bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Ozone affects plant, insect, and soil microbial communities: A threat to terrestrial ecosystems and biodiversity
Authors: Agathokleous Evgenios , Feng Zhaozhong , Oksanen Elina , Sicard Pierre , Wang Qi , Saitanis Costas J. , Araminiene Valda , Blande James D. , Hayes Felicity , Calatayud Vicent , Domingos Marisa , Veresoglou Stavros D. , Peñuelas Josep , Wardle David A. , De Marco Alessandra , Li Zhengzhen , Harmens Harry , Yuan Xiangyang , Vitale Marcello , Paoletti Elena
Published: August 2020

Elevated levels of ground-level ozone threaten terrestrial ecosystems and biodiversity.
Predicting functional effects of missense variants in voltage-gated sodium and calcium channels
Authors: Heyne Henrike O. , Baez-Nieto David , Iqbal Sumaiya , Palmer Duncan S. , Brunklaus Andreas , May Patrick ,   Epi25 Collaborative, Johannesen Katrine M. , Lauxmann Stephan , Lemke Johannes R. , Møller Rikke S. , Pérez-Palma Eduardo , Scholl Ute I. , Syrbe Steffen , Lerche Holger , Lal Dennis , Campbell Arthur J. , Wang Hao-Ran , Pan Jen , Daly Mark J.
Published: August 2020

A machine learning method can predict loss- versus gain-of-function effects of human genetic variants in disease-associated ion channels.
Molecular Characterization of Mycoplasma pneumoniae Isolates in the United States from 2012 to 2018
Authors: Xiao L. , Ratliff A. E. , Crabb D. M. , Mixon E. , Qin X. , Selvarangan R. , Tang Y.-W. , Zheng X. , Dien Bard J. , Hong T. , Prichard M. , Brooks E. , Dallas S. , Duffy L. B. , Fowler K. B. , Atkinson T. P. , Waites K. B.
Published: August 2020

Mycoplasma pneumoniaeis a major cause of community-acquired pneumonia. There are limited data in the United States on the molecular epidemiological characteristics ofM. pneumoniae. We collected 446M. pneumoniae-positive specimens from 9 states between August 2012 and October 2018. Culture, antimicrobial susceptibility testing, P1 subtyping, and multilocus VNTR (variable-number tandem repeats) analysis (MLVA) were performed to characterize the isolates.
GBP5 Is an Interferon-Induced Inhibitor of Respiratory Syncytial Virus
Authors: Li Zhaolong , Qu Xinglong , Liu Xin , Huan Chen , Wang Hong , Zhao Zhilei , Yang Xu , Hua Shucheng , Zhang Wenyan
Published: August 2020

RSV is a highly contagious virus that causes multiple infections in infants within their first year of life. It can also easily cause infection in elderly or immunocompromised individuals, suggesting that individual differences in immunity play an important role in RSV infection. Therefore, exploring the pathogenic mechanisms of RSV and identifying essential genes which inhibit RSV infection are necessary to develop an effective strategy to control RSV infection. Here, we report that the IFN-inducible gene
GBP5
potently inhibits RSV replication by reducing the cell-associated levels of the RSV small hydrophobic (SH) protein, which is a viroporin. In contrast, the RSV G protein was shown to upregulate the expression of the DZIP3 protein, an E3 ligase that degrades GBP5 through the proteasomal pathway. Our study provides important information for the understanding of the pathogenic mechanisms of RSV and host immunity as well as the complicated interplay between the virus and host.
Near-Complete Genome Sequence of Feline Immunodeficiency Virus from Colombia
Authors: Taniwaki Sueli A. , Jiménez-Villegas Tatiana , Santana-Clavijo Nelson F. , Cruz Taís F. , Silva Sheila O. S. , Valencia-Bacca Juan D. , Loaiza-Pedreros Felipe , Richtzenhain Leonardo J. , Ferreira Fernando , Araújo Júnior João P. , Brandão Paulo E.
Published: August 2020

Feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) is an important pathogen of domestic and wild felids. Although serological tests suggest the presence of FIV in cats from Colombia, no molecular characterization has been reported. Here, we describe the near-complete genome of FIV subtype A from a Colombian domestic cat.
Draft Genome Sequence of Clostridium estertheticum CEST001, Belonging to a Novel Subspecies of
C. estertheticum
, Isolated from Chilled Vacuum-Packed Lamb Meat Imported to Switzerland
Authors: Wambui Joseph , Cernela Nicole , Stevens Marc J. A. , Stephan Roger
Published: August 2020

We present the draft genome sequence of
Clostridium estertheticum
strain CEST001. The genome is 4.8 Mbp long with a GC content of 30.6%. The digital DNA-DNA hybridization values against four
C. estertheticum
strains indicate that
C. estertheticum
CEST001 belongs to a novel subspecies of
C. estertheticum
.
Levels of the TNF-Related Cytokine LIGHT Increase in Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients with Cytokine Release Syndrome and ARDS
Authors: Perlin David S. , Zafir-Lavie Inbal , Roadcap Lori , Raines Shane , Ware Carl F. , Neil Garry A.
Published: August 2020

