bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Private Security Companies: Emerging Protectors of China’s Overseas Interests
Authors: Tian Xin
Published: June 2021

An increasing number of Chinese enterprises and citizens are going abroad, which exposes them to risks threatening their personal safety and security of their property. With the expansion of Chinese overseas interests, traditional protection methods fall short of a demand for diverse services, revealing a major shortfall in the Chinese government’s capability to provide overseas security protection for its citizens. New service providers are therefore urgently needed, and private security company are becoming an increasingly popular choice. As this is a fairly new demand, only a small number of Chinese private security companies are operating overseas at present. Difficulties abound for them, such as absence of regulatory clarity on business operation and gun control. The presence of private security providers could also pose a challenge to host nation authority and trigger conflicts. To serve as true protectors of overseas Chinese interests, Chinese private security companies have a long way to go.
Mean–variance combining rules that outperform naïve diversification
Authors: Benjlijel Bacem
Published: June 2021

The mean–variance framework developed by Markowitz (1952). Portfolio selection, The Journal of Finance, 7(1), 77–91 is still the major model used nowadays in asset allocation and active portfolio management. However, the estimated mean–variance rules often fail to deliver superior performance compared with the simple naïve rule (the equally weighted portfolio) due to the problem of estimation errors. In this paper, I propose a portfolio construction method that is effective in dealing with estimation errors in the optimization process. Particularly, I specify the portfolio weights as an optimal combination of the equally weighted portfolio and a sample zero-investment portfolio. I show analytically that the proposed method alleviates the problem of estimation errors and dominates naïve diversification. I suggest two implementable versions of the combining method and show, empirically, their good performances relative to the naïve rule. The newly developed rules work well, particularly, for portfolios with a medium and high number of assets. Moreover, the outperformance persists generally even in the presence of transaction costs. Since the combinations are theory-based, my study may be interpreted as reaffirming the usefulness of the Markowitz portfolio theory in practice.
A Comprehensive Survey of the Key Technologies and Challenges Surrounding Vehicular Ad Hoc Networks
Authors: Xia Zhenchang , Wu Jia , Wu Libing , Chen Yanjiao , Yang Jian , Yu Philip S.
Published: June 2021

Vehicular ad hoc networks
(
VANETs
) and the services they support are an essential part of intelligent transportation. Through physical technologies, applications, protocols, and standards, they help to ensure traffic moves efficiently and vehicles operate safely. This article surveys the current state of play in VANETs development. The summarized and classified include the key technologies critical to the field, the resource-management and safety applications needed for smooth operations, the communications and data transmission protocols that support networking, and the theoretical and environmental constructs underpinning research and development, such as graph neural networks and the Internet of Things. Additionally, we identify and discuss several challenges facing VANETs, including poor safety, poor reliability, non-uniform standards, and low intelligence levels. Finally, we touch on hot technologies and techniques, such as reinforcement learning and 5G communications, to provide an outlook for the future of intelligent transportation systems.
Flynn’s Reconciliation
Authors: Thuerck Daniel , Weber Nicolas , Bifulco Roberto
Published: June 2021

A large portion of the recent performance increase in the High Performance Computing (HPC) and Machine Learning (ML) domains is fueled by accelerator cards. Many popular ML frameworks support accelerators by organizing computations as a computational graph over a set of highly optimized, batched general-purpose kernels. While this approach simplifies the kernels’ implementation for each individual accelerator, the increasing heterogeneity among accelerator architectures for HPC complicates the creation of portable and extensible libraries of such kernels. Therefore, using a generalization of the CUDA community’s warp register cache programming idiom, we propose a new programming idiom (CoRe) and a virtual architecture model (PIRCH), abstracting over SIMD and SIMT paradigms. We define and automate the mapping process from a single source to PIRCH’s intermediate representation and develop backends that issue code for three different architectures: Intel AVX512, NVIDIA GPUs, and NEC SX-Aurora. Code generated by our source-to-source compiler for batched kernels, borG, competes favorably with vendor-tuned libraries and is up to 2× faster than hand-tuned kernels across architectures.
SWARM: Adaptive Load Balancing in Distributed Streaming Systems for Big Spatial Data
Authors: Daghistani Anas , Aref Walid G. , Ghafoor Arif , Mahmood Ahmed R.
Published: June 2021

The proliferation of GPS-enabled devices has led to the development of numerous location-based services. These services need to process massive amounts of streamed spatial data in real-time. The current scale of spatial data cannot be handled using centralized systems. This has led to the development of distributed spatial streaming systems. Existing systems are using static spatial partitioning to distribute the workload. In contrast, the real-time streamed spatial data follows non-uniform spatial distributions that are continuously changing over time. Distributed spatial streaming systems need to react to the changes in the distribution of spatial data and queries. This article introduces SWARM, a lightweight adaptivity protocol that continuously monitors the data and query workloads across the distributed processes of the spatial data streaming system and redistributes and rebalances the workloads as soon as performance bottlenecks get detected. SWARM is able to handle multiple query-execution and data-persistence models. A distributed streaming system can directly use SWARM to adaptively rebalance the system’s workload among its machines with minimal changes to the original code of the underlying spatial application. Extensive experimental evaluation using real and synthetic datasets illustrate that, on average, SWARM achieves 2

improvement in throughput over a static grid partitioning that is determined based on observing a limited history of the data and query workloads. Moreover, SWARM reduces execution latency on average 4

compared with the other technique.
Political Theology/Theopolitics: The Thresholds and Vulnerabilities of Sovereignty
Authors: McAllister Carlota , Napolitano Valentina
Published: June 2021

