bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
High-Level Production of Isoleucine and Fusel Alcohol by Expression of the Feedback Inhibition-Insensitive Threonine Deaminase in
Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Authors: Isogai Shota , Nishimura Akira , Kotaka Atsushi , Murakami Naoyuki , Hotta Natsuki , Ishida Hiroki , Takagi Hiroshi
Published: January 2022

Fruit-like flavors of isoleucine-derived volatile compounds, 2-methyl-1-butanol (2MB) and its acetate ester, contribute to a variety of the flavors and tastes of alcoholic beverages. Besides its value as aroma components in foods and cosmetics, 2MB has attracted significant attention as second-generation biofuels.
A Novel Phage Indirectly Regulates Diatom Growth by Infecting a Diatom-Associated Biofilm-Forming Bacterium
Authors: Nair Shailesh , Li Chengcheng , Mou Shanli , Zhang Zenghu , Zhang Yongyu
Published: January 2022

The impact of phage infection on the alga-bacterium relationship in the ocean is poorly understood. Here, a novel phage infecting the diatom-associated bacterium
Stappia indica
SNL01 was isolated.
Adaptation to an Amoeba Host Leads to Pseudomonas aeruginosa Isolates with Attenuated Virulence
Authors: Leong Wai , Poh Wee Han , Williams Jonathan , Lutz Carla , Hoque M. Mozammel , Poh Yan Hong , Yee Benny Yeo Ken , Chua Cliff , Givskov Michael , Sanderson-Smith Martina , Rice Scott A. , McDougald Diane
Published: January 2022

Pseudomonas aeruginosa
is an opportunistic pathogen that causes both acute infections in plants and animals, including humans, and chronic infections in immunocompromised and cystic fibrosis patients. This bacterium is commonly found in soils and water, where bacteria are constantly under threat of being consumed by bacterial predators, e.g., protozoa.
5′ preS1 Mutations To Prevent Large Envelope Protein Expression from Hepatitis B Virus Genotype A or Genotype D Markedly Increase Polymerase-Envelope Fusion Protein
Authors: Zhang Jing , Yuan Quan , Wang Yongxiang , Wang Yuzhou , Yuan Wenqing , Xia Ningshao , Wen Yumei , Li Jisu , Tong Shuping
Published: January 2022

The large (L) envelope protein of hepatitis B virus (HBV) is translated from 2.4-kb RNA and detected in Western blotting as p39 and gp42. Polymerase (P) protein is expressed at a low level from 3.5-kb RNA.
Coinfection of Chickens with H9N2 and H7N9 Avian Influenza Viruses Leads to Emergence of Reassortant H9N9 Virus with Increased Fitness for Poultry and a Zoonotic Potential
Authors: Bhat Sushant , James Joe , Sadeyen Jean-Remy , Mahmood Sahar , Everest Holly J. , Chang Pengxiang , Walsh Sarah K. , Byrne Alexander M. P. , Mollett Benjamin , Lean Fabian , Sealy Joshua E. , Shelton Holly , Slomka Marek J. , Brookes Sharon M. , Iqbal Munir
Published: January 2022

We evaluated the consequences of reassortment between the H7N9 and the contemporary H9N2 viruses of the G1 lineage that are enzootic in poultry across the Indian subcontinent and the Middle East. Coinfection of chickens with these viruses resulted in the emergence of novel reassortant H9N9 viruses with genes derived from both H9N2 and H7N9 viruses.
Ecological Role of Bacteria Involved in the Biogeochemical Cycles of Mangroves Based on Functional Genes Detected through GeoChip 5.0
Authors: Meng Shanshan , Peng Tao , Liu Xiaobo , Wang Hui , Huang Tongwang , Gu Ji-Dong , Hu Zhong
Published: January 2022

Bacteria have important functions in biogeochemical cycles, but studies on their function in an important ecosystem, mangroves, are still limited. Here, we investigated the ecological role of bacteria involved in biogeochemical cycles in seven representative mangroves of southern China.
Molecular and Antigenic Characterization of Avian H9N2 Viruses in Southern China
Authors: Yan Wanwan , Cui Hongrui , Engelsma Marc , Beerens Nancy , van Oers Monique M. , de Jong Mart C. M. , Li Xuesong , Liu Qinfang , Yang Jianmei , Teng Qiaoyang , Li Zejun
Published: January 2022

The H9N2 low pathogenicity avian influenza (LPAI) virus has become endemic in poultry globally. In several Asian countries, vaccination against H9N2 avian influenza virus (AIV) was approved to reduce economic losses in the poultry industry.
Interactions between Human Gut Microbiome Dynamics and Sub-Optimal Health Symptoms during Seafaring Expeditions
Authors: Sun Zheng , Zhang Meng , Li Min , Bhaskar Yogendra , Zhao Jinshan , Ji Youran , Cui Hongbing , Zhang Heping , Sun Zhihong
Published: January 2022

Systemic and chronic diseases are important health problems today and have been proven to be strongly associated with dysbiotic gut microbiome. Studying the association between the gut microbiome and sub-optimal health status of humans in extreme environments (such as ocean voyages) will give us a better understanding of the interactions between observable health signs and a stable versus dysbiotic gut microbiome states.
In Vitro
Resistance against DNA Gyrase Inhibitor SPR719 in Mycobacterium avium and Mycobacterium abscessus
Authors: Aragaw Wassihun Wedajo , Cotroneo Nicole , Stokes Suzanne , Pucci Michael , Critchley Ian , Gengenbacher Martin , Dick Thomas
Published: January 2022

