bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Clinical outcome measures and their evidence base in degenerative cervical myelopathy: a systematic review to inform a core measurement set (AO Spine RECODE-DCM)
Authors: Yanez Touzet Alvaro , Bhatti Aniqah , Dohle Esmee , Bhatti Faheem , Lee Keng Siang , Furlan Julio C , Fehlings Michael G , Harrop James S , Zipser Carl Moritz , Rodrigues-Pinto Ricardo , Milligan James , Sarewitz Ellen , Curt Armin , Rahimi-Movaghar Vafa , Aarabi Bizhan , Boerger Timothy F , Tetreault Lindsay , Chen Robert , Guest James D , Kalsi-Ryan Sukhvinder , McNair Angus GK , Kotter Mark , Davies Benjamin
Published: January 2022

Objectives

To evaluate the measurement properties of outcome measures currently used in the assessment of degenerative cervical myelopathy (DCM) for clinical research.

Design

Systematic review

Data sources

MEDLINE and EMBASE were searched through 4 August 2020.

Eligibility criteria

Primary clinical research published in English and whose primary purpose was to evaluate the measurement properties or clinically important differences of instruments used in DCM.

Data extraction and synthesis

Psychometric properties and clinically important differences were both extracted from each study, assessed for risk of bias and presented in accordance with the Consensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement Instruments criteria.

Results

Twenty-nine outcome instruments were identified from 52 studies published between 1999 and 2020. They measured neuromuscular function (16 instruments), life impact (five instruments), pain (five instruments) and radiological scoring (five instruments). No instrument had evaluations for all 10 measurement properties and <50% had assessments for all three domains (ie, reliability, validity and responsiveness). There was a paucity of high-quality evidence. Notably, there were no studies that reported on structural validity and no high-quality evidence that discussed content validity. In this context, we identified nine instruments that are interpretable by clinicians: the arm and neck pain scores; the 12-item and 36-item short form health surveys; the Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) score, modified JOA and JOA Cervical Myelopathy Evaluation Questionnaire; the neck disability index; and the visual analogue scale for pain. These include six scores with barriers to application and one score with insufficient criterion and construct validity.

Conclusions

This review aggregates studies evaluating outcome measures used to assess patients with DCM. Overall, there is a need for a set of agreed tools to measure outcomes in DCM. These findings will be used to inform the development of a core measurement set as part of AO Spine RECODE-DCM.
Well-being treatments in cancer care: patient benefits
Authors: Buiret Guillaume , Lantheaume Sophie
Published: January 2022

Objectives

Well-being care is widely offered and delivered in patients with cancer. However, very few studies have rigorously evaluated its benefits. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of four well-being treatments (foot reflexology, socio-aesthetics, sophrology and singing) provided in a healthcare facility.

Methods

Three hundred and seventy-four patients with cancer were offered a well-being treatment and agreed to evaluate the type of treatment received, the benefits felt as a result, and numerical evaluation scales for pain and well-being before and after the session.

Results

The distribution of well-being treatments provided was as follows: foot reflexology: 19.0%, socio-aesthetics: 63.9%, sophrology: 6.7%, singing: 10.4%. The average gain in pain relief was 1.01 on a scale of 0–10 (p<10−5) and on well-being 6.97 on a scale of −10 to +10 (p<10−5). One patient (0.3%) experienced pain induced by a foot reflexology session and one patient (0.3%) experienced a deterioration in well-being following a singing session.

Conclusion

The well-being treatments studied provided significant pain relief and increased well-being in patients with cancer after their completion.
Better opioid prescribing in an inpatient oncology unit: quality improvement project
Authors: Weil Anna , Vijeratnam Shan Shan , Potter Valerie , Teli Jaymi , Feuer David
Published: January 2022

Objectives

Unsafe opioid prescribing can lead to significant patient harm and improving standards is a national priority. This report summarises a three-stage process relating to opioid prescribing, which has led to a sustained improvement.

Methods

Opioid prescriptions were reviewed retrospectively over a 4-year period in a tertiary cancer centre. The first audit cycle took place in 2017. When repeated in February 2020 following an opioid education programme implementation, prescribing remained poor. In September 2020, a quality improvement project (QIP) was developed with several interventions including opioid prescribing guidelines.

Results

The first audit demonstrated that 76% met safe prescribing and 68% best practice. The second audit showed a deterioration in prescribing, 61% met safe prescribing and 39% best practice despite the implementation of an education programme. The QIP has led to an improvement in prescribing, at 4 months, 87% met safe prescribing and 56% best practice.

Conclusions

Despite implementation of a medical education initiative, a marked deterioration in safe opioid prescribing occurred. A shift towards QI methodology led to a successful pilot of focused interventions and resulted in improved standards of safe prescribing.
Host transcriptome signatures in human faecal-washes predict histological remission in patients with IBD
Authors: Ungar Bella , Yavzori Miri , Fudim Ella , Picard Orit , Kopylov Uri , Eliakim Rami , Shouval Dror , Levin Yishai , Savidor Alon , Ben-Moshe Shani , Manco Rita , Dan Stav , Egozi Adi , Bahar Halpern Keren , Mayer Chen , Barshack Iris , Ben-Horin Shomron , Itzkovitz Shalev
Published: January 2022

Background

Colonoscopy is the gold standard for evaluation of inflammation in inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs), yet entails cumbersome preparations and risks of injury. Existing non-invasive prognostic tools are limited in their diagnostic power. Moreover, transcriptomics of colonic biopsies have been inconclusive in their association with clinical features.

