bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Biallelic variants in BRCA1 gene cause a recognisable phenotype within chromosomal instability syndromes reframed as BRCA1 deficiency
Authors: Chirita-Emandi Adela , Andreescu Nicoleta , Popa Cristina , Mihailescu Alexandra , Riza Anca-Lelia , Plesea Razvan , Ioana Mihai , Arghirescu Smaranda , Puiu Maria
Published: August 2020

Pathogenic variants in BRCA1 gene in heterozygous state are known to be associated with breast-ovarian cancer susceptibility; however, biallelic variants cause a phenotype recognised as Fanconi anaemia complementation group S. Due to its rarity, medical management and preventive screening measures are insufficiently understood. Here, we present nine individuals (one new and eight previously presented) with biallelic variants in BRCA1 gene, to delineate clinical features in comparison with other chromosome instability syndromes and understand the patients’ health risk. Features seen in these 9 individuals (7 females/2 males) include prenatal and postnatal growth failure (9/9), microcephaly (9/9), hypo/hyperpigmented lesions (9/9), facial dysmorphism (9/9), mild developmental delay (8/9) and early-onset solid tumours (5/9). None presented bone marrow failure or immunodeficiency. Individuals with biallelic variants in BRCA1 also showed chromosomal instability by mitomycin and diepoxybutane test. The phenotype caused by biallelic BRCA1 variants is best framed between Fanconi anaemia and Nijmegen syndrome, yet distinct due to lack of bone marrow failure and immunodeficiency. We hypothesise that disease class should be reframed and medical management in people with biallelic variants in BRCA1 should emphasise on detection of solid tumour development and avoiding exposure to ionising radiation.
Control, trust and the sharing of health information: the limits of trust
Authors: Holm Soren , Kristiansen Thomas Birk , Ploug Thomas
Published: August 2020

Clinical information about patients is increasingly being stored in electronic form and has therefore become more easily shareable. Data are collected as part of clinical care but have multiple other potential uses in relation to health system planning, audit and research. The use of clinical information for these secondary uses is controversial, and the ability to safeguard personal and sensitive data under current practices is contested.

In this study, we investigate the attitudes of a representative sample of the Danish population towards transfer of clinical data from their general practice for secondary use. We specifically study: (1) patients’ trust in different types of healthcare professionals, (2) their interest in being asked about secondary use of data and (3) their willingness to dispense from a requirement of informed consent based on their trust in healthcare professionals.

We find that adult Danes are positive towards research that use patient data, and they generally trust general practitioners, hospitals and researchers to treat their data confidentially.

Nevertheless, they feel that they have a right to control the use of their data, only 7.3% disagreeing, and that the data belong to them, only 14.0% disagreeing. Answers to further questions about the relation between trust, information and consent show that although trust modifies the wish for information and consent, there is still a strong view that the patient should control the use of data. We find no differences between those who have frequent contact with the healthcare system and those who do not.
International experience of mechanical thrombectomy during the COVID-19 pandemic: insights from STAR and ENRG
Authors: Al Kasab Sami , Almallouhi Eyad , Alawieh Ali , Levitt Michael R , Jabbour Pascal , Sweid Ahmad , Starke Robert M , Saini Vasu , Wolfe Stacey Q , Fargen Kyle M , Arthur Adam S , Goyal Nitin , Pandhi Abhi , Fragata Isabel , Maier Ilko , Matouk Charles , Grossberg Jonathan A , Howard Brian M , Kan Peter , Hafeez Muhammad , Schirmer Clemens M , Crowley R Webster , Joshi Krishna C , Tjoumakaris Stavropoula I , Chowdry Shakeel , Ares William , Ogilvy Christopher , Gomez-Paz Santiago , Rai Ansaar T. , Mokin Maxim , Guerrero Waldo , Park Min S , Mascitelli Justin R , Yoo Albert , Williamson Richard , Grande Andrew Walker , Crosa Roberto Javier , Webb Sharon , Psychogios Marios N , Ducruet Andrew F , Holmstedt Christine A , Ringer Andrew J , Spiotta Alejandro M
Published: August 2020

Background

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, many centers altered stroke triage protocols for the protection of their providers. However, the effect of workflow changes on stroke patients receiving mechanical thrombectomy (MT) has not been systematically studied.

Methods

A prospective international study was launched at the initiation of the COVID-19 pandemic. All included centers participated in the Stroke Thrombectomy and Aneurysm Registry (STAR) and Endovascular Neurosurgery Research Group (ENRG). Data was collected during the peak months of the COVID-19 surge at each site. Collected data included patient and disease characteristics. A generalized linear model with logit link function was used to estimate the effect of general anesthesia (GA) on in-hospital mortality and discharge outcome controlling for confounders.

Results

458 patients and 28 centers were included from North America, South America, and Europe. Five centers were in high-COVID burden counties (HCC) in which 9/104 (8.7%) of patients were positive for COVID-19 compared with 4/354 (1.1%) in low-COVID burden counties (LCC) (P<0.001). 241 patients underwent pre-procedure GA. Compared with patients treated awake, GA patients had longer door to reperfusion time (138 vs 100 min, P=<0.001). On multivariate analysis, GA was associated with higher probability of in-hospital mortality (RR 1.871, P=0.029) and lower probability of functional independence at discharge (RR 0.53, P=0.015).

