bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Extracting Polarity Shifting Patterns from Any Corpus Based on Natural Annotation
Authors: Xu Ge , Yang Xiaoyan , Cai Yuanzheng , Ruan Zhiqiang , Wang Tao , Liao Xiangwen
Published: February 2020

In recent years, online sentiment texts are generated by users in various domains and in different languages. Binary polarity classification (positive or negative) on business sentiment texts can help both companies and customers to evaluate products or services. Sometimes, the polarity of sentiment texts can be modified, making the polarity classification difficult. In sentiment analysis, such modification of polarity is termed as
polarity shifting
, which shifts the polarity of a sentiment clue (emotion, evaluation, etc.). It is well known that detection of polarity shifting can help improve sentiment analysis in texts. However, to detect polarity shifting in corpora is challenging: (1) polarity shifting is normally sparse in texts, making human annotation difficult; (2) corpora with dense polarity shifting are few; we may need polarity shifting patterns from various corpora.

In this article, an approach is presented to extract polarity shifting patterns from any text corpus. For the first time, we proposed to select texts rich in polarity shifting by the idea of
natural annotation
, which is used to replace human annotation. With a sequence mining algorithm, the selected texts are used to generate polarity shifting pattern candidates, and then we rank them by C-value before human annotation. The approach is tested on different corpora and different languages. The results show that our approach can capture various types of polarity shifting patterns, and some patterns are unique to specific corpora. Therefore, for better performance, it is reasonable to construct polarity shifting patterns directly from the given corpus.
XLearn
Authors: Ye Juan , Dobson Simon , Zambonelli Franco
Published: February 2020

Sensor-driven systems often need to map sensed data into meaningfully labelled activities to classify the phenomena being observed. A motivating and challenging example comes from human activity recognition in which smart home and other datasets are used to classify human activities to support applications such as ambient assisted living, health monitoring, and behavioural intervention. Building a robust and meaningful classifier needs annotated ground truth, labelled with what activities are actually being observed—and acquiring high-quality, detailed, continuous annotations remains a challenging, time-consuming, and error-prone task, despite considerable attention in the literature. In this article, we use knowledge-driven ensemble learning to develop a technique that can combine classifiers built from individually labelled datasets, even when the labels are sparse and heterogeneous. The technique both relieves individual users of the burden of annotation and allows activities to be learned individually and then transferred to a general classifier. We evaluate our approach using four third-party, real-world smart home datasets and show that it enhances activity recognition accuracies even when given only a very small amount of training data.
Toward model-driven sustainability evaluation
Authors: Kienzle Jörg , Mussbacher Gunter , Combemale Benoit , Bastin Lucy , Bencomo Nelly , Bruel Jean-Michel , Becker Christoph , Betz Stefanie , Chitchyan Ruzanna , Cheng Betty H. C. , Klingert Sonja , Paige Richard F. , Penzenstadler Birgit , Seyff Norbert , Syriani Eugene , Venters Colin C.
Published: February 2020

Exploring the vision of a model-based framework that may enable broader engagement with and informed decision making about sustainability issues.
Web Table Extraction, Retrieval, and Augmentation
Authors: Zhang Shuo , Balog Krisztian
Published: February 2020

Tables are powerful and popular tools for organizing and manipulating data. A vast number of tables can be found on the Web, which represent a valuable knowledge resource. The objective of this survey is to synthesize and present two decades of research on web tables. In particular, we organize existing literature into six main categories of information access tasks: table extraction, table interpretation, table search, question answering, knowledge base augmentation, and table augmentation. For each of these tasks, we identify and describe seminal approaches, present relevant resources, and point out interdependencies among the different tasks.
Travel Recommendation via Fusing Multi-Auxiliary Information into Matrix Factorization
Authors: Chen Lei , Wu Zhiang , Cao Jie , Zhu Guixiang , Ge Yong
Published: February 2020

As an e-commerce feature, the personalized recommendation is invariably highly-valued by both consumers and merchants. The e-tourism has become one of the hottest industries with the adoption of recommendation systems. Several lines of evidence have confirmed the travel-product recommendation is quite different from traditional recommendations. Travel products are usually browsed and purchased relatively infrequently compared with other traditional products (e.g., books and food), which gives rise to the extreme sparsity of travel data. Meanwhile, the choice of a suitable travel product is affected by an army of factors such as departure, destination, and financial and time budgets. To address these challenging problems, in this article, we propose a Probabilistic Matrix Factorization with Multi-Auxiliary Information (PMF-MAI) model in the context of the travel-product recommendation. In particular, PMF-MAI is able to fuse the probabilistic matrix factorization on the user-item interaction matrix with the linear regression on a suite of features constructed by the multiple auxiliary information. In order to fit the sparse data, PMF-MAI is built by a whole-data based learning approach that utilizes unobserved data to increase the coupling between probabilistic matrix factorization and linear regression. Extensive experiments are conducted on a real-world dataset provided by a large tourism e-commerce company. PMF-MAI shows an overwhelming superiority over all competitive baselines on the recommendation performance. Also, the importance of features is examined to reveal the crucial auxiliary information having a great impact on the adoption of travel products.
Using Sub-Optimal Plan Detection to Identify Commitment Abandonment in Discrete Environments
Authors: Pereira Ramon Fraga , Oren Nir , Meneguzzi Felipe
Published: February 2020