Aims

To assess the utility of host transcriptomics of faecal wash samples of patients with IBD compared with controls.

Methods

In this prospective cohort study, we obtained biopsies and faecal-wash samples from patients with IBD and controls undergoing lower endoscopy. We performed RNAseq of biopsies and matching faecal-washes, and associated them with endoscopic and histological inflammation status. We also performed faecal mass-spectrometry proteomics on a subset of samples. We inferred cell compositions using computational deconvolution and used classification algorithms to identify informative genes.

Results

We analysed biopsies and faecal washes from 39 patients (20 IBD, 19 controls). Host faecal-transcriptome carried information that was distinct from biopsy RNAseq and faecal proteomics. Transcriptomics of faecal washes, yet not of biopsies, from patients with histological inflammation were significantly correlated to one another (p=5.3×10−12). Faecal-transcriptome had significantly higher statistical power in identifying histological inflammation compared with transctiptome of intestinal biopsies (150 genes with area under the curve >0.9 in faecal samples vs 10 genes in biopsy RNAseq). These results were replicated in a validation cohort of 22 patients (10 IBD, 12 controls). Faecal samples were enriched in inflammatory monocytes, regulatory T cells, natural killer-cells and innate lymphoid cells.

Conclusions

Faecal wash host transcriptome is a statistically powerful biomarker reflecting histological inflammation. Furthermore, it opens the way to identifying important correlates and therapeutic targets that may be obscured using biopsy transcriptomics.
Evaluation of biochar products at two inclusion levels on ruminal in vitro methane production and fermentation parameters in a Timothy hay-based diet
Authors: Mengistu G. F. , McAllister T. A. , Tamayao P. J. , Ominski K. H. , Ribeiro G. O. , Okine E. K. , McGeough E. J.
Published: January 2022

This study evaluated the effects of seven biochar products at two levels of inclusion [2.25% or 4.50% diet dry matter (DM)] on DM disappearance (DMD), cumulative gas and methane (CH4) production, ammonia-nitrogen, and volatile fatty acid (VFA) production from Timothy grass hay over 48 h of incubation. Biochar did not affect gas and CH4 production (P ≥ 0.17) nor the DMD or ruminal fermentation (P ≥ 0.12). In conclusion, the biochar, irrespective of level of inclusion, did not exhibit potential to mitigate CH4 emission in a grass hay diet.
Erratum to: Dark matter direct detection of a fermionic singlet at one loop
Authors: Herrero-García Juan , Molinaro Emiliano , Schmidt Michael A.
Published: January 2022

This erratum corrects Fig. 3a in [1] and clarifies the enhanced direct detection rate of the Dirac dark matter scenario with a vector-like fermion.
Learning-Based Motion Planning of a 14-DOF Biped Robot on 3D Uneven Terrain Containing a Ditch
Authors: Kumar Jitendra , Dutta Ashish
Published: January 2022

In this paper, a new method is proposed that integrates the 3D terrain information, ditch geometry, and biped dynamics for motion planning of a 14-DOF biped robot on 3D terrain containing a 3D ditch. The path planning is modeled as a wavefront propagation in Non-uniform medium represented by the Eikonal equation. A speed function expresses the inhomogeneity of uneven terrain. The Eikonal equation is solved by the Fast marching method (FMM) to obtain the global path. Ten Footstep variables (FSVs) characterize one step of walk on a 3D uneven terrain surface. The hip and foot trajectory parameters (HFTPs) are used to construct cubic spline-based hip and foot trajectories of the biped robot. The optimal value of HFTPs is obtained by a Genetic algorithm by minimization of energy and satisfying the constraint of dynamic balance. A walk-dataset is created that contains the optimal trajectories for different FSVs. The generated walk-dataset was used to train the biped to walk on rough terrain using a feed-forward Neural network for making a real-time estimate of optimal HFTPs. Simulation results validate the effectiveness of the proposed method of ditch crossing on different uneven terrains.
Improving Dialog System Grounded with Unstructured Knowledge by Domain Adaptive Pre-Training and Post-Ranking
Authors: Zeng Zhi , Lam Kam-Yiu , Chow Chi-Yin , Li Ning
Published: January 2022