Anthropological work on political theology has been informed by Agamben's work on the state of exception and, thus, by a Schmittian account of sovereignty as analogous to that of the God who bestows miracles. In this review, we read gestures to this analogy's limits in recent ethnographies of the state, vital force, and the Anthropocene as also pointing to the limits of anthropology's secularity and its embedding in the colonial enterprise. In so doing, we recover a potential opening to theistic force that anthropology has long fought to foreclose. We conclude by proposing a conceptual counter to political theology, grounded in negative theology as well as critical theories drawing on the force of the negative, which we call theopolitics. Theopolitics refers to a sovereignty from below characterized by vulnerability and openness to an ever-provisional messianic force that partakes in history, including the colonial history of anthropology itself.
Argo—Two Decades: Global Oceanography, Revolutionized
Authors: Johnson Gregory C. , Hosoda Shigeki , Jayne Steven R. , Oke Peter R. , Riser Stephen C. , Roemmich Dean , Suga Tohsio , Thierry Virginie , Wijffels Susan E. , Xu Jianping
Published: June 2021

Argo, an international, global observational array of nearly 4,000 autonomous robotic profiling floats, each measuring ocean temperature and salinity from 0 to 2,000 m on nominal 10-day cycles, has revolutionized physical oceanography. Argo started at the turn of the millennium,growing out of advances in float technology over the previous several decades. After two decades, with well over 2 million profiles made publicly available in real time, Argo data have underpinned more than 4,000 scientific publications and improved countless nowcasts, forecasts, and projections. We review a small subset of those accomplishments, such as elucidating remarkable zonal jets spanning the deep tropical Pacific; increasing understanding of ocean eddies and the roles of mixing in shaping water masses and circulation; illuminating interannual to decadal ocean variability; quantifying, in concert with satellite data, contributions of ocean warming and ice melting to sea level rise; improving coupled numerical weather predictions; and underpinning decadal climate forecasts.
[Retracted] Risk Assessment of Government Debt Based on Machine Learning Algorithm
Authors: Chen Dan
Published: June 2021

Government debt risk is an important factor affecting macroeconomic stability and public expectation. The key to its prevention and control lies in early warning and early prevention. This paper builds an effective government debt risk assessment system based on machine learning algorithm. According to forming the performance of local government debt risk and its internal and external influencing factors, this study applies the analytic hierarchy process, entropy method, and BP neural network method to construct the local government risk assessment index system, which includes the primary and secondary indexes including the explicit debt risk, the contingent implicit debt risk, and the financial and economic operation risk. Using this system, this study carries on the government debt risk comprehensive weight assignment, the fiscal revenue forecast, the default probability calculation, the safety scale forecast, and finally the government debt risk assessment of the validity analysis. The system can provide signal guidance and policy reference for finance to cope with risks in advance, arrange the priority order of debt repayment, optimize the structure of fiscal revenue and expenditure, etc.
The Third‐Order Shear Deformation Theory for Modeling the Static Bending and Dynamic Responses of Piezoelectric Bidirectional Functionally Graded Plates
Authors: Dung Nguyen Thai , Minh Phung Van , Hung Hoang Manh , Tien Dao Minh
Published: June 2021

This work is the first exploration of the static bending and dynamic response analyses of piezoelectric bidirectional functionally graded plates by combining the third‐order shear deformation theory of Reddy and the finite element approach, which can numerically model mechanical relations of the structure. The present approach and mechanical model are confirmed through the verification examples. The geometrical and material study is conducted to evaluate the effects of the feedback coefficients, volume fraction parameter, and constraint conditions on the static and dynamic behaviors of piezoelectric bidirectional functionally graded structures, and this work presents a wide variety of static and dynamic behaviors of the plate with many interesting results. There are many meanings that have not been mentioned by any work, especially the working performance of the structure is better than that when the feedback parameter of the piezoelectric component is added, that is, the piezoelectric layer increases the working efficiency. Numerical investigations are the important basis for calculating and designing related materials and structures in technical practice.
Experimental Study on the Effect of Compaction Work and Defect on the Strength of Soil‐Rock Mixture Subgrade
Authors: Yan Xin , Zhan Wei , Hu Zhi , Yu Yiqiang , Xiao Danqiang
Published: June 2021

Soil‐rock mixture is a common filling material for earth dam and subgrade. In this study, research concerned on the evolution law of engineering characteristics of soil‐rock mixture under different factors and the effect of defect on subgrade strength, and geotechnical tests were carried out to analyze the influence of different factors on engineering characteristics of soil‐rock mixture in the study, and the physical model was carried out to analyze the effect of different compaction works on the resilient modulus, and the influence of defect on the strength was explored by manually preset loose body. The test results showed that (1) when the soil‐rock mixture was graded, P = 78, the moisture content was 14%, and the engineering characteristics were optimal; (2) there was a positive correlation between compaction times and resilient modulus, and the stress transferred from the subgrade to soil was linearly distributed under the good condition of compactness; and (3) the existence of loose body not only reduces the modulus of resilience but also affects the stress transfer; the larger the loose body, the lower the resilient modulus and the greater the stress transfer.
Statistical Tracking Behavior Analysis for the Affine Projection Algorithm Based on Direction Error
Authors: Zhi Yongfeng , Guo Wenyan
Published: June 2021

