bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Percutaneous Coronary Intervention Complexity and Risk of Adverse Events in relation to High Bleeding Risk among Patients Receiving Drug-Eluting Stents: Insights from a Large Single-Center Cohort Study
Authors: Wang Hao-Yu , Wang Yang , Yin Dong , Gao Run-Lin , Yang Yue-Jin , Xu Bo , Dou Ke-Fei
Published: April 2020

Background/Aim. The relation between complex percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), high bleeding risk (HBR), and adverse events after coronary artery implantation of drug-eluting stents has been incompletely characterized. This study sought to investigate the ischemic and bleeding events after complex PCI including stratification according to HBR estimated by PARIS bleeding risk score. Methods. Between January 2013 and December 2013, 10,167 consecutive patients undergoing PCI were prospectively enrolled in Fuwai PCI Registry. Complex PCI was defined when having at least one of the following characteristics: 3 vessels treated, ≥3 stents implanted, ≥3 lesions treated, bifurcation with 2 stents implanted, total stent length >60 mm, treatment of chronic total occlusion, unprotected left main PCI, in-stent restenosis target lesion, and severely calcified lesion. The primary ischemic endpoint was major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) (composite of cardiac death, myocardial infarction, definite/probable stent thrombosis, and target lesion revascularization), and primary bleeding endpoint was Bleeding Academic Research Consortium (BARC) type 2, 3, or 5 bleeding. Results. The median duration of follow-up was 29 months. In adjusted Cox regression analysis, patients having complex PCI procedures experienced higher risks of MACE (hazard ratio (HR): 1.63, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.38–1.92; P<0.001), compared with noncomplex PCI. In contrast, the risk of clinically relevant bleeding was statistically similar between the 2 groups (HR: 0.86 [0.66–1.11]; P=0.238). There was no statistical interaction between HBR (PARIS bleeding score ≥8 or <8) and complex PCI in regard to MACE (adjusted Pinteraction=0.388) and clinically relevant bleeding (adjusted Pinteraction=0.279). Conclusions. Patients who had undergone complex PCI resulted in substantially more ischemic events, without an increase in clinically relevant bleeding risk, and these associations did not seem to be modified by HBR status. More intensified antiplatelet therapy may be beneficial for patients with complex percutaneous coronary revascularization procedures.
Depth Penetration and Scope Extension of Failures in the Cascading of Multilayer Networks
Authors: Jiang Wen-Jun , Liu Run-Ran , Jia Chun-Xiao
Published: April 2020

Real-world complex systems always interact with each other, which causes these systems to collapse in an avalanche or cascading manner in the case of random failures or malicious attacks. The robustness of multilayer networks has attracted great interest, where the modeling and theoretical studies of which always rely on the concept of multilayer networks and percolation methods. A straightforward and tacit assumption is that the interdependence across network layers is strong, which means that a node will fail entirely with the removal of all links if one of its interdependent nodes in other network layers fails. However, this oversimplification cannot describe the general form of interactions across the network layers in a real-world multilayer system. In this paper, we reveal the nature of the avalanche disintegration of general multilayer networks with arbitrary interdependency strength across network layers. Specifically, we identify that the avalanche process of the whole system can essentially be decomposed into two microscopic cascading dynamics in terms of the propagation direction of the failures: depth penetration and scope extension. In the process of depth penetration, the failures propagate from layer to layer, where the greater the number of failed nodes is, the greater is the destructive power that will emerge in an interdependency group. In the process of scope extension, failures propagate with the removal of connections in each network layer. Under the synergy of the two processes, we find that the percolation transition of the system can be discontinuous or continuous with changes in the interdependency strength across network layers, which means that a sudden system-wide collapse can be avoided by controlling the interdependency strength across network layers. Our work not only reveals the microscopic mechanism of global collapse in multilayer infrastructure systems but also provides stimulating ideas on intervention programs and approaches for cascade failures.
Numerical Analysis of the Coupling between Hydrogen Diffusion and Mechanical Behavior near the Crack Tip of Titanium
Authors: Yang Fu-qiang , Zhan Wen-juan , Yan Tao , Zhang Hai-bing , Fang Xiu-rong
Published: April 2020

Hydrogen plays a detrimental effect on the degeneration of titanium and its alloys, and it is very important to quantify the hydrogen concentration when estimating the microstructure evaluation of titanium and its alloys in a hydrogen environment. In this paper, the hydrogen atoms are assumed to reside in interstitial sites and in trapping sites such as dislocations, and a mechanic-diffusion coupled model was proposed to describe the stress effects on the diffusion of hydrogen in titanium. A titanium plate with a central crack was modeled to verify the mechanic-diffusion model, and it is solved by the finite element method in commercial software COMSOL. The results indicate that hydrogen diffusion near the crack is determined by the stress state. When the stress state of the crack tip is elastic, the hydrogen will diffuse from both sides of the crack towards the tip and lead to the highest hydrogen concentration in the crack tip. When a plastic zone exists in front of the crack tip, the highest hydrogen concentration at crack surface deviates to the side near the crack tip; a hydrogen concentration peak exists at a characterized distance in front of crack tip initially and then diminishes with the diffusion process. The proposed model is expected to solve the hydrogen concentration under stress in more complex structures.
Knowledge towards Strabismus and Associated Factors among Adults in Gondar Town, Northwest Ethiopia
Authors: Assaye Aragaw kegne , Tegegn Melkamu Temeselew , Assefa Natnael Lakachew , Yibekal Betelhem Temesgen
Published: April 2020

