bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Periodontitis links to concurrent systemic comorbidities among ‘self‐perceived health’ individuals
Authors: Zhao Dan , Wu Mei‐Zhen , Yu Shuk Yin , Pelekos George , Yiu Kai Hang , Jin Lijian
Published: April 2022

Background and Objective

Our recent work shows that periodontitis experience reflects host susceptibility to the onset of multiple systemic diseases and conditions. This cross‐sectional study further investigated whether and to what extent the existing periodontitis could reflect the concurrent presence of inflammatory comorbidities among ‘self‐perceived health’ individuals.

Materials and Methods

There were 115 ‘self‐perceived health’ adults who completed a questionnaire on demographic characteristics and lifestyles. Twenty medical diagnostic tests were then performed to detect eight common systemic diseases and conditions. Meanwhile, full‐mouth periodontal examination was undertaken, and the subjects were classified as two subgroups with or without Generalized Severe Periodontitis (Stages III/IV, generalized). The interlink of periodontal status and concurrent systemic comorbidities was assessed.

Results

98.3% (113/115) of the subjects exhibited at least one undiagnosed systemic disease/disorder. Of them, 52.2% (59/113) and 47.8% (54/113) concurrently presented with 1–5 or ≥6 abnormal test results, respectively. Overall, 96.5% (111/115) had periodontitis. Generalized Severe Periodontitis was present in 43.2% (48/111) of the periodontitis patients, and it was significantly associated with the profiles of abnormal test results after adjusting potential confounders (abnormal test results 1–5 vs ≥6; OR: 3.23, p = .012).

Conclusions

The present study shows that existing severe periodontitis could well reflect the concurrent presence of multiple inflammatory comorbidities. Oral and medical professionals can play proactive roles in enhancing health awareness and healthcare, through strong collaboration and teamwork.
Coronary microvascular dysfunction is common in patients hospitalized with COVID‐19 infection
Authors: Çalışkan Mustafa , Baycan Ömer Faruk , Çelik Fatma Betül , Güvenç Tolga Sinan , Atıcı Adem , Çağ Yasemin , Konal Oğuz , İrgi Tuğçe , Bilgili Ümmühan Zeynep , Ağırbaşlı Mehmet Ali
Published: April 2022

Background and Aims

Microvascular disease is considered as one of the main drivers of morbidity and mortality in severe COVID‐19, and microvascular dysfunction has been demonstrated in the subcutaneous and sublingual tissues in COVID‐19 patients. The presence of coronary microvascular dysfunction (CMD) has also been hypothesized, but direct evidence demonstrating CMD in COVID‐19 patients is missing. In the present study, we aimed to investigate CMD in patients hospitalized with COVID‐19, and to understand whether there is a relationship between biomarkers of myocardial injury, myocardial strain and inflammation and CMD.

Methods

39 patients that were hospitalized with COVID‐19 and 40 control subjects were included to the present study. Biomarkers for myocardial injury, myocardial strain, inflammation, and fibrin turnover were obtained at admission. A comprehensive echocardiographic examination, including measurement of coronary flow velocity reserve (CFVR), was done after the patient was stabilized.

Results

Patients with COVID‐19 infection had a significantly lower hyperemic coronary flow velocity, resulting in a significantly lower CFVR (2.0 ± 0.3 vs. 2.4 ± 0.5, p < .001). Patients with severe COVID‐19 had a lower CFVR compared to those with moderate COVID‐19 (1.8 ± 0.2 vs. 2.2 ± 0.2, p < .001) driven by a trend toward higher basal flow velocity. CFVR correlated with troponin (p = .003, r: −.470), B‐type natriuretic peptide (p < .001, r: −.580), C‐reactive protein (p < .001, r: −.369), interleukin‐6 (p < .001, r: −.597), and d‐dimer (p < .001, r: −.561), with the three latter biomarkers having the highest areas‐under‐curve for predicting CMD.

Conclusions

Coronary microvascular dysfunction is common in patients with COVID‐19 and is related to the severity of the infection. CMD may also explain the “cryptic” myocardial injury seen in patients with severe COVID‐19 infection.
Magnetic resonance imaging assessed enteric motility and luminal content analysis in patients with severe bloating and visible distension
Authors: Gollifer Ruaridh M. , Taylor Stuart A. , Menys Alex , Zarate‐Lopez Natalia , Chatoor Dave , Emmanuel Anton , Atkinson David
Published: April 2022

Background

Gastrointestinal symptoms in functional gut disorders occur without any discernible structural gut abnormality. Preliminary observations on enteric MRI suggest possible abnormal content and motility of the terminal ileum (TI) in constipation‐predominant IBS (IBS‐C) with severe bloating, and in functional bloating and distension (FABD) patients. We investigated whether MRI can quantify differences in small bowel (SB) content and motility between patients and healthy controls (HCs).

Methods

11 IBS‐C (mean age 40 [21–52] years; 10 women) and 7 FABD (36 [21–56]; all women) patients with bloating and 20 HCs (28 [22–48]; 6 women) underwent enteric MRI, including dynamic motility and anatomical sequences. Three texture analysis (TA) parameters assessed the homogeneity of the luminal content, with ratios calculated between the TI and (1) the SB and (2) the ascending colon. Four TI motility metrics were derived. Ascending colon diameter (ACD) was measured. A comparison between HCs and patients was performed independently for: (1) three TA parameters, (2) four TI motility metrics, and (3) ACD.

