bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Clinical Characteristics and Risk Factors of Severe COVID-19
Authors: Hu Jianhua , Wang Yanggan
Published: January 2021

Objective: We aim to investigate the clinical characteristics and risk factors for the severe cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in comparison with the non-severe patients. Methods: We searched PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, and CNKI to collect all relevant studies published before July 26, 2020, and a total of 30 papers were included in this meta-analysis. Results: In the severe COVID-19 patients, 60% (95% CI = 56–64%) were male, 25% (95% CI = 21–29%) were over 65 years old, 34% (95% CI = 24–44%) were obese, and 55% (95% CI = 41–70%) had comorbidities. The most prevalent comorbidities were hypertension (34%, 95% CI = 25–44%), diabetes (20%, 95% CI = 15–25%), and cardiovascular disease (CVD; 12%, 95% CI = 9–16%). The most common blood test abnormalities were elevated C-reactive protein (CRP; 87%, 82–92%), decreased lymphocyte count (68%, 58–77%), and increased lactate dehydrogenase (69%, 95% CI = 57–81%). In addition, abnormal laboratory findings revealing organ dysfunctions were frequently observed in the severe cases, including decrease in albumin (43%, 95% CI = 24–63%) and increase in aspartate aminotransferase (47%, 95% CI = 38–56%), alanine aminotransferase (28%, 95% CI = 16–39%), troponin I/troponin T (TnI/TnT; 29%, 95% CI = 13–45%), and serum Cr (SCr; 10%, 95% CI = 5–15%). Conclusion: The male, elderly and obese patients and those with any comorbidities, especially with hypertension, diabetes, and CVD, were more likely to develop into severe cases. But the association between hypertension, diabetes, CVD, and severity of COVID-19 was declined by the increase of age. A significant elevation in cardiac TnI/TnT, the hepatic enzymes, and SCr and the reduction in lymphocytes with elevated CRPs are important markers for the severity. Specific attention should be given to the elderly male and obese patients and those with indications of severe immune injury in combination with bacterial infection and indication of multi-organ dysfunction or damages.
Genetic Variation and Evolution of the 2019 Novel Coronavirus
Authors: Dimonte Salvatore , Babakir-Mina Muhammed , Hama-Soor Taib , Ali Salar
Published: January 2021

Introduction: SARS-CoV-2 is a new type of coronavirus causing a pandemic severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS-2). Coronaviruses are very diverting genetically and mutate so often periodically. The natural selection of viral mutations may cause host infection selectivity and infectivity. Methods: This study was aimed to indicate the diversity between human and animal coronaviruses through finding the rate of mutation in each of the spike, nucleocapsid, envelope, and membrane proteins. Results: The mutation rate is abundant in all 4 structural proteins. The most number of statistically significant amino acid mutations were found in spike receptor-binding domain (RBD) which may be because it is responsible for a corresponding receptor binding in a broad range of hosts and host selectivity to infect. Among 17 previously known amino acids which are important for binding of spike to angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor, all of them are conservative among human coronaviruses, but only 3 of them significantly are mutated in animal coronaviruses. A single amino acid aspartate-454, that causes dissociation of the RBD of the spike and ACE2, and F486 which gives the strength of binding with ACE2 remain intact in all coronaviruses. Discussion/Conclusion: Observations of this study provided evidence of the genetic diversity and rapid evolution of SARS-CoV-2 as well as other human and animal coronaviruses.
Classification of white rice grain quality using ANN: a review
Authors: Hamzah Anis Sufiya , Mohamed Azlinah
Published: January 2021

Exploring the new method of using technology for classifying rice grain quality is pertinent for rice producers in order to provide quality grains and protect consumers from any contamination exist. This is even more important when in today’s market we can see that rice with low quality is traded without stringent quality control which at the end will affect consumer’s health. This paper will review classification methods in determining quality white rice grain. Although there are many researchers developing new process to do rice classification by using different technique, there are still more advanced technique that can be used to do classification. This paper will focus on classifying rice grain quality using artificial neural network (ANN) approach with the help of image processing to identify the impurities contained in the rice grains. The findings show ANN using BPNN has the highest accuracy of 96%, it is also noted that other methods provide equally better performance. This review indicate hybrid method in ANN should be explored next for future work.
Robust nonlinear PD controller for ship steering autopilot system based on particle swarm optimization technique
Authors: M. Ameen Nihad , Thiab Humod Abdulrahim
Published: January 2021

This paper proposes a new approach for robust nonlinear proportional derivative (PD) controller. In this approach a nonlinear function (sigmoid) is added to the conventional proportional integral derivative (PID) controller with filtering for the derivative, in order to improve system response and to reduce the effects of the nonlinearity and uncertainty due to variations of hydrodynamic coefficients of ship with the speed. The gains of nonlinear PD controller are tuned by applying particle swarm optimization (PSO) technique. The simulated results by MATLAB program give satisfactory performance with regard to maximum overshoot, settling time and zero steady state error for step, ramp and proposed trajectory as input to the system. The robustness of the autopilot was checked by changing the plant parameters and adding disturbance to the plant input. The used autopilot is nonlinear PD controller because the gain of integral term by PSO is approximately zero which simplifies the controller construction. The results show that the proposed controller has superior transient response and robustness on the conventional PID designed by using symmetrical optimum criterion with pole assignment technique.
Stamps extraction using local adaptive k- means and ISODATA algorithms
Authors: A. Rajab Maha , E. George Loay
Published: January 2021

