bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Generation of a novel Nkx6-1 Venus fusion reporter mouse line
Authors: Burtscher Ingo , Tarquis-Medina Marta , Salinno Ciro , Beckenbauer Julia , Bakhti Mostafa , Lickert Heiko
Published: January 2021

Nkx6-1 is a member of the Nkx family of homeodomain transcription factors (TF) that regulates motor neuron development, neuron specification and pancreatic endocrine and β-cell differentiation. To facilitate the isolation and tracking of Nkx6-1-expressing cells, we have generated a novel Nkx6-1 Venus Fusion (Nkx6-1-VF) reporter allele. The Nkx6-1-VF knock-in reporter is regulated by endogenous cis-regulatory elements of Nkx6-1 and the fluorescent protein fusion does not interfere with the TF function, as homozygous mice are viable and fertile. In addition, the nuclear localization of Nkx6-1-VF protein reflects the endogenous Nkx6-1 protein distribution. During embryonic pancreas development, the reporter protein marks the pancreatic ductal progenitors and the endocrine lineage, but is absent in the exocrine compartment. Moreover, the levels of Nkx6-1-VF reporter is upregulated upon β-cell differentiation during the major wave of endocrinogenesis. In the adult islets of Langerhans, the reporter protein is exclusively found in insulin-secreting β-cells. Importantly, the Venus reporter activities allows successful tracking of β-cells in live-cell imaging and their specific isolation by flow sorting. In summary, the generation of Nkx6-1-VF reporter line provides a unique tool to study the spatio-temporal expression pattern of this TF during organ development and isolate and track Nkx6-1-expressing cells such as pancreatic β-cells, but also neurons and motor neurons in health and disease.
NR2F1 is a barrier to dissemination of early-evolved mammary cancer cells
Authors: Rodriguez-Tirado Carolina , Kale Nupura , Carlini Maria Jose , Shrivastava Nitisha , Khalil Bassem , Bravo-Cordero Jose Javier , Alexander Melissa , Ji Jiayi , Sosa Maria Soledad
Published: January 2021

Summary

Cancer cells disseminate during very early and sometimes asymptomatic stages of tumor progression. Granted that biological barriers to tumorigenesis exist, there must also be limiting steps to early dissemination, all of which remain largely unknown. We report that the orphan nuclear receptor NR2F1/COUP-TF1 serves as a barrier to early dissemination. High-resolution intravital imaging revealed that loss of function of NR2F1 in HER2+ early cancer cells increasedin vivodissemination without accelerating mammary tumor formation. NR2F1 expression was positively regulated by the tumor suppressive MMK3/6-p38-MAPK pathway and downregulated by HER2 and Wnt4 oncogenic signaling. NR2F1 downregulation by HER2 in early cancer cells led to decreased E-cadherin expression and β-catenin membrane localization, disorganized laminin 5 deposition, and increased expression of CK14, TWIST1, ZEB1 and PRRX1. Our findings reveal the existence of an inhibitory mechanism of dissemination regulated by NR2F1 downstream of HER2 signaling.
Emerging experience-dependent dynamics in primary somatosensory cortex reflect behavioral adaptation
Authors: Waiblinger Christian , McDonnell Megan E , Borden Peter Y , Stanley Garrett B
Published: January 2021

Behavioral experience and flexibility are crucial for survival in a constantly changing environment. Despite evolutionary pressures to develop adaptive behavioral strategies in a dynamically changing sensory landscape, the underlying neural correlates have not been well explored. Here, we use genetically encoded voltage imaging to measure signals in primary somatosensory cortex (S1) during sensory learning and behavioral adaptation in the mouse. In response to changing stimulus statistics, mice adopt a strategy that modifies their detection behavior in a context dependent manner as to maintain reward expectation. Surprisingly, neuronal activity in S1 shifts from simply representing stimulus properties to transducing signals necessary for adaptive behavior in an experience dependent manner. Our results suggest that neuronal signals in S1 are part of an adaptive framework that facilitates flexible behavior as individuals gain experience, which could be part of a general scheme that dynamically distributes the neural correlates of behavior during learning.
Speed limits of protein assembly with reversible membrane localization
Authors: Mishra Bhavya , Johnson Margaret E.
Published: January 2021

Self-assembly is often studied in a three-dimensional (3D) solution, but a significant fraction of binding events involve proteins that can reversibly bind and diffuse along a two-dimensional (2D) surface. In a recent study, we quantified how proteins can exploit the reduced dimension of the membrane to trigger complex formation. Here, we derive a single expression for the characteristic timescale of this multi-step assembly process, where the change in dimensionality renders rates and concentrations effectively time-dependent. We find that proteins can accelerate complex formation due to an increase in relative concentration, driving more frequent collisions which often wins out over slow-downs due to diffusion. Our model contains two protein populations that associate with one another and use a distinct site to bind membrane lipids, creating a complex reaction network. However, by identifying two major rate-limiting pathways to reach an equilibrium steady-state, we derive an accurate approximation for the mean first passage time when lipids are in abundant supply. Our theory highlights how the ‘sticking rate’, or effective adsorption coefficient of the membrane is central in controlling timescales. We also derive a corrected localization rate to quantify how the geometry of the system and diffusion can reduce rates of localization. We validate and test our results using kinetic and reaction-diffusion simulations. Our results establish how the speed of key assembly steps can shift by orders-of-magnitude when membrane localization is possible, which is critical to understanding mechanisms used in cells.
A split GFP system to enhance spatial and temporal sensitivity of translating ribosome affinity purification (TRAP)
Authors: Dinkeloo Kasia , Pelly Zoe , McDowell John M. , Pilot Guillaume
Published: January 2021