Key Results

Compared with HCs, patients had TI:colon ratios higher for TA contrast (p < 0.001), decreased TI motility (lower mean motility [p = 0.04], spatial motility variation [p = 0.03], and area of motile TI [p = 0.03]), and increased ACD (p = 0.001).

Conclusions and Inferences

IBS‐C and FABD patients show reduced TI motility and differences in luminal content compared with HCs. This potentially indicates reflux of colonic contents or delayed clearance of the TI, which alongside increased ACD may contribute to symptoms of constipation and bloating.
Post‐transplant strategies to improve relapse‐free survival in childhood leukemia: Whole blood donor lymphocyte infusions and lenalidomide for inducing graft‐versus‐leukemia effect
Authors: Chandar Rumesh , Meena Satishkumar , Varla Harika , Ramakrishnan Balasubramaniam , Vellaichamy Swaminathan Venkateswaran , Uppuluri Ramya , Raj Revathi
Published: April 2022

Introduction

Post‐transplant graft‐versus‐leukemia (GVL) effect has been shown to be an important determinant of a successful outcome following hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) in children with acute leukemia.

Patients and Methods

We performed a retrospective analysis of the children up to 18 years of age with acute leukemia who underwent HSCT between November 2002 and November 2018. GVL induction strategies included whole blood donor lymphocyte infusions (DLI) and/or lenalidomide.

Results

A total of 134 children were included with engraftment in 125 children (93%). Acute graft‐versus‐host disease (GVHD) was documented in 85 (63%) children without any induction strategies. GVL induction strategies were employed in 19 children (14%); DLI (n = 12), Lenalidomide (n = 2), DLI + lenalidomide (n = 5). Among the 19, 12 children (63%) are alive without relapse; 6 children died of relapse (31%). Among the 6 who died of relapse despite induction strategies, 5/6 had ALL and one child had AML. GVL induction was effective in preventing relapse in 7/12 (58%) children with ALL and 5/6 (83%) children with AML. Relapse‐free survival in the cohort is 73/134 (55%) with a median follow‐up of 32 months. GVHD of any grade was significantly associated with a lower risk of relapse (p = .008). Median survival time was 160.3 days (range 132–187) in those with chronic GVHD versus 88.3 days (range 68–107) in those without (p value = .004).

Conclusion

Pre‐emptive whole blood DLIs in graded aliquots, and lenalidomide are important tools for post HSCT GVL induction, which significantly impacts relapse‐free survival in childhood leukemia.
Trends in survival, perinatal morbidities and two‐year neurodevelopmental outcomes in extremely low‐birthweight infants over four decades
Authors: Zayegh Amir M. , Doyle Lex W. , Boland Rosemarie A. , Mainzer Rheanna , Spittle Alicia J. , Roberts Gehan , Hickey Leah M. , Anderson Peter J. , Cheong Jeanie L. Y. ,   the Victorian Infant Collaborative Study Group
Published: April 2022

Background

Although outcomes for infants born extremely low birthweight (ELBW; <1000 g birthweight) have improved over time, it is important to document survival and morbidity changes following the advent of modern neonatal intensive care in the 1990s.

Objective

To describe trends in survival, perinatal outcomes and neurodevelopment to 2 years’ corrected age over time across six discrete geographic cohorts born ELBW between 1979 and 2017.

Methods

Analysis of data from discrete population‐based prospective cohort studies of all live births free of lethal anomalies with birthweight 500–999 g in the state of Victoria, Australia, over 6 eras: 1979–80, 1985–87, 1991–92, 1997, 2005 and 2016–17. Perinatal data collected included survival, duration and type of respiratory support, neonatal morbidities and two‐year neurodevelopmental outcomes.

Results

More ELBW live births were inborn (born in a maternity hospital with a neonatal intensive care unit) over time (1979–80, 70%; 2016–17, 84%), and more were offered active care (1979–80, 58%; 2016–17, 90%). Survival to 2 years rose substantially, from 25% in 1979–80 to 80% in 2016–17. In survivors, rates of any assisted ventilation rose from 75% in 1979–80 to 99% in 2016–17. Cystic periventricular leukomalacia, severe retinopathy of prematurity and blindness improved across eras. Two‐year data were available for 95% (1054/1109) of survivors. Rates of cerebral palsy, deafness and major neurodevelopmental disability changed little over time. The annual numbers with major neurodevelopmental disability increased from 12.5 in 1979–80 to 30 in 2016–17, but annual numbers free of major disability increased much more, from 31 in 1979–80 to 147 in 2016–17.

