bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Estimation of Vehicle Carbon Emissions in China Accounting for Vertical Curve Effects
Authors: Dong Yaping , Xu Jinliang
Published: August 2020

Predicting vehicle carbon emissions on vertical curve sections can provide guidance for low-carbon vertical profile designs. Given that the influence of vertical curve design indicators on the fuel consumption and CO2 emissions of vehicles are underexplored, this study filled this research gap by establishing a theoretical carbon emission model of vehicles on vertical curve sections. The carbon emission model was established based on Xu’s vehicle energy conversion model, the conversion model of energy, fuel consumption, and CO2 emissions. The accuracy of the theoretical carbon emission model and the CO2 emission rules on vertical curve sections were verified by field test results. Field tests were carried out on flat sections, longitudinal slope sections, and various types of vertical curve sections, with five common types of vehicles maintaining cruising speed. The carbon emission rate effects on the vertical curve are closely related to the gradient and irrelevant of the radius. On the vertical profile composed with downhill/asymmetric/symmetrical vertical curve with a gradient greater than the balance gradient, the carbon emission rate is determined by the gradient and radius. The influence of the gradient on carbon emissions of vehicle on these vertical profiles was more significant than the radius. The radius is irrelevant to the carbon emission rate on the other forms of vertical profile. These results may benefit highway designers and engineers by providing guidelines regarding the environmental effects of highway vertical curve indexes.
Stability Analysis of an Explicit Integration Algorithm with 3D Viscoelastic Artificial Boundary Elements
Authors: Li Shutao , Liu Jingbo , Bao Xin , Jia Yifan , Xiao Lan , Tao Xigui , Chen Yicun , Zhang Weifeng
Published: August 2020

Viscoelastic artificial boundary elements are one of the most commonly used artificial boundaries when solving dynamic soil-structure interactions or near-field wave propagation problems. However, due to the lack of clear and practical stability criteria for the explicit algorithm that considers the influence of viscoelastic artificial boundary elements, the determination of the stable time increment in such numerical analyses is still a challenge. In this study, we proposed a numerical stability analysis method for the explicit algorithm with a 3D viscoelastic artificial boundary element based on the idea of a subsystem. Through this method, the artificial boundary subsystem that controls the stability of the overall numerical system is determined, and the analytical solution for the stability condition of the explicit integration algorithm with 3D viscoelastic artificial boundary elements is obtained. On this basis, the maximum time increment for solving dynamic problems with viscoelastic artificial boundary elements can be determined.
Finite-Time Stability of Fractional-Order Time-Varying Delays Gene Regulatory Networks with Structured Uncertainties and Controllers
Authors: Wu Zhaohua , Wang Zhiming , Zhou Tiejun
Published: August 2020

In this paper, we investigate a class of fractional-order time-varying delays gene regulatory networks with structured uncertainties and controllers (DFGRNs). Our contributions lie in three aspects: first, a necessary and sufficient condition on the existence of the solution for the DFGRNs is given by using the properties of the Riemann–Liouville fractional derivative and Caputo’s fractional derivative; second, the unique solution of the DFGRNs is proved under given initial function and certain condition; third, some novel sufficient conditions on finite-time stability of the DFGRNs are established by using a generalized Gronwall inequality and norm technique, and some conclusions on the finite-time stability of the DFGRNs with memory state-feedback controllers are reached, and those conditions and conclusions depend on the fractional order of the DFGRNs. One of the most interesting findings is that the “estimated time” of the finite-time stability is indeed related to the structured uncertainties, state-feedback controllers, time delays, and the fractional order of the system.
Significance of Hepatitis B Recurrence in Liver Transplantation Recipients
Authors: Chou Hong-Shiue , Cheng Chih-Hsien , Hung Hao-Chien , Lee Jin-Chiao , Wang Yu-Chao , Wu Tsung-Han , Lee Chen-Fang , Wu Ting-Jung , Chan Kun-Ming , Lee Wei-Chen
Published: August 2020

Background. A combination of antihepatitis B immunoglobulin and antiviral agents is the most common regimen for prophylaxis of hepatitis B recurrence after liver transplantation. However, hepatitis B recurrence still happens. The significance of hepatitis B recurrence is less mentioned. Materials. Forty‐eight of the 313 hepatitis B liver transplant recipients having hepatitis B recurrence were included in this study. The patients were divided into group A, the patients transplanted for hepatitis B‐related liver failure, and group B, the patients transplanted for hepatitis B‐related cirrhosis and HCC. The clinical manifestations after hepatitis B recurrence were recorded. Results. Among the 48 patients with hepatitis B recurrence, 23 patients were in group A and 25 patients in group B. The age was 51.6 ± 9.4 years in group A and 52.8 ± 6.4 in group B (p = 0.869). The MELD score prior to transplantation was 23.1 ± 9.9 in group A patients and 12.9 ± 5.6 in group B patients (p < 0.001). The median (interquartile) interval from transplantation to hepatitis B recurrence was 10 (2‐19) months for group A patients and 13 (8.5‐35) months for group B patients (p = 0.051). After hepatitis B recurrence, the liver function was almost normal in both groups. In group B patients, 10 patients had HCC recurrence with 7 of 10 patients having hepatitis B recurrence earlier than HCC recurrence. The interval between hepatitis B and HCC recurrence was 1 to 15 months. The 1‐, 3‐, and 5‐year survival rates were 82.6%, 73.9%, and 69.0%, respectively, for group A patients and 96%, 76%, and 68%, respectively, for group B patients (p = 0.713). Conclusion. The patients have uneventful liver function under antiviral agent while hepatitis B recurred. For the patients having HCC prior to transplantation, close monitoring of HCC recurrence is necessary if hepatitis B recurs.
An Automatic System for Atrial Fibrillation by Using a CNN-LSTM Model
Authors: Ma Fengying , Zhang Jingyao , Chen Wei , Liang Wei , Yang Wenjia
Published: August 2020

