bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Overexpression of an Immune Checkpoint (CD155) in Breast Cancer Associated with Prognostic Significance and Exhausted Tumor-Infiltrating Lymphocytes: A Cohort Study
Authors: Li Yu-Chen , Zhou Quan , Song Qing-Kun , Wang Rui-Bin , Lyu Shuzhen , Guan Xiudong , Zhao Yan-Jie , Wu Jiang-Ping
Published: January 2020

Purpose. The immune checkpoint inhibitor is approved for breast cancer treatment, but the low expression of PD-L1 limits the immunotherapy. CD155 is another immune checkpoint protein in cancers and interacts with ligands to regulate immune microenvironment. This study is aimed at investigating the expression of CD155 and the association with prognosis and pathological features of breast cancer. Methods. 126 patients were recruited this cohort study consecutively, and CD155 expression on tumor cells was detected by immunohistochemistry. The Kaplan-Meier survival curve and Cox hazard regression model were used to estimate the association. Results. 38.1% patients had an overexpression of CD155, and the proportion of tumor cells with CD155 overexpression was 17%, 39%, 37%, and 62% among Luminal A, Luminal B, HER2-positive, and triple negative breast cancer cases, respectively (p<0.05). Patients with CD155 overexpression had the Ki-67 index significantly higher than that of patients with low expression (42% vs. 26%). Though the number of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes was higher among patients with CD155 overexpression (144/HPF vs. 95/HPF), the number of PD-1+ lymphocytes was significantly higher (52/HPF vs. 25/HPF, p<0.05). Patients of CD155 overexpression had the disease-free and overall survival decreased by 13 months and 9 months, respectively (p<0.05). CD155 overexpression was associated with an increased relapse (HR=13.93, 95% CI 2.82, 68.91) and death risk for breast cancer patients (HR=5.47,1.42,20.99). Conclusions. Overexpression of CD155 was correlated with more proliferative cancer cells and a dysfunctional immune microenvironment. CD155 overexpression introduced a worse relapse-free and overall survival and might be a potential immunotherapy target for breast cancer.
Acupuncture Therapy plus Hyaluronic Acid Injection for Knee Osteoarthritis: A Meta‐Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials
Authors: Zheng Yang , Duan Xiangdong , Qi Shangfeng , Hu Haibo , Wang Mengran , Ren Conglin , Xu Haipeng , Quan Renfu
Published: January 2020

Objective. This meta‐analysis aimed to investigate the effectiveness of acupuncture therapy plus hyaluronic acid injection versus hyaluronic acid injection alone for patients with knee osteoarthritis. Methods. Relevant randomized controlled trials that compared the combined effect of acupuncture therapy and hyaluronic acid injection with hyaluronic acid injection alone for knee osteoarthritis patients were included. 10 studies were included in this meta‐analysis, and the relative risk (RR) and weight mean difference (MD) with 95% CI for the Lysholm knee score (LKSS), visual analogue scale (VAS), and effective rate (ER) were evaluated by using RevMan 5.3 software. Besides, the bias assessment of the included studies was evaluated using the Cochrane risk of bias tool, and the GRADE (Grading of Recommendations, Assessment Development, and Evaluation) system was applied to assess the overall quality of the evidence. Results. A total of 10 studies involving 998 participants were included in this study. Compared to hyaluronic acid injection alone, the combined therapy significantly reduced pain on the visual analogue scale (VAS) and improved the ER and knee function on the Lysholm knee score (LKSS). Of these, the pooled LKSS (MD = 8.09, 95% CI = [7.02, 9.16], p < 0.00001, 7 studies) and ER (RR = 1.23, 95% CI 1.15 to 1.31, p < 0.00001, 8 studies) suggested that combination therapy yielded a significantly higher ER and improved the LKSS scores to a greater degree than hyaluronic acid injection alone in patients with KOA. The VAS (MD = −1.39, 95% CI = [−1.99, −0.79], p < 0.00001, 7 studies) showed that the combined therapy significantly reduced pain than hyaluronic acid injection alone. The quality of evidence for the main outcomes was from very low to low according to the GRADE system. Conclusion. Current evidence suggests that acupuncture therapy combined with hyaluronic acid injection is more effective in alleviating pain, improving the ER and knee function compared with hyaluronic acid injection alone. However, considering the low quality, small size, and high risk of the studies identified in this meta‐analysis, more higher methodological quality, rigorously designed randomized controlled trials with large sample sizes are needed to confirm the results.
Influencing Factors in Congestion Pricing Acceptability: A Literature Review
Authors: Selmoune Aya , Cheng Qixiu , Wang Lumeng , Liu Zhiyuan
Published: January 2020

Roads congestion pricing has been considered as an effective solution following the successful implementation of such programs by many cities such as Singapore, Stockholm, and London. In multiple cases, congestion pricing projects have not been implemented, and multitudinous industrialized countries’ governments are struggling to find an effective and satisfactory way of introducing congestion pricing schemes that will not be affected by the public’s negative opinion and resistance. The lack of political and public acceptability can, therefore, be blamed for the nonimplementation of many congestion pricing projects in many cities around the world. This paper reviews eight cases where congestion pricing schemes were implemented or rejected, as well as the major influencing factors that enable congestion pricing introduction and acceptability by road users, discusses public and political acceptance of urban road pricing, and provides a valuable guideline for policy and decision-makers.
A Review of Underwater Localization Techniques, Algorithms, and Challenges
Authors: Su Xin , Ullah Inam , Liu Xiaofeng , Choi Dongmin
Published: January 2020