Many coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients demonstrate lethal respiratory complications caused by cytokine release syndrome (CRS). Multiple cytokines have been implicated in CRS, but levels of tumor necrosis factor superfamily 14 (TNFSF14) (LIGHT) have not been previously measured in this setting. In this study, we observed significantly elevated serum LIGHT levels in hospitalized COVID-19 patients compared to healthy age- and gender-matched control patients. The assay detected bioavailable LIGHT unbound to the inhibitor Decoy receptor-3 (DcR3).
Black esophagus: a syndrome of acute esophageal necrosis associated with active alcohol drinking
Authors: Siddiqi Anees , Chaudhary Fizah S , Naqvi Haider A , Saleh Nahar , Farooqi Rehan , Yousaf Muhammad Nadeem
Published: August 2020

Black esophagus, also known as acute esophageal necrosis (AEN) syndrome, is a rare entity characterized by patchy or diffuse circumferential black pigmentation of the esophageal mucosa from ischemic necrosis. It may present with life-threatening upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage resulting in high mortality in immunocompromised patients. Advanced age with multiple comorbidities compounded with compromised hemodynamic states are poor prognostic factors. Findings on laboratory work-up and radiological imaging are non-specific. After initial resuscitation, endoscopic evaluation and histological examination of esophageal biopsy are diagnostic. Early recognition and aggressive resuscitation are the fundamental principles for the management of AEN and better outcome of the disease. We report a case of a 56-year-old woman with diabetes mellitus, gastro-esophageal reflux disease, and active alcohol binging who presented with hematemesis and acute epigastric pain due to AEN. This case illustrates a rare etiology of AEN due to active alcohol drinking, which may be overlooked. Physician awareness about this etiology is important as early recognition and timely management may improve survival.
Did previous involvement in research affect recruitment of young people with cerebral palsy to a longitudinal study of transitional health care?
Authors: Garcia Jalón Elena Guiomar , Merrick Hanna , Colver Allan , Linden Mark
Published: August 2020

Objective

To assess whether being contacted about or participating in previous research and method of approaching potential participants affected recruitment to a transition study from child to adult healthcare services of young people with cerebral palsy (CP).

Design and methods

Young people with CP aged 14–18 years without severe intellectual impairment were identified from regional registers of CP in Northern Ireland and the North of England. χ2 and Mann-Whitney U tests were used to assess differences in CP and sociodemographic characteristics between those recruited and those who refused. Logistic regression was used to assess contact about and recruitment to previous research and method of approach as predictors of recruitment, controlling for demographic and CP characteristics.

Results

Of the 410 young people who were approached; 162 did not respond and of the 248 who responded, 96 (23%) were recruited. There were significant differences between those recruited and those who refused in age and number of previous studies they had participated in. Those who were older or who had previously been approached about research were more likely to be recruited to our study. However, those who had been recruited to previous studies were more likely to refuse to join our study.

Conclusions

The method of approach to potential participants did not affect recruitment. Older adolescents and those who had been approached about previous research were more likely to take part in our study, although there was evidence of research fatigue because if they had actually been recruited to the previous studies they were less likely to join our study. Recruitment of adolescents to studies remains challenging.
COVID-19 emergency response assessment study: a prospective longitudinal survey of frontline doctors in the UK and Ireland: study protocol
Authors: Roberts Tom , Daniels Jo , Hulme William , Horner Daniel , Lyttle Mark David , Samuel Katie , Graham Blair , Hirst Robert , Reynard Charles , Barrett Michael , Carlton Edward
Published: August 2020

Introduction

The COVID-19 pandemic is putting an unprecedented strain on healthcare systems globally. The psychological impact on frontline doctors of dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic is currently unknown. This longitudinal professional survey aims to understand the evolving and cumulative effects of working during the COVID-19 outbreak on the psychological well-being of doctors working in emergency departments (ED), intensive care units (ICU) and anaesthetics during the pandemic.

Methods and analysis

This study is a longitudinal questionnaire-based study with three predefined time points spanning the acceleration, peak and deceleration phases of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The primary outcomes are psychological distress and post-trauma stress as measured by the General Health Questionnaire-12 (GHQ-12) and Impact of Events Scale-Revised (IES-R). Data related to personal and professional characteristics will also be collected. Questionnaires will be administered prospectively to all doctors working in ED, ICU and anaesthetics in the UK and Ireland via existing research networks during the sampling period. Data from the questionnaires will be analysed to assess the prevalence and degree of psychological distress and trauma, and the nature of the relationship between personal and professional characteristics and the primary outcomes. Data will be described, analysed and disseminated at each time point; however, the primary endpoint will be psychological distress and trauma at the final time point.

Ethics and dissemination

Ethical approval was obtained from the University of Bath, UK (ref: 4421), and Children’s Health Ireland at Crumlin, Ethics Committee. Regulatory approval from the Health Regulation Authority (UK), Health and Care Research Wales (IRAS: 281944).

This study is limited by the fact that it focuses on doctors only and is survey based without further qualitative interviews of participants. It is expected this study will provide clear evidence of the psychological impact of COVID-19 on doctors and will allow present and future planning to mitigate against any psychological impact.

