bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effect of Major Illness Insurance on Vulnerability to Poverty: Evidence From China
Authors: Zheng Lili , Peng Lijin
Published: December 2021

Disease is the primary cause of poverty in China. Health insurance is an essential mechanism for managing health risks and addressing the risk of financial loss. Using data from the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) waves from 2010 to 2016, this study develops a random forest method to assess households' vulnerability to poverty and then examines the impact of major illness insurance on vulnerability to poverty by focusing on the rollout period of a major illness insurance scheme. The research also examines the impact of increased major illness insurance coverage on poverty reduction by focusing on the change from low- to high-coverage health insurance. The findings indicate that major illness insurance and improvements in the degree of coverage significantly reduce vulnerability to poverty. In addition, major illness insurance is found to alleviate the vicious cycle of poverty and disease through the mechanism of increasing household income, and its effect has strengthened over time. Compared to other poverty reduction policies, major illness insurance has a greater influence on poverty alleviation.
Enlightening the Chemistry of Infalling Envelopes and Accretion Disks Around Sun-Like Protostars: The ALMA FAUST Project
Authors: Codella C. , Ceccarelli C. , Chandler C. , Sakai N. , Yamamoto S. , The FAUST Team
Published: December 2021

The huge variety of planetary systems discovered in recent decades likely depends on the early history of their formation. In this contribution, we introduce the FAUST Large Program which focuses specifically on the early history of solar-like protostars and their chemical diversity at scales of ∼ 50 au, where planets are expected to form. In particular, the goal of the project is to reveal and quantify the variety of chemical composition of the envelope/disk system at scales of 50 au in a sample of Class 0 and I protostars representative of the chemical diversity observed at larger scales. For each source, we propose a set of molecules able to (1) disentangle the components of the 50–2000 au envelope/disk system, (2) characterize the organic complexity in each of them, (3) probe their ionization structure, and (4) measure their molecular deuteration. The output will be a homogeneous database of thousands of images from different lines and species, i.e., an unprecedented source survey of the chemical diversity of solar-like protostars. FAUST will provide the community with a legacy dataset that will be a milestone for astrochemistry and star formation studies.
Management of Pilon Fractures—Current Concepts
Authors: Mair Olivia , Pflüger Patrick , Hoffeld Kai , Braun Karl F. , Kirchhoff Chlodwig , Biberthaler Peter , Crönlein Moritz
Published: December 2021

Tibial pilon fractures were first described by Étienne Destot in 1911. He used the French word “pilon” (i.e., pestle), to describe the mechanical function of the distal tibia in the ankle joint. This term has further been used to portray the mechanism involved in tibial pilon fractures in which the distal tibia acts as a pestle with heavy axial forces over the talus basically causing the tibia to burst. Many different classification systems exist so far, with the AO Classification being the most commonly used classification in the clinical setting. Especially Type C fractures are extremely difficult to manage as the high energy involved in developing this type of injury frequently damages the soft tissue surrounding the fracture zone severely. Therefore, long -term outcome is often poor and correct initial management crucial. In the early years of this century treatment has evolved to a two–staged protocol, which nowadays is the gold standard of care. Additional methods of treating the soft tissue envelope are currently being investigated and have shown promising results for the future. The aim of this review is therefore to summarize protocols in managing these difficult fractures, review the literature on recent developments and therefore give surgeons a better understanding and ability to handle tibial pilon fractures.
A New Method for Identifying Kinetic Parameters of Industrial Robots
Authors: Kou Bin , Guo Shijie , Ren Dongcheng
Published: December 2021

Identifying the kinetic parameters of an industrial robot is the basis for designing a controller for it. To solve the problems of the poor accuracy and easy premature convergence of common bionic algorithms for identifying the dynamic parameters of such robots, this study proposed simulated annealing with similar exponential changes based on the beetle swarm optimization (SEDSABSO) algorithm. Expressions for the dynamics of the industrial robot were first obtained through the SymPyBotics toolkit in Python, and the required trajectories of excitation were then designed to identify its dynamic parameters. Following this, the search pattern of the global optimal solution for the beetle swarm optimization algorithm was improved in the context of solving for these parameters. The global convergence of the algorithm was improved by improving the iterative form of the number N of skinks in it by considering random perturbations and the simulated annealing algorithm, whereas its accuracy of convergence was improved through the class exponential change model. The improved beetle swarm optimization algorithm was used to identify the kinetic parameters of the Zhichang Kawasaki RS010N industrial robot. The results of experiments showed that the proposed algorithm was fast and highly accurate in identifying the kinetic parameters of the industrial robot.
Soil Organic Carbon Dynamics in Two Rice Cultivation Systems Compared to an Agroforestry Cultivation System
Authors: Valenzuela-Balcázar Ibonne Geaneth , Visconti-Moreno Efraín Francisco , Faz Ángel , Acosta José A.
Published: December 2021

