bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A crucial geologic test of Late Jurassic exotic collision versus endemic re-accretion in the Klamath Mountains Province, western United States, with implications for the assembly of western North America
Authors: LaMaskin Todd A. , Rivas Jonathan A. , Barbeau David L. , Schwartz Joshua J. , Russell John A. , Chapman Alan D.
Published: July 2021

Differing interpretations of geophysical and geologic data have led to debate regarding continent-scale plate configuration, subduction polarity, and timing of collisional events on the western North American plate margin in pre–mid-Cretaceous time. One set of models involves collision and accretion of far-traveled “exotic” terranes against the continental margin along a west-dipping subduction zone, whereas a second set of models involves long-lived, east-dipping subduction under the continental margin and a fringing or “endemic” origin for many Mesozoic terranes on the western North American plate margin. Here, we present new detrital zircon U-Pb ages from clastic rocks of the Rattlesnake Creek and Western Klamath terranes in the Klamath Mountains of northern California and southern Oregon that provide a test of these contrasting models. Our data show that portions of the Rattlesnake Creek terrane cover sequence (Salt Creek assemblage) are no older than ca. 170–161 Ma (Middle–early Late Jurassic) and contain 62–83% Precambrian detrital zircon grains. Turbidite sandstone samples of the Galice Formation are no older than ca. 158–153 Ma (middle Late Jurassic) and contain 15–55% Precambrian detrital zircon grains. Based on a comparison of our data to published magmatic and detrital ages representing provenance scenarios predicted by the exotic and endemic models (a crucial geologic test), we show that our samples were likely sourced from the previously accreted, older terranes of the Klamath Mountains and Sierra Nevada, as well as active-arc sources, with some degree of contribution from recycled sources in the continental interior. Our observations are inconsistent with paleogeographic reconstructions that are based on exotic, intra-oceanic arcs formed far offshore of North America. In contrast, the incorporation of recycled detritus from older terranes of the Klamath Mountains and Sierra Nevada, as well as North America, into the Rattlesnake Creek and Western Klamath terranes prior to Late Jurassic deformation adds substantial support to endemic models. Our results suggest that during long-lived, east-dipping subduction, the opening and subsequent closing of the marginal Galice/Josephine basin occurred as a result of in situ extension and subsequent contraction. Our results show that tectonic models invoking exotic, intra-oceanic archipelagos composed of Cordilleran arc terranes fail a crucial geologic test of the terranes’ proposed exotic origin and support the occurrence of east-dipping, pre–mid-Cretaceous subduction beneath the North American continental margin.
Measuring urbanicity as a risk factor for childhood wheeze in a transitional area of coastal ecuador: a cross-sectional analysis
Authors: Rodriguez Alejandro , Rodrigues Laura , Chico Martha , Vaca Maritza , Barreto Mauricio Lima , Brickley Elizabeth , Cooper Philip J
Published: July 2021

Background

The urbanisation process has been associated with increases in asthma prevalence, an observation supported largely by studies comparing urban with rural populations. The nature of this association remains poorly understood, likely because of the limitations of the urban–rural approach to understand what a multidimensional process is.

Objective

This study explored the relationship between the urbanisation process and asthma prevalence using a multidimensional and quantitative measure of urbanicity.

Methods

A cross-sectional analysis was conducted in 1843 children living in areas with diverse levels of urbanisation in the district of Quinindé, Ecuador in 2013–2015. Categorical principal components analysis was used to generate an urbanicity score derived from 18 indicators measured at census ward level based on data from the national census in 2010. Indicators represent demographic, socioeconomic, built environment and geographical dimensions of the urbanisation process. Geographical information system analysis was used to allocate observations and urban characteristics to census wards. Logistic random effects regression models were used to identify associations between urbanicity score, urban indicators and three widely used definitions for asthma.

Results

The prevalence of wheeze ever, current wheeze and doctor diagnosis of asthma was 33.3%, 13% and 6.9%, respectively. The urbanicity score ranged 0–10. Positive significant associations were observed between the urbanicity score and wheeze ever (adjusted OR=1.033, 95% CI 1.01 to 1.07, p=0.05) and doctor diagnosis (adjusted OR=1.06, 95% CI 1.02 to 1.1, p=0.001). For each point of increase in urbanicity score, the prevalence of wheeze ever and doctor diagnosis of asthma increased by 3.3% and 6%, respectively. Variables related to socioeconomic and geographical dimensions of the urbanisation process were associated with greater prevalence of wheeze/asthma outcomes.

