bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The pH-Responsive Transcription Factors YlRim101 and Mhy1 Regulate Alkaline pH-Induced Filamentation in the Dimorphic Yeast Yarrowia lipolytica
Authors: Shu Tao , He Xin-Yu , Chen Jia-Wen , Mao Yi-Sheng , Gao Xiang-Dong
Published: May 2021

The regulatory mechanism that governs pH-regulated filamentation is not clear in dimorphic fungi except in
Candida albicans
. Here, we investigated the regulation of alkaline pH-induced filamentation in
Yarrowia lipolytica
, a dimorphic yeast distantly related to
C. albicans
.
mSphere of Influence: the Key Role of Neutrophils in Tuberculosis and Type 2 Diabetes Comorbidity
Authors: Mayer Bridwell Anne E.
Published: May 2021

Annie Mayer Bridwell works in the field of tuberculosis pathogenesis from the host perspective. She is fascinated by comorbidities, and in this paper, she reflects on three publications that led her to a model of neutrophil-centric pathology in tuberculosis and type 2 diabetes comorbidity.
mSphere of Influence: Structural Insights into the Molecular Mechanism Underlying Placental Malaria
Authors: Quintana Maria del Pilar
Published: May 2021

Maria del Pilar Quintana works on immunology and pathogenesis of severe malaria. In this mSphere of Influence article, she reflects on how the papers “Structural basis for placental malaria mediated by
Plasmodium falciparum
VAR2CSA” (R).
Recent sex ratio at birth in China
Authors: Jiang Quanbao , Zhang Cuiling
Published: May 2021

Background

China’s sex ratio at birth (SRB) has declined in the past decade but still exceeds the normal level. This study seeks to depict the SRB trend in the past two decades.

Methods

We depicted the SRB trend, including SRB by birth order, children composition, residence and hukou type, education, race and province using latest data available from multiple data sources and standardisation and decomposition methods.

Results

The SRB remained around 120 in the first decade from 2000 to 2010, and recently declined and approached the normal level during 2010–2020. The SRB for second births and first births converged to the normal level, whereas the SRB for third and above births exceeded the normal level. The rising proportion of second births increased, whereas the decreasing proportion of first births reduced the overall SRB. Parents with only daughters are more likely to abort a female fetus in pursuit of a son, while parents with only sons are more likely to abort a male fetus in pursuit of a daughter. It also shows difference in SRB by residence, hukou type, educational attainment and race. Urban SRB was lower than rural SRB, by the residence and hukou type, but higher than rural SRB after being standardised. Provinces still exhibit differences by original categorised policy even after the implementation of the universal two-child policy.

Conclusions

China’s SRB has declined substantially during the past two decades, but the negative effects need to be tackled.
Study protocol for a randomised, placebo-controlled, single-blind phase II study of the efficacy of morphine for dyspnoea in patients with interstitial lung disease (JORTC-PAL 15)
Authors: Matsuda Yoshinobu , Morita Tatsuya , Oyamada Shunsuke , Ariyoshi Keisuke , Yamaguchi Takuhiro , Iwase Satoru
Published: May 2021

Introduction

Dyspnoea is common in patients with interstitial lung disease (ILD) and often refractory to conventional treatment. Little is known about the efficacy of systemic morphine for dyspnoea in patients with ILD. The aim of this study is to estimate the efficacy of a single subcutaneous morphine injection for dyspnoea in patients with ILD.

Methods and analysis

We will conduct a multicentre, prospective, randomised, placebo-controlled, single-blinded phase II study of a single subcutaneous morphine injection for dyspnoea in patients with ILD. In patients with ILD who have dyspnoea at rest refractory to conventional treatment will be eligible for participation in this study. The morphine dose will be 2 mg. The primary endpoint is changes in dyspnoea intensity from baseline to 60 min after treatment as measured using an 11-point Numerical Rating Scale and compared between the morphine and placebo groups.

Ethics and dissemination

Ethical approval has been obtained by the Osaka City University Certified Review Board. The results of this study will be submitted for publication in an international peer-reviewed journal and the findings will be presented at international scientific conferences.

Trial registration number

jRCTs051190030; pre-results.
Reasons for intending to accept or decline kidney cancer screening: thematic analysis of free text from an online survey
Authors: Freer-Smith Charlotte , Harvey-Kelly Laragh , Mills Katie , Harrison Hannah , Rossi Sabrina H , Griffin Simon J , Stewart Grant D , Usher-Smith Juliet A
Published: May 2021

Objectives

Kidney cancer has been identified as a disease for which screening might provide significant benefit for patients. The aim of this study was to understand in detail the facilitators and barriers towards uptake of a future kidney cancer screening programme, and to compare these across four proposed screening modalities.

Design

An online survey including free-text responses.

Setting

UK

Participants

668 adults

Primary and secondary outcome measures

The survey assessed participants’ self-reported intention to take-up kidney cancer screening with four different test methods (urine test, blood test, ultrasound scan and low-dose CT). We conducted thematic analysis of 2559 free-text comments made within the survey using an inductive approach.

