bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Altered metal distribution in the sr45‐1 Arabidopsis mutant causes developmental defects
Authors: Fanara Steven , Schloesser Marie , Hanikenne Marc , Motte Patrick
Published: March 2022

The plant serine/arginine‐rich (SR) splicing factor SR45 plays important roles in several biological processes, such as splicing, DNA methylation, innate immunity, glucose regulation, and abscisic acid signaling. A homozygous Arabidopsis sr45‐1 null mutant is viable, but exhibits diverse phenotypic alterations, including delayed root development, late flowering, shorter siliques with fewer seeds, narrower leaves and petals, and unusual numbers of floral organs. Here, we report that the sr45‐1 mutant presents an unexpected constitutive iron deficiency phenotype characterized by altered metal distribution in the plant. RNA‐Sequencing highlighted severe perturbations in metal homeostasis, the phenylpropanoid pathway, oxidative stress responses, and reproductive development. Ionomic quantification and histochemical staining revealed strong iron accumulation in the sr45‐1 root tissues accompanied by iron starvation in aerial parts. Mis‐splicing of several key iron homeostasis genes, including BTS, bHLH104, PYE, FRD3, and ZIF1, was observed in sr45‐1 roots. We showed that some sr45‐1 developmental abnormalities can be complemented by exogenous iron supply. Our findings provide new insight into the molecular mechanisms governing the phenotypes of the sr45‐1 mutant.
Acute drug‐induced immune thrombocytopenia ‐ A work of articaine
Authors: Lægreid Ingvild Jenssen , Olsen Mats Irgen , Harr Jon Inge , Grønli Renathe Henriksen , Mørtberg Trude Victoria , Ernstsen Siw Leiknes , Ahlen Maria Therese
Published: March 2022

Background

Drug‐induced immune thrombocytopenia (DITP) is a rare, but serious complication to a wide range of medications. Upon suspicion, one should do a thorough clinical evaluation following proposed diagnostic criteria and seek laboratory confirmation. If confirmed, it is important to ensure avoidance of the drug in the future.

Study design and methods

Herein, we describe a young adult male who experienced two bouts of severe thrombocytopenia following dental treatment. The thrombocytopenia was acknowledged due to unexpected hemorrhaging during the procedures. On both occasions, he was exposed to four different drugs, none commonly associated with DITP. After the second episode of severe procedural‐related thrombocytopenia, an investigation into the cause was initiated. We describe the clinical approach to elucidate which of the four implicated drugs was responsible for thrombocytopenia and the laboratory work‐up done to confirm that the reaction was antibody‐mediated and identify the antibody's drug: glycoprotein specificity. An alternative drug was tested both in vivo and in vitro, to identify an option for future procedures.

Results

Sequential exposure revealed the local anesthetic substance articaine to induce thrombocytopenia. Laboratory work‐up confirmed drug‐dependent antibodies (DDAbs) with specificity for the glycoprotein Ib/IX complex, swiftly identified by a bead‐based Luminex assay. Further investigations by monoclonal antibody immobilization of platelet antigens assay (MAIPA) revealed a probable GPIb binding site. An alternative local anesthetic, lidocaine, was deemed safe for future procedures.

Conclusion

Articaine can induce rapid‐onset, severe immune‐mediated thrombocytopenia causing bleeding complications. A modified bead‐based Luminex platelet antigen assay proved a useful addition in the DITP‐investigation.
Observations on the distribution and control of Salmonella in commercial broiler hatcheries in Great Britain
Authors: Oastler Claire E. , Nichols Christopher , Newton Kate , Cawthraw Shaun , Gosling Rebecca J. , Martelli Francesca , Wales Andrew D. , Davies Robert H.
Published: March 2022

Salmonella can enter hatcheries via contaminated eggs and other breaches of biosecurity. The study examined the prevalence and distribution of Salmonella in commercial hatcheries and assessed the effects of providing advice on Salmonella control. Intensive swab sampling was performed throughout 23 broiler hatcheries in Great Britain (GB). Swabs were cultured using a modified ISO6579:2017 method. After each visit, tailored advice on biosecurity and cleaning and disinfection procedures was provided to the hatchery managers. Repeat sampling was carried out in 10 of the 23 hatcheries. Salmonella prevalence ranged between 0% and 33.5%, with the chick handling areas, hatcher areas, macerator area, tray wash/storage areas, external areas and other waste handling areas being more contaminated than the setter areas. Salmonella Senftenberg and Salmonella 13,23:i:‐ were the most commonly isolated serovars. There was a reduction in Salmonella prevalence at the second visit in eight out of 10 premises, but prevalence values had increased again in all of the improved hatcheries that were visited a third time. One hatchery harboured a difficult‐to‐control resident Salmonella 13,23:i:‐ strain and was visited six times; by the final visit, Salmonella prevalence was 2.3%, reduced from a high of 23.1%. In conclusion, the study found low‐level Salmonella contamination in some GB broiler hatcheries, with certain hatcheries being more severely affected. Furthermore, it was shown that Salmonella typically is difficult to eradicate from contaminated hatcheries, but substantial reductions in prevalence are possible with improvements to biosecurity, cleaning and disinfection.
The Assessment of Statistical Processes used in Published Educational Researches: Dar-Almandumah Database as a Model
Authors: Thabet Ejteyad Abu , Ismaeal Nizar , Abdulla Aziz
Published: March 2022

