bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Keller–Box simulation for nonzero and zero mass fluxes of nanofluid flow impinging over a bi-directional stretching sheet: An unsteady mathematical model
Authors: Faisal Muhammad , Ahmad Iftikhar , Javed Tariq
Published: December 2020

The countless applications of nanofluids in the improvements of nanotechnology, thermal and physical analogies have attracted our attention to frame an unsteady mathematical model for bi-directional flow of a Newtonian nanofluid over a stretching sheet with the potencies of nonzero and zero mass fluxes. Mathematically, this newly presented analysis is more genuine, where the action of a prescribed heat source at a stretching surface is used to control the distribution of heat. Mathematical formulation is carried out using a novel two-phase nanofluid model. Dimensionless forms of governing equations are obtained with the help of a suitable set of variables. The transformed equations are then solved by using an innovative computational technique, namely, Keller–Box approach. Moreover, the convergence of the numerical solution has been discussed via grid-independence tactic. The results for reduced Nusselt and Sherwood numbers have been arranged in the form of a table with CPU run time. Graphical illustrations have been presented for concentration and temperature distributions. It is inspected that escalating amounts of heat distribution indices reduce the mass concentration and the temperature of the nanomaterial. Rate of heat transference is noticed approximately 228.62% higher, while rate of mass transference is observed approximately 16.79% lower when analysis is shifted to zero mass flux environment from nonzero normal mass flux environment.
On the road to a scientific data lake for the High Luminosity LHC era
Authors: Alekseev Aleksandr , Campana Simone , Espinal Xavier , Jezequel Stephane , Kirianov Andrey , Klimentov Alexei , Korchuganova Tatiana , Mitsyn Valeri , Oleynik Danila , Smirnov Serge , Zarochentsev Andrey
Published: December 2020

The experiments at CERN’s Large Hadron Collider use the Worldwide LHC Computing Grid, the WLCG, for its distributed computing infrastructure. Through the distributed workload and data management systems, they provide seamless access to hundreds of grid, HPC and cloud based computing and storage resources that are distributed worldwide to thousands of physicists. LHC experiments annually process more than an exabyte of data using an average of 500,000 distributed CPU cores, to enable hundreds of new scientific results from the collider. However, the resources available to the experiments have been insufficient to meet data processing, simulation and analysis needs over the past five years as the volume of data from the LHC has grown. The problem will be even more severe for the next LHC phases. High Luminosity LHC will be a multiexabyte challenge where the envisaged Storage and Compute needs are a factor 10 to 100 above the expected technology evolution. The particle physics community needs to evolve current computing and data organization models in order to introduce changes in the way it uses and manages the infrastructure, focused on optimizations to bring performance and efficiency not forgetting simplification of operations. In this paper we highlight a recent R&D project related to scientific data lake and federated data storage.
Convergence of knowledge in a stochastic cultural evolution model with population structure, social learning and credibility biases
Authors: Billiard Sylvain , Derex Maxime , Maisonneuve Ludovic , Rey Thomas
Published: December 2020

Understanding how knowledge emerges and propagates within groups is crucial to explain the evolution of human populations. In this work, we introduce a mathematically oriented model that draws on individual-based approaches, inhomogeneous Markov chains and learning algorithms, such as those introduced in [F. Cucker and S. Smale, On the mathematical foundations of learning, Bull. Amer. Math. Soc. 39 (2002) 1–49; F. Cucker, S. Smale and D. X. Zhou, Modeling language evolution, Found. Comput. Math. 4 (2004) 315–343]. After deriving the model, we study some of its mathematical properties, and establish theoretical and quantitative results in a simplified case. Finally, we run numerical simulations to illustrate some properties of the model. Our main result is that, as time goes to infinity, individuals’ knowledge can converge to a common shared knowledge that was not present in the convex combination of initial individuals’ knowledge.
A CLOSED-FORM SOLUTION FOR OPTIMAL ORNSTEIN–UHLENBECK DRIVEN TRADING STRATEGIES
Authors: LIPTON ALEXANDER , LÓPEZ DE PRADO MARCOS
Published: December 2020

When prices reflect all available information, they oscillate around an equilibrium level. This oscillation is the result of the temporary market impact caused by waves of buyers and sellers. This price behavior can be approximated through an Ornstein–Uhlenbeck (OU) process. Market makers provide liquidity in an attempt to monetize this oscillation. They enter a long position when a security is priced below its estimated equilibrium level, and they enter a short position when a security is priced above its estimated equilibrium level. They hold that position until one of three outcomes occur: (1) they achieve the targeted profit; (2) they experience a maximum tolerated loss; (3) the position is held beyond a maximum tolerated horizon. All market makers are confronted with the problem of defining profit-taking and stop-out levels. More generally, all execution traders acting on behalf of a client must determine at what levels an order must be fulfilled. Those optimal levels can be determined by maximizing the trader’s Sharpe ratio in the context of OU processes via Monte Carlo experiments [M. López de Prado (2018) Advances in Financial Machine Learning. Hoboken, NJ, USA: John Wiley & Sons]. This paper develops an analytical framework and derives those optimal levels by using the method of heat potentials [A. Lipton & V. Kaushansky (2018) On the first hitting time density of an Ornstein–Uhlenbeck process, arXiv:1810.02390; A. Lipton & V. Kaushansky (2020a) On the first hitting time density for a reducible diffusion process, Quantitative Finance, doi:10.1080/14697688.2020.1713394].
Determination of the Best Areas Behind the Noise Barriers with the Highest Performance by using a Mathematical Model
Authors: Monazzam M. R. , Mansouri N. , Pouragha Hamidreza , Naserpour Mahsa
Published: December 2020

