bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Sclerotinia sclerotiorum Response to Long Exposure to Glucosinolate Hydrolysis Products by Transcriptomic Approach
Authors: Madloo Pari , Lema Margarita , Cartea Maria Elena , Soengas Pilar
Published: July 2021

Brassica
species, including important vegetable crops, such as cabbage, cauliflower, or broccoli, or oil crops, such as rapeseed, produce specific chemical compounds useful to protect them against pests and pathogens. One of the most destructive
Brassica
diseases in temperate areas around the world is sclerotinia stem rot, caused by the fungus
Sclerotinia sclerotiorum
.
Self-Collected Gargle Lavage Allows Reliable Detection of SARS-CoV-2 in an Outpatient Setting
Authors: Zander Johannes , Scholtes Stephan , Ottinger Maximilian , Kremer Marcel , Kharazi Azadeh , Stadler Vanessa , Bickmann Julia , Zeleny Christian , Kuiper Johannes W. P. , Hauck Christof R.
Published: July 2021

The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic still strains health care systems worldwide. While COVID-19 testing is considered an essential pillar in combating this infectious disease, shortages in supplies and trained health care personnel often limit the procurement of patient samples, in particular in outpatient settings.
Coeliac artery and splenic artery thrombosis complicated with splenic infarction 7 days following the first dose of Oxford vaccination, causal relationship or coincidence?
Authors: Bandapaati Sareesh , Bobba Hemababu , Navinan Mitrakrishnan Rayno
Published: July 2021

The novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 became a global pandemic in late 2019, and is still ongoing in 2021 causing significant morbidity and mortality. The advent of vaccinations heralded the turning of the tide. The Oxford jab, a vector-based vaccine was favoured due to its low cost and ease of storage. However, its potential association with thromboembolic adverse events resulted in controversy and disrupted its roll-out and use. The aetiopathogenesis of these thromboembolic events and its association with the Oxford vaccine are still speculative and uncertain, more so in the background of SARS-CoV-2 infection being highly thrombogenic in its own right. This paper presents a case of an otherwise healthy 50-year-old Caucasian man who developed acute abdominal pain 7 days following the first dose of Oxford vaccine and was found to have coeliac and splenic artery thrombosis complicated with splenic infarction.
Global hospital admissions and in-hospital mortality associated with all-cause and virus-specific acute lower respiratory infections in children and adolescents aged 5–19 years between 1995 and 2019: a systematic review and modelling study
Authors: Wang Xin , Li You , Mei Xin , Bushe Erin , Campbell Harry , Nair Harish
Published: July 2021

Introduction

The burden of acute lower respiratory infections (ALRI), and common viral ALRI aetiologies among 5–19 years are less well understood. We conducted a systematic review to estimate global burden of all-cause and virus-specific ALRI in 5–19 years.

Methods

We searched eight databases and Google for studies published between 1995 and 2019 and reporting data on burden of all-cause ALRI or ALRI associated with influenza virus, respiratory syncytial virus, human metapneumovirus and human parainfluenza virus. We assessed risk of bias using a modified Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. We developed an analytical framework to report burden by age, country and region when there were sufficient data (all-cause and influenza-associated ALRI hospital admissions). We estimated all-cause ALRI in-hospital deaths and hospital admissions for ALRI associated with respiratory syncytial virus, human metapneumovirus and human parainfluenza virus by region.

Results

Globally, an estimated 5.5 million (UR 4.0–7.8) all-cause ALRI hospital admissions occurred annually between 1995 and 2019 in 5–19 year olds, causing 87 900 (UR 40 300–180 600) in-hospital deaths annually. Influenza virus and respiratory syncytial virus were associated with 1 078 600 (UR 4 56 500–2 650 200) and 231 800 (UR 142 700–3 73 200) ALRI hospital admissions in 5–19 years. Human metapneumovirus and human parainfluenza virus were associated with 105 500 (UR 57 200–181 700) and 124 800 (UR 67 300–228 500) ALRI hospital admissions in 5–14 years. About 55% of all-cause ALRI hospital admissions and 63% of influenza-associated ALRI hospital admissions occurred in those 5–9 years globally. All-cause and influenza-associated ALRI hospital admission rates were highest in upper-middle income countries, Asia-Pacific region and the Latin America and Caribbean region.

Conclusion

Incidence and mortality data for all-cause and virus-specific ALRI in 5–19 year olds are scarce. The lack of data in low-income countries and Eastern Europe and Central Asia, South Asia, and West and Central Africa warrants efforts to improve the development and access to healthcare services, diagnostic capacity, and data reporting.
“Put the what,where? Cuthere?!” challenges to coordinating attention in robot-assisted surgery: a microanalytic pilot study
Authors: Satchidanand Antara , Higginbotham Jeff , Bisantz Ann , Aldhaam Naif , Elsayed Ahmed , Carr Iman , Hussein Ahmed A , Guru Khurshid
Published: July 2021

Introduction

During robot-assisted surgery (RAS), changes to the operating room configuration pose challenges to communication by limiting team members’ ability to see one another or use gesture. Referencing (the act of pointing out an object or area in order to coordinate action around it), may be susceptible to miscommunication due to these constraints.