Trial registration number

ISRCTN10666798.
Variation in timely surgery for hip fracture by day and time of presentation: a nationwide prospective cohort study from the National Hip Fracture Database for England, Wales and Northern Ireland
Authors: Shah Anjali , Matharu Gulraj S , Inman Dominic , Fagan Elizabeth , Johansen Antony , Judge Andrew
Published: August 2020

Background and Objective

Several studies report poorer quality healthcare for patients presenting at weekends. Our objective was to examine how timely surgery for patients with hip fracture varies with day and time of their presentation.

Methods

This population-based cohort study used 2017 data from the National Hip Fracture Database, which recorded all patients aged 60 years and over who presented with a hip fracture at a hospital in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Provision of prompt surgery (surgery within 36 hours of presentation) was examined, using multivariable logistic regression with generalised estimating equations to derive adjusted risk ratios (RRs). Time was categorised into three 8-hour intervals (day: 08:00–15:59, evening: 16:00–23:59 and night: 00:00–07:59) for each day of the week. The model accounted for clustering by hospital and was adjusted by sex, age, fracture type, operation type, American Society of Anesthesiologists grade, preinjury mobility and location.

Results

We studied 68 977 patients from 177 hospitals. The average patient presenting during the day on Friday or Saturday was significantly less likely to undergo prompt surgery (Friday during 08:00–15:59, RR=0.93, 95% CI 0.91 to 0.96; Saturday during 08:00–15:59, RR=0.91, 95% CI 0.88 to 0.94) than patients in the comparative category (Thursday, during the day). Patients presenting during the evening (16:00–23:59) were consistently significantly less likely to undergo prompt surgery, and the effect was more marked on Fridays and Saturdays (Friday during 16:00-23:59, RR=0.83, 95% CI 0.80 to 0.85; Saturday during 16:00–23:59, RR=0.81, 95% CI 0.78 to 0.85). Patients presenting overnight (00:00–07:59), except on Saturdays, were significantly more likely to undergo surgery within 36 hours (RR>1.07).

Conclusion

The provision of prompt hip fracture surgery was complex, with evidence of both an ‘evening’ and a ‘night’ effect. Investigation of weekly variation in hip fracture care is required to help implement strategies to reduce the variation in timely surgery throughout the entire week.
D-dimer and the incidence of heart failure and mortality after acute myocardial infarction
Authors: Zhang Xiaoyuan , Wang Shanjie , Liu Jinxin , Wang Yini , Cai Hengxuan , Wang Duolao , Fang Shaohong , Yu Bo
Published: August 2020

Objective

D-dimer might serve as a marker of thrombogenesis and a hypercoagulable state following plaque rupture. Few studies explore the association between baseline D-dimer levels and the incidence of heart failure (HF), all-cause mortality in an acute myocardial infarction (AMI) population. We aimed to explore this association.

Methods

We enrolled 4504 consecutive patients with AMI with complete data in a prospective cohort study and explored the association of plasma D-dimer levels on admission and the incidence of HF, all-cause mortality.

Results

Over a median follow-up of 1 year, 1112 (24.7%) patients developed in-hospital HF, 542 (16.7%) patients developed HF after hospitalisation and 233 (7.1%) patients died. After full adjustments for other relevant clinical covariates, patients with D-dimer values in quartile 3 (Q3) had 1.51 times (95% CI 1.12 to 2.04) and in Q4 had 1.49 times (95% CI 1.09 to 2.04) as high as the risk of HF after hospitalisation compared with patients in Q1. Patients with D-dimer values in Q4 had more than a twofold (HR 2.34; 95% CI 1.33 to 4.13) increased risk of death compared with patients in Q1 (p<0.001). But there was no association between D-dimer levels and in-hospital HF in the adjusted models.

Conclusions

D-dimer was found to be associated with the incidence of HF after hospitalisation and all-cause mortality in patients with AMI.
Clinical activity of pembrolizumab in metastatic prostate cancer with microsatellite instability high (MSI-H) detected by circulating tumor DNA
Authors: Barata Pedro , Agarwal Neeraj , Nussenzveig Roberto , Gerendash Benjamin , Jaeger Ellen , Hatton Whitley , Ledet Elisa , Lewis Brian , Layton Jodi , Babiker Hani , Bryce Alan , Garje Rohan , Stein Cy , Kiedrowski Lesli , Saylor Philip , Sartor Oliver
Published: August 2020