Traffic noise barriers are one of the most important ways of environmental noise pollution control. Profiled barriers are one of the most successful noise control screens. A simple mathematical model representation of the zones behind rigid and absorbent barriers with the highest insertion loss using the destructive effect of the indirect path via barrier image is introduced. The results are compared with the results of a verified two-dimensional (2D) BEM in a wide field behind those barriers. Field measurements for the model near a highway in a megacity were also tested. A very good agreement between the results has been achieved. In this method, effective height is used for any different profile barrier. Since the highway dominant noise frequency was found to be at 125 Hz 1/3-octave band center frequency, the presented model in this study showed that the best place for installing a T-shaped barrier is 10.5[Formula: see text]m from the target receiver. The introduced model is very simple and fast and could be used for choosing the best location of profiled barriers to achieve the highest performance with no additional cost.
Analysis of Fluctuations of Uterine Contractions in Preterm Pregnancies using Adaptive Fractal Features of Electromyography Signals
Authors: Punitha N. , Vardhini P. , Vinothini S. , Ramakrishnan S.
Published: December 2020

Analysis of fluctuations of uterine contractions under varied gestational ages is clinically significant. In this work, fluctuations associated with Preterm pregnancies are analyzed. For this, uterine electromyography (uEMG) signals in Preterm condition with varied gestational ages are considered. The signals are subjected to Adaptive Fractal Analysis (AFA) where a global trend is identified using overlapping windows of varying orders. The signal is detrended and fluctuation function is estimated. Hurst exponent features are extracted and analyzed statistically. Results show that AFA is able to characterize the variations in the fluctuations of Preterm uEMG signals. The feature values are distinct and vary with gestational age. Coefficient of variation is observed to be low, indicating that these features could handle inter-subject variability of Preterm signals. As early diagnosis of premature delivery is imperative for timely medical intervention and treatment, it appears that the proposed features could aid in determining the changes in uterine muscle contractions in Preterm condition.
Relationship Between the Structure Function of Random Time Series and the Discrete Chebyshev Spectrum
Authors: Klyuev A. L. , Davydov A. D. , Grafov B. M.
Published: December 2020

The technique of Chebyshev polynomials of discrete variable is used to analyze a random time series. The main result of the work is a new theoretical relationship between the structure function and the discrete Chebyshev spectrum. The relationship is used for the trend-resistant structural analysis of electrochemical noise of corrosion process and for the trend-resistant structural analysis of electronic noise of measuring instrument. Not only the structure function of the analyzed random series, but also the structure function of trend is estimated. The theoretical relationship between the structure function and the discrete Chebyshev spectrum can be used for the trend-resistant structural analysis of random time series of any nature.
Data-Driven Evidential Reasoning Method for Evaluating e-Government Performance
Authors: Yang Ying , Lu Rui-Xue , Xue Min , Shou Zhi-Qin , Yang Jian-Bo , Fu Lei
Published: December 2020

The construction of electronic government (e-government) systems is a process of continuous improvement. It is necessary to evaluate the performance of e-government systems regularly to improve the services provided by government agencies and enhance the exchange of information between governments and citizens. Evaluating e-government performance based on citizens’ experience is a multiple criterion decision making (MCDM) problem under uncertainty, where assessments are qualitative, and many e-government system users are involved. Deriving criterion weights from a large amount of evaluation data is rarely discussed in previous MCDM studies. This paper proposes a data-driven evidential reasoning (DDER) method for evaluating e-government performance. A criteria framework from the citizens’ experience perspective, including service guide clarity, site usability, information sharing, documentation, and the availability of e-services, is proposed. Belief structures are used to portray uncertain assessments from e-government system users. The criterion weights are learned from the data by minimizing the dissimilarity between the aggregation assessments of the alternatives on each criterion and citizens’ historical observations on a whole. A case study is conducted in 16 cities of Anhui province in China to evaluate the performance of e-government systems. The ranking results verified the applicability and effectiveness of the proposed method.
Elastic magnetic curves of ferromagnetic and superparamagnetic models on the surface
Authors: Korpinar Talat , Demirkol Ridvan Cem , Asil Vedat
Published: December 2020

We are interested in defining new energy functionals and solving them by using the variational approach method and Darboux equations. That is, we aim to define a new class of elastic curves on the regular surface [Formula: see text]. We further improve an alternative method to find critical points of the bending energy functionals acting on a class of magnetic curves on [Formula: see text]. As a result, we classify these critical curves as elastic magnetic curves of the Darboux vector family.
Confined Tuning Hierarchical Core–Shell Architectures of Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes Wrapped by MnO2 Sheets with High-Performance Microwave Absorption
Authors: Shi Ran , Xing Honglong , Liu Ye , Ji Xiaoli
Published: December 2020