Clinical emergence of resistance to new antibiotics affects their utility. Characterization of
in vitro
resistance is a first step in the profiling of resistance properties of novel drug candidates.
Caspase-Mediated Cleavage of the Transcription Factor Sp3: Possible Relevance to Cancer and the Lytic Cycle of Kaposi’s Sarcoma-Associated Herpesvirus
Authors: Chen Li-Yu , Chen Lee-Wen , Hung Chien-Hui , Lin Chun-Liang , Wang Shie-Shan , Chang Pey-Jium
Published: January 2022

The ORF50 protein of Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) is the key viral protein that controls the switch from latency to lytic reactivation. It is a potent transactivator that can activate target gene promoters via interacting with other cellular DNA-binding transcription factors, such as Sp3.
Clinical and Microbiological Characteristics of Mycobacterium kansasii Pulmonary Infections in China
Authors: Guo Yinjuan , Cao Yanhua , Liu Haican , Yang Jinghui , Wang Weiping , Wang Bingjie , Li Meilan , Yu Fangyou
Published: January 2022

M. kansasii
type I is the main genotype spreading worldwide. The molecular history of the global spread of type I isolates remains largely unclear. We conducted a detailed analysis of genomic evolution of global
M. kansasii
isolates. Our results suggest that
M. kansasii
isolates exhibit greater genetic diversity globally.
Genetic Characteristics and Microbiological Profile of Hypermucoviscous Multidrug-Resistant Klebsiella variicola Coproducing IMP-4 and NDM-1 Carbapenemases
Authors: Wang Bingjie , Pan Fen , Han Dingding , Zhao Wantong , Shi Yingying , Sun Yan , Wang Chun , Zhang Tiandong , Zhang Hong
Published: January 2022

As an important member of the
Klebsiella pneumoniae
complex,
Klebsiella variicola
is poorly studied as an emerging human pathogen. We, for the first time, report a unique
K. variicola
isolated from a pediatric patient in China.
Evaluating NG-Test CARBA 5 Multiplex Immunochromatographic and Cepheid Xpert CARBA-R Assays among Carbapenem-Resistant
Enterobacterales
Isolates Associated with Bloodstream Infection
Authors: Huang Yu-Tsung , Kuo Yao-Wen , Lee Nan-Yao , Tien Ni , Liao Chun-Hsing , Teng Lee-Jene , Ko Wen-Chien , Hsueh Po-Ren
Published: January 2022

Carbapenemase-producing
Enterobacterales
(CPE) are emerging worldwide, causing nosocomial outbreaks and even community-acquired infections since their appearance 2 decades ago. Our previous national surveillance of CPE isolates in Taiwan identified five carbapenemase families (KPC, OXA, NDM, VIM, and IMP) with the KPC-2 and OXA-48-like types predominant.
The mTOR/PGC-1α/SIRT3 Pathway Drives Reductive Glutamine Metabolism to Reduce Oxidative Stress Caused by ISKNV in CPB Cells
Authors: Fu Xiaozhe , Li Kejin , Niu Yinjie , Lin Qiang , Liang Hongru , Luo Xia , Liu Lihui , Li Ningqiu
Published: January 2022

Infectious spleen and kidney necrosis virus (ISKNV) is the causative agent of farmed fish disease that has caused huge economic losses in fresh and marine fish aquaculture. The redox state of cells is shaped by virus into a favorable microenvironment for virus replication and proliferation.
Increased Tea Saponin Content Influences the Diversity and Function of Plantation Soil Microbiomes
Authors: Zhang Shouke , Kong Junqia , Chen Longfei , Guo Kai , Zhou Xudong
Published: January 2022

Plant secondary metabolites (PSMs) contained in plant litter will be released into soil with the decomposition process, which will affect the diversity and function of soil microbiomes. The response of soil microbiomes to PSMs in terms of diversity and function can provide an important theoretical basis for plantations to put forward rational soil ecological management measures.
Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction: recent concepts in diagnosis, mechanisms and management
Authors: Gevaert Andreas B , Kataria Rachna , Zannad Faiez , Sauer Andrew J , Damman Kevin , Sharma Kavita , Shah Sanjiv J , Van Spall Harriette G C
Published: January 2022