After changes in tillage on croplands, it is necessary to assess the effects on soil organic carbon (SOC) dynamics in order to identify if soil is a sink or emitter of carbon to the atmosphere. This study was conducted in two plots of rice cultivation, where tillage and water management changes occurred. A third plot of native forest with Cacao trees was used as reference soil (agroforestry). For SOC balance estimation, measurement of organic carbon (OC) inputs was determined from necromass, roots, microbial biomass, and urea applications. CO2 and CH4 emissions were also measured. Results showed that the change in the use of irrigation and tillage in rice cultivation did not cause significant differences in OC inputs to soil or in outputs due to carbon emissions. Further-more, it was found that both irrigation and tillage management systems in rice cultivation com-pared with agroforestry were management systems with a negative difference between OC inputs and outputs due to CO2 emissions associated with intense stimulation of crop root respiration and microbial activity. The comparison of SOC dynamics between the agroforestry system and rice cultivation systems showed that an agroforestry system is a carbon sink with a positive OC dynamic.
Side Lighting Enhances Morphophysiology and Runner Formation by Upregulating Photosynthesis in Strawberry Grown in Controlled Environment
Authors: Yang Jingli , Song Jinnan , Jeong Byoung Ryong
Published: December 2021

The significant effects of lighting on plants have been extensively investigated, but research has rarely studied the impact of different lighting directions for the strawberry plant. To understand the optimal lighting direction for better growth and development, this study investigated how strawberries respond to variations in the lighting direction to help fine-tune the growth environment for their development. We examined how the lighting direction affects plant morphophysiology by investigating plant growth parameters, leaf anatomy, epidermal cell elongation, stomatal properties, physiological characteristics, and expressions of runner induction-related genes (FaSOC1 and FaTFL1) and gibberellin (GA) biosyntheses-related genes (FaGA20ox2 and FaGA20ox4). In closed-type plant factory units, the rooted cuttings of strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa Duch.) ‘Suhlyang’ were subjected to a 10-h photoperiod with a 350 μmol∙m−2∙s−1 photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD) provided by light-emitting diodes (LEDs) from three directions relative to the plants: top, side, and bottom. Our results demonstrated that the side lighting profoundly promoted not only morphophysiology, but also runner formation, by upregulating photosynthesis in strawberries. Side lighting can bring commercial benefits, which include reduced economic costs, easier controllability, and harmlessness to plants. This will help provide new insights for the propagation of the most commonly cultivated strawberries in South Korea.
Hypochlorite-Modified LDL Induces Arrhythmia and Contractile Dysfunction in Cardiomyocytes
Authors: Koyani Chintan N. , Scheruebel Susanne , Jin Ge , Kolesnik Ewald , Zorn-Pauly Klaus , Mächler Heinrich , Hoefler Gerald , von Lewinski Dirk , Heinzel Frank R. , Pelzmann Brigitte , Malle Ernst
Published: December 2021

Neutrophil-derived myeloperoxidase (MPO) and its potent oxidant, hypochlorous acid (HOCl), gained attention as important oxidative mediators in cardiac damage and dysfunction. As cardiomyocytes generate low-density lipoprotein (LDL)-like particles, we aimed to identify the footprints of proatherogenic HOCl-LDL, which adversely affects cellular signalling cascades in various cell types, in the human infarcted myocardium. We performed immunohistochemistry for MPO and HOCl-LDL in human myocardial tissue, investigated the impact of HOCl-LDL on electrophysiology and contractility in primary cardiomyocytes, and explored underlying mechanisms in HL-1 cardiomyocytes and human atrial appendages using immunoblot analysis, qPCR, and silencing experiments. HOCl-LDL reduced ICa,L and IK1, and increased INaL, leading to altered action potential characteristics and arrhythmic events including early- and delayed-afterdepolarizations. HOCl-LDL altered the expression and function of CaV1.2, RyR2, NCX1, and SERCA2a, resulting in impaired contractility and Ca2+ homeostasis. Elevated superoxide anion levels and oxidation of CaMKII were mediated via LOX-1 signaling in HL-1 cardiomyocytes. Furthermore, HOCl-LDL-mediated alterations of cardiac contractility and electrophysiology, including arrhythmic events, were ameliorated by the CaMKII inhibitor KN93 and the INaL blocker, ranolazine. This study provides an explanatory framework for the detrimental effects of HOCl-LDL compared to native LDL and cardiac remodeling in patients with high MPO levels during the progression of cardiovascular disease.
Recent Advances in Small-Angle Neutron Scattering
Authors: Jaksch Sebastian
Published: December 2021

Small-angle scattering, and its neutron expression small-angle neutron scattering (SANS), has developed into an invaluable tool for the investigation of microscopic and mesoscopic structures in recent decades [...]
Kinetic Analysis Misinterpretations Due to the Occurrence of Enzyme Inhibition by Reaction Product: Comparison between Initial Velocities and Reaction Time Course Methodologies
Authors: Fernandes Joana , Dias Albino , Bezerra Rui
Published: December 2021