Introduction. Strabismus/squint is an ocular misalignment in which the eyes are not properly aligned with each other. It is an avoidable cause of blindness and has a global prevalence which ranges from 2% to 6%. Knowledge of eye diseases is important in encouraging people to seek early treatment, which further helps in reducing the burden of visual impairment. Studies in Ethiopia showed that the level of good knowledge was 37%. There is a lack of information regarding knowledge and related factors of strabismus in the study area and limited in Ethiopia at large. Objective. The aim of this study was to asses knowledge about strabismus and associated factors among adults in Gondar town, Northwest Ethiopia. Methods. Community-based cross-sectional study was conducted using a pretested structured questionnaire through face to face interview from April 17 to May 01, 2019. Using multistage random sampling, 553 participants were included. Data from the entire questionnaire were coded, entered into Epi info version 7, and exported to SPSS version 20 for processing and analysis. Binary logistic regression was fitted, and variables with P value <0.05 in the multivariable logistic regression were considered as statistically significant. Results. A total of 553 adults with a response rate of 93.25% participated in the study. The median age was 33 (IQR = 14) years. Among the participants, 52.3% (95% CI: 47.9–56.4) had good knowledge towards strabismus. Being a student (AOR = 2.15, (95% CI: 1.11–4.13) was positively associated, while monthly income >5000 birrs (AOR = 0.44, 95% CI: 0.26–0.76) was negatively associated with good knowledge about strabismus. Conclusion. Almost half of the participants had good knowledge. Occupation and monthly income had a significant association with knowledge about strabismus. Since the source of information (TV/radio and Internet) was extremely important for the reliability and the level of knowledge, it is better to have sufficient media coverage.
Comparative Study on the Outcomes of Elective-Start versus Urgent-Start Peritoneal Dialysis Catheter Placement
Authors: Abdel Aal Ahmed Kamel , Mahmoud Khalid , Moustafa Amr Soliman , Aboueldahab Noha Alaaeldin , Souid Anas , Gunn Andrew , Li Yufeng , Wang Zhixin , Almehmi Ammar
Published: April 2020

The aim of this study is to compare the outcomes of the elective-start versus urgent-start use of peritoneal dialysis (PD) catheters using percutaneous radiologic or laparoscopic techniques. Patients having their first peritoneal dialysis catheter placed and used between January 2005 and January 2018 were identified, and their medical records were retrospectively reviewed. Two groups were identified: elective-start (n = 211) and urgent-start (n = 29). Patient’s demographics were similar between the two groups with the exception of age, which was higher in the elective-start group. The catheter complication rates and catheter removal rates at 3 and 12 months, mean days-to-first complication, mean days-to-catheter removal, and overall patient survival at 12 months were analyzed. Catheter complication rates at 3 and 12 months were similar between the two groups (27.8% and 48.9%, respectively, in the elective-start group versus 35.9% and 54.2%, respectively, in the urgent-start group, p=0.415). The catheter removal rates at 3 and 12 months were also similar between the two groups (p=0.088). Catheter leak was higher in the urgent-start group (13.8% versus 3.3%, respectively, p=0.011). There was no difference between the elective-start and the urgent-start groups in the mean days-to-first complication (95 vs 69, p=0.086), mean days-to-catheter removal (145 vs 127, p=0.757), and overall patient survival at 12 months (100% vs 97%, p=0.41). In conclusion, apart from catheter leak, there were similar rates of catheter complication and removal for PD catheter used for the elective-start compared to the urgent-start PD. Furthermore, the technique of placement did not affect the outcomes.
Effect of Berberine from Coptis chinensis on Apoptosis of Intestinal Epithelial Cells in a Mouse Model of Ulcerative Colitis: Role of Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress
Authors: Yan Shen , Yingchao Liu , Zhangliu Wang , Xianli Ruan , Si Li , Siyi Ni , Jihong Zhong
Published: April 2020

The purpose of this study was to verify the effect of berberine (BBR) on endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS) and apoptosis of intestinal epithelial cells (IECs) in mice with ulcerative colitis (UC). BALB/c mice were randomly divided into five groups as follows: blank control, model, and low‐, medium‐, and high‐dose BBR. A dextran sodium sulfate‐ (DSS‐) induced model of UC was prepared, and the low‐, medium‐, and high‐dose BBR groups were simultaneously gavaged with a BBR suspension for 7 d. Disease activity index (DAI) was assessed, and tissue damage index (TDI) was assessed from colon samples after the last administration. TUNEL assays were used to detect apoptosis of IECs. Immunohistochemistry and/or real‐time PCR were applied to determine the expression of GRP78, caspase‐12, and caspase‐3. In all BBR treatment groups, clinical symptoms of colitis and histopathological damage were significantly reduced. The high‐dose BBR group exhibited particularly pronounced decrease (p < 0.01) in both DAI (0.48 ± 0.36) and TDI (1.62 ± 0.64) relative to the model group (1.50 ± 0.65 and 3.88 ± 0.04, respectively). In colon tissues of the model group, the number of apoptotic IECs was significantly increased; the expression of GRP78, caspase‐12, and caspase‐3 proteins was significantly increased; and the expression of the GRP78 mRNA was upregulated. In low‐, medium‐, and high‐dose BBR groups, the number of apoptotic IECs was significantly reduced. Moreover, GRP78 and caspase‐3 expression levels were significantly decreased in the medium‐ and high‐dose BBR groups, caspase‐12 expression was significantly decreased in the high‐dose BBR group, and the GRP78 mRNA expression level was significantly decreased in the high‐dose BBR group. BBR can effectively reduce the rate of IEC apoptosis in UC mice and alleviate the inflammatory response in the colon. The underlying mechanism seems to involve ERS modulation and inhibition of ERS‐mediated activation of the caspase‐12/caspase‐3 apoptosis signaling pathway.
Large Mammal Diversity and Endemism at Geremba Mountain Fragment, Southern Ethiopia
Authors: Worku Zerubabel , Girma Zerihun
Published: April 2020

