bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Impact assessment of the WHO FCTC over its first decade: methodology of the expert group
Authors: Fong Geoffrey T , Chung-Hall Janet , Craig Lorraine
Published: June 2018

Background

At its sixth meeting (Moscow, November 2014), the Conference of the Parties (COP) adopted decision FCTC/COP6(13) that called for an impact assessment to ‘examine the impact of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) on the implementation of tobacco control measures and on the effectiveness of its implementation’ after its first 10 years. An independent expert group (EG) was established to conduct the impact assessment, and report their findings at COP7 (Delhi, November 2016). This article describes the methodology used by the EG to conduct the first comprehensive multi-method assessment of the possible causal impact of the FCTC on global tobacco control over the past decade.

Methods

The EG developed and followed a four-stage process model to conduct the impact assessment: (1) desk review of literature on FCTC impact; (2) collection and analysis of interview data from 12 country missions; (3) data synthesis and interpretation; and (4) preparation of a final report.

Conclusions

The EG developed and engaged in a transparent and systematic process to conduct the FCTC impact assessment. The methods employed were rigorous, and explicitly guided by concerns about the difficulty of ascribing cause-and-effect relations. The EG’s report and supporting documents represent important sources of the positive impact of the Convention over its first decade. As development of the FCTC increasingly shifts to mechanisms for accelerating global implementation, the EG’s process model can be used as a methodology to assist Parties in carrying out their own assessments of the impact of the Treaty.
Effects of a single bout of high-intensity interval exercise on C1q/TNF-related proteins
Authors: Kon Michihiro , Ebi Yoshiko , Nakagaki Kohei
Published: June 2018

High-intensity interval training (HIIT) is known to be an effective exercise training regimen to improve energy substrate metabolism and insulin sensitivity. However, the underlying mechanisms of improvement in insulin sensitivity due to HIIT have not yet been fully clarified. C1q/tumor necrosis factor-related protein (CTRP) 1 and CTRP9, which are adiponectin paralogs and novel adipokines, have favorable effects on energy substrate metabolism and insulin sensitivity. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of a single bout of HIIT on CTRP1 and CTRP9 secretions in healthy men. Eight healthy male subjects (mean ± SE: age, 23.4 ± 1.1 years; height, 172.1 ± 1.7 cm; body mass, 68.0 ± 2.0 kg; body mass index, 22.9 ± 0.5 kg/m2) participated in this study. They performed a single bout of HIIT consisted of four 30-s maximal cycling bouts with 4 min of rest between bouts using a cycle ergometer. Blood samples were collected before the exercise, at 0 (immediately after the exercise), 15, 30, and 120 min after the single bout of HIIT. Serum CTRP1, CTRP9, and high-molecular-weight (HMW) adiponectin concentrations were measured using enzyme-linked immunosolvent assay kits. CTRP1 concentration significantly increased at 120 min after the HIIT. CTRP9 concentration also significantly increased immediately after the single bout of HIIT. In contrast, there were no significant differences in HMW adiponectin concentration before and after the acute HIIT. These findings suggest that a single bout of HIIT may stimulate CTRP1 and CTRP9 secretions in healthy men.
Dual Quantum Dot Superlattice
Authors: Parthasarathy Barath , Mirdha Pial , Kondo Jun , Jain Faquir
Published: June 2018

In this paper, we propose a structure using four layers of quantum dots on crystalline silicon. The quantum dots site-specifically self-assembled in the p-type material due to the electrostatic attraction. This quantum dot super lattice (QDSL) structure will be constructed using a mixed layer of Germanium (Ge) and Silicon (Si) dots. Atomic Force Microscopy results will show the accurate stack height formed from individual and multi stacked layers. This is the first novel characterization of 4 layers of 2 separate self assemblies. This was also applied to a quantum dot gate field effect transistor (QDG-FET).
Modeling and Fabrication of GeOx-Ge Cladded Quantum Dot Channel (QDC) FETs on Poly-Silicon
Authors: Kondo Jun , Mirdha Pial , Parthasarathy Barath , Chan Pik-Yiu , Saman Bander , Jain Faquir , Heller Evan
Published: June 2018

Quantum dot channel (QDC) and Quantum dot gate (QDG) field effect transistors (FETs) have been fabricated on crystalline Si using cladded Si and Ge quantum dots. This paper presents fabrication and modeling of quantum dot channel field effect transistors (QDC-FETs) using cladded Ge quantum dots on poly-Si thin films grown on silicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrates. HfAlO2 high-k dielectric layers are used for the gate dielectric. QDC-FETs exhibit multi-state I-V characteristics which enable two-bit processing, and reduce FET count and power dissipation. QDC-FETs using germanium quantum dots provide higher electron mobility than conventional poly-silicon FETs, and mobility values comparable to conventional FETs using single crystalline silicon.
Design of an Inductorless Power Converter with Maximizing Power Extraction for Energy Harvesting
Authors: Umaz Ridvan , Wang Lei
Published: June 2018

