bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effectiveness of a large-scale home visiting programme (PIM) on early child development in Brazil: quasi-experimental study nested in a birth cohort
Authors: Viegas da Silva Eduardo , Hartwig Fernando Pires , Barros Fernando , Murray Joseph
Published: January 2022

Background

A large-scale parenting programme with weekly home visits (Primeira Infância Melhor (PIM)) has been implemented in the south of Brazil for nearly two decades, but lacks evaluation of its effects on early childhood development (ECD). This quasi-experimental study aimed to assess the effects of PIM in real-life settings within a population-based birth cohort study.

Methods

Data from the 2015 Pelotas Birth Cohort Study and the state programme information system were linked to identify study children who received PIM. Propensity score matching was used to create a comparable control group (using one-to-one matching) to estimate the effect of PIM on ECD measured at age 4 years. First, the impact of any enrolment in PIM was evaluated; then the intervention group was stratified according to whether enrolment occurred during pregnancy or after birth. Double adjustment was applied in linear regression to analyse child development scores, and Poisson regression for delayed development (below the 10th percentile of whole cohort). Effect modification due to family income was explored.

Results

There was no evidence that any enrolment in PIM (601 pairs) by age 4 years was associated with child development. However, PIM starting during pregnancy (estimated for 121 pairs) predicted 60% lower prevalence of delayed development (prevalence ratio=0.40; 95% CI 0.18 to 0.89), compared with the control group. There was strong statistical evidence (p=0.02, test of interaction) that the effect of PIM starting in pregnancy was larger than when starting after birth (480 pairs). The effect of PIM starting during pregnancy was not modified by family income at birth.

Conclusions

In a real-life setting, PIM was effective only when starting during pregnancy. A higher-quality programme might be more effective with a broader population.
Green CURIOCITY: a study protocol for a European birth cohort study analysing childhood heat-related health impacts and protective effects of urban natural environments
Authors: van den Bosch Matilda , Basagaña Xavier , Mudu Pierpaolo , Kendrovski Vladimir , Maitre Léa , Hjertager Krog Norun , Aasvang Gunn Marit , Grazuleviciene Regina , McEachan Rosemary , Vrijheid Martine , Nieuwenhuijsen Mark J
Published: January 2022

Introduction

The European climate is getting warmer and the impact on childhood health and development is insufficiently understood. Equally, how heat-related health risks can be reduced through nature-based solutions, such as exposure to urban natural environments, is unknown. Green CURe In Outdoor CITY spaces (Green CURIOCITY) will analyse how heat exposure during pregnancy affects birth outcomes and how long-term heat exposure may influence children’s neurodevelopment. We will also investigate if adverse effects can be mitigated by urban natural environments. A final goal is to visualise intraurban patterns of heat vulnerability and assist planning towards healthier cities.

Methods and analysis

We will use existing data from the Human Early-Life Exposure cohort, which includes information on birth outcomes and neurodevelopment from six European birth cohorts. The cohort is linked to data on prenatal heat exposure and impact on birth outcomes will be analysed with logistic regression models, adjusting for air pollution and noise and sociobehavioural covariates. Similarly, impact of cumulative and immediate heat exposure on neurodevelopmental outcomes at age 5 will be assessed. For both analyses, the potentially moderating impact of natural environments will be quantified. For visualisation, Geographical information systems data will be combined to develop vulnerability maps, demonstrating urban ‘hot spots’ where the risk of negative impacts of heat is aggravated due to sociodemographic and land use patterns. Finally, geospatial and meteorological data will be used for informing GreenUr, an existing software prototype developed by the WHO Regional Office for Europe to quantify health impacts and augment policy tools for urban green space planning.

Ethics and dissemination

The protocol was approved by the Comité Ético de Investigación Clínica Parc de Salut MAR, Spain. Findings will be published in peer-reviewed journals and presented at policy events. Through stakeholder engagement, the results will also reach user groups and practitioners.
JAG consensus statements for training and certification in oesophagogastroduodenoscopy
Authors: Siau Keith , Beales Ian L P , Haycock Adam , Alzoubaidi Durayd , Follows Rachael , Haidry Rehan , Mannath Jayan , McConnell Susan , Murugananthan Aravinth , Ravindran Srivathsan , Riley Stuart A , Williams R N , Trudgill Nigel John , Veitch Andrew M
Published: January 2022

Introduction

Training and quality assurance in oesophagogastroduodenoscopy (OGD) is important to ensure competent practice. A national evidence-based review was undertaken to update and develop standards and recommendations for OGD training and certification.

Methods

Under the oversight of the Joint Advisory Group (JAG), a modified Delphi process was conducted with stakeholder representation from British Society of Gastroenterology, Association of Upper Gastrointestinal Surgeons, trainees and trainers. Recommendations on OGD training and certification were formulated following literature review and appraised using Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation. These were subjected to electronic voting to achieve consensus. Accepted statements were incorporated into the updated certification pathway.

Results

In total, 32 recommendation statements were generated for the following domains: definition of competence (4 statements), acquisition of competence (12 statements), assessment of competence (10 statements) and post-certification support (6 statements). The consensus process led to following certification criteria: (1) performing ≥250 hands-on procedures; (2) attending a JAG-accredited basic skills course; (3) attainment of relevant minimal performance standards defined by British Society of Gastroenterology/Association of Upper Gastrointestinal Surgeons of Great Britain and Ireland, (4) achieving physically unassisted D2 intubation and J-manoeuvre in ≥95% of recent procedures, (5) satisfactory performance in formative and summative direct observation of procedural skills assessments.