Under the condition that the step size is less than one, a statistical tracking behavior analysis for the affine projection algorithm based on direction error is discussed. When the unknown true weight vector is modeled by the stochastic walk model, the mean weight error is derived under the four assumptions based on the deterministic recursive equation. Furthermore, the statistical tracking behavior of the steady state is analyzed for the affine projection algorithm based on direction error. Simulation analysis is shown to suppniort the mathematical results.
An Immune-Related Prognostic Classifier Is Associated with Diffuse Large B Cell Lymphoma Microenvironment
Authors: Liang Xiao-Jie , Fu Rui-ying , Wang He-nan , Yang Jing , Yao Na , Liu Xin-di , Wang Liang
Published: June 2021

Background. Diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is a life-threatening malignant tumor characterized by heterogeneous clinical, phenotypic, and molecular manifestations. Given the association between immunity and tumors, identifying a suitable immune biomarker could improve DLBCL diagnosis. Methods. We systematically searched for DLBCL gene expression microarray datasets from the GEO database. Immune-related genes (IRGs) were obtained from the ImmPort database, and 318 transcription factor (TF) targets in cancer were retrieved from the Cistrome Cancer database. An immune-related classifier for DLBCL prognosis was constructed using Cox regression and LASSO analysis. To assess differences in overall survival between the low- and high-risk groups, we analyzed the tumor microenvironment (TME) and immune infiltration in DLBCL using the ESTIMATE and CIBERSORT algorithms. WGCNA was applied to study the molecular mechanisms explaining the clinical significance of our immune-related classifier and TFs. Results. Eighteen IRGs were selected to construct the classifier. The multi-IRG classifier showed powerful predictive ability. Patients with a high-risk score had poor survival. Based on the AUC for three- and five-year survival, the classifier exhibited better predictive power than clinical data. Discrepancies in overall survival between the low- and high-risk score groups might be explained by differences in immune infiltration, TME, and transcriptional regulation. Conclusions. Our study describes a novel prognostic IRG classifier with strong predictive power in DLBCL. Our findings provide valuable guidance for further analysis of DLBCL pathogenesis and clinical treatment.
Characteristics and Developments in Mesenchymal Stem Cell Therapy for COVID-19: An Update
Authors: Sang Lu , Guo Xiaoqin , Shi Jie , Hou Shike , Fan Haojun , Lv Qi
Published: June 2021

The outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has so far resulted in over a hundred million people being infected. COVID-19 poses a threat to human health around the world. Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has been confirmed as the pathogenic virus of COVID-19. SARS-CoV-2 belongs to the β-coronavirus family of viruses and is mainly transmitted through the respiratory tract. It has been proven that SARS-CoV-2 mainly targets angiotensin-converting enzyme II (ACE2) receptors on the surface of various cells in humans. The main clinical symptoms of COVID-19 include fever, cough, and severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Current evidence suggests that the damage caused by the virus may be closely related to the induction of cytokine storms in COVID-19. No specific drugs or measures have yet to be shown to cure COVID-19 completely. Cell-based approaches, primarily mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), have been identified to have anti-inflammatory and immune functions in COVID-19. Clinical studies about using MSCs and its derivatives—exosomes for COVID-19 treatment—are under investigation. Here, we review the current progress of the biological characteristics, clinical manifestations, and cell-based treatment development for COVID-19. Providing up-to-date information on COVID-19 and potential MSC therapies will help highlight routes to prevent and treat the disease.
Anticancer Activity of Ipomoea purpurea Leaves Extracts in Monolayer and Three-Dimensional Cell Culture
Authors: Beheshti F. , Shabani A. A. , Akbari Eidgahi M. R. , Kookhaei P. , Vazirian M. , Safavi M.
Published: June 2021

Cancer is a leading cause of death and a vital health care challenge in the world. Hence, this work was conducted to determine the in vitro anticancer property and also the molecular mechanism of aqueous and organic extracts of Ipomoea purpurea leaves in three human cancer cell lines, including A-549 (human lung cancer), HepG-2 (human liver cancer), MDA-MB-231 (human breast cancer), and MCF-10A (breast normal cell line). In vitro cytotoxic potential of organic extracts, such as hexane, chloroform, ethyl-acetate, methanol, and aqueous extract was examined using a standard (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazole)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) MTT method in both monolayer two-dimensional (2D) and spheroids multicellular three-dimensional (3D) cultures. The MTT assay data showed that methanol and chloroform extracts of I. purpurea leaves had the antiproliferative effect on lung and breast cancer cells with IC50 of 53.62 ± 0.07 and 124.5 ± 0.01 µg/mL, respectively. The results of further examinations, such as dual acridine orange/ethidium bromide, Annexin V-FITC/PI, and caspase-3 colorimetric assay, confirmed that methanol and chloroform extracts of I. purpurea as the most potent cytotoxic extracts might contain a variety of phytochemicals, promoting apoptosis in lung and breast cancer cells. The present research findings suggested that methanolic extract of I. purpurea leaves induced S-phase cell cycle arrest and intrinsic pathway of apoptosis in A-549 lung cancer cells. The study further showed that I. purpurea could be a helpful candidate for cancer treatment.
Research on the Application of Visual SLAM in Embedded GPU
Authors: Ma Tianji , Bai Nanyang , Shi Wentao , Wu Xi , Wang Lutao , Wu Tao , Zhao Changming
Published: June 2021