An inductorless power converter for low-power energy harvesting is presented. The power converter for energy harvesting is employed to maximize power extraction from energy sources. The power converter is based on a capacitive boost converter which is divided into two stages; a number of first-stage in parallel and shared-stage. The first-stage maximizes power extraction from the energy source while the shared-stage operates as a conventional charge pump. For not only low-power energy source but also high-power energy source, the maximum power extraction is targeted by the proposed converter. The extracted power from energy sources enhances by range from 117% to 161% over the conventional design. The output current of the proposed converter with three first-stages is improved by 183% over conventional converter. The peak efficiencies achieved with three and one first-stage are 53.3% and 38.5% for the proposed and the conventional converters, respectively. The peak end-to-end efficiency is enhanced by 198% as compared to the conventional converter. The proposed inductorless power converter has been implemented on a 0.13μm CMOS process.
Challenges in active particles methods: Theory and applications
Authors: Bellomo N. , Brezzi F.
Published: June 2018

This paper is a brief introduction to the mathematical tools employed in the modeling and simulation of the interactions of a large number of living entities, and provides a presentation of the papers published in a special issue devoted to this topic. In addition, we bring to the reader’s attention some perspective ideas on possible objectives of future researches.
Convergence of the Godunov scheme for a scalar conservation law with time and space discontinuities
Authors: Towers John D.
Published: June 2018

We consider the Godunov scheme as applied to a scalar conservation law whose flux has discontinuities in both space and time. The time-and space-dependence of the flux occurs through a positive multiplicative coefficient. That coefficient has a spatial discontinuity along a fixed interface at [Formula: see text]. Time discontinuities occur in the coefficient independently on either side of the interface. This setup applies to the Lighthill–Witham–Richards (LWR) traffic model in the case where different time-varying speed limits are imposed on different segments of a road. We prove that the approximate solutions produced by the Godunov scheme converge to the unique entropy solution, as defined by Coclite and Risebro in 2005. Convergence of the Godunov scheme in the presence of spatial flux discontinuities alone is a well-established fact. The novel aspect of this paper is convergence in the presence of additional temporal flux discontinuities.
Heterogeneous stochastic scalar conservation laws with non-homogeneous Dirichlet boundary conditions
Authors: Lv Guangying , Wu Jiang-Lun
Published: June 2018

We introduce a notion of stochastic entropy solutions for heterogeneous scalar conservation laws with multiplicative noise on a bounded domain with non-homogeneous boundary condition. Using the concept of measure-valued solutions and Kruzhkov’s semi-entropy formulations, we show the existence and uniqueness of stochastic entropy solutions. Moreover, we establish an explicit estimate for the continuous dependence of stochastic entropy solutions on the flux function and the random source function.
A continental record of the Carnian Pluvial Episode (CPE) from the Mercia Mudstone Group (UK): palynology and climatic implications
Authors: Baranyi Viktória , Miller Charlotte S. , Ruffell Alastair , Hounslow Mark W. , Kürschner Wolfram M.
Published: June 2018

The generally arid Late Triassic climate was interrupted by a wet phase during the mid-Carnian termed the Carnian Pluvial Episode (CPE). Quantitative palynological data from the Mercia Mudstone Group in the Wessex Basin (UK) reveal vegetation changes and palaeoclimate trends. Palynostratigraphy and bulk organic carbon isotope data allow correlation to other Carnian successions. The palynostratigraphy indicates that the Dunscombe Mudstone is Julian and the lowest part of the overlying Branscombe Mudstone Formation is Tuvalian. The
Aulisporites
acme characterizing the CPE in Tethyan successions and the Germanic Basin is missing in the UK. The quantitative palynological record suggests the predominance of xerophyte floral elements with a few horizons of increased hygrophytes. A humidity signal is not seen owing to the dry climate in central Pangea. Also, the signal might be masked by the overrepresentation of xerophyte regional pollen and the predominance of xerophyte hinterland flora. The bias towards regional pollen rain is enhanced by the potential increase in continental runoff related to seasonally humid conditions and differences in pollen production rates and transport mechanisms. The vegetation of British CPE successions suggests a more complex climate history during the Carnian, indicating that the CPE is not recognized by the same changes everywhere.

Supplementary material:
A detailed lithological log of the Strangman's Cove (Devon) outcrop with the description of the Mercia Mudstone Group lithostratigraphical units, a description of the laboratory techniques, seven photoplates with selected spores and pollen grains, a list of all identified palynomorphs, Excel sheets with the palynological and palynofacies counts, bulk organic carbon isotope ratios and total organic carbon values of the Strangman's Cove outcrop are available at
https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.c.4138085
Game Categorization for Deriving QoE-Driven Video Encoding Configuration Strategies for Cloud Gaming
Authors: Slivar Ivan , Suznjevic Mirko , Skorin-Kapov Lea
Published: June 2018