This research aims to study and assess the statistical processes used in the educational researches published in Dar-Almandumah database. Purposive sampling has been used in this study, which consisted of 301 educational researches classified into three categories. To achieve the objective of this research, the approach of Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic and Meta-Analysis Protocols (PRISMA-P2015) has been followed. It consists of three stages; the first covers abstracts, the second covers the statistical methods, and the third discusses verification of the assumptions related to the statistical methods used in the researches. Frequencies and percentages have been used in each of the three stages. The first stage concluded that: most of the educational researches’ abstracts did not mention the type of sample used, a few abstracts mentioned the size of sample and target population, most of the researches used the descriptive-analytical approach and qualitative data, and the independent variable was mentioned in the abstracts more than the dependent variable. The results of the second stage indicated that descriptive and simple inferential methods are used the most, whereas, the results of the third stage indicated a lack of verifying assumptions of the statistical methods used in the researches.
Proteção de Dados e o Acordo de Livre Comércio Mercosul-União Europeia: Notas sobre a Adequação da Autoridade Nacional de Proteção de Dados no Brasil
Authors: Linden Ruaro Regina , Alberton Coutinho Silva Cecília
Published: March 2022

O avanço das novas tecnologias, impulsionado pelos influxos disruptivos da Revolução 4.0, proporcionou a criação e o aperfeiçoamento das legislações de proteção de dados pessoais ao redor do mundo. Neste contexto, as autoridades de proteção de dados passaram a assumir papel de grande relevância para orquestrar as trocas comerciais internacionais e o fluxo transnacional de dados. Dito isso, o trabalho busca responder à seguinte hipótese: De que forma as legislações na União Europeia (“UE”) e na América Latina vêm regulamentando a proteção de dados pessoais, especialmente no que toca à independência e à autonomia das autoridades de proteção de dados? O objetivo geral da pesquisa consiste em evidenciar tal contexto internacional na matéria de proteção de dados pessoais na UE e na América Latina. Partindo do cenário delimitado, os objetivos específicos são(i) identificar as principais características das legislações de proteção de dados, notadamente do Regulamento Europeu de Proteção de Dados (“RGPD”) e das leis locais de proteção de dados na América Latina; (ii) verificar a forma com a qual as autoridades de proteção de dados foram estruturadas nesses locais; e (iii) a partir da apresentação do Acordo de Livre Comércio entre a União Europeia e o Mercosul, analisar o caso da Autoridade Nacional de Proteção de Dados brasileira (“ANPD”). Ao final, concluir-se-á no sentido de que as presentes e futuras relações comerciais, especialmente aquelas que impliquem transferência internacional de dados, dependerão do cumprimento de parâmetros de proteção de dados. A pesquisa foi realizada a partir do método de abordagem hipotético-dedutivo, com procedimento comparativo e histórico e interpretação sistemática. A natureza da pesquisa foi  teórica, o objetivo foi exploratório e explicativo e, quanto ao objeto, a pesquisa foi bibliográfica.
O Juiz das Garantias na Lei n. 13.964/2019: A Iimparcialidade do Julgador e as Indevidas Críticas Contra sua Constitucionalidade
Authors: Streck Lenio Luiz , De Oliveira Zanchet Guilherme
Published: March 2022

O texto pretende abordar a introdução do juiz das garantias no cenário processual penal brasileiro a partir dos dispositivos da Lei nº 13.964/2019. Após explorar os artigos de lei pertinentes, a pesquisa reforça a importância do instituto para uma maior efetividade da garantia da imparcialidade do juiz e analisa os problemas que alegações de caráter político, moral e pragmático, vertidas nas Ações Diretas de Inconstitucionalidade nºs 6.298, 6.299 e 6.300 e 6.305, representam em um Estado Democrático de Direito com ampla litigiosidade. O artigo, assim, objetiva demonstrar que o juiz das garantias proporciona uma aproximação do processo penal ao modelo acusatório previsto constitucionalmente e rechaçar a possibilidade de questionamento da constitucionalidade da nova lei a partir de argumentos de conveniência política.
Economia de mercado e políticas públicas: elementos de epistemologia à luz da obra de Theodore J. Lowi
Authors: Casalino Vinícius Gomes
Published: March 2022

O artigo tem como objetivo problematizar o estado atual das abordagens epistemológicas sobre a teoria das políticas públicas, assinalando a existência de certo déficit teórico no que concerne à consistência metodológica da bibliografia nacional. A partir da abordagem interdisciplinar, o trabalho busca compreender como os movimentos econômicos caracterizadores da economia de mercado produzem modificações político-institucionais que acabam repercutindo no conjunto de políticas públicas adotadas em cada momento histórico. À luz da tipologia formulada por Theodore J. Lowi, sustenta-se a hipótese de que modificações estruturais da economia capitalista engendram o revezamento de políticas distributivas e redistributivas conforme o maior ou menor acirramento das tendências à desigualdade. Acompanhando a perspectiva de Thomas Piketty, os resultados apontam para uma correlação essencial entre políticas distributivas e forças de divergência, e políticas redistributivas e forças de convergência. Uma vez que o texto constitucional estabelece uma série de vetores normativos no sentido da implementação de um Estado Democrático e Social de Direito, as conclusões apontam para a necessária prevalência de políticas públicas redistributivas no quadro institucional brasileiro, movimento que tem sido revertido nos últimos anos. O método utilizado é o hipotético-dedutivo, desenvolvido a partir das observações de Karl Popper.
Constitucionalismo Latino-Americano e o Bem-Viver: Os Objetivos de Desenvolvimento Sustentável como Diretrizes para a Concessão de Serviços de Saneamento
Authors: Carvalho Luiz Guilherme , Gomes da Rosa Rosana , Rocha de Miranda João Paulo
Published: March 2022