Objectives

Explore the use of microanalysis to describe and evaluate communicative efficiency in RAS through examination of referencing in surgical tasks.

Methods

All communications during ten robot-assisted pelvic surgeries (radical cystectomies and prostatectomies) were fully transcribed. Forty-six referencing events were identified within these and subjected to a process of microanalysis. Microanalysis employs detailed transcription of speech and gesture along with their relative timing/sequencing to describe and analyse interactions. A descriptive taxonomy for referencing strategies was developed with categories including references reliant exclusively on speech (anatomic terms/directional language and context dependent words (CD)); references reliant exclusively on gesture or available aspects of the environment (point/show, camera focus/movement in the visual field and functional movement); and references reliant on the integrated use of speech and gesture/environmental support (integrated communication (IC)). Frequency of utilisation and number/percent ‘miscommunication’, were collated within each category when miscommunication was defined as any reference met with incorrect or no identification of the target.

Results

IC and CD were the most frequently used strategies (45% and 26%, respectively, p≤0.01). Miscommunication was encountered in 22% of references. The use of IC resulted in the fewest miscommunications, while CD was associated with the most miscommunications (42%). Microanalysis provided insight into the causes and nature of successful referencing and miscommunication.

Conclusions

In RAS, surgeons complete referencing tasks in a variety of ways. IC may provide an effective means of referencing, while other strategies may not be adequately supported by the environment.
Impact of severe SARS-CoV-2 infection on nutritional status and subjective functional loss in a prospective cohort of COVID-19 survivors
Authors: Quilliot Didier , Gérard Marine , Bonsack Olivier , Malgras Aurélie , Vaillant Marie-France , Di Patrizio Paolo , Jaussaud Roland , Ziegler Olivier , Nguyen-Thi Phi-Linh
Published: July 2021

The nutritional sequelae of COVID-19 have not been explored in a large cohort study.

Objectives

To identify factors associated with the change in nutritional status between discharge and 30 days post-discharge (D30). Secondary objectives were to determine the prevalence of subjective functional loss and severe disability at D30 and their associated factors.

Methods

Collected data included symptoms, nutritional status, self-evaluation of food intake, Performance Status (PS) Scale, Asthenia Scale, self-evaluation of strength (SES) for arms and legs at discharge and at D30. An SES <7 was used to determine subjective functional loss. A composite criteria for severe disability was elaborated combining malnutrition, subjective functional loss and PS >2. Patients were classified into three groups according to change in nutritional status between discharge and D30 (persistent malnutrition, correction of malnutrition and the absence of malnutrition).

Results

Of 549 consecutive patients hospitalised for COVID-19 between 1 March and 29 April 2020, 130 died including 17 after discharge (23.7%). At D30, 312 patients were at home, 288 (92.3%) of whom were interviewed. Of the latter, 33.3% were malnourished at discharge and still malnourished at D30, while 23.2% were malnourished at discharge but no longer malnourished at D30. The highest predictive factors of persistent malnutrition were intensive care unit (ICU) stay (OR=3.42, 95% CI: 2.04 to 5.75), subjective functional loss at discharge (OR=3.26, 95% CI: 1.75 to 6.08) and male sex (OR=2.39, 95% CI: 1.44 to 3.97). Subjective functional loss at discharge (76.8%) was the main predictive factor of subjective functional loss at D30 (26.3%) (OR=32.6, 95% CI: 4.36 to 244.0). Lastly, 8.3% had a severe disability, with a higher risk in patients requiring an ICU stay (OR=3.39, 95% CI: 1.43 to 8.06).

Conclusion

Patients who survived a severe form of COVID-19 had a high risk of persistent malnutrition, functional loss and severe disability at D30. We believe that nutritional support and rehabilitation should be strengthened, particularly for male patients who were admitted in ICU and had subjective functional loss at discharge.

Trial registration number

NCT04451694.
Flash glucose monitoring with the FreeStyle Libre 2 compared with self-monitoring of blood glucose in suboptimally controlled type 1 diabetes: the FLASH-UK randomised controlled trial protocol
Authors: Wilmot Emma G , Evans Mark , Barnard-Kelly Katharine , Burns M , Cranston Iain , Elliott Rachel Ann , Gkountouras G , Kanumilli N , Krishan A , Kotonya C , Lumley S , Narendran P , Neupane Sankalpa , Rayman Gerry , Sutton Christopher , Taxiarchi V P , Thabit H , Leelarathna L
Published: July 2021

Introduction

Optimising glycaemic control in type 1 diabetes (T1D) remains challenging. Flash glucose monitoring with FreeStyle Libre 2 (FSL2) is a novel alternative to the current standard of care self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG). No randomised controlled trials to date have explored the potential benefits of FSL2 in T1D. We aim to assess the impact of FSL2 in people with suboptimal glycaemic control T1D in comparison with SMBG.