Conclusion

We observed a low rate of COVID-19 infection among stroke patients undergoing MT in LCC. Overall, more than half of the patients underwent intubation prior to MT, leading to prolonged door to reperfusion time, higher in-hospital mortality, and lower likelihood of functional independence at discharge.
Efficacy and safety of iron therapy in patients with chronic heart failure and iron deficiency: a systematic review and meta-analysis based on 15 randomised controlled trials
Authors: Zhang Junyi , Hu Shengda , Jiang Yufeng , Zhou Yafeng
Published: August 2020

Trials studying iron administration in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF) and iron deficiency (ID) have sprung up these years but the results remain inconsistent. The aim of this meta-analysis was to comprehensively evaluate the efficacy and safety of iron therapy in patients with CHF and ID. A literature search was conducted across PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, OVID and Web of Science up to 31 July 2019 to search for randomised controlled trials (RCT) comparing iron therapy with placebo in CHF with ID, regardless of presence of anaemia. Published studies reporting data of any of the following outcomes were included: all-cause death, cardiovascular hospitalisation, adverse events, New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional class, left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), N-terminal pro b-type natriuretic peptide, peak oxygen consumption, 6 min walking test (6MWT) distance and quality of life (QoL) parameters. 15 RCTs with a total of 1627 patients (911 in iron therapy and 716 in control) were included. Iron therapy was demonstrated to reduce the risk of cardiovascular hospitalisation (OR 0.35, 95% CI 0.12 to 0.99, p=0.049), but was ineffective in reducing all-cause death (OR 0.59, 95% CI 0.33 to 1.06, p=0.078) or cardiovascular death (OR 0.80, 95% CI 0.39 to 1.63, p=0.540). Iron therapy resulted in a reduction in NYHA class (mean difference (MD) −0.73, 95% CI −0.99 to −0.47, p<0.001), an increase in LVEF (MD +4.35, 95% CI 0.69 to 8.00, p=0.020), 6MWT distance (MD +35.44, 95% CI 11.55 to 59.33, p=0.004) and an improvement in QoL: EQ-5D score (MD +4.07, 95% CI 0.84 to 7.31, p=0.014); Minnesota Living With Heart Failure Questionnaire score (MD −19.47, 95% CI −23.36 to −15.59, p<0.001) and Patients Global Assessment (PGA) scale (MD 0.71, 95% CI 0.32 to 1.10, p<0.001). There was no significant difference in adverse events or serious adverse events between iron treatment group and control group. Iron therapy reduces cardiovascular hospitalisation in patients with CHF with ID, and additionally improves cardiac function, exercise capacity and QoL in patients with CHF with ID and anaemia, without an increase of adverse events.
Short-term outcome of local pancreatic complications in a public hospital from North India
Authors: Kumar Ashok , Gupta Monica , Kochhar Suman , Singh Ram , Lehl Sarabmeet S
Published: August 2020

Introduction

Dearth in the literature pertaining to natural history of acute pancreatitis (AP) necessitates further studies to evaluate the outcome of local pancreatic complications using the revised Atlanta classification.

Objective

To evaluate the outcomes of local pancreatic complications after first episode of AP, risk factors for their development and predictors of need for intervention.

Methodology

A prospective study was carried out on 50 consecutive cases of AP who developed local pancreatic complications from January 2015 to July 2016. After imaging, they were categorised into acute pancreatic fluid collection (APFC) and acute necrotic collection (ANC). The risk factors for their development and the need for intervention were assessed.

Results

Of 50 patients, 20 developed APFC and 30 ANC. Of ANC cases, 27 progressed into walled-off necrosis (WON), of which 4 were managed conservatively and 18 collections were drained percutaneously, 3 underwent endotherapy (transmural drainage and endoscopic necrosectomy) and 2 died following percutaneous drainage (PCD) and surgery. Ten WON collections persisted at the end of 3rd month. Collections resolved in 6 of 20 APFC patients, 14 formed pseudocysts, of which 10 showed resolution with or without intervention and only 4 of them persisted at the end of study. Size of collection ≥6 cm was independent predictor of intervention irrespective of type of collections while in cases of ANC, extensive necrosis (>30%) and multiple collections were more likely to require intervention.

Conclusion

Incidence of ANC is more common than APFC when local pancreatic fluid collections develop most of which develop WON and require intervention.
Discrepancies in the Brazilian tobacco production chain: raw inputs, international trade and legal cigarette production
Authors: Ribeiro Livio Santos de Leite , Pinto Vilma da Conceição
Published: August 2020

Background

The significant market share of illicit cigarettes in Brazil is well established in the literature, nonetheless lacking clarity in terms of its actual size. Paraguay has a paramount role in this discussion, acting both as a supplier of illegal tobacco products to Brazil and as buyer of inputs from Brazil. A proper analysis of the illicit cigarette market in Brazil necessarily involves a deeper discussion of the Paraguayan production chain and its interaction with the Brazilian market.