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a common abnormal heart rhythm disease. Therefore, the development of an AF detection system is of great significance to detect critical illnesses. In this paper, we proposed an automatic recognition method named CNN-LSTM to automatically detect the AF heartbeats based on deep learning. The model combines convolutional neural networks (CNN) to extract local correlation features and uses long short-term memory networks (LSTM) to capture the front-to-back dependencies of electrocardiogram (ECG) sequence data. The CNN-LSTM is feeded by processed data to automatically detect AF signals. Our study uses the MIT-BIH Atrial Fibrillation Database to verify the validity of the model. We achieved a high classification accuracy for the heartbeat data of the test set, with an overall classification accuracy rate of 97.21%, sensitivity of 97.34%, and specificity of 97.08%. The experimental results show that our model can robustly detect the onset of AF through ECG signals and achieve stable classification performance, thereby providing a suitable candidate for the automatic classification of AF.
Fatty Acid Profile and Metabolism Are Related to Human Sperm Parameters and Are Relevant in Idiopathic Infertility and Varicocele
Authors: Collodel Giulia , Moretti Elena , Noto Daria , Iacoponi Francesca , Signorini Cinzia
Published: August 2020

Objectives. Fatty acids (FA) modulate oxidative stress, reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, and inflammatory processes in spermatogenesis.Methods. The amount of 17 different FAs and the level of F2-isoprostanes (F2-IsoPs) and cytoplasmic phospholipase A2(cPLA2) were compared and correlated to sperm characteristics; these last ones were evaluated by light and electronic microscopy in varicocele and idiopathic infertile patients.Results. Total n-3 polyunsaturated acids (PUFAs) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), one of the n-3 PUFAs, were significantly reduced in idiopathic infertile men compared to controls (P<0.05). In the whole studied population, oleic acid and total monounsaturated acids (MUFAs) correlated negatively with sperm concentration, progressive motility, normal morphology, vitality, and fertility index and positively with sperm necrosis. Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) amount was positively correlated with the percentage of sperm necrosis and cPLA2level and negatively with sperm concentration. Sperm vitality was negatively correlated with the saturated fatty acids (SFAs). In infertile groups, cPLA2was negatively correlated with DHA and n-3 PUFAs (bothP<0.05) and positively with EPA (P<0.05). In the varicocele group, sperm vitality was negatively correlated with palmitoleic acid and total n-6 PUFAs (P<0.05); sperm apoptosis was positively correlated with the total SFA percentage (P<0.05).Conclusions. FA composition in sperm membrane and the metabolism of sperm FAs are interrelated parameters, both relevant in sperm maturation processes and fertility.
Active Retrograde Extra Backup with a Mother-and-Child Catheter to Facilitate Retrograde Microcatheter Collateral Channel Tracking in Recanalization of Coronary Chronic Total Occlusion
Authors: Wang Yong , Zhang Xiao-Jiao , Zhao Hong-Wei , Wang Cheng-Fu , Luo De-Feng , Meng Qing-Kun , Zhu Yu , Tao Jie , Chen Bao-Jun , Li Yi , Hou Ai-Jie , Luan Bo
Published: August 2020

Objective. To explore the feasibility and safety of the active retrograde backup (ARB) for treatment of chronic total occlusion (CTO) during retrograde percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Background. Guiding support plays an important role in guidewire and microcatheter coronary channel (CC) tracking in retrograde PCI therapy for patients with CTO. However, the feasibility and safety of retrograde active use of a mother-and-child catheter are still unclear. Patients and Methods. A total of 271 consecutive patients with CTO who underwent retrograde PCI between January 2015 and January 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. Clinical data of two groups were compared to evaluate the feasibility and safety of ARB. Results. Of the 271 patients, 69.0% (187/271) underwent therapy through the septal branch, 31.0% (84/271) through the epicardial collateral channel, and 47.6% (129/271) through active retrograde extra backup with a mother-and-child catheter to facilitate retrograde microcatheter collateral CC tracking. The time of wire CC tracking was shorter in the ARB group than that in the non-ARB group (25.4 ± 8.5 vs 26.4 ± 9.7, p=0.348), but there was no significant difference. The duration of the retrograde microcatheter tracking (10.2 ± 3.8 vs 15.5 ± 6.8, p=0.012) and the retrograde approach (62.8 ± 20.3 vs 70.4 ± 24.3, p=0.026) in the ARB group was significantly shorter than that in the non-ARB group. The radiation dose (223.6 ± 112.7 vs. 295.2 ± 129.3, p=0.028), fluoroscopy time (50.6 ± 21.3 vs 62.3 ± 32.1, p=0.030), and contrast volume (301.8 ± 146.7 vs 352.2 ± 179.5, p=0.032) in the ARB group were significantly lower than that in the non-ARB group. There were no life-threatening procedural complications in either group. Complications unrelated to ARB included two cases of donor-vessel dissection, one case of CC perforation, and two cases of target-vessel perforation. There was no statistically significant difference in major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events between the groups during hospitalization p>0.05. Conclusion. ARB is feasible, safe, and conducive to guidewire and microcatheter CC tracking in the recanalization of coronary CTO. It improves procedural efficiency and is worthy of further promotion.
A New Separable Piecewise Linear Learning Algorithm for the Stochastic Empty Container Repositioning Problem
Authors: Zhou Shaorui , Zhuo Xiaopo , Chen Zhiming , Tao Yi
Published: August 2020