Linguistic intelligence and the ability to converse with human are important and indispensable parts of humanoid robots. One of the most challenging tasks in knowledge-grounded task-oriented dialog systems (KTDS) is the knowledge selection task, which aims to find the proper knowledge snippets to respond to user dialog requests. In this paper, we first propose domain adapted-BERT (DA-BERT) which employs pre-trained bidirectional encoder representations from transformers (BERT) with domain adaptive training and dynamic masking probability for knowledge selection in KTDS. Domain adaptive training can minimize the domain gap between the general text data that BERT is pre-trained on and the dialog–knowledge joint data while dynamic masking probability enhances the training in an easy-to-hard manner. After knowledge selection, the next task in KTDS is knowledge-grounded generation. To improve the performance in knowledge-grounded generation, we propose GPT-PR to employ post-ranking on the generator’s outputs. Post-ranking eliminates the possibility of generating hallucination response by a large portion during the sampling-based decoding process and thus can improve the quality of the generated response. Experimental results on the benchmark dataset show that our proposed pre-training and post-ranking methods, DA-BERT and GPT-PR, respectively, outperform the state-of-the-art models with large margins across all the evaluation metrics. Moreover, in the experiments, we also analyze the bad cases of DA-BERT and GPT-PR and do visualizations to facilitate further research in this direction.
Optimal Pricing, Ordering, and Replenishment Policies in a Multi-Item Inventory System for Deteriorating Items Under Time-Varying Backlogging Rate
Authors: Barman Abhijit , Das Rubi , De Pijus Kanti , Dash Jayanta Kumar
Published: January 2022

In today’s advanced society, customers are influenced by products full of choices. For more sales, the retailer should maintain an inventory of each variety of items. These varieties have been seen in most food shops, fruit shops, fashion shops, electronic shops, etc., where the products deteriorate with time elapse. Depending on the customer’s demand, the stock out time of different deteriorating items is different. Assimilating all these varieties, in this paper, we have developed a multi-item inventory model for deteriorating items where demands depend on the sales price of the product. Shortages are allowed and partially backlogged with a time-dependent backlogging rate. The multi-item mechanism’s prime objective is to find the optimal sales price, order quantity, time length up to zero inventory, and cycle length to maximize the retailer’s overall profit. Finally, numerical examples are provided to illustrate the model with some managerial insights.
Bitcoin Usage: Study on Bitcoin Usage Around the World 2020
Authors: Andreianova Marina , Sonntag Sebastian , Antikainen Teemu , Alho Cecilia , Blomberg Jukka
Published: January 2022

Bitcoin usage has grown from zero to hundreds of billions of dollars in just over a decade. However, the research and studies of bitcoin usage fall short. This is mainly due to the nature of bitcoin, but also the myths of the early days. In this study, we go through the user data from LocalBitcoins, the largest peer-to-peer bitcoin marketplace in the world to study the bitcoin usage and needs. By analyzing and classifying major use cases for bitcoin through surveys and statistical analysis, this study will bring a better understanding of the different use cases for bitcoin and the role they play in bitcoin adoption. This research shows that the scope of bitcoin usage is noticeably more diverse and not merely limited to illegal usage or speculation.
Emotion Recognition with Conversational Generation Transfer
Authors: Ma Hongchao , Wang Zhongqing , Zhou Xiabing , Zhou Guodong , Zhou Qinglei
Published: January 2022

Emotion recognition in conversation is one of the essential tasks of natural language processing. However, this task’s annotation data is insufficient since such data is hard to collect and annotate. Meanwhile, there is large-scale data for conversational generation, and this data does not need annotation manually. But, whether the vector space between different datasets is similar will be a problem. Therefore, we utilize a same dataset to train the conversational generator and the classifier, and transfer knowledge between them. In particular, we propose an
Emotion Recognition with Conversational Generation Transfer (ERCGT)
framework to model the interaction among utterances by transfer learning. First, we train a conversational generator. In the second step, a transfer learning model is used to transfer the knowledge of generator to the emotion recognition model. Empirical studies illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed framework over several strong baselines on three benchmark emotion classification datasets.
A semantic-based access control approach for systems of systems
Authors: Sadeghi Mersedeh , Sartor Luca , Rossi Matteo
Published: January 2022

Access control management in a System of Systems---i.e., a collaborative environment composed of a multitude of distributed autonomous organizations---is a challenging task. To answer the challenge, in this paper we propose a novel approach that incorporates semantic technologies in the Attribute-Based Access Control (ABAC) approach. Building on the basic principles of ABAC, our approach allows for a highly expressive modeling of the context in which access decisions are made, by providing mechanisms to describe rich relationships among entities, which can evolve over time. In addition, our system works in a truly decentralized manner, which makes it suitable for geographically distributed enterprise systems. We show the feasibility in practice of our approach through some experimental results.
Large Chaperone Complexes Through the Lens of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy
Authors: Karamanos Theodoros K. , Clore G. Marius
Published: January 2022

Molecular chaperones are the guardians of the proteome inside the cell. Chaperones recognize and bind unfolded or misfolded substrates, thereby preventing further aggregation; promoting correct protein folding; and, in some instances, even disaggregating already formed aggregates. Chaperones perform their function by means of an array of weak protein–protein interactions that take place over a wide range of timescales and are therefore invisible to structural techniques dependent upon the availability of highly homogeneous samples. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, however, is ideally suited to study dynamic, rapidly interconverting conformational states and protein–protein interactions in solution, even if these involve a high-molecular-weight component. In this review, we give a brief overview of the principles used by chaperones to bind their client proteins and describe NMR methods that have emerged as valuable tools to probe chaperone–substrate and chaperone–chaperone interactions. We then focus on a few systems for which the application of these methods has greatly increased our understanding of the mechanisms underlying chaperone functions.
Recent Developments in Batteries for Portable Consumer Electronics Applications
Authors: Brodd Ralph J.
Published: January 2022

