bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
New types of interaction solutions to the (3 + 1)-dimensional generalized Kadomtsev-Petviashvili equation
Authors: Bai Yuexing , Temuerchaolu  , Li Yan , Bilige Sudao
Published: June 2020

In this paper, with the aid of symbolic computation system Maple, and based on the simplified Hirota method and ansatz technique, we discussed the (3+1)-dimensional generalized Kadomtsev–Petviashvili equation with [Formula: see text] to obtain lump solutions, lump–kink solutions and three classes of interaction solutions. Comparing our new results with other researchers’ results shows that using this method gives the more opportunity to solve the nonlinear partial differential equations that appear in mathematics, physics, biological engineering and other fields. We also presented profiles of new lump solution, lump–kink solutions and interaction solutions as illustrative examples.
Effects of semi-solid extrusion and heat treatment on the microstructure, mechanics, and wear resistance of SiC/High aluminum zinc-base alloy composites
Authors: Wang Yingwu , Zuo Xiaoqing , Ran Songjiang , Ye Yushun , Tian Jihua
Published: June 2020

The effects of semi-solid extrusion temperature change, extrusion pressure, SiC content and T5 heat treatment on the microstructure, mechanical properties, and wear resistance of SiC particle strengthened high aluminum zinc-base alloy [Formula: see text] composites were studied. The results show that semi-solid extrusion broke the dendrites of [Formula: see text] composites, refined their grain structure, and improved particle aggregation. The density, hardness, yield strength, tensile strength and elongation of [Formula: see text] composites first increased and then decreased when the extrusion temperature and SiC content increased, and also increased when the extrusion pressure rose. The optimal extrusion temperature, pressure and SiC content are 475[Formula: see text], 15 MPa and 10 wt.%, respectively. T5 heat treatment further refined the crystalline grains and promoted [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] to precipitate as strengthening phases, which improve the mechanical properties and wear resistance of [Formula: see text] composites. Consequently, the hardness, yield strength, tensile strength and elongation of the heat-treated composites improved by 18.99%, 9.66%, 4.93% and 9.76%, respectively. The wear loss of the heat-treated composites reduced by 31.65% under a load of 1600 N and a rotational speed of 200 r/min compared with the as-cast composites.
Salt tectonics in the Sureste Basin, SE Mexico: some implications for hydrocarbon exploration
Authors: Davison Ian
Published: June 2020

The Sureste Basin salt became diapiric soon after deposition in the Bajocian (169 Ma). Salt ridges and diapirs grew throughout the Jurassic–Cretaceous. The Mexican Fold and Thrust Belt propagated into the Sureste Basin at 70–60 Ma, causing squeezing/extrusion of allochthonous salt sheets. The more intense Mid-Miocene (
c.
13–11 Ma) compression (‘Chiapaneco Event’) produced folding and thrusting over a north–south distance of 600 km. The Mid-Miocene–Recent bulk horizontal flow is indicated by anticline and thrust traces mapped from seismic data and bathymetry. In the SE sector of the salt basin, flow is towards N60°E, where thrusting is intense and the salt is thin. The flow swings to a northerly direction in the basin centre, where folding is important. A parabolic fold arc was produced due to drag on the edges of the salt basin. This indicates that both salt and overburden behaved in a ductile manner at a large scale. Mesozoic carbonate slabs were overthrusted up to 20 km during the Mid-Miocene. Intense fracturing and karstification produced potential reservoir rocks with many untested structures that are leaking hydrocarbons. Pre-Mid-Miocene clastic reservoirs may be trapped in folds below the allochthonous salt, which also have not been drilled.
ChunkedTejas
Authors: Kalayappan Rajshekar , Chhabra Avantika , Sarangi Smruti R.
Published: June 2020

Research in computer architecture is commonly done using software simulators. The simulation speed of such simulators is therefore critical to the rate of progress in research. One of the less commonly used ways to increase the simulation speed is to decompose the benchmark’s execution into contiguous chunks of instructions and simulate these chunks in parallel. Two issues arise from this approach. The first is of correctness, as each chunk (other than the first chunk) starts from an incorrect state. The second is of performance: The decomposition must be done in such a way that the simulation of all chunks finishes at nearly the same time, allowing for maximum speedup. In this article, we study these two aspects and compare three different chunking approaches (two of them are novel) and two warmup approaches (one of them is novel). We demonstrate that average speedups of up to 5.39X can be achieved (while employing eight parallel instances), while constraining the error to 0.2% on average.
Community Topic Usage in Online Social Media
Authors: Wood Ian D. , Glover John , Buitelaar Paul
Published: June 2020

