bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Deep learning for automated glaucomatous optic neuropathy detection from ultra-widefield fundus images
Authors: Li Zhongwen , Guo Chong , Lin Duoru , Nie Danyao , Zhu Yi , Chen Chuan , Zhao Lanqin , Wang Jinghui , Zhang Xulin , Dongye Meimei , Wang Dongni , Xu Fabao , Jin Chenjin , Zhang Ping , Han Yu , Yan Pisong , Han Ying , Lin Haotian
Published: September 2020

Background/Aims

To develop a deep learning system for automated glaucomatous optic neuropathy (GON) detection using ultra-widefield fundus (UWF) images.

Methods

We trained, validated and externally evaluated a deep learning system for GON detection based on 22 972 UWF images from 10 590 subjects that were collected at 4 different institutions in China and Japan. The InceptionResNetV2 neural network architecture was used to develop the system. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), sensitivity and specificity were used to assess the performance of detecting GON by the system. The data set from the Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center (ZOC) was selected to compare the performance of the system to that of ophthalmologists who mainly conducted UWF image analysis in clinics.

Results

The system for GON detection achieved AUCs of 0.983–0.999 with sensitivities of 97.5–98.2% and specificities of 94.3–98.4% in four independent data sets. The most common reasons for false-negative results were confounding optic disc characteristics caused by high myopia or pathological myopia (n=39 (53%)). The leading cause for false-positive results was having other fundus lesions (n=401 (96%)). The performance of the system in the ZOC data set was comparable to that of an experienced ophthalmologist (p>0.05).

Conclusion

Our deep learning system can accurately detect GON from UWF images in an automated fashion. It may be used as a screening tool to improve the accessibility of screening and promote the early diagnosis and management of glaucoma.
Health and human rights are inextricably linked in the COVID-19 response
Authors: Sekalala Sharifah , Forman Lisa , Habibi Roojin , Meier Benjamin Mason
Published: September 2020

To mitigate the spread of COVID-19, governments throughout the world have introduced emergency measures that constrain individual freedoms, social and economic rights and global solidarity. These regulatory measures have closed schools, workplaces and transit systems, cancelled public gatherings, introduced mandatory home confinement and deployed large-scale electronic surveillance. In doing so, human rights obligations are rarely addressed, despite how significantly they are impacted by the pandemic response. The norms and principles of human rights should guide government responses to COVID-19, with these rights strengthening the public health response to COVID-19.
Long-term sequelae secondary to snakebite envenoming: a single centre retrospective study in a Costa Rican paediatric hospital
Authors: Brenes-Chacon Helena , Gutierrez Jose M , Camacho-Badilla Kattia , Soriano-Fallas Alejandra , Ulloa-Gutierrez Rolando , Valverde Kattia , Avila-Aguero María Luisa
Published: September 2020

Objectives

Although devastating acute effects associated with snake envenoming are well described, the long-term sequelae resulting from these envenomings have not been adequately addressed, especially in the paediatric population. The aim of our study is to describe the clinical characteristics among paediatric patients in Costa Rica who developed long-term sequelae secondary to snakebite envenoming.

Design

Retrospective descriptive study of paediatric patients under 13 years who were admitted with a history of a recent snakebite at the National Children’s Hospital in Costa Rica from January 2001 to December 2014.

Results

We enrolled 74 patients admitted to our centre due to envenoming, and separated those who did not develop sequelae (50 patients) from those who did (24 patients). Of those who presented acute complications during hospitalisation, local wound infection and clinically diagnosed compartmental syndrome were significantly higher in the group that developed sequelae thereafter. Hypertrophic scars (66.7%), functional limitation of affected limb (37.5%) and the need of skin graft (37.5%) were the most common sequelae. The median follow-up of patients with long-term sequelae after discharge was 25.4 months (5.6–59.4). No deaths were reported during this time period.

Conclusions

Given the high economic, personal and healthcare burden that entails follow-up of these patients, efforts should be carried out to prevent the factors associated with sequelae among the affected population.
Biallelic variant in cyclin B3 is associated with failure of maternal meiosis II and recurrent digynic triploidy
Authors: Fatemi Nayeralsadat , Salehi Najmeh , Pignata Laura , Palumbo Pietro , Cubellis Maria Vittoria , Ramazanali Fariba , Ray Pierre , Varkiani Maryam , Reyhani-Sabet Fakhreddin , Biglari Alireza , Sparago Angela , Acurzio Basilia , Palumbo Orazio , Carella Massimo , Riccio Andrea , Totonchi Mehdi
Published: September 2020

Background

Triploidy is one of the most common chromosome abnormalities affecting human gestation and accounts for an important fraction of first-trimester miscarriages. Triploidy has been demonstrated in a few cases of recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) but its molecular mechanisms are unknown. This study aims to identify the genetic cause of RPL associated with fetus triploidy.

Methods

We investigated genomic imprinting, genotyped sequence-tagged site (STS) markers and performed exome sequencing in a family including two sisters with RPL. Moreover, we evaluated oocyte maturation in vivo and in vitro and effect of the candidate protein variant in silico.

