bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effect of remote mindfulness-based interventions on symptoms of anxiety and depression in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Wan Xiao , Huang Haitao , Liang Dandan , Jia Rui-Ying , Chen Chao-Ran
Published: February 2022

Background

The incidence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is high worldwide, and patients with COPD commonly suffer from mood disorders, such as symptoms of anxiety and depression. However, it is difficult to communicate with patients face to face to solve these psychological problems in the case of the fluctuations in symptoms of COPD and COVID-19 prevalence, which may lead to the fact that patients with COPD are more likely to suffer exacerbations, frequent readmissions and worse survival. Mindfulness-based interventions are a stress-reducing therapy with mindfulness at its core. Remote mindfulness-based interventions combine the advantages of high availability, accessibility, low cost and anonymity and can solve the barriers to access that many patients face when attending face-to-face programmes. Therefore, remote mindfulness-based interventions may be an effective way to improve the mental health of patients with COPD.

Methods and analysis

We will search PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, CNKI, PsycNET, MEDLINE, Psychology & Behavioral Sciences Collection and Web of Science to select eligible studies that were published. The eligible studies will be screened, extracted and then the methodological quality will be evaluated independently by two reviewers. Review manager software V.5.3 software and Stata V.14.0 software will be used for meta-analysis.

Ethics and dissemination

Ethical approval is not required for a systematic review protocol. Findings of the proposed systematic review will be disseminated through conference presentations and publication in a peer-reviewed journal.

PROSPERO registration number

CRD42021265286.
Incorporating patient-reported outcomes into shared decision-making in the management of patients with osteoarthritis of the knee: a hybrid effectiveness-implementation study protocol
Authors: Lin Eugenia , Uhler Lauren M , Finley Erin P , Jayakumar Prakash , Rathouz Paul J , Bozic Kevin J , Tsevat Joel
Published: February 2022

Introduction

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a major clinical and public health concern. The primary surgical treatment of knee OA is total knee replacement (TKR), a procedure that aims to alleviate pain and restore physical function. TKR is expensive, however, and based on professional guidelines, inappropriately performed in up to a third of patients. Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) help evaluate treatment options by quantifying health outcomes that matter to patients and can thus inform shared decision-making (SDM) between patients and health professionals.

Methods and analysis

This is a US-based 2-year, two-site hybrid type 1 study to assess clinical effectiveness and implementation of a machine learning-based patient decision aid (PDA) integrating patient-reported outcomes and clinical variables to support SDM for patients with knee OA considering TKR. Substudy 1: At one study site, a randomised controlled trial is evaluating the clinical effectiveness of the PDA and SDM process on decision quality as measured after the baseline consultation and treatment choice measured 3 and 6 months after the baseline visit among 200 patients with knee OA. Substudy 2: At a second study site, a qualitative assessment using principles of behaviour design and intervention mapping is evaluating the feasibility and acceptability of the PROMs, PDA and SDM process by interviewing seven health professionals and 25 patients before and 25 patients after PDA implementation.

Ethics and dissemination

Ethics approval has been obtained from The University of Texas at Austin Institutional Review Board (protocol number: 2018-11-0042). Informed consent will be obtained from all participants. Study results will be disseminated through conference presentations, publications and professional societies.

Trial registration number

NCT04805554.
Five-year follow-up study of a population-based prospective cohort of men with low-risk prostate cancer: the treatment options in prostate cancer study (TOPCS): study protocol
Authors: Xu Jinping , Goodman Michael , Janisse James , Cher Michael L , Bock Cathryn Hufford
Published: February 2022

Introduction

Active surveillance (AS) is recommended for men with low-risk prostate cancer (LRPC) to reduce overtreatment and to maintain patients’ quality of life (QOL). However, whether African American (AA) men can safely undergo AS is controversial due to concerns of more aggressive disease and lack of empirical data on the safety and effectiveness of AS in this population. Withholding of AS may lead to a lost opportunity for improving survivorship in AA men. In this study, peer-reviewed and funded by the US Department of Defense, we will assess whether AS is an equally effective and safe management option for AA as it is for White men with LRPC.

Methods and analysis

The project extends follow-up of a large contemporary population-based cohort of LRPC patients (n=1688) with a high proportion of AA men (~20%) and well-characterised baseline and 2-year follow-up data. The objectives are to (1) determine any racial differences in AS adherence, switch rate from AS to curative treatment and time to treatment over 5 years after diagnosis, (2) compare QOL among AS group and curative treatment group over time, overall and by race and (3) evaluate whether reasons for switching from AS to curative treatment differ by race. Validation of survey responses related to AS follow-up procedures is being conducted through medical record review. We expect to obtain 5-year survey from ~900 (~20% AA) men by the end of this study to have sufficient power. Descriptive and inferential statistical techniques will be used to examine racial differences in AS adherence, effectiveness and QOL.

