bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Identification of very low-risk acute chest pain patients without troponin testing
Authors: Smith Lane M. , Ashburn Nicklaus P. , Snavely Anna C. , Stopyra Jason P. , Lenoir Kristin M. , Wells Brian J. , Hiestand Brian C. , Herrington David M. , Miller Chadwick D. , Mahler Simon A.
Published: August 2020

Background

The HEART Pathway combines a History ECG Age Risk factor (HEAR) score and serial troponins to risk stratify patients with acute chest pain. However, it is unclear whether patients with HEAR scores of<1 require troponin testing. The objective of this study is to measure the major adverse cardiac event (MACE) rate among patients with<1 HEAR scores and determine whether serial troponin testing is needed to achieve a miss rate <1%.

Methods

A secondary analysis of the HEART Pathway Implementation Study was conducted. HEART Pathway risk assessments (HEAR scores and serial troponin testing at 0 and 3 hours) were completed by the providers on adult patients with chest pain from three US sites between November 2014 and January 2016. MACE (composite of death, myocardial infarction (MI) and coronary revascularisation) at 30 days was determined. The proportion of patients with HEAR scores of<1 diagnosed with MACE within 30 days was calculated. The impact of troponin testing on patients with HEAR scores of<1 was determined using Net Reclassification Improvement Index (NRI).

Results

Providers completed HEAR assessments on 4979 patients and HEAR scores<1 occurred in 9.0% (447/4979) of patients. Among these patients, MACE at 30 days occurred in 0.9% (4/447; 95% CI 0.2% to 2.3%) with two deaths, two MIs and 0 revascularisations. The sensitivity and negative predictive value for MACE in the HEAR<1 was 97.8% (95%CI 94.5% to 99.4%) and 99.1% (95% CI 97.7% to 99.8%), respectively, and were not improved by troponin testing. Troponin testing in patients with HEAR<1 correctly reclassified two patients diagnosed with MACE, and was elevated among seven patients without MACE yielding an NRI of 0.9% (95%CI −0.7 to 2.4%).

Conclusion

These data suggest that patients with HEAR scores of 0 and 1 represent a very low-risk group that may not require troponin testing to achieve a missed MACE rate <1%.

Trial registration number

NCT02056964
Non-directed postmortem sperm donation: some questions
Authors: Kroon Frederick , Kroon Ben
Published: August 2020

In their recent ‘The ethical case for non-directed postmortem sperm donation’, Hodson and Parker outline and defend the concept of voluntary non-directed postmortem sperm donation, the idea that men should be able to register their desire to donate their sperm after death for use by strangers since this would offer a potential means of increasing the quantity and heterogeneity of donor sperm. In this response, we raise some concerns about their proposal, focusing in particular on the fact that current methodologies do not make for a reliable way of ensuring that sperm retrieved postmortem has a good chance of leading to conception, which is in turn likely to make potential recipients reluctant to use such sperm. These concerns add to the ethical doubts that attend aspects of the proposal, making the prospect of implementation of such a policy unlikely at best.
Peripheral nerve block use in inpatient and outpatient shoulder arthroplasty: a population-based study evaluating utilization and outcomes
Authors: Chan Jimmy J , Cirino Carl M , Vargas Luilly , Poeran Jashvant , Zubizarreta Nicole , Mazumdar Madhu , Galatz Leesa M , Cagle Paul J
Published: August 2020

Background

Peripheral nerve block (PNB) is an effective pain management option after shoulder arthroplasty with increasing popularity over the past decade. Large-scale US data in shoulder arthroplasties are lacking, especially regarding impacts on opioid utilization. This population-based study aimed to evaluate PNB utilization patterns and their effect on outcomes after inpatient and outpatient shoulder arthroplasty.

Methods

This retrospective cohort study used data from the nationwide Premier Healthcare claims database (2006–2016). This study includes n=94 787 and n=3293 inpatient and outpatient (total, reverse and partial) shoulder arthroplasty procedures. Multivariable mixed-effects models estimated associations between PNB use and opioid utilization in oral morphine equivalents and cost of hospitalization/stay. For the inpatient group, additional outcome measures were length of stay (LOS), admission to a skilled nurse facility, 30-day readmission, combined complications and naloxone use (as a proxy for opioid-related complications). We report OR (or % change for continuous variables) and 95% CIs.

Results

Overall, PNB was used in 19.1% (n=18 144) and 20.8% (n=685) of inpatient and outpatient shoulder arthroplasties, respectively, with an increasing trend for inpatient procedures. PNB utilization was consistently associated with lower (up to −14.0%, 95% CI −15.4% to −12.5% decrease, with median 100 and 90 oral morphine equivalents for inpatient and outpatient procedures) opioid utilization on the day of surgery with more potent effects seen for inpatient shoulder arthroplasties. Other outcomes were minimally impacted.