Humans have a natural tendency to form social groups, and individual behaviours are thought to be strongly influenced by a salient sense of belonging to one or more such groups. It can be expected, therefore, that there will be behaviours that are specific to the group(s) to which a person currently feels they are interacting with and that some of these behaviours will manifest in topics and patterns of linguistic style associated with those groups. Here we explore this idea by attempting to identify group specific patterns of language usage in social media data from Twitter and Reddit. Topic models are used to infer patterns of language usage and group structures are either provided with the data (Reddit) inferred from the follower network (Twitter). We apply a Bayesian graphical model to infer community-topic associations, finding that substantially more coherent associations can often be identified than with a naive probability-based approach. Strong associations are found between groups and topics with both approaches, indicating that the methods used to (independently) identify groups and topics represent real underlying patterns of social communication and promising fruitful investigation of human social behaviour using these or similar techniques.
TuckerMPI
Authors: Ballard Grey , Klinvex Alicia , Kolda Tamara G.
Published: June 2020

Our goal is compression of massive-scale grid-structured data, such as the multi-terabyte output of a high-fidelity computational simulation. For such data sets, we have developed a new software package called TuckerMPI, a parallel C++/MPI software package for compressing distributed data. The approach is based on treating the data as a tensor, i.e., a multidimensional array, and computing its truncated Tucker decomposition, a higher-order analogue to the truncated singular value decomposition of a matrix. The result is a low-rank approximation of the original tensor-structured data. Compression efficiency is achieved by detecting latent global structure within the data, which we contrast to most compression methods that are focused on local structure. In this work, we describe TuckerMPI, our implementation of the truncated Tucker decomposition, including details of the data distribution and in-memory layouts, the parallel and serial implementations of the key kernels, and analysis of the storage, communication, and computational costs. We test the software on 4.5 and 6.7 terabyte data sets distributed across 100 s of nodes (1,000 s of MPI processes), achieving compression ratios between 100 and 200,000×, which equates to 99--99.999% compression (depending on the desired accuracy) in substantially less time than it would take to even read the same dataset from a parallel file system. Moreover, we show that our method also allows for reconstruction of partial or down-sampled data on a single node, without a parallel computer so long as the reconstructed portion is small enough to fit on a single machine, e.g., in the instance of reconstructing/visualizing a single down-sampled time step or computing summary statistics. The code is available at https://gitlab.com/tensors/TuckerMPI.
IDeA
Authors: Bhattacharya Debarpan , Misra Sudip , Pathak Nidhi , Mukherjee Anandarup
Published: June 2020

In this work, we propose an autonomous and onboard image-based agricultural land demarcation and path-planning system—IDeA (
I
oT-Based Autonomous Aerial
De
marcation and Path Planning for Precision
A
griculture) with Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs)—using our advanced UAV-based aerial IoT platform. Our work successfully addresses the problem of onboard and autonomous path planning—which conventional UAV-based systems are not capable of—during stand-alone operations and without preloaded Global Positioning SYstem (GPS) markers for flight path waypoints. Our aerial system visually identifies non-electronically and singularly tagged agricultural plots and assesses the enclosing boundaries of the identified plot. Subsequently, an onboard path planning module autonomously generates GPS waypoints for traversing the identified plot with minimal overlaps and maximal coverage. Our proposed system exhibits an area coverage efficiency of 95.39%, performs pixel-to-GPS coordinate conversion with an accuracy of 90.35%, and has high agricultural potential in applications such as surveying crop health conditions and spraying pesticide/herbicides. The proposed system has massive applications in scenarios requiring aerial detection, demarcation, geographical tagging, and coverage of an area.
Robot Errors in Proximate HRI
Authors: Washburn Auriel , Adeleye Akanimoh , An Thomas , Riek Laurel D.
Published: June 2020

Advancements within human–robot interaction generate increasing opportunities for proximate, goal-directed joint action (GDJA). However, robot errors are common and researchers must determine how to mitigate them. In this article, we examine how expectations for robot functionality affect people’s perceptions of robot reliability and trust for a robot that makes errors. Here 35 participants (
n
= 35) performed a collaborative banner-hanging task with an autonomous mobile manipulator (Toyota HSR). Each participant received either a low- or high-functionality framing for the robot. We then measured how participants perceived the robot’s reliability and trust prior to, during, and after interaction. Functionality framing changed how robot errors affected participant experiences of robot behavior. People with low expectations experienced positive changes in reliability and trust after interacting with the robot, while those with high expectations experienced a negative change in reliability and no change in trust. The low-expectation group also showed greater trust recovery following the robot’s first error compared to the high group. Our findings inform human–robot teaming through: (1) identifying robot presentation factors that can be employed to facilitate trust calibration and (2) establishing the effects of framing, functionality, and the interactions between them to improve dynamic models of human–robot teaming.
Expanding the Bounds of Seated Virtual Workspaces
Authors: Mcgill Mark , Kehoe Aidan , Freeman Euan , Brewster Stephen
Published: June 2020

Mixed Reality (MR), Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) headsets can improve upon existing physical multi-display environments by rendering large, ergonomic virtual display spaces whenever and wherever they are needed. However, given the physical and ergonomic limitations of neck movement, users may need assistance to view these display spaces comfortably. Through two studies, we developed new ways of minimising the physical effort and discomfort of viewing such display spaces. We first explored how the mapping between gaze angle and display position could be manipulated, helping users view wider display spaces than currently possible within an acceptable and comfortable range of neck movement. We then compared our implicit control of display position based on head orientation against explicit user control, finding significant benefits in terms of user preference, workload and comfort for implicit control. Our novel techniques create new opportunities for productive work by leveraging MR headsets to create interactive wide virtual workspaces with improved comfort and usability. These workspaces are flexible and can be used on-the-go, e.g., to improve remote working or make better use of commuter journeys.
QoS-Aware VNF Placement and Service Chaining for IoT Applications in Multi-Tier Mobile Edge Networks
Authors: Xu Zichuan , Zhang Zhiheng , Liang Weifa , Xia Qiufen , Rana Omer , Wu Guowei
Published: June 2020