Methods

International data were used to establish the bilateral legal trade pattern of tobacco-related products between Paraguay and Brazil, including inputs and final outputs. Inspired by the technical requirements methodology, available unmanufactured tobacco within Brazil was obtained by adding-up domestic production with net imports. Its historical behaviour was compared with legal cigarette production patterns within Brazil. Supposing rational agents, these two links of the Brazilian cigarette production chain should behave similarly: for lower final usage, less domestically available supply. Any discrepancies would suggest something abnormal in the production chain.

Results

Brazil is a relevant legal supplier of intermediate goods for the Paraguayan tobacco complex and has an irrelevant position as legal buyer of Paraguayan tobacco-related goods (either inputs or final goods). Paraguayan net imports of production inputs seem to be abnormally high for their legal needs. In Brazil, a clear discrepancy between domestically available unmanufactured tobacco (input) and tax-based cigarette production (output) emerged throughout the years and, even more striking, has been growing over the years.

Conclusions

Excessive cigarette production inputs in Paraguay suggest a potential oversupply of cigarettes in that country—likely diverted to illicit trade. Likewise, discrepancies in the Brazilian tobacco production chain are also evidence of illicit tobacco trading in Brazil—not necessarily of final products. A deeper analysis of the Brazil/Paraguay tobacco supply chain would be welcomed given the likely operation of these two countries as a single ‘production/consumption hub’ of both legal and illegal products (either inputs or final tobacco products). Public policies should foster controls not only on cigarettes but also on raw inputs for their production.
Probabilistic investigation of the seismic displacement of earth slopes under stochastic ground motion: a rotational sliding block analysis
Authors: Ji Jian , Wang Chen-Wei , Gao Yufeng , Zhang Limin
Published: August 2020

Earthquakes frequently induce landslides and other natural disasters that would have a huge impact on human life and properties. In geotechnical engineering, evaluation of the seismic stability of earth slopes has been attracting a substantial amount of research interest. In this regard, the Newmark permanent displacement provides a simple yet effective index of slope co-seismic performance. The traditional Newmark method involves many assumptions and the displacement results thereby calculated are subject to various degrees of uncertainty. In this paper, a modified rotational sliding block model considering depth-dependent shear strength and dynamic yield acceleration is established. The seismic critical slip surface is analysed through a pseudo-static approach, where the failure volume is larger than that in the static condition. The dynamic yield acceleration is updated by considering the instantaneous movement of the sliding mass in each time-step. The parametric sensitivity of soil shear strength, slope geometry, and Arias intensity to the seismic displacement is also analysed. Results show that the internal friction angle and the cohesion have equal effects on the permanent displacement. On a logarithmic scale, the displacement approximately linearly correlates with Arias intensity. Furthermore, the underlying uncertainty of the ground motion is introduced to obtain the probabilistic distribution of the seismic slope displacement. The uncertainty of earthquake time history details has considerable influence on the permanent displacement results. Under the specific allowable displacement, the probability of failure increases exponentially with seismic intensity.
Individual-based dendrogenomic analysis of forest dieback driven by extreme droughts
Authors: Fasanella M. , Suarez M.L. , Hasbún R. , Premoli A.C.
Published: August 2020

Droughts driven by global change are triggering worldwide forest dieback, a phenomenon that is predicted to worsen. We combined genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and dendrochronological approaches to assess genetically-based individual tree vulnerability to past extreme droughts that caused massive mortality of coihue (Nothofagus dombeyi (Mirb.) Blume) forests in northern Patagonia, Argentina. We collected fresh leaves and wood cores from pairs of trees, one with a healthy crown (HC) and another with a partially affected crown (PA), at four sites impacted by droughts in 1998, 2008, and 2014. We used dendrochronological techniques to estimate parameters in terms of growth trends due to drought and genomic analysis to assess the relationship of genomic variation with water stress. While 5155 neutral loci did not differentiate PA from HC trees, a set of 33 adaptive SNPs did, 8 of which were related to water stress. Association analysis between genomic variants and dendrophenotypic traits yielded 6 SNPs that were associated with a growth measure as resilience to cope with drought. Our preliminary results indicate that susceptibility to drought in N. dombeyi could be determined at the genomic level. The combination of these approaches provides a framework for the identification and analysis of candidate genes for stress response in non-model species.
Triple-pomeron amplitude in the effective action approach
Authors: Braun M. A.
Published: August 2020

In the effective action approach the imaginary part of the triple pomeron amplitude is calculated. The found dependence on the longitudinal momentum transfer $$e_{-}$$e- is found to separate as a simple factor $$1/|e_{-}|$$1/|e-|. This result is used to calculate the high-mass diffraction on a hadron and double scattering cross-section off a composite target.
Characterizations of the lebesgue measure and product measures related to holomorphic functions having non-negative imaginary or real part
Authors: Nedic Mitja
Published: August 2020

In this paper, we study a class of Borel measures on [Formula: see text] that arises as the class of representing measures of Herglotz-Nevanlinna functions. In particular, we study product measures within this class where products with the Lebesgue measures play a special role. Hence, we give several characterizations of the [Formula: see text]-dimensional Lebesgue measure among all such measures and characterize all product measures that appear in this class of measures. Furthermore, analogous results for the class of positive Borel measures on the unit poly-torus with vanishing mixed Fourier coefficients are also presented, and the relation between the two classes of measures with regard to the obtained results is discussed.
Relations between two log minimal models of log canonical pairs
Authors: Hashizume Kenta
Published: August 2020