Conclusions

Even small increases in urbanicity are associated with a higher prevalence of asthma in an area undergoing the urban transition. The use of a multidimensional urbanicity indicator has greater explanatory power than the widely used urban–rural dichotomy to improve our understanding of how the process of urbanisation affects the risk of asthma.
Congenital Syphilis Coinfection in a Preterm Infant with Early Onset Sepsis due to Enterobacter cloacae
Authors: Bin Sakviseth , Im Sethikar
Published: July 2021

Introduction. Syphilis is a tropical disease, caused by a spirochete Treponema pallidum, which can be transmitted transplacentally from untreated mothers to the fetus during any stages of pregnancy. Clinical manifestations of early congenital syphilis are variable and nonspecific. The diagnosis is based on the serology status of the mother, newborn clinical symptoms, and comparative serology titer between mother and newborn. Case Presentation. A late preterm female infant, appropriate for gestational age, was treated for severe early onset sepsis due to Enterobacter cloacae since day 2 of life. The coinfection with Treponema pallidum was suspected and confirmed at day 4 with clinical signs and a fourfold increase of rapid plasma reagin (RPR) compared to mother’s serology. Combined with meropenem and amikacin, Benzyl-Penicillin was used for 10 days, thereby resulting in a significant clinical and laboratory improvement. The girl was discharged at day 18 and brought for regular follow-ups for both growth milestone and syphilis serology. RPR decreased fourfold at the age of 1 month. Conclusion. Syphilis should not be overlooked. The vertical transmission is preventable by an on-time treatment of the infected mother, triggered by a proper antenatal screening at the right time. Congenital syphilis should be ruled out in any challenging neonatal sepsis. The diagnosis tools and treatments are easily accessible and inexpensive in our economical settings.
Diabetic Nephropathy: Challenges in Pathogenesis, Diagnosis, and Treatment
Authors: Samsu Nur
Published: July 2021

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is the leading cause of end‐stage renal disease worldwide. Chronic hyperglycemia and high blood pressure are the main risk factors for the development of DN. In general, screening for microalbuminuria should be performed annually, starting 5 years after diagnosis in type 1 diabetes and at diagnosis and annually thereafter in type 2 diabetes. Standard therapy is blood glucose and blood pressure control using the renin‐angiotensin system blockade, targeting A1c < 7%, and <130/80 mmHg. Regression of albuminuria remains an important therapeutic goal. However, there are problems in diagnosis and treatment of nonproteinuric DN (NP‐DN), which does not follow the classic pattern of DN. In fact, the prevalence of DN continues to increase, and additional therapy is needed to prevent or ameliorate the condition. In addition to conventional therapies, vitamin D receptor activators, incretin‐related drugs, and therapies that target inflammation may also be promising for the prevention of DN progression. This review focuses on the role of inflammation and oxidative stress in the pathogenesis of DN, approaches to diagnosis in classic and NP‐DN, and current and emerging therapeutic interventions.
Quantile-Based Estimation of Liu Parameter in the Linear Regression Model: Applications to Portland Cement and US Crime Data
Authors: Suhail Muhammad , Babar Iqra , Khan Yousaf Ali , Imran Muhammad , Nawaz Zeeshan
Published: July 2021

In multiple linear regression models, the multicollinearity problem mostly occurs when the explanatory variables are correlated among each other. It is well known that when the multicollinearity exists, the variance of the ordinary least square estimator is unstable. As a remedy, Liu in [1] developed a new method of estimation with biasing parameter d. In this paper, we have introduced a new method to estimate the biasing parameter in order to mitigate the problem of multicollinearity. The proposed method provides the class of estimators that are based on quantile of the regression coefficients. The performance of the new estimators is compared with the existing estimators through Monte Carlo simulation, where mean squared error and mean absolute error are considered as evaluation criteria of the estimators. Portland cement and US Crime data is used as an application to illustrate the benefit of the new estimators. Based on simulation and numerical study, it is concluded that the new estimators outperform the existing estimators in certain situations including high and severe cases of multicollinearity. 95% mean prediction interval of all the estimators is also computed for the Portland cement data. We recommend the use of new method to practitioners when the problem of high multicollinearity exists among the explanatory variables.
Corporate Leadership Strategy Management Based on Entropy Coupling Algorithm
Authors: Wu Zhaoyang , Liao James Yong , Wang Shiyong , Ji Jiaoyao , Zhao Xiaokui
Published: July 2021

With the continued economic downturn, coupled with the slowdown of domestic economic development and fierce market competition, the development of small and medium-sized enterprises has become more and more difficult. Because the financial background and operating strength of small and medium-sized enterprises are far inferior to large-scale enterprises, coupled with the influence of global economic integration, many small and medium-sized enterprises have gradually closed down. Therefore, exploring the entropy coupling algorithm is of great significance to the role of corporate leadership strategy management. This paper studies the coupling conditions and coupling process of corporate strategy and business model, builds a new coupling model, and goes deep into the coupling model to study the cooperation mechanism between its internal modules and initially builds the company to break through the two major dilemmas at the same time. This paper uses entropy theory to evaluate corporate leadership strategy, constructs an evaluation index system based on entropy, determines the weight of each index, and calculates the entropy value. This paper uses the alpha coefficient to test the reliability of the questionnaire. The value range of α coefficient is [0, 1], and different values represent different reliability. Large enterprises as a whole are mostly in the highly coupled (41.80%) and moderately coupled (27.34%) stages; medium-sized enterprises as a whole are mostly in the highly coupled (39.50%) and moderately coupled (31.50%) stages; small enterprises as a whole are mostly in the moderately coupled (39.50%) and moderately coupled (40.72%), low coupling (33.20%), and high coupling (25.9%) stages; microenterprises as a whole are mostly in the low coupling (43.70%), moderate coupling (36.41%), and high coupling (30.51%) stages. The results show that the entropy coupling algorithm can improve the deficiencies in the leadership strategy and provide a practical and reliable path for carrying out leadership development projects.
Physicochemical Evaluation of Edible Cyanobacterium Arthrospira platensis Collected from the South Atlantic Coast of Morocco: A Promising Source of Dietary Supplements
Authors: Ennaji Hanane , Bourhia Mohammed , Taouam Ikram , Falaq Aziz , Bellahcen Touria Ould , Salamatullah Ahmad Mohammad , Alzahrani Abdulhakeem , Alyahya Heba Khalil , Ullah Riaz , Ibenmoussa Samir , Khlil Naima , Cherki Mounia
Published: July 2021