Discussion

In this first national study on PNB use in shoulder arthroplasty, we found increasing PNB use among specifically, inpatient procedures, resulting in particularly reduced opioid use on the day of surgery. While our findings may support PNB use in shoulder arthroplasty, its current low utilization and trends towards more outpatient procedures necessitate continuous monitoring of more extensive benefits.
Crown structural properties, wood density, and liana load: influence on growth and mortality in subtropical forests
Authors: Rodríguez Sabrina A. , Cristiano Piedad M. , Lezcano Oscar A. , Suirezs Teresa M. , Díaz Villa M. Virginia E. , Bucci Sandra J. , Goldstein Guillermo , Campanello Paula I.
Published: August 2020

Wood density (WD) and other wood mechanical and structural properties may have a strong functional relationship with demographic patterns and allometry of trees. We analyzed the influence of WD, structural properties, architectural traits, and community-level attributes on growth rates (GRs) and mortality modes of canopy tree species in a subtropical forest of Argentina. Stem WD and the WD, strength, stiffness, toughness, and hardness of branches were measured in 10 canopy species. Architectural traits and liana load were also determined. Strength and hardness of branches were linearly correlated to branch WD, and GRs were linearly correlated to stem WD across species. At the individual level, trees with greater hardness and toughness in branches died mostly uprooted, and trees with greater branch stiffness and susceptibility to colonization by lianas were mostly broken. At the community level, the suppressed trees died mostly broken. The dominant trees with high local tree density died mostly broken, whereas more isolated trees died mostly uprooted. Mortality modes were determined not only by mechanical properties, but also by community properties such as liana load, crown canopy position, and number of neighboring trees. Other biophysical traits besides WD are important explanatory variables when dry wood is used to describe functional characteristics of trees.
Probing electron dynamics by IR+XUV pulses
Authors: Reinhard P. -G. , Suraud Éric
Published: August 2020

By recording observables of electron emission we analyze the response of small metal clusters and organic molecules to a pump probe setup using an IR fs laser pulse as pump followed by an attosecond XUV pulse as probe. As tool for the study, we use Time Dependent Density Functional Theory (TDDFT) in real time complemented by a simple 2-level model for principle effects. As observables, we consider total ionization, average kinetic energy from Photo Electron Spectra (PES) and anisotropy parameters from Photo-electron Angular Distributions (PAD). We show that these signals can provide a map of the system’s dynamical properties. The connection is especially simple for metal clusters in which the response is dominated by the Mie surface plasmon. The case of organic molecules is more involved due to the considerable spectral fragmentation of the underlying dipole response. But at least the dipole anisotropy from PAD provides a clean and robust signal which can be directly associated to system’s properties even reproducing non-linear effects such as the change of spectra with excitation strength.

Graphical abstract
Uncertainty in Information Market Games
Authors: El Obadi Saadia , Miquel Silvia
Published: August 2020

A new product can be produced and sold in a market thanks to the entrance of a patent holder into the market. This market is divided into submarkets controlled by only some firms and the profit attainable in each submarket is uncertain. In this paper, this situation is studied by means of cooperative games under interval uncertainty. We consider different ways of allocating the interval profit among the firms. One of these is the interval [Formula: see text]-value, which is defined for interval games satisfying some conditions. Efficient interval solutions in terms of the market data are provided.
Beyond Deep Learning: An Econometric Example
Authors: Liao Ruofan , Maneejuk Paravee , Sriboonchitta Songsak
Published: August 2020

In the past, in many areas, the best prediction models were linear and nonlinear parametric models. In the last decade, in many application areas, deep learning has shown to lead to more accurate predictions than the parametric models. Deep learning-based predictions are reasonably accurate, but not perfect. How can we achieve better accuracy? To achieve this objective, we propose to combine neural networks with parametric model: namely, to train neural networks not on the original data, but on the differences between the actual data and the predictions of the parametric model. On the example of predicting currency exchange rate, we show that this idea indeed leads to more accurate predictions.
The Effects of Monetary and Fiscal Policies on the Output Costs of Sudden Stops
Authors: Iamtrakul Kawin , Willett Thomas
Published: August 2020

There has been controversy about the appropriate responses of monetary and fiscal policies to sudden stops of capital inflows. There have been concerns that expansionary policies could undermine confidence leading to currency depreciation and a worsening of the crisis. Previous literature has generally found favorable effects from fiscal expansion and mixed results for monetary policy. We revisit this issue using more recent data and alternative measures of monetary policy. We find considerable support for the view that expansionary monetary policy reduces output costs of sudden stops and no significant evidence that the costs are increased. We find that fiscal expansion by countries with low levels of debt is expansionary, but that these effects can become negative at high levels of debt.
Authenticating Smart Home Devices via Home Limited Channels
Authors: Ji Xiaoyu , Li Chaohao , Zhou Xinyan , Zhang Juchuan , Zhang Yanmiao , Xu Wenyuan
Published: August 2020

Nowadays, most Internet of Things devices in smart homes rely on radio frequency channels for communication, making them exposed to various attacks such as spoofing and eavesdropping attacks. Existing methods using encryption keys may be inapplicable on these resource-constrained devices that cannot afford the computationally expensive encryption operations. Thus, in this article, we design a key-free communication method for such devices in a smart home. In particular, we introduce the Home-limited Channel (HLC) that can be accessed only within a house yet inaccessible for outside-house attackers. Utilizing HLCs, we propose HlcAuth, a challenge-response mechanism to authenticate the communications between smart devices without keys. The advantages of HlcAuth are low cost, lightweight as well as key-free, and requiring no human intervention. According to the security analysis, HlcAuth can defeat replay attacks, message-forgery attacks, and man-in-the-middle (MiTM) attacks, among others. We further evaluate HlcAuth in four different physical scenarios, and results show that HlcAuth achieves 100% true positive rate (TPR) within 4.2m for in-house devices while 0% false positive rate (FPR) for outside attackers, i.e., guaranteeing a high-level usability and security for in-house communications. Finally, we implement HlcAuth in both single-room and multi-room scenarios.
Database Traffic Interception for Graybox Detection of Stored and Context-sensitive XSS
Authors: Steinhauser Antonín , Tůma Petr
Published: August 2020

Cross site scripting (XSS) is a type of a security vulnerability that permits injecting malicious code into the client side of a web application. In the simplest situations, XSS vulnerabilities arise when a web application includes the user input in the web output without due sanitization. Such simple XSS vulnerabilities can be detected fairly reliably with blackbox scanners, which inject malicious payload into sensitive parts of HTTP requests and look for the reflected values in the web output.