Conclusion

The JAG standards for diagnostic OGD have been updated following evidence-based consensus. These standards are intended to support training, improve competency assessment to uphold standards of practice and provide support to the newly-independent practitioner.
Air pollution and cardiovascular disease: the Paul Wood Lecture, British Cardiovascular Society 2021
Authors: Joshi Shruti S , Miller Mark R , Newby David E
Published: January 2022

Air pollution is associated with up to 8.8 million excess deaths worldwide each year and is a major contributor to the global burden of disease. Cardiovascular conditions are the predominant cause for air pollution-related deaths and there is an urgent need to address the silent pandemic of air pollution on cardiovascular health. Air pollution exposure is associated with acute events like acute coronary syndrome and stroke, and with chronic conditions, such as atherosclerosis and heart failure. Several potential mechanisms have been proposed that link particle inhalation to cardiovascular disease including oxidative stress and inflammation, changes in autonomic balance and neuroendocrine regulation and the particle translocation into the circulation itself. This, in turn, can cause endothelial, vasomotor and fibrinolytic dysfunction and increased thrombogenicity and blood pressure which are implicated in the mediation of adverse cardiovascular events. Certain interventions can help mitigate these adverse effects. At an individual level, this includes the use of a facemask and indoor air purification systems. At an environmental level, interventions reducing the generation or release of combustion-derived pollutants are key and include public health policies to facilitate active transport, cleaner sources of energy and reductions in vehicular and fossil fuel emissions. In this review, we summarise the key pathways and mechanisms that draw together how air pollution can lead to adverse cardiovascular effects, as well as explore potential interventions to reduce the burden of air pollution-induced cardiovascular morbidity and mortality.
Efficacy and Safety of Intranasal Dexmedetomidine versus Oral Chloral Hydrate as Sedatives for Pediatric Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Authors: Wang Jun , Li Yong , Xiao Shuna , Shi Buyun , Xia Zhi , Huang Chengjiao , Xu Hui , Li Na , Tang Wen
Published: January 2022

This study was designed to review published literature to determine the efficacy and safety of intranasal dexmedetomidine versus oral chloral hydrate (CH) for sedation in pediatric patients based on qualified studies. We searched the PubMed, Cochrane, and Embase databases for qualified studies published before March 2021. For each study, we analyzed the relative risk or weighted mean difference combined with a 95% CI. Fourteen studies including 3749 pediatric patients were included in this meta-analysis. Compared with oral CH, intranasal dexmedetomidine significantly increased the success rate of sedation and decreased the duration and latency of sedation, time of recovery from sedation, and total sedation time. Compared with oral CH, intranasal dexmedetomidine significantly decreased the incidence of adverse events, including vomiting, but increased the incidence of bradycardia. In conclusion, intranasal dexmedetomidine provides better sedation than oral CH for pediatric patients with good safety; however, the incidence of bradycardia is increased.
Immune gene expression and functional networks in distinct lupus nephritis classes
Authors: Gilmore Alyssa C , Wilson Hannah R , Cairns Thomas D , Botto Marina , Lightstone Liz , Bruce Ian N , Terence Cook Herbert , Pickering Matthew Caleb
Published: January 2022

Objective

To explore the utility of the NanoString platform in elucidating kidney immune transcripts for class III, IV and V lupus nephritis (LN) using a retrospective cohort of formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) kidney biopsy tissue.

Methods

Immune gene transcript analysis was performed using the NanoString nCounter platform on RNA from LN (n=55), thin basement membrane (TBM) disease (n=14) and membranous nephropathy (MN) (n=9) FFPE kidney biopsy tissue. LN samples consisted of single class III (n=11), IV (n=23) and V (n=21) biopsies with no mixed lesions. Differential gene expression was performed with NanoString nSolver, with visualisations of volcano plots and heatmaps generated in R. Significant transcripts were interrogated to identify functional networks using STRING and Gene ontogeny terms.

Results

In comparison to TBM, we identified 52 significantly differentially expressed genes common to all three LN classes. Pathway analysis showed enrichment for type I interferon (IFN) signalling, complement and MHC II pathways, with most showing the highest expression in class IV LN. Our class IV LN biopsies also showed significant upregulation of NF-κB signalling and immunological enrichment in comparison to class V LN biopsies. Transcripts from the type I IFN pathway distinguished class V LN from MN.