Results

While features of hydatidiform mole were excluded, the presence of triploidy of maternal origin was demonstrated in the fetuses. Oocyte maturation was deficient and all the maternally inherited pericentromeric STS alleles were homozygous in the fetuses. A deleterious missense variant (p.V1251D) of the cyclin B3 gene (CCNB3) affecting a residue conserved in placental mammals and located in a region that can interact with the cyclin-dependent kinase 1 or cyclin-dependent kinase 2 cosegregated in homozygosity with RPL.

Conclusion

Here, we report a family in which a damaging variant in cyclin B3 is associated with the failure of oocyte meiosis II and recurrent fetus triploidy, implicating a rationale for CCNB3 testing in RPL.
Benzene-associated immunosuppression and chronic inflammation in humans: a systematic review
Authors: Guo Helen , Ahn Stacy , Zhang Luoping
Published: September 2020

Objective

Recent evidence has accumulated that the immune system is intimately intertwined with cancer development. Two key characteristics of carcinogens in which the immune system plays a central role are chronic inflammation and immunosuppression. In this systematic review, we investigated the association of chronic inflammatory and immunosuppressive outcomes with benzene, a widely used industrial chemical. Benzene has been confirmed to cause acute myeloid leukaemia and suspected to cause non-Hodgkin lymphoma, two cancers of the blood-forming system that affect immune cells.

Methods

We systematically searched PubMed and Embase for all relevant studies using a combination of Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) and selected key words. The detailed review protocol, including search strategy, was registered with PROSPERO, the international prospective register of systematic reviews (#CRD42019138611).

Results

Based on all human studies selected in the final review, we report new evidence of a benzene-induced immunosuppressive effect on theadaptiveimmune system and activation of theinnateimmune system to cause inflammation. In particular, benzene significantly lowers the number of white blood cells, particularly lymphocytes such as CD4+T-cells, B-cells and natural killer cells, and increases proinflammatory biomarkers at low levels of exposure.

Conclusion

To the best of our knowledge, this is the first comprehensive review of benzene’s immunotoxicity in humans. Based on results obtained from this review, we propose two potential immunotoxic mechanisms of how benzene induces leukaemia/lymphoma: (1) cancer invasion caused by proinflammatory cytokine production, and (2) cancer promotion via impaired immunosurveillance. Further studies will be required to confirm the connection between benzene exposure and its effects on the immune system.
Pocket pain, does location matter: a single-centre retrospective study of patients implanted with a spinal cord stimulator
Authors: Baranidharan Ganesan , Bretherton Beatrice , Richert Gemma , Kay Thomas , Marsh Nathan , Roberts Bethan , Romanis Charlotte
Published: September 2020

Objectives

Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) is an effective therapy for alleviating pain but reported complication rates vary between healthcare centers. This study explored the prevalence of pain associated with Implantable Pulse Generators (IPGs), the component that powers the SCS system.

Methods

This was a retrospective, single site study analyzing data from 764 patients who had a fully implanted SCS between September 2013 and March 2020. Demographic data were collected together with IPG site and type, patient reported presence of IPG site pain, revisions, explants and baseline scores for neuropathic pain (using the Self-Administered Leeds Assessment of Neuropathic Symptoms and Signs questionnaire). Data were statistically analyzed by one-way analysis of variance, independent sample t-tests, X2tests of independence and logistic regression modeling.

Results

IPG site pain occurred in 127 (17%) of 764 patients. These patients had higher baseline neuropathic pain scores than those who reported no IPG site pain. This complication was more common in females than males. The lowest rates of IPG site pain occurred after posterior chest wall placement and the highest rates occurred after abdominal implants. 7% of patients had revision surgery for IPG site pain (n=55) and 10 of 95 explanted patients stated that IPG site pain was a secondary influencing factor.

Conclusions

These findings suggest that IPG site pain is a common complication, contributing to SCS revisions and explantation. This study shows that anatomical factors and baseline characteristics of individual patients may contribute to IPG site pain and indicates that exploration of potential factors leading to IPG revision is required.
Human alphaherpesvirus 2 (HSV-2) among female sex workers from Brazil: cross-sectional study using respondent-driven sampling
Authors: Lima Lyana Rodrigues Pinto , Almeida Nathália Alves Araujo , Horta Marco Aurélio Pereira , Belo Vinicius S , da Silva Alexandre Santos , Capelin Gina Jonasson Mousquer , Fernandes Fernanda Rodas Pires , Puga Marco Antonio Moreira , Rezende Grazielli Rocha de , Tanaka Tayana Serpa Ortiz , Castro Lisie Souza , Motta-Castro Ana Rita Coimbra , de Paula Vanessa Salete
Published: September 2020

Objective

Female sex workers (FSWs) are vulnerable to human alphaherpesvirus 2 (HSV-2) infection due to their high numbers of sexual partners. The objective of this study was to evaluate the seroprevalence and risk behaviours associated with HSV-2.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted in Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. A total of 376 FSWs were recruited by respondent-driven sampling (RDS) methodology and answered an epidemiological questionnaire. Blood samples were collected to test for HSV-2 antibodies using commercial ELISA and for HSV-2 DNA using real-time PCR.