Contemporary blackbox scanners are not effective against stored XSS vulnerabilities, where the malicious payload in an HTTP response originates from the database storage of the web application, rather than from the associated HTTP request. Similarly, many blackbox scanners do not systematically handle context-sensitive XSS vulnerabilities, where the user input is included in the web output after a transformation that prevents the scanner from recognizing the original value but does not sanitize the value sufficiently. Among the combination of two basic data sources (stored vs. reflected) and two basic vulnerability patterns (context sensitive vs. not so), only one is therefore tested systematically by state-of-the-art blackbox scanners.

Our work focuses on systematic coverage of the three remaining combinations. We present a graybox mechanism that extends a general purpose database to cooperate with our XSS scanner, reporting and injecting the test inputs at the boundary between the database and the web application. Furthermore, we design a mechanism for identifying the injected inputs in the web output even after encoding by the web application and check whether the encoding sanitizes the injected inputs correctly in the respective browser context. We evaluate our approach on eight mature and technologically diverse web applications, discovering previously unknown and exploitable XSS flaws in each of those applications.
Fractional-Order Hidden Attractor Based on the Extended Liu System
Authors: Wang Yaoyu , Liu Ling , Cai Xinshan , Liu Chongxin , Wang Yan , Zheng Guangchao
Published: August 2020

In this paper, a new commensurate fractional-order chaotic oscillator is presented. The mathematical model with a weak feedback term, which is named hypogenetic flow, is proposed based on the Liu system. And with changing the parameters of the system, the hidden attractor can have no equilibrium points or line equilibrium. What is more interesting is that under the occasion that no equilibrium point can be obtained, the phase trajectory can converge to a minimal field under the lead of some initial conditions, similar to the fixed point. We call it the virtual equilibrium point. On the other hand, when the value of parameters can produce an infinite number of equilibrium points, the line equilibrium points are nonhyperbolic. Moreover than that, there are coexistence attractors, which can present hyperchaos, chaos, period, and virtual equilibrium point. The dynamic characteristics of the system are analyzed, and the parameter estimation is also studied. Then, an electronic circuit implementation of the system is built, which shows the feasibility of the system. At last, for the fractional system with hidden attractors, the finite-time synchronization control of the system is carried out based on the finite-time stability theory of the fractional system. And the effectiveness of the controller is verified by numerical simulation.
Detection of Dengue Virus-Specific IgM and IgG Antibodies through Peptide Sequences of Envelope and NS1 Proteins for Serological Identification
Authors: Nagar Pradeep Kumar , Savargaonkar Deepali , Anvikar Anupkumar R.
Published: August 2020

Dengue is an acute febrile illness caused by positive-sense single-stranded RNA virus, belonging to the familyFlaviviridaeand genusFlavivirus. Transmission of virus among the individuals occurred by blood-feedingAedesmosquitoes. This virus has four serotypes differentiated on the basis of antibody neutralization assay. At present, there is no particular treatment or vaccine candidate available for dengue infection. Approximately 3.9 billion human populations are at risk of dengue virus (DENV) infection. Thus, precise diagnosis of dengue at the early stage is very essential for disease control and effective therapy in order to treat or prevent severe complications. Indeed, the accurate diagnosis of DENV remains a problem because of low detection accuracy along with high testing price. Sensitivity and specificity of available kits vary from test to test, and cross-reactivity with otherFlavivirusis a challenging issue for diagnosis. In this study, linear epitopes of envelope (E) and NS1 proteins were identified to diagnose the DENV. Whole protein sequences of E and NS1 of DENV were obtained from UniProtKB database. On the basis of algorithm prediction from DNASTAR, BCEPRED, and IEDB data resources, twelve peptides of E (EP1 to EP12) and eight peptides of NS1 (NS1-1 to NS1-8) were selected, which were common in all serotypes. Sequence homologies of peptides with otherFlaviviruswere checked by Multiple Sequence Alignment Tool ClustalX2. Peptide sequences were synthesized chemically by solid-phase peptide synthesis technique. Dengue-specific IgM and IgG (secondary response) antibodies in the patient’s antisera were tested with the peptides using ELISA protocol. Peptides EP1, EP2, EP4, EP7, EP10, and EP12 of E protein and NS1-1, NS1-3, NS1-4, NS1-7, and NS1-8 of NS1 protein were considered the best immunoreactive peptides with the sensitivity (73.33-96.66%) and specificity (82.14-100%). Such peptides together can be used to construct the multiple antigen peptides (MAP) or multiplexed microbeads for designing a precise, cost-effective, and easy-to-make peptide-based immunodiagnostic kit for DENV detection.
Potential Molecular Mechanism of the NPPB Gene in Postischemic Heart Failure with and without T2DM
Authors: Guan Yao-Zong , Yin Rui-Xing , Deng Guo-Xiong , Zheng Peng-Fei , Liu Chun-Xiao , Wei Bi-Liu
Published: August 2020