In the automatic navigation robot field, robotic autonomous positioning is one of the most difficult challenges. Simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) technology can incrementally construct a map of the robot’s moving path in an unknown environment while estimating the position of the robot in the map, providing an effective solution for robots to fully navigate autonomously. The camera can obtain corresponding two‐dimensional digital images from the real three‐dimensional world. These images contain very rich colour, texture information, and highly recognizable features, which provide indispensable information for robots to understand and recognize the environment based on the ability to autonomously explore the unknown environment. Therefore, more and more researchers use cameras to solve SLAM problems, also known as visual SLAM. Visual SLAM needs to process a large number of image data collected by the camera, which has high performance requirements for computing hardware, and thus, its application on embedded mobile platforms is greatly limited. This paper presents a parallelization method based on embedded hardware equipped with embedded GPU. Use CUDA, a parallel computing platform, to accelerate the visual front‐end processing of the visual SLAM algorithm. Extensive experiments are done to verify the effectiveness of the method. The results show that the presented method effectively improves the operating efficiency of the visual SLAM algorithm and ensures the original accuracy of the algorithm.
Effectiveness of Selected Cold Chain Management Practices to Extend Shelf Life of Mango Fruit
Authors: Amwoka Emmanuel M. , Ambuko Jane L. , Jesang’ Hutchinson M. , Owino Willis O.
Published: June 2021

An on-farm study was conducted among smallholder mango farmers in Embu County of Kenya to demonstrate the effectiveness of simple harvest and postharvest handling practices to attain cold chain and extend mango shelf life. The recommended cold chain practices were compared with common farmers' practices. 'Apple', 'Ngowe', 'Kent', and 'Tommy Atkins' harvested at the mature green stage were used in the study. To demonstrate proper cold chain, fruits were harvested before 8 am, transported in crates lined with dampened newspapers, precooled in an evaporative charcoal cooler, and then transferred to a Coolbot™ cold room (10 ± 2°C). To demonstrate common farmers’ practices, fruits were harvested at noon, transported in open crates, and stored at ambient room conditions (25 ± 7°C, 55 ± 15%RH). The air and fruit pulp temperatures were monitored regularly using HUATO® data loggers. During the storage period, a random sample of 3 fruits (per variety) per treatment was taken after every 3 days to evaluate ripening related changes including physiological weight loss, colour, firmness, and total soluble solids. Proper cold chain practices resulted in low fruit pulp temperature (average 11°C) compared to 25°C for fruits handled using common practices by farmers leading to faster ripening as evidenced by lower peel/pulp colour and firmness, higher physiological weight loss, and higher total soluble solids. For example, flesh firmness of fruits under poor cold chain practices decreased from initial 36.6 N, 45.9 N, 66.5 N, and 46.8 N to 3.1 N, 2.4 N, 3.2 N, and 3.1 N for ‘Apple’, ‘Ngowe’, ‘Kent’, and ‘Tommy Atkins’ varieties, respectively, at the end of storage while that of fruits under proper cold chain practices reduced to 2.3 N, 1.5 N, 3.9 N, and 2.9 N, respectively, for the four varieties at the end of storage. Overall, proper cold chain management extended mango shelf life by 18 days. Application of simple harvest and handling practices coupled with simple storage technologies can attain and maintain the cold chain required to preserve quality and extend shelf life. This could increase the marketing and storage periods for later selling and processing, respectively, of mango fruits.
Radiografía de los ingresos tributarios de los impuestos personales (2010 al 2019)
Authors: Borges Humberto
Published: June 2021

En el momento histórico que vive Chile, dentro de una crisis sanitaria, económica y social, donde existe mucha expectación en las decisiones políticas que se están tomando, se plantean nuevas reformas tributarias y formas de impuestos, buscando disminuir la desigualdad y palear los grandes gastos de la pandemia. Además, en los últimos años la OCDE indica a Chile con un problema de desigualdad tributaria, principalmente por la gran recaudación del impuesto regresivo (IVA) frente a la de los impuestos personales (Impuesto Global Complementario, IGC) que son más progresivos. Continuar leyendo...
Identification of “Digital Sarcopenia” Can Aid the Detection of Pancreatic Exocrine Insufficiency and Malnutrition Assessment in Patients with Suspected Pancreatic Pathology
Authors: Jalal Mustafa , Rosendahl Jonas , Campbell Jennifer A. , Vinayagam Ragu , Al-Mukhtar Ahmed , Hopper Andrew D.
Published: June 2021