Hierarchical core–shell architectures with multi-walled carbon nanotubes as core and MnO2 sheets shaped in an array mode as shell (MWCNTs@MnO2) were successfully synthesized via a simple wet chemical method. X-ray diffraction patterns and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis revealed that the composites were successfully prepared. Morphological characterizations were made by scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. Vector network analyzer was employed to investigate the electromagnetic parameters of the composites. A possible attenuation mechanism was discussed, and the high-performance microwave absorption properties were attributed to the porous microstructure, polarization effect, dielectric loss and the synergistic action between MWCNTs and [Formula: see text]-MnO2. A minimum reflection loss (RL) of [Formula: see text]50.6[Formula: see text]dB was achieved at a thickness of 1.4[Formula: see text]mm, and an effective absorption bandwidth ([Formula: see text][Formula: see text]dB) covered 4.2[Formula: see text]GHz (from 13.8[Formula: see text]GHz to 18[Formula: see text]GHz) at a thickness of 1.3[Formula: see text]mm. Therefore, these results suggested that the MWCNTs@[Formula: see text]-MnO2 composites can be an excellent candidate for microwave absorption materials.
The Promoting Effect of MxOy(M = Zr, Ti, Co, Ni) to 3D Nanoporous Pd for Ethanol Electrooxidation
Authors: Song Yanyan , He Lizhong , Huang Rui , Su Xiaolei , He Xinhai , Yuan Xiaoyun
Published: December 2020

In this work, a series of three dimensions nanoporous Pd/MxOy ([Formula: see text], Ti, Co, Ni) composites are directly prepared by a simple dealloying method, their electrocatalytic performances are investigated. The structure analysis results show that the pores size of the composites is distinctly reduced, and their specific surface area is obviously increased compared with the nanoporous Pd when adding MxOy. As an anode catalyst, these three-dimensional (3D) nanoporous Pd/MxOy composites exhibit remarkable electrocatalytic performance (activity and stability) than that of the nanoporous Pd for ethanol electrooxidation, the order of the performance is as follows: Pd/NiO [Formula: see text] Pd/Co2O3 s [Formula: see text] Pd/TiO2 s [Formula: see text] Pd/ZrO[Formula: see text] Pd. Among the composites, the nanoporous Pd/NiO composite shows the best performance, which is approximately 3.6 times that of the single nanoporous Pd. The performance improvement of the composites for the ethanol oxidation is attributed to the structure optimization, interfacial electronic effect and dual functional mechanism between Pd and MxOy.
CrowdWT
Authors: Tu Jinzheng , Yu Guoxian , Wang Jun , Domeniconi Carlotta , Guo Maozu , Zhang Xiangliang
Published: December 2020

Crowdsourcing is a relatively inexpensive and efficient mechanism to collect annotations of data from the open Internet. Crowdsourcing workers are paid for the provided annotations, but the task requester usually has a limited budget. It is desirable to wisely assign the appropriate task to the right workers, so the overall annotation quality is maximized while the cost is reduced. In this article, we propose a novel task assignment strategy (CrowdWT) to capture the complex interactions between tasks and workers, and properly assign tasks to workers. CrowdWT first develops a Worker Bias Model (WBM) to jointly model the worker’s bias, the ground truths of tasks, and the task features. WBM constructs a mapping between task features and worker annotations to dynamically assign the task to a group of workers, who are more likely to give correct annotations for the task. CrowdWT further introduces a Task Difficulty Model (TDM), which builds a Kernel ridge regressor based on task features to quantify the intrinsic difficulty of tasks and thus to assign the difficult tasks to more reliable workers. Finally, CrowdWT combines WBM and TDM into a unified model to dynamically assign tasks to a group of workers and recall more reliable and even expert workers to annotate the difficult tasks. Our experimental results on two real-world datasets and two semi-synthetic datasets show that CrowdWT achieves high-quality answers within a limited budget, and has the best performance against competitive methods.
A Reduced Network Traffic Method for IoT Data Clustering
Authors: Azevedo Ricardo De , Machado Gabriel Resende , Goldschmidt Ronaldo Ribeiro , Choren Ricardo
Published: December 2020

Internet of Things (IoT) systems usually involve interconnected, low processing capacity, and low memory sensor nodes (devices) that collect data in several sorts of applications that interconnect people and things. In this scenario, mining tasks, such as clustering, have been commonly deployed to detect behavioral patterns from the collected data. The centralized clustering of IoT data demands high network traffic to transmit the data from the devices to a central node, where a clustering algorithm must be applied. This approach does not scale as the number of devices increases, and the amount of data grows. However, distributing the clustering process through the devices may not be a feasible approach as well, since the devices are usually simple and may not have the ability to execute complex procedures. This work proposes a centralized IoT data clustering method that demands reduced network traffic and low processing power in the devices. The proposed method uses a data grid to summarize the information at the devices before transmitting it to the central node, reducing network traffic. After the data transfer, the proposed method applies a clustering algorithm that was developed to process data in the summarized representation. Tests with seven datasets provided experimental evidence that the proposed method reduces network traffic and produces results comparable to the ones generated by DBSCAN and HDBSCAN, two robust centralized clustering algorithms.
Novel Auristatins with High Bystander and Cytotoxic Activities in Drug Efflux–positive Tumor Models
Authors: Moquist Philip N. , Bovee Tim D. , Waight Andrew B. , Mitchell Jamie A. , Miyamoto Jamie B. , Mason Marsha L. , Emmerton Kim K. , Stevens Nicole , Balasubramanian Cindy , Simmons Jessica K. , Lyon Robert P. , Senter Peter D. , Doronina Svetlana O.
Published: December 2020

