bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Adipokines in early and mid-pregnancy and subsequent risk of gestational diabetes: a longitudinal study in a multiracial cohort
Authors: Francis Ellen C , Li Mengying , Hinkle Stefanie N , Cao Yaqi , Chen Jinbo , Wu Jing , Zhu Yeyi , Cao Haiming , Kemper Karen , Rennert Lior , Williams Joel , Tsai Michael Y , Chen Liwei , Zhang Cuilin
Published: August 2020

Introduction

Several adipokines are implicated in the pathophysiology of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), however, longitudinal data in early pregnancy on many adipokines are lacking. We prospectively investigated the association of a panel of adipokines in early and mid-pregnancy with GDM risk.

Research design and methods

Within the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) Fetal Growth Studies-Singletons cohort (n=2802), a panel of 10 adipokines (plasma fatty acid binding protein-4 (FABP4), chemerin, interleukin-6 (IL-6), leptin, soluble leptin receptor (sOB-R), adiponectin, omentin-1, vaspin, and retinol binding protein-4) were measured at gestational weeks (GWs) 10–14, 15–26, 23–31, and 33–39 among 107 GDM cases (ascertained on average at GW 27) and 214 non-GDM controls. Conditional logistic regression was used to estimate ORs of each adipokine and GDM, controlling for known GDM risk factors including pre-pregnancy body mass index.

Results

Throughout pregnancy changes in chemerin, sOB-R, adiponectin, and high-molecular-weight adiponectin (HMW-adiponectin) concentrations from 10–14 to 15–26 GWs were significantly different among GDM cases compared with non-GDM controls. In early and mid-pregnancy, FABP4, chemerin, IL-6 and leptin were positively associated with increased GDM risk. For instance, at 10–14 GWs, the OR comparing the highest versus lowest quartile (ORQ4–Q1) of FABP4 was 3.79 (95% CI 1.63 to 8.85). In contrast, in both early and mid-pregnancy adiponectin (eg, ORQ4–Q1 0.14 (0.05, 0.34) during 10–14 GWs) and sOB-R (ORQ4–Q1 0.23 (0.11, 0.50) during 10–14 GWs) were inversely related to GDM risk. At 10–14 GWs a model that included conventional GDM risk factors and FABP4, chemerin, sOB-R, and HMW-adiponectin improved the estimated prediction (area under the curve) from 0.71 (95% CI 0.66 to 0.77) to 0.77 (95% CI 0.72 to 0.82).

Conclusions

A panel of understudied adipokines including FABP4, chemerin, and sOB-R may be implicated in the pathogenesis of GDM with significant associations detected approximately 10–18 weeks before typical GDM screening.
Reintroduction of immune-checkpoint inhibitors after immune-related meningitis: a case series of melanoma patients
Authors: Cuzzubbo Stefania , Tetu Pauline , Guegan Sarah , Ursu Renata , Belin Catherine , Sirven Villaros Lila , Mazoyer Julie , Lheure Coralie , Lebbe Celeste , Baroudjian Barouyr , Carpentier Antoine F
Published: August 2020

Immune-checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) targeting cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated antigen-4 and programmed cell death ligand-1) are associated with several immune-related neurological disorders. Cases of meningitis related to ICIs are poorly described in literature and probably underestimated. Several guidelines are available for the acute management of these adverse events, but the safety of resuming ICIs in these patients remains unclear. We conducted a retrospective case series of immune-related meningitis associated with ICIs that occurred between October 1 2015 and October 31 2019 in two centers: Saint-Louis and Cochin hospitals, Paris, France. Diagnosis was defined by a (1) high count of lymphocytes (>8 cells/mm3) and/or high level of proteins (>0.45 g/L) without bacteria/virus or tumor cells detection, in cerebrospinal fluid and (2) normal brain and spine imaging. Patients were followed-up for at least 6 months from the meningitis onset. Seven cases of immune-related meningitis are here reported. Median delay of meningitis occurrence after ICIs onset was 9 days. Steroid treatment was introduced in four patients at a dose of 1 mg/kg (prednisone), allowing a complete recovery within 2 weeks. The other three patients spontaneously improved within 3 weeks. Given the favorable outcome, ICIs were reintroduced in all patients. The rechallenge was well tolerated and no patients experienced meningitis recurrence. In conclusion, in our series, the clinical course was favorable and steroids were not always required. Resuming ICIs in these patients appeared safe and can thus be considered in case of isolated meningitis. However, a careful analysis of the risk/benefit ratio should be done on a case-by-case basis.
Molecular simulation study for adsorption and thermal energy storage analysis of refrigerants (R170, R161, R152a, and R143a) mixed with UIO-67 nanoparticles
Authors: Yan Fei , Wang Qiang , Ou Shucheng , Zhang Ruiqiang , Wang Guoqiang
Published: August 2020