It is estimated that half of all patients with heart failure (HF) have HF with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). Yet this form of HF remains a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge. Differentiating HFpEF from other causes of dyspnoea may require advanced diagnostic methods, such as exercise echocardiography, invasive haemodynamics and investigations for ‘HFpEF mimickers’. While the classification of HF has relied heavily on cut-points in left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), recent evidence points towards a gradual shift in underlying mechanisms, phenotypes and response to therapies as LVEF increases. For example, among patients with HF, the proportion of hospitalisations and deaths due to cardiac causes decreases as LVEF increases. Medication classes that are efficacious in HF with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) have been less so at higher LVEF ranges, decreasing the risk of HF hospitalisation but not cardiovascular or all-cause death in HFpEF. These observations reflect the burden of non-cardiac comorbidities as LVEF increases and highlight the complex pathophysiological mechanisms, both cardiac and non-cardiac, underpinning HFpEF. Treatment with sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors reduces the risk of composite cardiovascular events, driven by a reduction in HF hospitalisations; renin-angiotensin-aldosterone blockers and angiotensin-neprilysin inhibitors result in smaller reductions in HF hospitalisations among patients with HFpEF. Comprehensive management of HFpEF includes exercise as well as treatment of risk factors and comorbidities. Classification based on phenotypes may facilitate a more targeted approach to treatment than LVEF categorisation, which sets arbitrary cut-points when LVEF is a continuum. This narrative review summarises the pathophysiology, diagnosis, classification and management of patients with HFpEF.
Immuno-oncology trends: preclinical models, biomarkers, and clinical development
Authors: Franklin Maryland Rosenfeld , Platero Suso , Saini Kamal S , Curigliano Giuseppe , Anderson Steven
Published: January 2022

The landscape in immuno-oncology (I-O) has undergone profound changes since its early beginnings up through the rapid advances happening today. The current drug development pipeline consists of thousands of potential I-O therapies and therapy combinations, many of which are being evaluated in clinical trials. The efficient and successful development of these assets requires the investment in and utilization of appropriate tools and technologies that can facilitate the rapid transitions from preclinical evaluation through clinical development. These tools include (i) appropriate preclinical models, (ii) biomarkers of pharmacodynamic, predictive and monitoring utility, and (iii) evolving clinical trial designs that allow rapid and efficient evaluation during the development process. This article provides an overview of how novel discoveries and insights into each of these three areas have the potential to further address the clinical management needs for patients with cancer.
Development of novel clinical examination scales for the measurement of disease severity in Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease
Authors: Nihat Akin , Mok Tze How , Odd Hans , Thompson Andrew Geoffrey Bourne , Caine Diana , McNiven Kirsty , O'Donnell Veronica , Tesfamichael Selam , Rudge Peter , Collinge John , Mead Simon
Published: January 2022

Objective

To use a robust statistical methodology to develop and validate clinical rating scales quantifying longitudinal motor and cognitive dysfunction in sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD) at the bedside.

Methods

Rasch analysis was used to iteratively construct interval scales measuring composite cognitive and motor dysfunction from pooled bedside neurocognitive examinations collected as part of the prospective National Prion Monitoring Cohort study, October 2008–December 2016.

A longitudinal clinical examination dataset constructed from 528 patients with sCJD, comprising 1030 Motor Scale and 757 Cognitive Scale scores over 130 patient-years of study, was used to demonstrate scale utility.

Results

The Rasch-derived Motor Scale consists of 8 items, including assessments reliant on pyramidal, extrapyramidal and cerebellar systems. The Cognitive Scale comprises 6 items, and includes measures of executive function, language, visual perception and memory. Both scales are unidimensional, perform independently of age or gender and have excellent inter-rater reliability. They can be completed in minutes at the bedside, as part of a normal neurocognitive examination. A composite Examination Scale can be derived by averaging both scores. Several scale uses, in measuring longitudinal change, prognosis and phenotypic heterogeneity are illustrated.

Conclusions

These two novel sCJD Motor and Cognitive Scales and the composite Examination Scale should prove useful to objectively measure phenotypic and clinical change in future clinical trials and for patient stratification. This statistical approach can help to overcome obstacles to assessing clinical change in rapidly progressive, multisystem conditions with limited longitudinal follow-up.
Undrained capacity of circular shallow foundations on two-layer clays under combined VHMT loading
Authors: He Pengpeng , Newson Tim
Published: January 2022

Wind turbines are typically designed based on fatigue and serviceability limit states, but still require an accurate assessment of bearing capacity. Overconsolidated clay deposits in Canada often have a thin layer of crust with a relatively high undrained shear strength developed from weathering, desiccation, and geochemical processes. However, existing design methods only assess the bearing capacity using effective area and inclination factor without consideration of surficial crusts. This paper studies the undrained VHMT (vertical, horizontal, moment, and torsional) failure envelope of circular foundations founded on a surficial crust underlain by a uniform soil with a zero-tension interface condition using finite element analysis. An analytical expression for the VHMT failure envelope is derived.
Opposing trends in survival and recruitment slow the recovery of a historically overexploited fishery
Authors: Phillips Joseph S. , Guðbergsson Guðni , Ives Anthony R.
Published: January 2022

Quantifying temporal variation in demographic rates is a central goal of population ecology. In this study, we analyzed a multidecadal age-structured time series of Arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus) abundance in Lake Mývatn, Iceland, to infer the time-varying demographic response of the population to reduced harvest in the wake of the fishery’s collapse. Our analysis shows that while survival probability of adults increased following the alleviation of harvesting pressure, per capita recruitment consistently declined over most of the study period, until the final three years when it began to increase. The countervailing demographic trends resulted in only limited directional change in the total population size and population growth rate. Rather, the population dynamics were dominated by large interannual variability and a shift towards an older age distribution. Our results are indicative of a slow recovery of the population after its collapse, despite the rising number of adults following relaxed harvest. This underscores the potential for heterogeneous demographic responses to management efforts due to the complex ecological context in which such efforts take place.
Mesons and diquarks in a color superconducting regime
Authors: Blanquier Eric
Published: January 2022