Mobile edge computing and network function virtualization (NFV) paradigms enable new flexibility and possibilities of the deployment of extreme low-latency services for Internet-of-Things (IoT) applications within the proximity of their users. However, this poses great challenges to find optimal placements of virtualized network functions (VNFs) for data processing requests of IoT applications in a multi-tier cloud network, which consists of many small- or medium-scale servers, clusters, or cloudlets deployed within the proximity of IoT nodes and a few large-scale remote data centers with abundant computing and storage resources. In particular, it is challenging to jointly consider VNF instance placement and routing traffic path planning for user requests, as they are not only delay sensitive but also resource hungry.

In this article, we consider admissions of NFV-enabled requests of IoT applications in a multi-tier cloud network, where users request network services by issuing service requests with service chain requirements, and the service chain enforces the data traffic of the request to pass through the VNFs in the chain one by one until it reaches its destination. To this end, we first formulate the throughput maximization problem with the aim to maximize the system throughput. We then propose an integer linear program solution if the problem size is small; otherwise, we devise an efficient heuristic that jointly takes into account VNF placements to both cloudlets and data centers and routing path finding for each request. For a special case of the problem with a set of service chains, we propose an approximation algorithm with a provable approximation ratio. Next, we also devise efficient learning-based heuristics for VNF provisioning for IoT applications by incorporating the mobility and energy conservation features of IoT devices. We finally evaluate the performance of the proposed algorithms by simulations. The simulation results show that the performance of the proposed algorithms is promising.
Human Perception of Social Robot’s Emotional States via Facial and Thermal Expressions
Authors: Peña Denis , Tanaka Fumihide
Published: June 2020

Facial and thermal expressions can be used by humans to interpret emotions. While facial expressions can be a voluntary reaction, the change of temperature in the body is often not. Thus, a facial expression may not always be consistent with the emotional state that is expressed by the body temperature. This article aims to study the human perception of the emotional expression and the emotional state of a robot that simultaneously uses its face and body temperature. To this end, a robot, named TherMoody, which has the capability to change its body temperature from 10–55℃, was used. Then, 25 combinations (5x5: one facial expression and one thermal expression for anger, joy, fear, sadness, and neutral state) were evaluated by 15 participants. Thermal expressions were designed based on the metaphors of emotions related to temperature. The results show people tend to base their judgment of the robot’s emotional expression exclusively in its facial expression, regardless of the change of its body temperature. However, there are combinations where the thermal expression predominates over the facial expression when judging the robot’s emotional state. Thus, these combinations may produce the perception that the robot’s emotional expression is, in fact, genuine, simulated, masked, or neutralized.
CNN-based Multiple Manipulation Detector Using Frequency Domain Features of Image Residuals
Authors: Singhal Divya , Gupta Abhinav , Tripathi Anurag , Kothari Ravi
Published: June 2020

Increasingly sophisticated image editing tools make it easy to modify images. Often these modifications are elaborate, convincing, and undetectable by even careful human inspection. These considerations have prompted the development of forensic algorithms and approaches to detect modifications done to an image. However, these detectors are model-driven (i.e., manipulation-specific) and the choice of a potent detector requires knowledge of the type of manipulation, something that cannot be known (
a priori
). Thus, the latest effort is directed towards developing model-free (i.e., generalized) detectors capable of detecting multiple manipulation types. In this article, we propose a novel detector capable of exposing seven different manipulation types in low-resolution compressed images. Our proposed approach is based on a two-layer convolutional neural network (CNN) to extract frequency domain features of image median filtered residual that are classified using two different classifiers—softmax and extremely randomized trees. Extensive experiments demonstrate the efficacy of proposed detector over existing state-of-the-art detectors.
Speech-Driven End-to-End Language Discrimination toward Chinese Dialects
Authors: Xu Fan , Luo Jian , Wang Mingwen , Zhou Guodong
Published: June 2020

Language discrimination among similar languages, varieties, and dialects is a challenging natural language processing task. The traditional text-driven focus leads to poor results. In this article, we explore the effectiveness of speech-driven features toward language discrimination among Chinese dialects. First, we systematically explore the appropriateness of speech-driven MFCC features toward CNN-based language discrimination. Then, we design an end-to-end speech recognition model based on HMM-DNN to predict Chinese dialect words. We adopt attention mechanism to extract the discriminative words related to different Chinese dialects. Finally, through a CNN, we combine the word-level embedding and the MFCC-based features. Evaluation of two benchmark Chinese dialect corpora shows the appropriateness and effectiveness of the proposed speech-driven approach to fine-grained Chinese dialect discrimination compared to the state-of-the-art methods.
Emoji-Based Sentiment Analysis Using Attention Networks
Authors: Lou Yinxia , Zhang Yue , Li Fei , Qian Tao , Ji Donghong
Published: June 2020