Cloud gaming has been recognized as a promising shift in the online game industry, with the aim of implementing the “on demand” service concept that has achieved market success in other areas of digital entertainment such as movies and TV shows. The concepts of cloud computing are leveraged to render the game scene as a video stream that is then delivered to players in real-time. The main advantage of this approach is the capability of delivering high-quality graphics games to any type of end user device; however, at the cost of high bandwidth consumption and strict latency requirements. A key challenge faced by cloud game providers lies in configuring the video encoding parameters so as to maximize player Quality of Experience (QoE) while meeting bandwidth availability constraints. In this article, we tackle one aspect of this problem by addressing the following research question: Is it possible to improve service adaptation based on information about the characteristics of the game being streamed? To answer this question, two main challenges need to be addressed: the need for different QoE-driven video encoding (re-)configuration strategies for different categories of games, and how to determine a relevant game categorization to be used for assigning appropriate configuration strategies. We investigate these problems by conducting two subjective laboratory studies with a total of 80 players and three different games. Results indicate that different strategies should likely be applied for different types of games, and show that existing game classifications are not necessarily suitable for differentiating game types in this context. We thus further analyze objective video metrics of collected game play video traces as well as player actions per minute and use this as input data for clustering of games into two clusters. Subjective results verify that different video encoding configuration strategies may be applied to games belonging to different clusters.
Fallacies of Agreement
Authors: Tsandilas Theophanis
Published: June 2018

Discovering gestures that gain consensus is a key goal of gesture elicitation. To this end, HCI research has developed statistical methods to reason about agreement. We review these methods and identify three major problems. First, we show that raw agreement rates disregard agreement that occurs by chance and do not reliably capture how participants distinguish among referents. Second, we explain why current recommendations on how to interpret agreement scores rely on problematic assumptions. Third, we demonstrate that significance tests for comparing agreement rates, either within or between participants, yield large Type I error rates (>40% for α =.05). As alternatives, we present agreement indices that are routinely used in inter-rater reliability studies. We discuss how to apply them to gesture elicitation studies. We also demonstrate how to use common resampling techniques to support statistical inference with interval estimates. We apply these methods to reanalyze and reinterpret the findings of four gesture elicitation studies.
Routable and Matched Layout Styles for Analog Module Generation
Authors: Liu Bo , Chen Gong , Yang Bo , Nakatake Shigetoshi
Published: June 2018

Two
1
novel automatic generation methods for analog layout—a symmetrical twin-row method for MOS transistors and a twisted common-centroid method for capacitor arrays—are introduced. Based on the proposed layout styles and the corresponding algorithms, the symmetry and common-centroid placement patterns for analog devices are realized to guarantee matching properties. On this basis, as the most prominent contribution of this article, channel routing-based algorithms for the proposed layout styles are presented and could achieve 100% routability due to well-arranged devices and corresponding low routing complexity. The algorithms benefits include a small layout area that maximizes the diffusion-sharing of MOS transistors and less routing layer usage for common-centroid device arrays. Moreover, we successfully applied our algorithms to the layout designs of two typical analog modules including a two-stage operating amplifier and a Successive Approximation Register Analog-to-Digital Converter (SAR-ADC). The generated layouts and the circuit simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of our algorithms in terms of their routability and matching properties. Our algorithms can also be extended to apply to a variety of essential MOS analog circuits.
Subexponential Parameterized Algorithm for I
nterval
C
ompletion
Authors: Bliznets Ivan , Fomin Fedor V. , Pilipczuk Marcin , Pilipczuk MichaŁ
Published: June 2018

In the I
nterval
C
ompletion
problem we are given an
n
-vertex graph
G
and an integer
k
, and the task is to transform
G
by making use of at most
k
edge additions into an interval graph. This is a fundamental graph modification problem with applications in sparse matrix multiplication and molecular biology. The question about fixed-parameter tractability of I
nterval
C
ompletion
was asked by Kaplan et al. [FOCS 1994; SIAM J. Comput. 1999] and was answered affirmatively more than a decade later by Villanger et al. [STOC 2007; SIAM J. Comput. 2009], who presented an algorithm with running time
O
(
k

2
k

n
3
m
). We give the first subexponential parameterized algorithm solving I
nterval
C
ompletion
in time
k

O
(√
k
)

n

O
(1)

. This adds I
nterval
C
ompletion
to a very small list of parameterized graph modification problems solvable in subexponential time.
Game Input with Delay—Moving Target Selection with a Game Controller Thumbstick
Authors: Claypool Mark
Published: June 2018

Hosting interactive video-based services, such as computer games, in the Cloud poses particular challenges given user sensitivity to delay. A better understanding of the impact of delay on player-game interactions can help design cloud systems and games that accommodate delays inherent in cloud systems. Previous top-down studies of delay using full-featured games have helped understand the impact of delay, but often do not generalize or lend themselves to analytic modeling. Bottom-up studies isolating user input and delay can better generalize and be used in models, but have yet to be applied to cloud-hosted computer games. In order to better understand delay impact in cloud-hosted computer games, we conduct a large bottom-up user study centered on a fundamental game interaction—selecting a moving target with user input impeded by delay. Our work builds a custom game that controls both the target speed and input delay and has players select the target using a game controller analog thumbstick. Analysis of data from over 50 users shows target selection time exponentially increases with delay and target speed and is well-fit by an exponential model that includes a delay and target speed interaction term. A comparison with two previous studies, both using a mouse instead of a thumbstick, suggests the model’s relationship between selection time, delay, and target speed holds more broadly, providing a foundation for a potential law explaining moving target selection with delay encountered in cloud-hosted games.
Cost-Efficient Server Provisioning for Cloud Gaming
Authors: Li Yusen , Deng Yunhua , Tang Xueyan , Cai Wentong , Liu Xiaoguang , Wang Gang
Published: June 2018

