bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) in thyroid papillary carcinoma: molecular networks and interactions
Authors: Ham Jeehoon , Wang Bin , Po Joseph William , Singh Amandeep , Niles Navin , Lee Cheok Soon
Published: February 2021

In 1989, Stephen Paget proposed the ‘seed and soil’ theory of cancer metastasis. This theory has led to previous researchers focusing on the role of a tumour as a cancer seed and antiangiogenesis agents as cancer soil fumigant; for the latter to be effective, it is important for them to be able to distinguish cancer cells from stromal cells. However, antiangiogenesis agents have not produced dramatic survival benefits in vivo. This may be related to their inability to destroy the supporting stroma that promote cancer cell growth. Therefore, in order to effectively arrest cancer cell growth for therapeutic purposes, a paradigm shift is required in our fundamental approach to decipher the molecular events and networks in the stromal environment that cancer cells can thrive and proliferate. The pathogenesis of cancer is a multidimensional process of pathological molecular and cellular pathways, influencing different stromal properties and achieving a mutually negotiated crosstalk between cancer cells and stromal cells. This review summarises the clinical presentation of current knowledge of classical papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC), emerging molecular diagnostics and future directions of classical PTC research.
Low prevalence of the parasite Ophryocystis elektroscirrha at the range edge of the eastern North American monarch (Danaus plexippus) butterfly population
Authors: Dargent Felipe , Gilmour Sydney M. , Brown Emma A. , Kassen Rees , Kharouba Heather M.
Published: February 2021

Every year monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus (Linnaeus, 1758)) from the eastern North American population migrate from Mexico to southern Canada in the spring. This northward migration has been shown to reduce monarch infection with the host-specific parasite Ophryocystis elektroscirrha McLaughlin and Myers, 1970 (OE); yet, the prevalence of OE at their range limits and the mechanism(s) responsible are unknown. We assessed OE infection levels of monarchs at the northern edge of the eastern population distribution around Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, and found extremely low levels of infection (∼1% with upper confidence intervals close to 3%). Low OE infection levels are likely due to low densities of monarchs in this region and (or) migratory escape effects, where migrating individuals leave behind areas with high density of conspecifics and high potential for parasite accumulation and transmission. Future work should aim to disentangle the relative contribution of these two mechanisms for governing the decrease in parasitism at the range limits of migratory populations.
The role of chromatin organizer Satb1 in shaping TCR repertoire in adult thymus
Authors: Feng Delong , Li Zhaoqiang , Qin Litao , Hao Bingtao
Published: February 2021

T cells recognize the universe of foreign antigens with a diverse repertoire of T cell receptors generated by V(D)J recombination. Special AT-rich binding protein 1 (Satb1) is a chromatin organizer that plays an essential role in T cell development. Previous study has shown that Satb1 regulates the re-induction of recombinase Rag1 and Rag2 in CD4+CD8+thymocytes, affecting the secondary rearrangement of the Tcra gene. Here, we detected the repertoires of four TCR genes, Tcrd, Tcrg, Tcrb, and Tcra, in the adult thymus, and explored the role of the Satb1 in shaping the TCR repertoires. We observed a strong bias in the V and J gene usages of the Tcrd and Tcrg repertoires in WT and Satb1-deleted thymocytes. Satb1 deletion had few effects on the V(D)J rearrangement and repertoire of the Tcrg, Tcrd, and Tcrb genes. The Tcra repertoire was severely impaired in Satb1-deleted thymocytes, while the primary rearrangement was relatively normal. We also found the CDR3 length of TCRα chain was significantly longer in Satb1-deleted thymocytes, which can be explained by the strong bias of the proximal Jα usage. Our results showed that Satb1 plays an essential role in shaping TCR repertoires in αβ T cells.
Past, present, and future of precision determinations of the QCD coupling from lattice QCD
Authors: Dalla Brida Mattia
Published: February 2021

Non-perturbative scale-dependent renormalization problems are ubiquitous in lattice QCD as they enter many relevant phenomenological applications. They require solving non-perturbatively the renormalization group equations for the QCD parameters and matrix elements of interest in order to relate their non-perturbative determinations at low energy to their high-energy counterparts needed for phenomenology. Bridging the large energy separation between the hadronic and perturbative regimes of QCD, however, is a notoriously difficult task. In this contribution we focus on the case of the QCD coupling. We critically address the common challenges that state-of-the-art lattice determinations have to face in order to be significantly improved. In addition, we review a novel strategy that has been recently put forward in order to solve this non-perturbative renormalization problem and discuss its implications for future precision determinations. The new ideas exploit the decoupling of heavy quarks to match $${N_{\mathrm{f}}}$$

N
f

-flavor QCD and the pure Yang–Mills theory. Through this matching the computation of the non-perturbative running of the coupling in QCD can be shifted to the computationally much easier to solve pure-gauge theory. We shall present results for the determination of the $$\varLambda $$
Λ
-parameter of $${N_{\mathrm{f}}}=3$$