Outside protected areas in Ethiopia, there is a lack of information concerning mammalian diversity and ecology. Consequently, the findings of the research on large mammals at Geremba Mountain constitute one of the steps towards a continuing effort to document the diversity and distribution of Ethiopian mammals. The survey was conducted to investigate the species composition, relative abundance, and population structure of large mammals at Geremba Mountain fragment from August 2017 to February 2018, covering both dry and wet seasons. Direct (sighting) and indirect (scat) survey techniques were employed using systematically established transect lines and sampling plots, respectively. Transects and plots were established across three dominant habitat types (modified dry ever green Afromontane forest, alpine bamboo forest, and Erica scrubland). A total of 10 large mammal species were recorded including two endemic mammals, namely,Chlorocebusdjamdjamensis andTragelaphus scriptusmeneliki. There was a statistically significant difference in the abundance of species among habitat types at Geremba Mountain. The highest diversity index was recorded in the alpine bamboo forest habitat (D = 7.142, H′ = 2.052), and the Erica scrubland had the lowest.Papio anubiswas the most abundant species whileFelis servalwas the least abundant species. The populations of most of the species were characterized by more adult and more female individuals. However, promising young individuals of the endemic mammals (C. djamdjamensisandT. s. meneliki) andPapio anubiswere recorded. The mountain fragment is an isolated island that is totally disconnected with other fragments in the region, so attempts should be made to connect the fragment with other fragments using wildlife corridors.
Nonlinear Stability of the Periodic Traveling Wave Solution for a Class of Coupled KdV Equations
Authors: Sun Cong
Published: April 2020

In this paper, by applying the Jacobian ellipse function method, we obtain a group of periodic traveling wave solution of coupled KdV equations. Furthermore, by the implicit function theorem, the relation between some wave velocity and the solution’s period is researched. Lastly, we show that this type of solution is orbitally stable by periodic perturbations of the same wavelength as the underlying wave.
The GRACE Scale in the Prognosis of Patients with Takotsubo Syndrome
Authors: Zalewska-Adamiec Malgorzata , Kuzma Lukasz , Dobrzycki Slawomir , Bachorzewska-Gajewska Hanna
Published: April 2020

Background. The prognosis of Takotsubo syndrome (TTS) is comparable to that of the non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI). The GRACE scale is used to assess the risk of premature and long-term mortality in patients with NSTEMI in order to select the most favorable treatment strategy. Methods. 101 patients with TTS hospitalized in four centers of invasive cardiology in Podlaskie Voivodeship during the period 2008–2012 were included in the study. The patients were divided into two groups: I—52 patients (GRACE ≤ 140 points) and II—49 patients (GRACE > 140 points). Results. The mean GRACE score in the study group was 138.66. The in-hospital stay of Takotsubo in the patients with higher GRACE scores was associated with higher incidence of pneumonia (36.7% vs 7.69%, p=0.0004), rhythm abnormalities (17.3% vs 3.85%, p=0.026), and serious complications (cardiogenic shock, pulmonary edema, and sudden cardiac arrest) (30.6% vs 5.77%, p=0.001). The mean observation period was 7.2 years. A significantly higher risk of 6-month (18.37% vs 3.85%, p=0.019), 1-year (22.45 vs 3.85%, p=0.005), 3-year (40.82 vs 3.85%, p<0.0001), 5-year (42.86% vs 3.85%, p<0.0001), and 7-year mortalities (53.06% vs 9.62%, p<0.0001) was observed in the group of patients with a GRACE score ≥140. At multivariate analysis including low BMI, low eGFR, and a higher GRACE score, all these factors were independent predictor of death (p=0.042; p=0.010; p=0.041). The ROC curve presents the discriminatory scores of the GRACE scale for the follow-up prognostication. The area under ROC curve (AUC) for the GRACE scale was 0.805 (95% CI: 0.718–0.892, p<0.0001), with a cut-off value of 153 points, sensitivity of 74%, and specificity of 77% for TTS. Conclusion. The GRACE scale is highly valuable for the prognostication of death risk in patients with TTS in the early and long-term observation.
Association of β-Blocker Therapy at Discharge with Clinical Outcomes after Acute Coronary Syndrome in Patients without Heart Failure
Authors: Chen Yan , Tang Xiao-fang , Gao Run-lin , Yang Yue-jin , Xu Bo , Yuan Jin-qing
Published: April 2020