Recently, there has been increasing interest in the field of underwater wireless sensor networks (UWSNs), which is a basic source for the exploration of the ocean environment. A range of military and civilian applications is anticipated to assist UWSN. The UWSN is being developed by the extensive wireless sensor network (WSN) applications and wireless technologies. Therefore, in this paper, a review has been presented which unveils the existing challenges in the underwater environment. In this review, firstly, an introduction to UWSN is presented. After that, underwater localizations and the basics are presented. Secondly, the paper focuses on the architecture of UWSN and technologies used for underwater acoustic sensor network (UASN) localization. Various localization techniques are discussed in the paper classified by centralized and distributed localizations. They are further classified into estimated and prediction-based localizations. Also, various underwater localization algorithms are discussed, which are grouped by the algorithms based on range and range-free schemes. Finally, the paper focuses on the challenges existing in underwater localizations, underwater acoustic communications with conclusions.
Prevalence and Associated Risk Factors of Salmonella, Shigella, and Intestinal Parasites among Food Handlers in Motta Town, North West Ethiopia
Authors: Yesigat Tibebu , Jemal Mohabaw , Birhan Wubet
Published: January 2020

Background. Intestinal parasite, Salmonella, and Shigella infections are the main public health concerns in the world, especially in developing countries due to inaccessibility of safe water and unhygienic food handling practices of food handlers. Methods. A cross-sectional study was conducted in food handlers in Motta town, from February 2019 to April 2019. The study was undertaken to determine the prevalence and associated risk factors of Salmonella, Shigella, and intestinal parasites among 243 food handlers. Sociodemographic and risk factors were collected using pretested structured questionnaire. The stool sample was collected and examined with direct wet mount and concentration techniques. Culture was performed using xylose lysine deoxycholate agar and MacConkey agar and biochemical tests like Klinger iron agar (KIA), lysine iron agar (LIA), Simmons citrate agar, sulphide indole motility test, citrate utilization, and urease production test were conducted to isolate Salmonella species and Shigella species. An antibiotics susceptibility test was performed with Mueller-Hinton agar using the disk diffusion method. Data were entered using statistical package Epi-Data Version 3.1 and analysed with logistic regression using SPSS version 25 and Fisher’s exact test. A p value < 0.05 at 95% CI was considered as statistically significant. Results. The prevalence of intestinal parasite, Salmonella, and Shigella was 27.6%, 2.5%, and 1.6%, respectively, and hookworm was the predominant intestinal parasite detected in the stool. Antimicrobial resistance was observed in ampicillin and tetracycline (100%) in Salmonella species and Shigella species. Risk factors like fingernail status, fruit washing before eating, cleaning utensils, and regular shoe wearing habit were associated with intestinal parasite, whereas fingernail status and wearing kitchen gown during food service were significantly associated with Salmonella and Shigella infections. Conclusion. The prevalence of intestinal parasitic infections, Salmonella, and Shigella infections in this study indicates the importance of food handlers as probable sources of enteropathogenic infections. Food handlers should have follow-up on the order of food safety rules and keep their personal hygiene. Hotel owners are responsible to control the health status and their created awareness by given food hygiene training for food handlers. Therefore, policy-makers and implementers should focus on the risk factors to reduce the prevalence below the level of public health importance.
Cordyceps cicadae Prevents Renal Tubular Epithelial Cell Apoptosis by Regulating the SIRT1/p53 Pathway in Hypertensive Renal Injury
Authors: Huang Yi Shan , Wang Xu , Feng Zhendong , Cui Hailan , Zhu Zebing , Xia Chenhui , Han Xueting , Liu Wei Jing , Liu Yu Ning
Published: January 2020

Hypertensive renal injury is a primary etiology of end‐stage renal disease, and satisfactory therapeutic strategies are urgently required. Cordyceps cicadae, a traditional Chinese herb, has potential renoprotective benefits and is widely used in the treatment of many kidney diseases. To investigate the mechanisms underlying the renoprotective effect of C. cicadae on hypertensive renal injury, we studied the effect of C. cicadae on tubular epithelial cells (TECs) in a spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR) model and angiotensin II‐ (AngII‐) cultured primary TECs. Our study showed that C. cicadae treatment could decrease 24‐hour urine albumin, albumin‐to‐creatinine ratio (ACR), β2‐MG level, and kidney injury molecule‐1 (kim‐1) level in SHR urine, alleviate interstitial fibrosis, and reduce α‐smooth muscle actin (α‐SMA) expression in SHR kidney. In primary TECs, medicated serum containing C. cicadae (CSM) might significantly reduce the AngII‐induced production of kim‐1 and neutrophil gelatinase‐associated lipocalin (NGAL). Furthermore, C. cicadae treatment could decrease TEC apoptosis in SHRs as assessed by the terminal transferase‐mediated biotin dUTP nick‐end labeling (TUNEL) assay. CSM could inhibit caspase‐3 activity and enhance cellular viability as measured by methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium in AngII‐cultured TECs, suggesting that CSM might reduce the apoptosis level in TECs induced by AngII. We found that the SIRT1 expression level was markedly lowered, while the protein level of acetylated‐p53 was elevated in the TECs of patients with hypertensive renal injury and SHRs. C. cicadae presented the effect of regulating the SIRT1/p53 pathway. Further SIRT1 inhibition with EX527 reversed the effect of C. cicadae on AngII‐induced apoptosis. Taken together, our results indicate that C. cicadae offers a protective effect on TECs under hypertensive conditions, which may be related to its antiapoptotic effect through regulation of the SIRT1/p53 pathway.
Relationship between Urinary Liver-Type Fatty Acid-Binding Protein (L-FABP) and Sarcopenia in Spontaneously Diabetic Torii Fatty Rats
Authors: Tanabe Jun , Ogura Yuji , Kosaki Keisei , Nagai Yoshio , Sugaya Takeshi , Ohata Keiichi , Watanabe Shiika , Ichikawa Daisuke , Inoue Kazuho , Hoshino Seiko , Kimura Kenjiro , Maeda Seiji , Shibagaki Yugo , Kamijo-Ikemori Atsuko
Published: January 2020