A common challenge faced by liner operators in practice is to effectively allocate empty containers now in a way that minimizes the expectation of costs and reduces inefficiencies in the future with uncertainty. To incorporate uncertainties in the operational model, we formulate a two-stage stochastic programming model for the stochastic empty container repositioning (ECR) problem. This paper proposes a separable piecewise linear learning algorithm (SPELL) to approximate the expected cost function. The core of SPELL involves learning steps that provide information for updating the expected cost function adaptively through a sequence of piecewise linear separable approximations. Moreover, SPELL can utilize the network structure of the ECR problem and does not require any information about the distribution of the uncertain parameters. For the two-stage stochastic programs, we prove the convergence of SPELL. Computational results show that SPELL performs well in terms of operating costs. When the scale of the problem is very large and the dimensionality of the problem is increased, SPELL continues to provide consistent performance very efficiently and exhibits excellent convergence performance.
Distributed Prescribed Finite Time Consensus Scheme for Economic Dispatch of Smart Grids with the Valve Point Effect
Authors: Zhou Yingjiang , Zhu Shigao , Chen Qian
Published: August 2020

The distributed prescribed finite time consensus schemes for economic dispatch (ED) of smart grids with and without the valve point effect are researched in this paper. First, the optimization problem is transformed into a consensus of multiagent system problem, where both with and without the valve point effect are considered. Second, for the directed balance network, a prescribed finite time method has been arranged to solve the ED problem with and without the valve point effect. Third, with considering the constraints of generation units, the prescribed finite time result is also achieved. Finally, from the simulations, the efficiency of the proposed algorithms is validated.
Analysis of Atrial Fibrillation Treatment Regimes in a Multicenter Cohort of Transcatheter Edge-to-Edge Mitral Valve Repair Patients
Authors: Waechter Christian , Ausbuettel Felix , Chatzis Georgios , Fischer Dieter , Nef Holger , Barth Sebastian , Halbfaß Philipp , Deneke Thomas , Kerber Sebastian , Divchev Dimitar , Schieffer Bernhard , Luesebrink Ulrich
Published: August 2020

Background. Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a highly prevalent comorbidity in patients with severe mitral valve regurgitation (MR). Recent studies show a deleterious outcome of patients with concomitant AF after transcatheter mitral valve repair (TMVR). This underlines the essential need for additional strategies that ameliorate the prognosis of these patients. Fundamental data on AF characteristics and treatment regimes in this special cohort of patients are lacking.Methods. We retrospectively analyzed the data of 542 consecutive patients with severe MR undergoing TMVR in three tertiary heart centers with special focus on AF type and underlying treatment strategies.Results. The prevalence of concomitant AF was 73.3%, and AF did not affect the procedural success or the incidence of major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events. The patients with AF were more frequently >75 years, had more tricuspid regurgitation, and less coronary artery disease than non-AF patients. The distribution of AF types was 32% paroxysmal AF, 27% persistent AF, and 41% permanent AF. Except for a higher degree in severe tricuspid regurgitation and a higher likelihood of male sex, no substantial differences were observed while comparing permanent and nonpermanent AF patients. The predominant treatment regime was rate control (57%), with only beta blockers (BB) in the majority of persistent and permanent AF patients, while additional digitalis or a pacemaker was used infrequently. Rhythm control was mainly achieved with BB alone in paroxysmal AF patients and with additional antiarrhythmic drugs in the majority of persistent AF patients. Interventional rhythm control therapy was performed in 2.5% and 30.9% of paroxysmal and persistent AF patients, respectively. The guideline-adherent use of oral anticoagulants was comparable and high in both groups (91.9% in nonpermanent vs. 90.1% in permanent AF).Conclusion. This is the first study to provide necessary information for the understanding of the current clinical practice in dealing with TMVR patients. Since evidence suggests that AF is not a benign concomitant disease, further investigations are needed to assess the prognostic impact of these different AF treatment strategies.
Numerical Study of Axisymmetric Flow and Heat Transfer in a Liquid Film over an Unsteady Radially Stretching Surface
Authors: Shahzad Azeem , Gulistan Uzma , Ali Ramzan , Iqbal Azhar , Benim Ali Cemal , Kamran Muhammad , Khan Salah Ud-Din , Khan Shahab Ud-Din , Farooq Aamir
Published: August 2020

