bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Paediatric Free Open Access Meducation (FOAM): behaviours, trends and implications
Authors: Barton Jack , Round Jonathan , Knight Katie
Published: February 2020

Introduction

Free Open Access Meducation (FOAM) describes online resources assisting learning in medicine. Little is known about users or their behaviours.

Methods

Using Google Analytics for a popular FOAM site (www.paedatricfoam.com), we explored user demographics and patterns of behaviour. We analysed these further with descriptive and statistical tests using SPSS (version 26). Data are presented as mean (SD).

Results

There were 181.44 (75.16) mean daily users accessing the site throughout a 4-month period during 2018/2019. 68.9% of users were female; 44% were 25–34 years; 57.3% used a mobile device. The mean session duration was 73.55 (9.41) seconds, with more time spent per session and a greater number of pages per session observed in users accessing the site from a desktop or tablet as opposed to a mobile phone. 84.3% of mobile users left the site after viewing a single page. Referral source was also associated with device used (p<0.001). Age was not related to user behaviours (p>0.05).

Discussion

FOAM is a rapidly developing form of medical education, with large user numbers seen for a site just 2 years old. The site is being used by many beyond its intended readership. Rather than accessing multiple pages from a desktop, users have varied online behaviours, with the majority viewing a single page on a mobile phone, referred by social media or Google.

Conclusions

Google Analytics can powerfully display usage of medical websites but has important limitations if statistical exploration is required. FOAM users are a heterogenous group, and thus content should be designed with this in mind. Further research must be prioritised focussing on the scope, curriculum coverage, accuracy of information and the effectiveness of FOAM as an educational resource.
COPD clinical control as a predictor of future exacerbations: concept validation in the SPARK study population
Authors: Barrecheguren Miriam , Kostikas Konstantinos , Mezzi Karen , Shen Steven , Alcazar Bernardino , Soler-Cataluña Juan José , Miravitlles Marc , Wedzicha Jadwiga A
Published: February 2020

The concept of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) control has been proposed to guide treatment decisions in COPD. In this study, we aimed to validate the prospective value of this concept in the SPARK study population. Control was assessed based on COPD stability and impact. Patients with low impact and stability during weeks 1–12 were classified as controlled, and exacerbations were measured during a 52-week follow-up. Of the 2044 patients included a majority were non-controlled (80%), frequently due to high impact. During the follow-up, the rate of moderate/severe exacerbations was significantly lower in controlled patients (rate ratio, 0.56, 95% CI 0.48 to 0.65 p<0.0001) and time-to-first moderate/severe exacerbation was significantly delayed. This study demonstrated an association between control status and risk of exacerbations.
Comprehensive overview of common e-liquid ingredients and how they can be used to predict an e-liquid’s flavour category
Authors: Krüsemann Erna J Z , Havermans Anne , Pennings Jeroen L A , de Graaf Kees , Boesveldt Sanne , Talhout Reinskje
Published: February 2020

Objectives

Flavours increase e-cigarette attractiveness and use and thereby exposure to potentially toxic ingredients. An overview of e-liquid ingredients is needed to select target ingredients for chemical analytical and toxicological research and for regulatory approaches aimed at reducing e-cigarette attractiveness. Using information from e-cigarette manufacturers, we aim to identify the flavouring ingredients most frequently added to e-liquids on the Dutch market. Additionally, we used flavouring compositions to automatically classify e-liquids into flavour categories, thereby generating an overview that can facilitate market surveillance.

Methods

We used a dataset containing 16 839 e-liquids that were manually classified into 16 flavour categories in our previous study. For the overall set and each flavour category, we identified flavourings present in more than 10% of the products and their median quantities. Next, quantitative and qualitative ingredient information was used to predict e-liquid flavour categories using a random forest algorithm.

Results

We identified 219 unique ingredients that were added to more than 100 e-liquids, of which 213 were flavourings. The mean number of flavourings per e-liquid was 10±15. The most frequently used flavourings were vanillin (present in 35% of all liquids), ethyl maltol (32%) and ethyl butyrate (28%). In addition, we identified 29 category-specific flavourings. Moreover, e-liquids’ flavour categories were predicted with an overall accuracy of 70%.

Conclusions

Information from manufacturers can be used to identify frequently used and category-specific flavourings. Qualitative and quantitative ingredient information can be used to successfully predict an e-liquid’s flavour category, serving as an example for regulators that have similar datasets available.
Acute effects of JUUL and IQOS in cigarette smokers
Authors: Maloney Sarah , Eversole Alisha , Crabtree Melanie , Soule Eric , Eissenberg Thomas , Breland Alison
Published: February 2020

Background

JUUL is an electronic cigarette that aerosolises a nicotine-containing liquid, while IQOS heats tobacco to produce an aerosol. Both are marketed to smokers, but their effects have seldom been examined in this population.

Methods

Eighteen cigarette smokers (13 men) with no JUUL or IQOS experience completed a within-subject, laboratory study assessing nicotine delivery and subjective effects after controlled (10 puffs, ~30 s interpuff interval) and ad libitum (90 min) use of JUUL, IQOS or own-brand (OB) cigarettes.