Assessing whether an agent has abandoned a goal or is actively pursuing it is important when multiple agents are trying to achieve joint goals, or when agents commit to achieving goals for each other. Making such a determination for a single goal by observing only plan traces is not trivial, as agents often deviate from optimal plans for various reasons, including the pursuit of multiple goals or the inability to act optimally. In this article, we develop an approach based on domain independent heuristics from automated planning, landmarks, and fact partitions to identify sub-optimal action steps—with respect to a plan—within a fully observable plan execution trace. Such capability is very important in domains where multiple agents cooperate and delegate tasks among themselves, such as through
social commitments
, and need to ensure that a delegating agent can infer whether or not another agent is actually progressing towards a delegated task. We demonstrate how a creditor can use our technique to determine—by observing a trace—whether a debtor is honouring a commitment. We empirically show, for a number of representative domains, that our approach infers sub-optimal action steps with very high accuracy and detects commitment abandonment in nearly all cases.
The 2020 Alonzo Church award for outstanding contributions to logic and computation
Authors: Murawski Andrzej
Published: February 2020

An annual award, called the Alonzo Church Award for Outstanding Contributions to Logic and Computation, was established in 2015 by the ACM Special Interest Group for Logic and Computation (SIGLOG), the European Association for Theoretical Computer Science (EATCS), the European Association for Computer Science Logic (EACSL), and the Kurt Gödel Society (KGS). The award is for an outstanding contribution represented by a paper or by a small group of papers published within the past 25 years. This time span allows the lasting impact and depth of the contribution to have been established. The award can be given to an individual, or to a group of individuals who have collaborated on the research. For the rules governing this award, see: https://siglog.acm.org/alonzo-church-award-for-outstanding-contributions-to-logic-and-computation-2020/, https://www.eatcs.org/index.php/church-award/, and https://eacsl.org/.

The 2019 Alonzo Church Award was given jointly to Murdoch J. Gabbay and Andrew M. Pitts for their ground-breaking work introducing the theory of nominal representations, see: http://siglog.org/winners-of-the-2019-alonzo-church-award/. Previous awardees are listed at https://www.eatcs.org/index.php/church-award/.
Engineering Synthetic Signaling in Plants
Authors: Leydon Alexander R. , Gala Hardik P. , Guiziou Sarah , Nemhauser Jennifer L.
Published: February 2020

Synthetic signaling is a branch of synthetic biology that aims to understand native genetic regulatory mechanisms and to use these insights to engineer interventions and devices that achieve specified design parameters. Applying synthetic signaling approaches to plants offers the promise of mitigating the worst effects of climate change and providing a means to engineer crops for entirely novel environments, such as those in space travel. The ability to engineer new traits using synthetic signaling methods will require standardized libraries of biological parts and methods to assemble them; the decoupling of complex processes into simpler subsystems; and mathematical models that can accelerate the design-build-test-learn cycle. The field of plant synthetic signaling is relatively new, but it is poised for rapid advancement. Translation from the laboratory to the field is likely to be slowed, however, by the lack of constructive dialogue between researchers and other stakeholders.
Insights into the Structure, Function, and Dynamics of the Bacterial Cytokinetic FtsZ-Ring
Authors: McQuillen Ryan , Xiao Jie
Published: February 2020

The FtsZ protein is a highly conserved bacterial tubulin homolog. In vivo, the functional form of FtsZ is the polymeric, ring-like structure (Z-ring) assembled at the future division site during cell division. While it is clear that the Z-ring plays an essential role in orchestrating cytokinesis, precisely what its functions are and how these functions are achieved remain elusive. In this article, we review what we have learned during the past decade about the Z-ring's structure, function, and dynamics, with a particular focus on insights generated by recent high-resolution imaging and single-molecule analyses. We suggest that the major function of the Z-ring is to govern nascent cell pole morphogenesis by directing the spatiotemporal distribution of septal cell wall remodeling enzymes through the Z-ring's GTP hydrolysis–dependent treadmilling dynamics. In this role, FtsZ functions in cell division as the counterpart of the cell shape–determining actin homolog MreB in cell elongation.
Machine Learning for Molecular Simulation
Authors: Noé Frank , Tkatchenko Alexandre , Müller Klaus-Robert , Clementi Cecilia
Published: February 2020

Machine learning (ML) is transforming all areas of science. The complex and time-consuming calculations in molecular simulations are particularly suitable for an ML revolution and have already been profoundly affected by the application of existing ML methods. Here we review recent ML methods for molecular simulation, with particular focus on (deep) neural networks for the prediction of quantum-mechanical energies and forces, on coarse-grained molecular dynamics, on the extraction of free energy surfaces and kinetics, and on generative network approaches to sample molecular equilibrium structures and compute thermodynamics. To explain these methods and illustrate open methodological problems, we review some important principles of molecular physics and describe how they can be incorporated into ML structures. Finally, we identify and describe a list of open challenges for the interface between ML and molecular simulation.
Signaling through the interleukin-4 and interleukin-13 receptor complexes regulates cholangiocyte TMEM16A expression and biliary secretion
Authors: Dutta Amal K. , Boggs Kristy , Khimji Al-karim , Getachew Yonas , Wang Youxue , Kresge Charles , Rockey Don C. , Feranchak Andrew P.
Published: February 2020