Conclusions

Active care and survival rates in ELBW children have increased dramatically since 1979 without large changes in neonatal morbidities. The numbers of survivors free of major neurodevelopmental disability have increased more over time than those with major disability.
Conflict and oppositions in the development of peri‐urban agriculture: The case of the Greater São Paulo region
Authors: Torre André , Fonseca Brenno
Published: April 2022

One of the main factors preventing food production in urban and peri‐urban areas is territorial opposition between different land uses. The aim of this article is to address the question of conflicts close to large urban centres, taking the example of the São Paulo Metropolitan Region (SPMR), a representative urban area, which includes both food issues of the cities: the still important presence of subsistence agriculture that serves to feed the local people and the development of much‐gentrified urban agriculture. Our study is based on expert interviews, an analysis of the regional daily press and a study of local information sites and blogs. First, we briefly depict peri‐urban agriculture and its main characteristics, and we stress the importance of land‐use occupation faced with competing uses. Then, we present our method of analysis and the main agricultural characteristics of the SPMR. The third part is devoted to a study of the local conflicts, their location, their link to agriculture and the consumption of agricultural soils and the typology of the opponents and supporters of this activity. Finally, we conclude with some lessons on the place of peri‐urban agriculture drawn from this experiment.
Development of Early-Life Gastrointestinal Microbiota in the Presence of Antibiotics Alters the Severity of Acute DSS-Induced Colitis in Mice
Authors: Li Xiaojun , Ren Yu , Zhang Jie , Ouyang Chunhui , Wang Chunlian , Lu Fanggen , Yin Yani
Published: April 2022

This study investigated resident microbiota in the whole gastrointestinal (GI) tract to explore gut microbiota development in early life and found that early-life antibiotic exposure exacerbated alterations in gut microbiota and murine dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis. Furthermore, the presence of bacteria in the GI tract of mice before birth and the importance of the lactation period in GI microbiota development were confirmed.
Changes in the Power Characteristics of the α-Rhythm in Students with Different Levels of Anxiety in Normal Sleep and Partial Deprivation Solving the Go/NoGo Problem
Authors: Cheremushkin E. A. , Petrenko N. E. , Alipov N. N. , Sergeeva O. V.
Published: April 2022

The effect of partial sleep deprivation on cognitive control was studied in 26 students with different levels of trait anxiety. The synchronization–desynchronization reactions of the EEG α-oscillations were evaluated during the Go/NoGo test. In less anxious students, a reduction in sleep time on the night before the study led to a decrease in the desynchronization response to a positive conditioning stimulus (Go) and thus smoothed out the differences with the response to a stimulus that inhibited the behavioral response (NoGo). The smoothing of the α-rhythm responses to stimuli of different signal significance after deprivation indicated deterioration of cognitive control in this group. In students with a high level of anxiety, there were no differences in responses to Go/No Go stimuli either after a night’s sleep of normal duration or after a single sharp reduction of it. They probably had a reduced level of cognitive control, and it did not depend on partial sleep deprivation.
Recently developed drugs for the treatment of drug-resistant tuberculosis: a research and development case study
Authors: Perrin Christophe , Athersuch Katy , Elder Greg , Martin Manuel , Alsalhani Alain
Published: April 2022

Two drugs with novel mechanisms of action, the diarylquinoline bedaquiline and the nitroimidazole delamanid—as well as pretomanid from the same class of drugs as delamanid—have recently become available to treat drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB) after many decades of little innovation in the field of DR-TB treatment. Despite evidence of improved efficacy and reduced toxicity of multidrug regimens including the two agents, access to bedaquiline and delamanid has been limited in many settings with a high burden of DR-TB and consistently poor treatment outcomes. Aside from regulatory, logistic and cost barriers at country level, uptake of the novel agents was complicated by gaps in knowledge for optimal use in clinical practice after initial market approval. The main incentives of the current pharmaceutical research and development paradigm are structured around obtaining regulatory approval, which in turn requires efficacy and safety data generated by clinical trials. Recently completed and ongoing clinical trials did not answer critical questions of how to provide shorter, less toxic treatment DR-TB treatment regimens containing bedaquiline and delamanid and improve patient outcomes. Voluntary generation of evidence that is not part of this process—yet essential from a clinical or policy perspective—has been left to non-sponsor partners and researchers, often without collaborative efforts to improve post-regulatory approval access to life-saving drugs. Additionally, these efforts are currently not recognised in the value chain of the research and development process, and there are no incentives to make this critical research happen in a coordinated way.
Nitrogen-doping effect on single-crystal diamond synthesis by HFCVD
Authors: Kim Min Su , Jang Tae Hwan , Gwon Jin Uk , Kim Tae Gyu , Bae Mun Ki
Published: April 2022

Nitrogen-doped homoepitaxial single-crystal diamond (SCD) films were grown on an SCD substrate by hot filament chemical vapor deposition (HFCVD) to confirm the potential that can yield high-quality single-crystal diamonds. The SCD films doped with 50 sccm nitrogen, grown by HFCVD, showed excellent surface properties based on optical microscopy, with a growth rate of 3.4 [Formula: see text]m/h, and a Raman peak around 1332 cm[Formula: see text] with a full width at maximum (FWHM) of 5.8 cm[Formula: see text], indicating high crystallinity. The FWHM of the (004) peak in the rocking curve was 392 arcsec for the nitrogen-doped SCD film, and that of the SCD substrate was 489 arcsec. Therefore, the crystalline properties and growth rates of the SCD films grown in the HFCVD system were improved, and the effect of nitrogen doping was verified.
A note on the compactness of Poincaré–Einstein manifolds
Authors: Wang Fang , Zhou Huihuang
Published: April 2022