Results

We identified five overarching themes that influenced screening intention: ‘personal health beliefs’, ‘practicalities’, ‘opinions of the test’, ‘attitudes towards screening’ and ‘cancer apprehension’. Overall, participants considered the tests presented as simple to complete and the benefits of early detection to outweigh any drawbacks to screening. Dominant facilitators and barriers varied with patterns of intention to take up screening across the four tests. Most intended to take up screening by all four tests, and for these participants, screening was seen as a positive health behaviour. A significant minority were driven by practicalities and the risks of the tests offered. A smaller proportion intended to reject all forms of screening offered, often due to fear or worry about results and unnecessary medical intervention or a general negative view of screening.

Conclusions

Most individuals would accept kidney cancer screening by any of the four test options presented because of strong positive attitudes towards screening in general and the perceived simplicity of the tests. Providing information about the rationale for screening in general and the potential benefits of early detection will be important to optimise uptake among uncertain individuals.
Dietary inclusion of mineral detoxified nano-sulfur dispersion on growth performance, fecal score, fecal microbiota, gas emission, blood profile, nutrient digestibility, and meat quality in finishing pigs
Authors: Thamaraikannan Mohankumar , Park Insun , Kim In Ho
Published: May 2021

This study is to evaluate the effects of mineral detoxified nano-sulfur dispersion (DSD) on growth performance, fecal score, fecal microbiota, gas emissions, blood profile, nutrient digestibility, and meat quality in finishing pigs. A total of 160 pigs with an initial body weight (BW) of 54.90 ± 5.10 kg were randomly assigned to two treatments including basal diet and basal diet with 10 ppm DSD. During the 10 wk trial, there were no differences in BW, average daily gain, average daily feed intake, and gain to feed ratio between the control and DSD groups. Also, the fecal score, fecal microbiota, gas emission were not affected by DSD diet. Dietary inclusion of DSD tended to increase water-holding capacity and decrease cooking loss and drip loss. At week 5, serum concentrations of glucose, calcium (Ca), total cholesterol, and high-density level cholesterol were increased, and triglyceride concentration was reduced in pigs fed with DSD than control diets. In summary, the inclusion of dietary DSD in the finishing pig diet has improved serum Ca, glucose concentrations, and lipid profiles as well as improves some meat quality traits.
Natal and intergenerational dispersal of riverine smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu)
Authors: Humston Robert , Hallerman Eric , Smith Scott , Sorenson Juli , Muckleroy Garrett
Published: May 2021

Quantifying the scale of offspring dispersal is essential for understanding demographic connectivity across landscapes and rates of population spread. However, characterizing natal dispersal in fishes is complicated by the difficulties of tracking origins and movement during early life-history stages. We combined direct observation of natal dispersal based on otolith chemistry with indirect estimates of dispersal from population genetics to quantify intergenerational dispersal of smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu) inhabiting a river network. Average parent–offspring dispersal was estimated as 7.7 km from genetic isolation-by-distance and demographic population data. Otolith chemistry indicated that adults were captured an average of 8.3 km from their natal tributary, supporting the genetics-based estimate. Our estimate of intergenerational dispersal is higher than previous estimates for lotic fishes and considerably higher than estimates for smallmouth bass in lake systems. Differences in availability of seasonal habitats for smallmouth bass may account for the contrasting scales of dispersal between lake and river populations. The large intergenerational dispersal distance of riverine smallmouth bass should be considered in conservation of fisheries or efforts to control invasive populations in river networks.
Brownfields over the years: from definition to sustainable reuse
Authors: Jacek Guillaume , Rozan Anne , Desrousseaux Maylis , Combroux Isabelle
Published: May 2021

Urban development is often confronted with a lack of available space. Brownfield sites offer great potential for sustainable urban planning because of their often-central location and the benefits associated with their redevelopment. Although the interest in brownfield regeneration has led to a lot of research on this topic, there is not yet a comprehensive review of brownfield research. In this review, we analyze the research on brownfields and provide a picture of the published case studies. We focus primarily on brownfields research in the United States, Europe, and People’s Republic of China. This exploratory research is based on an analysis of the published scientific literature available in the Web of Science database. Initially used in North America, the term “brownfield” quickly became popular in the rest of the world, particularly in Europe. However, with the exception of the United States, there is no specific legislation for these sites; their protection is often based indirectly on directives or laws related to soil pollution, biodiversity, or the environment. The perception of the potential use of brownfield sites varies considerably from one part of the world to another, and international collaborations among researchers from different parts of the world remain limited. Most of the described reuses of brownfield sites are forms of soft reuse (53%), and the type of reuse of a site depends more on the surrounding urbanization levels and the specific region than on the past use of a brownfield site. Despite the continued interest in the rehabilitation of these sites, especially due to the increasing demand for nature in the city following the COVID-19 crisis, many questions regarding the future of brownfield sites remain unanswered. The factors influencing their successful redevelopment are unclear, and further research is urgently needed to ensure a truly sustainable re-use of these sites.
On the holographic phase transitions at finite topological charge
Authors: Phat Tran Huu , Nguyen Toan T.
Published: May 2021