Conclusion

Our whole kidney section transcriptomic analysis provided insights into the molecular profile of class III, IV and V LN. The data highlighted important pathways common to all three classes and pathways enriched in our class IV LN biopsies. The ability to reveal molecular pathways in LN using FFPE whole biopsy sections could have clinical utility in treatment selection for LN.
Psychedelic injustice: should bioethics tune in to the voices of psychedelic-using communities?
Authors: Miceli McMillan Riccardo
Published: January 2022

Psychedelic compounds are regaining widespread interest due to emerging evidence surrounding their therapeutic effects. The controversial nature of these compounds highlights the need for extensive bioethical input to guide the process of medicalisation. To date there is no bioethics literature that consults the voices of psychedelic-using communities in order to help guide normative considerations of psychedelic medicalisation. In this paper I argue that psychedelic-using communities ought to be included in bioethical discussions that guide normative elements of psychedelic medicalisation. I argue this by presenting two points. First, psychedelic-using communities hold a degree of epistemic expertise regarding psychedelics by virtue of their embodied experiences with these compounds. Therefore, these communities are able to identify normative considerations that communities without embodied experiences would overlook. Second, psychedelic-using communities are uniquely and heavily affected by psychedelic medicalisation. Therefore, the needs of these communities ought to be considered when evaluating and implementing normative changes that alter psychedelic usage in society. The counterargument that psychedelic-using communities should not guide normative considerations of psychedelic medicalisation is presented by highlighting empirical data that suggest groups of the public with embodied experiences regarding a topic are less able to engage in deliberative reasoning on the said topic than the lay public. However, I propose that even if this is the case, psychedelic-using communities are owed consultation by agents of psychedelic medicalisation in order to undo and cease perpetuating epistemic injustice against these communities.
Rupture of a detachable-tip microcatheter away from the detachment zone during Onyx 18 embolization of an arteriovenous malformation and management of the complication
Authors: Cortese Jonathan , Coskun Oguzhan , Di Maria Federico , Pizzuto Silvia , Rodesch Georges , Consoli Arturo
Published: January 2022

Leakage of liquid embolic material is a rare but dreaded complication during embolization of an arteriovenous malformation (AVM). We describe the rupture of a microcatheter away from the detachment site and the successful removal of the cast of Onyx 18 in the carotid artery by aspiration. A young adult patient diagnosed with a right temporal unruptured AVM underwent endovascular embolization using Onyx 18. The AVM was approached using an Apollo microcatheter. After 4 min of Onyx 18 injection, leakage of Onyx 18 in the petrous segment of the internal carotid artery was noticed while the distal tip of the microcatheter remained patent. The plug of Onyx was successfully removed using an aspiration technique via the Envoy DA catheter. Analysis of the microcatheter confirmed that the rupture occurred away from the detachment site. However, no definite cause for the rupture has been identified.
Randomised control trial of a proactive intervention supporting recovery in relation to stress and irregular work hours: effects on sleep, burn-out, fatigue and somatic symptoms
Authors: Dahlgren Anna , Tucker Philip , Epstein Majken , Gustavsson Petter , Söderström Marie
Published: January 2022

Objectives

To examine if a proactive recovery intervention for newly graduated registered nurses (RNs) could prevent the development of sleep problems, burn-out, fatigue or somatic symptoms.

Methods

The study was a randomised control trial with parallel design. Newly graduated RNs with less than 12 months’ work experience were eligible to participate. 461 RNs from 8 hospitals in Sweden were invited, of which 207 signed up. These were randomised to either intervention or control groups. After adjustments, 99 RNs were included in the intervention group (mean age 27.5 years, 84.7% women) and 108 in the control group (mean age 27.0 years, 90.7% women). 82 RNs in the intervention group attended a group-administered recovery programme, involving three group sessions with 2 weeks between each session, focusing on proactive strategies for sleep and recovery in relation to work stress and shift work. Effects on sleep, burn-out, fatigue and somatic symptoms were measured by questionnaires at baseline, postintervention and at 6 months follow-up.

Results

Preventive effect was seen on somatic symptoms for the intervention group. Also, the intervention group showed less burn-out and fatigue symptoms at postintervention. However, these latter effects did not persist at follow-up. Participants used many of the strategies from the programme.

Conclusions

A proactive, group-administered recovery programme could be helpful in strengthening recovery and preventing negative health consequences for newly graduated RNs.

Trial registration number

NCT04246736.
Moderate aortic stenosis: culprit or bystander?
Authors: Pankayatselvan Varayini , Raber Inbar , Playford David , Stewart Simon , Strange Geoff , Strom Jordan B
Published: January 2022

Non-rheumatic aortic stenosis (AS) is among the most common valvular diseases in the developed world. Current guidelines support aortic valve replacement (AVR) for severe symptomatic AS, which carries high morbidity and mortality when left untreated. In contrast, moderate AS has historically been thought to be a benign diagnosis for which the potential benefits of AVR are outweighed by the procedural risks. However, emerging data demonstrating the substantial mortality risk in untreated moderate AS and substantial improvements in periprocedural and perioperative mortality with AVR have challenged the traditional risk/benefit paradigm. As such, an appraisal of the contemporary data on morbidity and mortality associated with moderate AS and appropriate timing of valvular intervention in AS is warranted. In this review, we discuss the current understanding of moderate AS, including the epidemiology, current surveillance and management guidelines, clinical outcomes, and future studies.
Associations between physical activity, left atrial size and incident atrial fibrillation: the Tromsø Study 1994–2016
Authors: Heitmann Kim Arne , Løchen Maja-Lisa , Stylidis Michael , Hopstock Laila A , Schirmer Henrik , Morseth Bente
Published: January 2022

Aims

Left atrial (LA) enlargement is an independent risk factor for atrial fibrillation (AF). Interestingly, some athletes have increased risk of AF, which may be linked to LA enlargement; however, little is known about the relationship between LA enlargement and AF risk at moderate-level physical activity (PA). We aimed to explore the associations between PA, LA size and risk of incident AF, and if PA can attenuate the risk of AF with LA enlargement.

