bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
How the internet increases modern contraception uptake: evidence from eight sub-Saharan African countries
Authors: Toffolutti Veronica , Ma Hai , Menichelli Giulia , Berlot Ester , Mencarini Letizia , Aassve Arnstein
Published: November 2020

Background

Sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries have the highest worldwide levels of unmet need for modern contraception. This has led to persistently high fertility rates in the region, rates which have had major adverse repercussions on the development potential there. Family planning programmes play a key role in improving the uptake of modern contraception, both by fostering women’s health and by lowering their fertility. Increasing awareness of contraception benefits is a major component of such programmes. Here, we ask whether internet access can bridge the gap between women’s need for modern contraception and women’s uptake of the same.

Methods

We use a compendium of data for 125 242 women, aged 15–49, from the Demographic Health Survey, Akamai and International Communication Union data, covering eight SSA countries, for the period 2014–2019. We apply a Two-Stage Least Square model, using as instruments for individual internet exposure the distance to the main server in the country and whether the backbone network in the country has been connected to at least one submarine cable.

Results

Internet exposure, measured as women access the internet at least monthly (almost daily), is associated with a positive, 11.4% (95% CI 10.6% to 12.2%) (53.8% (95% CI 13.4% to 94.1%)), increase in modern contraception uptake. Education is an important moderator. Poorly educated women benefit the most from internet exposure.

Discussion

Internet exposure appears to have significantly increased the uptake of modern contraception among sub-Saharan women. The poorly educated appear particularly to benefit. There are two mechanisms at play: the internet increases women’s knowledge of contraception; and, in parallel, fosters their empowerment.
Estimating patterns in the under-reporting of suicide deaths in India: comparison of administrative data and Global Burden of Disease Study estimates, 2005–2015
Authors: Arya Vikas , Page Andrew , Armstrong Gregory , Kumar G Anil , Dandona Rakhi
Published: November 2020

Background

It has been proposed that the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), which reports suicides in India, differentially underenumerates suicides by geographic and demographic factors. We assessed the extent of potential underenumeration by comparing suicides recorded in NCRB data with recent estimates of Indian suicides developed by the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) initiative.

Methods

Age-standardised suicide rates were calculated for both data sources by sex, age and state, and rate ratios of NCRB to GBD estimates by corresponding strata were compared to ascertain the relative under-reporting in the NCRB report.

Results

The GBD Study reported an additional 802 684 deaths by suicide (333 558 male and 469 126 female suicide deaths) compared with the NCRB report between 2005 and 2015. Among males, the average under-reporting was 27% (range 21%–31%) per year, and among females, the average under-reporting was 50% (range 47%–54%) per year. Under-reporting was more evident among younger (15–29 years) and older age groups (≥60 years) compared with middle age groups. Indian states belonging to low Socio-Demographic Index (SDI) generally had greater underenumeration compared with middle and high-SDI states.

Conclusion

NCRB data under-report suicides in India, and differentially by sex, age and geographic area, possibly because of lack of community-level reporting of suicides due to social stigma and legal consequences. While the recent decriminalisation of suicide is expected to improve community-level reporting of suicides, suicide prevention policies should be developed, with a priority to address social stigma attached with suicide and suicidal behaviour, especially among females.
Hypotension following pre-hospital rapid sequence induction of anaesthesia: a retrospective database analysis
Authors: Howes RJ , Walsh J , Le Clerc S , Atkinson L
Published: November 2020

Introduction

Recent trends in Pre-Hospital Emergency Medicine (PHEM) have demonstrated the potential benefit of using fentanyl, ketamine and rocuronium for pre-hospital rapid sequence induction of anaesthesia (RSI). Isolated cases of potentially significant hypotension have been reported. This study aimed to establish a potential link between the incidence of hypotension and the dose and combination of anaesthetic induction agents used.

Methods

A retrospective database review was undertaken of all cases attended by the Great North Air Ambulance Service requiring RSI during a 25-month period. The blood pressure (BP) before and after RSI and doses of drugs were recorded. Cases were divided into three groups based on changes in BP: group 1 (increase in BP post induction >20% or more), group 2 (between 20% increase and 20% fall in BP) and group 3 (fall in BP of 20% or more).

Results

105 cases were included in the analysis. Group 1 included 11 cases (range 23% to 106% increase in BP), group 2 included 57 cases (19% increase to 18% decrease) and group 3 included 37 cases (20% fall to 63% fall in BP).

There was no statistically significant link to rocuronium (p=0.46) or ketamine (p=0.054) but the dose of fentanyl administered was highly significant (p<0.001).