The main emphasis on this paper is to analyze the axisymmetric flow and heat transfer in a liquid film over an unsteady radially stretching surface in the presence of a transverse magnetic field. The similarity transformations are used to reduce the highly nonlinear governing partial differential equations for momentum and energy into a set of ordinary differential equations. A numerical scheme is developed for the reduced nonlinear differential equations for the velocity and temperature fields. The literature survey shows that the present problem of thin film flow over a radially stretching sheet has not been studied before. The features of the flow and heat transfer characteristic for different values of governing parameters such as unsteadiness parameter, Prandtl number, Eckert number, and magnetic parameter are thoroughly examined. This study noticed that, by increasing the magnetic parameter and unsteadiness parameter, film thickness decreases.
Multistability Analysis, Coexisting Multiple Attractors, and FPGA Implementation of Yu–Wang Four-Wing Chaotic System
Authors: Yu Fei , Liu Li , Shen Hui , Zhang Zinan , Huang Yuanyuan , Cai Shuo , Deng Zelin , Wan Qiuzhen
Published: August 2020

In this paper, we further study the dynamic characteristics of the Yu–Wang chaotic system obtained by Yu and Wang in 2012. The system can show a four-wing chaotic attractor in any direction, including all 3D spaces and 2D planes. For this reason, our interest is focused on multistability generation and chaotic FPGA implementation. The stability analysis, bifurcation diagram, basin of attraction, and Lyapunov exponent spectrum are given as the methods to analyze the dynamic behavior of this system. The analyses show that each system parameter has different coexistence phenomena including coexisting chaotic, coexisting stable node, and coexisting limit cycle. Some remarkable features of the system are that it can generate transient one-wing chaos, transient two-wing chaos, and offset boosting. These phenomena have not been found in previous studies of the Yu–Wang chaotic system, so they are worth sharing. Then, the RK4 algorithm of the Verilog 32-bit floating-point standard format is used to realize the autonomous multistable 4D Yu–Wang chaotic system on FPGA, so that it can be applied in embedded engineering based on chaos. Experiments show that the maximum operating frequency of the Yu–Wang chaotic oscillator designed based on FPGA is 161.212 MHz.
An Improved Hybrid Feature Selection Algorithm for Electric Charge Recovery Risk
Authors: Qian Shenyi , Shi Yongsheng , Wu Huaiguang , Shang Songtao
Published: August 2020

In order to extract more information that affects customer arrears behavior, the feature extraction method is used to extend the low-dimensional features to the high-dimensional features for the warning problem of user arrears risk model of electric charge recovery (ECR). However, there are many irrelevant or redundant features in data, which affect prediction accuracy. In order to reduce the dimension of the feature and improve the prediction result, an improved hybrid feature selection algorithm is proposed, integrating nonlinear inertia weight binary particle swarm optimization with shrinking encircling and exploration mechanism (NBPSOSEE) with sequential backward selection (SBS), namely, NBPSOSEE-SBS, for selecting the optimal feature subset. NBPSOSEE-SBS can not only effectively reduce the redundant or irrelevant features from the feature subset selected by NBPSOSEE but also improve the accuracy of classification. The experimental results show that the proposed NBPSOSEE-SBS can effectively reduce a large number of redundant features and stably improve the prediction results in the case of low execution time, compared with one state-of-the-art optimization algorithm, and seven well-known wrapper-based feature selection approaches for the risk prediction of ECR for power customers.
Convolutional Neural Network Combined with Half-Quadratic Splitting Method for Image Restoration
Authors: Li Ran , Luo Lin , Zhang Yu
Published: August 2020

Generally, there are mainly two methods to solve the image restoration task in low-level computer vision, i.e., the model-based optimization method and the discriminative learning method. However, these two methods have clear advantages and disadvantages. For example, it is flexible for the model-based optimization method to handle different problems, but large quantity of computing time is required for better performance. The discriminative learning approach has high computing efficiency, but the application scope is seriously limited by the fixed training model. It would be better to combine the advantages of these two methods. Luckily, with the variable splitting techniques, we insert the trained convolutional neural network (CNN) for denoising as one model to the model-based optimization method to solve other image restoration problems (e.g., deblurring and super-resolution). Final experimental results show that our denoising network is able to provide strong prior information for image restoration tasks. The image restoration effects can reach or approximate the most advanced algorithm in such three tasks as denoising, deblurring, and super-resolution. Moreover, the algorithm proposed in this paper is also the most competitive in terms of computational efficiency.
Identification of Key Prognostic Biomarker and Its Correlation with Immune Infiltrates in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma
Authors: Luan Hong , Zhang Chuang , Zhang Tuo , He Ye , Su Yanna , Zhou Liping
Published: August 2020

