bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effect of Nordic Hamstring Exercise Training on Knee Flexors Eccentric Strength and Fascicle Length: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Authors: Medeiros Diulian Muniz , Marchiori César , Baroni Bruno Manfredini
Published: October 2020

Context: Nordic hamstring exercise (NHE) has been widely employed to prevent hamstring strain injuries. However, it is still not clear which adaptations are responsible for the NHE preventive effects. Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of NHE on knee flexors eccentric strength and fascicle length. Evidence Acquisition: The search strategy included MEDLINE, PEDro, and Cochrane CENTRAL from inception to April 2020. Randomized clinical trials that have analyzed the effects of NHE training on hamstring eccentric strength and/or fascicle length were included. Evidence Synthesis: From the 1932 studies identified, 12 were included in the systematic review, and 9 studies presented suitable data for the meta-analysis. All studies demonstrated strength increments in response to NHE training (10%–15% and 16%–26% in tests performed on the isokinetic dynamometer and on the NHE device, respectively), as well as significant enhancement of biceps femoris long head fascicle length (12%–22%). Meta-analysis showed NHE training was effective to increase knee flexors eccentric strength assessed with both isokinetic tests (0.68; 95% confidence interval, 0.29 to 1.06) and NHE tests (1.11; 95% confidence interval, 0.62 to 1.61). NHE training was also effective to increase fascicle length (0.97; 95% confidence interval, 0.46 to 1.48). Conclusions: NHE training has the potential of increasing both knee flexors eccentric strength and biceps femoris long head fascicle length.
Prospects for a safe COVID-19 vaccine
Authors: Haynes Barton F. , Corey Lawrence , Fernandes Prabhavathi , Gilbert Peter B. , Hotez Peter J. , Rao Srinivas , Santos Michael R. , Schuitemaker Hanneke , Watson Michael , Arvin Ann
Published: October 2020

Prior vaccine development experiences do not raise concerns about vaccine-associated enhanced disease for COVID-19 vaccine candidates.
Courage in a climate of fear
Authors: Verghese Abraham , Topol Eric
Published: October 2020

It is essential for physicians and scientists to speak up to counter misinformation about COVID-19 amid a culture of fear.
Modeling Invasion of Campylobacter jejuni into Human Small Intestinal Epithelial-Like Cells by Bayesian Inference
Authors: Abe Hiroki , Koyama Kento , Koseki Shigenobu
Published: October 2020

One of the infection processes of
C. jejuni
, the invasion behavior of the bacteria in intestinal epithelial cells, was revealed, and a mathematical model for prediction of the cell-invading pathogen counts was developed for the purpose of providing part of a dose-response model for
C. jejuni
based on the infection mechanism. The developed predictive model showed a high accuracy of more than 97% and successfully described the
C. jejuni
invading counts. The bacterial invasion predictive model of this study will be essential for the development of a dose-response model for
C. jejuni
based on the infection mechanism.
Tyrosine Nitration of Flagellins: a Response of Sinorhizobium meliloti to Nitrosative Stress
Authors: Cazalé Anne-Claire , Blanquet Pauline , Henry Céline , Pouzet Cécile , Bruand Claude , Meilhoc Eliane
Published: October 2020

Rhizobia are found as free-living bacteria in the soil or in interaction with plants and are exposed to nitric oxide (NO) in both environments. NO is known to have many effects on animals, plants, and bacteria where only a few molecular targets of NO have been described so far. We identified flagellin A and B by mass spectrometry as tyrosine-nitrated proteins in
Sinorhizobium meliloti
in vivo
. We also showed that one of the nitratable tyrosines is essential to flagellin function in motility. The results enhanced our understanding of NO effects on rhizobia. Identification of bacterial flagellin nitration opens a new possible role of NO in plant-microbe interactions.
Transcription Factor CfSte12 of Colletotrichum fructicola Is a Key Regulator of Early Apple Glomerella Leaf Spot Pathogenesis
Authors: Liu Wenkui , Liang Xiaofei , Gleason Mark L. , Cao Mengyu , Zhang Rong , Sun Guangyu
Published: October 2020

Glomerella leaf spot (GLS) is an emerging fungal disease of apple that causes huge economic losses in Asia, North America, and South America. The damage inflicted by GLS manifests in rapid necrosis of leaves, severe defoliation, and necrotic spot on the fruit surface. However, few studies have addressed mechanisms of GLS pathogenesis. In this study, we identified and characterized a key pathogenicity-related transcription factor, CfSte12, of
Colletotrichum fructicola
that contributes to GLS pathogenesis. We provide evidence that the CfSte12 protein regulates many important pathogenic processes of GLS, including conidium germination, appressorium formation, appressorium-mediated penetration, and colonization. CfSte12 also impacts development of structures needed for sexual reproduction which are vital for the GLS disease cycle. These results reveal a key pathogenicity-related transcription factor, CfSte12, in
C. fructicola
that causes GLS.
More than a Feeling: Microscopy Approaches to Understanding Surface-Sensing Mechanisms
Authors: Graham Katherine J. , Burrows Lori L.
Published: October 2020