Nos últimos anos houve uma primazia normativa pela sustentabilidade do saneamento básico. A Agenda 2030 da Organização das Nações Unidas estabeleceu 17 Objetivos de Desenvolvimento Sustentável (ODS). O ODS-6 trata de água potável e saneamento. Já no Brasil foi publicada a Lei nº 14.026/20, que atualiza o marco legal do saneamento básico, atribuindo competências para instituição de normas de referência para regulação da prestação sustentável dos serviços públicos de saneamento básico. Contudo, não estabelece como atender esta sustentabilidade. Diante disso, surge a problemática de quais diretrizes operacionais devem ser aplicadas na gestão pública sustentável do saneamento básico. Assim, os objetos desta pesquisa são o ODS-6 e a Lei nº 14.026/20. Já o objetivo é demonstrar como o ODS-6 deve ser usado enquanto diretriz para a concessão de serviços de saneamento que garantam o acesso universal à água, a sustentabilidade e o bem viver da população, dentro da perspectiva do constitucionalismo latino-americano, em contraposição ao modelo neoliberal. Para isso foi realizada pesquisas bibliográficas e documentais, adotando o método dedutivo, partindo da agenda 2030 e do marco legal do saneamento, passando pelo modelo neoliberal e o constitucionalismo latino-americano, até chegar às alternativas de gestão de serviços públicos adequados ao ODS-6 e à defesa dos direitos fundamentais à água e ao saneamento. Assim, foi possível concluir que é essencial alternativas de gestão sustentável do saneamento que adotem o ODS-6 e não estejam ligadas somente ao neoliberalismo e à cientificidade econômica, mas que busquem também a garantida aos direitos fundamentais e ao bem viver.
Estado Neoliberal e Educação Profissional no Brasil: Transformações de Paradigmas em Nosso Circuito Histórico
Authors: Dos Santos Shilton Roque , Alves Yossonale Viana , De Azevedo Márcio Adriano
Published: March 2022

O presente artigo se propõe a analisar a tendência de massificação da Educação Profissional, a partir de cursos de curta duração, cuja oferta vem sendo inserida na dinâmica do mercado, transformando a educação em um produto vendável. Estuda-se o fenômeno da massificação desses cursos, no Brasil, com base nas transformações do Estado neoliberal, considerando a essencialidade destas novas conformações: sociais (em especial, no trabalho), políticas (essencialmente o Estado e suas instituições) e jurídicas. Para tanto, demarcou-se o entendimento sobre o que seria o Estado neoliberal, fundado nos estudos de Poulantzas (2000), Meszáros (2011; 2015), Mascáro (2013), relacionando-o com a leitura de educação enquanto direito, de Haddad (2004), com o propósito de identificar as transformações da Educação e da Educação Profissional sob as exigências do neoliberalismo, com assente em Freitas (2018), Santos (2019) e Santos & Azevedo (2019). Destaca-se que a análise da realidade dar-se-á a partir das lentes do materialismo-histórico-dialético, de Marx (2008), exigindo do observador retirar os objetos de estudo a partir da realidade social e analisá-los sob o ponto de vista da totalidade social. Conclui-se que a Educação Profissional deveria ser a chave para a formação e qualificação dos trabalhadores, contudo respondendo às demandas da base material da sociedade capitalista, o Estado Neoliberal, promove a precarização do trabalho e das condições de vida e o desemprego.
Combined Effects of Citric Acid and Ascorbic Acid Used As Low-Temperature Surface Modifiers to Enhance the Cyclability of Si Anode in an Li-Ion Battery
Authors: Chang Hung-Ying , Brahma Sanjaya , Hou Shang-Chieh , Chang Chia-Chin , Huang Jow-Lay
Published: March 2022

We successfully achieved surface modification of Si at a low temperature (150 °C) by using citric acid and ascorbic acid as surface modifiers and enhanced the electrochemical performance of a Si-based anode. A simple planetary ball-milling process followed by heat treatment over a range of temperatures (150–500 °C) was used to carry out the surface modification. This important investigation confirmed that the heat treatment temperature significantly affected the molecular structure in the modification layer, and its thickness led to a higher discharge capacity for low-temperature-modified Si compared to that in other series of high-temperature-annealed samples. Among all the surface-modified Si samples, the electrochemical performance using the M-Si 150 °C as the anode material achieved an excellent capacity of 1787 mAh g−1 after 100 charge/discharge cycles with a 75.8% retention. The same device delivered excellent rate capability, with a capacity of ∼1012 mAh g−1 (1 C) and 593 mAh g−1 (2 C) at the high-current rate. The capacity regained to ∼2012 mAh g−1 with the reversal of the current rate to 0.1 C, with a very high retention of 103%, indicating significantly enhanced strength of the modified Si anode in a lithium-ion battery.
The Durability Performance of Polyketone Gears under Various Lubrication Conditions
Authors: Zhong Bingbing , Zhang Renhua , Wei Peitang , Liu Huaiju , Li Jing , Lu Zehua
Published: March 2022