Translating ribosome affinity purification (TRAP) utilizes transgenic plants expressing a ribosomal protein fused to a tag for affinity purification of ribosomes and the mRNAs that they are translating. These actively translated mRNAs (translatome) can be interrogated by qPCR or RNAseq. Condition- or cell-specific promoters can be utilized to isolate the translatome of specific cell types, at different growth stages and/or in response to environmental variables. While advantageous for revealing differential expression, this approach may not provide sufficient sensitivity when activity of the condition/cell-specific promoter is weak, when ribosome turnover is low in the cells of interest, or when the targeted cells are ephemeral. In these situations, expressing tagged ribosomes under the control of these specific promoters may not yield sufficient polysomes for downstream analysis. Here, we describe a new TRAP system that employs two transgenes: one is constitutively expressed and encodes a ribosomal protein fused to one fragment of a split GFP; the second is controlled by a stimulus-specific promoter and encodes the second GFP fragment fused to an affinity purification tag. In cells where both transgenes are active, the purification tag is attached to ribosomes by bi-molecular folding and assembly of the split GFP fragments. This approach provides increased sensitivity and better temporal resolution because it labels pre-existing ribosomes and does not depend on rapid ribosome turnover. We describe the optimization and key parameters of this system, and then apply it to a plant-pathogen interaction in which spatial and temporal resolution are difficult to achieve with current technologies.

Significance

Translating ribosome affinity purification (TRAP) has been modified to allow with increased sensitivity the isolation of RNA from sets of cells in which the activity of condition/cell-specific promoters is weak, ribosome turnover is low, or cells whose nature is ephemeral. Based on the use of a split linker constituted of the GFP driven by a pathogen-inducible promoter, this new TRAP system enabled efficient isolation of translated RNA from pathogen-infected leaf cells.
Quantitative Measurement of Rare Earth Elements in Brines: Isolation from the Charged Matrix Versus Direct LA‐ICP‐MS Measurements – A Comparative Study
Authors: Kokh Maria A. , Luais Béatrice , Truche Laurent , Boiron Marie Christine , Peiffert Chantal , Schumacher Aimeryc
Published: January 2021

The quantification of the rare earth elements (REEs) in natural rocks and fluids is important not only for the sustainable use of geological resources but also for fundamental geological research. Due to significant improvements in experimental, modelling and analytical techniques, it was discovered that the REEs could be efficiently mobilised and transported by hydrothermal fluids. Thus, determining the REEs in fluids, especially in highly saline solutions, is a prerequisite to understand their fate in hydrothermal fluids. An analytical methodology was established to determine the trace quantities of the REEs in aqueous solutions with compositions typical to seawater and brines. The developed protocol was applied for the quantification of REEs in experimental sodium‐rich carbonate‐bearing hydrothermal solutions. For this purpose, we used two analytical approaches: (a) the REEs were chromatographically isolated from the charged matrix and introduced into a single collector quadrupole ICP‐MS and (b) direct determination of the REEs by LA‐ICP‐MS in experimental solutions loaded into glass capillaries without any additional isolation procedure. Both LA‐ICP‐MS and solution nebulisation ICP‐MS analysis after isolation of the REEs provide identical data in terms of REE concentrations in brines and are consistent within analytical uncertainties. Being an express method, LA‐ICP‐MS can be recommended for REE quantification in brines. At the same time, isolation of the REEs from the charged matrix with subsequent ICP‐MS measurement provides higher accuracy and precision, giving additional information for the REEs mass fractions that are below the detection limit of the LA‐ICP‐MS that was estimated at the ~ 10 ng g−1 level.
Low-Cycle Fatigue Life of Continuously Cyclic-Hardening Material
Authors: Zhang Zhong , Wu Xijia
Published: January 2021

A general fatigue life equation is derived by modifying the Tanaka-Mura-Wu dislocation pile-up model for variable strain-amplitude fatigue processes, where the fatigue crack nucleation life is expressed in terms of the root-mean-square of plastic strain range. Low-cycle fatigue tests were conducted on an austenitic stainless steel. At 400 °C and 600 °C, the material exhibits continuously cyclic-hardening behavior. The root-mean-square of plastic strain ranges is evaluated from the experimental data for each test condition at strain rates ranging from 0.0002/s to 0.02/s. The variable-amplitude Tanaka-Mura-Wu model is found to be in good agreement with the low-cycle fatigue (LCF) data, which effectively proves Miner's rule on the stored plastic strain energy basis.
Transonic Fan Blade Redesign Approach to Attenuate Nonsynchronous Vibration
Authors: Lu Yaozhi , Lad Bharat , Vahdati Mehdi
Published: January 2021