Methods

This open-label, multicentre, randomised (via stochastic minimisation), parallel design study conducted at eight UK secondary and primary care centres will aim to recruit 180 people age ≥16 years with T1D for >1 year and glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) 7.5%–11%. Eligible participants will be randomised to 24 weeks of FSL2 (intervention) or SMBG (control) periods, after 2-week of blinded sensor wear. Participants will be assessed virtually or in-person owing to the COVID-19 pandemic. HbA1c will be measured at baseline, 12 and 24 weeks (primary outcome). Participants will be contacted at 4 and 12 weeks for glucose optimisation. Control participants will wear a blinded sensor during the last 2 weeks. Psychosocial outcomes will be measured at baseline and 24 weeks. Secondary outcomes include sensor-based metrics, insulin doses, adverse events and self-report psychosocial measures. Utility, acceptability, expectations and experience of using FSL2 will be explored. Data on health service resource utilisation will be collected.

Analysis

Efficacy analyses will follow intention-to-treat principle. Outcomes will be analysed using analysis of covariance, adjusted for the baseline value of the corresponding outcome, minimisation factors and other known prognostic factors. Both within-trial and life-time economic evaluations, informed by modelling from the perspective of the National Health Service setting, will be performed.

Ethics

The study was approved by Greater Manchester West Research Ethics Committee (reference 19/NW/0081). Informed consent will be sought from all participants.

Trial registration number

NCT03815006.

Protocol version

4.0 dated 29 June 2020.
Catheter ablation as first-line treatment for paroxysmal atrial fibrillation: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Imberti Jacopo F , Ding Wern Yew , Kotalczyk Agnieszka , Zhang Juqian , Boriani Giuseppe , Lip Gregory , Andrade Jason , Gupta Dhiraj
Published: July 2021

Objective

To assess the efficacy and safety of catheter ablation (CA) compared with antiarrhythmic drugs (AADs) as first-line treatment for symptomatic paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (AF).

Methods

Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials identified using MEDLINE, Cochrane Library and Embase published between 01/01/2000 and 19/03/2021. The primary efficacy endpoint was the first documented recurrence of atrial arrhythmias following the blanking period. The primary safety endpoint was a composite of all serious adverse events (SAEs).

Results

From 441 records, 6 studies met the inclusion criteria. 609 patients received CA, while 603 received AAD therapy. 212/609 patients in the CA group had a recurrence of atrial arrhythmias as compared with 318/603 in the AADs group resulting in a 36% relative risk reduction (risk ratio: 0.64, 95% CI 0.51 to 0.80, p<0.01). The risk of all SAEs was not statistically different between CA and AAD (0.87, 0.58 to 1.30, p=0.49); 107/609 SAE in the CA group vs 126/603 in the AAD group. Both recurrence of symptomatic atrial arrhythmias (109/505 vs 186/504) and healthcare utilisation (126/397 vs 185/394) were significantly lower in the CA group (0.53, 0.35 to 0.79 and 0.65, 0.48 to 0.89, respectively). There was a 79% reduction in the crossover rate during follow-up among patients randomised to CA compared with AAD (0.21, 0.13 to 0.32, p<0.01).

Conclusions

First-line treatment with CA is superior to AAD therapy in patients with symptomatic paroxysmal AF, as it significantly reduces the recurrence of any atrial arrhythmias and symptomatic atrial arrhythmias, and healthcare resource utilisation with comparable safety profile.
Lesional psychiatric neurosurgery: meta-analysis of clinical outcomes using a transdiagnostic approach
Authors: Davidson Benjamin , Eapen-John David , Mithani Karim , Rabin Jennifer S , Meng Ying , Cao Xingshan , Pople Christopher B , Giacobbe Peter , Hamani Clement , Lipsman Nir
Published: July 2021

Background

Four ablative neurosurgical procedures are used in the treatment of refractory psychiatric illness. The long-term effects of these procedures on psychiatric symptoms across disorders has never been synthesised and meta-analysed.

Methods

A preregistered systematic review was performed on studies reporting clinical results following ablative psychiatric neurosurgery. Four possible outcome measures were extracted for each study: depression, obsessive–compulsive symptoms, anxiety and clinical global impression. Effect sizes were calculated using Hedge’s g. Equipercentile linking was used to convert symptom scores to a common metric. The main outcome measures were the magnitude of improvement in depression, obsessive compulsive symptoms, anxiety and clinical global impression. The secondary outcome was a subgroup analysis comparing the magnitude of symptom changes between the four procedures.

Results

Of 943 articles, 43 studies reporting data from 1414 unique patients, were included for pooled effects estimates with a random-effects meta-analysis. Results showed that there was a large effect size for improvements in depression (g=1.27; p<0.0001), obsessive–compulsive symptoms (g=2.25; p<0.0001) and anxiety (g=1.76; p<0.0001). The pooled clinical global impression improvement score was 2.36 (p<0.0001). On subgroup analysis, there was only a significant degree of heterogeneity in effect sizes between procedure types for anxiety symptoms, with capsulotomy resulting in a greater reduction in anxiety than cingulotomy.

Conclusions

Contemporary ablative neurosurgical procedures were significantly associated with improvements in depression, obsessive–compulsive symptoms, anxiety and clinical global impression.