For a conformally compact Poincaré–Einstein manifold [Formula: see text], we consider two types of compactifications for it. One is [Formula: see text], where [Formula: see text] is a fixed smooth defining function; the other is the adapted (including Fefferman–Graham) compactification [Formula: see text] with a continuous parameter [Formula: see text]. In this paper, we mainly prove that for a set of conformally compact Poincaré–Einstein manifolds [Formula: see text] with conformal infinity of positive Yamabe type, [Formula: see text] is compact in [Formula: see text] topology if and only if [Formula: see text] is compact in some [Formula: see text] topology, provided that [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] has positive scalar curvature for each [Formula: see text]. See Theorem 1.1 and Corollary 1.1 for the exact relation of [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text].
Global existence and optimal time decay rates for the three-dimensional incompressible Phan-Thien–Tanner model
Authors: Chen Yuhui , Luo Wei , Yao Zheng-an
Published: April 2022

In this paper, we consider an initial-value problem for the three-dimensional incompressible Phan-Thien–Tanner (PTT) model. This model is regard to the dynamic mechanical properties of polymeric fluids. We shall mainly investigate two different cases, one is without damping on the stress tensor (i.e. [Formula: see text]) and the other is [Formula: see text]. Under some suitable assumptions on the initial data, we show that the solutions of the PTT model will blow up in finite time. This result also reveals a special solution. Furthermore, we prove the global existence and the optimal time decay rates of strong solutions to the PTT model when the initial data close enough to this special solution. In particular, it also works for the simpler case of the Oldroyd-B model.
Bounds for the order of the Schur multiplier of a pair of groups
Authors: Khamseh Elaheh , Arabyani Homayoon
Published: April 2022

Let [Formula: see text] be a pair of groups, in which [Formula: see text] is a normal subgroup of [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] is a free presentation of [Formula: see text]. Suppose that [Formula: see text] admits a complement in [Formula: see text], Ellis defined the notion of the Schur multiplier of the pair [Formula: see text] as [Formula: see text], where [Formula: see text] is a normal subgroup in a free group [Formula: see text] such that [Formula: see text]. In this paper, we give some inequalities for the order of the Schur multiplier of a pair of groups.
N/O co-doped carbon nanocapsule anodes for high rate-performance K-ion batteries
Authors: Yang Yujie , Wang Linlin , Wan Jun , Wu Qian , Yan Li , Tian Haoyu , Jiao Zheng
Published: April 2022

Based on our observations made in our previous work that nitrogen (N)/oxygen (O) dual dopant porous hollow carbon nanocapsules (N/O-CNCs) have state-of-the-art lithium storage and sodium storage capabilities, we further studied their potassium storage performance in this study. It was found that for potassium storage, 259 mA h g[Formula: see text] at 0.05 A g[Formula: see text] can be retained up to 100 cycles, and 107 mA h g[Formula: see text] at 1 A g[Formula: see text] can be retained after 100 cycles. Even at 2 A g[Formula: see text], an excellent rate capability of 73.4 mA h g[Formula: see text] in K-ion batteries (KIBs) was delivered. A capacitive charge–storage mechanism dominated the potassium storage of N/O-CNCs at high rates during the potassiation/depotassiation process through kinetics analysis, ensuring a remarkable rate performance.
A co-effective strategy to improve the energy storage performance and the electrocaloric effect of ceramic: Using strain-modified calcined powders as sintering precursor
Authors: Lu Qiuping , Li Han , Wei Siyue , Li Lucheng , Tang Silin , Peng Biaolin
Published: April 2022

Perovskite ferroelectric ceramics with large energy storage density and electrocaloric (EC) effect at a low-electric field are very attractive in modern electronic devices such as capacitors and solid refrigerators. In this work, it is demonstrated that the energy storage and EC performances of the BiFeO3 (BFO)-doped Bi[Formula: see text]Na[Formula: see text]TiO3-BaTiO3 (BNT-BT)-based ceramics near the MPB (0.89Bi[Formula: see text]Na[Formula: see text]TiO3–0.11BaTiO[Formula: see text] can be regulated by using the strain-modified calcined powders as sintering precursor. The 0.89Bi[Formula: see text]Na[Formula: see text]TiO3–0.11BaTiO3 ceramic prepared from the strain-modified calcined powder with a nanoscaled size (abbreviated as nanoceramic) simultaneously obsesses a large energy density ([Formula: see text] 0.847 J/cm[Formula: see text] and a high-energy storage efficiency ([Formula: see text] 80%) in a broad temperature range (333–453 K) at a very low-electric field ([Formula: see text] 80 kV/cm). The high-energy storage performance maybe is related to the breaking of the ferroelectric long-range order inherited from the strain-modified calcined powder with an ultra-fine size ([Formula: see text] 110 nm). Moreover, a large negative EC effect ([Formula: see text]−1.1 K) at a very low-electric field ([Formula: see text] 29.8 kV/cm) was also achieved for the ceramic prepared by using the submicro-sized calcined powder with a BFO doping amount of 6% (mole ratio). It is concluded that using strain-modified calcined powder as a sintering precursor for ceramic preparing can be used as an alternative candidate strategy to improve and optimize the energy storage and EC performances.
Using click chemistry to study the photoacoustic effect of near-infrared captivating pyrene derivatives
Authors: Miao Zongcheng , Chu Yaqin , Wang Dong , Wang Lei
Published: April 2022