Results

The seropositivity was 47.3% (178/376) for HSV-2 IgG and 10.1% (38/376) for HSV-2 IgM. HSV-2 viraemia was detected in two infected FSWs with primary infections. In bivariate and multivariate analyses, the OR for HSV-2 IgG increased with age (OR=2.53–7.90, OR=2.66–6.37) and the number of sexual partners (OR=2.30–3.25). On the other hand, daily alcohol consumption (OR=0.10) and the use of condoms during the last intercourse (OR=0.47) were protective factors against HSV-2 acquisition.

Conclusion

Despite the impact of FSWs in public health policies with the dissemination of sexually transmitted infections, there have been few studies performed regarding the prevalence of HSV-2 in Brazil, making it difficult to implement any control or preventative measures. The results produced here using an RDS methodology demonstrated a high prevalence, risk behaviours and primary infection among the FSWs. These results reinforce the need to implement control and preventative measures for HSV-2 infection in this population.
Dissolution of cholelithiasis in a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel receiving conservative management with ursodeoxycholic acid
Authors: Allan Frederik , McCallum Katie Elizabeth , Genain Marie‐Aude , Harris Benjamin John , Watson Penny J
Published: September 2020

A six‐year‐old female neutered Cavalier King Charles Spaniel presented with recurrent diarrhoea, intermittent vomiting and anorexia. She was diagnosed with partially obstructive cholelithiasis with concurrent suspected chronic pancreatitis based on abdominal ultrasonography and blood biochemistry. The dog responded to conservative management with ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA), paracetamol and a low‐fat diet with resolution of clinical signs attributable to obstructive cholelithiasis and near‐complete dissolution of the cholelith at follow‐up eight months after presentation. In human medicine, UDCA has been reported to be effective in cholelith dissolution, prevention of cholelith formation and resolution of clinical signs due to cholelithiasis but the non‐surgical literature in veterinary medicine is limited. To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first reported case of dissolution of a cholelith in a dog receiving conservative management.
Cardiac electrophysiological effects of ibuprofen in dog and rabbit ventricular preparations: possible implication to enhanced proarrhythmic risk
Authors: Pászti Bence , Prorok János , Magyar Tibor , Árpádffy-Lovas Tamás , Györe Balázs , Topál Leila , Gazdag Péter , Szlovák Jozefina , Naveed Muhammad , Jost Norbert , Nagy Norbert , Varró András , Virág László , Koncz István
Published: September 2020

Ibuprofen is a widely used nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug, which has recently been associated with increased cardiovascular risk, but its electrophysiological effects have not yet been properly studied in isolated cardiac preparations. We studied the effects of ibuprofen on action potential characteristics and several transmembrane ionic currents using the conventional microelectrode technique and the whole-cell configuration of the patch-clamp technique on cardiac preparations and enzymatically isolated ventricular myocytes. In dog (200 µM; n = 6) and rabbit (100 µM; n = 7) papillary muscles, ibuprofen moderately but significantly prolonged repolarization at 1 Hz stimulation frequency. In dog Purkinje fibers, repolarization was abbreviated and maximal rate of depolarization was depressed in a frequency-dependent manner. Levofloxacin (40 µM) alone did not alter repolarization, but augmented the ibuprofen-evoked repolarization lengthening in rabbit preparations (n = 7). In dog myocytes, ibuprofen (250 µM) did not significantly influence IK1, but decreased the amplitude of Ito and IKr potassium currents by 28.2% (60 mV) and 15.2% (20 mV), respectively. Ibuprofen also depressed INaL and ICa currents by 19.9% and 16.4%, respectively. We conclude that ibuprofen seems to be free from effects on action potential parameters at lower concentrations. However, at higher concentrations it may alter repolarization reserve, contributing to the observed proarrhythmic risk in patients.
Capillary rise and evaporation of a liquid in a corner between a plane and a cylinder: A model of imbibition into a nanofiber mat coating
Authors: Ghillani Noemi , Heinz Michael , Gambaryan-Roisman Tatiana
Published: September 2020

Wetting of surfaces with porous coating is relevant for a wide variety of technical applications, such as printing technologies and heat transfer enhancement. Imbibition and evaporation of liquids on surfaces covered with porous layers are responsible for significant improvement of cooling efficiency during drop impact cooling and flow boiling on such surfaces. Up to now, no reliable model exists which is able to predict the kinetics of imbibition coupled with evaporation on surfaces with porous coatings. In this work, we consider one of possible mechanisms of imbibition on a substrate covered by a nanofiber mat. This is the capillary pressure-driven flow in a corner formed between a flat substrate and a fiber attached to it. The shape and the area of the cross-section occupied by the liquid as well as the capillary pressure change along the flow direction. A theoretical/numerical model of simultaneous imbibition and evaporation is developed, in which viscosity, surface tension and evaporation are taken into account. At the beginning of the process the imbibition length is proportional to the square root of time, in agreement with the Lucas-Washburn law. As the influence of evaporation becomes significant, the imbibition rate decreases. The model predictions are compared with experimental data for imbibition of water-ethanol mixtures into nanofiber mat coatings.
Interaction between an aerodynamically driven, wall-bound drop and a single groove
Authors: Seiler Patrick M. , Roisman Ilia V. , Tropea Cameron
Published: September 2020