Emojis are frequently used to express moods, emotions, and feelings in social media. There has been much research on emojis and sentiments. However, existing methods mainly face two limitations. First, they treat emojis as binary indicator features and rely on handcrafted features for emoji-based sentiment analysis. Second, they consider the sentiment of emojis and texts separately, not fully exploring the impact of emojis on the sentiment polarity of texts. In this article, we investigate a sentiment analysis model based on bidirectional long short-term memory, and the model has two advantages compared with the existing work. First, it does not need feature engineering. Second, it utilizes the attention approach to model the impact of emojis on text. An evaluation on 10,042 manually labeled Sina Weibo showed that our model achieves much better performance compared with several strong baselines. To facilitate the related research, our corpus will be publicly available at https://github.com/yx100/emoji.
Domain-attention Conditional Wasserstein Distance for Multi-source Domain Adaptation
Authors: Wu Hanrui , Yan Yuguang , Ng Michael K. , Wu Qingyao
Published: June 2020

Multi-source domain adaptation has received considerable attention due to its effectiveness of leveraging the knowledge from multiple related sources with different distributions to enhance the learning performance. One of the fundamental challenges in multi-source domain adaptation is how to determine the amount of knowledge transferred from each source domain to the target domain. To address this issue, we propose a new algorithm, called Domain-attention Conditional Wasserstein Distance (DCWD), to learn transferred weights for evaluating the relatedness across the source and target domains. In DCWD, we design a new conditional Wasserstein distance objective function by taking the label information into consideration to measure the distance between a given source domain and the target domain. We also develop an attention scheme to compute the transferred weights of different source domains based on their conditional Wasserstein distances to the target domain. After that, the transferred weights can be used to reweight the source data to determine their importance in knowledge transfer. We conduct comprehensive experiments on several real-world data sets, and the results demonstrate the effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed method.
DeepKey
Authors: Zhang Xiang , Yao Lina , Huang Chaoran , Gu Tao , Yang Zheng , Liu Yunhao
Published: June 2020

Biometric authentication involves various technologies to identify individuals by exploiting their unique, measurable physiological and behavioral characteristics. However, traditional biometric authentication systems (e.g., face recognition, iris, retina, voice, and fingerprint) are at increasing risks of being tricked by biometric tools such as anti-surveillance masks, contact lenses, vocoder, or fingerprint films. In this article, we design a multimodal biometric authentication system named DeepKey, which uses both Electroencephalography (EEG) and gait signals to better protect against such risk. DeepKey consists of two key components: an Invalid ID Filter Model to block unauthorized subjects, and an identification model based on attention-based Recurrent Neural Network (RNN) to identify a subject’s EEG IDs and gait IDs in parallel. The subject can only be granted access while all the components produce consistent affirmations to match the user’s proclaimed identity. We implement DeepKey with a live deployment in our university and conduct extensive empirical experiments to study its technical feasibility in practice. DeepKey achieves the False Acceptance Rate (FAR) and the False Rejection Rate (FRR) of 0 and 1.0%, respectively. The preliminary results demonstrate that DeepKey is feasible, shows consistent superior performance compared to a set of methods, and has the potential to be applied to the authentication deployment in real-world settings.
The Complexity of Approximately Counting Retractions
Authors: Focke Jacob , Goldberg Leslie Ann , Živný Stanislav
Published: June 2020

Let
G
be a graph that contains an induced subgraph
H
. A
retraction
from
G
to
H
is a homomorphism from
G
to
H
that is the identity function on
H
. Retractions are very well studied: Given
H
, the complexity of deciding whether there is a retraction from an input graph
G
to
H
is completely classified, in the sense that it is known for which
H
this problem is tractable (assuming P ≠ NP). Similarly, the complexity of (exactly) counting retractions from
G
to
H
is classified (assuming FP ≠ #P). However, almost nothing is known about approximately counting retractions. Our first contribution is to give a complete trichotomy for approximately counting retractions to graphs without short cycles. The result is as follows: (1) Approximately counting retractions to a graph
H
of girth at least 5 is in FP if every connected component of
H
is a star, a single looped vertex, or an edge with two loops. (2) Otherwise, if every component is an irreflexive caterpillar or a partially bristled reflexive path, then approximately counting retractions to
H
is equivalent to approximately counting the independent sets of a bipartite graph—a problem that is complete in the approximate counting complexity class RH Π
1
. (3) Finally, if none of these hold, then approximately counting retractions to
H
is equivalent to approximately counting the satisfying assignments of a Boolean formula.