Exploring the significant impacts of topological charge on the holographic phase transitions and conductivity we start from an Einstein–Maxwell system coupled with a charged scalar field in Anti-de Sitter spacetime. In our set up, the corresponding black hole (BH) is chosen to be the topological AdS one where the pressure is identified with the cosmological constant (Kubiznak and Mann in JHEP 7:33, 2012), then the AdS BH undergoes the phase transition from small to large BHs, which is totally similar to the transition from gas to liquid in the van der Waals theory. Our numerical computation shows that the process of condensation is favored at finite topological charge, in particular, the phase transition from small to large BHs in the bulk generates a mechanism for changing the order of phase transition in the boundary: the second order phase transitions occur at pressures higher than the critical pressure of the phase transition from small to large BHs while they become first order at lower pressures. This property is confirmed with the aid of holographic free energy. Finally, the frequency dependent conductivity exhibits an energy gap when the phase transition is second order and when the phase transition becomes first order this gap is either reduced or totally lost.
Complex decision-making strategies in a stock market experiment explained as the combination of few simple strategies
Authors: Poux-Médard Gaël , Cobo-Lopez Sergio , Duch Jordi , Guimerà Roger , Sales-Pardo Marta
Published: May 2021

Many studies have shown that there are regularities in the way human beings make decisions. However, our ability to obtain models that capture such regularities and can accurately predict unobserved decisions is still limited. We tackle this problem in the context of individuals who are given information relative to the evolution of market prices and asked to guess the direction of the market. We use a networks inference approach with stochastic block models (SBM) to find the model and network representation that is most predictive of unobserved decisions. Our results suggest that users mostly use recent information (about the market and about their previous decisions) to guess. Furthermore, the analysis of SBM groups reveals a set of strategies used by players to process information and make decisions that is analogous to behaviors observed in other contexts. Our study provides and example on how to quantitatively explore human behavior strategies by representing decisions as networks and using rigorous inference and model-selection approaches.
Parallel Machine Scheduling with Due Date-to-Deadline Window, Order Sharing and Time Value of Money
Authors: Xu Yinfeng , Zhi Rongteng , Zheng Feifeng , Liu Ming
Published: May 2021

Motivated by a variety of applications in sharing economy, we study an identical parallel machine scheduling problem with due date-to-deadline window by jointly considering machine sharing and the time value of money. A factory owns a set of parallel identical machines and processes a set of production orders within a finite time period. In the sharing setting, the factory may also rent external machines to handle a part of orders by paying some extra cost. The factory aims to determine the sharing policy of the production orders and the scheduling rule of machines, to maximize its total future value of profits by satisfying the orders. To the best of our knowledge, there are no previous results for this problem. In this work, a mathematical programming model is derived, and a problem-specific genetic algorithm and a heuristic are proposed to solve large-scale instances. Numerical experiments using randomly generated instances are carried out to evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed solution methods.
Hayward black hole heat engine efficiency in anti-de Sitter space
Authors: Guo Sen , Huang Ya Ling , He Ke Jiang , Li Guo Ping
Published: May 2021

In this paper, we attempt to further study the heat engine efficiency for the regular black hole (BH) with an anti-de Sitter (AdS) background where the working material is the Hayward–AdS (HAdS) BH. In the extended phase space, we investigate the heat engine efficiency of the HAdS BH by defining the cosmological constant as the thermodynamic pressure P and deriving the mechanical work from the PdV terms. Then, we obtain the relation between the efficiency and the entropy/pressure and plot these function figures. Meanwhile, we compare the relation between the HAdS BH with that of the Bardeen–AdS (BAdS) BH, where it is found that the efficiency of the HAdS BH increases with increase in the magnetic charge q in contrast to that of the BAdS BH decrease with increase in the magnetic charge q. We found that the HAdS BH is more efficient than the BAdS BH, and guess that it is related to the BH structure.
Urban Region Function Mining Service Based on Social Media Text Analysis
Authors: Sun Yanchun , Yin Hang , Wen Jiu , Sun Zhiyu
Published: May 2021

Urban region functions are the types of potential activities in an urban region, such as residence, commerce, transportation, entertainment, etc. A service which mines urban region functions is of great value for various applications, including urban planning and transportation management, etc. Many studies have been carried out to dig out different regions’ functions, but few studies are based on social media text analysis. Considering that the semantic information embedded in social media texts is very useful to infer an urban region’s main functions, we design a service which extracts human activities using Sina Weibo ( www.weibo.com ; the largest microblog system in Chinese, similar to Twitter) with location information and further describes a region’s main functions with a function vector based on the human activities. First, we predefine a variety of human activities to get the related activities corresponding to each Weibo post using an urban function classification model. Second, urban regions’ function vectors are generated, with which we can easily do some high-level work such as similar place recommendation. At last, with the function vectors generated, we develop a Web application for urban region function querying. We also conduct a case study among the urban regions in Beijing, and the experiment results demonstrate the feasibility of our method.
Memory-Aware Scheduling Parallel Real-Time Tasks for Multicore Systems
Authors: Lei Zhenyang , Lei Xiangdong , Long Jun
Published: May 2021