Auristatins, a class of clinically validated anti-tubulin agents utilized as payloads in antibody–drug conjugates, are generally classified by their membrane permeability and the extent of cytotoxic bystander activity on neighboring cells after targeted delivery. The drugs typically fall within two categories: membrane permeable monomethyl auristatin E–type molecules with high bystander activities and susceptibility to efflux pumps, or charged and less permeable monomethyl auristatin F (MMAF) analogs with low bystander activities and resistance to efflux pumps. Herein, we report the development of novel auristatins that combine the attributes of each class by having both bystander activity and cytotoxicity on multidrug-resistant (MDR+) cell lines. Structure-based design focused on the hydrophobic functionalization of the N-terminal N-methylvaline of the MMAF scaffold to increase cell permeability. The resulting structure–activity relationships of the new auristatins demonstrate that optimization of hydrophobicity and structure can lead to highly active free drugs and antibody–drug conjugates with in vivo bystander activities.
The Use of Cannabis for Medical Purposes in the Arab World
Authors: Shirah Bader H. , Ahmed Mohammed M.
Published: December 2020

The legal landscape of cannabis (marijuana) has dramatically changed over the past few years in several countries worldwide. Many patients now have legal access to products derived from cannabis. In the Middle East, Lebanon became the first Arab country to legalize cannabis for medical and industrial use recently in 2020. Other Middle Eastern and Arab countries continue to completely ban the use of cannabis and products derived from cannabis. This article is a call to conduct medical research in the use of cannabis for medical purposes to determine the suitability and need for this substance in the Arab world. Based on these studies, evidence-based recommendations can be made to the highest authorities in the Arab countries for legalization or continued prohibition. As the international use of cannabis is increasing, the Arab countries may consider legalization of the substance to cover the unmet medical need and offer an additional treatment option for certain conditions.
First Reported Case in Romania of a Successfully Treated Severe COVID-19 in a Kidney Transplant Recipient: A Focus on Acute Kidney Injury
Authors: Tosa Flaviu , Manaila Roxana , Elec Alina , Moisoiu Tudor , Ghervan Liviu , Elec Florin
Published: December 2020

As coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by the novel virus SARS-CoV-2 is expanding worldwide, kidney involvement seems to be part of the spectrum of its effects. Moreover, the prognosis of the disease seems to be worse in immunocompromised patients when compared to the general population, with 4–5 times higher mortality rates. However, the overall impact on long-term function of the kidney graft is unknown. We report on a case of a 46-year-old kidney transplant recipient who was successfully treated for severe COVID-19 pneumonia. The clinical course was complicated by transient acute kidney injury, most likely due to tubulo-interstitial involvement, with return to the baseline of the creatinine level by the time of discharge. We discuss the characteristics and differential diagnosis of acute kidney injury, as well as management of immunosuppression in connection with overall clinical status and evolution of kidney function. The case is illustrative for dilemmas that transplant professionals may face in the absence of evidence-based, efficient COVID-19 therapy. The risk-benefit balance of the yet to be approved treatment strategies may be weighed differently in organ transplant recipients owing to their immunocompromised status and potential drug interactions with immunosuppressive therapy.
High Prevalence of Deep Venous Thrombosis in Non-Severe COVID-19 Patients Hospitalized for a Neurovascular Disease
Authors: Rouyer Olivier , Pierre-Paul Irène Nora , Balde Amadou Talibe , Jupiter Damaris , Bindila Daniela , Geny Bernard , Wolff Valérie
Published: December 2020

Introduction: Severe SARS-CoV-2 infection induces COVID-19 along with venous thromboembolic occurrences particularly in intensive care units. For non-severe COVID-19 patients affected by neurovascular diseases, the prevalence of deep venous thrombosis (DVT) is unknown. The aim of our study was to report data obtained after systematic Doppler ultrasound scanning (DUS) of lower limbs in such patients. Methods: Between March 20 and May 2, 2020, the deep venous system of 13 consecutive patients diagnosed with neurovascular diseases and non-severe COVID-19 was investigated with a systematic bedside DUS. Results: Thirteen patients were enrolled in the study including 9 acute ischaemic strokes, 1 occlusion of the ophthalmic artery, 1 transient ischaemic attack, 1 cerebral venous thrombosis and 1 haemorrhagic stroke. On admission, the median National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score was of 6 (IQR, 0–20). During the first week after admission, and despite thromboprophylaxis, we found a prevalence of 38.5% of asymptomatic calves’ DVT (n = 5). One patient developed a symptomatic pulmonary embolism and 2 other patients died during hospitalization. The outcome was positive for the other patients with a discharge median NIHSS score of 1 (IQR, 0–11). Discussion/Conclusion: Despite thromboprophylaxis, systematic bedside DUS showed a high prevalence (38.5%) of asymptomatic DVT in non-severe COVID-19 patients suffering from a neurovascular disease. In the absence of a reliable marker of DVT, we suggest that this non-invasive investigation could be an interesting tool to monitor peripheral venous thrombotic complications in such patients.
Incidence and Timing of Thrombosis After the Norwood Procedure in the Single‐Ventricle Reconstruction Trial
Authors: White Michael H. , Kelleman Michael , Sidonio Robert F. , Kochilas Lazaros , Patel Kavita N.
Published: December 2020

Background

Thrombosis is common in infants undergoing staged surgeries for single‐ventricle congenital heart disease. The reported incidence and timing of thrombosis varies widely, making it difficult to understand the burden of thrombosis and develop approaches for prevention. We aimed to determine the timing and cumulative incidence of thrombosis following the stage I Norwood procedure and identify clinical characteristics associated with thrombosis.