Our second contribution is to locate the retraction counting problem for each
H
in the complexity landscape of related approximate counting problems. Interestingly, our results are in contrast to the situation in the exact counting context. We show that the problem of approximately counting retractions is separated both from the problem of approximately counting homomorphisms and from the problem of approximately counting list homomorphisms—whereas for exact counting all three of these problems are interreducible. We also show that the number of retractions is at least as hard to approximate as both the number of surjective homomorphisms and the number of compactions. In contrast, exactly counting compactions is the hardest of all of these exact counting problems.
An Econometric Perspective on Algorithmic Subsampling
Authors: Lee Sokbae , Ng Serena
Published: June 2020

Data sets that are terabytes in size are increasingly common, but computer bottlenecks often frustrate a complete analysis of the data, and diminishing returns suggest that we may not need terabytes of data to estimate a parameter or test a hypothesis. But which rows of data should we analyze, and might an arbitrary subset preserve the features of the original data? We review a line of work grounded in theoretical computer science and numerical linear algebra that finds that an algorithmically desirable sketch, which is a randomly chosen subset of the data, must preserve the eigenstructure of the data, a property known as subspace embedding. Building on this work, we study how prediction and inference can be affected by data sketching within a linear regression setup. We use statistical arguments to provide “inference-conscious” guides to the sketch size and show that an estimator that pools over different sketches can be nearly as efficient as the infeasible one using the full sample.
Poverty and the Labor Market: Today and Yesterday
Authors: Allen Robert C.
Published: June 2020

World Bank estimates put absolute poverty in Asia and Africa at 50–60% of the population in 1980 and at negligible levels in the developed world. This review investigates whether Asia was always so poor, as well as the history of poverty in today's rich countries. Poverty measurement methodologies are reviewed, and it is argued that a basic needs approach is the best way to tackle poverty measurement in the past. This approach is related to recent advances in the measurement of historical real wages. Estimates of poverty rates in England between 1290 and 1867 are presented, as are estimates for preindustrial India. About one-quarter of the English population was in extreme poverty in the late Middle Ages, and the proportion had fallen below 10% by 1688. About one-quarter of the people in northern India lived in extreme poverty in the early nineteenth century, and the proportion was likely lower in 1600. The very high poverty rates in India in 1980 were a development of the colonial era.
In Situ Transmission Electron Microscopy Observations of Forward Bias Degradation of Vertical Geometry β-Ga2O3 Rectifiers
Authors: Islam Zahabul , Haque Aman , Glavin Nicholas , Xian Minghan , Ren Fan , Polyakov Alexander Y. , Kochkova Anastasia , Tadjer Marko , Pearton S. J.
Published: June 2020

The microstructural changes and degradation under forward bias of vertical β-Ga2O3 rectifiers were observed by in-situ transmission electron microscopy. The devices show both a voltage dependence for the onset of visible degradation as well as a time dependence at this threshold voltage, suggesting a defect percolation process is occurring. The degraded rectifiers show a large decrease in forward current and different types of crystal defects are present, including stacking fault tetrahedra, microcracks, Ga-rich droplets and Au inclusions from the top electrode. Continued forward bias stressing is known to lead to macro-cracks oriented along the [010] crystal orientation and eventual delamination of the epitaxial drift layer, but this study is the first to provide insight into the appearance of the smaller defects that precede the large scale mechanical failure of the rectifiers. The initial stages of bias stressing also produce an increase in deep trap states near EC−1.2 eV.
In vitro efficacy and safety of a system for sorbent-assisted peritoneal dialysis
Authors: van Gelder Maaike K. , Ligabue Giulia , Giovanella Silvia , Bianchini Elena , Simonis Frank , Hazenbrink Diënty H. M. , Joles Jaap A. , Bajo Rubio Maria A. , Selgas Rafael , Cappelli Gianni , Gerritsen Karin G. F.
Published: June 2020

A system for sorbent-assisted peritoneal dialysis (SAPD) was designed to continuously recirculate dialysate via a tidal mode using a single lumen peritoneal catheter with regeneration of spent dialysate by means of sorbent technology. We hypothesize that SAPD treatment will maintain a high plasma-to-dialysate concentration gradient and increase the mass transfer area coefficient of solutes. Thereby, the SAPD system may enhance clearance while reducing the number of exchanges. Application is envisaged at night as a bedside device (12 kg, nighttime system). A wearable system (2.0 kg, daytime system) may further enhance clearance during the day. Urea, creatinine, and phosphate removal were studied with the daytime and nighttime system ( n = 3 per system) by recirculating 2 liters of spent peritoneal dialysate via a tidal mode (mean flow rate: 50 and 100 mL/min, respectively) for 8 h in vitro. Time-averaged plasma clearance over 24 h was modeled assuming one 2 liter exchange/day, an increase in mass transfer area coefficient, and 0.9 liters ultrafiltration/day. Urea, creatinine, and phosphate removal was 33.2 ± 4.1, 5.3 ± 0.5, and 6.2 ± 1.8 mmol, respectively, with the daytime system and 204 ± 28, 10.3 ± 2.4, and 11.4 ± 2.1 mmol, respectively, with the nighttime system. Time-averaged plasma clearances of urea, creatinine and phosphate were 9.6 ± 1.1, 9.6 ± 1.7, and 7.0 ± 0.9 mL/min, respectively, with the nighttime system and 10.8 ± 1.1, 13.4 ± 1.8, and 9.7 ± 1.6 mL/min, respectively, with the daytime and nighttime system. SAPD treatment may improve removal of uremic toxins compared with conventional peritoneal dialysis, provided that peritoneal mass transport will increase.
A noninvasive method to study the evolution of extracellular fluid volume in mice using time-domain nuclear magnetic resonance
Authors: Morla Luciana , Shore Oliver , Lynch I. Jeanette , Merritt Matthew E. , Wingo Charles S.
Published: June 2020