We study relations between two log minimal models of a fixed lc pair. For any two log minimal models of an lc pair constructed with log MMP, we prove that there are small birational models of the log minimal models which can be connected by a sequence of flops, and the two log minimal models share some properties. We also give examples of two log minimal models of an lc pair which have different properties.
On the p-pseudoharmonic map heat flow
Authors: Chang Shu-Cheng , Dong Yuxin , Han Yingbo
Published: August 2020

In this paper, we consider the heat flow for [Formula: see text]-pseudoharmonic maps from a closed Sasakian manifold [Formula: see text] into a compact Riemannian manifold [Formula: see text]. We prove global existence and asymptotic convergence of the solution for the [Formula: see text]-pseudoharmonic map heat flow, provided that the sectional curvature of the target manifold [Formula: see text] is non-positive. Moreover, without the curvature assumption on the target manifold, we obtain global existence and asymptotic convergence of the [Formula: see text]-pseudoharmonic map heat flow as well when its initial [Formula: see text]-energy is sufficiently small.
A Fairness-Based Heuristic Technique for Long-Term Nurse Scheduling
Authors: Senbel Samah
Published: August 2020

We present a new heuristic long-term solution to the Nurse Scheduling Problem (NSP). Nurse scheduling requires the satisfaction of a set of constraints: Hard constraints that must be satisfied, and soft constraints that are specified by the nurses according to their preferences. The quality of a technique is measured by the level of satisfaction of those constraints, which we measure using a penalty system. We propose a three-phase solution based on the way nurses trade shifts: In the first phase, we generate a schedule that satisfies all the hard constraints irrespective of the individual nurses. Then, each nurse is matched to her optimal schedule. Finally, we satisfy as many of the soft constraints as possible using shift swapping between the different nurses’ schedules. We analyze the performance of our technique and it obtained satisfactory results in reasonable time compared to a brute-force generated optimal schedule that takes an extremely long time to generate. We extended the scheduling technique to multiple scheduling periods by carrying the old penalties accumulated by a nurse to her new schedule. This guarantees fairness over the long term, and decreased the variance in overall penalties by over 50% compared to independently scheduling each schedule period.
A study on the phase transformation of BCuAl9Fe4 alloy
Authors: Vu Anh Tuan , Nguyen Duong Nam , Mai Ba Linh , Mai Khanh Pham
Published: August 2020

This paper’s aim is to describe the results of the phase transformation of BCuAl9Fe4 alloy after casting, quenching and aging. After casting, the microstructure of this alloy consists of [Formula: see text] phase with grain size about 100 [Formula: see text]m, mixture [Formula: see text] and the inter-metallic phase Fe3Al. However, the proportion of the [Formula: see text] phase in the casting alloy is coarse. The alloy was heated at [Formula: see text]C for 2 h then quickly cooling in water. After quenching, the microstructure of alloy shows that the grain size reduced to about 40 [Formula: see text]m. After quenching, the alloy was aged at [Formula: see text]C for 2 h, the martensite phase of this alloy decomposed into order phase ([Formula: see text] with fine grain size, dispersed in the matrix. The intermetallic phase was fine and evenly dispersed in the matrix. By TEM analysis, after heat treatment, the structure of martensite and the inter-metallic phase in this alloy which had small grain size were formed.
Relationship between band gap and equivalent volume of electron cloud
Authors: Zhang Tao
Published: August 2020

The characteristic parameter [Formula: see text] related to bandgap [Formula: see text] is proposed ([Formula: see text] is the equivalent volume of the outermost electron cloud of molecule). [Formula: see text] values of dozens of solid media are calculated. The results show that [Formula: see text] decreases as [Formula: see text] increases. Furthermore, change behavior of [Formula: see text] with composition is studied by using [Formula: see text], and the composition characteristics of high-[Formula: see text] solid media are summarized. According to this result, [Formula: see text] can be regulated to a certain extent by adjusting the composition. Importantly, connection among refractive index [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] is revealed: [Formula: see text] has both a major contribution to [Formula: see text] and a decisive effect on [Formula: see text]. These results help to promote the development of new semiconductor materials.
Robust stabilization of longitudinal tracking for cooperative adaptive cruise control considering input saturation
Authors: He Youguo , Tian Xiaoxiao , Shen Jie , Yuan Chaochun , Du Yingkui
Published: August 2020