Shared resources on the multicore chip, such as main memory, are increasingly becoming a point of contention. Traditional real-time task scheduling policies focus on solely on the CPU, and do not take in account memory access and cache effects. In this paper, we propose parallel real-time tasks scheduling (PRTTS) policy on multicore platforms. Each set of tasks is represented as a directed acyclic graph (DAG). The priorities of tasks are assigned according to task periods Rate Monotonic (RM). Each task is composed of three phases. The first phase is read memory stage, the second phase is execution phase and the third phase is write memory phase. The tasks use locks and critical sections to protect data access. The global scheduler maintains the task pool in which tasks are ready to be executed which can run on any core. PRTTS scheduling policy consists of two levels: the first level scheduling schedules ready real-time tasks in the task pool to cores, and the second level scheduling schedules real-time tasks on cores. Tasks can preempt the core on running tasks of low priority. The priorities of tasks which want to access memory are dynamically increased above all tasks that do not access memory. When the data accessed by a task is in the cache, the priority of the task is raised to the highest priority, and the task is scheduled immediately to preempt the core on running the task not accessing memory. After accessing memory, the priority of these tasks is restored to the original priority and these tasks are pended, the preempted task continues to run on the core. This paper analyzes the schedulability of PRTTS scheduling policy. We derive an upper-bound on the worst-case response-time for parallel real-time tasks. A series of extensive simulation experiments have been performed to evaluate the performance of proposed PRTTS scheduling policy. The results of simulation experiment show that PRTTS scheduling policy offers better performance in terms of core utilization and schedulability rate of tasks.
A nilpotency criterion for derivations over reduced ℚ-algebras
Authors: El Kahoui M’hammed , Essamaoui Najoua , Ouali Mustapha
Published: May 2021

Let [Formula: see text] be a reduced ring containing [Formula: see text] and let [Formula: see text] be commuting locally nilpotent derivations of [Formula: see text]. In this paper, we give an algorithm to decide the local nilpotency of derivations of the form [Formula: see text], where [Formula: see text] are elements in [Formula: see text].
12C(20Ne, 16O)16O α-transfer reaction and astrophysical S-factors at 300keV
Authors: Mondal Ashok Kumar , Basu C. , Adhikari S. , Bhattacharya C. , Rana T. K. , Kundu S. , Manna S. , Pandey R. , Roy P. , Sen A. , Meena J. K. , Saha A. K. , Sahoo J. K. , Basak Dipali , Bar Tanmay , Pai Haridas , Bisoi A. , Mitra A. K. , Biswas Piyasi
Published: May 2021

The [Formula: see text]C([Formula: see text]Ne, [Formula: see text]O)[Formula: see text]O reaction has been used for the first time to determine ANC of [Formula: see text]O levels. The [Formula: see text]C([Formula: see text]Ne, [Formula: see text]O)[Formula: see text]O [Formula: see text]-transfer angular distributions are measured at [Formula: see text][Formula: see text]MeV and used to determine the ANC of the ground, 6.05[Formula: see text]MeV ([Formula: see text]), 6.13[Formula: see text]MeV ([Formula: see text]), 6.92[Formula: see text]MeV ([Formula: see text]) and 7.12[Formula: see text]MeV ([Formula: see text]) states of [Formula: see text]O. The ANC values are [Formula: see text] [Formula: see text] [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text] [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text] [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text] [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] [Formula: see text]. Astrophysical S-factors at 300[Formula: see text]keV are extracted [Formula: see text]) keV b and [Formula: see text] keV b[Formula: see text] using these ANC values by R-matrix theory.
Alternative method of generating gamma rays with orbital angular momentum
Authors: Tanaka Minoru , Sasao Noboru
Published: May 2021

We study an alternative method of generating gamma rays with orbital angular momentum (OAM). Accelerated partially-stripped ions are used as an energy up-converter. Irradiating an optical laser beam with OAM on ultrarelativistic ions, they are excited to a state of large angular momentum. Gamma rays with OAM are emitted in their deexcitation process. We examine the excitation cross-section and deexcitation rate.
FRACTAL DIMENSION ESTIMATION OF THE MARCHAUD FRACTIONAL DIFFERENTIAL OF CERTAIN CONTINUOUS FUNCTIONS
Authors: LIANG YONG-SHUN , ZHANG QI
Published: May 2021

In this paper, we mainly investigate the fractional differential of a class of continuous functions. The upper Box dimension of the Marchaud fractional differential of continuous functions satisfying the Hölder condition increases at most linearly with the order of the fractional differential when they exist. Furthermore, if a continuous function satisfies the Lipschitz condition, the upper Box dimension of its Marchaud fractional differential is at most the sum of one and order of the fractional differential when it exists. From the point of view of the fractal dimension, it increases at most linearly with the fractional order.
MULTIFRACTAL CROSS-CORRELATION ANALYSIS BETWEEN CARBON SPOT AND FUTURES MARKETS CONSIDERING ASYMMETRIC CONDUCTION EFFECT
Authors: ZHU DANDAN , ZHANG CHEN , PAN DI , HU SHU
Published: May 2021