Background: Pancreatic exocrine insufficiency (PEI) and subsequent malnutrition can be difficult to diagnose but lead to sarcopenia and increased mortality and morbidity even in benign disease. Digital skeletal muscle analysis has been increasingly recognised as a tool to diagnose sarcopenia. Objective: The aim of the study was to assess the prevalence of sarcopenia in patients with PEI secondary to benign disease using novel skeletal muscle recognition software. Methods: Prospective recruitment of patients referred for endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) with suspected pancreatic pathology. Patients with suspected pancreatic cancer on initial computed tomography (CT) were excluded. The diagnosis of chronic pancreatitis (CP) was based on CT and EUS findings. PEI was assessed with faecal elastase-1. Digital measurement of skeletal muscle mass identified sarcopenia, with demographic and comorbidity data also collected. Results: PEI was identified in 45.1% (46/102) of patients recruited, and 29.4% (30/102) had changes of CP. Sarcopenia was significantly more prevalent in PEI 67.4% (31/46) than no-PEI 37.5% (21/56) (37.5%), regardless of CP changes (p < 0.003). The prevalence of sarcopenia (67% vs. 35%; p = 0.02) and sarcopenic obesity (68.4% vs. 25%; p = 0.003) was significantly higher when PEI was present without a radiological diagnosis of CP. Multivariate analysis identified sarcopenia and diabetes to be independently associated with PEI (odds ratio 4.8 and 13.8, respectively, p < 0.05). Conclusion: Sarcopenia was strongly associated with PEI in patients undergoing assessment for suspected benign pancreatic pathology. Digital skeletal muscle assessment can be used as a tool to aid identification of sarcopenia in patients undergoing CT scan for pancreatic symptoms.
The Israel-PLO Mutual Recognition Agreement
Authors: Singer Joel
Published: June 2021

From the perspective of a practitioner who was deeply engaged in the negotiations, this article describes how the Israeli-Palestinian Mutual Recognition Agreement was conceived and negotiated. It explains the process of convincing Israeli and Palestinian leaders to accept mutual recognition, overcoming their initial objections. While not nearly as publicized as the 1993 Declaration of Principles agreed at Oslo, this Agreement became the bedrock for all the Oslo Accords, and set the stage for subsequent negotiations.
Preparation of MoSi2 Coating on Mo Substrate for Oxidation Resistance by a Facile Method
Authors: Sun Shuchen , Qiu Jiahang , Zhang Mu , Guo Ruizhi , Xiu Zhimeng , Li Xiaodong , Sun Xudong
Published: June 2021

A MoSi2 coating layer with a MoB protected layer was simply prepared by using a combined method, which involved slurry painting and an embedded method via a hot press sintering process. The microstructure and phase composition of the coatings were investigated and determined.
The experimental time and the B addition are considered as important factors to be discussed in this study. All the results proved that when B is added, it was found that the formation of MoB played an important role of a diffusion barrier to Si and hindered the production of the poor oxidation
resistance phases (Mo5Si3 and Mo3Si).
Information Detection and Data Denoising Method Using Nano Electrode Array Sensor
Authors: Le Cheng
Published: June 2021

Computer technology and sensor technology can be combined. The technology set can be used to monitor the concentration of heavy metals in soil, which can help to prevent the occurrence of heavy metal pollution in time. First, nanotechnology, electrode polarization and the advantages
of gold nanoparticles modified electrode are studied, and the design method of the nano electrode array is further analyzed. Also, the internal parameters of the three-electrode equivalent circuit are studied, and the model of the three-electrode equivalent circuit is derived. On this basis,
a heavy metal monitoring circuit based on the nano electrode array sensor is designed. While the information monitoring based on this circuit is performed, wavelet domain denoising technology is studied in data processing. In view of the defects of the general hard threshold in practical application,
the threshold is improved to recognize the depth of denoising. In the experiment, gold nanoparticles modified mercury electrode is used as working electrode. According to the principle that the precipitation time is inversely proportional to the detection current, 0.01 mol/L HCl is selected
as the solution environment; moreover, it is set that pH=4 and the precipitation time is 4 min. The results show that for the same kind of ions, with the increase of the concentration of ions to be measured, the scanning potential range remains unchanged, while the peak current increases significantly.
Metal ions can be effectively identified based on the potential corresponding to peak value. In the data processing of the detection circuit, the improved signal denoising method is compared with the default threshold wavelet domain denoising technology. The results show that the improved
wavelet domain denoising method has less signal error, and the denoising effect of heavy metal detection is obvious.
Convective heat transfer for Peristaltic flow of SWCNT inside a sinusoidal elliptic duct
Authors: Akhtar Salman , McCash Luthais B , Nadeem Sohail , Saleem Salman , Issakhov Alibek
Published: June 2021

A mathematical model is presented to analyse the flow characteristics and heat transfer aspects of a heated Newtonian viscous fluid with single wall carbon nanotubes inside a vertical duct having elliptic cross section and sinusoidally fluctuating walls. Exact mathematical computations are performed to get temperature, velocity and pressure gradient expressions. A polynomial solution technique is utilized to obtain these mathematical solutions. Finally, these computational results are presented graphically and different characteristics of peristaltic flow phenomenon are examined in detail through these graphs. The velocity declines as the volume fraction of carbon nanotubes increases in the base fluid. Since the velocity of fluid is dependent on its temperature in this study case and temperature decreases with increasing volumetric fraction of carbon nanotubes. Thus velocity also declines for increasing volumetric fraction of nanoparticles.
Puberty challenges of female adolescents with visual impairment
Authors: Aghaee-Chaghooshi Shirin , khodabakhshi-koolaee Anahita , Falsafinejad Mohammad Reza
Published: June 2021