Methods

This prospective study followed 2479 participants (52.4% female), free from known cardiac pathology, for median 20.2 years. Participants were followed up for hospital-diagnosed AF, confirmed by electrocardiography, from 1994-95 through 2016. At baseline, LA size was evaluated by anteroposterior LA diameter, and PA was self-reported by questionnaire.

Results

We observed a U-shaped relationship between PA and AF, and moderately active had 32% lower AF risk than inactive (HRadjusted0.68, 95% CI 0.50 to 0.93). Participants with LA enlargement had 38% higher AF risk compared with participants with normal LA size (HRadjusted1.38, 95% CI 1.12 to 1.69). However, the increased AF risk with LA enlargement was attenuated by PA; compared with inactive participants with LA enlargement, the AF risk was 45% lower among active with LA enlargement (HRadjusted0.55, 95% CI 0.39 to 0.79). AF risk in active participants with LA enlargement did not differ from active with normal LA size. These patterns were observed in both men and women, and in participants over/under 65 years.

Conclusion

Moderate PA was associated with reduced AF risk, and PA attenuated the increased risk of AF with LA enlargement in both men and women and all age groups.
Hypertension and psychosis
Authors: Sudarshan Yauvani , Cheung Bernard M Y
Published: January 2022

Hypertension, a prevalent component of metabolic syndrome (MetS), is a well-known risk factor for cardiovascular diseases (CVD). Psychosis is a feature in the schizophrenia spectrum. Meta-analysis suggests that the prevalence of hypertension in schizophrenia and related disorders is 39%. This may be explained by a unidirectional association between hypertension and psychosis, in that psychosis can be a causative factor of hypertension via antipsychotic medication, inflammation and irregular autonomic nervous system activity through multiple mechanisms. Obesity is a side effect of antipsychotic medication and is a risk factor for hypertension. Obesity leads to raised blood pressure, atherosclerosis, increased triglyceride concentration and decreased high-density lipoprotein concentration. Inflammation accompanies hypertension and obesity. In recent years, the role of inflammation in the onset of psychosis has been increasingly recognised. It underlies the immune dysregulation observed in both schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Interleukin-6, a marker and driver of inflammation, is related to obesity and plays a role in the pathogenesis of MetS and hypertension. The lack of preventive care of hypertension and other MetS risk factors for patients on antipsychotic medication is reflected in the high incidence of CVD in this population. It is important to detect and treat MetS and hypertension in patients with psychosis in order to reduce cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in this population.
Genomic inversions in Escherichia coli alter gene expression and are associated with nucleoid protein binding sites
Authors: Lato Daniella F. , Zeng Qing , Golding G. Brian
Published: January 2022

Genomic reorganization, such as rearrangements and inversions, influences how genetic information is organized within the bacterial genomes. Inversions, in particular, facilitate genome evolution through gene gain and loss, and can alter gene expression. Previous studies have investigated the impact inversions have on gene expression induced inversions targeting specific genes or examine inversions between distantly related species. This fails to encompass a genome-wide perspective of naturally occurring inversions and their post-adaptation impact on gene expression. Here, we used bioinformatic techniques and multiple RNA-seq datasets to investigate the short- and long-range impact inversions have on genomic gene expression within Escherichia coli. We observed differences in gene expression between homologous inverted and non-inverted genes even after long-term exposure to adaptive selection. In 4% of inversions representing 33 genes, differential gene expression between inverted and non-inverted homologs was detected, with greater than two-thirds (71%) of differentially expressed inverted genes having 9.4–85.6-fold higher gene expression. The identified inversions had more overlap than expected with nucleoid-associated protein binding sites, which assist in the regulation of genomic gene expression. Some inversions can drastically impact gene expression, even between different strains of E. coli, and could provide a mechanism for the diversification of genetic content through controlled expression changes.
Finiteness of the triple gauge-ghost vertices in $${{\mathcal {N}}}=1$$ supersymmetric gauge theories: the two-loop verification
Authors: Kuzmichev Mikhail , Meshcheriakov Nikolai , Novgorodtsev Sergey , Shatalova Victoria , Shirokov Ilya , Stepanyantz Konstantin
Published: January 2022

By an explicit calculation we demonstrate that the triple gauge-ghost vertices in a general renormalizable$${{\mathcal {N}}}=1$$N=1supersymmetric gauge theory are UV finite in the two-loop approximation. For this purpose we calculate the two-loop divergent contribution to the$$\bar{c}^+ V c$$c¯+Vc-vertex proportional to$$(C_2)^2$$(C2)2and use the finiteness of the two-loop contribution proportional to$$C_2 T(R)$$C2T(R)which has been checked earlier. The theory under consideration is regularized by higher covariant derivatives and quantized in a manifestly$${{\mathcal {N}}}=1$$N=1supersymmetric way with the help of$${{\mathcal {N}}}=1$$N=1superspace. The two-loop finiteness of the vertices with one external line of the quantum gauge superfield and two external lines of the Faddeev–Popov ghosts has been verified for a general$$\xi $$ξ-gauge. This result agrees with the nonrenormalization theorem proved earlier in all orders, which is an important step for the all-loop derivation of the exact NSVZ$$\beta $$β-function.
On the ambiguity between differential and integral forms of the Martin–Ryskin–Watt unintegrated parton distribution function model
Authors: Kord Valeshabadi Ramin , Modarres M.
Published: January 2022