Near-infrared photoacoustic (PA) imaging usually employs near-infrared light-absorbing agents to detect cancer cells/tissue by generating acoustic energy from optical energy. Here, a class of near-infrared dyes, pyrene derivatives with different substitutes, was characterized by PA technology. Interestingly, the click reagents F4-TCNQ could cause the redshift of peaks of the PA intensity of pyrene derivatives. Besides, the symmetric pyrene derivatives had a better PA effect, pyrene accumulation of benzene ring structure also had a certain influence on the PA effect. The systematical study of the near-infrared dyes not only showed the high potential of pyrene derivatives as PA contrast agents but also gave guidelines for designing near-infrared absorbing dyes for high PA intensity in the future.
Complete classification of cyclic codes of length 3ps over 𝔽pm + u𝔽pm + u2𝔽pm
Authors: Boudine Brahim , Laaouine Jamal , Charkani Mohammed Elhassani
Published: April 2022

In this paper, we use a method inspired by the valuation theory to classify completely cyclic codes of length [Formula: see text] over [Formula: see text]. Then, we compute their separation parameters which was useful to compute the Hamming distance in [8].
Coverage-directed Differential Testing of X.509 Certificate Validation in SSL/TLS Implementations
Authors: Nie Pengbo , Wan Chengcheng , Zhu Jiayu , Lin Ziyi , Chen Yuting , Su Zhendong
Published: April 2022

Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) and Transport Security (TLS) are two secure protocols for creating secure connections over the Internet. X.509 certificate validation is important for security and needs to be performed before an SSL/TLS connection is established. Some advanced testing techniques, such as
frankencert
, have revealed, through randomly mutating Internet accessible certificates, that there exist unexpected, sometimes critical, validation differences among different SSL/TLS implementations. Despite these efforts, X.509 certificate validation still needs to be thoroughly tested as this work shows.

This article tackles this challenge by proposing
transcert
, a coverage-directed technique to much more effectively test real-world certificate validation code. Our core insight is to (1) leverage easily accessible Internet certificates as seed certificates and (2) use code coverage to direct certificate mutation toward generating a set of diverse certificates. The generated certificates are then used to reveal discrepancies, thus potential flaws, among different certificate validation implementations.

We implement
transcert
and evaluate it against
frankencert
,
NEZHA
, and
RFCcert
(three advanced fuzzing techniques) on five widely used SSL/TLS implementations. The evaluation results clearly show the strengths of
transcert
: During 10,000 iterations,
transcert
reveals 71 unique validation differences, 12×, 1.4×, and 7× as many as those revealed by
frankencert
,
NEZHA
, and
RFCcert
, respectively; it also supplements
RFCcert
in conformance testing of the SSL/TLS implementations against 120 validation rules, 85 of which are exclusively covered by
transcert
-generated certificates. We identify 17 root causes of validation differences, all of which have been confirmed and 11 have never been reported previously. The
transcert
-generated X.509 certificates also reveal that the primary goal of certificate chain validation is stated ambiguously in the widely adopted public key infrastructure standard RFC 5280.
MetaCogs: Mitigating Executive Dysfunction via Agent-based Modeling for Metacognitive Strategy Development
Authors: Williams Rua M. , Alikhademi Kiana , Munyaka Imani N. S. , Gilbert Juan E.
Published: April 2022

Executive functions (EF) are a collection of cognitive domains governing task initiation, motor planning, attention, and goal-oriented action. Difficulties with EF have marked impacts on adaptive living skills, learning outcomes, and quality of life for people with cognitive and psychosocial disabilities, as well as the broader population. While there is considerable research interest in EF training intervention for disabled populations, very few studies explore metacognitive intervention for people with cognitive disabilities. Metacognition comprises conscious beliefs and strategies around task management and goal setting. Metacognitive awareness has been shown to mediate the effects of executive function on self-regulated learning. Metacognitive interventions have also shown promise in general education, military training, and medical practice. We present a virtual reality experience deploying agent-based modeling to support explicit metacognitive strategy instruction for undergraduate students of all neurotypes. Our results support that explicit instructional material explaining executive function and metacognition in relation to problem-solving experiences influenced participant self-concept and awareness of personal traits and cognitive processes.
A Survey on Data-driven Software Vulnerability Assessment and Prioritization
Authors: Le Triet H. M. , Chen Huaming , Babar M. Ali
Published: April 2022

Software Vulnerabilities (SVs) are increasing in complexity and scale, posing great security risks to many software systems. Given the limited resources in practice, SV assessment and prioritization help practitioners devise optimal SV mitigation plans based on various SV characteristics. The surges in SV data sources and data-driven techniques such as Machine Learning and Deep Learning have taken SV assessment and prioritization to the next level. Our survey provides a taxonomy of the past research efforts and highlights the best practices for data-driven SV assessment and prioritization. We also discuss the current limitations and propose potential solutions to address such issues.
Cross-Technology Communication for the Internet of Things: A Survey
Authors: He Yuan , Guo Xiuzhen , Zheng Xiaolong , Yu Zihao , Zhang Jia , Jiang Haotian , Na Xin , Zhang Jiacheng
Published: April 2022