Results

JUUL increased mean plasma nicotine concentration significantly from 2.2 (SD=0.7) ng/mL to 9.8 (4.9) ng/mL after 10 puffs and to 11.5 (9.3) ng/mL after ad libitum use. IQOS increased mean plasma nicotine significantly from 2.1 (0.2) ng/mL to 12.7 (6.2) ng/mL after 10 puffs and to 11.3 (8.0) ng/mL after ad libitum use. OB increased mean plasma nicotine significantly from 2.1 (0.2) ng/mL to 20.4 (11.4) ng/mL after 10 puffs and to 21.0 (10.2) ng/mL after ad libitum use. Mean OB plasma nicotine concentration was significantly higher than JUUL and IQOS. OB increased expired carbon monoxide concentration, but IQOS and JUUL did not. ‘Craving a cigarette/nicotine’ and ‘Urges to smoke’ were reduced significantly for all products following the directed bout.

Conclusions

Among smokers, JUUL and IQOS delivered less nicotine than cigarettes. Also, in this sample, IQOS and OB reduced abstinence symptoms more effectively than JUUL. Additional work with experienced JUUL and IQOS users is needed, as their nicotine delivery profiles and subjective experiences may differ.
Sedimentary deformation features as evidence for paleoseismic events in the middle Eocene in the Dongying Depression of the southern Bohai Bay Basin, eastern China
Authors: Hou Zhongshuai , Chen Shiyue , Zhang Shun , Yang Huaiyu
Published: February 2020

Cores from the middle Eocene sediments of the Dongying Depression of the southern Bohai Bay Basin in east China yield various kinds of sedimentary deformation structures. They include microfolds, load casts, flame structures, ball-and-pillow structures, load-cast ripples, pinch-and-swell structures, boudinage structures, sand dikes, microfaults, and cataclastic breccias. Gravity flows, including turbidites and debris flows, also occur in the study area. The deformation layers can be divided into plastic deformation and brittle deformation types. These develop in a succession composed mainly of dark finely laminated and massive mudstone interbedded with thin sandstones and carbonate rocks that accumulated in a low-energy semi-deep to deep lacustrine environment in a tectonically active setting. Considering the facies attributes in the study area, intrinsically possible trigger mechanisms such as rapid sediment loading and storm currents are absent. Thus, the sedimentary deformation features should be induced by seismic activity, and the same with the gravity flows. These seismites are interpreted to have originated from earthquakes with magnitudes exceeding M 5.6. Basin-controlling faults in the north border of Dongying Depression give rise to the occurrence of seismites. The increasing occurrence frequency of seismites from Es4u to Es3l corresponds with the increase in the activity velocity of the basin-controlling faults. Compared with the seismites developed in other fault depressions in the Bohai Bay Basin, seismites developed in the Dongying Depression are relatively smaller scale and are dominated by microfault layers, relatively more cohesive sediments, and greater distance between seismites and active faults results in the occurrence of these features.
Do smaller trees easily form a ring structure around larger trees in temperate forests?
Authors: Wang Dawei , Guo Qingxi
Published: February 2020

Forest spatial structure has always been an important topic of ecological research. Large trees directly affect the spatial patterns in forest stands. In this study, we used the data from seven sample plots in natural mixed forests of Korean pine (Pinus koraiensis Siebold & Zucc.) and broad-leaved trees in Heilongjiang Province, China, to examine the effect of large trees on the spatial distribution of adjacent trees and to explore whether this effect is related to the gap dynamics theory. We classified trees with wide diameter (diameter at breast height (DBH) ≥ 50 cm) as central trees and then surveyed the distribution of adjacent trees around each central tree. The results revealed a ring structure of small trees (size class 2 (5.0 ≤ DBH < 10.0 cm) and size class 3 (10.0 ≤ DBH < 30.0 cm)) surrounding large trees. In the two northern sample plots, the trees formed the ring structures with radii of 4–7 m from the large-diameter trees. In the two central sample plots, the ring structures had the radii of 5–9 m and 5–8 m. Analogously, in the three southern sample plots, the ring structures had the radii of 7–11 m and 6–10 m. The formation of a ring structure is closely related to the competition among individuals, and there is an internal relationship between the formation of this structure and the dynamic theory.
Radiative forcing of forest biomass production and use under different thinning regimes and initial age structures of a Norway spruce forest landscape
Authors: Baul Tarit Kumar , Alam Ashraful , Strandman Harri , Seppälä Jyri , Peltola Heli , Kilpeläinen Antti
Published: February 2020

We studied how different thinning regimes and initial age structures of a Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) forest landscape affect the radiative forcing of forest biomass production and use. We considered the effects of forest carbon sequestration, substitution of materials and fossil fuels with forest biomass, and timber use efficiency. The initial age structures of our hypothetical forest landscapes in the middle boreal zone in Finland were young, middle-aged, and mature. Forest landscapes were thinned using either the current thinning recommendations (baseline) or maintaining 20% higher or 20% lower stocking over the 80-year study period. We employed forest ecosystem model simulations together with a life cycle assessment tool. The highest carbon sequestration was obtained by maintaining higher stocking in the landscapes. The initially middle-aged and mature age structures resulted in the strongest cooling of the climate in the first three decades of the simulation, but the highest cooling was found in the young age structure. However, radiative forcing was less sensitive to the thinning than to the substitution or timber use efficiency. Our results indicate that modeled climate impacts are affected by both initial age structure and forest management, which should be considered when generalizing the climate change mitigation potential of forests and forestry.
Variation in seedling budburst phenology and structural traits among southwestern ponderosa pine provenances
Authors: Dixit Aalap , Kolb Thomas
Published: February 2020