Background. Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a known risk factor for diabetic kidney disease (DKD) and sarcopenia in older patients. Because there may be an interaction between DKD and sarcopenia, the aim of the present study is to investigate the relationship between urinary levels of liver-type fatty acid-binding protein (L-FABP) and sarcopenia using a novel rat model of T2D. Methods. Male spontaneously diabetic Torii (SDT) fatty rats (n=5) at 16 weeks of age were used as an animal model of T2D. Age- and sex-matched Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats (n=7) were used as controls. Urine samples were obtained from the rats, and muscle strength was evaluated with the use of the forelimb grip test at 16, 20, and 24 weeks of age. Serum, kidney, soleus, and extensor digitorum longus (EDL) muscle samples were collected at 24 weeks of age. Urinary L-FABP levels were measured using dedicated enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Results. Increased urinary L-FABP levels, focal glomerular sclerosis, moderate interstitial inflammation and fibrosis, and accumulation of renal oxidative proteins were significantly observed in the SDT fatty rats, compared to the SD rats. Muscle weight, muscle strength, cross-sectional areas of both type I and type IIb muscle fibers, and increasing rate of muscle strength were significantly decreased in the SDT fatty rats compared to the SD rats at 24 weeks. Urinary L-FABP levels at 20 and 24 weeks were significantly negatively correlated with muscle strength. Urinary L-FABP levels at 16 weeks were significantly negatively correlated with the increasing rate of muscle strength. Conclusions. Urinary L-FABP reflects the degree of muscle strength and weight, as well as cross-sectional areas of muscle fibers. Although further clinical study is needed, urinary L-FABP may be useful to monitor the progression of sarcopenia and DKD in T2D patients.
Severe Aplastic Anemia Developed after Thymectomy: A Case Report and Literature Review
Authors: Duarte Rodrigues Bruna Cristine , Freire Pedro José Galvão , Campos Beatriz Pinto e Siqueira , Vieira Juliana Oliveira , Gouveia Pedro Alves da Cruz
Published: January 2020

Thymus neoplasms are frequently related to paraneoplastic autoimmune manifestations. Its most common associations are myasthenia gravis and pure red cell aplasia. Aplastic anemia has been increasingly documented as an initial presentation of thymoma. Nevertheless, its development after successful surgical resection of thymoma is a rare condition. We report a case of a 53-year-old man with severe aplastic anemia preceded by amegakaryocytic thrombocytopenia three years after thymectomy with no signs of disease recurrence. He underwent immunosuppressive therapy with cyclosporine 5 mg/kg/day and prednisone 2 mg/kg/day for six weeks. Considering the availability of a compatible donor, allogeneic stem cell transplantation was carried out. However, the patient died 11 days after transplant. A literature review was conducted, and another ten cases of aplastic anemia, diagnosed three months to four years after thymectomy, were identified. These cases suggest persistence of peripheral self-reactive T lymphocytes even years after tumor definitive treatment.
Establishment of an Aggregation Model Associated with Instrument Interface Design Based on Kansei Factors of Electric Vehicle Drivers
Authors: Wu Yixiang , Kang Xinhui
Published: January 2020

In traditional Miryoku engineering, the construction of product Kansei factors is only based on the qualitative analysis method. The traditional Miryoku engineering cannot effectively reflect the complex and changeable Kansei factors of users. Therefore, the research path of the Kansei factors needs to be expanded. In this paper, we proposed an evaluation-fuzzy-quantification model based on users’ Kansei, and the evaluation analysis, the fuzzy computing, and the quantitative analysis were combined to quantify the importance of design considerations for the instrument interface of electric vehicles. The characteristic of the proposed method is that the qualitative analysis and quantitative analysis are combined to overcome their respective drawbacks. The results of the experiment verified that the proposed method could quantitatively analyze the design consideration factors, and the proposed approach could improve the usability and appeal of the instrument information interface.
A Modified Wolf Pack Algorithm for Multiconstrained Sparse Linear Array Synthesis
Authors: Wang Ting , Xia Ke-Wen , Tang Hai-Lin , Zhang Su-Wei , Sandrine Mukase
Published: January 2020

The aim of the research is to propose a new optimization method for the multiconstrained optimization of sparse linear arrays (including the constraints of the number of elements, the aperture of arrays, and the minimum distance between adjacent elements). The new method is a modified wolf pack optimization algorithm based on the quantum theory. In the new method, wolves are coded by Bloch spherical coordinates of quantum bits, updated by quantum revolving gates, and selectively adaptively mutated when performing poorly. Because of the three-coordinate characteristics of the sphere, the number of global optimum solutions is greatly expanded and ultimately can be searched with a higher probability. Selective mutation enhances the robustness of the algorithm and improves the search speed. Furthermore, because the size of each dimension of Bloch spherical coordinates is always [−1, 1], the variables transformed by solution space must satisfy the constraints of the aperture of arrays and the minimum distance between adjacent elements, which effectively avoids infallible solutions in the process of updating and mutating the position of the wolf group, reduces the judgment steps, and improves the efficiency of optimization. The validity and robustness of the proposed method are verified by the simulation of two typical examples, and the optimization efficiency of the proposed method is higher than the existing methods.
A Novel Fuzzy Time Series Forecasting Model Based on Multiple Linear Regression and Time Series Clustering
Authors: Zhang Yanpeng , Qu Hua , Wang Weipeng , Zhao Jihong
Published: January 2020