Due to manufacturing tolerance and deterioration during operation, different blades in a fan assembly exhibit geometric variability. This leads to asymmetry which will be amplified in the running geometry by centrifugal and aerodynamic loads. This study investigates a phenomenon known as Alternate Passage Divergence (APD), where the blade untwist creates an alternating pattern in passage geometry and stagger angle around the circumference. After the formation of alternating tip stagger pattern, APD's unsteady effect, APD-induced Non-Synchronous Vibration (APD-NSV), can cause the blades from one group to switch to the other creating a traveling wave pattern around the circumference. Thus, it can potentially lead to high cycle fatigue issues. More importantly, this phenomenon occurs close to, or at, peak efficiency conditions and can significantly reduce overall efficiency. Therefore, it is vital to attenuate the NSV behavior. In this study, a redesign approach is investigated.
Career Assistance to a Team in Crisis-Transition: An Intervention Case Study in Swedish Elite Handball
Authors: Ekengren Johan , Stambulova Natalia , Johnson Urban , Ivarsson Andreas , Schinke Robert J.
Published: January 2021

In this paper, the authors share how a career assistance program was developed, implemented, and evaluated with a Swedish elite handball team. Within this case study, the initial version of the career assistance program’s content was created based on the career-long psychological support services in a Swedish handball framework and the first author’s applied experiences. During implementation, the head coach was terminated unexpectedly, and the team appeared in a crisis. This transitional situation led to modification of the career assistance program to help the players cope with changes. Eighteen players took part in eight workshops dealing with various aspects of their sport and nonsport life (e.g., performance, training, lifestyle, recovery, and future planning) with crisis-related issues (e.g., coping with uncertainty) incorporated. Mixed-methods evaluation revealed the players’ perceived increase in personal resources (awareness and skills) and decrease in stress and fatigue. Reflections on working in applied sport psychology from a holistic perspective in a dynamic real-life setting are provided.
Metformin attenuates ischemia/reperfusion-induced apoptosis of cardiac cells by downregulation of p53/microRNA-34a via activation of SIRT1
Authors: Li Weiwei , Jin Sheng , Hao Jie , Shi Yun , Li Wenjie , Jiang Lingling
Published: January 2021

Metformin has been demonstrated to be beneficial for the treatment of an impaired myocardium as a result of ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury, and miR-34a may be involved in this process. The aim of the present study was to determine the mechanisms by which metformin attenuated myocardial I/R injury–induced apoptosis. In the in vivo I/R model using Sprague–Dawley rats, metformin reduced the area of damaged myocardium and serum creatine MB isoform (CKMB) activity resulting in protection of the myocardium. Metformin also reduced apoptosis and the expression of apoptosis associated proteins, including caspase 3 and cleaved caspase, and decreased the expression of miR-34a, which is upregulated during I/R injury, which in turn resulted in corresponding changes in expression of Bcl-2, a direct target of miR-34a both in vitro and in vivo. To further examine the role of miR-34a in this process, H9C2 cells were transfected by a miR-34a mimic and inhibitor. Overexpression of miR-34a increased apoptosis in H9C2 cells induced by oxygen–glucose deprivation/recovery and knockdown of miR-34a expression–reduced apoptosis under the same conditions. Therefore, the effect of metformin on miR-34a in vitro were assessed. Metformin decreased the deacetylation activity of silent information regulator 1 resulting in reduced Ac-p53 levels, which reduced the levels of pri-miR-34a, and thus in turn reduced miR-34a levels. To confirm these results clinically, 90 patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction following percutaneous coronary intervention were recruited. Patients who took metformin regularly before infarction had lower miR-34a levels and lower serum CKMB activity. Metformin also improved the sum ST-segment recovery following I/R injury. In conclusion, metformin may be helpful in the treatment of myocardial I/R.
Association of blood pressure and BMI to corrected QT interval in young adults
Authors: Jayanthi Ramkumar , Girijasivam Sundaralingam Paramasivam , Gaur Archana
Published: January 2021

Hypertension is often associated with obesity. Uncontrolled hypertension can lead to uncorrected cardiac dysautonomia that makes cardiac repolarization abnormally prolonged. Modern dietary habits, stress, and bad lifestyle habits make young adults vulnerable to hazards of health. We planned to study the association of body mass index (BMI) and blood pressure (BP) with corrected QT (QTc) intervals in young adults. After obtaining the written informed consent, 171 subjects were randomly selected in the age group of 18–35 years. A general history and physical examination were done before recording the BMI and BP. A 12-lead electrocardiogram was recorded and QTc calculated using Bazett’s formula. The values obtained were compared and statistical analysis done. Of the 171 subjects 14.03% were hypertensive. The QTc interval was found to be prolonged in females and it is prolonged with age, BMI, and BP. QTc was significantly increased among the prehypertensive and hypertensive group and with the overweight and (or) obese BMI group compared with the normotensives and normal BMI group suggesting an altered autonomic homeostasis. This warrants lifestyle modification at a younger age to reduce the cardiovascular risk.
Nondiffracting gravitational waves
Authors: Asenjo Felipe A. , Hojman Sergio A.
Published: January 2021

It is proved that accelerating nondiffracting gravitational Airy wave-packets are solutions of linearized gravity. It is also showed that Airy functions are exact solutions to Einstein equations for non-accelerating nondiffracting gravitational wave-packets.
The supersymmetric (B − L) model with three nonidentical right-handed neutrinos
Authors: Rodriguez M. C.
Published: January 2021

We build a supersymmetric model based on the gauge group [Formula: see text], where [Formula: see text] is a new charge and [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] are the usual baryonic and leptonic numbers, respectively. The model has three right-handed neutrinos with nonidentical [Formula: see text] charges. The type-I seesaw mechanism is implemented for the generating masses for all the neutrinos. There are good candidates for dark matter and due to a Majorana phase at sneutrinos masses it is possible to induce leptogenesis in this model.
Injectable magnetic hydrogels for self-regulating magnetic hyperthermia and drug release
Authors: Zuo Xudong , Tang Huang , Zhu Xiaoqin , Zhang Dongmei , Gao Wei
Published: January 2021