The ever-developing
Internet of Things (IoT)
brings the prosperity of wireless sensing and control applications. In many scenarios, different wireless technologies coexist in the shared frequency medium as well as the physical space. Such wireless coexistence may lead to serious
cross-technology interference (CTI)
problems, e.g., channel competition, signal collision, and throughput degradation. Compared with traditional methods like interference avoidance, tolerance, and concurrency mechanism, direct and timely information exchange among heterogeneous devices is therefore a fundamental requirement to ensure the usability, inter-operability, and reliability of the IoT. Under this circumstance,
Cross-Technology Communication (CTC)
technique thus becomes a hot topic in both academic and industrial fields, which aims at directly exchanging data among heterogeneous devices that follow different standards. This paper comprehensively summarizes the CTC techniques and reveals that the key challenge for CTC lies in the heterogeneity of IoT devices, including the incompatibility of technical standards and the asymmetry of connection capability. Based on the above finding, we present a taxonomy of the existing CTC works (packet-level CTCs and physical-level CTCs) and compare the existing CTC techniques in terms of throughput, reliability, hardware modification, and concurrency.
Impedance Modeling for Mixed Conductors with Simultaneous Insertion & Electrocatalytic Reactions: A Case Study of Transition-Metal Hydroxides in Aqueous Electrolyte
Authors: Liang Allen Yu-Lun , Chueh William C.
Published: April 2022

Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) is commonly used to investigate the kinetics of mixed ionic–electronic conductor (MIEC) electrodes. Across various applications, MIECs exhibit ionic (e.g., insertion) and/or electronic (e.g., electrocatalytic) charge transfer reactions at the electrode/electrolyte interface. Bulk storage and transport of charge carriers also couple with these interfacial reactions. Here, we build a generalized, physics-based impedance model for MIECs with an ion-blocking current collector and explore how bulk and interfacial resistance, chemical capacitance, and DC polarization affect the impedance response. Using transition metal hydroxides as a case study, we provide guidance on extracting reaction kinetics or bulk resistance from the Nyquist plots in interface- or bulk-controlled conditions, respectively. Generalizing our EIS analysis enables a robust analysis of MIEC kinetics for a diverse set of systems.
Identifying Signal‐Crosstalk Mechanism in Maize Plants during Combined Salinity and Boron Stress Using Integrative Systems Biology Approaches
Authors: Barua Drishtee , Mishra Asutosh , Kirti P. B. , Barah Pankaj
Published: April 2022

Combined stress has been seen as a major threat to world agriculture production. Maize is one of the leading cereal crops of the world due to its wide spectrum of growth conditions and is moderately sensitive to salt stress. A saline soil environment is a major factor that hinders its growth and overall yield and causes an increase in the concentration of micronutrients like boron, leading to excess over the requirement of the plant. Boron toxicity combined with salinity has been reported to be a serious threat to the yield and quality of maize. The response signatures of the maize plants to the combined effect of salinity and boron stress have not been studied well. We carried out an integrative systems‐level analysis of the publicly available transcriptomic data generated on tolerant maize (Lluteño maize from the Atacama Desert, Chile) landrace under combined salt and boron stress. We identified significant biological processes that are differentially regulated in combined salt and boron stress in the leaves and roots of maize, respectively. Protein‐protein interaction network analysis identified important roles of aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH), galactinol synthase 2 (GOLS2) proteins of leaf and proteolipid membrane potential regulator (pmpm4), metallothionein lea protein group 3 (mlg3), and cold regulated 410 (COR410) proteins of root in salt tolerance and regulating boron toxicity in maize. Identification of transcription factors coupled with regulatory network analysis using machine learning approach identified a few heat shock factors (HSFs) and NAC (NAM (no apical meristem, Petunia), ATAF1–2 (Arabidopsis thaliana activating factor), and CUC2 (cup‐shaped cotyledon, Arabidopsis)) family transcription factors (TFs) to play crucial roles in salt tolerance, maintaining reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels and minimizing oxidative damage to the cells. These findings will provide new ways to design targeted functional validation experiments for developing multistress‐resistant maize crops.
Identification of Potential Biomarkers for Progression and Prognosis of Bladder Cancer by Comprehensive Bioinformatics Analysis
Authors: Tan Zhiyong , Fu Shi , Feng Runlin , Huang Yinglong , Li Ning , Wang Haifeng , Wang Jiansong
Published: April 2022

Background. Bladder cancer (BLCA) is a highly malignant tumor that develops in the urinary system. Identification of biomarkers in progression and prognosis is crucial for the treatment of BLCA. BLCA-related differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were authenticated by screening the DEGs and weighted gene coexpression network analysis (WGCNA). LASSO and SVM-RFE algorithms were utilized to screen the feature genes in BLCA. Survival analysis was performed using the Kaplan–Meier curve provided by the ‘survival’ R package. The BLCA samples were clustered by hclust based on the immune score matrix calculated by the single-sample GSEA (ssGSEA) algorithm. The immune, stromal, and ESTIMATE scores of each BLCA patient were calculated by applying the ESTIMATE algorithm. ssGSEA was conducted to explore the function of characteristic genes in BLCA. The expression of characteristic genes in clinical cancer tissue, and the pericancerous tissue of BLCA patients was verified using qRT-PCR assays. A total of 189 BLCA-related DEGs were identified. Fourteen feature genes were defined by LASSO and SVM-RFE algorithms. Five characteristic genes, including SMYD2, GAPDHP1, ATP1A2, CILP, and THSD4, were related to the OS of BLCA. The correlation analysis of five characteristic genes and clinicopathological factors showed that five genes played a role in the progression of BLCA. Additionally, the expression of five characteristic genes in clinical cancer tissues and pericarcinomatous tissues from BLCA patients was verified by qRT-PCR, which was consistent with the result from the public database. Finally, we discovered five prognostic genes linked to BLCA progression, which might serve as a theoretical basis for prognosis and treatment targets for BLCA patients.
Computer Artificial Intelligence Technology in the Visual Transmission System of Urban Lake Water Quality Inspection and Detection Images
Authors: Cui Jian
Published: April 2022