Cloud gaming has gained significant popularity recently due to many important benefits such as removal of device constraints, instant-on, and cross-platform. The properties of intensive resource demands and dynamic workloads make cloud gaming appropriate to be supported by an elastic cloud platform. Facing a large user population, a fundamental problem is how to provide satisfactory cloud gaming service at modest cost. We observe that the software storage cost could be substantial compared to the server running cost in cloud gaming using elastic cloud resources. Therefore, in this article, we address the server provisioning problem for cloud gaming to optimize both the server running cost and the software storage cost. We find that the distribution of game software among servers and the selection of server types both trigger tradeoffs between the software storage cost and the server running cost in cloud gaming. We formulate the problem with a stochastic model and employ queueing theory to conduct a solid theoretical analysis of the system behaviors under different request dispatching policies. We then propose several classes of algorithms to approximate the optimal solution. The proposed algorithms are evaluated by extensive experiments using real-world parameters. The results show that the proposed
Ordered
and
Genetic
algorithms are computationally efficient, nearly cost-optimal, and highly robust to dynamic changes.
Designing and Evaluating a Mesh Simplification Algorithm for Virtual Reality
Authors: Bahirat Kanchan , Lai Chengyuan , Mcmahan Ryan P. , Prabhakaran Balakrishnan
Published: June 2018

With the increasing accessibility of the mobile head-mounted displays (HMDs), mobile virtual reality (VR) systems are finding applications in various areas. However, mobile HMDs are highly constrained with limited graphics processing units (GPUs) and low processing power and onboard memory. Hence, VR developers must be cognizant of the number of polygons contained within their virtual environments to avoid rendering at low frame rates and inducing simulator sickness. The most robust and rapid approach to keeping the overall number of polygons low is to use mesh simplification algorithms to create low-poly versions of pre-existing, high-poly models. Unfortunately, most existing mesh simplification algorithms cannot adequately handle meshes with lots of boundaries or nonmanifold meshes, which are common attributes of many 3D models.

In this article, we present QEM
4VR
, a high-fidelity mesh simplification algorithm specifically designed for VR. This algorithm addresses the deficiencies of prior quadric error metric (QEM) approaches by leveraging the insight that the most relevant boundary edges lie along curvatures while linear boundary edges can be collapsed. Additionally, our algorithm preserves key surface properties, such as normals, texture coordinates, colors, and materials, as it preprocesses 3D models and generates their low-poly approximations offline.

We evaluated the effectiveness of our QEM
4VR
algorithm by comparing its simplified-mesh results to those of prior QEM variations in terms of geometric approximation error, texture error, progressive approximation errors, frame rate impact, and perceptual quality measures. We found that QEM
4VR
consistently yielded simplified meshes with less geometric approximation error and texture error than the prior QEM variations. It afforded better frame rates than QEM variations with boundary preservation constraints that create unnecessary lower bounds on overall polygon count reduction. Our evaluation revealed that QEM
4VR
did not fair well in terms of existing perceptual distance measurements, but human-based inspections demonstrate that these algorithmic measurements are not suitable substitutes for actual human perception. In turn, we present a user-based methodology for evaluating the perceptual qualities of mesh simplification algorithms.
Efficient Privacy-Preserving Matrix Factorization for Recommendation via Fully Homomorphic Encryption
Authors: Kim Jinsu , Koo Dongyoung , Kim Yuna , Yoon Hyunsoo , Shin Junbum , Kim Sungwook
Published: June 2018

There are recommendation systems everywhere in our daily life. The collection of personal data of users by a recommender in the system may cause serious privacy issues. In this article, we propose the first privacy-preserving matrix factorization for recommendation using fully homomorphic encryption. Our protocol performs matrix factorization over encrypted users’ rating data and returns encrypted outputs so that the recommendation system learns nothing on rating values and resulting user/item profiles. Furthermore, the protocol provides a privacy-preserving method to optimize the tuning parameters that can be a business benefit for the recommendation service providers. To overcome the performance degradation caused by the use of fully homomorphic encryption, we introduce a novel data structure to perform computations over encrypted vectors, which are essential for matrix factorization, through secure two-party computation in part. Our experiments demonstrate the efficiency of our protocol.
Delay-Sensitive Video Computing in the Cloud
Authors: Abdallah Maha , Griwodz Carsten , Chen Kuan-Ta , Simon Gwendal , Wang Pin-Chun , Hsu Cheng-Hsin
Published: June 2018

While cloud servers provide a tremendous amount of resources for networked video applications, most successful stories of cloud-assisted video applications are presentational video services, such as YouTube and NetFlix. This article surveys the recent advances on delay-sensitive video computations in the cloud, which are crucial to cloud-assisted conversational video services, such as cloud gaming, Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), and telepresence. Supporting conversational video services with cloud resources is challenging because most cloud servers are far away from the end users while these services incur the following stringent requirements: high bandwidth, short delay, and high heterogeneity. In this article, we cover the literature with a top-down approach: from applications and experience, to architecture and management, and to optimization in and outside of the cloud. We also point out major open challenges, hoping to stimulate more research activities in this emerging and exciting direction.
ASAP
Authors: Zahran Ahmed H. , Quinlan Jason J. , Ramakrishnan K. K. , Sreenan Cormac J.
Published: June 2018

