bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
SpliceViNCI: Visualizing the splicing of non-canonical introns through recurrent neural networks
Authors: Dutta Aparajita , Singh Kusum Kumari , Anand Ashish
Published: June 2021

Most of the current computational models for splice junction prediction are based on the identification of canonical splice junctions. However, it is observed that the junctions lacking the consensus dimers GT and AG also undergo splicing. Identification of such splice junctions, called the non-canonical splice junctions, is also essential for a comprehensive understanding of the splicing phenomenon. This work focuses on the identification of non-canonical splice junctions through the application of a bidirectional long short-term memory (BLSTM) network. Furthermore, we apply a back-propagation-based (integrated gradient) and a perturbation-based (occlusion) visualization techniques to extract the non-canonical splicing features learned by the model. The features obtained are validated with the existing knowledge from the literature. Integrated gradient extracts features that comprise contiguous nucleotides, whereas occlusion extracts features that are individual nucleotides distributed across the sequence.
Numerical Study of Grain Growth in Laser Powder Bed Fusion Additive Manufacturing of Metals
Authors: Huang Zhida , Fan Zongyue , Wang Hao , Li Bo
Published: June 2021

Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF) is an additive manufacturing method that manufactures high density and quality metal products. We present a coupled grain growth and heat transfer modeling technique to understand the materials microstructure evolution in metals during the cooling process of LPBF. The phase-field model is combined with a transient heat transfer equation to simulate the solidification and crystallization of the melt pool simultaneously. Specifically, the variable domain and driving force of the order parameters in the phase-field calculation are defined using current temperature distribution. Additionally, the latent heat generated by crystallization is introduced as a heat source to affect temperature evolution in the cooling process. The finite element method with a staggering strategy is employed to solve the coupled governing equations on an irregular computational domain. The computational framework is verified in a one-dimensional solidification problem by comparing the velocity of the fluid-solid interface. The two-way coupling solution of solidification and crystallization is studied in an example of LPBF of Aluminum alloys.
Review of the Hamiltonian analysis in teleparallel gravity
Authors: Blixt Daniel , Guzmán María-José , Hohmann Manuel , Pfeifer Christian
Published: June 2021

We review different approaches to the Hamiltonian analysis of teleparallel theories of gravity. In particular, the Hamiltonian analysis for [Formula: see text] theories led to disputed results in the literature. The aim of this review is to relate the different notations and assumptions in the different approaches in a comprehensive way, so that they can be compared more easily. To do this we present the primary constraints of the [Formula: see text] gravity class of theories for the first time. The particular cases studied in the literature, [Formula: see text] gravity and new general relativity, are contained in this parent theory. We compare their Hamiltonian analyses done by different authors in the literature among each other by relating them to our analysis of [Formula: see text] in detail.
LCS-manifolds and Ricci solitons
Authors: Shaikh Absos Ali , Datta Biswa Ranjan , Ali Akram , Alkhaldi Ali H.
Published: June 2021

This paper is concerned with the study of [Formula: see text]-manifolds and Ricci solitons. It is shown that in a [Formula: see text]-spacetime, the fluid has vanishing vorticity and vanishing shear. It is found that in an [Formula: see text]-manifold, [Formula: see text] is an irrotational vector field, where [Formula: see text] is a non-zero smooth scalar function. It is proved that in a [Formula: see text]-spacetime with generator vector field [Formula: see text] obeying Einstein equation, [Formula: see text] or [Formula: see text] according to [Formula: see text] or [Formula: see text], where [Formula: see text] is a scalar function and [Formula: see text] is the energy momentum tensor. Also, it is shown that if [Formula: see text] is a non-null spacelike (respectively, timelike) vector field on a [Formula: see text]-spacetime with scalar curvature [Formula: see text] and cosmological constant [Formula: see text], then [Formula: see text] if and only if [Formula: see text] (respectively, [Formula: see text]), and [Formula: see text] if and only if [Formula: see text] (respectively, [Formula: see text]), and further [Formula: see text] if and only if [Formula: see text]. The nature of the scalar curvature of an [Formula: see text]-manifold admitting Yamabe soliton is obtained. Also, it is proved that an [Formula: see text]-manifold admitting [Formula: see text]-Ricci soliton is [Formula: see text]-Einstein and its scalar curvature is constant if and only if [Formula: see text] is constant. Further, it is shown that if [Formula: see text] is a scalar function with [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] vanishes, then the gradients of [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text] are co-directional with the generator [Formula: see text]. In a perfect fluid [Formula: see text]-spacetime admitting [Formula: see text]-Ricci soliton, it is proved that the pressure density [Formula: see text] and energy density [Formula: see text] are constants, and if it agrees Einstein field equation, then we obtain a necessary and sufficient condition for the scalar curvature to be constant. If such a spacetime possesses Ricci collineation, then it must admit an almost [Formula: see text]-Yamabe soliton and the converse holds when the Ricci operator is of constant norm. Also, in a perfect fluid [Formula: see text]-spacetime satisfying Einstein equation, it is shown that if Ricci collineation is admitted with respect to the generator [Formula: see text], then the matter content cannot be perfect fluid, and further [Formula: see text] with gravitational constant [Formula: see text] implies that [Formula: see text] is a Killing vector field. Finally, in an [Formula: see text]-manifold, it is proved that if the [Formula: see text]-curvature tensor is conservative, then scalar potential and the generator vector field are co-directional, and if the manifold possesses pseudosymmetry due to the [Formula: see text]-curvature tensor, then it is an [Formula: see text]-Einstein manifold.
Anisotropic models with generalized hybrid expansion in Brans–Dicke theory of gravity
Authors: Singh S. Surendra , Soibam Yohenba
Published: June 2021