Purpose. Based on artificial intelligence technology, this paper uses the real-time data measured in the monitoring waters and the minimum value of the inversion result map to analyze the logarithmic function relationship. Methods. Multitarget tracking algorithm was used to detect lake water quality. A spectral colour difference formula for detecting heavy metal ions in lake water is proposed. Results. The research results show that the content of metal ions in water must be detected, and the research method used in this paper is very meaningful. Conclusion. The detection method proposed in this paper can improve the detection speed of lake water pollution.
The Effects of Salt-Lake Salt Solution on the Strength of Expansive Soil
Authors: Zhang Shaowei , Li Dongdong
Published: April 2022

Expansive soils are widely distributed and often cause serious damage to structures. Hanzhong expansive soil and Yulin salt-lake solution were adopted to investigate the effect of salt-lake salt solution on the strength of expansive soil. Expansive soils modified with salt-lake salt solutions with different concentrations (0.1, 0.5, and 1.0 mol/L) were evaluated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Atterberg limit, free swelling, no load swelling ratio, and triaxial compression tests. The improved expansive soil research using salt-lake salt solution was carried out based on the macroscopic mechanical characteristics. Test results showed that the addition of salt-lake solution effectively inhibited the expansibility of soil. With the increase of the concentration of salt-lake solution, liquid limit, plastic limit, plastic index, free expansion rate, no load swelling, cohesion, and internal friction angle of expansive soil were decreased in varying degrees, and stress-strain relationship curve gradually showed strain softening trend. The reason for the above results was believed to be that salt-lake salt solution reduced the force between particles on shear surface and reduced mutual hindrance.
Research on Personalized Recommendation of Higher Education Resources Based on Multidimensional Association Rules
Authors: Liu Yafei , Li Jiye , Ren Zhaoxu , Li Jun
Published: April 2022

The personalized recommendation method of higher education resources currently cannot carry out multidimensional association analysis of learners, situations, and resources and cannot extract accurate resources for learners, resulting in a large error. This study constructs a personalized recommendation method for higher education resources based on multidimensional association rules. This algorithm clarifies the multidimensional association rules, extracts the key data from massive educational resources, and groups the same kind of data by using a frequent itemset algorithm for mining association rules, namely, the Apriori algorithm. Combined with traditional data mining technology, this study constructs a new personalized recommendation model for education resources based on multidimensional association rules, which achieves the accurate extraction of higher education resources and ensures the matching degree between learners and resources. The experimental results show that the personalized recommendation model of educational resources in this study effectively makes up for the disadvantages of the traditional data mining algorithms, with a small root mean square error and short data mining time, within 20 ms.
The Use of a Time-Frequency Transform for the Analysis of Electrochemical Noise for Corrosion Estimation
Authors: Arellano-Pérez J. H. , Escobar-Jiménez R. F. , Ramos-Negrón O. J. , Lucio-García M. A. , Gómez-Aguilar J. F. , Uruchurtu-Chavarín J.
Published: April 2022

This work shows the results of evaluating the corrosion type and rate (CR) in the 6061-T6 aluminum alloy exposed to ethanol-gasoline blends (E0, E10, E20, E30, E40, E60, E80, and E100) by analyzing electrochemical noise (EN) signals using the Shannon energy (SSE) and the synchrosqueezing transform (SST). The obtained results are compared against the obtained with the statistical method (Location Index, LI). The results obtained with the SSE method showed that the corrosion type in the 6061-T6 aluminum alloy is classified better than using the statistical method. Moreover, the SST results showed that the corrosion rate increased with the increment of the ethanol content in the ethanol-gasoline blends from values in the order of10−4to10−3mm/year.
Comprehensive Landscape of Prognostic Significance and Immune Characteristics of Myosins in Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Head and Neck
Authors: Zhu Yuying , Zheng Shikang , Zhai Xingyou , Wang Cheng , Liu Aijun , Ju Jun , Peng Xin , Chen Liwei , Zhang Yongxia , Ren Nan , Xie Yingli , Fan Junda , Zhao Kai , Liu Mingbo
Published: April 2022

Myosin superfamily, a large and diverse family of molecular motors important for cell motility and migration, has been illustrated to play contradictory roles during the development of several kinds of tumors. However, the function and prognostic values of MYOs in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) still remain largely unknown. In the current manuscript, the expression levels and clinical data of MYOs in HNSCC were investigated by online databases, including Oncomine, GEPIA, GEO, TCGA, HPA, UALCAN, Kaplan-Meier plotter, and CancerSEA; we found that the expression levels of MYO1B, MYO5A, and MYO10 were significantly elevated in HNSCC tissues, which were also correlated with the unfavorable overall survival (OS) of the patients. Furthermore, MYO1B/MYO5A/MYO10 interacting genes were identified, and the protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks were constructed by STRING and GeneMANIA. The enrichment analysis revealed that MYO1B/MYO5A/MYO10 associated genes mainly participated in cell metastasis and EMT processes, which were also confirmed by cell functional experiments. At last, the ssGSEA method was conducted to investigate the extent of immune cell infiltration, and we found that both the expression of MYO1B/MYO5A/MYO10 were closely correlated with the infiltration of immune cells in HNSCC. These findings implied that MYO1B, MYO5A, and MYO10 as novel prognostic factors for HNSCC and provided new strategy for HNSCC treatment.
Automatic Extraction of Rock Discontinuities from the Point Cloud Using Dynamic DBSCAN Algorithm
Authors: Tang Ming , Yang Song , Huang Guohua , Xie Xiongyao , Guo Jiafu , Zhai Junli
Published: April 2022