Ethics and dissemination

The parent and current studies were approved by the Institutional Review Boards at Wayne State University and Emory University. Since it is an observational study, ethical or safety risks are low. We will disseminate our findings to relevant conferences and peer-reviewed journals.
Outcomes to evaluate care for adults with acute dental pain and infection: a systematic narrative review
Authors: Thompson Wendy , Howe Shaun , Pitkeathley Carole , Coull Carly , Teoh L
Published: February 2022

Objective

To identify outcomes reported in peer-reviewed literature for evaluating the care of adults with acute dental pain or infection.

Design

Systematic narrative review.

Setting/participants

Primary research studies published in peer-reviewed literature and reporting care for adults with acute dental pain or infection across healthcare settings. Reports not in English language were excluded.

Study selection

Seven databases (CINAHL Plus, Dentistry and Oral Sciences Source, EMBASE, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, Scopus, Web of Science) were searched from inception to December 2020. Risk of bias assessment used the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme checklist for randomised controlled trials and Quality Assessment Tool for Studies of Diverse Design for other study types.

Outcomes

Narrative synthesis included all outcomes of care for adults with acute dental pain or infection. Excluded were outcomes about pain management to facilitate treatment, prophylaxis of postsurgical pain/infection or traumatic injuries.

Results

Searches identified 19 438 records, and 27 studies (dating from 1993 to 2020) were selected for inclusion. Across dental, pharmacy, hospital emergency and rural clinic settings, the studies were undertaken in high-income (n=20) and low/middle-income (n=7) countries. Two clinical outcome categories were identified: signs and symptoms of pain/infection and complications following treatment (including adverse drug reactions and reattendance for the same problem). Patient-reported outcomes included satisfaction with the care. Data collection methods included patient diaries, interviews and in-person reviews.

Discussion

A heterogeneous range of study types and qualities were included: one study, published in 1947, was excluded only due to lacking outcome details. Studies from dentistry reported just clinical outcomes; across wider healthcare more outcomes were included.

Conclusions

A combination of clinical and patient-reported outcomes are recommended to evaluate care for adults with acute dental pain or infection. Further research is recommended to develop core outcomes aligned with the international consensus on oral health outcomes.

PROSPERO registration number

CRD42020210183.
Patient engagement partnerships in clinical trials (PEP-CT): protocol for the systematic development and testing of patient partner and investigator decision aids
Authors: Parry Monica , Ceroni Tina , Wells David , Richards Dawn P , Toupin-April Karine , Ansari Hafsa , Bjørnnes Ann Kristin , Burnside Heather , Cavallo Sabrina , Day Andrew , Ellis Anne , Feldman Debbie , Gilron Ian , Najam Adhiyat , Zulfiqar Zoya , Marlin Susan
Published: February 2022

Introduction

Building capacity to improve sex/gender knowledge and strengthen patient engagement in clinical trials requires training and support. The overall goal of this 2-year project is to refine, translate and evaluate two web-based open-access patient and investigator decision aids aimed to improve patient engagement partnerships in clinical trials.

Methods and analysis

Two decision aids were designed in Phase 1 of this programme of research and this protocol describes a subsequent sequential phased approach to refine/translate (Phase 2A) and conduct alpha/usability (Phase 2B) and beta/field (Phase 3) testing. Decision aid development is guided by the International Patient Decision Aid Standards, User-Centred Design, Ottawa Decision-Support Framework and the Ottawa Model of Research Use. We have integrated patient-oriented research methods by engaging patient partners across all phases of our programme of research. Decision aids will first be refined and then translated to French (Phase 2A). Eight iterative cycles of semistructured interviews with 40 participants (20 patient partners and 20 investigators) will be conducted to determine usability (Phase 2B). A pragmatic pre/post pilot study design will then be implemented for field/beta testing using another purposive sample of 80 English-speaking and French-speaking participants (40 patients and 40 investigators). The samples are purposive to ensure an equal representation of English-speaking and French-speaking participants and an equal representation of men and women. Since sex and/or gender differences in utilisation and effectiveness of decision aids have not been previously reported, Phase 3 outcomes will be reported for the total sample and separately for men and women.

Ethics and dissemination

Ethics approval has been granted from the University of Toronto (41109, 28 September 2021). Informed consent will be obtained from participants. Dissemination will include co-authored publications, conference presentations, educational national public forums, fact sheets/newsletters, social media sharing and videos/webinars.
Area under the Expiratory Flow-Volume Curve: Normative Values in the National Health and Nutrition Survey (NHANES) Study
Authors: Ioachimescu Octavian C , McCarthy Kevin , Stoller James K
Published: February 2022

The area under the expiratory flow-volume (AEX-FV) loop has been evaluated before as a spirometric tool for assessing respiratory functional impairment. We computed the AEX-FV curves in spirometry tests performed on 20,313 participants in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) study.

We analyzed 108,939 spirometry tests performed between 2007 and 2012 (5964 children; 14,349 adults). In these tests, we computed the three areas from existing NHANES raw data on instantaneous expiratory flows measured at 0.01 s intervals.

