bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Young boy with a long history of splenomegaly and cytopenia
Authors: De Nardi Laura , Zanchi Chiara , Basso Luca , Sanabor Daniela , Di Leo Grazia , Barbi Egidio
Published: October 2020

A 15-year-old boy was admitted with a history of cytopenia (white blood cell count 3.170/μm, platelets 90.000/μm) associated with splenomegaly, found during investigations for recurrent mild jaundice due to Gilbert’s syndrome.

He was in good general health, without systemic symptoms; therefore, the leading causes of asymptomatic splenomegaly were excluded. Coagulation, liver tests and abdomen ultrasound (US) were normal, showing a hepatopetal portal flow to the colour-Doppler. There was no sign of haemolysis on haematology investigations. The C reactive protein, immune globulins levels and erythrocyte sedimentation rate were normal, excluding both an infective and an immune regulation disorder. We excluded the haematological malignancy and lymphoproliferative disorders through a peripheral blood smear and a bone marrow biopsy.

His history was remarkable for neonatal sepsis, which required umbilical venous catheter during hospitalisation in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). The patient follow-up was interrupted for a while, probably due to his good health condition.

At age 17 years, the child accessed our emergency department. for a minor trauma to the limbs, and his physical examination was unremarkable, except for the splenomegaly. We repeated the abdomen US, with colour flow Doppler (figure 1).

Figure 1

B-mode shows 1.4 cm of maximum calibre of portal vein at hilus with slightly perihilar hyperechogenicity; colour and power Doppler US shows preserved hepatopetal flow and PSV of 41 cm/s (normal range 20–40 cm/s). PSV, peak systolic velocity; US, ultrasound.

Questions

What is the most likely diagnosis?

Portal vein obstruction

Gaucher disease

Autoimmune sclerosing cholangitis

Leukemic hepatic infiltration

What is the gold standard imaging for diagnosis?

Abdomen Doppler US

Contrast-enhanced CT

CT without contrast

Ultrasound-based elastography

How should this child be managed?

Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy

Beta-blocker therapy

Left-mesenteric portal vein bypass (Meso-Rex bypass)

Transjugular intrahepatic porto-systemic shunt

Answers can be found on page 02.
Atrial arrhythmias and thromboembolic complications in adults post Fontan surgery
Authors: Wan Darryl , Grewal Jasmine , Barlow Amanda , Kiess Marla , Human Derek , Krahn Andrew D , Riahi Mounir , Chakrabarti Santabhanu
Published: October 2020

Objective

Patients with Fontan surgery experience late complications in adulthood. We studied the factors associated with the development and maintenance of atrial arrhythmias and thromboembolic complications in an adult population with univentricuar physiology post Fontan surgery.

Methods

Single centre retrospective cohort study of patients ≥18 years of age with Fontan circulation followed at our quaternary care centre for more than 1 year were included. Univariate and multivariate regression models were used where applicable to ascertain clinically significant associations between risk factors and complications.

Results

93 patients were included (age 30.2±8.8 years, 58% men). 28 (30%) had atriopulmonary Fontan connection, 35 (37.6%) had lateral tunnel Fontan and 29 (31.1%) had extracardiac Fontan pathway. After a mean of 7.27±5.1 years, atrial arrhythmia was noted in 37 patients (39.8%), of which 13 developed had atrial fibrillation (14%). The presence of atrial arrhythmia was associated with the number of prior cardiac surgeries/procedures, increasing age and prior atriopulmonary Fontan operation. Thromboembolic events were present in 31 patients (33%); among them 14 had stroke (45%), 3 had transient ischaemic attack (9.7%), 7 had pulmonary embolism (22.6%) and 5 had atrial thrombus with imaging (16.1%). The presence of thromboembolic events was only associated with age and the presence of cirrhosis in multivariate analysis.

Conclusions

Atrial arrhythmias are common in adults with Fontan circulation at an early age, and are associated with prior surgical history and increasing age. Traditional risk factors may not be associated with atrial arrhythmia or thromboembolism in this cohort.
Systematic review and meta-analysis of prolactin and iron deficiency in peripartum cardiomyopathy
Authors: Cherubin Sinaida , Peoples Taylar , Gillard Jessica , Lakhal-Littleton Samira , Kurinczuk Jennifer J , Nair Manisha
Published: October 2020

Objectives

We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies that compared levels of molecular biomarkers in women with peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) to those in healthy pregnant and postpartum women to: (1) assess the evidence for prolactin (PRL) metabolism in PPCM, (2) ascertain the evidence for biomarkers of iron deficiency in PPCM, (3) identify other biomarkers associated with PPCM.

Methods

We searched Medline, Embase, Cumulated Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) and the Global Health Library from inception without language restriction for studies that compared biomarkers levels in PPCM cases to healthy controls. Pooled standardised mean difference (SMD) was generated using a random effects model for the difference in levels of biomarkers.