The behavior of the mesons and diquarks is studied at finite temperatures, chemical potentials and densities, notably when the color superconductivity is taken into account. The Nambu and Jona-Lasinio model complemented by a Polyakov loop (PNJL description) has been adapted in order to model them in this regime. This paper focuses on the scalar and pseudoscalar mesons and diquarks, in a three-flavor and three-color description, with the isospin symmetry and at zero strange density. An objective of this work is to underline the modifications carried out by the color superconducting regime on the used equations and on the obtained results. It has been observed that the two-flavor color-superconducting (2SC) phase affects the masses and the coupling constants of the mesons and diquarks in a non-negligible way. This observation is particularly true at high densities and low temperatures for the pions, [Formula: see text] and the diquarks [ud] whose color is rg. This reveals that the inclusion of the color superconductivity in the modeling is relevant to describe the mesons and diquarks near the first-order chiral phase transition.
Photonic crystal emitter design and associated efficiency optimization of radioisotope thermophotovoltaic generators
Authors: Liu Jitao , Shu Yafeng , Zhang Yanshi , Chen Liangwen , Wang Canglong , Yu Jianli , Yang Lei
Published: January 2022

The radioisotope batteries have drawn extensive attention due to the high energy density. Nowadays, the radioisotope thermophotovoltaic systems are one of the most promising radioisotope batteries. In this work, the crystal emitter design and the associated performance of the radioisotope thermophotovoltaic generators are investigated. First, the design of photonic crystal emitter together with the adoptions of both the multi-layer insulation and supporting materials are discussed. In order to optimize the system efficiency, the effects of the area of emitters are mainly investigated. We have analyzed the efficiency of system using GaSb cells and Si cells, respectively. With Si cells, the system efficiency can computationally reach about [Formula: see text] with an output power of 7 W. When GaSb cells are employed, the system performance is estimated to an efficiency of [Formula: see text] with 61.6 W output.
COSMO: Computing with Stochastic Numbers in Memory
Authors: Gupta Saransh , Imani Mohsen , Sim Joonseop , Huang Andrew , Wu Fan , Kang Jaeyoung , Kim Yeseong , Rosing Tajana Šimunić
Published: January 2022

Stochastic computing (SC) reduces the complexity of computation by representing numbers with long streams of independent bits. However, increasing performance in SC comes with either an increase in area or a loss in accuracy. Processing in memory (PIM) computes data in-place while having high memory density and supporting bit-parallel operations with low energy consumption. In this article, we propose COSMO, an architecture for
co
mputing with
s
tochastic numbers in me
mo
ry, which enables SC in memory. The proposed architecture is general and can be used for a wide range of applications. It is a highly dense and parallel architecture that supports most SC encodings and operations in memory. It maximizes the performance and energy efficiency of SC by introducing several innovations: (i) in-memory parallel stochastic number generation, (ii) efficient implication-based logic in memory, (iii) novel memory bit line segmenting, (iv) a new memory-compatible SC addition operation, and (v) enabling flexible block allocation. To show the generality and efficiency of our stochastic architecture, we implement image processing, deep neural networks (DNNs), and hyperdimensional (HD) computing on the proposed hardware. Our evaluations show that running DNN inference on COSMO is 141× faster and 80× more energy efficient as compared to GPU.
Linked visualisations via Galois dependencies
Authors: Perera Roly , Nguyen Minh , Petricek Tomas , Wang Meng
Published: January 2022

We present new language-based dynamic analysis techniques for linking visualisations and other structured outputs to data in a fine-grained way, allowing users to explore how data attributes and visual or other output elements are related by selecting (focusing on) substructures of interest. Our approach builds on bidirectional program slicing techiques based on Galois connections, which provide desirable round-tripping properties. Unlike the prior work, our approach allows selections to be negated, equipping the bidirectional analysis with a De Morgan dual which can be used to link different outputs generated from the same input. This offers a principled language-based foundation for a popular view coordination feature called
brushing and linking
where selections in one chart automatically select corresponding elements in another related chart.
From enhanced coinduction towards enhanced induction
Authors: Sangiorgi Davide
Published: January 2022

There exist a rich and well-developed theory of enhancements of the coinduction proof method, widely used on behavioural relations such as bisimilarity. We study how to develop an analogous theory for inductive behaviour relations, i.e., relations defined from inductive observables. Similarly to the coinductive setting, our theory makes use of (semi)-progressions of the form R->F(R), where R is a relation on processes and F is a function on relations, meaning that there is an appropriate match on the transitions that the processes in R can perform in which the process derivatives are in F(R). For a given preorder, an enhancement corresponds to a sound function, i.e., one for which R->F(R) implies that R is contained in the preorder; and similarly for equivalences. We introduce weights on the observables of an inductive relation, and a weight-preserving condition on functions that guarantees soundness. We show that the class of functions contains non-trivial functions and enjoys closure properties with respect to desirable function constructors, so to be able to derive sophisticated sound functions (and hence sophisticated proof techniques) from simpler ones. We consider both strong semantics (in which all actions are treated equally) and weak semantics (in which one abstracts from internal transitions). We test our enhancements on a few non-trivial examples.
Simuliris: a separation logic framework for verifying concurrent program optimizations
Authors: Gäher Lennard , Sammler Michael , Spies Simon , Jung Ralf , Dang Hoang-Hai , Krebbers Robbert , Kang Jeehoon , Dreyer Derek
Published: January 2022