We used a common garden study to investigate genetic variation in spring budburst phenology, growth, and structural traits of ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa Lawson & C. Lawson var. scopulorum Engelm.) seedlings from 10 provenances of different elevations in Arizona and New Mexico, United States. Seedlings were grown with ample resources for two growing seasons in a greenhouse in northern Arizona. Budburst date was measured at the onset of the second growing season; seedling growth, biomass, biomass ratios (shoot:root ratio, root mass ratio, stem mass ratio, and leaf mass ratio), and specific leaf area were measured at the end of the second season. Low-elevation provenances (<2000 m) had earlier budburst and lower specific leaf area than middle- (2000–2500 m) and high-elevation (>2500 m) provenances. Height, leaf length, biomass, and biomass ratios were similar for elevational groups. Total biomass was positively correlated (r = 0.824) with provenance mean annual precipitation. Shoot:root ratio was positively correlated (r = 0.652) with longitude. Results suggest adaptation of low-elevation provenances to warm spring temperatures (early budburst) and aridity (low specific leaf area), inherently faster growth of provenances from wet locations, and greater allocation to shoots in eastern provenances. Such information about geographic patterns of genetic variation may be useful for selecting seed sources for planting in a changing climate.
Interpreting empirical estimates of experimentally derived physiological and biological thermal limits in ectotherms
Authors: Bates A.E. , Morley S.A.
Published: February 2020

Whole-organism function is underpinned by physiological and biological processes, which respond to temperature over a range of time scales. Given that environmental temperature controls biological rates within ectotherms, different experimental protocols are needed to assess the ability of organisms to withstand extreme weather events versus gradual temperature change. Here we emphasize the importance of time in shaping ecological and evolutionary processes, and as an experimental parameter that is key when interpreting physiology studies reporting thermal limits. We discuss how acute and chronic thermal performance is underpinned by mechanisms operating at different time scales — resistance, acclimation, and adaptation. We offer definitions of common physiological and biological temperature metrics and identify challenges inherent to compiling the wealth of historical temperature limit data now available into meta-analytic frameworks. We use a case study, data across temperate fishes, to highlight that false positives may occur when differences in the thermal tolerances of species are in fact due to experimental protocols. We further illustrate that false negatives can arise if researchers fail to recognize differences in thermal limits of species emerging from macrophysiological approaches that are due to biological mechanisms. We strongly advocate for the careful design, interpretation, and reporting of experimental results to ensure that conclusions arising from data synthesis efforts are grounded in theory.
Shadow of a Schwarzschild black hole surrounded by a Bach–Weyl ring
Authors: Wang Mingzhi , Chen Songbai , Wang Jieci , Jing Jiliang
Published: February 2020

We have studied the shadows of a Schwarzschild black hole surrounded by a Bach–Weyl ring through the backward ray-tracing method. The presence of Bach–Weyl ring leads to that the photon dynamical system is non-integrable and then chaos would appear in the photon motion, which affects sharply the black hole shadow. The size and shape the black hole shadow depend on the black hole parameter, the Bach–Weyl ring mass and the Weyl radius between black hole and ring. Some self-similar fractal structures also appear in the black hole shadow, which originates from the chaotic lensing. We also study the change of the image of Bach–Weyl ring with the ring mass and the Weyl radius. Finally, we analyze the invariant manifolds of Lyapunov orbits near the fixed points and discuss further the formation of the shadow of a Schwarzschild black hole with Bach–Weyl ring.
Optical excitation of atomic force microscopy cantilever for accurate spectroscopic measurements
Authors: Miyahara Yoichi , Griffin Harrisonn , Roy-Gobeil Antoine , Belyansky Ron , Bergeron Hadallia , Bustamante José , Grutter Peter
Published: February 2020

Reliable operation of frequency modulation mode atomic force microscopy (FM-AFM) depends on a clean resonance of an AFM cantilever. It is recognized that the spurious mechanical resonances which originate from various mechanical components in the microscope body are excited by a piezoelectric elemen that is intended for exciting the AFM cantilever oscillation and these spurious resonance modes cause the serious undesirable signal artifacts in both frequency shift and dissipation signals. We present an experimental setup to excite only the oscillation of the AFM cantilever in a fiber-optic interferometer system using optical excitation force. While the optical excitation force is provided by a separate laser light source with a different wavelength (excitation laser : λ=1310 nm), the excitation laser light is still guided through the same single-mode optical fiber that guides the laser light (detection laser : λ=1550 nm) used for the interferometric detection of the cantilever deflection. We present the details of the instrumentation and its performance. This setup allows us to eliminate the problems associated with the spurious mechanical resonances such as the apparent dissipation signal and the inaccuracy in the resonance frequency measurement.
Argumentation-Based Reasoning about Plans, Maintenance Goals, and Norms
Authors: Shams Zohreh , Vos Marina De , Oren Nir , Padget Julian
Published: February 2020