PROSPERO registration number

CRD42020164784.
Family experiences with non-therapeutic research on dying patients in the intensive care unit
Authors: van Beinum Amanda , Murphy Nick , Weijer Charles , Gruben Vanessa , Sarti Aimee , Hornby Laura , Dhanani Sonny , Chandler Jennifer
Published: July 2021

Experiences of substitute decision-makers with requests for consent to non-therapeutic research participation during the dying process, including to what degree such requests are perceived as burdensome, have not been well described. In this study, we explored the lived experiences of family members who consented to non-therapeutic research participation on behalf of an imminently dying patient.

We interviewed 33 family members involved in surrogate research consent decisions for dying patients in intensive care. Non-therapeutic research involved continuous physiological monitoring of dying patients prior to and for 30 min following cessation of circulation. At some study centres participation involved installation of bedside computers. At one centre electroencephalogram monitoring was used with a subset of participants. Aside from additional monitoring, the research protocol did not involve deviations from usual end-of-life care.

Thematic analysis of interviews suggests most family members did not perceive this minimal-risk, non-therapeutic study to affect their time with patients during the dying process, nor did they perceive research consent as an additional burden. In our analysis, consenting for participation in perimortem research offered families of the dying an opportunity to affirm the intrinsic value of patients’ lives and contributions. This opportunity may be particularly important for families of patients who consented to organ donation but did not proceed to organ retrieval.

Our work supports concerns that traditional models of informed consent fail to account for possible benefits and harms of perimortem research to surviving families. Further research into consent models which integrate patient and family perspectives is needed.
Field study of group effects on the pullout capacity of “deep” helical piles in sand
Authors: Bradshaw Aaron S. , Cullen Lindsay , Miller Zachary
Published: July 2021

This paper presents the results of a field load test program used to investigate group effects on the pullout capacity of single-helix “deep” helical piles/anchors in sand. The high tensile capacity and silent installation of helical piles has given them serious consideration as an alternative to conventional deep foundations and anchors for offshore renewable energy structures. New offshore applications may consider the use of groups of helical piles to resist structural loads. Group interaction effects are known to occur in helical piles, but there is a scarcity of field data on groups in sands under tensile loading. This study involved the installation and load testing of single-helix 152 mm diameter round shaft piles and pile groups embedded in sand to depths of 12 and 18 helix diameters below the ground surface. The study was designed to explore the effects of close pile spacing, group configuration (i.e., number of piles), and soil strength (i.e., friction angle) as interpreted from cone penetration test (CPT) resistance. The results showed group efficiencies ranging from about 0.6 to 1.0 at a horizontal spacing of 2 to 3 times the helix diameter in sands with friction angles of about 39° to 44°. The data from this study may also be useful for validation of numerical models for analysis of helical pile group interactions.
The promise of taphonomy as a nomothetic discipline: taphonomic bias in two dinosaur-bearing faunas in North America1
Authors: Leach Connor T. , Hoffman Emma , Dodson Peter
Published: July 2021

The fossil record of dinosaurs is a rich, if biased, one with nearly complete skeletons, partial skeletons, and isolated parts found in diverse, well-studied faunal assemblages around the world. Among the recognized biases are the preferential preservation of large dinosaurs and the systematic underrepresentation of small dinosaurs. Such biases have been quantitatively described in the Upper Cretaceous (Campanian) Dinosaur Park Formation of Alberta, where large, nearly complete dinosaurs were found and described early in collecting history and small, very incomplete dinosaurs were found and described later. This pattern, apparently replicated in the Maastrichtian Hell Creek Formation of Montana, is so striking that it begs the question of whether this is a nomothetic principle for the preservation of dinosaur faunas elsewhere. We tested this hypothesis by analyzing the very well-studied dinosaur fauna of the Upper Jurassic (Kimmeridgian) Morrison Formation of the western United States. The Morrison Formation fails to show any correlation between body size and completeness, order of discovery, or order of description. Both large and small dinosaurs of the Morrison include highly complete as well as highly incomplete taxa, and both large and small dinosaurs were discovered and described early in collecting history as well as more recently. The differences in preservation between the Dinosaur Park Formation and the Morrison Formation are so striking that we posit a Dinosaur Park model of dinosaur fossil preservation and a Morrison model. Future study will show whether either or both represent durable nomothetic models for dinosaur fossil preservation.
Generalizing the coupling between geometry and matter: $$f\left( R,L_m,T\right) $$ gravity
Authors: Haghani Zahra , Harko Tiberiu
Published: July 2021

We generalize and unify the $$f\left( R,T\right) $$

f

R
,
T

and $$f\left( R,L_m\right) $$

f

R
,

L
m

type gravity models by assuming that the gravitational Lagrangian is given by an arbitrary function of the Ricci scalar R, of the trace of the energy–momentum tensor T, and of the matter Lagrangian $$L_m$$