The hybrid expansion law (HEL) for average scale factor that yields power-law and exponential-law cosmologies is considered in spatially homogenous and anisotropic Bianchi type-I model in the context of Brans–Dicke (BD) Theory of gravitation. The solutions of the field equations have been calculated by assuming the power-law expression between the average scale factor [Formula: see text] and scalar field ([Formula: see text]). We studied both interacting and non-interacting forms of dark energy and dark matter and obtained respective solutions. The energy density [Formula: see text] decreases with time while energy densities [Formula: see text] increases with time. In both the cases, the physical acceptability and stability of the models are also studied. The coincidence problem in [Formula: see text]CDM model can be ruled out with proper choice of coupling between dark matter (DM) and dark energy (DE). We also discussed the physical behaviors of the derived models with the current observations applied to late-time acceleration and beginning of the universe. In this model, it is observed that our HEL Bianchi type I universe is highly anisotropic in the beginning of universe and becomes isotropic and overlaps with flat [Formula: see text]CDM model at late times.
Formation of cylindrical gravastars in modified gravity
Authors: Yousaf Z. , Bhatti M. Z. , Bamba Kazuharu
Published: June 2021

In this paper, we analyze a few physical characteristics of gravastar with cylindrical geometry in [Formula: see text] theory, where [Formula: see text] is the Ricci scalar and [Formula: see text] is the trace of energy-momentum tensor. The gravastar is generally considered to be a substitute of a black hole with three different regions. In this work, we examine the formulation of gravastar-like cylindrical structures in [Formula: see text] theory. By using Darmois and Israel matching conditions, we formulate a mass function of a thin shell. We calculate the different physical characteristics of gravastar, in particular, entropy within the thin shell, proper length of the intermediate thin shell as well as energy of the shell.
A temperature switchable pyridyl-zinc(II) side arm porphyrin with functionality for surface immobilisation
Authors: Murphy Rhys B. , Johnston Martin R.
Published: June 2021

A pyridyl side arm porphyrin incorporating C[Formula: see text] alkyl chains at the periphery of the porphyrin suitable for surface immobilisation on HOPG has been synthesised and tested for two state switching in solution. Temperature switching, involving reversible complexation of a covalently appended pyridyl side arm to the Zn(II) porphyrin, was comprehensively characterised by using variable temperature1H NMR (-30 to +100[Formula: see text]C) and UV-vis (10 to 90[Formula: see text]C) in toluene. Molecular modelling assisted in understanding strain within the complex.
INNOVATION CHAMPIONS’ ACTIVITIES AND INFLUENCES IN ORGANISATIONS — A LITERATURE REVIEW
Authors: DRECHSLER KATHARINA , REIBENSPIESS VICTORIA , ECKHARDT ANDREAS , WAGNER HEINZ-THEO
Published: June 2021

Innovation champions often play a pivotal role in facilitating new ideas and technology-based innovations within organisations. The rise of digital technology has led to radical changes in the nature of innovation and calls for an assessment of existing knowledge on innovation champions’ activities and their influence on organisations and networks. This paper provides a systematic, interdisciplinary literature review on innovation champions from an individual and organisational perspective. Based on a search of 149 high-quality journals and conference proceedings, we identified 92 articles as relevant and synthesised prior knowledge on innovation champions. We find that, whereas innovation champions’ activities have been explored in detail, research on innovation champions’ influence, especially on networks, has been limited. Furthermore, we identify research gaps with respect to differences in innovation champions’ activities at distinct stages of the innovation lifecycle and the formation of innovation champions’ networks.
Simplicity of iterated Ore extensions
Authors: Balodi Mamta , Upadhyay Sumit Kumar
Published: June 2021

Here we study the simplicity of an iterated Ore extension of a unital ring [Formula: see text]. We give necessary conditions for the simplicity of an iterated Ore extension when [Formula: see text] is a commutative domain. A class of iterated Ore extensions, namely the differential polynomial ring [Formula: see text] in [Formula: see text]-variables is considered. The conditions for a commutative domain [Formula: see text] of characteristic zero to be a maximal commutative subring of its differential polynomial ring [Formula: see text] are given, and the necessary and sufficient conditions for [Formula: see text] to be simple are also found.
Varieties of commutative semigroups closed under dominions
Authors: Shah A. H. , Nabi Muneer , Bano Sakeena
Published: June 2021

In this paper, we find sufficient conditions for some commutative varieties of semigroups to be closed under dominions.
Grain size-induced enhancement of thermoelectric performance of Cu3Sb1−xInxSe4 materials
Authors: Bo Lin , Wang Wen-Ying , Wang Yong-Peng , Wang Lei , Li Fu-Jin , Zuo Min , Ma Yan-Zhen , Zhao De-Gang
Published: June 2021