Polyketone (PK) is an environmentally friendly engineering plastic with good wear resistance and shows potential in gear applications. In this work, the durability of PK gears under various lubrication conditions was investigated via a power opened gear durability test rig and compared with polyformaldehyde (POM) gears. Experimental results show that PK gears under oil lubrication and grease lubrication represent the same failure mode at the same torque. The contact fatigue life of oil-lubricated PK gear was higher than that under grease lubrication but slightly lower than POM gear under the same conditions.
On the concentration dependence of sound attenuation in aqueous suspensions of silt- and sand-sized sediment: A compilation and analysis of the available data
Authors: Hare Jenna , Hay Alex E.
Published: March 2022

The available measurements of the acoustic attenuation coefficient, α, in aqueous suspensions of glass beads and sand are investigated for 10−3<ka<30 (where k is the acoustic wavenumber and a the grain radius) and volume concentrations, ϕ, up to 0.65. The data are found to collapse substantially when dividing by volume concentration, consistent with the expected first-order linear dependence. Equations of the form αa=B1ϕ+B2ϕ2, with ka-dependent coefficients, provide a prediction that is within a factor of 2 for low and intermediate values of ka.
Unusual presentation of superior mesenteric artery syndrome in a child
Authors: Tewari Shruti , Sharma Rahul Deo , Bangar Anant , Redkar Rajeev
Published: March 2022

Superior mesenteric artery syndrome (SMAS), also known as Wilkie’s syndrome, is a rare cause of upper gastrointestinal tract obstruction. We report a case of a 10-year-old girl with persistent abdominal pain for over 3 months, who on extensive investigations was diagnosed with SMAS. She underwent a surgical procedure to bypass the obstructed portion of the intestine for relief of her symptoms.
Biomarker analysis from CheckMate 214: nivolumab plus ipilimumab versus sunitinib in renal cell carcinoma
Authors: Motzer Robert J , Choueiri Toni K , McDermott David F , Powles Thomas , Vano Yann-Alexandre , Gupta Saurabh , Yao Jin , Han Celine , Ammar Ron , Papillon-Cavanagh Simon , Saggi Shruti S , McHenry M Brent , Ross-Macdonald Petra , Wind-Rotolo Megan
Published: March 2022

Background

The phase 3 CheckMate 214 trial demonstrated higher response rates and improved overall survival with nivolumab plus ipilimumab versus sunitinib in first-line therapy for advanced clear-cell renal cell carcinoma (RCC). An unmet need exists to identify patients with RCC who are most likely to benefit from treatment with nivolumab plus ipilimumab.

Methods

In exploratory analyses, pretreatment levels of programmed death ligand 1 were assessed by immunohistochemistry. Genomic and transcriptomic biomarkers (including tumor mutational burden and gene expression signatures) were also investigated.

Results

Biomarkers previously associated with benefit from immune checkpoint inhibitor-containing regimens in RCC were not predictive for survival in patients with RCC treated with nivolumab plus ipilimumab. Analysis of gene expression identified an association between an inflammatory response and progression-free survival with nivolumab plus ipilimumab.

Conclusions

The exploratory analyses reveal relationships between molecular biomarkers and provide supportive data on how the inflammation status of the tumor microenvironment may be important for identifying predictive biomarkers of response and survival with combination immunotherapy in patients with RCC. Further validation may help to provide biomarker-driven precision treatment for patients with RCC.
Cardiovascular outcomes in obstructive sleep apnoea and implications of clinical phenotyping on effect of CPAP treatment
Authors: Xu Pei-Hang , Fong Daniel Y T , Lui Macy M S , Lam David C L , Ip Mary Sau Man
Published: March 2022

Background

There is a growing awareness of the heterogeneity of obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA). Clinical trials of CPAP treatment on cardiovascular protection have been mostly negative. We aimed to assess the association between polysomnographic parameters and incident major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs), and to investigate if the CPAP effect could be better delineated among clinical subgroups.

Methods

This sleep cohort study was conducted using a clinical database and territory-wide electronic health administration data in Hong Kong. Cox regressions were used to calculate HRs. Latent class analysis was used to cluster patients with OSA according to clinical and polysomnographic features.

Results

Of 1860 eligible Chinese subjects who underwent polysomnography (2006–2013), 1544 (83%) had OSA. Over median follow-up of 8.3 years, 278 (14.9%) experienced MACEs. Apnoea–hypopnoea index (AHI) did not predict MACEs (HR: 0.95; 95% CI 0.76 to 1.17), whereas sleep time with oxygen saturation <90% (TST90) (HR: 1.41; 95% CI 1.10 to 1.81) was an independent predictor of MACEs, as were wake and nocturnal heart rate. In moderate–severe OSA (n=1108) who were indicated for CPAP treatment, regular CPAP was not associated with reduction of incident MACEs. Further cluster analysis identified a subgroup (n=333) who was younger, more obese, had more severe OSA (higher AHI and TST90) and more cardiovascular risks, in whom regular CPAP was associated with a lower risk of MACEs (HR:0.49, 95% CI 0.25 to 0.95).