Background. This study is aimed at investigating natriuretic peptide B (NPPB) coexpression genes and their pathways involved in heart failure (HF) among patients both with and without type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Methods. The microarray dataset GSE26887, containing 19 postischemic HF patients’ peripheral blood samples (7 with T2DM and 12 without T2DM), was examined to detect the genes coexpressed with NPPB using the corr.test function in the R packet. Furthermore, using online analytical tools, we determined the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis, Gene Ontology (GO) annotation, and protein‐protein interaction (PPI) network of the coexpression genes. The modules and hub genes of the PPI network were then identified using the Cytoscape software. Results. In patients with T2DM, a total of 41 biological processes (BP), 20 cellular components (CC), 13 molecular functions (MF), and 41 pathways were identified. Furthermore, a total of 61 BPs, 16 CCs, 13 MFs, and 22 pathways in patients without T2DM were identified. In both groups of patients, 17 BPs, 10 CCs, 6 MFs, and 13 pathways were enriched. We also identified 173 intersectional coexpression genes (63 positively, 106 negatively, and 4 differently coexpressed in patients with and without T2DM, respectively) in both types of patients, which were enriched in 16 BPs, 8 CCs, 3 MFs, and 8 KEGG pathways. Moreover, the PPI network (containing 237 edges and 170 nodes) with the top module significantly enriched in 4 BPs (tricarboxylic acid metabolic process, citrate metabolic process, tricarboxylic acid cycle, and aerobic respiration) and 3 pathways (citrate cycle, malaria parasite metabolic pathway, and AGE‐RAGE signaling pathway in diabetic complications) was constructed. DECR1, BGN, TIMP1, VCAN, and CTCF are the top hub genes. Conclusions. Our findings may elucidate the functions and roles of the NPPB gene in patients with postischemic HF and facilitate HF management.
Relation of Nonrecurrent Laryngeal Nerve with Zuckerkandl’s Tubercle
Authors: Freitas Carlos Alberto Ferreira de , Levenhagen Maria Margarida Morena Domingos , Constantino Isabela Salvador , Paroni Amauri Ferrari , Martins Marcelo Resende
Published: August 2020

The nonrecurrent laryngeal nerve (NRLN) is a rare anatomical variation of the recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) that may hinder the identification and preservation of this nerve during surgery and is associated with increased iatrogenic risks. Zuckerkandl’s tubercle (ZT) is considered a useful reference for locating the RLN during thyroid surgery. We report the case of an asymptomatic patient with a 23 mm uninodular goitre suspicious for cancer. Ultrasound examination showed a hypoechoic nodule with regular contours and microcalcifications. The patient had normal thyroid-stimulating hormone and thyroxine levels, and aspiration biopsy was suspicious for follicular cancer. She was treated with total thyroidectomy after the intraoperative examination confirmed the presence of a papillary thyroid carcinoma. The standard approach to the RLN below the inferior thyroid artery was used on both sides. The nerve displayed anatomical variation in the nonrecurrent form (NRLN) on the right side and was associated with another variation that was not found in the consulted literature. It was completely surrounded by thyroid tissue in the region of ZT, and the surgeon was forced to remove it from within the thyroid tissue. This combination of anatomical variations seems to be quite rare. Knowledge of the anatomy of the RLN and its variations, as well as its identification and careful dissection, is essential to avoid injury to the nerve during surgical procedures.
Integrative Analysis of Three Novel Competing Endogenous RNA Biomarkers with a Prognostic Value in Lung Adenocarcinoma
Authors: Tan Juan , Wang Weimin , Song Bin , Song Yingjian , Meng Zili
Published: August 2020

Increasing evidence has shown competitive endogenous RNAs (ceRNAs) play key roles in numerous cancers. Nevertheless, the ceRNA network that can predict the prognosis of lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) is still lacking. The aim of the present study was to identify the prognostic value of key ceRNAs in lung tumorigenesis. Differentially expressed (DE) RNAs were identified between LUAD and adjacent normal samples by limma package in R using The Cancer Genome Atlas database (TCGA). Gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway function enrichment analysis was performed using the clusterProfiler package in R. Subsequently, the LUAD ceRNA network was established in three steps based on ceRNA hypothesis. Hub RNAs were identified using degree analysis methods based on Cytoscape plugin cytoHubba. Multivariate Cox regression analysis was implemented to calculate the risk score using the candidate ceRNAs and overall survival information. The survival differences between the high‐risk and low‐risk ceRNA groups were determined by the Kaplan‐Meier and log‐rank test using survival and survminer package in R. A total of 2,989 mRNAs, 185 lncRNAs, and 153 miRNAs were identified. GO and KEGG pathway function enrichment analysis showed that DE mRNAs were mainly associated with “sister chromatid segregation,” “regulation of angiogenesis,” “cell adhesion molecules (CAMs),” “cell cycle,” and “ECM‐receptor interaction.” LUAD‐related ceRNA network was constructed, which comprised of 54 nodes and 78 edges. Top ten hub RNAs (hsa‐miR‐374a‐5p, hsa‐miR‐374b‐5p, hsa‐miR‐340‐5p, hsa‐miR‐377‐3p, hsa‐miR‐21‐5p, hsa‐miR‐326, SNHG1, RALGPS2, and PITX2) were identified according to their degree. Kaplan‐Meier survival analyses demonstrated that hsa‐miR‐21‐5p and RALGPS2 had a significant prognostic value. Finally, we found that a high risk of three novel ceRNA interactions (SNHG1‐hsa‐miR‐21‐5p‐RALGPS2, SNHG1‐hsa‐miR‐326‐RALGPS2, and SNHG1‐hsa‐miR‐377‐3p‐RALGPS2) was positively associated with worse prognosis. Three novel ceRNAs (SNHG1‐hsa‐miR‐21‐5p‐RALGPS2, SNHG1‐hsa‐miR‐326‐RALGPS2, and SNHG1‐hsa‐miR‐377‐3p‐RALGPS2) might be potential biomarkers for the prognosis and treatment of LUAD.
Adaptive Fuzzy Control for Attitude Stabilization of Spacecraft with Deployable Composite Laminated Solar Array
Authors: Zhang Wei , Zhu Weibing , Zhang Shijie , Zhao Xiangtian
Published: August 2020