Today’s compilers employ a variety of non-trivial optimizations to achieve good performance. One key trick compilers use to justify transformations of
concurrent
programs is to assume that the source program has no
data races
: if it does, they cause the program to have
undefined behavior
(UB) and give the compiler free rein. However, verifying correctness of optimizations that exploit this assumption is a non-trivial problem. In particular, prior work either has not proven that such optimizations preserve program termination (particularly non-obvious when considering optimizations that move instructions out of loop bodies), or has treated all synchronization operations as external functions (losing the ability to reorder instructions around them).

In this work we present
Simuliris
, the first simulation technique to establish termination preservation (under a fair scheduler) for a range of concurrent program transformations that exploit UB in the source language. Simuliris is based on the idea of using
ownership
to reason modularly about the assumptions the compiler makes about programs with well-defined behavior. This brings the benefits of
concurrent separation logics
to the space of verifying program transformations: we can combine powerful reasoning techniques such as framing and coinduction to perform
thread-local
proofs of non-trivial concurrent program optimizations. Simuliris is built on a (non-step-indexed) variant of the Coq-based Iris framework, and is thus not tied to a particular language. In addition to demonstrating the effectiveness of Simuliris on standard compiler optimizations involving data race UB, we also instantiate it with Jung et al.’s Stacked Borrows semantics for Rust and generalize their proofs of interesting type-based aliasing optimizations to account for concurrency.
Concurrent incorrectness separation logic
Authors: Raad Azalea , Berdine Josh , Dreyer Derek , O'Hearn Peter W.
Published: January 2022

Incorrectness separation logic (ISL) was recently introduced as a theory of under-approximate reasoning, with the goal of proving that compositional bug catchers find actual bugs. However, ISL only considers sequential programs. Here, we develop
concurrent incorrectness separation logic
(CISL), which extends ISL to account for bug catching in concurrent programs. Inspired by the work on Views, we design CISL as a parametric framework, which can be instantiated for a number of bug catching scenarios, including race detection, deadlock detection, and memory safety error detection. For each instance, the CISL meta-theory ensures the
soundness
of incorrectness reasoning for free, thereby guaranteeing that the bugs detected are true positives.
Safe, modular packet pipeline programming
Authors: Loehr Devon , Walker David
Published: January 2022

The P4 language and programmable switch hardware, like the Intel Tofino, have made it possible for network engineers to write new programs that customize operation of computer networks, thereby improving performance, fault-tolerance, energy use, and security. Unfortunately,
possible
does not mean
easy
—there are many implicit constraints that programmers must obey if they wish their programs to compile to specialized networking hardware. In particular, all computations on the same switch must access data structures in a consistent order, or it will not be possible to lay that data out along the switch’s packet-processing pipeline. In this paper, we define Lucid 2.0, a new language and type system that guarantees programs access data in a consistent order and hence are
pipeline-safe
. Lucid 2.0 builds on top of the original Lucid language, which is also pipeline-safe, but lacks the features needed for modular construction of data structure libraries. Hence, Lucid 2.0 adds (1) polymorphism and ordering constraints for code reuse; (2) abstract, hierarchical pipeline locations and data types to support information hiding; (3) compile-time constructors, vectors and loops to allow for construction of flexible data structures; and (4) type inference to lessen the burden of program annotations. We develop the meta-theory of Lucid 2.0, prove soundness, and show how to encode constraint checking as an SMT problem. We demonstrate the utility of Lucid 2.0 by developing a suite of useful networking libraries and applications that exploit our new language features, including Bloom filters, sketches, cuckoo hash tables, distributed firewalls, DNS reflection defenses, network address translators (NATs) and a probabilistic traffic monitoring service.
Dependently-typed data plane programming
Authors: Eichholz Matthias , Campbell Eric Hayden , Krebs Matthias , Foster Nate , Mezini Mira
Published: January 2022

Programming languages like P4 enable specifying the behavior of network data planes in software. However, with increasingly powerful and complex applications running in the network, the risk of faults also increases. Hence, there is growing recognition of the need for methods and tools to statically verify the correctness of P4 code, especially as the language lacks basic safety guarantees. Type systems are a lightweight and compositional way to establish program properties, but there is a significant gap between the kinds of properties that can be proved using simple type systems (e.g., SafeP4) and those that can be obtained using full-blown verification tools (e.g., p4v). In this paper, we close this gap by developing Π4, a dependently-typed version of P4 based on decidable refinements. We motivate the design of Π4, prove the soundness of its type system, develop an SMT-based implementation, and present case studies that illustrate its applicability to a variety of data plane programs.
A separation logic for negative dependence
Authors: Bao Jialu , Gaboardi Marco , Hsu Justin , Tassarotti Joseph
Published: January 2022

Formal reasoning about hashing-based probabilistic data structures often requires reasoning about random variables where when one variable gets larger (such as the number of elements hashed into one bucket), the others tend to be smaller (like the number of elements hashed into the other buckets). This is an example of
negative dependence
, a generalization of probabilistic independence that has recently found interesting applications in algorithm design and machine learning. Despite the usefulness of negative dependence for the analyses of probabilistic data structures, existing verification methods cannot establish this property for randomized programs.