Maintaining water homeostasis is fundamental for cellular function. Many diseases and drugs affect water balance and plasma osmolality. Water homeostasis studies in small animals require the use of invasive or terminal methods that make intracellular fluid volume and extracellular fluid volume (ECF) monitoring over time stressful and time consuming. We examined the feasibility of monitoring mouse ECF by a noninvasive method using time-domain nuclear magnetic resonance (TD-NMR). This technique allows differentiation of protons in a liquid environment (free fluid) from protons in soft tissues containing a majority of either small molecules (lean) or large molecules (fat). Moreover, this apparatus enables rapid, noninvasive, and repeated measurements on the same animal. We assessed the feasibility of coupling TD-NMR analysis to a longitudinal metabolic cage study by monitoring mice daily. We determined the effect of 24-h water deprivation on mouse body parameters and detected a sequential and overlapping decrease in free fluid and lean mass during water deprivation. Finally, we studied the effect of mineralocorticoids that are known to induce a transient increase in ECF but for which no direct measurements have been performed in mice. We showed, for the first time, that mineralocorticoids induced a transient ~15% increase in free fluid in conscious mice. TD-NMR is, therefore, the first method to allow direct measurement of discrete changes in ECF in conscious small animals. This method allows analysis of kinetic changes to stimuli before investigating with terminal methods and will allow further understanding of fluid disorders.
Identification of a Robust Five-Gene Risk Model in Prostate Cancer: A Robust Likelihood-Based Survival Analysis
Authors: Wang Yutao , Lin Jiaxing , Yan Kexin , Wang Jianfeng
Published: June 2020

Aim. In this paper, we aimed to develop and validate a risk prediction method using independent prognosis genes selected robustly in prostate cancer. Method. We considered 723 samples obtained from TCGA (the Cancer Genome Atlas), GSE46602, and GSE21032. Prostate cancer prognosis-related genes with P<0.05 were selected using Univariable Cox regression analysis. We then built the lowest AIC (Akaike information criterion score) optimal gene model using the “Rbsurv” package in TCGA train set. The coefficients were obtained by Multivariable Cox regression analysis. We named the new prognosis method CMU5. The CMU5 risk score was verified in TCGA test set, GSE46602, and GSE21032. Results. FAM72D, ARHGAP33, TACR2, PLEK2, and FA2H were identified as independent prognosis factors in prostate cancer patients. We built the computing model as follows: CMU5 risk score = 1.158∗FAM72D + 1.737∗ARHGAP33 − 0.737∗TACR2 − 0.651∗PLEK2 − 0.793∗FA2H. The AUC of DFS was 0.809 in the train set (274 samples), 0.710 in the test set (273 samples), and 0.768 in the complete set (547 samples). The benign prediction capacity of CMU5 was verified by GSE46602 (36 samples; AUC=0.6039) and GSE21032 GPL5188 (140 samples; AUC=0.7083). Using the cut-off point of 2.056, a significant difference was shown between high- and low-risk groups. Conclusion. A prognosis-related risk score formula named CMU5 was built and verified, providing reliable prediction of prostate cancer outcome. This signature might provide a basis for individualized treatment of prostate cancer.
Analysis of Differences in the Degree of Biomechanical Adaptation according to Habituation to Different Heel Heights
Authors: Cha Yu-Jin
Published: June 2020

This study aims to comprehensively investigate whether there are any differences in the degree of biomechanical adaptation according to habituation to different heel heights. The biomechanical characteristics of 54 subjects in 3 groups habituated to three heel heights (low, medium-high, and high heels) were evaluated by the measurement of surface EMG, myotonometer (e.g., measurement of muscle tension), foot pressure, and lumbosacral angle, and comparative analysis was carried out to find out whether they showed differences in the comfort visual analog scale (comfort VAS). Wearers of high-heeled shoes (6 cm or more in heel height), in foot pressure comparison, showed significantly high peak pressure in the mask of the hallux, high maximum peak EMG in the gastrocnemius medius (GM), and a high percentage of maximum voluntary isometric contraction (%MVIC) in the plantar flexor. Wearers of low-heeled shoes (3 cm and below in heel height) showed the highest plantar peak pressure in the lateral forefoot and midfoot, the highest contact area in midfoot, the highest %MVIC in the plantar flexion and dorsiflexion of the tibialis anterior (TA), and the highest stiffness in the TA, and they showed the lowest static balance ability with eyes open (EO) among the three groups. It was found that there were significant differences between those habituated to high-heeled shoes and those not habituated to high-heeled shoes and that longtime wearing of high-heeled shoes brings about biomechanical adaptive changes in the human body.
Explaining the Inverse Association between Altitude and Obesity
Authors: Merrill Ray M.
Published: June 2020