Discussion

This review showed a potential link between fentanyl dose and the degree of hypotension during RSI. Although this is a small study with some limitations it gives an indication that dose ratios in RSI may need to be reviewed.
Eye emergencies in the deployed setting
Authors: Hunter GMC , Ward R , Wright DC
Published: November 2020

Eye emergencies are common on deployed operations. This article aims to describe the common eye presentations and to guide the initial assessment and management of ophthalmic emergencies for a healthcare professional remote from immediate specialist input. Emphasis is placed upon how urgently ophthalmic advice should be sought for certain eye conditions.
A Hybrid Parameter Estimation for Multi-asset Modeling and Dynamic Allocation Based on Financial Market Microstructure Model
Authors: Qin Yemei , Zhong Yangyu , Lei Zhen , Peng Hui , Zhou Feng , Tan Ping
Published: November 2020

In the previous works, a discrete-time microstructure (DTMS) model for financial market was constructed by using identification technology and was successfully applied to dynamic asset allocation based on the identified excess demand. However, the initial value setting of the parameters has a great influence on the estimated results of the DTMS model, which may make the estimated model to describe the dynamic characteristics of the financial time series poor and also affect the investment results indirectly. To overcome the weakness, this paper proposes a global optimization method which combines particle swarm optimization (PSO) and genetic algorithm (GA) to estimate the initial parameters. In the paper, the multi-asset DTMS model is established, and a multi-asset dynamic allocation strategy based on excess demand obtained from the DTMS model is also designed. Furthermore, the paper also discusses the impact of mutual correlation of assets on portfolio. Case studies show that, when a portfolio is composed of several stocks which are weak correlation, its total return of the portfolio is more than the sum of two-asset allocation for each stock; while the correlation between stocks is high, the obtained total return is not better than those of two-asset allocation.
Automatic RGBD Object Segmentation Based on MSRM Framework Integrating Depth Value
Authors: Li Guoqing , Zhang Guoping , Qin Chanchan , Lu Anqin
Published: November 2020

In this paper, an automatic RGBD object segmentation method is described. The method integrates depth feature with the cues from RGB images and then uses maximal similarity based region merging (MSRM) method to obtain the segmentation results. Firstly, the depth information is fused to the simple linear iterative clustering (SLIC) method so as to produce superpixels whose boundaries are well adhered to the edges of the natural image. Meanwhile, the depth prior is also incorporated into the saliency estimation, which helps a more accurate localization of representative object and background seeds. By introducing the depth cue into the region merging rule, the maximal geometry weighted similarity (MGWS) is considered, and the resulting segmentation framework has the ability to handle the complex image with similar colour appearance between object and background. Extensive experiments on public RGBD image datasets show that our proposed approach can reliably and automatically provide very promising segmentation results.
Three Dimensional Measurement System for the Dynamic Deformation of Aero-engine Blade Profile
Authors: Wei Yongchao , Deng Chunyan , Wu Xingkun , Ao Liangzhong
Published: November 2020

In order to solve the technical problem of three-dimensional profile measurement of aero-engine blades with high speed rotation, an optical dynamic measurement system for aero-engine blades was developed. Firstly, the system is calibrated by the algorithm of spatial truncation phase calibration to establish the index between truncation phase and spatial coordinates. During the measurement, the deformation map of the rotating measured blade is obtained by synchronous projection and snapshot. By using the fast Fourier algorithm, the truncation phase is obtained, and then the profile information of blade can be obtained through the truncation phase and spatial coordinate index. Through the design and construction of the blade simulation platform and dynamic measurement experiment system, the three-dimensional profile data of the blade at different rotating speeds are obtained, compared and analyzed, and then the overall profile deformation law is discovered, which verifies the effectiveness and feasibility of the algorithm. The system can obtain the dynamic profile information of the whole blade completely, and provide innovative technical means for blade design verification and performance analysis.
Unsuccessful SME Business Transfers
Authors: Matalamäki Marko , Varamäki Elina , Viljamaa Anmari , Tall Juha , Mäkelä Anna-Maria
Published: November 2020

Business transfers are linked to both the beginning and the end of entrepreneurial processes. A person can become an entrepreneur by acquiring an existing business instead of starting one, and exit from entrepreneurship can occur through selling the business. Business transfers are gradually becoming more common among small businesses, largely due to entrepreneurs’ aging, and thus deserve attention from entrepreneurship scholars. In particular, the issue of why and how business transfer negotiations fail without achieving a transfer has received little research attention. The purpose of this paper is to explore this phenomenon from potential buyers’ and sellers’ perspectives. The findings are based on a sample of 156 responses. The results suggest that the problems occurring in unfinished business transfers are quite numerous and the gaps between the views of the two negotiating parties are wider than in cases where business transfer negotiations are concluded successfully, indicating that the initial negotiation positions can be crucial. This research proposes some key elements to consider when planning an exit by business transfer and highlight the importance of unfinished small business transfers as an essential element of a dynamic business transfer market; a substantial proportion of the potential buyers and sellers are satisfied with the outcome even though the transfer did not occur.
Numerical Study of Detonation Propagation in an Insensitive High Explosive Arc with Confinement Materials
Authors: Qin Yupei , Huang Kuibang , Zheng Huan , Zhang Yousheng , Yu Xin
Published: November 2020