Conclusions

OSA-related TST90 and mean heart rate, but not AHI, were robust predictors of MACEs. A clinical phenotype subgroup who demonstrated beneficial effect of CPAP treatment was identified.
A versatile protoplast system and its application in Cannabis sativa L.
Authors: Zhu Panpan , Zhao Yuqing , You Xiner , Zhang Yiping Jason , Vasseur Liette , Haughn George , Liu Yuanyuan
Published: March 2022

Cannabis sativa L. (cannabis) is one of the earliest domesticated crops cultivated for medicinal, food, industrial, and recreational use throughout the world. A growing number of jurisdictions have lifted the prohibition on medical and recreational cannabis with legislation that allows researchers to conduct important and urgently needed research, such as understanding the molecular basis of agronomically important traits. However, a dearth of suitable molecular genetic techniques for the analysis of cannabis species has hampered the elucidation of gene function. Here, we developed a robust protoplast transient transformation system by optimizing conditions of protoplast isolation and polyethylene glycol–mediated transformation using cannabis cotyledons. A protoplast isolation yield of up to 1.15 × 107 cells per gram of fresh material and 98.5% viability and a transformation efficiency of 75.4% were achieved. This optimized protocol for protoplast isolation and transformation was successfully applied to eight representative cannabis varieties, which highlight the versatility and robustness of this technique. Using this protocol, the nuclear localization of a basic helix–loop–helix transcription factor (CsMYC2) was visualized, and the transcriptional activity of CsMYC2 was assessed. These results demonstrate the effectiveness of our cannabis protoplast isolation and transient transformation method that should serve as a powerful molecular research tool in a wide range of molecular studies.
Acoustic regular black hole in fluid and its similarity and diversity to a conformally related black hole
Authors: Lan Chen , Miao Yan-Gang , Zang Yi-Xiong
Published: March 2022

We address an interesting question in the present paper that whether the acoustic gravity can be applied as a tool to the study of regular black holes. For this purpose, we construct a general acoustic regular black hole in the spherically symmetric fluid, where its regularity is verified from the perspective of finiteness of curvature invariants and completeness of geodesics. In particular, we find that the acoustic interval not only looks like a line element of a conformally related black hole in which the fluid density can be regarded as a conformal factor, but also gives rise to a non-vanishing partition function which coincides with that of a conformally related black hole. As an application, we provide a specific acoustic regular black hole model, investigate its energy conditions and compute its quasinormal modes. We note that the strong energy condition of our model is violated completely outside the horizon of the model but remains valid in some regions inside the horizon, which may give a new insight into the relation between the regularity and strong energy condition. Moreover, we analyze the oscillating and damping features of our model when it is perturbed.
CORAL: COde RepresentAtion learning with weakly-supervised transformers for analyzing data analysis
Authors: Zhang Ge , Merrill Mike A. , Liu Yang , Heer Jeffrey , Althoff Tim
Published: March 2022

Large scale analysis of source code, and in particular scientific source code, holds the promise of better understanding the data science process, identifying analytical best practices, and providing insights to the builders of scientific toolkits. However, large corpora have remained unanalyzed in depth, as descriptive labels are absent and require expert domain knowledge to generate. We propose a novel weakly supervised transformer-based architecture for computing joint representations of code from both abstract syntax trees and surrounding natural language comments. We then evaluate the model on a new classification task for labeling computational notebook cells as stages in the data analysis process from data import to wrangling, exploration, modeling, and evaluation. We show that our model, leveraging only easily-available weak supervision, achieves a 38% increase in accuracy over expert-supplied heuristics and outperforms a suite of baselines. Our model enables us to examine a set of 118,000 Jupyter Notebooks to uncover common data analysis patterns. Focusing on notebooks with relationships to academic articles, we conduct the largest study of scientific code to date and find that notebooks which devote an higher fraction of code to the typically labor-intensive process of wrangling data in expectation exhibit decreased citation counts for corresponding papers. We also show significant differences between academic and non-academic notebooks, including that academic notebooks devote substantially more code to wrangling and exploring data, and less on modeling.
Effects of Capsaicin on the Hypoglycemic Regulation of Metformin and Gut Microbiota Profiles in Type 2 Diabetic Rats
Authors: Kang Zhi-Qiang , Hu Jing-Lei , Chen Man-Yun , Mao Yu , Xie Li-Fang , Yang Nian , Liu Tao , Zhang Wei , Huang Wei-Hua
Published: March 2022

Dietary capsaicin (CAP), the main irritant component in pepper, can reduce the incidence of diabetes, while metformin (MET) is a first-line oral hypoglycemic drug. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether CAP on the hypoglycemic effect of MET is pertinent to gut microbiota. The glucose and insulin tolerance of diabetic rats were monitored. The glycolipid metabolism was analyzed by detecting blood biochemical parameters. Liver pathological changes were observed by Hematoxylin eosin (HE) staining. The inflammatory cytokines and intestinal tight junction proteins were detected by RT-qPCR and Western blot. 16S rRNA sequencing was employed to analyze gut microbiota profiles. The results showed that CAP and MET co-treatment could significantly reduce fasting blood glucose, improve glucose tolerance, lessen liver injury and inflammatory infiltration, down-regulate inflammatory cytokines and up-regulate intestinal tight junction proteins in diabetic rats by comparing it with MET monotherapy. Moreover, CAP and MET co-treatment altered gut microbiota profiles by regulating microbials’ abundances such as Akkermansia. In conclusion, CAP showed the significant hypoglycemic effect of MET and remodulated gut microbiota profiles in diabetic rats.
Applicability of Damped Outrigger Systems Using Timoshenko Beam Theory
Authors: Fang Chuangjie
Published: March 2022