N
f

=
3

-flavor QCD where this strategy has been applied and proven successful. The results demonstrate that these techniques have the potential to unlock unprecedented precision determinations of the QCD coupling from the lattice. The ideas are moreover quite general and can be considered to solve other non-perturbative renormalization problems.
Final results of the LOPES radio interferometer for cosmic-ray air showers
Authors:   LOPES Collaboration, Apel W. D. , Arteaga-Velázquez J. C. , Bähren L. , Bekk K. , Bertaina M. , Biermann P. L. , Blümer J. , Bozdog H. , Cantoni E. , Chiavassa A. , Daumiller K. , de Souza V. , Di Pierro F. , Doll P. , Engel R. , Falcke H. , Fuchs B. , Gemmeke H. , Grupen C. , Haungs A. , Heck D. , Hörandel J. R. , Horneffer A. , Huber D. , Huege T. , Isar P. G. , Kampert K.-H. , Kang D. , Krömer O. , Kuijpers J. , Link K. , Łuczak P. , Ludwig M. , Mathes H. J. , Melissas M. , Morello C. , Nehls S. , Oehlschläger J. , Palmieri N. , Pierog T. , Rautenberg J. , Rebel H. , Roth M. , Rühle C. , Saftoiu A. , Schieler H. , Schmidt A. , Schoo S. , Schröder F.G. , Sima O. , Toma G. , Trinchero G. C. , Weindl A. , Wochele J. , Zabierowski J. , Zensus J. A.
Published: February 2021

LOPES, the LOFAR prototype station, was an antenna array for cosmic-ray air showers operating from 2003 to 2013 within the KASCADE-Grande experiment. Meanwhile, the analysis is finished and the data of air-shower events measured by LOPES are available with open access in the KASCADE Cosmic Ray Data Center (KCDC). This article intends to provide a summary of the achievements, results, and lessons learned from LOPES. By digital, interferometric beamforming the detection of air showers became possible in the radio-loud environment of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). As a prototype experiment, LOPES tested several antenna types, array configurations and calibration techniques, and pioneered analysis methods for the reconstruction of the most important shower parameters, i.e., the arrival direction, the energy, and mass-dependent observables such as the position of the shower maximum. In addition to a review and update of previously published results, we also present new results based on end-to-end simulations including all known instrumental properties. For this, we applied the detector response to radio signals simulated with the CoREAS extension of CORSIKA, and analyzed them in the same way as measured data. Thus, we were able to study the detector performance more accurately than before, including some previously inaccessible features such as the impact of noise on the interferometric cross-correlation beam. These results led to several improvements, which are documented in this paper and can provide useful input for the design of future cosmic-ray experiments based on the digital radio-detection technique.
The Atomki Accelerator Centre
Authors: Biri S. , Vajda I. K. , Hajdu P. , Rácz R. , Csík A. , Kormány Z. , Perduk Z. , Kocsis F. , Rajta I.
Published: February 2021

In this paper, the Atomki Accelerator Centre (AAC, Debrecen, Hungary) incorporating several small-sized particle accelerators is reviewed. The energy range of our accelerators for proton beam is between 50 eV and 20 MeV. The technical and personnel organization of AAC is presented together with the rules of beamtime requests and usage. Three of our accelerators (Cyclotron, ECRIS, Tandetron) are described in detail with their technical descriptions and with the main application fields. As an example for highlights, a series of unique low-energy ion–sample irradiations and post-treatments are shown which, by our hopes and plans, form a bridge between physics and biology.
Tri-partite entanglement in neutrino oscillations
Authors: Jha Abhishek Kumar , Mukherjee Supratik , Bambah Bindu A.
Published: February 2021

We investigate and quantify bipartite and tripartite entanglement measures in two- and three-flavor neutrino oscillations. The bipartite entanglement is analogous to the entanglement swapping resulting from a beam splitter in quantum optics. We calculate various entanglement measures, such as the concurrence, negativity, and three-tangle for the three-neutrino system. The significant result is that a monogamy inequality in terms of negativity leads to a residual entanglement, implying genuine tripartite entanglement in the three-neutrino system. We establish an analogy of the three-neutrino state with a generalized W-state class in quantum optics.
Local volume dimension: A novel approach for important nodes identification in complex networks
Authors: Li Hanwen , Deng Yong
Published: February 2021

How to identify important nodes in complex networks? It is still an open problem. Many methods have been proposed to tackle this problem. The main contribution of this paper is to propose a method to identify important nodes based on local volume dimension (LVD). If the LVD of the node is lower, the node is more important. Promising results of experiments on four real-world networks compared with six methods under both Susceptible–Infected (SI) model and Susceptible–Infected–Recovered (SIR) model validate and demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Onsager reaction field theory applied to the phase diagram of Heisenberg chain with ferromagnetic long-range interaction and antiferromagnetic nearest-neighbor interaction
Authors: Chen Yuan , Zhang Xiuzhi , Li Wenan , Chen Jipei
Published: February 2021

Onsager reaction field theory is used to investigate the one-dimensional ferromagnetic long-range interacting spin chain with the antiferromagnetic nearest-neighbor interaction (NNI) [Formula: see text]. The ferromagnetic long-range interactions considered in this paper decay as [Formula: see text] with the distance [Formula: see text] between lattice sites. It is found that both the zero temperature and finite-temperature phase diagrams of the system are strongly affected by the interplay between ferromagnetic long-range and antiferromagnetic NNIs. The critical temperature and the uniform susceptibility are obtained as a function of [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text]. At finite temperatures and in the region [Formula: see text] in which [Formula: see text] is dependent of [Formula: see text], the ferromagnetic-paramagnetic phase transition survives for [Formula: see text] and no phase transition exists for [Formula: see text]. At [Formula: see text], the ferromagnetic-antiferromagnetic phase transition happens at zero temperature for [Formula: see text]. The ground state of the system keeps ferromagnetic when [Formula: see text]. But for [Formula: see text], the system becomes antiferromagnetic at all temperatures.
Superheavy dark matter in R2-cosmology
Authors: Arbuzova E. V.
Published: February 2021