Detonation propagation in a confined circular arc configuration of an insensitive high explosive PBX9502 is investigated via numerical simulation in this paper. We introduce a steady detonation wave entering the explosive arc with confinements of stainless steel, and then it undergoes a transition phase and reaches a new steady state with a constant angular speed eventually. The influences of the inner and the outer confinements on the propagating detonation wave as well as the characteristics of the detonation driving zone (DDZ) in the steady state are discussed, respectively. Ignition and Growth (I&G) reaction rate and Jones–Wilkins–Lee (JWL) equations of state for the reactants and the products of PBX9502 are employed in the numerical simulations on the basis of a two-dimensional Eulerian code. The equation of state for stainless steel is in the Grüneisen form with a linear shock speed–particle speed Hugoniot relationship. Our results show that the inner confinement dominates the evolution of the detonation wave and the outer confinement only takes effect in a local region near the outer boundary within a limited initial stage during the transition phase. As for the steady state, the existence of the inner confinement makes the DDZ possess a certain width on the inner boundary. While as to the outer part of the detonation wave, the width of the DDZ decreases until the sonic locus intersects with the detonation front shock, which results in the detachment of the DDZ from the outer boundary and makes the detonation propagation fully independent of the outer confinement.
Stay Connected, Leave no Trace
Authors: Abanto-Leon Luis Fernando , Bäuml Andreas , Sim Gek Hong (Allyson) , Hollick Matthias , Asadi Arash
Published: November 2020

The intrinsic hardware imperfection of WiFi chipsets manifests itself in the transmitted signal, leading to a unique radiometric fingerprint. This fingerprint can be used as an additional means of authentication to enhance security. In fact, recent works propose practical fingerprinting solutions that can be readily implemented in commercial-off-the-shelf devices. In this paper, we prove analytically and experimentally that these solutions are highly vulnerable to impersonation attacks. We also demonstrate that such a unique device-based signature can be abused to violate privacy by tracking the user device, and, as of today, users do not have any means to prevent such privacy attacks other than turning off the device. We propose RF-Veil, a radiometric fingerprinting solution that not only is robust against impersonation attacks but also protects user privacy by obfuscating the radiometric fingerprint of the transmitter for non-legitimate receivers. Specifically, we introduce a randomized pattern of phase errors to the transmitted signal such that only the intended receiver can extract the original fingerprint of the transmitter. In a series of experiments and analyses, we expose the vulnerability of adopting naive randomization to statistical attacks and introduce countermeasures. Finally, we show the efficacy of RF-Veil experimentally in protecting user privacy and enhancing security. More importantly, our proposed solution allows communicating with other devices, which do not employ RF-Veil.
I Know What You Bought At Chipotle for $9.81 by Solving A Linear Inverse Problem
Authors: Fleder Michael , Shah Devavrat
Published: November 2020

We consider the question of identifying which set of products are purchased and at what prices in a given transaction by observing only the total amount spent in the transaction, and nothing more. The ability to solve such an inverse problem can lead to refined information about consumer spending by simply observing anonymized credit card transactions data. Indeed, when considered in isolation, it is impossible to identify the products purchased and their prices from a given transaction just based on the transaction total. However, given a large number of transactions, there may be a hope. As the main contribution of this work, we provide a robust estimation algorithm for decomposing transaction totals into the underlying, individual product(s) purchased by utilizing a large corpus of transactions. Our method recovers a (product prices) vector $p \in \mathbbR ^N_>0 $ of unknown dimension (number of products) N as well as matrix $A \in \mathbbZ ^M \times N _\geq0 $ simply from M observations (transaction totals) $y \in \mathbbR ^M_>0 $ such that $y = A p + η$ with η \in \mathbbR ^M$ representing noise (taxes, discounts, etc.). We formally establish that our algorithm identifies $N, A$ precisely and p approximately, as long as each product is purchased individually at least once, i.e. $M \geq N$ and A has rank N. Computationally, the algorithm runs in polynomial time (with respect to problem parameters), and thus we provide a computationally efficient and statistically robust method for solving such inverse problems. We apply the algorithm to a large corpus of anonymized consumer credit card transactions in the period 2016-2019, with data obtained from a commercial data vendor. The transactions are associated with spending at Apple, Chipotle, Netflix, and Spotify. From just transactions data, our algorithm identifies (i) key price points (without access to the listed prices), (ii) products purchased within a transaction, (iii) product launches, and (iv) evidence of a new 'secret' product from Netflix - rumored to be in limited release.
The linearized disposition index augments understanding of treatment effects in diabetes
Authors: Kile Amanda J. , Hanna Clarissa , Hannon Tamara S. , Kirkman M. Sue , Considine Robert V. , Patel Yash , Mather Kieren J.
Published: November 2020

The linearized insulin secretion-sensitivity relationship allows separate evaluation of the secretion-sensitivity slope and of maximal insulin secretion. Here, we demonstrate the application of this methodology to the evaluation of clinical trial data, showing that it provides an expanded understanding of treatment-induced changes compared with the disposition index.
Hydrothermal Preparation of Ag/Ag1.69Sb2.27O6.25 Sesame‐Hollow‐Ball‐Type Nanocomposites: The Formation Mechanism of Metallic Ag in the Ag‐H2O System at 400 K
Authors: Liu Haomei , Hao Xihai , Liu Yuejun , Yan Aiguo
Published: November 2020