The mechanisms by which bacteria sense and respond to surface attachment have long been a mystery. Our understanding of the structure and dynamics of bacterial appendages, notably type IV pili (T4P), provided new insights into the potential ways that bacteria sense surfaces. T4P are ubiquitous, retractable hair-like adhesins that until recently, due to their nanoscale size, were difficult to image in the absence of fixation. This review focuses on recent microscopy innovations used to visualize T4P in live cells to reveal the dynamics of their retraction and extension.
The ZIP Code of Vesicle Trafficking in Apicomplexa: SEC1/Munc18 and SNARE Proteins
Authors: Bisio Hugo , Chaabene Rouaa Ben , Sabitzki Ricarda , Maco Bohumil , Marq Jean Baptiste , Gilberger Tim-Wolf , Spielmann Tobias , Soldati-Favre Dominique
Published: October 2020

The phylum of Apicomplexa groups medically relevant parasites such as those responsible for malaria and toxoplasmosis. As members of the Alveolata superphylum, these protozoans possess specialized organelles in addition to those found in all members of the eukaryotic kingdom. Vesicular trafficking is the major route of communication between membranous organelles. Neither the molecular mechanism that allows communication between organelles nor the vesicular fusion events that underlie it are completely understood in Apicomplexa. Here, we assessed the function of SEC1/Munc18 and SNARE proteins to identify factors involved in the trafficking of vesicles between these various organelles. We show that SEC1/Munc18 in interaction with SNARE proteins allows targeting of vesicles to the inner membrane complex, prerhoptries, micronemes, apicoplast, and vacuolar compartment from the endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi apparatus, or endosomal-like compartment. These data provide an exciting look at the “ZIP code” of vesicular trafficking in apicomplexans, essential for precise organelle biogenesis, homeostasis, and inheritance.
Hfq and RNase R Mediate rRNA Processing and Degradation in a Novel RNA Quality Control Process
Authors: dos Santos Ricardo F. , Andrade José M. , Pissarra Joana , Deutscher Murray P. , Arraiano Cecília M.
Published: October 2020

Quality control pathways that oversee the quality of stable RNA molecules are critical for the cell. In this work, we demonstrate, for the first time, a functional link between Hfq and RNase R in the processing and degradation of the highly structured rRNAs. These RNA-binding proteins are required for the maturation of 16S and 23S rRNAs and correct ribosome assembly. Furthermore, they participate in the degradation of rRNAs and clearance of toxic rRNA fragments from the cell. Our studies have also shown that Hfq and RNase R can form a complex. In summary, the cooperation between Hfq and RNase R in metabolic pathways of stable RNAs may represent a broader mechanism of RNA quality control, given the high conservation of these RNA-binding proteins throughout evolution.
Accurate Diagnosis of COVID-19 by a Novel Immunogenic Secreted SARS-CoV-2 orf8 Protein
Authors: Wang Xiaohui , Lam Joy-Yan , Wong Wan-Man , Yuen Chun-Kit , Cai Jian-Piao , Au Shannon Wing-Ngor , Chan Jasper Fuk-Woo , To Kelvin K. W. , Kok Kin-Hang , Yuen Kwok-Yung
Published: October 2020

Current commercially available serological tests for COVID-19 patients are detecting antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 nucleoprotein and spike glycoprotein. The antinucleoprotein and antispike antibodies can be accurately detected in patients during the mid or late stage of infection, and therefore, these assays have not been widely used for early diagnosis of COVID-19. In this study, we characterized the secretory property of a SARS-CoV-2 orf8 protein and proposed that orf8 secretion during infection facilitates early mounting of the B cell response. We demonstrated the presence of anti-orf8 antibodies in both symptomatic and asymptomatic patients during the early stage of infection, while the anti-N antibody is not detected. Our serological test detecting anti-orf8 antibodies may facilitate the development of early and accurate diagnosis for COVID-19.
A 3 m.y. record of volcanism and glaciation in northern British Columbia, Canada
Authors: Edwards Benjamin R. , Russell James K. , Jicha Brian , Singer Brad S. , Dunnington Gwen , Jansen Robert
Published: October 2020

The Tuya-Kawdy region of northern British Columbia is well established as a place where glaciation and volcanism overlapped in space. However, no modern work has integrated observations from the region’s volcanic and glacial deposits with geochronologic constraints to summarize how they might overlap in time. Here, we provide a general overview of such characteristics and 23 new 40Ar/39Ar eruption ages of glaciovolcanic deposits ranging from 4.3 Ma to 63 ka to constrain the timing, location, and minimum thicknesses and distributions of coincident ice. Subaerial lava fields interspersed with glaciovolcanism record periods of ice-sheet absence in presumably warmer climate conditions. These generally coincide with interglacial marine isotope stages. Many of the volcanoes have a secondary record of posteruption glacial modification, cirques, erratics, and mega-lineations, which document later climate changes up to the present. We used edifice-based terrain analysis to reconstruct changes to local minimum Cordilleran ice-sheet thicknesses, extents, and flow directions at specific locations and times during the late Pliocene and the Pleistocene.
Problem-solving in clinical practice: Persisting respiratory distress in a premature infant
Authors: Owens Daniel R , Medalla Clarissa Michelle , Brown Kelly N , Wijewardena Kishani , Thomas Claire P , Iro Mildred A , Jones Christine E , Faust Saul N , Patel Sanjay Valabh
Published: October 2020