The engine that powers the growth in batteries, especially primary and small rechargeable varieties, has been, and will continue to be, the proliferation of portable electronic devices that find use in our daily lives. The worldwide battery market in 1997 was about $34 billion of which the primary market segment was about $10 billion. The growth in primary batteries has closely followed the increased use of “boom” boxes, Walkman portable cassette and disc players, and the like.
Electrochemical Studies of Redox-Functionalized Monolayer-Protected Gold Clusters
Authors: Templeton Allen C.
Published: January 2022

A Summary Report to The Electrochemical Society for the 1999 Edward G. Weston Summer Research Fellowship.
Mitochondrial transport, partitioning, and quality control at the heart of cell proliferation and fate acquisition
Authors: Kumar Sharma Rakesh , Chafik Abderrahman , Bertolin Giulia
Published: January 2022

Mitochondria are essential to cell homeostasis, and alterations in mitochondrial distribution, segregation, and turnover have been linked to complex pathologies such as neurodegenerative diseases and cancer. Understanding how these functions are coordinated in specific cell types is a major challenge to discover how mitochondria globally shape cell functionality. In this review, we first describe how mitochondrial transport and dynamics are regulated throughout the cell cycle in yeast and in mammals. Second, we explore the functional consequences of mitochondrial transport and partitioning on cell proliferation, fate acquisition, and stemness and on the way cells adapt their metabolism. Finally, we focus on how mitochondrial clearance programs represent a further layer of complexity for cell differentiation or in the maintenance of stemness. Defining how mitochondrial transport, dynamics, and clearance are mutually orchestrated in specific cell types may help our understanding of how cells can transition from a physiological to a pathological state.
Reversing mitochondrial defects in aged hearts: role of mitochondrial calpain activation
Authors: Chen Qun , Thompson Jeremy , Hu Ying , Lesnefsky Edward J.
Published: January 2022

Aging chronically increases endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress that contributes to mitochondrial dysfunction. Activation of calpain 1 (CPN1) impairs mitochondrial function during acute ER stress. We proposed that aging-induced ER stress led to mitochondrial dysfunction by activating CPN1. We posit that attenuation of the ER stress or direct inhibition of CPN1 in aged hearts can decrease cardiac injury during ischemia-reperfusion by improving mitochondrial function. Male young (3 mo) and aged mice (24 mo) were used in the present study, and 4-phenylbutyrate (4-PBA) was used to decrease the ER stress in aged mice. Subsarcolemmal (SSM) and interfibrillar mitochondria (IFM) were isolated. Chronic 4-PBA treatment for 2 wk decreased CPN1 activation as shown by the decreased cleavage of spectrin in cytosol and apoptosis inducing factor (AIF) and the α1 subunit of pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH) in mitochondria. Treatment improved oxidative phosphorylation in 24-mo-old SSM and IFM at baseline compared with vehicle. When 4-PBA-treated 24-mo-old hearts were subjected to ischemia-reperfusion, infarct size was decreased. These results support that attenuation of the ER stress decreased cardiac injury in aged hearts by improving mitochondrial function before ischemia. To challenge the role of CPN1 as an effector of the ER stress, aged mice were treated with MDL-28170 (MDL, an inhibitor of calpain 1). MDL treatment improved mitochondrial function in aged SSM and IFM. MDL-treated 24-mo-old hearts sustained less cardiac injury following ischemia-reperfusion. These results support that age-induced ER stress augments cardiac injury during ischemia-reperfusion by impairing mitochondrial function through activation of CPN1.
Myeloid mineralocorticoid receptors contribute to skeletal muscle repair in muscular dystrophy and acute muscle injury
Authors: Howard Zachary M. , Rastogi Neha , Lowe Jeovanna , Hauck J. Spencer , Ingale Pratham , Gomatam Chetan , Gomez-Sanchez Celso E. , Gomez-Sanchez Elise P. , Bansal Shyam S. , Rafael-Fortney Jill A.
Published: January 2022