Aim. To evaluate the clinical impact of β-blocker in patients with adequate left ventricular ejection function (LVEF) who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Methods. A total of 10,724 consecutive patients who underwent PCI throughout 2013 were prospectively enrolled in the study. Among these, we analyzed 5,631 ACS patients who were discharged with LVEF≥40%. Patients were then compared according to the β-blocker prescription at discharge. Results. During a 2-year follow-up, no significant association was observed of β-blocker use with all-cause mortality (with β-blockers 47/5,043 (0.9%) vs. without β-blocker use 8/588 (1.4%); hazard ratio (HR) 0.762, 95% confidence interval 0.36 to 1.64; P=0.485), cardiac death, myocardial infarction (MI), or major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events. Subgroup analysis demonstrated that the β-blocker use at discharge reduced the 2-year mortality in patients with unstable angina (UA) (HR 0.42, 95% CI 0.19 to 0.94, P=0.034). Landmark analysis at 1 year showed that patients with UA who were discharged with β-blockers had lower mortality (HR 0.17, 95% CI 0.04-0.65, P=0.010) and cardiac death (HR 0.12, 95% CI 0.01-0.99, P=0.049) than those discharged without β-blockers. However, the benefit was lost beyond 1 year. No differences in outcomes were recorded in the AMI or overall population. Conclusions. We present that β-blocker significantly lowers the rate of all-cause death up to 1 year, in UA patients who have undergone PCI and have adequate LVEF. Its role in patients with AMI also deserves further exploration.
Accuracy Improvement Calibrations for the Double-Position 4-PPPS Aircraft Docking System
Authors: Qi Ruolong , Tang Yuangui , Zhang Ke
Published: April 2020

A double-positions 4-PPPS parallel mechanism is used for the aircraft fuselage assembly process to improve the docking efficiency and reduce the labor intensity. However, the accuracy is hard to guarantee, for the mechanism is large and redundant and has manufacturing and assembly errors. To improve the accuracy of the 4-PPPS parallel aircraft fuselage docking system, firstly, an averaging iteration method is proposed to calibrate the datum points in the airplane coordinate which are the references of the entire docking system. And secondly, a kinematic calibration method based on the derivative of the spatial pose transformation is proposed to calibrate up to 42 kinematic parameters. By these two methods, the final maximum position error reduced from 2.2 mm to 0.035 mm and the maximum pointing error reduced from 0.08 degree to 0.018 degree. The accuracy measurement and docking experiment prove the efficiency of the proposed methods.
Type 1 Choroidal Neovascularization Evolution by Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography: Long‐Term Follow‐Up
Authors: Rispoli Marco , Savastano Maria Cristina , Lumbroso Bruno , Toto Lisa , Di Antonio Luca
Published: April 2020

Purpose. To evaluate structural changes in response to antivascular endothelial growth factor (anti‐VEGF) treatment in patients with long‐term type 1 choroidal neovascularization (CNV) by optical coherence tomography (OCT) and OCT angiography (OCTA). Method. This is a longitudinal study that involved a total of 51 eyes with type 1 CNV (35 female and 16 male eyes). Structural OCT and OCTA were performed on all the subjects. AngioVue OCTA (XR Avanti, Optovue, Inc., Fremont, CA) was used to obtain qualitative and quantitative information. All eyes were treated with an anti‐VEGF ProReNata (PRN) approach and were followed for a mean of 38.9 months (SD ± 7.22). Best‐corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was assessed at each follow‐up timepoint. Results. We observed two kinds of possible evolution of type 1 CNV: “positive evolution,” including stabilization in 20% of patients and chronicity in 35%, and “negative evolution,” in which fibrosis was shown in 18% of patients, chorioretinal atrophy in 25%, and hemorrhage or RPE tears in 2%. The mean BCVA at baseline was 33.67 ± 15.85 ETDRS letters; after 1 and 2 years, it was 31.61 ± 18.04 and 31.18 ± 18.58 ETDRS letters, respectively. The mean BCVA at the end of follow‐up was 25.27 ± 20 ETDRS letters. The difference between the values at baseline and at the end of follow‐up was not statistically significant (P = 0.06, r2 = 0.10). Conclusions. This study describes an in vivo structural long‐term evolution of type 1 CNV by OCT and OCTA. Different possible CNV outcomes were observed. This study suggests that new retinal imaging techniques could be useful tools for assessing the potential retinal changes in the evolution of type 1 CNV to develop personalized medicine. Further studies using OCTA in the long term are needed to better understand why similarly treated type 1 CNV cases evolve differently and produce different results.
An Entropy-Based Self-Adaptive Node Importance Evaluation Method for Complex Networks
Authors: Sun Qibo , Yang Guoyu , Zhou Ao
Published: April 2020