TMEM16A is a Ca2+-activated Cl−channel in the apical membrane of biliary epithelial cells, known as cholangiocytes, which contributes importantly to ductular bile formation. Whereas cholangiocyte TMEM16A activity is regulated by extracellular ATP-binding membrane purinergic receptors, channel expression is regulated by interleukin-4 (IL-4) through an unknown mechanism. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to identify the signaling pathways involved in TMEM16A expression and cholangiocyte secretion. Studies were performed in polarized normal rat cholangiocyte monolayers, human Mz-Cha-1 biliary cells, and cholangiocytes isolated from murine liver tissue. The results demonstrate that all the biliary models expressed the IL-4Rα/IL-13Rα1 receptor complex. Incubation of cholangiocytes with either IL-13 or IL-4 increased the expression of TMEM16A protein, which was associated with an increase in the magnitude of Ca2+-activated Cl−currents in response to ATP in single cells and the short-circuit current response in polarized monolayers. The IL-4- and IL-13-mediated increase in TMEM16A expression was also associated with an increase in STAT6 phosphorylation. Specific inhibition of JAK-3 inhibited the increase in TMEM16A expression and the IL-4-mediated increase in ATP-stimulated currents, whereas inhibition of STAT6 inhibited both IL-4- and IL-13-mediated increases in TMEM16A expression and ATP-stimulated secretion. These studies demonstrate that the cytokines IL-13 and IL-4 regulate the expression and function of biliary TMEM16A channels through a signaling pathway involving STAT6. Identification of this regulatory pathway provides new insight into biliary secretion and suggests new targets to enhance bile formation in the treatment of cholestatic liver disorders.

NEW & NOTEWORTHY The Ca2+-activated Cl−channel transmembrane member 16A (TMEM16A) has emerged as an important regulator of biliary secretion and hence, ductular bile formation. The present studies represent the initial description of the regulation of TMEM16A expression in biliary epithelium. Identification of this regulatory pathway involving the IL-4 and IL-13 receptor complex and JAK-3 and STAT-6 signaling provides new insight into biliary secretion and suggests new therapeutic targets to enhance bile formation in the treatment of cholestatic liver disorders.
Rab7 involves Vps35 to mediate AQP2 sorting and apical trafficking in collecting duct cells
Authors: Wang Wei-Ling , Su Shih-Han , Wong Kit Yee , Yang Chan-Wei , Liu Chin-Fu , Yu Ming-Jiun
Published: February 2020

Aquaporin-2 (AQP2) is a vasopressin-regulated water channel protein responsible for osmotic water reabsorption by kidney collecting ducts. In response to vasopressin, AQP2 traffics from intracellular vesicles to the apical plasma membrane of collecting duct principal cells, where it increases water permeability and, hence, water reabsorption. Despite continuing efforts, gaps remain in our knowledge of vasopressin-regulated AQP2 trafficking. Here, we studied the functions of two retromer complex proteins, small GTPase Rab7 and vacuolar protein sorting 35 (Vps35), in vasopressin-induced AQP2 trafficking in a collecting duct cell model (mpkCCD cells). We showed that upon vasopressin removal, apical AQP2 returned to Rab5-positive early endosomes before joining Rab11-positive recycling endosomes. In response to vasopressin, Rab11-associated AQP2 trafficked to the apical plasma membrane before Rab5-associated AQP2 did so. Rab7 knockdown resulted in AQP2 accumulation in early endosomes and impaired vasopressin-induced apical AQP2 trafficking. In response to vasopressin, Rab7 transiently colocalized with Rab5, indicative of a role of Rab7 in AQP2 sorting in early endosomes before trafficking to the apical membrane. Rab7-mediated apical AQP2 trafficking in response to vasopressin required GTPase activity. When Vps35 was knocked down, AQP2 accumulated in recycling endosomes under vehicle conditions and did not traffic to the apical plasma membrane in response to vasopressin. We conclude that Rab7 and Vps35 participate in AQP2 sorting in early endosomes under vehicle conditions and apical membrane trafficking in response to vasopressin.
Controllable Synthesis and Photocatalytic Activity of Nano-BiOBr Photocatalyst
Authors: Wang Xiaoyang , Zhang Fuchun , Yang Yanning , Zhang Yu , Liu Lili , Lei Wenli
Published: February 2020

Nano-BiOBr photocatalysts were successfully prepared by hydrothermal synthesis using the ethylene glycol solution. The nano-BiOBr photocatalysts were characterized and investigated by X-ray diffractometry (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), photoluminescence (PL), and UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (UV-Vis DRS), and the catalytic ability toward photodegradation of rhodamine B (RhB) was also explored. The results showed that the crystallinity of the nano-BiOBr photocatalyst decreased with the increase of the concentration, while it increased with the amount of the applied deionized water. The morphology of the nano-BiOBr photocatalyst changed from microspheres to cubes and then to a mixture of microspheres and flakes with the increasing of the concentration and from microspheres to flakes with the addition of the deionized water. The results indicated that the concentration and solvents have an essential influence on the bandgap energy values of the nano-BiOBr photocatalyst, and photocatalyst showed an excellent photocatalyst activity toward photodegradation of RhB. The degradation yields of photocatalyst decreased with the increase of the concentration and increased with the addition of the deionized water. PL intensity of photocatalyst increased with the increase of the concentration and weakened with the addition of the deionized water.
Chinese Herbal Injections for Primary Nephrotic Syndrome in Adults: A Systematic Review and Network Meta‐Analysis
Authors: Han Shisheng , Yao Tianwen , Lu Yanhua , Lu Yan , Xu Yanqiu , Wang Yi
Published: February 2020