The conventional Friedmann cosmology is known to be in tension with the existence of stable particles having interaction strength typical for supersymmetry and heavier than several TeV. A possible way to save life of such particles may be a modification of the standard cosmological expansion law in such a way that the density of these heavy relics would be significantly reduced. We study particle creation in the Starobinsky inflationary model for different decay channels of the scalaron. It is shown that the process of thermalization superheavy stable particles with the coupling strength typical for the GUT SUSY could be created with the density equal to the observed density of dark matter.
Detection of Brain Tumor in MRI Images Using Optimized ANFIS Classifier
Authors: Kalam Rehna , Thomas Ciza , Rahiman M. Abdul
Published: February 2021

Tumor is basically a most common disease of brain and the Brain Tumor (BT) treatment has crucial significance. A diagnostic procedure called MRI image that is employed for detecting BT. It is the utmost important and intricate tasks in numerous medical-image applications since it typically involves a huge quantity of data. A lot of methods were applied in BT detection ranging as of image processing to examine the BT; however, the prevailing BT technique is tedious and less effective. So, this paper proposed the detection of the BT in MRI images utilizing optimized ANFIS classifier. Originally, the input MR image is preprocessed utilizing Gaussian Filter (GF) that removes the noise from the inputted image, additionally, the non-brain tissues (NBT) are removed using the technique of skull stripping (SS). After that, segmentation is performed wherein the tumor part is segmented utilizing CBAC technique and edema part is segmented utilizing HLSS segmentation technique. Then, GLCM in addition to GLRLM features are extracted afterward that extorted features is chosen by BFO algorithm. Finally, the selected features inputted to the optimized ANFIS classifier that classifies the tumor class types as Meningioma, Glioma, along with Pituitary. In ANFIS, the optimization procedure is achieved utilizing the PSO. The proposed system’s performance is contrasted to the prevailing systems regarding precision, recall, specificity, sensitivity, accuracy, together with F-Measure.
Regression Model-based Feature Filtering for Improving Hemorrhage Detection Accuracy in Diabetic Retinopathy Treatment
Authors: Krishnamoorthy Sujatha , Shanthini A. , Manogaran Gunasekaran , Saravanan Vijayalakshmi , Manickam Adhiyaman , Samuel R. Dinesh Jackson
Published: February 2021

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is an optical syndrome infecting the eyes’ vision by impairing the retinal blood vessels. Early misdetection of impairment results in hemorrhage, a state in which retinal bleeding occurs. Therefore, initial detection of such bleeding in the retina is identified using intelligent computing and clinical analysis. This analysis helps to improve the precision of detection and requires complex-less time and processing instances. In this article, the regression model for retina feature filtering (RM-FF) is introduced to improve the accuracy of detecting hemorrhages. In this filtering, the complex image is simplified into smaller blocks for classification and conditional verification. Based on conditional verification, the training set is updated recursively to improve the specificity and sensitivity detection process. Using a differential dataset, the proposed detection method assessed using the metrics true positive rate, accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity.
NANOWIRE OXIDE FILM FOR LOW-TEMPERATURE ALUMINIZED 20 STEEL BY THERMAL OXIDATION
Authors: HUANG MIN , DUAN YONG-CHUAN , WANG YU , CAI YI-CHEN , HU LIU-YI
Published: February 2021

An aluminized coating for low-carbon steel with good corrosion and wear resistance was first prepared through low-temperature pack aluminization. Then, the low-temperature-aluminized steel substrate was subjected to thermal oxidation in air. The phase composition, surface morphology, roughness, and elemental distribution of the aluminized carbon steel both before and after thermal oxidation were analyzed through X-ray diffraction spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The corrosion resistance and wear resistance of the original carbon steel substrate, aluminized carbon steel, and oxidized carbon steel were tested. Results showed that nanowires composed of iron oxide and alumina formed in situ on the top layer of the aluminized carbon steel. The corrosion resistance and wear resistance of the low-carbon steel with the nanowire oxide coating were better than those of the original carbon steel and aluminized carbon steel because the in-situ nanowire oxide film improved the density of the aluminized coating.
Optimal Design of Dampers for Multi-Mode Cable Vibration Control Based on Genetic Algorithm
Authors: Di Fangdian , Chen Lin , Sun Limin
Published: February 2021