The dramatic growth of video traffic represents a practical challenge for cellular network operators in providing a consistent streaming Quality of Experience (QoE) to their users. Satisfying this objective has so-far proved elusive, due to the inherent characteristics of wireless networks and varying channel conditions as well as variability in the video bitrate that can degrade streaming performance. In this article, we propose stall-aware pacing as a novel MPEG DASH video traffic management solution that reduces playback stalls and seeks to maintain a consistent QoE for cellular users, even those with diverse channel conditions. These goals are achieved by leveraging both network and client state information to optimize the pacing of individual video flows. We evaluate the performance of two versions of stall-aware pacing techniques extensively, including stall-aware pacing (SAP) and adaptive stall-aware pacing (ASAP), using real video content and clients, operating over a simulated LTE network. We implement state-of-the-art client adaptation and traffic management strategies for direct comparisons with SAP and ASAP. Our results, using a heavily loaded base station, show that SAP reduces the number of stalls and the average stall duration per session by up to 95%. Additionally, SAP ensures that clients with good channel conditions do not dominate available wireless resources, evidenced by a reduction of up to 40% in the standard deviation of the QoE metric across clients. We also show that ASAP achieves additional performance gains by adaptively pacing video streams based on the application buffer state.
User Behavior Analysis and Video Popularity Prediction on a Large-Scale VoD System
Authors: Huang Lei , Ding Bowen , Wang Aining , Xu Yuedong , Zhou Yipeng , Li Xiang
Published: June 2018

Understanding streaming user behavior is crucial to the design of large-scale Video-on-Demand (VoD) systems. In this article, we begin with the measurement of individual viewing behavior from two aspects: the temporal characteristics and user interest. We observe that active users spend more hours on each active day, and their daily request time distribution is more scattered than that of the less active users, while the inter-view time distribution differs negligibly between two groups. The common interest in popular videos and the latest uploaded videos is observed in both groups. We then investigate the predictability of video popularity as a collective user behavior through early views. In the light of the limitations of classical approaches, the Autoregressive-Moving-Average (ARMA) model is employed to forecast the popularity dynamics of individual videos at fine-grained time scales, thus achieving much higher prediction accuracy. When applied to video caching, the ARMA-assisted Least Frequently Used (LFU) algorithm can outperform the Least Recently Used (LRU) by 11--16%, the well-tuned LFU by 6--13%, and the LFU is only 2--4% inferior to the offline LFU in terms of hit ratio.
Lipid malabsorption from altered hormonal signaling changes early gut microbial responses
Authors: Terry Natalie A. , Ngaba Lucie V. , Wilkins Benjamin J. , Pi Danielle , Gheewala Nishi , Kaestner Klaus H.
Published: June 2018

Infants with congenital diarrheal disorders caused by enteroendocrine cell dysgenesis, or the loss of intestinal endocrine cells, causes severe malabsorptive diarrhea, though the mechanism is not fully understood. The transcription factor “aristaless-related homeobox” (Arx) is specifically expressed in intestinal endocrine cells. This study seeks to characterize the early malabsorptive phenotype of mice deficient for Arx using cell-type specific gene ablation in Villin-Cre; ArxloxP/Y ( Arxint) mice. In neonatal mice, the loss of intestinal Arx caused the loss of intestinal hormones, such as cholecystokinin, secretin, neurotensin, glucose-dependent insulinotropic peptide, glucagon-like peptide (GLP)-1 and GLP-2 but also upregulation of somatostatin. Arxint mice exhibited steatorrhea with the loss of lipid transport in duodenal enterocytes, upregulation of lysozyme-positive Paneth cells, and a secondary increase in antimicrobial peptides, specifically Reg3β. When the epithelium from Arxint mice was cultured ex vivo into enteroids, however, the Reg3β upregulation was lost under the sterile conditions. Thus, Arx is required for the appropriate lineage allocation of multiple enteroendocrine subtypes. We concluded that altered hormonal signaling caused by Arx deficiency results in lipid malabsorption, premature Paneth cell differentiation, and an inflammatory response, including neutrophilic infiltrates and a microbiota-triggered upregulation of Reg3β.

NEW & NOTEWORTHY The enteroendocrine transcription factor aristaless-related homeobox (Arx) plays a key role in lineage specification. Changes in hormonal expression mediated by Arx lead to lipid malabsorption and premature Paneth cell development. Furthermore, global profiling of whole intestine from Arx-deficient mice revealed significant upregulation of antimicrobial peptides. This antimicrobial response in Arx-deficient animals is lost under sterile culture conditions of enteroids.
Cell-surface phenotyping identifies CD36 and CD97 as novel markers of fibroblast quiescence in lung fibrosis
Authors: Heinzelmann Katharina , Lehmann Mareike , Gerckens Michael , Noskovičová Nina , Frankenberger Marion , Lindner Michael , Hatz Rudolf , Behr Jürgen , Hilgendorff Anne , Königshoff Melanie , Eickelberg Oliver
Published: June 2018