Identifying important nodes in complex networks is essential in disease transmission control, network attack protection, and valuable information detection. Many evaluation indicators, such as degree centrality, betweenness centrality, and closeness centrality, have been proposed to identify important nodes. Some researchers assign different weight to different indicator and combine them together to obtain the final evaluation results. However, the weight is usually subjectively assigned based on the researcher’s experience, which may lead to inaccurate results. In this paper, we propose an entropy-based self-adaptive node importance evaluation method to evaluate node importance objectively. Firstly, based on complex network theory, we select four indicators to reflect different characteristics of the network structure. Secondly, we calculate the weights of different indicators based on information entropy theory. Finally, based on aforesaid steps, the node importance is obtained by weighted average method. The experimental results show that our method performs better than the existing methods.
Modeling, Synchronization, and FPGA Implementation of Hamiltonian Conservative Hyperchaos
Authors: Dong Enzeng , Jiao Xiaodong , Du Shengzhi , Chen Zengqiang , Qi Guoyuan
Published: April 2020

Conservative chaotic systems have potentials in engineering application because of their superiority over the dissipative systems in terms of ergodicity and integer dimension. In this paper, five-dimension Euler equations are constructed by integrating two of sub-Euler equations, which are contributory to the exploration of higher-dimensional systems. These Euler equations compose the conservative parts from their antisymmetric structure, which have been proved to be both Hamiltonian and Casimir energy conservative. Furthermore, a family of Hamiltonian conservative hyperchaotic systems are proposed by breaking the conservation of Casimir energy. The numerical analysis shows that the system displays some interesting behaviors, such as the coexistence of quasi-periodic, chaotic, and hyperchaotic behaviors. Adaptive synchronization method is used to realize the hyperchaos synchronization. Finally, the system passed the NIST tests successfully. Field programmable gate array (FPGA) platform is used to implement the proposed Hamiltonian conservative hyperchaos.
A Case Report of an Early Response to Definitive Chemoradiation for Esophageal Carcinoma Cuniculatum
Authors: Long David E. , Al-Hader Ahmad , Emerson Robert , Rieger Karen , Carlos William Graham , Fatima Hala , Kong Feng-Ming
Published: April 2020

This case report describes a 63-year-old female with a locally advanced esophageal carcinoma cuniculatum treated with definitive chemoradiation who had a rapid and early response. This case is illustrative of an aggressive behavior with rapid response and rapid recurrence. The cases of esophageal carcinoma cuniculatum as well as the closely related clinical entity of verrucous carcinoma are reviewed suggesting good clinical outcomes after definitive therapy with chemoradiation and/or surgery.
Spatiotemporal Patterns of Impervious Surface Area and Water Quality Response in the Fuxian Lake Watershed
Authors: Li S. H. , Hong L. , Jin B. X. , Zhou J. S. , Peng S. Y.
Published: April 2020

The increase of urbanization level has led to the rapid increase of impervious surface area (ISA). The aim of this work is to clarify the relationship between the ISA and water quality and lay a foundation for the improvement and protection of the water quality in the basin. Taking the Fuxian Lake Basin in Yunnan Province as an example, based on the Landsat ETM+ remote sensing image and the Gram–Schmidt (GS) image fusion algorithm, the four-terminal model and the linear spectral mixture model (LSMM) were used to extract the impervious surface of the watershed from 2006 to 2015. And statistical methods were used to distinguish its relationship with water quality. The results show that the four-terminal model and the linear spectral mixture model can effectively extract the impervious surface information of the Fuxian Lake Basin. The average root mean square error (RMS) of the image decomposition results from 2006 to 2015 was less than 0.02. In the past 10 years, the ISA has changed significantly in the Fuxian Lake Basin. The ISA showed an overall upward trend from 2006 to 2015. It increased from 24.73 km2 in 2006 to 35.14 km2 in 2015, an increase of 10.81 km2. From the value anomaly, the ISA in 2006 and 2009 is lower than the multiyear average, and those in the other years are higher than the multiyear average. The percentage of ISA in the basin was significantly positively correlated with Chemical Oxygen Demand-Mn (CODMn) and total phosphorus (TP) (r is 0.772, 0.763), and the correlation in the flooding season was greater than that in the dry season. The ISA threshold for water quality deterioration is around 10% in the Fuxian Lake Basin. Reducing ISA coverage, controlling ISA to less than 10%, and preventing nonpoint source pollution during flooding season will be the best measures to effectively improve the water quality environment in the basin.
Interaction of miR‐181b and IFNA1 Polymorphisms on the Risk of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
Authors: He Yong-Ling , Yang Jun , Zeng Zhi-Neng , Shi Xiang
Published: April 2020