One of the main difficulties facing the certified documents documentary archiving system is checking the stamps system, but, that stamps may be contains complex background and surrounded by unwanted data. Therefore, the main objective of this paper is to isolate background and to remove noise that may be surrounded stamp. Our proposed method comprises of four phases, firstly, we apply k-means algorithm for clustering stamp image into a number of clusters and merged them using ISODATA algorithm. Secondly, we compute mean and standard deviation for each remaining cluster to isolate background cluster from stamp cluster. Thirdly, a region growing algorithm is applied to segment the image and then choosing the connected region to produce a binary mask for the stamp area. Finally, the binary mask is combined with the original image to extract the stamp regions. The results indicate that the number of clusters can be determined dynamically and the largest cluster that has minimum standard deviation (i.e., always the largest cluster is the background cluster). Also, show that the binary mask can be established from more than one segment to cover are all stamp’s disconnected pieces and it can be useful to remove the noise appear with stamp region.
Corpus-based technique for improving Arabic OCR system
Authors: Aliwy Ahmed Hussain , Al-Sadawi Basheer
Published: January 2021

An optical character recognition (OCR) refers to a process of converting the text document images into editable and searchable text. OCR process poses several challenges in particular in the Arabic language due to it has caused a high percentage of errors. In this paper, a method, to improve the outputs of the Arabic Optical character recognition (AOCR) Systems is suggested based on a statistical language model built from the available huge corpora. This method includes detecting and correcting non-word and real words error according to the context of the word in the sentence. The results show that the percentage of improvement in the results is up to (98%) as a new accuracy for AOCR output. 
Reversible image authentication scheme based on prediction error expansion
Authors: Nguyen Thai-Son , Vo Phuoc-Hung
Published: January 2021

Reversible image authentication scheme is a technique that detects tampered areas in images and allows them to be reconstructed to their original version without any distortion. In this article, a new, reversible, image authentication scheme based on prediction error expansion is proposed for digital images. The proposed scheme classifies the host image into smooth blocks and complex blocks. Then, an authentication code that is created randomly with a seed is embedded adaptively into each image block. Experimental results showed that our proposed scheme achieves the high accuracy of tamper detection and preserved high image quality. Moreover, the proposed scheme achieved the reversibility, which is needed for some special applications, such as fine artwork, military images, and medical images. 
An analytical method with numerical results to be used in the design of optical slab waveguides for optical communication system applications
Authors: M. Alatwi Aadel , Zaki Rashed Ahmed Nabih
Published: January 2021

This study develops an analytical method with numerical results for the design of optical slab waveguides for optical communication system applications. An optical slab waveguide structure made of silicon on silicon dioxide material is designed and analyzed. The effective index of the mode is studied against variations in the waveguide dimensions. Transmission and reflection coefficients are studied and compared to the wavelength and dimensions of the waveguide. Variations are sketched with the x-axis, in addition to the electric field intensity distribution and effective refractive index. Waveguide bending loss is also studied with waveguide thickness and length variations within three waveguide transmission windows of 850 nm, 1300 nm, and 1550 nm.
Spatial optical transmitter based on on/off keying line coding modulation scheme for optimum performance of telecommunication systems
Authors: M. El-Hageen Hazem , M. Alatwi Aadel , Zaki Rashed Ahmed Nabih
Published: January 2021

This study has presented a spatial optical transmitter based on on off keying line coding modulation scheme for the optimum performance of telecommunication systems. The encircled flux versus fiber core radius, the 3D graph for fiber mode versus core radius, and the signal power level in dBm versus wavelength through coarse wavelength division multiplexing with a fiber length of 20 km are presented and discussed in detail. The total power measured in W and dBm as well as the signal power amplitude level obtained through the infinite impulse response (IIR) filter based on both Z domain and pole/zero coefficient filter types are illustrated clearly. Signal gain, noise figure, maximum Q factor, and received power are also clarified against bit rates for various modulation line coding schemes.
COVID-19 knowledge-based system for diagnosis in Iraq using IoT environment
Authors: M. Nema Bashar , Makki Mohialden Yasmin , Mahmood Hussien Nadia , Ali Hussein Nael
Published: January 2021

The importance and benefits of healthcare mobile applications is increasing rapidly, especially when such applications are connected to the internet of things (IoT). This paper describes a smart knowledge-based system (KBS) that helps patients showing symptoms of Influenza verify being infected with Coronavirus, commonly known as COVID-19. In addition to the systems’ diagnostic functionality, it helps these patients get medical assistance fast by notifying medical authorities using the IoT. This system displays patient’s location, phone number, date and time of examination. During the applications’ development, the developers used Twilio, short message service (SMS), WhatsApp, and Google map applications.
Regular clocking scheme based design of cost-efficient comparator in QCA
Authors: Pal Jayanta , Noorallahzadeh Mojtaba , Sil Sharma Jyotirmoy , Bhowmik Dhrubajyoti , Saha Apu Kumar , Sen Bibhash
Published: January 2021