Generally, with the help of adding solid materials, the thermophysical behaviors of refrigerant can be modified. In this work, four kinds of organic refrigerants (i.e. ethane R170, 1-fluoroethane R161, 1,1-difluoroethane R152a, and 1,1,1-trifluoroethane R143a) mixed with metal–organic framework UIO-67 nanoparticles are selected as the objects, their thermodynamic energy, adsorption, desorption heat, and energy storage properties are investigated by means of molecular simulations and thermodynamic calculations. The simulation method and calculation details are elaborated. The results illustrate that the relationship between the change of thermodynamic energy and the temperature is linear, and the adsorption of refrigerants in UIO-67 can be reinforced owing to the fluorine atom in the refrigerants. However, R170, the fluorine-free refrigerant, has greater enthalpy variation of desorption than the other three refrigerants containing fluorine atom under some pressures. The thermal energy storage capacity of the refrigerant/UIO-67 mixture is greater than that of the pure refrigerant at low pressure. Meantime, as the refrigerant undergoes phase transition, the weakened improvement of the energy storage property of the refrigerant/UIO-67 mixture is found in some cases. This work can not only enrich the content of researches about metal–organic heat carrier nanofluids (MOHCs), but also provide guidance for the performance improvement and practical application of organic refrigerants.
Bit-Vector-Based Hardware Accelerator for DNA Alignment Tools
Authors: Bautista Daniel Pacheco , Aguilera Ricardo Carreño , Acevedo Francisco Aguilar , Badillo Ignacio Algredo
Published: August 2020

Next generation sequencing technologies have noticeably improved in the last decade. Time and cost of whole genome sequencing are important challenges that must be reduced, opening unprecedented opportunities to various research and development areas. The alignment or mapping of small reads produced by sequencing machines to reference genomes of billions of nucleotides is a fundamental task in this sequencing process. It is computationally highly demanding and has become the bottleneck of the DNA analysis process. This paper proposes hardware acceleration based on FPGA of the Myers bit-parallelized algorithm, appropriately modified to be used in the extend stage of DNA alignment tools. The proposed design can be employed in conjunction with software functions, as it constitutes an extremely fast heterogeneous DNA alignment system. The implementation results show a speedup of up to [Formula: see text] relative to a sequential implementation only in software. In addition, due to the limited use of FPGA resources and the modular design, multiple modules can be used to completely populate the chip, further increasing the computing speed.
Novel DWT/IDWT Architecture for 3D with Nine Stage 2D Parallel Processing using Split Distributed Arithmetic
Authors: Divakara S. S. , Patilkulkarni Sudarshan , Raj Cyril Prasanna
Published: August 2020

Novel high-speed memory optimized distributed arithmetic (DA)-based architecture is developed and modeled for 3D discrete wavelet transform (DWT). The memory requirement for the proposed architecture is designed to [Formula: see text] pixel dynamic memory space and [Formula: see text] ROM. The proposed 3D-DWT architecture implements 9/7 Daubechies wavelet filters, synthesizes 7127 bytes of memory for temporary storage and uses 758 adders, 36 multiplexers of 16:1 and 36 up counter to realize the 3D-DWT hardware. The 3D-DWT engine is implemented and tested in a Xilinx FPGA Vertex5 XC5VLX155T with high area and power efficiency. The maximum delay in the timing path is 2.676[Formula: see text]ns and the 3D-DWT works at maximum frequency of 381[Formula: see text]MHz clock.
The 3D Emotion Recognition Using SVM and HoG Features
Authors: Savakar Dayanand G. , Hosur Ravi
Published: August 2020

Emotion recognition is becoming commercially popular due to the major role of analytics in various aspects of marketing and strategy management. Several papers have been proposed in emotion recognition. They are mainly classified in the past under 2D and 3D emotion recognition, out of which 2D emotion recognition has been more popular. Various aspects like facial posture, light intensity variations and sensor-independent recognition have been studied by different authors in the past. However, in reality, 3D emotion recognition has been found to be more efficient which has a broader area of use. In this paper, a 3D tracking plane with 2D feature points has enabled us to recognize emotions by statistical voting method from all planes having over threshold number of points in their respective contour area. The proposed technique’s results are comparable to existing methods in terms of time, space complexity and accuracy improvement.
On rings with envelopes and covers regarding to C3, D3 and flat modules
Authors: Van Thuyet Le , Dan Phan , Quynh Truong Cong
Published: August 2020

In this paper, by taking the class of all [Formula: see text] (or [Formula: see text]) right [Formula: see text]-modules for general envelopes and covers, we characterize a semisimple artinian ring (or a right perfect ring) via [Formula: see text]-covers (or [Formula: see text]-envelopes) and a right [Formula: see text]-ring (or a right noetherian [Formula: see text]-ring) via [Formula: see text]-covers (or [Formula: see text]-envelopes). By using isosimple-projective preenvelope, we obtained that if [Formula: see text] is a semiperfect right FGF ring (or left coherent ring), then every isosimple right [Formula: see text]-module has a projective cover. Moreover, we also characterize semihereditary serial rings (respectively, hereditary artinian serial rings) in terms of epic flat (respectively, projective) envelopes.
A Lattice Structure on Minimal Soft Rough Sets and Its Applications
Authors: Praba B. , Gomathi G. , Aparajitha M.
Published: August 2020