In this work, we study the structure of the leading order Martin–Ryskin–Watt (MRW) unintegrated parton distribution function (UPDF) and explain in detail why there exists discrepancy between the two different definitions of this UPDF model, i.e., the integral (I-MRW) and differential (D-MRW) MRW UPDFs. We perform this investigation with both angular and strong ordering cutoffs. The derivation footsteps of obtaining the I-MRW UPDF from the D-MRW ones are numerically performed, and the reason of such non-equivalency between the two forms is clearly explained. We show and find out that both methods suggested in the papers by Golec-Biernat and Staśto as well as that of Guiot have shortcomings, and only the combination of their prescriptions can give us the same UPDF structure from both of these two different versions of the MRW UPDF, namely I-MRW and the D-MRW UPDFs.
Isotropization of locally rotationally symmetric Bianchi-I universe in f(Q)-gravity
Authors: De Avik , Mandal Sanjay , Beh J. T. , Loo Tee-How , Sahoo P. K.
Published: January 2022

Despite having the somewhat successful description of accelerated cosmology, the early evolution of the universe always challenges mankind. Our promising approach lies in a new class of symmetric teleparallel theory of gravity named f(Q), where the non-metricity scalar Q is responsible for the gravitational interaction, which may resolve some of the issues. To study the early evolution of the universe, we presume an anisotropic locally rotationally symmetric (LRS) Bianchi-I spacetime and derive the motion equations. We discuss the profiles of energy density, equation of state and skewness parameter and observe that our models archive anisotropic spatial geometry in the early phase of the universe with a possible presence of anisotropic fluid and as time goes on, even in the presence of an anisotropic fluid, the universe could approach isotropy due to inflation and the anisotropy of the fluid fades away at the same time.
Morphological, structural, and optical properties of flexible Tin Oxide(II) thin film via thermal evaporation technique
Authors: Wasly H. S. , Abd El-Sadek M. S. , Elnobi Sahar , Abuelwafa Amr Attia
Published: January 2022

Tin oxide compounds have been highly studied due to their important properties. Tin Oxide (II) SnO compound is considered an ideal p-type conductive material, with large p-type carrier mobility. It is getting a lot of attention in next-generation electronic applications. In this work, the SnO thin film was deposited on the polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrate by the thermal evaporation method. The X-ray diffraction pattern revealed the amorphous structure of the SnO/PET thin film. The purity of the SnO/PET film was confirmed using the Raman spectrum. An atomic force microscope was carried out to investigate the topography (roughness and particle size) of the obtained SnO thin film. The optical band gap $$E_{{\text{g}}}^{{{\text{Opt}}}}$$

E

g

Opt

for SnO/PET thin film in the absorption region was estimated using Tauc’s equation. The refractive index for the SnO/PET thin film was estimated at the normal dispersion range by a single oscillator model. The dielectric optical properties of the SnO/PET thin film were estimated. The calculated third-order nonlinear susceptibility χ(3) and nonlinear refractive index n(2) were in the order of ~ 10−10 and ~ 10−9esu, respectively, within the photon energy range (0.5 to 4 eV). The Sheik–Bahae model was used to determine the nonlinear absorption coefficient βc for SnO/PET thin film. Based on these detailed results, the high nonlinear optical parameters pave the way for the probability of using the SnO/PET in flexible optoelectronics devices.

Graphical abstract
Notes on Chern–Simons perturbation theory
Authors: Wernli Konstantin
Published: January 2022

We give a detailed introduction to the classical Chern–Simons gauge theory, including the mathematical preliminaries. We then explain the perturbative quantization of gauge theories via the Batalin–Vilkovisky (BV) formalism. We then define the perturbative Chern–Simons partition function at any (possibly non-acylic) reference flat connection using the BV formalism, using a Riemannian metric for gauge fixing. We show that it exhibits an anomaly known as the “framing anomaly” when the Riemannian metric is changed, that is, it fails to be gauge invariant. We explain how one can deal with this anomaly to obtain a topological invariant of framed manifolds.
Audio-Oriented Video Interpolation Using Key Pose
Authors: Nakatsuka Takayuki , Tsuchiya Yukitaka , Hamanaka Masatoshi , Morishima Shigeo
Published: January 2022

This paper describes a deep learning-based method for long-term video interpolation that generates intermediate frames between two music performance videos of a person playing a specific instrument. Recent advances in deep learning techniques have successfully generated realistic images with high-fidelity and high-resolution in short-term video interpolation. However, there is still room for improvement in long-term video interpolation due to lack of resolution and temporal consistency of the generated video. Particularly in music performance videos, the music and human performance motion need to be synchronized. We solved these problems by using human poses and music features essential for music performance in long-term video interpolation. By closely matching human poses with music and videos, it is possible to generate intermediate frames that synchronize with the music. Specifically, we obtain the human poses of the last frame of the first video and the first frame of the second video in the performance videos to be interpolated as key poses. Then, our encoder–decoder network estimates the human poses in the intermediate frames from the obtained key poses, with the music features as the condition. In order to construct an end-to-end network, we utilize a differentiable network that transforms the estimated human poses in vector form into the human pose in image form, such as human stick figures. Finally, a video-to-video synthesis network uses the stick figures to generate intermediate frames between two music performance videos. We found that the generated performance videos were of higher quality than the baseline method through quantitative experiments.
Intermittent Bursting in the Fractional Difference Logistic Map of Matrices
Authors: Petkevičiūtė-Gerlach Daiva , Šmidtaitė Rasa , Ragulskis Minvydas
Published: January 2022