Mean best-trial measurements for AEX-FV were 3.4 in boys, 2.8 in girls, 11.8 in men and 7.7 L2/s in women. We characterized indices of central tendency and dispersion of the measurements (eg, means and fifth percentiles—lower limits of normal) by age group (children vs adults), gender, race or ethnicity group and effort grading. Simple regression equations using logarithmic transformations of the above areas and using age, gender and height as inputs provided good predictive ability for the variable AEX-FV.

Regular, digital spirometry could and should make available to clinicians and researchers the area under the curves for flow versus volume graph, providing additional tools in our armamentarium to evaluate ventilatory impairments and patterns, and possibly respiratory disability.
Comparing liposomal bupivacaine plus bupivacaine to bupivacaine alone in interscalene blocks for rotator cuff repair surgery: a randomized clinical trial
Authors: Flaherty James M , Berg Aaron A , Harrison Alicia , Braman Jon , Pearson Jonah M , Matelich Benjamin , Kaizer Alexander M , Hutchins Jacob L
Published: February 2022

Background

Single-injection interscalene brachial plexus blocks are used for analgesia for rotator cuff repair (RCR) but have limited duration. The value of adding liposomal bupivacaine (LB) to prolong single-injection interscalene blocks is unclear. The purpose of this trial is to evaluate the addition of LB to regular bupivacaine interscalene blocks for patients undergoing arthroscopic RCR.

Methods

In this prospective, randomized trial, 70 patients undergoing primary RCR with equal group allocation were randomized by random number generator to receive an interscalene block with 20 mL of 0.5% bupivacaine or 10 mL 0.5% bupivacaine plus 133 mg LB. The primary outcome was cumulative opioid consumption within 72 hours of the procedure. Secondary outcomes included maximum pain scores and quality of recovery 15 survey scores.

Results

70 of the 80 randomized patients were included in final analysis following exclusion for protocol violations and loss to follow-up. Cumulative opioid consumption (oral morphine equivalents) within 72 hours in patients receiving LB was a median (IQR) of 31.9 mg (0, 73.1) compared with 45.0 mg (15.0, 108.8) among patients receiving bupivacaine alone (p=0.312). Patients receiving LB demonstrated mixed results regarding worst pain scores with improvements at 24 hours and 72 hours, but not 48 hours.

Conclusions

LB added to bupivacaine interscalene blocks does not reduce opioid consumption within 72 hours following arthroscopic RCR.

Trial registration number

NCT03587584.
Developing a theoretical marketing framework to analyse JUUL and compatible e-cigarette product promotion on Instagram
Authors: Kostygina Ganna , Tran Hy , Czaplicki Lauren , Perks Siobhan N , Vallone Donna , Emery Sherry L , Hair Elizabeth C
Published: February 2022

Background

E-cigarette promotion on social media coincided with the rapid growth of e-cigarette use among American youth, particularly with the increased JUUL pod vaporiser use. We examined commercial JUUL-related messages on Instagram to identify marketing appeals used to target users along the continuum of e-cigarette use; we mapped the appeals to existing theoretical marketing frameworks to better understand industry strategies.

Methods

Hashtag-based keyword rules were used to collect JUUL-related posts from the Instagram application programming interface, 1 March–13 November 2018. Posts were classified as commercial or non-commercial. A combination of machine learning methods, keyword algorithms and human coding were used to characterise message themes in commercial posts.

Results

Keyword filters captured 50 817 relevant posts and 41% were commercial. Among commercial posts, 91% contained recruitment/trial-based appeals (eg, combustible tobacco cessation; product sampling; giveaways) and 71% featured reinforcement/addiction-related appeals (eg, loyalty programmes). None of the commercial messages contained e-cigarette cessation-related appeals and less than 25% mentioned quitting combustible tobacco as a recruitment appeal.

Conclusions

Instagram posts featuring e-cigarette related marketing can increase exposure to persuasive messages encouraging e-cigarette trial and use particularly among susceptible youth. Stronger regulations are needed to prevent exposure to social media marketing among young social media users.
Universal leading quantum correction to the Newton potential
Authors: de Paula Netto Tibério , Modesto Leonardo , Shapiro Ilya L.
Published: February 2022

The derivation of effective quantum gravity corrections to Newton’s potential is an important step in the whole effective quantum field theory approach. We hereby add new strong arguments in favor of omitting all the diagrams with internal lines of the massive sources, and we also recalculate the corrections to the Newtonian potential using functional methods in an arbitrary parametrization of the quantum fluctuations of the metric. The general proof of the gauge- and parametrization-independence within this approach is also explicitly given. On top of that, we argue that the universality of the result holds regardless of the details of the ultraviolet completion of quantum gravity theory. Indeed, it turns out that the logarithm quantum correction depends only on the low energy spectrum of the theory that is responsible for the analytic properties of loop’s amplitudes.
Intermediate planar algebra revisited, II
Authors: Bakshi Keshab Chandra , Sruthymurali
Published: February 2022

We describe the subfactor planar algebra of an intermediate subfactor [Formula: see text] of an extremal subfactor [Formula: see text] of finite Jones index which is not necessarily irreducible.
Traffic-driven SI epidemic spreading on scale-free networks
Authors: Zhang Yongqiang , Li Shuang , Zhang Junfeng , Ma Jinlong , An Haigang
Published: February 2022