The cross-correlation between carbon spot and futures markets reflects the risk conduction mechanism between the two markets. Deeply depicting and analyzing this risk conduction mechanism is of great significance for investors to carry out risk management strategies. Considering the nonlinear and asymmetric characteristics of cross-correlation between carbon spot and futures markets, this paper applies multifractal cross-correlation analysis method to investigate the cross-correlation between carbon spot and futures markets. Firstly, through Empirical Mode Decomposition (EMD)-Multifractal Detrended Cross-Correlation Analysis (MF-DCCA) detection, it is found that there is an obvious cross-correlation between carbon spot and futures markets, and the cross-correlation has multifractal characteristic. Secondly, by using EMD-time delay-DCCA method, we find the conduction direction between carbon spot and futures markets is bidirectional, and the futures market has a greater impact on the spot market in the short term. Thirdly, through using EMD-MF-ADCCA method, we find the cross-correlation between the two markets is asymmetric, and the cross-correlation between the two markets is more significant when carbon market is in a downward trend than in an upward trend. Fourthly, through constructing EMD-time delay-ADCCA model, we find that there is a two-way asymmetric conduction effect between carbon spot and futures markets when the lag period is short, and when the carbon market is in a downward trend, the conduction effect between the two markets is stronger. However, with the extension of time lag, the conduction effect of the two markets no longer presents obvious asymmetric characteristics.
PRESSURE DROP PREDICTION WITH AN ANALYTICAL STRUCTURE-PROPERTY MODEL FOR FLUID THROUGH POROUS MEDIA
Authors: LI GUANGYU , HUANG YIYONG , HAN WEI , WU ZONGYU , YANG YANJIE
Published: May 2021

Based on the statistical geometry theory and the fractal theory, a theoretical model to predict the pressure drop of fluid flowing through porous media has been derived in this work. This model is expressed as a function of specific surface, porosity, tortuosity, the pore fractal dimension, maximum pore size, which have clear physical meaning. To verify this model, experiments have been carried out with air using glass beads of three samples. For each sample, the present model fits the experimental data well. Besides, a comparison between the Ergun equation and present model has been made, the result shows that the present model fits the experimental data much better than the Ergun equation and has good accuracy in the range of [Formula: see text].
MULTI-SCALE ANALYSIS REVEALS DIFFERENT PATTERNS IN TECHNICAL INDICATORS OF BLOCKCHAIN
Authors: LAHMIRI SALIM , BEKIROS STELIOS , GIAKOUMELOU ANASTASIA
Published: May 2021

Blockchain is a related FinTech asset but it is not the same technology. Basically, Blockchain is a decentralized and distributed digital ledger used to record Bitcoin transactions. The goal of this work is to employ multi-scale analysis to examine self-similarity in EDC Blockchain digital asset. Specifically, market technical data are examined; namely, open, high, low, and close. The resulting generalized Hurst exponent (GHE) estimates revealed that all Blockchain technical indicators exhibit multi-scale dynamics. In addition, short and long dynamics are different. It is concluded that market technical indicators associated with Blockchain provide valuable information for traders.
DYNAMICS RESPONSE OF THE FORCED FANGZHU FRACTAL DEVICE FOR WATER COLLECTION FROM AIR
Authors: ELÍAS-ZÚÑIGA ALEX , PALACIOS-PINEDA LUIS MANUEL , MARTÍNEZ-ROMERO OSCAR , TREJO DANIEL OLVERA
Published: May 2021

This paper aims to study the dynamic response of the fractal Fangzhu’s forced device to elucidate how the harvester device’s surface fractal patterned influences water molecules’ motion due to the increase or reduction of the wave velocity. It is also investigated under which conditions the oscillation amplitude favors the complete water removal from Fangzhu fractal surface device. Based on the approximate fractal frequency–amplitude relation derived using an ancient Chinese algorithm, and by varying the value of the fractal dimension parameter linked to the material surface morphology, it was found that the Fangzhu water harvester device can efficiently capture microscopic water droplets if the surface morphology is such that the fractal dimension [Formula: see text] is less than one. This condition can be used to develop superhydrophobic surfaces mimicking fractal patterned surface structures.
A NEW FRACTAL MODEL OF COAL PERMEABILITY BASED ON THE INCREASING FRACTAL CONSTRUCTION METHOD OF THE MENGER SPONGE
Authors: LIU ZHEN , LI RAORAO , YANG HE , TIAN FUCHAO , ZHU DANLIANG
Published: May 2021

The permeability of coal seams directly determines the disaster prevention effect of water injection. It is of great significance to realize the accurate fractal expression of coal structure and construct a fractal permeability model for elucidating the dynamic evolution law of the permeability of coal during and after water injection. Therefore, a rough Menger sponge is used as the physical model to characterize the structure of the coal in this paper. Combined with the structure fractal dimension calculated by the increasing fractal construction method, a new fractal permeability model is established to describe the seepage process of water injection. The influence of the tortuosity and roughness of the pore surfaces on the seepage characteristics is discussed, and the theoretical permeability is compared with the results of NMR experiments and existing models. The volume fractal dimension obtained by calculation is between 2.74 and 2.77, which decreases with increasing confining pressure and increases with increasing pore water pressure. The research shows that the fractal dimensions of the pore structure and volume can quantitatively describe the specific surface area of porous medium and are directly proportional to the specific surface area. With the increase in the structure fractal dimension, the fluid flow resistance increases, and the theoretical permeability decreases. The results of the permeability comparison show that the variation law of the theoretical permeability is consistent with that of the liquid permeability and that the theoretical result is closer to the measured value because the tortuosity and roughness of the seepage channel surfaces is further considered in the model. The theoretical model provides reliable theoretical support for further perfecting seepage theory of porous media and improving the effect of coal seam water injection.
REPLICATION SCHEME FOR THE PRICING OF EUROPEAN OPTIONS
Authors: FUNAHASHI HIDEHARU
Published: May 2021