Physical, psychological, emotional, and social maturity is one of the main challenges occurring during adolescence and is associated with dramatic changes in adolescents. However, these challenges are worsened when the adolescent has a disability in addition to pubertal changes. Accordingly, the present study aimed to explore the puberty challenges of female adolescents with visual impairment.This study is qualitative in terms of its design and an applied study in terms of its objectives and was conducted using a descriptive phenomenology. The research population included all female adolescents with visual impairment who were studying in high school in Tehran in 2020. The participants were blind and visually impaired girls who were selected from the Narjes educational Complex for Blind Girls using purposive sampling. The data were collected through semi-structured interviews and were saturated after interviewing 15 participants. All interviews were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed. The collected data were analyzed using Colaizzi’s seven-step method of data analysis.

The challenges faced by the female adolescents with visual impairment were categorized into four main themes including “worrying emotions experienced during puberty,” “development of emotional and love needs,” “redefining social relationships with family and others,” and “lack of information resources on puberty.” This study showed that the lack of information resources, awareness about puberty for female adolescents with visual impairment, the way others treat the puberty of girls, and adolescents’ own reaction to the phenomenon of puberty affect their quality of life in this period. Therefore, paying attention to the experience of female adolescents with visual impairment about the phenomenon of puberty provides a true picture of the feelings, needs, and challenges for visually impaired female adolescents during puberty, their families, school health educators, health professionals, and school counselors.
Examining perceptions towards war/peace journalism: A survey of journalists in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan
Authors: Hussain Shabir , Ahmad Araz Ramazan
Published: June 2021

Following seminal study on journalistic attitudes towards wars and peace journalism, in this study we investigated the perceptions of conflict reporters in the three most deadly countries in the world including Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan. A total of 317 journalists participated in this study. Though generally we found support for the earlier study, the analysis shows journalists engage in wider practices than predicted that overlap war and peace journalism approaches. A closer examination showed that journalists favored active war journalism practices and passive peace journalism practices. Finally, we did not find that journalistic experience and contextual factors influenced preferences towards war and peace journalism substantially.
Humanitarian diplomacy as an instrument for China’s image-building
Authors: Gong Lina
Published: June 2021

Image-building has been an important goal of China’s foreign policy. Humanitarian diplomacy provides a useful instrument to build a benign international image, given the altruistic nature of humanitarian action. China’s humanitarian diplomacy has undergone changes in recent years, such as substantial increases in humanitarian spending, institutional reforms and the emergence of Chinese non-state actors. The existing literature on China’s humanitarian activities is scant due to the country’s limited engagement in global humanitarian action previously. This article aims to contribute to the scholarship by examining China’s humanitarian activities in Southeast Asia during the COVID-19 pandemic through the lens of image-building. Specifically, it answers the questions of how China uses humanitarian action to improve its international image and how effective such efforts have been. This article finds that the outcome of China’s image-building through humanitarian activities is influenced by the severity of the crisis, the national response of the country affected and the perceived legitimacy of China’s action. It concludes that China’s humanitarian diplomacy has achieved mixed outcomes in Southeast Asia. While China has been recognized as a major provider of help during the pandemic, its assistance has not substantially improved its image in the region.
Analysis of Charges and Payments for Outpatient Arthroscopic Meniscectomy From 2005 to 2014: Hospital Reimbursement Increased Steadily as Surgeon Payments Declined
Authors: LaPrade Matthew D. , Camp Christopher L. , Krych Aaron J. , Werner Brian C.
Published: June 2021

Background:

Charge and reimbursement trends for arthroscopic partial meniscectomies among orthopaedic surgeons, anesthesiologists, and hospital/surgery centers have not been formally analyzed, even though meniscectomies are the most commonly performed orthopaedic surgery.

Purpose:

To analyze Medicare charge and reimbursement trends for surgeons, anesthesiologists, and hospital/surgery centers for outpatient arthroscopic partial meniscectomies performed in the United States.

Study Design:

Economic and decision analysis; Level of evidence, 4.

Methods:

We analyzed trends in surgeon, anesthesiologist, and hospital charges and reimbursements for outpatient isolated arthroscopic partial meniscectomies from 2005 to 2014. Current Procedural Terminology codes were used to capture charge and reimbursement information using the nationally representative 5% Medicare sample. National and regional trends for charge, reimbursement, and Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) were evaluated using linear regression analysis.

Results:

A total of 31,717 patients were analyzed in this study. Charges across all groups increased significantly ( P < .001) during the 10-year study period, with an increase of 18.4% ($2754-$3262) for surgeons, 85.5% ($802-$1480) for anesthesiologists, and 116.8% ($2743-$5947) for hospitals. Surgeon reimbursements declined by 15.5% ($504-$426; P = .072) during this period. Anesthesiologist and hospital reimbursements increased significantly during by 36.5% ($133-$182; P < .001) and 28.9% ($1540-$1984; P < .001) during the 10-year study period, respectively. The annual incidence of partial meniscectomies per 10,000 database patients decreased significantly from 18.3 to 15.6 over the course of the study (14.8% decrease; P = .009), while the CCI did not change significantly ( P = .798).