In a normative environment, an agent’s actions are directed not only by its goals but also by the norms activated by its actions and those of other actors. The potential for conflict between agent goals and norms makes decision making challenging, in that it requires looking ahead to consider the longer-term consequences of which goal to satisfy or which norm to comply with in face of conflict. We therefore seek to determine the actions an agent should select at each point in time, taking account of its temporal goals, norms, and their conflicts. We propose a solution in which a normative planning problem is the basis for practical reasoning based on argumentation. Various types of conflict within goals, within norms, and between goals and norms are identified based on temporal properties of these entities. The properties of the best plan(s) with respect to goal achievement and norm compliance are mapped to arguments, followed by mapping their conflicts to attack between arguments, all of which are used to identify why a plan is justified.
Multiple Set Matching with Bloom Matrix and Bloom Vector
Authors: Concas Francesco , Xu Pengfei , Hoque Mohammad A. , Lu Jiaheng , Tarkoma Sasu
Published: February 2020

Bloom Filter is a space-efficient probabilistic data structure for checking the membership of elements in a set. Given multiple sets, a standard Bloom Filter is not sufficient when looking for the items to which an element or a set of input elements belong. An example case is searching for documents with keywords in a large text corpus, which is essentially a multiple set matching problem where the input is single or multiple keywords, and the result is a set of possible candidate documents. This article solves the multiple set matching problem by proposing two efficient Bloom Multifilters called Bloom Matrix and Bloom Vector, which generalize the standard Bloom Filter. Both structures are space-efficient and answer queries with a set of identifiers for multiple set matching problems. The space efficiency can be optimized according to the distribution of labels among multiple sets: Uniform and Zipf. Bloom Vector efficiently exploits the Zipf distribution of data for further space reduction. Indeed, both structures are much more space-efficient compared with the state-of-the-art, Bloofi. The results also highlight that a L
ookup
operation on Bloom Matrix is significantly faster than on Bloom Vector and Bloofi.
Fast, Accurate and Provable Triangle Counting in Fully Dynamic Graph Streams
Authors: Shin Kijung , Oh Sejoon , Kim Jisu , Hooi Bryan , Faloutsos Christos
Published: February 2020

Given a stream of edge additions and deletions, how can we estimate the count of triangles in it? If we can store only a subset of the edges, how can we obtain unbiased estimates with small variances?

Counting triangles (i.e., cliques of size three) in a graph is a classical problem with applications in a wide range of research areas, including social network analysis, data mining, and databases. Recently, streaming algorithms for triangle counting have been extensively studied since they can naturally be used for large dynamic graphs. However, existing algorithms cannot handle edge deletions or suffer from low accuracy.

Can we handle edge deletions while achieving high accuracy? We propose T
hink
D, which accurately estimates the counts of global triangles (i.e., all triangles) and local triangles associated with each node in a fully dynamic graph stream with additions and deletions of edges. Compared to its best competitors, T
hink
D is
(a) Accurate:
up to
4.3
×
more accurate
within the same memory budget,
(b) Fast:
up to
2.2
×
faster
for the same accuracy requirements, and
(c) Theoretically sound:
always maintaining estimates with zero bias (i.e., the difference between the true triangle count and the expected value of its estimate) and small variance. As an application, we use T
hink
D to detect suddenly emerging dense subgraphs, and we show its advantages over state-of-the-art methods.
Budget-Constrained Real-Time Bidding Optimization
Authors: Lin Chi-Chun , Chuang Kun-Ta , Wu Wush Chi-Hsuan , Chen Ming-Syan
Published: February 2020

In this article, we pursue a better solution for the promising problem, i.e., the bidding strategy design, in the real-time bidding (RTB) advertising (AD) environment. Under the budget constraint, the design of an optimal strategy for bidding on each incoming impression opportunity targets at acquiring as many clicks as possible during an AD campaign. State-of-the-art bidding algorithms rely on a single predictor, the clickthrough rate predictor, to calculate the bidding value for each impression. This provides reasonable performance if the predictor has appropriate accuracy in predicting the probability of user clicking. However, the classical methods usually fail to capture optimal results since the predictor accuracy is limited. We improve the situation by accomplishing an additional winning price predictor in the bidding process. In this article, an algorithm combining powers of multiple prediction models is developed. It emerges from an analogy to the online stochastic knapsack problem, and the efficiency of the algorithm is also theoretically analyzed. Experiments conducted on real world RTB datasets show that the proposed solution performs better with regard to both number of clicks achieved and effective cost per click in many different settings of budget constraints.
Community Detection by Motif-Aware Label Propagation
Authors: Li Pei-Zhen , Huang Ling , Wang Chang-Dong , Lai Jian-Huang , Huang Dong
Published: February 2020