Methods and Results

We analyzed data from the Pediatric Heart Network Single Ventricle Reconstruction trial from 2005 to 2009 and identified infants with first‐time thrombotic events. In 549 infants, the cumulative incidence of thrombosis was 21.2% (n=57) from stage I through stage II. Most events occurred during stage I (n=35/57, 65%), with a median time to thrombosis of 15 days. We used a Cox proportional hazards model to estimate the association of clinical variables with thrombosis. After adjusting for baseline variables, boys had a higher hazard of thrombosis (adjusted hazard ratio [HR], 2.69; 95% CI, 1.44–5.05;
P
=0.002), non–hypoplastic left heart syndrome cardiac anatomy was associated with a higher early hazard of thrombosis (adjusted HR, 3.93; 95% CI, 1.89–8.17;
P
<0.001), and longer cardiopulmonary bypass time was also associated with thrombosis (per 10‐minute increase, adjusted HR, 1.07; 95% CI, 1.01–1.12;
P
=0.02). Lower oxygen saturation after the Norwood procedure increased the hazard for thrombosis in the unadjusted model (HR, 1.08; 95% CI, 1.02–1.14;
P
=0.011).

Conclusions

Thrombosis affects 1 in 5 infants through Stage II discharge, with most events occurring during stage I. Male sex, non–hypoplastic left heart syndrome anatomy, longer cardiopulmonary bypass time, and lower stage I oxygen saturation were associated with thrombosis.
Simulated Hypergravity Activates Hemostasis in Healthy Volunteers
Authors: Limper Ulrich , Ahnert Tobias , Maegele Marc , Froehlich Matthias , Grau Marijke , Gauger Peter , Bauerfeind Ursula , Görlinger Klaus , Pötzsch Bernhard , Jordan Jens
Published: December 2020

Background

Hypergravity may promote human hemostasis thereby increasing thrombotic risk. Future touristic suborbital spaceflight will expose older individuals with chronic medical conditions, who are at much higher thromboembolic risk compared with professional astronauts, to hypergravity. Therefore, we tested the impact of hypergravity on hemostasis in healthy volunteers undergoing centrifugation.

Methods and Results

We studied 20 healthy seated men before and after 15 minutes under 3 Gz hypergravity on a long‐arm centrifuge. We obtained blood samples for hemostasis testing before, immediately after, and 30 minutes after centrifugation. Tests included viscoelastic thromboelastometry, platelet impedance aggregometry, endothelial activation markers, blood rheology testing, microparticle analyses, and clotting factor analysis. Exposure to hypergravity reduced plasma volume by 12.5% (
P
=0.002) and increased the red blood cell aggregation index (
P
<0.05). With hypergravity, thrombelastographic clotting time of native blood shortened from 719±117 seconds to 628±89 seconds (
P
=0.038) and platetet reactivity increased (
P
=0.045). Hypergravity shortened partial thromboplastin time from 28 (26–29) seconds to 25 (24–28) seconds (
P
<0.001) and increased the activity of coagulation factors (eg, factor VIII 117 [93–134] versus 151 [133–175] %,
P
<0.001). Tissue factor concentration was 188±95 pg/mL before and 298±136 pg/mL after hypergravity exposure (
P
=0.023). Antithrombin (
P
=0.005), thrombin‐antithrombin complex (
P
<0.001), plasmin‐alpha2‐antiplasmin complex (0.002), tissue‐plasminogen activatior (
P
<0.001), and plasminogen activator inhibitor‐1 (
P
=0.002) increased with centrifugation. Statistical adjustment for plasma volume attenuated changes in coagulation.

Conclusions

Hypergravity triggers low‐level hemostasis activation through endothelial cell activation, increased viscoelasticity, and augmented platelet reactivity, albeit partly counteracted through endogenous coagulation inhibitors release. Hemoconcentration may contribute to the response.
Long-Term Progress and Behavior Complexification in Competitive Coevolution
Authors: Simione Luca , Nolfi Stefano
Published: December 2020