As COVID-19 spread globally in 2020, the interaction between the traffic dynamics and the spread of the epidemic has attracted much attention. However, controlling the spread of the epidemic remains a challenging issue. In this paper, we have investigated the relationships between link-closure strategies and the traffic-driven epidemic spreading. It is found that the epidemic spreading can be suppressed by the targeted closing of links between small-degree nodes. In contrast, closing links between large-degree nodes can accelerate the outbreak of the epidemic. These findings have significance for controlling the spread of the epidemic.
Numerical analysis of steady and transient magnetohydrodynamic flows around a cylinder
Authors: Najafinejad Mohammad Saleh , Kamyabi Ata , Kamyabi Mohammadmahdi , Mohebbi Ali
Published: February 2022

In this study, two-dimensional incompressible steady and time-dependent magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) flows around a cylinder were simulated by applying a finite volume method. The method was first validated through fair agreement of its results with the analytical solution for MHD flows inside the channels. It was then applied to simulate the MHD flows around a cylinder at Reynolds (Re) numbers varying from 100 to 1000 and Hartmann (Ha) numbers varying from 10 to 100. According to the results, although the increase in Re number strengthens the flow instability, the magnetic field suppresses this effect. The evidence for this claim is that the increase in Ha number leads to reduce in the separation angle for each Re number. This was in such a way that no flow separation was observed at Ha number equal to 50 and above for any considered Re number. Instability and therefore unsteady flows were seen only for the cases where Ha number was equal to 10 (the minimum considered value) and Re number was 500 or above. The drag coefficient (as a constant value for steady flows) or its average value (for unsteady flows) was enhanced by increasing the Ha number. The amplitude of the drag and lift coefficient fluctuations for unsteady cases were grown up by increasing the Re number. The Strouhal number was also found as a parameter that is dependent on both Re and Ha numbers.
Transitions of a two-atom system in an entangled state and the Fulling–Davies–Unruh effect: The electromagnetic field case
Authors: Zhou Chenyuan , Zhou Wenting
Published: February 2022

We explore, respectively, from the viewpoints of a locally inertial observer and a coaccelerated observer, the transition rates of a two-atom system in the symmetric or antisymmetric entangled state, [Formula: see text] or [Formula: see text], and coupled to the electromagnetic fields. The interatomic separation is assumed to be constant and perpendicular to the acceleration; the fields to which the atoms are coupled are assumed to be in the vacuum state in the locally inertial frame and in a thermal state in the coaccelerated frame. We find that, in the viewpoints of the two observers, both the downward transition [Formula: see text] and the upward transition [Formula: see text] can take place, where [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] denote two eigenstates of the two-atom system with both atoms in their ground states and excited states, respectively. With an appropriate choice of the orientations of the atomic dipole moments, coherent radiation can happen for a system in acceleration but not for one in inertial motion. By comparing the transition rates viewed by the two observers, we show that the transition rates of the accelerated two-atom system viewed by a locally inertial observer can only be recovered in the coaccelerated frame by assuming a thermal bath at the Fulling–Davies–Unruh temperature. The effects of these collective transitions on the evolution of energy of the two-atom system are also analyzed.
Problems in measuring the Casimir forces at short separations
Authors: Palasantzas George , Svetovoy Vitaly B.
Published: February 2022

The Casimir forces induced by fluctuations of electromagnetic field have been measured with a high precision at distances above [Formula: see text] nm. Although at shorter separations the magnitude of the force increases, it is more complicated to measure the forces at distances below [Formula: see text] nm. We review the problems that appear in this range of distances and their possible solutions. The first problem is related to the pull-in instability that occurs when two surfaces get too close to each other. As a particular manifestation of this problem, the spontaneous formation of the capillary bridges at distances [Formula: see text] nm is discussed. As an alternative, we discuss the method of adhered cantilever, which does not suffer from the pull-in instability. The second problem is related to the roughness of interacting surfaces that gives a significant deviation of the force from the expected scaling with the distance. We explain how the deviation can be related to the contribution of high asperities to the force. Characterization of the deposited rough films is also covered with a special emphasis on the excessive number of high asperities for the films deposited under nonequilibrium conditions. The third problem is related to the poor precision in the determination of the absolute distance between the bodies that results in a large total error in the force. We discuss the methods to determine the distance upon contact and cover a proposition to improve this precision in the method of adhered cantilever.
An Efficient Detection and Recognition System for Multiple Motorcycle License Plates Based on Decision Tree
Authors: Tsai Chun-Ming , Shih Frank Y.
Published: February 2022