To report a multi-institutional case series of patients with advanced microsatellite instability high (MSI-H) prostate adenocarcinoma identified with clinical cell-free DNA (cfDNA) next-generation sequencing (NGS) testing and treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors. Retrospective analysis of patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) and MSI-H tumor detected by a commercially available cfDNA NGS assay Guardant360 (G360, Guardant Health) at eight different Academic Institutions in the USA, from September 2018 to April 2020. From a total of 14 MSI-H metastatic prostate cancer patients at participating centers, nine patients with mCRPC with 56% bone, 33% nodal, 11% liver and 11% soft-tissue metastases and a median PSA of 29.3 ng/dL, were treated with pembrolizumab after 2 lines of therapy for CRPC. The estimated median time on pembrolizumab was 9.9 (95% CI 1.0 to 18.8) months. Four patients (44%) achieved PSA50 after a median of 4 (3–12) weeks after treatment initiation including three patients with >99% PSA decline. Among the patients evaluable for radiographic response (n=5), the response rate was 60% with one complete response and two partial responses. Best response was observed after a median of 3.3 (1.4–7.6) months. At time of cut-off, four patients were still on pembrolizumab while four patients discontinued therapy due to progressive disease and one due to COVID-19 infection. Half of the patients with PSA50 had both MSI-H and pathogenic alterations in BRCA1 and BRCA2 in their G360 assays. The use of liquid biopsy to identify metastatic prostate cancer patients with MSI-H is feasible in clinical practice and may overcome some of the obstacles associated with prostate cancer tumor tissue testing. The robust activity of pembrolizumab in selected patients supports the generalized testing for MSI-H.
Copper and zinc generated by the Aquascape IonGen pond clarifier system can be detrimental to koi (Cyprinus carpio) health
Authors: Tucker Emily , Gerlach Jamie , Curtean Azais , Passingham Kent , Murphy Lisa , Lewbart Gregory
Published: August 2020

Background

Copper is frequently used as an algicide, and copper ion generators such as the Aquascape IonGen claim to be safe for use in systems containing fish. In 2012, a die‐off of koi (Cyprinus carpio) in a pond in Raleigh, North Carolina, occurred after the IonGen was added to the system.

Methods

Physical and postmortem examinations suggested that heavy metal toxicity was the likely cause of morbidity and mortality. This was supported by a heavy metal screening of the owners’ pond. Additional experiments were performed to determine if the IonGen produced toxic levels of copper and zinc.

Results

The tank containing the IonGen had higher concentrations of copper and zinc, and copper levels exceeded those associated with toxicity in both hard and soft water.

Conclusion

The results of this study indicate that ion generators might not be safe for fish, and copper should only be used as an algicide if concentrations are closely monitored.
An assessment of the attributes of Staccato sweet cherries at harvest and upon storage in relation to orchard growing factors
Authors: Ross K.A. , Toivonen P.M.A. , Godfrey D.V. , Fukumoto L.
Published: August 2020

This work presents new data on the effects of orchard growing factors on storage quality of Staccato sweet cherries grown in the southern Okanagan region of British Columbia, Canada. Quality attributes, respiration rates, and the mineral contents of Staccato sweet cherries were analyzed. Orchard growing factors such as pruning practices, growing temperature, and relative humidity varied by orchard throughout the region, and consequently, the mineral contents, quality attributes, and respiration rates of the Staccato sweet cherries also varied. Principal components analysis revealed relationships among orchard growing factors, cherry fruit mineral content, and fruit quality data. The content of Ca, Mg, N, P, and K in cherry fruit was correlated with quality attributes such as pitting, pebbling, soluble solids, titratable acidity, dry matter, firmness, and stem pull force. Orchard temperatures and relative humidity also influenced flavour quality attributes and appearance. Orchard management practices resulting in large leaf sizes were generally associated with good flavour quality and appearance. This work provides new data to support improved understanding how cherry quality is affected by orchard growing factors in an integrated analysis.
GBT Analysis of Steel-Concrete Composite Beams: Recent Developments
Authors: Gonçalves Rodrigo , Camotim Dinar , Henriques David
Published: August 2020

This paper reports the most recent developments concerning Generalized Beam Theory (GBT) formulations, and corresponding finite element implementations, for steel-concrete composite beams. These formulations are able to perform the following types of analysis: (i) materially nonlinear analysis, to calculate the beam load-displacement response, up to collapse, including steel plasticity, concrete cracking/crushing and shear lag effects, (ii) bifurcation (linear stability) analysis, to obtain local/distortional bifurcation loads and buckling mode shapes of beams subjected to negative (hogging) bending, accounting for shear lag and concrete cracking effects and (iii) long-term service analysis including creep, cracking and arbitrary cross-section deformation (which includes shear lag) effects. The potential (computational efficiency and accuracy) of the proposed GBT-based finite elements is illustrated through several numerical examples. For comparison purposes, results obtained with standard finite strip and shell/brick finite element models are provided.
Analytical Buckling Loads of Composite Rectangular Plates with Vertical and Rotational Springs Along the Edges
Authors: Tenenbaum Joseph , Eisenberger Moshe
Published: August 2020

In this research, a new analytical solution is used for finding the buckling loads of rectangular plates with vertically and rotationally restrained edges. The solution method in this study is based on the development of a static solution for a plate. The solution is obtained in series form, and the coefficients are solved to match the edge conditions. The solution fits all the combinations of possible boundary conditions, of the deflection, slope, shear force and bending moment along the edges of the plate. In the case of springs, the edge force and moment boundary conditions are modified to include these effects. Any number of edges, from one to four, with both types of stiffening springs can be solved. Using this new method, the exact buckling loads and modes are found. The results are verified with published data, and many new cases are presented for uni-axially and bi-axially loaded isotropic, orthotropic, and composite plates.
Simulation of Thin-Walled Members with Arbitrary-Shaped Cross-Sections for Static and Dynamic Analyses
Authors: Abdelrahman A. H. A. , Liu Siwei , Liu Yao-Peng , Chan Siu-Lai
Published: August 2020