The ternary Cu3SbSe4 thermoelectric material with diamond-like structure exhibits good thermoelectric performance in the middle temperature region. In this study, the Cu3Sb[Formula: see text]In[Formula: see text]Se4 ([Formula: see text]= 0–0.03) materials were fabricated by melting-annealing-ball milling-hot pressing process. The influences of In-doping and grain size on the microstructure and thermoelectric properties of Cu3Sb[Formula: see text]In[Formula: see text]Se4 were evaluated. It is found that the electricity conduction at room temperature for Cu3Sb[Formula: see text]In[Formula: see text]Se4 sample was significantly increased to 6.1 × 103Sm[Formula: see text] due to the In-doping. Additionally, during the powder processing, a relatively low thermal conductivity for the refinement Cu3Sb[Formula: see text]In[Formula: see text]Se4-BM-72H sample was obtained. Benefiting from the enhanced electrical conductivity and the decreased thermal conductivity, the maximum zT value of 0.75 was achieved for Cu3Sb[Formula: see text]In[Formula: see text]Se4-BM-36H at 650 K.
WEATHER VARIABILITY, AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTIVITY, AND FARMER SUICIDES IN INDIA
Authors: BARVE SONAL , KUMAR K. S. KAVI , VISWANATHAN BRINDA
Published: June 2021

Globalization, commercialization, modernization, erratic climatic conditions, individual expectations, contagion, and government policies are some of the reasons attributed to farmers’ suicides. This study hypothesizes that farmer suicides in India are primarily linked to loss in agricultural productivity which in turn is affected by adverse weather and low penetration of irrigation networks. Using panel data of 16 major states in India, from 1996 to 2015 and Control Function (CF) approach, the study shows that keeping all other factors fixed, a one degree rise in temperature results in 4.8% higher farmer suicides through a 3.6% decline in agricultural productivity. Further, the study highlights the significant role played by the contagion factors influencing farmer suicides. The study argues for policy responses that address covariate shocks arising from weather vagaries, price volatility, and liquidity constraint as well as idiosyncratic shocks arising from farmer-specific characteristics.
IMPACT OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON THE NET REVENUE OF MAJOR CROP GROWING FARMERS IN PAKISTAN: A RICARDIAN APPROACH
Authors: KHAN ATTA ULLAH , SHAH AADIL HAMEED , IFTIKHAR-UL-HUSNAIN MUHAMMAD
Published: June 2021

Climate change has severely affected the crops’ productivity during the last few decades across the agrarian economies of the world, thereby resulting in a considerable loss per farmer in the yearly net revenue. Pakistan’s agriculture is sensitive to warming and it experienced an adverse effect in the net farm revenue (NFR). This study primarily predicts the adverse climate effects and estimates the NFR of the farmers of five major crops (wheat, rice, cotton, sugarcane and maize) in two different seasons, winter (Rabbi) and summer (Kharif), in Pakistan. This study is based upon the secondary cross-sectional data [Household Integrated Economic Survey of Pakistan (HIES), 2015–2016] along with the time series data regarding climatic variables from 1981 to 2016. A well-established Ricardian approach has been employed to test the association between net revenue of the farmer and climatic variability. Results of overall study conclude that increases in average summer (winter) temperature and average winter (summer) rainfall have adverse (favorable) impacts on all of the crops’ productivity during both seasons, winter (Rabbi) and summer (Kharif), in Pakistan, thus leading to a decline (an increase) in NFR. Future increases in temperature will be harmful and may lead to significant loss in the revenue amount. The analysis of adaptation techniques exhibits beneficial impacts on the NFR and it is concluded that adaptations are helpful tool for the farmers to minimize revenue loss.
Adaptive complementary ensemble EMD and energy-frequency spectra of cryptocurrency prices
Authors: Leung Tim , Zhao Theodore
Published: June 2021

In this study, we study the price dynamics of cryptocurrencies using adaptive complementary ensemble empirical mode decomposition (ACE-EMD) and Hilbert spectral analysis. This is a multiscale noise-assisted approach that decomposes any time series into a number of intrinsic mode functions, along with the corresponding instantaneous amplitudes and instantaneous frequencies. The decomposition is adaptive to the time-varying volatility of each cryptocurrency price evolution. Different combinations of modes allow us to reconstruct the time series using components of different timescales. We then apply Hilbert spectral analysis to define and compute the instantaneous energy-frequency spectrum of each cryptocurrency to illustrate the properties of various timescales embedded in the original time series.
The influence of capital structure on firm profitability in USA and Bangladesh engineering industry
Authors: Derbali Abdelkader
Published: June 2021

The aim of this paper is not only to determine and compare the nature of capital structure but also its effect on company performance of engineering industry of USA and Bangladesh. We utilize a panel data methodology based on a sample of 34 listed engineering companies of Bangladesh on Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) and a mixture of 34 (small, medium and large) engineering companies listed in NASDAQ in USA during the period of study from 2012 to 2019. Our empirical results indicate that the capital structure of engineering industry of USA and that of Bangladesh is different. Also, we demonstrate that capital structure has negative effect on company profitability of engineering industry of USA. Capital structure presents a negative effect on Earning per Share and Return on Assets (ROA) and positive influence on Return on Equity (ROE) and Tobin’s Q of engineering industry of Bangladesh. We conclude that the impact of capital structure on company’s profitability by only one sector and then compare the findings to know the real picture of the link. Investors, auditors, analysts and practitioners should consider many factors to examine the banking performance. Our results from this study may relate to Asian countries with similarities in engineering industry to that in Bangladesh.
Business Model Innovation of Technical Start-ups in Emerging Markets
Authors: Luo Yu , Bai Yang
Published: June 2021