The interaction between an air-driven, wall-bound drop and a groove in the wall of a channel flow has been investigated experimentally using a high-speed video system. Three major outcomes of drop interaction with the groove are observed: (i) the drop passes over the groove, (ii) the drop is immediately fully captured in the groove or (iii) the drop is captured after first wetting the rear side of the groove. The mechanisms leading to these different outcomes are governed by the aerodynamic drag force, by inertial and gravity forces, and by the adhesion force associated with the substrate wettability. A threshold condition for drop capture is developed, based on the ratio of the typical time for drop passage over the groove to the time for the drop to be sucked into the groove. It has been shown that the probability for drop capture increases for higher Bond numbers.
Analysis of MHD slightly rarefied gas flow over a permeable stretching surface based on second-order velocity slip
Authors: El-Khatib Mostafa , Megahed Ahmed M.
Published: September 2020

In this paper, a steady solution is presented for the equations that represent the MHD rarefied gas fluid flow and heat transfer due to a permeable stretching sheet with second-order velocity slip and thermal slip phenomenon. By using nondimensional transformations, the system of partial differential equations governing the problem is transformed into another system of nonlinear ordinary differential another equations. Novel solutions are investigated for the resulting ordinary differential equation which describe the momentum equation. The numerical results obtained agreed very well with previously reported cases available in the literature. Additionally, the effects of the magnetic parameter, first- and second-order velocity slip parameter, conductivity parameter, thermal slip parameter and the suction (injection) parameter on both the velocity and temperature profiles and on the local skin-friction coefficient are discussed and presented through tables and graphs.
Ginsenoside Rb1 Ameliorates Age-Related Myocardial Dysfunction by Regulating the NF-κB Signaling Pathway
Authors: Ke Shi-Ye , Liu Ding-Hui , Wu Lin , Yu Xian-Guan , Wang Min , Shi Guang-Yao , Wen Ren-Hui , Zhou Bin , Hao Bao-Shun , Liu Yong , Zhu Jie-Ming , Qian Xiao-Xian
Published: September 2020

Age-related myocardial dysfunction is a very large healthcare burden. Here, we aimed to investigate whether ginsenoside Rb1 (Rb1) improves age-related myocardial dysfunction and to identify the relevant molecular mechanism. Young mice and aged mice were injected with Rb1 or vehicle for 3 months. Then, their cardiac function was inspected by transthoracic echocardiography. Serum and myocardium tissue were collected from all mice for histological or molecular expression analyses, including aging-related proteins, markers relevant to fibrosis and inflammation, and markers indicating the activation of the nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-[Formula: see text]B) pathway. Compared with the control condition, Rb1 treatment significantly increased the ejection fraction percentage and significantly decreased the internal diameter and volume of the left ventricle at the end-systolic and end-diastolic phases in aged mice. Rb1 treatment reduced collagen deposition and collagen I, collagen III, and transforming growth factor-[Formula: see text]1 protein expression levels in aged hearts. Rb1 also decreased the aging-induced myocardial inflammatory response, as measured by serum or myocardial interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor-[Formula: see text] levels. Furthermore, Rb1 treatment in aged mice increased cytoplasmic NF-[Formula: see text]B but decreased nuclear NF-[Formula: see text]B, which indicated the suppression of the NF-[Formula: see text]B signaling pathway by regulating the translocation of NF-[Formula: see text]B. Rb1 could alleviate aging-related myocardial dysfunction by suppressing fibrosis and inflammation, which is potentially associated with regulation of the NF-[Formula: see text]B signaling pathway.
Lipophilic Extract and Tanshinone IIA Derived from Salvia miltiorrhiza Attenuate Uric Acid Nephropathy through Suppressing Oxidative Stress-Activated MAPK Pathways
Authors: Zhang Xiao-Wei , Zhou Mei , An Lin , Zhang Ping , Li Ping , Chen Jun
Published: September 2020

Uric acid nephropathy (UAN) is caused by excessive uric acid, which results in the damage of renal tissue via urate crystals deposition in the kidneys. The roots and rhizomes of Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge (S. miltiorrhiza) have been clinically used in many prescriptions to treat uric acid-induced renal damage. This study investigates the uricosuric and nephroprotective effects of the ethyl acetate extract of S. miltiorrhiza (EASM) and tanshinone IIA (a major component of S. miltiorrhiza, Tan-IIA) on UAN and explores the underlying molecular mechanism. Both EASM and Tan-IIA significantly decreased serum uric acid (SUA), serum creatinine (SCR), urine uric acid (UUA), and increased urine creatinine (UCR), and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) levels in experimental UAN mice. In adenine and potassium oxonate-induced mice, EASM and Tan-IIA treatment alleviated renal dysfunction and downregulated the expression of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS). Moreover, EASM treatment significantly prevented excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS) production in uric acid-induced HK-2 cells and suppressed the expression of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidase 4 (NOX4). EASM also suppressed ROS-activated mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) in vivo and in vitro. These results suggest that both EASM and Tan-IIA demonstrated inhibitory effects on UAN through relieving NOX4-mediated oxidative stress and suppressing MAPK pathways activation.
Study on Low-Carbon Supply Chain Coordination Considering Reference Emission Reduction Effect
Authors: Yao Fanjun , Gao Hongwei , Jiang Hui , Zhou Yunxu
Published: September 2020