Primary nephrotic syndrome (PNS) is a common renal disease that presents with heavy proteinuria and hypoalbuminemia. Despite notable advances in its treatment, some patients show poor responses and clinical outcomes when treated with conventional Western medicine (WM). Chinese herbal injections (CHIs) have been reported to have beneficial effects for PNS. The aim of the present study was to comprehensively determine the efficacy and safety of CHIs for PNS in adults using a network meta‐analysis approach. PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane library, and four Chinese databases were systematically searched to identify randomized controlled trials (RCTs) using CHIs for treatment of PNS published before June 1, 2019. Quality assessment of the identified RCTs was performed according to the Cochrane Handbook. Pooled odds ratios (OR) or mean differences (MD) with corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated for discrete or continuous variables, respectively. The primary outcome was complete/total remission and secondary outcomes were serum albumin and urinary protein excretion. The surface under the cumulative ranking curve (SUCRA) value and cluster analyses were used to rank treatment by probability. Eighty‐five studies involving 11 CHIs and 5801 subjects were included. Compared with WM alone, CHI plus WM showed an improved complete/total remission rate as well as higher serum albumin and lower 24‐hour urinary protein excretion, except in the following: Yinxingye injection plus WM did not improve the total remission rate, and Dengzhanhua or Xueshuantong injection plus WM did not lower the 24‐hour urinary protein excretion. Either Danhong (DH) or Dengzhanhua (DZH) injection plus WM was the preferable treatment for PNS based on SUCRA and cluster analyses of clinical remission and adverse events. However, considering that literature in this area is limited, these results need further validation. CHIs administered as adjuvants to WM showed favourable outcomes for PNS. DH + WM and DZH + WM might be the potential optimal therapies for PNS.
Research on Cooling Method in Surfacing Repair Process of Aero Compressor Blade
Authors: Dai Shijie , Gong Miao , Wang Liwen , Wang Tao
Published: February 2020

For the cooling method in surfacing repairing, most of the research focuses on the method based on the fixture structure. However, due to the low thermal conductivity and ultrathin alloy blade, the heat transfer speed from the molten pool to fixture is slow. When the heat is transferred to the fixture, most of the molten pool has solidified and absorbed or segregated out some impurities. Therefore, how to cool the welding area directly is more critical. For this reason, the thermal cycle characteristics of typical points of the blade and the heat transfer process of the key area of the fixture are analyzed, the original cooling time is calculated, and two innovative cooling methods based on lateral forced convection cooling and vertical jet impact forced convection cooling are proposed. For lateral forced cooling, with “AF-field” lateral convection cooling modeling, the cooling effects of characteristic points and sections under different flow velocities are calculated. For vertical jet impact cooling, the pressure, flow rate, and convective heat flux distribution on the wall under different impact heights and nozzle diameter are calculated. The influence of different inlet flow rates on cooling performance is influenced, based on the analysis results of impact modeling, the moving heat sink model is established, and the cooling effect under different heat sink-source distances is calculated. The heat transfer rules of two methods are analyzed in detail through modeling and simulations. The results show that both methods can improve the cooling effect and the vertical jet impact cooling method has an effect that is more obvious. When the nozzle radius is 2 mm, the impact height is 4d, the inlet flow velocity is 35 m/s, and the distance is 7 mm, and the cooling time under the vertical jet impact method is shortened by 12.5%, which can achieve better cooling effect. The experiment further validates the effectiveness of the modeling and simulations.
Magnitude of Abdominal Wound Dehiscence and Associated Factors of Patients Who Underwent Abdominal Operation at St. Paul’s Hospital Millennium Medical College, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Authors: Teklewold Berhanetsehay , Pioth Dut , Dana Tadele
Published: February 2020