This paper proposes an efficient method for calculating European option prices under local, stochastic, and fractional volatility models. Instead of directly calculating the density function of a target underlying asset, we replicate it from a simpler diffusion process with a known analytical solution for the European option. For this purpose, we derive six functions that characterize the density function of a diffusion process, for both the original and simpler processes and match these functions so that the latter mimics the former. Using the analytical formula, we then approximate the option price of the target asset. By comparison with previous works and numerical experiments, we show that the accuracy of our approximation is high, and the calculation is fast enough for practical purposes; hence, it is suitable for calibration purposes.
SHOULD THE GOVERNMENT REWARD COOPERATION? INSIGHTS FROM AN AGENT-BASED MODEL OF WEALTH REDISTRIBUTION
Authors: SCHWEITZER FRANK , VERGINER LUCA , VACCARIO GIACOMO
Published: May 2021

In our multi-agent model, agents generate wealth from repeated interactions for which a prisoner’s dilemma payoff matrix is assumed. Their gains are taxed by a government at a rate [Formula: see text]. The resulting budget is spent to cover administrative costs and to pay a bonus to cooperative agents, which can be identified correctly only with a probability [Formula: see text]. Agents decide at each time step to choose either cooperation or defection based on different information. In the local scenario, they compare their potential gains from both strategies. In the global scenario, they compare the gains of the cooperative and defective subpopulations. We derive analytical expressions for the critical bonus needed to make cooperation as attractive as defection. We show that for the local scenario the government can establish only a medium level of cooperation because the critical bonus increases with the level of cooperation. In the global scenario, instead full cooperation can be achieved once the cold-start problem is solved because the critical bonus decreases with the level of cooperation. This allows to lower the tax rate, while maintaining high cooperation.
Multi-view feature selection via sparse tensor regression
Authors: Yuan Haoliang , Lo Sio-Long , Yin Ming , Liang Yong
Published: May 2021

In this paper, we propose a sparse tensor regression model for multi-view feature selection. Apart from the most of existing methods, our model adopts a tensor structure to represent multi-view data, which aims to explore their underlying high-order correlations. Based on this tensor structure, our model can effectively select the meaningful feature set for each view. We also develop an iterative optimization algorithm to solve our model, together with analysis about the convergence and computational complexity. Experimental results on several popular multi-view data sets confirm the effectiveness of our model.
After the Stock Options Boom: Changes in Equity-Based Pay Following the Mandatory Adoption of IFRS 2
Authors: Gillenkirch Robert M. , Korn Olaf , Merz Alexander
Published: May 2021

This paper investigates the economic consequences of the mandatory adoption of International Financial Reporting Standard 2 (hereafter, “IFRS 2”) on firms’ choices between alternative executive compensation instruments. With a unique, hand-collected dataset that contains design elements of stock option plans, we find that the adoption of IFRS 2 affects both the decision to keep or to give up stock options and the choice of alternative equity compensation instruments. In contrast to recent evidence from the United States, we find that the majority of firms replacing stock options by other equity instruments switched to performance shares, not to restricted stock. Our dataset allows us to relate firms’ reactions to IFRS 2 to the three major rationales explaining stock option compensation practice, namely, optimal contracting, managerial rent extraction, and perceived cost. Our results suggest that all three rationales contribute to explaining changes in compensation design because firms with sophisticated option plans tend to keep their options, whereas design decisions by firms abandoning options are related to a lack of shareholder power.
Isolate Roman domination in graphs
Authors: Bakhshesh Davood
Published: May 2021

Let [Formula: see text] be a graph with the vertex set [Formula: see text]. A function [Formula: see text] is called a Roman dominating function of [Formula: see text], if every vertex [Formula: see text] with [Formula: see text] is adjacent to at least one vertex [Formula: see text] with [Formula: see text]. The weight of a Roman dominating function [Formula: see text] is equal to [Formula: see text]. The minimum weight of a Roman dominating function of [Formula: see text] is called the Roman domination number of [Formula: see text], denoted by [Formula: see text]. In this paper, we initiate the study of a variant of Roman dominating functions. A function [Formula: see text] is called an isolate Roman dominating function of [Formula: see text], if [Formula: see text] is a Roman dominating function and there is a vertex [Formula: see text] with [Formula: see text] which is not adjacent to any vertex [Formula: see text] with [Formula: see text]. The minimum weight of an isolate Roman dominating function of [Formula: see text] is called the isolate Roman domination number of [Formula: see text], denoted by [Formula: see text]. We present some upper bound on the isolate Roman domination number of a graph [Formula: see text] in terms of its Roman domination number and its domination number. Moreover, we present some classes of graphs [Formula: see text] with [Formula: see text]. Finally, we show that the decision problem associated with the isolate Roman dominating functions is NP-complete for bipartite graphs and chordal graphs.
Landslide costs on the national road network of Laos, with some regional implications
Authors: Hearn Gareth James , Kerridge Martin S. P. , Pongpanya Phanthoudeth
Published: May 2021