Innovation is critical for a start-up company to succeed, especially in emerging markets. Business Model Innovation (BMI) is highly related to entrepreneurship, though researchers have not paid sufficient attention on it. This paper develops a conceptual model to address the following questions. First, the authors try to find out the drivers of BMI and the difference between developing and developed countries. Second, the way start-ups partner escrow online payment service providers in emerging markets is discussed. Lastly, this paper studies how BMI could adapt to external changes and maintain a sustainable advantage.
QuadSeal: Quadruple Balancing to Mitigate Power Analysis Attacks with Variability Effects and Electromagnetic Fault Injection Attacks
Authors: Jayasinghe Darshana , Ignjatovic Aleksandar , Ragel Roshan , Ambrose Jude Angelo , Parameswaran Sri
Published: June 2021

Side channel analysis attacks employ the emanated side channel information to deduce the secret keys from cryptographic implementations by analyzing the power traces during execution or scrutinizing faulty outputs. To be effective, a countermeasure must remove or conceal as many as possible side channels. However, many of the countermeasures against side channel attacks are applied independently.

In this article, the authors present a novel countermeasure (referred to as
QuadSeal
) against Power Analysis Attacks and Electromagentic Fault Injection Attacks (FIAs), which is an extension of the work proposed in Reference [27]. The proposed solution relies on algorithmically balancing both Hamming distances and Hamming weights (where the bit transitions on the registers and gates are balanced, and the total number of 1s and 0s are balanced) by the use of four identical circuits with differing inputs and modified SubByte tables. By randomly rotating the four encryptions, the system is protected against variations, path imbalances, and aging effects. After generating the ciphertext, the output of each circuit is compared against each other to detect any fault injections or to correct the faulty ciphertext to gain reliability.

The proposed countermeasure allows components to be switched off to save power or to run four executions in parallel for high performance when resistance against power analysis attacks is not of high priority, which is not available with the existing countermeasures (except software based where source code can be changed). The proposed countermeasure is implemented for Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) and tested against Correlation Power Analysis and Mutual Information Attacks attacks (for up to a million traces), and none of the secret keys was found even after one million power traces (the unprotected AES circuit is vulnerable for power analysis attacks within 5,000 power traces). A detection circuit (referred to as C-FIA circuit) is operated using the algorithmic redundancy presented in four circuits of QuadSeal to mitigate Electromagnetic Fault Injection Attacks. Using Synopsys PrimeTime, we measured the power dissipation of QuadSeal registers and XOR gates to test the effectiveness of Quadruple balancing methodology. We tested the QuadSeal countermeasure with C-FIA circuit against Differential Fault Analysis Attacks up to one million traces; no bytes of the secret key were found. This is the smallest known circuit that is capable of withstanding power-based side channel attacks when electromagnetic injection attack resistance, process variations, path imbalances, and aging effects are considered.
A Dynamic Huffman Coding Method for Reliable TLC NAND Flash Memory
Authors: Wu Chin-Hsien , Zhang Hao-Wei , Liu Chia-Wei , Yu Ta-Ching , Yang Chi-Yen
Published: June 2021

With the progress of the manufacturing process, NAND flash memory has evolved from the single-level cell and multi-level cell into the triple-level cell (TLC). NAND flash memory has physical problems such as the characteristic of erase-before-write and the limitation of program/erase cycles. Moreover, TLC NAND flash memory has low reliability and short lifetime. Thus, we propose a dynamic Huffman coding method that can apply to the write operations of NAND flash memory. The proposed method exploits observations from a Huffman tree and machine learning from data patterns to dynamically select a suitable Huffman coding. According to the experimental results, the proposed method can improve the reliability of TLC NAND flash memory and also consider the compression performance for those applications that require the Huffman coding.
Dataflow Model–based Software Synthesis Framework for Parallel and Distributed Embedded Systems
Authors: Jeong Eunjin , Jeong Dowhan , Ha Soonhoi
Published: June 2021

Existing software development methodologies mostly assume that an application runs on a single device without concern about the non-functional requirements of an embedded system such as latency and resource consumption. Besides, embedded software is usually developed after the hardware platform is determined, since a non-negligible portion of the code depends on the hardware platform. In this article, we present a novel model-based software synthesis framework for parallel and distributed embedded systems. An application is specified as a set of tasks with the given rules for execution and communication. Having such rules enables us to perform static analysis to check some software errors at compile-time to reduce the verification difficulty. Platform-specific programs are synthesized automatically after the mapping of tasks onto processing elements is determined. The proposed framework is expandable to support new hardware platforms easily. The proposed communication code synthesis method is extensible and flexible to support various communication methods between devices. In addition, the fault-tolerant feature can be added by modifying the task graph automatically according to the selected fault-tolerance configurations by the user. The viability of the proposed software development methodology is evaluated with a real-life surveillance application that runs on six processing elements.
Design Flow and Methodology for Dynamic and Static Energy-constrained Scheduling Framework in Heterogeneous Multicore Embedded Devices
Authors: Xie Guoqi , Peng Hao , Xiao Xiongren , Liu Yao , Li Renfa
Published: June 2021