Quantum-dot cellular automata (QCA) gained a notable attraction in the emerging nanotechnology to get the better of power consumption, density, nano-scale design, the performance of the present CMOS technology. Many designs had been proposed in QCA for an arithmetic circuit like adder, divider, parity checker and comparator etc. Most of the designs have been facing the challenges of cost efficiency, power dissi-pation, device density etc. However, consideration of design automation, underlying clocking layout and integration of the sub modules are the most important which has a direct impact on the fabrication of the design. This work proposed a novel cost ef-fective and power aware comparator design, which is an essential segment in central processing unit (CPU). The noticeable novelty of the design was the use of underlying regular clocking scheme. A new scalable, regular clocking scheme has been utilized in the coplanar design of the comparator which enables regular or uniform cell layout of QCA circuit. It also exhibited the significant improvement over existing counterparts having irregular clocking in terms of area and latency. QCADesigner was used to test and verify the functionality of the circuit and by using QCAPro the power dissipation has been analyzed.
Numerous speeds-loads controller for DC-shunt motor based on PID controller with on-line parameters tuning supported by genetic algorithm
Authors: Abdulelah Alawan Mazin , Mohammed Al-Furaiji Oday Jasim
Published: January 2021

Direct-current (DC) motor is a commonly used motor; its speed is directly affected by applying mechanical load. This paper proposes the design of wide speed-load range controller for a direct-current (DC) shunt motor based on proportional–integral–derivative (PID controller) with genetic system for controller parameters adjusting. The genetic based PID controller is simulated by using Matlab software package and tested with different sudden load values and different working speeds. A present control loop contains the suggested PID controller also Pulse-Width-Modulation PWM generator and H-bridge inverter. With the genetic system enhancement to parameters of developed PID controller, the results demonstration that this controller has great impact to preserve the profiles of the motor speed and produced torque after applied sudden load, and its intensification the motor performance at different speed and load conditions.
An image encryption algorithm with a novel chaotic coupled mapped lattice and chaotic image scrambling technique
Authors: Chaboki Behrang , Shakiba Ali
Published: January 2021

In this paper, we build a novel chaotic coupled lattice mapping with positive Lyapunov exponent, and introduce a novel chaotic image scrambling mechanism. Then, we propose a chaotic image encryption algorithm which uses the introduced chaotic coupled lattice mapping to apply permutation by iteratively applying the introduced chaotic image scrambling mechanism, and diffusing the pixel values. We use a sorting approach rather than quantizing the chaotic floating-point values to construct the diffusion matrix. We also study the security of the proposed algorithm concerning several security measures including brute-force attack, differential attack, key sensitivity, and statistical attacks. Moreover, the proposed algorithm is robust against data loss and noise attacks.
Improving signal detection accuracy at FC of a CRN using machine learning and fuzzy rules
Authors: Kalam Azad Md Abul , Majumder Anup , Krishna Das Jugal , Islam Md Imdadul
Published: January 2021

The performance of a cognitive radio network (CRN) mainly depends on the faithful signal detection at fusion center (FC). In this paper, the concept of weighted Fuzzy rule in Iris data classification, as well as, four machine learning techniques named fuzzy inference system (FIS), fuzzy c-means clustering (FCMC), support vector machine (SVM) and convolutional neural network (CNN) are applied in signal detection at FC taking signal-to-interference plus noise ratio of secondary users as parameter. The weighted Fuzzy rule gave the detection accuracy of 86.6%, which resembles the energy detection model of majority rule of FC; however, CNN gave an accuracy of 91.3% at the expense of more decision time. The FIS, FCMC and SVM gave some intermediate results; however, the combined method gave the best result compared to that of any individual technique.
Reducing image search time by improved BOVW with wavelet decomposition
Authors: Kourtiche Mohammed El Amin , Beladgham Mohammed , Taleb-Ahmed Abdelmalik
Published: January 2021

In the last decade, the bag of visual words (BOVW) has been used widely in image classification, image retrieval and has significantly improved the performance of CBIR system. In this paper we propose a new method to enhance BOVW using features obtained from wavelet decomposition in order to reduce computational costs in vocabulary construction and training time. We apply several level of wavelet decompositions and evaluate their impact on accuracy of the BOVW. We apply our method on MURA-v1.1 dataset and the experiments results confirm the performance of our approach.
Multiloop low bandwidth communication-based power sharing control for microgrids
Authors: Pathan Erum , Abu Bakar Afarulrazi , Hayat Khan Mubashir , Asad Muhammad , Arshad Haider
Published: January 2021

In parallel-connected inverter-based microgrids, the reactive power sharing accuracy can not have satisfactory results effortlessly. Mismatch in feeder impedances of the parallel-connected inverter-based microgrids is a significant cause of inaccurate reactive power-sharing. In voltage source inverters (VSI) based microgrids, especially for the islanded mode of operation, the conventional centralized or decentralized control techniques are not much helpful to control the voltage deviations due to impedance mismatch. Mismatch of the feeder impedance is compensated by the addition of fixed virtual impedance. Whereas, the change in the virtual impedance is compensated by adaptive virtual impedance-based control techniques which are helpful to mitigate power-sharing errors, but in most of the control schemes virtual impedance-based control mechanism needs pre-knowledge of feeder impedance which increases the computational burden. This paper presents a decentralized virtual impedance-based power sharing control. In the proposed control solution to mitigate reactive power sharing errors in distributed generation (DG) units, mismatch of the parallel-connected feeder impedance is equalized by regulating the addition of equivalent impedance to each DG inverter. Proposed control technique offers an independent implementation without any pre-knowledge of the feeder impedance. Hence, the implementation of the control scheme is a straightforward and computational burden is also reduced. Simulation results show the effectiveness of the control scheme. 
Reduction of common mode voltage for cascaded multilevel inverters using phase shift keying technique
Authors: Nguyen Vinh-Quan , Tran QuangTho
Published: January 2021