Time series forecasting models based on a linear relationship model show great performance. However, these models cannot handle the the data that are incomplete, imprecise, and ambiguous as the interval-based fuzzy time series models since the process of fuzzification is abandoned. This article proposes a novel fuzzy time series forecasting model based on multiple linear regression and time series clustering for forecasting market prices. The proposed model employs a preprocessing to transform the set of fuzzy high-order time series into a set of high-order time series, with synthetic minority oversampling technique. After that, a high-order time series clustering algorithm based on the multiple linear regression model is proposed to cluster dataset of fuzzy time series and to build the linear regression model for each cluster. Then, we make forecasting by calculating the weighted sum of linear regression models’ results. Also, a learning algorithm is proposed to train the whole model, which applies artificial neural network to learn the weights of linear models. The interval-based fuzzification ensures the capability to deal with the uncertainties, and linear model and artificial neural network enable the proposed model to learn both of linear and nonlinear characteristics. The experiment results show that the proposed model improves the average forecasting accuracy rate and is more suitable for dealing with these uncertainties.
Gated Object-Attribute Matching Network for Detailed Image Caption
Authors: Yun Jing , Xu ZhiWei , Gao GuangLai
Published: January 2020

Image caption enables computers to generate a text description of images automatically. However, the generated description is not good enough recently. Computers can describe what objects are in the image but cannot give more details about these objects. In this study, we present a novel image caption approach to give more details when describing objects. In detail, a visual attention-based LSTM is used to find the objects, as well as a semantic attention-based LSTM is used for giving semantic attributes. At last, a gated object-attribute matching network is used to match the objects to their semantic attributes. The experiments on the public datasets of Flickr30k and MSCOCO demonstrate that the proposed approach improved the quality of the image caption, compared with the most advanced methods at present.
Computing Hitting Probabilities of Markov Chains: Structural Results with regard to the Solution Space of the Corresponding System of Equations
Authors: Baumann Hendrik , Hanschke Thomas
Published: January 2020

In a previous paper, we have shown that forward use of the steady-state difference equations arising from homogeneous discrete-state space Markov chains may be subject to inherent numerical instability. More precisely, we have proven that, under some appropriate assumptions on the transition probability matrix P, the solution space S of the difference equation may be partitioned into two subspaces S=S1⊕S2, where the stationary measure of P is an element of S1, and all solutions in S1 are asymptotically dominated by the solutions corresponding to S2. In this paper, we discuss the analogous problem of computing hitting probabilities of Markov chains, which is affected by the same numerical phenomenon. In addition, we have to fulfill a somewhat complicated side condition which essentially differs from those conditions one is usually confronted with when solving initial and boundary value problems. To extract the desired solution, an efficient and numerically stable generalized-continued-fraction-based algorithm is developed.
Therapy-Induced Senescence Drives Bone Loss
Authors: Yao Zhangting , Murali Bhavna , Ren Qihao , Luo Xianmin , Faget Douglas V. , Cole Tom , Ricci Biancamaria , Thotala Dinesh , Monahan Joseph , van Deursen Jan M. , Baker Darren , Faccio Roberta , Schwarz Julie K. , Stewart Sheila A.
Published: January 2020

Chemotherapy is important for cancer treatment, however, toxicities limit its use. While great strides have been made to ameliorate the acute toxicities induced by chemotherapy, long-term comorbidities including bone loss remain a significant problem. Chemotherapy-driven estrogen loss is postulated to drive bone loss, but significant data suggests the existence of an estrogen-independent mechanism of bone loss. Using clinically relevant mouse models, we showed that senescence and its senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP) contribute to chemotherapy-induced bone loss that can be rescued by depleting senescent cells. Chemotherapy-induced SASP could be limited by targeting the p38MAPK-MK2 pathway, which resulted in preservation of bone integrity in chemotherapy-treated mice. These results transform our understanding of chemotherapy-induced bone loss by identifying senescent cells as major drivers of bone loss and the p38MAPK–MK2 axis as a putative therapeutic target that can preserve bone and improve a cancer survivor's quality of life.

Significance:

Senescence drives chemotherapy-induced bone loss that is rescued by p38MAPK or MK2 inhibitors. These findings may lead to treatments for therapy-induced bone loss, significantly increasing quality of life for cancer survivors.
A Small Hypoxia Signature Predicted pCR Response to Bevacizumab in the Neoadjuvant GeparQuinto Breast Cancer Trial
Authors: Karn Thomas , Meissner Tobias , Weber Karsten E. , Solbach Christine , Denkert Carsten , Engels Knut , Fasching Peter A. , Sinn Bruno V. , Schrader Iris , Budczies Jan , Marmé Frederik , Müller Volkmar , Holtrich Uwe , Gerber Bernd , Schem Christian , Young Brandon M. , Hanusch Claus , Stickeler Elmar , Huober Jens , van Mackelenbergh Marion , Leyland-Jones Brian , Fehm Tanja , Nekljudova Valentina , Untch Michael , Loibl Sibylle
Published: January 2020

Purpose:

In breast cancer, bevacizumab increased pCR rate but not long-term survival and no predictive markers are available to identify patients with long-term benefit from the drug.