Recently, applying damped outriggers in high-rise buildings to reduce vibration due to earthquake and wind has attracted a lot of attention. By placing energy dissipated devices vertically between the end of outriggers and perimeter columns, the damped outrigger systems emphasize the supplementary damping rather than stiffness. This paper investigates the applicability of viscously damped outrigger systems using Timoshenko beam theory. First, the building is modeled as a cantilevered Timoshenko beam, and the damped outriggers are simplified as equivalent complex rotational spring. With the assembly of dynamic stiffness of the damped outrigger system, the Wittrick–Williams algorithm and Newtonian iteration are then combined to calculate the dynamic characteristic of the system. The proposed approach has been verified by finite element method through a case study. The shear deformation and rotatory inertia of the core, later blended as slenderness ratio of the height-radius following Timoshenko beam theory, stiffness ratios of core-column and core-outrigger, and the number of damped outriggers are subsequently evaluated associated with supplementary damping as applicability analysis. This study shows the following: (1) adding damping amplifies twice to triple as the slenderness ratio increases from 5 to 25 for the first mode; (2) configurating more damped outriggers could provide stable damping contribution across modes with diminishing benefit; (3) Timoshenko beam analysis is better suited while Euler–Bernoulli beam analysis is an acceptable approximation only when the slenderness ratio of one-damped outrigger system is bigger than 25 and the first mode is predominant; and finally (4) the stiffness ratios of core-column, core-outrigger and stiffness of dampers have substantial influence on structural damping, particularly within the range smaller than 1, 10 and 4, respectively, but the presence of properly designed negative stiffness of dampers could bring substantial improvement. This study could serve as guidelines to apply damped outrigger systems in high-rise buildings.
Explainable AI
Authors: Storey Veda C. , Lukyanenko Roman , Maass Wolfgang , Parsons Jeffrey
Published: March 2022

Opening the black box or Pandora's Box?
Achieving CS for all could take decades
Authors: Guzdial Mark
Published: March 2022

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Mark Guzdial assesses the outlook for students taking computer science classes at the high school level.
Systems abstractions
Authors: Denning Peter J.
Published: March 2022

Computing professionals use powerful abstractions to tame complexity in large software systems and distributed networks.
Interferometric Probing of Physical and Chemical Properties of Solutions: Noncontact Investigation of Liquids
Authors: Eder Cornelia , Briesen Heiko
Published: March 2022

Interferometry is a highly versatile tool for probing physical and chemical phenomena. In addition to the benefit of noncontact investigations, even spatially resolved information can be obtained by choosing a suitable setup. This review presents the evolution of the various setups that have evolved since the first interferometers were developed in the mid-nineteenth century and highlights the benefits, limitations, and typical areas of application. This review focuses on interferometry based on electromagnetic waves in the near-infrared and visible range applied to liquid samples, categorizes the chemical/physical properties (e.g., pressure, temperature, composition) and phenomena (e.g., evaporation, crystal growth, diffusion, thermophoresis) that can be assessed, and presents a comprehensive literature review of specific existing applications. Finally, it discusses some fundamental open questions with respect to geometric considerations and overlapping effects.
Green Approach Using RuO2/GO Nanocomposite for Low Cost and Highly Sensitive pH Sensing
Authors: Taheri Mahtab , Deen M. Jamal
Published: March 2022

Rapid and inexpensive monitoring the real-time status of food products using pH sensors is critical for food quality and safety to determine if pathogens are present and growing. A promising material for pH sensors is ruthenium dioxide (RuO2) due to its chemical stability and excellent performance including: high sensitivity, low drift and hysteresis, and good selectivity. Furthermore, graphene oxide (GO) provides an electrode with large surface area, and good electrical properties. In this work, the in situ sol-gel deposition of RuO2 nanoparticles on the surface of GO as a facile, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly approach is used for the fabrication of a flexible pH sensor. The as-synthesized GO-RuO2 nanocomposites with a low volume were applied on the surface of screen printed carbon paste. The obtained GO-RuO2 nanocomposite pH sensor achieved high pH sensitivity (55.3 mV pH−1) in the pH range of 4–10, up to 4 times higher than the unmodified carbon electrode. The increased sensitivity of the modified electrode could be attributed to the uniform anchoring of small, crystallized RuO2 nanoparticles on the surface of GO sheets, resulting in synergistic effects between them. It also shows low drift (0.36 mV h−1) and low hysteretic width (0.8 mV). Considering the novel method of deposition and also sensing material with the cost-effective green synthesis approach, as well as excellent pH sensing properties, GO-RuO2 can be considered as a promising material for production of high-performance electrochemical pH sensors for food quality monitoring.
Smart Communication and Security by Key Distribution in Multicast Environment
Authors: Yadav Manisha , Singh Karan , Pandey Ajay Shekhar , Kumar Adesh , Kumar Rajeev
Published: March 2022