Rough sets defined in terms of soft sets play a vital role in decision making problems. Covering-based soft rough sets and modified soft rough sets are some of the recently developing concepts. In this paper, for a given soft sets [Formula: see text] on a universe [Formula: see text] we define a novel rough set called as minimal soft rough sets using minimal soft description of the objects. The relation between modified soft rough set and minimal soft rough set is analyzed. The set of all minimal soft rough sets is proved to be a Poset with the inclusion relation having a GLB and LUB and hence is a lattice. An attempt is made in applying this concepts in medical diagnoses and also in analyzing the organizational culture system.
On Bijective Correspondence between Fuzzy Reflexive Approximation Spaces and Fuzzy Transformation Systems
Authors: Mahato Sutapa , Tiwari S. P.
Published: August 2020

The objective of this paper is to establish the relationship between fuzzy approximation operators and fuzzy transformation systems. We show that for each upper fuzzy transformation system there exists a fuzzy reflexive approximation space and vice-versa. We further establish such relationship between lower fuzzy transformation systems and fuzzy reflexive approximation spaces under the condition that the underline lattice structure satisfies double negation law.
Estimate of parameters changing of the Lymantria dispar artificial population in different environmental conditions using the quasispecies model
Authors: Sedelnikov A. V. , Khnyryova E. S.
Published: August 2020

This paper gives an interpretation of the quasispecies concept for an experiment of growing the Lymantria dispar artificial population. The changes estimate in the population parameters for a significant change in environmental conditions at the stage of hatching caterpillars from the eggs was given. Three numerical and two random parameters were used for quantitative analysis. They characterize the development of individuals of the population at this stage. The parameter changes significance was verified with using statistical tests. The results obtained do not contradict the quasispecies model. The use of fuzzy sets describes the transition from one quasispecies to another at a significant change in environmental conditions.
Hybrid Plasmonics and Two-Dimensional Materials: Theory and Applications
Authors: Sebek Matej , Elbana Ahmed , Nemati Arash , Pan Jisheng , Shen Ze Xiang , Hong Minghui , Su Xiaodi , Thanh Nguyen Thi Kim , Teng Jinghua
Published: August 2020

The inherent thinness of two-dimensional 2D materials limits their efficiency of light-matter interactions and the high loss of noble metal plasmonic nanostructures limits their applicability. Thus, a combination of 2D materials and plasmonics is highly attractive. This review describes the progress in the field of 2D plasmonics, which encompasses 2D plasmonic materials and hybrid plasmonic-2D materials structures. Novel plasmonic 2D materials, plasmon-exciton interaction within 2D materials and applications comprising sensors, photodetectors and, metasurfaces are discussed.
Real-world evidence study for distribution of traditional Chinese medicine syndrome and its elements on chronic bronchitis in China
Authors: Kong Qing , Li Mihui , Qin Xuanfeng , Lv Yubao , Tang Zihui
Published: August 2020

Objective: To investigate the distribution and characteristics of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndromes and its elements on chronic bronchitis (CB) based on real-world data (RWD) so as to optimize the treatment strategies.

Methods: A real-world study based on 2207 medical records collected from five hospitals in China, to explore the relationship between TCM syndrome and CB using the big data methods. Factor analyses were used to reduce the dimensions of TCM syndrome elements and found common factors. Additionally, cluster analyses were performed to value combinations of TCM syndrome element. Finally, association rule analyses were employed to assess the structures of TCM syndromes elements and estimate the patterns of TCM syndrome.

Results: A total of 21 TCM syndromes were extracted from RWD in this work. There were four TCM syndromes consisting of Tan_Zhuo_Zu_Fei, Tan_Re_Yong_Fei, Feng_Han_Xi_Fei, and Feng_Re_Fan_Fei with [Formula: see text]% frequency based on the distribution frequency. The two top Xu TCM syndromes of Fei_Yin_Xu and Fei_Shen_Qi_Xu were identified. The top six pathogenesis TCM syndrome elements were Tan, Huo, Feng, Han, Qi_Xu, and Yin_Xu. Factor analyses, cluster analyses, and association rule analyses demonstrated that Tan, Huo, Feng, Han, Qi-Xu, Yin-Xu, Fei, and Shen were the core TCM syndrome elements.

Conclusion: The four common Shi TCM syndromes of Tan_Zhuo_Zu_Fei, Tan_Re_Yong_Fei, Feng_Han_Xi_Fei, and Feng_Re_Fan_Fei for CB were detected in the real world study, and the two Xu TCM syndromes of Fei_Yin_Xu and Fei_Shen_Qi_Xu were identified. The Mix TCM syndrome of Fei_Pi_Qi_Xu_Tan_Shi_Yun_Fei was the main syndrome. The core TCM syndrome elements of Tan, Huo, Feng, Han, Qi_Xu, and Yin_Xu, Fei, and Shen were determined in the entire sample.
SMELL SPACE
Authors: Maggioni Emanuela , Cobden Robert , Dmitrenko Dmitrijs , Hornbæk Kasper , Obrist Marianna
Published: August 2020