The Michaelis–Menten equation (MME) has been extensively used in biochemical reactions, but it is not appropriate when the reaction product inhibits the enzyme. Under these circumstances, each determined initial velocity, v0, is one experimental point that actually belongs to a different MME because enzymatic product inhibition occurs as the reaction starts. Furthermore, the inhibition effect is not constant, since the concentration of the product inhibitor rises as time increases. To unveil the hidden enzyme inhibition and to simultaneously demonstrate the superiority of an integrated Michaelis–Menten equation (IMME), the same range of data points, assuming product inhibition and the presence of a second different inhibitor, was used for kinetic analysis with both methodologies. This study highlights the superiority of the IMME methodology for when the enzyme is inhibited by the reaction product, giving a more coherent inhibition model and more accurate kinetic constants than the classical MME methodology.
Assessing the Effect of Drivers’ Gender on Their Intention to Use Fully Automated Vehicles
Authors: Useche Sergio A. , Peñaranda-Ortega María , Gonzalez-Marin Adela , Llamazares Francisco J.
Published: December 2021

Although fully automated vehicles (SAE level 5) are expected to acquire a major relevance for transportation dynamics by the next few years, the number of studies addressing their perceived benefits from the perspective of human factors remains substantially limited. This study aimed, firstly, to assess the relationships among drivers’ demographic factors, their assessment of five key features of automated vehicles (i.e., increased connectivity, reduced driving demands, fuel and trip-related efficiency, and safety improvements), and their intention to use them, and secondly, to test the predictive role of the feature’ valuations over usage intention, focusing on gender as a key differentiating factor. For this cross-sectional research, the data gathered from a sample of 856 licensed drivers (49.4% females, 50.6% males; M = 40.05 years), responding to an electronic survey, was analyzed. Demographic, driving-related data, and attitudinal factors were comparatively analyzed through robust tests and a bias-corrected Multi-Group Structural Equation Modeling (MGSEM) approach. Findings from this work suggest that drivers’ assessment of these AV features keep a significant set of multivariate relationships to their usage intention in the future. Additionally, and even though there are some few structural similarities, drivers’ intention to use an AV can be differentially explained according to their gender. So far, this research constitutes a first approximation to the intention of using AVs from a MGSEM gender-based approach, being these results of potential interest for researchers and practitioners from different fields, including automotive design, transport planning and road safety.
Improvement of Strength and Strain Characteristics of Lightweight Fiber Concrete by Electromagnetic Activation in a Vortex Layer Apparatus
Authors: Shcherban’ Evgenii M. , Stel’makh Sergey A. , Beskopylny Alexey , Mailyan Levon R. , Meskhi Besarion , Shuyskiy Anatoly
Published: December 2021

The relevant problem of choosing effective materials for enclosing structures is compliance with the requirements of increased thermal resistance, reduced mass of buildings and structures, and reduced material consumption, labor intensity, and construction costs. These requirements are satisfied by structures made of lightweight fiber-reinforced concrete, which are the subject of attention of many scientists and engineers. One of the most rational requirements for industrial use is the activation of untreated components of the concrete mixture. This article is devoted to studying the influence of the activation of fiber-reinforced concrete elements in the vortex layer apparatus on concrete strength and structural characteristics. The effect of the raw component processing time of the concrete mixture on the strength and deformation characteristics of the lightweight fiber-reinforced concrete was studied. The optimal processing time for the cement–sand mortar in the VLA-75-85s was determined. It was shown that the activation of the vortex layer in the apparatus leads to an increase in strength from 27% to 61% and an improvement in the deformation characteristics of lightweight fiber-reinforced concrete by up to 12%. Furthermore, it was found that the use of activation in VLA leads to an increase in the coefficient of constructive quality for all experimentally determined strength characteristics of lightweight fiber-reinforced concrete by up to 27%.
Echinacea purpurea Alleviates Cyclophosphamide-Induced Immunosuppression in Mice
Authors: Kim Ha-Rim , Kim Ye-Seul , Lee Dong-Ryung , Choi Bong-Keun , Kwon Kang-Beom , Bae Gi-Sang
Published: December 2021

Echinacea purpurea (EP) has been widely used to treat upper respiratory infections, influenza, and the common cold. It can also exert various pharmacological activities, such as anti-inflammatory and anti-allergic effects. However, the potential of EP to modulate immune reactions remains unclear. Therefore, we evaluated the immunostimulatory effects of EP in cyclophosphamide (CP)-induced immunosuppressed mice. In this study, EP extract (12.5, 25, or 50 mg/kg) was orally administered to cyclophosphamide-induced immunosuppressed BALB/c mice. Then, indexes of immune organs, including the spleen and thymus, were recorded. Splenocyte proliferation and natural killer (NK) cell activities were measured by lactate dehydrogenase assay. Subsets of T cells, such as CD4+ and CD8+, were measured by flow cytometry, and immuno-cytokines, such as interleukin (IL)-2, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, and interferon (IFN)-γ, were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and real-time polymerase chain reaction. The immunosuppressed mice showed decreased thymus and spleen indexes and immune cell activities. Treatment of EP elevated the indexes of immune organs, splenocyte proliferation, and NK cell activities in CP-induced immunosuppressed mice. Simultaneously, administration of EP reversed the CP-induced decrease in T-lymphocyte subsets (CD4+ and CD8+) and immunocytokines (IL-2, TNF-α, and IFN-γ). Taken together, these findings suggest that EP could be used to enhance health and immunity in immunosuppressed conditions.
Mallard Detection Using Microphone Arrays Combined with Delay-and-Sum Beamforming for Smart and Remote Rice–Duck Farming
Authors: Madokoro Hirokazu , Yamamoto Satoshi , Watanabe Kanji , Nishiguchi Masayuki , Nix Stephanie , Woo Hanwool , Sato Kazuhito
Published: December 2021