The automatic detection and recognition for motorcycle license plates present a very challenging task since they appear more compact and versatile than vehicle license plates. In this paper, we present an efficient detection and recognition system for motorcycle license plates based on decision tree and deep learning. It can be successfully carried out under various conditions, such as frontal, horizontally or vertically skewed, blurry, poor illumination, large viewing distances or angles, distortions, multiple license plates in an image, at night or interfered with brake lights, and headlights. Experimental results show that our system performs the best when testing with multiple license plates images under different conditions as compared against six state-of-the-art methods. Furthermore, our detection and recognition system have shown more accurate results than three commercial automatic license plate recognition systems in evaluation using accuracy, precision, recall, and F1 rates.
Multi-Extended Target Tracking Algorithm Based on VBEM-CPHD
Authors: Li Yawen , Wang Bo
Published: February 2022

Considering that the extended targets tracking problem of the measurement is a glint noise with an unknown inverse covariance, a new algorithm from a multi-extended target tracking based on the Variational Bayesian Expectation Maximization (VBEM) is proposed. To improve the variational Bayesian technique, a modeled Student’s t distribution is proposed based on multiple Gaussian mixture terms in order to replace the probability hypothesis density (PHD) intensity. The extended target was modeled with a Student’s t distribution with the glint noise, using Gauss-Gamma distribution combining the variational Bayesian technique to obtain an approximate distribution and applying the expectation-maximization algorithm for iterative estimation. The two experiments are compared and analyzed with the VBEM-CPHD algorithm and the traditional extended target tracking algorithm. Experiment 1 estimated the trajectory of the target, compared algorithms of VBEM-CPHD and GM-CPHD with OSPA distance, varied glint noise with the three different measurement noise standard deviations. Experiment 2 completed the examination of the tracking performance and stability of the proposed method and performed to compare the VBEM-CPHD algorithm proposed with the VB-based GM-CPHD (GM-VBCPHD) algorithm under an unknown measurement noise covariance. The experimental results indicate that the algorithm of VBEM-CPHD has high tracking accuracy, good adaptability, and a strong antijamming ability for multiple extended targets under glint noise conditions.
Indoor Positioning and Navigation Model Based on Semantic Grid
Authors: Wei Cuncun , Ge Qianqian
Published: February 2022

Traditional GPS positioning technology cannot be used in indoor space. With the development of the new positioning technology and the Internet of things, the indoor mobile object positioning and navigation model have been the focus of the relevant research institutions at home and abroad. Based on this, indoor positioning technology was studied starting from Wi-Fi, RFID, and iBeacon technology in this paper. However, the accuracy of indoor positioning and navigation needs to be further improved. This paper presents a semantic space model based on artificial intelligence technology, through semantic pattern matching, semantic concept extension, semantic reasoning and semantic mapping, and interior semantic localization is realized. The indoor semantic network and indoor grid navigation model are constructed, and the indoor semantic path is modeled from time, location, user, and congestion. At the same time, the improved Term Frequency-Inverse Document Frequency is combined with the Hidden Markov Model to improve the accuracy of matching the stay area with the most likely location to visit and improve the accuracy of semantic annotation. It was found that the research on the indoor positioning and navigation model based on the semantic grid can realize the uniform expression of the complex spatial semantics of the theme, geometry, connectivity, and distance, which can promote the development of indoor positioning and navigation.
Link Connectivity-Based Access Selection Method for Multi-UAV Heterogeneous Networks
Authors: Wen Shaojie , Deng Lianbing , Liu Zengliang
Published: February 2022

While UAV ad hoc networks have made significant progress, implementing it in most of real-application scenarios is challenging due to data explosion. Instead of only ad hoc mode, this work simultaneously considers non-orthogonal multiple access technique (NOMA) and ad hoc mode to handle the problem. We further propose an effective framework to seamlessly integrate these two techniques, namely Multi-UAV heterogeneous networks. Specifically, we formulate the framework as a mixed integer nonlinear programming, in which original problem can be decomposed into two sub-problems, e.g., access mode selection for UAV to UAV mode (U2U) and UAV to Ground Base mode (U2G), and transmission rate optimization. For the access mode selection, to reduce the computational complexity at each UAV, a candidate set is constructed based on the connection time and link quality. After that, the component in candidate set that maximizes the objective function is selected as the access point. Due to the different communication techniques in U2U mode and U2G mode, we can obtain the optimal rate for each UAV by using the NOMA technique in U2G mode and channel prediction method with local information in U2U mode, respectively. For the transmission rate optimization, an effective algorithm is proposed for U2G mode and U2U mode, which considers the effects of the network connectivity and link quality on the optimization performance. Simulation results show that our method can reduce the outage rate and improve the network throughput effectively.
SNN Simulation Performance Prediction: A Nonempirical Method
Authors: Zhu Guoliang , Hua Xia , Yu Gongjian , Chai Zhilei
Published: February 2022

As a third generation artificial neural network, spiking neuron network is expected to expand the artificial intelligence world. However, as a more detailed simulation of brain, a single run of spiking neural networks (SNNs) simulation can take hours to days. To get a better prediction of SNN simulation performance, existing work requires gathering result of actual runs to conduct accurate modeling. In this paper, we propose a nonempirical SNN simulation performance prediction method, prototyped in a hybrid CPU-FPGA cluster. Experiments show that our method, without actual simulation run, can get comparable accuracy with orders of magnitude less runtime cost.
Theory of Extended Forms of Switching Function
Authors: Can Yavuz
Published: February 2022