Ag/Ag1.69Sb2.27O6.25 sesame‐hollow‐ball‐type nanocomposites were prepared via a facile one‐step hydrothermal method at 400 K. Power X‐ray diffraction analysis shows that all diffraction peaks were well consistent with JCPDS card no: 89‐6552 of Ag1.69Sb2.27O6.25. Scanning electron microscopy and high‐resolution transmission electron microscopy images of the composites indicate that some smaller metallic Ag particles with size∼18.3 nm uniformly dense on the surface of Ag1.69Sb2.27O6.25 hollow nanospheres with a mean size of about 170 nm, producing Ag/Ag1.69Sb2.27O6.25 hollow‐sesame‐ball nanocomposites. The surface chemical state of Ag/Ag1.69Sb2.27O6.25 is investigated by XPS, and all peaks of Ag 3d, O 1s, and Sb 3d show their different chemical states. The BET surface area of the sample is 7.268 m2/g, and the pore sizes of nanocomposites are more than 5 nm. The light absorption property of as‐prepared materials is studied by UV‐vis/DRS, and the adsorption band is located at 445 nm, and the estimated energy band gap (Eg) is 2.55 eV. The calculated partial φ‐pH diagrams in the Ag‐H2O system at 400 K predict that the Ag+ ion can react with H2 to form metallic Ag.
Free Vibration Characteristics of Moderately Thick Spherical Shell with General Boundary Conditions Based on Ritz Method
Authors: Hu Bing , Gao Cong , Zhang Hang , Li Haichao , Pang Fuzhen , Lang Jicai
Published: November 2020

In this paper, the Ritz method is adopted to investigate the vibration characteristics of isotropic moderately thick annular spherical shell with general boundary conditions. The energy expressions of the annular spherical shell were established based on the first-order shear deformation theory (FSDT). The spring stiffness method is introduced to guarantee continuity and simulate various boundary conditions on the basis of the domain decomposition method. Under the current framework, the displacement admissible function along axial direction and circumferential direction of the shell structure are, respectively, expanded as the unified Jacobi polynomials and Fourier series. The final solutions can be obtained according to the Ritz method. The validity of the proposed method is proved by comparing the results of the same condition with those obtained by the finite element method (FEM) and published literatures. The results show that the current method has fast convergence and delightful accuracy through the comparative study. On this basis, the vibration characteristics of isotropic moderately thick annular spherical shell are further studied by a series of numerical examples.
Containing Epidemic Spreading on Networks with Neighbor Resource Supporting
Authors: Song Chengcheng , Chen Yanyan , Chen Ning , Liu Zhuo , Zhu Xuzhen , Wang Wei
Published: November 2020

Previous studies revealed that the susceptibility, contacting preference, and recovery probability markedly alter the epidemic outbreak size and threshold. The recovery probability of an infected node is closely related to its obtained resources. How to allocate limited resources to infected neighbors is extremely important for containing the epidemic spreading on complex networks. In this paper, we proposed an epidemic spreading model on complex networks, in which we assume that the node has heterogeneous susceptibility and contacting preference, and susceptible nodes are willing to share their resources to neighbors. Through a developed heterogeneous mean-field theory and a large number of numerical simulations, we find that the recovered nodes provide resources uniformly to their infected neighbor nodes, and the epidemic spreading can be suppressed optimally on homogeneous and heterogeneous networks. Besides, altering the susceptibility and contacting preference does not qualitatively change the results. The susceptibility of the node decreases, which makes the outbreak threshold of epidemic spreading increase, and the outbreak size decreases. Our theory agrees well with the numerical simulations.
A Novel Detection Framework for Detecting Abnormal Human Behavior
Authors: Wu Chengfei , Cheng Zixuan
Published: November 2020

Public safety issues have always been the focus of widespread concern of people from all walks of life. With the development of video detection technology, the detection of abnormal human behavior in videos has become the key to preventing public safety issues. Particularly, in student groups, the detection of abnormal human behavior is very important. Most existing abnormal human behavior detection algorithms are aimed at outdoor activity detection, and the indoor detection effects of these algorithms are not ideal. Students spend most of their time indoors, and modern classrooms are mostly equipped with monitoring equipment. This study focuses on the detection of abnormal behaviors of indoor humans and uses a new abnormal behavior detection framework to realize the detection of abnormal behaviors of indoor personnel. First, a background modeling method based on a Gaussian mixture model is used to segment the background image of each image frame in the video. Second, block processing is performed on the image after segmenting the background to obtain the space-time block of each frame of the image, and this block is used as the basic representation of the detection object. Third, the foreground image features of each space-time block are extracted. Fourth, fuzzy C-means clustering (FCM) is used to detect outliers in the data sample. The contribution of this paper is (1) the use of an abnormal human behavior detection framework that is effective indoors. Compared with the existing abnormal human behavior detection methods, the detection framework in this paper has a little difference in terms of its outdoor detection effects. (2) Compared with other detection methods, the detection framework used in this paper has a better detection effect for abnormal human behavior indoors, and the detection performance is greatly improved. (3) The detection framework used in this paper is easy to implement and has low time complexity. Through the experimental results obtained on public and manually created data sets, it can be demonstrated that the performance of the detection framework used in this paper is similar to those of the compared methods in outdoor detection scenarios. It has a strong advantage in terms of indoor detection. In summary, the proposed detection framework has a good practical application value.
Agricultural Productive Service System Based on the Block Chain and Edge Computing
Authors: Wang Yuqing , Han Xueping
Published: November 2020