Demand of cascaded multilevel inverters in industries of electric drives and renewable energy is increasing due to their large-scale capacity and high voltage. The modulation technique of inverters significantly affects the power quality of the inverter output voltage. This paper proposes a new method of carrier wave modulation using the phase shift keying technique for cascaded multilevel inverters. The phase of a constant frequency carrier wave is changed at an accurate time by an input sinusoidal control signal. This modulation technique is simply implemented and only needs a small memory. It also helps reduce the common mode voltage of inverters in order to suppress the output voltage harmonics. Moreover, the ability to reduce switching count also helps the inverters decrease switching loss. The simulated and experienced results on a cascaded 9-level 3-phase inverter and an F28379D DSP kit have validated the performance of the proposed technique compared with that of the APOD and POD methods.
Bangla language textual image description by hybrid neural network model
Authors: Jishan Md. Asifuzzaman , Mahmud Khan Raqib , Azad Abul Kalam Al , Rashid Mohammad Rifat Ahmmad , Paul Bijan , Alam Md. Shahabub
Published: January 2021

Automatic image captioning task in different language is a challenging task which has not been well investigated yet due to the lack of dataset and effective models. It also requires good understanding of scene and contextual embedding for robust semantic interpretation of images for natural language image descriptor. To generate image descriptor in Bangla, we created a new Bangla dataset of images paired with target language label, named as Bangla Natural Language Image to Text (BNLIT) dataset. To deal with the image understanding, we propose a hybrid encoder-decoder model based on encoder-decoder architecture and the model is evaluated on our newly created dataset. This proposed approach achieves significance performance improvement on task of semantic retrieval of images. Our hybrid model uses the Convolutional Neural
Network as an encoder whereas the Bidirectional Long Short Term Memory is used for the sentence representation that decreases the computational complexities without trading off the exactness of the descriptor. The model yielded benchmark accuracy in recovering Bangla natural language and we also conducted a thorough numerical analysis of the model performance on the BNLIT dataset.
Black box modelling and simulating the dynamic indoor air temperature of a laboratory using autoregressive–moving-average (ARMA) model
Authors: M. Hussein S. F. , Sharifmuddin N. B. , Mohd. Fitri Alif M. K. , Al rabeei A. O. , Faruq A. , Zulkapli S. M. , Noorazizi M. S. , Zaki S. A. , Abdullah SS
Published: January 2021

Mathematical model representing the dynamic indoor air temperature of a building is important for reducing the time and cost required to test any proposed thermal comfort control algorithm and strategy for that building through computer simulation. There are many types of mathematical model, and each type has its strength(s) and weakness(es). An autoregressive–moving-average (ARMA) model, a type of black box model is used to represent the dynamic indoor air temperature behaviour of industrial instrumentation laboratory at malaysia-japan international institute of technology (MJIIT), universiti teknologi malaysia (UTM) Kuala Lumpur based on the recorded data from the laboratory and minimal physical characteristics knowledge of the laboratory. The ARMA model’s output developed in this research is compared with the actual data recorded from the laboratory for performance measurement. The obtained result shows that the ARMA model is sufficient for modelling and simulating the dynamic indoor air temperature behaviour of the laboratory.
Certain properties of ω-Q-fuzzy subrings
Authors: Alghazzawi Dilshad , H. Hanoon Wafaa , Gulzar Muhammad , Abbas Ghazanfar , Kausar Nasreen
Published: January 2021

In this paper, we define the - -fuzzy subring and discussed various fundamental aspects of - -fuzzy subrings. We introduce the concept of - -level subset of this new fuzzy set and prove that - -level subset of - -fuzzy subring form a ring. We define - -fuzzy ideal and show that set of all - -fuzzy cosets form a ring. Moreover, we investigate the properties of homomorphic image of - -fuzzy subring.
Vincetoxicum (Apocynaceae: Asclepiadoideae) in Taiwan: Two new combinations and a new record

Authors: HSU TIAN-CHUAN , HUANG WEI-JIE , CHUNG SHIH-WEN
Published: January 2021

The genus Vincetoxicum Wolf (1776: 130) was recently redefined by Liede-Schumann & Meve (2018) to include Tylophora Brown (1810: 460) and allied genera on the basis of morphological and molecular evidence (Liede-Schumann et al. 2012, 2016). As Vincetoxicum has not been recognized in regional floristic treatments (e.g. Li et al. 1995; Lu et al. 1998; Lin & Chung 2017), we herein provide a brief account of the ten species currently known in Taiwan (Fig. 1), with two necessary new combinations for Tylophora sui Tseng & Chao (2011: 162) and T. taiwanensis Hatusima (1963: 10). Additionally, Vincetoxicum fordii (Hemsley 1889: 106) Kuntze (1891: 424) was discovered during our recent field investigation and is reported here as a newly recorded species of Taiwan. A key to the species is also provided as below to aid their identification.
The identity of Kalanchoe stearnii (Crassulaceae subfam. Kalanchooideae)
Authors: SMITH GIDEON F. , SHTEIN RONEN
Published: January 2021

In the most recent synoptic treatment of Kalanchoe Adanson (1763: 248) (Crassulaceae subfam. Kalanchooideae), the name K. stearnii Raymond-Hamet (1941: 334), as ‘Stearni’, was interpreted as not having been validly published, with Turland et al. (2018: Art 32.1c) cited as the reason (Descoings 2003: 144). However, the name complied with the requirements applicable at the time for valid publication.
Nomenclatural types of Hieracium (Asteraceae) species described from the Balearic Islands (Spain) and several related taxa
Authors: FERRER-GALLEGO P. PABLO , MATEO GONZALO , ROSSELLÓ JOSEP A. , SÁEZ LLORENÇ
Published: January 2021