Purpose. To better understand the inverse association between altitude and adult obesity. Methods. An ecological study design was used, involving 3,108 counties in the contiguous United States. Data were from several national sources, and assessment involved various statistical techniques, including multiple regression analysis. Results. Living in counties at higher altitude is associated with lower adult obesity. Compared with counties <500 meters, the percent of adult obesity decreases by 5.18% at 500–999 meters, 9.69% at 1,000–1,499 meters, 16.77% at 1,500–1,999 meters, 24.14% at 2,000–2,499 meters, and 35.28% at ≥2,500 meters. After adjusting for physical inactivity, smoking, and other variables, corresponding decreases in adult obesity with higher altitude groupings are 3.87%, 5.64%, 8.03%, 11.41%, and 17.54%, respectively. Various mechanisms are presented as possible explanations for the association between higher altitude and lower obesity. In addition, altitude may indirectly influence adult obesity, primarily through its relationship with physical inactivity and smoking. In an adjusted regression model, adult obesity was most strongly associated with physical inactivity followed by adult smoking and then altitude. Together they explain 39.04% of the variation in adult obesity. After accounting for these variables, sunlight, precipitation, ambient air temperature, education, income, food insecurity, limited access to healthy foods, race, sex, and rural living explain an additional 4.68% of the variation in adult obesity. Conclusions. The inverse association between altitude and adult obesity remains significant after adjustment for several variables.
A Platoon-Based Adaptive Signal Control Method with Connected Vehicle Technology
Authors: Li Ning , Chen Shukai , Zhu Jianjun , Sun Daniel Jian
Published: June 2020

One important objective of urban traffic signal control is to reduce individual delay and improve safety for travelers in both private car and public bus transit. To achieve signal control optimization from the perspective of all users, this paper proposes a platoon-based adaptive signal control (PASC) strategy to provide multimodal signal control based on the online connected vehicle (CV) information. By introducing unified phase precedence constraints, PASC strategy is not restricted by fixed cycle length and offsets. A mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) model is proposed to optimize signal timings in a real-time manner, with platoon arrival and discharge dynamics at stop line modeled as constraints. Based on the individual passenger occupancy, the objective function aims at minimizing total personal delay for both buses and automobiles. With the communication between signals, PASC achieves to provide implicit coordination for the signalized arterials. Simulation results by VISSIM microsimulation indicate that PASC model successfully reduces around 40% bus passenger delay and 10% automobile delay, respectively, compared with signal timings optimized by SYNCHRO. Results from sensitivity analysis demonstrate that the model performance is not sensitive to the number fluctuation of bus passengers, and the requested CV penetration rate range is around 20% for the implementation.
Low-Dose Maintenance Intravenous Iron Therapy Can Prevent Anemia in Children with End-Stage Renal Disease Undergoing Chronic Hemodialysis
Authors: Ambarsari Cahyani Gita , Trihono Partini Pudjiastuti , Kadaristiana Agustina , Rachmadi Dedi , Andriastuti Murti , Puspitasari Henny Adriani , Tambunan Taralan , Pardede Sudung Oloan , Mangunatmadja Irawan , Hidayati Eka Laksmi
Published: June 2020

Iron deficiency anemia is common in children with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) on long-term hemodialysis receiving erythropoiesis-stimulating agents. One approach to maintain the iron profile and hemoglobin levels is maintenance therapy with regular low doses of intravenous (IV) iron after initial iron repletion therapy; however, evidence for the benefits of this approach is lacking. This study evaluated the effect of IV iron maintenance therapy on anemia in children on regular hemodialysis. This retrospective cohort study included 41 pediatric ESRD patients with normal hemoglobin and iron status who underwent regular hemodialysis at the Pediatric Dialysis Unit of Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital, Indonesia, between January 2015 and April 2019. Among these, 21 received IV iron maintenance therapy with two doses of 2 mg/kg of IV iron sucrose every 2 weeks (the treatment group) and 20 did not (the comparison group). Changes in hemoglobin and transferrin saturation were assessed after 6 weeks of observation and compared between the two groups. There was a significant reduction in the mean hemoglobin level compared with the baseline level in the comparison group (21 g/L; 95% CI, 9.3–33 g/L;p=0.001) but not in the treatment group (0.7 g/L; 95% CI, −6.6–8 g/L;p=0.84). The risk of anemia was lower in the treatment group (relative risk = 0.42; 95% CI, 0.22–0.79;p=0.003). Although majority of the patients had high baseline ferritin level, this study indicates that in our setting, ferritin may not be a reliable parameter to review the iron status, as it can be affected by chronic inflammation. Hence, the decision to start IV iron maintenance therapy in patients with hyperferritinemia should consider the patient’s clinical condition and morbidity. To conclude, the coadministration of IV iron maintenance therapy is beneficial for maintaining hemoglobin levels and preventing anemia in children with ESRD who are undergoing regular hemodialysis, have achieved the target hemoglobin levels, and have normal iron status.
Orthotopic Heart Transplantation for Congenital Heart Disease with Dextrocardia: A Single‐Center Clinic Experience
Authors: Wang Guohua , Wang Yixuan , Zhang Jing , Sun Yongfeng , Cai Jie , Liu Jinping , Dong Nianguo
Published: June 2020