Introduction. A previous work has discovered that chromosome 1q32 locus linked to the risk of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and miR‐181b located on the susceptibility site with downregulation inversely correlating to its target molecular interferon alpha 1 (IFNA1). The purpose of this study was to investigate the association of miR‐181b and IFNA1 polymorphisms with IS risk. Methods. The miR‐181b rs322931, IFNA1 rs1332190, and rs10811543 were genotyped using a Multiplex SNaPshot assay. miR‐181b expression levels in plasma of SLE patients and controls were analyzed using quantitative PCR. Results. The rs322931 CT, CT/TT, and T allele exerted an increased trend of SLE risk (CT vs. CC: adjusted OR = 1.71, 95% CI 1.16‐2.50, P = 0.01; CT/TT vs. CC: adjusted OR = 1.45, 95% CI 1.08‐1.95, P = 0.01; T vs. C: adjusted OR = 1.38, 95% CI 1.07‐1.79, P = 0.01). Combined genotypes of the rs322931 CT/TT+rs1332190 TT and the rs322931 CC+rs10811543 AG/AA also revealed an increased risk of SLE. Gene‐gene interaction analysis showed that a three‐locus model consisting of rs322931, rs1332190, and rs10811543 attributed an increased risk of SLE. Further genotype‐phenotype analysis revealed that rs322931 CT/TT carriers displayed lower levels of miR‐181b. Conclusions. These findings indicate that the miR‐181b rs322931 may be singly and jointly responsible for the etiology of SLE by altering miR‐181b expression.
HyOASAM: A Hybrid Open API Selection Approach for Mashup Development
Authors: Jiang Bo , Liu Pengxiang , Wang Ye , Chen Yezhi
Published: April 2020

At present, Mashup development has attracted much attention in the field of software engineering. It is the focus of this article to use existing open APIs to meet the needs of Mashup developers. Therefore, how to select the most appropriate open API for a specific user requirement is a crucial problem to be solved. We propose a Hybrid Open API Selection Approach for Mashup development (HyOASAM), which consists of two basic approaches: one is a user-story-driven open API discovery approach, and the other is multidimensional-information-matrix- (MIM-) based open API recommendation approach. The open API discovery approach introduces user stories in agile development to capture Mashup requirements. First, it extracts three components from user stories, and then, it extracts three corresponding properties from open API descriptions. Next, the similarity calculation is performed on two sets of data. The open API recommendation approach first uses MIM to store open APIs, Mashups, and the invoking relationship between them. Second, it enters the matrix obtained in the previous step into a factorization machine model to calculate the association scores between the Mashups and the open APIs, and TOP-N open API lists for creating the Mashup are obtained. Finally, experimental comparison and analysis are carried out on the PWeb dataset. The experimental results show that our approach has improved significantly.
Could the Novel Oral Anticoagulants Be Used for Coronary Artery Aneurysm?
Authors: Yan Quanxiang , Ning Libing , Jian Yu , Yang Wencong , Yuan Qinghua , Du Zhimin
Published: April 2020

Coronary artery aneurysms (CAAs) are uncommon in coronary angiography, and left main coronary artery aneurysms are rare. There is no consensus for the treatment of CAAs. A young patient with left coronary artery aneurysm diagnosed by coronary angiography and with recurrent acute myocardial infarction was treated with rivaroxaban and aspirin. The patient had no angina for 6 months. Novel oral anticoagulants combined with antiplatelet agents may be appropriate for the treatment of CAAs.
Gait Recognition Based on the Feature Extraction of Gabor Filter and Linear Discriminant Analysis and Improved Local Coupled Extreme Learning Machine
Authors: Guo Hongli , Li Bin , Zhang Youmei , Zhang Yu , Li Wei , Qiao Fengjuan , Rong Xuewen , Zhou Shuwang
Published: April 2020

A gait energy image contains much gait information, which is one of the most effective means to recognize gait characteristics. The accuracy of gait recognition is greatly affected by covariates, such as the viewing angle, occlusion of clothing, and walking speed. Gait features differ somewhat by angles. Therefore, how to improve the recognition accuracy of a cross-view gait is a challenging task. This study proposes a new gait recognition algorithm structure. A Gabor filter is used to extract gait features from gait energy images, since it can extract features of different directions and scales. We use linear discriminant analysis (LDA) to tackle the problem that the feature dimension restricts the process. Finally, the improved local coupled extreme learning machine based on particle swarm optimization is used for the classification process of the extracted features of the gait. The proposed method and other current mainstream algorithms are compared in terms of the recognition accuracy based on the CASIA-A and CASIA-B datasets, and the simulation results show that the proposed algorithm has good performance and performs well at cross-view gait recognition.
Automated Modal Identification Based on Improved Clustering Method
Authors: Wu Gangrou , He Min , Liang Peng , Ye Chunsheng , Xu Yue
Published: April 2020

The automated modal identification has been playing an important role in online structural damage detection and condition assessment. This paper proposes an improved hierarchical clustering method to identify the precise modal parameters by automatically interpreting the stabilization diagram. Two major improvements are provided in the whole clustering process. The modal uncertainty is first introduced in the first stage to eliminate as many as possible mathematical modal data to produce more precise clustering threshold, which helps to produce more precise clustering results. The boxplot is introduced in the last stage to assess the precision of the clustering results from a statistical perspective. Based on an iterative analysis of boxplot, the outliers of the clustering results are found out and eliminated and the precise modal results are finally produced. The Z24 benchmark experiment data are utilized to validate the feasibility of the proposed method, and comparison between the previous method and the improved method is also provided. From the result, it can be concluded that the modal uncertainty is more effective than the other modal criteria in distinguishing the mathematical modal data. The modal results by clustering process are not precise in statistic and the boxplot can find out the outliers of the clustering results and produce more precise modal results. The improved automated modal identification method can automatically extract the physical modal data and produce more precise modal parameters.
Combination of Fractional Exhaled Nitric Oxide (FeNO) Level and Asthma Control Test (ACT) in Detecting GINA-Defined Asthma Control in Treated Asthmatic Patients in Vietnam
Authors: Nguyen Nhu Vinh , Le An Pham , Chavannes Niels H.
Published: April 2020