Background. Abdominal wound dehiscence (AWD) is the separation of different layers of an abdominal wound before complete healing has taken place. It is a major cause of postoperative morbidity and mortality in sub-Saharan Africa including Ethiopia, and little is known about its prevalence and related factors in the study area. Objectives. The aim of this study is to assess the magnitude of abdominal wound dehiscence and related factors on patients operated at St. Paul’s Hospital Millennium Medical College, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Methods. A hospital-based retrospective review of the chart was carried out by using the data covering three years (September 2014–September 2017) period. Data were collected from hospital medical records of sampled patients such as operation room logbooks and individual patient medical records. The collected data were checked for consistency, coded, and entered into SPSS version 20 for data processing and analysis. Descriptive analysis was conducted, and tables and graphs and summary statistics were used to depict data. Results. A total of 41 patients developed abdominal wound dehiscence from among 4137 patients who underwent abdominal laparotomy in the hospital. Among the patients, 51.2% were in the age range of 41 and above with mean age 29.8 (SD = 1.21) and 70.7% of them were male. Abdominal wound dehiscence was more common in emergency patients (90%) and vertical incision was the most common type of incision. Over half (58.5%) of the wound dehiscence occurred within 6–10 postoperative days. The majority (95.2%) of dehisced patients underwent relaparotomy for the management of the wound dehiscence, and 48.8% of them were treated with tension suture during the second operation of abdominal closure. Four of the patients (9.7%) died after the management of the second operation. Conclusion. The current study revealed that the overall magnitude of abdominal wound dehiscence in the study area was 0.99%. Most of the dehiscence has occurred in male patients, and older age groups were highly affected than the younger ones. Emergency admission is the most common form of admission identified in the study, and this signifies appropriate preoperative preparation of patients for an optimal outcome. However, regarding the management outcome, 9.8% of patients died in our study within the institution after the second operation which is the high mortality rate.
Synthesis, Spectroscopic Characterization, Molecular Docking, and Evaluation of Antibacterial Potential of Transition Metal Complexes Obtained Using Triazole Chelating Ligand
Authors: Al-Radadi Najlaa S. , Zayed Ehab M. , Mohamed Gehad G. , Abd El Salam Hayam A.
Published: February 2020

Mononuclear chelates of Ni(II), Co(II), Fe(III), Cd(II), and Cu(II) derived from triazole novel tridentate ligands were prepared and characterized by different spectroscopic methods. The metal to ligand ratio was 1 : 2, which was revealed by elemental analysis. All the complexes were electrolytic in nature as suggested by the conductivity measurements. IR pointed out that the coordination of the triazole ligand toward the metal ions was carried out through N amino and S thiophenolic atoms. The complexes were found to have octahedral geometry, and their thermal stability was also studied. The XRD spectrum of Co(II) and Fe(III) complexes concluded their crystalline structure. The parent ligand and its chelates were investigated for antimicrobial potential. Bioassay of all triazole complexes showed increased activity as compared to that of the ligand. The complexes having Ni(II), Co(II), and Cu(II) ions as metal center exhibited superior antibacterial activity in opposition to Gram-positive (B. subtilis and S. pyogenes) and Gram-negative (E. coli and P. vulgaris) bacterium as compared to standard.
From Evaluation to Prediction: Behavioral Effects and Biological Markers of Cognitive Control Intervention
Authors: Xuan Bin
Published: February 2020

Although the intervention effectiveness of cognitive control is disputed, some methods, such as single-task training, integrated training, meditation, aerobic exercise, and transcranial stimulation, have been reported to improve cognitive control. This review of recent advances from evaluation to prediction of cognitive control interventions suggests that brain modularity may be an important candidate marker for informing clinical decisions regarding suitable interventions. The intervention effect of cognitive control has been evaluated by behavioral performance, transfer effect, brain structure and function, and brain networks. Brain modularity can predict the benefits of cognitive control interventions based on individual differences and is independent of intervention method, group, age, initial cognitive ability, and education level. The prediction of cognitive control intervention based on brain modularity should extend to task states, combine function and structure networks, and assign different weights to subnetwork modularity.
Membranoproliferative Glomerulonephritis Associated with Nivolumab Therapy
Authors: Cruz-Whitley Jessica , Giehl Nolan , Jen Kuang-Yu , Young Brian
Published: February 2020

Nivolumab is an immune checkpoint inhibitor that targets programmed death-1 on T cells and is designed to amplify an immunologic reaction against cancer cells. However, upregulation of the immune system with checkpoint inhibition is nonspecific, and it can be associated with certain renal side effects, the best documented of which is acute tubulointerstitial nephritis. We present a unique case of a patient with acute kidney injury associated with nephrotic syndrome shortly after starting nivolumab therapy for metastatic anal carcinoma. Subsequent renal biopsy revealed membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis (MPGN). We believe this represents the first reported direct case of nivolumab-associated MPGN. As immunotherapy becomes more widely used in cancer treatment, particular attention must be paid to possible consequences of immune checkpoint inhibitors.
Saliency-Based Diver Target Detection and Localization Method
Authors: Zhu Jianjiang , Yu Siquan , Gao Lei , Han Zhi , Tang Yandong
Published: February 2020

Diver target automatic detection is indispensable for underwater defense systems, such as the unmanned harbor surveillance system. It is a very challenging task due to various poses and intensity features of diver target. In addition, the background noise in sonar images is complex, which also makes the task more difficult. In this paper, we propose a diver detection method based on saliency detection for sonar images. On the basis of studying the characteristics of diver sonar images, we first decompose the original sonar image and perform median filtering on it, which can significantly improve the quality of the sonar image saliency map. We employ saliency detection technique based on frequency analysis to segment the acoustic highlight region from its surroundings. This segmentation region roughly locates the diver target and generates a region of interest (ROI). We then extract the acoustic shadow region in ROI, which contributes to furtherly improve the localization accuracy. Finally, we merge the segmented highlight region and the extracted acoustic shadow region and compute the minimum outer rectangle of the merged region. Experimental results validate that the proposed method can well detect and locate the diver target, and it can also satisfy the demands of real-time application, and there is almost no false alarm in this method.
Responses and Periodic Variations of Cosmic Ray Intensity and Solar Wind Speed to Sunspot Numbers
Authors: Oloketuyi Jacob , Liu Yu , Amanambu Amobichukwu Chukwudi , Zhao Mingyu
Published: February 2020