The deterioration of a previously stable preterm infant is a common scenario on the neonatal unit. The the most common bacterial causes of deterioration are nosocomial infections, such as coagulase-negative Staphylococcus and Staphylococcus aureus. Non-infective conditions such as pulmonary haemorrhage, anaemia of prematurity and necrotising enterocolitis may also cause preterm infants to deteriorate. This case chronicles the unusual diagnostic journey of an infant born at 27+1 weeks who deteriorated at 26 days of life and did not respond to antimicrobial therapy as anticipated.
Efficacy and safety of exogenous surfactant therapy in patients under 12 months of age invasively ventilated for severe bronchiolitis (SURFABRON): protocol for a multicentre, randomised, double-blind, controlled, non-profit trial
Authors: Biban Paolo , Conti Giorgio , Wolfler Andrea Michele , Carlassara Silvia , Gitto Eloisa , Rulli Immacolata , Moscatelli Andrea , Micalizzi Camilla , Savron Fabio , Sagredini Raffaella , Genoni Giulia , Binotti Marco , Caramelli Fabio , Fae Monica , Pettenazzo Andrea , Stritoni Valentina , D’Amato Luigia , Zito Marinosci Geremia , Calderini Edoardo , Scalia Catenacci Stefano , Berardi Alberto , Torcetta Francesco , Bonanomi Ezio , Bonacina Daniele , Ivani Giorgio , Santuz Pierantonio
Published: October 2020

Introduction

Some evidence indicates that exogenous surfactant therapy may be effective in infants with acute viral bronchiolitis, even though more confirmatory data are needed. To date, no large multicentre trials have evaluated the effectiveness and safety of exogenous surfactant in severe cases of bronchiolitis requiring invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV).

Methods and analysis

This is a multicentre randomised, placebo-controlled, double-blind study, performed in 19 Italian paediatric intensive care units (PICUs). Eligible participants are infants under the age of 12 months hospitalised in a PICU, suffering from severe acute hypoxaemic bronchiolitis, requiring IMV. We adopted a more restrictive definition of bronchiolitis, including only infants below 12 months of age, to maintain the population as much homogeneous as possible. The primary outcome is to evaluate whether exogenous surfactant therapy (Curosurf, Chiesi Pharmaceuticals, Italy) is effective compared with placebo (air) in reducing the duration of IMV in the first 14 days of hospitalisation, in infants suffering from acute hypoxaemic viral bronchiolitis. Secondary outcomes are duration of non-invasive mechanical ventilation in the post-extubation phase, number of cases requiring new intubation after previous extubation within 14 days from randomisation, PICU and hospital length of stay (LOS), duration of oxygen dependency, effects on oxygenation and ventilatory parameters during invasive mechanical respiratory support, need for repeating treatment within 24 hours of first treatment, use of other interventions (eg, high-frequency oscillatory ventilation, nitric oxide, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation), mortality within the first 14 days of PICU stay and before hospital discharge, side effects and serious adverse events.

Ethics and dissemination

The trial design and protocol have received approval by the Italian National Agency for Drugs (AIFA) and by the Regional Ethical Committee of Verona University Hospital (1494CESC). Findings will be disseminated through publication in peer-reviewed journals, conference/meeting presentations and media.

Trial registration number

Clinicaltrials.gov, issue date 22 May 2019. NCT03959384.
Work systems analysis of sterile processing: assembly
Authors: Alfred Myrtede , Catchpole Ken , Huffer Emily , Fredendall Larry , Taaffe Kevin M
Published: October 2020

Background

Sterile processing departments (SPDs) play a crucial role in surgical safety and efficiency. SPDs clean instruments to remove contaminants (decontamination), inspect and reorganise instruments into their correct trays (assembly), then sterilise and store instruments for future use (sterilisation and storage). However, broken, missing or inappropriately cleaned instruments are a frequent problem for surgical teams. These issues should be identified and corrected during the assembly phase.

Objective

A work systems analysis, framed within the Systems Engineering Initiative for Patient Safety (SEIPS) model, was used to develop a comprehensive understanding of the assembly stage of reprocessing, identify the range of work challenges and uncover the inter-relationship among system components influencing reliable instrument reprocessing.

Methods

The study was conducted at a 700-bed academic hospital in the Southeastern United States with two reprocessing facilities from October 2017 to October 2018. Fifty-six hours of direct observations, 36 interviews were used to iteratively develop the work systems analysis. This included the process map and task analysis developed to describe the assembly system, the abstraction hierarchy developed to identify the possible performance shaping factors (based on SEIPS) and a variance matrix developed to illustrate the relationship among the tasks, performance shaping factors, failures and outcomes. Operating room (OR) reported tray defect data from July 2016 to December 2017 were analysed to identify the percentage and types of defects across reprocessing phases the most common assembly defects.

Results

The majority of the 3900 tray defects occurred during the assembly phase; impacting 5% of surgical cases (n=41 799). Missing instruments, which could result in OR delays and increased surgical duration, were the most commonly reported assembly defect (17.6%, n=700). High variability was observed in the reassembling of trays with failures including adding incorrect instruments, omitting instruments and failing to remove damaged instrument. These failures were precipitated by technological shortcomings, production pressures, tray composition, unstandardised instrument nomenclature and inadequate SPD staff training.