Compared to most other countries in south and SE Asia, Laos has a low road network density and low traffic volumes. Much of the road network is located in mountainous terrain where landslides cause regular engineering damage and blockage to traffic. The wet season of 2018 was particularly severe and triggered many landslides that blocked roads for hours, and days in some cases. The cost of clearing these landslides amounted to an average of almost US$5000 per km. Because of the relatively low traffic volumes that use the mountain road network, traffic costs due to road blockage delays are generally significantly lower per kilometre than engineering costs. Nevertheless, economic analysis demonstrates that investments in landslide stabilization measures amounting to an average of US$50 000 for landslides above the road and US$120 000 for those below the road can be economically justified if, without these measures, long and frequent delays would ensue. In certain cases, investments much higher than these can be justified. A priority list for landslide stabilization is developed and outline cost estimates are prepared. Recommendations are made for enhanced landslide management and roadside slope improvement, and a comparison is made between the situation in Laos with that in Vietnam, Bhutan, Nepal and the Philippines. It is concluded that the imperative for investment will be even greater in these countries, and especially in Nepal and the Philippines, on account of the higher incidence of landslide hazards and greater volumes of road traffic.
A Multiple Sieve Approach Based on Artificial Intelligent Techniques and Correlation Power Analysis
Authors: Ding Yaoling , Zhu Liehuang , Wang An , Li Yuan , Wang Yongjuan , Yiu Siu Ming , Gai Keke
Published: May 2021

Side-channel analysis achieves key recovery by analyzing physical signals generated during the operation of cryptographic devices. Power consumption is one kind of these signals and can be regarded as a multimedia form. In recent years, many artificial intelligence technologies have been combined with classical side-channel analysis methods to improve the efficiency and accuracy. A simple genetic algorithm was employed in Correlation Power Analysis (CPA) when apply to cryptographic algorithms implemented in parallel. However, premature convergence caused failure in recovering the whole key, especially when plenty of large S-boxes were employed in the target primitive, such as in the case of AES.

In this article, we investigate the reason of premature convergence and propose a Multiple Sieve Method (MS-CPA), which overcomes this problem and reduces the number of traces required in correlation power analysis. Our method can be adjusted to combine with key enumeration algorithms and further improves the efficiency. Simulation experimental results depict that our method reduces the required number of traces by

and

, compared to classic CPA and the Simple-Genetic-Algorithm-based CPA (SGA-CPA), respectively, when the success rate is fixed to

. Real experiments performed on SAKURA-G confirm that the number of traces required for recovering the correct key in our method is almost equal to the minimum number that makes the correlation coefficients of correct keys stand out from the wrong ones and is much less than the numbers of traces required in CPA and SGA-CPA. When combining with key enumeration algorithms, our method has better performance. For the traces number being 200 (noise standard deviation

), the attacks success rate of our method is

, which is much higher than the classic CPA with key enumeration (

success rate). Moreover, we adjust our method to work on that DPA contest v1 dataset and achieve a better result (40.04 traces) than the winning proposal (42.42 traces).
Investigation of Multiple-Mesa-Nanochannel Array GaN-Based MOSHEMTs with Al2O3 Gate Dielectric Layer
Authors: Jian Jhang-Jie , Lee Hsin-Ying , Chang Edward Yi , Rorsman Niklas , Lee Ching-Ting
Published: May 2021

In this work, an atomic layer deposition system was used to deposit Al2O3 high-k dielectric film as the gate insulator of GaN-based metal-oxide-semiconductor high-electron mobility transistors (MOSHEMTs). By using the Al2O3 gate dielectric layer, compared to planar channel structure, the direct current, high frequency, and flicker noise performances were improved in the GaN-based MOSHEMTs with fin-nanochannel array. For the GaN-based 80-nm-wide fin-nanochannel array MOSHEMTs, they exhibited superior performances of maximum extrinsic transconductance of 239 mS mm−1, threshold voltage of –0.4 V, unit gain cutoff frequency of 7.3 GHz, maximum oscillation frequency of 14.1 GHz, normalized noise power of 2.5 × 10−14 Hz−1, and Hooge’s coefficient of 1.4 × 10−6. The enhanced performances were attributed to the features of fin-nanochannel array of better gate control capability, enhanced pinch-off effect, and better heat dissipation driven by lateral heat flow within the space between fin-channels.
Optimization of Aqueous Extraction Conditions of Inulin from the Arctium lappa L. Roots Using Ultrasonic Irradiation Frequency
Authors: Esmaeili Farzaneh , Hashemiravan Mahnaz , Eshaghi Mohammad Reza , Gandomi Hassan
Published: May 2021

Ultrasound-assisted extraction is a promising technique to obtain active compounds from plants with high efficiency. The present study was conducted in two sections. In the first phase, the effect of solvent type (methanol, ethanol, water, and water-ethanol (50 : 50, v/v)) on inulin extraction yield from burdock roots (Arctium lappa L.) was investigated by the conventional method. The second phase aim was to optimize the condition of inulin and phenolic compounds including sonication time (10–40 min), sonication temperature (40–70°C), and solid/solvent ratio (1 : 20–1:40 g/ml) using response surface methodology (RSM). The results demonstrated that the highest inulin efficiency was extracted by water in the conventional method, which is equal to 10.32%. The optimum conditions of ultrasound-assisted water extraction for independent variables including sonication time and temperature as well as solid/water ratio were 36.65 min, 55.48°C, and 1 : 35 g/ml, respectively, which were determined on the maximization of inulin and total phenol content and minimization of IC50. At this optimum condition, inulin yield, phenolic compounds, and IC50 were found to be 12.46%, 18.85 mg GA/g DW, and 549.85 µg/ml, respectively. Regarding the results of this research, ultrasound-assisted extraction can be used as an alternative to the conventional extraction methods in extracting bioactive compounds from medicinal plants because it may improve the mass transfer, reducing the extraction time and the solvent used.
PCB118 Induces Inflammation of Islet Beta Cells via Activating ROS‐NLRP3 Inflammasome Signaling
Authors: Jiang Chunxia , Wang Yuping , Guo Man , Long Yang , Chen Jiao , Fan Fang , Tang Shi , Xu Yong
Published: May 2021