The human sense of smell is powerful. However, the way we use smell as an interaction modality in human–computer interaction (HCI) is limited. We lack a common reference point to guide designers’ choices when using smell. Here, we map out an olfactory design space to provide designers with such guidance. We identified four key design features: (i) chemical, (ii) emotional, (iii) spatial, and (iv) temporal. Each feature defines a building block for smell-based interaction design and is grounded in a review of the relevant scientific literature. We then demonstrate the design opportunities in three application cases. Each application (i.e., one desktop, two virtual reality implementations) highlights the design choices alongside the implementation and evaluation possibilities in using smell. We conclude by discussing how identifying those design features facilitates a healthy growth of this research domain and contributes to an intermediate-level knowledge space. Finally, we discuss further challenges the HCI community needs to tackle.
Software Fault Tolerance for Cyber-Physical Systems via Full System Restart
Authors: Jagtap Pushpak , Abdi Fardin , Rungger Matthias , Zamani Majid , Caccamo Marco
Published: August 2020

The article addresses the issue of reliability of complex embedded control systems in the safety-critical environment. In this article, we propose a novel approach to design controller that (i) guarantees the safety of nonlinear physical systems, (ii) enables safe system restart during runtime, and (iii) allows the use of complex, unverified controllers (e.g., neural networks) that drive the physical systems toward complex specifications. We use abstraction-based controller synthesis approach to design a formally verified controller that provides application and system-level fault tolerance along with safety guarantee. Moreover, our approach is implementable using a commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) processing unit. To demonstrate the efficacy of our solution and to verify the safety of the system under various types of faults injected in applications and in the underlying real-time operating system (RTOS), we implemented the proposed controller for the inverted pendulum and three degrees-of-freedom (3-DOF) helicopter.
A general approach to define binders using matching logic
Authors: Chen Xiaohong , Roşu Grigore
Published: August 2020

We propose a novel definition of binders using matching logic, where the binding behavior of object-level binders is directly inherited from the built-in exists binder of matching logic. We show that the behavior of binders in various logical systems such as lambda-calculus, System F, pi-calculus, pure type systems, can be axiomatically defined in matching logic as notations and logical theories. We show the correctness of our definitions by proving conservative extension theorems, which state that a sequent/judgment is provable in the original system if and only if it is provable in matching logic, in the corresponding theory. Our matching logic definition of binders also yields models to all binders, which are deductively complete with respect to formal reasoning in the original systems. For lambda-calculus, we further show that the yielded models are representationally complete, a desired property that is not enjoyed by many existing lambda-calculus semantics. This work is part of a larger effort to develop a logical foundation for the programming language semantics framework K (http://kframework.org).
A unified view of modalities in type systems
Authors: Abel Andreas , Bernardy Jean-Philippe
Published: August 2020

We propose to unify the treatment of a broad range of modalities in typed lambda calculi. We do so by defining a generic structure of modalities, and show that this structure arises naturally from the structure of intuitionistic logic, and as such finds instances in a wide range of type systems previously described in literature. Despite this generality, this structure has a rich metatheory, which we expose.
Computation focusing
Authors: Rioux Nick , Zdancewic Steve
Published: August 2020

Focusing is a technique from proof theory that exploits type information to prune inessential nondeterminism from proof search procedures. Viewed through the lens of the Curry-Howard correspondence, a focused typing derivation yields terms in normal form. This paper explores how to exploit focusing for reasoning about contextual equivalences and full abstraction. We present a focused polymorphic call-by-push-value calculus and prove a computational completeness result: for every well-typed term, there exists a focused term that is βη-equivalent to it. This completeness result yields a powerful way to refine the context lemmas for establishing contextual equivalences, cutting down the set that must be considered to just focused contexts. The paper demonstrates the application of focusing to establish program equivalences, including free theorems. It also uses focusing to prove full abstraction of a translation of the pure, total call-by-push-value language into a language with divergence and simple effect types, yielding a novel solution to a simple-to-state, but hitherto difficult to solve problem.
Denotational recurrence extraction for amortized analysis
Authors: Cutler Joseph W. , Licata Daniel R. , Danner Norman
Published: August 2020

A typical way of analyzing the time complexity of functional programs is to extract a recurrence expressing the running time of the program in terms of the size of its input, and then to solve the recurrence to obtain a big-O bound. For recurrence extraction to be compositional, it is also necessary to extract recurrences for the size of outputs of helper functions. Previous work has developed techniques for using logical relations to state a formal correctness theorem for a general recurrence extraction translation: a program is bounded by a recurrence when the operational cost is bounded by the extracted cost, and the output value is bounded, according to a value bounding relation defined by induction on types, by the extracted size. This previous work supports higher-order functions by viewing recurrences as programs in a lambda-calculus, or as mathematical entities in a denotational semantics thereof. In this paper, we extend these techniques to support amortized analysis, where costs are rearranged from one portion of a program to another to achieve more precise bounds. We give an intermediate language in which programs can be annotated according to the banker's method of amortized analysis; this language has an affine type system to ensure credits are not spent more than once. We give a recurrence extraction translation of this language into a recurrence language, a simply-typed lambda-calculus with a cost type, and state and prove a bounding logical relation expressing the correctness of this translation. The recurrence language has a denotational semantics in preorders, and we use this semantics to solve recurrences, e.g analyzing binary counters and splay trees.
Higher-order demand-driven symbolic evaluation
Authors: Palmer Zachary , Park Theodore , Smith Scott , Weng Shiwei
Published: August 2020

Symbolic
backwards
execution (SBE) is a useful variation on standard forward symbolic evaluation; it allows a symbolic evaluation to start anywhere in the program and proceed by executing
in reverse
to the program start. SBE brings goal-directed reasoning to symbolic evaluation and has proven effective in
e.g.
automated test generation for imperative languages.