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is an extremely malignant tumor. The immune profile of PDAC and the immunologic milieu of its tumor microenvironment (TME) are unique; however, the mechanism of how the TME engineers the carcinogenesis of PDAC is not fully understood. This study is aimed at better understanding the relationship between the immune infiltration of the TME and gene expression and identifying potential prognostic and immunotherapeutic biomarkers for PDAC. Analysis of data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) databases identified differentially expressed genes (DEGs), including 159 upregulated and 53 downregulated genes. Gene Ontology analysis and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes enrichment were performed and showed that the DEGs were mainly enriched for the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway and extracellular matrix organization. We used the cytoHubba plugin of Cytoscape to screen out the most significant ten hub genes by four different models (Degree, MCC, DMNC, and MNC). The expression and clinical relevance of these ten hub genes were validated using Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis (GEPIA) and the Human Protein Atlas, respectively. High expression of nine of the hub genes was positively correlated with poor prognosis. Finally, the relationship between these hub genes and tumor immunity was analyzed using the Tumor Immune Estimation Resource. We found that the expression of SPARC, COL6A3, and FBN1 correlated positively with infiltration levels of six immune cells in the tumors. In addition, these three genes had a strong coexpression relationship with the immune checkpoints. In conclusion, our results suggest that nine upregulated biomarkers are related to poor prognosis in PDAC and may serve as potential prognostic biomarkers for PDAC therapy. Furthermore, SPARC, COL6A3, and FBN1 play an important role in tumor-related immune infiltration and may be ideal targets for immune therapy against PDAC.
Dental Student Perspectives of a Comprehensive-Based Teaching Methodology: A Confidence, Effectiveness, and Challenge Report
Authors: Hattar Susan , AlHadidi Abeer , Altarawneh Sandra , Abu-Ghazaleh Suha , Hammad Mohammad
Published: August 2020

Background/Objectives. The holistic methodology in education has been widely appreciated and implicated in dental schools in the last decade. Our department of conservative dentistry decided to reform the educational model of teaching from a traditional requirement-based model to a hybrid model incorporating comprehensive care treatment. The aim of our study was to assess students’ confidence and perspectives regarding the benefits of a comprehensive model of teaching. Materials and Methods. A questionnaire was distributed at the end of the academic year 2018-2019 and designed to investigate students’ opinions on the benefits of the new model of teaching, as well as difficulties encountered and possible shortcomings. In addition, self-perceived confidence level was assessed for the purpose of comparing confidence during supervised tasks versus confidence during comprehensive patient care. Results. Complete responses were gathered from 127 students out of 202, giving a response rate of 63%. The majority of students believed that the comprehensive model of teaching allowed them to better address patients’ needs, gave higher satisfaction, positively influenced self-confidence, permitted greater exposure to clinical techniques, and enhanced reasoning and analytical skills. However, their confidence was still lower in comprehensive patient management when compared to supervised tasks. Conclusion. Our students showed an appreciation of the comprehensive care model. Self-learning and didactic skills were enhanced. It would, therefore, be beneficial to adapt this methodology to earlier years and other disciplines to enhance the effectiveness of education and achievement of learning outcomes.
Experimental Study on Overburden Deformation Evolution under Mining Effect Based on Fiber Bragg Grating Sensing Technology
Authors: Lei Wulin , Chai Jing , Zhang Dingding , Ouyang Yibo , Ma Zhe , Du Wengang , Liu Yongliang
Published: August 2020

In order to study the regularity of overburden deformation and mining pressure changes in the stope. Take the geological conditions of Hanglaiwan coal mine in Yushen mining area as the background, a 3000 mm×1340 mm×200 mm physical similar material model was established in laboratory. Eight fiber Bragg grating sensors were embedded in the model, used to monitor the movement and deformation of the overburden key stratum and the change of mining abutment pressure in real time and then to determine the influencing factors and strain transfer coefficients of the fiber grating through theoretical analysis and calibration experiments. The results show the following. (1) The changes in value, position, and shape of the strain can reflect the dynamic evolution process of bending deformation, breaking, and rotation of the key strata. When the key layer breaks for the first time, the strain curve shows a peak shape; when the key layer breaks periodically, the strain curve of the fiber grating sensor showed a plateau shape for a period of time. (2) The strain curve has a good corresponding relationship with the change in supporting pressure. When the strain curve of the fiber Bragg grating sensor was at the trough stage, the abutment pressure was at the peak stage, with the increase of sensor buried height, and the supporting pressure and the strain value had a linear relationship within the range of the advanced abutment pressure. The conclusion shows that the fiber Bragg grating sensor monitoring technology has good effect on the internal strain and key supporting pressure monitoring of the overburden in the model test; it provides new monitoring methods and means for the model tests.
Semianalytical Solution for Large Deformation of Salt Cavern with Strain‐Softening Behavior
Authors: Ran Lina , Zhang Huabin , Zhang Qingqing
Published: August 2020

A semianalytical solution of stress and displacement in the strain‐softening and plastic flow zones of a salt cavern is presented. The solution is derived by adopting the large deformation theory, considering the nonlinear Hoek–Brown (H‐B) strength criterion. The Romberg method is used to carry out numerical calculation, and then, the large deformation law of displacement is analyzed. The results are compared with those obtained by former numerical methods, and the solutions are validated. The results indicate that the displacement of the plastic zone decreases with the increase in distance away from the salt cavern. Similarly, it decreases with an increase in the geological strength index or running pressure, with the running pressure having a more significant effect on the displacement. It increases with the dilation angle, and the impact degree gradually increases. Compared with the softening parameter, h, of the plastic zone, the flow parameter, f, has little impact on the displacement. The displacement of the plastic zone obviously increased when considering the strain‐softening of salt rock. When considering the shear dilation and softening behaviors of salt rock, the analytical solution obtained by employing the experiential regression Hoek–Brown (H‐B) criterion, which considers many factors such as the structural characteristics of the salt formation and the rock mass quality, is safer and closer to the actual situation. This study can provide reference for many applications, including but not confined to analyzing the deformation of the surrounding rock of an underground salt cavern storage facility during construction.
Adaptive Magnetic Anomaly Detection Method with Ensemble Empirical Mode Decomposition and Minimum Entropy Feature
Authors: Fan Liming , Kang Chong , Wang Huigang , Hu Hao , Zou Mingliang
Published: August 2020