To fill this gap, we design LINA, a probabilistic separation logic for reasoning about negative dependence. Following recent works on probabilistic separation logic using
separating conjunction
to reason about the probabilistic independence of random variables, we use separating conjunction to reason about negative dependence. Our assertion logic features two separating conjunctions, one for independence and one for negative dependence. We generalize the logic of bunched implications (BI) to support multiple separating conjunctions, and provide a sound and complete proof system. Notably, the semantics for separating conjunction relies on a
non-deterministic
, rather than partial, operation for combining resources. By drawing on closure properties for negative dependence, our program logic supports a Frame-like rule for negative dependence and
monotone
operations. We demonstrate how LINA can verify probabilistic properties of hash-based data structures and balls-into-bins processes.
Return of CFA: call-site sensitivity can be superior to object sensitivity even for object-oriented programs
Authors: Jeon Minseok , Oh Hakjoo
Published: January 2022

In this paper, we challenge the commonly-accepted wisdom in static analysis that object sensitivity is superior to call-site sensitivity for object-oriented programs. In static analysis of object-oriented programs, object sensitivity has been established as the dominant flavor of context sensitivity thanks to its outstanding precision. On the other hand, call-site sensitivity has been regarded as unsuitable and its use in practice has been constantly discouraged for object-oriented programs. In this paper, however, we claim that call-site sensitivity is generally a superior context abstraction because it is practically possible to transform object sensitivity into more precise call-site sensitivity. Our key insight is that the previously known superiority of object sensitivity holds only in the traditional
k
-limited setting, where the analysis is enforced to keep the most recent
k
context elements. However, it no longer holds in a recently-proposed, more general setting with context tunneling. With context tunneling, where the analysis is free to choose an arbitrary
k
-length subsequence of context strings, we show that call-site sensitivity can simulate object sensitivity almost completely, but not vice versa. To support the claim, we present a technique, called Obj2CFA, for transforming arbitrary context-tunneled object sensitivity into more precise, context-tunneled call-site-sensitivity. We implemented Obj2CFA in Doop and used it to derive a new call-site-sensitive analysis from a state-of-the-art object-sensitive pointer analysis. Experimental results confirm that the resulting call-site sensitivity outperforms object sensitivity in precision and scalability for real-world Java programs. Remarkably, our results show that even 1-call-site sensitivity can be more precise than the conventional 3-object-sensitive analysis.
What’s decidable about linear loops?
Authors: Karimov Toghrul , Lefaucheux Engel , Ouaknine Joël , Purser David , Varonka Anton , Whiteland Markus A. , Worrell James
Published: January 2022

We consider the MSO model-checking problem for simple linear loops, or equivalently discrete-time linear dynamical systems, with semialgebraic predicates (i.e., Boolean combinations of polynomial inequalities on the variables). We place no restrictions on the number of program variables, or equivalently the ambient dimension. We establish decidability of the model-checking problem provided that each semialgebraic predicate
either
has intrinsic dimension at most 1,
or
is contained within some three-dimensional subspace. We also note that lifting either of these restrictions and retaining decidability would necessarily require major breakthroughs in number theory.
A call to build a publicly accessible library of lecture recordings in computer algebra
Authors: Monagan Michael
Published: January 2022

Because of the pandemic, most of us have been teaching online. Some of us have taught courses in computer algebra and some of us recorded those lectures. Now is a good time to assemble a library of computer algebra lectures on various topics. This will be of benefit to us and to future students, faculty and practitioners. Over time the quality of the lectures should improve and the number of topics covered will grow. In this note I describe such a library based on my own computer algebra lectures from this last semester that I have made public. I invite others to contribute.
Large final polynomials from integer programming
Authors: Pfeifle Julian
Published: January 2022

We introduce a new method for finding a non-realizability certificate of a simplicial sphere Σ. It enables us to prove for the first time the non-realizability of a balanced 2-neighborly 3-sphere by Zheng, a family of highly neighborly centrally symmetric spheres by Novik and Zheng, and several combinatorial prismatoids introduced by Criado and Santos.

The method, implemented in the polymake framework, uses integer programming to find a monomial combination of classical 3-term Plücker relations that must be positive in any realization of Σ; but since this combination should also vanish identically, the realization cannot exist.