Results

Two studies assessed the association of PRL with PPCM, and reported that PPCM cases have higher levels of total PRL. No studies investigated iron metabolism in PPCM. Other biomarkers associated with PPCM included serum levels of natriuretic peptides (SMD=3.77, 95% CI 0.71 to 6.82), albumin (SMD=-0.67, 95% CI -1.01 to -0.32), C-reactive protein (SMD=1.67, 95% CI 0.22 to 3.12), selenium (SMD=-0.73, 95% CI -1.58 to 0.12), cardiac troponins (SMD=1.06, 95% CI 0.33 to 1.80), creatinine (SMD=0.51, 95% CI 0.33 to 0.69), white bloodcells (SMD=0.44, 95 % CI 0.07 to 0.82), haemoglobin (SMD=-0.45, 95% CI -0.64 to-0.26).

Conclusions

More robust molecular studies are needed to explore the association between prolactin and PPCM in human subjects and to determine the extent to which iron deficiency (with or without anaemia) contributes to the risk of PPCM.
A systematic review of compositional data analysis studies examining associations between sleep, sedentary behaviour, and physical activity with health outcomes in adults
Authors: Janssen Ian , Clarke Anna E. , Carson Valerie , Chaput Jean-Philippe , Giangregorio Lora M. , Kho Michelle E. , Poitras Veronica J. , Ross Robert , Saunders Travis J. , Ross-White Amanda , Chastin Sebastien F.M.
Published: October 2020

This systematic review determined if the composition of time spent in movement behaviours (i.e., sleep, sedentary behaviour (SED), light physical activity, and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA)) is associated with health in adults. Five electronic databases were searched in August 2019. Studies were eligible for inclusion if they were peer-reviewed, examined community-dwelling adults, and used compositional data analysis to examine the associations between the composition of time spent in movement behaviours and health outcomes. Eight studies (7 cross-sectional, 1 prospective cohort) of >12 000 unique participants were included. Findings indicated that the 24-h movement behaviour composition was associated with all-cause mortality (1 of 1 analyses), adiposity (4 of 4 analyses), and cardiometabolic biomarkers (8 of 15 analyses). Reallocating time into MVPA from other movement behaviours was associated with favourable changes to most health outcomes and taking time out of SED and reallocating it into other movement behaviours was associated with favourable changes to all-cause mortality. The quality of evidence was very low for all health outcomes. In conclusion, these findings support the notion that the composition of movement across the entire 24-h day matters, and that recommendations for sleep, SED, and physical activity should be combined into a single public health guideline. (PROSPERO registration no.: CRD42019121641.)

Novelty The 24-h movement behaviour composition is associated with a variety of health outcomes. Reallocating time into MVPA is favourably associated with health. Reallocating time out of SED is associated with favourable changes to mortality risk.
Dissemination and implementation of national physical activity, sedentary behaviour, and/or sleep guidelines among community-dwelling adults aged 18 years and older: a systematic scoping review and suggestions for future reporting and research
Authors: Tomasone J.R. , Kauffeldt K.D. , Morgan T.L. , Magor K.W. , Latimer-Cheung A.E. , Faulkner G. , Ross-White A. , Poitras V. , Kho M.E. , Ross R.
Published: October 2020

Strategies for dissemination (purposive distribution of a guideline to specific audiences) and implementation (actions to support the general public in meeting guideline recommendations/behavioural benchmarks) of national movement guidelines (physical activity (PA), sedentary behaviour, and sleep) have yet to be synthesized. The purpose of this systematic scoping review was to identify strategies for dissemination and implementation of national PA, sedentary behaviour, and/or sleep guidelines among community-dwelling adults (aged >18 years) and/or stakeholders in Canada and analogous countries. Five search approaches (e.g., published literature, grey literature, targeted web-based, custom Google, and content expert consultation) identified records (e.g., empirical studies, organizational reports, website pages, or guideline messages) that discussed and/or evaluated dissemination or implementation strategies for a prespecified list of guidelines. A modified strategy classification system was developed to chart the data. Forty-seven reports met inclusion criteria. Dissemination strategies (n = 42) were more frequently reported than implementation strategies (n = 24). Implementation strategies were more frequently evaluated (n = 13 vs. 7 dissemination strategies) and associated with positive outcomes. The 13 studies that evaluated strategies were at high or serious risk of bias. We identified limited information about the dissemination and implementation of national movement guidelines and identified strategies were rarely evaluated. Greater efforts are required to increase the impact of guidelines among the general public and stakeholders and to build the evidence base in this field. (Open Science Framework registration: https://osf.io/4tyw3 .)

Novelty An adapted movement guideline dissemination and implementation strategy classification framework is provided. Knowledge translation efforts should be documented and evaluated to advance science and practice in the movement guideline field.
MiR-138-5p knockdown promotes osteogenic differentiation through FOXC1 up-regulation in human bone mesenchymal stem cells
Authors: Zhang Lan , Liu Yan , Feng Bo , Liu Li-Gong , Zhou Ying-Cai , Tang Hai
Published: October 2020