This paper presents an estimation method for a sound source of pre-recorded mallard calls from acoustic information using two microphone arrays combined with delay-and-sum beamforming. Rice farming using mallards saves labor because mallards work instead of farmers. Nevertheless, the number of mallards declines when they are preyed upon by natural enemies such as crows, kites, and weasels. We consider that efficient management can be achieved by locating and identifying the locations of mallards and their natural enemies using acoustic information that can be widely sensed in a paddy field. For this study, we developed a prototype system that comprises two sets of microphone arrays. We used 64 microphones in all installed on our originally designed and assembled sensor mounts. We obtained three acoustic datasets in an outdoor environment for our benchmark evaluation. The experimentally obtained results demonstrated that the proposed system provides adequate accuracy for application to rice–duck farming.
Factorial Analysis for Gas Leakage Risk Predictions from a Vehicle-Based Methane Survey
Authors: Dashdondov Khongorzul , Song Mi-Hwa
Published: December 2021

Natural gas (NG), typically methane, is released into the air, causing significant air pollution and environmental and health problems. Nowadays, there is a need to use machine-based methods to predict gas losses widely. In this article, we proposed to predict NG leakage levels through feature selection based on a factorial analysis (FA) of the USA’s urban natural gas open data. The paper has been divided into three sections. First, we select essential features using FA. Then, the dataset is labeled by k-means clustering with OrdinalEncoder (OE)-based normalization. The final module uses five algorithms (extreme gradient boost (XGBoost), K-nearest neighbors (KNN), decision tree (DT), random forest (RF), Naive Bayes (NB), and multilayer perceptron (MLP)) to predict gas leakage levels. The proposed method is evaluated by the accuracy, F1-score, mean standard error (MSE), and area under the ROC curve (AUC). The test results indicate that the F-OE-based classification method has improved successfully. Moreover, F-OE-based XGBoost (F-OE-XGBoost) showed the best performance by giving 95.14% accuracy, an F1-score of 95.75%, an MSE of 0.028, and an AUC of 96.29%. Following these, the second-best outcomes of an accuracy rate of 95.09%, F1-score of 95.60%, MSE of 0.029, and AUC of 96.11% were achieved by the F-OE-RF model.
Hydrodynamics of an Airlift Column for Aeration in Molten Sulfur
Authors: Wang Junjie , Xu Xiao , Wang Wei , Li Yudong , Wu Shihan , Yang Haiqiang , Yang Qiang
Published: December 2021

The airlift column is a promising technology for the removal of volatile gas from high-viscosity molten sulfur. However, a detailed analysis is lacking on the hydrodynamic properties inside the column, due to the difficulty in flow behavior detection in the opaque molten sulfur. In this work, we adopted the computational fluid dynamics simulation to understand the hydrodynamic behaviors in an airlift column for molten sulfur aeration. In addition, we analyzed the impacts of the superficial gas velocity (UGr) and column height on the hydrodynamic characteristics, such as gas holdup, average bubble diameter, and liquid circulation velocity (ULr) in the column. The simulation shows that at a constant column height of 15 m, an increase on gas holdup can be obtained with the increase of the superficial gas velocity, while the bubble diameter remains almost constant. Once the superficial gas velocity exceeded 0.333 m/s, the liquid circulation velocity increased slowly. With a variation on the column height from 5 to 25 m, a negligible change on gas holdup, but an obvious increase on liquid circulation velocity and bubble diameter is observed at the given superficial gas velocity of 0.0389 m/s. Furthermore, the simulation shows a similar trend, but with considerably more detailed information, on the relationship between the gas holdup and liquid circulation velocity when compared to the predictions from the Chisti correlation (1988) and an optimized correlation proposed in this work.
Azima tetracantha Leaf Methanol Extract Inhibits Gastric Cancer Cell Proliferation through Induction of Redox Imbalance and Cytochrome C Release
Authors: Kim Young Ock , Narayanankutty Arunaksharan , Kuttithodi Aswathi Moothakoottil , Kim Hak-Jae , Na Sae Won , Kunnath Krishnaprasad , Rajagopal Rajakrishnan , Alfarhan Ahmed
Published: December 2021

Azima tetracantha is a traditionally used medicinal plant in the Ayurvedic system and folk medicines. The plant has been used for various purposes including inflammatory ailments, arthritis, and various types of toxicities. There are no available reports on its anticancer activity; hence, the study aimed to evaluate its anti-proliferative potential in gastric cancer cells (AGS and KATO III). We observed a dose-dependent decrease in cell proliferation in both the gastric cancer cells; furthermore, a concomitant reduction in the cellular antioxidant status was observed. Pre-treatment with A. tetracantha methanol extract showed a significant reduction in intracellular glutathione levels, and subsequently raised thiobarbituric acid reactive substances. Together with this, a significant increase in the cytochrome c release was noted in A. tetracantha treated cells, alongwith an increase in the expression of pro-apoptotic genes such as BAX, CASP3, CASP7 and APAF1. Furthermore, RTqPCR analysis indicated an increased expression of the anti-apoptotic gene BCL2 in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, to confirm the role of reactive oxygen species in the proliferation inhibition, DCFH-DA-based analysis was carried out, where a dose-dependent increase in ROS levels was observed in these cells. Overall, the study confirms the anticancer efficacy of A. tetracantha leaf methanol extract mediated through the induction of redox imbalance and cytochrome c release.
An Efficient Distributed SPARQL Query Processing Scheme Considering Communication Costs in Spark Environments
Authors: Lim Jongtae , Kim Byounghoon , Lee Hyeonbyeong , Choi Dojin , Bok Kyoungsoo , Yoo Jaesoo
Published: December 2021