A nomenclatural revision of the genus Hieracium in the Balearic Islands (Spain) is presented and the typification of five names: H. aragonense Scheele, H. balearicum Arvet‑Touvet, H. elisaeanum Arvet-Touvet ex Willkomm, H. majoricanum Arvet-Touvet and H. microscapum Arvet-Touvet, is discussed. The names are lectotypified using specimens preserved at COI, GRM, and P herbaria. Several comments for the names H. cataractarum Arvet-Touvet & Huter and H. praecox subsp. brachypus Freyn in Porta & Rigo are also provided.
Taxonomic notes on Kalanchoe porphyrocalyx (Crassulaceae subfam. Kalanchooideae) and its horticultural derivatives
Authors: SMITH GIDEON F. , SHTEIN RONEN
Published: January 2021

The nomenclature and taxonomy of the Madagascan Kalanchoe porphyrocalyx (Crassulaceae subfam. Kalanchooideae), which was originally described as Kitchingia porphyrocalyx, is discussed and clarified. The combination Kalanchoe porphyrocalyx var. sulphurea was validly published in 1948 by Boiteau & Mannoni, but K. porphyrocalyx var. sambiranensis was only validly published in 2019. Attention is drawn to similarities between K. porphyrocalyx and cultivated material variously referred to in the horticultural trade as K. ‘Wendy’, K. ‘Sunny Balloon’, formally established here, and K. ‘Pearl Bells’, as well as under other, what are likely, trade designations, such as “Dolly”.
Baccharis rectialata (Compositae: Astereae): a new species of carqueja from Uruguay

Authors: VALTIERRA MARÍA VICTORIA , MARCHESI EDUARDO , HEIDEN GUSTAVO , BONIFACINO JOSÉ M.
Published: January 2021

Baccharis rectialata (Compositae: Astereae), a new species of B. sect. Caulopterae from the grasslands in northeastern Uruguay is described. The new species is morphologically similar to B. crispa and can be differentiated by its straight wing margins, shorter involucres and pappus in staminate capitula. We provide a detailed morphological description, and information on the distribution, habitat, phenology, and conservation status. Additionally, we discuss the main differences between B. rectialata and other closely related and morphologically similar species, and provide a key for identification of subshrubs belonging to B. sect. Caulopterae occurring in Uruguay, as well as illustrations, images, and a distribution map of the new species.
A new species of Scinax Wagler (Hylidae: Scinaxini) from the tropical forests of Northeastern Brazil
Authors: NOVAES-E-FAGUNDES GABRIEL , ARAUJO-VIEIRA KATYUSCIA , ENTIAUSPE-NETO OMAR M. , ROBERTO IGOR J. , ORRICO VICTOR G.D. , SOLÉ MIRCO , HADDAD CÉLIO F.B. , LOEBMANN DANIEL
Published: January 2021

We describe a new species of the Scinax ruber clade from Northeastern Brazil that occurs in widely separated geographic areas in the Atlantic Forest of southern Bahia state and the Highland Humid Forest of Serra de Baturité, northeast Ceará state. Scinax tropicalia sp. nov. (holotype coordinates: -14.795694°, -39.172645°) is diagnosed from all 75 currently recognize species of the S. ruber clade by bioacoustical and morphological adult traits, such as duration (0.11–0.31 s) and dominant frequency (1.59–1.85 kHz) of the advertisement call, snout shape rounded, nearly rounded, or semi-circular in dorsal view and rounded to slightly protruding in profile, bilobate vocal sac, absence of pectoral glands and spicule-shaped papillary epidermal projections on nuptial pads, and color pattern on the dorsum of body and hidden surfaces of hindlimbs.
Opaepupu, a new genus and species of bivalve-associated shrimp (Decapoda: Caridea: Palaemonidae) from Hawai’i
Authors: ANKER ARTHUR , GRAVE SAMMY DE
Published: January 2021

A new palaemonid shrimp genus, Opaepupu gen. nov., is established to accommodate a new species of bivalve-associated shrimp, Opaepupu huna sp. nov. from Hawaii. A single mated pair, the female holotype and the male allotype, were found inside the trapezid bivalve Trapezium oblongum (Linnaeus, 1758) at a depth of 14 m in Kâne’ohe Bay, Hawai’i. The new genus is characterised by the rostrum being proximally broad, distally pointed, mid-dorsally carinate, and non-dentate; the anterolateral margin of the carapace without supraorbital, hepatic or epigastric teeth, but with a strong sharp antennal tooth; the sixth pleonite posteriorly unarmed; the telson medially depressed, with the dorsal surface armed with two pairs of submarginal cuspidate setae and with the posterior margin armed with two pairs of spiniform setae; the distolateral angle of the first article of the antennular peduncle without a sharp tooth; the mandible without a palp; the maxillular palp furnished with one long stiff seta dorsal to a small tooth-like extension; the first maxilliped without a palp; the third maxilliped not being operculate; the second pereiopods moderately robust, relatively slender, subequal, subsymmetrical, with simple teeth on the cutting edges of the fingers; the ambulatory pereiopods being slender, each ending in an elongate biunguiculate dactylus; and the uropodal exopod with a faint diaeresis and greatly reduced distolateral spiniform seta. The phylogenetic position of Opaepupu gen. nov. remains unclear, although it does not appear to be closely related to other bivalve-associated palaemonid genera.
The distribution of four species of the genus Macrourus (Gadiformes: Macrouridae) from the Southern Ocean based on samples from the toothfish longline fishery
Authors: GON OFER , MIYA TSHOANELO , MCMILLAN PETER , LESLIE ROBIN
Published: January 2021