The main objective of this paper is to validate a finite-element (FE) modeling protocol to simulate thin-walled members for static and dynamic analyses. Arbitrary-shaped cross-sections, including open, closed, and multicellular sections can be efficiently modeled for further advanced study. The framework is thoroughly validated and verified using the existing analytical and closed-form solutions, as well as experimental results available in literature. This work is motivated by the higher accuracy of the shell FE-based modeling to capture the local and global complex behaviors of thin-walled members with asymmetric sections. Higher computational expenses, however, are required for such sophisticated shell finite element models (SFEM). Accordingly, a framework hosted in MATLAB and implementing the python scripting technique in ABAQUS, is developed, which includes eigen buckling, static nonlinear, modal frequency and dynamic time-history analyses. For a more modeling convenience, various parameters are incorporated such as imperfections, residual stresses, material definitions, element choice, meshing control, and boundary conditions. Several examples are provided to illustrate the application of the proposed framework, and to prove the robustness and accuracy of the generated FE models. This paper concludes with the efficiency of implementing SFEMs for simulating thin-walled members; thereby, establishing a more accurate and advanced structural analysis.
A Modified Numerical Substructure Method for Dynamic Analysis of Vehicle–Track–Bridge Systems
Authors: Liu Yongdou , Gu Quan
Published: August 2020

This paper presents a modified numerical substructure method for simulating the dynamic response of vehicle–track–bridge (VTB) systems. The method can be used to analyze large-scale VTB systems accurately and efficiently. Based on the principle of virtual work, the equations of motion are derived for two separate subsystems, i.e. a small-scale of finely modeled VTB substructure and a coarsely meshed large main bridge subsystem using different level of refinement. Different from the conventional dynamic substructuring approaches, the bridge spans close to the vehicle are modeled in both the main and substructure models, and the contradiction of repeatedly modeling is solved using a “nonlinear force corrector”. A special wheel–rail interaction (WRI) element is used to simulate the fast-moving interaction force between the vehicle and rail. In this way, the two models remain unchanged while the vehicle moves forward, and the computational accuracy is the same as the large-scale purely refined model, while the efficiency is significantly improved, particularly, for the large-scale long VTB systems. Two examples of realistic VTB systems with either smooth or un-smooth rails are used to verify the proposed method. The results demonstrate that the presented method has remarkable advantages of computational efficiency and accuracy, providing a practically useful tool for analysis of large-scale VTB systems.
A Fuzzy Cognitive Mapping Approach to the Conference Selection Problem
Authors: Kadaifci Cigdem , Asan Umut , Topcu Y. Ilker
Published: August 2020

Academic conferences are popular platforms for academicians to share their research with colleagues, get feedback, and stay up to date on recent academic studies. Conferences also provide opportunities for the participants to express themselves, expand their network, and become socialized. However, academicians are forced to choose a limited number of conferences to participate due to several different factors such as time required for preparing a research, traveling and lodging expenses, and conference fees. At this multi-criteria decision problem, relevant factors can be used to evaluate the alternatives (i.e., academic conferences to participate) and prioritization of these factors would be necessary in advance. To address this issue, this study suggests an improved fuzzy cognitive mapping (FCM) approach to analyze factors affecting the choice of academic conferences to participate. The classical FCM allows to observe the dynamic behavior of complex systems during time. While the approach is widely used in different areas, it has considerable drawbacks: (i) producing same steady state values under different initial conditions and (ii) yielding completely different steady state values when different threshold functions are used. The new approach provides a mathematical formulation that produces steady state values sensitive to initial conditions. Since the selection of the threshold function in classical FCM is a highly subjective choice, the proposed approach offers an alternative way to obtain comparable values.
A New Energy-Efficient Multipath Routing in Internet of Things Based on Gray Theory
Authors: Khaleghnasab Rogayye , Bagherifard Karamollah , Nejatian Samad , Parvin Hamid , Ravaei Bahman
Published: August 2020

Internet of Things (IoT) is a network of smart things. It indicates the ability that the mentioned physical things transfer information with each other. The characteristics of these networks, such as topology dynamicity and energy constraint, make the routing problem a challenging task in these networks. Traditional routing methods could not achieve the required performance in these networks. Therefore, developers of these networks have to consider specific routing methods in order to satisfy their requirements. One of the routing methods is utilization of the multipath protocols in which data are sent to its destination using multiple routes with separate links. One of such protocols is AOMDV routing protocol. In this paper, AOMDV is improved using gray system theory which chooses the best paths used for separate routes to send packets. To do this, Ad hoc On-demand Multipath Distance Vector (AOMDV) packet format is altered and some fields are added to it so that energy criteria, link expiration time, and signal-to-noise ratio can also be considered during selection of the best route. The proposed method named RMPGST-IoT is introduced which chooses the routes with highest rank for concurrent transmission of data, using a specific method based on the gray system theory. In order to evaluate the results, the proposed Routing Multipath based on Gray System Theory (RMPGST)-IoT method is compared to the Emergency Response IoT based on Global Information Decision (ERGID) and Ad hoc Delay-aware Distributed Routing Model (ADRM)-IoT approaches in terms of throughput, packet receiving rate, packet loss rate, average remaining energy, and network lifetime. The results demonstrate that the performance of the proposed RMPGST-IoT is superior to that of ERGID and ADRM-IoT approaches.
A Study of Fuzzy Methods for Solving System of Fuzzy Differential Equations
Authors: Keshavarz M. , Allahviranloo T. , Abbasbandy S. , Modarressi M. H.
Published: August 2020