Fibroblasts play an important role in lung homeostasis and disease. In lung fibrosis, fibroblasts adopt a proliferative and migratory phenotype, with increased expression of α-smooth muscle actin (αSMA) and enhanced secretion of extracellular matrix components. Comprehensive profiling of fibroblast heterogeneity is limited because of a lack of specific cell-surface markers. We have previously profiled the surface proteome of primary human lung fibroblasts. Here, we sought to define and quantify a panel of cluster of differentiation (CD) markers in primary human lung fibroblasts and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) lung tissue, using immunofluorescence and FACS analysis. Fibroblast function was assessed by analysis of replicative senescence. We observed the presence of distinct fibroblast phenotypes in vivo, characterized by various combinations of Desmin, αSMA, CD36, or CD97 expression. Most markers demonstrated stable expression over passages in vitro, but significant changes were observed for CD36, CD54, CD82, CD106, and CD140a. Replicative senescence of fibroblasts was observed from passage 10 onward. CD36- and CD97-positive but αSMA-negative cells were present in remodeled areas of IPF lungs. Transforming growth factor (TGF)-β treatment induced αSMA and collagen I expression but repressed CD36 and CD97 expression. We identified a panel of stable surface markers in human lung fibroblasts, applicable for positive-cell isolation directly from lung tissue. TGF-β exposure represses CD36 and CD97 expression, despite increasing αSMA expression; we therefore identified complex surface protein changes during fibroblast-myofibroblast activation. Coexistence of quiescence and activated fibroblast subtypes in the IPF lung suggests dynamic remodeling of fibroblast activation upon subtle changes to growth factor exposure in local microenvironmental niches.
Role of Angptl4/Fiaf in exercise-induced skeletal muscle AMPK activation
Authors: Chang Hyukki , Kwon Obin , Shin Mi-Seon , Kang Gil Myoung , Leem Yea Hyun , Lee Chan Hee , Kim Seong Jun , Roh Eun , Kim Hyun-Kyong , Youn Byung-Soo , Kim Min-Seon
Published: June 2018

Angiopoietin-like protein 4 (Angptl4)/fasting-induced adipose factor (Fiaf) expression levels are increased by exercise in skeletal muscle. We have previously shown that Angptl4 regulates food intake and energy expenditure via modulation of hypothalamic AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) activity. AMPK is an important signaling molecule that integrates skeletal muscle metabolism during exercise. Therefore, we investigated the involvement of Angptl4 in exercise-induced AMPK activation in skeletal muscle. Angptl4 protein and mRNA expression levels were significantly increased in the gastrocnemius and soleus muscles of mice following a 50-min running bout. Treatment of C2C12 myotubes with Angptl4 increased phosphorylation of AMPK and acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC), which were markers of AMPK activation, and the mitochondrial maximum respiratory capacity. Treadmill exercise increased AMPK and ACC phosphorylation in the gastrocnemius of normal mice; this phosphorylation increase was attenuated in mice lacking Angptl4. Endurance to swimming and hanging was also reduced in Angptl4 knockout mice. Taken together, our current data demonstrate that exercise-induced upregulation of skeletal muscle Angptl4 is critical for AMPK activation and exercise tolerance. These findings unveil a new role for skeletal muscle Angptl4 in exercise physiology.

NEW & NOTEWORTHY 1) Angiopoietin-like protein 4 (Angptl4) treatment activates AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) signaling in skeletal muscle cells. 2) Angptl4 increases the maximum mitochondrial oxidative capacity through AMPK activation in skeletal muscle cells. 3) Lack of Angptl4 mitigates exercise-induced skeletal muscle AMPK activation. 4) Angptl4-deficient mice show a lower endurance to exercise.
A Bibliometric Review of Natural Language Processing Empowered Mobile Computing
Authors: Chen Xieling , Ding Ruoyao , Xu Kai , Wang Shan , Hao Tianyong , Zhou Yi
Published: June 2018

Natural Language Processing (NLP) empowered mobile computing is the use of NLP techniques in the context of mobile environment. Research in this field has drawn much attention given the continually increasing number of publications in the last five years. This study presents the status and development trend of the research field through an objective, systematic, and comprehensive review of relevant publications available from Web of Science. Analysis techniques including a descriptive statistics method, a geographic visualization method, a social network analysis method, a latent dirichlet allocation method, and an affinity propagation clustering method are used. We quantitatively analyze the publications in terms of statistical characteristics, geographical distribution, cooperation relationship, and topic discovery and distribution. This systematic analysis of the field illustrates the publications evolution over time and identifies current research interests and potential directions for future research. Our work can potentially assist researchers in keeping abreast of the research status. It can also help monitoring new scientific and technological development in the research field.
Post-Ebola Syndrome among Ebola Virus Disease Survivors in Montserrado County, Liberia 2016
Authors: Wilson Himiede W. , Amo-Addae Maame , Kenu Ernest , Ilesanmi Olayinka Stephen , Ameme Donne K. , Sackey Samuel O.
Published: June 2018