Conclusions

Supporting patient safety, minimising tray defects and OR delays and improving overall reliability of instrument reprocessing require a well-designed instrument tracking system, standardised nomenclature, effective coordination of reprocessing tasks between SPD and the OR and well-trained sterile processing technicians.
MicroRNA-363-3p downregulation in papillary thyroid cancer inhibits tumor progression by targeting NOB1
Authors: Dong Su , Xue Shuai , Sun Yue , Han Zhe , Sun Lele , Xu Jialu , Liu Jia
Published: October 2020

MicroRNA-363-3 p (miR-363–3 p) has been reported to play a crucial role in tumor development and progression, and function as a tumor suppressor in many types of cancer. In our previous studies, we found that miRNA-363–3 p inhibited papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) progression by targeting PIK3CA. Meanwhile, we found that NIN1/RPN12 binding protein 1 (NOB1) was significantly upregulated in thyroid carcinoma tissue and downregulation of NOB1 expression significantly inhibited cell proliferation, migration and invasion in PTC. However, the correlation of NOB1 and miR-363–3 p has not been investigated. Here, we performed bioinformatic analysis to explore miRNA targeting NOB1. We found that NOB1 was a target of miR-363–3 p and miR-363–3 p regulated NOB1 expression at the translational and transcriptional levels by targeting its 3’ untranslated region (3′-UTR). Further, we showed that miR-363–3 p inhibited tumor progression by targeting NOB1 in vitro and in vivo. We found that overexpression miR-363–3 p or silencing NOB1 significantly increased G0/G1-phase and decreased S-phase in the human papillary thyroid cells, which led to a significant delay in cell proliferation, indicating miR-363–3 p and NOB1 are crucial for human papillary thyroid cancer tumorigenesis. Collectively, our data unveil that miR-363–3 p negatively regulates NOB1 activity by reducing its stability. This study provides a new therapeutic target for regulation of NOB1 stability to modulate human papillary thyroid cancer progression.
Comparison of outcome of patients with acute minor ischaemic stroke treated with intravenous t-PA, DAPT or aspirin
Authors: Wang Peng , Zhou Mengyuan , Pan Yuesong , Meng Xia , Zhao Xingquan , Liu Liping , Li Hao , Wang Yongjun , Wang Zhimin , Wang Yilong
Published: October 2020

Background

Whether to treat minor stroke with intravenous tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) treatment or antiplatelet therapy is a dilemma. Our study aimed to explore whether intravenous t-PA treatment, dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) and aspirin have different efficacies on outcomes in patients with minor stroke.

Methods

A post hoc analysis of patients with acute minor stroke treated with intravenous t-PA within 4.5 hours from a nationwide multicentric electronic medical record and patients with acute minor stroke treated with DAPT and aspirin from the Clopidogrel with Aspirin in Acute Minor Stroke or Transient Ischemic Attack Database. Minor stroke was defined by a score of 0–3 on the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale at randomisation. Favourable functional outcome (defined as modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score of 0–1 or 0–2 at 3 months).

Results

Compared with those treated with intravenous t-PA, no significant association with 3-month favourable functional outcome (defined as mRS score of 0–1) was found neither in patients treated with aspirin (87.8% vs 89.4%; OR, 0.83; 95% CI, 0.46 to 1.50; p=0.53) nor those treated with DAPT (87.4% vs 89.4%; OR, 0.84; 95% CI, 0.46 to 1.52; p=0.56). Similar results were observed for the favourable functional outcome defined as mRS score of 0–2 at 3 months.

Conclusions

In our study, no significant advantage of intravenous t-PA over DAPT or aspirin was found. Due to insufficient sample size, our study is probably unable to draw such a conclusion that that intravenous t-PA was superior or non-superior to DAPT.
Role of unfolded proteins in lung disease
Authors: Bradley Kirsty L , Stokes Clare A , Marciniak Stefan J , Parker Lisa C , Condliffe Alison M
Published: October 2020

The lungs are exposed to a range of environmental toxins (including cigarette smoke, air pollution, asbestos) and pathogens (bacterial, viral and fungal), and most respiratory diseases are associated with local or systemic hypoxia. All of these adverse factors can trigger endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. The ER is a key intracellular site for synthesis of secretory and membrane proteins, regulating their folding, assembly into complexes, transport and degradation. Accumulation of misfolded proteins within the lumen results in ER stress, which activates the unfolded protein response (UPR). Effectors of the UPR temporarily reduce protein synthesis, while enhancing degradation of misfolded proteins and increasing the folding capacity of the ER. If successful, homeostasis is restored and protein synthesis resumes, but if ER stress persists, cell death pathways are activated. ER stress and the resulting UPR occur in a range of pulmonary insults and the outcome plays an important role in many respiratory diseases. The UPR is triggered in the airway of patients with several respiratory diseases and in corresponding experimental models. ER stress has been implicated in the initiation and progression of pulmonary fibrosis, and evidence is accumulating suggesting that ER stress occurs in obstructive lung diseases (particularly in asthma), in pulmonary infections (some viral infections and in the setting of the cystic fibrosis airway) and in lung cancer. While a number of small molecule inhibitors have been used to interrogate the role of the UPR in disease models, many of these tools have complex and off-target effects, hence additional evidence (eg, from genetic manipulation) may be required to support conclusions based on the impact of such pharmacological agents. Aberrant activation of the UPR may be linked to disease pathogenesis and progression, but at present, our understanding of the context-specific and disease-specific mechanisms linking these processes is incomplete. Despite this, the ability of the UPR to defend against ER stress and influence a range of respiratory diseases is becoming increasingly evident, and the UPR is therefore attracting attention as a prospective target for therapeutic intervention strategies.
Chronic pantothenic acid supplementation does not affect muscle coenzyme A content or cycling performance
Authors: Whitfield Jamie , Harris Roger C. , Broad Elizabeth M. , Patterson Alison K. , Ross Megan L.R. , Shaw Gregory , Spriet Lawrence L. , Burke Louise M.
Published: October 2020