This paper is devoted to obtain an analytical solution for first-order fuzzy differential equations and system of fuzzy differential equations by different methods by considering the type of generalized Hukuhara differentiability of a solution and without embedding them to crisp equations. Moreover, the fuzzy solutions of a second-order fuzzy differential equation by considering the type of differentiability are obtained using reduction to a system of fuzzy differential equations. The effectiveness and efficiency of the approaches are illustrated by solving several practical examples such as Newton’s law of cooling, the mathematical models for the distribution of a drug in the human body and the fuzzy forced harmonic oscillator problem.
Estimation of Failure Using Fault Tree Analysis Based on New Operations on LR-Type Flat Fuzzy Numbers
Authors: Abbasi F. , Allahviranloo T.
Published: August 2020

In this paper, we analyze the reliability of fuzzy system (particularly, series and parallel system) with independent and non-identically distributed components using the new operations of TA [F. Abbasi, T. Allahviranloo and S. Abbasbandy, A new attitude coupled with fuzzy thinking to fuzzy rings and fields, Journal of Intelligent and Fuzzy Systems 29 (2015) 851–861.] due to the smaller results support, easier calculations and special properties than operations based on the extension principle (in the domain of the membership function) and the interval arithmetic (in the domain of the [Formula: see text]-cuts). we propose the new fuzzy arithmetic operations based on transmission average(TA) on LR type flat fuzzy numbers. In the proposed formulae, LR type flat fuzzy numbers are not restricted to have the same [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] shape functions. This allows arithmetic operator for arithmetic involving LR type flat fuzzy numbers of different and general shape. Finally, an imprecise failure to start of an automobile is considered in fuzzy environment. The reliability of components of the proposed model is considered as LR type flat fuzzy numbers.
The number of representations of integers by generalized Bell ternary quadratic forms
Authors: Kim Kyoungmin , Kwon Yeong-Wook
Published: August 2020

For a positive definite ternary integral quadratic form [Formula: see text], let [Formula: see text] be the number of representations of an integer [Formula: see text] by [Formula: see text]. A ternary quadratic form [Formula: see text] is said to be a generalized Bell ternary quadratic form if [Formula: see text] is isometric to [Formula: see text] for some nonnegative integers [Formula: see text]. In this paper, we give a closed formula for [Formula: see text] for a generalized Bell ternary quadratic form [Formula: see text] with [Formula: see text] and class number greater than [Formula: see text] by using the Minkowski–Siegel formula and bases for spaces of cusp forms of weight [Formula: see text] and level [Formula: see text] with [Formula: see text] consisting of eta-quotients.
On the Iwasawa λ-invariant of the cyclotomic ℤ2-extension of ℚ(pq) and the 2-part of the class number of ℚ(pq,2 + 2)
Authors: Kumakawa Naoki
Published: August 2020

In this paper, we study the Iwasawa [Formula: see text]-invariant of the cyclotomic [Formula: see text]-extension of [Formula: see text], where [Formula: see text] are distinct odd prime numbers satisfying certain arithmetic conditions. Moreover, we obtain an upper bound of the [Formula: see text]-part of the class number of certain quartic number fields by calculating the Sinnott index explicitly.
Green’s relations on ternary semihypergroups and crossed hyperproduct of hypergroups
Authors: Ünal Seda Oğuz
Published: August 2020

In this paper, we introduce all Green’s relations on the ternary semihypergroup and study some properties of these equivalence relations in view of those obtained in binary and ternary semigroups. We also define crossed hyperproduct of two hypergroups.
Monte Carlo geometry processing
Authors: Sawhney Rohan , Crane Keenan
Published: August 2020

This paper explores how core problems in PDE-based geometry processing can be efficiently and reliably solved via grid-free Monte Carlo methods. Modern geometric algorithms often need to solve Poisson-like equations on geometrically intricate domains. Conventional methods most often mesh the domain, which is both challenging and expensive for geometry with fine details or imperfections (holes, self-intersections,
etc.
). In contrast, grid-free Monte Carlo methods avoid mesh generation entirely, and instead just evaluate closest point queries. They hence do not discretize space, time, nor even function spaces, and provide the exact solution (in expectation) even on extremely challenging models. More broadly, they share many benefits with Monte Carlo methods from photorealistic rendering: excellent scaling, trivial parallel implementation, view-dependent evaluation, and the ability to work with any kind of geometry (including implicit or procedural descriptions). We develop a complete "black box" solver that encompasses integration, variance reduction, and visualization, and explore how it can be used for various geometry processing tasks. In particular, we consider several fundamental linear elliptic PDEs with constant coefficients on solid regions of R

n.