Due to the fast attenuation of the magnetic field along with the distance, the magnetic anomaly generated by the remote magnetic target is usually buried in the magnetic noise. In order to improve the performance of magnetic anomaly detection (MAD) with low SNR, we propose an adaptive method of MAD with ensemble empirical mode decomposition (EEMD) and minimum entropy (ME) feature. The magnetic data is decomposed into the multiple intrinsic modal functions (IMFs) with different scales by EEMD. According to a defined criterion, the magnetic noise and magnetic signal are reconstructed based on IMFs, respectively. Entropy feature of reconstructed magnetic signal is extracted based on the probability density function (PDF) of the noise which is updated by the reconstructed magnetic noise. Compared to the traditional minimum entropy method, the entropy feature extracted by the proposed method is more obvious. The magnetic anomaly is detected whenever the entropy feature drops below the threshold. Thus, it is effective for revealing the weak magnetic anomaly by the proposed method. The measured magnetic noise is used to validate the performance of the proposed method. The results show that the detection probability of the proposed method is higher with low input SNR.
A Certificateless Noninteractive Key Exchange Protocol with Provable Security
Authors: Cao Xuefei , Dang Lanjun , Luan Yingzi , You Wei
Published: August 2020

In this paper, we propose a certificateless noninteractive key exchange protocol. No message exchange is required in the protocol, and this feature will facilitate the applications where the communication overhead matters, for example, the communications between the satellites and the earth. The public key certificate is removed as well as the key escrow problem using the certificateless public key cryptosystem. The security of the protocol rests on the bilinear Diffie–Hellman problem, and it could be proved in the random oracle model. Compared with previous protocols, the new protocol reduces the running time by at least 33.0%.
Android Malware Detection Based on a Hybrid Deep Learning Model
Authors: Lu Tianliang , Du Yanhui , Ouyang Li , Chen Qiuyu , Wang Xirui
Published: August 2020

In recent years, the number of malware on the Android platform has been increasing, and with the widespread use of code obfuscation technology, the accuracy of antivirus software and traditional detection algorithms is low. Current state-of-the-art research shows that researchers started applying deep learning methods for malware detection. We proposed an Android malware detection algorithm based on a hybrid deep learning model which combines deep belief network (DBN) and gate recurrent unit (GRU). First of all, analyze the Android malware; in addition to extracting static features, dynamic behavioral features with strong antiobfuscation ability are also extracted. Then, build a hybrid deep learning model for Android malware detection. Because the static features are relatively independent, the DBN is used to process the static features. Because the dynamic features have temporal correlation, the GRU is used to process the dynamic feature sequence. Finally, the training results of DBN and GRU are input into the BP neural network, and the final classification results are output. Experimental results show that, compared with the traditional machine learning algorithms, the Android malware detection model based on hybrid deep learning algorithms has a higher detection accuracy, and it also has a better detection effect on obfuscated malware.
Polydatin Attenuates 14.1 MeV Neutron-Induced Injuries via Regulating the Apoptosis and Antioxidative Pathways and Improving the Hematopoiesis of Mice
Authors: Guo Jiaming , Liu Tingting , Ma Long , Hao Wei , Yan Hongli , Li Taosheng , Yang Yanyong , Cai Jianming , Gao Fu , Xu Zhao , Liu Hu
Published: August 2020

With more powerful penetrability and ionizing capability, high energetic neutron radiation (HENR) often poses greater threats than photon radiation, especially on such occasions as nuclear bomb exposure, nuclear accidents, aerospace conduction, and neutron-based radiotherapy. Therefore, there emerges an urgent unmet demand in exploring highly efficient radioprotectants against HENR. In the present study, high-throughput 14.1 MeV neutrons were generated by the high-intensity D-T fusion neutron generator (HINEG) and succeeded in establishing the acute radiation syndrome (ARS) mouse model induced by HENR. A series of preclinical studies, including morphopathological assessment, flow cytometry, peripheral complete blood, and bone marrow karyocyte counting, were applied showing much more serious detriments of HENR than the photon radiation. In specific, it was indicated that surviving fraction of polydatin- (PD-) treated mice could appreciably increase to up to 100% when they were exposed to HENR. Moreover, polydatin contributed much in alleviating the HENR-induced mouse body weight loss, spleen and testis indexes decrease, and the microstructure alterations of both the spleen and the bone marrow. Furthermore, we found that the HENR-damaged hematopoiesis was greatly prevented by PD treatment in such aspects as bone marrow hemocytogenesis, splenocytes balancing, or even the peripheral blood cellularity. The additional IHC investigations revealed that PD could exert potent hematopoiesis-promoting effects against HENR via suppressing apoptosis and promoting the antioxidative enzymes such as HO-1.
Optimal Time-Consistent Investment and Reinsurance Strategy Under Time Delay and Risk Dependent Model
Authors: Li Sheng , He Yong
Published: August 2020