This paper documents the first attempt to apply the differential game theory for investigating some properties of a low-carbon supply chain coordination by employing the cost-sharing mechanism. The manufacturer is the brand owner and the corresponding low-carbon goodwill is increased with respect to the reference emission reduction effect and consumption promotion. Three dynamic games are well-studied by considering the multiple effects of price and non-price factors on the market. It can be observed that the manufacturer always prefers to employ the coordination mechanism. When the manufacturer opts for a cost-sharing program, the manufacturer and retailer under Model-D are always economically better off, and therefore a cost-sharing program is always profit-Pareto-improving.
Decision-Making of Closed-Loop Supply Chain Strategic Alliance Considering the Quality Level of Remanufactured Products and Patent Protection
Authors: Cao Xiaogang , Wu Hui , Wen Hui , Chen Kebing
Published: September 2020

In this paper, a closed-loop supply chain consisting of a manufacturer, a retailer and a third-party remanufacturer responsible for collecting used products and remanufacturing is constructed. Considering the quality level of remanufactured products, four kinds of closed-loop supply chain alliance structure models are constructed. The optimal equilibrium decisions of these four models are compared and analyzed. The optimal decisions of the models are verified by numerical analysis. Furthermore, the impacts of the quality of remanufactured products and the decision influence of the third-party remanufacturer in the alliance on the remanufacturer’s decision are further analyzed. The results show that remanufactured products are competitive with new products, and the improvement of the remanufactured product quality will reduce the market demand of new products. The equilibrium decision of the closed-loop supply chain is affected by the alliance behavior of members in the closed-loop supply chain and the quality level of remanufactured products. The higher the decision concentration of the closed-loop supply chain is, the more favorable the supply chain is; the higher the remanufacturing quality level is, the more favorable the supply chain is, and the alliance decision of the third-party remanufacturer is affected by the quality level of remanufactured products and the decision-making influence of the third-party remanufacturer in the alliance structure. We find that the improvement of the concentration degree of closed-loop supply chain decision can benefit the supply chain by improving the remanufacturing quality level, which has direct effect on the alliance decision of the third-party remanufacturer. In most cases, the choice of the alliance is the dominant decision of the third-party remanufacturer.
Radicals in differential polynomial rings
Authors: Baeck Jongwook , Kim Nam Kyun , Lee Yang
Published: September 2020

In this paper, we present new characterizations of several radicals of differential polynomial rings, including the Levitzki radical, strongly prime radical, and uniformly strongly prime radical in terms of the related [Formula: see text]-radical.
Locally finite p-groups with a left 3-Engel element whose normal closure is not nilpotent
Authors: Hadjievangelou Anastasia , Noce Marialaura , Traustason Gunnar
Published: September 2020

For any odd prime [Formula: see text], we give an example of a locally finite [Formula: see text]-group [Formula: see text] containing a left 3-Engel element [Formula: see text] where [Formula: see text] is not nilpotent.
Possible dual bubble-like structure predicted by the relativistic Hartree–Bogoliubov model
Authors: Åberg Sven , Yadav Akhilesh , Shukla A.
Published: September 2020

Experimental observation of [Formula: see text]Si as a proton bubble nuclei has heated up the interest in the study of exotic bubble shaped nuclei. In this work, some of the potential doubly bubble-like (for proton as well as neutron both simultaneously) cases have been explored using relativistic Hartree–Bogoliubov (RHB) in light mass region, specially around N or [Formula: see text]. Further, the role of pairing and the evolution of new shell gaps around [Formula: see text] or [Formula: see text] and 34 have been investigated, as one moves toward drip lines. This study suggests that the occupancies/vacancies of neutron/proton orbitals for lower angular momentum state plays major role in nuclear structure to create bubble-like structure and [Formula: see text]O[Formula: see text], [Formula: see text]Mg8 and [Formula: see text]Si[Formula: see text] may have dual bubble-like structures.
Different folding models for 6Li+28Si elastic scattering
Authors: Ibraheem Awad A. , El-Azab Farid M. , El-Rahman Eman Abd , Mahmoud Zakaria M. M. , Mokhtar Sherif R.
Published: September 2020

In this work, the elastic scattering of 6Li+[Formula: see text]Si system at wide range energies from 76 to 318[Formula: see text]MeV is analyzed. The analysis is carried out in the framework of the optical model (OM). Two different methods are adopted for nuclear optical potential of this system. The first method is the double folding cluster (DFC) for the real part supplied with an imaginary part in the Woods–Saxon (WS) form. In the second one, the double folding (DF) model based upon São Paulo potential (SPP) is used as real and imaginary parts each multiplied by a corresponding normalization factor. For [Formula: see text]Si, the full [Formula: see text]-cluster density is considered while the [Formula: see text]-deuteron ([Formula: see text]–[Formula: see text]) structure is considered for 6Li. Therefore, the DFC real central part is calculated by folding both [Formula: see text]–[Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text]–[Formula: see text] effective interaction between target and nuclei over the cluster densities of the target and projectile. The derived renormalized potentials give a successful description of the data. The present results are in good agreement with the previous work. This agreement confirms the validity of the present methods to generate nucleus–nucleus optical potentials.
Regularity of structure sheaves of varieties with isolated singularities
Authors: Moraga Joaquín , Park Jinhyung , Song Lei
Published: September 2020