Various distributed processing schemes were studied to efficiently utilize a large scale of RDF graph in semantic web services. This paper proposes a new distributed SPARQL query processing scheme considering communication costs in Spark environments to reduce I/O costs during SPARQL query processing. We divide a SPARQL query into several subqueries using a WHERE clause to process a query of an RDF graph stored in a distributed environment. The proposed scheme reduces data communication costs by grouping the divided subqueries in related nodes through the index and processing them, and the grouped subqueries calculate the cost of all possible query execution paths to select an efficient query execution path. The efficient query execution path is selected through the algorithm considering the data parsing cost of all possible query execution paths, amount of data communication, and queue time per node. It is shown through various performance evaluations that the proposed scheme outperforms the existing schemes.
Image Preprocessing Method in Radiographic Inspection for Automatic Detection of Ship Welding Defects
Authors: Yun Gwang-ho , Oh Sang-jin , Shin Sung-chul
Published: December 2021

Welding defects must be inspected to verify that the welds meet the requirements of ship welded joints, and in welding defect inspection, among nondestructive inspections, radiographic inspection is widely applied during the production process. To perform nondestructive inspection, the completed weldment must be transported to the nondestructive inspection station, which is expensive; consequently, automation of welding defect detection is required. Recently, at several processing sites of companies, continuous attempts are being made to combine deep learning to detect defects more accurately. Preprocessing for welding defects in radiographic inspection images should be prioritized to automatically detect welding defects using deep learning during radiographic nondestructive inspection. In this study, by analyzing the pixel values, we developed an image preprocessing method that can integrate the defect features. After maximizing the contrast between the defect and background in radiographic through CLAHE (contrast-limited adaptive histogram equalization), denoising (noise removal), thresholding (threshold processing), and concatenation were sequentially performed. The improvement in detection performance due to preprocessing was verified by comparing the results of the application of the algorithm on raw images, typical preprocessed images, and preprocessed images. The mAP for the training data and test data was 84.9% and 51.2% for the preprocessed image learning model, whereas 82.0% and 43.5% for the typical preprocessed image learning model and 78.0%, 40.8% for the raw image learning model. Object detection algorithm technology is developed every year, and the mAP is improving by approximately 3% to 10%. This study achieved a comparable performance improvement by only preprocessing with data.
Which Three-Dimensional Printing Technology Can Replace Conventional Manual Method of Manufacturing Oral Appliance? A Preliminary Comparative Study of Physical and Mechanical Properties
Authors: Kim Hyo-Jin , Lim Seung-Weon , Lee Mi-Kyung , Ju Sung Won , Park Suk-Hee , Ahn Jin-Soo , Hwang Kyung-Gyun
Published: December 2021

Three-dimensional printing technology is widely being adopted in the manufacturing of oral appliances. The purpose of this study was to determine the most suitable method of manufacturing oral appliances by comparing the physical and mechanical properties of various 3D printing methods with the conventional method. Experimental groups consisted of six 3D-printed specimens via FDM, two polyjets, SLS, SLA, and DLP, and the milling methods. The control group consisted of an acrylic resin specimen made by the conventional manual method. The water absorption and solubility, color stability, flexural strength, and surface hardness were tested and statistically analyzed. The FDM, SLS, and DLP methods exhibited comparable water absorption and solubility with the control group, and only the SLA method exhibited significantly higher water solubility than the control group. In terms of the color stability, only the milling method met the requirements of the allowable clinical range. The FDM, SLA, and DLP methods exhibited comparable flexural strength with the control group. The surface hardness of the PJ-2, DLP, and milling methods was acceptable for replacing conventional manual method. Therefore, the most suitable method of manufacturing oral appliances among the experimental groups was the DLP method in terms of its water absorption and solubility, flexural strength, and surface hardness.
Wettability of Carbonate Reservoir Rocks: A Comparative Analysis
Authors: Faramarzi-Palangar Mohsen , Mirzaei-Paiaman Abouzar , Ghoreishi Seyyed Ali , Ghanbarian Behzad
Published: December 2021