Community detection (or graph clustering) is crucial for unraveling the structural properties of complex networks. As an important technique in community detection, label propagation has shown the advantage of finding a good community structure with nearly linear time complexity. However, despite the progress that has been made, there are still several important issues that have not been properly addressed. First, the label propagation typically proceeds over the lower order structure of the network and only the direct one-hop connections between nodes are taken into consideration. Unfortunately, the higher order structure that may encode design principle of the network and be crucial for community detection is neglected under this regime. Second, the stability of the identified community structure may also be seriously affected by the inherent randomness in the label propagation process. To tackle the above issues, this article proposes a
Motif-Aware Weighted Label Propagation
method for community detection. We focus on triangles within the network, but our technique extends to other kinds of motifs as well. Specifically, the motif-based higher order structure mining is conducted to capture structural characteristics of the network. First, the motif of interest (locally meaningful pattern) is identified, and then, the motif-based hypergraph can be constructed to encode the higher order connections. To further utilize the structural information of the network, a re-weighted network is designed, which unifies both the higher order structure and the original lower order structure. Accordingly, a novel voting strategy termed
NaS
(considering both Number and Strength of connections) is proposed to update node labels during the label propagation process. In this way, the random label selection can be effectively eliminated, yielding more stable community structures. Experimental results on multiple real-world datasets have shown the superiority of the proposed method.
Desiccation Tolerance: Avoiding Cellular Damage During Drying and Rehydration
Authors: Oliver Melvin J. , Farrant Jill M. , Hilhorst Henk W.M. , Mundree Sagadevan , Williams Brett , Bewley J. Derek
Published: February 2020

Desiccation of plants is often lethal but is tolerated by the majority of seeds and by vegetative tissues of only a small number of land plants. Desiccation tolerance is an ancient trait, lost from vegetative tissues following the appearance of tracheids but reappearing in several lineages when selection pressures favored its evolution. Cells of all desiccation-tolerant plants and seeds must possess a core set of mechanisms to protect them from desiccation- and rehydration-induced damage. This review explores how desiccation generates cell damage and how tolerant cells assuage the complex array of mechanical, structural, metabolic, and chemical stresses and survive.Likewise, the stress of rehydration requires appropriate mitigating cellular responses. We also explore what comparative genomics, both structural and responsive, have added to our understanding of cellular protection mechanisms induced by desiccation, and how vegetative desiccation tolerance circumvents destructive, stress-induced cell senescence.
Research on Improving Outcomes and Reducing Costs of Psychological Interventions: Toward Delivering the Best to the Most for the Least
Authors: Yates Brian T.
Published: February 2020

Treatment and prevention efforts guided by psychological theory, research, and practice can have outcomes of greater value than the resources consumed by those efforts—and outcomes superior to those attainable by other means, often at lower costs. How can we make this hope true more often, for more of the clients who need our services, despite severe resource constraints? Routinely reporting the costs, effectiveness, and benefits of psychological interventions from client, practitioner, and societal perspectives is only a beginning. We also need to use descriptive and inferential statistics to measure, report, and analyze the cost-effectiveness and cost-benefit of our interventions to discover the strongest determinants of intervention costs and outcomes. The emerging literature on cost-inclusive research in psychology suggests that delivery systems are one primary determinant of costs and outcomes of most interventions, as are the psychological techniques applied.
Secretin effects on gastric functions, hormones and symptoms in functional dyspepsia and health: randomized crossover trial
Authors: Brandler Justin , Miller Laurence J. , Wang Xiao Jing , Burton Duane , Busciglio Irene , Arndt Kayla , Harmsen William S. , Camilleri Michael
Published: February 2020

Abnormal gastric accommodation (GA) and gastric emptying contribute to pathophysiology in functional dyspepsia (FD). Secretin is a key regulator of GA in animal studies. Our aim was to study the effects of secretin on gastric motility, satiation, postprandial symptoms, and key hormones. We performed two double-blind, randomized, saline-controlled crossover trials in 10 healthy volunteers and 10 patients with FD by Rome IV criteria. We used measured GA (by validated SPECT method) after a 111In radiolabeled Ensure 300-mL meal and quantified gastric emptying for 30 min by scintigraphy. Satiation was measured by volume to fullness (VTF) and maximum tolerated volume (MTV) on an Ensure nutrient drink test and postprandial symptoms 30 min post-MTV. Fasting and postprandial GLP-1, GIP, and HPP were measured. The ages and sex distribution of healthy controls and patients with FD were similar. Compared with placebo, secretin delayed gastric emptying at 30 min in both health [−11% (−16, −4), P = 0.004]; and FD [−8% (−9, 0), P = 0.03]. Satiation (VTF and MTV), GA, and plasma levels of GLP-1, GIP, and HPP did not differ between treatment arms in health or FD. On ANCOVA analysis (adjusting for age and sex), secretin did not consistently increase postprandial symptoms in health or FD. Secretin delayed gastric emptying in both health and FD without significantly altering GA, VTF, or MTV or selected hormones. Thus, secretin receptor activation may provide a novel therapeutic mechanism for patients with FD and rapid gastric emptying.