The known distribution of Macrourus caml is extended to the Ob and Lena Banks area, and southwest of Heard and McDonald Islands. Macrourus holotrachys was recorded from Prince Edward Islands and the Ob and Lena Banks. Macrourus carinatus specimens examined were all from Prince Edward Islands, the type locality. Macrourus whitsoni specimens examined were all from the southeast Atlantic Ocean at about 69˚S, close to the Antarctic continent (off Maud Land), consistent with a previous study which reported the species from 64–77˚S. A revised identification key is provided.
Characterization and Biosafety Evaluation of Hemoglobin-Based Oxygen Carriers Coated with Polydopamine
Authors: Hu Jilin , Wang Quan , Ma Ning , Li Bingting , You Guoxing , Wang Ying , Chu Zongtang , Zhao Lian , Zhou Hong
Published: January 2021

Hemoglobin-polydopamine particles (Hb-PDA) have shown high stability, with polydopamine (PDA) serving as a protective layer and antioxidant. However, the effects of the PDA coating on the properties and in vivo biosafety of Hb-PDA remain unclear. This work was conducted to characterize
Hb-PDA and evaluate its biosafety. Hb-PDA exhibited negative surface charge and their infusion did not cause blood immunotoxicity or significant tissue injury. Hb-PDA were not phagocyted after co-incubation with macrophages for 3 h. Moreover, the particles showed the highest accumulation in
the lungs, and a prolonged retention in major organs. It was also found that the particles were cleared by macrophages in splenic tissue and Kupffer cells in hepatic tissue. In summary, this research showed that Hb-PDA has high dispersion stability, low in vivo toxicity, and extended
retention, illustrating its potency as a biosafe oxygen carrier.
Bioinformatic Analysis of Differentially Expressed Genes and Screening of Hub Genes in Uveal Melanoma Cells with BRCA1-Associated Protein 1 Related Protein 1 Depletion
Authors: Li Wei , Nie Aiqin , Li Qiang , Cao He , Song Yinwei , Ling Yunzhi , Xie Ning , Liang Gaohua
Published: January 2021

Recent studies have found that chromosome 3 is frequently mutated in metastatic uveal melanoma (UVM), which leads to the loss of BAP1 expression or the weakening of BRCA1-associated protein 1 (BAP1) function and promotes metastasis of uveal melanoma cells. However, the specific signaling
pathways that are affected by BAP1 depletion in uveal melanoma remain unclear. Our aim in this study was to verify the effect and regulatory mechanism of BAP1 on uveal melanoma. RT-qPCR and western blotting results showed that BAP1 was significantly down-regulated in OCM-1A cells treated with
a BAP1 shRNA vector. MTT, cell scratch and transwell migration assays showed that low expression of BAP1 significantly promoted the proliferation and migration of UVM cells. A total of 269 up-regulated and 807 down-regulated genes were identified from the combined GSE110193 and GSE48863 data
sets. These differentially expressed genes are mainly involved in the composition of extracellular matrix and the regulation of the Wnt signaling pathway and are closely related to the cell adhesion pathway. CXCL8, COL5A3, COL11A1, and COL12A1 were among the differentially
expressed genes and are closely related to the prognosis of UVM. Therefore, the deletion of BAP1 is closely related to poor prognosis of UVM and is a risk factor for UVM metastasis. The potential targets of BAP1 include CXCL8, COL5A3, COL11A1, and COL12A1. It is
believed that BAP1 regulates UVM cell adhesion through these four genes and ultimately regulates tumor development and migration.
Effect of a High Mg Solute Content on the Hot Workability of Al–Mg Alloys
Authors: Lee Jae-Cheol , Son Hyeon-Woo , Kim Sang-Wook , Cho Chang-Hee , Kim Yong-Jae , Kim Jong-Kyun , Hyun Soong-Keun
Published: January 2021

The workability of Al–xMg alloys with a high Mg content (Al–6Mg, Al–8Mg, Al–9Mg) was evaluated by investigating the microstructure and processing map. Hot torsion tests were conducted in the range of 350–500 °C between 0.1 and 1 s−1.
Constitutive equations were derived from various effective stress–strain curves, and the thermal activation energies for deformation obtained were 171 kJ/mol at Al–6Mg, 195 kJ/mol at Al–8Mg, and 220 kJ/mol at Al–9Mg. In the case of the processing map, the instability
region, which widened with increasing Mg content, was due mainly to the influence of the Mg solute, which activated grain boundary cracking and flow localization.
Highly Proton Conductive Sulfonyl Imide Based Polymer Blended from Poly(arylene ether sulfone) and Parmax-1200 for Fuel Cells
Authors: Jin Lei , Rahman Md Mahabubur , Ahmed Faiz , Ryu Taewook , Yoon Sujin , Zhang Wei , Kim Daeho , Jang Hohyoun
Published: January 2021