Previous approaches by Firsching, implemented using SCIP, and by Gouveia, Macchia and Wiebe, implemented using Singular and Macaulay2, are not able to process these examples.
Constructing new spectral systems from simplicial fibrations
Authors: Miguel Daniel , Guidolin Andrea , Romero Ana , Rubio Julio
Published: January 2022

In this work we present an ongoing project on the development and study of new spectral systems which combine filtrations associated to Serre and Eilenberg-Moore spectral sequences of different fibrations. Our new spectral systems are part of a new module for the Kenzo system and can be useful to deduce new relations on the initial spectral sequences and to obtain information about different filtrations of the homology groups of the fiber and the base space of the fibrations.
Enhanced Reverse Recovery Performance in Superjunction MOSFET with Reduced Hole-Barrier
Authors: Xia Yun , Chen Wanjun , Liu Chao , Sun Ruize , Li Zhaoji , Zhang Bo
Published: January 2022

High reverse recovery charge (QRR) and resultant high switching losses have become the main factors that constrain the performance and application area of superjunction MOSFET (SJ-MOSFET). To reduce QRR, an SJ-MOSFET with reduced hole-barrier is proposed and demonstrated. By introducing a Schottky contact on the bottom of the n-pillar at the drain side, the barrier for the hole carrier is dramatically reduced in the reverse conduction state. As a result, the hole carrier in the drift region is significantly reduced, which results in a low QRR and enhanced reverse recovery performance. Compared with the conventional SJ-MOSFET (Conv-SJ-MOSFET), the proposed device achieves 64.6% lower QRR with almost no sacrifice in other characteristics. The attenuated QRR accounts for a 19.6% ∼ 46.8% reduction in total power losses with operation frequency at 5 ∼ 200 kHz, demonstrating the great potential of the proposed SJ-MOSFET used in power conversion systems.
Hybrid La2O3-cPVP Dielectric for Organic Thin Film Transistor Applications
Authors: Khound Sagarika , Sarmah Jayanta K , Sarma Ranjit
Published: January 2022

In this work, we have studied the electrical performance of cross-linked polyvinyl phenol (cPVP) modified lanthanum oxide (La2O3) bilayer dielectric film in pentacene thin film transistors (TFT). A simple spin-coating and room temperature operated cross-linking reaction of the hydroxyl moieties of PVP and the nitrogen groups of PMF were carried out to form the cross-linked PVP. The deposition of a thin 30 nm cPVP layer over the La2O3layer provided a low leakage current (<10−7A cm−2), causing a reduction in the interface trap density. Besides, the modified surface properties of the La2O3layer were favorable for the growth of pentacene organic semiconductors. As a result, the current on-off ratio and the sub-threshold slope was improved from 104and 1.0 V/decade to 105and 0.67 V/decade. The La2O3∕cPVP pentacene TFT operated at −10 V also exhibited improvement in the field-effect mobility to 0.71 cm2Vs−1from 0.48 cm2Vs−1for the single-layer La2O3(130 nm) device. Thus, our work demonstrates that the rare earth oxide La2O3with cPVP is an excellent dielectric system in the context of emerging transistors with hybrid polymer gate dielectrics.
Plug and Play Electrodeposition Cell: A Case Study of Bismuth Ferrite Thin Films for Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting
Authors: Firke Narayan , Gulavani Vaibhavi , Sapkal Ramchandra , Sagdeo Pankaj R. , Yengantiwar Ashish
Published: January 2022

In the present study, we designed and fabricated a cost-effective miniaturized versatile electrochemical deposition cell, which is found to be at par performance as compared with conventional electrodeposition techniques. A case study is being undertaken for the electrodeposition of varied thicknesses of bismuth ferrite (BiFeO3) films on FTO glass substrates. X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns confirm the structural perovskite phase of BiFeO3 (BFO). UV–visible absorption spectra and Tauc plot of BFO estimate the direct band gap which lies between 1.9 to 2.1 eV. The properties of the bismuth ferrite crystal system such as electronic band structure and density of states (DOS) are investigated theoretically. Photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting application is carried out to investigate the best performance of BFO films of varied thicknesses. The best performer (BFO15) working electrode yields a photocurrent density of ∼35 μA cm−2 at 0.2 V vs RHE under visible LED (light intensity of 100 mW cm−2) in neutral 0.5 M Na2SO4 electrolyte. Incident photon to current conversion (IPCE) measurements, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and Mott-Schottky characteristics confirm the best performance of BFO15 photocathode film.
EPR Study of the Mn-Doped Magnesium Titanate Ceramics
Authors: Vorona I. , Nosenko V. , Okulov S. , Savchenko D. , Petrenko T. , Stara T. , Labbé C. , Borkovska L.
Published: January 2022

Manganese-doped magnesium titanate ceramic samples obtained by a solid-state reaction via sintering in the air from a mixture of MgO and TiO2 powders of different molar ratios were analyzed by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) technique. The EPR signals of Mn2+ ions (S = 5/2, І = 5/2) in crystal phases of MgO, Mg2TiO4, and MgTiO3 were detected. We have obtained the following spin Hamiltonian parameters for Mn2+ ions: g = 2.0015, A ∼81.0 × 10−4 cm−1 (in MgO phase); g = 2.0029, A ∼73.8 × 10−4 cm−1
, b
2
0 = 35 × 10−4 cm−1 (in Mg2TiO4 phase); g = 2.0040, A ∼79.0 × 10−4 cm−1
, b
2
0 = 165 × 10−4 cm−1 (in MgTiO3 phase). Despite the presence of Mn4+ centers in both Mg2TiO4:Mn and MgTiO3:Mn ceramics confirmed by previous optical studies, no EPR signals related to Mn4+ ions (S = 3/2, І = 5/2) were found. The Mn2+ EPR signals are proposed as structural probes in manganese-doped magnesium titanate ceramics.
Fibroblast growth factor-21 improves insulin action in nonlactating ewes
Authors: Lamb Cassandra L. , Giesy Sarah L. , McGuckin Molly M. , Perfield James W. , Butterfield Anthony , Moniruzzaman Mohammed , Haughey Norman J. , McFadden Joseph W. , Boisclair Yves R.
Published: January 2022