L
m

, so that $$ L_{grav}=f\left( R,L_m,T\right) $$

L

grav

=
f

R
,

L
m

,
T

. We obtain the gravitational field equations in the metric formalism, the equations of motion for test particles, and the energy and momentum balance equations, which follow from the covariant divergence of the energy–momentum tensor. Generally, the motion is non-geodesic, and takes place in the presence of an extra force orthogonal to the four-velocity. The Newtonian limit of the equations of motion is also investigated, and the expression of the extra acceleration is obtained for small velocities and weak gravitational fields. The generalized Poisson equation is also obtained in the Newtonian limit, and the Dolgov–Kawasaki instability is also investigated. The cosmological implications of the theory are investigated for a homogeneous, isotropic and flat Universe for two particular choices of the Lagrangian density $$f\left( R,L_m,T\right) $$

f

R
,

L
m

,
T

of the gravitational field, with a multiplicative and additive algebraic structure in the matter couplings, respectively, and for two choices of the matter Lagrangian, by using both analytical and numerical methods.
Passage of heavy quarks through the fluctuating hot QCD medium
Authors: Jamal Mohammad Yousuf , Mohanty Bedangadas
Published: July 2021

The change in the energy of the moving heavy (charm and bottom) quarks due to field fluctuations present in the hot QCD medium has been studied. A finite quark chemical potential has been considered while modeling the hot QCD medium counting the fact that the upcoming experimental facilities such as Facility for Anti-proton and Ion Research (FAIR) and Nuclotron-based Ion Collider fAcility (NICA) are expected to operate at finite baryon density and moderate temperature. The effective kinetic theory approach has been adopted where the collisions have been incorporated using the well-defined collisional kernel, known as Bhatnagar–Gross–Krook (BGK). To incorporate the non-ideal equations of state (EoSs) effects/medium interaction effects, an extended effective fugacity model has been adopted. The momentum dependence of the energy change due to fluctuation for the charm and bottom quark has been investigated at different values of collision frequency and chemical potential. The results are exciting as the heavy quarks are found to gain energy due to fluctuations while moving through the produced medium at finite chemical potential and collision frequency.
The equation x1 x2 + x2 x3 + x3 x4 + x4 x1 = n
Authors: Dofs Erik , Tho Nguyen Xuan
Published: July 2021

It is a subtle question as to when the Diophantine equation of the tittle has solutions in positive integers. Here, we show that the equation in the title does not have solutions in positive integers in the case that [Formula: see text] is of the form [Formula: see text], where [Formula: see text], with [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], and [Formula: see text]. We do this by explicitly calculating a Brauer–Manin obstruction to weak approximation on the elliptic surface defined by the title equation.
Coefficient functionals and radius problems of certain starlike functions
Authors: Naz Adiba , Kumar Sushil , Ravichandran V.
Published: July 2021

Ma–Minda class (of starlike functions) consists of normalized analytic functions [Formula: see text] defined on the unit disk for which the image of the function [Formula: see text] is contained in some starlike region lying in the right-half plane. In this paper, we obtain the best possible bounds on some initial coefficients for the inverse functions of Ma–Minda starlike functions. Further, the bounds on the Fekete–Szegö functional and the second Hankel determinant are computed for such functions. In addition, some sharp radius estimates are also determined.
Bituminous coals on emergent surfaces in an Asbian, lower Carboniferous (Mississippian) limestone succession on the North Wales carbonate platform, UK, and implications for palaeoclimate
Authors: del Strother Peter , Giże Andrew , Hollis Cathy , McLean Duncan
Published: July 2021

Emergent surfaces in the Mississippian (Asbian to Brigantian) carbonate platform succession of North Wales record periods of plant colonization and peat formation that led ultimately to the local development of coals. Examination of bituminous coals on three emergent surfaces within Cefn Mawr Quarry reveals information on palaeoclimate that is not available from study of the limestones alone. Three coal seams in the Asbian Loggerheads Limestone Formation were identified and the lowest one studied in detail. Vitrinite reflectance data from alternating bands of vitrite and duroclarite microlithotypes, the distribution of pyrite within them, and the sharp contacts between them, suggest that there were abrupt changes in marine influence during the development of the peats that formed the coals. It is inferred that local palaeoclimate alternated between periods of high and low rainfall, the amount of rainfall influencing the extent to which seawater encroached into the peats, with higher rainfall suppressing the ingress of saline waters into groundwater. On the basis of modern peat growth rates, the timescale of the alternation indicated by each duroclarite-vitrite couplet is suggestive of an annual cycle, such as would arise in a monsoonal climate. The low proportion of ash in the three coals, the preservation of internal lamination, the low diversity of spore species in the lowest coal compared with the over- and underlying mudrock, and the presence of rhizoconcretions in palaeokarstic limestone beneath the lowest and highest coals, demonstrate that the peat swamps were isolated from the hinterland and autochthonous. This study demonstrates that a wider application of palynology and coal petrology is an important contribution to the study of marine carbonate successions of any age where terrestrial organic matter, formed during emergence, has been preserved.
Algebraic Approach to Promise Constraint Satisfaction
Authors: Barto Libor , Bulín Jakub , Krokhin Andrei , Opršal Jakub
Published: July 2021

The complexity and approximability of the constraint satisfaction problem (CSP) has been actively studied over the past 20 years. A new version of the CSP, the promise CSP (PCSP), has recently been proposed, motivated by open questions about the approximability of variants of satisfiability and graph colouring. The PCSP significantly extends the standard decision CSP. The complexity of CSPs with a fixed constraint language on a finite domain has recently been fully classified, greatly guided by the algebraic approach, which uses polymorphisms—high-dimensional symmetries of solution spaces—to analyse the complexity of problems. The corresponding classification for PCSPs is wide open and includes some long-standing open questions, such as the complexity of approximate graph colouring, as special cases.