In this paper, we consider the problem of investment and reinsurance with time delay under the compound Poisson model of two-dimensional dependent claims. Suppose an insurance company controls the claim risk of two kinds of dependent insurance businesses by purchasing proportional reinsurance and invests its wealth in a financial market composed of a risk-free asset and a risk asset. The risk asset price process obeys the geometric Brownian motion. By introducing the capital flow related to the historical performance of the insurer, the wealth process described by stochastic delay differential equation (SDDE) is obtained. The extended HJB equation is obtained by using the stochastic control theory under the framework of game theory. Under the reinsurance expected premium principle, optimal time-consistent investment and reinsurance strategy and the corresponding value function are obtained. Finally, the influence of model parameters on the optimal strategy is explained by numerical analysis.
Genomic Predictors of Good Outcome, Recurrence, or Progression in High-Grade T1 Non–Muscle-Invasive Bladder Cancer
Authors: Bellmunt Joaquim , Kim Jaegil , Reardon Brendan , Perera-Bel Júlia , Orsola Anna , Rodriguez-Vida Alejo , Wankowicz Stephanie A. , Bowden Michaela , Barletta Justine A. , Morote Juan , de Torres Inés , Juanpere Nuria , Lloreta-Trull Josep , Hernandez Silvia , Mouw Kent W. , Taplin Mary-Ellen , Cejas Paloma , Long Henry W. , Van Allen Eliezer M. , Getz Gad , Kwiatkowski David J.
Published: August 2020

High-grade T1 (HGT1) bladder cancer is the highest risk subtype of non–muscle-invasive bladder cancer with unpredictable outcome and poorly understood risk factors. Here, we examined the association of somatic mutation profiles with nonrecurrent disease (GO, good outcome), recurrence (R), or progression (PD) in a cohort of HGT1 patients. Exome sequencing was performed on 62 HGT1 and 15 matched normal tissue samples. Both tumor only (TO) and paired analyses were performed, focusing on 95 genes known to be mutated in bladder cancer. Somatic mutations, copy-number alterations, mutation load, and mutation signatures were studied. Thirty-three GO, 10 R, 18 PD, and 1 unknown outcome patients were analyzed. Tumor mutational burden (TMB) was similar to muscle-invasive disease and was highest in GO, intermediate in PD, and lowest in R patients (P = 0.017). DNA damage response gene mutations were associated with higher TMB (P < 0.0001) and GO (P = 0.003). ERCC2 and BRCA2 mutations were associated with GO. TP53, ATM, ARID1A, AHR, and SMARCB1 mutations were more frequent in PD. Focal copy-number gain in CCNE1 and CDKN2A deletion was enriched in PD or R (P = 0.047; P = 0.06). APOBEC (46%) and COSMIC5 (34%) signatures were most frequent. APOBEC-A and ERCC2 mutant tumors (COSMIC5) were associated with GO (P = 0.047; P = 0.0002). pT1b microstaging was associated with a genomic cluster (P = 0.05) with focal amplifications of E2F3/SOX4, PVRL4, CCNE1, and TP53 mutations. Findings were validated using external public datasets. These findings require confirmation but suggest that management of HGT1 bladder cancer may be improved via molecular characterization to predict outcome.

Significance:

Detailed genetic analyses of HGT1 bladder tumors identify features that correlate with outcome, e.g., high mutational burden, ERCC2 mutations, and high APOBEC-A/ERCC2 mutation signatures were associated with good outcome.
Tumor-Resident Stromal Cells Promote Breast Cancer Invasion through Regulation of the Basal Phenotype
Authors: Hanley Christopher J. , Henriet Elodie , Sirka Orit Katarina , Thomas Gareth J. , Ewald Andrew J.
Published: August 2020

Collective invasion can be led by breast cancer cells expressing basal epithelial markers, typified by keratin-14 (KRT14). We analyzed gene expression data from The Cancer Genome Atlas and demonstrated a significant correlation between a KRT14+ invasion signature and a stromal-mediated extracellular matrix (ECM) organization module. We then developed a novel coculture model of tumor organoids with autologous stromal cells. Coculture significantly increased KRT14 expression and invasion of organoids from both luminal and basal murine breast cancer models. However, stromal cell conditioned medium induced invasion but not KRT14 expression. Cancer cells released TGFβ and that signaling pathway was required for stromal cell–induced invasion and KRT14 expression. Mechanistically, TGFβ induced NOX4 expression in stromal cells and NOX4 inhibition reduced invasion and KRT14 expression. In summary, we developed a novel coculture model and revealed dynamic molecular interactions between stromal cells and cancer cells that regulate both basal gene expression and invasive behavior.

Implications:

Fibroblasts within mammary tumors can regulate the molecular phenotype and invasive behavior of breast cancer cells.