Let [Formula: see text] be a non-degenerate normal projective variety of codimension [Formula: see text] and degree [Formula: see text] with isolated [Formula: see text]-Gorenstein singularities. We prove that the Castelnuovo–Mumford regularity [Formula: see text], as predicted by the Eisenbud–Goto regularity conjecture. Such a bound fails for general projective varieties by a recent result of McCullough–Peeva. The main techniques are Noma’s classification of non-degenerate projective varieties and Nadel vanishing for multiplier ideals. We also classify the extremal and the next to extremal cases.
Dual curves associated with the Bonnet ruled surfaces
Authors: Çı̇mdı̇ker Aslan Muradı̇ye , Aydın Şekerci̇ Gülşah
Published: September 2020

An interest problem arises to determine the surfaces in the Euclidean three space, which admit at least one nontrivial isometry that preserves the principal curvatures. This leads to a class of surface known as a Bonnet surface. The intention of this study is to examine a Bonnet ruled surface in dual space and to calculate the dual geodesic trihedron of the dual curve associated with the Bonnet ruled surface and derivative equations of this trihedron by the dual geodesic curvature. Also, we find that the dual curvature, the dual torsion for the dual curves associated with the Bonnet ruled surface which are different from any dual curves. Moreover, some examples are obtained about the Bonnet ruled surface.
Experimental Evaluation of Window-Type Air-Conditioning Unit with New Expansion Device and R404A Alternative Refrigerant
Authors: Al-Sayyab Ali K. Shaker
Published: September 2020

In this study, the performance of a window-type air-conditioning unit with an alternative, ozone-friendly refrigerant was enhanced by incorporating a nozzle instead of a capillary tube as an expansion device. An experimental evaluation was adopted on a 1.5 RT window-type air-conditioning unit with a controlled environmental zone. According to operating conditions, an ANSYS-Fluent program was used to predict an appropriate nozzle size for a lower pressure ratio. The refrigeration cycle model was simulated using the Engineering Equation Solver (EES).27 The results showed that using a nozzle of 30[Formula: see text]mm length and inner and outer diameters of 9 and 2[Formula: see text]mm, respectively instead of the capillary tube with R404A reduces compressor power consumption by 7.7% and increases the coefficient of performance (COP) by 7.4%.
A Hybrid GFDM–SBM Solver for Acoustic Radiation and Propagation of Thin Plate Structure Under Shallow Sea Environment
Authors: Xi Qiang , Fu Zhuojia , Li Yudong , Huang He
Published: September 2020

This paper makes the first attempt to propose a novel hybrid collocation solver based on the generalized finite difference method (GFDM) and singular boundary method (SBM) to analyze underwater acoustic radiation and propagation around the thin plate structures excited by simple harmonic force under shallow sea environment. In the proposed hybrid solver, the meshless GFDM is employed to obtain the fluid–structure coupling vibration response of thin plate structure, and then the SBM with Pekeris waveguide Green function is used to calculate the external acoustic field of thin plate structure. The simplified Price–Wu boundary condition is adopted on the surface of plate structure to connect the computational domains between the GFDM and SBM. Three benchmark examples are carried out to demonstrate the accuracy and efficiency of the proposed hybrid GFDM–SBM solver in comparison with the COMSOL simulation for computing underwater acoustic wave fields around the thin plate structures under shallow sea environment.
Initiation mechanism and quantitative mass movement analysis of the 2019 Shuicheng catastrophic landslide
Authors: Zhou Jia-wen , Li Hai-bo , Lu Gong-da , Zhou Yue , Zhang Jie-yuan , Fan Gang
Published: September 2020

The 2019 Shuicheng landslide was a typical landslide in that failure occurred in the slope deposits and there was a close correlation with the antecedent rainfall. The initiation mechanism was analysed using field investigations, laboratory tests and numerical simulations and the characteristics of mass movement were quantitatively assessed. The numerical results indicated that the infiltration of rainfall decreased the shear resistance of the slope and increased the pore water pressure and soil weight, resulting in a large deformation of the slope and a gradual deterioration in its stability. After saturation, as the pore water pressure coefficient (
r
u
) approached 0.3, the overall safety factor decreased to 1 and failure eventually occurred. Quantitative mass assessment showed that the unique terrain aggravated the erosion and entrainment effects and that the inclusion of loose material and water promoted the movement of the debris avalanche by changing it into a fluidized state, resulting in a much larger landslide volume with a long runout distance. As a result, the volume of the failed mass, which was calculated by an unmanned aerial vehicle and terrestrial laser scanning modelling techniques to be
c.
4.7 × 10
5
 m
3
in the source area, almost quadrupled to >2.0 × 10
6
 m
3
.
Feasibility study of collective heating and cooling based on foundation pile heat exchangers in Vejle (Denmark)
Authors: Cerra D. , Alberdi-Pagola M. , Andersen T.R. , Tordrup K.W. , Poulsen S.E.
Published: September 2020