With Internet of things technologies, billions of embedded devices, including smart gateways, smart phones, and mobile robots, are connected and deeply integrated. Almost all these embedded devices are battery-constrained and energy-limited systems. In recent years, several works used energy pre-assignment techniques to study the dynamic energy-constrained scheduling of a parallel application in heterogeneous multicore embedded systems. However, the existing energy pre-assignment techniques cannot satisfy the actual energy constraint, because it is the joint constraint on dynamic energy and static energy. Further, the modeling and verification of these works are based on the simulations, which have not been verified in real embedded devices. This study aims to propose a dynamic and static energy-constrained scheduling framework in heterogeneous multicore embedded devices. Solving this problem can utilize existing energy pre-assignment techniques, but it requires a deeply integrated design flow and methodology. The design flow consists of four processes: (1) power and energy modeling; (2) power parameter measurement; (3) basic framework design including energy pre-assignment; and (4) framework optimization. Each design flow has corresponding design methodology. Both our theoretical analysis and practical verification using the low-power ODROID-XU4 device confirm the effectiveness of the proposed framework.
Hierarchical Reinforcement Learning
Authors: Pateria Shubham , Subagdja Budhitama , Tan Ah-hwee , Quek Chai
Published: June 2021

Hierarchical Reinforcement Learning (HRL) enables autonomous decomposition of challenging long-horizon decision-making tasks into simpler subtasks. During the past years, the landscape of HRL research has grown profoundly, resulting in copious approaches. A comprehensive overview of this vast landscape is necessary to study HRL in an organized manner. We provide a survey of the diverse HRL approaches concerning the challenges of learning hierarchical policies, subtask discovery, transfer learning, and multi-agent learning using HRL. The survey is presented according to a novel taxonomy of the approaches. Based on the survey, a set of important open problems is proposed to motivate the future research in HRL. Furthermore, we outline a few suitable task domains for evaluating the HRL approaches and a few interesting examples of the practical applications of HRL in the Supplementary Material.
Legally Enforceable Smart-Contract Languages
Authors: Dwivedi Vimal , Pattanaik Vishwajeet , Deval Vipin , Dixit Abhishek , Norta Alex , Draheim Dirk
Published: June 2021

Smart contracts are a key component of today’s blockchains. They are critical in controlling decentralized autonomous organizations (DAO). However, smart contracts are not yet legally binding nor enforceable; this makes it difficult for businesses to adopt the DAO paradigm. Therefore, this study reviews existing Smart Contract Languages (SCL) and identifies properties that are critical to any future SCL for drafting legally binding contracts. This is achieved by conducting a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) of white- and grey literature published between 2015 and 2019. Using the SLR methodology, 45 Selected and 28 Supporting Studies detailing 45 state-of-the-art SCLs are selected. Finally, 10 SCL properties that enable legally compliant DAOs are discovered, and specifications for developing SCLs are explored.
FastCFI: Real-time Control-Flow Integrity Using FPGA without Code Instrumentation
Authors: Feng Lang , Huang Jeff , Hu Jiang , Reddy Abhijith
Published: June 2021

Control-Flow Integrity (CFI) is an effective defense technique against a variety of memory-based cyber attacks. CFI is usually enforced through software methods, which entail considerable performance overhead. Hardware-based CFI techniques can largely avoid performance overhead, but typically rely on code instrumentation, forming a non-trivial hurdle to the application of CFI. Taking advantage of the tradeoff between computing efficiency and flexibility of FPGA, we develop FastCFI, an FPGA-based CFI system that can perform fine-grained and stateful checking without code instrumentation. We also propose an automated Verilog generation technique that facilitates fast deployment of FastCFI, and a compression algorithm for reducing the hardware expense. Experiments on popular benchmarks confirm that FastCFI can detect fine-grained CFI violations over unmodified binaries. When using FastCFI on prevalent benchmarks, we demonstrate its capability to detect fine-grained CFI violations in unmodified binaries, while incurring an average of 0.36% overhead and a maximum of 2.93% overhead.
A Simulation Software for the Evaluation of Vulnerabilities in Reputation Management Systems
Authors: Agate Vincenzo , Paola Alessandra De , Re Giuseppe Lo , Morana Marco
Published: June 2021

Multi-agent distributed systems are characterized by autonomous entities that interact with each other to provide, and/or request, different kinds of services. In several contexts, especially when a reward is offered according to the quality of service, individual agents (or coordinated groups) may act in a selfish way. To prevent such behaviours, distributed Reputation Management Systems (RMSs) provide every agent with the capability of computing the reputation of the others according to direct past interactions, as well as indirect opinions reported by their neighbourhood. This last point introduces a weakness on gossiped information that makes RMSs vulnerable to malicious agents’ intent on disseminating false reputation values. Given the variety of application scenarios in which RMSs can be adopted, as well as the multitude of behaviours that agents can implement, designers need RMS evaluation tools that allow them to predict the robustness of the system to security attacks, before its actual deployment. To this aim, we present a simulation software for the vulnerability evaluation of RMSs and illustrate three case studies in which this tool was effectively used to model and assess state-of-the-art RMSs.
All Signs Point to Cancer: A Case of Cryptic Miliary Tuberculosis in the Setting of Concomitant Cancer
Authors: Cress Victoria , Kwon Sue Min Sophia , Ulrich Michael T.
Published: June 2021