This study examined the hypothesis that the microRNA miR-138-5p reduces the osteodifferentiation of human bone mesenchymal stem cells (hBMSCs) by downregulating the expression of forkhead box C1 (FOXC1). For this, hBMSCs were separated from bone marrow and osteogenic induction medium was added to stimulate osteogenic differentiation. Flow cytometric analysis was applied to evaluate the expression of cell-surface antigens associated with hBMSCs, including CD29, CD44, CD90, CD45, and CD34. qRT-PCR assays and Western blot assays were used to measure the mRNA and protein expression of miR-138-5p, osteocalcin, runt-related transcription factor 2, bone sialoprotein, alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and FOXC1. ALP staining assays and Alizarin Red staining (ARS) assays were used to confirm osteogenic differentiation. We used a luciferase assay to test the interaction between miR-138-5p and FOXC1. We demonstrated that miR-138-5p is downregulated in osteogenic differentiated hBMSCs. Further, overexpression of miR-138-5p reduced the expression of markers for osteodifferentiation, ALP activity, and ARS activity. Furthermore, we showed that FOXC1 is a downstream target gene of miR-138-5p, and that knockdown of miR-138-5p improves the osteogenesis differentiation of hBMSCs by upregulating FOXC1. The results from this study indicate miR-138-5p as a new target for osteogenic differentiation of hBMSCs and the treatment of bone defects.
The magnetic moment of $$Z_{c}(3900)$$ as an axial-vector molecular state
Authors: Xu Yong-Jiang , Liu Yong-Lu , Huang Ming-Qiu
Published: October 2020

In this paper, we tentatively assign $$Z_{c}(3900)$$

Z
c

(
3900
)

to be an axialvector molecular state, and calculate its magnetic moment using the QCD sum rule method in an external weak electromagnetic field. Starting with the two-point correlation function in the external electromagnetic field and expanding it in powers of the electromagnetic interaction Hamiltonian, we extract the mass and pole residue of the $$Z_{c}(3900)$$

Z
c

(
3900
)

state from the leading term in the expansion and the magnetic moment from the linear response to the external electromagnetic field. The numerical values are $$m_{Z_{c}}=3.97\pm 0.12\,\text{ GeV }$$

m

Z
c

=
3.97
±
0.12

GeV

in agreement with the experimental value $$m^{exp}_{Z_{c}}=3899.0\pm 3.6\pm 4.9\text{ MeV }$$

m

Z
c

exp

=
3899.0
±
3.6
±
4.9

MeV

, $$\lambda _{Z_{c}}=2.1\pm 0.4\times 10^{-2}\,\text{ GeV}^{5}$$

λ

Z
c

=
2.1
±
0.4
×

10

-
2

GeV
5

and $$\mu _{Z_{c}}=0.19^{+0.04}_{-0.01}\mu _{N}$$

μ

Z
c

=
0
.

19

-
0.01

+
0.04

μ
N

.
Threshold singularities in the XXZ-spin chain
Authors: Ovchinnikov A. A.
Published: October 2020

We calculate the critical exponents of the threshold singularity for the spectral density of the XXZ-spin chain at zero magnetic field for the lower threshold. We show that the corresponding phase shifts are momentum independent and coincide with predictions of the effective mobile impurity Hamiltonian approach.
Numerical study of operating performance of a centrifugal pump as turbine at overload with special emphasis on unsteady blade load
Authors: Wei Yangyang , Shi Weidong , Zhou Ling , Li Wei , Zhang Weibin , Jiang Wei
Published: October 2020

Three-dimensional (3D) unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (URANS) simulations are conducted to investigate the blade load and internal flow field for a low specific centrifugal pump operating as a turbine (PAT). Validation and grid independence of the simulation method are performed and ensured. A thorough inspection to flow variables in terms of pressure and radial velocity as well as circumferential velocity at strong rotor–stator interaction region is performed. Unsteady performance characteristics in terms of head and shaft power as well as transient blade loads are evaluated to assess the unsteady PAT performance. Significant decreasing of the blade load is revealed when impeller passage passes the volute tongue and associated with the strong vortex close to passage suction side caused by the sharp angle of suction side trailing edge with a discernible flow incidence angle. High negative radial velocity in the region close to suction side is originated from the vortex inducing velocity at the blade suction side and a high pressure gradient in the trailing edge region. The decrease of blade load is caused by periodical development and restriction of the vortex with an impeller passage passing tongue and a subsequent pressure variation on suction side that leads to temporally decreased blade loading. High positive radial velocity in pressure side region is originated from the blocking effect from the strong vortex at suction side, leading to the generation of a relatively weaker vortex fluctuating with impeller rotation at pressure side. That is the source of pressure variation on pressure side, contributing to the blade loading variation. These results provide a detailed insight into the complex overload flow field that might be utilized for an improved PAT design.
Scalable Influence Maximization Meets Efficiency and Effectiveness in Large-Scale Social Networks
Authors: Qiu Liqing , Zhang Shuang , Gu Chunmei , Tian Xiangbo
Published: October 2020

Influence maximization is a problem that aims to select top [Formula: see text] influential nodes to maximize the spread of influence in social networks. The classical greedy-based algorithms and their improvements are relatively slow or not scalable. The efficiency of heuristic algorithms is fast but their accuracy is unacceptable. Some algorithms improve the accuracy and efficiency by consuming a large amount of memory usage. To overcome the above shortcoming, this paper proposes a fast and scalable algorithm for influence maximization, called K-paths, which utilizes the influence tree to estimate the influence spread. Additionally, extensive experiments demonstrate that the K-paths algorithm outperforms the comparison algorithms in terms of efficiency while keeping competitive accuracy.
Investigation of centrality dependence of dynamical fluctuations in narrow pseudo-rapidity interval on event-by-event basis
Authors: Bhattacharyya Swarnapratim
Published: October 2020