Experimental Design:

We profiled 289 pretherapeutic formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) biopsies of HER2-negative patients from the GeparQuinto trial of neoadjuvant chemotherapy ± bevacizumab by exome-capture RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq). In a prospectively planned study, we tested molecular signatures for response prediction. IHC validation was performed using tissue microarrays.

Results:

We found strong agreement of molecular and pathologic parameters as hormone receptors, grading, and lymphocyte infiltration in 221 high-quality samples. Response rates (49.3% pCR overall) were higher in basal-like (68.9%) and HER2-enriched (45.5%) than in luminal B (35.7%), luminal A (17.9%), and normal-like (20.0%) subtypes. T-cell (OR = 1.60; 95% confidence interval, 1.21–2.12; P = 0.001), proliferation (OR = 2.88; 95% CI, 2.00–4.15; P < 0.001), and hypoxia signatures (OR = 1.92; 95% CI, 1.41–2.60; P < 0.001) significantly predicted pCR in univariate analysis. In a prespecified multivariate logistic regression, a small hypoxia signature predicted pCR (OR = 2.40; 95% CI, 1.28–4.51; P = 0.006) with a significant interaction with bevacizumab treatment (P = 0.020). IHC validation using NDRG1 as marker revealed highly heterogenous expression within tissue leading to profound loss of sensitivity in TMA analysis, still a significant predictive value for pCR was detected (P = 0.025).

Conclusions:

Exome-capture RNA-seq characterizes small FFPE core biopsies by reliably detecting factors as for example ER status, grade, and tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes levels. Beside molecular subtypes and immune signatures, a small hypoxia signature predicted pCR to bevacizumab, which could be validated by IHC. The signature can have important applications for bevacizumab treatment in different cancer types and might also have a role for novel combination therapies of bevacizumab with immune checkpoint inhibition.
Further Phenotypic Delineation of Partial Trisomy 17q and Partial Monosomy 20q due to Rare t(17;20)
Authors: Ürel-Demir Gizem , Akgün-Doğan Özlem , Oğuz Sümeyra , Güleray-Lafcı Naz , Şimşek-Kiper Pelin Özlem , Eda Utine Gülen , Alikaşifoğlu Mehmet , Boduroğlu Koray
Published: January 2020

Copy number variations in subtelomeric regions of chromosomes 17 and 20 are associated with intellectual disability and various systemic manifestations. Microarray analysis allows identification of submicroscopic chromosomal abnormalities and is applicable to elucidate the etiology of cognitive impairment in approximately one-fifth of the cases. In the present study, we report on 3 male children from 2 sisters, who suffered from intellectual disability, facial dysmorphism, and epilepsy. Despite the initial suggestion of an X-linked inheritance, the condition was associated with 17q25.3 duplication and concomitant 20q13.33 deletion, as detected by microarray analysis. Coexistence of a deletion and a duplication suggests unbalanced segregation of a parental balanced translocation. Further investigations revealed maternal balanced translocations, which resulted in copy number aberrations in the children following unbalanced segregations. The work-up underlined the importance of genomic screening using microarrays as the first-tier diagnostic tool in intellectual disability, despite an apparent X-linked segregation in the pedigree.
A secure deduplication scheme for encrypted data
Authors: Passricha Vishal , Chopra Ashish , Sharma Pooja , Singhal Shubhanshi
Published: January 2020

Cloud storage (CS) is gaining much popularity nowadays because it offers low-cost and convenient network storage services. In this big data era, the explosive growth in digital data moves the users towards CS to store their massive data. This explosive growth of data causes a lot of storage pressure on CS systems because a large volume of this data is redundant. Data deduplication is a most-effective data reduction technique that identifies and eliminates the redundant data. Dynamic nature of data makes security and ownership of data as a very important issue. Proof-of-ownership schemes are a robust way to check the ownership claimed by any owner. However to protect the privacy of data, many users encrypt it before storing in CS. This method affects the deduplication process because encryption methods have varying characteristics. Convergent encryption (CE) scheme is widely used for secure data deduplication, but it destroys the message equality. Although, DupLESS provides strong privacy by enhancing CE, but it is also found insufficient. The problem with the CE-based scheme is that the user can decrypt the cloud data while he has lost his ownership. This paper addresses the problem of ownership revocation by proposing a secure deduplication scheme for encrypted data. The proposed scheme enhances the security against unauthorized encryption and poison attack on the predicted set of data.
Power loss reduction by arctic wolf optimization algorithm
Authors: Lenin Kanagasabai
Published: January 2020

This paper proposes Arctic Wolf optimization (AWO) algorithm to solve the optimal reactive power problem. Deeds of the Arctic wolf have been imitated to formulate the proposed algorithm. Arctic wolf also identified as the white wolf or polar wolf is a breed of gray wolf inhabitant from Melville Island to Ellesmere Island. It is average size, very smaller when compared to north western wolf, it possess whiter coloration, narrower braincase and big carnassials. Particle swarm optimization, Genetic algorithm has been used to improve the Exploration & Exploitation ability of the algorithm by utilizes flag vector & position, velocity update properties. Proposed Arctic Wolf optimization (AWO) algorithm has been tested in standard IEEE 30 bus test system and simulation results show the projected algorithms reduced the real power loss considerably.
Cloud connected smart home gas cylinder platform based wifi control
Authors: Balamurugan C.R. , Vijayakumar P.
Published: January 2020