This study determined if supplementation with pantothenic acid (PA) for 16 weeks could increase skeletal muscle coenzyme A (CoASH) content and exercise performance. Trained male cyclists (n = 14) were matched into control or PA (6 g·day−1) groups. At 0, 4, 8, and 16 weeks, subjects performed an incremental time to exhaustion cycle with muscle biopsies taken prior to and following exercise. Prolonged PA supplementation did not change skeletal muscle CoASH and acetyl-CoA contents or exercise performance.

Novelty: Supplementation with pantothenic acid for 16 weeks had no effect on skeletal muscle CoASH and acetyl-CoA content or exercise performance in trained male cyclists.
Physical and numerical modelling of drainage and consolidation of tailings near a vertical waste rock inclusion
Authors: Saleh-Mbemba Faustin , Aubertin Michel
Published: October 2020

The use of waste rock inclusions in tailings impoundments is a recent technique that offers many advantages, but it also raises a few technical issues that must be addressed to optimize their design. A laboratory physical modelling study was conducted to assess the effect of waste rock inclusion on the behavior of initially saturated hard rock mine tailings in terms of drainage and consolidation. The evolution of pore-water pressures and settlements after hydraulic deposition of the fine-grained tailings (slurry), with and without a drainage inclusion, has been monitored and analysed. This investigation also focused on the evolution of the tailings void ratio and volumetric water content, the amount of water transferred to the waste rock, and the movement of fine particles at the interface between the two materials. The experimental results are used to demonstrate how such waste rock inclusion can affect tailings consolidation by reducing pore-water pressures with accelerated water drainage, for various imposed conditions. The experimental data are also analysed with numerical models to better understand the coupled processes involved. A discussion follows on practical implications of the use of waste rock inclusions in tailings impoundments.
Modeling the number of the first- and second-order branches within the live tree crown of Korean larch plantations in Northeast China
Authors: Miao Zheng , Zhang Lianjun , Widagdo Faris Rafi Almay , Dong Lihu , Li Fengri
Published: October 2020

Modeling the number of branches in a tree is fundamental for simulating other branch characteristics and crown structure. In this study, a total of 77 Korean larch (Larix olgensis Henry) trees were destructively sampled from plantations in Northeast China. The number of first- and second-order branches was modeled using seven count data models, namely Poisson, negative binomial (i.e., NB, including NB-1, NB-2, and NB-P), and generalized Poisson (i.e., GP, including GP-1, GP-2, and GP-P) regression models. Generalized linear mixed models (GLMMs) were then applied to those models using the sampled trees as the random effects. The results showed that (i) the Poisson regression was preferred for modeling the number of first-order branches; (ii) the GP-1 regression was considered the optimal model for the number of second-order branches; (iii) the significant predictor variables included tree height increment, branch position, relative tree size, mean dominant height, and tree age; (iv) the GLMMs significantly improved both model fit and prediction performance; (v) the prediction accuracy of the GLMMs increased gradually with increasing sample size; and (vi) a relatively small sample size with an appropriate sampling strategy would be adequate to provide a good estimation at a specific crown section.
Boundary contributions of on-shell recursion relations with multiple-line deformation
Authors: Hu Chang , Li Xiao-Di , Li Yi
Published: October 2020

The on-shell recursion relation has been recognized as a powerful tool for calculating tree-level amplitudes in quantum field theory, but it does not work well when the residue of the deformed amplitude $$\hat{A}(z)$$

A
^

(
z
)

does not vanish at infinity of z. However, in such a situation, we still can get the right amplitude by computing the boundary contribution explicitly. In Arkani-Hamed and Kaplan (JHEP 04:076. 10.1088/1126-6708/2008/04/076. arXiv:0801.2385, 2008), the background field method was first used to analyze the boundary behaviors of amplitudes with two deformed external lines in different theories. The same method has been generalized to calculate the explicit boundary operators of some amplitudes with BCFW-like deformation in Jin and Feng (JHEP 04:123. 10.1007/JHEP04(2016)123. arXiv:1507.00463, 2016). In this paper, we will take a step further to generalize the method to the case of multiple-line deformation, and to show how the boundary behaviors (even the boundary contributions) can be extracted in the method.
Asymptotic symmetries of Maxwell Chern–Simons gravity with torsion
Authors: Adami H. , Concha P. , Rodríguez E. , Safari H. R.
Published: October 2020

We present a three-dimensional Chern–Simons gravity based on a deformation of the Maxwell algebra. This symmetry allows introduction of a non-vanishing torsion to the Maxwell Chern–Simons theory, whose action recovers the Mielke–Baekler model for particular values of the coupling constants. By considering suitable boundary conditions, we show that the asymptotic symmetry is given by the $$\widehat{{\mathfrak {bms}}}_3\oplus {\mathfrak {vir}}$$

bms
^

3

⊕
vir

algebra with three independent central charges.
Maria Graham and the Chilean earthquake of 1822: contextualizing the first female-authored article in
Transactions of the Geological Society
Authors: Thompson Carl
Published: October 2020