A detailed study of centrality dependence of event-by-event fluctuations of maximum particle density of the produced particles in narrow pseudo-rapidity interval in terms of the scaled variance [Formula: see text] has been carried out for [Formula: see text]O-emulsion interactions at 4.5[Formula: see text]AGeV/[Formula: see text]. Depending on the values of the total charges or sum of the charges of noninteracting projectile fragments, event samples were classified into four centrality classes. Presence of event-by-event fluctuations of maximum particle density is reflected in the multiparticle production process for different centrality classes. The event-by-event fluctuations are found to decrease with the increase of pseudo-rapidity interval. The event-by-event fluctuations are found to decrease with decreasing centrality of collisions. A comparison with the analyzed results of the total disintegration events has also been carried out. Experimental analysis results have been compared with those obtained from the analysis of Monte Carlo simulated (MC-RAND) events in order to extract the dynamical fluctuations.
VARIATIONAL PRINCIPLE AND APPROXIMATE SOLUTION FOR THE GENERALIZED BURGERS–HUXLEY EQUATION WITH FRACTAL DERIVATIVE
Authors: WANG KANG-JIA
Published: October 2020

Under the non-smooth condition, many theories obtained by the assumption on the smooth condition become invalid, so a generalized Burgers–Huxley equation (GBHE) with fractal derivative is introduced in this work. The fractal variational formulation for the problem is established by using the semi-inverse method, which provides conservation laws in an energy form and possible solution structures of the equation. The two-scale transform method and variational iteration method (VIM) are used to solve the fractal GBHE. The obtained results show a great agreement with the existed results.
MICROSTRUCTURE OF NiCrBSi/WC COMPOSITE COATING DEPOSITED ON AISI316 STAINLESS STEEL BY TIG COATING PROCESS
Authors: BUYTOZ S. , KOK M. , QADER I. N. , BALCI E. , DAGDELEN F.
Published: October 2020

It is aimed to investigate the coating of AISI316 stainless steel with NiCrBSi/WC at different ratios using TIG method. In this study, the Ni-based WC-reinforced MMC layer was manufactured by the TIG composite coating method, and then the microstructure of the coating layer was examined. Microstructure and phase components of the composite coatings were characterized by optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and X-ray diffraction. A metallurgic bound was found between the coating layer and the substrate through the TIG coating process. WC was re-solidified in the matrix by dissolving with high input energy. Several phases were found, including Ni-rich ([Formula: see text]-Ni) primary dendritic phase, Ni-Ni3B, and Ni3Si eutectic structure, Cr7C3, Cr2B3, Cr3Ni2, Ni2W4C, and Ni[Formula: see text]W3 phases in dendritic structures. The presence of carbides in the structure had affected the hardness of the coating. The maximum hardness value was found to be 469.5 HV and the hardness of the coating layers was increased at least 2.5 times compared to that of the substrate material.
Undrained Seismic Stability of Dual Unsupported Circular Tunnels Subjected to Surcharge Loading
Authors: Zhang Rui , Wu Gaoqiao , Zhao Minghua , Lei Ming
Published: October 2020

Undrained seismic stability of dual unsupported circular tunnels was investigated in this work using a self-developed code for adaptive finite element limit analysis. The so-called pseudo-static method was used to simulate the seismic effects during an earthquake. Accurate upper and lower bounds of seismic stability factor [Formula: see text] were obtained by using an adaptive remeshing technique incorporated in the code. Comprehensive parametric studies of the problem variables, including the horizontal seismic coefficient [Formula: see text], the relative spacing ratio [Formula: see text]/[Formula: see text], the relative depth ratio [Formula: see text]/[Formula: see text] and the strength ratio [Formula: see text]/[Formula: see text] were performed to provide dimensionless design tables for practical uses. In addition, visualized results from AFELA were summarized to reveal how the failure mechanism of dual tunnels would evolve with varying problems variables. Numerical results showed that both the stability and failure mechanism of dual tunnels can be much affected by seismic effects which should be carefully considered for a reasonable design in earthquake zones.
Buchsbaumness of the associated graded rings of filtration
Authors: Saloni Kumari
Published: October 2020

Let [Formula: see text] be a Noetherian local ring of dimension [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] an [Formula: see text]-primary ideal of [Formula: see text]. In this paper, we discuss a sufficient condition, for the Buchsbaumness of the local ring [Formula: see text] to be passed onto the associated graded ring of filtration. Let [Formula: see text] denote an [Formula: see text]-good filtration. We prove that if [Formula: see text] is Buchsbaum and the [Formula: see text] -invariant, [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text], coincide then the associated graded ring [Formula: see text] is Buchsbaum. As an application of our result, we indicate an alternative proof of a conjecture, of Corso on certain boundary conditions for Hilbert coefficients.
Graphene Films for Flexible EMI Shielding Materials with Cross-Linked Structure via Reaction with Diamine Monomers
Authors: lin Shaofeng , Zheng Qing , Lei Bowen , Zhang Jianwei , Jiang Dazhi
Published: October 2020