The possibility of using competitive evolutionary algorithms to generate long-term progress is normally prevented by the convergence on limit cycle dynamics in which the evolving agents keep progressing against their current competitors by periodically rediscovering solutions adopted previously. This leads to local but not to global progress (i.e., progress against all possible competitors). We propose a new competitive algorithm that produces long-term global progress by identifying and filtering out opportunistic variations, that is, variations leading to progress against current competitors and retrogression against other competitors. The efficacy of the method is validated on the coevolution of predator and prey robots, a classic problem that has been used in related researches. The accumulation of global progress over many generations leads to effective solutions that involve the production of articulated behaviors. The complexity of the behavior displayed by the evolving robots increases across generations, although progress in performance is not always accompanied by behavior complexification.
Turning the Face Inversion Effect on Its Head: Violated Expectations of Orientation, Lighting, and Gravity Enhance N170 Amplitudes
Authors: Allen-Davidian Yasmin , Russo Manuela , Yamamoto Naohide , Kaufman Jordy , Pegna Alan J. , Johnston Patrick
Published: December 2020

Face inversion effects occur for both behavioral and electrophysiological responses when people view faces. In EEG, inverted faces are often reported to evoke an enhanced amplitude and delayed latency of the N170 ERP. This response has been attributed to the indexing of specialized face processing mechanisms within the brain. However, inspection of the literature revealed that, although N170 is consistently delayed to a variety of face representations, only photographed faces invoke enhanced N170 amplitudes upon inversion. This suggests that the increased N170 amplitudes to inverted faces may have other origins than the inversion of the face's structure. We hypothesize that the unique N170 amplitude response to inverted photographed faces stems from multiple expectation violations, over and above structural inversion. For instance, rotating an image of a face upside–down not only violates the expectation that faces appear upright but also lifelong priors about illumination and gravity. We recorded EEG while participants viewed face stimuli (upright vs. inverted), where the faces were illuminated from above versus below, and where the models were photographed upright versus hanging upside–down. The N170 amplitudes were found to be modulated by a complex interaction between orientation, lighting, and gravity factors, with the amplitudes largest when faces consistently violated all three expectations. These results confirm our hypothesis that face inversion effects on N170 amplitudes are driven by a violation of the viewer's expectations across several parameters that characterize faces, rather than a disruption in the configurational disposition of its features.
Wind- and Wave-Driven Reynolds Stress and Velocity Shear in the Upper Ocean for Idealized Misaligned Wind-Wave Conditions
Authors: Wang Dong , Kukulka Tobias
Published: December 2020

This study investigates the dynamics of velocity shear and Reynolds stress in the ocean surface boundary layer for idealized misaligned wind and wave fields using a large-eddy simulation (LES) model based on the Craik–Leibovich equations, which captures Langmuir turbulence (LT). To focus on the role of LT, the LES experiments omit the Coriolis force, which obscures a stress–current-relation analysis. Furthermore, a vertically uniform body force is imposed so that the volume-averaged Eulerian flow does not accelerate but is steady. All simulations are first spun-up without wind-wave misalignment to reach a fully developed stationary turbulent state. Then, a crosswind Stokes drift profile is abruptly imposed, which drives crosswind stresses and associated crosswind currents without generating volume-averaged crosswind currents. The flow evolves to a new stationary state, in which the crosswind Reynolds stress vanishes while the crosswind Eulerian shear and Stokes drift shear are still present, yielding a misalignment between Reynolds stress and Lagrangian shear (sum of Eulerian current and Stokes drift). A Reynolds stress budgets analysis reveals a balance between stress production and velocity–pressure gradient terms (VPG) that encloses crosswind Eulerian shear, demonstrating a complex relation between shear and stress. In addition, the misalignment between Reynolds stress and Eulerian shear generates a horizontal turbulent momentum flux (due to correlations of along-wind and crosswind turbulent velocities) that can be important in producing Reynolds stress (due to correlations of horizontal and vertical turbulent velocities). Thus, details of the Reynolds stress production by Eulerian and Stokes drift shear may be critical for driving upper-ocean currents and for accurate turbulence parameterizations in misaligned wind-wave conditions.
An Evaluation of the Utility of a Decision-Maker-Driven Climate Hazard Assessment Tool
Authors: Riley Rachel E.
Published: December 2020

Decision-makers who have little to no formal training in atmospheric science are increasingly accessing and interpreting climate data and information within planning contexts. Many climate decision support tools (DSTs) have been developed to support decision-making across a variety of sectors and scales, but evaluation of such tools has only recently begun to take place. This study conducted a summative evaluation of the utility of a decision-maker-driven climate hazard assessment tool, the Simple Planning Tool (SPT), a climate DST. The SPT was inspired by and codeveloped with emergency managers, planners, and a boundary organization in two south-central U.S. states. The SPT’s target audience was surveyed to assess the tool’s utility, including its saliency, credibility, trustworthiness, and reasons for and impact of information use on decision-making. A high utility was found despite a relatively limited user base at the time of the study. In addition, SPT users represented a range of jurisdictional sizes, geographical scales, and years of experience. Although the small user sample limits generalizability of the study, it is likely a realistic reflection of the number of emergency managers and planners in the two states who are actively and regularly incorporating climate hazards into planning. The data also indicate that climate boundary organizations and climate service providers should work toward utilizing trusted information sources, channels, and procedures within the sectors to which their tool applies to help increase decision-maker awareness and use of their tool.
Occupational risk factors for shoulder chronic tendinous pathology in the Spanish automotive manufacturing sector: a case-control study
Authors: Rodriguez Diez-Caballero Beatriz , Alfonso-Beltrán Joaquín , Bautista Iker J. , Barrios Carlos
Published: December 2020

Background

Musculoskeletal Diseases (MSDs) are among the most prevalent health problems encountered in the workforce in Europe. Multiple risk factors contribute to their onset. In the present study, different individual risk factors for chronic tendinous pathology affecting the shoulder were analysed in a sample of workers from the automotive manufacturing sector.