In switching algebra, there exist standard forms of Boolean functions such as the disjunctive or conjunctive form. This paper discusses the theory of the extended standard forms of Boolean functions. In addition to the four existing standard forms, two further forms are introduced and thus expanded to six basic forms. On the one hand, the existence of the extended forms is presented and on the other hand new formulas and equations are illustrated. Equations relating to the resolution and/or solution of conjunction/disjunctions are detailed and proven to be valid. In addition, equations for conversion between forms are exemplified. Finally, certain formal relations between the basic forms that are valid under certain conditions are featured.
Jeans instability in an expanding universe with dissipation
Authors: Kremer Gilberto M.
Published: February 2022

Jeans instability is analyzed in an expanding universe within the framework of BGK model of the Boltzmann equation and Poisson equations. The background is characterized by a comoving Maxwellian distribution function and a spacetime Newtonian gravitational potential which satisfy the BGK model of the Boltzmann–Poisson equations without the necessity to invoke “Jeans swindle.” The perturbations of the distribution function and Newtonian gravitational potentials from their background states are represented by plane waves of small amplitudes and a differential equation for the density contrast is determined. The density contrast differential equation was solved numerically and it is shown: (i) Jeans instability is characterized by perturbation wavelengths larger than Jeans wavelength where the density contrast grows with time. The growth of the density contrast is less accentuated for the case where the particle collisions are considered due to an energy dissipation; (ii) for perturbation wavelengths smaller than Jeans wavelength the density contrast has an oscillatory behavior in time and the oscillations for the case where the collisions are taken into account fade away in time due to the energy dissipation.
Strong Gelfand pairs of SL(2,p)
Authors: Barton Andrea , Humphries Stephen P.
Published: February 2022

A strong Gelfand pair [Formula: see text] is a group [Formula: see text] together with a subgroup [Formula: see text] such that every irreducible character of [Formula: see text] induces a multiplicity-free character of [Formula: see text]. We classify the strong Gelfand pairs of the special linear groups [Formula: see text], where [Formula: see text] is a prime.
Comparison of the semiclassical and quantum dynamics of the Bianchi I cosmology in the polymer and GUP extended paradigms
Authors: Barca Gabriele , Giovannetti Eleonora , Montani Giovanni
Published: February 2022

We compare in some detail Polymer Quantum Mechanics and the Generalized Uncertainty Principle approach to clarify to what extent we can treat them on the same footing. We show that, while on a semiclassical level they may be formulated as similar modifications of the Poisson algebra, on a quantum level they intrinsically differ because PQM implies no absolute minimal uncertainty on position. Then we implement these schemes to Bianchi I cosmology on a semiclassical level deforming only the algebra of the Universe volume, searching for alternative formulations able to account for the modified Friedmann equations emerging in Brane Cosmology and Loop Quantum Cosmology. On a pure quantum level, we implement the two approaches through their original setups and reduce the two resulting Wheeler–DeWitt equations to the same morphological structure, showing how the polymer formalism is associated with a bouncing dynamics while in the Generalized Uncertainty Principle case the singularity is still present. The implications of the wavepacket spreading are also discussed in both approaches, outlining that, when the singularity survives, the Planckian era must necessarily be approached by a fully quantum (non-peaked) state of the Universe.
Type-II polyadic constacyclic codes over finite fields
Authors: Jitman Somphong , Ling San , Tharnnukhroh Jareena
Published: February 2022

Polyadic constacyclic codes over finite fields have been of interest due to their nice algebraic structures, good parameters, and wide applications. Recently, the study of Type-I m-adic constacyclic codes over finite fields has been established. In this paper, a family of Type-II m-adic constacyclic codes is investigated. The existence of such codes is determined using the length of orbits in a suitable group action. A necessary condition and a sufficient condition for a positive integer s to be a multiplier of a Type-II m-adic constacyclic code are determined. Subsequently, for a given positive integer m, a necessary condition and a sufficient condition for the existence of Type-II m-adic constacyclic codes are derived. In many cases, these conditions become both necessary and sufficient. For the other cases, determining necessary and sufficient conditions is equivalent to the discrete logarithm problem which is considered to be computationally intractable. Some special cases are investigated together with examples of Type-II polyadic constacyclic codes with good parameters.
The Impacts of Flooding and Business Activity and Employment: A Spatial Perspective on Small Business
Authors: Sun Quan , Mann John , Skidmore Mark
Published: February 2022

Severe flooding events often cause significant damage to an area, including affecting the local economy, disrupting transportation, and damaging infrastructure. While raw statistics offer some understanding of crop and property-related damages, resulting from large-scale floods, we also need to consider the longer-term impacts and recovery within an area and the interaction between adjacent areas during the recovery process. In this paper, we examine the impacts of major and minor flood events on business employment and the number of establishments in different sectors of the economy. While we find that flood events had a negative short-run impact on agricultural services and particularly small establishments, estimations show positive impacts in the service sector. We also identify significant spatial spillovers.
Exhaled Breath Temperature Home Monitoring to Detect NSCLC Relapse: Results from a Pilot Study
Authors: Carpagnano Giovanna Elisiana , Popov Todor A. , Scioscia Giulia , Ardò Nicoletta Pia , Lacedonia Donato , Malerba Mario , Tondo Pasquale , Soccio Piera , Loizzi Domenico , Foschino Barbaro Maria Pia , Sollitto Francesco
Published: February 2022