The service providers are aiming to provide multicast applications, primarily in the area of content delivery and secure wireless networks, due to the increased adoption of network systems and demand for secured wireless networks communication. Cryptography enables the users to send information across insecure networks using data encryption and decryption with key management. The research paper proposes a unique way of safeguarding network systems using cryptographic keys, as well as a fuzzy-based technique for improving security by reducing symmetric and asymmetric key overhead. To enable efficient communication, fuzzy-based rules with security triads and cryptographic key management methods are used. When the key distribution is decentralized, security implementation becomes more difficult, and multiple types of attacks are possible. Fuzzy logic-based key management methods are used in addition to offering a novel technique for secure cryptography systems. The novelty of the work is that the simulation work is also carried out to verify the data in on-demand distance vector (AODV) multicast wireless routing that supports 100 nodes with network performance parameters such as delay, control overhead, throughput, and packet delivery ratio. The system supports up to 128-bit key embedded with 128-bit plain data in cryptographic encryption and decryption.
Hydrogeochemical Characteristics and Geothermometry of Hot Springs in the Tensile Tectonic Region Leizhou Peninsula and Hainan Island in South China
Authors: Hu Hongyu , Lu Guoping , Lu Qiuying , Li Yan , Xie Linjun , Lin Xuanhao , Wu Ming , Mo Cehui , Zhang Bei
Published: March 2022

Hydrochemistry and isotopes are studied for characterizations of geothermal waters, groundwaters, and surface waters in Leizhou Peninsula (LZ) and the northern part of Hainan Island (HN) across the tensile-tectonic Qiongzhou Strait, southern China. Water chemistry results showed that most geothermal waters are of alkaline and HCO3-Na types, while shallow groundwater samples were significantly different with HCO3-Ca, HCO3-Mg, and HNO3-Ca types. Stable isotope data indicated that the source of LZ geothermal waters is of atmospheric precipitation, while HN geothermal water has a slight “oxygen drift”. Cation geothermometers and silica geothermometers could appropriately predict reservoir temperatures. Based on multicomponent mineral equilibria and quart geothermometer without steam loss, reservoir temperatures were estimated to be in the range of 65.0°C to 165.0°C at an average circulation depth of 2023 m, substantiated with data from a thousand-meter-depth borehole. The saturation indexes (SI) simulated by PHREEQC and Na-K-Mg triangle diagram revealed that the chemical components in the geothermal waters are possibly derived from water-rock interactions at high temperatures. Four simulation paths were established to calculate the mass flux of minerals by PHREEQC program. The hydrothermal circulation process of the volcanic rocks on both sides of the Qiongzhou Strait was similar, but the water-mineral reactions of Leizhou Peninsula were more intense. During the high-temperature hydrothermal deep circulation in the central part of Hainan Island, the molar transfer was low and the degree of mineral reaction is weak. Finally, the geothermal genetic mechanism for the study area of the extensional geostructure was proposed. The findings mark the characteristics for the tensile-tectonic region in slight “oxygen shift”, low values of 87Sr/86Sr for possible deep source from the mantle, and higher reservoir temperatures at shallower circulation depths.
Identity-Based Designated-Verifier Proxy Signature Scheme with Information Recovery in Telemedicine System
Authors: Zhou Yuping , Hu Yu , Chen Jianneng , Huang Zengjie , Huang Hui , Zhang Yi Fan
Published: March 2022

With the promotion of Remote Medical Treatment, the sharing of big telemedicine data becomes more and more popular. Telemedicine based on wireless sensor networks collects blood pressure, pH value, pulse, and other medical information from the telemedicine healthcare terminal. The medical information is sent to the hospital or medical server for processing. The security protection of patient medical data, such as confidentiality and authenticity, has gradually become a critical problem to be solved in the development of cloud medical service platform. A provably secure identity-based designated-verifier proxy signature scheme with information recovery for cloud medical diagnosis network is proposed. The scheme is on the basis of computational Diffie-Hellman difficult problem and existential unforgeable against adaptive chosen message attacks in the random oracle model. The performance analysis shows that the scheme is appropriate to the remote medical diagnosis system.
Parallel Implementation of FEM Solver for Shared Memory Using OpenMP
Authors: Majeed Rabia , Farrukh Ramisha , Riaz Omer , Ali Sikandar , Samad Ali , Khan Mukhtaj
Published: March 2022

FEM solver is designed for shared memory architectures using an object-oriented paradigm. The FEM solver is divided into five major sections; these are a collection of mesh data, creating an object for each finite element, application of boundary conditions, assembly of a linear system of equations, and lastly a solver to calculate the solution for the system of linear equations. This work has focused on the study of multiple parallel implementations for each stage of the FEM solver. All the stages are implemented in C++ while each stage parallel regions are implemented using OpenMP. The data structures used in this work are also C++ objects implemented using STL containers, like sparse matrix used is constructed as two-layer nested binary trees where each internal tree represents a sparse row in a global matrix. These structures are used in every stage and have never been converted into more conventional matrix structures like CSR, etc. Finally, this work has shown the contribution of time for each stage and the amount of speedup achieved for them. Using 16 threads, the solver has attained a speedup of 5.21 for mesh having 2099201 unknowns and Poisson’s equation. Two linear solvers Jacobi and CG are used which were consuming 95% of total solver time. The novelty of our work lies in the fact that this work focused on the implementation of Finite Element Application (FEA) using object-oriented programming for a shared memory architecture using OpenMP without considering conventional techniques of application speedup and specialized data structures like CSR, etc.
Design and Analysis of a Compact Superwideband Millimeter Wave Textile Antenna for Body Area Network
Authors: Khan Mohammad Monirujjaman , Islam Kaisarul , Shovon Md. Nakib Alam , Abbasi Muhammad Inam , Bourouis Sami , Hussein Hany S. , Alshazly Hammam
Published: March 2022