This paper is concerned with the problem of constraint control for cooperative adaptive cruise control (CACC) with input saturation and input-additive uncertainties. An integrated longitudinal kinematic model of CACC system including vehicle model and constant time headway is established taking into account input saturation and input-additive uncertainties. According to the system’s robustness requirements under input saturation, the saturation control method is introduced. In order to achieve robust global stabilization of the system, a low-gain state feedback control law is designed by using linear low-gain feedback and gain scheduling. Meanwhile, in order to avoid the saturation of the control system, the low gain parameter [Formula: see text] is introduced into the controller design. Finally, the simulation of homogeneous and heterogeneous platoons is carried out by MATLAB/Simulink, which verifies the feasibility and effectiveness of the designed controller. Compared with the SMC controller, saturation controller successfully suppresses the acceleration amplification in the process of propagation along the vehicle platoon, avoids actuator saturation and realizes the stability of CACC system.
Microcanonical condensate fluctuations in one-dimensional weakly-interacting Bose gases
Authors: Hou Ji-Xuan
Published: August 2020

Weakly interacting Bose gases confined in a one-dimensional harmonic trap are studied using microcanonical ensemble approaches. Combining number theory methods, I present a new approach to calculate the particle number counting statistics of the ground state occupation. The results show that the repulsive interatomic interactions increase the ground state fraction and suppresses the fluctuation of ground state at low temperature.
Novel characteristics of lump and lump–soliton interaction solutions to the (2+1)-dimensional Alice–Bob Hirota–Satsuma–Ito equation
Authors: Shen Wang , Ma Zhengyi , Fei Jinxi , Zhu Quanyong
Published: August 2020

Based on the Hirota bilinear method and symbolic computation, abundant exact solutions, including lump, lump–soliton, and breather solutions, are computed for the coupled Alice–Bob system of the Hirota–Satsuma–Ito equation in (2 + 1)-dimensions. The three-dimensional figures of these solutions are presented, which illustrate the characteristics of these solutions.
Particles dynamics around time conformal quintessential Schwarzschild black hole
Authors: Khan Israr Ali , Khan Amir Sultan , Islam Saeed , Ali Farhad
Published: August 2020

In this paper, the effect of time is explored on the dynamics of neutral and charged particles around the Schwarzschild (Sch) black hole (BH) environed by quintessence. We introduce a general time conformal factor [Formula: see text] to the quintessential Sch spacetime, where [Formula: see text] is a time ([Formula: see text])-dependent function and [Formula: see text], a small parameter, that causes perturbation in the corresponding spacetime. The Noether symmetry equation is obtained with the help of Lagrangian corresponding to time conformal Sch spacetime environed by quintessence. Consequently, we get a 19 partial differential equations (PDEs) system. The solution of this system gives Noether symmetries, Noether approximate symmetries, and the corresponding conservation laws. The dynamics of neutral/charged particles are studied as well as graphically analyzed at the foot of these invariants.
Governments Playing Games and Combating the Dynamics of a Terrorist Organization
Authors: Hausken Kjell
Published: August 2020

Multiple governments are modeled as intervening through time and selectively against terrorism sponsors and a terrorist organization’s three labor stocks, i.e., ideologues, criminal mercenaries, and captive participants. The three labor stocks and sponsors are modeled with four differential time equations. Differential equations and game theory are combined in interesting ways. The governments play games with each other on how to intervene. Depending on the unit intervention cost from high to low, the paper shows how governments may refrain from intervening, may free ride on each other in a prisoner’s dilemma, may intervene as in the chicken game, may intervene unilaterally, may coordinate between multiple equilibria, and may intervene jointly. Mixed strategies are analyzed for governments preferring to create uncertainty, or decrease the uncertainty, for example, when playing the chicken game. Intervention may successfully curtail or terminate the terrorist organization over various time horizons, or may fail to do so causing unbounded growth. This paper provides a tool for decision and policy makers to understand the evolution and composition of a terrorist organization through time depending on intervention.
Programmable Spiral and Helical Deformation Behaviors of Hydrogel-Based Bi-Material Beam Structures
Authors: Huang Rong , Xue Yiheng , Li Zhengjie , Liu Zishun
Published: August 2020

Soft materials possess magnificent properties which could be harnessed for different potential applications. Compared to other soft materials, hydrogels have some unique advantages which can be used in the shape deformation or shape transformation of structures. This paper aims to investigate the deformation mechanisms of hydrogel-based bi-material beam structures and study the non-uniform geometric effects on the shape transformation including programmable scroll and helical deformations. With a sloped thickness design, the structures could be transformed from an initial quasi-2D beam configuration into some other 2D self-scroll and 3D self-helical configurations. From the hydrogel material model, a modified deformation formula for bi-material beam structures based on the framework of the classical beam theory has been developed to predict the shape morphing behaviors. The relationship between the curvature and the mismatch strain is derived in its explicit form and the theoretical results are verified through several numerical simulations. Furthermore, experiments are carried out to demonstrate the design principles for reconfigurable bi-material beam structures and the experiments show that the structures tend to deform similarly to that predicted by the analytical models. The presented work could provide guidance for future applications of responsive hydrogel-based bi-material beam structures such as in soft actuators and soft robots.
The Effectiveness of the Passive Damping System Combining the Viscoelastic Dampers and Inerters
Authors: Pawlak Zdzisław M. , Lewandowski Roman
Published: August 2020

Passive damping systems are energy dissipating devices that are used in building constructions to reduce excessive vibration caused by wind or earthquakes.