Intermittent bursting in the fractional difference logistic map of matrices is studied in this paper. Analytic relationships governing the dynamics of the fractional difference map of matrices are derived in an explicit form. Computational experiments are used to prove the existence of intermittent bursts located far away from the initial conditions. Such isolated waves of temporary divergence in the fractional difference logistic map of matrices are demonstrated for the first time. Intermittent bursts of temporary divergence offer new possibilities for designing advanced information hiding algorithms.
Periodic Solutions of an Infected-Age Structured HIV Model with the Latent Factor and Different Transmission Modes
Authors: Shen Chunke , Xu Fei , Zhang Jia-Fang
Published: January 2022

In this paper, we mainly investigate an infected-age structured HIV model with logistic growth for target cells, which simultaneously takes the latent factor and different transmission modes into consideration. On the basis of integrated semigroup theory and Hopf bifurcation theory for semilinear equations in a nondense domain, we reach a conclusion that the system undergoes a Hopf bifurcation around the positive equilibrium, which implies that there exists a nontrivial periodic oscillation phenomenon when the Hopf bifurcation parameter [Formula: see text] passes through some critical values. Namely, the HIV infection will periodically erupt when the mature period [Formula: see text] crosses the critical value [Formula: see text] ([Formula: see text]), that is, HIV virus will always survive in the patient’s body. In order to verify the fact that the biological maturation period [Formula: see text] does play an essential role in our system, we also offer the relevant numerical simulation results by selecting several decisive parameters.
Parity, virtual closure and minimality of knotoids
Authors: Gügümcü N. , Kauffman L. H.
Published: January 2022

In this paper, we study parity in planar and spherical knotoids in relation to virtual knots. We introduce a planar version of the parity bracket polynomial for planar knotoids. We show that the virtual closure map (a map from the set of knotoids in [Formula: see text] to the set of virtual knots of genus at most one) is not surjective, by utilizing the surface bracket polynomial of virtual knots. We give specific examples of virtual knots that are not in the image of the virtual closure map. Turaev conjectured that minimal diagrams of knot-type knotoids have zero height. We prove this conjecture by using the results of Nikonov and Manturov induced by parities of virtual knots.
Theoretical evidence for neutron magic number 184 from cluster radioactivity studies
Authors: Nagaraja A. M. , Manjunatha H. C. , Sowmya N. , Sridhar K. N. , Gupta P. S. Damodara , Raj S. Alfred Cecil
Published: January 2022

The existence of neutron magic number 184 is demonstrated through the cluster decay studies. The alpha and black cluster radioactivity have been studied in the superheavy region [Formula: see text] using modified generalized liquid drop model (MGLDM). The values obtained from this work were compared with that of experiments. During the study of black cluster radioactivity, surprisingly it is observed that the shortest half-lives of cluster decay in all superheavy elements are observed for daughter neutron number 184 and nearly equal to that. This is a clear evidence for the existence of the neutron magic number [Formula: see text]. This study is useful in the understanding of superheavy element nuclei structure.
GENERAL PROOF OF CONVERGENCE OF THE NASH-Q-LEARNING ALGORITHM
Authors: WANG JUN , CAO LEI , CHEN XILIANG , LAI JUN
Published: January 2022

In this paper, the convergence of the Nash-Q-Learning algorithm will be studied mainly. In the previous proof of convergence, each stage of the game must have a global optimal point or a saddle point. Obviously, the assumption is so strict that there are not many application scenarios for the algorithm. At the same time, the algorithm can also get a convergent result in the two Grid-World Games, which do not meet the above assumptions. Thus, previous researchers proposed that the assumptions may be appropriately relaxed. However, a rigorous theoretical proof is not given. The convergence point is a fractal attractor from the view of Fractals, general proof of convergence of the Nash-Q-Learning algorithm will be shown by the mathematical method. Meanwhile, some discussions on the efficiency and scalability of the algorithm are also described in detail.
Effect of a “Slight” Curvature of the Axis of a Thin-Walled Nonprismatic Beam on its Free Vibration
Authors: Szybiński Józef , Ruta Piotr
Published: January 2022

This paper presents an analysis of the effect of a “slight” curvature of the axis of a thin-walled beam on its eigenfrequencies and forms. By “slight” we understand such a beam curvature at which no theory of curved beams (arches, horizontally curved girders), but classical beam theory is applied. The subject of the analysis is the open nonprismatic thin-walled beams with any geometrical parameters, and prismatic beams. The thin-walled beam model used in the analysis was derived on the basis of the momentless theory of plates, using the Vlasov assumptions. The free vibrations of the beams were analysed. Calculations were performed for four groups of beams. Each of the groups comprised two beams with the same configuration of flanges and identical geometrical cross section characteristics, but differing in web geometry. One of the beams had a symmetrical web (a beam with a rectilinear axis in the web plane), whereas the web of the other beam was asymmetrical (a beam with its axis curved in the web plane). The algorithm based on Chebyshev polynomials was used to solve the variable coefficient equations describing the model’s vibration. According to this algorithm, solutions are sought in the form of Chebyshev series and the closed analytical recurrence formulas generated by the algorithm are used to calculate the coefficients of the equations. It has been shown that even a “slight” curvature of the beam’s axis has a significant effect on its eigenfrequencies and forms, as confirmed by a comparison of the results with the ones obtained using Finite Element Method (FEM).
Static perfect fluid space-time and paracontact metric geometry
Authors: Prakasha D. G. , Amruthalakshmi M. R. , Veeresha P.
Published: January 2022