Magnetic hyperthermia can improve therapeutic effects of chemotherapy drugs. Injectable magnetic hydrogels are considered as promising materials for synergistic treatments of magnetic hyperthermia and chemotherapy. However, most works only focused on Fe3O4 nanoparticles-based magnetic hydrogels, which cannot self-regulate hyperthermia temperature due to their high Curie temperature. In this paper, [Formula: see text] nanoparticles with Curie temperature at 45.7[Formula: see text]C were introduced into chitosan/glycerophosphate/sodium hyaluronate hydrogels for preparing injectable magnetic hydrogels. The morphology, magnetic heating properties, rheological properties and drug release behaviors of magnetic hydrogels were investigated systematically. Magnetic heating experiments demonstrated that the magnetic hydrogels can self-regulate temperature at 42.6–43.1[Formula: see text]C though magnetic phase transition, satisfy the temperature requirement of hyperthermia. In vitro adriamycin hydrochloride (DOX) release experiments demonstrated that the magnetic hydrogels can release DOX for more than 120 h, and their release processes were pH- and temperature-sensitive, which can improve the DOX utilization in clinical treatments. These data may provide useful information for further research on magnetic hydrogels-based multi-modal tumor therapy.
Optical properties of Al-doped ZnO thin films obtained by the method of high-frequency magnetron sputtering
Authors: Kashuba A. , Ilchuk H. , Petrus R. , Semkiv I. , Bovgyra O. , Kovalenko M. , Dzikovskyi V.
Published: January 2021

The optical constants and thickness of Al-doped ZnO (ZnO:Al(2.5 wt.%)) thin films prepared by high-frequency magnetron sputtering method are determined. ZnO:Al thin films are crystallized in the hexagonal structure from XRD studies. The optical constants and the bandgap of the films under study have been determined. Optical properties (refractive index [Formula: see text], absorption coefficient [Formula: see text], extinction coefficient [Formula: see text], dielectric functions [Formula: see text] and optical conductivity [Formula: see text]) of thin films and thickness [Formula: see text] can be determined from the transmission spectrum. The dispersion of the refractive index was explained using a single oscillator model. Single oscillator energy and dispersion energy are obtained from fitting. Optical parameters of the films were determined using the Cauchy, Sellmeier and Wemple models. The increasing value of dispersion parameter for polycrystalline thin films than for single crystals is observed. The fundamental absorption edge position (3.26 eV) in the transmittance spectrum of studied thin films corresponds to the values that are typical for ZnO:Al compound. No significant increase of the bandgap width was revealed by comparing ZnO:Al thin films with the known results of the optical studies of ZnO thin films. Possible reasons of such behavior were analyzed and the influence of bandgap increase on spectral behavior of optical functions are investigated. The material optical parameters such as normalized integrated transmission, zero and high-frequency dielectric constant, density of state effective mass ratio were also calculated.
Recognition of Hand Gesture Image Using Deep Convolutional Neural Network
Authors: Sagayam K. Martin , Andrushia A. Diana , Ghosh Ahona , Deperlioglu Omer , Elngar Ahmed A.
Published: January 2021

In recent technology, there is tremendous growth in computer applications that highlight human–computer interaction (HCI), such as augmented reality (AR), and Internet of Things (IoT). As a consequence, hand gesture recognition was highlighted as a very up-to-date research area in computer vision. The body language is a vital method to communicate between people, as well as emphasis on voice messages, or as a complete message on its own. Thus, automatic hand gestures recognition systems can be used to increase human–computer interaction. Therefore, many approaches for hand gesture recognition systems have been designed. However, most of these methods include hybrid processes such as image pre-processing, segmentation, and classification. This paper describes how to create hand gesture model easily and quickly with a well-tuned deep convolutional neural network. Experiments were performed using the Cambridge Hand Gesture data set for illustration of success and efficiency of the convolutional neural network. The accuracy was achieved as 96.66%, where sensitivity and specificity were found to be 85% and 98.12%, respectively, according to the average values obtained at the end of 20 times of operation. These results were compared with the existing works using the same dataset and it was found to have higher values than the hybrid methods.
Determination of the immunoglobulin G precipitation end-point by an intelligent near-infrared spectroscopy system
Authors: Yu Chen , Quan Shuang , Yang Cui , Zhang Chengliang , Fan Jiajin , Li Lian , Zang Hengchang
Published: January 2021

Precipitation is a key manufacturing unit during the immunoglobulin G (IgG) production, which guarantees the quality of the final product. Ethanol is usually used to purify IgG during the precipitation process, so it is important to monitor the ethanol concentration online. Near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy is a powerful process analytical technology (PAT) which has been proved to be feasible to determine the ethanol concentration during the precipitation process. However, the NIR model is usually established based on the specific process, so a universal model is needed. And the clarity degree of solution will affect the quality of the spectra. Therefore, in this study an integrated NIR system was introduced to establish a universal NIR model which could predict the ethanol concentration online and determine the end-point of the whole process. First, a spectra acquisition device was designed and established in order to get high-quality NIR spectra. Then, a simple prepared ethanol NIR model was constructed to predict the actual manufacturing process. Finally, the end-point was determined to stop the peristaltic pump when the ethanol concentration reached 20%. The results showed that the spectra quality was good, model prediction was accurate, and process monitoring was accurate. In conclusion, all results indicated that the integrated NIR system could be used to monitor the biopharmaceutical process to help us understand the pharmaceutical process.
巴西抗疫与新冠之后的中巴关系展望
Authors: 束 长生
Published: January 2021