Thermally and chemically stable, sulfonyl imide-based polymer blends have been prepared from sulfonimide poly(arylene ether sulfone) (SI-PAES) and sulfonimide Parmax-1200 (SI-Parmax-1200) using the solvent casting method. Initially, sulfonimide poly(arylene ether sulfone) (SI-PAES)
polymers have typically been synthesized via direct polymerization of bis(4-chlorophenyl) sulfonyl imide (SI-DCDPS) and bis(4-fluorophenyl) sulfone (DFDPS) with bisphenol A (BPA). Subsequently, SI-Parmax-1200 has been synthesized via post-modification of the existing Parmax-1200 polymer followed
by sulfonation and imidization. The SI-PAES/SI-Parmax-1200 blend membranes show high ion exchange capacity ranging from 1.65 to 1.97 meq/g, water uptake ranging from 22.8 to 65.4% and proton conductivity from 25.9 to 78.5 mS/cm. Markedly, the SI-PAES-40/SI-Parmax-1200 membrane (blended-40)
exhibits the highest proton conductivity (78.5 mS/cm), which is almost similar to Nafion 117® (84.73 mS/cm). The thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and Fenton's test confirm the excellent thermal and chemical stability of the synthetic polymer blends. Furthermore, the scanning electron microscopy
(SEM) study shows a distinct phase separation at the hydrophobic/hydrophilic segments, which facilitate proton conduction throughout the ionic channel of the blend polymers. Therefore, the synthetic polymer blends represent an alternative to Nafion 117® as proton exchangers for fuel cells.
Influence of Si Content on Tensile Properties and Fractography of Al–Mg–Si Ternary Alloys
Authors: Wahid Shah Abdul , Ha Seong-Ho , Kim Bong-Hwan , Yoon Young-Ok , Lim Hyun-Kyu , Kim Shae K.
Published: January 2021

This study investigated the heat treatment response and tensile properties of Al–6 mass%Mg–xSi (x = 1, 3, 5, and 7 mass%) ternary alloys. Further, the fracture behavior of these alloys in response to heat treatment for different temper conditions was also examined.
Scanning electron microscopy–energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry (SEM–EDS) analysis of the as-cast alloys revealed, in all of them, the presence of iron-bearing phases (in a size range of 10˜60 μm) that did not dissolve or become refined upon heat treatment. Additionally,
eutectic Mg2Si and Al3Mg2 phases were found in Alloy I (Al–6Mg–1Si), while eutectic Mg2Si and Si phases were found in the rest of the alloys. In the as-cast condition, the tensile properties of the examined alloys decreased in relation
to increasing Si content. Nonetheless, after heat treatment, the yield strength of the alloys with high Si content (>3 mass%) increased significantly compared with that in the as-cast condition. A yield strength greater than 300 MPa was achieved in both Alloy III (Al–6Mg–5Si)
and Alloy IV (Al–6Mg–7Si), although this was achieved at the expense of ductility. According to the fractography of the tensile-fractured surfaces undertaken using optical and scanning electron microscopy, fractures of the iron-bearing phases were found to be the source of cracking
in alloys with high Si content. In the case of those with low Si content (≤3 mass%), cracks were believed to have been caused by the debonding of iron-bearing phases from the aluminum matrix.
Synthesis of Tin Oxide/Sponge Carbon Composite as Anode Material for Lithium-Ion Battery
Authors: Quan Shugui , Feng Chuanqi , Xiao Yao
Published: January 2021

Tin oxide/sponge carbon composite (SnO2/C) is synthesized by solvothermal reaction. The expected electrode materials are characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Raman spectrum. Related electrochemical properties are carried out by
battery comprehensive testing system. The composite could remain its specific capacity at 660.5 mAh g−1 after 200 cycles and behaved superior rate performance. The experimental results show that SnO2/C composite not only owned improved conductivity but also stable
frame structure during lithiation/delithiation processes. So SnO2/C composite behaved higher reversible specific capacity and rate performance than those of pure SnO2 or SnC2O4. Based on its outstanding electrochemical performances, the SnO2/C
anode electrode is a hopeful candidate for future application in lithium ion battery system.
Hydrothermal Synthesis of Carbon Quantum Dots from Persimmons as Probe for Determination of Ferric Ions
Authors: Wang Yingte , Yang Yujie , Chang Xiaoyue , Duan Rong , Zhang Yong
Published: January 2021

Local natural persimmons were used as a new precursor to synthesize carbon quantum dots (CQDs) by a brief and environment friendly strategy, hydrothermal method. The as-prepared CQDs were characterized by transmission electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, Ultraviolet-visible
spectroscopy, as well as fluorescence spectrophotometer. The average diameter of CQDs was 2.5±0.5 nm with spherical shape and exhibited blue fluorescence with the maximum emission wavelength at 438 nm and excitation wavelength at 345 nm. The influences of pH and ionic strength on CQDs
fluorescence were evaluated. Moreover, the CQDs were used for determination of Fe3+ by blue fluorescence quenching as the result of the interaction between Fe3+ and –OH, –COOH on the CQDs surfaces. The proposed CQDs displayed high selectivity and sensitivity of Fe3+
in comparison with other metal ions. Therefore, a good linear relationship was established with the Fe3+ concentration in the range of 0.6–400 μM. The correlation coefficient of the calibration curve was 0.996. The detection limit of the method was 0.56 μM.
Eventually, the CQDs made from persimmons were used for determination of Fe3+ in actual water sample with satisfactory results and gave recoveries between 95.66% and 99.90%. The relative standard deviation was 1.20%–1.86%. The results demonstrated the potential towards diverse
applications of the local persimmons.
Comments on “Do Ultrafine Cloud Condensation Nuclei Invigorate Deep Convection?”
Authors: Fan Jiwen , Khain Alexander
Published: January 2021

