded in ground level containers (1–5 cm) and their abundance decreased significantly with the increasing of height where containers were found (1–20 cm) (

P
<
0.05

). The significantly high relative abundance was observed with the increase of the shady level for Ae. aegypti (57.34%) and Ae. albopictus (61.32%) (

P
<
0.05

). This knowledge will be helpfull to implement dengue surveillance programs in the area.
Current Role of Hysterectomy in Pelvic Floor Surgery: Time for Reappraisal? A Review of Current Literature and Expert Discussion
Authors: Noé Guenter K. , Barnard Annelize , Schiermeier Sven , Anapolski Michael
Published: July 2021

Since hysterectomy could be performed with low risk, it has been part of the standard of surgical prolapse therapy for decades. This has not been scrutinized for a long time. In this review, we describe the development of this issue in recent years. The current literature suggests that hysterectomy requires its own indication. The article describes the various options for a uterine‐preserving surgical technique and the available data.
Pregnancy‐Related Hysterectomy for Peripartum Hemorrhage: A Literature Narrative Review of the Diagnosis, Management, and Techniques
Authors: Tsolakidis Dimitrios , Zouzoulas Dimitrios , Pados George
Published: July 2021

Postpartum hemorrhage is a life‐threatening situation, in which hysterectomy can be performed to prevent maternal death. However, it is associated with high rates of maternal morbidity and mortality and permanent infertility. The incidence of pregnancy‐related hysterectomy varies across countries, but its main indications are the following: uterine atony and placenta spectrum (PAS) disorders. PAS disorder prevalence is rising during the last years, mainly due to the increased number of cesarean sections. As a result, obstetricians should be aware of the difficulties of this emergent condition and improve its accurate antenatal diagnosis rates, as well as its modern management strategies. Of course, special skills are required during a pregnancy‐related hysterectomy, so these patients should be referred to centers of excellence in antenatal care, where a multidisciplinary team approach is followed. This study is a narrative review of the literature of the last 5 years (PubMed, Cochrane) regarding postpartum hemorrhage to offer obstetricians up‐to‐date knowledge on this pregnancy‐related life‐threatening issue. However, there is a lack of available high‐quality data, because most published papers are retrospective case series or observational cohorts.