Overall we find that Monte Carlo methods significantly broaden the horizons of geometry processing, since they easily handle problems of size and complexity that are essentially hopeless for conventional methods.
Consistent video depth estimation
Authors: Luo Xuan , Huang Jia-Bin , Szeliski Richard , Matzen Kevin , Kopf Johannes
Published: August 2020

We present an algorithm for reconstructing dense, geometrically consistent depth for all pixels in a monocular video. We leverage a conventional structure-from-motion reconstruction to establish geometric constraints on pixels in the video. Unlike the ad-hoc priors in classical reconstruction, we use a learning-based prior, i.e., a convolutional neural network trained for single-image depth estimation. At test time, we fine-tune this network to satisfy the geometric constraints of a particular input video, while retaining its ability to synthesize plausible depth details in parts of the video that are less constrained. We show through quantitative validation that our method achieves higher accuracy and a higher degree of geometric consistency than previous monocular reconstruction methods. Visually, our results appear more stable. Our algorithm is able to handle challenging hand-held captured input videos with a moderate degree of dynamic motion. The improved quality of the reconstruction enables several applications, such as scene reconstruction and advanced video-based visual effects.
Radiative backpropagation
Authors: Nimier-David Merlin , Speierer Sébastien , Ruiz Benoît , Jakob Wenzel
Published: August 2020

Physically based differentiable rendering has recently evolved into a powerful tool for solving inverse problems involving light. Methods in this area perform a differentiable simulation of the physical process of light transport and scattering to estimate partial derivatives relating scene parameters to pixels in the rendered image. Together with gradient-based optimization, such algorithms have interesting applications in diverse disciplines, e.g., to improve the reconstruction of 3D scenes, while accounting for interreflection and transparency, or to design meta-materials with specified optical properties.

The most versatile differentiable rendering algorithms rely on reverse-mode differentiation to compute all requested derivatives at once, enabling optimization of scene descriptions with millions of free parameters. However, a severe limitation of the reverse-mode approach is that it requires a detailed transcript of the computation that is subsequently replayed to back-propagate derivatives to the scene parameters. The transcript of typical renderings is extremely large, exceeding the available system memory by many orders of magnitude, hence current methods are limited to simple scenes rendered at low resolutions and sample counts.

We introduce
radiative backpropagation
, a fundamentally different approach to differentiable rendering that does not require a transcript, greatly improving its scalability and efficiency. Our main insight is that reverse-mode propagation through a rendering algorithm can be interpreted as the solution of a continuous transport problem involving the partial derivative of radiance with respect to the optimization objective. This quantity is "emitted" by sensors, "scattered" by the scene, and eventually "received" by objects with differentiable parameters. Differentiable rendering then decomposes into two separate primal and adjoint simulation steps that scale to complex scenes rendered at high resolutions. We also investigated biased variants of this algorithm and find that they considerably improve both runtime and convergence speed. We showcase an efficient GPU implementation of radiative backpropagation and compare its performance and the quality of its gradients to prior work.
Point2Mesh
Authors: Hanocka Rana , Metzer Gal , Giryes Raja , Cohen-Or Daniel
Published: August 2020

In this paper, we introduce
Point2Mesh
, a technique for reconstructing a surface mesh from an input point cloud. Instead of explicitly specifying a prior that encodes the expected shape properties, the prior is defined automatically using the input point cloud, which we refer to as a
self-prior.
The self-prior encapsulates reoccurring geometric repetitions from a single shape within the weights of a deep neural network. We optimize the network weights to deform an initial mesh to
shrink-wrap
a single input point cloud. This explicitly considers the entire reconstructed shape, since shared local kernels are calculated to fit the overall object. The convolutional kernels are optimized globally across the entire shape, which inherently encourages local-scale geometric self-similarity across the shape surface. We show that shrink-wrapping a point cloud with a self-prior converges to a desirable solution; compared to a prescribed smoothness prior, which often becomes trapped in undesirable local minima. While the performance of traditional reconstruction approaches degrades in non-ideal conditions that are often present in real world scanning,
i.e.
, unoriented normals, noise and missing (low density) parts, Point2Mesh is robust to non-ideal conditions. We demonstrate the performance of Point2Mesh on a large variety of shapes with varying complexity.
Quad-mesh based isometric mappings and developable surfaces
Authors: Jiang Caigui , Wang Cheng , Rist Florian , Wallner Johannes , Pottmann Helmut
Published: August 2020

We discretize isometric mappings between surfaces as correspondences between checkerboard patterns derived from quad meshes. This method captures the degrees of freedom inherent in smooth isometries and enables a natural definition of discrete developable surfaces. This definition, which is remarkably simple, leads to a class of discrete developables which is much more flexible in applications than previous concepts of discrete developables. In this paper, we employ optimization to efficiently compute isometric mappings, conformal mappings and isometric bending of surfaces. We perform geometric modeling of developables, including cutting, gluing and folding. The discrete mappings presented here have applications in both theory and practice: We propose a theory of curvatures derived from a discrete Gauss map as well as a construction of watertight CAD models consisting of developable spline surfaces.
Fast and flexible multilegged locomotion using learned centroidal dynamics
Authors: Kwon Taesoo , Lee Yoonsang , Van De Panne Michiel
Published: August 2020