Here we elaborate on the deficiencies associated with the theoretical arguments and model simulations in a paper by Grabowski and Morrison (2020, hereafter GM20) that argued convective invigoration by aerosols does not exist. We show that the invigoration can be supported by both accurate theoretical analysis and explicit physics modeling with prognostic supersaturation and aerosols. Negligible invigoration by aerosols via drop freezing in GM20 was explained by a complete compensation between the heating effect from the freezing of extra liquid water and the extra loading effect during droplet ascending. But the reality is that droplet ascending then freezing occur at different locations and time scales, producing complex nonlinear responses that depend on the duration and location of the forcing. Also, this argument neglects the effect of off-loading of precipitating ice particles, increases in condensation during ascending, and riming and deposition accompanying droplet freezing. Regarding the warm-phase invigoration, the quasi-steady assumption for supersaturation as adopted in GM20 makes condensation independent of droplet number and size, therefore an incorrect interpretation of warm-phase invigoration. We illustrate that the quasi-steady assumption is invalid for updrafts of deep convective clouds in clean conditions because of the high acceleration of vertical velocity and the fast depletion of droplets by raindrop formation and accretion. Any assumption imposed on supersaturation, such as quasi-steady approximation and saturation adjustment, leads to errors in the evaluation of aerosol effects on diffusional growth and related buoyancy. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the piggybacking approach they used cannot prove or disprove the convective invigoration.
Reply to “Comments on ‘Do Ultrafine Cloud Condensation Nuclei Invigorate Deep Convection?’”
Authors: Grabowski Wojciech W. , Morrison Hugh
Published: January 2021

This is a rebuttal of Fan and Khain’s comments (hereafter FK21) on a 2020 paper by Grabowski and Morrison (hereafter GM20) that questions the impact of ultrafine cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) on deep convection. GM20 argues that “cold invigoration,” an increase of the updraft speed from lofting and freezing of additional cloud water in polluted environments, is unlikely because the latent heating from freezing of this cloud water approximately recovers the negative impact on the buoyancy from the weight of this water. FK21 suggest a variety of processes that could invalidate our claim. We maintain that our argument is valid and invite the authors to compare their microphysics scheme with ours in the same simplified modeling framework. However, pollution does affect the partitioning of latent heating within the column and likely leads to convection changes beyond a single diurnal cycle through larger-scale circulation changes. This argument explains impacts seen in our idealized mesoscale simulations and in convective–radiative equilibrium simulations by others. We agree with FK21 on the existence of a “warm invigoration” mechanism but question its interpretation. Consistent with the simulations in GM20, we argue that changes in the buoyancy can be explained by the response of the supersaturation to droplet microphysical changes induced by pollution. The buoyancy change is determined by supersaturation differences between pristine and polluted conditions, while condensation rate responds to these supersaturation changes. Finally, we agree with FK21 that the piggybacking modeling technique cannot prove or disprove invigoration; rather, it is a diagnostic technique that can be used to understand mechanisms driving simulation differences.
Chondromesenchymal Hamartoma With Nasopharyngeal Involvement: Two Unusual Cases of an Extremely Rare Lesion
Authors: Perić Aleksandar , Đurđević Biserka Vukomanović , Sotirović Jelena , Milojević Milanko , Baletić Nenad
Published: January 2021

Chondromesenchymal hamartoma (CMH) is a rare, benign lesion of the nasal cavity, paranasal sinuses, and skull base, composed of islands of hyaline cartilage in a myxoid background. The vast majority of CMH cases are infants and young children. According to the world literature, nasopharyngeal involvement of CMH is extremely rare. In all cases, the lesions were masses protruding from the nasal cavity or paranasal sinuses to the nasopharynx. We hereby report 2 adult male patients with masses completely situated in the nasopharyngeal space. In the first patient, the tumor originated from the posterior edge of the nasal septum and in the second one, from the posterolateral wall of the nasopharynx, adjacent to the pharyngeal orifice of the Eustachian tube. In both patients, the lesion was excised endoscopically, and histopathological analyses were consistent with a diagnosis of CMH. To our knowledge, those are the only cases of CMH completely situated in the nasopharynx.
Impact of latent tuberculosis infection on health and wellbeing: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Wong Yen Jun , Noordin Noorliza Mohd , Keshavjee Salmaan , Lee Shaun Wen Huey
Published: January 2021

The impact of latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) on health and wellbeing is not well understood. This review aims to evaluate the health and wellbeing of individuals with LTBI.

A systematic literature search was performed to assess studies reporting patient-reported outcomes in LTBI management including health-related quality of life (HRQoL), health utilities, disease burden and experience of individuals with LTBI. A pooled analysis was performed to estimate the effect of LTBI on HRQoL.

A total of 4464 studies were screened, of which 13 eligible articles describing nine unique studies were included for review. The HRQoL of individuals with LTBI and without tuberculosis (TB) infection were comparable, and better than patients with active TB disease. However, individuals with LTBI reported poorer mental health compared with individuals without TB infection (mean difference −4.16, 95% CI −7.45– −0.87; p=0.01). Qualitative studies suggest the presence of fear, anxiety and stigma in individuals with LTBI.

This review highlights potential psychosocial challenges in individuals with LTBI despite the absence of clinical symptoms. While their quality of life was marginally affected, this could be evidence to support LTBI management in preventing TB re-activation and the severe consequences of active TB disease that affect all domains of HRQoL.