Introduction. An increased number of survivors have emerged from the 2014 West African Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) epidemic. Post-Ebola Syndrome (PES) is a group of physical and psychological symptoms affecting EVD survivors. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of PES among EVD survivors in Montserrado County, Liberia. Method. A cross-sectional study design was conducted to determine the prevalence of PES, types, onset, and duration among survivors. Survivors in Montserrado County were recruited using multistage sampling methods. Quantitative data was collected using semistructured questionnaire. Variables were collected on EVD survivors demographics, pre- and post-Ebola health history. Result. Prevalence of Post-Ebola Syndrome was estimated to be 90% (242/268). PES was experienced by 67% (162/242) females. PES occurred mainly in the adult population between ages 25-34, 35% (84/242). The commonest symptoms were reported from the following systems of the human body: neurological system (eyes problem, headache, sleep disorder, and unusual tiredness) and musculoskeletal system (abdominal pain, chest pain, and joints pains). The onset of PES occurred between the first 1-12 weeks after being discharged from a treatment unit. Conclusion. Prevalence of PES is high. Clinical care for survivors should be strengthened.
Obesity-Related Asthma: Immune Regulation and Potential Targeted Therapies
Authors: Yuan Yuze , Ran Nan , Xiong Lingxin , Wang Guoqiang , Guan Xuewa , Wang Ziyan , Guo Yingqiao , Pang Zhiqiang , Fang Keyong , Lu Junying , Zhang Chao , Zheng Ruipeng , Zheng Jingtong , Ma Jie , Wang Fang
Published: June 2018

Obesity, one of the most severe public health problems of the 21st century, is a common metabolic syndrome due to excess body fat. The incidence and severity of obesity-related asthma have undergone a dramatic increase. Because obesity-related asthma is poorly controlled using conventional therapies, alternative and complementary therapies are urgently needed. Lipid metabolism may be abnormal in obesity-related asthma, and immune modulation therapies need to be investigated. Herein, we describe the immune regulators of lipid metabolism in obesity as well as the interplay of obesity and asthma. These lay the foundations for targeted therapies in terms of direct and indirect immune regulators of lipid metabolism, which ultimately help provide effective control of obesity-related asthma with a feasible treatment strategy.
PATRI, a Genomics Data Integration Tool for Biomarker Discovery
Authors: Ukmar G. , Melloni G. E. M. , Raddrizzani L. , Rossi P. , Di Bella S. , Pirchio M. R. , Vescovi M. , Leone A. , Callari M. , Cesarini M. , Somaschini A. , Della Vedova G. , Daidone M. G. , Pettenella M. , Isacchi A. , Bosotti R.
Published: June 2018

The availability of genomic datasets in association with clinical, phenotypic, and drug sensitivity information represents an invaluable source for potential therapeutic applications, supporting the identification of new drug sensitivity biomarkers and pharmacological targets. Drug discovery and precision oncology can largely benefit from the integration of treatment molecular discriminants obtained from cell line models and clinical tumor samples; however this task demands comprehensive analysis approaches for the discovery of underlying data connections. Here we introduce PATRI (Platform for the Analysis of TRanslational Integrated data), a standalone tool accessible through a user-friendly graphical interface, conceived for the identification of treatment sensitivity biomarkers from user-provided genomics data, associated with information on sample characteristics. PATRI streamlines a translational analysis workflow: first, baseline genomics signatures are statistically identified, differentiating treatment sensitive from resistant preclinical models; then, these signatures are used for the prediction of treatment sensitivity in clinical samples, via random forest categorization of clinical genomics datasets and statistical evaluation of the relative phenotypic features. The same workflow can also be applied across distinct clinical datasets. The ease of use of the PATRI tool is illustrated with validation analysis examples, performed with sensitivity data for drug treatments with known molecular discriminants.
Cutting Cycles of Conditional Preference Networks with Feedback Set Approach
Authors: Liu Zhaowei , Li Ke , He Xinxin
Published: June 2018

As a tool of qualitative representation, conditional preference network (CP-net) has recently become a hot research topic in the field of artificial intelligence. The semantics of CP-nets does not restrict the generation of cycles, but the existence of the cycles would affect the property of CP-nets such as satisfaction and consistency. This paper attempts to use the feedback set problem theory including feedback vertex set (FVS) and feedback arc set (FAS) to cut cycles in CP-nets. Because of great time complexity of the problem in general, this paper defines a class of the parent vertices in a ring CP-nets firstly and then gives corresponding algorithm, respectively, based on FVS and FAS. Finally, the experiment shows that the running time and the expressive ability of the two methods are compared.
Security‐Reliability Tradeoff Analysis in Multisource Multirelay Cooperative Networks with Multiple Cochannel Interferers
Authors: Hu Weilong , Si Jiangbo , Li Hongyan
Published: June 2018

Cooperative relaying communication is one of the green communication technologies since it shortens the communication distance and saves the transmit power. In this paper, the physical‐layer security (PLS) of a multisource multirelay cooperative relaying communication network is investigated by considering the influence of cochannel interference from a security‐reliability tradeoff (SRT) perspective. First, the SRT performance is characterized by the outage probability (OP) and the intercept probability (IP). In particular, the IP encountered at the eavesdropper is used to evaluate the security performance, while the reliability performance is analyzed in terms of the OP experienced at the destination. Then, under the impact of multiple cochannel interferers, the intercept probabilities and the outage probabilities of both the conventional direct transmission (DT) strategy and relay selection (RS) strategy are derived in closed‐form expressions over Rayleigh fading channels, respectively. Simulation results are provided to validate the theoretical analysis. It is shown that when the OP (reliability) requirement is relaxed, the IP (security) performance improves and vice versa. It confirms that there is an SRT existing between the OP and the IP. Meanwhile, a better SRT performance can be achieved by increasing the number of sources, relays, and cochannel interferers. In addition, it is also shown that the RS strategy generally outperforms the conventional DT strategy in terms of the product of the IP and the OP.
Increased DNA Copy Number Variation Mosaicism in Elderly Human Brain
Authors: Villela Darine , Suemoto Claudia K. , Leite Renata , Pasqualucci Carlos Augusto , Grinberg Lea T. , Pearson Peter , Rosenberg Carla
Published: June 2018