The cyanobacterium Arthrospira platensis (A. platensis)—a genus of nonheterocystous filamentous cyanobacteria—is used in industrial applications and as a food supply. The current research work aims to study the physicochemical characteristics of A. platensis indigenous to the Moroccan Atlantic coast at Laayoune (Foum El Oued lagoon). The contents of proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins, lipids, minerals, heavy metals, energy value, humidity, ash, pigments, and tannins in A. platensis were investigated using protocols as described in the earlier literature. The values of protein, carbohydrate, and lipid contents in A. platensis were 58.9 ± 0.07, 14.67, and 45.54% respectively. The values of vitamins B2 and B3 dosed in A. platensis were 1.31 ± 0.19 and 30.8 ± 0.001 mg/kg, respectively. The values of heavy metals including lead and chromium were 70 ± 4.5 and 5 ± 0.5 PPB (parts-per-billion), respectively; however, no trace concerning cadmium was detected. The values of energy value, humidity, and ash content were 346.48 ± 0.21, 11.6 ± 0.17%, and 9.1 ± 0.21% kcal/100 g, respectively. The results of pigment content showed the presence of chlorophyll b, chlorophyll a, and carotenoids of 37.506 ± 3.38, 26.066 ± 3.08, and 9.52 ± 0.22 mg/g, respectively. The results obtained revealed that A. platensis indigenous to the Moroccan Atlantic coast at Laayoune was found to be very rich in proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, ash, and pigments and lower in heavy metals and saturated fats when compared with species investigated in the literature. Thus, A. platensis indigenous to the Moroccan Atlantic coast at Laayoune fulfills the requirements for being used as dietary supplements.
Effect of Desert Sand on the Mechanical Properties of Desert Sand Concrete (DSC) after Elevated Temperature
Authors: Liu Yijiang , Yang Weiwu , Chen Xiaolong , Liu Haifeng , Yan Ningna
Published: July 2021

Building fires and shortage of medium sand resources have become two major issues in building domain. Desert sand was used to produce desert sand concrete (DSC), which was suitable for engineering utility. The mechanical properties tests of DSC with different desert sand replacement ratio (DSRR) were carried out after elevated temperature. The effects of elevated temperature and DSRR on DSC mechanical properties were analyzed. DSC microstructure was investigated by SEM and XRD. Research studies’ results showed that the relative compressive strength increased gradually with increasing temperature. The maximum value appeared at 200°C–300°C, and it began to decrease at 500°C. Compared with room temperature, the compressive strength at 700°C was about 70% of that at room temperature. Relative splitting tensile strength increased first and then decreased, and the value reached the maximum at 100°C. DSC relative flexural strength decreased with the temperature. Relative compressive strength, splitting tensile strength, and flexural strength of DSC enhanced first and then decreased with DSRR, and the maximum values were obtained with 40% DSRR. Based on the regressive analysis, the relative compressive strength was a quadratic polynomial with relative porosity. Relative splitting tensile strength and relative flexural strength were linear with relative porosity. Research results can provide the technical support for DSC engineering application and postfire assessment.
Comparison of the Incidence of Capsular Formation in Two‐Stage, Implant‐Based Breast Reconstruction Using an Insertion Funnel and Sizer
Authors: Kim Jun Hyeok , Kim Jung Hyeou , Lee Ahwon , Moon Suk-Ho , Jun Young-Joon , Oh Deuk Young
Published: July 2021

Purpose. Capsular formation around breast implants can produce various complications, including erythema, tenderness, discomfort, and breast deformation. Moreover, the capsule is thought to be correlated with breast implant‐associated anaplastic large cell lymphoma. The proposed technique of capsule reduction can prevent some of these complications. Thus, the authors suggest a no‐touch technique in two‐stage, implant‐based breast reconstruction. Patients and Methods. This single‐center retrospective study evaluated the medical records and digitalized pathological slides of patients who underwent two‐stage, implant‐based breast reconstruction between February 2018 and May 2019. The selected patients were divided into group A and group B. Group A underwent a no‐touch technique that included the following two steps: (1) using a sizer as the frame to create the submuscular and acellular dermal matrix (ADM) pocket for expander insertion and (2) inserting the expander through the funnel. After the second stage of implant insertion, the capsule was harvested for biopsy of the ADM, chest wall, and muscle. Results. This study included 33 breasts (31 patients): 18 in group A and 15 in group B. The capsular thicknesses of the ADM, the chest wall, and the muscle of group A were significantly thinner than those in group B. Pearson’s correlation coefficient indicated negative correlations between capsular thickness and age; underlying disease; lesion side; interval of two‐stage implant insertion; size of the expander; and radiotherapy, chemotherapy, or hormone therapy. Conclusion. To reduce the incidence of capsular formation following breast reconstruction using prostheses, a no‐touch technique that uses a funnel and sizer to avoid implant contact is both efficient and beneficial.
Digital Media Application Technology of Mobile Terminals Based on Edge Computing and Virtual Reality
Authors: Jiang Tao
Published: July 2021