Background. Exhaled breath temperature (EBT) has been shown to reflect airway inflammation as well as increased vascularization, both involved in the pathogenesis of lung cancer. The aim of this study was to look for evidence that continuous EBT monitoring by such a device may help the early detection of relapse of lung cancer in patients with NSCLC who have been subjected to surgery with radical intent. Case Series. We included 11 subjects, who had been subjected to lung resection with radical intent for NSCLC in a prospective observational study. All patients received individual devices for EBT measurement and used them daily for 24 months after surgery. Subjects were also followed up by means of regular standard‐of‐care clinical and radiologic monitoring for lung cancer at four intervals separated by 6 months (T0, T1, T2, T3, and T4). In 5 patients, relapse of lung cancer was documented by means of lung biopsies. All of them recorded an elevation of their EBT at least one‐time interval (T1), corresponding to 6 months, before the relapse was diagnosed at T4. The individual EBT graphs over time differed among these patients, and their mean EBT variability increased by +4% towards the end of 24 months of monitoring. By contrast, patients without a relapse did not document an elevation of their EBT and their variability decreased by ‐1.4%. Conclusions. Our pilot study provided evidence that continuous EBT monitoring can help in the early detection of lung cancer relapse.
Brushing Effect on the Properties of Glass Ionomer Cement Modified by Hydroxyapatite Nanoparticles or by Bioactive Glasses
Authors: Martins Rafael A. , Marti Luana M. , Mendes Ana C. B. , Fragelli Camila , Cilense Mario , Zuanon Angela C. C.
Published: February 2022

This study evaluated the physical and mechanical properties of glass ionomer cement (GIC) associated with 5% hydroxyapatite nanoparticles (NPHAps) and 10% bioactive glass (BAG) 45S5 before and after brushing at different storage times. Surface roughness was evaluated using a rugosimeter, Vickers hardness using a microdurometer, and mass variation measured in an analytical balance at 1, 7, 15, 30, and 60 days before and after the brushing test, with the aid of toothbrushing simulator and soft bristle toothbrushes. Nonnormal distribution was observed, and the nonparametric Wilcoxon and Kruskal–Wallis tests followed by Dunn’s were performed, with a significance level of 5%. We observed higher values for mass loss on the first day for all groups. The surface roughness was lower in the control and NP groups, 30 days after brushing. Higher values for hardness were found in the control group and lower ones for NP, after brushing. The control and BAG groups presented a decrease in hardness over time. The NP group presented the highest values before brushing, while the control group had the highest values after brushing. The association of NPHPa with the GIC is the most promising combination, since it presented satisfactory values for surface hardness. However, conventional GIC not associated with NPHPa or BAG is still an option, since it is available in the market and the most economically viable option.
Target-Aware Deep Feature Compression for Power Intelligent Inspection Tracking
Authors: Jiang Wei , Guo Zhimin , Zhang Huanlong , Cheng Liyun , Tian Yangyang
Published: February 2022

Deep learning has brought revolutionary progress to computer vision, so intelligent inspection equipment based on computer vision has developed rapidly. However, due to the large number of existing deep features, it is difficult to deploy it on mobile devices to achieve real-time tracking speed. This paper presents a target-aware deep feature compression for power intelligent inspection tracking. First, a negative balance loss function is designed to mine channel features suitable for the current inspection scene by shrinking the contribution of pure background negative samples and enhancing the impact of difficult negative samples. Based on this, the deep feature compression model is combined with Siamese tracking framework to achieve real-time and robust tracking. Finally, we evaluate the proposed method on real application scenarios and general data to prove the practicability of the proposed method.
CNN-LSTM Hybrid Real-Time IoT-Based Cognitive Approaches for ISLR with WebRTC: Auditory Impaired Assistive Technology
Authors: Gupta Meenu , Thakur Narina , Bansal Dhruvi , Chaudhary Gopal , Davaasambuu Battulga , Hua Qiaozhi
Published: February 2022