We assess the feasibility of a collective district heating and cooling network based on a foundation pile heat exchanger in a new urban area in Vejle, Denmark. A thermogeological model for the area is developed based on geophysical investigations and borehole information. In tandem with a building energy demand model, the subsurface thermal properties serve as the input for a newly developed computational temperature model for collective heating and cooling with energy piles. The purpose of the model is to estimate the long-term performance and maximum liveable area that the energy piles are able to support. We consider two case studies where residential and office buildings dominate the building mass. We find that three to four floors can be supplied with heating and cooling from the energy piles, depending on the use and design of the buildings.
Universally Composable Security
Authors: Canetti Ran
Published: September 2020

This work presents a general framework for describing cryptographic protocols and analyzing their security. The framework allows specifying the security requirements of practically any cryptographic task in a unified and systematic way. Furthermore, in this framework the security of protocols is preserved under a general composition operation, called universal composition. The proposed framework with its security-preserving composition operation allows for modular design and analysis of complex cryptographic protocols from simpler building blocks. Moreover, within this framework, protocols are guaranteed to maintain their security in any context, even in the presence of an unbounded number of arbitrary protocol sessions that run concurrently in an adversarially controlled manner. This is a useful guarantee, which allows arguing about the security of cryptographic protocols in complex and unpredictable environments such as modern communication networks.
Fine-Grained Privacy Detection with Graph-Regularized Hierarchical Attentive Representation Learning
Authors: Chen Xiaolin , Song Xuemeng , Ren Ruiyang , Zhu Lei , Cheng Zhiyong , Nie Liqiang
Published: September 2020

Due to the complex and dynamic environment of social media, user generated contents (UGCs) may inadvertently leak users’ personal aspects, such as the personal attributes, relationships and even the health condition, and thus place users at high privacy risks. Limited research efforts, thus far, have been dedicated to the privacy detection from users’ unstructured data (i.e., UGCs). Moreover, existing efforts mainly focus on applying conventional machine learning techniques directly to traditional hand-crafted privacy-oriented features, ignoring the powerful representing capability of the advanced neural networks. In light of this, in this article, we present a fine-grained privacy detection network (GrHA) equipped with graph-regularized hierarchical attentive representation learning. In particular, the proposed GrHA explores the semantic correlations among personal aspects with graph convolutional networks to enhance the regularization for the UGC representation learning, and, hence, fulfil effective fine-grained privacy detection. Extensive experiments on a real-world dataset demonstrate the superiority of the proposed model over state-of-the-art competitors in terms of eight standard metrics. As a byproduct, we have released the codes and involved parameters to facilitate the research community.
dWatch
Authors: Xing Tianzhang , Wang Qing , Wu Chase Q. , Xi Wei , Chen Xiaojiang
Published: September 2020

Drowsiness detection is critical to driver safety, considering thousands of deaths caused by drowsy driving annually. Professional equipment is capable of providing high detection accuracy, but the high cost limits their applications in practice. The use of mobile devices such as smart watches and smart phones holds the promise of providing a more convenient, practical, non-invasive method for drowsiness detection. In this article, we propose a real-time driver drowsiness detection system based on mobile devices, referred to as dWatch, which combines physiological measurements with motion states of a driver to achieve high detection accuracy and low power consumption. Specifically, based on heart rate measurements, we design different methods for calculating heart rate variability (HRV) and sensing yawn actions, respectively, which are combined with steering wheel motion features extracted from motion sensors for drowsiness detection. We also design a driving posture detection algorithm to control the operation of the heart rate sensor to reduce system power consumption. Extensive experimental results show that the proposed system achieves a detection accuracy up to 97.1% and reduces energy consumption by 33%.
Point-Width and Max-CSPs
Authors: Carbonnel Clément , Romero Miguel , Živný Stanislav
Published: September 2020

The complexity of (unbounded-arity) Max-CSPs under structural restrictions is poorly understood. The two most general hypergraph properties known to ensure tractability of Max-CSPs,
β
-acyclicity and bounded (incidence) MIM-width, are incomparable and lead to very different algorithms.

We introduce the framework of point decompositions for hypergraphs and use it to derive a new sufficient condition for the tractability of (structurally restricted) Max-CSPs, which generalises both bounded MIM-width and
β
-acyclicity. On the way, we give a new characterisation of bounded MIM-width and discuss other hypergraph properties which are relevant to the complexity of Max-CSPs, such as
β
-hypertreewidth.
Ultra-wideband Concurrent Ranging
Authors: Corbalán Pablo , Picco Gian Pietro
Published: September 2020

We propose a novel
concurrent ranging
technique for distance estimation with ultra-wideband (UWB) radios. Conventional schemes assume that the necessary packet exchanges occur in isolation to avoid collisions. Concurrent ranging relies on the
overlapping
of replies from nearby responders to the same ranging request issued by an initiator node. As UWB transmissions rely on short pulses, the individual times of arrival can be discriminated by examining the channel impulse response (CIR) of the initiator transceiver. By ranging against
N
responders with a
single
, concurrent exchange, our technique drastically abates network overhead, enabling higher ranging frequency with lower latency and energy consumption w.r.t. conventional schemes.