Various methods have been proposed for the evaluation of reservoir rock wettability. Among them, Amott–Harvey and USBM are the most commonly used approaches in industry. Some other methods, such as the Lak and modified Lak indices, the normalized water fractional flow curve, Craig’s triple rules of thumb, and the modified Craig’s second rule are based on relative permeability data. In this study, a set of capillary pressure curves and relative permeability experiments was conducted on 19 core plug samples from a carbonate reservoir to evaluate and compare different quantitative and qualitative wettability indicators. We found that the results of relative permeability-based approaches were consistent with those of Amott–Harvey and USBM methods. We also investigated the relationship between wettability indices and rock quality indicators RQI, FZI, and Winland R35. Results showed that as the rock quality indicators increased, the samples became more oil-wet.
Visual Simulation of Turbulent Foams by Incorporating the Angular Momentum of Foam Particles into the Projective Framework
Authors: Kim Ki-Hoon , Lee Jung , Kim Chang-Hun , Kim Jong-Hyun
Published: December 2021

In this paper, we propose an angular momentum-based advection technique that can express the turbulent foam effect. The motion of foam particles, which are strongly bound to the motion of the underlying fluid, is viscous, and sometimes clumping problems occur. This problem is a decisive factor that makes it difficult to express realistic foam effects. Since foam particles, which are secondary effects, depend on the motion of the underlying water, in order to exaggerate the foam effects or express more lively foam effects, it is inevitable to tune the motion of the underlying water and then readjust the foam particles. Because of such a cumbersome process, the readjustment of the foam effects requires a change in the motion of the underlying water, and it is not easy to produce such a scene because the water and foam effects must change at the same time. In this paper, we present a method to maintain angular momentum-based force from water particles without tuning the motion of the underlying water. We can restore the lost turbulent flow by additional advection of foam particles based on this force. In addition, our method can be integrated with screen-space projection frameworks, allowing us to fully embrace all the advantages of this approach. In this paper, the turbulence of the foam particles was improved by minimizing the viscous motion of the foam particles without tuning the motion of the underlying water, and as a result, lively foam effects can be expressed.
Achieving Sender Anonymity in Tor against the Global Passive Adversary
Authors: Buccafurri Francesco , De Angelis Vincenzo , Idone Maria Francesca , Labrini Cecilia , Lazzaro Sara
Published: December 2021

Tor is the de facto standard used for anonymous communication over the Internet. Despite its wide usage, Tor does not guarantee sender anonymity, even in a threat model in which the attacker passively observes the traffic at the first Tor router. In a more severe threat model, in which the adversary can perform traffic analysis on the first and last Tor routers, relationship anonymity is also broken. In this paper, we propose a new protocol extending Tor to achieve sender anonymity (and then relationship anonymity) in the most severe threat model, allowing a global passive adversary to monitor all of the traffic in the network. We compare our proposal with Tor through the lens of security in an incremental threat model. The experimental validation shows that the price we have to pay in terms of network performance is tolerable.
Some Identities on the Twisted q-Analogues of Catalan-Daehee Numbers and Polynomials
Authors: Lim Dongkyu
Published: December 2021

In this paper, the author considers twisted q-analogues of Catalan-Daehee numbers and polynomials by using p-adic q-integral on Zp. We derive some explicit identities for those twisted numbers and polynomials related to various special numbers and polynomials.
Intraocular Pressure Changes during Hemodiafiltration with Two different Concentrations of Sodium in the Dialysate
Authors: Lerma Claudia , Saavedra-Fuentes Nadia , Ledesma-Gil Jasbeth , Calderón-Juárez Martín , Pérez-Grovas Héctor , López-Gil Salvador
Published: December 2021

Ocular complications are common among end-stage renal disease patients and some complications had been linked to increments of intraocular pressure (IOP) during hemodialysis. The changes of IOP during hemodiafiltration (HDF) have been scarcely investigated and the potential influence of the sodium dialysate concentration is unknown. The aim of this study was to compare the IOP changes during HDF with sodium dialysate concentration, either fixed or individualized. Thirteen end-stage renal disease patients participated in the study; they were treated with HDF using a dialysate sodium profile fixed at 138 mmol and another session with an individualized sodium profile. The intraocular pressure was measured before and after each session and every 30 min during HDF. Both groups had a similar HDF prescription, blood pressure, and biochemical parameters. At the end of hemodiafiltration, sodium concentration decreased only in the fixed sodium profile group. The number of patients with at least an episode of intraocular hypertension during HDF ranged from 5 (19%) to 8 (31%) without significant differences between right and left eye nor between dialysate sodium concentration. During HDF, there is a large variability of IOP; transient events of intraocular hypertension are highly prevalent in this sample, and they are not related to the sodium dialysate concentration.
Architectural Distortion-Based Digital Mammograms Classification Using Depth Wise Convolutional Neural Network
Authors: Rehman Khalil ur , Li Jianqiang , Pei Yan , Yasin Anaa , Ali Saqib , Saeed Yousaf
Published: December 2021