巴西战疫尚在进行之中，经历了初期的“全面隔离”之后，迫于经济压力，一个月之后，巴西政府选择了“选择性隔离”，这是一项冒险的选择，但是在 “隔离”与“复工”之间，巴西只能在两者之间走钢丝，目前（9月5日），疫情有所减轻，确诊人数和死亡人数也在逐日下降，巴西的学校也要复课了。虽然巴西战疫最后的感染人数与死亡人数尚属未知，但估计确诊人数不会少于800万，死亡人数很可能会达到25–30万。在新冠之后，巴西会加速经济改革，特别是私有化，拍卖国营企业，拍卖港口和机场的经营权等，以便获得资金，舒缓联邦政府和地方政府的财政压力。预计新冠疫情结束之后，由于中巴两国经济之间很强的互补性，巴西政府会继续强化中巴经贸合作。在全世界“反全球化”的浪潮中，中巴两国能够把贸易与投资的蛋糕做得更大。
新冠疫情对海外侨胞产业和回国意愿影响的研究
Authors: 张 一力 , 周 峰 , 张 倩影
Published: January 2021

2020年全球疫情暴发后，世界经济面临着巨大的不确定性，海外华侨华人作为一个特殊群体也深受影响。因悠久历史和广泛地域分布，海外青田华侨华人具很好代表性和独特的观察、研究价值。本文基于今年疫情后4325份青田华侨问卷，首先对青田华侨华人群体进行了描述性分析，再用交叉检验、聚类分析、相关和回归分析等方法，对该群体进行了不同层次、不同角度的深入研究，不仅对疫情后的海外华商有了新的认知，也为他们如何面对变局提供了新的思路。
战前马来亚的私娼治理及成效
Authors: 范 若兰
Published: January 2021

战前英属马来亚娼妓业发达，由此引发的拐卖妇女和性病问题严重损害了殖民地的形象。在宗主国英国的压力下，最终海峡殖民地于1930年、马来联邦政府于1931年实行禁娼。但公娼禁后，私娼盛行，殖民地政府广布线人，着力打击卖淫窝点，抓捕老鸨和皮条客，但私娼和性病仍然存在。殖民地政府只设立禁娼的有限目标，虽然取得关闭妓院、减少犯罪和性病的成效，但效果有限。
The Impact of Water Quality Management Policies on Innovation in Nitrogen and Phosphorus Technology
Authors: Häggmark Tobias , Elofsson Katarina
Published: January 2021

The purpose of this study is to examine the effects on innovation of environmental regulations aimed at reducing eutrophication. We focus on innovations in nitrogen and phosphorus management technology in the wastewater treatment sector and the agricultural sector. Patent data from Sweden over a 50-year period is used as a measure of innovation. We estimate a negative binomial regression model in a reduced form and by the use of control-functions, taking into account environmental regulation as well as more general determinants of innovation. Our results suggest that increased regulation has induced innovation in the wastewater treatment sector, both in the long and short run. The short-run effect was estimated to 40–70% in the years immediately following the introduction of new environmental regulations. A corresponding effect could not be identified in the agricultural sector. The difference between the sectors is likely explained by differences in policy design, where performance standards are applied in the wastewater sector, while design standards and technology-specific subsidies dominate in the agricultural sector.
Indoor Quality-of-position Visual Assessment Using Crowdsourced Fingerprint Maps
Authors: Laoudias Christos , Nikitin Artyom , Karras Panagiotis , Youssef Moustafa , Zeinalipour-Yazti Demetrios
Published: January 2021

Internet-based Indoor Navigation (IIN)
architectures organize signals collected by crowdsourcers in
Fingerprint Maps (FMs)
to improve localization given that satellite-based technologies do not operate accurately in indoor spaces where people spend 80%–90% of their time. In this article, we study the
Quality-of-Position (QoP)
assessment problem, which aims to assess in an offline manner the localization accuracy that can be obtained by a user that aims to localize using a FM. Particularly, our proposed
ACCES
framework uses a generic interpolation method using
Gaussian Processes
(GP), upon which a
navigability score
at any location is derived using the
Cramer-Rao Lower Bound
(CRLB). We derive adaptations of ACCES for both Magnetic and Wi-Fi data and implement a complete visual assessment environment, which has been incorporated in the Anyplace open-source IIN. Our experimental evaluation of ACCES in Anyplace suggests the high qualitative and quantitative benefits of our propositions.
Gadolinium Chloride Inhibits the Production of Liver Interleukin-27 and Mitigates Liver Injury in the CLP Mouse Model
Authors: Fan Jing , He Miao , Wang Chuan-Jiang , Zhang Mu
Published: January 2021