NEW & NOTEWORTHY The naturally occurring hormone secretin retards gastric emptying of solids without deleteriously affecting gastric accommodation, satiation, other upper gastrointestinal hormones, or postprandial symptoms. Given these findings, a subset of patients with rapid gastric emptying (e.g., the estimated 20% of patients with functional dyspepsia) could be candidates for treatments that stimulate a secretin receptor such as sacubitril, which inhibits neprilysin, an enzyme that degrades secretin.
Ablation of Gsa impairs renal tubule proliferation after injury via CDK2/cyclin E
Authors: Liu Lele , Deng Yuanjun , Cai Yang , Lu Pingfan , Guo Yiyan , Zhang Chunjiang , Li Qian , Zhang Tianjing , Han Min , Xu Gang
Published: February 2020

Acute kidney injury has a high global morbidity associated with an increased risk of death and chronic kidney disease. Renal tubular epithelial cell regeneration following injury may be a decisive factor in renal repair or the progression of acute kidney injury to chronic kidney disease, but the underlying mechanism of abnormal renal tubular repair remains unclear. In the present study, we investigated the role of heterotrimeric G stimulatory protein α-subunit (Gsa) in renal tubular epithelial cell regeneration. We generated renal tubule epithelium-specific Gsa knockout (GsaKspKO) mice to show the essential role of Gsa in renal tubular epithelial cell regeneration in two AKI models: acute aristolochic acid nephropathy (AAN) and unilateral ischemia-reperfusion injury (UIRI). GsaKspKO mice developed more severe renal impairment after AAN and UIRI, higher serum creatinine levels, and more substantial tubular necrosis than wild-type mice. More importantly, Gsa inactivation impaired renal tubular epithelial cell proliferation by reducing bromodeoxyuridine+ cell numbers in the AAN model and inhibiting cyclin-dependent kinase 2/cyclin E1 expression in the UIRI model. This reduced proliferation was further supported in vitro with Gsa-targeting siRNA. Downregulation of Gsa inhibited tubular epithelial cell proliferation in HK-2 and mIMCD-3 cells. Furthermore, Gsa downregulation inhibited cyclin-dependent kinase 2/cyclin E1 expression, which was dependent on the Raf-MEK-ERK signaling pathway. In conclusion, Gsa is required for tubular epithelial cell regeneration during kidney repair after AKI. Loss of Gsa impairs renal tubular epithelial cell regeneration by blocking the Raf-MEK-ERK pathway.
Chronic exercise provides renal-protective effects with upregulation of fatty acid oxidation in the kidney of high fructose-fed rats
Authors: Hu Gaizun , Xu Lusi , Ma Yixuan , Kohzuki Masahiro , Ito Osamu
Published: February 2020

Excessive fructose intake causes metabolic syndrome and lipid accumulation in the kidney and leads to renal dysfunction and damage. Exercise (Ex) improves lipids regulation, but the mechanisms are unclarified in the kidney. In the present study, male Sprague-Dawley rats were allocated to groups fed with control or high-fructose (HFr) diet. Part of rats in each group underwent aerobic treadmill Ex for 12 wk. Drug treatment was performed as the fenofibrate gavage during the last 4 wk on HFr diet-fed rats. Renal function, histological changes, and expression of regulators involved in fatty acid (FA) metabolism were assessed. In CON diet-fed groups, Ex did not affect renal function or histology and significantly increased renal expression of FA β-oxidation regulators including acyl-CoA dehydrogenases (CADs), acyl-CoA oxidase, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)-α, and PPAR-γ coactivator (PGC)-1α and lipogenic factors including acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACCα), FA synthase (FAS), and sterol regulatory element-binding protein 1c. HFr caused albuminuria, lipid accumulation, and renal pathohistological changes, which were attenuated by Ex but not by fenofibrate. HFr decreased renal expression of medium- and short-chain CADs and PPAR-α and increased renal expression of ACCα, FAS, and sterol regulatory element-binding protein 1c. Ex increased expression of CADs, carnitine palmitoyltransferase type I, acyl-CoA oxidase, PPAR-α, and PGC-1α and decreased renal expression of ACCα and FAS in HFr diet-fed rats. The Ex-induced FA metabolism alteration was similar to that in the fenofibrate-treated group. In conclusion, the present study indicates that Ex enhanced renal FA metabolism, which might protect the kidney in lipid dysregulation diseases.
Phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase in urine exosomes reflect impairment in renal gluconeogenesis in early insulin resistance and diabetes
Authors: Sharma Rajni , Kumari Manju , Prakash Prem , Gupta Sushil , Tiwari Swasti
Published: February 2020

Impaired insulin-induced suppression of renal gluconeogenesis could be a risk for hyperglycemia. Diabetes is associated with elevated renal gluconeogenesis; however, its regulation in early insulin resistance is unclear in humans. A noninvasive marker of renal gluconeogenesis would be helpful. Here, we show that human urine exosomes (uE) contain three gluconeogenic enzymes: phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK), fructose 1,6-bisphosphatase, and glucose 6-phosphatase. Their protein levels were positively associated with whole body insulin sensitivity. PEPCK protein in uE exhibited a meal-induced suppression. However, subjects with lower insulin sensitivity had blunted meal-induced suppression. Also, uE from subjects with prediabetes and diabetic rats had higher PEPCK relative to nondiabetic controls. Moreover, uE-PEPCK was higher in drug-naïve subjects with diabetes relative to drug-treated subjects with diabetes. To determine whether increased renal gluconeogenesis is associated with hyperglycemia or PEPCK expression in uE, acidosis was induced in rats by 0.28 M NH4Cl with 0.5% sucrose in drinking water. Control rats were maintained on 0.5% sucrose. At the seventh day posttreatment, gluconeogenic enzyme activity in the kidneys, but not in the liver, was higher in acidotic rats. These rats had elevated PEPCK in their uE and a significant rise in blood glucose relative to controls. The induction of gluconeogenesis in human proximal tubule cells increased PEPCK expression in both human proximal tubules and human proximal tubule-secreted exosomes in the media. Overall, gluconeogenic enzymes are detectable in human uE. Elevated PEPCK and its blunted meal-induced suppression in human urine exosomes are associated with diabetes and early insulin resistance.
Stochastic Periodic Solution and Persistence of a Nonautonomous Impulsive System with Nonlinear Self-Interaction
Authors: Kong Weili , Shao Yuanfu
Published: February 2020