The main purpose of this paper is to study and explore some characteristics of static perfect fluid space-time on paracontact metric manifolds. First, we show that if a [Formula: see text]-paracontact manifold [Formula: see text] is the spatial factor of a static perfect fluid space-time, then [Formula: see text] is of constant scalar curvature [Formula: see text] and squared norm of the Ricci operator is given by [Formula: see text]. Next, we prove that if a [Formula: see text]-paracontact metric manifold [Formula: see text] with [Formula: see text] is a spatial factor of static perfect space-time, then for [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text] is flat, and for [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text] is locally isometric to the product of a flat [Formula: see text]-dimensional manifold and an [Formula: see text]-dimensional manifold of constant negative curvature [Formula: see text]. Further, we prove that if a paracontact metric 3-manifold [Formula: see text] with [Formula: see text] is a spatial factor of static perfect space-time, then [Formula: see text] is an Einstein manifold. Finally, a suitable example has been constructed to show the existence of static perfect fluid space-time on paracontact metric manifold.
Modified Yang–Lee theory for nonlocal gravitational potential and their phase transition
Authors: Aráoz Alvarado Carlos , Escamilla-Rivera Celia
Published: January 2022

In this paper, we describe the extension to study the thermodynamics of the structure formation in the large-scale Universe in the nonlocal gravity formalism using standard statistical mechanics. From the derivation of the grand partition function in a modified version of the Yang–Lee theory, we obtained the corresponding thermodynamics properties that can be in consistency with a Bose–Einstein dark matter framework and derive its gravitational phase transition.
Violation of the equivalence principle in curvature-based extended gravity at finite temperature
Authors: Blasone Massimo , Capozziello Salvatore , Lambiase Gaetano , Petruzziello Luciano
Published: January 2022

We review the possible violation of the Equivalence Principle at finite temperature [Formula: see text] in the framework of curvature-based Extended Theories of Gravity. Specifically, we first show how it is possible to derive Equivalence Principle violation from Quantum Field Theory at [Formula: see text]. Subsequently, we exhibit how this result can be precisely recovered by following an alternative path that envisages the employment of generalized Einstein equations with a temperature-dependent energy-momentum tensor. Finally, we adopt the latter formalism in the context of some Extended Gravity models to quantify the amount of Equivalence Principle violation. Specifically, Brans–Dicke Theory, Standard Model Extension and Conformal Gravity are considered in detail.
Silver–Gold Core–Shell Nanoparticles: A Novel Contrast Agent for Tumor Computed Tomography Imaging
Authors: Yang Huiquan , Zhao Jing , Li Dongdong , Cao Yuyu , Li Fan , Ma Jing , Liu Peidang
Published: January 2022

The research aimed to synthesize the polyethylene glycolylated silver–gold core–shell nanoparticles (Ag@Au NPs), and to evaluate their in vitro and in vivo computed tomography (CT) contrast properties. A range of Ag@Au NPs with varying molar ratios of Ag–Au were prepared and characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Ultraviolet-Visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Micro CT was used to evaluate the X-ray attenuation capabilities of Ag@Au NPs with different compositions. The CT imaging effects of Ag@Au NPs with high X-ray attenuation were detected in U87 glioma cells and a mouse subcutaneous glioma model. The characterization results showed that Ag@Au NPs synthesized with different molar percentages of Ag (75%, 50% and 25%) were spherical, and their mean diameters were between 12–16 nm. Ag@Au NPs with an Ag molar percentage of 50% were selected for subsequent research, because of their excellent X-ray attenuation capability, morphology and dispersibility. The attenuation coefficient of glioma cells treated with Ag@Au NPs increased in a concentration-dependent manner. The contrast of the tumor area of the mice was significantly enhanced in CT images after intratumoral injection of Ag@Au NPs. Our results suggested that Ag@Au NPs could be an excellent CT contrast agent, which provided a new thought for the development of highly efficient contrast agents for tumor CT imaging.
Tight Bounds for ℓ
1
Oblivious Subspace Embeddings
Authors: Wang Ruosong , Woodruff David P.
Published: January 2022

An

\ell _p

oblivious subspace embedding is a distribution over

r \times n

matrices

\Pi

such that for any fixed

n \times d

matrix
A
,

\[
\Pr _{\Pi }[\textrm {for all }x, \ \Vert Ax\Vert _p \le \Vert \Pi Ax\Vert _p \le \kappa \Vert Ax\Vert _p] \ge 9/10,
\]

where
r
is the
dimension
of the embedding,

\kappa

is the
distortion
of the embedding, and for an
n
-dimensional vector
y
,

\Vert y\Vert _p = (\sum _{i=1}^n |y_i|^p)^{1/p}

is the

\ell _p

-norm. Another important property is the
sparsity
of

\Pi

, that is, the maximum number of non-zero entries per column, as this determines the running time of computing