With the maturity of the most advanced technology and virtual reality, the application of digital media technology in various fields has become more and more extensive. Digital media technology has greatly promoted the development of all classes of society. Therefore, how to develop digital media technology applications has become a major issue. This article aims to study the digital media application technology of mobile terminals based on edge computing and virtual reality. In this paper, we use edge computing and virtual reality methods to study the digital media application technology of mobile terminals. We used the SD-CEN architecture and FWA in edge computing to conduct simulation experiments and compared the delay time performance of the FWA with that of the PSO-CO algorithm, WRR algorithm, and Pick-KX algorithm. The results of this paper show that it can effectively reduce the response delay of real-time face recognition services and improve user experience. Compared with the traditional cloud computing architecture and a single MEC device, the SD-CEN network architecture based on FWA strategy has more advantages. The latency of the FWA is increased by 61%, 46%, and 17%, respectively, compared with that of the WRR, Pick-KX, and PSO-CO algorithms.
Cardiovascular Effects Mediated by HMMR and CD44
Authors: Jaskuła Kinga , Sacharczuk Mariusz , Gaciong Zbigniew , Skiba Dominik S.
Published: July 2021

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death worldwide. The most dangerous life-threatening symptoms of CVD are myocardial infarction and stroke. The causes of CVD are not entirely clear, and new therapeutic targets are still being sought. One of the factors involved in CVD development among vascular damage and oxidative stress is chronic inflammation. It is known that hyaluronic acid plays an important role in inflammation and is regulated by numerous stimuli, including proinflammatory cytokines. The main receptors for hyaluronic acid are CD44 and RHAMM. These receptors are membrane proteins that differ in structure, but it seems that they can perform similar or synergistic functions in many diseases. Both RHAMM and CD44 are involved in cell migration and wound healing. However, their close association with CVD is not fully understood. In this review, we describe the role of both receptors in CVD.
Disturbance Rejection Trajectory Tracking Control for an Unmanned Quadrotor Based on Hybrid Controllers
Authors: Ji Xiaoming , Cai Zihui
Published: July 2021

The purpose of this article is to explore a dual-loop problem regarding the trajectory tracking control of a quadrotor unmanned aerial vehicle, applying a linear active disturbance rejection and conditional integrator sliding mode controller, namely, LARC-CISMC. The quadrotor system model is derived through Newton–Euler method and consists of two subsystems. The hybrid controller for position and attitude loops is constructed. An evaluation of the proposed controller is presented in comparison with the linear active disturbance rejection controller. Simulation comparisons and experimental tests illustrate that the proposed controller has a satisfied robustness and accuracy under lumped disturbances.
Comprehensive Characterization of Common and Cancer-Specific Differently Expressed lncRNAs in Urologic Cancers
Authors: Yan You-Ji , Zhang Ling , Zhou Jia-Jie , Chen Zhong-Jun , Liao Yi-Xiang , Zeng Jin-Min , Shen Hao
Published: July 2021

Urologic cancers, comprising prostate carcinoma (PCa), renal cell carcinoma (RCC), and bladder carcinoma (BCa), were the commonly occurred carcinoma amid males. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) with the length of more than 200 nt functioned importantly in physiological and pathological advancement. Nevertheless, further investigation regarding lncRNA expression feature and function in urologic cancers should be essential. This study is aimed at uncovering the roles of the differently expressed lncRNAs in urologic cancers. The data of gene expression levels was downloaded from lncRNAtor datasets. The lncRNA expression pattern existing in different urologic cancers was assessed by hierarchical clustering analysis. Gene Ontology (GO) analysis and KEGG pathway analysis were separately applied to evaluate the biological function and process and the biological pathways involving differently expressed lncRNAs. Our results indicated that 18 lncRNA expressions were increased, and 16 lncRNA expressions were reduced in urologic cancers after comparison with that in normal tissues. Moreover, our results demonstrated 61, 422, 137, and 281 lncRNAs were specifically dysregulated in bladder cancer (BLCA), kidney renal clear cell cancer (KIRC), kidney renal papillary cell cancer (KIRP), and prostate adenocarcinoma (PRAD), respectively. Bioinformatics analysis showed that differently expressed lncRNAs displayed crucially in urologic cancers. The prognostic value of common and cancer-specific differently expressed lncRNAs, such as PVT1, in cancer outcomes, was emphasized here. Our research has deeply unearthed the mechanism of differently expressed lncRNAs in urologic cancers development.
Effectiveness of Steroid Pulse Therapy for Systemic Side Effects after Bacillus Calmette-Guérin Intravesical Instillation Therapy: A Series of Five Cases
Authors: Umemoto Tatsuya , Naruse Jun , Usui Yukio , Zakoji Hidenori , Miyakita Hideshi , Miyajima Akira
Published: July 2021