The basic algebraic approach to PCSP was initiated by Brakensiek and Guruswami, and in this article, we significantly extend it and lift it from concrete properties of polymorphisms to their abstract properties. We introduce a new class of problems that can be viewed as algebraic versions of the (Gap) Label Cover problem and show that every PCSP with a fixed constraint language is equivalent to a problem of this form. This allows us to identify a “measure of symmetry” that is well suited for comparing and relating the complexity of different PCSPs via the algebraic approach. We demonstrate how our theory can be applied by giving both general and specific hardness/tractability results. Among other things, we improve the state-of-the-art in approximate graph colouring by showing that, for any
k
≥ 3, it is NP-hard to find a (2
k
-1)-colouring of a given
k
-colourable graph.
Tactile Perception for Teleoperated Robotic Exploration within Granular Media
Authors: Jia Shengxin , Santos Veronica J.
Published: July 2021

The sense of touch is essential for locating buried objects when vision-based approaches are limited. We present an approach for tactile perception when sensorized robot fingertips are used to directly interact with granular media particles in teleoperated systems. We evaluate the effects of linear and nonlinear classifier model architectures and three tactile sensor modalities (vibration, internal fluid pressure, fingerpad deformation) on the accuracy of estimates of fingertip contact state. We propose an architecture called the Sparse-Fusion Recurrent Neural Network (SF-RNN) in which sparse features are autonomously extracted prior to fusing multimodal tactile data in a fully connected RNN input layer. The multimodal SF-RNN model achieved 98.7% test accuracy and was robust to modest variations in granular media type and particle size, fingertip orientation, fingertip speed, and object location. Fingerpad deformation was the most informative modality for haptic exploration within granular media while vibration and internal fluid pressure provided additional information with appropriate signal processing. We introduce a real-time visualization of tactile percepts for remote exploration by constructing a belief map that combines probabilistic contact state estimates and fingertip location. The belief map visualizes the probability of an object being buried in the search region and could be used for planning.
What Went Wrong?
Authors: Kamp Poul-Henning
Published: July 2021

Governments should create IT accident investigation boards for the exact same reasons they have done so for ships, railroads, planes, and in many cases, automobiles. Denmark got its Railroad Accident Investigation Board because too many people were maimed and killed by steam trains. The UK's Air Accidents Investigation Branch was created for pretty much the same reasons, but, specifically, because when the airlines investigated themselves, nobody was any the wiser. Does that sound slightly familiar in any way?
Liver X receptor β regulates bile volume and the expression of aquaporins and cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator in the gallbladder
Authors: Sweed Nathan , Kim Hyun-Jin , Hultenby Kjell , Barros Rodrigo , Parini Paoo , Sancisi Valentina , Strandvik Birgitta , Gabbi Chiara
Published: July 2021

This report reveals a novel and specific role of the nuclear receptor liver X receptor β (LXRβ) in controlling biliary tree pathophysiology. LXRβ−/− mice have high gallbladder bile volume and are affected by a cholangiopathy that resembles cystic fibrosis. We found LXRβ to regulate the expression of both aquaporins water channels and the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator. This opens a new field in biliary tree pathophysiology, enlightening a possible transcription factor controlling CFTR expression.
Persistence of Lgr5+ colonic epithelial stem cells in mouse models of inflammatory bowel disease
Authors: Girish Nandini , Liu Cambrian Y. , Gadeock Safina , Gomez Marie L. , Huang Ying , Sharifkhodaei Zohreh , Washington M. Kay , Polk D. Brent
Published: July 2021

Acute intestinal injury and epithelial repair are associated with the loss of fast-cycling Lgr5+ stem cells and plasticity in the activation of formerly quiescent cell populations. In contrast, here we show in murine inflammatory bowel disease the persistence of the Lgr5+ stem cell population and its essential role in restricting the severity of chronic colitis. This demonstrates a diversity of stem cell responses to colitis.
Impact of anesthesia and sex on sympathetic efferent and hemodynamic responses to renal chemo- and mechanosensitive stimuli
Authors: DeLalio Leon J. , Stocker Sean D.
Published: July 2021

The findings highlight the impact of anesthesia, and to a lesser extent sex, on sympathetic efferent and hemodynamic responses to chemosensory and mechanosensory renal stimuli. Sympathetic nerve activity (SNA) and arterial blood pressure (ABP) responses were present in Inactin-anesthetized rats but largely absent in decerebrate, isoflurane, or urethane preparations. Renal chemosensory stimuli differentially changed SNA: renal and splanchnic SNA increased, but lumbar SNA decreased. Future investigations should consider Inactin anesthesia to study SNA and hemodynamic responses to renal sensory nerve activation.
Study on Engineering Application and Degradation Efficiency of Nanoscaled TiO2 Used as Photocatalytic Fog Sealing
Authors: Li Mengchen , Zhao Zhizhong , Li Haizhi , Wang Yanmin , Wang Qingliang , Zhu Xingxing , Fan Liang
Published: July 2021