Dissemination of tuberculosis (TB) is known as miliary tuberculosis. When miliary tuberculosis lacks classic radiographic and clinical features, it can be labeled cryptic miliary tuberculosis and may mimic metastatic cancer. This unusual presentation of an already atypical form of TB often delays diagnosis. We present a case of a 58-year-old female who presented with presumed metastatic carcinoma, who was ultimately diagnosed with both primary breast cancer and disseminated TB. This case emphasizes the need for a high index of suspicion for miliary tuberculosis in patients with presumed or proven malignancy.
False-Positive Maternal Serum Screens in the Second Trimester as Markers of Placentally Mediated Complications Later in Pregnancy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Authors: Pylypjuk Christy L. , Monarrez-Espino Joel
Published: June 2021

Background. Multiple-marker, maternal serum screening (MSS) has been the cornerstone of prenatal diagnosis since the 1980s. While combinations of these markers are used to predict fetal risk of Down syndrome and other genetic conditions, there is some evidence that individual markers may also predict nongenetic pregnancy complications, particularly those related to placental dysfunction. The objective of this meta-analysis was to investigate the utility of false-positive, second-trimester MSS for Down syndrome as a marker of placentally mediated complications amongst singleton pregnancies globally. Methods. Electronic searches of PubMed, Medline, Embase, CINAHL, Web of Science, Scopus, and grey literature to 2019 were performed to identify observational studies comparing risk of pregnancy complications amongst pregnancies with false-positive MSS versus controls. A random-effects model of pooled odds ratios by outcome of interest (stillbirth, preeclampsia, fetal growth restriction, and preterm birth) and subgrouped by type of MSS test (double-, triple-, and quadruple-marker MSS) was used. Results. 16 studies enrolling 68515 pregnancies were included. There were increased odds of preeclampsia (OR 1.28, 95% CI 1.09-1.51) and stillbirth (OR 2.46, 95% CI 1.94-3.12) amongst pregnancies with false-positive MSS. There was no significant association with preterm birth or growth restriction. Conclusions. There is some evidence of an association between false-positive, second-trimester MSS for Down syndrome and increased odds of preeclampsia and stillbirth. Future large-scale prospective studies are still needed to best determine the predictive value of false-positive MSS as a marker of placentally mediated complications later in pregnancy and evaluate potential clinical interventions to reduce these risks.
α‐Lipoic Acid Targeting PDK1/NRF2 Axis Contributes to the Apoptosis Effect of Lung Cancer Cells
Authors: Yue Liduo , Ren Yanbei , Yue Qingxi , Ding Zhou , Wang Kai , Zheng Tiansheng , Chen Guojie , Chen Xiangyun , Li Ming , Fan Lihong
Published: June 2021

As an antioxidant, α‐lipoic acid (LA) has attracted much attention to cancer research. However, the exact mechanism of LA in cancer progression control and prevention remains to be unclear. In this study, we demonstrated that α‐lipoic acid has inhibitory effects on the proliferation, migration, and proapoptotic effects of non‐small‐cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cell lines A549 and PC9. LA‐induced NSCLC cell apoptosis was mediated by elevated mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS). Further study confirmed that it is by downregulating the expression of PDK1 (the PDH kinase), resulted in less phospho‐PDH phenotype which could interact with Keap1, the negative controller of NRF2, directly leading to NRF2 decrease. Thus, by downregulating the NRF2 antioxidant system, LA plays a role in promoting apoptosis through the ROS signaling pathway. Moreover, LA could enhance other PDK inhibitors with the proapoptosis effect. In summary, our study shows that LA promotes apoptosis and exerts its antitumor activity against lung cancer by regulating mitochondrial energy metabolism enzyme‐related antioxidative stress system. Administration of LA to the tumor‐bearing animal model further supported the antitumor effect of LA. These findings provided new ideas for the clinical application of LA in the field of cancer therapy.
Comparative Study on Numerical Methods for Singularly Perturbed Advanced-Delay Differential Equations
Authors: Hammachukiattikul P. , Sekar E. , Tamilselvan A. , Vadivel R. , Gunasekaran N. , Agarwal Praveen
Published: June 2021

In this paper, we consider a class of singularly perturbed advanced-delay differential equations of convection-diffusion type. We use finite and hybrid difference schemes to solve the problem on piecewise Shishkin mesh. We have established almost first- and second-order convergence with respect to finite difference and hybrid difference methods. An error estimate is derived with the discrete norm. In the end, numerical examples are given to show the advantages of the proposed results (Mathematics Subject Classification: 65L11, 65L12, and 65L20).
Seasonal Variation and Global Public Interest in the Internet Searches for Osteoporosis
Authors: Wang Chao , Shu Xiong , Tao Jianfeng , Zhang Yanzhuo , Yuan Yue , Wu Chengai
Published: June 2021