In this paper we define DDSE, a novel SBE which operates on a
functional
as opposed to imperative language; furthermore, it is defined as a natural extension of a backwards-executing interpreter. We establish the soundness of DDSE and define a test generation algorithm for this toy language. We report on an initial reference implementation to confirm the correctness of the principles.
Kindly bent to free us
Authors: Radanne Gabriel , Saffrich Hannes , Thiemann Peter
Published: August 2020

Systems programming often requires the manipulation of resources like file handles, network connections, or dynamically allocated memory. Programmers need to follow certain protocols to handle these resources correctly. Violating these protocols causes bugs ranging from type mismatches over data races to use-after-free errors and memory leaks. These bugs often lead to security vulnerabilities.

While statically typed programming languages guarantee type soundness and memory safety by design, most of them do not address issues arising from improper handling of resources. An important step towards handling resources is the adoption of linear and affine types that enforce single-threaded resource usage. However, the few languages supporting such types require heavy type annotations.

We present Affe, an extension of ML that manages linearity and affinity properties using kinds and constrained types. In addition Affe supports the exclusive and shared borrowing of affine resources, inspired by features of Rust. Moreover, Affe retains the defining features of the ML family: it is an impure, strict, functional expression language with complete principal type inference and type abstraction. does not require any linearity annotations in expressions and supports common functional programming idioms.
Program sketching with live bidirectional evaluation
Authors: Lubin Justin , Collins Nick , Omar Cyrus , Chugh Ravi
Published: August 2020

We present a system called Smyth for program sketching in a typed functional language whereby the concrete evaluation of ordinary assertions gives rise to input-output examples, which are then used to guide the search to complete the holes. The key innovation, called live bidirectional evaluation, propagates examples "backward" through partially evaluated sketches. Live bidirectional evaluation enables Smyth to (a) synthesize recursive functions without trace-complete sets of examples and (b) specify and solve interdependent synthesis goals. Eliminating the trace-completeness requirement resolves a significant limitation faced by prior synthesis techniques when given partial specifications in the form of input-output examples.

To assess the practical implications of our techniques, we ran several experiments on benchmarks used to evaluate Myth, a state-of-the-art example-based synthesis tool. First, given expert examples (and no partial implementations), we find that Smyth requires on average 66% of the number of expert examples required by Myth. Second, we find that Smyth is robust to randomly-generated examples, synthesizing many tasks with relatively few more random examples than those provided by an expert. Third, we create a suite of small sketching tasks by systematically employing a simple sketching strategy to the Myth benchmarks; we find that user-provided sketches in Smyth often further reduce the total specification burden (i.e. the combination of partial implementations and examples). Lastly, we find that Leon and Synquid, two state-of-the-art logic-based synthesis tools, fail to complete several tasks on which Smyth succeeds.
Separation logic for sequential programs (functional pearl)
Authors: Charguéraud Arthur
Published: August 2020

This paper presents a simple mechanized formalization of Separation Logic for sequential programs. This formalization is aimed for teaching the ideas of Separation Logic, including its soundness proof and its recent enhancements. The formalization serves as support for a course that follows the style of the successful Software Foundations series, with all the statement and proofs formalized in Coq. This course only assumes basic knowledge of lambda-calculus, semantics and logics, and therefore should be accessible to a broad audience.
Staged selective parser combinators
Authors: Willis Jamie , Wu Nicolas , Pickering Matthew
Published: August 2020

Parser combinators are a middle ground between the fine control of hand-rolled parsers and the high-level almost grammar-like appearance of parsers created via parser generators. They also promote a cleaner, compositional design for parsers. Historically, however, they cannot match the performance of their counterparts.

This paper describes how to compile parser combinators into parsers of hand-written quality. This is done by leveraging the static information present in the grammar by representing it as a tree. However, in order to exploit this information, it will be necessary to drop support for monadic computation since this generates dynamic structure. Selective functors can help recover lost functionality in the absence of monads, and the parser tree can be partially evaluated with staging. This is implemented in a library called Parsley.
SteelCore: an extensible concurrent separation logic for effectful dependently typed programs
Authors: Swamy Nikhil , Rastogi Aseem , Fromherz Aymeric , Merigoux Denis , Ahman Danel , Martínez Guido
Published: August 2020

Much recent research has been devoted to modeling effects within type theory. Building on this work, we observe that effectful type theories can provide a foundation on which to build semantics for more complex programming constructs and program logics, extending the reasoning principles that apply within the host effectful type theory itself.