There exists a great difference of the photocatalytic degradation efficiency between nanoscaled TiO2 modified‐emulsified asphalt applied as the fog sealing under the indoor and outdoor environment. Much efforts have been made by many investigators to study this issue. However, most of them focus on the ideal condition, ignoring the degradation efficiency examination of TiO2 in the actual engineering practice. A series of field tests are carried out, accompanied with laboratory experiments, to analyze and consequently compare the photocatalytic degradation efficiency of nanoscaled TiO2 in the indoor and outdoor conditions, respectively. Regression analysis was employed to investigate the influence factors of degradation efficiency, by which formula of function of factors influencing degradation efficiency and degradation efficiency deviation equation are obtained. The results show that when the degradation efficiency of NO2 in the laboratory test is as high as 63%, the degradation efficiency affected by the environmental factors is only 25% in the actual engineering practice. Based on the measurement data, detection indicators and criteria can be provided, which is of great significance in the establishment of the construction quality control system.
Health Recognition Algorithm for Sports Training Based on Bi-GRU Neural Networks
Authors: Nie Qi , Li Yun , Xiong Wen Ying , Xu Wei
Published: July 2021

The healthcare benefits associated with regular physical activity recognition and monitoring have been considered in several research studies. Regular recognition and monitoring of health status can potentially assist in managing and reducing the risk of many diseases such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and obesity. Using healthcare equipment in hospitals, people can conduct regular physical examinations to check their health status. However, most of the time, it is difficult to reach a specific medical environment and use special medical equipment. In this paper, a deep learning framework based on the bidirectional gated recurrent unit for health status recognition is implemented to improve the accuracy by making full use of the information provided by smartphone acceleration sensors. A model based on a bidirectional gated recurrent unit is constructed to describe the relationship between input acceleration signals and output information through a gating approach. Therefore, it can automatically detect the health status of the sportsman as healthy, subhealthy, and unhealthy. Finally, the practical data collected from an athlete have been used to evaluate the recognition performance of the system. Results show that the proposed methodology can predicate the sports health status accurately.
Mobile English Teaching Information Service Platform Based on Edge Computing
Authors: Jiao Tingyu
Published: July 2021

Mobile edge computing was born in 2013 and is still in the process of technology R&D and industrialization. Although it is still in the early stages of development, as one of the core technologies of 5G, it has broad development prospects; this article aims to study the design and implementation of a mobile English teaching information service platform under edge computing, so as to improve the efficiency and level of English teaching. The implication of mobile English teaching is that English teachers and students use mobile devices for English teaching and communication at the same time. This article mainly focuses on the research of mobile English teaching information service platform based on edge computing. It discusses edge computing model and edge network architecture and is based on cognitive flexibility theory, informal learning theory, and situational cognition and learning theory. A mobile English teaching model based on “listening, reading, and listening” is constructed, and a mobile English teaching information service platform is designed and implemented. After investigation and research, it is concluded that this platform can improve the efficiency of teacher scheduling by 5%–6% and the student’s 2-3% course selection efficiency.
New Soft Structure: Infra Soft Topological Spaces
Authors: Al-shami Tareq M.
Published: July 2021

It is always convenient to find the weakest conditions that preserve some topologically inspired properties. To this end, we introduce the concept of an infra soft topology which is a collection of subsets that extend the concept of soft topology by dispensing with the postulate that the collection is closed under arbitrary unions. We study the basic concepts of infra soft topological spaces such as infra soft open and infra soft closed sets, infra soft interior and infra soft closure operators, and infra soft limit and infra soft boundary points of a soft set. We reveal the main properties of these concepts with the help of some elucidative examples. Then, we present some methods to generate infra soft topologies such as infra soft neighbourhood systems, basis of infra soft topology, and infra soft relative topology. We also investigate how we initiate an infra soft topology from crisp infra topologies. In the end, we explore the concept of continuity between infra soft topological spaces and determine the conditions under which the continuity is preserved between infra soft topological space and its parametric infra topological spaces.
A Literature Review of Social Network Analysis in Epidemic Prevention and Control
Authors: Wang Xiaomei , An Qi , He Zilong , Fang Wei
Published: July 2021

Studying the structure and evolution characteristics of social networks is of great significance in assessing and controlling the outbreak of infectious diseases. Therefore, it is necessary to find research trends in this field. In this study, 1,752 documents (2001–2020) related to the relationship between the social network and epidemic published from Scopus, WOS (Web of Science), and CNKI (China National Knowledge Infrastructure) databases were studied to provide a more comprehensive overview of the frontiers of research in this field, including epidemics in social networks, spread of disease, influence of different factors on the spread of the epidemic, prevention and control strategies of the epidemic, and comparison of various strategies. Besides, several new research directions in this field worthy of attention of researchers are discussed.
Pannexin1: Role as a Sensor to Injury Is Attenuated in Pretype 2 Corneal Diabetic Epithelium
Authors: Rhodes Garrett , Segars Kristen L. , Lee Yoonjoo K. , Hutcheon Audrey E. K. , Rich Celeste B. , Trinkaus-Randall Vickery
Published: July 2021