Introduction. Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) instillation is an established therapy for the treatment of carcinoma in situ (CIS) of the bladder and prevention of recurrence after transurethral resection of bladder tumor noninvasive bladder cancer. However, serious systemic side effects may occur in less than 5% of patients with BCG intravesical instillation. Systemic side effects can sometimes be fatal and require early and accurate treatment. We describe five cases wherein steroid pulse therapy was effective for treating the systemic side effects after BCG intravesical instillation. Case Presentations. BCG intravesical instillation was used to prevent the recurrence of nonmuscle invasive bladder cancer and treat CIS of the bladder; the dose used was 40–80 mg each time, and the Tokyo strain was used. The patients developed fever, impaired consciousness, arthralgia, conjunctival hyperemia, and symptoms of cystitis. The median time from installation to side effect manifestation was 6 days (0–8). One to two courses of steroid pulse therapy were administered (1 course in 3 days), and the dose of methylprednisolone was 500–1000 mg/day. BCG sepsis was observed in one case; however, in the other four cases, one course of steroid pulse therapy showed a rapid improvement in symptoms. In the case of BCG sepsis, hemodialysis and mechanical ventilation were required because of septic shock and acute renal failure. Antituberculosis drugs (isoniazid, rifampicin, and ethambutol) were started promptly; however, no improvement was noticed. Two courses of steroid pulse therapy improved the patient’s general condition, and hemodialysis and mechanical ventilation were no longer required. All patients survived without relapse of symptoms. Conclusion. Our cases suggest that early steroid pulse therapy may be effective for rapid symptom improvement of the systemic side effects of BCG instillation therapy.
Factors Influencing Nonrenewal of Health Insurance Membership in Ejisu-Juaben Municipality of Ashanti Region, Ghana
Authors: Aku Kwawukume Mawumenyo , Mensah Kofi Akohene , Twum Peter , Agyei-Baffour Peter , Opoku Daniel , Brenyah Joseph Kwasi
Published: July 2021

Background. In the quest to prevent households from making catastrophic expenditures at the point of seeking healthcare, the government of Ghana introduced the National Health Insurance in 2003. However, people are reluctant to renew their membership. This study was, therefore, conducted to identify factors influencing the nonrenewal of National Health Insurance membership in the Ejisu-Juaben Municipality. Methods. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 427 respondents in the Ejisu-Juaben Municipality to ascertain factors influencing the nonrenewal of health insurance membership status. Data were entered and analyzed using Stata version 14. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to determine sociodemographic factors, household factors, and systemic factors influencing the nonrenewal of health insurance status. Statistical significance for all testing was set as

p
≤
0.05

. Results. Sociodemographic factors such as gender (AOR = 0.531; CI = 0.287–0.985) and educational level (AOR = 5.268; CI = 1.130–24.551)) were associated with the nonrenewal of health insurance membership. Income levels in Ghana Cedis were 500–1000 (AOR = 0.216; CI = 0.075–0.617) and 1001–2000 (AOR = 0.085; CI = 0.019–0.383). Systemic decision on factors such as clients’ satisfaction (AOR = 0.149; CI = 0.035–0.640), making copayment (AOR = 0.152; CI = 0,068–0.344), acquiring all prescribed drugs (AOR = 4.191; CI = 2.027–8.668), and awareness of mobile renewal (AOR = 3.139; CI = 1.462–6.739) was associated with nonrenewal of membership. Conclusions. The nonrenewal of health insurance membership was influenced by sociodemographic, household, and systemic factors. Therefore, the Municipal Health Directorate and the National Health Insurance Authority have to work on these factors to reach the target of 100% active coverage in the municipality.
[Retracted] Retinal OCT Texture Analysis for Differentiating Healthy Controls from Multiple Sclerosis (MS) with/without Optic Neuritis
Authors: Tazarjani Hamidreza Dehghan , Amini Zahra , Kafieh Rahele , Ashtari Fereshteh , Sadeghi Erfan
Published: July 2021

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an inflammatory disease damaging the myelin sheath in the central and peripheral nervous system in the brain and spinal cord. Optic Neuritis (ON) is one of the most prevalent ocular demonstrations of MS. The current diagnosis protocol for MS is MRI, but newer modalities like Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) are already of interest in early detection and progression analysis. OCT reveals the symptoms of MS in the Central Nervous System (CNS) through cross‐sectional images from neural retinal layers. Previous works on OCT were mostly focused on the thickness of retinal layers; however, texture features seem also to have information in this regard. In this research, we introduce a new pipeline that constructs layer‐stacked (LS) images containing data from each specific layer. A variety of texture features are then extracted from LS images to differentiate between healthy controls and ON/None‐ON MS cases. Furthermore, the definition of texture extraction methods is tailored for this application. After performing a vast survey on available texture analysis methods, a treasury of powerful features is collected in this paper. As a primary work, this paper shows the ability of such features in the diagnosis of HC and MS (ON and None‐ON) cases. Our findings show that the texture features are powerful to diagnose MS cases. Furthermore, adding information of conventional thickness values to texture features improves considerably the discrimination between most of the target groups including HC vs. MS, HC vs. MS‐None‐ON, and HC vs. MS‐ON.
Enhancing Business Sustainability and Competitive Advantage by Using a Strategic Mathematical Computing Model
Authors: Yeh Yi-Cheng , Yuan Yu-Hsi , Wu Chia-Huei
Published: July 2021