Aging is a complex process strongly determined by genetics. Previous reports have shown that the genome of neuronal cells displays somatic genomic mosaicism including DNA copy number variations (CNVs). CNVs represent a significant source of genetic variation in the human genome and have been implicated in several disorders and complex traits, representing a potential mechanism that contributes to neuronal diversity and the etiology of several neurological diseases and provides new insights into the normal, complex functions of the brain. Nonetheless, the features of somatic CNV mosaicism in nondiseased elderly brains have not been investigated. In the present study, we demonstrate a highly significant increase in the number of CNVs in nondiseased elderly brains compared to the blood. In two neural tissues isolated from paired postmortem samples (same individuals), we found a significant increase in the frequency of deletions in both brain areas, namely, the frontal cortex and cerebellum. Also, deletions were found to be significantly larger when present only in the cerebellum. The sizes of the variants described here were in the 150–760 kb range, and importantly, nearly all of them were present in the Database of Genomic Variants (common variants). Nearly all evidence of genome structural variation in human brains comes from studies detecting changes in single cells which were interpreted as derived from independent, isolated mutational events. The observations based on array-CGH analysis indicate the existence of an extensive clonal mosaicism of CNVs within and between the human brains revealing a different type of variation that had not been previously characterized.
Joint Effect of Maternal Tobacco Smoking and Pregestational Diabetes on Preterm Births and Congenital Anomalies: A Population-Based Study in Northern Italy
Authors: Borsari Lucia , Malagoli Carlotta , Werler Martha M. , Rothman Kenneth J. , Malavolti Marcella , Rodolfi Rossella , De Girolamo Gianfranco , Nicolini Fausto , Vinceti Marco
Published: June 2018

Smoking and pregestational diabetes (PGD) are recognized risk factors for adverse pregnancy outcomes, but to date, no population-based study has investigated their joint effects. Using hospital discharges, we identified all women with PGD delivering in Emilia-Romagna region during 2007–2010 matched 1 : 5 with parturients without diabetes. Our study endpoints were preterm births and congenital anomalies. We measured interaction between PGD and maternal smoking, by calculating excess prevalence and prevalence ratio due to interaction, relative excess risk due to interaction (RERI), attributable proportion (AP), and the synergy index (S). Analyses were performed in the overall study population and in the subgroup whose PGD was validated through diabetes registers. The study included 992 women with PGD (10.5% smokers) and 4788 comparison women (11.9% smokers). The effects of PGD and maternal tobacco smoking were greater than additive for both preterm birth (excess prevalence due to interaction = 11.7%, excess ratio due to interaction = 1.5, RERI = 2.39, AP = 0.51, S = 2.82) and congenital anomalies (excess prevalence due to interaction = 2.2%, excess ratio due to interaction = 1.3, RERI = 1.33, AP = 0.49, S = 5.03). Joint effect on both endpoints was confirmed in the subgroup whose PGD status was validated. In conclusion, we found that maternal tobacco smoking and PGD intensify each other’s effect on preterm birth and congenital anomalies.
Genomic Characterization of MDR Escherichia coli Harboring blaOXA-48 on the IncL/M-type Plasmid Isolated from Blood Stream Infection
Authors: Alousi S. , Salloum T. , Arabaghian H. , Matar G. M. , Araj G. F. , Tokajian S. T.
Published: June 2018

Escherichia coli is responsible for a wide variety of community and hospital acquired extraintestinal infections, and the emergence of ESBL resistant isolates is a major clinical concern. In this study, we characterized the genomic attributes of an OXA-48 and CTX-M-3 producing E. coli EC-IMP153. Whole-genome initial assembly produced 146 contigs with a combined 5,504,170 bp in size and a G+C content of 50.5%. wgSNPs-based phylogenetic comparison with 36 publically available genomes was also performed. Comprehensive genomic analysis showed that EC-IMP153 belonged to sequence type ST-405 and harbored several resistance determinants including the β-lactam resistance genes blaOXA-48, blaCTX-M-3, blaTEM-1B, blaOXA-1, and blaCMY-70, aminoglycoside fyuA and aac(3)IId, tetracycline tet(A) and tet(R), and fluoroquinolone gyrA, parC, and mfd resistance determinants. Plasmids with the following incompatibility groups were detected in silico and confirmed using PBRT: IncI1-α, IncL, IncW, Col (BS512), and IncF. To our knowledge this is the first in-depth genomic analysis of an OXA-48 producing E. coli ST-405 isolated from a patient in Lebanon and linked to a blood stream infection. Continuous monitoring is necessary to better understand the continued diffusion of such pathogens, especially in view of the population movements triggered by unrest in the Middle East.