Detection and mapping of rock discontinuities are important during excavation. The terrestrial laser scanning (TSL) technology is widely used to acquire accurate quantitative. However, there is rarely study about the influence of discontinuities parameters on the detection. Through the 3D printing technology, we have built discontinuity models with different roughness and connectors with different angles. Therefore, we can control the variables in the scanning. Several open‐source packages were applied to derive the information from the point cloud acquired by TSL. The result shows that the recognition effect decreases with the angle between discontinuities. Moreover, the presence of roughness of discontinuity makes it prone to lead to lousy classification in the detection process. The proposed method has successfully extracted discontinuity dip, dip direction, and roughness automatically from the point cloud. The application on the two datasets showed great adaptability and accuracy. Consequently, the method could meet realistic engineering needs.
Tai Chi Movement Recognition Method Based on Deep Learning Algorithm
Authors: Liu Lihua , Qing MA , Chen Si , Li Zhifang
Published: April 2022

The current action recognition method has good effect when applied to static recognition, but, when applied to dynamic action sequence recognition, the temporal and spatial feature segmentation is too dependent on sample template, resulting in low recognition accuracy. To address the inadequacies of standard movement detection techniques in the application of comparable domains, a deep learning algorithm is utilised to recognise Tai Chi Chuan motions. For Tai Chi Chuan movement human body skeleton framework, add image depth parameter is added, and OpenPose model is utilised to estimate joint point coordinates. The ST-GCN deep learning model was created to recognise Tai Chi Chuan motions by extracting movement features from the spatiotemporal trajectory of human joints during Tai Chi Chuan movements. Instance test results show that rate of using the deep learning algorithm of gesture recognition is 89.22%, with significantly lower error detection rate, which is good for Tai chi chuan movement recognition effect.
Football Match Scoring Method Based on Adaptive Neural Network Algorithm
Authors: Jin Yun
Published: April 2022

To study in more detail the impact of various indicators on the scoring system of a football match, the author suggests a football game scoring method based on an adaptive neural network algorithm. Firstly, the application background of football match prediction, the research and application status of the adaptive neural network algorithm, and the related research of football match prediction are described; Secondly, the factors affecting the outcome of football games are analyzed, and the applicability of the adaptive neural network algorithm in football match prediction are summarized. Through the system requirement analysis, the overall design of the system and the design of the database are completed. From here, we see that there is a huge opportunity to use an adaptive neural network in an automatic scoring system after a football match, which can replace manual scoring and reduce the manual workload.
Left Atrial Reservoir Strain-Based Left Ventricular Diastolic Function Grading and Incident Heart Failure in Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy
Authors: Lee Hyun-Jung , Kim Hyung-Kwan , Rhee Tae-Min , Choi You-Jung , Hwang In-Chang , Yoon Yeonyee E. , Park Jun-Bean , Lee Seung-Pyo , Kim Yong-Jin , Cho Goo-Yeong
Published: April 2022

Background:

The echocardiographic assessment of left ventricular (LV) diastolic dysfunction (LVDD) in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is complex and not well-established. We investigated whether the left atrial reservoir strain (LARS) could be used to categorize LVDD and whether this grading is predictive of heart failure (HF) events in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

Methods:

A total of 414 patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (aged 58.3±12.8 years; 65.7% male) were categorized using LARS-defined LVDD (LARS-DD) grades: ≥35% (grade 0), ≥24% to <35%, ≥19% to <24%, and <19% (grade 3). Patients were followed for a median of 6.9 years to assess hospitalization for HF or HF-related death.

Results:

An increase in LARS-DD grade was associated with worse conventional echocardiographic parameters of LVDD, such as lower e′, higher E/e′ ratio, greater maximum tricuspid regurgitation velocity, and restrictive mitral inflow pattern. Higher LARS-DD grade was also associated with parameters reflecting increased LV filling pressure, such as greater LV wall thickness, greater extent of fibrosis, obstructive physiology, and decreased LV longitudinal strain. Furthermore, higher LARS-DD grade was associated with worse HF-free survival (log-rank
P
<0.001). Patients with LARS-DD grades 0, 1, 2, and 3 showed 10-year HF-free survival of 100%, 91.6%, 84.1%, and 67.5%, respectively. LARS-DD grade was an independent predictor of HF events after adjusting for clinical and echocardiographic variables (hazard ratio, 1.53 [95% CI, 1.03–2.28], per 1-grade increase). The LARS-DD grade also had incremental prognostic value for incident HF events over the traditional echocardiographic LVDD parameters and grading system. The prognostic value of advanced LARS-DD grade was consistent in sensitivity analyses and various patient subgroups.

Conclusions:

LARS can be used as a simple single or supplemental index to categorize LV diastolic function and predict HF events in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.