Concurrent ranging can be implemented with a strawman approach requiring minimal changes to standard schemes. Nevertheless, we empirically show that this limits the attainable accuracy, reliability, and therefore applicability. We identify the main challenges in realizing concurrent ranging without dedicated hardware and tackle them by contributing several techniques, used in synergy in our prototype based on the popular DW1000 transceiver. Our evaluation, with static targets and a mobile robot, confirms that concurrent ranging reliably achieves decimeter-level distance and position accuracy, comparable to conventional schemes but at a fraction of the network and energy cost.
Explaining Text Matching on Neural Natural Language Inference
Authors: Kim Youngwoo , Jang Myungha , Allan James
Published: September 2020

Natural language inference (NLI) is the task of detecting the existence of entailment or contradiction in a given sentence pair. Although NLI techniques could help numerous information retrieval tasks, most solutions for NLI are neural approaches whose lack of interpretability prohibits both straightforward integration and diagnosis for further improvement. We target the task of generating token-level explanations for NLI from a neural model. Many existing approaches for token-level explanation are either computationally costly or require additional annotations for training. In this article, we first introduce a novel method for training an explanation generator that does not require additional human labels. Instead, the explanation generator is trained with the objective of predicting how the model’s classification output will change when parts of the inputs are modified. Second, we propose to build an explanation generator in a multi-task learning setting along with the original NLI task so the explanation generator can utilize the model’s internal behavior. The experiment results suggest that the proposed explanation generator outperforms numerous strong baselines. In addition, our method does not require excessive additional computation at prediction time, which renders it an order of magnitude faster than the best-performing baseline.
Hypoxia-inducible factor-1 mediates pancreatic β-cell dysfunction by intermittent hypoxia
Authors: Wang Ning , Shi Xue-Feng , Khan Shakil A. , Wang Benjamin , Semenza Gregg L. , Prabhakar Nanduri R. , Nanduri Jayasri
Published: September 2020

The role of hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-1 in pancreatic β-cell response to intermittent hypoxia (IH) was examined. Studies were performed on adult wild-type (WT), HIF-1α heterozygous (HET), β-cell-specific HIF-1−/− mice and mouse insulinoma (MIN6) cells exposed to IH patterned after blood O2 profiles during obstructive sleep apnea. WT mice treated with IH showed insulin resistance, and pancreatic β-cell dysfunction manifested as augmented basal insulin secretion, and impaired glucose-stimulated insulin secretion and these effects were absent in HIF-1α HET mice. IH increased HIF-1α expression and elevated reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels in β-cells of WT mice. The elevated ROS levels were due to transcriptional upregulation of NADPH oxidase (NOX)-4 mRNA, protein and enzymatic activity, and these responses were absent in HIF-1α HET mice as well as in β-HIF-1−/− mice. IH-evoked β-cell responses were absent in adult WT mice treated with digoxin, an inhibitor of HIF-1α. MIN6 cells treated with in vitro IH showed enhanced basal insulin release and elevated HIF-1α protein expression, and these effects were abolished with genetic silencing of HIF-1α. IH increased NOX4 mRNA, protein, and enzyme activity in MIN6 cells and disruption of NOX4 function by siRNA or scavenging H2O2 with polyethylene glycol catalase blocked IH-evoked enhanced basal insulin secretion. These results demonstrate that HIF-1-mediated transcriptional activation of NOX4 and the ensuing increase in H2O2 contribute to IH-induced pancreatic β-cell dysfunction.
Electrically stimulated contractile activity-induced transcriptomic responses and metabolic remodeling in C2C12 myotubes: twitch vs. tetanic contractions
Authors: Tamura Yuki , Kouzaki Karina , Kotani Takaya , Nakazato Koichi
Published: September 2020

The contraction of myotubes using electrical pulse stimulation is a research tool used to mimic muscle contractile activity and exercise in rodents and humans. Most protocols employed in previous work used low-frequency twitch contractions. However, high-frequency tetanus contractions that are more physiologically relevant to muscle contractions in vivo are poorly characterized. In this report, the similarities and differences in acute responses and chronic adaptations with different contractile modes using twitches (2 Hz, continuous, 3 h) and tetanus (66 Hz, on: 5 s/off: 5 s, 3 h) were investigated. RNA sequencing-based transcriptome analysis and subsequent bioinformatics analysis suggest that tetanus may promote bioenergetic remodeling rather than twitch. Based on in silico analyses, metabolic remodeling after three contractile sessions of twitch and tetanus were investigated. Although twitch and tetanus had no significant effect on glycolysis, both types of contraction upregulated glucose oxidation capacity. Both twitch and tetanus qualitatively caused mitochondrial adaptations (increased content, respiratory chain enzyme activity, and respiratory function). The magnitude of adaptation was much greater under tetanus conditions. Our findings indicate that the contraction of myotubes by tetanus may be a useful experimental model, especially in the study of metabolic adaptations in C2C12 myotubes.