Modern spacecraft are often equipped with large-scale, complex, and lightweight solar arrays whose deployment involves a highly dynamic movement. This paper proposed a novel adaptive proportional-derivative typed fuzzy logic control scheme for the attitude stabilization of a flexible spacecraft during the deployment of a composite laminated solar array. First, a constrained rigid-flexible coupling spacecraft model consisting of a rigid main body and a flexible solar array was proposed. The solar array, which is composed of composite laminated shells, was described by the absolute nodal coordinate formulation. Then, the detailed derivation of the adaptive fuzzy PD controller for attitude stabilization of the spacecraft was discussed. In addition, the spacecraft dynamic model which integrated the adaptive fuzzy PD controller was derived as a set of differential-algebraic equations. Several simulations were developed to investigate the solar array deployment dynamics and to verify the effectiveness of the proposed adaptive fuzzy PD controller. The results suggested that the proposed dynamic model is able to exactly describe the deployment dynamics of the composite laminated solar array. The solar array deployment causes obvious translational and rotational motions of the spacecraft. The proposed adaptive fuzzy PD control scheme has better performance in terms of the control precision and time response in stabilizing spacecraft during the deployment of the composite laminated solar array, comparing with that of the conventional PD controller.
Purified Astaxanthin from Haematococcus pluvialis Promotes Tissue Regeneration by Reducing Oxidative Stress and the Secretion of Collagen In Vitro and In Vivo
Authors: Chou Hsin-Yu , Ma Dik-Lung , Leung Chung-Hang , Chiu Chien-Chih , Hour Tzyh-Chyuan , Wang Hui-Min David
Published: August 2020

Intracellular reactive apoptosis and reactive oxygen species (ROS) play a crucial role in ultraviolet- (UV-) induced inflammation and aging reaction in human dermal tissues. This study determines the mechanism by which Haematococcus pluvialis extracts (HPE) and purified astaxanthin (HPA) to promote skin regeneration in the injured tissue in vitro and in vivo. The results show that HPE and HPA decrease the DNA damage and promote the secretion of collagen from the human normal fibroblast cell line (Hs68) in a dose-dependent manner. UV irradiation and HPA reduce oxidative stress damage due to phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate (PMA). When skin cells are injured by free radicals, cells undergo a programmed cellular death. Cellular apoptotic death is determined using annexin V-fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)/propidium iodide (PI) double staining to verify that there is no cell membrane asymmetry and that the nuclear membrane is broken. Inflammatory symptoms and apoptotic injuries to experimental rats in a group that is treated with HPA treated are decreased in a dose-dependent manner after UVB exposure (300 mJ/cm2) for 15 min in vivo, compared to the vehicle control group. These positive results show that HPA repairs UVB-triggered skin tissue injury and aging by conducting electrons out of cells to maintain a low level of oxidative stress so that collagen is synthesized in vitro and in vivo.
Efficient Optimization ofGluconobacter oxydansBased on Protein Scaffold-Trimeric CutA to Enhance the Chemical Structure Stability of Enzymes for the Direct Production of 2-Keto-L-gulonic Acid
Authors: Gao Lili , Liu Yuefeng , Zhang Xiaoyu , Zhang Hongsheng
Published: August 2020