Background. To ascertain the seasonal pattern and global public interest in osteoporosis by evaluating search term popularity changes of the disease over a decade. Methods. We applied Google Trends to retrieve search popularity scores for the term “osteoporosis” between January 01, 2004, and December 31, 2019. Cosinor analyses were conducted to examine the seasonality of osteoporosis, and analysis on osteoporosis‐related topics including hot topics and rising‐related topics was also performed. Results. The cosinor analyses demonstrated a statistically significant seasonal variation in relative search volume of the “osteoporosis” in the world (p = 0.0083), USA (p < 0.001), UK (p < 0.001), Canada (p < 0.001), Ireland (p < 0.001), Australia (p < 0.001), and New Zealand (p < 0.001), with a peak in the late winter months and trough in the summer months. The peaks in late winter and valley in summer presented an approximately 6‐month difference between hemispheres. The top 11 rising topics were denosumab, FRAX, hypocalcaemia, zoledronic acid, ibandronic acid, osteomyelitis, osteopenia, osteoarthritis, bone, calcium, and bone density. Conclusions. Google search query volumes related to osteoporosis follow strong seasonal patterns with late winter peaks and summer troughs. Further studies aimed at elucidating the possible mechanisms behind seasonality in osteoporosis are needed. Moreover, Internet data including the top rising topics may alert physicians to strengthen the propaganda of osteoporosis timely, so as to further promote the development of public health interventions.
Primary and Secondary Hypogonadism in Male Persons with Diabetes Mellitus
Authors: Martin Martins João , Pina Jorge Mafalda de , Martins Maia Catarina , Roque João , Lemos Carlos , Nunes Daniel , Reis Dinis , Mota Catarina
Published: June 2021

Aims. To characterize hypogonadism in male persons with diabetes mellitus. Patients and Methods. 184 consecutive male persons with diabetes were studied. Besides the usual care, total testosterone (TT), estradiol (E2), FSH, and LH were measured in the last appointment and in 40 patients, also in the next two appointments. Statistical analysis compared groups and explored factors for TT and LH levels. Results. TT levels were stable and highly correlated (r > 0.750,

p
<
0.001

) over a 6–12-month period. 20% of the patients presented secondary hypogonadism (SH) and 18% presented primary hypogonadism (PH). SH was inversely related to HbA1 (partial r (rp) = 0.229,

p
<
0.005

), while PH was directly related to age (r = 0.356,

p
<
0.001

). TT levels were reduced independently by metformin (364 ± 160 vs. 431 ± 242 ng/dL, t = 2.241,

p
<
0.05

) and statins (359 ± 156 vs. 424 ± 230 ng/dl, t = 2.224,

p
<
0.05

). TT levels were inversely related to microvascular disease (rp = −0.169,

p
<
0.05

). Discussion. TT levels were stable over time and hypogonadism was common. SH, generally clinically, is related to the diabetic state, while PH, generally subclinically, is an age-dependent process unrelated to diabetes. Low TT levels were related to older age, poor metabolic control, metformin and statins use, and microvascular disease.
Invasive Candidiasis Associated with Adenovirus Pneumonia
Authors: Liyanage Guwani , Gonapaladeniya Madhusha , Dissanayake Thushari
Published: June 2021

Invasive Candida infections in immunocompetent children lead to high morbidity and mortality despite available treatment. Candida albicans and Candida parapsilosis are the most common pathogens; however, there are newly emerging pathogenic non-albicans species. Adenovirus accounts for at least 5–10% of respiratory infections in children, and specific serotypes are associated with severe pneumonia. To the best of our knowledge, invasive Candida infection complicating adenovirus-associated pneumonia in immunocompetent children has not been reported previously. Herein, we describe a preschool child with invasive candidiasis associated with adenovirus pneumonia.
Global Well‐Posedness for the d‐Dimensional Magnetic Bénard Problem without Thermal Diffusion
Authors: Cao Yinhong
Published: June 2021

This paper focuses on the global existence of strong solutions to the magnetic Bénard problem with fractional dissipation and without thermal diffusion in ℝd with d ≥ 3. By using the energy method and the regularization of generalized heat operators, we obtain the global regularity for this model under minimal amount dissipation.
Da diversão entre amigos ao sonho de carreira no futebol
Authors: Caregnato André Felipe , Souza Doralice Lange de , Gonçalves Carlos Eduardo , Silva Camile , Silva Marcelo Moraes e , Cavichiolli Fernando Renato
Published: June 2021

O artigo procurou investigar a adesão de jovens do sexo masculino da categoria sub-13 no futsal de uma escola da rede particular de ensino e em um clube esportivo da cidade de Curitiba. Os dados foram coletados através de entrevistas com 17 participantes: pais, professor/técnico e alunos/atletas e, também realizadas observações assistemáticas por seis meses nos locais de treinos e jogos das equipes. Nossas principais conclusões são que os alunos da escola jogam futsal porque o jogo acontece entre amigos. No clube, o principal fator de adesão é a expectativa de profissionalização no futebol de campo do mesmo clube, visando recompensa financeira.
Peso ao nascer exerce influência sobre as aminotransferases e saúde de escolares com obesidade após uma intervenção?
Authors: Duré Micheli Lüttjohann , Ardenghi Rodrigo Machado , Reuter Cézane Priscila , Burgos Miria Suzana
Published: June 2021