Concretely, our main contribution is a semantics for concurrent separation logic (CSL) within the F
⋆
proof assistant in a manner that enables dependently typed, effectful F
⋆
programs to make use of concurrency and to be specified and verified using a full-featured, extensible CSL. In contrast to prior approaches, we directly derive the partial-correctness Hoare rules for CSL from the denotation of computations in the
effectful
semantics of non-deterministically interleaved atomic actions.

Demonstrating the flexibility of our semantics, we build generic, verified libraries that support various concurrency constructs, ranging from dynamically allocated, storable spin locks, to protocol-indexed channels. We conclude that our effectful semantics provides a simple yet expressive basis on which to layer domain-specific languages and logics for verified, concurrent programming.
Strong functional pearl: Harper’s regular-expression matcher in Cedille
Authors: Stump Aaron , Jenkins Christopher , Spahn Stephan , McDonald Colin
Published: August 2020

This paper describes an implementation of Harper's continuation-based regular-expression matcher as a strong functional program in Cedille; i.e., Cedille statically confirms termination of the program on all inputs. The approach uses neither dependent types nor termination proofs. Instead, a particular interface dubbed a recursion universe is provided by Cedille, and the language ensures that all programs written against this interface terminate. Standard polymorphic typing is all that is needed to check the code against the interface. This answers a challenge posed by Bove, Krauss, and Sozeau.
Alternative Work Arrangements
Authors: Mas Alexandre , Pallais Amanda
Published: August 2020

Alternative work arrangements, defined both by working conditions and by workers’ relationship to their employers, are heterogeneous and common in the United States. This article reviews the literature on workers’ preferences over these arrangements, inputs to firms’ decisions to offer them, and the impact of regulation. It also highlights several descriptive facts: The typical worker is in a job where almost none of the tasks can be performed from home, work arrangements have been relatively stable over the past 20 years, work conditions vary substantially with education, and jobs with schedule or location flexibility are less family friendly on average. This last fact explains why women are not more likely to have schedule or location flexibility and seem to largely reduce their working hours to get more family-friendly arrangements.
Aerobic exercise training regulates serum extracellular vesicle miRNAs linked to obesity to promote their beneficial effects in mice
Authors: de Mendonça Mariana , Rocha Karina C. , de Sousa Érica , Pereira Beatriz M. V. , Oyama Lila Missae , Rodrigues Alice C.
Published: August 2020

There is a growing body of evidence that extracellular vesicles (EVs) and their cargo of RNA, DNA, and protein are released in the circulation with exercise and might mediate interorgan communication. C57BL6/J male mice were subjected to diet-induced obesity and aerobic training on a treadmill for 8 wk. The effect of aerobic training was evaluated in the liver, muscle, kidney, and white/brown adipose tissue. To provide new mechanistic insight, we profiled miRNA from serum EVs of obese and obese trained mice. We demonstrate that aerobic training changes the circulating EV miRNA profile of obese mice, including decreases in miR-122, miR-192, and miR-22 levels. Circulating miRNA levels were associated with miRNA levels in mouse liver white adipose tissue (WAT). In WAT, aerobically trained obese mice showed reduced adipocyte hypertrophy and increased the number of smaller adipocytes and the expression of Cebpa, Pparg, Fabp4 (adipogenesis markers), and ATP-citrate lyase enzyme activity. Importantly, miR-22 levels negatively correlated with the expression of adipogenesis and insulin sensitivity markers. In the liver, aerobic training reverted obesity-induced steatohepatitis, and steatosis score and Pparg expression were negatively correlated with miR-122 levels. The prometabolic effects of aerobic exercise in obesity possibly involve EV miRNAs, which might be involved in communication between liver and WAT. Our data provide significant evidence demonstrating that aerobic training exercise-induced EVs mediate the effect of exercise on adipose tissue metabolism.
Adenosine-Induced NLRP11 in B Lymphoblasts Suppresses Human CD4+ T Helper Cell Responses
Authors: Ozel Irem , Akkaya Ilgin , Oylumlu Ece , Uzel Goksu , Ciraci Ceren
Published: August 2020

NLRP11 is a member of the PYD domain-containing, nucleotide-binding oligomerization-domain (NOD-) like receptor (NLR) family. The true stimulus of NLRP11 is still unclear to date, so the current study is built upon NLRP11 induction via adenosine stimulation and that activation can shape adaptive immune responses in a caspase-1-independent manner. We examined the regulation and mechanism of adenosine responsiveness via NLRP11 in human Daudi Burkitt’s B lymphoma cells and their effects on human peripheral CD4+ T lymphocytes from healthy individuals. NLRP11 was significantly upregulated after induction with adenosine at both the mRNA and protein levels, which led to the interaction of endogenous NLRP11 with the ASC adaptor protein; however, this interaction did not result in the activation of the caspase-1 enzyme. Furthermore, cocultures of NLRP11-expressing Burkitt’s lymphoma cells and naïve human peripheral CD4+ T lymphocytes had reduced IFN-γ and IL-17A production, whereas IL-13 and IL-10 cytokines did not change. Interestingly, IFN-γ and IL-17A were recovered after transfection of Burkitt’s lymphoma cells with siRNAs targeting NLRP11. Concomitant with NLRP11 upregulation, we also exhibited that adenosine A2B receptor signaling induced two phosphorylated downstream effectors, pErk1/2 and pAkt (Ser473), but not pAkt (Thr308). Taken together, our data indicate that adenosine is a negative regulator of Th1 and Th17 responses via NLRP11 in an inflammasome-independent manner.
Spontaneous Retroperitoneal Hemorrhage Secondary to Chronic Celiac Axis Compression Treated with Embolization Utilizing Cone Beam CT
Authors: Khiatah Bashar , Jazayeri Sam , Hubeny Charles M. , Nadav Brian , Frugoli Amanda
Published: August 2020