Background. Diabetes mellitus is a clinical syndrome caused by genetic and environmental factors. Growing evidence suggests that exposure to environmental endocrine disruptors and activation of NLRP3 inflammasome signaling play a vital role in diabetes. However, it is unclear how PCB118, a common environmental endocrine disruptor, contributes to the incidence of diabetes, and its specific mechanism of action is unknown. In this study, we explored whether ROS‐induced NLRP3 inflammasome priming and activation were related to PCB118 exposure in mouse islet β‐TC‐6 cells and the mechanisms of diabetes. Methods. Mouse islet β‐TC‐6 cells were cultured with PCB118 as a stimulating factor and ROS inhibitor N‐acetyl cysteine (NAC) as an intervention. Cellular toxicity due to PCB118 was detected using the Cell Counting Kit‐8; ROS was measured using DCFH‐DA; the expressions of NLRP3, procaspase‐1, caspase‐1, pro‐IL‐1β, and IL‐1β protein were detected by western blot; and IL‐6, IL‐18, and C‐C chemokine ligand 2 (CCL‐2) were measured by ELISA. Results. PCB118 caused significant toxicity to the cells when the stimulation concentration was equal to or greater than 80 nmol/L at 72 hours (p < 0.05) and increased the levels of ROS, NLRP3, caspase‐1, IL‐1β, IL‐6, IL‐18, and CCL‐2 (p < 0.05); the expressions of procaspase‐1 and pro‐IL‐1β were downregulated in a dose‐dependent manner after PCB118 exposure (p < 0.05), which was prevented by pretreatment with NAC (p < 0.05). Conclusions. PCB118 can activate NLRP3 inflammasome signaling in islet beta cells via the oxidative stress pathway and cause inflammation in islet beta cells. It suggests that environmental endocrine disruptors play an important role in the inflammation of islet beta cells and may contribute to the development of diabetes through NLRP3 inflammatory signaling.
Pooled Analysis of the Accuracy of Xpert Ebola Assay for Diagnosing Ebola Virus Infection
Authors: Pan Zhi-Yong , Wu Yan-Jun , Zeng Ye-Xian , Lin Hao , Xie Tian-Ao , Li Ya-Ping , Liu Ye-Ling , He Zhi-Jian , Guo Xu-Guang
Published: May 2021

Background. West Africa has witnessed the unprecedented outbreak of Ebola virus disease (EVD). The Ebola virus (EBOV) can cause Ebola hemorrhagic fever, which is documented as the most deadly viral hemorrhagic fever in the world. RT‐PCR had been suggested to be employed in the detection of Ebola virus; however, this method has high requirements for laboratory equipment and takes a long time to determine Ebola infection. Although Xpert Ebola is a fast and simple instrument for the detection of Ebola virus, its effect is still unclear. This study is aimed at evaluating the accuracy of Xpert Ebola in diagnosing Ebola virus infection. Methods. Using the keywords “Xpert” and “Ebola virus”, relevant studies were retrieved from the database of PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane. RT‐PCR was employed as a reference standard to evaluate whether the study is eligible to be included in the meta‐analysis. Data from these included studies were extracted by two independent assessors and were then analyzed by the Meta‐DiSc 1.4 software to produce the heterogeneity of sensitivity (SEN), specificity (SP), positive likelihood ratio (PLR), negative likelihood ratio (NLR), and diagnostic advantage ratio (DOR) of the study. The results of pooled analysis were plotted, together with the summary receiver operating characteristic (SROC) curve plotted by calculating the area under the curve (AUC). Generated pooled summary estimates (95% CIs) were calculated for the evaluation of the overall accuracy of this study. Results. Five fourfold tables were made from the four studies that were included in the meta‐analysis. The pooled sensitivity of Xpert Ebola was 0.98 (95% confidence interval (CI) (0.95, 0.99)), and the pooled specificity was 0.98 (95% CI (0.97, 0.99)). The pooled values of positive likelihood ratio was 53.91 (95% CI (12.82, 226.79)), with negative likelihood ratio being 0.04 (95% CI (0.02, 0.08)) and diagnostic odds ratio being 2649.45 (95% CI (629.61, 11149.02)). The AUC was 0.9961. Conclusions. Compared with RT‐PCR, Xpert Ebola has high sensitivity and specificity. Therefore, it is a valued alternative method for the clinical diagnosis of Ebola virus infection. However, the Xpert Ebola test is a qualitative test that does not provide quantitative testing of EBOV concentration. Whether it can completely replace other methods or not calls for further evidences.