With the rapid development of the service sector in economic growth, productive service industry has become a growing field of people’s attention. Agricultural productive services are a supporting point to promote the development of modern agriculture, and at the same time, they also point out the direction for promoting the transformation of the agricultural development mode, which has very important strategic significance. In order to analyze and improve the rural productive service system and solve the “three rural” issues, this article designs an agricultural productive service analysis framework from the perspective of farmers, statistics of the investment in agricultural productive services in a certain region from 2015 to 2019, the expenditure of agricultural productive services in agriculture, forestry, fishery, and animal husbandry, and per capita wage income and operating income of farmers in the area under agricultural productive services, and in the process of agricultural production, farmers need agricultural productive services from the perspective of the whole process, land preparation, seeding, pest control, fertilization, and harvesting risks. The data in this experiment are stored in a distributed manner through the block chain, and the data are stored in the corresponding part in the chronological order; the data are transmitted to the edge server of the experimental network in the way of point-to-point transmission, and then edge computing technology is used to calculate and analyze the data collected in the experiment. The final result shows that, in this region, the input of the main agricultural producer service industry is growing very fast, the scale of productive services is expanding, and more and more attention is paid to the producer services in the process of agricultural production, but the internal composition of agricultural producer services is unbalanced. With the continuous improvement of the scale of agricultural productive services, the per capita income of farmers and the per capita income of management are also increasing year by year. When the scale of agricultural productive services reaches 0.09 in 2019, the per capita wage income of farmers has reached 3900 yuan, and the per capita income of farmers has reached 3750 yuan. And in the perspective of various risks in agricultural production, the higher the risk coefficient, the stronger the risk preference of farmers and the higher the risk investment in agricultural production services.
Green Energy Strategic Management for Service of Quality Composition in the Internet of Things Environment
Authors: Gao Jianhao
Published: November 2020

With the rapid development of Internet of Things (IoT) technology, the energy consumption of service composition in the IoT environment is a key problem to be studied. At present, the problems of service composition in the IoT environment mostly focus on the evaluation research based on quality of service (QoS), ignoring the overall energy consumption in the process of dynamic configuration of service composition. Therefore, we construct the service composition structure for the IoT and propose the QoS evaluation model and energy evaluation model for the service composition in the IoT environment. Considering that the service composition in the Internet of things environment is NP hard, moth algorithm (MFO) is successfully applied to the QoS evaluation model and energy evaluation model. The simulation results reveal that MFO has good optimization effect in the abovementioned models, and the optimization effect of MFO is improved by 8% and 6% compared with the genetic algorithm and particle swarm optimization, so as to realize the green energy strategic management of QoS composition in the environment of IoT.
Increased Frequencies of Switched Memory B Cells and Plasmablasts in Peripheral Blood from Patients with ANCA-Associated Vasculitis
Authors: Elmér Evelina , Smargianaki Sofia , Pettersson Åsa , Skattum Lillemor , Ohlsson Sophie , Hellmark Thomas , Johansson Åsa C. M.
Published: November 2020

B cells are thought to play a central role in the pathogenesis of antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody- (ANCA-) associated vasculitis (AAV). ANCAs have been proposed to cause vasculitis by activating primed neutrophils to damage small blood vessels. We studied a cohort of AAV patients of which a majority were in remission and diagnosed with granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA). Using flow cytometry, the frequencies of CD19+ B cells and subsets in peripheral blood from 106 patients with AAV and 134 healthy controls were assessed. B cells were divided into naive, preswitch memory, switched memory, and exhausted memory cells. Naive and switched memory cells were further subdivided into transitional cells and plasmablasts, respectively. In addition, serum concentrations of immunoglobulin A, G, and M were measured and clinical data were retrieved. AAV patients displayed, in relation to healthy controls, a decreased frequency of B cells of lymphocytes (5.1% vs. 8.3%) and total B cell number. For the subsets, a decrease in percentage of transitional B cells (0.7% vs. 4.4%) and expansions of switched memory B cells (22.3% vs. 16.5%) and plasmablasts (0.9% vs. 0.3%) were seen. A higher proportion of B cells was activated (CD95+) in patients (20.6% vs. 10.3%), and immunoglobulin levels were largely unaltered. No differences in B cell frequencies between patients in active disease and remission were observed. Patients in remission with a tendency to relapse had, compared to nonrelapsing patients, decreased frequencies of B cells (3.5% vs. 6.5%) and transitional B cells (0.1% vs. 1.1%) and an increased frequency of activated exhausted memory B cells (30.8% vs. 22.3%). AAV patients exhibit specific changes in frequencies of CD19+ B cells and their subsets in peripheral blood. These alterations could contribute to the autoantibody-driven inflammatory process in AAV.
The Prediction Analysis of Peer-to-Peer Lending Platforms Default Risk Based on Comparative Models
Authors: Guo Haifeng , Peng Ke , Xu Xiaolei , Tao Shuai , Wu Zhen
Published: November 2020