Recently, the use of inerters, devices using the inertia of the rotating mass, as a passive damping system has become more and more popular. Inerter, regardless of the construction, generates a resistance force that is proportional to the relative acceleration at the terminal ends of the device.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of the viscoelastic (VE) dampers in combination with the inerter. For the derived equations of motion of structures with VE dampers and inerters, the Laplace transformation is applied, which leads to a nonlinear eigenproblem. The solution to the eigenproblem is obtained using the continuation method, also known as the homotopy or as the path following method.

It was found that for some cases of inerter connection with ve damper, there are some additional solutions in relation to the degrees of freedom of the structure. Furthermore, the dynamic characteristics of the structure associated with the above-mentioned additional eigenvalue are strongly dependent on the equivalent inerter mass.

Damping efficiency is tested by determining changes in the system’s dynamic characteristics: natural frequencies, non-dimensional damping ratios and displacement transfer functions. The presented approach allows determining the appropriate parameters of the inerter and VE damper and their appropriate location on the structures that correspond to the most effective damping. The obtained numerical results confirm the effectiveness of the proposed approach.
Free and Forced Vibration of Coupled Beam Systems Resting on Variable Viscoelastic Foundations
Authors: Su Jinpeng , Zhang Kun , Zhang Qiang , Tian Ying
Published: August 2020

This paper presents a modified variational method for free and forced vibration analysis of coupled beam systems resting on various viscoelastic foundations. Non-uniform as well as uniform curved and straight Timoshenko beam components are considered in the coupled beam system. Using proper coordinate transformations, interactions among the beam components of the coupled beam system are accommodated by combining Lagrange multiplier method and least-square weighted residual method. Interface potential energy for various boundary conditions including the elastic ones is simultaneously formulated. Thus, the proposed method allows flexible choice of the admissible functions, regardless of the boundary conditions. Based on the proposed energy method, Winkler, Pasternak or even variable foundations distributed in a parabolic or sinusoidal manner can be easily introduced into the coupled beam systems. Two kinds of damping, namely the proportional and viscous damping, are also employed to model the energy dissipation of the viscoelastic foundations. Corresponding finite element (FE) simulations are performed where possible and good agreement is observed. Thus, great efficiency and accuracy of the present approach are demonstrated for free, steady-state and transient vibration of the coupled beam systems. The influences of the parameters of the variable viscoelastic foundations on the dynamic properties of the coupled beam system are also examined.
CBI + R: A Fusion Approach to Assist Dermatological Diagnoses
Authors: Jiji G. Wiselin , Rajesh A. , Raj P. Johnson Durai
Published: August 2020

With the emerge of advanced technologies such as high-resolution cameras and computational power, it seems to ease to built a better dermatological diagnostic system. However, the identification of skin disease is still a challenging problem with the origination of various skin diseases. In this paper, we proposed a new fusion architecture — CBI [Formula: see text] R to support the diagnosis in multiple skin diseases. The architecture combines Content-Based Image Retrieval (CBIR) and Case-Based Reasoning (CBR) technology together to facilitate medical diagnosis. CBIR is to retrieve digital dermoscopy images from a data repository using the shape, texture and color features. Along with these features, CBR is incorporated which contains symptoms, case history and treatment plan of the disease. Experiments on a set of 1210 images yielded an accuracy of 98.2%. This was a superior retrieval and diagnosis performance in comparison with the state-of-the-art works.
An Efficient Cooperative Smearing Technique for Degraded Historical Document Image Segmentation
Authors: Boudraa Omar , Hidouci Walid Khaled , Michelucci Dominique
Published: August 2020

Segmentation is one of the critical steps in historical document image analysis systems that determines the quality of the search, understanding, recognition and interpretation processes. It allows isolating the objects to be considered and separating the regions of interest (paragraphs, lines, words and characters) from other entities (figures, graphs, tables, etc.). This stage follows the thresholding, which aims to improve the quality of the document and to extract its background from its foreground, also for detecting and correcting the skew that leads to redress the document. Here, a hybrid method is proposed in order to locate words and characters in both handwritten and printed documents. Numerical results prove the robustness and the high precision of our approach applied on old degraded document images over four common datasets, in which the pair (Recall, Precision) reaches approximately 97.7% and 97.9%.
Towards exterior/interior correspondence of black-holes
Authors: Avilés-Niebla C. , Nieto-Marín P. A. , Nieto J. A.
Published: August 2020

We describe a simple approach for a possible connection between the exterior and interior of black-holes. According to our result, the Schwarzschild radius determines a [Formula: see text]-dimensional sphere that separates two worlds: the exterior, where ordinary matter moves with velocities less than the light velocity, and the interior, where tachyons move with velocities greater than the light velocity. Moreover, we find a geometric map in the complex plane that connects ordinary matter with faster than light particles. Motivated by these results, we also find that the exterior and the interior structures of black-holes can be unified in a world of [Formula: see text]-dimensions. Finally, we comment about the possibility that superluminal particles in the interior of a black-hole may provide an alternative solution of the rotation curves of spiral galaxies.
A polynomial time test to detect numbers with many exceptional points
Authors: Carpenter Ryan , Samuels Charles L.
Published: August 2020