A causa do sedentarismo, obesidade e esteatose hepática não alcóolica pode estar nos primeiros anos de vida ou, até mesmo, no peso de nascimento. Desta forma, objetivamos verificar se o peso ao nascer exerce influência sobre aminotransferases e saúde geral de escolares submetidos a uma intervenção. A amostra compõe-se de 39 escolares com sobrepeso e obesidade (19 no grupo controle e 20 no experimental),classificados com baixo peso, peso adequado e excesso de peso ao nascer. Foram avaliados: índice de massa corporal (IMC), aptidão cardiorrespiratória (APCR), flexibilidade, força abdominal, força de membros inferiores e superiores, agilidade, velocidade, aspartato aminotransferase (AST) e alanina aminotransferase (ALT). Foi encontrada diferença significativa, após a intervenção, do grupo experimental sobre o controle na flexibilidade (p = 0,032 no grupo peso adequado ao nascer), e na agilidade (p = 0,035 no grupo excesso de peso ao nascer). Observamos, após a intervenção, melhoras nas variáveis flexibilidade (p = 0,024, Δ = 5,88 cm para o grupo baixo peso), força abdominal (p = 0,013, Δ = 8,00 repetições para grupo peso adequado ao nascer e p = 0,030, Δ = 5,00 repetições para o grupo excesso de peso ao nascer), agilidade (p = 0,011, Δ = −1,62 segundos no grupo baixo peso/peso insuficiente ao nascer, p < 0,001, Δ = −1,25 segundos para peso adequado ao nascer e p = 0,001, Δ = −1,74 segundos para grupo excesso de peso ao nascer) e força de membros inferiores (p = 0,002, Δ = 0,16 cm para o grupo excesso de peso). ALT teve uma piora no peso adequado (p = 0,018, Δ = 5,24 UI/L). Concluímos que a variável peso ao nascer não foi determinante paraalteração dos níveis de aminotransferases, desempenho motor e de saúde após um programa de intervenção interdisciplinar.
Benefícios da combinação do treinamento manipulativo osteopático, exercícios aquáticos e ginástica respiratória para a qualidade de vida em crianças e adolescentes asmáticos
Authors: Corazza Sara Teresinha , Scherer Felipe de Oliveira , Matheus Silvana Corrêa , Laux Rafael Cunha
Published: June 2021

Desenvolver programas de exercício físico para a melhoria da qualidade de vida em asmáticos podem influenciar positivamente nas realizações de atividades sociais e esportivas por esse público. O objetivo deste estudo, foi investigar o efeito da adição do Tratamento Manipulativo Osteopático (TMO) às sessões de exercícios de ginástica respiratória e exercícios aquáticos na melhoria da qualidade de vida de asmáticos. O estudo foi desenvolvido com 18 participantes, com idade entre 8 e 15 anos, de ambos os sexos e estudantes do Ensino Fundamental I e II. Onze (11) fizeram parte do grupo experimental 1(GE1) e realizaram o programa combinado de TMO, atividades aquáticas e a ginástica respiratória. Sete (7) sujeitos fizeram parte do grupo experimental 2 (GE2) que realizaram somente atividades aquáticas e a ginástica respiratória. Ambos foram testados antes e após a realização de 16 sessões de TMO e 32 sessões das demais práticas, através do Questionário de Qualidade de Vida para Asma Pediátrica (PedsQL). Para análise dos dados, após comprovação da normalidade, utilizou-se o teste T de Student para amostras pareadas e o teste T para amostras independentes, através do aplicativo SPSS, versão 21.0 com nível de significância de 5%. Os resultados obtidos comprovaram a diferença estatisticamente significativa nas dimensões física, social, escolar e emocional do questionário no GE, quando comparados entre o início e o final do programa e confirmaram a diferença estatisticamente significativa quando comparados os pós testes entre os grupos, prevalecendo as melhorias em todas dimensões para o grupo que realizou a TMO como diferencial. Os resultados fortalecem a ideia da eficiência da conjugação dessas práticas na melhoraria da qualidade de vida das crianças asmáticas leves e moderadas.
Estratégias de avaliação para programas de promoção da saúde com ênfase na atividade física
Authors: Petreça Daniel Rogério , Sandreschi Paula Fabricio , Streit Inês Amanda , Mazo Giovana Zarpellon
Published: June 2021

O objetivo deste estudo é conceituar e diferenciar as dimensões utilizadas nas estratégias de avaliação que podem ser utilizadas em programas públicos de promoção de saúde com ênfase na atividade física. Este estudo caracteriza-se como modelo híbrido de análise conceitual. Para tanto, foram seguidas as fases: teórica; trabalho de campo e analítica final. Foram analisadas as estratégias: (a) RE-AIM – dimensões de alcance, efetividade/eficácia, adoção, implementação e manutenção; (b) modelo proposto por Avedis Donabedian – dimensões de estrutura, processo e resultado, além dos 7 pilares de qualidade; o modelo de Habicht – indicadores de oferta, de utilização, de cobertura e de impacto além de inferências: adequação, plausibilidade e probabilidade. Ao analisar as estratégias de avalição, percebe-se, nomenclaturas distintas, mas pontos convergentes. Ao verificar a dimensão de “Alcance” do RE-AIM ele se assemelha ao de “Cobertura” do Habicht. Os indicadores de “estrutura” e “processo” de Donabedian correspondem aos de oferta de Habicht e de “implementação” do RE-AIM. Ao verificar “resultado” no modelo Donabedian, ele pode ser comparado à “efetividade/eficácia” do RE-AIM e “impacto” no modelo Habicht. Assim, apesar de serem organizados de formas diferentes, as estratégias de avaliação analisadas nesse manuscrito apresentam certa relação nas dimensões, indicadores e elementos, sendo que elas podem ser utilizadas de forma isolada ou como complementares.