Background. FeNO has been used as a marker for Th2-mediated airway inflammation in asthma. There is evidence which recommends the use of this biomarker in asthma management. Little is known about whether the FeNO test alone or in combination with the ACT score can reflect asthma control in Vietnamese patients. Materials and Methods. A cross-sectional study was conducted in asthmatic patients (≥18 years old) recruited at the University Medical Center, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam from March 2016 to March 2017. Asthma control levels were assessed following the GINA 2017 guidelines, and FeNO was measured by a Niox Mino device. FeNO cut-offs predicting asthma control status were determined using the ROC curve analysis. The combination of FeNO and ACT was investigated in detecting well-controlled and uncontrolled asthma. The results of the study are as follows: 278 patients with 68% females, mean age of 44 years, and mean asthma duration of 10 years were analyzed. All patients were treated following step 2 to 4 of GINA guidelines. Mean (SD) FeNO was 30.6 (24) ppb. Patients with uncontrolled (16%), partly controlled (29%), and well-controlled asthma (55%) had a median (IQR) FeNO of 50.0 (74), 25.0 (23), and 21.0 (22.3) ppb, respectively, and the mean of FeNO in the uncontrolled group was significantly higher than that in other groups (p<0.001). The area under the ROC curve (AUC) for FeNO detecting uncontrolled asthma was 0.730 with an optimal cut-off point of FeNO > 50 ppb, and this AUC increased to 0.89 when combining FeNO and ACT. The AUC for FeNO detecting well-controlled asthma was 0.601 with an optimal cut-off point of FeNO <25 ppb and this AUC increased to 0.78 if combining FeNO and ACT. Conclusions. FeNO can predict asthma control status with an estimated cut-off point of <25 ppb for well-controlled and >50 ppb for uncontrolled asthma. The combination of FeNO and ACT provides better information regarding asthma control than FeNO alone, and this combination is useful to predict asthma control statuses in asthmatic patients in Viet Nam.
Gas Pressure Effect on Sand Collapse in Kinetic Zone of Lost‐Foam Casting
Authors: Jeon Joo Mae , Lee Soo Jo , Choe Kyeong Hwan , Huh Jeung-Soo
Published: April 2020

Pressure of the kinetic zone is an essential factor for making defect‐free castings in lost‐foam casting process. The extremely high pressure causes many problems, such as reducing the melt velocity and inclusion of residual decomposition of the pattern in the castings, and very low pressure causes sand collapse. Therefore, the minimum gas pressure for preventing sand collapse is required. When the minimum gas pressure can be predicted, computer simulation becomes possible. Successful computer simulations can help reduce the number of trials and the lead time while designing new casting products. A preliminary sand experiment was conducted to predict the gas pressure and reduce the number of actual casting experiments. In this preliminary sand experiment, compressed air was used instead of gas in the kinetic zone. A new mathematical equation was proposed from the results of the preliminary sand experiment. The void ratio of the sand effect on the minimum gas pressure was included in the equation. An actual casting experiment was conducted by melting nodular cast iron to verify this equation. In the actual casting experiment, pressure of the kinetic zone in front of the metal tip was directly measured. The results obtained from the preliminary sand experiment and the actual casting experiment validated the equation.
A Model and Complexity Analysis of the Relationship Based on Organizational Justice and Embeddedness Theories
Authors: Su Xin , Zhang Hui , Guo Shubing
Published: April 2020

In capable person governing agricultural cooperatives, the internal governance is essential for cooperatives to achieve sustainable development. As an important mechanism of cooperative internal governance, relational governance is the focus of the current research in the field of cooperative internal governance. Based on the theory of organizational justice, relational embeddedness theory, and relational governance theory, this paper constructs the relationship between interactive justice, relational embeddedness, and governance performance based on fuzzy cognitive map and discusses the influence mechanism of interactive justice on relational governance performance. Taking 245 members of 18 agricultural cooperatives as samples, this paper makes an empirical test by using the machine learning method. Through the analysis of the data, we find that interactive justice has a significant positive impact on the governance performance. Relational embeddedness also has a significant positive impact on the governance performance. And relational embeddedness plays an intermediary role in the positive impact of interactive justice on governance performance. To some extent, the research results broaden the relationship between interactive justice and relational governance performance and provide useful reference for cooperatives to strengthen internal governance and achieve sustainable growth.
Preparation and Mechanical Properties of Cemented Uranium Tailing Backfill Based on Alkali‐Activated Slag
Authors: Wang Fulin , Chen Guoliang , Ji Lu , Yuan Zhengping
Published: April 2020