In the era of modern technology, people may readily communicate through facial expressions, body language, and other means. As the use of the Internet evolves, it may be a boon to the medical fields. Recently, the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) has provided a broader platform to handle difficulties linked to healthcare, including people's listening and hearing impairment. Although there are many translators that exist to help people of various linguistic backgrounds communicate more effectively. Using kinesics linguistics, one may assess or comprehend the communications of auditory and hearing-impaired persons who are standing next to each other. When looking at the present COVID-19 scenario, individuals are still linked in some way via online platforms; however, persons with disabilities have communication challenges with online platforms. The work provided in this research serves as a communication bridge inside the challenged community and the rest of the globe. The proposed work for Indian Sign Linguistic Recognition (ISLR) uses three-dimensional convolutional neural networks (3D-CNNs) and long short-term memory (LSTM) technique for analysis. A conventional hand gesture recognition system involves identifying the hand and its location or orientation, extracting certain essential features and applying an appropriate machine learning algorithm to recognise the completed action. In the calling interface of the web application, WebRTC has been implemented. A teleprompting technology is also used in the web app, which transforms sign language into audible sound. The proposed web app's average recognition rate is 97.21%.
Waveform Distortion of Gaussian Beam in Atmospheric Turbulence Simulated by Phase Screen Method
Authors: Yang Zhi-Qiang , Yang Li-hong , Gong Lei , Wang Liguo , Wang Xinyi
Published: February 2022

The atmospheric turbulence phase screen is generated based on the power spectrum inversion method, and the multiple transmission processes are statistically averaged. The waveform distortion of the Gaussian beam in the atmospheric turbulence is analyzed; the simulation results show that the property of Gaussian beam has been destroyed after its passing through the atmospheric turbulence. When the beam waist radius is close to a certain radius, the degree of change becomes larger. When it approaches the critical value, the wave surface no longer changes sharply, and as the turbulence intensity increases, the phase fluctuation becomes more and more severe, the coherence of the beam is destroyed, and the spot may be split into several pieces. Finally, the relationship of intensity fluctuation, amplitude fluctuation, and bit error rate with distance is analyzed.
Security and Risk Analysis of Financial Industry Based on the Internet of Things
Authors: Li Yizhi
Published: February 2022

Internet of Things finance is a new type of financial industry in which Internet of Things enterprises and financial institutions borrow information and communication technology and Internet of Things technology and use algorithms and models to realize payment, positioning, investment, measurement, capital financing, asset management, and information intermediary services. The purpose of this paper is to implement risk management and control based on the Internet of Things by enumerating, comprehending, and all-embracing data, effectively improve reliability and efficiency, and minimize risks under certain conditions. First this article on the Internet of things and Internet of things played a role in financial giving relevant summary and interpretation of the analysis of the present condition, and the rate of financial security and risk is based on Internet environment, and for financial security and risk measurement, positioning and computing scheme, attached to the unit and multiple positioning and Taylor calculation model, is used to determine and control the financial risk. In addition, beBS-T encryption model is used to encrypt financial nodes to strengthen financial security and reduce financial risks. AHP is then used to establish a risk judgment matrix to evaluate the financial system and calculate the index of risk weight. After that, simulation algorithm is used to check nodes and risk measurement experiments. The improved ant colony algorithm NACO is compared with the basic algorithm TACO, and the further improved TSN metric algorithm with increment is proposed. The conclusion is drawn as follows: The improved ant colony algorithm NACO is 23.46% lower than the basic ant colony algorithm TACO in the failure jitter end of risk measurement, while the incremental I-NACO algorithm shows better utility and is 7.1% lower than the NACO algorithm in the delay jitter of risk measurement. The Internet of Things is taking a deep role in the financial field, and its shape is in the making. In the process of controlling financial risks, it can make a great contribution to gradually innovate financial forms and reform business models.
Docosahexaenoic Acid Attenuates the Progression of Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis by Suppressing the Adipocyte Inflammation via the G Protein-Coupled Receptor 120/Free Fatty Acid Receptor 4 Pathway
Authors: Nakamoto Kazuo , Tokuyama Shogo
Published: February 2022

Introduction: Our previous study demonstrated that docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), an endogenous G protein-coupled receptor 120 (GPR120)/free fatty acid receptor (FFAR) 4 agonist, attenuated the liver inflammation in nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), while exacerbated liver inflammation was observed in the GPR120/FFAR4 knockout (GPR120/FFAR4KO) mice. Recently, abdominal adiposity has been reported to correlate with the severity of inflammation and fibrosis in patients with NASH. In this study, we investigated whether the activation of GPR120/FFAR4 suppressed the inflammation of the adipose tissue and whether these suppressive effects attenuated the development of NASH. Methods: A choline-deficient and 0.1% methionine-containing high-fat (CDAHF) diet was used to create a mouse model of NASH. DHA was orally administered to the mice for 1 week. Epididymal fat pads which collected from the control-fed wild-type (WT) or GPR120/FFAR4KO mice were used as ex vivo white adipose tissue (WAT) culture systems. Results: The mice fed a CDAHF diet for 2 weeks showed NASH-like liver diseases. In the WAT of mice fed with the CDAHF diet, inflammation and fibrosis were significantly increased, and the administration of DHA suppressed these phenomena. In an ex vivo adipocyte culture study, DHA dose-dependently suppressed the lipopolysaccharide-induced inflammation in the adipocyte tissue of WT mice, which was reversed by pretreatment with AH7614, a GPR120/FFAR4 antagonist, but not GPR40 or peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ antagonist. Conclusions: These findings suggest that the activation of GPR120/FFAR4 may suppress the inflammation of adipocytes, which could be a key pathway to prevent the development of NASH.