Gas sensing technology has become topical research work for quite some time and we also want to protect our home asserts from any kind of hazards. In this work we take an overview on how to protect our home from fire and its safety issues based on wireless sensor network using wifi and cloud technologies. It also showcases the research done on the detection mechanism of leakage of domestic cooking gas at ambient condition. It can detect the fire, leakage of gas or smoke and sends an auto-generated email remotely to intimate the owner. We survey and examine the existing work in security system and its applications.
Developing the indonesian government enterprise architecture framework appropriate for Indonesian government agencies
Authors: Lase Asbartanov , Ranti Benny
Published: January 2020

This research was conducted to develop the Indonesian Government Enterprise Architecture (IGEA) framework which is suitable for Indonesian government agencies. Due to their complexity and expensive implementation cost, existing EA frameworks such as TOGAF and Zachman have so far not been the choice for building GEA by some countries including Australia and New Zealand. Those countries have built their own GEA namely Australia’s AGA and New Zealand’s GEA-NZ, respectively. Learning from this experience, the authors did a research to build Indonesia’s GEA or IGEA. This paper explains the research process which starts from mapping or comparing TOGAF, AGA, and GEA-NZ frameworks to get the underlying foundation for building GEA, analyzing framework artifacts, to building IGEA by adding specific Indonesian regulations and policies such as RPJMN and Nawacita. This IGEA framework is expected to become a reference for developing EA not only at institutional level but also the most important thing at national or cross institutional level, in order to increase the effectiveness of government IT spending.
Latest trends, challenges and solutions in security in the era of cloud computing and software defined networks
Authors: Hassan Wajid , Chou Te-Shun , Li Xiaoming , Appiah-Kubi Patrick , Omar Tamer
Published: January 2020

The emergence of cloud computing has changed perception of all regarding software delivery, development models and infrastructure. Cloud computing has a potential of providing elastic, easily manageable, powerful and cost effective solutions. The rapid transition to cloud computing has fueled concerns on the security issues. The migration of the user’s data and applications in a shared environment of a cloud, where there is a collocation of several users increases security related concerns. Several research efforts have been made in evaluating challenges related to security faced by the cloud computing environments, a number of solutions of such problems have also been proposed. Integrated security solutions should be devised to deal with the increasing security risks. In this paper, a detailed cloud computing survey, key services and concepts are being presented.  This paper attempts to evaluate various security threats to cloud computing and a number of security solutions have also been discussed. Furthermore, a brief view of the cloud security regulatory bodies and compliance have also been presented. Despite the research efforts in cloud security field, there are still some open research problems and challenges which are discussed in this paper.
Performance analysis of CIC multirate filter in cognitive radio for efficient pulse shaping in wireless domain
Authors: Kang A. S. , Sharma Er.Vishal , Vig Prof.Renu
Published: January 2020

In this paper, the Performance Analysis of Cascade Integrator Comb Filter in context of Filter Bank Multicarrier Transmission has been presented for Cognitive radio. A benefit of the chosen technique is that, a CIC filter can be designed with a slight adjustment in parameters of interest. The entire performance of the filters designed is analyzed and evaluated by analyzing Normalized Amplitude versus Normalized Frequency plots at typical K and N values. The roll off factor plays a significant role in performance analysis of CIC filter. The results shown are a useful advance for rf design engineers working in the domain of multirate signal processing in wireless communication. To ensure the acceptable performance of Enhanced FBMC, computational complexity, and transmission burst length need to be reduced. The effect of Stop band attenuation on the edges of Magnitude and Frequency responses has been studied under constraints such as Lp, K and M during different simulation runs.
Ben Highmore
Authors: Simi Gianlluca
Published: January 2020

Nesta entrevista com Ben Highmore, Professor Titular de Estudos Culturais na Universidade de Sussex, debatemos a ascensão dos Estudos do Cotidiano, sua conexão com os Estudos Culturais e suas implicações para a pesquisa acadêmica. O Professor Highmore já publicou extensamente sobre o tema a partir de uma gama de perspectivas, que vão desde a tradição da crítica do cotidiano até a cultura material, assim como a influência dos sentimentos e da estética na forma em que experienciamos o mundo. A superação da ideia de que o cotidiano é um fenômeno monolítico, disponível para o estudo científico, está no cerne do argumento do Professor de que o cotidiano é, portanto, sempre uma investigação sobre certos aspectos da existência concreta.
De Hebe ao Encontro, o que se disputa?
Authors: Silva Fernanda Mauricio , Gutmann Juliana Freire
Published: January 2020

Apesar da crescente popularidade do talk show no Brasil, ainda é raro o interesse acadêmico por sua história. Ao mesmo tempo, a referência que temos é normalmente associada ao modelo estadunidense consolidado por Jô Soares. Este trabalho privilegia a análise de uma segunda linhagem de programas, inaugurada por Hebe Camargo (1955 – TV Paulista) e cujo exemplo contemporâneo é o Encontro com Fátima Bernardes (Rede Globo). Com assento nos Estudos Culturais e aporte do conceito foucaultiano de formação discursiva, este estudo recupera matrizes televisivas e valores em disputa que constituíram, ao longo de quase sete décadas da TV aberta brasileira, essa linhagem de talk show nacional com foco no feminino.
A comunicação esférica de Peter Sloterdijk
Authors: Cespedes Fernando Garbini
Published: January 2020