Suppressing mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) activity with MR antagonists is therapeutic for chronic skeletal muscle pathology in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) mouse models. Although mechanisms underlying clinical MR antagonist efficacy for DMD cardiomyopathy and other cardiac diseases are defined, mechanisms in skeletal muscles are not fully elucidated. Myofiber MR knockout improves skeletal muscle force and a subset of dystrophic pathology. However, MR signaling in myeloid cells is known to be a major contributor to cardiac efficacy. To define contributions of myeloid MR in skeletal muscle function and disease, we performed parallel assessments of muscle pathology, cytokine levels, and myeloid cell populations resulting from myeloid MR genetic knockout in muscular dystrophy and acute muscle injury. Myeloid MR knockout led to lower levels of C-C motif chemokine receptor 2 (CCR2)-expressing macrophages, resulting in sustained myofiber damage after acute injury of normal muscle. In acute injury, myeloid MR knockout also led to increased local muscle levels of the enzyme that produces the endogenous MR agonist aldosterone, further supporting important contributions of MR signaling in normal muscle repair. In muscular dystrophy, myeloid MR knockout altered cytokine levels differentially between quadriceps and diaphragm muscles, which contain different myeloid populations. Myeloid MR knockout led to higher levels of fibrosis in dystrophic diaphragm. These results support important contributions of myeloid MR signaling to skeletal muscle repair in acute and chronic injuries and highlight the useful information gained from cell-specific genetic knockouts to delineate mechanisms of pharmacological efficacy.
Maternal diabetes promotes offspring lung dysfunction and inflammation in a sex-dependent manner
Authors: Pascoe Christopher D. , Basu Sujata , Schwartz Jacquie , Fonseca Mario , Kahnamoui Shana , Jha Aruni , Dolinsky Vernon , Halayko Andrew J.
Published: January 2022

Exposure to maternal diabetes is increasingly recognized as a risk factor for chronic respiratory disease in children. It is currently unclear; however, whether maternal diabetes affects the lung health of male and female offspring equally. This study characterizes the sex-specific impact of a murine model of diet-induced gestational diabetes (GDM) on offspring lung function and airway inflammation. Female adult mice are fed a high-fat (45% kcal) diet for 6 wk prior to mating. Control offspring are from mothers fed a low-fat (10% kcal) diet. Offspring were weaned and fed a chow diet until 10 wk of age, at which point lung function was measured and lung lavage was collected. Male, but not female, offspring exposed to GDM had increased lung compliance and reduced lung resistance at baseline. Female offspring exposed to GDM displayed increased methacholine reactivity and elevated levels of proinflammatory cytokines [e.g., interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-5, and CXCL1] in lung lavage. Female GDM offspring also displayed elevated abundance of matrix metalloproteinases (MMP) within their airways, namely, MMP-3 and MMP-8. These results indicate disparate effects of maternal diabetes on lung health and airway inflammation of male and female offspring exposed to GDM. Female mice may be at greater risk of inflammatory lung conditions, such as asthma, whereas male offspring display changes that more closely align with models of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. In conclusion, there are important sex-based differences in the impact of maternal diabetes on offspring lung health that could signal differences in future disease risk.
The role of friction on skin wetness perception during dynamic interactions between the human index finger pad and materials of varying moisture content
Authors: Merrick Charlotte , Rosati Rodrigo , Filingeri Davide
Published: January 2022

Our skin often interacts with wet materials, yet how their physical properties influence our experience of wetness remains poorly understood. We evaluated wetness perception following naturalistic haptic interactions with materials varying in moisture content, friction, optical profiles, and heat transfer rates. We show that although mechanical parameters can influence wetness perception, their role is secondary to that of thermal factors. These findings expand our understanding of multisensory integration and could guide innovation in healthcare product design.
Intranasal orexin A modulates sympathetic vascular tone: a pilot study in healthy male humans
Authors: Meusel M. , Voß J. , Krapalis A. , Machleidt F. , Vonthein R. , Hallschmid M. , Sayk F.
Published: January 2022

Our pilot study adds another important part to the complex network of neuroendocrine-sympathetic interaction. Our results demonstrate that intranasal orexin A elicits an excitatory effect on sympathetic vascular tone superordinate to mere baroreflex feedback regulation. This resetting of the baroreflex set point suggests an activation of hypothalamic core centers such as the paraventricular nucleus (PVN). The role of the orexinergic system in the development of neurogenic arterial hypertension warrants further investigations.
Evidence for the Use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine for Pelvic Inflammatory Disease: A Literature Review
Authors: Wang Dongmei , Jiang Yue , Feng Jiaxing , Gao Jingshu , Yu Jinlan , Zhao Jing , Liu Pihong , Han Yaguang
Published: January 2022

Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), a common infectious disease of the female reproductive tract, is mainly characterized by abdominal/pelvic pain and tenderness of the uterus, cervix, or adnexa on physical exam. In recent years, its incidence has gradually increased yearly due to numerous factors, including sexually transmitted diseases and intrauterine operations. Based on self-report of PID in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2013–2014 survey, PID impacts approximately 2.5 million women in the US during their reproductive age. Although empiric treatments such as antibiotics or surgery could alleviate the related symptoms of PID, its unsatisfactory obstetric outcome and high relapse bring heavy physical and psychological burden to women. Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), a complementary therapy other than Western medicine with a complete theoretical and practical system, has been attached to importance in the world due to its remarkable efficacy. More people are accepting and trying to use CAM to treat gynecological diseases, including infertility, polycystic ovary syndrome, and PID, but its efficacy and mechanism are still controversial. This article reviews the previous literature systematically focusing on the effectiveness, safety, and mechanism of CAM in the treatment of PID to provide an evidence-based basis for the clinical application of CAM in patients with PID.
Discussion on Application of Embedded Operating System in Dual-Core Smart Electric Meter
Authors: Zhao Xuesong , Zhang Bensong , Yin Shihong , Xie Qianxian , Zhang Leping , Wu Haowen
Published: January 2022