For each algebraic number [Formula: see text] and each positive real number [Formula: see text], the [Formula: see text]-metric Mahler measure [Formula: see text] creates an extremal problem whose solution varies depending on the value of [Formula: see text]. The second author studied the points [Formula: see text] at which the solution changes, called exceptional points for[Formula: see text] . Although each algebraic number has only finitely many exceptional points, it is conjectured that, for every [Formula: see text], there exists a number having at least [Formula: see text] exceptional points. In this paper, we describe a polynomial time algorithm for establishing the existence of numbers with at least [Formula: see text] exceptional points. Our work constitutes an improvement over the best known existing algorithm which requires exponential time. We apply our main result to show that there exist numbers with at least [Formula: see text] exceptional points, another improvement over previous work which was only able to reach [Formula: see text] exceptional points.
Bielliptic smooth plane curves and quadratic points
Authors: Badr Eslam , Bars Francesc
Published: August 2020

Let [Formula: see text] be a smooth plane curve of degree [Formula: see text] defined over a global field [Formula: see text] of characteristic [Formula: see text] or [Formula: see text] (up to an extra condition on [Formula: see text]). Unless the curve is bielliptic of degree four, we observe that it always admits finitely many quadratic points. We further show that there are only finitely many quadratic extensions [Formula: see text] when [Formula: see text] is a number field, in which we may have more points of [Formula: see text] than these over [Formula: see text]. In particular, we have this asymptotic phenomenon valid for Fermat’s and Klein’s equations. Second, we conjecture that there are two infinite sets [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] of isomorphism classes of smooth projective plane quartic curves over [Formula: see text] with a prescribed automorphism group, such that all members of [Formula: see text] (respectively [Formula: see text]) are bielliptic and have finitely (respectively infinitely) many quadratic points over a number field [Formula: see text]. We verify the conjecture over [Formula: see text] for [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text]. The analog of the conjecture over global fields with [Formula: see text] is also considered.
The Development of Latent Fingermarks for Visualization by Using AuNPs@AuNCs Core/Shell Nanoparticles
Authors: Liu Yan Jun , Zhang Ling Yan
Published: August 2020

A method for in situ preparation of fluorescent AuNPs@AuNCs core/shell nanoparticles by the template of BSA coated gold nanoparticles was developed. The as-prepared AuNPs@AuNCs core/shell nanoparticles possessed advantages such as uniform size, improved monodispersity and excellent fluorescence. The AuNPs@AuNCs core/shell nanoparticles in powder and suspension form were applied to the detection of latent fingermark due to the above properties. The developed latent fingermarks by AuNPs@AuNCs core/shell powder on various surfaces can exhibit excellent ridge details with good contrast between the fingermarks and the substrate. Moreover, under alternative light sources, the latent fingermarks developed with AuNPs@AuNCs core/shell powder work well.
Bistability of a two-species competition model with stage structure
Authors: Xie Xizhuang
Published: August 2020

In this paper, we focus on the dynamic behaviors of the bistability for a two-species Lotka–Volterra competition model with stage structure. Using the theory of generalized saddle-point behaviors, it is shown that there exists a [Formula: see text]-separatrix [Formula: see text] on its state space such that Species 2 wins the competition whenever the initial distribution is above [Formula: see text], while Species 1 wins the competition whenever the initial distribution is below [Formula: see text]. Combining with the previous conclusions of the system, we give a complete classification for global competitive dynamics. Furthermore, we carefully analyze the changes of the competition outcome after introducing the stage structure. Finally, some numerical simulations are provided to illustrate the effectiveness of the theoretical results.
Distributed Reliable and Energy-Efficient Scheduling for LR-WPANs
Authors: Lee Tim Van Der , Exarchakos Georgios , Groot Sonia Heemstra De
Published: August 2020

Pervasiveness of wireless networks drives the heterogeneity and density of devices in a vast diversity of environments. To achieve high reliability and low energy consumption while enabling pervasiveness is inherently a resource allocation problem. In low-rate wireless personal area networks, multi-frequency time-division multiple access methods are identified as compelling solutions to resource allocation via scheduling transmissions in time and frequency. This work presents the TREE (TRaffic-aware Energy Efficient) algorithm, an adaptive and distributed scheduling algorithm, designed to provide high reliability in terms of packet reception ratio while optimizing the energy consumption of each device. This algorithm schedules communications according to the packets in the queue and short-memory performance. Decisions are made locally, and low-interference scheduling emerges at the network level. TREE is an adaptive threshold-based model that allocates more network resources (e.g., timeslots) when the communication queue size crosses a threshold and frees resources if the resource was underutilized. Implemented over IEEE-802.15.4-TSCH and extensively tested in simulation and on real deployments up to 81 devices, the algorithm is compared to MSF, Alice, and Orchestra, the state of the art in time-slotted channel hopping scheduling. Results highlight a high reliability regarding packet reception ratio and a lower energy consumption compared to the state of the art.
Reconfigurable Network-on-Chip Security Architecture
Authors: Charles Subodha , Mishra Prabhat
Published: August 2020