Background. We report a modified transplantation surgical technique for CHD with dextrocardia which is rare and surgically challenging. Methods. From January 2015 to May 2018, 5 patients with end‐stage CHD with dextrocardia underwent heart transplantation at our institute. They were 10, 29, 13, 15, and 22 years old, respectively; 3 of them had dextroversion, and the other 2 had mirror‐image dextrocardia and post‐TCPC. The atrial‐atrial anastomosis was performed first between the donor’s upper‐left PVO and the recipient’s lower‐left PVO. The apex thereby rotated approximately 90° clockwise (to the right). The end‐to‐end donor and recipient aortas, vena cava, and pulmonary arteries were then anastomosed. Results. The cold ischemic time of the donor heart was 284.6 ± 108.3 min, and the CPB time was 190.2 ± 43.8 min. The postoperative X‐ray showed the apex on the right. Four patients were successfully discharged, and the follow‐up times were 47 months, 36 months, 12 months, and 12 months. One post‐TCPC patient died because of pneumonia and hypoxia at 59 postoperative days. Conclusions. Heart transplantation with dextrocardial CHD is rare. A 90° rotation at the left atrial level, aortic end‐to‐end anastomosis, and vena cava reconstruction by vascular prosthesis or systemic atrial cuff is a simple and effective surgical strategy.
A Simple Tenckhoff Catheter Placement Technique for Continuous Ambulatory Peritoneal Dialysis (CAPD) Using the Bandung Method
Authors: Jonny  , Supriyadi Rudi , Roesli Rully , Bak Leong Goh , Hilman Lydia Permata , Arini Fidelisa Cita
Published: June 2020

Insertion of Tenckhoff catheters for continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis by nephrologists remains uncommon in most developing countries, including Indonesia. The aim of this study is to describe our experience on a simple technique of Tenckhoff catheter insertion by a nephrologist called the Bandung method. We conducted a retrospective observational study from May 2012 until December 2018 in 230 patients with end-stage renal disease using the Bandung method, a blind percutaneous insertion approach modified from the Seldinger technique. Early complications after insertion were assessed. The mean age of patients was 47.28 years (range 14–84 years). Within 1 month after insertion, complications occurred in 34 patients: 13 (5.7%) malposition, 8 (3.5%) omental trapping, 6 (2.6%) outlow failure, 3 (1.3%) peritonitis, 1 (0.4%) catheter infections, 1 (0.4%) bleeding, 1 (0.4%) kinking, and 1 (0.4%) hernia. None of these complications led to catheter removal. One patient experienced a late (>1 month) post-insertion complication of malposition that could not be repositioned and led to catheter removal. The Bandung method is a simple, cost effective, and minimally invasive technique for Tenckhoff catheter insertion that is associated with the same rate of complications compared to other techniques. This technique may useful for application in developing countries.
Experimental and Numerical Studies on Vibration Modes and Transcranial Attenuation Characteristics in Unilateral Bone Conduction Hearing
Authors: Li Jia , Ren Liujie , Wu Tongge , Yin Dongming , Dai Peidong , Chen Lifen , Zhang Tianyu
Published: June 2020

Bone conduction (BC) hearing devices have been used to improve hearing in patients with unilateral conductive hearing loss; however, the clinical results of improvement in the sound localization ability are still controversial. Transcranial transmission in BC may be an important factor affecting sound localization abilities. Transcranial or interaural attenuation, derived from energy attenuation during the BC process, is determined by the different transfer functions of multiple pathways and affected by the whole-head vibration modes. The purpose of this study is to analyze the frequency dependence of BC vibration modes of the whole head, the contribution of middle and inner ear pathways to BC hearing, and the relationship between transcranial attenuation results by dynamics measurement and hearing thresholds. Experimental studies of vibration modes and transcranial attenuation characteristics in BC are performed using scanning laser Doppler vibrometry (LDV) measurements on human cadaver heads. Differences in vibration modes between the excitation and contralateral sides are observed. Additionally, a multiscale human whole-head FE model, including the skull, bony outer ear, ossicular chains, and bony inner ear structures, is proposed to study the mechanism of BC in the human hearing system. After verifying the rationality of the FE model using mechanical impedance and frequency response data, the transcranial attenuation on the temporal bone surfaces and the middle ear structure is calculated in the FE model. Moreover, the vibration characteristics of bilateral ossicular chains and the cochlear bony wall are observed in the whole-head FM model to study their contributions to BC hearing. By analyzing the experimental and numerical results of the vibration modes and the frequency response of the whole head incorporating the ossicular chain and cochlear bony wall, the intrinsic relationship between the results of transcranial attenuation by 1D LDV, 3D LDV, and hearing threshold measurements is further investigated.