Background. Liver macrophages play an important regulatory role in the inflammatory response of liver injury after severe infection. Interleukin- (IL-) 27 is an inflammatory cytokine that plays an important role in diseases caused by bacterial infection. However, the relationship between IL-27 and liver macrophages in liver injury after severe infection is not yet clear. Methods. A cecal ligation puncture (CLP) model was established in wild-type (WT) and IL-27 receptor- (WSX-1-) deficient (IL-27r-/-) mice, and recombinant IL-27 and gadolinium chloride (GdCl3) were injected into WT mice in the designated groups. The serum and liver IL-27, IL-6, tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), and IL-1β expression levels were evaluated by ELISA, quantitative PCR, or Western blotting; serum ALT and AST were detected by detection kits; and the severity of liver damage was evaluated by hematoxylin and eosin staining and the TUNEL assay of the liver tissue from the different groups. Liver macrophage polarization was evaluated by immunofluorescence. In addition, the polarization of peritoneal macrophage was evaluated by flow cytometry. Results. The serum and liver IL-27 expression levels were elevated in WT mice after CLP-induced severe infection, which were consistent with the changes in HE scores in the liver tissue. The levels of serum ALT, AST, liver IL-6, TNF-α, and IL-1β mRNA and liver pathological injury scores were further increased when pretreated with recombinant IL-27 in WT mice, but these levels were decreased in IL-27r−/− mice after CLP-induced severe infection compared to WT mice. In WT mice pretreated with GdCl3, liver pathological scores, serum ALT and AST, TUNEL-positive cell proportion from liver tissues, liver IL-27 expression, and the liver macrophages M1 polarization proportion decreased after CLP; however, the serum IL-27, IL-6, TNF-α, and IL-1β levels and the pathological lung and kidney scores were not significantly changed. When supplemented with exogenous IL-27, the liver pathological scores, serum ALT, AST, TUNEL-positive cell proportion of liver tissues, liver IL-27 expression, and the liver macrophage M1 polarization proportion increased. The in vitro, IL-27 expression increased in peritoneal macrophages when stimulated with LPS. Recombinant IL-27 together with LPS promoted the elevations in IL-6, TNF-α, and IL-1β levels in supernatant and the M1 polarization of peritoneal macrophages. Conclusion. IL-27 is an important cytokine in the inflammatory response to liver injury after severe infection. The reduction of liver injury by gadolinium chloride in severe infection mice models may relate to the inhibition of liver IL-27 production. These changes may be mainly related to the decrease of liver macrophages M1 polarization. IL-27 may have a positive feedback on these macrophages.
Evaluation of Astigmatic Correction Using Vector Analysis after Combined Femtosecond Laser-Assisted Phacoemulsification and Intrastromal Arcuate Keratotomy
Authors: Moon Su Young , Chung Ho Seok , Lee Jae Hyuck , Park So Young , Lee Hun , Kim Jae Young , Tchah Hungwon
Published: January 2021

The aim of this study was to evaluate astigmatic correction in patients with mild to moderate astigmatism after combined femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery (FLACS) and intrastromal arcuate keratotomy (ISAK), using vector analysis. This retrospective study included patients with corneal astigmatism of 0.5–3.0 diopters (D) who underwent FLACS and ISAK. Vector analyses of astigmatism were performed using the Alpins method, considering three vectors: target-induced astigmatism (TIA), surgically induced astigmatism (SIA), and difference vector (DV). Magnitude of error (ME), angle of error (AE), correction index (CI), and coefficient of adjustment (CA) were calculated. Subgroup analysis according to the axis of astigmatism, patient age, and white to white (WTW) diameter was conducted. In total, for the 79 eyes of 79 patients, the TIA was 1.21 ± 0.52 D, the SIA was 0.76 ± 0.53 D, and the DV was 0.86 ± 0.50 D. The ME (difference between SIA and TIA) was −0.46 ± 0.45 D, and the CI (ratio of SIA and TIA) was 0.62 ± 0.34; both these parameters demonstrated slight undercorrection. The CA (inverse of the CI) was 2.48 ± 2.61. The AE was 4.02° ± 28.7°, and the absolute AE was 21.7° ± 19.0°. In the univariate regression analyses to identify factors that affected the CI, there was a negative correlation between age and the CI (

P
=
0.022

). In conclusion, vector analysis after the combined FLACS and ISAK revealed slight undercorrection, regardless of the astigmatism meridian. The precision of the nomogram should be improved through long-term vector analysis for the results of arcuate keratotomy and through further research on the relationship between patient demographics and CI. Overall, this study has shown that FLACS and ISAK could reduce postoperative corneal astigmatism effectively and safely.
Aberrant Expression of a Proliferation-Inducing Ligand Underlies Autoimmune Mechanisms in Immune Thrombocytopenia
Authors: Hao Y. F. , Bi H. , Li H. Y. , Yin L. M. , Yu J. X. , Tao W. , Mu H. L. , Yang R. C. , Zhou Z. P. , Tai W. L.
Published: January 2021

Purpose. To study the relationship between surface membrane-bound APRIL and ITP. Methods. The peripheral blood of all subjects, 50 patients diagnosed with ITP and 25 healthy controls, was collected. Flow cytometry was used to detect the expression of membrane-bound APRIL on immune cells and platelets. ELISA was used to detect the content of soluble APRIL in plasma. Results. Membrane-bound APRIL was only expressed on the surface of platelets in both ITP patients and controls. APRIL expression on the platelet surface was significantly lower in newly diagnosed (

P
<
0.001

) and chronic (

P
<
0.001

) ITP patients than in controls. Platelet surface APRIL level was significantly enhanced in patients with complete remission after treatment (