Conclusion:

Hospital and anesthesiologist Medicare reimbursements for outpatient arthroscopic partial meniscectomies increased significantly, while surgeon reimbursements decreased. In 2005, hospitals were reimbursed 205% more ($1540 vs $504) than surgeons, and by 2014, they were reimbursed 365% more ($1984 vs $426), indicating that the gap between hospital and surgeon reimbursement is rising. Improved understanding of charge and reimbursement trends represents an opportunity for key stakeholders to improve financial alignment across the field of orthopaedics.
Activation of natural killer T cells enhances the function of regulatory T-cell therapy in suppressing murine GVHD
Authors: Hirai Toshihito , Lin Po-Yu , Simonetta Federico , Maas-Bauer Kristina , Turkoz Mustafa , Mavers Melissa , Baker Jeanette , Negrin Robert S.
Published: June 2021

Cellular therapy with regulatory T cells (Tregs) has shown promising results for suppressing graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) while preserving graft vs tumor effects in animal models and phase 1/2 clinical trials. However, a paucity of Tregs in the peripheral blood makes it difficult to acquire sufficient numbers of cells and hampers further clinical application. Invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells constitute another compartment of regulatory cells that ameliorate GVHD through activation of Tregs after their own activation with α-galactosylceramide (α-GalCer) or adoptive transfer. We demonstrate here that a single administration of α-GalCer liposome (α-GalCer-lipo) enhanced the in vivo expansion of Tregs after adoptive transfer in a murine GVHD model and improved therapeutic efficacy of Treg therapy even after injection of otherwise suboptimal cell numbers. Host iNKT cells rather than donor iNKT cells were required for GVHD suppression because the survival benefit of α-GalCer-lipo administration was not shown in the transplantation of cells from wild-type (WT) C57BL/6 mice into Jα18−/− iNKT cell–deficient BALB/c mice, whereas it was observed from Jα18−/− C57BL/6 donor mice into WT BALB/c recipient mice. The combination of iNKT cell activation and Treg adoptive therapy may make Treg therapy more feasible and safer by enhancing the efficacy and reducing the number of Tregs required.
Axicabtagene ciloleucel in vivo expansion and treatment outcome in aggressive B-cell lymphoma in a real-world setting
Authors: Ayuk Francis A. , Berger Carolina , Badbaran Anita , Zabelina Tatjana , Sonntag Tanja , Riecken Kristoffer , Geffken Maria , Wichmann Dominic , Frenzel Christian , Thayssen Guenther , Zeschke Silke , Kröger Nicolaus , Fehse Boris
Published: June 2021

Data on the association between chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T-cell kinetics and patient outcome in the nontrial setting are missing, mainly due to the lack of broadly available CAR-T-cell diagnostic quantification tools. We performed prospective quantification of axicabtagene ciloleucel (axi-cel) in 21 patients treated for aggressive B-cell lymphoma at our clinic. Median peak CAR-T-cell count was 16.14 CAR-T cells/µL. Patients with 16.14/μL or higher peak CAR-T cells (strong expanders) had more day-30 objective responses (91% vs 40%, P = .02). In univariate analysis, peak CAR-T cell ≥ 16.14 (P < .001), normal platelet counts at start of lymphodepletion (P < .001), no prior stem cell transplant (P = .04), and peak CAR-T cells as continuous variable (P = .03) were associated with better progression-free survival (PFS). After adjusting for platelet counts and prior stem cell transplantation, peak CAR-T cells below median was still associated with shorter PFS (relative risk, 0.15, 95% confidence interval, 0.04-0.59, P = .007). Low platelet counts also maintained significant impact on PFS. Our data demonstrate association of axi-cel levels and outcome in a nontrial setting and for the first time use a cutoff to segregate weak and strong expanders with respective outcomes.
Effect of DNMT3A variant allele frequency and double mutation on clinicopathologic features of patients with de novo AML
Authors: Narayanan Damodaran , Pozdnyakova Olga , Hasserjian Robert P. , Patel Sanjay S. , Weinberg Olga K.
Published: June 2021