Three kinds of diamine monomers [ethylenediamine, butylenediamine and [Formula: see text]-phenylenediamine (PPD)] are adopted to cross-link carboxylated graphene (GP-COOH) sheets through filtration with a vacuum-assisted self-assembly technique, to fabricate highly conductive and excellent electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding films. XRD spectroscopy of cross-linked graphene films exhibits higher interlayer [Formula: see text]-spacing than the GP-COOH film. Results of FTIR and XPS spectroscopies indicate that diamine monomers are chemically grafted to the GP-COOH sheets through nucleophilic substitution reactions. Compared with that of the GP-COOH film, electrical conductivity of the PPD-cross-linked graphene film (GP-PPD) is remarkably improved from 69.7[Formula: see text]S/cm to 248.6[Formula: see text]S/cm, attributed to the decrease of junction contact resistance between adjacent graphene sheets, nitrogen doping effect and repair of defects. Higher nitrogen content and C/O ratio are observed in the XPS spectra of the GP-PPD film, leading to higher electrical conductivity than the remaining two amine-modified graphene films. The GP-PPD film also demonstrates excellent EMI shielding performance, with EMI shielding effectiveness (SE) of 26.5 dB at a thickness of 12.5[Formula: see text][Formula: see text]m, which is also better than the others. The outstanding EMI performance of the PPD-cross-linked graphene film is mainly ascribed to the enhanced electrical conductivity and modified electronic structure with nitrogen doping.
Dynamic of a stochastic delayed one-predator two-prey model with Lévy jumps in polluted environments
Authors: Gao Yongxin , Wang Nana , Tian Shiquan
Published: October 2020

This paper is concerned with a stochastic delayed one-predator two-prey model with Lévy jumps in polluted environments. First, under some simple assumptions, we prove that there exists a unique global nonnegative solution which is permanent in time average. Moreover, sufficient criteria for the extinction of each species are obtained. Finally, we carry out some numerical simulations to verify the theoretical results.
Italian domination on Mycielskian and Sierpinski graphs
Authors: Varghese Jismy , Aparna Lakshmanan S.
Published: October 2020

An Italian dominating function (IDF) of a graph G is a function [Formula: see text] satisfying the condition that for every [Formula: see text] with [Formula: see text] The weight of an IDF on [Formula: see text] is the sum [Formula: see text] and Italian domination number, [Formula: see text] is the minimum weight of an IDF. In this paper, we prove that [Formula: see text] where [Formula: see text] is the Mycielskian graph of [Formula: see text]. We have also studied the impact of edge addition on Italian domination number. We also obtain a bound for the Italian domination number of Sierpinski graph [Formula: see text] and find the exact value of [Formula: see text].
Artificial neural network with modified rider optimization for design and control of PV-integrated quasi Z-source cascaded multilevel inverter system
Authors: Harish Kumar V. C. , Amala Shanthi S.
Published: October 2020

The modeling of the controller for quasi Z-Source Cascaded Multilevel Inverter (qZS-CMI)-dependent 3-phase grid-tie Photovoltaic (PV) power system is considered in this paper. The state-of-the-art controller requires precise conceptual models and sophisticated optimization principles based on the derived models. However, such processes are limited to known system models, which are uncertain in future systems. Here, the controller for 3-phase qZS-CMI is modeled based on two phases, and the source PV voltage and output grid current are controlled. In Phase I, optimized Proportional Integral (PI) controller is used for finding out the total PV voltage, and Phase II utilizes the optimized Proportional Resonant (PR) controller enabled with the Artificial Neural Network (ANN) for controlling the grid current. For two phases, the modified optimization algorithm called Fitness Enabled-Rider Optimization Algorithm (FE-ROA) is used. Moreover, in Phase II, ANN is trained in an offline mode with the exact dataset arranged by the proposed FE-ROA, and it guarantees the control of grid current. The two phases plan to optimize the gain of both PI and PR controllers respectively using the same proposed algorithm. The main objective of phase I is to lessen the error among the reference PV voltage, and measured voltage, and phase II is to lessen the error among the reference and measured grid current. Hence, the grid-tie current injection is achieved by the developed module, and system-level control offers independent Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT). Lastly, the performance of the proposed controller for qZS-CMI is compared over the other controllers and substantiates the efficacy of the proposed one.
Study on Fluctuation of Energy Consumption and Energy Efficiency in China and Its Influencing Factors
Authors: WANG Lei , WU Lixue
Published: October 2020