Methods

An observational retrospective study was conducted with 73 cases of officially recognised and compensated occupational diseases and 94 aleatory cases of healthy workers from the same car assembly company. The experimental group comprised individuals with tendinous chronic pathology of the rotator cuff. Multiple variables that identified the risks present in the job were assessed along with participants clinical evaluation. Furthermore, two standardised guidelines for risk factors assessment were also used: the Spanish National Institute of Social Security (INSS) and the American Occupational Information Network (O*Net). Both descriptive statistical analysis and Odds ratios calculations considering the occupational disease as a dependent variable were performed.

Results

The use of hand tools, exposure to mechanical pressure in the upper limbs and awkward postures were the most prevalent risk factors. Pressure on the palm of the hand and the hand tool impacting the hand were also important risk factors. Some psychosocial factors such as lack of autonomy and mental workload were also associated shoulder tendinous diseases. The association of age, load handling, and awkward postures were the core risk factors responsible for most of the tendinous chronic injuries of the shoulder in this sample of car assembly workers.

Conclusions

Both ergonomic and psychosocial factors were present and increased the risk of developing occupational chronic tendinopathies at the shoulder in this sample of workers. Aging, load handling, and awkward postures showed the strongest predictive values. Greater knowledge of how risk factors interact would facilitate the design of better preventive workplace strategies.
Cutaneous Rosai – Dorfman disease in a patient with late syphilis and cervical cancer – case report and a review of literature
Authors: Bielach – Bazyluk Angelika , Serwin Agnieszka B. , Pilaszewicz – Puza Agata , Flisiak Iwona
Published: December 2020

Background

Cutaneous Rosai – Dorfman disease (CRDD) is extremely rare variant of idiopathic histiocytic proliferative disorder, which may manifest as a non-specific macules, papules, plaques or nodules ranging in size and colour from yellow – red to red -brown.

Case presentation

A 52-year-old female presented with three gradually enlarging, reddish - brown nodules on the right upper extremity lasting six months. The patients denied fever, weight loss, malaise. Clinical examination and imaging tests showed no sign of lymphadenopathy. A biopsy specimen of a nodule showed a dense dermal polymorphic infiltrate with numerous histiocytes exhibiting emperipolesis phenomenon. Immunohistochemical staining of the histiocytes showed S-100 protein (+), CD68(+), but CD1a (-). Aforementioned findings were consistent with CRDD characteristics. Additionally, a routine serological screening and confirmatory serological tests for syphilis were positive. Syphilis of unknown duration was diagnosed. The IgG antibodies titre against Chlamydia trachomatis was elevated. An isolated sensory impairment over the right trigeminal nerve was found on neurological consultation. Comprehensive gynaecological assessment was carried out because of patient’s complaints of bleeding after sexual intercourse and led to diagnosis of cervical cancer. The initial therapy with methotrexate was discontinued after three months due to neutropenia. Further therapy with dapson was ineffective, therefore complete surgical excision was recommended.

Conclusions

CRDD is a rare, benign condition especially difficult to diagnose due to lack of general symptoms and lymphadenopathy. Histopathologic examination with immunohistochemical staining, exhibiting characteristic and reproducible findings play a key role in establishing an accurate diagnosis. In the presented case activated histiocytes demonstrated in a lesional skin might be a response to immune dysregulation related to chronic, untreated sexually transmitted infections and cancer.
Effect of acupuncture for methadone maintenance treatment patients: study protocol of a randomized clinical trial
Authors: Wen Hao , Xu Shichao , Zeng Jingchun , Ge Shuqi , Liao Yuan , Tang Chunzhi , Xiao Songhua , Lu Liming
Published: December 2020

Background

Opioid dependence is an increasing public health problem all over the world. Patients with opioid dependence have to receive methadone maintenance therapy (MMT) as replacement therapy for years or even for their entire life. Acupuncture as a kind of therapy has been used to treat substance dependence for many years. Jin’s three-needle acupuncture (JTN), a type of acupuncture technique, has been applied to treat various diseases for several decades. However, JTN as an acupuncture technique has not been used to treat patients receiving MMT. Therefore, we designed a randomized controlled trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of acupuncture as adjunctive therapy for patients receiving MMT.

Methods/design

This study is a parallel-arm, randomized controlled trial that aims to evaluate the efficacy and safety of acupuncture as adjunctive therapy for patients receiving MMT. A total of 140 eligible participants who range in age from 18 to 60 years and fulfil the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition (DSM-V), for opiate dependence will be enrolled into this study. All eligible participants will be randomly assigned to the acupuncture group or routine group in a 1:1 allocation ratio. Participants who are enrolled in the acupuncture group will receive MMT and JTN treatment for 30 min per session. Meanwhile, those who are assigned to the routine arm will receive MMT only. All 18 sessions of JTN treatment will be delivered over 6 weeks (3 per week) and followed by a 4-week follow-up period. The primary outcome measure will be the visual analogue scale (VAS) for drug craving and the daily consumption of methadone (DCOM). Secondary outcome measures will include the urine test for opioid use, the 36-item Short Form Survey (SF-36), the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), the Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI-II) and Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI). VAS, DCOM, BAI, BDI-II and the urine test for opioid use will be evaluated at baseline, the second week, the fourth week, the sixth week and the tenth week. SF-36 and PSQI will be assessed at baseline, the fourth week, the sixth week and the tenth week.