This paper examines the determinants of platform default risk using machine learning methods, including comprehensive models, and thus compares these models’ predictive abilities. To test platform’s default risk, this paper constructs three types of variables, which reflect a platform’s operating characteristics, customer feedback, and compliance capability. We find that the abnormal return tends to trigger default risk significantly. However, the default risk can be minimized if a platform has positive recommendations from customers and more transparent information disclosure or is affiliated as the member of the National Internet Finance Association of China. Empirical results indicate that the CART model outperforms the Random Forests model and Logit regression in predicting platform default risk. Our study sheds light on default risk prediction and thus can improve the government regulation ability.
Emergence of Beta Oscillations of a Resonance Model for Parkinson’s Disease
Authors: Chen Yaqian , Wang Junsong , Kang Yanmei , Ghori Muhammad Bilal
Published: November 2020

In Parkinson’s disease, the excess of beta oscillations in cortical-basal ganglia (BG) circuits has been correlated with normal movement suppression. In this paper, a physiologically based resonance model, generalizing an earlier model of the STN-GPe circuit, is employed to analyze critical dynamics of the occurrence of beta oscillations, which correspond to Hopf bifurcation. With the experimentally measured parameters, conditions for the occurrence of Hopf bifurcation with time delay are deduced by means of linear stability analysis, center manifold theorem, and normal form analysis. It is found that beta oscillations can be induced by increasing synaptic transmission delay. Furthermore, it is revealed that the oscillations originate from interaction among different synaptic connections. Our analytical results are consistent with the previous experimental and simulating findings, thus may provide a more systematic insight into the mechanisms underlying the transient beta bursts.
New Method of Solving the Economic Complex Systems
Authors: Yang Ya-Juan , Chen Chung-Cheng , Chen Yen-Ting
Published: November 2020

In this study, the authors first develop a direct method used to solve the linear nonhomogeneous time-invariant difference equation with the same number for inputs and outputs. Economic cybernetics is the crystallization for the integration of economics and cybernetics. It analyzes the stability, controllability, and observability of the economic system by establishing a system model and enables people to better understand the characteristics of the economic system and solve economic optimization problems. The economic model generally applies the discrete recurrence difference equation. The significant analytic approach for the difference equation is the z-transformation technique. The z-transformation state of the economic cybernetics state-space difference equation generally is a rational function with the same power for the numerator and the denominator. The proposed approach will take the place of the traditional methods without all annoying procedures involving the long division of some complicated polynomials, the expanded multiplication of many polynomial factors, the differentiation of some complicated polynomials, and the complex derivations of all partial fraction parameters. To highlight the novelty of this research, this study especially applies the proposed theorems originally belonging to engineering to the field of economic applications.
Study on Microstructure Differences of Coal Samples before and after Loading
Authors: Liu Jiajia , Fang Yingxiang , Jia Gaini , Chen Shouqi , Hu Jianmin
Published: November 2020

The microscopic pore structure of coal affects the content of adsorbed gas. The microstructure of coal sample before and after loading is different, which will affect the adsorption and permeability of coal seam gas. In order to study this difference, the authors carried out mercury intrusion experiments on coal containing different coal samples and used nondestructive nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) techniques, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy, to study the microstructure of coal samples before and after loading. The experimental results show that the pores of coal samples are mainly micropores and small pores, and the mesopores and macropores are relatively few. The T2 spectrum area of the coal sample is significantly increased after loading, and the parallel-layer coal samples’ T2 spectrum area is 46735, which is 9112 more than the vertical layer coal samples. The T2 spectrum of the vertical coalbed of saturated water samples shows a three-peak shape, the peak of the T2 spectrum is 12692, and the parallel bedding shows a bimodal morphology. The peak area of the T2 spectrum is 11277. The permeability of the parallel bedding coal sample is good, and the coal sample exhibits anisotropic properties. The pores and cracks of the coal samples increased after loading, and the localized area of the coal sample collapsed and formed a fracture zone, which was not conducive to the occurrence of coal seam gas. Further explanation of the changes in the permeability of the coal sample before and after loading will affect the gas storage and transportation.
Nonorthogonal Multiple Access for Next-Generation Mobile Networks: A Technical Aspect for Research Direction
Authors: Hussain Muhammad , Rasheed Haroon
Published: November 2020

5G mobile communications offer several benefits, which include providing extremely low latency, very high data rates, significant improvement in the number of users, and increase in base station capacity and perceived quality of service. This may be achieved at the cost of an increased receiver complexity by nonorthogonal access of users. Nonorthogonal multiple access (NOMA) is one of the capable contenders to achieve the vision of 5G wireless communications. Supporting a higher number of users than available orthogonal resources is the key feather of NOMA. In this article, the basic principle of NOMA has been reviewed and compared with other orthogonal multiple access (OMA). A comprehensive survey is presented in the latest NOMA scheme. The distinguished NOMA schemes design principle features, and recent deployments are discussed. Furthermore, the performance is compared in terms of the bit error rate, system capacity, and energy efficiency. The performance results show that NOMA can achieve the required goals, in terms of the user data rate, system capacity, interference cancellation scheme, and reception complexity.
Modification of Extracellular Matrix Enhances Oncolytic Adenovirus Immunotherapy in Glioblastoma
Authors: Kiyokawa Juri , Kawamura Yoichiro , Ghouse Shanawaz M. , Acar Simge , Barçın Erinç , Martínez-Quintanilla Jordi , Martuza Robert L. , Alemany Ramon , Rabkin Samuel D. , Shah Khalid , Wakimoto Hiroaki
Published: November 2020

Purpose:

Extracellular matrix (ECM) component hyaluronan (HA) facilitates malignant phenotypes of glioblastoma (GBM), however, whether HA impacts response to GBM immunotherapies is not known. Herein, we investigated whether degradation of HA enhances oncolytic virus immunotherapy for GBM.