We quantitatively analyze the relationship between China’s energy consumption, energy efficiency and economic cycle from the perspective of periodic fluctuations. Through HP filter analysis, the following main conclusions are drawn: First, the relationship between China’s energy consumption and output is nonlinear. Second, before the reform and opening-up, China’s output-energy efficiency changed greatly. After the reform and opening-up, the long-term trend has become relatively stable, while in the short term, the output-energy efficiency is more likely influenced by fluctuation factors. Third, from 2002 to 2005, fluctuations led to the decrease of output-energy efficiency in such industries as agriculture, industry, manufacturing, transportation and warehousing and the wholesale, retailing and lodging; and from 2010 to 2015, the overall output-energy efficiency was improved in such industries as agriculture, industry, manufacturing and the wholesale, retailing and lodging, mainly contributed by the trend factor. Based on these findings, we believe that long-term and short-term factors must be sorted out when preparing policy objectives and means for energy efficiency. From the perspective of sector-based analysis, the loss of energy efficiency is more attributed to short-term fluctuation factors, thus maintaining a stable economy is conducive to improving energy efficiency.
Stable isotopes (δ
13
C, δ
18
O) and element ratios (Mg/Ca, Sr/Ca) of Jurassic belemnites, bivalves and brachiopods from the Neuquén Basin (Argentina): challenges and opportunities for palaeoenvironmental reconstructions
Authors: Alberti Matthias , Parent Horacio , Garrido Alberto C. , Andersen Nils , Garbe-Schönberg Dieter , Danise Silvia
Published: October 2020

Fossils from the Jurassic succession of the Neuquén Basin (Argentina) were analysed for their stable isotope (δ
13
C, δ
18
O) and elemental (Mg/Ca, Sr/Ca) composition. Mg/Ca ratios point to comparatively stable temperature conditions from the Bajocian to Early Oxfordian and during the Tithonian, but do not allow a reliable reconstruction of absolute water temperatures. Sr/Ca ratios follow the general global pattern, indicating water exchange between the basin and the open ocean. The δ
18
O values can be translated into water temperatures between 20 and 25°C for most of the studied intervals with possible shorter cold spells in the Late Pliensbachian, Bajocian and Late Tithonian. However, precise temperature reconstructions are complicated by bivalve shells from the northern–central part of the basin pointing to local fluctuations in the δ
18
O values of seawater. Potential reasons for these variations are discussed, but it seems most likely that they are caused by phases of enhanced freshwater input leading to meso- to brachyhaline conditions in the northern study areas. This paper therefore exemplifies the particular challenges for temperature reconstructions in marginal seas and highlights the opportunities of combining different geochemical proxies to disentangle the influence of different environmental parameters.

Supplementary material:
Detailed results of the geochemical analyses, geographical coordinates and information on biostratigraphy are available at
https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.c.5173466
The Patient Advice System
Authors: Haldar Shefali , Kim Yoojung , Mishra Sonali R. , Hartzler Andrea L. , Pollack Ari H. , Pratt Wanda
Published: October 2020

Although peer support technologies are critical resources for patients managing health conditions, they do not address the needs of patients in the hospital (i.e., inpatients) or the unique design constraints of this healthcare setting. To examine how the design of these technologies can meet the needs of inpatients, we conducted a technology probe study with 30 pediatric and adult inpatients. We created the Patient Advice System (PAS) to enable peer support in the hospital setting, then studied how participants used and perceived it during their stay. Inpatients used the PAS to exchange emotional support and share peer advice on a range of topics (e.g., adjusting to the hospital, communicating with providers). They identified several benefits (e.g., fostered connections) and challenges (e.g., competing clinical priorities) with using the PAS in the real-world context of their hospital stay. Based on our findings, we discuss three design opportunities-highlighting local expertise, designing for dynamic engagement, and providing alternative modes of peer support-for future peer support technologies to empower inpatients and overcome the difficulties they face within the hospital.
Studying Politeness across Cultures using English Twitter and Mandarin Weibo
Authors: Li Mingyang , Hickman Louis , Tay Louis , Ungar Lyle , Guntuku Sharath Chandra
Published: October 2020

Modeling politeness across cultures helps to improve intercultural communication by uncovering what is considered appropriate and polite. We study the linguistic features associated with politeness across American English and Mandarin Chinese. First, we annotate 5,300 Twitter posts from the United States (US) and 5,300 Sina Weibo posts from China for politeness scores. Next, we develop an English and Chinese politeness feature set, 'PoliteLex'. Combining it with validated psycholinguistic dictionaries, we study the correlations between linguistic features and perceived politeness across cultures. We find that on Mandarin Weibo, future-focusing conversations, identifying with a group affiliation, and gratitude are considered more polite compared to English Twitter. Death-related taboo topics, use of pronouns (with the exception of honorifics), and informal language are associated with higher impoliteness on Mandarin Weibo than on English Twitter. Finally, we build language-based machine learning models to predict politeness with an F1 score of 0.886 on Mandarin Weibo and 0.774 on English Twitter.
Sociocultural Dimensions of Tracking Health and Taking Care
Authors: Bhat Karthik S. , Kumar Neha
Published: October 2020

The field of personal health informatics has received increasing attention within the CSCW and HCI communities as health tracking becomes more affordable, accessible, and pervasive. Chronic disease management, in particular, presents tremendous potential for intervention given patients' ability to now actively participate in their care through tracking. The focus on 'personal' in health informatics, however, obfuscates the role of other cultural and ecological factors that might shape health tracking behaviors, and important information from alternative sources could be ignored by virtue of being subjective, complex, or simply hard to collect. To dig deeper into these negative spaces that may go untracked, uncover potential sources of important health information, and more completely understand current tracking practices, we embarked on an interview study with patients with cardiac diseases in Bangalore, India. In this paper, we present these patients' current health management approaches that are culturally situated, identifying both motivations and barriers to tracking, their attitudes towards online information, as well as cultural and ecological influences on their perceptions of cardiac care. We then discuss the interplay between our findings and current notions of, and approaches towards, patient empowerment and datafication of health.
Quantifying the Causal Effects of Conversational Tendencies
Authors: Zhang Justine , Mullainathan Sendhil , Danescu-Niculescu-Mizil Cristian
Published: October 2020