This chapter explores the background to the first female-authored article in the
Transactions of the Geological Society
(published in 1824) and outlines the controversy later caused by the article. The author, Maria Graham (1785–1842), has generally been assumed not to have been a geologist herself, and is therefore often excluded from discussions of women's early contributions to geology. This chapter demonstrates that this was not the case, and that Graham had a strong interest in geology and some competence in the discipline. It further situates Graham in a flourishing culture of early nineteenth-century ‘polite science’, and argues that the episode, when parsed correctly, demonstrates the perhaps surprising extent to which women were able to participate in contemporary geological enquiry and debate, even as they undoubtedly laboured under considerable disadvantages compared with their male counterparts.
CompEd
Authors: Becker Brett
Published: October 2020

On behalf of the CompEd Steering Committee I would like to update the community on CompEd 2021.
The complicated role of mitochondria in the podocyte
Authors: Gujarati Nehaben A. , Vasquez Jessica M. , Bogenhagen Daniel F. , Mallipattu Sandeep K.
Published: October 2020

Mitochondria play a complex role in maintaining cellular function including ATP generation, generation of biosynthetic precursors for macromolecules, maintenance of redox homeostasis, and metabolic waste management. Although the contribution of mitochondrial function in various kidney diseases has been studied, there are still avenues that need to be explored under healthy and diseased conditions. Mitochondrial damage and dysfunction have been implicated in experimental models of podocytopathy as well as in humans with glomerular diseases resulting from podocyte dysfunction. Specifically, in the podocyte, metabolism is largely driven by oxidative phosphorylation or glycolysis depending on the metabolic needs. These metabolic needs may change drastically in the presence of podocyte injury in glomerular diseases such as diabetic kidney disease or focal segmental glomerulosclerosis. Here, we review the role of mitochondria in the podocyte and the factors regulating its function at baseline and in a variety of podocytopathies to identify potential targets for therapy.
Computing a Complex Network Hierarchical Structure for Financial Market Networks on the Basis of the Hybrid Heuristic Algorithm
Authors: Yu Jiannan , Zhao Jinlou
Published: October 2020

The recent empirical studies showed that money center networks in interbank markets are more robust and stable. Therefore, the research on layered financial networks is a key part of the systemic risk management. Various methods have been proposed in prior studies to find optimal partitioning of interbank networks into core and periphery subsets. However, these methods that have been adopted with approximation methods, in general, do not guarantee optimal bipartition. In this paper, a genetic simulated annealing algorithm is presented to detect a hierarchical structure in interbank networks as a hybrid heuristic algorithm, while its effects are also analyzed. The optimization of the error score for the core-periphery model is mathematically developed firstly as an improved expression of the optimization function, which incorporates the genetic algorithm into a simulated annealing algorithm to guarantee the optimal bipartition and to jump from a local optimization. The results of this algorithm are finally verified by empirical analysis of interbank networks; and, through the immunity strategy under the risk diffusion model, the significance of core-periphery structure to risk management is verified.
Analysis of the Influence of Trace Point Step-Jump Behavior
Authors: Yang Yao , Xu Yang , Wang Pei
Published: October 2020

To explore the influence of the trace point step-jump behavior on a terminal guidance system, an analysis is performed from the line-of-sight rate (LOS rate) and guidance accuracy views for designing an anti-step-jump guidance law. First, the linear terminal guidance model under the trace point jump circumstance is constructed, and then the fundamental reason for the miss distance is investigated by deriving the upper bound of the LOS rate at the initial step-jump moment. Following this, the novel proposed analytical differential adjoint model is established with the adjoint method, and its validity is demonstrated comparing with the numeric derivative model. Based on the adjoint model, the effects of the ratio coefficient, the time constant, and the jump amplitude on the guidance accuracy are explored. Finally, a novel anti-step-jump guidance law is designed to shorten the recovery time of the overload. The simulations have shown that the faster recovery time and higher accuracy are achieved in comparison with the proportional navigation guidance, optimal guidance, and adaptive sliding mode guidance.
Locating-Total Domination Number of Cacti Graphs
Authors: Wei Jianxin , Ahmad Uzma , Hameed Saira , Hanif Javaria
Published: October 2020

For a connected graph J, a subset

W
⊆
V

J

is termed as a locating-total dominating set if for

a
∈
V

J

,
 
N

a

∩
W
≠
ϕ

, and for

a
,
 
b
∈
V

J

−
W
,
 
N

a

∩
W
≠
N

b

∩
W

. The number of elements in a smallest such subset is termed as the locating-total domination number of J. In this paper, the locating-total domination number of unicyclic graphs and bicyclic graphs are studied and their bounds are presented. Then, by using these bounds, an upper bound for cacti graphs in terms of their order and number of cycles is estimated. Moreover, the exact values of this domination variant for some families of cacti graphs including tadpole graphs and rooted products are also determined.
Multidimensional Heterogeneous Medical Data Push in Intelligent Cloud Collaborative Management System
Authors: Liu Gang , Li Xiaofeng
Published: October 2020