To investigate the periodic behaviour and relationship of sunspot numbers with cosmic ray intensity and solar wind speed, we present analysis from daily data generated from 1995 January to 2018 December. Cross-correlation and wavelet transform tools were employed to carry out the investigation. The analyses confirmed that the cosmic ray intensity correlates negatively with the sunspot numbers, exhibiting an asynchronous phase relationship with a strong negative correlation. The trend in cosmic ray intensity indicates that it undergoes the 11-year modulation that mainly depends on the solar activity in the heliosphere. On the other hand, the solar wind speed neither shows a clear phase relationship nor correlates with the sunspot numbers but shows a wide range of periodicities that could possibly be connected to the pattern of coronal hole configuration. A number of short and midterm variations were also observed from the wavelet analysis, i.e., 64–128 and 128–256 days for the cosmic ray intensity, 4–8, 32–64, 128–256, and 256–512 days for the solar wind speed, and 16–32, 32–64, 128–256, and 256–512 days for the sunspot numbers.
Noninvasive Load Identification Method Based on Feature Similarity
Authors: Li Hongyan , Ding Xianfeng , Qu Dan , Lin Jiang
Published: February 2020

The traditional power load identification is greatly restricted in application because of its high cost and low efficiency. In this paper, the similarity model is established to realize the noninvasive load identification of power by determining the feature database for the equipment. Firstly, the wavelet decomposition method and the wavelet threshold processing method are used to remove abnormal points and reduce noise of the original data, respectively. Secondly, the transient and steady-state characteristics of electrical equipment (active power and reactive power, harmonic current, and voltage-current trajectory) are extracted, and the feature database for the equipment is established. Thirdly, the feature similarity is defined to describe the similarity degree of any two devices under a certain feature, and the similarity model of automatic recognition of a single device is established. Finally, the device identification and calculation of power consumption are carried out for the part of data in annex 2 of question A in the 6th “teddy cup” data mining challenge competition.
Characterization of Integrons and Antimicrobial Resistance in Escherichia coli Sequence Type 131 Isolates
Authors: Huang Jiangqing , Lan Fangjun , Lu Yanfang , Li Bin
Published: February 2020

Background. Escherichia coli sequence type 131 (ST131) is an important multidrug-resistant extraintestinal pathogen, which can cause many kinds of infections. Integrons may play a crucial role in the dissemination of antibiotic resistance genes. The purpose of this study was to characterize the prevelance of integrons among E. coli ST131 strains in China. Methods. Eighty-three E. coli ST131 isolates were used in this study. The antibiotic susceptibility test was performed by the disk diffusion method. The presence and characterization of class 1, 2, and 3 integrons, as well as promotor of gene cassettes and other antimicrobial resistance genes, were detected by PCR and DNA sequencing. Transfer of integrons was carried out using a broth culture mating method. Clonal relatedness of E. coli ST131 isolates was analyzed by PFGE. Results. Overall, 26.5% (22/83) of the E. coli ST131 isolates carried class 1 integrons. Class 2 and 3 integrons were not found in this study. Two types of gene cassette arrays were demonstrated in this study and were as follows: dfrA17-aadA5 and aac(6′)-Ib-cr-cmlA5. Only one type of Pc promoter variant was detected among 22 integron-positive isolates (PcW). In vivo transfer of integron was successful for 9 of integron-positive E. coli ST131 isolates harboring resistance gene cassettes. Results of PFGE demonstrated that the integron-positive E. coli ST131 isolates were grouped into 12 different PFGE clusters. Conclusions. Our study showed a low prevalence of integrons was detected in E. coli ST131. Continued surveillance of this mobile genetic element should be performed to study the evolution of antibiotic resistance among E. coli ST131.
Improving Accuracy of Malaria Diagnosis in Underserved Rural and Remote Endemic Areas of Sub-Saharan Africa: A Call to Develop Multiplexing Rapid Diagnostic Tests
Authors: Makanjuola Rasheed O. , Taylor-Robinson Andrew W.
Published: February 2020

Clinical infection with malaria, caused by parasites of the genusPlasmodium, is considered a serious medical condition with the potential to become a life-threatening emergency. This is especially relevant to low-income countries in tropical and subtropical regions of the world where high rates of malaria-related morbidity and mortality are recorded. As a means to combat this major global public health threat, rapid and effective diagnosis remains the frontline action to initiate a timely and appropriate medical intervention. From all the approaches to parasite detection, rapid diagnostic tests, so-called RDTs, are the easiest to use and most cost-effective. However, some of the limitations inherent in this methodology could hinder effective patient treatment. A primary drawback is that the vast majority of commercially available RDTs detect only one of the five species of human malaria,P. falciparum. While this is the main cause of infection in many areas, it excludes the possibility of infection with another parasite (P. vivax, P. ovale, P. malariae, andP. knowlesi) or of mixed infections containing different species. Hence, a diagnosis of non-P. falciparummalaria is missed. In turn, in resource-constrained settings where optimal microscopy is not available, a misdiagnosis of bacterial infection based on signs and symptoms alone often results in an inappropriate prescription of antibiotics. Here, we discuss how effective diagnosis of malaria and indiscriminate use of antibiotics in sub-Saharan Africa, a hot spot forP. falciparumtransmission, may both be addressed by the development of innovative multiplexing RDTs that detect two or more species ofPlasmodium.
Cyber-Physical Security with RF Fingerprint Classification through Distance Measure Extensions of Generalized Relevance Learning Vector Quantization
Authors: Bihl Trevor J. , Paciencia Todd J. , Bauer Kenneth W. , Temple Michael A.
Published: February 2020