Median arcuate ligament syndrome (MALS) is a rare and often misdiagnosed vascular pathology. In this paper, we discuss a 51-year-old female with MALS presenting with hypotension due to retroperitoneal hemorrhage. Currently, there is no consensus regarding the optimal treatment approach for such patients. This case report demonstrates the utility of conventional mesenteric angiography, cone beam CT with 3D reconstruction, and selective mesenteric transarterial embolization as an effective treatment approach for patients with spontaneous aneurysm rupture in MALS.
Antioxidant and Nutritional Properties of Domestic and Commercial Coconut Milk Preparations
Authors: Karunasiri Asiri N. , Gunawardane Mahendra , Senanayake Chathuri M. , Jayathilaka Nimanthi , Seneviratne Kapila N.
Published: August 2020

The aqueous extract of scraped coconut kernel is known as coconut milk. Coconut milk preparations are also commercially available in the form of desiccated powders or liquids. While these various coconut milk preparations are heavily used in cooking in the Asian countries as a major source of dietary fat, limited studies have been conducted on their chemical and nutritional composition. In this study, we have determined the chemical composition and nutritional effects of both domestic preparations of coconut milk and the commercially available counterparts. The results indicate that the phenolic compounds of all coconut milk preparations provide protection against oxidative damage on lipids and inhibit oxidative damage of both proteins and DNA. The lipid profiles are not significantly affected by the consumption of the three coconut milk preparations despite their different fat contents.
Rate of Approximation for Modified Lupaş-Jain-Beta Operators
Authors: Qasim M. , Khan Asif , Abbas Zaheer , Raina Princess , Cai Qing-Bo
Published: August 2020

The main intent of this paper is to innovate a new construction of modified Lupaş-Jain operators with weights of some Beta basis functions whose construction depends onσsuch thatσ0=0andinfx∈0,∞σ′x≥1. Primarily, for the sequence of operators, the convergence is discussed for functions belong to weighted spaces. Further, to prove pointwise convergence Voronovskaya type theorem is taken into consideration. Finally, quantitative estimates for the local approximation are discussed.
siRNA Design to Silence the 3 ′UTR Region of Zika Virus
Authors: Perez-Mendez María , Zárate-Segura Paola , Salas-Benito Juan , Bastida-González Fernando
Published: August 2020

The disease caused by the Zika virus (ZIKV) has positioned itself as one of the main public health problems in Mexico. One of the main reasons is it causes microcephaly and other birth defects. The transmission of ZIKV is through Aedes aegypti and Ae. albopictus mosquitoes, which are found in a larger space of the national territory. In addition, it can also be transmitted via blood transfusion, sexual relations, and maternal‐fetal route. So far, there are no vaccines or specific treatments to deal with this infection. Currently, some new therapeutics such as small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) are able to regulate or suppress transcription in viruses. Therefore, in this project, an in silico siRNA was designed for the 3 ′UTR region of ZIKV via bioinformatics tools. The designed siRNA was synthesized and transfected into the C6/36 cell line, previously infected with ZIKV in order to assess the ability of the siRNA to inhibit viral replication. The designed siRNA was able to inhibit significantly (p < 0.05) ZIKV replication; this siRNA could be considered a potential therapeutic towards the disease that causes ZIKV and the medical problems generated.
Evaluation of Antimicrobial Activity of Triphala Constituents and Nanoformulation
Authors: Omran Ziad , Bader Ammar , Porta Amalia , Vandamme Thierry , Anton Nicolas , Alehaideb Zeyad , El-Said Hamdi , Faidah Hani , Essa Abulrahman , Vassallo Antonio , Halwani Majed
Published: August 2020