The advancement of wireless technology has led to an exponential increase in the usage of smart wearable devices. Current wireless bands are getting more congested, and we are already seeing a shift towards millimeter wave bands. This paper proposes a design for a millimeter wave textile antenna for body-centric communications. The antenna has a quasi-self-complementary (QSC) structure. The radiating patch is a semicircular disc with a radius of 1.855 mm and is fed by a 5.07 mm long, 0.70 mm wide microstrip feedline. A complementary leaf-shaped slot is etched in the ground plane. The radiating disc and the ground plane are attached to a 1.5 mm thick nonconducting 100% polyester substrate. The antenna has an overall dimension of

10
 
mm
×
7.00
 
mm

. In free space, the antenna achieved a superwideband impedance bandwidth that covers the Ka, V, and W bands designated by IEEE. At 60 GHz, the antenna’s radiation efficiency was 89.06%, with a maximum gain of 5.7 dBi. Millimeter waves are easily blocked by obstacles and have low skin penetration depth. On-body investigations were carried out by placing the antenna on a human phantom at five different distances. No significant amount of back radiation was observed. The radiation efficiency decreased to 67.48% at 2 mm away from the phantom, while the maximum gain slightly increased. The efficiency and radiation patterns improved as the distance between the antenna and the phantom gradually increased. Ten different textile substrates were also used to test the antenna. With a few exceptions, the free space and on-body simulation results were very similar to polyester. The design and simulation of the antenna were carried out using the CST microwave studio.
Study on the Precursors of Coal-Rock Fracture Based on the Maximum Lyapunov Exponent of Acoustic Emission Parameters
Authors: Cheng Guoqiang , Sun Xiaohui , Li Jiangong
Published: March 2022

In this paper, the relationship between acoustic emission (AE) parameters and coal-rock fracture is investigated by using the discrete element particle flow simulation software PFC. PFC is used to simulate the coal-rock uniaxial compression test for extracting the time series of AE event number, calculate the maximum Lyapunov exponent of the time series, and analyze the chaotic characteristics of AE event number. Combined with the relationship between the maximum point of the Lyapunov exponent and the peak point of the stress-strain curve, the coal-rock fracture precursor model was developed. The results indicate that during the uniaxial compression of coal-rock, the number of AE events first increases and then decreases, while the maximum point appears after the peak point of the stress-strain curve. The lower the coal-rock homogeneity, the earlier is the initial occurrence time of AE events. The AE event number has chaotic characteristics. In most cases, the chaotic characteristics of the number of AE events are the most evident before the specimen is completely destroyed. When the maximum Lyapunov exponent of AE event number time series mutates, it indicates that the specimen is about to be destroyed entirely, which can be used as a precursor criterion for coal-rock fracture.
Narrow-Band Radio Propagation Prediction Based on a Highly Accurate Three-Dimensional Railway Environment Model
Authors: Li Jinhan , Liu Lihai , Guan Ke
Published: March 2022

In this paper, radio propagation predictions were performed by a self-developed ray tracing simulator based on highly accurate three-dimensional (3D) environment models obtained by oblique aerial photography (OAP). In order to support ray tracing computations, the highly complex environment models were managed by three steps, including model separation, electromagnetic parameter assignment, and model lightweighting. Simulations and real-world experiments were conducted to test the proposed method. The results show that the root mean square errors (RMSE) in the predicted received signal strength curves were achieved 4 dB with comparably low computational complexity in the selected railway scenarios.
Investigation on the Performance of Domestic Refrigerator with Zirconium Oxide‐R134a Nanorefrigerant
Authors: Baskaran A. , Manikandan N. , Tesfaye JuleLeta , Nagaprasad N. , Krishnaraj R.
Published: March 2022

This study investigates the performance of nanorefrigerants (R134a‐ZrO2) in a domestic refrigerator at a concentration of 0.2 g/l without changing the components. Nanoparticles of ZrO2 of 0.2 g/L concentration with particle size 1‐10 nm and 140 g of R134a have been charged, and investigations were carried out. Energy consumption and pull‐down tests were conducted to investigate the performance of the refrigerator. The performance parameters like refrigeration capacity, compressor power, discharge temperature, coefficient of performance, and energy consumption were investigated for the nanorefrigerant (R134a‐ZrO2), and the results were compared with base refrigerant R134a. The pull downtime, energy consumption, and discharge temperature are reduced with increased COP and compressor power when the system is operated with R134a‐ZrO2 nanorefrigerant. Also, the thermophysical properties of the nanorefrigerant (R134a‐ZrO2) are calculated and analyzed for the various volume fraction of nanoparticles.