P
=
0.02

) but not in those with no response after treatment. Platelet surface APRIL level in ITP patients was negatively correlated with serum APRIL level (

r
=
−
0.09765

,

P
=
0.0424

). Conclusions. Platelet surface APRIL may play a key immunoregulative role. Platelet surface APRIL is likely to be one source of the excessive serum APRIL in ITP patients. The effectiveness of treatment may be measured by determining the platelet surface APRIL levels in ITP patients.
Depression among Infertile Women in Gaza Strip: Symptom Severity and Predictors
Authors: Elsous Aymen , El-Kass Sae’d Abu , Salama Akram , Radwan Mahmoud , Abo-Eid Soha , Baloushah Suha
Published: January 2021

Background. Mental disorders are expected for women suffering from infertility. Depression is a predictable consequence but requires more investigations and considerations. This study is aimed at determining the severity of depression symptoms and its predictors among infertile women in the Gaza Strip, Palestine. Materials and Methods. A cross-sectional study was conducted. Three hundred eighty-five infertile women participated and were selected by convenience sampling. The participated women were selected from three large and major in vitro fertilization treatment centers (Al Helo, Al Basma, and Hindawi). A validated Arabic version of the Beck Depression Inventory-II was used. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression was applied to determine potential predictors for depression symptoms, and

p
≤
.05

was statistically significant. Results. The mean age of participated women was

29
±
6.58

years, and the mean duration of marriage and infertility was

7.76
±
5.31

and

5.43
±
3.50

years, respectively. Half of the women had some form of depression symptoms (22.3%, 8.6%, and 10.6% showed to have mild depression, moderate, and severe depression symptoms, respectively). Predictors of depression symptoms were as follows: duration of marriage (Wald test: 10.493; CI95%: 0.248-0.774), at least one abortion (Wald test: 21.233; CI95%: 1.863–4.528), primary infertility (Wald test: 6.666; CI95%: 1.148–2.742), and husband cause of infertility (Wald test: 10.878; CI95%: 0.800–0.982). Conclusion. Infertility affects the various aspect of women’s life. Psychological intervention including counselling, support, and therapy would be necessary to limit the consequences of infertility. Such interventions could be implemented in infertility treatment clinics.
Comparative Study on Mineral‐Scale Microcrack Propagation of Shale under Different Loading Methods
Authors: Zhang Jianyong , Cui Zhendong , Han Weige , Si Kai , Zhao Yan
Published: January 2021

Producing a sufficient volume of multiscale crack networks is key to enhancing recovery of shale gas. The formation of crack network largely depends on initiation and propagation of microcracks. To reveal the influence of different loading methods on the propagation of mineral‐scale microcracks, this study used the Voronoi tessellation technique to establish a cohesive zone model of shale mineral distribution and applied six different boundary conditions to represent different loading methods. Crack path characteristics, rupture characteristics, continuous crack propagation and turning, and en echelon intermittent crack propagation under different loading methods were compared and analyzed. The essence of different loading methods affecting the length and complexity of cracks was the spreading range of tensile microcracks. The mechanical properties of minerals led to dissimilarities in continuous crack propagation and turning. The formation and propagation of en echelon intermittent fractures of different scales were mainly impacted by the heterogeneity of minerals and mineral aggregates. The spreading direction and connection form of en echelon intermittent fractures were mainly affected by the loading method. Conclusions arising from mineral‐scale simulations contribute to understanding the mechanism of microcrack propagation resulting from different loading methods, and these conclusions have a guiding significance to enhanced shale gas recovery.
TPR‐DTVN: A Routing Algorithm in Delay Tolerant Vessel Network Based on Long‐Term Trajectory Prediction
Authors: Liu Chao , Li Yingbin , Jiang Ruobing , Du Yong , Lu Qian , Guo Zhongwen
Published: January 2021

An efficient and low‐cost communication system has great significance in maritime communication, but it faces enormous challenges because of high communication costs, incomplete communication infrastructure, and inefficient routing algorithms. Delay Tolerant Vessel Networks (DTVNs), which can create low‐cost communication opportunities among vessels, have recently attracted considerable attention in the academic community. Most existing maritime ad hoc routing algorithms focus on predicting vessels’ future contacts by mining coarse‐grained social relations or spatial distribution, which has led to poor performance. In this paper, we analyze 3‐year trajectory data of 5123 fishery vessels in the China East Sea. Using entropy theory, we observe that the trajectory of the vessel has strongly spatial‐temporal distribution regularity, especially when previous states were given. To predict accurate future trajectories, we develop a long‐term accurate trajectory prediction model by improving the Bidirectional Long‐Short Term Memory (Bi‐LSTM) model. Based on predicted trajectories and the confident degree of each prediction step, we propose a series of routing algorithms called TPR‐DTVN to achieve efficient communication performance. Finally, we carry out simulation experiments with extensive real data. Compared with existing algorithms, the simulation results show that TPR‐DTVN can achieve a higher delivery ratio with lower cost and transmission delay.
Possible Probability and Irreducibility of Balanced Nontransitive Dice
Authors: Hur Injo , Kim Yeansu
Published: January 2021

We construct irreducible balanced nontransitive sets of

n

-sided dice for any positive integer

n

. One main tool of the construction is to study so-called fair sets of dice. Furthermore, we also study the distribution of the probabilities of balanced nontransitive sets of dice. For a lower bound, we show that the winning probability can be arbitrarily close to