Radio frequency (RF) fingerprinting extracts fingerprint features from RF signals to protect against masquerade attacks by enabling reliable authentication of communication devices at the “serial number” level. Facilitating the reliable authentication of communication devices are machine learning (ML) algorithms which find meaningful statistical differences between measured data. The Generalized Relevance Learning Vector Quantization-Improved (GRLVQI) classifier is one ML algorithm which has shown efficacy for RF fingerprinting device discrimination. GRLVQI extends the Learning Vector Quantization (LVQ) family of “winner take all” classifiers that develop prototype vectors (PVs) which represent data. In LVQ algorithms, distances are computed between exemplars and PVs, and PVs are iteratively moved to accurately represent the data. GRLVQI extends LVQ with a sigmoidal cost function, relevance learning, and PV update logic improvements. However, both LVQ and GRLVQI are limited due to a reliance on squared Euclidean distance measures and a seemingly complex algorithm structure if changes are made to the underlying distance measure. Herein, the authors (1) develop GRLVQI-D (distance), an extension of GRLVQI to consider alternative distance measures and (2) present the Cosine GRLVQI classifier using this framework. To evaluate this framework, the authors consider experimentally collected Z-wave RF signals and develop RF fingerprints to identify devices. Z-wave devices are low-cost, low-power communication technologies seen increasingly in critical infrastructure. Both classification and verification, claimed identity, and performance comparisons are made with the new Cosine GRLVQI algorithm. The results show more robust performance when using the Cosine GRLVQI algorithm when compared with four algorithms in the literature. Additionally, the methodology used to create Cosine GRLVQI is generalizable to alternative measures.
Designing and Optimizing Heat Storage of a Solar-Assisted Ground Source Heat Pump System in China
Authors: Gao Yan , Sun Zhi , Lin Xinxing , Wang Chuang , Sun Zongyu , Chen Yanhong
Published: February 2020

The cold accumulation problem can lead to performance degradation of heat pumps. This paper presents the design and optimization of a solar-assisted storage system to solve this issue. A ground source heat pump (GSHP) project was established using the transient system simulation program (TRNSYS) based on a ground heat exchange theoretical model, which was validated by a previously established experiment in Beijing. The Beijing, Harbin, and Zhengzhou regions were used in numerical simulations to represent three typical cities where buildings require space heating (a cold region, a severe cold region, and a hot summer and cold winter region, respectively). System performance was simulated over periods of ten years. The simulation results showed that the imbalance efficiencies in the Beijing, Harbin, and Zhengzhou regions are 55%, 79%, and 38%, respectively. The annual average soil temperature decreases 7.3°C, 11.0°C, and 5.3°C during ten years of conventional GSHP operation in the Beijing, Harbin, and Zhengzhou regions, respectively. Because of the soil temperature decrease, the minimum heating coefficient of performance (COP) values decrease by 23%, 46%, and 11% over the ten years for GSHP operation in these three regions, respectively. Moreover, the simulation data show that the soil temperature would still be decreasing if based on the previous solar energy area calculation method. Design parameters such as the solar collector size are optimized for the building load and average soil temperature in various cold regions. Long-term operation will test the matching rate of the compensation system with the conventional GSHP system. After the system is optimized, the solar collector area increases of 20% in the Beijing region, 25% in the Harbin region, and 15% in the Zhengzhou region could help to maintain the annual average soil temperature balance. The optimized system could maintain a higher annual average COP because of the steady soil temperature. It provides a method for the design of a solar collector area which needs to be determined in the seasonal heat storage solar ground source heat pump system.
Influence of Hydroxyapatite Coating for the Prevention of Bone Mineral Density Loss and Bone Metabolism after Total Hip Arthroplasty: Assessment Using 18F‐Fluoride Positron Emission Tomography and Dual‐Energy X‐Ray Absorptiometry by Randomized Controlled Trial
Authors: Tezuka Taro , Kobayashi Naomi , Hyonmin Choe , Oba Masatoshi , Miyamae Yushi , Morita Akira , Inaba Yutaka
Published: February 2020