Growth of the Internet-of-things has led to complex system-on-chips (SoCs) being used in the edge devices in IoT applications. The increased complexity is demanding designers to consider several critical factors, such as dynamic requirement changes, long application life, mass production, and tight time-to-market deadlines. These requirements lead to more complex security concerns. SoC manufacturers outsource some of the intellectual property cores integrated on the SoC to untrusted third-party vendors. The untrusted intellectual properties can contain malicious implants, which can launch attacks using the resources provided by the on-chip interconnection network, commonly known as the network-on-chip (NoC). Existing efforts on securing NoC have considered lightweight encryption, authentication, and other attack detection mechanisms such as denial-of-service and buffer overflows. Unfortunately, these approaches focus on designing statically optimized security solutions. As a result, they are not suitable for many IoT systems with long application life and dynamic requirement changes. There is a critical need to design reconfigurable security architectures that can be dynamically tuned based on changing requirements. In this article, we propose a tier-based reconfigurable security architecture that can adapt to different use-case scenarios. We explore how to design an efficient reconfigurable architecture that can support three popular NoC security mechanisms (encryption, authentication, and denial-of-service attack detection and localization) and implement suitable dynamic reconfiguration techniques. We evaluate our proposed framework by running standard benchmarks enabling different tiers of security and provide a comprehensive analysis of how different levels of security can affect application performance, energy efficiency, and area overhead.
Noncanonical Roles of tRNAs: tRNA Fragments and Beyond
Authors: Su Zhangli , Wilson Briana , Kumar Pankaj , Dutta Anindya
Published: August 2020

As one of the most abundant and conserved RNA species, transfer RNAs (tRNAs) are well known for their role in reading the codons on messenger RNAs and translating them into proteins. In this review, we discuss the noncanonical functions of tRNAs. These include tRNAs as precursors to novel small RNA molecules derived from tRNAs, also called tRNA-derived fragments, that are abundant across species and have diverse functions in different biological processes, including regulating protein translation, Argonaute-dependent gene silencing, and more. Furthermore, the role of tRNAs in biosynthesis and other regulatory pathways, including nutrient sensing, splicing, transcription, retroelement regulation, immune response, and apoptosis, is reviewed. Genome organization and sequence variation of tRNA genes are also discussed in light of their noncanonical functions. Lastly, we discuss the recent applications of tRNAs in genome editing and microbiome sequencing.
Polysaccharides from Hemp Seed Protect against Cyclophosphamide-Induced Intestinal Oxidative Damage via Nrf2-Keap1 Signaling Pathway in Mice
Authors: Xue Ran , Du Ming , Zhou Tian-Yi , Ai Wan-Zheng , Zhang Zhong-Shan , Xiang Xing-Wei , Zhou Yu-Fang , Wen Zheng-Shun
Published: August 2020

Hemp seed has been used as a traditional oriental medicine and health food in China for centuries. Polysaccharides from hemp seed (HSP) exhibit important properties of intestinal protection, but there are limited data on the specific underlying mechanism. The primary objective of this study was to investigate the protective effect of HSP on intestinal oxidative damage induced by cyclophosphamide (Cy) in mice. The results showed that pretreatment with HSP significantly increased the average daily gain, thymus index, spleen index, superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activity in serum and ileal homogenate and significantly reduced malondialdehyde (MDA) content in ileal homogenate. In addition, the expression levels of SOD, GSH-Px, Nrf2, heme oxidase-1 (HO-1), and quinoneoxidoreductase-1 (NQO1) mRNA in ileal homogenate were significantly increased. Western blot results showed that HSP significantly upregulated the expression of Nrf2 protein and downregulated the expression of Keap1 protein in the ileum. Collectively, our findings indicated that HSP had protective effects on intestinal oxidative damage induced by Cy in mice, and its mechanism might be related to the activation of Nrf2-Keap1 signaling pathway.
Genetic Structural Differentiation Analyses of Intercontinental Populations and Ancestry Inference of the Chinese Hui Group Based on a Novel Developed Autosomal AIM‐InDel Genotyping System
Authors: Xie Tong , Shen Chunmei , Jin Xiaoye , Lan Qiong , Fang Yating , Zhu Bofeng
Published: August 2020

In the present study, we investigated the genetic polymorphisms of 39 ancestry informative marker‐insertion/deletion (AIM‐InDel) loci in the Chinese Hui group using a previously self‐developed panel, further clarified the genetic relationships between the Hui group and other reference populations, and assessed the ancestry inference efficiency of the AIM‐InDel panel based on the worldwide population data from 1000 Genomes Phase 3. The results of the locus‐specific informativeness (In) and pairwise fixation index (Fst) values, multidimensional scaling analysis, and success ratio of estimation with cross‐validation showed that the novel panel could well reveal the genetic structural differentiations of the East Asian, European, African, and South Asian populations. Besides, the biogeographical ancestry origin inference both at the individual and population levels was conducted on the Chinese Hui group by principal component analysis and STRUCTURE analysis, and the results revealed that the Hui group had the East Asian origin, and the East Asian component ratio of Hui group was approximately 88.87%. Furthermore, the population genetic analyses among the Hui group and reference populations were performed based on the insertion allele frequency heat map, population pairwise Fst values and phylogenetic tree, and the results indicated that the Hui group was genetically closer to East Asian populations, especially two Chinese Han populations (CHS and CHB populations).