Considering periodic environmental changes and random disturbance, we explore the dynamical behaviors of a stochastic competitive system with impulsive and periodic parameters in this paper. Firstly, by use of extreme-value theory of quadratic function and constructing suitable functional, we study the existence of periodic Markovian process. Secondly, by comparison theory of the stochastic differential equation, we study the extinction and permanence in the mean of all species. Thirdly, applying an important lemma, we investigate the stochastic persistence of this system. Finally, some numerical simulations are given to illustrate the main results.
Intrinsic Square Function Characterizations of Variable Hardy–Lorentz Spaces
Authors: Saibi Khedoudj
Published: February 2020

The aim of this paper is to establish the intrinsic square function characterizations in terms of the intrinsic Littlewood–Paleyg-function, the intrinsic Lusin area function, and the intrinsicgλ∗-function of the variable Hardy–Lorentz spaceHp⋅,qℝn, forp⋅being a measurable function onℝnsatisfying0<p−≔ess infx∈ℝnpx≤ess supx∈ℝnpx≕p+<∞and the globally log-Hölder continuity condition andq∈0,∞, via its atomic and Littlewood–Paley function characterizations.
Evaluation of Key Parameters Using Deep Convolutional Neural Networks for Airborne Pollution (PM10) Prediction
Authors: Aceves-Fernández Marco Antonio , Domínguez-Guevara Ricardo , Pedraza-Ortega Jesus Carlos , Vargas-Soto José Emilio
Published: February 2020

Particulate matter with a diameter less than 10 micrometers (PM10) is today an important subject of study, mainly because of its increasing concentration and its impact on environment and public health. This article summarizes the usage of convolutional neural networks (CNNs) to forecast PM10 concentrations based on atmospheric variables. In this particular case-study, the use of deep convolutional neural networks (both 1D and 2D) was explored to probe the feasibility of these techniques in prediction tasks. Furthermore, in this contribution, an ensemble method called Bagging (BEM) is used to improve the accuracy of the prediction model. Lastly, a well-known technique for PM10 forecasting, called multilayer perceptron (MLP) is used as a comparison to show the feasibility, accuracy, and robustness of the proposed model. In this contribution, it was found that the CNNs outperforms MLP, especially when they are executed using ensemble models.
Prognostic Value of Serum Osteopontin in Acute Exacerbation of Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis
Authors: Gui Xianhua , Qiu Xiaohua , Xie Miaomiao , Tian Yaqiong , Min Cao , Huang Mei , Hongyan Wu , Chen Tingting , Zhang Xin , Chen Jingyu , Cao Mengshu , Cai Hourong
Published: February 2020

Background. Acute exacerbation (AE) is a common cause of rapid deterioration and high mortality in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) patients. Osteopontin (OPN) plays an important role in IPF, but the studies about serum OPN in AE‐IPF are unclear. We aimed to investigate whether OPN had a potential prognostic value in acute exacerbation and mortality in IPF. Methods. Thirty‐two patients with AE‐IPF, 39 with S‐IPF, and 20 healthy controls were included. Serum OPN and KL‐6 levels were compared between AE‐IPF and S‐IPF. Logistic regression analysis was applied to identify the predicted value of OPN for AE. Kaplan–Meier curves were used to display survival, and Cox proportional hazards regression was used to identify risk for mortality. Results. In AE‐IPF patients, serum OPN levels were significantly higher than in S‐IPF subjects (p < 0.001) or healthy controls (p < 0.001). Immunohistochemical staining in lung transplant specimens of IPF showed strong expression of OPN in the alveolar epithelial cells lining honeycomb space and alveolar macrophages accumulating in interalveolar spaces adjacent to the fibrotic lesion. Serum OPN was correlated with higher C‐reactive protein (CRP) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH). Serum OPN, KL‐6, CRP, LDH, percent forced vital capacity (FVC%), and percent diffusing capacity (DLCO%) in IPF were correlated with AE status, with respective odds ratios of 1.305 (p = 0.004), 1.001 (p = 0.010), 1.039 (p = 0.002), 1.035 (p < 0.001), 0.950 (p = 0.024), and 0.929 (p = 0.010). Serum OPN (above 3.24 ng/ml) was associated with an increasing risk of mortality (p = 0.019). Multivariate Cox regression demonstrated an association of OPN levels with mortality risk (p = 0.036). Conclusion. Elevated OPN could be a potential serum predictor for AE status and survival in IPF patients.
Systematic Administration of B Vitamins Alleviates Diabetic Pain and Inhibits Associated Expression of P2X3 and TRPV1 in Dorsal Root Ganglion Neurons and Proinflammatory Cytokines in Spinal Cord in Rats
Authors: He Duan-Duan , Gao Yu , Wang Shan , Xie Zhong , Song Xue-Jun
Published: February 2020