Nowadays, enterprises are trying hard to reach sustainability when the industry faces the challenge of high cost in the era of meager profit. Companies with corporate sustainable approaches based on cost leadership are trying to reduce operational expenses, increase business efficiency, and implement comprehensive cost reductions within their organisations. Cost is a strategic issue for businesses to survive and stand out. The deployment of profit costs is becoming strategically important to be sustainable and competitive in the market. The research design of this study integrates both qualitative and quantitative methods. 143 valid responses to snowball sampling in Taiwan (108 responses) and mainland China (35 responses) and 24 interviews with executive-level employees in Taiwan were conducted. In addition, a total of 51 companies’ financial statements were reviewed to triangulate the foundation of research findings. Reducing costs strategically should be considered as a principal concern of a firm that wants to make its efforts for business sustainability. The result shows that nonstrategic costs are between 10 and 30 percent of the sales turnover (revenue) in a firm, and strategic costs normally account for 70 to 90 percent of its all costs. Furthermore, only 20% really makes a difference to stand out from other market players. This provides a new orientation of cost management opinion that there is a need for paying more attention and extending the concept of strategic cost management to the management of nonstrategic costs. It is also supported that the dichotomy of nonstrategic and strategic is a viable and practical way for managing all costs across sectors, industries, and business scales from a strategic and sustainable perspective.
Analysis of Bioactive Components in the Fruit, Roots, and Leaves of Alpinia oxyphylla by UPLC-MS/MS
Authors: Ying Li , Wang Deli , Du Guankui
Published: July 2021

Alpinia oxyphylla (A. oxyphylla) fruit has long been used in traditional Chinese medicine. In our study, the bioactive components of its roots, fruit, and leaves were investigated, and their potential medical value was predicted. The root, fruit, and leaf samples were analyzed using a UPLC-MS/MS system. The mass spectrometry outcomes were annotated by MULTIAQUANT. The “compound-disease targets” were used to construct a pharmacology network. A total of 293, 277, and 251 components were identified in the roots, fruit, and leaves, respectively. The fruit of A. oxyphylla had a higher abundance of flavonols. The roots of A. oxyphylla were enriched in flavonols and phenolic acids. The leaves of A. oxyphylla exhibited high contents of flavonols, phenolic acids, and tannins. Furthermore, network pharmacology analysis showed that flavonoids are the most important effectors in the fruit of A. oxyphylla and phenolic acids are the most important effectors in the roots and leaves. Moreover, the results suggested that the tissues of A. oxyphylla might play a role in the regulation of disease-related genes. The whole plant of A. oxyphylla is rich in natural drug components, and each tissue has high medicinal value. Therefore, comprehensive utilization of A. oxyphylla can greatly improve its economic value.
Adaptive Finite‐Time Fault‐Tolerant Control for Half‐Vehicle Active Suspension Systems with Output Constraints and Random Actuator Failures
Authors: Lan Jie , Xu Tongyu
Published: July 2021

The problem of adaptive finite‐time fault‐tolerant control (FTC) and output constraints for a class of uncertain nonlinear half‐vehicle active suspension systems (ASSs) are investigated in this work. Markovian variables are used to denote in terms of different random actuators failures. In adaptive backstepping design procedure, barrier Lyapunov functions (BLFs) are adopted to constrain vertical motion and pitch motion to suppress the vibrations. Unknown functions and coefficients are approximated by the neural network (NN). Assisted by the stochastic practical finite‐time theory and FTC theory, the proposed controller can ensure systems achieve stability in a finite time. Meanwhile, displacement and pitch angle in systems would not violate their maximum values, which imply both ride comfort and safety have been enhanced. In addition, all the signals in the closed‐loop systems can be guaranteed to be semiglobal finite‐time stable in probability (SGFSP). The simulation results illustrate the validity of the established scheme.
Developing an Extreme Learning Machine-Based Model for Estimating the Isothermal Compressibility of Biodiesel
Authors: Wang Yue , Heydari Hamid
Published: July 2021

Nowadays, the high consumption of fossil fuels has caused many pollutants and environmental problems. Biodiesel has recently been considered as a clean and renewable alternative to fossil fuels. They are found in some molecular structures including fatty acid ethyl esters (FAEEs) and also fatty methyl esters (FAMEs), having various thermophysical characteristics. Thus, it appears essential to select the suitable methods for a particular diesel engine to estimate the ester characteristics. The current research sets out to develop a new and robust method predicting isothermal compressibility of long-chain fatty acid methyl and ethyl esters directly from several basic efficient parameters (pressure, temperature, normal melting point, and molecular weight). Therefore, as a novel and prevailing mathematical method in this field, an extreme learning machine was implemented for isothermal compressibility on the massive dataset. According to statistical evaluations, this novel established model had high accuracy and applicability (R2 = 1 and RMSE = 0.0018714) which is more accurate than previous models presented by former researchers. Among various factors of the sensitivity analysis, temperature and pressure had the greatest effect on the output values, so that the output parameter has a direct relationship with temperature and an inverse relationship with pressure with relevancy factors of 22.44% and −79.81%.
Microscale Mineral and Pore Structure Characterization of the Low‐Permeability Sandstone in the Ordos Basin, China
Authors: Gao Jie , Sun Zhen , Liu Jianping , Zhao Chenyang , Ren Dazhong , Zhang Rongjun , Li Tingting , Liu Dengke
Published: July 2021