Cables in cable-stayed bridges are subjected to the problem of multi-mode vibrations. Particularly, the first ten modes of long cables can have a frequency less than 3[Formula: see text]Hz and hence are vulnerable to wind-rain induced vibrations. In practice, mechanical dampers are widely used to mitigate such cable vibrations and thus they have to be designed to provide sufficient damping for all the concerned vibration modes. Meanwhile, the behaviors of practical dampers are complicated and better to be described by mechanical models with many parameters. Furthermore, additional mechanical components such as inerters and negative stiffness devices have been proposed to enhance the damper performance on cables. Therefore, it is increasingly difficult to optimize the damper parameters for suppressing multi-mode cable vibrations. To address this issue, this study proposes a novel damper design method based on the genetic algorithm (GA). The procedure of the method is first introduced where the damper performance optimization is formulated as a single-objective multi-parameter optimization problem. The effectiveness of the method is then verified by considering a viscous damper on a stay cable. Subsequently, the method is applied to optimize three typical dampers for cable vibration control, i.e. the positive stiffness damper, the negative stiffness damper, and the viscous inertial mass damper. The results show that the GA-based method is effective and efficient for cable damper design to achieve best multi-mode control effect and it is particularly useful for dampers with more parameters.
A Numerically Scaled Spring-Friction System and Validation by Shaking Table Test
Authors: Li Shanshan , Xiang Ping , Wei Biao , Zuo Chengjun , Jiang Lizhong , He Weikun
Published: February 2021

The seismic isolation efficiency of different friction-based devices needs verification by shaking table test, but faces problems in scaling before the test due to their frictional nonlinearity. To solve the scaling problems, a simplified civil structure, isolated by a self-centering spring-friction device, was numerically scaled in different ways considering the effect of friction action. The seismic responses of the scaled models were scaled back to those of the prototype and compared with the seismic responses of the prototype. The scaling problems and solutions were validated by a shaking table test on simply supported bridges using friction pendulum bearings (FPBs). The results show that both the unscaled gravity on a shaking table and the unscaled non-uniform friction distribution cause an inaccurate friction force in the structural motion equations of scaled models, and thus causing the scaling errors. One new and valid solution, i.e. changing the friction coefficient and scaling the non-uniform friction distribution to keep an accurate friction force for the scaled models, is put forward to avoid the scaling errors thoroughly. Another new solution shows that an increasing peak ground acceleration (PGA) can increase the other forces, while weakening the ratio of inaccurate friction force in the structural motion equations of the scaled models, which therefore reducing the scaling errors of acceleration and relative displacement responses, but not the scaling errors of residual displacement responses. In addition, the time-varying friction, the interface separation and collision of bearings, and other complex factors are found to cause scaling errors and need further investigation.
On Stability of SDOF Systems with Asymmetric Bi-Linear Hysteresis Subjected to Seismic Excitations
Authors: Quintana Gallo Patricio , Meneses Rodrigo
Published: February 2021

This technical note presents a numerical study on the stability of single degree of freedom (SDOF) systems with asymmetric bi-linear hysteretic restoring force, subjected to earthquake excitations. The aim is to report: (a) the existence of an unstable behavior in the response of such systems, under a specific ground motion, given small modifications of the yielding conditions of the hysteresis model, and (b) the introduction of a novel three-dimensional graphic visualization of the problem. The modifications of the yielding conditions were introduced via the symmetry-breaking produced by very small variations of the static equilibrium position of the system, equivalent to having an initial position and restoring force different from zero and symmetric yielding. The concise study comprises of nonlinear dynamic analyses of three system cases, one of them with symmetric (reference) and two with asymmetric yielding conditions. The results show that the system presented a stable response and severe ratcheting toward the weakest yielding direction for the symmetric and asymmetric cases, respectively. Differences as large as [Formula: see text]% between the asymmetric and reference cases were obtained for the residual displacement of the systems, due to variations as small as [Formula: see text]% in the static-equilibrium position, and consequent [Formula: see text]% variations of the positive/negative yielding displacements and forces. In turn, negligible variations of the velocity between the three cases were predicted. To conclude, the paper introduces novel three-dimensional representations of the solution-curve and of the hysteresis cycles of the systems, deepening the discussion on the identified bifurcation. The 3D hysteresis curve, in particular, can be of much use for seismic engineering and mechanical studies, either numerical or experimental, as it allows visualizing the sequence of events in the hysteresis plots in a much clearer fashion compared to the traditional two-dimensional counterparts.
Well-rounded twists of ideal lattices from imaginary quadratic fields
Authors: Le Nam H. , Tran Dat T. , Tran Ha T. N.
Published: February 2021

In this paper, we investigate the properties of well-rounded twists of a given ideal lattice of an imaginary quadratic field [Formula: see text]. We show that every ideal lattice [Formula: see text] of [Formula: see text] has at least one well-rounded twist lattice. Moreover, we provide an explicit algorithm to compute all well-rounded twists of [Formula: see text].
THE INFLUENCE OF DIFFERENT-HEIGHT HEEL SHOES ON MOTOR FUNCTION OF LOWER LIMB JOINTS IN THE YOUNG FEMALE PERFORMERS
Authors: YU DAI-FENG , YU YA-GUANG , GAO LI , SHAN GONG-BING , WANG LIN
Published: February 2021