During metabolically demanding physiological states, ruminants and other mammals coordinate nutrient use among tissues by varying the set point of insulin action. This set point is regulated in part by metabolic hormones with some antagonizing (e.g., growth hormone and TNFα) and others potentiating (e.g., adiponectin) insulin action. Fibroblast growth factor-21 (FGF21) was recently identified as a sensitizing hormone in rodent and primate models of defective insulin action. FGF21 administration, however, failed to improve insulin action in dairy cows during the naturally occurring insulin resistance of lactation, raising the possibility that ruminants as a class of animals or lactation as a physiological state are unresponsive to FGF21. To start addressing this question, we asked whether FGF21 could improve insulin action in nonlactating ewes. Gene expression studies showed that the ovine FGF21 system resembles that of other species, with liver as the major site of FGF21 expression and adipose tissue as a target tissue based on high expression of the FGF21 receptor complex and activation of p44/42 extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK1/2) following exogenous FGF21 administration. FGF21 treatment for 13 days reduced plasma glucose and insulin over the entire treatment period and improved glucose disposal during a glucose tolerance test. FGF21 increased plasma adiponectin by day 3 of treatment but had no effect on the plasma concentrations of total, C16:0-, or C18:0-ceramide. Overall, these data confirm that the insulin-sensitizing effects of FGF21 are conserved in ruminants and raise the possibility that lactation is an FGF21-resistant state.
Relative precision of top-down attentional modulations is lower in early visual cortex compared to mid- and high-level visual areas
Authors: Park Sunyoung , Serences John T.
Published: January 2022

When the relative precision of purely top-down and bottom-up signals were compared across visual areas, early visual areas like V1 showed higher bottom-up precision compared with top-down precision. In contrast, midlevel areas showed similar levels of top-down and bottom-up precision. This result suggests that the precision of top-down attentional modulations may be limited by the relatively coarse spatial selectivity and the anatomical connectivity of the areas generating and relaying the signals.
Study on the Clinical Implications of NLR and PLR for Diagnosing Frailty in Maintenance Hemodialysis Patients and Their Correlations with Patient Prognosis
Authors: Wang Jun , Huang Lijuan , Xu Meichang , Yang Lei , Deng Xu , Li Bei
Published: January 2022

Objective. To explore the clinical implications of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) for diagnosing frailty in patients with maintenance hemodialysis (MHD) and their correlations with patient prognosis. Methods. A total of 185 patients with MHD admitted to the hemodialysis center of our hospital were selected, 72 of whom were diagnosed with frailty according to the Chinese version of Tilburg Frailty Indicator (TFI). The relevant data were collected, and the influencing factors of frailty in MHD patients were analyzed by one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and multivariate logistic regression. The value of NLR and PLR in diagnosing frailty in MHD patients was observed, and patients’ all-cause mortality was compared during the 3-year follow-up. The influences of different levels of NLR and PLR on the survival of MHD patients were investigated. Results. Multivariate regression analysis identified that serum albumin, dialysis adequacy, NLR, and PLR are independent risk factors for frailty in MHD patients (

P
<
0.05

). The area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve of NLR and PLR in diagnosing frailty in MHD patients was 0.859 and 0.799, respectively. Compared with the nonfrailty group, the 3-year mortality was higher, and the 3-year survival rate assessed by survival analysis was lower in the frailty group (

P
<
0.05

). Patients with high NLR and PLR levels showed a lower 3-year survival rate. Conclusions. Dialysis adequacy, serum albumin, NLR, and PLR are independently associated with frailty in MHD patients. NLR and PLR are of a certain diagnostic value for frailty in MHD patients. MHD patients with frailty have an unfavorable prognosis, as of those with high NLR and PLR levels.
Colour Recognition Algorithm Based on Colour Mapping Knowledge for Wooden Building Image
Authors: Jia Siyi , Chen Heng
Published: January 2022

In the cross-media image reproduction technology, the accurate transfer and reproduction of colour between different media are an important issue in the reproduction process, and the colour mapping technology is the key technology to effectively maintain the image details and improve the level of colour reproduction. Wooden structure in the image colour and colour piece is different, the image of each colour of visual perception is not independent, and every colour in the image pixels is affected by the surrounding pixels, but in the process of image map, without thinking of the pixel space, adjacent pixels of mutual influence in particular, do not let a person particularly be satisfied with the resulting map figure. In the process of image processing by traditional colour mapping algorithm, the colour distortion caused by colour component is ignored and the block diagram of colour mapping system is constructed. With the continuous development of mapping recognition algorithms, the maximum and minimum brightness values in the image are mapped to the maximum and minimum brightness values of the display device by linear mapping algorithm according to the flow of the established recognition algorithm. By establishing the colour adjustment method of the colour mapping image, the processing effect of the mapping algorithm is analysed. The results show that the brightness deviation of the image is reduced and the colour resolution is improved by the colour brightness compensation.