The new generation of smart meters need to realize the requirements of flexible expansion of advanced applications and transplantation of application software across hardware platforms. The software platform composed of operating system and middle layer service components is conducive to reducing the cost of software and hardware development and management. This paper first introduces the research and development background of the new generation smart meter, then introduces its overall software and hardware architecture and management unit hardware development platform, then introduces the construction of development environment and development tools and the basic functions based on the software platform, and finally introduces the development practice of application software. The large-scale promotion of the new generation of smart meters has become a development trend. This paper has a good reference for the application software development based on the new generation of smart meter software platform and is conducive to promoting the large-scale application of the new generation of smart meters.
Mittag‐Leffler Operator Connected with Certain Subclasses of Bazilevic̆ Functions
Authors: Ahuja Om , Çetinkaya Asena , Jain Naveen Kumar
Published: January 2022

In this paper, we introduce a new generalized class of analytic functions involving the Mittag‐Leffler operator and Bazilevic̆ functions. We examine inclusion properties, radius problems, and an application of the generalized Bernardi–Libera–Livingston integral operator for this function class.
Feature Extraction Method of Snowboard Starting Action Using Vision Sensor Image Processing
Authors: Zhang Tao , Li Zhipeng , Shin Myungsoo , Wang Chunxia , Song Wenli , Lui Lei
Published: January 2022

There is a lot of noise in the snowboard starting action image, which leads to the low accuracy of snowboard starting action feature extraction. We propose a snowboard starting action feature extraction using visual sensor image processing. Firstly, the overlapping images are separated by laser fringe technology. After separation, the middle point of the image is taken as the feature point, and the interference factors are filtered by laser. Secondly, the three-dimensional model is established by using visual sensing image technology, the action feature images are input in the order of recognition, and all actions are reconstructed and assembled to complete the action feature extraction of snowboard. The interference factors are filtered by laser, the middle part of the action image is extracted according to the common features of multiple images, and its definition is described. The movement change and moving distance are used to count the most features and clarity. Finally, the edge recognition effect of snowboard starting action image and the action recognition effect under multiple complex images are taken as experimental indexes. The results show that the method has a good effect on image edge extraction, the extraction effect is as high as 95%, and the accuracy is as high as 2.1%. In addition, under multiple complex images, the action feature recognition rate is also high, which can prove that the method studied has better accuracy in snowboard starting action feature extraction.
Neurotoxicity of Tumor Immunotherapy: The Emergence of Clinical Attention
Authors: Zhang Benxia , Li Xue , Yin Tao , Qin Diyuan , Chen Yue , Ma Qizhi , Shu Pei , Wang Yongsheng
Published: January 2022

Tumor immunotherapy brings substantial and long-term clinical benefits that can even cure tumors. However, the accumulation of evidence suggests that immunotherapy also induces severe and complex neurologic immune-related adverse events (ir-AEs) and even leads to immunotherapy-related death, which arouses the concern of clinicians. The timely and accurate identification of neurotoxicity helps clinicians detect and treat these complications early, thereby enhancing treatment efficiency and improving the prognosis of patients. At present, the mechanism of neurotoxicity caused by immunotherapy has not been completely elucidated. This paper mainly reviews the clinical features, pathogenesis, and therapeutic strategies of neurologic ir-AEs.
Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study of Electroacupuncture Stimulating Uterine Acupoints
Authors: Xu ChengChao , Yu XiaoHua , Yin Liang , Li Xiang , Zhang WanLi , Li Fei , Bai TianYu
Published: January 2022

Objective. Based on resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI), to observe the changes of brain function of bilateral uterine points stimulated by electroacupuncture, so as to provide imaging basis for acupuncture in the treatment of gynecological and reproductive diseases. Methods. 20 healthy female subjects were selected to stimulate bilateral uterine points (EX-CA1) by electroacupuncture. FMRI data before and after acupuncture were collected. The ReHo values before and after acupuncture were compared by using the analysis method of regional homogeneity (ReHo) of the whole brain, so as to explore the regulatory effect of acupuncture intervention on brain functional activities of healthy subjects. Results. Compared with before acupuncture, the ReHo values of the left precuneus lobe, left central posterior gyrus, calcarine, left lingual gyrus, and cerebellum decreased significantly after acupuncture. Conclusion. Electroacupuncture at bilateral uterine points can induce functional activities in brain areas such as the precuneus, cerebellum, posterior central gyrus, talform sulcus, and lingual gyrus. The neural activities in these brain areas may be related to reproductive hormone level, emotional changes, somatic sensation, and visual information. It can clarify the neural mechanism of acupuncture at uterine points in the treatment of reproductive and gynecological diseases to a certain extent.
Design of Artistic Creation Style Extraction Model Based on Color Feature Data
Authors: Yao Wenting , Sohail Mishal
Published: January 2022