Objective: This study aims to explore how shoes with different height heels affect female gait characteristics and motor function of lower limb joints. Methods: Video analysis and myoelectricity tester were applied to the walking test of 12 female models wearing shoes with 0, 3, 6, 10, and 18[Formula: see text]cm heels. Results: (1) When being barefoot and wearing the flat shoes, the models took a longest step, and the step length decreased with the increase of the shoe heel. (2) When walking in the flat shoes, the models kept the center of gravity highly stable. With the increase of the shoe heel, the center of gravity went ups and downs obviously in the direction of Z and Y when models were walking. (3) When models walked in the flat shoes, the smallest changes occurred in the hip joint angle. With the increase of the shoe heel, the stretching ranges of knee joint angle and ankle joint angle decreased. (4) When models walked in the flat shoes, electromyographic mean power frequency (MPF) indicated that active frequency of gastrocnemius and soleus were the highest and time-domain parameter suggested that active scope of biceps femoris and soleus increased most. There was difference in active frequency between the dominated leg and the nondominated leg. Conclusion: Flat shoes or 3–6[Formula: see text]cm heel shoes were the best for walking. It is recommended to choose shoes with a heel height higher than 10[Formula: see text]cm when walking,and try to control wear more than 10[Formula: see text]cm heel walking time, otherwise, there will be a risk of falls. When choosing a heel with a height higher than 10[Formula: see text]cm, the walking speed and walking length must be reduced. At the same time, try to control the walking time of wearing high heels with the heel height over 10[Formula: see text]cm, otherwise it will cause the risk of fall.
Vast Topological Learning and Sentient AGI
Authors: Thaler Stephen L.
Published: February 2021

A novel form of neurocomputing allows machines to generate new concepts along with their anticipated consequences, all encoded as chained associative memories. Knowledge is accumulated by the system through direct experience as network chaining topologies form in response to various environmental input patterns. Thereafter, random disturbances to the connections joining these nets promote the formation of alternative chaining topologies representing novel concepts. The resulting ideational chains are then reinforced or weakened as they incorporate nets containing memories of impactful events or things. Such encodings of entities, actions, and relationships as geometric forms composed of artificial neural nets may well suggest how the human brain summarizes and appraises the states of nearly a hundred billion cortical neurons. It may also be the paradigm that allows the scaling of synthetic neural systems to brain-like proportions to achieve sentient artificial general intelligence (SAGI).
Chapter 6.2 Englacial tephras of East Antarctica
Authors: Narcisi Biancamaria , Petit Jean Robert
Published: February 2021

Driven by successful achievements in recovering high-resolution ice records of climate and atmospheric composition through the Late Quaternary, new ice–tephra sequences from various sites of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet (EAIS) have been studied in the last two decades spanning an age range of a few centuries to 800 kyr. The tephrostratigraphic framework for the inner EAIS, based on ash occurrence in three multi-kilometre-deep ice cores, shows that the South Sandwich Islands represent a major source for tephra, highlighting the major role in the ash dispersal played by clockwise circum-Antarctic atmospheric circulation penetrating the Antarctic continent. Tephra records from the eastern periphery of the EAIS, however, are obviously influenced by explosive activity sourced in nearby Antarctic rift provinces. These tephra inventories have provided a fundamental complement to the near-vent volcanic record, in terms of both frequency/chronology of explosive volcanism and of magma chemical evolution through time. Despite recent progress, current data are still sparse. There is a need for further tephra studies to collect data from unexplored EAIS sectors, along with extending the tephra inventory back in time. Ongoing international palaeoclimatic initiatives of ice-core drilling could represent a significant motivation for the tephra community and for Quaternary Antarctic volcanologists.
Federated Bandit
Authors: Zhu Zhaowei , Zhu Jingxuan , Liu Ji , Liu Yang
Published: February 2021

In this paper, we study Federated Bandit, a decentralized Multi-Armed Bandit problem with a set of N agents, who can only communicate their local data with neighbors described by a connected graph G. Each agent makes a sequence of decisions on selecting an arm from M candidates, yet they only have access to local and potentially biased feedback/evaluation of the true reward for each action taken. Learning only locally will lead agents to sub-optimal actions while converging to a no-regret strategy requires a collection of distributed data. Motivated by the proposal of federated learning, we aim for a solution with which agents will never share their local observations with a central entity, and will be allowed to only share a private copy of his/her own information with their neighbors. We first propose a decentralized bandit algorithm \textttGossip\_UCB, which is a coupling of variants of both the classical gossiping algorithm and the celebrated Upper Confidence Bound (UCB) bandit algorithm. We show that \textttGossip\_UCB successfully adapts local bandit learning into a global gossiping process for sharing information among connected agents, and achieves guaranteed regret at the order of O(\max\ \textttpoly (N,M) łog T, \textttpoly (N,M)łog_łambda_2^-1 N\ ) for all N agents, where łambda_2\in(0,1) is the second largest eigenvalue of the expected gossip matrix, which is a function of G. We then propose \textttFed\_UCB, a differentially private version of \textttGossip\_UCB, in which the agents preserve ε-differential privacy of their local data while achieving O(\max \\frac\textttpoly (N,M) ε łog^2.5 T, \textttpoly (N,M) (łog_łambda_2^-1 N + łog T) \ ) regret.
A Novel Synthesis Pathway Towards Rare Earth Fluorides by Using Liquid and Solid State Hexafluorophosphate Salts
Authors: Bents Andre , Gerdes Josef Maximilian , Hansen Michael Ryan , Jüstel Thomas , Baur Florian
Published: February 2021