We present a flexible and efficient approach for generating multilegged locomotion. Our model-predictive control (MPC) system efficiently generates terrain-adaptive motions, as computed using a three-level planning approach. This leverages two commonly-used simplified dynamics models, an inverted pendulum on a cart model (IPC) and a centroidal dynamics model (CDM). Taken together, these ensure efficient computation and physical fidelity of the resulting motion. The final full-body motion is generated using a novel momentum-mapped inverse kinematics solver and is responsive to external pushes by using CDM forward dynamics. For additional efficiency and robustness, we then learn a predictive model that then replaces two of the intermediate steps. We demonstrate the rich capabilities of the method by applying it to monopeds, bipeds, and quadrupeds, and showing that it can generate a very broad range of motions at interactive rates, including banked variable-terrain walking and running, hurdles, jumps, leaps, stepping stones, monkey bars, implicit quadruped gait transitions, moon gravity, push-responses, and more.
CARL
Authors: Luo Ying-Sheng , Soeseno Jonathan Hans , Chen Trista Pei-Chun , Chen Wei-Chao
Published: August 2020

Motion synthesis in a dynamic environment has been a long-standing problem for character animation. Methods using motion capture data tend to scale poorly in complex environments because of their larger capturing and labeling requirement. Physics-based controllers are effective in this regard, albeit less controllable. In this paper, we present CARL, a quadruped agent that can be controlled with high-level directives and react naturally to dynamic environments. Starting with an agent that can imitate individual animation clips, we use Generative Adversarial Networks to adapt high-level controls, such as speed and heading, to action distributions that correspond to the original animations. Further fine-tuning through the deep reinforcement learning enables the agent to recover from unseen external perturbations while producing smooth transitions. It then becomes straightforward to create autonomous agents in dynamic environments by adding navigation modules over the entire process. We evaluate our approach by measuring the agent's ability to follow user control and provide a visual analysis of the generated motion to show its effectiveness.
Unpaired motion style transfer from video to animation
Authors: Aberman Kfir , Weng Yijia , Lischinski Dani , Cohen-Or Daniel , Chen Baoquan
Published: August 2020

Transferring the motion style from one animation clip to another, while preserving the motion content of the latter, has been a long-standing problem in character animation. Most existing data-driven approaches are supervised and rely on paired data, where motions with the same content are performed in different styles. In addition, these approaches are limited to transfer of styles that were seen during training.

In this paper, we present a novel data-driven framework for motion style transfer, which learns from an unpaired collection of motions with style labels, and enables transferring motion styles not observed during training. Furthermore, our framework is able to extract motion styles directly from videos, bypassing 3D reconstruction, and apply them to the 3D input motion.

Our style transfer network encodes motions into two latent codes, for content and for style, each of which plays a different role in the decoding (synthesis) process. While the content code is decoded into the output motion by several temporal convolutional layers, the style code modifies deep features via temporally invariant adaptive instance normalization (AdaIN).

Moreover, while the content code is encoded from 3D joint rotations, we learn a common embedding for style from either 3D or 2D joint positions, enabling style extraction from videos.

Our results are comparable to the state-of-the-art, despite not requiring paired training data, and outperform other methods when transferring previously unseen styles. To our knowledge, we are the first to demonstrate style transfer directly from videos to 3D animations - an ability which enables one to extend the set of style examples far beyond motions captured by MoCap systems.
Deep geometric texture synthesis
Authors: Hertz Amir , Hanocka Rana , Giryes Raja , Cohen-Or Daniel
Published: August 2020

Recently, deep generative adversarial networks for image generation have advanced rapidly; yet, only a small amount of research has focused on generative models for irregular structures, particularly meshes. Nonetheless, mesh generation and synthesis remains a fundamental topic in computer graphics. In this work, we propose a novel framework for synthesizing geometric textures. It learns geometric texture statistics from local neighborhoods (
i.e.
, local triangular patches) of a single reference 3D model. It learns deep features on the faces of the input triangulation, which is used to subdivide and generate offsets across multiple scales, without parameterization of the reference or target mesh. Our network displaces mesh vertices in any direction (
i.e.
, in the normal
and
tangential direction), enabling synthesis of geometric textures, which cannot be expressed by a simple 2D displacement map. Learning and synthesizing on local geometric patches enables a genus-oblivious framework, facilitating texture transfer between shapes of different genus.
N
-dimensional rigid body dynamics
Authors: Bosch Marc Ten
Published: August 2020

I present a formulation for Rigid Body Dynamics that is independent of the dimension of the space. I describe the state and equations of motion of rigid bodies using geometric algebra. Using collision detection algorithms extended to
n
D I resolve collisions and contact between bodies. My implementation is 4D, but the techniques described here apply to any number of dimensions. I display these four-dimensional rigid bodies by taking a three-dimensional slice through them. I allow the user to manipulate these bodies in real-time.