\Pi A

. While for

p = 2

there are nearly optimal tradeoffs in terms of the dimension, distortion, and sparsity, for the important case of

1 \le p \lt 2

, much less was known. In this article, we obtain nearly optimal tradeoffs for

\ell _1

oblivious subspace embeddings, as well as new tradeoffs for

1 \lt p \lt 2

. Our main results are as follows:

(1)

We show for every

1 \le p \lt 2

, any oblivious subspace embedding with dimension
r
has distortion

\[
\kappa = \Omega \left(\frac{1}{\left(\frac{1}{d}\right)^{1 / p} \log ^{2 / p}r + \left(\frac{r}{n}\right)^{1 / p - 1 / 2}}\right).
\]

When

r = {\operatorname{poly}}(d) \ll n

in applications, this gives a

\kappa = \Omega (d^{1/p}\log ^{-2/p} d)

lower bound, and shows the oblivious subspace embedding of Sohler and Woodruff (STOC, 2011) for

p = 1

is optimal up to

{\operatorname{poly}}(\log (d))

factors.

(2)

We give sparse oblivious subspace embeddings for every

1 \le p \lt 2

. Importantly, for

p = 1

, we achieve

r = O(d \log d)

,

\kappa = O(d \log d)

and

s = O(\log d)

non-zero entries per column. The best previous construction with

s \le {\operatorname{poly}}(\log d)

is due to Woodruff and Zhang (COLT, 2013), giving

\kappa = \Omega (d^2 {\operatorname{poly}}(\log d))

or

\kappa = \Omega (d^{3/2} \sqrt {\log n} \cdot {\operatorname{poly}}(\log d))

and

r \ge d \cdot {\operatorname{poly}}(\log d)

; in contrast our

r = O(d \log d)

and

\kappa = O(d \log d)

are optimal up to

{\operatorname{poly}}(\log (d))

factors even for dense matrices.

We also give (1)

\ell _p

oblivious subspace embeddings with an expected

1+\varepsilon

number of non-zero entries per column for arbitrarily small

\varepsilon \gt 0

, and (2) the first oblivious subspace embeddings for

1 \le p \lt 2

with

O(1)

-distortion and dimension independent of
n
. Oblivious subspace embeddings are crucial for distributed and streaming environments, as well as entrywise

\ell _p

low-rank approximation. Our results give improved algorithms for these applications.
HeapCheck: Low-cost Hardware Support for Memory Safety
Authors: Saileshwar Gururaj , Boivie Rick , Chen Tong , Segal Benjamin , Buyuktosunoglu Alper
Published: January 2022

Programs written in C/C++ are vulnerable to memory-safety errors like buffer-overflows and use-after-free. While several mechanisms to detect such errors have been previously proposed, they suffer from a variety of drawbacks, including poor performance, imprecise or probabilistic detection of errors, or requiring invasive changes to the ISA, binary-layout, or source-code that results in compatibility issues. As a result, memory-safety errors continue to be hard to detect and a principal cause of security problems.

In this work, we present a minimally invasive and low-cost hardware-based memory-safety checking framework for detecting out-of-bounds accesses and use-after-free errors. The key idea of our mechanism is to re-purpose some of the “unused bits” in a pointer in 64-bit architectures to store an index into a bounds information table that can be used to catch out-bounds errors and use-after-free errors without any change to the binary layout. Using this memory-safety checking framework, we enable HeapCheck, a design for detecting Out-of-bounds and Use-after-free accesses for heap-objects, that are responsible for the majority of memory-safety errors in the wild. Our evaluations using C/C++ SPEC CPU 2017 workloads on Gem5 show that our solution incurs 1.5% slowdown on average, using an 8 KB on-chip SRAM cache for caching bounds-information. Our mechanism allows detection of out-of-bounds errors in user-code as well as in unmodified shared-library functions. Our mechanism has detected out-of-bounds accesses in 87 lines of code in the SPEC CPU 2017 benchmarks, primarily in Glibc v2.27 functions, that, to our knowledge, have not been previously detected even with popular tools like Address Sanitizer.
E-BATCH: Energy-Efficient and High-Throughput RNN Batching
Authors: Silfa Franyell , Arnau Jose Maria , González Antonio
Published: January 2022

Recurrent Neural Network (RNN) inference exhibits low hardware utilization due to the strict data dependencies across time-steps. Batching multiple requests can increase throughput. However, RNN batching requires a large amount of padding since the batched input sequences may vastly differ in length. Schemes that dynamically update the batch every few time-steps avoid padding. However, they require executing different RNN layers in a short time span, decreasing energy efficiency. Hence, we propose E-BATCH, a low-latency and energy-efficient batching scheme tailored to RNN accelerators. It consists of a runtime system and effective hardware support. The runtime concatenates multiple sequences to create large batches, resulting in substantial energy savings. Furthermore, the accelerator notifies it when the evaluation of an input sequence is done. Hence, a new input sequence can be immediately added to a batch, thus largely reducing the amount of padding. E-BATCH dynamically controls the number of time-steps evaluated per batch to achieve the best trade-off between latency and energy efficiency for the given hardware platform. We evaluate E-BATCH on top of E-PUR and TPU. E-BATCH improves throughput by 1.8× and energy efficiency by 3.6× in E-PUR, whereas in TPU, it improves throughput by 2.1× and energy efficiency by 1.6×, over the state-of-the-art.