This work concerns different methods to synthesize rare earth fluorides by using liquid and solid state hexafluorophosphates. Various [PF6]− sources were compared, i.e. [BMIM][PF6], [TBA][PF6] and KPF6. Furthermore, the required reaction times and temperatures have been determined by XRD measurements. It turned out that [TBA][PF6] reacts even in the solid state at moderate temperatures to yield single phase LaF3. The use of hydroxides and oxides instead of the commonly employed nitrates as rare earth educts was successfully attempted. The reaction with rare earth hydroxide showed some peculiarities which were traced back to the specific reaction between HF and OH−. The reaction between [TBA][PF6] and La(OH)3 was studied in detail via the determination of oxygen and nitrogen concentrations as well as solid-state 19F and 139La nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR).
Metal-Supported Perovskite as an Efficient Bifunctional Electrocatalyst for Oxygen Reduction and Evolution: Substrate Effect
Authors: Soltani Mohammad , Amin Hatem M.A. , Cebe Atilla , Ayata Sevda , Baltruschat Helmut
Published: February 2021

Due to increased energy demand and environmental concerns, sustainable energy systems such as electrolyzers and Li-air batteries have attracted significant interest. However, it is imperative to develop an efficient inexpensive catalyst for the underlying reactions, namely oxygen reduction (ORR) and evolution (OER) reactions, to overcome their sluggish kinetics. In our previous work, a combination of silver and Co3O4 particles showed high bifunctional activity. Herein, we extend the study to investigate how the electrocatalytic activity is dependent on the oxide composition and the type of the underlaying substrate. A significant enhancement in OER performance is realized at perovskite-supported silver or gold electrodes with activity decreasing in the order Ag≥Au>GC. This is attributed mainly to a synergistic interaction between the oxide and metal support and the enhanced conductivity. The ORR activity observed at oxides loaded on Ag and Au bulk electrode is similar, however they exhibit about 450 mV lower overpotential than on GC. The improved activity at oxides/metal substrate renders this approach promising for O2-electrodes design.
Parameterization and Extension of a Model of Oxide Growth by a Multi-Method Approach
Authors: Bojinov Martin , Betova Iva , Karastoyanov Vasil , Stancheva Mina
Published: February 2021

The technology to form anodic oxides on valve metals will strongly benefit from optimization of process parameters based on deterministic modelling. The relatively large number of adjustable parameters precludes the unambiguous interpretation of steady-state and transient electrochemical data in terms of a unique kinetic model. An approach to overcome this challenge by parameterization of a model of film growth and dissolution using a combination of in situ electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) in a large frequency range, dynamic high-frequency impedance and photocurrent measurements, with ex situ characterization of the oxides by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) is presented. Additional mechanistic information is derived from density functional theory modelling of adsorption of water and fluoride on TiO2. An extension of the model allowing for a multistep transpassive dissolution reaction at the film/solution interface is also parameterized using voltametric, EIS and XPS data for the anodic oxidation of Mo in concentrated H3PO4.
Role of the polycystins as mechanosensors of extracellular stiffness
Authors: Nigro Elisa A. , Boletta Alessandra
Published: February 2021

Polycystin-1 has recently emerged as a possible receptor able to sense extracellular stiffness and to negatively control the cellular actomyosin contraction machinery. Here, we revisit a large body of literature on autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease providing a new possible mechanistic view on the topic.
Comparing the Wave Characteristics of Breakdown Pulses of the Lightning Waveforms in the Himalayan Region
Authors: Adhikari Pitri Bhakta , Adhikari Aashutosh
Published: February 2021

We have analyzed the breakdown pulse train with or without the main event in this paper. Among the selected 81 flashes, 36 flashes are starting positively, and 45 are starting negatively. Also, 58 flashes contain positive pulses, and 67 flashes contain negative pulses, whereas 44 flashes contain both positive and negative pulses. Among these 81 flashes, 22 flashes follow the main events, and the rest are isolated events. In this study, we got the main duration of PB pulses as 1.94 ms and the time interval between the breakdown pulse and return stroke as 61.49 ms. On taking each pulse train, we found the rise time to be 2.6 μs, zero-crossing time 14.95 μs, and the time interval between pulses 199.3 μs. The largest pulse amplitude ratio in the preliminary breakdown pulse to the main event return stroke was 0.43.
Decoding of Walking Imagery and Idle State Using Sparse Representation Based on fNIRS
Authors: Li Hongquan , Gong Anmin , Zhao Lei , Zhang Wei , Wang Fawang , Fu Yunfa
Published: February 2021

Objectives. Brain‐computer interface (BCI) based on functional near‐infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) is expected to provide an optional active rehabilitation training method for patients with walking dysfunction, which will affect their quality of life seriously. Sparse representation classification (SRC) oxyhemoglobin (HbO) concentration was used to decode walking imagery and idle state to construct fNIRS‐BCI based on walking imagery. Methods. 15 subjects were recruited and fNIRS signals were collected during walking imagery and idle state. Firstly, band‐pass filtering and baseline drift correction for HbO signal were carried out, and then the mean value, peak value, and root mean square (RMS) of HbO and their combinations were extracted as classification features; SRC was used to identify the extracted features and the result of SRC was compared with those of support vector machine (SVM), K‐Nearest Neighbor (KNN), linear discriminant analysis (LDA), and logistic regression (LR). Results. The experimental results showed that the average classification accuracy for walking imagery and idle state by SRC using three features combination was 91.55±3.30%, which was significantly higher than those of SVM, KNN, LDA, and LR (86.37±4.42%, 85.65±5.01%, 86.43±4.41%, and 76.14±5.32%, respectively), and the classification accuracy of other combined features was higher than that of single feature. Conclusions. The study showed that introducing SRC into fNIRS‐BCI can effectively identify walking imagery and idle state. It also showed that different time windows for feature extraction have an impact on the classification results, and the time window of 2–8 s achieved a better classification accuracy (94.33±2.60%) than other time windows. Significance. The study was expected to provide a new and optional active rehabilitation training method for patients with walking dysfunction. In addition, the experiment was also a rare study based on fNIRS‐BCI using SRC to decode walking imagery and idle state.
Study on Quality Standards and Hepatoprotective Effect of Curcuma phaeocaulis Radix
Authors: Chen Zhimin , Liao Yujiao , Ao Mingyue , Peng Ying , Yang Zhuo , Hu Changjiang , Yu Lingying
Published: February 2021