The prevalence of nosocomial infections due to multidrug resistant (MDR) bacterial strains is associated with high morbidity and mortality. Folk medicine and ethnopharmacological data can provide a broad range of plants with promising antimicrobial activity. Triphala, an Ayurvedic formula composed of three different plants: Terminalia chebula Retz., Terminalia bellirica (Gaertn.) Roxb. (Combretaceae), and Phyllanthus emblica L. (Phyllanthaceae), is used widely for various microbial infections. Various extraction techniques were applied in the extraction of the biologically active constituents of Triphala in order to compare their efficiency. Microwave‐assisted extraction (MAE) was shown to be the most efficient method based on yield, extraction time, and selectivity. The Triphala hydroalcoholic extract (TAE) has been chemically characterized with spectroscopic and chromatographic techniques. Triphala hydroalcoholic extract was evaluated alone or with carvacrol. Different drug formulations including cream and nanoemulsion hydrogel were prepared to assess the antimicrobial activity against selected microorganism strains including Gram‐positive and Gram‐negative bacteria and fungi. We used a lipophilic oil of carvacrol (5 mg/mL) and a hydrophilic TAE (5 mg/mL) ingredient in a dosage form. Two solutions were created: hydrogel containing nanoemulsion as a lipophilic vector dispersed in the gel as a hydrophilic vehicle and a cream formulation, an oil‐in‐water emulsion. In both cases, the concentration was 250 mg of active ingredient in 50 mL of final formulation. The formulas developed were stable from a physical and chemical perspective. In the nanoemulsion hydrogel, the oil droplet size ranged from 124 to 129 nm, with low polydispersity index (PdI) 0.132 ± 0.013 and negative zeta potential −46.4 ± 4.3 mV. For the cream, the consistency factor (cetyl alcohol and white wax) induced immobilization of the matrix structure and the stability. Triphala hydroalcoholic extract in drug nanoformulation illustrated might be an adjuvant antimicrobial agent for treating various microbial infections.
Is Earlier Better? The Relationship between Age When Starting Early Intervention and Outcomes for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Selective Review
Authors: Towle Patricia O. , Patrick Patricia A. , Ridgard Tamique , Pham Sofia , Marrus Jaime
Published: August 2020

Although the conventional wisdom is that “earlier is better” when it comes to intervention for children with ASD, it is not clear what evidence exists to support this notion. This review examined a group of studies that addressed outcomes for young children with ASD who started early intervention at a range of ages. The review was selective by including only papers that examined the age of initiation of treatment as well as baseline cognitive, language, or adaptive level and, in addition, employed a method to control for the covariance between early ability level and age of beginning intervention. Fourteen studies were identified and then compared on methods and outcomes. The support for “earlier is better” was mixed, but it was clear that complex relationships among predictor variables need to be explored in order to understand the role of age of starting early intervention for later outcomes.
Kupffer Cell‐Derived TNF‐α Triggers the Apoptosis of Hepatic Stellate Cells through TNF‐R1/Caspase 8 due to ER Stress
Authors: Wang Wei-min , Xu Xue-song , Miao Chun-mu
Published: August 2020

Purpose. To investigate the roles of ER stress in Kupffer cells (KCs) and KC‐derived TNF‐α in the apoptosis of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs). Methods. A rat model of liver fibrosis was established. Liver and blood serum samples were collected. Liver function assays, Masson staining, Sirius Red staining, ELISAs, and TUNEL and immunohistochemical staining were performed. Liver function, liver fibrosis, KC phenotype, inflammatory factors, and number of active HSCs were investigated. KCs were isolated, treated with tunicamycin, and then, cocultured with primary hepatic stellate cells. ELISAs, immunofluorescence staining, flow cytometry, and Western blotting were performed. KC phenotype, inflammatory factors, HSC apoptosis, and TNF‐R1/caspase 8 pathway activity were examined. Results. ER stress in KCs reduced the levels of liver function markers, reduced the degree of liver fibrosis, and increased the number of KCs with the M1 phenotype and the expression of TNF‐α. The increase in KC‐derived TNF‐α reduced the number of active HSCs and increased the activity of TNF‐R1/caspase 8. Furthermore, ER stress in KCs promoted the polarization of KCs towards the M1 phenotype and increased the expression of TNF‐α. The increase in KC‐derived TNF‐α triggered the apoptosis of HSCs and the activation of TNF‐R1/caspase 8 in vitro, which was consistent with the in vivo results. Conclusion. ER stress in KCs promotes the polarization of these cells towards the M1 phenotype and increases the expression of TNF‐α. Then, the increase in KC‐derived TNF‐α triggers the apoptosis of HSCs through TNF‐R1/caspase 8.
Effects of Different Interface Forms on Mechanical Properties of Steel Self‐Compacting Concrete Composite Beams
Authors: Wang Chengzhi , Liu Xin , Liu Wei , Li Zhiming
Published: August 2020

In the water resources allocation project in Pearl River Delta, in order to optimize the structural design, the deep buried tunnel adopts the composite lining structure. However, the weakest link in a complex structure is the connection between two different interfaces. This paper reports the findings of an experimental study that was undertaken to investigate the interface mechanical performance of steel self‐compacting concrete composite structure subjected to cyclic loads. In this study, different shear connectors are considered, and six different specimens were designed and tested, respectively. The test is used to research the effect of the different shear connectors on the bearing capacity and interface mechanical properties of composite structure in an experimental study. According to these test results, a detailed analysis was carried out on the relationships, such as the stress‐strain and load‐displacement relationships for the specimen. These tests show that the shear connectors will significantly enhance the bearing capacity and interface mechanical properties of the composite structure. Among them, the comprehensive performance of the specimens using the stud‐longitudinal ribs shear connectors is the best. Additionally, a finite element analysis (FEA) model was developed. The comparison of the simulation results with the experimental results shows that this FEA is applicable for this type of experiment.