Understanding what leads to effective conversations can aid the design of better computer-mediated communication platforms. In particular, prior observational work has sought to identify behaviors of individuals that correlate to their conversational efficiency. However, translating such correlations to causal interpretations is a necessary step in using them in a prescriptive fashion to guide better designs and policies. In this work, we formally describe the problem of drawing causal links between conversational behaviors and outcomes. We focus on the task of determining a particular type of policy for a text-based crisis counseling platform: how best to allocate counselors based on their behavioral tendencies exhibited in their past conversations. We apply arguments derived from causal inference to underline key challenges that arise in conversational settings where randomized trials are hard to implement. Finally, we show how to circumvent these inference challenges in our particular domain, and illustrate the potential benefits of an allocation policy informed by the resulting prescriptive information.
Mobile Collocated Gaming
Authors: Zhang Xun , Gui Xinning , Kou Yubo , Li Yukun
Published: October 2020

Many mobile games are designed to be placeless, so that mobile device owners could play anytime, anywhere. But does such design erase the sense of place in mobile gaming? To investigate the spatiality of mobile gaming, we conducted an ethnographic study of mobile gaming in a Chinese university. We found mobile gaming as a form of collocated interaction, where participants collectively created meanings around distinctive places on the campus including dormitory, classroom, and laboratory, and engaged in collaborative play. Their mobile collocated gaming was shaped by the social, organizational, and cultural contexts of places. The spatiality of mobile collocated gaming entails both appropriation of the norms and expectations of places and creation of new meanings to negotiate tensions between mobile gaming and places. We further discuss the spatiality of mobile collocated gaming and broader social and cultural conditions.
Intersectional AI
Authors: McDonald Nora , Pan Shimei
Published: October 2020

Recent literature has demonstrated the limited and, in some instances, waning role of ethical training in computing classes in the US. The capacity for artificial intelligence (AI) to be inequitable or harmful is well documented, yet it's an issue that continues to lack apparent urgency or effective mitigation. The question we raise in this paper is how to prepare future generations to recognize and grapple with the ethical concerns of a range of issues plaguing AI, particularly when they are combined with surveillance technologies in ways that have grave implications for social participation and restriction?from risk assessment and bail assignment in criminal justice, to public benefits distribution and access to housing and other critical resources that enable security and success within society. The US is a mecca of information and computer science (IS and CS) learning for Asian students whose experiences as minorities renders them familiar with, and vulnerable to, the societal bias that feeds AI bias. Our goal was to better understand how students who are being educated to design AI systems think about these issues, and in particular, their sensitivity to intersectional considerations that heighten risk for vulnerable groups. In this paper we report on findings from qualitative interviews with 20 graduate students, 11 from an AI class and 9 from a Data Mining class. We find that students are not predisposed to think deeply about the implications of AI design for the privacy and well-being of others unless explicitly encouraged to do so. When they do, their thinking is focused through the lens of personal identity and experience, but their reflections tend to center on bias, an intrinsic feature of design, rather than on fairness, an outcome that requires them to imagine the consequences of AI. While they are, in fact, equipped to think about fairness when prompted by discussion and by design exercises that explicitly invite consideration of intersectionality and structural inequalities, many need help to do this empathy 'work.' Notably, the students who more frequently reflect on intersectional problems related to bias and fairness are also more likely to consider the connection between model attributes and bias, and the interaction with context. Our findings suggest that experience with identity-based vulnerability promotes more analytically complex thinking about AI, lending further support to the argument that identity-related ethics should be integrated into IS and CS curriculums, rather than positioned as a stand-alone course.
Toward Interactively Balancing the Screen Time of Actors Based on Observable Phenotypic Traits in Live Telecast
Authors: Hoque Md Naimul , Saquib Nazmus , Billah Syed Masum , Mueller Klaus
Published: October 2020

Several prominent studies have shown that the imbalanced on-screen exposure of observable phenotypic traits like gender and skin-tone in movies, TV shows, live telecasts, and other visual media can reinforce gender and racial stereotypes in society. Researchers and human rights organizations alike have long been calling to make media producers more aware of such stereotypes. While awareness among media producers is growing, balancing the presence of different phenotypes in a video requires substantial manual effort and can typically only be done in the post-production phase. The task becomes even more challenging in the case of a live telecast where video producers must make instantaneous decisions with no post-production phase to refine or revert a decision. In this paper, we propose Screen-Balancer, an interactive tool that assists media producers in balancing the presence of different phenotypes in a live telecast. The design of Screen-Balancer is informed by a field study conducted in a professional live studio. Screen-Balancer analyzes the facial features of the actors to determine phenotypic traits using facial detection packages; it then facilitates real-time visual feedback for interactive moderation of gender and skin-tone distributions. To demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach, we conducted a user study with 20 participants and asked them to compose live telecasts from a set of video streams simulating different camera angles, and featuring several male and female actors with different skin-tones. The study revealed that the participants were able to reduce the difference of screen times of male and female actors by 43%, and that of light-skinned and dark-skinned actors by 44%, thus showing the promise and potential of using such a tool in commercial production systems.
Social Norm Vulnerability and its Consequences for Privacy and Safety in an Online Community
Authors: Dym Brianna , Fiesler Casey
Published: October 2020