Em Esferas o filósofo alemão Peter Sloterdijk elege o espaço vital humano como categoria antropológica essencial. Somente nos tornamos humanos, segundo a obra, ao nos agruparmos dentro das formas esféricas – simbólicas e concretas – por nós edificadas como forma de imunização, conforto e proteção contra o exterior. A trilogia, formada pelos volumes Bolhas, Globos e Espumas, dialoga com as comunicações ao propor metáforas morfológicas para descrever os espaços comunicativos. A obra oferece ferramentas para interpretar fenômenos comunicacionais contemporâneos ao passo em que nos aproxima, de forma poética e ensaística, da complexidade da condição humana.
The Effect of Coconut Oil Consumption on Cardiovascular Risk Factors
Authors: Neelakantan Nithya , Seah Jowy Yi Hoong , van Dam Rob M.
Published: January 2020

Background:

Coconut oil is high in saturated fat and may, therefore, raise serum cholesterol concentrations, but beneficial effects on other cardiovascular risk factors have also been suggested. Therefore, we conducted a systematic review of the effect of coconut oil consumption on blood lipids and other cardiovascular risk factors compared with other cooking oils using data from clinical trials.

Methods:

We searched PubMed, SCOPUS, Cochrane Registry, and Web of Science through June 2019. We selected trials that compared the effects of coconut oil consumption with other fats that lasted at least 2 weeks. Two reviewers independently screened articles, extracted data, and assessed the study quality according to the PRISMA guidelines (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses). The main outcomes included low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-cholesterol), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-cholesterol), total cholesterol, triglycerides, measures of body fatness, markers of inflammation, and glycemia. Data were pooled using random-effects meta-analysis.

Results:

16 articles were included in the meta-analysis. Results were available from all trials on blood lipids, 8 trials on body weight, 5 trials on percentage body fat, 4 trials on waist circumference, 4 trials on fasting plasma glucose, and 5 trials on C-reactive protein. Coconut oil consumption significantly increased LDL-cholesterol by 10.47 mg/dL (95% CI: 3.01, 17.94;
I
2
= 84%, N=16) and HDL-cholesterol by 4.00 mg/dL (95% CI: 2.26, 5.73;
I
2
= 72%, N=16) as compared with nontropical vegetable oils. These effects remained significant after excluding nonrandomized trials, or trials of poor quality (Jadad score <3). Coconut oil consumption did not significantly affect markers of glycemia, inflammation, and adiposity as compared with nontropical vegetable oils.

Conclusions:

Coconut oil consumption results in significantly higher LDL-cholesterol than nontropical vegetable oils. This should inform choices about coconut oil consumption.
Qorimayus, a new genus of relictual, high-altitude harvestmen from western Argentina (Arachnida, Opiliones, Gonyleptidae) reveals trans-Andean phylogenetic links
Authors: ACOSTA LUIS E. ACOSTA
Published: January 2020

A new genus of Gonyleptidae Pachylinae, Qorimayus gen. nov., is described to place the high-altitude species originally named Parabalta alticola Ringuelet, endemic to Sierra de Famatina, western Argentina. While classical exomorphological features do not separate this new genus from Parabalta Roewer or Pachyloides Holmberg (to which the species was formerly combined), male genitalic features, especially the shape of the ventral process of stylus, differ clearly. In turn, penis morphology suggests the systematic relationship of Qorimayus gen. nov. with the Chilean genera Metabalta Roewer and Nanophareus Roewer. A cladistic analysis was performed to test the phylogenetic affinities of the new genus; 28 terminals were used, comprising selected species of Parabalta, Pachyloides, Metabalta and Nanophareus, as well as other Gonyleptidae to represent the ‘subtropical’ and the ‘Chilean’ opiliofaunistic elements; the most external outgroups included one cosmetid, one metasarcid and one nomoclastid. Results supported the recognition of Qorimayus as an independent genus, and its close relationship with the Chilean genera Metabalta and Nanophareus. A detailed redescription of Qorimayus alticola comb. nov., along with some habitat notes are given. The presumed zoogeographical links of this endemic species with the central Chilean opiliofauna are briefly discussed.
Redescription of the cicada genus Pycna Amyot & Audinet-Serville, 1843 (Hemiptera: Cicadidae: Cicadinae: Platypleurini) with the formation of two new genera, one new species, one revised species status and twenty-four new combinations
Authors: SANBORN ALLEN F.
Published: January 2020