Architectural distortion is the third most suspicious appearance on a mammogram representing abnormal regions. Architectural distortion (AD) detection from mammograms is challenging due to its subtle and varying asymmetry on breast mass and small size. Automatic detection of abnormal ADs regions in mammograms using computer algorithms at initial stages could help radiologists and doctors. The architectural distortion star shapes ROIs detection, noise removal, and object location, affecting the classification performance, reducing accuracy. The computer vision-based technique automatically removes the noise and detects the location of objects from varying patterns. The current study investigated the gap to detect architectural distortion ROIs (region of interest) from mammograms using computer vision techniques. Proposed an automated computer-aided diagnostic system based on architectural distortion using computer vision and deep learning to predict breast cancer from digital mammograms. The proposed mammogram classification framework pertains to four steps such as image preprocessing, augmentation and image pixel-wise segmentation. Architectural distortion ROI’s detection, training deep learning, and machine learning networks to classify AD’s ROIs into malignant and benign classes. The proposed method has been evaluated on three databases, the PINUM, the CBIS-DDSM, and the DDSM mammogram images, using computer vision and depth-wise 2D V-net 64 convolutional neural networks and achieved 0.95, 0.97, and 0.98 accuracies, respectively. Experimental results reveal that our proposed method outperforms as compared with the ShuffelNet, MobileNet, SVM, K-NN, RF, and previous studies.
Retrospective Analysis of INRG Clinical and Genomic Factors for 605 Neuroblastomas in Japan: A Report from the Japan Children’s Cancer Group Neuroblastoma Committee (JCCG-JNBSG)
Authors: Ohira Miki , Nakamura Yohko , Takimoto Tetsuya , Nakazawa Atsuko , Hishiki Tomoro , Matsumoto Kimikazu , Shichino Hiroyuki , Iehara Tomoko , Nagase Hiroki , Fukushima Takashi , Yoneda Akihiro , Tajiri Tatsuro , Nakagawara Akira , Kamijo Takehiko
Published: December 2021

Neuroblastomas (NBs) exhibit broad and divergent clinical behaviors and tumor risk classification at diagnosis is crucial for the selection of an appropriate therapeutic strategy for each patient. The present study aimed to validate the clinical relevance of International Neuroblastoma Risk Group (INRG) prognostic and genomic markers in a Japanese NB cohort using a retrospective analysis. Follow-up data based on 30 common INRG queries in 605 NB cases diagnosed in Japan between 1990 and 2014 were collected and the genome signature of each tumor sample was integrated. As previously indicated, age, tumor stage, MYCN, DNA ploidy, the adrenals as the primary tumor site, serum ferritin and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) levels, segmental chromosome aberrations, and the number of chromosome breakpoints (BP) correlated with lower survival rates, while the thorax as the primary tumor site and numerical chromosome aberrations correlated with a favorable prognosis. In the patient group with stage 4, MYCN non-amplified tumors (n = 225), one of the challenging subsets for risk stratification, age ≥ 18 months, LDH ≥ 1400 U/L, and BP ≥ 7 correlated with lower overall and event-free survival rates (p < 0.05). The genome subgroup GG-P2s (partial chromosome gain/loss type with 1p/11q losses and 17q gain, n = 30) was strongly associated with a lower overall survival rate (5-year survival rate: 34%, p < 0.05). Therefore, the combination of the tumor genomic pattern (GG-P2s and BP ≥ 7) with age at diagnosis and LDH will be a promising predictor for MYCN-non-amplified high-risk NBs in patient subsets, in accordance with previous findings from the INRG project.
An Experimental Study on the Effect of Nanomaterials and Fibers on the Mechanical Properties of Polymer Composites
Authors: Thongchom Chanachai , Refahati Nima , Roodgar Saffari Pouyan , Roudgar Saffari Peyman , Niyaraki Meysam Nouri , Sirimontree Sayan , Keawsawasvong Suraparb
Published: December 2021

This study aims to explore the tensile and impact properties (tensile strength, modulus of elasticity, and impact strength) of polypropylene (PP)-based nanocomposites reinforced with graphene nanosheets, nanoclay, and basalt fibers. The response surface methodology (RSM) with Box–Behnken design (BBD) was adopted as the experimental design. An internal mixer was used to prepare compounds consisting of 0, 0.75 and 1.5 wt% graphene nanosheets, 0, 10 and 20 wt% basalt fibers, and 0, 3 and 6 wt% nanoclay. The samples were prepared by a hot press machine for mechanical testing. The tensile tests were run to determine the tensile strength, and modulus of elasticity, and the Charpy impact tests were performed to assess the impact strength. It was found that the addition of basalt increased the tensile strength, modulus of elasticity, and impact strength by 32%, 64% and 18%, respectively. Also, the incorporation of the low-weight graphene nanosheets increased the tensile and impact strength by 15% and 20%, respectively, Adding graphene nanosheets generally improved the modulus of elasticity by 66%. Similarly, the addition of nanoclay improved the tensile strength by 17% and increased the modulus of elasticity by 59%, but further addition of it decreased the impact strength by 19%. The values obtained by this experiment for the mechanical property were roughly close to the data yielded from desirability optimization.
Design and Microwave-Assisted Synthesis of TiO2-Lanthanides Systems and Evaluation of Photocatalytic Activity under UV-LED Light Irradiation
Authors: Kubiak Adam , Grzegórska Anna , Zembrzuska Joanna , Zielińska-Jurek Anna , Siwińska-Ciesielczyk Katarzyna , Janczarek Marcin , Krawczyk Piotr , Jesionowski Teofil
Published: December 2021