Visual Overview:

http://mcr.aacrjournals.org/content/molcanres/18/11/1615/F1.large.jpg.
Diabetes Distress and Associated Factors in Patients with Diabetes Mellitus in South East Nigeria
Authors: Onyenekwe Belonwu M. , Young Ekenechukwu E. , Nwatu Chidimma B. , Okafor Christian I. , Ugwueze Chidiebere V.
Published: August 2020

Background: Diabetes distress (DD) is a common worldwide problem in diabetic patients irrespective of age and type of treatment. In the DAWN 2 study (Diabetes Attitudes, Wishes, and Needs), DD was reported by 44.6% of participants. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to assess the prevalence and level of DD and its associated factors among adult diabetic patients in South East Nigeria. Methods: The present study was cross-sectional and descriptive. Patients attending the adult diabetes clinic were enrolled. The questionnaire was administered by the investigators. All patients were eligible. Their demographic and clinical data were obtained. They were screened for DD using the DD Scale (DDS)-2 and DDS-17. Data were tabulated and analyzed using SPSS version 21. Results: There were 110 subjects (38 males and 72 females), aged 36–85 years (60.5 ± 10.0). Only 9 (8.2%) had diabetes mellitus (DM) type 1, while the rest had type 2 DM. Twenty-five subjects (22.7%) were on insulin injection. Hypertension was coexistent in 72%, and they were prescribed 3–10 medications (5.9 ± 1.5) at the time of assessment. The male and female subjects were comparable. Moderate to severe DD was present in 51.9% (DDS-17). The average scores were for DDS-2, 3.1; DDS-17, 2.3; emotional burden, 2.9; physician-related distress, 1.4; regimen-related distress, 2.5, and interpersonal distress, 2.2. Distress was significantly associated with a younger age, T1DM, longer duration of diabetes, use of insulin injection, and HbA1C level. Conclusion: DD is a common consequence of living with diabetes and impairs diabetes self-care behavior and glycemic control. Active screening for DD should be an integral part of diabetes care. Diabetes self-management education and support should be implemented at diagnosis and as needed thereafter, especially when DD is diagnosed.
Trends in Worldwide Research in Hypertension Over the Period 1999–2018
Authors: Devos Patrick , Ménard Joël
Published: August 2020

Bibliometric analysis, a powerful tool for assessing trends in research output, was employed to analyze the evolution of hypertension research over a 20-year period. The analysis was based on 90 308 original articles and a citation analysis. The use of bibliometric as a potential tool for shaping research policy at the institution or country level was also explored. The number of published hypertension articles increased by 43.5% over the 20-year period. By contrast, the increase in the number of articles in all medical disciplines was 96%, and in the cardiovascular field was 64%. Of the 6 countries producing the largest number of articles, the United States was consistently the major contributor. There was a slight decrease from Japan, a slight increase from the United Kingdom, and relatively stable output from Germany and Italy over the study period. Output from China showed the strongest growth. The trends in Specialization Index and Category Normalized Citation Impact varied by country. In Russia, Poland, and Brazil, increases in output were greater for hypertension research than for medical research in general. The United Kingdom and Denmark had greater hypertension research output than the other countries. VOSviewer analysis showed an intensification of collaborations between countries and a shift, over 10 years, from 3 clusters towards 2 clusters. Such analysis may help to shape research policy at the country level and can be similarly performed for institutions. Historical changes in hypertension research can be monitored over decades if the same channels continue to be used for communication of scientific results.
Anti‐Inflammatory and Antiarrhythmic Effects of Beta Blocker in a Rat Model of Rheumatoid Arthritis
Authors: Lin Ting‐Tse , Sung Yen‐Ling , Syu Jhen‐Yang , Lin Kia‐Yuan , Hsu Hung‐Jui , Liao Min‐Tsun , Liu Yen‐Bin , Lin Shien‐Fong
Published: August 2020

Background

Patients with rheumatoid arthritis are at twice the risk of ventricular arrhythmia and sudden cardiac death as the general population. We hypothesize that β‐blocker treatment of rheumatoid arthritis is antiarrhythmic by producing synergistic anticatecholaminergic and anti‐inflammatory effects.

Methods and Results

Collagen‐induced arthritis (CIA) was induced in Lewis rats by immunization with type II collagen in Freund's incomplete adjuvant. The treatment with propranolol (4 mg/kg) started on the first day of immunization. We evaluated the ventricular vulnerability to ventricular arrhythmia using in vivo programmed stimulation and performed ex vivo optical mapping to measure the electrical remodeling of the heart. The ventricular tissue was further processed for immunohistochemical staining and protein array analysis. The assessment of ventricular vulnerability showed that the number and duration of the induced ventricular arrhythmia episodes were increased in CIA rats, which were improved with propranolol treatment. The sympathovagal index and the plasma level of catecholamines significantly increased in CIA rats, whereas the use of propranolol attenuated sympathetic hyperactivity. In the optical mapping study, electrical remodeling, characterized by prolonged action potential duration, slow conduction velocity, and steepened action‐potential duration restitution, were noted in CIA rats and reversed in the propranolol‐treatment group. The propranolol treatment was associated with decreases in paw thickness, fewer inflammatory cell infiltrations in the heart, reduced levels of cardiac inflammatory cytokines, and less cardiac fibrosis as compared with the CIA group.

Conclusions

CIA increased ventricular arrhythmia vulnerability through sympathetic hyperinnervation and proarrhythmic ventricular electrophysiological remodeling. Treatment with propranolol in CIA rats was both anti‐inflammatory and antiarrhythmic.