Experimental Design:

Presence of HA was examined in patient and murine GBM. Hyaluronidase-expressing oncolytic adenovirus, ICOVIR17, and its parental virus, ICOVIR15, without transgene, were tested to determine if they increased animal survival and modulated the immune tumor microenvironment (TME) in orthotopic GBM. HA regulation of NF-κB signaling was examined in virus-infected murine macrophages. We combined ICOVIR17 with PD-1 checkpoint blockade and assessed efficacy and determined mechanistic contributions of tumor-infiltrating myeloid and T cells.

Results:

Treatment of murine orthotopic GBM with ICOVIR17 increased tumor-infiltrating CD8+ T cells and macrophages, and upregulated PD-L1 on GBM cells and macrophages, leading to prolonged animal survival, compared with control virus ICOVIR15. High molecular weight HA inhibits adenovirus-induced NF-κB signaling in macrophages in vitro, linking HA degradation to macrophage activation. Combining ICOVIR17 with anti-PD-1 antibody further extended the survival of GBM-bearing mice, achieving long-term remission in some animals. Mechanistically, CD4+ T cells, CD8+ T cells, and macrophages all contributed to the combination therapy that induced tumor-associated proinflammatory macrophages and tumor-specific T-cell cytotoxicity locally and systemically.

Conclusions:

Our studies are the first to show that immune modulatory ICOVIR17 has a dual role of mediating degradation of HA within GBM ECM and subsequently modifying the immune landscape of the TME, and offers a mechanistic combination immunotherapy with PD-L1/PD-1 blockade that remodels innate and adaptive immune cells.
Clinical Efficacy and Molecular Response Correlates of the WEE1 Inhibitor Adavosertib Combined with Cisplatin in Patients with Metastatic Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
Authors: Keenan Tanya E. , Li Tianyu , Vallius Tuulia , Guerriero Jennifer L. , Tayob Nabihah , Kochupurakkal Bose , Davis Janae , Pastorello Ricardo , Tahara Rie K. , Anderson Leilani , Conway Jake , He Meng X. , Shannon Erin , Godin Robert E. , Sorger Peter K. , D'Andrea Alan , Overmoyer Beth , Winer Eric P. , Mittendorf Elizabeth A. , Van Allen Eliezer M. , Shapiro Geoffrey I. , Tolaney Sara M.
Published: November 2020

Purpose:

We report results from a phase II study assessing the efficacy of the WEE1 inhibitor adavosertib with cisplatin in metastatic triple-negative breast cancer (mTNBC).

Patients and Methods:

Patients with mTNBC treated with 0–1 prior lines of chemotherapy received cisplatin 75 mg/m2 i.v. followed 21 days later by cisplatin plus adavosertib 200 mg oral twice daily for five doses every 21 days. The study had 90% power to detect the difference between null (20%) and alternative (40%) objective response rates (ORR) with a one-sided type I error of 0.1: an ORR >30% was predefined as making the regimen worthy of further study. RNA sequencing and multiplex cyclic immunofluorescence on pre- and post-adavosertib tumor biopsies, as well as targeted next-generation sequencing on archival tissue, were correlated with clinical benefit, defined as stable disease ≥6 months or complete or partial response.

Results:

A total of 34 patients initiated protocol therapy; median age was 56 years, 2 patients (6%) had BRCA2 mutations, and 14 (41%) had one prior chemotherapy. ORR was 26% [95% confidence interval (CI), 13–44], and median progression-free survival was 4.9 months (95% CI, 2.3–5.7). Treatment-related grade 3–5 adverse events occurred in 53% of patients, most commonly diarrhea in 21%. One death occurred because of sepsis, possibly related to study therapy. Tumors from patients with clinical benefit demonstrated enriched immune gene expression and T-cell infiltration.

Conclusions:

Among patients with mTNBC treated with 0–1 prior lines, adavosertib combined with cisplatin missed the prespecified ORR cutoff of >30%. The finding of immune-infiltrated tumors in patients with clinical benefit warrants validation.
Combined Targeting of PARG and Wee1 Causes Decreased Cell Survival and DNA Damage in an S-Phase–Dependent Manner
Authors: Agostini Lebaron C. , Jain Aditi , Shupp Alison , Nevler Avinoam , McCarthy Grace , Bussard Karen M. , Yeo Charles J. , Brody Jonathan R.
Published: November 2020

The DNA damage response (DDR) pathway sets the stage for tumorigenesis and provides both an opportunity for drug efficacy and resistance. Therapeutic approaches to target the DDR pathway include aiming to increase the efficacy of cytotoxic chemotherapies and synergistic drug strategies to enhance DNA damage, and hence cell death. Here, we report the first preclinical evaluation of a novel synergistic approach by using both genetic and small-molecule inhibition methods of silencing the DDR-related protein, poly (ADP-ribose) glycohydrolase (PARG), and the checkpoint kinase inhibitor, Wee1, in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) and colorectal carcinoma cells in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, we demonstrate that coinhibition of PARG and Wee1 synergistically decreased cell survival and increased DNA damage in an S-phase–dependent manner.