Discussion

The results of this trial will provide evidence on the efficacy and safety of acupuncture as adjunctive therapy for patients receiving MMT.

Trial registration

Chinese Clinical Trial Registry ChiCTR1900026357. Registered on 2 October 2019.
Molecular identification of four Sarcocystis species in cattle from Lithuania, including S. hominis, and development of a rapid molecular detection method
Authors: Prakas Petras , Strazdaitė-Žielienė Živilė , Januškevičius Vytautas , Chiesa Francesco , Baranauskaitė Agnė , Rudaitytė-Lukošienė Eglė , Servienė Elena , Petkevičius Saulius , Butkauskas Dalius
Published: December 2020

Background

Six Sarcocystis species are known to use cattle (Bos taurus) as the intermediate host, two of which, S. hominis and S. heydorni, are zoonotic. There is a need for a method that will enable rapid identification of the Sarcocystis species in cattle.

Methods

The diaphragm muscles of 102 cattle from Lithuania were examined for the presence of Sarcocystis spp., using two different methods for species identification. Individual sarcocysts were isolated from squash preparations of the diaphragm muscle under the light microscope, followed by genetic characterisation of excised cysts using sequence analysis of the 18S rRNA (18S rRNA) and cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (cox1) genes. The same cattle muscle samples were digested and species-specific PCR analyses targeting cox1 were developed to identify the Sarcocystis isolates to the species level.

Results

Under the light microscope, sarcocysts were detected in 87.3% of animals, and Sarcocystis infection was verified in all digested samples. Three species, namely S. cruzi (n = 20), S. bovifelis (n = 23) and S. hirsuta (n = 6), were identified by DNA sequence analysis of isolated sarcocysts. Based on sequence analysis of cox1, the level of genetic variability depended on Sarcocystis species and geographical location. Four Sarcocystis species, S. cruzi (96.1%), S. bovifelis (71.6%), S. hirsuta (30.4%) and S. hominis (13.7%), were confirmed in the digested samples. In individual samples, the most common finding was two species of Sarcocystis (44.1%), followed by three species (26.5%), a single species (24.5%) and four species (4.9%).

Conclusions

Although examination of tissue preparations under the light microscrope did not detect any sarcocysts belonging to S. hominis, this species was identified in the digested samples subjected to a cox1-specific PCR analysis. These results demonstrate the need for effective molecular diagnosis techniques to detect Sarcocystis spp., which may be present at a lower prevalence and not detectable among the limited number of sarcocysts identified individually under the light microscope.

Graphical Abstract
Transcriptome-wide profiles of circular RNA and RNA-binding protein interactions reveal effects on circular RNA biogenesis and cancer pathway expression
Authors: Okholm Trine Line Hauge , Sathe Shashank , Park Samuel S. , Kamstrup Andreas Bjerregaard , Rasmussen Asta Mannstaedt , Shankar Archana , Chua Zong Ming , Fristrup Niels , Nielsen Morten Muhlig , Vang Søren , Dyrskjøt Lars , Aigner Stefan , Damgaard Christian Kroun , Yeo Gene W. , Pedersen Jakob Skou
Published: December 2020

Background

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are stable, often highly expressed RNA transcripts with potential to modulate other regulatory RNAs. A few circRNAs have been shown to bind RNA-binding proteins (RBPs); however, little is known about the prevalence and distribution of these interactions in different biological contexts.

Methods

We conduct an extensive screen of circRNA-RBP interactions in the ENCODE cell lines HepG2 and K562. We profile circRNAs in deep-sequenced total RNA samples and analyze circRNA-RBP interactions using a large set of eCLIP data with binding sites of 150 RBPs. We validate interactions for select circRNAs and RBPs by performing RNA immunoprecipitation and functionally characterize our most interesting candidates by conducting knockdown studies followed by RNA-Seq.

Results

We generate a comprehensive catalog of circRNA-RBP interactions in HepG2 and K562 cells. We show that KHSRP binding sites are enriched in flanking introns of circRNAs and that KHSRP depletion affects circRNA biogenesis. We identify circRNAs that are highly covered by RBP binding sites and experimentally validate individual circRNA-RBP interactions. We show that circCDYL, a highly expressed circRNA with clinical and functional implications in bladder cancer, is almost completely covered with GRWD1 binding sites in HepG2 cells, and that circCDYL depletion counteracts the effect of GRWD1 depletion. Furthermore, we confirm interactions between circCDYL and RBPs in bladder cancer cells and demonstrate that circCDYL depletion affects hallmarks of cancer and perturbs the expression of key cancer genes, e.g., TP53. Finally, we show that elevated levels of circCDYL are associated with overall survival of bladder cancer patients.

Conclusions

Our study demonstrates transcriptome-wide and cell-type-specific circRNA-RBP interactions that could play important regulatory roles in tumorigenesis.