The TiO2-Eu and TiO2-La systems were successfully synthesized using the microwave method. Based on the results of X-ray diffraction analysis, it was found that regardless of the analyzed systems, two crystal structures were noted for the obtained samples: anatase and rutile. The analysis, such as XPS and EDS, proved that the doped lanthanum and europium nano-particles are present only on the TiO2 surface without disturbing the crystal lattice. In the synthesized systems, there were no significant changes in the bandgap energy. Moreover, all the obtained systems were characterized by high thermal stability. One of the key objectives of the work, and a scientific novelty, was the introduction of UV-LED lamps into the metronidazole photo-oxidation pathway. The results of the photo-oxidation study showed that the obtained TiO2 systems doped with selected lanthanides (Eu or La) show high efficiency in the removal of metronidazole, and at the same consuming nearly 10 times less electricity compared to conventional UV lamps (high-pressure mercury lamp). Liquid-chromatography mass-spectrometry (LC-MS) analysis of an intermediate solution showed the presence of fragments of the degraded molecule by m/z 114, 83, and 60, prompting the formulation of a plausible photodegradation pathway for metronidazole.
Research Progress on the Applications of Electrospun Nanofibers in Catalysis
Authors: Guerrero-Pérez M. Olga
Published: December 2021

During the last two decades, electrospinning has become a very popular technique for the fabrication of nanofibers due to its low cost and simple handling. Nanofiber materials have found utilization in many areas such as medicine, sensors, batteries, etc. In catalysis, these materials also present important advantages, since they present a low resistance to internal diffusion and a high surface area to volume ratio. These advantages are mainly due to the diameter–length proportion. A bibliographic analysis on the applications of electrospun nanofibers in catalysis shows that there are two important groups of catalysts that are being investigated, based on TiO2 and in carbon materials. The main applications found are in photo- and in electro-catalysis. The present study contributes by reviewing these catalytic applications of electrospun nanofibers and demonstrating that they are promising materials as catalysts, underlining some works to prove the advantages and possibilities that these materials have as catalysts. On one hand, the possibilities of synthesis are almost infinite, since with coaxial electrospinning quite complex nanofibers with different layers can be prepared. On the other hand, the diameter and other properties can be controlled by monitoring the applied voltage and other parameters during the synthesis, being quite reproducible procedures. The main advantages of these materials can be grouped in two: one related to their morphology, as has been commented, relative to their low resistance and internal diffusion, that is, their fluidynamic behavior in the reactor; the second group involves advantages related to the fact that the active phases can be nanoscaled and dispersed, improving the activity and selectivity in comparison with conventional catalytic materials with the same chemical composition.
The Effect of Biochar on the Properties of Alkali-Activated Slag Pastes
Authors: Prabahar Joshua , Vafaei Babak , Baffoe Elvis , Ghahremaninezhad Ali
Published: December 2021

This paper examines the influence of biochar on the properties of alkali-activated slag pastes using two activator solutions, namely NaOH and Na2CO3. The biochar demonstrated different absorption kinetics in the mixture of slag and the two activator solutions. The pastes with biochar showed a delay in the heat flow peak, compared to the pastes without biochar, but the cumulative heat release in these pastes at later hours was increased, compared to the pastes without biochar. It was found that the use of biochar reduced autogenous shrinkage in the pastes and the reduction in autogenous shrinkage was more pronounced in the alkali-activated slag with NaOH, compared to Na2CO3. The void structure of the pastes was investigated using x-ray micro-computed tomography. It was found that refined pore structure due to reduced effective solution/slag in the pastes with biochar was able to compensate for the decreasing effect of biochar voids on compressive strength. The electrical resistivity was shown to be lower in the pastes with biochar.
Intracranial Flow Velocity Quantification Using Non-Contrast Four-Dimensional Flow MRI: A Prospective Comparative Study with Transcranial Doppler Ultrasound
Authors: Ha Sam-Yeol , Kang Yeonah , Lee Ho-Joon , Hwang Moonjung , Baik Jiyeon , Park Seongho
Published: December 2021

Four-dimensional (4D) flow magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) allows three-dimensional velocity encoding to measure blood flow in a single scan, regardless of the intracranial artery direction. We compared blood flow velocity quantification by non-contrast 4D flow MRI and by transcranial Doppler ultrasound (TCD), the most widely used modality for measuring velocity. Twenty-two patients underwent both TCD and non-contrast 4D flow MRI. The mean time interval between TCD and non-contrast 4D flow MRI was 0.7 days. Subsegmental velocities were measured bilaterally in the middle cerebral and basilar arteries using TCD and non-contrast 4D flow MRI. Intracranial velocity measurements using TCD and non-contrast 4D flow MRI demonstrated a strong correlation in the bilateral M1, especially at the proximal segment (right r = 0.74, left r = 0.78; all p < 0.001). Mean velocities acquired with 4D flow MRI were approximately 8 to 10% lower than those acquired with TCD according to the location of M1. Intracranial arterial flow measurements estimated using non-contrast 4D flow MRI and TCD showed strong correlation. 4D flow MRI enables simultaneous assessment of vascular morphology and quantitative hemodynamic measurement, providing three-dimensional blood flow visualization. 4D flow MRI is a clinically useful sequence with a promising role in cerebrovascular disease.