The medical data in the intelligent cloud collaborative management system have multidimensional heterogeneous interference, and there are problems such as low data information update rate and poor push results in the push process. Therefore, a method for multidimensional heterogeneous medical data push was proposed. First of all, the logical architecture of the multidimensional heterogeneous data push system was determined, and the data push function was designed; secondly, redundant data removal and noise reduction preprocessing were conducted against the push data, correlation rules were used to integrate multidimensional heterogeneous medical data, the weight of medical data was calculated, the heterogeneous data matrix was constructed, and the integrated medical data were weighted to eliminate multidimensional heterogeneous interference. The results show that the data update rate of the proposed method is faster, the user retention and communication rate are high, the data push precision rate is over 80%, and the recall rate is as high as 76%. Therefore, its performance is significantly better than traditional methods.
A Two-Echelon Agricultural Product Supply Chain with Freshness and Greenness Concerns: A Cost-Sharing Contract Perspective
Authors: Tan Manyi , Tu Manli , Wang Bin , Zou Tianyue , Cheng Hong
Published: October 2020

Agricultural products are basic needs of human beings, and whether they are cultivated in a green (or organic) manner has direct impact on environment and public health. This research incorporates product freshness and greenness into a two-echelon agricultural product supply chain (APSC). Game theoretic analyses are carried out to examine pricing, freshness, and greenness decisions of the supply chain members with and without cost-sharing for greenness investment. Subsequently, we conduct comparative and sensitivity analyses for these optimal decisions and profits of the APSC members under different cases. Numerical experiment is employed to investigate the impact of key parameters on equilibrium decisions and profitability. Analytical and experimental results show that the cost-sharing contract of greenness investment for agricultural products helps to strengthen the supply chain members’ effort in improving the greenness and freshness levels of the agricultural product, thereby enhancing both individual and channel profitability of the APSC under certain conditions. This research also reveals a widened profit gap between the producer and the retailer under the cost-sharing contract.
Optimization and Simulation for E-Commerce Supply Chain in the Internet of Things Environment
Authors: Zhu Liwei
Published: October 2020

The supply chain optimization of e-commerce is the optimization of the integrated linear management model for e-commerce enterprises based on manufacturers, suppliers, warehouses, distribution centers, and channels. The application of Internet of Things (IoT) technology to the optimization of e-commerce supply chain can help e-commerce enterprises to monitor each product in real time and manage logistics system reasonably; thus, the circulation process of e-commerce product in the supply chain can be monitored and shared, and the product information at each stage of the supply chain can be analyzed and predicted, helping e-commerce companies to estimate the future trends or accident probability. On the analysis of summarizing and analyzing previous works, this article expounded the research status and significance of e-commerce supply chain optimization, elaborated the development background, current status, and future challenges of the IoT technology, introduced the methods and principles of the node distribution model and constraint parameter analysis of logistics supply chain, constructed the IoT-based e-commerce supply chain linear and nonlinear model including competition and risk-control modules, performed the design of IoT-based e-commerce supply chain optimization, and discussed the solutions to procurement robustness optimization and management process optimization. The final simulation analysis showed that the proposed optimization model can effectively predict e-commerce product information in each stage of the supply chain; the IoT-based e-commerce supply chain optimization can enable each node company in the supply chain to improve the quality of information transmission and reduce the risk of information asymmetry in the process of e-commerce exchanges and can quickly and easily respond to the sudden changes of market and environment, thereby promoting them to cooperate with each other for establishing a supply chain network structure with closer business relationships, smoother logistics transportation, more reasonable benefit sharing, and stronger market competitiveness.
Research on a Numerical Simulation and Prediction Model of Floor Mining Failure Depth in the Chenghe Mining Area
Authors: Li Ang , Mu Qian , Zhang Wenzhong , Liu Chaoyang , Wang Feng , Mou Lin
Published: October 2020

Ordovician limestone water on the floor is a serious threat to the safety of coal mine production in the Weibei coalfield, and prediction of the floor failure depth is the key for evaluating the mining conditions under pressure. This paper combines the hydrogeological conditions of the no. 5 coal seam and uses the FLAC3D program to determine the floor failure depth under two-factor (mining depth and width) and multifactor (mining depth, width, and height) conditions via numerical calculations and analysis. We obtain the fitting formula for the floor failure depth and analyze the influence of various factors on it. The results show that when the mining width does not exceed 200 m, the mining width has the greatest influence on the floor failure depth, followed by mining depth and mining height. In this paper, the working face floor failure depths measured values of 18 flat seams in China are taken as samples for comparison with the values calculated via empirical formulas and fitting formulas, and the maximum and minimum absolute errors and relative errors are analyzed. The nonlinear fitting regression formulas offered in this paper are found to provide strong predictive value, high accuracy, and a relatively small error range. The reliability and rationality of the models are further verified, thus providing a reference for future mining operations under safe aquifer water pressure conditions in the Weibei coalfield.
Critical Low Catastrophe: A Case Report of Treatment-Refractory Hypoglycemia following Overdose of Long-Acting Insulin
Authors: Sandooja Rashi , Moorman John M. , Priyadarshini Kumar Monisha , Detoya Karla
Published: October 2020