2-Keto-L-gulonic acid (2-KLG), the direct precursor of vitamin C, is produced by a two-step fermentation route from D-sorbitol in industry. However, this route is a complicated mix-culture system which involves three bacteria. Thus, replacement of the conventional two-step fermentation process with a one-step process could be revolutionary in vitamin C industry. The one-step fermentation of 2-keto-L-gulonic acid (2-KLG) has been achieved in our previous study; 32.4 g/L of 2-KLG production was obtained by the one-step strainG. oxydans/pGUC-tufB-sdh-GGGGS-sndhafter 168 h. In this study, L-sorbose dehydrogenase (SDH) and L-sorbosone dehydrogenase (SNDH) were expressed inG. oxydansafter the codon optimization. Furthermore, the trimeric protein CutA was used to improve the chemical structure stability of SDH and SNDH. The recombinant strainG. oxydans/pGUC-tufB-SH3-sdh-GGGGS-sndh-tufB-SH3lig-(GGGGS)2-cutAproduced 40.3 g/L of 2-KLG after 168 h. In addition, the expression levels of the cofactor PQQ were enhanced to further improve 2-KLG production. With the stepwise metabolic engineering ofG. oxydans, the final 2-KLG production was improved to 42.6 g/L. The efficient one-step production of 2-KLG was achieved, and the final one-step industrial-scale production of 2-KLG is drawing near.
Profound Functional Suppression of Tumor-Infiltrating T-Cells in Ovarian Cancer Patients Can Be Reversed Using PD-1-Blocking Antibodies or DARPin® Proteins
Authors: Foord Emelie , Klynning Charlotte , Schoutrop Esther , Förster Judith M. , Krieg Jennifer , Mörtberg Anette , Müller Mischa R. , Herzog Christel , Schiegg Dieter , Villemagne Denis , Fiedler Ulrike , Snell Dan , Kebble Benjamin , Mattsson Jonas , Levitsky Victor , Uhlin Michael
Published: August 2020

PD-1/PD-L1 blockade has revolutionized the field of immunooncology. Despite the relative success, the response rate to anti-PD-1 therapy requires further improvements. Our aim was to explore the enhancement of T-cell function by using novel PD-1-blocking proteins and compare with clinically approved monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). We isolated T-cells from the ascites and tumor of 17 patients with advanced epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) and analyzed the effects using the mAbs nivolumab and pembrolizumab and two novel engineered ankyrin repeat proteins (DARPin® proteins). PD-1 blockade with either mAb or DARPin® molecule significantly increased the release of IFN-γ, granzyme B, IL-2, and TNF-α, demonstrating successful reinvigoration. The monovalent DARPin® protein was less effective compared to its bivalent equivalent, demonstrating that bivalency brings an additional benefit to PD-1 blockade. Overall, we found a higher fold increase of lymphokine secretion in response to the PD-1 blockade by tumor-derived T-cells; however, the absolute amounts were significantly lower compared to the release from ascites-derived T-cells. Our results demonstrate that PD-1 blockade can only partially reinvigorate functionally suppressed T-cells from EOC patients. This warrants further investigation preferably in combination with other therapeutics. The study provides an early pilot proof-of-concept for the potential use of DARPin® proteins as eligible alternative scaffold proteins to block PD-1.
Estimation of High-Resolution Global Monthly Ocean Latent Heat Flux from MODIS SST Product and AMSR-E Data
Authors: Chen Xiaowei , Yao Yunjun , Zhao Shaohua , Li Yufu , Jia Kun , Zhang Xiaotong , Shang Ke , Xu Jia , Bei Xiangyi
Published: August 2020

Accurate estimation of satellite-derived ocean latent heat flux (LHF) at high spatial resolution remains a major challenge. Here, we estimate monthly ocean LHF at 4 km spatial resolution over 5 years using bulk algorithm COARE 3.0, driven by satellite data and meteorological variables from reanalysis. We validated the estimated ocean LHF by multiyear observations and by comparison with seven ocean LHF products. Validation results from monthly observations at 96 widely distributed buoy sites from three buoy site arrays (TAO, PIRATA, and RAMA) indicated a bias of less than 7 W/m2 with R2 of more than 0.80 (p<0.01) and with a King–Gupta efficiency (KGE) of over 0.84. Our estimated ocean LHF also performs well in simulating annual variability and predicting between-site variability, as indicated by a bias of lower than 6 W/m2 and an R2 of more than 0.84 (p<0.01). Overall, the average KGE for estimated ocean LHF increased by 18%–23% compared to other LHF products, indicating robust LHF estimation performance. Importantly, our estimated annual ocean LHF has similar global spatial distribution compared to other LHF products, although there are general differences in LHF values due to the difference in the models and the spatial resolution.
Extraction and Characterization of Tunisian Quercus ilex Starch and Its Effect on Fermented Dairy Product Quality
Authors: Zarroug Youkabed , Boulares Mouna , Mejri Jamel , Slimi Bechir , Hamdaoui Ghaith , Djebi Saida , Saidi Fatma , Nasri Hanen , Sfayhi Dorra Terras , Kharrat Mohamed
Published: August 2020

In this study, a new starch has been isolated from acorn (Quercus ilex) fruits. The chemical composition of acorn flour showed its richness in carbohydrates (64.43%), proteins (8%), and fat (10%). The extraction yield of acorn starch was about 34.5%. Thus, the composition of extracted acorn starch and its physical and functional properties were studied. Acorn starch had high purity represented by low proportions of proteins (0.92%) and lipids (0.51%) with a pH of 5.3. The swelling power was 20.76 g/g, while the solubility was about 64.22% at 90°C which suggests that acorn starch has potential for use in food industries. The FT-IR spectra of isolated native starches have shown the main bands characterizing the starch. However, X-ray diffractograms exhibited an A- and B-type diffraction pattern. Furthermore, the effect of acorn starch incorporation at different levels (0.5%, 1%, 1.5%, and 2%) on the quality parameters of a fermented dairy product was investigated at the beginning of storage. The results demonstrated that the most suitable dose of acorn starch to be incorporated in the fermented dairy product was lower than 1%. This low concentration reduced syneresis, improved functional properties, and enhanced the viscosity of the fermented dairy product.
Electroacupuncture Pretreatment Attenuates Intestinal Injury after Autogenous Orthotopic Liver Transplantation in Rats via the JAK/STAT Pathway
Authors: Jia Lili , Yu Wenli , Yu Hongli , Weng Yiqi
Published: August 2020