Given the insufficient understanding of the characteristics and controlling factors of the low‐permeability sandstone reservoir in the Heshui area, the Ordos Basin, the present study examined the microscale mineral and pore structure of Chang 2 reservoir. It analyzed its major controlling factors using a series of methods, including imaging and indirect methods. The results show that the rocks of Chang 2 reservoir in the study area are dominated by lithic arkose and feldspathic detritus quartz sandstone. The reservoir space develops intragranular pores, feldspar dissolved pores, lithic dissolved pores, and intercrystallite pores. Microcracks can occasionally be found. The average porosity is 10.5%, and the average permeability is 2.2 mD, featuring a low‐porosity‐ultralow‐permeability reservoir. During the reservoir development, traps formed by small‐scale nose‐shaped uplifts resulting from the tectonic effects provide opportunities for good reservoir space. Sedimentation and diagenetic processes control the degree of development and direction of the evolution of reservoir porosity to a certain degree. Multisegment capillary pressure curve and long missing zone were corresponding to relatively good pore‐throat structures. Illite was the predominant diagenetic clay minerals that determine the reservoir quality. These three effects all contribute to the overall development of the reservoir.
Microclassroom Design Based on English Embedded Grammar Compensation Teaching
Authors: Yin Yiqun
Published: July 2021

In recent years, as a new type of educational resource, microclassroom continues to attract the attention of many domestic and foreign scholars and professionals due to its short, convenient, and effective features. How to improve the quality and effectiveness of English grammar teaching has always been a concern of teachers. Researchers at all stages of education are also exploring effective teaching methods in the new era through the microclassroom model. This article aims to study the English embedded grammar supplementary teaching method and apply it to the design of the microclassroom mode. This article puts forward the definition of microclassroom and English grammar and conducts related research on microclassroom and English grammar teaching. It also proposes the theory of constructivism and the analytic hierarchy process, which are effectively applied to the experimental part of this article. The experimental part is designed from four aspects: research questions, research objects, test and survey questionnaires, and experimental research process. The experimental results of this article show that the embedded oral supplementary teaching in high school English teaching is in line with students' academic conditions and teaching rules and is taught in a microclass mode. Totally, 58.97% of students believe that this mode is more beneficial for in-depth mastery of basic knowledge.
Magnetohydrodynamic Blood Flow in a Cylindrical Tube with Magnetic Particles: A Time Fractional Model
Authors: Ali Farhad , Majeed Samina , Imtiaz Anees
Published: July 2021

The present work theoretically investigates the natural convection blood flow as a Brinkman-type fluid with uniformly distributed magnetic particles in a circular cylindrical tube with the applied external magnetic field. The classical model for the blood flow is generalized by using the definition of Caputo time-fractional derivative. The exact solutions are obtained by using the Laplace and Henkel transforms. Unlike the classical model, the obtained general results are expressed in the form of “Lorenzo and Hartley’s” and “Robotnov and Hartley’s” functions. Graphs are plotted to show the effects of different parameters on the blood flow. Furthermore, the velocity and temperature distributions are discussed in terms of memory. The effect of fractional parameter

α

for a long and short time has also been observed. It is noticed that blood velocity can be controlled using the fractional parameter. It is also found that, for

τ
>
0

, fluid and particles motion increased, and reverse behavior is observed for

τ
<
0

. It has been noticed that increasing values of particle mass parameter

P

m

and magnetic parameter

M

slow down the motion of blood and magnetic particles. These results are helpful for effective drug delivery and regulating blood flow.
Abdominoscrotal Hydrocele: An Uncommon Cause of Abdominoscrotal Cystic Swelling
Authors: Swarnkar Manish , Tanveer Khan Pathan
Published: July 2021

Abdominoscrotal hydrocele (ASH) consists of fluid-filled intercommunicating inguinoscrotal and abdominal sac with a characteristic hourglass-like picture on CECT, which usually affects single testis and a rare cause of abdominoscrotal cystic swelling. The precise etiology of ASH is not known. Ultrasonography is the initial diagnostic modality of choice as it demonstrates the intercommunication between the two sacs and also identifies any abnormality of the testis and genitourinary tract. We are reporting a case of a 27-year-old patient presented in the General Surgery OPD of Acharya Vinoba Bhave Hospital in 2019 with bilateral scrotal and abdominal swelling. On examination, cross fluctuation was positive between left hydrocele and abdominal swelling, raising suspicion of ASH, which was confirmed on CECT. The patient underwent excision of sac through left inguinoscrotal approach and an uneventful postoperative course.
Torque Measurement of High‐Precision Reducer for Industrial Robot
Authors: Yu Zhen , Zhang Yuan
Published: July 2021