Epithelial wound healing is essential to repair the corneal barrier function after injury and requires coordinated epithelial sheet movement over the wounded region. The presence and role of pannexin1 on multilayered epithelial sheet migration was examined in unwounded and wounded corneal epithelium from C57BL/6J (B6) control and diet-induced obese (DiO) mice, a pretype 2 diabetic model. We hypothesize that pannexin1 is dysregulated, and the interaction of two ion-channel proteins (P2X7 and pannexin1) is altered in pretype 2 diabetic tissue. Pannexin1 was found to be present along cell borders in unwounded tissue, and no significant difference was observed between DiO and B6 control. However, an epithelial debridement induced a striking difference in pannexin1 localization. The B6 control epithelium displayed intense staining near the leading edge, which is the region where calcium mobilization was detected, whereas the staining in the DiO corneal epithelium was diffuse and lacked distinct gradation in intensity back from the leading edge. Cells distal to the wound in the DiO tissue were irregular in shape, and the morphology was similar to that of epithelium inhibited with 10Panx, a pannexin1 inhibitor. Pannexin1 inhibition reduced mobilization of calcium between cells near the leading edge, and MATLAB scripts revealed a reduction in cell-cell communication that was also detected in cultured cells. Proximity ligation was performed to determine if P2X7 and pannexin1 interaction was a necessary component of motility and communication. While there was no significant difference in the interaction in unwounded DiO and B6 control corneal epithelium, there was significantly less interaction in the wounded DiO corneas both near the wound and back from the edge. The results demonstrate that pannexin1 contributes to the healing response, and P2X7 and pannexin1 coordination may be a required component of cell-cell communication and an underlying reason for the lack of pathologic tissue migration.
Fault Detection and Identification for Nonlinear Process Based on Inertia-Based KEPCA and a New Combined Monitoring Index
Authors: El Fattahi Loubna , Sbai El Hassan
Published: July 2021

In the present study, we introduce a new approach for the nonlinear monitoring process based on kernel entropy principal component analysis (KEPCA) and the notion of inertia. KEPCA plays double roles. First, it reduces the data in the high-dimensional space. Second, it constructs the model. Before data reduction, KEPCA transforms input data into high-dimensional feature space based on a nonlinear kernel function and automatically determines the number of principal components (PCs) based on the computation of the inertia. The retained PCs express the maximum inertia entropy of data in the feature space. Then, we use the Parzen window estimator to compute the upper control limit (UCL) for inertia-based KEPCA instead of the Gaussian assumption. Our second contribution concerns a new combined index based on the monitoring indices T2 and SPE in order to simplify the detection task of the fault and prevent any confusion. The proposed approaches have been applied to process fault detection and diagnosis for the well-known benchmark Tennessee Eastman process (TE). Results were performing.
The Development of an Amperometric Enzyme Biosensor Based on a Polyaniline‐Multiwalled Carbon Nanocomposite for the Detection of a Chemotherapeutic Agent in Serum Samples from Patients
Authors: Gholami Ahmad , Farjami Fatemeh , Ghasemi Younes
Published: July 2021

Polyaniline was electrochemically polymerized onto the platinum electrode modified with a mixture of Nafion and multiwalled carbon nanotube (PANI/MWCNT/Nf/Pt) to detect ammonium ion. The nanobiosensor (ASNase/PANI/MWCNT/Nf/Pt) was then prepared by immobilizing L‐asparaginase (L‐ASNase) on the PANI/MWCNT/Nf nanocomposite. The prepared nanobiosensor was used for the rapid and sensitive detection of serum concentration of the anticancer agent L‐asparagine (L‐Asp) during chemotherapy. The nanobiosensor has dynamic ranges of zero to 180 μM. The sensitivity of the nanobiosensor was 0.829 μA μM−1 cm−2, and the response time was less than 30 s. The detection limit was 140 nM of L‐Asp. The Michaelis–Menten constant (Km) was measured to be 36.2 mM. The nanobiosensor was successfully applied for the determination of L‐Asp in the blood samples of leukemia patients.
Deep Learning Based on Wireless Remote Sensing Model for Monitoring the Solar System Inverter
Authors: Wang Xiaoyan , Xu Gaokui
Published: July 2021

Traditional energy sources have become one of the most serious causes of environmental pollution because of the growing demand for energy. Because of the carbon emissions that have recently increased greatly, we had to search for a safe, cheap, and environmentally friendly energy source. Many photovoltaic (PV) solar panels are used as an energy source because of free and environmental friendliness. However, this technology has become a source of inspiration for many researchers. The proposed method suggests to extract useful features from PV and wind generators and then train the system to control them and update the inputs according to prediction results. Solar energy produces energy that varies according to the external influences and the immediate changes in weather conditions. Solar panels are connected through an inverter with the grid, through which the work of the solar panels is monitored using the Internet. It is worth using neural networks (NN) to control variables and adopt system output of previous iteration in processing operations. Use of deep learning (DL) in the control of solar energy panels helps reduce the direct surveillance of the system online. Solar power generation systems mainly depend on reducing the pollution resulting from carbon emissions. Saving CO2 emission is the main purpose of PV panel cells, so smart monitoring can achieve better result in that case.