Background. Liver transplantation induces self-injury and affects remote organs, such as the lung, kidney, and intestine. Postoperative intestinal dysfunction has been associated with prolonged hospitalization and affects a patient’s health and quality of life. Electroacupuncture (EA) has been proven effective in multiple organ protection. However, the potential mechanism underlying the protective effects of EA on intestinal injury after liver transplantation remains unclear. Methods. After establishing an autogenous orthotopic liver transplantation (AOLT) model, we studied the effects of EA pretreatment on intestinal injury after AOLT. We used the JAK2-specific inhibitor AG490 to explore the underlying mechanism. Histological analysis and apoptosis assays were used to evaluate intestinal injury. Oxidative stress index and inflammatory response were also measured after AOLT. Furthermore, we detected the phosphorylation levels of JAK2, STAT1, and STAT3 by Western blot. Results. We found that pretreatment with EA alleviated intestinal injury after AOLT, as shown by HE staining and TUNEL methods. EA pretreatment inhibited the expressions of p-JAK2, p-STAT1, and p-STAT3 in the intestines after AOLT. Upon treatment with JAK2-specific inhibitor AG490, intestinal injury was balanced. Conclusion. The data indicated EA pretreatment alleviated intestinal injury after AOLT by inhibiting the JAK/STAT signaling pathway. These results provide basic evidence to support the potential therapeutic efficacy of EA.
A Hybrid Link-TDMA MAC Protocol for Conventional and Radio over Fiber WLANs
Authors: Valkanis Anastasios , Nicopolitidis Petros , Papadimitriou Georgios
Published: August 2020

During the last two decades, the IEEE 8201.11 family has multiplied data rate transmissions in wireless local area networks (WLANs). This progress is based on the adoption of new technologies concerning physical layer (PHY), combined with the enhancements in the medium access control (MAC) layer. Radio over Fiber (RoF) is a technology which can further extend this progress, combining the benefits of optical fiber and wireless networks. The current IEEE 802.11 MAC protocol is contention based, which leads to low utilization of the RoF PHY data rate and on the other hand cannot handle the effects of long propagation delays in RoF networks. In this paper, we present a new Hybrid Link Time Division Multiple Access (HL-TDMA) MAC protocol which addresses the above shortcomings and enhances the performance of both conventional and RoF WLANs. Then, through simulation, we evaluate the performance of the proposed protocol, which is shown to be superior to relevant RoF WLAN protocols in the literature.
Emergency Combination of Four Drugs for Bloodstream Infection Caused by Carbapenem-Resistant Enterobacteriaceae in Severe Agranulocytosis Patients with Hematologic Malignancies after Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation
Authors: Li Xiaofan , Hong Yaqun , Chen Xianling , Chen Ping , Li Nainong
Published: August 2020

Bloodstream infection (BSI) caused by multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria or extensively drug-resistant (XDR) bacteria is a global threat. However, an effective treatment regimen is still controversial and inadequate due to the rapid deterioration caused by the bacteria. In immunocompromised and neutropenic patients, MDR-BSI is an emergency, which causes treatment-related mortality. In this study, four agranulocytosis patients with hematologic malignancies after HSCT receiving treatment for carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae- (CRE-) BSI were included. Conventional treatment using two to three combined antibiotics was administered in the first and second patients. Combination treatment using four drugs, polymyxin B, high-dose tigecycline, fosfomycin, and double-dose carbapenem, was administered in the third and fourth patients. None of the patients receiving conventional treatment survived. Both patients receiving combination treatment using four drugs survived. Therefore, four-drug combination therapy may be needed in CRE-BSI patients who experienced severe agranulocytosis after HSCT. The efficacy of the four-drug combination treatment for CRE-BSI patients as well as the adverse effects need to be further studied.
An optimise ELM by league championship algorithm based on food images
Authors: Khalid Abdulateef Salwa , Naser Abdali Taj-Aldeen , Salman Alroomi Mohanad Dawood , Ahmed Altaha Mohamed Aktham
Published: August 2020

This paper presents an optimisation of extreme learning machine by league championship algorithm based on food images. Extreme Learning Machine (ELM) is an effective classifier because of the performance which is higher than other classifiers’ aspects. However, some important drawbacks still work as a hindrance like failure of optimal selection weights for the weights of the input-hidden layer and the output of the threshold. In spite of the wide number of problem-solving attempts, there was no solution to be considered effective. This paper presents the approach of hybrid learning and the League Championship Algorithm is used by for the purpose of selecting the input weights and the thresholds outputs. The experimental outcomes showed that the performance of proposed technique is superior as compared according to different scenarios of the measures to benchmark. The proposed method has achieved an overall accuracy of 95% for UEC food 100 dataset and 94% for UEC food 256 dataset comparing with 94% and 80% for baseline approaches.
Hybrid order characteristics in car-following behavior
Authors: Tu Chunling , Du Shengzhi
Published: August 2020