1
/
2

. We hypothesize that the winning probability cannot be more than

1
/
2

+

1
/
9

, and we construct a balanced nontransitive set of dice whose probability is

1
/
2

+

13
−

153

/

24

≈

1
/
2

+

1
/

9.12

.
A New Iterative Construction for Approximating Solutions of a Split Common Fixed Point Problem
Authors: He Huimin , Fan Qinwei , Chen Rudong
Published: January 2021

In this paper, we aim to construct a new strong convergence algorithm for a split common fixed point problem involving the demicontractive operators. It is proved that the vector sequence generated via the Halpern-like algorithm converges to a solution of the split common fixed point problem in norm. The main convergence results presented in this paper extend and improve some corresponding results announced recently. The highlights of this paper shed on the novel algorithm and the new analysis techniques.
Mechanism of Increasing the Permeability of Water-Bearing Coal Rock by Microwave Steam Explosion
Authors: Qi Qi , Guan Weiming , Li Xin , Ge Yanyan , Nan Senlin , Liu Huabin
Published: January 2021

Microwave heating of water-bearing coal can promote pore water evaporation. The pores are broken under the action of steam pressure, increasing the permeability of the coal. This study is aimed at investigating the mechanism of permeability improvement of water-bearing coal rock by microwave steam explosion. First, a microwave oven was used to irradiate and heat five groups of coal rock with different water contents; the NMR test was then conducted on the heated sample. Second, the internal vapor pressure and temperature changes during the heating process were obtained through the T-connector for samples with different water contents. Finally, a numerical experiment was used to explore the deformation characteristics of pores under three filling conditions. The experimental results showed that the total porosity increased significantly when the water content of coal increased from 0% to 8%, while the permeability increased by nearly 4.78 times. The extreme value of gas pressure inside the sample showed an increasing trend. The gas pressure and temperature were in line with the equation of state for an ideal gas during the rising phase. Numerical experiments showed that the pore boundary shrunk inward under vacuum conditions, and compressive stress appeared at the tip. The saturated humid air and liquid water conditions expanded the pore boundaries outward and caused tensile stress at the tip, with the latter being nearly 2.3 times larger than the former, making it more conducive to the development of pores. The findings of this study can be used as a reference value for the expansion of coalbed methane extraction technology.
Analysis on the Influence of Shaft and Cross Passage Turn to the Main Line of Ingate under Different Construction Schemes
Authors: Song Zhanping , Liu Qi , Zhang Yuwei , Tian Xiaoxu , Zhou Guannan
Published: January 2021

In the weak stratum, the construction of ingate is a key technical problem at the place where the shaft and cross passage turn to the tunnel. Based on Lanzhou Metro, the corresponding changes to the construction plan of the ingate of the section tunnel were made. Finite element software is used to carry out three‐dimensional modeling and design of subway shaft, cross passage, and tunnel structures in connected sections. The influence of the two construction schemes on surface settlement, deformation, and stress of tunnel support structure and stress conversion of ingate are compared, as well as the fitting degree between numerical simulation results and field monitoring data. Finally, the optimal scheme and key points of construction control are determined. The results show that the optimization scheme has obvious advantages in the control of surface settlement and the deformation of shaft and cross passage support. However, the difference between the stress and deformation of the tunnel supporting structure and the original plan is not obvious. Since the project focuses on shaft, cross passage, and tunnel connection section, the changed construction scheme is better.
Existence of Three Solutions for Nonlinear Operator Equations and Applications to Second-Order Differential Equations
Authors: Song Mingliang , Mei Shuyuan
Published: January 2021

The existence of three solutions for nonlinear operator equations is established via index theory for linear self-adjoint operator equations, critical point reduction method, and three critical points theorems obtained by Brezis-Nirenberg, Ricceri, and Averna-Bonanno. Applying the results to second-order Hamiltonian systems satisfying generalized periodic boundary conditions or Sturm-Liouville boundary conditions and elliptic partial differential equations satisfying Dirichlet boundary value conditions, we obtain some new theorems concerning the existence of three solutions.
Surrounding Rock Failure Characteristics and Water Inrush Mechanism of Roadway above the Aquifer in Nonuniform Stress Field
Authors: Guo Xiaofei , Li Yongen , Li Jun , Liu Hongyu , Ma Xianjie , Li Ji , Li Guoyu , Tan Jihao
Published: January 2021

The expansion of the roadway surrounding rock failure zone may connect the floor aquifer and cause the roadway water inrush. In order to reveal the mechanism of the roadway water inrush above confined water, we established the force model of the roadway surrounding rock above confined water in nonuniform stress field and studied the shape characteristics and expansion law of the roadway surrounding rock plastic zone. The results show that the roadway surrounding rock will form three kinds of plastic zone under different lateral pressure coefficients: circular, elliptical, and butterfly; when the shape of plastic zone is circular or elliptic, the maximum radius increases linearly with the increase of regional stress; when the shape is butterfly, the maximum radius increases exponentially with the increase of stress. Under the condition of a larger bidirectional stress ratio, the surrounding rock of the roadway will show butterfly-shaped failure, and small stress change will cause malignant expansion of the plastic zone; when the plastic zone is connected with the underlying aquifer, confined water of floor will enter the rock mass from the water diversion point and eventually flood into the roadway, causing floor water inrush.