Curcuma phaeocaulis Radix (Lüsiyujin) is a mainstream variety of Curcumae Radix cultivated in Sichuan for more than 900 years, but its broader utility is limited by a lack of quality control and pharmacodynamic research. We used the Chinese Pharmacopoeia, 2015 edition, to guide the determination of germacrone and furanodienone content in extracts. We established an animal model of Qi stagnation and blood stasis in a clinical context. Pathological changes in liver function indexes were evaluated to investigate the hepatoprotective effect of Lüsiyujin. In 20 extraction batches of Lüsiyujin, ethanol extracts yielded 9.22%–15.01%, average 12.03%. The germacrone content was 0.003%–0.011% (average 0.0069%), and the furanodienone content was 0.090%–0.478% (average 0.201%). Compared with the control group, the model rats exhibited functional liver damage. Serum markers of liver function varied after treatment with Lüsiyujin, but significant effects were observed with alanine aminotransferase and total bile acid. This study demonstrates a simple method of quality control for Lüsiyujin. The study also demonstrated that Lüsiyujin inhibits hepatocyte damage and regulates the excretion and secretion of hepatic bile. Our findings provide a theoretical basis for the formulation of quality standards, clinical application, and resource development for the utilisation of Lüsiyujin.
Brachial Artery Thrombosis following Multiple Wasp Bites
Authors: Gunathilake K. U. I. S. , Rifath M. I. M. , Ayeshmantha D. D. , Jayasinghe J. K. K. N. , Marasinghe A.
Published: February 2021

Wasp bites can give rise to multiple clinical manifestations ranging from local reactions to multisystem involvement. Stroke and myocardial infarctions following wasp envenomation are reported in the literature. We describe a rare case of brachial artery thrombosis following multiple wasp bites.
Mechanisms of Oxidative Stress and Therapeutic Targets following Intracerebral Hemorrhage
Authors: Yao Zhenjia , Bai Qinqin , Wang Gaiqing
Published: February 2021

Oxidative stress (OS) is induced by the accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) following intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) and plays an important role in secondary brain injury caused by the inflammatory response, apoptosis, autophagy, and blood‐brain barrier (BBB) disruption. This review summarizes the current state of knowledge regarding the pathogenic mechanisms of brain injury after ICH, markers for detecting OS, and therapeutic strategies that target OS to mitigate brain injury.
Protective Effect of Thyme Honey against Valproic Acid Hepatotoxicity in Wistar Rats
Authors: Omidipour Rezvan , Zarei Leila , Boroujeni Mandana Beigi , Rajabzadeh Asghar
Published: February 2021

Introduction. Valproic acid is a medication most commonly used in the treatment of emotional and neurological depression, psychological imbalances, epilepsy, and bipolar disorder. Dark honey, like thyme honey, contains more antioxidant compounds than other samples. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of thyme honey on the potential hepatic effects of valproic acid. Methods. In this study, 48 male rats were randomly divided into 8 groups (n = 6): G1 (control): healthy rats (normal saline 0.9%), G2: thyme honey (1 g/kg), G3: thyme honey (2 g/kg dose), G4: thyme honey (3 g/kg dose), G5: VPA (500 mg/kg), G6: VPA (500 mg/kg) and thyme honey (1 g/kg), G7: VPA (500 mg/kg) and thyme honey (2 g/kg dose), and G8: VPA (500 mg/kg) and thyme honey (3 g/kg dose). Groups G1 to G5 received the drug for 28 days. On day 14, administration of thyme honey for G6 to G8 groups was carried out using gavage until day 28. VPA was administered one hour after honey. To carry out the biochemical evaluation, blood samples were collected from all the groups and their serums were used for MDA, TAC, and liver enzymes (AST, ALT, and GGT). Tissue samples of each rat were also removed for histological studies with hematoxylin‐eosin and Masson’s trichrome staining. Results. The use of thyme honey significantly improved the histopathological parameters of the liver tissue, including hypertrophic degeneration and nucleus alteration, expansion of sinusoids, fibrosis and hepatic necrosis, and inflammation as well as hypertrophy of Kupffer cells. In the groups receiving VPA, the rate of lipid peroxidation increased, which indicates the destruction of the liver cell membrane due to drug consumption. TAC levels also increased following increase in thyme honey dosage (p ≤ 0.05). The results of liver enzyme analysis showed a decrease in AST and ALT levels in the G6 group and a decrease in GGT level in the G8 group (p ≤ 0.05). Conclusion. Based on the results of this study, it seems that high percentage of antioxidants in thyme honey enabled it to improve hepatic complications and reduce the rate of hepatocellular destruction.
Dynamic Phase Signal Control Method for Unstable Asymmetric Traffic Flow at Intersections
Authors: Jiang Xiancai , Jin Yu , Ma Yanli
Published: February 2021