This paper addresses the discovery of an interesting property in car-following processes, which was not reported in the existing literatures. A hybrid order behavior is supported by both experimental data and theoretical simulations. To demonstrate this behavior, the first order and the second order car-following behaviors are defined. Then, by comparing the first and the second order car-following behaviors in the existing analystic models and the real traffic context, this paper finds that a significant amount of the second order car-following processes in real traffic context do not match the existing models and structural mismatches are observed. The popularity and significance of such cases suggest the existence of unmodelled dynamics in the existing methods, that is, the car following behavior should be determined by more factors than the immediate proceeding vehicle. Therefore, the existing car-following models must be improved to accommodate these factors. This forms one of the main values of this paper. This paper then defines the hybrid order car-following behavior and prompts to associate this behavior with the concerned unmodelled dynamics (mismatches between the actual traffic data and the simulation from models). The neural network is employed to model such dynamics. The idea of the proposed hybrid order behavior matches the fact that the car-following behavior is determined by multiple vehicles driving in front of the subject car instead of only the immediate proceeding one. This is valuable because it provides guidance on the improvement of existing car-following models. The neural network model validates that the consideration of multiple vehicles improves the accuracy of car-following modelling.
Impact of engineering parameters on performance of relay-assisted network
Authors: Maaz Issam , Conrat Jean-Marc , Cousin Jean-Christophe , Alabed Samer
Published: August 2020

This paper compares the performance of a relay assisted network to the performance given by a classical macrocell network without the presence of relay node schemes. The capacity enhancement provided by a relaying system as a function of the relay antenna height and the propagation environment surrounding the relay nodes is analyzed and discussed in details. The analysis in this work is based on the theoretical Shannon capacity where both measured/experimental path loss and calibrated path loss models are taken into consideration. In this work, we assume a decode and forward scheme, a full-duplex relaying protocol and an optimized relay location is investigated. A 30 % of improvement in the macrocell capacity is achieved with the usage of relaying scenario compared to a classical macrocell network. Furthermore, increasing the relay antenna height from 4 meters to 12 meters can significantly increase the relay capacity to more than 20 % in suburban and moderate urban environments.
Design and implementation of pipelined and parallel AES encryption systems using FPGA
Authors: Nabil Mohamed , M. Khalaf Ashraf A. , M. Hassan Sara
Published: August 2020

The information security is one of the most important issues in the design of any communication network.One of the most common encryption algorithms is the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES).The main problem facing the AES algorithm is the high time consumption due to the large number of rounds used for performing the encryption operation. The more time the encryption system consumes to encrypt the data, the more chances the hackers have to break the system.This paper presents two effective algorithms that can be used to solve the mentioned problem and to achieve an effective processing time reduction using pipelined and parallel techniques to perform the encryption steps. These algorithms are based on using certain techniques to make the system able to encrypt many different states (the data will be encrypted) in the same time with no necessity to wait for the previous encryption operation to be completed. These two algorithms are very effective especially for big data size. This paper describes in detail the AES encryption system algorithm and a detailed explanation for the proposed algorithms. Moreover, the research shows the implementation of the three algorithms: the traditional, the pipelined, and the parallel algorithms, and finally a comparison between them.
Improving data quality using a deep learning network
Authors: Hwang Chulhyun , Lee Kyouhwan , Jung Hoekyung
Published: August 2020

IoT data is collected in real time and is treated as highly reliable data because of its high precision. However, it often exhibits incomplete values for reasons such as sensor aging and failure, poor operating environment, and communication problems. The characteristics of IoT data transmitted with high precision and time series are suitable to use LSTM, which is one kind of RNN. In this paper, when applying LSTM to data quality improvement in IoT environment where data are collected simultaneously from several sensors, it is suggested that it is effective to construct LSTM individually for each sensor accuracy.
Mitigation of magnetising inrush current in three–phase power transformer
Authors: Banerjee Mudita , Khosla Anita
Published: August 2020

During energization of no – load transformers, a high and peaky current flow on the primary side which has rich second harmonics. This current is magnetising inrush current and it is generated when transformer core is driven deep into saturation. This current has various disturbances on transformer attribute; reduced life-span, major voltage drop, insulation weakening, electrical and mechanical vibrations in coils, difficulties in protecting relays and all leads to poor power quality of the electric system. This paper presents the analysis and comparison of recent techniques to reduce the magnitude of inrush current during energization of power transformer. The simulation results are provided for Pre – insertion of resistors, Controlled swithing and Pre – fluxing method. The best method is suggested for mitigating inrush current by simulating in MATLAB/SIMULINK environment.
A comparative analysis of an electronic exams versus paper exams between different gender of iraqi students
Authors: M. Ismail Marwa , S. Bashar Bashar , Qas Elias Bashar B.
Published: August 2020

When students believe they can get smarter, they understand that effort makes them stronger. Therefore, they put in extra time and effort, and that leads to higher achievement. Besides that, the arrangement of question papers and answer sheets process for a high number of students takes a long time. In this paper, the sheet exam has been proposed to change into an electric exam (E-exam). This system depended on the client-server framework to convert the traditional exam environment into an electronic exam, providing multiple and different questions at the same time. In additions, kept the grades of students and providing them automatically. In this paper, Visual Studio and Microsoft SQL server have been proposed to develop the electronic exam. The questionnaire is made by distributed it among 30 students, and after the data analysis, the results have been collected have been represented a response rate of 100%. It is recommended that, to take electronic exams and e-learning for students periodically. To improve their performance through continuous training on computerized exams and to increase the student’s efficiency in this type of learning.