The clinicopathologic features of DNA methyltransferase 3A (DNMT3A)-mutated de novo acute myeloid leukemia (AML), and the significance of variant type, variant allele frequency (VAF), and multiple concomitant DNMT3A mutations, remain poorly defined. We examined 104 DNMT3A-mutated de novo AML patients from 2 major centers. Most (82%) had normal karyotype (NK); R882H variants were frequent(38%). The most commonly comutated genes included nucleophosmin (NPM1; 53%), Fms-related tyrosine kinase 3 (FLT3)–internal tandem duplication (25%), IDH1 (23%), IDH2 (23%), and TET2 (21%). Patients with high DNMT3A VAF at diagnosis (≥44%; DNMT3AHIGH) had more significant leukocytosis and higher blast counts in peripheral blood and bone marrow. DNMT3AHIGH cases were associated with much shorter event-free survival (EFS; 14.1 vs 56.8 months) and overall survival (OS; 18.3 months vs not reached) compared with cases of patients with low DNMT3A (DNMT3ALOW). Thirteen patients had 2 DNMT3A variants and similar VAFs at diagnosis that tracked together at multiple time points after chemotherapy and/or stem cell transplantation (SCT). In multivariable analyses performed in NK patients who received standard induction chemotherapy, presence of 2 DNMT3A mutations (hazard ratio [HR] = 3.192; P = .038) and SCT in first complete remission (HR = 0.295; P = .001) independently affected EFS; increasing marrow blast percentage (HR = 1.026; P = .025), high DNMT3A VAF (HR = 3.003; P = .010), and 2 DNMT3A mutations (HR = 4.816; P = .020) had independent effects on OS. These data support the adverse prognostic significance of DNMT3AHIGH reveal a novel association between 2 concomitant DNMT3A mutations and inferior outcome in DNMT3A-mutated de novo AML with a NK.
LncRNA TP73-AS1 promotes oxidized low-density lipoprotein-induced apoptosis of endothelial cells in atherosclerosis by targeting the miR-654-3p/AKT3 axis
Authors: Ni Jia , Huang Zhen , Wang Dan
Published: June 2021

Background

Although lncRNA TP73-AS1 has been shown to play important roles in various human diseases, its function in atherosclerosis (AS) remains unclear.

Methods

Human aortic endothelial cells (HAECs) were treated with 50 μg/ml oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL) to establish an atherosclerotic cell model. The expression of TP73-AS1, miR-654-3p and AKT3 was detected by qRT-PCR. Cell functions were evaluated CCK-8 assay and flow cytometry. The protein levels of apoptosis-related proteins were evaluated by western blot. The binding relationship among TP73-AS1, miR-654-3p and AKT3 was determined by bioinformatics analysis and luciferase reporter assay.

Results

TP73-AS1 was upregulated and miR-654-3p was downregulated in ox-LDL treated HAECs. TP73-AS1 silencing and miR-654-3p mimics decreased the viability and inhibited apoptosis of ox-LDL treated HAECs, decreased the expression levels of c-caspase-9, c-caspase-3 and Bax, and increased Bcl-2 expression. In addition, miR-654-3p inhibitor significantly reversed the inhibitory effects of si-TP73-AS1 on cell viability and apoptosis. TP73-AS1 could positively regulate AKT3 through directly sponging miR-654-3p.

Conclusion

TP73-AS1 promoted apoptosis of ox-LDL stimulated endothelial cells by targeting the miR-654-3p/AKT3 axis, suggesting that TP73-AS1 might be a potential target for AS treatment.
Using a consumer-based wearable activity tracker for physical activity goal setting and measuring steps in pregnant women with gestational diabetes mellitus: exploring acceptance and validity
Authors: Ehrlich Samantha F. , Maples Jill M. , Barroso Cristina S. , Brown Kathleen C. , Bassett David R. , Zite Nikki B. , Fortner Kimberly B.
Published: June 2021

Background

Activity monitoring devices may be used to facilitate goal-setting, self-monitoring, and feedback towards a step-based physical activity (PA) goal. This study examined the performance of the wrist-worn Fitbit Charge 3™ (FC3) and sought opinions on walking and stepping-in-place from women with gestational diabetes (GDM).

Methods

Participants completed six 2-min metronome-assisted over ground bouts that varied by cadence (67, 84, or 100 steps per minute) and mode (walking or stepping-in-place; N = 15), with the sequence randomized. Steps were estimated by FC3 and measured, in duplicate, by direct observation (hand-tally device, criterion). Equivalence testing by the two one-sided tests (TOST) method assessed agreement within ± 15%. Mean absolute percent error (MAPE) of steps were compared to 10%, the accuracy standard of the Consumer Technology Association (CTA)™. A subset (n = 10) completed a timed, 200-m self-paced walk to assess natural walking pace and cadence. All participants completed semi-structured interviews, which were transcribed and analyzed using descriptive and interpretive coding.

Results

Mean age was 27.0 years (SD 4.2), prepregnancy BMI 29.4 kg/m2 (8.3), and gestational age 32.8 weeks (SD 2.6). The FC3 was equivalent to hand-tally for bouts of metronome-assisted walking and stepping-in-place at 84 and 100 steps per minute (i.e., P < .05), although walking at 100 steps per minute (P = .01) was no longer equivalent upon adjustment for multiple comparisons (i.e., at P < .007). The FC3 was equivalent to hand-tally during the 200-m walk (i.e., P < .001), in which mean pace was 68.2 m per minute (SD 10.7), or 2.5 miles per hour, and mean cadence 108.5 steps per minute (SD 6.5). For walking at 84 and 100 steps per minute, stepping-in-place at 100 steps per minute, and the 200-m walk, MAPE was within 10%, the accuracy standard of the CTA™. Interviews revealed motivation for PA, that stepping-in-place was an acceptable alternative to walking, and competing responsibilities made it difficult to find time for PA.

Conclusions

The FC3 appears to be a valid step counter during the third trimester, particularly when walking or stepping-in-place at or close to women’s preferred cadence.