Torque testing is crucial to improve the quality of high‐precision reducers—the core component of industrial robots. Herein, a torque‐measurement system for a novel vertical measuring instrument is designed. The distance from the torque transducers to the robot reducer is minimized to ensure the shortest measurement chain. The symmetrical system structure improves the overall rigidity, and error compensation can be performed easily. The characteristics of the torque measurement errors due to shaft bending and torsional deformations were also analyzed. A torque calibrator comprising two high‐precision torque output systems was used to calibrate torque transducers in the measurement system. Reasonable and practical compensation models based on a backpropagation neural network were developed to accurately obtain the input and output torques of the reducer. As the torque‐measurement precision of the reducer detector reached 0.1% over the entire torque range, the instrument can be used for accuracy measurement of the input and output torques of the robot reducer.
A Large Intrathoracic Hiatal Hernia as a Cause of Complete Heart Block
Authors: Abbood Ali , Al Salihi Hareer , Parellada Jorge , Madruga Mario , Carlan S. J.
Published: July 2021

Hiatal hernia is a not uncommon anatomic disorder resulting in portions of the bowel occupying space in the thoracic cavity. There are a number of antecedent risk factors including obesity but not hiatal hernias resulting in symptoms. When symptoms do occur, they can include chest pain, nausea, abdominal pain, and gastroesophageal reflux. Cardiac arrhythmias have also been reported as associated conditions resulting from a hiatal hernia. To date, however, a complete heart block secondary to a hiatal hernia has not been reported. An 88-year-old female with a history of GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease) was found to have a large hiatal hernia at endoscopy after she presented to the emergency department with nausea and abdominal pain. Prior to her scheduled surgical repair, she developed symptomatic third degree heart block which resolved with nasogastric tube deflation of the gastric contents. After surgical repair of the hiatal hernia, she developed episodes of atrial fibrillation with rapid ventricular response and was started on diltiazem. She eventually converted back to normal sinus rhythm and remained dysrhythmia free. In addition to other known arrhythmias associated with hiatal hernia, a complete heart block can also be seen. Acute management requires deflation of the chest occupying hernia. This appears to be the one of the first reported cases of complete heart block caused by hiatal hernia.
Integration of Museum User Behavior Information Based on Wireless Network
Authors: Liu Shuangji , Yang Yongzhong , Wang Yiwei
Published: July 2021

Online museum information resource systems are getting popular these days which allow the users to get detailed information about the objects of their interest, and the user preferences are stored to search for related artifacts considering his/her online behavior. The behavior of users browsing online is integrated to capture relevant information which is integrated into museum information resources. Unfortunately, present implementations have errors in integration and optimization system, so a wireless network-based museum user behavior information integration system is proposed to calculate the user’s interest in museum’s cultural relics. The user behavior information resource model is developed based upon the degree of user interest, and forgetting functions with different decay rates are employed to describe changes in the interest level. This information is then used to construct users’ interest matrices. This matrix also contains information regarding the cultural relics that users have not yet visited. The system will introduce the interest weights of feature words to take the top features of the user behavior information for the integration of the users’ behavior and to combine the feature vectors that can represent the overall trajectory. Moreover, those feature vectors are described that can represent the local trajectory into feature vector to identify the slow-moving sparse targets, which is then utilized for the integration of users’ behavior information. The simulation tests prove that the proposed method can achieve low error in the integration process of user behavior information resources, thereby yielding good results.
Dysregulation of lncRNA in Helicobacter pylori‐Infected Gastric Cancer Cells
Authors: Yousefi Leila , Osquee Hamid Owaysee , Ghotaslou Reza , Rezaee Mohammad Ahangarzadeh , Pirzadeh Tahereh , Sadeghi Javid , Hemmati Fatemeh , Yousefi Bahman , Moaddab Seyyed Yaghoub , Yousefi Mehdi , Shirmohammadi Masoud , Somi Mohammad Hossein , Ganbarov Khudaverdi , Kafil Hossein Samadi
Published: July 2021

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection is the most common cause of gastric cancer (GC). This microorganism is genetically diverse; GC is caused by several genetic deregulations in addition to environmental factors and bacterial virulence factors. lncRNAs (long noncoding RNAs) are significant biological macromolecules in GC, have specific functions in diseases, and could be therapeutic targets. Altered lncRNAs can lead to the abnormal expression of adjacent protein‐coding genes, which may be important in cancer development. Their mechanisms have not been well understood, so we are going to investigate the risk of GC in a population with both high lncRNA and H. pylori infection.
PZT Actuators’ Effect on Vibration Control of the PRRRP 2‐DOF Flexible Parallel Manipulator
Authors: Valizadeh Amin , Shariatee Morteza
Published: July 2021

Thanks to their advantages over rigid ones, interest for lightweight parallel manipulator was increased. Besides, structural flexibility effects at high operational speeds are more significant. Thus, developing an appropriate model for the assessment of the dynamic properties of flexible mechanisms and linkages to gain effective vibration control will raise high demand. Therefore, this paper represents the dynamic and kinematic modeling using the assumed mode method and first‐type Lagrange equations of the 2‐DOF planar parallel manipulator with two flexible links. To truly predict vibrations of the manipulator without any major simplifying assumptions, nonlinear dynamic modeling, which thoroughly attempts to represent the flexible behavior of the links, is considered. As a result, an active damping approach is being studied with PZT actuators. The results show that this approach is effective in damping the vibrations of the links that give accurate trajectory control.