Background. Treatment of diabetic neuropathic pain (DNP) continues to be a major challenge, and underlying mechanisms of DNP remain elusive. We investigated treatment effects of B vitamins on DPN- and DNP-associated alterations of neurochemical signaling in the nociceptive dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons and the spinal cord in rats. Methods. DNP was produced in male, adult, Sprague Dawley rats by single i.p. streptozotocin (STZ). Western blot analysis and immunohistochemistry were used to analyze protein expressions in DRG and ELISA to measure the proinflammatory cytokines in the spinal cord. Behaviorally expressed DNP was determined by measuring the sensitivity of hindpaw skin to mechanical and thermal stimulation. Results. There were 87.5% (77/88) rats which developed high blood glucose within 1-2 weeks following STZ injection. Of which, 70.13% (n = 54/77) animals exhibited DNP manifested as mechanical allodynia and/or thermal hyperalgesia. Intraperitoneal administration of vitamins B1/B6/B12 (100/100/2 mg/kg, one or multiple doses) significantly attenuated DNP without affecting the blood glucose. Expressions of P2X3 and TRPV1 in CGRP-positive and IB4-positive DRG neurons as well as the interleukin-1β, tumor necrosis factor-α, and nerve growth factor in the lumbar spinal cord were greatly increased in DNP rats. Such DNP-associated neurochemical alterations were also greatly suppressed by the B-vitamin treatment. Conclusions. B-vitamin treatment can greatly suppress chronic DNP and DNP-associated increased activities of P2X3 and TRPV1 in DRG and the spinal proinflammatory cytokines, which may contribute to the pathogenesis of DNP. Systematic administration of B vitamins can be a strategy for DNP management in clinic.
Comparative Analysis of Optimization Models for Paired Intersections with Left-Turn Bays
Authors: Yao Ronghan , Zhang Wensong , Long Meng
Published: February 2020

Left-turn bays may be provided at paired intersections when heavy left-turn demands exist on some approaches. Such left-turn bays may have significant effects on intersection operations. Considering the settings of left-turn bays, two single-objective optimization models are developed for paired intersections with uncoordinated and coordinated signals, respectively. Numerical examples are fulfilled to demonstrate and compare the formulated models, and the orthogonal simulation experiments are carried out. Assuming that the relevance of traffic flow exists, the results show that the optimized effective green times and left-turn bay lengths depend on traffic demand, whereas the optimized offset between paired intersections is sensitive to intersection spacing; the optimization model with coordinated signals outstrips that with uncoordinated signals at 99% confidence level when the distance between paired intersections is not too far and traffic demand is not too low, whereas the former may be inferior to the latter when traffic demand is low enough and intersection spacing is far enough.
A Screen Location Method for Treating American Hyphantria cunea Larvae Using Convolutional Neural Network
Authors: Gao Yan , Zhao Ying , Ji Yujie , Zhao Dongjie , Wang Chong , Sun Qun
Published: February 2020

Chemical control is the major approach to handle the American Hyphantria cunea issue; however, it often causes chemical pollution and resource waste. How to precisely apply pesticide to reduce pollution and waste has been a difficult problem. The premise of accurate spraying of chemicals is to accurately determine the location of the spray target. In this paper, an algorithm based on a convolutional neural network (CNN) is proposed to locate the screen of American Hyphantria cunea. Specifically, comparing the effect of multicolor space-grouping convolution with that of the same color space-grouping convolution, the better effect of different color space-grouping convolution is first proved. Then, RGB and YIQ are employed to identify American Hyphantria cunea screen. Moreover, a noncoincident sliding window method is proposed to divide the image into multiple candidate boxes to reduce the number of convolutions. That is, the probability of American Hyphantria cunea is determined by grouping convolution in each candidate box, and two thresholds (E and Q) are set. When the probability is higher than E, the candidate box is regarded as excellent; when the probability is lower than Q, the candidate box is regarded as unqualified; when the probability is in between, the candidate box is regarded as qualified. The unqualified candidate box is eliminated, and the qualified candidate box cannot exit the above steps until the number of extractions of the candidate box reaches the set value or there is no qualified candidate box. Finally, all the excellent candidate boxes are fused to obtain the final recognition result. Experiments show that the recognition rate of this method is higher than 96%, and the processing time of a single picture is less than 150 ms.
Four-Port Dual-Mode Diplexer with High Signal Isolation
Authors: Konpang Jessada , Wattikornsirikul Natchayathorn
Published: February 2020

An ease of four-port dual-mode diplexer with high signal isolation is presented. A compact dual-mode diplexer with high signal isolation between the Rx and Tx modules is achievable by only using one resonator filter topology. Two back-to-back dual-mode diplexers have a 180° phase shift in one branch. The high isolation can be achieved by amplitude and phase cancellation technique. The delayed transmission line can be easily achieved by the phase shifter. The simulated and measured four-port dual-mode diplexers are designed at the centre frequency of Rx/Tx at 1.95 GHz and 2.14 GHz, respectively. The measured results of Rx/Tx dual-mode diplexer devices are presented with 47.1 dB Rx/Tx isolation. This four-port dual-mode diplexer achieves the isolation (S32) of more than 24.1 dB when compared with the conventional three-port dual-mode diplexer structure.