Overdose of long-acting insulin can cause unpredictable hypoglycemia for prolonged periods of time. The initial treatment of hypoglycemia includes oral carbohydrate intake as able and/or parenteral dextrose infusion. Refractory hypoglycemia following these interventions presents a clinical challenge in the absence of clear guidelines for management. Octreotide has sometimes been used, but its use is generally limited to sulfonylurea overdose. In this case report, we present a case of refractory hypoglycemia following an overdose of 900 units of long-acting insulin glargine that failed to respond to usual modes of therapy mentioned above. Stress-dose corticosteroids were then initiated, followed by subsequent improvement in IV dextrose and glucagon requirements and blood glucose levels. Hence, corticosteroids may serve as an adjunctive therapy in managing hypoglycemia and can be considered earlier in the course of treatment in patients with refractory hypoglycemia to prevent volume overload, especially when large volumes of dextrose infusions are required.
A Method for Identifying Vesicle Transport Proteins Based on LibSVM and MRMD
Authors: Tao Zhiyu , Li Yanjuan , Teng Zhixia , Zhao Yuming
Published: October 2020

With the development of computer technology, many machine learning algorithms have been applied to the field of biology, forming the discipline of bioinformatics. Protein function prediction is a classic research topic in this subject area. Though many scholars have made achievements in identifying protein by different algorithms, they often extract a large number of feature types and use very complex classification methods to obtain little improvement in the classification effect, and this process is very time-consuming. In this research, we attempt to utilize as few features as possible to classify vesicular transportation proteins and to simultaneously obtain a comparative satisfactory classification result. We adopt CTDC which is a submethod of the method of composition, transition, and distribution (CTD) to extract only 39 features from each sequence, and LibSVM is used as the classification method. We use the SMOTE method to deal with the problem of dataset imbalance. There are 11619 protein sequences in our dataset. We selected 4428 sequences to train our classification model and selected other 1832 sequences from our dataset to test the classification effect and finally achieved an accuracy of 71.77%. After dimension reduction by MRMD, the accuracy is 72.16%.
Optimization Control Strategy for Islanded Parallel Virtual Synchronous Generators
Authors: Hu Hailin , Feng Fu , Wang Tao , Wan Xiaofeng , Ding Xiaohua
Published: October 2020

Virtual Synchronous Generators (VSGs) can reduce the frequency and power oscillation in the grid. For parallel multi-VSGs in island microgrid, the differences of equivalent output impedance and line impedance affect the orderly sharing of reactive power and restraining of circulating current greatly. The power sharing and circulating current characteristics of VSGs are analyzed in this paper. To solve this problem, an optimization control method for parallel VSGs is proposed, which included the inner voltage and current loop and the outer reactive power loop. In the inner voltage and current loop, a virtual complex impedance including a resistive component and an inductive component is introduced. It reduces the coupling between active power and reactive power, and it reduces the disorderly distribution of power due to impedance differences. In the reactive power loop, the output voltage feedback and integrator links are adopted, which reduce the deviation of output voltage and restrain circulating current. The effects on the equivalent output impedance in the different control parameters and virtual complex impedance are analyzed, the effects on system stability in the different resistive components of virtual complex impedance are analyzed, and the proper parameters are selected. Simulation and experimental results show the correctness and validity of the proposed control method.
Analysis on the Spatiotemporal Characteristics of the Postearthquake Reconstruction Efficiency of the Extremely Earthquake-Stricken Areas by the Wenchuan Earthquake Based on the DEA-Malmquist Index
Authors: Lv Pin , Liu Bin , Yuan Mingkang , Han Suyue , Zhang Di , Zhang Lv
Published: October 2020

The Wenchuan earthquake, which occurred on May 12, 2008, caused a large number of casualties and substantial property losses. Postearthquake reconstruction is a complex and systematic project, the core of which is to enable the residents of the earthquake-stricken areas to resume normal productivity and life as soon as possible. This paper aims to evaluate the efficiency of postearthquake reconstruction in extremely earthquake-stricken areas. From the perspective of the inputs and outputs, the DEA-Malmquist index was used to construct a reconstruction efficiency evaluation model for the extremely stricken areas. Reconstruction efficiencies are analyzed for 10 areas that were severely impacted by the Wenchuan earthquake. Finally, three major disaster-pregnancy environmental factors, namely, including topography, fault zones, and river systems, are selected. Based on the temporal trend of reconstruction efficiency, the degree of correlation between the postearthquake reconstruction efficiency fluctuation and the three major disaster-pregnancy environmental factors is analyzed. The study results show that the overall reconstruction efficiency of the 10 extremely earthquake-stricken areas was relatively high. In 2011, the reconstruction efficiency basically returned the areas to preearthquake levels, and there was a small fluctuation in efficiency due to the effects of earthquake-induced hazards and the reduction of external forces. Spatially, the reconstruction efficiencies of the 10 extremely stricken areas do not show a “convergence effect,” and the reconstruction efficiencies were closely related to the characteristics of the resources in the extremely stricken areas. In terms of the main disaster-pregnancy environment, the terrain complexity is most closely related to fluctuation of reconstruction efficiency, with a correlation coefficient of 0.9975, followed by river network density and the lowest fault density. Therefore, to improve the reconstruction efficiency of the extremely earthquake-stricken areas, the adjustment measures that promote local advantages should be fully utilized to mitigate the lasting effects of earthquake-induced hazards.