A recent genetic analysis has shown that the genus Pycna Amyot & Audinet-Serville, 1843 is polyphyletic. New genera are proposed for the species that have been classified together in the genus previously but form distinct clades from the clade containing the true species of Pycna. Pycnoides n. gen. is described for the species inhabiting continental Africa. Pycna antinorii (Lethierry, 1881), Pycna baxteri Distant, 1914, Pycna becarrii (Lethierry, 1881), Pycna dolosa Boulard, 1975a, Pycna hecuba Distant, 1904b, Pycna moniquae Boulard, 2012, Pycna natalensis Distant, 1905b, Pycna neavei Distant, 1912b, Pycna passosdecarvalhoi Boulard, 1975b, Pycna quanza (Distant, 1899a), Pycna semiclara (Germar, 1834), Pycna sylvia (Distant, 1899b), Pycna umbelinae Boulard, 1975b, Pycna vitrea Schumacher, 1913, and Pycna vitticollis (Jacobi, 1904) are reassigned to Pycnoides n. gen. to become Pycnoides antinorii (Lethierry, 1881) n. comb., Pycnoides baxteri (Distant, 1914) n. comb., Pycnoides becarrii (Lethierry, 1881) n. comb., Pycnoides dolosa (Boulard, 1975a) n. comb., Pycnoides hecuba (Distant, 1904b) n. comb., Pycnoides moniquae (Boulard, 2012) n. comb., Pycnoides natalensis (Distant, 1905b) n. comb., Pycnoides neavei (Distant, 1912b) n. comb., Pycnoides passosdecarvalhoi (Boulard, 1975b) n. comb., Pycnoides quanza (Distant, 1899a) n. comb., Pycnoides semiclara (Germar, 1834) n. comb., Pycnoides sylvia (Distant, 1899b) n. comb., Pycnoides umbelinae (Boulard, 1975b) n. comb., Pycnoides vitrea (Schumacher, 1913) n. comb., and Pycnoides vitticollis (Jacobi, 1904) n. comb. Pycnoides zambiaensis n. sp. is described as new to increase the diversity of the new genus further and represents the first record of a species in the group for Zambia. Eopycna n. gen. is described for the Asian species previously assigned to Pycna. Pycna coelestia Distant, 1904a, Pycna concinna Boulard, 2005, Pycna himalayana (Naruse, 1977), Pycna indochinensis Distant, 1913, Pycna minor Liu, 1940, Pycna montana Hayashi, 1978, Pycna repanda (Linnaeus, 1758), and Pycna verna Hayashi, 1982 are reassigned to Eopycna n. gen. to become Eopycna coelestia (Distant, 1904a) n. comb., Eopycna concinna (Boulard, 2005) n. comb., Eopycna himalayana (Naruse, 1977) n. comb., Eopycna indochinensis (Distant, 1913) n. comb., Eopycna minor (Liu, 1940) n. comb., Eopycna montana (Hayashi, 1978) n. comb., Eopycna repanda (Linnaeus, 1758) n. comb., and Eopycna verna (Hayashi, 1982) n. comb. Pycna angusta (Butler, 1882) rev. stat. is removed from junior synonymy of Pycna madagascarensis (Distant, 1881). Pycna schmitzi Boulard, 1979 is reassigned to Canualna Boulard, 1985a to become Canualna schmitzi (Boulard, 1979) n. comb. and Pynca tangana (Strand, 1910) is reassigned to Orapa Distant, 1905c to become Orapa tangana (Strand, 1910) n. comb.
Interdependence of Internal Tide and Lee Wave Generation at Abyssal Hills: Global Calculations
Authors: Shakespeare Callum J.
Published: January 2020

The generation of internal waves at abyssal hills has been proposed as an important source of bottom-intensified mixing and a sink of geostrophic momentum. Using the theory of Bell, previous authors have calculated either the generation of lee waves by geostrophic flow or the generation of the internal tide by the barotropic tide, but never both together. However, the Bell theory shows that the two are interdependent: that is, the presence of a barotropic tide modifies the generation of lee waves, and the presence of a geostrophic (time mean) flow modifies the generation of the internal tide. Here we extend the theory of Bell to incorporate multiple tidal constituents. Using this extended theory, we recalculate global wave fluxes of energy and momentum using the abyssal-hill spectra, model-derived abyssal ocean stratification and geostrophic flow estimates, and the TPX08 tidal velocities for the eight major constituents. The energy flux into lee waves is suppressed by 13%–19% as a result of the inclusion of tides. The generated wave flux is dominated by the principal lunar semidiurnal tide (M2), and its harmonics and combinations, with the strongest fluxes occurring along midocean ridges. The internal tide generation is strongly asymmetric because of Doppler shifting by the geostrophic abyssal flow, with 55%–63% of the wave energy flux (and stress) directed upstream, against the geostrophic flow. As a consequence, there is a net wave stress associated with generation of the internal tide that reaches magnitudes of 0.01–0.1 N m−2 in the vicinity of midocean ridges.
Assessing the Involvement of Users During Development of Lower Limb Wearable Robotic Exoskeletons: A Survey Study
Authors: Ármannsdóttir Anna L. , Beckerle Philipp , Moreno Juan C. , van Asseldonk Edwin H. F. , Manrique-Sancho Maria-Teresa , del-Ama Antonio J. , Veneman Jan F. , Briem Kristín
Published: January 2020

Objective

To explore user-centered design methods currently implemented during development of lower limb wearable robots and how they are utilized during different stages of product development.

Background

Currently, there appears to be a lack of standardized frameworks for evaluation methods and design requirements to implement effective user-centered design for safe and effective clinical or ergonomic system application.

Method

Responses from a total of 191 experts working in the field of lower limb exoskeletons were analyzed in this exploratory survey. Descriptive statistics were used to present responses and measures of frequency, and chi-square tests were used to contrast the answers of respondents who identified as clinicians versus engineers.

Results

A vast majority of respondents involve users in their development, in particular at the initial and iterative stages, although some differences were found between disciplines. A variety of methods and metrics are used to capture feedback from users and test devices, and although valuable, some methods used may not be based on validated measures. Guidelines regarding tests on safety of exoskeletons also lack standardization.

Conclusion

There seems to be a consensus among experts regarding the importance of a user-centered approach in exoskeleton development; however, standardized frameworks with regard to appropriate testing methods and design approaches are lacking. Such frameworks should consider an interdisciplinary focus on the needs and safety of the intended user during each iteration of the process.

Application

This exploratory study provides an overview of current practice among engineers and clinicians regarding the user-centered design of exoskeletons. Limitations and recommendations for future directions are identified.