Implications:

In preclinical models, we demonstrate the efficacy and mechanism of action of targeting both PARG and Wee1 in PDAC and colorectal carcinoma cells.

Visual Overview:

http://mcr.aacrjournals.org/content/molcanres/19/2/207/F1.large.jpg.
Sexual Dimorphic Role of CD14 (Cluster of Differentiation 14) in Salt-Sensitive Hypertension and Renal Injury
Authors: Fehrenbach Daniel J. , Abais-Battad Justine M. , Dasinger John Henry , Lund Hayley , Keppel Theodore , Zemaj Jeylan , Cherian-Shaw Mary , Gundry Rebekah L. , Geurts Aron M. , Dwinell Melinda R. , Mattson David L.
Published: November 2020

Genomic sequence and gene expression association studies in animals and humans have identified genes that may be integral in the pathogenesis of various diseases. CD14 (cluster of differentiation 14)—a cell surface protein involved in innate immune system activation—is one such gene associated with cardiovascular and hypertensive disease. We previously showed that this gene is upregulated in renal macrophages of Dahl salt-sensitive animals fed a high-salt diet; here we test the hypothesis that CD14 contributes to the elevated pressure and renal injury observed in salt-sensitive hypertension. Using CRISPR/Cas9 (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats/clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat–associated 9), we created a targeted mutation in the
CD14
gene on the Dahl SS (SS/JrHSDMcwi) background and validated the absence of CD14 peptides via mass spectrometry. Radiotelemetry was used to monitor blood pressure in wild-type and CD14
−/
−
animals challenged with high salt and identified infiltrating renal immune cells via flow cytometry. Germline knockout of CD14 exacerbated salt-sensitive hypertension and renal injury in female animals but not males. CD14
−/−
females demonstrated increased infiltrating macrophages but no difference in infiltrating lymphocytes. Transplant of CD14
+/+
or CD14
−/−
bone marrow was used to isolate the effects of CD14 knockout to hematopoietic cells and confirmed that the differential phenotype observed was due to knockout of CD14 in hematopoietic cells. Ovariectomy was used to remove the influence of female sex hormones, which completely abrogated the effect of CD14 knockout. These studies provide a novel treatment target and evidence of a new dichotomy in immune activation between sexes within the context of hypertensive disease where CD14 regulates immune cell activation and renal injury.
Saussurea sagittifolia (Asteraceae, Cardueae), a new species from the Bashan Mountains region of China

Authors: XU LIAN-SHENG , YI SI-YONG , CHEN YOU-SHENG
Published: November 2020

Saussurea sagittifolia (Asteraceae, Cardueae), a new species from the Bashan Mountains region in China, is described and illustrated. This species belongs to Saussurea subg. Saussurea sect. Rosulescentes and is similar to S. oligocephala, but differs by its basal leaves triangular-ovate, margin with 8–15 pairs of small sharp teeth, apex acuminate, base with auricular protrusion (vs. basal leaves ovate to obovate-elliptic, margin sinuate or coarsely dentate, apex acute to obtuse, base cuneate-attenuate), cauline leaves more than 10, triangular, lanceolate, linear to subulate (vs. cauline leaves 2–4, linear).
New species and new records of Laboulbenia (Ascomycota, Laboulbeniales) from Cambodia

Authors: KONG VANNAK , YORN TRY , ROSSI WALTER
Published: November 2020

The following five new species of Laboulbenia are described: L. angkorensis, parasitic on Pseudolathra armigera (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae); L. fusca, parasitic on Planetes formosanus (Coleoptera, Carabidae); L. polyandra, parasitic on Macrocheilus sp. (Carabidae); L. scabra, parasitic on Abacetus sp. (Carabidae), and L. trilobata, parasitic on Dioryche indochinensis (Carabidae). Nineteen species of Laboulbenia are reported for the first time from Cambodia and the taxonomic position of L. asiatica is discussed. New records from Angola, China, Greece, Israel, Kenya, Philippines, Romania, Sierra Leone, Zimbabwe are also reported.
Typifications of five names in Agarista (Ericaceae, Vaccinioideae, Lyonieae)

Authors: DALASTRA CLAUDENICE HILDA , HEIDEN GUSTAVO
Published: November 2020

Five names are typified here as a first step towards the floristic and taxonomic study of Ericaceae in Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil, and the taxonomic revision of Agarista. We reviewed protologues, type specimens (including digital images), and negative photos at F from lost specimens originally deposited at B. Lectotypes are designated for the names Andromeda chlorantha, A. serrulata, A. eucalyptoides, A. multiflora, and A. nummularia. These lectotypes are designated from duplicates conserved in the herbaria E, F, HAL, G, GH, L, M, NY, S, and W. Additionally, epitypes are also designated for Agarista chlorantha and Agarista nummularia at ESA and US, respectively.