This paper addresses the limitations that the phases proposed in variable phase sequencing studies for stochastic traffic flow are all predetermined and that the variable phase sequencing is only suitable for low traffic volume environment. It presents a dynamic phase signal control method for unstable asymmetric traffic flow with two primary operational objectives: the realization of a dynamic phase scheme in each cycle and optimization of signal control parameters. First, an asymmetric state of traffic flow at signalized intersections is defined, rules governing the generation of the dynamic phase of each cycle based on asymmetric state are proposed, and the delay variations of intersections adopting dynamic phase schemes are modeled. Next, a signal control parameter adjustment algorithm for the dynamic phase is constructed to maximize the positive benefits of delay variation. Last, the operational performance of the proposed method is validated using data collected from an intersection in Harbin, China, by VISSIM simulation. Furthermore, it is found that a higher asymmetric coefficient leads to lower efficiency of a symmetrical release phase scheme at intersections, and the increase of average delay becomes significant when the asymmetric coefficient threshold is greater than 0.2.
A MyD88/IL1R Axis Regulates PD-1 Expression on Tumor-Associated Macrophages and Sustains Their Immunosuppressive Function in Melanoma
Authors: Tartey Sarang , Neale Geoffrey , Vogel Peter , Malireddi R.K. Subbarao , Kanneganti Thirumala-Devi
Published: February 2021

Macrophages are critical mediators of tissue homeostasis, cell proliferation, and tumor metastasis. Tumor-associated macrophages (TAM) are generally associated with tumor-promoting immunosuppressive functions in solid tumors. Here, we examined the transcriptional landscape of adaptor molecules downstream of Toll-like receptors in human cancers and found that higher expression of MYD88 correlated with tumor progression. In murine melanoma, MyD88, but not Trif, was essential for tumor progression, angiogenesis, and maintaining the immunosuppressive phenotype of TAMs. In addition, MyD88 expression in myeloid cells drove melanoma progression. The MyD88/IL1 receptor (IL1R) axis regulated programmed cell death (PD)-1 expression on TAMs by promoting recruitment of NF-κBp65 to the Pdcd1 promoter. Furthermore, a combinatorial immunotherapy approach combining the MyD88 inhibitor with anti–PD-1 blockade elicited strong antitumor effects. Thus, the MyD88/IL1R axis maintains the immunosuppressive function of TAMs and promotes tumor growth by regulating PD-1 expression.

Significance:

These findings indicate that MyD88 regulates TAM-immunosuppressive activity, suggesting that macrophage-mediated immunotherapy combining MYD88 inhibitors with PD-1 blockade could result in better treatment outcomes in a wide variety of cancers.
Red Blood Cell Fatty Acids and Risk of Colorectal Cancer in The European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC)
Authors: Linseisen Jakob , Grundmann Nina , Zoller Dorothee , Kühn Tilman , Jansen Eugène H.J.M. , Chajès Veronique , Fedirko Veronika , Weiderpass Elisabete , Dahm Christina C. , Overvad Kim , Tjønneland Anne , Boutron-Ruault Marie-Christine , Rothwell Joseph A. , Severi Gianluca , Kaaks Rudolf , Schulze Matthias B. , Aleksandrova Krasimira , Sieri Sabina , Panico Salvatore , Tumino Rosario , Masala Giovanna , De Marco Laura , Bueno-de-Mesquita Bas , Vermeulen Roel , Gram Inger T. , Skeie Guri , Chirlaque María-Dolores , Ardanaz Eva , Agudo Antonio , Sánchez Maria-José , Amiano Pilar , Wennberg Maria , Bodén Stina , Perez-Cornago Aurora , Aglago Elom K. , Gunter Marc J. , Jenab Mazda , Heath Alicia K. , Nieters Alexandra
Published: February 2021

Background:

A growing body of evidence suggests that alterations of dietary fatty acid (FA) profiles are associated with colorectal cancer risk. However, data from large-scale epidemiologic studies using circulating FA measurements to objectively assess individual FA and FA categories are scarce.

Methods:

We investigate the association between red blood cell (RBC) membrane FAs and risk of colorectal cancer in a case–control study nested within a large prospective cohort. After a median follow-up of 6.4 years, 1,069 incident colorectal cancer cases were identified and matched to 1,069 controls among participants of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC). The FA composition of RBC phospholipids (in mol%) was analyzed by gas chromatography, and their association with risk of colorectal cancer was estimated by multivariable adjusted conditional logistic regression models.

Results:

After correction for multiple testing, subjects with higher concentrations of RBC stearic acid were at higher risk for colorectal cancer (OR = 1.23; 95% CI = 1.07–1.42, per 1 mol%). Conversely, colorectal cancer incidence decreased with increasing proportions of RBC n-3 PUFA, particularly eicosapentaenoic acid (0.75; 0.62–0.92, per 1 mol%). The findings for the n-6 PUFA arachidonic acid were inconsistent.

Conclusions:

The positive association between prediagnostic RBC stearic acid and colorectal cancer reflects putative differences in FA intake and metabolism between cancer cases and matched controls, which deserve further investigation. The inverse relationship between EPA and colorectal cancer is in line with the repeatedly reported protective effect of fish consumption on colorectal cancer risk.

Impact:

These findings add to the evidence on colorectal cancer prevention.