Backfilling disposal based on cement solidification is one of the ways to solve the environmental and safe problems of uranium tailing surface stacking. Alkali‐activated slag, especially sodium silicate activated geopolymer, has become the preferred cementing material for the uranium tailing backfilling system because of its advantages of corrosion resistance and high strength. In this paper, uranium tailings and slag are taken as research objects, and the unconfined compressive strength (UCS) is taken as the main quality index. The preparation method of the cemented uranium tailing backfill based on alkali‐activated slag was studied, hereinafter referred to as CUTB. The effects of additive amount, activator amount and activator modulus on the strength of CUTB were investigated. The results show that alkali‐activated slag is an effective cementing material for the backfilling system of uranium tailing aggregate. The maximum UCS of 28 d age in the test groups is 16.45 MPa. Quicklime is an important additive for preparing CUTB. When the amount of quicklime is 0%, the early and late strengths of the filling body cannot be measured or at a very low level. At the age of 7 d, the order of each factor is additive amount > activator modulus > activator amount, but at the age of 28 d, the order of each factor is additive amount > activator amount > activator modulus. The test results can provide a basis for choosing cementitious materials for backfilling disposal of uranium tailings.
Mucinous Histology, BRCA1/2 Mutations, and Elevated Tumor Mutational Burden in Colorectal Cancer
Authors: Harpaz Noa , Gatt Yair Eli , Granit Roy Zvi , Fruchtman Hila , Hubert Ayala , Grinshpun Albert
Published: April 2020

Mucinous colorectal carcinomas (MC) constitute 10% of colorectal malignancies. Recently, an increased risk of colorectal cancer has been demonstrated in germline BRCA1/2 mutation carriers. Furthermore, BRCA1/2 germline mutation carriers have exhibited a higher-than-expected frequency of MC tumors. Here, we investigate the relationship between BRCA mutations and mucinous histology in colorectal carcinoma patients, using both an existing cohort of sequenced colorectal tumors and a prospective case-control study comparing MC and conventional adenocarcinoma (AC) patients tested for BRCA mutations. We discovered that MC tumors exhibit a statistically significantly higher incidence of BRCA mutations in addition to a higher average mutation count when compared to AC tumors in the existing cohort. The strongest predictor of the mutation count was mucinous histology, independently of other variables including microsatellite instability. Contrary to our hypothesis, the first association did not recur in the prospective case-control study, likely due to our pathological definition of MC tumors and small sample size. Finally, we observed a higher tumor mutational burden (TMB) in MC tumors compared with AC tumors. We suggest that the association between MC histology, BRCA mutations, and increased TMB may open the door to the utilization of simple tests (such as histopathologic characterization) to detect patients who may benefit from immunotherapy in colorectal cancer.
Effects of Surfactant Warm‐Mix Additives on the Rheological Properties of High‐Viscosity Asphalt
Authors: Shi Jingtao , Fan Weiyu , Lin Yi , Zhao Pinhui , Ouyang Jian
Published: April 2020

In order to evaluate the possibility of the application of warm mixing technology in high‐viscosity asphalt mixture, in this paper, the effects of surfactant warm‐mix additives (WMAs) on physical and rheological properties of high‐viscosity asphalt (HVA) which was prepared with self‐developed SBS/C9 petroleum resin blends (SPR) modifier were measured. The results indicate that the addition of WMA can decrease the viscosity and softening point but improve the penetration and ductility of warm‐mix HVA. With the increase of the content of WMA, the modulus, failure temperature, viscosity, and recovery rate of warm‐mix HVA all increased at first and then decreased, and the maximum value appeared when the modifier content was 1.0%–1.5%. Moreover, when the amount of WMA is 1.5%, the low‐temperature performance of warm‐mix HVA reaches the best value. Thus, the amount of WMA is of great importance for the warm‐mix HVA, and in order to achieve ideal rheological properties, the recommended amount of WMA is 1.0%–1.5%. Considering economic improvement and environmental protection, WMA could be an alternative for increasing the workability of HVA.
Collaborative Innovation with Dynamic Incentive Contracts in a Supply Chain
Authors: Hao Yifei , Chen Wei , Yang Hong
Published: April 2020

The collection and sharing of consumers’ knowledge by retailers can help manufacturers improve the innovation level of products, thereby improving the performance of supply chain. However, due to the cost of collecting consumers’ knowledge, the wholesale price contract can no longer coordinate supply chain members effectively. It is necessary to study the problem how the retailers are encouraged to make more efforts for the cooperative innovation with manufacturers. This paper introduces two dynamic incentive contracts for improving collaborative innovation level in a two-player supply chain, and the impacts of these contracts on supply chain’s performance are investigated, by using a Stackelberg differential game model. The manufacturer, as a Stackelberg leader, determines the R&D investment while the retailer is responsible for the retail price and the efforts in collection of the consumer’s information (or preference) to the products. The model incorporates a wholesale price contract and two incentive contracts to better understand how the manufacturer can facilitate the retailer’s efforts in the collection of consumer’s information and increase the profits of the members of supply chain. Our results suggest that the optimal profit of the supply chain, the retailer’s efforts in the collection of consumer’s knowledge, the retail price, and the innovation level under the reward incentive contract are higher than their counterparts in other contracts. In particular, the retailer’s optimal effort under the reward incentive contract is even higher than the one in the centralized decision scenario. However, if the manufacturer commits an effort target to the retailer, it shows that the retailer’s optimal effort is independent of the target. The manufacturer’s optimal R&D investments are constants in the three contracts under the dynamic setting. Furthermore, numerical simulations show that the effort target has little impact on profits of the supply chain although it affects the decision making of supply chain members to some extent, whereas the retailer’s marginal reward offered by the manufacturer influences the innovation level of product and the supply chain’s profit significantly.