Within online communities, social norms that both set expectations for and regulate behavior can be vital to the overall welfare of the community--particularly in the context of the privacy and safety of its members. For communities where the cost of regulatory failure can be high, it is important to understand both the conditions under which norms might be effective, and when they might fail. As a case study, we consider transformative fandom, a creative community dedicated to reimagining existing media in often subversive ways. In part due to the marginalized status of many members, there are strong, longstanding norms to protect the community. Through an interview study with 25 fandom participants, we investigate social norms that have been largely effective over time at maintaining member privacy and safety, but also break down under certain circumstances. Catalysts for these breakdowns include tensions between sub-communities and an increasing presence of outsiders, though most prominently, we identify a disconnect between the norms the community needs to support and the design of the platforms they occupy.
Co-Design and Evaluation of an Intelligent Decision Support System for Stroke Rehabilitation Assessment
Authors: Lee Min Hun , Siewiorek Daniel P. , Smailagic Asim , Bernardino Alexandre , Bermúdez i Badia Sergi
Published: October 2020

Clinical decision support systems have the potential to improve work flows of experts in practice (e.g. therapist's evidence-based rehabilitation assessment). However, the adoption of these systems is challenging, and the gains of these systems have not fully demonstrated yet. In this paper, we identified the needs of therapists to assess patient's functional abilities (e.g. alternative perspectives with quantitative information on patient's exercise motions). As a result, we co-designed and developed an intelligent decision support system that automatically identifies salient features of assessment using reinforcement learning to assess the quality of motion and generate patient-specific analysis. We evaluated this system with seven therapists using the dataset from 15 patients performing three exercises. The results show that therapists have higher usage intent on our system than a traditional system without patient-specific analysis ($p < 0.05$). While presenting richer information ($p < 0.10$), our system significantly reduces therapists' effort on assessment ($p < 0.10$) and improves their agreement on assessment from 0.66 to 0.71 F1-scores ($p < 0.01$). This work discusses the importance of human centered design and development of a machine learning-based decision support system that presents contextually relevant information and salient explanations on its prediction for better adoption in practice.
Holy Tweets
Authors: Abokhodair Norah , Elmadany AbdelRahim , Magdy Walid
Published: October 2020

While social media offer users a platform for self-expression, identity exploration, and community management, among other functions, they also offer space for religious practice and expression. In this paper, we explore social media spaces as they subtend new forms of religious experiences and rituals. We present a mixed-method study to understand the practice of sharing Quran verses on Arabic Twitter in their cultural context by combining a quantitative analysis of the most shared Quran verses, the topics covered by these verses, and the modalities of sharing, with a qualitative study of users' goals. This analysis of a set of 2.6 million tweets containing Quran verses demonstrates that online religious expression in the form of sharing Quran verses both extends offline religious life and supports new forms of religious expression including goals such as doing good deeds, giving charity, holding memorials, and showing solidarity. By analysing the responses on a survey, we found that our Arab Muslim respondents conceptualize social media platforms as everlasting, at least beyond their lifetimes, where they consider them to be effective for certain religious practices, such as reciting Quran, supplication (dua), and ceaseless charity. Our quantitative analysis of the most shared verses of the Quran underlines this commitment to religious expression as an act of worship, highlighting topics such as the hereafter, God's mercy, and sharia law. We note that verses on topics such as jihad are shared much less often, contradicting some media representation of Muslim social media use and practice.
How Experts Detect Phishing Scam Emails
Authors: Wash Rick
Published: October 2020

Phishing scam emails are emails that pretend to be something they are not in order to get the recipient of the email to undertake some action they normally would not. While technical protections against phishing reduce the number of phishing emails received, they are not perfect and phishing remains one of the largest sources of security risk in technology and communication systems. To better understand the cognitive process that end users can use to identify phishing messages, I interviewed 21 IT experts about instances where they successfully identified emails as phishing in their own inboxes. IT experts naturally follow a three-stage process for identifying phishing emails. In the first stage, the email recipient tries to make sense of the email, and understand how it relates to other things in their life. As they do this, they notice discrepancies: little things that are "off'' about the email. As the recipient notices more discrepancies, they feel a need for an alternative explanation for the email. At some point, some feature of the email --- usually, the presence of a link requesting an action --- triggers them to recognize that phishing is a possible alternative explanation. At this point, they become suspicious (stage two) and investigate the email by looking for technical details that can conclusively identify the email as phishing. Once they find such information, then they move to stage three and deal with the email by deleting it or reporting it. I discuss ways this process can fail, and implications for improving training of end users about phishing.