In order to improve the style extraction and extraction ability of works of art, a color extraction method based on color features is proposed. The color feature extraction method is used to extract the style of visual works of art. The color feature region of works of art is segmented combined with a sparse scattered point reorganization method. Texture tracking and matching method is used for information fusion of works of art, combined with corner detection, three-dimensional edge contour feature detection method to realize texture filling and automatic rendering of art color extraction to improve art graphics’ color visual feature expression ability. The color feature data method is used for visual feature sampling and equalizing works of art. According to the equilibrium configuration results, the fuzzy clustering method is used to extract the color style of works of art to improve the style extraction and extraction identification ability of works of art. The simulation results show that this method has high accuracy in color extraction of works of art. It has a good effect on the extraction of art creation style and improves the ability of three-dimensional extraction and automatic extraction of art.
The Management of Energy Transformation through Laser Charging in WPT for 5G Application: Prediction Model of the In0.3Ga0.7As Solar Cell
Authors: Wang Chengmin , Li Guangji , Ali Imran , Zhang Hongchao , Tian Han , Lu Jian
Published: January 2022

5G is the latest-generation network that powers the IoT in pace with energy transformation essentially demanded during the modern world, especially the wireless form. Laser charging means laser beam irradiance of the solar cell panel to generate the photovoltaic power, and its way belongs to the WPT (Wireless Power Transfer). During the process, uncertain and ungovernable factors affect the energy transfer of efficiency. We have chosen the In0.3Ga0.7As material as the semiconductor of the PV (photovoltaic) panel to enhance its photoelectric conversion efficiency. Nevertheless, during the PV processing, nonlinearity elements impact the prediction modelling, making it extremely difficult. This paper proposes a new forecasting model based on SVM (Support Vector Machine) which is drawn from SLT (Statistical Learning Theory). Since the forecast belongs to classification issue essentially, the main idea of SVM is extending the SLT dimensions. We used the kernel function for realization. The PV is done under the different conditions (constant temperature, gradient temperature, or various laser power). The gathered data is processed by MATLAB and the 3rd software: LIBSVM. Without the parameter optimization, the prediction accuracy of classification is 80% (32/40) against 100% (40/40). Considering that the experiment data have small quantity, further make the over 650 data size samples which are calculated by the formula to verify the model. Through the effect of a few random factors, the result still remains 80% or higher. The research work has resulted in a solution of a fast and precise prediction model in laser charging solar cell panel. It also revealed the implicit relationship between the factors of the PV.
Experimental Research on Aerated Supercavitation Suppression of Capillary Outlet Throttling Noise
Authors: Wang Qianxu , Wang Shouchuan , Zhang Huan , Wang Yuxuan , Zhou Junhai , Zhao Panpan , Liu Jia-Bao
Published: January 2022

The aim of this work is the reduction of the throttling noise when the capillary is used as a throttling device. Based on the theory of bubble dynamics, two‐phase flow, and aerated supercavitation, four different sizes of aerated devices used in refrigerator refrigeration systems are designed. Throttling noise and the temperature and pressure of inlet and outlet of the capillary are measured under stable operation. To compare the noise suppression effects in different groups of experiments, we introduced the cavitation number to analyze, revealed the principle of aerated supercavitation to suppress noise, and combined the results of Fluent simulations to get the relationship between the noise suppression effect and the aerated quality. The experimental results showed that the aerated device can obviously suppress the throttling noise of the capillary outlet, up to 2.63 dB(A), which provides a new way for reducing the capillary throttling noise.
Is There Any Relationship between Plasma IL-6 and TNF-α Levels and Lumbar Disc Degeneration? A Retrospective Single-Center Study
Authors: Guo Youfeng , Li Chao , Shen Beiduo , Zhu Ziqi , Chen Xianzhen , Hu Tao , Wu Desheng
Published: January 2022

Intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD) is one of the most common degenerative diseases all over the world. A growing number of studies have proved that large amounts of cytokines are produced during the development of IDD, and the inflammatory responses induced by these cytokines aggravate the occurrence and development of the disc degeneration. In this retrospective single-center study, a total of 182 lumbar spine cases were retrospectively reviewed between July 2020 and October 2021. An appropriate cutoff value was found for discriminating severity of IDD by William rank-sum test and locally weighted scatterplot smoothing algorithm. The cumulative grade was also calculated by summing Pfirrmann grades for all lumbar spine intervertebral discs. It was found that high-score group (total

score
>
18

) plasma interleukin-6 (IL-6) concentration was significantly higher than that of the low-score group (total

score
≤
18

) (

9.6
±
1.75

vs.

5.40
±
0.61

 pg/ml,

p
=
0.002

), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) following the same trend (

5.27
±
1.48

vs.