Background. Hydroxyapatite‐ (HA‐) coated implants tend to achieve good osteoinductivity and stable clinical results; however, the influence of the coating on the prevention of bone mineral density (BMD) loss around the implant is unclear. The purpose of this randomized controlled trial was to evaluate the effectiveness of HA‐coated implants for preventing BMD loss and to determine the status of bone remodeling after total hip arthroplasty (THA), making comparisons with non‐HA‐coated implants. Methods. A total of 52 patients who underwent primary THA were randomly allocated to HA and non‐HA groups. BMD was measured by dual‐energy X‐ray absorptiometry (DEXA) at 1 week postoperation to form a baseline measurement, and then 24 weeks and 48 weeks after surgery. The relative change in BMD was evaluated for regions of interest (ROIs) based on the Gruen zone classifications. 18F‐fluoride positron emission tomography (PET) was performed at 24 weeks postsurgery, and the maximum standardized uptake values (SUVmax) were evaluated in the proximal (HA‐coated) and distal (non‐HA‐coated) areas in both groups. Results. There were significant differences in BMD loss in ROIs 3 and 6 (p = 0.03), while no significant difference was observed in ROI 7 at either 24 or 48 weeks postsurgery. There was no significant correlation between PET uptake and BMD (24 or 48 weeks) in either group. Conclusion. The influence of a HA coating in terms of BMD preservation is limited. No significant correlation was found between BMD and SUVmax measured by PET, either with or without the use of a HA coating.
Association of Motor and Cognitive Symptoms with Health-Related Quality of Life and Caregiver Burden in a German Cohort of Advanced Parkinson’s Disease Patients
Authors: Klietz M. , Schnur T. , Drexel S. , Lange F. , Tulke A. , Rippena L. , Paracka L. , Dressler D. , Höglinger G. U. , Wegner F.
Published: February 2020

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a chronic progressive movement disorder with severe reduction in patients’ health-related quality of life (HR-QoL). Motor and cognitive symptoms are especially linked with decreased PD patients’ HR-QoL. However, the relationship of these symptoms to caregiver burden is relatively unclear. Influence of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment scale (MoCA) as a cognitive screening tool and Movement Disorders Society Unified Parkinson’s disease Rating Scale MDS-UPDRS symptoms in relation to patients’ HR-QoL and caregivers` burden was analyzed. PD patients (n = 124) completed MDS-UPDRS, MoCA, and the PD questionnaire 8 (PDQ-8) as a measure of quality of life. Caregivers (n = 78) were assessed by the PD caregiver burden inventory (PDCB). PDQ-8 and PDCB scores were regressed on MDS-UPDRS subscales and MoCA subscores. PDQ-8 correlated with attention (R2 0.1282; p<0.001) and executive (R2 0.0882; p 0.001) MoCA subscores and all parts of the MDS-UPDRS. PDCB correlated most strongly with MDS-UPDRS part III motor symptoms (R2 0.2070; p<0.001) and the MoCA attention subscore (R2 0.1815; p<0.001). While all facets of PD symptoms assessed by the MDS-UPDRS relate to PD patients’ quality of life, motor symptoms are the most relevant factor for the prediction of caregiver burden. In addition, patients’ attentional symptoms seem to affect not only them, but also their caregivers. These findings show the potential of a detailed analysis of MDS-UPDRS and MoCA performance in PD patients.
Impact of Prolonged Mechanical Ventilation on Ferroptosis in Renal Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury in Rats
Authors: Zhou Fangfang , Yang Yi , Luo Lianxin , Chen Yixin , Luo Qun , Chen Jianghua
Published: February 2020

We here investigated the impact of mechanical ventilation (MV) time on ferroptosis in a rat renal ischemia/reperfusion injury (IRI) model. Thirty‐two male adult Sprague Dawley rats were divided into four groups (n = 8/group): the sham group, IRI group, IRI+MV‐4 h group, and IRI+MV‐12 h group. Rats in the IRI group were subjected to 45 min bilateral renal ischemia. Rats in the IRI+MV groups were additionally mechanically ventilated with tracheal intubation after 45 min bilateral renal ischemia. Morphological changes associated with kidney injury and ferroptosis were assessed by hematoxylin and eosin staining and electron microscopy. Levels of the central regulator of ferroptosis, glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4), and lipid peroxidation markers 4‐hydroxynonenal (4HNE) and superoxide dismutase 2 (SOD2) were determined in the kidney tissue by western blotting. Glutathione (GSH) levels were assessed in the serum and kidney homogenate. Scr levels in the IRI+MV‐12 h group were significantly higher than those in the sham, IRI, and IRI+MV‐4 h groups (all P < 0.001). Electron microscopy revealed the most pronouncedly abnormal mitochondrial morphology, suggestive of ferroptosis, in the IRI+MV‐12 h group. The GPX4 and SOD2 protein levels progressively decreased in the following order: sham group > IRI group > IRI+MV‐4 h group > IRI+MV‐12 h group (P < 0.05 for all comparisons). By contrast, the 4HNE levels progressively increased in the kidney, with the highest values in the IRI+MV‐12 h group (P < 0.05, vs. the IRI group and vs. the IRI+MV‐4 h group). Further, the GSH levels in the serum and kidney homogenates were significantly reduced in the IRI+MV‐12 h group (P < 0.01, vs. IRI group and vs. the IRI+MV‐4 h group). A significant positive correlation was observed between the serum and kidney GSH levels (r2 = 0.542, P = 0.03). These observations suggested that prolonged MV may exacerbate renal function failure, already initiated by IRI, by ferroptosis. Depletion of GSH may contribute to this effect, which requires further investigation.