2.97
±
0.23

,

p
=
0.006

), which was most pronounced in the upper lumbar intervertebral discs (L1-3). In the entire sample, preoperative IL-6 concentration was significantly higher than that of the postoperation (

p
<
0.001

), while the TNF-α was the opposite (

p
=
0.039

). It was also found that there were significant differences in the two groups with respect to age and hypertension (

p
<
0.001

and

p
=
0.037

). In conclusion, this study preliminarily indicated the relationship between IL-6 and TNF-α and the severity of lumbar disc degeneration.
A Frequency Reconfigurable Compact Planar Inverted-F Antenna for Portable Devices
Authors: Ghaffar Adnan , Altaf Ahsan , Aneja Aayush , Li Xue Jun , Khan Salahuddin , Alibakhshikenari Mohammad , Flalcone Francisco , Limiti Ernesto
Published: January 2022

In this paper, a low-profile, compact size, inexpensive, and easily integrable frequency reconfigurable antenna system is proposed. The proposed antenna consists of an inverted-F shape antenna, capacitors, and switching PIN diodes. The designed antenna element is fabricated on easy available and less expensive FR-4 substrate (

ε

r

 = 4.4, tan

δ

 = 0.02). The switching diodes are incorporated within the radiating structure of the antenna design, and by changing the different states of PIN diodes, frequency reconfigurable response is achieved. While adjusting the different states of the diodes, the antenna resonates between 0.841 GHz and 2.12 GHz and covers six different frequency bands. The proposed system has compact size of

44
×
14
×
3.2
 

mm

3

. The gain of the antenna is between 1.89 and 2.12 dBi. The measurement results shows the good agreement with simulated results for different key performance parameters. Additionally, the proposed antenna shows omni-directional far-field characteristics for various different frequencies.
An Enhanced Reliable Access Scheme for Massive IoT Applications in Ubiquitous IoT Systems
Authors: Peng Yuhuai , Shi Yan , Wang Chenlu
Published: January 2022

As a key infrastructure for intelligent manufacturing, the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) can connect people, massive intelligent terminals, automated control equipment, and convergence nodes to achieve a high integration of industrial systems with advanced computing, sensor technology, fifth-generation technology (5G), and the Internet. How to realize the robust and reliable connection of massive IoT applications has become the research focus of industry and academia. However, the massive IoT industrial equipment, diverse business types, complex networking mode, and broadcast characteristics of wireless media have posed serious challenges to providing stable and reliable connections in industrial communication scenarios. In order to overcome this problem, the paper proposes an enhanced reliable access scheme (ERAS) for massive IoT applications in software-defined industrial heterogeneous networks. Based on the idea of software-defined networking (SDN), the ERAS is designed from two perspectives of the control plane and the data plane. Based on the idea of greedy algorithms, ERAS uses priority, interference set, deadline, and other information to find the local optimal solution and then obtain the global optimum. First, low-priority periodic data is accessed to the channel based on the earliest deadline. Then, high-priority data (such as control and interactive services) judges the channel occupancy status according to the access flow table, and if there is an idle channel in the current time slot, it is normally accessed. Otherwise, the subslots reserved with high priority in the control channel are used to preempt the low-priority channel. This preemption mechanism can ensure reliable and real-time connections for massive IIoT. Simulation results show that the ERAS performs better than traditional methods in terms of delay, deadline guarantee rate, and packet loss rate.
Prognostic Implications of MALAT1 and BACH1 Expression and Their Correlation with CTCs and Mo-MDSCs in Triple Negative Breast Cancer and Surgical Management Options
Authors: Elbasateeny Samah Said , Yassin Mahmoud Abdou , Mokhtar Mohamed Mahmoud , Ismail Adel Mohamed , Ebian Huda Fathy , Hussein Samia , Shazly Sherin Attia , Abdelwabab Mai Mohammed
Published: January 2022

Background. Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a biologically separate entity of breast cancer that cannot get benefits from targeted or endocrine therapy. Objective. To assess the expression of MALAT1 and BACH1, as well as monocyte-myeloid-derived suppressor cell (Mo-MDSC) levels and circulating tumor cell (CTC) count in TNBC to correlate these markers with the clinic-pathological criteria of TNCB patients and to evaluate their roles as predictive markers for selection of the patients that can be operated by oncoplastic conserving breast surgery. Methods. Eighty-eight TNBC were managed by modified doughnut breast oncoplastic surgery in early stages and by modified radical mastectomy for patients with late stages unsuitable for breast-conserving. All were examined for MALAT1 and BACH1 expression by immunohistochemistry and RT-PCR as well as Mo-MDSC levels and CTCs. Results. MALAT1 and BACH1 expressions are correlated with the larger size, lymph node, distance metastasis, and TNM staging (

p
<
0.05

).

CTCs
≥
5

and high MO-MDSCs were significantly more in TNBC with MALAT1 and BACH1 overexpression. The survival study proved that DFS for patients with both positive expression of MALAT1 and BACH1 was shorter than that of one positive expression, and both negative expression

p
≤
0.001

,

CTCs
≥
5

, and high Mo-MDSCs are associated with poor outcomes. No significant difference between modified round block and modified radical mastectomy techniques as regards recurrence. However, all postoperative management outcomes were significantly better in patients operated by oncoplastic conserving breast surgery. Conclusion. BACH1 and MALAT1 expressions are significantly upregulated in TNBC. They are correlated with CTCs and Mo-MDCs, and all are associated with poor outcomes. Not all TNBC patients have a bad prognosis, patients negative for one of MALAT1 and BACH1 or both, have a slightly good prognosis, and so can be managed by breast oncoplastic conserving surgery.